The Stages of Courtly Love
For future reference and so I don't forget that I meant to use this somewhere, the prescribed stages of courtly love:
*Attraction to the lady, usually via eyes/glance *Worship of the lady from afar *Declaration of passionate devotion *Virtuous rejection by the lady *Renewed wooing with oaths of virtue and eternal fealty *Moans of approaching death from unsatisfied desire (and other physical manifestations of lovesickness) *Heroic deeds of valor which win the lady's heart *Consummation of the secret love *Endless adventures and subterfuges avoiding detection
Positively medieval...but still rather romantic, I have to admit. Though courtly love has no basis in reality as far as the historians say.