"…a name you already know," he replied
"I don't believe that I've ever met you before, though I could be mistaken because I cannot see your face under that cloak. Won't you take that off?" she asked.
The man stepped towards Dani. Her heart began to race as he came closer to her. He touched her hand and instantly she felt at ease. There was something reassuring about his touch that Dani couldn't quite place her finger on. She was almost sure she had never met him before, but still she felt no discomfort with him there.
"If you still would like me to take this off, I will oblige your request. I do not mind if you see my face, but it may shock you," he said.
"I want to look into the eyes of the man that rescued me when he didn't have to and thank him. Please take it off," she said.
"As you wish," he replied.
He turned around for a moment to remove his cloak from his head. Dani could see that he had curly brown hair. After a moment of silence the man began to turn around to face Dani.
"Before I let you see who I am, close your eyes," he requested.
Dani closed her eyes as he had asked her. Once the man was sure that her eyes were shut tightly, he leaned forward and kissed her. It startled Dani and she opened her eyes, ready to slap this man who had kissed her without permission. When she opened them, she was staring in the face of Lancelot. Dani gasped and pulled away from the kiss.
"Lancelot!" she exclaimed.
"It is me," he said. "When I saw that guy with you yesterday, I had a feeling that he was not who he seemed to be. So I kept an eye on you. When he attacked you tonight, I had to protect you."
"I was coming to find you to tell you that I still love you," she said.
"Really?" he asked. "How could you still love me when I hurt you so much by lying to you?"
"That doesn't matter anymore. It happened in the past before you even knew me. All that matters is that I love you and have been miserable without you. Can you forgive me for being so selfish?" she asked.
"There is nothing to forgive because you did nothing wrong, my love. I have been depressed without you. I love you so much," he replied.
Lancelot took Dani in his arms and kissed her. With all of her strength she kissed him back. The empty feeling in her heart disappeared as did his. He was careful not to hurt her chest when he was holding her. Although, he busted lip proved to be fine when she was kissing him.
"I've missed you," she said, looking into his eyes.
"And I've missed you," he replied, kissing her forehead.
"You know, I could stay here in your arms forever. I never want to leave you again. You are the only one I could ever love," she said.
"I never would want you to leave. You need to rest though. Lie down on my bed because you're too weak to walk back to your own room," he said.
"Where will you sleep then?" she asked.
"I'm not going to sleep. I am going to stay up and watch over you to make sure that you will be alright," he replied.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes, now get some sleep and we'll talk more tomorrow," he said as he picked her up and put her in the bed.
He kissed her good night and she fell asleep fast. This had been a long day for both of them. Now they were reunited and happy once again. Lancelot was content to watch her sleep. He would watch her chest rise and fall to make sure she was breathing. As the moonlight came through his window, it cascaded upon Dani's silk skin along her face and arms. Lancelot thought that the moonlight only enhanced her natural beauty. Dani smiled in her sleep and Lancelot knew that she was happy here. For five months he had dreamed of the day they would reunite and had hoped for it. Now that dream was a reality and Lancelot was happier than he had ever been.
It was nearing dawn and Lancelot knew that Dani would wake soon. He walked over to the window and pulled a rose from the vines outside his window. Roses were her favorite flower and she loved waking up to them. Quietly, he placed one on the pillow next to her face. When he returned to the chair he was sitting on, he noticed that she was stirring at the smell of the flower. Her eyes opened and she saw the flower. She smiled and sat up. Quickly, Lancelot closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Dani took the flower off the pillow and put it in her hair. She pushed the blankets off and got up off the bed, crossed the room, and went up to Lancelot. Softly, she brushed the side of his face with her hand and kissed his lips. He opened his eyes to her soft touch.
"Good morning. Thank you for my flower, it's beautiful," she said.
"You're welcome, only you are more beautiful than any flower," he replied.
"You flatter me," she said, blushing. "When we were apart, I kept having dreams about you."
"As did I," he said.
"Mine were of having a family with you," she said.
"So were mine. It was as if our dreams were trying to tell us that we belong together or something," he replied, taking her hand in his. "Dani, there is something that I've been wanting to ask you for a long time. I know it may seem sudden, but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He bent down on one knee and said, "Dani, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"
Dani could not believe her ears. He was the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She had dreamed of this day when she and Lancelot were together five months ago and now it was finally here. Her heart raced in excitement.
"Yes! Yes I will marry you. I've been waiting for you to ask me that for a long time," she said as she jumped into his arms and kissed him.
Lancelot caught her and kissed her back. He was so happy that she had said yes. The only problem now was how to tell everyone else.
"Darling, how do we go about telling everyone that we're engaged?" he asked, breaking their kiss.
"Well, Arthur and Guinevere already know that we had a relationship. I suppose that we could announce it at dinner tonight. Isn't that how it is done traditionally anyways?" she asked.
"That's a perfect idea. Until then, you can stay here with me to avoid questions about your lip," he said.
Dani touched her hand to her lip. She had completely forgotten about it being busted. A smile crossed her face. When she was with him, she could forget things like that so easily. Her heart was literally full of love at that moment. When he suggested that she stay there for the rest of the day, she didn't mind. Thus far, her day had been perfect. One, she was reunited with the man she loved, two, she was now engaged, and three, she had him all to herself for the rest of the day.
For the remainder of the day, they sat on his bed talking about their lives now and in the future, after they would be married. It was pure bliss for both of them. Dani told him the dream about their daughter and he smiled. By the end of their discussion about their dreams, it was clear that both of them wanted children. After a while, they got tired of talking and she laid her head back on his shoulder and sighed in happiness. When they were apart, Dani had been miserable without his touch and love. The same had been true with Lancelot. They loved one another with every fiber of their beings. Both of them treasured this alone time.
At sunset, the time had come for them to go to dinner. Dani was strong enough to walk alone now, so they started for dinner hand in hand. Since it was on the way, they stopped by her room and she went in and changed. She fixed her hair with the rose in it. Ten minutes later, she was good to go. They walked down the corridors to the Dining Hall together. When they reached it, they stopped at the door and looked at one another. They smiled.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready if you are," she replied.
"Let's go in. Remember, no matter what they say, I will always love you," he said, squeezing her hand.
"I love you too," she said, squeezing his hand back.
Everyone else was already in the Dining Hall when they walked in. The room went totally silent as they entered hand in hand. Dani and Lancelot knew that they were being stared at by every set of eyes in the room. After a few more moments of awkward silence, Dani spoke.
"There is something we have to say," she said.
"Go ahead," Arthur replied.
"We are engaged to be married," Lancelot and Dani said in unison.
"Oy…finally," said some of the knights.
"Hey, wait a second. How did you know about our relationship?" asked Dani.
"Honey, everyone in here knew about it. We just didn't tell you because we wanted both of you to continue thinking you were having a secret relationship. It would build a bond between you," Guinevere explained.
Dani and Lancelot looked at each other in total confusion. Now it really didn't matter because they were engaged and happy. After a few minutes, both of them thought it was pretty hilarious and would make a great story to tell their children in the future. They sat together at the table next to Arthur and Guinevere. Now that everyone knew about their relationship, they no longer had to hide their affection for one another. They held hands at the table and conversed with everyone. It was a great time for everyone.
The absolute only worry on Dani's mind was the wedding plans.
A/N: Cheesy, I know. I like the fluff stuff though. It's very sweet and I'm a hopeless romantic so get over it. Lol. So, you know the drill. Leave reviews and such.