Thanks for all the reviews!
Alatarial Elf: I knew the first couple of chapters were long and since no one but me knew the character, I was afraid people would lose interest. Glad you didn't and glad you like the "bath house" entrance. I got the idea from my beta who had a book on tours to Hadrian's Wall. Hope you like the rest.
Tracy137: It changes really soon to a Lancelot/OC story. Keep in mind that all the knights are affected by her, even Arthur.
MBFC: Yeah, they are my two current favorites. For some reason I just can't let go of Tristan even when I find a reason to have another for a while.
Sheiado: Tristan is definitely interested and she is interested a little, but as the time passes she realizes it is Lancelot.
On with the story… Oh, yeah, I still don't own anything to do with the 2004 movie, the book or any other thing except the main character, Delaney. Like you all didn't know already!
Surprisingly enough, Arthur was the first to come out where she and Tristan were waiting. He dismissed Tristan and sat down close enough that he could talk to Laney without seeming to lord over her. "Tell me about Merlin." His statement caught her by surprise. She had not mentioned the man and she wasn't sure if he was implying that she was somehow connected with him or not. Deciding to wait a bit and see where this line of conversation was really headed, she asked. "What do you mean 'tell you about Merlin'? Is there something I've missed since we met?"
Arthur regarded her for a moment. She kept her chin up and her eyes leveled on his. Finally, he had made up his mind about whether or not she was lying but his next question did not reveal his answer. "Your speech and manner of dress is different than I've seen before. Where are you from?"
She had known that sooner or later one of them would ask her this and she had pondered how best to answer. Until now she had not decided. "I don't remember anything past yesterday. I just remember getting into the water to bathe and before that I have no memory." The lie came easily to her. There was no way she could make him understand or even believe the truth. Especially since she wasn't sure she even knew what that truth was.
"You don't know from which direction you came?" His question sounded incredulous and she knew she would have a hard time keeping up with her tale, but it would be necessary until she could find out more herself. "No, all I know is that this place was strange to me but I felt I was supposed to be here for some reason that I cannot remember. I'm sure the memory of my life will return, it will just take some time for me to find the answers to all the questions I have. Questions like what brought me here? Why am I alone? And where did I travel from?" She paused thinking sadly about the life she had left behind and fearfully about what was in her future now.
Arthur saw her look inward for answers to the questions she had just voiced. He at first thought she was lying, but he saw in her eyes the uncertainty and fear. "Don't worry, Lady, we will not leave you to this land alone and without means to take care of yourself. You are welcome at the fort at Hadrian's Wall until the time you can decide what to do." He looked over to the horses and then turning back to her, "Do you know how to ride a horse?"
She looked at the huge horses and slowly shook her head. "I've ridden a horse before, maybe when I was younger. At least I think I have. I know what to do when I look at the horses, I just don't remember how I know." She felt a little shame in lying so much. She had always thought there was no reason good enough that a lie was necessary. Now she knew better. All the truth would do now was ensure her place in some looney hospital or whatever they had here and now. She couldn't tell him that riding was a hobby back home and that her favorite part was jumping and running the barrels. First, he wouldn't understand what a hobby was and second, he wouldn't understand what running barrels was. She had to feign ignorance about everything until she could figure out what was going on.
She suddenly felt a chill and looked around. The sun was beginning to sink lower on the horizon. She had always heard that the weather in Britain was cold and damp most of the time. Until now all she had seen was a beautiful sunny sky with a soft warm breeze. "Is there somewhere I can change into something more suitable for the night air?" Arthur got up quickly, "the men should be done soon, but if you need to change before they are I will gladly hold a blanket so that you can have some privacy." She thought about that for a only a split second before the next gush of cool air made up her mind.
"Thank you, I think I will change before they are done. This air is getting cooler as we speak." She stood and taking her bag walked over to where Arthur had pulled a rolled up blanket off his saddle. He looked at Laney and saw the outline of her nipples poking through the thin covering she had. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to remove the material and touch the perfect buds.
Realizing what he had been thinking, he shook out the blanket and held it in front of him, his hands above his head, effectively covering his eyes. Whatever his thoughts had been only moments before he would be proper in his actions. He listened to the sounds of cloth slipping over her skin as she changed her clothes. He hoped she would hurry, it had been a while since he had wanted to experience a woman in such a short time after meeting her unless he had been drunk.
She quickly pulled on a pair of soft wool pants over her bathing suit. She pulled the matching Nehru-style top over her head and felt the immediate warmth from covering her skin. The wind had been cooler than she had thought. "Thank you, I'm decent." She told him.
He lowered the blanket slowly as if he didn't believe she was finished so quickly. "I just pulled these on over my bathing suit, so the blanket wasn't really necessary." Then afraid she might hurt his feelings for having tried to do something that wasn't appreciated, she quickly added, "But the privacy was very appreciated." She hoped men in this time weren't as easily offended as they were in her time. One wrong word would have you explaining things that should have been evident with men of the twenty-first century. Maybe these men were more secure so they could take your words as intended instead of being wounded all the time.
Arthur rolled the blanket up after acknowledging her thank you. While he was occupied, she took the opportunity to check out the things in her bag. She had no idea how long she would be here and she had packed sparingly. She had a couple of changes of clothes including a very revealing dress she had brought on a whim. It wouldn't be suitable at all unless she wore a tunic over the top half. The wraparound skirt would work being it was long enough to go past her ankles. But the tank top wouldn't. She was sure the skimpy panties and camisoles were not the underwear of the age, but no one would be seeing them anyway. She needed clothes! That was all there was to it. She pulled out her soft brown boots. They didn't exactly match the green outfit she now wore, but she was sure they would be better suited to this time than the skimpy sandals she had brought to wear with it. She turned and found Lancelot watching her. Arthur had moved a bit away from her and she hadn't even noticed. If she were going to survive here she would have to be more observant!
"Unpacking or packing?" he asked.
"Neither, I'm just doing inventory. Looks like I'm lacking when it comes to clothes. I must not have been planning on a long journey when I left home, wherever that is." She hoped the lie was believable. No wonder people lied so much, after the first time it became so easy.
"I'm sure one of the ladies at the fort will be glad to help you. What you're wearing seems fine. I don't remember ever having seen anything quite like it before. Is that what most people wear back home?" He casually asked her.
She wondered if he really was being casual or if he hoped to catch her in some lie. She had just told him she didn't remember where she came from. "I guess it is. For some reason I want to think there were a lot more styles and that I didn't always follow the most current. I hope my memory comes back soon. For all I know I have a family waiting for me." She had let the last part trail off as if she was wondering herself. At first she had enjoyed the necessity of not being completely honest with these people. But now it was hard to remember just what she had told and she was growing weary of the whole affair. So what if they thought she was crazy? She kind of wondered that herself.
Laney made a decision that as soon as possible she would sit them all down and tell them the truth. She had her plane ticket in her bag. She would show them the things that would prove she wasn't making this up and then they could help her try to find her way home. Or help her adjust to her new life here. She couldn't make a life here after lying to the men who would be trying to help. She owed them better than the fairy tale she had been spinning.
She looked at Lancelot. He was watching the emotions cross her face. "Lancelot, when the others get through bathing, I would like to talk to you all at once. I'm getting tired of answering all these questions to each of you individually. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rest. It's been a long time since I just rested." She lay the cloak that Tristan had loaned her on the ground and sat down leaning on the rock she had been perched on before.
Lancelot watched her move deliberately to where he would have to make an effort to talk to her. He glanced over to Arthur and shrugged his shoulders. Then he walked over to his horse and began to pull the saddle off. It seemed they would be camping here tonight and he wanted to give his horse time to rest before they set off early the next day. One by one the others joined the activities setting up the camp. When Tristan came out, Laney quickly got up and shook off his cloak. She handed it to him and thanked him. He took it and gave her a strange look. She seemed different than when he had left her. Angry or distant. He looked at the others and saw Lancelot giving her strange looks when he thought she wasn't looking. Sudden anger that Lancelot had done something to upset her caught him by surprise.
He took his cloak and threw it over his saddle, now lying on the ground close to the fire Gawain had started. He knew Lancelot had a reputation for wooing women. That had never bothered him before. He didn't understand why he put so much effort into bedding women. If you stood around long enough the women usually came to you. They had needs just as men did. He realized when the last thought had entered his head he had immediately looked at the only woman in their camp. He wondered if she had felt the things he had felt earlier. He had wanted her. It was that simple. But she had not seemed to notice. He shook his head and reached for his bow. "I'll see if I can find some fresh meat for our dinner." Was all he said as he walked away.
Laney watched him walk away. Of all the men here he was the only one she hoped understood her predicament. She had a feeling he would not be happy with the lies she had told, but she thought he might understand why she had told them. 'Oh, well, whatever happens, happens. There is nothing I can do about it now.' She thought to herself and sighing she sat back down on her rock.
After several minutes she felt someone lowering her to the ground. She knew she should wake up but she just didn't have the strength. Moaning softly, she snuggled into the warmth of the cloak she was being wrapped in. When Lancelot heard the woman moan, he had wanted to be the reason she was moaning. The sound of footsteps made him look up to see Arthur watching him with a look of resentment. Lancelot was a little unnerved by the look so he stood up. "She fell asleep sitting up, I lowered her onto my cloak so she could rest better." Then shrugging his shoulders he moved a little away from the other pair.
He turned around and saw Arthur leaning down as if he was going to caress the woman. He had not seen his friend react to a woman in this manner and felt both awe toward her that she could affect the Roman so easily and resentment toward his friend that he had been affected so easily. He walked away from the sight and watched Arthur move away as well only to be replaced by Tristan. Tristan was watching her sleep in much the same manner as Arthur had been. What was it about this woman that made them want to just look at her? His thoughts changed as he saw Gawain walk over and after only a moment Tristan left her side. This continued until they all had stood beside her paying their respects to her beauty. All but Bors. Only he didn't seem to be affected by her. He was happily gnawing at some meat Tristan had brought back.
Lancelot looked back at Laney. It must have been the sight of her near-naked body glistening in the bright light of full day. They all only saw naked women in dimly lit rooms in the knight's quarters. When full day came, they had been dressed and long gone to wait for the next night when yet another of the knights would take them home. Maybe it was the naked body of someone they had no knowledge of that made them all seem to want to explore her if given a chance. His final thought before sleep overcame him was how her skin would feel beneath his while he slowly made love to her.