Disclosure: Not going to do this anymore. I do not (but wish I did!) own anything remotely related to the movie King Arthur.
Oh, well, another chapter… on with the story.
Laney woke the next morning with the realization that she had slept a dreamless sleep and had not awakened once. When she had finally gotten into bed she thought she would lie awake, unable to forget the happenings of the day. She had been wrong. Almost before her head had hit the pillow, she had been sound asleep. Yawning, she stretched as she lay there. Deciding she needed to get up and find Arthur she moved to get out of bed. She had to find something to occupy her or she'd go crazy just wandering around the fort all day every day. As she slid her feet over the edge of the bed, she heard a knock at her door. She grabbed the blanket from atop the bed and wrapped it loosely around her body.
When she opened the door she found the very man she had been planning on finding. "Arthur, I was just getting up to come look for you." He looked from her blanket to her unmade bed. Clearing his throat, he told her "I can come back if you'd like. I didn't realize you would still be sleeping so late in the afternoon." She gasped, "afternoon! I thought it was early morning."
"No, Lady, the sun passed overhead quite a while ago. I came to check on you when none of the others had seen you this morning." She noticed that he had a slight frown on his face and understood that he had been concerned that something had happened to her. She had just appeared unexpectedly out of nowhere and she knew he expected her to disappear the same way. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I assure you I am fine, I just must have been tired. More tired than I thought." She smiled and saw the concern fade from his face.
"Well, now that I know you are okay, I will go to the kitchen and wait for you. I'll have cook prepare something for you to eat. You must be hungry after so long a time without eating." At her questioning look he continued, "Lancelot told me you had foregone supper last night and you missed breakfast and lunch." She looked up quickly to see if he had some hidden meaning to his words. Finding no reason to think otherwise, she told him, "I'll hurry so you won't have to wait too long." Arthur bowed his head and turned to walk away. He slowed until he heard her door close. Then he walked back toward the kitchen.
She only took enough time to wash her face and slip on her green wool suit before heading toward the kitchen. When she arrived she found Arthur sitting at a table where hot steaming food had been placed across from his seat. She quickly walked over and sat down as he tried to stand. She forgot the formality he had shown anytime she entered a room. She quickly tried to stand back up and he was beginning to sit down. They played their little game of cat and mouse until finally in laughter she just flopped down and waited for him to do the same. He was laughing too when he finally got settled in his seat.
"Well, that was interesting." Was all he said. She picked up her cup and took a sip of the cool water that was waiting. When she finished she took her spoon and took a bite of the cereal. It was sweetened with generous portions of honey and butter. Real butter, not margarine. Savoring the flavors, she didn't see the look on Arthur's face. When she looked over at him, he spoke in awe. "You really have never had porridge before?" He sounded like he really couldn't believe it until she shook her head. "No, the cereal I ate back home came from a box and you ate it cold with milk poured over it." Taking another bite, she continued, "this is so much better."
Arthur tried to comprehend what she was saying. The food from her time sounded so strange to him. He saw that she was really enjoying her meal and decided to sit back and wait until she was finished. He feared that the line of discussion he was about to start might cause her to lose her appetite. After several minutes of her eating and making small talk, she pushed her bowl back and wiped her mouth. When she had taken a drink to wash everything down, he suggested they go for a walk. He didn't want unwanted ears hearing what they discussed.
They walked side by side out into the open yard outside the kitchen. When they had walked for a while, Arthur turned down what appeared to be an abandoned alley. About halfway between one end and the other, he stopped and turned to face Laney. He hesitated for several moments then clearing his throat broached his subject. "I've been hearing some disturbing accounts of yesterday's events. Has something happened that you haven't told?" He looked at her with his keen eyes and she knew that telling him a believable lie would be next to impossible. Turing her gaze away from his she thought about what she would say.
"Arthur, I don't know why everyone thinks something has happened to change me. But, whether you want to believe it or not, this is who I am." She looked back into his eyes and prayed he would believe her. "I am fine, I promise you. I'm just having a little harder time adjusting to the changes than I thought I would. I love this time in history and I read everything I could find about it. But books just don't tell the whole story. Things here are so much more intense than my previous home." She took a moment to mentally compare the two lives and come up with a way to tell him so he could visualize what she was seeing in her mind.
"In my time people aren't as passionate about life. Things have become so easy, so automated that no one has to get their blood pumping and their adrenaline up for anything. People work only eight hours a day unless they just want to work more. Food is purchased already cooked and ready to eat so there is little effort spent even in eating. Here, every thing you do throughout your day has a feel of importance that makes you feel more alive, more necessary than I have ever felt back home." Her voice had taken on the edge of passion heard when someone is talking about something important to them. She let the silence finish for her and Arthur seemed to understand what she had just told him. She wanted to be sure he knew what she meant so she asked him, "Have I explained this so that you can begin to understand what I'm feeling?"
Arthur looked at Laney for several moments before he tried to speak. Then, he reached down and took her hands in his. "Laney, I am sorry for questioning you regarding what has been described as unusual behavior. Now I see why you said you felt like, what was it, 'a fish out of water'." He took a breath and squeezed her hands. I don't know how I would react if everything around me was foreign to what I was used to. Your courage handling this situation is admirable. If you ever feel that you just want to talk to or shout at someone, I will be available. There is nothing short of open war that will make me ignore you if you seek my counsel."
The look of compassion in his eyes made her understand that he truly did sympathize with her situation. She squeezed his hand in return and gave him a smile. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her holding her in a loose hug. "Never feel that you are alone." Was all he said. She put her arms around his middle and rested her head on his massive chest. She could feel the muscles move in his arms as he gently massaged her back. She closed her eyes for a brief time, then as she opened them she looked up to see him look down at her. They held each other's gaze for several minutes then slowly Arthur lowered his head and kissed her.
His kiss was gentle and his lips warm. The kiss kept the same gentle pressure for a while, then Arthur deepened the pressure. Laney responded to this immediately and slowly snaked her arms up and around his neck. As she wrapped her arms around his neck she felt him straighten up lifting her slightly off the ground. He moved his hands to her lower back to support her weight in his arms. They kissed for a few more minutes and Arthur reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers. The kiss was sweet and gentle. Laney had enjoyed it very much as she knew Arthur had and although she thought it might not be the last time they would share such an intimacy, she knew the spark she was searching for didn't ignite. Arthur touched her cheek with the back of his fingers and leaned over to kiss her on top of her head. He held the position for so long she moved her head to look up at him.
Arthur raised his head and gave her one quick hug. Returning the hug she realized she was smiling happily for the first time since she had arrived. When Arthur saw her smile, he wrinkled his eyebrows in a question. Laney laughed and patted his cheek. "It is such a glorious day to be alive!" Then turning, she walked toward the center of activity in the fort, the tavern. She hoped some of the other knights would be there so they could see that she was truly doing fine and they didn't need to be concerned any longer. About to reach the tavern she heard sounds coming from the opposite direction. She hesitated then decided to investigate the sounds she heard.