Another chapter, yeah. Hope you like this one too.
I still don't own any knights from this story (or anyone else you recognize from the movie or book). Just one mixed up woman who can't seem to do anything right lately, ha ha.
Laney walked into the room where Arthur was sitting with Lancelot. When she walked into the room she found them talking seriously. She heard Arthur say, 'you can't be serious'. She never found out what he couldn't be serious about because Lancelot looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. Both men immediately stopped talking when they realized she was there. Arthur looked agitated by the interruption but the look on Lancelot's face made her forget the one on Arthur's.
He had been about to say something when he saw her and his mouth still hung open. His eyes were wide as he stared at her looking up and down. She saw that her outfit had the desired effect on him and she thought if prompted he might realize he had feelings for her too. Feeling completely out of place, Arthur made to move toward the door. When neither of the other two made to stop him, he just sighed and left. Laney faintly heard the door close but did not turn toward the sound. Instead she walked toward the man she had come to care about.
Lancelot watched in awe as she glided toward him. His head still hurt, but to see her looking like she did at that moment made it worth all the pain he felt. When she stepped up to the bed she gave him a shy smile and sat on the edge of the bed. She could have sat in the chair like she had been doing all afternoon, but she wanted to be within reach should he want to hold her hand. She had never orchestrated a relationship before and didn't want to over do it She suddenly felt shy and unsure of herself. Did she really want to influence him into making a declaration? Deciding she didn't, she stood up and went to the table to hide her embarrassment at her behavior.
Lancelot watched her get up and move to the table. Something suddenly seemed to be bothering her. He hoped he hadn't looked at her with too lecherous a look, but he figured that had to be it. He'd just pretend to be in pain so she wouldn't hold his response against her. She turned to ask him if he needed something for the pain in his head and she saw the look of contriteness and was a little confused. What was he being contrite about? Shaking off the feeling that she had missed something, she smiled and asked, "would you like some tea for the pain?"
He slowly shook his head, "No, as long as I don't move too suddenly it is bearable." Then he told her, "Arthur told me you were the one to assess my condition. I didn't realize you were a healer." She prepared to tell him the same story she had told Galahad when he started talking again. "I said much the same thing to Arthur and he told me there was a lot more about you that I didn't know. That was just before you arrived and he didn't have time to tell me exactly what he was talking about. Maybe you could clear it up?" The panic started to rise the moment he had started talking. He was being way too non-chalant about the whole thing. Trying to figure out what if anything Arthur had said, she stalled by pouring some of the tea into a smaller cup.
"I think you should drink some of this. Otherwise you won't get any rest tonight after sleeping all afternoon." She flashed him a smile and saw his quiet determination. He wanted answers and she didn't think she could side track him. "What exactly did Arthur say?" was all she could think of to ask. When she saw his smug grin, she knew she had taken the bait. Arthur hadn't told him anything but she had just confirmed that Arthur knew more than they had let on. She didn't know what to do next and just stood there looking at him.
Lancelot watched her come to the realization that she had been cornered, then felt bad about the whole thing. "Seriously, Laney, he didn't tell me anything, but you just told me there is more than you've told me. And that Arthur knows. Why can't you tell me? Don't you trust me, Laney?" His voice was so pleading she felt guilty about keeping secrets from him. But she and Arthur had agreed that it would be better if no one else knew. Especially until she knew exactly what and for who she was supposed to change fate.
She took a deep breath and let the air exhale slowly. She knew she was about to damage the relationship she was willing to influence only moments before. Maybe beyond repair, but she couldn't tell him what he asked to know. "Lancelot," she started as she slowly moved closer to the bed, "I don't know what to say. I can't answer your questions and I can't tell you why. Please understand and trust me on this." She pleaded with him. She saw his jaw set before she had even finished speaking. She was turning to leave the room when he reached over and took her hand in his. She saw him wince from the pain as he exerted himself by reaching. She reached up and smoothed his brow and saw him close his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to ease all his pains, both physical and mental, but she refused to let her heart rule her logic. She sat on the bed and hung her head. By easing his mental pain, she would be telling him things that might change his life forever and until she knew what she was expected to do she couldn't risk making the wrong move.
She stopped rubbing his forehead and watched as he slowly opened his eyes. She placed the palm of her hand on his cheek and smiled at him. He smiled back and said, "Okay, I'll trust you. But only so far. Eventually you are going to tell me everything. Promise?" She slowly nodded and felt the blood rush throughout her body as he gently massaged the inside of her wrist. She hadn't realized her eyes had closed until she felt his hand brush her cheek. She opened them quickly and looked into the most beautiful black eyes. He had a contented look on his face and she wanted nothing more than to feel his kisses on her lips again. Remembering he was injured, she made to move away from him before she did something that would cause him more pain.
As she tried to move away from his touch, she felt him pulling her closer. She knew she should resist, but her body would not obey her mind. Before she could think straight she felt herself moving closer. Then they were both lying on the bed with her half-draped over him. He was holding her against him with his arm around her waist. She looked at him and saw the desire in his eyes but she couldn't resist when he used his other hand to pull her head down as his came up touching her lips with his. Their eyes were open and only inches apart. She saw him close his eyes as the pressure on her lips increased. She closed her eyes slowly and began to respond to his kiss. After a while he released her head and laid his head back on the pillow. She opened her eyes and looked at his face. He looked pale and his breathing was raspy. At first she was afraid he had hurt himself. Then she saw him smile.
"I may feel better, but I don't think I'm ready for the night I want to spend with you. I won't rush until I can show you how I feel." His words brought her joy. Even if he had not said the word 'love' she knew he had meant it. Smiling she moved to touch his forehead again. He took her hand and kissed the palm. His kiss held promises that she had not experienced all that he had to offer. She felt herself blush and tried to hide it by checking her clothes and running her hands through her hair. She knew by the smile he had on his face that she had not succeeded in hiding anything from him. His eyes were closed but he was still awake. His breathing did not have the steady rhythm of one who had fallen asleep. She sat there for a while just watching his face. Slowly the smile faded and his breathing became regular. She reached up and pushed a lock of his hair off his forehead, then she stood up and moved to the chair. It would be time for Dagonet to come soon and she knew she needed to leave and get some fresh air. But she felt reluctant to leave his side in case he changed his mind before she returned.
As if on cue, Dagonet opened the door and stepped inside the room. "I hear he's been awake and talks as if nothing happened. That's a good sign." She smiled at the big man and nodded her head. "He seems to be okay, but he does tire easily and if he moves about too much it makes his head hurt. He should be fine in a couple of days at the most." She filled her replacement 'nurse' in on his condition.
Dag moved to the bedside and looked into Lancelot's face. He was breathing regularly and his face was calm and serene, not pained. By all signs he was just sleeping soundly. Satisfied that things were under control, he ushered Laney out of the room. She looked exhausted but there was something in her face that said she was content. He supposed it was because Lancelot was healing so nicely. He didn't know when it had transpired, Laney had only been with them for less than a week, but somehow she had managed what none of the other women around the fort had done. Dagonet had personally seen Lancelot turn down two of his 'regular' women friends in less than two days. He couldn't remember ever seeing that before and figured it had to be something to do with the new arrival.
Watching the man sleep, Dagonet remembered earlier days when Lancelot bragged about his conquests. He seemed to think that he had to bed a different woman every night to prove his virility. The rest knew it was because he was lonely for his family and that sooner or later he would calm down. So far in the years they had been together that had not happened. He'd settled down some and only took one or two regulars to bed but he never settled on any one woman. How ironic that he would choose someone so different from the others. As far as Dagonet could tell she hadn't actively sought any male company and had rebuffed Lancelot on several occasions. Shaking his head he decided Fate would take care of her own and nothing he thought would change anything.
He had heard the stories told about how the fight had begun. It perplexed him that Tristan was so quick to take a dislike to someone. The scout was usually stoic in his observations that he had to see something upsetting before he chose to dislike another person. Perhaps it was because of his circumstances and having no choice about what he did for a living, but whatever the reason he didn't judge easily. Having never seen any reason to dislike Laney, he was unsure what Tristan could have seen. Whatever it was must have angered Lancelot beyond reason or the two men would have just ended up shouting at each other as they often did. According to Bors, Lancelot had made the first move and Tristan was simply defending. How he managed to hit Lancelot on the head was never fully explained and probably would never be. He knew Tristan had visited the injured man and he had not heard that Lancelot ordered him to leave, so he guessed they had come to terms.