Nope, still don't own them!
And away we go!
Once outside the confines of the fortress Laney sped up to a fast walk. It wouldn't take long to get to the trees but she wanted to feel the breeze in her hair. The countryside was beautiful with the bright sunlight making the shadows dance as the light filtered through the leaves of what few trees that were left close to the walls. She knew it was for security, even in her time defense was paramount when putting walls around structures. She was lost in her wonderings when she noticed that Tristan had ridden up beside her. She looked up to see him watching the area, his eyes always moving.
Slowing down so that she could talk to him, she said, "I don't think anyone is going to bother us here." He looked over at her and answered, "old habits die hard." Then he ignored the countryside as he watched her look at him. After a bit, he asked, "what made you rush off earlier?" She slowly let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "You seemed to have something on your mind that you wouldn't say in front of everyone else. Besides I just wanted to venture off to be on my own for a bit." He slowed his pace and she had to almost stop before he came up even with her again. "I didn't mean I didn't want any company, just that, I've always like going off by myself and doing what's called, 'communing with nature'." She hesitated before finishing, "your presence is not hindering me, please stay."
She thought he was going to disregard her last statement he hesitated so long, then he nodded almost to himself and picked up his pace to keep with hers. "This 'communing with nature', I think I understand the meaning of the words, but what exactly does that mean to you?" he was looking at her expectantly. Looking around her slowly, she swept her arm to follow her gaze, "all this. Just looking, listening, and feeling the world around me. Hearing what the world has to say about life in general." Without realizing it her voice had taken on a mystical, breathless tone that spoke of magic in the world. Tristan wondered if there were other people like them, people that felt more than words or touches could convey. That was what made him feel so apart from everyone else. His ability to 'commune with nature' as Laney had said. She was the first to put words to his feelings and it disconcerted him that she of all people, would be the one to do so.
"A penny for your thoughts," she had said. He was confused at the unknown term but tired of making her explain everything she said, he said, "my words aren't worth much to anyone but myself…" His words were interrupted by the screech coming from overhead. He held out his arm and whistled. She came down quickly to settle on his fist, he gently flicked her under her beak, and finished, "and my bird." Laney felt like an intruder and was about to say so when he interrupted the silence. "Laney, do you really not know what your purpose is?" He sounded so serious she wanted to lighten the mood that had overcome him. "No, but I'm sure it's nothing that will ever stand out in anyone's mind after the fact."
His next words made her feel self-conscious for some reason. "I think you are more memorable than you want to believe. I know, I will never forget you." She didn't know what to say, so she just rode in silence for a while. Before she could think of something that would suffice as a topic of conversation, they reached the stand of trees. There was a small brook bubbling through it and although she couldn't see the source from her position, she could hear the sounds. As she started to dismount Tristan said quietly, "This is surely the place to 'commune with nature'. I do so often. I wonder at how you were drawn to this particular place."
She saw him lift his arm and the hawk took off in flight. He then followed her in getting off his horse. He took both sets of reins and walked the horses over to a nice grassy spot, tying them low enough that they could eat while standing there. "I always seem to be drawn to the best place to become one with the world." For some reason the turn of the conversation didn't make her feel uneasy with him any more. She wanted him to understand her nature more completely. They walked toward the sound of the water without talking. Laney broke the easy silence after a few more yards, pointing to a doe standing in the shadows, "it seems we are not the only ones to have found Eden." He looked in the direction she was pointing. "If Eden means safe, then they come here knowing they are safe from my hunting. I could never harm anything in this place... it's too perfect."
Laney stumbled on a small rock hidden beneath the leaf carpeted forest. Tristan reached out and caught her around the waist to keep her from falling. She didn't know if it was the topic, the atmosphere or just the magic of the place but his touch was almost electric as it ran through her body. She shivered involuntarily and Tristan let go of her. The look in his eyes let her know he too had felt the shock of their touching. "Tristan," she whispered, "what was that? That feeling?" He had taken a step back from her when he released her moments before, but when she asked, he reclaimed the step and took her by the shoulders. "I don't know, but I do know," and he lowered his mouth to hers, "that all I wanted to do then was this." His kiss was gentle, undemanding, a simple gesture between two people. There was nothing sexual, no passion in the pressure of their lips.
When Tristan released her lips, she felt there had been an exchange that was important. She somehow felt that they had exchanged more information about each other in that single kiss than hours of talking could have. She reached out and took his hand in hers, she didn't know why, just that it seemed right somehow. They walked silently toward the brook each looking around the forest for signs of life. No words were necessary between them, only the sounds of the living things interrupted the silence. They arrived at a clearing where the water took a turn before running down a small slope. There was a big log laying near the edge of the water and Laney knew that it hadn't gotten there by accident. "You really do come down here, don't you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.
Tristan surveyed his small paradise and with reverence in his tone he told her, "The harshness, the pain, the suffering and loss have not touched this place. Death is a natural part of life here. It happens as it is meant to happen and no man is forced to defile this place to fight over land that does not belong to anyone." The resentment in his words was plain. He slowly sat down on the log and rested his head in his hands. She sat next to him and put her arm through his making him release his head from its resting place. He turned to her and she saw him opening his heart and thoughts for the first time in his adult life. "I hate the man I've become." He took a deep breath and continued, "I've never admitted that to anyone before. I knew that would make me appear human and to be willing to kill like I have I knew I had to be inhuman. No man with any respect for life would kill so many for no good reason except they were told to do so."
Laney pulled his arm to pull him closer to her. "Tristan, being human does not make you weak and no one thinks you to blame for the things you've done. They all have to do the same thing for the same reasons." She desperately wanted him to know she did not feel he was to blame. "Then, why did you choose Lancelot to spend your nights with if I am such a good man?" His tone was so derisive that Laney wanted to flinch from it. "Is that what you think? Truly what you believe, Tristan?"
He took a minute to answer and she was afraid to hear the answer. "No, I guess that's not really what I think. I just feel the need to justify the fact that he claimed your heart before I could." Laney stood up and started to pace back and forth along the bank. She stopped, and coming to a decision, turned to tell him how she felt about Lancelot. When she turned he was standing directly behind her with a questioning look in his eyes.
"Tristan, I love Lancelot with all my being. It has not been anything to do with you or choosing between the two of you." He never moved a muscle, just stood looking at her. "I have felt the connection between us. But it is not the connection between a man and woman who want each other. It is the love of two people who think and feel the same way. Who will always be there for each other, as a friend. Friends that share the same experiences and emotions. Things no one else would understand." He slowly moved his gaze from hers to look over her shoulder as he whispered, "At least I have that."
Tristan turned away from her and she felt her shoulders droop. He didn't want to understand. "Tristan," she whispered to get his attention. When his gaze returned to her face she continued, "We cannot choose who we fall in love with, I'm sorry you think you love me." She reached up and touched his cheek with the palm of her hand, "but in all honesty, I think it's just 'lust'." He opened his mouth to protest and she placed her fingers over his mouth to stop him. "Wait, let me finish. I am a mystery. You like to solve mysteries." He reached up and removed her fingers from his lips and held them as he kissed her palm.
"Believe what you will, but I can assure you that I feel more than you wish to believe." He pulled her hand to his chest and placed it there, palm down. As he did so, she was pulled closer to him and he took her shoulders in his hands. "You are there, in my heart, where you will be until I breathe my last breath." He paused before adding. "But if you love Lancelot as you say and as I see, then I will be your friend, always there, watching over you and covering your back. When you see me watching, don't be upset. Know that I will never do anything to cause you pain." He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. The kiss was so light, if she closed her eyes it would have felt like butterfly wings brushing against her lips.
Laney stepped into his embrace and was held there for a long moment, a hug that promised he would be with her forever, no matter what the future held. Then he reached down and took her hand, still held against his chest, and led her to the log where he had first opened up to her. There they sat for awhile holding hands and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. There was no need to talk, no need to break the silence of nature. Neither of them noticed the blue man sitting high in the tree across the small stream, his bow slung across his shoulder. He had been sent there to watch for her. Merlin had told them that she would come again to seek counsel and he wanted her to be protected. He did not say why, and no one dared ask for more of an explanation. His visions were always true, and his people trusted him completely.
As Vennen sat in the tree and watched, he wondered at the gentleness of the knight. The knights of the great wall were known as demons among his people. He now wondered if the stories were an exaggeration. He had seen a man, not a demon. Until this woman had entered their lives, Vennen had been afraid to face the men who killed their warriors for pleasure and could not be defeated, but now, he knew they were not the invincible creatures once thought. They were men just like he was a man. They had emotions and felt the same things he felt. Maybe Merlin had been right. Maybe they could be persuaded to help them reclaim their freedom from the yoke of the Romans. His attention was brought back to the couple as the man stood up. He could not hear what was said, but they turned and headed toward their horses. It seemed the woman did not wish to speak with Merlin this time. He would find the man and tell him so as soon as it was safe to leave his place in the trees.