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To all my faithful reviewers:

LANCELOTTRISTANBABY: Here it is. Hope I don't disappoint.

Captain Annie: Yay, a new reviewer. Glad you like it. Here's another chapter.

Babaksmiles: Here you go…

KnightMaiden: Another chapter you ask for, another chapter you get.

Alatarial Elf: Continuing…

You guys rock my world! I just hope I can live up to your expectations.

Now, on with the story…

The group trekked into the tavern as usual, Bors bellowing for a mug of ale, with Galahad and Gawain only a breath behind him. Lancelot sat at the table and pulled Laney onto his lap, which was her usual perch. She looked around the tavern and finally saw Keira waiting tables as if nothing was up. She sighed and felt Lancelot tighten his hold on her. He leaned closer and whispered, "It'll be alright. I love you." His hold loosened when he felt her relax against him.

After a while, and several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere took on a normal tone. They all seemed to forget why they were there and were enjoying a good bit of raucous joking and laughing, Laney included. She was almost surprised when Arthur leaned over and whispered, "Don't you think it time you went to your room? Tristan will go with you to ensure your safety." She didn't let on that she had heard him, but she did stretch and yawn. "Lance, I'm tired, it has been a long day. I think I'll retire." As usual he started to stand, and she said, "No, stay, enjoy yourself. I'll be fine." Then she kissed him and headed for the alley that led to the quarters. She didn't see Tristan leave and when she looked behind her she didn't see him. But she knew he was there, she closed her eyes for a moment and felt him. She smiled and continued walking.

After walking a few yards, she heard something behind her and saw a man walking unsteadily in her direction. She closed her eyes momentarily, and listened to the sounds around her. She knew he was following her when she felt that he was not drunk. He seemed to be on a mission, his feelings were determined. She continued toward the fortress and pretended not to be listening to the sounds around her. She stopped to watch a cat stroll lazily around the barrels outside the kitchens, really she was trying to feel Tristan. She felt him and knew he was close. She could feel him tense with anticipation and worry. She smiled and continued her journey. When she arrived, she opened the door and stepped inside. Once inside she closed the door and hurried to her room, peeking out to see if the man followed her inside. After a couple of minutes, she saw Tristan come in pulling the unconscious man behind him.

He pulled him into her room and tied his hands. "Well, that's one that won't cause me any trouble." She spoke as she looked at the man. "He is one of Marius guards. I recognize him from that night by the fire when I threatened Marius." She saw Tristan nod, "At least we know who they are. I wonder why he would go to such lengths." She shrugged and told him, "Are you going to stay here, or do you need to go back to the tavern?" He waited for several minutes, "I'm supposed to go back, but I don't like the idea of leaving you with this scum. When he wakes, he will not be pleasant."

Laney laughed, "Don't worry. I'll threaten him with a lightning bolt if he makes a sound. He saw me call a mist that night and I saw the fear in his eyes as I pushed past him. He won't shout out." She watched Tristan nod and then he headed for the door. As he reached to open it, he turned back toward her, "I'll come get you when it is time." She nodded and saw him open the door, then he stopped, "For once, wait until I return before you leave." He saw her blush, then raise her chin defiantly, when she saw him raise his eyebrow, she lowered her chin, "Alright, I'll wait. But if it takes longer than I expect, I will not be happy with waiting."

Tristan closed the door behind him and heard her click the lock in place. Then he went toward the tavern. When he arrived he saw that Lancelot was already acting the drunk. He took his usual place outside the group and watched for Arthur's signal. Glancing around, he saw Keira talking to some men at another table. Then she slowly headed toward Lancelot. When she got close to him, she set a mug down in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Hello, Lancelot." He picked up the mug and looked up at her, "'lo Keira. Where you been?" He was slurring his words and speaking loud enough that everyone could hear what he said. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward his lap. She put her arm around his shoulders and felt him nuzzle her breasts. "It's been a long time since you did that." She said breathlessly.

Lancelot looked up at her face, trying to decide if she was pretending or if she really was breathless. Deciding he couldn't read her face, he whispered, "Remember, this is only pretend. I told you I love Laney." She leaned into him and put her face in his neck, "You don't have to remind me. If it weren't for her, I would be somewhere else right now." He thought her voice sounded pained so he decided to lighten the mood. "Your acting is pretty good if I can't tell if you're serious or not." She smiled and stood up. When she looked around the table she saw the looks she was being given by both Arthur and Dagonet. This was their scheme, but she could tell they were not happy at watching their friend seemingly betray the woman they had all grown fond of. Sighing, she went back to her duties and waited for Lancelot to make his final move.

She didn't have to wait long, she felt him put his arms around her as she stood facing the bar. "You never told me you loved me. Why don't you take me back to your room and show me how much you love me?" he whispered drunkenly into her ear as he nibbled at her neck. She looked at the man behind the bar and when he nodded, she whispered. "I'm off work now, let's go." And she took his hand and led him toward her room at the back of the tavern area. Just as they left the light, he stopped her and pulled her into his arms. The kiss he gave her would have normally melted her, but she could tell it wasn't for real. He was only playing a part. She felt the tears well up and tried to keep them from falling. When she couldn't and they began to trickle down her cheek, she felt Lancelot pull his face away from hers. "I'm sorry. If I'd known then what I do now, I would never have allowed this to happen." He wiped the tears from her face and pulled her into a hug.

"Lancelot, you did nothing to cause this. It just happened and I'm not really sorry. At least I had the chance to win your heart. But since I lost, I'm glad it was Laney who won. She's good for you, I've already seen the change in you. The happiness, and contented way you look at her when she doesn't see. I'm happy for the both of you." He looked at her face and saw no deceit in her eyes. "Thank you, Keira. Now let's get this over with. I don't want to chance them realizing something is not right." They walked away arm in arm, Lancelot pretending to stumble and Keira pretending to steady him. Anyone not knowing what was going on would just assume that they were going somewhere private for a little fun, which was the plan.

Tristan watched the pair walk out of sight, then he watched the men glance at each other. When all but one of them stood up to leave, he quickly went toward the knight's quarters to do his part of the plan. He hoped Lancelot wouldn't get carried away with his part. He might love Laney, but he was still a man, and Keira had a lot to offer as Lancelot well knew. When he knocked on her door, she called out quietly, "Yes." He smiled, she had indeed followed his orders, this time, but he knew it might not happen that way the next time. "Tristan." Was all he said and he heard her unlock the door and open it. He saw the other man, still unconscious, "He didn't wake while I was gone?" She followed his line of vision, then answered quickly, "Just once, but when I raised my arms like I was going to summon my power, his eyes rolled back and he fainted." Tristan could hear the amusement in her voice. She gathered her cloak and followed him out of the room.

On the way to the tavern, Tristan quickly and quietly told Laney what had transpired. He felt her tense as he described the scene with Lancelot and Keira, then when he told her about the men, she nodded. "Well, has there been time for the 'compromising position' to take place?" He could feel the stress she felt at the scene she would find. She would not have to pretend overmuch when she found her husband in another woman's embrace. They arrived at the tavern and Tristan stood back for her to enter first. She had come back on the pretense that she couldn't sleep and had missed her husband. She walked over to the table and sat down. Tristan quietly followed and took his position in the shadows. "Where's Lancelot?" he heard her ask the others sitting there. Tristan saw the man at the table paying close attention to what was going on. It looked like all the others were trying hard not to give their friend away. If he hadn't been in on this from the beginning, he would have believed they were covering for Lancelot as the man seemed to.

Finally, Arthur spoke up, "He left a little while ago. Is there something you need?" Tristan saw her look around the area before answering, "No. Arthur, where is Keira?" Arthur cleared his throat, guiltily, "I don't know, I didn't see her leave." Laney looked at Arthur. "You don't have to lie to me. Is he with her?" Her voice was so quiet that Tristan couldn't hear the words, but he was good at reading lips. Before Arthur could answer, she said, "Never mind. Your silence is answer enough." As she stood up and headed out of the tavern. Then, she stopped and turned back. She walked around the bar and headed toward the rooms where the wenches slept when not at work. She held her back stiffly, and walked with determination. Tristan knew it was an act, but he felt pity for her none the less. He heard a door crash open and heard shrieks as she pretended to give Lancelot what for. He looked and saw Arthur give the signal.

They walked up to the open door just as Laney came storming out, a look of terrible pain on her face. Tristan closed his eyes and felt that she was really hurting. He opened his eyes and found Lancelot scrambling about, looking for his britches. They were both completely naked, Keira holding the blanket up to cover herself. He shook his head and turned to follow Laney, leaving Arthur to supposedly straighten out the mess with the couple on the bed.

As he went through the tavern, he noticed the man was no longer sitting at the table. He caught up with her just outside the tavern. "Laney," he called to get her attention. She didn't slow down and he called again, "Laney, please stop." When she did, she just sat down where she stood, never noticing the muddy ground underneath her. He quickly walked over, "You knew it would not be pleasant. Now, buck up and face things so we can continue with the plan." She tearfully looked up at the tone in his voice. "Tristan, I didn't realize they would be totally naked and…" she took a deep breath, trying to get herself under control, "…and that they would actually be (sob), making…" she let her words trail off. He pulled her up and held her in an embrace. "They weren't. You just didn't stick around long enough to find that out. It had to look real. You knew that." She cried and he patted her shoulder. "Here he comes, now play the part, but don't let it cause you pain."

Just as he finished, Lancelot came running up, "Laney, sweetheart, it's not what you think!" Laney took a deep breath, "Oh, and what is it that I think?" She marveled at the control she had found so quickly at Tristan's words. "I was drunk, it… it didn't mean… I wasn't… we weren't… oh, hell! Laney I love you! Let's just go to our room and talk about this." She looked at him and saw him wink. She wanted to jump up and down at the way he had told her it wasn't what she thought, but instead she said, "Lancelot, I don't think there is anything to discuss. I'm going to my room. You can stay where you were a moment ago." Then she turned and stalked away. Tristan only hesitated a moment, "I'll talk to her, you just go back to Arthur and wait." Then he took off after Laney.

He caught her just as she was about to go into the door of the quarters. "Laney, wait, just hear him out." He knew she wouldn't, it wasn't part of the plan. "No, Tristan, I don't want to hear what he or any or you have to say. Now please, just leave me alone." He looked at her and then nodded. "Only because you wish it. But I will be around when you're ready to talk." He bowed and walked back toward where he'd left Lancelot. He had seen Gawain and Galahad standing just inside the door and knew she would be safe.

As soon as Tristan had left, Laney shouted, "Damn him!" Then she opened the door and stepped back into the darkness of the night. She was supposed to go to the wall and seem to be contemplating her next move. She knew that Tristan, Lancelot, and Arthur would all be somewhere close. They had all decided that would be the best place for someone to attempt to snatch her up. They were right. Just as she got to the bottom of the stairs leading up, a man stepped out from the shadows. She stopped and looked at him, "Who are you?" When he didn't answer, she started backing up, only to find another man behind her. Even though she knew that the others were close by, she still felt panic rising. "What do you think you're doing? Wait, I recognize you. You're one of Marius' soldiers." She pointed to the man who was coming up beside the first man.

"Yes, and his lordship requests that you join him. He has some unfinished business with you." She pretended to turn to run and was grabbed by the man behind her. She looked wildly around, pretending to hunt for an escape. She was actually trying to find Lancelot or one of the others. An arrow flew past her cheek and landed in the man's neck. As he fell, she moved out of the way, just as Lancelot and Arthur stepped from the shadows. "I warned you once that if you interfered with any of my people you would die." Arthur stated coldly. The other men drew swords from under their cloaks and stood facing Arthur and Lancelot. "But you tried to hurt someone very close to my heart. For that, there will be no chance to live." As Lancelot spoke, he pulled his swords and moved forward. The first man that Laney had seen finally spoke, "You were supposed to be drunk and passed out by now, but since you seem far from drunk, I will enjoy taking your life before I take your wife. Marius has grand plans for her."

Laney heard Lancelot growl as he advanced. Then she saw two more arrows in quick succession, one hitting each mark. "Damn it, Tristan. I wanted to kill at least one of them!" Lancelot shouted to the darkness. "It wasn't me." Tristan answered quietly. Lancelot looked to see Guinnevere standing next to the first man she had killed. She looked at Arthur, "That was for what they tried to do to me as well as what they tried to do to Laney." Then she handed her bow to Galahad as he came up beside her and walked to Arthur. Arthur took her in his arms and held her for a moment.

Lancelot went to Laney, "Are you alright?" he asked in concern. She looked at him and sighed. Finally, she spoke, "Yes, but I never want to see what I saw earlier. I think it would kill me if it were real." He took her and held her close. "You never have to worry about that. Why would I seek from someone else what you so willingly give?" She moved her head back to look at his face, "And what would that be, husband?" He laughed, "My life."

Arthur instructed some of the people who had gathered around, "Take them, and bury them." Then he turned to the others, "Knights, it seems we have a new mission. We will find Marius and deal with him. We leave at first light." Then he turned and walked away, everyone else following him, lost in their own thoughts.