Disclaimer : I don't own Lancelot or the knights. I do own Charis.

Rating : T

Summary : A night at the tavern. Random musings on life, love and liberty by our favourite knights.

Author's Note : Thank you for the reviews! Long reviews make me happy.

Name Meanings :

Charis - Grace

WARNING - This chapter has been rated T. Please only read it if you're of a suitable age.

Lancelot

I get bored of the tavern sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love drinking and laughing and winding the hell out of Bors. But doing the same thing almost every night for fifteen years?

Okay, I'll be honest with you. The thing that bores me most is the simple fact that in fifteen years, I've slept with just about every woman in this place. Some are too old, some too young, and a very few seem able to resist my charms. One of them is Vanora, but much as I tease her and Bors, I respect her for it. I'd never do it anyway, not to a fellow knight.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not just some heart-breaking, love-'em-and-leave-'em type. Well, only slightly. I like women, and I enjoy being with them. I don't see anything wrong with that. For me it is a release, a way of getting rid of the tensions and stresses after a mission, a way of forgetting for a few sweet moments the lives that have ebbed away under a blow from my sword.

It is very rare that women from the surrounding villages come here, so my supply is depressingly limited. Today, however, is market day, and the tavern is thriving with new faces. Unfortunately, most of them are old women, grinning gap-toothed smiles. At least the missing teeth distract attention from the warts. Those who are more of a suitable age are not, shall we say, blessed with good fortune in the physical department.

I look up from the game of draughts I am playing with a Roman. Two girls have just entered the tavern. One of them looks around and her face lights up as she sees someone. I follow her line of sight and it lands on Gawain. Well, well, this must be the market girl that Galahad told us Gawain had fallen for.

I ponder for a moment, wondering if it is worth hitting on her, if only to irritate Gawain. But no, it isn't – whilst not ugly by any means she is rather plain, and anyway, Gawain is one of the few knights to learn not to rise to my taunting. Her companion, on the other hand…

I look back at the girl that must be her sister. Stunning green eyes and rich chestnut hair. A pert nose, and an expression of extreme boredom, as she pretends to be aloof. The night suddenly got better, I smirk to myself. Game on.

Pushing my chair back I swiftly cross the room, aware of the smirks and sighs of the other knights as they see me. They know when I have a girl in my sights. As I reach her I purposefully stumble, leaning on the wall next to her for support, bringing my body as close to hers as I dare.

She looks at me distastefully. "Can I help you?"

I hold my hand out in front of me and gaze at it in wonder, flexing my fingers. "Am I alive?" I gasp.

She raises her eyes at me. "Well, corpses don't tend to speak, so I'd say yes."

"Thank goodness," I reply. "When I saw you standing there I thought I'd gone to heaven."

She stares at me. I can hear Galahad's snort somewhere behind me, and Bors' bellow of laughter. "You're a pagan, you don't believe in heaven," she replies, and turns away from me. Now the knights' laughter is getting louder. I gawp at her back. This is possibly the first time a girl has behaved this way to me.

Rather than put me off, all she has achieved is making me even more determined to succeed. I quickly walk around her until I'm facing her once more.

"Will you sing for me?" I ask, giving her my most charming look. "I hear angels have the most beautiful voices." There. That should do it. I lean against the wall, satisfied, waiting for the shy smile to come to her face as it has come to so many faces before.

She leans towards me and I grin. Success. She moves so her mouth is right next to my ear and whispers, her breath warm on my skin. "I know you're expecting me to fall at your feet and run to your bedroom, but I have news for you. Firstly, I do not appreciate being likened to something I do not believe exists. Secondly, I know your type, and no terrible line is going to get me into bed. Thirdly, you smell disgustingly of horses." With that, she turns on her heel and stalks off, leaving the tavern and slamming the door behind her.

I stare after her, certain that my jaw must be on the floor, I'm in so much shock. Now I'm really turned on.

I quickly follow her, past Galahad and Gawain who are howling with laughter, and out the tavern. I can just see her up ahead. Turns out the thrill of the chase is even more exciting than having women fawning all over me. As I catch up to her she whirls around.

"Are you stalking me?" She demands. "Knight or not, you have absolutely no right to be following me."

"How can I resist the view from behind?" She rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. "Has anyone ever told you you're cute when you're angry?"

"Listen to me. You may have been hit on the head with blunt objects by Woads over the years, but surely you can't be so stupid as to not be aware of the fact that I really, really want you to go away."

I smirk, edging closer to her. "You don't mean that."

"Trust me, I do."

"Don't lie." I grin at her. "Just let me show you what you're missing." Before she can respond I grasp her waist and pull her to me, pressing my lips against hers, waiting for her to melt into me like women usually do. She's stiff for a few second, then her hands come to rest on my shoulders and she kisses me back passionately. Hallelujah.

After a few moments I realise that this actually is incredibly blissful, far better than many other kisses I've experienced in my lifetime. I give a moan of protest when she pulls away.

"Now you know what you're missing," she tells me. It takes a while for my brain to register her words. "And a tip for you – learn to take no for an answer." With that, she grasps my shoulders, pulls down, and then brings her knee up to connect firmly with a particularly tender part of my anatomy.

I give a shriek of pain and fall back onto the ground, clutching myself in agony. She smirks down at me then turns and strides back to the tavern, leaving me nursing both my pride and my pain.

XXX

Once I've recovered I skulk back into the tavern, glowering at everybody. She is standing near the door but I ignore her, walking over to sit next to Dagonet, who gives me a sympathetic smile. In a few moments she is by my side, whispering in my ear once again.

"You learnt to listen."

"Yes, well, your message was pretty clear." She laughs, and it is a surprisingly clear, innocent sound, not the witch's cackle I had started to expect.

"Men never listen to me. I had to find a way to make you." With that, she deposits herself on my lap, and begins kissing me passionately. After a few moments I'm gasping for breath.

"You're twisted!" I manage to say.

"You mean you didn't enjoy that?"

"That's not what I said." I kiss her again. "I don't even know your name."

"Charis," she replies. "I suppose you'll need to know it later when you want to scream it." She smirks and stands, taking my hand and dragging me to my feet. I look over my shoulder as she leads me from the tavern, hoping that at least one of the knights has noticed my success. Only Arthur is watching me, from where he has just entered the other side of the tavern. I wink at him and he shakes his head, but there is a slight smile at his lips.

I feel a tug on my hand and look round. Charis is gazing at me questioningly. I smile and plant a rough kiss on her lips, then lead her to my quarters. The thrill of the chase is exciting, but the reward is enjoyable too.