A/N: THANK YOU to everyone that reviewed and to those who are reading this! I get so happy when I see that the story is getting hits and awesome reviews, and it makes me write even MORE! I'm glad that you guys liked the update. I assure you, if you liked that, then you'll probably like what I have in store later on. :winks: A romance isn't a romance without...ROMANCE! haha What can I say? I like sexual tension. lol But then again, no romance is complete without character progression and establishing relationships first, right:grins: Though, this story is progressively maturing, mirroring Lourdes' character. With maturation comes experience, and with experience comes...:cough:. You get the drift. :cough: But thank you for your patience and time -- updates are taking longer than I expected because I want everything to be perfect. Anyway, I hope you keep reading and reviewing! ENJOY!

WitheredLover: I'm glad that you love it! I hope you love what I have in store for all of you later on:smiles: Thanks for reviewing!

makedamnsure: hahaha See the power of persuasion? Oh, Lancelot -- you gotta love the guy! Even though I dislike his type in real life, there's just something so intruiging about his character. It's quite fun to play with. haha But yeah, I'm really happy with how this story is going. I've got more situations up my sleeve, so never fear! I hope it'll only get better for you:smiles:

lifeisgood: That's precisely what I want to convey -- the contrast between the two men and what draws her to each of them. They both have something to give her, yet they both have their flaws. Also, that they're both human and they make mistakes -- big ones. I love it, because it makes Lourdes' 'decision' even harder! And yeah, if you liked banter and sexual tension...there's more to come!

Kates: hahah Best reaction EVER! You're too cute! I'm really glad you're liking it and that I am utterly pleasing you:smiles: I'm also pleased that what I'm trying to convey is what people are getting out of the story, so...good for me! haha And don't worry, I assure you that there will be more Lancelot/Lourdes action still to come! And again, I appreciate that you're going to keep reading onwards. And hell yeah, gooo man-eaters! haha

anisharoxmistry: Thanks for reviewing! There's definitely more to come! And I'll tick another checkmark for Lancelot. :smiles:

magicalex-aurorhobbit.: Welcome back! LOL I know, I know, poor Galahad. I love him too, and it hurt me to do that. But what can I say...I love my drama! And you never know...he might just get his vengeance later on:winks: He reminds me of a little...love snake? But a good one, of course! He's just waiting for an opportune moment to strike and get the girl...well, Lourdes, not the ninny. HAHA Ninny. Classic. But since this is a love-triangle, I assure you that both men will get their share of action! So, Galahad lovers, never fear! And YOU rock my socks off:salutes:

t t t

More great songs for your listening pleasure!

"MY KNIGHT" 'SOUNDTRACK #2

1. Forfeit - Chevelle 17. Silently - Trust Company

2. Tug-o-War - Chevelle 18. The Theft - Atreyu

3. Headstrong - Trapt 19. The Crimson - Atreyu

4. Trip - Hedley 20. Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings - Funeral For A Friend

5. What It Is To Burn - Finch 21. Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

6. Everything Burns - Ben Moody feat. Anastacia 22. Cannonball - Damien Rice

7. Somewhere I Belong - Linkin Park 23. All of This - Blink 182

8. Curses - Bullet For my Valentine 24. Promise - Matchbook Romance

9. Learning To Breathe - Switchfoot 25. Still Breathing - Cauterize

10. Come On - Ben Jelen 26. It Ends Tonight - The All-American Rejects

11. Make Damn Sure - Taking Back Sunday 27. Sometimes (I Wish) - Dallas Green

12. Blue & Yellow - The Used 28. Gifts and Curses - Yellowcard

13. The Remembrance Ballad - Atreyu 29. The Adventure - Angels and Airwaves

14. Silhouette - Thrice 30. My Heroine - Silverstein

15. Writings on the Wall - Underoath 31. Oxygen's Gone - Die Trying

16. Easier to Run - Linkin Park 32. I Could Die For You - Red Hot Chili Peppers

t t t

CHAPTER 17

Lourdes woke up the next morning to the sound of fanfare and wild cheering. Breathing out, she was glad that she had woken up from her dream, where she was kissing Lancelot and was almost caught by Galahad...

She groaned inwardly. Now she remembered.

It was not a dream!

Lourdes cursed to herself, now realizing the shame that would have befallen upon her if Galahad had seen what she and Lancelot were doing! She was not only angered by this fact, but also by the loss of control that she had openly exhibited. Aside from her self-control, where were her morals and values? And most of all, where was her will power? Being so intimate with someone so openly, in such a situation, in such an area...had she gone completely and utterly daft? She also berated herself for falling prey so easily to the advances of that cad of a man! ...And yet, she could not deny how she felt as Lancelot's lips trailed her neck, her lips, and how his hands...

Squealing in annoyance, she quickly oriented herself with her surroundings, trying to push those thoughts away from her mind. It was just then that she remembered the archery contest that she had entered. Scurrying to the front of her tent, she peeked her head outside, looking up at the sun.

"Bloody hell!" she cursed out loud, realizing that it was just past noon. She crawled back inside her tent in a hurry, taking off her dress in haste, knowing that she would be late for her event. Reaching for her breeches and tunic, she tossed her bow and quiver of arrows outside of her tent. She was met by a surprised grunt.

"What the..." the voice began, the owner's footsteps stopping just outside of Lourdes' tent. Finally managing to place her breeches tunic on in the enclosed space, she stuck her face out of the tent once more, looking up to see Tristan's odd expression. As the scout looked down at her in curiosity, she grinned at him impishly, waving at him with two fingers.

"Good afternoon, Sir Tristan!" As Lourdes stood while exiting the tent, she tried desperately to place her boots on, hopping on one foot and the other as she pulled on each pair. She stumbled backwards repeatedly, and Tristan, the gentleman that he was, supported her with an index finger, placed on the middle her back. She looked back and smiled at him in thanks before finally stomping her boots on the ground. He then picked up her bow and quiver of arrows, handing them to her questioningly.

"Are you off to hunt, milady?" the quiet knight questioned as Lourdes placed her cloak around her neck. "I have already killed two wild boars. They are being cooked as of this moment."

Lourdes gave out a laugh, promptly shaking her head. "No, no, milord. I am off to the archery contest."

Tristan looked as though he was about to laugh, but caught himself as he noticed Lourdes' serious expression. He cleared his throat, lending an elbow to her, which she took graciously.

"If that is so, Lady Lourdes, we had better be going. It started a few moments ago."

t t t

With his arms crossed, Lancelot observed the archers before him, each taking their turns at shooting at the red circular mark 50 yards away. They squinted as the high sun shone brightly upon them, as if lighting the competitors. Lancelot was surrounded by his fellow comrades, their families and friends, looking intently as the competition began, cheering on their favourite contender. Not all the contenders were archers, though. Some were peasants, others squires, and the rest, knights of honourable status. One of the knights, in fact, was their very own Galahad.

Seeing Galahad take his shot at the target brought Lancelot's thoughts to Lourdes. He wondered where she was, if she was really telling the truth about entering this competition. A tint of worry flashed through his mind, but he slowly blocked it away, concluding to himself that she was only jesting with him yesterday night.

Yesterday night.

Oh, how he longed to relive those precious moments with her. Even after all those months, she was still so innocent, so humble. She touched him so delicately, so curiously, never demanding nor showing a tint of savage lust. Truly, he wanted to take her then, unable to control the passion that she had inflamed in him. It took all his self-control not to do so, fighting with himself until he made up his mind. He did not want to take advantage of her and her inexperience, to truly show her why women affected him so, why her being endlessly beckoned to him. She was not just any random maiden, one that he could take for himself then discard all memories of their meeting. This was a woman that he had grown an unexplainable attachment to, a woman that held such uniqueness and mystery that it tugged relentlessly at his curiosity.

His thoughts were interrupted by the hush of the crowd, followed by their surprised whispers. Looking up from his reverie, he spotted Lourdes standing by Tristan's side, a few metres from where he was standing.

Lourdes tilted her head from left to right, eyeing the incredulous onlookers as she held onto her bow. At that moment, she realized that she had almost everyone's attention, including the archery competitors. She felt so tiny, so inspected as they watched her every move. She slowly walked from Tristan's side, the crowd making a path for her as she made her way to the side of the other competitors.

"Is she Sarmatian?"

"I do not know, I have never seen anyone that looks like her before."

It was then that she thought that revealing herself was not such a good idea. Though, she kept her composure, reminding herself of Arthur's words, that she was surrounded by peaceful Sarmatians. She then caught the eyes of Arthur and the knights, all quiet, wearing the same puzzled expression on their faces. Only Lancelot wore a look of surprise, no doubt because of the realization that she actually told him the truth the night before.

At that moment, she spotted Lord Theodore, standing from his seat on an erected stage, wearing the same expression as the others in the audience. Gathering up her courage, Lourdes looked up to the Lord, slightly bowing. "Forgive my tardiness, milord, but I am here for the archery competition."

Lord Theodore gave her a nod, though he still seemed unsure. "You were the one that entered yesternight?"

She bowed once more. "Yes."

The Lord looked around at his advisors, who sat to his right and left. They both nodded in approval. Theodore cleared his throat, motioning for her to begin. "Seeing that there are no rules against a woman participating in these events...go on."

A murmur fell over the crowd, followed by slow clapping, then finally, cheering. Lourdes laughed to herself as she blushed at this, looking down meekly at their sudden support. As she lifted her head, her gaze connected with Galahad's, who eyed her with both wonder and a hint of disapproval. She ignored his look, placing her concentration on the competition at hand.

"Now!" Lord Theodore boomed, finally earning everyone's attention. "Coloured targets!" His servants pushed a miniature wagon into view, 60 yards from where the archers were standing. On the wagon was a large wooden block, and on that block were five coloured targets, all varying in sizes. "Each of the marks are worth different points." Lord Theodore explained, gesturing to the board. "Blue equals 10 points. Green, 20. Orange, 30. Yellow, 40. Finally, red, an almost unattainable mark, 50 points. During the length of a minute, each archer will fire as many arrows as they can, thereby accumulating as many points as possible. The three archers that obtain the most points in this round shall move on to the final round of archery competition to compete for the title of archery champion!"

As the crowd cheered in excitement and wholehearted support, an archer by occupation stepped up to take the first turn. Lourdes felt suddenly nervous, looking around at her competition. Seven men, including Galahad, in total. In her opinion, considering her horrid display of archery the previous night, she had better bring her ultimate best into this competition if she wanted to move forward into the final round!

Lourdes' eyes trailed around the scene, her eyes automatically landing on Galahad. He watched the archer take his turn intently, leaning his head on the back of his palms, which rested on the tip of his longbow. A desire to speak with him flashed through her mind, but ultimately, she stood still, not having enough nerve to do so.

She then concentrated on the match, hearing the points that the other competitors accumulated. 350. 200. 250. 10. (She coughed with laughter at this poor man.) 420. 320. Those numbers were definitely a challenge to beat, seeing the amount of arrows that each of them fired in such a short time.

Then, it was Galahad's turn. He quickly stepped up into position, locking the quiver of arrows on his back, stretching his strong arms.

"Just picture the targets as women's bottoms!" yelled out Bors out of nowhere, earning a hearty laugh from the crowd. Dagonet pushed his brother playfully, but joined in the jest.

Galahad merely smirked at this, gripping his longbow firmly. Lourdes' eyes were drawn to his form, his green eyes concentrated on the target, jaw firm as he waited for Lord Theodore's call.

"Begin!"

In a flash, Galahad began to retrieve and shoot arrow after arrow, dazzling the crowd at his speed and accuracy. 40, 30, 40, 50, 20. Each one connected with the board, no arrow missing a coloured mark. Lourdes gulped, realizing just how well she had to perform not even to best Galahad, but to even be close to meeting his score! The knight continued, his face unflinching, keeping his stone gaze on the target. His arms did not seem tired at all, firing arrow after arrow, making the wooden board into what indeed resembled a porcupine.

"Time!"

Galahad breathed out, finally dropping his bow. He examined the damage that he had caused on the wooden board, then smiled to himself for a job well done. The crowd watched in a hush as Lord Theodore's servants pulled out each arrow, counting the points that Galahad had hit. They spoke with one another quietly, tallying up his final score. At first, they all looked at each other in bewilderment before one turned to Lord Theodore, then the crowd.

The servant could not even believe it himself, stuttering, "Nine...nine hundred and fifty!"

The crowd cheered even louder, with Arthur and his knights jumping up, patting each other on the backs and draping their arms around one another. They called out Galahad's name proudly, praising the knight justly as he walked to their sides. Galahad was met by proud shakes, pats on the back and ruffled hair.

"Ye could've just made it an even thousand, ye know!" Bors laughed heartily, crushing Galahad in a great bear hug.

Galahad smirked, arm around Bors. "My finger slipped on the last shot."

Seeing all of this, Lourdes felt a little queasy and even more nervous. Bloody hell!, she screamed to herself. Nine hundred and bloody fifty? How the bloody hell was she supposed to top that?

Bah!, she said to herself, preparing for her turn. His fifteen years of experience does not scare me!

As she readied her bow and quiver of arrows, she felt someone reach her side. Lancelot took her arm and swirled her around, looking deeply into her eyes. "You can still make it with Galahad to the finals." he told her encouragingly, taking the sides of her arms. "Just remember what I told you."

Through all the cheering, congratulations and with Isabella in his arms, Galahad's passing glance stopped at Lourdes and Lancelot. He observed them quietly as the two spoke, almost unaware of the cheering audience around them, concentrating only on each other. Galahad furrowed his brows, seeing Lancelot place his hands on Lourdes' shoulders, then on her cheeks.

"Now, if you do not move on to the finals," Lancelot began sternly, then slowly smirked, "we might just have to repeat the occurrences of yesternight."

Lourdes' breath caught her throat at Lancelot's double entendre, feeling her cheeks heat up and her stomach flutter. Lancelot only continued to smirk, winking at her once before jogging off to the rest of his companions. He breathed out as he reached Galahad's side, who eyed him intently. Lancelot did not notice this, his attention fixed on Lourdes as she prepared to begin once more.

At this moment, Lourdes looked to Lord Theodore, who nodded at her to prepare.

"Begin!"

At the sound of his voice, Lourdes fumbled for her arrow, her first shot clumsily knicking the side of the wagon, failing to hit a mark. The crowd murmured at this shot, as did Lourdes, quickly feeling for another arrow. She instantly steadied her feet, pointing her toes straight at the targets.

She released once more, this time hitting an orange mark. Without a moment to spare, she kept firing, her arms moving in a circular, mechanical motion. A blue mark. Green mark. Red mark! Her shots improved by the second as she drowned out the cheering voices and blocked out any thoughts from her head. She squinted her eyes at her target, her stare never leaving, concentrating solely on hitting the red mark.

Once, twice, thrice, she hit the red mark dead in the centre.

At about her twentieth arrow, she began to feel her muscles aching. Her arms screamed for her to stop, but she continued. She gritted her teeth, knowing that she only needed to hold on and keep up her current state for only a few seconds longer. She felt her fingers began to blister, caused by the reverberating string and the friction on the bow handle. Yet, she continued onwards, the prospect of defeating Galahad in this event driving her forward.

"Time!"

Lourdes instantly dropped her arm in fatigue, bending her elbows. Oddly, the crowd stopped their cheers as they all waited patiently for the servants to tally up her score. She bit her lip nervously, tapping her foot as she rested her elbow on the tip of her longbow. As the servants reached a consensus, a lone man walked in front of the group, gaining the anxious attention of the Lourdes and the audience.

"Seven hundred and fifty!" he proclaimed with a nod.

As the crowd burst into cheers, Lourdes blew the hair from her face, smiling contentedly. Sure, she did not best Galahad's score, but she did best everyone else's! Not only that, she would move on to the finals for a chance to be the archery champion!

It was then that she felt arms all around her, patting her back, her shoulder, ruffling her hair. Bors wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, hooting and hollering. She saw Arthur, Lancelot and Galahad smiling and clapping, indeed proud of what she had accomplished. Meeting Lancelot's eyes, she mouthed a 'thank you' to him before she felt herself being lifted off the ground by Bors and Dagonet.

"Put me down, sirs!" she squealed, softly hitting the two men. "If I break my neck, how will I ever manage to compete in the finals?"

Bors and Dagonet immediately shot each other alarmed looks, eyes wide. They mumbled apologies to Lourdes before setting her down. She laughed at their antics, embracing them both in thanks, before running to the rest of her companions.

"Did you know you just bested last year's champion?" Lancelot chuckled heartily, gently embracing her. He placed his mouth next to her ear, whispering seductively, "You can thank me later."

Blushing once more, Lourdes slapped the side of his face softly.

"...Or now, if you wish, in front of all these people..."

"Lancelot!" she finally hissed with a giggle. They let go of one another as Lourdes sighed. "I may have bested last year's champion, but I did not best everyone." She managed to look up at Galahad, who watched her keenly.

He walked up to her gingerly, biting his lower lip before he spoke. "Good luck in the finals."

Lourdes' expression softened as she smiled. "Same to you, Sir Galahad."

t t t

"One mark, one shot."

The three remaining competitors attentively eyed a red mark 70 yards from where they stood. Lourdes, Galahad, and the previous year's champion, Gilbert of Sarmatia, were side by side, eyeing one another as Lord Theodore continued to explain the rules of the final competition.

"It's quite simple, really." the Lord shrugged, waving his hand in a circular motion. "Only one stipulation, though."

The crowd held their breaths as Lord Theodore smiled, enjoying the suspense that he was creating.

"The archers will be blindfolded."

The mixed reaction from the crowd made the Lord smile, knowing the level of difficulty of such a competition. Arthur and his knights looked at each other and shrugged, not seeing the severity of the stipulation. If anyone could shoot at a target blindfolded, it would be Galahad. It was only a mystery to them if Lourdes was capable of managing such a task.

Lourdes winced, not expecting this at all. Blindfolded? She remembered the last time that she had tried that. The arrow had ricocheted off several trees, before landing dangerously close to Aiden's feet. Aiden had jumped instinctively, but screamed and shook his fist at her. Lourdes laughed at the memory momentarily, but her smile turned into a worried frown as a servant began to tightly tie a black piece of cloth around her eyes. The servants had pushed the three into a line, each guiding them to their designated positions.

Lourdes heard the cracking of the bowstring, realizing that either Gilbert or Galahad was about to fire. The string snapped, and the whistling arrow landed on the board. She tried to listen to the reaction of the crowd, but they were dead silent, not helping her at all.

She was then guided a few paces in front of her. "The target is straight in front of you." the servant informed her before leaving her side. Taking a deep breath, Lourdes loaded her arrow. She pictured the estimated distance of the target from where she now stood. Then, through the pitch black of her covered eyes, the image of the target came vividly clear. With all her being, she hoped that she was right.

Pulling the string slowly behind her, she bit her lip. She took one last breath before releasing the arrow, cursing to herself when she realized that her index finger had slipped at the last moment. Lourdes waited in dread for the sound of a thud. When she finally heard it, she exhaled the breath that she was holding, being escorted once more to the right.

The last archer now took their place. The audience was so quiet and attentive that the rustling of the grass from his feet could be heard. Lourdes felt tense and anxious, wanting to know so badly who was actually taking the shot. After a few moments, the archer released the whistling arrow, which landed with a loud thud on the wooden board.

It was only then that the crowd began to speak and murmur.

"You may remove your blindfolds," the competitors heard Lord Theodore say, "and observe your arrows."

Lourdes snatched her blindfold off her eyes and quickly scanned the board, looking for her arrow, which was marked in blue. She smiled when she saw that the arrow had pierced the red mark, just a few inches too high from its centre. Another arrow, marked in black, had pierced just outside of the red mark. Though, her smile was replaced with a look of wonder as she saw the last arrow, marked in green, sticking dead centre on the red mark.

She heard Gilbert cry out, then angrily throw his bow to the ground. Her widened eyes moved to Galahad, who only gave out a contented sigh, his eyes still on the target.

"I proclaim this year's archery champion to be," Lord Theodore held out his right arm to them in presentation, "Sir Galahad of Sarmatia!"

The deafening roar of the crowd sounded as groups flooded the archery field. They made their way excitedly towards Galahad and Lourdes as Gilbert pushed his way angrily through the incoming horde of people. Lourdes watched, smiling, as Galahad was lifted up onto Dagonet's and Arthur's shoulders, the knight nodding and waving humbly.

"Ye were close to matchin' him, lass." she heard Bors' consolatory voice beside her as he patted her head. "That is indeed something to be proud of."

"He cheated." Lancelot joked as he nudged her with a smirk.

"I am satisfied." Lourdes smiled, placing a hand on each of the knights. "At least I gave him a challenge!"