A/N: I am very sad. For some reason or another, "My Knight" has been taken down from the King Arthur section and from the C2s. I can still see it on my profile, but I don't know if anyone else can. I don't know if this is temporary or not, but...I'm still sad. Any of you guys know what to do? It seems like the only people that can see this are those people that saved this story as their favourites or chose the "Alert" option. Has this happened to anyone of you? If so, how do I get my story back? I'm thinking, if I repost this on this account or another, I'd be violating another term of service. So...I don't know what to do. -sigh- All good things must come to an end? Probably. It's been nice knowing ya'll. -salutes- So long.

t t t

CHAPTER 46

"He saved me, you know."

Lancelot's voice shattered the silence between he and Lourdes as he lied down in his tent, tunic absent as she replaced his bandages around his waist. The knight propped himself up on his shoulders, curious eyes observing Lourdes as she busied herself with taking care of his wound. Ripping the end of the bandage, Lourdes momentarily glanced at Lancelot, meeting his eyes as she asked simply, "Who?"

"Galahad."

Lancelot immediately noticed her muscles tense, jaw tightening as she placed the bandage down beside her. She would not meet his eyes, but she replied as nonchalantly as possible with, "Did he?"

Closing his eyes briefly, Lancelot breathed out, "Yes." He began to recount the recent happenings to her, "Yesternight, we were attacked by Shinodian rebels in the woods. He and other Sarmatian knights came not long after, for they had been tracking the same Shinodian warriors for weeks." As Lancelot explained this to her, Lourdes sighed, lying down beside him and tracing a languid finger upon his chest. When she made no move to reply to this, Lancelot sighed, "I still cannot believe that you are here."

A part of Lourdes thanked Lancelot for changing the subject, for she did not know how to respond to the talk of Galahad. She was still shocked, speechless, that Galahad was here, that, after all this time, he had been chasing rebel Shinodians, travelling with other Sarmatian knights, here in Shino. Her mind then wandered to the thought of Isabella and what had indeed transpired between the two -- and how their circumstances were at this moment. Taking comfort in Lancelot's embrace, she finally replied with, "I could not let you have all the fun." Kissing him teasingly, she then smiled, playing with the tendrils of his curly locks. "You know, Akira and I certainly make a wonderful team. She scouts and finds your trail while I entertain her and hunt." She grinned impishly, evidently proud of herself.

"My, that sounds like the perfect team, indeed." Lancelot commented with a tint of lighthearted sarcasm, a smirk finally pulling upon his lips. Without warning, he rolled over, pinning Lourdes to the ground as he whispered, "But I think you and I are the better team. Don't you think?"

"Lancelot, what are you doing?" Lourdes giggled through her admonishment, slapping his shoulder. "You should be resting! You are in no position to..."

As she realized, she was completely wrong. Burying his lips into hers, the knight kissed her hungrily, fervently, passionately, as his hands trailed her sides, resting on her chest. She moaned through their kiss, inflaming Lancelot's passion even more. The knight placed his right leg in between her legs, pushing them apart as he pressed his body closer to hers. With a laboured gasp, Lourdes closed her eyes as the knight began to trail his lips down her lips, throat, then down her chest. Lifting her tunic, he placed searing, scorching kisses upon her stomach, making her cry out in pleasure. Though, as he used his arms to move higher, Lancelot grunted in pain, breathing in sharply as he pressed a hand onto his stomach. Seeing this, Lourdes moved from underneath him, allowing him to lie down on the ground once more. She rubbed the side of his face worriedly, placing a rolled-up sac underneath his head.

"Rest, Lancelot." She commanded the knight lightly, though with no room for argument in her tone. "Go to sleep." Lourdes smiled then, kissing his forehead, then nose, then lingering her lips on his. "I will join you in a few moments."

Nodding his head unsurely, Lancelot did not say anything to her as she stepped out of his tent. The knight felt uneasy, apprehensive...worried. He knew where to place the blame for his new feelings, who to point his finger at for evoking such unpleasant emotions. He suddenly felt so vulnerable, so concerned about Lourdes meeting Galahad once more. Though, before he could continue to brood about this new situation, he found his eyes growing heavy. In a few moments, the knight drifted off into sleep.

t t t

As Lourdes exited Lancelot's tent, she could not deny the sinking feeling that was forming in her stomach and the lump that had permanently attached itself to her throat. She would not dare admit this to Lancelot, for she knew that it would only worry -- nay, even anger -- the knight. As much as she had tried to suppress the feelings and will it away, it followed her like a shadow, possessing her very being, relentlessly bothering her. She walked aimlessly away from the encampment, chest still tight, not heeding the looks that she was receiving around her. This was certainly a mistake, for she did not know the aggressions that lingered upon the hearts of many of these Sarmatian warriors.

Without warning, her hair was pulled back roughly, her assailant throwing her towards the ground. Bracing herself with her hands, she landed painfully on her stomach, her neck slightly snapping back as her head hit the ground. She heard angry muttering behind her, and as she rolled over to face the aggressor, she counted five Sarmatian knights looking down upon her. Some eyed her with seething contempt, while others eyed her with pure lust in their glazed orbs. Crawling back a few paces, she cursed inwardly, for she had left all of her weapons in Lancelot's tent. Before she could scream out for help, she received a hard kick on her stomach, making her cough out blood and whimper in pain.

"You Shinodian bitch!" a large, burly man boomed as he grabbed her by the hair once more, pulling her upwards. As she made contact with his eyes, he spat, "I see your fellow Shinodian bastards send women to scout for them now, eh? If you think we'll show you no mercy, you are bloody mistaken."

Crying out, she spun her leg and kicked the knight's side, though not successful to do any damage. The man only stumbled back a few paces before regaining his stance, swinging a large arm in her direction. Promptly ducking his offense, she kneed the man in the groin, sending him straight to the ground in a heap of pain. As the four other Shinodian knights lunged towards her, she felt an arm pull her back, seeing a figure standing, with sword firmly in hand, in front of her. Recognizing Galahad's form, she stepped back a few paces, his hand held out in front of her, as if to place a barrier between she and the four other Sarmatian knights.

"You bastards move, and I will be the last thing you see on this earth." he threatened through clenched teeth, his chest heaving visibly. The four Sarmatian knights eyed each other in puzzlement, unable to fathom why one of their own Sarmatian knights was defending a Shinodian woman. Though, before they could attack once more, Tristan, Bors and Gawain appeared alongside Galahad and Lourdes, swords drawn in front of them, eyes inflamed with rage.

"She is not the enemy." Gawain actually responded in a steady tone, his voice not exhibiting his true emotions. "She is an ally."

"We apologize." One of the older knights in the group responded sincerely, bowing quickly. "We did not know."

As the knights settled the misunderstanding, Galahad glanced worriedly back towards Lourdes, who continued to cough out blood a few metres from where he stood. Sheathing his sword in his scabbard, Galahad jogged to her side, worriedly observing her. "A-are you alright?"

When Lourdes could only cough out in reply, Galahad pursed his lips, concerned eyes connecting with hers. "Come with me. There is a creek not far from here."

With a small, acceding nod, Lourdes followed the young knight away from the encampment, zigzagging through the lush woods. Galahad looked back periodically at Lourdes as he walked a few paces in front of her, observing how she fared. Lourdes only held her stomach, tears rolling down her face as pain coursed throughout her entire body. With all of her being, she tried to suppress her tears -- elicited by the shock of what had transpired and by the growing pain in her stomach.

As they reached the rushing creek, Galahad twisted his head towards Lourdes, who he could see was visibly trembling. Motioning his head for her to come towards him, she did so quietly, eyes distant as she looked upon the lively water. As she took a seat on the boulder beside him, Galahad ripped a part of his tunic, dipping it into the cold water. Leaning in slowly, he tenderly dabbed the fabric upon Lourdes' mouth, wiping the blood and dirt away. She placed her tangled hair behind her ears, only observing the young knight silently as he continued to tend to her wounds.

She mused to herself how different he looked. He had grown larger -- more muscular, in fact. His face resonated maturity and strength; and those emerald eyes, experience. Light stubble grew upon his chin and his longer, curly hair was tousled by the wind, his rugged look erasing the boyish nature of his countenance. It had only been a few months since she had last seen him, but she realized that it felt as though she had not seen him for years, that, to her, he seemed to have changed so much.

"I cannot believe that you are really here."

Lourdes' trembling voice pierced the air around them. Even though Galahad continued to wash the bloodied fabric in the creek, his muscles tensed abruptly at the sound of her voice -- the voice that he had longed -- for too long -- to hear.

When he had first seen her riding her mare a few hours ago, Galahad could not take his eyes away from her. She had grown even more beautiful, so much more beautiful that he had remembered. His heart leapt at that moment, for everything that he had endured these past months, and after everything that he had sacrificed, he had actually succeeded in seeing her once more. He could have burst into tears then, in front of his comrades, in front of her. Though, that joyful emotion was immediately halted when he had seen her clinging onto Lancelot -- and Lancelot kissing her. His chest tightened then, and he had found it difficult to breathe, difficult to keep from trembling with emotion. Before he could walk away then, she had met his gaze -- those eyes, that face, that figure that he had fought so hard to see once more was turned in his direction, his being claiming her attention. He had known instantly that Lancelot did not miss this exchange between them, yet he continued to stare in wonder at Lourdes, her stare burning into his. Though, the hope that had once glowed fervently within him had progressively died down when he saw Lourdes and Lancelot walking away from the group, hand in hand, seemingly lost in each other. They're together?, he had asked himself then, fists clenching, jaw tightening. After everything that he had gone through, he returned to see that the woman that he loved with his entire being was with his comrade?

"Galahad?"

Lourdes' voice interrupted the young knight's reverie, the painful recounting of his feelings just a few hours ago momentarily erased from his mind. He looked up abruptly at her, unable to miss the concern in her eyes. He replied quietly, "I have been in Shino for a few weeks..."

With furrowed brows, she questioned, "But how?"

Placing the fabric upon his lap, he turned to Lourdes, his full attention fixated towards her as he began to recount to her what had transpired for the past few months...

Flashback

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Galahad?" Isabella hissed angrily as the young knight gripped the bag from her clutches. "Give me my bloody things!"

In the cover of darkness, Isabella had ran straight towards the stables, hastily attempting to untie a steed from a stall. It neighed angrily at her, for she had not been gentle with it in her anger, its reaction frightening the young maiden a little. Though, this did little to dissuade her from attempting to escape from Galahad, to run away from Arthur's realm and journey home. Angry thoughts flooded her mind, and she pushed Galahad away, beginning to pull her belongings from his grasp. Though, the knight held on tightly, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his composure.

"I shall escort you home." he stated, eliciting a scoff from Isabella. He continued sincerely, "I feel terrible for what I have done, for what has transpired between us, Isabella. Please, it is the least I can do."

She pointed a menacing finger at his face and said through clenched teeth. "You must be out of your bloody mind if you think that I would have you in my proximity after this day." Finally able to retrieve her belongings, she managed to tie it to the back of a saddle, turning her back completely on Galahad.

Galahad walked in front of her, taking the reigns of the horse. "Isabella, it is dangerous for you to travel alone, not when these Shinodian incursions are happening." He reasoned with pleading eyes, not breaking his stare as he questioned, "Do you even know the way home from here?"

Isabella was rendered speechless by this question. His former statement of the journey home being dangerous, she could have ignored. But the latter part of his statement caught her off-guard, and she stuttered as she replied with, "N-no."

Galahad breathed out, running his fingers through his hair. "Will you let me escort you home, then?"

With a curt nod, Isabella turned her embarrassed face away from Galahad. She admitted to herself that she would not enjoy his company, but also that she did not mind the protection on the journey home.

The young knight gave her a nod. "Alright." He looked back towards Arthur's castle. "Stay here. Place all of your belongings in that wagon." He instructed, pointing in the distance. "I will gather our provisions for the journey. I shall be back shortly."

Turning on his heel, the young knight ran stealthily back to the castle, careful not to inform anyone of what they were about to do. He felt a pang of guilt for doing so, for making it seem as though he was running away with Isabella, for making it seem as though he was running away from their newest mission. Unable to take the guilt of seeming so cowardly, he first ran towards Arthur's chambers. Taking a few moments to regain his composure, he knocked softly on the wooden door. Hearing Arthur's light footsteps within the room, he took a deep breath, releasing it as his commander opened the door.

"Galahad, what are you doing up at this hour?" Arthur furrowed his brows, moving aside so that the young knight could enter. "You must sleep, for we ride in the morrow."

"Arthur..." Galahad closed his eyes, hanging his head as he began. "Isabella and I...we broke off our engagement." Arthur's expression did not change, for, frankly, he expected this. Galahad continued, "I feel so guilty, Arthur. I need to at least escort her back to Kensington."

At this statement, Arthur's eyes grew wide. "Galahad, that is at least a fortnight's ride from here! The two of you cannot travel now, not when this new Shinodian peril looms amongst us. It is too dangerous."

"Arthur, please!" Galahad replied in a low tone, face distorting in anguish. "If it is only the two of us, we shall be hard to detect. I can protect her, and I know these lands as well as you do. You know that."

Arthur turned from him, pacing back and forth in indecision. "I highly advise against this idea, Galahad." At the sound of the young knight's dejected sigh, Arthur began, "But if this is what will bring you peace, then...follow your decision through."

Galahad gave his commander a low bow before replying with, "Thank you, Arthur, for your blessing. After I have completed my mission, rest assured that I will journey to reunite with all of you again."

t t t

A month after Galahad had brought Isabella back to Kensington, he journeyed southeast by his lonesome. He rode until he and his horse could not ride any longer, fighting the elements with all of their strength. Harsh, biting winter storms, mountain passes, and dangerous woods were in their path. This, coupled with the worry of Shinodian warriors was enough to make Galahad anxious, apprehensive -- frightened. Able to keep his wits about him, he continuously reminded himself of the map that one of Lord Theodore's knights had shown them during counsel, thinking hard upon where the other Sarmatian knights were apparently located. Deciding that meeting Arthur and the rest of his comrades there was the best course of action, he set off in that direction, always keeping the hope that he would see them -- and Lourdes -- once more.

For almost another month, he rode. Tired, aching, weary, he forged onwards, petting his steed in comfort as they raced through the snowy fields of Sarmatia. He repeated this daily until on one, snowy day, he caught a glimpse of almost a hundred men in the distance, encamped near a wooded area. Instinctively, he had waited until the cover of darkness in order to approach them, stealthily moving within the woods near them. A part of him had hope that these were Sarmatian warriors, and yet, a part of him remained alert and defensive, for they may be Shinodian warriors -- meaning, his ensuing death. Though, as he moved within the woods, away from their sight, he overheard a nearby conversation,

"Arthur and his knights are supposed to meet us here. It has been three days, and they have not yet arrived."

"Think you they met some Shinodian army along the way?"

"Let us hope not, for those Shinodians are merciless killers."

Convinced that it was safe for him to reveal himself, Galahad stepped out of the shadows of the woods, slowly walking towards the, as he now recognized, Sarmatian knights. Some unsheathed their swords at his sudden approach, alert and defensive. He held up his arms. "I am Sir Galahad, one of Sir Arthur's knights." He quickly introduced himself, lowering his arms as the knights lowered their swords.

"'Tis about time you and your fellow knights have arrived," a tall, lanky knight answered beside him, "We were all gettin' worried that ye were all killed by those Shinodian bastards!"

As a chorus of laughter erupted from around him, Galahad shook his head. "I come alone."

"Bloody hell!" A portly knight cried out, pulling his red hair. "The Shinodians got to ye, didn't they?"

"No." Galahad replied patiently, giving his head a shake. "I was hoping that the rest of my comrades were already here. I did not begin my journey with the rest of them, but I did know that this was the scheduled location for the meeting."

"We've been waiting for days." The lanky knight informed him. "No sign of 'em."

As Galahad pursed his lips into a thin line, a voice behind him piped up, "Guess we all have to ride without 'em." Another knight of extremely muscular build paced a few steps towards Galahad. "And you, sir, are more than welcome to ride with us."

End Flashback

"...and that is how I am here." Galahad let out a sigh, his gaze never faltering from Lourdes' form. Then, he choked out shakily, "I...I came to find you."

Lourdes could barely take in everything that he had just recounted to her. He didn't elope with Isabella, as she had first thought, but only escorted her home because he felt as though it was the proper thing to do. Not only that -- he had been travelling all this time, risking his life under all these circumstances and Shinodian incursions, in search of her. Of her. She could not deny that a part of her had hoped that this was the explanation for his absence, and now, for his return. But then her conscience screamed at her for feeling this way, for having such hope for -- for what, exactly? For Galahad to be with her once more? So that they would reunite and be together?

It was impossible now.

He was too late.

Sifting through her thoughts, she found that she could not reply to what Galahad had just stated. When she broke her gaze from him, the knight stated, "The thought of seeing you again kept me going forward, Lourdes." He said in a mere whisper, using a single finger to tilt her chin upwards for her to face him. "And now that I have, I feel as though everything I have gone through has been worth it."

She sucked in her breath at this, hearing such love and sincerity in his voice, feeling once more the warmth of his touch. She sat, frozen, as he lowered his arm to his side, staring at her admiringly, lovingly, with his green orbs. Their moment of silence was broken by rushed footsteps, heading with haste towards their direction. Breaking their gaze from one another, Lourdes and Galahad peered upwards to see Lancelot, slightly limping, towards them.

"Lancelot!" Lourdes exclaimed, worry glazing over her eyes as she stood. Momentarily forgetting her injuries as she did this, she was quickly reminded, the stabbing pain afflicting her stomach once more. Crying out, she doubled over, using the boulder that she had previously sat on for support. Galahad stood, concern lining his countenance, as Lancelot jogged, gritting his teeth in pain, to her side.

Taking the side of her arms, Lancelot held her steady. "Gawain informed me of what had happened." He sat her down slowly, kneeling on one knee as he did so. "Who hurt you? They shall be dead in a few moments."

Both Lourdes and Galahad gave Lancelot identical incredulous expressions. Though, Lourdes shook her head, placing a hand on Lancelot's cheek as she replied hoarsely, "They saw a Shinodian woman, and they thought the encampment was in danger. 'Twas not their fault."

Lancelot breathed heavily through his anger, still convinced of revenge. Though, after he ran his hand through his face, he finally gave Lourdes an acceding nod. Turning to Galahad, he said sincerely, "Thank you for saving her."

Galahad inclined his head a little before silently nodding at Lancelot. Lourdes smiled at Galahad in thanks before taking Lancelot's hand and rising slowly. The young knight could only watch with a heavy heart as the pair began to walk back to the encampment, leaving him alone with his thoughts.