A Moment to think - lancelot

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana walked out into the gardens, just wanting a moment to herself, a moment to think, and the gardens were the perfect place to do that. She could smell the wonderful auroma as she walked past some of the flowers. She thought to herself how peaceful it was here, it was most definately one of her favorite places in the castle. She ran her fingers gently over some of the petals of the nearby flowers, enjoying the feel and the smell.

Finding a seat amongst the gardens, Morgana sat down and sighed. So much had been going on lately and she just needed time to herself for a while. Time away from Arthur and time away from Merlin. But also time away from Gwen. She began thinking of her father as a tear started to form in her eye and she quickly wiped it away. She did not want anyone to see her crying about anything.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot was now an experienced knight and fighter. He had seen much death and destruction in his short life. For the most part his basic skills with the sword and lance had been self-taught. His short period of training to be a Knight of Camelot had added another layer to his abilities. After he had left Camelot he had gone into the surface of the Earl of Wessex as a knight. The life of a knight had not been what he had originally imagined his lifeas a knight wouldbe. He was basically a sword for hire.

Even before Lancelot had run across Merlin in the forest, Lancelot had been considering if he should contemplate changing paths in his life. The problem, of course, was that he had trained himself his whole life to become a knight. He was finding that it was difficult to get motivated to do anything else. He had promised to Merlin that he would come to see him before he left if he decided not to stay in Camelot for long. He had stopped by the Smithy and the Training Fields but hadn't really talked in depth with anyone yet. He had always found that the Gardens in the Castle were a good place to go and think, so that's where he headed.

Since it had been some time since his last visit to Camelot it did take some time for him to locate the entrance to the Gardens. He should have remembered hat he could have located it merely by the fragrances it put into the air. It had been some time since he walked slowly through anywhere, just enjoying the moment. This was an excellent place to think on your problems and your future. And it was one that you could do that without worrying about a swordsman popping up out of nowhere. In fact, he thought it unlikely that anyone would be in the Gardens who would recognize him. For several moments, i fact, he thought he was all alone in this section of the Gardens. Bu then heard the sounds of someone settling into a seat, close enough that it must be just around he corner. His natural curiousity got the better of him, he stopped smelling the fragrant flowers, and he stepped around the corner, to investigate its source.

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana had just settled into a seat when she heard rustling around the corner. She quickly stood up and looked trying to see who was there. Just as she stood up, a young looking man that she knew that she had met before was suddenly standing in front of her. She took a step back, a bit startled. "Oh, hello..."

He was a very handsome man, with the looks of a knight perhaps. But there was something about him, something puzzling. He looked as if he was confused or contemplating something. Surely, Morgana was not the only one that enjoyed coming to the peacefulness of the gardens to think about life and any problems that were going on in their lives. It seemed like she was spending more and more time here alone, away from most everyone, spending time alone to think and try to figure out her own life.

Looking up at him, Morgana managed a smile. She knew this man but for the life of her could not remember his name. She felt so bad because she knew she should remember one as handsome as him. "I'm sorry, I'm Lady Morgana...and you are?" She thought it best just to ask his name instead of saying 'oh I'm sorry I forgot who you are'. She was taught better manners than that. But still she extended her hand for him, waiting on his response.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

As he rounded the corner, Lancelot realized that he was letting his knight persona take over too much. Undoubtedly the noise that he had heard around this corner was simply an unsuspecting person, who was probably here for the same reason he was, for quiet and contemplation.

The source of the noise was quite a bit closer to the corner of the shrubbery than he had originally imagined. The creature was also more striking and beautiful than he had anticipated as well. There was a face that one was unlikely to forget, whether it be weeks,months, or even years .... "Milady," he said, suddenly pulling up,stopping, and giving a deferential nod of the head. "Do you come to the Gardens often. I have been away for some time, but it is strange not to see you with Gwen."

He was glad to see, once he straightened up out of his nod, that she was giving him a smile, which of course was better than a frown. He had seen, in his earlier visit to Camelot, the frown that she could shower, even from a distance. He smiled back,to return the gesture. "Lady Morgana Le Fey, it is an honor once more to be in your presence, but even moreso to be formally introduced. I am Sir Lancelot Du Lac. I have been serving the house of the Earl of Wessex these past many months. Do you desire some company? I understand that many people come here to think and be alone .... I for one. So .... if you desire some solitude,just tell me and I will go," he said as received her outstretched hand and gave it a proper kiss. "You are as beautiful, if not moreso, than my last visit here, Lady Morgana."

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana smiled even more when he spoke of her beauty and took her hand, kissing it softly, the proper thing for a gentleman to do when meeting a lady. She curtsied slightly before looking back up at him. "Sir Lancelot, I am sorry, I did not recognize you after your long absence." She finally remembered him vaguely, but she did remember this handsome man. She kept her smile on her face as her hand stayed in his slightly longer than usual, but she didn't mind if he wanted to keep ahold of her hand. She always welcomed his company. "Please, stay. I would not mind the company at all."

Sitting back in her original spot, Morgana motioned for Lancelot to join her, making room for him to sit beside her if he liked. "Yes, I do find myself coming here quite often as of late. My mind has been having troubling thoughts and I enjoy coming here to sort them out." She closed her eyes slightly, taking in the fragrances around her. "It is so beautiful here, and so peaceful. It's a wonderful place to collect your thoughts, wouldn't you agree?" She opened her eyes and looked into his, smiling as she stared into his beautiful eyes. "I just wanted to be away from everyone today, even Gwen." She looked away slightly after realizing that she had been staring into his eyes for much longer than she should have. "But I welcome your company, it has been too long since I had the pleasure of your company, Sir Lancelot."

Morgana couldn't help but to be slightly nervous, her face turning a slight shade of pink, almost not noticable unless you were looking for it. It had been so long since she had seen Lancelot and she felt guilty for not remembering who he was. But he had changed a bit since the last time she saw him. He had grown more handsome in his time away and she was certainly taking note of it. She turned to look back at him again, her hand lightly brushing his leg. "Oh, I'm so sorry..." Her cheeks turned yet another shade of pink, becoming a bit more noticable. "You say you've been serving the house of Wessex? How interesting that must have been. I look forward to hearing all about it." She knew that he probably did not want to entertain her with his stories at the moment and that he would rather it be Gwen sitting there instead of her. But she was going to enjoy this little moment she had with Lancelot.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

It had been quite a shock and surprise when Lance had come around the corner and found Morgana. He thought, though, that he recovered from the initial surprise rather well, he thought. He was still unsure what her reaction would be to his initial comments at his greeting. He was pleasantly surprised by the warm smile that she returned, as he complimented her appearance, and she extended her hand, which even after the obligatory kiss, she let her hand and fingers dwell in his hand for a longer time than was required, and she gave him a proper curtsy. They were quite alone, so she needn't have worried about being seen. "There is no reason to apologize, Lady Morgana, its not as if you would have expected to see me, especially in a garden such as this. Ah .... it would be my pleasure to stay and keep you occupied for a bit." He sensed that she did not mind his hand touching hers so he allowed his hand to lay lightly over hers.

Now that their initial greeting and introduction had ended lance was a bit unsure as to what he should do next. She solved that question for him. She made some space next to her available and directed him to sit down. "What is troubling you Lady Morgana? This would be a good place to sort any troubling ideas and thoughts out .... yes .... there is no debate about that." Momentarily he found himself thinking about his own problems, and by the time his mind left the subject, he found the Lady Morgana was peering directly into his eyes, as if she was looking for something. Then, just as suddenly she looked away, as if she had realized she was doing something she really shouldn't. "Yes .... as I said .... I welcome you company and I am glad to hear that you are desiring of mine. I never knew that you inclined in any way toward me .... and if you wish you can simply call me Lance."

Lance noticed the direction of their conversation had made Morgana a bit nervous, and perhaps even embarrassed. He gathered it more from her body language than anything .... he couldn't even pick up a hint of a blush in her cheeks. When she turned back to face him, her hand brushed his leg, and she became even more embarrassed. This time he could see the pink in her cheeks, and he smiled. Not willing to embarrass her further he tried to answer her question instead. "Yes .... and he was pleased with my work. However, it was not like what I expected. It was not like being a Knight of Camelot. It was like being a sword for hire, to the highest bidder. I'm afraid it disillusioned me about life as a knight. But I find talking with you much more fulfilling."

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Smiling up at Lance, Morgana was pleased that he did not expect an apology from her, although she offered one anyway. She couldn't believe that she did not recognize him even though it had been so long since she had seen him. "You have changed so much since I saw you last. You are looking...well." She smiled up at him again, thinking to herself that he is looking extremely well to her.

Morgana looked down at her dress, brushing it slightly, thinking about her latest troubles with her dreams, her visions. "You do not need to trouble yourself with my problems, Sir Lancelot." She could not tell him about her dreams, afraid to tell anyone about her dreams. The only one, she thought, that might understand would be Merlin, but she had not seen him in some time. "I'm sure my problems pale in comparison to yours. Would you like to talk about what is on your mind this evening?" Morgana thought that perhaps she could shift the topic on to his problems to keep her mind off of her own problems. "I am interested to find out what could trouble such a wonderful and handsome knight such as yourself." She smiled up at him, hoping that he would not press her problems any farther.

It was wonderful to have Lance here again, she had actually missed him more than she had realized and was longing for his company. "Of course I desire your company, as long as you desire mine and my conversation." Morgana was so happy to be able to talk to Lance and she was excited to hear of his work that he had been doing, even though he did not seem to enjoy it as much. As he told her that she could call him Lance, Morgana blushed again, looking away toward the flowers again. "Oh, I couldn't possibly do that, good sir. It wouldn't be proper for me..." She could feel the heat in her cheeks again as they became a fosey shade. She thought it best to change the subject again at this moment before she turned completely red. "The flowers here really are beautiful, aren't they? I don't think I have seen anything quite as beautiful before." She turned to look at him again, a smile on her face, her eyes catching his again.

Morgana was interested to hear about his adventures while he was away from Camelot. She knew that he did not particularly enjoy what he had done but she still wanted to hear all the details. "So you did not enjoy working there? I can imagine what it must have been like, not like being a knight here." She pulled at a few more flowers, smelling the sweet fragrence and smiling up at him from behind the flower.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

There was no way that Lancelot, handsome or not, would ever require an apology from the beautiful Morgana. he found her smile to be beautiful and engaging, just as he had found Gwen's to be. "In what ways have I changed, and which of these is 'well'. Are these changes all for the better?" Since the word 'well' was accompanied by a smile he thought that she would say that the changes were all for the better.

Lancelot thought that she was messing with her dress somewhat self-consciously, as if she was thinking about some problem tht did not have anything to do with where she was now. Was it the issue she was worrying over and the reason for her visit to the Gardens?
"How can I tell if they pale unless we both tell the other of the nature of the issues we face? I will tell mine if you promise to tell me yours. Do we have a bargain? When she spoke, referring to his handsomeness, he dipped to his head since he knew that he was blushing deeply. "What proof do you have Lady Morgana that I am this wonderful and handsome knight that you have spoken of several times in the last few minutes."

Lancelot had not had the opportunity to sit and talk much with Morgana during his previous stay in Camelot, mostly because he was trying to become a knight. He was quite happy that she once again uttered her desire for his company, and smiled broadly back at her in response to her fine words. "Of course if you are to embarrassed to call me Lance, you are of course welcome to call me Sir Lancelot or simply Lancelot,whichever you desire." Lancelot noted the desperate attempt for her to shift the conversation from herself, this time, back to the Gardens. "Yes, I think they are quite beautiful..... the flowers. But I think that you are mistaken about one thing. I have caught sight of something more beautiful, and that would be Lady Morgana," and he took her hand once more and kissed it, as their eyes met once more.

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana looked at this man that she barely knew but had visions of before. As he asked about her statement of him changing since the last time she had seen him, her smile widened. She did not get to spend a great deal of time with Lance the last time he was in Camelot but she knew that he had changed quite a bit. "You seem to have grown since our last meeting, Sir Lancelot. You have grown as a person I think. And grown more handsome too, although I did not think it possible. Every change I see before me is one for the better."

Hearing him try to strike a deal with her, Morgana quickly stopped playing with her dress and looked up at him. "Believe me when I say that there is not much to tell about what is troubling me. But if it is the only way to get you to tell me what is troubling you then so be it...it's a bargain." She waited for him to begin as she tried to figure out how she would tell him about her problems without revealing too much. Her visions did tend to frighten her a bit but it was something she was learning to live with.

As she heard him say something about wondering how she could know he is this hansome and wonderful man, Morgana had only one reply. "Let's just say it is a woman's intuition." She had a feeling about Lancelot that she could not shake. She was intruiged by him, fascinated in fact. Morgana was eager to hear stories from his adventures since he had left Camelot.

When Lancelot spoke of finding her more beautiful than the flowers, Morgana could not disguise her blush. "Sir, I assure you that I am not nearly as beautiful as these precious flowers, but I thank you for the wonderful compliment. It is not something I am accustomed to hearing on a daily basis." She smiled as he kissed her hand again, her eyes meeting his once more as she found herself staring deep into his eyes, before turning away again. "Thank you, Sir Lancelot, you are most kind indeed." She could not bring herself to call him Lance or even Lancelot yet, remembering her manners. This was not a man that she felt she knew well enough to call him by his name alone. Morgana looked back up at him, thinking of her servant. "I'm sure that Gwen was happy to see you've returned." She wasn't really sure if there was anything there or how bringing up Gwen's name would affect the conversation, but she had heard her maid mention him a few times.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot found himself strangely drawn to the lovely ward of King Uther. Of course he had found himself to be even more attracted to the young seamstress, Gwen, but he had had much more contact with her. Morgana had seemed so much more distant when he had been in Camelot earlier. She seemed to be linked with Arthur and Uther, as a noble. A commoner like himself would have next to no chance with a woman like, Morgana, he reasoned, especially in the eyes of King Uther, whose opinion of Lancelot, the young common knight, figured had not changed. lance then went obn to listen to what Morgana said of him. He blushed brightly in response to the high regard she apparently had for him. "I am not sure that I am deserving of those fine compliments, milady."

He was happy that she agreed to say yes to his offer of a bargain so easily. However, he did figure that she would probably listen to his stories and tell him as little of her troubles as she could get away with. He did assume that she did not want to trouble him with her problems. "Hmmm ... I have heard that women often give that particular power much credit for what they know. However, I must say that it often seems to be a convenient way to throw him off the track of what women really felt and thought."

However, when Morgana tried to ditch his compliments so easily, he did not let her off the hook. He did notice the deep blush this time. "The fact of the matter is, Lady Morgana, that you should be hearing it much more frequently than you currently do." It was easy to see that she was not used to or prepared to hear such compliments, and was shy when it came to herself. She attempted to shift his attention to the topic of Gwen, or any other topic she could get him to talk about, other than herself.

He kissed her hand once more, in deference, and he could tell by her expression, that it had some effect upon her. Still, she could not address him in any other way than with his formal title, and if they were to be friends, she would have to break that a habit. "You are most welcome, my lady Morgana, but what you call kindness I generally just call the truth." Actually Lancelot was caught a bit off guard when she brought up her servant', Gwen's, name. "Truthfully, I have a only exchanged a few words of conversation with her,and have no notion of how often,if any,that she thinks of me.

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana was having a very difficult time keeping her eyes from this handsome young knight. Having just as much trouble keeping her thoughts in check, trying to keep them to herself. She found herself continuously thinking of him now, he seemed to find a way into her mind with every thought since he walked into the gardens and found her. She wondered why she had not spent more time in his company last time he was in Camelot. Then she remember, Uther and, to some degree, Arthur. They would not have approved of her spending excessive amounts of time with Lancelot. But now, she was growing a bit more independent and would spend time with who she wanted. "No one is more deserving of the compliments than you are." She smiled at him as she placed her hand on his, reassuring him that he did deserve the compliments that she was giving him.

Laughing softly as he commented on women's intuition, Morgana looked away slightly. "You sound as if you doubt the power of a woman's intuition. It is best if you just trust that we know how to figure out what is not obvious and that is the intuition that we possess." She looked back up at him with a teasing smile as she finished her sentiment. She pushed the hair back from her hair as she kept her eyes on him. "Now, can you share your problems with me? Or should I pry them from you?" She winked at him playfully a bit.

Morgana sighed as he mentioned the fact that she should be receiving compliments more often. "Unfortunately, most of the gentlemen around here do not pass out compliments as easily. But I do appreciate hearing them, thank you." She smiled as she looked away, the scent of the flowers catching her again as she sat quiet for a few moments, just taking in her surroundings.

She blushed slightly again as he kissed her hand once more. She could feel the heat rising in her body whenever he would touch her or kiss her hand. He may call his compliments the truth but she still had her doubts. "You do not need to call me that." Referring to him calling her 'm'lady'. "I would hope we could be friends and I suppose friends should be able to use only a first name when regarding each other. So if you will try to call me Morgana, I will promise to try to call you Lancelot." She smiled sweetly at him, hoping that she would be able to live up to the promise. Hearing him talk of Gwen made her smile faulter slightly, but she tried not to show him. "I'm sure that she has been thinking of you, Lancelot. Any woman would be insane not to think of you as often as they possibly could."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Of all of the people that Lancelot had been thinking about, <organs, he had to admit,was not at the top of the list. It was not that he didn't like or did nor get along with her. It was that in his last visit that they were apparently from different worlds. Hers was a more noble one,with most of her connections being to the Pendragons, as ward of King Uther. He had seen her and she was, unquestionably beautiful, but not someone he had really considered. Herr now, though, with the image of her confronting him directly, he questioned why he had not thought of her, when he thought of Camelot. Before, he had only thought of Gwen. But was Gwen even attainable now, he wondered .... outside of their brief meeting recently at the Smithy ....was there anything there? Now, here was Morgana,not Gwen, reinforcing her compliments with more, resulting in his blushing, and she topped it off with reaching out to him by placing her on his. It was such an electric moment, her touch, he thought.

"Lady Morgana, of course, if you insist I must accept your words, your compliments, given their noble source." He found her soft laughter to be both beautiful and strangely enchanting at the same time. "I do not and will not attempt to say that I am knowledgeable in the thinking processes and logic of women. I have enough problems with those of men. I will take it that you know what you are taking about when it comes to those things that are not easily discernible in the normal thoughts of men. As far as myself, I can only see that which I see is right, and to act in a way that honor would dictate is the correct path."

He saw the way that she smiled at him,and brushed her back from her face, and once again he found it enchanting and difficult to look away from,as if she was steadily pulling him in. "I doubt, Lady Morgana, whether it would be in my power to withhold much from you that you that you truly wanted to know, but I do pot wish to burden another with my problems." I doubt if it would be proper.He questioned whether the doubts that he had about himself and his future were such that he should share with another, including Merlin, until he was closer to making a decision himself.

Lancelot, had found, among noble types at least, that sometimes personal pride and feelings of inferiority prevented some from complimenting others. "Then they must be blind, deaf, and dumb, not to recognize the traits in you that require the greatest of compliments, I would think." Lancelot felt that purposely withholding praise or not giving where credit was due, was one of the worst things that could be done.

He noticed that his kissing of her hand did seem to have a significant effect on Morgana, at least enough to make her blush, and he did not think she was an easy one to embarass and turn a shade of red. He wondered what she would do if he kissed fully on the lips. Quickly, though, he wiped the thought from his mind, especially since Uther would have him, at the least, thrown in the dungeons for a month, for such an action. "Very well, then, in private, you must call me Lancelot or Lance, if I am permitted to call you Morgana. Otherwise it must be Lady Morgana or milady." He noticed that her body language changed when he mentioned Gwen's name. He hoped that there would not ever be bad feelings between the two women, especially over him. "I do not think that I would especially be one that women would waste too much time thinking over, Morgana."

[Lady Morgana Le Fey]

Morgana knew that there were certain ways that nobles were supposed to act and certain people that were acceptable for her to be seen with. She had been raised as such but never embraced those ways. She was never one to put herself above anyone else, nor would she treat a peasant any different than she would treat a noble. But still she knew that if King Uther saw her being friendly with Lancelot that it would surely be more trouble for him and perhaps a tongue lashing for her. It was not herself that she worried about, it was Lancelot. She did not want to be the cause of any trouble for him when he came to the King or Arthur. But at the same time she was drawn to Lancelot. From the first time that she had seen Lancelot before she had felt like he was someone that she would enjoy being with and spending time with. She just knew they would have to be careful in being seen together.

Smiling, Morgana listened to every word he was saying, her eyes never leaving his. "Yes, it is probably wise if you trust that I know what I am talking about when it comes to such matters. You should never question the word of a woman, we always know what we are talking about." She smiled at him again, teasingly. Morgana could not take her eyes off of Lancelot, he was so intriuging and handsome, his eyes seemed to be able to look deep inside her to her soul. "You have always appeared to me as the type that would only do what is honourable and just."

She did seem to blush everytime that Lancelot would kiss her hand, but it was because it was welcomed and appreciated. There was no doubt that Morgana was attracted to this man, he was rather more handsome than most that came wanting to be her suitors. But Lancelot was not asking to court her or anything like that, he wass simply there and listening to her, being more kind to her than anyone else had been, besides Merlin and Arthur. "Then in private it is, I will refer to you as Lancelot or Lance and you may call me Morgana. I shall hope that most of our meeting are in private then, Lancelot." It was not that she did not want to be seen with him, but she wanted to be her self around him and if the only way to do that was in private then so be it. She placed a hand on his, smiling at him. "If any woman would not think of you then they are a fool...and you are a fool for thinking that no woman should want to think of you."