Lancelot's First Stop (Beth and Open)

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot had not even planned on passing through Camelot, let alone stop there. He had heard about the growing conflict, but had decided to travel the main highway, as dangerous as that was. He had expected to travel on its relatively even surface, since that would be easiest on his horse, the fine Arabian, Sher-fore. the plan had been to get off the road somewhere short of Camelot and divert himself through the forest ,around it, on his way south. He doubted if the king's opinion had changed enough for him to join the Knights and he would never fight for an opposing side to Camelot, so why bother even wondering, let alone asking.

He had run into that woman on the road, and he had traveled closer to Camelot than he had intended, and it had gotten later than he imagined it was. Lancelot was not looking forward to another night camped in the forest alone, and with nothing but water to drink, with some good ale so potentially close. Why not head for the Ram? outside of a few people, people he probably would not run into, he wouldn't be recognized or remembered. He rode up to the Ram, tied his horse up otside with a good knot, htrew a coin to a boy to watch him, while he went inside for an ale or two. He would take it to a stable later on before he went looking for lodging.

He strode into the Ram, which was in a pretty bustling state, still wearing his greenish-brown travelling cloak. The only thing that hinted at his status as a knight ora fighting man, were the hilts of his 2 longswords that stuck out just above his shoulders through the top of his cloak, which were sheathed in 2 scabbards that ran the length of his back. He took a table off to the side, that was partly in the shadows, but close enough to the entrance so that he could see his horse outside. He quickly called to a barmaid, "A tall Ale if you would," and he through a couple of coins down. He was surprised with the space and latitude he was given, and the quickness with which his request was satisfied. He did not think he posed that menacing or demanding of a presence. He took a quick sip, and was determined to relax, at least for a bit.

[Elizabeth Severn]

Night was softly and quietly falling around the walls of Camelot and already a handful of stars were spreading across the sky. for the better part of the afternoon, Elizabeth had been out training a new charger from the royal stables. The lean white horse had done rather well, and now he was plodding along the streets toward their destination. Before heading back to the keep. Elizabeth had decided to stop into the local tavern for a drink of two before signing off for the day.

Her loose gray shirt was kept in place by her black leather corset, a common outfit for her. Today though, instead of her full length boots, she had on soft brown riding boots that rose to her knees and folded back into a broad cuff. Before Elizabeth even dismounted she tossed a couple of coins to the young boy standing by the horses outside of the tavern. "Give him a good rubdown and have him saddled when I'm leave," she said as she slid down from his back. Hading the reins to the boy, Elizabeth turned and stepped inside the tavern, already a little bit relaxed from the warm atmosphere.

With a quick glance around, it was pretty clear that it was a busy night at the Ram. Very few seat were left in the crowded room, but there was one buy a solitary figure. A playful grin slipped onto her lips, and Elizabeth made her way over to the man. Gesturing to the seat next to him, she smiled. "Would you mind?"

[Lancelot Du Lac]

As he had noted when he had first taken his seat, most of the patrons had given him quite a bit of space. With nobody to talk to he rather quickly drained his tankard of Ale, and he signakled the barmaid, pointed down at his drained tankard, signaling for another to be brought. This one, he thought would be his last, and as a result, he was planning on stretching the drink out across a longer course of the evening. After all, he had not had much to eat, so it would be a wiser idea not to drink too much too fast. After all, he didn't have anyone to protect his back here.

For the first time, though, since he had had his first sight of Camelot, after these many months, he was beginning to relax. the first ale, he thought, was probably having its desired effect, and after all, he would only be in Camelot overnight. Early in the morning he would be on his way. he did wonder, though, about the people he knew here, or had known. They were under threat from their neighbors, and he wasn't even sure what the issues were. he hoped that everything turned out well for them. he especially worried about Arthur, and his manservant, Merlin. he knew that Arthur would be one of the leaders, if not the leader, of Camelot's forces, and it was likely that Merlin wouldn't be far away.

As he looked at the doorway, he suddenly saw that his view was blocked by a person giving some coins to the same boy he had paid to watch his Arabian. Obviously, they had just dismounted and wanted him to watch their horse as well, he thought to himself. They appeared to be a woman, as far as he could tell, but he didn't have the best of views. She entered the Ram, and since he could see his horse once more, he took little note of her. Suddenly though, there was a person standing in front of him, and it appeared to be the woman that he had just seen enter the Ram, and she was asking him a question. No one had even spoken to him since he had entered, but she had walked straight up to him and had asked, with a smile. What was it that she wanted? "Oh ...... no .... not at all ...... be my guest ..... would you like some drink ..... what would you prefer?," he asked, he hoped, in as polite a manner as this establishment deserved.

[Elizabeth Severn]

Nodding to the man, Elizabeth pulled out a chair and took her seat. Tired muscles relaxed considerably by the warmth and her comfortable seat, she sighed slightly, leaning back in her chair. "Thank you," she said after a moment. Waving a hand vaguely, she shrugged. "It's alright, I'll get something to drink later on. Right now I just want to give my legs a rest." The expression on her face was something near amusement, although only slightly.

Looking over at the stranger, Elizabeth realized her manners. "By the way, I'm Beth." As she spoke, she took the cuff of one of her long sleeves and started to roll it up to her elbow. The gray cotton pushed back to reveal a blue tattoo encircling her right wrist. A simply Celtic knot made up the markings, bright against her skin.

As she turned her attention to her other sleeve, Elizabeth glanced up at the man across from here. "I hope I'm not bothering you or anything." A slight shrug lifted her shoulders for a moment. "I'm relatively new around here and the locals aren't all to sure of me." Finishing her sleeve, she leaned forward on the table, laying her forearms on the smooth wood. A wry smirk darted across her face for a moment when she spoke, her tone light. "You just looked like you could use some company, if you don't mind me saying."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Roe was never that comfortable around women. he had to admit, though, they seemed to be attracted to him or some reason. He much preferred the training field, or the field of combat with other soldiers. Otherwise, he tended to spend much of his time, alone working with wood, curiously enough. In much of his in-between time he occupied himself by whittling on small blocks of wood, often creating figures from memory. His comrades often found that to be curious. In this particular, instance, though, he had given up his solitary state and offered her a chair.

"You're quite welcome. Are you quite sure about the drink ..... it wouldn't be any trouble." After several moments, he considered what she had said, and it sounded as if she had made her mind up. "Very well, then, as you desire." She seemed to indicate that she was looking more for rest than for relaxation through drink, but it did confuse him somewhat. "Why, I thought I saw you ride up and hand your horse off to the same boy I gave mine too. Normally, riding a horse doesn't tire the legs, that is, unless you came a great distance," he said with a slightly inquiring voice. Lance noticed the strange expression she had on her face, but was not able to decipher it yet.

Suddenly, it seemed, she decided to introduce yourself. "Well Beth, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Lancelot." He watched her as she rolled her sleeves up, and his eyebrows arched ever so slightly when he saw the blue Celtic tattoo. He saw the unusual pattern, but decided that it was not important that he ask questions about it. It raise some questions about where exactly she came from, though.

Once she finished with her sleeves she turned her attention back to him, by looking him straight in the eyes. "No," he said with a smile. "Nothing I have seen so far bothers me in the slightest.", he responded to her question. her next words were a bit of an admission. She obviously had some Celtic connection, and she was new to Camelot.

"I'm not exactly new to Camelot. I was here for a short time about a year ago. I left and served as a knight under the Earl of Huntingdon, in Wessex. So, I know a bit about the city. However, i have just arrived after that absence, and the looming conflict between Gore and Camelot really is news to me. In fact, I was not planning on staying long. There is little reason for me to stay." Her next comment surprised him, but he returned with a smile in return. "And what about me gave you that idea?"

[Elizabeth Severn]

When the man expressed his puzzlement at her discomfort, Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Although there was laughter, it only had a shred of good nature in it. "Well no, riding doesn't normally tire your legs. I'd expect it's the army's training that I've been doing every day. I'd expect it's also the hours on end that I spend running around and taking care of horses every day, what with working in the stables and all." Another dry little chuckle escaped her lips. "That, I suppose, is why my legs are sore."

Inclining her head slightly, Elizabeth spoke more softly then she had previously been speaking. sometimes she just came off the wrong way, and that may or may not have been one of those times. "A pleasure, Lancelot," she said smoothly, her voice my more civil. silently, she berated herself for speaking out like that. There was no reason to be that way, simply because she could be. If anything, Elizabeth wanted some company tonight and she wasn't doing herself any favors by acting like that.

One eyebrow raised slightly at his comment. That was an ... interesting answer. Certainly not what she had been expecting. However, Elizabeth simply continued with the conversation, lest she take it for something that it wasn't.

His story was rather intriguing, and Elizabeth leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs and stretching them out under the table as she listened. Her dark eyes were alert as she studied him, a hint of a smirk hiding in their corners. "A far better story then mine, I'm sure. You seen to lead a most ... adventures life, Sir Lancelot." When his question appeared, she shrugged slightly, and spoke rather lightly. "Well, a handsome man alone in a tavern. I've got a slight case of boredom and wanted to investigate." She winked at him. "You do seem to be helping the boredom, that's for certain."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot noticed that she found his question about her leg fatigue to be somewhat amusing. He not sure, though, how he should take her laughter. It did not seem that she took the comment as a real joke, and he knew that it was not meant as a joke from his perspective. Perhaps it was not a good idea for her to sit here in the first place, he thought. "So ..... army training ..... taking care of horses ..... working in the stable ...... where and which stables do you work in," he asked, newly interested in the woman who sat across from him. "Yes, that could explain your leg issues."

He suddenly noticed a change in the way that she was communicating with him. When she had first sat down she seemed bit more separate and aloof. Now, she seemed to be making a specific effort to be more communicative. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he welcomed it. It just made the situation much more comfortable. "Well ..... its a pleasure .... Beth ..... I think."

He thought he noticed a physical reaction that indicated a surprise at his initial comment, but she seemed to recover from whatever her surprise that she had. As he went through the short version of his story he noticed that she seemed to be stretching out and relaxing more, which allowed him to relax some more as well. "I'm not sure about that. I'm sure that you have had some interesting experiences as well. I'm not one who is so elevated in my opinion of myself to think that way, necessarily." After he asked his question and heard her response, he flushed slightly. "I guess I should take that as a complement," he said chuckling, taking another drink from his tankard, and nodded back, acknowledging her friendly wink. "Well, let me know what your investigation shows, eh," he said, laughing lightly.

[Elizabeth Severn]

Elizabeth jerked her head in the general direction that she assumed the castle was in. "I'm the stable master in the Keep. S'why I was riding that horse tonight," she said, referring to the young white mount she had come in on. "He's not mine, he's one of the steeds I'm paid to look after. I was just giving him a bit of conditioning."

As one of the serving girls came close to their table, Elizabeth flagged her over and ordered a pint. After pulling a few coins out of the pocket inside her boot and handing them over to the girl, she turned back to Lancelot. I think. What exactly did he mean by that? Maybe she had been a little more abrasive with him then she had thought. Oh well. that could be remedied.

Waving one hand dismissively, Elizabeth shook her head slightly. "Nothing that most people would want to hear about. All fighting and such. You, on the other hand, sound intriguing." Elizabeth paused for a moment as her ale arrived. Picking it up, she took a long drink of it before speaking again. "I shall inform you of my investigations, indeed Sir Lancelot," she said after giving him a devilish grin.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

The longer they sat the more congenial he found her to be, but he didn't know if that was just an act she was putting on, or if her the more course initial personality was just a natural defense mechanism. While he was analyzing the two possibilities she suddenly let him know what she was in charge of. "The Stable Master ..... really? I had only been planning on being here overnight, but I had not figured where or I was going to bed Sher-Fore, my fine Arabian stallion. It was only when I got that figured out that I was going to worry about where I would stay."

Apparently she had become comfortable enough to order her first drink since she had arrived at his table, as she got the attention of one of the barmaids and through some coinage down. He was just about to pay for it himself, but he figured she was an independent lot who might resent it. Perhaps the point might lubricate and soften her personality a bit. She had been making strides in the last few minutes he thought.

When he had made the comments about the likelihood that she had had some interesting experiences that might equal his own, she had waved it off. "Well, you might try me," he offered. "And what, exactly, sounds intriguing about me? I'm just Lancelot." She must have been quite thirsty, he thought, after watching her take her long draw on her Ale. "And what will be the nature of this investigation?", he replied to her open grin with a raised eyebrow of his own.

[Elizabeth Severn]

"Well then, I should be more then happy to accommodate you and your steed. We've got some room to spare in the stables," she waved one hand "So whenever we're finished here then we can get Sher-Fore settled in for the night." Elizabeth cocked her head to the side slightly. "We don't get to many Arabians through here. It's a little cold for them," she said with a little smile. They were fine horses, but they were to light for Elizabeth's taste. She needed something fast, but solid enough to ride through a blizzard and come out none the worse for wear on the other side.

When Lancelot mentioned somewhere for him to stay, Elizabeth paused for a moment. Her finger idly traced the rim of her mug as she tried to think. Where could he stay? Probably at one of the taverns, even the Ram for that matter, but that would put him a good bit away from his horse. Not that anything would happen to Sher-Fore in the stable, Elizabeth was certain, but it was still a troublesome inconvenience. Looking back up at Lancelot, she furrowed her brow slightly. "Well, there is always the taverns around here," she said, voicing her thoughts. "But that does put you away from the stables. Perhaps you could stay in the keep, or perhaps in the soldier quarters." Her hand left the mug for a moment to sit on the table, slowly tapping her fingers. "You wouldn't happen to know the Prince would you? I'm sure he would be happy to give you somewhere to stay for the night."

Taking another sip of her drink, Elizabeth grinned into the tankard. However, when she put her mug down again, her face was rather composed. "Well, I'm just Elizabeth," she said lightly. "But you've been a knight. Still are one." A slight shrug lifted her shoulders. "I've never been a knight. Besides, I'm young. Not a whole lot of stories to tell."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow to match Lancelot's, and put on a sly grin. "The nature of my investigations? Well, I'm not to sure, Sir Lancelot." She leaned back in her chair before continuing. "How would you suggest I go about...investigating?"

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Sir Lancelot thought that he had indeed been fortunate to run into this woman. He had wondered how he was going to solve his 2-part problem. The first one, of course, was where he was going to keep his Arabian stallion. It had to be somewhere secure and somewhere that Sher-Fore would be well-fed, well-watered, and out of the weather. She could solve that. The other question, of course, was where he was going to stay overnight. He wasn't really anxious to see certain people here, such as King Uther, Prince Arthur, or Gwen. He wouldn't mind running into Merlin .... he could be a source of information. The others could be somewhat problematical.

"Well, I would be quite appreciative if you would do that. The last thing that I expected was to run into someone who could directly assist me in setting up accommodations for my horse. That is fortunate .... that you currently have space, especially this late in the day. I wouldn't want to rush you ... whatever your schedule is I a would be happy to work with. I was actually hoping on having a few Ales," he said with a smile of his own.

When he mentioned the question of overnight lodgings for himself, an entirely separate issue from his horse, he saw her pause as if she was considering several possibilities. He had imagined that he could stay here at the Ram, or at least at one of the Inns. They were few in number, he knew, but one might have a short-term .... overnight vacancy. "Yes, I was thinking that a tavern like this might be the easiest alternative one of the Inns. It is true that it would be inconvenient, as far as the distance from my horse, but it may not be able to be helped. You don't have some other possibilities that I could consider, do you?"

The Prince? Lancelot knew that he must have visibly jerked at the suggestion. he hoped that it wasn't that visible of a reaction. "Yes, I know the Prince, and we got on fairly well. But its been several months since I last saw him, and it would probably be better if our paths didn't cross." He was sure that for him to stay in either place would require him to get Arthur's approval, and there would always be the chance that he would then run across Gwen, and that would just be too ...... awkward. "I suppose if there was no other option I might ask him, if you think it would be the way to go."

She then went back to her drink before starting back into the conversation. "Just Elizabeth, eh. Well, yes, I have had my share of adventures both before my first visit to Camelot, and since my last one. You may not know it, but I was a Knight of Camelot, before Uther stripped me of it hours after he had knighted me. I went on to serve the Earl of Huntingdon in Wessex, and was proclaimed a knight there. I just might not be recognized as one by either Uther or Arthur. That's why I left the first time, and one of the reasons they may not be overjoyed to see me."

"As far as your investigations, I would leave that entirely up to you. These Ales are an excellent place to start, don't you think? What exactly interests you?"

[Elizabeth Severn]

"Well, if I remember correctly Sir Lancelot, it was I who approached you." Elizabeth halfheartedly made a serious face, but let it go quickly before speaking again. "I was planning on relaxing here for a little while before heading in for the night, so that works well for both of us. I can take you stallion to the stables tonight and you can come and collect him whenever it suits you. We always have some spare stalls available, so it's no bother."

When his next problem came up, Elizabeth had to shake her head. "Nothing I can think of. So I think a room in one of the inns is your best bet for tonight." Her voice had the smallest tinge of regret to it, and she gave him an apologetic little frown. "I'm only staying in the soldiers quarters right now, so I'm afraid I can't rightly offer you somewhere for the night."

When she had finished speaking, Elizabeth polished off the last dregs of her ale. A slightly mournful look passed over her face for a moment as she looked into the empty tankard, but she quickly waved down the barmaid and ordered another. Since her lack of beverage had distracted her for a moment, Elizabeth only caught a flicker of Lancelot reaction to the prince's name. A quizzical eyebrow rose slightly, and she looked back at him. "Well, I won't force you to meet him," she said slowly. "After all, him and I are by no means good friends. We've only ever trained together, so can't say I'll have any effect on his opinions of you."

As her new drink arrived, Elizabeth listened intently to the knight's story. It was rather interesting, and she smiled slightly. "Now that's rough. Having something like that taken away so early after they had given it to you. Would I be to forward in asking what happened to deserve that kind of punishment?"

A peel of laughter escaped her throat and Elizabeth rocked forward slightly. "If I didn't think you to be some honorable Sir Lancelot, I would think you were trying to get me drunk!" In her eyes a little ember of mischief ignited and she leaned forward, bracing her arms on the table. "And my interests, good knight, do not lie far from glory, mead, and a good fight. Most would say i am not a very complex person."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot sat back with a smile on his face in initial response to her first statement. “Yes, I guess you did, and here, this knight was just spending a quiet evening, in the shadows, enjoying some ale. Was it your purpose and design to anno the knight, mademoiselle?” He saw she put on a hurt look, but didn’t put a lot of effort into it. “Ah well, that sounds very similar to what I was planning, as far as the early evening. I expected and expect that finding satisfactory lodgings might be a bit tricky, although I suppose I could drop in on Gaius and ask for a piece of floor to bed down on, since I was only planning on staying in Camelot overnight.”[/COLOR][/I][/B] Lancelot mulled over her proposal as regards to Sher-Fore and said, ”sounds like a very workable plan …. As long as it is no bother. I would suppose it was a bit of luck running into you here, at least for the overnight comfort of my Arabian.”

Although she definitely had the answer for his stabling needs, it became clear that his lodging needs, at least in the short term was not something that she could solve. “Any particular Inn you would recommend that’s not too far from the stables? I might want to get an early start in the morning. Dropping in on Gaius might be the best solution, as long as he’s still the Court Physician. Would you know if that’s the case and Merlin, Prince Arthur’s manservant, still stays there?” At least she seemed to be disappointed and sorry that she couldn’t more of a help. He wouldn’t have enjoyed her making light of his predicament. He supposed he could even stay beside his horse, Sher-Fore in the stall if needs must. “That’s quite all right. You’ve been more helpful than I could really expect, especially on such short notice.”

As Lancelot watched her drain the remains of her tankard, he did the same. He could not be out-drunk by a female now could he? As she called the barmaid over he made sure that he added an order of another ale to the one she had just requested. He noticed that as soon as he had made his comment about the Prince, that she had developed a slightly questioning look on her face, although she said nothing, art the moment. That lack of an immediate comment, as it turned out, was apparently used by her to think about a way make a comment and to ask a question. ”Well, that is a good thing. You have trained together? You should consider yourself fortunate. He is an excellent fighter, and especially gifted with swordcraft. He might even be my equal,” he said with a smile.

Lancelot wondered for a moment if he should tell the tale. He considered that it was something that was private, but then re-considered. Its water under the bridge, anyway; what could it affect? “Very well, I wandered for some time, as a trained or at least mostly-trained fighter after my carpentry apprenticeship had passed. I ran across a young man in the forest, and saved him from a magical beast, a Griffin. However, I was slightly injured and he took me to Gaius, the Court Physician. As I recovered I explained that my greatest dream and ambition was to be a Knight of Camelot.”

“Much to my chagrin, though, it was explained that only certified nobles could apply. Now, my family may have been nobles in Gaul, but not in Britain, so it appeared that I had reached a dead-end. I re-payment for saving his life, papers of nobility were provided, I know not from where, and so was an opportunity to audition for the Knights. In fact I bested Arthur, and was knighted by King Uther. By morning, however, the Court Archivist had determined that my papers of nobility were false, the King stripped me of my knighthood, and I was thrown in the dungeon. Arthur did manage to have me released, and I did help him destroy the griffin, who had been terrorizing the kingdom. However, the damage had been done, and I left Camelot. I had not returned to Camelot since, until today.”

He chuckled in response to her mischievous outburst. “Actually, I think that you are more likely to drink me under the table. I don’t get ale very often, actually. Well, then, I expect you would make a better candidate for a knight than I ever will. However, I despite the fact that I have seen all of those things myself, ma cherie, and you will undoubtedly find that I and the life I have had glory, drank my share of mead, and been in many fights, has not made me any more of simple person. So, I expect you are more complex than you let on.”

[Elizabeth Severn]

"Well, if this knight would like to be left alone, then I'm sure there is another lonely knight sitting around who would be pleased to have my company," she said in a mockingly hurt voice. Elizabeth couldn't help it, she found it far to easy to be playful, and it wasn't something tat she often did. But this man was far to endearing to say no to, so she ran with her instincts. "You just tell me when you're ready to head in for the night, and I'll take care of your horse."

Glancing around the warm tavern, Elizabeth nodded her head in the direction of the ceiling. "The Ram always seems to have a room open, and they're definitely one of the more respectable places around. I'd recommend a place here, as I spent a night here when I first landed in Camelot." Tilting her head to the side a little bit, Elizabeth tried to remember that name. "I know that Merlin is definitely still with Arthur, but I'm don't know about Gauis...honestly, I haven't ever met him, although I have heard of him, so perhaps he's still around."

As Lancelot spoke his little boast, Elizabeth raised her newly filled tankard slight. "Cheers to that. It has been a pleasure to train with him, even if we haven't done any work with blades yet. Arthur has talent, but I'd make a wager that perhaps you have more." She winked slyly at Lancelot, and took a drink before continuing. "Maybe, if you're in town for long enough, we could train together a bit. I've got some free time, and I'd love if we could get together for a few rounds."

As Lancelot's story began, Elizabeth took the opportunity to take a long pull of her drink. His life was truly fascinating, and she 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at the appropriate moments of the tale. Truthfully, this changed how she thought about certain members of the court. Up until now, Arthur had seemed rather aloof to her, but if her really had helped Lancelot, then perhaps he was not as bad ah she had thought. And Merlin, a man she barely knew, had been generous enough to help Lancelot with his dream, even if it hadn't worked out in the end. "Truly, that's a wonderful tale. Your determination is utterly amazing. I can relate to you in a way, even though I am a noble. My only ambition was to be a soldier, a knight, but that was always something reserved for men. But Arthur let me in, and at least now I am training here."Her stead gaze locked onto Lancelot as she spoke. "What made you come back?"

His laughter lit up a smile on Elizabeth's face, and she nodded. "Well, I suppose we will have to see where the night goes, now won't we?" Raising her mug, she downed the last of her drink and set the empty tankard back on the table. "I must say, I think you would be the better knight. You seem kind and honorable and just. I might be many things, but I don't think I am any of them." For a moment, she pursed her lips, looking down at the worn wood in front of her. As the moment passe, she looked back up and half smiled, running a hand through her unruly hair. "I grew up in the north and spent most of my time fighting. I'd get into a brawl over anything, and more then once it got me into a world of trouble. But when i was old enough, I started fighting for my father's war band, and that at least gave me some way to unleash my pent-up aggression. Beyond that, I've spent my whole life breeding and training horses. They've always been a passion of mine, and being on a horse kind of made up for some of the physical strength that I lacked in a shield wall. So, in time, I ended up heading toward Camelot, and here I am now!" She grinned, spreading her arms and chuckling slightly. "Not the greatest of tales, and certainly nothing compared to yours, but it's my life."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

He liked this ones attitude, Lancelot thought to himself. Just sarcastic enough to not take themselves too seriously. Quite different for a noble he thought. "Well I don't think you would find it very difficult in finding a knight to replace me," he chuckled. As far as he was concerned, the evening had just begun. If he had made the decision to come into Camelot for the evening, he was not going to want to cut it so short now. "Well, I am not so old that I would need to go to bed so soon ..... at least not to sleep," he said with a laugh as he took another long pull on his tankard of ale."

Yes, he seemed to remember that to be the Ram's reputation ... that it was large enough so that it almost always had some open rooms. "Yes, i suppose that it will probably be the best option, unless I decide to bed down next to my horse in the stables, especially since I don't know what reception I would get from the Prince in the main area of the castle," he noted. He thought that her recommendation about this place was one he should take seriously. "Well, that's good to hear that Merlin is still about. I was on relatively good terms with him. Gaius was considerably up there in years, but seemed quite healthy. I hope nothing untoward has happened to him. i don't think he much liked me when we first mat, but by the time I'd left he seemed to have accepted me. I certainly hope he is still about. He seemed to give the king good advice, when it was taken .... not an easy man to replace," he observed.

Lancelot did not often have the opportunity to sit and make his little boast, at the prince's expense, in fun, and he could not really resist it. "Really, though, I have a few years on Arthur, in both age and experience. As far as raw talent, across a wide array of weaponry I doubt if there is any more skilled than he," as Lancelot tried to downplay his skills, as was normal for him. He simply ignored her comment about a wager over his knightly skills and went on. With her wink he did not know how serious she was, but he replied as if it was a sincere proposal, as they both took another drink. "Yes ..... I would look forward to test our skills. It might be interesting for you. I rarely use my shield, but I do use both of my swords, since I'm quite ambidextrous, as they say."

Lancelot, of course had decided, that there was really no good reason to withhold too many of the facts from his previous Camelot experiences now. It was all water under the bridge ... there was little to be gained or protected at this late stage, However, he had seen no need to verify Merlin's magical abilities, or identify that Merlin had forged the nobility documents he had used to qualify for training as a Knight of Camelot under the Code. Despite holding some of that personal info back, she if seem to be fairly interested in the story. She indicated as much in what she said, and then summarized her personal history and why she had wanted to go through training, before she asked him why he was here. "Actually I have taken pains to avoid this place, for I knew that it has a magnetic quality for me. It was always my goal and purpose in life to come and serve as a Knight, even though I was not an English noble. That desire to serve the kingdom is still there." Of course he did not indicate that his attraction to Gwen served as both an attraction of the place and a reason to stay away.

He had no doubt that she could indeed drink him under the table. He had not built up any resistance to alcohol, by drinking it, over the last several months. "All I can hope for is that you will not treat me too hard or roughly as the night progresses, eh? A better knight you say? and why would you even think such a thing of me in comparison?" He laughed at her comments once more, saying "What proof do you have of this kindness, honorability, and justness I wonder. Hmmmm .... you might surprise yourself, one day, when it comes to those qualities." He noticed that, in response, she did return him the faintest of smiles, so he imagined that his words were not too far off base. her running her fingers through her own hair seemed to confirm some nervousness that she had. She then went on into a further description o her life and her path to Camelot. "Well our paths are different. It is likely that my family was a member of a French or Gaul noble line, and was forced to leave. I was apprenticed to a Carpenter, for a trade, in a nearby town, and then my home village was wiped out by Northern Raiders. It was only then that I tools up the art of the sword and took me to my path to Camelot. You may think that your path has been less exciting than mine, but that doesn't make it any less important," he said as he took another long drink, feeling now just the slightest light-headed from the ale.