Patience is a Virtue

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

Because of Elaine's abnormally long life, this was not the first time she had traveled through this land. It was however, the first time she had lost her concentration to the point of getting lost in woods that should have been familiar to her. She wanted to go to the city, a place where she would continue her search for the one person -- that surely existed in the world -- who would help her out of her plight. But she was not making grand progress. The only advantage was that the sun was still in the sky, and it would not be hours until it set. The woods were all the more dangerous during the night hour. She had ways of defending herself, but none of those things involved a physical weapon. It was all incantations and spells, and if she could avoid it, she would. She hated conflict and she hated any form of fighting . . . and yet, here she was, lost in the woods.

This was not one of those times where she would break down and sob. This was not the worst situation she had been put in. Yes she was cold. Yes she was hungry. Yes she was tired. But there were far worse things in life than such things, or at least she believed there were. She knew that if she continued to walk, then surely she would find a way out this wooded area. She had the rest of her un-aging life to find direction. Of course if there happened to be a traveler familiar with the land, she would not hesitate the assistance. Even the rain that began to stream from the gray clouds did not discourage her. It was merely another obstacle in her journey . . . her seemingly long, endless journey.

Her tired legs and fatigue forced her to stop, and sit on the soft, but wet grass as she rested her back against a tree. It provided her with a temporary shelter from the rain, though she found the drops of rain almost refreshing, especially for someone who was doing a great deal of walking. She lowered her hood, and wished her shawl would provide her with more of a blanket, but it was drenched with water and provided little warmth for her. She took out a small handkerchief from her side pocket and softly dabbed her dripping face with it. She unclipped her hair from its thick braid and loosened it so that it fell freely down her back and would soon dry from the dampness of the rain. She took off the metal cylinder, holding her shawl together and loosely wrapped it around her bare arms. Letting out a sigh, she looked at the cloudy sky, not finding sleep easily, and so instead, waited patiently for someone . . . anyone to come and point her in the right direction to her destination. If not, then she would wait for the rain to subside before continuing on to her aimless journey.

--- Open to Anyone ---

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris slid off Gavin with a short huff of a sigh next to the small tricklings of a small stream. The rain was still poring, but had lessened up and would probably stop towards nightfall. The large stallion tossed his mane to loosen the water droplets that had settled in and shook down the rest of his spine.

Avaris, peaked a small smile and pulled off her gloves slowly, revealing small, somewhat rough hands, but smooth enough for Gavin's liking for a rub on the nose. The sun plummeted slower by the second and it seemed unlikely that anyone would be around the area at this time. A slow head ache had creeped in and was throbbing painfully in her temple. There was the small chance a vision would happen , but she was harboring more on the hope that she just needed sleep. If all was silent, she would remover her helmet and try to shed some off her heavy armour and...attempt some sort of sleep.

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

Elaine had been lost in distant memories when she heard someone nearby. The soft hooves made her alert enough to pull herself out of her deep contemplation and prepare herself for an anticipated stranger. She could tell the general direction of the rider, but did not know whether they were going to approach her in this exact location. After all, Elaine was far too quiet to attract the attention of a traveler; she would have to force their attention. She stood up, clipped her long shawl back into its original position and placing the hood over her long hair, though part of it still rested on her shoulder.

She stepped back into the rain, making as little noise as possible. It only took a few steps for Elaine to have the knight in her sight. Though, she did not go towards them right away. She was far more cautious than that. Instead, she his behind a tree, watching the stranger, trying to gather as much as she could about them before making her presence known. Running into danger was something she never did, even though her thoughts of suicide contradicted this behavior. She peeked out from behind a tree, watching from a distance, wondering how keen the senses of this particular knight were before they managed to become aware of Elaine's spying.

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris gave a soft chuckle and pulled at the leather straps of her helmet. In one swift, almost beautiful moment, she pulled it gracefully from her face and her dirty blonde hear cascaded along her shoulders.

She flopped it haplessly onto the ground and bent down to the cool spring. The cold rain felt relaxing and soothing upon her sweating face. Avaris ran a strong hand through her hair and tussled it lightly. Gavin's ear's perked up at a snapping twig, but her back was turned and she failed to notice.

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

It was . . . a woman! That did not put Elaine any more at ease. With the use of magic, a women and men were equally dangerous. Physical strength was not more powerful in one gender over the other. And so, Elaine continued to look at the woman. The female knight. Elaine slightly tilted her head, watching the women, and gently placing one hand on the tree trunk she was hiding behind. She always felt envious of every human she came across. Their ability to so easily love another . . . to feel that reassurance that they can commit to one another and not fear living past them . . .

Elaine pushed those thoughts out of her mind, though they were always present. It was now, before Elaine changed her mind, shying away from the only potential help she may receive since it was clear that these woods were not frequently visited. Very gracefully and quietly, Elaine stepped out from her concealment and stepped towards the woman with great poise. As she walked, she lifted a small cloth from her side pouch -- one that was different than the one she had used on herself -- . She held it out in front of her as she drew closer to the woman. Elaine debated not saying anything, and just passing the cloth to her, but she knew she had to say something to break the looming silence. "A gift, to perhaps alleviate some of the discomfort you are feeling from the cold rain." Her soft tone and almost musical speech was intended to assure the woman that Elaine meant no harm. Of course, words could be utterly deceiving, so it took quite a bit more than a few sentences to gain ones trust.

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris turned at the voice, startled somewhat in fear. She lost her footing and tripped backwards. Her ember eyes were wide in a strange discomfort. this was not good. Someone now knew of her secret..but then again..had this woman her here legend..her family name? Would it even matter?

She breathed back her momentary terror and glanced at the woman, her offering and back at the enchanting face. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, and her mind was suddenly filled with the strange beauty's past.

The words suddenly fell from her slow lips. "Who....who..who are you? And why have you come?"

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

Elaine watched her stumble and fall. Perhaps she had taken the wrong approach. Though she was not going to be quick to give up and move on. Still holding on to the small cloth in one hand, she offered her other, to help the armored woman up. "I mean no harm to you," she spoke in as much of a convincing tone as she could . . . though, with the abundance of enchantment in the world, Elaine could not rely on her own honesty she knew to be true. She locked eyes with the knight, not looking away . . . barley blinking even. "My name is Elaine Ma'Lay. I am but a humble traveler through these woods."

Taking a small step closer to her, she continued to offer her hand. "May I ask your name so that we may be better acquainted?" Whether it was going to be this easy for the woman to reveal her name or not, she was unsure of. But Elaine created an illusionary confidence about her, because truly, she was an insecure woman, but her words had to hold a sense of sureness in hopes that any doubt would diminish.

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris took a deep breath as she took the woman's soft hand. Hers was much more rough. She swallowed won her uncertainty and tried to find her fleeting words. She stood up straight, as tall as she possibly could within her stature. The woman in front of her held an almost ethereal glow about her, surrounded by a soft glow through the rain.

She extended her hand, with calm, warm eyes. She too, was a restless traveler and had been for countless years. "My Name is Avaris Malvallet. I am The only remaining Malvallet in the land actually.." She felt her stomach drop at her own words. They stung coming from her lips. gavin was all she really had in the world, and she had actually stolen him.

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

It did not take someone with a keen sense of perception to sense this woman`s uneasiness. Still, she would do what she could. Elaine thought it was interesting the way she had introduced herself. She pointed out that she was the last Malvallet in the land . . . was that a great sense of pride for her, or perhaps something that people often questioned her about? Never the less, it raised Elaine's curiosity a bit. "I have indeed heard the name, but have not had the pleasure of meeting any of the Malvallets." Elaine had been alive long enough and traveled enough to know most names of well known noble families, and if she was not mistaken, then the Malvallets were ones with a good reputation surrounding them.

Instead of releasing her hand, Elaine placed her other hand on top of Avaris'. "I am eternally sorry for your great loss. There are no words that can pacify the pain. All I can do is truly empathize." Her words were extremely sincere -- perhaps unusually so -- and genuine. Elaine doubted the circumstances had been the same of how they lost their families, but still . . . losing a loved one was never an easy thing to bare.

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris gave a faint smile. "Mourn not...fate must have it's way. Things cannot move forward, if things do not happen. That is its way." She was indeed sad she was alone in the world, but she had to endure fate.

In her case, she had to abide as fate saw fit, control and fix. She was scared to get involved, had almost forbidden herself for any sort of relationship. She could..and would eventually see their future. Friendship was strongly warned against..and love...love she was absolutely terrified of.

The Malvallets held a good, strong family line, but due to dark enchantments and magic, they were no more. If there in fact, had been others with the surname, they had made themselves invisible. She was all that was left. She wanted to keep her family name alive...but it was incredibly difficult with her fear of love.

[Elaine Ma'Lay]

Fate. Was it truly Elaine's fate to be caught in such a horrible predicament? If it was . . . then fate was indeed quite cruel. Elaine's problem was that things were not moving forward; they were forever stationary . . . but no need to get into that right now. Her personal goals were not ones that she advertised to strangers. "Wise words from a knight," she said, still not quite smiling but her words had an underlying kindness to them, as she was not mocking Avaris.

"I however must be completely honest and admit that my motives to communicate with you are not without purpose. I am afraid my memory has failed and I am lost. Are you perhaps more familiar with these woods than I am?" Elaine did not want to inconvenience Avaris too much, so general directions would suffice. But for now, she would ask whether Avaris knew herself for certain where she was going.

[Avaris Malvallet]

Avaris ran a hand through her thick blonde hair and tussled it lightly around her shoulders. " I am sorry to say fair traveler, It has been years since I knew my way around these parts. I Have not been in Camelot's forests since I was a mere child. Perhaps we can find our way together" she offered with a faint hopeful smile. She could do with the company. It might b nice for a change to not go on her own, haplessly in the world.

It was not hard to see the woman's uneasiness. She appeared tired and hungry, cold and wet. "I have some food if you would like, and I'm about to build up a fire." Gavin snorted and munched a mouthful of fresh, wet grass. She turned momentarily away. "I should tend to him for a moment, if you will excuse me.."

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Sir Lancelot, formerly of Huntingdon, in Wessex, at least of the past several months, had been traversing through the forests that were adjacent to Camelot. He had heard of the troubles between the kingdoms of Camelot and Gore, and was endeavoring to keep his exposure on the Kingsway as long as possible before he turned south of Camelot toward southern Briton. He did not reckon that his place was likely to be with either side, but given the friends that he had in Camelot, he wished it the best, so that as many could come through unscathed as possible.

There had not been much grass for his horse, Sher-fore to feed on given the blocking foliage above, and they had crossed blessed few streams that were fit for drinking and muddied up from the recent heavy rains. However, he and his horse suddenly broke out of the thicket into a small area where there was both grass to eat and water. It was just that there were apparently two women just ahead.

They were the last things that Lance expected to find in the middle of the forest. One did not look threatening at all, where the other was attired as he would expect a fighting knight to be. His knight's uniform was entirely covered by his greenish-brown travelling cloak, except for the hilts of his 2 long-swords that stuck up slightly from behind his shoulders. His shield, he carried on his back, much as the ancient Spartans did. Before they turned to suddenly find him there amongst them, to their shock, he had overheard them talking of trying to find their way out of the forest.

"Rest easy, women, I mean you no harm. Although it is out of my way, and i am no Knight of Camelot, I would look on it as a happy duty as a knight of a different place, to show the path to the Kingsway. That is, if you desire some assistance." He wasn't sure if he liked the looks of, or trusted the one in armor, but the other almost seemed to have an aura about her, and he was not about to withdraw his offer. It would not be an honourable act, so he waited for their response.