Well who do we have here? (Lancelot)

[Vailea Ceylan]

It was a nice spring day, filled with cheerful songs of various birds. The wind blew gently against the earth, carrying scents of new blossoms. Ivy irises scanned the green grass that rushed below. Loud thuds pounded the damp ground, created by thick hoofs that belonged to a grey horse. Vailea sat upon the firm saddle, her long brown hair blowing out behind her. The horse kept a steady gallop, seeming to enjoy the run as well. The forest was covered by trees, and the trail carved a thin passage through the dense area.

Just ahead, was a large clearing with a crystal clear stream that trickled right through the clearing. The songbirds were much more abundant there, which made for a nice place. As they neared the clearing, the trees that stood so close against the trail parted and the beautiful landscape could be seen. Vailea hopped from her horse and lead him slowly into the clearing, quickly tying him to a sturdy tree trunk. She sat just a few feet away and opened a book that she had just begun reading a few days previous.

After several minutes, she closed the book with a gentle thud. She had sensed a presence nearby and it made her uneasy. The thin hair on the back of her neck stood, and her spine tingled. There had to be someone there, she could just feel it. She reached over to her horse, and patted its shoulder before grabbing her bow and arrows. Quickly, she slung the bow over her shoulder and the carton of arrows over the other. Her steady gaze shifted around the clearing before deciding that there wasn't anybody there. There hadn't been but a noise in the past few minutes, but yet again, it could be easily concealed by the lyrics that carried through the meadow, emitted from brightly colored songbirds. No, now this was getting to her. She definitely was not scared in the least, but she just wanted to enjoy the day, not wanting to be worried the entire time.

She sighed softly and took a step forward. A small crack sounded from across the clearing, and her eyes darted to where it came from. There was a man lurking right on the brink of the forest and her heart skipped a beat. No he wasn't a bandit was he? They usually were in groups, but who knew? Vailea quickly placed her foot in the saddle and swung her other leg over. She pressed gently against the horse's sides, guiding it over to the man, with a small trot. "Hello there sir..." She greeted him kindly, though she did not know what kind of answer would return.

Setting~ Surrounding forest of Camelot
Timeline~ Undefined
Tag~ Lance
Notes~ Okay but a little short.

[Deleted]

It was a pleasant day, the most pleasant one that Lancelot had seen in weeks. It was as if nature had taken on itself to wash and cleanse all the unpleasantness that had been seen from the last weeks over the battle for Camelot that had been won, and that Arthur and his Knights had rescued and saved Uther. Lancelot, himself, of course. had no special love for Uther. It had all been done to save Camelot for Arthur, and what he knew Arthur believed in. He was loyal to Arthur and all the Knights stood for .... the problem was Gwen.

He was preparing to leave on a pilgrimage to the site of his family's home village .... the one that he had abandoned after the raiders from the northern plains had attacked and pillaged, and wiped out his family. He felt as if something was missing in his life, and perhaps that was a place that he needed to re-connect to. After all, at least for the time-being, he had reached his goal. He was one of the trusted Knights of Camelot. But why didn't he feel very fulfilled by that? What more was there, he wondered, as he moved aimlessly forward.

Lancelot was pretty deeply lost in his own thoughts. In fact, he had not even realized that he had dismounted his black stallion, and was now walking alongside it on the outer edge of the great forest that surrounded Camelot. He certainly was not paying attention as to whether there was anyone else in the vicinity. He was simply taking advantage of the serenity and tranquility of the surrounding foliage as he rehearsed in his mind the words that he would use when he asked Arthur for permission to leave Camelot. What was Arthur's reaction going to be? What would he say, and would he press Lancelot further for more explanation, and how would Lancelot respond if he asked? What would his reaction be if the worst happened, and Arthur asked to come with him? So many questions, yet without answers Lancelot thought. Sher-Fore, his black Arabian Stallion, spied the running book just ahead, in the clearing, and moved toward it as a natural reflex, and Lancelot followed alongside, mostly hidden by the bulk of his horse.

It was not good, Lancelot thought to himself, for a fighting Knight to have have his mind distracted by such matters. Perhaps a long trip, whatever happened at its end, was what he needed. Maybe he needed something that would cleanse him, but something that he would experience separate from Arthur, Lancelot, and his other associates in Camelot, especially Gwen. He felt, sensed, more than heard he sudden movement of a horse off to his right, beyond his horse. A tall tree shielded his left, and Sher-Fore,m mainly shielded him to his right, as the horse and its rider approached. They got close, but not so close that he could easily reach them with his long-sword.

Within moments he heard a question. It surprised him slightly that it was the voice of a woman, a young one he gauged. "Well, hello there, in return, milady," and he stepped forward, allowing her to see the colors that he proudly wore. "Are you from around here? I did not expect to run across anyone, this far from Camelot, especially one as striking in appearance as you," he asked boldly. "I hope there aren't too many bandits, hereabouts," he commented. He left the question unstated of what her business was. However, it did still hang there in the air, even though it had not been spoken yet.