Dancing in and Out Like a Glance --Lancelot--

[Celta Meiru]

Celta sat in front of her mirror as her adoptive mother Edella put the finishing touches on her look. She was to go out into the city today and socialize, and her mother couldn't have been more proud as she finished and stood back with a soft smile. She told Celta she was done and to look at herself. Celta opened her eyes from where she had been closing them for her adoptive mother to surprise her. No matter how much she fought with her adoptive father, she wanted to make her mother Edella happy and that meant being feminine for a day to go talk to the people in town.

Celta's eyes widened slightly, and a smile crossed her lips. Her mother had dressed her in her beautiful white dress with the lacing in the front and back, with open slits in the lower parts of the sleeves. Her hair was in cascading ringlets framing her face, which was bright and clean from dirt or anything unwomanly. The young woman stood up and spun in a slow circle for Edella to look at her properly, and when she smiled wide, Celta knew she had approved. Celta felt the motherly figure's lips on the top of her head, wishing her luck, before she started pushing her out the door and towards an already tacked up Eolas.

Finally, something she was familiar with and adored. Eolas snorted and pawed the ground, waiting for Celta to climb up, which she did gladly. She swung herself up gracefully into her riding saddle in one quick movement and clucked to Eolas, holding the reins as the mare took off at a slow canter. She crooned happily to her mare as they kept riding until they reached the large city of Camelot, and she saw the marketplace with people bartering and buying from the vendors. She slowed Eolas to a trot, patting her on the neck as they moved through the city. Once she reached her wanted destination, she dismounted off of her mare and led her through throngs of people hurrying around on daily duties.

She watched the people and started as a woman spoke to her. She wasn't exactly the prettiest old woman Celta has met, but she was friendly as she tried to persuade Celta to buy something. With a polite smile, Celta declined and kept walking, passing several knights from Camelot and inclining her head out of respect without talking to any of them. She rolled her eyes as she heard several comments about her, but she walked on as she did not want to get dirty fighting in this beautiful dress. One certain dark-haired man crossed her path, and she had to look twice. Was that...Lancelot? No...it certainly couldn't be...but she decided to try it on a whim.

"Lancelot?" she asked with a shocked raise of her brow as her bright blue eyes lit up happily. She hadn't seen him in a long time.

[Deleted]

Lancelot had just returned to Camelot, quite secretly. He was a knight for the Earl of Huntingdon in Wessex these days, after being a Knight of Camelot for the shortest of times. King Uther had taken away his knighthood and Lancelot had left to prove himself elsewhere. He had returned to his old haunts in Wessex, and the Earl had taken him back in gladly, understanding his goal and ambition to serve in Camelot. In a desire to keep him , the Earl had given him the ability to range far and wide, seeking adventure where he could find it.

He had not run across anyone from Camelot since, quite by chance, he had run across the captive Gwen, and fallen for her all over again, as he had helped her escape unsuccessfully once, and then with the help of Prince Arthur and Merlin, escape a second time, that time successfully. However, he had not known of Arthur's apparent feelings for Gwen at the time, but once discovering them, decided once again, that the only proper thing to do was to leave. Since then, he had done his best to steer clear of Camelot, until today. His errand for the Earl had taken him so close to Camelot, he could not resist the temptation o walking its streets once more.

He had originally only planned to browse through the stalls in old market, thinking he was unlikely to run across King Uther, Prince Arthur, Merlin, or even Gwen there. As luck would have it, though, he did run across Gwen, they had seen each other, and now he continued his way through the center of the old city, contemplating on what could have been, and what should have been, but would probably never be. There were many knights about, Knights of Camelot he assumed. However, either they were so new as knights, or his stay had been so short originally, or they were so full o themselves as nobles, that they did not recognize him as he walked his Arabian stallion through the streets.

As he walked through the many nobles, many more than he would expect in the common marketplace, a raven-haired beauty walked across his path. She had obviously gathered the attention of many of the male nobles as well. there was something, besides her striking looks and dress, that got his attention. It seemed to trip his memory from a visit to a rural area, sometime back. He remembered a young woman who had seemed quite attached to her horse, and had not said much. He had needed a resting stop to water his horse and to ask or directions. "This could not be her, could it," he whispered to himself, as he stopped his horse, peering over his saddle.

Then he heard her, as she turned around and called his name. Two things were obviously true now. One, that she was the girl from his memory, and given the reactions o the others in the marketplace, that there was knowledge o his name. "Yes, mademoiselle, is there something i can help you with," he asked with the slightest of smiles.