In spite of this, Lancelot considers for a moment and decides he has the gist of it. "Perhaps that's so. I don't know that I was hiding, at court -- almost certainly I was not -- but it has always been difficult for me to understand others, or feel comfortable with those I don't know. In any case, it's hard to say. Few at court would challenge me, because I was in the good graces of the King and Queen."

He pauses, gazing at his glass. That was not the only reason. "And my prowess. Though-- most often that was a shield. In truth, I nearly always would rather avoid confrontation. I dislike how it feels, to be angry, and I do not trust myself when I let myself feel it. Today has been a surprise."