Summary: If you've ever felt you should have lived in a different time and place, this story is for you. It's the story of a young woman, Delaney Sullivan, who feels that she should have been born much, much earlier in history and how Fate gave her the chance to find out. By the way, Delaney means 'daughter of the challenger' in Celtic lore. Hope you enjoy… R & R… either way.

Chapter One – May I Introduce You To…

Delaney 'Laney' Sullivan sat on the deck and looked at the trees behind her house. She was relaxing after a long week at work and unlike her single friends, didn't want to go do the bar scene. Oh, she'd tried it for a while, but didn't really get into it. All the men she'd met in a bar had only one thing in mind and she wasn't interested in that kind of relationship. Her friends laughed and teased her. When they teased, she just told them she was proud of her feelings. She was an old-fashioned woman.

Getting up to refill her coffee cup, she decided she'd read until it started getting too dark, then she'd go in and do some of the things she'd put off all week, like laundry. When she walked into the kitchen, she set her cup down on the counter and walked into her bedroom to get the book she'd been reading. She looked at the cover and sighed. She thought about how things would be if she'd lived in the Dark Ages. Things were so much simpler then. Yes, there was politics. However, most people didn't even know what they were or care. Now everybody was either Republican, Democrat or heaven forbid Independent, whatever that meant. Why couldn't everybody just be human and take care of each other? Why did it have to be something they voted on in an election? Nothing made sense to her nothing made common sense, anyway. She poured her coffee and went to sit in the swing and read about the time when things were, well, more alive.

She had been reading all she could find about the days of swords and knights. She found some books on the legends of King Arthur. Most were drivel with sorcery and intrigue as the key story but she was really interested in the works of Linda Malcor. She had found a person in history that fit the stories of Arthur. She wished she could investigate some of the things she had read about. How cool would it be to walk the same places and see all the same things. She settled back and opened the book. She had been reading for a few minutes when she realized she had no idea what she was reading. Her mind had been on the places where these events had happened. That's when it hit her. Why didn't she take a vacation and visit as many as she could? She had the money thanks to her great-grandmother's legacy and she had vacation time that was past due. Her boss had told her he wouldn't hold it over much longer, if she didn't take it soon she would lose it.

Suddenly excited, she jumped up, knocking over the half-full cup. 'Damn, slow down girl. You have never done anything this foolhardy in your whole life, stop and think about it.' She thought out loud. Slowing just a little, she went into the house and started looking on the Internet for travel agencies and packaged trips to England. After several minutes she found one that had a "Legends of King Arthur" trip that caught her eye. She clicked on the link and started reading what was offered. It sounded perfect, so she made her reservations. Then she called her boss at home and told him she would be needing to take that vacation after all and if he wouldn't mind she would be off for the next two weeks. He agreed reluctantly, saying she should have given more notice. But she could tell by his tone he really didn't mind. After all hadn't she filled in every time he needed her to and without complaining.

After she hung up the phone she grabbed a pen and notepad and started making a list of things she needed to take care of and items to pack for the trip. She would be leaving the next afternoon and knew she would be hard pushed to get all of the things done before she left. But considering her excitement she knew she wouldn't sleep that night anyway and she would have plenty of time to sleep during the flight. Humming to herself, she started the washer and washed up what few dishes she had dirtied. Then opening the refrigerator she checked to see that all the contents would still be good until she returned. Not that there was much to check, she didn't eat a lot of meals here. Mostly she just grabbed something on her way home or fixed a quick cup of soup or a salad. It was a good thing that she hadn't gone shopping this afternoon like she'd first planned.

Having finished the dull chores, she went to the bedroom and pulled her suitcases out of the closet. Knowing that she would be doing a lot of moving around on this trip, she decided to take only one case and pack as many outfits as she could. Surely there was a Laundromat she could find if she needed anything washed. Otherwise she would just make do. The last thing she wanted to do was lug a lot of heavy bags around Britain. She picked her hiking shorts and shirt out of the drawer. Looking at them, she decided against the shorts. She wasn't sure what the weather would be like but she had always heard it was wet and dreary. Instead she chose a pair of khaki pants that matched the shirt. Then she put her underwear, nightgown and robe and several pairs of socks in the case. She still had room for her jeans and t-shirts and even a dress she doubted she'd ever wear but it was better to be prepared. She began to put other things in as she found room. Most she probably wouldn't need. She finally decided to take one pair of shorts just in case and as if an afterthought grabbed her bathing suit. She did a quick check of the house one more time and went to take a long soaking bath.

She turned on the water as hot as she could stand it. Then lighting a candle she went to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee. Taking her clothes off she lay back into the tub. She lay there relaxing and thinking about her trip. She was so excited and began to daydream about the beautiful places she would finally get to see. As the water cooled, Laney turned the hot water on with her foot trying to keep the temperature just right. When she finally decided to get out she realized she had been sitting there for almost an hour. Silently laughing at herself, she put on her pajamas and went to the kitchen. She washed the dishes she'd been using and put them in the dish drain. She knew she needed to get some sleep, but just couldn't bring herself to go to bed. Picking up her book she curled up in the big chair in her bedroom and began to read.

Note: The first couple of chapters may seem long, but it is necessary for you to understand her character. This is basically a story about me… I wish. I've written about 30 chapters so far, but my beta and I must discuss each one before posting. I'll try to update a couple of times a week.