So cold.
So much pain.
So much suffering.
She curled herself into a small ball, lying on her side. She has lost count on how long she has been here. Between the beatings, the screams of others, there is no telling how long she has been here.
The others have not survived. Most were killed at the ambush. There were 3 of them left when they dragged them to this hell hole. Her bothers-in-arms were already wounded. The shouted at the one causing the pain that they were Knights of the Great Arthur. Why were they here? They ask
Because of her.
The ambush, the beatings. They were all because she stepped out of place.
A female knight dressed as a man.
A sin that needed cleansing.
When the beatings started, they would begin shouting of repentance for her sins, the sin of being born different, for being a woman. None of it makes sense anymore.
Nothing in her life has ever made sense.
She watched her fellow Knights slowly drift away, the light in their eyes dimming as the whip came down on their backs or their bones breaking. At first they screamed, but then they too, became silent.
Till the light in their eyes gleamed no more.
They say it is the work of God that she must follow these men, to obey their every order, even if it means losing her honor. Follow and you will be saved.
Follow them men that beat women and children for refusing to be their serfs.
But she will not yield.
She will not give them the satisfaction of her pain.
She will not let them break her spirit, though it is getting harder as time rolls by.
She has not spoken since she was brought here.
She will not yield.
Many miles away, near a Roman outpost.
The commander sits on his white stead, waiting for the caravan to appear. This caravan, holding the key to all their futures. For his men with their freedom to return home, and him to return to Rome.
"Missing your beloved Rome so much Arthur?"
The Commander, Arthur, turns to the knight beside him. He seems a bit more cheery today, if you call actually being completely sober. These last 4 months have been hard, with the disappearance of 5 knights in a flash.
No trace ever found, even with their finest tracker.
To make matters worse, Young Evelyn was with them. She was the knight in charge of the scouting.
Having a young woman as a knight was frowned upon, but being the only child in the family, the roman soldiers had no choice but to take the child, then only 7 years old. They thought she could be of some other use when she grew.
Arthur put a stop to that.
He fought hard to have her trained. The other Roman officers stated that she would die in the first battle.
She did not.
She proved to be the most skilled at a bow and arrow, hitting great distances, even using her bow as a weapon itself. Plus, no one was able to sneak up on her. Rather it was the reverse. So quick and light on her feet, she used her small stature to her advantage.
That was how she survived these last 15 years before she disappeared.
None were more heartbroken that Lancelot.
The 2 of them did not get along at first. Arthur was even afraid to find one of them dead by the end of their arguments. Yet somehow, over time, that anger grew to friendship, them companionship, then love.
"I would say that you are just as excited as me, my dear friend. " Replys Arthur, "Tell me Lancelot, you so quick as to leave my company."
Lancelot quickly turns to Arthur, then looks down, but Arthur does not miss the flash of anger, "I will be happy to leave this god-forsaken land."
Arthur cringes. He knows this anger is not toward him.
"My apologize my friend, I did not mean…"
Lancelot turns back to Arthur, " I know, its just…"
Arthur lays his hand on his shoulder, "I understand my friend"
Lancelot looks out into the distance, "We talked about getting married and starting a family when we returned. The night she left, we got into an argument."
Arthur nods, he has heard all of this before, but doubts that he remembers telling him, for he was drunk. It was amazing he could even talk.
"I didn't want her to go." Lancelot continues, "I wanted to take her place, but she said I needed to recover from our last battle. I was insistent. I told her truthfully, I was nervous due to this being her first real leading mission. She asked if it was because she was a woman and a whole bunch of other things I care not to repeat. The argument got work to the point where we didn't speak that morning. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, that I loved her."
Arthur leans toward his friend. "She knew my friend."
Lancelot looks to Arthur with tears in his eyes.
Then, another Knight, the one called Gwain, calls to the two," Arthur, the caravan has been spotted!"