Chapter 1

Saxons live for killing, a fact that Elizabeth Mason knew quite well. Her family was slaughtered by the Saxons and she barely made her escape with her little brother to the wall, Hadrians Wall that is. For that is where she knew she would be welcome. It was also where the great knights of Sarmatia lived under the rule of King Arthur. They were made famous for the battles that they fought. Although their numbers have decreased in size over the years, six of them had made it to their freedom. After 15 years of service only six of them lived. Given their freedom, they had a choice. They could either leave Britain and go back to their home land or they could stay and make a life in Britain.

As intimidated as Elizabeth was, she was able to find work at the local pub with a lady named Vanora. Elizabeth was given the task of making sure all the dishes were cleaned each night and after everyone left she was to sweep up and wash the tables. Elizabeth was relieved because she never had to come face to face with the customers. It was because of that fact that two years later most people didn't know she existed. Elizabeth was able to live a quiet life and she was never bothered by anyone to explain herself. However, her curious nature that tended to get her into trouble from time to time was about to deceive her.

One morning, on her daily walk through the fields, Elizabeth noticed a black stallion tied to a tree. There wasn't any sign of his owner anywhere around. Being a curious lady, Elizabeth slowly made her way toward the horse. Although curiosity may have piqued her interest she was still quite afraid of horses. As she got closer, the horse lifted his head up from eating grass and fixed his gaze on her. This action alone caused Elizabeth to immediately stop moving closer. She figured that they were at a stalemate. The horse wouldn't stop watching her and Elizabeth wouldn't move until the horse looked away.

"He won't hurt you ya know." The tree that the horse was tied to appeared to be talking to her. A lone figure jumped down from the branches. He had hair like a lions mane and eyes as blue as the sea. The man took a step toward Elizabeth and her instincts kicked in, taking a few steps back. He gave a bit of a chuckle.

"I see he's not the only one you're afraid of." He said as he took another step closer. Elizabeth took a look around and noticed that they were completely alone. There wasn't another soul around for miles. Usually that would be fine for her, it was actually the reason that she took the path that she did. Only now it seemed like more of a problem than a good opportunity. This man could harm her in anyway he wished and no one would be around to help her. Taking one last look into his eyes she turned around and made a mad dash in the direction she came from. Her skirt seemed to be providing a lot of resistance but she was still flying. At one point she turned around and noticed the man hadn't been following her. Instead he stood right where she left him and just watched her flee. During work that night Elizabeth couldn't get those eyes out of her head. Never had she seen eyes as majestic as those. While talking to Vanora she discovered that the man from earlier was Gawain, a knight of the round table. She inwardly cringed understanding how big of a fool she had made of herself. He probably would be in the pub that night telling his friends about the crazy mute lady he encountered earlier that day. Focusing on her thoughts, she didn't notice Vanora come to the back until she spoke.

"There is this man out there who has been asking me all sorts of questions about his mystery girl from this morning." Elizabeth almost dropped the plate she was washing.

"What have you told him?" Elizabeth said in her quiet mouse voice.

"The truth. That you had lived here for a few years, that you were quite quiet and that he was not to harass you in anyway." Elizabeth let a sigh of relief go.

"Thanks Van. You're a good friend."

"Yes, I suppose I am. He's asked for your name countless times but I refuse to give it to him. Mostly it's just for my own amusement, but I believe that if he had your name you'd never be rid of him. Just note, he will be on the lookout for you for a while. If you choose to remain as unsocial as usual, you might want to stick to the shadows a little better." Elizabeth nodded at Vanora and went back to her work.

Later that night, once the pub was empty and Elizabeth was done with her work, she locked up and started her walk home. Preoccupied by the stars, she didn't notice the two drunks making their way toward her until it was too late.

"Aren't we a pretty one? What's a young thing like you doing out so late at night without an escort?"
"Walking." Elizabeth started walking around them hoping that they would loose interest and leave her alone. That wasn't the case as they started following her. Cursing herself for her bad luck throughout the day, Elizabeth took off at her fastest speed and raced toward her home. The two drunks took off after her, albeit a little slower due to their inebriation. As she came flying around a corner, her skirt caught under her feet and sent Elizabeth flying to the ground, allowing the drunks to catch up. The taller one grabbed her arm and threw her against a wall. As tears leaked their way down her face, Elizabeth frantically looked around for help. Not seeing anything it was quite a shock that, while the tall one tried to steal a kiss from her, the blade of a sword had been put up to his neck.

"Release the lady." It took the drunk a second to comprehend those three words, but he slowly moved backwards, allowing Elizabeth to move away from the wall and take note of the situation. Standing there with a sword to a drunk mans throat was the man she ran from earlier, Gawain. He was talking so low that she couldn't hear the words he spoke to the man. Realizing at that moment that she had been chased by two drunken men, Elizabeth looked around for the other one. She found him being pinned up against the wall by another man with a sword. She guessed he was another one of the knights. He had shorter hair with a few braids in them and eyes that would have frightened away Satan himself. Tribal marks graced his cheek bones and at that exact moment he fixed his gaze on her. Embarrassed by the way she had been openly staring at him, she looked down. A moment later the knights released the two men, who went scampering away, and turned their attention toward her.

"It's dangerous to be taking a walk at this time of night by yourself, milady, what were you thinking?" The evil one asked her but before she could even think about answering Gawain noticed who she was.

"Hey, you're the lady that ran away from me earlier today. I've been looking for you." He started making his way closer to her and immediately Elizabeth started panicking.

"Thank you both for what you have done for me on this night, I am eternally grateful but I must be going." With that said, Elizabeth turned around and was about to take off in a run yet again when she felt a mans hand on her arm turning her around.

"Always off at a run are we? Do you not remember that it is quite late and still inappropriate for you to be running around without an escort?" Gawain asked, making sure not to be right in her face.

"I'll be fine. I don't live far from here." Elizabeth made to turn again when his grip turned her back to face him.

"At least give me your name fair lady, so that I may know what to call you the next time we meet."
"There won't be a next time. Good bye." Elizabeth turned around and finally started running. She didn't stop until she was inside her small house with the door locked. Sliding down to the floor, breathing hard, Elizabeth mentally slapped herself. Vanora had told her to stick closer to the shadows. Hoping that Gawain would take her running off twice as rejection and move on, Elizabeth went to bed and started dreaming of the very stars that had gotten her in trouble earlier that night. However, instead of being discouraged, Gawain was even more interested.

"Have you ever seen her before Tristan?"

"Aye, I have. Then again, I see everything."
"Stop playing with me, and tell me what you know."
"Seems how you've asked so nice, her name is Elizabeth. She's been working here for about two years in the back of the pub. Other than that she keeps to herself. A loner. It is very possible that she is hiding something."

"Elizabeth, a beautiful name." And as Elizabeth was dreaming of stars, Gawain was dreaming of Elizabeth and her silent eyes.

Waking up the next morning all Elizabeth could think about was the two men that had saved her the night before. They seemed like complete opposites and yet they had a brotherly bond that was obvious. Gawain had kind, blue eyes and although he held a sword in his hand for part of the time, he seemed genuinely caring and warm. The other man, however, had a cold and uncaring manner and his eyes seemed empty.

On her daily walk, Elizabeth made sure that she kept out of sight everywhere she went. At one point she noticed Gawain ahead with three other men, laughing and goofing off. Elizabeth backed into the first shadow that she could find, careful not to alert anyone to her presence. Looking for a way to maneuver around these men, Elizabeth didn't notice the pair of eyes watching her or the shadow that was moving towards her from behind. In fact, she didn't even realize she wasn't alone until she felt someone's breath on the back of her neck as the man behind her spoke.

"Hiding from someone? Gawain's not that scary, is he?" Elizabeth turned around to face the other man from last night. He had an amused gleam in his eye.

"Not hiding, just being cautious." Elizabeth stepped to one side and the man stepped right in front of her.

"Cautious of what?"

"Just cautious." Silence engulfed the two of them. The man took this time to study Elizabeth, quite openly. Elizabeth looked down, then to the sky and then, finally, she forced herself to look this man in the eye. Just as she was opening her mouth to say something one of the men with Gawain called over.

"Tristan! Are you coming?" Ah, so his name was Tristan. Tristan took his eyes off of her for a second to look towards his comrades and that gave Elizabeth just enough time to slip away. In all reality Tristan let her get away, he was a scout and if he had wanted to, he could have stopped her. Yet he saw the panic in her eyes and knew she was close to freaking out so he broke eye contact.

Later that evening, while washing dishes for Vanora, Elizabeth discovered how true Vanora's words had been when she said Gawain wouldn't stop looking for her. Concentrating entirely too hard on a mug, Elizabeth didn't hear the door swing open and it was only when he cleared his throat and she spun around that she discovered Gawain had made his way past Vanora to the back.

"Now, you don't have to look so panicked. I promise not to move from this very spot the entire time we are talking." Knowing that he was just jesting with her about her previous running record, Elizabeth managed a half a smile.

"Is there something that I can help you with Sir Knight?"

"Well, for starters you don't have to call me Sir Knight, Gawain will do, and secondly you could grace me with your name." Elizabeth thought about it for a moment before finally giving in.

"Elizabeth."

"Well, Elizabeth, I was wondering what it is about me that makes you take off at a run every time we happen to meet up on the street. Is it the hair?"
"No."

"Is it the beard?"

"No, it's not the beard." Gawain stared at her expectantly waiting for her answer. Elizabeth couldn't take looking in his eyes a moment longer, they seemed to be reaching into her soul and reading her darkest secrets. When it became clear that she wasn't going to speak, Gawain tried another tactic.

"Why do you fear horses so much?"

"I don't fear horses!" This small outburst amused Gawain and he knew he found a small crack in her defensive shell.

"If you don't fear horses then why did you approach mine with such timidity?" Elizabeth sighed.

"I think horses are beautiful, intelligent creatures and I have nothing but respect for them. However when I get closer to them a small, very small apprehension comes out." Gawain nodded, secretly ecstatic that he was getting this quiet, shy girl to give him full sentences and it only took two other meetings that ended up with her running from him.

"If you would like, I could help you with that." This peaked her interest.

"What do you mean?"
"Well, I could teach you about horses, and even get you to ride one. Are you up for it?" Elizabeth was torn. She didn't want to start making friends because it was hard to stay in the shadows, especially if she made friends with a knight. On the other hand she had always wanted to learn to ride a horse, even though she feared them. Looking up at Gawain, Elizabeth decided.

"Alright." Gawain was thrilled.

"Good, meet me tomorrow by the stables and we can start. For now I shall leave you to your work. Good night sweet Elizabeth." And with that Gawain left. Still quite shell-shocked that she had actually agreed to horse riding lessons, Elizabeth took a deep breath in and continued her work.

The next morning Elizabeth showed up at the stables quite early, yet she wasn't the first one to arrive. Gawain was already there and talking with his horse. Pulling back into the shadows Elizabeth took a moment to observe this man. This man who sought her out for lord knows what reason. She hadn't led him on at all, if anything her behavior toward him couldn't only be seen as defensive and not interested. Yet, he still sought her out and made it a point to spend more time with her. Well, she thought to herself, here goes nothing. Slowly, she made her way toward Gawain and his horse. As she got closer she could hear what he had been saying to the tame beast.

"Now the lady that you will be meeting is a little frightened of you so you better be on your best behavior. Just keep calm and try not to move around so much. If everything goes alright this morning I promise I'll take you for a nice gallop around the hills later on, eh?" Patting the horse on the nose, Gawain turned around only to find himself face to face with Elizabeth, who immediately took three steps back, distancing herself from the knight.

"Good morning, milady. I see you made it here with no problems."
"Good morning, sir knight."
"Please, I told you, just Gawain is perfect. Now shall we begin?"
"Yes, let's begin." Despite her rather nonchalant appearance, Elizabeth was secretly panicking on the inside.

"Elizabeth I'd like you to meet Jack Sparrow, around here he is just known as Sparrow. Sparrow has been my horse for many years." Gawain gestured towards a black horse with a white spot on the front of his face. The horse itself was not the most beautiful of his kind, but by looking in his eyes anyone could tell that he was full of spirit.

"Now, in order to make any progress here, we should try to get within, say a foot of Sparrow." Gawain held out his hand for Elizabeth to grab and join him. Giving a look of uncertainty Elizabeth took baby steps towards Gawain. Finally, when she was quite close she slowly lifted her hand and gently placed it into Gawains larger grasp. He took this chance to pull her towards Sparrow, who was doing his job and standing in one spot, lest he get to romp around in the hills afterwards. Standing there, right beside Sparrow, was a great feat for Elizabeth and she felt quite proud of herself. Then again, she was thinking the same thing when she realized how close she was standing to Gawain without freaking out.

"See, it's not so scary. You could even pet him if you would like." Elizabeth nodded and shakily put her hand on Sparrow. Sparrow happened to shift at this moment, startling Elizabeth and she withdrew her hand and tried to step back. The only thing stopping her was the hand of the strong knight that was still placed on the small of her back.

"It's alright, you're alright, he was just shifting his feet."
"Sorry, just startled me I guess."

"Quite alright, let's try this again shall we." This time Gawain took Elizabeth's hand in his own and brought it to Sparrow and they both started stroking the horse. Thinking about the horse in front of her, Elizabeth realized something.

"So, are all of the horses named after great myths of pirates?" It took Gawain a second to answer; he was quite shocked that she picked up on that fact. A smile graced his face as Gawain looked down on her. It was intense enough to cause Elizabeth to blush and look away.

"Sorry, I don't mean to embarrass you but no one has ever picked up on that fact before. You are a very observant young lady. To answer your question, no. Sparrow here is the only legendary pirate amongst the horses." Elizabeth nodded and continued stroking the horse. The back and forth motion of her hand, well Gawains hand guiding her hand, put Elizabeth in a trance. What seemed like hours later, Elizabeth again realized how close Gawains body had gotten to her, his one arm wrapped around her waist as his other arm was still guiding her hand in petting the horse. Suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of being caged, Elizabeth pulled away from the horse and its master in one motion, causing Gawain to snap out of the trance that he had put himself in.

"Is everything alright?" Gawain started to walk towards her but recognized the look in her eyes and stayed where he was.

"Nothing is wrong. I just have to go; time seems to have gotten away from us. Bye." With that Elizabeth turned around and ran toward her work. Although she wouldn't have to be there for a few hours, she couldn't think of any place else to go.

Gawain on the other hand just stood there, with a smirk affixed upon his face. Strange girl, but never had he been more intrigued. Holding her for those few moments, helping her conquer a fear, it had been one of the most magical moments of his lifetime. One thing was for certain, he couldn't wait to spend more time with Elizabeth. For now he would have to take Sparrow on that run through the hills that had been promised earlier.

On her way to work Elizabeth ran the events of her day through her head and upon thinking about how well she did with the horse a smile graced her face.