A/N. Hello everyone, just to let you know that this story is set before the book or film so all of the Knights are still alive and there is still conflict between Woad and Roman. Rated M for later chapters, although there are references to attack, murder and more things in the first chapter. The woman's name is withheld, you may find it out later but she has her reasons for keeping it a secret. I hope you enjoy it and please review. All comments appreciated.

This whole story has been edited and parts re-written. There is a whole new ending, I hope you all like it.

Rescue from Captivity – Chapter 1

She stopped struggling as heavy footsteps walked along the landing outside of her room. As they approached the entrance she listened carefully, would they be coming for the same reasons that the painted men did? She struggled immensely against the ropes tying her hands to the old oak bed before the door to her chamber swung open to reveal a young man stood there.

She observed him for a moment as he stood gaping at the scene before him. His dark, curly hair falling in front of his face and those dark mysterious eyes travelling over her ripped clothing. She immediately noticed his strong armour, the kind that she had only heard of and never had the reasons to see.

She lay as still as possible as the young man walked over to her. What were his intentions? She stared up at him and she feared for a moment of what he would do. She never feared anything but at that moment in time the presence of such a man in front of her made her heart race.

"I am Lancelot." He said as he sat on the bed next to her and attempted to undo the ropes around her wrists. He was surprised when she did not look up to him in admiration of his status as a Samaritan Knight. Instead, he noted that she laid perfectly still, blood dripping from her leg and stared up at him, in anger. It was anger he had never seen in a woman before, he could not describe it, nor could he understand her silence.

"I will not harm you." He said to her, "I would like to do the opposite." She, yet again said nothing. He wanted desperately to show her that he did not mean her harm, so he reached down and finally undone the ropes. He instantly realised that the ropes that were binding her wrists were so tight that bruises were already starting to form. He thought that undoing the ropes would allow her to sit up and look him in the eye before offering to lie with him for rescuing her. At least that was what he wished would happen. It was no wonder that Lancelot was disappointed when the girl jumped up and ran to the opposite side of the room. She cowered in the corner slightly as he stood from the bed and looked at her delicate figure.

She wondered what to do when she had finally escaped the clutches of the Knight and the ropes. Her initial thoughts were to run but she realised that there was another person present at the time that the woads attacked. She stood up slowly, panic beginning to set in. Had they used similar methods of torture on the other members of her family? Her attention quickly stolen from the Knight and her escape she left the room and rushed down the corridors where the room of her sister stood with the door open. Her heart was beating wildly as she found the bravery to walk into the room.

She felt tears sting her eyes as she looked to the figure on the bed which was her sister. Her feminine figure lay across the white satin sheet, stained red with blood from a dagger that had been placed into her back. Her beautiful blonde hair in disarray and her clothing ripped. On closer inspection she knew that it was not only her sister's virtue that had been stolen, her life had also been.

Another Knight stood in the centre of the room looking in horror at the young deceased girl that laid before him. The woman paid the Knight no attention as she rushed over to her sister's body to grieve. She could not help but to look at her sister's angelic face and blame herself for all of the evil doings that had taken place under the roof of her own home. She clung the lifeless body to her chest and while kissing her head softly, she cried.

Her tears seemed unwilling to stop as she held her sister in her arms. The one person that she had loved completely, gone because of her own selfishness. She knew then that she would never be able to forgive herself for what she had brought upon her family. She had caused her own sisters death and she was not even there to protect her.

"Lancelot," The voice said behind her. "We have found a man, he is alive but he is seriously injured."

"Tell Arthur." That name, she knew that name. She knew of the Samaritan Knights and the legendary Arthur but she never thought that they would be the one's to rescue her from captivity. She thought that Arthur would perhaps be able to help her, but in helping her she would have to tell him her deepest secret, something which inside she was ashamed of.

Dagonet realised that when he spoke to Lancelot the woman seemed to squirm slightly before she rested her sister's head down on the bed and kissed her softly. She whispered something quietly into her dead sister's ear before standing from her position on the bed and leaving the room. He stopped her quickly by holding her arm. His eyes piercing hers he could see the anger and hatred behind those blue orbs.

"Are you alright?" He asked her in genuine concern. She did not even answer his question, instead she looked deeper into his eyes before pulling her arm free and marching away.

She walked through the familiar levels of her home, ignoring the damage that the woads had caused before walking down the grand staircase and into the sitting room. She stopped in the middle of the room and looked at the man in front of the fire, he was staring directly at her, pain and hatred in his eyes and a knife in his stomach.

Arthur and the six Knights now stood behind the woman watching in interest and hoping that the woads attack would be explained. Was there any reason for such a vicious attack and why would they leave the woman alive?

"My daughter," The man from the chair said. "You are alive!" The woman rushed over to him immediately and fell to her knees in front of the chair. He raised his hand to his daughter and Arthur thought for a moment that he was going to stroke her face, but he was wrong. The man hit his daughter across the face with such force that she cried out. Arthur stepped forward quickly to protest but the woman held her hand out to him. He stopped and watched.

"You stupid girl!" Her father spat. "You had the one thing taken from you which I told you never to loose."

"Father, I am sorry, so sorry!" The woman pleaded.

"Do not speak to me with such pernicious lies! You led them to out home, you brought this on us!"

"Father please!"

"Get out!" Her father roared.

"Father!"

"Get out! You disgust me!" The woman retreated like a wounded dog away from her Father. Gawain caught her shoulders protectively but she pulled away, rushing from the room and out of the house.

Her light and ripped clothing made the winter seem much colder than usual and after a while of running she felt she could go no longer. She fell to her knees in the damp grass below and closed her eyes. She saw her sister's face, she was smiling, even laughing but as the angelic face disappeared she remembered nothing more.