Summary: Ordinary men make extraordinary heroes. Now Women, prove there
worth to King Arthur and his knights in the midst of a battle for their
homeland from the Roman Empire.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
"There's word of rogue knights riding our way." Tristan whispered to Arthur as a maid filled their mugs with more beer.
"How many?" Lancelot asked from behind them, squatting down to join the conversation.
"Three, so far they've done nothing of interest except renounce god in front of the Pope." Tristan said, his expression serious.
"That's a rumor dear Tristan, no mortal man would be so bold to wish his death by a holy man's hands." Lancelot snapped, seriously doubting he heard this story anywhere but from a barmaid.
"Not men, women." Lancelot said even quieter. "A reliable source tells me there headed to Lothian."
"Three women? Rogue Knights? Are you mad?!" Lancelot asked, louder then he meant to.
"They are only stories." Arthur said darkly as he spotted Guinevere headed their way.
"If it is really just a story, then I suppose three nights from now none of us will be in the watch tower looking for these damned women?" Tristan asked sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair and smiled at them.
------
Three women and a man were spotted riding towards King Arthur's castle that very night.
One woman, with dark red hair wore chain mail suited for a women's body and held an axe in her left hand. She was cloaked in green and one witness swore she had red eyes.
Another woman, smaller then the first, had curly blonde hair and a blue cloak. She carried a bow and arrows sticking out of her quiver had golden feathers on the ends.
The man, with jet-black hair, cut to his ears, had no weapon. He simply rode his black horse with a long white walking stick in his left hand, the top had a blue sapphire stone. But as he looked at the town's people they passed, he whispered something in a language none of them had ever heard before, they think it was a curse, but just a few minutes later water rained on there dried dusty fields and crops sprang to life.
The last woman, rode proudly with her back straight and her short brown hair falling in her face. She had four swords strapped to her back, and wore no cloak. Instead she wore a long sleeved leather top, the left sleeve missing, was replaced by three silver rings around her upper arm. She also had a hood made of animal hide that hid her facial features and matching hide pants. Each sword had a different color jewel the size of a baby's fist in the handle. She looked like a warrior with silver gauntlets, each engraved with sapphire stones.
------
"Arthur, more Romans are flooding our home! How long will you grant them refuge?" Bors asked angrily as he looked out over the castle walls and spotted a caravan headed for them.
"It's almost night." Lancelot whispered as he walked past Tristan. He sneered back at him, wishing he would trip and fall down the stairs.
"I was Roman once Bors, should I to be murdered in my sleep when you have had enough?" Arthur asked, looking at him sternly.
"You live here Arthur, but if we keep letting these people in, who's to say one day they wont attack US in our sleep?" Bors snapped, his temper getting the best of him.
"What's that?" Lancelot asked, looking over the wall towards the forest.
"Looks like a fire......" Tristan said, a slight hint of happiness in his tone.
"Arthur?" Lancelot asked, smiling at him.
"I will go." Arthur said, leaving them alone on the balcony to watch as he strode down the stairs to the stables.
Arthur mounted his horse after retrieving his sword from his blacksmith. He rode slowly, careful not to get in the way of the approaching caravan. The forest was a ten-minute ride from the castle gates, but the fire seemed to be fairly far into the trees.
He got off his horse quietly and tied his reigns to a tree before going in on foot. His sword, securely in his hand, hidden by his cloak, as he walked.
He heard voices talking quietly once he was a few feet from the fire. He saw it clearly now, the flames dancing happily as they burned twigs tossed into the middle of a clearing.
He spotted a figure with a blue cloak, sitting with there back to him, and an axe on the ground next to the fire.
Then, he saw a man, wearing black, looking right at him.
Arthur froze, thinking fast if he should leave or stay to talk with them. But then, after a few moments of standing still, he noticed the man wasn't blinking. Just standing, with his eyes open, looking directly at him. Arthur raised an eyebrow and waved a hand in the air, still no response.
He shrugged it off and continued looking around from the edge of the clearing. There were four horses, but only two people. He turned to look for them, but as he did he felt pressure on his lower back, like the tip of a sword.
He was pushed roughly onto the floor of the clearing. The man who had been dazed moments earlier jumped and swore as he noticed the stranger.
The person with there back to him didn't move, but now he heard a voice behind him,
"What business do you have sneaking around in the woods?" a woman asked him quietly.
Arthur rolled over to his side and looked up at a strikingly beautiful woman with short hair. Surprised by her outfit he took a few moments to gather his thoughts before responding,
"I am King Arthur, it is you I have to ask about creeping in my woods." He said, not daring to sit up just yet.
The woman smiled, "These are woods that belong to no man, not king nor god."
"You believe god a man?" Arthur asked, remembering what Tristan had told him about the rogue knights.
She sat down on her knees, looking him straight in the eye, "Men believe they are god's in there own right. Same could be said for Kings."
Arthur raised his eyebrows and leaned back on his elbows, "Are women above the sinister thoughts of greed and lust of money and power?" he asked curiously.
There was a harsh laugh from behind him, and another woman leaned over him. Her red hair fell out from under her green hood and she smiled, "No one is above such thoughts, maybe a child though."
The woman with the leather attire pulled Arthur to his feet and walked over to the fire, "We have broken no laws of your King. We will leave tomorrow so that you may rest in peace knowing we do not burden your land with our presence."
Arthur laughed coldly, "I imagine you will burden any land with the wrath of God if you are caught."
"God has no power here!" the woman yelled as she turned back around and glared at him.
Arthur nodded, "Then join us. Stay in my castle for a fortnight." He said quietly, trying to be polite.
The man now looked at him with a curious expression, "First you try to remove us from your forest, but now you offer us room in your castle?" he asked, sounding more then amused.
The woman with four swords looked at him for a very long minute before replying, "What have you heard of us?" she asked quietly.
"That you renounced God in front of the Pope and now you are headed to Lothian." Arthur said, brushing a few twigs from his shoulder.
"Those are rumors, I assume the villagers make stories to liven up there dingy taverns." She said with a laugh, "We are headed home, to Lothian. The Pope knows nothing of us or our religious orientation."
"Then we will go?" a slightly anxious voice asked from under the blue cloak.
"Yes." The woman replied as she picked up her swords and strapped them to her back.
"You are Knights then?" Arthur asked sounding amused.
"I am no Knight, I am Princess Arien of the Scots." She replied dryly as she grabbed the reigns of her horse. Arthur caught a glimpse of her gauntlets and smiled,
"Your Majesty." Arthur said, inkling his head politely towards her.
She ignored him and made her way past back to the fields towards his castle.
Now the figure in blue stood up and faced him, revealing a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She mounted her horse and Arthur spotted the beautiful arrows in a quiver hanging off the saddle. "I am Lorain, cousin of Arien." She said lightly, trotting past him.
The man sighed as he tried to pull his horse forward, "I am Owen, Arien is my Princess, and I am her humble servant."
"A servant with a wizard's staff and a jewel worth more then his own life? I am impressed by Lothian's wealth." Arthur said, holding back a laugh.
The man glared at him and Arthur looked to the last woman, her red hair neatly tucked back under her hood, "Do not ask me my name, I do not dare speak it." She said darkly, as she twirled her axe in her hand and walked past with her horse.
Arthur sighed and followed them out of the forest; he would give Tristan the honor of escorting them around the castle.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
"There's word of rogue knights riding our way." Tristan whispered to Arthur as a maid filled their mugs with more beer.
"How many?" Lancelot asked from behind them, squatting down to join the conversation.
"Three, so far they've done nothing of interest except renounce god in front of the Pope." Tristan said, his expression serious.
"That's a rumor dear Tristan, no mortal man would be so bold to wish his death by a holy man's hands." Lancelot snapped, seriously doubting he heard this story anywhere but from a barmaid.
"Not men, women." Lancelot said even quieter. "A reliable source tells me there headed to Lothian."
"Three women? Rogue Knights? Are you mad?!" Lancelot asked, louder then he meant to.
"They are only stories." Arthur said darkly as he spotted Guinevere headed their way.
"If it is really just a story, then I suppose three nights from now none of us will be in the watch tower looking for these damned women?" Tristan asked sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair and smiled at them.
------
Three women and a man were spotted riding towards King Arthur's castle that very night.
One woman, with dark red hair wore chain mail suited for a women's body and held an axe in her left hand. She was cloaked in green and one witness swore she had red eyes.
Another woman, smaller then the first, had curly blonde hair and a blue cloak. She carried a bow and arrows sticking out of her quiver had golden feathers on the ends.
The man, with jet-black hair, cut to his ears, had no weapon. He simply rode his black horse with a long white walking stick in his left hand, the top had a blue sapphire stone. But as he looked at the town's people they passed, he whispered something in a language none of them had ever heard before, they think it was a curse, but just a few minutes later water rained on there dried dusty fields and crops sprang to life.
The last woman, rode proudly with her back straight and her short brown hair falling in her face. She had four swords strapped to her back, and wore no cloak. Instead she wore a long sleeved leather top, the left sleeve missing, was replaced by three silver rings around her upper arm. She also had a hood made of animal hide that hid her facial features and matching hide pants. Each sword had a different color jewel the size of a baby's fist in the handle. She looked like a warrior with silver gauntlets, each engraved with sapphire stones.
------
"Arthur, more Romans are flooding our home! How long will you grant them refuge?" Bors asked angrily as he looked out over the castle walls and spotted a caravan headed for them.
"It's almost night." Lancelot whispered as he walked past Tristan. He sneered back at him, wishing he would trip and fall down the stairs.
"I was Roman once Bors, should I to be murdered in my sleep when you have had enough?" Arthur asked, looking at him sternly.
"You live here Arthur, but if we keep letting these people in, who's to say one day they wont attack US in our sleep?" Bors snapped, his temper getting the best of him.
"What's that?" Lancelot asked, looking over the wall towards the forest.
"Looks like a fire......" Tristan said, a slight hint of happiness in his tone.
"Arthur?" Lancelot asked, smiling at him.
"I will go." Arthur said, leaving them alone on the balcony to watch as he strode down the stairs to the stables.
Arthur mounted his horse after retrieving his sword from his blacksmith. He rode slowly, careful not to get in the way of the approaching caravan. The forest was a ten-minute ride from the castle gates, but the fire seemed to be fairly far into the trees.
He got off his horse quietly and tied his reigns to a tree before going in on foot. His sword, securely in his hand, hidden by his cloak, as he walked.
He heard voices talking quietly once he was a few feet from the fire. He saw it clearly now, the flames dancing happily as they burned twigs tossed into the middle of a clearing.
He spotted a figure with a blue cloak, sitting with there back to him, and an axe on the ground next to the fire.
Then, he saw a man, wearing black, looking right at him.
Arthur froze, thinking fast if he should leave or stay to talk with them. But then, after a few moments of standing still, he noticed the man wasn't blinking. Just standing, with his eyes open, looking directly at him. Arthur raised an eyebrow and waved a hand in the air, still no response.
He shrugged it off and continued looking around from the edge of the clearing. There were four horses, but only two people. He turned to look for them, but as he did he felt pressure on his lower back, like the tip of a sword.
He was pushed roughly onto the floor of the clearing. The man who had been dazed moments earlier jumped and swore as he noticed the stranger.
The person with there back to him didn't move, but now he heard a voice behind him,
"What business do you have sneaking around in the woods?" a woman asked him quietly.
Arthur rolled over to his side and looked up at a strikingly beautiful woman with short hair. Surprised by her outfit he took a few moments to gather his thoughts before responding,
"I am King Arthur, it is you I have to ask about creeping in my woods." He said, not daring to sit up just yet.
The woman smiled, "These are woods that belong to no man, not king nor god."
"You believe god a man?" Arthur asked, remembering what Tristan had told him about the rogue knights.
She sat down on her knees, looking him straight in the eye, "Men believe they are god's in there own right. Same could be said for Kings."
Arthur raised his eyebrows and leaned back on his elbows, "Are women above the sinister thoughts of greed and lust of money and power?" he asked curiously.
There was a harsh laugh from behind him, and another woman leaned over him. Her red hair fell out from under her green hood and she smiled, "No one is above such thoughts, maybe a child though."
The woman with the leather attire pulled Arthur to his feet and walked over to the fire, "We have broken no laws of your King. We will leave tomorrow so that you may rest in peace knowing we do not burden your land with our presence."
Arthur laughed coldly, "I imagine you will burden any land with the wrath of God if you are caught."
"God has no power here!" the woman yelled as she turned back around and glared at him.
Arthur nodded, "Then join us. Stay in my castle for a fortnight." He said quietly, trying to be polite.
The man now looked at him with a curious expression, "First you try to remove us from your forest, but now you offer us room in your castle?" he asked, sounding more then amused.
The woman with four swords looked at him for a very long minute before replying, "What have you heard of us?" she asked quietly.
"That you renounced God in front of the Pope and now you are headed to Lothian." Arthur said, brushing a few twigs from his shoulder.
"Those are rumors, I assume the villagers make stories to liven up there dingy taverns." She said with a laugh, "We are headed home, to Lothian. The Pope knows nothing of us or our religious orientation."
"Then we will go?" a slightly anxious voice asked from under the blue cloak.
"Yes." The woman replied as she picked up her swords and strapped them to her back.
"You are Knights then?" Arthur asked sounding amused.
"I am no Knight, I am Princess Arien of the Scots." She replied dryly as she grabbed the reigns of her horse. Arthur caught a glimpse of her gauntlets and smiled,
"Your Majesty." Arthur said, inkling his head politely towards her.
She ignored him and made her way past back to the fields towards his castle.
Now the figure in blue stood up and faced him, revealing a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She mounted her horse and Arthur spotted the beautiful arrows in a quiver hanging off the saddle. "I am Lorain, cousin of Arien." She said lightly, trotting past him.
The man sighed as he tried to pull his horse forward, "I am Owen, Arien is my Princess, and I am her humble servant."
"A servant with a wizard's staff and a jewel worth more then his own life? I am impressed by Lothian's wealth." Arthur said, holding back a laugh.
The man glared at him and Arthur looked to the last woman, her red hair neatly tucked back under her hood, "Do not ask me my name, I do not dare speak it." She said darkly, as she twirled her axe in her hand and walked past with her horse.
Arthur sighed and followed them out of the forest; he would give Tristan the honor of escorting them around the castle.