Part I
High above the earth the hawk soared, zeroing in on a pair of riders who were carving a path through the hilly landscape. With a shrill call, the bird folded her wings and dropped, aiming straight for the lead rider and quickly coming to a gentle rest on his outstretched arm.
"Hey, girl," the rider smiled at the hawk now relaxingly perched on his left arm, "See anything worth noting up there?"
The bird shook her head, settling her wings slightly.
The rider chuckled, glancing over at his companion with his one good eye, "Seems our course is clear for now."
The female rider nodded, "That's good. How far did you say it was?"
"We're meeting the emissary on the south coast. Another day's ride or so."
She nodded again, green eyes clouding briefly in thought, "Did Arthur say who we would be meeting?"
"An emissary of some kind from the east," he replied, "He was not specific. I'm not sure that he even knows that much about who it is."
"How will we know we are meeting the right person?"
He shrugged one shoulder, "I assume he will have orders from his lord and I have this," he held up a round bit of metal, a golden coin of sorts, "Arthur's, from his time in the service of Rome. If this emissary recognizes this, then we know."
He slowed his horse slightly, letting her come up on his side, and turned toward her slightly, "When we do arrive at the meeting point, you are to stay hidden while I go out to meet the emissary."
She frowned, opening her mouth to respond, but he shook his head.
"No excuses, Nova," the corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile, "I do not doubt your ability to protect yourself, I only aim to keep our number hidden should the person we meet decide to cause a problem."
Shaking her head, Nova smiled back at him, "By that you mean, if they attack you, I can attack them back."
"Precisely."
Nova sighed, "Ever the protector, aren't you, Tristan?"
"Only toward those who matter to me," he responded quietly, his brown eye soft as he looked at her.
.~~~~~~~.
The pair continued riding until it was nearly too dark to see the ground before them.
"We can camp there," Tristan pointed at a small copse of trees, "Should be some good kindling for a fire," he winced slightly as he rubbed his right arm. "A cold wind is coming."
He and Nova dismounted in the trees, tethering the horses and beginning to build a fire. Soon enough, flames burst to life from the pile of branches. Hawk rested on a low branch of tree, close enough for Tristan to see her in the light of the fire.
"Your arm still bothers you," Nova stated, observing Tristan rubbing his arm again.
Tristan sighed, "Only when it gets cold."
She moved closer to him, wrapping her blanket around them both, "Well, we have to keep it warm then."
"Just my arm?" he smiled, leaning in to kiss her gently.
Laughing, she returned his kiss briefly, "More than that, if you want."
Hawk ruffled her feathers as the two by the fire continued their intimacy. Humans.
.~~~~~~~.
Dawn came slowly and as Nova sat up, she immediately pulled the blanket tighter against the sudden chill from his empty space next to her.
"Trist?" she called his name quietly. His horse was still next to hers, but Hawk was gone and so were Tristan's weapons.
Reaching for her own bow, she stood quickly, searching the surrounding trees for any sign of him. A new layer of snow rested on the ground, flurries continually drifting from the gray skies above. She frowned as she realized that the snow would have already filled in any footprints he may have left behind.
She nocked an arrow to her bow, walking away from their camp but staying close enough to still keep an eye on the horses. Scanning the landscape, she saw nothing that stood out against the white earth nor the dark trees. Suddenly, Hawk came at her from off to her left, so fast that she fell back onto the snow, losing her grip on her bow.
"Hawk!" Nova quickly scrambled back to her feet, dusting herself off and picking up her bow and arrow. "You startled me. Where is Tristan?"
Hawk landed only briefly at her feet, letting out one shrill screech before leaping back into the air in the direction that she'd just come from. Cursing under her breath, Nova followed the bird as fast as she could through the uneven terrain. Soon enough, Hawk came to a rest near a large tree, hopping along the ground toward a dark figure.
"Tristan!" Nova breathed his name, rushing forward and dropping to her knees in front of him.
"What happened? Are you injured?"
The Scout shook his head, offering her a half smile, "I'm alright, it's just the cold," he took a deep breath and she could see the pain cross his face as he used his left arm to move his right, "I underestimated how badly this snow would affect my old wounds. I can't move my leg or my right arm."
"You should have woken me," she chided softly, putting his left arm around her shoulders and helping him to his feet, "I could have come with you."
He chuckled, then sucked in a pained breath as they began to trudge back toward their camp, "You were so peaceful," he managed quietly, "I didn't want to disturb you."
"I'd rather have been disturbed then have to rescue you from freezing to death," she countered.
He only smiled, limping the rest of the way back in silence.
When they reached the tethered horses, Nova left Tristan leaning on a tree while she gathered their blankets and readied the horses.
"Will you be able to ride?" she asked, unable to keep the concern from her voice.
He nodded, wincing as he took a half step toward his horse, "Yes, I just need your help to get into the saddle."
Nova stepped up next to him, supporting his bad leg as he pulled himself up with his good arm and swung his good leg over his horse. The beast shifted slightly and Nova smiled to herself when Tristan patted the horse's shoulder. She could hear the Scout breathing harder than usual, but when she looked up at him, his face was his normal stoic expression.
Mounting her own horse quickly, she followed him and Hawk as they led the way back to the trail. She watched Tristan closely while they rode. He wasn't pushing his horse as fast as he usually would and it was obvious to her that he was still in pain, the way he sat and the way he held his horse's reins. Frowning, she moved her horse next to his.
"Are you sure we should continue right now?"
He stared at her for a moment with his good eye, before shifting slightly and pushing his horse forward. "We don't have time to stop," he growled.
"Tristan."
He halted his horse, but didn't look at her.
Riding up next to him again, she turned toward him, "I know you aren't weak, trust me," she reached over and placed her hand on his briefly, "But I also know that if you push yourself too hard, you won't be any good to anyone."
"We cannot afford to stop," he replied quietly, "I appreciate your concern, Nova, I do..." With a sigh, he took her hand, a flash of indescribable emotion crossing his face, "Not knowing how, or if, my body will react when I need it to – I – I can't..."
"It scares you," she finished for him, smiling knowingly, "I understand. That's why I came with you."
He returned her smile, lifting her hand to his lips. "I knew there was a reason why I keep you around."
Laughing, she pulled her hand from his, "Oh, I think there's more to it than that. Come on, Sir Tristan."
.~~~~~~~.
They continued on their trek through snow-laden outcroppings, Tristan slightly ahead of Nova with Hawk circling around above their heads. After riding well past midday, they finally arrived at the south coast of Britain. They stopped at the edge of the beach, where the sand met the snow-covered grass. Nova's soft gasp caused Tristan to turn toward her. She sat up straight in her saddle, mouth slightly agape, green eyes wide as she took in the scenery in front of them. He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.
"It's beautiful," she murmured, smiling at him, "I don't even know how long it's been since I was here last."
He nodded, "I know," he dismounted, taking a quick step back as he landed on his feet before holding his hand up to her, "My lady."
Nova laughed lightly, taking his offered hand as she dismounted, practically into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, closing any space that might have been there. "I wish we could travel the world, just you and me."
Giving her his signature half smile, Tristan kissed her fully, holding her tightly to him, "I would love that, but I think Arthur would be hard pressed to find good replacements for us."
She laughed and he kissed her again, more passionately, holding this kiss longer until he had to pull away in order to breathe.
"I love you, Nova," he whispered, staring into her eyes, which shone as he spoke.
"And I love you, Tristan," she replied without a moment's hesitation, "I think we are good for each other."
Chuckling, he nodded, "I agree."
His jovial demeanor shifted suddenly as he saw the boat approaching the shore. He could feel his heartbeat increase, his breath coming faster. He was nervous, of that he was acutely aware. Not because he was representing Arthur to a foreign emissary, although that did play a part in his nervousness, no, he was mildly freaking out on the inside because he was about to walk into an unknown and he was afraid that his body wouldn't cooperate.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Nova's question startled him slightly and he glanced at her, "I told you already-"
"That was before we knew how much the weather would affect you," she interrupted, "I can stand behind you, holding the horses and Hawk. Close enough to jump in if necessary, but far enough away to be respectful."
He just nodded, unable to form any words at that current moment. She pressed her lips to his cheek briefly, grabbing the reins of both horses. "Lead on."
.~~~~~~~.
They walked slowly toward the boat, Nova stopping a decent distance behind Tristan who stood, feet spread slightly, one hand on his sword hilt, the other twirling Arthur's coin between nimble fingers. She couldn't help but smile to herself, feeling something akin to pride as she took in his appearance. He looked almost regal standing there, seemingly relaxed but still very attentive. The sea breeze, although cold, whipped at his hair and cloak, giving him an alluring air as his facial tattoos and his scar were more apparent.
Hawk dropped out of the gray sky, coming to rest on Tristan's left arm and adding all the more to the Scout's imposing figure. Nova wondered what the foreign people on board the boat were thinking as they saw him. If she didn't know him so well already, she would be a little taken aback by the strange, scarred, hawk-carrying warrior who stood like a statue on the cold beach.