Please, read me. I am re-uploading, new account, with changes and such. Please go to my profile it's explained more there. I hope you enjoy this, I'll be uploading more, and I'll try to not be away from an on going story for to long, I can't promise that in-between finished stories though, but i most likely will do drabbles during and in between stories, but I'll never abandon one...it just might take a bit of time in-between chapters. Thank you, creaturefromthedeep. Also tell me what you like and don't like, it makes it more enjoyable for everyone. Anywho, enjoy.
"Oi! Find the girl, she's gotta be 'ere somewhere." The gruff accented voice was answered by a round of loud grunts.
"Look! Footprints over 'ere!" A younger less gravely voice sounded this time, but it was still terrifying to the young 18-something girl they were perusing. So to try and put larger distance she began to run, the act might have succeeded had she not tripped letting out a muffled squawk into the ground, drawing the attention of the men. To be honest it might have also been the phone she was trying to use to call the cops and the insanely large bag she was grasping, that made her fall. All her friend could do it she thought frantically, why couldn't she? She never been good with computers and the like.
What seemed to be the ring leader of the gang yelled, "There she is get 'er!" followed by round of shouts and laughing, " That'ell teach 'er to think she could escape me"
The branches whipped wildly as the girl ran through the forest, but she knew that if she stopped for even a moment that they would catch her, and that was most defiantly not what she wanted. They had already managed to strip her of her clothing and have their way, it only stopped when they seemed to get bored. It felt like hours in the dark room, until the celebration had passed, and the young girl managed to get free, grabbing the phone and bag as she scrambled out.
Not hours before she had been with her friends enjoying the evening at a pub near the university campus, pretending to try and get lucky. Most of her friends did, so instead of taking a cab, she had opted to walk, living not to far away and save a couple of bub and the same time, in retrospect it hadn't been the best of ideas because before she knew it she was unconscious and bound. It's amazing how one can escape when the room you're in is pitch black, your hands are tied, and you're completely naked.
Now she was running for her life in a God forsaken forest, in the middle of God-knows-where. Naked, still, but clothes weren't exactly first on her priority list, living was.
Being that it was dark and the middle of a forest, the girl was running blindly, and with the footsteps of the gang approaching faster, it made here want to push more, it was so hard, there was a lot of blood now and the pain, oh God, the pain. Unfortunately a root above the ground, was clearly against here and she tripped. Tumbling down to the forest floor, and trying to regain balance was not going to happen and the forest flor seemed to slant unexpectedly, so the she tumbled rolled until the cliff stopped and she was falling. That was that last thing she remembered before hitting water hard and sinking. Fast.
Waking up underwater and unable to breath is one thing. Waking up underwater, unable to breath and having a sword fly past you head is another. Top it off with a body seemly tossed in after, whole different story. Muffled voices soon reached her ears, something about the sword, from what she could hear, she couldn't be sure but if they were going to help she might was well be nice. So deciding that going up for air was inevitable, as her lungs were burning, the girl grabbed the sword figuring that it would be a good deed to whoever was up there, Christ it was heavy. She swam up to the surface.
'Probably the police,' she thought 'took them long enough. I hope they got those bastards.' She was still in so much pain, but the water and the adrenaline, sure as hell helped.
Breaking the surface clutching the decidedly heavy sword and her bag that she still somehow managed to retain, figures started to become clearer, they looked a little bulky.
'Is that what polices are wearing these days?' Breaking the surface head and sword first, the girl opened her eyes to four men with shocked expressions on there faces. Climbing out of the water she held out the sword too them.
"Oh thank God you Police got here I don't know what I would have done if those men had managed to catch me, here's your sword...oh my your not the Police. Please don't hurt me, this is yours right? Take it and leave me I have nothing you want, please, please don't, don't..." trailing off as she noticed what the men where wearing and where she was. It was like out of her history text book.
"Lance, you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"I think so Bors, beautiful naked girl holding Excalibur?"
"Yeah that's what I'm-"
"Take the sword!" the girl was openly crying now, and shivering in the cold air, her breaths coming out in little puffs. She was still bleeding and the fear had brought the pain back ten-fold, she whimpered and swayed dizzily.
"Enough." Said the third, "You guys are gonna scare her to death, look she's already terrified. Hello, miss my name is Gawain, I am a Knight a Hadrian's Wall under the command of Arthur, may I ask, how is it you came to be out here?" he obviously meant 'how did you get out here and why are you naked too?' Gawain looked like a nice enough man and was the first to properly introduce himself, but before the girl had a chance, the two men, 'Probably Knights too...'
"Wait, wait... you're Knights, under Arthur...everybody's equal, Round Table, Arthur? O-oh god" seeing the curious and confused nods of the four men, this was too much, way too much. The pain coupled with the blood loss and the confusion the girl fainted, but not before muttering some rather colourful words.
"Well that when well."
"Shut up Lance, what the bloody hell do we do now? I mean we can't just leave her here. She's naked and wet, and fuck...bleeding. This is not good"
"Sure we can, lets just get the Sword, and go back to the fort."
"Tristan! How could say that, she needs medical help, and clothes..." Gawain looked shocked that a fellow Knight and brother could even think that, looking at Bors and Lancelot, they nodded to each other.
"We'll take her to Arthur, from the sound of it she seems to believe in the same God, and see what he says, and also Bors ask Vanora if she could spare a dress this girl or water spirit or whatever can't very go about naked can she." As Gawain laid out the plan he began to gather the girl in his arms "Bors and Lancelot gab the sword and her bag will you, Tristan...ride ahead and inform Arthur, will you, do try to be pleasant about it. And get a healer!" He shouted the last part, Tristan was already riding ahead. They mounted there horses, Gawain taking the girl.
"Gawain why do you get to carry her back, she clearly liked me better."
"Lance, you flatter yourself. You'd probably assault her if you were carrying her, and that's the last thing anyone needs, I'm doing it for her safety."
Bors laughed at this and kicked his horse to a trot. Still chuckling he yelled to the others to hurry up because he was hungry. Which only led to more bickering from Lance and him.
It was a good long while before she came to and they were half way to the wall encampment, the chase taking them further then they expected.
"Hmm-aahh...Wha' happened? Where am I? Fuck, those bastards really went to town. Who...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Get away from me, your crazy, I told you I have nothing you want, I gave you your sword. Let me go!" The slap that followed seemed to echo in the light forest.
"STOP, stop, shhh please shhh, it's OK really, were not going to hurt you. Honest, uhh Miss-"
" You son of a bitch! Police!" They had all stopped by the, Bors and Lancelot staring like fools.
"No please, miss, we don't want to-my lady- please, we mean no harm," Gawain was trying to calm her, she was almost hysterical, he was a loss. She was breathing easier now, 'Good' he thought, "Please, lady we really don't wish to harm you, we are going to help, lets us miss-"
"Viviana, my name is Viviana. I'm sorry, I forgot you erm.. said something about being a Knight, and working under Arthur, with I thought was funny because there's no such thing and then I thought maybe I run right in to the property of a loony bin." Viviana started to ramble. Decidedly that was good though, she had said her name, and she reasoned in her mind that if they really wanted to her harm they would have done it. And even if they were loonies. They started riding again, Lancelot trotting over to the side of Gawain's mare.
"Hello, my fair lady of the lake, might I ask if you would like to rid with me, I'll show you just how loony I am. " Lancelot looked quite pleased with himself at that, but Gawain just shock his head. Viviana looked scandalized, and a little terrified. She clutched her bag close to breasts, realizing that she still had it, huh, thoughtful crazies she edited.
"Ignore him his is only good for killing Woads and Saxons, that's why keep him around. Now, did you say that there's no such thing as Arthur? Because I don't understand everybody knows of Arthur, where are you from." Gawain looked honestly intrigued, but the interrogation session was cut short as Bors yelled that the were arriving at there destination.
"Ahh...here we are." said Lancelot turning to Bors smirking,
"Home sweet bloody home. Come on I wanna see my little bastards."
"Half of which are mine.
"SHUT UP!"
"Well, Viviana, Lady of the Lake, here we are Hadrians Wall," Gawain looked kindly down at Viviana "We will now take you meet Arthur, so you may see for your self that he does in deed exist."
Huh, a whole town of crazies...great. Her last thought before crossing the gate was 'I'm going to fucking die', she shrunk in the saddle and clutched the bag closer.