So after watching the King Arthur film I had this idea so I decided I try it out and see what I got, so I hope you like. xo
Chapter 1 – Alex's POV
I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time as my mistress who was yet again complaining about the continuing rain. As I glanced across at my four sisters, well not by blood at least but after eleven years of servitude together after being taken from our families and homeland what else could you call them, they seemed to be as amused as myself at our mistress's obvious distress.
"Elhanan we have been her for nearly two weeks have you not yet become accustomed to such weather?"Carrie our second in command asked with a slight chuckle. Mistress Elhanan's pouting face spoke louder than any words could have. Yet it was true, since we had landed in Britannia two weeks ago there had been no break in the rain and it was making our journey to Hadrian's Wall a slower and more painstaking one.
"It constantly rains here! Why do we have to travel in this god awful weather?" Elhanan wined further, it was a pity she was used to the heat only Rome could offer her. If she hadn't been a kind mistress to my sisters and me over the years we had served under her family I would have murdered her with one of my daggers a long time ago.
"And what do you smile about Alex?" Sarah called over the rain as it drowned out most noise around us.
"I smile sister because I find it amusing that our beloved mistress complains so much about the rain, yet she is the one who sits in a dry carriage while we ride alongside her soaked to the bone." An undignified huff came from inside the carriage which resulted in a round a chuckles from all of us.
"Must you always be like that Alex?" Tania questioned. As the youngest she was the most innocent even though she had seen as much bloodshed as the rest of us and always was the first to defend those weaker than ourselves, one day it would be her downfall.
"After eleven bloody years Tan' have you stilled not realised that the only reason Alex's ever speaks for is to insult you, give you advice you never want to hear but that is always right or to talk to that dog of hers?" Carrie chuckled but continued more seriously, "Then you must have been asleep all these long years and that I would be jealous of."
"I'm surprised you could have made such an in-depth study on Alex over the years Carrie because I was under the impression the only thing you were good at was drink ale." Called Sarah; yet again having to save Tania from being Carrie's constant teasing. After the death of Tania's sister Sarah had taken Tania in under her wing and stopped her from withdrawing completely in on herself.
Sarah's low comment had even managed to get Beth's lips to curl at the edges a feat not easily managed as the ever quite herbalist rarely spoke, but also gained her a steady death glare from Carrie.
"And I'm surprised Sarah, that you have managed anything over the years as it always seems to me that end up on your back." Spat Carrie, I chuckled quietly to myself as she always did have the easiest temper to rile up out of all of us.
"That's enough all of you!" Elhanan ordered as she stuck her head out of the carriage window. "I know none of you like riding in this awful weather and that it makes you a group of grumpy fools but can we please not fight? I won't have you fighting between yourselves. You fought alongside each other for eleven years, lost sisters protecting me and I won't allow you to end up killing yourselves." Carrie and Sarah had the decency to look sheepish throughout Elhanan's speech but we all bowed are heads on respect as Elhanan mentioned are fallen comrades.
"Alex, how much longer do we have to spend out in this god awful weather?" Carrie asked breaking the silence that had fallen upon us.
"Artorius Castus and his men should be meeting us in the next village in two days." I answered with a slight shrug. "We should reach the village in the next couple of hours."
"Will it give us long enough to make preparations for the next leg of our journey then?" Elhanan questioned still half hanging out of the carriage's window.
"Never were the adventurer Elhanan?" Sarah sly asked, receiving only a rude gesture from Elhanan, "Not a very Roman ladylike gesture mistress." Sarah called giving a mocking bow.
"Aye Elhanan, we will have enough time to refresh our rations and clean up a bit." I answered Elhanan's first question ignoring Sarah's insult.
"Good. All of you are to wear you proper uniforms when we meet Artorius and his men." A collective group of groans sprang from all are throats, "I know you hate your uniforms but until you are free you are still under Roman's order thus wear the proper military uniform upon meeting them."
"Yes and what I shitty order that is." Sarah let out in a sneer; it was now Elhanan's turn to roll her eyes. Over the years we had had this same argument time and time again.
"You will wear your uniform Sarah; do not make me force you again." There was a silent pause as we remembered the punishment me all had went through. Any order that went unfulfilled normally resulted in a whipping; we all bared those scares though Sarah's most recent lot came from refusing to put the proper uniform on.
"What will we do one you marry Elhanan?" Tania was now the one to break the silence with a question that lied heavy on all our minds, a deep sigh left Elhanan before she answered.
"You are to be put under the care of Artorius Castus himself, you will fight alongside his Sarmatian knights.
"What? We are to become yet again dogs for a Roman to play with?" Carrie screeched, turning in her saddle to look directly at Elhanan.
"Carrie shut it!" I growled out, "None of us like what the future hold for us, but we have four more years under Rome's thumb, if you're scared I'll kill you now myself. Save you the burden we all bloody share!" I knew I was being cruel but she was being selfish we had all being forced into this life she was not alone in her pain.
"I want to go home! I just want my freedom!" We all did but it was Sarah who remembered most of our homeland but what came with all those memories was worse though, as she felt a longing for home that the rest of us could only imagine.
"Carrie, Alex is right and you know it, calm yourself and think." Beth spoke calmly and with authority that Carrie's short temper could not fight. "You think that Elhanan had any choice in the way we were enslaved? No she didn't, just like she has no choice over the way we are to serve Rome. Think of what you have heard of Arthur Castus, he is a good and just leader to his men. Sarmatian's just like us! Maybe it will not be as bad as you believe it to be."
We rode the next four miles to the village in silence the weight of Beth's words pressing down on us. What she said was true and we all knew it. It went unsaid but we all knew when we met Arthur Castus and his men that we would give them the chance that they deserved but until then it was time to rest and repair for the journey to Hadrian's Wall.