Disclaimer:I don't own King Arthur or any of its characters. The King Arthur movie is the property of Touchstone Pictures.

There is no copyright infringement intended!I do own the story itself and the characters of Lirianna and Non-King Arthurian types.

It is based on the 2004 movie and my own imagination! I do not intend to rip off any other writer; therefore if this premise has been done before, I'm sorry this is unintentional

WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, ETC., SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please!

Chapter 1: Unafraid of a Dark Horizon

The bright morning sun broke through the gloomy cloud of a British morning, bathing the bleak hillside and the lone rider upon it with an eerie gray and orange-tinged haze. Lirianna reined her dark steed, Kale, to a halt, before shifting in her mount to face the crimson glow that was spreading its tendrils over the world. The warmth that hit her stinging cheeks felt as soothing as a mother's loving touch. It had been a cold windy, sleeting type of rain these past four days, and the comforting feeling that the sun brought seemed to thaw the sickening cold that had penetrated into Lirianna's bones. She hated these scouting missions with a passion. It was true enough that she enjoyed riding her beloved horse and escaping the confines of that dreadful Roman household; but it seemed to her that the worst of things happened when she was away. Tears began to pool in her cerulean-blue eyes, before spilling down her wind-blown cheeks. It was a day much like this one, except warmer, that she had returned from a hunting mission, only to be informed that her sister had died from a fever. Her anger that day at the pious Roman priest who had conveyed the message to her with unabashed contempt on his face, had almost resulted in the severance of the man's head from his neck. Lirianna was not sure just what stayed her hand that day, but heathen as she was considered, she could not in just conscious kill the man of God before her. It was not the way of her ancestors, the man had caused her no direct harm and therefore she would return the favor. Lirianna brushed hastily at the tears before nudging her boot clad feet into Kale's sides. She would be glad at least to get a warm bath and a change of clothing, seeing as her scouting gear was sodden and travel weary. Scanning the hillside with her sharp eyes, Lirianna spotted on the distance the source of her destination. A dull looking wall with high wooden doors concealed the even drabber lands it contained.

"Ah, home sweet home Kale", she murmured bitterly. Lirianna hated this place fiercely. She was a captive here, a serf, no more than a slave who happened to have the talent to scout.

Turning sharply to enter the gates, hatred clouding her thoughts, Lirianna stopped short in her tracks at the sight of men on horseback just within the wall.

"Then Rome will send an army."

"They have. Us."

Lirianna sat anxiously still, as she listened to the tense conversation between the tall, handsome knight and Marius. Spotting William nearby, Lirianna slowly made her way towards him.

"What in the name of the goddess is going on here", she whispered harshly to the man before her.

"It's Arthur and his Sarmatian Knights. From what I gather, they have come to take Marius and his family back to Hadrian's Wall."

Lirianna blinked rapidly, lending to her appearance a stunned and somewhat dim air. "Why in the world would they be wanting to escort them back to the Wall? Marius will never leave here, he has been given far too much by the Pope himself to just abandon it."

"I have no idea, but I gather that we will know what is going on soon enough. Now, let me unsaddle that poor beast you are upon, and get him to the stable."

Lirianna slid down from Kale, patting him gently and placing a soft kiss on his neck.

Turning to head towards the small stone building that was her home, Lirianna was suddenly halted by the sound of shouting and the unsheathing of swords. Swearing to herself in her native tongue, she made her way towards the commotion. It was the tall knight again, apparently Arthur according to William. He was cutting the chains of the village elder, but this act was not what stunned Lirianna so much. Instead it was the following speech he gave about the freedom of all men that caused her such restlessness. What did this man know of freedom, of the plight of those who have none?

"And what of you, great Arthur, are you yourself free, to do as you please?"

Lirianna surprised even herself with her comment.

Noble green eyes turned to stare upon the lovely face before him. A small frown creased his handsome features before he turned away from the woman and began to look at the sea of faces around him.

"Now hear me. A vast and terrible army is coming this way. They will show no mercy, spare no one. Those of you who are able should gather your things and begin to move south towards Hadrian's Wall. Those unable shall come with us."

Lirianna's breath caught in her chest, she had seen a few lone Saxons riding about, but had chalked it up to deserters. Now looking back, they were obviously scouts. 'How damned stupid could you be Liri', she thought to herself. Now they could all be dead because of her mistake.

Arthur turned to Ganis, making him in charge of gathering the villagers together.

"Right, you heard him. You go grab enough food and water for the journey. Let's get a hurry on, else we're all dead! Come on, hurry."

Striding briskly into her small house, Lirianna knelt beside her cot and pried the loose floorboards up underneath. Feeling around in the cold ground, her hands finally grasped the carved horse ornament that hung from a single leather string. This was her last and only surviving memory of her homeland. Rising from the floor, she turned towards the wooden chest sitting neatly across the room. With no amount of respect, she threw the lid back unceremoniously and grabbed a handful of clothing and various weapons from within its depths. Half running back outside, Lirianna found that William had the horse waiting and re-saddled for her. Tossing the clothing in her pack on Kale, Lirianna went about placing her two broad short-swords in their sheaths and adding them to the growing pile on the poor beast's back. Idly grasping the handle of the katana at her side, Lirianna slowly traced the intricate pattern that decorated its gleaming surface. This, with the exception of her bow, was her favorite weapon. It possessed a nature of its own, one of grace and power. Her father had said, as he handed it to her on the day of her departure for Britain, that it was much like its new owner. Again, those blasted tears sprang to her eyes, causing them to appear even more luminous and bright. Ah, how she missed her father. Leon had been a good man and a great warrior, but more importantly he had been the best father anyone could ask for. Her thoughts of her father were interrupted abruptly though as her eye caught Arthur instructing a massive man with a scar over one eye and a enormous axe towards a small building on the outskirts of the village.

"Key." The look in Arthur's bright green eyes was frighteningly fierce, even to a warrior such as herself.

"It is locked. From the inside."

Nodding his black curls aggressively at the man and the door blocking the way before him, Arthur signaled the go-ahead for breaking into the claimed "holy place".

The big man kicked at the wooden door a mere two times before it caved in, opening up into a dark and narrow tunnel. A small flicker of light could be seen within, but the glow was dim and held an eerie greenish tint that did nothing to expel the penetrating darkness. Monastic chants echoed from down the passageway and floated creepily out to swirl among the softly drifting snow.

Despite herself, Lirianna shivered slightly before pulling her long black woolen cape closer together over her generously curved frame.

"Nice sword."

Lirianna jerked her tousled black curls over her shoulder as she turned sharply at the man standing near, gazing at her side.

"Thank you", she said quietly, her blood pounding in her ears. The knight before her was terribly handsome, in an intense kind of way. His dark hair fell into dangerous looking brown eyes that seemed even more intimidating due to the tattoos that lay just beneath them on his high cheekbones.

"It was a gift, from a great warrior."

The dark knight simply nodded his head before adding, "I'm Tristan".

"Lirianna." Her name rolled off of her tongue with ease, which surprised her seeing as her mouth felt as if it were full of sand. What in the name of the goddess was wrong with her? She was a grown woman of twenty and one summers, not a shy maiden anymore. She glanced quickly back up at the man, catching him as he in turn glanced at her. Her bright blue eyes locked with deep brown ones in a unspoken challenge. What soon surprised her though was the darkness that began to creep into his eyes. She had seen that look before; a hunger that all men must satisfy.

Tristan stared blatantly at the sapphire eyes that held him captive. Gods be damned, she was beautiful. Her intense blue eyes and lustrous dark curls only leant more depth to the fairness of her pale skin. She was dressed in solid black leather gear, and at her side hung one of the most magnificent blades he had seen, excluding Excalibur and his own sword of course. His began to feel his blood stir as his own eyes began to grow dark from his desire. 'Get a hold of yourself, old man. You are sure to be almost ten years her senior. Besides, no proper Sarmatian scout would allow himself to get tangled up in the affairs of a woman, no matter how fiercely her eyes shone at him.' Tristan gazed pensively at the stunning creature standing in front of him one last time. With a shake of his dark head and an almost inaudible chuckle, he turned to swing back up into the saddle of his horse.

Lirianna's cheeks burned furiously at his boldness, yet deep within she knew that she admired him for it. Not many men were so forthright with a woman like herself, but did she really expect any less from a Sarmatian?

The sounds of shouting could be heard from inside before being followed by hurried footsteps out into the lingering cold.

Arthur came out first, holding in his arms what appeared to her as nothing more than a pile of gray, dirty rags. That was until the bundle moved as it was laid gently on the ground, and a pale face began to materialize from the filthy depths. Arthur was yelling for water and was pouring it gently down the face's mouth, before recognition and true understanding hit Lirianna with full impact.

"Guen", she breathed softly, as if saying the name louder would make this realization untrue.

A knight of soft manner with long blond hair turned to her, "You know this woman?"

However, his words were lost on the scout as she made her way slowly to the woman who still lay on the ground.

"Goddess be praised! Guen, you're alive!"

The words tumbled out of her mouth and she was bending low to hug the shivering form of her sister before she was even aware of what she was doing.

"She's a Woad." The words came quietly from behind Lirianna's head. It was that dark knight with the tattoos. What was his name again….Tomas, Thorn, ….Tristan! Yes, that was it, Tristan.

Turning her eyes up to met his, Lirianna's voice came out harshly cold, and deathly quiet.

"Fucking Sarmatian bastard. Do you all plan to kill her now that you have found out she is your supposed enemy?" The last part she directed at Arthur in particular.

Lirianna saw the honor as well as, the shame in the man's eyes.

"The Woads are not your enemy, Knights. The sooner you all understand that, the better this land will be. The better all of our people will be."

She looked directly into the dark knight, Tristan's, brooding eyes. She was held captive by them, held in by what felt like some terrible sway. He was like her. He knew his boundaries, and fought hard to keep them. At least, he was like how she used to be. That was until she came to Britain, became just as much of a Woad as the great Merlin himself. Now,…now she knew not where the line of propriety ended and the one for indecency began. Things were no longer so black and white for her. Merlin had taught her to see the gray areas, and now she wished to the goddess he had not. Because, instead of seeing these Knights of Arthur's as a simple black and white issue, as a threat. She saw them as possible saviors, for all the Woads, …for all of Britain even. She needed them, whether she wished to admit it or not. Her thoughts were clouding up her mind, but they were soon enough interrupted by the harsh voice of Marius.

"What is this madness? They're all pagans here!".

His voice was loud, and gratingly annoying to Lirianna. Her hatred beginning to take control. Over her, and over her sword.

"They refuse to do the task God has set for them. They must die as an example", Marius continued, now talking directly to Arthur.

Hrmph, Lirianna thought to herself. What would this Roman do now? He spoke of justice and equality of all men, yet would he be so bold now as to go against his fellow Roman, to stand up for Guenivire?

Arthur's bright green eyes became deathly violent. "You mean they refuse to be your serfs!", he roared, his voice as commanding as legend had described it to be.

Marius sputtered. Looking around incredoulsy at the lot surrounding him, before turning his attention back to Arthur, he said, "You are a Roman, you understand. And you are a Christian."

Lirianna could stand it no more. Could take no more of the man's insane ramblings about Roman society, or the "Will" of God. She bounded across to where he stood, in such a flash of black, that no one even noticed her before she had knocked Marius to the ground, and was standing over him. The bright silver gleam of her sword stood out in stark contrast to the bleary weather.

"Argh. You Roman filth ", the scream torn from her throat. "You don't even deserve to live". The point on her blade was dangerously close to slashing his deceiving head from his body, and was about to. That was until Lirianna looked up, at the knights around her. Their hands readied on their weapons. From the look in all of their eyes, they felt as she did about the man. But yet, they were still willing to protect him. He was their salvation. Their way out of this life. They had to bring him and his family back to safety. It was as simple as that.

Drawing the blade back, Lirianna spat on the ground next to the prostrate man. "You don't deserve to live", she repeated. "But they do", indicating to the soldiers with her blade. "I will not risk their freedom from this Roman-oppressed life, just so I can have my vengeance on the likes of you. But mark my words, oh great Marius. There will come a day, when the freedom of another does not stay my hand. And when that day comes, you had best be prepared to meet this god of yours, and hope he doesn't hold you too heavily to all your sins committed; to all the sins that I one day will!"

Lirianna stepped cautiously away from him, her sword still drawn, as if daring any of the man's pathetic excuses for guards to punish her for her display. 'Ha, let them try', she thought silently, her blade twitching in her hand, as the life-force within it itched for the spilling of blood. After all, wasn't that what great swords were meant to do?! But not today, at least not now. Her blade would have to wait to have its wish fulfilled. For now, there were more important things to worry about, …like escaping the impending armies of the Saxons.

"Liri", Guinevere's voice cracked out.

She looked back at her sister, who was now cradled safely in the arms of the knight, Arthur. Lirianna blinked back her tears of anger and remorse, before turning on her heel and striding off towards her horse.

"You had better not so much as break a hair from her head", she called back over her shoulder to Arthur, and in part, to the remaining knights who were eyeing her sister warily still.

She heard a sigh from the intense one, Tristan. Her violet eyes locked with his for a moment, daring him to make even the slightest move. Eyes as dark and smooth as velvet stared back hard, the flame from earlier in them ignited even more so.

Lirianna saw his mouth curl up quietly, before muttering something that sounded strangely like "Women", under his breath. Flushing slightly, she gulped in harsh, cold breaths of winter air. He was doing it again; getting to her in a way that she could not explain. She was tough, a warrior, should not a warrior be immune from such inane trivialities? Although, if she admitted it to herself, Lirianna knew she was not born a warrior. She had been born something else, something more. But the severity of this land, of this life had caused her to change, had forced her to be cold and calculating.

Her long black lashes floated down, lying warmly against her cool cheek. Through the darkness, she let herself relax. Her shoulders eased, and her breathing became regular once more. Stress was not an option for her. Stress caused one to mess up, and messing up caused people to get hurt, or worse, killed.

Finally opening her eyes, Lirianna was pleased to find the dark knight with his back to her, speaking low to the blond one. What threw her off though, was the sight of the large man with a scar over one eye, carrying the orphan boy, Lucan, gently in his arms. Her bright eyes met his warm ones, and in that instant she knew she had found a forever friend. She could see all the good that came off of him, and could not help but think of the injustice that a place like Rome had put on such a gentle man. To force him to kill, to become a murderer without care or reason, to act on such violence simply because they were his orders. She could look into his warm depths and know that this man was no enemy of the Woads, and for once Lirianna began to feel the warmth of hope spread like a blazing fire within her heart.