disclaimer: I don't own King Arthur or any part of the movie, all I own is the character Kat. This is technically my second story, but I never went past my first chapter on my first story. So this is more like my first. Anyways, on with the story.

Torture and Introductions

Arthur and his knights found Lucan and Guinevere, and were about to leave when Dagonet noticed Lucan looking for something and horsely whispered the name "Kat". Guinevere weakly raised her head searching as well. Lancelot turned to the monk and asked if there were any more people left alive. After having his life threatened, the monk hesitantly led Lancelot and Gawain to another chamber where a girl hung limply from chains around her wrists. Only the movement of her sunken eyes gave away the fact that she was alive. Lancelot broke the chains and Gawain carried her to the surface. At the surface she was given water and wrapped in someone cloak. It was only then that the knights got their first good look at her.

She was thin and pale; her body covered with scars from her neck down, some newer than others. Most of her joints appeared to have been displaced, and her back and knuckles covered in blood. Behind her ragged red hair her blue eyes were serious and observant. Despite her wounds and weakness there was a sense of strength about her .

Gawain carried her to the wagon that Lucan and Guinevere were placed. As he laid her down they locked eyes for a moment, a cough from Galahad pulled Gawain away. The caravan slowly started moving away from the town and the dungeon. Dagonet and Fulcinia did their best to tend to the wounds of the tortured three. The girl refused to be helped til both Lucan and Guinevere were taken care of. Most of the knights made at least a brief appearance near the wagon. Arthur was with them when Dagonet finally was allowed to tend to the girl. Aside from the endless cuts and bruises, and malnutrition, there were large gashes on her back presumably from a whip and many of her body's joints were displaced. Her hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and every finger had been pushed or pulled out of place. Tristan rode up with a report on the Saxon's progress and entered the wagon. Dagonet asked for the two men's help holding her while he pushed all her joints back in place. They started with her hips, even though the pain was intense she made not a sound. She merely clenched her teeth and grimaced. As they moved on to her shoulders Tristan gave her an arrow shaft to bite on. Slowly they put her joints back in place. Halfway through Dagonet asked if she wanted them to stop, she shook her head and they continued on. Once finished she weakly removed the arrow shaft from her mouth which she had almost bitten through. Slowly and weakly she moved between Lucan and Guinevere. She looked over each fondly, and once content that they were both safe she fell asleep.

She awoke sometime later to see Dagonet holding Lucan and talking to him, trying to sooth his fears. His typically rough exterior had melted into one of tender gentleness. He noticed she was awake and watching him, and caught her eye. Her serious looking softened and she weakly smiled and Dagonet returned the smile. She settled once again and drifted back to sleep.

The caravan had made camp for the night and the knights were gathered around a camp fire. Lucan was lying in Dagonet's lap wrapped up in all Dagonet could find him. The knights spoke of many things, but eventually the conversation turned to the silent girl.

"It's bad enough when they're silent when you fight them, but never making a sound is insane" Galahad ranted after hearing of the girl's silence.

"Guinevere speaks, it's just that one" Lancelot said casting a glance at the wagon where Arthur was with the two woad women.

"Do we even know her name, or do we just call her the woad woman or something" Gawain asked. A weak voice came from the bundle on Dagonet's lap.

"Kat" Lucan whispered.

"That's what he said in the dungeon when he was looking around, that must be her name" Gawain stated.

"It is" a new voice agreed as Arthur joined his knights.

"She spoke?" asked Galahad with disbelief.

"Not to me, but Guinevere says she can and just chooses not to. Perhaps when she is more comfortable around the men who her people had been trying to kill for over 15 years, she will decide to speak to us" Arthur replied.

"She doesn't speak much even to my people" Guinevere stated as she joined them, just after she sat down Kat appeared behind her silently. Everyone but Guinevere and Tristan appeared startled. She nodded in greeting to everyone and leaned against a tree behind Guinevere watching everything.

Galahad started stupidly at Kat until he exclaimed confusedly, "Those are my clothes." Kat smirked and winked at him before looking at Arthur for an explanation.

"Yes, well, apparently Kat refused to wear a dress and would rather wear her destroyed and decrepit woad garments, so to keep her warm I loaned her one of your tunics. Oh and Gawain's spare pants" Arthur explained. Before any of the knights could speak Guinevere spoke.

"She's a scout, one of our best. To her dresses make no sense and only get in her way when she is trying to do her job" she explained.

"Well, that settles it" Bors chimed in joyfully, "Kat will have to join us at the fire seeing as how she's looking like a knight now." Kat raised an eyebrow at this statement and looked to Guinevere who nodded before she sat in between Guinevere and Gawain. The conversations continued, but her gaze was drawn elsewhere. Marius was gathered around another campfire with many of his mercenaries where they spoke in hushed tones and stared at the knights, Guinevere and herself. With a nod to Guinevere Kat rose and stepped away from the campfire, silently grabbing a bow and full quiver as she vanished into the forest. Once out of sight she prepared to climb a tree when Tristan stopped her.

"I know they're up to something, but you can't just kill them," he said. The look on her face said 'watch me' and she started climbing the tree.

"If we don't get Marius and his family to the wall, then we'll never be free, none of us" Tristan said, "they'll kill us all and then leave the Saxons to destroy your people. Everyone will die."

"He touches Lucan or Guinevere, he's dead" Kat said, her voice as cold as ice.