Disclaimer: I don't own King Arthur or any of its characters. The King Arthur movie is the property of Touchstone Pictures. So there is no copyright infringement intended, nor do I intend to tick anyone off – so please don't sue me, I'm poor enough already! But I do own the story itself and the characters of Tari and non-King Arthurian types…. :O)
'deamhan àrmunn' means Demon Warrior in Gaelic.
This is my fifth King Arthur fanfic. It is based on the 2004 movie, as well as some legends I know a little about. I do not intend to rip off any other writer (I just can't wade through so many pages of stories to check, I'd lose the will to live!) so if this premise has been done before I'm sorry, I just hope mine is different enough for it not to be too boring. But if I digress from the movie and stuff a little, don't shoot me as I'm old and the brain (what little I have) is not what it used to be. Plus I might also change things to fit the story a little better –sorry. But that is what artistic license is all about! LOL
I watched the film again; I have lost count now of how many times ….but I do know I am sadly able to quote vast tracts of the bloody dialogue now! This idea struck me this morning and I had to write it….it will probably be quite a short one….only a few chapters and will be a Tristan/OC story.
So here it is, it is going to be set before, during and after the original movie – with obvious changes! It's going to be dramatic, romantic as well as a little funny…in places anyway (I hope!) you know me by now – I can't write this stories without some funnies!
It is nothing but fluff, so if you don't like romance and stuff please don't read it! If you've read any of my other stuff and liked it, hopefully you'll like this too.
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE, SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please; and I will try to update regularly.
'—' signifies thoughts.
"—" signifies speech.
Anyway…on with the show!
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Wild Child
Chapter One – Demon Warrior
The girl watched the two sides square up to fight - the 7 men and 1 woman faced off the Saxons on the other side of the ice; it was looking as if, for all their effort, they would need to fight hand to hand. 8 against 200 was not going to work, they would perish.
"Prepare for combat!" the leader of the small band cried. All the others dropped their bows and took up their swords; the next moment the largest one had grabbed his axe and, yelling in fury, charged forward.
"Dag!" the fat one shouted.
"Cover him!" the leader ordered.
The others returned to their bows.
The Saxons were going all out to try and kill him. "Come" she sighed to those around her "they need help….."
She walked out onto the ice and snapped her fingers twice, the wolves raced into the Saxons tearing at those on the outer edge causing them to cluster more to the middle.
The ice began to crack….a large hawk screed above her and wheeled into the Saxons causing them to begin to panic as it tore at the eyes of the archers; the hail of arrows began to dwindle as many dropped their bows to take up their swords against the wolves and the hawk.
She nodded to the jet black stallion who began to rear on the ice causing it to crack further….she herself was firing arrows faster than any had ever seen, felling all those aiming at the large man. But he still took one arrow in the shoulder before the ice finally broke and the Saxons began to fall into the water.
The large man too fell in, the girl sighed and let out a low whistle. The wolves, who had now retreated back from the dying Saxons raced to the edge and grabbed his garb holding him until she reached him….to those racing to his side it looked almost as if she floated so fast did she run.
She hauled him out and checked his chest…his heart continued to beat. She motioned to the wolves; who lay down with the man, and on him, to keep him warm.
The fat one and the leader reached them "You are a little late…" she looked at the leader "but he lives." She turned to the large knight again "this will hurt" she said shortly and pulled out the arrow.
She checked the wound "It will heal, but he will scar. They will help warm him" she gestured to the wolves "but you need to move him quickly." She looked pointedly at the cloaks some were wearing, they all removed them and handed them to the leader.
"Dagonet! Stay with me! Dagonet! Stay with me!" the fat one was yelling at him.
"Why are you yelling? It will not keep him alive, nor will it help you…..I've already said he will live…" she asked puzzled as she rose and snapped her fingers, the wolves fell back. "You all shout too much…"
She moved back towards the trees. "Who are you and why did you help us?" the leader called.
"We helped because I thought you needed it, and I don't like them." Without turning she gestured to the dead Saxons floating in the water "You need to get him home or he will not live. You should also pick your fights more carefully if you wish to win."
"You think we picked badly?" The leader called once more.
This time she did stop and turn round "Aye….you are 8 against 200, you let one of risk his life to save the rest, and he virtually unguarded; you encountered them in the middle of the ice instead of you waiting nearer the edge to face them…."
"we needed them to cluster…"
"Aye, but you could have easily got them to do that with you in a safer position." She spoke as if it was of no consequence to her.
"We did the right thing…"
"If that is what you believe then I will not waste breath debating it…" before he could retort, she and the animals had disappeared into the trees and were gone.
"Who the hell was that?" Asked Lancelot incredulously.
"I intend to find out…" Tristan murmured.
"She almost had her own sodding army!" Galahad said in amazement.
"Yeah, except it was all bloody animals!" said Gawain.
"They fought effectively though" Tristan replied.
"True enough – I have yet to see roman soldiers fight as well as those animals!" smirked Lancelot.
"Did you see her eyes?" asked Bors "one was so dark a brown it was almost black the other was white!"
"All I know is she was no Woad" Guinevere offered, but Arthur knew she was holding something back.
They made their way back to the fort; and, as she had predicted, Dagonet survived.
They had little chance to find out more about the weird girl as very soon the Saxons were on them, and they were facing the battle of their lives.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
They had been going to leave….but they could not in all good conscience allow Arthur to face the Saxon hoard alone. As they armoured up Van called out to Bors "Look….on the hill!" All the knights looked at where she was pointing.
Further along from Arthur on the hill there was a lone figure on a horse, surrounded by wolves and a large hawk hovering over her.
"Dear Goddess it's her!" Cried Van in surprise.
But the knights did not have time to ask her who 'her' was….they soon joined Arthur on the hill. They looked across at the girl, but she ignored them.
She watched them wipe out the Saxons and admired their leader's strategy. The second phase was a little more difficult; and when she saw that two of the knights in particular were in trouble, she rode down.
Merlin watched as she made a movement with her arms and the wolves fanned out; starting to rip into the Saxons, instinctively knowing who was enemy and who was ally.
The hawk flew down into the melee ripping faces and tearing eyes from sockets as the girl slid from her horse; the beast started immediately rearing and smashing the brains out of any Saxons he could reach.
She strode towards the silent one of the small band she had seen before, he was in serious trouble fighting a large Saxon. She did not like that the enemy was torturing the man and so quickly let loose her arrows, skewering both his arms. He dropped the silent man, and the leader came over and they began to fight; although he lost quickly as it was almost impossible for him to fight back.
She then turned her attention to the dark man and saw that the other large Saxon was about let fly a crossbow bolt straight at his chest, and he was not paying attention; seemingly trying to protect the Woad woman from the ice. She sighed, if the wench could not protect herself she had no business on the battlefield.
She threw her dagger, slicing into the Saxon's throat and killing him instantly. Unfortunately, as he died let loose the bolt, she called out "Oi! Pretty Boy!" he swung round at the weird call and the bolt missed his chest and caught his shoulder instead.
He fell back and she ambled over, the wolves slowly congregating round her as the Saxons either fell or fled. She leant over him "This will hurt" and pulled the bolt, the same as she had with Dagonet. She looked down at him as he groaned "You should watch your back and not the women."
She looked round for someone to help him, but then saw the Woad woman still fighting with a stubborn Saxon – she rolled her eyes, "Amateur!" she called to her; then threw the other dagger at him, killing him instantly.
"Oi! Fat Man!" she called to the shorter bald man with the two hand swords.
He looked round "What did you call me!"
"Fat man…I know not your name. Come and aid your comrade."
Bors stalked over to Lancelot "Did you hear what she called me? Fat man! I ain't bloody fat – I'm just big boned and muscular!"
"Huh, she called me Pretty Boy!" sighed Lancelot "I actually think that's worse!"
"You know….I think it is!" agreed Bors, helping the dark knight to his feet as they staggered to find Arthur and the others.
She then went back to the silent one, knelt down by him and checked him "You're badly hurt….but I admire your fight, silent man…you enjoy the kill as much as I" she flashed a brief smile. "But you will need that fight now to survive. Don't disappoint me…" she went to stand, and then stooped once more "I like you - you don't chatter like them."
She stood and looked to the hill; shutting one eye and waved to the man standing there; Merlin raised his staff to her.
A cry went up amongst the Woads "deamhan àrmunn! deamhan àrmunn!"
"What are they saying?" asked Arthur as Guinevere approached.
"They call her the Demon Warrior….for until today she has been naught but legend to most gathered here."
The girl ignored all going on around her, casually sticking her blade into any Saxons still moving as she passed.
She whistled and her horse came, pieces of bone and brain still sticking to his hooves "Good lad, best lad…" she crooned to the beast, her voice soft and caressing. The large animal nuzzling her as a small pup would.
She looked out over the battlefield and spied two dead wolves. Her eyes immediately filled with tears "Fetch them…" she nodded to the two largest wolves near her, they went and dragged their fallen pack members back to her as she manhandled the silent man onto her horse, throwing him over as if he were already dead. She then lifted the two dead wolves "We burn them tonight as is our custom…..none get left for the crows and worms of this rock." She spoke, they realised, to the animals around her.
The hawk landed on her outstretched arm "Clever boy, worked hard – eat much of their eyes?" she murmured gently to him, as the knights grimaced realising what the gore was sticking to her beak and talons. The large bird shifted, and fluttered onto the thick blanket on the horse's back; he neighed slightly in protest. The girl glanced to the bird "Claws?" he moved once more and the stallion settled "Good boy…"
She retrieved her arrows and daggers from the two Saxon corpses, spitting on them as she did so.
The knights watched in rapt attention as she moved back to her horse. "I'll take him to the fort...I will work on him until Merlin comes."
She set off down the hill at a run, once again almost gliding over the ground; the horse bouncing Tristan and the wolf corpses as they went. The hawk screeing above her and the wolf pack at her heels.
The knights all looked at each other….
"Did you see what she was wearing?" asked Galahad.
"I'm not sure what it was, but it was all black, except for the fur cloak" Agreed Gawain.
"That had to be a bear skin!" exclaimed Galahad once more.
"She is a real demon with those swords….they looked evil with those three blades on each hilt. Even the shorter ones were as long as my standard dagger."
"Well, I intend to find out who she is…." Arthur spoke decisively.
"Well, good fortune with that….no one knows." Guinevere replied.
"Someone must know something about her…."
"Merlin might…."
0-0-0-0
They reached the fort just as she was leaving. Merlin had arrived to find that she had patched up Tristan very well. "You have done a good job child."
"I had a good teacher…" she walked past him.
"How will he fare?"
She thought for a moment "he should live, but only if he fights."
"He will fight" said a voice behind her "I've never known him to do different" she turned to see their leader.
Arthur regarded the young woman in front of him. She had jet black hair, a slim build that was dressed in black jerkin, breeches, shirt and boots. Her cloak was a huge dark brown fur pelt that almost swamped her, but must be warm in the weather that they were having now. She must have been around 25 summers, give or take a few.
Her eyes were clearly odd coloured; one was such a dark brown that from a distance looked completely black, the other one was white. With a start he realised she was blind in that eye.
"you've noticed then?" she gestured to her eye.
"My apologies I did not mean to stare so…" he dipped his head.
"why not…I cut a striking figure do I not? Well, for the deamhan àrmunn at least." She brushed past him, humour in her voice.
"Will you not at least tell me your name so that I can thank you for your aid properly?" Arthur called.
She was back to him in a moment "There is no need to thank one who was merely aiding who was right." Merlin touched her arm and she sighed "But if your interest is piqued so, then my name is Tári."
"I am Arthur, that is Tristan. The dark knight you called" he suppressed a smirk "Pretty Boy' is Lancelot and the other 'Fat Man" again he had to bite his lip "is Bors. The large knight is Dagonet, and the two younger men are Gawain, with the long hair, and Galahad."
"Right…I don't see why I should care, but if it helps you…." she shrugged.
"Where do you live Tári?"
She pointed to the woods "there."
"Are you a Woad like Merlin and Guinevere?"
"Nay…I am me." She rolled her eyes, then yawned "Bored now…."
Before he could say more, she was gone. Arthur turned to Merlin "Care to enlighten me as to who in the hell she is?"
"She is as she says – Her name is Tári, she lives in the woods and she is not a Woad. What more do you wish to know?"
"Why she rode to our aid twice? Why she is like she is, completely – apparently – devoid of emotion, how she came to be blind in one eye and most importantly where she obtained her animal army? How you came to know her would be good too?"
"She always fights for those she believes to be on the side of good…those two times it was you. She has fought both with and against the Woads, but she has never fought with the Saxons.
She is like she is because she has little contact with people. She lives isolated in the woods and has done since the age of 6 summers when she made her first kill.
She lived in the wood since the age of 3, and alone since the age of 6.
She was injured and I found her – sick and dying. I save her life, but not the sight in that eye. She compensated with her other senses; her hearing, taste, touch, and smell are all much more heightened compared to ours.
The pack she has known since she first came to the wood, the hawk the same. The horse has been her friend since she rescued him from some Romans who were going to kill him, some 6 winters past. She killed them instead and took the stallion; she said they called him a demon and she felt it suited her.
Her lack of emotions are again down to little human contact. She adores the animals and protects them, and they likewise are the same with her."
He paused "does that answer your questions?"
"Aye…but why not stay here now? We would not harm her…."
"Nay, I know that – you would not get the chance, she would kill you in an instant. But she does not trust people, she prefers the woods – she grew up there and likes it. This place is alien to her, that one is not."
"You mean she feels safer out there than here…."
"Aye…she does."
Arthur shook his head….she was a marvel, a strange and dangerous one for certain, but a marvel none the less.