Buried Deep Inside
Authors Notes: This is set prior to the King Arthur movie. Here is my background on a few things I want to get straightened out. I have blended some of the legend in with the movie, though it will be movie verse. Thank you very much to Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'Mists of Avalon' I would be dead without it.
A Briton woad by the name of Igraine fell in love with a roman soldier while he was posted at Hadrian's Wall, a roman by the name of Uther Castus. Uther returned the love for Igraine, and the two eventually married. Artorius Castus, commonly known as Arthur, was born shortly afterwards. Nine years after Arthur was born, Igraine gave birth to a little girl, by the name of Rhiannon (great queen) Branwen (beautiful raven) Castus. Later that year, Uther was killed in battle for Rome, and his good friend Pelagius took his place in raising Rhiannon and Arthur. When Arthur was 15, and Rhiannon only 9, Igraine was killed, leaving both children under the care of Pelagius. When a group of children all the way from Sarmatia arrived at Hadrian's Wall on horseback, Arthur took up his destiny in training along side the men he would command. That night while the knights and Romans at the wall were sleeping, woad's snatched Rhiannon from her bed, leaving Arthur and the rest of the knights to believe her dead.
I own none of the characters from this story, aside from Rhiannon/Drusilla and a few others that I will use my wacky mind to create. How much I would love to own King Arthur, but sadly, I'm not nearly that smart.
"Every day you wake up, it's the same bloody question that haunts you: is today the day I die?"
-Spike, from the Buffy Episode Fool for Love
Chapter 1 Briton and Roman Lady
Laying, covered in murky blue paint, slept the figure of Rhiannon Branwen Castus, daughter of Igraine and Uther of Hadrian's Wall. It had been many moons since she had last been called the name that she was given at birth, instead referred to as plain Branwen. She was snatched at the age of nine by her mothers people, an ancient agreement pledged by her mother, should she have a daughter that the girl would be brought to serve Briton. At first, Rhiannon had hated her mother for pulling her away from Arthur, for letting her be raised by savages, but then as the girl began to settle and learn, she found life as a 'Woad' far more intriguing then that of a roman lady.
Trained alongside the men in the arts of war, under the guidance of her mother's grandfather, the great Merlin of Briton, deep down Rhiannon felt inner peace. It all stayed that way until she received her very first solo assignment. Using her rare knowledge of roman culture, she was to be placed inside the household of a Roman family who lived south of the great wall.
At first Rhiannon, now Branwen had been furious, at being forced back into a life that she had thought little about over the years. But at the tender age of 19 summers, the girl was finding herself having trouble remembering the fine features of her brother's face, not to mention just how to act as a Roman.
Watching the girl's chest rise and fall in sleep, Merlin's ancient eyes twinkled knowingly, he knew that this assignment would not only bring Branwen towards her destiny, but it would also finally bring Artorius, or Arthur as his knights called him, back to his sister. Reaching out his hand, Merlin slowly shook his great granddaughter awake, watching as she sprung up, her sharp green eyes twisting around, searching for danger.
"Hush my child. It is time for you to dress in your clothes and ready yourself for your journey." Merlin whispered softly, leaning forward and placing a soft, feather light kiss, to his kinswoman's forehead. "And may the God's themselves bless you my child, be safe and well." He murmured in final parting, before pushing himself up from the log and moving away.
5 Years Later…
"ALECTO!" the brunette screamed, flinging her petite frame past the Roman guards that had swarmed around the brunette boy. "Let me through you insolent fools… ALECTO!" she yelled again, pushing roughly past the armor dressed men, to reach her brother on the ground.
Grasping the boys pained boy close to her, she felt hot tears streak down her cheek.
"Drusilla?" Alecto weakly replied, opening his eyes to look up into the shining eyes of his sister. Drusilla let out a pained sigh of relief, hugging the boy closer to her chest, burying her face into his shoulder. Even though Drusilla Aurelia, or Drusilla to most, was older then Alecto, the boy's sturdy built frame often seemed to dwarf her tall yet petite built one.
"Alecto how can you be so stupid, you could have been killed… you worry me brother, do you not fear the wraith of father?" the brunette asked, wrapping an arm around her brothers shoulders and pulling him to his feet, letting him lean against her as he swayed.
"Sister you worry far too much, I was only practicing arms with the guards, they would never dare strike me…" the boy stated his voice slightly cocky as the children walked past the assembled guards and towards the inner sanctum on their home.
Drusilla, formerly known to the Woad's as Rhiannon, frowned for a minute at her surrogate brother's tone.
"You're attitude will surely get you killed one day, my brother." Drusilla Aurelia whispered dreamily, her eyes clouding over for a minute as she cast a glance towards the walled up hut that she knew housed the bones of tortured Britons.
"Really Drusilla, what would you know of death? You are but a woman. Now come, let us find mother to get us some food, I am famished." Alecto replied, heaving himself away from the richly dressed roman girl to make his way inside the fortress like home.
Crossing her arms roughly over her chest, Drusilla drew her veil closer around her face, casting a glance around her at the village people, who stood staring at her, greatly intrigued. She had been in Alecto and his father Marius's household for five years, and from the moment go, Marius has made her his daughter, naming her Drusilla Aurelia, meaning strong and golden. The change of name had made no difference to Rhiannon really; after all she had been called many things in her short life. Through those four years, she had become a roman lady, a supposed Christian, all the while using her position to give the Britons key information on the Roman's affairs. But in the midst of all her treachery, Rhiannon had brushed away the one rule she had been taught always to follow, do not get attached, and she had done that very thing.
Alecto was the brother of her own heart, since she barely remembered her own blood brother Artorius, and Felicia, Marius's wife, had become a mother to her, though Marius himself could never replace the hole in her heart that was filled by Pelagius and Merlin, her real fathers.
Casting a glance at the setting sun, Drusilla scurried back towards the house, following behind Alecto at a safe pace. The Roman's in this place may think her a mere woman, but in her heart she knew that she was a warrior, far more important then they could even comprehend.