Annelise woke up after a possible two hours or so. Looking to her left and right she saw that Guinevere and Aleera were still asleep, they needed the rest more than she. Sitting up, she saw the same big man and he was with Lucan, who seemed to be asleep as well. He noticed she was awake and motioned that she could come closer. Annelise went over and sat next to Lucan, placing a hand on his head and smiling gently at him.
"Are you family to him?" he asked. He may be big, but his voice was gentle. She shook her head 'no'. "Are you family to them?" he asked, now motioning to the girls behind them.
"Not to her, but I've gotten close to her." She pointed to Guinevere, "But I've known her my whole life. We're as close as sisters, blood relation doesn't matter." She was pointing to Aleera. The man nodded his head; understand that from his brothers in arms.
"I am Dagonet." He said, giving her a very warm and brotherly smile.
"Annelise." She gave a small smile back, not as big but still warm.
"Are you injured anywhere?" he looked at her.
"No, I was fortunate enough. You all got us the day they were going to 'teach me manners'." She informed quoting the one monk. "I have just a few bruises, but they're patch up nicely on their own. Besides that I'm just hungry, but that can still wait."
"Are you sure? You can eat a bit if you feel the need." Dagonet said, making sure she was well.
"I'm fine. All I'd really like to do is perhaps walk a bit, or ride a horse if you could spare one." Annelise said, her eyes showing hope of being out in the air that was kept from her.
"I'll be in here for quite some time, you may use my horse. Her name is Dessiah, she will not trouble you." He let her get past him and went to the horse he pointed at. She was tied to the caravan keeping its pace. She was about to untie her and mount, when Dagonet grabbed her wrist.
"Here, take this. Wouldn't want you to catch cold." He gave her a blanket that had been off to the side. She nodded in thanks, wrapped it around her, and mounted Dessiah. For a small time, she kept pace with the caravan in case either woman woke up, or Lucan but soon felt the need to be alone.
Annelise fell back a bit, keeping herself but not completely cutting off the world. She would look around sometimes and smile at some of the villagers children and then would just stare at the trees around.
The knights watched her for a time, though none of them made a move to talk to her.
"Isn't that the one Tristan got out?" Galahad asked, watching her.
"Aye. Wonder how she's up and moving, from coming out of that place?" Gawain said.
"Well, lets find out." Bors said, moving his horse over to her. The other two followed. Bors went over to her left, Gawain to her right, and Galahad next to him.
"'Ello miss." Bors said, giving her a hearty smile. Was slightly freaked out by being flanked on either side, but didn't let it show. They had saved all of them from that place, so they couldn't be bad.
"Hello, sir." She answered, giving a week smile.
"No need for the 'sir', he's the farthest thing from formal." Gawain said, giving her a friendly smile. She gave a small laugh from the joke but then laughed harder and greater upon seeing Bors's face, which was trying to fake being a lord or emperor.
"So, what should I address you as?" Annelise asked, after the laughing went way.
"I'm Bors. The one on your right is Gawain and next to him is Galahad." Annelise nodded her head to each of them in greetings.
"I'm Annelise." They each have her a smile.
"So you've already met Dag, I see." Bors said, nodding to the horse she was riding. She nodded her head.
"He's nice and gentle for his size."
"Yeah, he is. Probably the nicest of us all, yet can be the most fierce." Galahad said. She nodded. Looking ahead she saw two other men riding together, soon joined by a third. Annelise recognized the third as the one that got her, but he still looked familiar from someplace else.
"Who are those men, up there?" she said, pointing to the group.
"The one with the red cape is Arthur, he's our commander. Then the one next to him with the twin swords is Lancelot. And the one that just joined this is Tristan." She had been taking notes, as to remember each one, but almost fell off her horse at the last part.
Holding herself atop the horse, she fell into a coughing fit. The knights looked worried. "Ye alright, love?" Bors asked, patting her on the back. She gave a small nod and slowly composed herself.
"What did you call the last man?" she asked, looking at Gawain.
"Tristan. Why?" they all watched her. At first she seemed to have a small trace of relief, but that very quickly changed to aggravation while she have a un-lady like grunt.
"Just my luck, he's the one to get me. Ugh, this is going to be real fun." She basically mumbled to herself, but the others could hear. The sarcasm was clear in her last sentence. After some silence, she moved the conversation elsewhere. The time past well for them, getting to know each other and such.
CaravanAleera woke up in a sweat. Her whole body ached and her stomach was on fire. She moved a bit from her side to look over at her other side. She barely saw Guinevere, because a man was in front of her. He seemed to be resetting her fingers, by the sounds of cracking and Guinevere's muffled screams. Aleera heard her say something, but couldn't make it out. She watched the man place her back down to rest and then glace over at Aleera. He turned so he could look at her better, she reminded him of someone but he let that thought pass. Later. He thought.
"How are you fairing, Milady?" He asking, watching her. She didn't move away from him, but seemed slightly uneasy. Perhaps the armor or being a man.
"Fine." She choked out, her throat still dry-ish. He nodded, and then noticed her shoulder.
"Would you like me to get Lancelot?" he asked her. She looked confused and just stared at him. "The knight that brought you out." He clarified for her. She gave a small nod and he went to leave. Turning slightly, he looked back, "My name is Arthur. You can trust me."
She gave him a small smile and nodded. Within a few minutes the knight that got her, Lancelot she recalled, came in. He said something to the man she'd seen earlier with Lucan, and then made his way to her.
He sat, or tried at least with the room, by her side and watched her. "Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes." She said, trying to move up, but couldn't from a searing pain coming mostly from her stomach and shoulder. Lancelot put a hand on her back to steady her and the other on her opposite shoulder. He soon noticed her shoulder, as Arthur had.
"Your shoulder is out of place. I need to put it back." He looked her in the eyes, showing her he wouldn't use any more force than was needed. Helping her sit up to give him a better way to get it. Placing his hands where they needed to be, he looked back at her to see if she was ready. She nodded, having put the blanket in her mouth to bite on; he did it as swiftly as he could. Aleera barely flinched, but a small sound escaped her mouth as she willed the tears not to come.
Lancelot took her spare hand that had been squeezing the blanket, making her knuckles white, and gently held it. She slowing released the blanket from her hand and mouth. Suddenly a great pain rushed over her and she grabbed her stomach. Lancelot looked at her, worried.
"What is it?" he placed a hand on her forehead, and nearly drew it away by how much she was burning up. Noticing her holding her stomach with force, he took her chin and had her look at him.
"Let me see. Please." He spoke very soft and gentle, and looked her in the eyes. She moved her hands to allow him to see. Lancelot pulled the dress up, stopped when he got to her mid-thigh, and then covered that up with a blanket. He looked away as he pulled it over her lower body and made sure to recover it with the blanket. When that was down, he looked back. The pain seemed to be coming from her abdomen, so he slowly pulled it up.
His voice was lost and more anger than he ever thought possible swept over him. All over her abdomen and a little higher on her stomach were cuts. All shapes, sizes, and in every type of angle. He felt a feeling of envy for the death the Saxon's would give the monks. As Lancelot inspected the wounds, he could see several were infected.
"Dag, come here." He called. Dagonet was there in moments and looked at what Lancelot presented to him. He took an intake of breath.
"We'll have to clean those, but the caravan is to shaky to do it now. Tonight, when we've stopped to rest." Dagonet gave her a reassuring smile, "Do not worry, we'll make sure you'll heal up nicely." And then he left, to tend to Lucan once more.
Lancelot released the breath he didn't know he was holding and started to pull the dress back down. "I'll get her a pair of breeches and shirt for when we clean them." He told her.
"Annelise?" she questioned. Aleera knew that she hadn't been hurt, but still couldn't think of where she was.
"I may have seen her riding with my fellow knights. Do not worry." He helped her lay back down and made sure the blankets would keep her warm. "Sleep, you need it." Lancelot felt her forehead again, gave one of her hands a squeeze, and then left.
Getting out in the daylight, he got on his horse and went to Arthur. Lancelot was beyond furious and sickened. He felt like killing someone and hurling at the same time.
"How fair she?" Arthur asked. He glanced over at his friend, but then turned to stare from the look on his face.
"Her shoulder is in place. The only thing left wrong is that half her upper stomach and all her lower have been cut. Deep by the marks and long." Lancelot stared at his friend. "A good portion of them are infected. Dag is going to clean them later, so she'll live. But what about those cuts? Arthur, just from those, she may very well never have children! Do you hear me?! She may never know the joy of having a child, unless by some amazing miracle. Is that what your precious Rome does to women now a days?" Lancelot didn't wait for an answer, but just moved to be alone with his thoughts.
From the news, Arthur felt sick and almost did puke, but held it back. He understood his friend's anger, the hatred he already barred for Rome having this make it even worse. Hopefully things would get better, he prayed.
Back with knights and Annelise:
All four of them were in a fit of laughter, having Annelise and Bors almost falling on the ground from it. All of them were telling stories from their pasts. Gawain had just told her about the time they all took Lancelot's clothes, weapons, and horse from where he was bathing in a stream. They only left him a pair of boots and a cape. The vision it's self was enough to make anyone laugh, then they informed her of him having to walk through this village they were staying out, only wearing those items.
Annelise finally got control, as well as Bors, and they quieted down a bit, wiping a few strand tears away.
"Can I ask you something, Annelise?" Galahad looked at her. She shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "How is it you don't look like a lot of people around here?" he still looked at her. True, her entire appearance wasn't normal.
Rather short, barely below her shoulders blonde hair, her eyes were amazing blue but with gray in the back, and her skin we between white and tan. She have a small smile, "My mother ran from her tribe soon after marring my father. They were banished for the marriage and so traveled to find someplace else to live. They came across this other tribe and were taken in, soon after I was born. I didn't fit with the tribe as far as appearance, but they wouldn't let an outsider make a comment about it. I was as every part them, as if they were my actual tribe."
"What was yer old tribe?" Bors asked. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't know. I never asked the name, nor really cared to know." They were silent a while. Then Bors spoke up.
"Did I tell you about the timeā¦." And so the stories and laughter went on, with much merriment. Soon the day left, night fell, and they were making camp. Annelise bid farewell to the knights and told them that she much check on her friends. Hooking the horse back up, she walked back into the caravan. Checking on Lucan, who was awake slightly and she gave him a warm hug and kiss on the head, then going to the girls.
Aleera was asleep but Guinevere was awake. They spoke softly for some time, then Annelise got comfortably and rested a bit before the night set it. This is going to be an interesting night. With that thought, she drifted off.
