AN: Thank you soooo much for the wonderful reviews guys! They made my day :) And of COURSE the cookies have chocolate. What kind of barbarian do you think I am?

Chapter2- Knights

The jostling of the wagon woke Reia from her light sleep, which she was partly thankful for; she had been having nightmares.

Dagonet was speaking to the other woman who refused to respond or look at him.

Reia looked over at the boy who lay sleeping. He did not look well.

"You're awake." Dagonet, having no progress with the woman, had moved over to check on Reia. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better." She sighed, then nodded towards the boy. "How is he?"

Dagonet frowned slightly. "Not well."

He was worried, something that hadn't happened in a while. It was a long and hard road back to the Wall and he was unsure if the boy could take it.

"Do you know his name?" He asked.

She nodded. "Lucan." She answered, then quietly said "I would hear his mother calling for him."

Dagonet felt a swell of pity for Lucan. His family had been taken from him only because they believed in something different from the Romans. It was all so wrong.

As Reia adjusted her blanket Dagonet noticed her hands and arms bandaged with strips of cloth and realized he hadn't yet had a chance to assess her wounds.

He told her and she allowed him to remove the bandages and reveal large burns. They ranged in severity, most were healing, but there was one on her left forearm that was still very raw.

He cleaned them as gently as he could, and wrapped them again with clean pieces of cloth.

"How long were you in that place?" Dagonet asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. Not very long." She looked lost in thought. "The monks would torture us. They said it was to 'cleanse our souls'."

The thought of what these 'men of God' had done caused Dagonet to burn with anger.

"Was there anyone with you?"

Reia shook her head. "No. I was alone."

She was quiet and looked far away in her thoughts. She had her knees tucked to her chest and she clutched the blanket around her.

He felt like he should say something, but he wasn't very good with words and couldn't come up with anything.

"I'm very sorry." He said finally.

She smiled a little. "You have no reason to be."

They sat for a while, only the creaking of the wagon breaking the silence as it rolled along the frozen mountain trail.

Reia quietly watched Dagonet work. His face was calm and caring as he gave Lucan a drink, quite different from when they were at Marius' estate-harsh, menacing, dangerous. She suddenly remembered that he was one of the Sarmatian knights. Until now, they had just been legend in her mind.

"Are we going to the Wall?" She spoke suddenly.

"We are." Dagonet replied.

"You know, I've heard many things about Arthur and his Sarmatian knights." She said.

Dagonet looked slightly amused. "Oh really? What kinds of things?"

Reia smiled. "Great things."

He laughed a little. "Then they must be lies."

He was smiling, but Reia could see a hint of sadness; memories resurfacing, a shadow of regret in his battle weary eyes. She had seen the same thing in the other knight.

"What's the truth then?" She asked playfully, wanting to lighten the mood. "What are the legendary knights really like?"

He focused his attention back on Lucan. "I wouldn't know where to begin."

"You can start by telling me your names." She suggested. "That's not too hard is it?"

Dagonet turned to her and she looked at him expectantly.

"The one who brought you to the wagon is Lancelot." He began. "He hates the Romans and their religion. He'll sometimes give Arthur a hard time, but he has a good heart."

"That other knight who said she is a Woad," Reia said, referring to the sleeping woman. "Who is he?"

Dagonet nodded. "That was Tristan, our scout. He only says what he needs to, nothing more. Some believe him to be an unfeeling killer."

"What do you believe?" Reia questioned.

"He does feel." Dagonet answered. "He just hides it better than most."

Reia nodded thoughtfully and glanced outside the wagon. The sky was a swirling mass of gray hanging over the long line of people. She looked around to see if she could find the other knights. Finally she spotted a surly looking man waving his arm and shouting something inaudible.

"Who is that?" She asked. "The bald one who's yelling."

Dagonet laughed. "That's Bors. He is my oldest friend. He has a lover named Vanora and they have eleven children."

Reia turned around, wondering if she had heard him right. "Eleven?"

Dagonet nodded. "They only named one, Gilly. The rest just have numbers."

"Really?" She looked at him in disbelief.

"There are two others." Dagonet said. "Gawain is the one with the long hair. He is a strong fighter and a loyal friend. Last is Galahad. Out of all of us he hates it here the most; he dreams of nothing else but going home."

"And Arthur?"

"He is a good man." Dagonet said firmly. "And a good commander. He is very caring and also very determined once he sets his mind to something."

Dagonet paused when Lucan stirred.

He frowned and moaned a little, but did not wake.

"Is he not improving?" Reia asked worriedly.

Dagonet shook his head, his face once again harsh and concerned.

Reia frowned with worry. He had been through so much already.

A sudden wave of fatigue swept over her and she laid down to rest.

"Did you need anything?" Dagonet asked.

"Just a bath."

She settled herself in the furs laid across the bottom of the wagon, then looked up at Dagonet.

"You never told me about yourself." She said.

He gave her a small smile. "There isn't much to tell."

"I doubt that." She smiled back before closing her eyes.