Freedom and Faith

The guards that had taken me prisoner had taken one other warrior, a female named Saclare. We sat in a dungeon, chained to opposite walls. Saclare was unconscious for the fourth time in the past week, her body being weak and shutting itself down for rest. She had only just recently given birth, before our search party. I wondered if they had sent anyone out to search for us, but I prayed not. Yet I knew they would of.

The chains around my wrists were tight, causing my fingers and hands to turn various shades of red and purple. My ankles were merely tied with ropes, my shoes and weapons missing. Dirt and blood caked my clothes from the various wounds that had been inflicted upon me during the beatings the Romans felt necessary to give me. Saclare was not beaten nearly as often because she was often unconscious and they enjoyed to hear screams.

A chain was wrapped around my midsection, keeping me attached to the wall. It bit into my sides and pinched the skin if I tried to move. My head throbbed, partially from the kick I had received when I had been abducted and partially from the beatings as of late. My right leg felt broken but I wasn't sure if it was or not. My left arm had popped out of socket some time ago and it hurt to even think about moving it.

A loud shout echoed throughout the dungeon as the sound of swords clanging met my ears. I used what strength I had to scoot into a corner, wincing every time my arm or leg was jarred. Saclare started to wake up, groaning and then vomiting close to the wall she was chained to.

I heard talking, raised voices, and footsteps. Torch light shone into the dungeon and three men walked in. They were dressed strangely from what I had seen of the guards and after the fighting I had heard, I figured they weren't Roman.

"There are two alive in here!" The torch light got closer to Saclare and she shielded her eyes from it, trying to peek out at the form infront of her. One of the other males headed towards me while the other one stayed near the door. The man who knelt infront of me was tall and had extremely short hair. His eyes, reflecting the light from the torch, were kind, as was his voice.

"Do not fear me, we are going to help you." Saclare glanced at me, not knowing the language they were speaking in. I nodded to her lightly, letting her know that they were safe. The gentle giant infront of me used a set of rusted keys on the chains around my wrists and then on the one around my waist. He cut the ropes around my legs and then hoisted me up, shushing me when I cried out in pain. He carried me out of the dungeon and I glanced over his shoulder to see a golden haired man lifting Saclare up as well.

Once out into the sunlight, we were laid onto the ground. Saclare crawled away from her savior and towards me, curling into my side. I was older than she was by two year so I was the one that had to protect her, especially because I understood the strangers. Using my good hand, I wiped the hair off of her face and watched the men around us. One bent down with a canteen of water and offered it towards me. I reached out and gingerly took the item. After taking a few sips myself, I gave it to Saclare who nearly downed the entire thing in one gulp.

I watched the men quite openly, measuring them up as I did so. By their attire, I assumed that they were the knights I had heard about. The one in the red cape had to be Arthur Castus, the Roman commander. My savior, the gentle giant, was trying to inspect my wounds from a few feet away. Saclare's savior, the man with the long golden hair, stood next to another knight with shorter curly hair. Beside Arthur was another man with curly hair but he had two blades on his back. And beside him was another man with shaved hair, a stronger looking man. Next to him was a male with red hair pulled in a pony tail, who stood looking away from us. And a few feet away stood another knight, with dark brown hair and braids randomly throughout. He had strange markings on his face as well.

The faces, for the most part, seemed caring and I nodded lightly to Saclare again, letting her know that I thought we could trust them.

"They are Woads." The red haired knight had spoken lowly to the knight with the markings on his face. The more stoic knight nodded but did not offer any words. My savior bent down towards us, making Saclare flinch into my side again. She was not used to strangers and although she was a trained fighter, neither of us were in the condition to put up a fight, nor had we ever been in a real battle before.

"Do either of you understand English?" Saclare looked at me, confused. I nodded my head lightly to my savior, watching as he pulled some jars from a bag that I hadn't noticed he was holding.

"I need to check your injuries, to see what needs to be done. It may hurt, but I'll try to make it painless. Will you relay this to your friend?" I relayed the message to Saclare who shuddered but nodded. I held onto one of her hands with my good hand while the checked her wounds. She flinched often from his touch but he was patient with her. She had more cuts than anything, a few broken fingers which he wrapped together. And once he had done everything he could for her, he started on me.

I motioned to my leg and he checked it. He told me that it wasn't broken but wrapped it as if it was anyways. He eyed my arm, which was visibly out of place.

"I need to pop your arm back into place. It will hurt, a lot." I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. He grabbed hold of my shoulder and pushed my arm back into place. I screamed out, my body feeling a rush of cold and vomit gathering in my throat. I pushed the need to retch away and focused on breathing slowly.

Saclare had fallen asleep, or passed out again. Her savior gathered her up and carried her towards the fort we had been held captive in the dungeon of. The gentle one gathered me into his arms and carried me behind her and slowly I felt my mind slip until I too was asleep.

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When I awoke, I was laying in a bed that was larger than my entire hut back in the village. I turned to the side, wincing as my arm jarred upwards too much. I bent up at the waist and looked around. The room was dimly lit by two candles on the dresser with a mirror propped up facing me. I could barely make out my visage in the mirror so with a little trouble, I stood up and made my way slowly towards it.

My clothing was simple, as was any warriors, and my hair had been tied back again with the leather strap. My markings were smudged and the blue mixed with the red and brown of the dirt and mud that was also caked on my skin. I used my good arm to wipe at my face, hoping to clear the murk, but it was in vain.

The door of the bedroom opened slowly, cautiously, but I still turned quickly and reached down to my hip where my dagger had been. I had forgotten that it was gone, probably forever. My eyes darted up as the man I knew to be Arthur Castus entered the room. He looked surprised to see me standing, for a good reason. My body swayed sideways and I swung my arms out to catch my balance. One of his hands wrapped around my good arm and the other arm wrapped around my waist to still me. I nodded to him and then allowed him to lead me to the bed. Once I was sitting, I felt better and snatched my arm from his grasp, perhaps a little too rudely seeing as how he did just save me.

"Why were you in the dungeon?" I stared at him, trying to read his face. He killed Woads yet he had saved Saclare and myself. That's why it hit me that I didn't know where Saclare was.

"Where is Saclare?" Confusion crossed the Roman's face before he was able to assume who I spoke of.

"She is in a bathing room, two doors down. You're headed there, once you answer my question. Why were you in the dungeon?" He wasn't unkind, but forceful. Curious, I posed my own question instead of answering his.

"Why did you rescue us, Arthur Castus?" He seemed a little surprised that I knew his name but it faded quickly. Supposing that he wouldn't get an answer until I did, he answered my question.

"We heard that the guards at this fort were attacking innocent people while their commanding officer was away on business. When we arrived, one of the more level headed guards explained that there were two captives in the dungeon, Woads, that had been caught without provocation. I will not let innocent people, no matter my prejudices, suffer."

His voice was kind and honest, I found myself leaning forward to listen to him speak. It was obvious as to why his Sarmation knights followed him as much as the stories said.

"If you knew that we had been caught without provocation, then why ask why we were in the dungeon?" Arthur leaned back, resting his hand on his knee to prop himself up. He looked tired and worn.

"I just wanted to make sure their story was correct." I smirked, unable to stop myself.

"And you would trust the word of a Woad over that of a Roman guard?" He nodded his head and then stood up. He made his way towards the door and then turned back towards me.

"One of the servants will direct you to the bathing room with your companion. Once you two are fed and washed, we will discuss what is to be done." He opened the door and disappeared, moments passing before anyone entered again. The next to enter was a girl who looked scared out of her skin to be as close to me as she was. She beckoned me forward and then led me to the bathing house, not offering her help when I stumbled more than once. Saclare sat in the middle of the large bathing area, her clothes in a neat pile on the side, washing her skin of the browns and reds and blues that stained her. I joined her, modesty not being high up on a Woad's priority list when around other Woads.

We bathed and I explained what I could to Saclare, helping her wash her back and being extra careful of the scratches there.

"So we can trust the strangers?" I nodded, turning to let her wash my back. I winced as she ran the cloth over one of the bruises on my back and she apologized before continuing.

"I believe that we can. Once we eat, we will join the Roman and his knights to discuss what shall happen to us. No fear, Saclare, I will not let anything happen to you." The younger girl nodded and we both emerged from the water, drying ourselves off and pulling our warrior's clothes back on. The servant was standing in the hall when we left the bathing room and she escorted us to a dining hall where the remants of other people's dishes were being removed and our own food was being set infront of us. I guess the knights didn't want to eat with us, probably for the best.

We ate quickly, wanting to get whatever was to come over with.


A/N: I know I said I would post this last week but it has been hell around my house.
I hope you like it.
Reviews are greatly appreciated.