2 – Fall Into Your Sunlight

The next morning the knights set out once again. They were on their usual patrol south of the wall. Cara and Tristan did not stay with the group. Instead they scouted around. Tristan rode in front to make sure the way was clear, while Cara rode behind just to make sure they weren't being followed.

At last, after a rare, peaceful day, the sun began to set and the scouts went out on their evening rounds. Cara rode through the nearby forest. The trees danced in the cool winter breeze and Aidan shied away from the swaying branches. "It's alright, fellá," she soothed. "It's only a tree branch." Cara urged him forward with soothing whispers.

She must have scouted for an hour, before having enough. There was nothing following them, at least not tonight. She made her way slowly back to camp and her heart lifted when she saw the roaring fire through the trees. She tied her horse next to the others and brushed him down, before heading toward the warm, blazing fire.

She sat down next to the gentle giant, who contently poked the embers with a long stick. She could smell the rabbit that lay roasting over the fire and her stomach growled. Thankfully, none of the knights noticed. They were all too busy joking and laughing just like any other night.

Another hour had gone by. The knights had eaten and were now onto drinking, but Cara didn't join in. She wasn't much of a drinker, but when she was angry you could bet she would be able to drink more than Bors. Tristan still hadn't returned and Cara was growing deeply worried. He should have been back by now. Some nights he would camp out on the trail, but he would always tell one of the knights before doing so.

She continued to glance toward the woods, in hopes that the scout would return, but he did not appear. Finally she had made up her mind. "I'm gonna go find Tristan," she said, jumping up from where she sat.

"Aw come on, Cara," Gareth said from the opposite side of the fire with a mug in his hand, "he'll be back. Besides when Tristan doesn't want to be found, he won't be." It was a true fact, but that didn't stop Cara.

"I know," Cara answered moving toward her horse, "but he never hides from me."

Cara smiled at the knights. She slung her bow over her shoulder and mounted up. The girl wheeled the black stallion away from camp and toward the trail. The other knights knew she worried over him. Cara didn't love Tristan, but he was a close friend that she had grown up with and both of them looked out for one another more closely than they did the others.

Aidan halted abruptly and tossed his head. "Easy, fellá," she soothed, but the horse continued to dance nervously. She pulled her bow cautiously off her shoulder and nocked an arrow. She heard movement in the brush behind her and instantly turned Aidan in that direction, aiming her bow in the stranger's direction.

Cara breathed a sigh of relief when the familiar figure rode out beside her. "Tristan, you nearly gave me a heart attack," she sighed, placing her bow back over her shoulder. The smallest of smiles played upon the scout's lips, as he made his way over to her. "I could've killed you." The smile was still there.

"Your aim's not that good," he bantered, thought he knew her precision was deadly. "What are you doing out here?" he asked in his low, rugged voice as they headed toward camp. Cara thought she heard a small tone of disproval as well, but she couldn't be sure. Tristan was hard to read and it wasn't often that he let his emotions show.

"Looking for you," she answered softly, almost a whisper. She glanced toward the canopy, hoping to see the moon through the dense patches of leaves. Her eye caught something else. A shadow moved through the trees above her and Cara shifted uneasily in the saddle. She went to remove her bow, but Tristan stopped her, laying a hand on her forearm.

"Stay calm and keep moving," he ordered, not taking his eyes off the trail. The order was so low Cara could barely hear it. She sent glances toward the tree line. She hated it when they stalked her. Cara wanted to send a warning to them, but it could easily lead to an all out skirmish that neither she nor Tristan was prepared for.

They rode quietly back to camp, uttering only small phrases when needed. The knights were still drinking and chatting noisily around the fire when they returned. Arthur was sitting in the middle of it, not really joining in. He seemed to be pondering and mulling things over in his head. He probably had the hardest job of them all and Cara wouldn't ever want to be in his shoes.

Bors was being in particularly loud and Cara felt the need to warn him of the unknown guests that watched them from the underbrush. "If I were you I'd keep it down," she hissed in his ear. "We are being watched." Upon hearing this, Bors head snapped up and looked at Tristan for confirmation.

The silent scout nodded and Bors looked to Arthur as if waiting for the command to get the hell out of there. "Will they attack?" Arthur asked, turning his eyes to Tristan. The knight shrugged unknowingly.

"I cannot say," he said, "for now they are merely curious." Those words seemed to be enough for Arthur and after the disturbing news the knights around the fire grew quiet. After a few minutes, with nothing happening, Merrick moved to refill the water skins at the nearby stream. An arrow was shot and hit the dirt right in front of him.

The other knights had seen this and they drew their own weapons. Cara already had an arrow trained on the canopy above her. Another arrow flew and Woads flooded from the brush. Cara let her own arrow fly and brought down the hidden archer.

Once he was dispatched she drew her sword and swung mindlessly and mercilessly at the Woads who dared to come near her. The natives were dropping like flies around her and Cara was doing a fantastic job with the ones on the ground, but she didn't see the other archer above her. An arrow was shot out of nowhere and hit Gareth in the chest, killing him instantly.

"Gareth!" she screamed, seeing her lover fall. The words were barely out of her mouth when Cara nearly collapsed. She didn't know what caused this, but forced herself keep moving. She heard her name being called, but she couldn't place the name. Right now all she cared about was Gareth. Time seemed to stop for Cara. It was as though everything else was black and only a small shred of light lit Gareth's dead body. She walked in a daze toward him, no longer caring about the Woads.

She kneeled beside the fallen knight and broke one of Arthur's most strict rules. She stopped fighting. She stopped fighting and she held his dead hand in hers. She attempted to speak, but no sound came from her lips.

A small, steady stream of tears flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks, creating zigzag trails. She loved Gareth and he loved her in return which made this particular loss the worst of them all. Cara's eyes never left Gareth's. She was transfixed on the bright green gaze that never blinked. All of the sudden her world went dark.

The blue painted warrior that struck her did not last another minute. Galahad had his sword stuck right through him before Cara hit the ground. Galahad couldn't worry with the wounded girl right now. It was best if they thought she was dead.