Summary: Ordinary men make extraordinary heroes. Now Women, prove there
worth to King Arthur and his knights in the midst of a battle for their
homeland from the Roman Empire.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
That night was cold. The winds from the East tore at the walls, relentlessly berating Arthur for his foolishness. He stood by the North wall for hours, patiently waiting for good news, any news.
He looked at the men lying, slain, in the middle of the field. In the morning he would send someone to clean up the mess, perhaps burry the barbarians in unmarked graves.
"She's awake." Lancelot said from behind him. He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder in an effort to comfort him, "It may not be long."
Arthur nodded, "Do you think we were wrong?" he asked as Lancelot turned to leave him, "Should we have helped her?"
"It was her fight. She made that decision."
------
Arthur stood in the doorway, looking at her lying in the bed. Her swords were rested against a chair near the window.
She looked peaceful, he imagined she would have looked like that always if her brothers hadn't been killed.
"Do not blame yourself." Lorain said quietly as she walked past him, only glancing at him before sitting on the floor next to her friend's bed. "She always said the only way to die with honor was defending yourself."
"No one dies with honor if they wield a sword in their hand and hatred in their heart." Owen said coldly from the corner. Arthur looked at him, he had been hiding in the shadows.
"I will die if you do not let me rest." Arien snapped as she rolled over in her bed, her back to them now.
Arthur saw Owen and Lorain pause for a few moments before getting up to leave the room. He stayed though, and he knew she could still tell he was there.
"Will you die?" Arthur asked quietly, not exactly sure why it mattered so much to him. He sighed, "If you stay......will you help me?"
"Help you what?" she asked quietly, pulling the covers tighter around herself.
"I think, I was fighting so hard for men to be equal......I forgot about my wife. She deserves to be my equal, as well as yourself." Arthur said, looking at her back sadly.
She sat up and looked at him, her expression revealing no pain. "I am not your equal Arthur. You were right, I do not deserve my title......that's why I am here, that's why I use my swords to defend those who need it as apposed to those who want it. You were given the title as an expression of your countries love for you have come to be."
Arthur nodded, feeling relieved by her words. Yet, as she turned her back to him once more he felt her time was not soon to end, she was here for a reason and he suspected they would find out soon enough what it might be.
------
"WIZARD!" Lancelot called angrily as he marched into the meeting room.
He spotted Arthur and Owen, sitting at the round table talking quietly when he entered. They looked surprised by his appearance, like he had fallen into a well.
"Explain to me why when I walked into Arien's bedroom this morning looking for Guinevere I find neither, but in their place a bucket of water over the door?" he demanded, utterly furious because of the sheer madness of this prank.
"I have no idea." Owen replied truthfully, standing up immediately, "Where would her body be?" he asked, mortified someone might have stolen it.
Arthur led them out of the room, running up and down halls, calling for Guinevere or Arien.
"King Arthur! The woman was out in the court yard!" Non-said, catching up with him.
Arthur leaned down and kissed his forehead, "I am forever in your debt, young knight." The child beamed, obviously, proud of his King's praise.
------
Lancelot was first to find her. She was in the courtyard, watching men train to become knights.
Bors and Tristan were standing in the center of the large field, surrounded by a dozen men on each side. They were demonstrating proper tactics for sword fighting.
She was sitting on a tree stump, her legs crossed and back straight. He thought she might have been asleep, except he stepped on a twig and the noise drew her attention as he came up from behind her.
She said nothing, just simply turned back to watch the men taking turns beating each other with sticks carved like swords.
"What do you see?" Lancelot asked quietly as he stood behind her, trying to find what might be so interesting about the groups.
"I see boy's, striving to be hero's for there country." She replied softly, then she looked up at him, "Just like you."
"No, I already am a hero." Lancelot corrected her proudly, his cocky side getting the better of him.
Arien stood up slowly, the pain she felt in her side obvious as she pressed her hand to the wound and scowled. She swayed, but Lancelot caught her around the middle and helped her stand.
"Quite early for a bath, isn't it?" Arien asked sarcastically as she felt his damp clothing against her arm.
"Indeed." Lancelot replied acidly as he helped her up the walk back towards the castle.
"So knight, I imagine your eager to start a family." Arien said suddenly, getting bored with the dull silence as they walked.
"Why do you say that? Is it so obvious I have no children?" he asked unhappily, hoping it really wasn't to bold.
"No one becomes so attached to their swords unless they have no one else to fight for them. In your case I bet any one in this castle, excluding my self, would give their life to save yours......but it must be something more you crave." Arien said with a coy smile.
"There were women once, but it gets complicated. My swords are the only women to have a relationship with me for longer then three days." Lancelot replied, laughing in spite of him self.
Arien looked at him seriously, "You are young and very bold. A woman would be wise to fear you, I presume they already know a life with you would be full of surprises."
"I am not so dangerous." Lancelot said loudly, hopelessly defending him self.
"A man with two swords, is a man surrounded by fear." Arien replied in a singsong voice.
"And a woman with four?" Lancelot asked with his eyebrow raised, smirking at her.
"Well naturally she is prepared for twice as much danger as any fool with two."
Lancelot laughed, it had been a long time since he smiled so much because of one person. She smiled at him as they spotted Arthur running towards them down the last staircase.
------
Arien was confined to the west wing for three weeks after her escape into the courtyard.
Arthur had become a little edgy, he did not want anyone out side the castle gates after nightfall, and even during the day they had to be accompanied by a guard.
Meanwhile Galahad and Gawain returned with Merlin from their visit to Rome.
"Arthur, the Romans fear us!" Gawain shouted in an aggravated manner as his king turned away from him.
"The Romans fear NO ONE!" Arthur yelled as his head snapped back around to glare at Gawain angrily.
"The Romans fear their shadows. Something you seem to have effectively proven." Arien said quietly from her seat at the round table.
"Explain." Arthur commanded as he sat across from her. Gawain sighed and joined them.
"You used to serve them, now you are free and your country is soon to follow. They were prepared to offer you your freedom in an attempt to subdue your thoughts of un knightly acts towards there government. But now, you have taken your freedom, yet still remain hostile towards them. In their thoughts you are nothing more then a memory they wish to ignore......in effect? You are there shadow, you have the power to start a revolution and they'll be damned if they let you know it." Arien said darkly, playing with a flower in her hand.
"How do you know this?" Arthur asked, leaning forward, and looking at her suspiciously.
"You have asked me my name, where I am from, where I am headed, but never my purpose or where I have come from." Arien said with a slight smile, leaning back in her chair and watching the fire burn in the holder at the center of the room.
"Then tell us now, your purpose, and where you have traveled from." Arthur said sternly, not in the mood for mind games.
"Perhaps another time." Arien said, suddenly standing up and grabbing two of her swords. Arthur and Gawain watched in confusion as she left the room quickly.
Before they even moved they heard guards calling for them to go to the North tower quickly.
------
From the tower Guinevere stood with Arien and Merlin. They watched lights spring to life in the distance, a few days walk from the castle.
"What is it?" Lancelot asked as he joined them.
"Camps." Merlin said quietly as he squinted in the darkness, trying to see better.
"That's a very big camp." Arien said, "They might just be land markers."
"How so? What are they marking, weeds?" Lancelot asked sarcastically.
"Bodies." Guinevere corrected him, "That's where Arthur had the barbarians buried a few days ago."
"And now its time you tell us who those men were, and who they were scouting for." Arthur said from behind them.
Bors was with him, he looked worried.
"Lancelot, you said that first day we met you had heard of no King of Lothian?" Arien asked, looking at him as she continued her story, "Well that would be because his family was slaughtered when his mother was eight months pregnant. They thought they had killed the child inside but instead he was found by a Roman soldier who pitied him." She paused, looking back towards the lights, "He was raised in secret, trained to be an expert warrior in hopes that one day he would rule. It took years, he was almost forty by the time he had enough strength and courage to be a fine ruler. By then, his foster father had been discovered."
"He was murdered in an attempt to keep rumors from spreading about a new heir to the land. The Romans failed, but while the rumors evaded peasants and serfs, they spread like wildfire to nobles and the likes." Diamandra said sadly, as she walked into the tower room.
"My Father got away, I believe he ran to a village where he was taken in and cared for like a son. He married a woman who claimed she was from Scottish heritage and had seven children. Six boys, one girl. He was already to old to old to rule by then, so he raised his children with the belief that one-day they would. Secrets are hard to keep." Arien continued acidly, her anger vivid. "They found him, his sons, and his wife."
"And you?" Lancelot asked curiously.
"I was spared, a boy named Alecto claimed me as his wife." She replied dully. "They could not stop the rumors, so I was forced to marry him so that he would inherit the land."
"However, with out proof, his word means nothing to the Romans." Owen said, nodding at Arien. "With no bride, he has no power."
"But those men, they are no doubt the families of the other blood lines claiming lord ship over Lothian. Those scouts, were there future kings." Arien said happily, smiling at them.
"You can't be serious, we slaughtered those men! THEY WERE KINGS!" Bors yelled hysterically.
Arien shrugged, "Now I suspect there gathering the bodies before leaving......or launching a full scale attack."
Arthur felt light headed, this was happening to fast. "What can we do?"
"You can do nothing, but we must get there before they do. If we beat the Romans and those blood thirsty barbarians, there is a chance I can hide." Arien said quietly, like she wasn't really sure it would work all that well.
"Until what?" Lancelot asked in total disbelief, he doubted she would outlive the war to come.
"Only a male heir can inherit the throne." Lorain said, looking at all of them seriously.
"So that's your brilliant plan? Go home and hide until you have a legitimate heir? You said yourself your mother only claimed to be of Scottish heritage, how do you know it isn't all a sham?" Lancelot asked loudly, seriously doubting her sanity.
"My Mother was the daughter born in Bamburgh Castle! She is the rightful heir to that land, my father marrying her was by no accident Knight!" Arien hissed angrily as she glared at Lancelot. "l will not ask your permission Arthur, King of Camelot. We leave tomorrow at first light."
With that Arien left the tower watch room and slammed the door shut as she went. They all stood quietly, beyond amazed how this had all fallen into there laps.
"I do not think it was by accident she happened to find us either King." Tristan said quietly.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
That night was cold. The winds from the East tore at the walls, relentlessly berating Arthur for his foolishness. He stood by the North wall for hours, patiently waiting for good news, any news.
He looked at the men lying, slain, in the middle of the field. In the morning he would send someone to clean up the mess, perhaps burry the barbarians in unmarked graves.
"She's awake." Lancelot said from behind him. He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder in an effort to comfort him, "It may not be long."
Arthur nodded, "Do you think we were wrong?" he asked as Lancelot turned to leave him, "Should we have helped her?"
"It was her fight. She made that decision."
------
Arthur stood in the doorway, looking at her lying in the bed. Her swords were rested against a chair near the window.
She looked peaceful, he imagined she would have looked like that always if her brothers hadn't been killed.
"Do not blame yourself." Lorain said quietly as she walked past him, only glancing at him before sitting on the floor next to her friend's bed. "She always said the only way to die with honor was defending yourself."
"No one dies with honor if they wield a sword in their hand and hatred in their heart." Owen said coldly from the corner. Arthur looked at him, he had been hiding in the shadows.
"I will die if you do not let me rest." Arien snapped as she rolled over in her bed, her back to them now.
Arthur saw Owen and Lorain pause for a few moments before getting up to leave the room. He stayed though, and he knew she could still tell he was there.
"Will you die?" Arthur asked quietly, not exactly sure why it mattered so much to him. He sighed, "If you stay......will you help me?"
"Help you what?" she asked quietly, pulling the covers tighter around herself.
"I think, I was fighting so hard for men to be equal......I forgot about my wife. She deserves to be my equal, as well as yourself." Arthur said, looking at her back sadly.
She sat up and looked at him, her expression revealing no pain. "I am not your equal Arthur. You were right, I do not deserve my title......that's why I am here, that's why I use my swords to defend those who need it as apposed to those who want it. You were given the title as an expression of your countries love for you have come to be."
Arthur nodded, feeling relieved by her words. Yet, as she turned her back to him once more he felt her time was not soon to end, she was here for a reason and he suspected they would find out soon enough what it might be.
------
"WIZARD!" Lancelot called angrily as he marched into the meeting room.
He spotted Arthur and Owen, sitting at the round table talking quietly when he entered. They looked surprised by his appearance, like he had fallen into a well.
"Explain to me why when I walked into Arien's bedroom this morning looking for Guinevere I find neither, but in their place a bucket of water over the door?" he demanded, utterly furious because of the sheer madness of this prank.
"I have no idea." Owen replied truthfully, standing up immediately, "Where would her body be?" he asked, mortified someone might have stolen it.
Arthur led them out of the room, running up and down halls, calling for Guinevere or Arien.
"King Arthur! The woman was out in the court yard!" Non-said, catching up with him.
Arthur leaned down and kissed his forehead, "I am forever in your debt, young knight." The child beamed, obviously, proud of his King's praise.
------
Lancelot was first to find her. She was in the courtyard, watching men train to become knights.
Bors and Tristan were standing in the center of the large field, surrounded by a dozen men on each side. They were demonstrating proper tactics for sword fighting.
She was sitting on a tree stump, her legs crossed and back straight. He thought she might have been asleep, except he stepped on a twig and the noise drew her attention as he came up from behind her.
She said nothing, just simply turned back to watch the men taking turns beating each other with sticks carved like swords.
"What do you see?" Lancelot asked quietly as he stood behind her, trying to find what might be so interesting about the groups.
"I see boy's, striving to be hero's for there country." She replied softly, then she looked up at him, "Just like you."
"No, I already am a hero." Lancelot corrected her proudly, his cocky side getting the better of him.
Arien stood up slowly, the pain she felt in her side obvious as she pressed her hand to the wound and scowled. She swayed, but Lancelot caught her around the middle and helped her stand.
"Quite early for a bath, isn't it?" Arien asked sarcastically as she felt his damp clothing against her arm.
"Indeed." Lancelot replied acidly as he helped her up the walk back towards the castle.
"So knight, I imagine your eager to start a family." Arien said suddenly, getting bored with the dull silence as they walked.
"Why do you say that? Is it so obvious I have no children?" he asked unhappily, hoping it really wasn't to bold.
"No one becomes so attached to their swords unless they have no one else to fight for them. In your case I bet any one in this castle, excluding my self, would give their life to save yours......but it must be something more you crave." Arien said with a coy smile.
"There were women once, but it gets complicated. My swords are the only women to have a relationship with me for longer then three days." Lancelot replied, laughing in spite of him self.
Arien looked at him seriously, "You are young and very bold. A woman would be wise to fear you, I presume they already know a life with you would be full of surprises."
"I am not so dangerous." Lancelot said loudly, hopelessly defending him self.
"A man with two swords, is a man surrounded by fear." Arien replied in a singsong voice.
"And a woman with four?" Lancelot asked with his eyebrow raised, smirking at her.
"Well naturally she is prepared for twice as much danger as any fool with two."
Lancelot laughed, it had been a long time since he smiled so much because of one person. She smiled at him as they spotted Arthur running towards them down the last staircase.
------
Arien was confined to the west wing for three weeks after her escape into the courtyard.
Arthur had become a little edgy, he did not want anyone out side the castle gates after nightfall, and even during the day they had to be accompanied by a guard.
Meanwhile Galahad and Gawain returned with Merlin from their visit to Rome.
"Arthur, the Romans fear us!" Gawain shouted in an aggravated manner as his king turned away from him.
"The Romans fear NO ONE!" Arthur yelled as his head snapped back around to glare at Gawain angrily.
"The Romans fear their shadows. Something you seem to have effectively proven." Arien said quietly from her seat at the round table.
"Explain." Arthur commanded as he sat across from her. Gawain sighed and joined them.
"You used to serve them, now you are free and your country is soon to follow. They were prepared to offer you your freedom in an attempt to subdue your thoughts of un knightly acts towards there government. But now, you have taken your freedom, yet still remain hostile towards them. In their thoughts you are nothing more then a memory they wish to ignore......in effect? You are there shadow, you have the power to start a revolution and they'll be damned if they let you know it." Arien said darkly, playing with a flower in her hand.
"How do you know this?" Arthur asked, leaning forward, and looking at her suspiciously.
"You have asked me my name, where I am from, where I am headed, but never my purpose or where I have come from." Arien said with a slight smile, leaning back in her chair and watching the fire burn in the holder at the center of the room.
"Then tell us now, your purpose, and where you have traveled from." Arthur said sternly, not in the mood for mind games.
"Perhaps another time." Arien said, suddenly standing up and grabbing two of her swords. Arthur and Gawain watched in confusion as she left the room quickly.
Before they even moved they heard guards calling for them to go to the North tower quickly.
------
From the tower Guinevere stood with Arien and Merlin. They watched lights spring to life in the distance, a few days walk from the castle.
"What is it?" Lancelot asked as he joined them.
"Camps." Merlin said quietly as he squinted in the darkness, trying to see better.
"That's a very big camp." Arien said, "They might just be land markers."
"How so? What are they marking, weeds?" Lancelot asked sarcastically.
"Bodies." Guinevere corrected him, "That's where Arthur had the barbarians buried a few days ago."
"And now its time you tell us who those men were, and who they were scouting for." Arthur said from behind them.
Bors was with him, he looked worried.
"Lancelot, you said that first day we met you had heard of no King of Lothian?" Arien asked, looking at him as she continued her story, "Well that would be because his family was slaughtered when his mother was eight months pregnant. They thought they had killed the child inside but instead he was found by a Roman soldier who pitied him." She paused, looking back towards the lights, "He was raised in secret, trained to be an expert warrior in hopes that one day he would rule. It took years, he was almost forty by the time he had enough strength and courage to be a fine ruler. By then, his foster father had been discovered."
"He was murdered in an attempt to keep rumors from spreading about a new heir to the land. The Romans failed, but while the rumors evaded peasants and serfs, they spread like wildfire to nobles and the likes." Diamandra said sadly, as she walked into the tower room.
"My Father got away, I believe he ran to a village where he was taken in and cared for like a son. He married a woman who claimed she was from Scottish heritage and had seven children. Six boys, one girl. He was already to old to old to rule by then, so he raised his children with the belief that one-day they would. Secrets are hard to keep." Arien continued acidly, her anger vivid. "They found him, his sons, and his wife."
"And you?" Lancelot asked curiously.
"I was spared, a boy named Alecto claimed me as his wife." She replied dully. "They could not stop the rumors, so I was forced to marry him so that he would inherit the land."
"However, with out proof, his word means nothing to the Romans." Owen said, nodding at Arien. "With no bride, he has no power."
"But those men, they are no doubt the families of the other blood lines claiming lord ship over Lothian. Those scouts, were there future kings." Arien said happily, smiling at them.
"You can't be serious, we slaughtered those men! THEY WERE KINGS!" Bors yelled hysterically.
Arien shrugged, "Now I suspect there gathering the bodies before leaving......or launching a full scale attack."
Arthur felt light headed, this was happening to fast. "What can we do?"
"You can do nothing, but we must get there before they do. If we beat the Romans and those blood thirsty barbarians, there is a chance I can hide." Arien said quietly, like she wasn't really sure it would work all that well.
"Until what?" Lancelot asked in total disbelief, he doubted she would outlive the war to come.
"Only a male heir can inherit the throne." Lorain said, looking at all of them seriously.
"So that's your brilliant plan? Go home and hide until you have a legitimate heir? You said yourself your mother only claimed to be of Scottish heritage, how do you know it isn't all a sham?" Lancelot asked loudly, seriously doubting her sanity.
"My Mother was the daughter born in Bamburgh Castle! She is the rightful heir to that land, my father marrying her was by no accident Knight!" Arien hissed angrily as she glared at Lancelot. "l will not ask your permission Arthur, King of Camelot. We leave tomorrow at first light."
With that Arien left the tower watch room and slammed the door shut as she went. They all stood quietly, beyond amazed how this had all fallen into there laps.
"I do not think it was by accident she happened to find us either King." Tristan said quietly.