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The blonde woman sat huddled in the back of the dark cart, surrounded by other women who were stolen from their homes. Their cries were unheeded and ignored. She'd tried calming them down earlier, but it seemed that once one girl became quiet, another would wail. Despite this, she had a job to complete.

Ruark, the slaver had to be taken down.

For far too long, he had abducted women and children to be sold into slavery. He and his workers would raid small villages along the southern border of Tintagel where it met Mercia. The villages were remote, which made it easy for Ruark to do this work. No one got involved until the tale of a young woman who escaped returned and pleaded for King Marche to intervene.

She told a horrific tale of unspeakable acts of men hurting children .Many things were so awful, that it was not fit to be repeated. Many turned a blind eye to slavery, before, but all agreed that no child should ever have to suffer at the hands of depraved men.

Isodole after hearing the tale, wanted to take action. She knew the best way to take Ruark down, was to masquerade as a slave. Tristan, her husband, objected at first, but reluctantly agreed to her plan.

The plan was simple. Get in the cart, set the women free, and slaughter the slavers. Tristan and his fighters were following them. They would attack while the number of women and children were small.

These hysterical women were putting a kink in her plan.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the cart stopped. The door was thrown open and a small figure was thrown inside. The women, six in number so far, looked at the newest victim. Before anyone could touch her, Isodole was there first. She gasped at the sight, the words of Alator returning to her.

"When you find the fallen woman, bring her back with you,"

Isodole wondered what he was talking about until now.

The woman was small, with toffee colored skin and a long brown braid. She was beautiful, the older woman noticed, and there was something about her demeanor, despite being unconscious, that was quite sad.

Instinct told her that this was the woman Alator, one of the priests of the Old Religion, wanted her to bring back.

The woman's eyes fluttered, and slowly they opened. Panic filled the young woman's eyes as she tried to see in the dark.

"Wh-Where am I?" Her voice whispered.

"You are in the possession of Ruark, the slaver," Isodole answered. Her pronouncement made the woman shrink even smaller into herself. Isodole continued the cart finally quiet so that all of the women could hear her words, "We aren't staying here."

"You can't mean escape," an older woman cried. "They threatened to-to"

"Harm us," another woman said quietly.

"The king wants to put a stop to this," Isodole said. "Listen, there are people following us who will to help us. We must move quickly before anymore are taken." Reaching into the false bottom of her boot, the woman pulled out a knife. "Give me your hands," she instructed. After removing the ties from the six women, she gently cut away the ropes of the small woman who'd recently joined them. Taking a closer look, Isodole noticed that the woman was unharmed physically. Inwardly she sighed with relief. Waving the other women to her, Isodole outlined the plan.

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Tristan looked on with satisfaction as the last woman was returned to her village. Ruark was defeated. The plan went off without a hitch. Now that part of Tintagel was safe. His uncle, King Marche beefed up his soldiers along that area to ensure such events would not continue.

Tristan looked at his wife. She was on another horse, with another woman riding with her. He had been more than a little surprised that Isodole insisted on bringing her back to Cornwall, their home.

Her reply was that Alator said they were supposed to. Tristan then nodded, knowing that Alator had a reason for such a request. Looking at the quiet woman, he wondered at first if she could speak, but when she softly answered "Gwen", he realized she was just still a bit drugged from what was given to her by Ruark's men. When they invited her to join them, she nodded and followed them. The older man frowned. He'd heard rumors of the women being drugged to make them more pliant and accepting, but seeing it was something startling.

Gwen appeared wooden. Her eyes were dull and flat, and she did everything she was told. Whatever they used took her resistance away. He hoped the effects would leave her body soon.

Soon they were at Cornwall.

Once they had gotten inside, he took the young woman to Alator. Alator looked at her shrewdly and nodded to himself. Reaching around he produced a vial. Handing it to Gwen who was seated on a cot, he said "Drink my lady."

Gwen drank it without question. Soon her eyelids fluttered and she fell asleep on the cot. Tristan and his wife looked at the healer, their slightly raised brows giving away their surprise.

"What I gave her will remove the lingering effects of the drug. When she wakes, she will feel much better."

Tristan and Isodole nodded, and rising, they headed to their room.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated! Last week's epi…I have no words. But it inspired me to write this.