As always, thanks to my beta, Homeric, who makes this story better then it would be. Now to thank the people who had originally reviewed for chapter two. Thank you Scottishgal12, HopelessRomantic44, shariena, and Hope and Love. Your reviews mean a lot to me! And reviewers, if you don't want your names here just say so! No big deal.

Chapter Three

Unhealed Bruises

I watched the sun fall beyond the horizon, doubting I would live to see it again. If Marius was capable of letting people suffer needlessly he was certainly capable of killing me and calling it an accident. My best prospects at the moment the sun disappeared, was that nothing worse then a bad beating came to me. So, I sat alone in the dark with my worry growing as each second ticked by.

A bang on the wooden door echoed through my room. I looked up as Marius, along with a guard, stepped in the room. Freezing, I refused to acknowledge the only man that was able to give an order to lock guests in rooms. In place of a polite greeting he earned a sour smile.

He brushed my expression off - I assumed he was used to it by then. "I do hope you've forgotten about last night's incident," he hissed in my ear. I nodded because all I wanted at that point in time was the easiest way out. "Well, I'm sure that's a lie. You saw what you shouldn't have seen. You meddled in things that you cannot understand."

His hand came out of no where and was brought down onto my face, sending me tumbling from my bed to the hard, stone floor. I scrambled away towards the wall, afraid to be hit again. A movement by the door caught my eye, but all I saw was Aethel's mess of hair retreating.

I kept my face masked as words continued to come from his mouth. "Caelia, you knew you weren't supposed to go near those rooms. They are no place for a lady. I do hope you won't lie to me again.." He stood and looked down at me. He gave a grunt of disgust before a sharp kick to the stomach accompanied it. I cried out, for this was the first time I had been forced to endure physical abuse of any kind.

Marius left, slamming the door behind him, and curling up I tried to regain my breath. I watched the moon rise, casting its light into my room through an open window, but I didn't move from my spot. It seemed to me that I didn't have a thing to live for anymore. That's when a light knock sounded on my door along with the soft voice of Aethel.

"Milady?" she questioned.

"Y-yes?" My response was hoarse from lack of water. All I heard for a few seconds was the rustling and clinking of keys and metal tools. The door creaked open and only a sliver of light shone from a waning candle.

She looked down at me in shock when the light reached me. After looking me over briefly to make sure that I was not too badly hurt, she gave me a hesitant smile. "We have to go," she whispered. Swiftly packing my most needed items in a plain looking bag, she pulled me to my feet. Aethel checked that the corridor was unguarded before escorting me down to the barns.

"We cannot leave tonight. The guards are alert for some reason," is what she whispered in my ear. "You'll have to hide in the hayloft tonight. Do not venture out. I placed water and other necessities there. Go."

I threw my arms around her in a quick embrace before scurrying away.

The light of a new dawn awoke me the following day. I stayed quiet, hidden beneath a mound of hay and watched the snow falling in soft layers through a very small window. A lone bird rose up into the wintry air. I longed to be that bird, to be free from this hiding place, free from Marius and free from the crushing rules of Roman society.

Aethel soon came up into the loft with a bowl in her hand. I drank down the soup hungrily as she spoke. "There are some visitors that are close to the estate now." She motioned for me to move. "Quickly, now."

My maid was the first down the loft's ladder and I followed close behind her. She readied a healthy looking horse. "Let me say goodbye to Alecto and Fulcinia, please!" I begged. "They are the only two people who have ever been like family to me!"

Aethel finally gave in with my assurance that I would be back shortly. I hurried along and kept close to the shadows. Spotting Alecto and Fulcinia standing on a walkway above the gate, I moved towards him while pulling my dark grey hood more over my face.

"Alecto, Fulcinia," I whispered. They looked surprised to see me.

Alecto said questioningly, "Father said you had taken sick."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off by a guard yelling down to seven men on horseback. "Who are you?" The guard asked gruffly.

"I am Arthur Castus," The man at the head of the riders replied. "Commander of the Sarmatian Knights sent by Bishop Germanius of Rome. Open the gate."

The guards complied with Arthur's command. Marius, who had obviously heard the commotion, came out first saying, "It is a wonder you have come. Good Jesus. Arthur and his knights." He paused for a second reaching out towards a white horse who's rider quickly moved him away. "You have fought the Woads. Vile creatures."

"Our orders are to evacuate you immediately," the knight's leader said. The villagers were walking towards them all now. Their clothes were torn, dirty and most too large.

Marius looked around, a look of shock visible on his face. "But that… That is impossible."

"Which is Alecto?" Arthur spoke again.

"I am Alecto!" my cousin's voice came from beside me. I was standing between Fulcinia and Alecto. Looking down, I hoped not to be seen by Marius. Arthur and his knights looked up towards the young Roman.

"Alecto is my son," said Marius coldly. "And everything we have is here in the land given to us by the Pope of Rome."

Fulcinia took me by the arm and we briskly followed Alecto who had already started to go down the stone stairs. I stayed under the shadow of the arc in the wall while the other two ventured ahead.

"I refuse to leave," Marius hissed up towards the knights. They seemed to exchange rather dark looks before Marius yelled, "Go back to work! All of you!"

The guards that had accompanied the head of the estate outside of the safe walls did what he had commanded. They roughly pushed the weak serfs back. The leader of the knights dismounted and stepped closer to Marius. He himself turned, as if trying to get away.

Arthur said, looking down at Marius with a stare of contempt, "If I fail to bring you and your son back, my men can never leave this land. So you're coming with me if I have to tie you to my horse and drag you all the way to Hadrian's Wall myself. My lord." He turned to Fulcinia. "Lady, my knights are hungry."

Fulcinia put a hand on her husband's arm, a silent question for permission. He spoke one word to her, "Go." She turned and walked away with this while pulling her red hood to cover her hair. I too turned and scurried away, not wanting to be seen when Marius went to follow his wife.

Instead of going to help Fulcinia prepare food for the seven knights, I went to the barn where Aethel awaited my return. "Aethel, leave the horse. We won't need it," were the few words I spoke to her before explaining the unusually lucky situation we were now in.

My maid started to unpack the mare she had saddled, as I grabbed my bags and headed out of the gates. I longed for my furs and the warmth of Rome as a mix of snow and wind blew down upon me. Wondering if my bow would be in the place I had dropped it the night before, I headed to the spot. It laid there, hidden in the grass and snow. I strode towards it, but a knight reached my bow before me. He had dark wavy hair and two tattoos marking each cheekbone. He held it in his hand and looked around at everyone.

I resisted moving towards him and wrenching the bow from his hand. My father had had it handmade just for me. I winced as he turned on his heel and walked away with it still in hand. I stood around uselessly until Aethel appeared at my side. We talked quietly for a few minutes before The commander, Arthur, gave the order to stop the sealing up of what I knew to be the black dungeon.

He had drawn his sword and now was walking towards the dirty monks walling up the wooden door that stood on its threshold. The three guards supervising moved to stop him. Arthur glared and spoke lowly, sword held at throat level, "Move." They hesitated. "Move," he said it forcefully this time, making the guards move. By this time all seven of his men had surrounded the building and all were on horseback.

I walked closer to the scene, wanting to see what was about to happen. "What is this?" Arthur now said.

A monk with dark hair responded, "You cannot go in there. No one goes in there. This place is forbidden." Arthur merely pushed the two monks that had been working aside with the flat of his blade.

Marius soon arrived at the building. "What are you doing?" he cried. "Stop this!" One of the bald knights on horseback, with his sword drawn, stopped Marius.

"Arthur, we have no time," said another knight with two swords strapped to his back.

"Do you not hear the drums?" Interjected another.

Arthur only said the name, "Dagonet," before a burly looking man dismounted and strode over to the barricaded entrance with an axe in his hand. I watched in awe as he made the rocks tumble down as if they were nothing but fluff.

"Key," the leader spoke.

"It is locked," a guard with a heavy accent responded. "From the inside.."

A mere nod to Dagonet from Arthur sent him kicking the door down in an instant. I watched as Arthur pulled the torch from the bracket hanging next to the door and ventured inside with Dagonet, a blond knight who had shoved both monks in and then the other with two swords. I could barely restrain myself from going in there to help the knights.

A few minutes passed. While we waited for them to reappear again, Aethel whispered in my ear, "So these are the knights who Atella spoke of?" I nodded and smiled weakly at her. The drumming of the Saxons were moving closer, still. It would be a lie to say I wasn't terrified at that point.

The knight with the swords appeared first, dropping the lit torch into the growing piles of snow. Then Arthur, a woman in his arms, and then the big knight, Dagonet, with the child I had failed to protect less than a fortnight ago.

The Sarmatian knights' commander screamed something about water and was soon given some by another, cleaner and more important looking monk. He gave the girl in Arthur's arms a few sips, but she choked on it before coughing most of it up. Fulcinia was soon by her side and I followed her example by going to help the boy.

I held the boy up as Dagonet gave him the water he severely needed. The monk who had given the girl the water kneeled next to us and quietly said, "His arm is broken." A look of pity washed over his face. "And his family?" Dagonet only shook his head to that.

I put my hand on the boy's face. He was in there because of me. Looking down in shame, I pulled my hood down to cover my face from Marius's gaze.

The one who had taken my boy said loudly, "She's a Woad." Arthur only ignored this and offered her words of comfort, which Marius quickly ended.

"Stop what you are doing!" The head of the Honorius family demanded.

"What is this madness? They're all Pagans here!"

"So are we," a knight on a white horse interrupted.

"They refuse to do the task God has set for them! They must die… As an example!" Marius spoke as if he did not hear the words of the knight. I frowned at his words. No one deserved to die as an example. Especially one for God, he would never ask such a thing.

"You mean they refuse to be your serfs!" Yelled Arthur, his anger was clearly rising to a boiling point.

"You are a Roman. You understand. And you are a Christian," he paused before he turned to Fulcinia angrily. "You! You kept her alive!" Marius gave her a blow to the side of the head. My eyes widened as Arthur hit Marius. The blow sent Marius to the ground. The knight pulled his famous sword, Excalibur from the dirt where he had rested its blade. He held the point to the repulsive man's neck.

A soldier cried out, "My lord!"

Marius cried, "No! No, stop." The words stopped them from attacking the knights. "When we get to the wall you will be punished for this heresy."

"Perhaps I should kill you now and seal my fate," Arthur growled down at the man as he grabbed him by the cuff of his clothing and pulled his face closer to his. I watched intently. It was as if I almost wanted Arthur to end Marius life at that point, for he had caused so much suffering to all these people.

A monk tried to intervene. "I was willing to die with them. Yes, to lead them to their rightful place. It is God's wish that these sinners be sacrificed. Only then can their souls be saved."

"Then I shall grant his wish. Wall them back up," the leader looked around at them, dropping Marius back to the ground.

"Arthur." The man who had taken my bow spoke warningly, but was ignored by Arthur.

"I said wall them up!"

"Don't you see it's the will of God that these sinner's be sacrificed?" The monk told the commander. However, a few villagers grabbed him and the monks were forced into the putrid smelling chamber.

I watched silently as they walled the monk's back up. The beat of drums was nearing and fear was finally settling deep into my stomach.