A/N: A little bit of a shorter chapter here peeps. Read on fellow KA lovers! Enjoy!
Remember - REVIEWS are appreciated and translations are below!
VI.
'Maty, Maty!' she cried, her three-year old legs toddling as she raced the place where her mother sat on the chair outside their small hastily constructed house. 'Maty! Podivitʹsya, Shcho ya zroby!'
'Oy Kalyna!' her mother cooed, as she reached down and picked her up. 'Vy rozumnytsya!'
She held out the tiny horse figurine her daughter had made out of clay and horse hair and admired her baby's handiwork. 'Tviy batʹko bude lyubyty yoho, dytyna'
Kalyna smiled at her mothers praise, clambering up onto her lap and snuggling into her. 'Koly tato povernetʹsya?'
'Nezabarom moya lyuba, skoro' her mother whispered to her, before kissing her forehead, her eyes once again turning to the horizon.
Time fast-forward then. People were running and screaming. To her three year old mind, the figures on horseback appeared as monsters, their armour glinting in the dying light as they cut down people, woman man or child as they rode by. The horse hair they had embedded in their helmets flying out behind them.
'Otrymaty vseredyni!' her mother screamed at her as she pushed her inside the house. Unable to see as the tears fell from her eyes, Kalyna ran into the wall, hitting her head hard before everything went black and she succumbed to unconsciousness.
It was daybreak when Kalyna finally awoke. She could see the light filtering in the hut from the gaps in the roof above her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, crawled to the door and pushed it open. She could not understand why everyone was lying on the ground asleep.
'Materi!' she cried out, running as fast as her legs could carry her to the place where her mother was sleeping., trying to shake her awake 'Mumiya, Prokina!'
She shook her mother harder, but she would not wake up. Her face was white, her lips blue, and red stuff had dried on her throat and her child's mind could not understand why she would not wake up. 'Budʹ laska , mumiya, budʹ laska!' Kalyna began to cry 'Mumiya!', as she buried her face in the clothes that covered her mothers cold body.
Kalyna woke suddenly to the sound of heavy and urgent knocking on nearby doors, her breath catching in her throat. She could feel the path the tears had left on her cheeks, and quickly she wiped them away with her cold fingers.
The dream was still fresh in her memory. The events of the day she had lost her first family were as clear to her as if it were yesterday that they had died, not 18 years earlier. It was ironic that she should dream of that day, the night the last remaining member of her second family had been murdered. The knocking continued and she heard voices yelling at each other in the hallway.
Kalyna grabbed her small dagger from under her pillow and raced to the door, pulling it open. Galahad and Gawain stood in the hall, Gawain dressed in armour and Galahad wearing only a pair of breeches. Gawain glanced at her, nodding at her in recognition before hastily walking out the door.
Galahad turned to her, his eyes worried 'What is wrong?' she asked.
'Saxons' he replied 'South East of here. We have reports that they are heading for a small village.'
Kalyna's lips pulled back in a savage snarl. 'I am coming with you' she held up her hand to stop his protests 'Do not try and sway me. I am coming. You should know the women of our people fight with the men. Or have you been gone so long you have forgotten?'
He scowled at her before muttering something under his breath. 'What was that?' she asked innocently
'I said: Fine!' he replied 'But only if you are ready when I am.'
She nodded to him, asking 'Full armour or necessities?'
'Necessities' he said shortly, 'we need to get there quickly...I..uhhhh.'
Kalyna watched his face turn red as his eyes traveled down from hers before quickly looking away.
'You uhhhh, are not wearing much clothing' he croaked 'Kalyna.'
It was only then that she realised she had run into the hall wearing only the semi-transparent shift she wore to bed. Blushing furiously, she stammered 'I ahhhh...yes...I will see you there.', running back into her room, barely letting the red fade from her cheeks before striding to her trunk and pulling out all her armour and weapons. Anichka had given her the amour as a gift on her eighteenth birthday, and as she had not changed much in three years, it was still a good fit. Her adoptive mother had also given her the tattoo on her upper right arm (which was normally covered by her clothing) that marked her as a Sarmatian woman, and as a warrior.
Kalyna admired the fine workmanship that had gone into her suit for a moment, before dragging on a tunic and pulling the armour over her head, lacing it up at the sides. Her lamellar armour, as it would become known, featured small, vaguely rectangular plates of metal and/or leather that were sown and laced into horizontal rows, giving it the appearance of reptile skin. Not only was it an immense source of protection, but it also allowed more movement than regular chain mail.
Pulling on a pair of breeches and boots from her trunk, Kalyna strapped on her leg guards, and arm guards before taking a deep breath and fastening her knives and long sword around her waist and slinging her arrows and quiver over her back. Quickly re-plaiting her hair as she walked, she knocked once on Galahad's door as she passed by, before heading out to the stables.
When Kalyna entered the busy building, her mouth set in determination, no-one noticed her at first, all too busy with sharpening their own weapons talking and preparing for the ride. Sighing, she walked up to Jols who was busy saddling a dappled grey mare that stood next to Galahad's horse 'Jols, if you please, I need a horse.'
The man looked her up and down for a moment, his eyes wide. 'Where did you get that armour?' a deep voice spoke up from behind her.
When Kalyna turned to the sound, she met the gaze of Tristan, who stood at the entrance of the stables 'It is mine' she replied sharply 'Why do you ask?'
All the knights were looking at her now, expressions of shock, curiosity and something else in their eyes. Lancelot was the next to speak 'That cannot be your armour.'
Kalyna's eyes narrowed as she stared the man down 'And why 'cannot' it be' she asked stonily.
'Because that is Sarmatian armour' Tristan replied.
'And because you are a woman.' Lancelot added.
Kalyna glared at the both of them, drawing her sword and flexing her wrist, swinging the long sword in a arc at her side.
'Hold on 'ere a minute, tha' looks exactly li' Tristan's sword...' Bors voice came from a stall further down the line.
'I think, Sir Knights' she spat 'You should first remember your roots before you criticise what I do and do not decide to do. Every Sarmatian woman is raised to be a warrior. Or have you been gone so long that you have forgotten?'
Lancelot's eyes darkened in fury 'Do not speak of what you do not know!' he hissed.
'What makes you think I do not know Lancelot?' she countered.
'Sorry I'm late everyone, this buckle just would not tie, I think I may have to go down to the blacksmith later and get him to...fix...it...oh' Galahad stopped in front of a seething Lancelot. 'I am assuming I missed something.'
'Yes, it's most entertainment I've had in years Galahad!' Gawain piped up, 'Kalyna said that the armour she's wearing is her own, Lancelot said it couldn't be, Kalyna said it was, and Lancelot said it was not, now they're about to fight to the death!'
'Shut up Gawain!' Lancelot snarled at his friend, before turning and pointing to Kalyna 'You girl, are not coming! And that is final! Arthur would not allow it if he were here, and as he is not, I will not allow it.'
At that Kalyna simply raised her eyebrow and re-sheathed her sword 'You're wasting time,' she replied before mounting up onto the back of the grey mare and taking the reins from Jols. 'The Saxons could already be there by now!' she called over her shoulder to the bemused faces of the knights as she galloped down and out of the city.
It was ten minutes before the men caught up to her, and by then she had slowed her horse down into a leisurely canter, allowing her horse to rest a little. Lancelot, on his large, black stallion raced ahead of her, cutting in front to stop her path, his expression furious as he turned his mount to face her.
'Go BACK girl!' he roared 'You do not know what you are doing, you could get yourself killed!'
'I know exactly what I am doing' she yelled back, 'I have done it before!'
'Lancelot...' Galahad tried to interject but he was cut off as the man continued to bellow at Kalyna.
'You are a WOMAN! Go back home WOMAN! Durna suka!' he swore.
Kalyna snarled at the insult, speaking without thinking and automatically switching to Sarmation 'Brudna svynya! Tvoya mama bude soromno! Povertay tesya v sviy khliv i zalyshte mene v spokoi!' How dare he talk to her like that! The man did not even know her!
Savagely, she pushed her horse past him, galloping off down the road, leaving Galahad to glare at Lancelot who was looking rather stunned.
'Look what you've done!' Galahad said venomously 'If the Saxons kill her - it is your fault, and I will never forgive you.'
With that, he turned his horse and galloped after Kalyna, the other knights close behind, leaving Lancelot to reel over what had just happened.
Maty! Podivitʹsya, Shcho ya zroby: Mother! Look what I did!
Oy Kalyna! Vy rozumnytsya!: Oh Kalyna! You clever girl!
Tviy batʹko bude lyubyty yoho dytyna: Your father will love him.
Koly tato povernetʹsya?: When will daddy come back?
Nezabarom moya lyuba, skoro: Soon my dear, soon
Otrymaty vseredyni!: Get inside!
Materi!: Mother!
Mumiya, Prokina!: Mummy, wake up!
Budʹ laska mumiya, budʹ laska!: Please mummy, please!
Mumiya: Mummy
'Brudna svynya! Tvoya mama bude soromno!: Dirty pig! Your mother would be ashamed!
Povertay tesya v sviy khliv i zalyshte mene v spokoi!: Go back to your sty and leave me alone!
Yes there is a little swearing - I considered white-ing it out but I decided naaaahhhhhhh so there you go! :) Chapter 6.!