-1

Ayla and Katarina

King Arthur doesn't belong to me, sad day. Insert sad face

Oh, and you know who you are, (person I wrote this for), I hope this chapter makes you feel better.

&&&&&

REVIEW:

Neo put his arms down and turned to them, "If you think that you can best me in a fight then try to, but for a short time you will leave Ayla alone. As for me I am going to pay my respects to Beon."

&&&&&

The next few months passed in relative peace. Ayla could now be free of her sling but she was still bouncing between Solin and Tristan. Neo however came to her rescue on several occasions and despite her better judgment Neo became almost like an older brother or father, and not only to her but to Katarina as well. Katarina and Lancelot grew closer together, and Katarina had noticed that Lancelot was not as demanding as before which she knew could be accredited to Ayla's words. Katarina knew about the choice Ayla had been struggling with almost since the day that they had arrived, and she did not envy Ayla. Katarina could tell that one of the few times that Ayla was calm was when she had a flag in her hand, and because of that the moment that she was well enough Katarina drug her in front of the crowds and they performed together. They wrote their own short routines and the popularity of their mini-shows had become great enough that they had acquired a healthy amount of money. This had led to Katarina to wanting to get the two bedroom house that she had found, but Ayla always, for some odd reason, always had a reason to stay another few days until Katarina had finally let it drop. Weeks began to pass by them at an alarming rate and Katarina saw the change in her friend as Ayla began leaning towards Tristan. Katarina was walking on the wall one night alone because she and Lancelot had gotten into an argument, and she could not find Ayla. She past Neo who saw that she was upset and Katarina vented her frustrations to him, and since then Katarina knew she could trust Neo with any secret. Neo was not the kind of man that would never betray her trust, and since that night it had become a tradition. Katarina and Neo were taking one of their walks along the wall when Kat brought up the subject of Ayla, "I think that she'll end up with Tristan, but it will be awhile before anything happens because she's gunna be afraid of hurting Solin's feelings."

"Ayla is a very compassionate person, as are you." said Neo.

"Thanks, but it is as useful as a Roman soldier in war sometimes." said Katarina.

Neo laughed loudly, "You have been around Bors and Lancelot far too much."

"Well with Ayla having to run almost every two seconds because of Solin and Tristan, I haven't seen her in awhile." Katarina said.

"I will talk to them again." said Neo.

"Oh no don't worry about it Neo, I'm going to talk to them and I'm pretty sure they'll step back." said Katarina.

Neo bowed his head smiling, "Then I will leave it in your capable hands." They walked in a peaceful silence.

There was a loud whistling sound and Katarina tilted her head to the side to get a better hearing of the noise, "Wha…" The air was knocked out of her as Neo dove on top of her and rolled back against the wall. As she regained her breath she heard a clatter and saw a thin piece of wood bounce and roll to a stop at her feet, it was an arrow. She turned to face Neo and just as she did he was snapping an arrow that was protruding from his arm. His face was a mask but he flinched as the arrow snapped in half leaving a smaller piece sticking out.

"Crawl against the wall, do not stand, do not look behind, and do not try to come back." ordered Neo.

Katarina knew that the fun and friendly Neo was gone for now as the soldier in him took over, "Go!" Katarina did as she was told and scrambled away as fast as she could, but after a few moments she did what Neo had told her not to do and she looked over her shoulder. Neo had a short sword in his hand and when an arm appeared he cut it off. Katarina felt herself gag but the months of seeing the knights return bloody and wounded had strengthened her resolve. It had strengthened her resolve enough to go back the way that she came.

Neo saw her next to him as he stabbed another arm, "I told you to go back." "Hey you told me to do three different things buster, you're lucky I even did one of 'em." said Katarina punching a hand creeping over the side.

"Go back." he gritted through his teeth.

"Are you coming?" asked Katarina.

"No."

"Then you're stuck with me, come on." Katarina half-pulled, and half-drug Neo backwards for awhile before he began to comply. A painted Woad started climbing up the wall so Katarina took off her shoe and hurled it at the Woad making contact with his head, and therein knocking him off balance. Katarina put a hand behind her but it met air and she fell on her back.

Katarina turned her head to see that they had reached stairs, "Hurry Neo we have to go warn everyone." The two got up and scrambled down the stairs and as soon as their feet touched the ground they took off running.

"You go on and warn Arthur and the others in the house, I will look after those in the city." said Neo as they ran.

"I will." agreed Katarina.

"Be careful." warned Neo as he turned down a different pathway then Katarina had to take. Katarina got to the house but word seemed to have spread like wildfire because several of the knights were emerging in full battle gear. Katarina gaped like a fish out of water that they were ready when she hadn't even told them yet.

Lancelot nodded at her reading her expression, "There are faster paths that you have not seen yet. Get in the house, find Ayla, and hide."

"You've taught me how to fight with a sword." protested Katarina.

"I know but you are not yet ready for combat, now go." ordered Lancelot as he went to catch up with his brother-in-arms. Katarina for once did what she was told to do and went to her room where she thought that Ayla would be, but she wasn't there. Katarina ran and checked in the kitchen, and in the great hall but Ayla was in neither of those places which caused Kat's stomach to flop nervously. Katarina took a deep breath and ran back outside and to the stables. Katarina ran into the stables to find her friend almost at the top of a stack of hay. A Woad was looking up at her with a snarl but he was forced to jump back when Ayla kicked a chunk of hay on him. Katarina grabbed a pitch fork and snuck up behind the Woad, surprising him with a jab into his back end. He yelled and turned around only to get the handle of the pitchfork slammed into his face knocking him out cold.

Ayla climbed down and walked to her friend, "That's why you don't piss off a guard girl."

"Yea I know now come on we've got to get back in the house." said Katarina pulling on her friend's arm.

"But we can't just hide like nothing is going on people need our help." said Ayla.

"I know Ayla but you haven't learned how to use a sword and Lancelot hasn't been teaching me long enough for me to do much good either." said Katarina.

Ayla cursed kicking the ground, "I hate it when you are right."

"Well you must feel hate pretty often then, now come on." said Katarina.

The two women snuck out of the stables and were almost to the courtyard of the house when Ayla grabbed her friend's arm, "Kat!" Katarina look to where Ayla was pointing and her breath hitched in her throat. A Woad was on a horse that was coming barreling down the street right at a young baby girl that did not know what was going on. Katarina took a few bounding leaps and scooped the child up in her arms and fell on her back to avoid the Wood's sword. The young baby was upset at the fall and began wailing only adding to the other cries of fear, pain, and victory that could be heard all over the small fort.

Ayla took the child from Katarina and helped her friend up with her other hand, "Now we can go inside."

"I second that." said Katarina. The two women scrambled back into the house and went to their room hoping that everyone would be ok.

&&&&&

It was late in the afternoon before any sense of order was restored to the fort. The casualties from the attack were, the death of two knights Hadian, and Markos, several of the people of the small fort had also been killed, even more were injured, and almost the entire fort was in shambles. Katarina and Ayla met with the others in the great hall. Katarina immediately went and stood next to Lancelot making sure that none of the blood on him was his. Arthur glanced at Neo and then stood, "I think that the safest way to proceed is to make a sweep of the fort and make sure that everyone in the town is safe. With the exception of Neo, break into groups of two or three and go through the town." Arthur looked to Neo who gave a small barely noticeable nod, at which Arthur turned to the other knights nodding his head as a dismissal.

Ayla saw the broken arrow shaft protruding from Neo arm, "Oh my gosh Neo, are you alright?"

"I have had better days." he said grinning as Arthur helped him from his chair.

"You need a healer." said Ayla.

"No shit Sherlock." muttered Katarina.

Ayla punched Katarina in the arm, "Stop being such a goof off."

"Can you heal the injury?" asked Arthur.

"I've never had to do something that bad before." said Ayla shaking her head.

Katarina shook her head also, "Yea and I don't have the first clue about pulling arrows from people's arms."

Arthur nodded, "You know where to take him, I will go get the healer." Arthur left the room and Neo was determined to walk on his own but Ayla and Katarina walked on either side of him just in case he needed the help. When they got to the room they only had to wait a few minutes before Arthur came in with an old woman.

As the woman went to work healing Neo, Katarina and Ayla pulled Arthur aside, "Where's Vanora's mother?"

Arthur shook his head, "She was killed in the attack."

"Then we'll be back someone's got to find Vanora." said Katarina.

Arthur shook his head, "Bors is with her."

"Now what do we do?" asked Ayla.

"Pray." Arthur answered.

"I'm going to check on the baby and make sure she's still asleep." said Katarina leaving.

"Baby?"

"We were going into the house, but a baby was about the be run over by a Woad on a horse so Katarina saved her." explained Ayla.

"Do you know who the mother is?" asked Arthur.

"We don't have any clue, but I think later today or maybe tomorrow Katarina and I are going to ask around and try to find her parents." said Ayla.

"Do you need me to send someone to help you?"

"No that's ok I think we can handle it 'sides there are more important things that the knights need to do right now." said Ayla.

Arthur nodded, "Then you should go, let me know if you need any help."

"I will, thanks Arthur." said Ayla leaving the room. Ayla walked into her room to see Katarina walking around with the baby girl rocking side to side as she walked around the room.

"Hey I was think that we can't keep calling her baby or girl, I think we should name her." said Katarina upon seeing her friend.

"She probably already has one and it isn't like we get to keep her." said Ayla.

"I know but still, what about Addy?" asked Katarina.

"I like that name." said Ayla.

"Well until we find her parents her name is Addy." said Katarina.

"Is she asleep?" asked Ayla.

"No just as she starts dozing off then decides that she doesn't want to sleep. I was thinking she might be hungry, but I've got no idea what to give her." said Katarina.

"Let's go see if there is anything in the kitchen." said Ayla.

Another two blissful days past, "Kat we have to go and look."

"I know but we can't take her with us, she's just now taking a nap." protested Kat in a whisper.

"I know but we can't leave her here alone." whispered Ayla.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, "Who is it?"

"Lancelot, Solin, and Tristan." called Lancelot's voice. A grin slowly crawled across Katarina's face and she looked at Ayla.

Ayla started at her friend for a moment and began shaking her head, "No, there is no way, you can't talk me into it."

"Come on now, they are three almost grown men." whispered Katarina walking to the door.

"That's my point exactly, they don't know how to handle a baby much less a baby girl for that matter." argued Ayla.

Katarina opened the door for the three knights, "Come in but be quiet Addy's asleep."

"You still have not found her parents?" asked Lancelot whispering.

"No but its on that subject that I need a favor from the three of you." mentioned Katarina.

"What is it that you require?" asked Tristan.

"We need you to watch Addy for awhile so we can go look around for her parents some more." Katarina said quietly then she read the looks on their faces, "She's just a baby and she's asleep I think you are able enough to watch her." Lancelot went and stood by the bed and looked down at Addy who had pillows on either side of her in case she started rolling.

Lancelot shrugged, "She does not look like she can be a problem."

"Everything that can go wrong will." muttered Ayla.

"Well we'll be back in a couple of hours and if we are lucky then we'll be back sooner." said Katarina pulling Ayla out of the room. The other two knights stood next to Lancelot who looked down at the child smiling, "It is cute." If Katarina and Ayla knew what troubles lay in store for the three knights they would never have left the room. The men had settled in a corner and were talking about the Woad attack two days ago when they became too loud and woke Addy up. The three knights jumped to their feet and drew their swords expecting something to be harming the baby but when they walked over Addy was flailing her arms and legs crying.

"What do we do?" asked Solin.

"I don't know pick it up." suggested Tristan cringing at the cries.

Lancelot jumped back, "I'm not touching it." Tristan and Solin looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time meanwhile Addy's cries grew louder.

Lancelot chanced a quick look, "What's wrong with her?"

There was a knock on the door, "Katarina, Ayla is everything alright?" Lancelot opened the door for his commander who flinched at the baby's cries.

"What did you do?" asked Arthur.

"We don't know but she won't stop crying." said Tristan with a flinch as Addy's cries grew. Arthur stood next to the bed and gently poked one of Addy's arms when that did nothing Arthur tried to push down one of her arms so they weren't flying about wildly. Addy did not take well to this and if it were possible cried even louder.

The knights covered their ears, "What did you do?"

"You made it worse!"

"Gods in heaven shut it up!" Arthur plopped to his knees with one of his arms hitting the bed for a second Addy stopped. The knights peeled their hands away from their ears but covered them right back up as Addy's wailing resumed.

"What did you do?" asked Lancelot.

"I don't know!"

Lancelot grabbed his commander by the shoulders and shook him a couple of times, "Remember!" Arthur's bed hit the bed and Addy stopped her crying. The knights finally caught on and they gently bounced the bed. Addy's crying slowed to a few hiccups which into giggles the four knights had never looked so relieved in their lives. After a long time of bouncing the bed the knights became tired and the bouncing slowed as Addy's crying picked up. They tried bouncing the bed but it wasn't working anymore. The knights began to panic again since they had no other ideas of what to do.

"We have to pick it up." said Tristan. They spent a few minutes arguing and Lancelot was the one deemed with the task of picking Addy up. Once Lancelot got her in his arms she settled down again and Addy became fascinated with his curly hair.

A few good tugs later and Lancelot was side stepping from foot to foot, "Get her off of me! Someone take her! Get her off!" Arthur came to his friend's aide and took Addy away holding her at arms length.

The other three knights came and stood behind Arthur looking at Addy, "How is something so small, so loud?"

"I don't care to ever find out." said Arthur scrunching up his nose, "Do you smell that?"

The other knights sniffed and looked at each other accusingly but then the looks where on the baby in Arthur's hands. "I won't do it." said Lancelot jumping back.

"As your commander I…" began Arthur.

Lancelot cut him off, "I do not care if you are the Pope I refuse."

Arthur turned to the other two, "It cannot be that hard."

Tristan and Solin both stepped back shaking their head, "No."

"Then you do it." Arthur walked to the bed and lay Addy down then took off her diaper that Katarina and Ayla had put on her.

"Now what?" asked Arthur looking around to his fellow knights.

"Shouldn't we clean it and replace the cloth?" asked Solin.

"Good idea but where is the cloth that we should use?" asked Arthur looking around again. Between the four men they found the cloth and were able to messily put a diaper on Addy. Addy became fussy again and the knights looked utterly lost.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Arthur.

"What?"

"She's probably hungry." answered Arthur.

"Hopefully there is a kitchen maid that will know what to do." said Tristan as the four walked out of the room. They got to the kitchen and a maid gave them some mashed up fruit to feed her. Lancelot held Addy in his lap while Arthur attempted to feed her. Addy would take a bite and then gurgle it back up getting all over the front of her shirt.

"Let me try." said Tristan after several failed attempts. Addy however had turned it into a game and smacked the spoon in Tristan's hand before he could move it causing the fruit to fly into his and Lancelot's face. Solin decided to try his luck and Addy finally began eating. The others relaxed and Solin smiled after Addy had already eaten quite a bit and tickled her stomach. Addy began laughing and some of the fruit came back up and splattered all over Solin's hand. After the food ordeal was finally over they took Addy back to Katarina and Ayla's room where she peacefully fell asleep. The frustrated and tired knights plopped down when a few moments later Katarina and Ayla walked in.

"Hey guys, how was it?" asked Ayla.

"Yea did she wake up?" asked Katarina.

&&&&

So what do you guys think? I hope that you are enjoying the story! Feedback is always appreciated.