Chapter 10 – Tristan's POV
Shit, I thought to myself, shit, shit, shit! I could see Carrie staring daggers at Arthur from the corner of my eye. No-one had said more than a word since we had left the entrance of the Great Hall and even then it had only been a few words.
"Do you have any idea were Lady Alex would be?" Arthur questioned as we reached the turning that lead to the training grounds looking at none of the woman in particular. The crowds have already gathered, I reasoned as the sound of voices increased with every step we took towards the training grounds.
"I'm surprised you feel safe enough to care where she may be," Carrie's snide comment cut through my musing and brought me back to the present situation, shit I thought once again, why couldn't Arthur think before he spoke at times? Shaking my head I continued walking trying to focus on what lay ahead.
After wakening to the sound of pounding on my door this morning with a message yelling that Arthur had called a meeting in the Great Hall I had had no time to wonder why had woke up alone in my bed instead of with Alex beside me.
"Won't it worry you if you start to care too much about us?" It was Sarah who spoke up, a flinch ran across Arthur's face before he answered.
"You must try and understand..." Arthur's reasoning tone was cut off by a shocked cry from Tania.
"Alex?" At the name my eyes shot up looking for the person it belonged to. "What are you doing?" Tania further questioned as we watched Alex swing the sword at her side over her head and forward, following movements that seemed all too familiar to her.
Snorting Alex answered in a cold detached tone, "Preparing," She never looked up from the point she was focusing on as she spoke. "Haven't they told you yet?" Her eyes flicked up when no answer came, "I'll take your silence as a no then," Her chuckle was void of emotion, "Today they test us to see how good our training is, and look they even drew in a crowd for us."
"What?" Sarah cried spinning towards Gawain as she started to back away, hurt obvious in her face.
"It's not what you think..." Gawain tried to stutter out before he was interrupted.
"Leave it," Carrie said over her shoulder as she started to walk towards Alex. "They want to see how well we've been trained let them, but understand this," She spoke as she turned towards us looking straight at Arthur, picking up a sword and undoing a dagger from her leg. "You will never need to worry about us when we are on the battlefield and your little speech earlier just gave us more reason not to get close to any of you." As Carrie finished her speech, her mask firmly in place Sarah, Tania and Beth walked towards her collecting their weapons from the table in front of her.
"You sharpen these Alex?" I heard Sarah call as she ran her finger along the blade of the sword she held.
"You think I'm going to lift your weapons, lay them out all pretty for you and leave them blunt?" The sarcasm Alex's voice held made Sarah and Tania chuckle.
"So what do we do?" Galahad spoke, never taking his eyes of Tania who seemed to be testing the balance of her sword.
"We fight," I spoke, the first words since I had left the Great Hall. "They're angry, let them fight and see if it helps calm them down."
"Good logic," Lancelot spoke up, "But which one of us is going to fight which one of them."
"Fight the one you have become close to," It was Arthur who answered and seeing are confused glances her continued, "That way you'll be able to see how well of a fighter your woman is, you'll learn that you don't have to fear for them in battle if you know their skill."
Keeping Arthur's words in my mind I walked forward to stand beside Lancelot who stood facing Carrie, both stood prepared for a fight. As I looked up I saw as Alex rolled her shoulders back before lifting her tunic up over her head to leave her in just her binding. Murmurs from the crowd grew loud at her action, mine! The possessive thought flooded my mind; they shouldn't be allowed to see her like this, only I should. Shaking my head I tried to rid my mind of my sudden thoughts and regain my focus on the fight ahead. Slowly Alex turned picking up her sword in the process, rotating it with a flick of her wrist before finally facing me.
"Rome might have taken our freedom but they taught us how to fight well," Carrie spoke after she had looked up and down the row checking that the rest of her knights were ready, receiving a nod from each one of the woman she continued. "So in your own time men," If anyone else had heard her speak, other than myself and my brothers, they would never have guessed that Carrie held resentment to us as her voice held no emotion.
Lancelot was the first to move towards the woman's line and soon after him and Carrie were locked in a heated battle, his twin swords struck passionately as Carrie's sword and dagger gave as good as she got. Shortly after Lancelot and Carrie's start Sarah, Tania, Galahad and Gawain became immersed in their own fights while Beth and Dag began to circle each other, which left only Alex and myself still in our original positions.
Flexing my sword I advanced on where Alex stood. React, I pleaded in my mind as I neared striking distance, yet Alex stood as still stone. It was only as I drew my sword back to swing at her did she react in the smallest of actions, a gleam in her eye give away her enjoyment for the fight to come. As my sword swung forward it met with hers, blocking my cut towards a weak spot I noticed and starting a back and forward game of defence and attack strikes.
"We can continue this all day pretty boy," Alex purred out with a huff as she caught a blow dealt by me with her sword, "Or we can do this properly and see who truly is better."
"You will not be able to keep up with me girl," I spoke, my voice to coming out slightly staggered.
"Don't be too sure of that," She answered glaring at me for calling her girl.
Our actions began to speed up, the clang of our swords increased causing the others who had began to end their own fights to slow further and look up at us. I watched as a wince twitched across Alex's face as her shoulder absorbed the shock from a high dealt blow. She can't continue like this, my mind hissed to me as I saw the pain in her eyes as she absorbed another blow. It was only after I heard a hiss escape from Alex's parted lips did I make my decision to loosen my hold around my blade.
"No," Alex called as she watched as my blade fall from my hand.
"Clearly you are the better fighter," I spoke tipping my head. Throwing her sword to the ground I watched as Alex came towards me, once again I saw hate for me flame in her eyes.
"No I am not as you truly have not fought me," She spoke with venom as she grabbed fistfuls of my tunic pulling down to her height. "Until you fight me properly we do not know who the better fighter out of us is," Her eyes blazed as she spoke to me. "This is not finished," She called as she stormed away from me for the second time today, something I was tiring of happening.
"Did you really need to rile her further?" It was Tania who spoke, shocking me as I assumed it would have been Carrie to question my actions towards Alex. "She normally calms down after a fight but you seem to be the only person with a skill for enraging Alex when no-one else can."
A glare was the only response Tania received from me as I shoved passed the crowd that hadn't yet dispersed from the entrance of the training ground and headed towards the stable, getting away from everything and going for a ride would clear my head, getting closer to Alex would clear things even better my mind countered. Growling to myself I sped up, the faster I get away for here the better I forced myself to believe as I roughly threw my saddle onto my horse.
"And where do you think you're going?" Lancelot's flirtatious voice called from the entrance of the stables.
"Away," I spoke without looking away from my horse.
"Well unfortunately you can't," He continued with a chuckle, "As our services are required later today, so by Arthur's orders you are not permitted to go running off to go hide in the forest." As he came to the end of his sentence I watched as his lips began to curl up in a sly smile as I felt my brows furrow in anger.
"Why am I so desperately needed? Can't the rest of you just handle it?"
"It is Lady Elhanan's wedding later today and she has requested, through Arthur of course, that his knightsaccompany her knights to it." Chuckling Lancelot shock his head before continuing, "You should see the last order she placed on her knights, you'll enjoy it." The twinkle in his eyes made me worry, "Oh and for god's sake man clean yourself up a bit, it is a wedding after all," He called as he rounded the corner of the stables.
Throwing my saddle to the ground I cursed, why? Why, am I not allowed to escape from temptation? I should be focusing on my duty to Roman rather than woman! I groaned to myself as my thoughts continued to fly through my head. After I finished tidying away everything on the stables I went to the bath house to tidy myself up, it's the least I can do, I thought to myself.
Returning to my rooms I dressed in a pair of fresh leather breaches and a clean tunic in an attempt to look presentable. It was just as I buckled my belt and scabbard around my waist was I interrupted by knocking on my door, as I threw it open I was met by Gawain.
"We're all meeting in the Great Hall now, are you coming?" Nodding I checked to see if I had everything I needed I closed the door to my rooms and followed Gawain down to the Great Hall in silence.
As we entered the Great Hall I stopped short, why goddess do you hate me? My mind spoke as I saw Carrie, Alex, Tania, Sarah and Beth standing around the edge of the round table in ankle length Roman style dresses. Lancelot was right; I did like Lady Elhanan's last order, too much probably. My eyes were drawn to Alex instantly, the back of her dress dipped low enough to reveal the tips of the whip marks spread across her back, the crisscross patterns seem to glow in the candle light of the Great Hall. It was only as she bent down did my mind start filtering in the real world, catching the conversation that was happening between Alex and Tania.
"I know we promised Elhanan that we would wear these orders," Tania's face screwed up in distaste as she fiddled with the edging of her dress. "But where am I supposed to put a blade?"
"You got to be creative," Alex chuckled as she lifted the bottom of her dress till it reached the top of her thigh. She continued to talk with Tania but my mind drew blank, all my focus was solely on the sight of Alex's toned, milky thigh being revealed. As I watched Alex continued to tie a strap of leather around her thigh, securing a dagger in place I couldn't stop myself from imagining that thigh wrapped tight around my waste. Shit, I thought again for what seemed the a hundredth time today, hiding in the forest would have been such a better idea than living through this torture, seeing but not allowed to touch.
Hope you enjoy, sorry for the wait just school getting back in action gave me more work to do. xo