Chapter 10
The group has been traveling for several days now. Adena was ridding past the wagon holding Guinevere and Lucan, not looking in that direction. Her heart tightens as tears threaten to form. Quickly kicking Midnight's sides, Adena made sure to move as far from the wagon as she can. She soon slowed him and then dismounted, wanting the stallion to rest. Soon her thoughts begin to swirl all at once, not giving the woman any peace of mind.
'Here we go. I should have listened to Vanora.' Adena thought, wanting to urge and look back at the wagon. 'I knew what was to come if I ever been involved with one of these knights—especially Lancelot.'
With a sigh, Adena thinks back to when they left Marius' estate. So far Lancelot hasn't spoke to Guinevere or even come near the wagon. Could it be because she was there at that moment? She didn't know. The young woman was startled out of her thoughts as Midnight began to neigh and stomp his feet. Adena looked back to see one of the Roman's looking scared at the powerful stallion.
She raised an eyebrow at him, the mercenary quickly riding back to Marius. Adena sighed, taking Midnight's reins and continued walking once more. She would have to be careful. If it's not at the wall, it would be within the group that the danger would be around.
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Lancelot rode along side Arthur, who was looking at Guinevere, who was sitting against the wagon. Lancelot quickly looked away angry, ridding away. He didn't know why he felt angry or even jealous of Arthur for liking that Woad. And he knew that his best friend was intrigued of that beauty, despite all the dirt and grime she wore. His gaze then fell on the young woman who was petting the snout of her stallion.
Then something fluttered in his stomach as it tighten at the sight. Lancelot couldn't explain it; it was as thought seeing her for the first time. He was confused, that was certain, of the different emotions and feelings going through him.
Quickly dismounting, Lancelot walked up behind the woman, smirking mischievously. He leaned close and kissed her neck. Adena gasped, quickly turning in panic. She groaned, scolding at the man before slapping his arm in annoyance. Lancelot held his arm, a look of mock pain on his face. Adena only rolled her eyes, looking forward once more.
Suddenly she found herself pressed against a cold armor tightly, teeth chewing on her left ear lobe. Adena's breath was caught in her throat, tilting her head to the side to give him more access.
"I will only stop if you apologize." Lancelot muttered against her neck.
"Then I will never apologize." she replied breathlessly.
Lancelot growled against her skin, Adena feeling goose bumps rising in pleasure. Unbeknownst to the couple, a pair of blue eyes glared at them with hatred. The knight soon slowed his 'punishment' and merely held the young woman close to him, placing his chin on her head. He felt her shiver and so wrapped his cloak around her.
"Your armor is too hard." Adena whispered.
Lancelot smirked, leaning down to her ear. "If you like, you can take it off."
Adena blushed, looking back at the knight, who was grinning ear to ear. She was about to comment when Arthur rode up behind them. Arthur raised an eyebrow at them.
"Did I interrupt something?" he asked them as Lancelot looked back.
Adena shook her head as Lancelot told him yes. The young woman walked out of Lancelot's arms, guiding Midnight ahead of the two best friends. Lancelot glared at Arthur, who only smiled innocently. But he then got serious, looking down at his best friend.
"You better not hurt her, Lancelot, or you will have every knight on you. We know how you are with women—Adena knows how you are. One slip up and it is over, understand?"
Lancelot nodded, looking at the woman before them. "I have never felt like this, Arthur—and it scares me," he said in a whisper.
Arthur was taken back, but understood. All that the knight's knew was how to fight—except Bors who had Vanora and his kids—something like family and love was foreign to them as the day they first arrived on this forsaken island.
"Trust me when I say," Lancelot started, looking at Arthur. "That I would die before I hurt that woman."
Arthur saw the truth in his eyes and knew that his best friend has truly fallen for this woman. He gives his approval at the knight, who nods and quickly jogs over to the woman. Arthur never would have thought to see the day when Lancelot decides to choose only one woman.
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The next three days Lancelot has been with Adena the entire time. Not once had he ventured to the wagon holding Guinevere—at least not alone. Although the woman was happy, it also concerned her, wondering if it was changing because she was there. Looking next to her, Lancelot was looking ahead of them, deep in thought. She smiled with a frown, letting the reins go, turned to walk backwards, and placed a hand on his cheek.
The knight looks at her startled then smiles. Adena tilts her head to the side in question, Lancelot shaking his head. He lets his horse's reins go and grabs hold of her waist, smirking. Adena squeals in surprise before laughing in delight as Lancelot swung her around, her arms around his neck. The group around them smiled at the sight, glad that there was still some happiness within the group.
As Lancelot brought the woman down—a large smile on his face—someone cleared their throat before them. The two turned to see Galahad smirking at them, Adena blushing but smiling.
"We need to meet Arthur by the cliff."
Lancelot nodded, the younger knight ridding off. Adena sighed quietly, letting the knight go and grabbing Midnight's reins. Lancelot quickly mounts his mare, looking down at the woman.
"Come with me." he told her softly.
Adena looked at him before nodding and mounting her stallion. The couple rode over to the edge were the rest of the knight's waited for Arthur. Down below was a burnt down village that was now covered by snow, but you can still see all the dead bodies. This wreckage could only be resulted from Saxon's.
"Saxon's," Arthur says as he rides next to them, confirming their thoughts. "We'll sleep here. Take shelter in those trees." he told them, pointing towards the forest, "Tristan."
Tristan brings up his right forearm that his hawk sat upon. "You want to go out again?" he asks, tapping Irina's beak. "Yeah,"
The hawk flies off, her master ridding right behind. The group of knight's all separate, Arthur returning to the head of the group. Both Lancelot and Adena continued to stay where they were at, Adena quickly looking away in anguish at the poor villager's fate.
"Tis a beautiful country is it not?" Guinevere suddenly asks Lancelot.
Lancelot turns his head in surprise to see her talking to him. Adena looks over to her too, noting that the Woad princess was currently ignoring her.
"If you say so," Lancelot tells her with a shrug.
He didn't want to be interested in her, especially with Adena close by. But the younger woman didn't seem to mind, let alone that the Woad was talking to him. Or she would have said something, right?
"And where do you come from that compares?" with an audible sigh, Lancelot turns his horse to face her, "The Black Sea? This is heaven for me." she continues.
"I don't believe in heaven. I've been living in this hell." Lancelot tells her sternly, his face hard.
Adena looks away, knowing what line Lancelot was about to say. But she is surprise to not hear his pick up line being used. She looks over to her knight, who is looking right at her. She frowns in confusion, tilting her head in question. Lancelot merely smiles at her, his eyes lightening up, confusing the young woman even more. Guinevere sneered at the sight, her eyes darkening with both hatred and jealously.
Suddenly thunder could be heard, the couple looking up at the sky. Soon the rain falls hard alongside the snow. Adena smiles at Lancelot as he stretches out a hand up to feel the rain, closing his eyes. He then looks down at her, his eyebrows furrowed a bit in worry.
"Rain and snow at once; a bad omen." he tells her.
Adena looks at him sadly, knowing exactly what was now to come.
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—Night—
As the darkness of the night came, Adena walked towards the camp the knight's made a few ways from the villagers. Adena quickly looked around for Lancelot as she hasn't seen him since she started and finished helping several villagers.
"It is here, given to us by the Pope. These people, they send an army for us." Marius quietly tells his mercenaries, who looks with lust at Adena as she passes.
Adena shudders and looks at the fire in the middle of the knight's camp, wrapping her arms and her cloak tighter around her form. But before she can even think about sleeping, a pair of arms encircled around her waist.
"I know a very private river to wash in not too far from here." Lancelot whispered.
Adena blushed at the suggestion, but shook her head. "Despite you have seen me naked, I would rather bathe myself, sir."
Lancelot shrugged his shoulders. "I can always stand guard and help you dress."
Adena shook her head, blushing furiously. The knight chuckled, giving the young woman a quick kiss to her cheek.
"Come, I will show you to the river."
Placing a hand on the small of her back, Lancelot guided her through the trees. Adena noted that they were passing the wagon holding Fulcinia and Guinevere, the Roman woman washing the Woad. Guinevere turned and growled at the back of her throat at the couple, not able to believe her father's visions were not coming true.
Exactly who was that woman with the knight's? Her father's vision never mentioned a woman among these legendary men before, let alone involved with one of the knight's—her knight.
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The couple reached the still running river, Adena sighing in longing. "What I would give for a hot bath." she whispered.
Lancelot chuckled, hugging the cold woman closer. "We would be back at the fort in no time, I promise."
Nodding, Adena looks up at the knight, raising an eyebrow. He sighs in exasperation, turning around. Adena smiles and quickly undress. Not thinking twice, she walks up behind Lancelot and slowly wraps her arms around his waist. The knight turns in her arms, his eyes darkening with desire. Adena then starts to walk backwards, Lancelot following in a trance.
As she walked into the water, Lancelot began to undress as well, neither one of them losing eye contact. Adena went waist high in the cold water, wrapping her arms over her breast from both the cold and embarrassment. Lancelot soon walks into the water, noticing the woman shivering though she tried to hide it from him. Smiling softly, Lancelot wraps his arms around her, rubbing her back to warm her.
Adena shook her hair away from her face and looked up at the knight, who stares at her with so many emotions. Lancelot then leans down and slowly kisses her. Adena unfolds her arms and wraps them around his waist, her nails scratching him as she moved her hands upwards. Lancelot brought up a hand to her hair, moving her head back to grant access to her neck. He then took hold of her thighs, brining the woman up, Adena wrapping her legs around his waist.
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After dressing, both Lancelot and Adena walked back to the camp, hand in hand. The knight had a smile on his face as Adena blushed, smiling ghostly. Reaching the edge of the camp, Lancelot put down his armor by a tree, brought the woman close to him before sitting down on the ground. Adena sat between his legs, wrapping Lancelot's cloak around her. It was late and the large group was now asleep.
The young woman sighed contently as she felt the knight wrap his arms around her. Adena thought about what was to come in merely a few minutes as Guinevere passed by them only twenty feet away. She felt Lancelot tense as he saw Arthur walking after the Woad princess.
"He is going to be fine, I promise you." Adena whispered to him.
It took a few minutes but Lancelot relaxed behind her, nuzzling her neck. The young woman laughed lightly, shrugging from the knight.
"Your beard tickles." she told him shyly.
Lancelot smiled against her skin, pulling the right sleeve down to kiss her exposed shoulder.
"You are going to be the death of me." Lancelot muttered.
Adena pulled away from him, looking back at him sternly, "Don't you dare say that!"
Lancelot was taken aback by her tone of voice, never had he heard her so angry. Had it to do with something in her past? Did someone that had said the same thing to her before she came to Hadrian Wall die? Adena turned away and was about to get up when the knight tightened his hold on her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Adena sighed, looking back at him. "No, I am. I should have not snapped like that."
Smiling, Lancelot kissed the side of her forehead, before leaning back with her. Adena turns her head into his neck, kissing it slightly.
"What is it like, your home?" Adena suddenly whispered.
"We sacrifice goats, drink their blood, and danced naked round fires." Lancelot said seriously.
Adena furrows her eyebrows—although she knew it was his joke—and looked up at him. Lancelot looks down at her then laughs lightly, Adena rolling her eyes before lying her head back down on his shoulders. The knight sighs and holds the woman closer. He looks at the snow before him, reaching back into his mind.
"What I do remember… Home…" he says wistfully. "Oceans of grass from horizon to horizon, further than you can ride. The sky," he chuckles, sounding proud and enthusiastic, "bigger than you can imagine." he breathes deeply, shaking his head. "No boundaries."
Adena hums, smiling against his skin. But it soon falters as she remembers what's supposed to be said by Guinevere after his flashback. Her stomach knotted with nervousness, quietly taking a deep breath.
"And when you return home, will you take a wife? Have sons?" she asks quietly.
"I've killed too many sons. What right do I have to my own?" he asks sorrowfully.
Adena closes her eyes briefly, feeling her heart tighten with sadness. "Despite that, you deserve happiness. You fought for a cause not your own and had to kill; just like those that fought you and the others and killed your brother-in-arms and survived. They, too, have killed sons but it does not mean that they cannot have sons of their own."
Lancelot sighs, pondering over her words. He then kissed the top of her head, hugging her tightly and closely.
"Sleep, you are going to need it."
Adena sighed with a nod, and instantly fell asleep. Lancelot held her tighter, inhaling her scent. At that moment, he truly felt safe and at home with her in his arms.
A/N: The moment for the first knight to die is coming soon; what would Adena do? Please review to let me know what you think!