The seasons changed quickly into autumn and news of a visiting Roman lord traveled fast around Castellum. Many of the Britons became nervous and nothing seemed to be getting done. Ailith's leg had completely healed up and things had gone back to normal with her and the knights but one morning she had woken up with a familiar sense of dread. A bone chilling fear that spread inside of her. Something bad was going to happen soon. So, Ailith decided to go see Tate and see if he could help her.
She knocked on the door loudly, taking a deep breath. If anyone knew what was up inside of Ailith it would her mentor. Or her brother, but it would probably be best not to worry him to much right now. The knights had been pulling double weight lately so the women barely ever got to see them. Right now they were on a routine scouting around Castellum and probably wouldn't be back until dinner.
"Ailith? Is something wrong? You look pale." Sigga scanned the woman's face before ushering her inside. Dax was now working at the smithy as an apprentice blacksmith and wasn't in the house a lot. Even Eadric got a job in the stables, but that just meant that Ailith got to see him more. And Sigga and Tate opened up their own herbal shop in the market. They sold herbs for tea, remedies, salves, anything.
"I need to see Tate." Was the dark haired woman's immediate reply to her friend. The aged woman nodded and quickly dragged her through the house.
"I was just about to go open shop, so stay as long as you need. I don't need Tate until midday." Sigga informed the other woman before they walked into the other Healer's room. Tate looked up from the book he was reading and his eyes immediately widened when he saw his pale student. Sigga quickly left the room, grabbing everything she needed as she walked before they heard the main door shut.
"What's wrong?" Tate asked, standing from his cushioned chair by the window. He could see the signs of distress in her darker than usual eyes. He grabbed Ailith's hand and pulled her to the bed. "Speak." He demanded, sitting down across from her at the table.
"I've been having this feeling. It's familiar too. I felt it when we were in that coastal village just before we left. And when we did it went up in flames. This feeling is ten times worse. Almost to the point where I feel sick." She told him in a soft voice. He reached out and took the woman's hand and turned the palm up. His fingers traced along the lines there and he sighed heavily.
"It's your gift." He said finally, removing his hands and placing them neatly in his lap. Ailith stared at her former mentor for a long time with no emotion clear on her face.
"This is my gift? A feeling of foreshadow that I can't even distinguish? I thought you said the Goddess was fair." She said after another long moment passed. Her voice was quiet yet deadly at the same time, warning Tate to be cautious.
"Child, the Goddess may have given you a terrible gift but it is up to you to train your powers to their maximum. Only then will you find out their true purpose." He started, watching the woman before him. Her skin was pale and her eyes were dark and tired. She had been helping in the tavern for the past few days from what he had heard. Working with Vanora until it was time to close up. She probably hadn't gotten much sleep in those last few days either with the feeling she had described to him.
"So what? What do I have to do to get rid of this?" She demanded, standing and starting to pace in front of her former mentor.
"Ailith! You cannot get rid of it. It is a part of you." Tate stood up and grabbed the woman's shoulders, forcing her to stop pacing. "It is a gift and you will treat it as such." He ordered, staring Ailith in the eyes. The grey orbs darkened before she jerked herself away from the older Healer and headed for the door.
"You can't ask me to do that, Tate. It is my choice to treat this power as a gift or a curse." She said icily before walking from the room and leaving.
She then went to the tavern, ready to work and keep her mind off the last events. Since there was so much not being done she would take it on herself to help out friends. Vanora's unborn child was now showing and she needed as much help as she could. Ailith had asked Bega to keep watch over their red haired friend so that she didn't cause any unnecessary stress and the dark haired sister worked on both their duties. She would wash dishes, cut vegetables, sweep floors, serve drinks, wipe down tables, anything that could help.
"Girl, you'll have to take a break before you run yourself into the ground with all this work." Sigga said, she was helping out in the kitchen during nights so that her friend could take it easy.
"I won't so stop worrying Sigga. As soon as all of this is over I will take a very long break." The younger woman told Sigga, taking the rag from her belt and wiping down the table in front of her. Sigga chuckled and shook her head.
"If you keep this up Ailith you might collapse before this is over." With that the woman went back into the kitchen to help the cook. Ailith frowned and continued working until a loud cheer came from the entrance. She turned around glanced at what the commotion was about. The knights were walking in with their heads held high clad in their normal clothing. No armour, which meant that they had done something that had earned them a break.
Ailith smiled and turned back to her work only a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. The woman squealed as she was lifted in a circle. Once she was set back on the ground, Ailith quickly turned around and punched Gawain in the shoulder. "Stupid knight! Leave me be so I can work!" She laughed, a large smile on her face. "Go see to Marlow, you silly fool." She pointed to the back room where she had sent the younger woman a few moments ago to get more food. Gawain grinned and hugged the woman tightly before following her directions.
"It's good to see you, sister." Another hug came from behind but this time Ailith wasn't flung into the air. She leaned back into the arms and smiled, turning her head to kiss Lancelot's cheek.
"Good to see you too, Lancelot." She pulled away from the man's arms and pushed him over to the table he normally shared with the other knights. "Go, I'll bring you some drinks." He nodded and went over. She watched with a glad smile as the others joined her brother. None of them were hurt and that lifted a little of her unease.
When she came back to the table with eight mugs on a tray she could tell from the odd look Galahad had on his face that he noticed the paleness to her skin. She had seen it when she bathed that morning. She'd just have to work on looking extra cheerful. And the next day she'd try and think about this hindering gift. She slid a mug in front of each knight and just as she went to walk away Dagonet pulled her onto his lap.
"You're not working anymore tonight." Bors laughed, patting the woman's head. Ailith raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"And who's going to stop me?" In a second Dagonet's arms were around her waist, holding her in his lap. This would have seemed like a very awkward situation if she didn't feel like these men were family.
"You've not been sleeping enough." Dagonet whispered to her and the woman winced before nodding. He loosened his arms and patted the woman's knee.
"It's been hard to keep up with all the work and sleep well at the same time." Dagonet would be the only one she'd admit to . She trusted the knight to give her his honest opinion while looking out for her own needs.
"We're off for all of tomorrow. You go home now and get some sleep." She was about to shake her head when Dagonet lifted her and set her on her feet. "Oh, Tristan. Are you leaving? Take her with you and make sure she gets to her room." Ailith rolled her eyes and turned to the stoic scout who stared at the two. He finally just turned and started towards the entrance slowly.
"Go on, tiny. Go get some sleep." Galahad called to her, a woman now in his lap. The dark haired woman sent a half-hearted glare towards the young man while he laughed. Admitting defeat, Ailith turned and quickly went to catch up with Tristan. The scout had kept his walk slow for her to catch up but once he felt her presence beside him he walked normally, quickly getting ahead of Ailith. She sighed out and quickly caught up, measuring her steps so that she was only a little behind him.
"It's good to see you well, Tristan." The dark haired woman said just loud enough for him to hear. There weren't many people out at this time of night, only the Roman soldiers and the people in the tavern. The dark eyed knight cast a glance at Ailith before nodding and continuing onwards. Well, at least he was nice enough to make a small reply back. Ailith shook her head and started picking on the hem of her sleeve. She was growing weary of dresses, being stuck in these odd torturing fabrics. Perhaps she'd have to go down to the training ring with the knights. She tried to avoid it at all costs but if she went then she'd have an excuse to wear trousers for a change. She'd actually be able to walk properly.
When she looked up she realized that they had already reached the knight's hall and Tristan was already making his way up the side stairs. Ailith sighed once again and followed, tripping once up the stairs before her feet landed on solid wood floors. Guess she really was tired. She looked up and found Tristan staring at her intently through a layer of his hair. The woman had the extreme urge to brush the brown locks away from his eyes and gaze into those night-like orbs. But instead she pushed back to feeling like so many others and continued forward. Tristan's door was one of the first ones, right beside Gawain's room. Ailith smiled tightly as she passed but stopped for a moment. She kind of wanted to stay with him. She sort of wanted to feel his fingers ghosting across her skin again. But no, that wouldn't be right. So she shook her head and quickly fled to her room, black eyes watching her all the while.
Morning came all too soon for Ailith. She back felt sore and the bone chilling feeling hadn't let up yet. Better yet, it seemed to have worsened. This was the day something very bad was going to happen. She rolled over and heaved a sigh when she looked outside. Storm clouds were collecting over Castellum and were not going to budge until they dropped their downpour. She wouldn't be able to go to the hill like she had planned. Instead, she'd just have to go to forest where there was cover from the cold rain and away from the bustle of the village.
She let her feet drop to the fur on the floor, rubbing her feet against the softness. She'd take Ewell to the forest as well; get the horse away from the stables. It would do them both some good. Ailith hadn't seen Raleigh much recently, probably because of the storms. The raptor hated the rain even more than Gawain yet he loved the snow. Speaking of snow it would soon be snow season in Britain and much of the land would soon be covered in the fluffy white stuff. It would explain why it was colder than normal in her room.
Ailith changed into her mission clothing with the addition of a heavy cloak. Once her hair was plaited the woman left her room and immediately shivered at the cold and wet air. Down the hall, two knights were already seated in their normal storm spots.
"Good morning, tiny." Percival said loudly as she walked over to him and Erec. Ailith smiled in reply and stopped to teasingly ruffle Erec's brown hair which got her a mock glare. "Where're you headed out?" The taller knight asked, raising an eyebrow at her cloak and trousers.
"I need to go somewhere to think for a while. If anyone needs me I'll just be in the forest." Erec stood from the wall and have the woman a warning look.
"Should you really be going into the forest alone?" He asked.
"I'll have Ewell with me." Percival snorted back a laugh and nodded.
"Yes, that horse will definitely be able to protect you against a hoard of Woads." Ailith rolled her eyes and moved her cloak to show the sword that she had collected from the blacksmith a few weeks back. Both men looked at their Healer with wide eyes.
"That's…" Erec's voice faded out as he observed the sword. Ailith nodded and drew the clean blade.
"It was my grandfather's blade during his serving time. My grandmother always told me to come and claim it if I ever found his grave." Percival whistled one long note and shook his head.
"Are you sure that you're not a knight, Ailith? I can't see you being a Healer with that on your hip." Ailith grinned at Percival's words before sliding the sword back into the leather sheath and tucking her cloak back around her.
"As you can see, I will be perfectly safe." And with that the dark haired woman finished her walk down the hall and continued down the stairs, a faint smirk on her face. Perhaps she was more like a knight then a Healer.
Ailith found a good spot just inside the shelter of the trees. Castellum was in eye sight but she knew that no one would come to find her. It was just her, Ewell and nature. Something that Ailith didn't mind in the least. Her cloak was wet, so she hung it on a tall branch to dry while she unsaddled the black and white horse. The sound of rain was soothing to her, and it calmed her down. Yet still, the dreaded feeling was there. She needed to find out what it was, even if she brought more of it.
She found herself a dry spot under a tree and leaned against the trunk. As stupid as it sounded, Ailith would meditate. She'd try and find the origins of this feeling and try to shed more light on it. And if she was lucky, it wouldn't be buried to deep. The grey eyed Healer took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trusting the stallion a bit away from her to warn his mistress of anyone approaching. She steadied her breathing to a slow and deep rhythm before letting any thoughts in her mind go. Everything about the knights, about her past, about her sister, about the conflicting emotions for one particular knight. All she did was sit and let those thoughts become obscure to her.
Only once that was done she burrowed deep into herself, searching for one thing in particular. The cold chill that had a hold of her bones and heart. In her mind's eye she could picture white hands grasping onto everything inside of her tightly. Not tight enough to cause pain, just an uncomfortable tug inside of her. With that image she concentrated long and hard on tugging the fingers from her, trying to loosen the grip it had on her. Yet this cold chill didn't seem to want to leave the warmth inside of her.
The game of tug and war continued long into the day, and when Ailith finally got one finger to loosen a sharp pain tore through her. The dark haired woman gasped, hugging herself tightly until random images flashed though her mind.
A large caravan moving towards the village at an irritatingly slow pace.
A familiar Roman holding a long sword tightly in his hands.
Herself standing next to Lancelot, who held the cold body of a young woman in his arms.
A large ice covered lake and floating faces beneath in.
A great battle. Black smoke rising from the ground and seven horsemen on a large hill.
The woman's head snapped back up, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. So this was her great gift? The ability to see things before they happened? And these cold fingers inside of her were the way to completely control that ability. But she didn't want to! She didn't want to see the dead girl in her brother's arms. Nor the battle that would kill many. She didn't want to see any of it!
Ailith snarled, startling Ewell from her grazing and the rabbit that had some close to the Sarmatian. "So this is to be my wonderful gift?" She growled sarcastically, rising herself from the ground. The rain had stopped but thunder still rolled above her. The calm that she had achieved was now gone and in its place was a raging battle within the dark haired woman. Why couldn't her gift be something simple? Like-, ugg, she didn't even know now!
The Healer brushed off her clothing before moving towards Ewell to saddle the large animal. He stood still for her, sensing the terrible mood that his mistress was now in. The horse whinnied its sympathy and Ailith stopped for a moment. Then she patted the stallion's long neck before grabbing her cloak and mounting Ewell. The first two glimpses were probably the closest ones to the current time. And soon she'd find out who the Roman was holding the sword.
Back in the village the rain had come back, soaking Ailith once more with the retched water. She dismounted from Ewell and handed the reins over to Jols who had been watching from the dry stables. Next she went to the tavern where Vanora immediately handed her some bread and cheese and shooed her away again. She told her that all the knights were in in their normal spot during the storm and had yet to come down so that was where Ailith went to next. And when she found them, many of the men were dozing off while the others watched the downpour. She skipped past a snoring Galahad and Gawain and tiptoed back to her room to change her clothes.
She put on a simple jade green dress with Celtic circled belt and walked back out barefoot. Arthur wasn't with the group, probably off planning another mission. But surprisingly Tristan was in the group of knights. He was leaning against the wall beside Dagonet who had seated himself beside his door. Gawain and Galahad were sprawled out on the ground, snoozing away. Percival was also dozing, slumped against the railing with Erec sitting silently beside him. Lancelot was watching Ailith from his spot against his door which was on the other side of Dagonet's door. She walked over and sat herself beside him with Tristan standing on her other side.
"So, I've been talking to Bega a lot more lately. She's a good girl." Lancelot said quietly, mindful of his fellow knights. Ailith smiled softly, undoing her braided hair before replying.
"She's always been like that. When mother was sick she'd help me with the house chores or do them herself when I was out training. She'd help father in the stables and after we were taken she would help all the others." Ailith laughed and shook her head. "When I was being used for the Wolf she'd help Tate tend to my injuries." Lancelot raised an eyebrow.
"It's hard to imagine you ever getting injured in that state." Ailith snorted softly before shaking her head.
"I was rarely injured and when I was it was only a nick from the blade or a small cut here or there. I was only beaten once by some Roman pig." At his her brother frowned and he could see that Tristan had tilted his head to hear the conversation.
"Someone actually defeated Wolf? I'd hate to see what he looked like after." The dark knight joked with a smirk. But the smirk died when he noticed the expression on Ailith's face.
"He got under our skin. He used Bega against us. And at the end we got more then we could handle." The woman gently touched her back over her shoulder and winced at the memories.
So, Tristan and Gawain had been right in their assumptions. Something shadowed her and it lingered on her back. Lancelot reached out slowly towards her shoulder but the moment Ailith saw she scooted a little farther away. Lancelot gave her an odd look and she just smiled tightly.
"Don't like people touching my back." She told him, removing her hand from her shoulder and curling up her legs. "It actually has something to do with that day." She told him before turning her head to watch the rain. She could see Erec nodding off now, joining the slumbering knights around him. "Perhaps you guys should all get some sleep." She teased, glancing back at her brother. He snorted and laughed.
"Yeah right, with all the work we've been putting up with lately?" The conversation stopped when a soldier shouted something from the Wall. All the knights who were awake quickly got up and made their way down the stairs and to the gates. Ailith was stuck waking up the four knights who tiredly followed the others with Ailith behind them.
Once at the gate the knights and Healer stopped, watching a large caravan moving painfully slow towards Castellum. Ailith's grey eyes widened as she thought back to the first vision, watching this exact thing. To stunned to speak, the woman made a startled sound that made many people turn to look at her. Yet she ignored then and grabbed Gawain's hand in hers. She squeezed tightly, alerting the man to her distress. Without hesitation the fair haired knight wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders and tugged her closer. They watched with the others for a long time before the first carriage arrived inside Castellum.
"Make way! Lord Clemens has arrived." One of the Roman soldiers shouted. Ailith stiffened her eyes impossibly wide and filled with fear.
"Ailith?" Dagonet whispered from beside her. But the dark haired woman didn't hear. She pulled away from Gawain and quickly raced away from the gate.
Ailith hid in her room until the sounds of people faded into the normal quiet hum outside her door. The name of the Roman lord was the same as one of her former masters. She had desperately hoped that that part of her life had been over. That she could move on and make her own life. But apparently not. The Romans seemed to need a place in her life where they could torture endlessly. Not that they already hadn't. If she didn't leave her room soon though Vanora and Marlow would come get her and force her to come to the tavern for food. So, she stood shakily from the bed and tightened the belt around her waist that kept her sword up. Then she covered herself with her cloak and plaited her hair once again. She liked having the separate sections plaited. It gave her a look that nearly screamed outlander. That and it kept the dark strands from getting in her way like they would if she had her hair down.
She quickly shifted out from the room and found herself in the tavern much faster than normal. She had almost ran there and now she was slightly gasping. Even her body knew the dangers of so many Roman soldiers. She quickly spotted two solemn knights sitting at their table and went towards them. Both Bors and Dagonet looked up at her once she reached them, their eyes grave.
"What is it?" She asked, sitting down slowly. She had never seen suck expressions on these two knights. Lancelot and Galahad yes, but not the most calm and crude of the knights.
"It's those Romans. Lancelot is locked up right now for getting into a fight with one of the soldiers that came with that arrogant lord. Tristan is even more withdrawn than normal because of something one of them said. Gawain and Galahad are off keeping to themselves and the other two have landed themselves in the Physician's room." Ailith's brow rose before her eyes narrowed.
"Why were they not brought to me?" She hissed, knowing it had something to do with these Romans. Bors snorted his disapproval and shook his head. So Dagonet answered for him.
"That lord decided that they would be looked after by Roman healers. After helping Lance with his fight."
"What?" She cried, standing up from her chair. Dagonet shook his head as well, moving his eyes to the mug in front of him.
"They wouldn't even let me look at them."
"How the hell did they get injured from a skirmish?" She demanded her hands in tight fists on the table top.
"One of the soldiers took out a knife. Caught Percival in the gut and Erec on the leg." Bors replied looking deadly as well. Ailith huffed and whirled around. She had to set things straight before anything happened to the knights. So she stormed her way to the Physician's room, making sure to leave angry footprints in the mud.
When she got there a groan went through the room. She stepped in, tracking mud through the room while she went to her friends sides.
"Ailith." Erec smiled tightly as he watched her come up to them. Both men were laying vertical beside each other on different cots. Percival was as pale as a ghost and Erec was looking no better. The dark haired woman sat between the two, turning to look after Erec first.
"Where?" He shook his head and lifted his one leg, wincing at the movement. When she looked down she nearly got up to hunt down the Physician. His leg had been bandaged yet the blood had nearly drenched the entire thing, leaving no white behind. Ailith moved quickly, gathering an already lit candle and a needle and water. She gave a reassuring glance up to the knight before quickly removing the soaking bandaged. He hissed out in pain before clenching his jaw and looking at the bleeding wound.
"That damn fool didn't even stitch you." Ailith growled under her breath. The cut would have been nothing if they had stitched it immediately but now there was a good chance of infection and too much blood loss. She grabbed a rag and wet it with the fresh water before dabbing at the gash on Erec's leg. He winced each time the rag touched his leg but never made a sound.
Once the blood had been washed away Ailith flittered about the room, finding the right herbs she would need to kill off infection. She could only find one, basil which she ground into a paste. Next she did the one thing that always turned her stomach, putting the paste to use. She glanced up at Erec with a grim look. He nodded once and grabbed a piece of leather from the side table. Once he was completely ready Ailith opened the cut with one hand, holding down Erec's leg at the same time. Then with nimble fingers the pressed the paste inside the wound as gently as she could. Erec made a choked sound, his hands clamped on the sheets. She coated the inside of the wound with the green paste before closing the wound quickly and preparing a needle and thread.
The stitching went by much less painfully and all she had to do now was wipe the blood away again and bandage it. Sighing with relief she patted his stomach and sat up straight. "You're all set Erec. Don't put any pressure on this until I say so." She emphasised the 'I', making it clear that she didn't care at all for the Physician. The knight nodded and closed his eyes, slipping into a restful sleep. Ailith turned to Percival to see him watching her, his face slightly pink despite the paleness.
"I'm next I guess?" He chucked, only to groan in pain.
"Hush." Ailith murmured her hand on his forehead. She frowned then, feeling the heat coming from his body. She flipped her hand and feeling the heat intensify. "Oh Percival." She whispered before standing and rushing around the room once again. Once she was seated with a new bowl of water, a rage, bandages, and herbs; ginger and garlic. But the door suddenly opened and the Physician walked in.
"What are you doing here? What have you done to my patients?" He demanded with an outraged expression. Right then Ailith had the extreme desire to cut a hole in this Roman's throat.
"I am saving my friends from you mistakes!" She growled. She nearly got up until Percival's unnaturally warm hand closed on hers. "How long has he been like this?" She asked quietly, moving his blankets down to observe the red bandages on his stomach. Her eyes narrowed and the grey colour turned inexplicably dark. Percival frowned and squeezed her hand tighter.
"A day." Ailith's back went rigid before icy black eyes peered at the small man. He whimpered softly, taking a step back. Ailith could feel Wolf taking over, but forced it back.
Not now! We have to help Percival, her mind insisted, tugging at the other.
"He's been with fever for a day and you did nothing?" Her voice was a deadly whisper, barely heard by even the knight beside her. Grabbing the knife from her boot, Ailith quickly cut the bandages away from her friend and winced at the sight. The skin around the long gash was red and irritated, though the blood flow seemed to slow. "You, Roman." Ailith snarled, eyes still fixed on the infected wound.
"Y-Yes?" The man squeaked, trembling like a new born lamb.
"You are never to touch a Sarmatian for the rest of your miserable life. Tend to your own people and let me worry about my own." She ground out, grabbing the water bowl and rag, wiping away at the dried and fresh blood. "You can kill as many of your own people as you like." She snapped, eyes flashing before she turned completely towards her friend to tend to him.
Percival didn't survive through the next night. He had died on the same cot with Ailith and the men at his side. The fever had killed him and had left an untameable anger in Ailith. She went to the burial and said her own words to the knight who had lightened her days. But after that no one saw her for nearly a week. The only ones who had seen her were Gawain and Tristan. Gawain only saw her when she retreated to her room long after everyone was supposed to be asleep and Tristan had seen her sitting on their hill many times. Even he avoided her though. One the eighth day she came back into the village looking dirty and solemn. When a Roman soldier crossed her path the men would nearly run away from her and the hollow glare that she sent them.
Lancelot found her next in the tavern, helping set up for the evening meal. She wasn't allowed to help during the night shifts since all the soldiers were afraid to go ten feet from her. So he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The woman stiffened before relaxing and shaking her head.
"I have to finish." She murmured, leaning down to scrub at the wooden table in front of her.
"Come to the stables for me after you're done. There are a few of us who want to go riding." He whispered to her before he released her and left.
And just as promised five men stood with their horses just outside the stables. Jols stood to the side, holding Ewell out for her. Ailith laughed at the combination in front of her, Erec, who had nearly healed completely, Gawain, Dagonet, and Tristan. This trip would be amusing. But there was probably another reason for their ride other than the pleasure of the oddly warm day. Ailith smiled to each before she took Ewell's reins from Jols and mounted along with the others.
They road into the fields where Erec and Gawain insisted on a race. Obviously Tristan and Cadmon won with Gawain a close second. Ailith had come third then Dagonet and finally Erec whose face was now very foul.
"It's not my fault that I can't ride properly yet!" Erec scowled, which got even more of a response from Gawain who was clutching his sides with laughter. It pleased Ailith to no end to see the normally quiet knights in front of her enjoying themselves. It gave her a new perspective on their lives. Like how Tristan didn't always have that infuriating mask of his up. When they were secluded he let that mask fall sometimes to smirk or make rude comments. Dagonet smiled more openly and Erec was more open to speaking. Gawain was simply himself.
"No, but if you knew that you shouldn't have asked for a race." Ailith said smartly, smiling at the man. He frowned at her before letting out an irritated sigh.
"You still would have lost." Tristan commented, slicing an apple in his hand with a knife he had hidden on his person. Ailith chuckled and shook her head. They stopped under a small group of trees, getting out of the sunlight for the moment. They all sat down in their own spaces, momentarily ignoring the others. After a long time Gawain got to his feet and walked over to Ailith who had stretched herself out in the grass. He sat down next to her and sprawled out as well. Nearly immediately after the others joined them except for Tristan who sat just a little bit a ways.
"Are you alright now?" Gawain asked from his place. Ailith turned her head to him and sighed.
"Not really. I'm tired of death of friends but I know that I can't react as I normally have." She paused picking at the grass under her hands. "I know that it's something all of you have gone through. I guess my time away was just my own way of calming myself down."
"Why were you so upset?" Erec asked from by her feet.
"I couldn't help him."
"Tiny, you could have done nothing more than you did." Dagonet said from his sitting position on her other side. Ailith looked over at him and gave a tight smile. "You helped him and then stayed by him until he passed on." Leave it to the always wise Dagonet. Ailith's smile lost the tight look and became a true smile.
"Thanks guys." She quietly said glancing at Tristan now. He gave a sharp nod and turned back to looking over the field.
All these wonderful character belong to the makes of King Arthur, except of course for Ailith!
Hey guys! I really hope you liked this chapter. It took me forever to write and I feel quite proud of how this story is going so far.
Now, I was wondering if I could get a little help from you. I wanted to know if I've kept the characters in character so far. And if not then could you tell me and give me a way to bring them back out of the oc-ness?
But other then that keep up the reviewing and possibly go check my page for the poll there. It's for a new story I'm starting.
Love ya!