It was the next day when we reached the fort, the people weary and us knights tired. Slowly we made our way through the gates of the wall that protected the fort and into the interior structure, where the one man that I never wanted to see breathe again stood, the Bishop himself. It did not matter that we all returned alive, it was the mere principle of sending us off on the most dangerous mission yet, on the day that we were to be liberated.
It did not matter what Arthur said, I knew deep in my heart that the Bishop did not expect any of us to return alive, let alone want us to return alive.
"Ah, God!" the pig said as he stepped forward to the boy, Alecto, with his hands raised as he usually did. "Christ be praised. Against all the odds Satan could muster."
I took my eyes off of the Bishop and looked over to Alecto to see him slowly coming out of the wagon.
"Alecto let me see you." Then the Bishop said proudly with a motion that was at once ridiculous and frightening "You have triumphed!"
He was talking as if he had suddenly gone crazy.
Would this man never just give up and go back to Rome where he could just die? but I knew that would not happen. The man kept on going on like a village idiot. "Young Alecto, let me see you."
I was slightly surprised to see that Alecto in fact did not come near the man but rather moved further away.
Suddenly in the middle of the fat man's crazy speech I heard Guinevere's shout towards Lucan, who broke free from her hold and came running towards us . I had no doubt that he was headed for the wagon behind us where Dag and Luthien were, we had known from a bit earlier that Dag had woken but was still too weak to get up.
"You, boy! Stop!" One of the guards moved to go after Lucan and probably hit him. Once Lucan was in safety behind us Galahad took out the dagger that he kept on his belt and held it to the guard's throat. The guard at first tried to get around it, but when he realized that if he did Galahad would cut his throat with the flick of his wrist, he stood still. As the bishop saw that one of his soldiers was being threatened and that Galahad would have no hesitation to kill his man, he began to laugh nervously and backed away, most likely to do all possible in order to spare his own life.
"Our great knights." He continued with more nervousness added to his voice, "You are free now!" Slowly all of our attention was directed to the man., "Give me the papers. Come," he said as he motioned for the other soldier to bring our dispatch papers, "come." The soldier with the dispatch papers walking quickly towards the Bishop and removed as he opened the chest the bishop continued with his speech: "Your papers for safe conduct across the Roman Empire."
As we stood there merely glaring at the bishop I felt Gawain come around to stand next to me and place an arm around me. I looked up at him with a small smile and leaned in to him. He breathed in my scent, and I was amazed by how the simple gesture could make me feel relaxed and reassured.
"Take it, Arthur." He motioned with his hands. He either realized that we were not going to move, or he was intimidated by us, or he wanted a Roman to take the papers. Either way I found that I did not care, he had sent us through hell and we almost lost Dag and Luthien.
Slowly and carefully Gawain reached out and grabbed the discharge papers for both of us and.
As he reached for my hand I looked to Lancelot and, with a gentle smile, made my way back to the interior of the fort with Gawain at my side, hand in hand.
