Summary: Ordinary men make extraordinary heroes. Now Women, prove there
worth to King Arthur and his knights in the midst of a battle for their
homeland from the Roman Empire.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
Arthur walked under the gates with a sense of fore boding; Lancelot was likely to be unhappy about Tristan being right. Tristan was likely to tease him about it endlessly for days.
He spotted them standing with Bors and Guinevere just a few steps from the castle entrance.
He dismounted his horse and instructed a stable boy to take him to the blacksmith to be re-shoed.
"This is Bors, Lancelot, and Tristan. Just three of my noble knights." He turned to Guinevere and grabbed her hands, "This is my wife." He said quietly, smiling at her.
Lancelot spotted the woman with the swords roll her eyes and glance at the tall man beside her.
"And they are?" Tristan asked eagerly.
"Ah yes, Princess Arien, Lorain, Owen, and......" he paused, looking at the nameless woman thoughtfully, "Diamandra." He said with a nod of his head.
Diamandra beamed proudly, apparently proud of her new name.
"Princess? Of what?" Lancelot asked curiously, smirking at her.
"My past is my own Knight." Arien snapped darkly.
Lancelot took a step forward, his height only a few inches higher then Arien's. "From what I hear your quite a little Knight yourself, woman." He replied angrily. "With four swords, I'd love to see you try to fight me with them."
Arien pulled two from their sheaths and looked at him, tempting him dangerously to live up to his words. "Then fight me, see first hand how a woman wields the power of a sword to tarnish reputations and destruct empires." She hissed quietly, her eyes flashing with anger.
Lancelot looked at Arthur with his eyebrows raised, but before Arthur had a chance to stop him he had pulled out his own swords and approached her.
There was a pause when they surveyed each other closely. Then Lancelot watched as Arien walked towards him with her swords at her sides.
"Strike me." She whispered, looking into his eyes.
Lancelot faltered for a moment, stunned by her request and lack of fighting.
That was all she needed, as he stood motionless she kicked him in the groin hard as she could.
He fell to the ground, clutching him self and gasping. She leaned over him and ran a finger down his left cheek, "See me Knight, for my power over men makes me a fierce competitor. I could have killed you, but your life is not for me to end." She leaned a little closer and whispered, "Next time you may not be so lucky, mercy is not an emotion I express often." She smiled at him then stood back up and looked at Arthur.
"Well then......." Bors said, looking at Lancelot sympathetically. "Come with me good Lady, I will escort you to my lover, a fine cook and wonderful hostess." He continued, putting his arm around her shoulder and walking her away from the writhing man that had once been his brother in arms, "I don't expect him to get up any time soon." Bors said lightly as he smiled at the Princess.
------
Arthur sat out side Arien's room impatiently. He had his back against the wall, watching maids run in and out of the room.
It struck him suddenly how much he truly had to be grateful for. He spotted a young man trying to get past carrying a large stack of parchment,
"You, what is your name?" Arthur asked him, taping his shoulder.
"I am called Non." He replied very quietly, looking down at the ground. Arthur noticed his feet were bare,
"Non, go to the seamstress and tell her I want shoes made for everyone working in this castle." He said sternly, nodding at the boy with a little smile.
The boy instantly brightened and ran off with out looking back.
"Does that make you a hero? Giving a poor boy a pair of shoes, yet tomorrow you remember nothing of the deed that may have inspired him to save a small part of this world?" Arien said from the doorway.
Arthur crossed his arms, "And what makes you a worthy Princess? Perhaps because you were born to wealth? Forget how your family came to the position in the first place, by murder or accident, you had nothing to do with it did you? Now you patronize me, my deeds, with out a thought to your own? What makes you so worthy to judge my actions when you know nothing but stories of the man you antagonize?"
Arien said nothing, she just looked at him for a few seconds before backing up a step and shutting the door to her room once more.
Arthur let his forehead rest against the cool stonewalls, pounding his fist against it in anger.
"Do not let her get under your skin." Guinevere said, turning the corner to look at him.
Arthur sighed, "No, she is right. A pair of shoes is a small gesture of my thanks to these people."
Guinevere smiled at him, "You are a King, and these people came to your home- our home- because they heard you were a hero. You are, no matter what a Princess from the North thinks of you. You did not ask any of them to seek you out and make your food, nor did I or any of your knights."
"Arthur! We have trouble!" Lancelot called as he turned the corner, looking at him with an expression of resentment.
------
Arien grabbed her swords and set off in the castle to find Owen and Lorain.
"They've come, we finish this now." Arien said hotly as she spotted them playing chess in the kitchen.
Owen looked at Lorain for a few seconds before they both jumped to there feet and chased after her.
Arthur stood, looking out over the walls down to the forest edge, where he had found Arien.
Now sixteen men were headed towards them, led by who he thought might have been a Roman soldier.
"Call for them, they explain now." Lancelot commanded, looking at a servant with a basket of bread.
"They might not be looking for anyone." Tristan tried to reason.
Lancelot shook his head, "Then why would they have hunting dogs?"
Arthur was about to agree with Tristan but before he could Bors pointed out that now the men were pulling out there weapons from under there black cloaks.
"They are few." Bors said, smiling devilishly as he fingered his blades.
"We are fewer." Arthur snapped.
"This is our fight, they will not bother you." Arien called as she rode her horse under the arch they stood talking on. Lancelot ran to the edge and looked under,
"How do you know that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because I will slit their throats." She said darkly as the guards pulled open the gates and she rode out followed by Diamandra and Lorain.
When Lancelot turned around he nearly fell because Owen has appeared in front of him.
Owen smiled coyly then turned to look out over the wall towards the men.
Arthur raised his eyebrows as all the knights watched his staff glow an eerie green as apposed to its deep blue color.
They heard him mumble something they couldn't make out before lifting the staff into the air. Arthur jumped back as a lightning bolt struck the ground just in front of the rides Arien was headed for.
"Bloody hell!" Lancelot yelled excitedly and amazed as he leaner forward and watched some of the rides being kicked from their horses.
"That's not the best part." Own whispered as a circle of fire surrounded them and cut them off from any escape route.
Arthur let out a low whistle as the fire stayed in a contained line rather then spreading to burn up the wildlife.
"That's.........impressive." Tristan said, deeply entranced by the sight.
Now there attention was called to Arien, who had taken out her swords and was pointing at the men in a very threatening manner.
"She's going to get her self killed." Lancelot muttered darkly, hoping he would have been the one to do it.
"I doubt it Knight." Owen said lightly. "This is what she does."
"Why is it a Princess fights with the skill of a man?" Bors asked curiously.
"Her brothers were all killed when she was a small child. Her father took to raising her like a boy, he knew very well she would never replace them, but she had the determination and the spirit." Owen replied, yawning as he continued to watch Arien circle the men and shout.
"We have heard of no King of Lothian." Tristan said, deeply offended he might have missed some tidbit of information. "The land has no definite roots-"
He was cut off by his own words loosing track of themselves.
Arien had already knocked six men off there horses, killing them no doubt, but while her companions were occupied with a rather large man and three rabid dogs she was attacked from behind.
They heard no noise, not a scream or a howl of pain. She simply fell to her knees then looked down at the sword sticking out of her side. They saw her turn to look at her murder, but instead she took her two swords, stood back up and sliced his head off from both sides.
Then everything slowed down as she looked up at Owen. She was to far away for them to see her expression, but they saw her fall again, this time she didn't get back up.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
Arthur walked under the gates with a sense of fore boding; Lancelot was likely to be unhappy about Tristan being right. Tristan was likely to tease him about it endlessly for days.
He spotted them standing with Bors and Guinevere just a few steps from the castle entrance.
He dismounted his horse and instructed a stable boy to take him to the blacksmith to be re-shoed.
"This is Bors, Lancelot, and Tristan. Just three of my noble knights." He turned to Guinevere and grabbed her hands, "This is my wife." He said quietly, smiling at her.
Lancelot spotted the woman with the swords roll her eyes and glance at the tall man beside her.
"And they are?" Tristan asked eagerly.
"Ah yes, Princess Arien, Lorain, Owen, and......" he paused, looking at the nameless woman thoughtfully, "Diamandra." He said with a nod of his head.
Diamandra beamed proudly, apparently proud of her new name.
"Princess? Of what?" Lancelot asked curiously, smirking at her.
"My past is my own Knight." Arien snapped darkly.
Lancelot took a step forward, his height only a few inches higher then Arien's. "From what I hear your quite a little Knight yourself, woman." He replied angrily. "With four swords, I'd love to see you try to fight me with them."
Arien pulled two from their sheaths and looked at him, tempting him dangerously to live up to his words. "Then fight me, see first hand how a woman wields the power of a sword to tarnish reputations and destruct empires." She hissed quietly, her eyes flashing with anger.
Lancelot looked at Arthur with his eyebrows raised, but before Arthur had a chance to stop him he had pulled out his own swords and approached her.
There was a pause when they surveyed each other closely. Then Lancelot watched as Arien walked towards him with her swords at her sides.
"Strike me." She whispered, looking into his eyes.
Lancelot faltered for a moment, stunned by her request and lack of fighting.
That was all she needed, as he stood motionless she kicked him in the groin hard as she could.
He fell to the ground, clutching him self and gasping. She leaned over him and ran a finger down his left cheek, "See me Knight, for my power over men makes me a fierce competitor. I could have killed you, but your life is not for me to end." She leaned a little closer and whispered, "Next time you may not be so lucky, mercy is not an emotion I express often." She smiled at him then stood back up and looked at Arthur.
"Well then......." Bors said, looking at Lancelot sympathetically. "Come with me good Lady, I will escort you to my lover, a fine cook and wonderful hostess." He continued, putting his arm around her shoulder and walking her away from the writhing man that had once been his brother in arms, "I don't expect him to get up any time soon." Bors said lightly as he smiled at the Princess.
------
Arthur sat out side Arien's room impatiently. He had his back against the wall, watching maids run in and out of the room.
It struck him suddenly how much he truly had to be grateful for. He spotted a young man trying to get past carrying a large stack of parchment,
"You, what is your name?" Arthur asked him, taping his shoulder.
"I am called Non." He replied very quietly, looking down at the ground. Arthur noticed his feet were bare,
"Non, go to the seamstress and tell her I want shoes made for everyone working in this castle." He said sternly, nodding at the boy with a little smile.
The boy instantly brightened and ran off with out looking back.
"Does that make you a hero? Giving a poor boy a pair of shoes, yet tomorrow you remember nothing of the deed that may have inspired him to save a small part of this world?" Arien said from the doorway.
Arthur crossed his arms, "And what makes you a worthy Princess? Perhaps because you were born to wealth? Forget how your family came to the position in the first place, by murder or accident, you had nothing to do with it did you? Now you patronize me, my deeds, with out a thought to your own? What makes you so worthy to judge my actions when you know nothing but stories of the man you antagonize?"
Arien said nothing, she just looked at him for a few seconds before backing up a step and shutting the door to her room once more.
Arthur let his forehead rest against the cool stonewalls, pounding his fist against it in anger.
"Do not let her get under your skin." Guinevere said, turning the corner to look at him.
Arthur sighed, "No, she is right. A pair of shoes is a small gesture of my thanks to these people."
Guinevere smiled at him, "You are a King, and these people came to your home- our home- because they heard you were a hero. You are, no matter what a Princess from the North thinks of you. You did not ask any of them to seek you out and make your food, nor did I or any of your knights."
"Arthur! We have trouble!" Lancelot called as he turned the corner, looking at him with an expression of resentment.
------
Arien grabbed her swords and set off in the castle to find Owen and Lorain.
"They've come, we finish this now." Arien said hotly as she spotted them playing chess in the kitchen.
Owen looked at Lorain for a few seconds before they both jumped to there feet and chased after her.
Arthur stood, looking out over the walls down to the forest edge, where he had found Arien.
Now sixteen men were headed towards them, led by who he thought might have been a Roman soldier.
"Call for them, they explain now." Lancelot commanded, looking at a servant with a basket of bread.
"They might not be looking for anyone." Tristan tried to reason.
Lancelot shook his head, "Then why would they have hunting dogs?"
Arthur was about to agree with Tristan but before he could Bors pointed out that now the men were pulling out there weapons from under there black cloaks.
"They are few." Bors said, smiling devilishly as he fingered his blades.
"We are fewer." Arthur snapped.
"This is our fight, they will not bother you." Arien called as she rode her horse under the arch they stood talking on. Lancelot ran to the edge and looked under,
"How do you know that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because I will slit their throats." She said darkly as the guards pulled open the gates and she rode out followed by Diamandra and Lorain.
When Lancelot turned around he nearly fell because Owen has appeared in front of him.
Owen smiled coyly then turned to look out over the wall towards the men.
Arthur raised his eyebrows as all the knights watched his staff glow an eerie green as apposed to its deep blue color.
They heard him mumble something they couldn't make out before lifting the staff into the air. Arthur jumped back as a lightning bolt struck the ground just in front of the rides Arien was headed for.
"Bloody hell!" Lancelot yelled excitedly and amazed as he leaner forward and watched some of the rides being kicked from their horses.
"That's not the best part." Own whispered as a circle of fire surrounded them and cut them off from any escape route.
Arthur let out a low whistle as the fire stayed in a contained line rather then spreading to burn up the wildlife.
"That's.........impressive." Tristan said, deeply entranced by the sight.
Now there attention was called to Arien, who had taken out her swords and was pointing at the men in a very threatening manner.
"She's going to get her self killed." Lancelot muttered darkly, hoping he would have been the one to do it.
"I doubt it Knight." Owen said lightly. "This is what she does."
"Why is it a Princess fights with the skill of a man?" Bors asked curiously.
"Her brothers were all killed when she was a small child. Her father took to raising her like a boy, he knew very well she would never replace them, but she had the determination and the spirit." Owen replied, yawning as he continued to watch Arien circle the men and shout.
"We have heard of no King of Lothian." Tristan said, deeply offended he might have missed some tidbit of information. "The land has no definite roots-"
He was cut off by his own words loosing track of themselves.
Arien had already knocked six men off there horses, killing them no doubt, but while her companions were occupied with a rather large man and three rabid dogs she was attacked from behind.
They heard no noise, not a scream or a howl of pain. She simply fell to her knees then looked down at the sword sticking out of her side. They saw her turn to look at her murder, but instead she took her two swords, stood back up and sliced his head off from both sides.
Then everything slowed down as she looked up at Owen. She was to far away for them to see her expression, but they saw her fall again, this time she didn't get back up.