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.
------
Arien slept three hours that night. The winds keeping her from any real rest.
As the bells rang to signify the fourth hour she left her room and walked quietly out of the west wing. She knew Arthur had forbidden it, but since she was leaving in the morning she wanted to take one last bath.
She kept a red cloth wrapped tightly around her body as she walked. The winds were warm; unusual for this time of year she took it as a warning.
The bathhouse was just behind the castle, straight across from the stables.
Walking around the castle grounds, nearly naked, she feared no one. At this time of night they were all sure to be fast asleep.
She saw from the steps to the courtyard that there were lights on inside her destination, perhaps they had just cleaned the water, making it ready for the next days use.
She walked inside quietly, wanting to see before she was seen.
Past the pillars she saw one figure standing in the center of the pool, his head bowed as let water pour onto him from the ceiling opening, a mock waterfall Arthur built him self.
Lancelot.
She considered leaving, just walking away and trying to go back to sleep, but he spotted her before she had the chance.
Not wanting him to think he had embarrassed her she walked towards the steps into the water and let the red cloth fall to the ground.
He looked relaxed, like he was in some sort of dream.
She waded into the water until she was completely submerged.
Lancelot tried to look under the water for her, but the dim lighting from the lamps did no help.
She re surfaced behind him, keeping her back to him as she ran her fingers through her hair and water dripped down her back to rejoin the pool.
"What is your purpose?" Lancelot asked quietly, not daring to touch her in fear of his own safety.
"I am a messenger." Arien said, he head turning to the side just enough so she could see him watching her from the corner of her eye.
"A messenger for who? What do you deliver?" Lancelot asked, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder. He pulled her to the side gently so she would face him. She merely looked at him, watching his eyes search her for answers.
"When you look at me, it is as if you see right through me." Arien said at last, looking deeply troubled.
"No......I see a woman." Lancelot replied, not sure what she meant.
"I do not see a man when I look at you." She said softly, her eyes not leaving his.
"What else is there to see?"
"I see a man I could have loved."
"Is there no possibility now? We have only just met." Lancelot said in a bewildered manner.
"I can not love a man who would not love me in return." Arien snapped angrily.
"You do not know me, you know nothing of who I feel for." Lancelot hissed, aggravated because his midnight bath had been disrupted.
"Your King is vain, I grant you, but do you think he can ignore it forever? You are his best friend, loyal companion, and most beloved knight! Is this how you repay him?!" Arien asked darkly, shaking her head in disgust.
"I know not of what you speak, but if it is treason, or that I might harm my King you are mistaken! Fear me woman I do not play your games! Tell me now what you presume to imply and be gone!" Lancelot yelled, pointing towards the door.
"I do not choose who I love, nor do you. Arthur married the one you desire, yet you are blatantly ignoring you own feelings!" Arien yelled, pulling his arm back down.
"I DO NOT FEEL!" Lancelot yelled, his voice now echoing all around them. He looked down at her hand, still holding his, "I can not feel." He said, sounding like he had just realized it for the first time himself. "I can not do what you ask of me."
"I have asked NOTHING! Do you really think one day she will turn around and grant your wishes? If you really love that woman you would leave her, other wise you condemn her to death as well as yourself!"
Lancelot pulled her close to him, not wanting her to leave until she answered his questions. His face was nearly touching hers as he spoke next,
"Then what? I go with you and live out the rest of my life in hiding?" he asked bitterly.
"No, instead you make a choice for yourself, not what your King asks of you. Defy him and he will not harm you, but betray him and you will die by his hands."
"Is this the message you were sent to deliver?" Lancelot asked, looking her straight in the eye, daring her to lie to him.
"There are so many things about to happen that are much bigger then the Knights living in this castle. Do you not find it odd a woman you have only just met knows your intentions towards Guinevere? "
Lancelot shook his head, "There are NO intentions! Arthur is my King! I WILL NOT BETRAY HIM!!"
Arien pulled away from him and made her way out of the pool towards her red cloth.
"You have a husband." Lancelot said quietly, watching her retreat from his presence.
"If your god exists, then by all rights he might consider it so, but I have said it before and I will say it only one last time; Men are only mortals, they can not take what they please and leave the remaining to wither in there shadows. He calls himself my husband......but he will never have me, or my country."
"I asked you once what a woman with four swords fears." Lancelot said, taking a step towards her.
She picked up the cloth and wrapped it around herself once more. She turned back around to look at him, "I have spent my whole life waiting for one moment when I would finally be good enough. That is what keeps me going, but what happens when I run out of hope? Who will save you then?"
"You do not need to save me." Lancelot said defensively.
"You spend your life protecting the innocent, defending those to weak for fend for themselves. But who protects you good knight?" Arien asked sadly. She did not hesitate a moment longer, she simply left him alone with his thoughts.
------
Arien, Diamandra, and Lorain mounted there horses quietly just before sun rise.
They sat looking at each other with edgy expressions, not one of them was sure where to go from here.
"We have a plan." Diamandra said sternly, nodding as she urged her horse forward and they trotted out of the stables.
Arien was last to exit, and she was greeted by four men on horses in her path.
Arthur, Bors, Tristan, and even Lancelot.
"I can not let you come." Arien said, her expression showing obvious pain.
"I did not ask." Arthur replied, smiling at her.
She looked at Lancelot, he said nothing, but she got the impression it was because of him they were going to accompany her.
"Princess, I will not go with you this time." Someone said from behind her. She turned and spotted Owen, standing with Merlin and Guinevere, "I have done my duty, as well as you yours."
Arien, bowed her head to him for a few seconds, she smiled, a wicked smile no one else understood the meaning of. "Then we will leave you, but I am forever in your service."
Lancelot and Arthur exchanged confused looks as she came up to them on her horse.
"We go south." Arien said darkly.
"But your home is north!" Lancelot protested, not liking what she was implying.
Arthur shook his head, "South." He said, smiling at Arien as he joined her at the front of the line.
"I only agreed to go because of the bloody wizard!" Lancelot protested angrily, ignoring Bors and Tristan laughing behind him.
Disclaimer: I know what I wrote and I know what I got from the movie. Frankly, that's good enough for me.
------
Arien slept three hours that night. The winds keeping her from any real rest.
As the bells rang to signify the fourth hour she left her room and walked quietly out of the west wing. She knew Arthur had forbidden it, but since she was leaving in the morning she wanted to take one last bath.
She kept a red cloth wrapped tightly around her body as she walked. The winds were warm; unusual for this time of year she took it as a warning.
The bathhouse was just behind the castle, straight across from the stables.
Walking around the castle grounds, nearly naked, she feared no one. At this time of night they were all sure to be fast asleep.
She saw from the steps to the courtyard that there were lights on inside her destination, perhaps they had just cleaned the water, making it ready for the next days use.
She walked inside quietly, wanting to see before she was seen.
Past the pillars she saw one figure standing in the center of the pool, his head bowed as let water pour onto him from the ceiling opening, a mock waterfall Arthur built him self.
Lancelot.
She considered leaving, just walking away and trying to go back to sleep, but he spotted her before she had the chance.
Not wanting him to think he had embarrassed her she walked towards the steps into the water and let the red cloth fall to the ground.
He looked relaxed, like he was in some sort of dream.
She waded into the water until she was completely submerged.
Lancelot tried to look under the water for her, but the dim lighting from the lamps did no help.
She re surfaced behind him, keeping her back to him as she ran her fingers through her hair and water dripped down her back to rejoin the pool.
"What is your purpose?" Lancelot asked quietly, not daring to touch her in fear of his own safety.
"I am a messenger." Arien said, he head turning to the side just enough so she could see him watching her from the corner of her eye.
"A messenger for who? What do you deliver?" Lancelot asked, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder. He pulled her to the side gently so she would face him. She merely looked at him, watching his eyes search her for answers.
"When you look at me, it is as if you see right through me." Arien said at last, looking deeply troubled.
"No......I see a woman." Lancelot replied, not sure what she meant.
"I do not see a man when I look at you." She said softly, her eyes not leaving his.
"What else is there to see?"
"I see a man I could have loved."
"Is there no possibility now? We have only just met." Lancelot said in a bewildered manner.
"I can not love a man who would not love me in return." Arien snapped angrily.
"You do not know me, you know nothing of who I feel for." Lancelot hissed, aggravated because his midnight bath had been disrupted.
"Your King is vain, I grant you, but do you think he can ignore it forever? You are his best friend, loyal companion, and most beloved knight! Is this how you repay him?!" Arien asked darkly, shaking her head in disgust.
"I know not of what you speak, but if it is treason, or that I might harm my King you are mistaken! Fear me woman I do not play your games! Tell me now what you presume to imply and be gone!" Lancelot yelled, pointing towards the door.
"I do not choose who I love, nor do you. Arthur married the one you desire, yet you are blatantly ignoring you own feelings!" Arien yelled, pulling his arm back down.
"I DO NOT FEEL!" Lancelot yelled, his voice now echoing all around them. He looked down at her hand, still holding his, "I can not feel." He said, sounding like he had just realized it for the first time himself. "I can not do what you ask of me."
"I have asked NOTHING! Do you really think one day she will turn around and grant your wishes? If you really love that woman you would leave her, other wise you condemn her to death as well as yourself!"
Lancelot pulled her close to him, not wanting her to leave until she answered his questions. His face was nearly touching hers as he spoke next,
"Then what? I go with you and live out the rest of my life in hiding?" he asked bitterly.
"No, instead you make a choice for yourself, not what your King asks of you. Defy him and he will not harm you, but betray him and you will die by his hands."
"Is this the message you were sent to deliver?" Lancelot asked, looking her straight in the eye, daring her to lie to him.
"There are so many things about to happen that are much bigger then the Knights living in this castle. Do you not find it odd a woman you have only just met knows your intentions towards Guinevere? "
Lancelot shook his head, "There are NO intentions! Arthur is my King! I WILL NOT BETRAY HIM!!"
Arien pulled away from him and made her way out of the pool towards her red cloth.
"You have a husband." Lancelot said quietly, watching her retreat from his presence.
"If your god exists, then by all rights he might consider it so, but I have said it before and I will say it only one last time; Men are only mortals, they can not take what they please and leave the remaining to wither in there shadows. He calls himself my husband......but he will never have me, or my country."
"I asked you once what a woman with four swords fears." Lancelot said, taking a step towards her.
She picked up the cloth and wrapped it around herself once more. She turned back around to look at him, "I have spent my whole life waiting for one moment when I would finally be good enough. That is what keeps me going, but what happens when I run out of hope? Who will save you then?"
"You do not need to save me." Lancelot said defensively.
"You spend your life protecting the innocent, defending those to weak for fend for themselves. But who protects you good knight?" Arien asked sadly. She did not hesitate a moment longer, she simply left him alone with his thoughts.
------
Arien, Diamandra, and Lorain mounted there horses quietly just before sun rise.
They sat looking at each other with edgy expressions, not one of them was sure where to go from here.
"We have a plan." Diamandra said sternly, nodding as she urged her horse forward and they trotted out of the stables.
Arien was last to exit, and she was greeted by four men on horses in her path.
Arthur, Bors, Tristan, and even Lancelot.
"I can not let you come." Arien said, her expression showing obvious pain.
"I did not ask." Arthur replied, smiling at her.
She looked at Lancelot, he said nothing, but she got the impression it was because of him they were going to accompany her.
"Princess, I will not go with you this time." Someone said from behind her. She turned and spotted Owen, standing with Merlin and Guinevere, "I have done my duty, as well as you yours."
Arien, bowed her head to him for a few seconds, she smiled, a wicked smile no one else understood the meaning of. "Then we will leave you, but I am forever in your service."
Lancelot and Arthur exchanged confused looks as she came up to them on her horse.
"We go south." Arien said darkly.
"But your home is north!" Lancelot protested, not liking what she was implying.
Arthur shook his head, "South." He said, smiling at Arien as he joined her at the front of the line.
"I only agreed to go because of the bloody wizard!" Lancelot protested angrily, ignoring Bors and Tristan laughing behind him.