The wind was becoming fiercer as they travelled up north, snow was beginning to fall thickly upon the ground and there were signs of a blizzard forming in the sky.
"Arthur we need to set up camp, if this blizzard forms motion we will not be able to sustain it"
"We will carry on riding Galahad until I say we should stop, or have you forgotten your place?"
Galahad muttered a muffled sorry before pulling back to ride alongside Gawain.
"Leave it be Galahad, Arthur knows what he's doing, give him the benefit of the doubt"
They rode on further, and the horses were starting to perish under the cold. Lancelot rubbed his horses' neck and whispered to it quietly, before riding back to Arthur.
"We really must make camp Arthur; the horses can't survive in these conditions, please"
Arthur halted and held up his hand to stop the ranks behind him.
"Fine, we make camp in that small cave over there, the curved ice over it could act as some kind of protection."
The riders pulled their horses reins and rode off down to the small mouth of the cave. Bors had set up his tent early, and was sitting inside it, shivering under a thin blanket. Lancelot was on watch outside with Tristan and Keirai, who had her fingers on her bowstring, looking around suspiciously. Arthur was resting against the wall, trying to sleep but he was so restless, his eyes stayed wide open. Guinevere was inside their tent sleeping peacefully, Galahad and Gawain both talking together around a small log fire.
There was a rustle in the trees. Keirai became extremely alert and lifted her bow, her eyes searching between the leaves. Tristan still had his fingers placed upon his bow string, but Lancelot had both his broad blade swords in his hand, twirling them in his fingers. All of a sudden they could hear a heavy breathing sound coming from a small cluster of rocks by the base. Strapping her bow to her back and putting her arrows in her quiver, Keirai drew her oriental sword and watched the small cluster with avid eyes. Lancelot was at her heels and Tristan still far back with his bow in hand.
All of a sudden a flurry of arrows came over the walls. They weren't very powerful, as they bounced of Lancelot's armour when he had jumped in front of Keirai.
Tristan fired and arrow and it flew into the small cluster, and Keirai heard a muffled scream, it had obviously struck someone. Twirling her sword nervously between her fingers, Keirai jumped on top of the cluster, putting her sword across the throats of three men, all dressed in Rome attire.
"Arthur! Come here quick!"
Springing to his feet Arthur ran over to the small cluster of ice she was standing on. He looked down at the roman soldiers. Taking Excalibur from its scabbard, he knocked Keirai's sword away from them.
"You have two choices men, you can either help us, or you can die"
"I'd rather die than take commands from a traitor!"
One of them hissed at him and spat at his feet. Arthur slipped Excalibur back into its sheath and stepped away from them.
"Keirai, Tristan, Lancelot, kill these men in whatever fashion most painful and fit to you"
They nodded and Bors, Galahad and Gawain lifted the soldiers up, tying them to tall ice blocks, their weapons slowly burning on the fire.
"In death they say we gain honour, I promise you knight, you will not have an honourable death and your Christian ways will not bring you to heaven. As soon as I'm finished with you there will be no release, but punishment when you burn in the pits of hell"
Lancelot smiled at his soldier and drew his swords, placing one upon his neck and one below his waist. Very quickly he drew back the sword below the soldier's waist, and removed whatever was there with a swift slashing movement. The soldier squirmed and howled in pain.
"Let me put you out of your misery"
He whispered and slit his throat quickly, his blood melting into the soft snow. Keirai was more instant with her soldier's death, putting all her strength behind her blow and cutting him diagonally in half. Tristan however preferred death by shooting, and trying to see how many arrows they could endure before they actually died.
"We move tonight, if those three have found us news will spread, there could be an entire army here by dawn."
Arthur said as he mounted his horse. All of the knights except Lancelot were seated on their saddles; he was too busy wiping the blood out of his hair.
"Come Lancelot, we haven't got forever!"
Bors cried smiling as Lancelot swung his legs over his horses back and rode into the formation. Smiling at his cousin they began to ride, the horses sliding somewhat one the frozen ground. They turned a corner and Arthur halted, in the fear of a bad memory from long ago. They'd stumbled upon a clearing, frozen over with ice, and seeing it crumble as a brave and courageous man hammered away at the surface with his axe, breaking the barrier between him and his knights, and an army of two hundred Saxons…
His eyes flickered as he tried to repress the memory, Dagonet riding forward and clasping his shoulder.
"Let it go Arthur, were fine now. I'm here I'm alive and I'm well, it's all just a bad memory now…"
Arthur nodded and dismounting his horse he led his company slowly across the ice, the dead faces of Saxons staring at him from under the frozen surface.
"Arthur we need to set up camp, if this blizzard forms motion we will not be able to sustain it"
"We will carry on riding Galahad until I say we should stop, or have you forgotten your place?"
Galahad muttered a muffled sorry before pulling back to ride alongside Gawain.
"Leave it be Galahad, Arthur knows what he's doing, give him the benefit of the doubt"
They rode on further, and the horses were starting to perish under the cold. Lancelot rubbed his horses' neck and whispered to it quietly, before riding back to Arthur.
"We really must make camp Arthur; the horses can't survive in these conditions, please"
Arthur halted and held up his hand to stop the ranks behind him.
"Fine, we make camp in that small cave over there, the curved ice over it could act as some kind of protection."
The riders pulled their horses reins and rode off down to the small mouth of the cave. Bors had set up his tent early, and was sitting inside it, shivering under a thin blanket. Lancelot was on watch outside with Tristan and Keirai, who had her fingers on her bowstring, looking around suspiciously. Arthur was resting against the wall, trying to sleep but he was so restless, his eyes stayed wide open. Guinevere was inside their tent sleeping peacefully, Galahad and Gawain both talking together around a small log fire.
There was a rustle in the trees. Keirai became extremely alert and lifted her bow, her eyes searching between the leaves. Tristan still had his fingers placed upon his bow string, but Lancelot had both his broad blade swords in his hand, twirling them in his fingers. All of a sudden they could hear a heavy breathing sound coming from a small cluster of rocks by the base. Strapping her bow to her back and putting her arrows in her quiver, Keirai drew her oriental sword and watched the small cluster with avid eyes. Lancelot was at her heels and Tristan still far back with his bow in hand.
All of a sudden a flurry of arrows came over the walls. They weren't very powerful, as they bounced of Lancelot's armour when he had jumped in front of Keirai.
Tristan fired and arrow and it flew into the small cluster, and Keirai heard a muffled scream, it had obviously struck someone. Twirling her sword nervously between her fingers, Keirai jumped on top of the cluster, putting her sword across the throats of three men, all dressed in Rome attire.
"Arthur! Come here quick!"
Springing to his feet Arthur ran over to the small cluster of ice she was standing on. He looked down at the roman soldiers. Taking Excalibur from its scabbard, he knocked Keirai's sword away from them.
"You have two choices men, you can either help us, or you can die"
"I'd rather die than take commands from a traitor!"
One of them hissed at him and spat at his feet. Arthur slipped Excalibur back into its sheath and stepped away from them.
"Keirai, Tristan, Lancelot, kill these men in whatever fashion most painful and fit to you"
They nodded and Bors, Galahad and Gawain lifted the soldiers up, tying them to tall ice blocks, their weapons slowly burning on the fire.
"In death they say we gain honour, I promise you knight, you will not have an honourable death and your Christian ways will not bring you to heaven. As soon as I'm finished with you there will be no release, but punishment when you burn in the pits of hell"
Lancelot smiled at his soldier and drew his swords, placing one upon his neck and one below his waist. Very quickly he drew back the sword below the soldier's waist, and removed whatever was there with a swift slashing movement. The soldier squirmed and howled in pain.
"Let me put you out of your misery"
He whispered and slit his throat quickly, his blood melting into the soft snow. Keirai was more instant with her soldier's death, putting all her strength behind her blow and cutting him diagonally in half. Tristan however preferred death by shooting, and trying to see how many arrows they could endure before they actually died.
"We move tonight, if those three have found us news will spread, there could be an entire army here by dawn."
Arthur said as he mounted his horse. All of the knights except Lancelot were seated on their saddles; he was too busy wiping the blood out of his hair.
"Come Lancelot, we haven't got forever!"
Bors cried smiling as Lancelot swung his legs over his horses back and rode into the formation. Smiling at his cousin they began to ride, the horses sliding somewhat one the frozen ground. They turned a corner and Arthur halted, in the fear of a bad memory from long ago. They'd stumbled upon a clearing, frozen over with ice, and seeing it crumble as a brave and courageous man hammered away at the surface with his axe, breaking the barrier between him and his knights, and an army of two hundred Saxons…
His eyes flickered as he tried to repress the memory, Dagonet riding forward and clasping his shoulder.
"Let it go Arthur, were fine now. I'm here I'm alive and I'm well, it's all just a bad memory now…"
Arthur nodded and dismounting his horse he led his company slowly across the ice, the dead faces of Saxons staring at him from under the frozen surface.