A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! I know this fic isn't really legend-based. I mean, there are so many variations on the legend that it could be pretty difficult anyway. I hope it's alright as a stand-alone piece, since it takes place before the film and its therefore just speculation (to be honest, I guess the film is just speculation too, albeit with some credibility). Just one note – anything in bold indicates thoughts. I hope it shows up on here because sometimes has trouble with that sort of thing. Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 2

Auria and her companions rode deep into the night, only stopping to rest a few hours before dawn. Dismounting her horse just off the woodland track, the warrior peered back into the gloom, senses alert for the merest hint of danger. Ganal helped Daneth to dismount, and the two men looked to her for reassurance.

"Get that wound seen to" she told Daneth. "I'll unsaddle the horses – we can afford to rest for a while, I think. If they were tracking us, they would have caught up by now"

Daneth sat down heavily, grimacing in pain as the slash in his leg began to bleed once again. "They could be waiting for us to stop"

"They were Roman knights – they wouldn't wait for us to stop when they could have overtaken and defeated us hours ago. Besides, I'm sure they have better things to do than chase Britons all night"

Ganal had knelt next to Daneth and was searching in his pack for herbs to lessen the other man's pain. He looked up at Auria, a thoughtful expression on his dark face.

"I didn't think they had knights on the border"

"No..." Auria mused. Neither did I... "Perhaps they were just posted here. They have knights up at Hadrian's Wall after all"

Ganal frowned. "I hope they don't start to cause trouble – they say the knights at the Wall have never been defeated in battle"

Auria grinned. "Arturius' knights are more legend than fact. Those stories travel hundreds of leagues before they reach us, after all. Even if they are true, I doubt any other band of Roman knights can match them. We may have to meet these men in some other battle, but they are just Romans."

Daneth barked a laugh, then yelped as Ganal applied something stinging. "Today we were just three, tomorrow we will be many"

"Exactly"

Auria finished unsaddling the horses and built a small fire, over which she and Ganal cooked rabbit they'd caught the day before. Daneth fell asleep almost immediately after eating, and she looked at him in concern. Ganal caught her gaze.

"It's not deep" he said. "He'll recover"

Auria nodded. She had been sent north with the two men under her command three days earlier, to discover Roman troop movements along the border. More had been gathering from the north than ever before – the Welsh leaders thought that maybe they were strengthening their control of the Welsh border, but whether it was to suppress the Irish invasion or to tighten their control over the Welsh natives, no-one knew.

After travelling north for two days, the three warriors had finally reached the camp the Romans had set up near the edge of the border. Soldiers had come down from Pict country, and talk was that more would be coming in the future. After learning this Auria had struck out for home, only to run into the band of Roman soldiers she'd just had a hand in killing. Their captain had proved most useful in telling what he knew of Roman plans – it seemed that 400 of the troops stationed at the large camp would be sent down the border to strengthen Tolimus's fortress. To the West of this stronghold was Welsh territory...Auria's territory.

She sighed as she lay down on the cold ground, wrapping her dark cloak around her slender form. More Romans were all they needed – with the Irish pushing inland from the coast times were dark enough as it was. The native Welsh found themselves trapped between two separate enemies, and it seemed as if they'd have to give in to one or the other. Auria's tribe were lucky in that they were so far inland – they only had the distant threat of the Irish kingdoms – Romans were their main concern.

It was strange, she thought, that Roman command felt that Hadrian's Wall could continue with less troops. Perhaps the Picts had given up fighting, or perhaps they knew more about the Irish invasion than she did...

Head filled with these uneasy thoughts, Auria fell into a troubled sleep.

The day dawned misty and cold – water vapour clung to everything, and the horses snorted in protest as they jogged along between the trees. Thanks to riding hard all the night before, Auria and her men came within sight of the fortress just after noon, and headed south-west from the landmark. Only a league distant they struck upon familiar tracks, and quickly reached the large clearing which currently housed their village.

Scouts had spotted them from the fortress and flanked them all the way back, so that as they entered the settlement, their leader was waiting to greet them.

Auria dismounted as a sign of respect to the tall man who stood before his shelter. With dark hair and eyes, Lindon was most definitely a Welshman. However, his fine features suggested nobility, and Auria always thought that was how he managed to carry the role of leader so well, despite the fact that he was only some fifteen years older than she – young for a village elder. He raised a hand in greeting and Auria returned the gesture.

"You return with news?" he asked in the Welsh language. Auria nodded.

"More troops are massing to the north, but only four hundred make plans to march to the fortress. They will be here within five days."

Lindon nodded, thoughtful, and looked to Ganal and Daneth. His eyes narrowed.

"You are injured"

"Yes" Daneth said, standing gingerly. Lindon made a motion with his hand, and a woman came forwards from the small crowd that had gathered and helped him to a nearby shelter. Lindon looked to Auria, a question in his eyes.

"We met with some Roman soldiers yesterday" she explained. "It was their captain told us of the troops that are to come here."

"Did you let him live?"

Auria knew that Lindon was considering the option that someone may have survived to tell others of the Welsh and their movements. It was an ongoing battle to outsmart the Romans and remain hidden from their reach. A tension gripped her stomach – she let the man live, when common sense dictated she should have killed him. By her silence, she knew that Lindon would already have guessed the truth. She forced herself to meet his gaze...at least she could try and explain her actions.

"Yes. We were discovered by Roman knights – seven, on horseback. We could not have faced them in combat – we had to flee"

Lindon looked to Ganal for confirmation, and the young man nodded his assent. "I haven't seen the likes of them before"

"Do you know where they came from?"

Auria shook her head, but she'd given the matter a lot of thought on the way home and could make a good guess.

"Perhaps they were making for the fortress. It is the only building within four days' ride that would be fit for knights to reside in"

Lindon pursed his lips. "I will think on the matter. Thank you, Auria...Ganal. Welcome home"

He turned to enter his shelter, effectively dismissing his warriors. Ganal's woman was now free to rush forward from the crowd and embrace her lover, and did so with abandon. Auria smiled as Ganal rolled his eyes in mock-protest, and took her horse by the reins, leading it over to her own shelter which was set a little apart from the main body of the settlement.

After unsaddling the stallion she sighed and stretched her arms above her head, wincing at the small cracks her spine made – riding was strenuous work. She unclasped her cloak and stepped into her shelter to undress – before she'd got past her sword-belt, there was a soft knock on the door-post.

"Auria?"

It was Elen, her friend-in-arms-and-drinking, and Auria grinned.

"Come in"

The tall dark woman, clad in a light green dress, pushed back the door-covering and entered the small room which, like the rest of the shelters, was created with tree-branches and swathes of material. She automatically began to help Auria take off the leather jerkin and light armour she wore.

"How was it?" she asked. "How were Daneth and Ganal?"

"Fine" Auria said. "They behaved themselves...it was quite simple, except for the Romans we killed"

"Did you really see some knights?" Elen's voice held not a little wonder, and Auria understood why. Roman knights, with their huge horses and gleaming armour, were talked of in stories, not seen in real life. Auria herself was the first one in the settlement to steal a Roman horse and introduce something akin to the knight's method of fighting – it was how she'd gained her status as a warrior and a leader in battle. She smiled at her friend and said;

"Yes. A whole band of them."

"Are they as noble as they say?"

"I didn't really get a good look, I was too busy running away!"

Elen sniggered. "Pity" She sniffed. "You know, you could really do with a bath"

Auria frowned and sniffed her arm. "Hmm...I don't smell that bad..."

"You've been around men too long"

"They don't notice!"

"That's because they smell terrible themselves. To them, you're probably like a rare, delicate flower"

"But to you?"

Elen grimaced. "A few things spring to mind...mudpools...Lindon's potions...latrines..."

Auria gasped and swatted at the other woman. "I do not!"

Elen laughed. "Maybe not that bad..."

"Hmph" Auria snorted, pulling off her last item of clothing.

"I washed these while you were gone" Elen said, and Auria noticed for the first time the bundle she'd brought with her. In it were some brown breeches and a green woollen jerkin, which laced up at the front with a leather thong. Auria grinned and picked them up.

"What would I do without you?"

"Smell like a latrine all the time?"

Auria laughed and donned the clothing, much to Elen's dismay.

"You'll get it dirty again! You could at least bathe first!"

"I'll bathe later!" Auria protested, raking her fingers through her hair. "Right now I'm hungry, and thirsty, and you have to tell me what's been going on these past four days. Come on!"

Grabbing Elen's hand, she pulled her out of the shelter and towards the communal campfire in the middle of the clearing, returning the hails of the other villagers who quickly offered to slake her thirst with freshly-brewed ale.