As Guinevere and Serin made their way through the dense woods surrounding the Woad camp, Serin shivered, Guinevere seemed to know where they were going, but Serin could make out nothing by the waning torchlight that would suggest people nearby.
A twig snapped somewhere behind her, and she jumped, but realized that it was most likely a deer or a rabbit. They had walked for another few minutes when a hand reached from the darkness and grabbed Serin's shoulder.
She stifled a scream, and spun around only to find herself face to face with Eva, who was grinning sheepishly.
"Sorry, I tripped," she explained.
Guinevere turned to them, the torch in her hand casting odd shadows over her face, "Hush now, we're getting close."
They walked for a while longer, with only the sounds of the forest to break the deafening silence, until a clearing loomed into their view, there were many people seated around a large crackling fire.
An old man with black markings on his face and arms arose as they entered the hollow, "Welcome Guinevere," he said slowly.
Serin heard unseen bows being drawn, and shivered once again.
"But who are these you have brought?" the old man inquired, peering intently at Serin and her sister.
"It's alright," Guinevere told him, "they wish to join us, Merlin."
"Join us?" Merlin wondered, "Word has reached us that all those in the wall are fleeing. Why do these two stay behind? Why do they wish to fight?"
"We wish to fight for this country," Eva spoke up unexpectedly, "because none of our people will."
Merlin gazed at her for a moment, then motioned for the men in the surrounding trees to lower their arrows, "Very well," he sighed, "you are welcome here." He sat down to warm himself by the fire, "Guinevere," he said solemnly,
"Yes?" she asked, stepping forward.
"Get these two attired and armed."
"Yes sir," she replied, and led the other girls away to a small tent.
"What does he mean 'attired'?" Eva asked as she pushed the tent flap aside, "We can fight alright in what we're wearing now."
Guinevere shook her head and handed them each a brown leather war outfit, "It will be easier to identify you on the battlefield if you're dressed as we are. Someone will come with your weapons in a moment." she told them, and ducked out of the tent.
Serin stared at the clothes in her hands, but Eva showed no hesitation in slipping out of her dress, and putting hers on.
"Comfortable?" Serin asked, as Eva adjusted the very revealing top.
Eva shrugged, "More or less, yes." she eyed her reluctant older sister, who sighed, but donned her outfit also.
There was a tap on the tent flap, "Are you dressed?" a young woman's voice called.
"Yes," Eva replied, and a black haired girl with pale blue eyes entered, carrying a variety
of weapons.
"Here you are," she said, handing them each a sword, bow, and quiver of arrows.
"Thanks," Eva said enthusiastically.
The girl smiled, "Now come, you must be marked as our people."
"Marked?" Serin asked.
The girl motioned to designs of green and black adorning her shoulders and wrists.
"Oh," she said, feeling stupid to have asked that, and followed the girl out of the tent.
They passed Merlin, who smiled at them as they were led to where a group of women with paints waited by a smaller fire.
An old woman motioned for them to sit down.
They did, noticing the intricate designs on the women's faces and bodies.
"Here," the woman said, holding out a brush.
Eva leaned in eagerly, and the woman painted a thin line across the bridge of Eva's delicate nose and across her cheeks, then two thicker bands about her upper right arm, that curled down around her arm to her wrist, two vine-like bands that swirled around each of her ankles, and then a line that ran the length of her bare midriff.
Eva grinned and sat back, admiring the woman's handiwork.
"You have more strength than you know," she told Eva with a lopsided grin on her wrinkled face.
"Thanks," Eva told her, and pushed Serin forward to be painted as well.
The woman dipped her brush and touched it to Serin's cheek.
The girl winced at the cold paint, causing the woman to laugh heartily as she painted a vine that curled around Serin's brow, down onto her cheek , then three thin vines on her shoulder, a circle on the top of her sword hand, and two thick bands around her ankle.
The woman sat back on her heels to admire her work and grinned, "You are one us now." she told Serin, patting her on the shoulder.
Serin smiled, "Now I truly feel like a Briton, thank you."
Guinevere came up behind her, "Serin," she said, and the girl turned, "Merlin's called a meeting of all those who are fighting, come."
Serin nodded and stood, as did Eva, and they followed her to the main campfire, where hundreds were gathered to hear Merlin speak.
Guinevere pushed through to the front, and the two younger girls followed.
Merlin looked around at all of them, hope in his eyes, "The sun will rise in a few short hours," he told them, folding hid hands in front of him, "and with it will come a day a day of war, a day of blood, but most importantly, a day of truth. Now you must fight for Britain, but not only for Britain, but for your own freedom."
As Serin stood in the line of warriors, next to Eva, no one would have guessed that she had only become a Woad last night.
Eva looked at her and grinned, "Scared?" she asked as knocked their arrows in their bows and waited for the signal.
Serin shook her head, "No," I feel excited, but not scared."
They waited tensely, and their adrenaline surged as Guinevere drew her bow to fire the
first arrow. She released it and it sang through the air, followed by a shower of thousands more.
The unsuspecting Saxon army screamed as they were hit with arrows from unseen bowmen. They fired their own bows wildly into the mist and were shot right back at.
Serin could hear horses galloping amidst the Saxons. It couldn't be the knights, she told herself, they left, Arthur must have rallied together some brave villagers.
They fired a shower of arrows upon the Saxons yet again, and Serin felt a strange sense of eagerness as she heard the yells once more. Wonderful, I'm getting kill-happy, she grumbled silently.
Serin drew another arrow from her quiver, but Guinevere shook her head, "Wait until they send the second army, this one's completely done for."
She heard the sound of hooves and the ring of metal again. "The knights?" she asked disbelievingly.
Guinevere smiled, "They will never be able to abandon a battle," she reassured her.
The sound of marching and drumbeats silenced them, and they once again knocked their arrows.
There were great explosions from the field as Merlin and some others launched trebuchets from atop a hill, accompanied by fresh screams of agony and rage.
A warrior now came down the row, lighting their tarred arrows aflame.
Guinevere took aim and they followed suit, setting the whole tar-ridden battlefield alight, as well as the Saxon soldiers on it.
The Saxons scurried about, confused and dazed yelling and slashing at the air.
Guinevere yelled and ran out of the mist that served as cover to the Woad warriors, the others took up the cry and followed, weapons raised.
Serin slashed a man through the stomach, whirled around and clashed swords with another.
Snarling, he twisted his sword around, trying to get at her.
Groaning with the effort, she countered, and drove her sword through his chest, but as he fell he managed to give her a shallow cut across her shoulder.
"Ah!" she gasped, grasping her upper arm, but another soldier advanced toward her, swinging his sword wildly.
She locked blades with him, and twisted her blade so she could drive it into his shoulder.
He dropped his sword as the muscle in his shoulder was severed, and dropped to his knees.
Serin held her blade level with his throat, and looked at him. There was pleading in his cold eyes, that made her waver, wondering if this was how her brother had looked before he died. But no, her brother would not have fought for such a cause as these vile Saxons did.
"Pick it up," she told the man, pointing to his sword, which lay on the ground in front him.
He did, but only to plunge it into his chest, rather than be killed by a woman.
"Thanks," she told his limp form on the ground, "You certainly saved me some trouble."
"Serin, look out!" she heard Eva shout, and spun about to meet an advancing soldier in combat. Their swords rang as they attacked and blocked, locked in battle. Finally she broke away and sliced him across the stomach, his blood spattering her. He fell, dead.
Somewhere nearby Eva yelled.
"Eva!" Serin shouted, running through the Saxons, slicing wildly to get to her sister. Suddenly she saw her, blood covered the very top of her shoulder, and a man stood over her, his sword pointed at her throat. "Maybe I won't kill you," he was saying. "Maybe I'll keep you a while, because you're pretty," he sneered.
"I don't think you will," Eva growled at him, keeping her eyes fixed on his grinning face.
"No he won't." Serin snarled, and drove her sword into his back, and pulled it out.
He grunted, and fell.
Serin helped her sister to her feet, "Now, go teach those bloody Saxons a lesson," she told her.
Eva nodded grimly, stepped over the man's body, and stabbed another Saxon in the side. She looked up and saw Tristan, one of the knights about to be slain, and ran to his aid.
The Saxon leader raised his sword, and swung. It clashed on Eva's and slid off.
"That's not very nice," she told him.
He frowned, and raised his sword again, this time to kill her, but was stopped again by Arthur, who had come up behind him.
As the two leaders battled viciously, Eva helped Tristan to his feet.
"I never asked you to save me." he said in an irritated way.
"I never asked you to get killed," she retorted, then went to rejoin the fight.
Serin looked around, and saw that Guinevere was in a similar position as Eva had been, and rushed off to aid her.
Lancelot got to her at the same time, and locked blades with the bearded man, but just long enough to get him distracted from Guinevere.
Serin glared at the bearded one, and advanced.
He did not seem to care about her though, as he turned over a body, and retrieved a bow from it.
Serin then realized what the man was doing, and yelled to Lancelot, who jumped out of the way, and the arrow went sailing past him, striking another Saxon in the heart.
Another attacker came upon Lancelot and drove him away from the bearded Saxon.
The bearded soldier cursed, and Serin glared at him again, this time, they locked eyes, and met in battle.
As Galahad fought across the field, he noticed a flash of red hair. No, he thought, she shouldn't have come! He killed the man he had been fighting with, and watched her more closely, she was good with her sword, he could see that, but the man she fought was bigger and from the look of it, better.
She slashed at the man, and caught him in the side, he barely staggered, and retaliated fiercely, "You know not who you are dealing with Woad brat," he snarled, swinging at her neck.
She ducked, and decided not to answer, I'll save my breath for fighting, she thought, as she stabbed at him for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"I am Cynric, son of Cerdic, leader of the Saxons."
"That's nice," Serin growled as he tried once again to behead her.
"Is that any way to treat a lady?" said Galahad as he stopped the Saxon's blade at about an inch from Serin's throat.
Serin grinned at him, and swung her sword, cleaving off Cynric's sword arm and bringing him to his knees. She held her sword level with his throat as she had before, and looked into his eyes; she saw no fear, no remorse, no pleading. She raised her sword, and swung with all her might, severing his head.
She stared at his head where it had fallen, and felt sick and dizzy. Looking around, she saw that no Saxons were left alive on the field, only blood, and death.
"Galahad," she whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her.
The battle was won, the Saxon leader, dead by Arthur's hand, and Britain, free.
Serin looked up at Galahad's face.
"I was wrong," he told her. "You can fight."
"Yes," she replied. "But I still needed you to rescue me in the end," she murmured, and then everything went black as she fainted from exhaustion.
