I am being forced into marching band! Arg! For some reason it's supposed to be a comfort the that "The Band Always Wins." Who cares? You still have to march around in circles on a Football field... What's with Football? I mean really...Guys jump on top of other guys, and they run around. Hmmm... Sorry, I'm rambling.
Nianko-I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Jemiul-Here's the update!
TalkIsCheap- The three 'Woad Chicks' thank you for your kind offer, but their team is complete as is. Your sentiments are shared by many. Thanks for the review!
Shallindra- I love Tristan too (in case you couldn't tell) When did he die of a broken heart? I'll see what I can do about that!
"Grab him!" shouted Marius. It was morning, but the beautiful sunrise did nothing to improve his temper. If anything, it was a sign that God was blessing his plans. God rewarded those who did His will. His soldier's grabbed Dagonet, who was instantly awake and began to struggle violently. Lucan saw this and screamed. They were going to kill his friend. Marius came up behind him, and soon had a dagger at his throat. Lucan stopped struggling. He had thought he was forever free of danger. He was wrong. You couldn't hide from what was to be, his mother had said. She was right.
Dagonet had struggled free of his captors, but his blood ran cold when Marius' voice rang out again.
"I have the boy!"
He turned and saw Lucan, dagger at his throat. He couldn't do anything to help him. Anything he did would provoke Marius further. He was about to drop his weapon, when a hiss of air blew past him.
Sera woke early. She sharpened her knives. She wanted to keep them blunt and prolong Marius' pain, but knew that it was best to keep it quick and simple. She didn't want anyone to interfere. Guinevere heard her up and checked her knives as well. They would be fine. Rebekah was the last up, much to her displeasure. Already, she had given up her part of the brutality, and now, they would think she was lazy. She let out a sigh. It didn't matter who did it, just that it was done. Castration would take care of several problems. It would be a blessing for the world.
Fulcinia opened her eyes sleepily and looked around. She was in the wagon, not the carriage. Her eyes quickly settled on the three women she was sharing it with. They all smiled at her.
"Don't worry, Fulcinia, we have a plan." Said Guinevere.
"A plan for what, exactly?" she asked, confusion evident on her features. They were nice girls, to be sure, but they were a bit violent for her taste at times.
"Marius cannot continue as he is. I don't think you'll have to worry about him raping you ever again." Said Rebekah. She always liked helping people, and couldn't wait to hear Fulcinia's joyful response.
"What? You can't do that! He'll kill you! He'll kill us all!" she exclaimed. They wanted to help, but this was not the way to solve the problem. She tried to find some other way around it, but couldn't. Except for Marius' eventual death. She shouldn't tell them, though. They would kill him instantly. She held no love for the man, but she had never rejoiced at the demise of anyone. Some people used their lives to bring happiness to others. Some people did not. Everyone has the ability to do good for the world. It is our choice what to do with our lives. Fulcinia did not believe that one was born into a certain station in life, and would remain there forever. You chose your own fate, your own destiny. Men did, anyway. Women had fewer options, and rarely changed their fate. Most were born, had children and died. It was a cycle that remained unbroken, but for the women in front of her. They were of a marrying age, yet they were not married. They could have children, yet they did not. They didn't seem to regret it either. They were content with their lot in life. When that wasn't the case, they didn't take no for an answer.
Perhaps she could go to Marius and convince him not to harm Dagonet. If he saw her, he would probably forget all about him. She was what he really wanted. Dagonet didn't matter, but she did. She was his, lower on the list than the horses, but his possession all the same. When something of his didn't serve its function, they were disposed of. She was such a possession. She was expected to stand behind him, meekly do his bidding, take the beatings as she got them, and entertain him at night. She did not do that. This confused him. To him, women served a purpose. They nurtured and pleased. That was it. Fulcinia did more than that. She was an abomination, a sinful creature of the devil, sent to test his faith. He would prevail.
Fulcinia made her decision. She would go to him now. She made a hurried excuse to the others and exited the wagon. Her eyes swept the clearing and quickly found her lord and master. She let out a shriek. He had little Lucan, dagger poking into his neck. She didn't think. She ran at Marius, dragging at his arm, begging franticly for him to let go of the poor child. Marius would have none of it, and threw her to the ground.
Guinevere, Sera, and Rebekah heard Fulcinia's shout. They sprung into action, Guinevere grabbing her bow, Sera grabbing her knives, and Rebekah unsheathing her sword. If that son of a pig so much as touched her, he would be very dead, very soon. They ran to the commotion, and quickly assessed the situation. Guinevere shot Marius right in the center of his chest. Sera took out a few soldiers with her knives, and Rebekah grabbed Lucan. She set him under the wagon, and turned, ready to defend.
Arthur and Lancelot, hearing the commotion came to their aid. Lancelot, noting Sera's aim grinned a bit.
"I see your hands are feeling better. They seemed a little stiff last night."
Sera didn't bother to respond. Now was not the time to flirt.
Bors came charging in on his horse, battle-ax lifted high.
"Do we have a problem? Huh?" He growled. He made a rather intimidating figure, so high above the ground.
"You have two choices. Fight for us, or die." Said Arthur, coolly.
The soldiers looked at one another. It wasn't much of a choice. They dropped their swords. Jols gathered their fallen weapons. They wouldn't be needing them for now.
Fulcinia and Dagonet both hurried over to Lucan. He was shaken, but he was not physically harmed. They glanced at each other briefly, a silent 'thank you' from Fulcinia, and an equally quiet 'it was nothing' form Dagonet. Then their focus returned to the boy.
Guinevere, Sera, and Rebekah stared down at the body of Marius Honorius, powerful Roman. They never had the chance to reward him for his hospitality, or his fine performance as husband. There was nothing to be done now. He would not feel anything that was done to him. Guinevere wrenched her arrow from his heart, wiping it on his robes before returning it to her quiver. No use wasting such a fine piece of work. Sera was relieved, in a way. There was no doubt the man deserved it, but she didn't want the nightmares that such an activity would bring. Rebekah was cold. She hadn't gotten to kill anyone that morning. Come to think of it, it had been at least five months since she last killed a man. It had been far too long.
Tristan rode up on his horse.
"How many di' ya kill?" asked Bors.
"Four." He said, shortly.
"Not a bad start to the day." Remarked Rebekah. She was jealous.
Tristan dropped a crude crossbow at Arthur's feet.
"Armor piercing. They're close."
Arthur nodded.
"Let's get moving."
Lancelot, Tristan, and Arthur approached the Woad women. They weren't moving, and time was running short. Lancelot touched Sera's arm, and she turned.
"We have to go, would you like to ride with me?"
"Sure, I'll go get the rest of my weapons." She turned, and ran to the wagon.
"Come on, we have to go." Arthur said.
"Oh, well. I guess it wasn't meant to be, Guinevere." Said Rebekah, with a sigh.
"We should have done it last night, then none of this would have happened." Guinevere said, annoyed with herself.
"What are you talking about, what should you have done?" asked Lancelot.
"Well, Sera was going to cut off his fingers, Guinevere was going to castrate him, and I was going to beat him to a bloody pulp. He tried to beat and rape Fulcinia last night. Dagonet knocked him out." Explained Rebekah.
All of the men winced and pressed their legs together at the mention of castration. Their eyes narrowed when the attempted rape was brought up. And Dagonet, knight in shining armor, coming to the rescue. It didn't surprise them that much. Dagonet didn't care who he upset, as long as he was protecting people.
"Remind me never to upset you." Lancelot said to Guinevere. He was still wincing. He liked his body as it was. It was a wise man that covered his tracks.
Sera returned, fully armed, and she and Lancelot went off. Tristan hadn't said a word yet, and he studied Rebekah closely. She was disappointed, that was plain. Most women would be relieved. She was not.
"Come on Rebekah, we should get back to the wagon." Said Guinevere, dragging her away from the body, towards the wagon. Arthur had not spoken to her. He was distant, and dislike reverberated from his entire body. She had to get away. Rebekah noticed her friend's mood, but said nothing. Sometimes, you had to deal with things on your own. Guinevere needed to do that now.
The caravan was moving, and it was moving fast. They all knew what was at stake. Rebekah checked all her weapons. She would be needing them.
Tristan rode ahead, following Arthur's orders. The Woad Rebekah confused him. One moment she was flirting like a barroom wench, the next her eyes were cold, ready to kill. She was a world of contradictions. Full of laughter, full of silence. Full of love, full of aggression.
He reached the lake, and stopped. The others caught up with him. They all looked over the expanse of ice, wondering what the day would bring. Battle, death, life?
Dagonet wondered too.
They all spread out to cross the ice. It was very thin. Tristan was at the front of the group, leading his horse. The ice began to crack under his feet, and he braced himself, a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't battle; he couldn't waste his life on something as trivial as ice. It was not the glorious finale that he had planned. He did not fall through, but they could go no further. They all turned to Arthur, waiting for his decision. Suddenly they heard them. The drums. They were close.
The drums pounded in Dagonet's chest as he looked to Lucan and Fulcinia. They needed to be protected. He would do that. He would die protecting them.
So, does he live or die, aye? Te he he! Sorry, I couldn't resist.
