Kidnapped

by dellis

The continuation of The Saxon and The Hawk. (Can't say much because if you haven't read the first one it'll give it away.) Again it's several chapters submitted as a complete story. Read and review! Please.

Kidnapped

Chapter One

This day had started just like any other. Tristan and the rest of Arthur's knights had left at sunrise on a mission for Arthur. It really didn't qualify as a "mission" if your definition of mission included fighting. Tristan thought about how different things were since Arthur had become king and how easily he and the rest had settled into the new way. He no longer had to keep a close watch on the forest for signs of Woad warriors.

The Woads were now part of Arthur's kingdom and were allies of the Knights. Not enemies. Even with all the deaths inflicted on both sides, they no longer hated each other. No, this mission would not require any fighting. Then, none of Arthur's missions did. All they had to do was visit several villages and make sure they didn't need any assistance recovering from the war that had gone on months before. Easy. Then he could get back home. He could now say "home" because he did have something worthwhile.

With that thought, he frowned. Deadric had been a little upset with him lately and he couldn't figure out what he could have done. When he asked her all she did was give him a frown. He wondered if she had regrets about her choice to stay with him.

The only time he wasn't stepping lightly around her was when they made love. He smiled. Remembering the night before he left and the way Deadric had loved him. Even remembering her lovemaking made him tingle and he had to look around for something else to think about. He shifted in his saddle trying to rearrange things so he wouldn't be so uncomfortable.

Lancelot was riding beside Tristan and he noticed him moving around in his saddle. "Anything wrong, Tristan?" he asked with a slight smirk.

Tristan looked at the other knight and sighed. Lancelot always noticed what you didn't want him to. "No, everything's just fine," he answered. He hoped his tone would be enough to stop Lancelot looking at him with that "knowing" smile. Now that Tristan engaged in the usual banter with the others, Lancelot never tired of trying to embarrass him about his new wife whenever he found an opportunity.

Lancelot was not satisfied though. He smiled even wider when Bors said, "Tristan, Vanora has some salve she uses on the babies butts that will help that rash."

"I don't have a rash!" Tristan yelled before he thought. Then, looking around, he noticed the others looking at him and trying to suppress their laughter. He had done it again. He had let them get under his skin. He smiled weakly and shrugged. Let them think what they wanted.

He asked Bors, "Have you named your children since you and Vanora got married?" Before Bors could answer, Gawain said, "Nice change of subject, Tristan." They all laughed out loud. Even Bors, who said, "Tristan, I understand, sometimes it's hard for me to sit still on my saddle. We'll be home soon and Deadric can take care of that itch." Bors winked at Tristan and Gallahad almost fell off his horse he was laughing so hard.

Ignoring the other knights, Tristan looked at Bors and grinned. When he looked back at Lancelot he noticed the pained look on his face.

Lancelot had not confided in him or any of the rest as far as he could tell, but they all knew that Lancelot thought he was in love with Guinnevere. Even though she was married to Arthur now and Lancelot would never betray Arthur's trust. He loved her. You could see it in his eyes whenever she was around. Arthur didn't know, that much Tristan was certain. He would have noticed the signs of jealousy. He wasn't sure if Guinnevere knew or if she returned the feeling. It didn't matter. Tristan knew that Lancelot would never act on his feelings. He was too loyal to Arthur. Tristan hoped his brother in arms would find the happiness he had suddenly found when he met Deadric.

This thought brought back the problem of Deadric being angry with him all the time and kept his mind occupied. After a little while he looked around and noticed everyone else had grown quiet, too. None of the knights had made a move to return to their homelands even though Arthur had given them the chance. He wondered how long they would be satisfied with "peace". He knew if it weren't for Deadric, he'd be itching to find a battle. The others didn't have someone waiting for them, except for Bors. Their pace slowed to match their thoughts.

Chapter Two

Deadric had just finished changing the covers on the bed. It had only been a few days since she had done this. But it gave her something to do and although he pretended it didn't matter, she knew Tristan secretly liked the feel of clean bedclothes. It was a secret to everyone but her anyway. In the few months they had been married she had found out a lot of things that were a secret to everyone else... things that only a woman in love would notice about a man. Starting to hum, she thought about the gentleness that most didn't know about. Or at least didn't let on they knew about. She had heard Gallahad refer to Tristan as 'cold-hearted' once. She knew better.

As she cleaned, she kept thinking about the looks Tristan had been giving her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She felt guilty about the concern in his eyes, but she didn't know what to do about it. She didn't mean to snap at him all the time. She just did. She wanted to explain, but she didn't know how. Every time she wanted to try, she started to cry. She didn't understand it herself. Maybe when she finally got it all sorted out she would be able to tell him and they could have a nice laugh about her moodiness. Maybe. If Tristan's patience held out.

When she finished cleaning Deadric went in search of Vanora to offer her help with the children. This had become a ritual when the men were gone. Deadric still didn't understand how Vanora took care of all of them when Bors was absent. That she always did was a character plus as far as Deadric was concerned. She and Vanora had become fast friends over the past few weeks. That was when Arthur had started sending the knights out to check on the outlying villages. There was no threat of war, but he felt some of the villagers might need help.

The days (and nights) were terribly lonely with them gone so she and Vanora spent a lot of time together. Occasionally Guinevere joined them, but the only thing she felt she had in common with the new queen was their love for the knights. Not just their husbands, all of them. They were an extended family and she knew they looked to each other as brothers would when there was a problem. Sometimes they acted like brothers, too, when they got frustrated with each other. If there wasn't mutual respect and love involved, she was sure a couple of them would have committed a murder when they began to argue.

Deadric found Vanora feeding the younger children while the older ones were helping give them baths as they finished their meal. She offered to help and Vanora handed her the youngest. She was a cute baby, even with the mush all over her face and in her hair. As Deadric was pulling the baby's clothes off Vanora asked, "So, when can we expect to see you with a little one on your hip?"

Deadric didn't answer she just felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She found that she could not say anything without actually crying.

Vanora took a moment to look at Deadric's face. She noticed the look of pain the other woman was trying so hard to hide. "You don't think something is wrong?" she finally asked. Deadric wanted to admit her fears but just thinking about it brought more tears to her eyes. Quickly wiping at her eyes, she tried to make her voice steady as she answered the other woman's question. "I don't know. It's been months and still nothing." She attempted a smile and Vanora, having seen the tears, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll happen when it is supposed to."

Vanora watched Deadric for a few moments then asked, "Have you been tired a lot lately? Or Do you get weepy or upset for no reason?" she asked.

Deadric thought for a moment and said, "Yes, Tristan looks at me like he's expecting horns or something to sprout from my head." Vanora asked when her last cycle had been and Deadric thought about it and realized it was the night it had happened during their lovemaking. It had been over 2 months since then. "Oh, Vanora, do you think that's what has been bothering me?" She took a deep breath and realized the signs had been there, she just didn't recognize them. She told Vanora she had to leave and smiling Vanora told her to be sure and rest, she would need it in the months to come.

Deadric didn't know what to do with the time she would be alone until Tristan returned and she could give him the good news. At least, she hoped it would be good news to him. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about it. What if he didn't want children after all and this changed their relationship completely? What would he say? "Damn," she thought, "why did I have to think about this now?" Of course Tristan would be happy. Why wouldn't he be?

She was still arguing with herself when she decided to go to the stables to find Jols. What she needed was to take a nice leisurely ride and clear her head. She usually stayed close to the fort unless Tristan was with her. He was so protective sometimes. But she knew where she was going and it wasn't far from the gate. She placed her hand on her still-flat stomach and smiled. She was so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't see Jols at first. She jumped when he spoke to her.

"Hello, he's been waiting for you. It seems he knows when his mistress is coming before you get here." Then noticing her startled look, he apologized, "I didn't mean to frighten you." Deadric noticed Jols already had Dawn saddled and ready. He also had another horse saddled. She walked over and placed a piece of carrot under the stallions nose and patted him as he chewed. She had named him Dawn because of the small patch of gray hair between his eyes. The hair was the color of a new morning before a clear day. Other than that he was solid black. Tristan had snorted when he heard the name, but he had not objected. Even if Dawn did sound a little feminine for a stallion it suited him.

She asked, "Jols, who else is going for a ride?" He looked a little sheepish but did not turn away his gaze. "I am. It's not really safe for you to go alone. Tristan does not want you to go unprotected." She laughed and told him she was perfectly capable of riding a few kilometers from the fort without getting in trouble. "I'm only going a little ways, to a clearing Tristan and I found in the middle of a dense forest. I'll be fine. If something happens Dawn will bring me swiftly back home."

Jols seemed skeptical, but when she smiled he finally nodded his agreement. Her father and Tristan weren't the only ones who couldn't resist her smile.

Chapter Three

The knights rode through the gate at the fort and happily greeted all that were waiting for their return. Everyone except Tristan. He was looking around for Deadric but she was nowhere to be seen. "Unusual," thought Tristan. "What could possibly keep her away?"

He watched Vanora kissing Bors very passionately and thought that nothing would have kept Deadric from being at the gate when they arrived unless she was angry with him again. He headed over to ask Vanora if she knew where Deadric was. Just then Jols came up to him and said, "Tristan, Arthur wants to see you." Maybe it was his imagination but it seemed the other man was trying hard not to look at him. As a matter of fact, now that he thought about it, everyone was suddenly looking anywhere but at him. What did they know that he didn't?

Tristan turned to go toward the quarters that Arthur and Guinnevere had taken until she could talk Arthur into building a new castle more suitable for the new King of Britain. Something was not right and he meant to find out what as soon as he could. All of a sudden he had a feeling that something was terribly wrong with Deadric. The emptiness that overtook his heart caused a pain unlike any he had suffered in battle. He didn't think the gods would be cruel enough to take his love for a second time, but he hadn't thought he would ever love again either.

Arthur was standing at a window looking over the gate where the knights had rode through when he walked into the room. Since the door was open he figured he'd bypass the usual knock before entering. Arthur turned to him and said, "Tristan, I have some bad news." Arthur then turned back to the window and Tristan suddenly felt cold start creeping into his body. "Deadric went for a ride three days ago. Jols tried to accompany her but she refused. When she hadn't returned after several hours Jols came to me. We sent some men out to look for her and all we found was this in a small meadow a little ways from the fort."

He was holding a woman's shawl. Tristan recognized it as the one Deadric had been wearing the morning he had left. Arthur took a moment to see if Tristan understood. When Tristan didn't say anything, Arthur continued, "When the men came back with this, Jols and I went to the place where it was found. We found signs of a struggle but there was no blood. The signs showed something that disturbed me, but I want you to see them for yourself." He stopped talking and turned around. He though Tristan would be angry. Instead he found a man who looked like he had just been hit in the gut by a very big, blunt object.

Tristan just stood there looking back at Arthur. Then he slumped onto a chair that was nearby. "Why?" he whispered. "She could have waited until I returned!" Remembering the way she had been acting lately, would she have just gone away without giving him a chance to make up for whatever he had done wrong? She hadn't said anything that would make him think she was unhappy with her new life, but maybe that was what she was so upset with him about. He should have known she wasn't happy. He looked up at Arthur and found his mentor looking at him with a look of concern.

He stood up and started toward the door. He paused when Arthur said softly, "Tristan, I'm sure Deadric is alright. We'll go out as soon as you're ready. You can inspect the area for yourself. Maybe you will see something with your scout's eyes that I missed." Then without looking back, Tristan walked out of the room like a man going to his death.

Arthur stood looking at the doorway for a moment before he left the room in search of the others. He didn't see any reason anyone would want to hurt the woman. Even if some people hated the Saxons, everyone knew she had stopped a war that would have killed thousands on all sides. Besides it seemed odd to him that after the months of peace someone should choose now to start trouble. The signs he had seen clearly told him that whoever had taken her or whomever she had left with had lost no time in claiming her. It looked like she had fought, but then he had heard stories about hers and Tristan's passion. He dismissed that thought. He had watched her and Tristan and she didn't seem unhappy. She wasn't the kind of woman to run from problems either. He had seen her in action. This whole situation was odd. He didn't know what Tristan was planning to do or if Tristan would ask the others for help, but he knew he would, because of all else in this world he trusted odd the least.

As Arthur walked up to Lancelot, he noticed that Tristan was the only knight not standing around the livery. "Lancelot, do you know where Tristan went?" he asked. "No Arthur, he got on his horse and took off like your devil himself was after him. Jols said that Deadric went missing the morning we left. What's going on?" replied Lancelot.

Arthur called all the knights together so he could explain the situation. After he had told them the story they began to talk among themselves. "Do you think someone is using Deadric to get even with the Saxons for killing so many Britons?" Asked Gallahad. Lancelot had been watching Arthur's face while he explained what had happened. He thought Arthur was holding some little piece of information from them. "I think it more likely Arthur thinks maybe Deadric went willingly." Arthur answered before anyone else had a chance to say anything. "I think it odd the way she just disappeared."

"Even without war it is not always safe for a woman to ride without an escort. The fact that the woman is connected to one of the knights of Arthur doesn't make me feel good about it," stated Gawain. Bors nodded his head and replied, "The fact that she's Saxon doesn't make me feel good either. I think we should go make sure Tristan isn't walking into some kind of surprise at the end of his journey." Jols spoke up, "I tried to get her to let me ride with her. She refused and I remember thinking she was really preoccupied about something. She had this strange look on her face and she kept smiling and kind of talking to herself."

Just then Vanora walked up and told them all, "I couldn't help but hear what you were saying. Are you all daft? She did not run away, something happened to her! Deadric came to me the morning she disappeared. She seemed upset that she and Tristan weren't already expecting a baby. After a little discussion I got her to admit she had been very moody lately." She turned toward Bors and smiled, "and you know what that implies." Bors looked confused at first then his face lit up in a huge grin.

Before Bors could comment Arthur interrupted, "What are you saying?" Bors answered, "Deadric is expecting a baby." When Vanora nodded her affirmation to this statement, Arthur turned to the other knights and said, "No matter what we think might have happened we cannot let one of our own go through this without our help." He was about to continue when Vanora spoke up. "Tristan doesn't know yet. Deadric didn't know herself until I talked to her. When he finds out he may lose all sense of reason. He doesn't need to be alone right now. Deadric says he hides his emotions and we've all seen it. He'll just go off on his own and do no telling what"

This gave the others something else to think about and finally Arthur said, "I think we are going on another mission. This time to save one of our own." Each knight nodded their agreement to Arthur's statement, and Arthur told Jols to prepare for a trip. He went to find Guinnevere. He wanted to ask her if she's like to come along. Even though he worried about her being hurt, he knew she would not take kindly to being left behind. Then, women never did. Besides, until he knew what had happened to Deadric, he didn't want to take a chance it could happen again.

Chapter Four

Deadric was riding along a well-worn path she always took to the forest just north of Hadrian's Wall. Her mind was buzzing with her new knowledge and she kept touching her stomach as if it would change from one touch to the next. She was amazed that she could be carrying her child in her belly and not know it in her heart.

She came upon a small clearing in the trees and stopped. She had claimed this small meadow as her special place when she and Tristan had discovered it one day while out riding. She would come out here more often while Tristan was busy if he didn't think it was a dangerous idea. She had never seen anything that made her afraid and couldn't understand why he was so adamant about her having him as an escort. "Unless it is just a rouse to come along with me," she thought with a smile remembering their activities on several of the occasions they had rode out here.

There were small wildflowers scattered around a small meadow no bigger than the courtyard at the fort. There was a smooth, flat rock to one side just perfect for sitting and thinking. Right now more than anything she wanted to plan how she would tell Tristan about the baby. She kept swinging back and forth between how happy he would be and how he would storm off accusing her of ruining their life together. Each time she told him in her mind, he gave a different response. It all depended on how she told him. This would take some planning indeed.

She had been sitting on the rock half-watching Dawn graze on some tender grass for about an hour when she noticed someone standing in the shadows of the trees on the edge of the meadow. At first she thought it was Jols. She thought he had followed her anyway and it made her angry. She stood up to confront him. She started toward her horse and the man made a move toward her. When he stepped out into the sunshine where she could see his face clearly, she saw that it was not Jols. It was one of her brother's soldiers.

Deadric stopped walking and turned to face the man. Just as she was about to speak, he spoke. "I've been watching you for months trying to catch you alone. But even out here he's always with you." The tone of his voice caused the hair on her neck to stand up but instead of heeding the warning she spoke. "What are you doing in Britain? You were supposed to follow my orders and go back to the ships."

He spat on the ground and she noticed he looked like he had been surviving in these woods for quite some time. His face was filthy, his hair matted, and his clothes looked like he had not changed them in months. But the thing that caught her attention and held it was the look in his eyes. She had seen her father kill a dog that had some kind of disease that caused it to go mad. This man's eyes had that same look. She suddenly remembered the warning her mind had screamed when she confronted him earlier and she realized she was in danger from a man who had sworn fealty to her after the death of her brother.

Deadric decided to pretend nothing was unusual in this meeting. "Why did you not come to me at the fort? King Arthur has granted free passage on British soil to any Saxon. My people are welcome there." Her tone was light, but with a touch of concern for his well-being. She hoped it was enough to catch him off guard just long enough for her to get to Dawn. She slowly inched towards the horse never taking her eyes off the Saxon. Just when she thought he was engrossed in her words he took a step towards her. She immediately stopped and waited for his next move. She knew she could out run him for a little while. But if she couldn't get to her horse she would never make it back to the fort before he finally caught her. He had her at a disadvantage and he knew it. She realized he was playing with her.

"I don't know what your intentions are, but if you hurt me you will have to answer to my husband and if you live through that my father will surely kill you." Her threat had the opposite effect on him. Instead of stopping, he picked up speed and was directly in front of her before she had time to react. "Your husband? I would place my bets on any Saxon against a man that lets his woman do his fighting for him. Watching him suffer for what he did will be worth my life if Cerdic ever finds out." Having said that he took his fist and knocked her to the ground. "I think I will enjoy a little of the charms Cynric promised me when he became king. You seem to be willing enough with an outsider."

She didn't understand what he meant. Probably because her head was still spinning from the way it had hit the ground. She sat up and rubbed her eyes trying to get them to focus on the man. "What do you mean?" she whimpered. She had tried to sound angry, but fear had suddenly taken over. She didn't expect his answer and could do nothing but stare at him with her mouth hanging open. "Cynric promised I could have you as my wife when he disposed of Cerdic. But you chose to bestow your charms on one of Arthur's men instead. One of your own people was not good enough for you. Now I'll show you how good I am."

There had never been any discussion of that sort between her and her brother! What had Cynric been telling this man? She looked around wildly for something she could use to help her escape before this got out of hand. Finding nothing, she decided to try to reason with him. Flashing her biggest smile, she said, "You know my father would never have allowed Cynric to "dispose" of him like that. You have to know that Cynric was disturbed. I tried to help him but it was not enough." When she finished her sentence, he slapped her across the face with such a force she could taste the blood in her mouth. With tears in her eyes she looked up at him and he grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. Her smile had failed her.

She stood in front of him with a little difficulty. He put his arms around her and began to try to kiss her. She tried to struggle out of his grasp, and each time she tried to pull back he hit her again in the face. When she finally quit struggling he released her and she slumped to the ground. "Please don't do this." She begged.

He lowered himself down beside her, grabbed her and pulled her against him. He tried to kiss her. When she turned her head away he grabbed her face and turned it back. After a disgusting kiss she begged, "You can't do this, please let me go." He raised his head and she could see that it was useless. The passion in his eyes was unmistakable. She realized there was nothing she could do except fight. Her hopes he would give up if she didn't respond were dashed by the look in his eyes..

She closed her eyes and thought of Tristan and how much she loved him. Tears silently slid down her face as she thought about the unborn child she carried. The child Tristan had no knowledge of yet. She would fight, but only until it threatened their child.

She opened her eyes when he began pushing her backwards. She tried everything; hitting, kicking, scratching, even biting, nothing worked. He wrestled with her for a few moments, laughing at her attempts to wriggle loose. Then he backhanded her across the mouth. She reached up and grabbed a hand full of his beard and pulled as hard as she could. He gave a yelp and hit her with his fist on the right side of her head. She fell sideways and her head hit the ground with a thud. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was the sound of her clothes ripping when he grabbed her.

When Deadric woke up she was tied up and sitting in front of him on her horse. She had no clothes on and each step of the horse brought pain. She felt sick to her stomach. She didn't know if it was because of her condition or because of her head. Right then it hurt so badly all she wanted to do was close her eyes and be very still.

She knew that he had raped her even though she was unconscious. She could feel the bruises on her thighs and knew that he had been anything but gentle with her. "At least I don't remember it," she thought. Then she passed out again.

Chapter Five

Tristan was riding so fast that he almost didn't hear the horses coming up behind him. He turned, slowing, to find Arthur and the other knights quickly catching up. He slowed a little more and then came to a complete stop to wait for them. Maybe they had news of Deadric. He was a little surprised to find Guinnevere with Arthur and it just made him think again that he should have been with Deadric. If he had been she might still be safe back at the fort.

When the others had caught up to him he looked at Arthur and waited for some kind of news. Arthur nodded and said, "Tristan, we still work together as a team. We are going with you." Tristan knew there was more so he just waited for the explanation.

All the other knights just looked at him so he nudged his horse forward to continue his journey. He had to get to the last place Deadric had been so he could figure out where she had gone from there. He stopped when Lancelot moved in front of him. Then Guinnevere spoke, "Tristan, we are here to help you find your wife, but there is something you should know before we go on."

Tristan expected something along the lines of 'Deadric told me she had made a mistake staying here with you. She was going back home.' Instead Guinnevere said the last thing on earth he would have thought. "Deadric is expecting a baby. Vanora just informed us that the morning Deadric took her ride she had just discovered she was carrying a child. Do you understand what I'm saying? She is carrying your child, Tristan. Whatever else you might think, you must believe that she was very happy with this news. She did not leave of her own free will. There is something wrong and it is up to you to discover what it is. You must focus on that and know that the answers will come when the mystery is solved."

All at once Tristan just seemed to melt and pour off his horse. Lancelot jumped down and grabbed him by the arms as if to keep him on his feet. Tristan looked at Lancelot's hands but Lancelot wasn't sure he actually saw them. He kept opening his mouth as if to say something and then closing it without uttering a sound. Then he got control again and shook Lancelot's hands loose.

"Whatever has happened, you can be sure that if I had been with her she would not be in danger now. I was not there when she needed me." With that he got on his horse and took off. Lancelot looked at Arthur and shrugged. "You can't make a man see the truth", he said almost to himself. He mounted his horse and they took off after Tristan.

When they caught up to Tristan Arthur asked him to slow down so he could talk to him. "Tristan, is there something that you aren't telling us?" he asked. "You seem to be holding something inside and just barely under your control. That's very dangerous and as your brothers in arms and your friends, I think we have a right to know." Tristan looked at Arthur and Arthur noticed that for the first time since he had first come to the wall, Tristan seemed vulnerable.

Tristan looked at each of the knights. They could see that he was having a hard time telling them something of his private life so they just waited until he was ready to speak. "Arthur, Deadric has been acting strange lately. I haven't been able to figure it out yet, but it seems that nothing I do is right anymore. She snaps over the smallest thing, usually something I don't even realize has happened. All I could figure out was that somehow she had come to regret our marriage. I wonder if maybe she had decided to go back home to be with her people. Or if she has just gone somewhere as far away from me as she could get." He sounded so tired and sure of her reasons that if Vanora had not explained what was going on Arthur might have felt sympathy for his friend. Instead, he began to laugh.

Tristan looked at him with shock that turned to anger in his eyes. Before Tristan acted on the anger, Arthur decided to fill him in on the secrets shared by Vanora. "Tristan, don't you understand what Guinnevere was trying to tell you?" When Tristan didn't say anything he continued, "The moodiness you are describing is a symptom of her condition. Vanora said that she experienced the same emotions and Bors agreed saying he didn't know whether she was going to kiss him or kill him each time he walked into a room where she was. It has something to do with the changes going on in her body, nothing to do with you. Well, not exactly, anyway."

Arthur watched the conflict going on in his friend's face. He wanted to help him understand. "Tristan, Deadric did not consider her decision a mistake. That much she made clear to Vanora. She was upset because she wasn't expecting your child. She was afraid she couldn't give you a son. Now she knows she can and you can be sure she will be trying to get back to you. Whatever has befallen her, she is trying to get home. Your home." He gave Tristan a few seconds so the full impact of what he was saying would hit his mark. Then he continued, "now what do you want to do?"

Tristan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I want my wife back." He paused for a moment, "I want my life back. Without her I don't have a life." Arthur nodded and they rode toward the clearing in the woods where Tristan felt his life had just ceased to exist.

Chapter Six

The small group arrived at the clearing to find it too dark to see anything. Arthur told them to make camp but to try not to disturb anything until the sun came up. He didn't want anyone to make Tristan's job harder than it already would be since it had been three days since she had disappeared. Tristan just stood in the middle of the clearing with his eyes darting around. He seemed to be waiting for something. Gawain watched as he closed his eyes and turned around in a complete circle. He wondered what Tristan could possibly hope to see with his eyes closed. When Tristan realized Gawain was looking at him curiously he motioned him over to where he was standing. When Gawain stopped just short of the smooth rock Tristan was standing on, Tristan spoke. "I thought I could get a sense of her. There have been times that I could almost see what she was doing when we were apart. She would tell me some story of what had happened and I would get a strange feeling like I had seen it happen in my mind." He stopped talking for a moment, and then he continued. "I'm not insane. She says it is because our ancestors are keeping watch for us and we will always know if the other is safe or not. I can't feel her at all."

Gawain looked around the clearing and could only see tiny reflections on the plants caused by the moon. He felt sorry for Tristan. He had changed since meeting Deadric and Gawain had come to like the new Tristan. He was more relaxed, calmer than he had been. He no longer seemed to be on the outside looking in. Clearing his throat, he tried to give Tristan hope. "I'm sure once the shock of what's happened wears off you will find that place where you know she's alright. Just try to think positively." He saw Tristan tense up as he finished his sentence.

"How can I relax when I don't know if she's hurt or not?" Tristan exclaimed through a choked voice. "For all I know she is dead and I was nowhere to be found when she needed me! How can I be positive when the only positive thing in my life has vanished into thin air?" Tristan then sat down on the rock and put his head in his hands. "She has my child in her belly and I don't care about that. She is all I care about." He took a moment to draw a deep breath. "Is that being selfish? Not caring about our child?" he seemed to be whispering to Gawain.

For a moment Gawain just stood there looking into the deep black eyes. He didn't know what to say. Then he looked up and saw Guinnevere coming towards them. He touched Tristan's shoulder and turned to walk away. Before he had taken more than a step Tristan asked him, "If something has happened to Deadric promise me to put an end to my pain. I'd rather be dead than alone again." Then Tristan dropped his head and Gawain walked away without giving an answer. He didn't say that he didn't think he could do as asked. He didn't really think it would come to that.

Guinnevere walked up to Tristan and sat on the edge of the rock. When she didn't say anything Tristan looked up and found her staring at him. She reached over and laid her hand on his arm. "Tristan, I know we haven't had a chance to get to know each other well, but I do know a man who is lost when I see him." Tristan just continued to look at her so she continued, "Your friends are worried that you won't be able to keep it together long enough to find Deadric. I know better. You have the knowledge and the strength to see this thing through. But, you have to fight your inner demons first. If I can help you fight those demons I will. Just tell me what I can do."

Tristan sighed. "I'm not sure how to fight the feeling of despair that just won't go away. If I were looking death in the eyes right now I couldn't be more afraid that I am for her. She is everything to me. All the things I dared not think about before I met her, and now I'm lost trying to see a future without her in it." He stopped talking for a moment and Guinnevere just sat quietly hoping he would continue. When he did she began to see the side of him that Deadric talked about. The side no one else got to see. He was too good at hiding his true feelings behind the hard black eyes, now filled with tears.

"Deadric was raised by a man most would have called cold-blooded and ruthless. But she saw the good in him. She claims that she saw the same in me. That's why she fell in love with me. I think she brings out the good in people like me. I fell in love with her before she ever spoke a word. She was so small and in so much pain. But she stood up to me. She knew she didn't have a chance against me, but she never blinked when she told me she would kill me if she had to." He seemed to be reliving the moment and Guinnevere was reluctant to break the silence for fear he would stop talking at all. Then he raised his eyes once again and she saw the pain reflected there for a brief moment before he dropped his eyes and continued talking. "Do you know why she wanted me to remove that arrow?"

He looked up, she didn't know if he expected an answer but she didn't know what to say. She slowly shook her head. He continued, "Because she said she'd rather have me hurt her than see me leave her side. For whatever reason, she said she felt safe with me." The last was said with a measure of disbelief. Just when Guinevere was about to speak, he started again. "Can you imagine feeling safe with someone who has made a art of killing others?"

Guinevere finally found the right words. "Tristan, it is true you've made a living killing, but you have also been protecting others in the process. You only killed when necessary. No matter what tales I've heard about the methodical killing machine everyone made you out to be, I know that you did it for a reason. Maybe a reason only you understood. But it was a reason. Deadric could see that. Even in her state of health, she knew you were a kind and gentle man who was doing things because it was your duty, not because you enjoyed it. Arthur has told me many tales of how he would not be alive if not for one or the other of his knights. More times than not it was you who was there beside him when he needed you. Just as you were with Deadric when she needed you. You must not blame yourself for what has happened. No man can always choose when and where he must go to fulfill his duties in this life. You left her in the safety of your home."

Tristan looked at Guinevere and slowly he saw that Arthur, Guinevere and the other men had become a family to him. Now with Deadric missing, they were all he had and he would swallow his pride and accept all the help they had to offer. Finding Deadric was the most important thing now and he would do whatever necessary. With the help of the others he could believe it possible.

Tristan stood up and took Guinevere's hand to help her stand. When she was standing he held her hand a little longer and said. "Thank you for helping me come to terms with my emotions. Until Deadric came along I had made myself believe I didn't have emotions. Now I find it difficult to figure them out much less hide them. Let's go to the others and form a plan depending on what evidence I find in the morning." They slowly made their way to the campfire where Arthur and the others were trying hard not to look like they had been watching the two. Guinevere made a mental note to tell Arthur that Deadric had been right. He was a man of hidden passions and deep feelings.

Chapter Seven

When Deadric woke from a fitful sleep, she found her captor had taken her off her horse. She was lying on the ground with nothing on from the waste up. He was standing over her looking down at her with lust in his eyes. He knelt down and touched her breast. She jerked away from him, which just angered him. He grabbed her hair again and pulled her face to his. "If you wish to avoid the pain, I would suggest you stop that." He had such a tight hold of her she had tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked several times to clear her vision and opened her mouth to speak. He then slapped her and let go of her hair. "If I have to beat you until you are unconscious every time I will, I expect you to respond to me the way you respond to him. You were promised to me and I will have you completely." He looked at her for a moment longer, stood up and turned back to the campfire.

Deadric listened to those words with horror. Her brother wasn't the only Saxon that was insane. She would have to mind her words or she had no doubt about the outcome of her ordeal. She reached down and put her hand on her stomach, silently vowing to protect her tiny charge no matter what she had to do. Having made that vow, she slowly sat up and tried to pull herself together.

It had been a trying day so far and even though she was one of the feared Saxons, she was in a position she had never been in before. No one would have dared treat her this way when her father was close by. She had to remember that he was far away and had no idea that she was in trouble. Until Tristan found her, she was on her own and her only duty was to protect herself so her unborn child would be safe. When Tristan found her... The thought faded away. What would he do? Most likely kill this man. Or get killed. Once again she found herself trying to come up with a plan that would include Tristan coming out alive. Without him... she didn't want to even think about that future.

When she looked back up he was looking at her. "What can I say that will keep him occupied until Tristan has a chance to find us," she thought. Nothing came to mind. Finally, she asked him if she could have some water to drink. He looked at her and then laughed a sickening kind of laugh. "No, but I've got some strong wine that'll loosen you up." She thought she would scream from the implications he made, but steeling herself for whatever might come later, she said. "If wine is what you have then wine is what I'll drink."

He came closer and brought a skin for her to drink from. Her hands were tied together and tethered to her ankles. She found she couldn't hold the skin up to her mouth. He turned it up so she could get a drink, pouring it faster than she could swallow. Wine was pouring down her neck. Suddenly he stopped pouring and she looked at him. He was looking at her breasts covered in the wine. She knew what he was thinking and tried desperately to think of something to say to take his mind off what he saw. He reached out a hand and gently cupped a breast, using his thumb to rub the nipple. Deadric closed her eyes trying to cut off the sight of his building passion. She heard him groan and opened her eyes to find him moving to push her down.

"All I want is for you to give me what you give him. I don't want to take you. Just give in freely and I will make this more comfortable for you." He was touching the ropes that was holding her hands and feet together just enough to be uncomfortable. When she didn't say anything or make a move to back away from him, he moved closer. "If I untie your hands will you touch me the way I've watched you touch him?"

Deadric pulled away from him, she was appalled to think he had watched her make love to her husband. He slapped her again. She thought she would pass out from the pain and the metallic taste of blood was making her sick to her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. She began to weep silently hoping he would feel sympathy. He dropped beside her and reached to pull her to him. Deadric tried to fight but being tied made it almost impossible. All she could do was wriggle around. The more she she tried to fight, the harder his hold on her became. "I can be more gentle if you'll be still. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have to, but you will give me what I want," he paused for a moment and then said, "eventually. We have the rest of our lives because where we're going no one will ever find you." He was massaging her flesh as he spoke. His breathing was becoming more ragged and she knew he would soon take her again.

Deadric closed her eyes and thought of Tristan. He must have taken her closing her eyes as a sign of enjoyment. He lowered his head and began kissing her breasts. She struggled to get out of his grasp but with her hands and feet tied she could only squirm underneath him. This only seemed to bring his passion closer to the surface. He groaned and started kissing her face. He was trying to kiss her lips but she wouldn't keep her head still. Frustrated, he raised his head and repositioned her body so that he was straddling her leaving his hands free. He grabbed her head and held it so he could kiss her lips. She tried to bite him and he laughed, "I don't mind it rough if that's what you want." With that he bent down and bit her left breast. She screamed out in pain and he raised his head.

"I can either kiss your lips or bite other places. Your choice." He then lowered his head to hers and began to kiss her so hard that the split in her lip began to bleed again. After a moment he raised his head and licked her blood off his lips. "Even your blood tastes sweet. I wonder just how sweet the rest of you tastes?" He moved off her and began to pull at her riding skirt. When he couldn't get it down with ease he started ripping the material. When he had completely destroyed the skirt he began to kiss her starting at her stomach and going lower with each kiss.

"Get away from me!" she screamed at him. He then reached up and grabbed one breast and began to twist it painfully. With the other hand he was exploring her womanhood and no matter how hard she tried she could not squirm away from his touches. Between sobs from the pain she kept saying, "Just let me go, please don't do this!" Suddenly he stood up and she at first thought she had gotten through to him. Then when she saw that he was untying the laces to his trousers she knew she was mistaken. She began to openly cry and wish it would just be over.

After he had finished, he rolled off her and made to stand up. She was crying and not trying to hide the fact from him. He stood up and pulled his trousers back up and turned away. He went to her horse and threw a rough wool blanket for her to cover herself up with. Then he turned and walked away carrying his sword over his shoulder. He left her where he had finished with her. She lay there a long time wishing for Tristan to come to her rescue. For once, she did not have any hope of escaping on her own. It was not a very happy thought.

Chapter Eight

The sun was not even up over the trees before Tristan was walking around the clearing looking for some kind of sign of Deadric and what happened to her. He knew that Arthur had checked everything but he hoped he could find some hidden sign that Deadric had left. He checked around the flat rock. There wasn't even a footprint left because the grass growing there was too thick. He walked over to where Arthur had said the shawl was found. He scoured the ground looking for something that she might have dropped if there had been a fight. He did not doubt that she would have fought. She could be a wildcat when provoked.

After what seemed like forever, he looked over to where Gawain, Gallahad and Lancelot were looking at the ground at the line of trees. They were looking close like they had found something. When he got there Lancelot pointed to a spot where the underbrush had been trampled almost flat. "It looks like something or someone stood here for quite a while before moving off in the direction of the clearing," he said. Tristan looked and found a spot where one big boot print had been left in the dirt. Whoever it was had been a big person from the size of the print. He followed it for a step or two and looked up to where the rock was sitting. Whoever had been here had gone toward that rock. That must have been where she was. She always sat on the rock with her knees drawn up to her chin.

He took off in that direction constantly scanning the ground for any signs. He moved a little to the left and right of the path while steadily going toward the rock, thinking she might have taken off in one direction or the other when she realized someone was there. To the left of the path just a few feet from where he started was a spot where the grass had been disturbed. He squatted down and began to run his fingers through the grass. What he hoped to find he didn't know. He just wanted to be certain that he had thoroughly checked it out. Suddenly his hand hit something cold and hard. He reached into a large outcrop of grass and when he pulled his hand back he suddenly felt sick. In his hand was the wedding band he had placed on her finger just months ago. He stayed down and stared at it for what seemed like hours. Suddenly Bors called out, "Here, I found something!"

Tristan pulled his thoughts back to the present and ran over to where Bors was squatting still holding her wedding band in his fist. His time as a scout made what he saw undeniable. The grass was flat in one spot and then there were the distinct outline of two knees dug into the ground. Here the man had held Deadric down as she fought. The placement of the two indentions in the earth told the story. Here some unknown man had held her down and raped her. He had no doubt. His mind wanted to explode from the rage! From the condition of the grass around this spot he knew she had fought the attack. There were tuffs of grass uprooted and he could see where the heel of her boots had dug into the earth as she tried to push herself away from her attacker.

When the realization had taken hold, Tristan just slumped down into a sitting position. Dagonet knelt down and looked at the ground. "She was alive after this attack Tristan," he stated. "See here are footprints leading away from this spot. She may have been raped, but she survived and she will be alright." Tristan didn't bother to point out that he knew women usually didn't die from rape. But Deadric would fight and someone usually gets killed in a fight.

With the new information, Arthur decided they needed to get moving so they could get to her before anything else could happen. Tristan followed the prints his wife had left behind and they moved in the direction she had gone. Tristan was surprised that the man could walk so lightly that he did not leave any prints for him to follow. But then, Deadric was probably leaving prints on purpose. She knew he would be looking for her and he wanted to be swift. She had already suffered enough. He didn't want to give the man time to hurt her anymore.

Tristan whistled for his hawk. Maybe she could circle around and give him an idea of how far ahead of them his wife was. Then the knights took off toward the direction Deadric had gone in.

Chapter Nine

Deadric had begun to wish for a real bath. She felt so dirty. The blanket he had given her smelled like her horse and only made her feel dirtier. But she was reluctant to mention a bath. Instead she just took some of the water he had given her to drink and poured it into her hand and washed her face. He noticed what she was doing and with a sarcastic tone he said, "At the next stream I'll help you wash all of your body if you'd like." She stopped wiping her face and quickly dried it with the rough blanket. He laughed and she silently vowed to slit his throat as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Turning away from his sneering face she pretended to look around. He knew what she was doing and laughed even louder. "Don't worry, I've had my fill for now. Maybe later, who knows?" His smirking made her angry and she spat over her shoulder in his direction.

He painfully grabbed her breast and twisted until she screamed out. "Don't ever spit at me again or I'll be forced to hurt you again. You will treat me with the respect a husband deserves." He then stopped twisting her breast and began to gently massage the nipple. She shuddered and he mistook her shudder for budding passion. She jumped when she felt his breath close to her ear, "You see, I can make you feel good. You would find out how good if you would stop fighting and relax when I'm trying to show you."

Deadric didn't say anything or make a move. Maybe he would just get tired of her and let her go.

They rode on in silence for what seemed like hours and then he stopped. He looked around for a moment and then whispered to Deadric. "We are being followed. I am going to stop to make camp and await the men I've seen in the woods. I don't plan on letting you go now that I have you. When the battle begins, stay out of the way. When it is over be prepared to satisfy me again. Battle makes me want a woman and Cynric was right, your charms are worth fighting for." She flinched at his words and then spoke, "they are coming for me, please just go and leave me here. I will make sure they don't come looking for you. You can return home."

"I will not leave you here!" he shouted. Then lowering his voice he continued, "I have tried to plant my seed in your belly so I could go to Cerdic and demand his blessing. Surely one of those times I was successful and I will not leave you in this place. You will be my wife and bear me many sons. No begging or crying will change that. Just resign yourself to your fate and learn to live with it." He then dismounted and walked toward her. She didn't know what would happen, but she did know she would not get any help from this man. He had it all planned out and nothing she could say would change that.

When he set her down she put her feet on the ground and with difficulty kept her balance. She gingerly walked over a few steps and sat down on a fallen log. Her legs hurt more with each step and she didn't know if it was from the ropes or from being raped while tied up. She wanted desperately to straighten her back but she was held in a stooping position by the ropes. "Can you please untie my legs so I can stand up straight? I promise not to try to escape."

He looked up at her for a moment and deciding that she wasn't in any condition to outrun him, he walked over and taking his knife out cut through the rope tethering her hands to her feet. She tried to stand and fell back into a sitting position. After being stooped over for so long she found she couldn't straighten up without causing a lot of pain. She was surprised when he bent down and picked her up. "I'm sorry you forced me to hurt you. If you would just stop fighting me I could take better care of you. You know I can love you better than Arthur's man, why can't you just let me love you and touch me the way you do him?"

He was looking into her eyes and she knew he would recognize a lie. Finally she sighed, "It has nothing to do with you. I fell in love with Tristan the moment I saw him. When you love someone you can't just stop. Don't you see? I will love Tristan until I die even if I never see him again. So I can never love you." He held her for a moment longer and then just released her. She fell to the ground and winced at the pain she felt when her body was jarred so suddenly.

"You say you'll never love me, but I know you will." He turned away from her and she shouted at his retreating back, "You're wrong! I'll always love my husband and no matter how you beat me or rape me I'll never return your feelings. You listened to my brother and he was insane. I see that now. I believe you might be insane as well." She knew she shouldn't have said the last, but at that moment she didn't care. The worst thing he could do was kill her and she'd rather be dead than never see Tristan again.

The Saxon turned back toward her and she thought this time he would kill her. He stalked over, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her across the grass to the edge of the forest. He threw her down and told her to sit still until he went back for the horses. She didn't bother to tell him that she couldn't get up even if he was going to kill her so she just kept her seat and waited. When he returned he squatted down beside her and took her by the face. "After I get the camp set up I will give you enough water to clean yourself, then I expect to be satisfied again. But this time I want you to be the loving wife you are supposed to be. If you don't...," and he let his words trail off. She didn't know what she would do, but she did know she wouldn't be acting like a loving wife or a loving anything.

Chapter Ten

Deadric lay on the ground wrapped up in the blanket that had become her clothes. She was holding the blanket up to her face and the wool was making the wounds on her face burn. But the burning made her feel alive. This time he had hurt her more than before when she refused to respond to his caresses. Before he took her he had hit her repeatedly across the face and upper body. She knew she had bruises but she was proud that she had taken the beating without giving in to him. "He may be able to do things to me without me being able to stop him," she thought. "But he knows he has to take me, I'll never give myself willingly."

She had screamed a couple of times when he had tried to force himself into her. She was trying to fight him and he wasn't being gentle. He seemed to think if he could cause her pain she would surrender. But she knew her father had trained her well and she would not be an easy conquest. She knew his passion had been satisfied, but she could tell he was not really satisfied. He had stood over her for a minute when he was finished. He had just stood there looking at her.

She loosened her grip on the blanket and began to move her hands over her body, feeling the places she knew were bruised. She wasn't surprised that most of her chest and stomach was tender. Leaving her palm on her stomach for a moment she silently prayed that her child was unhurt.

She had seen the pain her mother had suffered when she lost a baby and she knew her child was still safe. With all the pain she felt she knew it was not because her baby was in danger. Sighing, she pulled the blanket back together and tried to relax a little.

She had not felt any lower than her stomach but she knew she was hurt there too. She had seen a little blood on him when he had pushed off her. She also knew the inside of her legs were bruised because the throbbing did not go away even when she was lying very still.

Deadric was still lying there assessing her injuries when she heard movement in the woods. She didn't know if it was her captor or not since it had gotten too dark to see without a fire, but she knew it wasn't Tristan. He could move silently through the woods and she would never have heard a sound. She lifted herself up onto her elbow and almost cried out from the pain her muscles caused. She opened her mouth to call out and her captor placed his hand over her mouth. "Don't make a sound. Our trackers have caught up and I want them to think we are asleep." He growled. She nodded her head so he would release her and when he did she called out, "I'm over here!"

The Saxon jumped up and kicked her before stomping off toward where the sound was coming from. She lay still for a moment waiting for the pain to subside. She thought this time he might have broken something in her side. The pain came back just as strong as the initial kick each time she took a breath. She tried to rise up and the pain caused her to fall back down. She passed out trying to get up to find help.

The men standing at the edge of the forest heard a woman cry out. Then they heard the man move off away from where they were standing. The one man that had gone on that side of the camp had drawn his attention away from the rest and now was the time to move in and take her away. Lady Guinevere had told them that whatever they did they were supposed to protect her and get her away at any cost. The man wasn't important she had told them. But after what they had seen when inspecting the campground. He thought she might change her mind.

The leader of the group, Thomas was his name, motioned and two others silently moved toward the mound on the ground that they knew to be her. When they got even with her they squatted down and touched her form. She did not move and they thought he had knocked her out when she called out. One of the men stood up and leaned over and picked her up. She moaned but did not wake up. They quickly but silently moved back to where Thomas was waiting. Then they backed away from the camp and headed back to the rest of their party.

Deadric woke to the sounds of people talking in a strange tongue. She opened her eyes slowly so as not to draw attention to the fact that she was awake and saw that no one was watching her. She tried to raise her body into a sitting position and the pain in her side made her groan and fall back. When the pain had subsided she opened her eyes again. There was a woman standing beside her. She had not heard or felt the woman come close. The woman's face and upper body was painted with blue paint and she recognized her as a member of the tribe of warriors that Guinevere belonged to.

The woman smiled and Deadric tried to return the smile. She was afraid it came out more as a grimace than a smile. The woman then asked her, "We have some herbs that will help the pain. I examined you when you arrived and you have at least one broken rib. The other injuries are minor, mostly small cuts and bruises. Except you have been torn when the man did what he did to you. Would you like to take a drink of this herb to ease the pain?" Deadric nodded and then stopped, "My baby?" The woman shook her head as she brought the wooded bowl to her lips. "No, Lady Guinevere told us of your condition. We have used this herb for many years without ever harming an unborn child. It may make you sleepy though. Before you drink it would you like to talk? Sometimes it helps to talk to another woman when you've been mistreated as you have."

Deadric closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't want to talk about what he had done to her. She took a drink of the liquid from the cup and almost choked. It was the bitterest thing she had ever tasted. The Woad woman gently laughed. "I know it is terrible, but it will help. Now, just lie back and rest. As soon as you are able we will go toward the great wall and take you to meet your husband. They are following you but I'm afraid they are still at least one day behind." Deadric wanted to say she was ready, but the herb had already started making her sleepy and she couldn't make her tongue work. Her last thought before falling into a drug-induced sleep was of Tristan. He was out there looking for her and she willed her ancestors to let him know she was well and waiting to be reunited with him.

Chapter Eleven

The knights had made good progress following Deadric and her captor. Since the first night they had only stopped for a rest a few times. Tristan could only be thankful that either the stranger did not know he was being sought or Deadric was very good at leaving a trail. Every time they stopped to check the signs he held his breath until he saw her footprint in the ground. He didn't know what had happened to her boots but as long as she could walk he knew she was alive and at least well enough to stand. He kept thinking about what the man had done to her and he knew that he wanted nothing more than to see the look on his face when he ran his sword through him. He wanted to torture him but knew that Arthur wouldn't allow it. Arthur's sense of justice would require them to take him back to the wall. Tristan spat at the last thought. The only thing he wanted to investigate was the hilt end of his sword. An arrow would be quicker but with his sword he could feel the destruction as the blade found its mark.

When the small group slowed, Tristan expected to see anything except the group of Woads standing on the trail. They seemed to be blocking the way. Tristan looked from the Woads to Guinevere. She had a look of expectation on her face. She held up her hand and one of the men came toward the knights. When he got close enough to be heard, he half bowed at Guinevere and turned to Arthur. "We have found the wife of Arthur's knight as Lady Guinevere has ordered." Before Arthur could speak Tristan had dismounted and had the Woad by the arm. Guinevere spoke quickly to the warriors that had already pulled their bows and were nocking an arrow, "No wait! Tell him what he asks, he is the husband of Lady Deadric."

The warrior said nothing and Guinevere thought Tristan was going to shake the answers from him. She repeated her order and the man finally spoke. "We are about half a day from here. She is alive but not well enough to move just yet. I'm afraid she has suffered many injuries. Some that cannot be seen. Thomas sent us ahead to tell you the news." Tristan released his grip on the Woad and turned to Arthur.

"We must hurry. If she has been hurt that badly, I want to be with her." Arthur nodded his agreement and turned to the warrior. "Take us to the Lady Deadric." The warrior moved to turn back toward the way they had come and Tristan mounted his horse. For the first time since this had started Tristan felt hope that he would find Deadric alive.

They rode on faster than before, Tristan following directly behind the Woads. He was impressed that they were outpacing the men on horseback. All he could think of was getting to Deadric. He knew she had suffered a great deal at the hands of the man that had taken her away from him. But this Woad said she had injuries that couldn't be seen. Had the man caused some internal injury? Had he caused her to lose their baby? He didn't know what had happened to the man, he knew the Woads could be deadly enemies but he hoped they had made him suffer before he died.

Gawain, Gallahad and Lancelot looked from Tristan to each other and each knew the other was thinking about what they would find. Bors and Dagonet just followed and didn't look as if they cared what they found as long as the trip was over. No one had asked about Deadric's captor and they didn't know if he was now the captive. If he was they knew it would take all of them to stop Tristan from slaughtering him on sight. But first they needed answers as to why he had taken her to begin with. They all looked at Arthur's back and willed him to give them direction as to how he wanted them to handle the situation. But right now he was watching the trail and the men leading them. He would tell them in due time. So they followed and prepared to do whatever they could.

Chapter Twelve

When Arthur and his party arrived at the Woad camp, Deadric was awake and in a sitting position leaned against a tree. A female Woad was feeding her some kind of liquid from a wooden bowl and she looked up at the sound of the horses entering the camp. When she saw Tristan she tried to get up and cried out from the pain. When he heard her cry out he jumped off his horse and started toward her.

When he got to her he dropped to his knees and took her into his arms as gently as he could. She had started to cry and he whispered, "I'm so sorry, my love, I don't mean to hurt you. I just want to hold you and know that you are alive and back in my arms." She looked into his eyes and saw the pain reflected in them. "Oh, Tristan, you are not hurting me. I'm just so happy to be with you again. I was afraid I'd never see you again. Then I wouldn't be able to tell you..." Tristan interrupted her, "about our child? Yes, Vanora told Guinevere and she told me. I haven't thought about it much. All I could think about was finding you. I love you and I was afraid I'd never see you again. But now that I have, all I want to do is take care of you. I should have been there so this wouldn't have happened." She smiled and wincing from the pain reached up and touched his face.

Tristan and Deadric were still holding each other when Arthur and the others walked up to them. Deadric looked at Guinevere and tried to pull away from Tristan just enough to speak. He held her close for a moment longer and then let her move back against the tree. She looked from Arthur to Guinevere and finally spoke, "Thank you." Arthur spoke, "I know you are not well, but can you tell us something about what happened that morning?"

Deadric closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. Arthur could see she was steeling herself for the memory of what had happened. "The man who took me was a lieutenant in Cynric's infantry. He said that Cynric had promised him he could have me when he disposed of my father. He had stayed here when the others returned home and had been waiting for a chance to take me. He told me things he had seen that let me know he had been watching me." She blushed and looked at Tristan. Arthur didn't ask what things he had seen that could make Deadric blush. Then she continued, "Cynric was insane. I see that now. I had no idea he was telling this man what he had. I fought him," and she looked at Tristan again, "but he was too big and strong. Even when he hit me I kept fighting him."

When she said that Tristan stood up. "Where is this man?" he yelled. Gawain put his hand on Tristan's arm when he looked at him Gawain nodded his head toward Deadric. Tristan looked back at Deadric. She was silently crying and he dropped down beside her. "It's alright, it's alright my darling. I know you fought. I saw the signs when I checked the campsites. I know what he did to you. At least I know he raped you more than once. He will pay for what he did, that I can promise you."

Deadric wiped at her eyes and put her hand on his hand. "Tristan, what he did cannot be undone. His death will not change that. He is insane. Just like Cynric was insane. I haven't seen him since these people rescued me. I don't know if he is alive or dead and I don't care. I just want to go home and forget this ever happened."

When she said "home" Tristan finally believed what he had been told. She did love him and her moods did not mean she regretted staying in Britain with him! The serenity he had felt with his wife had returned.

Chapter Thirteen

A noise from the edge of the camp brought him out of his own thoughts. They all looked up to see a small group of Woads entering the clearing carrying a man on their shoulders. He had been tied up with his feet and hands tied together in front of him. When they put him down on the ground Arthur noticed he was unconscious. He walked over to the group and asked, "Is he alive?" One of the men spoke up. "He is only knocked unconscious. We thought you would like to deal with him since one of yours was the one he hurt." Arthur nodded and turned back to find Tristan standing directly behind him. He had a look that Arthur could sympathize with. He had a look that said he would commit murder.

He motioned to the others to step away and Lancelot gave him a questioning look. "Are you sure we should leave Tristan?" Arthur looked back at Tristan and then spoke. "He deserves a few minutes alone with this man. If he doesn't take some of his anger out on someone he'll explode. Better it is the one who deserves it. But don't let it go too far. I have questions I want answered." To Lancelot's surprise he then walked away.

Deadric saw that Tristan was standing over the prone form of her captor. She moved to get up and when she couldn't she looked at Guinevere for help. Guinevere looked at the woman who had been tending Deadric for approval to help her move. When the woman nodded she helped Deadric get to her feet. She leaned heavily on Guinevere and started toward Tristan. When she got next to him she placed her hand on his arm. He looked at her and then took her hand in his. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill an unconscious man. But when he awakens I cannot make that promise." He then took her in his arms and carried her back to her makeshift bed. She put her face into his neck and for the first time in days she wasn't afraid.

Dagonet and Bors took the Saxon and threw water on him to wake him up. When he began to groan, Bors slapped him across the face with the back of his hand. The man opened his eyes and began to struggle. "Be still you piece of shit. King Arthur wants some answers. Then you will pay for what you did."

Arthur walked over and looked at the man. He drew his sword and placed it against the man's throat. "You had better give the right answers or I will put you out of your misery. Why did you take Deadric from my court?" The man looked at Arthur and with defiance in his voice told his story. "Cynric gave her to me for helping him win battles. She disregarded that promise when she gave herself to that outsider. Cerdic could not have given his permission as she said. He did not believe in mixing our blood with outside blood. He would have given his blessing to me and thanked me for bringing her home."

Arthur looked at the man and told him Cerdic had indeed given his blessing and had even given her away at her wedding. When the man looked at him with disbelief he continued. "You have committed a crime against a member of my court. For that crime you will be given a weapon and the one you wronged will try to kill you in a fair fight." He then walked away from the Saxon. Dagonet stood his ground and told Arthur. "I will keep watch until Tristan is ready." Arthur nodded and thought the man would fair better with Tristan that he would with Dagonet. Dagonet had a reputation for protecting women and children.

When Arthur relayed what the Saxon had said to Tristan. Tristan made to stand up and Deadric stopped him with her hand on his arm. "Please don't get hurt." She pleaded. "Now that I am reunited with you I can't bear the thought of losing you again. If you feel you must do this, I will not try to stop you. But remember, he is a Saxon soldier. He will not be easy to defeat and he has a lot of hatred for you. He thinks you kept me from him and in his mind you are the one who was wrong." Tristan looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "Don't worry, my heart. I will be careful. But I cannot just pretend this did not happen. He must pay for what he put you through. But I will remember that you came back to me and our child was not harmed. That is the only concession I will make." With that he stood up and headed toward the Saxon.

When he got there Dagonet moved to leave. Tristan stopped him and said, "Find him a sword. If he kills me protect Deadric and help her take care of our child. Do not let this man walk away alive. If he does he will come back and hurt her again." Dagonet nodded his agreement to the request and went to find a sword. He would not give the man his sword. He might need it later if Tristan was unsuccessful.

The Woad warriors produced a Saxon sword that they had taken from Deadric's captor. The man was untied and given a few minutes to get the circulation back in his limbs. Tristan stood facing him with his sword held in front of him ready for an attack with eyes as black as midnight. When the man was ready, Arthur gave him the sword and stepped back. The other knights stood in a circle around the two and waited for the battle to begin.

Guinevere sat with Deadric and tried to console her. She had begun to cry uncontrollably when Tristan had walked off. She was afraid for her husband and Guinevere knew the feeling of helplessness when someone you loved went into battle. All she could do was hold the other woman in a hug and let her cry herself out. Deadric jumped when the first sound of sword against sword filled the air. Then she buried her face in Guinevere's shoulder and cried even harder.

After a few moments she raised her head and began to wipe her eyes. "I don't know why I'm being such a child. I'm not usually so emotional." She said. Guinevere smiled and said, "Vanora says it is because you are with child. Just remember that and it will help you control yourself. Do you want to move closer to the battle?"

Deadric thought for a moment and then nodded yes. They slowly stood up and walked toward the sound of steel against steel. When they got closer Deadric saw that Tristan had a small cut across his cheek. She flinched and looked at the Saxon. He was slowly circling around and trying to get a clear swing at Tristan. Tristan was matching his moves and keeping an eye on his hands. The Saxon came very close to making contact with Tristan when he swung toward his torso. Deadric gasped and the Saxon looked up and saw her. He made a move toward her and Tristan ran him through with his sword. He fell to his knees and dropped his sword. He reached toward Deadric and fell face down onto the ground. He jerked for a couple of seconds and became still. Tristan walked over and wiped the blood from his sword on the man's coat, sheathed it and turned toward Deadric.

She went into his arms and gently kissed his cheek where there was a small trickle of blood. He picked her up and walked away from the group with her held tightly against his chest. She had never felt so secure in all her life and she whispered, "My brave knight. Please take me home so we can plan for the birth of our child." He kissed her gently and whispered back. "This child is truly a child of love. Son or daughter, it can be born with the knowledge that I will love you both with my last breath on this earth." Then he gently sat down with her on his lap.

She looked at him and he said, "The Woad says you have injuries that cannot be seen, what did he mean?"

She sighed and prepared to tell him about her injuries. "I have a broken rib and when he raped me he was not gentle because I was fighting him. He was so rough he tore some skin around in and in my private parts." She waited a few seconds and looked at his face. She was afraid he would look disgusted, instead he looked horrified that she had suffered so much.

After a moment, looking into her eyes, he told her, "A man that gets pleasure while causing a woman pain is not a man. The men I know only want to give a woman pleasure. Don't think that if you had not fought he would have been different. He wanted you to hurt so he didn't try to keep from hurting you physically."

Deadric was surprised at how astute her husband was. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "Does this mean you don't find me repulsive for what he did?" Tristan was genuinely surprised by her question and held her closer. "Oh, Deadric. How could I ever find you repulsive? You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Not just because of your beauty. But because of the way you are. Don't ever doubt my feelings for you. What you suffered is no more to me than a wound suffered in battle."

She raised her face to his and he gently kissed her lips. Then he took a finger and touched the cuts he saw there. In time all of your wounds will heal. When you are ready, I will prove my love to you as gently as the first time I loved you." She smiled at him and realized how much she wanted him to prove his love to her. Even with the pain she had she still felt the familiar tingle when he was near.

Chapter Fourteen

Arthur had given the others orders to set up a camp alongside the Woads. He thought it would be better if they waited several days before trying to head back to the wall. The female warrior had told Guinevere the severity of Deadric's injuries. She had told Arthur but he didn't think she had told him everything. Which was probably for the best. He glanced over to where Tristan was still holding her in his lap and smiled. He turned to Guinevere "I don't think I could stand it if it had been you that was hurt. Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day happenings and I forget to tell you how much you mean to me. I'm sorry if I take you for granted, but never doubt that I will love you until the end of time."

Guinevere walked into his outstretched arms and laid her head on his chest. He held her for a moment and then kissed the top of her head. No one noticed the look on Lancelot's face. He had been watching the exchange between his friend and commander and the woman he thought he loved. Without being discovered, he shook his head and walked away from the others.

Bors was talking loudly to a couple of the Woads and Tristan was watching them hand him a skin of some kind of drink. He could only think it some kind of wine. Bors never gave up the quest for the best wine he could find. Usually by the time he had tasted several drinks, he was too drunk to know if it was the best or not.

When Deadric placed her hand on his cheek and turned his head toward her, he smiled down at her. The look of consternation on her face made him frown. "Tristan, have you seen the way Lancelot looks at Guinevere?"

He looked into her eyes for a moment and then knowing that he was not telling tales on his friend he replied, "I have. But I don't think he means to do anything dishonorable. He is loyal to Arthur. Even more than any of the rest of us." She nodded her agreement. Then she said, "Maybe we should find him another woman to look at. He cannot be happy and at this moment I want everyone to be as happy as we are." Then she flashed one of her gorgeous smiles at him. Even though he knew she wasn't physically able to right now he felt the familiar burning in his loins. He smiled back and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Gawain and Gallahad walked up and Gawain cleared his throat. When Tristan looked away from Deadric he saw that the two men looked embarrassed to be interrupting them. Deadric spoke, "Thank you both for all your help in bringing Tristan to me." Gawain smiled and nodded his head. Gallahad looked at Deadric and then at Tristan. "We had to. We didn't want the old Tristan back," he said sounding serious. Then smiling he continued. "We like the new Tristan better."

She laughed softly and then placing her hand on her injured side, she touched Tristan's cheek. "He is the same, he just has something to look forward to now." Tristan turned to look at her and they didn't notice when the other two men walked off. They were too deep in one another's eyes to notice anything.

After several moments, Tristan cleared his throat and began to talk. "At first I was afraid that you had left me. You had been so upset with me lately I thought you regretted staying in Britain with me. It seems I have a lot to learn about women who are with child. Arthur explained it to me as Vanora had explained it to him. I'm sorry I doubted your feelings. But after so many years of pretending I didn't feel I was afraid that maybe I'd mistaken your feelings." Deadric didn't say a word. She just placed her hand on both of his locked around her and put her head into his shoulder. She fell asleep knowing that she was the luckiest woman in the world.

Chapter Fifteen

The group had spent three days at the Woad camp. With Tristan's constant care, Deadric had been getting stronger each day. She was walking around the camp now without aid and when she laughed she no longer grabbed her side. Arthur thought it time they headed back to the wall. If they took their time it shouldn't hurt her. When he brought the subject up at dinner that night the others all agreed. Especially Deadric. "I look forward to sleeping in a real bed again," she had said. Tristan dropped his head and Bors had laughed and said, "I think Tristan is looking forward to that too. I know I'm looking forward to seeing Vanora," then as an afterthought, "and my children."

That was the first time anyone had made a reference that could bring up bad memories for Deadric. But she seemed to be handling what had happened better than anyone had hoped. When Arthur had questioned Tristan regarding her injuries he had seemed reluctant to give any details. Arthur had insured him that he was just concerned that she might need someone with knowledge about her condition to check her out. Then Tristan had told him some of the things that had happened. He was a little shocked that she was doing as well as she was. Most women would have had a hard time considering the amount of physical abuse she had endured. It reminded him of the condition Guinevere was in when he found her in the dungeon. She, too, had shown great fortitude. It seemed that the women of his court were a lot stronger than the men were willing to acknowledge. He slowly shook his head. "We will be ready to leave at first light."

He walked over to where Guinevere was talking to the other female Woads. She was explaining how she and Arthur were planning to build a home and city around the fort at the wall. He could hear them offering to help if needed and it came to him that these people, independent as they were, looked at him and his knights to lead them into a future full of promise for peace and prosperity. He vowed then to live up to their ideal of him. He would see Britain become the great nation they wanted it to be. He only hoped his comrades would be willing to stay with him. None of them had said anything about leaving, but he knew they missed their homeland. He would talk to them about it when they returned home. Their happiness was important to him and he would let them know that.

Arthur stood beside Guinevere as she sat with the other women. Then patting her shoulder, he moved over to where Dagonet was looking at some of the new arrows the Woad warriors had made. Lancelot walked up at the same time and they exchanged greetings. Dagonet looked up at Arthur and Lancelot. "Arthur, these men have made some impressive arrows. I think it would be good to get them to come to Hadrian's Wall and teach us some of this knowledge." Arthur looked at the other men for a moment, and then told them. "Guinevere's people are always welcome in my home. I look forward to the day when we can all live together truly as one nation. But that is something better left for a later discussion. Dagonet, we will be heading home at first light. Tristan says Deadric is finally feeling able to travel." Dagonet stood up, "I'll be ready." With that he walked toward the other knights.

Arthur and Lancelot stood there for a moment looking at the arrows lying on the makeshift table made from a flat stone. Arthur looked at Lancelot, "Have you made any plans for your future Lancelot?" he asked his friend. Lancelot looked back at Arthur. Then he lowered his gaze and spoke softly, "I've thought about it but I never expected things to turn out the way they have. I don't know how to plan for a future with peace as the backdrop. Why, do you have something for me that would change the outcome of my plans?"

Arthur thought for a moment. Then he placed his hand on Lancelot's shoulder. "Lancelot, the only plans I've ever made always included you and my other knights. Whatever the future holds, I hope it holds our group together. We have spent too many years together to feel anything but sadness should any of you choose to leave. It would be like losing members of my family." He paused for a moment, and then continued, "When we return I am going to call all of you together. I want to offer you all places of power in my court. It seems that the native people of Britain look to us for leadership. I wanted to tell you first, as my first knight, I wanted to give you an opportunity to offer suggestions that you thought might help bring my vision into being."

Lancelot looked at Arthur and nodded his understanding. "I will be by your side whatever you decide. I miss the memory of my homeland. But after so many years, the memory is probably not the truth. I am your man Arthur. Always know that I am loyal to you." With that he smiled. "Now let us figure out a way to bring more women to the fort. It seems Gawain and Gallahad have laid claim to the ones we now have." He laughed and Arthur relaxed at the sound of his friend's mirth. It seemed he would not be alone in his plans after all.

Early the next morning the group mounted their horses and headed for Hadrian's Wall. Deadric had argued with Tristan that she was well enough to ride Dawn, but in the end she had not complained when he placed her in front of him on his own horse. He thought she even seemed a little pleased that he wanted her so near him.

Arthur and Guinevere lead the group with Lancelot and Dagonet right behind them. Bors rode beside Tristan and Deadric with Gawain and Gallahad bringing up the rear. Some of the Woad warriors were going to follow them a ways with Thomas leading their group.

It seemed that Arthur had developed quite a following since becoming king. But then, Lancelot thought, the Woads would probably not have followed if Guinevere weren't with the group. He knew her father, Merlin, would want to make certain his daughter were well protected. Since peace had been found in the land, Merlin had not made an appearance at the fort. Lancelot knew that Guinevere was in the habit of slipping out to see her father in the nearby woods. He had seen her leave the first time and afraid that she would get hurt, had followed her. For some reason he had been reluctant to tell Arthur about these meetings. They seemed nothing more than a father and daughter catching up on the happenings in their lives. But why, then, did he feel he was keeping secrets from his leader?

Lancelot pondered this question as they rode on. Dagonet looked at his friend and frowned. He wondered if Lancelot knew all the others had seen how he looked at Guinevere and had discovered his feelings for her. Dagonet understood how he felt. He had found he had the same feelings for Vanora. He had seen how she had been hurt when her short fling with Lancelot had ended. Then when Bors had started showing her attention he thought it would be a short fling as well. He was a patient man, and had planned to pick up the pieces of her broken heart when Bors had tired of her as he usually did with women. But with the news of their impending child had become knowledge he had reluctantly backed away and left his friend alone in his happiness.

Dagonet guessed sooner or later a woman would come along and he'd be able to forget the feelings he had for her. Until then, he'd just be a friend to her and no one would ever know he'd secretly watched her for so long. He looked back at Lancelot and found the other knight smiling at him. "Dagonet, what are your plans now that Arthur is king of this forsaken island?"

Dagonet shrugged and replied, "I'll just keep on as always. Arthur will need men at his back that he can trust." Then he looked Lancelot in the eyes and continued. "He'll need to know he has someone he can trust with anything." He had placed a little emphasis on the word anything. He hoped his friend got the message and would talk to him. He had wished many times for someone to talk to about Vanora but didn't know how to bring up the subject. Besides he didn't want anyone to unknowingly make a joke of his circumstances. His friendship with Bors was important to him and he knew that Lancelot felt the same way about Arthur. But he also wanted Lancelot to know he was not the only man to ever love someone who already belonged to another. It was a lonely place to be.

Unfortunately, Lancelot either did not get the hint or he refused to acknowledge it. With peace in the land it seemed they would have plenty of time for discussing their hopeless loves in the future. Now that each day didn't begin with the promise that it might be their last, a lot of things could be discussed in the quiet of the evening fires or in the din of the small pub they spent most of their nights. For once the future did not seem as certain as it once had. Now when he thought of his future, instead of a mound in the earth with his sword sticking up out of the ground, he saw the possibility of the life he truly wished for. A woman to love, land to plant and harvest and his one secret wish, children to gather around him at the end of a long day.

They came to a small clearing toward the end of the first day. It had been an uneventful day and they were in good spirits when Arthur told them to make camp. Once earlier in the day they had stopped for a short break to eat some of the bread that they always ate when on a mission. It didn't taste bad and filled the need but they were looking forward to something better for dinner. Tristan volunteered to go hunting and Bors said he would go too. Hopefully between the two of them they would bring back something that could be roasted over the fire. Deadric felt lonely after riding so close to her husband all day, but kept busy helping Guinevere set up the campfire so they could cook whatever the men brought back to eat.

Arthur and Gawain went to find a stream where they could refill the water skins and bring water in case the women wanted to bathe. Gawain and Gallahad were trying to set up an area for privacy using thick blankets. It was amusing to watch them argue over how best to achieve their mission. Guinevere leaned over to Deadric and whispered, "When they finish, we'll secretly go over and fix it the way it should be. But don't let them know. They think only they can do something as constructive as this." Deadric laughingly agreed and they began to softly hum while they prepared the fire.

It hadn't been long when Tristan and Bors both came back to the camp carrying a dead boar. To Deadric's relief, they had dressed it in the forest. It seemed her stomach was much easier to get upset now that she was with child. While they rigged a spit and placed the boar over the fire to cook, she and Guinevere made preparations to take baths. They decided it would take less time and conserve water if they bathed together. That way they could wash each other's hair and backs. Deadric felt a little self-conscious undressing in front of the other woman. She knew her bruises were still visible and she didn't want to answer any questions. So far no one had asked her for any details.

Maybe they were embarrassed or maybe they hoped she would soon forget it if she didn't talk about it. When she pulled her blouse over her head, she heard Guinevere gasp. The other woman said, "Oh, Deadric, Lisbeth told me how he had hurt you but I never imagined this." Deadric shrugged, "As my father always told me, 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. I guess now I should be very strong." Then she turned toward Guinevere, "I know you all are curious about what exactly happened to me. But some of the time I was unconscious and I don't know. Other times I just thought of Tristan and how happy I would be when he found me. All I remember of the whole thing is how much I hated him for what he was doing to my life and how afraid I was of what he would do if he found out about my baby. He hated Tristan so much I was afraid he would kill me just to kill the offspring of the man he couldn't even speak of without beating me."

Guinevere took a cloth and wet it in the water Arthur had brought to them. She then pulled soap out of her saddlebag and began to make lather in the cloth. She walked over to Deadric and gently washed her back being careful where the skin was discolored. "Don't worry, I won't talk about anything you tell me. Just be secure in the knowledge that the man is now dead and will never hurt you or anyone else again."

After Guinevere had finished washing her back, she took off her own blouse and turned her back to Deadric. Deadric in turn did the same for Guinevere. Then they each dipped their hair up to the scalp into the warm water. After making a thick lather with Guinevere's soap they massaged their scalps and took turns letting the other pour clear water over it to rinse all the soap out. They each washed the rest of their own bodies in silence. When Deadric washed her most private part she was glad to find that the touch didn't cause pain as it had before. Her thighs were still discolored and she knew that Tristan would be appalled at the sight. But she could now tell him that she would soon be able to be his wife in every sense of the word. She began to hum a song she had heard Vanora singing once. Guinevere looked at her and began to hum along. They hoped the men were too busy to wonder what they were so happy about.

When they had dried themselves off and combed the tangles out of their hair they began to dress. Deadric was thankful that Guinevere had thought to bring clothes for her. She felt more like herself once she had on some of her own clean clothes. By the time they had finished, the pig was beginning to smell more like dinner. They joined the group of men sitting around a smaller campfire. They were drinking some of the wine the Woad men had given Bors. Deadric declined the offer of a drink but Guinevere turned the skin up. Lancelot raised an eyebrow and Guinevere explained. "I was raised on this stuff. My father used it as medicine as well as a drink to celebrate." Lancelot had tasted the stuff and was impressed that she did not let on how it burned as it went down.

The talk around the fire that night was lighthearted and Deadric enjoyed the banter the men kept going between themselves. She and Guinevere had sat together across from most of the others. Only Dagonet was sitting close to them. He was the quietest one of the group. She noticed that even Tristan seemed in good spirits. She was watching him when he looked up at her. She smiled and he winked at her. When he winked she didn't care whether she was completely healed or not, she wanted to show him how much she loved him. He looked at her and she saw the look in his eyes. She smiled at him and he raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded her head and he looked around the group. No one seemed to have noticed the exchange so he stood up and walked over to her. "Are you tired?" He asked. She nodded her head and he took her had to lead her over to the small pallet he had made several feet from the closest of the others. He didn't know why he had made sure they could have some privacy. They didn't notice the knowing glances passed between the others around the fire. It wouldn't have mattered if they had.

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning they started out just as the sun was making the horizon a beautiful shade of pink. Deadric hummed as she was riding beside Tristan. He kept looking over at her and smiling. When she had said she wanted to ride Dawn, he hadn't objected. They had tried to make love the night before but she was still too sore inside. She had cried at first, not from the pain but because she so wanted to show the man she loved how much she loved him. He had been so gentle and understanding that she had finally fallen asleep in the crook of his arm. When she woke up she was still in his arms but he had turned toward her instead of lying on his back. He had one arm under her head and his other hand was resting lightly on her stomach.

Lancelot had come over reluctantly to wake them up. When he realized they were already awake he started to turn around and Deadric had told him to wait. She didn't know why she felt so sorry for him unless it was because she was so happy she couldn't stand to see anyone alone. He had stopped but kept his eyes away from the sight of her and Tristan all wrapped around each other. Tristan had spoke up then and told him they would be ready by the time everyone else was. He had nodded and walked away.

Tristan had rose up on his elbow and looked down at her. He had smiled at her and leaning close to her face had said. "You can't worry about Lancelot. He'll find what we have someday. If it can happen for me it can happen for him." He had then kissed her so sweetly she had forgotten all about Lancelot and his loneliness. She forgot everything in the kisses he was giving her. She knew what it felt like to give your life completely into the hands of someone else. She just hoped she would be well enough soon to show him.

Arthur knew that they would reach the fort before night fell. He was looking forward to meeting with his knights. He thought he could depend on each of them to stay and help him form the new nation he would call Britain. The Roman Empire was crumbling and although this thought made him sad, he knew it was for the best. Somehow his beloved Rome had lost sight of their purpose. Arthur had grown up thinking the Romans would be the saviors of the world. He now realized that too much power could ruin even the best of hearts. He vowed never to let the taste of power influence his decisions. He knew he could depend on the other men to tell him if he should lose sight of that promise.

When they arrived at the gate Arthur found the people cheering them home. He saw Vanora smile at Bors and wave at Deadric. When he looked back at Deadric, he saw that she was dismounting her horse with the help of Jols. The man looked genuinely glad to see her all right. Bors was holding Vanora in a bear hug and he thought he was holding her just a little tighter than normal. He expected that they would all hold a little tighter to the women they loved.

Jols came over and welcomed him and Guinevere back. Arthur told him to take care of all the horses and then come to the round table. He wanted to meet with all the men before they wandered away to find their own enjoyment. He told Guinevere he wanted her to go to Merlin and invite him to the fort. He wanted to tell him of his plans. She nodded and reached up to kiss him gently. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand and then turned toward the fort.

Guinevere walked over to where Deadric and Vanora were standing and told them what Arthur had said. They looked at each other and went to wait for their husbands while Guinevere went toward the woods to find Merlin.

Chapter Seventeen

When the knights had gathered around the table, Arthur stood up and called each of them by name. When they acknowledged his greeting he began.

"Knights, we have learned of many missions sitting at this table. Now I want to tell you of my plans. I have hopes of building a nation from this place we have called home for the past 15 years. I want each of you by my side when I talk to Merlin later tonight." He waited while they looked from him to each other. Then Lancelot spoke up first. "Arthur, I have told you I will remain by your side. I don't know how good I'll be at forming a nation, but I will do what I can." After he had finished each of the other men gave him their support. Bors spoke last and it surprised Arthur that instead of just giving his support he spoke at length. "Since we became free men I have found freedom in my life with Vanora and my children. I did not plan to return to Sarmatia anyway and since I've come to think of this place as home, I will be glad to make it safe for my children to grow up in. I have grown weary of the fighting."

Arthur looked at his friends and said, "Then let it be known that from this day forth, all decisions that have to be made for our future will be made at this table. Any man who sits with us will have equal say in whatever we are discussing. No man will fear retribution for having different views that any other man. We will begin by building a city to rival Rome. It will be a place of beauty and filled with peace. We shall call it Camelot from a fable I heard once when I was a young boy."

The room began to fill with the sound of men planning for their future. Tristan sat quietly looking at the others around him. He didn't know about this "city" as Arthur had called it. He had never been to Rome and this fort was bigger than anything he had ever seen except for the Roman estate they had found Guinevere in. He was used to sleeping in a bed for the most part with a roof over his head. But he was equally at home sleeping on the ground with the stars as his roof. He knew that Deadric had been raised as a princess and was used to being waited on. He guessed he could get used to having so many people around. To give Deadric what she deserved he would learn to live with most anything.

The sound of a knock at the door stopped all the talk. Arthur motioned for Jols to let whoever was there in. When Jols opened the door it was to find Guinevere standing there with Merlin. The other knights looked at Arthur and he explained. "I have invited Merlin to sit in on the planning with us. If this is to be the peaceful land we all hope for the native Britons will have to have as much say in the forming as we do." The truth in his words made them all look at Merlin for some sign that showed his agreement. When Merlin stepped up to the table Arthur motioned for him to take a seat on the left side of his. Lancelot was in his usual place on Arthur's right. The others were scattered around the table.

Merlin looked at Arthur. "Guinevere has told me something of what you wish to speak to me about. I think with your leadership my people will be glad to help form this nation as you call it. You can help train them in the ways of your people and they in turn can show you what it means to be a Briton. The first thing you should do is to move the location of your city. This place holds many bad memories for most of my people. This is where the orders came from when my people were killed and they have a hard time forgetting this. The root of this place is Roman. You will need a fresh start with British roots. You have traveled many miles in every direction. Is there not somewhere more suitable for you to build this city you speak of?"

Arthur looked around the room and thought about the implications in Merlin's words. It was true that this place had a Roman feel to it. After all, Romans had occupied it for generations. He thought about the land he had ridden through and remembered one place in particular he had thought was a beautiful serene stretch of land. There would be room to spread out and each of his friends could claim their own land but still be within the city.

The men all talked for several hours and when Tristan went to find Deadric he found her peacefully sleeping in their bed. He smiled and began to undress. When he lay down beside her she moaned and he put his arm around her. She snuggled closer but didn't wake up. It was a long time before sleep claimed him. He was planning their future. Something he had not dared to do until she came into his world. He hoped the child was female. He wanted a daughter that looked just like her mother. He would be sure she was given the independence that Deadric had been raised with. He found he rather liked independent women. Smiling he fell asleep with thoughts of his wife and baby going through his head.

The End