lindalee4-A billion Skittles? Wow, you're generous...Glad the bios were useful, it helped me as well.

Camreyn-Glad that you're addicted to my story. Thank you for the happy birthday, even though my birthday isn't until the 2nd October. I'm going to try and finish the story on that day, just for proper closure. Ealusaid and Galahad were just for interest, and also I wanted Galahad to get some action...Leofwen...meh. She's not so much of a show-off as that she doesn't trust the knights, and she wants to prove that she's not just someone to be tricked into bed. Betrayal...Guinevere's betrayal of her beliefs (sleeping with Arthur) Aibhilín's betrayal of her friends (sleeping with Lancelot) and Leofwen's betrayal of Aibhilín (she's forcing the wedding reality on her) Lancelot and Aibhilín's special connection? Oh, I'm not giving away my plot...

I'm very annoyed with you all. Only two reviews? Shame on you all! Actually, I don't blame you; Chapter 7 wasn't exactly my best work. This one is short, but I've been busy, OK?

Also, I expect to find lots of lovely reviews after you read this. This story was meant to only be 12 chapters long but...I've extended it INDEFINATELY. Are you happy? Well, then you know how to make me happy...read/review, same as usual.

Blessed Be

ChiaraStorm

IX: Sisters and Secrets

The third arrives...

Before the leaves have fallen
Before we lock the doors
There must be a third and last dance
This one will last forever

Leofwen looked around. It was good to be back. She stared at the blue-painted bodies around her, recognising brother, cousin and friends.

"Rossa!" she shouted. She ran over and threw her arms around a man you deserved his name. His hair was a dark red, and his eyes were brown. He hugged her back.

"I thought you were dead" he said.

"I thought you were dead!" Leofwen said back. She shook away a few joyful tears and pulled away. "What of "gáin? And of Mór?"

Rossa shook his head. "Dead. When we lost you and Ealusaid, we ran into the Saxons. I only survived because the scouts found me".

Leofwen bowed her head. "A blessed rebirth for our fallen friends" she murmured. She raised her head. "Rossa, where is Dauídh?"

"Waiting for you" he said, gesturing deeper into the woods. Leofwen smiled gratefully, and she made her way through the throng of people; Ealusaid by her side and the sisters just ahead. A wizened old shape formed out of the trees, and they knelt down automatically to receive his blessing. He bade them rise, and they did. He studied them. Leofwen looked the same as she always did; long blond hair and steely blue eyes. Ealusaid was still pale and thinner than usual, but her grey eyes were still kind and strong. It was Guinevere and Aibhilín that had changed the most. Guinevere externally looked the same, but her eyes held a strange secret to them They were shadowed by a spirit of her warrior self, shielding some deep mystery. Aibhilín was strangely disconnected, as if she was not really here.. In some respects, she wasn't. She was leaving a piece of her behind in another place. Finally, his daughters were all together.

Aibhilín gasped. A surprised expression crossed her face, which was unusual for her. "Is that true?"

Dauídh stared at her curiously. "Did you just hear that?"

Aibhilín shook her head. "I saw it. You, and all four of us, our blood together"

Ealusaid stayed calm, but Guinevere and Leofwen seemed to freeze. "What?" Leofwen asked in the tone that all of them feared. It was the tone she used when talking to lusty boys, enemies and all people that she wanted to mutilate violently.

"You are all my daughters" Dauídh stated calmly.

There was a very pregnant pause. Ealusaid was calm looking, and Aibhilín did not miss her look. Something had happened...Ealusaid knew.

Leofwen and Guinevere were looking livid, but underneath Guinevere's expression of anger lay some strange sense of pleasure. She wanted to have sisters, but not like this.

"Why?" Aibhilín asked in a harsh voice, so unlike her. "Why were we not told?"

"It was right-" Guinevere cut him off.

"What was right about keeping us from each other? We are friends, but maybe something better could have happened if we were sisters"

Dauídh looked at her expressionlessly. "Leofwen and Ealusaid were born before I married your mother. She did not want two illegitimate daughters to bring up. Besides, your respective mothers wanted to bring you up themselves. They decided not to tell you, so that you would have the chance to grow up and separate from me, Aibhilín and Guinevere. They did not know how you would react"

There was another pause, and then Guinevere spoke. "So...what is it that we have to do?" The coldness of words surprised her.

"Make the decision" Dauídh said calmly. "Either we fight or we do not"

"Why must we choose?" Ealusaid asked.

"Because you know the knights better than anyone. You must decide"

The sisters looked at each other. Guinevere and Aibhilín knew what they would do, but Leofwen's face was set. "It's their funeral. Why waste so many lives for a cause not ours?" she asked.

"That's what they've been doing for fifteen years. Surely we can spare them this one battle?" Guinevere snapped back.

"We should" Aibhilín backed her up. "If we can save Arthur than we will have an ally forever"

Everyone turned to Ealusaid. "What?"

"Cast a vote; yea or nay"

Ealusaid thought about it. "We should" she insisted. "This is their chance for freedom, and I for one do not want them to leave knowing the bloodshed that they left behind. They should not live their lives in shame and guilt"

Leofwen turned to them. "If you three are so hell-bent on suicide, I might as well help" She drew out her dagger. "Besides, I want a Saxon blade for my collection"

Ealusaid smiled. She and Leofwen had an ongoing competition where for every enemy they killed, they took their dagger. That was how they received the three blades of the dances.

"So, how are we going to plan this?" Guinevere asked.

"Easy. We hide in the trees, veiled in traditional Woad style, the Saxons come from one side, Arthur's on the other and we pincer them"

"There isn't any cover on the other side. If Arthur were on Badon Hill, then we would have to go round and attack from the other side. It would not work"

"Then we'll be the backup. He's there, and as they come to meet him, we use our bows to slay a few Saxons and then we can charge when they are close enough"

"We are going to need some Sarmatian bows then. That way they won't be able to reach us"

"I would not worry. I do not think they are competent archers by any stretch of the imagination" Leofwen snickered.

Guinevere caught sight of Dauídh, who had a strangely proud smile on his face. He caught sight of her glance. "You are all very competent at this"

"Well, we have been fighting for a long time" Leofwen said. Dauídh was personally considered too precious and old to fight, but even when Guinevere was born he was generally a pacifist. Aibhilín and Guinevere had had to fight for the chance to be able to fight.

"More than that. You can work together, as true sisters" Dauídh said. "Sometime I know that I will die. And then, the four of you can rule over the tribe"

The sisters smiled, but Aibhilín's smile faded. If she were to be a tribal leader, than her wedding would probably come through faster. She could have the power to break it off, but that would most likely result in Bhrain or Taidhg deserting the tribe. If that happened they could all be overthrown, and even killed. She turned away to avoid looking at her sisters, and she could see a faint pinkish line on the horizon.

"Dawn is breaking" she said as a warning and as a distraction.

Ealusaid looked to where she was pointing, "We need to get back to the wall"

They knelt and left, running through the clearing. Leofwen paused to speak with Rossa.

"Will you be ready to fight?" she asked, indicating his wounds.

"I'll be ready, I promise you" he grinned. She hugged him and ran for the wall. They walked in silence, each one of them wanting to talk but not knowing how. As they neared the wall, she started to whisper furiously. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Ealusaid moaned softly. She did not question how Aibhilín knew. "My mother told me. She never exactly forgave Dauídh for letting me be his bastard and not you two"

"Yeah, we noticed that she doesn't like him very much" Leofwen commented.

"So you didn't know?" Guinevere addressed Leofwen.

"No. I never even suspected it" Leofwen said.

They were drawing ever closer to the wall. The sisters slipped in the gate and stood together silently in the courtyard. They stared at each other; Guinevere and Aibhilín's eyes locking again.

"You two have business to deal with; we get it. Go" Ealusaid flapped her hands. "I should probably apologise to Galahad" She left with her sisters, leaving Leofwen behind.

"Seems that having a bedmate is the only way to get attention around here" she mumbled to herself.

Aibhilín separated from her sisters and walked along the hallway. She pushed the door open and saw her sleeping lover. He was lying on his back, and he looked so peaceful. Aibhilín dropped her cloak and tried to make it seem like she had been there all the time. She sat down on the bed, and at the small movement Lancelot jumped awake. He looked around and his eye fell on Aibhilín.

"You are too much of a warrior to fall for that" Aibhilín breathed softly. Lancelot struggled to get up, twisting around to look at Aibhilín directly.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Something to know about Woad tribes? They have very bad timing" Aibhilín informed him. "They just wanted to ask us what our plans were for tomorrow"

"Plans?"

Aibhilín could not look at him when she said what she said next. "Battle plans"

"You're staying then" His voice was blank and empty.

"I want to" she said in an equally blank tone. "I have to. I need to stay"

Lancelot looked down. "I feel like a coward"

"Do not" Aibhilín assured him. "Fifteen years of bravery and loyalty do not make you a coward"

Lancelot smiled at her, but another thought nagged at his mind. "Is this a goodbye then?"

Aibhilín stared to shake her head, but stopped. "I don't know" she told him frankly. "I want to say that there is no such thing as a goodbye between lovers, but if you go to Sarmatia and I stay here-" she broke off. Lancelot drew her to him and she lay facing him, her face an inch away from his.

"I cannot see a way out of this" she said quietly. Lancelot kissed her.

"What if I were to stay here-"

"No. I am staying with my people because I have to. You are a free man and you are going to stay a free man, not a dead one"

"Already ordering me about?" Lancelot teased her.

"It's only natural" Aibhilín told him. She leaned in even closer to him. "I am not going to watch you die. Please, go to Sarmatia. If you come back, I'll still be here"

"I'll hold you to that" Lancelot promised her. He kissed her again. Aibhilín gracefully entwined her body with his, wanting to seek comfort from him. She felt the heat rise, and she wanted to preserve this moment, like a chunk of amber. She looked at the blood which had fallen from her body, knowing that more blood would be spilt today, under less enjoyable circumstances.

Blessed Be

ChiaraStorm