Title: Protector Of The Weak
Author: Jmaria
Rating: PG-13 to R (for language and some mild naughtiness)
Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss owns all things BtVS, and somebody else owns K.A.
Spoilers: Season 7, and the movie King Arthur
Summary: Midnight rendezvous, predawn attacks, and big old face-offs.
A/N: So, wow. I've written four chapters of this story. The first chapter was two pages long, the second was six pages, the third was ten pages (my all-time record high for any fic I've written over the last year and half), and the fourth was fourteen pages. Fourteen, and unlike chapter 3, it was mostly my own lines. I scare myself sometimes.
The lyrics Dawn sings in chapter four are from Alanis Morissette's song Excuses off of So-Called Chaos. I don't own her either. I've been trying to figure out what song really fits the pairing. So far, all I've managed to come up with is Knees of My Bees by Alanis Morissette.
A huge thanks to everyone who emailed or reviewed the story (and the question that had me tossing and turning all night long) It was in A Knight's Tale. I remembered that it was a tall, blond British guy who said it - just not the name of the movie. I actually hit myself when I read the first review. Any of the reward/request pairings (although, I do have a Buffy/Lancelot story in Winter Tidings) will/may be written after PotW is finished.
There won't be a closing Author's note on this chapter.
5. Through Hell and High Water
2005
Willow watched as the shadows of the day rolled past her. She saw Giles speaking to the young watcher, saw him find Dawn's cell phone. She saw animals move through out the night. Then she saw Dawn. The young woman was flung towards the trees by a strong wind.. The shadows replayed her shutting the phone, the wind picking up, her being lifted off her feet, and disappearing before she reached the trees.
Willow disengaged herself from the shadows and gasped in a big gulp of fresh air. Giles slapped her back.
"Willow? Willow, what did you see?"
"Something - something pulled her through a portal. Something ancient, Giles." Willow glanced over at the trees. "Something that's been around since the demons left."
"And it took Dawn?"
"I - there's so many shadows, Giles. Old ones, they keep jumping up at me every time I try to get a fix on Dawn's shadow. It's weird. I saw horses and swords."
467
Guinevere slipped back out into the night. She smiled softly at the girl nestled in the arms of the knight. This girl confused her, almost as much as the knights did. She did not ponder on this for very long. Guinevere had not mistaken the sounds of the night. She was summoned, and was to play guide to Arthur. She purposely rustled the branches nearest him as she slipped into the waiting forest. She only looked back once, across the mist strewn inclines, and only then to coax him along.
She turned to face Arthur. Guinevere looked away, catching the eye of the man waiting in the woods before glancing back at Arthur. He turned his head and jumped back from her, drawing his sword. The man in the shadows made his way down the hill, his staff finding the easiest path to take.
"You betrayed me." Arthur accused, pointing Excalibur at her.
"He means you no harm."
"Peace between us this night, Arthur Castus." The blue painted man said from the hill. Arthur looked around him, expecting an attack from any direction. "So Rome is leaving. The Saxon is come. The world we have known and fought for is ended." Arthur lowered Excalibur a little. "Now we must make a new world."
"Your world, Merlin, not mine. I shall be in Rome."
"To find peace? The Saxon will come to Rome." Merlin scoffed.
"My knights trust me not to betray them to their enemy."
"Rome was my enemy, not Arthur. We have no fight between us now."
"You tell that to the knights you killed before my eyes, whose bones are buried in this earth." Arthur's voice was rough with the beginnings of a bitter anger.
"We have all lost brothers." Merlin said wearily.
"You know nothing of the loss I speak!" He yelled. Arthur jerked Excalibur at him. "Shall I help you remember? An attack on a village. The screams of an innocent woman.
Arthur told him then of his mother, the Briton born woman who'd been trapped inside a burning building as young Arthur watched on helplessly. Roman soldiers had fought of the Woads, but no one could get to his mother.
"I ran to the burial mound of my father to free her. To kill you." Arthur held the tip of Excalibur to Merlin's throat, remembering how he had been too late to save her. "I feel the heat of that fire on my face even now.'
"I did not wish her dead." Merlin said simply. "She was of our blood, as are you."
"If you are so determined to leave us to slaughter, why did you save so many?" Guinevere spoke for the first time, drawing Arthur's attention from Merlin. He lowered his sword.
"My men are strong, but they have need of a true leader. They believe you can do anything. To defeat the Saxon we need a master of war. Why do you think I spared you in the forest?" Merlin went to stand behind Guinevere. "That sword you carry is made of iron from this earth, forged in the fires of Britain. It was love of your mother that freed the sword, not hatred of me. Love, Arthur."
"It is your destiny." Guinevere said.
"There is no destiny. There is only free will." Arthur replied, turning away from them.
"And what of the free will of your knights?" Merlin asked, stopping Arthur a few feet away. "Did they die in vain?"
Arthur walked on, leaving Merlin and Guinevere in the silence of the clearing. She turned to look at her leader. He sighed.
"What is it, child?"
"There was a girl, traveling with the knights. She was there at the attack."
"Yes. They told me she appeared - out of the mists. Set an arrow off course." Merlin answered, quietly.
"She asked if you were a magician."
"And what did you tell her?"
"That you only knew the healing arts." Guinevere paused. "She speaks strangely. Acts strangely as well. She is not a Briton, but she is not a Roman."
"A Sarmatian, then?" Merlin asked.
"No." Guinevere paused. "A warrior. Like our women, but not."
"What did she want from you?"
"A way home, through your magic." Guinevere smiled. "To a home that is years away."
Dawn felt a strong arm draped over hers. She smiled in her sleep as the fingers on her hip stretched. She didn't want to wake up, to have it all be a dream. She wanted to stay in the warm cocoon of his arms for as long as humanly possible. Dawn didn't believe in love at first sight. She'd never been in love before, not truly of her own free will anyway. Her first kiss had been with a vampire, and the next guy she'd had a thing for ended up trying to sacrifice a girl to gain riches, and the last guy she'd had a thing for had used a letterman's jacket that had been enchanted to attract girls.
Because of her work with the council, and her big family secret, Dawn didn't have time to have a boyfriend. Not that there hadn't been guys - just no one that was long lasting and durable. She'd been using Faith's advice on guys for the last year or so. She'd slept with one other guy, a fellow employee of the Council. Last she'd heard, he'd been stationed in Antarctica.
And then there was Dagonet. The big softie that he was. She swore she must have blushed in her sleep, remembering the feel of his hands and his lips on hers. It was something else. There was something in there that called to her. Something big, monumentally huge about him. She'd never been truly in love, but she had a feeling she'd just fallen for the big man. It didn't seem all that scary anymore.
The sun began to break through the clouds of dawn. Not many stirred among the camps yet, for the sun was not yet so high. Dagonet lay protectively between the world and Dawn. Snow flakes spotted his clothing, as they did on Dawn and Lucan. The world had not wrenched them from sleep, not yet shown its cruelty yet. There was peace in this sight, this image of what could be a family. That image got quite the rude awakening.
Marius' guards quietly made their way across the camp to the sleeping knight and his charges. Marius smiled wickedly.
"Seize him!"
The guards dragged him roughly across the ground, kicking at him. Dagonet had instinctively tried to remain where he was by latching on to the closest thing, which just so happened to be Dawn. She yelped in pain as he was dragged away from her. He lashed out, swinging at the legs of one of the guards as he got to his knees. Dawn watched frozen for a second.
"No!" Lucan screamed.
It was his scream that kicked her into action. One of the guards kneed him in the stomach, while the other threw a low punch at Dagonet's abdomen as he got to his feet. Hiking up the hem of her skirt, Dawn screamed as she threw herself onto the back of the guard, wrapping her legs around his waist and punching at his head with her fists. She kicked her heel as hard into his groin as possible. Dagonet took advantage of this diversion, landing a right hook to the face of the other guard. Dawn's guard tried to shrug her off, but it was Dagonet's elbow to his face that sent the man reeling.
Dawn jumped back from the falling man, giving him another kick. Marius snuck around the brawl to where Lucan sat. Just as the boy was going to yell again, the Roman clamped a hand over his mouth, dragging him away. Dagonet lashed out at one of the fallen guards with his foot. Dawn growled at the guard nearest her, putting him in a choke hold and punching at him when he tried to pull her to the ground. Dagonet spun around, noticing a third guard coming behind him. He ducked the guard's first punch. Grabbing onto the shoulder of the guard, Dagonet yanked him back to slam his fist into his face.
Bending low as the guard fell, Dagonet pulled two large daggers from each boot, prepared to take on the guards. Dawn kicked her guard away from her and inched her way over to Dagonet. By now they were gathering a small crowd, as Alecto and Fulcinia emerged from the carriage behind Marius. Dagonet jabbed the daggers toward the guards.
"I have the boy!" Marius yelled, yanking Lucan's head up and holding a dagger to the boy's throat. Dawn felt her eyes narrow in anger. Marius looked around at the guards, who seemed to have halted as well. "Kill him!" Marius ordered.
"No, don't! Let him go!" Fulcinia cried, tugging on the arm that held Lucan. Marius flung her aside with his arm. Dawn slipped her hand along her thigh while his attention was on his wife.
"Kill him now!"
Two blurs of movement crossed between the carriage and the man. One was an arrow that pierced the chest of Marius. Before he could even let out a pained gasp, a small, thin dagger slammed into his throat. Dawn rose to her feet as a bow wielding Guinevere strode across the snow covered ground. Dagonet turned first to Guinevere, as her arrow had crossed in front of him. As Marius crumpled to the ground, Lucan raced to Dagonet. The guards stared at Guinevere as she set another arrow, and pulled back the string. Fulcinia went to her dead husband's side. Dagonet moved Lucan behind him, and caught Dawn's eyes as he moved the child to her side.
"Down." He ordered, grabbing his sword with both hands. "Hah!" He cried, poised for whatever attack the guards had planned.
"Like that's going to stop me." Dawn muttered to herself. There were at least a half-dozen guards. Dagonet and Guinevere were good, but they weren't that good. "Stay down." She said, moving Lucan farther back toward the carriage. She grabbed her own sword, hefting it. She turned to face the guards to their right. "This could be fun."
Arthur and Lancelot strode over from their resting places, each warrior had his weapons of choice drawn, flanking Guinevere. Lancelot rested his two blades over his shoulders.
"You're hand seems to be better." He said to Guinevere, who gave him a look from the corner of her eye.
She let the arrow fly into the ground by the guards feet. A warning that there would be no more warning shots. From behind her, Galahad and Gawain rode up, each curious as to what was going on.
"Artorius!" Bors yelled, coming from the other side. He urged his horse faster, his axe upraised. "Do we have a problem?" When he came to a stop behind two guards, he let the horse pressure them. "Huh?"
"You have a choice." Arthur said, pointing Excalibur at them. "You help or you die."
"Either way, we win." Dawn raised her eyebrow, a small smirk crossing her lips. Bors answered that by nudging his horse into one of the guards. The lead guard threw his weapon to the snow.
"Put down your weapons." He ordered. When they hesitated, he yelled again. "Do it now!"
"Yeah!" Dagonet yelled in his deepest, scariest voice.
One by one, the guards threw down their weapons in a sign of defeat. Dawn felt a nervous breath escape her lips. Arthur lowered Excalibur, and looked back at Jols, nodding. The squire returned the nod, and raced forward to collect the guards weapons. A neighing could be heard off in the distance. Bors turned his attention to the rider.
"How many did you kill?" Bors called to Tristan.
"Four." The scout replied when he was close enough to be heard.
"Not a bad start to the day!" Bors said laughing, as Tristan rode past him.
Tristan reined in his horse when he reached Arthur. Pulling something from the side of his saddle, he let it hit the ground with a thud. Arthur looked down to seek the Saxon crossbow. When he looked up, Tristan spoke.
"Armor-piercing. They're close. We have no time."
"You ride ahead." Arthur ordered, stalking over to where the body of Marius lay on the ground.
"What did I miss?" Tristan asked before he left.
"A nice early morning ambush." Gawain replied.
"And a lesson to be wary of the girl." Galahad continued, glancing between the Guinevere and Dawn.
"You're gonna have to be more specific." Tristan retorted, urging his horse along.
"Are we quite sure she isn't a Woad herself?" Galahad asked.
"Why don't you go over and ask her?" Lancelot sighed, thinking something along the same lines himself. This lady Dawn was quite the mystery. Guinevere he could at least understand. The other girl was something he couldn't even begin to fathom.
Dawn sagged against Dagonet as he made sure Lucan was unharmed. There was a tiny scratch at his throat. It wasn't bleeding. That was a good thing.
"You were a brave boy, Lucan." Dagonet said, squeezing the boy's shoulder. Dawn felt her heart do a little flip-flop at this. Yup, she was on the train to Lovetown.
"Yeah, you got the attention of Guinevere and the other knights to come help us." Dawn smiled at the boy. Dagonet smiled down at him as well.
"Lady Dawn." Arthur's commanding voice caught her off guard, making her jump.
"Yeah?" She asked, trying to calm herself down.
"I believe this is yours." Arthur handed her the dagger which still shone with the blood of Marius. Dawn gulped at the sight of it. He was the first human she had ever killed. She made her face completely blank, pretending it wasn't a huge deal.
"Thanks."
"Dagonet, get them up." Arthur spoke to the other knight, but his eyes focused on her. "We leave immediately." He turned to gather his saddle.
Guinevere lowered her bow and made her way over to the carriage. Dawn was hovering closely to Dagonet. She was sure this was because of how they spent the night. She did not judge the pair. They were lucky, to have found something in this world to hold onto.
"Your aim was good." Guinevere smiled at her.
"Yours too." Dawn returned a shaky smile.
"We have time to wash our faces." Guinevere glanced down at the hand that still held the bloodied dagger. "Do we not?"
"Hurry." Dagonet said, catching the look Guinevere gave him.
"I'll be right back." Dawn whispered to Dagonet.
The two women briskly made their way to the water's edge. Guinevere took the dagger from her, scrubbing at the blood. Dawn stared at her for a second.
"Was he the first you have killed?" Guinevere asked, handing the cleaned blade to her.
"The first human." Dawn muttered. "I've killed - wild beasts before."
"He was no better than a beast." Guinevere replied.
"He was going to kill Lucan. And he gave the order to kill Dagonet." Dawn said angrily.
"You fought well, sister in arms." Guinevere smiled.
"Sister?" Dawn looked back at her.
"If the men can be brothers, can we not be sisters as well?" Guinevere looked over at the knights. Galahad and Gawain were already off toward the head of the train., Lancelot was not far behind Arthur, and Bors spoke to Dagonet. Tristan was the odd man out, but he had his hawk.
"Yeah. Warrior women. I like the sound of that." Dawn smiled. It was the first time since all of the potential slayers had invaded her house that Dawn thought she was actually being considered an equal.
"As do I, sister." Guinevere smiled. "Come, your lover worries."
"He's -" Dawn started to protest. But he was her lover.
"Was he your first as well?" Guinevere teased.
"No, not in that sense." Dawn blushed. "But he was the best so far."
"And do you love him?" Guinevere prodded.
"I think I might." Dawn sighed, a happy grin chasing the haunted look from her eyes.
Dagonet spoke quietly to the boy as he helped him back into the carriage. The other occupants of the carriage were not back yet. He felt a pang in his chest. She should not have endangered herself. She should have stayed back, safe from the fighting with Lucan. Her brave front only masked her fear. He saw it when Arthur handed her the dagger. She had not lied about being a good throw. She might even rival Tristan, and would best Gawain and Galahad.
He loved this woman, of that much he was certain. He had never loved someone so much before. His brothers, Vanora and Bors' children, even Lucan had his love, but that love was not the same. He feared for this girl, this woman that had burst into his life and shown him a future he might have. A future with her. He could imagine her, heavy with his child. He could picture the life of a free man. Dagonet didn't even know, that if presented with this choice, if she would even choose him.
He said nothing to her as Guinevere climbed into the carriage. Dawn placed her hand on his forearm. She frowned, looking up at him.
"Arthur is preparing to leave. You should get in as well."
"Dag -"She looked at him, confusion marring her pretty face. She lifted her hand to his face, her thumb resting on his scar. Cupping it with both hands she drew his mouth closer to her. "I still. . .last night was real." She sighed, searching his face. "And it meant something to me. Something - something I thought I'd never have."
"What was that? Hm?" He asked, wanting to hear the words, but fearing them all the same.
"It was love." She whispered the words, lifting her mouth to his, kissing him as uncertainly as she had the night before.
Dagonet allowed himself to touch her, to pull her close. He kissed her back, turning her away from the watchful eyes of his fellow knights. He pulled back, his breath ragged. She smiled, softly and whispered to him.
"I love you."
"As do I." He said in a sigh.
"Dagonet, are they not ready yet?" Lancelot called, walking past them. "Get in the carriage, girl."
"Bite me." Dawn said sweetly.
"Dawn." Dagonet said quietly.
"If he won't play nice, then neither will I." Dawn replied, she turned to get into the carriage. "And the name is Dawn, Sir Jerk-a-lot."
Dagonet pressed his lips together, fighting back the urge to laugh at her. Lancelot stared at the girls in the carriage. They whispered to each other as if they plotted how to raise more hell. They were troublesome, the both of them.
"Are we quite sure she hasn't a little Woad in her?" Lancelot asked Dagonet. When the other Knight didn't answer, he continued back toward his horse.
"Perhaps she has a little Sarmatian in her." Guinevere smirked at Dawn, hearing what Lancelot had said.
"Guinevere!" Dawn hissed. "They keep saying that. Asking if I'm a Woad."
"They have never seen a woman fight who was not one." Guinevere sighed. "Their women are complacent, they marry and have sons. They are not allowed to defend their home, die fighting for a cause."
The carriage began to move. Dawn thought about what Guinevere said. Dagonet had said he loved her, but what would happen if she found a way home? The Watcher's Council would in around, but she was sure they were in Rome. She loved him, more than she'd loved anyone who'd come before. Would she even want to go? She missed Buffy, and the remaining Scoobies, but could she force herself to leave? Could she make herself go home?
Arthur watched as they loaded the body of Marius onto a near empty carriage. It would be at the back of the train. Arthur was confused about the girl - both girls, actually. Guinevere could have left with Merlin, and yet she stayed. Dawn could have shrunk away from the skirmish between the guards, and yet she'd stood by Dagonet.
Arthur rode past their carriage, hearing the boy laugh at something Dawn had said. At least they were keeping themselves amused. No one else seemed able to. He neared the carriage of Alecto. The young man was staring out of the window as Arthur approached it.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Arthur said.
"My father lost his way." Alecto replied. "He used to say the Church is there to help us stay on our path. It didn't help those he made suffer."
"The path he chose was beyond the reach of the Church, Alecto."
"But not of Rome. What my father believed, so Rome believes."
"What, that some men are born to be slaves? No, that isn't true." Arthur said.
"It is so!" Alecto cried, the spoke again, uncertainty in his young voice. "He told me so."
"Pelagius, a man as close to me as any, is there now, teaching that all men are free, equal. And that each of us has the right to choose his own destiny."
"Teach? How?" Alecto questioned him. "They killed Pelagius a year past. Germanius and the others were damned by his teachings. They had him excommunicated and killed." Arthur's mouth opened in disbelief. Alecto continued, shaking his head. "The Rome you talk of doesn't exist, except in your dreams."
The carriage went on, but Arthur found himself standing still. The boy spoke truthfully, of that he was certain. Bishop Germanius had ordered the death of the man who had been like a father to Arthur.
Arthur stood, completely still at the mouth of a large valley. A large lake, frozen over loomed before him. Tristan had told him of it before riding to gather the other knights and Jols.
"Is there any other way?" Arthur asked.
"No. We have to cross the ice." Tristan replied.
"Get them all out of the carriages. Tell them to spread out." Arthur ordered Jols. The squire and turned his horse around.
The seven warriors dismounted and began leading the way across the ice. Dawn, Guinevere and Lucan remained inside, ordered by Dagonet to remain within the carriage. Dawn understood why the other two were told to say inside, they were still too weak to cross such a long distance. She wasn't. Dawn wrapped the cloak around her tightly, slipping from the carriage.
"Do not go far." Guinevere warned.
"Please. It's not like I'm going to do cartwheels or throw snowballs. I'm making the cart lighter." Dawn snorted.
"Dagonet would not be pleased." Lucan replied.
"No, but he would understand why I did it." At least she hoped he would.
The train of people slowly made their way across. Each step measured, all aware that too much pressure on one spot of the ice could be their doom. Dawn let out a nervous breath. She really didn't like the snow and all things associated with it. It started groaning and splintering beneath their feet. The horses began lifting their heads and whinnying. Arthur held up his hand, bringing the train to a halt.
No one spoke. The sounds of drums could be heard in the distance. The Saxons were closer than they thought. People began to look nervously behind them. Arthur began moving again, only to stop a few steps ahead. The knights shared a look, each face wearing a grim expression. Dawn watched, wanting to know what they were thinking. She had a feeling she wouldn't like it.
Arthur turned his horse around and faced the other knights. Alecto and Fulcinia came to stand beside Dawn. Guinevere slipped from the carriage and watched the knights.
"Knights . . ." Arthur began.
"Well, I'm tired of running." Bors looked at the other knights before leading his horse over to Arthur's. "And these Saxons are so close behind my ass is hurtin'."
"Never liked looking over my shoulder anyway." Tristan said, looking up at the sky. Dagonet smiled.
"Be a pleasure to put an end to this racket." Gawain sighed.
"And finally get a look at the bastards." Galahad replied.
"Here. Now." Dagonet finished, leading his horse across as well, giving Arthur a small grin.
Lancelot said nothing when Arthur looked his way. He sighed and shook his head. Arthur wouldn't change his mind even if Lancelot told him it was insane.
"Jols!" Arthur called out.
"You two, take the horses."
Almost immediately, the knights began to remove their weapons from their saddles, making piles before them on the ice. Ganis and Jols unhitched additional weapons from the pack horses.
"Ganis," Arthur called to the villager, "I need you to lead the people. The main Saxon army is inland, so if you track the coastline 'til you're well south of the Wall, you'll be safe."
"But you're seven against 200?" Ganis asked.
"Eight." Guinevere called. "You could use another bow."
"Nine." Dawn added, following her. "There is no way in hell I'm not getting in on this."
Arthur watched the two women walk past him in shock. He had not expected them to offer their services in this battle.
"I'd rather stay and fight." Ganis continued.
"You'll get your chance soon enough." Arthur replied. He looked over at the guards. "This man is now your captain. You do as he says. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Go. Go!" Arthur commanded them.
Dawn and Guinevere picked from the bows not already claimed by the other knights. The people began moving around them, spurred on by Ganis' words. Alecto made his way over to Arthur.
"Right. Come on, then! Move on!" Ganis cried.
"I am able. I can fight." Alecto said.
"No. You must bear witness to all you have seen." Arthur placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "There's one thing you must do, and that's get back to Rome."
His heart nearly stopped beating when he saw her approach the other knights. Dawn looked up at him. Giving him a half smile, she told Jols to lay out her weapons beside Dagonet's. Handing Jols her sword, she followed Guinevere's footsteps over to the weapons. She picked the only bow left for her to use. She was testing it when he approached her.
"You should not be here." Dagonet said evenly.
"If little Miss Dislocated Fingers is staying then so am I." Dawn muttered, staring evenly at him.
"You willingly endanger yourself?"
"Yes, I do, Dagonet." Dawn sighed. "I'm not leaving. You can try and make me go, but I'll just come back." She headed over to her row of weapons in the line Jols had laid out for her.
"Dawn . . ."
"I'm not leaving you." She murmured, staring up into his eyes. "Right now, you're all I've got in this world, and I am not leaving."
"You act like a foolish child."
"No, I'm acting like an adult. I'm making the hard choices too." She smiled. "Besides, this is more fun."
"She's staying as well?" Galahad asked, joining the line.
"Yup, she's just like a bad penny you can't get rid of." Dawn snorted. He was really very condescending, and she was kinda glad she'd hit him earlier. "If Guinevere gets to play, then I get to play. If I don't play, then I get mad. And trust me when I say you don't want to get me mad. It invloves the meeting of my foot and your ass."
"Are you sure she's not a Woad? She has the temper of one." Galahad muttered. Dawn nearly screamed.
"No, She has the temper of a person who's spoken at rather than to. And if you keep calling me a Woad, I'm gonna have to hurt you." Dawn snapped. "Men." She spat.
Dagonet glanced over at Dawn. She should be in that carriage, with Lucan. She looked up at him then, as if challenging him to make her leave. He knew she would not. He looked over at the young boy he'd pulled from a dark well only the day before. He smiled at the child, hoping he would see him again one day. Dagonet raised his hand in farewell. Lucan raised his own small hand.
Perhaps Dagonet would raise the brave little boy as his own when he returned to the wall. Perhaps Dawn would be his mother, and make them a family. He kept those thoughts tucked away safely in the back of his mind.
The seven knights made a single line crossing the passageway. Tristan stood at one end, Lancelot and Guinevere behind him. Bors stood at the other, with Dagonet, Dawn, Galahad, and Gawain behind him. Arthur stood at the center as the Saxon army entered the valley.
"Hold until I give the command." Arthur ordered.
Guinevere exchanged a look with Dawn. Her own fear, while wiped clean from her face, lay just below the surface of her eyes. Dawn's face was calm, her mouth a thin unforgiving line. Her eyes were narrowed and her bow lowered. But there was fear. None of them was foolish enough to not be afraid of this. Lancelot watched the exchange between the two women.
"You look frightened." Lancelot spoke to Guinevere. She looked away from Dawn and at him. Sighing, he continued. "There's a large number of lonely men out there."
"Don't worry, I won't let them rape you." Guinevere replied.
"Hah!" Dawn let out a little laugh. That showed him. Dagonet gave her a look. She winked up at him.
One of the Saxon's let an arrow fly. It skidded across the ice. They were out of range. Dawn took in a deep breath. Arthur kept his eyes forward as he spoke.
"I believe they're waiting for an invitation. Bors, Tristan."
"They're far out of range." Guinevere said, turning her head towards Arthur.
Arthur nodded to the two knights. Tristan and Bors each filled their bows with multiple arrows. Aiming the bows upward rather than shooting straight, they drew back the strings and let them fly. Across the ice, Dawn could make out several bodies collapsing to the ground. Arthur looked over at Guinevere, who kept her eyes in front of her.
The Saxons began to move slowly across the ice. As one, the line of warriors raised their bows high, waiting for Arthur's command.
"Aim for the wings of the ranks. Make them cluster." He ordered.
Make them cluster. Make them heavier. Make the ice crack. Dawn thought to herself. It was a pretty smart plan. She let the bow snap with a crisp twang and lined up more arrows. The left side skirted inwards. The bows twanged again, this time aiming for the right side. Bodies fell to the ice, the Saxons squeezing in closer to one another. Another volley of arrows flew from the bows, attacking the left side again. The Saxons moved inward, the ice fracturing beneath them.
Shouts of hold the ranks echoed in the valley, but the Saxons ignored it. They clustered closer together, trying to avoid the arrows. Suddenly, they listened to their commander, moving in rank formation. The ice cracked, but held firm.
"It's not gonna break. Back." Arthur ordered. "Fall back! Prepare for combat."
Each of the knights drew their swords and stepped back. Dawn felt the adrenaline pump through her veins as she held her broadsword at the ready. She glanced over at Dagonet who had just drawn his sword from the pile before him. He held it in front of his face for a moment, staring at it and then out again at the Saxons. He looked over at Dawn, her brown cloak fluttering behind her in the wind, her red dress clinging to her. He felt his face go completely blank. He squared his shoulders and threw the sword to the ground. Grabbing up his axe and giving a powerful yell, he ran at the Saxon line.
"Dag!" Bors yelled, watching his best friend run towards the ice.
"Dagonet!" Dawn felt herself screaming.
"Cover him!" Arthur yelled, moving forward to grab his bow.
Dagonet swung his axe over his shoulder. He would not let them pass. He would not let them kill another innocent woman or child. He would not let them kill his friends. He would not let them kill Dawn. He slammed the axe into the ice. He slammed it harder. He had to break the ice, they could not pass!
They set loose another volley of arrows, aiming for the front lines of the Saxon army. Dawn remembered what Tristan had said about their crossbows. They were armor-piercing.
"Archers!" Dawn yelled out, setting another arrow into her bow. She let it fly. Her heart was racing a hundred miles per hour. She grabbed more arrows, pulling them from Dagonet's quiver.
The first set of archers were dispatched of. More arrows. Put it in, pull it back, let it fly, keep him alive. Dawn shouted at herself in her mind. Twang Grab another. She could faintly hear a yell in the distance.
"The ice is breaking!"
Dagonet felt the ice shudder and buckle beneath him. It was not broken yet. It needed to be completely broken. He had to be sure of it. He raised the axe for one more blow, when he felt the arrow burst through his armor and deep into his flesh. He fell heavily to his side and onto his back. He gasped.
"Dag!" Bors shouted again, watching his friend fall to the ice.
"No!" Dawn screamed. Bow and quiver still hand she raced out across the ice. Arthur was not far behind her.
Lining up four arrows, she aimed the bow horizontally and let them fly. Arthur stepped beside her pulling her back as a volley of Saxon arrows hissed past them. She raced harder, firing as she ran. She provided the cover fire for him. He was stronger, he could pull Dagonet to safety. He would be all right. They would be all right. The Saxons would fall into the ice, and Dagonet would be a hero. They'd laugh about this someday.
The knights behind them set of volley after volley into the Saxons. One of the Saxon arrows nicked Arthur's neck, he slowed a bit but continued towards Dagonet. He was up on his knees, axe raised above his head. He was still alive. Dawn sucked in a lungful of cold air. They would reach him in time.
Four arrows had pierced him. He barely felt them, his mind so set to the task of breaking the ice that he had blocked out all other feelings. Yelling one final time, he slammed the axe down into the breaking ice.
A large fissure cracked along the ice, breaking apart in large chunks. The Saxons caught on the rocks scrambled to stay afoot. Many plunged into the icy depths of the water. Dagonet felt the blood fill his mouth, felt his arms lose feeling. He saw the water rushing up at him. He had not failed. He had done it. His last thought was of her, he saw her smiling face as she leaned up to kiss him.
Dagonet's body slipped into the water, and he did not try to stop himself from falling. Dawn let another volley of arrows fly. Arthur slid across the ice on his knees just as Dagonet fell. He shoved his hand into water, finding the scruff of Dagonet's collar. He pulled his comrade through the water as Dawn set off another volley. Dagonet didn't move. She lowered her bow and reached to help him. They had to get him out of that water. He could become hypothermic and go into shock. Bors dropped his bow and raced across to help them.
"Dag!"
"Keep firing!" Arthur hissed at her. She saw the arrows and blinked back furious tears. Setting up another shot, she let them fly once more. She aimed for the leader, or at least the one who looked like a leader. She felt quite satisfied when the man collapsed into the ice.
"I'm out." She grabbed his other arm, and they pulled him across the ice. He felt so cold.
Bors had reached them by then. He took the arm Dawn had, and they began tugging him across the ice. It wasn't enough. Dagonet was a big man. They needed more help. Dawn felt hot tears slip past her cheeks. He would be all right. They just needed to get him to safety. The ice they were on began to crack.
"Pull back! Arthur!" Lancelot yelled.
They had gotten to their feet, but the breaking ice simply knocked them back down. They were half-crawling. If they didn't hurry up, all of them would be lost.
"Help us!" Bors yelled back.
Tristan and Gawain dropped their bows and raced to the aid of their friends. They pulled them to safety as Galahad, Guinevere and Lancelot provided cover fire. They set his body down on the ground behind the line of archers. Bors leaned over him.
"Dagonet. Stay with me." Bors touched his bluing face. "Dagonet! Stay with me!"
Dawn felt her knees give out as she let go of his limp arm. His eyes were closed and blood trickled from his mouth. She felt a searing pain tear through her as she stared at him. He was turning blue. His eyes were opened, but they no longer held the spark of life she had seen in them the first time he looked at her. They were dull and hollow. Hot, bitter tears raced down her cheeks as she watched him slip away. She let out an anguished scream. No, he wasn't supposed to die! He was supposed to live. She shoved Arthur out of the way, tearing open Dagonet's armor.
She could do CPR. She could save him. He'd just swallowed too much water. He wasn't dead. She counted under her breath, blew into his mouth. He would live! They would be together.
"Don't you die, damn it!" She cried, beating on his chest. "You are not leaving us! You're not leaving me!"
Guinevere watched as Dawn broke down, yelling at the body of a dead man. Anger coursed over her. This man had been a good man. He had saved a child and treated him like his own son. He had loved one woman, who was completely devoted to him. He had risked his life to save the lives of his friends and the people who rode on with out them. She set her sights on the middle of the group and let one final arrow fly at the Saxon leader. It was a pity that it missed.
Dawn couldn't move. She couldn't breath. She couldn't feel. Her eyes that had once held such a vibrant gleam to them, looked dull. Her hair was in shambles. She didn't care. She looked awful. She didn't care. Arthur had tried to say something to her. All she could focus on was the bright red blood on his neck.
"You've got red on you." She said, her voice harsh even to her own ears.
Turning away, she glanced at the horse that would carry the body. The body. She felt fresh tears form in her eyes. Hadn't she once yelled at Buffy for calling their mother 'the body'. He had a name. He had been loved. She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned her cold stare onto Lancelot's face.
"Don't touch me." She spat.
She walked alongside the horse. She didn't want to leave him alone. She didn't want him to feel as alone as she felt. Lancelot grabbed her by the shoulders. He spun her around.
"Stop this!"
"I said don't touch me." She hissed, reeling back her fist. It connected soundly with his face. "Don't ever touch me." Lancelot looked up at her from the ground, his lip split. She continued walking.
"Dawn." Guinevere spoke quietly to her. "Dawn, come with me."
"No. I can't leave him." She murmured.
"He will be well looked after. I promise you." Guinevere slowly reached for her hand. "I am your sister in arms. I would not lie to you."
"Ok." Fresh tears trickled down her face as Guinevere helped her into the carriage.
It was as if she were broken. Guinevere supposed she was, in a way. She was foreign to this land, and Dagonet had served as her anchor.
Dawn did not speak for the rest of the journey to the wall. She refused to speak to anyone. Guinevere had to help her drink water, when Fulcinia feared she was dehydrated. She stared out the front of the carriage, her eyes ever on the horse that carried him home.
The great wall loomed before them. It was very . . .Roman looking. Dawn let her eyes leave his body only then, so she could look at the wall as it had been. She watched as the knights all joined Arthur at the head of the line. They were one short. It took her a minute to realize that they weren't. All six knights were present and accounted for.
A great aching filled her chest. It hadn't been enough. There wasn't enough time. It wasn't supposed to end so quickly.
The knights entered the village first. Bishop Germanius waited anxiously for them. A huge smile broke across the Roman's face as he caught sight of the carriage holding Alecto and Fulcinia.
"Ah, God!" He crossed over to them. "Christ be praised. Against all the odds Satan could muster. Alecto, let me see you." Alecto stared at him strangely as he exited the carriage. "You have triumphed! Young Alecto, let me see you. You are here." Alecto backed away from him, a concerned look on his face.
Outside the gate where the knights were, Guinevere helped Dawn and Lucan from the carriage. As she lowered herself down, Lucan ran through the guards that were meant to keep the villagers out. The movement caught Dawn's eye. Guinevere spun around.
"Lucan!"
"You, boy! Stop!" The Roman guards yelled, chasing after him.
They did not get far. Galahad raised his sword to the first guard's throat, a deadly look on his face, with Gawain just behind his shoulder. The knights looked as if they would carry through with their threats. Guinevere and Dawn raced after him. Guinevere put her hand on his shoulder and Dawn could only watch. His face was streaked with tears, as hers was. Dagonet had been his hero. Your hero is not supposed to die.
He reached for Dagonet's hand, but his hands were so little that he could only wrap it around his forefinger. The boy clasped onto it, slowly pulling the large ring that rested there. Dawn found herself staring at the hand. The hand she had fantasized about for nearly three days and had felt them on her skin for only a few precious hours. Guinevere looked up at her, the question in her eyes. Did she want it for herself?
Dawn shook her head no. He could have it. She had more memories of him than the child. Silent tears rolled down her cheek as she watched him. She knew exactly how he felt.
Guinevere and Arthur shared a look. Dawn bent her head as she laid her hand on Dagonet's body. Galahad lowered his sword as the guards backed away. Germanius chuckled nervously, turning his attentions to the knights.
"Our great knights. You are free now!" He gave them a happy smile that clashed with their moods. Dawn watched him from the corner of her eye. She wanted to hit him. From the looks of it, so did Bors. "Give me the papers. Come, come."
A soldier carrying a rectangular wooden box rushed across the courtyard. He opened it, showing six white scrolls.
"Your papers of safe conduct throughout the Roman Empire." Arthur walked towards him. "Take it, Arthur." Arthur stopped inches away from him.
"Bishop Germanius. Friend of my father." His look was stonily cold as he turned away from him, leaving the courtyard.
Lancelot strode up to the box. Clasping each hand around the six scrolls, he drew them from the box as he drew his swords in battle. He walked over to the knights, giving each a scroll.
"You are free now. You can go."
Galahad took his from Lancelot, and strode out of the yard. Gawain watched Galahad leave, then stared down at the paper he'd longed to hold for so long. Tristan gave his a simple glance, and lowering it to his side. Bors stared on, his anger shaking through him with every word Germanius said.
"Bors." Lancelot said. When he didn't respond, Lancelot smacked him in the chest with the scroll. "Bors!" He shook the two scrolls in his hand. "For Dagonet."
Bors glanced down at them, tears in his eyes. He took them in his hand and shook them.
"This doesn't make him a free man." He moved around Lancelot, anger rising in his voice. "He's already a free man. He's dead!" He threw the papers at Germanius' feet. Germanius stepped back.
Bors took Dagonet's horse back through the gateway. Gawain and Tristan stepped toward the Bishop. Gawain bent to pick up the papers, while Tristan stared at the soldier who carried the box. He picked it up, examining it. The soldier looked nervously at his superior, who gestured for him to take it.
Dawn watched, with loathing in her eyes at this man. She let Guinevere lead her away. They would bury him soon.
The ache burned deeply in her heart as she watched them cover the dirt over him. She couldn't stand anymore. She didn't want to lean on Guinevere any more. She knew it was probably rude for her to sit while everyone else stood, but she didn't care anymore.
They placed the box, now refilled with their papers of safe passage, atop the grave. They owed their lives, and their freedom to him. Dawn watched as Gawain stood back.
"Goodbye, old friend. We'll be along soon." He said, taking his place beside his brothers.
The other mourners left then. Arthur followed them, heading toward the village, but to another grave. Fulcinia led Alecto and Lucan away. Guinevere found herself torn between staying with Dawn or following Arthur.
"Go." Dawn whispered. "Go after him."
Guinevere did as she told her to. Dawn laid her head on her arms, watching the fire burn in the cup in front of his sword. The other knights left as well, save Bors. He took a sip from the wine jug as he sat beside Dagonet's grave. He poured out a little on the grave.
"Let's drink." He took another sip. "Get drunk."
"Can I?" Dawn asked, rising to sit beside him. "Please?"
"Yeah." Bors handed her the jug. She took a quick shot of it.
The bitter liquid burnt at her throat, but she welcomed it. Bors watched the tears that streamed down her face. He took the jug from her, and wrapped his arm around her.
"I loved him." She whispered.
"He knew that." Bors replied, taking another hit before handing it back to her.
They sat together, both trying to getting drunk enough to erase the pain they felt at their loss.
Guinevere stopped a foot or so behind him. She waited for him to acknowledge her. He glanced up at her, then turned back to face the Wall. She knelt beside him.
"A grave with no sword."
"It was my father's wish that if he died on this island, he would be buried with his knights."
"He died in battle?" She asked, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.
"It's a family tradition."
"I can see why you believe you have nothing left here." She rose to her feet. "Except what you and your knights have done. You have your deeds."
"Deeds in themselves are meaningless unless they're for some higher purpose." Arthur rose, continuing. "We have waged a war to protect a Rome that does not exist. Is that the deed I am to be judged by?"
"You stayed and fought when you didn't have to. You bloodied evil men when you could have run. You did all that for no reason?" She demanded. Arthur looked away.
"Pelagius told me once that there is no worse death than the end of hope."
"You and I are not the polite people that live in poems. We are blessed and cursed by our times."
"Perhaps the curse is of our own making. And the blessing."
"What are you afraid of, Arthur?" He looked away from her. "You're like this country - Britons with a Roman father." She said softly. "Rome is dead. This place, this land - your home - is the last outpost of freedom, of everything you hold dear."
She cupped his face as she had seen Dawn do with Dagonet. She looked into his eyes and spoke the words that needed to be said.
"These are your people." Her hand stayed there, and for a second they connected. In the end, she broke away. She turned her gaze toward Dawn.