Alrighty this is one of my fist fan-fics, trying my hardest. This chapter is mainly a 'history' lesson about the character. It'll DEFINATLY pick up in the next chapter. If you dont like it tell me, so I can write something else, if you like it then tell me, so I can continue this story! Thank u much!

Chapter 1

My name is Julia. I had been waiting in this village for two months now. Two long months. Waiting. Hoping. Praying that 'he' would ride through this village, see me, and take me away from all the horrible memories I have inside of me. I guess I better start at the beginning:

I grew up with my mother and step-father in a little village in Britain. My father died while my mother was pregnant with me, I have yet to find out how he died, no one seems to know, or they just won't tell me.

Anyway, life was always hard for me, my mother was unhappy with the new man in her life, and so was I. He was abusive, drunk all of the time, and wanted to rule/overpower everything and everyone. I was beaten many times, so was my mother.

When I was 7 years old I tried to run away from home. I ran into the forest behind our village and was ambushed and captured by Woads. I was there for exactly two days, the worst two days of my life. They tortured me, I tried to tell them I wasn't Roman and meant them no harm, I mean, I was only 7 how could I be a threat to them?! They didn't believe me. I was close to death on the second day, from all of the beating. Then I heard it, hoof beats. I don't remember much, just being swept on the back of a horse and a man holding me and taking me away from the Woads. Later in the forest I found out his name was Arthur, a young knight, who happened to ride through our village, and heard about me disappearing, my mother begged him to find me, which he did. And that was when Arthur became my hero and replacement 'father'.

He was gone a lot, being a knight and all, but he would visit me whenever he could. He taught me how to swordfight, shoot a bow and arrow, and to ride. With him around my step-father would not dare touch me. Arthur knew about my step-father abusing me, and told me one day, when he was free, he would take me away, but for now I would have to stay with my mother and step-father in our little village. This thought gave me hope, and kept me fighting.

The last time I saw Arthur was when I was ten years old. He had brought me back a young black stallion, so I could perfect my riding skills, and stop riding the donkey I had always practiced on. I named him 'Rhaebus', or 'Ray' for short.

That was the last time I saw Arthur, he had to leave for a mission and said he would return shortly, but he never did. I knew he was still alive, I heard great tales from him about many battles he had fought and won. But for some reason he never came back.

When I turned twelve things got from bad to worse. My mother died, so it was just me and my step-father. He took advantage of this. I was locked in a tiny room in our cottage, beaten regularly, and raped occasionally. The only comfort I had was Rhaebus, whom I was allowed to keep, for reasons unknown to me. Ray was so much like me; he didn't trust anyone, except for me of course. After five years of this hell, I had finally stolen enough food and supplies to run away. One night I picked the lock in my 'prison' (which I had done many times before to sneak out and steal food) saddled Ray, grabbed a sword Arthur had given me years ago and rode off.

That is how I got here, in this village somewhere near the Great Wall. After I ran away I didn't know where to go. I decided to find the only person that ever cared for me, Arthur. I had heard rumors that him and his knights were due to come through this village any day now, that was two months ago. Here I am, seventeen years old, my food supply is running low, and I am sick of sleeping on dirt roads in the village and taking baths in a dirty lake. Yet I waited, hoping he would come, and then one day it happened.

I was asleep; I was dreaming about hoof beats…it took me a while to realize I wasn't dreaming. I jumped up and ran out of the alleyway I had been sleeping in, then I saw him: Arthur and many other knights. He had gotten off of his horse and was letting it drink out of the nearby lake (my bath tub).

I slowly walked over to him. He had aged, yes, but he still had the kind strong features in his face I remembered from so long ago. I was about ten feet away when he looked up and noticed me.

I stopped and he stared. He looked at me like I was a ghost, like he wanted to run away screaming. He walked a step towards me and said, "Julia? Is it really you? No, it can't be." He recognized me! I was so happy that he hadn't forgotten about me. "Yes, yes it is me."

A huge wave of happiness came over me as I ran towards him and hugged him he held me and kept repeating "No it can't be. How is this possible? God has answered my prayers."

I let go of him and looked up into his kind face, tears streaming down my face, he wiped them away. "I was told you died, that you killed yourself, I even went to your funeral!" he said to me. A funeral? Killed myself? What the heck was going on here?

"Died, funeral, who told you that? How? What?" I was so confused I really wasn't making any sense.

That was when he told me everything, "You must have been around 12 when your step-father sent me a letter saying you had killed yourself, I then went to your village immediately, of course I didn't believe him, but when I got there you were nowhere to be found, and all I saw was a mound on the ground with your name on it. I had truly believed that I had failed you and you had given up on me and killed yourself."

So that was why my step-father kept me locked up. I told Arthur about this, and he was angry at himself for not searching our cottage so many years ago, at my 'funeral'. I really didn't care anymore, all those horrible years meant nothing, I was finally with the only man who ever cared for me.

alrighty decided to end the first chapter here, Lancelot will come in the next chapter, trust me! It'll me lots of drama and love, I am trying not to make it TOO mary-sueish...but I think it might turn out that way :p...bear with me...review and the next chapter will be here VERY shortly!