HGandRHrforever- Nah, she's not a witch, just inherited her mother's Woad instincts :P Now give me my damn cybercookie. I didn't eat for the four hours I've been working on this. :P
Calliann- Indeed they can. I'm glad you liked that exchange between Galahad and Vrena too :D
katemary77- You're very good at guessing you're correct, by the way. Though after reading this chapter, everyone will know. If the dream sequence confused you, I'll just stick it into a nutshell- Vrena's subconscious knew that her sister hated Sarmatians and that they helped kill off her mother and her old home. She now knows that this is why Vejha wants her dead- because when she looks at her, she doesn't see Woad, only Sarmatian. Get it?
Dw- Yes, if only everyone understood that XD…
Lovebuggy- Yea, I went back and read, and saw a few errors –particularly ones with a dysfunctional space bar...
Tenshikoneko03- Someone does find out this chapter, but the rest of the knights won't know until later on.
Camlann- Yea, Vejha's gone a little whacked-up in the head. See the 'Vrena's dream in a nutshell' I typed for
Etraya- I don't think I'll be killing off Vrena oo Everyone would probably turn on me and hate me, spam my mail, send me viruses disguised as chain mail… . that would be bad!
Op- Glad you're still interested in it...:D
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Chapter 9- You would only laugh
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The temperature had declined rapidly as they had madetheir way out of the think forest, nearing even closer to the mountains- very soon they would be at Marius' town.
Since the misfortune of being hunted by Woads back in the forest, no one had dared to speak a word. Strangely not even to her, though she knew that her mysteries would soon become inevitable to hide, and eventually she would be asked about who she was. The thoughts may be only in the back of the knight's minds now, but oh, you just wait…the questions will pop up in a jiffy.
She was very much awake now, the cold began to make her breath come out in puffs of heat, fogging the air in front of her, and then fading with every new intake. Speaking of her breathing patterns, they were still quick, and her mind waseven nownervous and keen of every movement. She remained in front of the group as they rode quickly up the winding path of the snowy mountain, so none of them could see her fearful face.
…None except Tristan, who was riding a bit ahead. Since the surprise attack, he had only turned his head to look at her once;but even as his face remained unreadable and unresponsive, his eyes said differently. You could tell, even with the few long strands of loose brown hair covering them- Reproachful and accusing. As if he knew something that the other knights did not.
But after that, their ride had quickened, speeding themfast towards the town. If they kept up their contemporary pace, they would make it there by noon, perhaps sundown.
Vrena's leg began to pinch a bit as her muscles commenced re-adjusting inside her leg, finallyfinishing uptheir mendingof the wound to form it into a scar. Painful? Very. Important at the moment? Not at all.
But something else was also irritating her, something harder to get out of her mind. The dream she had experienced not too long ago still made her shudder under her thick, warm cloak and old worn-in clothing.
Perhaps she had known all along that her sister despised Sarmatians, and her brain had dug into that fact like a crook breaking into a locked box.
Yes, her father had indeed been Sarmatian. She had known that fact for quite a long time now, since she had been old enough to remember. But had Naeda really held an ice-cold secret from her?
She could have sworn that only Roman soldiers had attacked their defenseless home and killed their mother. No information of Sarmatian warriors had ever graced her ears. But perhaps the knights would know? They were not much older then herself, but would probably be aware of many battles against Woads their people have won in the past.
She decided to ask this as Tristan began to slow down, clearly urging them to give themselves, possibly her, a small break from riding. A few minutes wasted would not hurt too much. But the whole time he avoided contact with her. So instead, she decided it reasonable enough to ask Arthur, who had ventured far over towards a nearby cliff, for the sake of gazing at the frozen land below.
Her feet crunched in the snow and she huddled further into the sanctity of her cloak, not allowing the wind to faze her. He gave her a welcoming stare and allowed her to join him, as they both gazed out at the earth- Glazed with white, with some green visible from trees; it was a beautiful sight indeed.
"Is there something you wish to confide in me?" He questioned, his voice unfaltering and strong through the cold breeze.
"Nay, Nothing more then a simple question. Do I have your approval to ask it?" She spoke, trying not to sound too forward with him. He was Arthur Castius, the leader of the Knights of the Round Table for fifteen years. He deserved respect for it.
"You do not need it." He informed her. She decided to ask more directly then planned.
"In the past, say near eleven or twelve years ago, were there any attacks against unprepared Woad villages? If you do not feel like answering, I will pretend never to have spoken." She said, crossing her arms and turning to see what the reply on his face might say.
There was a moment of silence, and Arthur looked like he was thinking hard on something.
"Long ago, when I was just learning tobe a knight, there indeed was an unfair battle against the Woads that should not have taken place. But only one that I can recall clearly." The leader heaved a sigh, thinking of no other way to say what was on his mind.
"Is it too much to bold of me to ask more of the topic?" She asked. The worst thing she could do right now was intrude on Arthur's privacy and misuse his time…but if she had his approval to, that was different. Again Arthur looked out to the land; his eyes unfocused, as if he was recalling a memory.
"Near around that time you mentioned, a fleet from the Roman army along with some newly recruited Sarmatian warriors -skilled ones at that- were wandering through a path in the woodland trying to make it to the wall. Story is that they crossed paths with a residing Woad village early morning, and by afternoon had killed them all off. But remember this, lady Vrena…" Arthur stopped and took a breath, turning to face her.
"My hate for Woads runs deep, yet whenever I think of any enemy village being attacked by an army twice their size, I begin to feel ill."
"I am sorry for reminding you, then. Excuse my lack of knowing." She apologized. Arthur simply nodded.
"Now you must excuse me, I need to speak with my knights." And with that, he walked off, leaving her by herself to look into the distance.
Vrena knew very well the ill feeling Arthur had mentioned. The one that makes your skin crawl, the feeling of realization. The pain that something you now understand has turned on you and reared you in the stomach. Knowing more about yourself in that moment then you thought you could in your life.
She was feeling that this very moment.
But then so what if her sister had been right? If Sarmatians had helped ruin their lives? A true and heart-tearing fact indeed, but it gaveVejha nor her any reason to hate Sarmatians men or women or children. Vrena saw no reason forher sisterto want her blood spilt.
Perhaps her sister had known the fact for so long that it had driven her mad?
She prayed not, for if so, there was no hope.
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"I'm sick of this bloody weather. I hate this island more and more with every step I take on it." Gawain said with amusement in his voice, but everyone knew he was telling the truth. None of them enjoyed Briton much, and only Arthur took a liking to Rome. Obviously Vrena despised both, but then none of them knew where on earth her heart truly lay.
There were many mysteries to the lady, some Tristan knew of and some he did not.
He knew, for instance, that she was indeed Woad, or carried Woad blood- and that she knew about her inheritance. He remembered many years ago far back in his training, when a few Roman soldiers had killed a Woad who misfortunately wandered near their camp site. The men had been scolded, and he remembered the words of his commander in those early years…
"Fool, do you not know? They can sense their kin! You'll probably have an entire Woad pack after us before noon!"
Surely enough, Woads had attacked them earlier that day. A good dozen of their men traveling had been killed, and they had only been a fleet of a hundred or so. But they had managed in the end to make it to their destination safely, without any more Woad interference.
"We should ride now, Arthur. The lady said she can handle long journeys, let her keep to her word." Galahad said, not realizing who had just walked up behind him.
"Aye, let me keep to my word. Off we go, then." She said, patting a surprised Galahad on the shoulder as she walked past them and over to Arvin, who swished his silver tail as she made her way to him. Sometimes that horse seemed more like a dog then a steed from his point of view.
As they rode off again, he took notice that Vrena was now traveling in between the party, not to the rear or head of it. She was looking less sadistic compared to before though. Scaring the bejesus out of Galahad must have snapped her back to life.
He watched from the rear as she twisted her body to face poor Galahad, and grabbed a handful of her long, wavy black hair. Beginning to cut it with an imaginary blade, she gave Galahad a quick wink before turning around, pleased with the frightened look on the knights' face.
True, her facial features did not describe her as Woad. Yes, she had the pale complexion and the midnight black hair that some of them possessed, but her eyes acted as her most valuable disguise. Her eyes belonged to something else. They were dark, almost as dark as his own. Woads did not have Dark eyes, he knew for a fact. All the ones he had killed or faced in battle had eyes that could pierce the air and send chills up your spine.
Nothing he had ever sensed from this girl gave him a reason to fear or hate her, and if she really was working for Merlin, it would have been obvious to him by then.
She was indeed innocent of any accusation he could send her way.
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If eyes could burn holes, she would be a dead lass by now.
She knew that Tristan had been keeping an eye on her ever since they left their pit-stop. It was making her nervous, and she wished silently that he would take his eyes from her.
But at the same time, knowing that someone was looking out for you -even if it was hardly for a good reason- comforted her. Is it normal to be calm and nervous at the same time? She highly doubted it.
But this had to stop, never the less.
She pulled her horse off to the side again, and saw a confused Arthur command the others to keep riding as she turned and halted Tristan.
"Fear nothing Arthur. I just need to have a word in private with your scout." She spoke, trying to assure him that she was not a lunatic or whatever he may have thought she was.
To her astonishment, Tristan also reassured his commander.
"We'll catch up." He said, halting his horse. Arthur gave them both a look, hoping that they wouldn't take too long with whatever they needed to talk about. No secrets were kept between knights, but this discussion was between a knight and a lady, which meant that it was none ofhis business.
Arthur then turned and headed forward to catch back up with the other men, who were still glancing over their shoulders to see what the commotion was about.
A few moments passed, and the six knights excluding Tristan could be seen heading up the next small hill, soon to disappear behind another one.
In order to not stay too far behind, Vrena kicked Arvin into a steady trot. Tristan followed suit.
"What is it that you wish to discuss?" He asked, since she didn't seem to want to speak her mind as she usually did. Accepting his invitation, she spoke.
"Why do you treat me as a if a menace?" He was only semi-shocked with her question. It was bound to come up sooner or later, yes, but he had expected it later on in their discussion, not first thing. Never the less, he did not need time to think of an answer, and spoke only what he knew, not what he thought.
"I know that you mean no harm, and do not think ill of any of the knights or Arthur for that matter, but…you are still Woad. That is enough to make anyone vigilant." He said, and was answered with a half sigh, half laugh.
"Excuse my Woad blood, sometimes even I forget that it runs through me." She said, looking up at the light falling of snow as it landed on her face.
"But when you forget that you are Woad, what are you then?"
Vrena was now the one shocked with overwhelming questions.
"Why should I tell you?" She asked seriously. Her face was stern; he had obviously stepped over an invisible line. Their conversations were always nevertheless filled with awkward questions, glares, and the constant breaching of the other's territory.
Intriguing, by any normal person's standards. But these two people were not exactly normal.
"Do you judge I would gossip about it to all my acquaintances?" He asked sarcastically, still leaving his face unreadable as ever. He knew that she already knew the answer to that question.
He rarely conversed with the knights, only to state his opinion or tell them which direction to head. He never spoke to anyone when they entered a new town, why bother? He had no good reason to. Why talk to this lady? Because…an answer declined to come to him.
"No, but even if I told you, you would only laugh." She said. From her refuge under her hood, he could see a worried face. Was she worried he would figure out what her other half consisted of and loathe her for it? Or perhaps the answer is worse then he thought it to be.
"I haven't laughed for as long as I can remember, what makes you think whatever you say will make me now?" He replied. Vrena gripped her horses reigns tighter and bit her lip. Indeed, he had just crossed yet another line.
No sooner had he realized that, a familiar pain shot up his leg, and he watched she pulled her horse back slowly, to where she had been positioned before; proving yet again the title given to her by his comrades.
"Yet your answer is closer then you think."
He knew for a fact that it was nothis last question she had just answered. Before he could retort, she had already tapped Arvin's side with her boot, and began to move faster. They both sprinted their horses, Arthur and the others now further ahead of them.
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Vrena sped up Arvin a bit with every moment. They had about another two miles at the most to go before catching up with the others, and then they would soon be at the town owned by Marius.
Her conversation with the mysterious scout had ended the way she wanted it. She had given him a chance to know, but placed it indirectly. And whether he had guessed or not, she felt glad that his glares had not been of accusation, but of curiosity.
They had finally reached the others, who were giving them looks of anything but curiosity. Sarcasm intended.
But all their hopes had lifted shortly after that, for they had made it to Marius' town, and were now being questioned by lookouts. Arthur explained to them the reason for their visit, and the guardsmen ordered the horses to pull open the heavy stone doors.
That was when she realized...she was starving.
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(A/N: You don't know how eager I was to have Tristan thinking 'Payback is a bitch' right here xD)
Woo…yea, I know, this one wasn't all that long, but jam-packed with all kindsa stuff Even I thought my brain would go dead. That or my computer would reboot...
Hope everyone liked it, and thank you all for the 60 reviews! it made my day!
III Cari III
