Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't really see the point in disclaimers, seeing as how this is fanfic, which is by definition based on something that someone else thought up, but sure, ok...everyone knows the drill...I own only the original characters, obviously, and that's pretty much it.

Chapter 3—North to Bremenium

Dayn ran from his room, knowing that he was late. But then, he was always late, so it was pretty much a normal occurrence. He would have been on time, but he'd stopped to change his clothes, and discard his cloak. He had checked the bandages, pleased to see that the gash in his side didn't seem to be bleeding through. So now, he was running late.

He scurried to a halt at the entrance to the main hall, trying to slip in unobtrusively. But Arthur had waited for him, and his impatience was quite obvious. Dayn offered him an apologetic smile as he slipped into his seat between Caderyn and Dagonet. Bors, sitting on the other side of Dagonet, had a mug of ale in hand and a smile on his face.

"You're late, boy. Have some ale," he said holding out his mug. Bors must be in a generous mood this morning, to give up his ale so readily, Dayn thought with a grin. Reaching around Dagonet, he took the offered ale, thinking that what he really needed was food, not ale. But ale would have to do, until he could dig up something to eat.

Arthur cleared his throat, obviously ready to begin judging by the look on his face. "Dayn, work on your sense of time, please."

"Sorry, Arthur."

"Caderyn has brought word back of the caravan. They are making good progress, and should be here within a few days. However, word came early this morning of a raid. Woads attacked and killed a small contingent of Roman soldiers sometime in the night."

Dayn smirked as Arthur gave them the news. Impressive--they received word fairly quickly this time. Last time we slaughtered a camp of soldiers, it took days for them to find out. He chuckled, and all eyes turned to him as Arthur trailed off.

"Dayn, does the slaughter of Roman soldiers amuse you?" That was a tricky one, Dayn thought, for if I answer no, then I'm lying. But if I answer yes, then Arthur will be angry.

"Is that a trick question," he asked with a grin. Bors laughed, but quickly tried to suppress it, and Dayn could see smiles on the faces of some of the others. Arthur gazed at Dayn, his eyes boring into him, until Dayn looked down. No one could make a person feel guilty like Arthur. The silence lasted for another minute, before Arthur continued.

"We're being asked to ride out and escort the caravan back here. With the recent attacks, it is likely that they will need the extra protection that we can provide. Once here, the caravan will resupply their food stores before we escort them north. They will remain with us as far as Trilundus, before we journey on to Bremenium."

"What's in Bremenium," Lancelot asked, curiosity on his features. That's a good question, Dayn thought, his own curiosity piqued.

"A peasant uprising puts the nobles there in danger. Our orders are to go in and put a stop to the uprising." Rage welled up in Dayn, white-hot in its intensity.

"Let the peasants do what they will. They're better off without the nobles," he growled. Arthur sighed, having known that Dayn would protest.

"Dayn, we have our orders. We're to protect the nobles. The peasants cannot be allowed free rein, the result would be chaos. Order must be maintained."

"We're helping the Romans do to these people the same thing they did to ours," he yelled angrily.

"Dayn, this is what we do," Lancelot spoke up, his tone annoyed. "Why do you fight it? Your whining about it isn't going to change a damn thing!"

"Unlike you, Lancelot, I'm not willing to be a lapdog for the Romans! At least I don't just give in and do what I'm told!"

"No, you just get yourself into trouble and the rest of us have to bail you out." Dayn's anger spiked, and for a second he saw red. He picked up his mug and threw it, missing Lancelot by mere inches. The moment of violence released some of his anger, giving him back some measure of control.

"You know, we lose more good mugs that way," Bors remarked to Dagonet. Dayn stood, shoving his chair over backwards, heading for the door.

"Dayn, don't be that way," Gawain called out in a conciliatory tone.

"Yeah, have another ale," Bors exclaimed.

"How does it feel, Lancelot, to be a willing slave to Roman decrees?" Dayn didn't wait for an answer, but left, heading for the stables to saddle his horse.


Galahad caught up with Dayn in the stables, where he was securing the saddle on his horse.

"Dayn, are you still angry?"

"Well, let me think—we're being ordered to fight a bunch of peasants who can't possibly defend themselves against us, and to top that off, Lancelot insulted me in front of the others. So, tell me Galahad, am I still angry?"

"Hmm...well, if it makes you feel any better, you managed to splash him with ale when you threw that mug. That was a nice throw, by the way."

"What are you talking about? I missed, didn't I?"

"You mean, you were trying to hit him?"

"Why else would I have thrown it? I was simply too angry to aim properly." Gawain came in then, followed by Dagonet, Bors, and Tristan. Dayn turned his attention back to his horse, wanting to be out of the stables when Lancelot arrived.

"You shouldn't let your anger interfere with your aim," Tristan said quietly as he moved past Dayn to where his own saddle rested. Dayn's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing as he watched Tristan saddle his horse with quick efficiency.

"He's right, Dayn," Dagonet spoke up. "You let your temper get the best of you. One day it's going to get you into trouble, and we won't always be around to help you."

"I don't need anyone's help," Dayn snapped back. What they didn't know was that Dayn wasn't letting his temper do anything. It just seemed to happen. Deep down, it scared him, knowing that there were moments that he seemed to lose complete control of himself. In those moments, his anger became an almost tangible thing, and he could do nothing to stop it. Taking the reins in a tight fist, he led his horse outside, brushing past Lancelot on the way.

Arthur was waiting at the courtyard when Dayn arrived, still leading his horse.

"Dayn, I need to know that I can count on you to be there when I need you. The others need that as well, and fighting with them is not the way to show it."

"Oh, so it's all my fault, is it?"

"Dayn..."

"I got it, Arthur. It's clear where your loyalties lie."

"Dayn, you know better than that. All of my knights hold a place in my heart. This isn't about the relationships I have with any of you. It is important that we not have enmity within—we'll tear each other apart if we let matters such as this fester. Talk to Lancelot. Work out whatever issues you have with one another."

Yeah, I'll work it out—with a nice blow to his face. But, he didn't say that. Instead he met Arthur's eyes with his own. "Are you going to give Lancelot this lecture as well?"

With a slight curling of his lips and a gleam in his eyes, Arthur replied, "I already have. Take care of it, Dayn." With a curt nod, Dayn mounted his horse, turning his back on Arthur. He could feel a headache coming on. It always happened when he struggled to rein in his temper. Which was why he didn't bother to try most of the time. It was easier to just let his anger take him in the moment.

"You shouldn't let Lance get to you, Dayn." He turned to see Caderyn beside him, a carefree smile on his face.

"I know. But I find it too hard to stop myself." If he only knew the truth of that statement, Dayn thought. The others rode out into the courtyard, and at Arthur's signal, the knights set out.

They traveled at a fast gallop for most of the day, and Dayn was left to his thoughts. He regretted that he had not been given an opportunity to tell Orainne that he would be gone. Not for the first time, he wished that he could court her properly, instead of being forced to meet her in secret when he got a spare moment. One day...one day, I'll be free, and Rome will be nothing more than a smear on my memory.

Time passed quickly, and before Dayn knew it, they were stopping for the night. As he pulled the saddle off his horse, Lancelot approached him, clearing his throat. "Dayn."

"What?"

"Look, Arthur wants us to 'get along', so even if we don't like each other, we have to at least make Arthur think that we do. So, let's just call a truce, and we can both be spared Arthur's speeches."

"Yeah, alright. You leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone."

"You have a deal." Lancelot gave him a final nod, his trademark smile in place once more. Dayn watched him until he rejoined the others before turning his attention back to his horse, Brina. Once he'd taken care of her, he headed for the fire that Gawain had started, arriving just as Arthur was speaking.

"...so I think we should reach the caravan by tomorrow afternoon." As Dayn passed Lancelot, everyone grew quiet, waiting to see what would happen. Dayn grinned inwardly, knowing they all expected some sort of violence to erupt.

"Dayn," Lancelot said, acknowledging him with a nod and a slight smile.

"Lancelot," Dayn responded, nodding back. He sat down, feeling quite pleased with himself. That should satisfy Arthur.

"You two aren't fooling anyone," Arthur said, shaking his head with a resigned smile. "But I appreciate your efforts on my behalf." Everyone laughed, and the tension was broken.


They met up with the caravan, leading them in without any problems. As long as Dayn kept his distance from the Romans, he found that he was in a rather pleasant mood. There were no attacks, and Arthur certainly looked pleased. Dayn thought nothing of it, knowing that the lack of attacks probably just meant that the only Woads that would be brave enough to attack were in Garran's band, and they all knew to avoid the Sarmatians.

As the knights arrived in the courtyard of the fort, the caravan right behind them, Arthur called the knights together.

"Knights, there's been a change in plans. We have to head north immediately. We'll leave the caravan here, and travel on alone. Check your gear, and gather up any supplies that you need."

"Why the change of plans," Galahad asked Dayn as they dismounted.

"How should I know? I leave all that up to Arthur. Besides, leaving the caravan means one less group of Romans that I have to worry about, so it suits me just fine. Don't question good fortune, Galahad."

"Yes, but still...It's not like the Romans to change their minds. Makes me think something is wrong."

"Galahad, you tire me with your incessant worry." Giving Galahad a hearty slap on the shoulder, Dayn left to find fresh bandages. His wound seemed to be healing nicely, but he wanted the bandages on hand just in case.

They rode out shortly thereafter, and Dayn relished the feeling of the wind on his face, the bracing cold energizing him. But it wasn't long before his foul mood began to reassert itself. As they neared Bremenium, he found himself clenching the reins in a tight fist. The thought of putting down a bunch of villagers who were only fighting for the right to live their lives without Roman interference grated on him. He rode up to Arthur's side, and reined his horse in, knowing Arthur would follow suit.

"Arthur, couldn't we just go back? No one would have to know."

"Dayn, you know we cannot do that," Arthur said, pity in his eyes.

"Arthur, please...these people...they're just simple peasants."

"I'm sorry, Dayn. I do not like it either, but we have our orders." Arthur spurred his horse into a slow canter, leaving Dayn to stare after him with worry in his eyes as he struggled to figure a way out.


A/N: Please read and review, everyone! I love getting feedback from people!

aelfa: Thanks for the review...I hope you keep reading!

ModestySparrow9: I emailed you...don't know if you got it or not, let me know...but if you didn't—thanks for reviewing!

Nimue26: Thanks, Nimue...Yeah, I'm trying to do something a little different, and while I'm still not sure exactly where I'm going with this, I'm having fun in the process. Dayn isn't so much doing what he's doing just for Orainne, but rather because he hates the Romans...there's a backstory there, but I'm not sure where to tie it in yet. Orainne is an added bonus for him. Anyways, I'll keep updating, if you'll keep reviewing ;)