Fulcinia walked swiftly toward the wing that housed the Knight's Quarters. Just as she entered the final turn in the hall she heard a woman's voice. She slowed a little and peeked around the corner. Coming from Dag's rooms was a pretty woman dressed in the clothes she had seen all around the fort. She was smiling and humming to herself and was headed straight for Fulcinia. When they came up even with each other Fulcinia nodded her head in greeting and kept going. She didn't understand why but she suddenly felt a cold chill run up her spine. The other woman had beautiful long red hair that she wore loose around her shoulders. She walked in a manner that spoke of familiarity and this brought on a feeling of jealousy that Fulcinia had not felt since the first few years of her marriage when Marius had started taking other women into his bed. It was a feeling that she didn't particularly want to feel ever again.
When she stepped up to Dag's door she hesitated. Would he be glad to see her after being visited by such a beautiful woman? She reached for the handle and then pulled her hand back. She didn't want to go in and find him smiling about his visitor or worse, she didn't want to go in there and be told he just wanted to be left alone. Reaching for the handle one last time, she jerked her hand back and quickly turned and ran back the way she had come. She'd just go to her quarters and think about this for a while before making a decision.
Dag was lying in his bed thinking about his possible future now that he was free in every aspect of his life. After trying to decide just what he was going to say to Fulcinia when she returned. He didn't want to seem pushy but after spending so much time pining away after Vanora he didn't plan to waste any more time than absolutely necessary. He was going over everything in his head when he realized she had been gone a long time. Even with the small window close to the ceiling he could tell the sun was well past the horizon. Maybe she was spending time with Alecto. If she wasn't back soon he would just go looking for her. It couldn't be that hard to walk if he held onto the wall as he went.
Just when he had decided he would have to get out of his bed he heard someone at the door. Without announcing themselves in walked Gawain and Gallahad. "Hey Dag, how're you doing?" Dag smiled, "I've been worse, but then again, I've been better." They all laughed and Gawain started telling him about his plans for freedom. "What you gonna do, Dag?" Gallahad asked in his slurred speech. Gawain laughed at Gallahad. "I told you to stop drinking hours ago. You just won't listen." He told the younger knight. "What ARE you going to do, Dag?" he finished.
Dag thought for a moment. He hadn't talked to Fulcinia about any of his thoughts and dreams. But he realized he wanted to include her in them if she was willing. "I thought about just sticking around here for awhile and then maybe going home just for a visit." He told the other too knights. "Hey, I've been lying here thinking about something. If I tell you will you keep it quiet until I talk to the lady I'm referring to?"
Gawain looked at Gallahad with a questioning look and then they both agreed. Whoever this 'lady' was, they would keep their friend's secret as long as he wanted them to. When they both nodded their agreement, Dag began telling his tale. "While I was sick and being nursed by Fulcinia, I began to think about what life would be like with her by my side." The look on Gawain's and Gallahad's faces made him pause. "I know, she's Roman and she just lost her husband. But from the stories I've heard from the peasants it wasn't a happy marriage. We all saw the bruises, but I saw how she acted like a stray dog that had been mistreated. She had a good heart. She kept as many of those people in the torture chamber alive as she could." He stopped, took a deep breath and looked at his friends.
He expected to see some other expression on their faces than smiles. "Do you guys think I'm being funny?" He asked, thinking they were laughing. Gawain held up his hand, "No, Dag, we think it's great. You're finally over Vanora or at least you've given up on her ever leaving Bors." Gawain's comment stopped Dag in his tracks. How did they know about Vanora? But when he asked the question out loud, they just broke into great guffaws of laughter.
"How could we not know?" Gallahad asked between laughs. "We've watched you watch her ever since we came to this fort. By the way, before she got with Bors, we were routing for you. After, well, Bors is our friend too and he's head over heels in love with her, just like you." He shrugged his shoulders letting Dag know that they wouldn't choose between their two friends.
"I didn't realize I was so easy to read." Dag said. "I tried to hide it, for Bors' sake. I knew he loved her, but I never thought he'd care enough for any woman to settle down like he did. I thought sooner or later I'd get to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, just like with Lancelot, and I was willing to wait as long as it took." He looked down at his huge hands and then looked back at the other two men. "I see now that I was wasting my time. But, well, a woman will make you do things you wouldn't normally do. Especially when the woman is worth having in your life. That's why when I started having feelings for Fulcinia, I decided to stop being the silent, patient man and tell her how I feel. The worst that can happen is she'll say no and it'll be over. The best, I finally have a woman to love and care for." He finished with a shrug and waited for the other two to tell him all the reasons a woman like Fulcinia wouldn't be interested in a man like him.
Instead, when he looked up, they were smiling like morons and congratulating him. "If, like you say, you've been talking to her about her life and telling her about yours, she knows what a good man you are. She knows you've only been killing people because you had to. You're not an evil man, anyone who's been around you for more than a few minutes can see that." Gawain told him. Gallahad added his thoughts. "You know, Dag, this Roman woman isn't bad to look at either. She covers up more than most men like, unless they don't want anyone else looking." Laughing, he continued. "She must not find you unappealing, she's been spending all her time with you. We wondered about that. Bors said you were doing okay, but when she wouldn't leave your side we all thought maybe he was just hoping."
Dag looked at Gallahad, and it suddenly hit him. She had been with him almost the whole time. She only left to check on Alecto and came back quickly. She had been gone for hours this time. Was something wrong with Alecto or with her? Dag sat up in the bed and moved from side to side. There was a little twinge when he pulled on his left side, but he could deal with it. He had dealt with much worse. "Help me get up out of this bed and into some clothes." He told the others. "Fulcinia left earlier to check on Alecto and she hasn't come back. Have you heard anything about something being wrong?"
Both Gawain and Gallahad shook their heads. They helped Dag get to his feet and held him until he was strong enough to stand on his on. It was amazing just how weak muscles become after only a few days of non-use. When he thought he could take a step without falling flat on his face he walked slowly over to get his clothes. They had been on the chair in the corner, but Fulcinia had hung them from a hook on the wall. He put his shirt over his head and with help from Gawain got it pulled down over his torso. Gallahad held his pants and Gawain steadied him while he stepped into them. He tried to tie the laces but his shoulder was too stiff. Gallahad helped him and he sat down on the chair to pull on his boots. He put his foot into the boot and Gawain pulled it on, then they did the same with the other one.
When they were finished, he stood up and grabbed Gawain's shoulder to steady himself, after a moment he felt like he could walk and told the others, "Let's go find Fulcinia. Something is wrong. She should have come back a long time ago." They left the room and went toward the common room where everyone ate their meals when they were at the fort.