One Thing - Chapter 22
Cardeia: I'm so very pleased you like that chapter. It was a harder chapter to write. As this one was. Again, I look forward to your words of encouragement. They really do keep me going.
Discalimer: Don't own anything you may recognize. Only my own imagination.
Tristan and Teagan watched the last of the Roman legionnaires leave the fort. Following the last wagons of the caravan. The rest of the knights were in escort formation around the caravan, mostly to guard Alecto.
The sound came. The eerie sound, like some giant animal, mourning.
Tristan's horse started dancing. The beautiful grey dapple pranced, tossing his great head. Tristan was having a hard time controlling the great beast. Above, his hawk let out a cry. She too, had heard the sound.
"Sshh." Tristan murmured, stroking the horse's neck, trying to calm him. He lifted his head, gazing over to the wall.
Aodh didn't prance. He just stood still, shaking his head.Teagan's eyes followed Tristan's to the wall.
"What was that?"
"The Draco. Our battle standard." His horse started dancing again. "The horses recognize the call of battle."
Teagan noticed the other knights ride towards them. "You will fight with him." It wasn't a question. "And so will they." She had known that he would fight. That he couldn't stay away. She admired him for it. This was what he is, a warrior.
Tristan looked at this woman. This woman who seemed to read his mind. He didn't answer her. He couldn't. Instead he bowed his head to the others as they made their way to the supply wagon.
Teagan watched as the knights halted the wagon and started pulling off their weapons. No one spoke. All focusing on the battle ahead.
Silently, she edged her horse to the wagon. Dismounting, she watched as the knights dressed their horses in full battle gear. Their great mounts dancing in anticipation.
Teagan watched as Tristan donned his battle gear, making sure he had all his weapons. She hesitated, not wanting to fight. She hated to fight. Though she didn't fear it, she only did it as a last resort. Smiling to herself, she was thankful that she never became a knight. She never would have lived past her first battle.
In the end, she grabbed her bow and arrows and was strapping her sword to her back when Tristan stopped her.
"You will stay here." He grabbed her arms hard, his fingers digging into her skin.
That started her agitation. Teagan shook her head. "NO! You cannot tell me what to do."
Tristan moved his hands on her shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. "I need you to stay here." There was almost a pleading in his voice. "Promise me."
"I promise. What?"
"Promise me that you will be here when I return." He couldn't explain it, but he needed to know that she would be there for him.
Teagan nodded her head. "I will."
Tristan crushed her to him, his lips finding hers. He kissed her fiercely.
Breaking apart, Teagan could only watch as he mounted and joined the others.
Teagan watched as these Sarmatian knights rode into what could be their last great battle.
0o0o0o
The caravan was over an hour away from the wall when she heard the cry again.
Hearing the eerie cry of the draco battle standard, Teagan sighed, swinging Aodh back towards the wall. The knights needed her help, what little she could offer. She couldn't just wait, not knowing what was happening.
"You should not go." Came a voice from beside her.
Turning, Teagan looked into the face of Alecto. The young Roman man whom Dagonet had given his life for. She adjusted the straps of her sword so it sat more fully on her back beside the quiver.
"I must go." Her voice resigned.
Alecto shook his head, his gold medallion clanking as he did. "No. You do not have to go. This is not your fight."
"It is my fight." She pointed in the direction of the wailing standard. "Those are my friends." Her voice cracked.
"But, you are not a warrior."
She looked at the young man. "How do you know I'm not?"
He looked at her, his face solemn. "You hesitate. Even now. You do not like to fight. So why do you?"
"They are my friends. I will lend them what help I can. Even if it is to stitch them back up."
With that, she kicked her horse towards the wall, praying that they would live out the day.
0o0o0o
It was not to be the case.
By the time she made it back to the wall, the battle was nearly over. Only small pockets of fighting could be seen.
By the time she made it back to the wall, the ground was littered with bodies. Some blue, some Saxon. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see any Sarmatian dead.
Teagan didn't even draw her sword as no one paid her any attention. She scanned the large field, looking for anyone she may know.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the red crest of Arthur's helmet. Picking her way over the bodies, she made her way to him.
She didn't get far as a bloody hand stopped her. Quickly pulling her sword from her back, she pushed it into the face of her would-be assailant.
The woad put up his hands. "I'm not the enemy." He choked out in broken Latin.
Teagan lowered her blade, again looking for her friends.
The woad seemed to understand, he pointed off to her right. The place she had thought she had seen Arthur's helmet.
Again, Teagan made her way through the field of dead bodies. She had to cover her nose as the smell of perforated bowels stank the air. She tried not to look to closely at the bodies. She didn't want to see the devastation. She didn't want to see all those bodies cut up like hunks of meat.
Making her way to the group, it was Gawain that she saw first. She saw his blonde hair as he stood taller than the rest.
"Gawain!" She called, drawing his attention.
Turning around at his name, Gawain broke into a run, cutting her off from meeting the rest.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered harshly. He was pushing her back. Back the way she came.
Teagan stopped still. "I came to help." She saw a look in his face. It was the same look Bors had not too many days before. "What's wrong?" She started forward again.
Gawain stopped her. This time bringing her close to his body. "You can't go over there." He bent low to look her in the face. "Please don't go over there."
Teagan gave him a glare. "Why not?" She wiggled out of his grasp, moving forward again.
This time, he didn't stop her. He fell into step as he walked beside her. "Please. Don't"
It was to late. Teagan let out a gasp as she came to the small group. All of them looking down at their fallen friends.
There lay Lancelot, an arrow protruding from his chest. Her brother.
Next to him lay Tristan, cut up like all those bloody hunks of meat. Her soul.
"Teagan." Galahad whispered.
Bors was next to her in an instant. "Oh, Red." He tried to pull her to him but she stepped out of his grasp.
Time seemed to stand still as she moved to Tristan's side. Slowly, she sank into the blood soaked ground. Desperately, she wanted to touch him, to feel his heart, hoping that he was just wounded. But, knowing that it wouldn't beat again. She knelt there for what seemed like hours staring at his lifeless face.
She didn't feel as Guinevere helped her up. She didn't feel as Guinevere helped her back to the fort. She didn't feel as her weapons were stripped from her body. She didn't feel as she was guided to the infirmary where both Lancelot and Tristan lay.
In fact, she could only stare at the two. Her heart screamed for her to go forward. To touch them one last time. Her mind though, wouldn't let her.
"Go help her Bors." Vanora pushed him towards Teagan.
"Come Teagan, love." Bors gently led Teagan to where Tristan lay. He guided her hand to his heart. "Remember what you told me."
Teagan snatched her hand away. "No!" She nearly screamed, backing away. She looked at Bors and the rest frantically. "I can't." She fled the infirmary, not stopping until she came to her room.
Teagan willed for the tears to come, but they did not. She felt too empty to cry.
0o0o0o
"Come on, Teagan." Gawain said gently. "It's time."
Teagan turned to Gawain and he nearly fell over at the sight of her.
It was obvious that she hadn't been able to sleep. And due to the paleness of her skin, the dark circles looked bigger, darker. And there was an unbelievable sadness in them.
Gawain took her hand, trying to ignore the trembling he felt. Drawing her close, he felt her body tremble more.
He pulled her away from him, just a bit, so he could look into her face. Though her eyes were red, there were still no tears.
Teagan, not liking the scrutiny, turned her face away.
"Teagan?" Gawain cupped her chin, turning her back to face him "Have you cried yet?"
She could only look at him. Gawain could swear that her eyes looked...empty.
No. She hadn't.
0o0o0o
Again, at sunset, Teagan watched as the knights, Arthur and Guinevere stood beside another grave. Only this time they were the graves of two knights. This time, they were the graves of Lancelot and Tristan.
One, her brother.
The other, her soul.
A/N: I needed to put Teagan into the field, but as she wasn't in the movie, or book, I decided to put her getting there late. I hope it worked.
