When the Woads disappeared into the woods, she let out the breath she had been holding. Tristan looked down at her and watched her for a moment. She was staring into the emptiness of the woods with a strange expression on her face. She suddenly felt his eyes on her and looked over to find him looking at her with a questioning look. She let out a sigh and moved to sit on the rock. "Tristan, what did I just learn? Was it anything of value?" She rested her chin in her hands and looked up at the scout. Tristan thought back to what he had heard and the look on Merlin's face. He had gotten good at determining peoples thoughts and motives by their expressions. He looked back at the woods and then moved to sit next to Laney on the rock.
"Laney, just knowing that you are part of Britain is knowledge worth having. It tells me that the Romans do not always rule this island and that the Woads somehow take control. I do feel he was keeping something secret, but I don't know what it could be." His voice trailed off and she thought about what he had said. Suddenly, she jumped up and stood in front of him. "I need to talk to Merlin again. Alone. I think he might tell me what he's holding back if there is no one to listen." She headed toward her horse and was trying to climb on her back when Tristan quickly walked over. She thought he was going to stop her but instead he leaned over and cupped his hands so she could use them as a step.
"You aren't going to stop me?" she asked. He looked at her face and she saw the resignation on his. "No, if I do you will just try again later and then you could get lost. If you hurry, you might catch him before he leaves the south side of the wall." Then he gently helped her onto her horse. "I'll be here when you return." He stepped back and she turned toward the woods. As she galloped closer, she yelled out Merlin's name. The man that stepped out of the woods was not Merlin but he spoke English.
"Merlin has gone. He bade me take you to him." She looked at the man and then turned to see Tristan standing facing toward them. She raised her hand and waved, then turning back to the man said, "Yes. I must see him." He turned and walked into the darkened forest and she followed slowly on horseback. When she had moved deeper into the woods, she suddenly felt very alone. Stopping her horse, she called out to the man, "hey, it's getting dark. I can barely see you." She was surprised when he suddenly came up beside her. "It will be easier on foot. You can tie your horse to a tree and I will come for it while you speak with Merlin." She hesitated for only a moment before she started to step down. He reached up and took her arm to keep her from falling. When she was down he took the reins and looped them across a low branch. She patted the horse and said, "Okay, lead the way." Nodding, he turned to walk into the woods.
They had been walking for several minutes when she asked, "How far will we have to go? I don't want my companion to get worried and try to follow us." He hesitated and said, "Merlin is just a little further in the woods. He knew you would come and told me to wait for you." The news wasn't as surprising as he had thought it would be for she only nodded and started to walk again. Maybe she was a witch. She was important to Merlin. He had said as much.
Just when Laney thought the man may have lied to her, he led her around a small group of large trees and into a clearing on the other side. Merlin was sitting in the middle of the clearing and he stood when she walked up to him. He took her by the shoulders and smiled at her. "I see your curiosity is strong. Come let us sit and talk." He led her to a spot where a small fire had been lit and two animal hides spread beside it. She sat where he pointed and then waited for him to join her.
When he sat and arranged his robes around him, she said, "Merlin, I understand that I am of your blood because I have always known of my Celtic heritage. But how can I save the blood of a king?" Merlin looked at her for several moments then he spoke in monotone. "'One will come to unite the peoples of Britain against an evil force. In him Britain will find freedom and peace from persecution.' It is written in the heavens. But it is also written that unless 'she' is there, the one will not be successful, but spill his blood on our earth." He looked like he had been staring into the small fire, but when he stopped talking he looked at her with an intensity that frightened her.
"How can anyone know that I am the 'she' you speak of?" Her voice sounded breathless as it would if she had been running the whole way to this camp. Merlin looked back into the fire, "You are the only 'she' that has come fully grown where she was not before." He sounded so sure of his answer that Laney felt a chill run up her spine. "Oh, Merlin, I am so afraid that I will be weak when it comes time to fulfill the destiny that Fate has chosen for me! I need help and I don't know where to find it." Her voice had sounded so dejected that Merlin told her, "Don't be afraid. You have already begun, I think. Have you not already opened the heart of the one called Lancelot? If you had not done so, another would have done and the outcome would not have been good. Live your life as you have started. Listen to the sounds of our earth. Be passionate about what your heart tells you. Then you will fulfill Fate's destiny, for your words will be heard by many and listened to by the people that have need to listen." When he smiled at her, she saw that instead of the tired old man she had first thought him to be he was the father of all Britain, the man who would bring a king to his people to unite them in the cause of freedom and justice.
They spent a little while longer just sitting and talking about how she was adjusting to her new world. They laughed and felt sadness for the losses of battle. When she saw the sun had slowly gone into the evening, she stood and told Merlin, "I must leave, or my guard, Sir Tristan, might think I have gotten lost and come for me. Merlin, I know there has been much hatred and war between the knights and your people, but they are good decent men who fight because they have no other choice. When Rome leaves this country, you will find peace with them."
When Merlin nodded, she knew that he had already seen this and was doing everything he could to ensure that nothing hindered his vision. But he would not just cower down and let the Romans continue to treat them as slaves. It would be a long time until the peace she knew would come had finally arrived. "I don't know how you know the things you do, Merlin, but please don't keep secrets from me. If something is to happen to the people I love, I want to know so I can spend as much time as possible telling them how I feel and enjoying the love we have. I will do my best not to interfere unless you tell me it will not harm anyone." Then she turned and headed toward her horse.
When she stepped up to the horse she saw that the man who had led her to Merlin was sitting on the horse. She raised an eyebrow at him and he answered her unasked question. "We will make better time if I ride with you instead of trying to lead you. It will be dark before we get back to your 'bath'." He spoke the word as if it were unclear to him what the word meant. "Thank you, I don't want to get lost in these woods and worry my friends if it is not necessary." He pulled her up on the horse to sit in front of him and she couldn't help but notice the strength and muscled form of his body. Men back home spent a lot of money to be this way and all he did was work to survive from day to day.
Laney tried to talk to him but all she got was one word answers. Either he did not want to talk to her or he was afraid he might tell her something that would make Merlin angry. Whichever was the truth, it was a slow boring journey back to where Tristan was waiting.
Lancelot stomped around the stable yard waiting for Laney to return. "I swear I'll kill him if he's let anything happen to her." He kept repeating like a mantra. Various ones of his friends had tried to calm him by making conversation, but he only held his gloved hand up to silence any words they were about to speak. When Arthur finally decided he'd better step in and try something, he was amazed when he looked at his friend that someone hadn't already said something to set him off. He had only seen him this way once before, when he had learned of the death of his father.
"Lancelot, you needn't pace around here. You know Tristan will die to protect her, as you would if you were in his place. The length of time they have been away either means that Merlin has not shown up or the meeting is lasting longer than anticipated." Lancelot turned his angry gaze at his oldest friend. "Don't tell me what I don't need to do, Arthur. I shouldn't have listened to you and I could have done what I did need to do." He shot back. When Arthur made to put his hand on Lancelot's arm, Lancelot knocked it away. "Arthur, I should have gone with them. She is my life now and if I lose her it won't matter that I only have a few months left to serve Rome."
Lancelot sounded so hurt and angry with himself that Arthur felt guilty for dissuading him. "Then go. If you're careful no one but Tristan will know you've been anywhere close." He looked deep into Lancelot's eyes. "But, be careful. If you aren't, you could cause her to come to harm by being over zealous." Lancelot nodded and quickly turned to get his horse. He would only be able to ride a short while before being seen unless he circled behind the bath house and away from the woods. Then he could leave his horse out of sight and enter the field through the bath house without being discovered. Having made up his mind, he strapped his swords across his back and mounted his horse. "I'll be careful, never fear. If the meeting is long winded, we will stay at the bath house tonight and return in the morning. Either way, one of us will return with word by the time the sun rises." He then rode off heading west of the fort. Arthur thought for a moment and thought he had come up with Lancelot's plan. It was a good one and if executed correctly, there should not be a problem. Letting his worry show on his face, he headed back to his quarters. As he passed the others he told them, "you might as well go on about your business. No one else is leaving here tonight."