Disclaimer: I am poor and own nothing. And because I'm poor, this is my only source of entertainment, so please do not sue.
Authors Note: This story is dedicated to Tracy137.
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY – Sorry for the delay. Will update as fast as I can though.
Tracy137 – Those were both my favorite parts too. Especially the part with Tristan though. For obvious reasons. I had a feeling you'd like that one too though. Second favorite eh? I will admit I figured you'd say it was your favorite, but then, the other was pretty hard to beat. Can't wait for your updates. I'm excited and giddy!
TriGemini – Another long review I see. Glad you liked the chapter and found Tristan's reaction to Brenna humorous. That's what it was meant to be. Well, of course Roxana discussed her distrust of Guinevere when it comes to Lancelot and Arthur. And then also, Sybil is a Seer, so she kinda already had an idea. And yes, that was definitely a threat. Hopefully by the end they won't have been necessary though. And things do seem to be developing between Lancelot and Brenna don't they? Hopefully for the best. Glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the review.
Cardeia – Glad you liked the fight scenes. I didn't want to make them too drawn out because one, it would have taken forever to write, and two it would have been way too wordy I think. Anyway, glad you liked them. And Guinevere definitely needed a warning. Must keep her on her toes. Hope you like this chapter as much and thank you once again for the review.
Texasgrrl – Big battle is here. Now let's scroll down and see who lives shall we? Thanks for the review! Wonder how strongly worded the next one will be…
Babaksmiles – I could tell you, and really want to tell you, but I've been yelled at too much for ruining a story or movie by giving away the details, so I won't. Let's just say, hopefully parts of this chapter will answer some of you questions. Thank you for the review. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hope you like this one as well.
Lunawolf – I wish I had thought of writing down notes. I read three really good stories (curtsey of Cardeia and Tracy137) and couldn't review any of them. It was just plain awful. And it was weird not hearing from anyone on this one since you guys are all so wonderful with the reviewing. As for your newest suggestion, lets just say that castration is always on the table. And one of my favorite forms of torture for men. Yeah, Van was pretty pissed. So she punched him. I mean, why let the pot have all the fun right? And maybe next time he'll listen to Sybil. Glad you liked the Lance/Bren bit. I was kinda loving that myself. I re-read it, and cause I'm a dork, was like, sigh. But that's enough about that. That's how I felt about the little cow too. The first time I saw it I thought, man, it's so great to see a woman so empowered in a movie in this time frame. Then I watched it again and again and again and you get the idea, and I kept thinking, why the hell are you going into Arthur's room when just a little while ago you were hitting on Lancelot? What the hell is wrong with you! I wouldn't have minded a hyped up review. They make me laugh and the sad thing is, I understand them usually even if I haven't consumed a great deal of sugar. Thanks for the review though, made me smile. Hope you like this chapter as much.
Isolde – New face, squeal! I love new faces. I understand. I'm pretty bad about reviewing as well, and I know exactly how annoying that is for an author. But I'm glad you decided to and I'm glad you like my story so much. Although you may have been thanking me prematurely (but I doubt it). Thanks again for the review and please feel free to do it again. (The only thing I love more than new faces is familiar ones.)
Ryn the whitepanther – Hopefully you didn't have to wait too long. Hope you like this chapter as well, and as always, thank you for reviewing.
Countess Jackman – Thank you so much for all those kind words. I don't see it, but then, they say writers are their own worst critics. Truly though, I don't think I deserve all that praise. I'm so very glad you are enjoying this story though. Gives me a happy. And I hope that you become a familiar face on the review board. And also I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Thank you again for the review, it really made me feel good.
Chapter Fourteen: Saxons
Although Roxana had hardly slept that night, she was not exhausted as she dressed slowly in her fighting gear. Rather, she was more nervous and anxious than she had ever been in her lifetime. As she finished pulling on her boots she paused and looked over at Tristan, who was finishing up with the last of his battle armor. She picked up his helmet, which was sitting next to her on the bed and ran her fingers lovingly over it before rising and walking over to him, placing it gently on his head.
"You're just as handsome as the day we wed," she murmured, rubbing her thumbs over his tattoos.
"And you're more beautiful," he answered, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against him, kissing her deeply.
When they broke apart they were both breathless and clinging to one another, not ready to let go and face what was waiting outside the walls of their room. "Come back to me tonight," Roxana murmured, tears coming to her eyes as she held him closer, her forehead resting against his own.
"I will," he promised, kissing her forehead before bringing their heads back together. "Be safe today my Ana."
Roxana didn't trust her voice, so she merely nodded, pulling him closer as her arms snaked around his neck. She was content to stay like that forever, but fate had other plans as a knock at the door broke their reverie.
Tristan barely found the strength to pull away as they slowly moved towards the door, opening it to find Jols standing there waiting for them.
"The others are all waiting in the meeting hall," he said quietly, noting that Roxana was wiping tears from her eyes as they exited the room. The three walked in silence towards the hall, Roxana's hand gripping firmly to Tristan's as they entered the room to see the others waiting for them along with a tall, older bearded man.
"Roxana, Tristan, this is Merlin," Arthur introduced them and the older man bowed slightly as the couple made their way over to their seats. "The Woads are in place and the Romans are preparing to withdraw."
They all looked at one another, an understanding falling over the group that it was now or never.
"If I may, bless your warriors," Merlin said to Arthur, looking at the people gathered before him, not unlike his own men.
"It's up to them," Arthur answered.
"May I?" he redirected the question to the knights and the women. They all exchanged a look before letting their eyes settle on Sybil, the closest thing they had to a Priestess, who nodded in agreement.
Merlin then proceeded around the table, performing a blessing on each warrior, including a somewhat reluctant Lancelot. When he reached Roxana, he performed two, one for her and one for the unborn babe in her womb. After he had completed the blessings he bowed to Arthur before leaving the room, Guinevere at his heels.
Arthur rose again, and addressed them all. "My friends, God has blessed me with your loyalty and your brotherhood. I vow to do all I can to see you safely back here this evening."
"Lets go beat some ass then," Brenna said, adjusting her arm guards as she began to move towards the door. Her sisters merely smirked after her, turning to follow.
"Remember, one who kills the most Saxons gets the first hit," Bors stated, looking pointedly at Tristan and Roxana.
"Shall I give you a heads start then?" Tristan asked mildly, causing Roxana to grin broadly.
As Arthur watched them all walking out laughing and jesting, he sent one more prayer up to God, any God that would listen, that they would all be safe and alive at the end of the day.
xoxoxoxoxoxox
"I do not understand why we must wait here," Brenna grumbled as she stood on foot with her sisters, the men on horseback, out of sight from the Saxons north of the wall.
"The Saxons must think Arthur is alone," Eirwen explained slowly, as if talking to a dimwitted child.
"That is why he went out to meet their leader," Roxana continued.
"Still, it would be better if we were out there fighting instead of hiding back here," she stated, twirling her blades in her hands.
"I agree," Lancelot stated, Bors nodding as well.
"Soon enough," Sybil said, turning to face her brother. "Fight well and be safe."
He nodded to her once. "You as well."
Next she spoke softly to Gawain, "Be safe, or who will sit with me in the stables?"
He grinned down at her and reached for her hand, kissing the back. "You as well my lady," earning a raised eyebrow from her brother.
"Mind your stitches," Eirwen said suddenly to Dagonet, who sat upon his mount. "I do not intend on replacing them."
"And I do not intend for you to know the pain of these stitches," Dagonet added. They shared a smile before she quickly turned away, a blush creeping unbidden to her cheeks.
"Try and not get killed today," Brenna stated, glancing up at Lancelot for a moment before returning to examine her blades. "I'd hate to have to find a new drinking partner."
A smirk crossed over Lancelot's face as he looked down at her. "Of course lady. And I hope that you do the same."
Roxana wandered over to Tristan's horse then, giving it a loving pat as she gazed up at her husband, a certain amount of fear in her eyes. "I wish you a hero's death, but not today," she stated softly. "Promise me not today."
"I swear it," he staked his standard into the ground and leaned down and cupped her head, kissing her deeply. "Now you," he said, pulling away slightly.
"I swear I will draw breath when this day is out," she replied, kissing him again, this one softer than the last. "I will stay with the Woads unless I am needed."
He nodded slowly, running a calloused thumb over her cheek. "Love you," he murmured, kissing her once more.
"Love you too," she whispered back as he pulled himself to sitting again, yanking the standard from the ground and watching as the girls began to move towards where the Woads were waiting amongst the trees. "Be safe, all of you. Or I will personally kick your asses," Roxana called back to the men. "And tell Arthur the same."
"Oh and brother," Sybil suddenly turned and called back. Tristan raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "Aim for the tree," she offered him a small smirk as they all disappeared over the hill.
xoxoxoxoxoxox
So far the battle was going well for them. The first band of Saxons through the wall was quickly dispatched through the work of the knights and the Woads and their arrows. Now the second and final wave had moved through the gates and was currently being engaged. Eirwen and Roxana were standing back on the hill, with the Woad archers, firing into the crowd, each of their arrows finding a target.
Brenna and Sybil had taken off into the fray with the rest of the Woads and Guinevere, and were fighting their own. Roxana made sure to keep her eyes on all the knights, as well as her sisters, as they fought against the raging Saxons.
Then from the corner of her eye she saw something that made her pause mid draw and lower her bow. There, standing amidst at least five body guards stood the tall, broad, long haired Saxon monster that haunted her dreams for the months before she came to Britain. And there, to her horror was her husband approaching him, a determined look on his face.
"Tristan no," she murmured, cursing his warrior passion for the first time in their lives together before knocking an arrow and firing, aiming high. The arrow flew through the air, and lodged in the heart of the first bodyguard to approach him. "Goddess give me strength," she whispered as arrow number two appeared in her bow.
Meanwhile Sybil was rushing towards Gawain, who had fallen from his horse, an arrow in his side. She made it there right before the Saxon behind him could strike, meeting his blade with her own, just as Arthur arrived. "I have him, help my brother," she replied turning and defending Gawain again. "He's fighting their leader," she pointed in the direction of her brother and Cerdic.
With a nod Arthur took off across the field, heading strait for Tristan and Cerdic.
Brenna in the meantime was fighting off near Guinevere, cutting and slashing her way through any Saxons that dared come near her double blades. She turned suddenly only to be backhanded by a shorter bald man with a long braided beard and a fresh scar on his right cheek. He grinned down at her as she flew to the ground, her lip splitting open under the impact. Guinevere and her bodyguards moved quickly to assist her but were being taken down by a larger, darker, hairier Saxon. Across the field, Lancelot watched Brenna fall, and went to find his horse.
Tristan looked down at the Saxons dropped at his feet, arrows sticking from their hearts or their eyes and stepped over them, a proud wave washing over him, as he knew the origin of the arrows. He brought his sword before him and faced off against the large Saxon commander. Their blades met quickly as they sized each other up. From the hill Roxana knocked another arrow and fired, her last one, and cursed as the larger man moved, sidestepping one of her husband's blows, and it lodged in the back of another Saxons head.
Across the field, Gawain and Sybil fought side-by-side, blood splattering and Saxon heads flying, each keeping an eye on the other one. "How is your side?" she asked thorough the fray, her voice unbelievably calm as she sliced through another Saxons abdomen.
"Never fear lady," Gawain replied, burying his throwing ax into the back of another enemy. "I'll live."
Not far from them, Bors and Galahad fought side by side with Dagonet while Lancelot found his steed and galloped full tilt across the field, coming up near Brenna who had righted herself and was busy battling with Cynric, along with Guinevere. The man was quickly overpowering them both, slicing into the Woad woman's arm and slapping her hard across the face with his shield, sending her back before doubling his efforts against Bren, managing to knock her to the ground as well. Lancelot dismounted and prepared to attack while Arthur fought his way towards Tristan and Cedric, taking heads as he went.
"Eirwen I'm out!" Roxana called to her sister, a moment too late, as Eirwen's own last arrow flew.
"So am I," Eirwen panted a bit, glancing over at Roxana, who had palled considerably. "Ana?"
Roxana merely froze as she watched her husband, the dusk to her dawn, the other half of her soul, the father of the child already growing in her womb, was slashed across the ribs by a hidden dagger the Saxon now held in his hand. He staggered back and Roxana's heart stopped. She watched him recover, look at the blood on his hand before regarding the other man, preparing to press the attack.
Lancelot blocked the sward that was about to cleave Brenna's head from her body. She looked up at the dark knight in shock before rolling out of the way, watching as he clashed swords with the commander's son. Being the much better fighter, Lancelot easily disarmed him before turning to battle an attacking Saxon. Brenna righted her self and began to fight again, this time at Lancelot's side, the puny wasp forgotten for the time.
Roxana picked up her sword then and ran full tilt across the battlefield, Saxons falling under her blade without much effort as she headed towards where Tristan fought. Her breath caught as she watched the Saxon slice him across the back of his right knee, and then to the side of his head with the dagger, sending him to the ground, still slapping at the mans sword with his own. Ana doubled her efforts, as time seemed to slow for her.
Tristan crawled a few feet back, clutching his head and bringing his sword up in unsteady hands. One thought running through his mind. What would she and the baby do without him? With that he got a second wind, rising and attacking with a new force only to be slashed in the arm, dropping his sword. He looked at it hopelessly for a moment before moving to pull the dagger he kept in the breastplate of his armor. It was then the commander kicked his sword to him, giving him another chance. Slowly he picked it up and without warning attacked. The commander dodged back and in a fluid stroke, plunged the dagger into his shoulder.
The pain reverberated through his body and he kept his head on the ground a moment, tears coming unbidden to his eyes. He was breaking a promise to her he knew that now. He was dying the hero's death the members of his tribe dreamed of, but he was leaving his wife a widow and his child fatherless in the process.
Tears streamed down Ana's face as she finally cleared the wall of Saxons that had been blocking her path, to see Tristan lying on the ground, his head down as he tried to get away from the man who now held his blade. Anger ran through her as the cocky bastard strutted over to where Tristan was still struggling, and grabbed him by the hair, hauling him up. Tristan then pulled the blade from his shoulder and shoved it into the Saxons knee, causing him to release him. That was when Ana struck, moving in fast as lightening she connected her blade with her husbands, the one the Saxon had the audacity to hold and held his gaze with her icy blue one.
"And what is this?" Cerdic chuckled, looking at the woman before him.
"Your worst nightmare," she replied coldly, glaring at him as Tristan struggled to stand.
Brenna turned, fighting one of the Saxons to see Cynric pick up a cross bow and aim for Lancelot. One thing stuck out in her mind and that was what Ana had told her Tristan had said. "Armor piercing."
"LANCELOT LOOK OUT!" she screamed, as the man turned, looking in shock at the Saxon. She threw her dagger then, striking Cynric in the neck as she pulled Lancelot out of the way. The bolt fired, striking the knight in the upper arm and sending him down to the ground, groaning in pain from the force of the impact.
"No way are you allowed to die yet," Brenna growled down at him as she fought the Saxons that came towards them, like a pack of wild dogs looking for the easy kill. Lancelot groaned and rose, and with a loud growl he threw one of his swords end over end into Cynric's chest.
Across the way, Eirwen found herself fighting near Dagonet and Arthur. "Arthur, that Saxon was about to kill Tristan," she screamed at the commander, spinning and taking a mans head as she spoke. "Ana went to face him!"
A look of horror passed over Arthur's face and he looked to Dag and Eirwen who both nodded and began to clear a path for him as he rushed even faster towards the Saxon commander now.
Tristan was on the ground, moaning in pain, telling Ana to get out of there, but she could not hear him over the sounds of her blade connecting with Cerdic's.
"You know you will not win," the man growled at her, as they stood face to face, their blades crossed. "Why fight so hard."
"Because that," she growled back, glaring hard at him. "Is my husband," she turned and struck at him again, putting everything into each of her blows.
"Then be a good wife and join him," Cerdic growled back, striking her blade hard and sending it to the ground before slapping her hard across the face, throwing her next to her husband. Ana and Tristan locked eyes for a moment, pain and grief on his face, and fear and grief on hers as they stared at one another. "I'm sorry," she mouthed to him, the tears beginning to roll as Cerdic stalked towards her, his blade raised to strike.
"I love you," Tristan managed to whisper, blood still pouring from his wounds.
"I love you," Ana replied, turning suddenly and kicking up, hitting Cerdic directly in the crotch, sending him stumbling back. It was then that Arthur came, coming to blows with the Saxon.
Roxana quickly crawled to Tristan and gathered his head in her lap, pulling at the cloth under her uniform, tearing it to make a bandage for the wound that was bleeding the worse, the one in his shoulder. "Stay with me," she growled at him, synching the cloth tightly around the injury to slow the bleeding. "I still need you yet."
"Ana," he began, his eyes closing slightly as the exhaustion caused by the blood loss began to take its toll.
"You promised," she stated, moving to look at his other wounds.
Suddenly the sound of a blade slicing through someone's neck drew her attention and she looked up to see Arthur separate Cerdic's head from his body. And just like that, the battle seemed to die around them as they looked at one another, blood seeping from cuts covering them both, their breathing ragged, and the battle done.
The others began to come forward then, Bors clutching at his back, where a Saxon had drove a spear into the side, Lancelot leaning on Brenna while Gawain supported Sybil, a gash across the back of her left calf. Guinevere walked over to Arthur, looking sadly up at him, as his eyes never left Tristan's body. Eirwen and Dagonet came running forward then, each injured but not severely as they took over tending to Tristan, who seemed to have suffered the worst of the battle that day.
"Come lass," Bors said, ignoring his wound for the time, placing his hands on Roxana's shoulders and pulling her away from her husband, a look of shock on her face. "Lets let them work now."
There, standing in the middle of a field littered with the bodies of Saxons and Woads alike, the five knights and four women watched Dagonet and Eirwen fight for Tristan's life.
Authors Note: Just for the record, I don't take death threats well, so think of that before you review this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and please have some faith in my love for Tristan okay guys? It was hard to write this because I had to watch Tristan die in slow motion in the movie to get it right, and got kinda teary. (Okay, really teary, but that's another story). Anyway, review and let me know what you think. Besides wanting to kill me for the cliffhanger.