Disclaimer: see chapter one

Thanks too: Ailis-70: this fic is based on the movie, I wouldn't want to butcher the classic legends; Jaydan- thanks for the comment!; FalconWings14- I'll try not to disappoint you! Stay tuned!; KnightGuardian- Well I hope I don't disappoint your expectations

Anyhoo... on with the story!

The Beginning: For Lancelot

This country had nothing that appealed to me. The skies seemed to be constantly grey, but maybe they were just reflecting my mood. I couldn't believe that the Romans had taken me, and all the others, from our families to serve in such a desolate place. Although, to be fair, the people seemed nice and it was almost as green as back home. I clenched the panther amulet my sister gave to me tightly in my hand. I felt that to let it go would be to forsake her, at least for the time being. We were all silent as we rode towards the great expanse of Hadrian's Wall. Three months of travelling, and most of the boys kept to themselves. I hadn't tried to mingle with them, and had no intention of doing so until absolutely neccissary.

"There's the Wall," the soldier leading my horse whispered. "Straight ahead."

I looked up, and sure enough, there it was. The great bulk of it stretching as far as the eye could see, it was an unwelcoming sight. There were some women walking from a nearby pond, their laundry in their arms. For no better reason than curiosity I followed the line back to its end. For a moment it seemed like the world and time stopped. A boy about my age was standing talking to a man in robes, no doubt a catholic missionary. The boy was pale, as were all these odd northeners, and there was soot staining his cheek. His musty brown hair was cropped short, and I could not see his eyes from that distance. My sight is not that good. He seemed nice enough, happy and smiling. Then he looked at me and I finally saw those haunting eyes. His eyes met mine for a brief moment, and in that moment I knew he would be a different sort of man when he grew up. His blue-green eyes shone with an intelligence and passion that very few men even know exist. Perhaps we could be friends... no, friends would be a sign of permanance, but he seemed as lonely as me. I looked away.

We rode in through the gates of the village standing in the Wall's shadow. The streets were hard-packed dirt, and all the people looked healthy and clean. They all stared at us. Apparently none of the old knights from the past generation were left, but one. He would train us to become killing machines. The thought was not pleasant. The pale boy haunted my thoughts as I dismounted and walked with the others into the barrack's courtyard. A man in his mid-fourties stood with his feet slightly apart and his hands behind his back. He motioned for us to follow him, and we soon discovered the delicious scent of warm food. My mouth watered.

"Eat your fill lads," he commented dryly. "Tomorrow your training begins, and none of you are going to faint during my training or I'll give you something to faint about. My name is Timian, a knight. Welcome to Hadrian's Hell Hole."

I ate my fill and more. I was ravinous, but the food didn't seem to quench all my needs. Maybe sleep was in order...

The screams tore me from sleep. The room I'd been given was dark, and I could only just see my roommate. His name was Dagonet, and his eyes were wide with fear. "What's going on?" he whispered harshly into the darkness.

"I don't know," I stated blandly. "I'm going to find out. Come along if you like."

With Dagonet behind me I made my way to the courtyard of the barracks. Bloodied men were either crawling or limping back to the medics. The vomit and bile were rising in my throat, and I had to choke it down quickly. Dagonet wasn't as fortunate as I was and I could hear him wretching wetly behind me. Timian came up to me and looked around with a cold gaze. It amazed me how this sight couldn't affect him. He looked down at me with something like pity.

"You'll get used to it eventually boy," he said quietly. "You already have the advantage of a strong stomach. You're roommate however, does not seem to be so lucky."

"Timian! Come quickly!" a young soldier called out.

The older man looked in the direction of the shout, and I believed that his eyes would have popped out of his head if they'd gone any wider. I looked in the same direction and my poor heart almost stopped beating. The young soldier was carrying the boy from before in his arms. Without thinking, I started to run after Timian. The man took the boy in his arms, praying that he wouldn't die. I couldn't see any blood, but that didn't mean anything. For the first time the man looked shaken.

"ARTHUR!" he cried. "Arthur wake up!"

I walked towards them, and slowly knelt down at Timian's side. My hand reached out of it's own accord and swept the hair from the boy's face. His eyes fluttered at the contact, but before he could wake up completely Timian was on his feet hurrying towards his room. I could not follow. Dagonet came up beside me. He took my arm and guided me away. With nothing left to do, I followed him back to our room.

For the rest of the night I lay awake thinking of the boy. Would he be alright? Why did he seem so important to Timian? 'Arthur...'