Arthur and I are the children of a Roman officer and Briton woman, and he was ancestrally named for the first, Artorius. I was named after my mother's favorite flower. Arthur serves as the commander of the Sarmatian Knights and while he is not much older than some of them, Arthur has the respect and loyalty of us all. Arthur is a man of duty and faith. He is a Christian, however he respects his knights' and my religion and does not attempt to convert any of us. He believes strongly that all men are equal and free, and that he should right whatever wrongs he witnesses in the world. Such beliefs make him one of the noblest people I know, and he is the greatest commander ever, in my opinion. I am sure the other knights would support me in this statement. In battle, Arthur is an able warrior, though he fights not for joy of battle, but rather in hopes that there will come a day without a battlefield. After fifteen years of service to the Roman Empire, he is more than ready for peace. As am I.

Bors is the oldest of the Sarmatian Knights and has a good sense of humor. In combat, he prefers utilizing brute strength as opposed to finesse and strategy, and often fights with his axe or small knives held in his fists. He has fathered 11 bastards and his lover is Vanora. I spend much of my time when the knights are away, tending to the children and Vanora and I have become fast friends. Although he jokes about his children and how he doesn't want to be troubled giving them names, it's clear that he is fond of them all and they look up to him. Unlike some of his fellow Knights, Bors does not look to return to Sarmatia after his fifteen years of service. He hopes instead to gain some position of power in Britain, to have the "run of all this place." That would be scary…Bors as a governor…

Dagonet, a formidable knight, holds to a strong code of honor. Quiet, noble, and chivalrous, Dagonet is extremely loyal to Arthur because of all the Knights, he understands best that they would be little more than "vicious wolves" without his leadership. Extremely deadly on the battlefield, down to his studded jacket which doubles as a weapon, Dagonet is a force to be reckoned with. He prefers action to words, but he possesses a tender nature. He is the father figure to us all, and is always there to set us straight if we ever fall astray. We all love Dag and his quiet ways, although because he is so quiet, he is often the brunt of most of Bors' jokes.

The youngest of the Sarmatian Knights, Galahad is least accepting of the fifteen years of service to Rome. He remembers home the keenest of the knights and dreams everyday of returning. Galahad takes no pleasure in fighting and killing and refers to the forced service as "a bad memory." He is quick to temper and fitting his personality, his weapon of choice is a shield that doubles as an attacking weapon, which he uses in a slashing fashion. He is the closest to my age, only five years older than me, so we are often the troublemakers and are more often than not, pulling pranks on the others. It is the only thing that keeps us entertained while they are waiting for another mission to arrive from Rome.

Gawain has spent more years fighting for Rome than living in Sarmatia and the concept of 'home' isn't very clear in his memory. He lives for the battlefield and has no fear of death, so long as he takes as many lives as possible. It is all like a game to him. After attaining freedom, he'll either become a wanderer or find a beautiful Sarmatian woman to wed. I have often joked with him that that was the reason they had left Sarmatian, no beautiful wives. He always replies, "Of course, because no one can match your beauty, Frog." I never really understand where he and Galahad come up with that nickname for me, but is stuck and now most of the knights used it. I think it is because they thought I looked like a frog when I was a baby, and the fact that my name is Lily only helped them find the nickname. Only Arthur and Tristan seemed to be stuck with Lily. Gawain's weapon of choice is the axe.

The mysterious one of the knights, Tristan is Arthur's trusted scout, and is almost always riding ahead and making sure the road is clear. Because of his job, he often spends a lot of time alone in the wilderness, with his hawk as company. Of the knights, he is probably the most sadistic, as he takes pleasure in killing, but also remains the calmest. This is what amazes me about Tristan, how he can be so lethal, yet so tranquil. And yet behind his brutality there is an innocence and honesty. He once said to me, as we watched some loud, quarreling Roman soldiers, "It would be a very peaceful, loving, silent world if we just slit everyone's throats." He is one of the greatest listeners I know, and the best friend I have. Without Tristan, I would be alone and in the dark, lost with no idea of the right direction. He is my guide, and like his job for Arthur, he is always scouting out the road ahead of me. He tries to prevent any harm from coming to me, but also prepares me for what lies ahead. His blade is a curved, oriental-influenced one, of which Tristan uses swiftly in combat. He is also the best archer in the land.

Lancelot was only a young man when the Romans came to take him from his home in Sarmatia for his fifteen years of service to the Roman Empire. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled fighter and despite his dislike for Rome, became Arthur's dear friend and right-hand man. With his two swords, Lancelot is more than capable of facing down any enemy. While Arthur holds a more optimistic vision of the world, Lancelot understands that there will "always be a battlefield." He is pagan and he refuses to go on his knees to any God. He does not believe that a God exists, for otherwise why would there be so much pain and suffering on the earth? However, while he scorns Arthur's God, he remains dedicated to Arthur. He can be very serious at time, especially when it comes to battle and freedom, but he often jokes around with the other knights, especially Bors. He is the flirt of the group, and in my opinion, the best looking. I have liked him the moment I was old enough to realize what those certain feelings felt like.

We rode the next morning. Galahad, Dag, Bors, Gawain, and Tristan were all very glad to learn I would be riding with them. Brego was one of the fastest horses in the land, and I loved riding him at full speeds, feeling the wind in my hair. I rode ahead for a while, but then fell back when I felt left out. I rode with Tristan for most of the way to the wall. Lancelot dropped back everyone once in a while, but he rode with Arthur most of the way. Galahad and Gawain rode together, and so did Dag and Bors. It was better this way, which Lancelot rides ahead, so I could look at him without him noticing. Tristan was the only one who knew of my undying love for the curly haired knight. At least I hoped he was the only one.

Lancelot was seven years older then me, but that was not a large margin. I knew he looked at me as a sister, as he had been with me since I was three years old and had looked out for me. Most of the knights thought I fancied Tristan, but that was not the case. We were just the best of friends. I was the only one who seemed to understand his mysterious ways, and he rewarded me for it with friendship.

We continued to ride for many days, and finally we passed the Wall. We were now in Woad territory. I was slightly nervous about being in this strange land, but I couldn't show it, because Arthur would have sent me back. Tristan let his trusty hawk fly ahead check for scouts. Although we could not see them, Tristan and I could sense the Woads in the woods around us watching.

Tristan quickly gave his horse a kick and rode up to Arthur.

"Woads. They're tracking us."

"Where?" asked our commander.

"Everywhere." Arthur gave Lancelot a look, and my favorite knight slowed his horse to ride next to me. Suddenly, Brego reared and whinnied fiercely. I controlled him, but then the other horses also became scared and began to run. We were able to handle them, but suddenly, arrows from all directions flew to the ground in front of us.

"Get back!" yelled Lancelot, and we veered to another direction. We had to get out of the forest. But it was no use. the Woads had us surrounded.

We drew our weapons as we looked at the surrounding Woads with their bows and arrows. Arthur drew Excalibur from his sheath and we awaited the coming attack. I had never been so nervous, but Lancelot gave me a reassuring squeeze with his hand.

"What are you waiting for!" called Gawain at the blue people. They were just standing there, and then we heard the horns. The Woads backed off and left as silently as they had come.

"Why would they not attack," whispered Galahad, seemingly as spooked as me.

"Merlin does not want us dead." I replied, as I stared into the forest. The others looked at me, but then suspiciously looked around, seeing nothing.

We made camp for the night in a small grove by a stream. It was raining heavily, but somehow we managed to keep a small fire going. I wrapped my wool cloak around me tighter and pulled the hood up. I had tied Brego to a tree before starting to make my way over to the group, when I saw Arthur standing off on his own, staring into the night.

"Arthur," I said smiling as I approached. My brother and I were not the closest of siblings. He rarely talked to me about goings on in Rome and things that most family would. I knew the reason. He did not want me to get too attached, for fear that if he did not return from a battle, that I would be caused too much pain. This was silly, because he was the best knight I knew, and he would never be taken down in battle.

"My sister," he said quietly, putting an arm around me. We stood in silence for a moment before I spoke again.

"Arthur, what will become of me when we return to Hadrian's Wall?" I had a feeling he wanted me to return to Rome with him, but that was not what I wanted.

"We will be going to Rome." I knew it. "And," he continued. "I plan on finding you a husband." I was thunderstruck.

"A- A…a what?"

"A husband, dear Lily. A good Roman nobleman of high ranking, so you will always be taken care of." I looked at him in disbelief. In his eyes, I could see some pride, and I knew he thought he was doing the right thing.

"A Roman?"

"Yes."

"What about a Sarmatian?" I asked quietly. He turned to face me, shocked by what I had said. I was also shocked that I had let that slip out.

"What….do you mean?" He looked over suddenly at the other knights by the fire. "Surely not…"

"I do not wish to marry a Roman, Arthur," I said firmly, and I made my way over to the group.
"Ugh, I can't wait to leave this island. If it's not raining, it's snowing. If it's not snowing, it's foggy," Gawain was complaining as I sat down.

"And that's in the summer," remarked Lancelot.

"I like it here." I stated. Tristan smiled, but the others pretended not to hear and went onto the next topic.

"Hey Bors, do you intend to take Vanorra to Rome with you?" asked Galahad.

"Oh, I'm trying to avoid that decision. By getting killed," replied Bors. Lancelot smiled and I started to laugh. Bors leaned over to me.

"Frog, she wants to get married, give the children names!" He made it sound as though it was the most outrageous thing in the world.

"Women," sighed Lancelot, giving me a wink. "The children already have names, don't they?"

"Just Gilly. It was too much trouble, so we gave the rest of them numbers."

"That's interesting," I remarked. "I didn't think you could count."

The others laughed while Bors gave me a glare.

"I will help you name them Bors," I said once I stopped laughing. "How many girls are there?"

"Five."

"Sophia, Anne, Helen, Genevieve and Lily.. Boys?"

"five, not counting Gilly."

"Dags, Lancelot, Galahad, Tristan, and Gawain. See how simple that was?"

"And what about me?" asked Arthur, finally joining our little circle.

"Your name is too…Roman," laughed Lancelot.

"You know, I never thought I'd get back home alive. Now that I've got the chance, I don't think I'd leave my children," said Bors, suddenly getting sentimental. It was adorable.

"You'd miss them too much," said Dag.

"I'll take them with me. I like the little bastards. They mean something to me... especially number 3. He's a good fighter."

"That's because he's mine," quipped Lancelot, and everyone broke into a round of laughter.

"I'm going for a piss…" said Bors after make a lewd gesture to his fellow knight, and more laughter broke out.