Authors notes: Thank you for all the reviews!
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Tristan crawled through the dirt ignoring the twigs and branches that were scratching his skin and clothes. Unlike most of his fellow knights he did not mind getting dirty and hadn't uttered one word in complaint. By now the other knights would have gotten them discovered with their moaning especially Galahad.
The woads were lying in wait within the trees watching the main road for Arthur. Tristan therefore avoided it and stuck to the muddy forest floor creeping past their sentries. It took all of his power and instincts to evade them but he did just that. He ran alongside the road and after half an hour he heard hooves. Halting and breathing heavily he watched as Arthur rode into view. He stepped into their path.
The horses were pulled to a halt, their chests heaving and their flanks sweaty.
"What news?" Arthur asked quickly.
"The fort is surrounded and it has been burned. There are casualties but I managed to get inside. Jols and Plautius are still alive and most of the population are within the cellars."
"Lancelot?" Arthur whispered and he tensed up as if he was expecting bad news.
"He fought but he still lives." Tristan said simply and he refused to elaborate, it would not help the situation in any way.
"Mount up with Gawain." Arthur stated. "We should reach there within the hour."
Tristan remained on the ground. He looked around at the exhausted faces of the legionnaries.
"I would recommend against it." The scout replied. Arthur's face at once became thunderous.
"Pardon me." Arthur said quietly but there was no doubting the underlying anger in his tone.
"If we head to the fort right this instant I guarantee that by the time the woads attack half of these soldiers would have fallen over in exhaustion."
Arthur had a good look around him and for the first time saw the sorry state the group was in. They would have trouble fending off a small attack let alone an army. Tristan sighed and wished Lancelot was here. The knight though blunt always made Arthur see sense much quicker.
"The woads are lying in wait for us, we need to rest."
"There are almost a hundred civilians in the fort there is no time to wait." Tristan decided to be Lancelot blunt.
"Arthur the Romans faced them, everyone they could muster and they were slaughtered. Their bodies litter the ground and if we attack tonight we will join them. Do not let Lancelot's suffering be in vain."
That struck a nerve and Arthur nodded his assent. The knights and Romans withdrew from the road. The legionnaries collapsed in a heap and after stuffing whatever food they had into their mouths they fell asleep. Only the two centurions remained awake and joined the knights as they settled down.
Tristan explained everything he had noted and then it was agreed upon that everyone would take some sleep. Plans would come easier in the morning when they could actually form coherent sentences and focus their eyes on something. It did not take long before they joined the Romans in sleep. Arthur however remained awake and Tristan knew he would ask about Lancelot.
"How is he really?" the man asked.
"He was captured and tortured."
Arthur closed his eyes. "Why did he fight?" Tristan knew the question did not require an answer.
"Will he live?" Arthur continued. Tristan shrugged.
"It depends on him… Go to sleep Arthur I will keep first watch."
The Roman commander eventually succumbed to exhaustion after a few hours.
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Lancelot squeezed his eyes shut and a few tears left streaks down his dirty face. Jols was fussing over him without really accomplishing anything. The knight would have bitten his head off if he had been feeling a fraction better.
"Where does it hurt?"
"I swear…if…if you ask another stupid question I will kill you." Lancelot spat amid his gasps of pain.
"I'm sorry." Jols spluttered anxiously. "I don't know what to do."
"Kill me."
Jols laughed nervously. "You can't be too bad off if you are joking."
"I wasn't joking." The knight gasped and groaned as another wave of agonising pain swept over him. Jols froze like a badly startled deer.
"Umm…umm."
Lancelot rolled his eyes and with swift curses he attempted to pull himself up.
"Don't worry I won't ask you…ask you to kill me."
The look of relief that spread across Jols face was hilarious if only he could laugh.
"Help me up." The knight said after a few minutes of desperate panting as he attempted to adjust to the pain of sitting up. 'Well what do you know? Pain seems to have no limiting factor.'
"What do you mean get up?" the squire questioned alarmed.
"Well I am not going to accomplish anything just sat here. We need to arrange our defence."
"And what do you propose we do?" Plautius said as he joined them. "The fort is smouldering and most of the Romans are dead. The civilians are in the cellars, Arthur is still hours away and we are surrounded by woads."
"Your point being?"
"That whatever the woads have given you has addled your brain."
"We can't just sit here."
"Yes you can. Tristan is returning to Arthur we just have to hold out until they get here."
"Plautius the gates are open." Jols pointed out. "We couldn't hold out against children."
"Can we…" Lancelot yelped and he screwed up his eyes.
"Can we what?" Jols questioned.
"Close the gate." The knight whispered.
"There would be no point. The woads are under the impression that everyone inside has abandoned the fort. Already Tristan has shown that someone is alive here by cutting you down and vanishing inside. If we start anything they will see and assume that there are more alive in here than should be and attack again. I don't have to explain to you that we would unable to resist a second attack and all those in the cellars could be slaughtered."
A distressed look appeared on Lancelot's face and he slumped down to the ground again.
"Arthur will be here soon and everything will be well again." Jols tired to reassure him.
"Arthur has barely more troops than we had." The knight murmured as his eyes closed tiredly. Jols swapped concerned glances with Plautius.
"Lancelot?" Plautius asked. "Are you still with us?"
"Unfortunately."
Jols grasped Lancelot's hand and the knight squeezed it tightly in response to the waves of pain.
"Keep fighting Lancelot. This mess will soon be sorted out…I hope." Plautius muttered the last part and watched as Lancelot began to shake as his exhausted body attempted to cope with the horrific abuse that it had suffered.
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