Authors notes: Thanks again to my lovely reviewers. Hope you are all well and lets get on with the story…
OO
Plautius stood amid the massacre for the moment completely lost for words.
"Sir!" a voice called. He turned to see his second in command pointing at a body by his feet.
"This is one of Chief Centurion Marcellus's men."
Plautius moved to see for himself. Indeed it was one of the Romans who had left that morning.
"Do you think they were ambushed sir?"
"Probably although I would have thought the woads wouldn't have been so active considering."
"Woads don't act as we would like them to or this would be a lovely peaceful place with lots of women sir." Cato, his second in command, commented with a wistful note to his voice.
Plautius looked around and frowned in confusion.
"What is it sir?" Cato asked.
"Why were they here? They would have surely made more time than this?"
"Unless they were coming back to the fort for some reason sir?"
"Damn it! He and Arthur had exchanged words concerning Marcellus's desire to arrest Lancelot. He said he would be back."
Cato nodded.
"Where are the knights sir?" he asked.
"No idea although after many years of practice I have decided that taking the most pessimistic outcome possible concerning the knights usually leads to the right one so…" Plautius sighed and began to think the worst.
"The worst case scenario that I can come up with is that the knights were doing whatever they do when they disappear for hours. The Romans stumbled across them and I would suggest it wasn't all sunshine and daisies. Then the woads attacked them and probably overwhelmed them considering there seem to be no survivors. I would guess those that did live were taken."
Cato looked at him in surprise.
"There are two things that scare me about you sir. Firstly you are becoming increasingly morbid and secondly you seem to know too much about the knights and their actions…sir" he added belatedly at Plautius's look.
"If that is all that concerns you about me Cato then I consider myself as doing quite well." Plautius chuckled and Cato joined him.
"Well we better be off. Knights and Romans to find, Woads to kill and I hear Vanora is making her famous meat stew so lets be quick about it!"
"Yes sir." Cato said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Plautius just patted Cato on the back.
O
Lancelot hadn't thought this plan through but he had hoped that the others would have moved, taking advantage of his distraction, before now. Merlin had appeared in the clearing and Lancelot was completely without an idea of how to proceed.
"What can I do for you knight?"
"I demand you set them free unless you want the entire Roman army following me."
Merlin cocked his head to the side and watched the knight glare back at him. The knight was lying. He could see desperation on Lancelot's face. Arthur's second was trying to create a distraction.
"Check the prisoners." He ordered. Several woads did so but Lancelot moved Scimitar to block them.
"What is your answer?" Lancelot demanded as he shifted Scimitar closer to the others. With a tiny movement he dropped two knives.
"My answer is no. Now get off your horse!"
"I don't think so."
"Drag him off."
Just as the woads grasped his legs Tristan and Bors leapt up followed by several others. Screaming various profanities they lunged at the woads nearest to them. On a signal from Lancelot Scimitar reared up and kicked out with his front hooves striking one man hard in the chest. He was killed instantly.
Merlin was momentarily startled but he was not surprised. The knights were not ones to be taken lightly and he had underestimated them. He should have moved the prisoners further at the least, really the knights should have been killed instantly but he had decided against that which was his mistake. He was now paying the price.
The element of surprise had worked well and many woads were taken out of the fight before they had a chance to raise arms.
The situation became more catastrophic when a fresh detachment of Roman infantry entered into the fray. Merlin knew he had been defeated in this battle and he called a withdrawal. The war was not over and they would live to fight another day.
Bors was immensely disappointed when the 'blue bastards' fled into the trees.
"Come back and fight you cowards!" he roared. "Too scared to take on the mighty Bors are you!"
"More likely repulsed by the mighty smell of Bors." Lancelot said steering Scimitar away from the suddenly enraged man.
Tristan smirked but then suddenly moved to grab Gawain who had gained his feet and was staggering about asking for some eggs.
"Do you have some eggs?" he asked quietly but determined.
"Yes but you have to come with me."
Gawain nodded and stood patiently like a child. Lancelot manoeuvred Scimitar next to them. He dismounted.
"Gawain you and I are going to ride home together and you can have all the eggs you want."
The knight with assistance of the two was placed without grace but gently in the saddle. They did not make fun as more than one of them had been knocked practically senseless in the past and had wandered the battlefield asking for the most inane things having no idea of their present situation.
"Plautius!" Lancelot cried spotting the roman as he moved Gawain's legs into a more secure position.
"What are you doing here?" the knight questioned.
"Saving your arse by the look of it." He responded.
"Really? I wondered what all the screaming and running was. I thought maybe someone had a splinter and you were trying to find the nearest Roman senator to report this great injustice imposed upon you by the trees of Britain."
Plautius's detachment looked upon him in stunned amazement but Plautius laughed loudly.
"Oh dear lord…" Plautius spluttered as he continued laughing letting all the tension from the past few days out.
"How do you come up with those?" he asked. Lancelot smirked at him and shrugged.
"Natural talent."
"I am sure that's what it is!" Plautius said sarcastically.
Lancelot was about to respond when Gawain lurched suddenly towards him. He grabbed hold of the blonde knight and pushed him upwards.
"KNIGHTS MOUNT UP!" He ordered. For a brief second the knights' looked at each other noting how quickly Lancelot had slipped into command mode.
"IS THERE A PROBLEM?" he shouted. With big smiles Bors mounted with Dagonet in front of him. Tristan did the same with Galahad.
"No Lancelot. There is not a problem anymore." Bors said smiling despite their narrow escape from disaster.
"Good. Plautius are there any who need litters?"
The Roman did a quick check over and noted four were hurt beyond their capability to walk. There were at least eight who could just about stagger with help. Lancelot considered this.
"Can they ride? Galahad, Gawain and Dagonet's horses are not being ridden."
"No but some of the others can."
Again Lancelot paused to think.
"New plan. Plautius we divide the forces in half. Half go back with the injured knights. The remainder make up some litters and return with the more seriously wounded."
The roman nodded and ordered some of his men to set about making litters.
"Excuse me a moment." A new voice sneered. "But who died and gave you command?"
"Unfortunately not you!" Lancelot exclaimed.
"I see now how the insubordination charge came about."
"Oh good. I am happy to know your powers of observation are still very much apparent."
Plautius stepped forward to stop the impending fight that would guarantee Lancelot time in prison for the foreseeable future.
"Chief Centurion what is your suggestion sir?"
"We all go together. Split up and we are easier to attack. There is no logical argument for us dividing into two groups." Marcellus said. "Now get off your horse slave."
Lancelot was off his horse and had punched Marcellus to the ground before anyone could react. Immediately the bloodlust of the two groups of Romans rose and they moved. Marcellus's to take down Lancelot and the others to block them. Not to protect Lancelot but to save further bloodshed as they knew the knights would protect their own.
Plautius was furious.
"Hold!" he snapped to all present gently lying Gawain on the ground after having just caught him when Lancelot leapt off. Bors was in the process of handing Dagonet to a Roman but halted when Plautius yelled. Marcellus was sitting up blood pouring from his nose and a smile of satisfaction on his face.
"Congratulations you have brought about your own demise knight of Sarmatia."
Plautius quickly rose expecting Lancelot to react further but instead the knight stumbled to the ground next to Gawain.
"I am sorry Gawain." He murmured and then he fell over backwards unconscious. The adrenaline rush had worn off and now his injuries specifically his head wound had overwhelmed him.
"At last we shall have silence." Marcellus said and set about ordering his men to get ready to leave. Seeing that any control he had over the group had been removed Plautius knelt next to Lancelot and began attending to his wounds. Slowly the knights joined him. They realised that their situation was getting a lot better but Lancelot's, despite the seeming restoration of his personality and mood, had experienced a sharp decline.
OO