Chapter 9: A Quiet Day

Elizabeth woke up and saw that the fire had gone out, but the sun from yesterday was back. Lancelot was also gone which was odd. She got up quickly and opened her door. Down the hall, his door was open and voices were coming from it. She hurried down and found Arthur talking with Lancelot. She knocked on the door and both men looked up.

"Come in, Elizabeth," Arthur said.

She walked in with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Figuring plans of attack," Arthur answered.

"You aren't planning on attacking in a couple days are you?" she wondered.

"Yes. Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"Well, yes. If you attack now, the Rebels will send out their weaker warriors. They do not have all of their weapons created and they will hold them off along with the better warriors. They will kill as many in the first skirmish. We will be weakened. The next force will come out and we will stand little chance. However, if you wait, you can use our full force against theirs' and we have a better chance of success," she explained.

"Interesting theory,"Arthur said.

"I am not trying to aid the Rebels. No Woad society can take me back in. I have killed on my people's soil. I have allied myself with the people they see as their enemy. I am no longer a Woad to them. I will most likely live in your world for the rest of my life. Why would I danger that?" she asked.

Arthur nodded and looked at Lancelot.

"She's right. The small attacks on the villagers are mostly to wear us down and let us know what they think," Lancelot said.

"So what do we do?" Arthur said, looking at Elizabeth.

"We go to Merlin. Ask him to help us. We train the villagers who are able. And we wait. The Rebels will most likely come to us," she said.

"We shall go see Merlin as soon as we can. I'll leave the guards in charge of training the young men. I'm going to inform the others," he said.

Arthur left the room and Lancelot spoke.

"I'll never understand why your own people wouldn't want you," he said.

Elizabeth smiled. She left the room and went back into her own. They would possibly be riding again so she dressed for it. She checked the bandage on her back. The wound didn't seem like it would open anytime soon, but she put a lighter bandage on just in case. She was heading back out the door and on her table was a new sword. Next to it was a set of knives and a bow with arrows. They were all laying on top of a banner of a running horse. Elizabeth let out a small gasp as Lancelot walked in.

"I see you've found your new weapons," he said.

"Who-"

"Arthur had them made for you. As a thank you for all your help," Lancelot said.

Elizabeth grinned.

"He wanted to get you armor, but I told him you probably would not wear it," Lancelot laughed.

She nodded. He was right.

"Would you like to test the sword out?" he asked.

"Of course!"

She lifted the new sword. The blade was curved and the hilt was designed with different patterns and there was a single gem in the center of it. The new metal shone and she could see her reflection in it. She placed it in its sheath and buckled it around her waist. They headed down to the practice room and found it already occupied. One of the young guards was practicing against a senior guard. They were good, but some of their movements were not very strong and their foot work was not the best. Elizabeth held up her hands. The two men stopped and she walked up to them.

"Lad, what's your name?" she asked the younger man.

"Thomas," he replied.

"Thomas, your foot work needs a little bit of work. Try to separate your feet a little more and make sure you always watch your opponent. Your foot work should match how you fight with your sword. Watch," she said.

Lancelot walked up and they gave a brief example. Elizabeth walked back to the two men and Thomas, having watched for a few moments, improved a little bit. They kept going and he took her advice and followed his movements instead of being all over the place.

"Better," she said.

Lancelot was with the other guard looking at his sword. It was a the wrong size and he handed him a longer, thinner sword. The man tried it and was at first surprised at its weight. After a little while, he got used to it. The two men fought more and Elizabeth thought they were much improved. She smiled. This was a small step to helping prepare the villagers. Soon they were finished and Elizabeth and Lancelot got ready to begin.

"You think enough villagers will be trained by the time the Rebels attack?"Lancelot asked, whiled blocking a blow from Elizabeth's sword.

"Some may be trained. It will be hard," she said, as she spun away from Lancelot's swords.

Lancelot raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. They stopped for a minute.

"What if the Rebels attack from the back woods, behind the wall? The villagers will be in the middle!" he said.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. She brought her sword in an arc and Lancelot blocked it.

"Arthur probably has a plan," she said optimistically.

"I don't know. He was planning on attacking them in their own woods and nowhere near the wall," he said.

They thrust their swords in and Lancelot crossed his blades together, blocking Elizabeth's blade. He spun around and was behind her. Elizabeth quickly darted to the side and brought the blade around in a sweeping motion. Lancelot stepped back and lunged in with both swords. Elizabeth blocked, which was difficult, blocking two swords with one. She pulled the blade free and moved behind Lancelot and placed her blade at his back. However, Lancelot was swift and before she could bring the blade to his neck he spun away and crossed his blades with Elizabeth's. He smirked, thinking it would be an easy victory from here. However, she had one more trick up her sleeve. She pushed against his blades and freed hers. She was on the ground and she somersaulted to the side and crouched on her knee for a moment. Their swords met again and they continued to fight. Lancelot once again had Elizabeth on her knees. This was her chance. She rolled to the side and stood up and quickly tried to press her blade to his throat. Lancelot caught her just in time. They lowered their swords.

"Well done," he said.

Elizabeth grinned.

"Aye. Thank you. You as well," she said.

They sheathed their swords and headed outside. Guinevere stopped them on the steps. She had a bow in her hand and looked as if she was headed down to the archery court.

"Would either of you care to come?" she asked.

"I'll go," Elizabeth said.

Lancelot nodded as well.

"Arthur told me about your plan," Guinevere said.

"Mmm."

"I think you're right. It was clever and it'll save our defense," she said.

They arrived in the archery court and Elizabeth picked up a spare bow. She put a new string on it and took a handful of arrows. The targets had been moved back since the last time she had been there. Elizabeth still had no problem hitting them and neither did anyone else. Guinevere grinned.

"Good to know you haven't changed," she said to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth aimed at the target and released the arrow. It flew straight and buried itself in the target. She smiled at Guinevere.

"Good to know I haven't gotten worse," she joked.

"You two have been the talk behind the wall," Guinevere stated.

"Really?" said Lancelot.

"Yes. They describe you as fiery warriors who slay anyone who tries to fight you. Your swords flash as you down enemy after enemy. To them you are like gods," Guinevere laughed.

Elizabeth shook her head. Sometimes, people just needed someone they believed could save them. Someone they believed in.

They finished at the archery court and Guinevere headed back up to Arthur. Elizabeth and Lancelot went to Hope Garden and sat on the stone wall again. She stretched her arms above her head and the sun lit upon her face. She smiled.

"Lancelot, what do you think of the people believing you to be a god?" she asked.

"I don't believe in a god, so why would I even listen to that foolery?" he retorted.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows.

"I was just asking," she said.

"Sorry," he replied, looking out at the sun.

Like yesterday, the sun was about to start setting. The flowers behind them were colorful and the sun bounced off their shiny petals. Elizabeth took it all in. The woods she had lived in had been beautiful as well. However, they had been dark and mostly green. Here, on this hill, she was surrounded by a riot of color which she had never before witnessed as so in her dreary brown world. The sun was also a sight to see over the hill. Everything around it was transformed by its golden rays.

"This place is so beautiful," she murmured.

Lancelot looked at her. He had never spent as much time on this hill. Sure, it was beautiful, but he could think of other things and right now his eyes drifted to Elizabeth. She was so changed from when she came. For one thing, she smiled more and there was a brighter sparkle to her clear, blue eyes. He had gone after many women in his life, but Elizabeth was different. Much different.

There was some commotion as some young boys ran out and were play fighting at the base of the hill. Elizabeth's attention was brought away from the sun. She listened to the boys as they yelled to each other.

"I will be Arthur!" one yelled to his friends.

"And I shall be Lancelot," another said.

Another young boy came up and laughed. He was a bit older than the other two and a bit annoyed by them.

"And I will be a great leader of an enemy force! Dare you defeat me?" he said haughtily.

They immediately began their sword play. Elizabeth watched in fascination. The older boy was talented. He wielded his blade like a knife. He must have been taught with knives because the sword seemed awkward in his hands. The two younger boys had wooden practice swords and they banged them around carelessly. Lancelot wrinkled his nose at the boy carrying the two swords. The boy flipped them in the air and dropped them and turned scarlet at the guffaws of his fellows.

"I don't really look like that do I?" Lancelot asked jokingly.

"No, you're much worse," Elizabeth said. "We should go help them."

"Actually, I'm quite enjoying this," Lancelot said.

"Come on you!" Elizabeth growled, grabbing his arm and dragging him down the steps.

The boys dropped their act when they walked up to them.

The boy pretending to be Lancelot immediately blushed and dropped his two swords. Elizabeth walked up to him and placed the blades in his hands. Then whipped out her own blade and she picked up a spare sword which the boys had brought along. It was a real steel sword instead of a practice one. She picked up the two blades and twirled the hilts in her hands.

"Watch me," she said.

Lancelot raised his eyebrows. This would be good. As far as he knew, Elizabeth did not know how to use two swords. What happened next shocked him.

She looked at him and told him to take out one sword. He slowly drew the blade and they fought. She blocked with crossed blades and swung the blades in expertly.

"Where did you learn to do this?" he asked in amazement.

"I never said I didn't know some," she said.

The boys watched in amazement as their hero, Lancelot, fought against a woman. Finally, they stopped and Elizabeth dropped the extra sword and walked over to the boy.

"You need to adjust your grip on the sword and might I suggest only using one. Two swords is a bit tricky," she said.

The boy nodded. The other two stared at them a bit before the older boy came up to them.

"What do you think of knives?" he asked.

"After watching you, I think you should use them. You'd be good," Lancelot said.

The boy grinned.

"I am Michael. I've practiced with knives for a few years now. The sword is new to me," he said.

"Not everyone can use a sword," Elizabeth commented.

He nodded.

The other boy came up to them and looked at Elizabeth.

"Miss, please excuse me but, I can't help wonder how you do it? Being a woman an' all," he said.

Elizabeth didn't say anything at first.

"I would be happy to one day be half as good as you or any of Arthur's knights. The Woads are right letting their women fight," the boy said.

"Aye," murmured the others in agreement.

Elizabeth smiled.

"Well lads, it's been a pleasure," she said.

The boys grinned and ran off. Lancelot looked at her with a quizzical smile on his face.

"Where in the world did you pick up how to use double swords?" he asked.

"From you," she said. "And practice when I was still living as a Woad. I had seen you on numerous occasions using those swords and it took me several years to accomplish it. I still prefer the single sword. Two is quite difficult."

Lancelot grinned and shook his head. She never ceased to amaze him.

"Are you enjoying this day? We haven't been raided once. It kind of makes me wonder a bit," she said.

"It is nice, but I wish that we could just get the entire thing over. It's a little difficult, to listen to all the people and be thinking that there's going to be a battle soon," he said.

Elizabeth nodded. He was right. Waiting for a battle was a difficult thing. You were anxious and it mostly put everyone around you over the edge. They walked up through Hope Garden once more and Elizabeth stopped for several seconds and she stared at the setting sun. It was so powerful. People for ages had feared it and worshiped it.

"Elizabeth?" Lancelot called from the end of the garden.

"Sorry! Coming," she called back.

With one last look at the sun, she caught up with Lancelot.

"What are we going to do tonight?" she asked.

"Well, I was going down to the pub-"

"Of course, what else do you do!" Elizabeth laughed.

Lancelot smiled.

"How about a quick ride before it gets dark?" he asked.

"Sure!" she agreed.

They headed down to the stable and found Gawain in there.

"Elizabeth! Come down for a drink! I have another story for you," he said.

"Of course, Gawain. And I have a story for you too," she said, her eyes twinkling.

Elizabeth slid the bit into her horse's mouth and quickly buckled the straps. She put her saddle on and quickly led Darkness out to meet Lancelot. She was early and she rubbed Darkness's face and played with his ears. He closed his eyes, loving the attention. Lancelot came out and they mounted up.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Follow me," Lancelot said, spurring his horse forward.

Elizabeth nudged Darkness forward as well and they galloped out to the wall. It was a wonderful feeling.The setting sun in the distance and wind rushing around them. Elizabeth sped up a bit and Darkness surged up next to Lancelot's horse. She smiled broadly. The gates before them opened and they cantered out into the open hills. Elizabeth didn't know how long they had been gone, but the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky.

"Lancelot!" she yelled.

Lancelot drew his horse to a stop and grinned.

"What? Tired already?" he asked.

"No, the sun is going down and we still need to get back," she said.

"Ah. Right," he said.

So, they turned the horses towards home and galloped back. Elizabeth's hair flew out behind her in the breeze. The guards on the wall saw them approach and the scene before them was quite entrancing. The sun, bleaching everything golden, and then the two riders who seemed to gallop out of it. They yelled down to open the gate. Elizabeth and Lancelot galloped through.

"That was wonderful!" Elizabeth exclaimed as they approached the stable.

"There's not many days like this," he said.

Elizabeth agreed and they untacked their horses. She was walking Darkness out when two boys ran by, one accidently hit Darkness with the clothes he was trailing behind him, in the wind. Darkness spooked at the odd feeling going by him.

"It's alright, Darkie. Shhh," Elizabeth said soothingly.

The big horse flicked his ears back and forth and his nostrils were dilated with anxiety. He slowly calmed down and Elizabeth rubbed his face. He was still young. She brought him to his stall and walked out. Lancelot walked up to her.

"Damn kids running around like maniacs," he grumbled.

"I saw. They spooked Darkness," she said.

Lancelot shook his head.

"This whole war and battle ordeal is getting to everyone's heads," he said.

Elizabeth nodded and they headed down to the bar. It was getting dark and the sky behind them was turning a purplish-pink. The pub was extremely noisy and Elizabeth headed over to where Gawain and Galahad were standing. They were throwing knives at a board. She picked up one of the knives and chucked it at the board. It hit just outside the center. The two men turned around and grinned. Gawain ran over and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Maiden, you said you had a story for me. Let's hear it," he said.

Elizabeth smiled and launched into a totally fake story of how she had been in a battle and how the men they were fighting were as tall as trees and they had enormous broadswords which could bring down a castle wall. Then she said how she had crossed swords with one of these men and he had sliced her shoulder and she gave a thrust and pushed her sword through his heart. His death scared the others and they retreated somewhat, the Woads then were able to beat them back entirely. She grinned.

"That was very good," Gawain said.

"Thank you."

"However-"

"My lady, Gawain is not boring you again with his stories is he?" Galahad cut him off, as he walked up to them.

"No, quite the opposite actually. I was boring him," she said.

"Really?" Galahad asked.

"Excuse me gentleman, I'm off to talk with someone," she said, standing up from the table.

Galahad stared after her and Gawain hit him.

"You always interrupt me!" he said crossly.

Galahad did not answer. Just smiled.

"Galahad, I'd be careful, you're acting more like Lancelot," he said mockingly.

Galahad shot him a dark look and then the two men laughed. Bors came up behind them, mug of ale in hand.

"Entertaining the young lady?" he asked them.

"Aye," they answered and started laughing all over again.

Elizabeth found Lancelot throwing knives. He was very good, which she expected form a knight. He noticed her and handed her three knives.

"Care to try?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered.

He threw the first knife. It was a fair throw. Not far from the target, but not exactly close. Elizabeth threw her knife and it was outside the circle. Lancelot raised his eyebrows and threw another. This one was right next to Elizabeth's.

"Have you played before?" he laughed, as another of her knives was thrown and landed in the circle.

"No, but it's like throwing knives at an enemy. You've always got a target," she said, with a grin.

Lancelot threw another knife and it finally landed neatly in the center of the circle. Elizabeth's next one did too. She walked up and pulled them out.

"One of the knights, Tristan, he used to throw a knife and it would hit the hilt of the knife previously in there," he said.

Elizabeth smiled.

"Sounds tricky," she said.

She picked up two knives. One she threw at the board and the second she threw at the knife. She missed.

"Very tricky," she said with a laugh.

"Aye," Lancelot said.

They walked back over to the table where the other knights were sitting. Bors was complaining loudly about something when Vanora came up. She yelled at Bors for something and dragged him away at the sniggers of Gawain and Galahad. One of the barmaids came over and Galahad pulled her onto his lap and the two men drank and talked loudly with the woman still with them. Elizabeth looked at Lancelot.

"They do this often?" she asked.

"Every night," he said.

"Ah. I see."

"It's what we did for the years we were in service. After coming back from a journey, this place looked mighty welcoming and pleasure was what helped," he explained.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. She knew Lancelot liked women. He always would. And she enjoyed giving him a hard time because she knew he couldn't quite figure her out.

"Being a knight is not all it is made out to be," he said.

"Neither is being a woman," she said grinning.

Lancelot looked at her and laughed.

Elizabeth smiled and turned to leave the bar. Lancelot followed.

"You can stay," she said.

"That's alright. It's getting late and we don't know if tomorrow is going to be another quiet day," he said.

"True," Elizabeth said, nodding.

They headed up to the rooms and Elizabeth unlocked her door. The maids had started a roaring fire and the room was filled with a comforting orange glow. She smiled and walked in. She unhooked her belt with her sword and knives on it and placed it on the table next to her bed. She opened the window and looked out. Clouds were coming in above them and hiding the stars from view. She breathed in the cool night air, not hearing the knock on the door. Lancelot stood in the door way before slowly walking in. He gently tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry," he said.

"No, it's alright. I was just-"

"Admiring the view?" Lancelot finished.

Elizabeth slowly nodded her head and looked down at her hands. Lancelot picked her hands up and pulled her into his arms. Her mind went blank as she stood there and wished that quiet days happened more often. She separated from Lancelot and closed the window and latched it. He stared at her with soft eyes and once again swept her into his arms. Elizabeth smiled. She could really get used to all this.

"Lancelot," she started.

"What?"

"Have you ever felt alone in the world?" she asked.

He thought a moment and looked at her.

"Yes."

"At night, you try to sleep and everything just bothers you at once and you feel like you're the only person because no one else understands-"

"Elizabeth, what are you trying to say?" he asked with a frown.

"Nothing...well, I..." she stammered.

"Everything's fine. People aren't just going to leave you. Trust me," he said sincerely.

He sat down on the bed and looked up at her.

"I do trust you," she said, sitting next to him.

He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her. Elizabeth put her hands around his neck. She trusted him.