Chapter 10: Hidden Ballroom

Elizabeth woke the next morning and smiled. She opened her eyes and suddenly frowned, remembering last night. She slowly turned her head to the side. It was just her. Lancelot must have gone back to his room after she had fallen asleep. She got out of bed, and like every morning, she looked out her window. The clouds had rolled in. She sighed and began getting dressed. She was getting accustomed to just putting her riding clothes on because she was outside doing something almost everyday. She threw cold water on her face and rubbed it dry with a soft towel. There was a soft tap on her door and she opened it quickly. She gave a wide smile at the sight of Lancelot.

"Forget having a quiet day," he said.

Elizabeth's face dropped.

"Why? What happened now?" she questioned.

"Another villager gone. Except this time, it's a woman. Arthur is worried the Woads will mistreat her," he explained.

"Who's he sending?" she asked.

Lancelot held out his arms.

"The rescue patrol!" he said sarcastically.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"I'll go tack up Darkness. Hopefully, we'll reach this woman in time. We'll need to ride hard. Which area did she disappear to?" she asked.

"They snuck in the back way again."

Elizabeth rushed out the door. Lancelot stood there and stared at her table. Any minute know. He heard footsteps hurrying back and Elizabeth ran in and grabbed her sword and knives off the table. She gave him a smile and Lancelot shook his head and laughed. They ran down to the stables where there was a flurry of activity. The other knights were saddling their horses and taking weapons. Elizabeth hurried to Darkness and immediately began tacking him up. The other knights were talking. Of course, you could easily hear Bors over the rest of them. Arthur was already leading his horse out and Elizabeth hurried to catch up.

"Arthur, I wanted to ask you something. What if the Woads attack from behind the wall? We'll have villagers in the way and their homes will be destroyed," she said.

Arthur looked at her, contemplating this.

"We'll have to move the people if we know when the battle is. Homes can be rebuilt," he said.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Elizabeth, I meant to ask you, can you use a spear?" he asked.

"Well, I can stab someone with it, but really I'm not very good with it and I prefer to not use it," she said. "I also find it hard to defend myself against it."

Arthur smiled. Like any other warrior she was weak with something.

The knights all came out of the stable and mounted. Their horses pawed the dirt nervously. Arthur looked back before urging his horse forward and off they went. They surged in between the abandoned homes and came to the edge of the forest. It was quiet. Unusually quiet and still. Elizabeth watched the forest with wary eyes and moved slightly ahead of everyone else. Lancelot was immediately at her side. The knights slowly penetrated the woods and the dark around them was extremely uncomfortable. The proceeded down the dirt path, swords drawn and at the ready. The further they got into the forest, the darker it got. Elizabeth looked up through the trees where the faint, cloudy light was peeking through. She narrowed her eyes. She heard a faint humming noise. Her eyes widened and she immediately yelled back to the knights.

"Shields!" she yelled.

The knights that had them lifted them and sure enough, several arrows came flying through the air. Arthur galloped by her and led them on. They stopped as the path became less worn and smaller. Lancelot got off his horse and looked at the dirt. There were few things to track off of. Elizabeth looked around as Lancelot looked at the ground. The Woads were covering their tracks. This was getting worse and worse. Lancelot suddenly got up and got onto his horse.

"Go straight. There's several footprints heading straight and none around them going anywhere else," he said.

Arthur nodded and one of the guards picked up a rock from the ground. He chucked it onto the path in front of them and nothing happened. They proceeded forward. Arthur's face was set and determined, as were his knights' faces. Elizabeth pulled her sword out of its sheath and held it in her hand. She would be prepared if they were jumped. She wasn't going to lie to herself. She was nervous about this. Arthur held up a hand in front and turned his horse around.

"We're going to have to split up again. We'll cover more ground quicker. Lancelot and Elizabeth with me. Gawain, Bors, and Galahad take the guards with you and go another way," he said.

Everyone nodded and the groups separated.

"Arthur, this could take hours," Elizabeth said.

"Well, we're not going to give up. We cannot give in," Arthur said.

"I understand, but what are we to do if it gets dark?" she asked.

Arthur opened his mouth and closed it. Elizabeth nodded. They needed to complete their quest before dark. The three of them rode on and Elizabeth started to notice a change. The woods started to open and they came to a small stream.

"Follow it. The settlement it probably not far," Lancelot said.

"Aye," Arthur agreed.

The picked up a canter and stayed on the banks of the stream, which began becoming larger, making it turn into a river. The current seemed incredibly strong as the water rushed by at a very quick speed. Arthur urged his horse on and Elizabeth and Lancelot galloped behind him. There was a hidden path coming up, which was given away by the main one, and they turned onto it. They barged through the bushes and Arthur grinned. The had found the settlement. There was a fire going in the center of all the huts and on the ground, bound and gagged, was the village woman. There was an old man keeping watch over her. He sat on a log and carved a piece of wood. He spat on the ground as the woman squirmed in her ties. Arthur looked back at Elizabeth and Lancelot who nodded. They rushed forward into the settlement.

The old man jumped up and drew a short blade resembling a knife. Arthur cantered up to him and their blades met for a moment before Arthur cut him down. More Woads rushed out, weapons drawn. Elizabeth was knocked off her horse and a horde of Woads was immediately on top of her. She fought them off. Woad after Woad fell as they came within her sword. However, she was beginning to tire. The onslaught didn't seem to lessen and Lancelot noticed her strength waning. He jumped off his horse and stood behind her. The Woads paused as he twirled the blades in his hands.

"You're ruining my plan," Elizabeth whispered.

"You looked tired," he said.

"I am a little, but I was going to exaggerate so they would underestimate me," she said.

Lancelot shook his head and they fought on. Arthur stayed on his horse and the Woads were having trouble lasting long enough to get a decent sword fight. Eventually, less Woads were standing. There were maybe a dozen. They stood farther back from them and seemed to take a deep breath before rushing forward. Elizabeth crossed blades with one and they fought. She tried to slice in, but was blocked. She spun away and blocked as he aimed a heavy blow at her shoulder. She swung the blade around and sliced him from between his shoulders and went down. He dropped his sword and fell. Lancelot, behind her, took three down and Arthur was being swamped by the rest. They rushed over to help. Arthur brought several down, but when Lancelot and Elizabeth came, the rest ran away, into the woods. Arthur looked at them. Lancelot had blood smeared on his face and Elizabeth had another cut on her thigh. It was bleeding but didn't seem to bother her much. She ran over to the woman, with Lancelot behind her. They quickly untied her and sat her up. She looked at them with wide, terrified eyes. Arthur came over and offered her water which she took warily.

"My lady, you are safe now," he said.

She gave a small smile and passed out. Lancelot caught her before she crashed onto the hard packed dirt behind her. Arthur picked her up and placed her on his horse. They mounted and galloped out of the clearing. As they left, they did not see the Woads return to their settlement and pick up the water canteen that Arthur had left there.

The three of them galloped as fast as they could back down the path. They would have to find the other knights and guards somehow. They couldn't now. They needed to get the woman back. Arthur stopped his horse and Elizabeth and Lancelot came to a halt behind him.

"We need to figure out a way to call the other knights in," he said.

"Do you know which way they went?" Lancelot asked.

"No, I don't," Arthur admitted.

"Someone needs to get the woman back," Elizabeth said. "Arthur, take her back and get the village people into their homes. Lancelot and I will go."

"Elizabeth, you're exhausted and bleeding-"

She cut Lancelot off and shook her head.

"We need to get to them before the Woads do."

Lancelot looked at her before nodding. They both looked at Arthur, who sighed.

"Be careful," he said slowly before galloping back to the village.

"Ready?" Lancelot asked.

Elizabeth smiled grimly and they cantered off in the opposite direction of which they had come. They followed the hoof prints of the other knights and guards. The prints became deeper in the soggy ground and along the trail they found an empty water canteen. Lancelot stopped and he picked it up.

"This is Arthur's," he said.

Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"We must have left it at the camp. That means the Woads went by here after the others!" she exclaimed.

Lancelot nodded and suddenly, a cry went off from the woods. It sounded like Bors. They quickly spurred the horses and galloped at break neck speed towards the cry. They found them. And not in a good way. The Woads were circled around them with spears outstretched. Elizabeth felt her heart drop. Spears. This was going to be incredibly difficult. The others saw them approach. As well as the Woads. The spears were turned towards Lancelot and Elizabeth. Bors, Gawain, and Galahad watched very closely. They were poised for an attack, ready to take on the Woads. Elizabeth crept behind Lancelot. He turned and gave her a look that clearly said this wasn't the time to hide behind someone. His look changed when he saw her pull her bow off her back and put arrows on it. She lifted it and quickly released, taking down several Woads. There was a terrible scream from the Woads as they rushed at Lancelot and Elizabeth. The knights, who had been momentarily forgotten, quickly pulled out their own bows and fired on the Woads. There weren't as many as at the settlement. Maybe twenty Woads in all. The other knights continued to fire as Lancelot and Elizabeth kept them off them with their swords. Soon, all the Woads were down.

"Good thing we came," Lancelot joked, the knights and guards having killed the majority of the Woads.

Bors grinned and pounded a hand on his chest.

They turned the horses and galloped out of the forest. Elizabeth's leg felt like it was on fire. It was all she could do to keep from falling off her horse. They galloped down the path and back into the village area. Arthur was at the stable waiting for them. He smiled seeing all of them. A little bloody, but otherwise looking fine. Elizabeth's face, however, was pale and her leg was still bleeding. Lancelot noticed the same moment Arthur did and jumped off his horse. The other men were all talking loudly about their victory and didn't notice Lancelot and Elizabeth slip inside the stable.

They quickly untacked their horses and cooled them off. Elizabeth limped as she walked Darkness out and he nuzzled her anxiously, worried about his mistress. Elizabeth pat him and brought him back to his stall and gave him some grain. Lancelot came up and held her arm.

"You should have come back with Arthur," he said, concern on his face.

"I couldn't let you go alone," she said weakly. "I think I'll go up and see the healer."

Lancelot nodded.

"I'll take you," he said.

Elizabeth didn't protest and they went out the back of the barn, avoiding the other men. They quickly went up the stairs to the castle and Lancelot left Elizabeth in her room as he went for the healer. She sat down on her bed and slowly took off her weapons and placed them on the bedside table. She took a deep breath and started to untie the strings on her riding pants. The fabric moved and she bit her lip as a deep pain went through her thigh. The healer bustled in and shut the door. She had brought a basin of warm water and dipped a cloth into it. She helped Elizabeth take off her pants and examined the wound. It wasn't deep and probably wouldn't scar, but it certainly was bleeding a lot. She cleaned it and put an ointment on it. She took a strip of fresh linen and placed it on the cut, before wrapping a bandage around her leg.

"There ye go, miss," she said.

Elizabeth nodded and smiled. She honestly did not know what would happen to her if healers were never around.

The healer left the room and Elizabeth carefully washed up and put a dress on. There was a soft knock on the door and Lancelot came in.

"Arthur came by," he said.

"Oh?"

"He wanted to make sure you were alright. He also invited us to have dinner with him and Guinevere. I told him I could come, but I would need to ask you," he told her.

Elizabeth thought for moment on the matter.

"Yes, I'll go," she said.

Lancelot smiled and sat down on a chair.

"Today was certainly an adventure. What with all the tracking and fighting. Makes the rest of the day seem like it will be boring," she said.

"And what do you propose we do?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't seen the rest of the inside of the castle. Are there dungeons or special rooms?" she asked.

Lancelot leaned back on the chair and smiled. Exploring the castle sounded good, considering the cloudy, rainy weather. He got up from the chair and took her hand.

"Follow me," he said with a mischievous grin on his face.

They ran down several flights of stairs and came to an old wooden door. There were cobwebs everywhere, but Lancelot gave it a hard push and it creaked open. He turned to Elizabeth.

"Close your eyes," he said.

She closed them and followed Lancelot into the room.

"Alright. Open them."

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes widened as she took in what she saw. The room looked as if no one but them had been inside it.

There were paintings on the wall of different objects. There was one of a horse and another of a tree. The floor was made of cobblestones and they seemed to glitter in the candlelight. There were couches up against the wall, all around the room. The ceiling was higher than expected and there was a beautiful scene painted on it. At the front of the room, there was an altar with instruments set up. They were dusty and seemed like they hadn't been touched in many years. Elizabeth walked forward and carefully lay a hand on one of the string instruments. She jumped when she saw the skeleton behind it. She stepped back as she took in the scene. The entire band was on the stage. As skeletons.

"What is this?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"It was an old room that was used for parties. At least it was before they finished the castle. There was an attack one night and the current ruler was having a party and he got out, but the band wasn't as lucky. They were ordered to keep playing to create a diversion. The attackers found them and sealed them in the room. Arthur opened the room up, I was with him, and we saw the skeletons. We left them. They had been there and we felt we shouldn't disturb them. However, this room is a legend in the village," he said.

Elizabeth just stared.

"I thought you would like to see it. It is one of the most beautiful rooms in the castle," he said.

"It is beautiful."

She looked back at the instruments.

"Do you play?" he asked.

"No. I'm not very good with making music. I sing a little bit. My father made me sing. He said every man wanted a woman who could sing somewhat. However, the men didn't like my voice. Another reason for my father to sell me," she said bitterly.

"Ah. I see. But you must know how to dance," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Elizabeth looked at him sheepishly.

"Erm...no. There was no need for a warrior to know how to dance," she explained.

Lancelot took her hand and brought her into the middle of the room. And started showing her how to dance properly. They worked on it for a long time and Elizabeth finally had it.

"See? Not that hard," Lancelot laughed.

"Guess not," Elizabeth said with a smile.

Lancelot walked back up to the instrument and looked at it for several moments.

"Elizabeth, do you need music to sing?" he asked.

"No, I kind of just used to sing. It was like poetry. It just flowed. The words were not always good. I never had anything happy to sing about," she said.

Lancelot nodded.

"Will you sing now?" he asked her.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting this and she didn't know any of the words from her old songs.

"Um...I'd rather not," she said.

Lancelot nodded. He thought she would say that, but it was worth asking. Maybe some other time. He smiled and walked back over to where she was standing.

"Come. We have dinner with Arthur," he said.

Elizabeth followed him out of the room and watched as he turned around and blew out the torches and shut the heavy door.

"Who lit the torches earlier?" she asked.

"Arthur probably. He comes down here at times."

He started back up the stairs and looked back at Elizabeth, who hadn't moved from the door.

"Elizabeth?"

Her head snapped forward and she smiled.

"Sorry. Coming."

She ran up the steps behind Lancelot. They ran past several maids who were arguing about something and they hurriedly ran up the stairs to their rooms. However, they didn't get far. The stair way was blocked and an unconscious servant was carried down by two men. Lancelot stopped them.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"There was a fight in the servants quarters," one of the men said.

"They were quarreling who would work in the armory during the upcoming war," another said.

The men gave them one last look before heading down the stairs.

"This is not good," said Lancelot.

"If people keep this up, we'll have no one," Elizabeth commented.

They continued up to their rooms. Elizabeth unlocked her door and walked over to her window. The sky was darkening outside. She opened the window and went over to her chest. She pulled out an evening dress and put it on. She looked at her hair in the mirror and sighed. She had to do something with it. She braided two side strands and pulled them back and pinned them together. Her hair looked somewhat better, at least better than how it was before. She walked back over to the window and shut and locked it. She wasn't going to take a chance. With one last look in the mirror, she headed out the door. Lancelot was still in his room and she waited in the hall. He finally came out and had changed into nicer clothes as well. He looked at her suspiciously.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just waiting out here."

Lancelot smiled and shook his head. Elizabeth grinned back and Lancelot held out his hand for her to take and they walked down the stairs to the round table. Arthur and Guinevere were waiting downstairs. Guinevere looked spectacular in a silver gown. Her hair hung down her back and her skin glowed. She smiled at Elizabeth with white teeth. Elizabeth grinned back and followed her to her seat.

The servants carried in several trays and Arthur and Lancelot talked about the Woad matter the entire time.

"Elizabeth, how are you liking the castle?" Guinevere asked while slicing her piece of pork with her knife.

"It feels like more of a home than I've ever had," Elizabeth answered.

Guinevere smiled and they turned and listened to Arthur and Lancelot.

"Many of the workers in the castle are worried for nothing," Arthur said. " I wasn't planning on having them out to fight. The villagers are getting restless now as well. The training was going well and some people started questioning their rights. In other words, they are unsure of whether or not, they want to take part in this battle."

"Do they have a choice? This is their home. They should want to protect it and fight for it," Elizabeth said.

"Some people think that the Rebels are attacking because of the knights. They think it is our problem and we should take care of it ourselves. They see the Woads attacking us because of the peace treaty made with us. However, the Woads are violating the treaty by stealing people and harming them," Lancelot explained.

Arthur nodded and picked a map up from under his chair. It was a map of Hadrian's Wall and the areas around it. He pointed to the forest behind the wall.

"The forest behind us is not very thick. In a few hours we could penetrate it and come to this area of fields," he said, pointing to the area on the map.

"But how do we get to that area without being obliterated by the Woads?" Guinevere questioned.

"We ride as far as we can and fight them to that area. Keeping the fighting in the woods and the field will keep the people out of harm's way. Hopefully, we'll be able to finish them off in the field. However, in a way they have an advantage. We'll be fighting in their land. They know it and they have their weapons so we need to be prepared,"Arthur explained.

Elizabeth looked at the map and considered all of this. Finally she spoke.

"I think it's a good plan. However, we must go to Merlin soon and we must also wait for the Rebels to attack us. We should wait for them to start coming into the village and when they do, we'll fight them back," she said.

Arthur nodded.

Another tray came in with dessert and it had a cake of some sort on it. It was cut and served. Elizabeth only ate a little of it. She wasn't really hungry anymore. She and Guinevere talked about other things such as the Hope Garden and the other places behind the wall.

"I love being in the garden at sunset. Everything is just so peaceful and it makes me feel like I'm in a totally different world," said Elizabeth.

Guinevere agreed and was talking about another spot when Arthur stood up.

"We're heading down to the pub," he said. "You're welcome to join us."

Elizabeth smiled and got up. Guinevere did as well.

"How's your leg?" Arthur asked.

"Better now that the bandage is on. It really helped to stop the blood flow quickly," she said.

The walked outside and down to the path. The pub was full of excitement and people were running around and having a great time. The knights were the loudest of all. Elizabeth had barely gone under the archway before Gawain and Galahad came rushing up. They grabbed her hands and dragged her over to their table.

Lancelot felt a nudge in his back.

"I'd go watch them if I were you," Arthur whispered jokingly.

Lancelot laughed.

"Frankly Arthur, I think Elizabeth is taking care of it."

They looked over at the table and Gawain and Galahad were on their feet telling what seemed like a whopper of a story. Lancelot walked over. This was going to be interesting.

"And then the fire had multiplied in size and it was rushing for us. Now, we were trapped between the enemy and the fire. So we fought viciously against the enemy and ran over their lines and away from the fire. Then we realized some of the other knights were still trapped so-"

"You ran back and came to our rescue and received a golden medal," Lancelot said sarcastically.

Gawain gave him a murderous glare.

"I'm telling the story! That's the second time you've interrupted me!" he growled.

"And what are ye going to do to me, Gawain? Have me die in one or your stories?" Lancelot laughed.

"Aye. Then I'll find a way to get you back in real life-"

He stopped suddenly and gave Lancelot another black look.

"My stories aren't fake! Who said they're fake!" he yelled.

Galahad sniggered and Gawain quickly punched him.

Elizabeth looked at them her lips closed tightly. She was trying extremely hard not to laugh. However, being a witness to this situation was probably more funny than being in it.

"I'm going to get a mug of ale," she said in a strained voice.

She went up to get it and Vanora and Bors were arguing as a horde of children ran about their feet. Elizabeth chuckled to herself and went back to the table. Gawain, Galahad, and Lancelot were still going at it and Elizabeth sat down to watch. Gawain noticed she was back and turned back around to the others.

"We'll ask the lady. Whatever she says goes," Gawain announced.

"Well, Elizabeth, what do ye say?" Galahad asked.

"Oh Gawain, they're wonderful works of fiction. I'm guessing you could be a writer someday!"

Gawain chucked the pieces of bread at her that were sitting on the table. She covered her head and ducked, but she still got hit. Everyone started laughing. Anne walked over to their table cautiously.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth turned around and started smiling again when she saw Anne.

"I wanted to introduce you to the other women," she said.

"Pleasurable company," Galahad muttered under his breath and started the others laughing again.

Elizabeth pretended not to notice and they headed off.

"So, Lancelot. Is she yours or is she somewhat still open to the idea of other men?" Gawain asked.

Lancelot didn't answer and just raised his eyebrows.

"Something's wrong. It's never taken him so long to steal a woman's heart," Galahad said suspiciously.

"At least I'm still quicker than you two. If it were either of you, we'd be here waiting until next year," Lancelot joked.

"All kidding aside. What is the problem?" Gawain asked.

"Nothing. She's just so different. A lot of the woman hear have never been abused, well except by you two," he laughed.

Gawain made a face at him.

"But she was abused by a person she loved and she's determined to make everything better," Lancelot said.

Galahad nodded in agreement and got up heavily from the table.

"Going to get another mug," he said, waving the empty mug a bit unsteadily.

Gawain got up and followed him and Lancelot went off to a game of dice.

Elizabeth was talking to some of the other women who were being offered money by the men. Definitely not her crowd, but the Romans could have easily had her doing this if Lancelot hadn't come. She turned to Anne.

"Thanks for the introduction. I'm going back to see if Lancelot is still alive after Gawain's wrath," she laughed.

Anne nodded and turned back to the group.

Elizabeth walked away and saw Guinevere talking to Vanora.

She waved at them and saw Bors sitting with Gawain and Galahad. They were discussing something and it was obviously something very funny and probably very inappropriate as she could tell from their smirks. She shook her head and walked over to Lancelot's dice game. He got up when he saw her. The drunken guard he was sitting with waved a finger at her.

"How abouts we play fer her?" he gurgled.

Lancelot gave a quick smile and Elizabeth wrinkled her nose in distaste. Lancelot quickly covered her mouth before she could make a comment.

"Um...no. I think I'm finished," Lancelot answered.

The guard started to protest, but was too drunk and fell off his chair. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and started laughing. Lancelot looked at her with a grin.

"I'm guessing you were winning anyways," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Actually yes."

Bors came up and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Pretty maiden, won't you come grace my presence?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and started to turn around to give him a sassy comment. Just as she did, Bors dumped a huge bucket of ice cold water on her. She yelped as the freezing liquid touched her skin. She tried to punch Bors, who was laughing like a hyena. She started laughing as well.

"I told ye I would get ye," he laughed.

He was sitting on the ground laughing and Elizabeth walked over and squeezed the water out of her hair out on top of him. He was caught in a small shower. He swore and jumped up. Elizabeth gave him a grin. Gawain came over and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Gentlemen, I think I'll be retiring for the night," she said.

The knights grinned as she left. Gawain pushed Lancelot forward.

"Last chance, otherwise I have a fair chance," he joked.

Lancelot pretended to hit him, but then followed Elizabeth up. He saw her standing right in the doorway looking up towards the heavens.

"I never got to see all this," she said. "The trees always blocked my view."

Lancelot nodded.

"You should go get dry. You look like you're freezing," he said.

"Not too bad. I had a good time tonight. Getting water dumped on me was worth it," she laughed.

He joined in her laughter and they stood there for a few moments.

"Well, I think I'm going to head up," she said.

They walked up to the rooms and heard Arthur and Guinevere returning as well. Elizabeth unlocked her door and stopped as she was walking in.

"Lancelot?"

He reappeared from his room.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her expression.

"Can you come look at this?"

"Sure."

They walked into her room and the window was wide open.

"I shut it earlier," she said.

He drew his sword and carefully went around the room and checked it one way, while Elizabeth checked the other. Elizabeth let out a groan. Her ivory comb was gone. She told Lancelot and they looked on the floor and around the room, but could not find it.

"You think it was Woads?" he asked.

"I know it was the Woads," she said, picking a piece of leather off the floor.

"We should tell Arthur. Seal the castle and perform a search. They could be inside the castle. You're sure this window was locked?" he asked.

"Positive," Elizabeth answered.

He nodded and they ran down to the round table. There was a guard, but no Arthur.

"We must speak to Arthur," Lancelot said.

"I'm afraid he is unavailable at the moment-"

"This is in relation to the Rebel Woads. It is urgent," Elizabeth said.

She pushed past the guard and ran down the corridor. Lancelot ran to Arthur's door and knocked on it urgently.

"Arthur! We need to seal the castle!" Lancelot yelled through the door.

Arthur hurriedly opened the door. He had on riding clothes and an old piece of parchment in his hand.

"I was looking at some papers. What happened?"

"A Woad broke into Elizabeth's room. They took her ivory comb. We found a piece of leather on the floor and the window wide open when it had been locked," Lancelot explained.

"They could still be in the castle. It needs to be locked and searched," Elizabeth said.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Let's go. This needs to be taken care of now," he said.

They walked past the disgruntled guard and Arthur told several servants to run and get the knights and guards. They met around the round table and Arthur told them what had happened.

"Search this entire castle. I want them found if they are here. Every room. Every corner. Every recession in the wall."

They agreed and set off around the castle. Elizabeth and Lancelot had been searching for around an hour when Elizabeth had a sudden idea.

"Lancelot, who attacked the band in that hidden room?" she asked.

"I believe it was the Woads. Why?" he asked.

"What if they know about the room and-"

"They could be hiding down there because no one else knows where it is!" he exclaimed, cutting her off.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Brilliant," he murmured.

He grabbed her hand and they rushed down to the room. He pulled open the door and Elizabeth pulled him off to the side as an arrow came pelting out of the room. The rushed in and another arrow was aimed at them, but missed. Elizabeth drew her sword and attacked the Woad. He brought out a small sword and fought back. He brought the blade down heavily and kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Lancelot jumped to her defense and was fighting the man back. Elizabeth jumped to her feet and swung the blade in her hand. The Woad saw her get up and tried to run around Lancelot to get to her. Lancelot pressed a blade up against his neck and he stopped.

"What are you here for?"

"The girl," he gasped. " she's a danger to us. My leader wants her killed."

Lancelot slit his throat and the man fell to the floor. Elizabeth had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That was my cousin. He joined the Rebels last year," she said.

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry-"

"No, I'm glad he's dead. But my own family member was willing to kill me," she said sadly.

Lancelot gave her a hug.

"You're worth so much more than any of the Rebels, even if they're a family member," he said.

Elizabeth gave him a small smile. Lancelot bent down and picked up the man. He shut and locked the door and they headed back up to the round table. Lancelot laid the man on the floor and a few minutes later Arthur came in.

"This is it?" he asked.

Lancelot nodded.

"Found him in the private room. Sent to kill Elizabeth and it's her cousin," Lancelot answered.

Elizabeth looked down at the floor. Arthur didn't say anything at first.

"Thank you Lancelot, Elizabeth. Where did you find him?" Arthur asked.

"In the hidden ballroom," Lancelot said.

"Ah. I see. Well, I'll call the others in. They found nothing," he said.

Lancelot nodded and he guided Elizabeth out of the room. She gave one last look down at the man lying on the floor. She remembered him teaching her how to hold a bow when she was young. He had been her favorite cousin. Yet, he had been willing to kill his own family. She followed Lancelot numbly up the stairs. He watched as she walked into her room and didn't even close the door. She sat and looked out her window. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she stared determinedly at the stars. Lancelot walked in and sat next to her.

"Elizabeth-"

"He was like my best friend when I was younger! He taught me how to hold a bow! And now here he is, trying to murder me!" she yelled.

Lancelot looked at her.

"Has my entire family betrayed me?" she said.

"Elizabeth, they're Rebels. They're going to want to kill you because you left. They don't believe in what you believe and they don't care whether you're dead or not. If they did, then your cousin would not have come. People love you here and would protect you against an enemy. Don't fret over this," Lancelot said as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

Elizabeth looked at him.

"Maybe I overreacted, but still, he meant so much to me and then to have him come back and want me dead..." she trailed off.

"I understand, but you could have a life here, Elizabeth. You're not a Woad anymore. Maybe you are at heart because those are your people, but look at Guinevere. She's happy here and it's become her home," Lancelot said.

Elizabeth sighed.

"You're right," she said with a nod.

Lancelot grinned.

"Also, you're the only one that's ever dumped a bucket of trough water on Bors. That's got to count for something," he said with a grin.

Elizabeth smiled and gave a small laugh.

"Thanks Lancelot. For everything," she said.

"My pleasure."

He got up and kissed her gently on the lips before leaving. Elizabeth sat there for a little while considering everything he had said. She got up and shut the door and stoked the fire. She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the fire. He was right. This place was her home now. And she was actually happy with that.