Chapter 14: Realizations
A young woman leaned over the small trees hiding her from view. The creak of the wheels on the carriage sounded over the snow. She shivered in her revealing outfit and continued to watch. She was a Woad, sent by Merlin and her father to watch the train for any sign of Guinevere. News of her had reached the Woads' ears, that she had been pulled from a dungeon and was now in the company of the knights from Hadrian's Wall. The girl continued watching and finally, the caravan came into view. Normally, she would not have been overly willing to take this work, but she hoped to catch a glimpse of the knights. She inched forward another step, not watching where she put her feet upon the slippery, rocky hill. Her foot slid and she grasped helplessly at tree branches. It was too late and she slid down the side of the hill, right into the path of the caravan. The knights looked forward at her and they drew their swords. The markings on her face told them she was a Woad and that she could signal others to attack. She recognized Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, Bors, and Dagonet at once. They were easily distinguished from the rest. She saw Arthur nod his head to Lancelot and Lancelot, twin swords drawn, cantered his horse over. His face had an irritated look upon it. The girl silently swore at herself for being so stupid up on the hill. Lancelot was just giving her a cold look when she finally brought up the courage to speak.
"Are you going to kill me, or wait for me to start running and then chop me down?" she asked sarcastically.
"Neither. Get up," he answered.
She rose to her feet and wiped snow off her tight leather pants. She had a tall, slim frame. Her blonde hair was tied behind her head, but it still flowed around her. Her blue eyes seemed to be going straight through Lancelot. He shook his head once and spoke again.
"What was your business following us?" he asked her.
"I was just watching you. There is no ambush awaiting you. Rest easy, Sir Lancelot," the girl said with a pretty smile.
The caravan was passing around them and a horn blew in the distance. The girl knew she must hurry.
"Sir Lancelot, please, is there a young Woad named Guinevere in your caravan? I was sent in hope that you would have her. She was my friend and the daughter of my father's friend," she said.
Lancelot did not answer. Another horn blew. The girl could stay no longer.
"Thank you, Lancelot. Perhaps I shall see you again," she said earnestly.
"Lancelot!" Arthur called from the front of the wagon. The girl gave him one last smile before sprinting back up the hill, slipping only once, and disappearing into the woods.
Lancelot sat up in bed. He knew he had seen Elizabeth before the battle. She had been the young woman who fell in front of their caravan. What he couldn't understand was how he knew about the first part of the dream. Her thoughts, where she was. The only part he remembered from that time had been when she asked about Guinevere.
Lancelot sighed and leaned back onto his pillow. The sun was starting to come up outside and the birds were beginning to make a racket.
"Damn it!"
Lancelot laughed. Elizabeth was obviously not pleased with the after effect of her wounds. He got dressed and knocked on her door.
"Just a moment," she answered.
Lancelot waited out in the hallway, looking at some odd paintings on the wall. Finally, Elizabeth opened the door, a scowl on her face.
"Bloody wounds," she growled.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"That ointment half healed almost all of them but one! " she yelled.
Lancelot put a hand over her mouth.
"You know of course we are pretty much the only ones awake right now," he said.
Elizabeth just gave him another look. She was clearly pissed with the whole ordeal. And to make matters worse, Lancelot watched a thick drop of blood drip off her arm and slid onto the floor. It hit with a sickening plop. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and went into the cabinet. She pulled out bandages and more ointment.
"I had a weird dream last night," he said.
"Oh? And may I inquire as to what it was about?" she asked.
"You may, considering it was from a snowy day, several months ago. A young girl fell down a hill into the caravan traveling to Hadrian's Wall. Any memories?" he asked.
Elizabeth dropped the ointment by accident and hurriedly picked it up.
"I thought you had forgotten that," she said, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Lancelot stepped forward and placed his hand on her cheek. Elizabeth felt as if a hot wave were going through her as she melted at the gentle touch of his hand.
"Of course I did not forget. I just needed a little something to prod my memory," he said with a charming grin.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"I'm going down to see the training again. It's coming along alright. The young men are younger than I thought they would be. Going to be a lot of sad mothers after this," he said.
Elizabeth nodded.
"I'll meet you down there," she said.
Lancelot left and Elizabeth went back to cleaning up her arm. She put another bandage on and wrapped it tightly around her arm. She put a plain blue dress on because she didn't think anyone would let her near a horse. She messily tied her hair behind her head and grabbed her sword before rushing out the door. Lancelot gave a questioning glance at her sword.
"I may need it," she said defensively.
"You can't join the training," he warned her.
Elizabeth nodded. That was going to be the general feeling.
They walked down the stairs and out into the sunshine. Elizabeth squinted, having been inside for so long. She heard the dull thud of wood as the young boys used practice swords. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as she watched Gawain teach the young men. Arthur watched from the other side, a similar expression on his face. One boy, who seemed pretty good, rushed at another and they crossed swords and it could have been a good fight if the other boy hadn't dropped his sword, after tripping over his own two feet. Elizabeth sighed and brought the boy who wasn't as good over to Lancelot.
"What is your name, lad?" she asked.
"Jacob, my lady," he answered.
"Sir Lancelot will help you," she said with a warm smile.
She watched as Lancelot taught the young man. The boy seemed in awe of Lancelot and who wouldn't be with his reputation. Elizabeth continued watching, a slight smile on her face, as Lancelot adjusted the boy's grip on the sword. They practiced some moves and blocks. About an hour later, they ended and Lancelot gave the boy an encouraging clap on the shoulder.
"You have a dreamy smile on your face," someone commented quietly in her ear.
Elizabeth spun around to find Guinevere, who had a knowing smile on her face.
"I remember how you always loved hearing about the knights. One of your favorite bedtime stories your mother used to tell. And now that I know them, I can tell you, nothing could be too farfetched to tell about them," Guinevere said.
"Aye," Elizabeth murmured.
The two continued watching in silence. Lancelot said good-bye to the others and ran over to Elizabeth. He put a carefree arm over her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"The young man seemed to think you killed men with your 'blue eyes'. He thought if he looked at you he would be caught in a trance. It took some convincing on the fact that you were no witch. He wouldn't believe me because he always saw the men with you," Lancelot whispered, an amused tone in his voice.
Elizabeth laughed at this. She wished she could do that. Maybe she could have gotten rid of her father earlier. Guinevere came up behind them and wriggled in between, separating them.
"And we're talking about?" she asked.
"A rumor spread amongst the young village boys," Elizabeth said, a grin on her face.
"Oh?" Guinevere asked curiously.
"They seemed to think I put all the men under a trance and then tricked them into being my followers," Elizabeth laughed.
Guinevere raised her eyebrows and joined in their laughter.
They walked over to the other knights who were over at the stable. Bors already had his horse half tacked up when Vanora stormed in, a temper about her. She thrust a young child into his arms and yelled at him for being gone for so long. Bors just shrugged and took it with good humor. Vanora stormed out and Bors looked at them.
"High spirits. One of the reasons I love her so much," he said.
The others laughed. Typical Bors.
Elizabeth walked over to Illusion's stall and found the brown horse eating his afternoon hay. He munched on it slowly, his ears flickering back and forth. He saw her at the door and watched her warily. Elizabeth unlatched the door and walked in. She held her hand out, palm up. Illusion forgot his hay and pawed the dirt floor. Elizabeth got a little closer and the horse flattened his ears against his head. He jumped forward a bit and squealed. Elizabeth jumped back a bit, but Illusion still came at her. She felt a bump as she hit the stall door. Illusion pawed again and took up a run. Lancelot, having heard the commotion, ran over to the door and immediately opened the latch. He grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her out, slamming the door in Illusion's face. The two of them toppled to the ground as they tripped over the raised level in front of the door. Gawain walked over and saw them on the floor and a smile went over his face.
"I see you took my advice, Lancelot. I just never thought you'd carry on this way in a stable," he said annoyingly.
Lancelot got up and punched him hard in the arm. Lancelot helped Elizabeth to her feet, before looking into Illusion's stall. He had gone back to eating his hay as if nothing had happened.
"What happened?" he said, turning around and facing Elizabeth.
"I don't know. I didn't even touch him," she said, a worried expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Lancelot asked her.
"I've seen this before. We had a warrior back home who abused any animal he had and he got a magnificent horse one day and he rode it hard, didn't feed it, and beat it. The horse turned on him and eventually was taken from the man, but no one could go near it because it would attack. They eventually put the poor animal out of its misery. We need to help Illusion before he gets any worse," she said.
"Interesting," Lancelot said, looking back at a Illusion with a tiny hint of fear in his eyes.
Elizabeth nodded before going over to Darkness' stall. He rubbed his face on her chest and snuffled her hair.
"Silly boy. Go on, back up," she said, opening the stall door.
She went in and Darkness stood still as she ran a soft brush over him and placed a saddle cloth on his back. She put the saddle on as well and buckled the girth. She put the bridle on and pulled herself up into the saddle. Realizing she still had the stupid dress on, she ripped each side with her hands so she could move her legs better. The dress was frayed and ruined now, but it was serving its purpose, well sort of. She rode Darkness out and Gawain rode up to her.
"Gawain, keep your mouth shut or I'll cut your tongue out," she threatened.
Gawain, just to piss her off, stuck his tongue out at her and trotted off. He turned around in the saddle and gave her a cocky smile. They both laughed as Lancelot rode out on his horse.
"What did I miss? Did Galahad find a woman?" he said, jokingly.
Galahad threw him a menacing look and Lancelot only smiled, innocently, back.
Elizabeth shook her head at the knights' antics.
There was a strong wind blowing. It ruffled the trees and they swayed back and forth. Elizabeth's hair was becoming a tangled mess as it blew about her face. Darkness pranced and shook his head up and down. Elizabeth absent mindedly ran her hand along his neck. It felt so good to be outside doing something. She hated being indoors, well, that came mostly from living outside her whole life. She was still spacing out when Gawain galloped by, just a blur. She turned Darkness around and moved him up into a trot. She went slow to see how her wounds would handle the jolting movement of the saddle. Seeing they were fine, she urged Darkness onto a fast canter and chased after the knights. They fanned out over the semi-tall grass and their hoof beats sounded out across the plain. All Elizabeth could hear were the horses, the knights were silent.
Elizabeth heard something different and it was getting closer. She stood up in the stirrups and looked over the knights. There was a rider coming towards them at a great speed. His face was painted and his horse had some small whorls on his flanks. It was an ally Woad. He stopped in front of the knights, and gasping, he gave them news of the Rebels whom he had tracked.
"Almost ready to attack. Gathering all strength," he gasped.
Elizabeth walked Darkness up next to the man's horse and saw an arrow protruding from his side. She ripped more of her dress off and waited for the knights to be silent.
"Friend, let me remove the arrow, you need aid," she said.
The Woad, his face a ghostly white, just nodded and swayed in the saddle. Elizabeth helped him down from the horse and laid him on the ground. She carefully removed the arrow, pushing the bile that came up in her throat, back down. She maneuvered the arrow a bit before it finally came free. She held the cloth on it and the man passed out.
"Bors, help me lift him back onto his horse. He needs a healer now," she said.
Bors lifted the Woad up as if he were a child and placed him on the horse's back. Elizabeth climbed up behind him and held him in the saddle. She kicked the horse into a canter and headed back to the gate. Darkness followed close behind her, not wanting to be left alone.
Elizabeth flew through the gates and into the village, looking for a decent healer. She found a woman outside, hanging laundry. She stopped the horse and asked the woman if she could help.
"Excuse me, this man is injured. Can you help him?" Elizabeth asked.
"Aye, that I can, Miss," the woman said, nodding her head.
Elizabeth smiled at her and the two women lifted the man off the horse and carried him into the house. The horse tried to follow, but Elizabeth kicked the door shut behind her. They laid the man down on a small bed and Elizabeth bade the woman good-bye, and promised to return later to help the man back.
The Woad's horse remained outside, pawing at the dirt. Darkness stood nearby, eating grass. Elizabeth tied the horse outside the house and ruffled his mane before climbing back into Darkness' saddle. She looked back at the horse, thinking about an attack and untied him. She led him to the stable and put him in an empty stall and fille dit with hay and water. He lipped the hay, depressed.
"Is the man alive?"
Elizabeth jumped and saw Lancelot standing in the doorway.
"Aye. He's at the Healer's now. What did you think of the news?" she asked.
"I guess we'll be fighting sooner than I thought."
Elizabeth nodded and was quiet.
"We need to tell Arthur sooner than later," she said.
"That's where I was headed. I saw Darkness standing outside and figured you were in here somewhere with the Woad pony," he said.
Elizabeth smiled and went out to get Darkness. He rubbed his head against her, itchy and wanting attention. She untacked him and gave him some grain before catching up with Lancelot. He was fingering the hilt of his sword and he pulled it out of it's scabbard. He examined it closely, as if in a trance.
"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked.
"Thinking about what we're going to say to Arthur," he replied.
"Just tell him the plain truth," she said.
"Easier said than done. The boys aren't fully trained."
"But the Woads are!"
Lancelot turned around.
"Elizabeth, the Rebels are crazy. They'll kill anything! This is going to be a lot harder than you think," he said, upset.
"Lancelot, you defeated the Saxon army. Anything is possible," she said.
Lancelot ran a hand through his curly hair and averted his eyes away from Elizabeth's angry stare.
"Elizabeth, what about you? You can't fight-"
"Said who? I'll fight. The ointment is healing it quick and it's already a lot less painful. I'm guessing in a day or two, which I know we have, I'll be healed."
Lancelot stared at her, in disbelief.
"Elizabeth, that man could have killed you and now you're ready to throw your life away in this! Be happy you're alive!" he said.
"You almost died too, yet you're fighting," she countered.
"Elizabeth, I'm not suffering from wounds right now," he said, trying to be patient.
"Neither am I!" she yelled.
Lancelot walked away towards the pub and Elizabeth watched him. What right did he have to tell her what to do? She ran up the steps to Arthur and opened the doors to the Round Table room. Arthur was in there, but he was just staring at the wall it seemed. Elizabeth carefully approached him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Elizabeth, how are you feeling?" he asked.
"Much better. Arthur, a scout rode in today. He was injured and he brought news of the Rebels," Elizabeth said.
Arthur turned his full attention on her and away from the wall.
"And?"
"The Rebels are almost prepared. I would say maybe a week tops," she said.
Arthur looked back at the wall.
"The boys aren't ready. It's going to be the knights and the Woads again," he said.
"And Guinevere and me," she said.
"No, you're hurt," he said.
"Arthur, in two days, I'll be fine! The healer told me a few days of rest and it's already been almost two days! After tomorrow, all I'll have is a few healing cuts," she argued.
"Lancelot will kill me if I allow you to fight," he said.
"I'll keep you safe from Sir Lancelot," Elizabeth said, an amused tone in her voice.
Arthur smiled.
"I have no doubt of that," he laughed.
Elizabeth grinned.
"All right. But the healer needs to check you and approve," he said.
Elizabeth grinned.
"I'll go tell the others to start more training," she said.
"No, the boys need a break, they'll start again tomorrow. I'm going to let Merlin know what's going on," Arthur said.
With that, Arthur stood up and walked out of the room. Elizabeth lingered. She ran her hand along the wooden table and watched the small fire in the center. She thought about the great knights who had been in the presence of this same fire. The knights who had their destinies laid out for them by the Roman army. With one last look back at the table, she walked out of the room.
She looked out a window and saw the knights talking. Elizabeth ran down the stairs and snuck behind the castle. She went into the stable and found the Woad horse. It was standing there, head hung. Elizabeth let herself into the stall and the horse lifted its head quickly, hoping to see it's master. A look of disappointment cam across its eyes at the sight of Elizabeth. She rubbed his face and sat in the dirt. She tried hand feeding him hay, but the horse showed no interest.
"Come on, you," she said.
She led the horse out and climbed onto his back. Kicking him into a canter, they took off towards the village. The horse seemed to remember his master was here and picked up speed. They rushed by the knights and into the village yards. Elizabeth stopped at the healer's home and left the horse outside again. The healer smiled at her and led Elizabeth inside. The man was sitting up, eating a bowl of soup. Elizabeth studied his features and smiled even wider. It was one of her old friends, Ramon.
"Elizabeth!" he exclaimed, his voice a bit raspy.
"Hello, Ramon. I've brought your horse. He was pining for you," she said.
Ramon stood up and gave her a hug.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Aye, that I am. I have to thank you and this wonderful healer," he said.
Elizabeth shook her head. Ramon was a flirt and liked woman as much as the next man. He would definitely fit in with the knights. The thought made her laugh. She thanked the healer and she and Ramon headed outside. Ramon got onto his horse and pulled Elizabeth up behind him.
"We missed you when you disappeared," he said.
"I missed my friends as well," she said.
"Was your father awful to you for saving the Sarmatian?" he asked.
"Aye," Elizabeth answered.
"At least he returned the favor, the Sarmatian did," he said.
Elizabeth smiled, but did not answer. The wind blew around them and they galloped by the knights once more.
"Who in the hell was that?" Bors said.
"Looked like a Woad," Gawain said.
"The other rider looked like a woman. Couldn't see if she were pretty from my point of view," Bors said.
Lancelot looked up with a grin.
"Now Bors, what would Vanora say at that chatter?" he asked.
Bors glowered at him.
The other knights were laughing.
"You better hope that weren't Elizabeth," he said.
Lancelot's face turned serious. The Woad Elizabeth had rescued. That was the same horse. He took off down the hill, leaving the bewildered knights behind. He saw the horse at the Woad camp and Elizabeth and the Woad were sitting in the grass talking. Elizabeth saw Lancelot coming. Although she was still mad at him for before, she wanted to introduce Ramon to him.
"Is that the Sarmatian?" Ramon asked.
"Yes. You'll like him," she said.
"I've no doubt if he convinced you to rescue him. You would let men die if you could," he laughed.
"I'm coming to the conclusion that not all men are bad," she said with mock seriousness.
Lancelot walked up to them, his face in a half smile. Ramon nodded to him, a cheery smile still on his face.
"Lancelot, this is my friend Ramon. He used to help me with archery and swordsmanship. He and my cousin were my teachers," she said.
Lancelot raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you," he said.
"Same here, Sir Lancelot," Ramon said respectfully.
"You can just call me Lancelot," he said.
Ramon smiled.
"I wanted to thank you for saving my friend. She's a special woman, it would have been a shame for her to die," Ramon said.
"I agree," Lancelot said.
There was a call from in the camp and a pretty brunette walked over.
"Ramon, we need you," she said.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed with distaste when she saw the woman. Ramon saw her look and turned back to the woman.
"Tell them I will be there in a moment," he said.
The woman nodded and left.
"Honestly Ramon, I thought you had better taste than the village-"
Ramon held up a hand.
"She's changed. Honestly. You'd like her better now. I know you two were constantly at each other's throats, but give her a chance," he said with a wry smile.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Ramon walked away.
"So, he must be a really good fighter," Lancelot said.
"Aye, he is. Merlin calls on him to lead many skirmishes."
"Elizabeth, you went to Arthur before, right?"
"Yes, he was upset about something before I even told him about the Rebels. He was staring at the wall. I also asked him if he'd allow me to fight..."
"And?"
"He said yes, as long as the healers said it was alright."
Lancelot gave her a surprised look. He would have thought Arthur would keep her back.
"Lancelot, everyone here has been so incredibly kind. It's my turn to help repay them. This is the least I can do," she said.
Lancelot grinned at her, a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Alright, since you're fighting, we can have a small competition. Whoever gets out of this with the least scratches, and is the most successful wins," he said.
Elizabeth considered it through narrowed eyes before extending her hand.
"Deal."
Elizabeth figured this was the closest thing she was going to get to an apology. So she followed Lancelot back over to the knights.
"Was that the same dirtbag that keeps tryin' ter take ye away?" Bors growled.
"No, Bors. That was my friend Ramon," Elizabeth laughed.
Bors nodded his approval and they set back down the hill towards the pub. It was very busy and many a drunken men were inside. Barmaids rushed about, coins jingling in the pouches tied to the belts on their skirts. Elizabeth shook her head. Men would be men. The knights took a big table in the center of everything and a woman immediately came over. She set quite a few mugs down and lingered a moment before moving on.
"So Gawain, thinking of finding a woman for the night before the battle?" Bors asked.
"Aye, of course. You never know when you're going to die so why not make the night before a happy one?" he said, taking a big gulp of ale.
"What about you Galahad?" Gawain asked.
Galahad shrugged and just drank his ale. A guard came up to the table and bet Gawain on a game of knives. The two headed off, and a young barmaid came and took his seat. She looked from Galahad to Lancelot, a pretty smile on her face.
"Can I get you anything, lads?"
Galahad raised his mug, swaying a little as he had drank three of the mugs that the other woman had brought.
"All set," he said.
The maid raised her eyebrows and threw her long hair back. Her green eyes settled on Elizabeth who had an amused expression on her face.
"So, you're the Woad. The one that's been saving the villagers and almost killing herself. The same Woad that Sir Lancelot has put a claim on," she said, her eyes venturing over to Lancelot.
He narrowed his eyes as the girl continued looking jealously at Elizabeth.
The woman here sure are territorial, Elizabeth thought. She stood up and gave the girl a sweet smile.
"I think I"ll go see how Gawain's doing with the knives," she said.
Lancelot gave her a mischievous grin and Elizabeth knew he was going to pull something, she just didn't know what. Gawain was throwing the knives at the board with a terrible force, and the guard was almost as good. Elizabeth saw that they were tied and pulled a chair up to sit down and watch. After a few more rounds, Gawain won and he threw an arm over Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Well, I'm going to go find a nice woman seeing as I made enough money now," he said.
Elizabeth punched him in the arm and he gave her one more grin before waltzing off. She walked back over to the table and saw Lancelot slip the obnoxious girl money. She gave him a flirty grin and headed off. Elizabeth, angry, walked over to Lancelot.
"You paid her?!?!"
Lancelot put a finger on her lips. He still had a wide smile on his face, which made Elizabeth think he was going crazy.
"Give me a moment," he said, and rushed off to a far away table.
There was a heavy man there with a rather long beard. He had ale dripping all over his chin and his shirt was soaking wet. Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and watched as Lancelot took out a small amount of coins and handed it to the man. Elizabeth was extremely curious now. Lancelot shook his hand and headed back over to her. Elizabeth gave him a questioning look and he led her back to the table.
"I gave the woman a different room number, not mine. She'll go there and find it empty. Thinking I"m just late, she'll wait, and in will come that man over there. I told him to shut the door tight because she might not stay and he'd be all set," Lancelot said, an evil smile on his face.
Elizabeth didn't say anything, but her slid into a smile.
"That was really good," she said.
"Aye," Lancelot replied, taking a drink of his ale.
Elizabeth looked back around the bar and every time the woman passed their table, she cast Lancelot an approving glance. Elizabeth did her best not to laugh. Finally, she figured she would end up saying something rude, so she went over to sit with Gawain and some other men. Galahad took her place. He watched Lancelot as he stared at Elizabeth.
"So, the infamous Sir Lancelot, might be committed to a woman. That's a first," Galahad laughed.
Lancelot just grinned.
"Well, that's more than I can say for you," he retorted.
"Lancelot, you know, if you marry her, you won't be able to go after other women," Galahad said.
"I wouldn't. What would be the point?"
Galahad just gave him a knowing look.
"Just be careful. Break her heart and I"m pretty sure she'll put a sword through you," Galahad laughed.
"I wouldn't put it past her," Lancelot replied.
Galahad nodded and the two men returned to their ale. Elizabeth came back over and dumped coins all over the table. Lancelot opened his mouth to protest and Elizabeth stopped him. Her eyes were shining.
"I beat Gawain and the guards at daggers. We made bets. They had to give me all their coins after I won, and now I can't decide what to do with them," she said.
Galahad gave her a look that clearly said he knew exactly what he would do with them and Elizabeth made a face at him.
"I was thinking more along the lines of buying you men a drink and then going to use them to beat Gawain again," she laughed.
"If Gawain was smart, he wouldn't play against you for a while. Obviously, he isn't," Lancelot said.
Gawain heard and threw a rolled up cloth at Lancelot. He ducked and the wine covered cloth hit Galahad in the face. The knights started laughing again. Elizabeth went over to Gawain and asked him to play another game and he agreed. Lancelot pointed to himself and mouthed to Galahad, told you so.
Galahad nodded and the two men moved over to another table to watch Elizabeth beat Gawain once again. She didn't this time and Gawain gleefully collected the coins. Elizabeth gave Lancelot a lopsided smile and sat down next to him.
"I lost on purpose that first time," Gawain said boastfully.
"I'm sure," Elizabeth said sarcastically.
Gawain just smiled back before rushing over to the bar to buy more ale. Lancelot watched with amusement. He took another swig of ale. Women were beginning to crowd around them. They flashed smiles at all the men and played with their hair. Elizabeth had a disgusted look on her face.
"I'm off to check on Illusion. Have fun with-"
"I'm coming," he said.
Lancelot got up and left a coin on the table for one of the maids. They headed out the door and followed a dirt path to the stables. Elizabeth stopped at Darkness' stall first and rubbed his face. She walked over to Illusion who was pacing in his stall and his ears were back.
"What's bothering you, boy?" she murmured softly.
Illusion pushed his ears back harder and continued pacing. Whenever he passed the door, he barred his teeth. Elizabeth shook her head. She needed to find this horse a good home and the only way to do that was to sweeten his disposition. Lancelot watched the horse from behind her.
"He's a messed up horse. I wonder what he's gone through?" he said.
"Wish I knew. I might try and find a horse trainer once this battle is over. Maybe they'll know what to do," Elizabeth said.
"Hopefully," Lancelot said.
They stood there watching the anxious horse. Finally, Elizabeth had had enough.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said to Lancelot.
Lancelot nodded and smiled at her. He gave her a soft kiss before watching her leave the barn.
Elizabeth followed the dark path back up to her room. She climbed the stone steps and unlocked her door. A warm fire roared inside and the windows showed the stars of night. She went into her closet and got her nightgown out. She pulled it on and combed her hair. Falling onto her bed, she closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly, before remembering to pull the covers up. Her dreams immediately filled her head.
The young Woad watched her family with apprehension. They were about to fight the great Saxons with the alliance of Arthur and his men. Her heart lept at the thought of battle and she was excited. However, she was also nervous at the prospect of dying. She saw her friend, Guinevere standing coolly at the front of the Woads. They wore the same tight, revealing outfit. It was more for free movement than anything else. Guinevere would give the orders and the girl raised her bow and held it at the ready. Guinevere gave the order and she launched the arrow. On the plain below she heard screams and the whinnies of horses. The thundering of hooves and the metal clinging sound of swords. The Woads continued releasing their arrows and she continued to hear the action below. Finally, she heard the large doors creak open and the sound of hundreds of footsteps. The Saxons had entered. Guinevere let out a war cry and the Woads rushed forward, out onto the plain. She was to stay near Guinevere, which she did. Other women Woads helped as well.
"Elizabeth!" her friend yelled.
The girl looked up and dodged a massive Saxon sword. Elizabeth sliced the man through and continued on. She saw the knights cantering by on horseback, killing any Saxon in their path. Guinevere had gone off and was fighting a Saxon commander. She was definitely giving him a hard time, but he was starting to get the better of her. Elizabeth rushed over just as the other women leapt out of the woods to her rescue. She grinned at Elizabeth and hurried on. The two women ran up to more Saxons. Guinevere crossed blades with Cynric, the son of Cerdic, leader of the Saxons. Elizabeth killed the Saxon next to her and stayed close to Guinevere. Soon, however, another Saxon drew her away. She danced away and met his blade again. He swung down at her and she blocked with all the strength she had. She spun away and got behind the man. She sliced his back and he fell to the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Guinevere fall. She rushed over and a dark haired knight ran in front of her. He crossed swords with Cynric and Guinevere started getting to her feet. The knight was more than a match for Cynric and he beat him. He turned around and Elizabeth saw his face. The same knight she had met in the woods. It was Lancelot. Elizabeth saw Cynric pick up a bow and load an arrow. She ran around Lancelot and pushed Cynric just before he let loose the arrow. It hit Lancelot in the arm forcefully knocking him to the ground. Saxons immediately crowded around him and he fought them off, weakly.
Elizabeth was now stuck with Cynric. Outraged, he turned to her. He slapped her face and she toppled to the ground. He raised his sword and cut her arm. She yelled with pain and Cynric held the blade to her throat. However, he stopped. A dagger protruding from his back where Lancelot had chucked it. Cynric collapsed and Lancelot swayed as he watched. Elizabeth got up and ran over to him. She caught him as he crashed to the ground, but she wasn't strong enough to hold him up, so she fell with him. Guinevere ran up and kept more Saxons away. However, they were mostly around Arthur and Cerdic. The rest had been killed. Elizabeth touched the arrow protruding from Lancelot carefully. He had lost a lot of blood and the arrow looked deep. She tentatively ran a long, thin finger along the side of his bloodstained face. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Thank-"
"Rest," she said.
"You were right about meeting again," he said, a small smile playing at his lips.
"Aye."
Guinevere came back up to her and sat down.
"Your father will be angered if he sees you with the knight," she said.
"I will deal with his anger," Elizabeth replied.
Guinevere grinned.
They both looked back at Lancelot.
Elizabeth looked back over the plain and saw Arthur fall to his knees. She gasped with horror as Cerdic raised his sword. But Arthur thrust his blade back and killed the Saxon. He then sliced his head off. He stood there a moment before running over to them. He sat next to them, besides Lancelot and yelled skywards. Elizabeth saw her father in the distance and kissed her fingers. She placed them to Lancelot's forehead before running off to the woods.
Her father grabbed her arm and smacked her. He yelled at her for helping the knight and he threw her onto the ground. She tasted the dry dirt in her mouth as it mixed with blood. Elizabeth looked up at him helplessly and he walked on, ignoring her. Ignoring the fact she had a long gash in her arm. So she followed him home, in pain. She looked back and saw another knight being carried. Tristan. She had seen him fall as well. She saw Arthur lift Lancelot and carry him with Guinevere to a healer. So much death.
Elizabeth sat up in bed, a cold sweat upon her at the remembrance of those hours. She remembered seeing Lancelot that day and all she had wanted to do was help him. She remembered the punishment from her father. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She threw the covers back and walked over to Lancelot's room. She tapped on the door, and a very sleepy Lancelot opened it. Elizabeth walked in and he closed the door behind her.
"Yes?" he said groggily.
"Do you remember the Saxon battle? Well, more specifically, do you remember me?" she asked.
Lancelot seemed a little more awake just then.
"Aye. You fought Cynric before he shot me, his arrow was off target. Then you sat with me before Arthur came. I remember watching you and Guinevere. All the pain," he murmured.
"You had lost a lot of blood. Guinevere and I worried you wouldn't make it," she said.
"Lucky for you I did," Lancelot said, grinning.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"Why did you leave?" he asked.
"My father called me. He had seen me helping you and was angered. He thought I should have left you to your fate. He beat me for helping you. That was the day he decided I was too much trouble and I needed to be gotten rid of," she said bitterly.
Lancelot gave her a serious look.
"Elizabeth, if I had been the Roman that paid for a random slave, and then you showed up, I would have been mighty happy," he said.
Elizabeth punched his arm.
"So why did you come in here this late to just ask me if I remembered you. We had already gone through all of this," Lancelot said.
"I don't know. I guess it just keeps bothering me at how many chances I had to just stay with the knights and run to Hadrian's Wall. All the encounters we had had before you rescued me bother me a bit too. I barely knew you and I was thinking about you all the time. Guess it just goes to show how easily fairytales can get to a girl's head," Elizabeth said.
Lancelot took her hand.
"It's not a fairytale anymore. It's real," he said softly.
Elizabeth slowly smiled and sat down on the bed next to him. She leaned her head against his chest.
"Are you sure? I keep feeling like someone is just going to take me away. Pull me out of this dream," she said.
Lancelot kissed her softly before replying.
"That's still a fairytale. Now it's real and I can keep that from happening," he whispered.
Elizabeth smiled and fell into what seemed like a dream, or reality, since that's what the dreams now were.
