When Katrina arrived back that night she found Briseis mucking out a stall with pieces of straw still stuck in her hair. "It does not appear to me that you have taken a bath."
Briseis laughed while she continued to suck out the old hay. "You're quite right but I shall run to the river now and take a quick dip."
Katrina nodded her agreement and took a seat on an empty bucket while waiting for her friend. While waiting one of the knights came into the stables. "Court! Court, are you in here? Blast that boy where's he gone off to?"
"He's run down to the lake to take a bath Sir Galahad." Replied Katrina. "Ahhh! Oh Katrina you harpy how dare you scare me."
"What do you want with Court?" she inquired, looking suspiciously at him.
"Um nothing I just came to invite him to join me…I mean us…as in the other knights... for a drink in the tavern. Just being friendly."
"Well how kind of you to offer."
"Um Katrina, what are you doing here?"
"Well I uh…" she stammered at the question which caught her off guard. "I um came to visit Court before heading to the tavern to see if he wanted to come along also. You see, I'm bringing a friend from a near by village who has come to visit for the evening and thought she and Court might get along well." She smiled at Galahad innocently.
"Ah I see. Well if you are going to wait here to ask him I shall not stay also. There is no point in the two of us asking and I should like to start on the ale. Good evening Katrina. I shall see you and perhaps Court later this evening." Katrina nodded her acknowledgement and looked away as Galahad left the stables. A look of excitement played at he corners of her mouth.
"Vanora! Vanora please, more ale!"
"Alright you big ogre I'm coming!" She handed the burley looking Knight a mug of beer and as she turned to leave he grabbed her waist and pulled her into his lap.
"Lover not here. I promise I will serve you well tonight." With a brief kiss on the cheek Vanora stood up and returned to her duties.
"That's a fine woman you have there Bors. You're a lucky man; treat her well."
"I shall Arthur. It's not every day one comes along and makes a true man of you. I'm not letting this one go anywhere, not ever. I love her and…" Bors stopped himself from finishing. His face took on a look as if he had just swallowed something sour. His expression earned an amused look from his Captain and they both had to smile.
"Yes Arthur even I am capable of love." He thought about that for a brief second and said, "Uh, lets say we keep that between us now, how bout that?"
Arthur smiled and clapped his friend on the back. "Done my friend. Now here have a another drink."
The evening passed on with good humor floating about the small room. Wine and ale flowed and music entwined with laughter rang through the hall then the front door to the tavern opened and the room fell silent. Katrina walked in followed by a cloaked figure. As usual, many of the men eyed Katrina with a lustful look in their eye. She was no doubt, a beauty amongst beauties. Her hair a pale blond, her skin a healthy tanned shade and eyes the color of pure chocolate. She reached out her slim and slender arm towards the hooded figure behind her in a gesture to move the stranger next to her.
All eyes fell on the black cloak and who this mysterious person underneath it could be. At that moment, when tension had built to an unreasonable level, two moonbeam pale hands reached out from under the darkness and pushed back the cloak masking their face. A multitude of gasps was heard issuing from the tavern guests. There, in front of Katrina, stood the loveliest woman anyone had ever seen. Her hair was deep brown with shades of black woven through it. Her fair skin shown pale in the moon light from the open door. And her eyes, a pale green with deep shades of brown laced in. She was dressed plainly but the waves of her hair and how it cascaded down her lower back and framed her mysterious face gave her a haunting yet beautiful appearance. She smiled slightly then lowered her head in a shy and unsure manner.
"Well now, why all the shocked faces? Haven't you blokes ever seen women before?" commented Katrina sarcastically. She slapped Briseis on the back and then proceeded to lead her to a corner table. Briseis gave a small smile and moved to follow her friend across the room.
"What can I get you lot?" asked Vanora.
"I'll take a mug of ale? And you Briseis, what will you be drinking?"
"I'll just take a glass of water."
Vanora nodded, "I'll be right back with those. In the mean time, keep a sharp eye out for these so called gentlemen."
The three girls shared an amused look of understanding before Vanora ran off to fetch their drinks. Over in the opposite corner of the room sat a table full of knights. Of course there was Gawain and Galahad, sitting together with the loves of their lives sitting on their laps. Aurora and Selene, twin sisters, arrived at the fort a year ago and the two boys had fallen hopelessly for the two maidens.
Selene was tall and fair skinned with raven black hair; she was rightly named for her image was that of the moon. Aurora was quite the opposite with her copper strands of hair and peach complexion. She was a child of the dawn. Yet no matter how different they were, Selene had won the heart of Gawain and Aurora had done the same with Galahad.
Sitting next to the pair of lovers was their leader, Arthur and his wife Guinevere. She was a fairy maiden of the night, lovely and graceful in all aspects. By birthright she was the princess of the Woad tribe. With her unity to Arthur the war between them and the knights had ended and together an alliance was formed.
Tristan sat in a far off corner as he always had. Head held pensively with his shaggy hair strewn about his head and a few braids interweaved and shadowing his eyes. On his cheekbones were tribal marking tattoos. His slanted eyes and mouth were ever watchful and alert. Although he said little he knew everyone deeply. Tristan lived a life of solitude yet he was not lonely. There was Aiden, his powerful silver tailed hawk. Aiden never left his side and although he was a kind and gentle creature on his friends shoulder it was a different story when engaged in battle. Ferocious and tempered, this young bird was skilled beyond recognition. Together they made a deadly team. As he sat and patiently ate an apple, Briseis observed him secretly and saw his eye linger every so often on one of the females in the bar. She was not a young barmaid like the ones who interested the men of the wall. She was somehow more mature and dignified. Her hair was auburn and fell to the middle of her back. Some of it was pulled up in a bun at the back of her head and a few strands framed her angular face. Her lips were full and her eyes were a deep shade of brown. No doubt she was one of the lovelier women in the tavern and no doubt she had caught the difficult eye of Tristan. Her name was Ethne and she was one of the healers at the wall. She too had noticed Tristan penetrating glances and was confident with her self to catch his gaze and hold it with her own deep eyes. She nodded her head as if giving permission and added a shy yet seductive smile. As she stood to leave she glanced behind her shoulder and noticed that Tristan had left. A look of disappointment fleeted across her features but vanished quickly when she turned to leave and was caught face to face with the silent knight. He held up a dark navy cloak and offered to place it on her. She allowed her body to be handled by him and when he had finished he nodded and went back to his corner. Ethne smiled and let her face fall downward as a deep blush crept up into her cheeks.
Briseis smiled in happiness and in envy. She longed to have as deep and passionate connection with someone. It seemed impossible with the life she was leading now. But perhaps tonight would be different. Tonight she was a woman and it showed. She had not been blind when she walked into the room and heard the men's intake of breath at her beauty. She had been considered a beauty of her Woad tribe and her hand had been sought in marriage a few times. Yet none of the men who chose to court her were to her satisfaction. They had been handsome and well off but none held her interest. None looked at her with feelings other than desire and lust. Briseis had given up on men and decided to leave her home to become one of the legendary knights. It was her passion, fighting against injustice, riding into the mists unsure whether she shall ever return again. She longed for a life of adventure and uncertainty, of passion and romance. All the things that were denied to her at the village of her birth were now possible at Hadrian's Wall. Briseis continued to survey the room of drunken men. There were still a few of Arthur's knights missing, two to be precise. Dagonet and Lancelot.