Note Thanks for the reviews they are great. About the romance, what would be liked? I have heard a Tristan/Kida and a Lysander?kida romance, are there any other ideas? Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Death and Secrets

Kida gasped. Liam, arrow, dead! Sweat soaked her clothes and bedding. It was only a dream it was only a dream. Liam was ok. He was. He was not dead, he couldn't be. She stood up shakily and walked over to her water stand and splashed some water onto her face. It was only a dream. It was just a dream. Kida concentrated on calming her breathing. The cool stone floor comforted her in an odd way and soon she had calmed down enough to remember her dream.

It was dark, a bone chilling cry, Liam falling into darkness. Kida shook with the eerie feeling the dream left her with. It felt as if she was there, trapped behind a pane of glass unable to help Liam. She took a deep breath and prayed that it was only a dream.

Liam fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Sharp pains shot through his chest as blood flowed from his wound. Dag ran to his side; his sword ready to defend his friend. Some of the other knights followed Dag and formed a circle around Liam. The woads fought like wild cats and wounded many of the knights. Arthur was taken back by how fierce the woads were; he never expected them to be this fierce.

Lancelot and Tristan were on the front line driving the devils back into the forest. Arthur and Gawain pulled back to help Dag with Liam. It seemed as if the woads were not going to give up until all laid dead, then a horn blared from the distance. The demons lowered their demons and disappeared into the shadows.

Still on their guard, the knights pulled back around Liam who laid face up. An arrow was lodged in his breast and blood flowed freely from the wound. Dag had removed the arrow and now held a cloth over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "It's bad," Dag said. "We have to get him out of here."

Arthur nodded and ordered five knights to go back and get a cart. Shortly the returned and Dag and Gawain carefully placed Liam in it. Liam groaned as the cart jerked to life. Dag settled in next to him, applying pressure to his wound. Arthur inspected his other knights, besides a few scratches they were fine. Arthur silently gave thanks for the lives of the rest of his men and prayed for Liam.

Lysander watched Kiran as he came into the hall for the morning's briefing. He was pale and very ill looking. His eyes were glazed over and his face drawn tight. Something had to be wrong. After the briefing, Lysander asked Kiran to stay behind. "What's wrong?" he asked him.

Kiran looked at him. "I had trouble sleeping," was the reply.

Lysander nodded, he probably knew the reason for the lack of sleep; most knights had nightmares after their first scrimmage. "It won't last long, after a while the dreams leave," he said reassuringly and dismissed Kiran. He shook his head. Why had he taken such an interest into this knight he did not know, but the lad intrigued him, he drew him towards him. It was odd. Lysander had never been the type to worry about others welfare; he just cared if things got done. Keep things business not personal was his motto.

Kida left the conference hall. The commander would never let it rest until he found out her secret. She knew that, for he watched her like one who is searching for something. She had to tighten her guard against him; he was trouble.

The dream of Liam still haunted Kida as she began her daily runs and errands. It wasn't real, but it confused her by how real it seemed. It felt as if she had been Liam and that it was she who was shot. If only she could know for sure if Liam was ok, her mind would be put at ease. But there was no way to find out where he was. Kida prayed that all was well and hoped that it was just her imagination not reality.

Liam lay in the infirmary. He sat on the edge of sleep and awake. His wound was well tended to but he still ran fevers which made him delirious. Most of the time he did not know where he was or who sat next to him. He ranted on about Kida and Mira. He would stare straight through people who talked to him and spoke to ghosts from the past.

The knights were troubled by Liam's illness. Each took a turn and talked with him, but none of them could ever get through to him. He called out Kida's name and apologized for leaving her. Who Kida was baffled the knights. A lover perhaps or a family member; who ever it was he talked about her, actual he spoke to her as if she was there remembering about the old times.

The fever held on to Liam for days; it seemed as if he would never recover. Dag worried about his friend. Finally, when all seemed lost, the fever released Liam and he began to recover. Arthur was relieved and thanked god for saving his knight. The other knights rejoiced at his recovery and began to gloat on how they defeated the blue demons. Soon all the fear felt for the devils was lost and they were all eager to face them again.

Kida made her rounds around the valley. All was clear. She turned back toward the fort to find the commander riding towards her. She saluted him. He nodded at her and said, "I must speak with you." Kida turned her mount around and rode along side the commander.

"What about sir?"

"Call me Lysander," he said. She nodded. There was a brief silence then Lysander said, "Are you a magician?"

Kida blinked at him. "What?"

"Are you a magician?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Never before have I taken interest in one of my knights, but you are different, you seem to draw me to you."

Kida shook her head. "I am no magician."

"What are you then? Tell me. I know you have a secret and I demand you tell me it."

"I cannot tell you the secret that you look for."

"I warn you. When I find out what it is I will bear no mercy towards you. Tell me know I might show mercy, refuse and I will destroy you when I discover it."

"There is none to tell sir." Lysander growled spurred his horse, and galloped away leaving Kida in his dust. Kida watched him ride away. He was never going to find out her secret no matter how hard he tried. She was going to make sure of that.

Lysander rode far that day. He was angered at Kiran for not telling him his secret, but then again he was glad. It confused him; he so sure of himself was no confused. That cursed knight had brought him many headaches and many more reputation damaging rumors. It frustrated him that he could not just let it slide and forget about it all; it was like a fire consumed him. He had to find out Kiran's secret, he had too.

Liam slowly began to recover. The wound healed up nicely and left a handsome scar. The fever left no permanent effects on him which was a godsend. Within a matter of months Liam was back on duty and ready for another fight. He remembered very little of the time when he was feverous but his fellow knights were highly intrigued by Kida and asked him about her. He told them that Kida was his sister. He told them about his mother and brothers and how Kida fitted in. Kida, Kida, Kida, little Kida now probably a woman still living under Mira's tyrannical rule. He missed Kida and felt sorry for her. She had no future at their village. No man would marry her because she was different and with out a husband the women would scorn her, and she would be left completely alone.

Dag remembered hearing stories of Kida when they were in training and he felt sorry for her. If things were as Liam described she had no life, like they did. She would be living someone else's law and not her own, like they were fated to do till the day they died. Many of the other knights could relate as well for they all knew what it felt like to be hated because they were not the same as everyone else. In away, the stories of Kida were told and the men actually liked hearing about this odd girl with the same fate as themselves. Many of them had no brothers or sisters and found it enjoyable to hear about childhoods with them. A few of the other knights told stories of their homes and loved ones, but the most popular stories were those told of Kida.

As the months passed, Liam had told every memory of Kida to them and they still asked for more. It was a get away for them to hear of happier times and other people. By the time all the Kida memories were told most of the knights felt as if they knew this strange girl that ran wild through the prairies. Telling his memories of Kida seemed to comfort Liam as well. He missed her, but talking about her made her seem closer, almost as if she were next to him.

Kida sat in her quarters thinking of Liam. She wondered if he remembered her. She wondered if he missed her. It had been such a long time since they had last seen each other and now that she was a Sarmatian knight she would probably never see him for a very long time that is if she lived.

Lysander was becoming more persistent and would hardly leave her alone. She grew to fear the times when he could catch her alone. He would interrogate her and try to pull her secret from her lips, but no matter how hard he tried he never received the answers he wanted. It drove him insane and it made her wary. She always had to remind herself that she was Kiran and there was nothing to tell. She had to remember that he would kill her if he knew, no matter how nice he tried to be to her.

Lysander's curiosity towards Kiran turned into an obsession. Every waking moment he drove himself crazy trying to figure out what was so different about Kiran. The other knights began to notice his odd behavior and began to distance themselves from him in fear that he might snap. He took to cornering Kiran often and interrogating him, first in a friendly way, then in a more forceful manner. But no matter how hard he tried he was never satisfied with the answers he received. If only he knew what he was maybe he could explain his odd attraction to the young knight. If only, if only, he had the answers to satisfy him. If only.