NOTE: Thanks for all the reviews and I am sorry that the update took so long I've been busy. It's not the best and a little short but please over look its problems. Thank you for reading this story.

Two Years

It was hard to believe that they had been at this place for two years. It seemed longer. They had constant battles with the blue demons, not large ones but still enough to keep them busy. No major mishaps happened and Arthur continued with is improvement of the fort. Bors finally got in the good graces of the barmaid he was wooing, Vanora, and the other knights had become quite comfortable with their living conditions. They had a set schedule with guard duty, search duty, and sweep duty; then they were given nights off to do what they pleased. It was a good life for the type of men they were. They could be worse of than they were. A commander made all the difference.

They were lucky; they received a good commander, unlike others who receive ruthless commanders who cared nothing for his men and their lives. Arthur was a good man and he made a brilliant commander. The knights grew to like Arthur and think of him as a brother instead of their commander. They respected him and he respected them and their rights. As time went on they became a type of family with Arthur the father who did everything in his power to prevent terrible fates from falling on them.

Kida had spent the better part of her time avoiding Commander Lysander, but he never seemed to leave her alone. Where ever she went he was always there. It drove her insane to have a permanent shadow, and an annoying shadow at that. He always seemed to find ways to get her alone. After the morning briefing he always managed to keep her there for one reason or another. On watch duty he conveniently showed up and stayed there and talked with her for the better part of her watch. When she rode on scout duty he always showed up and rode with her. It was like having her own entourage which she would prefer to do without.

As time passed and the commander showed no sign of dispatching his watch on her, Kida began to do anything to avoid him. She took extra watches and all the night watched imaginable for the commander did not like the late night watches. The more time Kida spent by herself, the more time she spent thinking of Liam. She wondered if he was still alive, if he was well, if he liked the knights he served his time with. She missed him and could not believe that so much time had passed since she first came to Britain thinking she would see Liam right off, how wrong she was. The Fates were against her, the reason was lost to her but she was determined to live and see Liam again no matter what.

Lysander received a letter stating that his presence was needed at the gate fort in three weeks time. There was no reason stated to why he was being summoned but it was a direct order and he had to go. He stewed over who could be left in charge of the post while he was away and who to take with him. After much thought he came to the decision to let his second in command take over for him and he would take ten knights with him and at the top of the list Kiran Padu's name resided.

Kida was summoned to Lysander's quarters, she did not know why. She entered the room and stood before Lysander's desk. He looked at her and said, "You will accompany me to the gate fort. Be prepared to leave in three hours." She nodded and left the room. The gate post? Why her? She went to her room and packed her travel gear and then went to ready her horse.

Liam and Dag practiced their sword fighting on each other. They were bored; the blue demons have let rest their little rebel attacks for the time being which left the knights restless. Lancelot and Arthur practiced with their knives while Tristan and Bors worked with their bows. It was a sunny day, which was rare for it hardly ever was sunny.

Vanora sat and watched her lover practice holding a baby on her lap and keeping an eye of three toddlers, all of which belonged to Bors. She hummed softly to the babe and smiled brightly. Bors would look at her and grin foolishly at her; the poor fool was in love. The other knights gave Bors grief for finding himself a woman but he did not care he loved her and she loved him and that's all that mattered.

A rider rode up to the fort and stopped outside the fort wall. The Roman guard looked down at him and said, "What is your business?"

The rider replied, "Message for the Commander of this fort from Rome."

The guard nodded and ordered the gate open. The rider rode on and stopped at the courtyard where the knights were practicing their weaponry. Jols went to the messenger and took his horse while the messenger walked to the knights and said, "I have a message for your commander, where is he?"

Arthur stepped out of the crowd and said, "I am he." The messenger looked at him oddly, this surly could not be the commander, he looked just like the other knights. He noted the way the other knights treated him, they treated him with great respect, could he really be the commander?

"A message from Rome," the messenger said and handed Arthur a piece of parchment. Arthur thanked him and told Jols to let the messenger rest and eat before he left again.

The messenger followed Jols, thinking about the odd commander who dressed like his knights and acted like them as well.

As soon as the messenger left, Arthur opened the letter and read it. It stated that all the commanders from them posts along Hadrian's Wall would be meeting here to discuss the threat of the Woads. Arthur told his knights this and then began to prepare the fort for more inhabitants.

Kida rode silently at the back of the line, as far away from Lysander as possible. They had been on the road for three weeks and should come to the gate post soon. She wondered at what the meeting was for. It must be of some great importance for they were calling all the commanders together.

The thought of meeting Liam there slipped into her mind, but she pushed it out for she did not want to get her hopes up. Lysander watched he like a hawk as usual and she spent the journey uncomfortable for she could not just hide; there was no place to hide. She had to bear him the best she could but she did not like doing such.

Liam and the other knights watched as the commanders and their entourages began to pour in from all directions. Soon all the knight commanders were assembled and all they had to do was wait for a general to arrive. The knight commanders assembled in the great hall leaving the knights in the court yard which they had set up as a commons area for the knights.

Arthur's knights kept to the shadows watching the new knights. They were odd groups. There were some of old men, some of young men, some of large men, and some of small men. It was funny how they all seemed to fit together. The oddest group though was the one led by the commander called Lysander. His group was made up of middle aged men except for one. A small boy graced their company. It was odd to see one so small as a knight, even the small knights their out sized the boy. They watched the knights with interest; especially the one with the boy for the lad was an odd fellow who kept to himself.

Kida rode through the gates of the gate fort and looked around her. The village was full of people watching the parade of knights' ride in. They rode to a court yard where the fort commander met them with his knights. Kida examined each of their faces, they had good natured faces. One by one she inspected them until she came the knight at the end. Her jaw dropped as she saw him. He looked exactly like a warrior of her village. Red hair, green eyes, dark skin; all the same as the men of her home. She wondered if she knew him.

Silently, she went through a list of the boys that were taken before she was, maybe this knight was one of them. The commanders dismounted and followed the fort commander into the fort. Boys came and took the knights mount as the knights were shown to the courtyard set up for them. The resident knights kept to themselves mainly and watched the newcomers. Once in a while they would challenge a few to a game of knife throwing or die but other than that there was not much socializing between the groups of knights.

As the meetings progressed, the knights were told nothing. They didn't care much for they could just sit around, drink, and do nothing. Kida watched the knight of her village as much as possible. He seemed so familiar but she could not find his name.

The knights spent most of their time in the commons area and Kida watched them. The resident knights would linger in the shadows while the others would eat, drink, and hit on the serving women. No fights occurred until one knight to a grab at Vanora. Bors got angry and charged into the knight. The knight's companions lit into Bors as Bors friends came to his aid. A calm knight took Bors arm and told him to leave it be. A giant and the redheaded knight stood between Bors and the other knights. "Move Dag, Liam! Let me at 'em!" They would not budge and managed to pull him out of the yard.

Kida's jaw dropped at the mention of Liam. That knight was Liam? Could it really be him? Excitedly she got up and followed the resident knights hoping to catch her brother alone.