Note: Thanks for the reviews! Heres yet another pointless chapter. Sorry it took so long. A bit of warning that it might take a while to update. It just depends if my internet keeps working or not, it is very tempermental. I will try to update as fast as I can. Thanks again and have a smashing read.

Settling

Liam found Arthur in the stables. He walked up to him and stared at him. Arthur turned around and looked him in the eye; he knew Liam knew Kida was gone.

"Where is she?" he asked.

Arthur shrugged.

"I know you know where she is; now tell me."

"She's gone away?" Arthur asked innocently.

"Don't lie; you're such a bad liar."

Arthur sighed; he knew he was a bad liar too. "She's gone," he told him truthfully.

"I know she's gone. Tell me where."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I promised her I wouldn't."

Liam glared at Arthur and yelled, "WHAT! You let her go off by herself? She could get hurt, or killed. What where you thinking?"

"That she would be safer on her own than with you."

"What? How could she be safer by herself? She could get killed. She needs me to protect her."

"Liam," Arthur started. "She doesn't need you to watch over her every second of every day. If you did that people would think it strange and pry and that would probably have led to her discovery. It was for the best that she left; for her and for you."

Liam fought hard to keep his temper under control. What did Arthur think he was doing letting Kida go off on her own? She was just a girl and could not take care of herself. She needed him; she could not live without him.

"Rest assured Liam, Kida is well taken care of."

"What? How can she be? She is out there alone, anything can happen to her."

"We sent some one with her."

"Who? Jols? Some messenger boy? No one you could send could be able to protect her," Liam said gruffly and began to pace. "How could you just let her leave? Are you that heartless? Where you afraid of discovery? Tell me why!"

Arthur took a deep breath; Liam was not himself, he had to keep reminding himself. "I let her go because of you. You were acting strange, like you are now, and it scared her and us. It was as if a demon had taken over you. You became obsessed with protecting her that you could not see that you were putting her in more danger by doing so. I tried to tell you on our ride but you would not listen. I beg that you listen know and see what you have become the past month. I assure you that she is in good hands where ever she goes."

"Who is with her?" Liam asked.

"Tristan."

Liam sighed. At least he knew that Tristan was capable enough to protect his sister if the worst came around but he still was convinced that he could do the better job at protecting her.

Tristan rode slowly along. He watched Lysander's troop move slowly ahead of him. He scanned the ranks for signs of Kida. He found her at the end of the column. His hawk flew freely around him. He enjoyed this solitude and did not wish to leave it but he knew he had a duty to Arthur and kicked his horse on.

Kida tried her best to avoid Lysander but no matter what she tried he always seemed to find away to corner her by herself. He tried to get her to tell him where she had been but she evaded his questions which infuriated him. Kida wished that the trip would be over but it seemed never to end.

After they had been traveling for a few days, Kida noticed a rider coming up. For a moment she held her breath. Liam raced through her mind. Had Arthur betrayed her and told Liam where she had gone? Had Liam come to retrieve her?

As the rider came closer, Kida let out a sigh of relief. It was not Liam, but the rider looked familiar. Lysander called the company to a halt as they waited for the rider to reach them.

Tristan pulled his horse to a halt before Kida. He nodded at her as she stared at him. He liked surprising people. He turned to Lysander.

"Why are you here?" Lysander asked.

"Arthur wanted to show his apologies for holding you up at the fort so he sent me to help you in any way I can until you leave this island," Tristan recited the reason Arthur told him to say.

Lysander seemed satisfied with the reply and said, "Very well, your commander's act is noted. I just have a few rules and they are: Do what I say when I say no matter what. Any questions?" Tristan shook his head. "Good." Lysander turned his horse and rode to the front of the group. He gave the signal and they rode away.

Tristan fell into step with Kida and said quietly, "You look happy to see me."

Kida glared at him and snapped, "What are you doing here? You promised not to tell Liam where I was going."

"But you see, your brother isn't here. We kept our end of the bargain, we did not tell Liam where you went, but we thought it best that someone went to watch after you incase any other unexpected events take place."

"I don't need help."

"Hush, we will talk later in private. There is no need to let everyone know everything." Kida scowled and kicked her horse ahead, leaving Tristan alone at the end of the column. Tristan took in the scenery. Never before had he been riding at the end of a company. It was quite interesting to not be ahead scouting.

Liam sat in the stables thinking. He was mad at Arthur for not telling him where Kida went. He was mad at everyone else for conspiring against him. Why could they not understand that Kida needed him?

While Liam thought, Dagonet came and sat next to him. He knew his friend was having trouble accepting what had happened and thought he might help him.

Liam glared at Dag as he sat down. "What do you want?"

"To talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

Dag sighed. "Yes there is."

"No there's not."

"Why are you so angry?"

"You all betrayed me."

"Is that what you think we did?"

"Yes."

"You are wrong."

"Oh am I?"

"Yes."

Liam scoffed. "Really? Why then did you send my sister off to die?"

"We didn't send her off to die."

"Then to what?"

"We let her go to give her a chance to live."

"To live? How can she live out there alone?"

"She's done it for the past seven years."

"So, she was just lucky."

"Luck? And was it luck that helped her find you and save you from the Woads?"

Liam stopped. "I…I…"

"Exactly. She must have some skill to do that. She is not a little helpless creature. According to some of the knights in her company, she killed many Woads and fought many battles. In fact, on her way to her post she held off an entire group of Woads alone and lived to tell the tale. If she was so helpless how could she do these things? And don't tell me its luck. No one's that lucky."

Liam blinked. Dag was a man of few words and to hear such a speech from him was astounding. "I don't know, but I do know that she needs me."

Dag sighed. "Why are you convinced that she needs you to protect her?"

"Because, that's how it always was."

"But that was a long time ago. Things changed, she changed, and you changed. Did you expect everything to go back to what they were before you were taken?"

Liam though for a moment, he knew he did but he was not about to admit it.

"Just think about it Liam. She had been through everything we have and is still alive. She is not the little girl of your memeories. She grew up. Just think and try to see her as the woman she is instead of the girl she was." With that, Dag stood up and walked out. There was nothing else he could say to his friend and hoped what he had said would be enough to help him realize that Kida was not a little girl in need of protection.

Kida rode alone. She thought about everything that had happened since she found Liam. She still loved him but he treated her like she was still a child and weak. She was none of those things and wished he would see that. She hoped that he would come to his senses before she returned.

She was angry that Arthur sent Tristan to watch her. She did not need someone to protect her. Since Tristan arrived she had ignored him. He just laughed at her and smiled. Oh how she wished that she could wipe the grin of his face.

Tristan sensed Kida's annoyance with him and rather enjoyed it. He did what ever he could to get her to glare at him. A few times he thought she was going to punch him but she held herself back. He laughed at her and smugly rode along watching her every move and the commander's as the commander watched her.

He did not like the commander. He was silent and always watching Kida from the corner of his eye. Tristan knew that if there was someone that should not know about Kida's secret it was the commander. He decided that he had to protect her from Lysander for he seemed to be the type of man who would ruthlessly beat her if she was found out. But he also knew that he had to protect Kida with out her suspecting or she would give everything away. In a way, he could see Liam in Kida. While Liam was stubborn in his protection of her, she was stubborn in her defiance of the need of it. He understood that she could take care of herself but he knew she could do something stupid in her attempt to prove the fact to Liam.

Arthur and the others sat in the hall. Liam was absent and Tristan was gone. The hall felt empty without them. Dag sat silently thinking over his conversation with Liam. He hoped Liam would not bear any anger towards him.

Gawain and Galahad drank ale with Bors while the other living knights chatted among themselves. Lancelot watched Arthur and knew that he was distressed. He went to sit by him and asked casually, "How do you think Tristan done with the girl? You think he got her to go all the way or just kissing?"

Arthur blinked and stared at Lancelot. "What?"

Lancelot winked. "You think Tristan got her to bed yet?"

"How could you think such a thing? Just because you would doesn't mean everyone else would."

"Just saying he could."

"Lancelot you never cease to amaze me."

Lancelot smiled. "I know."

Arthur smiled back. "I wonder what I did was right."

"Was what right?"

"Was I right to let Kida go?"

Lancelot growled. "You and your moral conflicts. You let her go and thinking about it won't change that. Besides, Tristan is with her and he can take care of her if needed, although after what I saw her do in battle she won't need it."

"Did I just hear you say something positive about someone? Are you well?" Arthur asked.

"I'm just stating a fact. She fights damn well for a girl."

Arthur laughed. "Lancelot you do know what to say to make me laugh."

Lancelot smiled, "I do don't I?"

Finally, after what seemed like months, they made it back to fort. The knights rode into the fort, dismounted, and went to their quarters. Kida locked herself away in her room and cleaned herself. She thought everything through in her head, yet again, and still could not find any answers.

She was confused about Tristan. She wanted to hate him but she couldn't. He was the only person who knew the truth and, in a way, it made it easier to talk to him that is if she was talking to him. She did not know what to do. It was a long time until they would leave and she could not go back to the silent life she led before she met Arthur's knights.

Maybe morning would give her the answers she looked for.