Confrontation

Kida had taken to avoiding spending time alone with Dag and Tristan. She did not want do deal with them and hoped that they would get over their infatuation with her. After her chat with Vanora she told Liam about her odd predicament. He was not much help, he just said to let things go, it'll pass. She thought it was odd that Liam just let it go that easy, she would think that he would have some reaction, after his entire breakout over discovering who she was.

After she spoke with Liam, she went out to think about things. She had to admit that when Tristan kissed her she was happily confused but that didn't mean anything. Why did she have to be a girl in the first place? Things would have been much simpler if she had been a son and therefore somewhat normal but no, the Fates had to be creative.

Upset and confused, Kida walked the length of the valley and back, trying to calm herself enough to go back to the fort. She decided not the say anything about this to anyone and to wait for Tristan or Dag to make their move before she caused mayhem. She wished that they would just forget or loose interest, but with her luck she did not get her hopes to high.

Liam sat in his room after his talk with Kida. He knew this was bound to happen, but he never actually thought Tristan and Dag would be the ones to fall, he had always imagined that it would be Galahad and, perhaps, Gawain. What was he going to do?

The predicament could end in one of two ways, heartbreak of one of the parties or heartbreak of both. And he had a feeling that it would end up being the second. There was no doubt that Tristan and Dag would probably fight it out sometime soon; it was obvious that they both knew about each others feelings towards Kida, or at least Tristan knew about Dag's, Dag was a little harder to read.

He supposed he could always go and talk to them, but there really was no point. Kida seemed to show no desire to get involved and that Liam was happy about, for Kida had shown some interest he would have to get a little upset.

Tristan watched Kida as she walked through the valley. Since they arrived back she had hardly even looked at him. He knew she knew his intentions towards her and was confused why she did not show anything towards him. He couldn't have been wrong about her feelings about him, could he? They kissed and she enjoyed it. At least he did.

Kida was a mystery to him and that was perhaps one of the reasons to why he was drawn to her. He knew he was not the only person to be taken by her; Dag had been ensnarled as well. Tristan knew Dag would not make a move, but he kept a close watch on him just in case.

He was determined to get her to see what he saw and convince her, somehow, what she really felt about him.

Arthur kept a close watch on his two returned knights and his new one. After his talk with Vanora, he had watched them carefully and was now convinced that she was right.

What was he going to about this? The lady in question was not some barmaid that would be forgotten or passed around from man to man; it was a trained knight with the same abilities as her pursuers. One possibility could be that Tristan and Dag take each other out; the other would be that Kida take them both out. If ever an object of affection was one to be wary off, Kida was one of them.

Everything quieted down and the knights settled back to the closest thing that could be called normality. They all sensed something in the air and waited for it to resolve itself.

They did not know that Kida, Tristan, and Dag were in a middle of a silent war; they just knew something was wrong.

It was hard for Liam and Arthur to take the uncomfortable silence, for they knew it was the silence before Hell broke loose.

Their prediction was right.

Kida sat in the darkness alone. She could not stand things they way they were. If they had to spend the rest of their time here is such contempt she would kill them all. Finally, after a few months, she had her fill and confronted Tristan and Dag.

She found them before they rode out on sentry duty. As she walked towards them she noticed the light in their eyes. She sighed and reminded herself what she was there for.

"Hello, Kida," Dag greeted her with the same dazed look he gave her each time he saw her. She noted Tristan's scowl at Dag. She had to get it over with now.

"Tristan, Dagonet, we have to talk."

"What about?" Tristan asked.

"About this!" she exclaimed and pointed at them. "About you and you and me."

"What is there to talk about?' Tristan asked.

Kida rolled her eyes. "Don't play stupid, we all know what this is about."

"I don't have any idea what 'this' is. Please explain."

"Tristan, Dagonet, I can't take this hostility."

"What hostility?" Tristan asked innocently.

Kida turned around and tried to calm herself. If she didn't do anything soon she would go insane. "It's got to stop."

"What do you mean?" Dag asked.

"Everything. Look you're both nice and I'm sure there's women out there for you but I'm not her. I'm not looking for a relationship and I really don't want to the cause of your discontent. I say you get over whatever you're hung up on and get on with life." With that she walked out of the stable.

Dag and Tristan looked at each other for a few moments then mounted. Kida's visits had been an odd one. They rode side-by-side for awhile then Tristan kicked his horse ahead. He was not going to reconcile. He was going to win her even if she didn't want to be won.

Later that night, Tristan hunted Kida down. He found her outside her room. She saw him and tried to avoid him but he caught her and held her down. "Stop struggling, we have to talk."

Kida looked at him and asked, "What do you want?"

Tristan glanced around them, the hall was empty but he was not going to take the chance of someone overhearing them. He opened the door to her room and pushed her in there.

"Tristan, what is it?" Kida demanded. "And what are you doing in my room?"

"I don't want anyone overhear what I have come to say."

Kida looked in the eyes and said, "This is about this afternoon."

He nodded. "You weren't serious were you?"

Kida scoffed, "Yes, I was, and I'm still serious. I want nothing to do with you or anyone. Just leave me be. I have four years to live through."

She tried to get passed him and out back into the hall but he blocked her way. "How can you be serious?"

"Tristan, please get out of my way."

"Kida," he whispered. "Kida…" His voice trailed off and he leaned in for a kiss. Kida backed away.

"Tristan don't you dare try to kiss me ever again."

Tristan looked at her confused. Kida thrust him out of her way and left the room and disappeared down the hall. All Tristan could do was stand and watch her leave.

Dag watched Tristan look for Kida and knew he had to make his move before Tristan did. He found Kida walking down the hall a few minutes after he saw Tristan. Relief flooded him, Tristan had not found her, or at least convinced her to be his. He stepped into the hall and blocked her way.

"Please move Dagonet," she ordered. He did not budge. "Dagonet, I am not in the mood, now move!"

He looked at her and smiled. "I must speak with you."

Kida shook her head. "I have to go."

"I love you."

Kida stopped and looked at him, "Dagonet, I am not interested. You'll get over me and find someone else."

Dag shook his head.

"Yes you will." Without another word she turned around and disappeared around the corner. Dag watched her go thinking of ways to win her.

Kida stalked to Vanora's hut. She had a serious problem. "Vanora!" she cried. "It didn't work."

Vanora opened her door and let Kida come in. Kida sat down at her table while Vanora made her a cup of tea. Once Kida was drinking her tea, Vanora sat down and looked at her. "You told them." Kida nodded. "They didn't take it well I take it." Kida nodded again. "What did they do?"

"They practically proposed."

"What?"

"Tristan hunted me down and trapped me in my room. He was acting all weird, they way he looked at me made me very uncomfortable. He then started telling me that I wasn't really serious about what I said and then tried to kiss me."

"Tristan proves to be unrelenting. What about Dag?"

"He caught me soon after and told me he loved me. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Vanora listened to Kida and her meetings with the insane lovers. She had to admit, it was all rather comical. "What am I going to do?" Kida asked.

"I think we should speak with Arthur," she advised.

"What? What can he do?"

"You might be surprised."

"Fine," Kida growled. "Anything to stop this madness."

Arthur sat in his quarters when Jols knocked on his doors and said he had visitors. He told him to let them in and found Vanora and Kida walking through his door. "Please, sit down," he said. They took seats across the room from him. "Well, what is it?"

Kida looked at Vanora and Vanora began to explain what had happened between three of his knights this afternoon. When Vanora finished telling her tale he looked at Kida and said, "You are not toying with them?"

Her eyes widen and she nearly shouted, "No!"

"Calm down, it's just a question," Vanora told her.

"What makes you think I would want to play these two men against each other?"

"Most women do that to get things. Some even enjoy seeing them hurt each other," Arthur explained.

"Seriously, do you really think I would be doing that? I have been living as a man for the last eleven years. Why on earth would I start playing men against each other, where would I learn how? Besides what do they see in me? I'm practically one of them."

"That is what I'd like to know," Arthur started. "but that's beside the point. So you told them that you had no interest in either of them yet they still pursue?"

"Yes."

"That can create a problem."

"Really? I never would have guessed."

"I am sensing a bit of sarcasm."

"You do? And you think the situation doesn't call for it?"

"Calm down Kida."

"Calm down! Calm down! Is that all you can say? Incase you don't see the entire picture, I have to knights who pursue me romantically and they are not getting any hints that I don't want to get involved. You have probably never been in such a predicament, but I do not enjoy it and would really like to have it over with before it gets even worse. Do you have an idea or not?"

"I do believe you are over reacting."

"Over reacting? Why don't we trade places and see how you like having two of your comrades after you."

"I don't know what to do, to tell you the truth."

"Great. Does that mean I'm going to have to kill one of them to get the other to get the drift?"

Arthur laughed. At least she could keep her sense of humor. "If we wait it out and see what they do next we might be able to resolve this."

"Is there no other way?"

"None that I can see at the moment. Just keep up what you've been doing and watch for their next move."

"Fine, wait, watch, and ignore. I got it."

Kida and Vanora left and Arthur thought. He had to do something but he did not know what. Perhaps time would decide for him.