Note: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry it took so long. I hope it makes sense. It's not the best. Thanks for sticking with me this far and I hope the next chapter will turn out better. Thanks again.

Gone

Tristan ran towards the body. He prayed that it would be Kida. He grabbed it and pulled it towards him. For a moment, he hesitated, what if it wasn't her? Taking a deep breath, he turned the body over. His hope sank. It was not her. Sadly, he pushed to body into the river and headed back to the others.

She was dead. He knew that but why did he still hope that she had survived against all the odds? Why did he even care at all? He was over her, he was. Yet, for someone who is over someone, he still found that his thoughts strayed to Kida, the light in her eyes, her shy smile, and her stubbornness. He remembered their first kiss, how she felt under him. And the small moments when she let down her guard and allowed herself simple pleasures. Viciously, he shook his head, trying to wipe away the memories. He was not going to mourn her; he was not going to let her become his obsession in death as she was in life. He was not.

Liam rode beside Arthur. Arthur and the other knights offered him their condolences for the lost of Kida, even if some of them would not admit it, Kida had become more like a sister to them then they could have thought. They felt the same way Liam felt about her lost; they would miss her. Liam blamed himself to a degree. He should have made her go first. He should have predicted that she would try to do something stupid just to save them. Her going off on her own should have been the first clue.

As he blamed himself, Arthur spoke. "It wasn't your fault."

Liam blinked. "What?"

"I know you; you're probably blaming yourself for Kida's death. One way or another she would have found some way to stop them; all would have had the same result. She gave us more time, and for that we should be grateful. When we get back to Hadrian's Wall we shall memorialize her, until them, keep your mind on the task at hand."

"I just wish I had her body."

"Her body may be lost, but she is not gone. If we remember her, she will live on in us."

Liam scoffed, "Where did you get that saying?"

"My mother use to tell me that whenever I asked her about my father. When my father was killed, I missed him greatly. To comfort me, my mother told me that he would always live on in his deeds and in the hearts of the people who knew and loved him."

"It still doesn't help. My people would just say, 'the dead is dead, why mourn?' Mother would not even care she is dead. She was so young."

"So are many of the knights that fall defending Rome."

"Yes, Rome, a place where none of them seen. That is full of people they all hated. That's what makes her death, all the knights' deaths, tragic. If it were a cause they believed in, there would be honor in their deaths, but this is another man's fight, another man's belief. They fought because they had too and died because of it."

"Is that what you think her death is, a waste?"

"Yes. If we hadn't been here, she would still be alive."

"If not here, she would have died some other place. Do you think she did what she did for a cause she did not believe?"

Liam looked at Arthur, not quite sure at what he was hinting at.

"She did not sacrifice her life for Rome, she sacrifices it for us. Given the chance, she would have eventually gotten herself killed trying to make sure we lived to see our freedom, especially you."

"But…"

"She went after you in the forest. She braved Woads to find you. This could not have been expected." Arthur paused. Liam looked deep in thought; perhaps some of what Arthur said was making some sense. "We thought that it was her that needed protection, when all along, it was she who was doing the protecting."

"I know, but I will miss her."

"We all will. But we must live so her sacrifice is not wasted. We must now concentrate on getting back to Hadrian's Wall."

"Yes. We must." Arthur nodded at Liam. Liam finally understood why Kida did it. He knew why, and yet he didn't. He sighed. If only none of this had happened…something else would have.

Dark, wet, gasp. A light, a shadow. Swirls, blurs, black. Nothing.

They moved quickly through the forest. The Roman lord being very cooperative, it seems that the Saxon confrontation made him realize the immediate danger he was in. Fulcinia had resumed her place by her husband's side, for the prisoners were well on their way to a full recovery.

Guinevere sat in the front seat of the wagon, watching the knights. Their reactions to the loss of the girl were varied. The brother, Liam, took it the hardest, which was to be expected. The leader, Arthur, took the loss well; he was the voice of reason. The large knight that rode with the wounded, tending the boy, was hard to read seeming he was silently before this. The dark sarcastic knight acted like she deserved to die. The other two knights took it like one would if they lost a comrade, they were sad but not to the extent of the brother. Lorna's knight seemed to take the girl's death hard, but that was to be expected from a lover. Perhaps this would be the chance to get Lorna her knight. Grieve needs solace and solace shows caring.

She scolded herself for matchmaking after the sacrifice the girl made; she gave her life for all of them. But she did give her the chance to match her simple friend to a man that could be good for her.

The knights rode in a protective circle around their charges, ever alert for unseen danger. They had to be on their guards for they did not know how far it would be until the river was shallow enough for the Saxon army to ford. They kept the people moving as fast as they could for as long as they could go. They were not going to take another chance and let the Saxons catch up with them again.

For the first few days, Marius behaved, but too soon he returned to his usual self. The knights grew to hate the Roman lord and if it were not for Arthur's strict orders not to harm him, they would have deposed of the Roman. Arthur prayed that his knights would have the patience to withstand the Roman lord's crude remarks and aristocratic air.

Cold, gasp, splash. A groan, moan, cry. They screamed with every movement. They scream, they see, it swims, fades…Black.

Guinevere searched Arthur out. She was intrigued by the knight commander. She found him sitting at the edge of the camp, deep in his thoughts. "Hello," she started.

Arthur looked up at her. "Good evening milady."

"My name is Guinevere. Call me that."

"Very well, Guinevere. Is there something you need?"

"No, I just came out to keep you company. What were you thinking about?" she inquired.

"Many things. All the knights I've lost. The most recent loss."

"Were you close to her?"

Arthur stared at her, surprised that she called Kida a she. No one but his own knights knew Kida was a girl. "Yes, I was close to him."

Guinevere smiled. She had surprised him and he was trying to cover it up. "Him? I do believe you are much mistaken. If we are talking about the same loss, 'she' would be the correct term."

"I know not of what you infer."

"There is no need to pretend. I know the knight was a girl. I told her as much. No one else but I knew it."

"But how?" Arthur asked.

"That is my affair. I told her how seeming it was about her, but there is no need to tell you and so I won't."

There was silence.

"You didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"Were you two close?"

"Yes."

Guinevere stopped and thought over her next words. "Were you two…"

"No," Arthur answered, knowing exactly what she was asking. "She was like a sister to me, nothing more." For some reason, this made Guinevere smile. "Why do you smile?"

"Nothing, I just find it interesting on how all of your knights react to her. Liam, the brother, takes her loss very hard. The knight with the hawk seems to as well. The sarcastic one acts like he could care less, but he does. The two that could almost be brothers seem to feel the same way as you. The only one I am not sure about is the giant man. He shows no feelings."

"And where does this interest in our feelings come from?" Arthur asked, meeting her eyes.

"I just like to watch people and their behaviors. You should try it sometime."

"You confuse me."

"I know," she smiled. "I confuse many people."

Arthur laughed. "I have no doubt of that."

Slow, wet, cold. A figure clamored up the rocky bank of the river. Gasping, the figure collapsed. Darkness.

They settled for the night. The knights gather to discuss their next move.

"How far until we reach the wall?" Arthur asked.

"By the rate we are going, should be about four to five days," Tristan supplied.

"Have any of you seen any signs of the Saxons?"

"No, none of us have."

Arthur nodded. "Should we keep to the forest?"

Tristan shook his head. "No, the best route would be to follow the river. It is a South moving river. Probably leads to the ocean. We can follow it and then travel down to coast to the other side of the wall. The Saxons will probably stay inland, if they find our tracks and read them right, they will probably predict we will keep on going and try and get ahead of us to surprise us, at least some enemies would do that."

"Are you sure it is the best route?" Arthur asked Tristan.

"Yes."

"How can we be sure the Saxons haven't gotten the same idea?" Lancelot asked.

"We don't, but the river is the fastest way out of the forest and once in open ground we can move faster."

"But…"

"Lancelot, enough. We will follow the river. I only hope the Saxons do not find us too quickly."

"Yes, there is no Kida to distract them this time," Lancelot remarked sarcastically.

"Lancelot, enough remarks. Let's rest and pray that we will live through this." At this the knights dispersed. Artthur sighed. They were all getting restless. He knelt and prayed. If someone must die, let it be him. Let his men survive and their mission be completed successfully. He shook his head. He hoped God was listening.