Here's another chapter… now for the dilemma, I only have one more chapter written before I have to get really serious again and get ahead… the problem being, I'm kind of stumped. Suggestions? Please, I could really use some help here!
Thanks to all reviewers of the last chapter:
Devonshirelass: Well, of course he escaped, he doesn't get killed until much later in the movie. But a lot of things can happen before then. Hope you like this one as well.
Lucilla: Thank you for your kind words and yes, I am v-e-r-y lucky! I not only have a husband who is willing to look like my favorite knight (except for the braids, I'm still working on that one!) but he is also my best friend. I am a blessed woman and I don't even know why God decided I deserved this wonderful life!
ElvenStar5: Glad you're reading and took the time to let me know. I hope I don't let anyone down as the story goes.
Standard disclaimer still applies. No matter how much I wish otherwise, I still can't claim ownership of anything other than what my imagination can come up with to further the story that we've all come to love so much.
They reached the hut to find the rest of the knights had joined Arthur. Sarah knew that Derek was not being held as she had hoped as soon as she saw the others standing around pointing in different directions. She ran up to them and listened to them give their opinions about his whereabouts and asked, "Is William dead?" Her voice was almost a whisper but it brought all their attentions to her and Arthur slowly nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. When we arrived he was lying inside with a dagger wound to his heart and Derek was gone. No one has seen him."
She felt Gawain pull her close as tears began to form in her eyes. "He was a good and decent man and will be missed. He saved my life." She paused, then asked, "Where is Timothy?" She strained her eyes looking around the group and finally saw him standing over the body of his friend. Pulling herself away from the safety of Gawain's embrace, she slowly went to her brother. He looked up when he felt her hand on his shoulder, "Timothy, I'm sorry. I should never have left him. I don't think he was prepared for the way Derek had changed." He put his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "Oh, Sarah, if you hadn't left, you would probably be dead as well. It is I who should be sorry. I should have spoken out against all the changes being made. I should have spoken up for Arthur and the knights..." His voice trailed off as he saw Gawain walk up with Arthur by his side.
"Timothy, none of you have anything to be sorry for. Derek is just another madman using fear to make people accept what they normally would not have accepted." Arthur spoke with authority. All eyes turned to Sarah as she shouted, "No!" When she saw the look of confusion on their faces at her outburst, she continued, "He didn't let anything happen, he caused the attack. He brought the Saxons to our village, he said so himself and William heard him. That's why he stayed to guard him while I ran for help."
Finally, Timothy broke the silence her words had brought over the group. "I know you hate what he has become, but how could he possibly be in league with Saxons? There has been enough lies and mistrust, Sarah, please don't add to it with accusations such as these." She looked at her brother with her mouth gaped open. Then she turned her gaze to the other men standing around. "Do none of you believe me? I am not just making this up to get even with Derek!" Her gaze finally fell on Gawain and he saw the pleading in her eyes. "I believe you, Sarah." he told her quietly. Then with more conviction, "I don't think she's making any of this up. Arthur?" All eyes then turned to the Roman and he looked from one man to the other. "Nor do I. I wondered where all his bravado came from. No man who has been raised in a peaceful village would be so daring without some kind of back up from somewhere. Now I know where his bravery came from."
Sarah watched the emotions play across her brothers face. He heard what Gawain and Arthur said, but he never took his eyes from hers. Hanging his head, he quietly said, "But, I saw him fight them that day. He was like a madman, killing Saxons without blinking. How...? Why...?" She knew he was waiting for her to explain the answers, but the events of the day finally caught up to her and she fainted, only being stopped from hitting the hard ground by Gawain's arms around her waist. Arthur quickly told him to take her inside the hut for they would make their headquarters there until morning. Until then, he wanted guards patrolling the village continually. The other knights immediately started to do as Arthur ordered as Gawain took Sarah inside and made a place for her to rest.
Timothy cornered Arthur, "Do you really believe her story of the Saxons?" Arthur nodded, "I've wondered since we got here how one man could have done so much in so few months. What I don't understand and hope that she can explain when she wakes, is why he fought them when they got here. That is the one piece of the puzzle that is missing." Timothy finally nodded his head, "If you believe her, then it must be so. But I can assure you, he did fight them. Whatever else he may have done, some of us would not be alive if it hadn't been for him." Arthur acknowledged his words and turned to see Gawain wiping Sarah's face with a wet cloth. "How is she?" he called to his knight.
Gawain answered without looking away from her, "She's coming around, I think she just fainted from the excitement of the day. But she has a huge knot on the back of her head and there's some dried blood in her hair." Arthur and Timothy walked the few steps to where they were as Sarah opened her eyes. "What happened? One minute I was talking and the next, nothing." Gawain gently helped her to sit up a little so he could give her a drink of water. After taking a sip, she looked at her brother and then back to Gawain. "Sarah, you fainted. Just be still for a bit until you feel better." She let him lie her back down on the straw mat and Arthur waited for her to be settled before asking her questions.
She told them all she could remember of what Derek had said and they listened intently, prodding her from time to time when she had trouble. Finally, Gawain spoke up, "That's enough for now. Sarah, try to get some rest. I'll be right here, so don't worry or be afraid." She nodded and watched him stand up and walk a couple of steps away from her to stand with Arthur and her brother. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to do as he asked, but all she could see was the face of the man who caused the deaths of her family and friends.
The men of the village all came to Arthur when word had made it around that Derek had been in league with the Saxons. Arthur listened to all they had to say, whether it was in condemnation of the man or in defense. He told them all he knew and saw realization dawn on the faces of some, while others kept a glimmer of doubt in their eyes. Whatever else the man had done, he had certainly gathered a following amongst the people of the village. Especially with the younger men. He made a mental note to let the knights know that some of these men might bring trouble and garnered watching. He leaned back and looked at the maps he had spread out on the makeshift desk in his 'headquarters'. Bringing his hands up to rub his tired eyes, he wondered just how far this would go before it came to an end. The chances of people dying before it came to an end bothered him most, for above all else, he hated the unnecessary death and destruction brought on by war. With a soul deep sigh, he raised back up and picked up one of the maps they had found in Derek's quarters.
The map bothered him. There were few places labeled on it, but the ones that were labeled led directly toward Hadrian's Wall. He had no idea who had made the map or what its purpose was, but the fact that it seemed to form a path that led to the Roman occupied part of Britain was cause to be concerned. So engrossed in the mystery of the map, he didn't see Lancelot walk up to the table and wait for him to say something, until he cleared his throat. He jerked his head up to look into the face of his second in command.
"Arthur, you really should get some rest. You've been pouring over these maps since we found them and I can tell by your expression that you are no closer to deciphering their significance now than you were hours ago." Lancelot waited for his commander, and friend, to agree, but when he only stared at him as if looking through him, he waved his hand in front of his eyes. "I will take over your study of them, although I don't think I can be of much help. Have you shown them to Tristan?" He watched as Arthur finally came out of his trance and looked down at the maps again before answering.
"No, and I don't think I would be able to sleep even if I did take a break. Lancelot, these maps are important, I just know it. But for the life of me, I cannot figure out how." His friend heard the frustration in his voice and saw it in the way he ran his hands through his already ruffled hair. "Well, you may never figure that out. Especially if you kill yourself trying. Why don't we just gather all this stuff up and take it back to the wall? I, for one, would feel easier if we had the fortress walls around us while we try to figure out what the hell this madman has been doing." He watched as Arthur considered his words. Finally, he saw the resignation in his features before he spoke.
"Perhaps you are right. Tell the others to begin preparing the villagers to move out. We will leave as soon as it is light outside." He was gathering up the parchments as he spoke and missed the look of surprise on Lancelot's face. He only stopped when Lancelot put his hands on the table, stopping him from rolling the maps into a bundle. "Surely, you don't mean to take them with us!" Lancelot shouted in a whispered voice. "Of course I do. Do you think I would leave them to the fate of a madman? A madman in league with the Saxons?" His questions were meant to bring guilt to his friend's thoughts of forsaking these people. But unfortunately, Lancelot felt no such guilt and was quick to point out that these people were not part of his duty to Rome.
"Lancelot, you still don't understand, do you? We are no longer just doing service to Rome. We serve a higher purpose than the one given us by the Roman Empire. These people have already suffered great losses because of the Saxons and the fact that one of their own betrayed them. I cannot just walk away and forget what I've seen here. Now, will you tell the men? Or must I?" Lancelot shook his head, then before turning to leave, he said, "No, I'll tell them, but you know that this 'higher purpose' is only a figment of your imagination. You cannot change the world, Arthur. Men will always fight for more than they already have. Greed is a powerful emotion. One that even your God cannot defeat." Then without another word, he turned and left Arthur staring after him.
When Lancelot told the other knights of Arthur's plan, most took the news without saying a word. They had come to expect this behavior from their leader. Over the years they had seen him place himself and them in danger for the good of others. It was who he was and none were eager to change him. None except Lancelot. As he voiced his discontent, he noticed that only Gawain was looking at him and stopped speaking to cock his head toward the blonde man. "What? I see that you disagree with me, tell me why we should care what happens to these people and maybe, just maybe, I'll see that you and Arthur are right." He challenged. For a moment, he thought that Gawain would turn and walk away without uttering a single word, then with a sigh, he began to tell him what he asked.
"Lancelot, I understand what you say. I've thought the same on many occasions when we went on missions that could bring our deaths. But, since coming here and seeing these people, I understand. Rome took us from our homes and even killed some of our people in doing so, we don't have to do the same. We can help these people. We are now older and wiser. We don't have to leave them to the same fate we left our own villages to." He waited for Lancelot to say something, anything, whether in agreement, which he doubted, or in argument, which was more likely. But before the dark knight had a chance to speak, Galahad spoke up.
"Instead of helping these people, we should be trying to stay alive so that we can return to our own villages and help our own people. These people would not help us if the roles were reversed." The weariness of almost fifteen years of fighting a losing battle was evident in both his words and his expression as Gawain looked at him. "I understand how both of you feel," he started, then raised his hand as Galahad tried to protest, "I really do, Galahad. But, are we any better than the Romans if we turn our back on those people just because they are not Sarmatian?" He waited for either of the two men to comment, but instead Timothy, who had walked up for the last part of his statement, spoke up first. "Some of us are Sarmatian."
Gawain's head snapped toward the other man, "Sarmatian? How so?" He inquired. Timothy looked at the faces of all the knights and saw their disbelief at his words. He slowly shook his head and gave a rueful little laugh. "Derek was right in one thing. You Sarmatian knights are so full of yourself. Do you think you are the first men to be forced from your homes to fight for something you don't believe in?" His words were challenging, and he noticed that all of them bristled at his tone. He changed it somewhat, then began to explain what he meant, noticing the disbelief on one or two faces and the thoughtfulness on others. "So, you see, even the knights before you saw more to this country than their servitude to an empire they hated. I may be born a Briton, but my father came here to do the same as you. And like you, Gawain, found more." He was about to continue when Sarah spoke from behind them.
"You couldn't wait to claim your right to be part of them could you, Timothy?" She was angry and Timothy didn't understand why. "Sarah, you only heard part of the conversation, you don't know what you're talking about." He started, but she just slapped him and turned away. Gawain looked at the man with a questioning look, then took off after her.
"Sarah, wait!" he called as he caught up with her. "What is wrong with you? Are you upset that you are part Sarmatian? Is that why you never told me?" He asked her. She clenched her fists, then consciously made her arms and hands relax before she turned to look at him. "Is that what you believe? Then you don't know me at all." Her voice was small, defeated and she hung her head as she turned away from him. Before she had taken a step, she turned back, "Alright, you asked what I'm angry about and I'll tell you. I'm angry that my father kept his heritage a secret from me. I'm angry that Timothy knew and didn't say anything. I'm also angry that he was so eager to tell you at the first opportunity. I'm angry that…" Her words were cut off as he took her and kissed her. Try as hard as she might, she couldn't keep her body rigid. She relaxed into his embrace and returned his kiss.
Finally, releasing her lips, he put his finger under her chin, bringing her eyes in line with his. "You misunderstood what you heard. Come back to the council hut and we can talk more. Arthur wants all of your people to pack and go back to the wall where it will be safer." Then with a huge smile on his lips, he teased her, "My little Sarmatian Spitfire." Instead of making her bristle up again, he saw his mirth mirrored in her eyes as she retorted, "I'll show you Spitfire." With his arm thrown around her shoulders and hers around his waist, they headed toward the hut. "I guess I'll have to apologize to Timothy when I see him again." She murmured as they walked. In answer, he only hugged her closer.