Note: I hope someone comes up with a suggestion as to where this story should go from here. I know how it ends… (the movie, duh!) but until then I don't want to lose any of my readers by getting all dull and uninteresting. If you have an idea, just email me and I'll see what I can do with it. Until later… enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: If you don't recognize something as the work of a 'real' writer, then it must belong to me! If you do recognize it, then, it's not mine. (How's that for a disclaimer?)
The knights spent the rest of the night prodding the villagers into getting ready to leave. Sarah and Timothy helped some of the others 'decide' what they should leave behind since Arthur asked they only take what was absolutely necessary. She knew that he kept looking at her when he thought she didn't notice and she really wanted to apologize for her earlier outburst. But she wanted to wait until they could be alone. She wanted his honest reaction, not some male ego acceptance because someone was listening. He undoubtedly had other ideas, "Sarah, are you still angry with me?" When he asked the question, she stopped what she was doing and took a deep breath.
"No, and I never should have been. I really was just angry at the situation and I took it out on you." She had turned to face him as she spoke and saw that he looked both relieved and confused. "Timothy, I was angry because I found out things about Father that I didn't know. I didn't know because he didn't tell me. And you knew and didn't say anything!" She saw him prepare to explain and she stopped him, "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, I really didn't." She waited for him to accept her apology, and began to fidget when he didn't appear to be going to say anything. "Alright, I accept your apology. But… I think you are angry with me for not saying anything. And I don't blame you for that. Can we just move on now and forget about it?"
She had expected him to explain why he didn't tell her and was disappointed that he didn't. But, he was her brother and she had missed him terribly while she had been away. "Pact?" she asked as she held out her hand. He flashed her a huge smile and took her hand in his, "Pact!" He pulled her into his arms in a hug and she patted his shoulder as they hugged. "Well, I'm glad to see that you two have settled your differences." Timothy released her and she moved into Gawain's embrace. "Yes, thank you. Reminded me of our quarrels when we were children." She giggled and looked at her brother.
"Yeah, except this time she didn't try to beat me up." He said as he laughed with her. "Only because you didn't deserve it this time." She rejoined as she grabbed his arm and pinched it. "Now, now, children." Gawain admonished. "You're beginning to act like Bors' brood." They all shared a laugh as Timothy began to question what they were being compared with. "Enough!" Gawain finally said between guffaws, "Are you almost ready to go? Arthur is getting impatient and sent us all out to find out the reason we're taking so long to move out."
Timothy assured him they were and that all of the villagers in their group was ready as well. "Good, I'll tell Arthur. We'll be leaving before the sun is fully up. Try to get a little rest while you can." He hesitated and pulled Sarah a little away from her brother. "Will you ride with me today?" He held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. All she could do was nod her head, slowly. The look in his eyes would have made her say yes to anything he asked at that moment. She stared at the blue depths and felt herself being pulled into them. It reminded her of the way she had imagined the great sea her father had told her of would be. Vast and breathtakingly beautiful.
He didn't tell her that part of his intense look was because he was fearful that Derek would try something and he wanted her to be close to him. He had meant it when he told her that he would never let her come to harm again. He would not let her down like he had before. Never again! Instead, he just held her in his arms until she began to squirm a little. "Gawain, you can let me go now." She teased. She felt him slowly let her go. She thought he had done so reluctantly and wondered why. She didn't have a chance to ask, as Bors rode up at that moment and told them Arthur was ready to go. She waved to Timothy and left with Gawain, holding his hand, mostly because he would not let go of hers.
As Sarah sat almost in Gawain's lap on his horse, she watched the people of her village slowly trudge past them. Things had certainly changed for them and she silently hoped they would adjust without much trouble. These were such good, honest people that she hated to see them look so sad and forlorn. She glanced up over her shoulder at the face of the man behind her. He was watching the people as well until he glanced down and found her watching him. "What?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," she said through her smile. "I was just thinking how much I love you and how wonderful you are." She saw him return her smile with the smile that always took her breath away. She loved the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She especially loved the spark of a promise she saw in his eyes. It spoke of many things to come and she blushed at her own thoughts. How forward he must think her to be. She quickly averted her eyes, but seemingly with a will of their own, her eyes turned to his. His next words made her heart stop for a moment, as she took in her breath and held it.
"Marry me, Sarah. When we reach the Wall, marry me right then." Again her only answer was the nod of her head. Then she turned around to face him, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Yes, My Lord." She replied in her best subservient voice. She saw the quick look he gave her. Surely he saw the amusement in her eyes, but instead of going along with her, he said, "To you I will always be Gawain, or Husband. Never, ever My Lord. Understand?" She gave him a quizzical look, cocking her head to the side. Finally, she decided she should let him know she understood. He wanted her to be his equal, not his servant. "Yes, Gawain. Almost Husband. I understand." He leaned down and gently kissed her. "I will never treat you as anything other than my partner in whatever the gods have in store for us. You are the other half of my heart and I love you as you are now. She returned his kiss and felt the love in her heart swell.
So engrossed in each other, neither of them saw the man peeping out of the mound of belongings in the wagon that rode past. Nor did they see the look of pure hatred in his eyes. If they had noticed, they would have avoided much trouble to come.
Derek had not fled the village as they suspected. He had hidden with one of the villagers that was still loyal to him. In sympathy, he had taken him in, keeping him hidden from Arthur and the knights. The Roman had no right to take over the rule of his people and he would help the young hero regain what he had earned in the fight with the Saxons. Never once did he question him regarding his involvement in the attack. To him it was a lie, spread to dispose of the one man who could protect the people and let them live as they pleased. So he had promised when they agreed to go with the Roman. He had not told him his plan, but then, when did true leaders ever tell those not worthy what he was going to do? He was just glad he was there to tell him what he should do. As long as he was provided for, he never wondered about anything, just followed blindly where he went.
The caravan moved slowly throughout the day, not stopping until almost sunset. The look of the people spoke of exhaustion and second thoughts at their decision to leave their homes. Arthur watched them move slowly past him and made a note to wander through the camp later when they had settled for the night. He knew that to reach the wall they would have a chance of facing many dangers. If they were to reach it without casualties, he would have to ensure that they believed the decision to take the journey was the right one. If they second guessed their choice, they would not be prepared if, when, trouble found them. He saw Timothy riding toward him, stopping at each wagon to encourage the people. He would make a good village leader and Arthur decided to speak to him about it before they reached the wall. Someone would have to take on that responsibility and no one else had shown any inclination to do so. He nodded to the man as he rode past, continuing his encouragement. Yes, he would make a fine leader. Having made the decision, he moved forward to where he knew Lancelot was riding. The weight of his duty felt lighter now and he wanted to enjoy the easy banter he had with his friend.
Arthur had the knights help move the people into an area surrounded by a small grove of trees. Tristan rode ahead to check for trouble and would check the perimeter before returning to rest. Arthur hoped he found nothing and would return soon. These people had seen enough trouble and although they had done a decent job of 'protecting' themselves from the knights, he wasn't so sure how they would fare against an attack by forces that were truly intending them harm.
Dag rode up to tell Gawain what Arthur wanted them to do and saw him holding Sarah. She was asleep with her head back against his chest. "Has she been asleep long?" he asked conversationally. "No, I felt her relax when Arthur said we would be stopping soon. Until then, she seemed concerned that she was hindering me somehow. No matter how hard I tried to get her to relax against me, she just sat up straight." Dag watched as he looked down at the sleeping woman, then he looked back up and said, "She agreed to be my wife when we get back to the wall. I can't believe my good fortune. I no longer dread the day of my discharge for now I have a reason to plan for the future." Dag congratulated his friend and told him he indeed was a lucky man. "Will she be returning to your home with you or will you stay here with her people?"
Gawain thought about it for a minute, "I don't know, we never got around to discussing it. But it matters not to me. I've lived here too long to be so adamant about leaving. If we stay, I don't think we will return to her village. I'd rather not be where Derek could find us so easily." His words surprised Dag. "You think he means to cause you trouble?" "I'm sure of it, if he can find us. I saw the way he looked at her. He had no intentions of letting her leave with me. If for no other reason, he did not want to see her with me." He paused in his words to gently push her hair away from her face. "Dag, I let him cause her harm. But, never again. I promised to keep her safe always."
Dag felt for his friend, but he also realized how impossible the promise would be to keep. "You know, Gawain, as much as you may want to, you can't protect her all the time. There will be times when you will be away and she will have to take care of herself. She can't ride with you every time." "I know and it pains me to admit that. But while I am with her…" he let his words trail off as he felt her stir against his chest. He watched her eyes flutter open, then she tried to sit up. "It's alright, Sarah. Relax. We've stopped for the night. We're just waiting for everyone to get pulled into the trees to make camp." He felt her relax back against him and smiled.
"Hello, Dag." She spoke softly to the big man. He smiled and returned the greeting just as Galahad rode up to them. "Gawain, everyone's picked out their camp. We're to set up and walk the perimeter to make sure everyone only unpacks what is absolutely necessary. Arthur wants them to be prepared to break camp at a moment's notice if need be." Gawain nodded and the younger man rode back toward the front. "Come on Love. Let's get you settled." He nodded to Dag and they slowly rode toward the front behind Galahad. After they had left, Dag shook his head. Gawain had not seen the look on her face at his words. She didn't seem happy that she was being taken care of so carefully. Maybe he would realize this before he made her angry. Dag had not seen her angry, but Lancelot had told him how she had attacked Derek back at the village and it sounded like she had a nice temper to match her beauty. Well, that was Gawain's problem and he would figure it out on his own. Eventually.
The driver of the wagon, called Bull by those that knew him, was one of the last to stop, being very careful to find a spot secluded enough to allow their 'passenger' the chance to come out and stretch, but not so far away as to cause anyone to be suspicious. He had seen the knights slowly making their way to all of the wagons, talk to the occupants, then ride on. He guessed they were making sure everyone was doing as their new leader demanded and quietly told Derek to wait before emerging from his mound of camouflage. As expected, one of the knights rode up as he was unhitching the two horses from the wagon. This was one he had not noticed before, but he had no doubt he was as fierce as he appeared.
He was taller than any man he'd seen in a long time with a scar down one side of his face. Proof he had seen many battles. In his hand he carried a huge battle axe causing the man to swallow as bile entered his throat. Bull was not a small man, and although he was not as smart as some of the others, he was still smart enough to know when to be slightly fearful. He nodded a greeting and waited for the big man to speak. "Only unpack what you need for the night. We may have to leave in a hurry if trouble finds us." Dag told the driver and waited for him to acknowledge his words. When he nodded, Dag rode on to the next wagon that encircled their small camp. As soon as he saw him ride back toward the rest of his group, Bull went to the wagon to let Derek out of his hiding spot.
Once Derek was free, Bull went back to his work with the horses leaving the man to fend for himself. Derek looked around, getting his bearings and trying to find where Sarah was in the crowd of people. He finally spotted her standing near the center of the encampment with the blonde knight. His hatred surfaced once again and he mentally added another level of suffering to what he already had planned for the man. He watched as the bastard put his arms around her and had to force himself to unclench his fists. He had been secretly pleased when he thought the Saxons had disposed of her. She had always made him feel inferior with her condescending attitude toward him. He had also enjoyed the sympathy shown toward him at his loss. When she had returned, in the company of his idols no less, he had been both surprised and angry. Not only was she alive, she had become involved with one of the knights only reinforcing his opinion of her. Hate her as he did, he would die before he let the other man have her. He was brought back to reality when Bull cleared his throat. He looked at the stupid man, useful though he was, and saw that he was watching the same scene.
"Are you sure he seduced her, Derek? It looks to me like he's as enthralled with her as she is with him. Maybe Fate sent the Saxons so she would find him when she left. Maybe we shouldn't mess with Fate's plans." Bull had been watching the knight treat Sarah like a queen, catering to her every need. He had also seen the tension and anger in the other man at his side. Yes, sometimes it was an advantage to seem so stupid that people forgot your presence. You learned a lot when people forgot you were watching. He was also noticing the look Derek had thrown his way. He began to doubt the stories that he'd been told about how these knights had treated him badly and taken his woman. Bull hadn't had much experience with women, they usually tended to avoid him for some reason, but he couldn't see how anyone could take a woman if she truly loved you as Derek claimed Sarah did. But then, like he thought, women avoided him, so what did he know?
"Well, Bull, she can be bewitching, but I have no doubt that she was just using her wiles to get him to do her bidding. She's just upset with me because I didn't fall for it like he did. And, being a man, he used it to get what he wants. He'll tire of her soon enough and she will be forced to come crawling back to me. When she does, I'll decide how she will be punished for betraying my love." He clapped the man on the shoulder. "Come, I don't want people wondering who I am, standing here with you, and spying on them. I'm surprised no one has commented on the fact that you have a companion when you've ridden alone all day." He moved away from the scene unfolding before him and went to stand by the wagon. He didn't want the big man to see how vulnerable he was feeling out in the open. He had no doubt any one of the knights would kill him without blinking should they realize who he was. It galled him to know that it would be an easy thing for them to do, even if he wouldn't admit it aloud, not even to himself.
Bull went about preparing some food for them to eat, thinking all the while about Derek's explanation of the scene. He remembered that Sarah was one of the few females of the village that took the time to stop by and speak to him whenever she saw him. Her smile had seemed genuine, never giving him reason to believe that she was anything other than friendly and pleasant. He tried to see her as the other man had described, calculating. He tried to see her as someone who only did something for what she could get from another person. Finally, giving up, he shook his head. He just didn't see it that way. But then, he had been so overwhelmed whenever she was around, stuttering his greeting, feeling out of place with such a beautiful creature, maybe he just missed it. Derek had never lied to him that he knew of, so he had no reason to doubt what he said now. When the food was ready to eat, he took some of the hard bread and weak soup to the man, noticing how he accepted it almost absent mindedly. He kept his gaze turned toward where Bull knew the woman would be. Whatever her reasons for forsaking him, it was going to get messy before it was over, he could see it in Derek's eyes. He may have loved her before, but now hatred was in every look he threw in her direction.
He followed Derek's line of vision and saw what had the man's attention. He could see her form sitting near the fire with the other men all close by. The one with the long hair was never far from her side, seemingly attached by some unseen tether. Well, at least she would be safe from Derek's wrath as long as she was so well protected, whether by design or accident. Even Derek was not so stupid as to try anything under the circumstances. A thought began forming in the back of Bull's mind. If things had played out the way they were explained to him, why didn't Derek just confront the knight, reclaiming the woman that was promised to him? There was no law, whether Roman or Britain that would forbid a man from protecting his possessions. Especially when it came to his family. No matter how hard he tried to dismiss the thought, it kept nagging, sending prickles of doubt through his simple mind as he took his own food and sat down to eat while he watched the watcher.
A little ways into the meal, he saw Derek suddenly perk up. He looked over to the fire where Sarah had been and saw her leaving the firelight. No one made a move to accompany her and he saw Derek mentally calculating the possibility of making his move. Then suddenly, he threw the wooden bowl down and stormed away. Looking back, Bull saw the knight stand up and follow the direction she had gone. So much for whatever Derek had planned. He looked back and saw the man climb back into the wagon, apparently giving up for the night. Shaking his head, he slowly stood up and picked up the discarded bowl and rinsed the two in a little of the water in the small barrel strapped to the wagon frame. He then replaced them under his seat and prepared to get some rest.