Gawain stormed through the fort until he reached the Table room. He kicked the doors open and the knights gathered inside turned to establish the rude intrusion.
"What do you think you were doing drugging her?" he barked at Arthur as he laid the wilting form of Anise onto the table.
Arthur looked concerned at the state of the girl and eyed Gawain seriously.
"I couldn't risk her running amok again Gawain. Do you know how many Romans she killed yesterday?" he sighed before adding: "If there was an attack I didn't want my men being distracted by the thought of this girl in a delirium."
"What makes you think that there would be an attack?" snapped Gawain.
"We've had reports of the Woads conjugating in the forest around Badon Hill and we were just discussing the possibility of an attack." Muttered Arthur; running a hand roughly over his weary face.
Whilst the two men continued their bitter dispute Lancelot found himself staring at the unconscious girl. She could do harm due to her momentary condition but something warned him that there was a strength growing within her that could be extremely dangerous, not to herself but to others.
"So are you just going to drug her every day to keep her under control Arthur?"
"Of course not! But something has to be done for the time being! If not for her own safety, for the safety of others!"
Then it struck Lancelot. There was a small emblem tattooed upon her forearm that he hadn't noticed before. Without thinking what he was doing he found himself walking towards the figure lying on the table, studying her curiously and picking up her motionless arm. He ran a rough finger over the motif and it changed colour for a split second underneath his touch. His dark eyes widened at the revelation and he examined it more closely.
Gawain and Arthur continued to argue; growing more and more impassioned until Lancelot spoke out into the midst.
"She's a witch."
The shouting stopped and everyone turned their gaze to Lancelot who was still holding the girl's arm.
"What?" spluttered Gawain as he stared back at Lancelot.
"Her arm, there's an emblem." He replied, pointing to the girl's arm.
Dagonet went to see what Lancelot was pointing to and nodded in stern silence.
"He's right, she has the mark of a witch Gawain."
Gawain screwed his face up in disbelief and Arthur simply gaped at the unconscious girl.
"How old did you say she was Gawain?" Dagonet asked suddenly.
"Erm…17…18." Stammered Gawain as he tried to come to terms with what was being said.
"Well it looks as though she has not gained her abilities yet so she must only be 17. They usually don't learn of their powers until their 18th birthday and by the looks of the emblem that can't be far off." Dagonet stated as he straightened from inspecting her arm.
"Could that explain her deliriums?" questioned Arthur as he too came to stand next to the unconscious Anise.
Dagonet nodded in response and Tristan announced his ideas.
"Perhaps it could explain the gathering of the Woads."
As Anise regained consciousness she became aware of the fact that she was surrounded by all 7 knights. Her brow furrowed in disorientation and she attempted to sit up but was pushed back gently into the bed by the strong hands of Gawain. The knights' hushed chatter had dissolved and now they sat silently staring at the girl. Pouring her a mug of water, Arthur handed it to her and she drank it warily; aware of a dull throbbing in her arm and a hazy feeling in her head. Tristan watched the girl with his intense eyes and the others waited patiently for her to finish drinking.
"Anise when is your birthday?" urged Lancelot with ominous eyes.
"October. The seventeenth of October. But why do you ask?"
Lancelot glanced at Dagonet whose expression worried him and he pressed her again.
"Will this be your 18th?"
Again she eyed him with unease and glimpsed at Gawain who stood next to her.
"Yes."
Dagonet turned to Arthur and whispered that the date in question was tonight to him who nodded sombrely.
"What is all this in aid of?" she asked again, the alarm showing in her voice.
"Nothing, child." Came the soothing voice of Tristan as he observed her from his chair in the corner of her room. "You need you rest, we shall leave." He said as the knights stood to leave. Arthur paused briefly at the door to glance at the girl once more before shaking his head and shutting the door behind him.
Only Gawain had stayed with the girl and he gazed at her with foreboding. Her eyes filled with tears as she struggled to compose herself and he pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"Why were they asking about my birthday?" she spluttered out through the tears that rolled down her fair cheeks.
"Hush it's alright." Soothed Gawain as he lightly toyed with her curls.
His gentle caress comforted her into dropping the subject and she leaned her head against his chest; listening to his heartbeat and breathing in his natural masculine odour. He rested his chin on the top of her head and his long unruly locks cascaded softly across her shoulders.
"Gawain?" Anise mumbled into his chest and he chuckled at the vibration it caused.
"Hmm?"
"What you said the other day, what did you mean by it?"
Her words stifled his thoughts and he exhaled heavily; ruffling her hair.
"Just that we all get ourselves into situations that need someone else's help sometimes."
Anise moved her head so that she could look at him.
"No you didn't."
A faint smile tugged at his lips and he kissed her softly upon the forehead.
"Fine. I simply meant that you need someone to be there for you, someone to protect you from yourself. And perhaps that I wanted to be the one to do that."
"Oh." Came her faint reply and she reclaimed her previous position with her head upon his chest; goading him innocently: "What did Dagonet look so worried about?"
The Woads moved into position at the edge of the forest as night fell. The wind whistled harshly through the trees and whipped around Merlin as he stood in the darkening sky.
"Master, our men are in position." Proclaimed a nearby Woad as he bowed before the dark magician.
Merlin nodded and eyed the distant fort with interest. He needed the key that was held inside those stone walls if he was ever going to unleash his true supernatural potential.
Arthur circled the table impatiently as his knights struggled to agree upon a plan.
"How much time do you think we have?" he asked; directing it at his faithful scout.
Tristan shrugged and cast his sinister eyes over the twilight that approached from the window.
"An hour. At most." He stated; his deep rumbling voice revealing the urgency of the situation.
"Why don't we just go out and kill the bastards?" suggested Bors vigorously and shrugged when the other knights turned to him in disdain.
"We'll have to keep the Woads away from the gates otherwise they'll be all over the place and then who knows what could happen." Exclaimed Galahad rather unhelpfully before sensing the need for silence.
"What are your thoughts Arthur?" asked Dagonet quietly.
Arthur sighed and rested his hands upon the back of the chair in front of him before speaking.
"Archers on the parapets as well as swordsmen as I doubt the Woads will try and break the gates, but will use ladders to enter the fort." He paused briefly and glanced at his knights who seemed in quiet agreement. "A few mounted swordsmen in the courtyard underneath the battlements and guardsmen outside Anise's door."
"I agree Arthur, and may I be the first to back that motion." Said Dagonet forcefully.
"Aye!" shouted Bors as he slammed an powerful fist onto the table.
Arthur watched as the rest of his knights nodded and voiced their agreement and started to disband in order to equip themselves with armour and prepare the centurions for battle.
Little over an hour later the knights stood on the battlements of Badon Hill and gazed out across the dark land and towards the forest. It was impossible to see anything in the darkness that covered the land but Tristan eyed the forest cagily.
"There are Woads everywhere." He snarled and Arthur looked at him slightly taken aback by the man's hostility. They all knew Tristan took pleasure in killing and Arthur had expected as much from him but still his fervour unnerved the Roman.
"Prepare for battle!" shouted Arthur as the battle cry of the Woads sounded in the distance.
A/N: I bet that surprised you a bit! lol Yes she's a witch and can youguess what Merlin wants? Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! They've really motivated me and made me a very happy writer lol. As I am going on holiday tomorrow for a week I shall try and get 2 more chapters up today for you all. Thanks x (By the way, big battle scene in the next chapter, more mindless violence! YAY! lol)