Chapter Three

"What do you mean!" Beleth shouted at Arthur enraged, standing up so fast her chair fell over. "You can't be serious Arthur!"

"Beleth calm down." He remained seated, but she wouldn't calm down. She couldn't.

"No, I will not calm down! You are going over the wall, Arthur! Not on another dime a dozen campaign!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Arthur stood up and moved around his desk. He looked tired, for the first time Beleth really noticed how old he looked, far beyond his years.

"Then why are you going?" She asked choking back the tears. "For those Romans? They deserve to die; they were the ones that went above the wall! Arthur-

"I go for my knights!" She jumped at the volume of his voice. He never yelled, never. "I go for their freedom!"

"But they are free, that why Bishop Germanius…" Arthur looked at her.

"No, he said after this campaign they would be free." Beleth had this awful sick feeling in her stomach. They were being withheld their freedom to force them to take the most dangerous mission of their lives. She looked at the ground biting back the tears with furious blinks.

"Fine, I will go get ready." She went to leave but Arthur grabbed her upper arm so she swung around to face him once again.

"Get ready for what?" His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"The campaign of course," Arthur stared at her for a moment, obviously blind sighted by the sudden comment. Beleth stared back for a while hoping he would figure it out on his own, but the dots weren't connecting, she would have to help him. "I am coming with you." He stared at her a little longer before saying.

"Oh no you are not!" He let go of her arm.

"Why not? I saw Jols preparing to leave a few moments ago, he doesn't usually come, I bet that toady monk...of Germanius's...Horton is coming, isn't he?"

"He is, but this has nothing too do with this."

"Oh doesn't it?"

"No it doesn't, you will only slow us down!"

"Don't give me that Arthur, I was taught to ride by the greatest riders in all of Britain, not to mention I can outride you, I can defend my self so that can't be used as an excuse, and besides you could use my medical knowledge!" She walked over to stand in front of her brother. "I am coming with you, you can't stop me." He looked down at her.

"If anything happened to you…"

"If anything happened to you, I need you Arthur, you are all I have, please let me come, and I won't let you down." He placed his hand lovingly on her cheek.

"I know you won't."

"Does that mean…"

"You can come, but if you die, I will kill you." She laughed and ran to her room to gather her things.

Galahad walked restlessly around the settlement. A second after Beleth left his room he grabbed the first pair of trousers he could and looked out for her, but she was gone. He couldn't believe what had just happened.

He had just been given the worst news of his life that the knights were going over the wall and then the thing that he dreamed about most had just happened, Beleth being in his bedroom, and it was awful.

He knew he was the smallest of the knights, but he didn't really think his appearance, with no clothes (not that she had seen everything), was so offensive that when you saw it you had to apologize. He felt dreadful. He knew she didn't know he existed but to be so apologetic to see his chest was quit depressing.

He walked into the stables. To find, at his surprise, Beleth rifling through an old bag. She was wearing a blue wool dress with a beige over dress that was in a vest style. It shocked him so much to see her in something simple because she was usually in something very ornamental. Her hair was in a bun with a long strand hanging down her back. She pulled on a thick wool red cloak with sleeves and a hood. She had never looked so gorgeous.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She turned to see him staring at her. He realized that up until only a couple of hours ago, they had barely spoken more than two words to each other.

"I am getting ready." She turned to reach a small vile on a top shelf next to a stall with a beige horse with a black mane and tail. She wasn't tall enough so Galahad walked over to her and took it down handing it too her. Being next to her was like being hit by lightning. She blushed when he handed it to her.

"Getting ready for what?" usually she was no where to be seen at this time of night probably asleep but right now she seemed the most awake he had ever seen her.

"The trip,"

"What trip?" She looked at him puzzled, it really must have been strange to have him barking questions at her all of a sudden but he couldn't help it. Was she leaving? She couldn't be. She looked at him again; her eyes were so blue it was like looking at the ocean.

"Over the wall," If she had slapped him he would have been less surprised.

"What!" He yelled and she jumped, it bothered him, why was she so shocked at his reaction. "Arthur would never let you!"

"Well he is."

"This is impossible!" She looked angry now. Horton walked into the tack room beside them and stopped to stare at the confrontation.

"Is it? He's going!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Horton who stumbled backwards at the implication. Galahad looked at Horton; he took in everything of his appearance. He looked back at Beleth, who looked like a fire had started in her eyes. The sheer power that exuded from her amazed Galahad.

"You right, well." And with that Galahad grabbed the monk and started dragging him by the collar into the tack room.

"Galahad!" Beleth ran after him. Gawain was sitting on a stool near a table attached to the wall shining his saddle. Tristan looked up, looking slightly interested from eating another apple. Galahad thrust the monk's body onto the tack table in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing!" screeched Beleth looking horrified at the poor whimpering monk.

"Yes, what are you doing Galahad?" asked Gawain standing.

"While I hold him, you are going to break his legs." The monk squealed.

"Galahad!" screamed Beleth looking appalled. Why was he doing this, it was ridiculous. He spun to look at her while still holding the monk on the table.

"You said it your self he is coming, if he can't come then neither can you." She stared blankly at Galahad, then at the monk unable to speak. "Okay do it Gawain!"

"No!" but no one was paying the least bit of attention to Beleth.

"I don't know Galahad." Said Gawain, looking at the petrified monk.

"If you won't do it, I will." Tristan grabbed a hoe from the wall and brought it over his head.

"No one will get their legs broken." Everyone turned to see Dagonet standing in the door way. "If Arthur says she comes, she comes."

He grabbed the hoe from Tristan, who shrugged and went back to his apple. Then Dagonet grabbed Galahad's shoulder and pulled him off the poor monk who sank onto the floor in a sniveling pile. Galahad turned to look at where Beleth had been but she was gone.

When he thought about it that was really stupid. Now she really thought of him as a stupid heathen. He went after her, to see her about to turn back into the Roman quarters.

"Beleth," She turned to look at him, that fire in her eyes was raging once again.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She was practically seething. The language she used surprised Galahad.

"I…" he couldn't say he would have slaughtered the whole settlement to keep her from harm. He probably should have but the words just wouldn't come.

"That isn't an answer." She stared at him. When he didn't say anything she retorted. "If you ever do anything like that again you will regret it." But it was too late, Galahad already regretted it.