Secrets in the Shadows
A/N: Hey guys, I hoped you liked the last chapter. And if you didn't, I hope that this one suits you much better. I plan on posting as fast as I can turn out chapters, I was never one to put review ultimatums on my stories. But it does help to know that someone is actually enjoying what I'm reading, so please review!
And once I again, I don't own anything. I am however willing to pay a handsome sum to anyone willing to sell me Lancelot or Tristan.
Chapter Two: The Arrival
The day that all the fort, was dreading had finally arrived. Preparations for the arrival of Marcus Paullus had begun three days prior from cleaning and putting fresh linens in the guest chambers to slaughtering the animals they were to serve at the welcoming feast. With much protest, Arthur had even convinced his knights to bathe, a rare occurrence in the life of Gawain.
The round table was to play host to the feast that evening, and Arthur stood watch as servants bustled to and fro setting places and arranging candles. Sighing deeply he turned and practically walked directly into Jols.
He hadn't noticed his faithful squire standing behind him and it caused him to nearly jump out of his skin.
"My deepest apologies, my friend." Arthur said as he steadied Jols before he fell over.
"Tis nothing Arthur. I just thought to inform you that the caravan has been spotted and they should be here within the hour." Jols said the "enthusiasm" dripping from his voice.
Arthur knew no one wanted the Romans here, but what could he do, shove Excalibur in their faces and tell them to go back to where they came from? No, he would suffer their presence with all the honor and respect he could muster.
He took one last look at the round table, trying to imagine the reaction that Marcus would have at its sight and smiled before striding out to the courtyard. He stood facing the gate waiting for the familiar sound of horsemen and a carriage plodding along the dirt road which led into the fort. Out of the corners of his eyes he saw his men reluctantly join him. They still had two years service left to Rome and could not afford to do anything to anger those who held the keys to their freedom.
A shout was issued from the top of the battlements to open the gates, and the powerful horses were nudged forward with a slap to the rear and slowly the gates opened with a large creak. The heavy wooden doors settling into place with a slight thud, as the guards saluted the roman officers riding into the gate.
"Well..well... lets see what all the fuss is about." Lancelot said from behind Arthur.
There were four soldiers who road in front of the carriage, two on either side and four behind. Marcus Paullus took his safety very seriously, but his entourage only forced the knights to despise him more. The footman jumped down from the front of the carriage and held open the door.
An aged man with salt and peppered hair and a black beard stepped out. He was dressed finely but something about him suggested that he had seen better days. He carried himself like a soldier, and the slight-limp in his walk was a memory of a wound sustained when he was a much younger man.
"Ah, Marcus Paullus, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Arthur said stepping forward.
"Arturious Castus, am I correct?" He said shaking Arthur's hand firmly.
Behind him a woman stepped out from the carriage, her hands wrapped around her skirts so that she would not fall. Her skin was tanned heavily, her hair was as black as the night and fell perfectly straight down her back. She was small and slender, and her delicate features were enough reason for Marcus to risk the trouble that accompanied marrying her. The Egyptian woman, who caused all this trouble walked up to Marcus' side and laid a gentle hand on his arm.
"Ah, my wife Fatima." Marcus gestured warmly to his wife.
"It is a pleasure to meet you my lady." Arthur said chastely kissing her hand.
Fatima did not speak but merely inclined her head to Arthur and allowed her gaze to shift to her daughter who was now emerging from the carriage. Marcus' daughter was hardly the young girl that Arthur had imagined her to be, she was a woman who looked to be in her twenties. Like her parents she had the same raven hair, she was slightly taller than her mother and had a very similar bone structure. However, the one thing about her that made Arthur look twice was her vibrant blue-green eyes rimmed in kohl.
"And my daughter, Inara." He said softly.
"Inara, welcome to Hadrian's Wall." Arthur said before kissing her hand gently and releasing it.
Arthur knew that he was going to have a hell of a time keeping Lancelot away from the girl. He just hoped that his overwhelming dislike of Rome would act as enough of a deterrent. The last thing Arthur wanted to deal with was an angry Roman official.
A slight cough from behind him, which was undoubtedly an excited Gawain's, brought Arthur back from his thoughts. Remembering his knights that stood to his side, against their will he felt compelled to introduce them.
"Forgive me for my manners, these M'Lord are the Sarmatian Knights." Arthur turned and introduced each of them by name.
Each man was met with a polite incline of the head from Marcus and soft smiles from the two women who accompanied him.
"Now, I assume that you will wish to rest from your journey before tonight's celebrations. Your rooms have been prepared for you, if you would allow my squire Jols to assist you."
Jols on cue came up to Arthur's side and gave a forced smile before motioning for the family to follow him as he led them to the guest's quarters. In actuality the guest's quarters were the former quarters of fallen knights combined and refurbished to accommodate higher-ranking guests.
After the Romans had dispersed, Arthur heard a low-dropping whistle sound from Lancelot.
"That Inara..." Gawain muttered.
"Lancelot do not even think about it... she is the daughter of a Roman official." Arthur motioned a sternness in his voice that was reminiscent of a father scolding his child.
When Arthur had journeyed out of earshot, Lancelot spoke loud enough only so the remaining knights could hear, "all the more fun to play with."
"Watch it, Lancelot. Arthur is right, that woman is trouble." Bors said through a laugh.
"Well he never was one for logic." Gawain joined in.
Tristan just smirked and turned and walked back towards the tavern. There were certain times in life where you needed a drink to make it all the more bearable, and dining with a Roman family was one of those times. Besides, something about that woman unnerved him.
The knights were the first to arrive at the round table. They relinquished their usual seats for the evening, clustering together at one side of the table for they had no desire to mix with the Roman family, they left them to Arthur. Arthur arrived shortly after them and waited patiently until a servant announced the arrival of Marcus and his family. They all reluctantly stood, showing respect more to Arthur than to Paullus.
"Good Evening," Arthur said to each of them before taking his customary seat.
The surprise that flashed across Marcus' face was quickly covered up as he took a seat to the right of Arthur, however it was not missed by the more watchful eyes of Tristan. It seemed that the majority of the eyes in the room were fixed upon Fatima and Inara. Where a normal woman would blush from such attentions Inara simply smiled and took the seat on Arthur's left. Picking up on a conversation with her mother in her native tongue.
"Your seduction seems to be working, " Gawain said in a hushed whisper to Lancelot.
"All in good time...all in good time." Lancelot said raising his glass to Inara before allowing the liquid to slide slowly down his throat.
"So... you are from Sarmatia?" Marcus finally said addressing the knights instead of Arthur.
"Yes." Was the gruff reply from Galahad.
"I have heard you are great warriors...It must be true since Arthur vouches for you." Marcus continued slightly inebriated.
"My men have proved themselves in battle time and time again, m'Lord." Arthur said trying to bring peace to the table before an all out fight erupted.
"Yes but clearly...a few have fallen." He motioned around the room to the empty chairs.
Fists were clenched around the table, and eyes narrowed on the Roman that they had to endure. If it wasn't for Arthur they would have killed this man already. The tension however was broken when Fatima spoke for the first time.
"But such is the way of great warriors, is it not Marcus? In Egypt, we have a saying, 'Those who fought well in life, are rewarded with the blessing of the Gods in the afterlife.' I think it would hold true for your fallen knights." Fatima said through a warm voice thick with her accent.
The men had to admit that Fatima was not as bad as they initially had thought, and that she handled her husband's mistakes wonderfully. She was clearly the true politician of the pair, always attempting to please everyone with her words and a comforting smile.
"Your horses are legendary. I have often wanted to procure one to breed with my mare, a Sarmatian and Arabian strain would be most impressive." Fatima continued steering the conversation even further away from the offending topic.
"Sarmatian horses are not easily tamed, M'Lady." Gawain stated matter of factly.
"Of this I am aware..." Fatima said taking a drink of her wine.
"My wife and her family have been breeding horses for generations. They were well known across the southern coast of the Mediterranean for their equestrian skill." Marcus boasted.
"Ah, then perhaps you shall grace us with a demonstration tomorrow." Galahad said through a false smile.
They all secretly hoped that if they let her near one of their horses she would fall and break her neck, sending Marcus back to Rome.
"I am afraid that I no longer am fit to ride, I sustained an injury several years back. But I am sure Inara would be more than pleased to in my stead. She has been riding since she was a small girl." Fatima said proudly looking at her daughter across the table.
"What say you Inara, are you going to indulge us ?" Lancelot said with a grin and a wink that did not go undetected by Arthur, he'd have to speak to him later.
"I would not want to dishonor you on my second day here...I am told in your culture it shames a man to have him lose to a woman." Inara said playfully.
The men all laughed at her boldness, and her sharp retort. Clearly, she was slightly more feisty or stuck up then they initially gave her credit for.
"Ah, I can assure you, that is highly unlikely..." Lancelot said before returning to his meal.
Inara watched Lancelot with calculating eyes. He was obviously the charmer of the lot, attempting to woo her to his bed with a few flirtatious words. He was handsome she gave him that, but she saw nothing interesting in him.
The other two men who spoke often could almost be brothers, and they seemed to be good spirited even though they clearly disliked the presence of Romans amongst them. She gave Galahad a slight smile, for he had been the colder of the two before she resumed glancing about the table.
Her eyes then fell on Dagonet, a man who though rather large in size, had hardly spoken all evening. Clearly he was a gentle giant. The other man to his left however was not nearly as silent. He kept making comments to the other knights when he thought that her family was absorbed in conversation, but she had caught quite a few distasteful phrases from his mouth.
The last man she looked at had spoken even less than Dagonet. Tristan felt Inara's eyes on him and looked up to meet her gaze. She knew that he was analyzing her just as she was him and she did not want to be the first to break eye contact for it showed weakness.
"...Inara? Inara, are you listening to me at all dear child?" Her mother said abandoning the language of the Romans for her own.
Inara reluctantly looked away from Tristan to her Mother's concerned eyes.
"No, I am just tired, Mwt. I fear the wine has gone to my head." This in turn was partially true, Inara was not a heavy drinker and she had consumed a deal of wine that evening.
Fatima whispered a few things in Marcus' ear who in turn stiffened and pushed his plate forward signifying he was done with the meal.
"Arthur, thank you for a lovely welcome. However I fear that I am rather tired from the journey and require sleep." Marcus stood as he spoke.
The rest of the knights followed suit, rising as they watched Marcus embrace Arthur.
"Of course, sleep well." Arthur responded.
Fatima walked a few paces behind Marcus and Inara lingered slightly glancing at the men one more time as they all slipped from the room. When Jols had returned from seeing them outside, Arthur knew it was safe to speak.
"Lancelot... I thought I told you Inara is off limits." Arthur scolded but was trying to contain his laugh.
"Honestly, she has no interest in him Arthur. Did you see how she snapped back at him?" Bors laughed.
"Sounds just like you and Vanora." Gawain stated.
"Nah, Van and I are different..." Bors said with a dramatic wave of his hand.
"And how is that exactly?" Lancelot said with an amused look in his eyes.
"We've got nine bastards running about now don't we?" Bors stated perpetually forgetting the number of children he had.
"-ten." Galahad and the rest finished.
"Besides, did you see how she looked at us? A woman like that is up to something." Galahad said conspiratorially
"Yeah, any woman who looks at Tristan for as long as she did has to have another purpose." Lancelot suggested.
"And why would they need to have another purpose?" Tristan said calmly.
"Well, why would they stare at you...when they could stare at me?" Lancelot said cheekily.
The knights all stood up laughing heartily and went their separate ways, most retreating to their rooms to pass out on their beds and a few seeking out more pleasurable company. They couldn't wait to see what that little hell-fire could do tomorrow.
A/N: So what did you think? I know Inara seems like a bit of a Mary-Sue at present, but trust me there is more there. For the record "Mwt" is the Egyptian word for Mother. As always my lovelies, do take the time to review.