I'm trying adding another chapter because chapter 3 refuses to show up on It's weird because it says I have 3 chapters but refuses to show the third. This probably won't do anything or even show up, it's worth a try, right? Right.
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Slowly, Codi's day to day existence ceased to be a constant headache. As the months went by, words began to come more easily and she didn't have to focus so hard on what people were saying. She learned how to avoid men's advances in the tavern and how to fall asleep with a bunch of screaming children—by escaping to the stables, more often or not. Gawain was often there to talk with her and tell her of the knights' adventures. Codi learned that they had been drafted into the Roman army ten years ago and brought from their homeland, Sarmatia. She still claimed not to remember anything about how she found herself in Britain. No one would believe her if she told them she was from the future—they would likely chalk it up to not being able to speak the language correctly and ignore her.
In the mornings, Codi would take Dancer out for a run accompanied by one or more of the knights, who had seemed to take a liking to her. In the beginning, they couldn't keep up, but their horses quickly got in shape. Afterward, Codi exercised herself using the makeshift shoes she had made from scraps of leather begged off of the village tanner. The knights refused to join her in this activity, practicing weaponry instead. Codi tried to keep herself busy so that she could forget about her former life. But she often found herself lonely and strangely unsettled. She couldn't quite put her finger on when the feeling started, exactly, but it was around the time she had first noticed smoke rising from the woods along the Wall.
"What is that?" she had asked Gawain. "Does someone live in the forest?"
"Aye," he had replied. "Morgaine. A witch, some say. She lives alone with only the beasts for company. And the Woads, I'm thinking. Tristan had some dealings with her a long time ago, but he doesn't talk about it much. Then one day he just left. He was gone for nearly two weeks and came back with tattoos and that hawk of his and he's been different ever since."
Over the next few months, Codi would often find herself staring over the Wall, toward the forest. If the knights noticed, they gave no indication, but they often tried to wheedle more information about her past. She told them what she could and claimed to not remember what she couldn't. The only one to didn't press her for information was Tristan, who merely gave her quiet courtesy and companionship when she was in need of it. At first he unnerved her with his silence, but Codi soon learned that he did have a personality hidden underneath his cold exterior, just as Lancelot did have manners tucked away gathering dust somewhere and Dagonet and Bors did have hearts—or perhaps one shared between them. Arthur, she learned, felt himself responsible for all of his knights and now for her, as well. He told her once that she reminded him of his little sister, who had died when he was young.
Galahad and Gawain, closest to her in age (Gawain was only twenty and Galahad twenty-three), were always ready for fun. And mischief. Their latest prank was to be planned for Summerfair, when all the villagers would travel to Sterlingshire to trade goods and gossip and watch games and tournaments.
"Codi, you could beat everyone there, you and Dancer both," Galahad coaxed.
"And think what a good joke it will be when everyone finds out you're a woman!" Gawain added with a grin.
"Isn't it against the rules for a woman to enter a race?" Codi pointed out. "They would stone me if they found out, surely."
"We'll protect you," Galahad told her with a wink. "And there's no rule against it, technically speaking..."
"Arthur will be furious."
"Let us deal with Arthur," Gawain said dismissively. "Codi, think of it! You'll win all sorts of prizes and purses—more money than you'd make in a month at the tavern. And that's aside from the winnings from bets. No one would bet on a little twig of a "boy" like you."
"Such confidence," Codi said dryly.
"Oh, but we do have confidence in you. Everyone does," Gawain told her.
"Except you," Galahad added with a snort.
"Wait a moment," Codi said with a frown. "Everyone? Just how many people are in on this?"
"Just a few," Galahad said lamely. Codi raised an eyebrow. "Everyone but Arthur."
"Even Tristan?" Codi asked in surprise. "I wouldn't have thought he'd approve."
"Oh, he doesn't approve of the joke—he just wants to see you thrash everyone," Gawain explained. "So, will you do it? We could all of us use a bit more coin. You're not the only one with a skimpy wage."
"Alright," Codi said finally, "but when Arthur finds out--"
"If Arthur finds out--"
"When Arthur finds out—and he will—I am blaming it entirely on you," Codi finished.
"Done," Galahad said promptly. "Do us proud."
"What he means is, win enough coin to make it worth Arthur's displeasure," Gawain clarified.
"Do we have to let everyone know that I'm a girl?" she asked. "Why don't I just take my winnings and be done with it?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Galahad demanded.
"I just want to race," Codi said uncomfortably as they rode through the gates into the fortress.
"You don't want people to notice you," Gawain said sternly. "I hate to tell you, lass, but people notice you whether you know it or not."
"Well, I see no reason to draw unnecessary attention to myself," Codi said stubbornly.
"We'll see, lass, we'll see," Gawain said, and refused to discuss it further. Codi had the feeling that she would end up unmasked whether she wanted to be or not.
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Summerfair was a zoo. Codi didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't the hordes of people talking, laughing, yelling, and waving their goods about that pressed in on all sides. Codi fingered her hunter's cap nervously, hoping that none of her hair had fallen out. It felt good to wear pants again, even if they were too big. She didn't like, however, the dirt Gawain and Galahad had smeared on her face—she could practically feel her pores clogging.
"Are we really going through with this?" Codi whispered to Gawain as she mounted Dancer.
"Of course we are," he whispered back. "Galahad's taking bets now. Now, get in line!"
With a sigh, Codi urged Dancer toward the starting line. As she approached, however, she could feel the adrenaline starting to pump. A real race with her in the saddle! It wasn't the Kentucky Derby, but it was as close as she was ever going to get, so she'd better make it count. Moondancer would do wonderfully, she knew. The course was just over a mile long—it would be a piece of cake for her. There was one colt Codi had seen that might give them some trouble, but his rider was much too large.
Suddenly, the red flag went up and a sea of horses surged forward. Moondancer shot ahead, getting herself clear of the throng. Codi let her out a bit more, seeing that the colt was right beside them. She tried to keep the filly at that pace, but Dancer seemed to be enraged by the colt's presumption and fought to have her head. Fretting for a moment, Codi finally decided to let her go—fighting her would only tire the horse out. Dancer surged ahead, leaving the colt behind. To Codi's amazement, Dancer kept up the pace for the entire race and gave even more in the final stretch. Codi gave a whoop of joy as they crossed the finish line. Dancer had utterly destroyed them. With a pang, Codi thought of how successful her horse could have been in their own time.
Codi dismounted and found herself the recipient of many beaming grins and hearty pats on the back that nearly knocked her to the ground. Gawain fought his way through the crowd and gave her a crushing hug that lifted her clear of the ground. She could see Galahad with a huge grin on his face, collecting money from several sour looking guards. Sterlingshire's sheriff dropped a good-sized purse into Codi's hands and patted her shoulder.
"Well done," he said. "Where are you from? I've not seen you before, or your horse."
"Hadrian's Wall," Gawain answered for her. "He's my squire."
"A bit on the small side," the sheriff said with a wink at Codi. "But lads grow. Tis the nature of the beast."
"Aye, that it is," Gawain said, eyes twinkling. "Come, now, lad, tis time for the footrace."
"He's racing?" the sheriff asked, clearly shocked. "He'll be stepped on, surely."
"Oh, he'll race," Galahad said, having finished collecting. "And he'll win, too."
"Care to wager on that?" the sheriff returned, and giving Codi an apologetic look. "I mean no offense, lad, but you're half the size of the men who are running."
"None taken," Codi answered, pitching her voice lower than normal. When the sheriff was gone and her friends were hustling her to her race, she asked, "Just how long is the race?"
"From one end of the wall to the other and back," Galahad told her. "And it's grass, so you won't have any muck the fight through."
Codi considered. It would be a hundred and ten, hundred and twenty meters all told. In a straight sprint, she would be at a disadvantage. "Is there any way you could have them put barrels or something on the course? Anything that has to be jumped over—that's what I'm best at. If these men are tall, they could beat me simply because they're longer in the leg."
"I think we can do something," Gawain said, thinking. "It would spice up the competition."
"And no one would expect it to work to her advantage," Galahad added. "If anything, they would think it would be harder. Let me go see what I can do."
Galahad spent a few minutes talking to a man, who took one look at Codi and started laughing. He shook Galahad's hand and turned away with a smug grin on his face. Galahad returned with a grin equally smug and informed them of his success.
"He's going to make an announcement now," he told his partners in crime, and smirked. "He told me he'd give me his new dagger if our 'squire' made it over the first one."
"What of winning the race?" Gawain asked.
"Never fear," Galahad assured him. "You just get Codi entered in the race and leave the money to me. We'll be rich, lads—disgustingly, sinfully rich."
Codi couldn't help but grin as she put on her home made running shoes. They were really little more than leather socks with extra padded on the soles—not so different from her track shoes. She had even managed to make rough cleats out of them by lodging sharp rocks in the bottoms. She was going to win, she just knew it. All the men were tall, yes, but weighed down by heavy boots and belts. And Codi sincerely doubted any of them had any clue how to run hurtles—or barrels. She could see them staring in consternation as barrels were lined up at regular intervals.
Codi felt her heart hammering as she took her stance, ignoring the guffaws derisive comments from her opponents and the crowd. When the flag went down, Codi exploded forward like an arrow from a crossbow. Before she knew it, she was over the first line of barrels. She could hear curses and several loud crashes behind her. Grinning, she pushed herself faster, flying over each obstacle. As she approached the wall, Codi dropped and rolled rather than turn—she lost less momentum that way. She finished so far ahead of the rest that the one closest behind her still had two rows of barrels to go. Codi couldn't help but laugh as she watched them lurch clumsily over the barrels.
"Codi, you are amazing," Gawain declared, crushing her once more.
Galahad wandered over shortly with a blissful grin on his face. "I haven't had this much money since—well, ever."
"We can win more, you know," Codi told them, grinning broadly. She was getting into the spirit of things. It was odd...no one knew she was a girl—that she was Codi. She could be as bold as she wanted. She could simply be someone else.
"How?" Gawain asked. "There are no more races."
"Line up...five barrels lengthwise," Codi said. "How many would bet that I can jump over them?"
"Codi, we just saw you jump over ten rows," Galahad said impatiently.
"No, I mean jump over them lengthwise," Codi clarified.
"Can you do that?" Gawain asked skeptically.
"Easily," Codi said promptly. It would be little more than fifteen feet, and she'd jumped sixteen feet in her freshman year of high school. "And if you can find a wall or a fence about my height or a little higher, I'll jump over that, too."
"Are you sure you're human?" Galahad asked, shaking his head, but moved to line up the barrels as Gawain started shouting to the gathered crowd. Within the next hour, the three of them had more money than they would have had with six months of their wages combined. The crowds were repeatedly flabbergasted.
"You'd think that they'd learn," Codi muttered to Galahad as they collected their winnings.
"If I didn't know better, I wouldn't bet on you, either," Galahad told her. "You have no idea how bizarre it looks. It's like...it's like seeing a cow fly or something."
Codi narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying I look like a cow?"
"Of course not, my beauty," Galahad told her with an evil grin. "I think you look like a lovely... woman!"
Codi gasped and snatched at the cap that Gawain was now holding above his head. The crowd erupted in cries of shock and outrage. With a sigh, she crossed her arms and found herself smiling in spite of herself. They were all so angry! Codi had to giggle at the incredulous expressions on everyone's faces.
"I was wondering why you two weren't in the archery tournament," came a dry voice from behind her.
"Ah, well, we knew you'd beat us anyway," Gawain said to Tristan. "How much did you see?"
"Enough," Tristan said with the faintest ghost of a smile . "I would get cleaned up and changed. I saw Arthur heading this way and he didn't look happy."
"Codi!" Vonora cried, rushing over with Lancelot and Bors at her heals. "Quickly, Arthur's coming. Here, I've brought you your dress--"
"That was brilliant, Codi!" Lancelot commended her, thumping her on the back. "You are going to share your winnings with us, right?"
"Not likely," Codi snorted as she was hustled away. "I'm sure you won plenty by yourself."
In the safety of a nearby store owned by a friend of Vonora, Codi changed swiftly into her dress and splashed water on her face, clearing it of sweat and dirt. She took out her winner's purses and her share of the bet winnings and showed them to Vonora.
"Oh, Codi," Vonora breathed. "So much...more than you'd make in a year--"
"I know," Codi said anxiously. "What should I do with it? I can't leave it on my belt..."
"Hid it under your shirt," Vonora said. "Carry only what you need on your belt. Oh, Codi, this is wonderful! We can buy you a proper dress and a cloak and blankets and stockings...boots for the winter..."
And that's just what they did. The two women outfitted Codi suitably so that Vonora could have her only extra dress back. They shopped, ate, watched competitions...and avoided Arthur. Or tried to, anyway. He caught up with them as they cheered on Dagonet in the wrestler's ring and gently tapped Codi on the shoulder.
"I understand you were quite a success today," he said mildly.
"It was Gawain and Galahad's idea," Codi said swiftly.
"Oh, I know," Arthur said, waving a hand dismissively. "And since there is nothing I can do about it, I will congratulate you. You do realize that it won't work again, don't you? Everyone will have heard by now and, by next year, they'll have you jumping over the very rooftops."
"I can still win with Moondancer," Codi said with a shrug. "That in itself is a considerable purse."
"Which reminds me," Arthur said wryly. "I believe I must thank you. Gawain and Galahad apparently thought that they could buy me off with a new dagger."
"Did they?"
"No, but I now have a new dagger," Arthur said with a grin, "and Gawain and Galahad have extra night watch duty."
"And what of me?" Codi asked warily.
"You? Well, I suppose you have a new dress and enough to go wherever you choose," Arthur said. "I'll not punish you for being exploited."
"Go?" Codi asked in confusion. "Go where?"
"Codi," Vonora said softly. "Your winnings are more than enough to buy you passage on a ship and supplies for a journey."
Codi shook her head. "There's not a ship in the world that would be sailing where I'd need to go. And even if there was a ship sailing to my home, there would be no one there. My home is with you, now."
"I'm glad," Vonora said, giving her a hug. "I know it's selfish of me, but I would hate to see you go."
"You know that I do not approve," Arthur said suddenly, "but I wish I could have seen it."
Codi grinned. "I'll happily show you any time you like. I've missed it."
"Come, walk with me a while," Arthur said, offering his arm.
He opened his mouth to excuse himself to Vonora, but she waved him away. "Bors is wrestling Dagonet next. Twill be a fight worth watching."
"Are you happy?" Arthur asked her after a few minutes of walking. "You've come a long way since we first found you, but are you really content?"
Codi thought carefully before answering. "I'm grateful for a roof over my head and food in my belly. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for your knights and Vonora."
"But are you happy?" Arthur pressed.
"I don't know. I feel...caged," Codi sighed. "I miss my training, my competitions. I miss being able to come and go as I please and run when I want to without people looking at me oddly. It's so frustrating to be sitting and sewing or tending the baby or serving food and drink when I could be exercising my horse or myself—or both. I've never been one for sitting idly."
"No one could accuse you of spending your time idly," Arthur said with a frown. "You've been a tremendous help to Vonora, I know. Tis no easy thing, raising seven children largely on her own."
"Perhaps idle isn't the word," Codi conceded. "I'm not used to being...sedentary. The work I do is done while sitting, or walking at most. I don't like being cooped up like that."
"What a strange world yours must be, little one," Arthur said, shaking his head.
"You would find it strange," Codi admitted.
"Is that why you don't speak of it?"
Codi hesitated. "Aye. Partly. But mostly because it's easier not to think about it."
"I understand," Arthur said gently. "But come, I want to hear about your successes today. And I want the truth, mind—I keep hearing about a horse that sprouted wings and a fairy passing for a human. I've known you but a few months, but I do believe that you are, in fact human. Unless that's something else you've kept from us?"
Unexpectedly, it stung. "If there were something about me I thought you should know, I would have told you."
"Be easy," Arthur said soothingly. "I didn't mean it like that. Tell me how you learned to perform such feats."
"It's a competition," Codi explained. "A tournament, really, with races and throwing and jumping events. I'm a jumper. I've trained for years and competed for my university before I found myself here."
"You attended a university?" Arthur asked in surprise. "A woman?"
"Aye," Codi said with a frown. "Many women do—most are better students than the men."
"You can read?" Arthur asked. "And write?"
"In my own language, yes," Codi said. "Although we used the Roman alphabet and Arabic numerals."
"Do you know Latin?"
"A bit," Codi replied. "About as much Briton as I spoke when I first came here. Perhaps a little less."
"What else?"
"Most of it has no use here," Codi told him. "All desk work—mathematics, science, philosophy, Spanish, French, Greek...although I did enjoy astronomy." She smiled sadly. "The stars are still the same here as they are at home."
"What of religion?" Arthur asked. "Surely you learned some."
"Oh, I'm not Christian, really," Codi said. "And most universities aren't affiliated with a church at all."
Arthur shook his head. He looked troubled. "If I did not know you, I would accuse you of madness. Or at least blasphemy."
"You see why I do not speak of it? It is hard to believe," Codi said softly. "The complete truth you could not begin to accept."
"I believe you," Arthur said with a sigh, and looked down at her. "I will try to think of something, Codi. You are wasted in the village, but I do not know what else to do with you."
Codi refrained from pointing out that she didn't want or need someone to decide what to do with her.