Ok I seem to have lost half my reviewers. Thanks, thanks a lot. I feel really loved. For those of you who were kind enough to review you get a huge thank you and a virtual hug. The rest of you get an evil glare. So anyway here we are another chapter and we're almost done!

00oo00oo00oo

The next morning Tristan stood among the dying embers of the fire thinking of what to do.

" Hey Lancelot." He tapped the man's head several times before getting a response ,then pulled him up and onto his horse.

Tristan turned and pulled several lengths of rope out of his bags

"Tristan what are you doing with that?" Lancelot said warily, eyeing the rope with suspicion.

" I'm tying you to the saddle dearest Lancelot." Tristan said dryly knotting the rope together around the saddle.

" OI! I can ride fine Tristan, you can't do this!"

" Just watch me." Tristan said under his breath, knotting the last rope and standing back to admire the affect; there was no way Lancelot could possibly fall off now. He heaved, a still unconscious Galahad onto his own mare and swung up behind him, taking the piece of rope attached to Lancelot's mare's bridle in his hand.

"Let's go."

They had been riding for a while now, very slowly and following a fast flowing river. The ground was almost frozen over. Tristan heard something snap in the trees above. He looked up and saw a large branch precariously balanced on another, his instinct took hold and he quickly backed out from under it. It snapped and skidded along the ground; his horse reared and leapt aside.

The branch crashed into Lancelot's horse knocking it of its feet "LANELOT!" Tristan shouted. The bay mare fell heavily on his friend. Lancelot yelled; his horse had fallen onto his leg and he couldn't free himself. From the combined effects of his wound, freezing cold and being crushed under his horse, Lancelot lapsed into unconsciousness and was dragged along like a rag doll as the two of them plunged into the water.

In a split second Tristan had weighed his chances: he reasoned that Galahad was not so badly injured that he wouldn't survive a slight fall. He leapt down unsheathing his knife. There was a dull thud from behind as Galahad hit the snow. Tristan plunged into the water and pushed though the reeds to find Lancelot, he was now in danger of being crushed by his thrashing horse, if he hadn't already drowned.

"Lancelot!" he gasped and pulled his friend halfway out of the icy water. He quickly cut the bonds that held him to the saddle and they fell away like limp snakes drifting into the water. Tristan pulled Lancelot away from the saddle as his mare became unstuck from the reeds then disappeared under the water. Tristan hated to see such a beautiful horse lost like that, but turning his mind to the task at hand and with great difficulty hauled Lancelot out of the water and on the shore.

" Lancelot," he called Lancelot's brown eyes flew open; his face was pale as he gasped for breath.

" Steady friend." Tristan cautioned. "You alright now?" He stood up allowing Lancelot to lean heavily on his arm. Galahad had fallen into the snow and had not moved since. Tristan unceremoniously picked him up the collar of his shirt and dragged him behind them, whistling to his horse at the same time. They quickly broke through a small thicket and ended up in a shelter of sorts. "Galahad?" Tristan gently lowered Lancelot to the ground and lay Galahad near by .He unrolled a blanket from the back of his saddle and passed it to Lancelot, who was still shivering.

"Can you breath now?" he asked seriously. Lancelot nodded and gratefully wrapped the blanket around his shoulders.