Thanks for reviewing.
I own nothing
"Tristan, he knows." Giselle whispered to her lover after everyone left.
"All will be fine." He whispered in her eye looking down at his daughter.
"What if he tells the emperor?" Giselle asked.
"He won't." Tristan said trying to soothe his lover. "Marry me?"
"Tristan?"
"Marry me! We could have a double wedding with Gawain and Estelle." He whispered.
"Do you mean it?" she asked her eyes filling up with tears.
"Yes."
"Of course I marry you." Giselle said hugging him with their daughter in the middle of them.
Gawain's Room
"Estelle why didn't you tell me?" Gawain asked his Fiancée.
"We got engaged this morning. I didn't have a chance to tell you. Plus my people are being killed left and right for no reason." Estelle told him anger filling her eyes. "We have to be cautious. Do you hate me?"
"no I love you." he said holding her close.
"I love you too." Estelle whispered to him.
Arthur's Room
What am I going to do? He thought to himself We are suppose to send all gypsies to France to be punished. But three of my knights love gypsies. It shall be a secret. I will tell them to tell no one. Arthur finished his pacing and went to tell the knights the trouble and plans.
"Jols!" Arthur said after finding the man. "Tell the knights to meet in the round table room."
"Yes Arthur." Jols said bowing his head slightly before leaving. Arthur walked to the room to see Dagonet their already with Amelia at his side. Amelia was showing now. Next came in Gawain and Estelle her eyes were anger and nervous. Soon Galahad and Emily holding hands came in. Bors was alone because Vanora had to take care of the kids. Lancelot came in frowning with his clothes rumpled. Tristan came in alone because Giselle was still recovering.
"Knights, ladies France asked me to report any gypsies that are hear…" Arthur began when Bors began to open his mouth Arthur held his hand up. "But we shall keep Estelle, Giselle, and Vanora secret. No one else must know." Everyone nodded in agreement. "We never found out, we never had the past two conversations. WE only know that they came from France." Everyone nodded again and left.
The last days before freedom
Seven riders appeared on the top of the hill. 4 on gray horses, 2 on black, and one on a horse that was both black and white. Seven men. All heavily armed and in heavy armor. In the distance they spotted their freedom. A carriage with a tangency of guards.They all smiled because thry felt freedom for the first time in years. And then, it was under attack, dozens of Britons in blue woad paint swarmed the carriage. The tallest man on the tallest horse raised his sword and charged into battle. The others followed falling into formation as they went. They charged into the Britons hacking and slashing. One leapt off their horse after a few minutes and fought with their arrows. Into this Britons neck, backwards to another's chest, around across that ones throat, onto the bow to kill the one by the carriage.
When they ran out of arrows, the Knight pulled out their long daggers and started killing with them. In a matter of minutes the battle was over, and the bishop was dead. The leader didn't seem to take this too hard. In fact he walked over to one of the Roman soldiers and addressed him.
"Arthur. Arthur Castus." The soldier spoke first. "Your father's image. I haven't seen you since childhood." The Knights exchanged confused looks.
"Bishop Germanius. Welcome to Britain." Arthur replied. "I see your military skills are still of use to you. Your device worked." He indicated at the carriage where the decoy body was being pulled out by roman soldiers.
"Ancient tricks for an ancient dog." The preoccupied Knight snorted at this and quickly covered it with a sharp whistle. "And these are the great Sarmatian Knights we have heard so much of in Rome!" Arthur nodded.
"Yes. This is Bors," a slightly heavy set knight with a black horse nodded slightly as he cleaned a short knife on his pants, "Gawain," a Knight wearing an amused smile waved slightly from atop his black and white horse, "Galahad," a young Knight, the youngest of all, shifted in his gray's saddle and nodded grimly, "Tristan," a tall, dark, man looked around from his constant watch for a moment and looked into the woods, "Dagonet," the tall, almost bald, gave him a small glance before sticking Bors arm, "Lancelot," he didn't even bother looking up.
"I thought the Woads control the north of Hadriens wall." He said , dismounting.
"They do, but they occasionally venture south. Rome's anticipate withdrawal from Britain has only increased their daring." Arthur replied.
His assistant's voice piped up from the background. "Woads?"
"British rebels who hate Rome." Gawain replied.
"Men who want their country back." Galahad spat vehemently.
"Who leads them?" The Bishop asked ignoring Galahad's pointed jab.
"He's called Merlin. A dark magician, some say." Lancelot answered from his fidgety horses back.
"Tristan. Ride ahead and make sure the road is clear."
Tristan nodded eager to go home to his wife and daughter. As they rode away he. heard the last of the conversation as the Bishop got into his carriage.
"Do not worry Bishop. We will protect you."
"I have no doubt of that. No doubt at all." The Bishop said
It was about 20 minutes later and they were approaching Hadriens Wall and discussing what they were going to do after they were discharged.
"I don't like him, that Roman." Galahad was venting, "If he's here to discharge us why doesn't he just give us our papers?"
"Is this your happy face?" Gawain asked earning shouts of laughter from Bors. "Galahad, do you still no know the Romans? They wont scratch their asses without holding a ceremony."
"Why don't you just kill him and then discharge yourself after?" Bors suggested.
"I don't kill for pleasure," he informed them and then noticed Tristan riding next to him, "unlike some."
Tristan smirked. "Well, you should try it sometime. You might get a taste for it." He smiled.
"It's a part of your. It's in your blood." Bors informed Galahad.
"No, no, no. No. As of tomorrow this was all just a bad memory." Galahad told them and rode forward a little.
"Oh." Bors said rather sarcastically.
"I've often thought about what going home would mean after all this. What will I do?" Gawain picked up the thread. "It's different for Galahad. I've been in this life longer than any other. So much for home. It's not so clear in my memory."
"Speak for yourself." Bors returned. "It's cold back there and everyone I know is dead and buried. Besides, I have, I think, a dozen children."
"Eleven." Gawain cut in and Bors to stare at Gawain nonplussed.
"You listen." He said, recovering. "When the Romans leave here, we'll have the run of all this place. I'll be governor in my own village and Dagonet will be my personal guard and royal ass-kisser. Wont you Dag?" The large and silent man chuckled.
"Whatever you say Bors." Everyone else chuckled lightly.
"First thing I will do when I get home is make a home for me and Estelle." Gawain said.
"What about you Lancelot? What will you do upon your return to Sarmatia?"
"Well since Estelle is a beautiful woman I expect to spend a lot of time at his house. Estelle will welcome the company." Gawain looked at the laughing Lancelot as if not sure how to respond to that.
"I see. And what will I be doing?" He asked.
"Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me." Lancelot replied setting everyone laughing as he rode off to join Arthur.
"Is that before or after I hit you with my ax?" Gawain called after him.
A sharp whistle split through the laughter like lightning. It was followed by a screech of a hawk as Scout, Tristan's hawk, landed on his arm.
"Where you been now eh? Where you been?" He asked her in an affectionate voice that he only used with his hawk, his wife, and his daughter.
REVIEW!