Chapter 7
The sun was high in the sky, when I awoke the next morning. I don't think I had ever slept this late in my life. I went to my window and threw open the curtains. To my surprise, I had a perfect view of the Knights outdoor training field. I saw Tristan sparring with a Roman soldier. I was not much of a fight though; my father had his sword at his throat in two very quick and skillful moves of the sword. I noticed the curved sword he used was almost identical to the one his father used. Then my eyes roamed over to Lancelot, his style of fighting was quite different than anything I had ever seen. He had identical twin swords, and was able to use them with equal skill in both his right, and left hand. What a talent, I knew he would not be a man anyone would want to face in battle.
I saw that young Galahad had recovered from his late night; he was riding his horse around the field firing arrows at targets, with exceptional aim. I was a pretty good with a bow myself, but not riding on my horse, at least not at that speed. Dagonet, and Bors were at another end of the field, in what looked like almost a wrestling match. It actually seemed quite violent, until I saw the smiles on both of their faces, and knew it was all in fun. The person I did not see was Gawain; I quickly scanned the field for him. Much to my dismay, I found him. He was starring right at me. My cheeks suddenly reddened, I had been caught, but he just smiled, and waved for me to come, and join them.
I ran to my satchel, and tried to find something suitable, to wear. The few changes of clothes I had were in desperate need of washing. I pulled out a wrinkled stained dress, I put it quickly to my nose, uggh the smell was horrible. Each item I pulled out was no different than the dress. Here I am about to spend the day with some of the most interesting, not to mention handsome, men I had ever met, and I would have to do it smelling like a pig.
"Oh this is hopeless." I said out loud.
"What is hopeless?" I heard a voice behind me ask.
I quickly turned around, in my worry over my dress; I had not even heard the door open. To my surprise it was Gawain.
"I am sorry to startle you." He laughed. "I was worried you were lost, it was taking so long, and again what is hopeless?" He asked again.
I looked at him, the red creeping into my cheeks, half from being embarrassed, half from anger, for a man walking into my room without knocking.
"Well if you must know, I have absolutely no clean clothes to wear, and I would appreciate it if you would not just barge into my room without knocking!" I finished, now definitely more embarrassed than mad, because I realized that I was only wearing my tunic, which was definitely too tight, and to short. I quickly grabbed a cover from my bed, and wrapped it around my legs.
"I am sorry, we are not used to girls living with us" He said.
He looked neither apologetic, nor embarrassed with the situation.
"If you would like Lady Taryn, I would be more than happy to show you where you can have your clothes washed." He finished with mock chivalry.
"Well that would be just splendid, Sir Gawain." I shot back at him. "But that does little to help me now." I finished helplessly.
"Wear what you have on, it looks just fine." He teased.
I just glared at him.
"Well if you promise to stop giving me the evil eye, I think I know where I can find you some clean clothes until you can get yours washed." He said more seriously this time.
"Thank you Gawain, I would appreciate that." I said with my glare replaced by a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Well I guess that is better, I will be back." He said.
Men, I thought to myself. Maybe this would not be as enjoyable as I first thought. Growing up in Sarmatia I had been around men, but most were old enough to be my father, and the rest were younger than me, so this would take getting used to. Bors, and Dagonet, were definitely old enough to be my father, and well Tristan was my father, but the rest that is another story.
A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts.
"Lady Taryn" a voice boomed, "May I, a lowly knight have permission to enter." He mockingly said.
"Ha ha very funny, come in." I yelled back. He came in and handed me a pile of neatly folded clothes.
"They, are men's clothes, but I figured by what you wore yesterday, you would not mind." He said. I could not figure out if he was trying to aggravate me or not.
"No, I don't mind, would you please step out now so I can change." I shot back.
"If you insist" he said as he was walking out the door.
"I do" I yelled back at him, but smiled to myself, aggravating, but charming.
I quickly changed into the clothes, they were men's clothes, but a small man's, and I was taller than most girls so they fit pretty well, although they were a little tighter in the rear end than what I usually would wear.
"Okay, you can come back in." I yelled at the door.
"Ah very nice." He said, while eyeing my backside.
"Well I am glad I meet your approval." I said trying to sound annoyed, but that blush was coming back. "Where did you find these so quickly anyways?" I asked.
"Oh they are some of Galahads that he outgrew quite some time ago." He said simply.
"Well won't Galahad mind me wearing his clothes without asking?" I questioned.
"Don't worry, he has more clothes in his closet than all the Knights put together, he will never notice." He finished.
"If you say so." I said.
"Well let's go out, everyone has been waiting for you." He said holding his arm out to me.
"Alright" I said taking his arm. I looked up into his eyes. "Gawain, thank you, for the clothes, I feel much better." I said gratefully.
"Smell better to." He laughed.
XXXXXXX
As we walked out to the training field all the knights were still there training, but when they saw me everyone stopped and walked over to where Gawain and I were standing.
"Good morning" I said, looking toward my father.
"Good afternoon is more like it." I turned to see a smiling Lancelot coming behind me.
I just grinned sheepishly.
About that time Galahad joined us. "Hey," he said, "what are you doing wearing my clothes?"
I was about to explain, when Gawain jumped in. "Well Galahad since you seem so overly blessed with clothes, and Taryn's were in need of washing, I let her borrow a pair of yours. Since you are the only knight about her size, and besides that they look better on her anyway." Gawain teased him.
I was afraid Galahad was going to hate me, all of this teasing, and most of it because of me. Surprisingly though he came over and put his arm around me.
"Taryn, my dear you may borrow my clothes anytime, because Gawain is right they definitely look better on you." He said looking at me appraisingly.
"Taryn," a voice interrupted the teasing "Come we have more to talk about." Tristan said to me, while giving his fellow knights a look of warning. I followed him meekly, learning quickly one did not argue with Tristan.
"Are you up to a little ride?" He was asking.
"That would be fine; Black will be getting fat and lazy, if I leave him in those stables very long." I said back; looking forward to getting to explore my new surroundings, plus spend time with my father.
We had the horses saddled in no time, and were soon leaving the bustle of fort life. I looked around at the land, and found it quite beautiful. There was the lushest looking green grass, I had seen. I know Black agreed with me, for he kept trying to snatch mouthfuls. The air was a bit heavier than I was used to, but the sky, was a vision. There were scattered clouds, with rays of light breaking through; it was definitely a beautiful place.
"What are you thinking about?" Tristan said interrupting my thoughts.
"This place" I said, "its amazing, one of the most beautiful places I have seen."
"Most of the men would disagree with you, they hate it here they long for home." He said. "But I agree with you, it is very beautiful, the trees, are my favorite, there are so many, quite a contrast to our open plains at home." He said thoughtfully.
"Yes it definitely is." I said thinking all the sudden, that I have had nothing to eat since our meal last night.
"Hungry?" He asked.
I do believe he is a mind reader. "Getting there." I admitted.
He reached into his saddle bag and tossed me an apple.
"Oh no thank you I don't like apples." I said tossing it back to him.
"Learn to." He said tossing it back to me. "Apples, are small, can be carried anywhere, last for days, and provide the energy you need when you don't have time to hunt for food. Didn't your father teach you anything? He asked.
"Yes, he taught me many things, but he did not believe in forcing things on people they did not like!" I said while taking a giant bite out of the apple, and starring Tristan down.
He just smiled. "Good, you are a fast learner."
"For your information", I said, "I almost died when I was little from eating too many apples, and since than I have hated the things." I responded back.
"I am sure you did not almost die, surely you are being a little dramatic." He questioned.
"Well, maybe you are right, but I felt like I was going to die." I laughed, drama was my specialty.
"Taryn, we never got to the part of your story last night of why you are actually here?" He asked changing the subject back to a more serious topic.
"Well after Mother died, I was alone, I tried to keep the crops going and the horses cared for, but it was to much for me alone, I had helped my father and mother for years caring for the farm, but he was twice the worker I was. That was when your father came to me, and insisted I come and live with them. I was reluctant to leave my home, but I knew I needed the help. We sold all the remaining horses but my Black here, and then the farm and I moved in with a small chunk of money. All was going well until a man came by one day. His name was Herman, he was a wealthy man, and had paperwork saying my father had owed him money. The amount on the paper was more than I had, it was hard for me to believe my father had done this, but all the documents were there. This man Herman, who was much older than my father, insisted that in exchange for the debt I would have to marry him. This was unacceptable to me, and to your parents. That is when your father had the idea, to send me to you. He knew Herman would not follow me here." I said stopping to take a bite from my beloved apple.
"I see" he said, 'What made the thought of marriage to this older man so despise able? Your own mother choose a man twice her age to marry." He questioned.
"My mother choose my father simply because he had already spent his time in service to Rome, and she needed someone to help care for me." I stated.
"I have no need for a husband, plus he was fat, and not very nice." I added.
"Now tell me, how you made it all the way here, with out being captured, or abused by Romans?"
"Well, I did what your father taught me. He said to blend in to my surroundings wherever I go. Under no circumstances ever stand out or draw attention to myself. At times I traveled as a girl, other times; I traveled dressed as a boy. I followed the maps, my father, and yours had made of their journeys, and tried to follow the least populated routes. I believe it was only by God's divine will that I made it here." I finished.
"God, you talk about him like Arthur. Have you been converted to Catholicism?" He asked.
"Of coarse not, I hate the Romans, and there religion as much as anyone, but Tristan look around, you can see the hand of someone greater than us everywhere you look, how can you even doubt there is a God?" I asked.
"When you have seen the things I have seen Taryn, you will see as I do, there is nothing but what we make of it, and most of the things I have seen on this island, are not beautiful, but pain, and loss." He said firmly.
'Now tell me, can you fight?" He asked.
I believe the conversation was getting to a topic he did not care to discuss with me.
"I can hunt well; I am an excellent aim with my bow." I said proudly.
"Show me" he said while handing me the bow strapped to his back. He pointed to at tree several hundred feet away. "Hit the dark spot on the trunk." He said.
I nodded, it was a hard shot, but I knew I could make it. I started to dismount from Black.
"What are you doing?" He quickly interrupted.
"What you told me to." I snapped back, a little harsher than I meant to.
"Why do you need to dismount to do so?" He asked.
"To make that far of a shot, I need my feet under me." I explained, I wanted to add Duh to the end, but knew he would really think me childish then.
"Get back, on your horse." He commanded. "It will do you no good if every time you see a woad you have to jump of your horse to shoot him." He said.
"Wait, who are woads, and why, am I going to be shooting anyone?" I asked.
"Woads are the native fighters of this land. They oppose Roman rule, and attack Roman holdings whenever they have the chance." He said.
"Well it sounds to me like we should be joining them, instead of fighting them." I said with confusion in my voice.
"It does not work like that Taryn, if they are Rome's enemies, for now they are our enemies, and if you choose to stay here with me, they will be your enemies as well, and will try to kill you the first chance they get. That is why I need to know your skill level in combat." He finished patiently.
"Oh, okay." I said the thought of a bunch of native people wanting to kill me did not sit well with me.
"Now he said, I want you to find the best angle between your body and the tree that gives you the most firing range." He instructed.
I tried turning Black until my body was square up to the tree.
"Good, now use your stirrups to brace yourself no differently than you would the ground." He said.
"Yes, but the ground does not wiggle." I whined, looking down at my horse, which in all actuality was quite still.
"Excuses, now aim and fire." He stated.
I took a deep breath tried to remember what he said. I pulled the string back on the bow, it was much more difficult to handle than my bow back at the fort. As I let go, I watched the arrow sail, and much to my surprise, it hit the tree. Not in the place Tristan had instructed, but at least it was a hit.
I let out a cheer I was quite proud of myself. I looked over at my father, who was just shaking his head.
"Well if it would have been a man, you would have just shot him in the leg, or foot, so hopefully you would be able to shoot again and finish him off, before he shot you." He said ruining my moment of glee.
"How are you with a sword?" He asked.
"I am pretty good." I said back to him.
"Pretty good, is no good here. Good is equal to dead. You must be great." He said firmly.
I just sighed.
"Let us head back to the fort." He said. "We have much to work on in the next few days." He said looking back at me.
Getting to know my father was going to be much harder than I expected, I thought as we rode back. It definitely would not be dull!
Again, to every one that reviewed thanks, I hope you are enjoying, as much as I am writing. I know my grammar and punctuation isn't the best, as my dear husband pointed out, but I am trying to do better. This will probably be my last chapter for four days, I work the next three nights, but we will see, I may get one more out tonight.
Irishfire: Thanks for all your reviews. I love your story, Stowaway, so your reviews mean a lot to me. Thanks for pointing out my error with Anias and Stephan. I had actually thought about it, but just not included it yet in story. I forgot it may be confusing to the reader. It will be worked into the story in the next couple of chapters, but I will go ahead and tell you. Anias was older, and had already served Rome, and came home. Stephan is disabled, I will get into that later also.
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