lozcollie - Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying this. Arthur and his knights are coming very soon I promise. As for a pairing, all I can say is my readers will find out when Brenna and her dear knight do. . .lol. Sorry I'm evil. ;)

like i'd tell you! - That's a good guess, but no he's not. That will be revealed in time as well. I am giving you all a glimpse of him in this chapter however.

ThePonderosa - Thank you! I'm happy that you liked the part with the stallion. You'll find as the story progresses that he is only the beginning, she has a very special way with animals. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

TwistofShadows - You're welcome, it was well deserved. Thank you so much for continuing to review, I love your reviews, they always let me know just what you like about it. Sorry you've had to wait so long for this addition.

Ms Genova - Wow! Thank you, I love yours as well! I hope you enjoy this one as much as the others. ; )

To all of my reviewers - Please keep them coming! They mean so much to me and they really do inspire me. Hint. . hint to ALL my readers. .lol. ;)

A/N - I'm sorry this one took so long. First off, I was wrestling with a number of different ideas for this chapter. Then once I finally decided I didn't have to fit everything in, that I could indeed use flashbacks later on, and was planning to sit down and finish it, life itself got a little crazy again. .lol. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this installment. Please read and review!

I thought I would add in a little glossary of names that I have used so far. Many of them I have chosen not just for the way they sound but for their meanings as well. I meant to start doing this earlier but kept forgetting, better late than never though, eh?

Brenna - raven, dark haired, raven maid

Atoll - hateful (appropriate, eh?)

Andsaca - enemy

Maelgwyn - lord of the hounds (not chosen for meaning, just really liked it)

Drefan - trouble

Grimbold - fierce, bold

More to come as they are revealed. ; D

Chapter 4 - The Birthmark

Atoll stood atop one of the many hills to the east of the encampment, at least, what was left of it.

The rising sun at his back cast it's golden rays over the scene before him, mockingly it seemed. The rain of the previous night had vanished, leaving in it's place a brightness that boldly highlighted the destruction. His cold black eyes narrowed as they took in the burnt, flattened tents, the bodies scattered about, and the dozens of arrows blanketing the area like a small forest.

For a moment he watched as his remaining men searched for wounded among the carnage. Then he growled and turned towards the soldier, Drefan, who was cowering in the muddy grass at his side.

"You are telling me that ONE man did all of this?" He flung his hand out in the direction of the ruin that had once been his camp. "One man was too much for seasoned Saxon warriors to handle?"

"He fought as a demon, my lord. First with flaming arrows and then not one but two swords. Appearing from the night as the storm struck. . .we were unprepared. ." Drefan's voice trailed off as he beheld the cold fury in his commander's eyes.

"Unprepared?" Atoll spat the word out as though it were something distasteful, his rage building with each passing second. About to launch into a tirade, his next words were interrupted as he spotted Grimbold, one of his lieutenants, running up the hill toward him. Holding his tongue he waited as his second in command came to a halt in front of him.

Grimbold drew in a deep breath before raising his eyes. He knew with a certainty that Atoll would not be happy with the news he brought and wished more than anything that anyone but he could be the one to deliver it. A shiver raced up the spine of the usually fearless man, as he was met with a black, reptilian gaze of pure evil.

"Well, what have you to report?" Atoll snarled, disgusted by the fear he detected in the other man's face.

With a deep, fortifying breath Grimbold replied, "There are six men left my lord. . including him." He jerked his thumb towards Drefan. "The slaves are dead, the horses are gone, run off one of the men said. The food and supplies are destroyed, the tent they were in caught fire. There is not much left."

An animalistic rumble emanated from Atoll's throat as he spoke.

"Six. . . I leave behind dozens and six remain?" Atoll's chest heaved in fury. "Dozens to stand against one and still you fail!"

His vision began to blur in a red haze of anger. Grabbing Drefan by the front of his cloak, he dragged him to his feet, preparing to vent his rage on the first thing within reach.

In a matter of weeks his once proud army had been cut in half, and these incompetent fools tell him it was all done by one man.

As he raised his free hand to strike the now whimpering soldier, a sudden thought crept into his mind. His eyes swept the encampment, searching for something but not seeing it. Looking from the soldier to his lieutenant and back again he questioned,

"What of my whore? Is she among the dead?"

When neither replied fast enough he backhanded Drefan, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Is she among the DEAD?"

Blue eyes wide, Grimbold shook his blonde head. "No my lord, she was not."

"Well then where is she?"

"The men say that she left with the man. . . on the stallion."

Atoll began to shake with suppressed rage at the words but before he could speak Grimbold continued,

"That is not all my lord, they also believe that the man was a Sarmatian knight."

Maelgwyn looked skyward through the leafy green canopy of trees. Between the crisscrossing branches he could make out patches of blue sky chasing away the last of the black storm clouds. Just after dawn as they had entered the forest, the rain had finally let up, turning first to a gentle mist, and then ceasing completely. Giving a small prayer of thanks to God for that blessing, he let his troubled grey gaze fall upon Brenna once again.

They had traveled hard and fast throughout the night and into the dawn, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Saxons as possible. To begin with Brenna had seemed as though she was alright, she'd hidden the pain well behind a carefully erected façade of bravery, but the long, hard ride through the icy, pounding rain had taken it's toll. Over the past few hours he'd become increasingly anxious of her condition. With her injuries it was a miracle that she had remained upright this long. The only thing holding her there was willpower, and a strength born of sheer desperation to escape her captors. Now even this was failing her, he could see it in the slump of her shoulders and in the stiffness of her posture atop the stallion.

About a mile into the forest they came upon a wide, shallow creek. Reigning in alongside its muddy banks, Maelgwyn dismounted and walked towards Brenna. The stallion turned his head to look at him and snorted, but remained still, cautious of the precious cargo he carried. As he drew closer he could see the fine tremors that wracked her thin frame and, when she looked up at him, her eyes burned feverishly. Her soaked hair clung in wet tendrils to her pale face, and sweat droplets beaded upon her brow. Over the burbling of the creek and the heavy breathing of the horses, he could faintly make out the sound of her own short, harsh breaths.

"Why have we stopped?" Brenna questioned, her voice shaky and unsure.

Before Maelgwyn could form a reply, she swayed and tried in vain to steady herself. Losing the battle, her eyes rolled back in her head and she began to slide from the stallion's back.

Rushing ahead the last few steps, he caught her in his arms and gently carried her to a soft patch of moss, where he carefully lowered her down.

'Please do not let her die now.' Maelgwyn silently prayed once again. 'Not when we've made it this far.'

He quickly checked for and found a weak but steady pulse. Pressing the back of his hand against her forehead, his own creased in worry as he felt the fiery temperature of her skin. He glanced around at the soggy ground and dripping branches before gathering her up into his arms and moving to his horse. Placing her in the saddle, he swung up behind her and tucked her as securely and comfortably as possible against his body. Turning to the stallion he spoke aloud,

"Sorry my friend but this time she rides with me. We need to get her somewhere that is warm and dry."

The horse looked at him and snorted, nodding his silver head, the thick black mane spraying water droplets, then followed as he guided the black down into the creek.

Maelgwyn glanced over his shoulder to make sure that the packhorse was following, and smiled when he saw her carefully picking her way down the slippery embankment into the water, the hawk perched atop her back.

Sticking to the water, he followed the creek deeper into the woods, heading north now toward his destination in the mountains, a few hours ride away. He just prayed that Brenna would still be with him when he arrived. He could feel the heat radiating from her feverish body and hear the sound of her labored breathing. Gazing down at her, something amid the ugly purple bruises on her left wrist caught his eye. A marking, dark pink in color, about an inch or so long and in the perfect shape of an arrowhead. Running his thumb over it gently, he realized it was a birthmark.

Many, many miles away. . .

The young knight sighed as he leaned his aching back against the cool stone. He gazed out across the darkened fields stretching into the distance from his perch atop Hadrian's wall, his thoughts dark and troubled.

He hated it here, hated the Woads, hated the weather, and most especially hated the Romans. Them, he despisedwith every ounce of his being, and counted the days until he would be free.

Earlier that day there had been another battle, another young knight lost well before his time, another life wasted for a cause not their own. Another boy that had been wrenched away from his home, his family, everything he had ever known and loved. And for what? For a fight that was not and never would be their own? All he had wanted. . .all any of them wanted . . was to survive this madness, this nightmare and return to their loved ones.

The thought of family brought to the front of his mind a picture. One that played constantly at the edge of his memory. A picture of a dark haired girl, smiling and laughing as they played together, her silver green eyes dancing with mischief. His sweet, beautiful sister. His reason for living. Thoughts of whom kept him going when he would have long past given up, surrendered to the darkness, and faded away.

Always he wondered of her. . . what was she doing? Was she happy? And most importantly. . did she live? Of this he was nearly certain, he felt that he would surely sense it in his heart if she no longer walked the earth. However, for the past year he had felt an inexplicable melancholy and, at times, phantom pains wracked his body. Sadness and pains that had nothing to do with his current situation. The only explanation he could offer was that they were somehow connected to his sister. They had always been very close as children, as twins they had shared a special bond that only two whom had shared a womb could experience. When the Romans had come and taken him, he had felt as though a piece of his very soul had been ripped from his body. Now, years later, he still felt a vague emptiness that refused to be filled.

Raking a hand through his dark locks, he sighed once again and stood. Turning to leave in search of his bed, he stretched his arms out, and closed his eyes as he yawned, exhausted. The soft light of the moon fell across his hands just as he opened his eyes, and perfectly illuminated the arrowhead on his wrist. Stopping in his tracks, he stared at it for a moment, then let his gaze roam back to the impossibly full moon. He spoke softly into the cool night breeze, his voice barely a whisper as his words were whisked away on the east wind.

"Wherever you are. . . I love you Brenna."

A/N - Well I hope you all enjoyed that, I know there's not as much action as the previous ones, but trust me there is plenty of that to come. .lol. I had originally planned for this to be a much longer chapter. However, I decided to split it here as it flows better this way, and also, if I hadn't it would have been days more yet before it was posted. Anyways, please R&R. . .the more reviews. . .the more inspired I get. . .hence chapter 5 may come more quickly! ; D