Standard Disclaimer still applies and will always apply… sigh. But that's why it's called fanfiction neh?

Is this getting to be Mary-Sueish? By the way what is a Mary Sue? Can someone please tell me, I would rather like to avoid it if possible.
Amirra – Oh wow, I'm soo blushing, I love your stories too. Thanks for the great review, and yes she and Tristan are related. Good thing she only kissed his cheek! Ha ha. And Chucks totally rock!
dmitchell1974- thanks for the review, but I won't hint at what's gonna happen, I'm still trying to decide whether or not there will be romance between Roxie and any of the knights.

A/N: some notes -actions during speech- "speech" 'thoughts'

Galahad helped Roxie from the icy water hugging her tightly as rain began to fall in buckets from the sky. In the dim starlight and shadows of the forest, he saw her grin at the sky then wince painfully as they reached the horses.

"What amuses you so? You were nearly killed back there… we both were nearly killed! Tell me, do you enjoy these near death experiences?"

"Of course… not! Silly boy -gasps in pain, he is concerned again- we'll be harder to track in this weather. And I'm pretty damn sure the Saxons think we're dead. -she grunts as she shifts- Besides Galahad, I wouldn't put you in any danger if I didn't think you could handle it. So take a chill pill and help me ride this pony," Roxie patted his cheek smiling to reassure him or to reassure herself. That had been the closest call she'd ever had. Then again, the bodyguards she'd fought in the past were only used to assassins with guns and martial arts, she'd been trained to master all. So perhaps it was no wonder that Cerdic and Crynic were more than a challenge for her. Right now she felt weak and helpless, it was as though the past fourteen years devoted to stealth, and defense and death were nothing.

"Oh no, you are not riding by yourself. You are not well enough and even if you were, you would not be able to control your mount." Galahad reprimanded her, "Wait there; I shall move our packs to the other horse."

"Whatever…just get me to Dagonet. I think I may need stitches or at most get this thingy cauterized," She gasped in pain and realized that the two Saxons had also tried to hack at her legs. Gently Galahad lifted Roxie into the saddle. She leaned forward on the horse's neck grunting in pain as the knight clamored behind her. He forced her to lean against him, her head again his robe clad shoulder and he wrapped a blanket around them both mindful of her wounded condition. She breathed in his musky scent, wrinkling her nose at the fact that lake water, rain and his scent really did not mix very well. 'Oh well… at least he's got a good heart and face…Connor.' She sighed sadly. Her last thought as she closed her eyes.

Dream (A/N: More Connor info for you dmitchell1974)

I'm on another job in New Jersey, running from rooftop to rooftop. Ha! If only my phys ed. teacher knew how athletic I really was, she'd have a fit! I don't remember how old I am or what job this was, but this is a very old memory, one that was monumental.

My target has just put up a chase, a mid-thirties underworld princess, no loyalties and strung along many men, many big bosses of the underworld. That was stupid. So I got hired out to take her out, no discrimination it's just a job and a high paid one as well. 35 Million for just this one woman. One helluva payday I would think.

I had already taken down fourteen of her bodyguards, they underestimated me until the very end when I killed them; but damnit that gave her enough time to run. So now I have to track her down. The screech of tires and the honking of a car horn draws my attention two blocks away. Using my naginata like a pole vault I managed to cut down my running time, and soon I am just above her dark blue BMW M3 Cabriolet in an alleyway. She is so stupid; I am an assassin I think I'd know a trap when I see one. The mark tries to hide and lure me into a trap.

I reach a hand to my belt, pull out a tear gas bomb and let it fall through her sunroof. I mean really if you are going to run from an assassin shouldn't you at least try to use a less conspicuous car? The woman and two of her remaining bodyguards scrambled out the car coughing and crying. She left with four.

Behind me I heard a muffled footstep, spinning around I find the other two guards. Their guns cocked and aimed at my head. This is gonna be fun. Before either could blink, they were dead. Now, for my payday.

Giving myself some distance, I leapt from the roof and onto the car. The bodyguards shot at me, but their eyes are so hazed in tears they miss me. The woman screams at them in German, something along the lines of "Kill him, Kill him!" I'm not a him. Soon, the screams, the shots and all the noise are gone. All three lay dead, only the target gets decapitated and branded. The mask I wear is suffocating me and I remove it. Breathing in the acrid air of the city I turn…

"CONNOR?" the words leave my usually silent lips. My boyfriend just stood there staring at me, the blood on my clothes and weapon. Without a further thought I run.

The memory fast forwards to a conversation of just me and him. He made promises to help me, to get me out of this life. I believe him. I'm in love with him as he is with me. Connor says that we will go to the same university and that if we're still in love we'll get married. I let him fantasize; I let him dream…I should've known that the Red Sun would never let me go.

"Black Phoenix. Is this the reason you want to leave? For him?" The ruling King of the Red Sun pulled Connor from the shadows, bound, gagged, beaten, unconscious and bleeding.

"Oh my god! Connor!" I try to rush toward him, but two superiors hold me tightly, I remember this, I just turned 18. I watched in horror as Kronos, the king, unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the man I loved. And he was dead…

"NO!" Roxie screamed waking from her dream. Kronos' words recited through her head. 'You are of the guild. No one leaves without consequences. You are MINE…' Her head fell into her hands as the angry and pained tears streamed from her eyes. As the girl silently sobbed, memories of the past two years flashed before her eyes and haunted her. Twice she had challenged the king, but only ended up bloody and beaten; nursed to health to take on another high profile hit. It was as though Kronos wanted her to get better, to become a better fighter, a better servant to the guild, a better slave…

Galahad was shaken by the Roxie's suddenness. He paused from making a small fire to edge his way over to her. She was hugging herself and rocking back and forth, muttering strange words to herself with her eyes glazed and unfocused. Hesitantly he reached to touch her shoulder, but as soon as contact happened, Roxie screamed a blood curling scream that forced the young knight to stumble away. 'How would any of the other knights handle this?' He thought to himself.

Galahad needed to get her to stop screaming or else some unknown enemy may come upon them. At the first thing that came to mind he forced her to the ground and tried covering her mouth with his other hand, but in the state that Roxie was in, she fought harder and seemed desperately stronger. Kicking him savagely in his gut and face, Roxie continued to scream, the only thing he could understand was "CONNOR! CONNOR!"

Several times Galahad tried in despair to calm and quiet her. But the closer he got to her the more she fought. The demons that attacked her mind and soul must have been vicious and he did his best to restrain her from scratching, kicking, biting, screaming… the thought to kiss her crossed his mind, something Lancelot would've done. So he tried it… he pressed his lips to her mouth taking in her screams… and she bit him.

"You little BITCH!" Galahad yelled as she kicked him away, her arms thrashing; slowly her screams died as her throat became hoarse. Instead of screaming, Roxie was breathing hard and fast now; figuring that he couldn't do anything for her in this state he went back to fixing a fire and putting on his armor whilst she quieted down. It was all that it seemed he could do for her, the woman he had grown to care for was haunted by darkness and a past that refused to relent, Galahad wished that there were something he could do for her.

Soon, Roxie's demons were under control as though nothing happened. The only evidence was her heavy breathing and Galahad's bleeding lip. 'Women.' He thought bitterly as he finished setting up a temporary camp. He saw that Roxie's eyes were finally closed and her breathing became slow and even. He really shouldn't have tried to kiss her, it was like he took advantage of her and she knew it.

Roxie opened her eyes what seemed like ages later, sore, bruised, bloody and wounded. Her mind slowly registered what happened… oh yeah she'd fought against Crynic and Cerdic which led to her nearly being killed... Galahad as well. Damnit, she should have done more, fought harder… 'I was weak' thinking that made her depressed, too many bad things happened and it made Roxie unfocused and she needed her strength to check her wounds. Whether or not it was fortunate, Galahad was nowhere in sight, the only signs of him even being around were the smokeless fire and his pack.

From underneath the blanket that covered her body, Roxie assessed the damage. It was just a flesh wound and should heal nicely if only she had the time to stitch it up. Shedding the clothes painfully mindful of the caked on blood, Roxie cleaned and bandaged herself up by shredding the gauzy priestess gowns she bought. 'Well it could be worse, I could be dead or getting raped by Crynic,' She thought with morbid humor. Then she pulled her bloody clothes and another priestess gown over it to keep warm. She knew she looked ridiculous, but it was cold in the snow and she'd lost quite a bit of blood on this excursion.

Pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders, Roxie tossed the packs up onto a tree limb then moved closer to the fire staring idly at the curling flames. 'Where is Galahad? Hunting? Scouting?' A thought crossed her mind, 'Oh gawd I hope it has nothing to do with attending to himself… EW!'

A rustle in the brush drew her attentions, unhooking her hook-blades from their sheaths at her back Roxie inconspicuously strained for any other sounds of an intruder or a friend. 'Please be Galahad, I dunno how much of my strength has come back. Please be Galahad…' She sent a prayer to anyone who'd listen as she readied herself for an attack.

"HAH!" A man in filthy Roman armor jumped from the bushes at her, his sword glinting and battle-ready. Quickly, Roxie ducked as the Roman soared over her before she hit the man in the stomach with an uppercut slice through his armor. The man cried out in pain and frustration and his fell to the ground clutching his cut up belly. From the stink, one could tell that she'd wounded him vitally. She barely had time to register this man's mortality when three more Roman clad men came from the bushes into the clearing. Two of which she eliminated quickly, cutting their throats with her blades. Spinning to avoid getting skewered by the third, Roxie began to feel the effects of her actions… nausea, lightheadedness, weak knees. 'Oh God, not now. Please not now!' Her eyes unfocused momentarily before she was hit on the head from behind and fell into the scattered snow.

"Looks like a runaway." Said the third Roman Roxie was facing moments ago. The fourth Roman picked up her limp body and swore when he saw that the horses that were tied to the camp had run off. "Sure is a pretty one eh? 'Ow 'bout a little fun before heading back to the village. She won't put up much struggle now." The two remaining Romans chuckled as they laid her back onto the ground and proceeded to lift the blanket that covered her form. In the distance the sound of howling wolves stopped their actions and the sight of her blood covered garments.

"SHIT! She's covered in blood!"

"Maybe we should just head back to the estate Markus, wolves, Woads and a bloody woman are all signs of evil. I'll not be damned for a simple woman."

"Y-yes, let's take her back to Lord Honorius." The Roman Markus replied roughly picking the woman back up as the other soldier smothered the fire. They buried their dead and rode off with the limp woman in their arms, without their knowledge a scrap of her torn gauzy gown snagged on a tree limb.

Merely twenty minutes later, Galahad returned to the campsite with a pair of hares to eat and found the camp a mess as well as three graves with Roman helmets and swords. The horses were waiting calmly for him and there was no sign of Roxie anywhere, except for a bit of fabric from one of the flamboyant gowns she purchases not but three nights ago.

"R-Roxie?" He called, no answer he didn't really expect one. "Shit!" he used her phrase as he retrieved their bags and mounted his horse leading her horse behind his. Galahad raced out of the forest to the meeting place that they had agreed on with the other knights. Silently he prayed to the gods to protect the woman because not only would he worry for her, but the other knights would skin him alive should anything happen to her.

Roxie woke to the jostling of a horse, her head throbbed, and she was sore and almost sure that her wounds were not doing so great. The sight of the moving ground made her incredibly nauseous as well as the fact that not too long ago she had killed three men. With that she emptied the little in her stomach on the moving ground. The Roman soldier that had her slung over his saddle swore violently as her vomit barely touched his sandaled foot. He struck her cruelly on her sore and slightly wounded back. Roxie's hands were bound and a tight rope was wrapped on her waist to the saddle horn. 'What the hell is going on! I don't think I can survive much more of this jostling.' She thought shutting her eyes from the unpleasant view.

"My Lord Honorius!" The Roman soldier on horseback next to Roxie's head called suddenly when the horses stopped moving. Roxie turned her head to the voice of another Roman in fatigue. A squat little man in a rich purple toga hurried toward the riders, his dark hair was thinning, graying and receding.

The Roman Marius Honorius looked at the girl across the saddle of his head soldier Captain Markus Valorius. The girl's face was filthy and caked with dry blood, her hazel eyes regarded all with utter hatred and distaste. Cleaned up, she would bring much pleasure for his men and himself, she seemed like she would be a great beauty. "What is this?" Marius asked eyeing the girl as he spoke to Captain Valorius.

"Runaway, sir. Found 'er in the woods. Killed three of my best men."

"Three men? This skinny little crea—!" the girl spat metallic blood in the lord's face. The Captain was about to strike her again, but she twisted and hit the man in his stomach at the same time grabbing his dagger and cutting herself loose. Sliding from the horse she fought her way against the two soldiers she encountered in the woods as well as three more soldiers causing a great amount of commotion that the villagers who were already glancing at the girl were now full on staring at the fighting girl and the five Roman soldiers. The odd girl was soon overpowered when one of the soldiers ruthlessly punched her in the stomach.

Roxie cried out painfully as the captain of the guard slammed his fist ruthlessly into her wounded front, she felt the gash in her front worsen and throb. Still she tried to fight the men, all the while removing her silver pendant and tossing it to the feet of a young child. The soldiers finally restrained her; Roxie was bleeding from the mouth and nose, her wounds reopened and close to fainting. The soldiers were not much better, two had black eyes and split lips, one had a split eyebrow and a broken nose while the other two were nursing bites and scratches on various part of their bodies.

"Put her in the Temple of God." Marius sneered; an evil and chilling look glazed his eyes. Roxie held his glare with an icy look of her own, the blood dribbling down her chin. Marius took the opportunity of her weakness to slap her across her bloody face. Roxie merely grunted staring coldly at the man before the soldiers opened a door of a stone hut. The acrid air of death and decay overwhelmed Roxie and again she retched before the soldiers kicked her down the stone steps of the "Temple of God."

Roxie tumbled down the steps striking her head on the damp stone floor cutting her forehead. She let only a gasp of pain escape her lips as two monks approached her panting form.

"Another pagan to sacrifice to God?" one said, Roxie's eyes were horribly unfocused and weak from all the fighting she did earlier, but she refused to relent to these so-called "men of God." The young woman struggled desperately against the two monks that held her as her body weakened and in the process dislocated her shoulder did she cry out. Roxie tried to kick the two monks as they chained her to a stone table demanding to know her sins. The men smiled sickening smiles from her roars of pain, slowly her consciousness faded while the men began their torture.

Realizing that their newest pagan had passed out, the monks unchained her and roughly tossed her motionless body into a cell. An occupied cell.

Roxie felt cool liquid pour past her lips and slowly she woke to find dark brown eyes staring intently back at her. Startled, Roxie backed painfully against a wall and silently let out a shriek of pain.

"I won't hurt you." The eyes said in accented Latin, Roxie just realized that the eyes were part of a face, a very thin face of a young woman not too many years older than herself. The young woman handed Roxie the water skin and some bread. Roxie simply nodded her thanks as she greedily drank from the skin, the pain from her wounds were too much at the moment. "You fought bravely in your weakened state. You truly are a warrior. What is your name?"

Roxie swallowed the bite of bread before answering, "People call me Roxie. Who're you?"

"I am Guinevere." Roxie nearly choked and coughed that Guinevere had to delicately pat her back. "Are you well?"

"Wha—? Y-yeah, yeah… just took it in too fast. Thank you."

"I have done nothing. The wife of the fiend who put us here brought the food and water. She tries to sneak food and water to those of us still alive; if not for her we would be dead." Roxie nodded and let exhaustion overcome her.

Over the next two and a half days, as Roxie determined, she and Guinevere were tortured horribly. Their fingers were dislocated, they were beaten with rods, stretched beyond normal limits and would have been stuck with hot pokers if they had not passed out from everything they went through. Roxie could feel her body weaken with every passing moment, though she figured that Guinevere had the worst of it; from what Roxie could tell was that the Woad was the monks favorite pin cushion before Roxie showed up. The women tried to give each other hope and courage, Roxie longed to see her knights, hear their laughter and jokes, feel their warm embraces and kisses on her cheeks… the hope that they would come for her gave Roxie hope. 'I mean, according to legend Arthur and Guinevere are supposed to get hitched. If they don't come I swear I will cross over from the other side and kick their asses.' She thought as she laid her head against the wall. The hot tears she'd been trying to prevent streaked her face, she was scared. Did they forget about her?

Arthur and the Sarmatian Knights arrived at the estate of Marius Honorius in the late afternoon three days after the initial abduction of Roxie. When they had met up with an anxious and jittery Galahad three days prior, Arthur sent Tristan to look for some kind of clue as to the whereabouts of Roxie could have been. The evidence the scout had found led to their preliminary destination… Marius Honorius. Arthur's knights noticed the poor conditions of the villagers of Honorius' estate during their knight commander's exchange with the Roman lord. Galahad had been rather sullen and blaming himself for loosing the young woman and no one's words offered any consolation. Although, some did blame the young knight for leaving the wounded woman alone.

Whilst Arthur and Marius were engaged in conversation, a small child pulled on Dagonet's leather breeches. He looked down gently at the little girl as she held up a dirty fist clutching something. Holding out his hand, the child deposited a dirty silver triangle pendant… Roxie's pendant!

Dismounting, Dagonet went to the eye level of the child and asked where she got the pendant. "Lady give. Locked there now." The child pointed to a small stone structure that was being walled up by two monks overseen by two slightly beaten Roman soldiers. One of the soldiers looked like his face had been bitten, while the other had a bandage over his brow. The monks also seemed to be nursing some recent bruises and wounds. Dagonet thanked the little girl and patted her gently on the head and then went to Arthur with this new bit of information.

Arthur's eyes widened in recognition of the silver pendant and listened intently to Dagonet and the little girl's testimony. Arthur ordered Dagonet to break down the wall and door against the other knights' protests. The overpowering smell of death and decay drifted from the stone structure as the knights and monks descended the stair of hell.

Roxie glared evilly at the monk that strapped her once again to the stone table, her shoulder and fingers were still out of place and it seemed like they intended to break her legs. Shutting her eyes and gritting her teeth as a monk bent her fingers all sorts of painful ways. 'I will not scream! I will not scream! I will not scream!' She was vaguely aware of the activity that was going on around her.

"Who are these defilers of the Lord's temple?" One of her torturers demanded. More angry words were exchanged, death seemed to follow. The voices were unclear, but in her mind Roxie begged for whoever stormed hell would see her on the back table. 'Someone please get me out of here! Please!' Hot tears streamed her face…

A gentle hand stroked her face; "Roxie…" a familiar voice spoke to her as she was lifted from the table compassionately. Roxie curled up against the gentleness the scent so familiar and comforting, but cried out as her shoulder was suddenly jarred.

Gawain searched the torture chamber, the distraught Galahad at his side. In the back corner, a figure in familiar, if not dirty, clothes lay motionless and chained cruelly to the stone table. As he approached the table, the blond knight found the form to be that of Roxie! Hurriedly he cut the chains that bound her to the table, he saw hot tears streak her dirty and blood caked face. Gently he wiped the tears away and lifted her into his arms. The young woman leaned into his arms; protectively Gawain tightened his grip unknowingly jarring her dislocated shoulder forcing her to cry out. "Gods Roxie, what have they done to you? Galahad!"

The youngest knight rushed to his best friend to see an unconscious cradled in Gawain's arms. Nearly grabbing the injured woman into a giant hug, Galahad saw the additional wounds she sustained, out of anger the young knight ran another sniveling monk through with his sword as Gawain rushed Roxie into the overcast daylight.

"Water, I need water!" Gawain trailed after Arthur. Lancelot saw the still young woman in Gawain's arms and rushed forward. Someone brought Gawain a water skin. "Here, Roxie, drink this." Roxie's eyes fluttered open to see her knights looking down at her. Taking in the clean air, Roxie's lips curled into a slight smile before closing her eyes again. 'They're here… they saved me… thank God.'

"Stop! What are you doing?" Marius yelled at the knights. Arthur spun angrily at the Roman lord.

"What madness is this?" Arthur demanded furiously. He'd seen the near-lifeless form of Roxie in Gawain's arms, the normal calm melted in his rage.

"They are pagans."

"So are we," replied Galahad icily. His eyes fixed on the girl in his arms who slipped in and out of responsiveness. She looked as though she wanted something, perhaps Marius' head on a platter, or to watch the exchange going on.

"They must die as an example; they refused the task that God has set for them."

"You mean they refused to be your serfs!" Arthur raged

"Of course, you understand. You are Roman and a Christian," Marius said.

"What of her? -Points to Roxie- She works for me, why was she there?" Arthur bellowed. Instead of answering, Marius looked for some other distraction. Then he noticed his wife Fulicina giving more water to Guinevere and Roxie. "You! You kept them alive!" He struck her to the ground and would have continued to beat the poor woman had not Arthur slammed his sword hilt to the squat man's face.

"No, stop. Stop," the lord said to his soldiers, then to the menacing Arthur, "When we get to the Wall you will be arrested for this hearsay." The squat man grinned. But Arthur held his sword closer to the man's throat.

"Maybe I should kill you now and seal my fate."

"I was willing to die with them; yes, it was God's will that they be sacrificed. I was to lead them to their rightful place," a sniveling monk said coming up behind Marius.

Arthur's cold gaze looked at the man. "Then I will grant his wish. Wall them up!"

"Arthur…" Lancelot started.

"I said wall them up!" Arthur commanded as the villagers pushed the remaining monks back into the stone hell hole.

Through hazy eyes, Roxie watched and listened as the monks were walled into hell, Marius was nearly beat down by Arthur and once again she was with her knights. A satisfied grin graced her face as Arthur came over and placed her pendant around her neck before Gawain carried her into the wagon that Marius' other prisoners were in.

"We found her," he said caressing her brow. Gawain nodded to his friend then went to mount up.

Tristan rode up to Arthur to report the Saxon situation. "Who are all these people?"

"They are coming with us." Arthur simply replied.

"Then we'll never make it."

Arthur looked at his scout before changing the subject, "We found Roxie. She was half-alive in his –points to Marius- dungeon."

"How is she?" Tristan asked, his concern flashed in his eyes before going blank again.

"She lives…"

Whew! That took a while. It's really hard to make this part really good; I mean this is a crucial part in the movie. It's when Guinevere meets Arthur so I tried my best to make this somewhat monumental. Then there was a little bit about Roxie's past. I'm thinking about making a little short in between with Roxie's memories. What do you think? I'm sooo open to suggestions. Although nothing about romances with the knights, I may or may not make it happen. But what did you think? Was it good? Is there anything I should fix? Let me know, I love to get review and I will be waiting anxiously for five reviews! June Birdie