Standard Disclaimer still applies and will always apply; King Arthur and all that is related to the legends and movie are so not mine. It'd be great though. Ah well, stuff you don't recognize, like the ideas and such, yeah that's mine. Anyways onto "Blood Heritage"
Exhales loudly WOW chapter 12, I honestly never thought I'd get to this chapter. But here I am. Wee! Enjoy.
A/N: some notes -actions during speech- "speech" 'thoughts'
(A/N: G and Roxie will be speaking in English, the italics part. Okay now back to the story)
Roxie held her cloak closer to her body silently thanking all the fates that she'd her own comfortable clothes instead of a stupid gown. "G? I need you… Gawd dammit, where the fuck are you, you bastard!" she whispered harshly.
"tsk, tsk, tsk. Such language from such a fine princess." An ethereal voice drawled behind her. Spinning around, Roxie was face to chest with her guardian. She launched into a hug on the being, hot tears pricked her eyes. "Hey now, what's this?" 'He' wrapped 'his' arms around her small body in a comforting hug.
"I can't let any of them die, I love them too much," She quietly sobbed into his shoulder, the tears fell freely. "Please help me…"
"What was that luv? I didn't quite hear you," G lifted her chin to look into her hazel eyes. She repeated herself as fresh tears flooded her eyes. "I cannot be seen yet, but I can give you anything you need. All you have to do is ask."
Roxie's face brightened a bit, "C-4, enough to blow the Saxons into the stratosphere so the caravan can be safe." G was about to chuckle until he saw the resolve in her eyes.
"Sorry pet, too modern. How's about somethin' else?"
"You said anything; I need that C-4!"
"I said too modern, now use that pretty little head of yours and come up with something else, your time is short. I know you can think of something more subtle."
She was silent for a moment, "I can't stand by and watch him die, not when they're all so close. Dynamite? Quick, primitive, and I'm sure that gun powder's already been invented in China."
G smiled lightly before pulling a stick of dynamite from his gray voluminous robe. "Only one, the time-space continuum can't suffer too much so choose your target wisely. Be safe my princess."
"I really wish you'd stop calling me that. I don't want to go back to that life." Roxie hugged her guardian again and quickly made her way back to the caravan. She didn't have to look back to see 'he' was gone, the lack of warmth of 'his' perfection spoke volumes.
(A/N: This part is from Roxie's point of view… working on Bitter Friends made me realize how much I missed writing in first person pov.)Bitter Friends
I made my way to the back of the caravan, tucking the stick of dynamite in my shirt I then realized I had nothing to light the fuse. I mentally berated myself for being so stupid. I mean how the hell was I gonna use this stupid thing?
"Excuse me lady? You dropped this." A small voice said beside my horse and me, I looked down to see a small boy with dark curls and lavender eyes. I grinned when he held up my silver Celtic design lighter, G you sly devil! Whatever I need, indeed.
"Thank you very much. Be careful when you cross the lake, kind sir," I said patting the boy on his head. I could feel G's perfect warmth through the boy before he ran off.
"Where did you go?" Tristan's voice questioned on the other side of Starblaze. I looked up to see his eyes pierce through my lie.
"I thought I saw something," half-true!
"What are you hiding?"
I pulled myself back onto the horse again and grinned at my forefather, "You'll see when the time is right. Until then, be patient."
Arthur had us spread out on the ice. If it were any other time I would have convinced them to stop and enjoy the possibility of ice-skating, but this wasn't any other time. Saxons were coming up on our asses and I had a job to do.
We heard the drums, loud, clear and foreboding. Involuntarily I shivered. I had never taken on so many opponents before; I had never been in military service before, I had never in my life felt the way I did at this very moment… scared to die. Death was my deal, death was my job, and here I was scared shitless of my own.
"Knights, Roxie?" Arthur addressed us on the ice. We saw the faces of the villagers and all the others, their eyes and faces mirrored my emotions.
"Well, I am tired of running. These Saxons are so close behind, my arse is hurting." Bors stated sullenly. I couldn't help the grin on my wind-chapped face.
"Never liked looking over my shoulder anyway." Tristan answered getting his horse ready.
Dagonet smirked at my ancestor and I tightened my cloak around me.
"It'll be a pleasure to put an end to this racket."
"We'll finally get a look at the bastards."
"Here. Now." Dagonet readied his horse, while Lancelot looked at the rest of them disapprovingly.
"Roxie?" Arthur and the rest looked at me, anxious for my response. Keeping my face as blank as possible, I looked Arthur straight into his gorgeous green eyes and simply stated.
"It'd be rude to have the Saxon leaders come all this way and I'm not here to greet them." I could see the apprehension on their faces, didn't they want me around? "I made you a promise Arthur. I intend to keep it." I shouldered the modified crossbow and got my other weapons from the wagon that Jols drove.
I stood next to Dagonet, readying the crossbow. I've never been very good at archery, and the crossbow was much like a primitive assault rifle, so I should do alright. Hn I'm turning their own weapon against them, a small smirk twitched on my cheek that I had thought went unnoticed.
"Does facing death always make you smile?" Dagonet asked me.
"Since when do you notice every little expression on my face, Dag? I'd of thought you had more pressing things to worry about. Like going home, maybe?" I replied. The silent man was silent again. Did I insult him? Well, now was not the time to worry about that.
"I notice a lot more things than you realize, my lady." He replied coolly. That drew a half-grin as I bumped him with my butt, but he nearly slipped and gave me a disapproving look. I couldn't help but giggle like a schoolgirl as we both focused on our enemy coming through the wood. The stick of dynamite was tucked safely in my shirt and my lighter in my back pocket… all that was left to do was the waiting.
"Dag… remember you promised me you wouldn't do anything stupid, okay?" I reminded him timidly. He merely looked at me before nodding curiously. I can't tell him what I saw. I just can't, because knowing him, he'd still do it. Hopefully he'll at least think more before resorting to stupidity before I've a chance to launch the dynamite.
"Hold until I give command." Arthur told us.
"There's a lot of lonely men out there," I heard Lancelot quip on my other side to Guinevere. For a moment I felt an unfamiliar sensation of jealously towards my new Woad friend. I was so pleased earlier that she offered to fight with us, but now I wasn't so sure.
"Don't worry I won't let them rape you." Guinevere replied saucily forcing me to snort with laughter. They both looked at me with their brows raised.
"Very nice, Guin, couldn'tve said it better myself." I patted her on the back and heard Arthur give commands.
"I would rather you have your evil way with me, first Roxie," Lancelot's sexy voice mewed in my ear. I had to fight every urge to bite my lip and sigh. No girl, he's just flirting. That's all it is a gigantic strategy of flirting, but why does his very presence make me shiver… with want. No, I am in love with Connor I always will be.
The Saxons stood at the edge of the frozen lake. Their archer's bow was far less superior to the Sarmatian one and couldn't even make it halfway.
"I believe they are waiting for an invitation, Bors, Tristan," Arthur commanded. I saw Crynic in the front of the masses of Saxons and blew him a kiss with a malicious smile.
"He's mine," I whispered to no one.
"They're far out of range." Guinevere protested as the two men released their shots hitting four Saxon soldiers. I saw Arthur smile triumphantly at the Woad while she stood there dumbstruck. I would've said something cheeky, but Arthur gave further commands to aim for the wings to make them cluster.
We kept firing, taking men down as the Saxons furthered along the ice. I used the crossbow until I was completely out of bolts, and then proceeded to help the others passing them arrows. I didn't realize it until just that second that I had been pricked by one of the stolen bolts… they were poisoned! Pain would've instantly wracked my body, I should have been heaving and ill; but I wasn't, I felt warm eyes from the trees and knew why. The genetic enhancements that the Red Sun Guild molded into my body made me unsusceptible to poison, I could take it in, but I wouldn't die. Then it hit me, Crynic was telling his men to hold the ranks which meant that they could get across the ice faster, which meant…oh no DAGONET!
"It's not going to crack, fall back, fall back." Arthur yelled at us as he drew Excalibur. "Prepare for combat."
No! This is not how it's gonna happen. I pulled the dynamite from my shirt and lit the fuse with my lighter. Grabbing an arrow I tugged the ribbon from Sarah from my pocket and tied to the stick to the arrow shaft. Please work, please oh God work.
"Roxie what are you doing?" Lancelot hissed at me.
"Aim this at the ice in front of them!" I yelled thrusting the arrow at him.
"It's too heavy."
"Just do it."
"What is that thing?"
"Shoot it now!"
"Take it off first!"
"Shoot it damn you or I will make sure that no woman will ever bed you again!" I gripped the collar of Lancelot's armor.
During that whole argument Dagonet dropped his sword for his axe. We heard his yell and saw him run towards the Saxons.
"DAG!" Bors and I yelled together. No, no, no, no, not like this. I grabbed the arrow from Lancelot and ran forward with my naginata. The fuse was getting closer to the end; desperately I slid the arrow across the ice as Dagonet slammed his axe into the ice. The Saxon archers moved to the front of the lines as Dagonet kept slamming his axe in the ice, slowly cracking it. I saw the dynamite get kicked around towards the back as I stood in front of the giant and deflected arrows to the best that I could with my staff
Dagonet already had two in him, one in his shoulder and another in his leg. The poison would kill a man half his size with one arrow, but he had two.
"What the fuckin' hell do you think you're doin'?" I yelled at him. Dagonet momentarily stopped his actions to look at me. "You promised me Sir Dagonet, Sarmatian Knight of Arthur's Round Table!"
'Princess, time to get down pet.' G's voice whispered in my head above the din of the fight. Oh, shit… the fuse. Instantly I turned my back to the firing Saxons in order to take my giant friend to the ice, stupid mistake, a bolt from a Saxon crossbow embedded itself in the back of my right shoulder.
I screamed like a banshee as it torn through the shoulder, Dagonet cried out my name as a loud explosion came.
It was just like the dream, I saw the cracks in the ice race towards us, and I heard the screams of everyone around us, Roman, Woad, Sarmatian and Saxon alike. Dagonet slipped on a broken section of ice and started to sink into the dark watery depths as I lay there on the ice, the coldness numbing me. Dagonet's eyes fixated on mine as I lay there barely breathing.
"DAGONET! NO!" I screamed desperately lunging to pull the man from the lake. "Arthur! Bors! HELP ME PLEASE!"
The two skidded across the ice to reach us. Dagonet held me tightly in his arms to his body as the biting cold pulled us down. He was sinking fast and pulling me with him; I knew that through the poison bolts in his body, the biting cold and heavy armor, my giant wouldn't be able to draw a breath before being dragged down like I could.
I took in sharp breath before we slipped deeper into the lake. This was his only chance, me.
I managed to free my arms from his grip and grasped the big man by the ears to face me as I pressed my mouth to his and blew the air I'd taken past his cold lips.
His hold on my body tightened painfully during the exchange and his eyes never left mine regardless of all the shock in them.
(A/N: Third person POV again)
"Roxie! Dagonet!" BOrs cried out as the two fell through the broken ice when the explosion happened. The Saxons were scrambling from the flying chunks of ice and body parts too close to the blast.
Crynic watched in horror as his easy victory was wrenched away from him again by the help of the hazel-eyed assassin. He called for a retreat with the few remaining men who weren't blown up, shot down by arrows or drowning under the ice. With a growl and an angry look, the young Saxon leader moved to the direction of the rest of the Saxon army, muttering curses and the like at the knights and especially at the young woman who was supposed to be his prize.
Arthur, Bors and Gawain finally managed to pull the cold, stiff figures of Dagonet and Roxie from the lake and onto the ice.
"Dagonet! Stay with me! Dagonet! Stay with me!" Bors cried at his best friend cradling his head in his lap. They dragged the two onto the solid shore desperately trying to get them to wake and calling their names.
Guinevere and Arthur were frantically trying to wake Roxie when suddenly a tall handsome person with dark long locks, tanned skin, gentle lavender eyes and a voluminous grey robe near-floated to the young woman on the ground and gently laid his hand on Roxie's still chest. The heavenly being gently brushed 'his' lips to her forehead before winking at Arthur and "floating" away.
Roxie's eyes shot open as she sat up suddenly nearly bumping heads with Arthur.
"Roxie!" Guinevere exclaimed happily and pulled the younger woman into a tight embrace. Arthur also held Roxie close and then looked for the mysterious being before he ended up resigning to the appearance of an angel sent by God.
"Where's Dag?" Roxie immediately asked as Guinevere wrapped a dry cloak on the girl's shoulders. Guinevere looked down and Roxie's brain finally registered the group crowded over a weeping Bors and still Dagonet. "Oh, no…"
Roxie forced herself up despite Guinevere and Arthur's best efforts and pushed the other knights aside. "Move, move… Damnit, I said move." The other knights barely registered that the little brunette figure was Roxie until she dropped to her knees in front of Bors and Dagonet. Lethargically, Roxie pushed Bors away and laid her head against the big man's chest, her fingers feathering towards his pulse points. Bors was in such a state that he started yelling at the young girl and blaming her, but Roxie merely lifted her head and blinked at him. This action only fueled his ranting and tried to lunge at her, but she merely slapped him hard.
"Bors, shut up. He's still alive." Bors' face contorted in an array of emotions. And he let Lancelot pull him away.
Roxie pinched Dagonet's cheek for a moment, when there was no reaction she smiled. "Good, he's out cold," Roxie cut the fletched end of the bolt in Dagonet's shoulder with Galahad's dagger and pushed it all the way through, all could see that Dagonet slightly wince as she did the same to the bolt embedded in his leg. The cold had slowed the bleeding enough to slow the poison.
"Someone needs to get a wagon. The poison may be slowed, but that doesn't mean he won't suffer hypothermia." Roxie told the knights crowded around her. When no one moved, her calm gaze quickly changed to a fiery one and Tristan and Galahad ran to get one of the wagons.
They managed to put Dagonet in a wagon with much difficulty; it took most of the knights and Roxie to get him in. She then forced Bors to strip down the big knight to his skivvies so that she could draw out the poison as one would a snake bite.
"Is there any kind of antidote for this poison?" She asked Arthur as the caravan hunkered on once again. Her clothes were still wet and her lips a hue of blue, but it seemed as though she didn't even notice the slight icicles in her long bangs.
"Nay, for we do not know what type of poison they used." He paused to look at her, "Roxie, were you not also hit with a Saxon bolt?"
"Huh?" Roxie looked at her right shoulder and saw the hole in her shirt and blood slowly oozing from it. "Fuckin' shit!" She scrambled back into the wagon behind the layer of cloth covering the entrance.
"Hello poppet," G's cool voice whispered as the assassin fell back into the wagon. 'He' smiled graciously at her as she limply crawled over to her guardian; Bors was snoring loudly next to the unconscious Dagonet.
"Wh-wha" She started, but G held out a little vile and a small satchel of local herbs. "What'd you do?"
"He was supposed to die if you didn't get in the way you know." G stated off-handedly. Roxie stared at the lavender eyed being incredulously, her questions completely slipped her mind. "But funny little fate had to step in and bring you here." He pointed to the vile, "Drink up luv; that poison will spread through you quickly since you're moving about so much."
Roxie tipped the vile to her lips and swallowed. It was disgusting, "What the fuckin' hell is that?" She hissed at G and gagged horribly.
"Medicine, princess." She glared at him as the world began to spin, "Careful darlin' that's an accelerated antidote for your genetically enhanced body. Those herbs are for your friend there, but he's still ice cold. You need to do something about that, pet." And with that Roxie was left with a groggily waking Bors and still unconscious Dagonet.
"Oi, wot's 'appened?" Bors asked loudly, Roxie briefly smiled at the big man before she began to pound the herbs into a paste for Dagonet.
"Bors, you could go, I've got everything covered." Roxie started to apply the paste to Dagonet's wounds, but Bors stayed firm. Roxie's brow rose in a scary stare, one that had Vanora written all over it and Bors was forced to leave his brother/best friend in the care of the strange young woman.
"Now, how am I gonna do this?" Roxie asked herself staring at the big man under the furs. A stop for a fire was highly unlikely, besides what she would consider warm is hot and what is hot is scalding/burning; a negative side effect of the genetic enhancements, a very high tolerance to heat and very little to cold.
If she were to ask for more blankets, then that would leave others without warmth. Had it been four years ago, before having met Connor, Roxie wouldn't have cared about those others or for the man clinging to life by a thread. But this was not four years ago, this was now.
She had one final option and that was body heat, but Roxie was hesitant. Not that she was uncomfortable with her naked body, far from it; she was used to using whatever tactics to complete her assignments. Her hesitation stemmed from her affections for a certain knight, Roxie knew her feelings were not requited, but what would he think of her if she lay naked next to a man he considered his brother?
"I wonder if I can get a few other girls to lay with him instead…" Roxie thought aloud and headed to the front of the wagon after gently kissing Dagonet's frowning brow. It didn't seem like she had much choice or time for that matter.
A/N: This one took soooo long! I wanted it to sound just right, but it never could. Next up will be an interlude, I'm just not sure whose. THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS ESPECIALLY THE FOLLOWING:
Daydream1: Thanks for reviewing. Sorry, if I thought that you thought Panna Cotta was a person, my mistake. The appearance of G was kind of an accident, but I figured that Roxie needed more guidance than that of Merlin or anybody. G in a way gives her more purpose than she realizes that she has.
Evenstar-mor2004: Yeah you were the fifth and I was happy I didn't have to wait too long. G is going to be fun to put in Roxie's life I just hope everybody else is going to enjoy him too. And she will eventually find where her heart lies. Thanks for the review.
Ailis-70: Yup she has a guardian angel. In a sense, but he just looks after her and only intervenes when absolutely necessary. He is the reason she has survived for so long. I hope that this chapter answered your Dag question. And Roxie and Tris do get closer, they are family in a sense and so they should get to know one another.
Hmm… As for her and Lancelot. Well, I'll see, they would be cute together wouldn't they? And her staying, well that'll come up much later. Thank you.
Captain Annie: I hope this chapter answered all your questions. I'm sorry if the introduction of G was confusing. I thought that the abruptness was kind of the best part. Now she has a sense of why she has done so well for so long and knows why she has been brought to the past. Thank you for the review.
Sorceress Misha: Thank you. Hope you liked this chapter, sorry for the long wait. And for future reference if you are going to try to bribe me, chocolate is the worst thing, because I happen to be quite allergic to it. But I appreciate the virtual sentiment all the same.