Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from Isulet and Tempest. Wish I did though. Neither do I own the song before you ask. Thanks to anyone who's reading this. As they say, on with the show. Thanks to all the reviewers out there who like my story. Please feel free to criticise, as I don't really mind.
Chapter 5
For a while after the ambush all the knights were on edge, as if there was another ambush planned. Isulet was silently glad that the horn had sounded. She didn't particularly like killing her mother's people. So she tried not to as much as possible. But a few times in her life she had fought woads. She regretted it at the end of each battle, and she always asked for forgiveness from her mother. The knights, being sarmatians, had no such qualms about killing woads. But still some of them understood, or tried to, that Isulet didn't want to fight her own people. The others still didn't dare taunt her about it, in case they got into trouble with her. I wish it was easy for me to choose a side, Isulet thought, being on two sides is killing me. If only I had been born either Roman or Briton it would be so much easier.
"Well, that was interesting." Lancelot said.
"To say the least." Isulet finished.
"Are you alright?" Lancelot looked at Isulet's hands that were gripping the reins tightly.
"Yes, I'm fine. Really, you don't have to worry." Isulet felt that Lancelot's questions were like unwanted questions.
"Slow down, before you hurt yourself." A female voice sounded in the air.
"What?" Isulet turned herself around, looking for the source of the voice.
"Isulet, what's wrong?" Bors asked.
"Did any of you hear that voice?" Isulet asked.
"What voice?" Tristan asked.
"Did anyone hear that voice?" Isulet asked, slightly annoyed.
"Now she's hearing voices. Spooky." Lancelot was trying to make light of the situation.
"Don't you ever mention my powers like that again Lancelot, otherwise you might regret it." Isulet quickly had a knife to Lancelot's throat.
"Easy girl." Bors held out a hand to steady Isulet as she swayed visibly in her seat.
"What happened?" She seemed come out of a trance.
"You ended up holding a knife to Lancelot's throat." Tristan explained a smile on his face.
"I didn't! Why would I do that?" Isulet seemed totally confused.
"I don't know you tell us." Arthur seemed grim.
"I heard a strange voice and then I blanked out." Isulet pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Well, if that's the worst we have to worry about I'll be pleased. Though Isulet I think you ought not to hold anymore knives to Lancelot's throat." Arthur looked his sister over.
"I hate him. Always the smooth one was Arthur." The voice spoke again, making Isulet laugh.
"What, if it's some kind of private joke please share." Galahad seemed upset.
"I was just thinking of my old friend Morgan." Isulet explained.
"Not her, the things you two used to get up to. I would have sworn you were boys, all the mischief you got up to. That's why father taught you swordplay, to keep you two out of trouble." Arthur groaned.
"Did it?" Lancelot asked, interest written on his face.
"Did it ever. We took to running around after everyone with our swords." Isulet smiled in remembrance
"Well, I'm glad you're not my sister." Was all Dagonet had to say on the matter.
"We weren't that bad." Isulet protested.
"Yes you were." Arthur cut across Isulet's protests.
"Right O.K. I'm glad I'll never have to meet this Morgan she sounds like a right whatsit." Bors said, listening in on the conversation.
"Cheesy puffs haven't been invented either." Isulet smiled at Bors in mock innocence.
"I would think you two got into a lot more mischief than chasing people round with swords, if I know you Isulet." Gawain said, while Isulet stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, she did, believe me." Arthur said.
"What may I ask?" Gawain asked.
"Arthur, don't you dare. Gawain, don't ask anymore questions about what I got up to when I was little. Some of it is beggar's belief, even from me." Isulet shook her head in answer to the question in everyone's eyes.
"And that's all we're going to hear on the matter, unless Isulet chooses to indulge you." Arthur said, moving back up to the front.
"What were you like really?" Gawain asked when Isulet steered Tempest in behind him.
"That's for me to know and you never to find out." Isulet teased.
"Well, can you tell me one small story?" Gawain asked, looking pleading.
"Now you can stop that." Isulet said in mock severity.
"Please?" Gawain asked, doing puppy dog eyes.
"Now that won't win me over, you know that." Isulet smiled.
"Just one story? Please?" Gawain asked again.
"You never give up do you? All right, one small story." At that point everyone started to listen, "Well it all started one hot summer day..." Isulet began.
"It always begins like that." Bors mumbled.
"And Morgan and I were paddling our feet in the river by our houses. Now seeing that my brother had just brought his horse back to the stables from a long ride we decided that the horse wanted a bath. So Morgan and I went and got Arthur's horse and led it into the river. Then we pushed the horse into the river. The horse struggled for a bit, then tried to get out, but couldn't. Morgan ran off to the village to get the grown ups. In the end it took four grown men to pull the horse out. When asked whose fault it was Morgan pointed the finger at Arthur and they believed us." Isulet finished.
"Wow, you must have been strong to do that." Lancelot reflected.
"No, we just slapped the horse across the rump and in it went." Isulet said matter-of-factly.
"What happened to Arthur?" Galahad asked.
"He tried pointing the finger at us two, but no one believed him, after all it was his horse." Isulet laughed.
"Well, that's not too bad." Tristan said.
"I couldn't sit for a week afterwards." Arthur mentioned.
"Right, I retract my opinion. But how did two girls get you into so much trouble?" Tristan asked.
"Everyone thought we were little angels, we couldn't do anything wrong." Isulet explained.
"I think we're nearly there." Arthur broke the conversation up.
And Arthur was right. The trees were starting to thin out, and there was a light dusting of snow on the branches. Looking ahead was a rough hewn path, wide enough for a cart to pass through on. The horses stumbled on the unseen ruts in the road. Tempest stopped and started pawing at the hard ground for some reason. Isulet jumped off her horse, getting weird looks from all the knights. Looking at the ground just in front of Tempest's hoof she saw a glint. Bending down she found a small necklace, and looked at it. Holding it brought back a memory of Morgan. This was one of her mother's necklaces. Isulet pocketed the necklace and remounted Tempest. Looking ahead she saw nothing. But this was the road to Marius Aurelius' house. Why would one of Morgan's mother's necklaces end up on this path? She would have to ask Marius when they got there.
"What's the problem?" Gawain asked.
"Nothing, I just picked this up." Isulet held out the necklace for Gawain to see.
"It looks like a woad design." Gawain said, handing the necklace back.
"Aren't all of them unique in their designs?" Isulet asked.
"Yes, no two are the same." Gawain said.
"I knew it." Isulet muttered.
"Knew what?" Gawain asked.
"This was Morgan's mother's necklace. She died in the raid. But what I don't get is how it got here. No-one could have taken it, as Morgan's mother died in the fire, or did she? If she did burn, the only other person she could have given it to was Morgan." Isulet looked thoroughly confused.
"Maybe Morgan didn't die." Gawain tried to encourage her.
"I have a feeling everything will be answered when we get there. It feels like fate has led us to this point in time." Isulet murmured the last sentence.
"Will you sing us a song?" Lancelot asked for once.
"Of course." Isulet obliged.
On Your Shore
Strange how
my heart beats
to find myself upon your shore.
Strange how
I still feel
My loss of comfort gone before.
Cool waves wash over
and drift away with dreams of youth
so time is stolen
I cannot hold you long enough.
And so
this is where I should be now
Days and nights falling by
Days and nights falling by me.
I know
of a dream I should be holding
days and nights falling by
Days and nights falling by me.
Soft blue horizons
reach far into my childhood days
as you are rising
to bring me my forgotten ways.
Strange how I falter
to find I'm standing in deep water
strange how
my heart beats
to find I'm standing on your shore.
Gawain looked over at Isulet as she sang. The song reminded him of one that had been sung to him long before. Looking at her he caught Isulet's eyes and she smiled, showing that she was singing that particular song with him in mind. She had a sweet voice, which could carry you anywhere. How he wished he could just run away with her and live out the rest of his life with her. He could tell she felt something; he had been told all the times they had kissed. He wanted to make sure that he had something to give her before he married her. Looking ahead at Lancelot a small frown appeared on his forehead. He knew Lancelot planned something, though what he didn't know. If Lancelot would leave Isulet alone then it would save everyone a lot of hassle, especially Isulet. Lancelot expected Isulet to choose him, but if she did he would more often than not run off to a brothel or something. Not that you're any better, he said to himself, but I am trying, he answered himself.
"Gawain?" Isulet asked again.
"I'm fine." He said as an automatic reaction.
"That's not what I said." Isulet smiled at Gawain.
"What did you say?" He asked, a slight blush rising to his cheeks.
"I said do you have any ideas about the necklace?" Isulet asked again.
"No, absolutely none. I have no idea how it could have happened, you know as much as I do." Gawain seemed to be preoccupied.
"Wow, I'd like to live there." Tristan motioned to the stone wall that was up ahead.
The wall was large and enclosed the whole of the villa where Marius Aurelius and his family lived. Outside were the villager's houses. Well they weren't houses so much a huts half dug into the ground. There were very few children, and the ones that there were were grubby and played in the muddy snow outside their huts. They were wearing torn dresses or torn breeches and shirts, with the odd hat to keep the children's heads warm. When the adults came out they were dressed little better than the children. The only difference was all the men had hats, and the women's dresses were in a better state of repair. When the knights arrived they were greeted by stony stares and then two guards disappeared off the wall, obviously to get their master. A boy in his late teens ran up. He was dressed in wool trousers, wool jerkin and a leather cap.
"Hello my lord." The boy kept pace with Arthur. Arthur didn't answer.
"Do you need any help, or an extra knight?" The boy asked again.
"I need you to get all the villagers together for me." Arthur carried on riding.
When the knights reached the gates they dismounted. Looking around Arthur saw a man chained to two posts. He was wearing nothing but breeches, leaving him unprotected from the elements. He had been living a long time, owing to his white hair and beard. His back was scarred with whip lashes and his ribs were showing through his skin, which was as white as parchment. As Arthur and the knights walked up to the man a crowd gathered, to see what would happen. Arthur reached the man and looked around for the boy, who came straight up to Arthur.
"Who is he?" Arthur asked the boy.
"He's the village elder." The boy replied.
"Why is he chained up like this?" Arthur asked.
"He asked for more food for us from Marius." The boy explained.
"Dear Gods." Isulet muttered.
"Let's get him down." Arthur said, taking Excalibur and cutting the man down.
"Hey!" said one of the guards, walking towards Arthur, who had turned to the boy.
"Get this man some food and warm him up." Arthur commanded, walking back to the gate.
"What is the meaning of this?" Marius came storming out of his villa, at the exactly the same time as Tristan came back from his scouting mission.
"Saxons are coming from the north and the south. Our only hop is to go to the east. It'll take us right behind the Saxons lines, but that's our only chance." Tristan finished grimly.
"What's the meaning of this?" Marius demanded. By this time Alecto and his mother Fulcinia had come to the gate by now.
"We have come to take your son to the wall, where he will be taken to Rome. I suggest you pack." Arthur coolly answered.
"We will do no such thing." Marius sounded offended.
"We will be ready to leave soon, and we will take your son, with or without you." Arthur said matter-of-factly. Marius stormed off. Arthur turned to the boy.
"I need you to take everyone who can walk with you and go. Anyone who can't come will come with us." The boy nodded and ran off to tell the others.
"We can't take everyone with us, we'll be too slow." Lancelot protested.
"We can't leave them. We will be taking them." Arthur said in a no-nonsense tone. Then he turned to Fulcinia, "Lady, my knights have ridden a long way and need food."
"If you would come this way." Fulcinia took the knights to the kitchen where there was a scrubbed oak table with two benches.
The knights sat down at the table and waited to get their dinner. Looking around it was typical roman kitchen. Open fires with a bread oven and tables along one wall to prepare things and clay urns lining one wall. Fulcinia put down individual platters in front of each knight, with cheese and a warm hunk of bread. There was wine to drink, drunk in copper cups, styled on the gold cups of royalty. Isulet was watched throughout the whole meal by Alecto, who seemed to be surprised that she was traveling with the knights. He always sat just a few feet away from her, looking at her with adoring brown eyes. Whenever she wanted something he was always the one who had to get it. This would be funny if it wasn't happening to me, Isulet thought. Alecto's behavior hadn't been completely unnoticed by any of the knights, who watched with some kind of interest. After a while Fulcinia sent Alecto off to see his father, much to the relief of Isulet, who smiled her gratitude.
"I think you have an admirer there." Bors indicated the door through which Alecto had just exited.
"I didn't ask for it." Isulet seemed upset.
"Who couldn't help but fall under your spell?" Lancelot asked.
"Lancelot." Isulet sounded really exasperated.
"I think we should all stop teasing her, she might be forced to reveal her feelings." Gawain laughed, catching the piece of bread that was suddenly heading his way.
"I'll tell you the truth; I think that boy's scaring me." Isulet looked up at the other knights.
"Maybe he hasn't seen a beautiful woman before." Dagonet said.
"Stop teasing." Isulet scolded.
"I'm not teasing." Dagonet finished, watching the blush bloom across Isulet's cheeks.
"Since we're all finished, maybe we can go and see how everything's going." Arthur and the knights stood up and filed out of the kitchen.
Author's notes: Tee hee, another chapter up. I'm going to see the movie tomorrow, so I's happy, cause I missed the start the first time I watched it. Pity me please. Anyway, usual drill. Review if you want.