Chapter 10
Isabel spent a restless night again thinking about what had happened. Now she realized that her dreams were supposed to warn her and others about the future happenings. But there was a slight catch on them; her last dream hadn't been so accurate like the dreams she had before she was thrown to the time of Arthur and his knights. And then there was Sir Tristan… Isabel didn't know what to think about the revelation which Gawain told her. If Tristan really had had dreams about her, it made things even more strange.
Isabel also missed back home. She hadn't forgotten her life in Vancouver, though she had adapted the life with the knights rather well during those few days she had been there. She thought that there was some kind of mysterious force behind this too, because she had no problems to accomodate herself to life in constant threats and living in wagon without any modern day luxury. But she missed her appartment and her horse the most, like she did miss some small things like shower, television and the possibility to buy food from market.
Isabel hadn't have a bath after she had joined the knights and she felt rather unclean. She wasn't going to have a bath in lake or in stream which they passed on their way, because it was middle of the winter and she knew that it wasn't wise, she might get sick after it. But they were supposed to reach their destination on the very next day, so she wished that she could have a proper warm bath on the village.
When Isabel finally fell asleep, she slept without any dreams and woke up on the morning in feeling that the wagons were rocking. She popped her head between the wagon covers and was greeted by Galahad's voice.
"Good morning, Isabel. We thought that you won't wake up today at all."
"Morning." She glared to the grinning knight, she was never in good mood when she had just waken up. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't usually sleep the whole day."
The only answer she had was a wide grin on Galahad's face and she pulled back to wagon shaking her head. The next couple of hours she sat in the wagon thinking that how she should start the conversation with Tristan concerning the dream which they both had apparently seen.
They arrived their destination, the village near the Hadrians Wall in the middle of the day and when they got inside the village walls, they were greeted by very relieft people. When Isabel got down from the wagon, she watched around in a small confusion.
"Isabel." Lancelot came to her and nodded slightly.
"Is this the place where we are supposed to be?" She asked in a small disbelief. It wasn't a big village and the people seemed poor. They were skinny and dirty, specially the children. She knew that they were somewhere near the Scottish border, because she had always liked to read historical books and when she heard the knights talking about Hadrians Wall, she knew that in Arthur's time it marked the border of Scotland.
"Yes. This is." Lancelot seemed to guess her thoughts. "It seems rather unlikely place for us protect, but this village is important. The Romans fear that the Scots might use this as their base if they can conquer this village."
Isabel just nodded. She was Scottish blood herself and proud of it. Her grandmother had always said that the Scottish blood made Isabel what she was. She hadn't earlier understood it, but now it started to make sense, maybe she was supposed to be there and maybe she was supposed to have those rather strange dreams.
Suddently Isabel felt a strange pricking on her neck and when she turned her head, she saw Tristan who was staring at her from the saddle of his brown stallion. Lancelot followed her eyes and when he saw what she was looking at, he bent down and whispered to her ear.
"Go and talk to him. He needs an explanation."
Isabel just nodded and with a heavy sigh he wandered towards Tristan, who was now down from his saddle and talking with Gawain and some man from the village. When Gawain saw the blonde approaching them slowly, a smile came to his face and he turned to Tristan.
"I think someone wants to talk to you." He nodded towards the woman. Tristan glanced to her and for his slight relief she didn't took too angry anymore.
Isabel smiled weakly when she reached the men and look up to Tristan.
"I have something to tell you."
Gawain grinned widely and turned to the villager.
"I think we should can sort things out without Sir Tristan. He has some others things to take care of."
Tristan just glared to other knight, who looked like he wanted to get away as soon as possible. The villager nodded and when he and Gawain had left, Isabel looked again up to Tristan's eyes.
"Can we talk somewhere in private?"
Tristan just nodded and gave his horse to the young boy who was standing near by then he took Isabel by her arm and led her to the beer house. It wasn't too crowded because at least for Isabel it seemed that the whole village was outside marveling the knights. They sat on the by the wooden table and Tristan watched the blonde waiting her to start.
Isabel knew that Tristan was 'the silent one' but still she wished that he would speak first because she had no idea how to start. They both started at each others for a moment, but finally Isabel decided to speak out. She guessed that Tristan wouldn't do it first and she started to feel quite uncomfortable.
"I don't think this was the best place to talk." She had a little sarcastic tone in her voice and she cursed herself for it.
"This is what we have to settle now." Tristan grumbled. Her tone hadn't gone unnoticed by him.
"Maybe you're right." Isabel sighed. "First I want to say that I'm sorry about yesterday… I guess I was a little too harsh. But everything is so strange to me…"
"I understand. You are with strange people in strange place. I should have chosen my words more carefully." Tristan watched the blonde to who he felt a strange bond. The worst part was that he couldn't explain that feeling.
"That's settled then. There was foult in both of us." Isabel smiled to the knight, who had been in her mind constantly. She liked others too, like Gareth, Gawain and Arthur but she had the feeling that there was some kind of mystrious force binding her and Tristan. That scared the hell out of her because she felt like she wasn't in control of her life and destiny.
Tristan just nodded to her comment serious expression on his face. He had the feeling that there was something else Isabel wanted to say.
"But actually I wanted to talk to you because…" Isabel kept a short pause thinking hard how she should continue. "Because I had dreams before I was… Before you found me." She thought that now wasn't the time to tell Tristan how exactly she had ended up there. There was things enough to digest for him on what she was going to tell, and she still didn't know how exactly she had ended up in the time of Arthur and his knights.
Isabel saw interest in Tristan's eyes and continued.
"I… Dreamed about you, Arthur and other knights when I was still home. It was strange… It was like I was with you, but still I wasn't. I watched everything you did but no one of you saw me."
She hoped that Tristan would say something because she was a little scared about what would happen next. For her Tristan seemed somehow strange, but she thought that it was because he had something similar to tell to her, or so she expected.
"I thought those dreams were over, but I was wrong. I dreamt about the attack of Irish… Hibernians." She corrected fast, because she knew that in the time of Romans Ireland was called Hibernia.
"You did?" Tristan was now very interested about this strange blonde, he wasn't very supertitious man, but he thought that there was reason for her being with them.
"Yes. And in my dream Sir Gareth… He died. That is why I did what I did."
"That's why you were so persistent concerning it." Tristan said thoughtfully.
"Yes. But that's enough about me." Isabel felt that she had told enough about her dreams, now it was Tristan's turn. "Gawain told me that you have had dreams too… And you knew my name before I told it."
"Yes, that is true. I had dreams before we found you. I don't know why, but I just felt like I knew your name and I just said it out loud."
Now it was Isabel's turn to watch the knight with interest.
"In my dreams was a blonde woman, who looked exactly like you. And she wore similar clothes like you are wearing now. She seemed like… Eerie. I couldn't approach you… Her. Or talk to her. Why I knew your name, that do I not know." Tristan sighed.
Isabel watched Tristan in a little disbelief. The strange bond which she felt started now to make sense, but she still didn't know why there was that feeling.
"That is why you've been so nice to me from the beginning." Isabel said more to herself than to the knight.
"Maybe. Yes." Tristan heard her words and smiled a little.
'Of course he heard it, he's the bloody scout' Isabel thought dryly.
"Maybe we shouldn't tell…"
"Well, here you two are. Drinking beer. We have looked for you everywhere." Isabel was interrupted by the loud voice of Bors.
Isabel and Tristan turned both towards the voice and saw Bors, Gawain and Galahad standing by the door, all of them were grinning widely.
"They know that I had dreams. But I won't tell about your dreams." Tristan said quietly when the three knights approached them.
Isabel just nodded and forced a little smile to her lips when the three knights stood by their table.
"So, did you sort out your little conflict?" Galahad asked getting annoyed look from Tristan and a little shy smile from Isabel.
"Yes we did." She admitted.
"Good. Now you two have to go and see Arthur. He wants to talk to you." Galahad said.
Isabel and Tristan stood up and thanked the knights, who sat down and started to argue in loud voice what should they order. Isabel smiled a little when she followed Tristan out of the beer house. They found Arthur and Lancelot rather soon and heard that they could sleep in one of the small cottages which had been given on knights use.
"Do you mean that I'll sleep in same room with him?" Isabel watched her eyes wide to Arthur. She usually wasn't so modest, but the thought of sleeping in the same room with Tristan scared the hell out of her.
"You don't need to sleep in same room." Arthur replied a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Good." Isabel sighed and noticed that amused glances which she got from Arthur, Lancelot and Tristan. "I.. I didn't mean it like that… I just… I'm a woman!" She stammered and blushed rather fiercely.
"Don't be afraid, young lady. I would never do anything to you against your wishes." Tristan said.
Actually Isabel wasn't afraid of what the scout might do. She was more afraid what she might do herself.
"Okay." She said bluntly. "I feel rather unclean. Can I bath somewhere?" She felt that the safest way to go was change the subject.
"That is taken care of. Lancelot can show you the house where you are staying." Arthur answered.