Note: Thanks for the reviews. Here is another chapter. It's not very good but it's something. Let me know what thoughts are floating about in your head. Thanks.

"Of all the knights, so far I have only been able to get one to converse with me. The blonde knight, Gawain, speaks with me while his companions will not and I am thouroughly frustrated with the fact they seem to treat me like an object instead of a person. I know they can speak for I hear them joking about when they are together…"

Written by Alexandrea about her journey

I stand off to the side as the Bishop prepares for his return journey. I can barely contain my happiness. The carriage is ready and all of the Bishops effects have been gathered. He gives Arthur a few final instructions and then he, and his men, leaves. A smile creeps across my face as I watch him go. At last, I am free. I turn to the knights, who stand in formation for the benefit of the Bishop and smile at them. I feel as if I could fly, if only I had wings.

Arthur approaches me and says, "We will be ready to leave in a few hours, is there anything you require?"

I shake my head and turn to go when an idea pops into my head. "Commander," I start. He looks at me attentively. "Would it be possible for me to ride there?"

He looks at me and asks, "Pardon me?"

"Ride, a mount?"

He shakes his head. "I don't think that would be a good idea. There are many dangers out in the wild. It would be safer for you to ride in the carriage."

My temper flares. "I fear no danger, sir. I lived at court; court is more dangerous than the wild."

"My lady, I am charged with your safety."

"What harm can I come to?"

"There are Woads, ravage beasts…" He lists many other things, probably overstated to make me scared, but my interest sparks at the mention of Woads.

"Woads?" I interrupt him. "What are Woads?"

"They are blue demons who hate Romans," one of the knight's states, I think he's name is Bors.

I am very annoyed. Just because I'm a girl they think it's too dangerous for me to ride. I turn to Bors and say, "Well it's a good thing I'm not one." I walk a way. I laugh at the thought of their reactions.

As promised, they are ready to leave and I am crammed into the carriage once more. Dutifully, they ride in a protective circle around my carriage. Occasionally, I peek out to see who is closest and pick and choose one to start a conversation with. I think my best bet will be Gawain for he was the first to speak to me the night before.

My chance comes and I jump on it. I spy Gawain riding to the right of the carriage on his white horse. I draw back the curtain and say, "Hello, Sir Gawain."

He nods courteously at me but does not say anything else. I gnaw on my bottom lip, a bad habit of mine, Mother was always trying to cure me of it, and ponder of ways to get him to speak, the ride is so boring and I am sure I cannot handle the silence. I wonder at why I cannot seem to get these knights to speak to me; at home all the servants spoke to me and I even made friends with many of them. Determined not to be ignored, I speak again. "Sir Gawain, a man of few words I suspect."

He looks at me and I smile, a look is something. "This country is exactly as my father described it. 'Green, beautiful, yet unforgiving and cursed.'"

He looks at me and smiles, "Your father has that right. He sounds like he's lived here."

I have him. "He did, about twelve years ago. This is where he met my mother."

"Your mother, and was she a native?"

"No, she was a…" I stop. Should I tell them? Gawain looks at me oddly and I decide that it couldn't do any harm, after all they are dead. Mother always did get mad at me for telling that she was once a slave, but she wouldn't care, she had other things to do now. "She was a slave. My father saved her from the ownership of a mean hearted man, I can't remember his name, but he had a holding in this country. She was of the dark people to the south, Egyptian."

All the while I tell my mother's story, Gawain nods here and there. I think he can relate to the slave part, for he is practically one himself. "Where is she now?" he asks politely.

My smile falls and I suddenly don't want to talk any more. Gawain notices and apologizes, "Forgive me if I said anything wrong."

I fake a smile and say, "No, it was nothing you said, it's just memories."

He looks confused, so I continue, "She's dead."

He gives me his most sincere apologies and grows silent. I don't want to talk anymore and close to curtain to think. I thought I had come to terms with Mother's death, but even the threat of mentioning her still makes me feel like crying, but I won't cry for Father always said warriors never cry and I am a warrior, a warrior against idiotic fools like the Bishop.

My thoughts stray to Father and I feel the emptiness inside me grow. I hate this feeling. At home, I never felt this way, I always had people to talk to and a few friends; of course there was Mother and Father. Here I have no one, no Mother, no Father, no Conn, no Max, I am completely alone.

I stew in my thoughts for a while until I hear voice outside my carriage. I recognize the voice to be Arthur's. "How is she?" he asks quietly.

"I think she sleeps," I hear Gawain reply.

I close my eyes and pretend to sleep as I hear them ride closer to the carriage. I feel light fall on me as they pull the curtain up to see if I am awake. I seem to have fooled them and they let the curtain fall and continue on talking.

"What do you think of her, Arthur?" Gawain asks.

"I don't know," comes Arthur's reply. "She is different."

"I know what you mean. I mean, she is a Roman court-lady but she does not behave like the Bishop did."

"Is that all that's bothering you about that?" Arthur asks.

"No," Gawain pauses. "How much do you know about her?"

Arthur sighs, "Nothing, besides she's to be married to Marius Honorius's son Alecto, or so that is what I am told."

"What do you mean? You don't believe that she's to marry this Alecto?" another voice asks. I can't identify the voice.

"That's exactly what I mean Galahad."

"What makes you think that?" Gawain asks.

"If I am informed correctly, Alecto is the Pope's favorite grandchild, and he is said to be the next in line for Pope. If that is so, he cannot marry so why send him a wife?"

All is silent. I hold my breath; Arthur has a point. I lean closer to the window and wait for more to be said. "Perhaps your sources are wrong," Galahad suggests.

"I hope so, for I cannot even imagine what else could lie in store for this girl."

"Arthur," Gawain starts. "The girl told me that her mother was a slave and that her father took her out of the care of an abusive master who use to live here. I thought that was odd."

"Where is the mother?" Arthur asked. "If we could find her perhaps we could clear things up."

"Arthur, why is it that you must protect every creature that passes your way," a new voice chides. "You don't have to protect this girl. Everything is settled. She is getting married to a lord and will probably live happily ever after, producing sons to enslave our sons."

"Lancelot, why must you always look on the bleak side of things?" Galahad retorts. "Arthur does not have to answer to you."

"Thank you Galahad, but I shall answer his question. I do this because I was taught that it is my duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. This girl is going into untold dangers and I cannot help but feel responsible for her. If there is anything I can do to help her I will."

"You and your chivalrous ideas, they make me sick," Lancelot says.

"Well, to each his own," Arthur retorts. My mind is racing as I listen. Could my initial feelings be right? Do I have something to fear? I push them to the back of my mind and listen some more.

They obviously spoke when I was thinking, for I hear, "Her mother's dead."

There is a silence. "How do you know?" Arthur asks.

"She told me. It was odd, before the topic of her mother came up she was all talkative, and then I begin to ask questions about her mother and father and she grew silent and closed the curtain. It was as if she was sad about something."

"Very odd indeed," Arthur muses. "How about her father?"

"The conversation did not last that long. All I got about her father was that he lived her twelve years ago and a quote about here: 'Green, beautiful, yet unforgiving and cursed.' When she grew silent, I asked if it was anything I said and she said it was just memories. I would say a lot of unhappy ones to make her behave like that."

"A mystery," Galahad jokes.

"We should find more about her, at least try anyway," Gawain remarks.

"I cannot believe you, let's just get her to her destination alive and get us back alive," Lancelot growls.

"You can do what you wish, Lancelot, I am going to try and find out more though," Arthur replies. They all fall silent. I wait for them to say more but they don't so I sit up and peek out the window. They have shifted formation; Lancelot now rides outside my window. I close the curtain highly disappointed. I had hoped to find one of the others there, then perhaps I could tell them what they wanted to know, I have to tell someone for if I hold it in any longer I will go insane.