Disclaimer : I don't own anything except Kele

Rating : T

Summary : A girl sentenced to death by Cerdic flees to safety, and is rescued by a knight who finds something he never thought he could – someone who understands him.

Author's Note : I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been busy with uni, I went away for a weekend, and I've been working on a new fic! I've also hit massive writers block with this and ALSL, so I'm not too happy with this chapter, but hopefully it isn't too bad! Let me know what you think.

And thank you for all the reviews!

Chapter 4

The ice creaked ominously as the knights cautiously led the company over the frozen lake. The beat of the Saxon drums was getting ever louder. There was no chance they could escape without fighting.

Tristan's horse was clearly afraid, but faithfully followed her master. The ice gave a loud crack and Tristan pushed his horse back. To him, his animals' lives were more important than his.

He looked round at Dagonet whose face expressed agreement with Tristan's unspoken words. They had to fight. Arthur turned to face them. After fifteen long years together, the men knew what each other was thinking.

"Knights?"

"Well, I'm tired of running," Bors replied. "And these Saxons are so close behind, my arse is hurting."

"Never liked looking over my shoulder anyway," Tristan concurred. Dagonet gave a tiny smile.

"I say we put an end to this racket," Gawain stated.

"And finally get a look at the bastards." Galahad wasn't going to back down from a fight.

"Here. Now." Dagonet was willing to follow Arthur anywhere.

The decision made, the preparations for battle began. Tristan stood for a moment, then for once in his life his heart won over his head and he walked to where Kele stood, looking at him fearfully.

"They're going to get us, aren't they?" she whispered. Tristan was stunned by the raw fear in her eyes.

"What did they do to you?" She didn't respond, merely stared at him. The pain in her eyes conveyed her words and Tristan was overcome with a hatred so intense that he knew he would kill as many as it took to avenge her. "I won't let them hurt you." His eyes were sincere. "I promise."

She nodded, a ghost of a smile gracing her face in gratitude, and Tristan, again listening to his heart and yet being afraid of what it was telling him, bent down and brushed his lips against her forehead for the briefest of seconds, before turning and preparing to fight.

XXX

Kele stared out of the wagon at the frosty trees they were passing. It had been almost an hour since they left the knights, and her heart was consumed with fear for Tristan. She had known him a few short days, and yet she knew that she felt something for the older man, with his bewitching eyes and the hair he hid behind, the tattoos that lined his cheekbones, and the air of mystery that surrounded him, a mystery which she had gone someway to uncovering. The man who had trusted her enough to tell her things he never spoke of.

And he had kissed her.

As she reached up to touch the spot on her forehead that his lips had touched she heard a screech and looked up. Tristan's hawk was circling above them. It screeched again and flew down a little lower, constantly circling.

"Jols!" Kele shouted to the squire, who was leading four of the knights' horses. "Look." She pointed up at the hawk.

Jols eyed the bird for a few moments, then nodded, and signalled to Ganis, who was leading the other horses. The two men turned round and started back the way they had come. All Kele could do was wait.

XXX

After what felt like hours, the sound of hoof beats on the forest floor behind them was heard. Kele quickly clambered down out of the wagon and turned, waiting nervously. She almost collapsed with relief when the rider came into view, and she saw it was Tristan.

He rode straight past her, to the front of the train of wagons, and spoke to whoever was driving the first. The wagon came to a halt and slowly all those that followed ground to a stop, the wood creaking as it came to rest. He then turned back and rode back down the line.

Kele reached out a hand and he pulled his horse to a halt next to her, looking down at her with eyes shadowed by grief.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he replied curtly. "I need to make sure there are no ranks waiting to ambush us. Wait for the others." With that he urged his horse into a canter, leaving Kele wondering why he was being so distant.

Her question was answered a short while later, when the other knights caught up to the company. Mounted on the horses that Jols and Ganis had returned to them, they were sombre and silent. Sprawled across the back of his trusty stallion was Dagonet. The company fell silent as they saw the man who had died in order to save them.

XXX

Later that day, the wall came into sight. Tristan returned from his final scouting mission as they emerged from the forest and began the journey across the plain to the intimidating expanse of grey stone. Kele stared at it in wonder as they approached it.

"An amazing feat, that man can create a thing of such strength," she commented to Tristan in wonderment as he rode up beside her.

"Perhaps it is not such a good thing," he replied quietly. She turned to look at him in surprise.

"But it keeps your enemies out! It protects you, and it protects the people that live beyond it."

"Does it keep people out, or does it keep us in?" He looked her in the eyes. "It is like a barrier to our freedom."

"But does it not please you to see it? To know that when it comes into sight you have returned home, safe from another mission?"

"This is not my home," he snapped, fury rising in his voice. "And every time I leave it, I have no fear that I will not return. I have no desire to see it! If I never saw the place again, it would be too soon." With that, he kicked his dappled mare into a canter, and soon all that could be see of him was a cloud of dust kicked up by the pounding hooves.