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Chapter 25

If This Is the End

That night the knights spend isolated from even each other. Bors and Vanora spent the time with their eleven children. Gawain spent the time in the tavern pushing away the tavern barmaid. Galahad was in the barn riding his horse, Lancelot sitting atop the wall. Tristan was in his chamber with Anera and Arthur was speaking with the Celt in the safety of his chamber.

They were angry, excited and unsure. Each wanted to help Arthur. Each wanted to kill Saxons. But none of them wanted to fall as soon as they had received it. Finally coming to terms with want they wanted they all fell back to their rooms and fir the first time began packing fifteen years of belongings.

By the next morning the carriages were being loaded and the chests of clothing and other things were being laden onto wagons. The knights tried to find Arthur, to say their good-byes but he was nowhere to be found. Each was disappointed no to be able to say farewell, but perhaps it was better that way. They wouldn't have to feel the heartache.

The knights began to mount the horses, "Sir Tristan?" The small voice of Helen asked from behind the knight.

He was holding Anera in his hands and the child peered at him with her mother's eyes. He nodded telling Helen to continue.

"Can I carry Anera for you?" He seemed a bit shocked at this request, he been thinking he was going to carry her but then again he didn't want to deny the child and it would probably be safer if Anera went with the other children. "I just think it would be better…." The girl tried to explain.

"I think it's a great idea." Tristan said smiling in return. He gave Anera a quick kiss on her adorable little forehead and handed the 7 month old baby to Helen. As the girl began to walk away with the precious gift in her hands he ruffled her hair as she walked by.

The knights were mounted and the caravan began to move out of the fortress. There were many Britons that had refused to leave, including the rat-faced Ganis and loyal to the end Jols stayed behind. They were oiling the fields and burning straw and hay in order to make the field of battle a confusing place. The smoke would disorient the barbarians.

They rode through the fortress making their way south when they looked to a hill. Through some rolling smoke they saw Arthur mount the hill on his horse covered in Roman armor. Arthur held his head high, the knights did the same. Lancelot was the only one who would not look to his brother, his best friend. He kept riding. Bors on the other hand took out his sword and galloped out of line. "Artorious, Rus!" He shouted.

"Rus!" Arthur shouts back. Only the men he had known forever could sense the heartache in his voice.

It was pain shooting through their hearts not to be on the hill with Arthur, but he didn't want them there. And they thought they wanted their freedom.

They had been no further than a league away when the distant pounding of drums reached the ears of knights and the horses. The horses began to prance out of line as if they knew they were going in the wrong direction. It took the knights a few minutes to calm the horses down, when they understood what needed to be done.

Lancelot looked at his brothers. They glared back with the understanding that they were going to their fates. They look to the sky and see a ray of light shining down on them. "Yea, it's a good day to die," Tristan said to himself. They begin to smiling for no other reason than knowing what they're doing is exactly what they should be doing.

The knights dismounted their horses and with help from some Roman Centurions were able to get into their body armor and get the horses in theirs. Before leaving they said farewell to Vanora and the children. Tristan lagged behind to speak to Vanora. Pulling her away a bit as not to allow anyone else hear he looked into her brown eyes.

Handing her a letter she looked into his eyes. "If I don't come back –" Vanora tried to intercede but Tristan wouldn't let her. "If I don't come back," he repeated, "this is a letter to Caesar in Rome, Anera will go to Rome."

"What are you saying?" Vanora was upset, that was clear.

"Lucilla's dying wish was that if I ever fell in battle that Anera was to go to Rome and be raised by Cassius. That has to happen Vanora, promise me you'll see to it?" His eyes never left hers.

"I promise, if you don't come back we'll send Anera to Rome." Vanora hugged Tristan. He walked away to his horse and looking at Helen holding his daughter. For some reason he knew he would never see her again.

The knights galloped to the hill and met Arthur. He was happy they were there, his brother were truly is brothers-in-arms of this he had no doubt. They would die together.

"Knights, the gift of freedom is yours by right. But the home that we seek resides not in some distant land. It's in us and in our actions on this day. I will be with you where you go, be able to fly without wings. If this be our destiny, then so be it. But let history remember that as free men, we chose to make it so!" Arthur shouted to men he drew Excalibur and held it to the sky. They were ready to kill those that had killed Lucilla and threatened their home.

The knights knew in this instant that their home was Britain, not matter what the others said. Whether if by death or not they would not be leaving this island.

There was a loud noise as the gates opened letting in the first battalion of Saxons. There was a volley of arrows from the forest; the Woads had kept their word. The knights galloped down and running in and out of the thick smoke decimated the Saxon battalion.

They gather again on a hillside and watch the second wave of Saxons. Merlin stood on a hillside a bit higher up and his trebuchets began to hurl large fireballs on the battlefield. The knights gallop down from the hillside, each believing it will be the last charge they ever make. The fight is in close combat but the knights are in a way pleased they could kill some barbarians.

Through the falling bodies and thick smoke Tristan made eye contact with the leader of the Saxons, Cerdic. He sends a barbarian to take care of the knight but the knight will not easily be taken down. The scout cut his way through the masses and made his way to stand before the leader.

"Your wall is pathetic," he said in broken words.

"You can have the wall," Tristan replied. They stood at each other for a few moments.

"I didn't come for stone."

"Why did you then?"

"To kill Rome and to claim this wretched island, for the mere pleasure of saying it's mine."

"I don't fight for Rome and I don't care about this island."

"But you care about the Roman my cousin's fleet did kill." The Saxon glared at Tristan's perplexed expression. "Oh yea, we heard about her. Feisty girl I her she was."

Tristan couldn't contain his anger he ran forth and their swords met equally. They parry for what seems to be forever. Using his large broad sword Cerdic forced Tristan to turn to his side, and slashes at Tristan's leg. Tristan takes a few more hits making him fall to the ground and lose his large scimitar blade. He looked around for a moment but the barbarian kicks the sword back to the scout. He picked the blade up and tried to fight with one hand but he is not match for the sheer strength of the barbarian.

The barbarian took advantage of his superior strength, and gives Tristan a deep wound in his chest. The scout fell to the ground. Cerdic put his sword into the ground and picked up Tristan's thin but graceful blade. As soon as Cerdic got close enough Tristan took out a dagger and stabbed the barbarian in the leg. In retaliation he took Tristan's own sword and shoved it through his ribs.

Tristan's thought had come true, he wouldn't see Anera again. But perhaps it was better… his grief would have consumed him, this the scout knew. Perhaps in Rome Anera would have life of her own, a better life that he could provide. And in the afterlife, he would be with Lucilla.

Lancelot rode through the throng of barbarians to rescue the Celt. She was fighting one of the men he had seen yesterday on the ice plain. Cynric was his name. He had pushed the female to the ground and was about to take of her head when his own blade was stopped by Lancelot's two identical swords.

As they parry one of the blows forces them both to the ground. As Lancelot rises to fight Cynric again he was confronted by two other Saxons. The filthy barbarian pulls a crossbow from one of his dead comrades. As Lancelot finishes with the two other barbarians he fatally turns to Cynric and his shot in the chest by the armor piercing crossbow arrow. Lancelot with all of his strength throws on of his short swords and has it aimed to land in Cynric's chest. It doesn't miss its mark.

Cerdic held Tristan by his hair, he knew this was the end and he would go out like a man, with his head held high. Cerdic makes sure he had eye contact with Arthur, so the Roman would watch his knight, his scout, his brother fall. As soon as he knew he had the attention, he whirled around and in one graceful movement he slashes the knight down. Tristan was dead, his spirit free. Arthur charged the Saxon, rage filling his heart and mind.

Lancelot, although with an arrow in his body crawled over to dying Cynric. They fight on their knees, Cynric trying to prevent Lancelot from killing him with a blow to the neck. The barbarian fails; Lancelot shoves the second of his swords into the barbarian's neck. Cynric is gone, but Lancelot has gone with him.

Arthur and Cerdic continue to fight. Parry after parry. Cerdic thinks he's wounded Arthur as the Roman falls to the ground after a blow to the thigh. Thinking he's won the Saxon stands behind the Roman. "Rome," he laughs. But Arthur is smarter than this Saxon could ever hope to be. He shoves Excalibur up it the barbarian's chest.

Now their places are exchanged. The barbarian is glaring up at Arthur and the Roman peers down on his enemy. "Arthur…." The barbarian says his last word.

Arthur glares down at the body of the barbarian before he pulls Excalibur out of the Saxon. Looking around the battlefield and peering at dead Tristan he sees Lancelot's horse and Guinevere fall to her knees. Arthur rushes over and pulls his helmet off and grabs his brother's head.

"It was my life to be taken! Not this! Never this!" Arthur shouted to the sky.

Bors, Galahad and Gawain all tired beyond belief lay the body of Tristan down beside Lancelot's. Guinevere looks to Arthur as he looks to his knights.

With tears in his eyes and a cracking voice he said, "My brave knights, I have failed you. I neither took you off this island, nor shared your fate." The knights just glared back at their fallen brothers.

A few days later and ceremony is held to commemorate the fallen knights. As Lancelot asked, he was burned and his ashes cast to a strong east wind. Tristan was buried next to his fallen brothers as was ceremonial. The whole time Vanora was fingering a crinkled piece of paper in her hands. When the ceremony was over Bors questioned her.

"What is it?"

"What Tristan wanted," She sadly said. Her lover was confused. "We need to make arrangements for Anera to go to Rome."

"What was that?" Arthur asked as he entered the tavern.

"Tristan wanted Anera to go live in Rome if he fell. Apparently from his letter Lucilla never wanted Anera to grow up in Britain if Tristan wasn't here. We need to do this, as the last wish of two dying people." By now Vanora's eyes were wet with tears. "Two dying people we all loved." Vanora couldn't contain it anymore; she fell onto Bors's shoulder in a fit of tears. He embraced her in his arms in an effort to comfort her.

"Give me the letter," Arthur said to Vanora calmly. Pulling the letter from her hands, Bors handed Arthur the letter. "I'll take care of it."

Arthur walked away from Vanora and Bors and was going to go to his room in order to compose the letter. But was stopped by Guinevere, she was again wearing her light sea foam colored dress that came off of one shoulder. He looked at her and walked away. She wouldn't let him shrug her off.

"You seem upset," she said in her British accent.

Arthur nodded, not sure if he should tell her, but after all these feeling festering inside of him told him that she was something special. "Tristan wanted Anera to go to Rome to live, I need to arrange it."

"Why Rome?" Guinevere still despised the empire.

"Anera's mother grew up in Rome; she wants her daughter to have a Roman education." Arthur didn't want to argue over something he had no control over.

"She can get a fine education from us." Arthur not wanting to argue walked away. She followed. "Arthur!"

"Listen, these are not my wishes. I would have Anera stay, I would raise her. Tristan was my brother and will do anything necessary for his daughter but these are his and Lucilla's wishes, not mine!" Arthur furiously said back to her.

"Lucilla?" Guinevere stopped and looked at Arthur. When he realized she was no longer following him he turned to her. "Anera is Lucilla's daughter?"

"Yes, why?" Arthur asked his curiosity was obvious.

Guinevere looked at Arthur; her eyes told him she was ashamed about something. "I was there when she was captured. Taken to Wellean. I did nothing to help her."

Arthur felt sorry for Guinevere in this instance; he walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulders. "At that moment in time she was your enemy. Not now. I hold no fault on you. The plan was her husband's all along, not yours." Guinevere looked to the floor still ashamed. "It's not your fault."

"I want to help raise Anera," she quietly said. "A way to make amends for the treatment of her mother while in Wellean."

"She needs to go to Rome, but we can both care for her until she leaves." Guinevere nodded. "She's with Helen out in the practice field." Arthur told her. Solemnly Guinevere left to find the Roman daughter.

Arthur went to his study and began to compose the letter to Caesar.

My Lord Caesar,

It has come to my attention of your correspondence to Lady Lucilla. Her death here at Hadrian's Wall affected us all deeply, especially that of her lover, Tristan the scout you met while here a little more than a year ago.

I have also heard that you had given Lucilla and Tristan a plot of land in congratulations of the birth of their daughter, Anera. But sad news must now reach your ears of the death of Anera's father Tristan. The land of Britannia was invaded by the barbarian hordes of the Saxons and at the battle which will now be called the battle of Beadun Hill he perished.

From Tristan's own words he told us his dying wish was to have his daughter Anera raised in Rome. Lucilla apparently had already contacted you with information about this. I now request that you send a ship so we may safely transport the young girl from the island to Rome. I will have someone escort her if need be.

I must request though that I find out who will be raising the young girl. From information Lucilla had given me, she was cut off from Rome and her family told she was dead. I respectfully request information on the family who will raise Anera. For she is a child we have all grown to adore.

Your loyal subject,

Artorious Castus

Arthur rolled the piece of parchment in a tight scroll and tied it with a green ribbon, the sign of urgency. Walking out of his study he handed it to the first messenger he saw. It was his second letter to Caesar. The first Arthur had received was a day earlier saying that with Arthur's freedom he was to come to Rome, he knew he would not be. His place was Britain. They wanted him to become their King, and he was going to accept it.

Please review. I had some problems writing the battle sequence but you all should know it some I'm not worried that you didn't follow it. But as always I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope you will all review! Thank a million!