Both 8 and 9 are quote lengthy, but you will finally understand in this capture why Elaine was "taken" from Arthur
Enjoy and tell me what you think!
Chapter 8
Fireside Meetings
By nightfall, the unpredictable rains of Briton, had begun to rage over the ten riders. After Tristan had scouted out the areas surrounding them ahead, the knights decided that it would be best to wait out the storm. And, of course, the men desired some answers about the lady who traveled beside them upon her white horse.
Elaine had been silent during their brief journey. She was both saddened by the loss of so many of her people, and ashamed that she hadn't run back to their aide when she got loose from the Woad's grasp. Instead, she had made a sort of twisted game out of hunting down each Woad that attacked her in the woods. While she was pursuing her hunt, her people lay dying.
"Elaine?"
Arthur's soft voice awoke Elaine from her dreamy state, and she realized that the men had already dismounted their steeds and had begun to set up camp in the nearby shelter of the woods. She felt foolish as she realized that she still resided atop her white horse, Luka. Arthur carefully helped her down, cautious that her pretty white gown was not torn or tarnished. Elaine also wore a heavy blue cloak that hid her face and hair from the down pour of rain.
"Arthur, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I shouldn't have spoken about our mother's death in such a harsh manner. You must think me a fool."
"Never, and there is nothing to forgive," Arthur sighed as he rested his forehead upon hers. The two stayed like this for a short while before Arthur raised his head and actually smiled down upon Elaine. "But we can talk of those affairs later. You're here now. Come, you must meet my men."
Nervousness filled Elaine as Arthur took her hand and lead her over towards the fire, which the men had just started. Inside, she felt that she hadn't made the best first impression on Arthur's knights; first she nearly put on arrow through the dark one, than she had teased the youngest, blushed at the handsome one's words, than galloped away like a madwoman. Elaine's grasp on her brother's hand tightened, but Arthur, happy to have his sister meet his brothers, barely took notice of her anxiousness. The men looked up as their commander neared the fire, all eyes focused on his sister.
"Well, lady," Lancelot called from his seat on the ground near Bors and Dagonet, "you've seemed to have taken all of us by surprise. Not many can claim that feat."
Elaine smiled than quickly darted he eyes to the ground. Why was she so nervous?
"Elaine, this is Lancelot. And beside him is Bors, and Dagonet."
As Arthur spoke each man's name, they each smiled and nodded towards Elaine. Gawain, who had just returned from the forest gathering logs for the fire, appeared at Elaine's side. "I'm Gawain." Elaine smiled at the long haired knight. Gawain seemed to be a fiercely strong man, but she noted his eyes; they were a calming blue that almost made her nervous feelings all but disappear. Gawain smiled once more before joining Lamorak upon a fallen tree trunk.
"And beside Gawain is Galahad and Lamorak, than Kay, and Tris..." Arthur searched the men, but couldn't locate the face of his trusted scout.
"Tristan's gone out again," Dagonet spoke, "and he said he needed you to join him when you were finished here, over there." Dagonet extended one large finger towards the forest wall.
"He said it was about the Woads," Lamorak added, turning back to Elaine with, hoping she had noticed him. The youngest knight had an innocent heart, and he realized that his commander's sister was causing it to warm.
"Right," Arthur said his face turning stoic once again. He gently spoke to his sister, "Stay here, I'll shall return soon." Elaine smiled, taking Arthur's head in her soft hands, bending his forehead down to her lips.
"My heart is full again, finally," she whispered so that only he could hear. Arthur smiled.
"As is mine."
After Arthur departed, Elaine stood frozen in her spot, unconsciously wrenching her hands, as she look down upon the men. Her breathe came shaky out of her chest, as the men stared at her each with different thoughts in their minds.
"I do not know much of the ways of healing," Lancelot said as he looked down at the fire, poking at the red embers with a long knife, "but I'm sure that even a great healer can catch her death standing out in the rain for too long."
Elaine's eyes narrowed at the knight as she suddenly found her courage. "You may be right, Sir Lancelot. But I am sure that even a Sarmatian knight is not entirely immune to a blow over the head with a rock either."
Bors chuckled, as the rest stared at Lancelot. It wasn't everyday that the cunning knight was challenged, especially by a woman. Lancelot huffed at Elaine's threat, acting as though her words simply blew by him in the wind. Yet, her words were not lost on him, and he gave a sideways glance to the woman, who was venturing over to a sit near Kay. Seeing that Elaine intended on sitting near him, Kay's arm darted over to clear his bags away from the spot. At his kindness, Elaine grinned.
"Sir Kay, thank you," she said as she sat upon the log, Kay nodding at her. "It is so very nice to see that manners have not been lost in all men."
The group all laughed, the nervous tone from before disappearing. Galahad patted Lancelot's shoulder, "You judge poor Lancelot incorrectly, my lady. He is actually quite a gentlemen. Yes, many of the women at the wall know of Lancelot's gentlemanly ways quite well."
Elaine raised an eyebrow, just barely catching Galahad's hinted suggestion. "I see."
Lancelot looked up once more at Elaine, "Of course, no wench comes close to you, lady."
"Oh, and how do you see this?"
"None of them could compare to the beautiful, graceful way you gallop away from strange men."
The men burst into laughter, as Elaine's face grew rose red. Clearly, Elaine's swift and unexpected departure had made the sensation that she feared it might have.
"Yes, I suppose so," she responded after the laughter had died down a little. "Can I assume that you are used to the sight of a woman, a real woman, fleeing from your sight in a frenzy?"
"Ha, Lancelot. The Lady's got you there!" Bors guffawed in between sips from his wine skin. The veteran knight's eyes sparkled in the fire light as he looked at the young woman across from him. In a strange way, she reminded him of his Vanora, with her quick tongue.
Elaine giggled, causing the knights, even Lancelot to grin from ear to ear. This girl's presence had a calming effect on them, and they felt as though the were all safe in the tavern, not freezing in the British woods.
Lamorak stood up quickly with sudden inspiration, and made his way to Elaine's side, offering her his water skin, "Water, my lady?" Lamorak's smile was nervous, but kind.
Elaine took the skin, "Thank you Sir Lamorak, and please, all of you, call me Elaine. You make me sound like some stuffy Roman, when you call me Lady."
Lamorak looked adoringly at Elaine and whispered, "Elaine."
"But you are Roman." Gawain said.
A frown appeared on the girl's face, "Only by blood." Elaine lowered the water skin and stared intently into the flames. "I have not been Roman for years."
"Do you hold distain for your people in some way?" Kay asked.
"Let's just say that there have only been three Romans that I have ever held close to my heart. One returned to Rome to teach freewill and equality which I pray aren't wasted on the ears of the Roman people. The second, my father, who was an actual follower of the first's ideals. And the last, just walked over into the forest right there. Other than that, I can say yes, I do dislike the Roman people."
Galahad eyebrows raised and his eyes grew wide. "You do hate Romans?"
"I have seen what evil they unleashed among the free peoples of the world. The Celts, the Sarmatians, even the Britons have shared the pain under the yoke of Rome's oppression."
The men sat in silence. They all felt strongly upon this matter, and they each felt that Elaine's eloquent words summed up their feelings.
Elaine looked around at the faces of the knights, "The last time I saw Arthur's Sarmatian knights, they were much younger, and there were many. I am sorry that you have lost so many of your companions."
A sad mood set over the group. Kay was the first to speak.
"The pendant that you wear," he said motioning towards the sliver chain attached to Elaine's neck, "Arthur recognized you when he saw it."
Elaine reached down, holding the stone in the palm of your hand, "It was a gift to my mother from her people. She gave it to me when I was very young." She smiled when she thought upon the memories that she had clung to all these years.
"A pretty jewel, for a pretty lady," Lancelot said. Elaine rolled her eyes thinking she was being teased by the man again, but was surprised when she finally looked at his expression. It was serious and honest, and his eyes held a sort of lust in them, that made the woman's heart skip in her chest. She quickly turned away, hoping that he did not see her blush.
Arthur entered into the forest quietly, searching around in the dark space for a sign of his scout. He wasn't kept waiting long, for as soon as he had begun to look for Tristan, the man himself entered into the small clearing, shoving his sword into its scabbard.
"This area is secure, but the Woads have not retreated far," Tristan said as her neared the waiting Roman. "They have set up a camp about a hundred yards to the West."
"Will they attack again?"
"There numbers have fallen, but that doesn't mean they won't make an attempt. Especially if we travel through the woods."
"Than we'll travel upon the road, take away their advantage. With the carriage, it will be slow, but the road is safer at this point."
The scout nodded in agreement. Woads were especially skilled in the art of ambush, more so in their own woodlands.
"Arthur? Why did they attack the healer?"
It took Arthur a moment to realized that he meant Elaine, and was a little taken aback at Tristan speaking of his sister in such an formal manner.
"I have not determined why they would want Elaine, but by the manner of their attack, it appears they wanted her alive. They slaughtered the caravan, but they pulled her from the carriage."
Tristan nodded once more, "But she managed to kill her attackers."
This notion struck Arthur, and he remember the Woads with the arrows buried deep in them. Elaine did that? How could she? She had never even touched a bow before in her life.
"Yes, she did."
After a full evening of laughter and continued banter between Elaine and Lancelot, the men decided to get some much needed sleep. Elaine stood with Arthur, who, after returning from his council with Tristan, was surprised to see his knights and sister sharing stories and laughter.
"Well, it has been more than a pleasure to meet you all," Elaine said before taking Arthur's hand. She smiled at each man, than turned to join her brother in his tent.
Once they had left, the knights began to situate themselves for the night.
"She sure is different from Arthur," Galahad thought out loud as he laid his bedroll out before him.
Gawain chuckled, "Thank the gods for that, or Lamorak's attraction to her would have been uncomfortable for us all."
Lamorak's head shoot up at his cousin's remark, "What attraction?"
Kay shook his head with a smile, and nudged Lancelot's arm, "Oh, come now, Lamorak. You were hanging on her lips all night. You practically begged her to let you dry her cloak out after the rains stopped."
Lamorak huffed and frowned. "You don't know what your talking about, Kay," he muttered as he plunged his wool cloak over him. His knuckles where as white as snow.
"Poor boy," Dagonet muttered with a knowing smile, "We've lost him already."
Bors shook his half-drunken head in agreement than strongly patted the young man's shoulder.
"It's too bad, Lamorak," Lancelot said as he watched Elaine gracefully duck into Arthur's tent, "that her own heart has been captured by another already."
Lamorak once again shot up into the air, this time accidentally punching Galahad's forehead in the process.
"Hey, you cow!"
Lamorak ignored his friend's return punch to the arm, "Who?"
"Why me, of course. She couldn't resist my charms."
Gawain shook his head, "What do you mean? The moment you opened your mouth, she couldn't stand to hear your voice."
"The two of you were at each others throat all night," Galahad chimed in, still rubbing his red forehead from before.
Lancelot ignored the men's arguments. This woman was different from any woman he had ever met before in his life. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she was witty and charming at the same time. The moment she sat down next to Kay and started talking to the knights, all were instantly drawn to her kindness.
"I still do not see how she came to be with the Celts?" Bors slurred. "How did she get away from Arthur at such a young age? And why did he not tell us he had a sister to begin with?"
"She was abducted."
The knights all looked at Lancelot, shocked at his admission. "How do you know that?"
"Arthur told me, of course. It happened the night we arrived at the wall. Elaine and Arthur had arrived there for the first time that night as well. We were all in our quarters when it happened; it was late at night, maybe even in the early morning, I'm not entirely sure."
"How come we didn't meet her before the abduction?" Lamorak spoke up, completely intrigued by the tale Lancelot was about to tell.
"It caused Arthur a lot of pain. For days after, he wouldn't eat or sleep, he would only train. Remember that day he just collapsed. He told me afterwards that he worked so hard, so that he may be able to go to Elaine's rescue and smite those who had taken her from him. After a year or so, it appeared that she was truly lost. I told Arthur truthfully that she could be dead. That was also the day he punched me in the nose."
"Ha, I remember.." Bors chuckled.
"Arthur simply lived from day to day afterwards. I suppose he never wanted to burden you with his troubles, for he feared you had your own. His focus was set on his charge, and well, you know how Arthur is about his duty to Rome."
"Tell us," Kay implored.
Arthur had just finished his first day of training with his knights, and was slowly making his way back towards the chambers that he and Elaine were to share. Truly, it hadn't been a day of hard training, for he and the boys simply played together, pretending to fight with wooden swords. The Roman general that was to train them in the art of warfare, wouldn't arrive until the following day, and Arthur and his knights had already endured enough in that past day than he thought necessary. After a warm dinner that they all share together at the same table, Arthur had bid them goodnight. The boy was relieved to finally be able to rest. He hadn't seen his little sister all day, and he felt ashamed that on the first day since their mother's death, he hadn't been there to give her comfort. She was only a child, whose young mind wasn't prepared for the concept of losing both parents. Elaine probably would find it hard to understand her mother's death, because she hadn't needed to understand her father's. She was but a babe than, but she was a clever little girl now. Things would be more real to her.
As he opened the thick, wooden door that lead into his quarters, Arthur sighed in relief. He entered the large living apartment, dropping Excalibur upon the fur rug near the fire, and collapsed in the grand chair. Closing his eyes, Arthur leaned his head back and rubbed his face stiffly.
"Elaine?" he spoke, slightly muffled through his half opened fingers. When there came no answer, Arthur sat up. She must be fast asleep?
Recalling that Elaine hadn't been at the dining hall that night, he realized that he'd better wake her and attempt to get her something to eat. That wasn't an easy task, because Elaine had always been a picky eater.
As he entered the pitch black bedroom, it took Arthur a few moments for his eyes to fully adjust to the darkness.
"Elaine?" he whispered.
Again, no response came. Arthur became concerned. Surely she couldn't be getting a peaceful sleep. Their mother's death would have kept the child tossing about all night, Arthur knew. Grabbing a lit lantern from the adjoining room, the boy quickly raced back to the bed, holding the light up towards the headboard. His heart stopped when he saw that the bed lay completely untouched, Elaine no where to be found.
"ELAINE!"
Arthur raced about the quarters, frantically overturning pieces of furniture and tossing items all about.
"Elaine? Where are you?"
A loud pounding came upon the heavy wood door, and Arthur jumped over a fallen side table to answer it. When he opened it he found not Elaine, but Jols, the young son of the Wall's squire.
"Sire, come quickly, there has been an intrusion inside the fortress."
"Elaine, my sister, have you seen her? Is she safe?" Arthur said firmly, as he held fast the other boys forearm.
Jols grew deadly silent, his eyes looking sadly into Arthur's. "Please sire, come."
Grabbing Excalibur from its place, the Roman and the boy ran ardently to the town square. There was a big crowd of commoners and nobles alike, circling something that Arthur couldn't see. He desperately searched the faces in the crowd for his lost sister.
Jols took the boy's arm pulling him towards a Roman officer who stood by, questioning the people about the disturbance. "This way."
As he saw the little commander approach, the officer's eyes grew soft and a look of pity found it's way about his features. This slightly angered the young Roman. He wanted an explanation, not pity. He wanted Elaine.
"What has happened?"
"Sir, there was a loud disturbance near the south side of the wall. I responded when I heard the screams, and found the boy lying on the ground, wounded in the arm."
"Was it Woads?"
"No sire, they were different. They wore the garb of a commoner, but I just got a glance at their faces before they escaped. They were not Briton, Roman, nor Woad."
Arthur sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with this man. "Where's the boy?"
Jols spoke up, "Back there, sire. The crowd surrounds him now."
Arthur raced into the crowd, pushing to get through. Jols demand that they disperse and make way. Arthur finally made it to the middle of the crowd and instantly saw the fallen boy, grasping his arm in pain.
He knelt down, placing his hand upon the young boys head, "What has happened?"
The dark haired boy looked up through thick messy strands, his dark eyes filled with unshed tears. His face was filled with fear, sadness, and anger all at once. Arthur observed that the boy not only had a bad flesh wound upon his shoulder from a now missing arrow, but he appeared to have been beaten a bit; his upper lip was cut, his left cheek bruised, and his right eye was starting to swell. He held a long curved sword in his uninjured hand, which dangled at his side.
"They came so fast...I didn't..she screamed...and...I tried to fight them...she..."
The boy struggled to get words out. His chest still heaved from the encounter.
"Breathe, you must breathe."
"They took her."
Arthur froze. Not Elaine. Not Elaine.
"Who? Whom did they take?"
The boy looked him straight in the eye. "E..Elaine."
Arthur went completely limp, almost falling to his knees. He was so much affected, that even the injured boy had to hold his shoulder so the Roman would not fall backwards. How? How did this happen?
Jols broke the silence, "They must have slipped out of the gate when there was a changing of the guard."
Arthur snapped into his newfound commander tone, "When was the guard change?" he said in a firm, unemotional voice.
"Not but fifteen minutes past, sire."
"Right. Have this boy taken to the infirmary and attended to by the best healers. I want a group of officers," he turned and spoke to the older Roman who had joined them, "to ride out and capture these people. They haven't had the chance to get to far."
"Yes sire, you may ride with me if you wish."
Arthur nodded, and the crowded quickly dispersed.
"Arthur rode with the search party all night, and well into the next morning, but they never caught up with the bandits who had taken Elaine."
As Lancelot finished his story, the group intently stared into the flames, all feeling sorry for the loss the young Arthur had suffered.
"These bandits," Kay finally spoke up, "must have been Celtic."
"That is what I have determined as well, " Lancelot said as he sat back against the rock he had been leaning on.
"But why would there be Celts at Hadrian's Wall, and why would they want to take a young girl and nothing else?" Galahad questioned.
"That, my friend, is something we have yet to discover. We will need to hear it from the lips of the abducted girl herself."
"Who was the boy?" Lamorak whispered, for soon after Lancelot had finished telling about Elaine's abduction, Bors had fallen into a drunken sleep.
"What boy?"
"The one who was injured."
"Oh," Lancelot searched his memory, "Arthur later found out that it was one of his own knights who had tried to defend his sister."
Gawain looked surprised, "Who?"
Lancelot smirked, "You wouldn't believe me."
"Tell us already, you oaf." Galahad said as he threw a pebble at the knight.
Lancelot chuckled still smirking with his knowledge, "Tristan."
"WHAT!"