A/N: You guys are so great! --counts reviews and hands all reviewers cookies--
Honerbright: I'm glad ye likes it xDDDD --hands ye cookies--
Wanderer of the Roads: ……..Lancelot! --grabs oxygen mask and breathes deeply-- I could really imagine Arthur trying to get Lancelot up, I was actually going all cooy and whatnot as I was writing it xD yes poor Gawain, imagine him trying to ride heeee. Yes, Tristan and wiseness goes together. Arthur sort of knows what he's doing. We hope. I'm glad you think the thing about the maps is wise – I wanted a reason for them to go and find what they find in the village so I needed an excuse mwah. Wise is a good favourite word to have. Awww thanks – I wanted to let the readers know that she wasn't dead or anything, and that she was actually alive. I've been wondering when Guin will arrive in your story. I'm not going to be kind to her either – I have evil plans for her. Rambling is love xD --huggled-- --huggles back-- thanks so much for your feedback
Kal's Gal: I take that as positiveness. Thanks for the review, hope you like the chapter
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY: Hope you like the chapter xD
KnightMaiden: I couldn't have killed any of the knights off even if I'd wanted too. And yes this is after the movie/book. The timeline's basically not quite a year after Bandon Hill. And no one died xD
sarmatian-woman: I wouldn't have been able to kill them, they're all so cute. thanks for your review, hope you like this chap xD
Voldie on Varsity Track: I still want to see Spamalot xD I'll look out for the soundtrack then – I heard about it opening and I really wanted/want to go and see it but I haven't been able to. Hehehe you haven't seen all the movie! Hurry up and finish it. Only don't watch Lancelot's death scene – worse part of the movie hehe.
To the anon reviewer about making a/n's short - if you don't like it, then stop reading the fic altogether – I write and make the decisions, if you don't like, don't read.
Sorry about making this chapter 850ish words of actual story, but I decided to cut it where I did because I decided it made a nice sort of cliffy. I promise you, the next chapter will be much, much longer to compensate. Oh and a quick note – I doubt I'll be able to update tomorrow (even though I've got the chapter pretty much finished) because I have a concert that I have to perform at. So I'll be spending most of tomorrow at school.
Dismounting from their mounts, the knights looked around – each of their faces were etched with sorrow and grief, expect for Tristan's. Tristan stood there with a expressionless face, not even his eyes betraying the sorrow he felt deeply for the people that had lost their lives.
Bodies were littered everywhere, all unidentifiable due to the burnt states of the carcasses. The stench was unbearable, even for war-hardened knights as they were.
Galahad clamped a hand over his mouth and gagged. "Arthur, please tell me we don't have to touch the bodies."
Arthur didn't reply, he just stood there staring at the debris around him.
"Arthur!" Lancelot drew him out of his thoughts. "Where is the pit we're looking for?" He looked around at the rubble, ruins and frames which would once have been called huts.
"Over here," Arthur replied in a daze. "They're all dead – God, what do we have to do to stop the Saxons? Must everyone suffer before they relinquish their torture of Britain?"
Arthur heard Lancelot sigh deeply, then silence.
Drawing in a deep breath Arthur stiffened as he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.
"It was not your fault," Lancelot's voice cut over his thoughts.
"Oh, but it is Lancelot," Arthur said.
Ignoring Lancelot's questioning glance he strode forward a few steps, and then walked in a circle.
"Crazy," Galahad said, then buried his face in his hands as his headache (due to the hangover) started throbbing behind his eyes again.
Gawain stood there, one hand on his stomach.
Bors was clutching at Dagonet for dear life as his eyes rolled continuously in his head.
Tristan watched Arthur, through his braids that were hanging over his eyes, waiting for an order of any kind, whether it be by voice or motion.
Lancelot stood, watching Arthur climb over and through the ruins.
Arthur climbed over what would once had been a fence. Ash mingled with charred remains of human bodies and wood. Looking to the west, he counted as he stepped.
"Here!" he exclaimed, unsheathing Excalibur.
Lancelot and Tristan were the first two to jump over the ruins and reach Arthur. The others followed at a much slower pace – Dagonet had to take half of Bors' body weight.
"Excalibur?" Lancelot asked.
"I don't know what else will be down there," Arthur replied.
Immediately, Lancelot and Tristan unsheathed their swords while Tristan's hawk flew off his shoulder and into the sky. The others arrived, with Galahad and Gawain holding onto one another as they climbed slowly over the rubble.
"Fight?" Dagonet asked, looking at the swords clasped by their respective owners.
"If Tristan's lucky," Lancelot smiled grimly.
Dagonet grinned, let go of Bors and clasped his axe menacingly. Arthur looked down at the ground.
"Dagonet."
Gawain flinched with each blow that Dagonet's axe struck against the metal.
Galahad groaned and moved away slightly.
Although no one saw it, Tristan half grimaced, half grinned behind the mane of hair that surrounded his face.
With a half-hearted groan the metal door gave away to Dagonet's axe. Standing back, Dagonet let Arthur kneel in front of the trap door.
"Tristan, Lancelot."
At his word the two knights knelt near him, gave their weaponry to Dagonet and shifted – with Arthur – the damaged trap door.
Lancelot peered into the gloom below them. "Arthur! I see something! A light!"
Arthur looked into the pit. "I do believe you're right! I wonder…a survivor…"
The knights all drew their weapons and followed Arthur down into the half mud, half stone stairs that led into the darkness. They moved slowly in the darkness – each keeping one arm out to make sure that the person in front wouldn't disappear, Arthur's sword was out instead of him arm for obvious reasons. The light might be from Saxons, also they couldn't see well given that the light was now a distant glow.
"It isn't that far ahead," Arthur jumped slightly as he heard Tristan's voice in his ear. Realising what Tristan meant, Arthur stopped on the step he was on and let his scout move past him onto the step below.
"It's a fire!" breathed Lancelot as they clustered together on the last steps.
Sure enough, in front of them was a fire burning merrily.
Tristan touched Arthur's shoulder and inclined his head. On a stone ledge, was a blanket that looked as though someone had recently thrown it off their body, next to the blanket was a plate.
"What was that?" hissed Galahad.
A tiny rustling sound was heard, the noise seeming to bounce off the walls.
"Mice?" Bors suggested, swinging his head around, looking anxiously.
"Hello?" Arthur said.
The knights – save Tristan – looked at their leader.
"As before – crazy," Galahad said in Gawain's ear.
"I can assure you, we are not Saxons and we mean you no harm," Arthur said, his voice echoing softly.
Another rustling, more soft, was heard.
Lancelot saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Moving quickly and deftly – like a cat – Lancelot moved to a dark, moist corner.
A pair of small eyes looked back at him at his surprised gaze.
"Arthur!" he exclaimed.