Chapter 4:

"..." talking

'...' thinking

I walked into the tavern and saw Gawain and Galahad haveing a knife throwing contest. I smirked when I saw Tristans' knife lodge itself in Galahads.

"Tristan, how do you do that?" Gawain asked with a slight slur from drinking so much.

"I aim for the middle." He answered simply. I walked behind them and threw my dagger which lodged itself into Tristans.

"I lean more to my side." I smirked and walked over to Lancelot who was playing dice with some romans. Lancelot threw his knife into the table and smirked at the roman who was about to take his winnings.

"Best of three." I walked up behind him and rested my hands on his shoulders.

"You should just give them your money." I said teaseing him. He snaked his arm around my waist and brought me around to sit on his lap.

"I just need some luck." I turned my head slightly and put my face close to his.

"You don't need luck." I moved my face so my lips were only inches from his own. "You need a miracle." I smirked and swated at his hand that was around my waist.

"Your a tease." He let me go and I stood up and smiled at him.

"Like your not." I challanged. He smirked at me and shook his head.

Tristan's POV:

I turned to see Helena smirking at me.

"I lean more to the side." She answered the unasked question. She smiled and walked over to where Lancelot was at. I found myself smileing but quickly masked my face.

'What is wrong with you Tristan? She saves your life once and you can't ger her out of your head." She was beautiful yes, more beautiful then any Roman woman I have ever seen. She looked nothing like the bishop which means her mother could not have been a Roman eather. 'Why are you bothering yoursef with her for? Your going back to Sarmatian and she's going back to Rome with Arthur and her father. But still..." I looked up to see a guard wholanded painfully on the ground by my feet. Helena was standing a few feet away with an anoyed look on her face. A young man walked up to her and pintched the bridged of his nose, he muttered a few words to her and helped the man from the ground and walk out of the tavren.

'Beautiful and dangeres, bad combanation,' He thought with a smirk growing of his face.

Helena's POV:

I turned around to bump into a hard chest, I looked up to see a face that I had never met before.

"Pardon me." I tried to walk away but he grabed my arm and gave me a lustful look.

"I'm sure we could think of someway for you to make it up to me." I rolled my eyes and tried to pull my arm out of his grasp. I smirked, if he thought I was some wench he had another thing comeing. I stood up on my tiptoes and purred into his ear.

"I would be more then happy to ablidge good Sir." He let go of my arm and I smiled at him and motioned for him to follow me. Like the idoit I new he was he followed me and I quickly spun around on my hill and kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. I gave his an anoyed look but was smileing on the inside. I saw Tristan looking at me and smirked slightly. Luke came up to me and gave me an anoyed look, he lowered his head slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly.

"Could you not just slap him?" He muttered. He walked over to the man and helped him to his feet and walked out of the tavren. I looked back and saw Tristan smileing and shakeing his head. The tavren had grown quiet when the man fell to the ground but people started to talk and drink like nothing had happened.

"Vanora will sing!" I turned my head to see Bors trying to convince Vanora to sing with the help of the other Knights

"Sing of home." Galahad called out

"Don't drop the baby." Gawain added. As she sang the Knights looked as if they were in another world. Galahad closed his eyes and mouthed the words, he more then any of them wanted to return home. Tristan was the only one of them who didn't look affected by her words but I didn't belive it for a second. I belived that he above all of them wanted somekind of life other then fighting, he just wouldn't show it. About half-way through the song I saw Arthur comeing into view but couldn't bring myself to call him over, to have to watch him deny his Knights there freedom that was taken away by my father.

"Arthur!" Jols called. I followed the Knights over to where Arthur was standing, wishing I had not heard the news already.

"Arthur! Your not completley Roman yet, right? Galahad asked playfully

"Rus!" I smiled slightly, trying to make it easer on him.

"Knights...brothers in arms...your courage has been tested beyond all limits. But I must ask you now for one further trial.

"Drink." Galahad laughed, not understanding what was happing.

"We must leave on a final order for Rome before are freedom can be granted." Gawain and Galahad started to laugh but Lancelot had a look in his face that said he new what was going to happen. "Above the wall, far in the North, there is a Roman family in need of rescue." He continued. They are trapped by saxons." It all seemed to setal in with the Knights and none of them looked to pleased. "Are orders are to asure there safety."

"Let the Romans take care of there own." Bors spat out. I hung my had low, I knew the statement was directed at me but it made me feel ashamed to even have Roman blood runing in my veins.

"Above the wall is woad territory." Gawain spoke.

"Are duty, if it was ever a duty, is done. Are pact with Rome is done." I would have given anything in this world to just give them there papers and tell my father where he could go.

"Every Knight here has laid his life on the line for you. For you. And instead of freedom you want more blood? Our blood? You think more of Roman blood then you do of ours?" Bors hollard

"Bors!" Arthur said firmly. "These are our orders. We leave at first light, and when we return your freedom will be waiting for you. A freedom we can embrace with honor."

"I am a free man!" There baby Vanora was holding started to cry at hearing his father on such a foul mood. "I will choose my own fate!"

"Yea, yea. Where all going to die someday. If it's a deth from the saxon hand that frightens you, stay home." I was surprised to hear Tristan speak for the first time, but not by what he said. He didn't fear anything, and that was going to be what killed him. He didn't fear for the safty of anybody eles and didn't have a reason to fear death his self.

"Listin, if your so eager to did, you can did right now!" Galahad yelled but Tristan didn't look affected by what he said.

"Enough. Enough! Lancelot steped in the middle to try and control the youngest Knight.

"I've got something to live for! He continued.

"The Romans have broken their word." Dagonet replied camly. "We have the word of Arthur. That is good enough. I'll prepair." He walked off folowed by Bors.

"And you, Gawain?" Arthur asked

"I'm with you." he answered after a few moments "Galahad as well" Galahad pourd the remainder of his ale on the fround and drope the pot it was in, breaking it into a dozen of samll pieces. He stormed off, Gawain on his heels.

"I'm comeing too." Arthur and Lancelot were both ready to stop me but I interrupted them. "No, I know what it's like to be stuck in a place that's not really your home, and I won't let any of you die in a place that's not you home." I walked to the stables to get my horse ready, not caring what any of them thought.