"My lady Gaius," Lancelot said, pausing from his tale, "I must forewarn you that this part of the story contains certain events surrounding your son that---well, I only mean that---if it would offend you---or pain you to hear---"

"Lancelot," Cassia spoke calmly, "You have impressed me with your honesty thus far. Don't muck it all up now."

"Very well," said Lancelot.


Jillian and Revelin climbed the outer wall of the Octavius estate. Revelin was an elderly woad who had known Jillian since the day she had been born. He was a silent, but wise man. He had been a friend of her parents before their deaths and had remained a good friend to Jillian all her life. When she had confided in him of her plan, Revelin had insisted on coming with her. He was protective of her, but she loved him for it. He was the only family she had left. Jillian and Revelin reached the top of the wall and scaled swiftly across it, being careful to remain in the shadows.

They climbed down from the wall and quickly scurried into an alleyway. Jillian led the way, creeping slowly and cautiously down the alley. She turned a corner, however, and gasped at the sight of a familiar figure leaning against the side of the building as if he had been expecting her. His presence startled her, causing her to involuntarily jump back.

"What are you doing?" Tristan asked casually, as though it were no surprise to him that Jillian would be prowling around the Octavius estate. Revelin drew his sword threateningly, scrutinizing Tristan with his eyes.

"It's alright," Jillian said, motioning for Revelin to put away his sword. Then she turned to Tristan. "I must speak with Arthur," she said urgently. Tristan raised an eyebrow, but nodded and turned to lead them the rest of the way down the alley. Jillian and Revelin followed close behind.

Tristan led them to where Arthur and the rest of the knights sat in the courtyard enjoying the night's air and their abundance of alcohol. Jillian noted that fortunately the other Roman guards seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. She would not have wanted to try to explain her presence to them. Arthur stood at Tristan, Jillian, and Revelin's entrance. Jillian approached Arthur and spoke diplomatically. "Arthur Castus, I told you I would never forget your kindness, and I intend to keep that vow," she said, "I know where Lady Gaius is. She's been taken captive by a tribe just north of here, and they want 50 gold coins for her return. The only condition is that you and the knights come to retrieve her in person. They will meet you two miles northeast of here at a lake that sits just off of the trail."

"Fifty gold coins seems a small price to pay for the return of the daughter of a Roman senator," Gawain commented.

"What proves to make them so accommodating?" Arthur asked with a thoughtful look on his face.

Jillian paused for a moment; then answered slyly, "As I'm sure you can imagine, they found her ladyship to be a bit more of a handful than they expected." This comment brought a smirk to a few of the knight's faces who could very well imagine how uncooperative a hostage Lucia would be.

I, however, was suspicious of Jillian's intentions. I pulled Arthur to the side where we would be out of the others' earshot. "Arthur, what if this is a trap?" I asked, "Does it not seem at all suspicious to you that she would want to send us out into the forest to meet with a tribe of woads? Why not just send a unit of Roman officers? Why us?"

"It's possible," Arthur replied, "But if it is a trap, I don't think it is set for us. I think Jillian was being sincere in wanting to help us, but you are right. There is more to this than what we can see on the surface." Arthur turned to see Tristan approaching.

"I agree with Arthur," he said, "She wants us away from the estate."

"But why…" I responded more as a thought than a question.

"Regardless, this is an opportunity we can't let pass by," Arthur said, "Right now, finding Lady Gaius is all that matters."

Arthur, Tristan, and I returned to the group, and Arthur announced, "We will head out immediately to the lake. Tristan, Bors, and Dagonet, however, will stay behind." Tristan studied Jillian's face as Arthur spoke. Her expression turned from at first relief to then concern at Arthur's statement that three of them would be staying behind. Yes, she was definitely hiding something.

"Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad," Arthur addressed us, "Ready your horses and wait for me outside the gates. I will retrieve the ransom money from Marcellus and meet you there shortly." With that, Arthur took off into the main house, and Gawain, Galahad, and I made our way to the stables.

Jillian walked over to Tristan who was about to go sit on the stairs of the courtyard with Dagonet and Bors. "Tristan, I beg you," she said urgently, "There is still time. You must go with the others---Dagonet and Bors, as well."

"Why?" Tristan asked, casually picking up his discarded liquor bottle and taking a sip from it.

"Because!" she said, raising her voice and revealing her frustration, "Look, the condition about Arthur and the rest of you meeting them at the lake. That was my condition."

"We know," Tristan responded simply, "That's why we're staying."

"Tristan, you don't understand," she said, becoming more frantic.

"Then explain," he answered. Jillian's eyes darted around the courtyard and she noticed a few drunken Roman soldiers stumbling around at the other side. She turned to Revelin and said, "It's not safe here anymore. Go. I'll meet up with you later." Revelin looked as though he were about to protest. "Please," Jillian pleaded. Revelin nodded and ran cautiously back down the alleyway towards the wall. Jillian turned to Tristan and grabbed his arm. "We can't talk here," she said, "Come." Jillian led Tristan by the wrist to the back of the courtyard towards another section of the wall. There they found a hidden passage covered in ivy. They stepped through it and found themselves outside the estate. They ran over to the edge of the woods, and Tristan leaned his back against a tree. Meanwhile, Jillian paced back and forth. "What have I gotten myself into?" she mumbled to herself.

"You could just tell me what is going on," Tristan suggested.

Jillian scoffed at his words. Her hands were trembling, and he could tell she was on the verge of hysteria. "Look, I tried to help you, but you wouldn't listen. I can't control that! I owe you nothing, you know, nothing," she blurted out, still pacing back and forth, "I mean, I'm grateful you saved my life, but that doesn't mean I'm going to betray my own people to return the favor." She stopped pacing, exhaled, and turned to him. A sudden calmness spread over her face. "Still," she said, finding the handle of the axe that hung from her belt, "I can't allow myself to put you in danger." At that moment, Tristan heard a loud noise coming from the estate and turned his head in its direction. The sound had distracted him, and Jillian saw her chance. She whipped the axe from her belt and used the back handle to strike Tristan across the head. He fell to the ground unconscious. Jillian knelt next to him and brushed her hand across his forehead, moving the stray hairs away from his face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

It was one of the better organized woad attacks. Estates like the Gaius's were too risky to attack, but the lack of Roman military presence at the Octavius estate made it an easy target. Approximately two hundred woad warriors ambushed the estate, easily overbearing the sparse collection of intoxicated Roman soldiers. Jillian re-entered the estate through the hidden passage that lead back into the estate. She saw Dagonet and Bors surrounded by the chaos of woads charging through the courtyard. "Dagonet! Bors!" she called, motioning them over to her. Dagonet saw her and ran over to her, dragging Bors along with him. "Tristan needs your help," she informed them, "Follow me." Jillian led them to the secret passage and ushered them through it, pointing them towards the edge of the woods. She could not help but be surprised by her actions that night. Had she really aided Arthur and his knights, her sworn enemies for many years? She was not one to go back on her word, though, no matter what it entailed. They had saved her life and had freed many of her people from the Gaius's captivity. "Now we're even," she thought.

After Dagonet and Bors were safely outside the wall, Jillian headed back towards the main house of the estate. She made her way through the battling woads and Roman soldiers and slipped into the main house looking for Marcellus. She would now avenge her brother's death. The place was a frenzy, as other woads had already barged into the main hall, setting fire to anything that would burn. Jillian climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered the main study where she saw a man lying on the floor with an arrow through his back. She assumed by his wealthy looking garmets that he was Marcus Octavius.

The wooden box that sat on his desk caught her attention. She recognized the Gaius family crest on the lid. She wondered of what significance the contents of the box held. They were obviously of great importance to Marcellus and Lucia. She shrugged, picked up the box, and slid it into the satchel that was slung around her shoulder. She could feel the heat of the fire spreading through the house, so she quickly retreated down the stairs and back out into the courtyard.

The corpses of Roman soldiers lay everywhere, and there was no doubt the woads would achieve their victory. The main house had now completely burst into flames, sending smoke and ashes soaring into the air. Marcellus Gaius slunk in the shadows, creeping along the edge of the courtyard and trying to escape unnoticed. Jillian noticed him immediately. She picked up a bow and arrow that lay next to one of the dead soldiers and aimed the arrow directly at Marcellus's heart. "For Einar," she said and released the arrow.