Hello! For those of you who are enjoying my other fanfic, no worries, I will continue to update it as well. This is just a little story that popped into my head and wouldn't get out, so I started writing it down. I hope you all enjoy it, and as always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur, the movie or the legend, or any of the knights.

The story begins about four years before the movie.

Chapter 1: The Falling Darkness

She was happy here. The clean air was nothing like that of Rome. Also, there were trees everywhere. No roads, no bustling and jostling of people. Just trees, and a quiet piece of land which had become their home.

The Pretarches were a wealthy Roman family given land in Britain. Taddeo, the head of the household and father to two daughters, took great care of his land. He had many servants but held none as slaves. They were free to come and go as they pleased, although they always stayed because they loved him so much. He also paid them well and made sure they were properly housed. He even gave jobs to Woads, the native fighters of Britain, although when the family had first arrived they were regarded with hatred and suspicion.

Many mercenaries also worked for Taddeo, soldiers paid to fight for a man. They were mainly for protection, but they also made sure all the work was being done smoothly and there were no disruptions among the people.

His two daughters were aged sixteen and six; their names Carina and Arabela. The reason for the large gap between the two was because Taddeo and his wife Cianna had not planned to have anymore children after Carina was born. There had been complications with the pregnancy, and the midwife had told them that should she conceive again, it could kill her. Arabela was an accident. Cianna had died giving birth to her. But oh, how Arabela looked just like her mother, acted like her too, even in her young age. Same straight black hair, almond brown eyes, curvy red lips. Taddeo was so happy to have her.

Carina, on the other hand, had taken after her father: curly brown hair which was often flying into her face and hazel eyes, tanned skin. She had quite a tan from being outside almost everyday.

He had raised them the best that he could. It made him laugh that Carina, who had had a mother for ten years still turned out more boyish than her younger sister, who had never known Cianna. Arabela enjoyed staying indoors and hated getting dirty while Carina would take long walks outside, often coming back with smudges of dirt on her hands and face. However, he was so proud of them. To go through what they went through and still turn out so loving, so caring, so compassionate. They loved each other and they loved him. They were a family, and each other were all that they had now.

Carina looked up at her sister's giggle. "What are you doing out here?"

Arabela flopped down on the grass beside her. "I came to see what you do out here for so long."

Carina raised her eyebrows. Her sister never came outside. "You're going to get dirty."

Arabela shrugged, but the older sister could see her check her dainty young hands for any signs of dirt. Carina laughed.

"Why do you enjoy being out here so much?" Arabela asked.

They were sitting in a small clearing not far from the estate. A gentle brook ran through here, making gurgling sounds as it chugged along. The wind blew through with a few howls, but the trees surrounding them blocked most of it. Carina had her back up against a tree, her face turned thoughtfully toward the darkening sky.

"It's peaceful," Carina answered. "I feel like I can think out here."

"Why do you need to think?"

"I don't know…I just like thinking about things like…like the day, about father, about you. About mother," Carina said slowly.

Arabela looked up at her, her eyes sparkling. "What do you remember about mother?"

Carina sighed. It had been ten years six years since their mother had passed away, and the memories were fading. She did, however, hold onto a few.

"I remember," she began, "when she got pregnant with you, how excited she was. She would cradle her stomach all the time and just talk to you and sing to you. She loved you so much."

"She didn't even know me," Arabela protested.

"Oh, but she did. Mother knew you because you were a part of her. Just the way if you look deep into your heart, you will realize you know her too because she is a part of you."

Arabela frowned. "I don't feel like I know her."

Carina smiled, placing a hand on her younger sister's head, ruffling her satiny black hair. "You will find you know more about her than you realize. You are just like her in so many ways."

Her younger sister smiled. "Was she pretty?"

"Oh yes, beautiful." Carina and Arabela had had this talk many times, but it seemed the young girl could never tire of hearing about their mother. Carina could not blame her. If she had been the younger sister and had never known her, she would ask many questions as well.

"And she loved father?" Arabela asked.

Carina paused. "Yes, she loved him very much. And he loved her very much."

"Is that why we moved from Rome? Because father was so upset after she died?"

"That was part of it, yes," the older sister replied, choosing her words carefully. "But also, there are bad people in Rome, and not all of them liked the way our father believed. We moved here to escape those people."

"But didn't the Pope give us this land?" Arabela asked, confused.

"He did."

"So why were we escaping?"

A frown creased Carina's face. She remembered why they had moved. It was two years after Arabela was born. Their father had some "radical" beliefs, as some of the priests called it, about peace and equality and freedom. They were too prominent of a family to simply kill, so the Pope sent them here to get rid of them. Her father had told her this in confidence just a few years ago when she was old enough to understand. They had no secrets in their house. This, however, was not the time to tell her six year old sister.

"The Pope felt this land could benefit best by father's presence," Carina answered. Not quite a lie, but certainly not the truth.

Arabela smiled, obviously accepting it. "I'm happy. I like it here."

"You were too young to remember Rome! What makes you think you wouldn't like it more than Britain?" Carina laughed.

"I just know."

The two sisters giggled. Carina had to agree. Although she had lived in Rome for twelve years, she had never liked it there. It was dirty; there were so many people everywhere you went. Here, it was peaceful, quiet, solitary. She would certainly choose this island over Rome any day.

"It is getting rather dark," Arabela remarked, glancing up at the sky.

"Yes, it is. We should return to the house. Father will never believe you came outside with your sister."

Arabela laughed. "He is probably wondering where I am."

The two girls made it to the gate just as darkness was settling across the horizon. Taddeo was waiting anxiously for them with the mercenaries, the gate thrown open.

"Where have you been?" he asked, not angry but very concerned.

"I'm sorry, father. We sat by the brook for a little too long this evening," Carina answered.

Taddeo raised his eyebrows at Arabela. "YOU went to the brook?"

"It was quite fun, actually," the young girl answered with a giggle.

Their father laughed, sweeping Arabela into his arms, carrying her through the courtyard and into the house. Carina followed close behind.

"Well, I am glad you are both safe. Next time both of you are going to wander off, could you please let an old man like me know?" Taddeo said.

"Of course, father," Carina answered, laughing. "It won't happen again."

They sat down to dinner together as was usual. Carina had washed her hands and face; Arabela had bathed and had on a clean dress. They sat comfortably at a small, round, wooden table. Three chairs were placed closely around it. Taddeo sat in the middle with his two daughters on either side.

The cook had once again prepared an excellent meal of broiled chicken and corn. Carina ate hungrily.

"So what else have my daughters been up to today?" Taddeo asked in between bites.

"I worked on my quilt some more," Arabela chimed. The young girl had taken a real liking to quilting and did some everyday.

"I played with Delanna some and helped her with her chores," Carina answered. Delanna was one of the hired servant's daughters. Carina and she were very close in age and often tried to help each other out with daily duties.

Taddeo nodded in satisfaction. "I'm happy you two are staying busy. It is not good to be idle."

"What did you do today, father?" Arabela asked, slurping down some water.

"I chopped some firewood and worked on the stables a bit. I think I'm just going to have to build a new home for the horses."

The stables had become weathered. They were closer to the mountains where the wind and rain seemed to hit hardest. Also, they were not made of the same materials as the house had been, and the four years here had taken their toll.

"I have also begun to hear rumors of an invading Saxon army," Taddeo said slowly. "I was thinking maybe we should gather up some things, keep a packed bag."

The two girls looked at each other alarmingly.

"Just in case," their father continued. "I'm sure it's nothing, but I don't want us to be unprepared."

Arabela pouted. "Are we going to have to leave?"

"No, at least not now. They are only rumors. But if we did have to leave, wouldn't you want a pair of dry clothes and food for the journey?" Taddeo answered.

"Where would we go?" Carina asked.

"There is a fort south of here, called Hadrian's Wall. There is a group of knights there from what I hear. I figure that would be a safe place. But let's not worry about that now. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Taddeo resumed eating, trying to appear unaffected, but Carina could see he was worried. These must be more than rumors. He was really preparing them to leave.

No matter what happens, everything will be alright,, she thought, turning her attention back to her food as well. Father will not let anything happen to us.