Thank you foursidedtriangle, Scout Earane, butterflykisses71, and Fuzzy Makes Me Happy for reviewing! I greatly appreciate your comments and thoughts. Finals are coming up, so blah. But I've tried to write ahead a bit, so hopefully I can still update regularly. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 8: At Long Last

Almost two years had passed since those fateful weeks. Carina and Arabela had seen many changes of the seasons now. They had weathered a tough winter with the knights, another small Saxon uprising which was quickly squelched in the next months of early spring, and another summer all come and gone. Winter of their second year was just beginning, the ground cold and hard, the weather bringing heavy precipitation and wind that chilled you straight to your bones.

Carina was now eighteen, a beautiful young woman who still looked very much like her father. Arabela, now a maturing eight year old, continued to look more and more like their mother. The sisters had been reconciled since that day at their old estate, becoming even closer than they had been before.

The knights had watched their growth, all of them happy the girls had decided to stay, all of them marveling at the beauty they had brought to the fort. Galahad, Gawain, and Lancelot could often be found in an argument over who could win Carina's heart first. Secretly, however, they all knew who her heart already belonged to.

They had also noticed the looks Tristan had been giving her when he wasn't aware anybody was watching. Careful Tristan, who had always been so watchful and cautious, had grown careless with his longing glances. All the knights knew how their friendship had flourished, but now Carina had grown from a child to a young woman. She was strong; a joyful woman who brought laughter and hope to the knights in their last years of servitude. Tristan knew deep down that he cared for her very much, ever since that day out in the forest when the fear of losing her had almost crippled him, but those feelings also scared him. He had never felt anything for anybody, yet now a woman was bringing him to his knees.

Carina only smiled and laughed at the knights as they would attempt to woo her in their own ways. Lancelot, brazen and bold, would often wrap his arms around her and whisper beautiful things in her ears. Galahad was much more playful, telling jokes and leaning in close to her whenever they spoke. Gawain would show off his skill for her, teaching her the basics of how to use a sword. Even Geraint made an attempt once. In his silent manner, he gathered some flowers for her, and shyly smiling, gave them to her one evening after dinner. She had thanked him profusely and kept them for as long they lasted. Carina knew none of the knights were really serious. Most of them had different women in their beds every night, and they all knew she would go to bed with none of them, so they merely continued their masquerade as a joke and a way to make her laugh.

Another child had been added to Bors' family, and Carina was kept busy at their house most of the time. Fiorella, as she was now called by everybody, was slowly outgrowing her shyness. She and Arabela had become good friends due to their close ages. Carina loved to see them laughing and playing together. She had grown close with the dysfunctional family. Some of the children now considered her their sister. She laughed to think of herself as one of Bors' illegitimate children.

Days passed without much difference except for the growing cold, but one day, as Carina was doing the laundry for the family, Tristan walked up to her, a somber look on his face.

"What is it?" Carina asked, her smile falling.

"The Woads have been attacking the estates of Roman lords. We have orders to stop them," Tristan answered, his voice flat and emotionless.

"But it is the middle of winter!" Carina protested. "Why must you go now?"

Tristan merely shrugged before turning to walk away. Carina stared after him, her fingers getting icy in the water, but her mind unable to concentrate on anything except Tristan's back.

That evening, Carina skipped dinner and stayed in her room next to the fire Jols had built for her. She usually ate with the knights, but tonight they would be preparing for their mission. They left in the morning.

Carina thought about each of the knights, each so strong, and yet in their own way so vulnerable. They were each fighting for a freedom which had been stolen from them, each fighting to stay alive long enough to see their home once again. Carina suddenly hated herself for being a Roman. She wished there was something she could do but knew it was futile. They had two years of servitude remaining, and many battles still awaited them.

They had gone on missions before since the two sisters' arrival, but all of them had been during spring or summer, and all had been relatively short and not as dangerous as this mission. This time they shall have to battle the cold as well as the Woads, and Arthur was estimating they would be gone around four months.

The door opened slowly, but Carina heard it in her silence.

"Have you come to say goodbye?" she asked sullenly, knowing it was Tristan.

He came to face her, looking down at her where she sat in the chair, an amused expression on his face. "You would make a great scout." Carina stared back at him blankly.

Tristan frowned, clearing his throat, knowing better than to avoid the purpose of his visit. "Yes, I came to say goodbye."

"Shouldn't you be making your preparations to leave?" Carina asked, her voice dull.

"They have already been made," Tristan answered.

Carina stared at him, her heart hurting with the pain of him leaving. Why had she allowed herself to become so attached? Tristan was staring back at her expectantly.

"Shall I ever see you again?" Her voice cracked, giving away her emotions. She looked away quickly, trying to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Tristan reached down his hand and gently grabbed her chin. He forced her to look at him. "Yes, you will see me again. I promise you that."

He said with so much conviction, and Carina wanted to believe him. The tears began to unwillingly fall. She tried to turn her head, but Tristan still had a firm grasp on her chin. He bent down until his face was even with hers. He was looking deep into her eyes, searching her like he used to do when they first met. And then he kissed her, his hand still clasped under her chin, the other hand moving to her back, lifting her to him. Carina, her cheeks wet from the tears, felt a shot of emotions when he finally placed his lips to hers. She breathed him in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He pulled her up, not breaking the kiss, drawing her closer to him until their bodies were pressed against each other. Both of his arms were wrapped around her middle now, holding her tightly.

The kiss ended much too quickly for Carina. Tristan pulled away, not releasing her but loosening his grasp. Carina stared at him a moment, running her fingers across his face, over his tattoos. She brushed the hair out of his eyes, neither one of them breaking the gaze.

Finally Tristan sighed, pulled his arms from around her but taking both of her hands in his. He pressed them to his mouth, kissing them gently.

"I will return," he said softly, before dropping her hands and walking slowly out the door.

Carina watched him go, the taste of his lips still fresh. She pressed her fingers to her mouth, not wanting the feeling to end. Exhilaration coursed through her body, but the impending morning hung heavily on her heart.

Carina did not sleep at all that night. She rose early to watch the knights leave, her eyes bloodshot from crying and heavy bags underneath her eyes. Snow was beginning to fall as Carina stood on top of the wall, watching them ride away. Tristan turned once, raising his hand slightly, then quickly rejoined his group.

Several days passed without the snow ceasing. The fort seemed empty and much too large with the knights gone. Their raucous jokes and loud laughter no longer filled the halls. Even Vanora and Bors' children seemed sullen at their leaving. They did not want to play but instead sat in the house, huddling together against the cold, the newest member of the family wailing constantly.

Carina did her best to go about her daily duties, but she did it with a heavy heart. It seemed unfair that Tristan should let her know how he really felt and then leave her for four months. Silently, she began to curse him, hating herself for loving him so much. She also cursed her own people, the Romans, for taking them on such a dangerous mission But every morning she still walked eagerly to the wall to see if there was any sign of them.

The days passed into a month, and then into two months. Winter was at full force now. Snow blanketed the fort and surrounding village. Fierce winds were blowing in from every direction. Carina did her best to keep the children warm. Arabela often joined her at Vanora's house now, unwilling to stay back at the fort alone. They would huddle around the fire with the children, trying to keep their time occupied by telling jokes and stories. The children loved to hear stories about the sisters' past.

A snowstorm blew in one day after nearly three months had passed. Vanora brought her children to the fort one evening as the snow drifts were beginning to form.

"It'll be better here for the chilluns," Vanora said, shaking the snow from her clothes and beginning to carefully unwrap her children from their many layers. Carina bent down and helped her, grateful they had decided to come.

Jols tried to shovel the snow away once, but it was useless. The snow was blowing in faster than he could shovel it. So they sat in the fort close to the fire, waiting for the storm to finish its fury. Carina was not scared for herself but for the knights. How could they possibly survive this out in the forest? Vanora tried to give her an encouraging smile, but Carina could see how worried she was growing as well.

The storm lasted three days before finally letting up. Jols and some of the other servants managed to push the door open with much effort and shovel a small path to the outside world. Carina gasped as she stood in the doorway. Snow drifts nearly reached the rooftops of the villagers' houses. Some of the smaller buildings had completely disappeared. The path Jols and the servants had shoveled was surrounded by walls of snow at least two feet high.

It took two more days for people to start venturing out of their homes. Soon paths were appearing everywhere in the small village, and Carina smiled to see life return. The children were beginning to get antsy from being inside for so long. They ran around the fort mercilessly, while Carina and Vanora chased them down. Arabela and Fiorella often just sat and laughed at these antics, preferring to sit in front of the fire. Arabela had taught Fiorella to quilt, and they spent most of their time doing that.

Just a week or so after the snowstorm hit, the sun returned in full force, blinding the villagers against the white snow. It was still extremely cold, but the wind had died down. Slowly the snow began to melt until it was a tolerable height, and though there were still some snow drifts against a few of the buildings, most of the villagers had cleared the snow from around their houses and life had returned to normal.

It was during this time while Carina was outside making snow angels with the children that the call was sounded from atop the high wall which surrounded their village. Anxiously, Carina ran to the top of the wall and looked out. What she saw made her heart jump. The knights were returning.

The knights entered the gates, cold, beaten, some bloody. Gawain had a nasty gash on his left forearm. Arthur had a cut on his temple. The other knights trudged through the gates on their horses wearily. Carina searched them as they entered, her heart stilled in her chest. Finally she saw him, Tristan, coming in last and leading two horses. Carina wanted to run to him but instead as her eyes fell on the empty horses. Geraint and Kay…they were missing. Her heart sank as she realized the awful truth. Not all had returned alive.

As they sat around the large round table, the knights looked at each other despairingly. Gawain's arm had been stitched up, and Arthur's cut tended to. Carina sat next to Tristan and studied them, looking at each one in turn. Galahad looked like he had been crying. Gawain sat in silence, his face long and his eyes red. Lancelot stared off into nothingness. Dagonet and Bors sat close to each other, their faces devoid of emotion but their eyes giving away their sadness. Tristan looked down into his cup of wine.

Arthur stood, raising a glass to the knights. "You have fought well. I could not ask for anything better of you. Kay and Geraint were good men, good fighters. May their souls rest in peace."

The knights raised their glasses, murmuring replies, and then they each downed their drink. Gawain got up first, leaving quickly. Carina could see his shoulders shaking with the upcoming sobs. Tears fell down her face for him. The pain he must feel to lose his brother. The other knights soon followed. Tristan got up and took Carina's hand in his, an unreadable expression on his face. Carina offered the best smile she could even though she knew it was not convincing. She was so glad to have him home, but her heart ached for those who had died along the way. He held onto her hand and she allowed him to lead her to his bedroom.

A fire had already been made in the hearth, and Carina was glad for its warmth. She sat down on the bed, Tristan sitting closely beside her.

"What happened?" she asked softly, wrapping one of her arms around him, gently rubbing his back.

"We were attacked. Kay and Geraint died," Tristan simply answered. He obviously did not want to talk about it.

Carina let him sit in silence, still stroking his back, when he finally turned to her. "How have things been at the fort?"

"Lonely," she answered with a small smile.

Tristan stared at her, his eyes mesmerizing her once again. "I promised you I would return."

"Yes, and I am so glad that you kept your promise," Carina whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

He wrapped her in his arms, and she fell willingly against him, clutching him. She still found it hard to believe that he was here again…with her. God had granted her another opportunity to be with him, to love him.

And she knew that she did love him very much. As he held her tightly, her face buried in his strong shoulder, she knew there would never be another man for her, that this was the one who was intended for her and whom she had been created for.

He was holding her so tightly it made it hard for her to breathe, but Carina didn't care. Tristan had returned, and nothing else in the world mattered.

After a long while, Tristan pulled back only to pull her into his arms again in a kiss, long and hard. He pressed his lips firmly on hers, his mouth opening and his tongue finding its way into her mouth. His hands were roaming freely and one found its way to her thigh. He slowly began to lift her dress, but Carina pulled back, placing her hand on his to stop it.

"No," she said softly but her voice was firm. Her face was not angry but resolute.

Tristan smiled slightly, nodding his head. He would never disrespect her wishes. Instead, he took off his boots and laid down on the bed, his head on the pillows, one of his arms reaching for her. She smiled and scooted next to him, lying side by side with him, his arm wrapped around her. She leaned into his body, one of her arms falling over his stomach. They fell asleep like that, each cradling the other in their arms, wanting nothing more than just to feel the other's presence.