Amazonian Support 15

Lancelot smiled painfully as he finished wrapping Sarmatia's wound while listening to Romana groan and moan as Dagonet labored over her own wounds.

Arthur asked warily, "How is she Dagonet?"

Dagonet sighed and replied as he finished wrapping the Amazon's wound, "It looked more worse than it really was. She'll be fine as long as she doesn't aggravate it to badly."

Theaia snorted and said, "Then you'd better keep her close Dagonet. She's the most stubborn out of the five of us when it comes to fighting with injuries."

Romana stuck out her tongue and said, "Looks who's talking."

Arthur smiled as the others laughed and said, "Come now, we still have a job to do."

Lancelot nodded and said, "Yes, lets get this over with."

Faster than they had hoped, for they thought it'd take them five days to reach the family, they instead, arrived on the dawning of the third day.

As they came upon the large wooden gates, they closed and a voice called from above, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Arthur turned down his head and shook it as he said when he raised his head back up, "I am Arthur Castus, Commander of the Sarmatian Knights, sent by Bishop Germanous of Rome. Open the gate."

As the ten riders entered the large Roman Mansion, they watched as a squat, pudgy man in a Roman toga came up to them with a very fake smile on his face, "It is a wonder you have come. Good Jesus, Arthur and his Knights; you have fought the Woads-vile creatures."

As Arthur went to tell him of his and his Knights' charge, Marius spied the women and barked out, "What are these Pagan women doing on horseback carrying weapons?! They have no business riding as men!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and thought as Areia retorted back to the Roman official, this is getting repetitive. So what if the women ride like men, they are Amazons not Roman. Why do they have such a hard time understanding this???

Marius looked baffled and asked Arthur in an incredulous tone, "You ally yourselves with Amazons?! But you are Christian! It goes against everything God stands for!"

The Knights snorted and the Amazons laughed as Arthur raised his eyes heavenward and said instead in an ordering tone, "Our orders are to evacuate you immediately."

Marius blinked and said pompously, "But that... that is impossible."

Arthur rolled his eyes and prayed to the Guardian for patience and asked instead as he looked purposely around-he didn't want to remain here any longer than he needed to, "Which is Alecto?"

From high above them on the second story level of the mansion came a young, maturing voice, "I am Alecto."

Marius added levelly as if he was trying to keep calm, "Alecto is my son. And everything we have is here in the land given to us by the Pope of Rome."

Lancelot rolled his eyes and said as he horse skittered to the side to escape the Roman's touch and Tristan and Theaia silently left to scout the lands ahead of them, "Well, you're about to give it to the Saxons."

Sarmatia added with a wicked looking smirk, "They're invading from the north."

Marius Honourius glared at her and said with a lazy wave of his hand like he was brushing aside their very reason for coming here, "Then Rome will send an army."

Arthur pursed his lips at the Roman's attitude and replied blandly, a sure sign to Lancelot that Arthur was close to losing his patience with the man, "They have-us. We leave as soon as you're packed."

Marius pointed to Arthur and said as the Amazons grew closer to the Knights and Arthur, "I refuse to leave."

He turned to the people on his lands that worked for him and ordered briskly, "Go back to work! All of you!"

Areia snorted and said, "Isn't that just like a man."

The Knights rolled their eyes as they watched a few men in Roman armor push and shove the helpless, sickly looking peasant around, "You heard! Go!"

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed as the people shuffled away like frighten kittens all the while saying, "All right, all right!"

And still the Romans were pushing and shoving the people, "Go! Get back to work, all of you! Go back!"

Lancelot and Arthur shared a glance. Lancelot's was frustrated and a little desperate and Arthur's was filled with nothing but indignant rage.

He swung dawn from his horse and said as he marched purposely up to Marius in an intimidating way, "If I fail to bring you and your son back, my men can never leave this land. So you're coming with me if I have to tie you to my horse and drag you all the way to Hadrian's Wall myself."

He bowed slightly with his head and added mockingly, "My lord."

Then he turned towards the quite, invisible Roman lady, Marius' wife and added more gently, "Lady, my knights are hungry."

The Amazons sneered in disgust as the woman, who by their standards, should be in control of her own actions and not need a man's approval, silently asked her husband for orders. To them, the Romans were everything that was wrong in the world. The Romans were the black dot of shame upon the world. Athena, from her place next to Gawain, tilted her head to look at him. He was silently scanning the area for possible threats as were the other Knights, but she knew that her lion-like friend was in agreement with her and her sisters. She turned back to the Roman Official as he barked back to his timid wife, "Go."

Then the sniveling man placed a hand on his son's shoulder and said forcefully, "Come!"

Bors, who was closest to Arthur saw him gazing around the Roman compound with growing horror. In an attempt to save him from seeing more of the horrors his own country did to those not of Roman descent, he placed a hand on his shoulder and suggested nicely, "Come. Let us go, hm?"

But Arthur ignored him. As he purposely headed towards an old man hanging by his wrists with a bloody, slashed back a young, thin man appeared by his side and asked excitedly, "Sir, you're famous. You're Arthur, aren't you? I'm Ganis. I'm a good fighter and I'm smart. I'd serve you proudly."

Bors and the other Knights rolled their eyes and readied themselves for a fight. The Amazons simply smiled and pulled out their own weapons. Dagonet eyed Romana with a frown, but she simply smiled sweetly back. Dagonet was worried, but remained silent. After all, she was her own lady and could do whatever she wanted-he had no claim to her-yet.

As Bors turned towards Arthur, ready to go to his aide, should he need it, an old man in cleric robes appeared by his side and asked hopefully, "Are you from Rome?"

Bors gave him a blank stare and said dryly, seriously, "From hell."

Lancelot and Sarmatia, who were both watching over Arthur, rolled their eyes as the young man, once again, tried to gain Arthur's attention, "Sir…"

Arthur cut him off and demanded, "Who is this man?"

Ganis replied hesitantly, "He's our village elder."

As Lancelot came to Arthur's right side, Arthur demanded once more, "What is this punishment for?"

When Ganis didn't answer right away, Arthur cried out, "Answer me!"

Ganis answered quickly because of Arthur tone and Lancelot's hard stare, "He defied our master, Marius. Most of the food we grow is sent out by sea to be sold. He asked that we keep a little more for ourselves, that's all. My ass has been snappin' at the grass I'm so hungry! You're from Rome. Is it true that Marius is a spokesman for God and that it's a sin to defy him?"

Lancelot winced at Ganis' answer. He turned to Sarmatia and nodded to her silent question yep, Arthur's in a stint now.

Arthur felt rage sweep through his body like an ocean storm over flooding a tiny rive as he pointed Excalibur in Ganis' direction and roared, "I tell you now. Marius is not of God. And you, all of you, were free from your first breath!"

He swung his awe-inspiring sword through the air and cut the man's bonds and ordered, "Help this man. Help him!"

Lancelot sighed deeply. He knew what was next-Arthur will want to save all the people here…that was the kind of man he was. Lancelot bit his lip as he stared at Sarmatia from the corner of his eye. She was looking at Arthur with pride in her eyes. He knew she was in agreement with Arthur about saving as many people as they could, but he was torn. He knew it was the right thing to do-to save the people. If they didn't the Saxon's would surely kill them all. But traveling with so many people-mostly old men and women and weak, malnourished young men and women-would slow them down tremendously. They would be overrun with Saxons and they'd have to fight. They would be risking their lives AGAIN for those whom wouldn't even thank them. Never mind the fact that they were risking their freedom by traveling so slow.

He turned back to Arthur as he continued to talk impassioned to the people and he couldn't help but be inspired, just a little, by his friend's speech and desire to help those in need, "Now hear me. A vast and terrible army is coming this way. They will show no mercy, spare anyone. Those of you who are able should gather your things and begin to move south towards Hadrian's Wall. Those unable shall come with us."

He turned back towards Ganis and ordered, "You, serve me now.

Get these people ready."

The young man stood straighter and said briskly to the people dressed in old rag-like clothes, "Right, you heard him. You go grab enough food and water for the journey. Let's get hurry on; else we're all dead! Come on, hurry."

As they rushed about gathering as much food, water, and spare clothes, they saw from the corner of their eyes two riders, a man and a woman with hawks on their arms, ride right up to Arthur, a man with curly black hair, and a woman with the most amazing violet purple eyes and overheard them as the wind brought the conversation to them, "They have flanked us to the east. They're coming from the south, trying to cut off our escape. They'll be here before nightfall."

"How many?"

"An entire army."