When Laurel opened her eyes the first thing they beheld was the smiling face of Gawain. "She's awake." she heard him say and the sounds of footsteps approached. Laurel groaned, she felt like hell.

Sitting up she was about to ask how long she had been out when it occured to her that she was no longer in her livingroom. "What the hell?" she blurted out.

"It worked!" came the excited voice of her sister Sofia. "Granted it worked a little too well because we're here as well, but wow! This is so incredible! Laurel do you realize it?! We're in the sixth century. The Sixth Century!!" She was talking so fast the Laurel was having a hard time keeping up with her.

"Whoa, whoa, let her be a minute." came Galahad's voice. "Give her a minute to clear her head, it has to hurt."

Sofia was about to say something else when Laurel interrupted her by saying "It hurts like hell. I'm thirsty." She held her forehead and let her shoulders slump foreward. Gawain was right there to hold her up. A red haired woman brought her a cup of liquid. Upon taking a drink she realized it was wine. She let her head fall backwards as she drained the cup. Taking in a breath she glanced around. The air was clear, no smog, there were the smells and sounds of horses and people all around her. Had it happened just as Sofia had said? Was she really in the sixth cetnury.

"Welcome to Baden Castle, Lady Laurel." said a familiar but somehow more regal voice. Arthur was walking towards her, a lovely young woman was at his side. "This is Guinevere." The younger woman smiled at Laurel, her eyes still not believing what she was seeing.

"How long was I out this time?" she asked as she rubbed her temples.

"Only a few hours." replied Gawain. "We have a lot of work to do so you should go with Sofie and Vanora, okay?" The concern in his eyes for her was stronger. He was being downright protective of her.

As she walked with her sister and the red heade woman, Vanora, who, as she had been told, was Bors' woman. Woman not wife. She was taken into a room and fitted with a dress. "Women in this century do not wear blue jeans and camisole shirts." Sofia explained to her matter of factly. Laurel rolled her eyes at her sister.

"I'm not an idiot, Sof, I did read the same books as you when we were kids, remember. The only difference was you saw facts and figures... I saw people." She pulled a light blue dress over her head and tied it at the waist with a tan cord. It was flattering. Showing off all the right attributes and hiding the wrong ones. "How do I look?" she asked as she twirled around where she stood."

"Like a fool, the way you twirled around. Like a fairy." said Sofia blandly. She wasn't paying much attention to her sister. There was something going on outside.

The three women walked into the courtyard to see the wagons being loaded and women and children piling in their belongings. Bors walked up and told Vanora to get the kids ready, they were leaving. A rather snotty looking man dressed in a centurian's armour was walking towards a heavily guarded carriage. This must be the Bishop that Arthur and Lancelot had told her about. He didn't say anything to her as he brushed past her, nearly knocking her down. It took all her reserve will power to keep from telling him off. He could have her killed.

The caravan was slowly inching it's way out of the castle. Laurel and Sofia had been set on horses and were riding easily along with them. Gawain rode up beside her, looked at her new clothes and nodded his acceptance. "I'm glad you like them." said Laurel with a smile. Sofia made a childish gagging noise. Lancelot and Galahad laughed. Gawain shot then a contemptuous but not mean scowl.

They were out of sight of the castle when the sounds of drumming startled everyone out of their skin. The horses whinnied and reared. Laurel was able to steady hers while Galahad helped Sofia to calm hers. Laurel had always been more attuned to animals than her sister. Sofia thought they were just there for man's disposal but laurel knew they were there to be man's friends. She talked quietly to her horse, keeping it calm. "Shh," she said. "It's alright. They're far from here. It's just an echo." she patted the beast's mane and continued her "Shh"'s

She turned to face her sister but Gawain's face caught her attention. It was pained and resolved. Their eyes met and she knew what he was thinking. Nodding at him she whispered "It's your choice." Tears welled in her eyes as Gawain and the other four knights rode off back towards the castle to fight the good fight with Arthur, who had stayed behind to defend his country.

The caravan moved on a little more when Laurel shouted "I cant just sit here and wait. I have to do something!"

"What do you suggest?" shot back her sister's voice. "That we go in and fight too, becoming a distraction for the guys and possibly getting them and us killed?" Her hands were on her hips. Her face told Laurel that she too had been crying.

"I don't know!" cried Laurel. "But I cannot just ride away when they could be dying!" Her blood pressure was rising as was her adrenaline. Laurel was about to do something very foolish... again.

"Don't go off and do something crazy. This isn't home. There's no miracle medicing to keep you from dying. If it happens, it's final. There will be no going back." Sofia was trying to reason with her sister. It wasn't working.

"I'm going." she said to her sister calmly. She reigned in her horse and galloped off, not in the direction of the castle but of the woods. It suddenly dawned on Sofia what her sister was doing. She was going to fight as a Woad. Gawain would never realize it was her if she was painted blue. Shaking her head in disbelief, Sofia too turned her horse and followed her sister into the forest.

It took no time at all turning Laurel and Sofia into Woads. In fact the leather pants and deerskin top felt more comfortable to Laurel that the dress she had been wearing a moment ago. She held a bow in her left hand. A dagger was hidden in her boot and her hair was tied back in a braided ponytail. She walked up and stood next to Guinevere who noticed her, grinned and nodded.

She stood and watched as the knights fought the first wave of Saxons as the poured through Hadrian's Wall. They left one alive to send back to his commander.

The second wave was much larger than the first as the remaining Saxons filed through the great Gates into lower Brittain. She watched as the group spilt in two, the smaller section coming her way.

Parts of Laurel's view was obscured by the black smoke that billowed up from the burning pitch covered hay bales. It was time. Laurel's heart was beating furiosly in her chest. She could see her sister standing a few feet behind her and was glad to have her so near. Guinevere gave the order to raise arrows. As Laurel did so, a male Woad came along and lit it's grass covered tip on fire. She was ready to fight.