I'm home sick today, so I figured an update was in store. This is becoming my longest story so far, and I'm only on chapter five. Please, readers, feel loved. I'll probably start updating on weekends from now on, writing during the week. Reviews are always lovely. Thanks to my two reviewers rejazzz and redrose7856, hope you both like it.

For future reference, I'm not completely following the movie time line. Things might get a bit messed up, so think of this as a bit AU. I'm warning you now, so twenty chapters from now when I actually get to the movie, don't get surprised when it gets slightly changed.

Still own nothing except Lira and anything else you may not recognize. I also DO NOT own the legend of King Arthur or anyone/thing you know of it.

Chapter Two

It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.

-Alfred Alder

Lira blew on her frozen fingers and crept closer to the small fire Heath had managed to start, looking around the new camp with uneasy. It had been almost a month since the attack on her home, and she had already lost count on how many more villages Cerdic had pillaged since then. They had crossed the length of northern Britain five times over, it felt like.

Heath had kept his promise to her, letting no harm befall her and always making sure they had warm food and shelter for the night. None of the Saxons cared much what the two captives did, so long as they stayed out from underfoot. Lira had no ideas as to why they were kept alive, if no one needed them, why keep them hostage? Cerdic had made no attempts to contact them, much to Lira's relief, but she still doubted the reasoning behind their captivity.

In all honesty, the two captives did nothing during their day but follow dutifully behind the Saxons as they moved from village to village, taking what they will. Lira had tried to earn her keep, despite not wanting to be in the camp to begin with, she was starting to become bored during the day. But none of the men in camp paid her any mind and brushed past her, leaving her bored as ever.

She had made efforts to question Heath, but he had easily dodged her questioning, steering her on to different subjects. Lira wanted to trust Heath, he had given her no reason to doubt his integrity, but his lack of help on the subject was beginning to unnerve her. It was apparent that he knew something, but the younger boy was unwilling to share his information with Lira. Eventually, she gave up all hope of interrogating the answers out of the boy, who was sealed shut when she bothered him about it.

For near another whole month, she kept herself from asking about their purpose. Instead, Lira forced herself to pay more attention to her surroundings, to possibly find her answers in the men surrounding her. However, she quickly found that Saxon men were nothing more than brutes, doing little more than eat, sleep, pillage, and on the rare occasion, grunt. It didn't take long for Lira to know that none of them would be any help to her, in any way, other than to gesture towards food, if even that.

Lira restrained herself best she could from making any plans of escape or advances towards her knowledge of why she still captive. Heath revealed his birthday was coming quickly, or what they thought was his day of birth, nothing was for certain out in the wilderness. As it would turn out, he turned sixteen that day, leaving Lira only a few months older than him.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough about our reason for being here," Heath said for the millionth time, trying hard to keep a friendly look upon his face.

Lira gave a huff and resisted the feel to stomp her foot like a child. "I want answers, Heath," she said, taking a step towards the taller yet younger boy. "Answers that you seem to be unwilling to share."

Heath threw his hands into the air frustrated and nearly growled. "I don't know anything Lira!" He neared his friend, resting his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. "Don't you think that if I did, I'd tell you? Don't you trust me, friend?"

Lira let her shoulders drop and let out a heavy, burdened sigh. She turned up to meet Heath's pale eyes, "I thought I could."

Heath looked at her, taken aback. Lira gave him a last look, full of resign, ready to accept her fate, whatever it may be. She had no idea what tomorrow, or the nest day would bring, but apparently Lira had no control of it. If Heath was unwilling to help her escape from their unknown fate, she'd go alone. She turned away from her friend, leaving him next to the fire, trying to understand the girl that had somehow wormed her way into his life.

He gave a great sigh, prodding the unsuspecting fire harshly with a stick. Heath knew that the only thing keeping them alive was keeping Lira in the dark. If Cerdic learned that Lira knew the truth, who knew what he would do to her to change Heath's mind. Persuasion was a powerful thing that the Saxon leader knew well and had no problem wielding it.

Though they had only just become friends, trust together by some unknown Fate, Heath wanted nothing to do with any harm that could befall Lira. If that meant he had to lie to Lira to keep her safe, he would. He had made a promise, and Heath intended to keep it. The reasoning behind Heath's stay with the Saxon's was his burden to bear, not hers.

Lira looked out of the barred wagon, watching as Heath continued feeding the fire angrily. She shook her head, to do. She knew that he knew something, something that could possibly save them both. But, if Heath was unwilling to share, Lira would have to bring matters into her own hands. She wasn't going to wait around to see how long it would take Cerdic and his Saxon goons before they became bored with her. She could only imagine what would happen when her luck started running out.

The picture was not a pretty one.

--

The next day, Heath was surprised to find Lira back to normal and unquestioning. She awoke before him, prepared a decent meal out of the scraps that she was given, and talked about the freshly fallen snow.

Lira was that odd girl that no one could help but love. Her quirks were fascinating and most often rather amusing. She was the only girl Heath had ever met that loved the snow more than anything. On more than one occasion during their time spent together, Lira had unformed Heath of the snow and its great amazing-ness.

"If it's going to snow," Lira told him a bright smile, hands held palm up as the light snow fell around her. "Then it will. It never breaks a promise; it's almost always on time. Every year it comes at the exact same time," she turned back to an amused Heath and lowered her arms. "Sometimes, it's the only thing left in the world that makes sense."

Heath let out a snort. "How do you figure that?"

A serious look overcame the older girl as she explained the greatness of the snow surrounding them. "It leaves, but you always have the guarantee that one day, it'll come back. Tell me of a person that does that," she challenged.

A few men came to mind, but Heath said nothing, waiting for Lira to continue.

"Snow will always be here, and it always has. When we die, the snow will still live on. Not to mention that it does nothing. All it does is fly," Lira's face turned wishful as she started twirling around in the snow, coming to a stop before Heath. She leaned in towards him secretively, looking around childishly to see if anyone else was listening. "Sometimes," she said in a whisper, as Heath leaned in closer to hear her soft words, "I wish I could fly."

Heath laughed as Lira backed away quickly and dance carelessly around in the snow, not even caring about the Saxon men around them. As he watched the girl, Heath couldn't believe the stories she'd told him, the ones filled with hate and mockery from her village. How could the village people hate and care not for the girl before him? Lest she be a witch that had cast a spell on him, Heath saw nothing wrong with Lira, just a spirited, loving sixteen year old girl.

A girl who deserved more than to be enslaved to a Saxon tyrant.

--

Lira let out a scream as hands grabbed her, pulling her from the wagon forcefully. Her eyes were bleary from sleep, but she lashed out at the thick arms holding her, scratching and clawing. The men paid no heed to her struggles and pulled her to her feet, not releasing her arms. Behind her, Lira could hear Heath fighting his way, trying to escape from the Saxons iron grips.

"Heath!" she yelled, trying to turn around and face him but was forced back forward by a Saxon.

The sky was dark overhead and the large fire in the center of the camp burned against the black inkiness. A few more soldiers were waiting around the fire and Cerdic motioned for the men holding Lira and Heath to bring them forward. Both captives were forced onto their knees, hands holding them down. Lira's eyes met Heath's as they waited in silence, both of them breathing heavily from the struggle.

Cerdic walked towards them slowly, snow crunching beneath his monstrous boot and he came to a stop a foot before Lira. She kept her eyes to the ground as he crouched down, lifting her chin up and making her look him in the eye.

"Pretty girl," he said in a low voice, tracing her jaw with a rough finger, "aren't you?"

Lira said nothing but pulled away her chin, resisting the urge to spit in the Saxon lord's face. He laughed at her, standing up to his full height, looking down at them with a leer. Lira was reminded of how a six year old would look at the bug he was about to squish with his shoe, finally understanding how that poor, innocent bug felt as the shoe came towards them, blocking out the sun.

Cerdic laughed at Lira's frightened face and turned back to the fire. "I'm sorry to inform you both that you won't be staying with us much longer," he said, pulling something out of the fire, back still turned. "You both are about to make me a lot of money." He turned back around, showing Heath and Lira the object in his hand and Lira immediately began to squirm in her captor's hands. "Got to mark the property," Cerdic said, coming closer to the two captives.

Heath's eyes grew wide as Cerdic came towards him with the white hot metal that had been formed in the shape of a C with a horizontal cross through the middle. A Saxon grabbed Heath's arm just as Cerdic came down with the hot metal and Lira shut her eyes against the scream of pain that sounded beside her.

She had no time to protest as one of the Saxons beside her pulled out her arm and the burning metal met her skin, searing it. Her scream echoed throughout the camp, waking those who had somehow managed to already fall asleep. Cerdic let out a low laugh, and threw the brand back to the fire, stalking away to his tent.

The Saxons holding Lire released her, throwing her into the snow and she felt Heath fall beside her. They lay in silence, neither speaking as the pain overcame their arms. Lira closed her eyes, hoping to ignore the pain as it sneaked up her arm. She felt Heath move beside her but kept her eyes closed. Her arm jerked as the feeling of ice met her burned arm and her eyes sprung open to find Heath packing snow on her arm. She looked and saw he had already put snow on his own branding and silently thanked him.

Heath stood up and brushed the snow off his clothes as best he could. Lira looked up at him and silently took his offered hand. She grabbed his arm as he started to walk away and pulled it next to her outstretched one, looking at the matching brands that would forever scar their skins.

Lira let out a laugh and whipped away a stray tear as Heath looked at her confused. She laughed again, motioning towards their brands. "We match."

--

Heath looked around groggily at the sound of crunching snow. The camp was quiet, it being in the early morning and the sun still behind the mountains; only a few men were still awake, keeping guard. He checked to see Lira still asleep under a thin blanket, her dark hair creating a halo around her head. She muttered something and turned on her side, leaving Heath to stare at her back.

His head whipped around at the sounds of more feet running across the snow and barely had time to duck his head before an arrow flashed out of the trees, lodging itself into the side of the wagon. Across the camp yells of attack sounded, dozens of blue men flew from the woods, killing men as they went.

Lira awoke with a start at the sounds of the yelling and looked at the battle going on beside them in fright. Heath crawled over to her, grabbing her hand and pulled her with him towards the door of the wagon.

Around the wagon the Saxons fought against the Woads, who seemed to reappear after one was killed. Dozens were still flowing out of the woods, weapons held high in the air. Heath looked to see many Saxons, some he recognized, be brought down by the blue demons. Though, as he saw them die, he couldn't make himself feel sorry for them. This was the punishment they deserved for their evil doing.

Heath turned away from the battle and back to where Lira was enchanted by the fight herself. He rattled her arm, making her focus back to him. "When I say run," he yelled to her, over the battle sounds, turning to her and forcing her to look at him, instead of the dying men around them, "You run! You understand me, Lira? You run as hard and as fast as you can for the woods!"

Lira nodded her head frantically, her face pale and white, much like the snow. All she wanted was to get away from the fight. She was a coward when it came to bloodshed, she was squeamish around blood, and even if the Saxons deserved their death, it was unpleasant to have to watch. Lira would be willing to follow Heath to the ends of the earth if it meant getting away from the fight before her.

Heath lurched forward and stopped to look back at her once again, "Don't look back."

Lire nodded again, having no problem with leaving the fight behind. Heath waited until after a Woad past by their wagon before throwing open the door and ran for the woods, Lira close behind. Her feet flew across the snow, the Fates with her as she kept from slipping and falling. Heath guided them through the havoc, avoiding the individual fights and bringing them to the woods without fault.

They sprinted into the trees, Lira looking back as the camp fell out of sight. Heath brought them to a stop and Lira looked forward, almost letting out a groan. Heath dropped her hand and raised his into the air, Lira following suit. The Woads however, did not drop their weapons.

Reviews are like heroine, feed the addiction.