The One Left behind: A Hero's Return
A/N: This chapter and the rest of the story take place after the movie. Also in my version, Tristan, Dagonet, and Lancelot end up living. Hope you enjoy it!
The sun had just risen when a newborns cry rang out into the early morning. The few people that were up, smiled. A new baby always brought hope and showed people that there was still some innocence left in the world. Leena smiled at the sight of the happy family as she lingered in the doorway.
She left and strolled through the village in silence. Being the village mid-wife meant that she was up at all hours and rarely had any time for herself. When she did, the 24 year old went and sat by the creek where she had memories of her and her older brother, Lancelot, playing as a child that resided in the original part of the newly expanded village.
Just thinking of her brother, who has been gone for a little over 15 years fighting for Rome, made Leena melancholy. It was moment like this that made the young women wish things had never changed. She wished that her tribe hadn't combined with all other Samaritan tribes to create one big town. She also wished that her best friend Zylla still had her family and home and wasn't so sad and withdrawn. Most of all she wished for her brother to come home. Not just for herself but for her aging father who may not be living much longer and for her mother who still shed tears over her lost son.
Almost immediately after she made her wish, she spotted an outline of carts and people on horses that were just barley noticeable. She was about to run and tell everyone that Romans had arrived but saw that none of the riders wore Roman armor. A bubble of excitement rose through Leena. Could it be her brother and the Sarmatian Knights?
Leena could not contain herself. She ran up to meet the mysterious riders. By the time she reached them, she was out of breath and had startled the riders. Five of them looked at her with surprise and curiosity. The only one did not was the rider with dark curly hair that looked at her with shock. Leena raised her light green eyes to meet his.
"Lancelot!" Leena exclaimed.
"Leena?" Lancelot asked as he dismounted.
The two siblings hugged.
"Who's the girl?" whispered the red haired knight quietly to the short balding knight.
"I 'dunno but he must know her," he whispered back.
Lancelot glanced at his brothers-in-arms with a wicked smile on his face.
"This," he said as he wrapped his arms around his sisters shoulders, "Is my little sister."
The knights look at both sibling in surprise and look for the similarities while Leena glared at her brother for calling her little.
Lancelot grinned at his sister in a mocking way. Leena couldn't help herself so she smiled back at him. The blonde curly haired knight broke up their moment by asking for her name.
"My name is Leena. What are yours?"
He explained that is name was Galahad and then proceeded to tells her the others. The short balding man was Bors and he along with his new wife, Vanora, had 12 children. His best friend was Dagonet who was the taller bald man. Galahad said that his best friend was red head named Gawain. Last but not least was Tristan with a quiet demeanor and tribal tattoos on his face. Those tattoos seemed vaguely familiar. Then it came to her.
"Zylla!" she gasped.
All knights gave her strange looks. Tristan furrowed his brows at her as his he recognized what she said but didn't know her connection.
"I am sorry but I must be going. My parents hut is just down the hill. Lancelot can take lead you there and out parents will proceed to help you find your families," Leena instructed hurriedly.
"Help with what Daughter?" a mans deep voice asked.
Leena turned around to meet her father questioning gaze.
"Father, Lancelot- the knights- have returned and need help finding their families."
Tyto scanned the faces of the remaining knight looking for his lost son. When he found him, he pulled him into a hug.
"Come knights. I will show you to your families. Leena go find-"
"I know father. I am going to find her now," Leena said then ran off.
They all watched her retreating figure but Gawain watched her with longing. Lancelot saw this and shoved the youngster hard enough to make him loose his balance and fall off his horse. Everyone laughed as Gawain picked himself up off the ground. The group then started making there towards the newly populated town where each of their family's awaited.
What they didn't know was that a young woman watched the entire exchange with her doe brown eyes.