CHAPTER FOUR
Tristan slowly undressed himself near the bathtub. Raicheal had had told him to remove the bandages from his body. She claimed that she had put herbs into the water that would rinse the wounds and help them heal.
He put his clothes onto the stool next to the table, as he stood there naked he took a good look at his wounds. The one on his chest was healing nicely; the one on his leg would take some more time.
He turned when he heard a small splash behind him, but there was nothing to be seen. Probably the bath next to me.
He stepped into the bath and slowly let his body sink into it, but he jumped up and fell backwards into the tub when he bumped into something. As his head came back above water he saw the face of Guinevere peering through the curtains that closed of is bathtub. She quickly moved behind the curtains embarrassed.
"Sorry," she stammered. "I'm looking for Seath, she has promised to bathe before the wedding."
Tristan got a nervous feeling in his stomach as he felt the bump at his feet started to move and slowly a head covered in black hair with two very familiar eyes appeared. The pair stared wide eyed at each other.
"Tristan, are you all right?" Guinevere was still waiting for answer.
"Yes, I'm all right." Tristan looked at Seath shaking her head at him.
"Did you see Seath?" Guinevere inquired.
Tristan raised his eyebrow at Seath, who started to look very pleading at him. "No." Seath gave him a big grin.
'Thank you.' Seath mouthed and the pair listened to Guinevere's footsteps moving away from them.
"Get out," Tristan hissed at Seath.
"No! She will only find me and then put me in a bathtub filled with stinky stuff." Seath tried to move as far away from Tristan as the bathtub allowed.
"You're already in a bathtub," Tristan whispered back. Seath looked down at the bathtub opened her mouth only to close it again, she then opened her mouth again.
"Good point."
"So get out." Tristan didn't feel comfortable sitting naked in the bathtub with that woman near; he could feel his body starting to react.
"No. it's nice and not stinky." Seath stuck her tongue out at Tristran.
"Besides I'm safe here from the wicked bride. Turn." Seath said to Tristan.
"What?" Tristan had a hard time keeping his facial expressions under control with this woman.
"You know Guinevere. Now be a good boy and turn so that I can wash your back." Seath reached for a piece of cloth near the bath.
"You're not washing me, now get out or I'll throw you out!" Tristan yelled.
"Fine!" Seath threw the cloth in Tristan's face and made her way out of the bathtub.
Tristan pulled the cloth from his face he stared at the naked backside of Seath and mentally groaned. He had thought that she had been fully clothed in his bathtub.
"What never seen a naked woman before? This must be your lucky day." Seath looked over her shoulder as she draped one of the larger cloths around herself and disappeared again.
Gawain had heard Tristan yell something and was making his way over to him, which was kind of hard since there where so many bathtubs and the curtains where overall the same. He thought that he was at the right bathtub this time, until Seath came from behind the curtains and bumped into him.
"Tristan!" Seath yelled.
"What?" Tristan yelled back.
"I found someone to wash your back." Seath pulled at Gawain's tunic, turned him around and pushed him through the curtains.
When she heard the loud splash and cursing of both knights she turned back to her clothes with a big smile on her face.
Gawain pulled some of the curtains from his head as he sat in the bathtub with Tristan. "Do I even want to know what that was about?" Gawain looked at Tristan who looked like he was about to explode.
"No!" Tristan tried to get back out of the bath.
"You can't scare her away, and now you're angry." Gawain started to laugh loudly.
Raicheal, having heard the commotion, had made her way over to Tristan, as she carefully pulled the curtain away to have a small peek she was confronted with a very naked Tristan. Luckily Tristan was too angry to see her and she was quick enough to pull her head back. She had always suspected that Tristan was a beautiful man, but she had never suspected him to be such a fine example of the male species.
"Raicheal!" Tristan's yell brought her back down to earth.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" Raicheal stayed behind the curtain.
"Dress my wounds and get me back to my room." Tristan refused to even go to the wedding, after what had just happened.
"Tristan, be reasonable. You know Arthur wants you there and he's not going to let you stay here." Gawain said from the bathtub in which he still sat.
"I'm a free man and he's not in charge of me anymore." Tristan had to stay still which Raicheal redress his wound, but he was finding it increasingly hard.
"No but he's still in charge here, and can have you locked into the prison if he wishes to," Gawain pointed out, which only earned him a deadly glare from Tristan. "I think I'm going to bath somewhere else." Gawain stepped out of the bathtub and went in search of an empty one.
"There you are! Why are you already wet?" Guinevere looked at Seath's wet hair as she was pulling on the required dress.
"Because I've already bathed." Seath looked at herself in the damned dress.
It reached just below her knees, but if she put on her boots most of her legs would remain covered. Her left shoulder was fully covered by the dress and reached half-way up her arm, her right shoulder was only covered with a shoulder strap. The worst part of the dress was that is white, and although it had two layers, she knew what would happen if the dress would get wet.
"It better not rain." Seath mumbled more to herself than to Guinevere.
"It looks brilliant on you, I bet you will find a nice husband today." Guinevere clapped her hands.
"Ugh!" That was just the comment Seath didn't want to hear. Why couldn't people accept that she didn't need a man to take care of her? Let alone a herd of children hanging on her skirts. The thought alone make her sick to her stomach. Do they think I'm a cow? Only good for breeding?
"Let's go." Seath put her over shirt back on and stuffed her pack with her clothing.
"You have to attend to my dressing, for its tradition." Guinevere looked at Seath as is she was stupid.
"Tradition my arse, you can find me on the wall if you need me." Seath left Guinevere behind; she hated girl stuff. Always had and always would.
"Tristan you're coming to the ceremony, even if this means that I have to tie you to your horse." Arthur was already dressed and cleaned for the ceremony and was gathering his knights to start the move to the sea-side.
Tristan stayed motionless on the stoops of the bathhouse glaring at Arthur. "Bors, Gawain get me a rope!" Arthur yelled at his other knights.
Bors and Gawain were having a hard time getting Tristan on his horse, as he just let himself sag against their bodies so that they couldn't get him on the horse. Arthur noticed Jols standing not so far away and had thought of another way to get Tristan to come.
"Jols, get the wagon." Arthur smirked at Tristan who knew that they would get him on there without a problem. After a few more moments of struggling four knights finally had Tristan secured to the wagon.
"And Jols? Stay with him to make sure he doesn't get away." Arthur left to see how Guinevere was doing.
Tristan put himself in a more comfortable position as he lay down on the wagon's floor. Perhaps now he would get some sleep after all.
Maybe if he pretended to be in a lot of pain and discomfort Raicheal would force Arthur to keep him at the fortress. As he lay there with his eyes closed, little did he know that he was being watched by someone on the wall?
The poor man really doesn't want to go to the ceremony. Perhaps I should help him. Seath sat on the wall her feet dangling over it. She had amused herself greatly watching the four knight's struggle with Tristan. She had to admit that if the man didn't want something, he could be very stubborn.
She made sure that no one saw her as she approached the wagon. The man Arthur had called Jols was standing guard at the front of the wagon. She lifted the cloth on the wagon a bit and put her hand into the wagon, which was immediately grabbed by Tristan.
"I have already told you that I'm rather fond of that hand," Seath whispered as she put her head into the wagon glaring at Tristan.
"Now what?" Tristan still refused to let go of her hand.
"I thought I'd be nice to you and cut you lose, but since your being such a dick about it, I think I won't." Seath hissed again. Tristan yanked on her hand so that she was pulled into the wagon.
"I'm a what?"
"Dick, you're a dick." Seath rolled her eyes at Tristan and put her feet against his body to push herself free from Tristran.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tristan noticed the way Seath had cleaned up. The dirt on her face was gone, along with the blood. She had several small braids in her hair with beads on the ends, even some strands with only beads on them.
"Small words it is then. You're a man, you have a dick, and hence you're a dick." Seath said very slowly as she twisted her hand around unsuccessfully.
"You do have a dick, don't you?" Seath had stopped suddenly and looked curiously at Tristan.
Tristan looked at the woman next to him with his mouth open; he even forgot to keep the pressure on her arm. This caused Seath to stumble backwards in the wagon.
"Arthur what is keeping so long?" Lancelot's voice sounded outside the wagon.
"She's looking for your date." Arthur sighed.
"Now see what you've done." Seath smacked Tristan on his shoulder and climbed back out of the wagon.
"What I've done?" Tristan yelled after her.
"I'm right here." Seath walked around from behind the wagon.
"You weren't just in that wagon, now where you?" Lancelot inquired as he had heard Tristan's yell.
"What if I was?" Seath looked emotionless at Lancelot.
"What where you doing there?" Lancelot's eyes were starting to twinkle.
"Performing sexual favors on your scout, and if you would excuse me for now I have to find my horse." Seath turned away from the knights hoping that her brother had brought Murphy over to the fortress.
The four knights, Jols and Arthur stared at the wagon incredulously. Tristan just shrugged his shoulders at them. Let them think what they like. Truth be told Tristan wasn't too sure if he had stopped her would she had done that.
"I like the girl, she's got fire." Bors laughed loudly. "You keep here around Tristan so that I can laugh some more."
Silently the large group of people made their way over to the sea-side where more people where waiting for Arthur and Guinevere. There was a large number of Woads present, which didn't make the knights feel any more comfortable.
Raicheal rode between Galahad and Gawain, who still refused to tell her what was wrong between them. Perhaps if she could get them drunk later on that night she could find out what was going on between them.
Lancelot had tried to keep a conversation going between himself and Seath, but it appeared that the woman wasn't falling for any of his tricks.
Lancelot watched in amusement as Seath's horse stopped in mid-gallop and put his head almost between its front legs, causing Seath to be launched over the horse's head.
"That's an interesting way of getting off a horse." Lancelot commented.
"Maybe you should try it, as it's very effective as you have seen." Seath didn't even appear to be embarrassed by the incident. "Murphy, stop it."
Seath tried to get the reins back, but the horse decided other way. Murphy first paraded around the wagon, then rolled around in the mud and thought it was time to head to the sea again. "Fine I'll just walk, if I get blisters I will have you castrated." Seath yelled after the horse.
"Seath just get in the wagon." Guinevere order Seath from her wagon. Seath looked at Guinevere's wagon and then jumped into the one with Tristan.
"Hello, me here?" Seath looked at Tristan surprised.
"Isn't that supposed to be you here?" Tristan wondered at the silly display.
"No." Seath answered back as she found herself a comfortable spot in the wagon.
"I think it is." Tristan straightened up a bit.
"No, it isn't because I'm surprised to find myself here; I already knew you were in here." Seath pulled out a knife and started to twirl it around in her hand.
Seath looked as Tristan's brows knitted together in confusion.
"Confused?"
"Very."
"Good." Seath proceeded to close her eyes and then started to snore loudly.
"I know you're not a sleep." Tristan kicked her on her leg.
"How is a person supposed to sleep when you keep kicking me?" Seath kicked him back.
"If you two are done behaving like a bunch of five year olds, I want Seath to come with me." Guinevere had pulled the cloth away from the wagon's opening. Tristan watched as Seath glared at Guinevere, while Guinevere glared back. As Guinevere turned around to leave, Seath pulled a face at Guinevere, causing Tristan to laugh.
Seath heard Tristan laugh and swung her arm in the direction of his head, Tristan seeing this coming, blocked her arm with his arms. "Perhaps you should vent your anger on the person it is meant for," Tristan suggested.
Seath kicked Tristan's bad leg, causing him to groan. "Hurt?" she smirked at him.
"No, not even close." Tristan tried to keep the pain under control, but she had kicked him directly on the wound.
"What about now?" Seath said as she aimed for his crotch. "Tristan grabbed her leg before it could hit him and yanked her off her feet.
"Aww, what you do that for?" Seath turn on her stomach and rubbed her sore behind.
"Excuse me?" Why did she have to make it seem his fault, Tristan wondered.
"SEATH!" Guinevere yelled loudly as she had been waiting impatiently near the wagon.
"You'd better not upset the wicked bride anymore," Tristan hissed at Seath as she moved out of the wagon, causing Seath to stick her tongue out at him again.
As Guinevere and Arthur where moved into position by Merlin's aides, Merlin himself pulled Seath to one side to speak to her. "I know you don't like Guinevere, but I don't trust the situation enough, so keep your eyes open." Merlin whispered as he gestured towards the forest edge.
So that's what Merlin had wanted me here for! To play bodyguard to his precious plan of uniting the bloody Britons.Seath looked for her brothers and motioned for them to come to her, even though they weren't Britons they had been hired by Merlin a long time ago.
Seath's grandfather had been a Sarmatian knight with Arthur's father a long time ago, and he had chosen not to go back to Sarmatian. He had wandered around in Rome's empire and had fallen in love with a Gypsy woman. As they started their family they had been in need of money, so he had become an assassin for anyone who could afford him.
And just like his father, Seath's father had become an assassin. During one of his mission for the Celts he had fallen in love with a woman there and had decided to start his family on her island.
Seath and her brothers' had followed in her grandfather's footsteps. Much to her grandfather's amusement Seath had turned out to be a complete duplicate of his wife, only with the lethal skills that come with the profession of being an assassin.
Merlin had heard of this family of assassins and had hired them for several missions to kill Romans. This was how Seath had come across the Sarmatian knights. She had never mortally wounded one of the knights since she couldn't kill a fellow countryman. She had, however, wounded all of the knights on several missions.
As her brothers had come to her she quickly explained the situation to them, Drew would take place near to Arthur, while Fychan and Rhys would keep their eyes on the forest for any signs of danger. Double checking their plan, they headed they own ways and Seath took her place next to Lancelot.
As they stood their together waiting for the ceremony to begin, Murphy had returned from his little trip to the sea and was contently rolling around in the mud.
"Did you know that Sarmatians believe horses to be fallen Sarmatian knights?" Lancelot whisper into Seath's ear as she looked at her horse rolling around in the mud again.
"Then I believe my horse to be a fallen knight of your tribe, Sir Lancelot." Seath whisper back to Lancelot.
"And why does the lady think so?"
"Because, just like you, it won't stop prancing around." Seath whispered and moved away from Lancelot, who looked at her with his mouth open.
"I don't prance," he said offended.
"That's not what I hear." Seath said unblinking at Lancelot.
"Ah, and what did you hear?" Lancelot wondered what was being told about him.
"That you prance a lot around the ladies, which I must say is quite revolting to me." Seath said as she pushed Lancelot's head back to face Arthur. It appeared that the ceremony was beginning.
"I think they are about to begin," Gawain whispered to Raicheal, who was trying to climb on one of the wagons, hoping to get a better view.
"Really, Galahad. Move! I want to see it." Raicheal pushed Galahad of the wagon and took his place.
"Women." Bors and Tristan said at the same time, only Tristan got away with it while Bors was smacked on his head by Vanora.
Tristan had kept his eye on Seath the entire time, as she appeared to be waiting for something to happen. He had seen Merlin warn her about something, and had watched her brothers take their places. It would appear that she knows what she's doing.
Tristan had to admit that she looked amazing in the tiny white dress she was wearing, although it was less revealing that the other ladies dress. He had to suppress his laughter as he had watched Guinevere tried to get her out of her coat.