Disclaimer: The only character I own in this story is Kaleigh. I don't any of the original characters from the King Arthur legend.
"spoken"
thoughts
Chapter 6: Riddles
Kaleigh did not slacken Valdeer's pace until she entered the forest. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the dimness and scanned the ground for signs of where the others had gone. Once she determined what trail they were on she heeled the black stallion into a quick canter. She had been going for at least half the day, taking only one half hour break for Valdeer to catch his breath, when it started to rain. Correction, it stormed. She pulled her cloak's hood up and squinted, slowing her pace considerably to keep track of the trail. Her only consolation was she knew the others would probably be going the same pace she was. When it grew too dark to see she slowed to a walk, trusting Valdeer to stick to the trail. She eventually halted and settled down against a tree for the night, grumbling about not being able to lite a fire because of the dumb rain.
The next morning she was mounted and following the trail at first light. She ate some food from her bags as they walked along and then took off at a pace slightly slower than the previous day because the rain had made the ground slippery.
After a while she saw several arrows in trees and halted. She dismounted and knelt to inspect the muddy ground which was freshly churned. She gripped her sword tightly as she discerned that, presumably, Arthur and the knights had turned down several different paths, doubling back and weaving. She found vines that cris-crossed the trail and attached to arrows like the ones she had seen earlier. She continues to analyze and dissect the complicated tracks and finally came to a halt. The earth looked much more impressed here. She looked up at the trees in front of her and saw vines which had definitely been sliced and when she held them up she could see sharp barbs and thorns that had been woven into the green foliage.
"No wonder they didn't just run through it. " she looked at the base of one of the trees and found an arrow that was intricately decorated, not like any she'd ever seen. It was still good so she placed it in her quiver to examine later. She saw footprints in the underbrush and could guess what had happened.
The Woads had cornered the knights, but there was no signs of a fight. Why hadn't the Woads continued the attack? She quickly jumped back onto Valdeer and turned to head down the trail the knights had continued on. She was staring at the ground when Valdeer halted and snorted. In the road in front of her she saw an old man with a walking stick and a bushy grey beard. His clothes looked old and worn.
"I am Merlin." he spoke in a low, smooth voice, "And you, Kaleigh of Sarmatia, must be careful how you proceed on from here."
She pointed her sword at Merlin, "What do you speak of and how do you know my name? Wait — Merlin — is that not the name of the Woad leader." she glanced at the trees, ears straining to pick up the slightest sound, but all was quiet. "Do you have men waiting to ambush me?" she asked.
He shook his head, "My men have no quarrel with you or the other Sarmatians."
"And yet I find evidence of an ambush behind me."
"I did not let my men attack them. Rome is leaving and in its place the Saxon has come." Merlin paused, eyeing her, and when she began to retort he continued, "You are a brave warrior, but you cannot defeat the world."
She furrowed her brow, convinced this man was a few arrows short of a full quiver. "Speak plainly what you want from me old man, or move from my way. You have spared my countrymen so I shall spa–"
"Your purpose will be revealed only when the most delicate flower survives the coldest frost."
"Riddles! Can you not speak plainly!" Kaleigh protested.
"Take heed. He who owns your heart shall have need to borrow it or they will both fall."
Kaleigh looked at the man in front of her, completely lost, "Merlin, you might be considered wise by your people, but what good is wisdom when no one understands what it is you say?" A twig snapped beside her and she looked into the forest, when her gaze returned to the trail, Merlin was gone. She nudged Valdeer forward into a gallop, anxious to get away from that place and that man.
The forest above grew thicker and she slowed, the better to track and think at the same time. When they reached a stream she dismounted, allowing Valdeer to wander and graze. A hawk cried out above her and Kaleigh watched it circle away from her. She stepped onto several stones toward the middle of the water and crouched down. She scooped her hand into the frigid water and brought it to her mouth. She stayed crouched, balancing precariously on the slick, moss-covered rocks thinking about the riddles.
Delicate flower survives the deepest frost. A flower can not survive the frost, it kills them. Even so, how would that reveal my purpose? Am I to become a gardener? She scoffed at the image of herself tending to small plants and tenderly weeding the ground. She was more likely to grow wings then have that happen. She began to wonder if the old man had perhaps let his power go to his head. She had heard of such tales, men who were wise but became infatuated with themselves and their own power, to the point where they thought they were gods and went insane.
And yet, part of the second riddle made sense. Sort of, kind of, maybe. The man who owns my heart? No man owns my heart. The closest to that is my brother but Merlin made it sound like a man I love. Perhaps a man I will love.
A name pooped into her head, but she quickly shook it out. It's impossible. We are much alike but even if I one day felt that way for him, how could he ever for me. His face popped into her mind and her heart skipped a beat. But how could Merlin know, she argued, when I myself am not sure.
Because he's a dark magician, duh! Her mind reasoned.
She consented that fact, but even if he was that still did not explain the other ridd–
"Kaleigh."
She jerked in surprise and squeaked as her foot slid off the rock and she landed in the shallow stream. She wiped the water from her eyes and blew her hair from her face, glaring at the water for being so cold before raising her eyes to the one who had surprised her. When she caught sight of the figure on the opposite bank, her heart skipped a beat.
Author's Note: I live! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, not to mention this chapter's half the length of all the others but I hope you like it anyways. I'll update the next chapter if I get a good review response. I'm having some difficulty developing the plot after the Battle on Badon Hill, which is one reason I didn't update for so long. As always, review and let me know what you think. It was awesome how lmany of you responded to my story and if I get just half of that I'll be thrilled.
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY: I know this update wasn't quite as soon as you requested, but at least I've updated. Hope you like!
Calliann: I'm glad you found this story and like it so much. It's always awesome to hear from new reviewers. Don't worry, Germanius won't get off free, though that comes in later in the story. You'll have to wait for another chapter or so to find out what their reactions to her following them are, but I think it'll be worth it. Hope you like the update.
dw: I'm glad you enjoyed her interaction with the knights, I wasn't really sure if I was going in the right direction with that. I don't want to make them to OC's, and your review was a reassurance.
sissysara88: Hi, I'm glad you liked it and took the time to review.
MistakenLove: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you enjoy the update.
Cameryn: Congrats, I think yours was the longest review I've ever gotten and I really enjoyed reading it. I'm glad you liked how tough she was with the Bishop, but she's not done with him yet.yeah, she did follow the knights, but like I told Calliann, you'll have to wait a couple of chapters to find out their reactions. I'm glad you think my relationship with Tristan and Lancelot is panning out well. Hope you enjoy the update.
Evenstar-mor2004: Those silly boys, they really do need rescuing don't they. I wish i could do that to the Bishop to, I think a lot of girls do actually. : ) Hope you enjoy the update.
Pinky666: I'm glad you like the story and hope yo enjoy the latest chapter.
Katemary77: I'm glad you like her personality. She isn't turning out to Msish yet is she. I really don't want to go that route. I hope you enjoy.
Kafan: I'm glad you liked her banter, there's more coming up. Enjoy!
Keelin: I'm thrilled that you liked the interaction between the characters and I hope that you like this chapter though there isn't much interaction.
Just a fan: Yes, Tristan is looking out for Kaleigh. I figure he's a scout and a friend of her brothers so he probably wouldn't want anything to happen to her. I hope you enjoy this chapter, the next one should be up by the end of the week.
Natasha: Strong woman are the only way to go. I figure to survive back then a woman had to be pretty darn strong or they wouldn't have made it through all of the hardships they had to endure.
TamPhuoc: I'm glad you like this story and I hope you like this chapter too!
Winged Seraph: I love your name! Thanks for the compliment on my writing. Yes, Tristan did rebuke her, see, he's not totally incapable of playing along on a joke. I figure he's just got a really dry sense of humor.