Chapter 1: The Shadow
Author's Note: I don't own any of the characters from King Arthur from the movie or the myth. Though Tristan, Gawain, and Galahad are looking over my shoulder to make sure I don't besmirch their good names. I do own Galya though. She is of my creation.
Seven Knights sat atop the hill and looked down at the carriage rolling towards them, "The Bishop's carriage, as promised." Gawain said with a smile slowing forming on his face.
"Our freedom, Bors." Galahad said beaming.
"I can almost taste it." Bors said, smelling the air and turning to Dagonet.
"Your passage to Rome, Arthur." Galahad said earning a smile from the Commander.
While down below Galya sat on her horse riding next to the Bishop's carriage. She was humming to herself while scanning the area. She felt as though something was going to happen and she leaned down and whispered to her horse in her native tongue, "Protect me, great warrior."
Suddenly she felt eyes on her from afar and she looked up ahead of her and saw the Knights on the hill. She felt her heart crash to the ground as she saw that there were so few of them left. She scanned them a few times and said a silent prayer to her gods that her brothers were among them. Then she turned back to the tree line and tensed a little when she thought she saw something move within them. Her hand twitched and moved towards her sword as an arrow hit one of the Roman officers in front of her.
Knight's POV
Gawain looked down at the figure cloaked in black, "Who is that?" He asked himself.
"The stories call "it" The Shadow. Other stories say that she is the slave of the Bishop and his greatest warrior." Tristan said in response to the question he had heard Gawain ask.
"His greatest warrior is a woman?" Galahad asked surprised.
"A Sarmatian woman rumor has it." Tristan said looking down at the woman riding next to the carriage. He was actually looking forward to knowing if the stories were true or not.
He watched her closely and saw that she tensed and then looked around for any signs of trouble. Then he looked back at her and saw that she had drawn her sword and that one of the Romans had been hit. Not that he really cared what happened to the Roman but this girl was one of their own, "Woads." He said and the Knights rode into battle.
-End POV-
Galya knew that she couldn't fight all of the Woads by herself and they were picking the Romans off easily. Her only hope was the Knights who were still some yards off. The Knights fought their way down to help her. She was taking care of herself quite well but then she was hit. She then killed the Woad and jumped off her horse to meet them head on. The Knights moved in as well.
Later
Galya had disappeared and soon yelling could be heard from beside the carriage, "But sir, I need to see a healer." She stated with conviction and when the Knights came around to see what was going on they saw that she was bleeding from the gash on her thigh. When Gawain and Galahad came to see what was happening they stopped short as they recognized the girl they were looking at. Galahad started to walk forward but Gawain stopped him, "Later, little brother."
"I'm sure you can handle it yourself, girl," the Bishop said, "It doesn't look that bad."
She bowed her head and said, "Yes master." Then she tore a piece of her cloak off and wrapped the wound. She would not worry about it here.
Then she felt eyes on her back and realized that she was no longer covered and turned towards the Knights. She spotted Gawain and Galahad and in a moment of panic she pulled her hood back up and turned away. This confused both of them greatly but then it hit them that she was embarrassed about her current state and that she probably felt like she had let them down. To make her feel like everything was okay and they weren't passing judgment on her Gawain whispered her name and waited for a response from her. He could see her relax slightly and turn towards them, "I haven't been called by that name in many years, my dear little brother."
The Knights that heard her gasped and looked to Gawain and Galahad for an explanation. But they brushed them off and tried to go to their sister but the Bishop cut in, "Girl," he said, "You will ride ahead with the Knights now and we'll speak when we get to the Wall."
Galya nodded, "Yes Master." She said giving a worried look to her brothers. She knew she would be punished for even thinking about speaking to them without her master's permission but she had to. They were the only family she had left.
Galya and the Knights rode ahead of the Bishop's carriage and every step closer they got to the Wall the more worried she became. She didn't know what kind of punishment to expect from her master. He was so unpredictable. The only thing she knew is that he really liked causing others pain. But for a moment she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and rode up between Galahad and Gawain. They tried to speak to her but she only shook her head and said in a low voice, "Later."
So they rode in silence. But soon the Knights started talking amongst themselves and Galya took an interest in the conversations, "I don't like him, the Roman. If he is here to discharge us why doesn't he just give us our papers?" Galahad whined and looked to his sister like she would have an answer.
"Is this your happy face?" Gawain said smiling at Galahad, "Do you not know the Romans? They wouldn't scratch their asses without holding a ceremony." They all laughed and then Bors rode up.
"Why don't you kill him and then discharge yourself afterwards?" He asked in all seriousness.
Galya turned her head to hear her brother's response, "I don't kill for pleasure unlike some." He said half directing it at Galya and half directing it at Tristan who had ridden up beside Bors. Galya's heart broke at this comment. Her little brother thought her no better than a murderer. Then she looked over to Tristan who had begun to speak, "You should try it sometime. You might get a taste for it." He said nodding towards Galahad and Galya. Then he smiled a little and went back to whatever he was doing before. Her heart broke even more. This man that didn't even know her thought the same thing. But they had no idea what was really going on or just how broken she truly was.
Then Galya heard Galahad laugh, "No. No. No, as of tomorrow this will all just be a bad memory."
Galya shook her head but kept quiet. She wondered if her brother's would try to find some way to get her out of the Bishop's grasps and take her home with them or would they leave her. As of this moment she wasn't even sure they wanted her. But this was probably the last time that she was ever going to see her brother's so she was going to make the best of it no matter what happened.
As they arrived at the Wall, Galya rode up and stopped before the Bishop's carriage. She faintly heard Arthur offering him his room and the Bishop saying something along the lines of being tired. She laughed inwardly at this but in his good mood he turned to her and said, "I need to speak with you for a few minutes and then you may find a healer and spend time with the Knights."
Galya froze. She knew that "speaking with her" meant her being punished for her outburst earlier but she nodded and walked towards him. She stopped on her way over before Gawain and Galahad, "Give me ten minutes and then we'll speak."
They nodded to her and she then disappeared into Arthur's room with the Bishop.
She stood in the middle of the room waiting for whatever was going to happen next and then the Bishop came and stood in front of her, "You know better than to talk back to me, girl." He said smacking her and she turned back to him. Her face was unreadable but the Bishop knew it was just a smokescreen. He had broken her but the one thing he could not get her to do was convert and that made her his most hated possession.
"I think that a good lashing would teach you to hold your tongue but I'm going to need you in good health." He said smacking her again, "Good health but a little black and blue never slowed you down."
He had beaten her until he felt she had learned her lesson. When he was satisfied he let her go and join the Knights but now she was terrified to show her face to them. She knew that she needed a healer. So she pulled on her cloak, pulled up the hood to cover her face, and went off to look for one. When she walked outside she remembered the direction she saw the Knights go and followed their steps. When she rounded the corner into the Fort she saw Gawain and Galahad waiting for her, "Perfect."
"Sister. Welcome to Hadrian's Wall." Galahad said throwing his arms around her, smiling.
At that moment Galya knew that her brothers really wanted her and that she would be okay now but she had to get to a healer, "Galahad, I love you little brother but my leg is killing me and I need to find a healer." She said.
"Come then, sister. Dagonet, a fellow Knight is a healer and he'll fix that right up for you." Gawain said walking forward to take his sister's hand.
"Thank you little brothers." She said walking with them.
On the way there she wanted to ask them about Gareth but she now knew in her heart that he was dead and finding out how it happened wouldn't bring him back. When they got to Dagonet's room Gawain knocked on the door, "Dag, my sister is in need of your healing expertise."
When Dagonet opened the door, Galya looked up at him and her hood fell. She tried to pull it back up before they saw her face but it was too late. Dagonet had pulled her into his room and Gawain and Galahad were right behind them, "Why?" Galahad managed to say.
"I talked back." She said with a shrug, "He saves the whipping for when I refuse to convert."
They all looked at her in shock, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me?"
Dag went about cleaning her face and her leg and then went about wrapping them up. When he was finished he offered her his hand and said, "I'll show you to a room where you can get cleaned up and talk to your brothers."
Galya smiled up at the man. She hadn't been treated with this much kindness in many years and the Knights were the only ones she knew that weren't going to expect her to do anything for them. After Dag showed her to an empty room, she walked inside, thanked him and waited for her brothers to come in, "Galya," Gawain said concerned, "what happened to you?"
Galya turned towards her brothers and tried to come up with an answer but all she could do was break down. She crumbled to the floor crying. Gawain and Galahad rushed to her side and held her as she cried. They weren't used to being in this position because Galya was the one that practically raised them.
"The village was attacked. We pushed them back and everyone was okay. I went out the next day to make sure they were gone and then I was captured and sold in Rome. I have disgraced our family." Was all she got out as she cried more.
"You haven't disgraced anyone, sister." Gawain said holding her to him. Galahad just hugged her.
When she stopped crying they looked at her and she smiled at them. She was home. Her brothers would take care of her. That was all she needed. Then there was a knock at the door, "Gawain, Galahad, we need to go to the Fortress Hall. Bring the girl with you." Lancelot said.
"We're on our way." Gawain replied.
He looked at Galya who just smiled at him, "Thank you." She said getting up and brushing herself off.
As they walked out of the room and into the Fortress Hall, Gawain, Galahad, and Galya were laughing and talking. When they entered the Hall the Knights looked up at the trio. Gawain led her over to a seat, "This was Gareth's seat. You can sit here." He said pulling the chair out for her.
She sat down and a frown formed on her face. She could feel him here in this spot. It was his until the day he died and it seemed that it was still his even after. She said a quick prayer to the gods for him and then looked around the table. Five pairs of eyes were looking at her and she quickly put her head down. Then she turned to Gawain and asked loud enough for everyone to hear, "How did he die?"
Gawain looked at her and then sighed, "He was killed in an attack on a village. Woads had moved south and we went to force them away. He was dragged off his horse and beheaded."
Galya just nodded not knowing what to say or how to process the information. But she soon gathered herself and said, "I would like to visit his grave sometime so I can say goodbye." She nodded and looked around the table, "You can stop looking at me like I'm going to bite."
This made most of the Knights laugh but Lancelot just replied, "Oh lady you can bite me if you wish."
Galya looked at him, "What is your name dear Knight?"
"Lancelot, my lady." He said smiling at her.
"Well Lancelot first off I'm not a lady. My name is Galya. Secondly if you want to wake up tomorrow with a certain part of your anatomy still attached I suggest you don't try wooing me like a common wench. Thirdly, you are not the kind of man I am interested in." She said laughing and Lancelot's face turned bright red.
"Well it seems your sister can tame even Lancelot." Bors said, laughing and raising his glass to her.
She nodded in return and they all sat talking for a while. Then Arthur came in and looked around the table at his Knights and then his eyes landed on Galya, "Lady it is a pleasure to have you at our table. My name is Arthur." He said smiling at her.
She nodded to him and replied, "My name is Galya."
Later
The door opened and Horton stepped through it, "His Eminence, Bishop Naius Germanius." He said looking at the Round Table.
Then the Bishop walked through the door and looked shocked at what he saw but gained his composure and walked to sit near Arthur.
Horton had backed up towards Jols and asked, "A Round Table? What sort of evil is this?"
"Arthur says for men to be men they must first be equal." He said shrugging the man off as he walked back through the door.
The meeting went by as a blur to Galya but she perked up when she heard the part about Saxons.
"Saxons only claim what they kill." Lancelot said looking around at his brothers and Galya.
"And only kill everything." Gawain said taking his sisters hand.
"So you're just going to leave the land to the Woads and I have risked my life for nothing." Galahad said looking furious.
Galya grabbed his hand and tried to calm him down. He looked down at her and then back at the Bishop who had just opened a box with their papers in it, "Your papers with safe conduct throughout the Roman Empire and I even have papers for Galya. I am no longer in need of you. But first I need to speak with your Commander in private." He said looking around and sneering at Galya. She knew he was up to something in that moment.
"We have no secrets here." Arthur said.
Then Lancelot slammed his cup on the table, "Come, lets leave Roman business to Romans." He said as he moved towards the door.
Later that night
All the Knights and Galya were drinking at the tavern. She had never thought that she would be freed and now it looked like it would happen. She was so happy and she talked with the Knights and had fun for the first time in a long time.
Then it happened. Arthur came to them telling them that before their freedom could be granted that had to go on one more mission and that the Bishop requested that Galya go with them. She couldn't say no. She was still his slave. In the morning she would be going with her brothers on their most dangerous mission.