A/N: First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH to those that reviewed! Your reviews were really appreciated, and it truly made me write more and more! I write as we speak, so never fear! There will be more to come shortly!

magical ex-auror hobbit. :You know, your review was the only review I had for a while, and it was enough to keep me writing. YOU ROCK! Thank you for your kind words and opinion. I really appreciate it! I know what you mean, though, especially about Lancelot's character. Poor Galahad indeed! Let's hope it gets better for him and Lourdes as the story goes on, eh? It's funny, because I actually base my characters on real people, which makes it easier/funnier for me. Anyway, I hope you keep reading and enjoying it!

makedamnsure: First of all, thank you for reviewing and Taking Back Sunday rocks:P Don't you just love the characters of Lancelot and Galahad? This is one of the biggest reasons why I chose these two particular knights for this story - just so fun to play with! (And they look pretty similar as well, eh? You gotta love the dark, curly hair!) My vision for this story is basically a "tug-of-war" between Lancelot and Galahad when it comes to Lourdes. I hope it keeps the readers on their feet, cheering for and booing at each knight at different times. Persuasion is difficult, but oh-so-fun! King Arthur soap opera. I love it.

Lady of Trebond: Lancelot lover, eh? You'll just have to read and find out! (That was terrible of me, I apologize!)

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CHAPTER 8

Once more, the travellers began on their journey. Lourdes rode close to the rear, right behind the wagon containing Guinevere, Alecto, his mother and other released prisoners. The villagers walked around her in almost a sleepwalk-like state, quite fatigued even after they had slept for many hours. The dreadful feeling that resonated within all of them only managed to drain their energy, a bleak vision of the future slowly breaking their spirits. Light snowfall began, and Lourdes promptly pulled the hood of her cloak on her head, breathing out. She had not spoken a word to either Galahad nor Lancelot since the previous night, and it somewhat made her wonder what both men now thought - and what they thought of her.

Lourdes looked up in front of her, just in time to catch Lancelot look back to observe her. She gave him a small smile before he quickly turned his attention to Arthur, who quietly conversed with him. Lourdes then turned her attention to Galahad, who was riding nearly at the back of the pack, his face as cold as stone. He did not speak with anyone, not even his fellow knights, and barely looked up, eyes distant. She sighed in sympathy, knowing how much anguish the knight was currently fighting through.

As Lourdes turned to her front once more, she noticed that they were entering a wide mountain range. Snow swirled mercilessly around them, but through the snowfall, she could now see what was ahead. The mountain peaks towered over them, so impending, so sublime. The wind howled continuously, as if screaming at the travellers to turn back. She then saw the wide pass that they were going through, in awe at the breadth of the valley.

...Only that it was not a valley.

Seeing that Arthur had halted his horse, the knights automatically broke from the sides of the travellers, taking their horses to the front of the group. They followed Arthur further away, horses galloping slowly, silently taking in the sight of the frozen lake. A sense of foreboding caught each of the knights as they turned to Arthur for guidance.

"Is there any other way?" asked Gawain, his eyes carefully eyeing the ground as his horse gingerly trotted along.

"No." Arthur said curtly, wholly understanding their predicament. He observed the path that they were to take, his heart becoming heavy at their only course of action.

"We have to cross the ice." stated Tristan without any sign of fear, pulling on the reigns of his horse. It was then that they all realized that there was no turning back. With Saxon armies close behind, they had no time to find another route around the mountain.

Arthur turned and looked at his knights, his mind made. "Get them all out of the carriages. Tell them all to spread out."

With a tick of his tongue at his horse, Lancelot nodded and turned back, riding to the distressed travellers. He also rode with no fear, only caution, his countenance calm as he faced the group. "I need everyone out of the carriages." he commanded softly, nodding his head once. "Spread out and be careful of your steps."

Lourdes slowly dismounted her horse, careful not to slip and fall. She scanned the ice, seeing that she could make out the moving water below. Gulping, she took the reigns of her horse, carefully guiding it forward. It became nervous, its nose rubbing her back as if asking her to stop walking. Her steps were shaky, but she managed to keep her balance, placing a comforting hand on her horse as she softly murmured comforting words to it.

The other travellers took the same caution, anxiously looking below them. Nobody made any sudden movements as they dispersed throughout the area. Arthur led the way, moving from side to side as he judged the thickness of the ice below them.

Suddenly, a piercing cracking sounded below them. The convoy stopped, seeing the ice a few meters ahead begin to break. The horses were spooked, neighing as they kicked their front feet in the air. Those around the horses quickly reached out for the reigns, trying to calm the horses down, for one powerful blow to the ice by their hooves could mean their end. Lourdes tried to steady her own horse, patting it comfortingly. She was thankful that it was not as scared as the others.

Arthur held his hand up for everyone to halt.

It was then that everyone heard the low banging of drums in the distance, coming closer and closer to them. The knights stood their ground, eyeing one another, in a moment of strong resolve. Arthur turned to all of them, his countenance strong, fearless.

Lourdes walked to Guinevere's side as she hopped from the wagon. Lourdes placed a hand on the woman's arm. The two looked at each other briefly before turning their attentions to the knights.

"Knights..." Arthur began, gazing out into the distance.

"Well, I'm tired of runnin'." Bors grinned, taking his horse as he walked forward. He pointed to his behind. "These Saxons are so close behind, my ass is hurtin'."

"I never liked looking behind my shoulder anyway." Tristan firmly agreed, turning to Bors with a nod.

"It'll be a pleasure to put an end to this racket." Gawain nodded in compliance, much annoyance lining his voice.

They all turned to see Galahad moving forward, his countenance fierce and unwavering. "We can finally get a look at the bastards."

"Here." Dagonet stated, clenching his fists. "Now."

Lancelot remained silent, but tilted his head and shrugged in acquiesce.

Arthur nodded as a consensus was made. "Jols," he called out to the nearby servant, "take the horses."

The knights prepared for battle, each taking the weapons that they needed from their horses, the wagon and the numerous sacs that were carried by the villagers. Swords, bows and arrows of the like were taken from the horses and laid carefully on the ground in a row, ready to be easily taken when the battle had begun. Lourdes observed the movement, the decision in her mind now firm.

She would stay and fight.

"Go with the villagers."

Lourdes turned to see Lancelot, twisting his twin swords in his hands before sheathing them. He looked at her expectantly.

"W-what?" she asked more in surprise than a question. "Lancelot, I..."

"Go." he commanded once more, though more softly this time.

"No." Lourdes clenched her jaw, taking a bow and arrow from her sac that hung on her horse. "I shall stay and fight."

Lancelot was visibly upset, but tried his best to contain and conceal it. "Lourdes..." he warned, slowly walking over to her. He did not get far before Bors caught his attention.

"Lad, let's go." Bors patted him on the back, motioning to their fellow knights as they began to stand in formation.

"Guard, take her to the convoy." Lancelot commanded to a nearby soldier. He nodded at the order, taking Lourdes' upper arm firmly. She struggled to pull away from him, but the large man pulled her with him, taking her closer and closer to the group and further from the knights.

"Lancelot! No!" she cried as she watched him walk away, standing in line with the knights. "Lancelot!"

"Shh, c'mon, lass." another soldier called out to her, looking at her sympathetically. "Ye must let the knight do his duty. Yer presence will only distract him."

"You do not understand! I can fight!"

"That may be so, but I believe the young knight wants you here, safe."

Lourdes took the arm of the old soldier, eyes on fire. "Why will I flee when they are risking their lives for us? Why should I flee when I have every right to fight these murderous Saxons?" she looked at him pleadingly, then steadied her gaze. "I care for all of those knights back there. I cannot - I will not - abandon them."

With all the strength that was within her, she pushed away the guard who was holding her, grabbed a nearby bow and two quivers of arrows and ran, as fast as she could, to Arthur, Guinevere and his knights. When she stood in line with them, the eight looked at her incredulously, with Bors the only one who did not wear a surprised look on his face.

"Welcome, lassie." he snickered good-naturedly, slugging an arm around her. "I see you couldn't keep away from the fight."

Lourdes greeted him with a pat on his arm and a nod.

Bors smirked as he continued playfully, "Or couldn't you keep away from something else?"

Something caught at Lourdes' throat, and all she could do was push the man in mock annoyance. Lancelot was about to speak, but Bors placed a hand on his shoulder to halt him.

"Ye can never tell a woman what to do." the older man shook his head in mock regret, shaking his shoulder. "Trust meh, I know!"

Lourdes took her place between Galahad and Lancelot, preparing the quiver of arrows on her back. She then locked eyes with Galahad, who was looking at her with an expression that she could hardly decipher, an expression that was a mixture of curiosity and wonder. He said nothing to her but only looked away, making her frown. She quickly brushed it off, concentration on the present predicament, locking an arrow in her bow as the others did the same.

The drumming sounds came closer and closer, mimicking the loud beating of Lourdes' heart. Though she was frightened, she dared not show it - not after she had come here on her own free will! She inhaled and exhaled deeply, praying that her courage would not let her down.

It was then that they caught the sight of the army, torn black flags raised in the air, rusty weapons drawn. The group of 200 Saxons, strong, walked fearlessly towards the nine.

"Hold until I give the command." Arthur called out. The group barely moved, their eyes fixed on the approaching enemy.

"There are a large number of lonely men out there." Lancelot smirked at Lourdes, eyeing her playfully. "You want to turn back now?"

Rolling her eyes, Lourdes turned her attention back to the Saxons. "Don't worry. I won't let them rape you."

Guinevere and the knights - save Galahad - momentarily smiled at this exchange.

Suddenly, a Saxon archer let a bow fly. Clearly out of range, the bow hit the ice, skidding to a stop hundreds of meters away from the nine.

"I believe they are waiting for an invitation." Arthur squinted as he turned left and right. "Bors. Tristan."

The two nodded, shooting their arrows in the air. Lourdes' eyes widened as the arrows struck a few of the soldiers, who were, at she first thought, out of range. Impressed by their skill, she had no time to commend either one of them as she heard more roars in the distance. She gripped her bow and arrow more firmly as the Saxon leader cried, motioning his army to move forward with a large, jagged sword.

The Saxon army marched. Closer and closer they came.

The nine readied their arrows.

"Aim for the wings of the ranks," Arthur commanded calmly, pointing to the edges of the Saxon group, "make them cluster."

They nodded and fired, each taking down soldiers with every shot. They repeated the process until they heard the Saxons shouting to hold the ranks. They continued to fire.

Lourdes' arm began to hurt after two dozen shots, realizing that she did not wear any arm protection. The whiplash of the bowstring stung her arm after every shot, and she winced in pain, trying desperately to cover her arm with the length of her cloak. With all her willpower, she steadied her bow. She did not once complain, but only gritted her teeth and continued to fire.

"It's not going to break!" Arthur called out as he gritted his teeth, holding his arms up, beckoning them to move. "Back! Fall back!"

The knights, Lourdes and Guinevere did as they were told, dropping their bows and arrows. A hint of desperation ran through them as they observed the Saxon army march closer and closer.

"Prepare for combat!" cried Arthur instantly, unsheathing Excalibur.

Each knight pulled out their respective weapons. As Lourdes unsheathed her sword, she saw a quick flash to her side. Her eyes widened at the sight. Galahad had grabbed Dagonet's axe from the ground and was running as quickly as he could towards the middle of the lake.

"Galahad!" she cried alarmingly, about to run after him. As she began to move, she felt arms come around her as Lancelot held her back in place. Guinevere and the knights had only a moment to stare in disbelief as well before Arthur regained his composure.

"Cover him." Arthur commanded as they all retrieved their bows and arrows once more.

The Saxons did the same, their archers moving to the front. They all aimed for Galahad as he yelled, dealing a mighty blow to the ice. He swung again and again.

"Kill him!" the Saxon commander cried mercilessly at the top of his lungs. "Now!"

Lourdes cried in anger as she kept trying to pry herself from Lancelot's unyielding grasp.

With one final swing, Galahad broke the ice. The rivulet of cracks moved forward, heading straight for the Saxon army. Breathing heavily, Galahad looked up and twisted his body to the side, just in time to dodge an arrow.

Without warning, Lourdes pulled away from Lancelot's arms and ran, bow and arrows at hand. As she ran her way closer to Galahad, she fired her arrows, two by two. In a flash, a Saxon arrow caught the side of her shoulder, cutting through her cloak and the skin. She cried out in pain, dropping her weapon. Momentarily losing her balance, she heard Lancelot call her name behind her.

The ice broke from beneath the Saxon army's feet, their cries echoing through the mountain as, in the dozens, they fell into the lake. Some held on for dear life as the sheets of ice overturned, showing them to their watery graves.

It was then that Lourdes felt the crack underneath her feet. Just as she stood up once more, she slipped as the ice surrounding her began to break. Keeping her balance this time, she breathed heavily, taking in her bleary surroundings. As she tried to jump, she was shoved away, causing her to fall on a solid form of ice just as the ice that she was standing on broke. Looking up, she saw Galahad's form fall into the water.

"Galahad!" she screamed, shaking. She crawled on the cold surface with haste, grabbing his right arm just before he would have been submerged. She held onto him with all her might, but felt the ice from underneath her giving way and her strength waning. Showers of arrows flew all around them, but she barely took notice. All she could think of was to hold onto the knight.

When she thought that she could hold on no longer, an arm reached for Galahad, pulling him roughly to the surface. She blinked and looked up to see Lancelot, who pulled her from the cracking ice as well. Arthur then came, helping Lancelot to drag the unconscious Galahad back to the group. Although fatigued, Lourdes used all the strength that remained in her to follow them, with Lancelot grabbing her arm to lead and pull her.

"Fall back!" cried Arthur, the cracking ice surrounding them. "Now!"

The other knights did as they were told, firing more arrows to cover them. The screams of the Saxon army continued to sound around them, mingling with the splashes of water and breaking ice. What was left of the army pulled back, screaming at the nine in utter rage.

Lourdes turned to look back, catching the gaze of the Saxon leader. His eyes grew wide before squinting them once more in fury.

"Shinodian!" he roared, his booming voice echoing through the mountain.

Lourdes' heart stopped, and her blood ran cold. Lancelot suddenly turned to her, hearing the Saxon leader's call. He looked back at the towering man, whose chest rose and fell in anger as he continued to stare daggers at Lourdes.

Breathing heavily, Lourdes fell to the ground as they reached Guinevere and the rest of the knights. Quickly, they wrapped Galahad in their own cloaks, doing their best to keep the knight warm. Lourdes refused any of their garments, and instead, placed those that she was offered around the unconscious knight.

"Gawain, Dagonet, send for horses!" Arthur instructed calmly, yet with haste. He turned to the rest of the group. "We will return to the woods. We need to make a fire as quickly as possible."

Barely hearing this, Lourdes did her best to catch her breath as the icy air filled her lungs. A bit disoriented, she was suddenly pulled up to her knees, strong arms supporting her. She clutched onto the arms tightly. Lourdes then recognized Lancelot and held onto him to keep herself steady.

His eyes squinted in pain and anger as he cupped her face in his hands. "You foolish girl!" he placed his forehead on hers. "Foolish!"

"I...I had to do something." she weakly explained herself, even realizing herself how courageous - or indeed, foolish - she had acted. She shook a little, from the cold, from the unnerving experience and because of Lancelot's warm touch.

"Are you hurt?" asked the knight shakily, looking her over. He frowned at the sight of her shoulder, her cloak stained with blood.

"It is nothing." Lourdes shook her head, resting her hand on the side of Lancelot's face in reassurance. "For now, we must look after Galahad."