CHAPTER 10

"What do you mean she's gone?!"

The outburst belonged to Lancelot, who impatiently paced in front of his fellow knights. Arthur and the rest of the knights had gathered a few yards away from the encampment, their meeting called upon by Galahad. The young knight had just sadly told them what had occurred the previous night, his emotions also simmering with regret, rage and confusion.

"She probably left because of your stink." Dagonet jested in a murmur, elbowing Bors at his side. He tried to hide his chuckles as he observed his big brother's expression.

Bors smelled his armpit, wincing as he did so. "Aye, I think that's a pretty good reason."

Arthur heard their exchange and looked at them disapprovingly. The two cleared their throats, returning the serious expressions on their countenances.

Lancelot paced back and forth, trying to make sense of the situation. "'They know who you are and they plan to find you'," he repeated Galahad's words, turning to the group. "'You must leave now, they plan to attack once more'."

"He was talking about the Saxons." Galahad interjected, slowly standing as well. He gripped his fists, exhaling.

It was then that Lancelot's face turned to recognition, eyes lighting up as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Yesterday the Saxon leader yelled out 'Shinodian' in rage before they turned back."

Tristan raised an eyebrow. "What could Lourdes have that they would want?"

"Aye," Bors nodded quickly, "an entire army to attack us to get her? She must be of some importance."

"But didn't we find her in that village?" Gawain questioned, looking at each of the knights. "I'm quite sure the only castle worthy enough for someone important was the stupid Bishop's."

"It was Merlin that Galahad had spoken with." Arthur stood, silencing the other knights as he did so. "The Woad has had many dealings with different peoples and tribes. The fact that he would know about Shino and its peoples does not surprise me."

Dagonet crossed his arms, still a bit puzzled. "And Lourdes?"

Arthur shook his head slowly. "That, I do not know of." he thought for a moment, then said, "She may be Shinodian royalty."

This statement caught all of the knights' attention, keeping them silent. They all looked at one another, thinking of its slim possibility.

Lancelot barely heeded Arthur's conclusion as his eyes landed on Galahad, becoming slightly enraged. "How could you have let her go with Merlin and the Woads?" he barked, trying to calm his anger. "She is as safe with us as she is with them. Even moreso!"

"It was her choice!" replied Galahad in the same manner, standing in front of Lancelot to face him. "I would never keep her back against her will!"

Lancelot ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, groaning. "She is still young, Galahad! She does not know what..."

Galahad held his jaw firm, interrupting his fellow knight. "I believe she is old enough to make her own decisions. She was only trying to protect us."

"Protect us?" Lancelot scoffed at his reasoning. "By placing herself in danger?"

"She is not alone." Galahad pointed out quickly, then turned to the rest of the knights. "Merlin promised that she would be taken care of, and he knows this land better than all of us."

"And you were convinced!" Lancelot shot his arms in the air, still not finished berating his comrade. "Merlin is a Woad. Galahad, I thought you would have more intelligence than..."

Galahad stepped forward, coming nose to nose with Lancelot. "And what would you have done? Tied her up in the wagon and waited for the Saxon army to attack again? We are outnumbered, Lancelot, and if you think a band of no more than 30 can stand in full combat with an army of God only knows how many soldiers, then that is just folly." By this time, Galahad was breathing heavily, a dead silence passing through the knights. After a few moments, he began again. "Believe me, I feel the way that you feel right now."

Lancelot pointed an accusing finger at Galahad. "You better hope that those Woads will better protect her than us."

With this last statement, Lancelot walked off. Galahad followed suit in the other direction. The other knights were left looking incredulously at one another.

Gawain broke the silence, clearing his throat. "That went rather well, don't you think?"

t t t

"I've never seen those two so riled up over somethin'." commented Bors with a shake of his head, bringing a cup of hot water to Tristan. The two sat in front of the fire, with Tristan sharpening his sword on a jagged rock. His hawk perched on his shoulder obediently, quietly squawking as it observed its surroundings.

"I think tis more than about the woman leaving." he replied, twisting his gleaming sword on his right hand before sticking the blade upwards on the ground.

Bors raised an eyebrow eagerly, taking a bite of his apple. "What do ye mean?"

"You see the way they look at her. Tis obvious that they both care for the same woman."

"And..." Bors scratched his head slowly, "is that a problem?"

Tristan gave Bors a tired sigh, throwing a pebble at the knight's head. "They don't care for her, you oaf. They care for her."

Bors only blinked twice in response.

Rolling his eyes, Tristan turned back to his task. "That is only my assumption, though. Maybe it is just this journey that is getting to them."

"You see that back there? That is why they do not allow women in the army," Gawain then appeared, plopping down on the log beside Bors. "They only serve to distract the men!"

"In this case, tis not the lassie's fault." shrugged Bors sympathetically, tossing an apple to Gawain. "I actually like the lass. She reminds me of my eldest daughter. Number 2, I think."

Gawain twisted his lips. "It may not be her fault," he said in all seriousness, "but let's just hope that she does not tear Galahad and Lancelot apart."

t t t

"You were a bit harsh on Galahad today."

Lancelot slowly turned to the sound of Arthur's faint voice. He stood atop a hill, arms crossed, looking down at the picturesque scene before him. He watched the rushing river flow into the distance, the only thing that was not static in the scene.

"I do not know what came over me." he admitted to his captain, slowly shrugging his shoulders as he explained. "I guess I was frustrated, angry and..."

"Worried?"

"Well, yes."

Arthur placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "You should not worry, Lancelot. I know Merlin. He has a strong band of Woads to protect him. We ourselves have experienced that for a fact, remember?"

"I do."

"The old Woad is wise. He will know where to keep her safe."

Lancelot was somewhat reassured by what Arthur had said. What he did not admit to his captain was that he was afraid that he would never see Lourdes again. If these Saxon invasions continued, then she would naturally continue to evade them. Would their paths cross once again?

It was then that Lancelot realized that the did care for her. He was not sure how to define the feeling, and, with his pride, he did not want to admit it to himself - let alone to anyone else. For some reason, Lourdes did have an impact on him. It is true that he had seen much more beautiful maidens in the past, but her uniqueness was a beauty in itself. Her spirit and vitality had given him hope and laughter, when, before he had met her, all he could think of was anger and war. And of course, the way in which she reacted to his teasing remarks only made him even more content.

He replayed the night that they had kissed. She seemed so inexperienced, so pure, so innocent. He remembered how she had trembled at his touch, lips quivering as he took control of her...and how she took control of him. She seemed so vulnerable that he felt the need to protect her - which, in fact, was the root of his current anger. Now that she was gone, how would he be able to do that? How could he be sure that she was alright and not in the hands of the Saxon enemy?

Then, he felt a presence beside him and saw not Arthur, but Galahad. At first there was a moment of awkward silence between them, but Galahad was the first to break it.

"I know the consequences that you are thinking of." he began, turning slightly to Lancelot. "Believe me, I did not want to see her leave."

Lancelot eyed the knight for a moment before taking a deep breath. He didn't speak, and Galahad continued.

"Arthur probably told you what he told me. We must trust him, Lancelot, especially now."

"I would not doubt him." Lancelot finally spoke, his face finally showing some peace as he turned to face Galahad. He gave the knight a small smile. "I apologize for my earlier actions, my friend. I let my emotions cloud my judgment."

"Your concern is understandable." Galahad patted his arm, nodding knowingly. "Trust me. I care about her as much as you do."

t t t

A/N: OoOoh. It seems that both Lancelot and Galahad are going through some "things" at the moment. Poor knights. Anyway, as always, there is more to this story! Now, the question still remains (I will keep asking this of everyone who reads this, to guide me when writing future situations)...Who do you think Lourdes should be with? Door number 1 contains the dashing rake, Lancelot. Door number 2 contans the sweet and sensitive Galahad.

Also, what are your opinions on the plot (example, Are they believable? How is the progression?), characters (are they also believable?) and basically the overall construct of the story?

Any ideas, comments, concerns, corrections...lemme have it!

Thanks to everyone that is reading this!