Disclaimer: I don't own anything except a bit of time in which I'm going to update my stories.
BANDON HILL
Ardiath looked up at the fort. This was it. This was the final battle where all would be decided. Whether she would be forever tied to these accursed Saxons or whether they would be saved. Joachim's old comrades! Joachim's older brother.
The word 'Tristan' had faded into silver scars and she hadn't cut herself again since seeing the bodies inscribed with the letter T. She had continued to report to Cynric's tent and pass information to Cedric. Cynric had become, if possible, more possessive of her. He liked having a plaything. One that his father didn't approve of.
Clearly he didn't know that Cedric was exploiting the situation to his advantage in an attempt to estrange his son.
Joachim was scouting around and Ardiath was worried for him. The whole Saxon army was gathered on the outside of the fort. Staring at the huge gates.
Ardiath stared too. These gates would judge her. These gates could save her. It all came back to one thing. One man.
Tristan.
He was walking away from a battle. This was the first time he had ever considered it. He had been almost excited when Arthur announced a last mission for Rome. A chance to kill and destroy Saxons. He didn't like being a servant to Rome but as long as Rome directed him to hard battles he was satisfied with his lot.
Till Dagonet had died and he had seen who was leading the Saxons to him and the fort.
His little brother. Joachim the deserter.
And he had seen his wife although he had mistaken her for an army whore. When he looked better he saw a broken woman whose life was all that truly mattered to Joachim. Mattered so much that he would betray everything he had known prior. His obligation. His honour. His brother Tristan.
Tristan had seen the raven-haired beauty and it complicated things.
Not that things were simple before. It was never easy knowing that you had to kill your brother but now Joachim's actions made bizarre sense to Tristan. Though he had never experienced love of that magnitude. He may have fought that way for his mother but his mother was lying dead in the muddy earth of Sarmatia with his baby sister lying upon her breast.
She had died for love and in a failed attempt to give life and Tristan could not forgive her for that.
His brother had to die. He must die and yet Tristan procrastinated and danced around the issue in his head. It was effortless to say 'must' but much harder to act upon.
He knew that if he saw his brother he would need to kill him. If he fought in the battle he would slaughter him.
So he cheated.
He wouldn't fight. He ignored every instinct in his body that was screaming for revenge on the Saxons. He disobeyed the call to avenge Dagonet's death at their hands.
He would just ride away with the rest of the knights and not look back to this cursed and cold country.
That, at least, had been the plan and it was swiftly crumbling beneath him. The other knights shifted, guilty, upon their horses. This wasn't right for them. It felt unnatural to walk away while Arthur stood alone on the hill.
Lancelot kept sighing and Bors wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder. Then the battle drums started and their horses, thinking they were near battle, reacted energetically.
Tristan knew that moment that he was going to go back and kill his brother. He dismounted, walked to the wagon and began arming himself.
Cynric and Cedric faced Joachim. Ardiath stood a little way off watching the exchange.
"The Roman Auxiliary has left the wall," Joachim was saying slowly. Trying not to look at Ardiath. Her heart was breaking deep inside. Her hope had gone. Left with the fleeing remains of the Roman Auxiliary.
"And the horsemen?" Cedric demanded.
"Leading a caravan away from the fort," Joachim refused to look at his wife then because she would see the happiness on his face and wouldn't understand. Horsemen would mean Tristan and that would mean his own death. If he had to die to save Ardiath so be it but he wasn't willing to forsake her if he didn't have to.
"They're running south... with their tails between their legs," The men looked up in surprise. It was Ardiath who had spoken bitterly. She wasn't looking at them but running her fingers up and down her forearm.
"So there will be no resistance?" Cynric asked incredulously.
"A few dozen villagers," Joachim said stoically. He knew that those few dozen villagers were about to die.
There was a long pause before Cedric spoke again.
"We're going to slaughter your people," Cedric said cruelly, "I think you should watch. That tree might be a good place."
Both Ardiath and Joachim stared at him in disbelief. Would he really be so callous as to force Joachim to watch as he killed them?
"Up on the hill," Came a sudden frantic call.
"A single knight," Cynric muttered.
Cedric reached out and grasped Joachim harshly by the throat. The man struggled to breath. Ardiath was snapped out of her stupor. When she saw Cedric reach for Joachim she flew at him. There was no previous thought. It was automatic. She jumped on him and began clawing at his face.
Cedric flung her off him with a spare hand and grinned. He would have assaulted her husband sooner if he had known it would provoke such a magnificent reaction. His men hurried forward to restrain the hissing woman.
She held a dagger in her hand.
"Where did you get that?" Cedric asked off hand.
"I stole it," She breathed furious. Her eyes still on her strangled husband.
"Let him go," she cried kicking and squirming in the captives hold. They were getting increasingly frustrated with her and Joachim saw they would soon hit her or something similar.
"One man. A tiny fly on the back of your... great army," He rasped desperately. Cedric and the army's attention returned to him.
"Who is he?" Cedric asked coldly.
"Arthur!" Joachim replied. His eyes met Ardiath's then and she instantly stopped fighting.
The gates opened and the figure rode towards them.
Cedric flung Joachim away from him, "go climb that tree."
Joachim turned to Ardiath one last time and mouthed, "I love you."
"I love you too," She mimed back.
She saw Arthur faintly before she was pulled and pushed back to the very end of the army.
She had no idea what was happening or how much time was passing. She was too nervous for time to have much meaning for her. Had it been a minute or five hours.
She had heard word of more knights. And her heart swelled with hope.
Some of the army was dead. There was only a matter of time before the rest moved out.
And then they were gone and Ardiath was left alone amidst tents and fire remains. A pit of desolation but she knew somehow that the Saxons were going to die. Cedric and Cynric were going to die for all they had done.
She wished she could see the ocean. It would make her happy.
There was only smoke and silence now. She knew men were still out there fighting and screaming and dying but she was dead to all that.
She needed to find Joachim. That was what she needed to do. He would hold her and tell her it was over. She could feel again. Cry or even smile. She could dance in the rain. She could bury the bodies of her family.
She would never have to cut herself again.
In a trance she stumbled in the direction of the tree. She was exhausted now. Every thing was catching up to her. Everything that had happened.
The tree was no far off. That was good. Her legs were giving way but Joachim would hold her up. He always held her up.
There was a body lying in the grass.
Ardiath moved closer. So familiar.
The eyes were open and staring vacantly and there was an arrow protruding from his chest.
Ardiath's knees gave way and she was staring at the body not quite comprehending what she was seeing.
It was a jest. Cedric being cruel.
That couldn't be blood… not on her beloved Joachim.
Ardiath crawled the few feet to the body.
Something raw and painful exploded inside her. Something she had been repressing for some time now.
"No?" She managed to whisper, her lips trembling.
"No!" she said again, stronger than before. She pressed her lips to Joachim's. He was just lying there. He was wounded. He needed a healer. She was a healer she could help. Oh gods why didn't he kiss her back? Who could help him?
Her mind was turbulent. One thought chased after another.
She lifted his head into her lap. He didn't blink or stir. Why?
He was in too much pain. That was it. Any moment he was going to recognise his sweet Ardiath. And he would smile to show everything would be all right.
Why wouldn't he acknowledge her?
She stroked his hair off his head with soft hands.
"Joachim darling. We're free now. The Saxons are dying," Ardiath told him holding his head in her lap.
He didn't move.
"All that suffering wasn't in vain. Your brother saved us. Tristan saved you," Ardiath's voice broke. Her eyes were foggy and she couldn't see clearly. She could only make out her husbands face.
Her hands were trembling furiously now.
"I cut my self, beloved. I did. Look," and she showed her arm to him.
No reaction.
"I knew you would forgive me," Ardiath responded with glee as if her husband had spoken some word of love.
She had nothing more to say. She continued to stroke his face.
Her fingers brushed his cold lips and she burst into tears.
"You're dead," she sobbed, "You're dead aren't you, my sweet?"
"You're dead? How can you be dead Joachim? We made it this far. How dare you be dead!" She made as if to slap his face but couldn't make herself. She just cried harder. Hunched over her dead husband.
She saw the arrow. It was obscene and disgusting. She reached over and furiously pulled it out. She felt it come loose and saw the blood follow. An animalistic wail was emitted from her throat.
She saw someone approach.
Ardiath scrambled to her feet and pulled her husbands sword free. They would not touch his body whoever the hell they were.
The tears had stopped falling and all traces of the proud creature she had been were vanishing in the wake of her broken heart. She was a pathetic sad woman. She hadn't even properly told him she loved him before he left.
And Tristan knew it was his fault. Something wrenched in his body as he watched his brother's wife mourn his passing.
He held up a placating hand to the woman brandishing the sword. She was mad with grief.
"I don't want to fight," He stated.
"You are not going near him," She pulled the sword up weakly. Tristan watched her desperate attempts to mount an attack.
"Don't be foolish. I could kill you in an instant," he tried reaching her gently.
"Then I will die defending his body," She screamed, "as he died defending me."
She brought a shuddering hand to her mouth as she said it out loud. That he had died defending her. It was her fault. She gave a pitiful moan and lowered the sword. Her body was shaking.
Tristan could not move. He should confess to doing it. He had killed his own brother and destroyed everything this woman had left to care about. Why shouldn't he die in penance? Yet he couldn't force an admission from his lips.
He moved forward slowly and slowly plucked the sword from her hand. She yielded it easily and moved back to kneel by Joachim's body. Tristan threw the sword far away.
Tristan knelt beside her. He looked at his little brother's body. His eyes were wide open and staring. His wife had pushed his hair from his face. The arrow was gone and instead there was a gaping hole of blood. Tristan couldn't come to terms with the fact this was his fault.
His little baby brother whom he had played with as a boy. And laughed with and… and… he couldn't think with those staring blue eyes.
He reached over to shut them but Ardiath snatched his hand back.
"Do not touch him," She hissed and carefully smoothed Joachim's hair. Ardiath still half expected him to move or speak.
"Let me shut my brother's eyes, sister-in-law," Tristan murmured. Ardiath stared at him sharply.
"Tristan?" she asked softly. The man nodded.
Ardiath eyed him blankly before turning back to her husband.
Tristan moved to shut Joachim's eyes again. Ardiath didn't try and prevent him this time.
"Rest in peace little brother," He said softly and for the first time in an age tears threatened Tristan's eyes.
And Ardiath spoke.
"You used to be our hope," She turned to face him, "Now we have no hope."
Tristan stayed silent… he had no right to say anything to this woman.
AN: I like this chapter. I just hope I portrayed Ardiath's grief well. Let me know what you think! Um and clearly Tristan is alive and survived Cedric. Lancelot did as well. Please review because reviews make me happy.
MD666