Standard Disclaimer: KA and the legends are soooo not mine. The craziness of the characters is the only thing I own. Bad Language, Violence and Possible Sexual Scenes Warning. Don't like it, don't read.
Woo Hoo! Chapter 4 is here. I'm happy about the good reviews and as always, I have to say thanks much to my beta TRACY 137! She's sooo wonderful.
4-Erm…Okay
I kept running. The straps of my backpack dug into my shoulders as I raced in the thick of the woods. At first I had thought to keeping to the trees, my black hoodie would shield me from unfriendly eyes. But after getting whipped in the face at least forty or fifty times, I decided to chuck the idea of a wood path. I mean really, who's gonna look for me? No one, I made sure I didn't have any serious ties in the village not even with the knights on their two visits, although I think I would've liked to been better acquainted with… no, don't think that Ria. I have to keep going.
I should've just stayed to the path, but noooo, I had to be clever and try to serpentine in the forest. IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT! I really should've stayed on the damn path because then I would've found out I was going in circles.
"Gaad Fuckin' Damn!" I screamed into the silent inky night in all my known and fluent languages. I'd passed that same blasted tree stump four times already. Needless to say I was angry, exhausted and on the verge of a very childish temper tantrum. Letting out an exasperated sigh I plopped my tired body on the offending tree stump with my head in my hands. I'm so lost… I wanna go home… I want my bed with its wonderful springy-ness… I want real food I can eat, not something Lenora cooked eight days ago and heated over time… I want… wait what was that?
I picked up my head to listen to the woods again. I had thought I heard a twig snap or something, but it seems that it was my imagination. I removed my backpack to rub my shoulders and roll my neck before heading to the next village.
SNAP
Okay, that time I heard something, I never should've screamed. Now all types of creepers know where the hell I am! Immediately I pulled my backpack back on and held my skirts up in order to run. My heart pounded in my ears as the silence of the forest suffocated me. I had to get out.
I turned and high-tailed it away from the stump the crunch of leaves and other forest debris resounding loudly beneath my feet, not caring who heard me as long as I was away, ahead and...
SLAM!
"OW!" I hit something. "Oi... what hit me?" I murmured rubbing my head. Whatever hit me or more appropriately whatever I ran into was NOT inanimate because it crouched down in front of me and spoke in a familiar voice.
"Are you alright?"
GAAD FUCKIN' DAMN…it was Gareth.
"Lady Ria?" He was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "What are you doing out here, milady?" he helped me to my feet.
"Erm... just going out for...um... a walk." I stumbled for words. Yeah right, like he's really gonna believe that bullshit. I don't even buy it and I'm making the excuse.
"Oh... well, it is late. You should have asked for an escort. These woods are dangerous, especially for a maiden." He looked sincere, like a puppy dog, but my Gaad he was dense. I mean how can he not see that I have a backpack! How can he not see I am trying to run?
Wait... rewind did he just say what I think he said?
"What're you tryin' to say Sir Gareth?" I asked reproachfully, maybe I read too much into it, but the look on his face was priceless. "I can take care of myself thank you."
"I-I'm sorry if I offended you lady, but –"
"No worries Sir Gareth," I half laughed at his stuttering. "What're you doing out here anyways? Don't you have 'nighttime activities' to attend to?" I couldn't see it, but I'm sure he blushed furiously by the way he was stumbling over his words.
"I-I was… um… searching for… um… scouting." I nodded slowly trying to stop the smile threatening my lips whilst listening to him find a reason for being here. "I was scouting." Gareth finally stated proudly. I lowered my head to wipe the smile off my face, but a laugh broke out that I couldn't stop.
"Now that you've got an excuse for your superior, what're you really doing out here at the hour?" I crossed my arms over my chest in attempt to keep warm. The smile I tried to stop broke on my cheeks.
"I could ask the same of you, Lady." An accented voice came from beyond Gareth and my smile fell. In the dim light Tristan comes from the darkness of the forest, his eyes seem to be staring right through me and I am forced to look down.
"Tristan." Gareth stands erect and faces the head scout. I manage a weak smile and nod, although I'm not sure he saw being that the light is so bad.
"I needed some air, so I went for a short walk." Yeah, score one for Ria, uh-huh oh yeah! He can't see through my lie, right?
"Yet you need a traveling bag for such a walk?" Er… damn, Tristan had me there.
"Yeah, I do. I tend to get lost easy, okay." Truth. I was about to say something else when Gareth immediately covered my mouth with his hand. Erm… okay, when was the last time he washed his hands? Don't wanna be thinking about it when… Okay, why is Tristan pushing us against a tree! What the hell is goin' on! Trying to struggle free, I only managed to get Gareth's arms to tighten around me… not that I didn't mind too much, he was really cute.
"Lady Ria, when I let you go, you must run straight to the path that leads to the village. You must alert the knights, for we are going to be under attack." Gareth's voice whispered in my ear.
Numbly, I nodded my head. Was it Woads? Involuntarily I shuddered in Gareth's arms as the memory of my first Woad encounter popped into my head. Yeah, add the Woads to my list of things that scare me.
"Worry not, Lady, for I will protect you. Go now." Gareth whispered as he released me from his embrace. I stumbled forward a bit before gathering up my hair into my hood; turning back to the men I grasped their hands not occupied by a drawn sword. Tristan looked at me curiously in the dim light expecting that I was already gone.
Moving quickly I brushed my lips against their cheeks before whispering, "Be safe." Then I turned away running as fast as I could with my skirts gathered up my hips to put my jeans to good use.
Wait a tick… I didn't kiss Tristan's cheek… that was his lips! Wow… they were soft for a manly knight… no that was bad. I immediately stopped… and tripped over my own feet forcing me into a tumble with an ungraceful plop onto the road of the village.
"OW!" I yelped rubbing my sore bottom. I had every intention of running back up the small slope and apologizing to the scout for doing something so stupid and something he was probably completely disgusted with. I mean, who wants some Plain Jane like me kissing them when there's someone as god-awfully perfect like Charity willing to service their every need? No One. Like I said, I had every intention of going back, until something grazed my neck painfully. There was a slight wetness trickling down my neck, putting my hand to it, I found it was blood and the arrow that caused it was embedded in the dirt. Wide-eyed, I picked myself up and ran towards the village screaming, "HELP! HELP! THERE'S AN ATTACK! WOADS!"
Lights in the windows of the village came to life and men came from their homes half-dressed with makeshift weapons. My hood fell from my head and my hair fell down over my shoulders as I neared the tavern screaming my call, my voice becoming incredibly hoarse while Arthur and the rest of the knights stumbled battle-ready out of the tiny tavern door. It would've been funny if a volley of flaming arrows hadn't just hit the village.
I saw the flaming destruction fall I was frozen to the spot screaming. Oh Gaad... I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die as a fashion criminal in a time where no one knows me and Charity is the only person I have in the world. Gaad why do the fates and all things holy hate me!
Immediately I covered my head with my hands and squeezed my eyes shut waiting for the pain of pierced and burning flesh. Instead I felt the impact of someone pushing me to the ground and rolling away. My backpack seemed to have come off as I was laying flat on the rough soil on my back. Warily I opened my eyes, the sounds of screams and running feet surrounded me, but all I could think about was who saved me. The staggering form of Charity came into my peripheral vision... erm, okay that was soo not expected. I try to pick myself up from the ground, but Charity has other ideas because just as I stood she lunged and tackled me screaming.
"You horrible bitch! How dare you, YOU FUCKING CUNT!" She screamed angrily trying to beat and scratch at me. I shielded my face the best I could from the blows completely unaware of the carnage that the attacking Woads were inflicting on the village as well as the retaliation of the knights and able fighters to the Woads. All I could deal with at the time was the fucking bitch queen Charity on my stomach scratching at my face.
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU HORSE-HUMPING THUNDER CUNT!" I yelled back as I finally managed to push the whore off me. "What the fuckin' hell is wrong with you! Wait, no don't answer that. You've got more issues than a lifetime subscription of Cosmopolitan." She tried to lunge at me again, but I dropped to the ground as another volley of flaming arrows flew from the woods followed by Woads flooding through the village gates. Tearing off my brown skirt, I searched desperately for my backpack while trying to avoid Charity, Woads and the other villagers in the panic. I could hear Charity's voice, but just barely, above the din of fighting something about her sticky piggy. I really couldn't have cared as I kept running and dodging the slamming bodies and attacks.
I found my backpack discarded under a burning wagon and I dove for it just as a Woad raised his axe to hack me to little pieces, but I was completely oblivious to the fact that Percival slashed him deeply across his back.
"Lady Ria, how do you fare?" He asked me pulling me up from the ground.
"Erm… Okay. Thank you." I stated in English, he looked at me curiously but before I could repeat my thanks in Latin he was hacking and slashing, whereas I was running desperately from a Woad with a large sword.
I barely evaded a swing to my middle by the large Woad before tumbling to the ground and grabbing a handful of dirt. Normally I believed in fair fighting but this guy was hardly being fair, I mean he was at least four times my size with a sharp pointy object! Throwing the dirt into his face, I slide tackled his legs and ran into the now burning tavern.
"Lenora! Hamish! Where're you?" I called desperately trying to avoid falling cinders and smoke. The smoke was filling my lungs and choking me, but I couldn't leave until I know that they were safe. "Lenora! Hamish! Answer me!" I coughed, the fire roared around me, the flames licking at my clothes and backpack. Momentarily I was glad I had ridded myself of the bothersome skirt. I continued to call the tavern owners' names in the burning building; I heard a weak cough and turned my head. Lying on the broken stairway was Hamish shielding Lenora, making my way the best I could I helped the man move his fainted wife from the building.
"My tavern, my tavern," Hamish mumbled as he watched the building crash and burn, I just watched as tears flooded the old man's eyes, I should've been more aware of what the bloody hell was going on… then I would've noticed that the big Woad with the scary sword was headed our way.
It wasn't until the last minute that I pushed Lenora and Hamish out of the way, the Woad swung and his sword ripped through the flesh of my left arm. I fell to the ground clutching my arm trying to scramble away, fear turned my blood to ice, my eyes glued to the dirty figure with his sword raised. Fuckin' shit, I'm really gonna die…
A/N: finally! Chapter 4 is done. Woo. How'd you like it? Feedback please, I need to know what you think. And let me know if the knights are getting to OOC-ish because if they are that'd be bad.
LANCELOTTRISTANBABY Thanks for reviewing. Hope this was good enough.
Evenstar-mor2004 Oh really, I think I would like to have Lancelot slapped around a bit, but probably not his face. The same kinda goes for Tristan too. LOL. Yeah, running from Charity is rather ideal, she's soooo annoying. Thanks for your review.
FlamezBlaze1 Thanks!
Etraya No Problem!
Daydream1 Hope you like this update. Ria swears a lot because she's got a lot of anger and betrayal. LOL most of it has to do with Charity. And I can't kill Charity off, she's an important character... for now. Thanks for reviewing!