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.
So, we come back to Britannia. Yay! What has changed and who has survived the year and a half Ria has been gone? Whelps onto the chapter! Thanks so much to my faithful reviewers, and those who don't review as often. Your comments mean so much. Oh, and this chapter is not beta'd, so if there's something off, yeah.
Somehow Here Again
Flashback: three months ago
"Oh, I knew you would look lovely in this," Kaida fluttered around me wrapping my body in a pale pink kimono with a cream obi. I shot her a look of pure distain.
"This is cruel and unusual, what did I do to deserve this?" I muttered darkly. Ysuelet stood in the corner with a smirk on her face as she held Loca and watched Jerica and Kaida dress me up. Kaida needed to hem a few of her kimonos and guess who just happened to be doing nothing? Yeah.
"Oh, be quiet Ria. This suits you, I do not understand why you do not wear such colors more often." Kaida chided me. Jerica agreed and I stuck my tongue out at the both of them.
"I'm a girl who likes black and I'm wearing pink," I shot back (A/N: Borrowed from Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement) "Ysuelet, you're s'posed to be my protector, why couldn't you've protected me from this?" She laughed and told me that she knew better than to get in the way of another woman and pretty things, they always end badly. "Yeah, but this is still so wrong, why not Charity, her body type is better for this not me!"
"Hush, Victoria, it looks beautiful, arms up," Kaida scolded. Ysuelet passed Jerica the needles and thread for the silken sleeves and I glared, my mood became even darker.
"Some help you are. Kai-chan, Jeri, if you don't let me out of this kimono, I swear I'm gonna set Charity on you!"
It was at that moment that Ysuelet broke out laughing, particularly at me… Jerica and Kaida had gotten hold of make-up. Oh fuck.
End Flashback
I remembered that day, a day complete silliness led to me cutting my hair even shorter, from the middle of my bicep to where it just graze my neck. They said that my hair was so pretty, so in my stupidity, I hacked it shorter. Ysuelet had laughed so hard at Kaida and Jerica's antics to stop me. I'm sorry I couldn't say you Ysuelet. For all you've done, I'm so sorry.
Last night, Loca and I had taken the small rowboat to shore in the dead of night to see Merlin. We had taken Ysuelet's body secretly back to the Woads, Merlin only looked at us sadly.
"This was her destiny, and she fulfilled it. She will be missed, but her spirit will live on with her brave ancestors. Thank you for bringing her back." He told me there would be a ceremony and a burning of her body; I told him that I would make the effort to get away. The Woads said words I could not understand while a woman came up to me teary eyed and gave me an arm band. Merlin said the woman was Ysuelet's mother and was thanking me for bringing back her daughter's body. I was torn up as I watched the woman weep loudly for her brave daughter.
Ysuelet and I may not have spoken much, but her presence was always a comfort to me. I would miss her terribly and told her mother as much. Ysuelet's mother, Sophia, bowed and kissed my forehead before she and the other Woads left to give Merlin and I privacy. The two of us talked late into the night, I gave him the basics that he didn't already know since Ysuelet was contacting him through magic; unfortunately there was nothing new on my situation regarding going home and before daybreak I was returned to the boat… ship… thing.
Jerica was undoubtedly pleased to be off a ship and back on solid ground… at least she didn't kiss it this time. The deaths of Ysuelet and Claudius were …hard. And though we wanted to be there for Claudia and Phil, I had a duty to fulfill to Ysuelet's people. Besides it felt a little weird to Jeri to stay when it was her that the eight-headed snake demon was after, an Orochi as Kaida called it.
Phil and Claudia had to come up with the story that he died from a sudden illness that wracked his body with hideousness too horrid to even gaze upon. These strict Christians would have never believed that he was possessed by a being of the old world. The Orochi had followed us from Japan to consume my sister, her fiery hair had attracted the eight headed demon snake. A few of the sailors had been possessed and died on the trip back to Britain in order to follow us. This was why I had felt that ominous presence on the way home… I mean Britain.
As excited as I was to see the shores of Britain again, I was nervous. I have often imagined what it would be like to come back to Britannia, would we be greeted happily, would I see Tristan and still feel the same, would the knights be there wearing the armor I made, would Tristan feel anything for me, how would everyone react, are Tristan and I gonna be something, will Charity fulfill her destiny, am I going to be torn away from Tristan? All these questions wrecked havoc on my brain as we came into port, the cold winds of the island brought me back. Now was probably not the best time to be thinking like that, but imagining myself practically float with grace down the gangplank was amusing as well as rather idiotic. I trudge, not float, unlike Kaida and Charity who displayed an unnatural lady-like grace. Damn.
Again with the carriages, have I mentioned how much I hate carriages? Well I do. I feel so much like a caged animal and it's just not right. Jerica was sleeping on Charity's shoulder while Kaida and I were staring out opposite windows; it felt awkward being back in Britain, but it was a good kind of awkward… if that makes any sense.
"Nervous?" Kaida's Japanese broke my thoughts.
"Eh? No, not nervous… a little anxious, yeah but not nervous."
"Liar." Kaida retorted and I stuck my tongue at her as she giggled. Since when was I so easy to read? "What is it Ria-chan?"
"These guards annoy me," I replied as a few of the Romans paid to escort us passed the window, yeah, they were only a part of my annoyance. "I wonder how much has changed at the wall. Somehow I don't think everything will be the same as I left it, y'know. What if some of them were killed during an attack or something?"
"Calm yourself, everything be fine. Soon you back at Hadrian's Wall and you see those whom you hold dear." She tried to reassure me switching to Latin (I had taught her and continue to do so), somehow it didn't work, but I gave her a smile anyway.
Staring out the window again I noticed movement in the trees, originally I had brushed it off as Woads that Merlin sent to watch us, but then their movements weren't as fluid. I didn't trust it.
"Excuse me, how much farther to the wall?" I asked one of the guards, he was a plain looking fellow, a bit of a belly bulge, scars laced his arms and legs, but he's been sorta nice this trip.
"Should be there by nightfall, milady." He's not very observant that one.
"Thank you." I nodded and closed the curtain again. Nudging Jerica awake and motioning Kaida, I had told them what I saw, "Our guard are either not very observant or they are working for someone, be prepared for anything." Each of us readied our weapons as Loca languidly stretched and yawned exposing her sharp teeth. Watching my friends, I wondered when have I been so wary and leader-like… oh right, since so many people kept dying around me… Gareth, Percival, Lionell, Tinnius, Kay, Sei, Claudius, Ysuelet, who would be next?
Just as we readied our weapons and Jerica "accidentally" smacked Charity awake and she snorted as she woke forcing us to hold in our laughter. (Kaida was so much better at this than Jerica and I).
"Huh? Whazzat?" She mumbled sleepily.
"Shh, get down!" Jerica hushed her, it was then I noticed that it was quiet outside and that the carriage had stopped moving.
"Hear that?" Kaida asked us in a low whisper, Jerica and I shook our heads, my hand went to my katana at my hip and I loosed the blade.
"I don't hear anything." Charity stated the obvious and Jerica rolled her eyes while she and Kaida readied their weapons, I passed Charity an iron tessen; if anything the least she can do it whack someone on the head with it. Loca moved beside me and I pressed my fingers to my lips in a quiet sign. We crowded the door with our ears pressed against it in the hopes that we'd hear something, anything... but it was silent save for Charity's loud breathing.
Just as Kaida was about to open the door a crack, it was yanked open forcing us to topple out of the carriage, immediately we sprang to our feet with our weapons ready to strike while Charity screamed bloody murder at our ugly attacker... only instead of some filthy and butt-fugly thing, there stood a devilishly handsome man with brown hair and cold brown eyes.
"Well, well, well, lookie 'ere boyos, we got us some prizes among these Roman dogs." His words were clipped, "Well, 'cept for tha' one, bit plain eh?" He pointed at me. Wait did he just insult me? The group laughed at his comments and started making obscene gestures with their hands and tongues as well as saying exactly what they would do to each of us. The sickos. We tightened the grips on our weapons ready for attack, they would underestimate us, that much is certain. And it would be their undoing.
"Weapons down, m'girls, t'would be improper if you hurt yourselves because you didn' know how to use them pointy objects." The handsome leader stated as his group closed in around us. The collective scent of unwashed bodies overpowered us and Charity fainted, while the rest of us tried not to gag.
One of the men grabbed Kaida and she let out a mighty scream at the same time dismembering and decapitating him with her naginata. That stopped the bandits in their tracks, for they obviously were not Woads.
With an evil glint in my eye I turned back to the leader, "You were saying?"
He growled, "TAKE THEM!" Loca immediately grew to a threatening horse-size with longer fangs and took swipes at the bandits, Jerica, Kaida and I kept our backs to one another surrounding Charity as we fought off the bandits. Again, as I fought, something was telling me to fade, to give in... I couldn't describe nor fight it. Once again, I felt that animal I had released before surface again.
"VICTORIA!" Kaida's scream made me blink and I was myself. Something heavy and wet was in my hands forcing me to look down. In my hands was the bleeding hacked up corpse of the handsome bandit leader, his blood all over my body and clothes, the very realization of what I had done once again made me shake.
"Oh no, not again…" I muttered as I saw around me the disfigured corpses of several bandits. What was even worse was that somewhere in the back of my mind I had sorta enjoyed it. The clang of metal against metal above my head shook me out of my daze and I saw Bors had saved me from a death inducing blow by a bandit's hand. I don't even remember kneeling down.
"Oi, wot're ye doin' 'ere lass, this innit a picnic!" It didn't occur to me that Bors didn't recognize me as I nodded my thanks. Regaining my composure I swept up my katana and fought off one of the last few bandits. Damn, he's too strong. Curse him! He pushed me back with so much force I stumbled and slipped on… EW… A SEVERED HAND!
My katana was flung away and I crab-walked as quick as I could groping my belt for my tessen, SHIT, I forgot I handed it to Charity! Why is this so familiar? The bandit had a feral smile on his face as he tried to make me feel fear. My left hand brushed against something, wet and heavy; without so much a second thought I tossed the wet and heavy thing at the bandit… you've got to be fucking me, I just threw a guy's head. I JUST THREW A GUY'S HEAD!
The cut off head hit the bandit in the chest, he screamed and tossed it back at me, hitting me in the stomach, I screamed and tossed it back, he screamed again and was about to charge when he merely fell over dead at the end of Lancelot's blade. Hands lifted me off the ground and I turned in relief to see it was Belvedere (who just seemed to stare at me confused) before I could say anything, I saw Jerica, Kaida and Loca running to me enveloping me in a bone-crushing hug.
"Ria, I was so worried for you," Kaida whispered in rapid Japanese.
"Yeah, are ye alrigh'?" Jerica tried to see how much damage was on me, but I was perfectly fine… except I was covered in the blood of those bandits I'd killed.
"My ladies, how do you fare?" Arthur's voice sounded behind us, we found that we were surrounded by the knights; Charity was being helped by one of the others (Lancelot by the looks of it). Jerica handed me a scrap of silk and a water canteen so I could wipe my face before turning to Arthur.
"Jay-sus Arty, when have you been so formal towards me, I was only gone for a year?" Foregoing all formality, Arthur pulled me into a great embrace realizing it was me. The other knights were pulled out of their confusion and greet us as well. Questions and hugs were traded and more explanations were made.
Jerica broke up the happy reunion with a loud whistle. "It's grea' ta see all ye, but in case ye 'aven't noticed, Ria's covered in blood an' lookin' a mite uncomfortable."
"Right, I should go and clean up." I said disengaging myself from Gawain's embrace.
"I'll help." Lancelot grinned.
"NO!" A collective response came from Jerica, Kaida, a few of the knights and surprisingly Tristan. When did he care?
"Thank you, no. I'm good on my own. Andale Loca." I picked up a few things and let them set up camp.
I found a stream and suddenly I was struck to sing, it must be from homesickness, Dad really loved this song…
"While I'm far away from you, my baby,
I know it's hard for you, my baby,
Because it's hard for me, my baby,
And the darkest hour is just before dawn---
Each night before you go to bed, my baby,
Whisper a little prayer for me my baby.
And tell all the stars above
This is dedicated to the one I love...
Love can never be exactly like we want it to be.
I could be satisfied knowing you love me.
But there's one thing I want you to do especially for me---
And it's something that everybody needs.
While I'm far away from you, my baby,
Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby,
Because it's hard for me, my baby,
And the darkest hour is just before dawn.
If there's one thing I want you to do especially for me
And it's something that everybody needs...
Each night before you go to bed, my baby,
Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby,
And tell all the stars above---
This is dedicated to the one I love.
This is dedicated (to the one I love)
This is dedicated to the one I love
This is dedicated (to the one I love)
This is dedicated..." (A/N: Dedicated to the One I Love by The Mamas and The Papas)
I don't sing normally, but when I do I make sure it's something I really like, and for some reason The Mamas and The Papas seemed appropriate, then again I missed my parents terribly, so it worked. I only hope that when it's time to go, I won't have regrets.
Ah... to be clean again. It's so taken for granted. Sighing, I recalled the reactions of the knights to Kaida and Jerica. Lancelot had obviously tried to charm the modest Kaida several times; while Gawain has taken it upon himself to rescue her. The blossoming of Jerica had the younger Belvedere and Galahad stumbling over themselves for her attention. She doesn't seem to understand why they are being so silly; maybe I'll tell her one day that they love her.
Laying my head on Loca's back, I absorbed the sounds of nature around me, the wind, Loca's breathing/purring/heartbeat, the babble of the stream in front of me, the birds...
"You're losing your touch scout. You were so loud; I think Kaida's family heard you all the way in the Far East Islands." I smirked up at Tristan who stood over me. We held each other's gaze; I was drowning in those depths until Loca's yawn made me blink. It was then I realized that he had moved to lie next to me, his hands cradling his head. His presence was comforting, but I had to change and get back to camp, we both did. With a heavy sigh and roll of my shoulders I sat up and went to gather the rags I used for cleaning as well as my clothes I changed out of pulling my hair across to my left shoulder and off my back.
"Your hair is shorter." He stated quietly.
"Yeah, so?"
"I like it."
"Oh." Again we fell into silence.
While picking up the rags and such, I heard him shift and felt him suddenly behind me. "You missed a spot." Tristan whispered, his beard brushed against my skin and sending pleasant shivers up and down my spine.
Clearing my throat noisily, I handed him one of the rags, "Oh, could you get it for me?" Biting my lip and squeezing my eyes tight, I tried to block the sensations he made me feel by just being close. Nimble fingers took the rag and gently wiped the back of my neck. He sure was taking a while to –Oh!
I gasped for lips trailed kisses on my nape toward my right jaw as strong arms circled me pulling me against his warm body. He had removed his armor it seems.
"T-Tristan…" I managed; the rag fell in a heap next to the other things I had dropped.
"Hm?"
"Uh… W-what… what brought this up?" I squeaked as his tongue and teeth traced my skin. Tristan's hands shifted under the tunic and tankini I wore, calloused fingers traced figure eights on my sides, I'm so glad I'm not that ticklish.
"You came back," He growled against my neck and spun me around quickly capturing my lips. Soon two tunics and his shirt were discarded on the forest floor, my fingers tangled in his hair as his hands moved under my black tankini. I have seriously missed his kisses, his taste, his scent; I would drown in him.
"Ria?" Galahad's voice called breaking us apart. Trying to compose myself, I pulled on a tunic before replying.
"Yeah? What is it?" I called back as I quickly straightened the overly large tunic.
"Have you seen Tristan, he was supposed to come and check on you?" The younger knight came into the area looking at me. My eyes quickly scanned around for the scout, but he had already faded into the forest gloom. Loca was already heading to the camp as I made to follow.
"No, sorry. I'm done here anyways. So let's go." I said quickly making Galahad look more closely at me. "What?"
"Wasn't Tristan wearing that earlier?"
A/N: Oh my duckies. A new chapter! Yay. I've been incredibly busy for class and choosing classes for next quarter. Why can't they be cake courses? Because I had to choose something probably beyond my comprehension, that's why. I hope you liked this one and that you review. Now that their back in Britain, what kind of crazy things will happen? See you next chapter!