#5 The Truth
Gawain slept like the dead that night, waking only after the sun was high in the sky. He lay still for a moment assessing his aches and pains. There were surprisingly few.
The sun shone in through an open window in the room that he had fallen asleep in. The scent of herbs and cooking food wafted in through the cracked door. He realized that he was very hungry. All in all, it was the most peaceful he had felt in along time. Now, if he just could remember where exactly he was and how he had gotten there.
He rolled to the edge of the bed, gingerly sat up and examined the room. It was sparsely furnished with only a small bedside table and chest for storage. On the bedside table beside some folded bandages and a couple empty mugs, Gawain found his dagger.
He unsheathed it and fingered the blade, wondering briefly where his other weapons were. He noticed a chair had peen pulled up to the bed. A blanket was thrown haphazardly over it as though someone had been sitting with him during the night.
He let his eyes wander over the room. It was a clean, sparsely furnitured room. Only a few paintings hung on the wall, they looked to be of flowers -- typical woman's touch, and a small mirror was hung beside the door.
Gawain placed the dagger back on the table and carefully stood, testing his leg. It was a bit stiff and sore, but surprisingly hurt less then his side, which still throbbed. He took a few limping steps to the small mirror.
Now, Gawain wasn't vain, but the mirror was amazing. It was clear like ice, not at all like any of the mirrors that he had ever seen, not that he had seen many. He ran a finger across the smooth surface in wonder and then touched his face. He did look bad.
His face was impossibly white which made the bruise over one eye and the dark circles under both even more ghastly and he noticed a purple bruise on his cheek that he didn't remember getting. He ran a hand through his long hair. It caught half way down in a large snarl and wouldn't go any further.
As much as he hated to admit it, he did need a good combing. He chuckled, remembering what Kirra had said the night before; he thought he looked worse then death, more like something that had been dead for several months.
Kirra.
Was she even real or had she been a figment of his pain-riddled mind, something that he had conjured up to ease the pain of his body? And if she were just a figment of his mind, then why would she have features that so resembled … a shriek interrupted Gawain's thoughts.
It seemed to come from outside. Forgetting his injuries, he instinctively turned, snatched his dagger from the small table and bolted from the room. He threw open the front door to the cottage following the sound and was momentarily blinded by the sun. When he could see, he found himself staring out into a small yard.
Kirra was sprinting parallel to Gawain, chasing a huge gray dog that loped lazily just ahead of her. She didn't see Gawain and was yelling at the dog as she ran. He couldn't understand a word that she said and had no clue as to why she would be chasing the animal. But frankly, Gawain couldn't have cared less what she was saying as he was too busy watching her.
She moved swiftly and gracefully, like a young doe. Her dark hair was caught back in a fat braid and she was wearing the least amount of clothing that he had ever seen on a woman.
He gaped at her unable to hide his astonishment. Not even the tavern wenches wore so little clothing. She had on a strappy shirt – if it could be called that -- that hugged her curves and short, short pants that came only to her mid thigh. She was barefoot. Where were her clothes? He looked in confusion towards the dog. Is that why she was chasing the dog, had it taken them?
As the dog rounded the corner of the cottage, Kirra yelled one last time in frustration and flung something at it. She turned cursing and saw Gawain gawking at her.
She came towards him, "Stupid dog won't come and let me give him a bath. I have been chasing him most of the morning. He is positively filthy from the storms."
Her face was flushed with exertion and tendrils of damp hair framed her face. She was panting lightly and as she turned, he noticed a strange marking on one shoulder. Gawain's heart began to beat faster and he caught the light feminine scent of her as it wafted on the breeze.
Concerned by the look on his face Kirra asked, "Are you all right?"
She came nearer and moved as if to touch his face. His eyes widened and he fell back a step. She was shorter then he had thought. The top of her head only reaching his chest and she was slender, like a child.
Only no child he had ever met had made him feel like this. And feeling like this would only get him into severe trouble. Unable to look directly at her, Gawain stared at the tree behind her in the yard.
"I am fine. I thought I heard something and came to see what it was."
Kirra grinned mischievously, her grey eyes lightening, "Did you come to rescue me?"
Her eyes lit on the dagger he held in loosely in his hand, "You weren't planning to finish what you started the other night, were you?" She moved out of his reach and crossed her arms over her chest. "I told Niara putting that thing within reach was not a good idea."
Gawain looked at her then, "No." His eyes went to her wrist. It was wrapped in white bandages. "I heard a scream and responded."
"Aw-w, you did come to rescue me."
He didn't understand, one second she was teasing, the next moving out of reach, the next teasing again. Gawain found he was staring again and blushed. Kirra saw the color and worried it was fever, came forward to place a cool hand on his forehead, cheek, and then the side of his neck, checking his temperature. He shivered at her touch.
Finding no fever Kirra's eyes narrowed, "You sure you are feeling all right? Does Niara know you are out of bed?"
"I was not under the impression that I had to report to anyone," He responded in a severe tone.
"Hmmm, you might want to rethink that thought. Niara is one tough old lady. I think she may be even tougher then you," Kirra slipped an arm around his waist in support and began to lead him back to the house, "Come on, you need a shower."
"Shower?"
"Yeah, not only do you still look half dead, now you are starting to smell like it too."
Gawain stopped refusing to go another step and crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance.
Kirra looked up at him and sighed dramatically but her eyes were sparkling. "Don't tell me that I am now going to have to spend the other half of my day chasing you into a tub? Really, maybe I should tie both you and Finn up and hose you both off."
Gawain was not amused. Kirra's thick accent made it hard to follow her speech and she was using words that were foreign to him. She sensed it and quit her teasing. Her expressive eyes mellowing as she smiled softly.
"I am sorry. Come back inside and we will find Niara, she will explain all of this to us. And you really don't stink. I was only kidding. Niara and I cleaned you up." She was teasing again, waiting for him to blush.
He repressed the urge, barely, and instead echoed the strange word, "Kidding?"
"Yeah, you know, teasing?" Kirra looked up at him, thinking hard. "You do know what kidding is, don't you?"
"I do now."
"Hmmm," she said absently, chewing her lip and watching him through eyes narrowed in thought. "Come on." Then she released him and walked into the house leaving him in the yard. He heard her call for Niara.
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Niara bustled up to him when he entered the house. She felt his head, face and neck, much like Kirra had, the only difference was Gawain's pulse remained steady this time. "How are you feeling his afternoon?"
Gawain ignored her question, he was tired and his encounter with Kirra had left him irritable and confused, "Woman, who are you?"
Niara raised an eyebrow at his abruptness, "I see that Kirra got to you."
Her immediate ability to read him was as unnerving as it was irritating, "No, I just do not know where I am and would like a few answers, witch." He moved to stand over the older woman in attempt to intimidate her by his size.
A strong aura of power radiated from her and she faded as a much younger woman took her place. White hair became a bright fall of gold and she grew even taller than he was -- she grew to fill the whole room.
Gawain was aware of an intense silence, as if the world stood still waiting for this woman. Only her dark, ageless eyes remained the same and he felt that she could see into his very soul. When Niara finally spoke, it was the terrible sound of a great rushing wind.
She laughed lowly -- mockingly and the hair on the back of Gawain's neck stood up, but he defiantly held his ground. He was not about to let a woman scare him, witch or not.
"You are going to have to do better than that, if you intend to frighten me. You will not harm me. You couldn't even if you attempted it," The last part was said softly and somewhat menacingly.
What was this woman?
Gawain saw Kirra over the woman's shoulder. She had clapped her hands over her ears and her eyes were squeezed shut. She was making small mewling noises. Had she known about this?
"Who are you?" His voice was soft, dangerously soft, and he tightened his grip on the only weapon he had at his disposal unafraid to use it if he had to.
Niara eyed him coolly, "You don't remember do you?"
Not waiting for his answer, she shrank back into the guise of the old woman and turned to pry Kirra's hands from her ears. She stroked young woman's hair until she regained her composure but the flushed glow of earlier had fled leaving her a sickly green.
Niara addressed them both, "Come children, the time for games is ended; now you must learn who you are and what you are to do." She took Kirra's hand and led her to the back leaving Gawain to limp behind.
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In the back of the house was a large fragrant garden, this is where Niara led Kirra and Gawain. She handed Kirra a mug and watched as Kirra curled herself like a little cat into a chair in the sun. The color was slowly returning to her face. She wrapped her hands around the mug, using its heat to warm her. When Niara turned to face Gawain he took an involuntary step back, not wanting to be any closer to the woman or whatever she was, then was absolutely necessary.
She sighed, "You do not need to fear me. I just thought that you needed a little reminder of who I am and what I am capable of. Please sit down."
Gawain sat heavily in the nearest chair but did not relax. He his side ached and his leg ached and the events of the afternoon had not helped. He watched the witch carefully from the corner of his eye alert to her every move.
"Will the girl be all right?" He asked as she filled a plate and handed it to him. He stared at it dully, his hunger having abated and not sure if it was really safe to eat.
The woman poured herself a cup of tea and sat back, "Kirra will be fine. It happens sometimes with people like her. She has a type of power, so she cannot tolerate when mine is revealed. Our powers react like oil and water together. She feels something like a great pressure crushing her head. It makes her sick."
Gawain was quiet a moment, thinking, "Power?"
"Yes. Kirra, through her mother's line, has a great power to heal. It is a power that comes to very few people, her mother did not have it, nor even her grandmother's grandmother, but in Kirra it is strong. You witnessed the blossoming of it two nights ago."
He looked at the old woman in confusion. He did not think it possible that he could have slept for so long, "Two nights ago? It was only last night."
"No dear, it was two nights ago. You have been asleep for awhile. The healing was hard on you. Your body needed the extra sleep to catch up with the accelerated healing process. How else can you explain why you feel so well after such severe injuries?"
Gawain thought about it, there was no reason. He, by all accounts, should still be in bed unable to even roll over, much less able to run through a house in response to a screaming woman. The thought of someone using powers to heal, though, seemed a little unlikely. He watched the old woman in distrust.
"Who are you, then?"
"I am one of the Fates." Niara said.
Gawain stared at her in disbelief and fear; Kirra looked over in confusion.
"What are the Fates?" she asked.
"The Fates are the handmaidens to the goddess. We serve her and do her bidding. I am the oldest of them, so naturally I assume the shape of an old woman when dealing with mortals."
"Mortals?" Kirra echoed, uncomprehendingly. "Niara, I don't understand. I have known you since I first came here."
The Fate turned to Kirra, "Longer then that, dear, I helped bring you into this world." She turned to Gawain, "And you also."
It clicked; Gawain nodded, aware now of who she was. "They said there was a strange woman who came to our tribe and helped my mother give birth to me. She later cam to help with the birthing of my younger brother, you were her weren't you. I was young, but I remember you now."
"Yes," Niara said sounding pleased that he remembered.
Kirra looked from Niara to Gawain and back again, "So what does that have to do with anything? Niara, who is he?" She was frustrated.
"He is Gawain, dear, you know that."
"Ha. Ha. Ha. You know what I mean."
"Yes, I do, but I am afraid that you won't believe me if I tell you."
Kirra's eyes were grim, she had a feeling she wasn't going to like this conversation much, "Tell me anyway. If you tell me," she reasoned, "then why shouldn't I believe it? You have never lied to me before."
Her words caused Niara to inwardly wince. Gawain was watching with interest, waiting to hear what she would tell Kirra. Niara surprised him, by ordering him to tell Kirra who he was. Kirra's eyes had darkened dangerously as she turned to him and he suddenly wasn't so sure he wanted her to know who he was and wondered why it mattered.
"I am one of Arthur Castus' knights."
Kirra's brow furrowed and she glanced at Niara in question.
"King Arthur, dear," The Fate said quietly and with a trace of a smile.
Kirra laughed. Whatever Gawain had been expecting to do, it certainly wasn't that. He too shot a glance at the only person who seemed to know what was going on, but she sat composed, sipping her cup of tea as she waited for the conversation to straighten itself out.
"Oh yeah, and I am the Queen of Sheba," Kirra laughed sarcastically. "I think I must have messed with your head more then I thought." She stopped laughing when she saw the serious expression on Niara's face and rose from her chair, "You can't be serious. There is no way. I mean scholars aren't even sure if there was such a person. All those stories are thought of as legend." Niara didn't answer, so Kirra continued her tirade, gesturing, "I refuse to believe that the Gawain of the stories is sitting here in your yard. It is impossible. Even if, and I stress the word, if the stories were true, it would still be impossible. They supposedly lived, like fifteen hundred years ago.
"Yeah, I saw the TV special; I know what the historians think. It was fifteen hundred years, Niara, how do you explain that?"
This was crazy. She looked at Gawain, he was pale and drawn; he looked nothing like a knight in shining armor.
"Kirra, please, sit down and stop yelling," Kirra remained standing and, sighing softly, Niara continued. "What do you remember before you were adopted?"
"Nothing," The girl snapped, "There is nothing to remember. The nuns said I was sick before and it must have affected my memory. I simply woke up one day and found myself in the orphanage." For some time Kirra had tried to remember the family she must have had, but to no avail. She had stopped trying at about the same time she had met Niara.
"Yes dear, you had been sick, very sick. The mortal body is so weak that we knew you would die, without some interference from us. So, I was appointed to take you away from your home and deliver you to the orphanage where you could receive more modern care."
"You took me from my family." Kirra sank into her chair, her voice incredulous, "Did they know? Or did you kidnap me too."
Niara looked very unaffected by the emotion in Kirra's voice, "No, they didn't know. They actually thought that in the grips of fever you wandered away and died."
"But, why would you do that?" Kirra's voice cracked and Gawain looked away from her.
Even if Niara couldn't feel the pain in Kirra, he could and he understood what it was to be taken from family. But he couldn't comprehend what it would have felt like to know that one of the people that you trusted and loved most was responsible for such a deed.
"Wouldn't I have been better off with them?"
The Fate was patient, "No dear, you would have died with them and it wasn't your time. You were born for a very important reason and purpose. The goddess decreed it and we followed through with the plan as best we could. I stayed close to watch over you and train you up when you reached the right age."
Kirra looked like she was going to explode, "You are crazy if you expect me to believe that. I don't even know what you are talking about … the goddess. What is all that? What purpose would be so great that you would take a child away from her family, just to accomplish it?"
Niara sighed, this wasn't going as planned. Even as young as she was, Kirra was too strong-willed. She supposed it was from being raised as a modern woman, "It is to bring you back to your family. You and one other are the last remnants of your family capable of conceiving children."
Gawain raised his head and looked over at Niara. Then that meant …
Niara saw the light of comprehension in his eyes and nodded, "You know of whom I speak of don't you?" The knight nodded weakly.
Kirra, in a fit of temper, threw her mug to the ground, shattering it on the garden stones, "What are you talking about? Who does he know that I do not? What is really going on?"
"Dear, you have to go back to save the last of your family. The gifts of your family must not die. Not only that, you will be helping to shape the future of a country. The stories you know may be legend, but legend always comes from a spot of truth. There are people who need you more then those here."
"What of him," Kirra asked, gesturing to Gawain. "Why is he here? If your goddess is powerful enough to arrange all of this, why is he here? Why can't she just wave her magic wand and make everything all better?"
"He was sent to help you get back."
Gawain looked up, curious, as the Fate continued, "There are some things that even the goddess can not do. There are certain things that she needs the help of mortals to accomplish."
"That's comforting; expecting us, mere mortals, to put ourselves in her not-quite-all-powerful hands while she runs our lives."
"Yes."
Kirra swore savagely causing Gawain to grin. She saw it and rounded on him, "It is not funny." He stopped grinning. "Here you are. Do you even know where here is? Do you know even what type of world you are in now? You know nothing and I am supposed to use you to get back. And to what? A world where there is no running water and a scratch can kill you. Wonderful. "
"Kirra," Niara's voice cut like a knife and put an end to Kirra's outburst. "Stop that. Gawain knows more then you think."
Her comment caused the knight to glance up in doubt. He was a warrior; he fought other's battles, he wasn't equipped to handle things like this. The Fate ignored him and pressed forward, "One is not to use the other to return. You have to work in conjunction to find the key."
Kirra sat down in her chair, no longer feeling much of anything. In a few brief moments her world had become some sort of fractured fairy tale. She turned to Niara her voice suddenly quiet, "If he knows the last remaining member of my family, then when was I born?"
"Actually, you were born seven years after Gawain. That would be somewhere around the year 447."
Kirra's head dropped to her hands, "Wonderful."
Gawain took the lull in conversation to ask, "You said we could get back, how?"
"The two of you must find the key. Together."
"Oh, that helps," Kirra commented scathingly though her hands.
Gawain shot her a look -- one she missed -- that told her to be quiet and continued, "What is the key and where can we find it?"
Niara sighed, "I can only tell you that you must look inside yourselves to find it. It is the key to this whole undertaking. It is the key to save the world." She stood abruptly, "Now, you must forgive me, but I have to leave you and go on a little trip."
Kirra looked up from her hands, "You have to leave? You drop all of this on our laps and then you leave?"
"Yes."
"Okay, provided that I actually believe all of this -- which I don't -- what am I supposed to do with him?" Kirra asked, gesturing at the knight in question. Gawain glowered at her.
Niara was matter of fact, "You and he have quite a bit of work to do. I would suggest that you get to know each other and learn to like it."
"Okay. Well, let's just call up the historians and see if any of the legends say anything about a key. I am sure that they would have no problem believing this story and would simply give us all the information that we need." Sarcasm dripped from Kirra's every word.
Niara's reply was sharp, "No Kirra. You must tell no one who he is."
"Niara, do you actually think that anyone would believe me?"
"You might be surprised."
"Yeah, that would be the day that Hell froze over and pigs flew, right?"
Gawain blinked at her cursing. He was unaccustomed to such language coming from a woman, especially by one with such a young and innocent countenance.
"I mean it Kirra. No one is to know and you are not to take him into town." Niara was adamant.
Kirra narrowed her eyes in contemplation, going into town, now that could be fun.
But she didn't believe a word of any of this. She looked at Gawain -- if that was even his name, and wondered what Niara had to do to get him to go along with this whole thing. Kirra noted for a second time that he really didn't exactly fit her idea of a knight in shining armor.
"You said that he came here to take me back. What will my parents think when they come home from their vacation to find that I am gone and they can't find me?"
Niara looked down; this would be the hardest part. She never thought that she could have ever grown to love the girl as much as she had. She didn't want to hurt her further. "Your parents will not remember you when they return."
Kirra's face paled and she fell back against the chair, "They will forget about me?" she said in a soft, horrified voice.
Niara shook her head sadly, 'No dear, it will be more as if you never existed."
Gawain winced. That wasn't much better.
Kirra stood, blinking back burning tears, "I am leaving. Have the officials call me when you've both safely arrived at the nut house."
With that Kirra turned on her heel and fled out the back gate. Niara sighed and looked at Gawain. He didn't look like he believed her much more then Kirra had and he didn't look like he much liked her either, but was too shocked to do anything about it.
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Kirra dashed her tears away and entered the shed. Fate was ignored when she whickered a greeting to her mistress. Kirra didn't worry over the saddle, just dragged the horse's bridle over her head and patted the mare, "Let's go home, girl."
Leading Fate outside, she whistled for Finn and pulled herself onto the mare's back. With any luck they would be home within twenty minutes and all this would be behind her.
Finn surprised her and came at her first call. Kirra mounted and nudged Fate forward into a trot -- which was stopped short when the mare suddenly halted in front of Niara's house.
"Don't do this to me, Fate," She whispered desperately to the mare, which refused to take one more step.
Niara was standing in the yard and walked over to the mare, laying a hand on her mane, "Good girl."
She looked up at Kirra, "I realize that you are angry with me, I understand that and expected nothing less, but the fact of the matter is, that without you Gawain can never return home. Those that know him and love him will never know what became of him and he will be stuck here."
"Great, you get me coming and going don't you. You forget Niara, I don't even believe you. I don't know who that man is, but as of now, I'm gone. So, kindly remove your hand and get out of the way, or I will have Fate trample you," Kirra was not playing; at that moment she wanted to inflict as much pain as she felt.
Niara stepped back, but not from fear or dread. Kirra couldn't do anything to hurt her. "You will be back. In your heart, you know that I am telling the truth and you will be back. Don't make it too long. Everyday that Gawain is away is harder on those that miss him."
Kirra looked to the porch; Gawain had limped back through the house and was now watching her converse with Niara. There was a look of hollow shock in his blue eyes and Kirra knew Niara's words to be true, but she wasn't ready for them yet. She pulled Fate's head around and galloped toward home, Finn followed closely.