Tristan slowly sat up his eyes slowly opening. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep but to say he was angry he had was an understatement. It hadn't been him who needed the rest but Aria who was sitting up and looking at him with slightly wide eyes.

"Hello…" she said, he only nodded. "How'd you sleep?"

"Sorry I did." Was all he as he rubbed the back of his head which was pounding. She slowly nodded as he looked at her. Something was wrong he could tell. "What happened?"

"I hit you over the head."

"What?" he asked sitting up quickly.

"Well you needed to rest and you weren't so I just you know… womp."

"Womp?" he asked with narrowed eyes, she smiled cheekily and he relaxed.

"I needed you to be a hundred percent… Because I'm not."

"Did I hit you over the head when you didn't want to sleep before?"

"No but I do recall you trying to drag me up the stairs… I'd say we're even." He shook his head with a good hearted look.

"Any movement from the woads?"

"One but I killed him…" she said and he saw a new dead body lying just twenty feet from the cave. "Though I have noticed something."

"What?"

"There are three main guys who keep moving in an out of the trees, I'm getting the feeling that only a select group was chosen to watch us… If we kill them all we could get out of here. The issue is, is that it's hard to see all of them from here… I've counted so far six but can only accurately name three…"

"You've named them?" he asked.

"Yeah keeps them straight in my head, there's flat nose, skinny, and smashy."

"Smashy?" he asked.

"The guys faced is all smashed." She said pointing and he could see the man backing up into the tree line. His face did in fact look smashed.

"Maybe there are only three…" Tristan said.

"We can't be sure… but I also thought of another plan…"

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm pretty fast you know that."

"Fastest on foot out of all of us…"

"I can run out of this and get help."

"No." he said.

"Tristan I can out run some arrows easy."

"You got hit by one yesterday."

"Yes but that's because I was standing still." She said with a smile. "When I ran they couldn't hit me… I think I should give it a try."

"It's out of the question. Besides you don't even know where we are…"

"I'll run into the others eventually."

"If the others are even looking for us." He said. "You're not going out there Aria…"

"Fine…" she said before sighing. "Then there's another plan…" she looked down the dark cave and Tristan followed her gaze to see light shining somewhere. "The hole with the water, lights shining up from it… I want to jump down there and see if I can't find a way out… If not at least I could get us some water and something to eat."

"Alright…" he said nodding.

"Good…" she rigged up their alarm system and walked away together down the cave to they got to the hole which was so bright they couldn't make anything out. Tristan watched as Aria took off her vest and boots. "Turn around…" she said, and he instantly did as he said. She took off her peasant shirt before pulling off the chain male and replacing it with the shirt once more. "Alright… Wish me luck." She said as before jumping in. Aria took a quick breath before she slammed into some cold water and sunk a good ten feet down. She kicked vigorously before breaking the surface and taking a breath.

"Aria are you alright!?" Tristan called.

"Yeah I'm okay!" she slowly turned and looked to see the whole cavern was illuminated thanks to some sunlight bouncing off a ton of crystals on the side. The place was massive and the water was so clear she would go as far to say it was mythical. She could see all the fishes swimming around, she turned slowly and looked to see a waterfall cascading down one of the walls, with some light coming from it. "I'll be right back!"

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To see if I can find a way out!" she swam through the water and got to the water fall to find there was a small sandy shore. She slowly pulled herself up before walking through the falling water. She smiled softly before laughing and jumping back in the water and swimming right underneath the hole. "Throw the line down I found a way out!" the rope came and she was steadily pulled. "We'll have to leave the horses but we'll be able to get out!" she waited for a moment. "Tristan did you hear me?" she was pulled through the hole and froze seeing three woads standing over a knocked out Tristan.

"Found a way out did you?" one asked.

"Yep…" she pulled three of her daggers and threw them. She smiled as she saw Skinny and Smushy fall dead to the ground but yelled out as the woad slammed her up against the cave wall. "Blue blooded demon!" she slammed her knee into his side before elbowing him in the face.

"Aria down!" she dove to the ground and turned to watch Tristan fire an arrow straight between the eyes of the woad. She looked to him with a smile.

"I found a way out." she said.

"We should probably hurry…" He said rubbing the back of his head which was still pounding.

"What about the horses?" she asked. "We'll need them we don't know how far we are from the fort…" he looked back at the horses and sighed.

"We get out and then we back track and kill all woads surrounding the cave…"

"They wouldn't expect that… Let me get my gear back on you get the weapons."

"Right." He said with a nod before running back. When he got to the opening of the cave he saw three woads walking forward. He pulled out his bow and quickly shot at them, he only hit two while the others ran back to the forest screaming something in their native language. He quickly gathered the items and rushed back to Aria.

"You'll want to take off your cloak." She said. "It will only drag you down." He nodded and took it off as Aria fastened her corseted vest.

"Here…" he handed her, her weapons which she quickly fastened them in their rightful places. "Ready?"

"Yeah." She jumped through the hole and slammed down into the water. She smiled as she swam through the water and broke through the surface, she turned to watch Tristan falling from the hole above them to splash down into the cold water as well. He surfaced taking a deep breath as he did. "Follow me…" she swam to the sandy shore and helped Tristan from the water before both walked through the waterfall. Tristan stared it was a wall, a rock wall.

"You said there was a way out." he said looking to her.

"Since when did you stop trusting me?" she asked before pointing up. He smiled to see that six to eight feet above them there was a hole in the ceiling. "Before it was lit up I don't know why it isn't now…"

"Sun has changed…" he bent down he cradled his hands and knelt. "Step on." She nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders. "One, two, three…" he lifted her up and she jumped catching her hands on the rim of the entrance. "Can you pull yourself up?"

"Fairly well…" she said as she slowly began to do so. She took a small breath before jumping back down to the ground.

"What happ-." Her hand slammed over his mouth and she backed him up against the wall of the cavern.

"Shh…" she said softly as her hand dropped. He stayed quiet and waited for a long moment before he heard the soft tones of people speaking.

"Woads?" he asked softly. She nodded and he led her past the water fall which natural sound blocked out their voices.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"We can't go back…" he said looking from where they came. "It's too high…"

"I'm sorry Tristan I couldn't look before and I didn't hear them…"

"It's fine, we'll just have to kill them."

-o-

"Found another!" Galahad called as he rode up to an arrow sticking out of a tree.

"Aria left us a good trail…" Gawain said.

"I don't see anymore." Lucan said as he gazed off into the distance.

"This is where the trail ends…" Arthur said his eyes still searching for some clue of where Tristan and Aria had gone.

"No Aria always leaves a trail." Galahad said.

"It's true…" Lancelot said looking to Arthur.

"Not if she didn't have time." They looked to see Arthur was gazing at a row of barbed wire connected to arrows.

"Or maybe that is the trail for us to follow.." Galahad said seeing another line just like it a few feet ahead.

"Spread out find the tracks and these arrows." Arthur ordered.

-o-

Aria slowly allowed Tristan to lift her into the air. She jumped up and gripped onto the ridge of exit. She slowly pulled herself half way up as she felt Tristan let go of her feet and slip away. She smiled as she watched the male woads practice sloppy swordsmanship together.

"We'll take those knights easy…"

"Is that so?" she asked and they all turned. She waved with a small laugh before jumping.

"Get her!" she rushed away as men dropped down into the cavern. She rushed through the water fall and dove into the water. From her vantage point beneath the water she saw five men crash in bloodied and dead from Tristan's deadly arrows. She resurfaced and pulled her own bow hitting three more who were slowly beginning to overpower Tristan. Two more rushed out one diving into the water the other tackling Tristan to the ground.

"Should have just stayed put!" the woad yelled as he slammed his fist against his face. The woad pulled a dagger and place it to Tristan's throat, Tristan quickly grabbed onto his wrist keeping the blade from sliding against the skin. "Just. Die!" Tristan pulled out his dagger and with a smile stabbed it into the woads throat. The man gargled as he slowly got to his feet and backed before falling into the water dead.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" Aria yelled making Tristan turn as he watched her elbow a woad a good five times in the face before grabbing his head and pushing him under the water. She gasped as she was suddenly pulled underneath and was dragged far below. He stayed there for a moment before he saw blood red rise up through the clear water and settle on the surface.

"Aria…" Tristan dove into the water and swam towards the scene of a woad pinning Aria to the bottom of the natural pool. Aria's eyes closed tightly as water flooded her mouth, she pulled back her hand and stabbed her knife into the woads side. She felt his grip loosen but only a little. Then it happened a sharp jab to her ribs, she gasped for air but instead of finding oxygen she found water rushing down her throat and wind pipe.

Tristan pulled out his sword as he swam up behind the woad and slashed him across the back, blood flooded the water around them but he could see Aria slowly begin to swim to the top. He pulled back his sword once more and stabbed the man through the back, his sword sliding through the body all the way to the hilt of the handle. When he was satisfied the man was dead and he could no longer hold onto the air he had in his lungs he quickly swam back to the surface. He looked to the shore to see Aria gasping for air.

"I hate woads!" she shouted before coughing. Tristan swam to the shore and knelt beside her. "You know in the small time I've been a knight I've been hit by arrows, attacked by bears, and now nearly drowned… When we get back to the fort I'm going to find the first man willing and become with child, Rome doesn't want a knight with child fighting for them right?" she asked looking to him.

"You could ask Lancelot to sleep with you; your offspring would make good fighters…"

"Yeah or mass murders…" she muttered. "I know I'll sleep with Gawain that way the child can make weapons for all you burley men."

"Gawain is no good you don't want gingered hair children."

"Good point… Galahad Lucan and Jameson are out of the question, and Arthur he's no good…" she shook her head. "I'll have to stay a Knight… Damn." He smiled as he helped her onto her feet. "Thanks for saving my skin…"

"Any time…" they walked through the water fall and Tristan lifted her up into the air. She climbed up through the hole before reaching her hand down. Tristan jumped up and grabbed a hold of her hand. She slowly pulled him up before gripping onto the back of his light armor and pulling him through the entrance of the small cave. When he got to his feet they both looked around spotting the exit. "Come on." He said pulling a sword while she pulled out her axes.

-o-

"Whatever happened they were in a panic…" Dag said kneeling beside a patch of tossed earth with two sets of horse hoof prints.

"They were ambushed." Lucan said.

"They were being forced somewhere…" Arthur said looking around.

"Yeah but where?" Galahad asked.

-o-

Aria and Tristan slowly climbed up a hill. They had followed the tracks of the woads back to the clearing they had been kept in with the cave where their horses waited. Aria smiled as she spotted the woads, their backs to them as they stared at the opening of the cave.

"How many do you see?" she asked.

"Thirteen…"

"Same count I got… We need to be quick and silent about this…" he nodded already readying an arrow.

"You take the ones that are near the ground I'll take the ones high up in the trees…"

"Alright…" she said as she watched him slowly stand.

-o-

"The trail has gone cold…" Jameson said we'll never find them.

"We'll find them." Arthur said.

"The longer we are out here looking the more we put ourselves in danger." Lucan said riding up next to his twin brother. "We are alive, they are most likely dead let's just leave them."

"I will not abandon them." Arthur said.

"What was that?" Bors asked.

"What was what?" Galahad inquired.

"I heard a noise…" they stayed silent for a long moment before off in the distance they heard the sounds of yelling.

"Go!" Arthur yelled as he kicked the horse and began to follow the sounds of battle. The rode up behind the scene of Tristan and Aria firing bows at tons of woads.

"Where are they all coming from?!" she asked as she reached for a bow to find there was none left. "I'm out!" she yelled just then she saw an arrow fly past her head and slam into the body of a woad who had been fast approaching. She turned quickly and smiled seeing Arthur jumping off his horse a bow in hand. She turned to Tristan who was staring at him with no expression. "Told you he'd come for us." She nudged him before pulling her swords. "Let's do this!" she rushed out into the open and Tristan shook his head as he covered her with arrows.

"Let's show these woads what we're made of!" Bors yelled as he ran after her with the others.

Aria slashed one waod across the chest before stabbing one in the back. She turned and watched as the Woads were steadily killed one by one.

"Where are your horses?" Galahad asked rushing up to her.

"In the cave…" she said pointing.

"What cave?"

"It's behind that curtain of Ivy…" she said as she pulled her bow and shot three waods who had threatened to rush up behind him. He turned as he watched them dive to the ground.

"Nice shot." Gawain said rushing up on a horse.

"Cover me I'm going to head into the cave and get our horses so we can get out of here." She said before rushing off into the open clearing and into the sights of woad archers. She missed six arrows before one grazed her leg and she tumbled down to the ground.

"Aria!" Arthur yelled seeing her go down.

"I'm fine!" she yelled as she rolled up onto her feet and rushed into the cave and out of harm's way.

The knights slowly made their way into the clearing and turned to face out at the surrounding forest. From their vantage point they could see tons of Waods jumping from tree to tree, each time they moved an arrow would take them down. They watched as two horses ran from the cave and into the woods. Aria came out right after wards and reached into Galahads arrow cradle and grabbed one. She looked for the one who was ordering the others. She smiled when she spotted a large man jumping down from a tree shouting orders at the woads around him in their native tongue. She rushed forward, making Arthur step forward.

"Aria no!" he yelled only to find she wouldn't stop. "Cover her!" they shot at any one who dared aimed a bow at her. The large woad turned just in time to watch her fire an arrow into his leg. He dropped to his knees now at the height of Aria who pulled one of her daggers and stabbed it into the man's shoulder before pulling him out into the clearing with a loud yell.

"Halt your arrows!" she yelled as she backed herself and the captive woad to the knights. "I said stop!" she twisted the knife in the commanding woads shoulder and he yelled out in pain. The knights watched as all the woads halted their movements and dropped to the ground.

"Let him go!" someone shouted.

"Let us go!" she yelled.

"Like hell…"

"I will kill him…" she said her eyes narrowing as she watched a young man slowly move forward.

"I don't think you will." She pulled out the knife and placed it against his throat.

"Stop moving or I will spill his blood!"

"He means nothing to us…"

"Really?" she cut into his neck and as his blood dripped every one froze. She smiled softly as she placed her head against her captive. "No… You don't care for him at all…" the woad before her narrowed his eyes. "Here's the deal, you let us ride out of here free and clear and when we get to hadrons wall we let him go… Call it pay back for kidnapping my friend and I."

"You're not walking out of here knightess…"

"Tristan." She said and he pulled and arrow and shot the woad through the chest, the others went to rush forward but Aria cut her captive more and he made a pain noise as more blood flowed down his chest. The woads froze and Aria looked around.

"Now I didn't like whoever that was who was negotiating so let's have someone else step forward and give it a try."

"He is a commanding leader of our people, you kill him and you sign your death warrant." A woad said moving forward.

"I signed my death warrant when the romans came and took me as a child…" The knights looked at her. "Do not assume I fear death when I have been preparing for it my whole life…" a horn sounded and the woads looked up.

"More are coming." Galahad said quietly. "That always means more are coming…" Another horn sounded. Aria tilted her head as she watched the waods slowly back away into the forest before turning and running away.

"You have safe passage but only for today, when tomorrow resumes our feud continues…" she looked down at the woad before pushing him to the ground. He slowly turned and backed away as he looked up at her. "You remind me of someone… Aria Adne…" he said looking at her.

"You know my name?" she asked.

"Your story has barely begun and you are already a legend…" he said making her tilt her head.

"You have about five seconds to get out of my sight before I finish what I started with your throat…" she held out her bloodied blade for him to see. He slowly backed away his hands up.

"We will meet again Aria… Very soon…" he turned at that moment and ran into the tree line before disappearing into the forest.

"That wasn't ominous or anything." She said looking to Arthur.

"Let's get out of here before the woads retract their safe passage offer." He said.

-o-

Aria rode into the barn after the others. The trip back had been tense but uneventful and none of them wanted to admit that the woads had kept their word to them. She slowly got off Teleri and took the saddle off her back before resting it over the stall. She turned and looked at the others who were congratulating each other on the battle well fought. Galahad slowly walked over to her with a smile and she returned the expression.

"You've returned the favor." She said.

"Oh no I don't think I have. I'm just glad you're okay." He hugged her shortly and she smiled.

"Let's have a well deserved feast ay?" Arthur asked.

"Rooooosssss!"

"Do you do that for everything?" Aria asked Bors who just smiled before throwing her into a headlock. "Bors stop!" she yelled as she was dragged off all the while laughing. As Tristan past Galahad he shot him a look that he younger knight didn't understand.

"Did you see that?" He asked Gawain.

"See what?"

"Nothing…" Galahad said.

Was it because I hugged Aria? He wondered.