The knights stared at the door of the healing room with wide eyes. At first when they had arrived to await news of Aria everything had been quiet then the screaming had started. Such screaming they were sure she was being tortured. The knights continuously had to hold Tristan back from running into the room. After a while he had resorted to facing the wall his hands planted against it as he tried to ignore the screams of agony happening from deep inside the healing room.

"I hear movement." Dag said and Tristan turned to watch the door start to open. Arthur came out looking pale with perspiration on his brow.

"Ariadne how is she?" Tristan asked his jaw clenching.

"It's… Not good…" Arthur said. She's been flogged… They stripped skin from bone… She's… Been assaulted."

"Bastards…" Gawain said as Tristan went to move forward.

"Tristan." Arthur stopped him instantly. "The sight of her-."

"You can't keep me from her." Tristan said.

"I don't wish it it's just… I think you should know…" Arthur took a deep breath. "They don't think she'll make it the night."

"Yeah?" He asked. "Well they've said that before." He said before moving past him into the room the other knights watching through the open door.

Tristan pulled aside a curtain and took a shaky breath. Aria lay face down on a table. Her back was covered in blood, herb, and soaked papyrus. She breathed but it rattled from deep within her chest. She had tear tracks evident on her beautiful face which lay bruised from an obvious beating. He took a step forward as he took a shaky breath.

"Tri…" He came to a stop hearing her broken voice. "Tristan?" He rushed to her side and took her hand in his.

"I'm here." He said instantly. "I'm here…" he kissed the back of her hand. A tear fell down her cheek and his jaw clenched further.

"Gods what did they do to her?" Galahad asked softly his eyes wide.

"Tristan…" Aria breathed.

"I'm right here…" he said kissing her temple.

"Tristan…" He took a shaky breath. His heart ached for her in that moment.

"I'm right here… Can you hear me?" he asked, another tear fell down her cheek and he brushed it away.

"Tristan…"

"She's been saying your name this whole time…" Arthur said and he looked to him. "When she wasn't screaming…"

"The men who did this to her…" He said his jaw clenching.

"They'll be executed for their crimes…"

"This is not a matter for Rome Arthur." Lancelot said practically reading Tristans mind.

"Tristan, what do you want done about this?" Dag asked and Arthur slowly nodded.

"Yes, what should be done?" he asked

"Find the men, bring them to the dungeons… I will handle the rest." Tristan said.

"Of course." Arthur said. "Knights, we have work to do…"

"Arthur…" Tristan said and Arthur stopped.

"When you say assaulted-."

"She's no longer intact…"

"Will she lose her standing as a knight?"

"Only if she becomes with child. I have paid off the healer so he will never speak of the theft of her virginity…" Arthur looked over Tristan who held the back of Arias hand to his lips.

"If she is with Child… I'll marry her… And we'll raise he or she together… The story will be that it was I who took her virtue… Who put a baby in her belly… That'll be the story we tell everyone… She wouldn't want people to…" his voice shook. "She wouldn't want people to…" Arthur looked over Tristan for a long moment. The usually composed knight was distraught. In pain over what had happened to the fair knightess. "She wouldn't want people to know that she was-."

"It's okay Tristan… No one will ever know… That will be the story we tell… I promise." Arthur said. Tristan only nodded and went back to looking at Aria who made a pained noise as he held onto her hand tightly.

"If there is ever a child I don't ever want them to know their origins… I will be there father…"

"Of course Tristan." Arthur said before he and the other knights walked off. "He's better than any of us."

"Aye." The others said in agreement.

"I should have been there for you…" Tristan said to Aria as he pushed a strand of her white blonde hair behind her ear. "I should have protected you… I promise you now I will give penance for my failings…" She made another pained noise and his eyes shut tightly. "I should have been there…"

-o-

"Arthur, why are we just sitting here?" Gawain asked.

"According to what you all told me, Aria was in an altercation with a group of men last night in an attempt to protect Venora."

"That's right." Bors said.

"Venora told Bors that she witnessed one of those men toss Aria back into this watering hole in the state she was in."

"So?" Galahad asked.

"Those men will come back tonight to continue collecting money from Venora. Mark my words." Arthur said.

"Why would they come back they must know we're after whoever did this to her…" Lancelot said.

"I spread word that we left the fort on a mission and that Aria was dead…"

"Which is why we're in heavy cloaks…" Gawain said.

"Exactly." Arthur said. "Hiding our true identities to catch these monsters."

"What do you think Tristan will do to them?" Galahad asked.

"I shudder to think…" Arthur said. "But it's nothing they don't completely deserve, now eyes forward… Here they are…" They watched as Venora gave them the signal. A group of men came waltzing in and Lancelot pulled his sword.

"Not a mark on them…" Arthur said. "I want them in tip top shape for Tristans vengeance."

"Right…" Lancelot said his jaw clenching as he relinquished hold of his sword.

"Why aren't we moving in on them?"

"Because I bought them a round."

"You what?" Lancelot asked.

"I had Venora slip something a little extra into their drinks, it will make taking them in a lot easier…"

"Well done." Dag said and Arthur smiled.

"This is why you run things isn't it?" Bors asked looking to Arthur who only smiled. His smirk instantly fell as he watched venora get called back to the table. The leaders of those men locked eyes with him as he handed their drinks back to Venora. Before she could walk away the man gripped onto her arm. Bors went to stand but Dag held him down.

"Calm my friend…" He said quietly. Venora slowly nodded at what the man was saying to her before walking back to the knights the spiked drinks in hand.

"He uhm…" Venora cleared her throat. Arthur instantly took in her appearance. She was as white as a sheet. "Granice he said… That the… bitch had it coming and here's your spiked drinks back." She set the tray down. "I'm so sorry Arthur, I didn't want to bring them back…" She added with a whisper. "He stuck my thigh with a dagger though…" They looked to see blood moving in through her skirt.

"Bastard…" Bors said his eyes shooting to the man named Granice to see him licking a dagger with her blood on it.

"Knights…" Arthur said locking eyes with Granice. "We tried it the Roman way… Now… Let's do it the Samaritan way…" The men instantly stood pulling their weapons and rushing over to the others.

"The bitch had it coming huh!?" Gawain shouted as he slammed his fist across one of the mans faces.

"Don't kill him just take them in!" Arthur ordered.

-o-

Tristan held onto Arias hand tightly. They had moved her to her bedroom upon Arthurs request. She had made sounds of pain nearly the whole way. Then once they had laid her down on the bed she had passed out. Exhausted from her injuries. He couldn't stop thinking about the gashes across her back, or the theft of her chastity. He also couldn't stop thinking about the night before.

"I've implored her to inform Bors of her condition…" Tristan looked her over.

"You seem upset…"

"It's not right." She said.

"That they had sex?" He asked.

"No no no of course not…" Aria said looking to him. "They love one another, and what an amazing way to show your love for someone… What's wrong is the child… How can Bors leave her with a child?"

"Leave, he isn't going to leave her…"

"Not willingly no but a woad arrow can steal him away from Venora and his child." He nodded.

"I see you think it unfair that he has placed this burden upon her."

"Yes." She said. "Then again it takes two to… Well… You know… too… Uhm…" She cleared her throat and looked off. "Sleep together." Tristan smiled to himself. She could be very shy on some matters. "Well we both agree on discretion when it comes to Venora?" He nodded. "Excellent… I'm going to head up to bed… Arthur has placed a new curfew for me upon realization of us…" she kissed him on the cheek. "Good night Tristan…" He tilted his head as he watched her walk off.

He couldn't stop thinking about that last moment. How she kissed him on the cheek and bid good night. He hadn't kissed her back. He hadn't said good night. It wasn't that he hadn't been angry with her. No he'd been worried about something. About her not being happy with him and their relationship. He wished he hadn't been worrying about that though. He wished he had been worrying about her safety.

"I should have offered to walk you back to your room… If I had those men would have never done this to you…" he said quietly his jaw clenching as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes slowly opened and Tristan took a deep breath as he held onto her hand tight. "Ariadne?" he asked as he kissed the back of her hand. She had only said his name in her sleep, and when she was in pain. But she hadn't spoken to him yet in a present sense. Where she was aware of what she was saying. "Ariadne can you hear me?"

Aria took a shaky breath as she let her eyes drift around the room. The pain she was feeling was like nothing she had experienced before in her life. At first she wasn't sure what could have caused but then horrifying flashes entered her mind. Panic rose into her chest before her eyes set upon Tristan and instantly she felt a new emotion. Shame.

"Ariadne?" at the sound of his worried voice her eyes shut tightly and she took a shaky breath. A tear escaped her as she felt him kiss the back of her hand. She shook her head quickly. She was hoping everything that been some terrible nightmare. All she wanted now was to wake up. "Ariadne can you hear me?" she nodded and she heard him take a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry…" Arias jaw clenched as she tried to contain a sob, but she failed, failed miserably. A sob escaped her. She couldn't believe he was apologizing. The fact he felt the need to make her shame and pain intensify. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to pretend she was asleep. Not having the strength to pick her head up or even speak. She would not be idle though. There were things she needed to fix, save. Including her knighthood. "Say something to me…" Her eyes shut tightly at the sound of his beckoning. "Say anything to me…" She stayed still not having the strength to speak, also not knowing what to say.

"Tristan…" He looked over his shoulder and Aria kept her eyes shut. "Can I talk to you?" Arthur asked. Tristan kissed the back of her hand.

"I'll be back…" he said quietly into her hair before getting up and walking away.

"I'll look after her." Dag said making his presence known.

"Thank you…" Tristan said and Dag nodded who walked over and sat at Arias side. He knew she wasn't sleep, but he also knew that she wasn't ready to talk so instead he smiled softly and took her hand.

"It's okay… Tristan is going to set things right." Dag said and he watched her jaw clench as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Nothing…" she said her voice hoarse from screaming. "Will ever…" she took a rattling breath. "Be right… Ever… Again…" Her eyes opened and set upon him, and never had he seen such pain in her expression before. He set his large hand upon her cheek and pushed her tears away with his thumb.

"Sleep child…" he said and another tear fell. "You need your rest… In the morning… You may feel differently."

I don't want to feel at all…

"Tell me… A story… Like when we were…" She took another rattling breath. "Younger."

"Only if you promise to try and sleep…" she only nodded and he smiled as he looked up in thought. "How about I tell you about the horses?" he asked. "You always liked the stories of our peoples horses…" he saw a ghost of a smile. "Horses it is… a long time ago…"

-o-

Tristan slowly walked down into the dungeons to see the knights before a cage where five men were hung up by chains. Their feet dangling inches above the ground. They were bruised and bloodied. It seemed they hadn't been brought in the easy way. He looked to the knights with a glare.

"They wouldn't go quietly." Lancelot said.

"We had to use force…" Bors added.

"You can't do this to us… We're Romans." The leader by the name of Granice said.

"You're not worthy of such a title." Arthur said his jaw clenching.

"So who are you?" Granice asked as Tristan walked up to him. "Hmm? The bitches hound?" Tristan didn't hear him though. His eyes were glued to the an arrow necklace around the mans neck. The necklace Aria had made for him after he killed the bear. The necklace they had swapped for her bear claw one during the incursion on the fort. The necklace she had been wearing for the past few days.

"That…" Tristan said grabbing the necklace. "Isn't yours." He said his eyes glaring into Granices.

"No… I ripped it from that bitches neck as I buried myself into her sweet tight cunt." Tristan pulled a knife and gripped onto the tongue of Granice and with one easy slice he cut the tongue from his mouth. Granice screamed in agony as the angry red blood began to pour from his mouth.

"Gods…" Galahad said looking away as Tristan smiled while looking over the tongue before tossing it aside.

"Anyone else have anything vulgar to say about her?" Tristan asked the other men who stared at him wide eyed. "Say it or keep your silence, neither will spare you." He looked over his shoulder. "I need fire."

"I'll get it." Gawain said and Tristan nodded. Before looking over Granice who had tears streaking down his face.

"Don't worry…" Tristan said setting his hand on the crook of his neck. "I'm not going to hurt you anymore…" He stared at him wide eyed. "Because I'll be too busy hurting your men… Watch what I do to them… Take notes… Because everything I do to them I'm going to do to you… You will not die tonight. You will not die tomorrow. You may not even be dead by the end of the year because I won't allow it…" The man let out a sob blood flying from his mouth as he did. "When the time comes for you to die though it will not be from my hand… It will be from the hand of Ariadne… The woman who you… Beat…Flogged… And…" his jaw clenched. "Raped."

"The bitch started it." Tristan pointed his knife at the farthest man away from him.

"Your name?"

"Bilschton."

"Bilschton…" Tristan said walking to him. "You're first." He took a hold of his ear and sliced it from his head making the man scream in agony. The knights tried to look on as long as they could as Tristan began to cut the mans appendages off piece by piece. When he start cutting of the man's legs with a saw and burning the wounds closed so he wouldn't bleed out that's when they had to look away.

"Just remember boys…" Bors said. "They fucking deserve it… We still don't know all the details of what Aria went through." They all nodded and once more forced themselves to look.

-o-

Dag looked over his shoulder hearing the door open. He smiled seeing Venora slowly walked in and closing the door gently. She turned and gave a small expression as she moved forward a basket of good held under her arm.

"How is she?"

"Resting… She isn't talking though… I don't think she can." Dag said knowing that the words Aria had said to him earlier were to be kept secret and safe within his mind.

"I thought I heard talking…" She said sitting down on the other side of Aria.

"I was telling Aria some old tales I used to tell her when we were younger and in our dark cells in the training camp…"

"You seem to protect her as a little sister, most of the knights do, but you seem very protective of her… Is it because you're the oldest?"

"Calling me old Venora?" he asked with a smirk and she just laughed softly as she handed him a role which he took in thanks. "No… I had a little sister before I was taken away to be a knight… Aria reminds me much of her… A tough but whimsical lass… You two have gotten closer to one another lately…"

"She saved my life during the raid on the fort…" She said. "Look how I repay her…" Venora said looking over her bloodied bandaged back.

"This isn't your fault Venora."

"If I hadn't told her about Granice and his men threatening me and shaking me down, she wouldn't have ever gone after them, and she wouldn't have been hurt. If I hadn't told her about the baby she wouldn't have been so protective of me."

"The baby?" She quickly looked to Dag. "You and Bors-."

"We're with child… He was going to tell everyone but then what happened with Aria happened and he thought it best to wait…"

"This isn't your fault Venora…"

"That's sweet of you to say…" She said softly. "What… What story were you telling her before I walked in?"

"The tale of the lost princess Isolde."

"The name Aria drew her alias from when the fort was raided." Venora said.

"Funny thing is, she didn't know about the tale of the little lost princess Isolde…."

"Are you serious?" Venora asked and Dag nodded. Venora smiled as she looked down at Aria. "Funny, the first thing I thought when I saw Aria was that she could very well be the older version of Princess Isolde."

"Same here truth be told…" He said.

"Funny that she chose the name Isolde when she didn't know its roots… It's not a name you hear often or ever unless speaking of her story."

"You know… The princess would be about her age…" Dag said and Venora looked to him.

"Do you think she's the little lost princess?" He shrugged.

"Be funny if she was." Dag said with a smile.

"There was a way to find her as I remember… Something the remainder of our people were to look for when the time came for her to lead."

"A birthmark." He said. "A birthmark in the middle of her shoulder blades… One that according to the tale of the princess was shaped like the rose her mother had wished all those things about her off of."

"Does Aria have the birthmark?" Dag just laughed and so did Venora. "I'm going to go fetch her some fresh water, in case she wakes up."

"Very good of you." Dag said as Venora got up and walked over the room. Dag slowly let his his eyes move over Aria before he peeled back one of her bandages to look at a very peculiar rose shaped birthmark right between her shoulder blades. He covered the birthmark with the bandage and took a deep breath. "Your secret is safe with me… Your Majesty…"

-o-

AN: short update but I know I left a lot of you in suspense and I wanted to alleviate some of it lol. I LOVE ALL THE REVIEWS BY THE WAY I LOVE ALL OF YOU!