A Married Woman
Chapter Two
Lancelot had kept his and Eleanorah's conversation in the woods out of the other Knight's knowledge. When he and Norah returned to the camp, the other Knight's had not yet woken apart from Tristan who didn't even look at either as they returned before he mounted his horse and went to scout out the area once more before they left. They were safe here, Lancelot knew that or he wouldn't have pursued Norah on his own without waking the others first and she hadn't gotten too far from the camp so he would have known about any attack before it happened. He had his suspicions that Tristan had been awake and kept a watch on the group whilst he went after Norah but neither had said anything.
The journey wasn't as tense as the night before and Norah had relaxed a little finding the Knight's good company. It was possible she felt guilty for not cooperating with them the night before and as they rode further south, the threat of being attacked by the Woad's lessened and the Knight's found they enjoyed Norah's company as much as she did theirs (She was also extremely good at cooking with natural and very few ingredients which was a relief from Bors' cooking which left much to be desired). And as the days passed they found themselves rather suited to each others company. What made Norah likable was that she knew how to look after herself which made a difference in the way they looked after the group; they seemed to still work as a team but with an extra member. Of course they found themselves looking out for her more than they would their brothers but that was understandable, Norah was not a Knight and she was their mission, she had to be brought back safely.
By the end of the week the only person Norah hadn't been able to crack with her charm was Tristan.
"I wouldn't be too offended," It was Galahad that spoke with a smile as they sat around fire, his arms resting on his knees with his right hand clasping his left wrist in the middle "He doesn't talk."
"He has been like that ever since I can remember." Gawain put in with a shrug, poking the fire with a stick.
" e's funny you know." Bors' put in, "You know boys, 'I aim for the middle'" Gawain laughed at Bors' impression of the Scout and the answer he always gave when someone asked about his aim.
"He is usually slightly more talkative than this." Gawain said "It's probably because he doesn't know you. He doesn't trust people he doesn't know." Norah nodded a little and then looked across the fire towards Arthur,
"What do you think?" he looked up, surprised at her question,
"Arthur's our leader; he isn't allowed to voice his opinion." Lancelot said with a sly smile and a laugh. Norah was smiling at Lancelot's comment, her eyes on him before she realised that she'd been looking at him for a fraction of a second too long.
He was handsome, of course she was going to look at him but something about him made her curious. He was a Knight, they were supposed to be selfless warriors yet Lancelot cared more for his brothers safety than anyone else's. Everything he did, may it seem selfless or not had an ulterior motive.
He liked women. Norah already knew that from just looking at him. She'd known men like Lancelot all her life, they treated women in a certain way, could manipulate them due to their heroic reputation and good looks but had never loved one more than they loved themselves. But she supposed many of the Knight's were charged with that crime; they had no time to fall in love with a woman when they could be dead the next day.
Tristan's entrance had been so sudden that they'd all started at his voice, many of them going for their weapon's before realising it was just him,
"We have a problem," The Knight's turned to look at Tristan who jumped off of his horse and strode forwards into the centre and looked directly at Arthur. "Woad's, not too far from here, a couple of hundred meters give or take and they are approaching fast." The Knight's exchanged glances, standing from the ground. Lancelot's eyes flicked to Norah who was staring up at Tristan with a look of fear.
"We have to move, we are not safe here anymore," Arthur looked towards Norah, evaluating something "We are going to try something we haven't before," The Knight's exchanged glances, every single one had their hand on the hilt of a sword or wrapped around the handle of an axe, ready to strike if the time was right, they waited in anticipation. "We are splitting up."
"W-What?" Galahad said raising his eyebrows "We can't do that! Arthur!"
"Tristan just had a look around, the woad's are surrounding us as he speak," Norah swallowed, she couldn't help the terror that was building in her system, Dagonet looked at her and she felt his large hand squeeze her shoulder, trying to reassure her, "Tristan is there any way out easily?" Tristan shook his head silently "There is no way out. So, the only way out of this is to split. Lady Eleanorah will travel with three of us, the rest will-"
"Arthur…I trust your judgement but that sounds like suicide," Lancelot said, his expression serious but Arthur smiled,
"The rest of us will draw the woad's out; They will think she is with me. We will meet in a couple of days in the village five leagues from here." The Knight's exchanged glances, "They will follow me. This is the only way out." Arthur looked at the knights but before they could agree or disagree there was a sudden howling shout and all eight of them turned to see a large, group of men running at them out of the darkness "KNIGHTS!" Arthur bellowed and each one of them drew a sword, Norah found herself suddenly surrounded by men.
How had the Woad's found them when they had been so careful? Suddenly she heard a yell and turned, her eyes widening as a man hurtled towards her, his cry echoing as he ran at her. She gasped, looking around for a weapon and finding none and taking a few worried steps backwards as the Woad swung his sword towards her but before she could even scream, the Woad's sword was met with another. It was Lancelot, he slashed the Woad down violently and thrust a sword into her hand before shouting "RUN!" at her. As she ran, she couldn't breathe or think, what little air she could get coming in and out in sharp, painful gasps. She tore through the tree line protecting their small shelter and stumbled into the grassy field. She dashed through the grass, looking for a safe place to hide. The moon was hiding behind the clouds which meant it was pitch black and she suddenly stopped, realising that she was on her own in the darkness with only a sword and the distant sounds of a battle for company. She pushed her fear from her mind, carrying on forward and finding herself at another tree line. She turned, looking back but only seeing dark moving figures between the trees, silhouetted from the light of the fire, she was unable to tell who it was and what was happening and grudgingly tore herself away from the scene.
She pushed herself through the trees and began to run again, her hair and dress being caught on twigs and branches, snatching at her skin. The whole forest moved around her, sounds and distant shouts of battle echoing in her ears. She couldn't think and she couldn't breathe, all she could do was run. She stumbled a few times, once falling sharply on a rock, tearing her dress and cutting her knee open but she pulled herself up, staggering forwards and running through the terrifying darkness. She stopped suddenly, gasping for air and looking around wildly. The taste of metal hit her mouth, almost as if her burning throat were bleeding but it was just from sprinting into the forest. She began to shake, her fear of the dark engulfing her like a sickness, the last ounce of courage she had leaving her. Something sounded to her left and she turned sharply, ideas budding in her mind of what creature it could be. Unwelcome tears welled into her eyes as she began to succumb to complete fear.
"H-hello? Dagonet?" She questioned in a whisper. Her heart was crashing against her chest so violently that she was sure it was about to burst from her chest, she turned in a circle trying to see, trying to calm herself down but it was only blinding darkness and tree outlines. Her whole body tensed.
Suddenly someone grasped hold of her shoulders and she screamed, jumping out of her skin and trying to pull away from them.
"No! No please!" She cried trying to get away but the man wrapped strong arms around her waist, trying to cover her mouth and she gasped in fear pushing him away with all her strength but the man grabbed hold of her wrists,
"My Lady! Norah it's me!" She froze, her eyes straining to see in the darkness and she held her breath for a moment
"L-Lancelot?" She squeaked and she heard him breathing heavily from running.
"Yes, My Lady are you harmed?" He demanded, she felt his rough palm on her cheek and saw a flash of his eyes from a sudden beam of moonlight that was breaking out from the clouds.
He saw her suddenly from the light that flitted through the trees and they looked at one another, her fears subsiding as his eyes searched her body for any visible wounds. He looked up at her again to see that she was staring, wide eyed at him, her skin pale "Norah?" she swallowed and to his surprise she suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, embracing him "Ah…Are you hurt..?" she shook her head hurriedly as she gripped onto him, her eyes closed with relief crashing through her. He lay a hand on the small of her back lightly and said quietly "My Lady we need to keep moving, we need to find shelter."
"W-Where is everyone?" She asked as she pulled away and looked up at him, he frowned sadly.
"I...I ran after you." She closed her eyes, knowing that this meant; he did not know the fate of the others,
"Why are you so terrified? You did not seem frightened of the Woad's before?" He asked, genuine concern written over his features, she was shaking so violently that he took her hands in his own, trying to stop her fear. Her eyes were wide as they searched the trees around them and she shook her head, clearly embarrassed,
"Norah you need to tell me!" he exclaimed, suddenly worried and cupping her face in his hands and looking at her with alarm, she swallowed and blinked, letting out a freighted, tense breath.
"It's the dark," She whispered. Lancelot found himself surprised, Norah was a strong young woman, he knew that, but to see her reduced to terrified tears was odd. When he came to think about it, this strong young woman was reduced to a little trembling girl with the setting of the sun.
"It will be alright, I promise you it'll all be alright." She nodded as he looked around the quiet forest "We must move on...we need to get to a safe place." She pursed her lips together, clearly not liking the idea of moving through the dark forest, "It will be alright," He said reassuringly "The dark is a lot less intimidating if someone is there to help you through," He held out his hand and she exhaled once more, trying to calm herself before carefully taking his hand and felt her fingers interlinking with his, he nodded with a small smile and drew his sword before the two set off through the forest.