Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: Finally! I know, right?
Tamura
Chapter 6
The day the Bishop was due to arrive, she woke with a sense of foreboding. She knew that his visit would not end well. She could feel it in her bones and it set the worry spiraling into her heart. Trying to dispel the growing dread, Tamura snuggled deeper into Dagonet's side. His quiet strength and calmness had always been what steadied her. She felt his arms tighten around her, instinctively knowing, even in sleep, that she needed him.
They rode out at first light, reaching a hill where they paused to take in the approaching carriage surrounded by Roman soldiers.
"Our freedom, Bors." Gawain commented. Dagonet and Tamura smiled.
"Mmmm, I can almost taste it." They all laughed, even Arthur who had grown into a very serious man. She studied him for a moment. Gone was the happy carefree boy, or the exuberant and almost hyper young man. In their place was a battle hardened commander who took everything in stride and prayed desperately to a god only he believed in, to put an end to all the battles they had seen.
The woads came streaming out of the trees to attack the caravan, which in turn spurred the knights into action. They raced down the hill, their horses eating up the ground with their long, powerful strides. Tamura could see some awe in the Roman soldiers, and briefly wondered how they looked on their larger war horses, racing down the hill, swords drawn and battle cries poised on their lips. What a sight they must have been. They reached the fray, strategically separating to begin the bloody task of cutting the enemy down to size.
When the skirmish was over, it really couldn't be called a battle, they regrouped. Bors and Arthur inspected the carriage while the rest reclaimed the horses. Tamura stayed close to Dagonet as she'd had more than a few run ins with Roman soldiers at the fort, and knew how well they reacted to having a woman knight in their midst. As it was, she'd already garnered notice of some guarding the Bishop, who looked disgusted and offended.
"What a bloody mess." She head Bors comment when Arthur looked into the carriage. She figured the Bishop has been killed but Arthur dispelled that notion.
"Thats not the Bishop." He said. It was quietly spoken, but in the silence that has come over the little valley, it carried. Arthur walked way until he stood in front of a seemingly older soldier astride a horse.
"Bishop Germanus. Welcome to Britain." They spoke briefly, but Tamura refused to listen. The dread she felt before had returned ten fold. She did not like this man. He held much back and spoke in half truths. She could feel his lies clinging to his skin from across the field and didn't trust the look in his eyes. Arthur asked Tristan to ride ahead and make sure the road was clear. She squeezed Dagonet's arm and nodded after Tristan, then caught up with the tattooed man. Her sudden departure startled the soldiers. She didn't see Arthur glance at Dagonet in question or the shrug her husband gave in return. She simply wanted away from the Romans. They made her skin prickle in a way that had always made her very uneasy. Arsalion picked up on the fact and stretched his stride to carry his mistress farther away, faster.
As they finally reached the road to the fort, the knights regrouped. Arthur rode at the front quietly. Gawain, Galahad, and Lancelot followed behind him, Bors, Dagonet, and Tamura were behind them, and Tristan brought up the rear. She had to smile at Bors. Time and battle had only made his spirit more earthy. He was just as he'd always been, and she was glad he had not changed. She focused in on the conversation again and shook her head at Galahad. How he retained his naivete she had never understood.
"I don't kill for pleasure, unlike some." He said off handedly. She knew he wasn't trying to be insulting. He just liked to needle Tristan. It was a dangerous pastime that he took great pleasure in. From the twinkle in Tristan's eye, he enjoyed it just as much.
"You should try it sometime. You might get a taste for it." He answered.
"We do not kill for pleasure. We kill out of necessity to preserve our lives and those we are charged to protect. If we happen to be faced with a worthy opponent of some skill, then there is a distinct thrill in the testing of our skills as warriors, but only that." Tamura interjected, effectively ending the argument that was about to brew.
"What will you do once we are free?" Bors asked Gawain.
"I expect to find a beautiful Sarmatian woman, and marry her, and have a bunch of kids."
"A beautiful Sarmatian woman? Why do you think we left? MOOOOO!" Bors looked at Gawain with a hint of disbelief.
"Hey!" Tamura reached up and slapped Bors across the back of the head, hard enough to slightly unseat the man. "I resemble that remark. And you'd best take it back, or I'll tell Vanora what you said. She likes me better than you, and is a hell of a lot more vicious that I could ever be." Bors look suitably contrite and she and the other knights laughed at him.
"My apologies, great Lady. I meant no offense." He stated with total seriousness. She smiled and nodded.
"Apology accepted, Sir Knight." Even Dagonet laughed at their antics. "What about you Lancelot?"
"Well if this woman of Gawain's is as beautiful as he claims, I expect to be spending a lot of time at Gawain's house. His wife will welcome the company."
"I see. And what will I be doing?" Gawain asked.
"Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me." Lancelot countered.
"Is that before or after I hit you my axe?" Lancelot just smiled and nudged his horse up to join Arthur. "And you Bors, what will you do?"
"After the Romans leave, we'll have the run of this place. Not going back to Sarmatia. Its cold there, and besides, every one I know is dead and buried. I'll be a Lord, and Dagonet will be my royal guard, and personal are kisser, wont you Dag?" Dagonet ignored him.
"Get your own are kisser, Bors! Dag has already been claimed." Galahad giggled. Sometimes he was such a child. Tamura smiled and pulled her horse up to wait for the man in question. Dagonet brushed his fingers over hers as the rode. Tamura relaxed for a little while, but the uncomfortable feeling returned as the rode through the gates into the fortress.
The paused in the yard, and Jols greeted them warmly. Arsalion danced a bit but quieted under the mans calm hand. Tamura felt a moment of regret as her mount continued to pick up on her agitation. It wasn't as bad once she was standing on the ground. He couldn't feel as much of her tension then. Jols led the horses to the stable, and rather than heading up to their room, Tamura followed to take care of Arsalion herself. She needed to collect her thoughts and get herself under control. Dagonet followed her, concern in his eyes. Tamura groomed Arsalion slowly, lost in thought. Dagonet noted her attention was not on the task at hand and waited for the others to leave.
"My love, what troubles you?" He asked. Tamura brought startled eyes up to his.
"I am worried. I feel this awful sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. I do not trust this Bishop to honor our release without conditions. I fear that these conditions will be the end of us."