The Return to Sarmatia 13
They had been traveling for seven hours now, and Lancelot could feel the others eyeing him impatient to move faster than the caravan was traveling.
He raised his eyes to the heavens and had a funny feeling of déjà vu. He had always known that his tendency to play the Devil's Advocate in years past, was annoying as well as welcoming to Arthur, but he had not understood the grand level of patience was needed to hold a stand against such eyes for so long a time.
He sighed; they were taking an awful long time to travel the distance between the tribes land and the port. The caravan was moving fast for its size, yes, but way to slow for the Knights of the Dragon Order's satisfaction.
Despite his hesitance to leave the women and children alone, a part of him hated their speed too; and his mind, as if to mock him, made him remember the part of the letter that made his blood freeze in his veins.
Not even a day after you left on the Lady Avalonia on the water ways, we received a communication from the Spaniards. Emperor Odorace, has with the support to Mother Rome, claimed that if we do not come to his and mother Rome's aid with the invading Huns, Vorgoths, and other Germanic Tribes, he will ravage Briton to the ground.
He needed to be by Arthur's side!
He couldn't waste time by babysitting the Lion Tribe that was with them. He wasn't too worried about the women and the children. The Knight's wives were still pretty battle hardened and still retained their Woad skills as hunters and silent assassins. They could take care of themselves, and their children knew how to hide when they were in danger….
As his horse slowed to allow the covered wagon that carried his family in it to come up to his side, Emogen said with a wryly grin, "You and the others need to go! We can make it to the port by ourselves."
Ula popped out from her spot and added with a light frown, for she was dearly worried about her homeland, "Just make sure to leave us with enough gold to pay for the water ways."
Lancelot turned to his newly found cousin and grinned as his head shook side to side in humor to himself. He had just been thinking something similar, and had wanted to run his idea by the ladies, when they cut him off at the pass.
He nodded and said, "We have three bags of gold. We'll leave two for you and the others."
Emogen nodded and said softly as she cradled their nursing son, "Be careful, my love."
Lancelot smiled lovingly at her; he leaned down from Vertigo and gave her a kiss full of love, passion, and desire. He would miss his wife while they were absent from one another.
He pulled away and made eye contact with his sun and moon. Erlina and Enid were dressed in soft white dresses with green and silver accents along their necks, wrists, and ankles. Each had their curly black hair down and their wide green eyes were full of tears, but there was strength in them too.
He could see that they knew and understood, despite their age, what he had to do. He opened his arms to them, and without any fear, they jumped onto him and Vertigo.
His warhorse didn't even bat an eye.
Erlina wrapped her arms around his neck and said with tears in her voice, "We'll miss you daddy."
Enid, on his other side, wrapped her arms around him too, and said as she kissed his cheek, "Be alive when we get home, daddy."
He wrapped his arms tightly around their thin bodies and said as he squeezed them to him, "I'll miss you too my loves, and don't you worry; I will be alive when we see each other again."
Emogen, on her knees now, handed her son to Ula, who was also holding Amage, said as she held out her arms, "Okay you two, inside the wagon."
Ama, with Habren beside her, in the second wagon, close enough to hear the words of her eldest son, interrupted in protest loudly, "What do you think you are doing?!"
She couldn't understand why her son would leave them alone and helpless on the plains of the Sarmatian tribes. Dozens, if not hundreds, of thieves lived on the plains as the Sarmatian Tribes lost ground to enemies or small populations, and to be without weapons, without protection, was suicide to her.
Babai, on the other hand, had an inkling of what his son's obligations demanded of him, tried to calm her down, but she would not be calmed. He watched with dark eyes, similar to his wife's and son's, yet different, as Lancelot bowed his head into his daughter's lovely curls, inherited from him or their mother, and took a deep, calming breath.
Babai knew his son was asking for patience as he opened his mouth to explain himself.
Surprisingly, the explanation came from Hera and Zimkar, their youngest children in mind, body, heart, and soul.
Zimkar placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, and said, "Mother, he and the others are needed by King Arthur's side. We aren't far from the port, and we can protect ourselves nicely without such a large group traveling at such slow speeds."
Hera continued, "As a matter of fact, we're a bigger target now than we will be when they are gone. As a smaller traveling caravan, we can ghost by the larger thieves without problems."
Lancelot grinned at his youngest siblings and said, "Right in one, good job you two, you're learning."
Zimkar's face blushed with praise from his eldest brother, whom he idolized, and said, "Er…ah…thanks, but you need to get going, right?"
Lancelot nodded, and with a heavy heart, let his sun and moon go and when they were safe in the wagon, he turned Vertigo about and cantered quickly to the front of the line.
Tristran was scouting ahead as always and Gawain was in the lead.
As he came to a stop, he ordered, "Say your farewells to your family. We are leaving!"
The knights surrounding the caravan gave a cheer as each of the Knights of the Round Table made their way to their families.
Lancelot tilted down to reach into his saddle bag to his right, and pulled out a large pouch filled to the top with gold coins. Each golden coin, he knew, was engraved with the bust of Arthur on one side with Excalibur behind him and Cordelia on the other.
Coincidentally, the silver coins had his, his twin swords and Emogen's likeness on them too.
The bronze coins had a mesh of the other Knights and their wives on them too along with the Knights' chosen weapons behind their busts as well.
He raised his head as his fellow Lords came up along side him on their warhorses, and looked to him for leadership.
He pursed his lips and ordered, "Gawain, Tristran, give your bags of gold to the Ladies of Camelot, we are going to be riding double-time and through the night if we have too, to get to the ports of Azov du Lada."
Gawain and their silent friend immediately pulled out equal sized pouches' and Tristran took the leonine Knight's pouch and rode back to the main wagon.
His friends watched silently as Enys took the two bags with a few words and a small smile. Tristran said something back and nodded over his shoulder as his horse turned around to make his way back to the group.
Once by his side once more, Lancelot eyed him and tilted his head. Tristran nodded and cantered off fast over the large hill they were slowly approaching the top of. A second later, the scout of Arthur's form was gone.
"Let's go!" yelled Lancelot as his sent Vertigo into a canter up the hill.
Galahad rode up beside him and asked loudly over the thunder of the horses hooves, "What do you think the situation will be when we get there? We've been gone for a good month, even though we've only just reached the Lion Tribe…."
Lancelot knew exactly where his younger companion was going with these words. It'd taken them at least a month more, at the maximum, to reach the lands of the Lion Tribe, and a month more, if bad weather hindered them to reach Briton again.
Anything could happen in thirty days of the moon's path through the sky.
Catastrophes could and have occurred in less time.
And they'd been gone for almost two months now.
He sighed and replied in a loud tone to be heard over the cantering as well, "I don't know Galahad, I just don't know."
Gawain added seriously, "I don't think Arthur, Bors, Dagonet, nor the others will let Briton fall in the time we've been gone. I'm sure we'll get there in time to either help in the war, or to heave a sigh of relief to the peace achieved."
Lancelot shook his head and said, "It's not that easy, I'm afraid. Emperor Odorace, or otherwise known as Lord O'du Wtha (O-do-wah-ka) of the Western Empire in Spainard, is a clever blood thirsty man who has gained many supporters in his five years as Emperor. He has demanded that we go to war and save Rome from her enemies…if we don't…."
Gawain shook his head and said, "Britannia isn't a part of the Empire any longer; we haven't been since they pulled out willing to leave Briton to the Saxons…"
Lancelot snorted and said, "What did you expect Gawain? Rome is weak; we are strong; they need us and are using the only avenue they have left…blackmail and threats."
Galahad shook his head and said, "Still, they will have to pass the port key houses to get docking tickets into Kameland Harbor…"
"…Hey!" he shouted as his hand flew to his head to rub the offended flesh and glare half-heartedly at the offender, Tristran.
Tristran looked at him with serious gray eyes and said, "Lord Odorace won't need a ticket of docking if he comes to raze Briton to the ground for our help, pup."
Galahad frowned at the hated childhood name, but also understood the implications as to why it was used; he was acting childish which lead to his childhood name being used.
Galahad sighed and said sadly, "Right, he'll just burn it all into the sea."
Lancelot nodded as Tristran reported, "Nothing, we're clear for a good while. Siolae is flying on ahead."
The Knights of the Round Table remained silent, galloping didn't lean much to conversation what with the lunges and large gaits that halted speech patterns, when the night sky began to darken and the stars began to twinkle high in the heavens.
Lancelot shook his head and yelled, "KEEP GOING!!!"
After another hour on horseback, as the colors of the rainbow transformed into the darkest black, the port of Azov du Lada appeared through the watery mists of the port of calls.
The mists bothered no one.
Their homeland was filled with such mists and it made them feel just a tiny bit better to have reached the water ways.
Now all they had to do was find a ship willing to leave dock at night with thirty two men and fifteen horses.
Lancelot dismounted Vertigo and said as he grabbed the reigns in one hand, "You all stay here, I'm going to see about getting us a ship."
Gawain dismounted also and said, "Off your horses Knights!"
Lancelot nodded and walked down the dirt road.
He was looking for a Tavern full of life.
It would be his best bet in finding a Captain after all.
((More descriptions to come; this was just a necessary filler chapter.))