So I got impatient and decided to post this one a little early...Like, six days early...
WARNING: This chapter contains bad language, and is rated M for this reason. Please don't read if this will offend you. Later chapters will be milder.
Disclaimer: This piece of fiction was created purely for entertainment purposes, and I am making no profit from it, nor claim ownership.
Chapter Two - Insubordination
The shades of evening began to creep across the rolling hills. Shadows lengthened under trees as the dying sun slowly set in a burnt orange sky. Torches and candles began to flicker up along the Wall, and as evening drew on the fort of Camboglanna began to come alive. Up on the Wall top, the last three of Artorius's Knights lounged around a beer flagon and a dice cup. The last four days had been equally as boring for them, if somewhat more comfortable.
"A three and a five," said Galahad, as he tipped the dice out. He was losing.
Dagonet took the cup and dice in silence, and spun it around twice before tipping the bone cubes onto the stone step. "Two sixes." He pronounced.
Ector laughed at Galahad's gaping expression.
"How do you do that?" the younger Knight demanded. "Every time!"
Ector took a long drink from the beer jug and passed it down to Dagonet from his perch on the wall top. "He's probably weighted the dice, whelp."
Dagonet's face was still impassive. Galahad hefted the dice in his hands anyway, just to check the weight, although he was sure Dagonet would never be part of anything underhand. Right?
"You owe me a new knife, Galahad."
Galahad groaned, and shot Ector a dark look as the man continued to snigger.
"I'm never playing you at dice again, Dagonet."
"And you never stopped to wonder why nobody else will play him either?"
Galahad scowled. "You're not making any friends here, Ector..."
"Best of three?" suggested Dagonet with a predatory smile, when all three heard the distant but unmistakable sound of horses on the road. Arthur's Knights had returned.
"About time!" exclaimed Galahad and climbed carefully to his feet. Dagonet pocketed the dice and the two joined Ector peering over the wall. The column of approaching riders was barely lit by the wall torches, and seemed like a great dark shadow sweeping across the plain.
"Open the gates!" Came the sentry's cry from below. Ector stretched, lazily.
"Right, I'll be off down to the stables. See you gentlemen later."
Ector was always on hand to help with the horses when riders returned to the wall. The dark man had a way with horses like no other, and seemed to revel in their company.
"To the tavern, then?" Galahad suggested. "The others will be there soon; Bors will be battering down the door to see Vanora and some ale before too long."
Dagonet nodded. "The others won't be far behind."
Galahad's ankle twinged a little as they descended the steps but he ignored it. The injury was one of the reasons he'd been left at the fort in the first place; it was just a little ligament damage obtained while falling into a ditch, and it was mostly healed. He had been determined it would be healed by the time Arthur returned. He tried not to glower. Stupid bloody ditch.
"D'you think they managed to abandon that Roman stick-in-his-arse General somewhere? Like in the middle of a marsh? Or a Woad infested forest?"
Dagonet smiled, teeth glinting white in the darkness.
"Who knows?" He said, "But I'm pretty sure Lancelot and Kai had something in mind."
Galahad was laughing when just at that moment, a Roman legionnaire came hurrying around the corner, leading two horses, and something about the man's manner stopped both men in their tracks. He was too tense, and not in an I've-been-riding-for-four-days-and-I'm-seriously-saddlesore kind of way. The man's pose was more everything's-got-ballsed-up-and-my-superiors-are-pissed-off-and-we're-all-going-to-suffer. Something was wrong.
The legionnaire saw them approach but didn't stop.
"Woad attack." He said, in terse Latin. "There's injured."
Galahad stopped in his tracks. A few moments ago he had been laughing. Now it felt like there was a whole winter's worth of ice inside him.
"Any dead?" asked Dagonet, in his calm way.
The soldier shrugged and moved away towards the stables.
"Come on," said Dag, and the pair hurried on, all thoughts of taverns and dice long gone. Of course it was not the first time. Too many of them had been carried bleeding back to the fort and did not wake up the next day. Too many fell to the rot of infection, or sickness or even just the cold of a harsh winter. Too many rode out from the wall and just never came back. Some of the other Knights seemed to just not to think about it. Lived for the moment, never wondered if today would be the last time they'd see their friends. Galahad smothered it all in deep hot anger. One day he would be free. One day, no-one else would have to die. Until that moment came he got by through hating Rome and hating the Woads with a burning intensity. Gawain never approved.
Dagonet and Galahad ran into Jols by the barracks, and the man stopped immediately.
"It's Arthur," Jols said, without preamble, and the anxiety in his face told them everything, and Galahad's heart did a somersault. "They've taken him to the valetudinarium," he added, but gestured back towards the gate house. "Dagonet, you've got to get out there, there's going to be a riot."
There was no time to ask for clarification. Jols ran off towards the infirmary, and at that moment, they clearly heard the sound of raised voices, and Bors above all, shouting blue murder.
The two Knights ran, Galahad ignoring each stab of pain in his ankle as they pelted round the corner to the courtyard.
'Riot' about did it justice.
Four Knights were surrounded by a small battered contingent of Roman legionnaires, most of whom looked either shocked or angry. Bors and Kai were face to face with a bloodied Arpagius, both trembling with suppressed rage, and shouting. Perceval was trying unsuccessfully to hold the halter of a rearing, frightened horse, and Tristan, gods, the man actually had his knife drawn and looked about to start cutting throats. They barely arrived in time; Bors swung his first back to punch General Arpagius in the face, and Dagonet just managed to grab Bors arms and haul his cousin back out of danger of corporal punishment.
"Dag! You git, let go!"
"Calm down, Bors. That won't help." The bigger man said quietly and held his cousin for a few moments more before slowly releasing him. Bors pulled away, he wasn't calm but at least he wasn't hitting people any more. He returned to verbally abusing the General in the Sarmatian tongue instead.
"You arrogant fuck! I'm gonna-"
"You had better listen to your friend." The General said in Latin, voice tight, and Galahad wondered if that was something to do with bloodied nose he already sported. Had one of the Knights already hit him? "All of you. Stand down, now! Or you'll be joining the other one."
"What other one?" demanded Galahad of the Knights, striding into the circle. "What's going on?"
"He had Lancelot arrested!" yelled Kai, clenching his fists.
"What!?"
"You listen to me." Arpagius snarled, clearly guessing the course of the Sarmatian's conversation even though he couldn't understand it. "I don't know what kind of cheap circus Artorius thinks he's running here, but I will not take insubordination in my army, and make no mistake, this is my army! You!"
He pointed at Dagonet. "You understand Latin? Good, because you seem to be the only one capable of recognising authority here. You're responsible for this farce of a cavalry as of now. Understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
"I will let this evening pass as they're clearly ill-used to proper discipline, but the next instance of insubordination I hear I'll have that whelp in gaol publicly flogged. You hear me?"
Tristan stepped forwards, until he was about ten paces from the man, and slowly pointed his knife blade at the General. "You hear me," he said, in quietly accented Latin. "You deserve to die today for what you've done. Touch a hair on Lancelot's head or threaten a Knight ever again, and you will. Understand?"
The General looked at the scout, his eyes bugging slightly, then he turned without a word and strode away into the fort. The legionnaires followed, leaving the Knights alone.
Bors let out a great yell of fury and hurled his knife at the wall where it stuck, before kicking a barrel over with another wordless roar. Kai just crouched down on the ground in the middle of the courtyard where he stood, his arms wrapped around his chest and breathing ragged. Perceval had finally calmed the horse, and stood, leaning against the white mare's saddle, swearing profusely with tears running down his face. Tristan was silent.
"What happened?" asked Dagonet, looking around.
"It's Arthur." Galahad said, feeling dazed. "He's not going to make it, is he?"
"Arthur'll recover," said Kai, his voice oddly muffled. "Got himself a broken arm and concussion is all."
Suddenly Galahad realised what had been staring him in the face all along, why the whole situation had gone to shit so quickly. Who wasn't there to calm everyone down. Who's panicked horse Perceval was holding.
"Where's Gawain?" He demanded.
There was silence for a moment, and that had already answered his question before Tristan could.
"He's dead. Woad shot him."
Galahad heard a strange ringing in his ears, a light dizziness. What had Tristan said?
"No," he shook his head. "No."
"Where is he?" asked Dagonet, equally quietly. As well as their field-healer, the practical man was normally the one who prepared dead Knights for vigil and funeral.
"Where is he?" shouted Bors, rounding on them. "Where is he!? Only bloody crow meat! Only sport for the fucking Woads to piss on or mutilate!"
"Bors..." said Kai.
"We had to leave him!" cried Perceval, voice breaking with burning fury and grief. "That Roman bastard wouldn't even let us wait to find his body. Arthur was down, Arpagius wouldn't listen." He gave a vicious laugh. "Lancelot broke the bastard's nose for it."
Dagonet seemed to slump back against the wall, but Galahad barely noticed.
"Gawain..." he said quietly, dazedly. "Gawain is dead."
There was silence.
"What the fuck do we do now?" said Kai.
TBC...
P.s. Reviews would be very much appreciated! Thanks x