Win or Die
Disclaimer: I own none of the King Arthur characters. I only own Sansa.
Part 2
Chapter 5
"I haven't seen much of Tristan lately, nor have I heard anything. Is he alright?" Sansa asked curiously, as she soaked in the stone tub, Guinevere soaping up her hair.
Guinevere paused in her work, looking down to Sansa's mismatched eyes. "No-one's told you?" she questioned with a look of bewilderment on her features.
"Told me what?" Sansa demanded, making the water slosh dangerously as she moved. Guinevere reached down and put a hand on the blonde's slender shoulder, urging her to relax.
"Just that Tristan has refused to leave the old quarters of the Knights'. He's been strangely angry this last week. Arthur wants to convert the building into a home for the poor, but he can't while Tristan still haunts the halls," Guinevere explained, making Sansa sigh in relief. She'd feared that Tristan may have taken a turn for the worse, or worse yet, passed on.
"Do you know why?" Sansa inquired, sighing contently as Guinevere's fingers massaged her scalp. Guinevere voiced the negative. "Hmm. Maybe I should speak with him," the blonde wondered out loud.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. He has rebuffed everyone else," Guinevere said in reply.
"Then I shall. But let's just soak a while, first," Sansa commented. Her body felt absolutely boneless and blissful in the hot bath, and didn't want the feeling to end.
Guinevere turned down the halls, searching for someone who she could have escort Sansa to the Knights' old quarters. While Guinevere agreed that Sansa was well enough to be up and around for a short while, she wasn't fool enough to let her do so alone. "Gilly! Gilly, come here!" the woman called upon sighting the young man of 13 wandering the halls.
Gilly trotted over to Guinevere, a curious expression on his face. "Yes, my lady?"
"I have an important task for you, Gilly. Lady Sansa needs an escort to the Knights' old quarters. She wishes to speak with Tristan." Guinevere explained to the adolescent.
"And you want me to escort her?!" Gilly asked excitedly. Ever since the battle on Badon Hill, Gilly had been absolutely intolerable. He wanted to become a Knight, like his father, like his uncles. The adults of the fort had been using Gilly as a messenger, or informal squire, to keep him busy. Bors and Vanora had decided, with Arthur of course, that there would be no training for Gilly until they had solidified their new plans for a life here in Britain.
"Yes, Gilly. Sansa and I would be very grateful," Guinevere answered, smiling at his eagerness. Guinevere understood why he had been acting out- he only wanted to be useful. He and his siblings had witnessed the devastation that had followed the battle on Badon Hill. And they all wished to make things better.
"I'd be glad to!" Gilly agreed, following the Woad back through the halls towards Sansa's chambers.
Guinevere stopped the young man outside the open chamber. "Lady Sansa is still weak. If she tires, make sure she stops to rest, alright Gilly? Don't let her overexert herself," she requested of Gilly, who agreed immediately.
Guinevere then moved into Sansa's chambers, Gilly following after her. "Sansa, I've procured you an escort!" the woman called out. Sansa shuffled out from behind the screens, securing a cloak over her warm woolen dress. She flashed Guinevere a reproachful look.
"Do I really need an escort, Gwen?" Sansa muttered with her heavy accent.
"Give her your arm, Gilly." Guinevere requested of the adolescent, before turning to respond to the Saxon. "Yes, Sansa. I would not have you out there alone." The Woad told her firmly as Gilly crossed the room to offer Sansa his arm. "Gilly is strong for his age, Sansa. He'll help you on your way," Guinevere remarked, making Gilly preen at her words.
Sansa turned an indulgent smile to him, taking his arm and leaning on Gilly a bit. "Then I must rely on the honorable young Gilly," she stated. "Shall we?" Gilly nodded, leading the Saxon from the chamber.
Guinevere watched the pair go, laughing a bit at how the young man, at thirteen, was just a bit taller than the twenty year old Saxon warrior princess. Sansa was really beginning to be a bit of a trouble-maker, but Guinevere and Arthur both were becoming fonder and fonder of her the more trouble she made. She was like an errant younger sister to them both.
Guinevere and Sansa had been imprisoned together not so long ago, and there was a kinship born out of that, as well as the immediate sense of sisterhood that Guinevere felt whenever she spent time with Sansa.
Arthur had sworn to protect Sansa as well as keep her happy, and he had taken a personal interest in making sure he was keeping his vows, and spent at least an hour with her every day. The Roman had been utterly surprised on how little Sansa had been educated, especially with how intelligent she was.
Sansa could neither read nor write, and cited that very few in her homeland could. They had scholars to do their writings and readings, and they kept no records. Her father Cerdic did not know how to read or write, and her brother Cynric had only a basic grasp of it. Sansa had told Arthur that her elder brother had tried to teach her what he knew, but she hadn't been able to learn from the little he knew.
So Arthur had made up his mind to teach Sansa to learn to read and write. He had started only a few days ago, and it was slow-going at best, but she had learned a few words, and to write her name. Sansa was devoted to the study of it, keeping a scroll of letters next to her better that she worked on learning from.
Aside from Guinevere, Arthur had not met a woman as capable as Sansa. As uneducated as she was, she was quite sharp, and capable of leading without any help from a man. She had become quite an inspiration to the women in the fort- seeing how she had fought alongside the men and held her own. She had nearly sacrificed her life in defense of them and the fort itself, against her own people.
The women in the fort were feeling empowered by the commanding example of Sansa, daughter of Cerdic. And as a result, things were beginning to change in fort at Badon Hill. The women were standing up, not letting their men make decisions for them anymore. Arthur could only believe that they were on their way to becoming an enlightened society.
Please Review.
A/N: I know it's been a while, and I'm terribly sorry. I did however go over the previous chapters and did some revisions, so if you wanted to re-read I'd be appreciative for some constructive criticism. I've been laid up with a broken ankle, so I am attempting to pay some attention to my fanfics. Especially since my work on my original novels are going nowhere. :) Please give me a nice review to keep me going.