Special thanks to:

~Dark Rose of Heaven. Though she's probally never read this she writes amazing fanfictions for the protector that I adore and it brightens my day to even see New chapter or new story. Read and love her!

~Deets! Sorry no spoilers. I will only say that where the story takes us and how it shapes will effect how and what the outcomes are.

~Magna, I love the myths of the north. The Gauls, Goths, Celts, Vikings... to me while they have knights Tortall is very roman with its temples, districts and what not. The imagry I get from this is "The Gauls in Rome"

~Sirladysami -Thanks! I just got a Beta who I love! So the previous chapters have been fixed and from now on will be nice and tidy.

~And of course, my beta. Words alone can't express how greatfull I am that you took my work and help whip it and me into shape. You are truely a lifesaver!

Chapter Three

"YOU WHAT!" Neal roared through the camp as he slammed the door to the command building. He stood there on the brink of pure rage as his chest heaved and hands clenched tight enough that one knew crimson crescents were blossoming. Cleon, Raoul, George, Buri and Alanna all sat gawking at Merric and Dom as they spilled the story of what had driven Keladry into the mountains nearly a week ago.

"She saw it with the feathers and all. They left the next night, what was I to do?" Dom yelled back. He stood now, pacing in front of the door like a cat ready to either swipe at whoever came close, or run out the door under his cousin's crazed gaze. His hands formed tight fists, stretching out again and again to keep the others from seeing his quaking.

"We know nothing of Gaul; those barbarians are so closed off in those mountains…" Cleon snarled before rising. "But if we leave now…"

"No, the pass is lucky to be open for what, two months of a year. We will never make it in time, they barely will." Alanna growled as she looked at the maps and charts on the desk.

"That's where?" Raoul started to question as she nodded.

"The jewel, yes, those mountains were the ones to border Gaul. I still can't believe you just let her go Dom, Merric!"

"You know Kel, but I saw and felt it to. I hate to say, but something's not right, if she can..." Merric said gently before taking a deep breath. "She's never done anything she's not believed in. She is always right despite everything!" He spoke boldly, though all knew the truth behind his proclamation.

"And what was I to do, stop her? I'm sure as hell not her superior or lover, at least Merric could have stood up to that!" Dom snapped now as eyes fell back to Merric.

"No, no. Not like that, she's a fellow knight and friend; that's all!" He spoke quickly, his words forming nearly into one as Alanna tried not to smirk under the situation.

"Damn it Dom, you are blind!" Cleon snarled tossing his hands up as he leaned back.

"What the hell does that mean Cleon? Had you married her instead maybe we..."

"Don't you dare bring that into this, that was years ago!" Cleon snarled as he leaned forward ready to lunge at the pacing Dom.

"The girl loved you; all you needed to do was ask lad. Women warriors are... complicated when it comes to affection." George grinned as Dom stopped to slide into a chair, head in his hands.

"Then she is never coming back." He groaned as his fingers ran through and clenched his own hair.

"Why… what did you do?" Neal snarled.

"I... I didn't say goodbye."

"And? There is always an and." Raoul pushed.

"Damn it, last she saw me I was on the wall with Nicolette."

This time Neal flew at him, only to be stopped by the Lioness and Raoul's hands around his limbs.

"Guess the only thing we can do is wait and of course, scry…" Alanna sighed as she held fast to the squirming Neal.

The days had passed slowly for Keladry as they wound their way north to the border before heading east toward the mountains. The fact that only the shaman who called himself Erikk, and Westly, the commander of the squad, seemed to speak common was all the more disheartening.

They had ridden hard the first few days, working Peachblossom till the normally aggressive and high strung horse barely had the energy to snap at the other's war steeds. It was when night fell that she joined them by the fire; listening, and watching as they cooked what they caught along the way. The men never seemed discouraged as they rested. Laughing, joking, wrestling matches, and even games of cards or stones that she didn't understand just yet. It was the sixth night when Westly finally sat beside her and offered her a plate.

"Eat." He said in common before she took it. As she nibbled a bit of rabbit, he spoke something almost foreign to her before nodding and pointing again.

"Kanin, rabbit. Rabbit, Kanin." He let his hand fall as Kel swallowed and repeated him. After a few attempts to form the proper sounds she finally had it as he smiled and moved to the rest of her plate. By the end of supper she knew everything they had eaten as well as the men's names. Most sat around her now, eager to teach her in their own way.

"Westly, Vaktare von Gaul." She smiled as the man sat up to his full height. He was by far the broadest of all the men in their group, though not the tallest. With his milk white skin peppered with scars both old a new, to his wheat blond hair that fell behind him like a lions mane, he was truly fearsome when he towered over you. The man had been nothing but kind to her, and oddly enough, she did not fear him. His eyes, though blue as the sky, were much like Sir Myles. Calculated, but protective, the same gaze a man might give a pupil, child, or even kin.

She pulled her gaze from him to Erikk. He was near opposite of Westly. Tall and lean, the man reminded her of Numair only clad in heavy furs and with brands around his temples and peeking out from his sleeves to spread over his hands. His eyes were such a faded shade of blue at first she thought he was blind. His eyes were only offset with thin set lips and ghostly complexion. Of all the men he frightened her though she could not understand why. He often smiled and tried to teach her, as if sensing she was uneasy around him.

Kelland was what Westly had called the joker. His hair was a strawberry color with bright green eyes that danced when he talked. He often didn't go two sentences before causing another to burst into laughter or fall into it himself. Though he stood nearly two heads taller than her, he didn't seem to notice as he rambled on in their tongue before bursting into song during their travels.

Haden and Ian were twins. Mirror images in snow white hair that fell to their waists in a single tight braid. They both had pale, jade green eyes and a hint of a tan to their skin. They spoke little and seemed to work with each other as if by thought and thought alone. Though they did not smile, they often nodded toward her in some sign of respect.

Lastly was Rian, the tallest of them with his peppered hair and fading blue eyes. The man was still quick enough to be a dangerous opponent, but of all, was the most fatherly. Breaking up squabbles or letting out sighs of disappointment whenever the others would bicker.

His son, Xavian, was handsome with ash blond hair, strong jaw line and beard. He kept his wavy hair shoulder length to frame hazel eyes, which Kel often found lingering on her. Rian often caught it as well and moved beside her, shooting a warning glance at his son.

When she had finally reached full circle, the men started to produce various weapons or items and began to name them. And so started the first of her training; learning the tongue of Gaul.

The next morning the twins woke her before the others, forcing an axe in her hands. She didn't understand their words as they prodded her till she rose and wandered toward the clearing. Understanding finally that they meant training, she nodded as they continued her language lessons with the names of blows and body parts. She was soaked in her own sweat by the time they returned to camp and the smell of breakfast.

"Are there women knights or soldiers in your land?" She finally asked in their tongue two weeks into their travels. Westly let out a whoop as Kelland through his arm around her shoulders.

"Little wolf speaks!" He announced before laughing as his companions joined in the small victory.

"Little, still learning." She managed to say before throwing up her Yamani mask to keep from blushing.

"You hide." Erikk spoke before switching to common after a swig from his tankard. "Do not fear our people and emotions. Without them they may swear the dark lady has stolen them from you in the night. They are a powerful thing among our people." Westly just nodded before handing her a plate of supper, which strangly was fish. Had they already passed the river, or with any luck their was lake nearby for bathing. The mear thought caused her to smile brightly as she turned to Erikk ready to question the location.

"Haden and Ian." He nodded toward the twins. They didn't look up and just ate in silence. Settling down next to her, he started speaking in his tongue, stopping to translate whenever she cocked her head slightly.

"We have no such thing as Knights like in your land, Little Wolf." He stopped to sip again before looking around the circle. "But in our lands, women raise weapons plenty. It is a joke that our men are born with axe and mug in hand."

"While women shield and sword!" Rian piped in before raising his tankard in salute. "You should see Westly's woman!" Even Westly laughed at such a comment.

"Aye lass, she did not fight on me being the king's Vaktare," it was Erikk who leaned over and whispered the word Champion in her ear as her eyes widened a bit. "But she fought me for the position!"

"And nearly won too!" Kelland piped in before winking at Westly's glare.

"She is rather nasty with a mace. You will see, you will train under her!" Westly finished as Kel couldn't help but shake her head at the imagery of the woman like the lioness, only the size of the men she traveled with. She tried to imagine the giant covered in chain, plate, and furs with the mace resting across her shoulders like it was no more than a fan the court ladies carried. Finally, grinning at her own imagery, she turned to face him.

"Married?"

"No, no, four little ones though. You'll meet them! But there was no need for people telling us we have the gods' approval to love and bear children. No need for your priests and titles. They say that Gaul is even too cold for the gods, Little Wolf." He saluted her once more before taking a long swig of his drink. She perked a brow and made note to question Erikk and Rian about the gods later, when the time was right.

The days and nights passed in similar nature. Learning the axe with the twins before breakfast, then riding hard by day, and finally resting to learn by the fire each night.

She missed times like this with the Own, back before she earned her shield and had been put in charge of Haven then New Hope. Even daring to think of it brought up a home sickness that ate at her very core. Thoughts about how the children were doing, if they were still practicing staves in the morning, thoughts of Tobe and prayers that he had not run after her. Of Dom and if he even dared to think of her and regret that night, or if he drowned his sorrows in bed with another woman. What would her parents think, or her friends, or even her king? She had abandoned her post to march North East with what the court would call barbarians; to learn from them and pray that she could prevent what was coming. By the time night had come, they were deep in a heavy fog that was not just her thoughts, and she seemed to be the only one nervous about setting camp.

"If the fog is still here in the morning, will we ride?" She shivered slightly as a harsh wind seemed to bite through her leathers and heavy cloak. Rian had been unsaddling his beast next to her when Kelland slipped out of the air, his mount following behind him like a lost pup.

"Fog? No Little Wolf, this is not fog. This is the clouds." He grinned before disappearing again. It was the very thought that brought about sleep faster, praying that perhaps this was all just a dream.

That morning, practice did not stir her, but the smell of bacon and a type of bread being baked did. Slipping out from her bedroll she nearly felt her jaw drop at the view around them. The mountains seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, banking and dipping into flat valleys as a river twisted around one mountain and through a valley not far from them. She could see the buildings around the river bed and up the mountain side. Looking back to the mountains, she could already see the snow had fallen in some places, the stark white breaking up the thick emerald green of the dark forest. She had never seen something so awe inspiring, it was truly the roof of the world and it seemed barely touched by mankind.

"Gates pass." Westly pointed to the small city she had been looking at. "We will reach it by afternoon with any luck…and finally a real bed!"

"And of course real women!" Kelland let out a content sigh before Kel looked to him. He quickly sat up and bowed toward her. "Not that you are not, Little Wolf, but we are all guards and hand chosen by the King and High Shaman himself. It would be rude and dishonorable to think of you in the same…" he started Kel couldn't help but start to grin, hoping to finally return the blush he always tried to coax out of her. Although she would never dare say such back home, here it felt natural, as if this type of joking made her one of the men she traveled with.

"…manner in which you'd like to swerve the wenches who seem content on screaming out your name?" Kel spoke quickly fearing any hesitation would leave her stumbling over her words. It was one of the twins who snickered first as Kelland stood there, mounted with his jaw open a bit. "Kelland, close your mouth else you'll catch flies, and I doubt your ladies will like that very much." He did so and grinned now.

"'Seems you may fit in with the women here just fine!" Haden finally declared as he mounted up.

"Come on men, eat and mount up. We ride hard and in three days' time we'll be serving our wenches and a full tankard!" The cheers roared up as men started to rush around.

King Jonathan looked over the letter in his hands from Raoul, though they had only just stopped shaking. He had read it over nearly three times and still it made little sense to him. Of all the green knights, Keladry had seemed to be the last on the list to pull something like this. To just disappear into strange lands with men who swore she was part of some prophecy. Had she traveled with Alanna in her youth, perhaps, but on her own? Never. Sighing he placed the letter down and rubbed at his temples. His tea had gone cold and he only knew of two people to talk to that seemed to know her better and maybe could provide some insite. Wyldon and Numair.

Finally passing through the city named Gates Pass, Keladry recognized where it had gotten its name. It seemed the only possible pass through the mountains less one was on foot, and even then it had its dangers.

At the very end of the city were two huge, imposing figures carved into the stone mountainside. She couldn't help but look up at them in awe, calculating they must be at least three hundred yards tall, if not more! The figure on the left was a man, his legs spread in a stance as he leaned unto a huge curved head axe. His hands resting over its butt as he looked down upon the road. He wore a helm that had a point in its very center and two huge curving horns that dipped down around his face. One couldn't see much of the man behind such a helm but for the eyes that stared down at those who dared to pass.

To the right was a woman who seemed his opposite. Her gown flowed as if it had been true virgin linens that had been turned to stone. She held the shield close over her heart, and a type of pole arm to her side, angled just so she could drop her hand and point it toward an enemy with little effort. Her face was not masked, and held innocence and a hint of a smile as she looked down on them, but something about it was guarded, as if protecting a dangerous secret. The men on the barracks walls raised their weapons and saluted as they road past. Kel just smiled despite the stiffness in her back and legs from riding, already she was missing the soft bed she had found the night before.

"They say our lands were founded by them." Rian piped up, slipping up beside Kel. His own mare was eyeing Peachblossom, waiting to either lash out or slide away from the gelding's teeth.

"Who are they?"

"Adelia, and her Vaktare." He smiled before letting his mare side step away from the cranky gelding. "They say the man was once a brave soldier, leading people of the rebellion from the west. It was in the dark of these mountains he found a helm crafted by the goddess of Chaos. She had left it behind when the gods and immortals walked this world. She left it to call to a champion of her own, her war bringer."

"When he placed it upon his head, nothing could remove it. She controlled his body, and slowly took his soul with each one his axe claimed. She stopped at nothing to try and tear the world apart. The man traveled with ravens, and they say they feasted on the souls and flesh of what he left in his wake. But it was Adelia who was his savior. She belonged to a small village that had a temple where they raised battle maidens-Women sworn to the goddess, and to protect her daughters and innocence. When her tribe was slaughtered and the girls who survived bound to be slaves, he ripped through the bandits camp, killing everything in his wake."

"But it was one girl with eyes that held the moon and stars that caused him to falter. He spared the innocent that day. His humanity won its first battle with the goddess as he set them free, unable to bring his axe down upon her flesh despite his goddess screaming in his head. So he ran, but she followed. She saw what no other person did when they looked onto him. As she followed, she was guarded by wolves, and they hunted for her, warmed her when the snows fell, and protected her from anything that dared to threaten her as she tracked the man." He looked up as most of the men were listening carefully, ready to jump in should he get it wrong. Smiling he looked back to Kel. "And she followed him into the very sacred springs that our capital was built around. There she saw his struggle, his fight with the great helm. He had tried everything to be rid of it, his own neck and fingers bloody as he thrashed about in the pools. He fought off the goddess's hold only to have her sink her poisonous nails deeper into his mind. It is said that Adelia stood before the pools and disrobed. She approached him skyclad." He paused at the look of confusion on her face. "Nude, proving her innocence and trust by offering her flesh unarmed. He didn't dare touch her, this perfect image of strength, power, and innocence. But she touched him, her hands found the helm, and lifted it with ease. They say it was the purity, innocence, faith, and love that shattered the hold the goddess had on the helm and man." He finished before Kelland cleared his throat as Kel swiveled in her saddle to look back and toward the gates her eyes going over both figures slowly.

"He took her in those springs. She gave him everything and he took it, consummating what they were, and so becoming the first rulers of Gaul. They say that night he planted the first of a long line of strong kings and queens. They rebuilt this land strong, and made sure no one could ever destroy it again. It's why few ever leave, and each pass in protected by their image."

"Our women are just as strong and respected as our men. Yes." Rian smiled as she turned back to stare up at him her face still in awe. Maybe this was the right path after all.

Thank you everyone, I'm hoping to make the chapters a bit more lengthy as time goes on so this length will normal. I do hope you enjoyed it and I would like your honest opinion.

The myth was spawned from the painting of 'The Death Dealer' by Frank Frazetta with my own ideas that ran with it.