Back again! You didn't think I had forgotten you all, had you? No of course not :) Hope you enjoy this one, in fact, I'm pretty sure you will though I'm not saying why. You will have to just read and find out why...Mwahahahaha!

Waking up with a start from her nightmare Amaya gasped loudly and kicked out with her foot, hitting a tree which shot pain up her leg. Whimpering she curled up into a tiny ball, clutching her foot as Galahad lifted his head, squinting sleepily at her.

"Maya? You alright?" When she turned over he took one look of her pale, panicked face before sighing. "This is why I did not want you anywhere near battle." He told her matter of factly but drew her closer, touching her face warmly with his hand. "It's alright, Maya, they are only nightmares. You're safe now." Nodding her head Amaya closed her eyes to sleep again.

They had camped after a rather slow march back towards Camelot, having spent a day taking care of the wounded and the dead. It was now late at night and Amaya could not stop seeing the battle. Flashes of blood splattering across her vision, the dying screams of men and the thunderous battle of storm and metal both above and below. It was like reliving the entire ordeal all over again.

Breathing deeply Amaya shook her head in irritation at herself. Deciding that she was not yet ready to sleep again, she gently slid from beneath her blankets then joined Dagonet by the fire. "May I…"

"Of course Amaya. Sit with me." Dagonet murmured gently, opening his cloak to fold it around her as she sat down to keep out the chill. "Trouble sleeping?" She waited a while before answering.

"How do you do it?" He sighed slowly, looking into the flames pensively.

"Soon you become so used to seeing the horrors battle that you become distant from it all." He replied simply. "So in some ways, it does get easier." Amaya nodded her head, leaning into his comfortable solidity which made her relax at the comfort. "And I suppose that is why I heal. Recompense for the lives I have taken." She turned her eyes up to him and blinked softly.

"I am not a very good healer." He chuckled quietly, glancing around before looking back into the flames. Amaya glanced over to Lionel, Daniel, Kay and Ector, their snores rumbling easily into the night like the sleeping sounds of boars. She could not wait to see how Lionel and Bors reacted to one another when they meet. They were both very similar in character, boisterous and louder than thunder.

Glancing up to the sky Amaya was saddened to find she could not see the stars. "I will be back soon." She murmured quietly to Dagonet, standing.

"Do not stray far." Dagonet warned her caringly. "You have a weapon?" Amaya lifted her foot and showed him the dagger that still remained tucked into her boot. Satisfied he nodded his head. "Do not be long." Giving him a soft smile Amaya turned and walked away into the darkness to search for a clearing of some sort so that she could find the stars and be comforted by their soft light.

Amaya headed towards a moonlit patch of ground, the wide berth swallowing her as she turned up to the canopy to see the half moon and the multitude of stars scattered at the moon's feet, tiny diamonds crowning her silky black tresses.

Silently Amaya sank to the ground, pressing her back into the bark of a tree then began to shiver slightly, brushing off the cold as she adjusted to not having a cloak in the night air. Once she had become used to the cool breeze that tickled her chin, Amaya continued to gaze up at the sky. She wondered who else in the world was looking up at the same stars.

When something rustled quietly to her left Amaya stood, pulling her dagger to face whoever it was who approached her. Her eyes widened before quickly narrowing at Tristan who lifted his hands. "Dagonet was worried for you, you have been gone a while." Tristan told her in his low, accented voice. "But he cannot leave his post." Amaya said nothing as she looked down to her boot and put her dagger away as an excuse to not look at Tristan, the heavy weight in her chest settling in her once more as her throat ran dry as sand.

The scout looked at her plainly though inside, he was in torture. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was, especially when bathed in moonlight. Her pale skin seemed to simply glow translucently, dark eyes lit with a fine silver gleam like a star amidst the midnight sky. He longed for her more than ever, he wanted to taste those lips again but she couldn't even look at him anymore. It was all his fault. He had let his tongue run away before his mind could think of what it was he should have said.

Then he remembered her token. A small gift she had parted with to give to him. It still hung around his neck, right now even. When she had given it to him, Tristan had been shocked for sure, he could not understand why she would want to bequeath a token to him of all people, yet she had.

Quietly he stepped closer to her and his movement made her eyes snap upwards haughtily, her head turning to the side slightly to watch him carefully. He paid her no mind, however, lifting the cord from around his neck then held it out to her.

Amaya watched the necklace swing from Tristan's fist before holding her hand out beneath it. He dropped it into her open palm and she quickly slid it on, pulling her plait through the loop of the cord before sighing then looked up at him with a softer expression.

"You saved my life." Amaya murmured gently, shifting on her feet as her eyes wavered slightly. Why was it that the only person whom Amaya struggled to maintain eye contact with was Tristan? He held too much power over Amaya's body and she did not like it. Tristan merely continued to look down at her. "How would you like me to repay you?" She asked him innocently and a small smile tugged at his lips. It felt all too similar and he doubted he'd be able to refrain from repeating previous events.

Here she was, bathed in moonlight with him after winsomely asking how she should repay his favours. Tristan only wanted one thing and it was the one thing he was sure he could never have. Not if Galahad had anything to do with it.

Without thinking Tristan's hand reached up and pulled Amaya's string from her hair, pulling it gently free and he was pleasantly surprised at how easily the thick curls ran through his fingers. When they framed her face, he could only look down at her in awe. Gods she was beguiling. How could she be even more alluring with just a simple change of her hair?

Unable to hold himself back Tristan lifted his hands to hold her face and tilt her head upwards to meet his lips, gently pressing his to hers in an undemanding but ensnaring kiss, the flames in his chest rising once more and for a moment, he almost mistook it for anger at himself but he shoved all thoughts aside as Amaya's light, innocent gasped graced his ears. Hell this woman would be his undoing.

The sound had simply shot from Amaya from the tight twist in her gut to the pang in her chest, unable to restrain it from becoming a small whimper as Tristan slid one hand through her hair, stepping closer to deepen the kiss and move his lips against hers as he inhaled deeply. For a while her hands hung limply by her side before she thought to grip onto Tristan's jacket. His lips moved slowly against hers and Amaya this time took the initiative to reach out with her tongue, running it along his lower lip to then meet his.

He had to stop. He had to stop now or he would not be able to pull back at all and the last thing he wanted was to frighten her away again. He had to stop right now.

His lips kept on moving as Amaya begged for more, urging his mouth on with her own as she gained confidence, sliding her hands around to his shoulders. Another moan escaped and Tristan growled in reply, one hand dropping to her waist to pull her securely against him, causing Amaya to gasp once more. She felt his hand slide around her back to rest comfortably against her spine, his fingers running up and down the curve until she was shuddering from the pleasurable bolts that were shooting up from her core.

Finally he broke the kiss, drawing in a deep breath but did not pull away, leaning his brow against Amaya's as he recovered from the sensations of her teasing. "That will do for now." He murmured to her and Amaya's eyes flashed with hurt.

"You said it meant nothing." She whispered to him and he groaned.

"I lied, Maya. Of course I lied." He told her, both hands going to her waist to gently and slowly rub his hands against the curve, making her eyelids fluttered closed and she tilted her head back as she absorbed the comforting sensation. "I said things I did not mean."

"But you said…" He silenced her with a hard kiss to her mouth, biting on her lower lip to elicit a spine tingling gasp from her as he pulled away.

"Do not always believe what I say. Listen to what I mean." He said to her, one hand rising to stroke her face, gazing into her eyes which she now held unwaveringly. "I have never been good with words." Nodding her head Amaya slowly leaned against Tristan's chest, who was at first slightly bewildered by the contact before he slowly wound his arms around the woman that he so desperately wanted for his own. He sighed, resting his head on hers as he murmured. "Gods forbid I make the same mistake again."

"Tristan? Where does this leave us now?" Amaya asked him but did not lift his head from his chest. "I…I am confused."

"You are not the only one." He admitted quietly. "I have never done anything like this before." She lifted her head and smirked at him.

"You are not the only one." He returned her cocky smirk then reached down, unable to look at those lips for long without claiming them. Amaya remained quiet this time, allowing the sensation of Tristan's kiss to envelop her until he pulled back once again. Suddenly she arched an eyebrow at him. "What now?"

"I suppose we go on as before." Tristan replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "And see what happens." Seeing as neither truly knew what it was they were meant to do, Amaya was satisfied with the answer. Until she could be sure of what it was she wanted, it was best that Amaya did not allow herself to rush away with her head. "But for now, you need to sleep."

"I cannot sleep." She murmured, looking down so Tristan touched her face, warmly resting his hand against her cheek.

"Sleep closer to the fire. It helps." He advised her gently, brushing his thumb against her lips. "And I shall be close by." Deeply comforted Amaya nodded her head, stepping away from Tristan to turn and return back to the camp. He followed her a few paces behind, listening intently to his surroundings to be sure that nothing threatening was about before folding his arms and leaning against a tree, watching Amaya as she pulled her bedding closer to the fire, Dagonet resting his hand on her shoulder as she settled down next to him with the warm flames dancing on her skin.

Even now he could still feel the tight knot in his chest. Tristan had never felt it before and could not understand what it meant. He felt deep attraction to the woman, deeper than anything he had ever felt before yet he was reluctant to explore the other emotion that latched him to her. In some ways, it frightened him.

o.0

Me - "Just man up already and admit you love her! For crying out loud!"

Tristan - "Do you want this arrow through your neck?"

Me - *gulps. "Uh...no?"

Tristan - "I thought so."