"Do not lecture me." Nola's angry voice brought Myrina out of her dreamless sleep.

With a weary moan, Myrina stirred. Slowly, she sat up from the bed she'd been placed in. Her sore body protested her movements, but she knew what the fight was about and she felt the need to step in.

"You were reckless." Reghan's voice was firm but there was a hint of annoyance. "If the Romans had managed-"

"They didn't," Nola interrupted. "I will not allow my father's sacrifice to go waste by having me stay in this village forcing people to come to me." There was a brief moment of pause before she continued. "You allow Darren and Rina-"

"Enough, Nola," Reghan snapped. "Their gifts allow them to escape if they are in trouble. You will not leave this village again. We lost more when we rescued you. Both Rina and Darren suffered major injuries."

The floor was cool against Myrina's bare feet. She staggered and leaned against a wall. She really should have stayed in bed. Her muscles ached and her body demanded she go lie down, but she ignored it. At least, she tried to. She demanded her muscles to move to get herself into the room that Reghan and Nola were in, but they refused.

"Nola, you are correct. Your father's sacrifice must not be wasted. But, if the Romans capture you they will take you far from here. They will find out what you can do and use you for their own means," Merlin's voice stated.

"But-"

"This is not up for debate," Merlin's voice was firm. "You will not leave the village by yourself again."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Nola!" Reghan said.

"I'm going to see how my brother is doing," she replied.

Rina let out a sigh as she heard her sister's heavy and annoyed footsteps as she walked out of the room.

"You should be in bed," Guinevere's whisper startled Rina, making her jump a little. "And you must be very exhausted for me to sneak up on you."

Rina gave her a half smile before nodding her head. It was probably a good thing she didn't manage to make it into the room. The argument would have gotten more intense with her siding with her sister.

"Come." Guinevere circled her arm around Rina's waist and the two walked back to her room. Guinevere helped her back onto the bed.

The siblings shared Nola's sentiment when it came towards the use of their gifts, well most of them did.

Their father's sacrifice had not been in vain. The four siblings each received a gift, unique and special to them. Nola was an exceptional healer. She could save a person who was on the edge of death if she wanted. But, as with all gifts that they had received, there was always a price. It was her own life that she used when it came to healing. But, she learned that she could channel her energy into the herbs and plants, making potent elixirs to help the sick.

Then there was Darren, Nola's twin. Where as Nola was given the gift of life, he was given the gift of death. When in battle his mind slipped into a dark void allowing his focus and attention to be purely on fighting and killing. Injuries didn't phase him. While in his void he had no friends, only enemies. Few had the ability to break him out of that darkness. He was a good fighter, but also dangerous to everyone including himself.

Rina shifted. Her muscles screamed at her movements. She could shift into an animal as long as she studied it, learned every aspect, every muscle. Shifting was easy. It was once she returned to her human form that the soreness and exhaustion would hit her. And she learned early on that shifting too much would knock her out for a few days.

Brandon- Her heart twisted ever so slightly at the thought of her oldest brother. He could see scattered images of the future when he was in the right frame of mind. A valuable gift. One that could and had helped Merlin in the past when he planned some surprise attacks on the Romans. Truly, the only cavate to his gift was they were scattered images, requiring them to piece sequences together to get a clearer picture. And yet, it was a gift he thoroughly hated.

Despite being blessed, Merlin and the other elders kept a close eye on the siblings. Not allowing them to venture very far as they trained and honed their skills. It wasn't until the last couple months had she and her brother Darren had been allowed to venture further out and test their gifts.

"How do you feel?" Guinevere asked, interrupting Rina's thoughts.

"Sore," Rina answered honestly.

Guinevere shook her head. "No, how do you feel about killing?"

Rina's eyes widened in surprise as she cocked her head to one side, then she let out a feral smile. "Not the first man I've killed," she replied.

Despite her tone, she looked away for a moment. She could still taste the copper from the Roman's blood. Hear the sounds of him gurgling and strangling as her powerful jaws clamped hard on his neck. Her skin rose and chills ran up and down her body. It was one thing to kill a man from afar with bow and arrow. But she'd done it up close and personal. It was just instinct. The man had attacked her sister. And she couldn't give him time to recover.

"Was he the man who did that?" Guinevere asked as she motioned toward Rina's shoulder wound.

Rina looked at her wound. His face, their fight as she desperately tried to protect her sister flashed through her mind.

"No," she said softly.

"I do not understand your father, Gwen," Nola muttered as she walked into the room. Her face scrunched in annoyance when she looked at Rina. "You! Do not leave this bed."

"I-"

"Don't try to lie to me. Your face is flushed and you're sweating. You will stay in bed and rest for the rest of the night. Let me see your arm."

"Of course, mother," Rina said with a slight dip of her head.

Nola grumbled as she handed Rina a mug. "Drink. All of it," she quickly emphasized.

Rina took the mug, downing the contents quickly, trying to avoid the bitter taste. She had learned long ago to do as her sister said. A quick heal was better than a slow one. As rough as Nola made her movements, she was still gentle when she grabbed Rina's arm. She slowly unwrapped the bandage to examine the wound. It was mostly healed. When it came to her siblings health, Nola took no chances.

"Shouldn't scar," Nola said. "Hope you killed that bastard."

Myrina hummed in response as she laid back down and closed her eyes for a moment.

Nola plopped down beside her letting out a loud sigh as Guinevere moved to the other side of the bed. The two women laid down beside her and stared up at the ceiling.

"I overheard Reghan and Merlin talking about getting me wed. Why is that they are interested in having me settle down, but the two of you are allowed to come and go as you please? You are gifted just as much as I am, Rina. And Gwen, I'm surprised that your father hasn't already accepted any of the several offers for you."

"They probably believe you are far easier to tame than the two of us," Guinevere said with a light chuckle.

There was a brief moment of silence before the three women laughed.

"I can picture it now. Nola, seven months pregnant and riding a horse to a village to take care of an elderly woman who had gotten sick," Rina said as she raised her hands up in the air, wincing slightly from pain.

The room stilled again. Myrina stared at the wooden beams above her head.

"Father told me that I would know the man I am to marry when I meet him," Guinevere said softly. "I think Brandon told him my destiny."

Rina looked over at Guinevere then lowered her eyes for a moment. She felt sorry for her brother and his inability to cherish his gift. A part of her understood. He was the eldest, he thought he deserved to have the best gift. He never outright stated it, but Rina knew that he coveted her or Darren's gift. Darren wasn't phased by Brandon's clear envy, but it rubbed Rina wrong. Which had put a recent strain on their relationship.

Nola let out a long dramatic sigh, then sniffled. She wiped her eyes as she fought back her tears of frustration.

"I didn't mean to get caught," she whispered. "That Roman noble." She shook her head. "He lied. He wanted me to help his soldiers and I refused. He claimed I was part of an attacking Woad group and got me arrested and those I was taking care of."

Guinevere stood up in anger. "This wouldn't have happened had father not driven him out long ago. Something must be done about him. He's been past Rome's normal borders for far too long."

Rina nodded. Guinevere ran her fingers through her hair then shook her head.

"I'm going to speak to my father. He used some of his guards to escort you to the Wall, right?"

Nola nodded her head.

"Perhaps this would be the best time to drive him out of his home. I will talk to my father." Guinevere didn't wait for a reply as she stalked out of the room.

Nola lay beside her sister and gently tugged on the bandage around Rina's right shoulder.

"I know you didn't kill him," she said softly.

Rina looked over at her sister.

Nola glanced up at her. "The Sarmatian knight. There were three of them. I wanted to warn you, when I heard your warning. I'm glad they didn't kill either of you."

Rina pulled her sister in closer, kissing her forehead. "Oh, Nola. We were bound to run into them at some point. It was good practice."

Nola shook her head. "Darren received some bad injuries. I was told he faced one of them. He won't be walking for a week," Nola whispered. Her voice cracked at her words, causing Myrina to grip her tighter.

"He'll live," Rina stated.

Nola nodded her head in agreement. "I do wish you had killed that knight. One less Sarmatian we would have had to deal with."

Rina gave her a small smile and let out a little sigh. "Nola, go get some rest. You don't have to worry about me," she said.

Nola gave her a look, but got up from the bed. "Your body needs rest, Rina. Don't overwork yourself."

"Yes, mother," Rina said with a chuckle.

Nola rolled her eyes but walked out of the room.

Rina waited for a while, staring up at the ceiling. After a little bit she rolled over, dug under her bed and pulled out the small dagger she'd hidden there. She slowly examined it.

It was beautifully made and well kept. The blade itself was very sharp. Her shoulder throbbed as it remembered the feeling of the blade piercing her skin. She didn't mean to steal his dagger. She didn't even realize she had it in her mouth until she shifted back into human form when she was safely in the village and dropped the knife.

She wanted to kill him. That had been her goal. But Fate stayed her hand. Those tattoos on his cheeks. She had committed those to memory years ago. She never thought she'd see him again. A life for a life, she thought. He had spared her once before. She swore if she ever saw him again she'd spare his life as well.

"Next time you will not be so lucky," she muttered out loud to herself.

Her sister was right. She should have killed him. One less Sarmatian knight meant a higher chance of her people surviving. The knights were brutal and well trained.

She tapped her fingers on the handle of the blade. This was what she'd been training her life for, committing to her brain. Her father sacrificed his life so that they could win back Britannia from the Romans.

A light knock brought her out of her musings.

"Reghan," she said as she sat up.

He nodded then sat down by her side. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Well enough to scout," she replied.

He gave her a guilty look as she read his hidden request correctly. "Your sister is never going to forgive me, but you are the best eyes and ears we have. With three Sarmatian knights on this side of the wall, I want to keep a close eye on them until they leave."

She sat up, ignoring the pain and ache that zapped through her body from her movement. "I can do that," she said with a nod of her head.

He glanced at the doorway. "Merlin wants to start getting more aggressive. Sending out more attack parties. It's why he wants Nola here. Far enough to protect her, yet close enough to be able to reach the injured by horse if she's needed."

"You should probably tell her of your plans. She's feeling useless. We all are," Rina pointed out.

Reghan let out a sigh, rubbing his neck. "It was something Merlin and I have recently discussed. We were still hesitant, but you're right. Your sister is correct. Your father's sacrifice shouldn't go to waste. It is difficult not wanting to shield the four of you with your gifts. Well get dressed, we leave as soon as you are ready."

She nodded her head, getting up and off the bed. She stretched her body, groaning at the ache, but a surge of energy shot up from her stomach.

"Rina? Are you sure?"

She gave her cousin a wave of her hand. "Reghan, I've been training for these kinds of situations. The kind that mean I have to shift a good amount of time. It won't kill me. I'll be alright."

Her cousin looked down then nodded his head in agreement. "I'll meet you outside."

She slowly got ready, her every movement became easier as the ache slowly left. Having a miracle worker for a sister had its perks. Rina paused picking up the knight's dagger from her bed. She slipped it into her belt before heading out of her room. Next time we meet. It would be unfortunate if she had to kill him with his own blade. But she let him go once. She wasn't going to do it again.

A/N: And by Monday, I meant Tuesday lol. One day off, but I'm going to try and keep my updates weekly or bi-weekly. I'm committed to finishing this story.