Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur, I do however, own Maiosara and Lorelai.
This is the second installment in the series "Our Tales", the first one is "The Distance Between Us". It does not matter which one you read first, but please refer to the notes section in each story for further information pertaining to the story.
If the formatting is off, it's the site not me as everything looks fine in Microsoft Word.
These stories are also posted on Wattpad, and Archive Of Our Own, same screen name.
Wind in the night
Tristan eased the throttle of his F-15EX Eagle 2 to increase the speed, he was already flying at 800kt, but he felt it wasn't fast enough, he felt the need to soar in the sky, to feel the wind beneath his wings, metaphorically speaking, just like his beloved hawk companion Maiôsara. Up here he could let his mind wander to memories that were better left behind when on the ground.
Virgina don't sound like she used to.
Isolde and Tristan had been married for many years before tragedy struck them and everything seemed to change in a moment. Isolde had always been a fan of singing and had taken music, singing, and dancing lessons all throughout her life; her singing teachers had often equated her voice to that of Hayley Westenra, a soprano from New Zealand.
Walking home late
Smoke in my lungs and whiskey burning
In my veins
December won't be so forgiving
I'm haunted by a ghost
Of you and my past colliding
I can never go home
…Wind in the night
Tristan had been out for a stroll one windy winter evening towards downtown Galway, where he and his brothers-in-arms frequented while they were stationed there in Ireland. Tonight was his first night back after being on assignment for several months, and always the observer, his ears picked up a delightful feminine voice singing The Fields of Athenry. This song was considered a popular anthem for local sports supporters, and with the Rugby World Cup happening it seemed only fitting. However, upon hearing Isolde's voice something stirred in him, and before the scout knew what was happening, his feet led him inside, and he found himself sitting at a table with his fellow knights. As he sat there observing the young woman a familiar red-headed woman made her way toward him and gifted him a green apple from her basket that she was carrying, Vanroa he thought. He knew no other woman who would approach him so casually, she feared very little he had learned over the years.
"Her name is Isolde, she's been singing here on the weekends since you went out scouting," Vanora stated, she knew he was a man of few words, so she often took the lead in their conversations. She also knew how much Tristan liked his apples and always kept a bowl of them stocked. Tristian simply nodded his thanks to her and pulling out his pocketknife he sliced into the apple without taking his eyes off Isolde. She was a tall, slender young woman, mid 30's was his guess. Her long multi-shade blonde hair was pulled back into a braid that showed her oval-shaped face with high cheekbones and green eyes. There was no denying that she was a very attractive woman and probably received her fair share of attention from men everywhere she went.
When the song ended there was a loud round of applause and shouts of "Éirinn go Brách" and "Encore!" from the crowd, while Isolde simply shook her head "no" while laughing. She looked up and locked eyes with Tristan for only a moment but those green eyes bored into him and stirred up a feeling in him that he couldn't describe, which was uncommon for the scout who was never caught off guard. Tristan watched her walk over to Vanora who whispered something in her ear while nodding in Tristan's direction. "What are you up to Vanora?" Tristan mused.
Tristan sighed and would have ran his hand over his face if it hadn't been for the mask he wore while flying his F-15. He wasn't one to typically express his feelings, at least not as much as his brothers. Isolde had taught him there was nothing wrong with showing your feelings around the people you trusted, amongst other things. How he missed her!
Wind in the night
… Thought that I heard you laughing
Wasn't that you, my darling?
… Virginia don't sound like she used to
Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, baby
Virginia don't sound like she used to
Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, yeah
Isolde and Tristan had been dating for over a year and every time she laughed Tristan swore that heard the tinkling of bells accompanying it. Isolde was such a kind woman who never ceased to amaze him! She was always patient with him, even when he was moody, she did not flee when he tried to shut her out because he was scared that she would leave him because of who he was and his aloofness. There was a reason his call sign was "Wolfman". He knew though that her heart belonged to him and would only ever beat for him, well, had beat for him, and how he missed her laughter! Tristan thought bitterly as he quickly pulled up on the steering wheel to clear the mountains that had come into his view. He knew he should be paying a little more attention to what was around him, as the Air Force would not be happy if he wrecked the aircraft that he was flying, he also couldn't do that to his companion who had helped get him out of danger a few too many times.
His fighter jet was the equivalent of a knight's war horse, not just an animal, but something that became one with its rider over time, something that would protect its rider from harm; and protect him from harm she had thanks in part to her warning systems but also her ability to glide through the air as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He knew that his jet wasn't a living breathing animal, but it was the closest thing they used in modern warfare and felt a connection with the machine. It wasn't as close of a bond as he had with his real bird though, at this thought Tristan snorted, he knew who the master was in that relationship! "You fool, you know that bird will never belong to you! It's like trying to catch a cloud and pin it down. Maiôsara choose you from day one. You belong to her if anything." Tristian chuckled at that memory, that blasted bird had chosen him and never let him forget it. He had tried to leave her in her homeland when their orders were up, but she would have none of that. The racket she had made when he tried to leave after saying goodbye! Oh, she had been an angry girl, swooping down on him and grabbing at him with her talons, she even nicked him with her beak on his cheek, which ended up scaring him. Eventually, he relented and went through the process of legally having the Falcon sent over to the States so she could stay near her man.
… I've traveled all over in my life
But nothing's slowed me down
This place that I used to love, well
It's just another town
… Wind in the night
The wind in the night
… Remember I caught you dancing
Alone in my first apartment
Tristan had come home from a meeting with Arthur and as he walked up the stairs to his apartment, he could hear music blasting from inside, Isolde he thought with a smirk on his lips. His woman almost always had music playing in the background, and depending on her mood the genres could change. The evening though it seemed she was in a good mood as the music was light and airy with a trumpet solo currently taking center stage; and if he wasn't mistaken that style of playing was that of Miles Davis. Tristan unlocked the door and the sight that greeted him made his heart swell; there in the middle of the room, without a care in the world, was Isolde dancing away to the music. Her body was graceful and her movement flawless as she spun and leaped around his living room which had become her stage. Her hair was coming undone from the bun she had put it in, stray wisps flowing in the wind this way and that. She looked like a goddess, my goddess he thought possessively. She was lost in her own world, again, something that happened when she was dancing.
At one point, without missing a step, Isolde grabbed Tristan's hand and pulled him into her dance so that it was no longer a solo, but a duet. It appeared she wasn't as lost in her own world as he initially thought. Tristan tried to protest, as he hadn't had the formal training that she had, but the words died on his lips before he could speak them when he saw the mirth in her eyes; there was no denying his woman, whom he swore had put some kind of spell on him to allow him to be so compliant with her requests. Isolde lead him in the dance, through turns and lifts he followed her every move allowing the music to take over him until the song ended and they were both breathless and laughing at how silly they must appear. That was one of the things that Isolde struggled with not being able to do after she became sick, it nearly broke her spirit.
… Virginia don't sound like she used to
(The wind in the night) Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, baby
(Wind in the night) Virginia don't sound like she used to
(The wind in the night) Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, yeah
Tristan had encouraged his wife to go see a doctor or at least Dagnoet, about her cough that wouldn't go away. He was worried about her as she had been having trouble sleeping because of the cough and it seemed to be taking its toll on her, to the point where she wasn't able to sing as much on the weekends anymore as it just took too much out of her. However, if there was one thing he and his wife shared, it was their obstinance when being pushed to do something they did not wish to do. He hadn't been thrilled at her decision but forcing her would have been bad for his marriage and health. It was her choice after all, and he would just have to support her.
~/~
Tristan had been in a meeting with Arthur and a few other LT Colonels to discuss the upcoming scouting mission that he was going to be sent out to investigate. There had been some concerning chatter on the radio recently, and because he was considered the best scout in not only the local Air Force Unit but the entire US Air Force he was chosen for the mission. As they were discussing where they planned on scouting Tristan's cell phone rang, which meant it had to be an emergency because it was always on do not disturb at work. Before answering it he looked at the screen, it was his daughter Lorelai. Tristan quickly answered as he made his way out of the room not bothering to excuse himself, protocol be damned. His mind racing in a thousand directions trying to figure out what would cause his daughter to call him at work.
"Lorelai, what's wrong?"
"It's Mom, she lost consciousness after one of her coughing fits! We are at the hospital now and she's alert and responsive, but still so pale. They've got her on oxygen as they said she's hypoxemic, you know I'm familiar with the medical side of things, as Uncle Dragonet has been teaching me as I'm waiting to be accepted into nursing school; but it's different when it's your family. They want to run more diagnostics, but I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to stress Mom out any more than she already is, as we all know how much she loves hospitals."
"Let them run whatever test they feel is necessary at this point, I don't care if your mother loves it or not, her overall health is the important thing right now. Which hospital are you at? I'll leave shortly after we finish our conversation." Tristan replied, damn his wife! He knew she should have seen someone sooner.
"We are at The David Grant USAF Medical Center. Please get here soon, I'm...I'm scared what's going to happen." Lorelai replied.
"I understand. I will be there soon, hang in there kiddo, you know I love you." Tristan ended the phone conversation, already planning on what he would be saying to his wife when he got to the hospital. He walked back into the room, ignoring the curious looks from the Lt Colonels and addressing Arthur, "It's Isolde." That one sentence was all that was needed, Arthur understood at once the severity of the situation and dismissed his scout.
"Go, I will take care of this. Let me know if there is anything Gwen and I can do to help, or any of us. Keep me posted please." With a wave of his hand, Arthur turned his attention back to the others in the room, knowing if he was needed Tristan would say something.
~/~
… Virginia don't sound like she used to
Virginia don't feel like she used to
I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
Another heart beating for me, yeah
… Virginia don't sound like she used to
(The wind in the night) Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, yeah
(Wind in the night) Virginia don't sound like she used to
(The wind in the night) Virginia don't feel like she used to
But I can feel her heart beating for me, baby
I know her heart's beating for me, yeah
… Wind in the night
The wind in the night
Wind in the night
The wind in the night
Large cell carcinoma of the throat was the official diagnosis; the persistent cough, weight loss, and shortness of breath had all been symptoms of the cancer. Sadly, due to the aggressive nature of the cancer, and how long it had taken Isolde to come in, it had already metastasized into her uterus and there wasn't much that could be done. Surgery was an option, but there was no guarantee that the tumors wouldn't come back and require further surgery. The recovery period, they were told was long and painful. As a family, they had decided to forgo the surgery and radiation therapy treatments and just spend what time they had left together.
Isolde had lived for another short two years before she chose Physician-Assisted Suicide to end her suffering, as she could no longer talk, and she had lost so much weight that she had started to look like a skeleton; she had been surrounded by Tristan and their daughter Lorelai when she passed. A few days later there was a wake and everyone who knew Isolde had come to celebrate her life; all the knights and their families, friends of Isolde, former teachers, and dance mates from all over the world, everyone was there.
Tristan's screeching low fuel alarm interrupted his wandering thoughts, he needed to head back to base soon or risk running out of fuel and crashing the multimillion-dollar jet; he didn't think Arthur would be very happy with him for such a costly mistake. He had only recently gotten back into the Air Force's good graces after his wife's death. Arthur had to pull many strings to keep Tristan from being court-martialed during that time, he thought with a grimace. Then there was the promise that Lorelai had extracted from him, he was to be extra careful and not take unnecessary risks; in short, she forbade him to die, and who was he to deny his daughter's request? He was so engrossed in everything but his surroundings that he let out a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush when his missile approach warning system (MAW) blared in his ear. He looked around confused as he was in the home territory so there shouldn't be any threats, it was then he heard Lancelot's voice in his ear "You're mine Wolfman, and you can't escape!"
That was when Tristan saw Lancelot's jet come out from behind him, had Lancelot been an enemy he would have been dead by now, and he wondered how long Saint had been tailing him. He knew that Lancelot would never let him forget this moment, not until he was six feet under, and even then, Tristan figured Lancelot would brag about this.
"Now that I've got your attention, Arthurs has been radioing you for over two hours, and if this didn't work, he was going to get Lorelai on the radio."
Tristan grimaced at the implications of putting Lorelai on the radio, no one else alive could bring the scout to heel like his daughter could.
"Suns setting soon, and you've got to be getting low on fuel by now, it's time to put your bird to rest for the night and you go back to your nest," Lancelot stated, referring to Tristan by his call sign.
"Fuck off, Saint. I don't need a babysitter, as I'm not a kid who's just gotten his wings. I can find my way to base just fine." Tristan growled, annoyed at being treated like a child! He had been a pilot for over 15 years now and this one little incident of not replying to his commanding officer was getting blown out of proportion. 'But it's not just this one incident, is it?' his conscience reminded him.
"Look, I'm just doing what I'm told, they are Arthur's orders, disobey him and you're likely to get yourself grounded." Lancelot tried to reason with his fellow airmen, he and Tristan often didn't see eye to eye, but he knew his brother-in-arms would be hard to deal with if he was grounded; hell, they all would but Tristan most of all. They all knew that Tristan didn't do well in cages (literally or figuratively), he was too much like a wild animal. Cage him, or back him into a corner and you would be lucky to come out alive.
"Fine, but don't expect me to engage in conversation with you." Tristan reluctantly agreed, he was not in the mood for continued conversation since it was close to the anniversary of his wife's death, which had put him in a foul mood.
"Never Wolfman, unless there is candlelight, a bottle of wine, mood music, and maybe some flowers!" Lancelot shot back, before pulling away from Tristan and heading back to base.
"Ass!" Tristan thought as he rolled his eyes and followed Lancelot back to base.