Here is chapter 28! I thank you for your review! :) HOPE you will enjoy this chapter! :D

Chapter 28

Aurora looked at Merlin and now Darin had joined them as well. "Answer me!" She demanded.

"Father?" Darin looked at them both bewildered as he and Aurora awaited Merlin's reply.

"Arthur would not let you die." The woad said after a while, his answer explaining his thoughts to both Aurora and Darin.

Aurora started to laugh. "What kind of a man are you?" She starred with him and for the first time she was not frightened to show him her rage.

"I am the kind of man who will do anything to save his people." He answered not affected by her anger. "Arthur can fight to save us and you or he can chose not to."

"Does Guinevere know this?" Aurora wondered afraid that her friend might also use her as a pond in this war.

"No." Aurora felt relief in her heart knowing that Guinevere wasn't a part of this plan.

"What is this plan?" Darin asked his father suspiciously and Merlin felt inclined to answer.

"If Guinevere is successful then Aurora can return to her people but if she is not then I will mention that the dead Aurora Lestos is very much alive and in my safe keeping. If Arthur wants to keep it that way then he should aid us."

"You do know that I will tell him of your schemes if you let me go." Aurora told him without hesitation and earned a look from Merlin.

"Yes, but then he have already chosen to fight for us."

"What if you lose?" Aurora asked in a cold voice. "Then what will become of us all?" She knew that Merlin decision to keep her might only affect Arthur's decision to fight and not the outcome of the battle. Arthur was undoubtedly a good warrior and a good leader but could one man really save them all?

"If Arthur agrees to fight with us then you can return to you husband and as I have understood it the knights are leaving tomorrow." Merlin's voice brought her back from her thoughts and she sighed. She cursed everything at that moment, it hurt to be so close yet so far from her home. She turned her back on the famous woadleader and looked at the fields in front of her. Baden hill lay in front of her feet, the fields which she had admired from the high walls and the same fields that, for her, had represented freedom. This was worth fighting for she thought to herself and in the depths of her heart she knew that Arthur would agree with her. She shock her head and kicked a small stone on the ground. Lancelot however would not stay and fight but what taunted her at this moment was the doubt that she would not be able to leave with him. Could she really leave the place where she had experienced pure happiness? Or was that just a childish memory of her life at Baden Fort.

"Guinevere will be successful in her task." She murmured. "Arthur has fought to long for this country to leave it to the hands of the Saxons." She turned around and starred at the father and son. "I fear you don't need me therefore you should let me go at once and save us all the trouble."

Merlin smiled. "I knew Arthur is a good man and he is half Britain." He said and walked up to her. "But," he added. "He is also half roman." She gave him a cold glance before he continued to do some preparations and Darin quickly followed.

"Yes, he is." Aurora said to herself and touched the veins in her hand. "And Romans might be many things but once the empire was guided by honour something Arthur has not forgotten."

The night had fallen and the woads were allowed to camp in the forest outside Baden fort. Aurora stuck to herself and shot longing glances at the small town.

"I saw him today." She heard Darin's voice in the darkness but didn't care to turn around. "He seemed like a good man, at least from the distance." He added with a smile.

"I thought you considered him to be the enemy." Aurora said quietly.

"I do and I think I always will but," Darin paused for a moment. Aurora waited for a continuation but nothing came.

"Anyway, I came to say that Arthur have agreed to fight for us." Darin confessed and Aurora turned around and gave him a frightened look.

"Have you come to dispose of me?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Actually I have." Darin said with a smile. "The knights are going to leave in the morning and therefore Merlin have decided to leave you on the road some distance from here to meet them."

Aurora's heart jumped at the thought of finally reuniting with Lancelot but she wondered about the circumstances. "Why a distance away from here?"

Darin shrugged his shoulders. "Merlin said it was because he wanted to make you safe."

Not having the strength to argue anymore she only nodded her head.

"When will I leave?" She asked a little more gently and Darin looked at her with some sadness in his eyes.

"Tonight." He answered and gave her a small smile however it quickly faded when he saw her expression. "What is wrong?"

Aurora shot him a worried glance and then continue to stare at the town. The eyes in her face showed doubt, doubt if she could leave a place she had longed for but also doubt if she had the strength to let the man she claimed she loved leave.

"I am just not certain." She murmured and drew her knees up to her chin. "A part of me would like to stay here and fight."

Darin remained silent and watched her silhouette. "No." He finally said and stood up and earned a surprised look from Aurora. Darin however gave her a hard defiant look.

"No?" She repeated.

"I will not let you stay and die." He started. "I can feel in my bones that we will win this fight, we have to, but I also know that it might be my heart that speaks and not my head." He shook his head and gazed into the fire. "We might lose this fight and then the women and the children will be killed and I will not let that be your fate."

Aurora was taken aback by his answer and remained silent. "I know we have our differences but I would rather see you in the arms of that man then see some Saxon take you life." Aurora stood up and walked so she stood in front of him.

"I thought you disliked me." She smiled a little relieved that their friendship seemed to be alive a little and Darin smiled back at her. "Friends or not, you don't deserve to die, even if you are a roman." He added a little ironic.

They were interrupted by the announcement of another woad who had come to guide Aurora.
"You should go." Darin said, ending the moment.

Aurora felt tears in her eyes and put a hand on his stubby cheek. "I will miss you." She whispered to his ears only. Darin put his hand on hers and they stood so for some time and looked into each others eyes. The woad and the roman. The son of the rebels leader and the daughter of a roman officer. In the midst of the Saxons drums, screams of frightened children and the cries of worried wives they took their goodbye.

"I hope you win back you country." Aurora said when she had mounted her horse. "Here." Darin said and gave her a small knife. "You might need it on your journeys a head." Aurora smiled, "thank you." And then his dark features disappeared into the night.

The sun had already risen and she knew the knights should arrive soon. Nervous she paced back and forth, every time she thought she heard the sound of hooves she looked up only to be disappointed. A sound that were most heard was the sound of the Saxon drums which filled the air. The fight was near and nauseously filled her stomach time over time. She kept thinking of Arthur, Guinevere and Darin, feeling useless waiting here only to run away. The knowledge that she would only be in the way was clear to her but the need to aid her friends were greater. The only thing that kept her staying was the thought of Lancelot and she had during the night understood that she would not be able to let him go, not without at least saying good bye.

The sound of hooves, actual sounds, made her head fly up and when she saw the riders and the carriage she smiled but then she started to think about the encounter. This will be awkward she thought to herself and didn't know if she should walk and meet them or wait there. As they came closer she noticed that the knights wasn't with them and her heartbeat rapidly increased. Now the people were so close that they saw her and to her joy she could see Vanora and her children. She put her hands in the air in an attempt to stop them and she was successful, now she only had to explain why she was here. Surprised glances were cast at her, some threatening, as she smiled and started to search for Vanora's gaze.

"What is going on?" She felt secure when she heard that familiar voice ask this and Vanora soon appeared.

"Vanora." Aurora said with a gentle tone and awaited the woman's reply. At first she seemed as if she didn't recognize her but then her face became pale and confused.

"Aurora?" She asked and slowly walked up to the romangirl, Aurora only nodded. "I don't understand." Vanora continued and stopped in front of her and remained there as if she was afraid of Aurora.

"It is a long story." Aurora began. "I was abducted by the woads." She continued and stopped there. It would be plenty of time to tell her story or she hoped at least, but for now all she could think was were Lancelot was.

"Where is Lancelot?" She eyes scattered all the people to make sure he wasn't there and awaited Vanora's reply.

"He stayed behind." Vanora managed to say. "To fight." She added.

"No." Aurora gasped and starred at Vanora in disbelief, seeing her own emotions in the others woman's eyes.

"They didn't want to leave Arthur." Vanora answered, still choked after seeing Aurora.

"I must return to Baden Hill." She exclaimed and walked up to one of the horses tide to the carriage, not really caring about whose horse it was.
To her surprise Vanora didn't say a word but only watched her as she mounted the horse. She could tell by the expression on Vanora's face that she had thought the same thing and that her children probably was the only thing which stopped her from returning herself.

"The fight has already started." Vanora said and took her reins. "You must be careful and ride the same way as we came." Aurora nodded. "I think I know the way." Then Vanora gave her a big smile which Aurora returned. "I am glade at got to see you once more."

"As I am to see you." Aurora replied and Vanora nodded. "Ride safely." She shouted before Aurora began to gallop back to Baden Hill. It wasn't the reunion she had dreamt of all these months and she felt rude for riding off like this but knowing that Lancelot was fighting against a much stronger enemy made her nonchalant to everything else.

Tears rolled down her cheeks because of fear, but they quickly dried up when they met the hard wind. She didn't know if she would be of use or just be in the way, probably the latter, she thought. However, she couldn't stand by and watch, you never know what might happen. Closing up to Baden Hill she rode the way through the forest so that she would not be spotted by the Saxons. The forest were damp and cool and the battlecries didn't quite reach through the wall of the trees. Suddenly she stopped, in front of her on the road were Tristan's hawk and it looked so determined that she felt inclined to stop and not ride around it. "What are you doing here?" She asked the bird but received no answer of course. She wondered if it was hurt and felt an urge do dismount the horse and look, but that could be dangerous, you never knew when a Saxon could arrive. "Move" She hissed and motioned to the horse to move forward but the hawk still remained on its position in front of her. Finally her urge to aid the animal made her sit down from her horse and slowly walk up to the it. Suddenly she realized how ridiculous this was! Who knew what happened at Baden Hill and here she was unable to just go around and leave the bird, but there was something wrong. This hawk had been with Tristan for too long to not have snapped up some of his intelligence. His eyes watched her nonchalant as if nothing she could do would harm him, it strike her how much he reminded her of Tristan in that moment, it actually made her smile in the midst of this chaotic day.
"Come here" She said gently and offered her arm to him, as she had guessed he decided to fly away at that moment. "Of course." She murmured to herself and went back to her horse only to notice that the hawk now actually sat on it! "What in Gods name.."went out from her mouth and the hawk flew away one more in the direction she had come from. He flew right above the ground and then he lifted up to the sky and she felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. Smoke was visual to her eyes, something was burning from where she had come from. "Vanora." She murmured and guessed what might be happening to the company. She stole a fast glance at Baden hill and the urge to continue in that direction was unbearable but if something happened to Vanora and the children... She turned around and rode back in hurry. The battleground was not her area but she hoped that Guinevere had thought her something during this year.

It went fast to return to the place she had left Vanora and the rest of the company and as she had thought, a small group of Saxons were attacking them. They had managed to fight back and to her joy Vanora were right there kicking and screaming and a young boy were also fighting well, he almost looked roman she thought to herself. She rode to the first Saxons she saw and kicked him from the horse, it didn't help much, and then continued to Vanora's side.

She flashed her a smile and then took the knife Darin had given her. Not thinking she strike at a Saxon who attacked her and managed to cut him deeply in the side. To her surprise a sword went through him and she saw the young boy standing there.

"You need a sword." He said fast and took the sword from the dead Saxon and gave it to her. Nodding she ran to Vanora. "Where are the children!" She asked and looked around. Most of the Saxons were still alive. "I told them to run to the forest". Vanora hissed back and Aurora nodded. In that moment it felt nothing, the anger and the hatred were taking over and to her surprise she had killed one Saxon without thinking. "Thank you." She said and send a thought to Guinevere. Then everything became a blur.

Waking up from the daze she had been in, she could conclude that they had won the small fight. There had only been ten Saxons but they had felt like a hundred to her. Her cloths were wet of blood and her hair were also bloody. It was a surprise she hadn't been hurt but then again she had had help from others.

"Are you alright." She asked Vanora who nodded with a pale face. "I have never killed before." Vanora whispered out of breath and Aurora nodded. "No, neither have I." It had been a surprise to her how easy it had been to take someone else's life but she understood what Vanora meant, she felt tainted.

"You fought well." She heard behind her and turned to see the young boy.

"Thank you." She nodded. "You to."

"I am Alecto." He continued.

"Roman?" She asked even though he had confirmed her speculation.

"Yes." Was his reply and she gave him a smile. "Aurora." She returned.

"Roman?" He asked bewildered. "Yes." She nodded.

"I would have taken you for a woad." He said honestly making her look at her appearance. Well, she thought, in her leather pants and white tunic, which was now all stained with blood, she probably would have guessed the same.

A cry went out when Vanora reunited with her children which were all safe.

"I am Fulicina." A older woman said to Aurora taking her attention from the family.

"Aurora." She repeated once more. "Lestos." Adding her surname to clarify her identity.

"Officer Lestos daughter?" Fulicina continued. "We thought you were dead." She gave Aurora a confused look.

"I did also for a while." Aurora murmured to herself and thought of the time she had first met the woads. "No, I was just..." She tried to find a good answer because it didn't feel right to say that she had been abducted by the woads, even though this was true. "I was living with the woads," how did that sound she wondered, not good she noticed because the two Romans only looked more curios. "Against my will." She decided to add and to her relief they accepted this explanation.

"Should we return?" Someone in the crowd asked. "We shouldn't travel with wounded people." Someone else answered.

"The fight is probably over." Aurora nodded at this. "Should we return?" Alecto asked.

"We don't know who has won." Aurora replied. "If the Saxons have won then we can't return." Everyone agreed with this. "However, I can return and look." Aurora offered.

"That seems like a good plan." A man said and without hesitation she walked to horse.

"But what if the Saxons have won?" Vanora said and ran after her.

"I will be silent as the night." Aurora answered and gave her a smile. "Just stay here with your children and if I don't come back continue, because then the Saxons have me."

Vanora nodded. "Be safe."

"You shouldn't go." Alecto said and took the reins. "I should go, it is my responsibility."

Aurora shook her head. "I am sure you can wield your sword but I have to do this." She answered diplomatic. "Plus." She added. "I must have learned something from the woads."

"I will see you soon." She shouted to everyone and then she finally rode towards Baden Hill.

It wasn't dark yet but Aurora would have wished that it was. Dead bodies were everywhere, Saxons, woads, townsmen. Her stomach began to make a life of its own but she tried to forget about the nauseous . Relieved she could conclude that the victory had been there's and a laughter escaped her mouth, she should return and tell the news to Vanora, then something stopped her. Looking out over the fields she saw all the dead bodies, the fight may be won but who had survived it. Had Darin? Lancelot? For every face she saw, she prayed that it would not be the face of Lancelot or anyone else that she knew for that matter. Many times during her lifetime she had wondered what her father had been through on the battlefield, later in life what Lancelot must have seen. Always noticing something in their gaze, something dark, something dead and this helped her understand better what actually happened on the battlefield. But nothing, no imagination or inclination from her father or Lancelot could have prepared her for this. It was not just the sight of the wounded men, severed body parts, it was the smell as well, the smell of blood, fire, smoke and death. Her beautiful fields, the fields of freedom had been tainted with blood from innocent and good people. She had no choice but to continue, to find out what had happened to her loved ones. Unknowingly she began to move forward and look at the faces once more. Some she knew from her days at the fort, townsmen who had joined the fight. Who where waiting for them? She wondered. Would she be joining that group of people who would never see their close ones return from battle.

"Aurora!" She suddenly heard somewhere in the mist and searched for the owner of that voice.

"Guinevere!" She shouted and ran towards the girl when she spotted her. Reuniting in a big hug, they both forgot about the pain surrounding them for a few seconds.

"You survived." Aurora said smiling and took her hands on each side of Guinevere's face. "I thought we had lost you that day in the forest."

"So did I." Guinevere answered. "But fate chose to let me live." Aurora only continued to smile. "Is everyone okay?" Aurora then asked and felt something cold in her heart. The question was frightening to ask but it had just escaped her mouth and now she couldn't take it back. "Guinevere?" She said when she saw the look on the woman's face.

"Is everyone alright?" She repeated more firmly and finally Guinevere nodded.

"But it was close." Guinevere answered.

"Is Lancelot alright?" Aurora asked with dread in her heart and earned a sad look from Guinevere who then looked away. "He is." She spoke softly.

Aurora had never felt such relief in her heart and that moment she felt incredible happy.
He is alive, she thought to herself and shut her eyes, he is alive she repeated.

"I am sure he would like to see you." Guinevere said and shot her an odd look.

"Have you told him about me?" Aurora asked and suddenly felt uneasy. Guinevere shook her head. "I have not."

Aurora didn't know how she would tell Lancelot that she was alive. It would be a difficult meeting, one she had longed for but now feared. She didn't have to think about it long because in the fog and the smoke Aurora and Guinevere heard some of the knights voices, Lancelot's was among them.

"Oh my god." Aurora whispered and felt her heart bound against her chest, her legs seemed to not have the strength to carry her. She had heard people talk about these symptoms but had laughed and thought they were exaggerated but now she understood.

Guinevere walked so she stood in front of Aurora and shielded her when four silhouettes were visible to their eyes. They were so close, Aurora thought. Oh, how she was not yet prepared for this moment. What would she say? How would she act? In her mind she had thought about this moment many times and it had seemed so easy visualizing herself just throwing herself into Lancelot's arms. But now? Now she was about to panic.

"Guinevere, there you are." She heard Arthur say but as Guinevere only nodded she could sense that the knights, especially Arthur, changed his demeanour. "Is something wrong?"

Lancelot! She thought, it was Lancelot.

"I" Guinevere began but Aurora stopped her by laying a hand on her shoulder. This was not Guinevere's task, it had to be she who told them. "It is okay." She whispered to her friend. Slowly she stepped forward so that they could see her while taking a large breath. Slowly and gently she walked towards them, Guinevere followed her and put a hand on her shoulder. A small smile played on her lips, "Hello" she said and felt really stupid for saying something like that in this moment.

Lancelot looked at her for a moment and then his eyes scrutinised her. Seeing him made her take another steep forward and she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"This cannot be." She heard someone say. "Aurora?" Arthur said questioning and looked at Guinevere back and forth.

She nodded quickly and looked away from Lancelot. "Yes." She replied.
They looked at her as if they did not know her but then she understood that they found it odd that Guinevere was there right beside her. She was sure their friendship did not go unnoticed. Of course, they did not know that Aurora and Guinevere knew each other.

"I thought.." Lancelot began and stepped closer to her.

"I know." She cut in and smiled comforting "But, I am not." She began. "I am alive." She looked back at Guinevere to find aid, because she did not know where to start.

"Merlin sparred her." Guinevere said and then added. "We sparred her." Meaning herself and the other woads.

"Lancelot." Aurora said and walked right up to him, closing the distance between them. She did not touch him and he made no attempt to reach out to her.

"I," She felt a shiver through her body. "I, am here." She began. "I know what you must have thought and I feel sick when I think about the pain you must have felt." She finished and looked down. Suddenly she felt a hard hand against her chin which pulled her face up. There he was looking at her face in such close approximately that it made her shiver a little and to his ears only a word she had wanted to say for what seemed like forever escaped her lips. "Sorry." This took him by surprise and he gave her a questioning look. "I am sorry." She said again and felt tears tease her eyes and she took a hold on his arms to keep her balance.
"I can't believe this." Lancelot said and looked at her appearance. "You are here!" He exclaimed and looked at her confused as if he thought he was dreaming.
"I will tell you everything." She said to satisfy his need to have answers, " But for now, let me just rejoice that you survived." She whispered. With slow moves she could feel his arms come around her only to hold on to her tighter for every second. This made her relax and she put her forehead against his chest. It was odd standing here with him once again, it felt very unreal, but it felt right.

"I lost hope." He confessed into her hair. "I searched for you every time we were on a mission." She felt his arm crushing her but she didn't care. "I am the one who should ask for you forgiveness." He said with a low voice. "No!" She stated and looked up in his beautiful brown eyes. "No." She repeated.

"You are hurt." Lancelot said and looked at her bewildered, in which she shook her head. "No." She said. "It is not my blood."

"You where in the battle?" He asked and looked at her as if she were stranger. "No." She answered. "But, Vanora!" She exclaimed and remembered her promise to the woman. "Vanora?" Lancelot asked confused.

"She is waiting for me, I must tell her we have won!" She began to ran away but stopped when she felt a strong hand grasp her arm and prevent her from running off. Turning back to see Lancelot standing there still made her surprised but his expression sadden her, as she looked into those brown eyes that once had harboured humor and passion and which now seemed empty. "I thought you were dead." He slowly said and still held on to her. To Aurora's dread her thought were now proven as Lancelot's remark sounded to her as, I thought you were dead and I have moved on. She hanged her head not able to look him straight in his face. "It is fine." She said when looking up. Slowly she removed herself from his grasp. "I am so glade that you survived, nothing else matters." At this Lancelot nodded as if he aknowledge her sentiment. "It was close." He said, his eyes drifting to another place. She studied him as he stood there with his armour on, blood staining his body. There wasn't much in his appearance that had changed except for his eyes. The spark she had found herself drawn to was gone and in a way it felt like she was watching an old man. A wave of emotions came through her, love, anger and sorrow. The love she had once felt resurfaced as if the year in which they had been separated never had occurred, she knew then that she wanted him back but the question was if he felt the same. I thought you were dead, she heard his voice in her head, had he moved on? Snapping out of her own thoughts she focused her attention towards Lancelot.

"I have missed you." She murmured and he unfortunately heard it, why she had wanted to keep it to herself she didn't know. His appearance became stiff but then he walked up to her and to her surprise he gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. "I have mourned you." He said truthfully. Yes Aurora thought, mourned. "It was hard." He continued. "Losing you, Percival and.." He stopped but Aurora knew what he was going to say, it had been hard to lose our child, she thought. Guilt came back at her meaning she still blamed herself for losing their child but Lancelot didn't know that. He thought she blamed him.

"Lancelot, I." She began but was interrupted when she heard a familiar scream. They both fell silent and stood still for a few seconds. "Guinevere" Aurora said and immediately began to run to where she had heard it. Jumping over dead bodies and wounded men she finally located the place where she had heard Guineveree scream. She stopped dead in her tracks and the blood drained from her face making her pale as a ghost. This cannot be happening she thought to herself. "No," She murmured and noticed Lancelot coming up behind her. Tears ran down her cheeks, "no" she repeated. Walking up to the wounded body, she had to concentrate to make her leg move. Gently she sat down beside him and gently took his hand in hers. "Darin." She spoke softly and felt the tears roll down her cheeks.

"I never thought that." He answered and she noticed how painful it was for him.
"Don't" She said and hushed. Examining his wounds with her eyes she knew, even though she lacked experience, that his injures were fatal. "We will get help." Guinevere manage to say in her chock and sorrow but she also knew nothing could be done.

"Tristan." Aurora remembered and looked at Lancelot and Arthur who were there also. "Tristan can help him." She said in tears, feeling the depredation coming up on her. "You must go and get Tristan!" She demanded in frustration. Sadly Arthur shook his head. "He is hurt and badly so. He is in no state to help anyone." He replied. "Dagonet?" Aurora continued not willing to let the matter go. A pained expression on both Arthur's and Lancelot's faces made Aurora think the worst. "He died saving us all." Arthur said and looked down. Aurora looked at them in disbelief and then drew her gaze away from them all.

"Guineveree." Darin said and squeezed her hand. "I am glade that I found you." He smiled at her and she smiled back. "I always knew you would try to save me to the bitter end."

"Aurora." Darin continued and then he laughed a little."I never thought a roman would cry when I died." Aurora wiped the tears of and gave him a rocky smile. Smiling to his answer was all she managed to do. "He saved me." Aurora heard and Guinevere and Aurora looked up to see Lancelot standing there a little taken by the situation. "saved?" Aurora said and looked at Lancelot and then Darin who were smiling devilishly. "I just shot a few arrows at a Saxon." This only made Aurora cry even more and looked at him in gratitude and sorrow. "Liar." She said. "I couldn't let your man die now could I?" He said and smiled. "Thank you." She whispered in return.

When the last breath in his body left him Guinevere screamed in pain and shielded his body with her own. He had been like a brother to her and now when they finally had their country back, she had lost him. Aurora put a hand on Guinevere shoulder in an attempt to comfort her but she felt her own tears on her cheeks. When Guinevere rose she told Aurora to guard the body and that she was going to find Merlin and tell him what had happened. Aurora offered to do it because Guinevere were in a terrible state but she answered that it was her responsibility, they were family. To Aurora's surprise Arthur walked to Guinevere's side and she, without hesitation, leaned on him and they both disappeared in the mist leaving Aurora and Lancelot alone with Darin's remains.
They were silent for some while and Aurora tried to understand the situation, Lancelot by her side and Darin gone, no it seemed to much to handle. She still grasped his lifeless hand in her hers as if she held on to him hard enough he would come back.
"Did you know him well?" Lancelot asked. To that she didn't know what to say, she hadn't known him well but he had been her friend. "I knew him enough to miss him." She answered.
There they were, sitting on one side of a friend who were gone and never would come back.
"He is free now." She murmured and looked at Lancelot. "Isn't he?" She said smiling a little, her voice cracking. Lancelot nodded, "The ultimate freedom, one that never can be taken from him." Aurora nodded at this and felt soft tears make their way down her filthy and bloodstained cheeks. A image flashed before her eyes, of a lonely frightened girl and a wild man knocking her unconscious.

When she saw the woads coming towards them to honour their fallen warrior she slowly put a gentle kiss on his forehead and said goodbye. "I shan't forget you." She murmured and then stood up, respecting that the woads would want to do this alone.

Seeing his body be carried away seemed to be to much and she had to turn to look the other way but in the darkness surrounding her she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see Lancelot. There they were, finally together. She looked at him and he looked at her. They merely stood there, both with a questioning look in their eyes. Even though the fight were over it was the rebuilding of what had been destroyed that would take the longest time to repair and sometimes, in some cases, what has been destroyed cannot be mended.

So, there was chapter 28! :)