The Sanctuary:

Meeting Conor:

I tried to sit up and everyone was on their feet. Some had their swords drawn; others were curious and watching from afar. I didn't see Barta or Baleen and all my provisions and everything I had brought with me from the fort was gone. Barta and Baleen must have run when I was taken. I looked around at everyone and noticed Conor. Longinus had always talked about him and I had seen him only once in the time I had been at the fort. My mother had made sure I was always inside when the tribes decided to attack. She was very protective of me.

He walked up to me and knelt down. I eyed him with suspicion but he seemed only to want to talk.

"Who are you? And why do you wear the clothes of the Roman queen?" Conor asked.

"I am Aurora. Queen Diana is my mother."

"Sweet Brigit! What are you doing all the way out here lass?" Fergus said.

"I ran away. Where are my horses and things?"

"Your horses are with the rest of our horses. Your belongings are in a separate cave then this main one. We needed to know if we could trust you before we gave you your weapons. As we see, we can't trust you, so we'll have to send you back to your mother. I'm sure she's worried about you." Catlin said.

"Like hell you will. Why the hell do you think I ran away in the first place? Longinus has been plotting to kill me ever since I arrived three months ago. It just so happened that he followed me out the gate and decided to try this morning."

"Longinus is the one that attacked you? Why would he attack you Princess Aurora?" Tully asked.

"Princess, hah. I'd hardly call myself a princess. I hated leaving Rome, and I hate living in that fort with the queen wench herself. She has no self conscious. She takes what she wants and doesn't care who she hurts in the process. Which is why my first father is dead, he wouldn't let her marry King Gar, so she killed him and sent me to live with my aunt. When my aunt died she summoned me here. I brought everything I'd ever owned and everything I was ever taught with me. Seeing what she has been doing here, I'd say you need my help."

"And what kind of help can you provide lass?" Fergus asked.

"You want to destroy the Romans and make sure they leave your land forever. I can help you. Longinus deals with ancient magics and is over 400 years old. He himself is the Stentorian that killed his own God, Jesus, on the cross. God's curse to him was eternal life, doesn't matter if he tries to kill himself, he'll just live through it. Too bad the 'atmos' couldn't kill him. I would have loved to see how he got out of that one with my mother."

"You really hate the queen don't you? Any reason besides her killing your father do you hate her?" Catlin asked.

"Other reasons. She never let me leave the fort, never let me help when I wanted to and I was forced to eat that disgusting stuff she calls food. I would rather forage for my food like I did when I was living with my aunt. She taught me all about the land and how to respect it. I guess she hates everything here because she has a daughter that is half Celtic."

"Sweet Brigit! Not again, who is your father lass?" Fergus asked.

"I don't remember his name. He and his sister were brought over to Rome when my mother was a teen. Their father wanted him to grow up someplace where war wasn't imminent I guess. My aunt married a prominent Roman soldier who didn't mind that she still practiced the ways in which she grew up with. I don't know much but I do know that my mother will never have anything to do with these people again. She seems to think that she can rid the world of them and that once all of the Celtics are gone, I'll revert to being a nice Roman girl able to marry anyone she chooses for me. I hate being her daughter, so I left, knowing she would think I was trying to get back home. She is literally in love with Longinus to the point where they actually make love. Disgusts me that she would intentionally fuck someone who's 400 years old."

"Yeah that would pretty much disgust me as well." Catlin said.

"So why would Longinus want you dead? That part still doesn't make sense?" Tully asked.

"Because the day I was born, a great power was bestowed upon me. It is a destiny that I do not want."

"What kind of destiny?" Conor asked.

"I am supposed to sacrifice my life for the Romans. But for the Celtic people, as my father and grandfather told me, the power would give any person with Celtic blood the power to kill anything evil and undead (or someone that has lived for more than 100 years). It is supposed to be an ancient power that is only bestowed every 1000 years. I guess I resemble the very woman that the power was given to 1000 years ago. I have the scroll among my possessions if you would like to see it."

"What kind of power is it that you are supposed to have?" Vorgeen asked coming over with my bags and weapons. Apparently they were willing to trust me now that they new Longinus was the one who had attacked me.

"So you trust me now?"

"If you're willing to run away from Queen Diana and Longinus is willing to kill you, why wouldn't we trust you?" Conor said.

"My power is that I would be able to defeat all evil. Something around those lines. I've never really been able to read the scroll. It's in the old language." I said pulling the scroll from one of the pack saddles I had put on Barta.

"Here, the scroll explains everything if you can even read it."

"We can try to read it, but wow. Yeah the picture definitely says you are the rightful heir to the power. It looks just like you." Tully said.

"Sweet Brigit, we may have a reincarnation right in front of us."

"But I thought reincarnations couldn't get hurt. Longinus must really know what he's doing to go after someone who's been reincarnated." Catlin said.

"I'm not reincarnated at least I don't think I am. That woman is supposed to be my relative of a long time ago. The Druids would probably be able to read it."

"Except that there are no Druids left. The last one died after an attack that killed my family and my brothers' wife and her family. King Gar attacked the village on the night of the wedding, during the reception as some might say and well, Fergus and I were the only ones that lived. I wasn't anywhere near the village but Fergus was. He was drunk in the liquor cellar and slept through the whole thing."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I honestly didn't know that."

"King Gar was killed some attacks later on. We can't put an actual date to it. But now that King Gar is gone, Queen Diana and Longinus are all the more insistent that all the Celtic tribes heed them. We don't see it that way." Fergus said.