Hyperion

Author: The Holy See

Summary: Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

A/N: I AM FINALLY BACK AFTER SO LONG. And I'm very happy about it. I'm getting serious about this story.

Chapter 6: A Healing Calloused Hand

For hours the knights continued at the same pace they had departed, challenging their horses' strength, pushing the animals beyond their limits. On their first day of travel, the Woads had ambushed them with thorn barbed vines and wooden traps. It came as a surprise though that the Woads had not continued their attack. A horn had sounded, calling them away, leaving the knights stunned and Arthur suspicious. Why did Merlin want them alive after years of trying to purge their existence? Devil ghosts, Dagonet had referred to them as they vanished from their eyes, hiding within the shadows of the fog.

Riding quickly and swiftly, they reached the end of Roman territory just as they slowed their mounts to let them rest and look for a suitable clearing to set up camp. Lancelot had frightened his companions, rather than surprised them, when he broke out into song, singing of drunken men and young women. He had winked at Aleath several times, more suggestive than ever, as he continued to belt out his song. No amount of disdain from Aleath's rolling eyes could deter the noble knight from his little self appointed task.

"Come now, beautiful Lea," Lancelot called, feigning drunkenness. "Join me in song and many other ways atop my noble steed. I shall whisk you off your feet."

"Lancelot, your ruckus makes me weary," Aleath had sighed. "Should I suggest that Raine have a little target practice?"

The curly haired knight dropped his horse's reigns for a few moments, both hands flying to his chest. He then pressed a hand to his forehead, looking ready to faint.

"My heart aches at your words, my fair lady," Lancelot cried out in despair, "Would you leave a poor, lonely man such as myself to sit alone? Have you no heart? A few moments of heavenly pleasure is all I – son of a!"

Lancelot swore, his previously mocking hands flying to the back of his sporting neck. He threw a glare at Raine who showed no signs of notice. Bors' loud laughter drowned out the rest of the laughs that the rest had given. Even Arthur smiled and laughed a little, still keeping to his reserved self, when Lancelot did his best to soothe the offending area.

"I warned you didn't you?" Aleath said in between giggles. "I have no fault. It was you who refused to listen and heed my warnings."

Travel continued along with more jokes. There was nothing like laughter to comfort and fuel their hearts and minds on their journey. A little ways from the edge of clear Roman territory, Arthur called for his two scouts to join him at the head of the group. Dagonet, who was bringing up the rear, nodded to Raine when she turned to him to excuse herself. Arthur waited for Raine to trot up next to Tristan before he gave his instructions.

"I doubt the Woads will attack again considering our prior encounter with them," Arthur informed the two. "However, I would like for you both to ride ahead and make sure our path is clear. Purge the forest of any obstacles that may come your way. Be wise though and know when the obstacle, man or not, is too great for two people to handle."

"Have a bit more faith in them Arthur," Bors called from a distance. "They're a strong couple."

A smile grew on Galahad's face, half expecting either of the scouts to object at Bors' choice of words. He got no satisfaction though as Tristan smiled a bit before riding of, looking forward to the silence that usually enveloped Raine and himself. Raine reared Tethys around, making sure everything was in order, and disappeared into the distance. The wind picked up and the knights drew their cloaks around tighter, trusting in their scouts to make the journey smoother. A bit of a ways ahead of them, Lancelot continued his song much to their dismay.

With pained expressions on all of his knights' faces, Arthur turned and said, "Lancelot, you're making me regret sending Raine off with Tristan."

"And a cruel and unusual punishment it is," Gawain cried, desperately searching for something in his satchel.

From the leather of his travel pack, Gawain withdrew some cotton and stuffed it into his ears. To his disappointment, Lancelot took this as an excuse to sing louder. Bors shook his head and stared down the path that the two scouts had road off on.

"They'd better get back soon or I'll kill him myself," he muttered.

"Not if I beat you to it," Dagonet responded.

--

The path had been free of any human obstacles so far, a fact that unexpectedly pleased Raine for once. She looked to Tristan, who seemed to be a bit disappointed by their discovery, and shook her head. Though her comrades would never believe it, Raine was happy that there wouldn't be any bloodshed just yet. It was true that she had taken pleasure in blood being spilt before, but it was starting to get tiresome. It had been a sport and a sort of revenge for her, picturing Woads to be the Romans that had killed her loved ones before. Now, it was starting to weigh heavily on her. She was sure that there was a Woad out there somewhere that felt exactly the same way she did. Raine suddenly wondered how many husbands she had killed. She shook the thoughts away. All is fair in the game of survival.

Tristan had been watching Raine intently for a while. There was a faint sign of inner turmoil on her face but there wasn't enough for him to make an assumption off of a passing frown. They had ridden ahead quite a ways and there had been no signs of foreign company. Tristan hadn't seen any tracks that belonged to anything other than animals at this point and concluded that the next few days journey wouldn't be any trouble.

"We should turn back now," Tristan said, "Everything seems to be in order. We can set up camp at that clearing we passed earlier."

"It seems defendable should there be an ambush," Raine agreed as they turned their horses back.

From above them, they saw Tristan's hawk circling the sky and to the left, Rhea came out from some bushes. She joined the two scouts, panting, seeming to be jovial and in a good mood. They had reached the clearing that they passed earlier and dismounted their horses. The sun was setting quickly, taking with it the little warmth it had offered. Their breath formed into little clouds as they breathed in and out, working to have a fire going shortly. Tristan's hawk swooped down a little later, landing on Tristan's shoulder. The man gave his bird an affectionate scratch under the beak before continuing his work and starting the fire.

"Perhaps we should hunt for some meat," Raine suggested, "I have no doubt that they'll be hungry when they arrive."

"Incompetent with hunting," Tristan mumbled.

They both knew this wasn't true. Each knight was very capable of surviving on their own. Tristan just took pleasure in mocking their abilities when he could in good fun. Both scouts secured their horses to a nearby branch and set off with their bows and arrows. Tristan's hawk had taken off and circled to catch its own dinner and Rhea soon followed. From behind a few bushes, Raine's trained eyes caught movement. She quickly motioned for Tristan to follow her as she pursued the deer she had spotted. Tristan notched an arrow into his own bow as they made their way through the shrubbery.

A few steps in front of Tristan, Raine drew her arm back. She was certain that she could make the shot. A burning pain shot down Raine's wrist and to her fingers as she aimed. She cursed as her arrow went awry, dropping her bow and clutching her right hand to her chest. Tristan fired his own arrow before the deer could run out of sight before turning to Raine.

"What happened," he asked, his brow furrowed. "Let me see."

Raine reluctantly extended her hand, pains still shooting through it, unable to fully explain why it had happened. Her wrist and fingers had been sore before but she had never before experienced pain like this. Raine flinched as Tristan held her hand in his own and removed her bindings, rubbing at her fingers and wrist. His hands were rough, Raine had noted. She couldn't blame him though. Her hands were just as calloused as his. Just as worn and wearied as his.

"I didn't expect that," Raine mumbled, looking down at the ground. Pain or no pain, she shouldn't have missed. What if that happened in combat? She'd be a waste of time. Dead weight.

"I've seen this before," Tristan said, standing and walking to Tethys.

Tristan felt around Raine's satchel and retrieved the salve he had made for Raine. Raine watched his as he uncorked the small bottle and poured out a generous amount on his palm. He rubbed his hands together and took hold of Raine's hands again. He massaged the salve onto Raine's hand, a cool and easing sensation engulfing her hand. He worked on her hand for a while, paying special attention to Raine's fingers. The girl's hands were slender and small in his own. They heard the neighs of horses and soon Arthur and the rest of the knights came through the path and into the clearing.

"Are you alright?" Dagonet called out when he saw Tristan massaging Raine's hand.

"It's nothing," came Raine's reply, the pain she felt earlier slowly ebbing away.

Tristan had ceased the massage now and was looking intently at Raine's hand in his own. It wasn't an unpleasant sight, he had concluded, and made no move to let her hand go until he heard Bors' cough. Tristan wiped his palms at his tunic's side and rose from the seat he had taken on the boulder that Raine was resting on. He put the bottle of salve into Raine's good hand.

"Make sure you reapply the salve every so often," Tristan said, "It'll help deter the pain."

He walked away, pulling out a knife from his boot and walking back into the bushes to get the deer he had shot earlier and begin preparing it for cooking. Aleath watched in amusement as Tristan made a point to quickly distance himself from Raine and the rest of them. Her oldest friend curled her right hand into a fist and stretched it out again once or twice before standing from her own seat and replacing the bottle in her satchel.

The sun had completely set by the time Tristan finished his work. He brought the meat back in smaller pieces making them easier to cook and quicker to enter empty bellies. With the fire roaring, the knights had all spread their bed rolls out, settling around the fire. Gawain had taken the meat from Tristan, skewering them with small stick of wood he had cleaned and sharpened, setting them over the fire. Thunder roared through the skies and the company readied themselves for rain. Most had pulled the hoods of their cloaks up over the heads while others opted to refrain.

Luckily, Gawain had finished cooking the meat when the rain started to pour. It was strong, as was usual for the lands they were in. They ate in near silence, an occasional joke passed back forth between Bors and Gawain. They had produced skins filled with drink, as had become expected of them, serving to keep them warm and merry. Thunder grew louder and lightning danced menacingly in the skies. It was a wonder that their fire had no died out as the rain soaked them all to the skin.

"Ugh, oh, I can't wait to leave this island," Gawain cried out in exasperation. "When it's not raining, it's snowing, when it's not snowing, it's fogging."

"And that's the summer," Lancelot pitched in.

The knights laughed good naturedly from their seats. Tristan sat in the farthest end of their makeshift circle, near Dagonet and Raine as he sharpened his dagger with the stone he had grabbed earlier. Aleath shifted closer to Gawain for more warmth. Gawain obliged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, their body heat mixing.

"The rain is good," Bors said, "Washes all the blood away."

"Doesn't help the smell," Dagonet joked, Bors laughing in return.

"Here, here!" Aleath said loudly, lifting her wine filled skins to the air.

She huddled closer to Gawain then, resting her left hand on Gawain's which rested on her arm. Gawain welcomed the warmth of the woman's hand on his own. In fact, it had been a while since he fully felt the warmth of a woman. Then again, he had done that on his own free will. He looked down at Aleath's face, brightened by the roaring fire before them, and willed himself to memorize each contour of her face. He had halted his womanizing with good reason.

"You're staring at me," Aleath remarked, eyes never leaving the fire.

"Of course not," Gawain replied, his eyes still steady on her glowing face.

"You liar," came Aleath's retort, catching his eyes with her own. "I could feel your stare even from a mile away."

"I'd wager that you couldn't."

"And why is that?"

"I wouldn't let you stray that far from me," Gawain smiled.

A sudden wave of red had washed over Aleath's cheeks and she quickly turned her head away. She smiled to herself and at the words that Gawain had just spoken to her. It was nice to hear something like that from him, especially because she had always wanted to.

"Hey Bors," Lancelot said, "You intend to take Vanora and all your little bastards back home?"

"Oh I'm trying to avoid making that decision," Bors whined slightly, "By getting killed."

The knights laughed simultaneously. They could always count on Bors for laughter. It felt good to laugh. It was as if they had far less troubles than they truly did.

"Dagonet," Bors called, "She wants to marry and give all the children names."

"Women," Tristan said in rare conversation, "The children already have names, don't they?"

Aleath glared at Tristan from afar. If he had noticed, he made no sign of showing it, replacing his dagger back in its sheath and turning to Bors to await his reply. Beside the scout, Raine shook her head with silent laughter at the indignant expression that had settled on her young charge's face. She looked positively astounded at Tristan's actions. Galahad had snickered a little as well. Tristan may say things and react in ways they don't understand, but something deep inside him told him that Tristan would end up settling down some day. He wasn't quite sure if marriage and an end to combat would be a part of it, but Galahad was sure that when Tristan found the right woman, he'd change his mind about commitment.

"Just Gilly," Bors had answered Tristan. "It was too much trouble so gave the rest of them numbers."

"That's interesting," Lancelot said, his soaked curls bouncing as he spoke, "I thought you couldn't count."

The joke caused another round of laughter from the knights.

"Oh stop it," Aleath scolded, "I think it's lovely that Bors wants to name his children."

"You know, I never thought I'd get back home alive," the knights quieted at this statement. None of them had thought they'd live through their service. "Now that I've got the change, I don't think I could leave my children."

"You'd miss them too much," Dagonet pointed out, his deep voice clear through the sound of pattering rain.

"I'll take them with me," Bors said. "I like the little bastards. They mean something to me."

Bors' friends smiled at this. It was nice to see a more emotional side to such a rugged man. It gave depth to their characters and showed each other more reasons as to why they had all grown so close to each other. Though servitude to Rome would rather have been avoided, it did show them all importance of friendship and comradery.

"Especially number three," Bors had added, directing his statement to Lancelot. "He's a good fighter."

"That's because he's mine," Lancelot joked causing Gawain to choke on his drink.

"I'm going for a piss," Bors mumbled.

The oldest of the knights stood, flung his cloak around his shoulder and walked away, still muttering. Dagonet had reapplied salve on Raine's hand for her and she watched her wolf reappear with a rabbit in its jaws. It sat a few paces away from their fire, ripping at the flesh. When he had finished, Raine muttered her thanks and took a position by a tree. Raine leaned on the trunk and, with one final glance at her surroundings, she shut her eyes and allowed herself to finally drift off to sleep.

Dagonet had risen from his seat when Raine fell into slumber and approached Tristan. The knight had been feeding his horse an apple when Dagonet neared and turned his head only a bit to acknowledge the larger man's presence.

"How is she?" Dagonet asked Tristan.

"You have eyes," Tristan replied, "Can you not see for yourself?"

"Tristan," Dagonet warned, his eyes settled on the knights features.

"She couldn't shoot her bow properly," Tristan replied, removing the saddle of his horse, ensuring a comfortable nights rest. "I soothed it with salve. She'll need to take better care of her hand though. I'm not so sure she should be combating with two blades at this point in time. Her wrist and fingers are weak. If she pushes it too far, she could permanently injure herself. It seems, though, as if the pain is –"

"Going away," Dagonet finished for Tristan. "You've treated her well."

"If you knew the answer to your question, why'd you have to bother me with it," Tristan said, hanging his horse's reigns and saddle on a nearby branch, hair in his face.

"Because I wanted to know if you were paying more attention to the girl than you let on," was Dagonet's simple reply. "You have the hands of a healer, Tristan. You might often bring death with them but you can also bring life. Don't waste your gift."

Dagonet walked back to his bedroll as Tristan shook his head. The scout stole a glance at Raine, whose face had turned peaceful in slumber, and then turned Tethys. He strode to the woman's mount and ran his hand over the horse's nose.

"You're not very comfortable now, are you?" he asked the horse who whinnied in reply. "Your masters a stubborn one. Doesn't know when to stop pushing the limits she has."

Tethys snorted, as if to tell Tristan he was right, and kicked at the ground lightly. Tristan took one last glance at Raine before beginning to free Tethys of his saddle and reigns as well. Rhea walked past him and he whistled to her. She approached him and he bent down, petting the animal he had raised.

"Why don't you go keep her warm, eh?" Tristan whispered, nodding his head towards the sleeping scout.

Rhea licked at Tristan's face before he pushed her to Raine's direction. Dagonet smiled to himself as he watched the knight finish caring for Raine's steed. For such an observant scout, Tristan was proving himself blind to other things. To the right of the fire, Aleath had fallen asleep in Gawain's arms. It was nearing two months, Dagonet noted, Raine always did have a luck with wagers. He tossed a few more logs of wood into the camp fire before laying down himself and closing his eyes. Tomorrow would bring more trouble than any of them needed.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wrote it a lot faster than I thought it would take me. I am quite certain that I will have an update by next week. Maybe even sooner. I've already started it. Check my bio for any new news.

Till the next chapter. Let's try to get the reviews up to sixty, shall we? Just for a little boost? You know, to get the juices a'flowin'? Please and thankyou.