King Arthur: Battle for the Sword

Chapter 16

I woke up alone in the morning, arms chilly from the coolness of the morning air around me. I sat up, back straining from the uncomfortable bed that I slept on. I groaned, but gasped when a hand clasped around my mouth. My eyes were wide, looking at the owner of the hand. Arthur stood motionless beside me, what looked like mud splattered on his face, his eyes glowing blue. I watched as his the tip of his sword pointed toward the entrance of the tent, my eyes following.

I watched as shadows danced through the slits of the tent making my heart stop. He pulled his hand away, putting his index finger up to his lips. I nodded my head, afraid to even breathe at this point. He nodded his head to the opening of the tent, slowing rising to his feet. He looked down at me, wrapping his arm around my waist to lift me soundlessly off the bed. He whispered very quietly in my ear, "Be very quiet. There are raiders outside. They've taken Merlin and Bedivere... Bill is lost." I felt a pang in my heart for Arthur, but I knew nothing of his friend, so I couldn't be sad for a man who I didn't know. "When I say run, run straight across the stream into the field. Wait for me there-"

"But-" I whispered, he stopped me, "Run." He said, rushing out of the tent. Yells of men surrounded me, but I didn't think twice about what was happening to them, I instead listened to Arthur and ran out of the tent. I saw the devastation of our camp as I sprinted across the grass to the stream, not looking behind me to see if I was being followed, as I should have.

I was only ankle deep into the water when someone took me up around the waist, making me scream out in shock and terror. I heard a grown man shout in triumph, beginning to drag me out. I kicked and screamed, catching him by surprise making him drop me. I fell into the stream, splashing backward into the water as I did my best to get away from the dirty looking man. He grinned evilly, approaching me slowly with a knife raised, "U're mine, love, and u're going to regret the day you 'er born." I let out a cry, preparing to be stabbed but stopped as a blue wisp floated by me.

My heart stopped as more floated around me toward the man, who could not see the creatures. I watched in horror as small hands gripped onto his pant leg, pulling him to his knees. He let out a confused cry, looking around him at the water. I gulped as the creatures grabbed farther up his body, dragging him into the water, the strangled cries being drowned out by the whispers of high pitched voices. Soon, the noise stopped altogether and the mans body was carried down the stream with the blue wisps in tow. I didn't have much time to think about the mans fate before I scrambled to my feet and ran as fast as my now soaked dress would allow to the opposite side of the stream, as Arthur had told me to do.

I stood there as the men fought on the other side of the creek, watching as they all did their best to defend themselves against Arthur's strong attacks. They seemed much weaker than Arthur did, his blows striking them down with one or two hits. I couldn't even count a time where I saw Arthur struck by any of them, he being much to agile than them. The battled continued and Arthur knew that he could not do this alone, their sheer number would eventually tire him. So he fled to the creek, taking his chances with the sirens. I watched in horror as the blue creatures appeared, but didn't even touch him. They waited at the bank for the men who dared to cross the river. He retreated through the water, making it all the way across the shore. I was shocked, the prophecy not being solely about me. Maybe Arthur was right, maybe because we are half of a whole, we both can cross here.

I looked up to Arthur, who was very exhausted by the fighting, "Come, before they make a bridge of some sort and attempt to cross." He panted as he all but crawled into the field that lay behind us. I did my best to help him, but all my efforts were shrugged off with a bat of his hand. We made our way to a tree where Arthur slumped against, sighing. I sat beside him, cautiously, in case he needed me.

"I don't know which was worse," he said taking off his leather vest, "fighting off those men until you made it across or," he panted as he pulled it over his head, "not knowing if I was going to make it across the stream myself." he sighed, leaning back against the trunk of the large tree, chuckling lightly. I rolled my eyes, smacking his shoulder, "That's not very funny, Arthur."

"I think it was. Truly, very terrifying. I was thinking the entire way across, that if I ran fast enough, I could make it." I gave him a serious look, making him laugh. "Oh come on, it's funny." He nudged me, resting his arm on my leg. I shook my head, "You might be a king, but you're still a simple man."

"A man of simple pleasures..." He said, shaking his head, still laughing at his own joke. I rolled my eyes, leaning against the tree myself, finding myself exhausted with everything that suddenly happened. "Do you truly believe you weren't going to make it across?" I asked him, looking over at him, studying his features. He thought for a moment before speaking, "There was something in me that was telling me I could make it, but," he shrugged, "the human side didn't know if I would." I nodded, looking off across the field.

"Now, I am going to rest some before we venture off." He said, settling into some strange position that didn't look like it would be comfortable at all. "You should to, we have a lot to be thinking about as we make our way to the Lady of the Lake." he said, closing his eyes.

Arthur was right. If we were to make it to the Lady of the Lake, we had a lot of thinking and preparing to do. Neither of us knew what lay ahead of us, the dangers and feats that we had to face to fulfill this prophecy. For now, we were safe and were a portion of the way through the prophecy.

Pass the test of fate.