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September 2008
Topic Started: Apr 22 2010, 01:55 PM (2,546 Views)
golden_trillium

Admin
Author: sabor ice
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 4:19 am
Ash


Ash drifted in and out of consciousness, despite his efforts
to keep awake and alert. The potions he drunk had left him
feeling relatively dozy, or perhaps it was just exhaustion
taking its toll at last. His dreams were strange ones. Some of
the faces he saw there were familiar to him, and some of them
were not. Eala was no longer the youth he had always known,
but a blossoming young woman. She turned her face toward him
with a smile that shone such radiance, but his attention was
simultaneously drawn to another direction where two children
holding hands lingered on the quiet path before him. At first
glance, they were strangers to him. His intense dark gaze sunk
into their liquid green depths, and for a moment, a sense of
powerful familiarity washed over Ash. The child-like faces
that stared back at him seemed to mirror his reaction,
suggesting that they knew him also.

He parted his lips as if to speak, when an echo of a
child-like laugh thundered overhead and startled him. Eala?
The Woad pivoted on the unbeaten path to glance back at the
woman-child Eala, but she was gone. A crease formed in the
middle of his forehead as he turned back to face the children,
surprised to find them retreating in graceful movements - like
angels or phantoms - into the distance. A figure waited for
them there, but the familiar green-eyed children never quite
reached her. It was apparent to Ash then that the figure did
not seem to be waiting for them, but for him. He saw her face
and knew it. Her green eyes and strawberry blonde hair had
reflected in the faces of the stranger-children, the
stranger-children he had somehow known.

When Ash awoke for the last time, he pondered the meaning
behind his dreams in silence. He speculated and begun to draw
the most obvious of conclusions, but promptly buried his
thoughts for a later time when Merlin approached.

Merlin
 
“Ash, tell me about how your mission went.”


His leader looked...perplexed. He had good reason to be. It
had been a strange night indeed between inept Romans battling
amongst themselves during a treaty meeting and various members
of their own people spinning preposterous theories, while some
were spewing out traitorous lies, and others were conveniently
going mad. It was certainly a great deal to sort through. If
Merlin was searching for answers, Ash only hoped he could
offer the man something useful. Ash shifted himself - very
gently - so he could rest his weight against his elbow and
face Merlin more properly.

"My disguise as a wounded Roman soldier granted me easy access
into their fort. As expected, I was led to their healing
house. Their people there were exceptionally distracted over -
what I could gather - nursing back to full health those who
were now recovering from a recent epidemical sickness. I
slipped away undetected and began my search for the
missing..." Ash explained, trying to be descriptive as
possible. "Neeria and Eala were separated by the Romans, the
child eventually brought to the dungeons and the woman
escorted toward the stables..."

"I left Guinevere and Mona to Neeria; I never saw Connell.
Mona was subtly inept...but alert and coherent..." he went on,
giving Merlin a meaningful look at his description of Mona. "I
went to the dungeons for Eala." Ash gave a rueful half-smile
as he added: "We managed to find our way back to the side gate
and escape into the forest before those foolish Roman cads
could raise their pants from round their ankles long enough to
organize a proper search for their escaped prisoner."
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: golden_trillium
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:52 am
Merlin


Ash
 
"My disguise as a wounded Roman soldier granted me easy
access into their fort. As expected, I was led to their
healing house. Their people there were exceptionally
distracted over- from what I could gather- nursing back
to full health those who were now recovering from a
recent epidemic sickness. I slipped away undetected and
began my search for the missing...Neeria and Eala were
separated by the Romans, the child eventually brought to
the dungeons and the woman escorted toward the
stables...I left Guinevere and Mona to Neeria; I never
saw Connell. Mona was subtly inept...but alert and
coherent...I went to the dungeons for Eala. We managed
to find our way back to the side gate and escape into
the forest before those foolish Roman cads could raise
their pants from round their ankles long enough to
organize a proper search for their escaped prisoner."


“You did well,” Merlin responded, his mouth twitching upwards
and a laugh lurking in his voice at Ash’s description of the
Romans not being able to mobilize themselves to search. Cads
indeed…and Ash and Eala gone right under their noses! Merlin
raised his eye to the dark, star-studded sky and allowed
himself a chuckle. That part of the rescue, at least, had gone
very well. Ash had done exactly as he had said he would-
against the odds, and Merlin was pleased with that. And the
epidemic sickness that Ash had mentioned…Merlin was pleased
with that, too. Sickness always took the Romans and spared the
Woads- a sign of the Gods’ favor, certainly.

“The Gods were with you, and not with the Roman dogs,” Merlin
added with a satisfied nod, returning his gaze to straight
ahead on the dark, torch-lit path. He took a few more steps
that way, considering, then looked down at Ash again,
curiously.

“So do you think Mona might be faking?” he asked, quietly, but
getting right to the point. Ash’s earlier words had seemed to
suggest that- but Merlin wanted confirmation of whether that
was truly Ash’s opinion or not.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: lady ione
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:14 am
Vanora


It was late when one of the twins cried out, probably hungry.
Vanora felt Bors' side of the bed, and then remembered that he
had gone to the tavern to talk something over with Tristan.
Yawning and stretching, Vanora pulled her shawl over her
shoulders before making her way to where the twins slept close
by. The baby was crying loudly, but when Vanora picked up the
tiny little girl, the baby whimpered as if knowing that food
was close at hand. The red head carried the baby to where her
chair sat by the warm fire, and sat down ready to breast feed
the hungry child.

As the baby began to suckle, Vanora thought of what it could
be that Tristan had wanted to talk to Bors about. It had to be
important for sure, and along those lines, she had not seen
any of the other knights really since they had gotten
home...especially Lancelot. She really did not mind any of the
knights flirting with her, but Lancelot was good at it, and
just to see the look on Bors' face was priceless.

Bors would always be first in her life as they had a family to
raise and a life they had built. the husky knight was a good
father and lover, and Vanora could never imagine herself with
anyone else...though the First Knight's flirtatiousness made
her laugh. Lancelot was just devilishly handsome...

Vanora sighed and looked down at the now content child. Bors
had accomplished what the other knights seemed to avoid:
settling down and raising a family, but could also be the
fierce fighter and protector he was. She just wished he'd
marry her....

Perhaps Bors would come home soon so that he could be close.
Whenever the knights went on a mission or battle, Vanora
missed him.

Just like she did now. Maybe the knights were planning another
mission...

Feeling that the child had eaten her fill, Vanora placed the
child back in the cradle, then made her way back to bed.
Letting the shawl fall from her shoulders, Vanora slipped back
under the warm covers, and went back to sleep.
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golden_trillium

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Author: golden_trillium
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:45 am
Tristan


Without a backward glance, Tristan strode up the dungeon
corridor towards the exit, aware that Neeve was walking with
him, but looking at her, the guards, or anything else.
Thankfully, no screaming echoed down the corridor after that, and Tristan supposed he should be grateful for that small reprieve, but right now, he just wanted out. His long legs stretched his steps as large as they could, not to the point of running, but as fast as he could go without appearing to unduly hurry. He was not coming down here to pay house calls on prisoners again. Surely if the guards had just waited and ignored her, the wretched woman would have shut up. As it is, he had only just had it confirmed that she thought of him as some kind of potential savior, someone who was supposed to be chivalrous and powerful and in Arthur’s favor. None of which, except the last perhaps, Tristan felt were true. And he didn’t want to be looked up to without reason one minute, and reviled the next. He didn’t deserve that, and the Woad bitch had no right to treat him that way.

It was with relief that he finally- finally!- pushed open the
door that led back out into the courtyard, ignoring the
entrance guard who sprang to hold it for him and Neeve. They
looked at him as if he had worked some bloody miracle, now
that the prisoner was quiet, but damn it, he hadn’t! He had
taken her in hand, as had Neeve, which was what the guards
should have done from the very beginning. This whole thing
hadn’t been necessary- it had been a complete fucking waste of
his time!

Outside the dungeon entrance, Tristan paused to dislodge the
hawk from her enforced perch in the little tree. She squawked
at him, a bit bad-tempered at him for leaving her, but Tristan
shushed her peremptorily with a click on his tongue. He was
taking her inside, to the relative warmth- once he got a fire
going- of his quarters, and that ought to take care of what
ailed her for now. She just had to rest. Tristan continued
walking as he was arranging the hawk on his shoulder, his
attention on her, and in consequence nearly ran down a small,
apparently female figure who suddenly appeared out of the
corner of his eye.

“Damn…” he grunted as he swerved quickly sideways to avoid
her- and only then recognized as Fiona, the other Woad that
the fort was currently playing host to, the one who had seemed
so worried about what might happen between Merlin and Arthur
that morning.

“Don’t you start screaming, too,” he muttered to her
cryptically, under his breath, as he put both hands up to
balance the hawk and prepared to continue on his way.
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golden_trillium

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Author: Elessars Girl
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:23 pm
Derfel


Judging from the sounds his ministrations seemed to elicit
from Linnesse, Derfel was encouraged to continue playing with
her toes. And for the moment, his stomach appeared to have
settled; no doubt thanks to the food he’d finally ingested
moments ago. But would all that ale swirling around in his
belly remain in his stomach? Obviously, Derfel and Linnesse
were headed towards a more physical entanglement than simply
laying about on the floor….or rather he prayed it be so.
Derfel had been away from his lover for far too many nights
while away on the mission – last night hadn’t counted as she
was still recovering from illness – but tonight Linnesse
seemed improved.

But as Linnesse tumbled backwards and nearly out of Derfel’s
grip, he was sure the gods had other plans for him this night.
Concerned she’d hurt herself, Derfel fumbled for her with both
hands even as Linnesse wiggled her way back up into his lap.

Linnesse
 
“Let’s go to bed, love,”


Derfel could not suppress a groan in reply…especially as
Linnesse’s thighs pressed into his waist bringing his lover’s
womanly shape to completely fill his lap in the most
pleasurable way. Gods, it had been too long.

“If we can make it there without breaking our necks, aye?”
Derfel teased before placing a wet kiss at the corner of
Linnesse’s mouth. So sweet and so inviting. Derfel had both
arms wrapped ‘round her shoulders and he leaned a bit forward.
His intent was to lift them both off the floor and on to the
bed….but could his body manage it considering its current
alcohol sodden state?

Derfel grunted as he twisted and lifted his body enough to get
his legs under him….and still manage to keep Linnesse snuggly
against his chest in the process…admirable considering his
obvious impairment.

“Hang on luv,” Derfel said while getting to his feet and
stumbling in the direction of the bed which was exactly where
he thought it to be…..and he simply fell backwards on top of
the bed with Linnesse still attached to his chest. Not the
most graceful move….but who cared?
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golden_trillium

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Author: Darya
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:55 pm
Neeve


Neeve more or less stalked towards the dungeon exit. She did
not pay any attention to the guards…yet was aware of Tristan
indeed walking by her side. It would have surprised her if the
scout had stayed in the cell…and now that Neeve knew this
little detail about that Woad having tried to kill Arthur, the
healer had quite some questions that she wanted to ask Tristan
about those last missions…

“How could that happen?”, the Briton addressed the scout as
they had exited the dungeons and the knight dislodged his hawk
from the tree again, “how could that Woad get so close to
Arthur? How on earth was that possible, hm?” The raven-haired
woman knew that she was almost snarling at the knight…and she
also knew that she was directing her anger onto a person who
did not deserve it…but Tristan could probably give her some
answers. “Isn’t there usually one of you near him?”, Neeve
added and put her hands on her hips, her blue eyes glistening
with anger…anger that was only nourished by Tristan’s earlier
words about Arthur prolly wanting to ride out to Merlin
himself in the morning and therewith present himself – wounded
and not at his best – on a silver plate to the damn Woads.
“Where…?”

The healer’s next tirade was cut off by a small person
suddenly appearing in front of them and literally bumping into
Tristan…

Fiona
 
'sorry'


Tristan
 
“Don’t you start screaming, too,”


Neeve arched an eyebrow at the person when she recognized her.
Yet another Woad. The Briton let out a strange noise that was
somewhere between a dramatic sigh and a growl… She was so not
in the mood to deal with yet another of those forest
creatures…not even if it was a seemingly harmless one like
Fiona. The Briton pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to
calm down a bit…already thinking of alternate plans in case
Tristan could not tell her what she wanted to know. Then she
would want to have a word with Lancelot…and of course with
Arthur. There was no way she would just let him ride out to
face Merlin…not in his current state of health…
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golden_trillium

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Author: LadyCastus
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 5:25 pm
Neeria


Neeria huddled on the cell floor again, hugging her knees to
her chest. Her side throbbed with pain and her feet were
freezing cold. Her teeth chattered and her fingers were numb.

Neeve
 
“I will indeed be surprised if you make it through the
night, Woad…and if you do, a night of cold and pain can
certainly be considered a minimum penalty for your
attempt to end the Commander’s life. Be sure that I will
see for myself whether or not you are still alive when
the sun is up again…”


Neeria ignored the woman and didn't respond to her. Obviously
the woman didn't know what she was talking about. Neeria had
already been put in the dungeons and freed by Arthur. The woad
didn't care what this stranger, this woman thought of her, but
Tristan's rejection affected her. She'd thought for sure he
would have at least brought food, water, and a warm
blanket...maybe even tell Arthur that she was here. But he was
just like the Romans - mean and hateful. That disappointed
Neeria. Neeria laughed at Tristan, mockingly calling him
chivalrous. Neeria knew that would anger him, but the
disappointment hurt her. That's when Tristan grabbed her and
pulled the small woman to her feet by the collar of the tunic
she wore. The scout growled with anger as he pressed his face
right next to hers, enunciating his words precisely.

Tristan
 
“Chivalrous? I told you, I’m not who you think I am.”


"No. You are not." Neeria barely whispered. She doubted
Tristan even heard her as he dropped her back to the dirty,
cold floor and the cell door slammed behind he and the dark
haired woman. The woad listened to Tristan's steady footfalls
as he left the dungeons.

Tired, cold and hungry, Neeria lay her head on the floor and
willed death to take her swiftly.











Malcus Barbattus

Malcus willed the throbbing in his head and the desire to rush
the optio and choke him to death. His nostrils flared and his
eyes narrowed. As though reading his mind, Arthur stepped into
Barbattus' line of vision, blocking his view of the other
Roman. Malcus focused on Arthurs face and took a breath,
thanking the commander with his eyes, knowing he'd come close
to really being insubordinate. It did occur to the captain
that the optio had not refuted any of the captain's testimony
so far. This fact surprised Malcus but he knew not to lower
his guard. The optio's silence could be a trick, letting
Malcus get all of the story out while thinking of way to deny
the truth. Barbattus knew Arthur was fair however, so Malcus
could not go wrong just sticking to the facts.

Arthur
 
“I want to hear the rest of it, Malcus. What happened
once Merlin had found you?”


Malcus nodded, clearing his head and refocusing on the
details.

"Oy, commander," he said. "Merlin showed up with about 30 or
so woads. The optio ordered me to stay inside the hut, sir,
with Tristan and the tied-up woads. Because I have experience
dealing with Merlin, I thought I might better serve you by
being present during the talks and suggested that to Optio
Scipio."

Malcus paused to reflect on the horrid events that followed.

"The optio was trying to establish authority over Merlin,
Arthur, with typical Roman peity instead of focusing on the
mission at hand. In the same manner, the optio was so occupied
with trying to keep me in line instead of trying to establish
communication with the woad, that he challenged me instead of
getting on with things. I reminded Optio Scipio of the purpose
of the mission and that I was there on your order. Of course
all of this made us look incompetent to Merlin. He ridiculed
us and ordered us to retreat."

Malcus lowered his head, as if ashamed of their retreat.

"The whole bloody thing went wrong. Scipio and Mordred road
off, leaving Tristan and me behind on our own with them. As I
mounted, for safe passage, I snatched the prisoner and brought
her back, Arthur. She's in the dungeons now. I know she
fulfilled her vow to you, but we were far outnumbered and I
used her for insurance."

Standing at full attention, Malcus looked at Arthur.

"We got fucked...sir...," Barbattus said at last, glad to have
purged himself of the dreadful details. "We appeared as
idiots. Both of us," he said snidely.

There the story was. He'd cut his balls off and eat them or
lick the latrine floor before he'd apologize to Amadeus.

His fate was in Arthur's hands.
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golden_trillium

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Author: golden_trillium
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:43 pm

Linnesse


Derfel
 
“If we can make it there without breaking our necks,
aye? Hang on luv.”


“Mmpph!” Linnesse grunted softly with the impact as Derfel
fell backwards onto the bed, making them bounce on the
mattress like two children roughhousing around. Laughing
again, she struggled her arms out from underneath Derfel- she
had had to wrap them around and cling to him pretty tightly as
he stood up- and set her hands on either side of his head,
propping herself up so that she could look into his face-
handsome as always, but he looked a little bit dazed and
addled even from what little she could see in the dark.
Drunk…but she didn’t find him threatening or off-putting like
this at all, just amusing and even endearing. She clicked her
tongue ruefully and drew one gentle finger down his cheek,
tracing the curve of his face tenderly. He seemed a bit
flushed, despite sitting on the cold floor for a while- his
cheek was very warm.

“That was effective,” she murmured, her voice dropping to a
whisper as she leaned forward to claim his lips insistently
again. She could taste the ale in his mouth still, even
despite the food he had eaten, not unpleasantly, but mostly
she was just enchanted with the way that their mouths felt
together, lips and tongues twining around each other, just
like they hadn’t done for so long…with another little “mmpph”,
this time of pleasure, she rolled a bit to the side and
sprawled out beside him, legs and feet dangling off the bed
along with his, but not caring as long as she could keep
kissing him and running her fingers through his hair and over
his shoulders and arms.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: lady ione
Date: Sun Sep 07, 2008 8:29 pm
Ione


Ione continued to look into the fire, her hands rubbing over
her stomach which had been upset since she left the tavern.
Perhaps it had been the soup or the bread...or because ever
since she had gotten back to the fort, nothing but bad had
happened to her by way of bad news, or fearful thoughts. She
brought her knees up and curled her legs underneath her body,
the blanket draped over her shoulders. Ione felt sick, and
wished she could calm down like Neeve had suggested, and even
to sleep, but the sad news Linnesse had given to her, plus the
fear of Javier not returning, of Mirtha's anger...of what her
friends at the fort would think of her now that she was unwed
and pregnant had conspired to make her stressed with sorrow
mixed in....

"mrow...mrow..." Llawen, whom Ione had not seen since she had
left announced his arrival with two soft sounds, then jumped
lightly on her lap. Ione smiled at her beloved furry friend,
and hugged him close. Llawen was very old, but he was still
the very affectionate cat Ione had ever known. The young
weaver held him for a moment, before Llawen began rubbing his
head against her stomach and began purring then mewing. Was it
because he could sense that she was with child? Ione laughed
lightly, "Llawen, my little friend....my little.."

A sharp pain to her side made Ione gasp, and hold her breath
until it was gone. The tabby looked at her curiously, but wide
eyed as Ione set him down on the floor in order to get up out
of her chair. Maybe walking around a bit would help get rid of
the pain, but it was a bad idea and Ione sank back into the
chair. Looking down at her loyal friend, Ione whispered, 'I
need to get to the infirmary...I think...' Making it out of
her chair again, Ione looked down at the cat, then headed for
the door, slowly unlatched it, and made it outside with the
cat right next to her. The courtyard was almost empty now as
most had gone to sleep for the night. Ione only hoped that she
could make it to the infirmary before another sharp pain would
come. She had to save the child's life. It was her beloved's
child as well...

"Ah...." Ione doubled over in pain as she saw the infirmary up ahead of her. She was not a devout Christian, but she prayed to whatever being was out there, that she'd have the strength to make it there, or that someone would come by to help her. Ione could feel the baby kick at her side as if trying to ask for help. The pain got worse finally bringing Ione to her knees.

Llawen began to meow loudly as Ione fell slowly onto the wet
pavement holding her stomach tightly.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Unicorn
Date: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:08 am
Dagonet


Linnette
 
“If you get some rest I’m sure you’ll be up and about in
no time,”


Dagonet doubted to be out of this place fast. Doubted it
because he knew, that it would take a long time to heal. Last
time it was Gedeon to take him away from this place.... There
was no person who would do something like that for him now. It
made him sad again.

A gentle squeeze from his daughter in law followed her words
but he saw that wince and saw how she moved away her hand fast
because it hurted her... He frowned slightly in worry about
her as she smiled down at him. And he remembered what she told
him earlier. Got angry about moving from her room.
But... what she had done? Hit the wall with her hands? Were
they broken?

He looked down and examined the bandage for a while. It looked
very skillfuly done.

Linnette
 
“And I’m here if you ever need me, too…if there’s ever
any way I can help you,”


Her voice made Dagonet look up at her face and he gave her a
little, warm smile. They all were here together in this
sorrowful situation and they all had to take care of each
other. They had no more help than each other.

The tall knight nodded his head and sighing a little.

"I'll try my best to get up from bed soon..." he promised a
little not believing himself. But he had to play strong once
more... He was slowly returning to his normal self, who didn't
let anybody too close to what was he thinking in reality.

"...but I doubt Lavinia will allow me to leave earlier than
she wants me to." he allowed himself a little joke, but it was
a poor one. "Lancelot also made it clear he doesn't wish me up
before she says so... but she has already enough with people
coming here to see me." he smiled a little.

Tried to lean over to Linnette slightly and whispered.

"The more somebody comes to me, the more she's angry and wants
me out of here."

Dagonet wasn't sure why he had said it. maybe cause he wanted
to see Linnette more often and wished her to know this, or
really wanted to piss off Lavinia so much that she would allow
him to leave the infirmary.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Elessars Girl
Date: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:45 pm

Arthur


Thus far Arthur’s tactic had worked; Malcus appeared to calm
himself and even went so far as to silently thank the
Commander presumably for placing himself between the two men.
Arthur knew he had to remain in control of the situation and
the best way to achieve that was to keep the men calm - both
Malcus and Amadeus if necessary. Malcus had a terrible
temper…but Arthur had always been one who could rein the other
man in with his placidity. Scipio, much to his credit, had
thus far remained silent where he sat.

Malcus
 
I thought I might better serve you by being present during the talks and suggested that to Optio Scipio. The Optio was trying to establish authority over Merlin, Arthur, with typical Roman piety instead of focusing on the mission at hand. In the same manner, the Optio was so occupied with trying to keep me in line instead of trying to establish communication with the woad, that he challenged me instead of getting on with things. I reminded Optio Scipio of the purpose of the mission and that I was there on your order. Of course all of this made us look incompetent to Merlin. He ridiculed us and ordered us to retreat."


Arthur listened very carefully to each detail Malcus recalled
from the mission. He frowned at hearing the confirmation that
Malcus had indeed acted with insubordination; no matter the
fact that Arthur perfectly understood his friend’s motives.
The Commander had only himself to blame for sending the Optio
who had no proven successes negotiating with Merlin. Arthur’s
gaze remained fixed on Malcus even as the Captain lowered his
head as if in embarrassment for his actions. Arthur exhaled
through his nose and lifted a hand to rub his thick fingers
across his lips….deep in thought for a moment. He was bound by
the laws of the Roman army to punish Malcus…especially in
satisfaction of a fellow officer under Arthur’s command. The
last thing Arthur needed were two high ranking officers at
odds with each other…not when there was still a threat of an
attack on the fortress and all those in Arthur’s care at Badon
Hill.

Malcus
 
"The whole bloody thing went wrong. Scipio and Mordred
road off, leaving Tristan and me behind on our own with
them. As I mounted, for safe passage, I snatched the
prisoner and brought her back, Arthur. She's in the
dungeons now. I know she fulfilled her vow to you, but
we were far outnumbered and I used her for insurance."


“You brought the Woad girl back with you?” Arthur questioned
and arched a brow at Malcus, but quickly dismissed that
particular issue to focus on the bigger picture. Arthur rolled
his shoulder and then rested both hands on his hips as he
prepared to dole out punishment to one of his most loyal and
trustworthy soldiers…and closest friend among the Romans at
the keep. Only Lancelot, among the men, was a closer
companion….and the Sarmatian was much more than ‘friend’
despite what Arthur had attempted to convince himself as of
late.

Malcus
 
"We got fucked...sir... we appeared as idiots. Both of
us,"


The frown lines across Arthur's brow deepened at Malcus' use
of profanity in an official setting. It might prove
detrimental to any respect the Optio had left for the
Captain...although Arthur, having heard the man's report,
highly doubted it.

“I concur with your assessment, Captain,” Arthur began with a
small nod to Malcus before continuing. The Commander slowly
inhaled and then released the deep breath while his green eyes
firmly held Malcus’ dark ones.

“However, I must address the manner of your actions towards
Optio Scipio while in the presence of Merlin and his people. I
cannot let your insubordination go unpunished, Captain, no
matter the good intentions behind your actions,” Arthur paused
and licked at his bottom lip while carefully observing the
Captain’s expression for any hint of temper. Any single
outburst from Malcus would only force Arthur to punish his
Captain and friend more severely. He prayed that Malcus would
understand that.

“You are not alone in the failure of this mission, Captain
Barbattus. In foremost, I blame myself for not properly
preparing the both of you to face Merlin in my stead,” Arthur
stated with a small sigh before continuing. “And now that I
have heard the details from you both,” Arthur briefly gestured
with one hand towards Scipio where the other man sat at the
table behind the Commander’s back. “It is my conclusion that
you both failed to act appropriately in order to secure peace
with Merlin. As for your part, Captain, I will dock your wages
for the next two weeks and you will report for duty in the
stables for the next three days in order to fulfill your
punishment.”

Punishment handed down. It left a foul taste in Arthur’s mouth
as he completely understood why Malcus had attempted to advise
Scipio against his tactics with Merlin….it was simply a poor
‘way’ of going about it that had brought on the Optio’s right
to charge the Captain with insubordination. Arthur would have
a stringent word with Scipio for his part in the failure in
the mission. However, he would do so privately as was proper
protocol in such matters. All that mattered right now was the
Captain’s acceptance of Arthur’s judgment and then the
Commander could dismiss Malcus and deal with Amadeus
one-on-one.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: LadyCastus
Date: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:34 pm
Malcus Barbattus


Arthur
 
“You brought the Woad girl back with you?”


Arthur had remained silent while Malcus recounted the events
of the failed mission. The commander only interjected once and
that was when Malcus mentioned the woad. The captain simply
nodded and continued his story. He'd cross that bridge later.

As soon as the bomb word slipped off his lips, Malcus cursed
himself but it was too late. Inside, the captain cringed.
Barbattus had done well to quell his fiery temper, but he'd
slipped in the end. Malcus curled up the side of his mouth and
looked at Arthur, waiting for the commander to speak.
Barbattus regretted one thing only and that was putting Arthur
in the precarious situation of having to pass judgement on
Malcus. But what was done was done and Malcus would face his
just punishment. The optio continued to sit smugly behind
Arthur and Malcus was grateful that he would not be subjected
to whatever amusement he'd find dancing in Scipio's eyes upon
hearing the judgement.

Arthur rubbed his lips and it was then that Malcus noticed the
commander's stubbly chin and dark circles under his eyes.
Barbattus knew the man must be exhausted and here he was
having to deal with this shit.

After a moment of reflection, Arthur spoke.

Arthur
 
“I concur with your assessment, Captain, however, I must
address the manner of your actions towards Optio Scipio
while in the presence of Merlin and his people. I cannot
let your insubordination go unpunished, Captain, no
matter the good intentions behind your actions,”


Malcus snapped to attention, sticking his chest out, fists
balled to his sides, chin up.

"Yes sir, commander!" he said, giving Arthur the full respect
he deserved and also letting the rat bastard optio know that
he did in fact know how to treat a real officer.

Arthur
 
“You are not alone in the failure of this mission,
Captain Barbattus. In foremost, I blame myself for not
properly preparing the both of you to face Merlin in my
stead, and now that I have heard the details from you
both, it is my conclusion that you both failed to act
appropriately in order to secure peace with Merlin. As
for your part, Captain, I will dock your wages for the
next two weeks and you will report for duty in the
stables for the next three days in order to fulfill your
punishment.”


"Yes sir, commander sir!" Malcus said and struck his chest.
"I'm sorry to have failed you and disappointed you, commander.
I apologize to you for my actions."

Malcus purposely didn't apologize to the optio. Fuck 'em. He
wouldn't apologize unless he was ordered to by Arthur.

While Arthur still blocked Malcus' view from the optio,
Barbattus gave a quick wink to the commander and mouthed the
words thank you to his friend, knowing Arthur had been
conflicted in handing out the punishment. In his way, Malcus
let Arthur know that all was well.
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golden_trillium

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Author: golden_trillium
Date: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:00 pm
Quintus


“Maybe you better go on home, Lieutenant.” The Centurion’s
voice was gruff and firm, but still respectful, as he reached
around and hauled the badly slumped Titrus a little more
upright in his chair, preparatory to getting him on his feet.
The bar wench was gone, Titrus having not taken her up on her
offer to be “his lady”- indeed the prospect had seemed to
embarrass the man. Subsequently, Titrus had downed a couple
more ales and was now beyond tipsy and into downright drunk,
listing to the side on the bench and saying things that made
very little sense indeed. Time to go.

“Up you come,” he muttered, bracing his feet again and this
time hoisting Titrus the rest of the way to a standing
position. Hopefully he’d stay there once put- but Quintus kept
nearby just in case, ready with a restraining arm if a fall
looked likely. He did hope he wouldn’t have to outright carry
the man, though…preserving the dignity of officers in
situations like this was one thing, but actually carrying them
around…Rome didn’t pay him enough for that!

“I’ll walk with you,” he generously “offered”- though really
he intended to make sure the lieutenant got to his building no
matter what Titrus responded. After that, though, he would be
on his own while Quintus went off to his small room at the end
of the barracks. Maybe with a woman- yes, maybe so, if he
could find a reasonably priced and reasonable looking one
without too much trouble.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Kayla
Date: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:07 pm

Fiona


When Fiona had left the infirmary, she had hoped to be getting
away from Galahad's snarky comments and his grumpy attitude.
She understood that he was hurt, which was why she hadn't said
anything in reply and just tried to stand her ground as much
as possible but if anything, she hadn't expected to run into
another knight, much less Tristan. And if she wanted to escape
from someone being grumpy, this surely had not been the way to
go about it. She didn't dislike the knight, as the case was
with Galahad as well, and she pretty much owed him her life
from that time back in the woods. But she got the feeling that
he might not like her much, much like a couple of people in
the fort, she was learning. Then again, that seemed to be the
way he was - she still recalled their chat from earlier.

Tristan
 
“Damn ... Don’t you start screaming, too."


Two things registered on Fiona's face - confusion and
curiousity. She stepped back immediately after she almost ran
into him, turning her gaze to Neeve and giving her a forced
smile. His cryptic words made her blue gaze turn back,
however, and one of her eyebrows quirked up in a fashion that
made her entire face questioning, since she didn't quite know
what he was talking about. And, before she could stop, the
woad found herself blurting out something. "Why would I
scream?" Whenever something confused her, she liked to know
what a person meant or try to figure it out and it was usually
done with a question, as seemed to be her weakness in most
cases - not knowing when to be quiet or stay out of trouble.

But this wasn't trouble, right? It was a valid question, since
he had spoken to her and she wanted to know what he meant by
it. Fiona wasn't bothered by people's attitudes once she set
her mind to something, unless they were downright in her face
about something, which had been proven with Galahad. She had
wanted to stay and help him as much as she could and had done
so, despite most of what he'd said to her - and hearing that
someone wanted you to leave wasn't the most enlightening thing
in the world. So, she asked and didn't hesitate talking to
Tristan, although she almost regretted it when she saw that he
was moving to leave. Her eyes settled on the hawk after she
asked him, a little hand pushing her hair over her shoulders
and it spilled down her back. The woad put a hand
unconsciously on her stomach as she waited, keeping her eyes
on the animal in front of her, on the knight's arm.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: golden_trillium
Tue Sep 09, 2008 6:42 am

Tristan


Neeve
 
“How could that happen? How could that Woad get so close
to Arthur? How on earth was that possible, hm? Isn’t
there usually one of you near him? Where…?”


"It was a battle- things happen," Tristan snapped back at
Neeve as he dodged the little Woad, thoroughly irritated by
the healer's accusing tone. It wasn't like they hadn't been
there! Well, Tristan, personally, hadn't been particularly
close, but so? He had been doing his part, taking down more
Woads than any of them. And Lancelot really had been right
next to Arthur, on his horse, but one man couldn't prevent
everything. Tristan was far from happy about Arthur's wound,
either- it seemed to be bad- but he wasn't going to take
recriminations on the subject by a woman, of all people! He
took a breath, considering maybe saying something more- but
was surprised to find Fiona talking to him instead, pestering
him from his other side.

Fiona
 
"Why would I scream?"


Well, at least she hadn't screamed, she was just talking about
screaming. A bloody significant improvement over the last one.
Tristan rolled his eyes and jerked his head towards the
dungeon door behind them, once more putting up his other hand
to balance the hawk. Fiona was eying the bird, though whether
in nervousness or what, Tristan couldn't honestly tell.

"That one down there does," Tristan remarked matter of factly,
indicating Neeria. Surely Fiona had heard that one of her
countrywomen was in the dungeons- maybe she was even going
down to see her and that was why she was here. Maybe the
guards could just lock both of them up together.
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