In My Eyes: The Rise of King Arthur and His Knights

Chapter 2 Refugee

I think I was unconscious only a few moments. When I opened my eyes, Gawain and Arthur were wrapping cloth bandages around my knees to support them while they healed. I steeled myself to hide all signs of the pain that shot through my lower abdomin as my shaky fingers drew the fur wrap back around myself. I slowly sat up. Gawain handed me a water bladder. I only took a few, tentative sips before returning it.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, still unable to fully trust my voice to not betray my pain.

"Have you ridden a horse before?"

"Not properly," I answered.

All the men looked at me with curious expressions.

I exhaled and clasped my fingers together to keep from tucking nonexistent loose stands of hair behind my ears again. "My mother and I were accused of witchcraft. When the Roman soldiers came to take us away from our home, they tied our hands behind our backs and put us, bellies down, over the fronts of their saddles."

Gawain nodded, as if I had confirmed something. "You'll ride with me, but we'll go as slow as we dare." He grinned. "Hopefully this experience will be better than the last." Then he was moving towards the back of the wagon.

Before I could move to follow him, Arthur had scooped me into his arms.

"I can walk now," I tried to protest.

"But should you?"

"No, I suppose I should not." I sighed. "Only I had hoped to appear more resilient."

The Roman warrior chuckled at that. Gawain disappeared through the flap, taking the crutches with him. From Arthur's arms, I watched him tie them down across the back of a pack mule before leaping easily into the saddle of his horse. Once settled, he looked up and reached for me. Arthur gently passed me into the golden warrior's grasp without them stopping the wagon.

I was settled sideways in front of Gawain and he was helping me to adjust my fur wrap when another of the Sarmation knights rode up. "Arthur."

"Tristan."

"I found a narrow footpath, leading off of the main road. I followed it and found a small cottage. There was a healer's rune carved into the doorpost."

The leader looked to me for confirmation.

I nodded. "Yes, that is where I grew up."

The new knight was watching me through a curtain of light brown hair. The strange tattoos on his face made him look fierce, and his brown eyes glinted dangerously. I leaned away from his scrutiny, harder against Gawain. If any of them noticed, they said nothing of it.

"We'll hurry." Gawain assured the others, then pressed a pair of leather straps into my hands. "Hold on to him?"

I realized that they were the reins for the mule. I had no idea what he thought I would try to salvage from my old life, but I doubted that it would requre a mule. I determined then that it would be as little as posible. He set the horse at a brisk walk, and we soon out-distanced the ragtag group. I relished the quiet stillness of my forest. This had been my side of the mountain for my whole life and it saddened me to think about the fact that I was leaving it behind. So I closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sky, relishing the fresh air and sunlight.

I opened my eyes, and all my senses stretched to collect as many treasured memories as possible. The trees, though bare of their leaves, spread their arms welcomingly and the smell of rich, moist earth tinged with frost was just as comforting as a hearth fire. I breathed deeply and hungrily of the free, fresh air. I knew the call of each bird and the creak of the wind through bare branches was like sweet music. In that moment, I could have almost forgotten the pain that knifed through my body with every step the horse took.