Katemary77- I'm going to be…fixing that problem fairly soon. At least I hope it will fix it. I could just end up confusing you more. Just start thinking of my character as Branwen if you have to. I mean she's still Isolde, but you can call her Branwen in your head to help out things.

I'm so sad… I feel like no one likes my story. Someone even took me off their favorites list! Sniffle. But I promise even though the beginning may be boring, it will pick up. I have a plot in my head but I'm not sure how long it will be. It's going to be a little more dramatic than adventurous like the other story and it will have a little more angst. Happy ending probably. But perhaps not. Who knows! I may just get so discouraged I just destroy the world of King Arthur with a giant meteor. Bah humbug. Anyways. I like my story a lot. I think it's going to be different from anything anyone has read here if I pull it off right. We'll see.

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"What did you dream of?" I asked my cousin as we put on brightly colored dresses. It was Beltane day and we would be celebrating with festivals all day. I slipped into my pale blue dress easily and arranged the red and yellow hems properly.

"Two birds visited me in my sleep." She said when she finally put her arms in her yellow dress. I felt chills run up my spine.

"What birds?" I asked quietly and she gave me a measuring look.

"A hawk and an eagle. They were attacking each other, but no blood or feathers fell. It was strange…Like they were fighting over something…but yet not truly…" She looked faraway for a moment and then shook herself.

"I also dreamed of a hawk." I said as we began walking out the hold yard. My parents smiled and greeted us. My mother looks resplendent in a gown of emerald. They walked ahead of us and held hands.

"Really? Are we both to wed hawks?" She asked inquisitively. I shook my head.

"No; it was just a silly game for empty headed girls." I said firmly. It had to be. How could we both marry the hawk? And what did the warring eagle mean?

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I laughed louder and more than I had ever laughed in my life. Two nearby villages had joined our celebration that day. We watched as children danced around Beltane pole, weaving ribbons around it in a colorful braid. Isolde and I bobbed for apples and threw water on the Beltane king and queen.

"Here!" My cousin cried happily as we draped each other in crowns and necklaces of flowers. The music was loud and joyous. I grabbed Isolde's hand and pulled her with me to the crowd of dancers. The whole thing was a mix of swaying and jigging. We danced for hours, stopping only to eat the treats prepared for Beltane. Apples were passed around in copious amounts to ensure fertility. As soon as our food settled we were up and dancing again. We gripped each others' wrists tightly as we spun around and around. We laughed in the carefree innocence of children as we looked upwards at the heavens. Looking around at my world, I saw only an abstract swirl of colors. The red of the apples, the blue of the sky, the greens of the grass and the trees, the pure ivory of my cousin's hair… To my dying day no colors would ever seem as vibrant as they did on that day.

"Isolde!" She cried to me and I smiled even broader. "Sing with me!"

She let out a long shout. I took a breath and joined in. Our wordless scream mingled with the music like an eerie poem. We kept it going for as long as we had air in our lungs and then we let it fade.

Suddenly I took off running and I heard her laughter as she followed me. My mother smiled sadly at me as we passed but I didn't understand then what she knew. We ran until we reached a large grove of trees. I stripped off my clothes and dove into the lake some ways in. I stayed underwater and enjoyed the feel of weightlessness for a moment.

"Come on in!" I said as I burst back from the surface. Isolde looked at me apprehensively and I nearly swallowed water into my lungs. "You can swim can't you?"

She gave a pitiable shake of the head. I sighed and swam back over to shallower waters. Her smile returned and she waded into the shallows. I sprung forward and yanked her back into the deeper part. She struggled and disappeared for a moment before popping back up and gagging. She looked panicked as her soppy wet curls caked about her head. I laughed hysterically as she floundered and began to awkwardly keep herself afloat. I floated on my back and tried to regain composure.

"I'm going to kill you!" She roared as she shoved me underwater. I sputtered and laughed even harder.

"Nothing personal. That's how my father taught me!" I said finally. Isolde glared at me from underneath dark eyebrows. "What? You're swimming aren't you?"

"I suppose I am." She sniffed and tried to paddle away with as much dignity as possible. She reminded me of a dog. I stared at the sky and smiled. The water was clear and crisp and I felt as though my world was perfect. My dearest friend and cousin swam back over and looked at me.

"Do you love this island?" She asked abruptly.

"Yes." I said without having to think.

"So do I. It reminds me of Britain." She said morosely. I was suddenly uncomfortable.

"My father would not have me apologize for our ways, but I am sorry." I said after a moment's thought. As every day passed I grew more and more opposed to the thought of snatching people from their homeland. I had always thought it was simply the way things were, but what if things could be changed? We said nothing else for a time.

"The Romans take people from their homes too you know." She said. I nearly bristled at being compared to a Roman.

"Really? Conquered peoples I suppose." I said absentmindedly.

"Hm yes… Have you ever heard of the Sarmatians?" Came the reply. My mother told me tales of those soldiers taken from a endless land to the east. I nodded and listened to the sound of the soothing ripple my head created.

"I met a few once. Years ago… I was a small girl. They were the fiercest looking men I have ever laid eyes on. I had always pictured handsome men in Roman armor…" She said breezily.

"Their leader is Arthur?" I asked although I knew I was right. I was the heir apparent to my lands; I made it my business to know as much as I could about the leaders of men no matter how unlikely it was that I would ever come into contact with them.

"Yes. My father says he's a brilliant leader. Unusual ideas though. For a Roman at least. They'll serve fifteen years before they can return home. Father says if anyone can turn the Saxons away, it's Arthur." I mulled over her words. Saxons. The barbaric soldiers from the mainland were a new threat and they rarely bothered us. But if they invaded Britain…It could cause problems. Britain was best left alone, if only to serve as a buffer between Eire and her enemies. When I was chief, I would go to the high king in Tara and ask him to send aid to Britain. My own contribution would be aimed towards my mother's home. It would be my way of acknowledging my British side, no matter how little of it ran through my veins.

"I must ask you…Do you hold any hatred towards my father and our men?" I asked her seriously. Her response came quickly and confidently.

"No. One day I'll return home and it will all be forgiven and you and I will put our lands at peace." She said and I felt myself sink a little in the water with melancholy. She sounded so sure… I didn't want things to go back to the way they were. I didn't want her to go back to Britain.

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I soon forgot her promise to go back as the months passed. The season warmed considerably and I kept my promise to teach her sword craft. Although our bodies were similar in structure, I was not as thin as she and my muscles were far stronger from years of training. She was a wispy looking girl, but she was determined. She trained to get stronger every day and what she lacked in strength she made up for in agility. Her shoulders broadened slightly and her body matured even more into that of a woman. I was not immune to change either I realized one day as my mother began to adjust my léines to fit me better. We resembled each other to a frightening degree or so we were told. Heartshaped faced, pale skin, quirky smiles, large eyes, small stature…Of course our hair gave us away. Mine wild and dark, and her's coiled and white. My cheeks were always blushing but she made up for it by having a fragile looking frame. We balanced each other.

Caolan went with some of the men to serve the king at Tara for a few moons in the late summer. I missed him terribly, but it only served to make Isolde and me closer. I loved Isolde like I had never loved anyone in my life. She was more than my cousin. She was my sister. I pitied the twins of old days. To have someone born who was your other half and then have them killed before you can even start life together? I don't know how mothers of old let the druids sacrifice their second born twin. Isolde felt like my other half. I was the dark half and she was the light. I was made for the rougher and demanding aspects of the gentry, while she was aristocratic and well versed in running a household. One thing that surprised me was her skill with a bow. She could not shoot far, but she was highly accurate. Archery was not a traditional part of our warfare, so I did not have much experience in the art. So we had a trade off. She taught me to use a bow and arrow, while I taught her to use a sword. The seasons began to change and once again the weather turned cool. Samhain was to bring many changes to our lives.

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Ok! Review please! Tell me if its confusing or too fast.