"Wake up Gar-Isolde." A voice said shaking me awake. I squinted up at Galahad's face and lightly, but quickly slapped him.

"Stupid Bishop…" I muttered standing up. I looked around the camp as I fastened on my armor and smiled at Dagonet. I wondered how I would ever repay my friend for the kindness he had shown me over the past few months. We packed up camp and mounted our horses and began to ride. We had not ridden long when the Bishop's entourage came into view nears some woods. I sighed knowing this man from Rome brought with him the freedom the knights wanted and the loneliness of loosing my only friends. Arthur would return to Rome and the knights would go to Sarmatia. But Isolde would stay to fight for a ruinous empire. I did not mind fighting so much as I minded being alone. I realized I was feeling sorry for myself and I spurred my horse on a little faster than the others.

"Arthur!" I screamed as I saw an arrow take down one of the Roman soldiers. We pushed our horses to the limit and rode towards the battle that was now taking place. The men galloped into battle and began to kill the Woads with fervor. They would not let a few painted savages get in the way of their freedom. Vaguely I saw Gawain peek into the Bishop's wagon and Tristan dismount his horse and expertly kill a few Woads. I lost track of the Woads I was killing. I ducked an axe swing and impaled a man. I turned around only to be tackled by and man with a small dagger. I used the momentum of falling to send him flying over me. I jumped up and embedded my sword in his heart before he could get up. I killed atleast three more Woads before the battle was over. I looked over to Arthur and saw him with his sword at a tattooed man's throat. Lancelot watched nervously as Arthur spared the man. Woad attacks were not unusual for the most part, but rarely had they ever been sent over the wall. I looked at the forest worriedly before walking over to the carriage behind Arthur.

"What a bloody mess this is." Bors said motioning towards the dead man inside. I sheathed my sword as he mocked the priest's prayer.

"I see your military skills are still useful." Arthur said to an older man in Roman armor. The man smiled.

"Ancient tricks for ancient men." He said with a thick Roman accent. He and Arthur conversed as I turned to Galahad.

"Crafty old Roman isn't he? A man of the church killing Woads." I said with a bit of irony.

"I don't care if he's really a woman- Sorry Isolde. As long as he discharges me he can kill all the Woads he wants." He said darkly. I threw an arm around him and sighed.

"You are all so eager to leave me." I said throwing my other arm around Gawain.

"Come back to Sarmatia with us. You know how the Romans are… They're not going to want a young girl in the army." Gawain said. I elbowed him in the ribs and threw my head back haughtily.

"I am a woman Gawain." I said squaring my shoulders and poking my chest out. Galahad snorted. "You think it's funny do you?" I snapped.

"I just pictured you with a dress on." He said and Gawain laughed too. I snatched my arms off their shoulders and threw off the arms around my waist.

"Hey Bors! You think Vanora'd lend me a dress for the evening?" I shouted. Even Dagonet looked at me oddly.

"Aye. I'm sure she would give you something. If not I'll buy you a dress myself." He said smiling broadly. I looked back at Gawain and Galahad.

"I'm going to wear a dress tonight and I am going to look good in it too." I announced. I mounted my horse and looked down upon them. I could not hold the look for long and soon my face cracked into a wide grin.

The ride back to the wall was filled with a positive sort of trepidation. The men were free. I did not know where that left me. I wouldn't hide my sex any more. The only people that mattered did not care if I was a woman. Tonight I would wear my hair down and long and I would wear a dress. As I began to listen in to the conversation I realized the men seemed to have spent all there days dreaming of returning home instead of planning what they would actually do.

"I don't kill for pleasure.. Unlike some." Galahad said looking pointedly at Tristan.

"You should try it sometime. You might get a taste for it." Tristan said baring his teeth in a grin.

"No, I will look back on this place as just a bad memory one day." The bearded youth said looking around.

"It's in your blood." Bors said. "What are you going to do when you get back home Gawain?"

"Well the first thing I'm going to do is find a beautiful Sarmatian woman to wed." He said smiling with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Beautiful Sarmatian woman? Why do you think we left in the first place." Bors said. He made a mooing sound and they laughed.

"I resent that." I said airily. Lancelot gave me a charming smile.

"Of course we left. There is only one of you and six of us. Not much to go around for the rest of the men. I don't want them to be jealous of me." He said suggestively. I snorted at him.

"What about you Lancelot? What will you do?" I asked.

"If this woman is as stunning as Gawain claims she is, I suspect I'll be spending a lot of time over at his house. She'll welcome the company." He said smirking.

"Oh really? And where will I be?" Gawain asked.

"Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me." Lancelot replied cockily. Bors and I sniggered.

"Is this before or after I hit you with my axe?" Gawain asked and Bors howled with laughter. Gawain smirked. "Besides I thought you had claimed Isolde for yourself. She should be enough to keep you busy."

More howls of laughter and I found myself turning red.

"Lancelot couldn't handle a woman like that." Tristan said with a chuckle.

"Of course I could. Isolde, let's get married and have an army of children that look like me." Lancelot said looking at me with a huge smile. I laughed until my ribs hurt.

"Just what the world needs. More Lancelots. I'm sorry, but I'll have to refuse. Besides you're a bit too much of a whore to settle down with a wife." I said. This time it was Gawain's turn for laughter.

"Not exactly the way I would put it." Lancelot said dryly. "Besides I can't picture you with a child clinging to your skirts."

I shuddered.

"Nasty little things. I don't see how you put up with all eleven of them Bors." I said.

"And I was planning on giving you one of my little bastards as a going away gift!" He said giving me an injured look. I smiled.

"I'd give him to Tristan. That would be far more entertaining don't you think?" I said turning towards the older man.

"I'd sell him." He said peeking out through his braids.

"A waste though. You not getting married." Bors said looking at me half serious.

"I never said I wouldn't get married. I just don't know about children. There's nothing wrong with a big lusty Sarmatian man." I said surprising them all. "Of course if they all look like you lot I'm in trouble."

Bors just laughed while Lancelot poked out his chest.

"You can't be talking about me. You know you want to wake up to this face in the morning." He said giving me his most handsome smile.

"You're far too talkative. I wouldn't get any sleep at all." I said trying to keep a straight face.

"That's not what would keep you up…" Gawain said leering. I thought Bors would fall off his horse after that one.

"I'm going to get so drunk I can't piss straight tonight." Bors said looking at the Wall.

"You never could piss straight." Gawain said looking at him.

"I know. There's just to much of me to handle. Down there. It's a problem! Really! It's like a baby's arm-"

"Holding an apple!" We all finished for him with roars of laughter. The talking faded into a comfortable silence as we looked upon the Wall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tristan's hawk land on his arm.

"Hey, where you been?" He said softly tipping the bird's beak. I smiled at the tender moment and pulled my horse beside his.

"You're as affectionate as a woman in love to that bird." I said smiling, not looking at him. I looked turned and petted the hawk.

"He's a warrior. Look at those talons." I said admiring the fierce beauty of it. He nibbled gently on my finger for a moment before straightening back up proudly. Tristan only smiled as we rode through the gates.

I stood up from my seat at the Roundtable between Tristan and Dagonet as Bishop Germanius entered the room. He stared oddly at the table before sitting down.

"I thought there were more of you!" He exclaimed looking around at us. His eyes settled on me and widened.

"There were. But we've been fighting for many years." Arthur said.

"Six knights and a woman?" The Bishop asked curiously.

"She's a knight just like any of the men." Arthur said proudly. I glowed.

"Ah well. Gentlemen! Your discharge papers!" He said opening a wooden box filled with six small scrolls. I saw Galahad's eyes light up along with Gawain's. The air in the room was suddenly charged with excitement. "But first, I must ask to speak with Artorius alone."

The mood suddenly became a bit hostile.

"There are no secrets between my men and me." Arthur said firmly. Germanius slammed the box shut. Lancelot stood up and took a sip of his wine.

"Come along. Let's leave Roman business to the Romans." He said. We all took the hint and grabbed our cups and stood up. Tristan examined the find gold cup and walked out. Galahad gave one last suspicious look at the Bishop before snatching the wine and flying out of the room. I myself looked darkly at the Romans as I walked out the door. We all headed back to our rooms before we went to the small courtyard where the soldiers took their meals. I ran to catch up with Bors as he walked up to Vanora and the children. I let them have moment to themselves before I stepped forward. Vanora's eyebrows raised at my chest.

"I always knew there was something different about you." She said with a twitch of her lips. Bors looked at me as if still amazed that I was a girl and then shook it off.

"My heart, would you mind giving the poor girl a dress for the night? I imagine she hasn't worn one in quite some time." He said looking at his lover. She smiled kindly at me before replying.

"Of course. I have a few dresses that I haven't been able to wear since the first few children came along." She said giving Bors and accusatory look. "You can have one if you like."

I smiled gratefully and followed them to their house.

After trying on a few of the dresses, we decided on a faded green one. The color wasn't bad and the fit was alright. Vanora and I were around the same height, but we had different builds. She was by no means a weak, bony woman, but in her younger years her shoulders had been thinner than mine and her breasts a bit smaller. The waist fit fine though, and my shoulders were not much broader so it was only a little tight. An as for my protests about my breasts being squeezed upwards, she said the men wouldn't mind too much. I had not much practice in flaunting my womanly traits obviously, so she had to convince me there were no other options before I would wear it. She made Bors come and look at me to bolster my confidence. The shocked look on his face and suggestive whistle did wonders for my confidence. As I made my way back to my room I saw the men heading towards the bar so I hurried up. I would not waste a moment of what was possibly the last night I had with them. I hastily combed the braids and knots out of my hair and brushed it until it shone. I splashed some water over my dirty body and scrubbed my face until I was satisfied that all the dirt and blood was gone. After I threw on the dress I strode out of my room purposefully into the bar. A few soldiers gave me suggestive looks as I walked over towards the table where Gawain, Tristan, and Galahad sat. On the way I saw Dagonet smile and Vanora crawl out of Lancelot's lap. Lancelot gave a jump when he saw me and the result was his chair sliding out from under him. Gawain and the others looked over at him to see what was happening. Gawain sprayed his drink on the woman who sat in his lap and began to hack and cough. She slapped him and walked off as Galahad sat with his mouth open. Even Tristan had stopped chewing as he looked at me with slightly widened eyes. Suddenly I didn't feel so confident. I wondered if I looked like a man in a dress or if I had something in my hair. Those thoughts were swept aside as Gawain clapped while laughing.

"I'll be damned. How did you hide those things all this time?" He said staring somewhere below my neck. I narrowed my eyes at him. Tristan gulped down all his wine and resumed his usual expressionless face. Galahad however seemed to have reverted back to the hanging open of the mouth.

"Now I know your jealous Galahad, but you can't just go wearing dresses like me. You're a boy. It wouldn't work." I said as if talking to a child. He reddened while copying Tristan and draining his cup. Talking resumed after that. Everyone, even Dagonet, seemed to have loosened up for the evening. Tristan even seemed a bit drunk. I knew the others were drunk and I myself had a few sips of wine. The affects of my last experience with alcohol however were still raw in my mind so I made sure it was watered down plenty. The men began throwing knives at a post for amusement and I watched grinning. Tristan threw on that landed perfectly in the center of Galahad's. It was no wonder he was so deadly if he had such perfect aim even when he was drunk.

"Tristan, how do you do that?" Gawain asked with an amazed expression on his face.

"I aim for the middle." Tristan said with a small silly smile. I then turned my attention back to Galahad who was trying in vain to charm a woman. He had a slight stutter and looked very unsure of himself. The straw haired woman merely rolled her eyes and walked off.

"That's the way a boy does it." Tristan said looking at him.

"You need to do it like a real man, Galahad." Gawain said agreeing. I watched the exchange happily taking a sip of my wine.

"That's right boy." I said. Galahad glared at me.

"Who are you calling boy? You're just a girl. You've probably never even been with a man before."

Then it was my turn to blush. I smiled playfully.

"I won't deny it Galahad, but I've been dressed as a boy for the past few years. Tonight's the first time I've worn a dress since I left home."

"And you look very fine indeed." He said nicely. "But I still don't know how to get a woman in my bed using only charm."

I smiled at the silliness of it. Here was a knight of the Roundtable, a good looking one too, who was as shy as a young boy when it came to women.

"You don't just stand there and stutter. A woman likes a man who's confident." Gawain said smiling cockily at the same straw haired woman. Galahad stared blankly at them.

"Just walk up and kiss the woman." Gawain said exasperatedly.

"How do you just walk up to a woman and kiss her?" He said desperately. Tristan stood up and looked at him annoyed.

"Like this." He said turning towards me. He tangled his fingers through my hair and pressed me back over the table slightly. I slapped the table with my open palms several times as he kissed me long and hard. He pulled away with out looking at me and looked pointedly at Galahad.

"Just do that to one of those silly girls and you'll have her."

Galahad looked at my burning cheeks and stood up with renewed confidence. He walked over to the woman and kissed her. Evidently she had changed her mind about him in the past few minutes and seemed to welcome him kindly. We turned back to the table where Gawain looked at Tristan with raised eyebrows.

"Wish I had thought of that." He said and I laughed. Tristan however did not and resumed eating fruit with his dagger. I looked over to wear Bors had pushed Vanora and the newest addition to the brood out until the middle of the area. She smiled and began to sing. I listened to her song and felt a strange emotion. Home. The word suddenly had a muddled feel to it. Sarmatia would always be my home. Nothing would ever replace it, but I knew I would miss the huge rolling jewel bright hills of this land. I would even miss the smoky forests and rainy weather. Where ever I went, it would probably be a place without my brothers in arms. They were my family I realized. I thought of being without Dagonet, Gawain, Galahad, Bors, Tristan, Lancelot and Arthur and my heart constricted in my chest. I looked around at the men who were usually so full of life and cheerful and was not quite surprised at the looks on their faces. The tear on Bors cheek and the light in Galahad's eyes made me feel many things. I looked at Tristan's quiet, thoughtful expression and found it difficult to breathe. I saw Arthur watching them as well with a pained expression. He turned away just as Jols called out his name.

"Arthur!" The men walked over to him and offered him drinks. He swallowed as if his mouth was dry but ignored the flask in Galahad's hand.

"My dear knights. I must ask you to go on one more mission for Rome." He said gravely. Gawain turned away laughing and Galahad laughed deliriously. Lancelot however did not even smile. He stared at Arthur with an alarmed expression and suddenly I became worried. As the details poured out of Arthur's the mouth the men looked at him as if he was mad.

"My duty to Rome, if it was ever a duty, is done. It's done!" Galahad said vehemently.

Dagonet looked stone faced and Tristan merely went on eating though I knew he was listening to every word. When Bors started shouting he finally spoke.

"We all die one day. If it's a death at the hand of a Saxon that frightens you, stay home." He said calmly. Galahad whipped around savagely and tried to lunge at him. Gawain held him back as he stared murderously at Tristan.

"If you want to die so bad then you can die now! I have something to live for!" He shouted fiercely.

"If Arthur gives his word then that will do for me! I'll get ready!" Dagonet said ever loyal. He walked away past a hysterical Bors and snapped "Are you coming?"

"Of course I'm coming! Can't let you all get yourselves bloody killed! I'm just saying what everyone's thinkin'!" He shouted.

"I'm with you. As is Galahad." Gawain said boldly. Galahad looked ready to protest but thought better of it. He laughed bitterly and poured the wine out at Arthur's feet and smashed the clay flagon on the ground. The men all walked back to there rooms as Lancelot followed Arthur out. I stood looking at the smashed ceramic for a minute before I too headed back to my room. I stayed awake for hours trying to sort out the thoughts shooting around in my head. Where was home? Would we make it back to it alive? What would I do if I did? All these questions ran through my mind as I pictured different scenes. I saw my home, I saw Gawain and his pretty wife, I saw Saxons raiding villages and killing everything in their path. I saw, or rather felt, Tristan kissing me. That was what made me finally clear my head enough to let sleep overcome me. I would need all my strength for the trials that lay ahead.