Chapter Six: Not a Savior.

Darwin awoke the next morning feeling empty. She felt as though she hadn't slept at all, merely spent the night in a dazed state, not wanting to even consider her predicament. She didn't even think to feel awkward or lonely as she usually did when faced with her automatic ostracized existence in the camp. She just sat off by herself, a far away look on her face, oddly enough, thinking about all the laundry she would have to do when she got back to school.

It was simply in her nature that she was indecisive and, above all else, just didn't like to deal with conflicts. It was her tactic to simply let any problem facing her just simmer while she ignored it, hoping that it would eventually just resolve itself. Hence far, she had been inordinately lucky and had yet to feel the wrath of problems left alone going horribly wrong. If this had ever occurred to Darwin, which of course it didn't, the sarcastic bastard side of her brain would have simply countered that this situation was just slightly unprecedented, and any experience she had thus-far in problem solving wouldn't really be relevant here.

Of course though, Darwin wasn't considering any of this. Finding the most comfortable position on the frozen ground was what was currently occupying her intellectual capacities and she was just fine with that. Hell, this might all just turn out to be a really awful, horribly realistic dream, that seemed to take way too long and she didn't want to look the fool by actually getting worried about the outcome of a dream.

Due to the stimulating, one-sided debate that was going on in her mind, Darwin didn't even hear Guinevere approaching. When she did finally notice her, she was already seated next to Darwin on the ground. She looked perfectly comfortable and seemed to have had no problem finding said comfortable position. Bastard.

When Guinevere did not speak, Darwin very deliberately looked over and gave a good morning nod of her head. Guinevere, very gracefully, returned the gesture.

"How do you fare this morning?" She asked. Darwin only now really noticed how astonishing the change was. Guinevere looked so regal and so lady-like sitting there, that for a moment, Darwin took the time to wonder what her hair looked like and to wish for some cover-up. Only for a moment though, then she went back to trying to get comfortable on the icy ground.

"Meh." Darwin replied. She felt there was no more of a response needed. Meh pretty much summed it up.

"It is a great task that has been set before you. It will be a difficult journey. I believe though, if you are true of heart and courage, that you will succeed. You are strong, I can see it. Do not be afraid." As she spoke, her voice grew more enthusiastic. A light came into her eyes and all her limbs stiffened. There was a pause and it was a moment before Darwin realized Guinevere was waiting.

"Sneh." Was all she could say. This conversation was going nowhere fast.

Guinevere looked momentarily daunted by Darwin's apparent lack of interest in simple communication, but never the less, she continued on. "I assure you, Arthur will take Merlin's words most seriously. You will be instructed in the ways of warriors, with rigorous training, so that you may be successful in this task." Guinevere told her as if she cared.

Darwin closed her eyes very tightly for a moment and then opened them. Nope. Still didn't care.

"Bah."

At this Guinevere loudly cleared her throat and looked clearly agitated.

"Are you even aware of the events of last night?" She asked hotly.

".......yeah. I guess so." Darwin replied, stretching her legs out in front of her and trying to touch her toes. Sweet success! Her fingers just grazed the tops of her dirty shoes.

Guinevere took in a shaky breath and if she had lost all confidence in Darwin she did not say so. Out of the corner of her eye, Darwin could see Guinevere shuffling through her robes, obviously looking for something. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, she held a small scroll of parchment in her hands. She unfurled it and moved it in a way so that Darwin didn't even need to turn her head in order to be subjected to it's irrelevance.

"This," Guinevere said proudly. "Is a record of Merlin's prediction. He entrusted it to me, so that I may be able to fully validate the truth of his ability as a seer of events to come." Her voice brimmed with respect and pride, and after getting over the small shock that these people were literate and stopping to wonder if just maybe it was really just a little historically inaccurate, Darwin got the sudden urge to scrawl 'In case of fire, throw this in' right across it'. Too bad she didn't have a quill.

"It's very pretty." Darwin told her. It was lie though.

"Do you not realize the severity of the situation?" Guinevere asked her sharply.

"Apparently not. Please, enlighten me." Darwin remarked. Her attention had been drawn to a nearby tree that was drastically smaller then all the others near it. Poor tree. She actually took the time to wonder if it got picked on by the other trees. If the fate of Arthur was truly on Darwin's shoulders, he was in deep trouble.

Guinevere breathed another deep sigh and continued on. Darwin knew she was getting on her nerves and the fact really didn't bother her all that much.

"Merlin stated that you will be a savior. In this I am almost certain it Arthur of who he speaks. You must believe that you are somehow vital to Arthur's success. I beseech you, do not take it lightly. Arthur is destined to unite this country, to join the peoples of this land. Does assisting in this glory not appeal to you?" Guinevere regarded her with her bright eyes, and in that moment, her passion was contagious and Darwin reluctantly gave up on her indifference.

"If it means that much to you, I promise to give it my best shot." Darwin said truthfully. No one likes a downer.

Guinevere was visibly relieved by this and her whole countenance relaxed.

"I will support you in this." Guinevere said.

"Uh, thanks." Darwin said slowly. She thought for a moment. "What else did Merlin say? I kind of lost interest half way through." She shrugged and again, if Guinevere was annoyed by this act, she did not say so.

"You will also be a destroyer." Guinevere said very seriously which only made it more amusing. Darwin the Destroyer. It had a nice ring to it.

"Who, pray tell, am I going to destroy?" She asked.

"I am all but certain it will be the leader of the Saxons. If Arthur is to be victorious, the Saxons must be defeated, and as you are to aide Arthur, this would seem the logical solution." Guinevere told her. It was a good thing that Darwin had yet to seen the Saxons in action, because if she had, she would have laughed hysterically and told Guinevere to pull the other one.

Guinevere probably mistook Darwin's silence for anxiety because she quickly said "You have no need to fear though. You will be instructed in the ways of the knights. You will not be sent into battle unprepared. Arthur has already spoken to Lancelot concerning this matter. He seemed quite intrigued at the idea of instructing you and so readily accepted." Darwin could only roll her eyes and hoped that when the time came, she wouldn't make too much of a fool of herself.

"Why me?" Darwin asked suddenly. The idea had been floating around her mind since she arrived, changing from a question of self-pity to a more philosophical one, but it was only now that she actual posed it.

Guinevere thought for a moment. "You are not of this world. You are an unknown element in this place and you are of a magical line. Perhaps this is your advantage." Darwin nodded at this and gave a nervous little smile. She had a lot of doubts, but didn't want to voice them. Again, no one likes a downer.

The conversation continued on for a few moments more, before both of them were informed that the company would be departing soon and so they should prepare. Since Darwin had absolutely nothing to prepare besides making sure her shoelaces were tied, she took the opportunity to stretch her legs and get a feeling for what was going on.

As always, the Saxons were still after them and so getting away was the general agenda for the day. As Darwin walked around the camp, she absentmindedly twirled her wand between her fingers, quite oblivious to the way the peasants jumped when they saw her and scattered in the opposite directions. If she had known how to whistle, she would have.

As this sort of thing so far had always seemed to work out, she eventually found herself in the general vicinity of Arthur and his knights. She smiled brightly and inwardly hoped that they didn't mistrust her anymore.

"Ah, the newest addition to our fighting team has arrived!" Bors exclaimed and gave a laugh.

"Don't you know it!" Darwin laughed back. It all seemed to silly right now.

"And I believe I have the pleasure of instructing you." Lancelot called from where he stood with Arthur, obviously discussing the plans for that day.

"You're going to regret that. I gah-rawn-tee-it. I'm a slow study and have a tendency to be quite lazy." At this Darwin gave a big, toothy grin.

"This to who your fate is entrusted?" Gawain asked, addressing Arthur. "I pity you." He gave a laugh and winked at Darwin.

"Don't remind me." Arthur said with a wry smile.

"Them's fighting words." Darwin replied.

To be honest, she was quite relieved that none of them were taking this very seriously. Premonitions and fortune telling could be entertaining, but Darwin always thought that anyone who took that sort of thing seriously was a little wacky. Just the idea that the fate of such an important man could be in Darwin's hands lacked any and all logic. Darwin secretly thought Arthur was just humoring Guinevere so he could get into her pants.....er, dress.

Darwin suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a head-lock. She craned her neck to see that it was Bors.

"You're a scruffy little thing. How you gonna fight the Saxons, eh?" He asked, ruffling her already messy hair.

"They'll be subdued by my ethereal beauty." She quipped and Bars roared with laughter.

"What? Just throw down their weapons when they see ya?" He asked as Darwin playfully struggled to get out of the head lock.

"That's the plan." Darwin replied. Bors loosened his grip just enough so that she could slip of the head lock. She raised her arms triumphantly over head and jumped around. She had momentarily considering casting a Tickling Charm, or something of the sort, but had decided against it. Using magic in front of these people, even though they knew she posed no threat, was still quite taboo.

It was surprisingly quick how fast everyone was up, packed and ready to go. Such a large group of people acting with such organization and intent was something that Darwin had never really experienced before. They began their day's march as they had before. The knights were out front and the peasants and livestock followed behind, with a few wagons and carts here and there.

Today, for the first time, Darwin was taking the heel-toe express, that is, she was walking. When Lancelot had questioned if whether or not she would perhaps like to join him on his stead, she had giggled and declined, claiming that she was "getting fat" and hence needed the exercise. Lancelot had made a funny face at this, like he didn't quite understnad, but had said nothing. Nonetheless, he occasionally eHamilcar up beside her, making their paces match, and they would talk for a little while.

The day actually seemed to pass by faster when she was walking. There was so much more to look at and she was expending energy. It felt good to really use her legs again and she thought that maybe, if the peasants saw that she was walking instead of flying around on a broomstick, it might normalize her a bit. It was worth a shot, anyway.

It was interesting to see how all the people here interacted with each other throughout the day. Even though they never stopped for lunch, food was brought forth from somewhere and it was spread around so that everyone had something to eat. Even Darwin ended up with a little hunk of bread, given to her by a young girl with bright blue eyes and a dirty face.

There were constant conversations going on around her. Some were energetic and argumentative, and some were soothing and clam and slow-paced. The children would laugh and run about, chasing each other and the livestock. Mothers carried their children and sang quiet songs to them while the elderly were helped along by the strong men with support and encouraging words.

Up front, the knights were in constant conversation, ranging from loud, happy banter, to low voices and furtive glances, conversation being evident only from their close-trotting horses.

It was at one of these such occasions that it became quite evident that something was wrong. Tristan had gone ahead, on Arthur's orders, to scout the coming landscape. He had returned after a time, his horse at a quick gallop, the reins held tightly in his hands. His face was usually a mask of indifference, but now, only ever so slightly, there was anxiety evident there.

His lips were pressed tightly together and his features were hard set as he sat very rigid in the saddle. He rode next to Arthur and they began to speak in very quiet, hushed tones. From where Darwin was, she could not make out what they were saying, but she could tell Tristan had not been pleased with what he had seen.

Ever so careful, so as to not arouse alarm, Darwin pulled her wand out of her pocket and cast a charm that she had learnt in fourth year. It was a version of the Sonorous charm, which was used to used to magnify voices, only this charm was particular to the castor's ears and so only she could hear the louder voices of Arthur and Tristan.

".......state of the ice?" Arthur asked quietly, strain in his voice.

"Thin. It would be dangerous to cross." Tristan replied, glancing around, perhaps trying to determine if anyone could hear them.

"Is there another way around?" Arthur asked. He gently tapped his horse's side with his heels and picked up the pace. Darwin quickened her footsteps as well. Everything seemed so urgent now.

"No. We would have to turn around right now, trace back along this forest, and then go West from there. The Saxons have certainly reached the forest by now. This is the only way."

Arthur gave no response, only breathed a heavy sigh and signaled to the other knights that they were going to pick of the pace. There began to trot faster up ahead as Bors made the announcement that everyone was to move as fast as they could. There were sudden panicked murmurs through the crowd and even Darwin felt her stomach twist. From the sounds of it, they were trapped, or soon would be and these Saxons were sounding worse by the minute.

Everyone was moving at a fairly quick pace now, the sounds of sacks and metal objects clanging together as their owners jumbled them around filled the air. Up ahead, the knights were constantly looking over their shoulders, as if they feared they might have to stop and fight at that very moment.

Even though they were moving faster, they seemed to be moving slower to Darwin. Now that she was getting nervous, she noticed everything and the passing scenery seemed to move in slow motion. Every time she stumbled over a fallen log or slipped on the snow, she would quickly glance over her shoulder to see if just maybe the Saxons had arrived.

After a time, they eventually reached the ice that Tristan had been speaking of, and Darwin had to say, she was impressed. It was by far the single largest amount of frozen water she had ever seen in one place. It was a patch of ice the size of a few football fields, wedged in between a large outcropping of rock on either side. This could be trouble.

They were instructed to spread out across the ice and move very slowly. The weight dispersement made sense, but it was still difficult going. The problem was, the water hadn't frozen far enough down and so free flowing water was still visible beneath the layer of ice. Of course, this posed the dilemma that the ice could break any moment and they could all be dunked into the freezing cold water. At some point in her life, Darwin had been taught what to do if someone was exposed to water this cold, but she could only remember bits and pieces of what she had been told and had a sinking suspicion that it wouldn't do anyone any good.

They moved slowly and carefully as the ice creaked and moaned beneath them. Darwin glanced around her to see that the peasants looked just as afraid as she felt. A few children were crying and their parents looked worried. The horses whinnied and stamped their feet. If the ice cracked, that would be the end of them all. Darwin glanced back at the shore of the lake and now it seemed miles away from where now stood. The mountains of rock on either side bore down on them like monsters from above. She looked forward to the other side, and it looked light-years away. There was no going back though. This was the only way.

They continued on for a few moments more until the ice gave a particularly loud moan and Arthur gave the sign to halt. He and the knights began to speak quickly and quietly with each other, and Darwin was close enough to hear that they were, indeed, planning to stay and fight the Saxons here. It made sense. If they could ever actually get across this ice without breaking it, it was logical to think that a charging army of Saxons would break it and hence, problem solved.

After a lot of very careful steps and sudden stops at different points on the ice, they were finally all across and safely on the other side. The peasants were all ordered to continue on up ahead, led by one the farmers, an Irish man named Ganis. The knights were staying to fight, as well as Guinevere, who had volunteered to stay. Supposedly, she was good with a bow. More power to her, but Darwin was getting our of there.

She had assumed that she would just join the peasants and pray that the knights got back alright, but apparently, she was wrong. As she was walking away, Guinevere ran up behind her, grabbed her arm and inquired where she was going.

"To safety?" Darwin replied. Where else would she be going?

"You will stay here and fight." Guinevere ordered her. She looked astonished that Darwin would even consider leaving.

"You must be joking. What good will I do? I don't know how to fight." She indignantly replied.

"Of course you do. Quickly, come with me." Guinevere said quickly as she tried lead Darwin down to the edge of the lake.

"What? No! Really, I'll be more trouble then I'm worth." Darwin whined. This was just insanity.

But it was no use. In no time at all, Darwin found herself in the ranks of the knights, next to Dagonet and Gawain, holding a small wooden shield, her wand drawn, and desperately going over the most devastating curses she knew in her head.

She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, but the only good this did was to cause her to slip and fall backwards, landing right on her arse. She scrambled to her feet, hoping no one would notice.

She was nervous, scared and completely freaking out, but all the other knights didn't even seem in the least perplexed, Lancelot and Guinevere even had the nerve to be making jokes! Darwin looked wildly around, wondering when and where the Saxons would appear.

She didn't have to wait long. Moving swiftly around an edge of rock leading down to the ice, a swarming mass of brown and grey came swooping down. It was the Saxon army and it was a lot bigger then she has expected. They marched closely together, roughly in a thick, long line across the ice. In the middle, out in front, marched two men on their own, obviously the leaders. They were shouting orders in another language that Darwin couldn't understand. Suddenly being faced with the opposing army was quite daunting indeed, especially considering they were nine against hundreds.

It all seemed so incredibly insane right now. The probability of success was so astronomical that Darwin didn't even want to think about the odds, which were probably something like 575 868 734 974 to 1.

"Let's run." She suggested.

"We can't now." Gawain said at her side and Darwin knew it was true. This was it. The idea that she might actually die here was quite frightening. She wanted to cry.

The Saxons moved out onto the ice and it all began. Perhaps because she was so nervous, or perhaps because she kept her eyes closed for about half of it, the battle just seemed to fly by. Apparently, the knights had much better bows then the Saxons and so they were able to fire at them before the knights were even in the Saxons' range. Darwin did her best to help, launching Blasting Curses and shouting stupefy while she pointed her wand, but it was hard for her to cast those curses when it was in short range. At this distance, most of them would fly out in the wrong direction and hit the rocky ledges, or fall short and bounce off the ice.

The twang of bows echoed in the air around her and it was only until the Saxons were about half-way across the ice that Darwin really realized what Arthur was trying to do. He was ordering the other knights to aim at the edges of the Saxons lines, so as to force them closer together, which would hopefully create enough weight for the ice to break. Well, it had broken yet, but it was groaning like it might. Darwin could just make out one of the Saxon commanders hollering at his men, most likely telling them to stay in their positions.

Eventually, them were in the Saxon range of fire and this posed quite a new problem. With that many arrows coming at them at once, they were bound to get hit. Without thinking about it, Darwin took a few steps back and hid under her shield as the first wave flew over. After she hard the thuds of the arrows hitting the ground, she frantically looked left and right. Everyone was still standing. Phew.

When the next volley came, common sense kicked her in the arse and she cast the evanesco charm at the incoming arrows. They disappeared from the air and someone gave a low whistle, like they were impressed.

They Saxons inched their way forward, members of their ranks constantly falling, but the ice did not break. Darwin could feel the panic in the air, and oddly felt like she should try something else. She thought for a moment and then cast an incendio charm and flames sprouted out of the end of her wand and landed in front of the Saxon ranks. They looked quite shocked, but the flames did not go far enough and they had time to move around them.

If given enough time, the fire would have melted the ice, but there just wasn't any time to waste. Darwin could see a small puddle of water forming, but it wasn't enough. Someone had to do something, and now.

As if reading her mind, one of the knights picked up his axe and then ran forward onto the ice, and immediately began chopping away. It was a moment before Darwin realized it was Dagonet.

"Cover him!" Someone hollered and they did just that. Now that the Saxons were closer, it was much easier for Darwin to cast her curses and so she actually contributed quite a bit the amount of fallen Saxons.

Dagonet hit the ice again and again, and it was having a great effect. There was a clear hole in the ice, and it kept growing and growing at he chopped away. Just as it looked like they might all get out of this alive and that the ice was irreversibly going to crack, Dagonet was hit in the side by a Saxon arrow and then pitched forward into the freezing water.

In an instant, Bors and Arthur ran forward toward the hole where Dagonet had fallen in. In front of them, the Saxons were disappearing into the freezing water as the plane of ice disintegrated into nothing but choppy water. Bors managed to pull Dagonet out of the water, and he and Arthur began to drag him back toward the edge of the lake. It didn't look good. He wasn't moving, and it didn't even look like he was breathing.

Darwin knew if she was going to help him, she would have to make it fast. She scooted over and before she was even there cast a warming charm on him. It seemed to have no effect on the outside, but she hoped it did something for him on the inside.

"Can you help him?" Bors asked. His normally jovially face was stricken with panic and Darwin wished she had a better idea of what to do.

"Maybe." She replied doubtfully. If they had had a pile of blankets and dry clothes handy, it might have looked better, but the fact was, the peasants had continued on and were quite a ways ahead now.

They dragged Dagonet to the solid ground at the edge of the water, but it was use. His wound just never stopped bleeding. Darwin lit a fire of bluebell flames and tried casting several warming charms while the other rubbed his limbs, but it was all to no avail. It took a while, but eventually, they had to admit that he was dead.

Darwin had never been exposed to death like this before and it was quite sombering. Now, more then ever, she just wanted go home. She was sure she was not meant to be here. The person Merlin spoke of was supposed to be a savior, but here, Dagonet had just died while Darwin more or less helplessly. She felt doomed.

A/N: Ugh. I'm not really happy with this chapter, but meh. I've been really busy lately, and honestly, this is the best it's going to get. Originally, I was going to have Darwin save Dagonet, but I figured that was a little far-fetched. Anyway, tell me what you think. Oh, and by the way, in case you what to know the status of the next chapter, how long it will take, etc., I have a journal on LiveJournal (the link's in my bio) . I know I get irritated when I'm waiting for the next chapter of a fic and I have no idea how much longer it will be or if the author's even working on it. Have fun!