Some of you may not like this chapter. There is no dialogue. I am a firm believer in the thought that we cannot as humans always express what we wish to say in conversation. So, I let their actions speak for themselves. This chapter is more about the message than anything else. I have thoroughly enjoyed working on both this story and it's prequel. It is, however, time to retire my characters. They deserve a break. I'll be starting a new story soon that will probably be entitled "Andsaca- Enemy" which will involve lots of Saxons. I hope no one's done it yet, so we'll see how it goes. I also may do a few one-shots involving these characters (I have a 'Sebbi and Aine' one in mind…tee hee hee!)
I really want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to review, or even just to read these stories. I want to thank you for sticking around, even when these stories lacked direction, even when the writing was less than mediocre. You are true friends, and I wish you luck in life. I hope you will continue to read my stories, even if I will not be working with these particular OC's very much in the future.
Camreyn- I was so happy to see your nice long review! To clarify, 'Brand Spanking New' is merely an expression, there was of course, no actual spanking involved. (Thank God!) If there were anything I wish I could change about this story, it would definitely be to have given Afsati more scenes. I absolutely adore him. The dynamic between men and women is so entertaining to explore. They both lie to each other to keep the peace so often…you can't help but laugh! I couldn't resist poking a bit of fun at Lancelot. I love him dearly, and you must remember that this is written more from the characters point of view, not necessarily mine. I will add my own thoughts every so often, but I find it more interesting to know what everyone else thinks about something. Thanks again for leaving such helpful and thought provoking reviews. You were never afraid to tell me that you didn't like something, or thought I could do better. I couldn't have survived this without your input. Thanks again!
Realtfarraige- I am so happy to hear from you again! I was pining for your reviews! I am so impressed with your ability to complete six essays in one month! I love the character of Api. I always thought Tristan must have gotten his love of silence from somewhere! I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss them either…thanks so much for reviewing!
A.K. Anomynous- Yeah, that whole logging in thing has been a problem, they're updating something that I honestly don't understand, so I won't try to explain. Good to hear from you though!
Queen of Gore- Whether it ends in a happy manner really depends on how you see life (and death) I particularly like the death of Tristan and Rebekah, though most find it sad. Yes, I generally like to make things happy, but my version of happy is probably quite different than yours. Thanks for reviewing!
It was with great relief that the ten adventurers returned to their home in Britain. Life was decidedly less complicated there.
Lancelot and Sera had six children, every one of them looked just like Lancelot. Perhaps he wasn't such a pathological liar after all…Lancelot died in battle, as he had predicted all those years ago. Sera lived for only a year longer than he did, tending the ill and the injured until her last breath. They had lived a good life together, and it would continue on through the ages, long after their bodies had been sprinkled as ashes to the winds.
Gawain and Radha had ten children, much to their pleasure. They had fought in many more battles, and survived many of their friends. Much to their shock, however, they did not die with a sword in hand. No, life would go on longer. They died in their sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
Galahad and Deirdre had only two children, though that suited them just fine. It took quite a bit of energy to run after the little ones, and they wished for peace in their lives. They got it, but not in the way that they had expected. After Gawain and Radha passed on, their children took care of Galahad and Deirdre. They had always been a central part of each other's lives, and they would continue to be for quite some time.
Sebbi and Aine had seven children. Sebbi educated the children at the wall, Woad, Roman, and Briton alike. Well, one could say, he only educated Britons. While Sebbi looked after their minds, Aine took over the children's physical training. They worked as a (usually) seamless team. Aine greatly discouraged his growth of facial hair, and he thus died clean-shaven and happy. He had never stopped nagging her about her lack of scholarly thoughts, and she never stopped rolling her eyes. Everyone around them always sighed at the level of romanticism they displayed. Sebbi even tried to write Aine poetry at one point, which she readily discouraged. As much as she loved the man, she never wanted to hear about her 'bosom' in those terms ever again.
Tristan and Rebekah ended their lives with five children in tow. Tristan had been extremely nervous for the arrival of their first child, so nervous in fact, that he had asked his mother to come for a visit. The old crone dragged Tutyr along behind her, and they liked Britain so much, they decided to stay. Well, Api liked it, anyway. With Api, Tutyr, and Daithi to look after the little ones when they needed to leave on a mission for Arthur, the lived life in a delicate balance. Upon their return to Britain, Arthur had mysteriously gifted them with a tower as a wedding gift. They resided in the tower for the rest of their lives. One of their daughters, who they named Habren, enjoyed sneaking out of the tower by night to visit some of the more attractive men at the wall, gave rise to the legend of Rapunzel. Tristan and Rebekah died protecting Arthur, which would have pleased them both. They may have died before their time, but no one could claim they had wasted their lives. Rebekah had managed to drag herself over to Tristan after that fateful battle, and when they were found, Rebekah's lifeless fingers were threaded through Tristan's blood soaked braids, her tattooed cheek against his.
Bors and Vanora had sixteen children before they were finished. Near the end, Vanora persuaded/bullied/seduced Bors into giving (and remembering) all of them names. This didn't mean, of course, that Bors actually remembered them all. Each child knew to give him a bit of prompting whenever their mother was about, and it amused them to tell him the wrong one. Many fights ensued.
Dagonet and Fulcinia raised both Alecto and Lucan, along with their other two children. Later, they traveled with Alecto to Rome, where he became an influential theologian; Hundreds of years later, his teachings would greatly inspire a young man named Martin Luther.
Afsati and Argimpasa were married six weeks after they met. It took Afsati that long to convince her that he was actually serious. They had eleven children together, which shocked anyone who had known Afsati previously. Afsati had found new meaning in life, and was quite glad not to be the object of horror stories, as he had once predicted. In the years that followed he and the rest of the band educated her in the old ways, so that she could wield a sword in a decent defense. This was very important, due to the new nature of the ex-bandits' work.
Papay and Habren had four children. They would have had more, but their life didn't always leave the perfect opportunities for procreation. Papay and Habren had devised a new was to earn their keep. Never before had anyone undertaken such a task. Whenever a village had trouble with bandits, they went to help. They hunted down the bandits, who miraculously lost consciousness, and took back the village's belongings. While no one would remember them by their names, their actions would inspire later generations with stories of Robin Hood. Papay's wrist ornament would become legendary, however. New leaders across Sarmatia would be initiated with such ribbons. The ornament became known as "Habren's Revenge" though no one knew why. Papay and Habren thought it to be a fitting eulogy.
Their stories would not be remembered in their original form. No one would remember Rebekah, who had killed the Saxon King Cedric. No one would remember Sera, who had killed his son. No one would remember Lancelot's love for Sera. Deirdre would never be mentioned again. Galahad would become a virgin in later tales of King Arthur and his knights. Bors would be a devout Christian, which would have amused him greatly in life. Guinevere would become both angel and demon in the mythology of Britain, though none of the stories ever truly captured her essence. None of them have ever been captured, truly. And they never will. It is a sad thing, that the first thing we forget in the spinning of our tales and stories is love. Love is what holds us together; love is what makes us strong. We like to see our hero's without any faults or weaknesses, when those things are what make us truly great.
It is important that we do remember their spirit. Names are unimportant. The essence, however, is. Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Sera, Bors, Vanora, Dagonet, Fulcinia, Gawain, Radha, Sebbi, Aine, Tristan, Rebekah, Galahad, Deirdre, Laim, Etain, Papay, Habren, Tutyr, Api, Babai, Amage, Merlin, and Daithi are still with us. They are in each and every one of us.
Love. That is the key to their strength, their passion, their presence. Let us live it for them.