-O-From The Beginning To The End-O-

Novella by:

Karategirl666

-o-

Disclaimer: If I owned this franchise I certainly wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

-o-

Aria moved through the barn her step true and firm. She wouldn't let the roman soldiers see her fear. She had refused to scream when they tore her from her mother's arms. She had refused to scream when they had kicked her off her horse to force her to trek the long way to the training fort. She had refused to scream when they had smacked her for walking to slow. In fact she had just walked slower.

"You are a stubborn boy." She looked up at the soldier. "That will not do you well here."

"Then it is good I am not a boy but a girl." He stopped and looked her over. The young child was small petite flight chested with cropped dusty hair and steel green eyes. There was no way this child was a girl, no he was all boy.

"Nice try." He threw open a barn door. "Say hello to your new family." He slammed his foot into her back knocking her into the hay covered stall. She got to her feet quickly and turned to glare at the man who slammed the stall door closed and then walked away with a sick smile.

"Bastard…" she muttered

"You can say that again." She turned to see a group of young men. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She muttered.

"That roman bastard kicked you hard." Another boy said.

"I'm fine…" she said again with a tone of annoyance.

"The name is Lancelot." The boy before her said extending his hand. She looked at it for a long moment before shaking her head.

"We shouldn't make friends, most of us could be dead by morning." She said. Lancelot tilted his head as he looked over the delicate boy before him. He looked younger, maybe only seven years of age, still there was something very wise about him. Like he was an elder to be.

"Can I at least know your name, so when you die I can carry it with me?" she looked at him for a long moment.

"Aria…"

"Isn't that girls name?" the other boy from before asked walking to her as he flipped his red hair over his shoulder.

"Aye it is." She said. "My mother tried telling them and I tried telling them. I'm girl..."

"You wear your hair like a boy." The other boy stated.

"And you wear yours like a girl…" He looked down at the long red locks.

"Ay I do… The name is Gawain." He put out his hand.

"She won't shake it." Lancelot said.

"Just like a girl to be so stubborn." Gawain muttered.

"A girl?" three other boys stood.

"Why is there a bloody girl in our midst?"

"Because the romans are idiots." Lancelot said. "Though I think we should have proof you are a girl." He moved towards her and she slapped him across the face so hard he flew to the ground. "Oi!"

"You stay far away from me, no way I'll prove anything to you." She said as Gawain laughed.

"Galahad come here…" Gawain said reaching out. A boy around her own age came forth. "This is my brother."

"I'm not you brother." He muttered. "Hi." He said to Aria.

"So we have a girl amongst the ranks." A boy with a look that matched that of Iron moved forward, towering other the others.

"I don't think this is good…" Gawain said. "A girl cannot fight."

"From the bloodied lip of Lancelot I'd say she can." Galahad said.

"Packs quite a smack…" Lancelot said. "Still this is no place for a girl… why did they not take one of the sons of your village?"

"There are no sons the women only produce women." She said.

"We should call the guards." The tallest boy said.

"I don't think that is such a good plan." Galahad said. "What would they do to a young salmation girl?"

"Probably rape her." Lancelot said.

"Then kill her." Gawain added.

"Or just continue to rape her." Lancelot muttered.

"Can the word Rape stop being said it is turning my stomach to rot." Aria muttered.

"So you have two choices little one." The tallest boy said. "You can stay and be a warrior who doesn't live over her tenth year or you can call the gaurds prove yourself a girl and suffer if you ask me a worst of fates."

"I'd rather stay and fight and do my village proud." She said.

"Then she stays." Lancelot said.

"I don't know about this…" a rounder boy said making his presence known.

"Oh Bors let her be. Let her choose the way she wants to die…" The tall boy moved forward. "I'm Dag…"

"Aria." She said.

"This is Bors." He said motioning to the rounder boy who waved with a wink.

"Who's that?" she asked seeing a boy sitting in the corner an apple in hand his feet kicked up on a stack of hay.

"We're not sure we've been trying to get his name out of him for a fortnight now." Lancelot said.

"Tristan." He said his eyes shrouded by black braids.

"Gods he speaks." Galahad said with a small jump.

"You all should rest, training will begin tomorrow…" Tristan said laying back.

"You should rest especially this training was not meant for a girls stamina." Lancelot said to Aria.

"I'm fine…"

"Tough as Iron that one." Galahad muttered to Gawain who just laughed.

"We shall see…"

-o-

For the next few weeks the boys watched as Aria progressed far past the other boys. She excelled in bow and hand to hand. She was just as fast and tough as the largest of the other knights in training. She was also one of the most silent. Not ever speaking in fear that her feminine voice would give her away to the roman soldiers who trained them.

Aria sat in the corner of the barn her sword lying over her lap. She had to make sure the blade was sharp by the next morning or the face the whip of the General. As she moved the stone over the blade she hissed in pain as it slipped and her hand slid across the sharp metal. She pulled back her bleeding hand as she tossed the stone aside.

"Here…" Gawain moved forward the stone in hand. "Let me help."

"I don't need your help." She said with a sharp glare.

"I know you don't, but now you've cut your hand and you can't do it yourself."

"Let him finish the job you started." Bors said. "He did it for me when I cut my hand." he held his left hand and she saw the same injury she now had. "You don't want to face the generals whip Aria."

"Can I?" Gawain asked.

"Yes…" she handed over her sword. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"I understand it. You just want to prove yourself."

"I have to prove myself… Every time one of the soldiers look at me I'm afraid they've found out. Especially now that my hair has started to grow and curl…" Gawain looked to see that her once crudely cropped hair had begun to grow long and wild.

"I have long hair they don't suspect me." He said. "I wouldn't worry about it… But maybe you should try braiding parts of it like Tristan there." She looked at the boy who was in his corner his feet kicked up as they always with an apple in hand.

"Maybe…" she watched him go over the blade. "How have you not cut your hand yet?"

"I helped make the weapons in my village with my father… What did your father do in the village?"

"My father died before I was born… He was a knight… My uncle raised me he was a knight as well."

"Your mother?"

"With child from my uncle."

"I see… You seem to know your way around your weapons."

"My uncle trained me in Bow, Blade, and physical Combat." She said. "I think he knew the Romans would not listen to his pleas or the pleas of my mother."

"Do you hate it here?" Bors asked walking over with Galahad, and Dag.

"I don't like it, but I wouldn't say I hate it."

"I do. I hate it." Lancelot said as he looked down at an iron lion pendant in hand. "I miss my family."

"We all miss our family." Gawain said.

"What were those Knights thinking when they made the bargain they did?" Galahad muttered.

"They were thinking that they wanted to live to see their families." Aria said making all the boys even Tristan look to her.

"Sometimes I want to take this sword they've given me and ram it through one of their hearts…" Lancelot said.

"Every time you have that thought think of your family who is waiting for your return home… That should halt your blade I know it has halted mine…" Aria said and they all nodded.

-o-

Aria watched as Tristan was thrown off his horse by another boy. He quickly jumped up onto his feet drew his bow and fired an arrow that missed his opponent but scathed a roman soldier nearby. The soldier leapt off his horse a whip in hand.

"Did you let loose that arrow!?" he bellowed coming up on Tristan fast.

"Oh no…" Gawain said walking to Arias side.

"I can't watch this." Bors muttered.

"Poor Tristan…" Aria said softly as she watched the whip come down across his back ripping the old fabric away.

"How dare you!" Aria looked away as she heard the whip crack over and over again. When she heard the normally quiet Tristan let out a cry of pain, she moved forward.

"Stop!" she yelled as Galahad grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back.

"Aria no." he whispered.

"I'll teach you to fire an arrow at me boy!" The soldier yelled not hearing her.

"He didn't mean to, stop it!" She yelled, but watched in horror as the soldier whipped Tristan again and again. "I said stop!" She rushed forward and grabbed onto the whip that painfully wrapped around her arm slicing up the skin. The soldier stared at her wide eyed. "He was aiming for the boy not for you!" She yelled. He grabbed onto his sword and went to bring it down on her but she raised her weapon and blocked the hit.

"You dare raise your sword to me!?"

"You dare raise your whip to him?" she asked. "He who is completely innocent?" He slapped her across the face knocking her to the mud. "You will suffer a fate worse than this one." He said pointing his sword as two soldiers moved forward and went to grab her. Before they could get near the boy who lay bleeding sword in hand a group of other boys rushed forward and surrounded him.

"Stay back!" Lancelot shouted.

"You will not lay a hand on him!" Galahad bellowed. Tristan slowly stood his back bleeding as he too raised his sword.

"He was just protecting one of her own like you taught us!" Gawain added.

"Get them leave the trouble maker!" Tons of soldiers moved forward and grabbed onto the group of boys. Aria watched wide eyed as they were drug off to have god knows what happen to them.

"Why them why not me!?" She asked as she was picked up by the back of her shirt by the soldier she raised her sword to.

"Let's see if they'll want to protect you after what they will endure!" He threw her into the stall and spit on her as he slammed the door closed. Aria rushed to the iron gate and gripped onto the bars. "Don't hurt them!"

"Silence boy!" The soldier bellowed. Aria fell back to the ground and buried her face into her hands.

"I shouldn't have done anything… Gods what have I done?" She asked before looking over her arm which had a perfect spiral cut into her skin from the whip wrapping around it. For the next hour she paced her mind riddled with worry as she thought about the numerous things the romans could be doing to the others. Then a soldier came to the door and opened it up the group of boys came in completely unscathed. "By the gods what happened to you?" She asked.

"Nothing." Bors said with a laugh.

"Those roman bastards were about to put the hurt down on us when this other boy and this man came in…" Gawain said.

"The boy stopped the soldiers from hurting us… said we were his men and he would take care of the punishment…" Dag said.

"When the soldiers left he had us all sit down and he gave us bread and water." Lancelot walked to her. "Here he sent some for you…" he handed her the bread.

"He told us that he was in training to be our commander, that he had watched you defend Tristan today and us defend you, that he had chosen us to be his knights… That as long as he breathed no harm would come to us… Or at least that he would try to keep us safe…"

"Then he asked us to limp out of the room so the soldiers would think he had beat us for our insolence." Bors said.

"His name was Artorius…" Galahad said. "Nice boy."

"Let's hope he stays that way as he grows into a man." Lancelot said and the others nodded.

"I'm glad you all are okay I was worried." Aria said.

"Why would you be worried about us?" Gawain asked.

"Yeah I mean we're not even friends." Lancelot said with a good hearted look.

"Maybe you all are my friends…" She muttered.

"There we go!" Gawain threw her into a head lock and messed with her hair.

"Oi let me go!" She swatted at him and backed away. "Bastard…" she muttered as the group of boys left.

"Man I'm beat." Bors said. Aria walked to the corner where Tristan rested.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Could have handled the whipping." He muttered.

"I know… But I couldn't handle watching it." she said. "I'm sorry I should have just let it go."

"You should have…"

"Be kind to her she did you a favor." Lancelot said.

"Here you'll need your strength…" she set the bread beside him and walked away. He looked over the piece of food before taking it in hand and taking a bite.

"Aria." He said making her turn. She jumped back as she caught an apple he had thrown at her clumsily. She looked down at the fruit before looking to him.

"Thanks." She said and he only nodded as he munched on the bread.

"Where does he get those?" Bors asked as he watched Aria take a bite.

"No idea." Galahad said.

From that day the group was tight knit. The trained together. Rode together. Played together. Ate together. Rested together. Then the day came when their group was nearly torn apart. One morning they had all woken up to find a pale Aria on the ground her hands on her stomach as she made pained noises.

"Something is wrong with her." Gawain said worriedly.

"Something isn't right…" She muttered.

"Do you smell blood?" Galahad inquired.

"She needs help." Lancelot said as he ran his fingers through her hair which had grown damp from sweat.

"Hey!" Bors rushed to the door of their cell. "We need help in here!" A soldier walked up to the door.

"What is it Bors?"

"Aria something's wrong with him… We can smell blood…"

"Aria? He never complains…" the soldier opened the door and waltzed into the room full of teenage boys. He moved forward and kneeled beside him. "Aria my boy you alright?" He didn't respond just continued to make a pained noise. "Help me move him." They boys went to move forward but the large tall Dag moved forward and picked Aria up in his arms.

"This isn't good…" she muttered.

"Stay calm…" He coached as he and the group followed the Soldier through the roman fort. He knocked on a door and it opened to reveal an older man.

"We have a trainee in need of medical assistance."

"I never get trainees…" He said as he moved aside. "Lay him down there." Dag rested Aria down on a bed.

"This one never complains never asks for help when hurt I figured this was most likely serious… Maybe the illness that's been going around."

"He doesn't have the sores… You all stay back…" he pulled a divider that shielded them from sight.

"They're going to find out…" Galahad said shifting uncomfortably.

"Nine years of hiding it and it's all going to come crashing down." Lancelot muttered.

Aria watched as the doctor slowly covered her chest with the blanket and sat back. She slowly sat up pain filling her as she did. He stared at her for a long time. Aria took a small breath her hand resting on her lower abdomen.

"Please…" she said for the first time in near a decade. "I have been training for nine years… Don't give me up…"

"How… How did this go unnoticed child?" He asked softly.

"When they took me from the village we tried to tell them I was a girl… I tried to tell them after I had arrived here so many years ago… Then I realized that if they found out I was a woman they would most likely give me a fate worse than death… So I decided to train and live as a boy…"

"Your cell mates do they know?"

"Yes… They've known from the very beginning and have helped me hide it."

"You won't be able to hide it now…"

"You're going to tell?" She asked her eyes wide.

"I'm not sure yet." He said. "It's just you're going through the change."

"What change?"

"Where you cross from being a girl to a woman… You've been bleeding down there for a few days yes?"

"Yes…" she said quietly. "I've been bleeding for three days every month for the past three… The pain was never this bad before."

"That pain will vary from month to month…"

"I never learned about this."

"You were taken too early from your mother I suspect…" He said quietly. "I've watched you during training… I never would have thought you a woman."

"So tell me what I do about this change to stop it or hide it and then the others will not find out that I am a woman…"

"Your breasts they are growing… Getting big, too big for the binding you have been doing… They will find out…" she crossed her arms over her chest where the blanket was held to her.

"You know what they will do to me if they find out?"

"I know but there is nothing I can do…"

"Maybe not you…" she said quietly. "I know someone who can."

"Give me the name." he said.

"Artorius Castus."

"The General?" He asked.

"Yes he is who I and my friends were to be sent to for post, he can help me."

"I know of him…" he got up and walked out room behind the room divider.

"Is the boy okay?" The soldier asked.

"I uhm… I need Artorius Castus here now…"

"The General?" He asked.

"Yes I need him here now…"

"I know where he is… I shall return." When the soldier left the Doctor looked to the group of teen boys.

"You hid this well."

"You know?" Bors asked.

"Will you help her?" Tristan asked.

"I can only help the illness as for what's going to happen to her she seemS to think Arthur can help her."

"Arthur?" Lancelot asked.

"Artorius." The doctor said.

"The boy who helped us all those years ago…" Bors said.

"The boy who is now a man." The doctor said before heading back to his patients side.

"Get yourself cleaned up." He said pushing a bowl of warm water to her. "Then I want you to take some of these…" he set some berries beside her. "They will ease the pain in your lower abdomen.

"As for the bleeding?"

"This will do…" He placed a rolled piece of cloth beside her. "Place it between your legs or some woman even stick it far up inside them… It should hold the blood… You'll need to wash it regularly."

"Thank you." She said looking at the items.

-o-

Aria pulled on her clothes, and she felt a little better. Especially now that she was clean. She had been in her own blood for some time now. The berries had only helped the pain a little, but at least she could function once more.

"Aria?" she heard a foreign voice. She walked out from behind the divider to face a young man with large hazel eyes and wavy black hair.

"General Castus?" She asked.

"Call me Arthur." He said shaking her hand. "You called for me?"

"We have a problem." She and the group of boys said.

"They really do." The doctor said. For the next hour Aria explained to Arthur everything. From when she had been taken from her village her mother screaming that she was just a girl. To even telling a few roman officers her gender. Then she explained why she no longer told them she was a girl. He stayed silent for a long while before nodding.

"I've watched you many times and it never occurred to me you could be a woman." He said.

"She is a force of nature when it comes to the skills of a warrior." Lancelot said and the others nodded.

"I know." He said looking to her. "Now that I know your rue nature I find it silly I never saw your femininity… Your face it is not that of a boy… Nor is your body…" He laughed. "Romans really can be thick."

"What do we do?" She asked.

"We tell them the truth that you are a girl."

"Are you insane?" Lancelot asked.

"Hold your tongue." The Doctor said.

"Maybe I am, but I think that since the roman empire has spent much money on training her that they might just accept her gender… I will vouch for you Aria."

"What if they don't accept it what will happen to me?"

"Whatever it is I will make sure it is suitable for some one of your character. You will be safe Aria I promise." She nodded.

That night the boys and she were called to a room in the vast fort. All of them wondering what the fate of Aria would be. All hoping that it would be that she would get to return home safe and sound. They walked into a room slowly and they stared at a large round table filled with other men. Arthur waved them in and they took their seat. Aria taking one in the middle of Tristan and Gawain.

"Now that everyone is here we can begin." Arthur said standing. "Hello, My name is Artorius Castus but you all can call me Arthur. For the past few years I have been watching you and have handpicked you to be my knights. I was ordered to treat you all like slaves, because according to the romans that is what you are but to me you are and have always been free men… Under my orders you are allowed to get homes and wives if you wish, you are allowed to have as many children as you wish. All I ask is that when I call for you, you come and help me in whatever mission I have been given… In return I promise to try my hardest to keep you safe and to someday return you to your villages heroes that you already are… To you… The knights of the round table." He raised his glass and as did everyone. They all took sips from gold goblets, Aria a little unsure as she did. "Now for a feast!" he clapped his hands and mountains of food were carried in. Aria caught the eye of Arthur from across the table, he raised his glass to her and she raised hers in return.

"What does this mean?" She asked quietly.

"Think it means you are a knight." Gawain said and she looked to him in surprise.

-o-

Aria was one of the last people left in the room after the long night of feasting and drinking. She walked up to Arthur who had seemed to be waiting to speak to her all night. He motioned to the chair next to him and he nodded as he poured her a glass of wine.

"So… I'm a knight?" she asked sitting down.

"Indeed you are." He said.

"Are you sure?" he laughed.

"I am. I spoke to the generals… At first they wanted you punished why I am unsure… I made it very clear to them that it was by their own fault they had been training a woman for the past nine years… When I also pointed out that you fought better than most of their soldiers they realized that their money spent had been spent well… So you are to be put to use here as a knight."

"Good…"

"I'm glad to see you are pleased, I thought you would rather be sent back home."

"No… My father was a knight, I wish to be a knight as well."

"Good… There is just one thing."

"What is it?"

"You cannot have a home outside this fort. Your quarters are next to mine… They want to make sure that their money spent isn't ruined by you-."

"Becoming with child?" She asked and he nodded. "I understand, and am glad to be staying here… It has been my home for some time."

"Your quarters will be a great deal better than the cells you have been staying in."

"What about the others?"

"They will get homes outside the fort or rent rooms… It's up to them. I tried to get you that freedom Aria I really did."

"Again I am thankful for what I have…"

"I am thankful to have you as one of my knights."

"To Arthur." She said.

"To you and the knights." He corrected as he clinked his glass against hers.