"I sent John and Thomas back to Brecken as the first arrows fell. They rode like the hounds of hell were snapping at their heels. I feel that they will return with help just as urgently."

"Do you think that they will arrive before the army goes?"

"Nay, but it will be a close thing. I am to meet with the lieutenants and turn over command to Cameron. He will get the men and the tribute to the king. I bid him to leave at first light. I expect John and Thomas at any time after midday—if they were able to make haste and get fresh horses."

"They will. And if I know my w—Gwyn, she will demand to come back with them."

"Your w—? You already wed her." It was not a question.

"Gil and Dermot know. The rest of you were with the men, getting ready to depart. I have not had opportunity to tell you yet."

"It is for the best I suppose. If she is to travel unchaperoned with six bachelor knights.

Erec's chuckle turned to a cough. Wincing he let out a moan. Drew frowned, casting a look toward the camp. Erec smirked.

"Surely a dying man is entitled to a moan or two in his final moments."

Drew rolled his eyes and left Erec alone with his bad jokes to go and meet with the lieutenants.

---

"Good Morn, Milady." John spoke softly as he gently touched her shoulder.

Gwyndolyn groaned and opened her eyes. "Is it morn already?" she complained, "Surely it will not be morn for a few more hours at the least."

John chuckled. This was the second morning he awakened her, so he was not disturbed by her discomfiture.

"Aye, milady." He smiled as she groaned, rolled on her back and rubbed at her eyes. "Tis morn. We will have a quick meal to break our fast and then we will be on our way again."

Gwyndolyn was mid-stretch when he finished. Dropping her arms suddenly, she frowned at him.

"I suppose if we are to get there, we must ride. For it is a fact that I can no longer walk."

"Nay, milady." John smiled patiently. "You asked me to wake you early so that you might walk about a bit before we leave. But if you still wish to do so, you must make haste."

"Oh?" Gwyndolyn tossed aside the furs and winced against the pull on her muscles as John helped her to her feet. "Why the haste?"

"We shall reach the place that we left them around midday, so we will not stop before then. Thomas is as anxious as you and I to learn the fate of our friends."

"Of course." She frowned, forcing he stiff legs to move. She was loathe to be put upon the horse again, but she was also grateful that the end of her torturous ride was near.

Soon she would be with Erec again...

Gwyndolyn gasped as she stopped suddenly.

"Milady?" John asked, looking upon her paled complexion with concern. "What is it? What is wrong?"

"What if he is d—dead?" she forced the word. Her legs felt unable to hold her and she grasped John's arm tightly as she swayed. It was a possibility that she had not allowed herself to consider.

"We shall not know until we arrive. You must set all such thoughts aside until then. And then, I shall stand with you to face whatever awaits us."

"Thank you, John. You are a true friend."

They spoke no further, each lost in thought as they circled the camp in their slow amble, stretching out some of Gwyndolyn's stiffness before facing another long ride.

"It is time." John spoke quietly as he covered her hand where it rested upon his arm. "See there? Thomas has put out the fire and packed up the camp. I guess we do not break our fast here. You do not mind over much?" She shook her head no and he added. "I am quite sure that he will have a bundle of food for you to eat while you ride if you wish it?"

"Nay." She frowned. "I fear I am much too anxious. I fear that if I try to eat, mayhap I will become ill."

"Nay. You must eat. You are not used to this travel. You must keep your strength so that you may best serve when we arrive."

She nodded as they turned toward her horse. She wrinkled her nose at the prospect of riding again as John lifted her to the saddle. With a wince, she settled herself and determined that she would not ride again for a very long time once she reached Erec. John handed her the reins and a bundle that Thomas passed her.

"Midday, you say?"

"Or there about." John smiled and patted her leg. "Try to eat a little something. You have some hours together before we arrive."

"I shall try." She promised with a weak smile.

"There will not be time for you to walk about when we arrive." He apologized, "So I shall stand with you to fetch and carry for you until you have no further need of me."

"Fetch and carry FOR me?" she smiled her first happy smile in days. "or fetch and carry ME?"

"I shall simply be at your side, milady, to serve you as however the needs may be." John winked.

In moments they resumed their journey and she found her spirits were quite restored. Knowing that she was not so alone as she felt earlier, she felt...braver. She knew that Erec surrounded himself with good men. Now she felt the good of it as they tucked her safely into the protection of their fold.

---

"Riders approach." Dermot shouted as he leapt from his mount and ran to the tent where Erec lay.

"North?"

"Aye. More than two riders, but it is too far to see their colors."

"You think it might be Brecken's garrison?"

"Nay. Not so many as that. Maybe our two, and one or two others. From the dust they raise, they ride hard and will arrive soon enough."

"Very good. Ride out to meet them. Assist how you may. Drew and Gil will make ready here."

Dermot gave a nod and ran toward his horse, vaulting into the saddle and darting off to meet their company.

"You were spot on with the timing." Erec looked to Drew. "It seems we are to have company to share our midday meal."

"Your bride is with them."

"Did you ever doubt that she would come?" Erec raise a brow.

"Not for a moment." Drew chuckled. "I know the lady, remember?"

Drew winked as he pulled his dirk from his belt and flipped it absently in his palm. Erec eyed the blade as it flipped, and flipped again. As it left Drew's palm a third time, Erec looked pointedly from the blade to Drew.

Drew crossed over to the water basin and scooped out a cupful. Snatching up the hand towel, he turned back to Erec and scratched his chin with the blade.

"We need to hurry if we are to get you fit to meet the lady."

"I am not so certain that I want you anywhere near my throat with that knife." Pointing to his bandaged shoulder he smirked, "Have you not cut at me enough to slake your bloodlust?"

"You need to shave."

"Shave off my manly beard?"

"Looks more like a rat's nest." Drew mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I said, should not you look your best?"

"That is what I thought you said." Erec said, a smile wide on his face.

---

Gwyndolyn was a healer. This was a wound that was at least a sennight in healing and the care of it was well done. She should be looking at the wound closely. She should be asking questions of the patient and his healer to see what had been done, what symptoms remained, and if there was anything that she could yet do to improve the patient's healing and health.

But she could not stop crying. Her hands were shaking and worse, she could not form a coherent sentence to save her life.

When she arrived, John lifted her from her horse, carried her to Erec's tent and handed her off to Drew in order to help Thomas see to the horses. Drew caught her around the waist as she wobbled and held her up. She gave him a shaky grin.

"I will not let you fall."

"I believe you." She smiled.

"Prepare yourself. He is too weak yet to sit up and greet you. His color is very pale and he is badly bruised. His bandages are a little bloodied and there are other wounds." Gwyndolyn paled and swallowed as she clutched at Drew for support. In response, he held her to his side and hurried to assure her. "It looks much worse than it is, I assure you. He is mending well."

She licked her lips, trying to get some moisture into her suddenly dry mouth. She could not get her voice past the lump in her throat so she nodded. Straightening her spine, she took a deep breath and gathered her nerves before taking a step...and would have fallen on her face were it not for Drew.

Gwyndolyn let out a frustrated growl. She desperately wanted to stand on her own despite her wobbly uncooperative legs. They worked much better on this third day of riding then they had after the first day, that was for certain. Her continued weakness bothered her and worked up a good bit of wrath, drawing energy from it until Drew stepped aside.

She never swooned, but she did then.

She awoke again, almost at once, even as Drew swept her up into his arms. She was more embarrassed than injured but she was still feeling a bit light headed. She gave herself a stern mental lecture.

She was a healer. She was not squeamish or weak when it came to injury. Her brothers were not very bright and always seemed to be hurting themselves, rather often and rather stupidly from her recollections. And since she had been at Brecken...

She dared another glance at Erec and she nearly choked Drew as she held on, fighting the urge to swoon again.

Nothing she had seen thus far in her life could have prepared her to see the man she loved, her husband of less than a fortnight, lying prone, too weak to sit up and greet her and wearing an alarmingly large (and slightly bloodied) bandage over his bare chest...

She took a slow deep breath and braved another glance at Erec. He was not only sickly looking, but he was fast growing alarmed by her reaction. She reached deep down inside and found her nerve again. With a sigh she gently pushed at Drew's shoulder.

"I am better Drew." She choked out, and went on, her voice slowly returning to normal. "I shall not swoon again. You may set my feet upon the floor, although if you would please, let me keep hold of you for my legs are yet weakened from the long hours on horseback."

"As you wish, milady." Drew smiled and she was glad it was one full of empathy instead of pity. "I shall keep near and you may hold onto me if you need. I shall not let you fall."

"Thank you ever so much." She smiled tearfully.

And that was when the tears started. She fell to her knees next to Erec and took his hand in hers as she nervously fussed over his bandages and his blanket, not really able to do anything more through her tears. She just had to touch him.

"Sweeting, please do not cry. I am much improved and I grow stronger each day. I feel much better than I look, but it is the nature of injury, as you must know. My dearest...please..."

She had no idea how long she sat there leaking like a watering pot while Erec softly offered his assurances and nearly begged her to dry her tears. But she finally realized that far too much time had passed and she needed to ... to do something.

And she would. As soon as she could stop crying.

"I must say how grateful I am for all you have done for Erec" Gwyndolyn swiped at her cheeks yet again as she thanked Drew...yet again...all the while fussing with the covers that she piled over Erec's lap.

Drew shared a look with Erec and cleared his throat.

"Twas nothing, milady. Now that you have come, I shall happily surrender his care to a much more capable healer. Mayhap he will be a better patient for your gentle hands."

Gwyndolyn blushed as Drew left them.

"We need to be ready to leave at first light." Erec said softy as he looked into her eyes, confident that she was at last regaining her senses after the shock of seeing him laid so low.

"Aye. The men are probably finished digging your grave now."

"Digging my—"

"Aye. After Dermot met us and told us how it was here, I talked to John about it as we rode in. You cannot think you would be left as carrion for wolf and crow? Not the People's Champion!"

"Very clever of you wife."

"Yes. It was." She smiled, grateful for his teasing as it helped her return to herself again. "By now Drew has dressed one of the enemy in your armor. I told him to find a man similar in size and with dark hair..."

"You are quite thorough, wife. But if they take the trouble to find my grave and dig up my corpse, do you not think they will notice the face is not mine?"

"Erm..." she squirmed. "They will not be able to...erm..."

"Ah." Erec said as her meaning became clear. "Very clever in deed. Are you certain that you were not a great general in a previous life? A great commander of men...?"

"It is nothing so grand as that!" she smiled. "I only thought to make sure that the enemy came to believe that you were truly dead. Surely if your enemy would send assassins and plan such a horrible ambush, I cannot but suppose that they would seek to confirm the report of your death."

"And what of my horse? And my men?" Erec raised a brow. He rather liked this side of his wife and wanted very much to test out her thoughts on the matter. "Will not their absence be noted?"