A/N: don�t. piss off. the queen. period.

And� I hate humans. Especially stupid ones that don�t pay attention.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Arturia watched the lands to the east of Camelot. The land was silent and nothing moved. Gawain stood beside her with a pair of spyglasses, looking over the horizon. �Where on Earth did you find those things?� asked Bedivere.

�I found it when some Scottish bloke came through. He was selling some of his old junk and found theses interesting. You can see far things up close, see?� He gave it to Bedivere and Bedivere had a hard time giving them back when he looked through them, a look of awe on his face.

�Amazing! Simply amazing device!� cried Bedivere.

�We�re watching the borders because of what Marwick said, Gawain� Bedivere,� said Arturia as she eyed them. Both men smiled sheepishly at her and nodded, resuming their general alertness looks.

They watched the eastern border with nothing appearing. She had sent Emiya out with a special task while she took care of the eastern border with her troops. To the south was little to come through and they would have to go through the old ruins where the men from the wasteland were very keen on protecting themselves. She had sent a small number of troops to help them should someone come up that way, though she doubted anyone would.

�I see �Vaine!� cried Gawain. �My brothers are coming back from the border!�

�Good, then that means they did exactly what I told them to,� she said as she went to her horse and got up into her saddle. She rode out to Agravaine and Gaheris with two horses tied to her saddle, their horses, and stopped when she neared them. She untied the horses and handed them each their reigns. �You did as I asked?�

�Aye, my queen. They�re up and waiting to see their friends!� said Agravaine with a grin.

�We�ll know when they reach, since Merlin put the border spells up,� said Gaheris. He swung himself up into his saddle and moved closer to Arturia. �And we�ll know by the reactions o� the men when they find our little present to them.�

Arturia smirked faintly and nodded. �Good. Let us head back to your brother and Bedivere.�

They rode back and Agravaine took a hold of Arturia�s arm and pulled her closer to him, whispering into her cold ear. �Don�t think I accept you as my aunt, queen. Gawain may call you cousin, Gaheris might treat you similarly as family, but you are no family to me.�

Arturia slowed her horse as he slowed his, watching Gaheris ride off to his brother and Bedivere. �How did you and your brothers know of me, Agravaine? Your mother clearly hates me.�

She looked up at Agravaine as he gazed down at her. �Because Gawain wanted to know about the sister that mother never wanted to remember. Dad said something about you once and Gawain immediately set to grill him as often as he could on you until dad told us all about you. Mother doesn�t like him much.�

Arturia frowned more and looked away, Agravaine leaned closer to her ear again. �I serve you only because my brothers serve you and you are our queen. My loyalty is to my family first and you second, understand?�

�Then, I know where you lie,� said Arturia, a strange shiver going down her spine. She was beginning to not like it when a man spoke into her ear like this, for it caused strange vibrations to go through her body.

Agravaine, thankfully, let go of Arturia and rode off after his brother. Arturia watched him go for a moment, thinking over what he said. Their father, Lot, had been the one to tell them about her. That meant Lot had been told of her by Morgan when they married and Morgan may have felt obligated to tell him so much being his wife. She certainly looked very happy to be with him.

Arturia snapped around when she heard the alarm go off. The border had been breached and people were coming. Agravaine, Geheris, Gawain and Bedivere were riding out to her position. She moved her horse around and grabbed the spyglasses that Gawain had around his neck. He had to duck out from the chain to keep from being strangled by the sudden force she used.

She put the spyglasses up to her eyes and looked out, just as Gawain had down. �They don�t look right and I can�t see clearly through them.�

Gawain leaned over and started messing with the knobs of it before moving the pieces themselves against her face. She could see out through them now! �What magic is this?�

�Just readjusting them!� said Gawain, grinning at his new toy appreciatively.

Arturia looked out to the border and smirked. Men were coming closer on horseback, footsoldiers walked through the snow beside the horses. The man that was clearly the head of this operation came into focus. He was an older man and looked like he may have been fighting since her father was alive. In any case, he looked very prepared to chew their hides should they get within his grasp. He was going to be a tough one to turn back.

�What monster would put a man�s tallywhacker on pike?!� cried one of Graystone�s captains, making a look of absolute pain on his face as he thought about it.

Graystone eyed the spear and looked to Marwick�s head. Despite the fact that he had joined this battle because of the Earl of Yewark, who was coming from the north, he now had a good understanding of his comrade�s rival. �Clearly someone who knows how to scare men into submission,� said Graystone to his captain.

�You can�t be serious! This is clearly a woman who�s possessed of the devil!� cried his captian.

�Clearly you�ve never been married to a shrew,� said Graystone, liking this little queen more and more as he thought about it. By placing the bits of Marwick on a pike for display like she did, she was clearly trying to scare them off. Which meant, she wasn�t far off and watching them for what they would do.

Indeed, he saw the queen and her four knights on their horses half a mile away. He squinted to see them and smirked. Her armor was black, so it didn�t shine in the sun; however, it also made her obvious in the white landscape. Her hair and skin were as pale as the snow, however. If he weren�t married already to a rather shrewish woman, he might enjoy the little queen. However, old age was already making it hard for him to move the way he used to in his youth. A young queen such as her would need someone who could keep up with her and he couldn�t do that.

�Your orders, sir?� said his captain. �LOOK! THERE THEY ARE!!� his captain cried before all hell broke loose. All his men immediately went into battle, charging at the small troupe. Not even a single chance to meet before the battle!

�MEN! GET BACK HERE!!� he yelled, though it seemed they couldn�t hear him. Damn them!

They didn�t run, however. An army of black armored soldiers ran into back from the ridge behind them and clashed around their queen and superiors. Graystone made his way through the crowd as the queen started trying to get away. Her knights surrounded her to keep the men from getting to her, but it seemed impossible. Indeed, they weaved through and pulled her off her horse!

�DAMN IT! DON�T YOU MANGY LOT LAY A FINGER ON THAT WOMAN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME! ALL OF YOU, BACK BEHIND ME!�

His voice echoed on the white landscape as men stopped and looked to him. The four knights hurried over to find their queen. However, Graystone heard a loud cry of one of his men and saw a spray of blood. He watched as the crowd of men seemed to simultaneously move away and then get sucked back in only to disappear in a spray of blood. �GET BACK FROM HER NOW!�

This time, the men obeyed, getting as far from Arturia as they could get. Her knights ran over to her and Graystone got off his horse and walked over. He marched through his men and then stopped at the pieces of bodies in front of him. It was a royal mess! Covered in their blood, Arturia glared angrily at Graystone, holding her sword ready.

Graystone held up a hand and then put his fists on his waist. �So I finally meet the little queen, aye? Al said you were very small,� he said.

�My height has nothing to do with this, sir,� she said, still glaring defiantly at him.

He smirked at her, chuckling softly. �You are a spirited girl, that is evident. I should think I would enjoy a good combat with you, however, I am getting on in years and can not perform as well as I used to. My men, however, think that gives them the right to attack without my command.�

�We set up a warning, it is only right you should,� she said, relaxing slightly, though still holding her sword ready. �Know this� we set fire to Marwick�s men and will likely do similar to you and yours should you try to continue this ridiculousness.�

�Ah.. That�s the thing, isn�t it, Queen Arturia,� he said, scratching at his beard. �What do we do when we are to be fighting against each other?� He smirked as he watched her. �I have no stomach for fighting you now, your highness. It was on a favor from Albert of Yewark that I should help him invade. Found the whole damn thing silly myself, but Yewark is a coward and willing to against a big battalion as yours to get what he wants.�

�Then, where do you lie?� asked Arturia.

Graystone smirked faintly as he crossed his arms in front of his massive chest. �Give an old man his chance to fight the queen.�

Gawain and Bedivere looked to each other. Gaheris snorted and Agravaine frowned. Arturia straightened and put her sword down, looking him straight in the eye and nodded. �Fine. You may battle me. Should you lose, you must go north and turn back Yewark. Should I lose��

�I get a kiss,� said Graystone, smiling boyishly at her. Somehow she was reminded a little of an older version of Gawain by the way he acted.

Arturia nodded after a moment. �All right. I will kiss you should you win. Is that all you require of me should you win against me?�

�Oh no, that will be plenty. After that, we�ll just turn back and let you deal with Yewark,� said the old Earl. He pulled his long, curly, gray hair back into a ponytail and then pulled up his shield and sword.

Arturia had no shield, for she had Excalibur and Avalon. She merely waited until the older man was ready. For someone who complained that he was too old to fight, his body was in remarkable shape. His head wasn�t even balding, though his beard and head both were gray.

�You don�t use a shield?� he asked as he gazed at her.

�I have no need of one. My sword is all I need,� she said, her face unchanging like the snow.

Graystone grinned and pulled his visor down. Then, he ran at Arturia, swinging his sword down on her. She blocked him and pulled her sword up, sending him backward. She was far stronger than she looked, that was for certain! As he fought her, he slowly saw that this woman was indeed not normal. Her size was very small, yet she had the strength of a man. Every cut he made on her seemed to disappear after he made another one on her. It was as though she could heal everything as though she were made of magic!

Graystone moved back and panted heavily, grunting with the effort. She was small and fast and that gave her an edge against him. �You are very good, little queen,� he said.

She didn�t say anything. She simply shrugged and advanced on him. He stumbled back and landed on his rear in the snow. Arturia advanced on him and swung her sword down on him. He blocked her and moved back some more, trying to get some distance between her and him. He moved around her in a dizzying move, almost dancing before he moved around and caught her on her back. The armor there made his sword bounce off; however, it sent her forward into the snow. She gasped as she forced herself up from the snow and looked up at him. He reached down and pointed his sword at Avalon on her back. �That is what heals you?� he asked.

�Yes� it is,� she said as she watched him.

�I win,� he said, grinning at her. He tapped the scabbard with his sword and she let out a yelp. He blinked as she rolled away and covered herself. �Don�t touch it!� she snarled.

Graystone blinked for a moment more and looked to the black sword on the ground. He picked it up and held it out to her. �Your blade, m�lady,� he said softly. �Now, my reward.�

Arturia watched him for a moment, seething that he had made his way to her back and shoved her into the snow. However, she wasn�t about to deny him his request. She got to her feet and walked over to him, raising up on her toes to reach him. He leaned down and smirked. �I�m old, but my eyes can still see and my hands and feet can still react the way they used to. Do not be offended, my queen, for I simply wished to fight you for the pleasure of fighting a woman in an equal combat.�

�Take your kiss and then leave, Graystone,� she said, looking irritated.

Graystone chuckled. �It�s Robert,� he said.

�Robert.�

�Graystone is fine,� he said, grinning broadly.

�Graystone.�

�Yes?�

�Get on with it before I lose my patience.�

Graystone laughed heartily as did several men, including her four knights. She fumed with embarrassment and outrage and wished every single one of them to be silent. She didn�t notice when he had done it, but Graystone had swiftly descended upon her and scooped her up against his large body, his mouth against her in a kiss. If he weren�t so old, and he hadn�t insulted her pride, she might have thought about him as a possible candidate for her king, for he was stirring her simply by kissing her. It was like being kissed by Cuchulainn all over again, except he didn�t delve into her mouth. When he pulled away, he grinned and put her on her feet before stepping away from her and bowing down to her. The men chuckled and made catcalls at her before they were silenced by an angry glare from Graystone.

�You will turn back now, correct?� asked Arturia, frowning at him.

Graystone whistled and his horse came trotting over to him. He pulled himself up into the saddle and nodded. �As we agreed, I will leave. MEN! GET YOUR LAZY ASSES IN GEAR AND MOVE IT!� The men around Arturia scrambled to follow their leader as they moved out.

Arturia�s men cheered and laughed as the group left. Gawain rolled his eyes and grinned at Arturia. �So, you�re a wanted woman.�

�I�m a what?� Arturia looked to her nephew with a puzzled expression.

Gawain grinned more. �You�re wanted by all men!� He laughed as her cheeks went pinker. She turned away abruptly and started back toward Camelot. �MEN! We have to go north! Come!� With that, they headed toward the northern border, Arturia�s men still laughing and joking about the battle�s outcome.