Downton Abbey 1. Chapter 1

"They're coming, they're coming!"

The cries of the young scout running through the camp towards the elders circle rang through the air shrilly, acting like match setting alight the wick of fear and panic. Many terrified faces appeared from behind the animal skin tents, there was a sudden surge of movement, and Sarah had no choice but to cut dead her discussion with Thomas. For a second, the pair stared into the others face, a silent plan of action already formulating. They had grown up together as children, played together, foraged together, fished together, and when the time had come, they had decided to become hunters together, too. They worked so well when out on a hunt; as smooth as the river on a calm day, Elsie had said. That was somewhat true most of the time. Like all sibling relationships, though, there was always a tiny spark that, when lit, could cause havoc in their tiny, close knit village. They'd even had Chief Carson split them up once! When remembering that occasion, Sarah struggled to hold back a tiny smirk at the thought of Thomas walking around with a black eye for the following week.

No sooner was their eye contact broken had they both reached for their spears and slung their bows over their shoulders.

"The strangers are coming!"

The camp was in complete chaos; the villagers were running in every direction, grabbing food and supplies, some joining Thomas and Sarah with spears in their inexperienced hands.

"ENOUGH!"

Chief Carson's booming voice spilled out over the entire village, causing the panic to freeze. He was their leader, and in him they entrusted the lives of their children, their families, their friends, the whole camp. His voice was the light in the chaotic darkness, and when his wife, Elsie, appeared beside him, chin raised in defiance, Sarah couldn't help but allow herself to surf the wave of security that rippled through the now silent camp.

"Come forward son," Carson beckoned to the young scout, who moved forwards. "Now, tell me..."

"They have prepared their sticks of fire and thunder, they have readied their warriors with the beating of their drum of war... They are coming from the north, Chief, they will be here before the moon!"

The ripple of security faltered, and the chaos threatened to bubble over. Sarah's eyes glanced to the sky... They had nowhere near enough time to prepare for battle against these strange men.

"Then we are to leave!" came Carson's voice. "Pack only what you need! Our Eastern brothers will help prepare us for battle! Go!"

Sarah shared another glance with Thomas through the scrambling crowd of villagers. They were hunters, protectors, warriors... They did not run and hide. Sarah forced her way through the swarm of people, tugging at Carson's arm as he helped Elsie pack.

"Chief," Carson turned to her, and before she'd even asked the question, she knew his answer. "We will stay... To hold them off. It will give you more time to get everyone to safety." Thomas had already taken position at the village boundaries, pulling his bow from over his shoulder and positioning an arrow ready.

Carson gave a tiny sigh.

"You are not to linger, Sarah. The tribe needs yourself and Thomas in the days ahead... You are to return to us as soon as you are able."

Sarah nodded.

"Is there still no sign of Branson?"

"No, chief. No sign."

Carson snook his head sadly, and turned his face from her view. The atmosphere turned strange at the mention of the lost hunter, and Sarah clenched her fist in annoyance. Damn Branson, damn him! Because of his folly the whole camp was now in danger! These monstrous strangers from a distant land, with their strange, stone like clothes and their huge wooden beasts that surfed the waves of the sea like fish. What hope did they have against them? As if reading her thoughts, Carson turned and placed a gentle, aged hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"Be wary, Sarah. We have little understanding of these men, they are not to be trusted." He gave her a final nod, and Sarah watched as he joined Elsie in shepherding the last of the villagers into the shadows of the darkening forest. Sarah watched them disappear, taking with them the last threads of her security. She glanced northernly, her eyes locking onto the misty fog between the ancient trees, and she held back a giant shuddering of her body.

It was a familiar feeling, somewhat, before the start of a hunt. The twitch of her thighs and the curling of her toes, both aching to stretch and feel the rush of a burst of movement. The burning of her lower stomach and the tensing of her abdomen... But now there was something else... Something different. A stabbing in her throat and a clouding of her mind. They were both strangers to her usual routine before battle, she she didn't like them. They made her uneasy, and self consciously, her coarse fingers tightened around the wood of her spear. As she settled herself in position, a quick glance was shared with Thomas. She crouched gently, allowing her fingers to run over the dried earth at her feet.

How had it come to this? Each road, each choice that could possibly result in war had been taken, and now... Now she was preparing for battle, more than likely the final battle.


	2. Chapter 2

It had started many full moons ago, Sarah would guess about 9 or 10. She remembered because it were her eyes that had first spied the huge, wooden beasts bobbing in the water out in the sea. They had been on a hunting trip, an agonisingly long and fruitless one. She, Thomas and Branson worked well together, helping to provide their homely village with food. Though Sarah never liked to involve herself, Thomas was not above telling anyone who would listen about their success record in the village. Sarah hated the drama of it all - she performed her duty as a hunter, and that was that. It wasn't about the competition, nor the bragging rights, it was that she simply had a job to provide. There was no glory to be sought in that.

This particular hunt, however, had seen the trio defeated, and it had been Thomas to first suggest retreating back into the thickness of the forest. They usually stuck to the shadows of the trees, but for some reason, the decision had been made for them to journey to the edge of the forest, where the air was salty and the rushing of the sea called out to them from across the pebbled beach. Branson, usually so stubborn and proud, had agreed with Thomas. With no case to argue, Sarah had bowed to the defeat of the hunt, annoyed at their empty offering.

"Go ahead," she'd said. "I'll follow behind you both in a few moments."

She wasn't sure why she'd decided to lag behind. Perhaps she thought the change of air would refresh her mind, or the sound of the sea would be soothing to her. She rested against a old, twisted tree, still hidden in the shadow of the forest, but still able too see the openness of the ocean. She could hear gulls somewhere above her, their distinct sound dispersing over the canopy of the trees and seeping down into the floor where she rested. It was peaceful, and though the air wasn't as delicate as that deeper into the forest, it was charming. The earth was softer here, and the winds coming from the ocean where waspish and sharp as they speared through the gaps in the trees. It was normal for her people to sit and simply listen to their surroundings. They lived alongside this land, without it they could not survive and so they had such massive respect for it. These moments of peace offered them guidance, a moment to reflect and simply feel.

And so when her moment of peace was shattered by a strange noise from the sea, her eyes flew open, and she growled lightly to herself. She peered around the tree she was resting on, through the gaps of the gnarled barks, for the culprit. It sounded again, louder this time. It was slightly alarming, a noise that was familiar but so very different. She was reminded of a time when Carson had called for the other tribes to meet using an ancient tribal horn. The noise had scared her slightly, so loud and hard on her pristine ears. But why would such a noise be coming from the sea? She crept forwards silently, her expert feet navigating her over the earth. She reached the edge of the forest, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness coming from the sand and the water.

That was when she first saw it. It was the strangest, most peculiar thing she had ever seen. Perhaps four trees in length, and two trees in heigh, bobbing along on the surface of the usually untamed sea. It had dirty white clouds attached to it, but they were unnatural and oddly shaped. The horn sounded again, and Sarah flinched, stepping behind the tree in a moment of panic.

She lost track of how long she watched it, transfixed at the goings on. Its tiny, wooden children were released into the sea, and they sailed towards the edge of the beach, roughly landing on the previously untouched pebbles. Dispersing from them were people, strange people with such colourful and oddly patterned clothes. They yelled to each other in strange tones across the beach, moving shyly at first but gaining confidence as more of them came ashore. Sarah was forced to move along the edge of the forest, careful to remain unseen in the shadows. She watched furiously as one took some sort of weapon to the tree she'd first hidden behind, hacking unsympathetically at the ancient trunk. She'd have loved to have hacked at his head for the crime of it! She held back a growl, her fingernails burying deeply into the rough palms of her hands as she watched him.

"Oh darling, isn't it beautiful?"

Sarah shrunk back again, her breath catching in her throat at the closeness of the voice. It was high pitched and mellowed, like the gentle mewling of a newborn bobcat. She'd never heard a voice quite like it. It was joined by another voice, and then another, and finally a fourth.

"Don't wander too far, Sybil."

"I won't, Mary."

"Is it was you expected, mama?"

"I'm not sure what I expected... But your father was right, its nothing at all like home."

"I think it's wonderful."

"You would! I still think we ought to have stayed on the ship until the wall was up..."

"Oh Edith, you're such a bore. I couldn't stand to be on that ship for a second longer."

"But there are savages out here, Mary. Didn't you hear papa?"

"Savages?"

"Yes, savages, Sybil! Uncivilised, barbaric people who eat each other and skin the likes of us alive!"

"Oh Edith, stop scaring her! Pay no attention Sybil darling..."

"It's true! I heard Papa talking about them with Matthew and Carlisle!"

"Enough, Edith! Go back and see if your father requires any help!"

There came a crunching of the pebbles as one of the voices took me off across the beach, presumably to joins its father.

"Are there really savages, mama?"

"I don't know darling, but not to worry. They won't be as bad as what Edith says... She reads too many novels. And we'll be safe behind the wall when the men get it up, won't we? Now come, your Papa will be worrying about where we've gotten to."

Sarah held her breath, her hunters instinct telling her to remain motionless. There was, however, a curiosity nagging at her, willing her to peer around the tree she was using as a cloak. She did so, and her eyes fell upon the owner of the first and more mature voice. Taller than herself, and dressed in such long, oddly coloured material that stretched from her shoulders to the ground. Sarah could see how the rim of the gown had dulled against the dirt of the pebbles as the woman had moved across the beach. Her hair was so neatly styled and pulled back into a strange shape on her head, protected by a hat of the same colour as her dress. Her skin seemed so untouched and pure, like a soft piece of lone cloud in the sky. She held herself in a way Sarah had never seen a woman do, so stiff and statue like. She looked as though she could break so easily, as if a strong gust of wind could simply blow her to pieces. Sarah watched as the two younger women moved ahead, arms linked and chattering about something or other that Sarah could not understand. Her eyes were drawn back to the tallest woman who had stopped as she watched her daughters leave. There was a tiny smile on her tender face, and Sarah frowned in confusion. Then, the woman turned around, and Sarah had to retreat behind the safety of the tree. She tightened her grip on the gnarled bark, willing for the woman to follow the others across the beach. That curious feeling stabbed at her, however, and for a second she considered whether or not to reveal herself to this strangely beautiful person.

_Sarah, what are you doing?!_

A flutter of panic moved across her chest. What was she thinking? How could she even think of showing herself to this woman? What had come over her? Perhaps this woman was a temptress, perhaps she held some strange magic that drew people to her? The tightening of her abdomen when she looked at this woman could be proof of this, and Sarah shook her head in annoyance. There was another, final crunch, and the woman glided away from her and back across the beach.

Sarah remained still for a moment, the thumping of her heart loud in her ears as her chest clenched uncomfortably. The woman's delicate face swam in front of her through the forest, and even when she blinked, she was there in her head, smiling gently. She clenched her hands and used her fists to push herself up onto her feet. She had to get back to the village, back to her people. They had to know about these strange people and their strange clothes and their strange tones. She flinched as a sharp bang suddenly went through the air, followed by loud voices echoing across the beach. She turned to look over the canopy to see a small, dark cloud flying into the air and disappearing as it climbed. A cold shadow rippled over her as she watched, and she turned to set off into the darkness of the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

The news of the strangers spread through the village like an unforgiving wind, seeping into every tent like an unwelcome, but curious, mist. The first emotion was curiosity... Who were these people? Why where they here? Then the fear began to set in when stories of near captures and escapes went spiralling from mouth to mouth. All untrue, of course, for no contact had been made at all. The closest of the villagers to meet a stranger was probably her when she first discovered them on the beach.

The stories, however false, were enough to make Carson call an emergency gathering one evening after a rather disturbing story involving a 'stick of lightning' spread through the camp.

"No one is to approach these men," Carson had boomed from the elders circle. Elsie and Beryl, the village potion woman, joined his side. "No one is to journey North into the forest. Our hunters will be patrolling the area, anyone caught attempting to reach the beach will be punished." His dark eyes had flickered to group of people at the back of the gathering. Sarah met his gaze from the shadow of the crowd and he gave a small nod, but it was Bates who returned the gesture. There he stood, staff in hand. She held back a dark glare to the back of his head, and instead dropped her gaze to the floor.

Bates. He stood with his walking stick, slightly hunched with age at the head of the group of hunters. He'd once been a fine hunter, not the best in Sarah's honest opinion, but decent enough. He'd been injured in battle, took a spear to the thigh or something, Sarah wasn't sure, and so he'd retired quite young. It was during this time he'd married Anna, the medicine woman who dealt with injuries and illness. Bates had been voted in as the lead hunter, something Sarah had never understood. He was in charge of them, managed them, controlled them... And yet he was unable to join them on hunts, unable to ride into battle, unable to hardly walk! He'd been chosen because of his age and supposed experience. Sarah could count many battles and hunts that herself, Thomas and Branson had experienced that Bates hadn't! She clenched her first behind her back. Of course, she'd voiced this to Carson, who had smiled knowingly at her.

"There is a reason for everything, Sarah. The spirits work in their own way."

The gathering ended, and the village went on as usual. The hunters received their orders, and off they went on their patrols on the edge of the forest. It didn't stay the edge of the forest for long, though. Within days of the strangers landing, they desecrated an entire area of woodland. So much so, it was unrecognisable when Sarah came across it one morning while on duty. Trees stumps littered the land, pieces of canopy lay thrown aside and piles of earth had been dumped unceremoniously along the beach. The skeleton of a huge wooden wall had been constructed in the now destroyed area, and they were forced to cut their patrols backwards as the strangers expanded further and deeper into the forest.

Sarah took to alternating her routes up and down. In some areas she climbed the ancient trees, spying on the strangers from the heights of their branches, and other times using their shadows to prowl the ground. She was kept busy with the extra work, and yet her mind continued to wander to the beautiful woman with the beautiful skin. Even when she retired after her patrol, the woman's face would be there, that small smile curling on her delicate lips. She found herself searching between the newly constructed wooden posts for a sign of the raven hair, the snow colour skin. It was a dreary morning, many weeks later, however, that she was to see the woman next.

The air was moist, damp, with a slight prick of cold in the air. There was a thick morning dew on the ground, and the sun was hidden behind a sky of dull grey. Sarah had been moving silently on the ground, her eyes scanning between the fogged trees. The patrols had retreated deeper inwards than before, and the tension in the camp had caused Sarah to value these moments alone in the forest. So far the strangers kept to themselves, and apart from destroying a huge part of the forest, they seemed to be no trouble at all. Her thoughts were interrupted as she moved on by a low humming noise coming from just ahead of her. She crouched instinctively, clutching her spear tightly and moving into the shadows of the trees. The humming become louder as she moved forward carefully, her senses alight and alert. If took her only a few seconds to lay eyes on the source of the noise, and she felt the familiar tightening of her abdomen.

She was stooped over, seemingly admiring the wild flowers that Sarah was so used to seeing. Their beauty did not go unnoticed by her, however in the dull morning mist they were humble in their appearance. It was during mid spring, in the early morning sunshine that they were at their most beautiful. Sarah settled herself in the shadow, narrowing her eyes as she watched the woman carefully. She continued to hum, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching her from the trees. The woman extended her hand, running a pale, almost glowing finger across the cold, damp petals of one of the flowers. A few drops of moisture fell into the earth, and Sarah watched as the woman gently stood, her eyes raking the forest floor. She was alone, from what Sarah could see, and unless she had a weapon stowed away under the huge garment, she was completely vulnerable. Sarah frowned. Was she so foolish that she would walk the woodland of a strange land alone and without a weapon to defend herself? She felt a sudden need to protect her, to please her. She wished she could could tell the woman about the flowers, about how much more beautiful they were in the sunlight. Sarah couldn't suppress the tiny smile that appeared on her lips as she watched the woman admire the area, running her long, tender fingers across the gnarled bark of the trees and crouching in her massive dress to feel the moist flowers. She continued to watch the woman circle the area, stepping back quickly a few times when she turned absentmindedly in her direction. It was during one of these turns that Sarah's mouth couldn't help but fall agape in awe. The mist surrounded the woman, and even in the dullness, the morning sunlight radiated from it, casting a low glow around her as she turned. Their eyes met through the dew, and everything suddenly stilled. Sarah could see every single particle in the air, she could see every drop of moisture around her, every line of her face, every blink of her eyes, every hair held in place.

But the woman's expression changed, and her arms dropped to her side as a tiny gasp left her lips. Sarah was frozen, her mind working over time to catch up to the reality of the situation. _Run, run, run!_ Carson had warned her of talking too these people, he had strictly forbidden them to approach these men! _But this woman is not a man..._ Technically she wasn't breaking his word. Sarah readied herself to run, readied herself to make a quick escape, but something halted her, and she stayed rooted to the spot.

The woman gazed at her in wonder, her hands unconsciously pulling at the material of her dress. The two women seemed to be frozen for a moment, and Sarah shyly half moved behind the tree, keeping one eye on the woman who now looked a little more relaxed as the minutes passed in silence, and Sarah remained ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger.

"... Hello?"

The woman's voice cut through the silence of the forest like an arrow, hitting Sarah square in the chest. Her tone was soft, gentle, tender, the most soothing voice Sarah had ever had come to her ears. The tightening of her abdomen was forgotten as her sharp eyes raked over the woman's face. Her eyes took Sarah into the heights of summer at midday, the sun the only thing alive in the blue of the sky, and she was filled with a warmth as she studied them. There were creases around them, allowing Sarah to guess this woman was a little older than herself. The lines around her mouth deepened as her lips curled into a small smile, and she cocked her head in curiosity. The atmosphere was tense as both women weighed the other one up, both pairs of eyes making quick assessments of any threats. Sarah stood carefully, keeping a hand securely on the trunk of the tree and keeping herself ready to move. She could see the other woman watching her carefully, and she drew an arm defensively across her chest. There was a hint of fear behind the smile, and Sarah, ever the huntress, detected the sudden change in the strangers posture. The last thing she wanted was to spook the woman away, and so she glanced to the wildflowers the woman had been admiring earlier. Carefully, she moved towards them, keeping a close eye on the woman's face for any sign she may suddenly run off screaming. She did nothing of the sort, and as Sarah crouched to scoop a single flower from the ground, she simply turned and watched her, the fear in her expression faltering. Sarah extended the flower slowly, watching carefully as the woman took it from her. Their fingertips met briefly during the exchange, and the woman's smile grew stronger.

"Thank you..." Her voice was softer this time, gentle against Sarah's ears. She couldn't help but offer a small smile in return.

"What's your name?"

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but before she could usher a single word, there came another voice from behind the trees.

"Cora?"

And without a single heart beat passing, Sarah had gone, crouched defensively as she sunk back into the shadows of the forest.

"No, wait!"

"Cora? Where are you?"

Sarah dare not look back. The voice of the other had broken the spell both women were in, and she had plummeted back to earth forcefully.

"Ah, there you are darling... Who were you talking to?"

There was a pause.

"Oh no one, dear... I was just admiring these flowers. Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Mm... I wish you wouldn't wander off, you'll give Matthew a heart attack." The two voices disappeared, and Sarah ran as fast as her experienced feet would carry her.


End file.

Downton Abbey, Adventure, Romance