Chapter 1: Reunion

"Damn they didn't even leave us a light." Holliday curses. As we are faced with the imposing concrete wall and locked gate of the compound. His blond hair and buckskins are looking a 'mite' tattered with all the travel he has done before he caught up to us.

"It's 3 in the morning, Holliday." Diana say as she shakes her pretty plain brown head at her fellow Protector. "You're impossible." He has been nothing but a silly loud mouth baby for the last day.

Diana is looking none to great either, as her raggedy her travel cloak is muddied and torn on the hem. Her shirt and buckskin trousers are stained with sweat and mud. The persistent mud that has followed the rains of the last month.

"Will they let us in?" Alys, our young charge asks, worry making her scrunch her brow.

She, on the other hand, is looking tired yet radiant with the prospect of new love. For 4 days Diana and I have had to endure her and Holliday being cute and sweet to one another. Lucky for us Alys is not likely to let anything physical happen between them. Yet.

"I am sure we can get some one on watch to open up," I look over the gate and the wall with a critical eye. Do I have it in me to scale the wall at this time, I sigh and take a deep breath, but before a I can move Diana bellows up to the gate house.

"Hello up there!" She yells, stalling any ideas of mine to be sneaky.

We only have to wait a minute before someone comes running along the wall.

"Who the hell is that?" A voice yells back down at us.

"Diana the huntress you fool!," she yells back.

"What?!" he yell in shocked surprise.

"And Holliday." Holliday adds. "Get this gate open, Galahad." he identifies the Protector.

"Galahad?" it is Diana's turn to sound shocked. "They must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel to let you be a Knight Protector."

"I can still leave you out there for the night, Diana," the young Protector warns her.

"Knock it off." I finally enter the fray. "We are tired and hungry and have news, Sir knight, do us the curtseys of showing us some hospitality."

"Who the hell is with you?" Galahad says as he comes down to ground level and takes in the four travelers.

"Chronos and Alys," Diana answers. "did Catherine make it back?" She asks as well.

"Yeah, she has been here for almost a week." Galahad answers and then turns around and asks in bewildered voice. "What the hell did you two do while you were out there?"

"Door, Now!" I bite out a command at the young Knight.

"Oh right," he disappears from view.

There is some noise like chains rattling and the gate slowly creaks upward. The four of us sigh in relief when we can walk through and are safely on the inside of the Compound. The gate comes down behind us. we don't even flinch at the loud and final crash it makes.

"I am so going to get into trouble for this, aren't I?" Galahad says as he comes out of the gate house towards us.

He is shaking his head in disgust at his own stupidity. He is a well build young man, like all the Protectors. I am shocked at how feminine he looks for such a deep voice. His hair is long enough to touch his shoulders. I can't make out the color in the darkness, but it has a slight wave to it. He also has very broad shoulders for some one of his build.

"So you are Chronos," Galahad looks me over as I finish up my perusal of him. I roll my eyes, everyone around here seems to make a big deal about my strange habits.

"like the hair, a very Animie look," he nods his approval.

Now it is my turn to be shocked. So far no one has known what I was talking about.

"Thanks kid," I mutter back to him. "We will back you up if Napoleon gives you trouble," I say, letting him know that his help would not be in vain.

"That's right," Holliday chimes in. "but next time. Get your senior and find out if we are supposed to be here. we could have been part of a trap to get you to open the gate."

"Oh Holliday don't say that," Alys shrinks against his side. "I am starting to feel safe here."

"Not to worry, Honey." Holliday hugs her close and brushes her brow with a kiss. "I'll keep you safe."

"I think I am going to be sick," I grin at them. I have had all I can take of the lovers. I want my own. "I am going to check in with Nimrod and Saul then get a bath." I tell my traveling companions.

"Good idea." Diana has the same long suffering look on her face that I do. "Come on Alys, lets find you a bunk in the dorm."

She gently pries Alys away from Holliday, who has the look of puppy dog whose master is taking him to the vet for the first time. He doesn't want to be parted but knows that it has to happen.

"I guess I'll just mosey over to the bath house and have me a good wash down," Holliday gives Alys a smile.