"So, let me make sure I have this correct." Manfred crossed his arms and raised a brow at Aetius. "You brought home another time traveler, and one of the other teams brought Hortensia of Rome? You do realize we're trying to fix the time line, not mess it up more, right?"

Aetius glared at him. "First of all, Lucia wasn't supposed to be in that time period in the first place. We're lucky her presence didn't mess anything up worse than it already was. Second of all, I had nothing to do with bringing Hortensia here, so you can't yell at me."

Shaking his head, Manfred stalked back to the time machine's hub. "Aetius, what am I supposed to do with two more people?"

"Utilize them. Some of the other teams also ended up with people from other empires. Listen, Manfred. We need all the help we can get to fix this disaster. We already lost Esther in the escape from Egypt. Nefertiti and Akhenaten won't say what happened, but if we keep losing people, we're going to have to supplement it somehow." Aetius flopped into a chair across from Manfred, the hub nestled between them. "And we both know that the people from this time period will be of no help since they can't remember anything." He stared at Manfred through the blue, glowing holos and the glass screens of the hub.

"I know that." Manfred ran his hands through his hair. "So what do you want me to do? Kidnap more people from their time lines to make sure we don't run out of people to fix this mess?"

"No. But if it happens, it happens. Lucia, at least, belongs in this time period, so we didn't mess anything up by bringing her back here."

Manfred shook his head and blew out a long breath. "Fine. Gather them all together. The time machine's hub has given me the next set of locations."

"Where to this time?"

"Medieval kingdoms. God only knows what's messed up there." Manfred rubbed his temples.

"Will you go with us this time?" Aetius crossed his arms.

Manfred nodded. "While you were out, I took the opportunity to ask Kenneth a few more questions and to read the manual for this thing a little more closely. I discovered a way for you all to have the machine return you when you're ready to return. You can call a machine and then manually send yourselves home." He bit his lip. "Of course... We only have two machines, so everyone will have to wait their turns since the machine works on a queue basis. So, if the team to France needs it and calls for it, but the team from England already has it, then the French team has to wait until the machine drops off the English team back here."

Aetius frowned. "That could be bad."

"Exactly. But it's better than having to leave one person back here. Besides, that's what other teams had to deal with when your team and the team from Egypt had the machines. This is just going to be a little different since no one team will have a machine. They all automatically return here until the signal is sent from one of the travelers." Manfred rubbed his hands together and sucked in a deep breath. "Well, you going to go call them?"

Aetius pushed himself up out of his chair. "Yes, sir. I'll be right back with everyone."

***

Aetius returned with the other museum occupants, the newest members in tow beside him. Lucia strode at his side, chin up and gaze defiant. She'd shed the shy, winsome display as soon as she'd told him who she really was. I find, oddly enough, that I appreciate that. The shyness was endearing, but her natural boldness is much more enthralling.

He stood aside to let Manfred examine the motley group as they filed into the control room where the time machine's hub stood. "I've brought them, Manfred."

Manfred stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes as his gaze fell on Lucia.

She raised a brow, tipping her head to the side and glaring back. "You have a problem with me, Richthofen?"

Manfred coughed into a gloved hand. "Should I?"

"I dunno. You're the one giving me the stink eye." She smirked.

Aetius sidled up to her, laying a hand on her arm. "Lucia, perhaps you ought to avoid starting a—"

"I've got this under control, Aetius." Lucia pushed past him and marched up to the control panel. Fingers trailing over the panel's instruments, she shook her head. "Such beautiful machinery. Shame you don't how to use it, Mr."

"I beg your pardon?" Manfred stood behind her and clasped his hands behind his back.

"You don't know how to use it." She whirled to face him, placing the heels of her palms on the rim of the paneling. "But that's alright. Good news is, I do."

"I suppose you have a price to demand for your help." Manfred crossed his arms.

"Smart man. I do." Lucia leaned the small of her back against the machine's hub.

"Well, out with it. What do you demand in return?" Manfred waved a hand. "I haven't got all day."

"True enough. I want to stay here. Not much in return for my help, now is it?"

Manfred raised a brow. "All you want is room and board?"

Lucia nodded, darting a glance at Aetius and licking her lips. "Like I said, Mr. Not much to ask."

Aetius smiled at her.

"Very well." Manfred spun on his heel to face the group, and Aetius saw the pain flicker over his features as his gaze scanned the crowded room.

He was a soldier too. Each death must weigh on him as if each of those in this group who perished was one of his men...Aetius sucked in a breath. I know the feeling.

"Any of you who are new are welcome to stay here as long as you wish or as long as we can provide sanctuary. But if you do stay, you will be required to help us in our mission to restore the time line. It shouldn't be too much to ask. Especially considering that if we fail, you too may cease to exist." Manfred walked to the hub and settled into his chair. "Now... These machines have a feature that I believe will be quite useful. I will assign leaders for your teams, and each leader will have the responsibility to hold onto the device that will call one of our two machines to you."

A buzz of conversation broke out around the room.

Manfred raised a hand. "Silence! Let me finish explaining please."

Silence fell over the room, and Manfred explained the plan to them all.

***

"So, where is this thing sending us?" Arnold strode up to where Manfred and In-Sook stood at the center of the machine.

"England the day before the Battle of Fulford on September twentieth, 1066 AD." Manfred pursed his lips. "And let's pray whatever we encounter there isn't hard to fix. We arrive in maybe fifteen minutes more." He glanced to the left where Aetius and Lucia were talking while Medekhgui took a nap.

"What's the plan for figuring out the issue then, captain?" Arnold raised a brow.

Manfred narrowed his eyes. "Is that irritation I detect, Arnold?"

"Certainly not."

Liar. "Good. Dissension could get us all killed." Manfred turned his gaze back to Arnold.

"Understood. I think I'll go rest with the others."

Manfred shrugged. "Do as you wish."

When he'd left, In-Sook tugged on his jacket. "Manfred?"

He looked down at her, glad they'd finally gotten her an earpiece of her own so that she could understand and communicate better. "Yes, In-Sook?"

"What happened at the Battle of Hastings?"

Manfred collapsed into the pilot's seat with a sigh. "It was a disaster for King Harold Godwinson of England. He lost his life on the battlefield, fighting William, Duke of Normandy. The power struggle occurred because King Edward the Confessor died childless and with several claimants to his throne. Two of the four claimants to the throne—Tostig and Norwegian King Harald Hardrada—lost their lives in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, but the fight significantly weakened Godwinson's forces."

"So what happened then?"

"He found out William was holing up at Pevensey and Hastings, so he went marching through the countryside, amassing men as he went. Sadly, he only had about seven-thousand men to William's ten-thousand when the two armies clashed." Manfred sucked in a deep breath. "Let us hope no one loses their lives in this particular conquest, shall we?"

In-Sook gave him a vigorous nod and bit her lip. "I hope not."

"Well, we've almost arrived. Did Medekhgui give you the clothes I told him to pass out?" Manfred stood and dug through a compartment beside his chair. He pulled out a tunic and a pair of trousers, boots, and a belt. The final item he removed from the compartment was an English spear.

"I got the clothes. Do you know how to use that, Manfred?" In-Sook pointed at the eight-foot pole with the spear-head on the tip.

Manfred shrugged, hoisting it in his hand to test the weight. "No idea. But it can't be much harder than using a quarter staff. Just longer... And pointed on one end."

In-Sook pursed her lips and turned to the compartment by the control panel where she'd stored her clothing. "I see. Well, I must change. Have you any place for us to do that?"

Manfred snorted. "No. But we'll let you and Lucia change first. I'll make sure the men all keep their backs turned. I promise they'll regret doing otherwise should they attempt to."

In-Sook shrugged and turned her gaze to Medekhgui, Arnold, and the other two men they'd brought with them. "It doesn't matter. It is their hands I fear, not their eyes."

Manfred frowned. "Why do you fear them at all?"

She turned her attention back to him, her lips twisting into a sardonic smirk. "Because hands just like theirs have been the cause of so much of my suffering. If you knew..." She stalked up to him in slow measured paces. "If you knew what has been done to me... What I have allowed men to do to me just so I could survive... You would not see a fifteen-year-old girl. You would see a broken woman. I only hope you and these men here have more honor than the men I have known in my time."

Bile burned the back of his throat as her words sunk in. "In-Sook, I vow no man will force himself on you in that manner if I have any say in the matter."

She turned her head away from him, swallowing hard. "Really?"

How many men bruised and broke that fragile body of hers? How many times did they listen to her scream and cry with no pity? His jaw clenched. Did she even cry out for mercy, or did that hidden grit of hers keep her silent as they pleasured themselves in her pain? He reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder then thought better of it and held himself back. "My word is my bond. So, yes. I will do all I can to protect you."

"If that is so, then thank you. But I won't pin my hopes on it." She clutched the bundle of clothing to her chest and strode to the corner where Lucia and Aetius sat.

Manfred watched her draw the other girl away and then tore his eyes away as he rounded up the other men. When they'd gathered by him, he waved to the girls. "They need privacy to dress. If I catch any of you looking, you'll lose your eyes. Understood?"

The men nodded with wary glances at him, but they turned their backs without protest.

***

As it turned out, the time machine dropped them off in Fordland on the edge of the swamp land. This would've been a stroke of luck, as it placed the group close to the place where the two armies were to clash the next day. However, the location was in plain sight of the fight, and unfortunately for the group, the battle was already in full swing.

"What the hell is going on, Richthofen?" Arnold knelt beside him in the muddy, swampy grass at the edge of the swamps.

Manfred glanced at him then turned his attention back to the battle. "I don't know. It wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow. This probably means the entire time table has moved up."

"By one day. Surely that isn't so terrible." Medekhgui crouched on Manfred's other side.

"No, certainly no problem." Manfred shot Medekhgui a tight smile. "Except that it could mean more men gathered into King Harold's army, and it could mean tipping the balance in the war."

"But it's just one day, Manfred. How could it—"

Manfred cut Medekhgui off with a wave of his hand. "Save it. We don't know what this will do, so to be safe, we are going to have to try and put the time table back on schedule."

"What are they using on Edwin's side? Doesn't look quite right." Arnold pointed to the men on Edwin's side. "And why do they have archers at all? They were not supposed to."

"I don't know. But they are using longbows." Manfred squinted at the archers as they mowed down as many of the oncoming Norwegians as they could. "Those don't exist in this time period..."

"Exactly the problem." Arnold peered at the battle over the log. "They will massacre the Norwegians so long as the Anglo-Saxons can protect their archers. See..." He pointed at the Norwegian side. "Harald did not bring any archers to this fight."

"What happens if they win here? They will not fight the Battle of Stamford Bridge. And if King Godwinson does not have to force march there to fight King Harald Hardrada it could tip the Battle of Hastings in his favor." Manfred sucked in a breath. "Arnold, if they win the Battle of Hastings, who knows what will happen to the time line."

"What do we do?" Arnold glanced at Manfred.

Manfred met his gaze and held it. "We have to find a way to make Edwin and Morcar lose this battle like they are supposed to."

***

After finding a safer place to hide in the swamp's unstable depths, the group set to discussing the battle.

"We cannot turn the battle back on Edwin and Morcar! You'll be responsible for a massacre, Manfred!" Arnold waved a hand in the direction of the battle.

Screams of men dying and the thunder of battle met the ears of the travelers.

"And I am telling you we cannot just let them win like this!" Manfred stood chest to chest with Arnold, his cheeks reddening. "We cannot because they were supposed to all die anyway, Arnold!"

Arnold's voice rose. "It does not mean it has to happen this way now. We just have to get rid of the bows before they can use them in the Battle of Hastings."

"Did you hear anything I said earlier about that?" Manfred's pitch escalated, and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Yes, and I do not think you are right. Surely a few more men will not make a difference in the battle."

"Arnold, have you no sense?" Manfred shoved Arnold, his breathing harsh and ragged. "If he has more men and they are not all worn out, there's a good chance Godwinson will win!"

"Don't you dare act like I am the fool here!" Arnold's voice had risen to a shout, and his face deepened to a cherry tomato red. "I know full well the difference rest makes! And I am telling you there is so much stacked against him if the histories speak the truth that he cannot win even if he is well rested."

"We cannot bank on that!" Manfred shouted back. "If you are wrong, we will have screwed the time line up even more, and who knows what that will mean? We will not be able to fix it, Arnold!"

"You think I am unaware of that, you uptight piece of trash?"

The rest of the group watched the fight unfolding with wide eyes and trembling hands. No one stepped in to stop the two, and Manfred barely spared them a glance before he lit into Arnold. "You fool! We have no time to argue about this. By the time you are done waffling about it, the battle will have been won. By Edwin and Morcar, not the Norwegians. I am not going to let that happen!"

"What do you think they have to say?" Arnold jabbed a finger at the group watching. "You think they are going to risk their lives for your hare-brained scheme?"

"Arnold, not another word!" Manfred grabbed the front of Arnold's tunic. "We are all risking our lives here, and all of them know that. If we do not fix this, we might not even exist anymore."

The group shuffled about, no one daring to get in the way of the fight.

"You have not even bothered asking. I say, none of us are helping you with this idiotic pursuit. You are on your own!" Arnold grabbed Manfred's wrist, glaring at him.

"I think not!" Manfred turned to the group watching them. "Well, whoever is siding with me can go stand on the left. Anyone who thinks Arnold's moronic idea bears merit can stand on the right."

The group didn't move.

"See. They're just afraid of you, but none of them actually want to follow you."

Lucia stepped up to Arnold, hands on hips. "You're a fool, Benedict Arnold. Manfred's right. This is the only way to ensure we fix what's wrong here."

Arnold sneered at her. "What would you know, woman?"

Lucia's chin tipped up, and a glint shone in her eyes. Then she lashed out, raking her nails across his face. "Say that again, you chauvinistic pig!"

"You are just a woman. You do not know—"

She slapped him again, digging her nails in deeper this time. "Want to finish that sentence, Mr.? I guarantee I'll mess up your ugly face even more than it was the day you were born."

"You would not dare." Arnold wiped the blood off his cheek and snarled at her.

"Learn to realize when you've been outmaneuvered, Arnold." Lucia turned her back as Manfred released the incensed man.

Arnold screeched and flung himself at her. He struck her in the back, taking the two of them to the ground. Lucia snarled and flipped him over so that his back squelched into the mud. "You've just made your last mistake for now, Benedict Arnold." Her fist slammed into his nose.

He sucked in a deep breath then coughed as the blood from his injured nose went down the wrong way.

"Still think a girl knows nothing about fighting?" She rammed her other fist into his temple. "Might want to amend that opinion. Lights out, Mr." Her next blow clocked him in the jaw, and his eyes rolled back as he passed out.

Standing up, Lucia tried to wipe the mud off the front of her dress. "Well then... Now that the court fool is out of the picture, shall we?" She waved to the tree line with a flourish and a clumsy curtsy.

Manfred shook his head, staring at the unconscious man. "I can hardly believe— But no... It doesn't matter... But we need plan before we go barging into the middle of a battle."

"If I may suggest something... We brought the guns and tasers, yes?" Lucia smirked, wiping her muddy hands on her skirts.

Manfred narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, we've got plenty of supplies to make a giant mess of things then, haven't we?" Her smirk morphed into a grin.

"Err... Well, yes, I suppose so."

"Good. Let's hop to it then." She marched in the direction of the supply stash they'd hidden on more solid ground.

***

"Aim for the longbows. We have to break them. Let's hope they're just prototypes that Edwin and Morcar are testing." Lucia handed out the guns. "If anyone gets too close, taser them the rest of you."

Manfred, Aetius, and Josef stood with the guns in position, ready to fire. Lucia gave Aetius a critical look and pursed her lips. It'll have to do. I just hope he'll be able to hit something with that despite the lack of practice. No one else here's going to be any good with it.

She glanced over at Medekhgui and Jackson, who wore the colors of the Norwegians—courtesy of the museum. Thank God for Richthofen. The man's a genius at planning.

"You two know what you're doing?" She paced in front of Medekhgui and Jackson, glancing at the battlefield every so often. They'd need to act fast. The longbows were making this battlefield a massacre of the Norwegians. Literally... Almost no casualties on the Anglo-Saxon side yet.

"Yes, we do." Medekhgui looked at Jackson. "We're going to go in and get up close and personal with them."

Lucia almost laughed at hearing the words he'd said. He'd mimicked her words for what they were doing. "Yes, exactly. You two comfortable with the weapons I gave you?"

Jackson looked at his sword. "I've got the general idea."

Medekhgui looked down at the mace. "It's basically a giant club that's on a chain, lady. I know what I'm doing."

Lucia laughed at that. "Good. Go on then. Go make a mess, would you?"

The two saluted her and ran for the chaos.

Turning back to the three with guns, she nodded. "Alright. Time for you three to start breaking some things. Try not to break anyone, but if you hit the archers, I won't lose any sleep. They were supposed to die anyway. And they weren't supposed to have the longbow for quite a while longer."

The men nodded, their lips pressing into thin lines.

The things we do to fix the disasters other people cause. Lucia shook her head and picked up her own gun. "Commence firing, then."

***

Screams and cries rang over the field. The Norwegians had begun turning the tide of the battle, forcing the Anglo-Saxon armies into the swamp area. Lucia and the others had found their position overrun. Abandoning their guns, the four snipers began laying about them with the knives and swords they'd armed themselves with.

Lucia ripped into Edwin's army with a vicious smile. Steel flashed, and she buried her knife in the chink between a soldier's armor. The weak points, she'd discovered, were in the underarm area and the neck. Jamming a blade through the eye slits was effective too, as she'd learned. Of course, you've got to get close enough to take advantage of that, and with their long blades, that's quite a feat. Sweat trickled down her back, and she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

A blade whipped through the air, aiming to slice into her shoulder. She crouched, narrowly evading the swing. With a scream, she launched herself up into the man who'd taken a swing at her. Her dagger buried in his knee as she unbalanced him and threw him to the ground. They landed hard, her extra weight knocking the wind out of the man.

As he lay there wheezing, she yanked her dagger out of the side of his knee and rammed it into the side of his throat instead. He gurgled, scrabbling at her hands with his gloved ones. His eyes glared at her from the eye slits of his helmet, and he tried to speak. Instead, he choked on the blood.

Lucia tore her blade out of him and left him on the ground, his blood spilling out into the blood-soaked soil beneath him. The space around her had cleared of fighting for the moment, so she took the time to breath and search the battlefield for Aetius. Please... Be alive. I don't want you to die like so many did in the last mission. Hearing the numbers of people who had died in those trips had rattled her. A fresh reminder of how fleeting life is. She sucked in a breath as her eyes landed on Aetius, who was whipping through the soldiers with his blade as though he were cutting cheese. Shaking her head, she plunged back into battle. He'll be fine. After all, he was a Roman centurion during the fall of Western Rome. He knows what he's doing.

She barreled into another soldier's back, taking him down before he had the chance to flee. Looking at the fancy state of his armor and the coat of arms emblazoned on the tunic over his armor, Lucia's eyes widened. "Who are you?" She slammed her knife into his wrist between his glove and his armor, piercing straight through the chainmail, and then she sat on his chest to keep him from going anywhere.

The man screeched, his eyes flying to his now useless sword hand.

"Who are you?"

He bared his teeth at her. "What does it matter to you, wench?"

"If you tell me, I might make this quick."

"You had best make it quick no matter what. My personal guards will be on you in a moment."

Lucia laughed. "That's nice. So, which one are you? Edwin or Morcar?"

He snarled. "It matters not! Perhaps I will have them arrest you instead and torture you when we win this battle, Norwegian scum."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, you're right on one thing. Edwin or Morcar, it matters not. You're still just as dead."

Unsheathing a second knife, she slammed it into his eye, twisting it as she did. The noble let out a single screech before going limp. Removing the knife from his wrist, she stood and stared down the soldiers running toward her.

The lead soldier stared at his fallen leader with wide-eyed terror. "The witch has killed Edwin!" His scream seemed to soar over the other noises of battle.

Men nearby turned to look, and one man shoved through the fighting to rush toward her. "How dare you?"

She smiled and turned around to run. Well, if this doesn't turn the tide of the battle, I don't know what will. A quick glance around the battlefield told her that they'd succeeded in destroying almost all the longbows. Men were picking up crossbows and the self bow—a bow of inferior make and low effectiveness.

Time to get out of here and wait for the battle to take its course.

The battlefield was strewn with so many bodies, Lucia had trouble running for the swamp where they'd agreed to meet. So many people dead. The massacre here will forever change history... The Norwegians might win, but many men died here who shouldn't have. She gritted her teeth. Many of the Norwegians died when they shouldn't have.

She listened to her pulse and the blood roaring through her head as she fled. Swords still collided in the heat of battle, and she knew it would go on for some time yet even though the Norwegians were winning. Why is it that men always seem to believe they can justify slaughters and massacres of other humans so long as it's under the guise of war?

She reached the swamp and plunged in, finding a tree to climb so she could continue watching the battle. Her stomach twisted as she climbed, and the true extent of the devastation unfurled before her eyes. Her lips pinched together. Bile stung the back of her throat, and she clung to the tree's rough bark, letting it dig into her hands so the pain could ground her. Humanity is full of such unspeakable cruelty.

***

"Lucia? Lucia, it's safe to come down from there now." Aetius craned his neck to look up at Lucia, who was perched in the tree, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.

His voice caught her attention, and she looked down at him. Her face was pale and dirtied in the moonlight, and she shook her head so slightly he almost missed it. "A-Aetius... Why?"

"Why what?" Seeing that she wasn't yet able to come down on her own, Aetius grabbed hold of the lower branches and began hauling himself into the tree where she sat.

"Why do people act like this slaughter is okay just because it's under the guise of war?" Her lower lip wobbled when he reached her and he took her hand in his.

"I don't know. But I do know that when it's kill or be killed, men do many unspeakable things."

"How do you stand it?" She looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "It was fine while I was fighting, but now... Now, I can't believe the girl that took out Edwin is me."

"Never killed before?"

She shook her head. "And you know what scares me?"

He squeezed her hand. "What?"

"It was easy. I didn't feel anything while I was doing it." Lucia pulled her hand away from his and began to climb down.

Aetius followed her with a sigh. "You're feeling something now. It's normal for you to be numb in a fight, Lucia."

"It doesn't feel normal." She dropped to the ground and leaned against the tree.

Aetius dropped down after her and wrapped her in his arms. "I promise it is, Lucia. Now, come on. We'd best join the others. Manfred is working out a strategy with everyone for keeping the Norwegian forces from reaching Stamford Bridge ahead of schedule."

Lucia rested her head against his chest with a slow exhale. "I'm tired, Aetius. Tired of fixing other people's screw-ups, and tired of traipsing about time and space."

He stroked her hair and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "I know, Lucia... I know."

She sucked in a breath and pulled away. "Well, let's go see what the plan is for the next battle. Two more to go before we get a break and go home."

Aetius laced his fingers through hers and tugged her in the direction of the camp.

"You all remember the plan, right?" Manfred looked around at the group of determined, weary faces just as Aetius and Lucia reached the camp.

Everyone nodded.

"Alright. So, Josef and Medekhgui are in charge of creating the road obstructions. The rest of you will help them with whatever they need. Aetius and I will keep an eye on the army to ensure we don't need to re-route for some reason." Manfred rubbed his temples. "Pray to God we don't have to do that because if we do, we're done for."

The rest of the group nodded. Aetius smiled at Lucia, hoping that she'd be able to stand under the pressure. She's strong. She can do this even if she doesn't know it yet. The group set to work at their respective tasks to ready the road block.

***

Hours later, the group had rebanded and ensconced themselves in the woods along the road to watch the show. The road-block, as it turned out, worked beautifully. The assortment of logs, trees, and brush forced the Norwegian forces to cease their steady march. The group watched, stifling laughter as the leaders—Tostig Godwinson and King Harald Hardrada—cursed at their men. Yelling at the working crew to go faster as they hacked at the road block, the two men leading the Norwegian forces rode up and down the lines, their horses antsy and unable to remain still for long.

"Worked like a charm," Manfred muttered.

"I'll say. You see how angry those two are?" Medekhgui held in a snicker. "Those people are going to take forever clearing that. I'd say it will probably take them the rest of today to finish. They will be at Stamford Bridge in five days."

Manfred smacked him in the back of the head. "Keep it down, would you? We are too close to the army to be making so much noise."

Medekhgui smirked, but he stayed quiet.

Aetius sidled up to Lucia, who was on Manfred's other side. "You alright?"

Lucia glanced over at him. Her eyes still held a glassy look, but her face wasn't as waxen under all the blood as it had been. "Not really. But I'm sure I will be."

He took her cold hand in his, wincing at the frozen state of her fingers. "You're freezing."

"I think the shock of everything is setting in." She shivered. "But I can't stop now. We've got to see this through."

Aetius nodded, squeezing her hands between his and rubbing them to bring back some warmth. "It will be fine, Lucia. I promise you. That massacre you saw back there... Well, I cannot promise we won't see similar things very soon because from what I understand of what Manfred has said, this will be a bloodbath. But I can promise I'll do what I can to keep you safe."

"You can't protect my mind from the horrors I've witnessed or the atrocities I've committed." Lucia looked back to the men who were struggling with the barrier. "And the Battle of Fulford isn't the last time I'll kill. This bloodshed won't end until everything is righted. But by then..." She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "By then, it might be too late for me."

***

The group moved through the shadows under the trees, heading toward Caldbec Hill where the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons would clash. The Battle of Stamford Bridge had gone ahead as planned, leaving King Harold Godwinson's men in a weakened, battered state. They'd followed along with Harold's men as they marched quickly toward Hastings where William had camped, and, according to the reports Harold had received, had built a fort from which he could raid the surrounding area.

So far, everything was going according to plan. The companions could only pray it would continue to do so. No one smiled or spoke. The impending doom that lay ahead for Harold's troops stifled any excitement they felt at witnessing such a monumental event in history. Instead, they could only reflect upon the loss of life that would occur in a few short hours.

It was now seven in the morning. The two forces were fated to clash at nine this morning. The battle itself would rage from nine a.m. to dusk the same day. And toward the end of the battle, after many others had also lost their lives, Harold would perish along with his brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine. The two would lead the pursuit when the Normans, confused by a rumor that William had perished, began to flee in earnest. But only time would tell if all would go according to the plan.

***

At nine a.m., the battle began. Manfred and the others had managed to sneak into the ranks of the Normans, abandoning Harold's forces before they reached their final destination. They mingled with the men, listening to the talk going on surrounding the upcoming battle.

Two men nearby strapped on their armor as they spoke.

"Not a chance we shall lose. Not with the Duke of Normandy and the Feriers men fighting for us."

The other man bellowed a laugh. "That Guelchelme de Feriers and his son Henry... Those two are a force to be reckoned with for certain. The Duke of Normandy does not favor him for no reason, that is certain."

Manfred eyed the two men as they were talking.

"You think they'll use a shield wall like they've done in other battles?" The first man finished strapping on his armor and motioned to a page to help him onto his war horse.

His companion finished up with his armor and also mounted the great black Carrossier Norman he'd been provided. "More than likely. News has it that Harold is shoring up at Caldbec Hill. He is going for defensive, and the man's not got a leg to stand on. We all know it. He knows it too, I'd wager."

"I daresay he does. They are saying he has only seven-thousand men, and most of 'em are infantry. I cannot wait to see their faces when they see us bearing down on them mounted and carrying these things." He raised his lance with a laugh. "You think they will run and cry like women?"

Manfred shook his head and motioned for the group to follow him further into the camp. "No wonder no one likes Duke William. His men are cads."

The group stared around them, not paying any heed to his words. He sighed. I hope I can get them all out of here alive.

***

Aetius and Lucia ended up separated from the rest of the group when the battle began. They found themselves in the Breton battle of the three battles in which Duke William arranged his forces. They'd heard some soldiers saying that Alan the Red was the leader and a fearsome one at that.

The fight had started out with the archers shooting uphill at the Anglo-Saxon shield wall with little effect. When the Norman commanders realized how little this was achieving, they'd commanded a charge on the lines, led by the cavalry.

He and Lucia fought side-by-side, evading the hooves of horses as they charged the shield wall. The horses crashed into the wall, breaking it up bit by bit, but the Anglo-Saxons held. He and Lucia jabbed between the gaps in the shields, stabbing blindly at whatever moved.

Nearby, they heard the men turning their horses and heading back the way they'd come.

Aetius frowned. "What are they doing?" His voice felt tiny and raw as he shouted over the noise of the battle.

More men joined the fleeing group, and Aetius and Lucia found themselves alone on the hill. "We had better get out of here before these people—"

Aetius was cut off as a roar sounded from the men they'd been fighting. He grabbed Lucia's arm and dragged her down the hill, following the fleeing lines.

"What is going on?" He shouted at Lucia as she ran beside him.

She shook her head. "I think they're using a feigned flight. It gets the enemy to follow them, thinking that the army is retreating, and then they turn on the enemy, cutting them down." She gasped for breath. "It became widely used after the Normans used it in this battle. After this, the battle won't go so well for Harold. It'll be a hard fight, though."

Aetius shook his head as they fled at the rear of the Norman army. "Brilliant."

After that, the two ran without speaking, conserving their breath.

***

Manfred remained with Jackson and Josef in the middle segment, which was composed of Normans and led directly by the Duke with his relatives and kinsmen grouped around his ducal party. The three of them remained fighting alongside the Norman soldiers until the retreat was sounded in their area. All three of them turned and ran with the men, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the soldiers would turn and renew the fight. The tactic could go wildly wrong if done improperly. But in this case, it would work well to break up or thin out the housecarls—trained, paid soldiers—in the Anglo-Saxon shield wall.

Sure enough, the housecarls rushed after them, breaking the shield wall, which had extended all the way to a nearby stream, anchoring there and utilizing the woods and marsh behind them to keep the Norman ranks from flanking them.

As soon as they had committed to the assault on the Norman rear lines, the orders were given to turn and fight. Archers were ordered into place, loosing a volley over the oncoming forces. Men fell with screams, and blood flowed crimson onto the grass as the fighting began in earnest.

Manfred and his companions charged back into the fighting. The sun beat down on them, and by the position of it, Manfred realized it was already noon. He cut, hacked, and hewed at those around him, clashing with the Anglo-Saxon forces as the minutes dwindled away.

They cut down the lines of housecarls beating them back toward the shield wall, where the untrained serfs—members of the Fyrd—were scrambling to pick up the shields and hold the line. Manfred squinted at the wall, wondering if it would hold as it had in history prior to Kenneth's destructive ventures. He watched as the Norman lines crashed into the shields. It held.

Next to him, he heard Duke William shouting and realized the Duke had fought through to their position. He slashed his sword through the chainmail his opponent was wearing, bring the man to his knees with the force of the blow. Then he turned to look at where William was. Just as he did, he saw an arrow slice through the air, striking into the breast of William's horse. The horse screamed and collapsed. Rolling, the horse pinned William beneath it.

The men around saw, shouting that the Duke had been killed. Panic shone all around, and the feigned flight turned to real retreat as soldiers milled in confusion and panic. Manfred ran, forcing his way through the panicking crowd of soldiers. As he ran, he caught sight of Josef just in time to see the man's opponent slam a spear through his chest. He winced as the man crumpled to the ground, dead in an instant, but he turned and kept running for William.

Reaching William, he heaved and pushed, forcing the horse of him. "Duke William? Sir?" He shook the Duke, who seemed dazed but otherwise unharmed.

The Duke snapped out of the fogged state as Manfred kept shaking him. "Cease your shaking of me this instant, soldier!"

"Sir, they believe you've fallen. The men are fleeing."

William forced himself to his feet. "Find me a horse this instant. This is unacceptable!"

Manfred cast his gaze about him, looking for another horse. He finally spied one that had lost its rider and was running amok through the fleeing army. The horse was barreling into anyone who got too close, but its flight was slowed as it ran into more and more soldiers. Manfred ran after it, fighting through the chaos and narrowly evading the horse's flinty hooves. Thank God I rode all the time before I joined the military. He grabbed its reins, halting the horse's flight. Yanking it to William, he found the Norman shaking his head at the army as it fled. "Simply unacceptable."

"Sir, your horse!" Manfred pulled the horse to a stop and offered William a hand up.

William accepted. As soon as he was seated, he wheeled the horse around and dashed through the chaos in the third segment beside theirs, which was composed predominantly of Frenchmen who were being led by William FitzOsbern and Count Eustace II of Boulogne. Of course, neither was doing a particularly good job of leading anyone at the moment. William rushed through the crowd, shouting to his men that he was still alive.

The message took some time to travel, but as Manfred fought the pursuers alongside some of the others from the Norman segment, he kept glancing at the lines, waiting for the news to sink in. As it did, the men stopped their wild flight in sluggish movements. They turned on their pursuers again, and the fighting intensified once more.

***

Dusk found the fighting winding down. Medekghui crouched beside the fallen form of Jackson, the man he'd been fighting beside for most of the Battle of Hastings. He pressed a hand to the man's head, praying to his gods for the man's soul. Standing, he surveyed the damage.

Bodies were strewn all around and across the hill where the Anglo-Saxon army had made its last stand. Nearby, Duke William, Guelchelme de Feriers, and his son Henry stood over the fallen forms of King Harold, his two siblings, and the soldiers of the royal household who had fought to protect their king's body to the bitter end.

"They made a good stand here." William stared down at the bodies.

"Shame Harold did not stay on the defensive. He never should have pursued us when the men were fleeing. If they had stayed on the defensive, they would not have lost to us." Henry de Feriers shook his head.

"Now, son... That is not necessarily true. At the end of the matter, 'tis more that we had cavalry and he had none. Well, that and the fact that Duke William was the more experienced commander." Guelchelme de Feriers gestured to Harold. "He did what he could with the men he had. Perhaps if he had not been forced to march on our position so quickly, he might have stood a better chance."

Medekhgui returned his attention to Jackson just as Manfred and the others arrived.

Manfred laid a hand on his shoulder. "Leave him, Medekhgui. We have to find a safe place to call for the time machine and wait for it to arrive."

Medekhgui rose, staring down at his blood-covered hands and the still form of the man who had fought so bravely beside him. "Of course."

The group walked through the corpse-strewn field, many of them dazed and unable to believe the carnage that had occurred here. A somber mood hung over them all, suppressing them as they searched for a safe location to hide and wait. Manfred led them toward the ruins of the abbey nearby the fighting. The abbey itself remained mostly untouched by the fighting, though bodies lay in broken heaps near it. The group trailed into the silent wreckage of the abbey.

There they hunkered, waiting for the machine in complete silence. A pallid hush fell over the battlefield just a few yards away, and no one dared to break it. They stared at the crumbling walls of the abbey right up to the point that the time machine appeared.

Manfred stirred himself and managed to hustle the dazed crew onto the machine to go home. As he did, his mind drifted to all they'd been through. I thought I was done with war... But now I find myself embroiled in a war to save the entire world. What will be left of all of us when this over? If we do not perish, what will this do to the minds of those who've never been touched by such awful things? He glanced over at his companions, his heart sinking as he remembered they were now missing two more people. Unable to face the vacant expressions and haunted eyes of his companions, he turned away and went back to putting instructions into the machine so they could go home. And for those of us who have already been destroyed by war during our own times... Will this destroy whatever humanity we have left? He clenched his fist on the dashboard. I suppose only time can tell.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just for fun, I'll include the list of all the historical bits and pieces that were included in this entry.

1. The Battle of Fulford really did take place on September 20th, 1066 AD.2. The Battle of Hastings was a disaster for King Harold Godwinson.3. Harold Godwinson did lose his life in the Battle of Hastings when he and William's forces clashed. No one is quite sure who killed him or how he died.4. The power struggle did occur because Edward the Confessor died without an heir and with several claimants to the throne.5. There were four claimants -- Harold Godwinson, Tostig Godwinson, Harald Hardrada, and William, Duke of Normandy.6. Tostig was Harold's brother.7. Harald Hardrada was the Norwegian king.8. Hardrada and Tostig formed an alliance against Harold Godwinson.9. The alliance fought against Edwin and Morcar in the Battle of Fulford and won.10. Edwin and Morcar died in the Battle of Fulford.11. Edwin and Morcar were both dukes of Harold's.12. Tostig and Hardrada both lost their lives in the Battle of Stamford Bridge.13. William did hole up at Pevensey and Hastings when he landed in England on the 28th of September, 1066 AD.14. Harold really did march through the countryside amassing men as he went toward Hastings.15. Harold only had 7000 men when he faced William.16. William had 10,000 men when he faced Harold.17. An English spear was usually anywhere from 7-8 feet long (as noted with the one Manfred brought along.)18. Fordland was the swampy area to the left of the location of the Battle of Fulford. 19. Longbows weren't in use in England until the English conquered the Welsh in the 13th century; they weren't around during Harold's time.20. Harold did have to force march to Stamford Bridge to fight the Norwegian King, Harald Hardrada.21. Maces and swords were the weapons most used in the Battle of Fulford.22. The Norwegian armies did force the Anglo-Saxon armies into the swamp land during the battle.23. The neck and underarm areas were weak points in the armor since they didn't yet wear plate armor and just wore chainmail attached to a hide or cloth base to protect their torso and neck.24. The knees were also weak points (Lucia took advantage of this) because the chainmail didn't cover past knee or mid thigh.25. Soldiers wore tunics emblazoned with their master's coat of arms and colors to identify who was who.26. Nobility did have a personal guard in some cases. Honor guards, however, were not yet a thing.27. Crossbows were used in the battles mentioned in the entry.28. Self-bows were actually the most common bow used, and they were made of inferior wood and had little actual effectiveness.29. The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place five days after the Battle of Fulford.30. Caldbec Hill is the location where Harold made his last stand against William.31. Accounts vary on whether or not Harold fought the whole battle at Caldbec Hill or if he fought part of it in the abbey before retreating back to Caldbec Hill, but he fought the majority of the battle in one of the two places. I chose Caldbec Hill.32. William really did build a fort at Hastings.33. William used the fort to conduct raids on the surrounding area.34. The Battle of Hastings started at 9 a.m. and went until dusk.35. Harold's brothers Gyrth and Leofwine died at the Battle of Hastings.36. The Normans used the tactic of feigned flight at least twice in the Battle of Hastings.37. The Normans did hear rumors that William had perished and began to flee in earnest.38. Gyrth and Leofwine were said to have led the charge on the Norman lines when they began fleeing after hearing William died.39. Guelchelme de Feriers and his son Henry did have a major part in the Battle of Hastings, and they came over with William the Conqueror. (Fun fact not included in the entry... The Feriers are actually the first known ancestors of my mother's side of the family. It was these two that started it all. I thought that was cool, so I included them in the entry when I read that.)40. The English used a shield wall to defend against the Normans.41. William had not only the advantage of men, but also of mounted cavalry.42. He did use knights with lances to break the shield wall on the English/Anglo-Saxon side.43. People really didn't like Duke William, just as Manfred noted. (He was referring to how the English hated him even after he was crowned King.)44. Duke William did split his army into three segments called Battles.45. The Breton battle was on the far right wing and was commanded by Alan the Red.46. The Norman battle was in the middle and was under Duke William's command.47. Duke William's kinsmen and relatives did surround the ducal party in the Norman battle.48. The battle at the far left wing was composed of French men and others from the area that weren't Norman or Breton.49. The French battle was under the control of William FitzOsbern and Count Eustace II of Boulogne.50. The Battle of Hastings began with William ordering his archers to shoot at the English shield wall.51. When that failed, he ordered a charge led by the cavalry.52. The Normans were the ones who popularized the feigned flight.53. Housecarls were paid, trained soldiers hired by the King.54. Members of the fyrd were the commoners that the King called on in times of extreme danger.55. The members of the fyrd were the ones to hold the line when the housecarls pursued the Normans during their feigned flight.56. Duke William did have a horse killed under him; historical records say he actually had this happen at least twice, possible thrice.57. Spears and swords were the common weapons of choice in the Battle of Hastings and the other battles preceding it.58. William rode through the ranks rallying the troops and shouting to his men that he was alive after a rumor that he'd been killed caused them to flee.59. Carrossier Normans were the battle horses of choice on William's side.60. King Harold did have a royal guard, which died fighting to defend their king's fallen form even after the battle was lost.61. Historians say that Harold lost mostly because William was the more experienced military commander and had the cavalry.62. There was an abbey nearby the place where they fought the Battle of Hastings.63. When they formed the shield wall, they did anchor it to a small stream or river nearby.64. The Normans were unable to flank the English lines because of the woods and marsh behind the shield wall.