"What...on earth...was that,"Arthur said and he grabbed a branch to steady himself. Arthur was sweaty all over and he wasn't much better off.

"I think...that was a Griffin,"he panted and he brushed some dirt from his pants.

"A Griffin? Merlin, we've defeated such an animal in Camelot before. I mean, Lancelot did. It was dead then, I confirmed it."

"Yeah, but Griffins can be called forth with dark magic,"he said while he took a few deep breaths to get his breathing under control. They had been running for quite a while now; luckily the Griffin had stopped its pursuit. He did not want to imagine what would have happened if that creature came back right now. Talk about a 'normal day hunting'.

"So what you're trying to say is that anyone who knows magic can call upon such a strong beast?"

"No, only those with powerful magic can do such a thing,"he said. "Gaius said so himself. You can't just call a Griffin like that. It needs a lot of power and difficult enchantments, which got lost over time."

"So it seems,"Arthur said cynical. "This is the second one we see in a few months. There has to be a powerful sorcerer in these woods who calls these beasts."

"Hmm, maybe, but this Griffin is different from the one we saw before."

"What do you mean different? A Griffin is black, has the head and wings of an eagle and the body and tail of a lion. It's nothing different from the one we've faced before."

"It looks exactly the same, but this one acts different,"he said, a little irritated because Arthur sounded like he didn't believe a word he said. And just a few moments ago he had no idea what that creature was at all! Sometimes... "This one didn't attack any of the villagers. It just attacked the robbers. Don't you think that's strange?"

"I think this creature is exactly the same as the one we've faced before,"Arthur said, stubborn as he was. "And I'm going to kill it and be done with it. If I don't do it, my father will be angry with me."

"You can't just kill it,"he sighed. "It has to be killed with magic, you can't kill it with a sword."

"Lancelot killed it with a spear,"Arthur said. "So that contradicts your theory then. If it can be killed with a spear, it can be killed with a sword."

"It can't be killed with a sword."

"Merlin, I thought I told you already..."

"No Arthur, that wasn't me,"he said and he looked around to see where the voice was coming from.

"You should search a little higher Merlin."

He looked up and squinted his eyes against the sunlight that shone through the branches of the trees. When he'd gotten used to the light he saw a young man, probably around his age, on one of the branches in the trees. He was even dressed partly the same as him; leather boots, easy-to-walk-in brown pants, a beige shirt with cords and a leather bag next to him. He sat there eating an apple and looked like he did not have a worry in the world. Who was he? And why did he know his name? He was too high to see his face.

"Who are you?" he yelled. "And how do you know my name?"

"Ah Merlin, Merlin, I cannot believe my ears. It hasn't been that long now has it?" The guy threw the core of the apple on the ground and jumped down after it.

"Look out!" he yelled but the guy just laughed and grabbed a branch just below the ground. It bowed through a lot, but didn't break and he landed neatly on the ground. When the guy showed his laughing face he had to laugh as well.

"I cannot believe my eyes! It's you!"

"You is not my name Merlin, but at least you recognize me now," he said with a big grin and they hugged each other.

"It's been such a long time," he said happy. Some obvious coughing from Arthur made him take a few steps back. "Oh ehm, Arthur, this is Luke. He's an old friend of mine. Luke, this is Arthur Pentdragon."

"Yeah, I know who your friend is," Luke said. "And I also heard him say he could kill a Griffin with a sword. Not too bright are we eh?"

"You watch your tongue," Arthur said and he pointed his finger at Luke's face.

"I'll be sure to keep it with me at all times," Luke grinned. "But about that Griffin; you don't need to kill it."

"You know who called it?" he asked curious. Luke knew a lot about all kinds of creatures in the forest, so maybe...

"Nope, I can't tell you that I'm afraid. I can tell you that I know who he's with right now."

"He's with...right now?" Arthur repeated. "You mean that beast is someone's pet?"

"Hmm, not exactly," Luke said. "Pet is such an ugly word. Comrade is the term I like to use for Griffin. And how long do you want to stay up there?" he yelled and after that he whistled. The dark Griffin decended from the sky and landed next to Luke, who seemed surprised at the sudden panicked movement of Arthur, who ducked and rolled behind a tree.

"Merlin, what on earth are you doing? Get out of the way!" Arthur yelled and he pulled his sword. He just stood there on the same spot, looking with a mix of curiosity and fear at the creature behind Luke. The Griffin behind Luke moved restlessly, but Luke patted it on its head and it calmed down again.

"There, there, no need to be so frightened. He won't do you any harm."

"You...you are the one who ownes the Griffin?" he asked surprised and he did a few tiny steps forward. The Griffin looked intimidating.

"I don't own him, that's also an ugly word. Don't you remember me at all Merlin? I used to ride the horses around the village all the time without a saddle. As long as they respected me I had nothing to fear from them. With Griffin it's the same; we respect each other."

"That is true," he laughed and he slowly got closer to the Griffin, who looked curious at this new stranger.

"It's okay, you can pet him," Luke said and he stroked the Griffin's neck. "He likes it if you do that."

"Merlin! You come back here right now! You'll get killed!" Arthur shouted and he lunged forward with his sword. Luke grabbed his own sword in one fluid motion from the hilt of his hip and blocked him so hard Arthur had to take a few steps back.

"The Griffin won't hurt Merlin. He's my friend," Luke said angry. "And I'm getting annoyed by the nervous movements of you. If you try to attack Griffin again he will attack you. That will not be a pretty sight, I can guarantee you that."

"Luke, how long do you know this Griffin?" he asked while he stroked the feathers of the Griffin. Now he was close he could see how beautiful this creature actually was. He was starting to feel sorry for the one Lancelot killed. If that Griffin would have been with someone like Luke, what then? What would that Griffin be like? The Griffin beside him scratched its head against his shoulder and he laughed, while Arthur just stood there, looking stupefied at the scene in front of him.

"Do you understand now?" Luke said tired. "Griffin won't attack anyone because I told him not too."

"It did attack the robbers," Arthur said, still glaring at the creature in front of him.

"Of course it did," Luke said. "I told him he could eat those nasty humans. We don't need people like that in this world."

"Are you sure they didn't steal the food because they really needed it?" he said concerned.

"No, I can assure you that," Luke said and he opened one of the bags that hung over the Griffin's neck. Grapes, bread, cakes...There was enough food in there for a luxurious banquet! He almost started to drool...a cake. He hadn't eaten one in, in ... he couldn't even remember!

"And no, I didn't steal this myself," Luke said before Arthur could open his mouth. "I took it from the robbers not too long ago. It wasn't like they needed it anymore."

"So that's how you do it," Arthur said. "You kill people because you think they're bad and then steal all their food and valuables."

"Is he really the future king?" Luke whispered loudly to him. He nodded and sighed. Finally someone who understood how difficult Arthur could be. Luke patted his shoulder and sighed loudly as well. "I feel sympathy for you."

"No kidding," he said but he quickly stopped talking when he saw Arthur casting evil glances at them. If his glares could kill...

"Merlin! You better watch what you say," he said angry.

"Because I seem to have to explain every little detail of my life before you finally believe me, I will," Luke sighed. "Yes, I kill bandits and yes, I also take their food and valuables. And no, I don't keep it myself. I only take what I need from the food and give the rest back to the villages where it came from in the first place. The valuables I have...well, I'll mostly try to bring it back where it came from by asking around a lot, but if I can't find the owner I sell it and use the money to buy food and supplies. Happy now?"

"But that still doesn't explain that...beast behind you," Arthur said. "And Merlin, what are you doing?"

He kept laughing while the Griffin gently picked his hair and he tickled it back. Luke grinned when he saw the two of them like that. "I see you and Griffin are getting along just fine. You were always good with animals."

"I asked you a question."

"Yes, your royal ass," Luke said annoyed. When Arthur wanted to say something again Luke put his hand in the air. "I'm not going to let you speak another one of your objections. I've had about enough of those. I met Griffin some time ago when it attacked a village. I managed to fight it until it got tired, and then I asked him if we could become companions. We are together ever since."

"Are you a sorcerer?" Arthur asked and Luke smiled mysteriously.

"Well, if I say yes, I'll probably get executed and if I say no I would lie so, let's keep it in the middle shall we?"

He got on the Griffin, that jumped and started to climb to the sky. "See you around Merlin!" Luke said and he waved before he disappeared.

"Wait a minute," Arthur said as he looked at the Griffin. "He said that if he said yes he would be executed, but if he said no he would lie. That would mean he is a sorcerer! And I let him get away!" He stomped on the ground and slammed his fist against the nearest tree. When he saw him grin he pointed.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything," he said while he tried his best not to laugh.

"But you're thinking it!" Arthur said angry. "That's...even worse."

"I'm sorry," he said again but now he really couldn't hold his laughter anymore. "You should've seen your face when he flew away," he grinned, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Arthur's serious face.

"You knew he was a sorcerer didn't you?"

"Well I...ehm, I mean I eh..."

"No, forget it. But the next time he comes I'll have to capture him."

"I don't think he will let himself get captured," he said. "And what makes him so bad? He kills bandits and saves the villages the knights of Camelot can't protect. What is so bad about that?"

"He is a sorcerer and that is bad enough."

"Maybe he is a different kind of sorcerer."

"There is only one kind of sorcerer according to my father, and that is a bad one. You can't trust a sorcerer, even though he's been your friend for..."

"Thirteen years?" he added with a gloomy look on his face.

"Yes, thirteen y...You have been friends for that long?"

"Yes, that is why I don't believe Luke is bad. He saved the village we lived in once with magic. I think magic isn't good or bad, it just depends on what you use it for."

"Listen Merlin, your mind is clouded because he has been your friend for so many years. But a sorcerer will always be dangerous, no matter how he may act. That is what my father told me and I believe him."

He sighed tired and shrugged, so Arthur turned around to search for his horse, obviously annoyed. He still looked up at the sky to see if he could see Luke, but he was long gone.

"Merlin! We are going back to Camelot! How long are you going to stand there you oaf!"

He ran back to search for his own horse while he kept looking at the sky. It had been some time since he last saw Luke, he really wanted to see him again.

"Merlin!"

"Coming Arthur!" he yelled. You shouldn't keep Arthur waiting for too long, his patience was miraculously short.