A/N: Thank you to those who are supporting this story! Much appreciated. Hope you all like it so far. xoxo IFHD

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Chapter 2: Familiar Faces

Lourdes could hear the faint sounds of muffled voices as she returned back into consciousness. Lying in supine position, she was surprised to feel a comfortable mattress beneath her - not the harsh, uneven, rock-and-twig-covered ground of the woods of Camelot that she had been expecting. Fighting the dizzying sensation that threatened to overtake her once more, she squinted her eyes shut. Although her body was at ease, her mind began to race at her present situation. Had she been captured? What had happened since she lost consciousness? Biting her bottom lip as she tried to regain her other senses, she attempted to focus on mumbled words that were being said around her, finding, to some relief, familiarity within them.

Lancelot's voice was the first to become clear to her as he stated, "…Although she had been speaking in a foreign tongue, I distinctly heard her say your name right before falling unconscious, Gaius. Arthur gave us permission to bring her here to you after she lost consciousness." Lourdes her a thoughtful noise and then a pause, followed by footsteps approaching closer to her immobile body. "Do you recognize her?"

"I am afraid I do not, Lancelot." An older voice resounded in reply, along with the faint tinkering of glass. "Although it is possible that my memory might not be serving me correctly at my old age…"

"Perhaps there is another Gaius in Camelot that we do not know about?" A third voice piped up, the sound full of lightheartedness and jest. "Lancelot, are you certain that she said Gaius' name? Perhaps you misheard, or it was something in her language?"

With a curt shake of the head, Lancelot replied assuredly, "She was clear, Merlin." The knight then crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Do not think I have gone mad, but…something inside of me is saying that her business is here, with you; perhaps the both of you." Another moment of silence passed between the three speakers, with almost nothing to be heard within the room, as they momentarily attempted to solve the mystery behind the woman. It was Lancelot who broke the silence. "Another strange thing occurred. When my hand met hers, this feeling coursed through me, as though I were struck by lightning. It was not painful, but I was momentarily unnerved, wondering what it might have been…"

Gaius quirked a brow and couldn't help but quip, "Some would describe 'love at first sight' in that manner…"

Merlin met Lancelot's eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line as he felt his emotions become heavier. "Do you think she possesses magic?"

At this point, Lourdes gave out a slight groan, the parched sensation in her throat becoming too unbearable to ignore. Twisting her head to the right, she caught sight of Gaius' coming form, his wrinkled, wise face tinged with worry. Grasping a wooden cup from the table beside her, he held her head upwards to allow her to comfortably drink the cool liquid. Lourdes closed her eyes; she already felt her strength returning as she drank the water to the very last drop. Slowly opening her eyes to bright sunlight, she caught the sight of Lancelot and Merlin to her left, both men eyeing her with matching, worried expressions. Although Merlin thought that he and Lancelot were out of earshot, Lourdes distinctly heard him mumble, "You said she wielded a sword against you?"

Lancelot's tilted his head to the side, almost in acquiesce. His dark eyes shifted toward Merlin as he kept his voice low, admitting, "She seemed to have some skill with it, which makes me question her origins even more..."

As the two continued their hushed conversation, Lourdes calmly turned her attention towards the old medic, who remained standing bedside. Although he was considerably older and a bit wearier than she remembered, she would always recognize the pure kindness ever present on Gaius' countenance. Most of all, she would never forget the deeds that he had done for herself and her family all those years ago. Managing a small, crooked smile, she croaked out, "It is good to see you again, Gaius. It has been a long time."

Gaius' wide eyes instantly met those of Lancelot and Merlin; he was just as taken aback as the two younger men in front of him. As three pairs of eyes bore upon Lourdes in wonder, Gaius replied flowingly in her tongue, "The language of the religion of the East. It has been years since I have…" Lancelot and Merlin shared an even more puzzled look, both furrowing their brows identically, before turning their eyes back towards what was transpiring between Lourdes and Gaius. As a look of recognition finally passed over Gaius' countenance, he cried in joy, "Lourdes? Dear girl, is that really you?"

Lourdes beamed as she and Gaius shared an embrace. She managed to nod, taking a weak hold of Gaius' hand. "It is. Many years have passed since you last visited my home, dear Gaius." Pulling the sleeve of her shirt to reveal half of her arm, Lourdes drew Gaius' attention to the blue mark on her wrist; an intricate symbol of the East. She hoped that would prove her identity; it was the only thing she could think of that she possessed in order to do so. "I feared that you might not remember me after all this time."

"Gaius…" Merlin said with a tinge of suspicion as he carefully moved towards his mentor, "What's going… what tongue are you…"

"It is the language of the religion of the East." Gaius replied, eyes twinkling as he met Merlin's and Lancelot's incredulous stares. Almost lost in his own thoughts, he murmured, "I have not spoken that tongue in many, many years…"

Crossing the room with wide strides, Lancelot made his way to Gaius' side, orbs shifting from Lourdes and the old medic, "And you two do know each other?"

"Why yes." Gaius gave a wide smile, placing a loving hand on Lourdes' forehead. "She was once my pupil."

"Pupil?" Lancelot and Merlin both questioned in unison.

The light in Gaius' eyes seemed to diminish as he slightly hung his head. With a heavy sigh, his eyes landed on Lourdes' form, who maintained a curious stare at the old man. "This was many years ago, before I had made Camelot my permanent home and began to serve Uther. When I was considerably younger, I travelled through distant lands and across many seas. I cannot remember how long it has been now, but when I was considerably younger, I had ventured out east, to many lands and worlds unknown. I aimed to perfect my craft, to learn as much as I can from those foreign to us. Slowly but surely, I succeeded in this quest; but I knew in my heart that I needed something more. I needed a home. So, a few years afterwards, I decided to prolong my stay in the kingdom of Anihc. I met many wonderful people there, including Lourdes and her family…"

"I am remembering your lessons, Gaius, and am beginning to understand your tongue once more." Lourdes interjected, her voice in almost a panic. Wide-eyed, she begged the old medic, "Please, do not tell them who I really am. I must speak with you in private before..."

Gaius cleared his throat, maintaining his composure in front of the bewildered Lancelot and Merlin, who were both captivated by Gaius' story. Forcing a smile, Gaius nodded towards Lourdes and patted her shoulder, ensuring the young woman that he would do as she had requested. "…I…I taught her our tongue as she taught me hers. I also taught her my…skills. She learned much at a young age and grew up to be an intelligent medic; one of the best in her lands." Although those statements were not lies, Gaius ensured to leave some critical information about Lourdes and her life out of this particular story. He broke into a smile, though Merlin could sense some meaning behind Gaius' next words: "Merlin, perhaps you can spend some time with Lourdes; you two can learn much from one another."

Surveying Gaius for a moment, Merlin then gave Lourdes a polite smile, holding out his hand in greeting. The young Warlock studied the young woman's face as he introduced himself sincerely, "Pleased to meet you, Lourdes. I'm Merlin."

Lourdes returned his handshake with a smile, her curious eyes studying Merlin's form. "Pleasure to meet you," she said perfectly, quite proud that she has retained much of Gaius' language lessons.

At this moment, Lourdes and Merlin shared a jolt between them, the sensation washing over their entire bodies as though they had jumped in a lake in the dead of winter. It wasn't a dreadful feeling, or one that felt menacing in any way; it almost resembled a realization of "being". The feeling only occurred in an instant, unrecognizable to either Gaius or Lancelot, but to Merlin and Lourdes, the joined force between them remained for at least a minute. Merlin gave her a look of puzzlement before quickly retrieving his hand; to Lourdes' relief, he seemed more curious of her now rather than suspicious.

Taking a place beside Merlin, Lancelot extended his hand towards Lourdes' once more, "I do apologize for what transpired in the woods earlier. I hope we did not -"

The door burst open at that moment without any warning, revealing a heaving Gwaine. His arms were entirely full of sacs of supplies, the oversized bags covering almost all of his face. "I have retrieved what you needed, Gaius. I also thought to bring the little princess' belongings, just in case she needed anything." With a mighty grunt, he placed everything in his arms on the wooden dining table a few paces from Lourdes' bed. With his full vision finally returned, he gave Lourdes a wide grin as he caught sight of her. "Ah! So she is finally awake." Sauntering over to Lourdes' side - almost too close for comfort in Lourdes' opinion - he made gestures all over his face and body as he enunciated slowly, "How. Are. You. Feeling?"

Lourdes narrowed her eyes, backing away from the knight and placing some much-needed space in between them. "Irritated."

"Good word choice, Lourdes." Gaius thoughtfully commented as Lancelot and Merlin attempted - and failed - to stifle their laughter.

Gwaine cocked a brow, genuinely taken aback. He placed his hands in the air in defense, surveying the men around him in wonder. "Did…did she just insult me in our tongue?"

Lancelot patted Gwaine on his back, feigning sympathy, before he gathered Lourdes' belongings and placed it upon the bed beside her. "Afraid so, Gwaine. She's known you for less than a morning and she already shares the same sentiments that we do."

"Huh." With a tilt of his shaggy head, Gwaine took a shiny, red apple from his pocket and began to loudly munch upon it, "At least," he began with a full mouth, "she's not here to," then swallowed, "kill us, right?"

As Merlin perceived the look on Lourdes' face, he quipped, "Maybe just you."

The booming laughter around the room seemed to fade as Lourdes felt a dark feeling wash over her. Looking down, she realized that her fingertips made contact with Lancelot's hand once more as he organized her belongings upon the bed. She immediately locked eyes with Lancelot. Amidst the jovial laughter, a feeling of dread coursed through her once more, then settled at the pit of her stomach. Lancelot furrowed his brows at her uncomfortable expression, and then also felt a feeling of discomfort course through his being. Recoiling as though he had been burnt, Lancelot shared a momentary glance with Merlin before becoming lost in his own thoughts.

There was something at work here.

And he was going to figure out what it was.

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A/N: What do you all think? Thanks for your support! xoxo IFHD