Okay all, I just feel like asking if anyone went to watch "The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio at the cinema. I did with my 'sister from another mister' BF and not only was it quite epic, the soundtrack was just banging! Like it was so awesome. Search it out on youtube. (nods) Feel free to comment.

So, here is the next chapter. We're skipping ahead a few years as I said last chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. After all, I don't want you all to be waiting for the Arthur/Merlin reunion forever. It's not this chapter, but we're getting closer I promise. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I am extremely grateful. Also a big thanks to those who added me to their faves and alerts lists. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Replies to anonymous reviewers are below.

Guest: Here's the update, I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reviewing.

Guest: Thanks so much for reviewing. Here is the update and I hope you like it.

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Sing Me To Sleep.

Chapter 4.

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Later that night, as Merlin fed Freya, she heard someone enter her tent. She knew it was not Mordred or one of Iseldir's druid's. She turned to see Kara. The girl looked subdued and unhappy. She seemed lost as she looked at Merlin.

"Mordred told me that he's going with you tomorrow." Kara said sadly.

"Yes he is, to become my apprentice." Merlin replied. Kara looked down at the floor, tears welling in her eyes.

"Please Lady Emrys! He's my only friend! Don't take him away!" Kara pleaded. Merlin looked at the girl. She might have been the same age as Mordred, even younger.

"Kara would you like to come with us? I can't leave Mordred here, but I can bring you with us if you should wish it." Merlin asked. Kara looked up at Merlin, her eyes wide.

"Would you really? Would you really let me come too? I can stay with Mordred?" Kara asked. Merlin nodded.

"Yes Kara. What about your family?" Merlin asked. Kara shook her head.

"I don't have a family. King Uther had them butchered. I only survived because my mother hid me. Mordred is my family." Kara said softly. Merlin felt a strange sense of sadness overwhelm her.

"Kara, when Arthur is King, things will change. Things will be different for all of us. Those of us with Magic will be free again Kara." Merlin told her.

"Alvarr says that Prince Arthur is just as bad as his father and we'll be hunted forever unless we do something about it." Kara said. Merlin frowned. Alvarr was not supposed to be encouraging the Druid children to fight. Druids were supposed to be people of peace. Merlin beckoned Kara to come closer to her.

"How old are you Kara?" Merlin asked.

"I'm eleven Lady Emrys." Kara replied as she came forward.

"How long has it been since someone hugged you?" Merlin asked her. Kara looked confused.

"Since my mother was killed. Alvarr said that this is what life would always be like and that I couldn't expect everyone to coddle me. He said if I wanted someone to blame I should blame the Pendragons. I just... I miss them." Kara replied tearfully. Merlin stood up and pulled the young girl into a hug and Kara started to cry. Merlin gently shushed her and stroked her hair. No child should go without love and care like that. No child should suffer the way these children had been made to suffer. Merlin was determined to make sure Alvarr was unable to cause more pain to these children.

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That morning, Alvarr came storming over to Iseldir's Druids, dragging Kara by her arm. Merlin was furious. Her magic reacted instinctively and pushed Alvarr away from Kara rather violently. Alvarr landed far away as Kara ran to Merlin and Mordred.

"Who told you that you could come here and take these children from their homes?" Alvarr yelled. Merlin glared.

"This isn't a home. This is a nightmare. You tell these children to hate, you give them no love or care and you call it a home?" Merlin yelled back. Iseldir looked at Alvarr.

"The Pendragons took everything from them. Why should they not hate them?" Alvarr stated angrily.

"Because we do not teach hatred Alvarr. We teach forgiveness." Iseldir said softly. He looked at those Druids that were standing around. "Those of you that wish it, may come with us. We do not show hate. We live in relative peace moving from place to place, but we are happy. Fighting and hatred is against the ways of our people. If you choose this life you cannot be Druids. But that is your choice. Neither I nor anyone else can make it for you." Iseldir said. Many of the Druids stepped forwards. Almost all. Only a handful of them stood with Alvarr. They were all adults, none of them had children. Every child in the camp had come to Iseldir. Alvarr glared angrily.

"This isn't over old man." Alvarr said angrily.

"Yes it is Alvarr. For you, maybe not, for you must live with your hatred. For everyone else, it is over." Iseldir said. Then he looked at those Druids that had chosen to stay with Alvarr. "I want you all to remember that should you change your minds, you may come and find us. The Druid way is forgiveness and acceptance, as it has always been." Iseldir said. Then they left. Kara holding on to Merlin's hand and Mordred on Merlin's other side making faces at Freya. They travelled to leave the frozen wastelands of Ismere.

xXxXxXx ONE MONTH LATER xXxXxXx

Merlin had just come back to the Druid encampment after taking Mordred to train near the river. She had taken to telling Mordred that Elements were very important, which was true, or she would never have been able to help Arthur defeat the Afanc that had plagued Camelot's water systems. She felt water was a calming presence so she often trained with Mordred by a river or lake, so that maybe Mordred would feel the same sort of calm. As they got back to the camp, Merlin saw Kara playing with Freya and another small girl. She was Freya's age, at least that was Merlin's assumption. The little girl had fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, and she laughed and played with Freya as though the two had been born together. Aileena came to stand by Merlin's side.

"They were born on the same day. I found out from one of the older druids. Her mother died in childbed with her. Their life in Ismere was difficult and her mother barely had enough strength to name her. She named her Rhedyn." Aileena told Merlin.

"What was her mother's name?" Merlin asked.

"Aira. Her name was Aira. Apparently her father's name was Dinvar. He was killed in a raid by Camelot soldiers. Alvarr picked these Druids for his own group well. All of them have a reason to hate King Uther. I think he underestimated their ability to forgive, or their need to live a life of peace. The children especially need love and attention that he wasn't willing to give them. Orphans like Rhedyn were left to their own devices really." Aileena told Merlin. Merlin looked at the bond that seemed to have appeared between Freya and Rhedyn.

"Have they been playing together often since I started training Mordred?" Merlin asked. Aileena nodded.

"Yes Lady Emrys. They play together almost constantly. It's difficult to separate them." Aileena replied. Merlin could see the friendship that had already developed between the two girls.

"I'll take care of Rhedyn. Freya needs someone of her own age to play with and she's obviously picked Rhedyn for a reason. I won't separate them." Merlin said gently. Aileena nodded her understanding and Merlin went to sit with her daughter and her newest ward, so that she could get to know her.

xXxXxXx THREE YEARS LATER xXxXxXx

Freya was seven years old now. Mordred was sixteen and Kara was fourteen. The pair travelled with Merlin wherever she went. The past year had been spent in Ealdor. Merlin had bought the two teenagers into her mother's home along with her own child, and Rhedyn of course. The girl had been Freya's best friend since the day they had walked away from that frozen druid camp in Ismere and Merlin wouldn't dream of separating them. She took her own personal duties to the Druids, whether they wished it or not. They had helped her in her time of need and looking after three children of their number seemed a small way to repay them. Freya and Rhedyn had become friends with another boy called Law. He had a little sister who was only a year younger than him, called Nerissa. Both had tanned skin from playing outside in the sun, and brown hair and eyes inherited from their own mother. Today was a day of celebration. The villagers were celebrating the good harvest and it had been ten years since Kanen had been defeated by Prince Arthur Pendragon, and they had been safe from bandits taking their food. It was on this day last year that Freya asked Merlin to tell her about Arthur Pendragon. Though it hurt Merlin, she told Freya all the good stories about Arthur. He was a good man, and Merlin felt that Freya deserved to know that. After all, one day she would know he was her father and she needed to hear good things of him. She needed to know that her father was a good man, even if she didn't know she was hearing about her father. Now it was a favourite bedtime story to hear about Merlin's adventures with Arthur in Camelot. The group of children had gone to play by the river in the woods today. Mordred and Kara were helping Merlin and Hunith to prepare for the celebrations that were to start at sun down.

"Your Mother knew Arthur Pendragon. What was he like?" Law asked Freya as they tried to skip stones across the river. Freya wasn't allowed to use magic as that would be cheating. Her stones still managed to get further than Law's, which always vexed him greatly.

"My mother says he's a good man, and when he's King, magic users will be free again." Freya replied. Rhedyn and Nerissa were sat on the river bank, besides Law and Freya. The four saw that the sun was high in the sky. They had promised to get back to the village for midday.

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Merlin had just finished getting extra firewood for the night's celebratory bonfire, when she saw them. Southron soldiers riding into the village. Kara was beside her.

"Who are they?" Kara asked.

"Southrons. Find the as many children as you can and get them out of the village. They'll take anyone they can grab as slaves, and some are not averse to taking children. Tell Mordred the same. We need to get people out of here." Merlin said firmly. Kara nodded, dropping the wood she was carrying and running to do as Merlin had asked her. Merlin looked around quickly, hoping she could find a way to help more people. That was when one of the soldiers got down from his horse and came for Merlin. Merlin used her magic to blast him away from her. She turned and started telling people to run. More Southrons were arriving, and Merlin wasn't sure what she could do against so many. She would be overwhelmed sooner or later, so would Kara and Mordred. She took a deep breath as she ran to find as many people that she could save as possible.

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As they found themselves at the edge of the village, Freya heard the screams of the villagers as the children walked towards her grandmother's home. She hid behind the wall of another hut, and grabbed the hands of Rhedyn and Law, gesturing with her head for them to press close to the hut wall. Law pressed Nerissa against the wall at the same time. Freya peeked around the corner and saw Southron men grabbing hold of men, women and children. Freya shook with fear, and she could see her companions all felt the same way. Suddenly there were two men in front of them. One made a grab for Rhedyn and Freya picked up the nearest object, a broom, and used it to whack at one man's knees, as she dodged the hands of both men. Then she saw her mother run one man through with a sword. The other made to grab hold of her mother.

"Mother!" Freya yelled.

"Run Freya! All of you run!" Merlin screamed at the children. Nerissa held tight to Law, as she cried. Rhedyn shook her head fearfully. Merlin was the only mother that she remembered having and she didn't want to leave her.

"I can't leave you and grandma and Mordred and Kara!" Freya cried. Merlin looked at Freya tearfully. Then she muttered a spell under her breath. In an instant Freya, Law, Rhedyn and Nerissa could no longer see the village around them. Freya stared as she turned around. It was the great white castle that her mother had told her stories about. This had to be Camelot. She had seen Grandpa Gaius and Auntie Morgana within Grandpa Gaius' chambers, but she had never seen Camelot from the outside before. She had never walked in. It was too dangerous for her mother, and even her. She knew if she told anyone that she possessed magic that she would die.

"What is this place?" Law asked.

"This is Camelot." Freya said softly. She looked at the trio. "If we go in there, we can find help. But none of you can say we have magic. Rhedyn and I would be killed. King Uther hates all magic. Mother said that's why we couldn't stay in Camelot. But my Grandpa Gaius is here, and so is my Auntie Morgana. They'll protect us and help us save Ealdor, but only if we don't let anyone know we have magic." Freya said firmly to her three companions. They all nodded. "You have to swear, all of you. We can't talk about having magic." Freya whispered.

"I swear Freya." Law said.

"I swear too." Nerissa said next to him.

"You know I swear too." Rhedyn added. Freya nodded, and as they saw the gates open for a wagon, the four children headed into the great white city of Camelot, not knowing what would await them.

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Okay all, I'm leaving it there. So... next chapter, Freya enters Camelot. Will she meet Arthur? Will she meet Uther? You'll have to wait and see. (nods) Just a quick question, I'm considering writing A Song of Ice and Fire (also known as Game of Thrones) fanfics. I've got a few ideas. The most prominent one is an alternate Universe fic where Ned Stark becomes King of Westeros, instead of Robert, with a living Lyanna. The main pairings would be Ned/Catelyn obviously, Robert/Lyanna and a few others. I know not everyone will have any clue what I'm talking about, but if you do and you think it's an interesting idea, please tell me what you think. (nods) Until the next time I update, which will be as soon as I can. (nods again)