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8. A long ride

And suddenly they were on their way, all five of them: the Crowned Prince of Camelot, a powerful sorceress form the future, a mysterious knight wearing an even more mysterious crest, a clumsy servant and a blacksmith's daughter.

Elena and Alexander were riding in the front, leading the company through the woods of Camelot, since they were the only ones who knew where they were going. Arthur was right behind them, followed by Guinevere, while Merlin closed the row.

"So…" Arthur was the first to break the silence as he went to ride beside their guides.
"I am your king? I mean, in your time? I'm the one that send you?"

Elena smiled. "You are."

"And…"

"Please, My Lord. I cannot tell you any more of my future. I might change things that weren't meant to be changed. Some things are too precious to risk."
she said, and Merlin recognized her earlier words on the way to the assembly.

"Then why did you tell me…"

"…that it was you who sent us? Because I thought it would make you see the importance of this journey ahead of us.
If you yourself turned to magic to save your kingdom…"

Arthur nodded at that. That sounded reasonable. After all, he couldn't imagine himself doing that at the moment, so the situation must be pretty bad in the future.

"But isn't that your entire point? To change the future?" He asked then.

Elena smiled a weary smile.

"Yeah, but that was supposed to be a little more specific."

"And that Court Magician you were talking about…"

Merlin shot Elena a worried look.

"…you said he didn't want to leave my side."

Arthur said, but Elena didn't answer.

"I must be pretty close to him…her…"

Elena's smiled broadened.

"Loyalty and friendship will get a much greater meaning in the future, Sire, all thanks to the two of you."

Arthur swallowed at that. Best hubby's with a sorcerer. That was hard to imagine.

"Where are we going exactly?"

Merlin, who had come to ride aside Gwen suddenly cut in, desperate to change the subject.

"I thought you said King Bayren's kingdom is at the other end of the Great Isles, which would mean it's up North, but I noticed we're going West."

Arthur turned to his servant with a surprised look on his face. When did Merlin get so observant?

Alexander smiled but it was Elena who answered again.

"It is. We are not heading towards Bayren's kingdom yet."

"What?" Arthur suddenly asked taken aback.

"Then where are you leading us?"

"Avalon, My Lord. We must seek the help of it's queen for this quest."

"Avalon." Merlin suddenly cut back in, sounding alarmed. "That's no good."

"And surely, what would you know about Avalon, Merlin?"

Arthur asked his servant mockingly. Even he hadn't heard about the kingdom before.

"I, euhm…Nothing. It's just…I may have heard it's a land full of all kinds of little blue people"
He said, uncomfortable by the memory of his last encounter with the lost country's inhabitants.

"Been listening to Gaius fairy tales again, are you Merlin?"

Arthur grinned. Little blue people…right.

Elena smiled too.

"The Sidhe's are merely the protectors of the magical gates of Avalon. They help the brave and the courageous to move on.
Avalon, the island itself is a safe haven for everyone who practices magic. It's the home of the high priestesses of the Old Religion."

Now it was Arthur's turn to sound alarmed.

"An island filled with sorcerers? And you wish to take me there."

"Yes, My King." Elena said, clearly amused by Arthur's awkwardness.

"Okay, I know I might be the king in your future, but here, in this time, I'm just the prince, so given the fact I'm already committing treason, could you just drop the title already?"

he suddenly snapped.

"Of course. I'm sorry. Forgive me, Sire. Force of habit, I guess."

"It's okay, it's just…"

"Too soon." Elena finished understandingly.

"So, Avalon." Arthur said, quickly changing the subject. "Where exactly…?"

"Avalon is at least three days from Camelot."

It were the first words Alexander had said since they had left Camelot, apart from the whispered conversations he had had with Elena.

"Only three days?" Arthur asked, clearly shocked an island full of sorcerers was in such close proximity to his own kingdom.
"Impossible. Surely, I would know…"

"Of a hidden island protected by the most powerful sorcerers of the Old Religion?" Elena asked, an eyebrow raised.

Normal Arthur would be irritated by the girl's constant interruptions, finishing his sentences, but somehow it seemed like the most normal thing in the world. Almost familiar even. He quickly shook the feeling off.

"Only those in need of help, guidance or a safe place to be who they are know the exact location of the island."

"And which one are you?" Arthur asked.

Elena smiled, clearly amused by the question.

"Probably a little bit of all."

They had been riding for a while now, and if he was honest, Merlin's stomach was starting to ask for his attention. No, demand would be a better word. He mostly had kept his mouth shut for the rest of the day's ride when Arthur occasionally would ask Elena something about the future, but Merlin had to give it to her, she could be even more cryptic then Kilgarrah. Merlin's stomach growled again, refusing to be ignored any further. He was about to open his mouth when Elena suddenly pulled her horse aside and slowed down a bit. Arthur shot her a questioning look but eventually stopped his horse beside hers. She quickly scanned the area, looked at Alexander for confirmation, and as the latter one nodded, dismounted her horse.

"I think this is a safe enough place to eat something, don't you think so too, My Lord?" she asked, eyeing Arthur.

Merlin's brow furrowed. Either he had accidentally thought his thoughts a little too loud, or she could really read his mind. He shot the future sorceress a puzzled look. Or maybe he was just imagining things and she was just as hungry as he was.

Arthur looked around. They had stopped at a small clearing, surrounded by a thick wall of trees, fallen leaves scattered around their earlier owners shafts. She had chosen this place well. The trees would protect them from raiders operating in this area, as the leaves would warn them of any intruders. Arthur nodded his consent.

"Yes, I think it is." he answered, dismounting his own horse.

They installed their selves at the most south corner of the clearing, trying to catch a little bit of sun while they were at it. Merlin was busy relieving his and Arthur's horses of their burdens for a while, when in the meantime his master took the opportunity to check and sharpen his sword, once and a while casting a glance to the other end of their little meadow. Elena smiled as she followed his gaze towards the pretty handmaiden, busy unsaddling her own horse.

Slowly Elena made her way to Guinevere, securing her own mare next to Gwen's. In one swift movement she took the saddle off, betraying a practiced hand. "fæleu mægþ" she praised the horse in her own language, scrawling it between the ears, in it's dark full manes. She felt the girl's eyes on her, but as she looked up, the servant quickly went back to unsaddling her horse. It hadn't escaped the sorceress that the handmaiden hadn't spoken a word since they had left Camelot. Her eyes turned sad for a moment.

"You are afraid of me." she said to the busy handmaiden.

Gwen stopped her work to look the girl in the eyes.

"You are a sorceress." she said as if that explained it all.

And if Elena were born in this time it would have. She didn't answer directly, instead moved over to help Guinevere unsaddle her horse.

"Yes." she said, still not seeing the problem, putting the saddle next to hers and stroking the horse over it's bare back.

"You practice magic. It's evil." Gwen tried to explain.

Elena's eyes immediately shot to hers, and Gwen could see the hurt in those eyes. The hurt, and innocence. The girl was barely older then herself, how could this girl have any evil inside her?

"I was born this way, Gwen. I didn't chose to become a sorceress, but even I could, I wouldn't want it any other way. Because this is who I am. Magic is a part of me, like Arthur's crown is a part of him. It both means power. It both means responsibility. Tell me, do you think Arthur will make a good king?"
she questioned the maiden.

"I am sure he will be the best king Camelot could ever wish for."

A corner of Elena's mouth twitched.

"Then why couldn't I make a good sorceress as well?" She asked before she turned around and left Guinevere to her own confusing thoughts.

They ate in a sort of awkward silence. Neither of them knew what to say. Sometimes Merlin would look to his companions, willing them with his mind to start a conversation. But apparently mind-control was not his thing.

"So…" he said, clearly uncomfortable.

Everyone looked up to stare at him.

"…nah never mind." he said, his attention shifting back to the piece of bread he was plucking at.

Seriously, could a silence be deafening? Because that was how it felt right now.

"So My Lady,…" Gwen suddenly addressed Elena.

It was the first thing the others had heard her say since they left this morning.

"Please Gwen, call me Elena." Elena was quick to interrupt.

Gwen nodded at that.

"Elena." she said, as tasting the word, the name of a sorceress on her tongue.
"What exactly is your plan for when we arrive at that King Bayren's kingdom?"

"Yes," Merlin quickly cut in, glad there was actually a conversation going at the moment.
"I mean, it's not like we can friendly ask Bayren to hand the egg over, now can we?" he said, a grin playing around his lips.

"Don't be so stupid, Merlin."

Arthur suddenly also joined the conversation, and Elena could not find any harshness in his voice. Sure enough, the grin of the young servant widened, not taking it as an insult.

"We just go in, weapons first, get the egg and back out."

Even Elena could hear Arthur really didn't even believe that himself.

"Actually we were hoping we would have the element of surprise. Obviously Bayren doesn't know we're coming yet. He found the egg years ago, and it will still take a few years to hatch."

Elena said.

"Then why did you come here now? Why not just come when it is hatched?" Merlin asked.

"Just because of that element of surprise." Alexander explained.
"Plus, I think it's easier to handle an egg then a newborn dragon."

Merlin grinned at that, trying to imagine what a little Kilgarrah would look like. The image he came up with was rather funny instead of the scary powerful beast he had tamed just two weeks ago.

"I still don't understand why you went through all this trouble to come back from the future."
Arthur suddenly said.
"I mean, why doesn't anyone just kill the beast? I did it before, so surely, if I'm king I must have some knights who could do the job."

"Good men have died trying to do that what cannot be done." Alexander immediately cut in, defending his fellow knights.

Though he was not wearing the crimson cape with the dragon and sword's crest anymore, Merlin's eye fell on a small symbol he was wearing on a necklace around his neck. It looked like the sword on the crest, though it was obvious there was a part missing, like it was not complete without the dragon.

"One of my best friends, Elena's brother…he was one of my finest men. He was among the first dead they brought back."

Elena's face fell after Alexander's words and suddenly Gwen's hand was covering hers.

"I'm sorry." she said, looking at Elena but saying it to both of them.

"Don't be." Elena suddenly said, her head snapping up, her face determined though still stained with a few single tears.

"It will not have happened in the future we go back to."

Alexander nodded and squeezed his companions hand.

"Your men?"

Arthur suddenly said, catching Alexander on something he had said earlier.

He sighed.

"Yes. My men. I'm the captain of your knights."

"Then surely you should be able…"

"No normal men can do it."

"I did."

"No you did not."

Elena suddenly intervened. Arthur's eyes snapped to hers.

"What do you mean, I didn't? Of course I did. I dealt the Great Dragon a mortal blow, or I severely injured it at least."

"No you did not. It was your Court Magician who handled the dragon."

"My what? No, I…" suddenly it seemed to dawn on Arthur.
"Earlier, during the audience with my father, you said such a thing was already present but it didn't carry that name yet. This was what you meant wasn't it?"

Elena nodded.

"Yes."

"But…I don't understand. Why would a sorcerer want to save Camelot? "

The question was out before he realized the same applied to her.

"And I mean…if he did it now, why can't he 'handle' the dragon in the future too?"

Elena and Alexander exchanged a glance before she started to explain.

"Because a Dragon Lord can only master one dragon at a time."

"A dragon Lord? No, that's not possible. Balinor was the last Dragon Lord, and he was killed by raiders on our way to Camelot."

"Yes he was. But when Balinor died, his powers transcended onto his only son, the truly last of his kind."

Elena's eyes moved to Merlin's for a second, and she was only glad Arthur was too shocked to look at his servant beside him, when a single tear escaped the raven haired boys eye.

"And that son…Balinors son saved Camelot?"

"Yes. And not for the first time either, because next to a Dragon Lord, he is also the most powerful warlock this world has ever known. Though I wouldn't say you didn't have anything to do with it. You've saved each others lives many times over and he is loyal to you above anything else."

"I…" was all Arthur could say, clearly taken aback by this news.

Immediately his mind started to wonder who this mysterious sorcerer or warlock could be. Surely it couldn't be one of his knights? But who else did he save and saved him on a nearly daily basis?

"Don't break your head about it Arthur." Elena suddenly said.
"You won't know who he is, until you are ready and he chooses to reveal himself. Besides, you have saved Camelot over and over again…"

"But not without help, I get it."

Elena smiled that he caught up with it so quickly.

"No. You're but two sides of a coin."

Arthur was still progressing Elena's last words when he saw Alexanders eyes shoot to the other hand of the clearing, his hand immediately reaching for his sword. He had the reflexes of a true knight. Arthur couldn't believe he hadn't seen, noticed his experience, even through his young age, before.

"What is it?" Elena whispered, the movement not going unnoticed by her either.

Alexander didn't answer, instead he just stared and listened. In the meanwhile Merlin and Gwen caught up with their companions behavior and the clearing was covered in silence once again. After a while, Alexander seemed to relax, releasing his sword, but not putting it to far, as he turned to the others and spoke.

"Nothing. The wind, I guess."

Arthur and Elena eventually turned their head back towards the others as well. Arthur was just releasing his sword when a loud battle cry suddenly filled the clearing and several masked bandits appeared out of the thick forest.

Alexander and Arthur were the first to recover, Elena following suit while Gwen ran to where she had left her sword with her other things. Merlin quickly picked up the sword that he had packed for himself, just in case, although he knew that if he would be doing any saving, it wouldn't be with that sword.

In one quick glance Merlin overlooked the situation.

Gwen was desperately trying to hold off a few bandits who were slowly making their way to their lone possessions, in the meanwhile ignoring the lustful looks the men were throwing at her.

Arhur was slowly fighting his way back to her, his look a mix of pure anger and agony about someone trying to hurt the love of his life. Merlin pitied the men who would come in his way.

But he pitied the men who were taking it up against Alexander and Elena even more. To Merlin's surprise the mysterious girl form the future was not fighting the bandits with her magic, instead he saw the rhythmical flashes of her sword while she fought them off, Alexander mere inches from her side, though she never even seemed to touch him. It was like they were dancing, dancing the dance of death for the troop of bandits surrounding them.

Merlin gasped as Elena swung her sword to where Alexander's head had been a mere second before, before he had ducked, striking another men, who had been approaching Elena from behind, in the stomach.

Merlin couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare in awe at the scene in front of him. He had always admired Arthur for his craft with the sword, but never before had he seen two people more in rhythm with each other, so trusting of each other than the two warriors in front of him.

After one last excruciating shriek the battle behind him seized, and still Merlin could not look away to see if his other friends were unharmed.
His absolute trust in Arthur's skills might also have something to do with that, but mostly he was still watching Elena and Alexander, the latter one now bucking so she could roll over his back and knock two bandits out at the same time.

Everything was silent after that. Still Elena did not move, half crouched, her bloody sword in front of her, ready to fight off the first bandit who would dare to appear.

When she was sure they were alone once again, she straightened, and turned towards Alexander. He quickly scanned her body, looking for any possible injuries, but when he found none, his eyes connected with hers and they shared a bright, yet slightly breathless smile.

"Glad to see that sword isn't just for decoration." Merlin suddenly heard Arthur say behind him.

Elena smiled.

"Though I do not understand, if you have magic, why you would want to learn how to use a sword? Why not just send them flying with a quick flick of your fingers?"

"Now where would be the fun in that?" she asked, a grin spreading across her young beautiful face.

"Besides, my mother told me you should always be prepared. Life is a battlefield. You should face it with as many weapons as you can."

Arthur nodded. He could see that.

"Then why, when we first met…?"

She smirked again.

"I was just making a dramatic entrance Arthur."

"Elena has been my and her brothers sparring partner since she could walk." Alexander explained.

"I could see that. It was very impressive." Arthur said.

Alexander smiled, a real full blown smile this time. It made him look younger than he already was, and he vaguely reminded Merlin of someone, but he couldn't right put his finger on it.

"Coming from the best swordsman of Camelot and vicinity, I take that as a compliment." He said.

Arthur nodded.

"You should. I can see now why you are the head of my knights."

Alexander bowed his head in thanks.

And with one look at Arthur, Gwen standing a little behind him, and the mysterious knight in front of him, Merlin suddenly realized exactly who Alexander was. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. They were so different, yet so very much alike. Silent, and introvert, but most of all loyal to the core. He was by far the best warrior among them, even Arthur would have to admit that, but never even bragged about it. He was the strangest knight Merlin had ever met.

Their eyes met, and something in his must have given him away, as Alexander quickly averted his gaze.

The justice of both his parents, the strength of his father and the humility of his mother. There was no doubt in his mind as Merlin stared across the clearing, that he was not only looking at Albion's head knight, but also directly at the crown prince, son of Arthur and Guinevere Pendragon.

Surprise! Sounds familiar? ;)