I'm bringing in a bit of series one now, and don't worry a certain prat will be turning up soon.

Merlin walked back to the castle, Hunith's arm linked through his right and in his left hand he held Evelyn's. Behind them Mary and April trailed along behind carrying all that had been purchased that afternoon. Merlin had nearly lost the will to live as he had been dragged around the market stalls. He hadn't even had Percival to back him up, his servant had several chores he needed to catch up on, and Merlin was starting to think that helping muck out the stables was far more preferable to shopping. Quite wisely he kept that opinion to himself, letting his sister swing his arm as she skipped alongside him.

Princess Evelyn had grown into a pretty looking girl, with gleaming chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Merlin also held the opinion she was a little bit spoil, but every one of her family played a role in being responsible for that, as were April and Mary. Merlin could hardly complain. Now and again it just irritated him that at her age he had been learning how to become king. Nothing appeared to be expected of Evelyn.

"I can wear my new dress for the spring feast, can't I mother?"

"We'll have to make it first," Hunith said trying not to smirk at Merlin's eye rolling. At least if he delivered them safely back to the royal apartment, he could escape to the tavern with Percival, at least for a couple of hours. Hunith patted his arm and he gave her a narrow-eyed look.

As they reached the main entrance they paused as a man and an older woman tried to gain entrance to the castle. The soldiers on duty clearly were not about to let them in. Hunith pulled the group to a halt, staring at the people with a mild frown on her face. Merlin watched her, especially as the confusion smoothed out into shock and she released her grip on Merlin to step forward, heading towards the two people.

"Raina?" she asked in disbelief, the woman turned and then Hunith blinked again as she looked at the man. He was older now, so was Raina. It had been sixteen years since she had last laid eyes on them, but the memories asserted themselves, of a time that seemed so long ago.

"Hunith," the woman sighed, looking relived at the sight of her. Reaching out Hunith took the woman's hands and then looked at the man again. He had grown up, but she did recognise him, seeing features that were familiar.

"Matthew?"

"It is you, I didn't even recognise you."

In the rich dark blue gown, her hair pinned up, a small silver coronet holding it away from her forehead, she probably didn't look as she had when they had last seen each other.

Merlin had stepped forward, bringing Evelyn along with him. She was eyeing the people with just as much curiosity, but had no idea how her mother could know them, clearly so well. Merlin could only assume one possibility. With one wave of his hand he made the two guards back off, and they retreated back into their position by the gate, still eyeing the two newcomers with suspicion but staying out of the ongoing proceedings. The woman looked at him, blinking once and then looking at Hunith again, and then back to Merlin. Recognition had sparked in Raina's eyes, but she said nothing, feeling shy under Merlin's impenetrable gaze, turning her attention back to Hunith.

"What in heavens are you doing here?" Hunith asked, staring harder she realised that a fading bruise marred Raina's face. "What happened?"

Both of them looked stricken at the question, which caused Hunith to frown deeper.

"You must be tired if you have travelled all the way from Ealdor," she said. It had taken her two days by horseback. Moving closer she put her arms around Raina to gently support her and lead her into the castle. Matthew followed, looking around nervously as he passed the previously aggressive guards. Merlin followed, Evelyn trotting along next to him, hissing up at him.

"Who are they?"

"People that mother know," Merlin said, giving his best answer, and one that was short. Evelyn frowned, stepping away from him as she walked along, Merlin tightened his grip on her hand to steady her, the reaction automatic.

"But they're peasants!"

"Evelyn!" April snapped at her. "That is no excuse to be rude."

Evelyn pouted, looking very put out at April telling her off. Merlin tugged his sister closer and squeezed her hand, this time affectionately.

"Evie, hush now."

They met Percival on the way to the royal apartment. Hunith's rooms took up one entire corridor. They had spread a little over the years, with Merlin growing up and the addition of Evelyn. Raina and Matthew gawped at the surroundings that Hunith lived in. Merlin had moved from there over five years ago, taking his own set of rooms on the floor below with Percival in situ nearby. Evelyn stayed in Hunith's apartments, and would probably never move Merlin thought. Percival looked curiously at the woman Hunith was leading and the man self-consciously trailing behind them. With one jerk of his head Merlin got Percival to follow. He had some of Merlin's shirts draped over his arm, having finished the stables and then cleaned Merlin's armour, and also his own, and then collected Merlin's laundry.

"What's going on?"

"Not sure," Merlin said. Percival shut up and relieved Mary of some of her packages.

Hunith chose the larger drawing room to settle her guests. It had a slightly more formal air to it, since Cenred and Merlin sometimes sat in there to go over any administration during the evening, a huge table taking up one end of the room for that very purpose.

"April could you fetch some refreshments," Hunith asked as she got Matthew and Raina settled. Merlin stayed standing, lingering by the fireplace. Evelyn plonked herself on the rug by his feet, playing with her two dolls, while she watched what was going on.

"I'll help," Percival said, and then paused as Merlin coughed. "Or not," he said, putting the packages and shirts down and hovering in the background. Matthew and Raina looked stunned by everything.

"What's happened?" Hunith eventually asked them. She could have asked them so many things, memories rushing back to her. Those lost thoughts hardly seemed real but the two people in front of her brought them into sharp focus.

"We don't know what else to do," Matthew said, eventually breaking the silence. "This was the only thing we could think of."

"Do about what?" Merlin demanded. Matthew stared at him, lowering his gaze to the table.

"Sorry, Sire, they came just over a month ago… and…." Matthew tailed off.

"Who did?" Hunith asked, glaring at Merlin and quelling him into silence. He kept his gaze on the newcomers, staring at them intently with an unreadable expression.

As the conversation went on the expression went from anger to fury, although his face didn't seem to change that much, but his jaw tensed, and his eyes almost started to burn. Matthew and Raina stammered an explanation of what the raiders had done to the village of Ealdor.

"They've taken almost everything My Lord, we can't afford to lose what we need to get us through the winter, what we have left will barely do that," Matthew said.

"We begged him but he said he could solve the problem," Raina added, her voice sounding increasingly stressed, but more as if she desperately wanted to tell him what she needed to say. Merlin raised his eyebrows, and let her, asking.

"How exactly?"

"He'll kill anyone of no use, the children, the women, the elderly," she said. Hunith gave a sharp intake of breath. Evelyn paused playing with her dolls, stopping their odd little dance to stare at the two strangers before looking up at Merlin. Percival thought that if Merlin got any angrier he was liable to accidentally ignite himself.

"How many men does this Kanen have?" Merlin asked.

Matthew frowned, pausing for a moment to think. "Forty maybe, I'm not sure. We didn't know if you could help, it's only a tiny village, we don't have much."

He stopped talking as Hunith reached out to grip his arm. She turned to look at Merlin, who was thinking it through, he glanced at Percival. The bigger youth had rested his arms on the back of a nearby chair as he had listened but he shrugged as Merlin glanced at him.

"You take the twenty on the left, I'll take the twenty on the right."

It caused a quirk of humour to flicker over Merlin's face and Matthew frowned in irritation, although he said nothing, not daring to challenge Merlin. He couldn't help feeling angry at the slight joke, but as he looked around, he thought it might not entirely be one. They heard stories and rumours about Merlin, from people passing through. By the expressions on the faces of some of the people in the room, there was a hint that Merlin and Percival were entirely capable of such a thing.

Merlin snapped his attention back to Matthew and Raina, and then eventually his mother. She was one reason they had come, Hunith had lived in Ealdor, she knew what it was like. They had travelled across the kingdom in the hope that she could influence Cenred to help them.

"I'll talk to father," Merlin announced abruptly. He stepped over Evelyn and as he passed Percival put a hand on his shoulder. Taking the hint Percival straightened up and turning followed Merlin out of the chambers.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"The village is in one of the outlying regions," one of the councillors said.

Cenred had started the afternoon meeting early on account of what Merlin had told him, or more accurately the way he had told him. The outlying regions offered little, they sustained themselves, the little villages trading with each other to survive, and their problems didn't often get noticed, unless a patrol happened to be around at the time.

"What's that got to do with it?" Merlin said from his place at the table, right of Cenred. Percival stood behind him, as he always did.

"It's still our side of the ridge," he continued. "Which makes it our concern."

"We can't go shooting off every time there is even a hint of a problem. Our forces cannot be spread that thinly."

Merlin looked steadily at the man who had spoken, raising his eyebrows a little.

"There is a point there, Merlin," Cenred said. Merlin glanced at his father.

"We don't have a hint, there are two people with an eyewitness account."

"It's taken them four days to travel here. By the time you reach the village it could be too late," Horaice argued. Merlin took a deep breath, exhaling heavily.

"I'm aware of that, but we might not be, and if this Kanen thinks he can take one village, then he may move to another, and the more time he's given, then there is a possibility that he will push further into the kingdom if we do nothing about him."

"If it gets to that point we can do something about it."

Merlin glared at the man at the end of the table. "Then what is the problem of making sure it doesn't get to that point. And I hardly think giving out the message that raiders are allowed to do what they like is something we should be doing."

Cenred raised his eyebrows. "Merlin does have a point there."

Merlin pressed his advantage. "We don't tolerate other kingdoms pressing in on our boarders, so I don't see how this is any different. If this man get's a foothold he'll be harder to get rid of in the long run."

Horaice smirked across the table at Merlin, who ignored him except for a quick, subtle wink. The council still, however, seemed prepared to argue.

"The area over the ridge spreads out into forest, the boarder with Camelot lies within there. If these raiders flee they may seek refuge there."

"Good, then they can be Camelot's problem," Merlin said. "If we leave a boarder patrol of enough men there, we can stop them from returning."

"Uther will not take that kindly, especially if there is any hint that we may have crossed over."

Cenred snorted with laughter. "How will he ever manage to substantiate such a claim? He'll risk war making too much of an issue over it. How many soldiers will you need?"

"Against forty men, no more than half that, probably only a dozen; and Percival of course."

"Of course," Cenred said, glancing at Percival, who hadn't flickered when Merlin mentioned him separately. "If you set off at dawn, you can probably be there in a day and a half."

"I'll gather the men I need," Merlin said, standing up.

"Take Captain Cyranus with you, he'll be competent in such a venture."

Merlin's jaw tensed, eyes flickering with mild fury but Cenred's stare back was even more resolute. Merlin had won the argument to get out and deal with the raiders, to make an issue of taking one of the army's best men would be idiotic. He gave a curt nod.

"I'll speak to him now. Gentlemen," Merlin nodded at the councillors who all stood up as Merlin spun on his heel and left the room to head down in the direction of the barracks.

"You can't complain that much, he's a good soldier," Percival murmured.

"I know that, I just don't like him."

"Why? He's perfectly friendly to you," Percival said.

Merlin glanced at Percival, who knew when to leave well alone, so he changed the subject and said.

"At least you get out of the council meeting."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Since Percival had his own packing to do April came down to help Merlin, who didn't really need any help, especially since April had brought Evelyn with her. She was jumping around on Merlin's bed, her dolls now playing at knights and raiders.

"It must be exciting, going and saving people," Evelyn said.

"I hardly think it's as simple as that Evie," Merlin replied. Evelyn stopped jumping up and down, pouting in confusion, at ten she couldn't really expect to entirely understand it. She had lived a very sheltered life, within the castle, always surrounded by people who cared about her and provided for her. There was nothing precarious about her world.

"But that's what you'll do isn't it, go and stop the raiders and save people."

"You should take your warm cloak," April informed Merlin, going to his wardrobe and rummaging for it. Merlin stared at his sister.

"The raiders have already taken some of their food, they still might need more help. And they'll still suffer."

"They can get more," Evelyn said dismissively.

"They can't!" Merlin snapped, more sharply than he intended. "What they had, they had grown themselves. It's not so easy to replace, they can't grow much more now, which means some of them may die. We might even be too late to help them."

Evelyn blinked at him, her eyes wide. April stared at him steadily and Merlin winced inwardly. He reached out to take Evelyn's hand and she bounced out of his reach, then bounced back again, hopping into Merlin's arms and letting hug her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you."

"That's all right, although knights in fairytales don't shout. Will you meet a princess?"

"I might do," Merlin said as Hunith opened the door. He released Evelyn and she dropped back down onto Merlin's bed. She decided one of her dolls was a prince, and the other a princess, and off they went on an imaginary quest. Hunith looked at Merlin questioningly.

"I need to check the armour," Merlin said. Hunith smiled.

"I'll help you."

They left April packing and Evelyn playing.

"I heard shouting," Hunith said as they stepped into the corridor.

"That was me, at Evie, she doesn't get what's going on."

"She's only a child, she won't."

"I did at her age."

"That's because it's different for you Merlin."

They reached the end of the corridor and Merlin opened the door on the right. He wasn't entirely sure what the room was meant to have been but he and Percival had turned it into a makeshift storage room.

"I don't see why you just don't use the armoury in the barracks."

"Because if Percival goes down there to do any cleaning or repairs half the knights appear to make him do theirs as well. This way he doesn't get all that dumped on him. Not that he said anything to me when it was happening."

"You know he wouldn't."

"Well, it's not fair!"

"Life isn't, dear, not for anyone and not all the time," Hunith said. She stepped forward and took Merlin's arm, his hand froze on his chainmail. It had already been cleaned anyway, Percival had only done it that morning. There wasn't a great deal to check.

"Please tell me you'll be careful."

"You know I will, I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle, I've done it before."

"This time you don't have Cenred with you."

Merlin thought about that. This time he was in charge, there would be no one to defer to.

"I have Percival, and Cyranus."

Hunith huffed in irritation. "You really need to let that go Merlin."

"I remember it very well."

"I know that my love, but sometimes it's not worth bothering to be angry about things you can't control."