A week in Camelot could not have been considered an easy week by any means. Quinn had scrubbed almost every surface of the tiny home she shared with Merlin and Gaius, who everyday would complain more and more about their things being moved around. She had to explain how it was impossible to live in filthy dust and that they should be happy she was doing it for them instead of the other way around.

But that only took so many hours in a day, and the rest of her week was spent mainly with Morgana or Merlin. Morgana liked to show her around the castle and they'd have long talks about things Quinn knew mostly nothing about. She'd ask Merlin about it later, who was this or that person? How did magic so often enter into the castle to cause mayhem? Merlin was another source of entertainment, because he'd been running around ragged trying to do chores for Arthur that he had little time or energy left to figure out the mystery behind Quinn being there. She'd taken to coming along with him and helping him with buffing armor or poking around at everything from swords to arrows.

One afternoon after Merlin finished cleaning off one of the horses in the stables Quinn found an archery bow against the wall, picking it up and turning it over a couple times. It was something she'd tried before in camp but never found to use for it outside of those two weeks in the summer. She held it up and found the bow sac nearby, pulling a long straight arrow and placing it into the bow, drawing it back and aiming against the back wall of the barn. It sailed straight into wall and the tail end of the bow made a whooshing sound.

"It seems you have some talents after all." Quinn turned her head to see a pleasantly surprised Arthur standing there, dressed in his more casual clothing that she often saw him in. Although he'd been avoiding her the entire week or any of her attempts to talk to him.

"Oh, I'm full of surprises," she said.

Merlin rolled his eyes and Quinn suppressed a smile, beginning the retrieve the bow. "Your aim's a little poor though," he said, to which she scoffed and turned around on him.

"It hit the wall, didn't it?"

"Yes, but that could have been pure luck, your body was completely ridged and you had no idea where it would land, you couldn't make the same shot twice," he said smirking.

"Fine. It's a bet," Quinn said, glaring. Arthur and Merlin exchanged a skeptic glance between the both of them as she found another arrow from the bag.

"And what are we betting here?" he asked.

"If I win," she said, slowly loading the arrow into the bow, "You have to take me with you back to where you first found me here."

Arthur looked at Merlin, who shrugged, and he pouted just a bit as he folded his arms before replying, a little crossly, "Fine, and when you miss, you'll have to come clean stables with Merlin for a week," he said, earning another eye roll from Merlin.

"Fine," Quinn said. She took a deep breath, holding up the bow in her arm steadily and as she let the air out loaded another bow, aiming her arm and releasing the arrow. "We'll leave tonight, after nightfall," she said, the arrow holding still less than an inch from it's original spot.

Quinn set the bow back down and turned around, pleased with herself and the look of pain on Arthur's face while he complained to Merlin, "Why didn't you tell me she could shoot well?"

"That's because I didn't know," Merlin said, amused.

She rubbed a spot of dirt off her hands and saw Gwen making her way towards them, with a pitcher of water most likely not for her or Merlin. Quinn decided she didn't like Gwen, not the looks she gave her or the non-subtle way she injected herself into every conversation Quinn started with Arthur.

"Hello Arthur, Merlin, Quinn," Gwen said, smiling but it did look a little forced, although she was probably just looking for reasons not to like her now.

The three mumbled back replies and Arthur smiled like a puppy at Gwen, while Quinn watched helplessly to the side biting her lip and reminding herself she was technically being held against her will here.

"Something wrong, princess?" Merlin whispered, leaning over and giving her a grin.

If only looks could do physical damage, "Don't tell me you've started doing that too? One's more than enough." Quinn said, pushing his arm a little and causing Merlin to grin more.

"No, I haven't," he said, with a shake of his head, looking back down at his work, "But Arthur's told me it really seems to bother you. Why is that?"

Quinn blinked a bit, making herself wait in between stares at Arthur and Gwen to see if she'd tried to touch his arm again, "It's just not true. I'm not a princess, I've made a lot of mistakes and that's not what a princess does. A princess is perfect and I'm obviously not."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Quinn," Merlin said.

Quinn looked down, feeling herself get embarrassed, "I've made some really, really bad ones. Being here makes me wonder if I'll ever get to go back and make them right."

"You never know, I've been working with Gaius a lot while you've been out with Morgana, we think we've found the spell used to bring you here. We just... we haven't figured out who used it, or why, or how it got in your hands... But it's only a matter of time!" he said, with the helplessly encouraging smile.

"You have? Can you guys show me it? Maybe I can-"

"Quinn is our guest," Arthur said suddenly, and Quinn spun her head back so fast to see the frustrated gestures between Arthur and Gwen, as she tried to get quieter and Arthur crossed his arms.

"I just don't trust her, who did you say her father was again? I could have sworn that he-"

"Gwen I won't have you accusing my guests, I think you need to go." Arthur said, but it looked uncomfortable for him to say. Gwen looked crushed, Merlin seemed uncomfortable too and Quinn wanted to say something then. But the moment wasn't right, and Gwen quickly left staring at the ground and not wasting a single glance in her direction.

Arthur stood there angrily, his arms crossed against his chest and watched Gwen disappear. Once she had disappeared he looked back and saw Quinn and Merlin sitting and staring awkwardly at him, "Be ready tonight by midnight," he quickly left disappeared inside the castle. Quinn tried not to imagine him finding and apologizing to Gwen.

"Well, that was awkward," Quinn said, but Merlin just starred into his work. "Do you have anything to add?"

"Nope."

"Wonderful."

Quinn sighed and left Merlin to work, thinking of the one person who might actually be able to talk to her about anything happening, and knocked on Morgana's door.

"Yes?"

"It's me, Quinn!"

"Oh, just wait, one minute!"

She leaned against the stone cold wall and heard the sound of ruffling and some small banging, but Morgana threw the door back and smile brightly. "Quinn! I thought we were going to see each other tomorrow evening?" she asked.

"Oh, you're right, I'm sorry I can come back," Quinn said, stepping back. She was constantly forgetting the fact that she was with royals, it almost felt like cheerleading and ruling the school, how people figuratively and actually bow to you.

"No, come in, you look upset what's happened?" Morgana asked, all concern.

"It's just, something happened today and I guess I'm feeling a bit... homesick."

Inside of Morgana's room was probably the nicest room by far, she'd been in it a couple of times already to try a dress on or help Morgana get ready, but it still made her jealous. As soon as she got home she wanted to start working on some new designs for her own room.

"Did you get news from your father, is he still ill?" Morgana asked, closing her door.

"Oh- oh, no, he tells me he's feeling much better, and that he misses me," Quinn said, feeling a little odd. She hadn't spoken to her actual father in a while.

Morgana sat down on her bed, looking at Quinn who stood just in front of her, "Then what's happened to make you look so upset?"

"I think, well, does Arthur like Gwen?" she asked.

Morgana laughed, shaking her head, "I'm not sure what Arthur thinks, but it wouldn't matter. Gwen is a servant, a good servant and a good friend, but the king wouldn't allow that."

It was what Quinn had been thinking all along. "I think she likes him."

"He's the prince, everyone likes him," Morgana said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Right..."

"Do you like him?" Morgana asked, with a coy grin on her face.

Quinn blinked, did she like her kidnapper? Did she? "No, he's fine and all, but I'm just worried about Gwen not liking me. And if he feels something for Gwen I'm worried about what she might say or do," she said, fully aware of the precarious situation she was in. Totally dependent on Arthur and Merlin, needing them to send her home and not keep her in the prison in the meantime.

"Arthur isn't going to be swayed by that, he's nothing if not a man of his word, almost annoyingly so. Besides you don't have anything to worry about, he likes you, I can tell. I've lived with him my whole life and never seen him take to any woman nearly as well as you, he finds most to be a bit of a distraction," she said.

"Great, so I'm not good enough to be a distraction?" Quinn asked laughing.

"Not at all, he's just got to be careful is all," Morgana said, and she could tell what she meant in that moment.

"Thank you, Morgana, I'm sorry to have interrupted you tonight, but I should go now," Quinn said with a smile.

"Think nothing of it, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Absolutely."

Dinner with Gaius and Merlin that night mostly centered around the spell they thought had been used to bring Quinn there, although she was confused and didn't understand some of the things they were talking about. She ate in silence trying to think of what she would look for when she went back to the spot in the woods, maybe she arrived with something else. Maybe her purse or something in it, she'd be excited to find chapstick at that point.

After dinner she cleaned up the rest of their dishes and studied the symbols and words in the spell book Gaius had showed her, their strange swirls and loops. It didn't look like anything she'd ever seen before.

Once Gaius had gone to bed after making a potion for the king to sleep Merlin went to bring it to him, Quinn grabbed a piece of paper and a piece of charcoal, placing the paper over the symbol in the book and rubbing over it, it's imprint showing through the page well enough for her to see. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. She brought the paper into her room and changed into a pair of pants Merlin had leant her, that she'd been warned to not wear out. But she couldn't ride a horse in a dress, she could do almost everything in a dress, but not horse riding.

Merlin went to bed and she peaked out the windows to try and guess the time, before hearing the door creak open.

"Quinn?" Arthur whispered.

"I'm here," she said, tightening a belt around her hips and feeling the weight of the paper and charcoal in her pocket.

Arthur led her out with a lit torch and she saw he wasn't in his full-blown knight gear, but still had some armour and a sword. Who did he think they were going to run into? Once they were outside where two horses were waiting for them both. Quinn saw the height of the horse and looked around for a second before realizing, with dread, she was going to have to jump to make it up on the horse.

"Here," Arthur said, leaning down with his hands out to help her.

"Thanks," Quinn said, placing one arm on his shoulder and one on the saddle, he lifted her and she easily swung her leg over the side of the horse, getting herself in and taking hold on the reigns, stroking the mane of the horse for her own comfort more than anything.

"Just so you know, it's very dangerous for us to be going out here, we don't know who we could run into or whose looking for you. This is against my better judgement-"

"But I might be able to remember something, or find something that you haven't, so it's a good idea after all," Quinn said, smiling.

"We'll see," Arthur said, clicking his heels and sending the horse on it's way.

They trotted off into the woods with their torch light leading the way. "How do we know where we're going?" Quinn asked, squinting through the dark and shivering.

"I've been in these woods longer than I've been in that castle, I know where everything is. But you don't, so stay close," Arthur said.

The forest was much more frightening at night, every dark spot seemed to hold her gaze, she shivered at the brush of the wind and every snapped twig made her jump in surprise. "Arthur?"

"I know you haven't spent much time in the woods, but it's not so bad, I was just trying to make you show a little more caution."

"Mission achieved then," she said.

Arthur pulled a little on the reigns and his horse slowed down, following closely beside Quinn, only a couple feet separating them so that there was more light for her to see. "Better?" he asked.

She nodded and gave him a smile, to which he smiled back, before turning his attention back to the woods.

"What was it Gwen was saying earlier about me?" Quinn asked.

"That she didn't trust you, and that she thought you were up to something. She was looking into your story about your father, the knight, if she told the wrong person they might start to look into it and they'd realize you were lying. You'd be in a lot of trouble you do realize?" he asked, looking over at her.

Quinn bit her lip, "I've been trying not to think about that too much."

Her horse made a loud sigh and Quinn jumped, clutching tightly onto the reigns and breathing in relief when she realized the horse must just be bored of walking. Always a good sign when the animals aren't scared. "Are we close?" she asked.

Arthur nodded and a few minutes later they arrived, he took the reigns and tied the horses off, with Quinn hovering near him trying to find herself within the ring of light and offering to hold the torch while he tied the horses. "Well, here it is," Arthur said, waving an arm around the place. "Feel free to look around."

Quinn nodded, suddenly aware of her unpreparedness for this. Maybe she should have asked Gaius some more questions before she left. She bent down and tried to see behind every bush, the tree she had first hid behind, even laid down on the grass where she had first woken up. It was around when Arthur started laughing at her that she started to feel annoyed. "I'm sorry, but do you have a better method to try and remember what happened? Oh that's right, you have no idea. Why don't you stop laughing and come over here and look with me."

Arthur must have been caught a little off guard by her tone, because he clamped his mouth shut and poked his head around the place too. Quinn sighed and sat down on the grass with her knee's against her chest, holding the flame away and still being able to feel it's warmth. Too bad she hadn't paid attention in high school science or she could have invented electricity already and used a flashlight.

It was then that she noticed something, she moved away some of the brush and saw a mark in the tree, though it was hard to tell what it was exactly. "Arthur, hold this, I think I found something," she said, passing along the torch as he tried to see what she was doing. Quinn grabbed the paper from her pocket, a fresh sheet and began to rub the charcoal over the paper on tree and get the imprint. When she finished she held it into the light, "Does this look like anything to you?" she asked.

"Yeah, it does," Arthur said uncomfortably.

"What? What does it look like?"

"A necklace, one that... one that my mother wore..."