Thanks everyone for the reviews and positive feedback. I admit I've had a few long weeks and a massive writer's block but thanks to Rosy-Apples I've got some great ideas coming! Hopefully I'll have more chapters up soon!
Chapter Nine: Druids
They met at the stables in the darkness where the first circle, Arthur, Gwen and Merlin were waiting with their horses.
"Anyone see you?" Sasha asked while giving the buckskin gelding Arthur had selected for her a pat.
"No one saw any of us," the king assured her calmly, "Now hurry and get out of here."
"Arthur what's going on? I thought you said they weren't leaving until dawn," Leon asked in confusion.
Sasha climbed on her horse without help and grinned, "That's because we don't want anyone following us. Last thing we need is someone finding all the camps nearby and attacking the druids before we can prove Arthur wants peace. Pretty sure a group of knights of Camelot attacking the camps would throw those talks out the window," Sasha answered the first knight and he nodded in understanding. He had noticed some of the councillors and older knights as well as a few younger knights seemed a little overly interested in when the two companions were leaving to speak with the druids. Nodding to Arthur and giving Merlin a smile Sasha turned her horse towards the gates and Percival was right behind her. They disappeared into the night and the group quickly dispersed so as not to draw any more attention to the pair as they vanished.
They'd been riding for a few minutes before Sasha closed her eyes and breathed deeply while focussing. Letting her magic swirl around her she gently pushed it outwards to feel around them while they rode. Focussing on the sparks of life a human would make she ignored the flames from herself and Percival in her mind's eye and looked further out to see if they were being followed. Thankfully she felt and saw nothing before she smiled and opened her eyes to see the tall knight watching her silently.
"No one following us from what I can tell," she answered his unspoken question and he nodded before relaxing slightly. "We won't reach the first camp until first light if we keep this pace and that's probably for the best. Don't want to wake them," she chuckled. Percival nodded and for several hours they rode in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts. Percival glanced at Sasha every so often while they rode but didn't say anything at first.
"You know," Sasha smiled lightly while glancing at him, "If you don't ask your questions you'll never get any answers." Laughter danced in those expressive eyes and Percival felt an answering smile tugging at his own lips.
"Are you really royalty?" The knight finally asked while watching her.
Sasha sighed and nodded, "Yes. No Merlin technically is not. My mother was a royal and I am related to Merlin through our fathers. Next question?"
"Why are you here if you're a princess?" Percival asked slowly.
"Princess?" Sasha chuckled, "Whoever said I was a princess?" She smirked slightly and then answered his question, "As for why I am here that is because of many reasons. The first being that I wanted to meet my cousin and only real family left that wasn't trying to kill me. The other because my family on my mother's side is trying to kill me," she laughed easily. Percival just blinked at all the new questions her answers had brought up.
"You came alone?" He asked and she nodded silently. "Is that normal among your people?"
"Not really," she shrugged, "but then I'm a little different. My mother's people were very different from father and many disapproved of their marriage. However thanks to my dual bloodline I'm stronger in many ways than most of my people on my mother's side. Besides," she grinned, "While I blend in just fine the rest tend not to. They're rather noticeable and stand out so for someone trying to blend in bringing along a company wouldn't go well."
Percival nodded in understanding, "Your mother," he stopped unsure how to ask.
"Yes," she smiled sadly, "She is dead." Percival blinked and slowly a thought dawned on him as the first rays of light began to brighten the sky.
"Then you're a," he was cut off by another voice speaking from a few yards away to their left.
"Your Grace," Percival jerked and both the older druid and the red head grinned at him. He just blushed silently while Sasha dismounted and hurried over to embrace the man.
"Iseldir!" She grinned at the man warmly, "I haven't seen you since your people gave father and I shelter! How is everyone?" She looked back as Percival looped the horses' reins around branches and hurried after them. The knight watched as she not only spoke easily with the druid chieftain but knelt to hug and greet the children who had run out to meet them. A few glanced at him fearfully but she just gave them a mildly amused look before walking back to him and looping her arm through his with a grin.
"I see," Iseldir smiled at the tall knight. "If Queen Sasha is trusting you than we shall as well." Percival paled as his suspicions were confirmed out loud.
"Queen?" He whispered as the druids walked ahead of them.
"Don't freak out," she instructed softly. "I was only crowned a few months ago and the council is ruling in my place for the time being. I was going to tell you when we were alone since courting me means you are courting a queen who will be ruling a people." She glanced at him and took a step away from him while she stopped walking. After a long shared glance with the druid chieftain he hustled the children off leaving them alone. "Since I will be ruling eventually you of course realize that will make you a king if we were to continue to pursue this?" She watched as he sat down on a log, "but you won't really be ruling. You'll be my partner and advisor of course but females rule among my kind." She blinked at his confused expression and considered before grinning, "I would be Arthur and you would be my Guinevere." She laughed and Percival couldn't help chuckling at the comparison. "I understand if you need time to think about it," he looked up and found her studying her fingertips as they twined nervously together and he smiled. He had been nervous and afraid of failing her but just seeing her standing there made him think. Guinevere had been a servant and had married Arthur and she was an amazing queen so why couldn't he be the king that this beautiful and magical queen needed? Standing up he walked over and reached out to hook a finger under her chin. Tilting her head up, he smiled in that silent way of his before gently but firmly kissing her.
As he stepped back he smiled, "We'll be fine." She grinned happily and he smiled again as he saw the similarity between her and Merlin. This time she didn't bother linking arms with him but instead grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the camp laughing. Percival couldn't help but think she was in some ways just like her cousin and in others was so very different.
After explaining everything to the druid chieftain Iseldir they moved around the camp watching magic and children at play, talking with those they met. It was so peaceful but after a good lunch they were quickly on their way to the next camp. Percival and Sasha fell into a rhythm. They would spend a couple hours at each camp talking about the changed laws and Arthur's meeting. They greeted a few people, played with the children and then were on their way. There were a total of ten druid camps. They had decided to go to five each day and work their way around. They did end up spending the night in one druid camp so that they were not alone out in the woods and the druids had given them their own tents. After two straight days of diplomacy, riding and meeting new people the two finally waved goodbye to the tenth and final camp in the late afternoon and made their way back towards Camelot. It would only take an hour, maybe two to reach the city and both were looking forward to getting there. Everything had gone smoothly and the elders had seemed not only interested but pleased with the proposal and were looking forward to speaking with Arthur in person. A few had seemed hesitant but to Percival's surprise Sasha simply looked at them, smiled, and said Merlin would be coming as well. With those few words all the elders had relaxed and agreed, some even smiling back at her. Percival had known about Merlin's magic but he hadn't realised that Merlin was important to the druids until that moment but Sasha just shrugged and told him it wasn't her secret to share when he asked about it. As they reached the edge of the woods and walked easily along the road towards home they grinned at each other. Percival had been comfortable with the druids, having spent time among them before and Sasha had relished spending time with other magic users. After each diplomatic mission they had actually split up and spent time with different groups. Percival had spent time learning from the elders, playing with the children or speaking with the youths about Arthur and Camelot while Sasha had spent most of her time with the healers learning and teaching in turn. All in all their trip had not only been a success but had been fruitful in was the knight hadn't expected. He had learned much about the druids' culture that he knew would interest Arthur.
"Come on," Sasha grinned tiredly, "I'll race you home!" He blinked in surprise before kicking his horse to race after her. Regardless of being a queen among her own people the young woman had called Camelot home and the knight smiled as they raced through the streets towards the stables.
Alright folks so I have some good news. Not only did I break my writer's block but I've also started a new Merlin Fanfic which hopefully the first chapter will be up in the next few hours. Rosy-Apples you might enjoy this new one a bit better. Starts almost the complete opposite of this one as almost no one will trust and accept the main character right away. Anyways, Read and Review my lovlies!
