Something hard and rough was pressed against my lips. That was the first thing I was aware of when I fled out of my dreams and into wakefulness. The second thing I was aware of was the rustle and small movements of several bodies surrounding me. The third and final thing I was aware of was when my eyes opened and I looked straight into the face of Prince Arthur, whose hand was pressed over my mouth. I was laying on my bedroll on the forest floor and he was crouched over me, holding a hand over my lips while he tightened a cord around my wrists.
I lay there, frozen in shock for a moment, and then I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into Arthur's hand. Arthur's head whipped towards me and his eyes widened in shock before he released a shriek of pain. I grunted, and dug my teeth in harder, as he tried to pull his hand away my teeth just sank further into his skin. Arthur shouted frantically,
"Get off of me!" I grunted again, and opened my mouth; he snatched his hand away and sprang backwards away from me, staring at the bright bruise and teeth marks on his skin in horror. I leaned up and took in the situation: There were five knights including Arthur in our clearing, Juliana was lying on the ground while two of the knights bond her wrists with cords. By this point Arthur was coming back towards me with the other two knights behind him, his face determined. I rolled onto my knees and leapt to my feet, trying to pull my hands out of the cords binding them.
The rope cords tied around my wrists held however. I cursed, and then looked up to see Arthur and the knights coming closer, they were looking at me with slight fear. I tried to think of a plan but it felt like my brain wasn't working. Arthur told me in a low, commanding voice,
"Don't try anything. We took your weapons and if you try any magic you'll regret it." My eyes widened in shock and I stared at him in disbelief. How could he possibly know Juliana and I had magic? I replied quickly,
"I don't know what you're talking about. My friend and I have no magic." Speaking of which…I looked over at Juliana but she was still fast asleep, despite the fact that the knights had just tied her wrists together. I scowled, why did she have to be such a heavy sleeper? But I guess I had slept through them binding my hands too. Arthur grinned cunningly at me, his voice condescending,
"Why of course you don't." I glared at him, I didn't care if he was a prince; he was being very aggravating. That and the fact he was currently trying to kidnap Juliana and I was really making me mad. By now Arthur and the knights were only a few feet away from me, Arthur held his sword out in front of him, its blade was shadowed in the night but I could see it gleaming as it hovered just a few inches from my chest. I froze where I was. Arthur smiled triumphantly, telling me,
"That's right, come quietly and no one will get home. Now stand still so Tristan here can bind your ankles." The knight standing to the left of Arthur, Tristan took out a rope like the one tying my wrists together and became to walk slowly towards me, a cautious expression on his face. I watched Arthur's eyes, waiting for the moment when his attention would leave me. Suddenly Arthur's eyes flicked from my face over to where Juliana was laying. Instantly, I acted, kicking out my leg, aiming for Arthur's kneecap. The heel of my boot slammed into Arthur's knee, as it did I reached out and placed my hands on either side of Arthur's sword. My skin prickled as I pressed my palms flat against the cold steel, the rope binds resting just on the edge of the sword. Then in a quick motion I pulled my hands back along the sword. The edge of the sword sliced through the rope cord binding my hands and the cord fell off my wrists.
In the few seconds it had taken me to kick Arthur and cut off my binds, the knights had not yet reacted. In fact, they were staring at me in some confusion, I guess they weren't used to prisoners resisting. I took advantage of their surprise by sprinting away from Arthur and over to where Juliana was laying on the forest floor. I shook her once, and then grabbing her around the shoulders tried to pull her to her feet, shouting,
"Juliana! Wake up now!" Her eyes opened and she gasped slightly as she saw the knights standing in the clearing, and looking down, she saw the rope cord wrapped around her wrists. I didn't wait for her to respond; instead I grabbed her arm and ran, sprinting in the opposite direction of where the knights were. For the first few steps I had to half-drag Juliana, when her body reacted and she began to run behind me. I let go of her arm and focused on dodging trees and brambles. I had no idea where we were going, but from behind us I could hear rustling and crashing sounds as the knights began to chase us. Juliana shouted at me, her voice sounding completely confused,
"What's going on? And where are you going?" I didn't waste my breath by replying, instead I spoke quickly instead her mind: I have no idea. Somehow they found us. I don't know where we're going; we just have to get away from them.
The crashing sounds behind us were getting closer, and I was beginning to breathe heavily, it was a bit difficult to sprint when you had just been sleeping a few moments ago. This part of the forest looking completely unfamiliar, but I could vaguely hear a sound like rushing water. Did that mean we were close to a river?
My question got answered for me as suddenly the ground dropped away ahead and I found myself sprinting full speed at what was a wide, rushing river. I dug my heels into the ground and skidded to a stop just at the edge. Juliana appeared next to me, we both stared down at the racing water, which appeared pitch black in the night, looking like shadows were swarming over the land. The sound of the knights running was very close now, they were really very loud, they needed to get the talent of moving softly. I asked Juliana quickly,
"So, we swim then?"
"Wait, I can't swim with bonds," Juliana answered. I was looking around for a sharp rock to cut her bonds, however she just stared down at the rope cord around her wrists for a moment and then the pieces of rope suddenly slithered apart, falling into threads off her wrists. I was confused for a moment then I remembered that the rope came from plant matter, and plants were of the earth, which Juliana had power over. We both turned back to the river. Fear was fluttering slightly in my chest; both Juliana and I were good swimmers but this river was rushing furiously, and swimming at night would make it doubly difficult.
Juliana and I grabbed hands and then together we leapt off the riverbank, as we jumped I could hear the clang of armor and weapons directly behind us and I knew the knights had caught up. We hurtled down towards the churning black river; I felt my feet break the surface of the water and then water closed over my head as I completely submerged in the river. For a moment everything was black and cold, and then I kicked my legs and shot up to the surface. For a terrifying moment I didn't see Juliana, but then she bobbed up next to me.
Back on the river bank the knights were standing at the edge looking down at us, they looked uncertainly at Arthur, unsure whether to jump in after us. I grinned, if they jumped in wearing their armor they would sink right to the bottom and drown. I turned and began to swim towards the opposite bank. Swimming was more difficult then I could have predicted, the current was strong and pulled me down, water rushed around my head and spray from the river sprang into my eyes. I spotted a rock in the middle of the river, about halfway between the two banks and I swam towards it, I needed to rest or I was going to get pulled away.
Juliana reached the rock first, she dragged herself on top of it, and leaning back down offered a hand to me. I grabbed her hand and pushed myself onto the rock's surface. It was slippery with water, and covered with moss and lichen, it was just large enough for both Juliana and I to lay on it. I lay there panting for a moment, completely exhausted, my head pounding. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a shout from the bank. I leaned up and sure enough Arthur was yelling at us,
"Are you guys crazy? Come back before you both drown!" I frowned, why did he care if we drowned or not? But we weren't going back; being prisoners of the prince of Camelot wouldn't end well for us. Juliana was apparently thinking slightly the same thing since she shouted back over the sound of the river,
"There's no way we're going back!" Arthur sighed slightly, and turning, he said something to Merlin, who had appeared by his side. I smiled, how was it that Merlin always managed to avoid the fights but show up when he was needed? Merlin stepped forward right to the edge of the river, his eyes focused on us. My smile turned into a frown, what was he doing? Suddenly Merlin pulled out from behind his back a small leather knapsack. For a moment I was confused, and then I gasped softly when out of the knapsack Merlin pulled our book of magic. Reaching out, he extended his arm over the river, holding the book of magic in the air as if he were about to drop it in the water. I jumped to my feet, nearly slipping on the moss, screaming,
"Don't you dare drop that!" That book contained all of our magical knowledge, our spells, our records, everything Juliana and I had done and discovered for years. The knowledge in that book had kept us alive; it was our most valuable possession. Besides that, it was a book! What kind of sadistic person would drop a book in a river? Juliana stood up slowly beside me, commenting,
"I knew we should have kept all of knowledge in something less fragile than a book." I ignored her as Merlin shouted to us,
"Come back to this bank and I swear I will not drop it." I scowled, there was a strong possibility that he was bluffing, but I wasn't exactly willing to take that chance. I turned to Juliana,
"Any brilliant plans come to mind?" She shrugged,
"Nothing, come on lets go back." I nodded and leapt off the rock back into the water. I paddled in the direction of the bank trying to plan in my head how we were going to get out of this one. The currents of the river dragged at my body and rushing water lapping against my face. I shivered, my body shaking with the cold from the water, and focused on making it to the bank. From behind me I could hear the splashing of water as Juliana swam. The erosion from the water had washed away most of the ground near the river. Instead there was a high sloping muddy path up from the river to the bank where the knights were standing. I reached out and digging my hands into the mud, began to climb up, Arthur and Merlin's faces looking down at me expectantly.
A strangled yell rang out from behind me. I whirled around just in time to see Juliana's head disappearing under the water. For a moment everything held still and then I realized she was not coming up again. I lurched forward, legs tensing to dive back into the river. Suddenly something heavy fell upon, dragging me backwards away from the river. I glanced down to see a pair of arms wrapping around me. I looked back and my eyes met a pair of impossibly bright blue eyes staring right back at me.
"No!" I screamed, "Let me go!" I tried to tear out of Arthur's grip, panic rushing to fill me. I had to save Juliana, had to get to her before she drowned. I nearly got free but then more arms were pulling me back, away from the river. I kicked and scratched wildly, not caring who I hit. Mud flew around us as Arthur grabbed my shirt and threw me up onto the bank. I struggled to my feet, driving my fist into his stomach, eyes blurring with tears of anger.
Something flashed in the corner of my vision, down beyond the bank and into the water. It looked like one of the knights had jumped in the river. I glared at the knights trying to restrain me, and focused on the magic bubbling just beneath my surface. Rage held me tight and with that anger I called up heat and fire from within me. In instant my skin was boiling red hot and sparks rolled out of my body. The knights who were holding me yelped in pain and released me, blowing on their hands to cool them down. I darted out from their arms to the edge of the river.
Looking down for a moment I saw nothing but dark churning waters. Then a head broke through the surface and one of the knights appeared in the water. But he wasn't alone. He was holding something in his arms, something he pulled to the surface of the river. I looked closer and gasped as I realized it was Juliana. Swiftly he swam over to the bank and dragged Juliana out of the water. Reaching out I helped him pull her up onto dry ground. Her eyes were closed and when I knelt beside her I realized that she was not breathing.
Cursing under my breath I placed my hands on her chest and threw all of the magic I had into her. My hands were barely visible as dark shadows sparkling with silver light poured out of my body and sank underneath her skin. My head pounded and dark spots clouded my vision but I kept going, funneling all of my power into her body, trying to reawaken her heart, her lungs. As the last of my magic drained from my fingertips I realized that it wasn't enough. My magic alone wasn't going to be enough. She was too close to the boundary between life and death and all my power couldn't bring her back. For a moment anger and pain crushed me and I felt like I was the one who couldn't breathe.
"Boy? What's happening?" Arthur's voice pierced the roar of headache and heartache inside my mind.
"She's…my magic isn't enough to heal her." I managed to answer. Someone knelt beside me and turning slightly I saw Merlin.
"Lift the blocking spell on my magic and use mine," Merlin told me urgently. I stared at him for a moment, confused. Why would he give his power to save Juliana? But there was no time for questions. With my last crumbs of magic I released Merlin's power from the dampening spell. I felt his hand come to rest on top of mine and Juliana. Closing my eyes I pulled on the magic within Merlin, plunging it into Juliana with all the force I had. In my mind's eye I could see Merlin's power as threads of light coating him like a cocoon. One by one I drew the threads into Juliana, restarting her heart, purging her lungs of water. I worked as quickly as I could.
Suddenly I felt movement beneath my hand and someone gasping for breath. I opened my eyes to see Juliana's eyes flying open. I released a small yelp of joy and threw my arms around her,
"You're alive!" I shrieked, overwhelmed with happiness.
"Yes, I'm alive. Now let me go Alianor before you suffocate me," Juliana replied weakly. I released her and she coughed for a moment before her breathing got back to normal. For a long moment we all stayed as we were, with Merlin and me sitting beside Juliana and Arthur, the knight who had saved her, and the other knights standing above us. Then, of course, Arthur was the one to break the silence:
"What kind of a boy is named Alianor?"