Chapter 10

The first thing she registered was a soar headache.

It felt like waking up from a nightmare and finding out you're still dreaming. Elaine was no longer unconscious, but her mind was misted, a sort of numbness imprisoned her entire body, and she would have wanted never to open her eyes again. She also noticed how heavy her eyelids seemed to be. Conscience slowly went back to her, but did not help with the way her limbs felt groggy. Now she felt more as if she'd been knocked down by something heavy. She registered that one of her fingers had moved, but it came from somewhere very far away.

The next thing she registered was somebody else's breath, next to her.

Slowly, her feeble eyelids lifted.

Fortunately there wasn't much light wherever she was, because she didn't think her eyes could have born it. She blinked, and her aching brain took notice of a curved, dark stone ceiling. Was she back in a cell? She tried to remember. The last thing she could recall was the Afar penetrating her skin, and then…this was the part that most looked like a nightmare. The images that came next were blurred, distorted, as though seen through half shut eyelids or with a piece of clothes on the eyes, with only one constant, terribly clear detail –pain.

She managed to move her head and caught sight of two large, bright golden eyes above her. She blinked and the eyes found themselves surrounded by a face and a body. She recognized it at once.

It was Kilgharrah.

"Lie still", the dragon said with his deep voice.

That was all Elaine asked for. She blinked again, and realized the irritating feeling on the skin around her eyes came from dried tears. She didn't have the shackles on anymore, but her wrists were still aching.

Just like the rest of her body, her lips felt heavy, but she managed to articulate two words with a hoarse voice: "What…happened…?"

"You were given the bite of the Afar", Kilgharrah replied. "Its bite is not like any other animal's bite. Your body will recover in time."

Elaine took his word for it, because she didn't feel at all like she recovering. Perhaps she was still in state of shock, but her hands were shaking slightly and there was cold sweat in her back.

"Why did you…come?" she croaked.

Kilgharrah's eyes narrowed briefly, as though she had asked a rather tricky question, and he pointed at something next to her with his large head.

"He called me."

She still felt quite groggy and wasn't sure it was safe to move. She tested herself by rolling over on one side to lie on her back; she managed it successfully, so she tried to straighten up on one elbow. It was a bit painful to use her numb arms again but she managed to do it too and looked at what the dragon had showed her.

It was her brother, who was also lying on the stone floor, still unconscious.

She would have wanted to rush to him and check that he was fine, but her brain seemed to work too slow to give her legs the order to move, so she just asked: "Is…is he all right?"

"The Serket's venom is powerful", Kilgharrah replied. "We have placed upon him an enchantment that will help him heal. But it will take time."

Elaine couldn't stand anymore on her elbow and dropped and lay flat on her back against the cold stone.

"Where were we?" she muttered.

"Near the remains of the fortress of Beltane. A place that was prized by the Priestesses of the Old Religion for magical experiment and secrets."

Elaine was sure the information was highly interesting, but her brain still worked twice as slower as usual, and for something to find its way through the mists of her mind was no easy task. Her throat was dry.

Her brother chose this moment to move a little.

"Gareth…"

The boy slightly turned, trying to catch sight of the people around him, then mumbled: "My head…"

"Are you all right?" Elaine croaked.

Gareth just let out a grunt of pain. Elaine was relieved that her brother looked more or less in a good state. But none of them were really in condition of traveling. Right now, she just felt so tired, her body heavy…

She heard a flapping noise, and the large, white figure of Aithusa appeared next to Kilgharrah. It looked ridiculously small compared to the Great Dragon, but when it landed on the ground and her great, blue eyes stared down at Elaine, the young girl couldn't help but feel a little better. Aithusa opened her jaw and blew on Elaine's face. She felt warmth spread through her body, and next second her limbs felt a little less numb, and her mind was a little clearer. Looking rather pleased with herself, Aithusa trotted along to Gareth and blew on him too. This allowed Gareth to turn around on his back. His eyes were half closed as he glanced at Kilgharrah.

"You came", he muttered. "You answered my call."

"We could not do otherwise", Kilgharrah said. It could be Elaine's imagination, but he sounded a little impatient.

"Thanks", Gareth croaked, his head falling back on the stone.

A moment later, he was sleeping again. Elaine watched him and heard a little noise above her head as Aithusa stared curiously at her.

"Thank you, Aithusa", Elaine whispered, and she put a shaking, weak hand on the baby dragon's nose.

Kilgharrah blinked. Elaine didn't know why, and didn't care. All that mattered now was that she and her brother were alive. When you came so close to death, she realized bitterly, made you much less particular on the general conditions of life. Living was enough.

Sixteen years later

"There you are", Lyonora said, dropping two swords in front of Caelia and Anna.

The girls bent down and picked one up each. Caelia examined her sword. There were tiny pieces of gold on the handle. It must have belonged to someone rich.

"Where did you get them?" she asked.

"Some pompous, arrogant Lord that found it very funny to frighten the peasants", Kay replied indifferently. "We just knocked him down, pulled him in a corner and smuggled his swords."

"He was carrying two swords?" Anna asked.

"Yes."

"Well", Caelia said, "at least now we've got weapons."

"Good, shall we keep riding them?" Anna said eagerly. The young girl had not taken very well having to wait for someone to bring her a sword. She was a princess, used to everything being brought to her the moment she needed it.

And so they rode. As they passed on a high road, they caught sight of Camelot, far away. This sight gave them hope, even if it meant closing in to their enemies –and very dangerous ones.

They were riding past a forest when it happened.

Three masked men jumped out from behind a tree and rushed on them, trying to hurt the horses with their swords.

They were only three against five, so Kay, Lionel and Lyonora had no problem slaying them in one shot.

Unfortunately, they weren't dead.

"Morgana's men!" Caelia screamed, and the five immediately kicked their horses to run away. But the men kept slashing the air with their swords. Scared, the horses reared up and threw down their riders.

They all landed on the ground and quickly got on their feet. The three immortal men walked to them.

"RUN!" Kay shouted.

The five teenagers did as they were told. They didn't care where they were going, only to outdistance the soldiers as much as possible.

"This way!" Anna and Lionel shouted.

Gwaine's children had no other solution but to follow them. They ran until they arrived at a way in the forest that cut down between two high crests of land. They ran again and again, and went back to a higher level of land, until finally they spotted what Lionel and Anna were after; the entrance of a cave.

They didn't look behind to check if their pursuers were still after them and just rushed into the cave. Only then, they turned around to see that their enemies were nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think we've shaken them off?" Lyonora asked, out of breath, as Kay positioned himself against the stone wall to check outside.

At this moment, one of the masked men ran into the cave. Anna shouted, but before the man could do anything, Kay jumped from his hiding place behind him and beheaded him.

Anna looked away, disgusted, as the man just collapsed on the floor and a pool of blood poured from his neck.

"There's one good new", Kay said as he kicked the body to check that it was really dead. "They're mortal."

"Yes, but you took this one out of surprise. In a real fight, it would be impossible to cut one's head."

"I know. But that's still a good new."

Caelia was looking from the body to Kay, and then from Kay to the body. She had noticed they were practically the same height.

"Kay", she said, as a crazy idea shaped in her mind. "I've got an idea…but it's…it's completely mad and…very, very risky."

Her brother just grinned.

"I'm listening."

Gareth and Elaine woke with a start.

"Why did you let us sleep?" Elaine asked the dragon who was just staring at them.

"I had to. You both received injuries from powerful magic creatures. You will heal, but it will take time."

"We can't", Elaine said, and she got on her feet despite her headache.

"We have to get back to Camelot", Gareth added, standing up to.

If Kilgharrah had been human, his brows would have raised.

"Camelot?"

"Look, we don't have much time, and we really need to get back as quick as we can", Elaine said.

"Will you carry us?" Gareth asked. He wasn't sure he was even able to walk. His legs ached and he had an irritating feeling in the arm, where the Serket had stung him.

"I will", the dragon said, but before Elaine and Gareth could thank him, he added, "but you will have to give me answers before I do."

The twins glanced at each other. They had guessed that the dragon wouldn't just let them go without asking any questions.

"All right, but please, get on with it, we haven't got much time", Gareth sighed.

"Who are you?" Kilgharrah asked. "I did not know there were other Dragonlords still alive."

The twins knew there was no point pretending.

"I'm Elaine, and this is my twin brother Gareth. We come from the future."

Kilgharrah's eyes widened.

"Have you traveled back in time?"

They nodded.

"The situation is desperate back home", Gareth explained. "Mordred and Morgana have taken Camelot, and almost everyone we know is dead. You said the only solution was to go back in time to prevent all this from happening."

"Did I?"

"Well, you from the future."

Kilgharrah slowly nodded.

"I see, and…I take it you are Merlin's son and daughter from the future?"

The twins exchanged glances.

"Well…yes."

The dragon tilted his head.

"How did you happen to be near the castle of Beltane?"

"We saw Mordred in the forest and we followed him", Elaine explained. "He met Morgana. But she saw us and she kidnapped us."

"Does the witch know of your ascendance?"

"No."

The dragon nodded slowly, his bright golden eyes fixed upon the twins.

"We have to go back to Camelot", Gareth repeated. "We came back to stop the future from happening, but if we don't get back and tell Merlin about Morgana's plan, it will be all for nothing."

"Does the warlock know who you are?" Kilgharrah asked.

"Well… no", Elaine replied. "You told us not to tell him."

The dragon's eyes narrowed.

"You from the future", she added.

Gareth tried to hide a smile. "I told you it was confusing."

"Well, anyway, you have to take us back to Camelot, please."

Kilgharrah stared at them for a few seconds. For a moment, they thought he was going to refuse. Then he said with an annoyed voice: "There can be no doubt Merlin is your father."

And he turned around to allow the twins on his back.

Gareth didn't know any healing enchantment for Serket sting, but if there was an efficient remedy, flying on the back of a Dragon was certainly it. The wind swept on his face and ruffled his hair, and he had a wonderful sight on the kilometers of forest and lakes under him. He felt as if he was far away from everything –and it was a wonderful feeling.

Finally, the dragon dropped them in the clear where they had landed after escaping the battle in Camelot. Looking around, Elaine realized it had only been two days since they had traveled back in time. The recent coming back of Mordred and Morgana seemed to have happened a very long time ago.

"Thank you", Gareth said to Kilgharrah.

"I am sure our paths will cross again, young Dragonlords", Kilgharrah said, gazing intensely at them. "Until then, I can only bid you good luck for your task."

And he spread his wings and flew away.

Merlin couldn't believe his eyes when the door opened and Gareth and Elaine walked in, looking exhausted and weak, but very alive and in a more or less good general state.

"Where were you?" he exclaimed, jumping on his feet and watching the twins stumble in the room and collapse on a chair.

"Long story", Gareth replied.

"I was so–what happened to you?"

He was looking down at something on them with shock. Gareth and Elaine followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at their wrists; the dragon had removed the shackles, but their wrists were covered in bruises and cuts where the skin had almost been torn.

"We were kidnapped", Elaine grunted –she didn't like to think back of how they had been so foolishly overcome. "By Morgana."

Merlin's eyes widened.

"But how-"

"We haven't got time", Elaine said. "Look, we've overheard Morgana; she's made an alliance with King Alined. He's going to provide her with troops and once she's got Camelot, she's planning to conquer the five kingdoms and share with him."

"That's what she told him", Gareth mumbled. Elaine ignored him.

"So that means Mordred's probably going to try and give her the Cup of Life", Elaine said, talking very fast.

"We have to warn Arthur", Gaius said.

"He's sleeping", Merlin pointed, glancing at the dark sky outside. "How did Mordred take the Cup of Life, uh…last time?"

"He stole it", Elaine replied.

"And then he spread rumors that the thieves were on the border, to have Arthur dispatch Camelot's best knight and weaken Camelot for the war."

Merlin was thinking very fast.

"When do you think Morgana's army will be marching on us?"

"Alined said he could have his troops ready by the end of the week."

Merlin nodded.

"Well, that leaves us a bit of time to think about it. In the meanwhile, we have to watch Mordred."

"Wouldn't it be faster to kill him once and for all?" Elaine said. "That's what we came here for."

"It's too soon", Merlin sighed. "He saved some of the knights' lives today on a patrol. Arthur told me he was planning on having him knighted."

"If he was killed now, it would raise too much suspicion", Gaius said.

"It doesn't matter!" Gareth and Elaine protested at the same time, but the physician cut them.

"You are obviously exhausted. Get some rest."

"We'll take turns in watching him", Merlin offered. "He won't be left alone, don't worry."

The twins obviously didn't agree with this plan, but they got on their feet reluctantly. This wasn't the first time that they immediately stopped arguing when Merlin intervened, and he couldn't help but wonder why.

"Oh and…where did Morgana keep you captive?" Gaius asked.

"The fortress of Beltane", Elaine replied.

"Do you know about this?" Merlin asked Gaius.

"Yes I have", the old man said frowning, trying to remember. "It is mentioned to be a place used by the Priestesses of the Old Religion."

"At least we know where Morgana is", Merlin said.

"Will we try and get her there?" Gareth asked hopefully, but Merlin just said: "For now, we have to watch Mordred and make sure he doesn't steal the Cup of Life. Get some sleep; I'll take care of Mordred.