Disclaimer: I only own the idea of weaving Hermione into the BBC Merlin plotline and some characters you probably do not recognize.

A/N: Hi, here's chapter twenty-one! I'm posting this chapter earlier than the supposed schedule because I'm so darn tired and I have this hunch I'll be sleeping early today.

I have nothing much to say, seeing that I have three quizzes on major subjects tomorrow and I haven't really studied that well yet.

So yeah, read and then I highly encourage you to review afterwards! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One: The Great Escape

Her footsteps seemed to alarm the immortal knights, but Hermione held her head high and kept her resolve. If she wanted to do this plan of hers smoothly, then there was no room for fear or anxiety.

She lifted her chin and tightened her grip on the plate she was holding while descending down the stairs towards the dungeons. One of the immortal knights already drew his sword out and menacingly pointed it towards the brunette.

With a sigh, and a silent curse for their constant vigilance ('Oh, Moody will be proud,' she told to herself), she finally stepped down the last steps of the stairs and gestured at the food on her plate.

"Let me through," she calmly ordered. "I brought food for the prisoner."

One of Cenred's knights sneered. "We were under strict orders to never allow anyone to visit the prisoner except the Queen Morgana and Morgause."

"I was ordered by the Queen Morgana to bring this food, all right?" she snapped, annoyed at their obedience. "No need to be so rude."

She saw the hesitant looks that the immortal knights shared. Hermione once again sighed exasperatedly through her nose. "Listen, I was also under the strict orders to bring this food to the prisoner by the queen. We don't want her to infuriate now, do we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to further prove her point.

The immortal knight bristled and gradually placed his sword back into its sheath. Hermione bit her cheeks to stop herself from smiling triumphantly and followed the knight as he led her deeper into the dark dungeons.

The smell and the ambiance instantly hit her and warily, she remembered her same, old prison cell back in the Castle of Fyrien. An unwanted shiver ran down through her spine and she had to take deep, calming breaths to keep her nerves at bay.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. Inside, an exhausted, yet spiteful Sir Leon stayed and he eyed the new arrival with wariness in his eyes.

The guard then stopped Hermione for a while and grabbed the plate from her. Hermione bit back a protest as the immortal knight inspected the food. When he saw nothing, he sneered and harshly gave it back to Hermione.

He then opened the prison cell and ushered Hermione inside. Tight-lipped, she turned back at the knight and said, "Leave us."

With a defeated sigh, the immortal knight left, leaving Hermione and Sir Leon alone.

Hesitantly, Hermione looked back at the furious knight and stepped forward. "I brought you food," she whispered, but was stopped when Sir Leon raised his right hand.

"Leave," he spat, eyeing Hermione with disgust.

The brunette worried her bottom lip and took a cautious step forward. "Listen, Sir Leon, I - "

"You don't have to explain," he said, tiredly rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You made your choice. You chose your side. You wanted to live." He lightly glared at Hermione and scowled. "And here I thought you were different, Hermione. I thought your loyalty lies to the king, who took you in, gave you work, and provided you shelter."

Hermione scowled in annoyance and purposefully walked a few more steps forward. "Would you just shut up and listen to me?" she furiously whispered, darting furtive looks at the knights outside the prison cell. One of them was already eyeing them suspiciously and Hermione suck a deep breath, returning her gaze back at the Knight of Camelot. A dumbfounded look was seen on his face, surprised with Hermione's sudden outburst, and Hermione knew that she already have his full attention.

"I volunteered myself to stay behind to spy on Morgana," she continued under her breath. She was afraid that her voice was too soft for Sir Leon to hear, but seeing that his eyes had widened and his jaw dropped was enough indication that he had perfectly heard her. "It's been two weeks now and I think I already have enough information to relay onto Prince Arthur and the others."

Once again darting a quick glance towards the direction of the guards, Hermione slipped her hand inside her blouse and pulled out what looked like a prison key. Gingerly, she placed it underneath the loaf of bread and offered it to Sir Leon.

"Meet me at the edge of the forest once twilight comes," she hurriedly whispered.

"I…" Sir Leon started, blinking rapidly down at the key to his freedom. He clutched the plate and remorsefully looked at Hermione. "Thank you and I apologize for my earlier rant."

She waved her hand flippantly and offered him a small smile. "It just convinced me more that you were the best choice to save from this godforsaken kingdom," she added. She then cleared her throat and schooled her features. She gave him a cold, curt nod and turned around. The immortal knight then escorted her outside until she was at the foot of the stairs.

Hermione pursed her lips and hurriedly walked up the stairs, knowing that soon, a smile would blossom on her lips.

Finally, she could escape.

Up above Sir Leon's cell, through a small window that allowed at least some sunlight to stream through, stood Morgana and Morgause, their eyes glinting in the dark as they watched the exchange between the Knight of Camelot and not-so-surprisingly Morgana's maidservant, Hermione of Hogwarts.

"I'm surprised she had only done this now," Morgana quietly spat, disdain marring her beautiful face. "I've been wondering whether her actions in the past had merely been act or real."

She then turned to her amused half-sister and frowned.

"Your maidservant is brave, Morgana," she commented, straightening up and hooking her arm with her sister. "It's a shame that her loyalty does not lie to you. We could have used some sheer bravery at times like this."

Morgana waved a dismissive hand and together with Morgause, they walked back to the Throne Room. "What must I do to her, sister?" the queen asked, looking thoughtfully at the High Priestess of the Old Religion. "Must I dispatch her? Imprison her?"

To her surprise, the sorceress shook her head. "Let her run back to your brother," she said with a slight smirk on her face. "We can actually use her to lead us to where Arthur and his companions are hiding, Morgana."

"Hmm…" Morgana merely stated as she retrieved back her arm and walked towards her throne. She sat down, a contented smile on her face, as she looked all over the room with satisfaction in her heart.

It had been exactly two weeks now ever since she claimed the throne of Camelot and became its Queen. Surprisingly, Arthur had not yet come back, which made her slightly worried. Morgause assured her that whatever Uther's son was brewing, they could still defend themselves and keep Morgana's position as the queen.

Within those two weeks, too, Morgana was able to slowly get the loyalty of most of the people of Camelot. Although she knew that fear was instigated in their hearts, prompting them to obey, she was still glad to see that they were already bowing down to her sovereignty. The only problem that she actually had were the Knights of Camelot, most especially led by the stubborn Sir Leon. Their loyalties could not be swayed and Morgana swore that if a day more or two and they had not given up their loyalty to the king, then she would not hesitate but mercilessly torture them and eventually kill them.

Her thoughts were then interrupted when the doors opened and in came the King of Essetir. An unwanted sneer grew on her face as she warily watched him approach Morgause. Why her sister still kept him was beyond her. Uther was finally dead, Camelot had already fallen, and Morgana was finally Queen. His services were already not needed and Morgana was only waiting for the right time until her sister deemed it right to dispatch the said king.

"My queen," he politely bowed down to her before strolling towards Morgause. "My dear Morgause, although I am happy that Morgana already became queen, I am frankly getting impatient. Where is your promised share for overthrowing Camelot?"

Morgana watched with disgust as her sister seductively walked towards the King. Lust immediately filled the eyes of Cenred and he raked his eyes all over Morgause's body, devouring her with just one look.

"Cenred," Morgause whispered, daintily placing a finger underneath the king's chin. "Must you be persistent? Patience, my dear."

The High Priestess then leaned closer to the King. Morgana rolled her eyes and looked away, not pleased by the obvious flirtations right in front of her eyes.

But just then, a hairsbreadth away, Morgause paused and smiled sweetly at the King of Essetir. "þín sáwol willan forsogen [1]," Morgause whispered.

Horror appeared on Cenred's face as he released a strangled cry. The life of him was drained out and he gurgled, face turning white and dry once Morgause's spell had its full effect on the King. Soulless, Cenred stared unblinkingly at the High Priestess. With a small smirk at her work, Morgause roughly pushed the dead king on the ground and turned away from him.

"I am amazed, Morgause," Morgana exclaimed, staring down at Cenred's lifeless form with a smirk.

"Our goals had been achieved," the powerful sorceress callously replied. "His services had been done. We don't need him anymore."

Morgana nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly," she answered back.

"Now, I must put that tracking spell on that traitorous maidservant of yours," Morgause said, smiling up at her sister. "We have more work to do, Morgana."

"Of course, sister," the queen replied as she rose up from her throne and joined her sister.

They had been in this cave for roughly a few days already and Merlin was slowly going insane.

He was tucked uncomfortably on one corner of the cave away from his other companions. Gwaine had announced a while ago that he would be gathering some lumber for their fire tonight. Judging from the scrumptious smell inside the dark and dreary cavern, Gaius was already cooking their luncheon. Arthur and Gwen were probably somewhere in the cave and Merlin did not have the heart to move around and chose to just sit down at the corner and, well, brood.

First and foremost, they still had no idea how to defeat the immortal knights of Cenred. Spending days in this cave, hiding and trying their best to come up with a plan, had been an unfruitful one and Merlin could already see how his companions were slowly starting to grow restless. Arthur was starting to be grumpier and moodier, constantly murmuring to himself that they must go back to Camelot now or else it might be too late already.

Gaius, ever the voice of reason, would reassure Arthur that things would turn out well in the end if they have patience.

'Patience,' Merlin sneered, burying his face at the crook of his arms. He released a soft, strangled sigh and closed his eyes, willing the insanity of worry to leave his system and latch on to another person. Probably Gwaine, because his pathetic attempt to make this situation lighter was starting to annoy the magic out of him.

He scrunched up his face as he remembered her again and his heart silently clenched with the thought that something bad had already happened to Hermione.

He still could not believe that she willingly volunteered herself to stay behind, spy on Morgana and cure the injured while he was here, running away like a bloody coward. And to think this was his brilliant idea! The thought of her, battered and bloodied inside a prison cell always managed to creep inside his mind during ungodly hours of the day, depriving him from the sleep that he must have to prepare for a sudden attack.

"She will be all right, mate," Gwaine constantly told him with a usual pat on his shoulder.

"I believe in her, you know," Gwen told him softly whenever she spotted him brooding in one of the corners.

"She can take care of herself," Gaius always exclaimed with that usual roll of his eyes whenever Merlin would have a fit. "It's Hermione, Merlin. You know that she can."

'Of course, I know,' he thought with dark scowl and he shifted on his seat. His scowl darkened and he shot a glare at the rocky ground, already feeling his backside numbing due to the pressure that he was exerting.

He knew that Hermione was brave, that she was capable of taking herself, that she could still live despite being a spy for the powerful sorceress. But that did not stop him from worrying himself sick, thinking about her every day and night, every meal and slumber, every breath and blink, every walk and sit, every minute and second.

He was starting to get hopeless, of her running away from Morgana and searching for them that is. Once again, it had been days; therefore, Morgana's evil ways might probably already reach the very outskirts of Camelot. Although she was not as powerful as Morgause yet, Morgana was very intelligent and it would only be a matter of days before she realized that Hermione's loyalty does not lie on her.

"Why don't you try it sometimes? You know, become hopeful?"

His eyes gradually softened upon remembering her words.

"It might get you out of the toughest situations in the future, Merlin. Trust me."

Merlin remembered that she had uttered those words to him jokingly, but he had no idea that he could remember it, hang on to it, and believe it during one of his toughest situations.

'Hermione and her magic,' he thought, a small smile now flitting on his face. Merlin had no idea how she did it. How she could calm him down just by her mere words and touch. How she could fluster him by a mere smile and laugh. How she could make him worry too much for her. How she could make him happy by just being… there.

He always believed that there was something different about her. Something that no normal being that he knew possessed. She was special, and he wondered if those abilities that she was able to do to him was something magic.

His thoughts then strayed on the last time she had talked to her. Her eyes had lit up with defiance, adamantly protesting when he refused to let her stay. Her cheeks had reddened with stubbornness and her hands kept on clenching and unclenching; he always thought if she had wanted to punch him or not. Her hair became frizzier than normal, perhaps because of her annoyance at him and she was, well, beautiful.

He lifted his fingers and thoughtfully rubbed his lips. She had kissed him, again, and he knew it was to shut him up or perhaps even persuade him more. After all, she had been successful the first time. But there was something different about her kiss this time that he could not put a finger on. It was furious, even desperate, and it left him breathless than the first time she had done it. A blush grew as he remembered her teeth daintily nibbling his bottom lip before kissing him full on the mouth once again. There was this growing ache inside of him; something that he swore would only be alleviated if he had more.

Before he knew it, it was done.

Before he knew it, he was here.

Merlin had this inkling that if she were to see him like this, brooding and so unlike himself, she would have a fit. She seemed awfully fond of reprimanding people, telling things what was right and what was wrong. And for her to see Merlin like this? He could already imagine the rant that she would spout out from that witty tongue of hers.

Slowly then, he stood up from his spot and walked into the cave. Gaius gave him a surprised glance, maybe because it was the first time he had chosen to stop brooding for the day. Gwen, who was surprisingly helping Gaius in making their meal, shook her head at him with a smile, a knowing look on her face.

Merlin rolled his eyes at them and looked away, only for his eyes to land on another brooding lump tucked away at the farthest corner in the cave.

Somehow, he grew ashamed of himself. Although his problems were understandable, Arthur's pain had been greater.

He mentally berated himself as he sauntered towards the silent Prince and sat down beside him. Arthur did not give any indication that he noticed Merlin's presence and continued to blankly stare at nowhere.

The young sorcerer made himself more comfortable on the cave floor and sighed, knowing that there would be another lengthy silence to follow.

To his utter surprise, Arthur broke the silence.

"Tell me honestly, Merlin," the Prince murmured, his eyes looking down on the rocky ground. "Had I been stupid?"

Merlin bit back a joke. Usually, he would have cajoled, make things lighter and less gloomy. But now looking at Arthur's face, he knew that his master must release the bottled up emotions in his system to do him some good.

"You were deceived, Arthur," he finally replied. "We were all deceived."

"I just…" Arthur paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and allowing the side of his head to lean against the cold wall. "I can't believe that Morgana was able to do that to me. To my father…" His breath hitched at the mention of his deceased father and Arthur visibly swallowed, turning his face away from Merlin.

Merlin wondered if hiding the truth about Morgana's intentions was the right thing all along. He wondered if it would save Arthur from the pain that he was currently feeling. He wondered if it would still be able to save King Uther and ultimately Camelot.

But it was too late now for regrets. Things had happened and all they could do now was to reclaim Camelot back.

"Change is inevitable," Merlin continued, absentmindedly playing with the dirt on the floor. "There are too many evil going around us, Arthur. Even the purest and bravest can be corrupted by it, you know. It just so happens that Morgana's way of thinking became twisted. H-her heart succumbed to the dark because of her personal feelings against King Uther."

He clamped his mouth shut, uncertain whether his words had made sense at all. Sometimes, he would just blabber out words without meaning to, bringing him into danger and embarrassment.

"I'll be king soon, Merlin," Arthur whispered back, his voice barely a whisper. "Do you think I will be a great leader?"

Merlin was dumbfounded by the obvious vulnerability and doubt in Arthur's voice. The Prince had always been an overconfident and arrogant presence in Merlin's life. To see him now insecure of his qualities was somehow unsettling, albeit refreshing.

The young warlock found himself smiling when he uttered the next words to Arthur. "You are destined for greatness, sire," Merlin claimed, Kilgharrah's words echoing at the back of his mind. "Your love for Camelot and your intentions to bring peace for your kingdom will bring wonders, you know. All you need to do is to believe."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, Hermione's words once again replaying in his thoughts. "Perhaps you just need to be hopeful," he told him. "It can bring you out of the toughest situations, Arthur."

Merlin then opened his eyes and looked back at the Prince, surprised at the amusement written all over his face.

"Sometimes I wonder if you are merely spouting nonsensical things or wise words, Merlin," he pointed out, a hint of jesting at the tone of his voice. Arthur sighed and shook his head. "You baffle me."

The young warlock nodded, having heard those words from the Prince countless times before.

"We should really start planning on claiming back Camelot," Arthur then proclaimed, surged with a sudden determination that startled Merlin. He looked down at Merlin and hesitantly licked his lips. "Are there any signs of Hermione yet?"

Upon hearing her name, Merlin slightly scowled. "It's been days, sire, but she still had not arrived," the manservant pointed out.

"She… she will be all right," Arthur softly said. His manservant's eyes widened at his master's reassurance. Among all of his companions, it was only Arthur that had not reassured him of Hermione's safety, seeing that he was too busy wallowing in his own emotions. To hear him now surprised him. "After all, you said it yourself before - when she says she can take care of herself, she really can."

Surprisingly, he found Arthur's words the most reassuring. Merlin smiled and nodded his head, completely agreeing with Arthur's words.

"Yes," he thought, remembering Hermione's determined look. "Yes, I believe she can."

Hermione frantically gathered her things and stuffed them inside a knapsack.

Tonight, she would flee, together with Sir Leon, and the adrenaline for their impending escape was pumping frantically in her heart. Her senses had heightened, her vigilance grew stronger. Once in a while, her eyes would dart furtively outside the window to see if there were any immortal knights patrolling outside.

Hermione already changed into breeches, a tunic, and travelling boots. She knew that she and Sir Leon would be travelling for a while and the itchy medieval dresses would only drive her insane while they find the Prince and the others.

Upon thinking about her other friends, hiding away in who-knows-where, she paused and sighed, a small smile now blooming on her lips. The information that she was able to gather were of extreme importance and she knew that it was the most vital thing that she had ever gathered from Morgana's meetings.

She had to be discreet, though. Queen Morgana was cautious and ruthless. One indication of treason would already land anyone to death. But years and years of planning and acting and hiding due to the looming Second War back in Hogwarts made Hermione used to these things. She managed to live through those two weeks of treachery, without being suspected by the queen.

Hermione then grabbed her red cloak from her bed and wore it over her body. She shouldered the knapsack and took another peek from her window. A passing immortal knight caught her eyes and she ducked down from the window. Counting exactly to ten, she slowly lifted her head up again.

The brunette then walked out of the house and ran without a glance back towards the edge of the forest. She hid a few times, used her magic at times, and distracted the Patrolling Knights often before she reached her destination.

Finally, she collapsed against a tree in an exhausted heap and she grinned triumphantly.

'I'll find you,' she promised. 'I swear I'll do.'

Right there and then, she waited for Sir Leon's arrival.

His eyes never left the small, barred window on top of his prison cell. Sir Leon neglected the food given his way and ignored the mockeries and taunts. One thing only ran into his mind – he was going to escape today.

He could not believe that Hermione of Hogwarts was brave enough to be a spy for Morgana. He must admit, he felt betrayed, too. Although the brunette was fairly new, having stayed in Camelot for roughly three or four months, there was something about the maidservant that made her a pleasant presence in the kingdom. He thought that she was very kind, albeit a little peculiar for a medieval woman, but still, very kind.

He found himself respecting the woman more. For her to willingly risk her life to help Prince Arthur was something that only he could imagine to do. Her bravery was astounding that he found himself at awe when she ratted about her plan to him when she gave him the key.

'Merlin must be proud,' he thought to himself, quirking up a small smile. After all, the manservant was awfully besotted to the brunette.

The last rays of sunlight left his prison cell and Sir Leon knew it was time to escape.

Slowly, he shifted his eyes away from the barred window and scanned the room outside. No one was standing within his line of vision; he could hear constant guffaws and shouts from another side of the room, making him conclude that the immortal knights were probably entertaining themselves in this dingy room.

Sir Leon then pulled out the key that Hermione had given to him and slowly opened the prison door. He took a few steps forward and made a mental countdown. Once he reached 'one', one of the guards noticed that he was out of his prison cell and stood up in surprise, unsheathing his sword.

But Sir Leon was quicker. He kicked the other unsuspecting knight and stepped onto his hand. A loud cry escaped from the immortal knight's mouth and slightly distracted his other companion. The Knight of Camelot then ducked down just in time when the uninjured of the two thrust his sword forward. Leon then grabbed the sword of the fallen knight and pulled it out, quickly defending himself from the attacking other.

He knew he must leave soon if he wanted to escape. Cenred's knights were invincible and even though he had an extensive knowledge and skill for swordsmanship, it paled in comparison to the immortality that the Knights of Essetir possessed.

Sir Leon then quickly ran and defended himself as much as possible. To his relief, only his two prison guards had spotted him and were now chasing after him. A spur-of-the-moment decision to slip inside a dirty, smelly, and narrow alley saved him from the two knights.

He waited for a while since he could still hear their frantic footsteps. Finally, he peeked outside. Noticing that there was no one to see him, he finally fled, the edge of the forest already within his vision.

Back in the citadel, the warning bell already rang, signalling his escape. But Sir Leon was too far already, his destination already a few steps away. Hermione had already spotted him and she released a soft, strangled cry of relief.

Sir Leon finally reached her and brought her deep into the woods. It was probably the first place where the knights would seek and it was too dangerous for the two of them to continue waiting at the edge.

"Wear this," Hermione whispered, thrusting a peasant's garb into his hands. "Your attire will attract attention instantly."

While the knight changed, Hermione stood guard. He could still see her back while he changed and noticed with an amused smile that she was trembling. She was trying her hardest to continue to be brave, but the telltale signs of anxiety were already showing.

He finally finished changing and he hid his knight's uniform amidst a huge bush. His sword was clutched tightly on his right hand in case there was a surprise attack.

Beside him, Hermione released a muffled shriek. Out of reflex, he positioned his sword in front of the brunette and was able to clang against the attacking sword on time.

"Hermione!"

Sir Leon frowned in surprise and gradually lowered his sword.

Hermione blinked and squinted her eyes in the dark. With a relieved sigh, she shot forward and enveloped the man who turned out to be Guinevere's brother into a tight hug. "Elyan," she exclaimed, pulling away from the blacksmith.

"I heard about what happened to Camelot and I immediately came," he gravely said. He shifted his eyes towards Sir Leon and nodded to acknowledge him. "Where is my sister? Is Gwen all right?"

"She's with Arthur and the others now," Hermione assured. "Don't worry. I am positively sure that they're all right."

"We're escaping together from the immortal knights," Sir Leon further explained.

Elyan nodded and ushered them deeper into the woods. "I'll come with you," he determinedly declared. "God knows how much you need help."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you," she said breathlessly.

The trio then meandered through the forest, hoping to find their other companions.

"Your maidservant has finally escaped, Morgana," Morgause declared, her eyes gazing through a floating orb on her right palm.

The queen lazily stood up from her bed and walked towards her sister, sneering darkly at the image of Hermione together with Sir Leon and what looked like as Guinevere's brother, Elyan.

"I've already activated the tracking spell I placed on the girl," the High Priestess said. True to her words, the queen could already see a gold, bright trail that Hermione was leaving.

Smirking, Morgana then turned to her sister. "I think it is time to find my cowardly brother now, yes?" she softly asked.

Morgause's eyes glinted in the dark. "Of course, my dear sister," she said. "I'll alert some of the knights then. I would love to come with them and kill your brother myself."

Morgana nodded, her smirk widening. The magical sphere disappeared as Morgause turned around and left her room.

[1] þín sáwol willan forsogen – Your soul will be sucked out/drained/drawn out.

A/N: END! So, how'd you like it? Tell me in your reviews!

Things are building up and next chapter will be very interesting. Let's just say that your... hunger for more Merlin/Hermione moments will be satisfied :D *wink* *wink* So do wait for my next update on Friday (or Thursday, whichever)!

That's it for now. Again, review!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe