A/N: Well, gee whiz. It has been such a long time since I have updated this story, but I am back! I started college and this has become a project that I come back to every now and again because I love it. I cannot promise updates frequently, but I do have the next few chapters done. I hope you enjoy this one! It's not based on an episode, but it is an idea I have been tossing around.


Banshee


In the months since Morgana had disappeared Uther had constantly sent out search parties for her. Unfortunately Arthur and Merlin were among those searching. It is because of this fact that I stood in the physician's chambers listening to Gaius give Aleya precise instructions on which herbs to collect. Merlin had been Gaius' assistant and with him gone, Gaius was quite overwhelmed with all of his duties. That is why Aleya had volunteered herself and I to help.

"Feverfew and sage." Gaius said. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Gaius, it really is no trouble." Aleya said with a kind smile as she took the small satchel that Merlin used for herb collection from the physician's hands.

"I cannot say how much I appreciate your help." He said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Really, you deserve a rest. Let us handle it." I said as I began to usher Aleya out of the room.

"I believe I shall rest, a nap sounds wonderful." The physician said. I smiled as we exited the room. Herb collection, how hard could it be?


Our trip into the forest in search of herbs had gone very well. I had gathered the things Gaius had asked of me and we were ready to set out. That is, until the screaming started. At first I was quite startled. Samantha immediately perked up and began assessing the situation.

"Where is that coming from?" I asked as I looked around.

"That way, come on." Samantha said as she began running in the direction that she had pointed. I followed after her quickly, and very nervously since we had no idea what we were walking into.

The scene that was before us when we entered the valley shocked me. A pile of flowers lay strewn out on the ground beneath Gwen who was fighting desperately to free herself from a cloaked figure.

"Let her go!" Samantha yelled as she charged the woman. She let out another shriek and I realized that Gwen's screams were not what we had heard. The scream that erupted from the figure made my ears hurt, it was so very loud. I followed after Samantha knowing that the use of magic would be tricky in this situation because Gwen might see.

Samantha did not seem too alarmed by what was going on because she prepared herself to dive onto the cloaked woman's back. The instant she made a move, however, the woman disappeared allowing Gwen to fall onto the ground. I was quickly by her side and she accepted my hug and clung to me.

"It's alright now, Gwen, you're safe." I said. Samantha was looking anxiously around, clearly confused by the fact that her opponent had disappeared.

"I don't know who that was, or what she wanted." Gwen said, her voice frightened and shaky.

"Listen, let's get back to Camelot and go see Gaius, alright?" I said as I helped her to stand. Samantha took a protective stance as we began the journey. Whatever that thing was, we certainly did not want it to return.


"Why were you out there?" I asked as Gaius examined Gwen who was still pretty shaken.

"It was stupid really." Gwen said while shaking her head. "Since Morgana has been gone each day I pick flowers for her chambers so that when she comes back they will be there."

"That hardly sounds stupid to me, Gwen." I said.

"I don't believe that the woman did you any harm." Gaius said, "But it would be best if you drink this sleeping draft and stay here for a while."

"Alright." Gwen agreed quickly. "I don't want to be alone."

"I'll be right out here, my dear." Gaius said as he handed her the vial. She drank the contents and then headed towards Merlin's room to sleep.

"Here are your herbs." Aleya said as she handed Gaius the bag. Gaius looked genuinely surprised as he examined the contents.

"I am impressed, normally when something like this happens to Merlin he abandons the herbs." Gaius said. I laughed.

"I guess I am not quite as jumpy as he is." Aleya said with a smile.

"Do you have any idea who it was that attacked Gwen?" Gaius asked.

"I never got a good look at her face, she was wearing a emerald green cloak which covered her almost entirely." I shook my head, knowing that that this could not be just a random attacker. "She disappeared the moment I moved to touch her, Gaius."

"Powerful sorcerers have experimented with the art of teleportation, but it is a risky business. I doubt any so powerful would be in Camelot." Gaius said.

"There's something else." Aleya said. "She let out this horrifying scream as she attacked Gwen. It made my ears hurt terribly."

"That is interesting." Gaius said as he moved over to his bookshelf.

"Do you know what it was?" I asked, knowing that if anyone would be able to identify this thing it would be Gaius.

"Myths do speak of a creature who is known for an ear splitting scream." Gaius said as he opened a book and sat it down on the table in front of us. He sifted through the pages until he finally found the section he was looking for. "There it is, a banshee."

"A what?" I said as I leaned over to look at the book. There was a picture of an old woman wearing a green cloak looking nearly identical to the one that we saw.

"That's her." Aleya said as she saw the book.

"It's a banshee, thought of as a spirit." Gaius said, "This isn't good."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, banshees traditionally have two functions. They are either a warning sign for impending death or they can be summoned to kill." Gaius said.

"That would explain why she was attacking Gwen." Aleya said. "Who would have summoned her?"

"I cannot say, but the creature will not relent until it has served its purpose." Gaius said.

"Which is to kill Gwen?" I said, feeling afraid for my friend.

"Then we'll have to stop it. Does it mention there how to kill it?" Aleya asked.

"Do you know where the sword that Merlin had forged in the dragon's breath is?" Gaius asked.

"He threw it into the lake. We'd never be able to find it." Aleya said.

"The only other thing is a weapon forged from pure gold." Gaius said.

"That's terrific." Samantha said, "Where the hell do we find that?"

"That I cannot answer, but we must do something." Gaius said. In that instant a scream erupted from the small room at the back of Gaius' chambers.

"She's back." I said. Aleya and I both took off up the stairs and saw the creature hovering above Gwen who was still asleep. Aleya shoved past me and held her hand out at the creature as it shrieked again.

"Swéor þá!" Aleya called and the creature was slammed against the wall.

I quickly moved over to Gwen, Gaius following behind me. More horrible shrieks escaped the creature and I could see the visible signs on Aleya of the effort that she was putting forth to hold the creature. Gaius and I helped Gwen, who was now slowly waking up, from the room leaving Aleya with the creature. Once Gwen was safe I stood by the door.

"Ready, Ally?" I said, hoping that she would know what I was saying.

"Go." She said, the creature slipping a bit as she did.

"3…2…1…" I said. Aleya ran backwards out of the room, falling to the ground roughly as I closed the door. I stood between her and the door as we waited for whatever this creature would try next. There was nothing but a loud shriek and silence. "That was awesome, man." I said as I offered Aleya a hand up.

"Are you two alright?" Gaius asked, sounding worried.

"I think so." Aleya said, "We really need to find that weapon though."

"Are you alright, Gwen?" I asked. She had not spoken since she was pulled from the room.

"Yes, I'm fine." She said. She was out of breath and looked very pale, but the banshee had not harmed her.

"You know Sigan's tomb?" I said looking to Aleya. "There were a ton of gold things there, perhaps there is a weapon."

"But they sealed it off." Aleya said.

"Yes, but we can always unseal it with your talents." I said quiet enough so that Gwen would not hear.

"It's better than nothing, what do you think Gaius?" Aleya asked.

"I think that whatever you do, it has to be quick." Gaius said, "I only wish that Merlin were here to help you."

"Come on, Gaius. Our boys are out of town, so it's time for the ladies to handle it." I said, knowing that both Merlin and Arthur would have been dead several times over without Aleya and I. We could handle it.

"Be careful." Gaius said. With that we headed down into the caverns beneath Camelot.


Samantha and I made our way down into the caverns beneath the castle. Samantha seemed to remember precisely where the tomb was, which was a good thing because I had no clue where to go. She finally stopped at a section of wall which had newer looking stone on it. She held to torch up and looked over to me.

"Can you move it?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders. Honestly, I was not sure.

"Let's give it a try." I said. I thought back to when Catrina trapped Merlin and me in the caverns. That spell would probably work for this, it was all guessing work really. "Icabechay Thenasteno." I muttered. I felt power surge from me and the wall crumbled a little bit.

"It didn't work." Samantha said. I looked over at her and then stepped over to the wall. I placed my hand on a rock at the center of the wall. I pressed on the rock and all of the others fell away to reveal the open tomb.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I stand corrected." She said as she stepped into the tomb.

"Don't forget the traps." I muttered as I followed her in. I remembered very well her accounts of what had happened in the tomb whenever it was discovered.

"How could I?" Samantha said. "Let's very carefully look for anything we could use as a weapon."

"Is that the stone?" I asked as I walked towards the center of the tomb where a blue heart resided on a statues chest. I felt something give beneath my foot as I did and I then felt Samantha tackling me to the ground. An arrow had embedded itself into a golden goblet sitting next to the wall.

"You're the one who warned about the traps." Samantha said as she stood up. I stared at the arrow as I stood.

"That's some Indiana Jones stuff right there." I said as I began to look around once more, watching my footing far more carefully this time.

"What about this?" Samantha said as she held up a decorative, golden dagger.

"It's better than nothing." I said. Samantha smiled and slid the dagger under her belt.

"Good, let's get out of here." She said as she headed for the door.


Gaius had been very relieved when both Aleya and myself had returned having not been killed by the traps. Gwen had managed to fall asleep once more, but this time she was in the physician's chambers where he could protect her.

"Did anything happen while we were gone?" I asked as I placed the blade on the table.

"Thankfully, no." Gaius said, "I sense it is only a matter of time, though."

"This time we will be ready." Aleya reassured. I was confident in our odds. I mean, sure this thing might be a big bad supernatural entity, but I was pretty handy with a sword. I also took no small amount of confidence in the fact that my sister could magic the creature to make my battle easier.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"I suppose we wait." Gaius said.

"Gaius, is there anyway that we could find out who summoned this thing? It scares me that someone would do this to her." Aleya said. She was right, what was to stop these people from trying again? As it stood we could only guess on their motivations for this act, which was all the more frightening.

"There is no way of which I am aware to track a spell. It is possible that the banshee could tell us, but apart from that I am afraid we will remain in the dark." Gaius said.

"That's fantastic." I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?" Aleya asked, as she looked around the room.

"I didn't hear anything." I said, my hand drifting over to the weapon, which I had sat on the table. She continued to look around.

"I must just be on edge." She said with a comforting smile. I did not feel comforted, however, when I thought about the horror we were waiting for. A part of me did wish that Arthur were here right now, if only as a hand to hold.

"I think that we could all do with some tea." Gaius said as he stood from the table. He did not make it that far before yet another deafening scream echoed through the room. I grabbed the dagger and was immediately by Gwen's side. She had sat up and looked very frightened. Aleya had also made it to her feet and was now surveying the room desperately.

"Where is it?" She called out.

Another scream echoed through the room, but this time it was far louder than it had been before. All four of us clasped our hands over our ears to protect them in some manner, but it did not help much. I saw a shocked look on Aleya's face as she looked to a spot just behind me. I turned and saw that the banshee had appeared just above Gwen once more. I turned to make a move at the creature when I felt myself fly through the air. My head must have hit the ground because all I saw was darkness.


"Sam!" I called out as she went flying through the air. She hit the ground with a thud and the blade clattered away from her hand. Gaius was quickly by her side, which gave me some comfort.

I looked over to the creature and saw that Gwen was now floating just beneath it unconscious. At least, I hoped that she was unconscious. The screams were still echoing through the room making my ears hurt. I could not hear anything save that horrifying shriek. I knew that the best thing I could do in the moment was to get that thing away from Gwen so I called out the first spell that came to mind.

"Icabechay Thenasteno!" It was the same spell that I had used on the rocks, but it certainly did something. The creature was not pinned against the wall this time, but thrown against it with tremendous force.

The screams silenced as it fell to the floor. I was quickly around the bed, where Gwen had now fallen, and in front of the creature. I knew that my window of opportunity was growing slimmer and slimmer, but I had to find out why this thing was here.

"Who summoned you?" I asked in as commanding a tone as I could muster. Then, just like when the Druids spoke, a voice echoed in my head.

Morgan La Fey! It was far louder than Mordred had been, however. I was paralyzed for a moment. This was Morgana, that meant that she had gone full dark side if she was willing to attack Gwen.

The scream began again as the banshee leapt towards Gwen. I stepped between the two and felt an eerily cold hand against my throat. The next thing I felt was my back slamming against the wall. I fought desperately for breath as I stared into the face of the creature. She was an old woman, but her eyes were pitch black. I was sure that it would have alarmed me more had I not been suffocating.

And now, I will destroy you, Kiala. As those words echoed through my mind the screaming was abruptly stopped and I fell to the ground. When I looked up I saw nothing but Gaius standing before me with the golden dagger in his hand. A black liquid dripped from the tip of it.

"Are you alright, child?" He asked as he knelt down. I did not know if I was or was not, but I knew Samantha had been hurt.


My head throbbed, my back hurt, and I really, really did not want to open my eyes. I did, nonetheless, because I could not stand hearing Gaius and Aleya talk about me any longer. When I did I saw the physician, my sister, and Gwen all sitting around me.

"Well, that was one hell of a ride." I muttered as I forced myself to stand up.

"Are you alright?" Aleya asked, I noticed some dark bruises forming around her neck and I wondered what I had missed.

"My head hurts, but aside from that I think I'll live. Did you guys kill that thing?" I asked.

"Gaius went all action hero on it." Aleya said with a wide grin.

"I did what had to be done." Gaius said, smiling a bit. He handed be a dark green potion that looked terrible. "Drink this, it will help your head."

"I doubt it'll help my stomach though." I said as I downed the foul concoction. It tasted much worse than it looked, which was absolutely disgusting.

"I really want to thank you." Gwen said, "All of you."

"There's really no need." Aleya said with a smile.

"Yes, there is. I would be dead if you hadn't made it your mission to protect me and I am thankful for that. You three could have been killed." She said, "I'm just very thankful to have friends like you."

"Gwen, you know that we would never allow anything to happen to you, just like we know that you would do the same for us in an instant." Aleya said with a smile.

"Besides, we can't let Arthur and Merlin have all of the fun, now can we?" I said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Gwen laughed.

"I am just very glad that you are all alright and that this creature has been vanquished." Gaius said.

"As am I, but I think that it is time for you to take a well deserved nap, Gaius." I said, knowing that we had interrupted the physician before.

"I fear that I cannot argue that." The physician said with a smile.


"So, the banshee called her by her name from the legends?" Samantha asked. I had waited as long as I could bear to tell her, but she needed to know what we were up against.

"Plain as day." I responded.

"We can only guess what Morgause is doing to her, how she is contorting Morgana's mind." Samantha said, "This does mean one thing for certain."

"What is that?" I asked.

"Morgana is still alive, and she will be found when Morgause wants her to be found." Samantha said. She was right. Whatever the two witches were planning did not bode well for Camelot. I also wondered about what the banshee had called me. Kiala was a strange title. I could not worry Samantha with that now, however, we already had too much on our plate.


lotty-x: Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean the world to me and I am so very glad you've enjoyed it!