It was nearly an hour and a half since Arthur had turned to go about his daily business. And it was just that long since he had seen Jaya. He didn't think much of it until the two hour mark, when he started to wonder where she had disappeared off to. He started with her chambers, though, after talking to the sweet girl who opened the door to tell him Jaya wasn't there, Arthur wondered why she would be. It was a beautiful day, and Jaya didn't seem the type to run away and sulk in her room. He checked the stables and on the way to the wall where he had seen her last, he very nearly bumped into Merlin. "Merlin!"

Merlin smiled at him. "Arthur."

"Have you seen Jaya?" Arthur wondered, looking around him like she might be hiding behind one of the pillars.

Merlin shook his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "No."

"I haven't seen her in over two hours. Where do you suppose she'd be?" Arthur looked at Merlin like he expected Merlin to have the answer.

"Where have you looked?" Merlin asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Her chambers, the stables, I'm on my way to the castle wall." Arthur pointed in the direction that he was heading.

Merlin shook his head and looked at Arthur like he was silly. "You won't find her there."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Arthur asked testily.

"She's a lot like you. A lot more like you than you realize." Merlin folded his arms.

"And where would you look for her Merlin?" Arthur demanded, his hands settling on his hips.

"A lucky guess." Arthur grumbled, folding his arms.

"Really wasn't." Merlin shook his head, as he looked across the training grounds.

Jaya was across the way, fists flying into the hanging, stuffed bag.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin with a sharp glare before starting toward Jaya. As he got closer he could hear the muffled thumps of her fists hitting the heavy leather. And soon he could see the sheen of sweat on her face and throat. She had been here for a while then. "Princess?" he asked, slowly walking up to the other side of the bag.

Jaya's right fist rocked the bag with a heavy thump. "Prince?" she wondered, the bag shuddering with the next heavy blow from her left cross.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked, his voice full of the familiarity of the friends that they had become.

Jaya rocked the bag with a few more punches before looking around at them. "I suppose you want the truthful answer."

Both boys nodded.

"I'll be all right." Jaya lashed out and the bag shuddered again.

Arthur stepped up to the bag and around it lightly, putting himself between it and Jaya. He held up his hands slightly. "You really should wrap your hands, Princess."

Jaya's fists stayed up in the ready position. She looked at Arthur over them. "I don't really have the patience for it right now, if you don't mind."

"You're bleeding, Jaya." Merlin pointed out from the other side of the bag. His voice was soft, and full of worry.

Jaya glanced down at her knuckles and then actually looked at them, her body relaxing slightly. "I suppose I am."

"You should go see Guais. Let him bandage you up." Arthur suggested, an imperial tone in his voice.

Jaya looked at him, looked at her knuckles, and looked back at him with a frown. "I will a little later. I'd like to keep going, if you don't mind."

Merlin dutifully stepped out of the way, but Arthur stood where he was.

"Jaya, you'll only be hurting yourself worse." He pointed out.

Jaya just looked at him. She sighed heavily and dropped her fists, her jaw muscles working.

"What is that?" Arthur asked, shock and confusion in his voice.

Jaya looked around, confused for a moment. "What?" she asked.

"On your arm. Is that a Druid symbol?" Arthur demanded, pointing to her right arm.

It was the first moment that Merlin realized that her sleeves were rolled up past her elbows. On each arm, there were slight scars on her wrists and about halfway up her arms, where the bracers sat, he assumed. But what had caught Arthur's attention was the dark blue-green lines that wove around under her skin at the widest part of her right arm, just below her elbow.

Jaya shook her head. She turned her arm so they could see better and looked at it with something like remorse. "It's the Ó Caiside crest." She held it out to them.

Now that he really looked at it, Arthur could see that it was, in fact, a crest. Though it didn't resemble the ones on the cloaks and on the trunks. It was a wolf, crouched like it was about to jump out of the skin of Jaya's arm, all intertwined with lines that wove around and back.

"It's an old tradition." Jaya explained, still looking at it. tracing the lines with the fingers of her left hand, the blood that had run down her fingers lightly outlining the blue-green of the tattoo. "The kings of old started it. When a knight pledges his allegiance to the king, I'm sure that it's like here in Camelot. He can still leave and go to a different kingdom. But where I come from, there's another ceremony, one more permanent. Only knights who pledge to serve that King until the day they die go through it. It's not entered lightly, because once you do pledge, you can't go back. Part of that ceremony is a tattoo. And if, if for some reason, that knight leaves to fight with another king, that's the first thing they check for. And it doesn't end well for him if they find one."

"What about conquering kings?" Merlin asked, absolutely fascinated.

"That depends, Merlin." Jaya looked up at him.

"On what?" Arthur asked.

"On whether or not that king is Irish. If he is…" Jaya's voice trailed off and she looked between the two of them, letting them make their own conclusions.

"Isn't your father king of the whole Island?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Aye." Jaya nodded. "There were a few that requested it be done despite that. And once it had been granted, more joined. They wanted to prove their loyalty. Every one of the men you saw these past few days...they all have one."

"So why do you have one?" Merlin asked.

"You're not a knight." Arthur followed right after.

Jaya smirked. "I slipped by on a technicality."

"Is that why…" Arthur's hand flew around in a tight circle as he tried to come up with the word he was looking for. "Earlier in the square."

Jaya nodded. "Aye."

"They love you." Merlin looked at her, her hair flying about her shoulders, her loose sleeves rolled up, the blood on her knuckles, and the scars and tattoo proclaiming her a fighter, lady, elite knight and royalty all at once. He could understand why they treated her the way they did.

Jaya shrugged. "Some of them do. Other's...they look out for me because of their allegiance to my father."

"You're just full of surprises, Princess." Arthur chuckled, folding his arms over his chest.

Jaya looked at her knuckles and then up at him and smirked. "You have no idea."

"Jaya."

Jaya stirred slightly in her large bed, feeling a small pang of guilt despite her sleep when she felt her foot contact Ridire, who was curled up at the foot of the bed. She snuggled down into her pillows and drifted off toward deeper sleep again.

"Jaya."

Jaya opened one eye. She looked around the part of her chambers that she could see accusingly. It was the middle of the night. Who would even be here?

"Jaaaayyyyaa."

Jaya sat bolt upright in bed, the dagger in her right hand pulled from where she kept it under her pillow. Both eyes slowly searched every inch of the chambers that she could see.

Ridire had leapt up when she bolted upright in bed. He was now settling down in a different position halfway up the bed. He yawned and groaned.

"Jaya!"

Jaya suddenly realized that the voice was in her head. It was an old voice, growly with power and irritation now. She wildly swung her blankets off her, digging her way out of the sheet that she missed. It didn't take her long to dress in what she was wearing earlier that day, though she slipped into a black long coat to make sure that she didn't stand out with her white shirt. The corset she left behind, that just didn't seem necessary at this time of night. She walked to the door, quietly sliding one of her swords into her belt, and the dagger that was under her pillow between her belt and the middle of her back. Her hand rested on the latch. "Not this time. You stay here." She looked down at Ridire, who was standing next to her, his tail slightly swinging back and forth. Jaya pulled open the door and slipped through, pausing with the door open only a few inches. "Garda." she whispered. And pulled the door closed the rest of the way, content that her chambers would be guarded until she and her sharp objects got back.

Now that she was in the hall, she could feel something tugging at her. Or...her magic? Made sense since the voice had spoke to her inside her head. She walked the halls and only had to duck into the deeper shadows a handful of times to make sure she didn't have to explain to a couple of guards why she was up, about, dressed and armed. She missed a couple of turns along the way, but soon she was deep under the castle. The stairs seemed to go on forever. She stopped halfway down the tenth...or was it the eleventh? flight and leaned slightly over the edge of the short wall that protected her from falling two flights down to the stone floor.

Two men sat across a small table from each other playing a game of dice.

Jaya felt bad for the men that had pulled guard duty for whatever it was that was trying to pull her and her magic toward itself. It didn't seem like a very busy place. She trotted down the rest of the flight and the next. She was just stepping onto the floor when her eyes flashed silver and she mumbled under her breath: "Reo."

The dice froze midair, mid arc. One guard's arm stayed where it was, the tossing movement not quite finished.

Jaya hurried past them, as soon as she was past her eyes flashed silver again and the dice clinked against the table and the other guard grumbled. She hurried down the ever-darkening hallway. Once she got around the third corner she found herself facing a set of arched doors. One door stood open. "Solas." her eyes flashed silver again.

A comfortable silver color glow came from a ball that floated above Jaya's right palm. It was just big enough that if Jaya had wrapped her hands around it her fingers wouldn't have touched.

Jaya tossed it up so it hovered above her head and over her shoulder almost to the ceiling. She took a breath and started toward the door of the two that was open.

Stairs lead down into the darkness.

Wonderful. More stairs.

"There's nothing for it then." Jaya muttered, starting down the steps, her magelight floating down just after her, softly lighting the way. The steps stretched down deep into the heart of the earth to the point that Jaya started to wonder how many miles she had travelled since she left her room. Just when she started to think that she was never going to reach the bottom the steps ended on a roughly smooth floor. She followed the short hallway and suddenly found herself out on a short ledge, in a large cavern.

The light from the silver mage light brightened, and in front of her was a peak of sorts made up of dark grey rocks. And a chain with links as big around as she was, and probably half as tall, stretched up into the darkness that covered the top of the cavern.

Jaya looked around. This was were she was supposed to be, she was sure of it, but who...or what had called her there. She stood still for a moment in indecision.

The sound of a great wind whoosed down from above and with it came a great red-gold shadow. It landed with a loud thump, the chain clanking to rest down around the peak.

Jaya's eyes flared wide and she stumbled back two steps, her magelight flickering and nearly going out.

A dragon!

"Do not be afraid, Young Witch." The dragon spoke, something like humor grating against its vocal chords as he smiled at her.

The magelight flickered back into a steady light and Jaya stepped back to where she was before he had landed. "You're the one that called me down here." She didn't really ask it. She knew it was the dragon. The voice was the same raspy powerful one that had woken her from her sleep.

"You are quite astute." The dragon inclined his head slightly.

"Who are you?" Jaya asked, as she willed the magelight to get brighter so she could take in the whole of the dragon.

He was massive. The large peak barely seemed to hold him, and his talons she was sure were almost as tall as she was. She could only see a part of his tail, but the end of it was as thick as some of the large trees in the castle garden back home.

"I am a dragon, the last of my kind, Young Witch." the dragon responded, humor rumbling again.

Jaya folded her arms and cocked her hip. "I can see that." She returned, before she realized that she was addressing an animal that could burn her to a crisp, or swallow her whole without warning or second thought. "I mean," she started again, her tone less testy, "What do I call you? Surely you have a name."

The dragon didn't seem offended by Jaya's retort. He seemed rather pleased really. "My name is Kilgharrah, Young Witch." The dragon bowed his head deeply and furled out his great wings.

Jaya dropped to her right knee and clapped her right knuckles against her heart before quickly standing up. "It is a great honor, Kilgharrah. I am Jaya Ó Caiside. Princess of the isle Ireland."

Kilgharrah smiled again, showing teeth that were as thick Jaya's thighs. "I know who you are, Young Witch. I was not expecting you so soon."

Jaya's eyebrows rose. "Expecting me?" she demanded, testily. "Ya called me down here. Woke me up."

"There are prophecies that tell of a witch princess from another land." Kilgharrah leaned his head down slightly so he was eye to eye with her. "I was not prepared for them to come true so quickly."

"And what do they say of this princess?" Jaya asked. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. It seemed like he was looking through her to her soul and the soul of her magic.

"The prophecies? They tell of a strong, and upright witch that comes alongside the greatest sorcerer in the history of this world. To help him and protect him when the need arises." Kilgharrah looked at her keenly for a moment. "You already know of who I speak, do you not, Young Witch?"

Jaya looked at him pointedly. "Must you call me that? It makes me sound less than honorable."

Kilgharrah's eyebrow ridges rose slightly and he blew a hot breath out of his nose. "What would you prefer I call you?" the amusement was back in voice again.

"Jaya. It's my name after all." Jaya smiled. "And I know you know that because not only did I just tell you it, but you woke me up yelling my name in my head."

Kilgharrah chuckled and waved his head back and forth. "I do believe you are perfect, Young One. Though more gall than perhaps is wise." he chuckled to himself again. "I shall call you Jaya because you have requested it."

"I didn't think you called me down here for a midnight snack." Jaya shrugged, her tone more subdued. She was aware that he had warned her to watch her tongue. "Terrible timing by the way."

Kilgharrah's massive shoulders shook again. "You are clever too, I see."

Jaya shrugged.

"You must be careful, Jaya. You are not as safe as you think here." Kilgharrah looked at her sharply, suddenly very serious.

Jaya pulled a slight face. "I'm well aware that magic and Camelot do not mix well."

"You must be on your guard." Kilgharrah nodded.

"And keep Merlin from-" Jaya's eyebrows rose.

"Whatever you must." Kilgharrah's voice was heavy with importance.

Jaya swallowed slightly. Her shoulders squared. "Then guard him I shall. For as long as I'm here to do it." She stifled a yawn with the palm of her right hand.

Kilgharrah nodded slightly. "They were not wrong. You will be a great help to him while you are here. Now go, get some rest. You will need it." His great wings furled out and flapped once, lifting him up toward the dark ceiling. Three more strokes and he was completely out of sight.

Jaya watched him go until she couldn't see anything more than the large chain that trailed up. She suddenly felt small and not the least bit prepared for what the dragon had been suggesting. Guard Merlin? She was sure that would be harder than she realized at this moment. She had to do it without getting herself killed too. "Yeah, sleep." she muttered, turning to head back toward the stairs, her magelight dimming and trailing after her.

It didn't take Jaya very long to get back to her chambers, blessed as she was with a memory that could map things out as she saw them. She lay on her bed, covers pulled up, Ridire curled up next to her, his large head nestled between her shoulder and her right ear. Jaya stared up at the canopy over her bed. Having a destiny wasn't something that really surprised her, her father was a King after all, but having one here, so far from Ireland...that she wasn't prepared for.

"Even Merlin does not realize how much danger there is, or he is in."

Jaya sighed heavily. She was so close to being asleep. Now she was wide awake again wondering if she would be able to live up to something as large as watching the back of a boy who seemed so unassuming and ungainly. Merlin...the greatest sorcerer…