CHAPTER NINE


Summary: Finding herself one thousand years back in the past and in the legendary Kingdom of Camelot was something Hermione had never seen coming. But with no possible way back to the future and being stuck in the past, Hermione had no option but to form a new life for herself, and hopefully without changing the timeline. Unfortunately, matters of the heart cannot be controlled and she finds herself entwined in the lives of Prince Arthur and the great and powerful sorcerer, Merlin. Hermione x Arthur pairing.

Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and the creators of Merlin, and the BBC. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic. I'm also making some big changes to the Merlin plotline so don't be surprised that nothing matches with canon. If I'm being honest, it's been years since I last saw the series, so I'm mostly going off what I remember and episode reviews and notes. And I've decided Arthur won't be dying.

AN

I'm so pleased with the response I have gotten from the previous chapters, having honestly not expected it due to the nature of the crossover which I know isn't as popular as the Twilight, MCU and even Supernatural fandoms.

I've got the first sixteen chapters written so far and I hope to have this finished by the end of next week. I wanted to take a little break from my other works as I've hit a spot of writer's block and working on a new fic always seen to help me break out of it and inspire my muse.

And your comments so far have been truly wonderful, thank you! You guys are the absolute best! So, I'd originally planned on posting one chapter, but given the response, I thought, 'why the hell not? Let's give them two.' Oh, how I spoil you.

Q&A

I'm A Sucker For Love Stories – Yes, this is based on the BBC series, Merlin. And I bloody love it, I've actually seen it three times and now that it's been put on the British Netflix, I don't doubt I'll be watching it again.

Ravena D. Alister – They'll be a few time jumps in this fic but I am trying to keep them no longer than a few months at a time, and I'll be mentioning her grieving process but otherwise won't be focusing on it.

Guest – I haven't thought of the pairing. I always use Hermione as a main character because a) she's one of my favourites, b) I'm very familiar with her character and it's easy for me to write about her given how long I've been doing this now, and c) I have a lot of fun doing so. I do sometimes have secondary characters and pairings but I don't focus on them as much as I would my primary characters, as it stops me from getting distracted and keeps me focused.


Page count: 9


"I don't want you to go," the little girl sniffled.

Hermione crouched down in front of her after she finished packing the last of her items into her satchel.

"I won't be gone long, Elisa," Hermione promised. "There is something I need to get and if I don't, Almeric, Thomlin and Alianor won't get any better and they'll stay poorly. I need help if I'm to get them better. But whilst I'm gone, will you keep watch for Akela? He went hunting and has not been back yet."

"You'll be back soon?" The little girl asked.

"I'll be back soon," she nodded. "No more than a week."

And so, after receiving confirmation that Elisa would watch for Akela, Hermione fastened her travelling cloak and hid her satchel beneath it before leaving out of the hut and heading for the woods, her intended destination being Camelot.

It had barely been two months since the Battle of Ealdor and Hermione was pleased to say the village and its people were thriving in a way they hadn't before. Repairs had been carried out, food stores were increasing and everyone had a newfound sense of safety and comfort, of confidence after they'd defended their village so bravely.

In that time, Hermione had been kept busy tending to her physician duties, continuing with her teaching of reading and writing and she had even taken on two apprentices, a young man by the name of Cole who came to their village but a month ago, and a woman by the name of Polly, who was now widowed after losing her husband during the battle.

It was only that morning when she'd been cleaning her hut that her copper coin had alerted her to a message from Merlin and the first so far. It had only read two words and her heart had stopped dead.

Arthur's dying.

She had no idea of the circumstances surrounding it but not only was it a severe thing to contact her with, she knew he needed her help without him having to ask for it. He'd said so himself, she had knowledge Gaius, the court physician, didn't and therefore she may have known something that would be of use.

She'd wasted no time in throwing things into her satchel and preparing to leave when Elisa had interrupted and found her packing, the little girl panicking and thinking that she was leaving for good. What she'd told Elisa wasn't a lie, some of the children of the village were sick and although she knew how to cure them, she wasn't sure where to find the specific ingredient she needed and she hoped Gaius would know. This was a dual purpose mission, find the ingredient needed to make a cure and save Prince Arthur and his future. If he died Albion would never be and she couldn't allow that to happen. She wasn't supposed to get involved but here she was travelling to Camelot to save the future King.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about the handsome Prince or the adorably clumsy Merlin, in fact, she found her thoughts wandering to them at all times of the day. When she was tending to a patient, or taking a stroll through the woods, or making dinner, or even carrying out a reading lesson, they'd randomly pop up in her thoughts and she couldn't stop it from happening. She'd tried to think of other things, to turn her attention elsewhere but it was all for nought and her thoughts always crept back to them.

She wondered if Merlin was practising his magic but being cautious as to not get caught. If Arthur had thought on their discussions regarding magic. If Morgana was yet leaning towards the darker side of magic. If Gwen was still in love with Lancelot or if she and Arthur were falling for one another like they were meant to.

She was ashamed of herself. Everyone had told her she'd made quite the impression on Arthur and Gwen had lamented on the fact, as well mentioning the same about Merlin when she'd said her goodbyes. Hermione was ashamed because she realised that when they'd left, they'd both had made a big impression on her, too. She realised that despite having no valid reason to, she missed them both. She realised that despite only knowing them a day or two, she'd grown quite fond of them and not in a good way, at least, not to her.

Hermione's journey through the woods came to a sudden stop when she felt as though she were being followed, as though someone was watching her and her hand automatically went for her wand before she mentally slapped herself and instead reached for the dagger she carried.

Slowly, she spun in circles, searching her surroundings for bandits or anyone that might wish her harm, but she couldn't see anyone. It wasn't quite yet lunch and she'd expected the woods surrounding Ealdor to be quiet as they didn't receive many visitors, it was when she approached Camelot she knew to be on her guard.

It was quiet except for the sounds of her breathing and the occasional bird flapping its wings and calling to the rest of its flock. A vicious, animalist growl sounded from nowhere, filling the silence and birds fled from their nests in terror. Hermione understood it was the fight or flight reaction. Any human that heard that noise would know instantly what it was and they'd feel fear and be forced to do one of the two, she, however, was far from afraid.

She rolled her eyes at herself and slotted the dagger back into place beneath her sleeve and she let out a sigh of relief, her body relaxing as the tension left her.

"I know you're there," Hermione said amused.

It was silent for a few moments until she heard twigs snapping under a heavyweight and leaves on the ground being trampled on. Slowly, she turned around and Hermione's mouth pulled up at the corners.

"That was very sneaky of you," she spoke, crouching down as the wild wolf approached her, not the least bit weary or afraid.

As the light shone down on him, Hermione marvelled at how beautiful he truly was. His silver-grey fur shone under the rays of the sun, his large bushy tail swished back and forth as he walked and his dark pink tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth rather comically, his mouth opened wide and his sharp teeth showing, almost as if he was smiling at her. His eyes were bright and beautiful as the blue orbs watched her and his slim form looked relaxed and unthreatened.

"Where have you been hiding?" She questioned when the wolf came to a stop before her, sitting down on the ground and lowering his head to nudge against her hand, signalling that he very much wanted a scratch behind the ear.

Chuckling, Hermione obliged and lifted her hand, running her fingers through his soft, thick fur that would keep him warm during the winter and help to camouflage him into his surroundings at night when he hunted.

If anyone should come across her now, she knew they'd be more than worried for not only her safety, but her mental health, too; the strange girl that was petting the head of a wild wolf in the middle of the woods. But Akela wasn't a danger to her and neither was she to him.

Still struggling with the death of William, Hermione had taken to walking in the woods late at night to allow her peace and quiet, for space to think and feel without being judged and without the pitying looks the villagers would give her. It'd only been three days after his death when she'd stumbled upon the wolf, and it was a strange sight indeed.

She was fairly sure wolves weren't common around the Kingdom of Essetir, them all being hunted for their fur and meat. So not only was it uncommon for it to be there, but he was alone, too, and she knew wolves travelled in packs for increased chances of survival. The poor animal had been injured, she wasn't quite sure how but she'd able to get close enough to him to conjure a bowl and fill it with water, ignoring the vicious growls and snarls he sent her way, but he'd been too injured to move and attack her.

The only reason she'd been able to get so close was that she'd moved slowly, she'd proven she wasn't a threat and, of course, her magic was useful, too. It was common knowledge that owls were drawn to magical folk, that they were used as familiars and to deliver the post, but what most didn't know was that wolves were very much the same. She wasn't quite sure how or why, if she were being honest, but she'd read studies that were done on wolves in the wild –something to do with werewolves, she couldn't quite remember- and the researchers had found that one in fifteen wolves would approach a magic user without causing harm. She'd assumed the same had happened with her.

Whilst the wolf had been lapping up the water, she'd summoned the leftover rabbit meat from her hut and placed it before him, the wolf gobbling it down and barely chewing it. Whilst he was distracted, she'd taken a look at his injuries; blood had coated his fur around the stomach area and the back leg and after a quick x-ray, she determined he'd broken his leg, too. From the injuries, she could only assume he'd been in a fight, obviously gotten injured and had fallen behind, the rest of the pack leaving him.

Hermione had focused her attention on healing the injuries as quickly and efficiently as she could and once she'd healed the leg, hearing the bone snap back into place, the wolf had let out a snarl and darted off into the distance, leaving Hermione alone in the dark.

The next morning she'd woken early and as she peered out the window facing into the woods, she'd gotten the surprise of her life when she saw the same wolf from the night before, hiding amongst the trees and watching her. Later that night, she'd left some water and a bowl of chicken out for the wolf and the next morning, both were gone and she'd found the wolf watching her again. That occurred every day for a week, and it wasn't until then that Hermione had dared to approach the wild animal.

A month later the wolf was all but her pet, her familiar, he followed her when she was in the woods and he barely left her side. She gave him water and bits of meat but he otherwise hunted his own food. A couple of weeks after that, Hermione had started leaving the door to her hut open and she'd been surprised when she'd woken to the sight of the wolf curled up in a ball on the floor by the side of her bed.

The villagers had been extremely worried and terrified that the wolf would harm their children or livestock, but she'd assured them he meant them no harm and in the time since meeting him, he'd never once gone near the sheep or chickens. They left him alone and he did the same. He only really interacted with Hermione and it was around that time that he allowed her to touch him. She had thought he'd leave and go in search of his pack but he never did. He sometimes disappeared for a few days at a time but he always came back and knowing he was there to stay, as a friend and a protector, Hermione had named him Akela, after the wolf from the Jungle Book, one of her favourite films when she'd been a child.

Hermione had always found it suspicious and a bit of a coincidence that around the time she'd lost William, she'd stumbled upon the wolf; the wolf that had become her protector and best friend. It was almost as if William was still there with her, and Akela had done wonders in helping her in the grieving process whether she realised it or not. Soon after meeting the large animal, she found that she no longer cried herself to sleep, that she no longer lost track of time after her thoughts and memories ran away from her. To her, Akela had saved her mentally and emotionally.

"I must leave but I will be back in a few days. Until then, keep yourself out of sight, we don't want to risk someone stumbling upon you and harming you." With a final pat to the head, Hermione stood and walked off, leaving Akela behind.

She'd only been walking fifteen minutes when she realised she was being followed by the hunter and she turned around with a sigh and her hands on her hips as she looked down at the wolf disapprovingly.

"Akela, you must stay here. It's too dangerous for you in Camelot, if they see you they'll kill you. Stay here," Hermione said, pointing her finger at the wolf.

Amusingly or annoyingly, –she hadn't yet decided- the wolf didn't seem the least bit affected as he tilted his head to the side and give her a look that all but said, 'Yeah, right.' And she let out a noise of frustration when the wolf waltzed straight past her, his tail swishing back and forth as he took the lead.

She stared at the wolf dumbly before shaking her head and following after him. Well, now that she had a companion and a protector, she didn't feel as nervous about travelling to Camelot. As it was, she was travelling by foot which would likely double her journey time and if she ran out of food, Akela would come quite in handy, not to mention, he'd alert her to danger and protect her if he thought she needed it.

~000~000~000~

It had taken Hermione a little over three days to reach Camelot and thankfully she hadn't wandered into any trouble, mainly because Akela had warned her when there were others nearby and they hid out of sight until it was safe. Hermione couldn't have been sure if they were bandits, hunters or other travellers but she wasn't taking the risk. All she had to defend herself with was a dagger and her magic, and she didn't want to use the latter being so close to Camelot.

Before she entered the large gates of the city, she hid out of sight and rummaged through her satchel of which held her beaded bag, and then she retrieved Harry's Invisibility Cloak, it having been stored in her bag since the day they'd left for the Horcrux hunt. Hermione didn't have time and she didn't want to waste any being stopped from entering the castle, especially if Arthur was dying and she was sure they'd shut down access to the castle with only a select few being able to enter and exit and she definitely wouldn't have been on that list.

So, after convincing Akela to stay hidden in the woods until she returned –which hadn't taken much to do so given the amount of people bustling around-, she pulled the Invisibility Cloak over herself, cast a Silencing Charm and made her way through the city, barely taking notice of the beauty as she was too busy trying to remain undetected and trying not to bump into others.

When she reached the castle, her breath had caught at the beauty of it, it reminding her very much of Hogwarts only it didn't seem to be as dark as sunlight shone down on the white and light grey stone that it had been built from. Now that she was at the castle, she had to be extremely cautious as if she was found and captured, she'd be thrown in a cell and executed. There were several guards stationed at the entrance doors and it had taken a little while for her to create a distraction and sneak through the doors.

Once that was done, she muttered, a "Point Me," beneath her breath and allowed her wand to guide her to Arthur, it taking her down corridors, around corners, up staircases, down staircases, across banquet halls, past the kitchens and so on. She was very much close to losing her temper until she finally came to a stop outside a large wooden arched door and her wand buzzed in her hand to let her know she'd reached her destination.

Taking a breath, she stowed her wand and reached out, slowly opening the door and peeking inside to see it empty. Releasing a breath, she quickly entered the room and shut the door behind her, leaning against the wood and allowing her heart a moment to slow back to normal.

She pulled the cloak off and stuffed it into her beaded bag in the satchel and her eyes roamed the large room, it seeming to be separated into two by a large archway. On the side she was standing, she could see a fireplace she was sure would provide plenty of light and warmth on a cold and dark night. The empty long table sat a chair either end, the large writing desk in front of the windows was adorned with candles, parchment and writing materials. There was a cabinet here and a chest of drawers there, lanterns were on the walls, and candles and trinkets littered the room but the most dominant feature was the bed. It reminded her or her own bed back in the girl's dorms at Hogwarts, only it was much bigger. The large four-poster bed had the red, thick curtains drawn back and tied to the posts, a huge wooden headboard, fluffy white pillows and a thick red blanket. And in the centre of it all laid Prince Arthur.

Calming her nerves, she slowly approached the bed until she stood beside it and she gazed down at the Prince, her eyes widening slightly. He truly didn't look well. She didn't know what she'd been expecting when Merlin had told her he was dying, but it most certainly wasn't what she was looking at right now. Perhaps she thought she'd be dealing with an injury caused by a battle or a fight, maybe an illness caused by undercooked food or a disease such as the flu. She certainly wasn't expecting to see Arthur bedridden and barely moving.

She removed her satchel from her shoulder and put it on the ground before carefully perching on the edge of the bed and sitting beside Arthur, peering down at him. He didn't wake at the feel of the mattress shifting and that worried her. His eyes remained closed, his skin being far paler than she remembered and it had a sickly hue to it. There was a bandage tied diagonally across his bare chest with a cloth where his heart would be found and looking at it Hermione frowned disapprovingly at the sloppiness of it. His hair stuck his forehead where she could see sweat shining and looking down she could see sweat breaking out on his chest, too.

Being a physician, Hermione was quite accustomed to seeing men and women in all forms of dress when providing them with her services, so it wasn't all that surprising that she found herself comfortable despite his lack of clothing, or his admitted well-defined arms and abdomen.

Looking at him, she felt her heartbreaking for the young Prince. This was not the man she'd met two months ago. He looked weak and vulnerable and Hermione hated it. Letting out a sigh, Hermione reached out and gently brushed his hair away from his face, feeling the high temperature of his skin, he was running a fever and she had to get it down.

Silently, she reached for her wand and cast a Cooling Charm on him, hoping it would bring his temperature down. It did but certainly not enough for her to be happy with. Hiding her wand away, she reached for the pitcher of water on the small cabinet beside the bed and the cloth that laid beside it, and after dampening the cloth, she leaned over and gently swiped it across his forehead and around his face, running it down his throat and over his chest, trying to bring his temperature down a little more.

Taking a breath, she pulled her wand once more and cast as many Detections Charms as she knew, looking for a possible explanation for his illness. She found none until something within his blood spiked, he was infected by a poison that was slowly killing him, only Hermione didn't know what it was or how to counter it.

She was expecting Merlin to have been by Arthur's side watching over him and because he wasn't, she was sure he was working on a way to heal him, which meant it was her job to keep him comfortable and alive for as long as possible. She kept a close eye on his heart rate, not liking that it was slower than it should've been, as was his breathing.

She reached for the cloth once more, wetting it, squeezing out the water and gently swiping it across the skin of his face.

"Arthur," she spoke softly.

She leaned over him slightly to reach the other side of his face and her free hand found his resting against the covers and she slipped it into his, not wanting him to be alone, to feel alone, wanting him to know she was there and taking care of him.

"Arthur, if you can hear me, I need you to hold on a little longer. I know how strong you are and I know you're capable of beating this, so please, don't stop fighting. There are a lot of people that will suffer if you die, they need you to live so you can be a wonderful King, so you can show them how kind and brave you are. You are destined for truly wonderful things, Arthur, I know it to be true. You will bring peace and prosperity to your Kingdom but only if you survive. You have to fight. Fight for yourself the way you fought for the people of Ealdor, the way you fought to protect the children, to protect me. I know you can do it, I know you have it in you and I know you love your Kingdom and the people. Be strong, Arthur, be great, be a King," she ended softly, her eyes focused on his face and searching for any sign of movement in his mouth, his cheeks, his eyes, his forehead, but there was none and she let out a sigh.

"You must be, Hermione."

Hermione startled, dropping the cloth onto the bed, visibly jumping and her hand reaching for her wand before she stopped herself and she turned her eyes to the door, seeing it being closed but before it stood an old man with white chin-length hair, dark blue eyes and wrinkles set around his mouth and eyes. He wore a combination of red and blue fabric, what looked to be fingerless gloves and he seemed to have a permanently surprised look on his face due to the one eyebrow that arched more than the other.

"I am," she replied, eyeing him cautiously.

"Merlin has told me about you."

"He has, has he?" She replied, wondering just how much he knew, though she doubted Merlin would out her to another without her consent.

"Yes, I believe it was something along the lines of... 'I promise, Gaius, she is truly remarkable as a physician and she has methods of treatment that I have never before seen but are incredible." He said, giving her an amused look. "I must say, you have made quite the impression on my nephew."

Hermione didn't blush, okay, maybe she did. Reaching up, she pushed her hair out of her face and over her shoulder and she cleared her throat. So, this was Gaius, the court's physician, Merlin's Uncle and Hunith's brother?

"How did you get in here? The castle is heavily guarded and under lockdown, no one gets in or out?" He asked raising an eyebrow, or at least, she thought he was raising an eyebrow, she couldn't be sure.

"I have my ways," she replied. "How did you know who I was?"

"Merlin assured me you were trustworthy and you'd be able to help the young Prince. When Merlin informed me he'd contacted you, I knew to expect your arrival within a few days. As for how I knew, I simply assumed as you are a beautiful young lady, of which Merlin stated several times over the days after his return from Ealdor."

She looked down, feeling blood flooding her cheeks and she cleared her throat. "I have given the Prince a treatment to bring his temperature down. It has worked but not as much as I had hoped it would," she informed him, reaching for the cloth and returning to swiping it across his face, cleaning away the beads of sweat. "From what I've been able to tell, he's been poisoned but I don't recognise the one responsible. Do you know what it is? Merlin only explained that the Prince was dying and in need of my help."

"Idiot," Gaius muttered beneath his breath and he rolled his eyes before he approached the bed, coming to a stop beside her and looking down at the young Prince. "He was bitten by the Questing Beast, a creature that is conjured by the nightmares of a long-dead King. The bite is fatal. There is no cure to speak of, yet Merlin is doing all he can to save Arthur."

Hermione really didn't like the sound of that and she turned her eyes back to Arthur.

"Have you tried giving him the cures to other poisons?" She asked the older man.

"There is no cure."

"That is not what I asked. I asked if you'd given him the cures to other poisons," she looked up to him, seeing him eyeing her strangely and she sighed. "There might not be a cure, but maybe the cures from other poisons will be able to fight off the poison in his system long enough for Merlin to find what he's looking for. He's showing symptoms of several different poisons at once, the Questing Beast's poison may just be a combination of more than one. We don't know, but it won't kill him, what will is if we do nothing."

"I had not thought of that," the court physician admitted with a frown.

She barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I usually carry antidotes with me so I have some in my satchel, I need you to run down to your chambers and collect whatever cures for poisons you have, no matter how common or unique they may be, the more we have the better."

Hermione, realising she still held Arthur's hand, tried to pull it free only for her eyes to widen when she visibly saw his fingers flex, refusing to let go.

"That is interesting," Gaius mused, apparently seeing it, too, and his eyes darting between Arthur, her and their joined hands. "Very interesting, indeed."