CHAPTER TWELVE


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 am seriously blown away by the response from this, you guys are so sweet. Words can't describe how thrilled I am, so instead, I'll let you just get right into the next chapter. And because I'm too nice to you...Take two!

Enjoy!

Q&A

The majority of your questions will be answered in this chapter or the next.

Dramonie1028 – Don't worry, I'm not offended, I understand. Hermione will still be the same kick-arse witch I usually write, I'm just waiting for the perfect moment for it to happen... And without giving too much away, I think the wait will be worth it.

Kylynnjen – I've given it a little thought and my parents are always harping on at me about how I should start writing original works and getting them published, but I honestly don't think I'd have the time between family commitments, working two jobs, writing new fics and editing old ones. I do this because I love it and it's a way of expressing myself. I use it as a stress reliever and as a way to shut myself off from the outside world for a little while.

Guest – I know that in HP canon wands existed in the timeline, but in the TV show (BBC Merlin canon) as far as I can remember, there is no mention of wands and neither is there ever one seen, so I'm using Merlin's canon over the HP's for this particular fic. Also, I know that Merlin does have a staff so I plan to bring that into effect at some point. I'm just substituting the wands for the staffs. I believe that wands are used as a conductor, they aid with the control of the magic flow in the body which is why children (usually) no longer have magical outbursts once they receive them. They aid with control, intent and aim, so I can only imagine that Merlin would be more powerful without a wand. At least, that's what I'm going for and why he'll be getting his legendary staff over a wand.


Page count: 10


"Merlin, where in God's name is she? Don't tell me you've lost her," Arthur said, an unhappy look on his face as he approached his manservant to see him rummaging inside the saddlebag on his horse and he was alone.

"Arthur, what happened? Did you find them?"

"Merlin, where is she?" He questioned, his voice growing louder in annoyance.

"She has a name, thank you very much."

Arthur turned his horse in the opposite direction and looked into the trees before a flash of red stepped into view. Hermione climbed down the small hill until she was stood on the pathway and she walked towards him, his cape wrapped around her so tightly it was a wonder she could breathe, let alone move.

Arthur dismounted his horse and tied her to a nearby tree before meeting Hermione halfway, stepping into her path and blocking the way so she couldn't get past him. He reached up with his gloved hand, pressing it gently against her cheek as she stared up at him, blinking tiredly.

"I'm fine, Arthur," she sighed. "I assure you, I've faced far worse injuries in my time."

"That doesn't make me feel better," he admitted, his eyes locked with hers before he tore them away and he looked over his shoulder. "Merlin, gather firewood, we'll set up camp here."

"I thought you'd say that; I've already taken care of it," Merlin grinned smugly, giving a pile of wood that lay on the ground a nudge with his foot.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get a fire started and prepare dinner, we need to keep Hermione warm," he said.

He turned back to the young woman before him and placed an arm around her shoulders, tugging her into his side and guiding her forward until they reached the fire pit Merlin had already had the thought to prepare. He was learning, Arthur thought. Hermione sat herself on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and his cape wrapping around her a little tighter. Arthur sent Merlin a look that had the manservant quickly lighting the fire until flames danced across Hermione's face and a sigh fell from her lips, her body tilting towards the warmth that the fire offered.

Arthur observed her silently as he took a seat beside her, getting comfortable on the uneven ground and leaning back against the rotting tree log that was behind him. When the sound of voices and galloping horses filled the silence, Hermione startled, visibly jumping and he saw her hand moving beneath the cape as if she were reaching for a weapon.

"It's just the Knights," he explained.

Her eyes were locked on a spot in the distance and she didn't nod, speak or move until she saw them, moving out of the darkness and into the firelight. The three Knights dismounted their horses and tended to them before taking seats around the fire, their eyes darting between him and Hermione, who was silent as she stared into the flames as if entranced by the movement.

"It has been taken care of, Sire," Sir Leon spoke and Arthur gave him a single nod before his eyes darted back to Hermione.

"I'm to assume you found them," she said softly.

"Yes," Arthur responded.

"And?"

"You're safe and they won't hurt anyone else."

Hermione let out a sigh and her head tilted to the side, leaning against the armoured plates on his shoulders. He realised he should've taken them off, it can't have been comfortable for her but she didn't complain.

"How many were there?"

"Seven by our count,"

Hermione's brow furrowed before she gave her head a light shake. "I could've sworn there were eight of them but I suppose I was confused."

"We need to tend to your wounds," he told her.

"I'll be fine, it's just a scratch."

"Hermione, is a scratch still not capable of becoming infected?"

She grumbled beneath her breath and his mouth twitched in amusement. "I swear, if you use my words against me again, I'll be the reason you need a physician."

He scowled at his Knights as they sniggered at her words and he turned his scowl towards Merlin when he snorted. Holding his hand out expectantly, Merlin rifled through the contents of the saddlebag that contained healing supplies and he passed Arthur some bandages, some healing paste and a cloth he'd already dampened with water.

"Don't fight me, Hermione. I just want to take care of you," he muttered, her not knowing or understanding how much he truly meant the words he spoke. He wasn't even certain he understood it himself.

Sighing in defeat, Hermione pulled her head from his shoulder and she shuffled until she was facing him. Removing his gloves, he reached out with the cloth and carefully cleaned the cut on her forehead, wiping away the dirt and blood and then he applied some healing paste. Neither of them spoke as he did so and though Arthur was aware of the strange, surprised glances of his Knights, he ignored them, wanting to give Hermione his full attention. There was nothing that could be done for her lip and then his eyes darted down to her arm where he knew there to be a large bloodstain.

Arthur wasn't quite sure what to do next as he was certain she'd struggle to tend to it herself, but it would be considered inappropriate for her to remove her clothing to give him access to the wounded area. It seemed Hermione didn't share the same concerns as she folded her legs beneath her, released her grip on his cape and it fell off her shoulders and dropped into her lap. The moment she reached up to the buttons on her shirt, his eyes darted away from her and to Merlin and his Knights, glaring darkly in warning and they quickly turned their heads and averted their gazes, pretending to be interested and remarking on the oddly shaped leaves, twigs and broken logs that surrounded them.

His eyes returned to Hermione and his mouth went dry at the sight of the creamy skin of her collar bone and shoulder as she pushed the neck of the shirt down to reveal the wound on her arm. It was deeper than the one on her forehead, it looking to have been caused by a dagger or knife of some kind and he knew wounds such as that could be painful. He was at a loss, cuts and scrapes he could handle, but open wounds like that?

"Clean the area and bandage it up, it's all that can be done with the limited supplies available," Hermione instructed.

Taking a breath and nodding, Hermione twisted her body to give him better access and one hand came up to keep her steady, gently pressing against her shoulder and with the other he cleaned away the blood gently. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his hand and when she let out a hiss of pain, his thumb gently swiped across her shoulder in a soothing gesture. Once it was clean, he reached for the bandage and wrapped it around her arm, pausing briefly when he spied a burn scar not far above the wound and his eyes darted to her face which remained blank.

How had she gotten that? Who did it to her? Why did she have it? He knew these were questions she wasn't likely to answer and despite his anger at seeing her harmed and marked in such a way, he remained quiet. After tucking the edge of the bandage into place, he pulled his hands back from her and threw the cloth to Merlin.

"We'll make a physician out of you yet," Hermione spoke, readjusting her shirt and fastening the buttons once more.

He did find it odd that she seemed to favour wearing shirts and breeches, clothing typically expected to be worn by men and he wondered why that was. He wondered why he'd never seen her in a dress as was expected of women unless they were travelling long distance and even then he knew them to have dresses for such occasions.

His eyes carefully scanned her form, searching for any injuries he may have missed and spying the leaves and debris in her wild hair, his mouth twitched into a smile and he reached out, tugging and pulling them free. When done, he chuckled at the way she scowled and she reached up, her hands running through her hair which only seemed to make it bushier and wilder. It was so different from the perfectly brushed and styled hair he was used to seeing on women, particularly the visiting nobles and Princesses, and he found he quite liked it.

"Did you find my belongings?" She asked, pulling his cape over her shoulders once more to protect her against the chill in the air.

"They ate your food and burned your clothing, including your cloak," he told her softly.

He'd expected her to be devastated at the news, he'd seen how terrifying Morgana could be if one of her favourite dresses was accidentally ruined or went 'missing', which just meant it was either being washed or she hadn't looked for it properly, but Hermione merely nodded.

"I'm not surprised," she replied. "They seemed like the lazy kind, why search for firewood when you have clothing that burns just as well? That was everything I had so I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'll think of something. Did you find my necklace?"

"Among other things," he responded, and seeing her curiously raised eyebrow, he nodded to Sir Leon and the Knight stood and moved to Arthur's mare, removing the two satchels and the sword.

The moment her eyes landed on the sword, she seemed to forget about the bags as her mouth parted and a gasp left her.

"I completely forgot," she said, sounding horrified. "They took the sword. How did I forget that?" She muttered to herself.

She held her hand out expectantly and Sir Leon looked to him questioningly and he nodded, giving him permission to give it to her. He watched as she accepted the sword and held it delicately with it resting on the palms of her hands, her eyes carefully searching for what he could only assume was any damage caused to it, but the way she let out a sigh of relief let him know it was how it should be.

"Is it yours?" Sir Brennis asked her.

Hermione's eyes darted to him suspiciously and Arthur realised that he hadn't yet introduced his Knights, so it was understandable she'd be suspicious of them no matter of the fact they were with him.

"Hermione, this is Sir Brennis, Sir, Geraint and Sir Leon, they are Knights of Camelot," he introduced.

Hermione tilted her head, a friendly smile tugging at her mouth. "It's a pleasure to be finally introduced to you," she said, sending him an amused look whilst the others sniggered and he scowled at her teasing.

"Why would this sword not be mine? Was it not found with my belongings?" She asked.

"It is very clear the sword is made for nobility. I have never seen such craftsmanship or detail."

Hermione pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Is it yours, Hermione? Does it belong to another?" Arthur asked.

"It's not mine, not really, but I didn't steal it," she answered. "It belonged to someone of great importance and I was given it for safekeeping."

His eyes darted down to the inscription -a name, he realised- as she settled the sword on the ground beside her.

"And my necklace?"

Sir Leon nodded and reached inside the satchel and removed the silver chain. Arthur hadn't gotten a clear look at it before but now he could see that it was a silver locket. Definitely not something a poor villager would have.

"Thank you," she said, gratefully taking it from the Knight and she grasped it in her closed fist tightly. "It was my mother's."

"Where are your parents, Hermione?" He asked, having realised she'd been using past terms, not present.

"Dead," she answered, her face blank and voice emotionless and he found himself blinking, having not expected such an answer. "They were killed almost two years ago."

"Why?"

"I left my Kingdom as we were in times of war, my parents were killed by our enemies," she said, and then she changed the subject. "Sir Leon, is there anything else in the bag?"

Nodding, the Knight reached inside and removed the final item, the pillowcase. Hermione's eyes widened, a horrified look crossing her face.

"No! I had no idea they'd fallen out," she said, reaching out and all but snatching the pillowcase from Sir Leon, surprising them all by her actions.

"What's inside, Hermione?" Arthur asked, not feeling pleased by the horrified look on her face as she held the pillowcase with the tips of her fingers, as if she were afraid to touch it.

"A part of my past I wish I could put behind me but it will forever haunt me," she replied quietly, seeming to break out of a trance and she placed the pillowcase on the ground behind her, out of reach but not out of sight.

When Arthur glanced over to Merlin, his manservant had his hand hovering over the pot on the fire pit, seeming to have paused in his adding of ingredients to the stew he was preparing. But the way in which Merlin looked at Hermione, in sadness and understanding, had Arthur believing that Merlin knew far more than he realised and he reminded himself to talk to his manservant when he next had the chance.

Hermione fell silent and Arthur's attention darted between her, Merlin and his three Knights as they conversed amongst themselves, and soon a bowl of stew was held out to Hermione.

"No, thank you, Merlin. I'm not hungry."

"Hermione, you need to eat," Arthur said with a disapproving look. "Merlin's not the best cook but you still need to eat. You've lost a lot of blood from that wound on your arm, you need to keep your strength up."

"As I said, we'll make a physician out of you yet," she responded, accepting the bowl and spoon from Merlin.

Arthur felt his mouth pulled into a smile at not only her comment but when she tried her first spoonful of the stew and a grimace pulled at her mouth. The group of six ate their meals with little fuss though Arthur noticed that Hermione had barely eaten half of her own meal, but given she'd at least eaten some of it, he didn't mention it.

Whilst the rest of the group conversed Hermione stared into the dancing flames, the light reflecting off her pale skin and her eyes shining in the dark. Her hair surrounded her in a wild mass of curls and she sat with his cape wrapped around her small body, taking comfort in the warmth it offered her. Arthur admitted to himself that the red and gold colouring of his House suited her well.

The night was growing late and when the conversations began to settle as everyone prepared to get some sleep, a sudden vicious snarling had them all on high alert, himself, his three Knights and Merlin all springing to their feet, their eyes searching in the darkness for the one responsible. Arthur just hoped it wasn't a magical being.

The snarling grew louder, as if it were getting closer and Arthur pulled his sword, positioning himself so Hermione was behind him, still sat on the ground and looking as though she were in a world of her own.

As the creature stepped out of the darkness and into the firelight, Arthur's eyes widened not at the sight of a magical being, but a large, feral looking wolf with dark-silver fur, the chest and mouth stained with blood. He knew wolves were an uncommon sight around the Kingdoms or Camelot and Essetir, as they were hunted for their meat and fur, so for one to be stood before him was surprising. Had he ever actually seen a wolf in his twenty-one years of existence?

He gripped his sword tightly and raised it, preparing to strike the wolf down should it try to attack him and a brief glance to his Knights showed they'd done the same, eyeing the wolf as if it were an unpredictable, vicious wild animal, which, of course, it was.

The wolf took a threatening step forward, its ears flat against its head, its sharp teeth bared, its body lowered and looking as though it were about to pounce. The wolf's eyes seemed to move to Hermione and it took another step forward, Arthur's heart pounding in his chest as he shifted his weight, trying to conceal her with his body and at the action, the wolf released a snarl so loud and terrifying, fear spike through him and Hermione was startled, a little noise of surprise leaving her.

"What..." She trailed off.

He glanced behind him, seeing her wide eyes locked on the wolf, her mouth falling open and her hand coming up to her mouth, a gasp leaving her.

The wolf took another step forward and Arthur adjusted his stance, preparing to make the first move if it came any closer, which it did and just as Arthur brought his sword down, Hermione shouted,

"No, don't! Don't hurt him! Stop!"

Arthur startled and paused with his sword mid-air, sharing a quick glance with the others, all of them wondering the same thing. How hard had she hit her head?

"Don't hurt him!"

"Hermione..." He started but much to his surprise, she leapt to her feet, pushing his cape off her shoulders and it fell to the ground as she stepped in front of him.

She turned to face him, her back to the wolf and she raised her hand, placing it against his arm and gently pushing down until he automatically followed the movement and lowered his sword, his confused gaze locked on hers.

"I promise, Arthur, he's not a threat."

He wasn't sure how to respond to that and she didn't give him a chance as she turned away from him and then knelt on the ground, her attention solely on the snarling wolf.

"They're not going to harm me," Hermione said softly and she reached her hand out towards the wolf.

Arthur stepped forward with the intention to pull her back to her feet and behind him, but the strangest thing happened and it had him pausing and sharing a surprised, bemused look with the four men.

"Akela," she said softly. "They are not going to harm me, come here," she instructed.

Much to their surprise –or horror, they weren't quite sure- the wolf instantly stopped snarling, its body relaxed and it rose to full height, approaching Hermione with its tail swishing as it walked and its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth, as if it were a happy, playful puppy.

Arthur wasn't quite sure how he didn't fall to the ground in surprise, maybe it was because he was using his sword as a crutch to keep him upright, but when the wolf reached Hermione, it sat down in front of her and lowered its head as Hermione raised her hand and scratched the large, wild animal behind the ears, its tail wagging –yes, wagging!- happily.

"Where have you been, Akela?" Hermione said softly. "Did you catch the rabbit? And where did all of this blood come from?" She asked, as if the large animal would be able to answer her. "Never mind, I'm just glad you're back," she sighed, her head tilting forward until it pressed against the wolf's fur, the wolf letting out a strange humming-growl as if it were content to be cuddled by the pretty young woman.

"Hermione?" Merlin called. "An explanation would be greatly appreciated."

She pulled back from the wolf, rising to her feet and moving to retake her previous seat on the ground, pulling his cape around her form once more and Arthur stiffened when the large wolf brushed past him and followed after Hermione, dropping down onto its stomach and resting its head on its paws.

"You can sit down, he won't hurt you. He thought you were a threat, he was just protecting me," she told them.

Slowly and one by one, they each retook their seats as they kept their eyes on the wolf and their swords in their hands and Arthur was sure to sit a little farther away from Hermione than he had before.

"The wolf?" Sir Leon prompted, his look of surprise being replaced by intrigue and amusement at the way the large animal rolled on its back and wriggled as if trying to scratch an itch against the ground.

Arthur, not being sure how to process what he was witnessing, just blinked. He was getting a headache.

"I happened upon him injured in the woods and I was able to distract him with food and water whilst I healed him. He ran off and the next morning I saw him watching me, so I left food and water out. He kept coming back and then he started following me when I was in the woods, and before I knew it, he was sleeping in my home by the side of my bed. He sometimes disappears for a few days while he's hunting food but he always comes back. He spotted a rabbit not long before I fell into the path of the bandits, if he had been with me he would have protected me the best he could," she explained, reaching out to run her hand through the wolf's fur as it rolled back onto its stomach. "Wolves are intelligent animals, from what I've been able to gather, he understands most of what I say to him. He'll eat food out of my hand, he's house trained and he loves cuddles."

"That's strange," Sir Geraint commented, eyeing the wolf cautiously.

"Is it?" She questioned. "Aren't dogs but domesticated wolves? I hadn't intended to form such a bond with Akela, I'd only wished to help him, to stop his suffering. I had no idea he'd bond with me in the way he has. I can't seem to get rid of him, not that I'd want to, I don't know what I'd do without him," she smiled down at the wolf softly and as if proving he understood every word she spoke, the wolf let out a bark. "We've been together four months now, and he's grown remarkably. From what I can tell, he's still quite young, maybe a year or so in age."

Hermione raised an eyebrow when the wolf slowly crawled forward on its stomach and it nudged at her bowl of half-eaten stew, sniffing at it curiously and then pulling back as if it'd been burned.

Laughter burst from Hermione and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Merlin, but Akela doesn't seem to approve of your cooking, and he eats raw meat and dead animal carcasses," she laughed, Arthur seeing his three Knights sniggering and his own mouth pulled into a smile when Merlin scowled at her.

Watching the large wolf roll onto its back once more to scratch it against the ground with strange grunting-snorts leaving it, he felt himself relaxing as he tried to process the idea of a vicious, wild animal doing such a strangely humorous act. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it.

And though he should be surprised at the bond between the pretty physician and the wild wolf, he wasn't. Hermione was a truly incredible woman and with each meeting and new fact learned about her, to him, she became even more so.