All of this was madness. Arthur had just finished dealing with his disaster of an engagement to Princess Elena, and now a group of time traveling sorcerers were on his doorstep. He had a hard time believing any of what they said. He'd encountered many strange things before: the afanc, a dragon, even a troll; but time travel was impossible. That "watch" and those fancy shoes had been weird, but that wasn't enough to convince him. He was of the belief that these four teenagers had been drinking at the tavern and wandered into the forest on accident. He was still regretful about not turning them in. The only thing holding him back was Merlin.
He didn't know why Merlin was so passionate about protecting the sorcerers. All he knew was that he looked into his pleading eyes, and he just couldn't say no. Things had been different ever since the failed wedding, and Arthur had to admit the blame fell on himself. He had realized where his heart truly laid and he was doing his best to redirect it. Yet, Merlin had been adamant about sparing them, and the last thing he wanted was to disappoint him.
So there he was, in the middle of the forest, searching for the area the sorcerer's claimed they'd arrived. According to the black haired boy with the glasses, or "Harry", the forest had been blackened from whatever light had brought them there. They had begged Arthur to come, but he refused. He wasn't letting them leave the city until he was certain they were trustworthy. Merlin had also asked to come, but to avoid distraction, Arthur had put him on babysitting duty with Gaius (much to Merlin's displeasure).
As Arthur drew closer and closer to the Valley of the Fallen Kings, he was relieved he had nothing to worry about if he got into a fight, but the absence of Merlin's nonsensical chatter made him feel alone and unrelaxed. He was on full alert; what if the sorcorers had been a way for an enemy to lure him into a trap? What if they were hurting Merlin? Gaius? The idea of that was enough for him to freeze up and consider turning back.
"No, no, that's ridiculous," Arthur muttered to himself before continuing on the path. It wasn't long before he stumbled upon the place they spoke of. He saw a blackened tree out of the corner of his eye and veered off the path to investigate. His horse crossed the line from the normal forest floor to the charcoal ground, and a violent shiver ran down his spine. No birds sang, no wind blew, and not a single leaf rustled. The sorcerors had been honest; everything here was dead.
Arthur dismounted slowly, nervous to set foot on such a cursed place. There was no doubt in his mind magic had done this, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was evil. He stroked a tree with his finger. Not a trace of ash was left on his skin. This material wasn't soot, it wasn't anything, it was just black. Arthur had never seen anything like it in his life. He ventured away from the tree and to the center of the cataclysm. Just standing there made his stomach uneasy, and it wasn't the sausage Merlin had served him for breakfast (at least he thought so). It was the aura of the place that was so offsetting. Arthur wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
He examined the area inch by inch, looking for any sign of what could've caused such a thing to happen. He saw two things that might have any significance. On the ground a meter away, there laid fragments of what seemed to be a golden necklace. He picked it up and tried to determine what it's shape was meant to be, but it was so broken he had no clue. That wasn't the only thing shimmering against the sable ground. Arthur discovered a silver ring in the shape of a serpent and skull, it was quite beautiful and expensive looking.
"Perhaps it belongs to one of the sorcerers," he said, running his thumb over the cool metal. He spent another few minutes waltzing around, looking for other objects of interest, but nothing came up. He was disheartened by the lack of clues, but he'd traveled farther for less in the past. It wasn't all a loss. He now knew that the teenagers weren't completely dishonest. In fact, he wondered if they knew where this jewelry came from.
Eager to leave the area, Arthur hastily mounted his horse and returned back to the beaten path to make the journey home.
When Arthur arrived back in Camelot, he was shocked to find Merlin leaning against the entry to the staircase that led to the Physician's Quarters. He was supposed to be with Gaius making sure no trouble ensued. But Arthur wasn't terribly upset. The sun was bright that day, casting shadows across Merlin's elegant cheekbones. His hair fluttered in the gentle wind, along with his jacket and scarf. He was staring into space, probably lost in that strange head of his. Arthur couldn't help but pause and stare from the back of his horse. He didn't know how not to. If his horse hadn't whinied he would've stared much longer. Arthur dismounted and strolled over, brainstorming ways to poke fun at him.
"Merlin!" He called. Merlin looked up and met Arthur's gaze. "What are you doing lazing about? Shouldn't you be watching our fugitives with Gaius?" Merlin jumped, startled by Arthur, but glared at him in retaliation for being spooked.
"Gaius sent me out here. I was waiting for you," Merlin explained.
"How come?" Arthur asked. Arthur studied his expression; his eyes, trying to figure out what mess had occurred while he was gone.
"The blonde one they call Malfoy, he's awake," Merlin said.
"Really? That fast? Gaius said he might be like that for weeks," Arthur said with a cocked eyebrow.
"Well apparently Gaius was wrong. He woke up and his friends...actually I'm not sure if they're friends...they explained what happened. Let's just say he didn't take it well," Merlin said. From his tone, Arthur could tell that was an understatement.
"Nobody would. Has he calmed down?"
"No. That's why Gaius advised me to warn you. He's abrasive to say the least, and we're afraid your personalities are going to clash. I don't want you whipping out your sword the second you get offended," Merlin said.
"I can control myself you know!" Arthur replied. Did Merlin really think that low of him?
"Pffff!" Merlin laughed before he could think and stop himself. Arthur took a small step forward, invading his personal space and causing his smile to fall. Merlin pursed his lips and Arthur heard his breath hitch. The tips of his ears turned dull red and Arthur couldn't subdue a slight grin.
"You should know Merlin. You test my limits everyday," Arthur said in a low voice.
"Yeah," he replied. "Which is exactly why I know not to let you into a room with a sorcerer who has an ego almost as big as yours, without warning. Speaking of which, we should return to Gaius. I'm sure he's grown impatient." He brushed past Arthur, leaving tingles where their elbows touched, and disappeared through the archway. Arthur followed close behind, dazed and breathless. But he recovered in good time; he'd gotten used to that feeling over the years.
They walked in and the tension in the room hit like a brick wall. The three sorcerers sat on the staircase, glowering at the blonde boy across the room. This Malfoy character had his back turned on them, but he too wore a sour pout on his face. Gaius sat at his desk in the middle of the room reading to escape the coldness between both parties. As much as he didn't want to be there, Arthur was happy to relieve Gaius from the awkwardness.
"Ah, you're back. I'm glad to see you safe your highness," Gaius greeted once he saw Merlin and Arthur out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm glad to be safe," Arthur answered. He stood beside Merlin in the entrance, scared to venture into such a den of hostility. Malfoy looked over his shoulder the moment Gaius referred to Arthur as "your highness". Arthur could tell he was different from the others from a mere second of eye contact. His gaze was sharp, calculating, judgemental, and assertive all at once. He furrowed his eyebrows with displeasure, like Arthur had personally dishonored him by just standing there.
"And who are you supposed to be? That has to be the stupidest gettup I've ever seen...besides Weasley's outfit to the Yule Ball," He said with a sneer. Arthur was shocked by the sheer disrespect, so shocked he couldn't even think of what to say.
"Shut it Malfoy, that's Prince Arthur of Camelot, the one we were trying to tell you about," Ron snapped. Malfoy turned around on the bed to properly size Arthur up.
"Of the Arthurian legends? That makes sense seeing he's here," Malfoy said, gesturing to Merlin. So he knew Merlin too? Arthur looked at Merlin, perplexed as to why four sorcerers from the future recognized him. It brought a sinking feeling to Arthur's gut that he couldn't shake. Merlin was bright red and avoided his inquisitive gaze. When Arthur was going to ask him what Malfoy was talking about, he was interrupted. "I thought you'd look like a warrior, but reality is often disappointing isn't it?"
Rage began to bubble inside of Arthur. Nobody, especially not a sorcerer, could speak to him like that and get away with it. "I beg your pardon? I am the Crowned Prince! You will show me some respect!"
"Why? Because you wear a golden hat sometimes? Where I'm from that means nothing. Legends or not, to me you're just a muggle with a pokey stick and chain link fence for armor," Malfoy declared. Arthur strode towards the sorcerer with a dark expression, but he restrained himself. He wanted to show Merlin that he wasn't as impulsive as he had implied.
"I could have you in the stocks for such insubordination. I've already done you a favor by bringing you here and hiding you from my father, so shut your mouth and show me some gratitude."
Arthur could hear Hermione's, Ron's, and Harry's chuckles from the staircase. Malfoy could hear them too. His face burned pink and he said, "I don't care. Throw me in a jail cell if you want, anything to get away from these three. It's one thing to be trapped hundreds of years in the past, but to deal with these buffoons as well…"
Infuriated by his reluctance to let go of his ego, Arthur was just about ready to lose it. Before he could do anything he would later regret, Merlin placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Did you find anything in the forest?" He asked. Arthur looked into his forewarning eyes, and like magic, his anger was soothed. His face muscles loosened and his urge to punch something dissipated.
"Not much. But something strange happened there, that I'll admit," Arthur said, fishing for the necklace fragments and ring in his satchel.
"So you believe us?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe. Can tell me what these things are?" He asked. The three came over to see what he held in his hand. Malfoy remained isolated on the bed. Hermione squinted at the broken necklace and recognition dawned on her.
"Harry, take a look at this," she said, taking the pieces from Arthur's hand and ignoring the ring. "Do you think it's a time turner?"
Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Looks like it, but that's impossible. They were all destroyed during the War."
"What else could it be? I'm sure there were some that were lost in time, unable to be found and destroyed, this might be one of them. I'm more concerned about what broke it. Time turners are made with very strong magic, it would be difficult to shatter one like this," Hermione replied.
"So you know what it is?" Arthur asked.
"Yes," Hermione said. "Like we said, it's a time turner. They're enchanted necklaces that can send you back in time, but you have to be touching it for it to work, and they have limits on how far back you can go. I'm sure it sent us here, nothing else could, but how it did so and why it's broken is very mysterious."
"May I see it?" Gaius requested. Arthur wasn't surprised, it was the exact kind of thing he would be curious about. Hermione nodded and set it down on the table in front of him. He studied them for a moment and said, "This is fascinating! Time travel produced by magic? How is such a feat accomplished?"
"The spellwork is quite complex, much more advanced than anything we would've learned at Hogwarts. I tried to read a book on it but not even I could understand it," Hermione said, getting a little sidetracked from the issue at hand. It was odd, to say the least, to hear a person talk about magic in such a natural way. Times were clearly different in the future. How the world hadn't fallen apart with the legalization of magic like Uther suggested it would, Arthur was baffled. Before Gaius and Hermione could get into a lengthy conversation about the functionality of time turners, Harry took a look at the Serpent Ring: his face went pale.
"What is it Harry?" Ron asked with concern.
Harry ignored him and hurried over to Malfoy with the ring. "Do you know what this is?" He asked forcefully. Malfoy didn't even look at it, instead he stared at Harry defiantly and refused to say a word. "We all hate each other. I get it. But we're not in the position to keep our grudges right now. The sooner we figure out what happened, the sooner we might be able to go home and go our separate ways. So do you recognize this ring or not?" Harry tossed the ring at him, forcing Malfoy to catch and see it. He shot an icy glare at Harry, then took a glance. His scowl fell and his proud posture sank as he stared at the ring with dread. He looked more frightened than Harry. Malfoy didn't have to say anything for them to know he knew this ring.
"Well? Spit it out," Said Ron.
Malfoy didn't bother to retort. He gave the ring back to Harry. "It-it belongs to Antonin Dolohov."
"No!" Hermione gasped before clapping her hand over her mouth.
"I thought so. I was hoping otherwise," Harry sighed, placing the ring on a nearby table.
"I take it that's a bad thing," Merlin noted.
"It's very bad. Do you think he traveled back in time as well?" Hermione wondered.
"Why else would his ring be here? Bet he had the time turner too. Bloody hell this keeps getting worse and worse," Ron said, running his fingers through his carrot colored hair. Harry peered at Malfoy with suspicion.
Malfoy caught on and scoffed. "I had nothing to do with this. Why would I voluntarily trap myself with you, Potter?"
"You're not the most trustworthy person in our lives," Harry said.
"Really? Even after I lied to my family to save your life? Sorry I never lined up to lick your boots like everyone else," Malfoy retorted. The cold eye contact between them made Arthur hesitant to move or say anything. He was afraid they would rip each other's throats out given the cue. Harry's nostrils flared and he took a step in Malfoy's direction.
"It's not because of that. It's because you bullied us for years, turned us over to Umbridge, kicked me in the nose, tried to kill Dumbledore..."
Malfoy shot up and got so close to Harry he couldn't continue his sentence. He shoved his finger in Harry's face and said, "Saint Potter thinks he's so innocent. I'm not the only one here who's made bad choices. You have no right to make snide comments!"
"Guys!" Hermione shouted so loud it echoed. "Shut up! We have a death eater running loose with no idea of what he wants or where he is! The last thing we should be doing is getting into spats over the past, we should be dealing with the actual issue!"
The boys took a few more seconds to scowl at eachother before Harry responded. "Sorry Hermione. You're right. We should think of what to do next." Harry backed away. But that didn't end everything. They continued to menace at each other for the rest of the conversation.
"I'm sorry, what's a death eater?" Merlin asked. He was just as lost as Arthur by the look of it.
"They're evil is what they are. Long story short they killed a whole lotta people, and Antonin Dolohov was one of their highest ranking members. Most of 'em are in jail, some of 'em are in hiding, and the rest are dead. Our man escaped from prison recently, at least we know where he went," Ron explained. It was helpful, but Arthur was left with more questions. He hoped there would be time to get them answered.
"He's not afraid to kill anyone who gets in his way. We have to find him before it's too late and stop him from completing whatever he came to do," Malfoy declared. Finally, something out of his mouth Arthur could agree with.
"Absolutely. We know one place he's been, which is where we should start looking. You four should come too. If I missed anything it would be good to know. Do any of you know how to ride a horse?" Arthur said.
They all shook their heads no, everyone but Malfoy. "Is it like riding a broomstick?" Harry asked. Arthur was sure he hadn't heard him correctly. A broomstick? That was too odd to make up. "If so, then maybe."
Malfoy huffed and said, "Don't be daft, Potter. Being on a broomstick is nothing like riding a horse-"
"And how would you know that?" Harry interrupted.
"If you had let me finish," Malfoy snapped, "I was about to say that my family owns many horses. My father would take me riding in the forest during the summer. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure you should be leaving? You may need more time to recover before getting on a horse," Gaius said.
"I'm fine," Malfoy declared. "Dolohov was a part of my life, I'm going to help find him."
"Great, no time to dawdle. Merlin, go ready five more horses." Arthur ordered, ignoring the massive eye roll from Merlin.
Hermione frowned. "We don't have to take horses, we can try to apparate. It could be tricky, but it's efficient," Arthur didn't like the sound of that. Hermione realized they had no clue what "apparate" was, so she rephrased it. "We could teleport, you know, get there without traveling."
"I will not participate in the use of magic. We go on foot, that's final," Arthur said. The last thing he needed was to break another law. The sorcerers sulked, but none of them argued.
"If that's what you wish. Merlin, I'll help you with the saddles," Hermione offered. Merlin smiled from ear to ear, and Arthur would be lying if he said he didn't get a fuzzy feeling whenever he grinned like that.
"Us too," Ron said, pointing between himself and Harry.
So they all went to the courtyard (leaving Gaius behind) where everyone but Arthur dressed a horse, his was still ready from before. Even Malfoy saddled his own horse; though, he did it far away from everyone else. Merlin had to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione with theirs because they'd never done it before, but it still went by much faster than usual. Arthur wondered if servants were even a thing in their time. Nobody in Camelot would ever aid a servant doing a chore given to them by their master. He had so many questions, but not enough time.