This was all Merlin's fault. Most definitely. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't be standing in this godforsaken land that they found inside his wardrobe that is not Camelot and he wouldn't have been on the receiving end of half amused glare from the pretty Lady standing in front of him.

So, Merlin's fault.

Arthur wished he could swallow the words he had spoken five seconds ago. He was being rude, he could admit it, but give him some credit for not attacking the said Lady thinking that it was she who brought them here. This whole place was disorienting. Wherever they were, they were not in Albion anymore.

He gave the Lady another glance, and it was then that his eyes rested on the silver circlet resting upon her head. How did he not see it before? He had realized that she was a lady of higher standing given the way of her speech and her finely made clothing, but a circlet of silver?

"King Arthur, you say?" asked the Lady, there was a tone of confusion and disbelief through the mask of amusement that she wore. Arthur assumed it was because of their dreadful bedraggled appearance, with simple clothing any peasant would wear on any other day and looking sweaty and miserable from the sudden battle they participated in. "Forgive my confusion, but I have never heard of a King named Arthur in these lands." Arthur forced himself to be calm and not to show the panic that he felt in his stomach in his face at the Lady's words. Instead he listened to Merlin's affronted scoff at the statement to gain himself some comfort.

The Lady, as if sensing the discomfort, seemed to have realized her words. "Oh, I did not mean to offend you, my Lords, I simply meant, that I do not know anyone in the name of King Arthur in the in the Narnian lands''

Arthur bit back his words of 'what makes you think you know anything?' because, he knew better than to underestimate a stranger, yet alone this woman who had -from what he'd seen- was an exce- well-, an adequate swordswoman, and who was perhaps a lady of a higher standing than he initially thought.

"Narnian? That is where we are?" Of course, Merlin was there to ask all the questions that Arthur was just about to point out, and he could only nod at him and glanced at Lady Lucy for an answer.

The Lady met his eyes before stepping away from his servant towards the black stallion huffing patiently at the side. "Yes, in Narnia. Cair Paravel, more specifically," she said as she adjusted the horse's saddle, and picked up something long and white from a hidden satchel. "You mentioned that you came through a wardrobe, M'Lord?"

Arthur felt a flush in his cheeks as he realized how ridiculous he sounded, and how mad this whole situation was. There was no way he could prove what he said was true. Who would believe a word of two men claiming to have walked into a land through a wardrobe that was sitting in a room?

"I believe you" said the Lady as the silence stretched for too long, with a firmness in her voice that Arthur could not help but accept.

"You do?" Merlin asked surprised, his eyebrows raised so high that they had disappeared under the fringes of his dark hair. "I mean, not that we were lying, Milady, it's just that-" he trailed off, and Arthur was amused to see his ears turning a light shade of pink. The King tried to hide the smug smile that made way to his face. If Merlin decided to embarrass himself, Arthur wasn't going to stop him. Not yet anyway.

"Not to worry," the Lady said, pleasantly. "This is not the first time we have heard of such a tale." There was a knowing look in her eyes which Arthur couldn't quite discern what about.

"What-" but whatever Arthur wanted to ask was buried under the rapidly approaching sound of hoofs, letting them know that they had company. Arthur frowned, gripping his sword and waiting, preparing for another battle.

A lone steed ran through the valley and came to a stop in front of them as its rider pulled back its reins from one hand while the other drew out a sword and took a swing at Arthur. Instinct kicked in as he parried the blow, holding the unfamiliar hilt of his sword with both his hands, and pushed with all his force, trying to unbalance the rider into being pushed off from the steed.

"NO! Stop!" A cry echoed from behind Arthur, but he only stopped his force and refused to cut off any slack to the attacker, who returned Arthur's glare with a tenfold murderous intent through his dark eyes. The rider, -a pale, lean, dark haired man- shifted his glance to those behind him, and Arthur felt himself tense.

"Lucy?"

"Edmund, stand down!" The Lady behind him yelled out, with a note of authority that Arthur only had heard from the highest of nobles in his kingdom. "They are allies!"

The rider frowned, but did not lower his sword. Arthur did not let down his guard either, preferring to hold the gaze on the newcomer. "I heard your Call. Lucy, are you alright?" asked the rider, and Arthur could discern concern in his tone.

"Yes Ed, I am fine. Although it will be great if you try not to kill the men who saved my life," There was relief and a quiet reprimand in her voice, Arthur steadily met the eyes of the rider again giving a nod at the Lady's direction to say they were with her.

The rider -Edmund?- did not look happy at either the Lady's comment, or the fact that Arthur and Merlin were there, but he did lower his sword, sheathing it in the saddle while Arthur did the same. "Well then, I thank you for saving the life of my sister. Narnia is indebted to you both."

His sister? Oh, that explained the protectiveness. "It was no trouble, she was handling it very well herself." Arthur did not know what made him complement the Lady, but he knew that it was well deserved. It was hard to find a noble lady in Camelot who is that skilled with a sword. An image of Morgana dressed in light armor, goarding Knights into fight with her, sprung up in his mind, before he pushed it away with force and focused on the present situation.

Arthur noted an expression on the man's face at his comment on the lady, which he realized he had seen on Elyan's face whenever he was dealing with Guinevere. A look of found exasperation.

Edmund -?- got off from his steed, eyeing the dead men littered on the ground. An eyebrow rose high on his forehead, and disappeared under the dark fringes of his hair. He wore a brown leather jerkin over a blue tunic, paired with brown breeches and knee-high boots. His attire alone led Arthur to believe that the man was a higher ranking nobleman, maybe perhaps a Duke. It wasn't long before Lady Lucy barreled into the arms of her brother. Arthur, who felt like an intruder averted his eyes as the siblings embraced, and met Merlin's raised eyebrows from across the clearing.

Arthur just shrugged, not really wanting to go into any conclusions in this strange land, and neither was he completely keen on staying in this place even if the company was friendly or not.

When the siblings were finally done with their greetings, the dark haired man once again took a note of the dead men at their feet with a grimace. He crouched down once he reached one of the men, and Arthur noticed he was patting him down, possibly searching him for some clues. "Talmarines," the golden haired King heard the other muttering under his breath, and he turned his attention back to the Lady.

"What were they doing near Cair Paravel, Lucy?"

"Not Talmarines themselves, I don't think," Lady Lucy said, her voice grim. "I like to believe they were outlaws, estranged perhaps?"

"Caspian won't be happy," a frown marred the brother's face. "Which reminds me, what were you doing out here Lucy? Without even a guard? Everyone was worried sick! Susan was moments away from pulling out her hair!"

The sister looked away at his reprimand, and Arthur suddenly felt very awkward for imposing on them. Deciding that both him and Merlin had done their duty, -saving the damsel in distress- it was time for them to go back to where they came from. Back to the wardrobe? Back to Camelot. Perhaps he would ignore this magical land and spare the death sentence to the lord of the Manloris estate, but he would certainly burn the wardrobe, in secret, maybe.

The golden haired King politely cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two bickering siblings.

The dark haired man let out a breath. "By Aslan, where are my manners!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. There was a sparkle in his eye as he walked over to Arthur, extending his hand, his previous hostility gone. "King Edmund of Narnia," the youth said, introducing himself, and the King of Camelot's eyebrows rose high. "We, all of Narnia are indebted to You and Your companion for saving the life of Our sister, Queen Lucy, and would be happy to accommodate You within the walls of Cair Paravel in the coming days."

A Royal proclamation. This was… not good.

A shorter chapter, but I am very happy with how this turned out. Leave a review, and let me know what you think.