Lancelot glanced up at the sky above, checking the sun's position in the sky to gauge the amount of time he had left to spend fraternising. The knight easily gave a charming smile Morgause's way, "I must tell you that we are to set off soon. I don't want to keep the prince's escort waiting too long," Lancelot said to the blond sorceress, inclining his head to where Leon was waiting just outside the gates of the druid encampment.

Morgause quickly squeezed Mordred's bicep before pushing him forwards gently, and thanked Arthur and Lancelot in turn for accompanying her son to the castle. Lancelot let a bright smile take his features, waving off her gratitude, "It's nothing, really. I'm glad to have your son come to the castle with us, I'm sure he'll have a grand time."

"I don't know," Morgause frowned. The blonde picked at the hem of the sleeves on her robe, her tone contemplating, "He doesn't talk to people he doesn't know very well and he might not be able to tell you what he needs, he hasn't really travelled far from home, and he—oh." Morgause looked towards her blushing son. Or, I think he is blushing. I really can't see his face because he has the hood of his cloak up—especially when he is looking down at his feet. Arthur thought, studying the boy. The prince looked towards Lancelot, who had amusement adorning his features.

"He just told me I'm worrying too much..." Morgause said, "I just can't help it, my little bird leaving the nest..." Lancelot gave an amused laugh, "All is well, sera. Do not be worried, we'll take good care of him."

Morgause gave a hefty sigh, "I suppose there is no convincing you to stay here?" She asked her cloaked son with a playful smile while holding out a leather bag towards him. The young man shook his head vigorously, taking the bag from his mum, who laughed. "Take care, Mordred." To this, Mordred nodded. Morgause smiled once more, and then the two were silent, making eye contact. Arthur saw Mordred nod again, but there were no words that he had heard that Mordred would be confirming.

I suppose it's a druid thing to be so odd in terms of communication? Arthur shook his head, not wanting to think on the subject anymore. All the magic talk and being around the druids was making him nervous—no,I'm not nervous, he thought. Arthur Pendragon was never nervous. (Even if in this situation he was, not that he was going to accept it.)

This atmosphere here is nice, Arthur thought, I'll be a bit sad to see it go. The people and the encampment itself had a warm and close knit kind of quality that his home in the castle did not have. As he studied the druidsstanding side by side wishing them safe travels in with a pleasant silence he could not help but notice the obvious warmth between them, how they all, despite living in a large settlement, probably knew each other by remembered the cold atmosphere of the castle walls, and despite being so filled with people, Arthur never bothered to learn the names of all the servants—there wasn't any cause to, not really. There wasn't warmth between the people of the castle, and that, in itself, made his home in his father's castle seem less than Mordred's home surrounded by warmth and close relations.

The colourful tents behind them were very different than the one constant cream coloured stone everywhere. This place was full of life and love. And magic, thought Arthur irritably. That's what that exchange was,Arthur thought, stealing a glance and the still hooded Mordred, they must be speaking in that weird mind whisper that Iseldir told me of. The blonde let out a long sigh whilst running a hand over his tired face.

The prince loathed leaving such a warm and welcoming place, but hewas eager to get out of the place that held so many magic users.

"Good luck, Mordred."

Arthur perked up at these words. Squinting, he looked towards the voice of them.

Iseldir. The druid clad in his forest green cloak and robes had made his way to the bon fire in the centre of the living quarters of the encampment, but Arthur was sure the man had spoken those few words. "Let's depart," Lancelot said, taking the lead.

And so the trio made up of a Druid, a Prince, and a knight of a kingdom of magic made it out of the wooden gate as the inhabitants of the encampment cheerfully bid them a fare thee well. Arthur flashed his princely smile with ease to the druids as if they were the people of Camelot crowding around to see him. I wonder what father would think;me, the Prince of Camelot, prancing around with a druid and a knight of a king who accepts magic—and being...marginally okay with it.

Arthur looked behind him to see the warm faces of the Druids as they broke off from the large group, which had wished them safe travels out of the encampment, to go about their day. It wasn't the faces of the many druids, or the hidden hooded nature of some of the others, nor was it the colourful tents that had an impact on him; it was Iseldir. The older man stood by the bon fire with his staff and was staring at him with an intense gaze. Arthur quickly looked to his front, focusing his gaze at the horses waiting to be mounted.

「You will have many questions when you reach the castle and meet its inhabitants.」

Although startled, Arthur recovered easily; oddly used to the... mind invasion by the druid man. Arthur looked back over his shoulder to see the chieftain. Arthur would have liked to have another conversation face-to-face with the man before he left, but to this prince's dismay, the druid had flittered off from his previous perch from the bonfire logs. Arthur craned his neck to see the entirety of the encampment from his position outside of it, yet the man wasn't anywhere the prince could see him, no matter how hard he looked through the gate. It unnerves me that I cannot see your face, though I hear your voice. Arthur felt a bit silly, and he wasn't sure that Iseldir would get his reply, as he didn't hold the magic that the druid leader had.

「And yet you are okay with speaking with me in such a manner, despite being raised to hold hatred towards magic in your heart.」

Arthur let his eyes wander to Lancelot speaking to Leon, the two greeted each other as if they were old friends; arms clasped and smiles cheerful. Yet, his eyes immediately flickered back to the open gate when Iseldir had said he had been raised to hate magic, I had figured here I had not been raised to hate magic. Tell me, Iseldir, how do you know something that has not happened in this...this place?

「You are less oblivious than I had previously thought, Young Pendragon. I can say I am surprised you have picked up on the magical nature of the situation. You have wished yourself in a different realm, Young Prince, and there are people at the castle who can help you with this certain predicament.」

I do not understand how I came to be here, this is clearly a mistake, Arthue raked his hands through his golden hair in frustration as he waited for Iseldir's reply. It did not come.

"Prince Arthur, we are almost ready to depart," Lancelot said, looking back over his shoulder at the blonde prince who was still stuck in thought. The blonde prince gave an irritated sigh to himself as it looked like Iseldir wouldn't speak again. Arthur nodded absentmindedly, getting the knight's hint and made his way over to one of the horses. Letting his fingers run through the horse's mane, Arthur let his eyes roam around the exit of the druid encampment—the entrance and exit of the encampment followed a dirt road that ran straight through, exiting right at the border of Camelot. Studying the trees in the distance he found it looked like it always had.

Arthur swiftly got on his horse with ease, and watched the servant—presumably his current servant who was pointedly not Merlin—helpMordred clamber onto the horse that had been brought for him. George wrapped the reins around his hand and wrist, ensuring the horse wouldn't run off with the inexperienced rider.

Behind them, the wooden gate closed quickly."All set?" Lancelot's voice, touched with a soft foreign accent, sounded a query at the Druid boy next to him. Mordred fiddled with the hood covering his face and then the straps of the small leather bag he was carrying before giving a sharp nod in affirmation.

Lancelot smiled sincerely at the boy before looking towards Leon. He held his arm out to clasp Leon's outstretched arm again in a greeting and a manly show of affection. "It's been a while," the dark haired knight said. "So it has." Leon agreed. Lancelot looked towards the servant who had reins in his hands, expectantly. George eagerly gave the Essetirian knight the leather reins of one of the mares. The dark haired knight threw a leg over the horse and mounted it.

Lancelot was then quiet, running over their travelling plans before speaking them aloud. "I'm sure we'll be able to hit the lower town before we should stop for the night." The sandy haired knight nodded in agreement before Lancelot spoke once more, "If we make haste we will be able to make it to the castle by nightfall, but I would think it better to let the horses rest every now and then, and we can replenish our energy as well in those stops along the way."

"That sounds like a plan." Leon then looked to Arthur, "Your father wasn't surprised you wandered off, sire—though he is rather put off that you weren't there to meet the king of Essetir." Arthur nodded slowly. Everyone assumes I will 'wander off' without a word. Am I that rebellious and immature where we are now? In this realm, as Iseldir calls it...Lancelot and Leon stirred their horses to face the opposite way of the encampment, and Arthur pulled on his horse's reins to do the same.

The clearing they were in and soon leaving was a beautiful shade of green and life. At their feet—or the horse's hooves—was a well worn path into the forest that began a few horse lengths away.

As they started trotting away, Iseldir's deep voice resonated within his mind.

「This has happened because you wished for it, and because Destiny replied to your wish. Remember that this is not a mistake, everything happens for a reason. This will aid, not hinder you in the days to come, Young Pendragon. You will realise much and understand more than you have. The answers you have yearned for will be in your grasp.」

-x-

Ahh, it's been such a long time since I've updated! I'm not going to ramble on about the causes, but I'm glad I'm able to post anotherchapter now! ...even though it's a bit of a filler... /hides (If you pick up on any errors or if anything's confusing, don't hesitate to point it out!)

** I want to say thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story, you've given me the motivation to keep writing even when it was super hard to.

If the next chapter goes according to plan (it probably won't) I'm introducing another character. Does anyone want to take a guess?

**I'm having formatting troubles... Eep.