As Merlin readied the horses, Arthur spoke quietly to the knights. Considering the slightly worried expressions on their faces, Arthur was no doubt informing them of the current situation. "So we're going to a druid camp?" Elyan asked incredulously. "Will we be attacked upon entering their camp?"

"No, the druids are peaceful people, and I am certain that they will not harm us. But that does not mean we shall be naive enough to think they will be welcoming in any way. We must still be guarded " Arthur addressed the knights in an authoritative tone that recently held more weight since becoming king. They nodded and mounted their horses.

As the group rode, Gwaine and Percival were arguing childishly, almost shoving each other off their horses while Leon and Elyan were discussing court matters with Arthur. Merlin rode behind them nervously. The druids were sure to recognise Merlin as Emrys and as such will pay more attention to him than they should a servant. Would Arthur notice their reverence towards his seemingly insignificant manservant? Arthur was by no means mentally challenged, he is the king of a very prosperous kingdom after all, but…Arthur was undeniably daft at times. Merlin shouldn't complain though, Arthur's obliviousness was what ensured Merlin's safety in Camelot, and it was what allowed him to rescue the king time after time in secrecy.

Merlin also worried about what the druids would think of him. After all, sorcerers were still prosecuted and magic had not been brought back to the land as of yet. Merlin's destiny was unfulfilled and he did not know how the druids would regard him. From his previous interactions with druids they usually either regarded him with absolute reverence and worship or they strongly disagreed with his methods of fulfilling the prophecy.

Hopefully, they will be the former.

The group rode until the oranges and pinks of the sky dimmed and dark blue replaced it. They finally found a suitable place to set up camp and at Arthur's orders, unmounted their horses and Merlin tied them to a nearby tree.

The knights kept giving him worried glances and asking him if he was okay. To which he always replied with 'I'm fine'. "You're not fine, Merlin. You've been quiet all day, and you're never quiet" Gwaine nudged his shoulder slightly as Merlin unpacked the horses and began to set up camp. Gwaine began to do the same. Gwaine aiding in the set up of camp was something that he really appreciated about all the knights. While not all of them were nobles, they did have the status of a noble, and so the knights were not required to help Merlin with anything…but they all did anyway. "I really am fine. I've just been thinking, that's all." Merlin smiled at the gruff knight, hoping to ease his worry.

"What have you been thinking about?" Percival interjected, obviously having been listening to their conversation. "Are you worried about the creature that's threatening Camelot?" He asked gently.

Merlin shifted his feet. "Well, yes…I mean I know we - or you all, have faced other magical creatures before but…" He took a deep breath "this - it feels different."

"Merlin, you are such a little girl - again with your feelings." Arthur strode up to the two knights and servant holding a large sack which he promptly shoved into Merlin's arms. He buckled under the weight of the sack and Gwaine had to steady him. "You feel too much, honestly" Arthur patted him on the head. The stupid prat always did that when being particularly condescending. Merlin opened his mouth to insult the man but was interrupted.

"You must admit, Merlin's feelings have warned us of trouble several times before." Leon added from across their small camp, he gave Merlin a warm smile and continued to unpack.

"Yes, he's an intuitive boy, isn't he?" Gwaine chuckled, ruffling Merlin's raven coloured hair.

"Stop calling me a boy Gwaine, you are only a few summers older than me." Merlin's eyes narrowed at the man. "Even though you act much younger" He smirked as Gwaine grumbled in response. The knights laughed raucously, they always did when Merlin acted even marginally differently than a normal servant would. They seemed to find his 'insubordination' (those were Arthur's words not his) hilarious.

"Anyway, Merlin, we don't know anything about this creature; it could be easily defeated. There's no need to worry until we know more" Arthur smiled softly and patted his back in what was meant to be comfort. "Now, hurry up and make us some food, I'm starved."

Merlin rolled his eyes and dug through the packs to find the one that contained the ingredients and pot needed to make a stew. While Merlin did so, the others went to collect firewood and fill up the water skins from the nearby stream.

Soon enough, the knights, the king and his servant sat around the campfire. The flames danced and flickered, casting a warm glow on each of their faces. The fire leeched the cold chill from the night air and Merlin's smile was unusually relaxed and genuine as Gwaine told stories of tavern brawls.

Arthur awoke to a thud and a sharp yelp. He lifted his head to see his idiot of a servant tripping over and landing face first into the grass. Arthur snorted with laughter and Merlin whipped his head around and glared viciously at his king.

"Gods Merlin, can you get anymore clumsy?"

"Shut up sire" Merlin pushed himself up from the ground and continued to pack their belongings. Merlin's confidence, especially when insulting his king, always surprised him. It was honestly refreshing how Merlin treated him, his servant is the most unabashedly honest person he knows. And perhaps the bravest…even compared to his knights. It was what made Merlin so special, his bravery in the most frightening of battles, his unrelenting loyalty and his hidden wisdom. Merlin was a bumbling fool no doubt, but he was also Arthur's best friend. Though, he would never tell Merlin that.

Arthur watched as Merlin chattered eagerly with Elyan, Leon, Percival and Gwaine as he worked. He wondered how Merlin would react upon entering the druids camp. Arthur knew that Merlin was afraid of magic, it was quite obvious, he tensed and fidgeted whenever anyone even brought up the topic. But even then, Merlin was by Arthur's side in every battle against a sorcerer, every magical beast and every curse.

He hoped that Merlin would be less of a fool today than he usually was. This meeting needed to go well. Arthur was nervous, he did not trust the druids, because no matter how peaceful they were, they still had magic. And magic is corrupt, malicious and unnatural. In the end, everyone who has powerful magic eventually turned evil, it was just in their nature to do so.

Although, he did not particularly believe that people who used small amounts of magic, like some of Camelot's citizens who were punished for healing the sick or growing crops, deserved to burn. His father was merciless and cruel regarding the ban of magic, even burning women and children after druid raids. Arthur did not believe in such harsh punishment, even to the druids who have been nothing but harmonious. Arthur knew that when it came to magic…his father was blinded by rage. He would not be the king his father was, instead he will be kind and compassionate, yet firm in his beliefs. He will be loved and not feared. Arthur yearned to be a king that was revered for his fairness and strength. He wanted Camelot's citizens to be loyal to the kingdom and the throne.

It took a few minutes more for Merlin to finally finish packing all of their belongings away and untie their horses. They rode for hours once again. "How far are we? My ass is numb" Merlin whined crudely. The knights chickled but looked to their king for an answer. Arthur looked down at the map that Giaus had given him, the nearest druid camp was still on the edge of Camelot's land, in between an outlying village and a small river.

"We're almost there," Arthur said shortly and noticed Merlin pale slightly and start fidgeting in his saddle. True to his word, they reached the camp an hour later. They unmounted and tied their horses to the nearest trees since beyond this point the terrain was too rocky and the spread of trees too narrow for the horses to manoeuvre.

They walked for a few minutes before they could see the camp. Several tents were set up in a miss-shaped circle and in the centre were wisps of smoke that floated up to the sky, perhaps they were cooking. People were laughing around the small fire, some women were cleaning and children were chasing each other around the tents.

The druids noticed them immediately, perhaps they caught sight of the chainmail, the swords and the bright red capes embedded with the Pendragon crest that the knights and king adorned. The joyful laughter ceased, the women stopped cleaning and quickly ushered the children into their tents. The tense silence was so tangible that Arthur almost suffocated.

The group approached cautiously, watching the druids warily.

"Why are you here?" A large man walked toward them, past their circle of tents. His back was straight and his stride purposeful, with the sort of confidence that comes only from power. Arthur immediately recognised him as the leader of the druid's camp. He could tell, from the protective look on his weathered face and how his face tightened with hidden anger at their presence.

The man looked behind him and his eyes widened in something akin to shock. The druid man gasped mildly and took a small step backward, he twitched and folded his body as though to bow but then seemingly changed his mind and stood straighter. Then,he nodded, his eyes focused solely on something behind Arthur. Arthur was supremely confused, he wanted to turn to look behind him but he didn't dare turn his back to a sorcerer.

"We mean no harm. We are only here to ask some questions and nothing more, I assure you." Arthur replied softly. He needed to approach this calmly, nothing brash or reckless. Honestly, Arthur didn't know who held the power here and that unnerved him greatly. Druid camps often ranged in magical power, from weak magic that didn't do much more than grow and heal to relatively powerful magic that could defend against various attacks. Arthur had a sense that this camp was the latter.

The man's hidden anger rose to the surface ever so slightly. "Your assurances mean nothing." The druid man spoke just as calmly as Arthur did but his voice was tinged with grief and resentment.

"I understand that in the past Camelot has not been…kind to your people. But with a new king comes a new peace. I want my kingdom and the druids to remain at peace with one another. We will not conduct any raids, and no punishments will be sentenced to druids who wish to purchase any supplies from the markets in Camelot." Arthur remembered Mordred and his father who wished only for supplies for their camp and were unjustly captured because of it.

The druid leader looked mildly surprised and seemingly mollified by his words. But he was still, understandably, reserved and wary. "How can we trust your promises Arthur Pendragon?"

Arthur paused. He knew that trust would be a major issue and he suspected that the druids would ask why his words should be trusted. On the journey, Arthur had tried to rehearse an answer but none seemed impactful.

"I suppose nothing I can say will earn your trust, that will only be proven by time." Arthur answered, a little disappointed in himself for not having a more convincing argument. The druid leader did not seem any more changed than he was before.

Merlin's voice rang out from behind Arthur "Trust is always a leap of faith. But the reward is often better than not, at least in my experiences" Merlin said gently, and quietly enough that it felt as though he was whispering. The druid man smiled warmly at Arthur's manservant, his grin was wide and almost reverent. Perhaps it was because Merlin was the only commoner and thus, less intimidating and distrustful than a knight or king.

"Alright then. You are welcome to enter our camp."Arthur's nerves lessened and relief flooded his system. It seemed as though Merlin's wise words were enough to break through the druid leader's apprehension. Merlin was not entirely useless after all.

Arthur and his knights followed the druid man into the camp through the tents and towards the centre where a few large logs were placed around a now unlit campfire. The people were still wary, avoiding eye contact and staying quiet and still. A petite woman approached the druid leader and they spoke in hushed tones before she nodded and looked pointedly at Merlin and offered him a shy smile. Arthur was in awe at how Merlin apparently had the power to make just about anyone feel at ease in his presence.

"I'll tell the others. Thank you Moren" The petite woman announced and Arthur assumed she left to inform the other occupants of the camp of the arrival of Camelot's king and knights. Arthur was glad that the druid man's name was revealed, he was getting tired of calling him 'the druid man'.

"Have a seat." Moren gestured towards the logs and all of Arthur's men complied. Once seated Moren continued "You mentioned before that you had some questions in need of answers. I believe I am already aware of your inquiries. You wish to ask about the creature."

"Uh…yes. Yes, we recently received word of an ancient creature rising that has the power to destroy Camelot and its surrounding kingdoms. How…how did you know?" Arthur's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"The druids study the prophecies given from the crystal cave." Moren stated as though it was an obvious fact that should have been taught at a young age, like the fact that the sky was blue. Arthur bristled slightly, he hated being ignorant.

"There are many prophecies given. One of which has the answers to the questions you seek. This creature.." Arthur noticed Moren's heavy gaze trail along, studying each of the knights and lingering uncomfortably on Merlin. "It is an ancient being, born before even man. The Sekia is said to be made of smoke and shadows. It has no real form, no face or limbs. It cannot bleed. The Sekia is made of only darkness and death. The prophecies…they say it feeds on souls, that instead of consuming a person's flesh it devours their soul. You see, a creature such as this rises every few centuries to feed and then becomes dormant once again." Moren's eyes were downcast and his expression solemn. Arthur himself was truly horrified. How can such a creature exist? How can such evil be allowed to roam the Earth? How could they possibly defeat it?

Arthur looked at his knights and studied their expressions. Leon was shocked, Elyan was frightened, Gwaine was worried and Percival was thoughtful. And Merlin… he looked almost stoic in anticipation.

"Can it be killed?" Percival asked. They all braced themselves for the answer. Gwaine inhaled deeply and Leon's leg shook nervously.

Moren sighed deeply in resignation. His eyes found Merlin's purposefully."Yes. But it can only be killed by one person. A warlock. The most powerful warlock that has ever lived and ever will" Moren's face expressed such admiration and worship. So much respect and loyalty that rivalled Arthur's most loyal. "Emrys… you see, there's a prophecy about him too. He is… the one who will bring magic back to the land. The one who keeps our world in balance. He does not just have magic…he is magic. That is why he is so powerful, because he embodies all the magic that exists. Emrys is magic. And so, only Emrys and no one else has the power to defeat it. Because…Magic is life and the Sekia is death, they are opposites in every sense of the word and yet, they are one and the same. For what is death but only the end of life."

Authors note: Hello! I'm very new at writing...like I only started writing two months ago, so please give this a chance. Hopefully you'll like it. Anyway, I don't know how long to make this so please comment to let me know if you want it to be long or short. It would be very much appreciated.

Also, fun fact: Skiá means shadow in Greek.