A/N: Thank you GuestM, mersan123, Buckhunter, and PadrePedro for reviewing! Hehe, yes, Arthur has a lot of preconceived beliefs to overcome. But he'll get there, don't worry. ;)


Chapter 2

Leon remained unconscious as his wound was bandaged and he was left to rest, but his color had improved after receiving the antidote. A young woman entered the hut in a rush then, her eyes widening.

"Elyan, is that…?" she gasped.

The hunter nodded and moved closer to wrap an arm around her. Arthur guessed she was his sister, which meant she had known Leon in childhood as well.

"He will recover," Gaius reported. When no one moved, he added, "So there's no reason to hover."

Arthur noticed the hunters exchanging looks at that and could easily interpret their hovering to be more about standing guard over unwanted guests.

Merlin turned to him. "Why don't I show you around," he said. "So you can see what we're really about here."

Arthur hesitated; he didn't want to leave Leon alone, but he supposed these people hadn't really done anything to directly threaten anyone. Releasing the Great Dragon aside. And they had saved Leon's life. Why do that if they then meant them harm? Besides, it'd be a good opportunity to gather some intelligence. So he grudgingly nodded and followed Merlin out of the hut. As they passed by the outer wall of it, Arthur paused to study the structure, mind still boggled over the incongruent dimensions.

"A little trick of magic," Merlin explained.

"I figured," Arthur said tersely and continued to follow him down the path.

"Not every creature of magic is evil," Merlin said. "Many are as natural as any other. Magic is a part of nature. And those are the ones we rescue and bring here."

He pointed to their right, and Arthur spotted the baby unicorn grazing near the edge of the waterfall's pool. It had grown a bit.

A shriek overhead had Arthur flinching and reaching for a sword that wasn't there as a griffin soared past them and up into the craggy cliff side.

"Relax," Merlin said. "With a steady diet and respect, the griffin hasn't attacked a single person or creature since coming here."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "That's the griffin from Camelot?"

"Yes. There's another one here too, but he's aging and spends most of his time in his nest."

They passed various habitats of different flora and terrain, and people tending fields and some of those pastures.

"How many people live here?" Arthur asked.

"A dozen or so. The groundskeepers maintain the habitats and the agriculture, and we go out to hunt game for our carnivorous residents. We live in harmony."

Arthur couldn't deny the whole place looked like some sort of paradise. "Is the dragon egg here?" he asked next.

"Yes, and it's safe," Merlin replied.

He didn't say where it was, and Arthur didn't ask, knowing Merlin would doubt his intentions…for good reason.

"So, those creatures in the woods, they're not natural?" he asked instead.

"No. Dark magic has been used to twist elements and create evil byproducts. Like the Afnac. Those, we hunt down and kill."

"Then you don't deny some magic is evil," Arthur said haughtily.

Merlin stopped and crossed his arms at him. "Are there not evil men in the world? One can take up a sword to defend the helpless, and another can take it up to slaughter the innocent. Is the sword what's good or evil? Or does it depend on the wielder? Magic is no different."

Arthur's mouth thinned. He didn't have a response to that. It made reasonable sense, and yet went against everything he had been taught. Who was he to believe?

They continued the tour, and Arthur knew his father would kill to discover this place…and kill everything inside. Which made Arthur uncomfortable. He knew his duty to his king was to try to find out as much information as he could, including the Sanctuary's location. But he imagined he and Leon would be blindfolded again before they'd be allowed to leave—and Arthur briefly wondered whether they would be allowed to.

But these people had taken him and Leon in, had saved Leon's life at risk to themselves and their secret. Could Arthur betray that debt? Such action would be dishonorable and against the Knight's Code. And yet to do nothing would be betraying his king, his father. Two immutable truths that were in direct conflict with each other.

Arthur didn't know what to think or do. And it was getting to be an uncomfortable pattern.


Leon woke to pain and an unfamiliar place. The ceiling above him was warm wood rather than the gray stone of Camelot. His shoulder was throbbing. He tried to sit up, only for a hand to gently stop him and a lilting voice said,

"Take it easy."

Leon looked to his left and gaped in shock at the kind face sitting by his bed. "Gwen?" he asked, voice hoarse.

She gave him a tentative smile and reached for a cup of water from a nearby stand. Leaning forward, she held the rim to his lips and he lifted his head enough to take a few sips.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore," he automatically answered. "Where am I? What happened?" The last thing he remembered was fighting a bunch of hideous creatures… "Arthur!" he exclaimed, trying to bolt upright again. The movement ignited searing pain in his shoulder and he curled sideways with a groan.

Gwen's tender hands touched his arm and other shoulder and eased him back down. "The prince is fine. He's around here somewhere. I can find him if you like."

Leon swept his gaze around the large room. It was just the two of them, and he felt reluctant to tell her to leave. "No, that's all right," he said. "Where are we?"

"The Sanctuary. Merlin and the others found you in the woods, fought off the serkets. You'd been stung, so they brought you here for the antidote and patched your wound."

He took a moment to process that and reached a hand up to gingerly touch the source of his pain. He remembered the scorpion stinger stabbing him. He looked around again. This was the Sanctuary? That was…valuable knowledge, but Leon pushed it aside for now and refocused on Guinevere.

"You look well," he said lamely. "When I saw Elyan that day with the griffin, I'd hoped you both were doing well, after everything."

Gwen nodded. "We are."

"I missed your companionship," he admitted. "You two always helped me not take myself so seriously."

Gwen dropped her gaze.

"I'm sorry," Leon quickly added. "About your father, about everything."

She looked up again, expression sad. "I know there was nothing you could have done. Neither Elyan nor I have ever harbored any ill will toward you."

Leon attempted to sit up again, this time carefully inching up to scoot back against the wall. "Gwen…why did you two turn to sorcery? After everything…"

"Because Merlin rescued us," Elyan spoke from the doorway as he entered the hut. "He gave us a home after our lives had been shattered. And he's never done anything evil in all the years we've known him."

Leon held his tongue at that. He could have brought up the incident with the Great Dragon, but he'd already heard the sorcerer proclaim that the resultant destruction hadn't been his intention. And he'd taken the griffin away, had helped vanquish the Afnac that was poisoning everyone. If Leon was keeping count, Merlin and his friends had seemingly done more good with magic than the opposite.

But that didn't change the fact that they were all declared enemies of Camelot, and it was Leon's duty to arrest them. Not that he was in any shape to do so. And, apparently, he owed them his life. That was not a debt to be taken lightly.

Arthur came inside then, dispelling the wordless tension for a moment.

"Leon," he said with obvious relief. "It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he replied, equally glad to see his prince unharmed.

Arthur arched a skeptical brow at him.

"I'm told I'll recover," Leon amended.

Arthur nodded, and the awkwardness became noticeable once more.

Gwen stood up. "I suppose we should prepare two extra plates for supper."

Leon looked at Arthur in question, while Arthur seemed to be looking back at him in contemplation.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he then said to Gwen, albeit a tad stiffly.

Gwen and Elyan left, leaving Leon and Arthur to speak privately.

"So," Leon said in a hushed voice. "We're in the Sanctuary."

"Yeah," Arthur replied wearily and sank into the chair Gwen had vacated.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

"This is what your father has been searching for," Leon pressed.

"I know," Arthur snapped. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I don't know what to think anymore," he said more softly. "Aside from the dragons, Merlin and his people have only ever helped us."

Leon nodded in agreement. "But the king…"

"I know," Arthur repeated, sounding defeated. "They saved your life, though. How can I repay that with betrayal?"

Leon didn't have an answer for that. He'd devoted his life to serving his king; how could he disobey an order now? And yet, he also served his prince. Which, he supposed, took the decision out of his hands.

But that didn't make it any easier to digest, no matter what they decided to do.


Everyone gathered at the communal dining table for supper. The air was filled with tension, but everyone did their best to be cordial. Leon and Arthur were given seats in the middle, and Gwen took the time to cut Leon's venison for him since his arm had been put in a sling, before taking her normal seat next to Lancelot. There were quiet murmurs barely decipherable above the clink of earthenware, until Gwaine broke the silence.

"What do you plan to do when you return to Camelot?" he asked bluntly.

Arthur set his fork down. "Do you intend to let us return?"

"Of course," Merlin said. "You're not prisoners here."

"Can you wipe their memories with magic?" Elyan asked.

"Elyan!" Gwen chastised.

Arthur and Leon visibly stiffened at the suggestion.

"Knock it off," Merlin said sternly to everyone. "No one is doing anything to anyone, magic or otherwise." He gave Arthur specifically a look then, hoping his gesture of good faith would be reciprocated.

A tendril of iciness slithered down the back of Merlin's neck then, and he twisted in his seat, stiffening in alarm. A woman he'd never seen before was standing in the Sanctuary. She looked young, but there was an aura of age about her, her piercing eyes staring at them all. Long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders with several braids woven throughout.

Noticing Merlin's posture, the hunters all jumped to their feet at the intruder. Merlin slowly stood up guardedly. The Sanctuary was well hidden; no one could just wander into it.

The woman's lips curved upward as she roved her gaze around. "Impressive," she remarked in a sultry voice. "A nice little world all to yourselves."

"Who are you?" Merlin asked tautly. "How did you get in here?"

She smiled with a devilish glint. "I am Nimueh."