They made their way nonchalantly through the town. When they entered Gwen's house, she peered outside before she closed her door. "This is my humble home."

Raag looked around in wonder. "Oh... do you have a family?"

"No," she laughed, "It's just me."

"Are you a grand lady?" Raag couldn't believe that she had such a place all to herself. "This is bigger than Holun's tent!"

"Sit down," Gwen offered, when she noticed Raag hovering by the door. "I'm going to start a fire for dinner."

"Do you need me to help?" Raag offered, "do you need more wood?"

"No, I'm fine," she assured her, "and you should stay inside for a while."

"Right. Of course." Raag realized they would still be looking for her. She watched Gwen as she deftly began the fire and started dinner. "Merlin..." she started, "is he your man friend?"

"Merlin?" Gwen looked at her, surprised, "Oh, goodness no!" She laughed. "I don't have a man friend, not really."

Raag frowned, wondering how a woman so pretty wouldn't have a suitor. "What do you do at the castle?" She inquired.

"I'm a handmaiden." She said as she began the root stew, throwing a lid on the pot and putting it into the fire to cook. "Or at least I was."

"You were? What happened?"

"My Mistress Morgana," she tried to find a reason for Morgana's departure without saying anything bad about her to a stranger, "had to leave for a time."

"When will she be back?"

"No one knows." She sighed, "So I help out in the castle until her return."

There was an abrupt knock on the door. "Open up! This is a search." An unfamiliar voice demanded.

Gwen immediately handed a sewing basket to Raag. "Here." She said, "make yourself busy, and no matter what happens, don't look up!"

Raag did as she was told, understanding that if anyone were to see her face, they would discover that she was Mongol, which could be extremely difficult to explain.

Making sure everything was in order, Gwen wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door. Two of Holun's guards pushed their way in. "We're looking for the slave boy, Raag. Have you seen him?"

"No," she replied brusquely, "and as you can see, we are the only two here."

The guards, not willing to take her word for it, began to look behind the furniture, knocking things down on the floor. One guard confronted Raag. "Did you see anything?" He demanded. She looked down and shook her head. "Look at me. I'm talking to you." Raag began to tremble, and shook her head even harder.

"Leave her alone. Don't you see she's afraid of you?" She ran to Raag's side. "She's already answered your question. She hasn't seen him. You can't just barge in here bullying people and throwing things around."

Arthur appeared at the door. "Out." He ordered the men.

"Arthur!" Gwen exclaimed, disappointed in him, "Why are you helping these people?"

Arthur tried to avoid her stare, "Diplomatic courtesy, I suppose." He said, guiltily. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. The boy disappeared within our confines, so it's our duty to find him."

"And then what? Do you just hand him back?"

"The boy is Holun's property, Gwen. I have to give him back, no different than if he was his horse, or his dog."

No one noticed the girl in the corner shrinking back, making herself even smaller.

"He's probably run into the woods or become wilddeoren food by now. Not that I blame him," Gwen replied angrily. "I heard what happened in the dining room."

"How did you find out?"

"Everyone knows."

"Merlin!" Arthur gave a sour look.

"It's not his fault, the word would have gotten out anyways. You know you can't stop gossip in the castle. I even heard that last night Holun beat the boy with a horsewhip, just because he went to watch the parade." She appealed to his true nature. "The parade, Arthur! Every child should be able to see a parade."

Arthur hated this. "I'll see what I can do without losing face." He set his jaw and pursed his lips with determination. "They leave at dawn. Holun told me that they will be back at the second moon. I can tell him that if I find the boy, I will hold him in the dungeon for them."

"In the dungeon?" Gwen was appalled. "Isn't that a little drastic?"

"I won't HOLD him in the dungeon, Gwen," Arthur defended his decision. "I'm just going to TELL Holun that!"

Gwen smiled at him for the first time, "Thank you, Arthur."

Arthur nodded, "My apologies for disturbing you and your friend."

She curtseyed, "Apology accepted, my Lord." She gave him a sly smile.

With that, he left the room. Gwen hurriedly closed the door and made her way over to Raag who was, by now, beside herself. "Shhh, shhh," she calmed her down, "they're gone now," she wiped her tears away with a napkin, "there there," she rocked the terrified girl, gently. "You were very brave." Raag took a stuttered breath. "Dinner's ready," she said, changing the subject, "are you hungry?"

Somewhat placated, Raag nodded. Gwen ladled out two bowls and placed them on the table along with two spoons, and a loaf of bread. Raag more straddled the bench than sat down at the table, tearing off a chunk of bread, and using it to shovel the food into her mouth. Gwen put her hand up, but thought better of it, realizing this wasn't the time to point out her obvious lack of decorum, and let Raag enjoy what could possibly be the first hot meal she had in ages.

Gwen barely had two bites before Raag polished off her bowl, and sopped up the gravy with the remaining bread. "Would you like some more?" She offered.

Raag looked up with astonishment. "There's more?" There was never any left when Holun's men ate, and she had certainly never been offered more. Gwen nodded. "Yes please!" Was the emphatic answer.

Gwen scraped the rest of the pot into her bowl, and just as she was about to grab another chunk of bread, Raag stopped. Following Gwen's lead, Raag sat up straight, and picked up her spoon.

..._

"You can sleep in the pantry, if that's alright." Gwen offered, as she began to move a sack of potatoes over. It was a small room, separated from the rest of the house by a thin curtain. "I'm sorry I don't have an extra bed for you."

Raag sat down on the hearth. "Can I sleep here, instead?" She didn't know what, but the warm stones reminded her of something good from a lifetime ago.

Gwen smiled. "Of course, if you like. Let me get you a pillow and some blankets."

As Raag lay on the cosy bed Gwen had made for her, she began to think about her dog/pillow. "I'm sorry," she sobbed quietly, "I'm sorry we can't say goodbye." It was dark outside, and she knew that Kendo always made one last patrol around the stables and the caravans before he went to sleep at night. The thought had crossed her mind to try and find him, but she knew that would be the first place they would look. Gwen's heart went out to the girl as she heard her softly crying herself to sleep.

The next morning, a lone figure watched the caravans packing up to leave. From the safety of the tower window, Raag could see Holun and the Prince having a discussion. Even though they were too far away to hear, she could tell from their body language that the conversation was tense. The horse was brought out and Holun mounted her. "Altani." A tear fell as she reached out to pet the soft nose in the air. As Holun took his place at the head of the caravan, the dog dutifully climbed into the rear wagon. He sneezed, and lay his down sadly, his head between his paws. "Goodbye, Kendo." The dog perked up as if he heard her, and Raag gasped, adhering herself to the wall, away from the window before she was seen. She didn't dare look again until she heard the hooves heading away. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched the blurry caravans disappear down the road with her family.

(...)_

With Holun and his men gone, Raag was able to explore the citadel and enjoy her new-found freedom. After a week, Gwen managed to find her employment in the castle washing dishes and peeling potatoes. Although it was one of the lowliest jobs in Camelot, Raag didn't mind a bit. For her, it was leagues above the work she had to do for Holun. Once she was done preparing the vegetables to be cooked, she wasn't needed until after the meal was over to wash the dishes, so she even had time in the mornings to accompany Gwen while she went around collecting the laundry.

"Ho ho!" Sir Gwaine said as he ran into them in the hallway. "Who's this, Gwen? Are you so grand that you have an assistant now?"

Gwaine's devil-may-care attitude didn't fool her for a minute. "This is Raag, I'm just teaching her the duties around the castle."

"These look heavy." He observed. "Let me help you carry them." He took half of the sheets from Raag.

"Mine are heavy, too." Gwen mentioned. Of course they weren't, but she couldn't resist stating her point.

"Uh-huh." Gwaine mumbled dismissively as he escorted Raag down the hallway.

Gwen couldn't help smiling to herself as she followed them. Nor was she surprised when he showed up again two days later. She suspected that he had been waiting all morning for them to appear.

Raag liked Gwaine immediately. He reminded her of the only man that had treated her with kindness in the camp. He was funny, like Gwaine, and a soldier of fortune. The Soldier had taken her under his wing, of sorts, teaching the boy swordplay and how to use a crossbow. "There." He whispered, pointing to a doe in the thick of the woods. "Aim for the heart. Shoot. NOW!"

Raag took a step back. THWANG! Went the crossbow, and the doe fell down, dead. The Soldier turned to Raag. "Why didn't you take the shot?" Raag shrugged and shook her head, staring at the ground as she always did. The Soldier strode forward to retrieve his prize. "Don't worry," he mumbled, his disappointment in Raag apparent, "You'll learn to kill when you're hungry enough." Raag followed him to help take the deer back to the camp.

That night, as Raag was cleaning the campsite, she stopped to gnaw on the leftover bones left on the men's plates. "Do you remember where those came from, boy?" Came a voice from behind her. Raag nodded, trying to make herself as small as possible. She ate faster, worried that the plate would be snatched away at any moment. "You couldn't make the kill, but you have no problem eating the leftovers." Clearly The Soldier had told him the story. The whole camp probably knew all the details. Holun leaned over and growled in her ear. "Do you know what they call people like that?" Raag shook her head, trying not to look at him, fearing it would just feed his wrath. "Scavengers. One step above a thief." He sneered as he continued. "Or Girls. Are you a GIRL?" Raag shook her head 'NO', but her heart leapt and nodded, adamantly.

She saw the boot coming toward her and managed to absorb the blow with her body before Holun could kick the plate into the campfire. "These are for Kendo!" She cried out, knowing that her Master would stop if she made it clear that the bones were for the dog.

"Then take it to him, boy." Holun replied as he turned back to his tent.

Raag took a deep breath, relieved to be left alone, and then scurried away to find Kendo before he changed his mind.

(...)_

"How is it that we have never met before?" Sir Gwaine asked as they sat in the solarium. He thought he knew all the fair maidens in the citadel. Raag was different, though. She was straightforward, never playing the games the other girls did, trying to be coy or shy when they were actually weaving a web to entrap him into more of a relationship than he was willing to offer. But her most refreshing attribute was that she didn't twitter annoyingly behind her hand when she laughed. He remembered the first time he heard that laugh, barely masking his surprise when she smacked him on the arm in an unladylike fashion when she got his joke, and chortled whole-heartedly, making him laugh even more.

"We have met." She answered, pulling him out of his rumination.

He had almost forgotten the question. "Really? When?"

They had been meeting secretly for a week, now, and Raag felt she knew him well enough to tell him the truth. He seemed trustworthy, and never gave her cause to think otherwise. "In the banquet hall. The day Holun came."

"You couldn't have come with Holun's caravan." He protested. "I would have remembered such a beautiful woman as yourself at the banquet."

Merlin hovered nearby, listening. He had seen them going into the solarium together and had become concerned. In fact, whenever they met, Merlin would follow, ready to step in at any time to keep their secret safe.

Raag lowered her head, "I-I was his servant." She confessed. "You came to my aid when my Master hurt me."

"That was you? The boy?" Gwaine was gobsmacked. "But... you're not a boy."

Raag shook her head, afraid to look him in the eye.

"They were searching for you..."

"I know, but no one realized I was a girl." She admitted, "Gwen gave me this dress, and hid me until they left." She finally looked up. "Are you angry?"

"No," Gwaine said, as soon as he found his voice again, "no, of course not. I think it's a wonderful story! Worth a couple of free ales in the tavern, at least!"

Raag gasped. "Please don't tell anyone..."

"I won't, I promise. I was just joking!" Bravado aside, his head was still whirling with questions. "But... if you came with the caravans, how is it that you can speak Eng..."

"Arthur!" Merlin broke in.

"You must need spectacles, Merlin," he laughed, "I'm Gwaine!"

"No... I mean, I know..." Merlin had to think fast, "I meant that Arthur needs you... I've been looking all over for you!" he lied, "He's in the chapel. He said something about praying together before you go to the tournament."

Gwaine balked. "Arthur never prays before we go to the tournament."

"I...I don't know what's gotten into him," Merlin kept up the lie, "he wants you... and all of the Knights, in the chapel."

"But Merlin..."

"Go," he ushered him up and out the door, "go, I can only hope he's still there."

"Wait," he had a request. "Raag, before I enter the tournament this afternoon, I would be honoured if you would give me a token to take with me into battle."

"A token?" She had seen maidens give their knights a piece of silk, or material for luck. She reached into her hair. "Will this do?" She asked as she gave him a ribbon.

"Thank you, my dear." Gwaine nodded as he took the token and left to find Arthur.

Raag giggled. "My dear..." she repeated to herself.

As soon as he was out of sight, Merlin turned to her. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

Merlin led her to the bench they had been sitting on, and looked about quickly. "If anyone asks you where you learned English, you have to tell them you learnt it from a traveller." He confided.

She scowled. "But I haven't learnt English."

Merlin sighed. There was no way around this. "I've kept your secret, now you need to keep mine. Do you promise?"

"I promise," she had no idea what she was promising to, but she trusted Merlin implicitly. "What secret?"

"When we first met, I placed a spell on you." He admitted. "It was called 'the Spell of a Thousand Tongues' and it enables you to understand and speak all languages."

Raag's eyes grew wide. "You're a Wizard?"

"Yes, but you mustn't tell ANYONE." He insisted.

"Why not?"

"Because it is outlawed here." He explained. "Those that are caught practicing magic are burned at the stake, along with anyone that associates with them."

Raag frowned. "Where I'm from, Wizards are revered. Like seers and dragons."

"Not here." Merlin snorted.

"Why do you stay in such a heartless place, then?" She reasoned, "Why don't you go somewhere that will give you the respect and adulation you deserve?"

"Because my destiny is here. In Camelot."

"Your destiny?"

"Yes. Everyone has a destiny."

"I don't."

"Yes you do. I'm just fortunate, if you can call it that, to know mine."

"That's easy for you to say," she argued, "you are a wizard who can cast spells! Oh!" She gasped, "Your spell... does this mean everyone HASN'T been speaking Mongol to me?"

"What do you think?" Merlin let her absorb her new reality.

Raag hesitated, "I can understand... all languages?"

"As far as I know."

"How long does the spell last?"

"I'm not sure, a month, a year, forever?" He surmised, "I suspect there is a very good chance it will stay until I find the spell to remove it."

Raag became quiet while she contemplated his words as they left the solarium. "Thank you." She finally said.

"For what?"

"For deeming that I was worthy enough to receive this precious gift," She smiled genuinely, "no matter how long it lasts."

(...)_

Everything in Camelot stopped when the tournament was in progress. Shops closed down, laundry was ignored, classes were dismissed. The only building that had any movement within was the castle kitchen. Someone needed to prepare the Knight's banquet to honour the champion. Raag finished her chores quickly, and ran over to watch the festivities.

Prince Arthur, with Gwen standing nearby, was overseeing the event. As the interment ruler, he had to be the adjudicator, should there be any discrepancies, but mostly it was because the celebration was for him. All the competitors lined up to pay homage to the Prince. Arthur sighed, as he waved them on. It was boring sitting at the throne, high above the action. He wanted to compete as well, but SOMEONE had to represent the monarchy. Otherwise, he would be down there having fun, instead of just watching it.

Raag could tell as soon as she arrived which Knight was Sir Gwaine. Even though her token was not as dainty or richly embroidered as the ones the other knights displayed, she could easily spot her red ribbon proudly tucked into Gwaine's belt.

He fought gallantly, until he and his opponent were the last ones standing. The crowd cheered and waved flags as they faced each other. Even though Sir Gwaine wasn't as tall as Sir Percival, he was much more agile. He ducked and swooped, as Percival tried to disarm him, but Gwaine was much too spry. He nimbly leapt behind him and with one fell swoop, kicked the back of his knees, buckling his legs out from under him. Percival fell like a mighty oak, crashing to the ground, as Gwaine knocked the sword out of his hand, and held his to Percival's neck. Thunderous applause filled the arena as Percival conceded.

Arthur indicated to a pretty young woman, and she hung a gold medallion around Sir Gwaine's neck as she kissed him on the cheek. Raag felt an odd pang of jealousy as she watched from the crowd. Gwaine waved, looking around. Could he be looking for me? She wondered. As the crowd began to disperse, she held back a little as the triumphant Knight received pats on the back and accolades from his rivals and fans. His smile widened as he saw her approach. "Raag!" He called out, "Were you watching?"

"Of course!" She teased, "I wanted to see my ribbon win!"

"Your ribbon?" Gwaine asked, surprised, "I was the one that won the tournament!"

"It was your good luck charm, was it not?" She followed him into his tent.

"Yes..."

"Then it was the ribbon that won!"

Gwaine noted that they were alone in the tent, "Well, if it was my ribbon that won, then I get to claim the prize!" He leaned over to kiss her.

"Aaaah, but you forget... it was MY ribbon." She skirted his kiss and crossed over to the other side of the tent.

"Fine." He took the ribbon out of his belt, "take the dratted thing back, then, why would I want a kiss from you, anyways? You're not even pretty." He feigned distaste, "Your eyes are much too big, and your smile is much too wide."

He dangled the ribbon just out of reach, and as she tried to grab it, he kissed her. "You stole a kiss!" She cried out, indignantly, "give it back!"

"As you wish," Sir Gwaine pulled her closer to him by the small of her back and they embraced again.

...

That evening, while the Knights were celebrating with the Prince, Raag looked at herself in the mirror, as if for the first time. She looked into her eyes that were too big, and inspected her smile that was too wide, but still couldn't see what Gwaine saw. Giving up, she smiled a shy smile. No matter what she thought, Gwaine seemed to like what he saw and that was good enough for her.

(...)_

"You seem tense, Arthur." Merlin noted as he helped him remove his ceremonial garb and into his night clothes.

"I'm not tense," Arthur corrected, "I'm concerned."

"Why? The tournament went well, and everyone had a good time," Merlin smirked, "especially Sir Gwaine!"

"I'm not worried about the tournament, you idiot!" With a heavy sigh, Arthur relented and told Merlin what had been bothering him all day. "We're in the first full moon," he confided, "Holun will be returning soon, expecting to retrieve the boy."

Merlin folded the clothes and put them away. "What do you care if the boy is found or not?"

"Unfortunately Holun holds us responsible for losing the boy. If he isn't returned, he will withhold the sale of the black powder. All the kingdoms around us will have it, except for Camelot. If there is a war, we'll be sitting ducks."

"What is so special about the black powder?" Merlin asked as he laid Arthur's clothes out for the morning.

"It is a powerful force, Merlin. I heard that it has the ability to open iron gates, or throw carts up to the sky, turning them into piles of sticks, and even kill soldiers en masse. The entire fortress will be in jeopardy." Arthur shook his head resolutely. "We will have to double our efforts to find the boy, and increase the penalty for hiding a fugitive. Woe be to anyone who is fool enough to give him aid."

Merlin left the room, deeply disturbed, leaving Arthur to mull over his next move as he stared out of his window.