A/N: Okay, so~ I apologize for the shortness of chapters. My life's rather hectic currently (in the 'all hell breaks loose' variety), so I hope you can understand why this story is going more slowly than I originally intended. I'll definitely be continuing this story, though. So, worry not. :D

Now, when we last left off, our beloved Merthur pairing (did I really just say that? Huh.) had been kicked out of class. And in true Merthur fashion, they're gonna go land themselves in trouble. XD

Merlin stared at him. "What?"

"I said, where do want to go?"

"Go?…We were just kicked out of class."

"I know." Arthur said happily. "Perfect time for a stroll." And with that he started off down the hall.

"A stroll?" Merlin repeated warily, following after.

"Through the western woods." Arthur elaborated.

"…The western woods are full of monsters."

"Exactly." Arthur said, seeming extremely satisfied.

They actually made it a decent distance into the forest without incident. Of course, it wasn't going to last. But neither of them were aware of the creature silently stalking them as they tromped through the forest.

"Come on, Merlin, keep up."

"Slow down!" The young wizard shouted in response.

"I'm not even going very fast!" The prince said, exasperated.

"You're prancing through the forest like a unicorn with its mane on fire." Merlin retorted.

Arthur snorted. "Because you'd know what that looks like."

The magician neglected to mention that, yes, he did actually know what a unicorn with its mane on fire looked like, having accidentally caught one on fire once by accident. Luckily nothing bad had come out it; he'd heard that hurting a unicorn was a very bad idea. Resulted in being cursed, apparently. He was grateful nothing had happened to him. "Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "What're we doing all the way out here? Campus not interesting for you?"

"Definitely not." Arthur jumped over a fallen tree. "Besides, you look like you could use some time outdoors. You're all…pasty."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I am not pasty! I'm a little pale, that's all."

"Sure, Merlin. Whatever you say."

Merlin opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but Arthur suddenly rushed back to his side and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Did you hear that?" The prince asked.

Merlin glared at him. "Mmf?" 'Mmf' here having the meaning of 'what'.

"Shh."

Merlin rolled his eyes. And then jumped a mile in the air when something large erupted from the bushes.

Arthur released Merlin and drew his sword, which he'd retrieved from his room at the insistence of Merlin, who had refused to go anywhere near the forest without one of them being armed.

"That's a chimera." Merlin said in disbelief, staring at monster.

"A what?" Arthur demanded.

" It's…it's…That!" He waved frantically at the beast. "A lion with a snake for a tail and a goat's head sticking out of its back. All of it cranky."

The amalgam in question chose that moment to charge at them. Maybe it felt insulted.

Roaring, the chimera managed to swat away Arthur's sword, putting the weapon out of their reach.

They managed to dodge away, ducking behind a fallen tree.

"Still having fun?" Merlin gasped.

"Run!" Arthur shouted, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along.

For once, Merlin wholeheartedly agreed with the prince, and they sprinted through the forest together until they reached their school again.

"Well," Arthur panted, turning to grin at him. "That was certainly a new experience."

Merlin couldn't help it, he laughed.

"Did you have fun?" The prince asked.

Merlin, still trying to catch his breath, simply nodded. It was strange, but he had enjoyed their little adventure.

Arthur beamed. "Good. That's good. I'm glad."

A/N: So….drop me a review, let me know what you think. Did you enjoy our first real adventure with our darling duo?

I apologize for it being short, but I've discovered that I can crank these chapters out faster if I do 'em short like this. And the quality's not suffering right? So it's all good. :D

Oh, and as a side note, I have recently started a forum called The Roadhouse. It's a fine establishment where anything goes. Come in, advertise your story, ask for reviews, or just hang out and chat with some awesome people. You can even start a thread/topic of your own about anything you like. Or, hey, start several. Anything goes. :D You can find the (web) address on my profile, both at the top and in my announcements. So you have no excuse for not stopping in to at least say 'hello'. XD.

~Next time on Camelot Academy~

Arthur: A test? On what?…

Lancelot: Jousting? Why do we need to know how to joust? It's not like we're going to need it in the future…

Marlet: A tournament? They're forcing us to participate in a tournament?

Arthur: Brilliant! Let's get started.

…Merlin: This is completely ridiculous. We're being graded by how far we get in the tournament?

Marlet: I can't even ride a horse. How is this fair?

Merlin: Maybe we can get out of it?

…Arthur: Merlin, you can't just sneak off. Hey, get back here!