Chapter Five! Cursing, possible violence. Reviews make me happy. Goodness I'm getting lazy with these notes. Well enjoy!

Chapter Five – When Pigs Fly

I looked up at the trees blearily. The early morning light caught on the leaves setting the forest canopy a flame with color. I stared at the fall leaves for a long time, feeling terribly confused. Where was I? Where was my soft warm bed? Slowly I sat up, running my hand down my face. Slowly it started coming back to me, the fighting, Merlin, Arthur… Camelot. The soldiers were starting to leave their tents, and the prisoners were being roused by the activity. Merlin must've already woken up as he didn't seem to be here anymore.

The men of Camelot bustled about, taking down tents and loading packs onto horses. It was all so uniform; they knew exactly what needed to be done when, and how to do it. I was the odd one out, like a very small ant standing alone in a swarm of moving ones. The one who had nothing to do, and would mess it up if she did. Stiffly, I rose from the ground dusting ash off of my pants. Last night the ash had been beautiful, bathed in the soft glow of the fire. Now the fire was down to dying embers, and the harsh light of the sun turned the powder a flat and desolate gray.

Clarisse was certainly still asleep, and none of the men would have time to talk to me. That is if I even had the guts to talk to them. I had no idea where Merlin was he so far seemed to be the only person that I didn't look like an idiot around the entire time… just most of it. For now I was alone. I stood awkwardly, watching people go by not paying any mind to me, and not quite sure what to do. My weight shifted back and forth trying to follow the directions my brain was giving my body, though my brain wasn't exactly sure. Eventually I headed over to the horses where River stood, one hind leg cocked back, his ears flopped to the sides dopily. I sat down in front of him, and his eyes opened a bit. He nuzzled my face whuffing as he sniffed around; checking if I'd brought him his breakfast. Disappointed, he returned to napping until his breakfast arrived a good ten minutes later.

"Hey." A familiar voice said sitting down next to me. I looked over at Clarisse who was stroking Byrd's muzzle.

"Good Morning." I replied, my voice a bit groggy.

"So, we're still here."

"Were you hoping we'd wake up at home too?" I asked she just nodded. We were quiet for a while until she asked.

"Where were you this morning? Did you wake up real early?"

I shook my head, "I got cold last night, I slept out here by the fire."

"All alone? Aww, poor Ally!" she threw her arms around me, her voice ringing playfully.

"Actually Merlin was with me." I couldn't help but laugh as her jaw dropped.

"Ally, you didn't did you? Oh my God, and yesterday you couldn't even talk to him!"

"No! No, he was just there!" I exclaimed through a fit of giggles, "All we did was talk!"

That made her go even more quiet. "Talk? You actually talked? Like a normal conversation type of thing?"

"I think?"

"Aww honey, I'm soo proud of you!" she squealed throwing her arms around me a second time. We talked for a while mostly trivial things, like who around the camp we thought was cute, trying to skip around the topic of our rather perplexing situation.

"I think that the teacup pigs are adorable!" I argued, we were having a rather heated argument on the merits of pigs, and their ability to be pets.

"I think that pig no matter what cups it fits into, is only any good for bacon!"

"No! They are cute, and I would totally keep on as a pet."

"I'd keep a pig as a pet… only if it could fly." She joked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, starting to say something when my attention was diverted by something else. On the soft breeze I could smell something wonderful, slowly I stood up looking over the horses where all of the soldiers were crowded around the fire.

"I think breakfast is ready." I said almost floating over to the line of men, if there was one thing that I loved, it was good food. If it tasted anything like it smelled I would be happy. As the line thinned and I finally came to the front I found myself holding out a bowl to Merlin. He plopped a ladle full into my bowl, it was rich and brown with some sort of meat and bits of vegetable, as well as handing me a piece of bread.

"Did you make this yourself?" I asked taking a bite as he filled Clarisse's bowl.

"Yeah. You like it?" he asked grinning mischievously.

"Yes… Why?" I asked halting my spoon midway between the bowl and my mouth.

"It's made of rat." He smiled, pouring some into a soldiers bowl.

"What?" I croaked feeling my stomach begin to turn.

"Yeah, the buggers are hard to catch, but they aren't too bad in a stew." Was he being sincere? Or was he just joking around? Please let him be joking. The medieval ages sucked, but they weren't quite that bad were they? I'd never heard of people eating, rats… I hoped they never ate rats.

"You are kidding… right?" Clarisse voiced my thoughts, looking at the stew her lip curling. Merlin just laughed.

"Yes of course." He grinned, and I tentatively I took another bite. It tasted amazing, rat or not. It still worried me that I couldn't quite tell. I was about to walk away when he said "You know you have dirt on your face."

"I-I do?" I asked my hand rising to my cheek.

"Yeah it's kind of" he dragged his hand all the way down his face, "there." A blush rose as I tried to rub it off, but I couldn't exactly see it.

"Clarisse why didn't you tell me?" I asked as I rubbed at my face, shooting her a glare.

"It looked funny." She shrugged smiling.

"Is i-it any better?" I asked looking over at Merlin; I didn't trust Clarisse to tell me the truth.

"Not really." His voice was a tad higher with suppressed laughter, "here." He handed me a wooden bowl full of water.

I accepted it and sat on a little log next to him; I cupped my hands and splashed the water on my face. Scrubbing until my face was pink for once not because I was blushing. I looked over at Merlin, as he finally filled his own bowl with the last of the soup.

"Better?"

"You still have a little right there." He said pointing to his own cheek.

"Here?" I asked placing a finger on my own.

"No – uh other side."

"Here?"

"Little to the left." I lifted some water in my hand and scrubbed the spot.

"There?"

"A bit more to the left." This whole time Clarisse watched, happily eating her stew and laughing at the pair of us being awkward. I glared at her and rubbed my face again. After a few more minutes of him attempting to give me directions I finally got the dirt off.

"There." He said laughing; I let out a small giggle and felt another blush heat my cheeks. Hopefully he would just think it was the rawness and the cold air.

After breakfast the men started saddling their horses, we followed suit saddling up was second nature to us. It was nice being in the saddle, normal. The one normal thing in a whole shit load of crazy. We set out at a leisurely trot; apparently Camelot was not expecting us to arrive too quickly. The horses enjoyed the relaxed pace, maybe except Byrd. The thoroughbred mare was ancy prancing and shying at everything she hadn't seen before. Having traveled a good millennium and a half back in time, there was a lot she hadn't seen before. Arthur led in front Merlin close behind. Clarisse and I rode a little ways back from them, and the soldiers took up the rear.

It was a pretty quiet ride I was too tired to really talk much, and sore my back ached from where I slept funny on the hard ground. Mostly I just watched the scenery, the big open fields and little villages that melded into dense forest, occasionally making small conversation with Clarisse. Ahead of us Merlin and Arthur argued back and forth like brothers, I couldn't help but smile.

As we passed a small village I watched the people, people walked about on their business. Children squealed and laughed as the chased chickens and played games. Men and women bent over the soil in gardens picking vegetables. It really was real, not just one camp full of crazy people. The road continued on into more woods, where we decided to stop for lunch. Turning off the trail, we found a small clearing. We all were about to dismount when Arthur raised a gloved hand, signaling for everyone to wait. Very slowly he extended his arm pointing a brown blob on the far side of the clearing. It appeared to be a small pig. Not the pink kind you make into bacon, but the brown hairy wild boars. There was something different about this one though, an awkward protrusion as if it's shoulder blades jutted up awkwardly high. Looking closely, they looked like… wings? I couldn't help it, maybe it was the stress or the exhaustion, but I just started laughing, and laughing. Arthur turned to me, putting a finger to his lips, I tried to be quiet… but it didn't work.

"Clarisse, it's your pig." I laughed remembering our previous conversation about flying pigs.

"Be quiet!" Arthur whispered harshly, glancing nervously at the winged pig who snuffled around in the leaf litter. I tried to stifle it back to a giggle, the full out laugh subdued but still quite there. "Would you just shut up?" he snapped and the little pig ran off into the brush squealing. "Damn." He muttered, he wheeled his horse starting to say something when a very large shadow seemed to stir the tree tops, sending a storm of yellow red and brown leaves into our faces. The squeal of the pig that crashed through the branches was more like an ear piercing screech.

"Holy shit." I muttered as what I assume was the mother flying pig descended in front of us. Arthur shouted something, and he and his men dismounted swords drawn. The pig cried out again and the horses all shied, whinnying nervously. I sat deep in the saddle to avoid getting thrown as River danced, and crow hopped. Clarisse was having even more trouble, Byrd spun in circles rearing and bucking. It was amazing that the little girl could keep such a powerful animal in place even though she so desperately wanted to run.

Then the boar charged with an unearthly scream, I glanced at Merlin who despite being unarmed had dismounted and stood with Arthur and the soldiers. Though the others didn't seem to even notice, I thought it was rather odd. That was the last thing I saw, because the horses bolted all of them galloped in the other direction. Clarisse and I were carried along with the wave of panicked, very large horses. I tried to haul on the reins, but nothing seemed to work. Honestly, I didn't blame my gelding I wanted to be as far away from that thing too. I just hung on hands buried in his mane, and gripped with my legs and thighs.

I squeezed my eyes shut knowing that River while frightened was not stupid; no horse in their right mind would run head long into a tree. However, I didn't take into account that while a horse won't run into a tree, it may run very close to one. Close enough that he might not hit it, but I would. I felt a searing pain shoot all the way up my leg as my ankle snapped back, the toe had caught on the trunk of a tree and pulled my foot back farther than possible. A scream rose from my throat as I fell forward hugging River's strong neck, doing everything I could not to fall off. If I fell, not only would I be trampled by the horses behind us, but I might lose river. I couldn't lose him; he was one of the only things I had left.

Each stride was agony; his long gait jostled my ankle and sent fresh waves of pain through me. When finally the herd of horses slowed and stopped dropping their heads to graze I felt as if I would pass out. I just leaned into River's shoulder, watching my tears soak into his coat turning the gray a shade darker.

"Ally! Ally!" I heard Clarisse calling, but didn't lift my head. I was afraid if I moved that the deep, powerful throb would become a sharp and piercing pain.

"Yeah?" I replied softly as she swung down to the ground. I looked down at her, long scratches trickled blood down her face and arms where twigs had hit her. I must have avoided most of them while bent over River's neck.

"Are you all right?" she asked touching my arm.

"My ankle's broken."

"C'mon, let's get you down from there." She said helping me remove the broken foot from the stirrup. I forced back a cry of pain, biting the inside of my cheek till it bled. I knew it wasn't that bad people in this time faced worse without medication, but it hurt like a bitch. She helped me slide down from the saddle, holding me up and lowering me to the ground. It always amazed me how strong she was, especially for such a little girl. She sat me down in the grass, and knelt next to me.

"I'm going to need to take your boot off." I gulped. "I'm sorry, but it might swell, and then we would have to cut the boot. I want to take a look at it too." I nodded, shutting my eyes and taking deep breaths as she unzipped my tall boot, my muscles twitching and flinching in anticipation of her actually removing it. This is why you have a best friend trained in first aid. "Here, bite this." She said handing me her jacket, which I took chomping down on it as slowly she pulled it off. Fresh tears cutting trails in the grime on my cheeks, the jacket stifled a scream until finally the boot was off and I was left just crying. Letting out a yelp here and there as Clarisse gently handled my ankle.

"It's definitely broken." She concluded sitting next to me, "I would ice it, but I doubt they even have ice." She sighed. Looking at the horses who contentedly munched on grass.

"I'll stay with the horses if you want to go find the others."

"I'm not leaving you alone Ally. Anyways, it can't be hard to track a herd of twenty something galloping horses."

"Yeah, I guess not." I laughed.