Yeah... I really need to figure out a schedule when to post these things... Anyway this is next part! And I don't actually own Merlin surprisingly.

Gwaine's POV

I must have been pretty pissed when I agreed to take these two blokes to the Darkling woods because it was anywhere near where I was heading (which is anywhere apart from Camelot) and now here I was having agreed to take these two suspiciously nice blokes to Camelot. Great. Lancelot seemed the chattiest (although maybe a bit too politically correct for me), compared to the silent Percy at least, so it was him who I spoke to.

"So why are you headed to Camelot?"

"I told you my friend is in danger." Oh he may have told me that at some point thinking about it.

"Why what's happened to him?"

Lancelot shrugged awkwardly which made me instantly suspicious. "He didn't say."

"Whatever it is Lancelot don't you think I have a right to know since I'm endangering myself by getting involved."

Guilt struck Lancelot's face and I hid my smile. "He has magic."

Was that all? Seriously? "That's it?"

"Yes and he was a servant in King Uthur's court last time I saw him."

"Why would he stay there him being what he is?" This man was starting to sound quite stupid.

"He never told me why but he refused to leave." Yep this man that I was risking my life for was definitely stupid but I let the topic drop.

"Hey we're here!" I exclaimed a few hours later.

"Good." Percival grunted squinting into the woods. "Merlin is staying with the druids and they should be easy enough to find."

Lancelot snorted. "For you maybe." Percy's face fell and Lancelot shifted guiltily in his saddle whilst I watched on unsure. Deciding that this silence was awkward I decided to break it. "So let's go and find this friend of yours that has put himself in danger for no good reason. To be honest he sounds like a laugh."

Leon's POV

I was scouting when I saw three men on horseback approach the border of the camp, they seemed peaceful and I couldn't see the crest of the Pendragon's but I didn't trust that these weren't soldiers in disguise. However my instinct told me that these men were safe and from what I've learnt from the druids you should always trust your gut.

So I approached them. "Hello there!" The three men turned startled and I did actually recognise one of them. "Lancelot?" What the hell was Lancelot doing here?

"Sir Leon! Are you here with Arthur and Merlin?"

Before I could respond one of the other men with him cut across him. "Your friend is a knight? You told me he served under the king!" I noticed the venom in his voice when he said knights.

"Merlin isn't a knight. Leon on the other hand..." The other man scowled and I had to admire Lancelot for not flinching. "Anyway are they here?"

"Yes we are staying with the druids. With Merlin's mother and..." I hesitated: should I call Morgana Freya or her real name? After all I didn't know these two other men and last time I'd seen Lancelot he had forged papers... "and Freya, Merlin's sister."

Lancelot looked puzzled. "Merlin has a sister?"

Again I hesitated. "I think this would be better coming from Merlin."

Lancelot's mouth opened to respond but a sudden crash announced the entrance of four figures into our clearing. These figures being a rather bemused looking Arthur, an annoyed Morgana, a serene Ambrosia and a very clumsy Merlin. Merlin lay spread out on the floor after obviously falling over which explained the crash.

"Merlin will you ever learn to look where you're going?" Arthur asked exasperatedly. I really couldn't blame him because Merlin was just as clumsy as a female then as she was pretending to be male. Merlin hauling herself to her feet looked at Morgana and grinned sheepishly.

Lancelot seemed to have finally found his voice since their unexpected entrance. "Merlin your... you're a girl?!"

Merlin eyes found Lancelot and she did a double take obviously only just realising he was there. "Yeah always have been actually... Surprise!"

The bigger man with Lancelot looked amused and the other burst into laughter. "Well, Lancelot this does certainly sound like a tale!"

"Yes well." I was starting to feel that this situation needed to be moved on. "Do you think we should head back to the druids and discuss everything?"

Arthur however shook his head. "The druids have left."

"What? Why?"

"Something about 'our time with them was over' and 'that a new part of our journey was beginning'... and then something about meeting again one day 'when the time is right'... the usual vague druid stuff..."

Merlin snorted. "Never try and get a straight answer from a druid they'll just go on about destiny and fate until you're so bored you'll give up."

Morgana chuckled and looked affectionately at her half sister. "They probably do it on purpose to keep their air of mystery."

"Well why ever they bloody do it they've gone now."

"The druids have always been sensitive to times of great upheaval and I think that meeting up with Lancelot and his companions now certainly indicates the druids were right." This came from Ambrosia. I didn't know what to think about Ambrosia, she'd spent most of our time with the druids with their elders and I'd barely seen her.

"Lance aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"

"The bigger man is my good friend Percival and this is Gwaine who we met and asked for directions." Lancelot was indicating the shorted man with wild brown hair.

"Well Percival and Gwaine I'm Arthur. This is my finest knight Sir Leon and the woman over there is the High Priestess Ambrosia and you've already met Merlin and the other is her sister Freya." Everybody either nodded or waved to our new companions. "Great well it's nearly dark so we should probably set up camp." I nodded my assent and we began searching for a suitable spot to set up camp.

Gwaine's POV

I have to say these lot seem like an odd bunch, I hadn't missed Arthur saying that the knight was his, this meant he was somebody important within Camelot. The fact that he was travelling around with a High Priestess of the Old Religion was for lack of a better word weird and Merlin who apparently lied about everything- from her magic to even her sex! Her sister seemed weird too, her manner was very commanding and she acted above her sister most of the time and even argued with Arthur the probable noble. In short the whole group was odd and i was beginning to think I was in over my head when Merlin came over to me from her side of the fire to sit with me on my log. "Hello, I'm Merlin."

"I know who you are pretty boy over there didn't stop talking about you all the way here. If I didn't know that he didn't know you were female I would say that he was in love with you."

She let out a soft twinkling chuckle and grinned as she replied. "Me and Lance are just friends. He's like a brother to me and I truly hope that he isn't upset about the whole actually being female thing."

"Why did you pretend to be female? Was it to avoid the lecherous lords of the court?"

Again her sweet laugh sounded. "Partly but more because it was easier to be overlooked as a boy and I hate wearing dresses."

"Seems as good a reason as any."

There was a small pause before Merlin muttered softly. "You must think us an odd bunch."

"I don't think odd covers it. I mean your sister acts like a noble woman and the whole knight and sorceress coexisting is unheard of."

"Well Mor-Freya was a noble woman before she was banished and hasn't really adjusted to the whole being a simple peasant thing yet. And as for us all coexisting it's easy when you've lost everything else to realise that some things don't matter."

I again noticed the slip but again chose to ignore it. "Your quite wise you know that Merlin?"

"Merlin? Wise? Wait until you get to know her Gwaine!" We both turned to see the probable-noble Arthur who was laughing heartily at Merlin's expense.

"At least I'm not a prat."

Arthur sat down on her other side and elbowed her in the ribs. "Merlin you need to think of a new insult. Prat is getting old."

"Fine you clot pole!"

"What on earth is a clot pole?"

"In two words? Prince Arthur."

I laughed at the two of them- there was clearly something between them- shame Merlin was rather beautiful. Suddenly I stopped. "...Prince?"

"Arthur stopped laughing and glared at Merlin, who looked slightly ashamed. "Well banished prince now I guess."

Shock is the only word to describe what I was feeling and my mind stopped processing for a while and then one thought popped into my head: Prince Arthur of Camelot is in love with a sorceress! I was right, this is an interesting tale.