A/N: I officially have a semblance of a plot! Yeah!
The reason I took so long with this is that I really haven't felt the inspiration up until now. So, um, yeah.
Astrid walked the mossy steps down to the dungeon, lost in her thoughts. Originally, Tatiana was supposed to come down here alone, but the plan was scrapped when she remembered the little bird's claustrophobia. It was stupid of her to forget her friend's fear, a point she spent an hour berating herself on. Stupid, stupid, stu—
Thunk!
Astrid lay in a crumpled heap, clutching at her nose and ankle. "Ow… Damn, this hurts…"
"My lady!" Reyna's surprised and somewhat horrified call made her lift her head. "Are you okay?"
"Does it…" the girl stood with Reyna's help, "look like I'm alright?"
Leo snorted from behind the human. "This is the third time this month."
"The downside of being all-powerful…" she muttered. Reyna shot a heated glare at the man. If looks could kill… I should have put Rai on duty instead.
She limped over to the guard's table, still clutching at her nose. Reyna hovered slightly, face pinched in worry.
"My lady, you're bleeding!" She cried, face white as a sheet.
"I am?" It was then that she felt the warm trickle. "Oh. Reyna, go check on the prisoners, now, if you will."
The woman nodded, hesitated and went to follow Astrid's order.
"So," Leo began, watching as the enchantress tilted her head back and pinch her nose, "Is there a reason you came down here?"
"Yes. I wanted to bring you and Tatiana on a 'hunting trip' with me."
"Where to?"
Astrid hesitated slightly. "Camelot."
Two days later saw the trio approaching the citadel, one of Camelot's knights escorting them. They had been intercepted by a patrol hours earlier, and one of the knights had branched off to escort the 'lady' to the castle.
And, of course, they parted with the man as soon as they reached the gates. Astrid snorted. Was Camelot's security really this lax? Apparently so.
The inn that Leo had found them was one of the more luxurious (and expensive) places, and Astrid fought down a glare towards the cat-tongued fool. Well, at least that tongue had halved the price. Shut up.
She and Tatiana would share a room, and Leo took the one just across the hall. Both to either side were taken, and even though the knight hated the fact that his longtime friends were practically closed in by strangers, he knew that they would at least be (somewhat) safe. A day passed, and Astrid found herself out on the streets of Camelot.
Astrid hummed as she walked through the throng of the market, kindly declining offers of wares, snorting at the attempts of thieves as they tried to steal from empty pockets, and allowed her mind to wander. At least, up until the point that her body wandered strait into something.
Someone, she amended, laughing lightly as she brushed off the man's attempt to help her up.
"Honestly! I may be female, but I'm not incompetent!" Astrid laughed.
"My apologies, my lady, I did not mean to offend." The man—elder, really—said coolly. She studied him, magic feeling the hidden worry and faded magical aura around the elder. And then her eyes landed on his satchel.
"Oh!" She said, a look of impish joy making the man shift in slight discomfort. "You must be the court physician! I've something to give to you—I just hope you like it."
She started to shuffle around her belt purse. "Oh, I know you'll get the meaning behind it, so what fun is it to tell you that? Here it is!" Astrid held out a sooty black and greyish white striped feather to the physician. He took it silently, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "If you must know, it's a merlin feather, a male one at that."
A sudden horror took over his features, sharp eyes raising to stare at her. Astrid giggled manically. Around them, time slowed.
"Now, you must be wondering why a little lady like me even has the feather of a surprisingly powerful little falcon? Oh, that's a simple enough question to answer, but what fun is answering that?" She giggled slightly at the repetition of earlier. "No, I'll just give you a little riddle to solve."
Astrid hummed as she thought, the man before her as frozen as the people around them.
"Find Betrayal in the fallen king.
Find Revenge in the golden dragon.
Find Calm in the lady's home.
Find Ambition in the forging hammer.
Find Loyalty in the knighting sword.
Find Kindness in the frozen death.
Find Valor in the slaying road.
Find Strength in the forsaken blessing.
Find Courage in the guiding light.
Find Magic in the tearful lake.
Find us all, and sought in order
Found is Madness' final note."
Astrid paused, here manically odd grey-light-grey-grey eyes taking in the horror on the elder's wrinkled face. He knew that she had the missing knights, the king and the king's manservant. He knew, and he would most defiantly go on to tell her majesty. Astrid smiled, a thoughtful one that revealed a certain bit of sympathy.
"I will tell you this: they were all perfectly fine when I left them, and I plan to keep it that way." She grinned when she saw the horror soften into relief at her sincere words and continued. "Now, I've cast a spell on that feather, one that'll allow you to remember everything that has been said in this conversation. I don't doubt you will disappoint."
And with that, time returned, and the coppery head of the girl vanished.
.
Astrid and her envoy left later the next day, all under an enchantment that willed their appearances to change. When they were a safe distance away from the city, the young female turned to Leo.
"I told Cook we were out on a hunting trip, and we all know how she gets when I mislead her." They both took the time to shudder. Last time Astrid did so, Cook had laced every meal with diluted Primrose Dew, making all the magic-users' magic unreachable. Thankfully, it was diluted, so they felt no pain when they reached for it. Un-thankfully was the fact that Cook was also a master at mixing potions, and so diluted the Primrose Dew with a tickling tonic. Needless to say, it was not a fun experience for any of the magic-users, and utterly hilarious to the normal ones. Tatiana giggled at the memory.
"Right. The usual?" Leo asked slyly.
"You know it. Actually, add a bit a mangy cat on the list too." Astrid ducked the stipe at her head, laughing. "Tatiana and I will set up camp at the lake. Now shoo!"
Leo hissed at her, offended, and set off into the brush.
"You're going to find nettles in your pillow, Astrid," Tatiana warned lightly.
"Oh, he knows how I jest." Astrid paused, thinking. "I hope."
Tatiana twittered a laugh.
A scream woke the prisoners from their restless sleep, all eyes turning to the only female locked up. Morgana sobbed, a mirror to her past self as hysterics spun her into a terrified mess. Ayalon (he had replaced Leo on guard duty) watched the seer warily, hands resting on his hunting knives. Reyna, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as relaxed as her fellow, drawing the gladius at her hip to level it at the cell. Morgana was oblivious.
"Morgana?" Mordred's voice was treaded with worry.
"…I… I'm fine," the seer snapped when her hysterics had calmed. "Just a nightmare."
Merlin gained a sudden interest of the woman that was once his friend. "What was it about?"
"Never mind that!" Morgana sneered. "Your right to that answer ended with that poison you offered!"
Merlin flinched back as if struck, looking anywhere but Morgana.
"Merlin, what does she mean?" Arthur question held the command of the king. Merlin refused to look at him, choosing to remain silent.
"I should have known," Morgana sneered. "Did you forget to inform my dear brother the real reason why Morgause took me away all those years ago?"
"Morgana—"
"Did you forget," Morgana continued harshly, "to tell your king about the hemlock you put in that water skin—the poison you tricked me into drinking!"
"I had no choice!" Merlin roared as he rose, eyes virtually glowing with his furry. Everyone flinched back, his friends astonished and frightened by the show of power so uncharacteristic and yet so fitting for their lanky friend. "Your sister had made you the core of the spell putting everyone in Camelot to sleep. Did you notice that you were the only one awake when Arthur and I returned to Camelot? That you were the only one not yawning by the time we finished disguising Uther? It was either you or Camelot, Morgana." Merlin fell back against the wall, all power and authority vanishing. "I'm sorry, Morgana. I'm sorry that it was I that drove you to this."
Morgana scoffed. "No 'sorry' can account for your betrayal."
Merlin sighed, a barely audible 'I know' coming before he turned his back on everyone.
Arthur frowned, eyes darting from his friend to his half-sister in thought and worry. Did Merlin truly believe that he was the one that had driven Morgana to betraying the kingdom? But that was the least of Arthur's worries. That power—that authority that Merlin had so blatantly displayed in his furry was eerily reminiscent to that of the Great Dragon that had nearly razed Camelot. It had shaken his understanding of the man—an understanding that had already been shaky to begin with! How much did Arthur truly know about his manservant?
The answer to that was enough to disturb the king greatly. Very little. Arthur knew that (and Arthur was actually a very keen observer, despite the common [Merlin's] belief) Merlin was a very secretive and downright selflessly loyal individual—that fact was actually why Arthur entrusted the man with so many secrets, because he knew that Merlin would take them to his grave if he needed to. However, it was also disconcerting that Arthur entrusted the man with so much, and yet he barely knew anything about Merlin!
Anger rose like fire in the king's veins.
Why didn't Merlin trust him? Was it fear that—
And a thought, an ugly, hated thought that made the king's blood freeze, came to surface. Along with it brought recollection of their captor's words, disjointed and confusing.
"I guess you've all met both."
"Kindness!"
"Loyalty!"
"Ambition!"
"Strength!"
"Courage!"
"Revenge!"
"Betrayal!"
"Magic."
And as he looked around the mossy dungeon, Arthur found that he could label each person with a name. That is to say, except one.
Magic.
Arthur recoiled from the thought, scrambling to find some kind of—any—excuse. Merlin couldn't be Magic! It was impossible!
But was it truly? That power that Merlin had displayed, that authuritated aura that he had radiated that was so dragon-like in nature… That moment that had shaken what he thought of the man… Arthur could have sworn that his manservant's eyes had flashed golden in the torchlight, and the room temperature had dropped several degrees. That roar had been so guttural and snarling in that moment. And both had been glossed over by his refusal to see—but that was a lie!
He returned to the names that the girl had called out, remembering the emphasis that she had placed on 'Magic'. She must have been referring to herself, at that moment, for she was a powerful enchantress. Yes, that must—
And another memory rose from the fog, back from when he was a price, about to become the Crown Prince. The quest for the Fisher King's trident. The little man on the bridge. Who had helped him in his quest. The man had called him Courage, the same name Astrid had used, and had said that Strength and Magic would help him. He had been so tired at the time, so out of it that he had brushed off the man's words. So out of it that he had forgotten that only two men had aided him. Gwaine, who Arthur already knew was Strength, and Merlin.
Suddenly, Arthur became all to aware of the numerous 'miracles' that had occurred during the time he had known his manservant. Previously sturdy branches snapping to fall on only the opposing side, enemies dropping their sword mid-fight, fatal encounters that he should have in all right have died. And almost every instance had one thing in common. Merlin.
Why did Merlin have so many secrets?
Because Merlin has magic.
A/N: So Arthur figures it out! I'm not counting this as the reveal (that'll come later) because Arthur is only speculating, and needs Merlin himself to confirm it. Yup.
On the other side of things, Astrid's revealed that she has everyone to Gaius, and given him a lovely little riddle to solve! Each phrase is a location. Let me know if you think you've solved it in a review and send me a PM with the answers!