Camelot

March, 505 AD

I turned onto my side and gazed down at Merlin – who laid on a spare mattress beside my bed – smirking as I stated, "We should get a dog."

"A dog running around the castle?" he questioned in a sleepy mumble, frowning as he met my eyes. I nodded eagerly. "Sounds like a perfect recipe for disaster."

"Exactly, which means fun," I countered with a giggle.

"Shut up and go to sleep," he moaned and turned his back to me while pulling the Captain America blanket that I'd lent him over his head.

I sat up on my bed and pouted as I stared down at him with narrowed eyes. "You're the one who wanted to have a sleep-over!" I protested.

"I asked if I could sleep here because the window in my room is broken and I was cold," my best friend retorted, his voice muffled by the blanket.

I bit down on my bottom lip to restrain a giggle, but it came out all the same as I thought back to my latest great idea for entertainment: playing some distant form of 'baseball' (with a heavy leather ball I'd stolen from the armoury) inside Merlin's room while I'd been hanging out with him as he polished Arthur's armour. As you may imagine, the idea hadn't been the smartest, as the game had ended with a broken window. Obviously, I had been decent enough to give Gaius the money needed to replace it.

"Right. Sorry 'bout that again," I said sheepishly.

"Shh!" Merlin scolded in response, making me pout once more.

It didn't take long for my best friend to fall asleep after I reluctantly shut up, and now the only sounds in the room were the echoes of his soft snores – which were slightly annoying, but I knew that I shouldn't complain.

I, on the other hand, struggled to find my way to dreamland. My body appeared to have saved up some energy during the day (probably because it'd been rainy and I hadn't been able to work with the horses), and it thought that this was the perfect moment to unleash it.

I turned onto my other side and fixed my eyes on the window, finding some entertainment in how the raindrops raced down the glass. Only for a minute before that also grew boring. I rolled onto my back and let out a heavy sigh as I contemplated whether I should just give up and watch/play something on my tablet until I eventually fell asleep. Then I remembered that I'd drained the battery during the day and discarded that idea with a soft huff.

I wish there was something I could do to make myself fall asleep. Like taking some Melatonin. Or getting a blow to the head. Or another bout of hypothermia… I mean, that put me to sleep that one time, didn't it? But I don't think I wanna go through that again…

Man, how dreadful was that occasion? I'd thought that nothing ever would be able to beat the great Christmas incident of 2018, when I'd fallen off the roof while I'd been helping Uncle Gustab to put on the lights and ended up with a sprained ankle – which left me unable to ride until February. I guess that's how life works, though. Something unpleasant happens, and you can't imagine anything worse, until something worse happens.

Like my Aunt and Uncle. They probably thought that there was nothing worse than having to take me in and raise me as their own – until I turned out to be crazy and made everything ten times harder. I gotta hand it to them, they have the patience of saints. I probably would've handed me over to a mental hospital and never returned to get me. I'm glad they're better people than I am…

I reached over to check the time on my phone and let out a puff when I realised that only ten minutes had passed since the last time I'd checked.

Time really does slow down when one is bored, doesn't it? Maybe I could go outside and wander around the castle for a bit… It's kinda cold, though, and I'm very warm and cosy where I am. Buying all these MCU-themed blankets was a great investment, despite Kelly's comments on how my obsession with those movies is disturbing. Is it disturbing? All people like particular things, don't they? No one ever seemed to have a problem with me liking horses…

Wait, scratch that. I remember Kelly's grandma's sister once telling me that riding is an inappropriate activity for young ladies. She was so disagreeable… I think she's dead now, though. Well, I guess she hasn't even been born yet… Wait – I haven't been born yet! How trippy is that?!

I wish I could say that aloud and tell many people. It's probably the funniest thing I've ever thought of! I wish I could tell Arthur… But he and his dad would probably burn me for sorcery… Or maybe they wouldn't even believe me in the first place! They would think I'm insane! Which I kind of am, but in a different way.

Arthur…

Don't start, brain! It was just a kiss! He got caught up in the moment! There's no need to make it a bigger deal than it was!

Great, now I'm sad.

I wish I could watch a movie. I wanna look at Bucky Barnes. He puts Arthur to shame… Maybe. Of course he does! Does he? Shut up, brain! I call the shots here! He does.

Why is Arthur the one popping into my mind, then?… Probably just 'cause I kissed him… I shouldn't have kissed him! Well, technically he kissed me, I guess. But I shouldn't have allowed it! Now there's no way I'll get over the stupid crush I have on him! I should've stayed in Texas!

Okay, no, that's going a little too far. I can live with this crush. I know I can. I have to. I don't wanna go back to Texas.

I jolted up at the sound of hurried footsteps outside my room, along with the momentary illumination of a torch shining through the slit at the bottom of the door. That's weird…

I frowned and carefully got out of bed, making sure not to disturb Merlin as I quietly got my black hoodie from my closet and slipped out of my room, gently closing the door behind me.

As luck would have it, I ran into Arthur just as I stepped into the corridor and watched as two servants ran past us, carrying buckets. Dread struck at my chest when I noticed a smoky scent in the air.

"What's goin' on?" I asked the Prince

"I do not know," he responded with a gulp. "Go back inside and lock yourself there until I make sure there is no danger," he then commanded before taking off running down the corridor.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched him go, my heart-rate accelerating at the mention of danger. However, I was also very curious to find out the reason behind the commotion. Even more so as another servant with a bucket ran past me. So I decided to ignore Arthur's orders and jogged after the guy so that he could unknowingly lead me to whatever was happening.

My eyes widened when I found a bunch of servants and guards fighting to put out a fire in Morgana's room. "Zoinks!" I blurted out and frantically glanced around for the lady, my breath hitching as I started to fear the worst.

Suddenly, my arm was grabbed and I was pulled into a perpendicular corridor. I soon realised that Arthur had been the one to grab me, and I saw that he was joined by a stoic (shocker!) Uther and a pale-faced Morgana.

I jumped to give the trembling Lady a brief hug. "Are you okay?!" I asked as I stepped back.

"Just frightened," she responded in a shaky whisper and I gave her a sympathetic look.

Arthur grabbed my arm again and I recoiled at seeing fury in his eyes. "I thought I told you to go back to your room," he said through gritted teeth.

I shook off his hand. "You did, but I got curious."

"What the hell happened, anyways?" I asked while turning towards Uther and Morgana once more.

"Astraea, mind your language," the King scolded while giving me a narrow-eyed look.

"Sorry, sir," I responded with a sheepish look.

He waved me off and answered my question, "We do not know for sure. We will investigate in the morning."

I raised an eyebrow, thinking that there could be dangers lurking in the shadows, but I kept quiet.

"For now, we should all go back to sleep," Uther commanded in a monotonous voice before promptly turning around and walking away towards his room.

"He's a curious fella, isn't he?" I noted – mostly speaking to myself.

"Astraea–" Morgana called my attention in a soft tone and I turned my head to face her, "could I sleep in your chambers for the remainder of the night? Considering the circumstances…"

"Of course!" I responded when she trailed off, offering a reassuring smile. Then my eyes widened when I remembered that my best friend was already there and I had to hold back a giggle when the reason for that flashed through my mind again. "We'll have to get another mattress, though. Merls is using the spare one I have," I noted.

"Merlin is sleeping in your chambers?!" Arthur asked in a roar, making me flinch back and accidentally hit my back against the wall; though I forced myself to recover my composure quickly.

"Yeah," I replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion as to why he'd reacted so harshly. "I kinda broke the window in his room and he was cold…"

Morgana placed a gentle hand on my upper arm. "Thank you, Astra. I will ask Harold to help us with the mattress," she said while sending the Prince a pointed look.

I ripped out of dreamland when Arthur barged into my room in the early hours of the morning (actually, I'm not sure what time it was because I couldn't exactly check my phone with him and Morgana present) and practically dragged Merlin out of bed so that he could help to clean up the mess in the scorched room. I followed them.

Uther was already at the site, next to a slightly petrified Gwen who cowered beside him.

I noticed that the damage from the fire wasn't too bad. By which I mean, the room hadn't crumbled to ashes. Almost everything else had been reduced to skeletons, and black burn marks now adorned the wooden floors and the stone walls. Also, the window had been broken and the space around it was littered with glass. It made me wonder if perhaps there'd been an intruder, though I'm not sure if it's plausible to climb into or out of the room through there.

I leant against an energy-replenished Merlin, feeling the complete opposite. I had only managed to sleep for an hour or two – though I probably might've lasted longer were it not for the stupid Prince. I sent a glare his way at that thought.

"You could at least have bothered to fix your hair," my best friend whispered as he smirked down at me while one of his hands started to comb the top of my head.

"Fork you," I mumbled and slapped his hand away. I sighed and pushed away from him so that I could undo my braid and fix it; then I promptly went back to using him as a support beam.

In the meantime, the King was interrogating poor Gwen – since she's the only person who has free access to Morgana's room apart from the members of the royal household.

"I came back in with some extra blankets," the girl recounted what she remembers from the night before, her voice almost a whisper as she shrunk under Uther's unforgiving stare. "There was a candle, but I put it out."

"Are you sure?" the King pressed, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I blew it out, I swear," she responded, sounding like she was close to crying.

Merlin suddenly moved away from me in order to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing me to gasp and stumble. Lucky for me, Arthur was quick to save me from falling to the floor like an unplugged inflatable Halloween decoration as he steadied me by wrapping an arm around my waist.

I felt myself freeze and slowly glanced up at him as the skin under my hoodie and PJ top began to tingle under his touch while my stomach started to buzz and my heart-rate picked up. His attention was set on Gwen and his father, so I decided to focus on the same thing and swallow the feelings. I could've pushed away from him, but I couldn't find the will to do it.

"Gwen has been Morgana's servant for years," the Prince suddenly interjected in the conversation while giving his father a pointed look. "If she said she blew it out, I believe her."

Uther sighed and moved towards what remained of the canopy bed with a sombre look in his eyes. "She could have been burnt alive," he stated in a low tone.

I shuddered at the thought as Mary Winchester's death flashed through my mind. Demons aren't real, though… Well, that's what I thought about fairies, unicorns, magic…

My thoughts were halted when Arthur suddenly lifted his arm from my waist to my shoulders and he gently rubbed my upper arm with his warm hand. Maybe I'm the one who's gonna burn to death, judging by the fire that suddenly threatened to tear my organs apart…

"Lightning struck the castle roof last night," the Prince noted calmly, as if he wasn't half-murdering me, "that could have started the fire."

"Perhaps," Uther hummed.

"What other explanation is there?" Arthur questioned.

Demons! But I wasn't gonna say it aloud.

"Someone started the fire deliberately," the King posed, almost as if he'd read my mind.

I turned to look at the shattered window and tilted my head, wondering once again if it was easy to climb into from the outside. It'd be kinda fun to test that out…

Uther curtly ordered Gwen and Merlin to finish cleaning up and then he left the room, gesturing for Arthur to follow him. I finally pushed away from the Prince, instantly missing the warmth, and quickly moved towards my two other friends so that I could help them with their task – which seemed like a nightmare to do.

My best friend snorted as I moved to help him pick up some shards of glass. "You look like you could be the Red Skull's daughter," he noted while sending me a smirk. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda proud that he'd actually paid attention when I finally got him to watch the MCU movies with me. But I still glared at him and promptly moved to help Gwen instead, who let out a faint chuckle and then gave me an innocent look when I sent her a quizzical glance.

I kinda miss not having friends.

Gwen left the room some few minutes later, claiming that we needed another bucket for the ruined stuff, and Merlin called me over to the window as soon as she was out of earshot. I hesitantly moved closer to him, slightly fearing that he would somehow make fun of me again.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Most of the glass fell outwards," he noted while staring down at the courtyard.

"So the window was broken from the inside," I noted.

"That is what I was thinking."

Following a full and fun day of training with horses and knights, I had a quick bath, put on my panda-themed PJs, and made my way down to the physician's chambers. I could feel some tension between my former roomies as soon as I walked inside and I froze at the door, suddenly wondering if I'd have a better time dining with the royal family. Then I remembered that I kinda don't want to be around that stupid jerk Arthur and I moved to sit at the kitchen bench next to Merlin.

"Ah, Astra," Gaius acknowledged my existence while shooting me a half-grin. "You are just in time for supper."

"Oh, goody," I responded as I eagerly tapped on the table. "Whatcha cookin'?"

"I am attempting to sort out this paster thing you brought," the man replied with a grimace, and that's when I noticed a box of spaghetti sitting atop the counter, which made me smile widely and I dashed to stand beside him.

"Need a hand?" I asked.

He frowned down at me and questioned, "Since when do you know how to cook?"

"I don't," I responded with a nonchalant shrug, "but that's what the instructions are for." I turned the box around, showing him the back of it where three simple illustrations explain how to cook the pasta. Gaius seemed incredibly surprised to see them. "Welcome to the twenty-first century, old man," I teased with a wink while gently patting his arm.

"Astraea," he scolded in a stern voice, causing me to giggle.

Gaius and I teamed up to prepare supper while I entertained us by singing the non-suggestive parts of 'The Joker' by Steve Miller Band; and twenty minutes later, we all sat down at the kitchen table with our bowls of 'spaghetti al burro' before us.

I held off on starting to eat mine as I watched in amusement while the two males tried to pick up the spaghetti with their forks and failed miserably; and once I decided that they'd suffered enough, I demonstrated how to twirl the pasta around. Then I stared at Merlin in anticipation as he took his first bite.

"Wow!" Gaius exclaimed.

"Astra, this is great!" Merlin chirped.

I smirked in triumph and promptly dug into my own bowl.

Just as we finished eating dinner, Sir Leon knocked on the door and informed Gaius that the King was asking for him. The physician turned to Merlin and I with an apologetic look.

"Go ahead, we'll clean up," I assured him while waving him off and my best friend nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, children," the elderly man responded before leaving with the knight.

Merlin and I split tasks and he washed the plates while I swept the floor, finding some fun in using the broom as a pretend microphone while singing Queen's 'Another One Bites The Dust'; earning constant annoyed looks from my friend.

"I wonder what Uther wants," he asked after a few minutes.

I shrugged, "Maybe he needs to hear a bedtime story before goin' to sleep."

Merlin turned around and frowned. "You disturb me sometimes," he stated monotonously.

"It's part of my charm," I shot back with a wink.

"You have no charm," he countered, his tone now playful as he smirked.

I couldn't help but think back to Arthur and I hummed, "You may be right."

My own response prompted me to start singing the chorus of 'You May Be Right' by Billy Joel, and Merlin seemed ready to fling a knife at me. That is until he softened up when Morgana entered the apartment and I instantly shut up.

"Hey! How're ya' feelin'?" I asked.

"Is Gaius here?" she inquired, ignoring my question. I noticed the troubled look on her blanched face, which made me drop my smile as worry swarmed my veins.

"Nope. Utah needed 'em," I informed and dropped the broom before moving closer to her. "Everything okay?"

She turned her back to me, letting out a shaky breath as her body trembled. I shared a concerned look with my best friend. "You can trust us, Morgana," he assured her, the plates long forgotten as he, too, stepped closer to our friend.

"I am scared," she confessed as she turned back around, her voice almost a whisper as her jade-coloured eyes alternated between us. "I do not understand anything anymore. I need to know what is happening."

I sent Merlin a confused glance, wondering if he might know what she meant. He averted his gaze as he responded to the Lady, "Gaius will be back soon. He will be able to help you."

"He will not. I do not want any more remedies. They will not do any good," Morgana claimed. "I think it is magic," she added in a whisper.

My eyes widened and I gulped. It is one thing for a servant to hide the fact that he has magic… but the King's ward? If she's right, Uther or Arthur might notice at any moment! I glanced up at Merlin, finding that he didn't look so surprised; which led me to believe that he knew something already.

"You think you have magic?" I asked her in the lowest whisper ever.

"I am your friend. You know I would not make this up," Morgana replied, her eyes pooling with tears as she shook her head.

"Of course you wouldn't," I reassured her, not sure of what else to say. It's not like I know anything about magic, y'know? Though I kinda wish I did so that I could help her. I'm not exactly sure how she came to this conclusion, but if her theory is correct, surely Merlin won't keep his powers a secret from her – right?

Her head snapped my way, "Then you believe me?"

"I dunno much about magic, but I suppose it's plausible," I responded softly. "What makes you think it, though?"

She released a shaky sigh before answering, "I think I started the fire in my chambers."

My eyes widened for a moment before I forced them to return to normal – not wanting to make her uneasy – and I moved to put a hopefully comforting hand on her shoulder. Then I turned towards Merlin and raised an expectant eyebrow, "What d'ya think, Merls?"

"I-I really wish there was something I could say," he replied.

I clenched my jaw and glared at him. He doesn't have to tell her if he's not ready or if he doesn't want to – but he should at least support her! He's the only one who can understand what she's going through!

Morgana sighed in disappointment and left the room without another word, making my stomach churn.

As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned around and punched my friend's arm (though not hard enough to actually hurt him). "What the heck, dude?! We're supposed to support her! You more than anyone else!" I scolded in a yelled whisper.

"She is the King's ward!" he argued in the same tone, making me huff. "She cannot get involved with magic! It could be fatal for her!"

"I'm his ward, too, and I'm involved," I countered as I crossed my arms.

He faltered for a second. "Yes, but you are crazy!" he retorted.

I never thought I'd see the day when me embracing that term would turn out to be a double-edged sword, but here we are.

"At least I don't turn my back on my friends!" I shot back.

"We will figure out something without putting her in danger," Merlin replied sternly.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Thank Gaius for me," I mumbled before leaving the room, feeling a strange sinkhole forming in my gut and a lump forming in my throat. I've never fought with Merlin before…

After a tiring, yet rewarding, day of training horses and not talking to Merlin – or seeing him, for that matter – I decided to chill with Dallas for a little bit and worked on giving him a thorough grooming while he grazed in his paddock. It's a task that I've always found therapeutic. One doesn't know true relaxation until one has had the opportunity to comb a horse's mane.

I kept my mind busy by singing All Time Low's 'A Daydream Away' – which really wasn't a smart choice as my brain kept thinking that it was funny to spew out images of Arthur. So I decided to push back against them by switching over to The Killers's 'Spaceman'.

I shut up when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and I turned to find Gwen walking towards me. I tilted my head, surprised to see her here, but I smiled all the same, "Hey, friend."

She seemed to attempt to return the gesture, though it didn't reach her eyes. Then I noticed that she seemed troubled and I went to ask her what's wrong, but she beat me to speaking by asking, "Can I talk to you about Merlin?"

I frowned and threw the brush aside so that I could give her my undivided attention, "Of course. What's up?"

"Well… you know that I have liked him from the start," she noted, making me nod, "and I thought he felt the same way…"

"He does," I assured her.

"How are you so sure?" Gwen questioned.

"Well… y'know how he's constantly teasing me 'bout Arthur?" I asked. She nodded. "I kinda use his feelings for you to tease him right back, and he's never once tried to deny them."

My friend blushed a little and I sent her a wink before going to retrieve Dallas's brush, thinking that the conversation was over. But then I thought that something had probably prompted her doubts, so I turned back to ask, "Did something happen between ya'?"

"He has been a bit distant with me lately," she answered, which made me frown. "And I feel like a lot of his attention is going to Morgana, with what happened."

"I think he's just worried about her well-being," I offered with a small shrug. "You know how he is, always wantin' to help everyone."

How ironic is it that he's not actually even trying to help Morgana in this case? Gwen must be seeing things that aren't there…

"But it is more than that," my friend claimed. "He gave her flowers… he has never given me flowers." My jaw dropped. "And he went to see her earlier, and barely spared me a glance."

I let out a puff and leaned against Dallas's shoulder, suddenly feeling like I don't know my best friend at all. He's always appeared to be so invested in Gwen! It's hard to believe that he might be casting her aside without another thought! But I have no reason to doubt her, for she has no reason to lie.

"The best advice I can give you is to talk to him, I guess," I finally said. "Let 'em know what's bothering you and clear the air. I'm sure he'll listen and do better."

I know that the advice is lame and cliché – but, in my defence, I'm the last person anyone should be going to for help with romance problems!

My body tensed up when Gwen suddenly hugged me. "Thank you, Astra. I will do that," she said before releasing me, and she promptly walked away. I watched her go while making a mental note to have a few words with Merlin whenever I see him again.

"N' just like that, life's suddenly a teen drama," I mumbled to my horse as I returned to my task of grooming him.

Dallas walked along a dirt path at a leisurely pace while I glanced around at the beauty of early spring. Everything was so colourful and vibrant; an enchanting display of nature's artistry, free for anyone to enjoy if they dare press pause on their hectic schedules for a moment.

My heart almost begged for me to get off my horse and lay down on the soft-looking greenery that was growing all around, stretching towards the sun with arms wide open. Nature – always free of apprehension and judgement…

Unlike Camelot, where people are being unjustly arrested again because the King is on another magic-paranoia rampage after he'd brilliantly deduced that the fire in Morgana's room was caused by sorcery. I can only pray that no evidence will be found in regards to those suspected of having associations with witches and wizards and that no one will be executed.

I shook my head, reminding myself that I came out here to clear my head, not to let the thoughts go crazy, and I returned my attention to the early gifts of spring that surrounded my horse and I. I smiled at the sight of two birds flying together in what looked like a playful dance.

My breath hitched when the sound of the warning bells from the castle reached my ears. Without hesitation, I prompted my Thoroughbred into a full-blown gallop and we sprinted the rest of the way back as my mind raced with a million thoughts of what could be wrong this time.

Dallas and I trotted into the courtyard and I leaped off him when we reached the main entrance. I commanded him to stay and then rushed inside the building, where I searched around frantically for any of my friends.

"The guards have completed the search of the castle. There is no trace of them," I heard Arthur's voice as I neared Morgana's bedroom and I accelerated towards it.

I entered the chambers to find him and Uther standing inside, both looking slightly pale and horrified. I frowned, wondering what they were doing inside the Lady's room, and then I made my presence known as I asked, "Who? What happened?"

"Astraea!" the Prince breathed out and he visibly dropped some tension a second before he darted towards me and wrapped me in his arms.

Great, my insides are turning into mush again! I hate the stupid crush I have on him! Everything was so much easier before that meaningless kiss!

I patted his back awkwardly and casted my gaze towards the King, raising an eyebrow as I silently asked for context – but I'm not sure he understood the expression.

Arthur pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on my upper arms as he looked me up and down. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

I gulped under his stare and felt my stomach churn in worry. "Y-yeah," I responded. "Why? What the duck is happening?"

"Where is Morgana?" Uther questioned me in a stern, almost threatening, tone as he moved to stand next to his son, crossing his arms.

I tilted my head. If the warning bells are ringing… and the Pendragon men are standing in the Lady's room with worried expressions… and they're asking about her location… Oh, crap!

"She's missing?!" I asked as my heart-rate picked up.

Arthur dropped his head and nodded. "We thought you were together," he informed me before turning to his father, "This means that she is alone."

Darn, I wish we'd been together! Where could she have gone?! Did she run away because she's afraid that Uther will find out about the possibility that she has magic?!

"Encircle the city," Uther ordered his son. "No one gets in or out."

The Prince nodded in understanding and he gave me a gentle squeeze before moving to leave the room. I let out a shaky sigh as I watched him go, wondering what I could do to help. If only Merlin hadn't been such a jerk! After a few moments of contemplation, I decided to simply catch up with the blond and directly ask him how I could pull my weight in the search; so I sprinted out of the room.

"Art!"

"Artie!"

"Arthur!"

"Wait up!"

He stopped in his tracks just as I reached him and I accidentally crashed against his muscular back.

"Oops."