Camelot

March, 505 AD

I hung back as Arthur gave orders to his knights and guards, and once all the men were off, I walked up to him and asked, "What about me? What can I do?"

He sighed as he turned to face me and gently placed his hands on my shoulders. "You are going to stay here and be safe," he responded sternly.

"No, c'mon, please! Let me do something!" I instantly protested. "Morgana's my friend! I can't just sit on my butt! I'll get anxious and it's not a pretty sight!"

"Astra, we are likely dealing with a sorcerer, it could be dangerous," he answered in a gentler tone than he'd used before.

"So I'll take a sword!" I chirped.

He raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how to use a sword?"

I puffed, "Well… no…" The Prince gave me a pointed look and began to walk away. "But how hard can it be!?" I asked as I rushed to catch up once more.

"I am not going to put you in danger, Astraea," he stated, sounding stern once more as he glanced down at me for a moment.

"You're not puttin' me in danger – I'm volunteering," I countered.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Y'know I can do this all day, right?" I questioned and giggled at the accidental reference to Captain America.

"I could, too, if I did not have more pressing matters to attend to," Arthur responded, his eyes widening in apparent annoyance as he gave me another pointed look. Then he sped up towards the stables. So I followed.

"Lemme come with you," I kept pressing.

He halted with a scoff and turned to face me again, "Do you ever stop?"

"Nope. I invented stubborn."

"All right," he sighed, making me smile, "you can ride around the inner protected city and ask if anyone has seen anything, then report any findings back to me."

"Will that actually help, or are you just tryin' to get rid of me?" I questioned.

Arthur's eyes widened in exasperation once more, "Astraea–"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" I cut him off with a mock salute and then ran off to steal a horse – not wanting to overwork Dallas, since he'd already exercised.

After browsing the horse paddocks for a minute, I figured that Uther wouldn't have a problem if I stole his horse, so I grabbed a halter and retrieved Gandalf – a gorgeous black stallion resemblant of a modern Friesian. You can guess who named him… hilariously ironic, isn't it? Obviously, I didn't explain the meaning to anyone other than Gaius and Merlin.

I quickly groomed the friendly stallion and saddled him – feeling ecstatic to find that Dallas's saddle fit him, which meant that I wouldn't have to use a tediously uncomfortable medieval one – before getting my helmet and safety vest from the tack room and climbing on.

As promised, I began to go around the citadel and stopped by most vendor stands to ask if anyone knew anything regarding Morgana; but most people were puzzled to hear that she was even missing, and I soon realised that my search was unlikely to bring any fruits.

It wasn't long before I got bored with my pointless quest, so I glanced around to make sure there were no knights or guards who could stop me, and I rode past the castle walls so that I could scout a bigger area.

Not wanting to be too reckless, I remained close to the walls and trotted Gandalf around the perimeter in search of the grate that Arthur had used to sneak the little druid boy out of the castle almost a year ago. If Morgana left of her own accord (as is likely the case), she could've used that exit to do so discreetly.

As we approached the west wing of the building, a smokey and slightly metallic smell hit my nostrils, causing me to frown. "D'ya smell something burnin', pal?" I asked Gandalf in a mumble and gently tightened my hold on the reins, just a little, so that I could direct him at a faster speed in the direction of the sound.

I couldn't help but mentally pat myself on the back when my intuition turned out to be correct. Sure enough, the grate had a big, gaping hole in the middle of it with some faint smoke still being released by the burnt metal edges.

I hopped off the horse and moved closer to inspect the hole. It was remarkably symmetrical and, obviously, it couldn't have taken long to make because someone would've noticed the smell and the sound that had possibly accompanied the task.

"Did someone discover gunpowder ahead of time?" I asked myself in a mumble. Then my eyes widened in realisation when I thought that there is another, much more reasonable, explanation for the hole: magic. And it just so happens that I haven't seen my best friend for a long time! Did he and Morgana run away together?! Did he decide to help her after all?! Could they truly be having an affair?! Could they both have been kidnapped like Uther fears?!

My breathing grew laboured and I hastened to climb back on Gandalf, knowing that I needed to tell Arthur what I found.

The horse carried me back to the castle at a quick canter and I left him in the courtyard before rushing into the building and starting the frantic search for the Prince. "Arturo, where art thou?!" I asked loudly as I rushed up the main staircase – almost falling on my face in the process as I tripped. "Art-Attack!" I called out through the corridor that leads to the council chambers as I continued to sprint.

Finally, I spotted him leaving the council room and sighed in relief as I slowed down so that I wouldn't crash against him again.

"Hey!" I greeted when I reached him.

"What is it now, Astraea?" he asked with an eye-roll.

I flicked his upper arm. "Watch the attitude, Prince Charming," I scolded with a glare. "I found something." His expression softened and he gestured for me to keep talking. "There's a big hole in that secret grate you showed us once," I explained quickly.

His eyes widened and a grin formed on his lips as he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, then he motioned for me to follow him, so I did.

This time on foot, we took off running towards the grate so that he could assess my discovery.

We slowed down to a fast-paced walk as we exited the castle grounds and got to the woods.

"I thought I told you to stay inside the castle walls," Arthur suddenly noted as he turned to me with a look of disapproval.

"You did. I got bored," I responded with a nonchalant shrug.

He made an adorable (shut up, stupid brain) pouty face as he growled, "You disobeyed a direct order from your Prince."

I snorted, "Don't take it personally, I've always had problems with authority." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Besides, I'm not from here, I'm American. You're not my Prince."

"I think you forget who you are dealing with, Lady Astraea," Arthur replied in a stern tone, though I could've sworn I saw the ghost of a grin playing on his lips.

"Trust me, I don't–" I responded as I shot him a smirk, "Prince Prat."

He rolled his eyes and gently bumped my shoulder with his arm before speeding up in the direction of the grate. I grinned in triumph and took off after him.

"There is some confusion as to how that was broken," Arthur started explaining to his father and Gaius. Once he'd seen the grate, he had practically dragged me back to the castle so that Uther could be informed of the developments, and then the three of us, plus the physician, returned to the site. If only we had text messaging… "By the looks of these scorch marks–"

"There is no confusion. It was magic," the King cut off his son, a storm raging in his eyes. "The same magic that was used to start the fire in Morgana's chambers."

I casted a discreet towards Gaius and saw that he had tensed up at the mention. I wouldn't be surprised if he also knows that she might have magic.

"Where does the trail lead?" Uther questioned.

"To the forest of Ascetir," Arthur replied calmly while gesturing towards a faint path in the woods.

"We have long suspected that the druids have hidden there…" Uther noted as he narrowed his eyes while staring at the forest.

My breath hitched and my heart churned. If the King somehow finds anything to tie that community together with Morgana's disappearance… I don't even want to peek down that rabbit hole. I should've stayed quiet about the grate.

"The trail will lead us straight to them," the Prince affirmed, causing me to gulp.

"Take no prisoners," Uther commanded his son with a stone-cold stare that sent a shiver up my spine as I cowered slightly. I should've stayed quiet! "It is time we rid ourselves of these druids once and for all," he stated before walking away.

I. Should've. Stayed. Quiet!

I dropped my gaze to the ground and began to nibble on my bottom lip. Then I glanced up at Arthur and found that he appeared slightly troubled, which gave me hope that he might be willing to disobey his father in regards to killing the druids if he did happen to find them. I should have a word with him! Whatever it takes to make this right!

"Where is Merlin?" the Prince suddenly asked, a frown on his face as his eyes alternated between Gaius and I. I dare say he seemed concerned and, under different circumstances, I probably would've smiled. It's nice to know that my best friend has someone like Arthur watching out for him. Instead, I carried on biting small bits off my lip, not caring about the faint taste of blood that started to spread through my mouth.

Gaius cleared his throat and seemed to struggle to form words for a second, "He is… uh… He is not well."

Arthur sighed, "He is still upset about Morgana, is he not?"

"We all are," Gaius defended.

"Tell him to stop pining, pull himself together, and get back to work," Arthur commanded before walking away as well – only stopping for a moment to give my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Interesting choice of words… So it's not just Gwen who thinks that something's going on between Merlin and the missing Lady! I think he's been spending too much time around Arthur, 'cause he's turning into an ass!

I was about to run after the Prince, wishing to voice my concerns regarding the druids; but I stopped that action when I noticed Gaius shifting awkwardly. "What are you not saying?" I interrogated as a frown formed on my face.

He sighed and looked around for a moment before explaining a bunch of stuff that I'd missed in a hushed whisper: Merlin had come to his senses and accepted that he'd been wrong to not try to help Morgana with her magic, so he'd tried to right his wrongs by sending her to the druids so that they could help her get a better understanding of these powers. Obviously, my best friend hadn't considered the 'Uther' aspect of his plan until some hours later, so he was currently off trying to get the Lady back before things could end terribly.

I went in search of the Prince as soon as I was done returning Gandalf to his paddock, and I was relieved to find that he was still in his room – considering that his knights had been readying their horses for the journey to find the druids.

"Astraea – what brings you here?" Arthur asked when he glanced up at me for a moment. I grinned in amusement when I realised that he was struggling to buckle some pieces of armour over his forearms.

"I-I just…" I mentally cursed myself for stuttering. This is not the time for that! "I'm worried about the druids…" I confessed in a low tone. He looked up at me, quirking an eyebrow. "I mean, we're not even sure that they're to blame for all this… And they have children and women…" I continued when he said nothing.

He seemingly gave up on the armour parts and set them down on his desk before stepping closer to me. My breath hitched as he placed his hands on my shoulders. We haven't been alone in private since that fateful kiss… I averted my gaze, not having the strength to look into his captivating eyes.

"P-please don't kill anyone," I whispered

"I am not my father, Astra," he responded softly. "I will not allow anyone who is not guilty to be harmed. I give you my word."

My eyes widened in shock and I finally lifted them to meet his, gulping as I searched them. I could not see a single hint of deception. He's being truthful!

I smiled a little, "You're a good man, Artie."

A grin formed on his lips and he stared at me in a way that caused my heart to start behaving like a rabid squirrel who has just downed a gallon of Coke; so I dropped my gaze again and took a step back, causing his hands to drop. He let out a sigh and moved back to get his arm thingies again.

"D'ya… need a hand with that?" I hesitantly dared to ask.

His eyes snapped my way as a look of surprise claimed his features for a moment. Then he gave me a sheepish smile and nodded.

"Okay," I breathed out and moved to stand beside him again.

He wrapped one of the metal pieces around his left forearm, and then I moved to do up the buckles, making sure not to tighten them up too much while also trying not to pass out from how insanely fast my heart was beating. The actions were repeated on his right arm.

"Thank you," he whispered just as I was finishing the last buckle.

"Sure," I responded, shooting him a grin while hoping he wouldn't realise how nervous I was feeling. I finally stepped back again and released a shaky sigh. "Stay safe, yeah?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered gently.

I nodded and proceeded to scurry out of the room.

Despite Arthur's reassurances, sleep evaded me that night as I instead tried to busy myself with watching movies on my tablet. I had no reason to doubt that he would keep his promise and not kill the druids as long as they're innocent, but a lot could still go wrong. For starters, they could not find Morgana… Or find her badly injured, or even dead… The wilderness can be dangerous, and there can always be bandits or other sorts of bad people lurking around… The knights could get too trigger happy… Someone might find a way to implicate the druids…

In conclusion, my head was spinning, a sinkhole was forming in my stomach as the hours ticked by, and there was only so much that Peter Parker's shenanigans could do to keep chaos from erupting within me.

I should've snuck out and gone with Arthur. I mean, Peter does some things against Tony freaking Stark's wishes and he's, y'know, Tony freaking Stark! So who's Prince Charming to tell me what to do?!

I hate sitting back while my friends are out there risking their lives. If we were in the twenty-first century, they could at least shoot me a message and let me know how things are going, y'know?

I wish Merlin had informed me of his plans. Then I could've gone with him!

I would sneak out and go after them right now, but I wouldn't know which way to go and I'm not sure where I could steal a map from.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda… Maybe I need to start being more active and stop overthinking stuff so much.

Fortunately for me, I didn't have to swim in my mental piranha tank for much longer. Just as the sun was beginning to rise, Gwen came to inform me that Arthur and the knights were returning – with Morgana.

I didn't waste any time before quickly throwing on the first hoodie I pulled from my closet – which happened to be a dark blue one with Captain America's shield on it – and I slipped on some socks before rushing outside to the courtyard along with my friend.

My eyes searched the party for Merlin as I halted atop the main staircase, but I soon found that he wasn't there. I suppose that he'll come back on his own soon – which is probably for the best, since I don't think it's smart to let anyone know that he'd been involved with all this chaos.

Morgana slid off poor Bronze – who'd been made to carry both her and the Prince – and Uther was quick to wrap her in his arms. He may be a cold-hearted ass-butt most of the time, but it's nice to see that he does have a heart.

I moved to greet Bronze and gently caressed his face, enjoying the feeling of his warm coat against my cool hands.

"You were right," Arthur spoke, causing me to look up at him. He showed a hardened stare as he addressed his father. "It was the druids." My stomach dropped and I felt myself freeze. "They kidnapped her."

Gaius said that Merlin sent her to them! Oh, dear, please tell me that Arthur and the knights didn't kill anyone! Even if he believes them to be guilty! Surely Morgana said something to keep the peace?

I should've kept quiet about the grate! My best friend would've brought Morgana back safely and nothing would've happened!

I gulped as I felt my lungs start to get constricted and let out a shaky breath as I rested my forehead against Bronze's, his horse-y scent aiding a little in helping me regulate my oxygen intake.

I heard Arthur get off his horse and my body tensed up when he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Obviously, I can't tell him what I'm really thinking. Especially not with Uther here. So I slapped on a grin and turned to face him as I responded, "Yeah, just tired. I didn't really get any sleep."

I noticed that the courtyard was mostly deserted now, and it was just me, Arthur, Bronze, a stablehand, and a couple of guards. I separated from the horse so that he could be taken to his paddock and began walking towards the castle, feeling a strong need to lay down and… like… stay there forever because I think I caused a slaughter.

Arthur followed me and I clenched my jaw, not really wanting to engage in the crazy gymnastics that my mind and heart do every time he's around.

"I am sorry that things turned out this way," he said as he fell into step with me.

"That's life," I mumbled in response and gave a little shrug. "Things rarely turn out how we want 'em to."

Our hands brushed each other for a moment and my heart blasted off like a racehorse on steroids leaving the starting gate.

Stupid Arthur.

"I wanted to thank you for your help yesterday. That clue you found meant everything," he stated some moments later. "I do not know what would have happened to Morgana if we had not found her so soon…"

Nothing. Nothing would've happened to her and she would be back home anyways!

"Glad I could be of service," I muttered.

My entire being plus my aura (if those are real) tensed up when the Prince suddenly threw an arm over my shoulders and drew me closer to his side. I looked up at him out of the corner of my eye and found his gaze fixed on the side of my face. I let out a shaky sigh and dropped my attention to the ground once more, not daring to do anything that might potentially rid me of the physical contact.

I'm so messed up.

"This has to stop," Arthur suddenly said sternly as he halted. I frowned and looked up to find that none other than Merlin was just exiting Morgana's room as we passed by it. Much to my relief, the words were aimed at him. "The King would have your head if he found out, and there is no point denying it," the Prince continued.

"Denying what?" the sorcerer questioned, looking entirely confused while his eyes darted between us. A second later, he was smirking and my entire face got warm as I suddenly felt very self-conscious; so I took a step away from Arthur, effectively getting him to drop his arm.

"Your affections for the Lady Morgana," the Prince responded to my friend as his jaw clenched.

Merlin stared at him for a moment, then he chuckled. "Right."

I tilted my head, feeling puzzled. Surely he would've blushed or something if he really had feelings for the Lady, right? He always blushes when I ask him about Gwen.

"Morgana cannot be your friend. Let alone anything else," Arthur continued sternly.

"Believe me, I am not interested in her that way," Merlin answered. I raised a sceptical eyebrow, still not willing to let him off the hook. He may be my best friend, but Gwen is my friend, too; and I should probably find a way to clear things up for certain before someone gets hurt.

The Prince pointed a finger at my friend while grinning, "You cannot hide anything from me, Merlin."

I had to bite down on my lip to hold back a chuckle that threatened to leave me at the irony of his words. If only he knew…

"I would not dream of it," Merlin responded with an innocent smile before starting to walk away.

I took a quick glance up at Arthur and then took off jogging to catch up with my best friend, wanting to continue the conversation just between the two of us. "I'm not done with ya', you twig!" I exclaimed and grabbed his arm before dragging him towards my room.

"Did you just call me a twig?" he asked in amusement as I closed the door behind us.

"Tell me the truth," I demanded, ignoring his question. "Is there anything goin' on between you and Morgana? 'Cause Gwen says that you gave her some flowers and she was heart-broken, you butt-wart!"

His jaw dropped and he put a hand to his forehead as he whispered, "Oh, no."

I think that reaction is enough to know that he hasn't forgotten about Gwen.

"I promise it is not like that, Astra," my best friend continued. "It is just… I know what Morgana is going through, and I wanted to be supportive without having to tell her…"

"Yeah, I figured as much," I said and patted his arm, giving him a sympathetic look. "You should talk to Gwennie, then. Clear things up."

"I will," he assured me.

"Good," I nodded. Then I glared at him and punched his arm.

"Ow!"

"That's for not tellin' me what you were doing with the druids!" I scolded in a yelled whisper. "I could've steered Arthur away from them, instead of towards!"

"I am sorry. It was an impulsive thing," he replied sheepishly.

I scoffed and shook my head in disbelief, then I jumped to give him a tight hug – which he was quick to return as he let out a long exhale. I could feel his body releasing some tension, which made me smile a little.

"I missed you," I mumbled. "I had to deal with that arrogant jerk Arthur on my own."

"Oh, I am sure you were very distressed," he said teasingly. I pushed away from him and slapped his arm again, causing him to laugh. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

"Shut up," I grumbled.

Merlin took a deep breath, as if to sober himself up. "I should probably find Gwen," he noted.

"And I wanna go to sleep, so shoo," I responded as I moved to open the door for him, giving him a mock bow.

"All right," he said and paused beside me, surprising me by pressing a kiss to the top of my head, which made me grin and I decided to forgive him for teasing me about Arthur… for now.

"I love you, Merls," I told him.

"I love you, too, Astra," he responded softly before finally leaving.

I felt my heart grow three sizes in my chest and I let out a sigh of contentment before closing the door and throwing myself onto my bed. I'm so glad to have Merlin as my best friend.

Now, where was I? Oh, yeah – I accidentally got a bunch of people killed!