Camelot

March, 505 AD

I smirked to myself as Dallas slowly creeped up behind Bronze – who was leading the three-unit cavalry along with Arthur – and I whispered a soft "Go", causing my horse to speed up with a mighty push of his hind-quarters. He easily blazed past the other horse and I giggled at the Prince's unintelligible protests as the Thoroughbred and I galloped ahead.

"You do not even know where to go!" Arthur whined as he and Bronze caught up with us.

"Oh, is this the wrong way?" I questioned.

"No…"

"Toodles!" I sent him a wink and prompted my horse to go even faster, relishing in the feeling of his thundering strides sending electrical impulses through the Earth, and the soft wind caressing my face, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

About a minute later, I decided that Dallas could use a breather and I slowed him down into a trot, then into a walk; and I turned my head to find Arthur and Bronze nearing us. Then I frowned when I realised that I couldn't see Merlin and I halted my horse. A second later, a riderless Falcon cantered past Bronze and slowed down to nip at a patch of grass.

My heart froze for a moment and I felt the colour drain out of my face. "Where's Merls?" I questioned the Prince, who was already looking around with a concerned frown on his features.

I moved Dallas towards Falcon and grabbed the latter's reins before prompting both horses into a canter once more as I retraced the path. Arthur and Bronze were quick to follow.

No more than a minute passed before I found my best friend, sitting criss-cross on the ground with a defeated and slightly dazed look on his face. A bit of tension dissipated from my body at seeing that he wasn't visibly injured, but I still felt anxious. "Dude – what the hell happened?!" I asked.

"I must have fallen asleep," he responded in a mumble. I gave him a sympathetic look. I can't blame him for being tired – I am, too. We've been on the road for some fifteen hours and haven't stopped to rest once. "Ugh, I am exhausted," he added with a groan.

Arthur moved Bronze to stand beside Dallas and, before I could fully process his intentions, he'd turned his canteen upside down and splashed water all over the sorcerer, who jolted and gasped.

"Thank you, I feel so much better," Merlin said sarcastically. Water dripped from his hair as he lazily stood up.

"What the heck is wrong with you!?" I yelled at Arthur.

"Guinevere's life is at stake!" he snarled in response. "We cannot afford to waste a second!"

Merlin's eyes widened in realisation and he hurried to get back on Falcon.

"Well, we won't do her any good if we're sleep-deprived by the time we find 'er," I mumbled and nudged Dallas ahead. We'll just circle back if Arthur decides we went the wrong way.


A sudden rush of coolness startled me awake and my eyes instantly found Arthur standing above me, his canteen in hand once more as he splashed me – and Merlin, who jolted up beside me.

"What the f*ck is up with you, you jerk!?" I shouted at the Prince as I scrambled to my feet and shoved him backwards (not that he budged an inch). He rolled his eyes and turned around, moving towards Bronze. "Hey! I'm talkin' to ya'!" I growled as I dashed to block his path. "You've been especially butt-headed for the past few days and it's gettin' on my last nerve!"

Arthur clenched his jaw and stepped around me to go to his horse, still not answering.

I felt a pang in my chest as I thought of how his behaviour towards me did a complete one-eighty turn in the past two days, and I dropped my head as a lump formed in my throat. I thought we were at least friends…

"She is right, Arthur," Merlin backed me up, suddenly standing beside me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

The Prince froze for a moment before he finally turned around to face us. "Stop playing innocent! I can see right through the both of you!" he snapped, his face turning slightly red.

I recoiled and frowned, "What the heck are you talking about?!" I glanced at my best friend for a second, wondering if he had any clue as to what Arthur was talking about, but he seemed as puzzled as I felt.

"You think you are so sneaky!" Arthur spoke in a rage as his eyes darted between us. "But I– we are aware of the glances, the hugs, the words..."

I exchanged another confused look with Merlin before narrowing my eyes at the blond. Is he… like… having a stroke or something?

"And Gwen knows as well, so you can stop pretending! It is over!" Arthur continued to rant as he paced.

I leaned closer to my best friend to whisper, "Is there a reset button we can push?"

"A what?" he whispered back.

"Never mind," I waved him off.

I sighed and moved closer to the Prince, praying I wouldn't get smacked as I grabbed the sleeve of his chainmail to get him to stop moving. His eyes met mine in a second and I flinched back at the wild look he sported. "Care to catch us up?" I asked him as softly as I could. "'Cause we're lost."

"I heard you in your room the other day!" Arthur spat, causing me to flinch back again as I let go of the chainmail.

My eyes widened and I turned to my best friend. Did I accidentally blast out music without my earbuds at some point? Or watch a movie/series? Did I say something that could implicate me aloud? Did Merlin? Are we gonna get tried for witchcraft?!

The sorcerer was beside me in a second, throwing an arm over my shoulders. "Breathe," he commanded and I took in a deep breath, realising that I'd paused my oxygen intake for a few moments. "Arthur, what did you hear?" he then asked the Prince.

"I heard that you two are in love with one another!" Arthur roared, panting heavily.

I felt stunned for a second, as if lightning had hit me. Then a wave of realisation flowed through me and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Wait, you think that Merls and I–" I couldn't finish my sentence because it only made me laugh harder and I had to steady myself against the sorcerer – who was frozen in place – so that I wouldn't fall to the ground.

Arthur's face only got redder as some veins popped out and he threw his arms before moving towards Bronze once more.

"Arthur, this is just a big misunderstanding," Merlin promised in a gentle tone.

"Yeah," I supported him, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. Then I risked taking a step closer to the Prince once more as I added, "Merls is like family to me. I love him, but in a purely platonic way." The thought of being involved with Merlin in a romantic way is almost as nauseating as the thought of that with, like… Dallas. Just – no!

"You told Gwen that Astra and I are romantically involved!?" my best friend cried out. "No wonder she was mad at us!"

My eyes widened at his statement, "Everything makes sense now!"

Merlin nodded, a mortified expression taking over his features, and I moved to give his arm a reassuring squeeze before turning to address Arthur once more, "You're sweet to care 'bout Gwen enough to wanna protect her from heartbreak, but I promise Merls only has eyes for her."

I smirked when I saw my best friend blush and then sighed to relieve some stress before moving to get Dallas's tack. Now that the silly little high school drama is sorted out, we need to focus completely on finding Gwen. I don't even want to imagine what she is going through… if she's still even alive…

My heart started to race and I sped up my actions.


As the trek through the forest continued in silence, my thoughts drifted towards San Antonio and my life before Lionelo Hargrove invented time-travel as I recalled a time when a girl from school – I think Annie was her name – went missing, along with her younger sister, back when I was about seven or eight years old. I remember how the highways, and the news, and the streets had been flooded with images of their faces as all authorities moved land and sea to look for them. They were found only a day after the initial reports, both in good health and unharmed. As it turned out, they'd strayed away from their family while they had been shopping at Target and they'd somehow ended up in the storage rooms while playing hide and seek; where they had been locked in.

I love Camelot, of course; but I wish that Uther and the courtiers would be more like the authorities in my time. I'm sure Gwen would already be back home if that was the case.

My train of thoughts ended when Arthur stopped Bronze for no apparent reason and jumped off him.

I looked around in disorientation, realising that I'd spaced out, and noticed that we were near a stream. I sent Merlin a questioning look and he snorted, "We are stopping for a few minutes to allow the horses to drink."

"Oh, cool," I mumbled and hopped off Dallas. Then I secured my stirrups to the saddle, loosened the girth, and took off his neck-rope; allowing him to roam around freely.

The Prince called my best friend and I over as he looked over a map, suddenly appearing eager to share his boy-scout stuff with us.

"The ransom was supposed to be delivered to the Veil of Danaria," he explained while pointing at some vague drawings on the map. "If they are holding Gwen anywhere, it has to be there. Which means…" he trailed off as he gazed beyond the tree-line and at some pretty snow-capped mountains that peeked through in the distance, "it would save a day's riding if we cut through the tunnels of Andor."

I tilted my head as he turned to look at something else and I frowned when I followed his gaze to find multiple entrances to a cave. Or, I guess, tunnels. My lungs were quick to cower at the thought of having to go inside and my muscles tensed up, producing an uncomfortable heat.

"Oh, no. I know that face. I am not going to like this, am I?" Merlin jetted out in an uneasy tone, causing me to turn back towards the boys. "What is in the tunnels?"

"They are infested with wilddeoren," Arthur replied, not meeting my friend's eyes as he gave a little shrug.

I shared a confused look with Merlin. I guess they're another creature that has gone extinct… "What are wilddeoren?" he asked.

"They are like giant–" Arthur started as he opened his arms, making the sorcerer's eyes widen in fear, "–baby rats." Obviously, he changed course just for Merlin's benefit – which means that wilddeoren can't be anything fun.

"Baby rats? They do not sound so bad," my best friend noted with a chuckle.

I gave Arthur a pointed look, silently pressing to know what the catch was. He tilted his head at me, I narrowed my eyes, and he sighed. "They feast on human flesh," he deadpanned.

Merlin tensed up, "Maybe we should go over the mountains."

I looked down at the entrances to the tunnels once more. As much as I'm dreading the idea of having to go in, I know that Gwen's hours could be counted, and I'm not gonna allow fear to slow me down. What kind of friend would I be then?

"Grow a pair, buddy," I told Merlin and patted his arm.

Realising that we were gonna have to leave the horses behind, I untacked all three and gave Dallas a kiss on the muzzle, mumbling an "I love you." There's a lot of grass nearby, a stream, and the trees are enough to shield them from the sunlight, or from rain; which made me confident that they will be all right while we're gone.

Then I took the time to change from my riding boots to the white sneakers I'd packed. The last thing I need is to get a bunch of blisters from trying to navigate the wilderness in shoes that aren't designed for walking. I learned my lesson when I stupidly wore Crocs when I visited Chichen Itza with my Uncle and his family.

Once I was done, I noticed Arthur standing over some bushes that line the stream and he was ripping out some small, red, spherical fruits that I instantly recognised from when I'd been trying to find some food for the people after he'd brought the unicorn curse upon the land.

Tilting my head in curiosity as to what he could want from such foul-smelling fruits, I moved closer to him and scrunched up my face at the rancid sour scent that hit me.

"What the shuck are you doing?" I questioned, grimacing when he crushed the fruits in his hand and started to spread them over his face.

"Wilddeoren are completely blind, they hunt by sense of smell. Gaia berries will put them off the scent. So, if we smear ourselves with them, perhaps we can pass through the tunnels undetected," he explained and then gave me an apologetic look as he offered me some of the fruits he'd crushed.

I raised an eyebrow and then let out a puff. "Dang, who would've known you could be so smart," I teased before sighing in resignation and taking a bit of the nauseating face mask he'd created. "I hope they at least have some benefits for the skin," I added in a mumble. Berries are usually packed with antioxidants, aren't they?

The stench intensified as I spread it over my face, but I held back the protests and resolved to ignore it in favour of greater things. Besides, I grew up on a farm – I can handle stinky fruits.

"Oh! Oh, these stink!" Merlin whined like a little girl as he also smeared the berries on his face. "Oh, they are really bad!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and he turned towards his servant as he stated, "Perhaps you would prefer to be eaten alive."

Merlin froze for a moment while blinking rapidly. "Pass me some more, will you?" he asked while reaching for another bush. I snorted at his reaction.

Soon enough, we were entering the narrow tunnels and my breathing instantly grew strained as I almost felt the rocky walls closing in on me. I bit down on my bottom lip to restrain any protests or involuntary sounds as my heart started to race and pushed myself to follow after Arthur. The boys were gallant enough to keep me in the middle – gotta love very old-fashioned chivalry! – but it only made things worse because it gave me less escape options as my body itched to take off running towards an exit. Still, I forced myself to power through the burning sensation that ignited in my veins.

I didn't come this far in life to get mauled to death because of a panic attack.

A heavy weight on my foot snapped me out of my slight daze. "Ah! I just stood on something!" Merlin cried in a whisper.

"Yeah, me," I retorted and turned around to shove him back. I don't need his uneasy breathing on top of me!

"Sorry," he mumbled.

The tunnels got more narrow and I shrugged off my hoodie as the heat got more intense, tying it around my waist. I bit down on my bottom lip once more to muffle the faint wheezing that my constrained trachea was producing.

"How much further is it?" my friend asked a tense-looking Arthur, who seemed to ignore the question as he halted.

The Prince suddenly put out his torch. "Shh! Wilddeoren coming," he stated in a whisper. "This way." Then he grabbed my hand and I was suddenly pulled into a crease in the walls, where he shielded me with his body.

Merlin was right beside us, his eyes wide as he stared ahead.

I started at a squealing sound that echoed through the underground maze. "Crap," I said under my breath.

I felt like a loser baby when my body started to tremble slightly and I tightened my grip on Arthur's hand in search of some sort of comfort. His free hand moved to gently rub the small of my back and I dropped my head to his chest, letting out a shaky sigh.

"You are all right," he whispered softly. "Whatever happens, keep completely still."

A giant, bald, fugly rodent with big whiskers, tusks and a mole-like nose suddenly approached and I think I died a little inside when it stopped right in front of Merlin. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to watch anymore, and listened as the beast sniffed my best friend thoroughly.

Then, against all odds, it walked away and I could finally breathe a little.

We waited a minute or two before getting out of hiding and continuing.

Lucky for us, the exit to the tunnels led straight to another stream and I pushed past Arthur and sprinted ahead to jump into the water like an enthusiastic Labrador Retriever chasing after a stick – except that I was chasing after any feeling of coolness against my overheated nervous system and a way to get rid of the scent of the stinky berries.

"Astraea! What are you doing?!" an alarmed Arthur asked while eyeing me up and down.

I frowned as I responded, "Washing off…?"

I watched as Merlin casually kneeled down before the stream and splashed some water on his own face before wiping away at the remnants of the fruits; and it was then that I understood why the Prince was making such a fuss: I didn't have to jump fully in the water to get cleaned up. I gave him a sheepish look and a shrug before getting out of the stream and sitting down on the ground some metres away, now shivering from the dampness – but the feeling was much preferable to the scorching warmth I'd been feeling a minute ago.

Arthur gave me a wary look before copying my best friend's actions. "Gaia berries worked," he noted. "Huh."

My head snapped towards him as my eyes widened.

"You did not know if they worked?!" Merlin asked in exasperation.

"Not for sure," the Prince responded nonchalantly as he stood up.

I let out a puff. It's nice to know he's watching out for us.

Merlin stood up as well. "Now you tell me?!" he asked with a look of disbelief. "Oh! Oh, what is that Wilddeoren eating? It is all right. It is just Merlin."

Arthur laughed adorably, a radiant smile forming on his face, and I felt my guts turning to mush at the sight; which caused me to avert my gaze and entertain my brain by throwing a pebble at the water.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!" my best friend accused the Prince.

"Don't worry, bud. Next time we'll take the longer path – who cares if Gwen's hours are counted, right?" I shot at Merlin while standing up and moving to place a hand on his shoulder, effectively shutting him up as he tensed up and gulped. I winked at him, "That's what I thought."

The journey continued promptly and I was quick to regret taking a spontaneous bath when the sun began to set and the atmosphere began to cool down.


It was at about 21:00 that we reached a partly-rundown fortress made of moss-covered dark grey stone; where Arthur swore is where the bandits are keeping Gwen. The building is not as big as Chambord, Burghausen, or even Camelot; but it's not as small as Hever, either.

Before trying anything, we scouted the perimeter while making sure to remain hidden by the forest that surrounds the building. I tripped a couple of times, since I couldn't really see much in the dark of night, and my body was tense as it kept trying to warm itself up – since my clothes were still slightly damp.

The Prince stopped moving as his eyes scanned one of the towers, stopping at the top, where a big open window stood some twelve metres above the ground. "We will have to scale the walls," he stated.

My eyes widened in shock as I turned to him, momentarily wondering if the Gaia berries have any psychedelic effects.

"How the heck are we supposed to do that?!" I asked in exasperation.

"Maybe there is another way in," Merlin very reasonably countered.

"Why do you not go and knock on the front gate? I am sure if you ask nicely, they will hand Guinevere over to you," Arthur responded in an admirable display of sarcasm before walking off. I guess we're really doing this, then.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched him approach the base of the tower and I suddenly wondered what Merlin and I would've done without him. We'd probably be dead already. Or we would've taken a wrong turn and somehow ended up in, like, Rome.

My best friend nudged my side gently, "Come on, Astra."

I sighed shakily and followed him towards the tower.

Arthur was already some three metres up, climbing like a pro alpinist on steroids. On the other hand, I had no idea where to even start. I mean, sure, I went wall-climbing at some point during my childhood – but those things are designed for one to be successful at reaching the top! Not to mention, one gets a harness! This is wild and lethal!

"Do not tell me you are scared," Merlin taunted me as he began to scale, too.

I scoffed and shook my head before sighing in resignation and stepping closer to the wall. "I should've stayed in Texas," I grumbled to myself as I tentatively placed a foot on a stone brick that stood slightly out before reaching for a higher one with a trembling hand.

This is insane, but I did say that I would be willing to give my life to save Gwen's, so I can't backtrack now.

Slowly and shakily, I managed to make my way up in defiance of all odds, and I felt strangely empowered. It was almost as if I'd been taken over by a powerful spirit that was helping to lift me up, because I have no clue how I was doing it otherwise. And yet, doing it I was. Like a superhero!

"You are doing great, Astraea. You are almost there," I heard Arthur speaking softly from some metres above.

I didn't dare to look up, knowing that making eye-contact with him would surely make me lose focus, but his words caused me to smile a little and they gave me a surge of energy that strengthened my rapidly tiring arms.

"You really are completely useless, are you not, Merlin?" The Prince took a different path with my best friend – whom I'd surprisingly overtaken at some point.

"It is harder than it looks," the boy defended and I could hear the strain in his voice, which caused me to feel a bit sympathetic.

After some more minutes – which felt like endless agonising hours – I finally reached the window and Arthur was quick to help me get in. I practically fell against him thanks to how embarrassingly much my legs were trembling and he wrapped an arm around my waist and the other one around my shoulders, holding me safely against his chest.

"I have got you, Astra, you are safe," he whispered gently. I took a deep breath and nodded.

I started when I heard a grunt and a thud, and turned to see what was happening, finding Merlin laying on the floor just below the window, panting heavily.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked, unable to hold back a small grin at the flushed state he was in. You'd think he'd be in better shape given how hard Arthur makes him work.

"Oh yeah, fantastic," he sassed, making me snort.

The three of us kept going once Merlin and I recovered enough from the strain to do so, and Arthur led the way as we snuck through the dark corridors that were plagued with leaks and a mouldy smell. Clearly, this Hengist dude doesn't care for maintenance.

The Prince halted just before an archway without warning, causing me to crash onto him and Merlin onto me. We're lucky that he's so sturdy, or we all would've crumbled to the ground like drunken dominoes.

"Sorry," I whispered when Arthur looked down at me with a raised eyebrow, earning a gentle squeeze to my shoulder.

He peeked around the archway and Merlin moved to follow his actions. So, obviously, I did the same. There were two men seated at a table, playing some sort of game and drinking something. Presumably alcohol. They each had a sword.

"You distract them," Arthur whispered to the sorcerer. "I will knock them out."

"How do I distract them?" Merlin asked.

His question was answered when Arthur put a hand on his back and pushed him inside the room. I slapped a hand over my mouth to cover a gasp. The Prince grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to his side as he pressed himself against the wall. I did the same, holding my breath as I awaited any signs that my best friend was still alive.

"What are you doing here?" I heard one of the men ask in a deep and slurred voice.

"Nothing…" Merlin responded. I sighed. "Actually, it is a funny story. I was out walking and I took a wrong turn and here I am," he blabbered. "Do you know the way to the Veil of Danaria?"

"Who are you?" the other man asked, not sounding pleased… obviously.

"Stay here," Arthur told me and he gave my arm a gentle squeeze before silently creeping into the room. I felt disappointed that I wouldn't get to help, but I obeyed. I doubt there's much I can do, anyways. I can't really fight, and I stupidly forgot my bow inside my duffel bag, which stayed behind with Dallas.

No more than a minute later, I was allowed to move and I joined the two boys inside the room, raising my eyebrows in surprise when I found the enemy men passed out on the floor. I'd been expecting a more chaotic struggle, but I guess the Prince is really good at knocking out people… What an interesting skill to have.

"Let us disguise ourselves," the Prince stated, not hesitating for a second before he ripped a leather vest off one man. I grimaced as he put it on, finding the idea of wearing someone else's clothes nauseating.

Merlin promptly took a similar vest off the other man, along with his chainmail, and slipped both on.

Lucky for me, there were no 'disguises' left.

Arthur handed me one of the men's swords as he commanded, "Stay behind me."

"Okay," I agreed with a sigh. This guy's really testing my tolerance for being given orders!

The three of us continued to sneak around the castle in search of any clues that could tell us where Gwen might be. My brain kept pushing forward the possibility that she might be dead, but I fought against it in a bloody internal battle that threatened to disable my lungs as anxiety rained down on me.

My body jolted when loud cheers echoed through the stone walls and my heart-rate accelerated. I exchanged a wary look with Merlin a second before Arthur stated, "Let us go," and took off jogging down the corridor we were crossing. I'm sure I'm gonna feel the exhaustion in my legs as soon as I'm able to get some rest. Still, I pushed onwards and followed him, my best friend right behind me.

More cheers echoed and a chill ran down my spine. Movies have shown me how shameless men can be… they could easily be using women for their entertainment… captive women… I won't even let my mind spiral down that rabbit hole, 'cause it certainly won't lead to Wonderland.

Arthur must've been a Bloodhound in another life, for he effectively managed to find the source of the cheers, and the sight that greeted us as we reached a large chamber where a crowd of men were gathered was a paralysing one.

The men sat around the room, and in the middle of it stood a large cage, inside of which was a terrified-looking Gwen!

Oh, and freaking Lancelot was with her!

And a wilddeoren!