Camelot

April, 505 AD

"What you saw is seldom seen, children," Gaius said in a grave voice once Merlin finished explaining what we had discovered. "Trolls despise all other living things, especially humans. They prefer to lurk in the darkness of their nests, feasting on rotten filth."

As it turns out, Catrina's a troll, not an ogre. We really reach new levels of crazy each week, huh?

I let out a puff.

"And Jonas? Is he a troll, too?" Merlin wondered.

"Who can tell what manner of creature he is?" the physician replied with a shrug.

"What's it doin' in Camelot, if they hate people?" I asked while tilting my head.

"Trolls are greedy," Gaius explained. "Lady Catrina is like the rest of her kind; she lusts after wealth and power."

"So… Utah is like a troll sugar daddy?" I questioned, getting puzzled looks from both males. I sighed in frustration and quickly explained the concept of a 'sugar daddy' – which resulted in two very mortified medievals. "Yeah, the twenty-first century's wild," I noted.

"We have reached the point of no return," Gaius stated as he stood up once he got over the horror of my revelations. "Uther needs to be told."

"You are going to tell Uther that his new lady-friend is a troll?" Merlin asked with a worried look.

"That is exactly what I am going to do," the physician replied with a determined look in his eyes.

Merlin and I shared a dubious look and I made a 'tsk' sound before mumbling, "Yikes."

"Good luck," Merlin threw in.

I'm willing to bet good money that Uther would hear none of it. But I chose to remain optimistic as I watched the elderly man walk out of the room.

My best friend and I waited patiently for Gaius to return from his brave fool's errand while playing chess on the kitchen bench.

"So…" he spoke suddenly, causing my eyes to dart towards him, "you and Arthur."

I felt my face warm up. "What about us?" I questioned.

"You are finally together," he responded while grinning.

"Kinda, I guess," I mumbled with a shrug.

He snorted and shook his head before making a move on the game. "He talks about you all the time, you know?" he noted in a soft tone. My leg began to bounce up and down as I glanced at him. What am I supposed to reply? "He says that you are very confusing…"

"I'm not confusing, he's confusing," I grumbled while making my own move.

"I told him that you simply get nervous," my friend continued, seemingly ignoring my comment.

"I don't get nervous," I defended. "I'm just not programmed for whatever's happening between us."

Merlin chuckled and sent me a look I couldn't decipher before making another move. "He truly likes you," he affirmed.

"That's what he said…" I really don't see the point of this conversation! I want it to end before my heart bursts out of my chest from beating so erratically.

"Believe it, then," he responded.

How can I? The idea of someone liking me is insane! So I simply sent him a glare as a silent request to get him to shut up and returned my attention to the game.

"I am happy for you, Astra."

I'm happy, too. I'm just terrified that it won't last. Staying in limbo seems a lot safer than venturing out and ending up with a broken heart, y'know?

I forced a little grin, "Thanks, buddy."

Gaius returned to the room some five minutes later. Unsurprisingly, he had a defeated look on his face and his shoulders were slumped. Imagine my shock!

Merlin and I shared a knowing look.

"Please – do not say anything, children," the physician warned us while pointing a menacing finger.

"We were not going to say anything," Merlin claimed.

"You were going to say 'I told you so,'" Gaius argued.

"All right, we were," my best friend conceded and raised his hands in surrender, "but we are not going to now."

I scoffed and nudged his arm, "Speak for yourself."

"Astraea," Gaius said in a disapproving tone.

"We should've bet money," I noted.

"Astraea!"

"Sorry," I responded with a smirk. "What did Utah say, then?"

The physician sighed, "He did not take it too well–"

"Called it!" I blurted out.

"Astraea!"

"What? I didn't say 'I told you so'!" I countered, then I paused and tilted my head. "Well, now I did."

"You are incorrigible," the elderly man grumbled with a shake of his head. "Uther is a proud man, but he is not stupid," he continued.

"If you say so," I muttered under my breath. Merlin snorted beside me and I grinned before offering him a high-five, which he accepted.

"Children!" Gaius scolded.

"Sorry," we said at the same time while sharing an amused look.

"He will reflect on what I said, I am sure he will," the physician continued.

"Let us hope you are right," Merlin replied.

The equestrian facilities are most peaceful at night, when they are deserted (except for the horses, of course) and devoid of loud knights and busy stablehands. It was so quiet that crickets could be heard clearly as they spoke to the stars.

The cool breeze felt refreshing against my face, a very welcome contrast to how often people have been making me blush recently.

I worked on grooming Dallas while softly singing 'Fire In My Heart' by Simple Plan to myself, relishing in the horsey scent that he expelled with every stroke of the brush, and finding some relaxation in the sound of him munching on hay.

Dallas suddenly perked up at something and I followed his line of sight to find none other than the handsome Arthur freaking Pendragon walking towards me. I instantly tensed up and moved to tangle my fingers in Dallas's mane in search of comfort.

"You did not join us for dinner, again," the Prince stated as he reached me.

A small sheepish smile formed on my lips at the thought that he might want me to be with him during dinner. "Sorry, I got caught up with Merls n' Gaius," I responded. I also didn't wanna be around the troll, of course; but I can't tell him that, obviously.

Maybe we should tell him that… but I need to discuss it with my former roomies first.

Arthur shrugged and moved to stand right beside me as he ran a gentle hand over my horse's withers. The sight caused my intestines to melt like Swiss cheese. I glanced up at his face, which was being breath-takingly illuminated by the moonlight, and I noticed that he looked slightly troubled.

"You okay?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper. "You seem kinda off…"

He looked down at me as a small grin formed on his lips and he nodded, "Yeah… just some nonsense."

"I-it's not nonsense if it's worrying you," I offered.

Arthur let out a sigh and turned to face me fully. I guess he wants to talk about it. I threw Dallas's brush aside so that I wouldn't get distracted by that task, and kept stroking his mane as I stepped back to put a little more distance between the Prince and I. I can't very well listen to what he has to say if I'm too busy trying not to melt into a puddle, y'know?

"Well, my father and Catrina have been getting very close very quickly," he stated. I nodded, knowing that that is true. "I have never seen him like this about anyone… he seems almost entranced… and I am worried that she might be using him for wealth… or power…"

My eyes widened at the realisation that he has some suspicions about her. This is great! I mean, we might end up having to freaking slay the freaking troll, so it'd be nice to have someone who knows his way around swords on our side, y'know?

"Gaius, Merls n' I are sceptical of 'er as well," I revealed when he trailed off. He raised his eyebrows in what I suppose was a silent request for further explanation. "Have you heard of her bone condition thing?" I asked.

He shook his head 'no', so I went on to explain the basics of what I know from the physician.

"So… what you are telling me is that you think she is not who she appears to be?" he concluded with a frown.

"Yahtzee!" I responded, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, but he didn't seem to be in the mood for it as he dropped his head, appearing pensive. I sighed and said in a more serious tone, "Yeah, Gaius is lookin' into it. I'll let ya' know when we know more." If I'm allowed to, that is…

He looked up at me and smiled a little. "Thank you, Astra," he responded and then slowly reached towards me. I hesitantly placed my hand in his and my breath hitched when he gently drew me closer to his body before wrapping his arms around my waist. I relaxed when I realised that he was simply hugging me and I returned it, letting my head rest against his chest.

I could get used to this.

"What did you say these are called, again?" Merlin asked while eyeing the pack of tortillas atop the counter almost with mistrust. Unfortunately, the treat of quesadillas would be a one-time thing for us, since I didn't think to print out instructions for how to make them before returning from Texas; even if I did bring corn seeds.

"Tortillas," I responded.

"Tor…" he trailed off and tilted his head, making me chuckle.

"They're Mexican," I explained.

"What is that?"

I huffed. "Mexico is a country that borders the US."

Silence reigned from then on as we continued to prepare the simple quesadillas. Actually, that's a lie, 'cause I started to sing 'I Can't Hold Back' by Survivor as soon as I got bored; which Merlin became annoyed by very quickly, which only spurred me on.

A pale-looking Gaius returned from a summoning by the King some minutes later and I instantly shut up while exchanging a worried look with my best friend.

"Uther has asked Catrina to stay in Camelot indefinitely," the man revealed as he sat down at the kitchen bench.

"Oh, man, I can't wait 'til he finds out the truth 'bout 'er," I noted with a giggle.

"Astraea!" Gaius scolded while Merlin gave me a nudge, though he didn't hold back an amused grin. "It is no good, children," the physician continued. "I can tell him she is a troll until I am blue in the face, he simply will not listen. He sees a charming, beautiful woman."

"Yeah, with a body like a tree trunk," Merlin quipped.

"Noice," I said with a snort and offered a high-five – which he accepted while we ignored a disapproving look from our guardian.

"We only know that because you saw her in the troll form," the elderly man noted.

"So what do we do?" my best friend questioned.

Gaius sighed and dropped some tension before answering, "We must open Uther's eyes, show her for what she really is."

"So do we, like, serve her horse poop on a plate in front of Utah n' hope she eats it?" I wondered with a giggle.

Merlin scrunched up his nose, "Ew!"

"I know, but it could work!" I defended.

"There is another course of action, children," the physician interjected while cautiously eyeing the sorcerer.

"Using magic?" Merlin brilliantly deduced.

Gaius nodded, "It is the only way to reveal her true form."

"She never leaves his side," my best friend noted.

"I know…" the elderly man acknowledged, not removing his eyes from my best friend. It almost looked as if he was trying to tell him something telepathically. I don't think they have telepathy, though… And if they do, they're rude not to include me.

Merlin's eyes suddenly widened as he questioned, "You want me to use magic in front of the King?"

"Yes, Merlin," Gaius responded softly. "I do."

I raised my eyebrows and reached for a quesadilla.

My best friend started to pace the width of the kitchen. "I-I would never get away with it," he worried.

"I am sorry, Merlin. I know how dangerous this is, but we cannot allow it to gain any further control over the King," Gaius stated in a grave tone. "Who knows what the consequences might be?"

"Arthur may end up havin' some fugly siblings, for one," I stated, grimacing at the idea and earning alarmed looks from my two companions. "Is that even biologically possible? Can a troll and a human have a kid?"

"Astraea!" Gaius cried.

"Wait! Hold on! I don't wanna know–"

"Shut up," Merlin grumbled and nudged my side. I gulped and shoved another quesadilla into my mouth so that my brain would be forced to stop using it to blurt out thoughts.

The entirety of that day was spent with the three of us swimming through an endless sea of books on magic in search of a spell that could potentially reveal the troll's true form.

My stinging eyes were begging me to close them by the time the sun began to set and I ended up hitting my head against the table when it accidentally dropped, which startled the crap out of me and my companions. I released a frustrated sigh and went to prepare a pot of coffee so that I'd get some extra fuel.

I filled three-quarters of a mug and then poured in a quarter of milk, two teaspoons of sugar, and a drop of vanilla.

Merlin suddenly gasped as I was stirring the mug, causing me to splash some of its contents on myself and I sent him a glare before rushing to clean my black hoodie so that the stain wouldn't be permanent.

"Here – the spell of revelation," my best friend said excitedly as he stood up and moved to show Gaius the book he'd been reading. "By which the true nature of the thing may be revealed."

The physician took a minute or so to scan the spell and I moved to stand beside Merlin, feeling curious to hear a verdict.

"But this applies only to objects, things, not to living creatures," the physician noted with a worried expression.

"I know," Merlin conceded with a sigh, "but the principle is the same, is it not?"

Gaius gave him a sceptical look.

"It's the best we've found all day. I say we give it a shot," I threw in my two cents with a shrug.

"Very well," the elderly man relented with a sigh. "But Merlin, choose your moment carefully. Trolls are vicious creatures."

The conversation was interrupted by a startling knock on the door that caused yet another coffee splash and I groaned before moving to get cleaned up again. A guard entered the room and announced that Uther was requesting our presence in the council chambers. We exchanged concerned glances.

Merlin and I walked slightly Gaius as we made our way through the corridors, and I didn't miss the distressed look on the elderly man's face as he walked quicker than usual with tense shoulders.

"Maybe it's nothing bad," I offered, even if I knew that it almost certainly was something bad. "Maybe he'll announce something fun, like… he's gonna install an indoor pool, y'know? Or a sundae bar! Or a ferris wheel!"

"Do you have an off button?" Merlin suddenly asked, interrupting my ramblings as he began to carelessly tap my shoulder.

I chuckled at his use of modern terms and slapped off his hand before responding, "Well, there's supposed to be a spot somewhere on people's necks that you can press to knock 'em out, but I dunno where exactly."

He raised an incredulous eyebrow at me, I shrugged, he shook his head and nudged my side before speeding up. So I caught up and linked my arm with his, shooting him an innocent grin. He snorted in amusement, causing me to smile fully.

Everyone in the council chambers seemed as puzzled as we were at the spontaneous meeting and I could hear the confused chatter echoing throughout.

I spotted Arthur across the room and he gave me a small grin while waving me over. I squeezed Merlin's arm before letting him go, figuring that I could get some intel from the Prince. And also, y'know, we're kinda, sort of, in some way, 'together' now and I enjoy being near him. Well, mostly. I mean, I like him, but I hate the uncontrollable effect he has on my dumbass heart.

"D'ya know what he'll say?" I asked as I came to a stop beside him.

He sighed and shook his head. "We have not spoken much recently," he said in a somewhat deflated tone. "He has been preoccupied with his lady-friend."

I gave his arm an awkward pat and sent him a sympathetic look. It must be hard to have Uther as a father… I wonder what my own father would've been like… He wasn't a king, obviously – he was a historian…

Shut up, brain! This is not the time to be thinking about this!

Uther entered the room moments later, his arm joined with Catrina's. The courtiers quickly cleared the way for them as they walked towards the other end. Then they turned around and the King smiled in a disturbing manner that seemed unnatural on his face. He seemed truly joyous for the first time since I've met him. He seemed… enamoured? Oh, crap, is he truly in love with a troll?! Troll bit aside, he only met her some days ago! You can't fall in love that quickly!

"Thank you all for coming," Uther addressed the crowd, his beaming smile not fading. I stepped closer to Arthur, feeling slightly creeped out by the strange state that his father was in – so contrasting with his usual stoic and intimidating demeanour. Somehow, this is scarier.

"You are, no doubt, wondering why I have gathered you here today," the King continued. "Though we live in dark times, today I bring you light… and love." He turned towards Catrina, his smile growing.

I shared a wide-eyed look with Merlin, who stood across from me on the other side of the room.

"It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Houses of Tregor and Pendragon are to be united in the closest bond of all," Uther stated, his words sending chills up my spine. I held my breath in anticipation of what I knew was coming next. "I am to marry Lady Catrina of Tregor," the King announced proudly.

Almost everyone in the room started clapping except for me, my former roomies and – not surprisingly – Arthur; who instead dropped his head, looking troubled. I gave his arm a gentle nudge, hoping to silently communicate that he wasn't alone in feeling uneasy about the situation.

I watched as Catrina whispered something in Uther's ear. "I am to marry Lady Catrina tomorrow," he stated and I could've sworn there were happy tears in his eyes.

Does he look like a mind-controlled fool to anyone else?

I looked around the room in search of my best friend, who had disappeared at some point, while the foolish King continued to blabber on about how this union is a brilliant idea and a new beginning for the kingdom. I mean, I guess he's right about the latter bit – just not in the way he's likely anticipating. Camelot's out, Middle-earth is in…

A sudden subtle brush of Arthur's hand against mine snapped my attention towards him. I noted that he seemed puzzled – and even a bit frightened – as he discreetly nodded towards Catrina. I quickly moved my focus towards her and found that her face was twitching in a strange way, her body suddenly tense and unmoving.

I guess Merlin must be doing his thing.

But, other than the unusual movement of her facial features, nothing visibly changed in the impostor's physical appearance and, eventually, the spasms ceased; leading me to conclude that the spell hadn't been powerful enough.

"Thank you," Uther ended his speech with another creepy smile and applause broke out throughout the room once more.

"Fork," I mumbled under my breath.

I received the green-light from Gaius and Merlin to tell Arthur the truth about Catrina after the miserable failure with the revelation spell; so I hesitantly made my way towards his room while my brain bombarded me with questions.

What if he doesn't believe me? What if he thinks I've lost my head completely and kicks me to the curb? What if I trip up and somehow give away my best friend's big secret?

I knocked on the door before I could chicken out and held my breath when I was let inside, nibbling on my bottom lip as I racked my mind for a way to begin this. I probably should've thought about that before knocking, aye?

Then I remembered that Arthur had seemed troubled during the council meeting and I shoved all thoughts of trolls aside for a moment as I let my eyes fall on him and asked, "Are you okay?"

He sighed, "I knew that my father and Catrina were getting close, but I never expected something like this to happen so soon… especially not without him mentioning it to me first."

I stepped closer to him when I noticed the slightly pained look on his face and I hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a few gentle pats. His lips curved upwards and he reached up to cover my hand with one of his.

I dropped my head. Should I just rip off the band-aid? I mean, his reaction will probably be the same whether I sugar-coat it or not; and I'd rather not waste too much energy and time on this.

I sighed and looked back up at him, then I bit down on my lip again and tilted my head. This can go very wrong very quickly! However, if he's inevitably gonna kick me to the curb, I'd rather it be sooner than later. Before I can get more attached to him.

Oh, well.

"Art – remember the other night when you caught Merls spyin' on Catrina?" I asked.

He frowned, "Yes…"

"Well, he wasn't being a perv…" I revealed, "we were just tryin' to find out more about her… 'cause, y'know, we had our suspicions from the start… And we found out that she's… a… troll."

I recoiled a little when the Prince began to laugh heartily and I dropped my hand from his shoulder, feeling slightly offended that he found this amusing. I'd been expecting anything but that!

My heart thought that it was an appropriate time to skip a beat at the sight of his smile. I wish Tony Stark was real so that I could get him to take a look at my internal wires – 'cause they're severely crossed!

"She is not that bad," Arthur stated while raising his eyebrows.

"I mean it literally, Art!" I protested. "She sleeps in a waste dump, and looks like a rock with warts, and eats poop!"

He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, causing me to tense up. "Astra, I know what you are trying to do, and I appreciate it. Your sense of humour is unparalleled," he stated. I scowled up at him. "But it is not about whether I like her or not, it is about what makes my father happy. And when they announced the wedding today, I realised that Lady Catrina does just that – she makes him happy."

"I'm not joking, Arthur!" I shot back and shrugged off his hands. "I know it's crazy, but I wouldn't make this up!"

Arthur sighed, appearing slightly annoyed, "Astra–"

"Just forget it," I waved him off in a grumble and walked towards the door. "I'll see ya' later."