Camelot

April, 506 AD

For the fourth consecutive morning, I was coerced by Uther into having breakfast with the royal household, rather than with Merlin and Gaius. Ever since the almost-wedding two weeks ago, the King has been keeping me closer. He's still grateful that I tried to get the Camelot-Gawant union to happen, you see. I've stopped feeling guilty about it, and now I just have to restrain laughter every time it's brought up.

Obviously, I miss spending more time with my former roomies, but I can't complain too much when I'm getting to spend extra time with Arthur.

Having finished my food, I entertained myself by building little structures with my silverware while the two Pendragon men discussed something related to land distribution and stuff. I don't know. I wasn't paying much attention as I tried to get the knife to stand on its side.

"...Gwen. She did not turn up for work this morning," Morgana said as she walked into the room, snapping me out of my childish game and making the stubborn knife fall again.

My heart-rate began to accelerate. Would she have dared to hurt Gwen?! She was okay with leaving Merlin and I to die, so probably… What would she want with her, though?! Maybe she discovered something inconvenient?!

Suddenly, my stomach threatened me with expelling my breakfast.

I made eye-contact with my best friend – who was on standby playing waiter – and I instantly saw the panic in his gaze.

"That is not like her," Arthur mentioned with a slight frown.

"I know, it is strange," Morgana responded in a deflated tone. "I hope nothing is wrong."

Well, she appears genuinely concerned… But actors exist… I doubt Tom Holland was truly dying when Spider-Man turned to dust…

"You need not worry, Morgana," Uther said as he reached to grab her hand gently. "After all, if your maid can no longer be relied upon, we can easily replace her."

My eyes widened and I scoffed, "Utah – Gwen is sweet and loyal to the bones. Good luck replacing 'er."

Arthur placed a hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I am sure she will turn up soon enough," he contributed.

"Yeah," I breathed out and stood up while giving Merlin a nod.

"Where are you going?" Uther questioned while narrowing his eyes at me.

"To check Gwen's home n' figure out what's up," I responded.

"That is not your job!" the King argued.

"Father," Arthur interfered while giving the man a pointed look, which caused him to huff. Then he grabbed my arm. "Be careful. And take Merlin with you."

I nodded and glanced at my best friend. He set down a pitcher he'd been holding and the two of us hurried to get out of the room, our arms automatically linking together as we crossed the door.

I glanced up at Merlin's face and my heart churned when I saw how worried he looked. "She'll be fine, Merls," I assured him. "If you n' I can beat the odds, so can she."

"I hope so," he mumbled.

I stopped by my room to grab my sword in its holster, and then we continued on our way.

Ten minutes later, we reached Gwen's home and entered it cautiously. Nothing seemed out of place. At least not upon first inspection.

"Gwen?" Merlin called out.

We paused for a few moments. No response came.

"I'll check her room," I told my friend as I let go of his arm.

The two only cloaks I've ever seen her wear were laid out on a chair so, unless she recently acquired a new one, that could be a clue that she made it home last night and that she either left in a hurry… or was taken forcibly by someone. The latter option makes more sense, since leaving in a hurry does not mean one cannot spare a second to grab something warm.

The bed was made, suggesting that she probably didn't go to bed before whatever happened happened. This could place her abrupt departure at about 22:30 – considering that she gets off work at around 22:00, and probably has dinner and some personal time before going to sleep.

Jake Peralta would be proud of me.

"Astra!" Merlin called out and I rushed out of the bedroom.

He held up a rugged grimy beige cloth while pinching his nose with his free hand. I stepped a bit closer and recoiled when I noticed that the cloth gave off a piquant, almost nauseating, scent. My eyes widened.

"Is that, like, the medieval version of chloroform?" I asked. Merlin frowned. "Night-night juice?"

He nodded. "I believe it is."

I let out a shaky breath and bit down on my bottom lip for a moment before suggesting, "We should show it to Arthur. I'm sure he'll be willing to help."

We shared a nod and ran out of the small house, sprinting back towards the castle.

Living in Camelot does wonders for one's fitness!

We skipped the courtesy of knocking when we reached Arthur's room, and entered in a rush.

The Prince stood up from his desk and approached us rapidly.

"Artie – we think Gwen was kidnapped," I blurted out in between heavy breaths.

"I found this in her home," Merlin added as he showed him the cloth.

"It is a scrap of cloth," Arthur pointed out dismissively. Merlin and I shared an unimpressed look. "She is a seamstress, how could this be important?"

"Smell it," Merlin commanded while handing him the cloth,

Arthur frowned. "No, thanks."

"Just smell it," my best friend pressed.

The Prince rolled his eyes and snatched the cloth. Rather than just smelling it, the genius pressed it fully against his face.

"What the f–?!" I cut myself off with a gasp as his eyes rolled backwards and his knees buckled.

Luckily, Merlin acted quickly and used his superpowers to move a chair to catch him just before he could hit the ground.

We shared a wide-eyed look. "He's dumber than a bag of crisps," I mumbled.

Merlin scoffed and picked up the cloth, which had fallen to the ground. I stepped closer to Arthur and brushed some hair away from his eyes while scanning him to make sure he didn't start going pale, or drooling, or something. I'm not entirely sure what side-effects could be expected…

No more than a minute passed before he regained consciousness, though his eyes were still droopy and his body slumped, and he slurred his words as he asked, "What is that?"

"It is a compound of hogswart and valerian," Merlin responded.

Arthur scrunched up his face while rubbing his forehead. "Ugh, what?"

"Night-night juice," I said.

"You could knock a man out with that!" he brilliantly deduced.

Another unimpressed look flashed between Merlin and I before he pointed out, "Yes – or a woman."

Realisation seemed to dawn upon Arthur as his eyes widened and he straightened up. "I will see what I can do," he assured us while standing up.

"Thanks, Artie," I said and stood on my toes, going to press a kiss to the side of his jaw. Except that he turned his head and caught my lips with his, instead. I shoved him back and protested "Dude, not in front of Merls!" which caused him to chuckle and he pressed another quick kiss to my lips before leaving the room – presumably and hopefully to find his father.

Knowing that it would take some time for Arthur to convince Uther to do something to help Gwen, Merlin and I spent the rest of the day and part of the afternoon going around the lower town and riding through the countryside, asking anyone we could find if they'd seen something. Unfortunately, no one was able to tell us anything, and we gave up at about 17:00 when the sun started to set.

We went to the royal apartments, wishing to ask Arthur if any progress had been made. However, we never made it to his room, for we spotted none other than Gwen stumbling out of Morgana's room and dropping a laundry basket in the process. We shared a wide-eyed look and dashed to help her to pick up the clothes.

"Dude, we've been searching all over for you! We were worried sick!" I told her, a relieved smile forming on my face.

She grimaced and avoided both mine and Merlin's gazes as she gathered clothes.

"That is very sweet of you. I just had a cold, that is all," she shakily lied.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think we thought of searching your house before runnin' around the entirety of Camelot like two headless chickens?"

Her eyes widened and she regarded me for a second before returning her attention to the clothes. "Oh, no. Um. I just… I was–"

She was cut off when Merlin suddenly reached for her forearm and he gently lifted it. My breath hitched when I saw that her wrist had an angry black and red bruise circling it.

"Who did that to you?" Merlin demanded in a gentle tone.

"No one, it was an accident," she replied, still avoiding both our gazes as her voice broke towards the end.

"Gwen," he pressed, a bit more sternly. "Look at me."

Her shoulders shook as she began to cry. "It is fine! I am fine!"

I shared a horrified look with Merlin while he moved to place a gentle hand on her shoulder, rubbing it.

"Get 'er home and I'll catch up with you in a sec," I whispered to him. "I'm just gonna let Art know that we found her."

He nodded and helped Gwen to her feet. I gave her a gentle smile and then took off down the corridor towards the Prince's room.

Arthur grinned when he opened the door and he let me inside. "Hello, beautiful," he said. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Even as my heart skipped a beat, I decided not to acknowledge his sweet words in favour of more important things. "We found Gwen," I said rapidly. "She's okay. Kinda. I'll update ya' when I know more. But there's no need for a search party anymore."

"That is great news," he responded as he placed his hands on my waist.

"Thanks for the help, you're the best," I continued and reached up to kiss the side of his jaw. "I gotta catch up with her and Merls. See ya' later."

I turned to leave the room, but he stopped me by catching my arm as he said, "Hold on." I gave him a quizzical look and he smirked as he pulled me flush against his chest. "Merlin is not here…"

Before I could question what he meant, his soft lips were pressed against mine and he raised a hand to the side of my face. I knew fully well that there were more important matters at hand, but I allowed myself the luxury of kissing him for a bit. I pulled away when he tried to deepen it and kissed his cheek.

"I really have to go, Artie. I'll come by later."

"All right," he breathed out and kissed my forehead before releasing me.

I sprinted all the way towards Gwen's house and found her sitting at her kitchen bench, staring off into nothing with a look of sorrow on her features. Merlin stood over the stove, cooking something.

"How're you doing?" I asked Gwen as I sat down on the table.

"I feel better now that I am here," she responded with a barely noticeable grin. "Thank you. Both of you."

"You're our friend. It's what we do," I responded.

"So, what happened?" Merlin asked as he gently handed her a cup of something. Probably tea. And he sat down next to her.

Gwen quickly shook her head. "It is better if you do not know."

"Gwennie, someone hurt you, you can't keep this to yourself," I said gently. "Please trust that we have your back no matter what."

She sighed and then nodded. "It was Cenred. He has my brother captive, and he wanted me to see it. Then he said that I have a week to bring him Arthur, or he will kill Elyan…" She trailed off as she began to sob again.

I shared a wary look with Merlin. If Cenred is behind this, then that means that Morgause and Morgana are probably involved in some way as well. I can't believe that Morgana would hurt Gwen! Merlin and I, sure – we're meddling kids. But Gwen?!

"I do not understand. Why your brother? Why you?" Merlin questioned. Gwen shrugged in response.

I nibbled on my bottom lip while I pondered the question. Obviously, they know that Arthur cares enough about his people to help out in a situation like this one.

"It is common knowledge that Arthur would lay down his life for any of his subjects," Merlin echoed my thoughts with a sigh. "Cenred could have taken anyone."

"He just happened to find a great bargaining chip with your brother," I added in a mumble.

"I am so sorry. This is my problem, I did not mean to involve you," Gwen cried.

"Gwennie, you're our friend," I repeated.

"We are not going to let you face this alone," Merlin added.

"Arthur or no Arthur, we're gonna help you get your brother back whether you like it or not," I promised her.

A smile of relief broke on her face for a couple of seconds, but the tears continued to fall. Merlin hugged her tightly and she let herself fall against him.

"I'm gonna go ahead and tell Artie what happened," I whispered and my best friend nodded.

Gwen pushed away from Merlin just as I stood up, and she wiped her eyes before turning to me. "N-no, I am coming with you. H-he should hear it from me."

So the three of us went to Arthur's room and Gwen immediately started to explain what happened again.

Once story time was over, I turned to the Prince and asked, "Any idea where Cenred may be keepin' Elyan?"

"The Castle of Fyrien, I am sure of it," he responded.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Fyrian was a merchant," he explained. "He built a castle on the Seas of Meredor as an outpost for trade routes to the east, but when war broke out with Caerleon, the trade dried up and the castle was abandoned."

"So it is ruined now," Merlin deduced.

"No, it was built to withstand anything," Arthur replied. "For Cenred, it is the perfect hideout."

I raised an eyebrow. I wonder if it's still around in the twenty-first century after the Norman conquest, and the Wars of the Roses, and a bunch of civil wars, and two world wars… A grin accidentally formed on my lips at my nerdy contemplations, though I dropped it as soon as I noticed it.

"It does not sound like an easy place to get into," Merlin pointed out.

"It is not. It will be well defended," Arthur responded with a slight shake of his head.

"I am sorry, I should not have brought this to you," Gwen cut in, her face contorting in sorrow again.

Arthur moved closer to her and looked her in the eyes as he gently reassured her, "You did the right thing. Your brother will come to no harm, I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" she questioned.

The Prince grinned as he glanced up at me, then at Merlin. "Because we are going to rescue him."

My eyes widened slightly when a buzzing electricity was suddenly shot through my nervous system, spreading a feeling that I'm not sure how to describe. All I know is that it carried pride, and love, and… well… I guess I could say 'adoration'. It felt peaceful, despite the tumult we're facing. As if I'd just reached the garden of Eden after wandering around Purgatory for years.

I'm absolutely, completely, and irredeemably in love with Arthur.

"Cenred wants you dead. That is why he is doing this," Gwen reminded the Prince, snapping me out of whatever weird daze possessed me.

"I know," he replied with an almost nonchalant attitude. "Cenred has wanted Camelot's throne for as long as I can remember."

"Then we will be walking into a trap," Merlin mentioned.

"It's not a trap if we know about it," I countered as a grin formed on my lips again.

"Yes. Not necessarily," Arthur agreed, shooting me a pretty smile that caused more bursts of electricity.

What the heck has he done to me?!

"Will the King allow you to go?" Merlin questioned.

"There's this concept that people call 'lying', Merls…" I pointed out in a playfully condescending manner and smirked when he raised an eyebrow.

Arthur, Merlin and I exchanged one last nod of silent agreement before the Prince pushed open the doors to the council room. "Father!"

Uther didn't bother to look up from the document he was perusing as he asked in a disinterested manner, "What is it?"

"It is, uh… It is slightly awkward," Arthur responded, feigning embarrassment as he fiddled with his hands.

"Oh?" Uther said, still not interested.

"I was drawn into a wager…" Arthur said. "And I lost…"

"Arthur, you know how I disapprove of gambling," Uther scolded, his focus remaining on the document as he started writing something.

"I know, and I am sorry," the Prince replied.

"How much do you owe?" the King questioned.

"Two silk dresses."

Uther recoiled and frowned as he finally looked up at his son. "Excuse me?"

I bit back a giggle and shared an amused look with Merlin.

"Well, at least enough silk to have them made, anyway," Arthur continued.

"What kind of wager was this, exactly?" Uther wondered. His eyes fell on me, "Are you behind this?"

"No, sir," I responded. He wouldn't believe that I want dresses. "It was Morg's idea."

Uther bursted out laughing and he shook his head as he did so. "I should have guessed," he said in between chuckles. "Really, Arthur, you should know better than to bet against Morgana."

"I know," Arthur responded nonchalantly. "And the thing is – the cloth cannot be obtained in Camelot. So, we," he draped an arm over my shoulders, "are going to have to leave the city for a couple days."

Here comes the interesting part. Uther either won't bat an eye, or he'll think that we're trying to sneak off to do inappropriate things…

The King turned towards me as he narrowed his eyes. "You are going with him, Astraea?"

"Well, yeah. We don't want 'em bringing back the wrong fabric," I responded with a chuckle.

Uther laughed again and nodded, "Yes. You are right. I suppose I could make things work without you for a couple of days."

I smirked in triumph.

The King turned back to his son, still chuckling as he cautioned, "I would get going if I were you. You do not want to keep Morgana waiting. She will have your guts."

I cringed at his wording, knowing that Morgana would probably literally gut Arthur if left to her devices. I'm pretty sure she's behind this whole thing with Gwen's brother!

"Thank you, father," Arthur said as he began pulling me towards the door.

"Thanks, Utah," I echoed.

We're all geniuses.

The next morning, I woke up before sunrise and hurried to pack my waterproof duffel bag for the journey. Then I went downstairs to have a quick breakfast with Gaius and Merlin, and then my best friend and I journeyed towards the stables so that we could prepare the horses.

I very reluctantly got Sawyer from the paddocks for Gwen. I know that we're doing this to help her, but I still wish she'd stay back. She's not a trained fighter, and I'm scared she might get hurt. But she refuses to stay behind even when Merlin and I begged her to, and I can't say I blame her for it. I'd be just as stubborn if I were in her place.

A smirking Morgana suddenly showed up at the stables, with Gwen behind her, and she halted beside the saddle stand that carried Falcon's equipment as she asked Merlin, "Are you not forgetting something?"

"I do not think so," he responded politely.

"But I am coming with you," she stated. "Did Arthur not tell you?"

There was a dark and sinister look in her eyes that made my stomach tremble.

I dropped my head. She's gonna trip us up, isn't she?

"No, he did not," Merlin answered.

"Well, I'm sure you can saddle Ella all on your own," I muttered and nodded towards a rack from which a bunch of halters hang.

"Ella?" she scoffed. "Please, I have moved on to better things." She grabbed a halter and left the barn to go to the paddocks.

I frowned, feeling hurt that she doesn't even care about Ella anymore, and moved on to help Gwen to secure her bag behind Sawyer's saddle.

Morgana returned with a beautiful tall, grey, Iberian-style horse. I must admit, he's majestic to behold. At least until you put him near Dallas…

"Do not just stand there, Merlin. Get him saddled," Arthur commanded as he appeared on the scene.

"I'll help ya'," I grumbled to my best friend and moved to pick up a brush so that I could clean the horse's back.

Merlin approached Arthur and I watched out of the corner of my eye as they had a hushed conversation that I couldn't quite make out. All I know is that it ended with my best friend looking entirely frustrated as the Prince gave him a mocking look before moving towards Tequila.

"So I take it we're stuck with Madame Mim?" I asked Merlin in a whisper when he started helping me to saddle Morgana's horse.

"Madame Mim?" he echoed while frowning.

"I showed ya' 'The Sword in the Stone', didn't I?"

He snorted at that and a small grin formed on his lips, which made me smile a little.

Soon enough, everyone was mounted and I nudged Dallas ahead of the party, needing a couple of moments to breathe as the apprehension for whatever Morgana could be planning started to constrain my lungs.