Somewhere in medieval Britain
April, 506 AD
Wind blew through the temperate forest, rattling the leaves on the trees and on the ground and making them dance and fly away. Birds cawed all around as they jumped from tree to tree, exchanging conversations only intelligible to them.
Dallas, Tequila, Falcon and Sawyer maintained an energetic pace as we walked along the path that Arthur marked towards the 'Castle of Fyrien'. They were relaxed as ever even with the agitated weather, keeping their necks stretched out and their ears listening for any commands, not minding nature's sounds.
Morgana's horse, on the other hand, would not stop giving her a hard time as he paced restlessly, fighting the bridle and begging for release. He was drenched in sweat and his features held every indication of stress that there is. Obviously, my heart bled for him… but I couldn't help the internal sense of triumph I got from the thought that the Lady is likely regretting her choice to ditch Cinderella.
I flinched when a twig snapped in the distance and instantly assessed the horses' emotions once more to ensure they remained calm while rubbing Dallas's neck. My eyes landed on Gwen after I scanned Sawyer and I took note of the spooked expression she held as she fisted the reins and gazed around restlessly.
"I used to be afraid of these woods," Arthur suddenly said.
I raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. My heart warmed when I saw that he was speaking to Gwen. He's trying to make her feel better!
So I decided to pitch in, "I was scared of the woods, too, when I was a kid."
"I find that hard to believe," Gwen said in a slightly shaky tone. "I cannot picture either of you ever being afraid of something."
"Especially something so trivial," Merlin quipped and I shot him a playful glare.
"Well, it's not my fault that my parents thought it was smart to allow a two-year-old to watch 'Snow White'," I defended and tried to ignore a slight pang in my chest. Watching that movie with my parents is one of the few, though foggy, memories I have involving them…
"My father would bring me here when I was a boy," Arthur continued, "and it seemed every falling leaf was a bandit, every puff of wind was a ghost. You just get used to it in the end."
"Yeah," I confirmed. "My Uncle used to take my cousins n' I camping all the time. After a couple of times, I was runnin' around by myself at night trying to find fairies."
Gwen grinned meekly as she mumbled, "I do not think I would ever get used to it."
"You do not have to. You have us to watch out for you," Arthur responded gently. My heart was flooded with the sweetest form of chocolate syrup on Earth. Could he be any more perfect?! "I know that I can rely on Astra and Morgana's protection…"
I restrained a bitter laugh at the latter mention while Morgana responded, "Of course!"
"And Gwen – you will look after Merlin, will you not?" the Prince continued, earning a laugh from the girl as she finally relaxed while looking at the sorcerer, who blushed slightly, but smiled all the same.
I grinned, happy that Gwen seemed to feel better, and I offered Arthur a high-five as a way to thank him for his heart-warming efforts. However, instead of completing the gesture, he gently grabbed my hand and laced our fingers while moving Tequila closer to Dallas.
I frowned, "That's not what I was–" I cut myself off when he quirked an eyebrow and I felt myself blush. "Never mind, this is fine."
As the sun began to set, we found a clearing where we could set up a camp for the night. Merlin and Arthur built an improvised roof to sort of shield us from the wind, I unsaddled the horses and got them settled for the night, and Morgana and Gwen sat and rested for a bit.
I finally plopped down on a log to rest my legs, only for Arthur to say, "We should get started on a fire and food."
I narrowed my eyes at him. He couldn't have suggested that before I decided to get comfortable?!
"We can get some firewood," Morgana suggested while gesturing to herself and Gwen.
I quirked an eyebrow. Of course! This is the perfect excuse for her to get Gwen out of sight and hand her over to Morgause, or kill her, or something! As much as it hurts, I'm done harbouring hope that she might still care about some people.
"I'll help," I said and stood up.
If Morgana wants to hurt Gwen, she'll have to go through me first. I doubt it'll be hard, but it's better than leaving my friend defenseless.
"Merlin can go," Arthur stated.
"I don't mind," I responded with a shrug, earning a pointed look that made me tilt my head.
"He wants some alone time," Merlin whispered as he passed by me.
My eyes widened and I shifted my weight. "Ah. Right," I mumbled.
My best friend winked at me and promptly moved to leave with both girls. I didn't miss the eye-roll that Morgana gave as she clenched her jaw, which made me grin a little.
That's right, Madame Mim. We know what you're doing and we're one step ahead of you.
I let out a puff and mentally prayed that Morgana wouldn't try anything – I know that Merlin can stop her easily, but that'd get him in big trouble – before moving to get some of the food Merlin and I had packed from a bag.
"What are you doing?" Arthur asked, remaining seated on a log.
I raised an eyebrow as our eyes connected, then I looked down at the potatoes and spices I was carrying, then back up at him. "Writing a novel, obviously," I sassed playfully. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
He scoffed. "Cheeky woman."
I smirked and sat down on another log, setting the cutting board on my lap so that I could start chopping the potatoes.
"Do you need some help with that?" the Prince gallantly asked.
"I doubt you know how to do it," I teased.
"I am deeply hurt, Lady Astraea," he responded with a dramatic look of offense as he recoiled and placed a hand on his chest.
"Well, considerin' that you can't get dressed on your own, or saddle your horse…"
The cutting board and knife were suddenly snatched out of my grip as he scowled at me. I crossed my arms and watched with a growing smile as he focused all his energy on delicately chopping the potatoes into almost perfect cubes.
What an interesting discovery! If you want a man to do something for you, all you have to do is tell them that they can't do it!
"There," he said while returning the stuff once he was done. "Satisfied?"
I giggled. "Oh, very."
I threw the small cubes into a pot and added garlic, salt and a dash of pepper. I paused as I looked down at the mix and sighed. I wish we had paprika. And lime! I should've brought lime the last time I was in Texas! I miss dousing everything in it! And I miss lemonade! And pie!
"Astra?" Arthur suddenly said, snapping me out of my contemplations.
I responded with a hum while placing a lid on the pot to prevent insects from getting into it while I waited for the fire to be set.
"You spaced out," the Prince noted.
"Sorry," I responded and shot him a sheepish look while moving to sit on the ground, resting my back against the log I'd been sitting on.
In a flash, Arthur was sitting right next to me, our legs and arms touching.
I glanced up to find him already looking at me with a grin playing on his attention-demanding lips. I put on a smirk as I decided that it'd be fun to mess with him a little. So I playfully asked, "Is the forest not big enough for ya'? You still gotta invade my space?"
He snorted and put an arm around my shoulders.
"You're a clingy man," I pointed out.
He responded by grabbing my legs and placing them on his lap while drawing me even closer.
"Artie, you're just proving my point," I told him as I moved to rest my head on his shoulder.
"So it is working? Good," he replied, which made me laugh a little, and I reached up to kiss the side of his jaw. He grinned again and kissed my forehead before resting his chin on top of my head. I let out a contented sigh that relieved some tension from my muscles and started fiddling with the neckline of his shirt.
"Hey, Artie?" I said softly.
"Yes, darling?"
"I'm super, duper, ultra, mega, extremely..." He began freaking giggling as I continued to list similar adverbs. "...proud of you."
He pressed another kiss to my head. "What for?"
"For doing this," I responded. "Helping Gwen, going against your father…"
"Well, to quote a very special person…" I turned my head to look up at him when he paused – for dramatic effect, or whatever. "It is the decent thing to do."
I felt my cheeks get warm and I hid my face against his shoulder as my heart did a million backflips. He let out a breathy chuckle and tightened his grip on me.
"And I want to prove to you that I can be the man you deserve," he added in a whisper.
The words poured over me like an apocalyptic hail storm and I felt myself freeze as I straightened up to look at him again, my eyes widening. Is he insane?! He doesn't have anything to prove! He's a million times more than I deserve! Why the heck is he even interested in me?!
Arthur gave a smile that caused my heart to skip a beat and he kissed me softly. "I love you, Astra."
Some stupid tears pooled in my eyes, for some reason, and I put a hand behind his neck, gently pulling him down so that I could kiss him again.
"I love you so much, Art," I responded.
The moment ended abruptly when the sound of crunching twigs and leaves indicated that Merlin and the girls were returning. Or that we were about to get jumped by bandits who suck at sneaking up. Whatever the case, I moved off Arthur's lap to sit beside him again, and dropped my head to his shoulder once more. He kept his arm around my shoulders.
Merlin soon started the fire and he graciously inspected the potatoes as they cooked. Then I moved to help him serve dinner to everyone. We could open a restaurant!
"This is delicious," Gwen kindly told Merlin and I. "Who taught you how to cook?"
"Gaius," we responded at the same time and we shared an amused look of surprise.
"Artie helped, too," I added, figuring that it was only fair, while shooting him a wink. He grinned a little and gave my knee a gentle squeeze.
The atmosphere fell silent for a couple of minutes. Then Arthur began to explain some relevant information regarding our mission.
"Cenred has chosen his hideout well. Now, the Castle of Fyrien backs onto the sea, we will be vastly outnumbered, and his lookouts will spot us well before we have reached the gates. So, we cannot go that way."
"But there is no other way, surely?" Morgana questioned.
I shared a wide-eyed look with Merlin. I bet she's fishing for information to feed to Cenred!
"More potatoes, anyone?" my best friend interjected before Arthur could dump the intel.
The Prince simply frowned. "No thanks."
"I'll take some!" I chirped, even if I felt pretty full, and Merlin slowly served me a couple while discreetly glancing towards Morgana. I gave him a small nod. We need to divert the topic of conversation! Even if I feel a little bad cutting off Arthur…
"I really liked how you prepared them this time," Merlin commented. "The amount of salt was just right."
"Oh, thanks, buddy. Now I wish I'd taken note of exactly how much I used!"
"Ah! You didn't bring your notebook?"
I shrugged, "We're on a rescue mission, I didn't think it'd be needed."
I could see, out of the corner of my eye, how Morgana's exasperation grew, while Arthur and Gwen looked entirely puzzled; and I had to hold back a giggle.
"It is always needed!" Merlin stated. "If only for entertainment!"
"I promise I'll bring it next time," I responded and barely restrained a snort when I saw Morgana roll her eyes. "Maybe I can teach y'all how to make paper aeroplanes!"
"What is an aeroplane?" Gwen interjected.
I froze for a moment and my eyes widened, as did Merlin's. Then I recovered quickly and said, "It's an American word for… birds."
"Anyway!" Morgana suddenly exclaimed in a slightly harsh tone, making me jolt. "What were you saying, Arthur?"
"When Caerleon was defeated by my father at the Battle of Danaria…" the Prince continued while casting me a questioning look, "he retreated to the Castle of Fyrien and it seemed a victory would be denied us, but my father knew of a secret–"
"Merls, do you have more potatoes!?" I cut off Arthur again in a slight panic.
"You have not finished the ones on your plate," Morgana pointed out through gritted teeth.
"'Cause they're an odd number," I quickly responded. "They have to be even, or I feel bad eating them because one will be left alone at the end."
Merlin very slowly gave me another potato cube.
"My father knew of a secret labyrinth beneath the castle," Arthur continued.
Ah, for fork's sake!
"A labyrinth?" Morgana echoed.
"Fyrien was greedy. So, to avoid Camelot's levies, he dug tunnels from–"
I purposely flipped my plate and it fell to the ground with a crash, startling everyone. "Oops! Clumsy me!"
"I will help you clean!" Merlin said and we moved to start gathering the broken pieces. I feel bad breaking stuff, but it's for a good cause…
"He dug tunnels from the castle to the sea," Arthur kept going and I clenched my jaw and dropped my head. Do I have to set myself on fire to stop him from revealing his plan to Morgana?! "That way he could smuggle goods into the kingdom without anyone knowing."
"And you ambushed Caerleon using these old tunnels," the Lady concluded as a smirk grew on her lips. An evil smirk.
"He never saw us coming. And neither will Cenred," the Prince finished with a grin.
This is just great.
The pommel of my sword dug painfully against my ribcage, but that dose of uncomfortableness ensured that I wouldn't actually fall asleep, even if my whole body begged me to.
You see, given that Morgana now knows what Arthur's strategy is, I figured that I should stay up through the night and keep an eye on her. That way she can't, like, enchant a crow, or speak through a mirror, or whatever it is that she does to stay in touch with her pals.
I'm not sure what time it was when I saw her shift in her sleeping bag and I closed my eyes, trying to look like my mind was far away on a dreamland journey. I heard some shuffling followed by soft footsteps, and I half-opened one eye when they got more distant. I found her walking away, merging with the dark forest.
I slowly and quietly sat up, unwrapped myself from my blanket, and I carefully slipped my hand out of Arthur's gentle hold before grabbing my sword and going after Morgana.
"Goin' somewhere?" I asked in a whisper once I caught up with her, which caused her to jump, then she growled.
"Go back, Astraea."
"You're in on this whole thing, aren't ya'?" I questioned, ignoring her demands. "You're gonna meet with Cenred. Or Morgause. And you're gonna tell 'em 'bout the tunnels."
She halted and turned towards me with a look of rage. "Go back before you get hurt!"
"Only if you come back with me."
I gasped when her eyes glowed gold and I was suddenly sent flying backwards. My back and head collided with something hard and painful before everything went dark.
The feeling of something soft and warm against my cheek pulled me out of a void and back into reality. I opened my eyes for a second and closed them again when sunlight hit me directly. I let out a soft groan and untangled myself from my blanket before sitting up and opening my eyes again, keeping them squinted under the light.
Arthur kneeled before me, a small grin playing on his lips as his gaze scanned me slowly. I noticed that he was dressed in his chainmail and some bits of armour once more – ready to hit the road again, presumably.
I looked around and noticed that Merlin and Gwen were also tidied up and ready to leave. All the horses were saddled except for Dallas.
My gaze landed on Morgana and she shot me a smirk. My eyes widened. The last thing I remember is being magically thrown against something! She must've dragged me back to my sleeping bag! I reached to feel the back of my head and frowned when I noticed that there wasn't any pain.
Arthur placed his hand on the side of my face again, making my eyes snap back to him. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked gently.
"Yeah," I instantly responded and scrambled to my feet. "Sorry, I dunno what happened, I'm not usually a heavy sleeper," I added while casting a glare towards Morgana.
"It is all right. You were exhausted," Arthur responded sweetly as he stood up and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.
I gave him a small grin and hurried to get my toiletries bag and a clean hoodie from my duffel bag. Then I headed off in the direction of a nearby creek so that I could freshen up and change my hoodie without anyone seeing the scars on my arms.
"Are you all right?" Merlin asked in a whisper as I walked by him.
"Yeah. I'll tell ya' in a bit," I responded.
When I returned, I hurried to tack up Dallas and it wasn't long before the rescue party – plus Morgana – was back on the road again.
I hung back with Merlin for a few minutes to explain what happened during the night, and he clenched his jaw as he listened to my story.
"We need to do something," he whispered through gritted teeth once I was done. "She is going to get us killed."
"Yeah, but what?" I questioned. "It's not like there's a staircase to push her down…"
"I could make her fall off her horse…" he suggested.
My stomach churned. I hate that things have come to this! Why does she hate us so much?! All we ever did was try to help her! With Mordred, with her magic, with the druids… But it's either this, or I might lose Arthur.
"Sure," I relented with a sigh.
We shared a nod and nudged our horses to catch up with the rest. Dallas fell into stride with Tequila and I exchanged a small smile with Arthur.
As the weight of the guilt from what I'd agreed to with Merlin continued to twist my intestines, I started to sing 'Wolf In Sheep's Clothing' by Set It Off under my breath to try to make myself feel better.
I turned my head back when I heard a distressed whinny just in time to watch Morgana fall off her rearing horse. He ran off while she quickly pushed herself to her hands and knees. Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen stopped to help her, so I decided to chase after the horse.
As Dallas and I galloped behind him, I was able to partly understand why Morgana likes him better than Ella – he's faster. But he's certainly not faster than my mighty Thoroughbred. Within a few strides, Dallas managed to match the unnamed horse's speed and I leaned forwards to grab the side of his bridle, then I slowly brought both horses down to a trot, then a walk, then a halt.
I kept the bridle in my grip and started to gently stroke the spooked horse's forelock. "You're okay, handsome. You're safe," I said softly.
Dallas gently rubbed his head against the horse's neck, which also helped to ease him up.
After some two minutes, the horse lowered his neck a little and let out a snort, which visibly relieved some of the tension in his body.
"Good boy," I cooed and offered him a piece of carrot from my waist bag. Then I offered one to Dallas.
I allowed the grey stallion another minute to relax, and then I began walking him and Dallas back to where we left the party.
"Are you all right?" I asked Morgana as soon as I reached them.
"Yes, I only twisted my ankle, I will be fine," she responded, not meeting my gaze as she moved to remount her horse.
"Awesome," I breathed out and shared a frustrated look with Merlin.
Once we reached the outskirts of the fortress, we decided to leave the horses in a secure spot and continue on foot.
I noticed that we were at a coast, which made me wonder for a second where exactly in Britain we are. Is this the English Channel? Or the North Sea? Or the Celtic Sea?
Probably against better judgement, Morgana and Gwen hung back so that the former could rest her ankle while Merlin, Arthur and I scouted ahead. My best friend and I tried to stay with them, but they insisted that they would be fine, and there's only so much we can press before the Prince starts to get suspicious, so we relented.
Arthur led the way across some interesting rock formations on the beach, which I would've stopped to photograph if I could get my phone out without potentially losing my head.
We got to the sea-facing side of the fortress and the Prince crouched behind a large rock, which prompted Merlin and I to do the same.
"Are you sure we should not try to sneak into the castle itself?" my best friend questioned in between pants. "It might be easier."
"No, the tunnels are a better bet. That way the element of surprise is guaranteed," Arthur responded.
"What if they know what you n' your dad did, and they're counting on you usin' the tunnels?" I asked.
"I am willing to bet my life that they do not know about them," Arthur responded.
Well, lucky for him, neither Merlin or I are willing to take him up on that bet.
The Prince decided that it was safe to cross into the entrance to the tunnels, so we went back to get Gwen and Morgana, and then we went all the way towards said place while sticking close to the cliffs, in case anyone looked out a window.
Arthur led us into a cave and I began to grow uneasy under the dark and gradually more constricting space. Adding claustrophobia to the mix of anxiety and dread I'm already feeling is most definitely not a good idea, and my lungs made sure that my brain knew it as they began teasing the idea of taking a break from doing their job.
The tunnels were flooded with cobwebs. Walls of it blocked the path, making everything seem even smaller. The fact that I couldn't see ahead for more than a few metres made the monster of anxiety grow and my heart was suddenly painfully slamming against my chest.
My companions took their sweet time analysing the space and carefully cutting through the mess with their swords.
It wasn't long before my skin, and my lungs, and my brain felt like they were on fire.
I hurried to slice through everything on my path as I moved ahead of everyone, not really minding the webs that got caught in my clothes or the sound of things crunching and jingling below my sneakers as my mind fixated on one thing: getting out of that constricted hell.
"Astra, slow down!" Arthur called out, his voice sounding as if it were underwater.
Out. Out. Out. Out. Out .Out.
"Are you having a panic attack!?" a concerned Merlin called out next.
I shook my head and kept pushing onwards to a point where my friends and Morgana stopped being audible. That might've been due to the ringing in my ears, though. But I didn't dare to look back out of fear that I just might run back to the beach. Where there's free oxygen. A cool breeze. Open space.
Out. Out. Out. Out. Out .Out.
I jolted when I heard a scream. Oh, no! The walls must be closing in! The ceiling is falling! I knew this was gonna happen!
I sped up, pushing my legs to run as fast as possible as I crashed through layers of cobwebs.
My feet skidded to a stop when I saw movement in the distance. Then the light of torches. Then men wearing armour blocked the path ahead and my stomach dropped while I tightened my grip on my sword.
Crap. I can't get out.
I turned right around and took off running back towards my friends – and Morgana.
"Guys," I wheezed out when I reached them. "They found us."
Arthur handed his torch to Gwen and grabbed my hand. "Quick, let us go back."
However, ten metres further, the way back was also blocked by glaring men in armour.
Well, it was nice knowing life.
"We are trapped," the Prince brilliantly realised.
"How did they know we were here?" Merlin asked.
"It was probably my scream. I am sorry," Gwen said.
No one was allowed to reply as the men reached us and we were forced to fight. Not that it's likely to do any good, considering how many of them there are. We're outnumbered at least five-to-one!
While still struggling to breathe through my burning lungs, I did my best to remind my body of everything that Sir Gareth has taught me as I blocked swing after swing, my limbs barely escaping getting slashed every time I dodged.
The space felt as if it were spinning rapidly, making me feel nauseated as the ringing in my ears intensified.
I heard Gwen scream and I turned to find her being grabbed by a man, who pressed a sword to her throat.
Something shoved me forwards and I crashed hard against a wall before I blacked out… again.