Camelot

August, 507 AD

I giggled while twirling a long lance around my body, being mindful of the sharp end as I did so. "This is fun. I feel like one of the Dora Milaje," I commented to Merlin and the knights. I jumped backwards with a gasp when the weapon suddenly slipped out of my hand, the sharp end barely missing my head as it tumbled to the grass below me. "Oops."

Merlin gave me a pointed look as he picked up the lance and he cast it aside, causing me to pout. "You are going to take your own head off, one of these days," he claimed.

"Well, make sure ya' get it on camera," I responded with a smirk that promptly fell when I realised what I said and who heard. "Ramblings of a crazy girl, don't ask," I told the knights before walking away to find something else to play with while we waited for Arthur to show up for training.

I found a slightly heavy leather ball inside the armoury and returned to my friends while tossing it in the air. "Who's up for some baseball?" I asked, then I halted when I noticed that the King had arrived. "Ah. Guess fun time's over," I said under my breath and I threw the ball aside before walking up to him. I grinned a little when I noticed he still had some sauce stains on his hair, but I didn't say anything (kinda wanting to see how long it took him to figure it out) as he pulled me to his side and kissed my forehead.

"Pair off, concentrate on counter-cutting," he instructed the knights.

My gaze travelled towards Gwaine. I wanna team-up with him again! He sent me a wink, which caused me to smile.

Arthur gently squeezed my body against his, snapping my attention back to himself as he said, "Astra, you are with me." I sighed in slight disappointment, but nodded anyway.

"What is that in your hair?" Gwaine suddenly questioned the King.

I bit my lip as I dropped my head to try to keep the giggles at bay.

"It's stew," Merlin replied from the sidelines.

"Why have you got stew in your hair?" Leon inquired as he frowned.

"Well, because he was reading," my brother replied as if it were an obvious thing. That broke me and I began to laugh again while the knights gave Arthur a bunch of confused looks, which only made me laugh harder.

Arthur clenched his jaw and he blinked rapidly for a few moments while staring at Merlin. "Change of plan," he stated. "I think we will try something different."

I raised my eyebrows as I turned to my brother. "Oh-oh. I think you're in trouble…"

Merlin was, indeed, in trouble. Arthur put a helmet on him and handed him a shield before moving him to the middle of the field. Then he went to get his sword and returned to my best friend, pausing for a second before starting to beat down on him like a kid wanting to show off during 'piñata' time at a party. My jaw dropped and I debated whether I should do something to defend my brother.

Then I tilted my head as an interesting thought crossed my mind. Would I be getting the same treatment if I were a boy? Or if Arthur and I weren't romantically involved?

I took a bit too long to decide on how to stop the unfair treatment and Merlin was knocked to the ground. I was a bit relieved to see him spring back to his feet with nothing beyond a groan and he readied himself for another round as Elyan stepped up.

Elyan didn't seem so keen to torture my brother as he half-heartedly striked at his shield.

Then he gradually started getting more harsh with his blows.

"Art, c'mon, he was just jokin' around," I finally protested. Arthur simply smirked in return, seemingly enjoying Merlin's misery.

Maybe I should just march up there and put an end to it all…

Elyan knocked my brother to the ground, completing the challenge – but he did not stop striking. Quite the contrary, the beating got more intense. He looked almost zoned out as... rage took over his features.

"Elyan," Arthur called out. No response came.

If I didn't know any better, I would say that the knight was trying to kill my brother as he kept on smashing like an angry Hulk who just had to take the stairs down the Stark tower.

"Okay, that's enough," I said under my breath and I ran up to them against Arthur's protests. I reached to grab Elyan's arm so that I could stop his violent movements against Merlin.

Next thing I know, I'm on the ground clutching the left side of my ribcage as a crushing pain spread through it. On the bright side, I was successful in stopping the attack.

Merlin rushed to my aid and he helped me to sit up. Which wasn't the best idea because the pain got worse and I had to bite back a groan.

Arthur and Gwaine were kneeling down beside us within nanoseconds.

"So that's what the dumb armour is for," I noted through gritted teeth, trying to make light of the situation – but no one even smiled. "Tough crowd," I mumbled before pushing myself to stand. I couldn't hold back a groan this time as I stumbled when more pain shot through the side of my body.

Tears formed in my eyes and I rapidly blinked them away.

Arthur was quick to wrap an arm around my shoulders, effectively steadying me as his stormy blue eyes fixed on the side of my face.

"We should get her to Gaius," Gwaine stated.

Yeah… that sounds reasonable. Only, there is one little issue with that proposal – the scar from the crash!

My breath hitched at the thought and I hissed from the pain that the lung movement caused.

I debated my options. Obviously, there's no way I'll be talking them out of forcing me to go to the physician. However, if I play my cards right, I can get Arthur and Gwaine out of the way and have my brilliant legendary sorcerer best friend fix me with magic instead. That way no one will have to see the ugly, haunting remainder of the deep car door slash that covers my abdomen!

I pushed away from Arthur with a wince and another involuntary groan, and I hurried to cling to Merlin before the pain could force me to the ground. "Merls can take me. You guys should keep goin'," I told the two men in chainmail.

"I do not care about training, Astraea!" Arthur raised his voice slightly. "You are hurt!"

"I've had way worse, don't worry about me," I waved him off. I tightened my grip on Merlin when my ribcage's protests grew louder.

I had to blink away some more tears.

The King clenched his jaw, and I swear one of his eyes was almost twitching as he narrowed them at me.

"We should go before his head explodes," I told my brother in a mumble. He gave me a wary look, but began walking all the same. I groaned in pain as soon as I moved and my knees buckled. Merlin was quick to stop me from tumbling to the ground, his surprisingly strong arm wrapping around my waist as he held me up.

More tears pooled in my eyes and I squeezed them shut to hide the fact. I've had way worse! I can't cry over a little bruise!

Arthur strode over to me and picked me up bridal-style in an easy swoop, his arms careful not to touch around the affected area. I couldn't hold back the relieved sigh that left me when the pain decreased slightly and I let my head drop to his shoulder. I'll just find a way to get rid of him when we make it to Gaius's apartment.

He carried me the short way to the physician's abode. Gaius's mouth fell agape and he seemed to freeze as he took in my misfortunate figure: teary-eyed despite my efforts to get rid of that, no doubt blanched, and nearly limp in the King's arms.

"Heeey, Pops!" I greeted him with a small grin. His inquiring eyes jumped among the three of us. "I stuck my nose where I maybe shouldn't have," I explained. He gave me a disapproving look. "In my defence, I was defending Merlin," I threw in, hoping that that would appease him, but he only turned to his ward with widening eyes.

"Just a training incident, nothing to worry about," Merlin promptly said.

Gaius sighed. "Set her over there," he told Arthur, who swiftly obeyed and gently laid me down on a cot.

"Thanks, handsome," I told him while giving him a little wink. He gave me a half-grin and placed a warm hand on the side of my face as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gaius begin to move towards me and my lungs froze for a second. I sat up despite the pain that shot through me. Arthur tried to push me back down, but I grabbed his hand off my shoulder and kissed the back of it in hopes that it'd distract him a little from the situation at play. "You should go back outside. No need to crowd the space," I quickly told him. "Right, Pops?"

Gaius shrugged. "I do not see the issue."

Why don't people stick to the scripts in my mind?!

"C'mon, I'll be fine. Someone needs to tell El that I'm okay," I pressed Arthur when no one backed me up. "Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to leave the knights around pointy sticks without supervision."

Arthur snorted, then he let out a shaky breath. "Fine," he grumbled and gave me a soft, quick kiss before exchanging a nod with Gaius and leaving the room.

I lay back down on the bed as soon as the door was closed and I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. Man, is it hard to pretend not to be in pain.

Once I could put on my mask again, I turned to address Merlin, "All right. Do your thing." His and Gaius's eyes widened, seemingly in realisation.

"Right. That is why you wanted him out," my brother commented with a chuckle before moving to my side.

"I am not sure this is a good idea, children," Gaius stated in a grave tone.

I blinked rapidly at him for a moment. "What?! Why not?! He's done it many times before!"

"Precisely," the physician said. "Arthur might start to suspect something if he finds that you are always somehow healed from serious injuries."

I huffed as I looked away from him. He makes a very solid point. However – I don't want anyone to see that ugly scar! I can hardly look at it on a good day. And more than the image itself, I don't want to deal with the questions that it would no doubt bring. I turned my head to Merlin again. "Just this once and I swear I'll endure whatever comes next," I pleaded. "I'll even pretend to have a limp for a couple of days!"

Merlin seemed to have no trouble with my request at all and he promptly moved to gently place his hand above the affected area on my torso, then he spoke a short spell. His eyes glowed gold for a second and I felt a tingling warmth spread through my torso, then all pain faded and I let out a relieved sigh before sitting up and jumping to hug my brother.

"Thanks. You're my hero," I mumbled against his shoulder.

A wicked smirk formed on my lips as I made my Mii-Brawler 'Astra ' smoothly grab Bowser and subdue him with a mighty 'suplex'. As the big evil turtle was left lying on the ground for a few moments to recover, I quickly had my character dash for Donkey Kong and apply the same tactic. Bowser went to attack her from behind, but a powerful 'exploding side kick' sent him flying backwards and he fell off the small platform upon which the fight was taking place. After a small duel with Donkey Kong, the Mii-Gunner 'Morgana' (a gun is the closest thing that the game has to magic blasts, okay?) turned her sights on Astra . Just as the character modelled after my former friend began to fire, I pressed 'A' and had my character jump on a platform above the main one, rendering the fiery blast useless. Once it had passed, I jumped down on her and used my awesome suplex to disable her for a moment. Then I ran at her with my exploding side kick, effectively giving her the same fate that Bowser suffered. I only have to take out Thanata, now…

My game of 'Super Smash Bros' was interrupted by a knock on my door. With a violent jolt, I quickly dashed to hide the Nintendo Switch that Leo and Oliver sent me in my closet and I locked that door for extra measure before going to open the main one. Gwen stood on the other side.

"'Sup?" I greeted while leaning against the frame, trying to appear nonchalant even if I was kinda fuming inside 'cause she ended my therapeutic fantasies of beating up the witches.

"Oh, Astra, I heard what happened!" she exclaimed, a look of mortification on her face. "Are you all right?"

I tilted my head and frowned in confusion.

What happened?

Gwen also tilted her head, mortification not leaving.

Oh, right! Her brother broke my ribs!

I forced my expression to turn casual again in a second and I waved her off with a small grin. "That's the knight life," I noted with a shrug. "Learn it, live it, love it." She didn't seem too swayed by my words. "I'm fine, I promise!" Her concern still didn't leave. "That's the magic of Gaius's expert work," I added with a smirk. Her eyes widened in shock.

I tilted my head again for a moment and then mirrored her expression when I realised what was wrong with my statement.

"I mean that metaphorically!" I instantly blurted out. "Y'know, he's so good at what he does that you'd think there's magic involved. But there isn't. Not one bit."

At that, a chuckle left her and her expression softened. "Right, of course. He is indeed an amazing physician."

Good. Crisis averted. I gave her a wink. "Yeah, he is."

She smiled for a few moments and then her expression turned troubled once more. Something is bothering her.

With a sigh, understanding that my gaming time will definitely have to be cut short, I moved out of the way and let her into my room; then I motioned for her to sit at the dining table while I hopped onto my desk. Then I remembered that I promised Gaius I'd fake some pain for a couple of days and I placed a hand over my supposedly injured ribs, pretending to wince a little.

"'Sup?" I asked again.

"I think there might be something wrong with my brother," Gwen said, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes dropped to her hands, which were intertwined above the table.

"No, Gwennie, it was an accident!" I replied. I really hope that Elyan knows this, too!

"It is not just that, Astra," she paused to gulp. I tilted my head in curiosity. "Something happened earlier, about an hour after... you know," she motioned towards myself with her head.

My eyes widened as my stomach twisted and I got off the desk so that I could take a seat beside her at the table.

Right, pain. I faked another wince and put my hand over my ribs again.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

Gwen shrugged. "Gaius is still keeping an eye on him. He is awake, but has not spoken since."

"Well, what happened?"

"Leon says that he started behaving erratically while they were returning their armour… It got to the point where Gwaine had to punch him out to keep him from harming others or himself."

My eyes almost rocketed out of their sockets. For sweet, noble, teddy-bear Gwaine to have done that, things must've been really intense. I puffed and leaned backwards on my seat. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gwen sighed and bit her lip for a second before responding, "I was hoping you might be able to figure out what is happening to him." My heart-rate accelerated slightly. "You always seem to find all the answers."

"You have way too much faith in me, Gwennie," I said and I breathed out a nervous chuckle. Her face fell and her dark eyes clouded slightly. "But, obviously, I'll see what I can do," I added with a small smile.

She let out a shaky sigh and grinned a little. "Thank you, Astra. "

"Save that for when I actually do fix something," I replied with a snort, then I stood up and went to my closet so that I could put on some socks, figuring that going to Merlin and Gaius is the best place to begin this investigation.

"Did Elyan disturb anything yesterday at the shrine?" Gaius questioned Merlin and I, a heavy look on his face as his eyes jumped between us. We shared a wary glance and a shrug.

"I am not sure," my brother replied.

"Yeah, who knows?" I added.

"I need you to be sure, children!" the physician raised his voice slightly and I recoiled at the unusual outburst.

"I do not know. He may have done," Merlin said. "I tried to warn them. You know what they are like. They do not listen."

"They sure had a picnic joking about ghosts, though," I noted in a mumble. "That's my job."

Gaius let out a sigh and dropped some tension off his shoulders. "I am sorry, children," he said, his tone normal again, "it is just that I am deeply concerned for Elyan." Merlin and I shared another wary look. "He has not spoken a word since he regained consciousness and I can find no physical symptoms to explain it…" His forehead wrinkled in confusion. "The only thing I could find was a pile of salt at the foot of his bed."

My jaw dropped. "Oh, fork!" I blurted out as Merlin and I looked at each other with widened eyes.

"What is it?" Gaius inquired.

"He is trying to ward off an evil spirit," Merlin revealed.

The physician scoffed, "With a pile of salt? That is utter nonsense."

I bit down on my bottom lip for a moment before confessing, "Yeah, that might've been my fault..." Gaius turned to me with a questioning look. "Gwaine asked me how to deal with a ghost and I ran with the lore from 'Supernatural' – I didn't think anyone was takin' me seriously!"

The physician let out another long sigh. "Then I fear that Elyan may have disturbed the spirit at the shrine."

"What?" Merlin asked. "What will that do to him?"

"I dread to think what horror it might unleash," Gaius responded, fear clouding his features. "You must tell Arthur what happened at the shrine. You must tell him that Elyan is possessed."

"Y'know, I'm gettin' real tired of my friends getting hijacked," I muttered.

Merlin gave me a small, empathetic smile and threw an arm over my shoulders. "Well, I am not sure he will believe us, not in the mood he is in," he replied to Gaius.

"He might believe Astra," Gaius claimed.

"We can try," I said with a shrug.

My brother and I linked our arms together and began the short walk towards Arthur's room.

"I know Elyan is a friend to some of you…" I heard Agravaine's loud voice echoing through the corridor as Merlin and I were climbing the main staircase. We shared a concerned look and synchronistically broke into a jog. "…But that friendship ended when he tried to kill the King." My eyes widened and my heart began to pound against my chest at the thought of Arthur being hurt. I broke into a sprint. "Do not let him escape. Now, go find him!"

We ran through a wall of knights, barely sparing them a glance, and sped up. We skidded to a stop right outside the King's room before bursting inside, knocking etiquette flying out the window.

To my big relief, Arthur was unharmed, though he seemed reasonably startled by our sudden entry. I dashed towards him and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, burying my face in his chest as I tried to catch my breath. He let out a shaky sigh as he returned the embrace, his chin resting on top of my head.

"What happened?" Merlin asked.

"Elyan. He attacked me," Arthur responded.

I tilted my head up to look at him. Well, time to break the news. "We think he's possessed."

"What do you mean 'possessed'?" he questioned with a frown.

"He may have disturbed a spirit at the shrine. We think that spirit is possessing him," Merlin explained. Arthur's lips parted as a storm replaced the faint fire that had been blazing in his eyes. "Why else would he attack you?" my brother pressed.

The King sighed. "Well, when we catch him, I intend to ask him that very question." He squeezed me gently and then he released me as he moved to get his sword. I almost pouted in disappointment at the sudden loss of warmth, but I didn't protest. Instead, I rushed to get my own sword from my room and rejoined him in the corridor, figuring that I should pull my weight in the search for the rogue knight.

Eventually, Elyan was found by the other knights of the round table and he was placed inside a dungeon to await whatever decision Arthur might make regarding his fate. Merlin and I are well aware that whether he lives or dies could be entirely up to our abilities to persuade the King to believe our hypothesis – which is incredibly unnerving.

I felt especially responsible, considering that Gwen placed her faith in me and I'll never forgive myself if I let her down.

Speaking of Gwen, Merlin gave her a quick rundown of our theory while the search for her brother had been ongoing.

To my surprise, all counsellors other than Agravaine and myself were absent from the council chamber, which suggests that Arthur is taking this whole deal to heart and he only wants the opinions of those closest to him. That thought gives me hope that we might be able to save Elyan.

"Elyan must be tried and punished in accordance with our laws," Aggravate was the first one to speak and, naturally, I sent him a glare.

"But that would mean putting him to death," Arthur argued, not meeting his uncle's eyes as he waved him off.

"Well, so be it!" the man responded with a shrug that was almost nonchalant. The King finally turned to him with an alarmed look. "You cannot afford to show favouritism."

"What if Elyan was not acting of his own volition?" Arthur questioned.

Merlin and I shared a small grin and relief filled me. He believes us! Or is inclined to. Or is at least considering our theory. Whatever the case, he's not hurrying to conclusions this time! I call that a win.

"What do you mean?" Aggravate wondered with a frown.

"Astra and Merlin believe that Elyan has been possessed by some kind of spirit."

Agravaine scoffed and turned to face my brother and I. "I have no doubt they are just trying to protect their friend," he said condescendingly. "Not exactly queenly behaviour, is it?" he added as his hateful gaze fixed on me.

I rolled my eyes. "'Cause we really believe that Elyan might not be himself," I shot back sharply, deciding to ignore the second half of his comment. I mean, when have I ever claimed to behave like a queen, anyway?

"Why else would he attack Arthur?" Merlin backed me up.

Agravaine scoffed once more and he turned back towards Arthur as he suggested, "Maybe he seeks revenge because your father executed his!"

I couldn't help but snort at his stupidity, regaining his attention as he glared daggers and his jaw clenched.

"If he wanted revenge for that, he would've done it ages ago! He's had a thousand opportunities!" I countered. "Besides, even Gwen agrees that he's not actin' like himself."

"She could be involved in whatever twisted plan he has got!" Agravaine fired back.

"Yeah, sure. Who're you gonna accuse of plottin' against Artie, next? Huh?" I took a few steps closer to him – even if I knew he wouldn't be intimidated by me. "Leon? Merls? Me?" I pressed when I got no response. "Maybe we should be turning our heads to you!"

It was a bold move, but the concern that momentarily flashed through his eyes made it well worth it.

Seemingly unable to hold my glare, the man turned back to his nephew, who seemed worlds away deep in thought again. No wonder the argument was allowed to go on for so long. "Arthur – you must see. All this talk of possession and spirits is just a ruse to save Elyan's neck!"

Arthur's eyes travelled towards his uncle's. "What if it is true?" he challenged. Merlin and I shared a hopeful look. "I would be executing an innocent man. More than that, I would be executing a friend."

Aggravate gritted his teeth. "You cannot be seen to allow someone to try and kill you and then escape punishment. You will appear weak! That puts the whole of Camelot in peril!"

"Unjustly convicting a man who might be falling victim to a more powerful force would also be a show of weakness," I argued.

The man pretty much growled in response and turned to Arthur again. "Arthur–"

"Leave me," the King said coldly with a wave of his hand as he sat down on his chair at the head of the table.

Merlin and I glared at Agravaine before linking arms and walking towards the door. The snake bastard followed reluctantly. The dark look in his eyes made me fear he might try to stab us as soon as we were out of the room.

"Not you, Astra," Arthur called out.

I froze and looked up at my brother for guidance. Do he and Gaius need my help to plot our next move? He nodded at me in reassurance and gave me a gentle nudge before dropping my arm.

I sighed and cautiously walked towards Arthur's side. In a swift move, he pulled me sideways onto his lap and held me firmly against his chest as he nuzzled into the crook of my neck. I could feel his warm breath on my skin again and it sent electrifying shivers down my spine, which I did my best to ignore. I lifted a hand up to his hair and started to gently run my fingers through his soft golden locks, which soon caused him to sigh.

"What're you thinkin'?" I asked gently.

"Just how much I wish we could run away and become different people," he mumbled. I fought the urge to jump away when his lips brushed softly against my skin, causing a tsunami of blood to rush to my cheeks.

I let out a shaky breath. "Maybe we could take a vacation some time," I suggested. It's not a far-fetched idea, is it? We just have to get rid of Agravaine and neutralise Morgana and Thanata, first.

Arthur lifted his head and smiled a little as he looked me in the eyes. "We could go to Amarkia and see your family."

My heart skipped a fearful beat at the reminder that I'm still keeping huge secrets from him. It sucks, but I can't risk telling him and losing him. Also – what's with these people and not being able to pronounce 'America'!?

I forced a soft chuckle and kissed his cheek. "Sure. Maybe we could do that."