Camelot

January, 509 AD

"She is our friend. She was there when we were born," Phoenix gently said to Aithusa. He stood beside me, his weight partly leaning against my side as I gently petted his back while carefully eyeing his sister for any positive reactions.

Aithusa's eyes regarded me with what seemed like mistrust. She kept her head low while her body trembled slightly.

I sighed and gulped to try to get rid of the lump in my throat. I guess it wasn't a good idea for Gwaine and I to visit the dragons without Merlin. But he's busy tending to Arthur and we saw a chance to take a small detour from our patrolling duties, since I've been yearning to check to see how the still-recovering Aithusa is faring after being home for a bit over a month.

"S'all right, buddy," I told Phoenix, my voice barely above a whisper. "We should give 'er more time. I'm just glad that she's gained some weight."

He looked at me with saddened eyes and I gave him some soft pats before turning to Gwaine, who stood by Kilgharrah some metres away; giving me space to try to maybe convince Aithusa that I'm not gonna to harm her. "Should we go?" I asked, then I gulped again as I tried to keep some tears at bay.

Gwaine sighed before responding, "If you believe it is for the best..."

I bit down on my bottom lip and carefully glanced at Aithusa again, seeing that she looked... almost... remorseful as her gaze connected with mine. Another sigh emerged from my lungs and I crouched slightly while keeping eye-contact with her. "Take all the time you need, Ai. We're not giving up on you, no matter how long it takes," I assured her. "I love you."

Her body relaxed a little at that, but she made no further moves to indicate any success on my behalf. I gave her a sad smile and slowly stood back up, trying my best not to make any sudden moves, and then I walked over to Gwaine, who threw an arm over my shoulders as soon as I reached him, giving me a reassuring grin.

"We'll see ya' soon, I guess," I told my magical reptile friends.

"We will eagerly await your return, young queen," Kilgharrah responded with a small smile.

And with that, Gwaine and I made our way towards our horses and we began the journey back home.


A metaphorical cloud of gloom seemed to be hanging over the castle when Gwaine and I arrived. We shared a quizzical look at the sight of all the less-than-joyous faces that greeted us upon entering the building.

Instantly worried, I rushed upstairs to Arthur and I's room and barged inside, just to find him sitting at the dining table with a troubled look on his features – though he instantly relaxed when he saw me.

"You're okay," I said as I hurried to his side.

He gave me a small grin as he pulled me onto his lap and I got a gut-melting kiss. "Yes, I am all right," he affirmed with a sigh. "There is a situation at hand, however."

Concern struck at my chest once more. "What's up?"

"Do you remember the Princess Mithian?"

"Yeah... You turned 'er down for little old me."

A small smile tugged at Arthur's lips and he kissed the tip of my nose before continuing, "Well, she arrived here some hours ago, seeking refuge. Gaius is tending to her as we speak."

"Is she okay?" I asked, feeling my stomach churn for the kind woman.

"I do not know much more," my King replied. "I am still awaiting news."

I let out a puff and curled up before pressing a kiss to the side of his jaw, then I rested my head on his shoulder and began playing with the neckline of his shirt. "Well, I guess we'll wait, then."

"Yeah," he breathed out and tightened his grip on me while leaning his head against mine. "How was your trip with Gwaine, anyway?"

I sighed shakily, the image of Aithusa cowering away from me becoming fresh in my mind again, and I answered in a weak tone, "It was all right. Nothing new."

"Why do you sound a bit down, then?" he questioned.

"'M just tired," I excused in a mumble.

Arthur kissed the top of my head. "You should get ahead and go to bed, then," he proposed in a whisper.

"Nah. I'm happy here," I responded and looked up at him with a lopsided grin before nuzzling into his shoulder again. He let out a faint chuckle and tightened his grip even more before placing yet another kiss on my head.

I was almost dozing off when Merlin entered the room and I quickly straightened up, slightly startled from the lack of knocking. I was going to scold him for it, but held off on account of his wary expression.

"How is she?" Arthur asked him in a hurried manner.

"She's weak, and she is clearly exhausted, but she will live," Merlin responded

"Good," Arthur sighed, "I will speak to her at once." He gently tapped my side in a silent request for me to get up and I pouted, but complied, seeing as the situation is serious.

"Actually, no," my brother stopped him before he could get too far.

My King raised an eyebrow as he halted in front of him. "Excuse me?"

"She is not to be disturbed until morning," Merlin responded sternly.

"This is important," Arthur argued.

"And so is the health of the Princess," my brother shot back.

My King faltered for a second and he tilted his head before asking incredulously, "Did you just give me an order?"

I snickered a little.

"Yes, Sire," Merlin replied without skipping a beat.

"Feel good, does it?"

"It's... not unpleasant."

Arthur gave him a nod and ran a hand over his hair as he moved back to the chair he'd previously been occupying. I remained on my feet this time, wanting to avoid getting sleepy again, seeing as I still need to bathe and get something to eat before going to bed.

A troubled look took over my King's expression once more and I moved to his side, placing a hopefully comforting hand on his shoulder as I asked, "You okay?"

He sighed, his eyes alternating between my brother and I for a few moments before he leaned his cheek against the back of my hand. Then he responded, "To ride all through the night... something must have happened."

I held back a sarcastic comment while my brother answered, "We will know more in the morning, Sire."

Arthur nodded and averted his gaze towards the table, falling pensive.

Merlin took that time of distraction to discreetly gesture towards the door. I know that he's expecting an update on Aithusa; so I nodded in response and kissed Arthur's cheek before letting him know that I'm gonna take a quick bath. Then I followed my brother out of the room and we went to mine, where I told him about my fruitless attempt to try to regain the dragon's trust while trying to hold back tears again.


The next morning at 10:00, the council gathered in the throne room so that Mithian could give us an account of what happened to her.

I stood beside my pretentious royal chair, leaning my weight slightly against it rather than sitting on it, since it's freaking uncomfortable. Arthur sat on his own chair a metre away, a concerned look on his handsome features.

Merlin helped the Princess ease onto a chair, seeing as she's still fairly weak from her long journey, and she promptly began telling her story in a deflated tone that barely rose above a whisper, her eyes mostly avoiding meeting any gazes as she instead looked at the floor.

"Odin's army... They came at night without warning... We were unprepared... We could not hold them."

"This was three days ago, you say?" Arthur questioned gently.

"His men... they showed no mercy... Cut us down like wheat..." I could tell that she was trying really hard not to break down crying, which made my heart twist.

I shared a sad look with Gwen, who stood near me.

"Odin has no care for the suffering he causes," my King noted, his eyes cloudy as he regarded the Princess with sympathy.

"What about your da– your father?" I asked her, trying my best to sound gentle even as I tripped over words. "Is he all right?"

"He was badly wounded... B-but we managed to escape..."

"Where is he now?" Arthur inquired.

"We made it almost as far as the border... but he could not continue any further... Odin's men will be searching for us... It is only a matter of time before they find him..."

"I see," my King nodded in understanding.

The room fell silent for a couple of moments and I noticed Mithian sharing a shaky look with her servant... or whoever the woman that sat beside her is. I could not see her face clearly, for she kept her head down; but the black hooded robe she wore, paired with her hunched figure, and the bits of white hair that fell out on the sides of her head reminded me a bit too much of the Evil Queen from 'Snow White' – when she disguises herself as an elderly woman. The connection made me feel uneasy and I let my gaze trail to make eye-contact with my brother, who stood near the Princess ready to aid her.

"My father is an old man..." Mithian finally continued. "He cannot fend for himself... I have no one else to turn to, but you, Arthur..." My King visibly tensed up and sighed shakily. "You are my only hope."

Arthur turned to look at me, a silent question behind his eyes as they met mine. To help, or not to help? Obviously, I nodded without hesitation. He returned the nod before looking back at Mithian.

"Mithian – I understand how you must be feeling," he spoke again. Of course, he understands better than anyone, considering that Odin was behind Uther's death. "And we will do everything in our power to help you," he added while reaching for my hand. I surrendered it without hesitation.

Tears left the Princess's eyes as she thanked us.

I was about to add something hopefully reassuring, wanting to show support. But the words halted on my tongue when I saw the servant woman – or whatever – take a narrow-eyed glance towards Mithian; a gesture that seemed to cause the Princess's body to tremble a little as she kept her gaze fixed ahead.

My eyes found Merlin's once more and we exchanged a frown. There's definitely something off about the old woman...


My body itched to get some time alone with my brother – hopefully with the addition of Gwen, Gwaine and maybe even Gaius – so that I could voice the strange feelings that the old woman was rising up in me. Granted, they could be entirely due to the connection I made between her and the infamous Disney villain. But my years in Camelot have taught me that it's better to be safe than sorry.

However, any attempts to gather my friends were instantly and viciously murdered when Arthur called for a private meeting of the original, inner circle, round table in our room as soon as we left the throne room so that we could discuss a plan to help the Princess.

A large map was promptly laid out atop the dining table and we all gathered around it, Arthur at the centre as he began to explain the layout of the terrain that is relevant in our quest. "Rodor is taking refuge here," he pointed at a spot, "by the ancient tomb of King Loath. That is three leagues from our border."

To this day, I still have no idea what a 'league' means in modern measurements (I can't exactly ask Google, y'know?); but I still nodded in understanding when my King paused to look around.

"And Mithian can lead us there?" Leon asked Gaius.

"She is recovering well," the physician affirmed.

I sighed in relief. That's good to hear.

"Now," Arthur continued, "our only chance of getting Rodor back is with speed and stealth. With just a small group of knights."

Or just one knight with a really fast Thoroughbred... A smirk formed on my lips.

"Do not even think about it," Arthur grunted in my ear, causing me to tense up slightly for a second before my lips parted in surprise. How did he know what I was thinking?! Does marriage come with mind-reading abilities that I haven't developed yet?!

I hope not, or Merlin and I will be toast very soon.

"To be over the border and back again in a matter of hours," Elyan noted.

"Exactly," my King nodded.

"Sire… if I may?" Gaius interjected, almost hesitantly.

"Yes, Gaius."

"Odin has long been after your blood," he pointed out, causing me to tense up again. The plan to do this on my own (with Dallas) is looking sweeter and sweeter by the minute... "If he finds out about this you could have an entire army at your banks."

"That is true," Arthur conceded, "but Odin does not know where Rodor is and we do. By the time he has realised what has happened, we will be long gone."

"It's our best option, unless we wanna go back on our word," I added in support. "Which we don't."

Arthur covered my hand (which rested atop the table) with his and gave it a gentle squeeze before continuing to explain the logistics of the operation – "We will camp overnight in the Forest of Gedref and leave with the rising sun..."


A couple of hours later, Merlin and I finally managed to gather our insiders in the physician's apartment.

Gwaine and Gwen sat at the kitchen table, watching as my brother and I helped Gaius to prepare some medicines.

"So..." I began with a sigh, taking a momentary break from squishing plants, "anyone else got a sus vibe from Mithian's maid, or whatever she is?"

"Hilda," Gwen gave a name.

Great, she's even got a witchy name! Someone's been watching Netflix! Or reading comics!

"Sus vibe?" Gaius echoed, his forehead wrinkling.

"Suspicious energy," Gwaine clarified.

The physician nodded in understanding, though he kept his questioning glance on me.

"You are right. There is something not right between them," my brother stated as he turned to face me.

Oh, cool, so I'm not crazy!

"What do you mean?" Gwen questioned.

"It is almost as if the Princess is frightened of her," Merlin explained briefly, a sad look crossing his eyes. Gwen gave a pensive nod.

"And she was giving 'er some weird looks when we were in the throne room," I added.

Gaius quirked an eyebrow, his gaze jumping between Merlin and I. "They have both been through a terrible ordeal, children. They fled their home, barely escaped with their lives... It is not surprising that the strain has taken its toll."

"Or there's something more than meets the eye," I countered more sharply than I would've wanted to; but, in my defence, it's annoying how he's often dismissing my brother and I's concerns.

"Well, it will not hurt to keep an eye on her," Gwaine piped in while shooting me a reassuring grin.

"Sure," I nodded and exchanged a wary look with my brother.

"Come on, we have got work to do," Gaius waved us off while going back to preparing the potions. "We must pack up our supplies."

"Yeah," I sighed and dropped the tools I was holding. "I should probably pack as well."

"Do you need any help?" Gwen asked while following me towards the door.

"Nope, but I wouldn't mind some company," I responded and shot her a grin.

Some minutes later, Gwen sat at my desk while casting me disapproving glances as I flung stuff from my closet towards my bed, atop which sat my duffel bag with some clothes carelessly scattered around it. Obviously, I planned to properly arrange everything once I was done choosing what to bring. However, my friend seemed to finally have enough of the mess when Salem hopped onto the bed and started to play with the cords of my white Marvel hoodie, and she quickly shooed him away before grabbing the item and folding it meticulously.

It was my turn to look at her disapprovingly, but I didn't say anything as I contemplated which other hoodie to bring.

"Why have you and Arthur agreed to help Mithian?" Gwen suddenly questioned.

I paused my inner debate and looked past the threshold of the closet to raise an eyebrow. Isn't the answer obvious? Still, I responded, "'Cause she's our friend and ally," and I went back to staring at my drawer.

Navy-blue Captain America, baby-blue, blue camouflage, black, Stark Industries, white Hollister, or Minions?

"One small slip-up and Camelot could find itself without its King and queen," Gwen pointed out. "Especially if your suspicions about Hilda hold any weight."

"Merls will be there," I responded with a shrug. "Worst case scenario, he does his thing and brings in Special K for extra measure."

"And you are willing to risk that for Nemeth?"

I finally settled on baby-blue camouflage and flung it towards the bed before moving on to the socks drawer.

"I'd like to think they'd do the same for Camelot if the cards were reversed," I answered.

"What about Arthur?" my friend inquired.

"What about 'em?"

She sighed. "Are you not worried that he is doing this for different reasons?"

I tilted my head and turned to face her again, silently asking her to explain.

"It was Odin who took his father's life. Are you not worried that he might be seeking revenge?"

I raised my eyebrows and hummed. I hadn't even thought of that. I guess that the notion isn't entirely crazy... but I've never known Arthur to have a vengeful heart. Not for a long time, anyway. And he would never risk the lives of the knights – and mine! – for the chance that he might get revenge. So I responded with exactly that.

"And you?" Gwen asked.

"Me what?"

"Well, you were close with Uther, were you not? And I know that you would do anything to take a weight off Arthur's shoulders."

A sigh escaped me and I simply grabbed a random pair of socks before leaving the closet and leaning against the frame of the door. "Maybe, but after recent events, I'm not really in a mood to avenge," I paused to smirk at the word, "that heartless tyrant."

"You are not?" Gwen asked, sounding like she didn't quite believe me.

I shook my head. "No, I mean... sure, we were close when he was alive. But any affection I had for him died the moment he tried to kill you and Percival."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean. I'm not super close with Perci, but I still love 'em, y'know?" I responded. "And you've become one of the most important people in my life. You're basically like a sister, at this point."

I recoiled a little as I watched tears pool in my friend's eyes and I gave her a playful narrow-eyed look. "C'mon, no chick-flick moments."

She chuckled and shook her head while wiping at her eyes. I grinned and tossed my socks towards the duffel bag, managing to land them inside, before moving towards my bathroom so that I could pack toiletries.

"So, anyway, no corrupted motives here," I concluded once I returned to the main room.

"I am glad to hear that."


"We need to talk," Arthur stated sternly as soon as we were done eating dinner.

"Unlike what we've been doing for the past half-hour?" I questioned playfully while tilting my head.

He rolled his eyes. "I mean we need to have a serious talk."

"But that's my least favourite kind of talk."

"Astraea," he grunted.

"Sorry. What's up?"

My King sighed and grabbed the front legs of the chair I sat on, pulling it closer to his own while I watched in amusement, certainly appreciating the decreased distance between us. Then he slipped his hands into mine and looked me deep in the eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. "If you're gonna ask me to stay–"

"I am not," he assured me.

"Okay, cool."

"However," he continued, causing me to tense up slightly, "I know what you were thinking earlier." I bit down on my bottom lip, knowing that he was referring to my fleeting thought of galloping ahead with Dallas and rescuing King Rodor on my own. "Astraea – you have to promise me you will not try to run off on your own."

I knew it was fruitless, but I still tried to argue, "But it's a good plan–!"

"Astraea – listen to me!" he raised his voice while increasing his grip on my hands, making me cower slightly. "I already lost my father to Odin. Please, if anything were to go wrong... If anything happened to you..." He trailed off as tears pooled in his eyes and he squeezed them shut for a few moments.

My heart twisted at the sight. Perhaps I shouldn't give up on a good plan so easily, but my soul can't stand to see him so troubled, so I sighed shakily and moved to hug him tightly as I relented in a whisper, "I promise I won't run off on my own."

"Now promise you will keep that promise this time," he pressed while pulling me onto his lap and returning the embrace.

"As long as there are no dragons roaming around..."

"Astraea," he said sternly.

"I promise, Artie." I kissed his cheek. "I won't leave your side, okay?"

"Unless I tell you to," he added.

"No, you can't have it both ways," I quickly shot back while separating a little so that I could look him in the eyes. "If I promise not to run off, you gotta promise you won't make me leave you. I'd rather die with you than live without you."

I could see that my comment pained him, but I remained firm this time while silently daring him to fight me on it.

He finally let out a shaky breath and leaned down to rest his forehead against mine. "All right, we will stick together, then," he whispered.

I grinned at that and eagerly pressed my lips against his, raising my arms to gently round his neck with them while one of my hands tangled into his golden locks. The kiss quickly grew heated and it wasn't long before he was carrying me to the bed, laying me down, and starting to undo the buttons of my PJ top.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door and we both froze at the same time.

"It's kinda scary how anyone can easily show up when we're... y'know," I commented in a whisper.

Arthur's pretty eyes widened at my words, his expression turning mortified.

"Perhaps we should get a secret room somewhere and not tell anyone about it," he proposed.

"Or hang a 'do not disturb' sign at the entrance to the corridor and keep it there at all times," I suggested with a smirk.

He chuckled and went to reply, but was cut off by a knock sounding again. This time more frantic and paired with the calling of my name, which instantly let me know that it was Gwen who was interrupting. I gave my King an annoyed look and kissed his cheek before pushing him off me and scrambling to fix my appearance in the mirror. Then I hurried to open the door.

"'Sup," I questioned. I didn't get an answer as I was instead grabbed by an arm and dragged to my own room, where my friend closed the door before turning to me with concern written all over her face.

"I just witnessed a strange exchange between Mithian and Hilda," she revealed.

My eyes widened and my stomach twisted. "What happened?"

"I heard someone pleading to 'make it stop', so I went to investigate. I found them both leaving the room – to get some air, allegedly. But Mithian looked pained and, like Merlin said, extremely frightened of Hilda."

I ran a hand down my braid and began to pace the room, my heart churning as I tried to think of a way to help the Princess.

On the one hand, Hilda could be harming her – mentally, or physically, or both – and we should probably put a stop to that as soon as possible. On the other hand, she could have a larger plan underway, and confronting her now might put both Mithian and King Rodor at risk.

"We need to find a way to get Mithian alone," I finally concluded aloud.

"How?" Gwen asked. "Hilda refuses to leave her side."

I sighed. "Well, right now's not a good time 'cause the b*tch will likely get suspicious, but I'll team up with Merls and Gwainester tomorrow. I'm sure that, with the three of us, we'll be able to split 'em up."

"And if that does not work?" my friend questioned.

I raised an eyebrow at her scepticism before responding with a smirk, "We'll figure somethin' out. Nothing's been able to defeat us yet, and an old hag's not gonna be what takes us down."

She placed a hand on my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "All right. But, please, be careful."

"Always."

"You got yourself stabbed because you forgot that you have an accent."

"Shut up."