Camelot
February, 507 AD
"The lock has not been damaged, which would suggest whoever it was had a key," Agravaine pointed out as he analysed the door to the vault chamber where the piece of the key to the place with the dragon egg had been kept.
Merlin and I shared a wary glance. If Agravaine or Arthur deduce what truly happened during the 'no-pants' and 'woodworm' incidents, we're toast!
"Strange," Gaius responded before casting a look towards my best friend and I. We both looked away from him, feigning innocence even if I know that he can see right through us.
"Of all these treasures, this is all they were interested in," Arthur stated as he moved deeper into the chamber to show Gaius a little golden chest. "What was in here?"
"I believe, Sire, one third of a Triskelion," the physician responded.
Arthur seemed awfully confused at the term as he turned to Gaius with a questioning look.
"A type of key. A key that, according to legend, opens the ancient Tomb of Ashkanar," Gaius explained further.
"I remember my father talk of such a tomb. It contained a dragon's egg," Arthur said.
I gulped, my heart twisting with concern for the baby's safety. Merlin and I seriously need to sneak away and find it before the scammer does!
"It has been said," Gaius replied.
"You do not believe it to be true?" Arthur questioned.
I looked directly at Gaius as if I could mentally will him to divert the King's attention from the subject. But I don't have any telepathic abilities.
"Well, it is possible, Sire," he responded. "The wealth and wisdom of Ashkanar are without equal."
I dropped my gaze and let out a puff. Merlin slipped his hand into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Is the egg still there?" Agravaine inquired.
"I cannot be certain," Gaius answered. "But, to my knowledge, no one has disturbed the tomb for more than four hundred years."
My jaw clenched. Someone shut him up, already!
"But with this Triskelion, someone could," Arthur noted. Gaius nodded.
"Sire – a dragon's egg can live for a thousand years," Agravaine pointed out gravely. "Even today, it could still hatch, and another dragon would be born into this world."
I couldn't stay quiet anymore as I blurted out, "We should adopt it! I'll train it and we can have it join the army! We'd be unstoppable!"
Three heads sporting bewildered expressions shot my way, while Merlin snorted and quickly hid that behind a cough.
"This is a serious matter!" Agravaine snarled at me with fire in his eyes, making me flinch backwards. I took a step closer to Merlin and tightened my hold on his hand.
"Uncle–" Arthur said while giving him a look of disapproval before he turned to me. "We are not going to adopt a dragon, Astra."
I sighed and gave a little shrug. It was worth a try.
Arthur returned his attention to Gaius and Agravaine. "So, all my father's work to rid the world of these monsters could be undone," he commented.
I frowned at the word 'monster'. My good friend Kilgharrah certainly isn't that! Except for the time when he tried to burn Camelot to ashes... but he's better now!
"That must be our fear," Agravaine replied.
"Then we have no choice. We must hunt down this intruder and destroy the egg," Arthur decided.
My stomach twisted into knots and I shared a panicked look with Merlin.
"We ride at dawn," the King told Merlin and I, and he stopped to press a kiss to the top of my head before leaving.
Gaius was almost seething as my brother and I followed him back to his apartment. Obviously, he figured out that we're involved with the theft. But, honestly, is he really surprised? And can he blame us? He's known us for more than three years now. He knows how we are about these types of stuff…
"How could you be so stupid!? What were you thinking!?" Gaius let the fury rain down on us as soon as the door to his home was closed and I recoiled at the sight of his enraged face.
"I am a dragonlord! It is my sacred duty to protect the last of the dragons!" Merlin excused in a firm tone.
"And I'm his best friend, and friends don't let friends do stupid things alone," I threw in, then I cowered when Gaius shot me a glare.
He scoffed, "The tomb could have remained closed for another four hundred years and the egg would have been completely safe! Now Arthur is riding out intent on destroying it!"
"Obviously, things didn't go according to plan," I mumbled under my breath.
"We have to hope that Borden gets there first," Merlin replied and I frowned at his words.
"You mean the ass-butt who tricked ya'?" I questioned.
"You really think he is going to release that dragon?" Gaius asked with another scoff. "I fear to think what he intends for the poor creature!"
I felt a wave of nausea come over me as my mind was flooded by a thousand images of ways in which the innocent animal could be used and abused.
"Why could you not leave things alone?!" Gaius roared before walking away and slamming the door of the apartment behind him.
Merlin dropped his head in defeat. I gently nudged his side to get his attention and gave him a small grin when I got it. "We'll save it," I assured him. "I'm not giving up 'til I have a pet dragon."
He smiled a little and pulled me into a hug.
"D'ya think we could sneak away from them?" I whispered to my brother as the two of us were teaming up to groom and saddle Falcon, Tequila and Dallas – as usual.
He shook his head before responding in a whisper, "Arthur would definitely notice you are gone."
I frowned before suggesting, "What if I distract them while you get away?"
He pressed his lips and tilted his head, but said nothing.
I raised my eyebrows. I guess we'll be making this up as we go.
Arthur arrived on the scene and nodded at the knights in greeting, who were each saddling their own horses, before walking towards Tequila. He narrowed his eyes down at the dark bay's head, which made me realise that we hadn't put his bridle on, yet.
With a playful eye-roll, I grabbed the ornamented side-pull off the hook it hung from and handed it to the incredibly handsome blond. "You can manage, right Peaches?" I told him with a teasing grin and a wink before returning to Dallas so that I could slip on his leg protectors.
The Prince – darn, I keep forgetting: King! – surprisingly did manage to put the bridle on Tequila correctly and then he swiftly mounted the trusty steed.
I put on my helmet and safety vest, and I climbed onto Dallas, letting out a sigh of contentment as I gently lowered myself onto the saddle. Then I felt eyes on me and glanced up to find Arthur looking at me with a narrowed gaze. "What?" I asked, feeling my cheeks get warm.
"Why do you refuse to wear the knights' uniform?" he questioned. We began walking side-by-side.
I looked ahead at the knights, who were all on their horses already and exiting the barn, and I took note of their matching outfits: silver chainmail and a red cape with the Pendragon crest stitched on it in gold.
"Chainmail's uncomfortable, capes are dumb, and red's not our colour," I listed quickly, motioning down at Dallas with my head for the final point.
"How are capes dumb?" Arthur asked while adorably scrunching up his face in confusion.
I giggled before listing, "They're the easiest way for an enemy to grab you and bring you down, they can easily get caught on stuff and choke you, they flap in the wind, rather than protect you from it…"
He tilted his head and looked down for a few seconds, until his eyes widened in apparent realisation and he glared at me. Then he huffed and nudged Tequila so that they could get ahead of Merlin and I. I turned to look at my best friend with a smirk and we bursted out laughing.
We all settled into a nice pace once we left the castle gates, with Arthur and Leon leading the way and taking care of the navigation aspect of the journey while the rest of us followed.
As you may expect, it didn't take long for me to grow bored. Only this time, instead of singing, I suggested we play a game. And that's the story of how I ended up playing 'Would you rather...?' with the knights of the round table. Except for our two boy-scouts, who are apparently too 'mature' to play.
"Would you rather never be allowed to shower again, or be damp all the time?" Elyan asked. Everyone swiftly chose the latter – except for Gwaine, who claimed that he'd just buy a lot of perfume.
"Would you rather have to read every book backwards, or upside down?" Percival inquired.
"Upside down, don't wanna spoil the ending," I quickly replied with an exaggerated grimace.
"Wait, do you mean that the book would be upside down, or I would be upside down?" Merlin asked.
Percival shrugged. "Both?"
"I will go with upside down as well," Gwaine piped in.
"Yes. Me, too," Elyan added.
"Would you rather..." My brother paused for a moment and smirked. "Have my job, or live out the rest of your lives as recluses?"
Gwaine puffed, "Easy, I will become a recluse."
Percival seemed to ponder the idea for a moment. "Yes, recluse."
"I will have your job. I would probably be much better at it than you, and I would get paid a fortune," Elyan replied with a teasing smirk.
"You are welcome to it anytime," Merlin responded with a snort.
Then the four heads turned to me. "I'll join Gwainester and Perci, duh. Who would willingly wanna take care of Arthur?" I stated, feigning disgust as I said the King's name.
He obviously heard me because his head snapped to look back at us and he narrowed his eyes at me. The knights and Merlin bursted out laughing. I gave him an innocent look and made a heart shape with my hands. He smiled at that and turned back to face the front. I grinned to myself and did my best to ignore the mocking looks that my friends were giving me.
"All right, my turn!" Gwaine chirped, returning all attention to the game. "Would you rather turn green every time you drink ale, or burst into song every time you get drunk?"
"Doesn't matter, I don't drink," I replied with a shrug.
"Yeah," Merlin agreed with a nod. "And Astra doesn't need to be drunk to burst into song."
I smirked, and that quickly turned into a wondrous smile as I added, "Perci should go with green, though! Then he'll be like Hulk!"
"Only he would not smash things," my brother noted while chuckling.
Elyan laughed heartily before asking, "Have either of you seen Percival drunk?"
"It was an accident!" the potential Hulk defended with a pout.
"What was?" Merlin inquired.
"He knocked over a shelf at the tavern and had to spend the entire night cleaning up to pay for it," Gwaine explained before he bursted out laughing. We all soon joined in. Except for Percival, who looked embarrassed. And the two boy-scouts, who are still too 'mature' for our game.
"Your turn, Astra," Elyan prompted.
I sighed and bit my lip as I thought of something fun to ask that they would understand. Even after over three years of living in the sixth century, my brain still seems wired to the goods and wonders of the twenty-first.
After a few moments, I was finally able to piece together something interesting: "Would you rather never be able to speak again, or have all your thoughts displayed in a bubble over your head for everyone to read?"
"I do not think I could be silent for the rest of my life," Merlin mumbled, his eyes widening.
"But consider the implications of having your every thought on display," Elyan pointed out.
"We'd end up burnt at the stake on day one, Merls," I said with a snort. He chuckled nervously while giving me an alarmed look. I shrugged.
"What could you possibly be thinking of that would get you executed?" Percival asked us, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?" I shot back with a wink, earning a puzzled frown.
"I think I will go with option two and just spend the rest of my life on the run," Gwaine stated.
"I expect nothing less from you, Gwaine," Merlin responded with a playful eye-roll.
Eventually, night began to fall and we were forced to stop and rest. The knights set up a small camp while Merlin and I graciously started preparing a stew with a portion of some veggies and beans that Gaius packed for us – despite the fact that he was still fuming when we left. I'm almost certain that we would forget to bring food every time if it weren't for our caring grandpa.
Once the vegetables had been chopped into tiny cubes, we threw them inside the pot along with the beans, a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then we placed it over the campfire, taking turns to stir it every so often.
I yelped when a bit of oil jumped out and landed on my hand. Merlin chuckled as he handed me a wet rag. I glared at him, but thanked him all the same.
Finally, after a few minutes, everything was ready and we began to serve the knights. How I suddenly went from being a badass Lady-Knight/King's Horsewoman/Royal Advisor to a waitress, I'll never know. It's not really fun, but I'll be darned if I leave my best friend to play housewife on his own while the rest of the men goof off.
"Whoa. I am famished!" Leon protested when Merlin only served him one spoonful. My brother rolled his eyes and served him another. The knight seemed satisfied and went to plop down on a log. I narrowed my eyes at him, but said nothing as I served Elyan, who kindly thanked me before moving to sit as well.
"Ah, I am hungry as a horse!" Gwaine commented as he took the ladle away from my brother and served himself three! portions. Merlin huffed and he turned to me with an annoyed look.
"Gwainester, you know that the food is rationed!" I scolded. The brunet gave a grin and scurried away before I could argue further, making me clench my jaw.
"He raises a good point, Merlin," Arthur said. "Have you fed them yet?"
I shared a confused look with my brother before he turned to the King with a head tilt.
"The horses," Arthur clarified.
"What're you talkin' about? They've been grazing since we got here," I responded while grabbing Merlin's sleeve to make sure he didn't make a move. The knights snickered.
I get it now. They are purposely teaming up to mess with my brother, and it's reminding me a bit too much of high-school bullies, even if I know they aren't doing it out of malice.
"They're self-sufficient, unlike some people," I added under my breath and finally poured myself some food. Merlin did the same, giving me a grateful look as we went to sit together, some ways away from the rest.
"I can't wait 'til we have that dragon. Then I can train it to set their pants on fire every time they act like jerks," I mumbled, causing my best friend to chuckle.
I was pulled out of dreamland at some point during the middle of the night thanks to some shuffling and I opened my eyes to see Merlin quietly sneaking away from the camp. Feeling slightly offended that he's doing so without me, I gently removed Arthur's arm from its resting place around my torso and rolled away from him before standing up, careful not to disturb him. Then I went after Merlin and grabbed his hand when I reached him. He gasped and jumped around to face me, instantly relaxing when he saw it was only me.
"Where are you going?" I asked in a whisper.
He linked our arms together, pulling me along as he started to walk again. Then he replied, "Someone was calling my name. In my head."
"Telepathically?" I questioned. He nodded and I grinned. "Cool!"
He led me through the woods, seemingly aimlessly, until we came across a bunch of hooded figures standing under a large oak tree. I inhaled sharply and stopped in my tracks as my heart-rate accelerated. Merlin moved me slightly behind him as he squared up.
One of the figures removed their hood to reveal a middle-aged man with ruffled white hair and kind blue eyes. It's the druid man that gave us the stupid Cup of Life!
"Do not be afraid, we know your quest," he said gently.
"How?" Merlin questioned.
"The man you seek also stole from us," the druid replied gravely. "He passed through these woods not three hours before you."
"Which way did he go?" my brother inquired.
"To the east," the man replied. "But you must beware. The legends tell a tale that only the druids know."
"What do they say?"
"Ashkanar was a wise man. He knew one day men would come seeking to disturb his rest. The Triskelion is not just a key. It is also a trap," the man explained, making me frown.
"What do you mean? What kind of trap?" Merlin asked.
"I do not know," the druid answered. "But the legends are very clear. You must beware, Emrys, Astra."
Merlin and I shared a wary look.
"Thank you, sir," I softly told the man, casting him a little grin and earning a nod in return.
My brother began to pull me away from the scene and back in the direction of our camp, but we stopped when the druid spoke again, "There is one other thing the legends say – only when the way ahead seems impossible will you have found it."
That's not cryptical at all.
Merlin nodded in understanding, and he began to walk again. I gave the druid a little wave and followed.
Early in the morning, we resumed our journey and rode to where a faint smoke could be seen emerging from the ground. We arrived at the site to find an abandoned camp.
I dropped my head in frustration. The scammer is well ahead of us and the baby dragon's hours are counted!
"He must have left in the night," Arthur noted the obvious. I bit back a sarcastic remark.
"No horse tracks," Gwaine added while his eyes carefully scanned the ground.
"He has covered them," Leon pointed out.
"We had him! We were so close!" Merlin protested, earning some weird looks. He seemed to shrug them off as he walked Falcon towards one side of the dirt path. I got Dallas to follow when I noticed that he was heading east – where the druid man told us to go.
"Where are you two going? We do not even know which way he went!" Arthur called out.
"He is heading east," Merlin replied without looking back.
"How do you know that?" the King inquired with a frown.
My brother faltered for a few moments before replying, "Because I can sense it."
I squeezed my eyes shut as my grip on Dallas's neck-rope tightened. I know that he's worried about the baby, but dumb arguments aren't gonna do anything to help the cause!
"Sense is not a word I associate with you, Merlin," Arthur shot back with an eye roll before turning around to continue analysing the campsite. I glared at the back of his head, truly wishing I had a dragon who could set him on fire. Only for a second. Just to scare him into being nice to my brother.
"Hang on!" Elyan called out. He was now off Scheherazade and crouching on the ground next to a pile of horse poop. He gestured towards the path heading east. "He is right."
"He cannot be," Arthur claimed as he moved Tequila towards Elyan.
"I keep telling ya' that Merls and I are always right, but you don't listen," I mumbled.
"Well done, Merlin!" Leon praised as he, too, rode towards Elyan.
My best friend and I shared a triumphant smirk and we nudged our horses ahead as Arthur began to follow the path to the east.
"Have you ever heard of the word 'sorry'?" Merlin questioned as we caught up with him.
"No. Is that another word you made up?" Arthur replied with a scoff before asking Tequila for more speed.
The sorcerer turned to me and shook his head in disbelief.
"It must be hard to always be among geniuses such as ourselves," I pointed out with a smirk, then the two of us bursted out laughing.
After an hour or two, we arrived at a cave. My heart dropped when I recognised it – Balinor used to live here! Now it makes sense why.
I turned to look at Merlin and noticed the mournful look on his face as he scanned the place. Obviously, he remembers it, too. We made eye-contact and I gave him a reassuring grin, to which he responded with a small smile before he wiped at his eyes.
"It is a dead end," Arthur said with a huff. I tilted my head. Surely there's a way to get past it? "That is it. Let us go back."
Well, look at that – the stubborn mule has been defeated by a mere cave!
I tilted my head as I remembered what the druid man told Merlin and I about an impossible path, or whatever.
"What about the cave?" Merlin questioned.
"We are wasting our time," Arthur replied with a head shake.
"Arthur," Percival called out. He was pointing at something on the ground, next to where Promesse had stopped to drink some water out of a narrow creek that runs past. I moved Dallas closer to them and followed the knight's gaze, finding some muddy footprints leading towards the cave.
The King moved Tequila closer and scanned the ground. His pretty eyes widened and he shot Merlin a surprised look.
"Ooh! Guess who's two-for-two?" I teased while exchanging a grin with my best friend.
We all quickly dismounted our horses and made sure they were comfortable — and I changed into my white (or rather grey, after so many adventures) runners – before we ventured inside the cave, weapons in hand.
I bit down on my bottom lip as the space began to get narrower the deeper we went, and my breathing grew slightly constrained as it unfortunately tends to do in these situations. My hand instinctively reached for Arthur's in search of comfort. He shot me a small reassuring smile and gave me a gentle squeeze.
We walked through the dark tunnels for what felt like an eternity; the space only getting smaller and smaller to the point where the men had to contort their bodies to squeeze through. Being big and muscular backfires for once, aye? One point for team pint-sized!
"Merlin, this is ridiculous. Where is he heading?" Arthur questioned.
"There is light ahead," Merlin responded as he nodded towards the front.
Sure enough, there was a faint stroke of light in the distance.
"Freedom," I breathed out and pushed past Arthur as I took off running, eager to get out of the ridiculously confined earth.
"Astraea, wait!" Arthur protested.
"Hurry up, slow-pokes!" I called back, not slowing down while they continued to struggle to squeeze past the rocky walls.
I skidded to a stop when I reached the light to find a waterfall covering the exit.
It's February – is it really wise to get wet in this weather? My eyes travelled upwards to find the sun at its highest point in the relatively clear sky…
Screw it, we'll likely be dry before nightfall.
I prayed that the plunge pool wasn't too shallow before leaping into it.
As it turns out, it wasn't shallow at all. I must've sank some five metres before the momentum from the fall wore off and I was able to start pulling myself upwards. I panicked briefly when I started running out of oxygen. Luckily, I reached the surface just in time and gasped for air for a couple of moments. Then I started to shiver, which made me realise just how cold the water truly is, and I promptly began doggy-paddling to the shore.
My stomach fell when I noticed my companions avoiding the water altogether as they instead walked along the narrow rocky edge of the plunge pool. For a self-proclaimed genius, I sure can be quite dumb… But at least the spontaneous shower gave me a burst of energy, even as my body trembled under the cool late winter atmosphere.
I undid my braid, knowing that my hair will dry much faster if it is down.
"Are you all right there, Trae?" Gwaine asked with an amused grin when the team reached me.
"Oh, yeah. It was refreshing," I responded through clattering teeth. "You guys should try it."
Gwaine laughed before suggesting, "Take off the extra layers, you will warm up faster that way."
I contemplated the action and checked to see what I'm wearing underneath my blue camouflage hoodie and black bomber jacket. I sighed in relief when I confirmed that I'm wearing a long-sleeve shirt, which will shield the scars, and I followed my friend's advice; then I tied the hoodie around my waist and draped the jacket over my arm.
Arthur, ever the gentleman, took the latter from me and I gave him an innocent smile as he looked down at me with disapproval.
"Don't frown, someone could be falling in love with your smile," I quoted Allison from 'Teen Wolf' and I reached up to kiss the side of his jaw, effectively gaining a grin.