Camelot

March, 507 AD

"This is what we call a selfie," I softly explained to the two pairs of curious eyes that were intently staring at either side of my face, and I snapped a photograph with the front camera of my phone.

Aithusa and Phoenix looked up at the phone as I showed them the result and they both let happy squeals. I quickly opened the camera again and I couldn't help but giggle with joy when the second photo managed to capture them actually looking up.

I've never been one for selfies – but who doesn't want pictures of themselves with two baby dragons curled around their shoulders?!

I rolled my head to the side, looking past Phoenix and at Merlin, who sat on a rock near a napping Kilgharrah. I grinned when I saw him already looking at me and I waved him over. "C'mon! You, too!"

He snorted and promptly walked over, moving to lie down on his back beside me.

Aithusa let out a squeak and she moved to stand on Merlin's chest, smiling when he brought a hand up to pet her. Phoenix remained beside me and his little clawed hands started playing with the cord of my baby blue hoodie. I reached up to gently rub his head, and then I opened my camera again and snapped a picture of my brother with the girl dragon.

"You look like a dork," I teased while handing him the phone so he could see the result.

Merlin snatched the phone out of my hand and flipped through some of the photos. Then he returned it, showing me a photo that isn't at all flattering for my face. "Look who's talking," he joked.

I bursted out laughing and let my phone drop to the ground beside me. A sigh escaped me and I let my body relax entirely as I stared up at the blue expanse above while going back to petting Phoenix.

The sky was starting to darken and I knew that we would have to get back to the castle before certain people start to wonder why the King's servant and the Lady-Knight are taking so long gathering herbs for Gaius…

Suddenly, Phoenix snatched my Samsung and took off running across the grassy field with it.

I let out a playful gasp, "Finny! You lil' rascal!" I jumped to my feet and sprinted after the squealing white blur.

I could hear Merlin's laughter as I chased Phoenix. I almost tripped over a rock and grunted at the slight pain that made my ankle protest, but I didn't stop running.

It wasn't long before Kilgharrah's deep chuckles joined Merlin's giggles.

"I'm gonna catch ya', Finn!" I promised as I pushed myself to run faster.

I gotta hand it to the little guy, he certainly tried his best, but his short limbs and small size don't allow him to outrun me for long just yet. I swiftly scooped him up in my arms, laughing while he squeaked and squirmed as I tickled his tummy. His tiny clawed hands finally surrendered the electronic device and I quickly shoved it in the pocket of my riding leggings before cradling Phoenix to my chest, gently rubbing the top of his Chihuahua-sized head with the tips of my fingers.

I sat down beside Merlin again and continued to cradle Phoenix as he adorably dozed off.

"I wish we could take them home with us. It'd be so much fun," I whispered.

"We would all lose our heads," my brother noted sadly as his eyes travelled down to Aithusa, who still slept on his lap.

"Maybe one day."

"Yes, maybe one day."

I watched with my heart caught in my throat as Merlin, disguised as a knight, sprinted down an overgrown grassy field with some two dozen screeching bandits behind him.

My grip on Arthur's arm tightened as a man nearly snatched the back of my brother's cape. "I told you capes are dumb!" I whisper-yelled.

The King gave me an acknowledging nod, but said nothing as he pulled me closer to him behind a tree just as the men ran past us, following Merlin into a trench. Just like we planned.

Arthur slipped his hand into mine and led me out of the hiding spot and towards the edge of the trench, which looked over a cornered Merlin and a bunch of smug-looking men closing in on him. I drew my bow and aimed it at one of them. A smirk curved my lips as I watched the men's faces fall as they slowly realised that they're surrounded by Camelot's mightiest heroes.

"On me!" Arthur called out as he leaped down... and face-planted on the empty ground between my brother and the bandits.

"How the hell is he still alive?!" Gwaine asked me as he carefully-but-hastily climbed down the rocky wall while I remained above to fire at the enemies from a distance.

"Wild luck?" I offered an explanation other than 'thanks to Merlin'.

Gwaine shrugged and nodded, then he let out a 'whoop' as he charged at a bandit with his sword.

Soon, all the enemy men were either disabled or dead; and the male knights gathered those who survived in order to take them prisoners.

I walked up to Arthur and reached up to gently touch a bruise that was quickly forming on his jaw from the dumb fall he took. I was unable to restrain the giggles as I replayed the scene in my head. If we were in the twenty-first century, I'd follow him around with a Go-Pro that would always be recording; and I could probably gather enough footage to create an entire season of 'Science of Stupid'. My laughter intensified at the thought.

Arthur rolled his eyes and he grabbed my hand, removing it from the spot. "Stop laughing, it was not funny!"

"Yes, it was," Gwaine answered for me with a chuckle.

"It certainly was," Merlin stated.

Arthur huffed.

"Your Majesty!" Agravaine interrupted as he led the apparent leader of the bandits towards us. "Look what we have here."

The man is tall (although, to be fair, who isn't in my eyes?) and built athletically. He has short dark hair, a thick greying beard, and dark brown eyes.

"He comes with us. We will deal with the prisoners when we get back to Camelot," Arthur responded. He intertwined our fingers and gave my arm a soft tug as he started walking.

"I fear this is no ordinary prisoner, Your Highness," Agravaine stopped us. I frowned as I watched him roughly shove the man to the ground. He ripped a metal necklace off his chest and handed it to Arthur.

The King used his free hand to take it and he analysed it carefully. I rested my head against his upper arm as I also scanned the item. The pendant is as big as the palm of Arthur's hand. It is shaped like a waxing crescent moon and has some spirally symbols on it. "Well, well," he mumbled.

"What's that? Another key to another death-trap tomb?" I wondered.

Maybe we can get some friends for Aithusa and Phoenix!

Arthur shook his head.

"Well, what is it?" Merlin questioned, suddenly appearing at Arthur's other side while looking at the necklace as well.

"This is the royal crest of Caerleon," Arthur responded. "Is it not, Your Highness?" he asked as he turned to the bandit, who dropped his head in defeat and clenched his jaw.

"Ooh, busted!" I taunted.

"This is not the first time he has trespassed on our lands," Arthur commented as he glared over at the foreign king, whose hands were tied behind his back and he had been made to sit atop a rock, being guarded by Percival and Elyan.

We weren't able to reach Camelot before nightfall, so we were forced to set up a camp in the wilderness.

"No, Sire. Only last week he seized the village of Stonedown on the western borders," Agravaine replied as he plopped down on a log across from Arthur and I, around the campfire.

"And Dawsbury north of that two weeks before," I added in a low tone.

"We are not on the borders now," Arthur pointed out. "This is the heart of the kingdom. He took a grave risk coming here."

"Perhaps he does not see it that way," Agravaine suggested while averting his gaze, earning a head-tilt from the King. "I fear it is no coincidence that all this has happened since Uther's death."

I felt a pang in my chest at the mention. I moved my leg slightly to touch Arthur's, knowing that he also still feels the pain of the loss. Obviously. Only ten times worse, probably. He placed a hand on my knee.

"What do you mean?" he questioned his uncle.

"Arthur, your father was a strong king. His enemies feared and respected that strength," Agravaine stated.

Right. So foreign kings don't yet know the strength and support that Arthur has, and they're looking to test his waters…

A flash of hurt crossed Arthur's eyes as he recoiled. "Are you saying I am not worthy of that respect?"

"He's not sayin' that, Artie," I quickly interjected before he could get sad, or something. "Everyone standing here knows that you are, or we'd be home watchin' Netflix."

"Precisely," Agravaine said. "I think."

"American stuff – but you get what I mean, sir," I replied.

"Yes," the man acknowledged before returning his attention to Arthur and continuing. "There is not a citizen of Camelot who would not lay down their life for you. But to your enemies, to the enemies of Camelot, you are still untested as a king. You must send a clear message that any action against Camelot will be met without mercy."

I froze as my eyes widened. I don't like that plot twist. Arthur's merciful heart is one of the things that set him apart from everyone else!

"Did we not achieve that here today?" Arthur questioned.

"No, Sire. Not enough," Agravaine claimed.

"We captured them, didn't we?" I challenged. I don't want this to end bloody!

"It is not enough to deter the likes of Odin and Bayard and the countless others who covet Camelot's wealth," he responded with a shake of his head.

"We'll cross that bridge if we get to it," I countered.

"It might be too late by then, Astraea."

"What do you suggest?" Arthur asked his uncle.

Agravaine let out a sigh and he dropped his head, appearing to think for a moment before he responded, "I suggest that we force him to accept a treaty on our terms. He must withdraw his men from our land, return our territories to us. He must surrender Everwick."

That sounds totally reasonable. Camelot's land back in exchange for his freedom.

"He would rather die than agree to such terms," Arthur said.

I tilted my head. "There's gotta be a middle-ground somewhere."

"If he does not agree, then you are left with no choice," Agravaine stated while raising a suggestive eyebrow.

My eyes widened. "Sir, you're suggesting un-aliving a freaking king!"

"I cannot just kill a man in cold blood," Arthur protested.

"Arthur, you must do what you need to do to assert your authority on this land," Agravaine hissed.

"Well, there must be another way," Arthur argued.

"Yeah! Think about the precedent this sets!" I piled on.

Agravaine shook his head. "There is no other way. Think on it. Decide by tomorrow."

With that, he stood up and walked away.

I puffed as I watched him go.

Arthur scooted closer to me and he dropped his forehead to my shoulder while letting out a frustrated sigh. I rested my head against his and reached up to gently comb his hair.

I watched the dancing flames of the campfire as I tried to think of any other ways in which we could deal with Caerleon. Then my mind drifted towards yesterday, and how life seemed so perfect with Kilgharrah, Aithusa and Phoenix, and how I wish I could pause life and stay there for a while. At least until all this crap blows over.

"Do you have any ideas, my love?" Arthur asked softly.

"I dunno, my brain is scrambled," I confessed in a mumble. He sighed again and pressed a kiss to my clothed shoulder while sneaking an arm around my waist.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to focus on the problem at hand. What would Tony Stark do? Build a robot to protect Camelot? Well, we can't do that. What would the Winchesters do? No clue, all they have is a car. They've never had to defend territory; and they fight supernatural creatures, not people... What would the Nine-Nine do? Whatever the law tells them to... I doubt there's anything written on how to deal with stuff like this in Camelot, or it would've been addressed already. If I had internet, I could Google how the United Nations might deal with a similar situation…

Well, that was helpful.

Obviously we can't just release the guy – he'll just invade another village next week. We could keep him prisoner forever, but his kingdom would probably just send troops to get him, and then we'd have a fight on our hands. And they're clearly stronger than us, or Camelot wouldn't have lost all those lands in the first place.

If we kill the king, we'll probably also have a war on our hands. He might have an heir somewhere who might want to avenge his death. Or a wife. But at least their army would probably be messy without a leader and they might be easier to beat… I don't wanna go to war, though.

We could ask a neighbouring kingdom for help. Perhaps Gawant. I'm sure that my good friend Elena could convince her dad to help if I ask nicely. But it circles back to one of the big problems at hand – showing that we cannot defend ourselves on our own will be an open invitation for other greedy kings to have their go at conquering Camelot. There's no United Nations we can appeal to, and I'm not sure that writing a letter to the Pope would get us anywhere, considering Britain's fairly recent separation from the Roman Empire...

Upon closer inspection, Agravaine's plan is very sensible. The part about the treaty, not the part about killing the foreign king. We could hold him for ransom if he refuses and pray that his people aren't bloodthirsty zombies…

"Artie, I think he's right about the treaty," I whispered.

He lifted his head off my shoulder and faced me with a quizzical gaze.

Man, his eyes are so enchanting even in the faint light from the campfire. He's unreal!

I mentally shook that thought out of my head and nibbled on my bottom lip for a few seconds before clarifying, "His freedom in exchange for the land he took from you and the promise that he won't ever step foot into Camelot again."

"Caerleon will not sign it," Arthur pointed out again with a slight shake of his head.

"Maybe he will! I'm sure he has something to live for besides the glory of conquering Camelot," I countered. He sighed and his eyes scanned my face for one to many moments, making me shrink into my frame. "And if he doesn't, it'll be his choice and we'll give 'em a life sentence. No one can fault you for protecting your people," I added in a whisper.

Arthur grinned and he pressed a soft kiss to my lips before stating, "Our people."

I frowned. "What?"

"They are our people, Astra."

I dropped my head as a hurricane of blood made itself a home in my cheeks.

"Let's start drafting it, then," I mumbled and I went to get my notebook and pen before returning to Arthur's side.

I groaned and let the pen drop on my lap, then I began making circles with my wrist as I tried to get rid of the uncomfortable strained sensation that has been gradually forming for the past hour since I took over writing after Arthur got tired of it. The skin of my ring finger, against which I tend to hold the writing device, has slowly been turning an angry pink colour and I'm certain it'll be sensitive for a day or two.

Arthur gave me a soft smile and kissed the side of my head before gently grabbing the pen and paper parchment from my lap so he could finish transcribing from my notebook what we hope will be the final document.

I've never missed computers so much.

I heard some shuffling and looked up to find Merlin walking towards us with a concerned frown on his face. "Were you two up all night?" he asked.

I looked around to realise that the sun was starting to rise and raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, I guess we were."

He tilted his head and stepped closer, sitting down across from us. Then he scanned what Arthur was writing. "You are drawing up this treaty," he noticed.

I know he heard our conversation with Agravaine last night.

"I know it's not ideal, but we couldn't think of a better option," I said softly.

"Caerleon will not sign it," Merlin reminded us in a tone that was almost accusatory. Arthur looked up, seeming displeased. "You know that."

"Maybe he'll surprise us," I countered, shrinking into myself yet again. "N' if he doesn't, the choice will be his."

Merlin scoffed and shook his head before muttering, "There must be another way."

"Do you have a better idea?" I inquired. Maybe his fresher mind can see from a different point of view!

He sighed and averted his gaze.

All right, then.

Merlin's gaze moved on to Arthur. "Arthur – you have always shown mercy in battle. You have never sought to humiliate your enemy in this way. This is not like you. This is not who you are!"

I raised an eyebrow. "How the heck is this Art humiliating him? He brought this shame on himself by, y'know, mercilessly invading Camelot's territory and being stupid enough to get caught!"

"You have no idea what it is to make these decisions. Decisions that will shape the future of this land," Arthur snapped at my brother.

I winced. Merlin knows what hard life-or-death decisions are like better than anyone. And seeing the disappointment that was clear on his face caused my head to start spinning again.

Merlin sighed, stood up, and walked away.

Oh, crap. What if he's right? What if there's a better solution? One that doesn't risk a war? But how!? Camelot's safety would also be compromised if we just let Caerleon go!

But a war is more lethal than him invading villages.

Though I don't doubt that he's killed innocent people while doing so.

This is insane! What am I even doing here?! I'm not supposed to be playing King's Advisor! I'm supposed to be in college.

"Astra – breathe!" Arthur commanded and I was suddenly being wrapped in his safe arms. I inhaled sharply and hugged him tightly while nuzzling into his chest so that I could focus on the rhythm of his breathing. He moved me onto his lap and rested his chin atop my head. "You are all right. Just breathe."

"A-artie, maybe he's right," I said in between heavy inhales. "M-maybe there are other options. This could end in a war."

"Darling, you cannot second-guess yourself because Merlin got upset," he stated.

"But what if he's right?"

He gently moved my head off his chest and placed a hand on the side of my face as he looked me in the eye. "If I may quote my brilliant girl –" he said, causing my lips to curve upwards just a little, "there is no right when it comes to situations like this one because there is nothing right about what is happening. There is only smart or dumb. And I know that we both believe this is the smartest plan."

Using me against me. That's a new one.

"Everything will be all right, my love. I promise," he added before pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Okay…" I breathed out.

About an hour later, after Agravaine approved of the treaty that Arthur and I created, the team readied to present it to Caerleon.

I resisted the request to join the event. A huge part of me wants to get on Dallas and run 'til we reach Bristol, and then steal a ship and somehow sail to the Americas and find a time portal. But Merlin pointed out that perhaps my 'crazy antics' could convince the foreign king to sign if he refuses to at first. So I reluctantly stepped up between Merlin and Gwaine as Agravaine presented Caerleon with the document.

"What is this?" the foreign king grunted.

Leon took the paper, seeing as Caerlon can't because his hands are still tied, and he extended it before moving it in front of his face.

"You expect me to sign this?" Caerleon questioned. "To humiliate myself before you?"

"You invaded our kingdom and took what did not belong to you," Agravaine growled.

"And if I do not sign?" Caerleon challenged.

"Then you will pay," Agravaine responded. "With your life."

I choked on saliva. With his life?! I couldn't stop my mouth from running ahead of my brain – "I thought we were gonna hold him for ransom, or something!"

"Back off, Astraea!" Agravaine snarled.

I gulped as I flinched backwards and I latched onto the sleeve of Merlin's jacket as my lungs became heavy yet again.

This is a nightmare!

"And who makes these terms?" Caerleon inquired.

"Arthur Pendragon," Arthur responded as he stepped onto the scene from behind some trees. A dramatic entrance – I've taught him well. "King of Camelot."

The foreign king shoved Leon aside and then he shrugged Percival off as he took a couple of threatening steps towards the King. I instantly jumped to Arthur's side and gripped the hilt of my sword, ready to defend him if needed.

Caerleon paused for a moment when his eyes landed on me, then he addressed Arthur, "Very well. Then make it quick." My eyes widened when he kneeled down and I looked up at Arthur, whose face fell in disappointment.

Well, I guess I'm up.

"Seriously, dude? Is your life really so sad that you'd rather die than make peace with Camelot?" I asked Caerleon.

"Who are you?" he spat.

I cowered and instinctively stepped closer to Arthur. "I'm Astra…"

Arthur grabbed my arm and gently moved me behind him before addressing Caerleon again, "Think what you are doing, Caerleon. This treaty could seal a truce between us. There would be peace. Like there was between your father and mine."

"I am not my father," the foreign king brilliantly pointed out. "And you are not Uther."

"I don't think that was the point," I mumbled under my breath.

"Do you really have the guts to kill me?" Caerleon challenged as he eyed the sword hanging from Arthur's belt.

I held my breath. Surely the killing him thing was just said as a threat, right? And we're really gonna hold him for ransom?

"You leave me no choice," Arthur replied.

I staggered slightly, feeling as if Optimus Prime had just stepped on me.

"You do not choose anything, boy," Caerleon snarled, almost condescendingly. "It is I who chooses to die, and I alone." He had the audacity of going as far as sticking his neck out, "Now, get on with it."

My heart pounded against my chest as tears pooled in my eyes.

Is this really happening?! Oh, and it's all my fault! Or at least partly?! I mean, who knows if Agravaine would've convinced Arthur either way. Or if he would've chosen this path all by himself if I hadn't encouraged it. But, still, I feel like this is mostly on me – and now I can't do anything to stop it! I mean, I could, but I don't know how! Or how to approach it without endangering Camelot – or even Arthur! – all the same!

"So be it," Arthur responded and he clenched his jaw.

I promptly walked away from the scene, not wanting to watch the execution, and I went in search of Dallas for a much-needed dose of comfort.