Camelot
April, 507 AD
"So you do not remember anything?" Gaius asked Merlin.
The three of us now sat at the kitchen table while my best friend comically stuffed his face with berries, hardly stopping to chew them as he ate like a starved man. Gwen left some minutes ago to tend to her duties in the castle.
I wish she could have a 'higher-ranking' job. She's too smart to still be working in service. Not that service people are dumb. But she can aspire to do more and be successful at it, y'know?
"I remember Morgana conjuring the snake, but nothing more," Merlin replied in between bites.
"Lucky for us, you are such a bad assassin," the physician muttered.
I shifted uncomfortably in my spot under the reminder that I share the blame for the assassination attempts. My brother gave me a gentle nudge under the table with his leg. I sighed and rested my head against his shoulder while starting to play with the cords of my hoodie.
"Well, all is well now. I feel fine," Merlin assured us.
"For now, but the serpent is dormant, and when it wakes, your mind will be Morgana's once more and nothing will stop you from killing Arthur," Gaius stated.
Merlin frowned as he looked down at the open book before him, which showed the image of the wormy Hydra thingy. "But how do we get rid of it, if it keeps growing back?" he questioned.
"We have to cut it out from the root," I deduced in a mumble.
"Precisely. You have to kill the mother beast," Gaius said gravely.
"The creature that lives in Morgana's hut?" Merlin inquired, earning a nod from Gaius.
"A hut?! Morgana has a hut?!" I questioned, unable to help the laughter that came over me. Is she trying to fit every 'wicked witch' cartoon there is? Is she really trying to become like Madame Mim? My life just gets crazier and crazier!
"How long have I got before this thing wakes up?" Merlin asked his guardian, once I was done being weird, while motioning towards the back of his neck with his hand.
"A day, no more," Gaius responded. "And I would not face her alone."
"Don't worry, he won't be alone," I assured him with a wink.
"And I will not be there at all," Merlin stated as a grin formed on his lips. I tilted my head at him. "Well, not exactly," he added before standing up and going to get a potion from a cabinet. "She will not recognise me if I am eighty-years-old."
"Smart!" I chirped as I stood up, ready to go. "I'll just wear a full armour n' pray she doesn't knock my helmet off.".
My best friend and I linked arms and went towards the door, but we were stopped by Gaius speaking again – "What should I say if Arthur asks for either of you?"
"Tell 'em we went witch huntin''," I replied with a smirk, earning a look of disapproval.
"Just tell him we are anywhere," Merlin gave a more serious answer before gallantly opening the door for me and stepping outside after I did so. "Anywhere but the tavern!" he added sternly.
Gaius grinned at him and said nothing more, prompting us to share an irritated look. He does know that he could ruin our images in Arthur's eyes, right? More than we already do by ourselves every other day?
I arrived at the spot where I'd agreed to meet Merlin with the horses to find an extremely amusing scene. My best friend, now in old man form, stood in the middle of a clearing looking both entertained and apologetic as he stared at a quartet of unconscious knights – Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan – who lay on top of each other on the ground.
Laughter instantly took me over, which the sorcerer instantly joined. Then he hushed us when Gwaine stirred, and he rushed towards Falcon.
"What happened?" I asked in a whisper while working really hard to hold back the hysterics as he used our friends' piled bodies as a mounting block to get on the dark bay horse.
"So considerate to help an old man," Merlin told the unconscious men while he settled on the saddle. I snorted as I handed him the reins and we started the journey towards Madame Mim's hut. "Ah, they tried to arrest me."
As soon as we were a safe distance away, where the knights wouldn't hear us if they woke up, I bursted out laughing uncontrollably and fell forwards onto Shakespeare's withers.
I decided to take the black horse instead of Dallas since he is – no offence to the sweet guy – much more generic-looking than my trusty steed. Morgana would figure us out in an instant if she happened to spot my flashy cremello Thoroughbred, seeing as he's the only one of his kind in the sixth century.
"We had a short conversation and I threatened to kill Arthur," Merlin continued to explain in between chuckles. "They would have killed me were it not for my quick reflexes," he added while flexing his muscles jokingly.
I laughed harder at that, to the point where my chest started to hurt.
"I can't believe that the hot himbo seriously thought that they would betray him," I stated once I sobered up enough to be able to speak and I shook my head in disbelief.
"He what?" Merlin questioned.
"Ah, right, you weren't you," I mumbled before rolling my eyes and explaining. "Art's been trying to figure out who betrayed us in telling Morgana 'bout the route we took the other day, and the dummy thought that maybe one of the guys did it."
My friend's jaw dropped.
"Ironic when we were the ones trying to off him, aye?" I noted with a humourless chuckle.
"Do not blame yourself, Astra," he scolded with a pointed look. "I am flattered that the thought that I might have been trying to kill him did not even cross your mind. You had no way of knowing."
I let out a sigh and nodded, knowing that arguing with him about this would be useless... I'll just let guilt continue to tear me apart in silence. The truth is – I should've known! He's my brother! I should have been able to tell that he wasn't being himself! But I got too caught up in the excitement of playing pranks and I could've lost Arthur because of it!
I'm one-hundred-percent not fit to be a forking Queen…
I had to force myself off that train of thoughts before it started to spiral.
We reached the hut about three hours later. We left the horses in a safe spot where the chances of them being harmed would be low, and then we creeped along the trees on foot until we were hiding behind a tree while looking down at a small stone shack from atop a small ridge; where we remained for a bit to look out for any movement or other signs that somebody may be home.
The door creaked and it opened. I barely restrained a gasp by slapping a hand over my mouth when none other than Agravaine left the building, followed by Morgana and Thanata. I clutched the sleeve of Merlin's crimson tunic. "I think we found the traitor," I whispered.
He didn't seem as shocked as I felt, but I guess he hasn't been forced to be around the man as much as I have, given my relationship with Arthur and my undeserved position as King's advisor.
The trio wandered away from the small moss-covered building and Merlin and I took that chance to climb down the ridge and enter the place – a task that was made twenty times more complicated than it should be thanks to the stupidly restraining armour on my body.
The interior of the hut was littered with shelves that contained all kinds of witchy stuff, and it smelled of herbs, dampness, and something like sulphur. It wasn't exactly pleasant.
I kept watch by the door in case the witches or the traitor decided to return while my brother searched for the 'mother beast'. Rather carelessly, I may add, as he kept playing with random poultices and shoving things to the side. He knocked a lid off a wooden barrel and simply stared at it on the dirty floor for a moment before moving on.
"Dude, that's how you end up with a goblin problem!" I scolded in a yelled whisper. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him. Maybe the aging potion affects his mind, too, and it's turned him into a grumpy old man?
I wasn't allowed to comment further because my momentary distraction allowed Morgana to discover us. Oops.
She gasped as her eyes fixed on old!Merlin, her expression turning absolutely terrified. Before I could even draw my sword to keep her back, she turned around and slammed the door shut behind her. I tilted my head. She's a badass witch – why is she running away like a scared chicken?
Merlin and I shared a puzzled look.
I shrugged off the Lady's strange behaviour and moved away from my spot so that I could help Merlin to search for the wormy Hydra. My youthful brain probably works better than his artificially aged one, anyway.
Weird purple eyes... a dissected frog... pee-coloured jelly... mouldy hazelnuts?
After a minute or two, Morgana re-entered the hut. I noticed that her body was trembling. Thanata stepped in behind her, also looking spooked.
Oh, how I wanna say something snarky! But speaking would almost certainly blow my cover. I mean, there aren't many Texans living in sixth-century Britain, y'know? And I can't copy their accent to save my life.
"You are not real," Morgana told my brother, her voice shaky, as she slowly approached him. The younger witch clung from her arm.
I frowned.
"Whatever you say!" Merlin replied, his voice harsh and cold. The witches recoiled and I almost did, too; not used to that roughness from the usually friendly and sweet sorcerer.
Merlin and I continued to search for the monster; though we both kept an eye on the witches in case they tried anything.
Sure enough, Morgana pulled out a dagger and she pointed it at my brother.
I drew my sword and threatened her with it.
"You are just my imagination," Morgana said to Merlin.
"W-we would not both be seeing them," Thanata pointed out in an unsteady whisper, her hazel eyes fixing on me. Her stare was so intense that I almost feared she had x-ray vision that allowed her to see past the uncomfortable armour.
I raised an eyebrow as I analysed the pair from behind the visor that covered my face, almost wanting to pack them up and ship them to the future so that they could be studied by the psychologists at Harvard. Morgana, especially.
"Found it," Merlin whispered. I nodded in understanding and he turned to Morgana. "That is right. We are not really here. Just pretend that we are not really here and I will just get this and we will go," he rambled as he snatched the jar and tossed it to me. Surprising myself once more, I managed to catch it smoothly.
Morgana lunged at my artificially-aged brother while Thanata tried to move towards me while drawing a sword, but Merlin was quick to use his powers to send them both flying backwards against a shelf, and that bought us enough time to rush out of the decaying building.
We ran as fast as we could. But in old!Merlin's case, that wasn't fast at all and the witches caught up with us fairly quickly just as we reached the bottom of the ridge.
I stepped in front of Merlin, drawing my sword once more. However, the primitive weapon was no match for magic powers and my brother and I were sent flying across the small clearing.
I groaned as the poorly-fitted breastplate I wore dug into my ribs, then I bit my lip to keep myself from making any other sounds as I scrambled to my feet. My heart twisted when I saw Morgana standing over my best friend, holding the dagger that Arthur got her for her birthday over his chest as she smirked.
I gripped my sword tightly as I hastened towards them with a slight limp. I was all too ready to tackle the witch, but Thanata had other ideas as she sent a flying ball of fire towards me. I dodged it just in time by throwing myself onto the floor, trying to ignore the added pain in my ribcage, and I glared at her – though I knew she couldn't see my eyes – as I scrambled to my feet. She menacingly raised her hand again.
Lucky for me, Merlin had a better idea and he casted a spell to send both witches flying across the clearing, too.
I swallowed another snarky remark as I helped my brother to his feet. "Get the Fomorroh. I will handle her," he whispered to me. I was reluctant to let go of him, but complied anyway and hurried to search for the jar among the fallen leaves that littered the ground.
My concentration was broken when Merlin was sent flying backwards once more and my heart sank when he landed with a loud groan. I held back an exclamation again as I sprinted towards him.
Morgana retrieved the jar and she began to walk away with Thanata in pursuit.
Rage grew within me as I watched them go, my legs itching to run after them, but Merlin wasn't so steady on his feet this time and I refused to leave his side.
I didn't need to, anyway. Because, of course, he had yet another trick up his sleeve as he began to chant a spell. I watched in awe as a little tornado began to form from dirt, twigs and leaves, and my eyes widened when it swept up the witches, swirling them in the air for a moment before they were tossed aside. They landed unconscious. The tornado also spit out the jar, which conveniently landed at Merlin's feet.
I felt my insides churn as my friend staggered and I heard his breathing growing laboured. I did my best to keep him upright and reached to grab the jar.
"C'mon, old pal, let's get outta here," I whispered and helped him walk as I searched for another way to return to the horses.
Luckily, there was a winding path that led up the ridge and it didn't take us too long to reach the top again.
Finding that Merlin was too weak to turn back to his normal self – let alone endure the ride back to the castle – we agreed to set up a camp once we were far away enough from Morgana's hut and resigned to spending the night outside.
As soon as we got a fire burning, my brother opened the jar with the wormy Hydra and quickly tossed the creature into the flames, then he weakly spoke a spell. I watched in amazement as the monster combusted and turned into ash.
My attention was drawn away from the fire when I noticed Merlin reaching to touch the back of his neck, then he sighed in relief.
"Is it dead?" I asked softly.
"Yes. Yes, it is dead," he replied, shooting me a small grin. I smiled and gave him a side hug. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and puffed.
When the sun began to show its first strokes of light the next morning, I woke up my brother and was relieved to find that he was feeling much stronger. He was able to quickly revert the aging spell and we wasted no time before hightailing it back to Camelot.
"The dream team did it again," I announced as Merlin and I entered Gaius's apartment.
The physician was already awake and preparing breakfast, and he seemed slightly startled by our abrupt entrance, though he relaxed instantly.
"I had no doubt that you could do it, children," he responded with a warm smile.
I smirked at him and hopped to sit on the kitchen table, trying to mask how hungry I felt while Gaius continued to cook. Merlin sat down at the kitchen bench and rested his arms atop it with his head on them. I frowned when I saw a dark thing in the back of his neck and reached to touch it.
"It's dead, but it's still there," I noted.
My brother moved his hand next to mine and felt the worm, too. Gaius huffed as he moved to inspect the nuisance.
"Astra – will you take over while I get it out?" the physician asked me while motioning towards the stove with his head. I eagerly nodded and jumped off the table, definitely not wanting to watch the medieval surgery that I know will follow, minor as it may be.
I tried to ignore the squishy sounds that came from the scene while focusing all my energy onto the hash-browns that were cooking on the pan.
My brain continued to be flooded with imaginative images of what Gaius could be doing to pull out the worm, though, so I resorted to singing 'Pass Me By' by R5 in hopes that the catchy tune would bring me more pleasant thoughts. But it didn't work. And the distraction caused me to accidentally allow some of the food to burn.
"Darn," I muttered as I hurried to put out the fire by pouring a cup of water all over the stove.
Gaius chuckled. "Do not fret, dear girl, it is all done."
I turned to face him and Merlin and found that my brother was now holding a gauze against the back of his neck. He looked pained and a little pale, but seemed fine otherwise.
"Kay, cool," I responded and moved out of the way so that the physician could finish preparing breakfast. He's so much better at it than me, anyway.
Soon, it was done and the three of us ate while Merlin and I recounted how we found out who the traitor is – that bastard snake Agravaine! – and how Morgana and Thanata seem scared of old!Merlin, for some reason. Gaius didn't seem at all surprised that Arthur's uncle is the mole. In fact, he confessed that he's had his suspicions about him for a while, but hadn't said anything for lack of evidence.
"Well, we could've helped you to investigate, Pops," I pointed out while narrowing my eyes at him.
A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. Gwen came in and she smiled widely when she spotted Merlin.
"Merlin! You are back!" she exclaimed as she rushed to hug him. He seemed surprised, but returned the embrace with a grin.
I smirked at the pair and propped up my chin on my hand as I watched them.
Is my ship sailing again?!
"Dare I look?" Gwen wondered as she noticed the gauze that was still pressed against the back of his neck when they separated.
"It is completely gone. I have no desire to kill Arthur," Merlin assured her, keeping his hands on her upper arms as they continued to smile at each other.
Ship! Ship! Ship!
"That is great news… Although, I am afraid right now he does want to kill you," Gwen replied before biting her lip. "Both of you," she added as she turned her head to me for a second.
My brother and I shared a sheepish grin.
After finishing our breakfasts and getting cleaned up following our adventure in the forest, Merlin and I reunited in the corridor outside my room and we linked arms as we made our way towards Arthur's room, knowing that there was no use in prolonging the tantrum that he's sure to throw when he finds out that we're back.
He must have been expecting us, for he sat at his dining table facing the door, his fingers beating on the armrest as he watched us enter with narrowed eyes.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him and a buzzing feeling settled in my stomach.
"Hi, Artie," I greeted with an innocent grin, which caused Merlin to snort and give me an amused look.
"Two whole days in the tavern," the King stated as his displeased gaze alternated between my brother and I.
My eyes widened and then I shared an annoyed look with Merlin. Gaius is a treacherous little fox!
"I-I am not quite sure it was that long," Merlin defended with a slight chuckle.
"Yeah. One day, tops," I added with a grin.
Sure, the physician sucks at coming up with cover stories, but we're not gonna contradict him in front of the King and risk his job. Though maybe we should, and that might teach him a lesson…
"Give me one good reason why I should not get rid of you on the spot," Arthur demanded while pointing a menacing finger at Merlin.
"I can give you a long list," I replied while wrapping a protective arm around my brother's torso.
Merlin grinned, almost arrogantly, as he began to list, "Yes. You would have no one to polish your armour, make you breakfast, organise your clothes–"
"Ah, well, that is where you are wrong," the King cut him off with a smirk. My brother and I exchanged a confused look. "George!" Arthur called out and he lifted his legs to rest them atop the table.
He's such a drama queen. I'm so in love.
In came a small, lanky guy with chestnut hair, striking blue eyes, and an outfit that copies Merlin's almost exactly. He holds himself with pride, despite his short stature, and I couldn't help but be reminded of pre-serum!Steve Rogers. The association made me smile.
"Astraea, Merlin, meet George," Arthur introduced us.
I waved at the guy in greeting, earning a courteous nod in return, and Merlin frowned at him while looking slightly worried. I don't know why. I know that Arthur would never dare to replace him. And if he did… Wouldn't that be a good thing? There's a million, less deadly jobs that he'd be great at! Like acting! Or working at a Four Seasons hotel! Or doing magic shows for children's birthday parties!
"George is, perhaps, the most efficient servant I have ever seen," Arthur claimed. "He will be spending the rest of the week teaching you."
"Teaching me?" Merlin echoed.
"If you wish to remain in my service," the King responded.
I smirked up at my best friend and asked, "Do ya'?" He sighed, but said nothing in return. I raised my eyebrows for a moment. I know that if I had his job, I'd jump at the chance to quit. Or kill Arthur. Maybe Morgana was onto something.
"We will start in the armoury. Lesson one is my favourite: polishing," George announced, his demeanour entirely serious despite how silly his words sounded – at least to me.
I couldn't help but chuckle and I totally saw Arthur holding back a smile as he attempted to remain stoic.
Merlin, on the other hand, seemed completely horrified. "Yes, that is my favourite, too," he replied while sending me a look that screamed 'help!'. I was too entertained to help, though.
George didn't seem to detect the sarcasm in my brother's tone and he nodded with approval, then he motioned for Merlin to follow him before exiting the room. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Resigned, the sorcerer went to follow, but he stopped at the door and turned back to face Arthur.
"Tell me something," he demanded and took a few steps towards the King, who nodded as he clearly fought to maintain his serious demeanour. "If he is so good, why don't you just give him the job?"
Well, I'd say the answer's obvious. Arthur loves Merlin too much!
Arthur sighed and finally dropped his stoic act, his features showing annoyance – though it was not aimed at my brother. "He is seriously boring. I have never met anyone so dull," he responded while adorably scrunching up his face. "The man makes jokes... about brass."
I frowned. What kind of joke can anyone make on such a topic?! I didn't ask, though.
The King grinned as my best friend's face fell and he reached to pat his arm. "Anyway, off you go. It will be fun."
Merlin huffed in annoyance. He glared at Arthur and then at me – presumably 'cause he can see that I'm enjoying his misery – before leaving the room.
I giggled as I watched him go, definitely enjoying his misery. Though I know that I will sympathise soon enough and, then I can find a way to help him get out of his current predicament. He doesn't deserve to be punished – we've been off saving the King's life, not placing bets in the tavern like Gaius would have everyone believe!
"And now you..." Arthur began, causing my attention to snap back to him.
I snorted and gave him a challenging smirk, "What about me? You can't do anything to me." He narrowed his eyes as he leaned back on his seat. "I'm untouchable and you know it," I added as I crossed my arms, holding myself proudly.
He seemed puzzled for a few moments and I continued to smirk even while I felt my guts melting under his enchanting gaze.
"I do not have to do anything. You will do it to yourself," he finally replied, a grin growing on his lips again. I tilted my head in confusion. "I know you. You will not allow Merlin to suffer alone."
I blinked rapidly at him.
Fork, he does know me!
I'm definitely leaving him for Bucky.
However... Merlin doesn't necessarily have to suffer. Surely we can find a way to break George out of his weird shell and befriend him, right? Then he might be willing to spare my brother from having to take serving lessons, or whatever. Plus, it never hurts to have allies…
I smirked again.
"Remember this moment, Arthur Pendragon, 'cause it's the moment you signed your death warrant," I warned. Then I froze when I processed what I said as his eyes widened. "Metaphorical death warrant, obviously. I very much like you alive," I quickly added and shifted uncomfortably.
He playfully (I think) narrowed his eyes at me again. I gave him an innocent grin and turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait!" he protested. I stopped and turned back around, tilting my head. "I have missed you," he said with a slight pout as he stood up and began walking towards me.
"Great, you keep doing that," I replied with a wink and I took off running towards the door, and then down the corridor heading towards my room where I know I'll be safe. I heard him dramatically gasp behind me and it wasn't long before I heard his rushed footsteps chasing after me.
"No!" I grunted when I reached my room to find that the lock was on and I scrambled to enter the combination. I barely had the final '2' rolled into place when Arthur scooped me up in his arms while laughing, and he carried me into my room, closing the door behind us.
"Not so fast without your horse, are you?" he teased as he threw me onto the bed and climbed on top of me.
"Can't have it all," I responded with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant as my heart raced in apprehension for what I knew would come next.
Sure enough, he began a merciless tickle attack and I suddenly found myself wishing I could join Merlin in his servant lessons as I laughed uncontrollably while squirming under Arthur's hands.