Camelot
February, 509 AD
I finished my knightly training for the day and I was about to leave the field so that I could head over to the paddocks and get started on working with the horses. However, Mordred stopped me and asked me, with a little grin, if I could hang back for a few minutes and watch him spar with Arthur. I know that the kid has been getting good, and he was so excited that I couldn't say no. So I plopped down on a bench next to Merlin and allowed my body to rest while I watched the young knight move to stand in front of my King.
The pair stared at each other with fierce analytical gazes and remained still for a few moments. Without warning, Mordred charged at Arthur with a grunt. The King was quick to defend himself by raising his shield and he soon began to back up the young knight with powerful slashes of his sword.
"Yeah, buddy!" I cheered when Mordred managed to knock Arthur to his butt – though he was quick to recover and double down on his attacks.
"Why are you cheering him on?" Merlin questioned in a grumbly whisper. I know he's still wary of the young knight.
I rolled my eyes before responding, "This is a breeze for Arthur. Mordred's the one who's trainin'."
My brother grunted in response and said nothing else, allowing me to return my attention to the field.
It wasn't long before Mordred was lying on his back with Arthur's sword pointed at his throat and he let out a frustrated huff.
"You are getting good, Mordred," my King praised while discarding his sword and offering a hand to help him up. "Very good."
A small, almost wondrous, grin formed on the kid's lips as he bowed his head. "My Lord."
"I may have to start trying soon," Arthur added with a little smirk.
I snorted in amusement and I mumbled, "Arrogant jerk," under my breath.
Smiling, I stood up and approached the pair, offering Mordred a fist-bump while I leaned against Arthur and partly-rounded his waist with my free arm. The young knight was quick to complete the gesture, still grinning, while my King threw an arm over my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
"You did awesome, buddy. Maybe you n' I can give it a go some time," I told Mordred.
"Thank you, Astra. I would like that," he responded. I winked at him before shifting my attention to Arthur.
"I gotta run. See ya' later?"
"Of course," he responded and leaned down to press a soft kiss to my lips. I smiled and kissed the side of his jaw before finally running off to start working with the horses.
I was busy writing a response to some Lord – who wanted a permit to export some wine from Cantabria – while half-focusing on the sound of 'I Only Want To Be With You' by Dusty Springfield playing on the gramophone towards a corner of the room; when Arthur suddenly snatched away my pen and took my hand in his. I frowned up at him to find him closely analysing my sequestered limb.
"I never noticed that your thumb is a bit crooked," he noted with a hum, which caused me to burst out laughing.
"That's 'cause Olly broke it once," I informed him while grinning at the memory. My King seemed slightly spooked as he gave me a quizzical look. I giggled before explaining, "We were havin' a thumb-war, it got intense, and I was a nine-year-old girl going up against a twenty-year-old guy. It was an obvious recipe for disaster."
He placed a gentle kiss on the back of my crooked finger, causing my heart to do a backflip, and then he looked me in the eyes again and asked, "What is a thumb-war?"
My eyes widened in surprise and I questioned, "No one's thought of that yet?!" Arthur shook his head. "Well," I shifted our joined hands and got them in position for a thumb-war, gently rubbing my finger against his as I explained, "you hold on like this, and then ya' gotta try to pin down the other person's thumb."
In a swift, momentary movement, he won the game (which I didn't realise we were actually playing); causing me to huff.
"Like that?" he asked with a cute grin.
"Usually there's a bit of a struggle, but yeah," I responded with a chuckle.
He released my thumb. "Let us go again, then."
"Why?" I asked. "You're obviously gonna win."
"How are you so certain?"
"'Cause look at the size of your hand compared to mine."
Arthur smirked and he pressed a kiss to my knuckles. "Well, you are quite a little thing."
I felt myself blushing and averted my gaze.
"Come on, just once," he pressed. "I promise not to break anything."
"Fine," I relented and straightened up before declaring the war... which he almost instantly won. "Told ya'."
He sighed and kissed the back of my hand again before finally letting it go. "All right. Let us go back to work."
We exchanged a smile and I grabbed back my pen, going back to drafting the letter. It wasn't long before my other hand was snatched under the table and Arthur intertwined our fingers, not glancing at me as he kept his attention on whatever document he was going over. I grinned to myself. I'm so lucky to have him!
Some minutes later, Gwen knocked on the door and informed us that Leon – who'd been out on patrol – was back and apparently had some important news.
I begrudgingly got up and dropped my blanket on the bed, then I grabbed my black bomber jacket off the dining table and put it on before joining hands with Arthur once more and following him out of the room.
The council was already gathered when we got to the council chambers, and Leon stood up as soon as we sat down. I instantly took note of his grievous expression and felt my stomach twist in concern.
"What news from the east, Sir Leon?" Arthur asked.
"Serious news, I am afraid, Sire, Astra," the curly blond responded mournfully. I gulped. "As you know, a few days ago, our garrison in the Forest of Brechfa intercepted the man who goes by the name of Osgar."
"The sorcerer," my King noted.
"The same," Leon sighed. "They were trying to apprehend him when he used his powers to escape."
Great – this is gonna set back the plan to get magic legalised!
"I am sorry to report," the knight continued sadly, "Sir Ranulf was mortally wounded."
I leaned back on my seat, feeling my heart twist at the news. I mean, I wasn't at all close with the man. The only interaction I clearly remember ever having with him is getting some kind tips back when the late Sir Gareth was teaching me to sword-fight. But it still sucks to lose a loyal knight, y'know?
"Sir Ranulf?" Arthur echoed, clearly upset. I gave his hand a small squeeze and scooted my chair slightly closer to his so that our knees could touch. He returned the squeeze before sighing and addressing the council, "He was a loyal and true knight... Place all the men in the eastern territories on high alert."
"Yes, Sire," Leon nodded.
"I personally shall lead a patrol to bring this Osgar to justice," Arthur added.
Fun. More adventures in the woods.
"You okay?" I gently asked Arthur when we returned to our room. "You knew him way better than I did."
"He was a friend. We knew each other as boys," he responded before moving to get a map from his desk. I hopped to sit on the dining table and waited for him to return. He extended the paper parchment atop the wooden surface and let out a sigh as he looked it over. I noticed a faint trace of tears in his eyes and my heart turned upside down.
I grabbed one of his hands and succeeded in getting his attention. "I'm sorry, Artie. Maybe it's not the same, but I also feel the pain of the loss."
He moved to wrap his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder as he responded, "I know you do."
"We'll get him the justice he deserves," I promised.
"Yes, we will."
A knock on the door caused us to pull apart and Arthur kissed my forehead before calling for whoever it was to come inside. I grinned a little when I saw Mordred, who looked comically spooked as he hesitantly stepped in.
"You wished to see me, Sire?"
"The time has come for you to accompany your King and queen," Arthur told him with a proud grin.
The young knight still seemed uneasy, so I offered him a smile and a fist-bump, which did the trick in getting him to relax a little.
My King casted me a smile and continued, "I want you to join us on a patrol to the Black Mountains."
Mordred's features filled with disbelief, which was amusing to watch. "Me?" he questioned. Arthur and I both nodded. "To Brechfa?"
"Congratulations," my King told him while patting him on the back.
"You've earned it, buddy," I added with a wink.
The boy's mouth fell agape. "This is a great honour. I..."
"As Astra said, you have earned your place," Arthur assured him. "Be ready to ride at dawn."
Disbelief turned into excitement as Mordred finally smiled. "I shall be, My Lord, Astra. You will not regret this. I promise." And with that, he left the room with a skip in his step.
"He has all the makings of an excellent knight," Arthur noted once the door was closed.
"Yeah, he's great," I replied with a smile. Then I turned to look him straight in the eyes while turning serious. "I take it this Osgar dude hasn't changed your mind regarding having a druid as a knight?"
He sighed before responding, "No. Mordred has proven that we can trust him."
"Agreed!" I chirped, feeling a wave of relief pass through me. Arthur moved closer to my side again and I rested my head against his shoulder as I sighed. My eyes travelled to the closed door. "They grow up so fast, don't they?" I said, turning playful again while wiping at a pretend tear.
He chuckled and shook his head while looking down at me, stating, "You are strange."
"And you married me," I shot back with a wink.
"And I would do it again," he responded before kissing me.
I pushed him back before it could turn intense. "Now, now, Prince Charming. We still gotta plan this trip."
"Stop glaring at him, or I'm gonna carve your eyes out," I growled at my brother after noticing, out of the corner of my eye, how he kept sending nasty glances towards Mordred while the two of us were teaming up to tack up Dallas, Falcon and Tequila. You know the drill. "Bein' rude is exactly how you get a person to turn dark side."
"I cannot just ignore Kilgharrah's warnings," he shot back in a whisper as he shuffled closer to me.
"I'm not telling you to, even if I think you should... I'm just asking you to be nice to Mordred. He really looks up to you and, if anything, he needs you to be a mentor for him," I countered with a pointed look.
"Fine," he huffed before returning his attention to Tequila.
Once all the horses were ready to depart, they were led over to the courtyard, where the team met with Arthur – who's too good to go into the stables and get dirty, apparently. So I guess I'll have to set him straight.
I winked at my brother and took Tequila from him so I could lead him up to his partner. Dallas followed us.
"Here you go, Your Majesty," I said sarcastically once I got to Arthur. "Is there anything else you need? A massage? A foot-rub? Perhaps an umbrella to shield you from the sun?"
"How about a kiss from my beautiful queen?" he asked, ignoring his horse altogether while moving to wrap an arm around my waist and press me against his body.
"That's not on the menu," I grumbled, feeling my face get warm.
"I will just have to steal it, then," he stated a second before his lips met mine and all annoyance faded away from my body. Darn him.
"Sire –" I heard Merlin's monotonous voice nearby, which caused me to push away from my King, "if you are done soiling my sister, the patrol is ready to leave."
"Dude!" I scolded while darting to punch his arm, the heat in my face intensifying.
"You are going in the stocks when we get back," Arthur growled at him before pushing past and moving to mount Tequila. Merlin looked fairly displeased and I sent him a sarcastic smile, then I walked over to Dallas and swiftly climbed on.
"Last one to Brechfa is a zombie naked mole-rat!" I called out to the knights with a smirk and prompted my horse into a gallop, getting an eager response.
"Astraea!" I heard my King exclaim in clear frustration.
"What is a zombie?!" I heard Leon ask.
"You cheat as always, Astraea!" Elyan yelled.
Eventually, I was persuaded into sticking to a reasonable working trot and I rode beside Mordred, who seemed a bit anxious to be going out on an 'official' ride for the first time. My eyes surveyed Castiel and I was pleased to find that the athletic buckskin was entirely relaxed and in good enough condition that he hadn't broken a sweat yet.
"How're ya' feelin', buddy?" I asked the young knight, offering him a friendly grin.
"I believe I am beginning to enjoy myself, Astra," he responded a bit shyly.
"I'm glad!" I chirped. I reached over to pet his horse, using that excuse to lean down a little so that I could whisper, "Lemme know if any of the guys give you a hard time n' you need me to yell at 'em. They can be jerks sometimes."
He chuckled under his breath, giving me an amused look before responding in the same manner, "Do they ever give you a hard time?"
"Only when Art's not around. But, y'know, it's all in good fun. And I'm honestly kind of a jerk sometimes, too."
The boy glanced around for a half-second and a smirk formed on his lips as he replied, "Elyan did say you are the one to watch out for."
I couldn't hold back a laugh, which echoed through the otherwise silent forest and caused me to slap a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound.
"Darling –" I heard Arthur's sweet-but-stern tone coming from the front of the pack, "would you care to join me up here?"
I clenched my jaw, suddenly feeling like I'm back in kindergarten and being made to sit at the teacher's desk after being scolded for throwing paper aeroplanes. But I still complied after giving Mordred an innocent grin.
"How is he doing?" my King questioned in a soft tone once Dallas fell into stride with Tequila.
"He's all right. A bit nervous, but nothing he can't handle," I responded with a nonchalant shrug. "Like you said – he's gonna make an excellent knight."
He gave me a small grin and shifted both of his reins to hold them in one hand before reaching for one of mine with his free one. I promptly took it and he intertwined our fingers before returning his attention to the path before us.
The faint chatter of the knights continued behind me, and I started to hum 'I Only Want To Be With You' to myself, seeing as it has been stuck in my brain since yesterday. A small smile played on Arthur's lips as he continuously glanced towards me, causing my face to heat up every time.
Around us, the leaves on the trees whooshed with a delicate dance that produced repetitions of an easy breeze; a single bird could be heard chirping in the distance; and the smell of rain and bark mixed in the atmosphere to produce an entrancing scent that would put any fancy perfume to shame.
"Mordred – what on Earth are you doing?!" a bewildered Arthur asked, ending the relative silence that hung over us.
I turned my head and bursted out laughing when I saw that the young knight was seated backwards on his saddle. It took my fellow knights of the round table all of five minutes to come up with a way to mess with him after I left him unprotected. Should I be upset? 'Cause I'm actually kinda proud of them.
"M-melding the saddle, My Lord," Mordred responded, looking a bit uneasy again.
"As in the ancient tradition... of melding," Gwaine piped in.
"Ah, right, of course," Arthur jumped in with a small smirk. "I trust your breeches are inside out."
"My Lord?" the young knight called out warily.
I tilted my head. I have no idea what 'melding' means. I'm pretty certain that one of the knights made it up. But it looks fun. So I shrugged and promptly swung my left leg over Dallas's withers, then I swung my right one over his hindquarters, effectively turning around. I smiled innocently when my eyes connected with my brother's, who rode behind me.
"Astra – not you, too!" Arthur exclaimed.
Some hours later, we came across Osgar's trial... apparently. I haven't the slightest clue as to how Gwaine was so sure that a piece of black cloth that was stuck to a tree belonged to the fugitive sorcerer, but I went with it and dismounted Dallas when the knights agreed that we're getting close and should continue on foot.
"He is getting careless," Percival declared upon finding another piece of cloth.
A second later, Mordred called Arthur's attention while pointing at something in the distance. A man in a dark cloak drifting over the faint path through the woods. The King gestured for the group to split into three and I stuck with him, Merlin, and Mordred; while Gwaine went off with Elyan and Leon went with Percival.
I loaded my bow as we kept walking straight, ready to fire it if the occasion arose, while I kept my eyes alert in case I managed to spot Osgar again.
I stole a glance towards my brother, taking note of his stoic expression. He can't be too happy that we're chasing after a sorcerer. We truly believe that Arthur is slowly coming around to accepting the idea – nay, the fact – that whether magic is good or evil depends solely on the person using it, so facing a sorcerer who killed a knight could certainly be a drawback... But at least my King isn't having second thoughts about our friendly neighbourhood druid; and I hope that Merlin also counts that fact as a win.
My body tensed up when I heard a crunching sound behind us and I quickly twirled around to find a man in a black cloak limping towards us while clutching the right side of his torso. Osgar, I presume.
"Stop!" Arthur commanded him.
But stop the man did not as he called out, "Sire!" and he fell to his knees, panting.
I aimed my bow at his head while my King and Mordred pointed their swords at his throat. I felt a wave of nausea come over me when I saw some blood oozing out of the man's side and I clenched my jaw in an attempt to put out the feeling.
"Sire... my name is Osgar," the man spoke in a clearly pained tone.
"I know who you are," Arthur snarled.
"I am sent from the sacred Disir to pass judgement on Arthur Pendragon," the man claimed. "The Once and Future King."
"What right have you to pass judgement?" Mordred questioned sharply.
"No man is above the Disir, however royal," Osgar responded.
I quirked an eyebrow. If this 'Disir' is so high and mighty, how come we've never heard of it... her... him... them?
"It is my duty to pass their judgement on to you, dread King. My sacred duty," the man continued.
Acid burned in my stomach at hearing him call my King 'dread King' and I went to talk back, but Merlin nudged my side in a silent demand to hold back. I narrowed my eyes at him, but said nothing.
Osgar reached for something inside his cloak and Mordred was quick to press his sword against the man's neck, forcing him to pause his movements. Then he very slowly revealed a golden coin, about the size of an air-hockey disk. "Your hand... Arthur Pendragon," he requested.
Arthur shifted forwards and I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, feeling kinda (very) creeped out by whatever Osgar thinks he's doing. My King gave me a reassuring look and I sighed before releasing him. He extended his arm and allowed the sorcerer to place the coin on his hand.
"It is done," Osgar claimed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur questioned.
"It is both judgement and fate," the man responded.
"Not this again," I muttered under my breath while rolling my eyes.
"You have waged war on the people of the Old Religion," the man continued. "Now the ancient gods answer you... The Disir have spoken. The circle of fate begins to close..." Ire burnt within me once more. "For even as Camelot flowers, the seeds of her destruction are being sown."
Arthur turned to us with a raised eyebrow. "What nonsense is this?"
"Sounds like someone's trying to play God," I responded while narrowing my eyes at Osgar.
"It is not too late, Arthur," the sorcerer interjected while reaching to hold Arthur's hand again. "Not too late to find the true path... Redeem yourself... No further chance shall be given."
And with that, he collapsed onto his side, his face contorting in pain. I couldn't help but feel a little bad. He's like a brainwashed cult member. So I moved to kneel beside him, placing a hand on his arm while trying to ignore the large amounts of blood that cascaded down his shirt. His Caribbean blue eyes looked up at me and I almost felt as if he were trying to speak to me through them. However, I couldn't make out the meaning and, before long, his eyelids covered them and he let out a long exhale before going completely still.
I blew out some air and patted his arm as my heart churned at the sight of death. I kinda wish we could've saved him...
I stood up and returned to Arthur's side. He placed a warm hand on my cheek and wiped away a stray tear that had apparently escaped me at some point, then he pulled me into a hug.
Arthur and Mordred went off to find the rest of the team while my brother and I hung back so that we could bury Osgar. Even if he was kind of creepy and spewed out some weird crap, he still deserves a proper burial, and I surprisingly got my King to agree to that.
It took us about an hour to dig a large enough hole (seriously, how do the Winchesters do this on a weekly basis?) and then another half-hour to cover it back up. Merlin suggested we do something to mark the spot, and I proposed piling rocks, so we started doing that.
"What do you make of what he said?" Merlin asked in a low tone.
"Well," I sighed, "this Disir is probably someone who's angry 'cause magic's illegal and they're trying to manipulate Art into changing that by scaring him. The rest is just b.s."
He scoffed and shook his head. "How can you be so dismissive?"
"You know I don't believe in fate," I shot back. He rolled his eyes and I gave him a pointed look before asking in a gentler tone, "But d'ya know what I believe in?"
"What?"
"Us. And Arthur. And the future we're workin' towards. I believe we can do a lot of good, and that's what I'm setting my hopes on. Not some dumb prophecy that probably came to be because some wacko smoked a bit too much weed."
That extracted a chuckle from my brother and I grinned to myself, elated to hear the sound after he's been serious the entire day.
"I wish I could be so optimistic," Merlin commented after his amusement died down.
"Me, too. You'd be funner."
We shared a reconciliatory smile and fell silent while I moved to cut two white flowers out of a bush that stood nearby, which I then placed atop the piled rocks.
I jumped at the sound of a twig snapping and Merlin and I both shot to our feet while I drew my bow... only to find a slightly frightened Mordred.
"You scared the crap outta me, buddy," I scolded while dropping my weapon and running a hand down my braid.
"Sorry," he responded meekly, then his eyes moved over to the makeshift grave and he tilted his head. "I thought that sorcerers were not permitted marked graves."
"Well, if Art's got a problem with it, he can take it up with me," I responded with a nonchalant shrug.
Mordred smiled a little and he moved to stand between my brother and I, still gazing down at the grave as he stated, "I would have done the same." Then his smile faded and he turned... sad, almost. I reached over to place a hand on his upper arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"It won't always be like this," Merlin gently assured the young knight, whose eyes quickly jumped to him. "One day we will live in freedom again."
"That's the plan, anyway," I added with a shaky sigh.
The boy's gaze darted between my brother and I, a look of disbelief crossing his eyes as he asked, "Do you believe that you can change Arthur's mind?"
"I know it," I replied with a small smirk. "In fact, it's already changing. I mean, you're a druid and you're a knight, right?"
A small smile formed on Mordred's lips again and he sighed in what appeared to be relief, his eyes finding the grave once more. "Yes. I suppose you are right."
I sent a wink towards Merlin and spoke again shortly after, realising that I can still score some points with the young knight that will definitely avert the supposed fate that my brother fears so much, "Art's got a truly good heart, y'know? He was raised to hate all things magic, which is why it's hard to bring about this change. But I know that, with our help, he'll be able to see things in a different light." I paused to sigh. "We just have to be patient."
"You are right, Astra. He saved me from his father, after all," Mordred responded, looking down at me while still keeping his small grin. "Thank you for fighting for us."
I averted my gaze, feeling my cheeks get slightly warm, as I responded, "It's the decent thing to do, really."
As it turns out, Gwaine and Elyan found Osgar before Osgar found Arthur; and they sustained some injuries during the encounter; which forced us to camp out for the night so that they could recover while having Merlin tend to their injuries.
I watched from a couple of metres away, while being curled up beside Arthur, as my brother tended to Gwaine with a fascinating precision that could put his doctor abilities on par with Doctor House's. A small smile slowly grew on my lips, pride swelling in my chest. He's such a remarkable human, isn't he? I mean, I'm not surprised 'cause, y'know, the legend and all... but I still love the fact that I have a front row ticket to the show.
I smirked a little when I noticed a little bump forming on my best friend's forehead and I just couldn't help myself as I jumped to tease him, "What's up, Gwainester? Ya' turnin' into a unicorn?"
The unimpressed look I got in response caused me to giggle.
"The swelling should go down by the morning," Merlin informed him. "But I am afraid I cannot do anything about the headaches that Astra provokes," he added while sending me a playful look.
I bursted out laughing, then I froze in surprise and let my jaw drop when I saw Arthur throw a small rock at my brother, hitting his arm. "Hey, don't hurt 'em!" I scolded my gorgeous King while nudging his side.
"How are they?" Arthur asked Merlin, my complaint falling without a response.
"I have applied poultices. They'll make a full recovery," Merlin answered as he moved to put away the ancient first aid kit he used.
"You are a skilled physician, Merlin," Mordred suddenly comments.
"I've watched Gaius, that is all," my brother humbly replied.
"He and Astra also make a very fine breakfast, as you will soon discover, eh, Merlin? Darling?" Arthur piped in, gently squeezing my side at the end before kissing the side of my head.
"That we also learnt from Gaius," I informed Mordred. "Neither of us could cook for crap when we got to Camelot."
That earned me a chuckle from the young knight and I smiled to myself.
Once he finished putting away his doctor stuff, Merlin moved to sit on my other side and I handed him a cup of hot cocoa – which I'd prepared while he'd been tending to Elyan. He thanked me with a small grin that didn't reach his eyes and my stomach churned.
I know he's still worried about what Osgar had said, despite my attempts to get him to see things from a different perspective. Though, honestly, I'd be lying if I said I'm not slightly concerned as well. Just a little. I genuinely believe that all that talk of fate is mostly bull-crap.
"To young Mordred!" Arthur suddenly raised a toast with his own cup. "And his first successful mission!"
"Attaboy!" I cheered and winked at the young knight – who was likely blushing as he shyly averted his gaze with a smile; but I couldn't really tell, given the poor lighting in the dark forest.
"It was nothing," Mordred meekly claimed.
"It was timely and vigilant," Arthur countered, giving him a warm smile that caused my insides to melt.
I nudged my brother's foot with my own and discreetly nodded towards Mordred. He sighed and turned to the boy, saying in an almost deflated tone, "Congratulations."
Well, hey, at least he said something.
Arthur huffed and glanced at my brother before addressing Mordred again – who seemed slightly discouraged from Merlin's dry response to the toast, "You know, if he died and was granted eternal happiness, I do believe he would find reason to be miserable."
"Artie, be nice," I scolded once more. "He's just worried about what Osgar said to you."
He scoffed, "Osgar was deranged."
I nodded in agreement, but said nothing else.
"And the runemark?" Merlin questioned.
Arthur shifted slightly, partly disturbing my comfort in the process, and he pulled the coin out of his pocket, twirling it in his hand. "It is a trinket, nothing more," he told my brother. "Here," he said as he tossed it to him.
Merlin swiftly caught it and began to analyse it, a concerned look on his features.
I let out a sigh. I wish I could hunt down this 'Disir' a-hole, put a bullet in his/her/its/their head, and be done with this whole situation.
"I will have the royal jeweller mount it as a memento of our success," Arthur threw in with a proud grin.
"Or we can sell it n' use the money for the people," I countered.
The King didn't seem so pleased with that idea, but he still grumbled a "Fine;" which caused me to chuckle.