Somewhere in medieval Britain

November, 507 AD

The clip-clop of horseshoes against the hard dirt ground and the creaky turning of wooden wheels were the only prominent sounds around as the carriage rolled through the silent forest. Merlin and I had decided to walk after about an hour of riding inside the vehicle when we had enough of simpleton!Arthur's extreme clinginess – especially with me – since we didn't wanna risk raising any weird looks that might prompt hard-to-answer questions.

Arthur rode with his head poking out of a window, looking like an excited puppy who's going on a road trip for the first time. I might've thought it was adorable if I wasn't so bummed by the circumstances that led us to where we are.

I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation, but that doesn't mean that the effects of it don't affect my body. I felt more than ready to give up on life, face-plant onto the ground, and sleep with my face against the dirt until the nightmare is over. But Tony Stark wouldn't do that, so why should I?

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, causing Merlin and I to share a confused glance.

"We make camp here!" the leader man announced as he hopped off the vehicle, then he gallantly helped the woman – who I guess must be his girlfriend or wife – off it as well and they shared a cute little moment as they pressed their foreheads together and smiled.

Then my gaze travelled to Arthur to find that the upper half of his body was halfway out the window and a slight loss of balance away from dropping face-first onto the ground. Merlin placed a hand on his head and pushed him back inside. He shuffled around and then stuck a leg out. Merlin repeated his actions.

"There's a door for a reason, Peaches!" I snapped before moving to the other side of the carriage and swinging the door open for him. He seemed shocked at the revelation – even though he used it to enter the vehicle in the first place – and he climbed off with a goofy grin before wrapping his arms around me. I sighed and returned the hug for a few seconds.

Merlin and I pulled our weight in unloading the supplies needed to settle down for the night. In the meantime, Arthur busied himself with lovingly hugging a tree. I kept an eye on him while pulling bags off the carriage and handing them to a kind traveller who was unwilling to let a girl do all the heavy lifting.

That went on until I noticed my brother being cornered by the leaders of the group and I gave the helping man an apologetic look before rushing to him.

"That is frankincense isn't it?" he asked the couple as he tapped on a closed wooden chest. I grabbed his arm and eyed our companions warily. I doubt they'll take kindly to being questioned about their cargo.

"What if it is?" the man challenged.

Merlin shrugged. "Must be worth a fortune."

"It must be."

I stepped in before the sorcerer could dig a hole we might not be able to climb out of. "Well, good for you. Go capitalism," I said with a slight fist pump.

"You are smugglers," Merlin accused, seemingly ignoring my attempt to defuse the situation. My jaw dropped for a moment, but I rapidly forced myself to recover my nonchalant mask.

"We prefer to think of it as free trade," the woman responded with a smug smirk.

"Revolutionary! I like it!" I chirped.

"It is forbidden. By edict of the King." Merlin just wouldn't let it go! "If you are caught, you could be killed."

"Caught?" the man questioned with a mocking look. "Tristan and Isolde?" My eyes widened at the names as I recalled the British tale. "I do not think so. We are too quick and too smart for the halfwit King in Camelot," he stated with a smirk before walking away and, coincidentally, past Arthur.

The aforementioned King was now knocking on the tree with a concentrated look on his face. Maybe looking for woodworm?

"Yeah," I sighed. "Sounds about right."

Isolde smirked at Merlin and I one last time before following Tristan.

"Let's get our halfwit," I whispered to my brother.

He chuckled and nodded in agreement, and we went to get Arthur, who seemed happy to see us as he pushed off the tree and wrapped his arms around me instead. Then he placed a wet, slobbery kiss on my cheek, causing me to scrunch up my face in disgust as I recoiled and turned to Merlin for help.

"You are the one who wants to marry him," he pointed out with a shrug.

"You're the one who cursed him," I grumbled.

Merlin and I built a small campfire a little distance away from the main camp and arranged the two blankets I have on the ground as night began to claim the lands once more. The smugglers were kind enough to give us a small pot with soup – I guess they find us valuable enough to feed us.

Arthur sat looking down sadly at his now empty bowl while my brother and I were still working on ours. Merlin must've noticed the deflated look clouding the King's features as well, because he asked, "More soup?"

The King looked up from his bowl and his soft lips curved upwards as he replied, "Yes, please." Merlin grabbed the ladle from the pot and scooped out a full serving before pouring it into his bowl. "Thank you."

My brother and I shared an amused look at the good manners that Arthur is suddenly displaying. Normal!Arthur could learn a thing or two from his simpleton alter-ego.

"A please and a thank you at the same time? That is amazing," Merlin noted in a low tone.

I scrunched up my face when Arthur sipped his soup as if it were water, rather than eating it with a spoon like a normal person. I guess we still have to crank up our training in some aspects. He swallowed and licked his lips before asking, "Is it?"

"Yup," I responded, causing him to frown.

"Let us just say manners are not your strong point," Merlin added.

"Really?" Arthur inquired, appearing like a child who has just disappointed his parents. Merlin nodded. "In what way?"

"Rude, thoughtless, insensitive..." my brother listed. "And that's when you are in a good mood."

The sad look on the King's face caused a small pang in my chest, but I didn't stop Merlin. I know that he needs to get these things off his chest and now is the best chance he will ever get to do so without repercussions.

"I am sorry to hear that," Arthur replied with a slight pout.

"I do not think you realise how hard I work for you," Merlin continued. "I know you are the King, but it would be nice if you could do one small thing for yourself as a..." he tilted his head, "gesture. Mark of respect."

"Sorry to have been a disappointment, Merlin," Arthur responded sadly. "I will try harder in the future."

I reached to squeeze his hand in an attempt to show reassurance, only to quickly pull back in disgust when I noticed that his skin was wet and sticky from the soup.

Merlin chuckled at my misfortune before turning back to the King as he said, "Oh, I look forward to that." Arthur nodded. Then a mischievous grin claimed my brother's lips. "On the other hand, why wait?" he asked before dropping his now empty bowl onto Arthur's lap. He reached for mine and did the same with it.

The King gazed down at them.

I smirked as I realised what my brother was planning and I nodded towards the pot. "That'll need a nice cleanin', too."

"Of course," Arthur responded.

"And when you are done with that, the horses need a rubdown as well," Merlin piled on.

"My pleasure."

Arthur stood up with the bowls and then he grabbed the pot before looking around in confusion.

"Over there," my brother instructed as he pointed in the direction of a nearby stream.

The King nodded and began walking over to the bushes. Then he tripped over a root that stuck out and fell to the ground with a loud clatter, causing Merlin to chuckle while my eyes widened in horror.

"Dude, he's injured!" I scolded my brother and slapped his arm before running after Arthur. "You okay?" I asked as I helped him up. He seemed disoriented for a second, then he nodded and reached down to gather the kitchen utensils again. I sighed and stood on my toes to kiss the side of his jaw, earning a small smile. Then he continued on his way and I returned to Merlin.

I let out a heavy sigh as I plopped down next to my brother, letting my head fall onto his shoulder as he wrapped one arm around me.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno. As entertaining as he's being, I kinda miss the real him. It's no fun havin' to take care of a practical toddler while worrying for an entire kingdom."

Merlin nodded. "I feel the same way."

An abrupt movement shook me and my eyes opened to find a bewildered Merlin looking up at Arthur, who was glaring daggers down at us, his arms crossed. His goofy look was long gone and replaced with displeasure.

"You better have a damn good explanation for this, Merlin," he hissed.

My brother and I shared a stunned look and he slowly removed his arm from around my torso. I realised that we fell asleep huddled together. Oops.

"Fine. Then I will just carry on kicking you!" Arthur threatened and he didn't give us a chance to respond before he kicked Merlin's leg. Again, apparently. My brother quickly scrambled to his feet and I followed suit, only more slowly as I felt some tension in my back from the uncomfortable night spent on the hard forest floor.

I analysed the King for a second before it hit me, and a big smile automatically formed on my lips. "You're back!" I exclaimed, perhaps a bit louder than I should've, as I jumped to hug him.

He huffed, but wrapped his arms around me all the same and held me safely to his chest. "What do you mean 'I am back'?"

Merlin grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face him while demanding, "Listen to me, please." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Camelot is lost. You were injured in an attack, you passed out. I had to get you out of there."

I watched with a churning heart as the King's face fell. "Where are we now?" he inquired.

"We're trying to get to Ealdor. Hopefully the team will meet us there," I answered softly, trying not to alarm him further.

Arthur sighed heavily and looked around us, then he frowned. "Who are these people?"

Merlin and I shared a sheepish look and he gulped before saying, "They are, um..."

"Free traders," I finished.

"Free traders?" Arthur echoed sceptically.

"Smugglers," Merlin dead-panned, causing me to turn to him with widening eyes.

"Smug–!" the King began to yell, but I quickly put a hand over his mouth and shushed him. He narrowed his eyes at me for a few moments, then he rolled his shoulders backwards, as if to release tension, and I let my hand drop.

"Why do I look like a village idiot?" he inquired next.

"It is the perfect disguise. No one would ever suspect you of being... you know," Merlin responded and gave him a pointed look at the end.

Arthur scoffed as his eyes darted between us. "I am sorry, but I am not going around looking like this."

"But you've gotta stay in character!" I protested.

"Character? What character?"

Before either Merlin or I could respond, Tristan walked over to us with a pointed, "You two."

I gave Arthur a stern look and moved to stand in front of him while my brother and I turned around to face the middle-aged man.

"We leave as soon as the horses are watered," Tristan stated. We nodded in understanding and watched as the man's features softened a bit as he requested, "Explain it to the simpleton, would you?" before walking away.

Merlin and I shared a guilty look before turning back to face Arthur, who didn't seem happy at all as he stared at us with an adorable frowny pout.

"That character," I pointed out while allowing a small grin to grow on my lips.

My brother and I started packing my bag again while the King continued to stare at us in displeasure. I think he might've punched us if he didn't love us so much. This time around, Merlin was kind enough to fling my bag over his shoulder, relieving me of the burden, and we slowly began to walk towards the carriage.

Arthur noticed the sword that Merlin was carrying and snatched it from him with a glare.

"Simpleton –" Tristan called out as he moved away from the chest he was packing with Isolde.

Arthur didn't reply as he gave Merlin and I an annoyed look instead.

"He's talkin' to ya', Peaches," I whispered.

"I do not answer to that name," he muttered.

"You have to remain in character, remember?" Merlin piped in, earning an eye-roll and a grunt.

My brother and I forced a smile when Tristan came to a stop before us, his eyes fixed on the sword in Arthur's hands. "Impressive piece," he noted.

Arthur pursed his lips and looked down at the weapon, then he sighed before making eye-contact with the man. "Thankee, sir."

Oh, great. He's a pirate now.

I resisted the urge to face-palm.

"May I?" Tristan asked as he reached for the sword. Arthur reluctantly handed it over and the man beheld it while holding it out, his jaw dropping as he twirled it around. "Magnificent," he whispered.

Isolde walked up beside him and also contemplated the weapon.

"The only place you find workmanship of this quality… is the royal forge of Camelot," Tristan stated and he swiftly pointed the sword at Arthur's throat. I jumped to stand in front of him again and narrowed my eyes at the man while the King's hand shot out to grab mine and give it a slight tug backwards, but I didn't budge. "Tell me, how did you come by it?"

"I won it in a card game," Merlin rapidly answered. Tristan tilted his head at him. "Gave it to him as a present. He won't be parted from it," he continued his tale. "Makes him feel safe."

Thankfully, Arthur's not the worst actor ever and he nodded in agreement.

Tristan maintained his sceptical look, but he put the sword down all the same and returned it to Arthur. I let out a sigh and moved to stand between my boys again.

"I hope, for your sake, that is true," Tristan warned. Arthur cuddled the sword to his chest and petted the blade. "I would hate to think that I was riding with a knight of Camelot."

Ha! Who's gonna tell 'em?

"Aye," Arthur responded with a grin, then he began to fake-clumsily play around with the sword.

Isolde giggled. "Knight of Camelot? Look at him."

I chuckled along with her – genuinely, 'cause apparently my King does have a sense of humour.

'My' King. I like the sound of that.

"You are right. Their knights may be stupid, but they are not that stupid," Tristan said as he laughed, too.

Not gonna lie, that hurt a little; but I kept my smile on, as did Merlin and Arthur. My brother even reached up to ruffle the King's hair and I saw the latter tense up, but he didn't let his grin drop.

"Pack your things, simpleton!" Merlin ventured to exclaim as the couple walked away, still laughing. I high-fived him a second before Arthur reached out to grab his arm from behind me.

"Call me that again and I will run you through," he warned my brother through gritted teeth.

"Will you now, simpleton?" I responded while looking up at him with a smirk. His eyes jumped to me as they widened. "What're ya' gonna do to me? I'm untouchable."

"That is what I allow you to think," he grunted while narrowing his gaze at me.

I chuckled and raised my eyebrows in a challenging manner.

"Do not worry, Sire, I am sure you will not have to keep it up for too much longer," Merlin cut in.

"How long?"

Arthur's question was answered by an arrow flying past his head and piercing a man some metres behind him.

My eyes widened as I turned my head to see an incoming cloud of armoured men storming onto the scene with a loud battle cry. Arthur wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me flush against his chest just as another arrow flew past me. I gasped and we stared at each other for a moment. Then I darted towards Merlin so that I could get my bow from my bag.

The three of us hurried to take cover behind the carriage, finding Tristan and Isolde already there.

"Head for those trees, we will cover you," Arthur instructed them with a quick gesture towards a thick line of trees in the distance. Then he moved to pull some crossbows from the trunk of the carriage, handing one to Merlin. The couple seemed puzzled by the sudden change in his behaviour and they didn't move an inch. "Do you want to live or not?!" he exclaimed. That seemed to wake them up and they quickly ran away.

I climbed into the vehicle and crouched below a window as I drew my bow. Then I peeked out and aimed it at the first soldier I could spot, quickly shooting it before hiding again and reloading the weapon.

I repeated my actions until I ran out of arrows.

More men continued to storm the camp, ripping through the smugglers as if they were wheat on a field.

"I'm out," I said as I scrambled out of the carriage.

"Now what?!" Merlin questioned.

"Now it's our turn," Arthur responded as he analysed our surroundings, presumably looking for the perfect moment to run after Tristan and Isolde.

"Who is going to cover us?!" my brother asked.

"We don't need cover, Merls. We're Camelot's mightiest heroes," I told him with a wink, earning an eye-roll.

Arthur grabbed my hand and gently pushed me in front of him and towards the tree line. I didn't need to be told twice as I took off sprinting, trying my best to ignore the chaos coming from the camp as Agravaine strode onto the scene and began to search the carriage.

We quickly reached Tristan and Isolde and hid with them behind a large fallen tree.

"They have not found the cargo," Isolde commented as she watched the soldiers scour the area.

"They will," Tristan responded through gritted teeth. "Besides, they were not after the cargo. They were after you." He turned to Arthur. "Who the hell are you?!"

"He's Ron Weasley, that's Harry Potter, and I'm Hermione Granger," I responded without skipping a beat.

Arthur nudged my side gently and shook his head at me before revealing, "My name is Arthur Pendragon."

"Ah, sorry, I thought we were keepin' our covers," I whispered.

Tristan seemed enraged as he turned to the King and snarled, "The King of Camelot!"

"At least I was," Arthur mumbled. It was my turn to nudge him with a disapproving look.

"I have lost everything I have worked for for some good for nothing king!" Tristan roared.

"Hey, watch it!" I scolded, but was ignored.

Arthur turned to face the man. "That is quite something coming from a smuggler!"

"Well, I would not have to be a smuggler if it was not for your damn taxes, would I?!"

"Those taxes help protect the people of this land!"

Merlin and I shared an annoyed eye-roll as the two blonds continued to argue viciously. Such was the heat that no one but us noticed the dozen or so enemy soldiers charging our way.

My brother moved in between Arthur and Tristan before they could start throwing punches. "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but..." He motioned towards the incoming soldiers.

With a disappointed sigh from knowing that I can't use my bow anymore, I drew my sword and ran towards the enemies. Metal collided with metal as I engaged one man in battle. He must've been surprised that a girl was fighting him because he froze, giving me the perfect chance to kick him where the sun doesn't shine before I sliced at his Achilles's heel. He fell to the ground in agony and I moved onto the next soldier that approached me.

A minute later, all the evil guys were either disabled or dead, and I smirked in victory as I looked over our little battlefield.

My grin faded when I spotted Tristanon the ground, cradling an unconscious Isolde to his chest. I ran towards Arthur, who stood near them, and grabbed onto his arm while I watched the scene with a twisting heart.

"Isolde. We had a deal. Partners for life, remember?" I heard Tristan whisper in a pained tone.

To my relief, she opened her eyes. "When have I not kept my promises?"

Arthur gently shook me off his arm and I looked up at him with a frown, only to be brought into a proper embrace with a kiss to the top of my head. I let out a sigh, relaxing slightly as I returned the hug.

"We need to keep moving. There will be more coming soon," he then announced to our little party.

Tristan glared at him. "Then go. There is nothing stopping you."

Arthur huffed.

"Come with us to Ealdor. You will be safe there," Merlin told the couple in a gentle tone.

"I am choosy about the company I keep," Tristan snarled in response.

"He saved my life, Tristan," Isolde argued before turning her attention to Arthur. "Thank you."

"None of this would have happened if it was not for them!" Tristan countered.

"Dude – she's injured. You won't last a night out here with those bastards hidin' in the dark!" I stated, raising my voice a little as I separated a bit from Arthur to fully face the man.

Tristan stared at me for a second, then he returned his gaze to his wife and they seemed to have a silent conversation before he relented, "Very well." He turned to Arthur with a glare, "But know this, Arthur Pendragon, I do this for her. You and your kind bring nothing but misery to this land."

Lava pooled in my stomach. "Okay, y'know what–" I went to move closer to the man, ready to tell him off; but Arthur grabbed my arm and pulled me back to his side while giving me a small headshake. I let out a stiff sigh and glared at Tristan before turning away and starting to walk north, not waiting for anyone.

I felt like an ant must feel in between overgrown flakes of grass as I looked at the skyscraper-high trees that surrounded me. A thin layer of fog settled close to the ground as the night grew colder the further away it got from the day.

Tristan and Isolde slept in each other's arms, leaning against a tree. I wonder if their names are a wild coincidence, or if they might bear some connection to the tale I learned about in Literature class once. Perhaps the real story takes a twist when the couple run away and become bandits, disguising their true identities…

My gaze strayed upwards once more, only this time it fixed on Arthur's face, which hovered above me as my head lay on his lap. He was staring at seemingly nothing ahead of him, a stormy look in his eyes. His fingers ran absentmindedly through my hair, which he'd freed from its usual braid at some point, while his other hand was joined with one of mine and resting on my stomach.

I slowly reached up to brush my fingers against his jaw, successfully catching his attention. "Penny for your thoughts, sunshine?"

He let out a sigh and glanced at Merlin, who sat some metres away from us, before stating, "You knew… You both knew that Agravaine was betraying me."

"We could not be sure. But then, we did have our suspicions," Merlin sugarcoated the truth a little.

"Yeah," I breathed out, not really wanting to lie.

"I feel like such a fool. I put such trust in him..." Arthur said in a soft, pained voice. I sat up and hugged him from the side, mentally praying that my dreams of being an emotional vacuum would come true at that very moment. He wrapped an arm firmly around my waist while tucking my head under his chin. "All this time I was blind to his treachery as I was to Morgana's."

"You have a noble heart, Artie," I told him. "Never fault yourself for that."

"You were deceived. That could happen to anyone," Merlin added.

"Yet it keeps happening to me," Arthur countered. My heart shrank into a grain of sand. "I cared about these people. I-I do not understand. What have I done wrong? Why do they hate me?"

"They don't hate you, Artie. Some people just have a greedy vacuum in place for a heart," I said softly.

"They crave your power for themselves," Merlin complemented.

"Perhaps," Arthur mumbled. "Would they still want that power if I was the king my people deserve?" I recoiled and I would've slapped him if I'd known it would knock some sense into him. "Maybe Tristan is right–"

"Tristan was angry," Merlin cut him off, "and… afraid. He needed to blame someone, but it is not you that is to blame."

"He wishes he could be half the man you are," I muttered as I glared at the elder blond.

"You two seem very sure about all this," Arthur said.

"All I know is that, for your many faults, you are honest and brave and true hearted, and one day you will be the greatest king this land has ever known," Merlin told him, sincerity dripping from his words.

I pressed a small kiss to the side of Arthur's neck before adding, "Yeah, believe me – people will be talking about how incredible you are fifteen centuries from now."

Arthur glanced between us, a faint glint forming in his eyes as his grip on me tightened and he pulled me closer to his chest again. I gently ran a hand up and down his back.

"Good to know I have the support of my Lady-Knight and my servant at least," he whispered after some moments of silence.

"Well, we'll gladly take the titles of co-captains of the Arthur Pendragon cheer-leader squad," I stated and shot a small grin towards my brother.

Merlin chuckled for a moment before turning serious again as he stated, "But we are not alone."

"Oh, no, far from it. We've probably got the biggest cheer-leading squad ever."

Arthur snorted and he kissed my forehead.

"True story," I promised him with a wink.

My heart jumped with joy when he finally showed a small smile and I kissed his cheek.