Camelot

April, 508 AD

Merlin, Gwaine, and I lay on our stomachs on the field near the dragon's cave with our collective attention fixed on my tablet, which stood in front of us while playing 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'. As you might expect, I've been busy catching up our new partner-in-harmless-crime on movies and TV – something that Gwen doesn't approve of, even if I did get her to concede that the Avengers are awesome.

Phoenix napped beside me, using my lower back as a pillow, while Aithusa was curled up beside my brother. Kilgharrah lay nearby, also sleeping. Dragons are surprisingly a lot like cats in the sense that they sleep a lot.

Gwaine jolted beside me when a silver-coloured arm broke the car window and grabbed Jasper Sitwell by the neck, pulling him out of the vehicle without hesitation and flinging him off the highway like a rag doll. Sam Wilson hit the brakes and sent the intruder flying off the roof of the car, but he landed swiftly in a superhero pose and didn't take a moment before shooting upright.

Anticipation bubbled within me as a grin formed on my lips and I shared a glance with Merlin, who rolled his eyes at me.

I laughed when the Winter Soldier broke through the windshield and snatched the wheel right out of Sam's hands.

"Why are you laughing?!" Gwaine asked in bewilderment "He is the bad guy!"

I simply winked at him, not wanting to spoil anything.

Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam were soon forced out of the car and then they were promptly separated by the Winter Soldier's masterful combat skills. The robotic-yet-smooth way in which he moves has always been entrancing to watch. I mean, obviously, I'd pee myself if he came at me; but Sebastian Stan's marvellous acting is always something to behold.

Natasha skilfully shot at the brainwashed assassin and a bullet hit one side of his eerie dark goggles, forcing him to take them off and reveal his pretty sky blue eyes. I bit back a squeal of excitement that might've seemed psychopathic considering how he promptly resumed firing at the heroes.

"How the hell is he still alive?!" Gwaine questioned as the HYDRA soldiers shot at Steve without mercy, leaving the hero to make himself small behind his shield, like a turtle, and endure the raging storm of bullets.

"He's Captain America," I responded with a smirk, not removing my gaze from the screen.

The Winter Soldier sauntered through the streets of Washington D.C.; his eyes seemingly calculating every move as they darted in every direction while he clutched his gun in his gloved hands, ready to use it.

"Woah, smart!" the knight chirped while watching how Natasha used a recording device to trick the Winter Soldier into looking for her behind a specific car, which distracted him long enough for her to leap out of her real hiding place and attack him.

"I need her to teach me how to fight," I mumbled with a slight pout as I watched her bravely engage the soldier in combat.

"That does not look too good," Gwaine winced when, seconds later, she got shot in the shoulder, forcing her to hide behind a car again and pray she wouldn't cross the rainbow bridge soon. Lucky for her, Steve was ready to jump to the rescue as he rushed to attack the Winter Soldier and divert his attention away from his fellow Avenger.

I reached to grab onto my friend's arm, my heart racing in excitement for what comes next.

Watching Steve unknowingly fight his best friend is always heart-breaking. However, I can't deny that it's like witnessing poetry in motion as both super-soldiers move across the screen, delivering even punches and kicks as they battle for dominance.

I held my breath as Steve performed a 'suplex' on the Winter Soldier, sending him rolling some metres across the pavement and dropping his mask in the process.

The HYDRA assassin stood up with his back to Captain America, then he swiftly turned around to face him again. You can instantly see the shift in the hero's demeanour as his face falls upon looking at the man behind the mask.

Steve panted as he frowned, his eyes scanning the Winter Soldier's face.

Gwaine gasped beside me.

'Bucky?'

'Who the hell is Bucky?'

"He is bad now!" the knight cried as he turned to face me.

"Shhh!" I scolded. "You know nothing yet! Keep watching!"

I groaned when I accidentally hit my elbow against the wall of the ridiculously confined plane bathroom, a tingling pain shooting up my arm before a slightly numbing and very annoying sensation settled in. I clenched my jaw and took better care when getting my other arm through the sleeve of my strangely comfortable armour that, for some reason, looked more like a jacket. I zipped it up and then grabbed my pale blue cape off the closed toilet seat before clipping it onto the shoulders of the 'breastplate'.

With a satisfied grin, I left the small space and headed back to the main cabin, grabbing my sword in its holster off a seat on my way there. This sword isn't like the iron one I am used to; it was bright turquoise in colour and appeared to be made of diamond. Like the ones in 'Minecraft', but realistic.

"Next time, I'm suitin' up before we get on the plane," I announced as I plopped down beside Natasha Romanoff.

"You're the one who's always whining about how uncomfortable it is to sleep in," Sam Wilson pointed out with an entertained grin.

"Good point."

"Four minutes to drop off," a robotic voice echoed through the cabin.

I smirked. "HYDRA's so gonna bite it."

"Good. They deserve it after everything they have done," none other than Bucky Barnes said, suddenly appearing on the seat to my other side.

My eyes widened. "Bucky?!"

He winked at me.

"Wait, if you're here, then who are we rescuing?" I asked as my eyes darted among the people in the plane.

Bucky. Natasha. Sam. Steve. Clint.

Does HYDRA have, like, Tony or someone else?

Sam huffed before turning to Steve and inquiring, "You didn't tell 'er?"

The blond turned away, a remorseful look in his eyes.

"Tell me what?" I wondered, my eyes darting between them two as I awaited an answer.

"Two minutes," the robotic voice said again.

After Sam and Steve remained quiet for one too many seconds, I turned to Bucky for help. He sighed and let his eyes travel to the floor, seemingly ignoring my request as well. So I turned to Natasha, who in turn shared a wary glance with Clint.

"Sixty seconds," the voice broke the silence.

"There is no time, you'll find out soon enough," Steve finally said before walking off towards the back of the plane, where the parachutes are kept. I think.

I frowned as I looked down. Why is he keeping this from me? I mean, obviously we're rescuing someone I care about, right? Is he worried that I'm gonna lose my head and get too emotional if he tells me? If that's so, he's probably right to do it... But the intrigue is still killing me!

My heart raced and my breathing became slightly more laboured.

Bucky placed his human hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts. "It will be okay," he stated with a small grin.

"Yeah," I breathed out with a slight nod.

He gave me a gentle squeeze before letting go and standing up, going to retrieve some parachutes.

Moments later, the six of us were sneaking inside the super-secret HYDRA facility. Everything was grey in colour, with near-blinding white lights shining from the ceiling, a certain damp heat hanging in the air, and dusty narrow passageways that made the trek all the more unnerving for me.

The underground building seemed eerily deserted as we moved through the corridors behind Steve's lead. There wasn't a single enemy soul in sight, which led me to believe that, perhaps, whatever intel we got on the location might have been wrong.

"I've got a heat signal through there," Natasha whispered as she tilted some generic device to show the screen to Steve, who nodded and motioned for everyone to stick to the walls as he went to open a heavy-looking metal door.

Suddenly, I was at the front of the pack as we entered the dark room. The only source of light was the one entering from the corridor, which illuminated only a small fraction of the grimy floor right in front of me. From what little I could see, the place hasn't been given any maintenance in a while, as small puddles littered it along with dust and some bits of trash. Mostly plastic cups and... discarded needles.

I shuddered.

Clint flipped a switch and the room was bathed in a white light that revealed a leather chair in the middle of it, a seemingly unconscious person sitting on it.

I gulped as I stepped closer, noticing that whoever it was had been tied to it with rusted chains. I also noticed a machine beside it, which was connected to the person's head by some electrodes. I glanced back at Bucky, knowing that the sight couldn't be easy for him to witness, before taking a few more steps towards the chair.

The person on it abruptly shot upright. It was a woman. She had long, tangled black hair and a pale face with protruding veins, dark purple eye-bags, and jade-green bloodshot eyes.

I gasped, "Morgana?!"

My surroundings were dark once more as I shot up on a soft mattress. My heart raced as I fisted the sheets beneath me while my eyes scanned my environment. A faint stroke of moonlight seeped through a small crack in the window shutters, allowing me to make out a wooden desk, stone walls, a wardrobe...

Well, I don't think I've been captured by HYDRA…

"Are you all right?" I heard a sleepy male voice beside me, which caused me to startle. My gaze travelled downwards to find none other than Arthur Pendragon staring up at me with half-open eyes that were filled with concern. A relieved sigh left me and I let myself drop back down on the bed.

I'm safe, in Camelot, next to my King – my husband! – and the Avengers aren't here... That last one's a bummer.

"Yeah, just had a weird dream," I answered.

He hummed as he draped an arm over my torso and drew me closer to him, his natural body heat instantly chasing away the slight alarm I was still experiencing and I sighed again while nuzzling into his warm bare chest.

"Are you having nightmares again?" he inquired in a soft tone.

"Nah, not really. It was just..." I paused, realising that I really shouldn't try to explain my dream to him. I mean, where do I even begin trying to explain the plane? The HYDRA base? And, most importantly – Morgana?! "It was nothing. I'm okay. I promise."

I felt him nod before he kissed the top of my head.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. I could tell he was close to drifting off into sleep again

"Just you," I responded as I pressed myself closer to him, closing my eyes.

He tightened his grip on me. "Well, I am not going anywhere, my darling. You can go back to sleep."

So back to sleep I went.

I'm not about to pretend that I'm a psychic of some sorts. I'm used to having wild dreams, and that's all they've ever been. Obviously, watching 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' with my friends left some images lingering in the back of my mind and they were pushed forwards in my dream, tangled with a small aspect of my real life.

Still, though, my dream kept swimming circles in my head, spiralling into a dark tornado that submerged my mind to the deepest corners of the ocean.

What if my subconscious mind is indeed trying to tell me something? What if Morgana needs rescuing? What if all her 'evil' ways have been the doing of someone more powerful standing above her, and she's just a victim like Bucky was? And even if that's not the case, what if I can still save her? Help her go back to being the kind and gentle person I met when I first arrived in Camelot?

"Do not tell me you're trying to will it to clean by itself?" Merlin's voice broke me out of the trance I accidentally fell into.

I glanced up at him, then down to find that I was tightly clutching a broom in my hands, then around me to find that he'd finished picking up all the mess that had littered the room – Arthur's mess, mind you.

My mess resides in my own room.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," I excused in a mumble before moving to start sweeping the floor.

"About what?"

I sighed and glanced up at him for a second before answering, "Just a weird dream I had last night."

"Let me guess – the Avengers were in it," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, duh."

He playfully rolled his eyes. "And then what?"

"I'm not gonna tell ya'."

"Oh, come on! You always tell me about your dreams!" he protested.

Once again, I glanced up at him, and I bit down on my bottom lip, contemplating whether I should tell him or not. If I do, he'll probably try his best to wipe out the thoughts I've been having. And that'd be nice and all, but I don't really want them to go away, because... Well, what if they're right? I need to figure this out for myself and, for once in my life, I don't think I want him weighing in.

"Sorry, not this time," I answered with a slight shake of my head before returning my attention to my task.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as he moved to lean against Arthur's desk, crossing his arms as he observed me intently. I did my best to ignore his analytical gaze and get on with cleaning the stupid room so that I can finally go outside and work with the horses.

"Are you really not going to tell me?" he insisted.

"It's dumb, don't worry about it!" I shot back.

"Dumb has never stopped you before," Merlin noted while regarding me with a sceptical gaze. "Troubling, on the other hand..." He trailed off and gave me a knowing look.

Darn him for knowing me so well.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, this one I've gotta figure out on my own, okay?"

"No. You say that, and then you end up with sleep deprivation."

"That won't happen this time," I assured him in a grumble.

"I thought that the nightmares had stopped!" he kept pressing.

"It wasn't a nightmare!"

"Well, then tell me!"

"I don't have to tell you everything!"

The conversation ended abruptly when the bedroom door flew open to reveal a frowning Arthur, whose enchanting eyes darted between us for a few moments. I huffed and went back to sweeping; not wanting to deal with his questions, too.

"Are you two fighting?" my King asked.

"No. Merlin's just being a jerk," I mumbled.

"She has been spaced out all morning and won't tell me what is wrong!" my brother retorted.

Arthur's features grew alarmed as his gorgeous eyes watched me intently.

Crap.

I clenched my jaw and carelessly tossed the broom towards Merlin. "'Kay, you can finish cleanin'. I'm gonna go out," I said before hurrying out of the room, barely escaping Arthur's outreaching arm.

"I mean… obviously everything she's done since she went dark side has been done out of necessity, right? She feels the need to protect herself and her kind, or whatever, from the anti-magic laws that Utah made, and she's doing what she thinks she has to do to survive. Right?"

Predictably, Dallas didn't respond as he continued munching on the grass.

I took him up to a hill that overlooks the castle so that I could do some alone thinking without anyone prying. Also known as rambling to my horse while he gallantly listens.

"So, now that I have power, or whatever, and I can change things. Like I told Merls. Couldn't I try to negotiate with her? Surely she'd be happy to hear that I'm working on coming up with a plan that will, hopefully, eventually sway Arthur in favour of magic. Right?"

No response, of course. Only a side eye. If I hadn't spent so much time studying equine ethology in the past (or in the future, I guess), I might've feared he was judging me.

"What if we can come to some sort of truce? And maybe, if she sees that she no longer has to be scared, we can be friends again! Heck, she might even help me formulate the plan! She's got connections, right? We can form an alliance! And Thanata would probably follow suit, then, right?" I frowned and tilted my head. "Actually, I don't know much about her."

Dallas rubbed some flies off his leg with his head and continued to eat.

I puffed and pouted. "I wish you could talk. You'd probably be, like, the best advisor ever."

I reached for my sword and stood up when I heard some faint metal jingling and trotting hoofbeats in the near distance. I turned around to face the invader, only to relax when I found Gwen and Sawyer cantering up the hill. I sighed and dropped my weapon.

"Lemme guess – they sent you to babysit me again," I stated once she reached me.

"I am your 'girl-in-the-chair'. It is my job to take care of you," she said softly as she stopped the chestnut pony before climbing off.

Being the considerate friend that I am, I helped her to loosen the girth and secure the stirrups while she took off the bridle.

"Ideally, it's your job to slap 'em and help me convince them that I'm fine, but whatever," I mumbled as I sat down once more.

"We worry about you, Astra."

"Startin' to sound like a broken record," I muttered under my breath. Sighing in frustration, I let myself fall backwards and tried to ignore my friend's presence while looking at the clouds rolling by.

Well, that's the end of the discussion between Dallas and I…

I need to settle this in my brain, or I really am gonna go crazy! I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to think of this. I mean, we never really had a chance to pull Morgana back from the ledge because the first thing she did upon returning from those four months she spent MIA was, y'know, help to kidnap me and my brother. Still, though, I think we went about it all wrong; and now we're paying the price.

"Shirt," escaped my lips in a bitter whisper.

Gwen's head snapped my way and she raised an eyebrow. I waved her off and zipped up my black bomber jacket as a chill ran through me. The sun was slowly but surely starting to set and the arrival of the night meant dropping temperatures. Meaning I'll have to go back home soon and face Merlin and Arthur. I can't do that when I'm still not sure of where my mind is at!

So I decided to take a leap of faith and turned my head to look up at my friend, who'd remained seated beside me all this time.

"What do you think of Morgana?" I asked.

Her eyes widened as they fixed on me. "What?!"

I sighed and sat up, figuring that I might as well explain my latest internal chaos. "Well, I had a dream last night, and it got me thinking that... maybe... we could still save her... I mean, she used to be super nice and awesome. That can't be gone, right? It has to be buried somewhere underneath all the Disney villain crap."

Mortification gradually grew on Gwen's face and I instantly found myself regretting my words.

"No, forget it, I'm being stupid," I mumbled and lay back down.

"I do not know what to tell you, Astra," she said after a few moments, causing me to turn to her again as I frowned slightly. "She was a dear friend for most of my life, and I do find it hard to believe that all the kindness she once possessed might be entirely gone." Hope rose within me. Maybe I'm not so crazy! "But after everything that she has done... I do not think it would be wise, let alone safe, to try to help her."

The idea spewed out of my mouth before I could pass it through a filter of scepticism – "What if it was done in a very low-key manner? Where she wouldn't feel threatened?"

"Astra – whatever you are thinking, I am not going to encourage it," Gwen told me sternly.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Well, she said that she's not going to encourage it, not that it couldn't work. Maybe I'm crazy, but what if I'm not? Isn't it at least worth a shot? Sure, I'll have to come up with a sensible plan; but I'm not going to discard the idea so easily. Not when I could be onto something that will make Arthur's life much better!

"Good thing I don't need your permission, then," I responded with a smirk before springing to my feet.

"Astra!" she protested, hurrying to stand as well and she grabbed my arm.

"Please don't tell the guys," I begged. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."

She seemed hesitant.

"I'm just gonna see what I can come up with and I swear I won't do anything without saying something first," I added.

Very reluctantly, she responded, "All right. I promise I will not say anything."