Camelot
November, 508 AD
"You did not sleep at all, did you?"
I started and turned around to find Merlin sitting down beside me. He's so sneaky, he could be a spy!
"How're you so sure?" I questioned before returning my attention to the coffee pot that hung above the campfire before me.
He gave me a pointed look before responding, "Well, for one, you look terrible." I scowled at that. "And, also, you are trying to boil water with air."
My eyes widened as they travelled downwards again to find that, indeed, I forgot to light the fire. "Oops."
Merlin rolled his eyes and glanced around for a second before speaking a quick spell that promptly ignited the pit.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
He sighed and squeezed my shoulder. "We are supposed to be leaving in fifteen minutes. Make sure you are ready," he said before walking away to who-knows-where.
I let out a shaky exhale as I watched him go, then I returned my gaze to the now bubbling water before me. I grinned at the sight and reached for the bag of coffee grounds, then I poured some of it into the pot and leaned back as I watched the brown bits disintegrate.
A minute or two later, I put out the fire and mixed some sugar into the coffee. Then I poured all of its contents into my thermos and gave the pot some time to cool off so that I could wash it.
However, that plan was interrupted when I heard a bunch of swords being drawn. I looked around and noticed Arthur and the knights looking around warily, with their weapons in hand. I tilted my head. What is happening now?
"We're surrounded!" an alarmed Merlin cried as he suddenly ran onto the scene.
I frowned and gazed beyond my friends. My stomach dropped when I noticed a bunch of people emerging from the thick fog that clouded the forest.
"Well, that's unfortunate," I mumbled to myself before hurrying to put my thermos inside my duffel bag and pulling out my bow, quiver, and sword. I zipped the bulk and swung it over my shoulder, then I moved closer to Arthur. He visibly sighed when our eyes connected and he grabbed my arm as soon as I was within reach, pulling me to his side.
"We cannot stay here," Leon noted the obvious.
Arthur gasped when his eyes landed on something and I followed his gaze to find Morgana approaching on a black horse.
"Well, sh*t," I muttered under my breath. My heart was suddenly speeding up like Lightning McQueen.
"Run!" my King ordered the team as he gently pushed me in a random direction. I didn't need to be told twice before starting to sprint.
However, my feet skidded to a stop when more men emerged from that side, too; and it quickly became obvious that we would have to fight our way out of this one.
Fork! I hope that Dallas and the other horses had the sense to run! I looked around frantically for them, but I couldn't find them.
"Get on a tree, fire from above," Arthur told me.
I gulped and glanced up at him as my heart raced even faster. I hate to leave him to fend for himself, but I did make a promise. So I sighed in frustration, but followed his instructions and climbed the first sturdy oak I could find before settling on a branch, loading my bow, and shooting at the first enemy that my eyes landed on – surprisingly not missing despite my sleep-deprived state.
Cool, I'm like Hawkeye!
It didn't take a math genius to tell that we were hilariously outnumbered as men in black piled on top of men in silver and crimson. Still, I kept on firing arrows; though I took my time to aim them in order to ensure that they would hit their targets. Can't go around accidentally shooting my own people, now, can I?
My focus was broken when I spotted Arthur sprinting towards a troubled Leon and I did my best to help clear his path by shooting at anyone who got too close to him. I grinned as he easily took care of the remaining men and swiftly made it to the curly blond's side, defending him against his attacker. We make a good team even when fighting separately!
I went to fire at a white-haired man that had managed to injure Leon, but my hands froze when I saw another man hit Arthur in the back with a mace, knocking him to the ground.
"Arthur!" I gasped and scrambled to get off the tree, then I dodged some enemy soldiers as I rushed towards him.
Merlin appeared on the scene just as I reached my King and the two of us lifted him before sharing a nod, silently agreeing to drag him away from the struggle.
The sound of horses snorting and metal jingling caused a wave of panic to run through me and I glanced back to find two enemy men on horseback chasing after us.
"Hold him," I told Merlin before letting go of Arthur so that I could draw my bow again and shoot at the men. I hit one in the neck and the other one in the stomach, and they both fell off their mounts. The sight of the spooked horses running away caused me to pause for a second and inwardly pray for Dallas's well-being before I sighed and returned to my boys.
Eventually, Merlin and I decided that it was safe to stop and rest – Arthur didn't get to weigh in on the matter because he kinda passed out at some point during our fun journey – and my brother hurried to check the King's injury.
He had a nasty nearly-black bruise on his shoulder-blade, and my intestines twisted at the sight.
"I have some arnica," I mumbled before unzipping my duffel bag and searching for the flask inside. Then I opened it and carefully rubbed some of the ointment on Arthur's bruised skin. He was surprisingly still warm, despite the cool weather. The magic plant, along with a couple of magic words from Merlin, ensured that the injury would soon disappear.
Once that was taken care of, I moved to sit on the ground and gently moved Arthur's head to lay it on my lap.
"That was a fun way to start the day," I muttered.
Merlin snorted and arranged some branches to build a small fire that would hopefully keep us from freezing in the cold November weather.
"Why can't we ever get through a week without something goin' wrong?" I asked my brother in a mumble, a thick lump forming in my throat. "I mean, we don't even know if Gwaine's still alive... and Perci. Lee and El, and all the others, could now be gone as well–"
"You heard what Queen Annis said," Merlin cut me off softly. "There is a big chance that Gwaine – and Percival – might still be alive. You just have to have faith."
Tears formed in my eyes. "I've had nothing but faith over the past six months, Merls, and look where it's gotten us." He gave me a sad look. "Maybe we were doomed from the start, and now we've only made things worse."
My brother sighed and shuffled to sit next to me, then he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Remember what Gwaine said?" he asked softly. I gave him a questioning look. "We are only truly doomed if we give up."
I wiped at my cheeks and sighed as I nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
Merlin kissed the top of my head and I let it drop to lean against his shoulder while one of my hands began playing with Arthur's hair.
"Gwaine's a wise one, isn't he?" I asked after a few silent minutes. Merlin chuckled and nodded. "He's, like, the Aristotle of your generation," I continued with a small grin.
Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Gwaine?"
"Yes."
He snorted and shook his head. Then he went to say something else, but Arthur stirred and let out a groan.
My heart-rate sped up again and I looked down at him, my eyes widening as I awaited further indication that he may be relatively okay.
"Artie?" I said softly.
His gorgeous eyes opened and my heart skipped a beat when they made contact with mine. I allowed myself to smile and slid a hand down to his cheek, gently rubbing my thumb against it as I leaned down to kiss his forehead.
Arthur tilted his head to kiss the inside of my wrist and then he asked, "What happened?"
I shared a puzzled look with Merlin. "You don't remember?" he asked my King, who shook his head in response.
"Where are the others? Leon? Elyan?"
Merlin glanced at me before answering, "There was nothing we could do. We had to get you to safety."
"What actually happened?" Arthur questioned, his voice more stern this time.
"The usual – we saved your neck," Merlin shot back quickly. I raised an eyebrow at him. Why isn't he giving a straight answer?
"A dude hit you with a mace and you passed out," I explained. Arthur frowned and he sat up, then he reached to touch his shoulder-blade, wincing a little. "I put a little magic ointment on it. Ya' welcome."
"Magic?!"
Merlin nudged my side and gave me a pointed look before clarifying, "She means it metaphorically. It was just arnica."
"Well, duh. I don't have magic," I mumbled.
Arthur raised an eyebrow at me. "If you had magic, would you use it?"
Merlin's eyes widened in horror, fixing on me.
"To heal you? Without a doubt," I responded with a nonchalant shrug. Arthur seemed puzzled. "Would you be mad if that happened?" I questioned with a small grin and a head tilt.
The actual sorcerer among us seemed to be one more word away from hyperventilating.
Arthur blinked rapidly for a few moments, then he huffed. "I am not sure."
I was about to say something else, but my brother slapped my arm and scrambled to his feet before offering me a hand. "Come on, we have to go," he pressed, giving me a half-murderous look. I chuckled and took his outstretched limb, allowing him to pull me to my feet. Then he did the same for Arthur and, soon, we were off towards Ismere again.
Night extended over the calm British moors once more. The late autumn wind rattled the trees, producing audible whistling sounds that echoed through the expanse of decaying grass. The sound of crickets could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the hooting of a lone owl. Above, the sky was cloudy. Not many stars were visible, and the moonlight was faint; making the atmosphere dark and sombre.
I tightened my blanket around me as another gust of wind blew past. A shiver toured my body and I reached to take a sip of coffee from my thermos in search of more warmth; but it has cooled down, so the effect was null.
The sudden sound of crunching leaves caused me to jump and I lifted my gaze to find Merlin walking towards me. I offered him a small smile before returning my attention to my notebook, where I was doodling a horse to pass the time.
"You're not sleeping, again," he accused as he sat down next to me.
I scoffed. "Aren't you clever, Dr. Watson?"
Merlin rolled his eyes and nudged my side.
"Why're you awake?" I questioned.
He sighed. "I could not sleep, either."
"Why?"
"I keep thinking back to the seer man in the village. What he said... We could be walking into a trap in Ismere..." He trailed off with a frightened look.
I shifted a little so that I could look at his face, then I replied, "It's not a trap if we know about it. And you heard K – nothing's written in stone."
"Isn't it though?" Merlin wondered in a weak tone. "I mean, you are from the future. All of this has already happened."
"No. If we travel to my time, then it will already have happened. Right now, it hasn't. Which means that we can control what happens," I retorted. "At least that's what I understood from Leo," I added in a mumble.
He raised an eyebrow and regarded me silently for a few seconds before asking, "Why are you so stubborn in that belief?"
"Because the alternative is terrifying," I answered. "I mean, what's the point of life if you don't get to choose, y'know? Why even try if it's all been worked out already?"
Merlin sighed and leaned backwards against the tree we were sitting under. "Do you really believe that we can steer away from these prophecies?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I doubt it's gonna be easy, with all these magical creatures butting in, but yeah. It's like K said – we can use them to our advantage."
"I suppose he would know more than us," my brother mumbled.
"And he's placed his bets on us," I responded with a little smirk.
"That is true."
I nodded and curled up beside him. Then I sighed before speaking again in a whisper, "Art'll be fine. He's not allowed to die 'til he's old and wrinkly. I'm not gonna let him. I'll do whatever it takes to keep 'em alive until then."
"We will," Merlin corrected. I gave him a small smile before letting my head drop to his shoulder and we sat in silence until, eventually, sleep consumed us.
I gasped awake just when a mind-controlled dreamland version of me was about to cut off an overgrown Aithusa's head with a sword as we battled atop a giant chess board.
Merlin was beside me in a second, firmly hugging me while gently commanding me to breathe. I focused all my senses on the rising and falling of his chest and closed my eyes as I tried to match the rhythm of my oxygen intake to his.
"What happened?!" I heard Arthur's alarmed voice in the near distance, along with rushed footsteps.
"Nightmare," my brother responded in a low tone, not letting go of me.
I heard some shuffling and then I was being passed over to a new pair of arms – like a newborn baby in a living room full of middle-aged female relatives. Only, this wasn't a distant aunt, but my very own husband. And, funny enough, that thought was enough to sober me up and I was able to regulate my breathing as his manly scent filled my lungs.
"Another nightmare?" Arthur asked softly.
I groaned. "No. I was dreaming of rainbow puppies and cotton candy ice-cream."
"Well, it is reassuring to hear that your sarcasm still works," Merlin commented, a hint of humour in his otherwise concerned tone.
Arthur huffed and kissed the top of my head before tightening his grip on me.
"At least you got some decent sleep," my brother added.
I hummed and pushed slightly off Arthur to look around, and I found that the sun rose at least an hour ago. I quirked an eyebrow and turned to Merlin as I responded, "Maybe we should have late-night philosophical conversations more often."
Merlin chuckled while Arthur looked between us with a puzzled expression.
"Maybe we should start a podcast!" I added with a giggle.
Merlin's smile fell in an instant and he narrowed his eyes at me. "Shut up, Astra. You are still sleep-deprived."
I tilted my head, then I froze for a second when I realised what I said wrong. Then I glanced up at Arthur and gave him an innocent grin before I kissed the side of his jaw. I shrugged off his arms, stood up, and hurried to pack my duffel bag.
"C'mon, boys! Gwaine's not gonna find himself!"
"How much longer?" I asked Arthur in a mumble while he was gallantly helping me to cross a wide creek.
I got a sweet smile in return. "A day, maybe," he responded.
Merlin tripped behind us and nearly fell face-first into the water. I stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, fearing that the exertion from the strenuous journey might be getting to him. But a quick, reassuring smile was enough to let me know it was just a clumsy stumble. I sighed and returned my attention to Arthur, who waited patiently as I gripped his hand and stepped onto the next rock that peeked out of the water.
A few moments later, we made it past that obstacle without a single splash and continued trekking through the drying oak forest under the slowly setting sun.
Arthur sighed. "If only we had a horse."
My heart jumped with dread as I thought about Dallas; and my King must've noticed, for he squeezed my hand and whispered an apology.
"Or a pig," Merlin muttered.
"You cannot ride a pig," Arthur argued while scrunching up his face.
"Ten bucks say I could train one to be ridden," I stated, painting on a small smirk.
"We could roast it," Merlin continued, "with carrots, parsnips and apples."
My intestines twisted at the unpleasant mental image that his words produced.
"Merlin," Arthur said sternly while casting a glare towards my brother.
"You are right, we will not waste those apples, we'll put them in a pie," Merlin kept rambling.
Now that's an appealing dish.
"Stop it," my King scolded.
"I have to eat something!" Merlin whined.
My stomach growled and I glared at him for bringing up the subject of food. I was managing without it just fine until the idea entered my brain and now I'm really feeling hungry.
"We're all hungry, dude!" I finally cut in. "So, unless you can conjure up some hamburgers for all of us, I suggest you shut up!"
He turned to me with a bewildered look and opened his mouth to respond, but then something on the ground caught his attention and caused his lips to curve upwards just a little. "Rabbits!" he exclaimed as he sped up and he leaned down to pick up two dead rabbits that lay on the ground.
Arthur grabbed my arm and halted us, looking around for a few moments. I gave him a questioning look, but didn't voice my confusion. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he dashed towards my brother while crying out, "Merlin!"
Before I could blink, the two boys were caught in a net and now hung from a gigantic oak tree, suspended some four metres above the ground.
"I don't think this is what people intend when they tell you to follow your gut," I noted as I looked up at them.
"Well, I got them," Merlin retorted.
"Good. Now come down and cook 'em," I shot back.
"Shut up and help us," he grumbled.
"You kiss Hunith with that mouth?"
"Darling –" Arthur interjected in a sweet tone that caused my heart to skip a beat, "as much as I love it when you aggravate Merlin, it would be nice if you could help us get out of this."
"Sure thing, sunshine!" I chirped with a grin before addressing Merlin again. "See, bro? That's how ya' talk to girls."
He growled, but said nothing in return.
My first course of action was to try to jump and cut the net with my sword, but I soon found that to be an impossible task, given how far up they were. So then I moved on to using my bow to shoot at the top of the net in hopes that the arrow might sever the rope that attached it to the tree. But my vision was blurry and my arms were trembling, I only had three arrows left and would have to go search for them, and I almost accidentally hit Merlin; so I quickly gave that up as well.
I cast the weapon aside and began to pace while nibbling on my bottom lip. I'm so useless!
"Astra?" Arthur said gently after a few moments, causing me to stop and turn to look at him again. "You are all right, beautiful. You can figure this out."
I let out a shaky breath and nodded before moving to analyse the situation again. Unless someone left a ladder lying around, it's very unlikely that I'm gonna be able to reach the net from the ground...
"Screw it, I'm just gonna climb it," I mumbled to myself before setting down my duffel bag and pulling out my Swiss army knife from a side pocket. Then I moved to the base of the tree.
"Are you sure?" Arthur asked, his voice wary.
"D'ya have a better idea?" I shot back as I began to pull myself onto the first sturdy branch I could find close to the ground.
"I do not want you to get hurt," he responded softly.
"I'll be fine," I replied, not stopping my ascension.
The climb was long and tricky. I was never gonna say it aloud, but the dry bark of the tree was scratchy and plagued with splinters, which kept on sticking to my hands and making my task ten times more complicated and annoying than it should be.
Eventually, I made it to the branch from which the net was suspended.
All I have to do now is slowly creep along it until I get to the trap, then cut the rope with my knife, and... pray that the fall isn't too hard on the boys.
I froze halfway through scooting along the branch when I heard a creaking sound and I glanced back, noticing that my added weight on it had caused it to start straining a little. This ought to be fun. I let out a shaky sigh and kept on moving.
Another creak caused me to speed up a little.
I didn't even pause to let myself be amused by the adorable pouts that my boys sported as they looked up at me, and I quickly started cutting the rope – which was a lot more enduring than I'd hoped it would be. But I shouldn't be surprised, really. Nothing is ever easy!
The branch creaked again and my heart began to race in anxiety.
The rope wasn't breaking fast enough and the sound intensified.
"Astra!" Arthur exclaimed.
"Get back! It's going to break!" Merlin cried.
"No, I'm almost there," I responded, my gaze not leaving the stubborn rope.
It finally came apart after a couple more seconds and the boys fell to the ground with a loud thud. I heard them groan and my heart froze for a second. Then I grinned in victory when I saw that they were both moving and, thus, alive.
The smile was wiped right off my face when a louder creak sounded and I scrambled to get back to the trunk of the tree, my heart-beat accelerating. Thankfully, I made it to safety and hurried to climb back down, wishing to ensure that Arthur and Merlin were okay.
I was only halfway down when a bunch of men emerged from the wilderness and surrounded my boys, who were still lying on the ground. My heart dropped to my stomach and I tried to climb faster, almost slipping in the process.
"I am sorry. Are we disturbing you?" a man with shoulder-length white hair asked tauntingly as he placed his sword to Arthur's chest.
With a badly-trembling figure, I leaped the rest of the way off the tree and groaned at the impact that slammed up my legs.
"Astra! Run!" my King yelled, his eyes full of fear as they made contact with mine.
Two of the men set their sights on me and they smirked as they started to advance while I remained frozen in place.
I can't leave them! They could kill them! Or worse!
"Astraea! You promised!" Arthur raised his panicked voice further.
"Go! Find help!" Merlin's agitated tone, which was full of sense, was what finally got me to start running against every instinct I had to stay back and fight a fruitless battle in trying to protect them.