Merlin 1. Chapter 1

First and foremost I apologise in advance. I get the feeling that updates will be sporadic at best (not due to me having genuine excuses, just laziness, so feel free to hound me to get a move on) and some bits and pieces may not flow as well as they should due to the way I have written some of this. (I actually started with the 6th chapter, moved onto the 5th, then second and third, a bit of the ninth and finally the first.)

This will have both het and slash in it (I think) Mainly Lancelot/Merlin (which will probably end up as Lancelot/Merlin/Gwaine if I know myself as well as I think I do).

People **will die **in this fic, but it will be **none of the main characters**. Mainly it will just be randoms dying in horrible ways in an attempt to cover for my poor excuse of a plot.

Feel free to mention anything that doesn't make sense or any problems you find as this will be un-beta'd. I will do my best to correct the problem.

Now I think I have given you sufficient reasons to turn away, now...ON TO CAMELO– I MEAN THE STORY!

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Tabula Rasa – Chapter one

It was the smoke rising to the east that set off the first warning bells. Almost immediately the heads of houses had gathered and chosen two men to ride to their sister village and bring back word of the situation.

Neither returned.

As the day went on the cloud continued to build and blacken. The wind blew wisps of smoke towards their village; the acrid sent pervading the air. Another man was told to ride on and find the others but he too never came back. By nightfall a dull orange glow had begun to show in the distance, getting closer and closer. Animals, both small and large fled the surrounding forests and fields in an attempt to outrun the danger nipping at their heels.

If only the humans had followed.

For many years the villagers had been safe in the knowledge that fire would not touch them with a river to their east and a gully to the west. For the most part this also isolated them from the interference of other people, barring their twin village just across river. They had no need to trade and did not seek to welcome travellers from anywhere.

Indeed that had been the start of their problems.

That night, while the men, women and children slept, the fire reached the river. It flickered and waivered at the water's edge, an impenetrable wall of flame and in the midst of the inferno a shadow appeared.

Tongues of fire licked at its side but did not burn it. If anything they seemed to play around the base of the figure...

And with a rising of a hand, the fire leapt the banks and spilled onto the river. Red and orange swamped the cool liquid and set the water aflame and soon enough it crossed to the other side and made its way towards the sleeping village.

From the far bank a hoarse giggle bubbled its way up a torn throat as it watched the fire dance.

xXx

The boy ran, crashing through thickets and over fallen branches. Brittle twigs lay scattered over the forest floor and silently, he begged the Gods not to let him step on one. The burn on his arm throbbed with every breath and his smoke filled lungs strained and ached savagely but he didn't dare let himself stop. He could still feel the heat at his back and hear the screaming of his parents.

'_Tristan!'_ His father had yelled. '_Run!_'

It was the last thing he ever said. A dull roar and the fire had consumed him whole as his mother stood still and watched, shock and horror painting her once pretty face.

Above a storm brewed and thunder growled. Wind whipped the trees into a frenzy and in the distance he could hear the fire crackle and spark.

_Gone_, he though. _All gone._

He forced himself to think of something else, _anything_ else but nothing came to him. All he could think of was the fire, and the light and that _laugh_. So cold and so mad and so very, very sweet.

He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

For the first time in his short life he was truly alone. No mother, no father, no friends; just him and the trees.

_And the woman_.

Panic rose in his chest and he struggled to fight it down. It was all her fault. She had looked so sweet, standing there all calm in the middle of the street while screams erupted around her, like the eye of the storm...and she had smiled at him. Then his father had yelled and the fire grew and she laughed; a high wavering sound. Tristan ran and did not look back once. He didn't want to know what he would see.

He stumbled to his feet shaking his head. He didn't want to remember that. He just wanted to get away.

Above him the sky opened up and it began to pour. Shivering, he began to run again heading south. He knew that there was a village nearby and they could help him. He did not think of his village for he knew it was too late for them.

By time he saw the first building the moon had been completely blotted out by the clouds and his clothes were soaked through, rainwater stinging at his wounds.

He made it to the village and walked into the streets, eyes bleary and refusing to focus. Just as he heard someone call to him, gray began to close in around the corner of his vision and he sank to the ground. He did not hear the man calling for help or feel himself being lifted into strong arms.

All he knew was nothing.

xXx

Merlin woke to a boot being thrown at his head.

In all honesty he wasn't totally surprised as it wasn't the first time Arthur had gotten impatient with him and decided to wake him up himself. Thing was that usually only happened on days when they were actually meant to be doing something and as far as he could remember, neither of them really needed to be anywhere on time today.

Merlin contemplated this fact from his floor as he stared up at Arthur's face. Strange, it really was dark in the room.

"Wasit?" Considering how he had woken up, he was surprised he managed that much.

Arthur had already turned and was heading out the door. "Hurry up and get dressed. Something's happened."

Merlin felt himself blink and scrambled to his feet. "Do you know what?"

A shrug and frown were all Merlin got as an answer. "Once you're done get Lancelot to help you find the others and tell them to meet in the conference room."

Then he was gone. Merlin quickly grabbed his top off the floor, throwing it on as he stumbled out of the room, almost running straight into Gaius.

"Was that Arthur?" Gaius looked for all accounts as if he had just woken. It was then that the servant noted the darkness of the room.

"It's night..." Merlin noted as he stared, stupefied, out the small window.

Gaius nodded sympathetically. "Yes, Arthur woke us both up." He paused and sent Merlin a_ look_. "Well what are you waiting for? I'm sure the prince wouldn't have disturbed your beauty sleep for nothing."

Merlin stumbled off out the door, still half asleep but awake enough to feel the urgency in the air. Something was happening going on and whatever it was he had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't like it.

xXx

Arthur wasn't all that surprised to find that he had beaten Merlin to the meeting room. The others were all there in varying stages of wakefulness; off to the side Gwaine was wearing a hole in the floor with his pacing, Elyan was blinking sleepily while sitting on the floor with his back leaning against a wall. Leon looked for all intents and purposes awake but he could see that the knight was still struggling to maintain full awareness and standing together were Percival and Lancelot, talking amongst themselves. They all looked up when Arthur came into view and Elyan clambered onto his feet.

"All right then." Gwaine rounded on Arthur and sent him a glare which would have been far more affective if he hadn't looked as if he was about to fall back asleep. "What is this all about? Merlin interrupted a very nice dream of mine. I was about to-"

Leon interrupted to the relief of the others. "Please Gwaine, it really is too late to be hearing about your fantasies." He paused, thinking. "Or it could be too early..."

Arthur cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak only for Merlin to trip through the door.

The knights watched with fond eyes. Merlin was no graceful warrior; he had enough trouble as it was trying not to hurt himself on the swords he cleaned or the things he carried. That did not mean that he wasn't as much a part of their meetings as they were. For all his youth, he had moments of unexplained wisdom and lately the knights had noticed that Arthur was beginning to rely on both Gaius and Merlin to come up with the majority of the plans, not that he would ever admit it. Realising that they were all watching him, Merlin gave a sheepish smile before taking his place between Gwaine and Lancelot.

"How is it that you're late even now?" There was a look of honest bewilderment on Arthurs face that sent the rest laughing, even the slightly out of breath servant.

Gwaine snorted and nudged Merlin with his shoulder. "I honestly don't know why you ask. Merlin's always late." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "I bet you don't really even notice it anymore."

Beside him, Lancelot took a breath, ready to defend his friend but it came out as a snort. He couldn't say anything really as Gwaine was spot on.

Merlin huffed, a barely noticeable blush dusting his cheeks.

He looked at Arthur and spoke, wry amusement colouring his voice. "You know while I'm sure you would like to discuss my slight...problem with time management you might what to tell us what this was all about before Elyan falls asleep standing up."

Off to the side Elyan jerked himself back up and sent an apologetic look towards the others.

"Yes well..." Arthur made to lean against a wall, feeling his knights and servant follow him with their eyes. "I would appear that we have a problem. An hour ago we got word that four days ago a village was attacked and all its occupants killed." Everyone straightened at that and the laughter drained from their eyes.

Arthur rubbed at his eyes before continuing. "One survivor, a boy, managed to get away and ran to the nearest village. We didn't hear about it until now because he collapsed from exhaustion upon reaching the place. It took a day for him to wake up and another one before he was willing to talk about what happened..."

Leon spoke, eyes dark and shadowed. "What did he say?"

"A party was sent out to the village the morning after he arrived to see what happened. It had been burnt to the ground and everyone killed. But it wasn't until he spoke that they learned a crucial detail."

The prince looked up at them all, weariness etched into his features. "Apparently there had been a woman there." At the confused looks he received he continued. "He said that she stood in the middle of everything and just...watched. He said that the flames bent to her will."

Merlin stiffened and he felt Lancelot lean towards him slightly.

"You mean sorcery." It was a statement, not a question and Merlin felt his heart sink as he watched Arthur nod.

"He said she called the flames to the village and laughed as it burnt." There was a quiet rage simmering in Arthur's voice as he spoke and Merlin almost winced at the sound. This time Lancelot's hand crept up to grasp Merlin by the arm, a steadying and reassuring presence.

"Tomorrow we will gather what we need and the next day we'll set off to find this sorceress and bring her to justice."

The knights nodded in agreement and only Lancelot noticed Merlin's hesitation.

Arthur took a moment to look carefully at each person. Elyan and Gwaine, a light of almost anticipation in their eyes, Percival standing behind the others tall and strong, Leon ready and willing to help and Lancelot and Merlin looking back at him with faith painted all over their faces. It was enough to rot his teeth but Arthur couldn't be anything but grateful for them all.

"Go get some sleep. Well meet at the stables; dawn, day after tomorrow." Everyone made a move to leave when Arthur spoke again, this time directly at his servant.

"And this time Merlin please try not to be late."

xXx

Merlin could feel _his_ eyes on him as he began to head back to Gaius's quarters and tried in vain to stop the tingle that ran up his spine.

If there was one thing that Merlin had come to accept in the months since the end of the immortal army it was that Lancelot had become even more focused on his moods, always knowing what he was thinking and his plans. Not that Merlin was complaining really, it was a nice change to have someone to talk to and who really noticed what was going on in his head. That and it was just nice having Lancelot around again.

Lately he had become an almost constant presence, forcing food into Merlin's hands or making him sit down and have a break. Sometimes on the rare days when Merlin didn't have anything to do they would spend hours together talking about anything that took their fancy, often just content to sit in each other's company and watch the world go by.

Sighing he stopped and turned to look at the knight following him. Any complaint he had been about to voice, died on his lips when he took in the concerned look in the dark eyes and the small frown playing on Lancelot's lips.

"Merlin..." The older man paused and stepped closer to the servant. "Are you alright?"

The warlock couldn't help but smile at the worry in Lancelot's voice. It was nice to have someone that knew about his magic, and it was _really_ nice to have someone who cared.

"I'll be fine."

The frown on the knights' mouth did not leave, if anything it grew deeper. "You know I'm really beginning to hate that word." He took another step forward and placed a warm hand on Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin chuckled at that and raised his own hand to cover Lancelot's briefly before letting it fall away.

"I really am. I can't say that I will enjoy this and it will make it harder for me to tell Arthur everything," the hand tightened in a gently squeeze, "but I'm fine."

Slowly the frown dissipated leaving only the concerned look. "If you need anything..."

Merlin really smiled this time and was delighted when the knight smiled back. "If I need anything I'll come straight to you."

"Good." Lancelot's hand moved slightly, almost brushing it against the nape of Merlins neck, before letting out a soft cough. "And when I say anything, I mean _anything_. Even if it's just to talk."

The older man left his hand on Merlin's shoulder for a few more second before letting it fall away and when Merlin turned to head back to bed he could feel Lancelot's eyes following him. It should not have made Merlin smile as it did but his heartfelt lighter than it had been in a while, especially since before the brief meeting.

Behind him Lancelot flexed a hand, still feeling the lingering warmth of Merlin's body heat on his skin.

xXx

A day later and Arthur was expecting to beat most of the others to the courtyard. He had cleared his plans with his advisers and had even managed to stop by Uther's chambers, explaining to a silent father why he wouldn't be around for a while.

Needless to say he tried to leave as soon as possible.

So imagine his surprise when he arrived to find that he was the last one there. Arthur looked over his men (and Merlin) with approval. In accordance with the plan they had all dressed in civilian clothing as opposed to knight garb. Merlin was the only one wearing his normal clothes and Arthur found that most of his knights looked quite odd without the armour and cape.

"Well lookie here," called out Gwaine. "Now here I thought you were going on about _us_ being late."

A snort came from Merlin who was trying to hold onto both his and Arthur's horses. "Come on now Gwaine," chimed in the servant. "You can't expect him to be perfect all the time."

Merlin turned towards the approaching prince and handed out the reins to Arthur's horse.

"So," He looked expectantly up at Arthur. "How are we getting to where ever it is we're going?"

While the general idea of the plan had been hashed out over a few mere minutes, the actual plan was not known to anyone but Arthur himself.

"The exact location of the sorceress is unknown but she was last sighted near the town she burnt down."

Off to the side Leon and Lancelot nodded while the others listened intently. "I figure we'll start there. It's a small town bordering the Perilous Lands. To get to it we'll travel as straight as we can, cover more distance in less time. That'll mean that we have to pass through Drǣdan Forest. It'll only take a few days but- ..."

The coughing and choking sound was coming from Merlin while the stare boring into his back was from Gwaine. "Did I just hear you say Drǣdan Forest?" The other knights were looking at the two, obviously having as little a clue as to what was going on than Arthur himself.

"Yes..." Arthur pronounced slowly. "What about it?"

"Are you nuts?" The words slipped from between Merlins lips before he could stop them and he tried not to shrink when Arthur turned to glare at him, a scathing look on his face. "What I mean is; have you ever travelled through it before?"

Arthur admitted that he had not but did not see how that held any kind of baring on the subject.

"Those woods are filled with things Arthur. The kind of things which enjoy turning puny little people like us into tooth picks." Merlin's dry voice cut through any complaints he was about to make.

"Is that so?" Leon focused on Gwaine who nodded.

"Just think of it this way Princess." Gwaine dodged the swipe to his head moving closer to Merlin and Lancelot. "It's kind of like the Perilous Lands. You remember them don't you?"

Merlin sniggered as Arthur narrowed his eyes at the long haired knight. "And how would you know this _Gwaine_? After all you've never been to the Perilous lands..."

Gwaine sent Arthur a look that was entirely too innocent to be true. "Hmm, must have been a dream then."

"I'm sure it was." Arthur bit out, determinably ignoring the curious looks the other knights were giving him and the triumphant looks that Merlin and Gwaine were shooting each other.

"Yes and besides that-..." Merlin jabbed a thumb back at his horse. "These guys would barely be able to fit between the branches. Everything in that forest is completely over grown."

"Be that as it may, travelling through Drǣdan Forest is the quickest way to get to the village and we'll move faster with the horses." Arthur pointedly ignored Merlin when he threw his hands up in exasperation. "Besides how do you know this?"

Merlin looked over. "On my way to Camelot I travelled through it. Only barely mind you, I was in there for less than an hour but it was...unpleasant..."

Arthur turned to Gwaine. "What about you?"

The knight shrugged before replying. "I spent a day making my way through it after I left Camelot. It was the quickest way to get where I was headed."

Arthur nodded at that. "Either way we'll head off as planned. Now let's get a move on."

Arthur swung himself onto his horse watching as the others followed his lead. Minutes later they were heading off through the gates of Camelot heading north. From the back of his horse Merlin managed to catch Gwaine's eye over Lancelot's head as they both thought about what lay before them.

Then Merlin called out to Arthur.

"Don't blame me when I say I told you so."

xXx

"Told you so."

"I hate you Merlin. I really do sometimes."

And he really did at that moment. The smug smile on Merlins face was grating at best and it didn't help that Gwaine had the same expression as they all inspected the living wall in front of them. Well, living might not be the best word for it. By all appearances the branches looked dead and they were entwined so closely together that they formed a wall made of wood. It ran the whole edge of the forest and there was no visible entrance through which they could fit themselves let alone the horses; at least not without cutting back some of the skeleton-like branches first.

"Not another word from you." Arthur handed his reins over to the servant and drew his sword. Percival and Elyan followed suit, handing off their reins to Gwaine and Leon respectively and they stepped forward to stand beside Arthur before starting to hack away at the thicket.

It was slow going but once they started it got easier.

Branches and twigs pulled at their clothing and hair and scratched their skin and he pointedly ignored the comments and laughter Merlin sent his way. Arthur swung his sword with particular force and almost fell on his face when the brush gave way to open air. Percival and Elyan stopped cutting and helped steady Arthur as they looked into the clearing before them. Apparently the wood wall was only a few feet thick. Before them the trees spread out normally with plenty of room between to manoeuvre the horses.

"Well would you look at that." Merlin had come up behind him and was glancing around the forest with surprise. "I was expecting it to be thicker. Guess it has been a while."

"You think?"

Merlin grinned. "Yup, shocking isn't it."

It took a while but they managed to get the horses through the entrance and into the forest. By then the sun had risen as high as it would go and had begun the decent back down towards the horizon. The men grabbed their smaller packs, carrying a few weapons, clothes and in Merlins case, herbs, but they left the heavier packs for their horses to carry.

The travelled in relative silence, any banter being light and humorous. It seemed to be a reaction to the atmosphere of the forest itself. While it was surprisingly well lit there was a distinct eeriness to the air. The trees seemed to pale in the light, colour leeching from the bark. The horses could feel it and it left them shying away from the slightest of noises.

Above a bird of some sort flew high above the trees.

"How does anything live here?" There was honest bewilderment colouring Lancelot's voice.

Dappled sunlight lit the forest floor and plant life was scarce at best; the ground being completely devoid of life. All that was left to cover the bare soil was a thin carpeting of pine needles. There was also no animal life at least none they had seen yet. No one chose to answer the question, instead they all just listened. The bare branches creaked in the wind and the breeze sent faded leaves spiralling down towards the forest floor.

Suddenly one of the horses reared, screaming in terror. Arthur and Merlin leapt forward and grabbed onto the reins to try and hold him still.

"What the hell is going on?"

Arthur barely got the words out before his feet went out from under him. Merlin cried out and Arthur rolled to the side in an attempt to get away from the flailing hooves. Briefly he saw the others trying to control their own horses who were attempting to flee as well and the bridle slipped between his fingers and sent him stumbling back, almost tripping over Arthur as he did. Soon the hoof beats of Merlin's horse getting further and further away was the only sound, and the silence returned, impenetrable.

There were low mutterings as the knights tried to calm their other horses while Merlin pulled Arthur to his feet.

"What the hell was that?" Arthur exclaimed as he brushed the dust from his clothes.

Gwaine looked in the general direction the horse went. "I can safely say that I have no idea." Blinking he looked around. "Everyone okay?"

Mutters and groans resounded throughout the clearing and he took that as a 'yes'.

"So what now?" Elyan stepped forward and glanced around them. "I've heard that sometimes animals can sense things that humans can't and Merlin did say that there were plenty of things in these wood. Maybe we should just try going around. Would take longer but we're less likely to get eaten."

"We'll keep going forward." Arthur sent an equally long glance towards the surrounding trees. "It would take at least four days before we'd come around the other side and we'd still be facing the wrong direction and right now I would like to get to that village as quickly as possible."

No one else made a move to comment and the group headed off, taking care to stick together and hold onto the horses. It was unusually slow going and as the sun sank lower and lower towards the horizon it was Merlin who realised that a tree looked unusually familiar.

He stopped and Percival only just avoided walking into him.

"We're being pixie led." He announced.

"What in the devils name are you on about now Merlin?" The look Arthur sent him was one of exasperation but his hand still gravitated towards the hilt of his sword.

"It's just something that I've heard talk about before." Merlin paused, considering something. "Though to be honest I have no idea why it's called being 'pixie led' as I'm almost positive that there is no such thing as pixies-"

"Get to the point please Merlin," Arthur interrupted.

Instead of replying straight away Merlin pointed to the tree to his left. "It had been bugging me," he explained, "but I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. We've walked passed that same tree at least two times already."

Arthur had to admit that the tree looked familiar to him as well.

"So what can we do about it?" Elyan, ever practical, interrupted then directing his question towards Merlin who just shrugged in reply.

"Honestly I'm not sure. From what I've heard there isn't anything that we can really do to stop ourselves from going in circles. We just have to wait till whatever it is that's causing it finds something better to do."

"And what's causing it?"

"No idea," he said jovially. "But personally I've always thought it might be a type of-"

A rock flew through the air to strike the tree next to Lancelot.

"- goblin."

As soon as the word left his mouth another rock came sailing through the air to strike Gwaine in the leg. He went down with an oath and the next thing anyone knew, rocks were being thrown from all sides.

Merlin managed to dodge the first three that were sent his way but the fourth got him in the ribs and he went down hard. Whoever was throwing the rocks had one hell of an arm. Though in retrospect, Merlin realised, it was more likely _whatever_ was throwing the stones. He looked up in time to see both Arthur and Leon take a hit. They both tried to struggle to their feet but found the next barrage of stones heading straight towards them.

"Where the hell are they getting the bloody stones from?" Gwaine had managed to get to his feet and was attempting to use his sword as a bat though it made little to no difference as the stones were coming from all sides. "There haven't been any rocks to trip over, let alone throw, for hours!"

No one got a chance to reply because it was then that the rocks found a new target. Up until then Merlin had noticed that, while they had all been hit at least once, the horses had been left untouched. Quite mercifully, he thought, as the horses had been jittery already and just about anything would probably send them running. Apparently this occurred to the stone-chucker as one of the smaller stones made a perfect arch and clipped Leon's horse on its flank. In a fashion eerily similar to last time, the horse reared, kicking his front hooves out and almost catching his knight on the shoulder. Luckily for Leon, Percival managed to yank him out of harm's way and both fell heavily to the ground. Soon the rest of the rocks were directed at the remaining horses, hitting them on their sides and muscled shoulders. Within minutes they had scattered to the four winds, and it was only after they disappeared from sight that the shower of stones ground to a halt.

By the end of it, not one them was _not_ bruised or battered in some way.

"Bloody hell." Elyan didn't move from his spot, instead choosing to speak from his position on his back. "Is it over?"

Lancelot raised his head and looked around. When no stones came flying at him he let out a cautious, 'yes' and stood. The others held their breath as they watched him, half expecting a well aimed pebble to come flying out of the darkness and clock the handsome knight on the head. From the look on his face, Lancelot was expecting the same thing. Nothing happened. The forest had gone back to its brooding silence, everything quiet and still apart from the breathing of the men and the slight trembling of the branches in the trees overhead.

"Well Elyan it looks like we found Merlin's monsters." From his spot on the floor Elyan looked over to glare at Gwaine.

The other knight just sent him a slightly pained grin before clambering to his feet, groaning as he did. The others followed suit, taking their time and letting Merlin check them over. The younger man clucked his tongue at a few of the marks and cuts left by the rocks, hovering like a mother hen. Gwaine suffered through the examination with an annoyed look which was ruined by the grin tugging at the corner of his lips and Lancelot couldn't help but smile slightly as Merlin poked and prodded at his ribs, asking him if he felt any pain when he breathed.

Arthur snorted, dragging his servant off the knight. "Of course it would bloody hurt when he breathes. It hurts when all of us breathe. Now come on already, nights falling and if we're lucky we might find one of the horses."

As it was their luck held out and they managed to find two by time the sun sank completely below the horizon. They were milling about in a clearing a few minutes away, apparently none worse for wear after the incident. However any elation the group felt when they found the horses quickly disappeared. The saddles and most of the bags they had been carrying were gone; straps cut by some kind of crude blade, leaving behind few rations and just enough flint that they would be able to make fire for a few nights.

The horses nickered slightly when they were led further into the clearing but did not shy away from Merlin while he guided them.

Minutes later and a small fire was blazing cheerily in the centre of the clearing, casting shadows on the forest floor. Arthur was the first to announce he was going to sleep, quickly followed by Gwaine and Percival. Leon and Elyan took a bit longer but soon enough they too were slipping off into sleep.

Lancelot took a moment to observe his friend, sitting next to him. Merlin was staring into the fire lost in thought and the flickering flames made the shadows dance across his features. The golden light of the campfire reflected in his blue eyes bringing out the flecks of gold which were normally hidden and Lancelot was reminded of his eyes when he called up his magic.

The knight did not rush himself as he let his eyes wander over the younger man's face, down to his arms. There were very few times when he got a chance to really _look_ at Merlin. And right then and there Lancelot didn't like what he saw. Startling Merlin, Lancelot thrust out an arm. Storm blue eyes looked into his, confusion etched into almost elven features.

"Your arm, let me see it."

Lancelot could see Merlin about to refuse and raised an eyebrow. It was a look he had seen Gaius use on Merlin before and it worked like a charm. Sighing, the warlock extended a hand out to Lancelot and let the knight look it over.

On first glance there seemed to be nothing wrong, but he had seen how Merlin had been holding it. Not right away, he thought with a small amount of shame, but he had defiantly seen it. He pushed up a long sleeve and turned the arm over gently. Just inching onto the inside of Merlin's arm was a bruise, larger than a fist and darker than a plum. In the darkest spot the skin had split slightly and the rubbing of his shirt had smeared blood up and down his arm.

Lancelot winced in sympathy and sent Merlin the look again. At least the warlock had the decency to look a little bit contrite.

"Why didn't you say something," Lancelot whispered. He didn't want to wake the others.

Merlin was just as quiet when he replied but whether it was out of the same wish that their comrades didn't wake up or it was born of something else, Lancelot did not know.

"It didn't feel too bad earlier and I was going to fix it up once everyone had gone to sleep."

Now Merlin did look genuinely sorry and Lancelot felt himself weaken under the look.

"Give me your things."

For one Merlin didn't argue and handed the knight his medicine bag. Fiddling with it for a few moments, Lancelot got what he needed and begun to clean and dress the wound. He worked in silence, with his mind focused on the task. He told himself that he did not feel Merlin's pulse quicken under his fingers and that even if they had (which they hadn't) it was not because of him. It couldn't be.

He finished quickly and handed everything back to Merlin who took it with a quiet "Thanks".

The fire crackled and Gwaine muttered something in his sleep, the sight sending smiles to the lips of the two. The knight really was quite sweet when his mouth wasn't open.

"Go to sleep," Lancelot said. He kept his voice soft but even he was surprised by how warm and gentle it sounded.

"Only if you sleep as well." Merlin looked back at him, stubborn despite the tiredness in his eyes.

Lancelot nodded and both of them let themselves lay back on the ground, pulling their cloaks tight around their bodies. The older man had just about drifted off when a slurred voice came from his left.

"G'night, Lancelot."

He smiled.

"Good night, Merlin."

Neither of them was awake when the fire burned itself out and branch-sifted moonlight moved to fill the clearing; just as neither of them saw the small forms detach themselves from the trees and dance off into the shadows.

That night the forest echoed with ghostly laughter and mist and clouds twisted as the moon rose higher.

xXx

The next morning Lancelot woke to the feeling that _something_ was different. Keeping his eyes closed he did his best to figure out what it was. He could hear the others breathing and the horses snuffling at the ground; above them all he heard the faint sound of a bird crying as it took off and the creaking sound of tree branches moving in the slight wind. He could also hear...was that _giggling?_

Suddenly he felt something tighten around his wrist and with a shout he opened his eyes and sat up. Two things happened. One: out of the corner of his eye he saw small forms run off. He couldn't tell what they were because it was like looking at something through smoke or water; the lines kept shifting and distorting. Two: he fell straight back down, almost landing on the now awake Merlin, due to the piece of rope that was trying them together. The warlock looked up at him fully awake as Lancelot tried to balance himself with a knee between Merlins legs and a wrist tied to Merlins.

"What the hell?"

Surprisingly it wasn't the man beneath him who said anything, but Leon. Lancelot and Merlin looked over to see that the others had woken up, probably when Lancelot had shouted, only to find that they too were tied up. Arthur, Leon and Gwaine were all tied together by their feet while Percival and Elyan were tied together at the shoulder. When no one answered Leon repeated the question.

Lancelot shifted his weight allowing himself to fall beside Merlin, before answering. "I saw something run off into the trees just as I opened my eyes. Whatever it was tied us up."

Elyan twisted slightly, trying to avoid pulling at Percival while fiddling with his dagger in an attempt to cut himself free. "What do you think they were?"

"I told you, Goblins of some sort." said Merlin in a voice that was outwardly calm but perhaps a bit more wooden than usual.

"Goblins?" Gwaine rolled over ignoring Arthur and Leon's protests at the ropes tightened around their legs. "The same goblins who threw rocks at us decided to try us all together." Merlin nodded and Gwaine let a breath hiss from between his teeth. "_Why?_"

"Why not?" Elyan let out a small cry of success as he managed to cut through his ropes. "I highly doubt any of us would know how a goblins mind works."

Arthur grunted in agreement as he finally cut through his own ropes. "You have a point there. I remember that Goblin who was at Camelot. I can honestly say that I have no idea how it thought and these one here are..." Arthur paused considering his next sentence while he watched the others cut their ropes. "...wild I guess. Personally I don't want to know why they do what they do."

Soon all of them were untied and standing. To their surprise the only things in the camp that had been tampered with were themselves. Other than that everything looked how it did the night before, remaining packs in the same place, horses left untouched. Wordlessly they all began to pack and minutes later they were heading off again, leading the two remaining horses further into the woods. The further they went the more stilted their conversation became as one by one the men began to feel a presence watching them from somewhere close by. It held none of the mischief of the Goblins and was far darker and more animalistic.

Somewhere in the backs of their minds Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot felt a glimmer of recognition.

The horses had gone quiet as well, muscles tensed and jittering beneath their hides. They had felt it before the humans, a scent on the air a strange mixture of cat and something else.

Barely a minute later they entered a clearing caused by the collapse of one of the trees. The scorch marks rising from the base suggested a lighting strike and the men were reminded of the storm that had passed through Camelot a few weeks ago. When it had fallen it had torn away most of the branches from the surrounding trees leaving a gaping clearing in its place, the ground littered with debris. Suddenly the thick quiet which had fallen over the group was broken by an ominous groaning and creaking noise which echoed through the woods.

Coming from somewhere to their left was a faint rustling sound but when Merlin turned to look the sounds stopped and nothing moved amongst the shadows. Beside him Arthur narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the clearing. The knights all fingered their swords and drifted together to form a tighter group, some base instinct telling them that there was safety in numbers. One of the horses stepped forward to nudge Percival in the shoulder while the other began to, almost unnoticeably, edge away.

Above the bird twisted to dive at some prey it had seen moving along the forest floor.

The wind slowed to a stop as it got closer and to Merlin it seemed as if the forest was holding its breath.

"Arthur," he started. When he got no visible response he shifted closer to the knights. The tension in the clearing grew as the men stood, waiting for something but not sure what. Just at it got to the point of being unbearable the bird flew into seeing distance.

It wasn't a bird.

Before any of them could register it, a massive shadow blocked out the sunlight which filtered in through the opening in the canopy and it was quickly followed by a large grey mass. Wingtips broke off even more branches at it continued its dive at the group and a high pitched shriek send the two remaining horses feeing back into the forest. Merlin dived out of the way just as the others did and he felt the impact of the large creature as it landed on the forest floor.

The griffin was just as huge as he remembered; tall with the muscular hind quarters of a lion and the lightweight front of an eagle. The beast reared onto its back legs and screamed again, sharp beak snapping at the nearest figure which just happened to be Elyan. The knight dodged and swiped back at it with his sword only to stumble back when his blade shattered upon impact.

When the others saw this they quickly moved to distract the beast, giving Elyan enough time to move out of the way and arm himself with a second sword thrown to him by Leon. The creature stuck out at any knight it could see and its frustration mounted as it continued to miss. It a fit of anger it snapped out its wings and threw itself forward, flapping them and striking out with its feet and tail in an attempt to knock over or disarm one of the humans.

It succeeded.

Five of the humans went down. Off to the far side two of them went down hard while one of the ones which remained standing moved forward to guard them. Another two just stumbled and over shot their balance but were soon climbing to their feet. The last of the five stumbled as well but in the fall it lost its grip on its weapon.

It lunged

Merlin looked up in time to see the griffin bearing down on his friend who's dropped sword lay too far away for him to grab.

"_Lancelot!"_

* * *

So there you have it: first chapter.

Should I, or should I not continue this?

Though either way I will most likely end up posting the other chapters I've written just because it would annoy me to have them just sitting on my laptop doing nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Tabula Rasa– Chapter Two

Yeah this will have an OFC or two so beware (Yes I went there) as well as a few other OC's. Don't worry too much about them though as none will be entering into a relationship with any main character. I swear that I will try to keep the women as Mary Sue-less as possible but I am aware that there is room for failure in that department. I can assure you that no, she will not be a completely nice person, not everyone will like her and she will have plenty of faults. Really she's mainly there as a plot device to get the rest of them where they need to be.

Hopefully none will make you want to chuck your laptop out the window in a fit of disgust.

I did try, honestly.

xXx

_It lunged_

_Merlin looked up in time to see the griffin bearing down on his friend who's dropped sword lay too far away for him to grab._

"_Lancelot!"_

xXx

Merlin's cry didn't go unnoticed as the others all turned their heads to stare in horror at the scene before them.

The knight was on his back with the griffin towering above him, ready to strike. Arthur and Gwaine struggled to get to their feet while Percival stayed back to watch over the downed Elyan and Leon.

Lancelot raised his head at the shout trying to ignore the pounding in his chest and fear which was trying to take over his mind. He saw the prince and Gwaine start to head towards him, seemingly in slow motion and knew that they would never make it in time. Twisting, Lancelot tried to reach his sword and saw Merlin step forward and, to the knights' horror, open his mouth to speak the first words of a spell.

He felt the breath of the griffin on his back as he prepared to shout to Merlin. He couldn't do magic, not now, not in front of the others. Struggling, his hand reached the pommel of his sword and he flipped, thrusting the blade at the face of the beast. He felt the tip of his weapon give as it hit the beasts face and it reared back and away. Behind it, Arthur and Gwaine dived to avoid its thrashing tail. With them out of the way Lancelot sent a look towards Merlin.

_Don't you dare do that now._

Merlin saw the glare and sent one of his own back.

_I won't let you die._

Any other time and that would have sent a shot of warmth through Lancelot's chest but now it just filled him with cold dread.

Staggering to his feet, Lancelot turned to look at the griffin coming back towards him. Its beak was gaping wide and one eye was close. Apparently his desperate jab had nicked the vulnerable organ and that thought sent a small thrill of satisfaction through him. In his peripheral vision he saw Merlin searching the ground for something to throw, _anything_ to use to distract the beast, and Arthur and Gwaine were up and running again trying to draw its attention.

The griffin was getting closer and closer and he raised his sword in his hand, reminded of the first time he faced a griffin. Only now there was nothing to hide behind and Merlin could not enchant his weapon to kill the creature.

With that knowledge Lancelot readied himself.

Suddenly a black form barrelled out of the branches of one of the trees and latched onto the back of the griffin. It shrieked in surprise and Lancelot and the others stumbled back to watch as a person, clad in dark clothes, drew a sword from their back...

...and sent it through the neck of the beast, severing its spinal cord completely. Everything seemed to still as the griffin tensed, crazed eyes going wide before glazing over.

With a sickening sound the person withdrew their sword and jumped from the griffins back just as its legs gave way and it collapsed to the ground. A huge thud resounded through the clearing as the dead weight made contact with the forest floor, fallen branches and sticks snapping under its body.

And just as suddenly as it began it was over.

In silence the group turned to look at their saviour. Even from where Elyan was standing the sound of Gwaine swearing was as clear as the reason.

It was a woman.

That much was unmistakable though they couldn't see any facial features. Clad in black except for hints of faded and dusty blue she seemed to blend in with the shadows that had formed as the sun became veiled by clouds.

Mud and blood flecked her clothing, almost invisible against the dark colours and there were tears in the well-worn fabric.

The coat she wore was long, falling to her knees and the hood which was up, falling over her hair and forehead while the lower half of her face was covered by a cloth scarf. Sleaves hung loose over her fingers, obscuring the hilt of the sword she still held. A tattered blue sash was tied around her hips. When the wind blew it sent the open half of the coat billowing, revealing man's legging tailored to fit a slender form, baggy around the legs but below the knees they were tucked into sturdy, rawhide boots.

The woman raised her arm and proceeded to sheath her blade behind her back and it was then that they noticed the second sword, both crossing at her back diagonally so their hilts rested at her shoulders for easier access.

The only facial features that any of them could see were the top of a nose and two dull blue eyes which were staring intently back at them.

Arthur didn't know how long he and his men stared at the woman. All he knew was that a part of him felt like swearing as Gwaine actually had.

They, men of Camelot, had been saved by a woman.

xXx

The staring match that they had found themselves in was broken, not by any of them, but by the deceased body of the griffin.

A small crackling sound resounded throughout the clearing and the men watched in shock as the skin of the beast began to collapse inwards and the body began to disintegrate before their very eyes.

Arthur, Gwaine and Lancelot stumbled away from the corpse as the body disappeared. Soon all that was left behind was a pile of silverish ash which was quickly blown away by the wind leaving nothing behind.

"Damn..."

Merlin felt himself nodding at Gwaine's quiet statement. Even though he had seen a griffin killed before he hadn't stuck around to see the end result.

Out of all of them the only ones who didn't seem surprised were Arthur, Lancelot and the woman, though admittedly it was hard to tell what she was thinking due to the cloth obscuring most of her face.

Either way the spell was broken and people began to move again. Towards the back of the clearing Elyan and Leon found themselves being helped to their feet by a relieved Percival. Merlin ran over to the three remaining men and began to check them over. Arthur and Gwaine protested, claiming that they were fine and to Merlin's relief he found that they were telling the truth. Apart from a few scratches and bruises they were in good health.

He turned to Lancelot who accepted Merlins fussing with a smile. Hands poked and prodded at his ribs and to both of their surprise no broken bones were found, just a large amount of bruising.

All through this the woman watched them, cataloguing both injuries and weapons. Then she turned and began to walk away

"Wait!"

The shout made her pause and she turned to see the youngest man looking towards her. The others stared at him in surprise as well; apparently they didn't see any reason for speaking with her.

Ignoring the looks his companions were sending him, Merlin began to walk towards the woman, hands held before him in a display of friendliness. His smile made her blink, it was small and slightly nervous but genuine. She shook her head as she turned fully to watch the boy, waiting till he stood in front of her and was ready to speak.

"My name is Merlin and I would just like to thank you on behalf of my companions." His smile widened and a mischievous glint came into his storm blue eyes.

"None of them would admit to being saved by a female but, I, unlike them know how to be grateful."

She snorted at the barrage of insults and complaints sent towards the young man and her eyes glinted with a hint of amusement. Ignoring his friends Merlin continued to speak, voice now becoming more serious.

"I know it would be a lot to ask considering, but is there any chance we could share a fire tonight."

This question led to a confused silence and Merlin rolled his eyes at the others obliviousness. _Idiot indeed_, he thought.

"When the griffin attacked it sent our horses running," That got the attention of the others as they only just noticed the absence of their steeds. "Since they would probably be back home by now there is very little chance of us regaining our other supplies."

"All we have now are our spare clothes, weapons and the few herbs and medical supplies that we had on us before the griffin arrived."

Behind him Arthur had to refrain from smacking something, probably Gwaine who had begun muttering under his breath as soon as Merlin had started talking.

It was true what Merlin was saying. They had very little with them now and he had to stop himself from giving the order to head back to regain their things. For all he called Merlin an idiot, he could have his moments.

It would just be nicer if they didn't seem to all come about when they were in a situation directly before, during or after something perilous.

By now Percival, Elyan and Leon had joined Arthur and the other two knights and were waiting on the woman's reply.

She turned to look at them, taking in their clothing and expressions, thinking hard about her decision. She was about to decline but then she looked at the boy – Merlin he said his name was and paused.

There was a light in his blue eyes that was familiar and she felt herself stare. Without actually realising she found herself nodding and couldn't help but smile slightly at the look of thanks on the young man's face.

She walked over to lean against a tree watching as the men began to salvage what they could of their belongings.

Something told her that it was going to be a long night.

xXx

As Merlin made his way back to the other he watched Arthur he couldn't help but send him a somewhat mocking smile.

"Forgot about the horses did you?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, and spoke, a hint of annoyance colouring his words. "Anyone would after that _Mer_lin. Now shut up and get to packing."

Merlin stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Do you forget that you're all meant to be plain old travellers, prince prat?" He folded his arms and spoke with a smile. "You have to carry your own things this time, unless of course you want to blow our cover."

Arthur ignored the stifled sniggers behind him and glared at Merlin.

"When we get back after all this is over I will make you wash _all_ of our clothes from this trip."

And with that he sauntered off, head held high and smiling at Merlins sounds of outrage.

It was good to be a Prince.

xXx

Barely a minute into the walk back to her camp and the woman was seriously considering disappearing to leave the men to make their own way out of the forest. While normally a patient person the constant banter between them was fraying the ends of her tolerance. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt a twinge at the thought of becoming so used to the quiet but quickly pushed the thought aside.

The blond one, Arthur she though she heard him called, was swapping insults with the boy, Merlin, in an increasingly loud voice. Every now and then she heard him stumble over his words, something which made gaze sharpen every time she heard it.

The others were talking amongst themselves; the one called Gwaine constantly griping about losing his chance to kill a griffin while one of the other men, Lancelot, consoled him in a tone that was nowhere near sincere while the others laughed.

They really were very loud.

Just as she had made up her mind to disappear, Merlin called out to her.

"What's your name?"

The others all stopped talking and turned to look at her with varying levels of curiosity. She stayed quiet for a few moments, taking care to avoid tripping over a few obscured branches and stones, smirking when she heard one of the men stumble.

Just as they were about to give up waiting, a soft murmur reached their ears.

"Issulfr."

Merlin blinked, as if he hadn't really believed that he would get an answer, and Leon spoke to her for the first time.

"Neither that name or accent is from any place near here." This thought had occurred to the others as well. "Where are you from?"

It was true what he said. The woman – Issulfr – did have an unusual accent and even the name itself was not one that any had heard before, at least not from one of the neighbouring kingdoms.

They waited in silence again for her to answer and when she did it was in the same disinterested voice as before.

"I'm from up north." She didn't look back at them as she spoke, instead preferring to keep an eye on the ground as the shadows darkened, just barely managing to avoid a well hidden root herself.

"Then what are you doing here then?"

The others sighed or shook their heads at Gwaine's question, or rather the belligerent tone it was in, as Issulfr stopped suddenly and turned. Looking at them they all saw one dark eyebrow raise and then her eyes narrow.

"I could ask you the same thing, soldiers of Camelot."

Gwaine winced and the others glared at him.

"How did you know?" Arthur was watching her through narrowed eyes while Leon stepped up to stand by his shoulder.

Issulfr snorted and rolled her eyes before speaking to Arthur and Leon. "For one you just told me. For another if you wish to pass as mere travellers I would suggest acting more like them." She nodded her head towards the other four.

"But considering everything, I would say you could all pass for a band of mercenaries and their healer far easier than as mere travellers."

The men looked at her and she growled in annoyance.

"It was clear from the first time we met that you are all well versed in sword play," She paused to consider Merlin. "Well almost all of you."

Merlin looked away sheepishly but stayed silent allowing her to continue.

"If you had wished to pass as travellers then you should not have carried your swords and weapons for everyone to see. Times aren't easy enough for just everyone to have such well-made weapons, at least not outside of a king's army." Now Arthur gave her his attention as she spoke. "If you travel as mercenaries then you can carry your weapons in plain sight. It would also explain your skills as well as why you travel with a physician."

Arthur considered this and grudgingly agreed. Their cover as travellers was weak at best and as mercenaries they would have much more freedom to do what needed to be done.

He could see the others thinking over what she had said and even Leon could not find fault in the logic, though he loathed to think of himself as a mercenary.

Issulfr broke off into a cough, startling them and for the few seconds afterwards there was quiet amongst the group. Then she without prompting she turned on her heels and began to walk off.

"If you want to get to my camp by nightfall I would suggest we leave now."

Closing his mouth Merlin turned to look at Arthur and the others. Sending them a look and a shrug he turned and began to follow her deeper into the forest.

xXx

"What did she mean when she said we should copy you lot?"

Arthur's question made the group pause and consider. Merlin looked at him but stayed silent so it was Lancelot that answered in his stead.

"It's not that hard to figure out."

At the blank looks the handsome knight sighed and continued. "We," He gestured towards Merlin, Gwaine and Elyan, "spent most of our lives living as commoners and travellers. You two on the other hand were born and raised in Camelot and have spent most of your time around nobility."

Lancelot broke off as he ducked under a low hanging branch and smiled when Merlin almost walked into it and Percival was forced to walk around it.

"At the moment you still act as if we are travelling as soldiers." He shrugged. "If she hadn't pointed it out, it would have been someone else."

The group continued on is silence as they considered his words.

All were deep in thought as they followed the woman deeper and deeper into the forest. The shadow that had always been noticeable grew more so as the sun sank further and further towards the horizon. It was just as the sun began to disappear that Issulfr finally came to a stop just below a tree.

It was massive, with thick branches and a trunk that would take four tall men standing side by side to wrap their arms around it. There was no grass lining the forest floor, but there hadn't been since they stepped foot into the forest. They walked on bare soil trying to avoid and fallen branches or twigs.

At the base of the tree was her camp. It was small, barely worth the name, with a fire that was working its way towards burning itself out and a few daggers were propped up against the tree along with a small leather pouch.

The woman walked straight over to her things and stooped to grab the leather bag and tied it to the sash at her waist.

"Finally."

It was Arthur that moved first, walking over to sit beside the fire. Reaching over he grabbed one of the small branches off the ground and used it to feed the flames. Soon enough a cheery blaze was making a valiant effort to beat back the shadows which were growing increasingly darker as time progressed.

Lancelot, Percival, Leon and Elyan moved to join him but they noticed that Merlin and Gwaine stayed standing.

Arthur made a noise in the back of his throat as a question occurred to him.

"What were you doing so far away from your camp?" All eyes turned to look at him including Issulfr's, though she did not pause in grabbing and putting away her smaller blades.

She did slow however and she answered in one word.

"Hunting."

Arthur nodded and hummed in agreement before looking back towards the fire, a fire which suddenly had dirt being kicked into it.

"What are you doing?"

Issulfr made a non-committal noise, gestured vaguely towards Merlin and Gwaine, and continued to smother the fire in dirt.

Wide eyes turned on the two men who shifted uncomfortably under the gazes. They did not look surprised though.

"We won't need the fire tonight." It was Merlin who spoke and Gwaine just nodded.

When it became apparent that Issulfr wasn't going to stop Lancelot rose and moved to help put out the last of the fire. Soon all that was left to light the clearing was the last vestiges of sunlight as night got closer and closer.

Percival's soft voice broke through the quiet. "What do you mean Merlin?"

The boy shrugged. "Like I said, both Gwaine and I have travelled through this forest before so we've heard of it..."

Arthur sighed. "Know what, _Mer_lin?"

"...We won't be sleeping on the ground tonight..."

"What?" The confused looks on the faces of the other men made Merlin want smack his head against the tree but he refrained and continued to explain. By now Lancelot and Issulfr had finished putting out the fire and had moved to stand beside Gwaine who was content to watch, amusement clear in his eyes at the manservant's expense.

"Just trust us." Merlin walked over to Arthur and pulled him up. "From what I've heard you do not want to be sleeping on the ground this deep into the forest. Further out was fine but here..."

The others stood as well as Arthur sighed. The word, _idiot_, went unsaid but it could clearly be heard and it made them smile.

"So what do we do now?" Leon broke into the conversation before it de-evolved into insults being passed around, putting the conversation back of course.

"Now?"

They turned to look at Issulfr as she walked past them to look up at the tree. "Now we climb."

And with that she crouched and sprang up, hands grabbing onto the lowest hanging branch. With a heave she pulled herself onto the branch and held down a hand. Merlin was the next to step forward, and he reached up to grab the offered limb. Placing on foot against the trunk of the tree he pushed off the ground and let himself be hauled up onto the branch. Unlike Issulfr, he grabbed onto the branch above him and climbed higher and higher.

Lancelot was next and after he was up he took the woman's place. She climbed higher to join Merlin towards the top as the knight stayed and helped the others into the tree. Both Leon and Elyan needed the most help as their injuries from the fight with the griffin began to twinge at the strenuous work.

Soon all the men were joining the two at the top of the tree and settling onto their own individual branches. As it turned out the branches were thick enough to support their weight and were wide enough that they wouldn't have to fear falling off in the middle of the night.

By then darkness had fallen and the crescent moon offered little light. Everyone wrapped their cloaks around them as tight as possible in an attempt to trap heat and they all shifted about in an attempt to get comfortable.

Leon huddled on his branch, positive that none of them would sleep tonight. He was proven wrong, however when he turned and saw that Merlin and Gwaine were already fast asleep. He smiled at that and tried to close his eyes and not feel as if he was about to slip off the edge and fall to his death.

A drowsy voice spoke from somewhere to his left, not only to him but to the others who were still awake. "Sleep. You won't fall."

It was Issulfr.

Leon almost asked how she could be so sure but he yawned before he could. With blurry eyes he turned to look at his friends, only to see them nodding off as well.

Before another thought could cross his mind, tiredness overcame him and he slipped off into sleep...

xXx

When he woke again it was still night and his heart was thudding in his chest. He looked around him quickly to see that the others were awake as well or on their way.

"What's going on?"

It was Elyan that spoke, the grogginess of sleep making his words slur together. Before anyone could reply Arthur made a shushing and moved into a crouch to peer down into the darkness below them.

No one else dared make a sound and they all inched to look over the edge as well.

Nothing could be seen. The entire forest floor was filled with inky darkness and just looking at it made Leon shiver. Something about it was just...wrong...nonsense shapes forming in amongst the fog like ghosts.

The little light that the moon provided soon disappeared as a cloud drifted across it and then the stars were the only things keeping them from slipping into total shadow.

All was silent and still for minutes afterwards but the feeling of wrongness didn't leave. The wind blew down through the branches causing the old wood to creak and moan, then quietly, a sound came from below them, somewhere amongst the forest floor. A slick sliding sound like something heavy was dragging itself over the bare soil.

Leon realised that he was holding his breath and out of the corner of his eye he could see Issulfr raising a hand to brush against the hilt of one of her swords, fingers twitching ever so slightly.

Then the sound stopped suddenly.

Then it came back and this time it was closer.

There was a faint rasping sound as if, whatever it was, was moving against the trunk of the tree. Amongst the branches the men all grabbed on tight to their daggers or swords, whichever they could get to easiest without causing a sound. Leon even saw Issulfr grasp the hilt of her sword but she made no move to unsheathe it. Instead she just narrowed her eyes at the darkness.

Another faint breeze blew past them and the wisps of cloud veiling the moon was swept away...just in time for the group to see a black mass below them break away from the shadows and slide off into the surrounding trees.

The group seemed to let out a collective sigh but not one of them fully relaxed though Leon saw the woman's hand fall away from her weapon.

"What was that?" There was a strangled quality to Elyan's voice that would have made him laugh at any other time. Now though? It just made Leon remember the sound.

"Just an animal." Issulfr's voice was strangely reassuring but there was an undercurrent to it, tense and slightly strained.

Above him Arthur grunted in agreement before whispering to the group. "Go back to sleep."

A snort came from Gwaine and Leon could have sworn he heard Merlin mutter, _Yeah right_, under his breath. Still they all settled back down to sleep but Leon could not help but notice three things, even as he drifted off.

By the light of the moon, the trees surrounding theirs looked oddly bare, almost like skeletons with the pale light and slight fog sending them into a ghostly glow. The creaks of the branches and swaying trees echoed throughout the forest, distorting and changing till they sounded like moans or maybe even cries.

Somewhere in the distance a fox screamed.

Off to his side Issulfr still had both eyes fixed on the darkness below them, a hand resting near one of her daggers like Percival and Arthur.

...and Leon could have sworn that he felt something watching them...

xXx

Of all the ways Elyan had ever wanted to wake up, staring into Gwaine's face was not one of them...

"Morning sleeping beauty! Rise and shine!"

With that horrifying vision the dark knight choked on his own breath and rolled over in an attempt to escape from the nightmare only to find that his bed was, for some reason, hanging amongst the tree branches a good sixteen feet off the forest floor.

_Ahh that's right..._

Elyan had only to thank Gwaine's reflexes for not falling to his death. With a slightly apologetic chuckle, Gwaine tugged Elyan gently back off the edge of the branch.

Standing, he moved to Arthur's branch and reached out a hand to wake him.

"Touch me and I'll throw you off this tree myself."

Arthur's groggy voice snapped at Gwaine who hurriedly scramble back onto his branch, rather like a squirrel. The image of Gwaine as a squirrel made Elyan snicker to himself as he untangled his limbs from his cloak.

All the others were slowly waking up with varying levels of success. Percival, Lancelot and surprisingly Merlin, all snapped to full awareness while Leon and Arthur had to claw their way out of sleep.

Elyan stood, swaying for a moment and stretched before turning and looking behind him. Issulfr was awake and appeared to have been for some time. Stretching, she raised her arms above her head the sound of joints cracking and popping reached his ears with a wince.

Then she stepped off the branch.

Elyan let out a shout and the others all scrambled to look down. She was crouching on a branch a few feet below and began to steadily make her way down the huge tree. Soon enough she was out of sight and the group pulled back and continued to tug all their clothing back into place.

"I never thought I'd say this," It was Leon, voice cracking slightly in the cool morning air. "But I actually miss sleeping on tree roots."

Elyan felt himself smile and he saw most of the others nodding in agreement.

Sighing Arthur stood, rubbing at his face with a hand. "Come on then. Might as well join her."

True to form Gwaine scrambled sown the tree like some small animal as did Merlin (though with him there were a few close calls. Elyan had to wonder how he managed to avoid rolling out of the tree in the middle of the night) while the others clambered from branch to branch with varying levels of agility.

Though every one of them had to stop at some point to complain as a piece of cloak or tunic got caught on a twig.

By time they all reached the forest floor the sun had risen but had not had significant time to warm the air and it still possessed that distinct chill that only ever really appeared in the early mornings.

It was Arthur who almost ran into Issulfr.

She had stopped dead just a few steps away from the base of the tree and it took a few moments for them to see why.

Snaking across the ground were tracks, but like none they had ever seen. It was if a something large and heavy had dragged itself around on the forest floor by its hands, circling the huge tree.

They all thought back to the night before, and the sounds coming from the ground. As one the whole group turned to look at the trunk.

There were score marks on the bark as if something abrasive had rubbed against the wood and whatever it was had been huge, the scratches extending easily over Gwaine's head.

They all looked back at Issulfr who was still staring at the tracks.

"So," Arthur said with a raised eyebrow. "Just an animal?"

The woman turned and seemed about to say something when a slight breeze blew in through trees. Elyan didn't know who it was but he agreed with the exclamation of disgust for, carried with the wind and the fog was the smell of rotting carrion.

Merlin pulled his neckerchief up to cover his mouth and nose while the others covered the bottom of their faces with their sleeves and followed Issulfr who had begun to follow the smell.

They walked between the tall pale trees, the woods around them silent apart from the occasional sound of a branch or twig snapping. The faint cracking sounds echoed in the still air and every time it happened a collective flinch went through the group. Often they would look around at the surrounding forest to find themselves jumping at ghosts, vague shapes amongst the drifting fog. It seemed longer but it only took a few minutes before they found the source of the smell.

But when they did they all wished they hadn't.

Lying on the ground amongst the gnarled roots were the twisted remains of what had once been a deer. It had been torn to pieces, belly shredded and ribs cracked open. Its face was left mostly untouched and the expression of abject terror was permanently fixed to it.

The tracks circled around the splayed corpse and there were claw marks scored deep into the bark of the trees as if whatever it was had been marking them.

Suddenly Elyan was suddenly very glad that they had spent the night in the tree.

"What on earth did this?" Lancelot asked quietly. The others turned to Merlin, who had recently assumed the role beast encyclopaedia in the absence of Gaius, but he shrugged an annoyed look on his face.

"Believe it or not but I don't know of every single creature in Albion."

Elyan nodded his head. It was kind of unfair that they always assumed that Merlin would know what it was. It was just that in recent times he had proven to have a knack for that sort of thing and if anyone there knew what it was it would be him.

The eight of them fell back into silence, still looking at what was left of the deer when suddenly the loud CRACK of a branch breaking came from behind them. The lot of them spun, hands to weapons and hearts beating like a small birds, to scan the dark foliage behind them.

Nothing.

There was nothing, which ironically scared them all the more. The almost rhythmic echoing sound faded away and the creak and moans of the trees disappeared. It was as if the very forest was holding its breath. What little sunlight there had been changed from warm to cold and now, more so than ever, the branches of the old trees looked like clawing hands.

Again the atmosphere had changed and the lot of them got the distinct impression that they were being watched by something that wasn't…right.

Arthur shook his head and turned away from the dead deer. "We should get moving before whatever it was decides to come back for a morning snack."

A grunt of agreement came from the woman and she turned and started to walk in the direction that they had been headed for yesterday.

Arthur sent her a bewildered look. "Uhh miss?..."

She stopped with a sigh and turned back to look at them. "It's Issulfr. Miss makes me feel old."

"Issulfr then." Arthur gestured back towards his knights and manservant. "We appreciate you letting us stay with you last night but we are more than capable of travelling on our own."

This time she snorted and turned to face them fully, grey blue eyes glinting with annoyance.

"Believe it or not but we are heading in the same direction." She gestured to the north. "And while we could travel in separate groups it would be beneficial to travel as one."

A chuckle came from Gwaine and Elyan had the urge to rub his eyes with his hands.

"If you wanted us to protect you sweetheart all you had to do was ask."

Sights and mutters came from the others as they waited to hear her reply.

"You need me." There was a quiet assurance in her voice that wiped off even Gwaine's smile. "Your weapons are useless against many of the creatures in these woods and none of you would stand a chance against any of them." She paused. "Well most of you wouldn't anyway."

She let her gaze wander over the men as if evaluating each one. Strangely enough her stare lingered on Merlin for a few seconds longer but not enough to be noticeable.

"What did you mean; our weapons are useless?"

Issulfr had to say that out of the group she found Percival one of the most bearable. He was a quiet man but she had realised that that was because he was a listener. Sometimes that could be a dangerous thing but now she appreciated the quality.

She held out a hand and understanding, the tall man handed her one of the small blades he carried with him. Elyan and the others watched as she held it up, the blade catching a ray of light as she did.

Then in one swift move, she drew one of her swords and held it up beside the dagger.

There was a distinct difference between the blades. While Percival's dagger was the normal dulled silver of forged iron, Issulfr's blade had a faint bluish hue to it. It was a double edged sword roughly 80 cm in length, one handed with a small, barely there cross guard, each wing curved towards the blade. The blade itself was unusual, slightly curved with jagged edges in some places. The handle was large enough to accommodate one hand and two or three fingers of the other with a rounded pommel to cap off the end.

All in all it was quite a beautiful sword, combining sinister curves with the kind of brutish simplicity found in the barbarian swords he had seen in various markets. What that had to do with anything though was lost on Elyan.

"My swords were specially designed by an old friend." She raised the hand with the dagger in it to run it along the edge of the blade before letting it fall to her side and she flipped Percival's dagger and handed it back to him with a nod, hilt first.

She sheathed her sword behind her back and focused on her audience. "While your weapons may be able to kill some of them, most of the blades will shatter on impact."

Elyan thought back to the stories that Arthur and Lancelot would tell sometimes and of the griffin that they had fought the day before. The vivid memory of one of his knifes shattering as it hit the beast made him shiver.

"When I said that you need me, I was not casting aspersions on your skills." Issulfr was looking at all of them as she said this. "I am merely stating a fact. Once we reach the other side of the woods I will direct you to a place where you can find swords more...suited to your journey."

She suddenly let out a rasping chuckle.

"Unless of course you would rather feed whatever it was that made those tracks..."

Leaving them with that thought, she turned on her heels and began to head off again only this time they followed without complaint.

xXx

The day was edging into noon when the group finally saw the trees begin to thin and soon enough they were stepping out of the forest and into a wide field. The grass grew long, up around their knees and it rippled in the wind like water.

The sun had begun to heat up by then and now that they were under open sky, the urge to strip off a layer or two won over most of the group until everyone but Leon and Issulfr had taken off their cloaks.

For a few moments all was silent. They stood and just watched the grass sway in the breeze and listened to the birds flying overhead. It was surprisingly peaceful, especially for a place so close to the Drǣdan Forest and after spending so many hours walking amongst the ghost-like trees, they wanted to savour the new sensation.

It was spoiled somewhat when Issulfr made a move to keep walking. Before she got too far Arthur called out to her.

"About those swords?..."

She stopped and pointed north-east.

"There is a town less than a day's walk in that direction." Elyan noted that it was off course but admitted to himself that he would feel a lot better with some new weapons.

"Once you get to the town ask for Bjørn. Just tell him what you want and I would suggest that you drop my name when you do. He might be a bit more hospitable then."

She started off again and this time no one called her back. Within minutes she was nothing more than a black figure walking into the north and given a few more seconds she disappeared amongst the scattering of trees in the distance.

"Well," Merlin piped up. "That was the most straight forward she's been."

Arthur nodded before re-adjusting his pack. "I would suggest we get a move on. This town is a bit out of our way and I really would like to keep to some type of schedule."

Merlin snorted at that. "If you had wanted to keep to our schedule you wouldn't have spent ten minutes arguing with me about our supplies before we set off."

The knights snickered.

"You've got to admit that it true," Lancelot muttered, amusement colouring his voice.

"What were they arguing about exactly?" Elyan wondered.

Off to the side Gwaine shrugged. "Something about meat and Arthur thinking that Merlin had not packed enough for the trip." He grinned. "Merlin just told the princess that he could hunt the poor defenceless animals himself if he wanted them so badly."

By now the conversation between the prince and the manservant had completely de-evolved into trading insults.

"Idiot."

"Prat."

"Useless."

"Clodpot."

Just as Arthur opened his mouth to send back a retort a long suffering sigh came from Leon.

"Children, can we just agree to disagree and get a move on please. I don't know about you but I would actually like to get to the town before nightfall."

Sending Merlin a look that promised revenge, Arthur turned around and stalked off in the direction that Issulfr had pointed.

Merlin walked with Lancelot and Gwaine who was still cackling and had to avoid the manly slap sent towards his back, sending him stumbling into Lancelot. The knight steadied him and rolled his eyes at Gwaine who ignored his companions in favour of wondering out loud if the village would have a tavern. No one made any effort to warn Gwaine when Arthur pivoted on his heels and sent a stick flying towards his face.

No one in the group noticed a shadow at the edge of the woods and neither did they see it slide off into the long grass, all twisted spine and long limbs.


End file.
