“Come on Merlin!” Arthur shouted at his manservant on the morning of their day to travel. The sun had yet to rise. “Hurry up!”

“I'm coming!” Merlin ran over to him, sword in his hand. He handed Excalibur to Arthur. “Don't want a dull sword on the day of battle, do we?”

“That sword doesn't get dull,” Sir Leon reminded him.

Merlin looked at him in exasperation. “Well… I sharpened it just in case!”

The Round Table stood out in the courtyard. Most of the knights busily stormed about, receiving assistance from servants with armor and weapons. Leon and Arthur, side by side, spoke quietly as Merlin went and brought Hengroen to his king.

“Any sign of Fira this morning?” Leon asked Merlin. “Is she coming?”

“She’d left before I woke up,” Merlin replied with a shrug.

As they spoke, Fira appeared in the courtyard leading Aland. Her chainmail shirt sparkled as the first rays of sunlight found their way into the Citadel. Her short hair bounced about her face, getting in the way of her vision. She blew on some hair to get it out of her face. As she saw her friends not far away, she pulled herself onto Aland and sat quietly.

The plan for the day was simple. Camlann stood merely a day and a half’s ride from Camelot City. Arthur and the remaining two thousand men would meet up with another thousand on their way. Three thousand was the best they could hope for.

“Mount up,” Arthur called out. “It's time.”

As he went to do as instructed, the King found Guinevere standing in the open doorway. He left Hengroen with Merlin to go say goodbye once more.

“Be careful, Arthur,” she sniffled. “I can't bear to lose you.”

Arthur took cupped her cheek his hand. “I'll come back. I always come back.”

Gwen nodded, tears streaming down her face. But she forced a smile. “You have to come back. For our child.”

“For our child.” He leaned down a placed a hand on her abdomen. “I'll always come back.”

With a kiss, he departed. Gaius stood beside the Queen, comforting her. Her worried expression caused Merlin to fear for Arthur even more. The word Camlann struck fear in his heart. Was Destiny trying to warn him?

Gwaine, Galahad, and Percival rode together as a single group. Fira came behind them slowly, her eyes downcast as she averted them from the glances sent to her by other knights. Sirs James, Bartholomew, and Yvain all looked on her with eyes of pity and confusion. She understood why they thought this way… What use was a healer with only one hand? Jerked out of her ruminations by a voice to her right, she looked up to find Leon next to her. He frowned.

“Does it hurt?”

“A little. Not as bad as the chest pain had been.”

“Well that's good at least.”

They dropped back into silence. Fira’s black Pendragon cloak bounced behind her, a symbol of her allegiance to the king. But how long would that allegiance last? Fira shook her head absentmindedly.

“Did you mean it?” Leon asked her quietly, not looking at her.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced between the knights and the road ahead. “Mean what?”

“That you will leave.”

“Yes.” She answered without hesitation.

Leon nodded. “Why? What prompted this? Was it because we allowed your capture?”

“No,” she immediately assured him. “But Morgana showed me visions of many victims. They will not leave my mind. I do not understand how you could've worked under Uther. He executed children!”

Leon fell silent, contemplating her comment. “I grew up in a time and place where all thought magic evil. It is only now that we see magic is not inherently that way.”

“I suppose.”

“Fear is powerful,” Leon murmured.

At that, Fira fell silent in turn. She knew he spoke truly. She herself had experienced fear. In fact, fear drove her decisions now more than it ever had. Fear of execution, fear of persecution, fear of failure. Perhaps she too harshly judged Arthur.

Gwaine dropped back, looking at her oddly. He had a comical expression written on his face. “You're thinking pretty hard. Don't hurt yourself.”

“It's you who would get hurt thinking,” Fira bit back, smirking.

Gwaine grabbed his chest. He gasped. “You wound me!”

“Good.” Leon smirked at him. “You need to be knocked down a peg.”

“He’s already shorter than you, no need to make him feel worse,” Fira mocked him quickly.

Gwaine huffed. “You know, I don't have to take this.” He swung his hair to the side and sat up straighter. “I'm a knight of Camelot!”

Galahad laughed from the few feet in front. He twisted in his saddle and called back, “Maybe try acting like it sometimes.”

“Respect your elders, Galahad,” Gwaine barked back. “You're barely an adult!”

Fira laughed but urged Aland forward to where she rode next to him. She held out her hand to her beloved Galahad and he turned, winking back at Gwaine. He leaned over, surprising everyone, and kissed her quickly. Several cheers and exclamations went up from the boys behind. Fira laughed and shook her head.

“Get a room,” came a shout from down the field.

Fira rolled her eyes with a smile as she registered the voice as Tristan’s. She stuck her tongue back at Gwaine who merely shook his head and chuckled. Leon scoffed.

The day continued on, uneventful. Fira spent most of her time near Galahad, with a bit of other time spent near Merlin. The older warlock seemed off… Fira couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could tell he was afraid, which didn't seem exactly abnormal. But the fear he harbored originated from a deeper place than most.

As the sun dropped beneath the horizon, the company pressed on. Arthur planned to reach the outskirts of Camlann that night. And so they continued on, hours into the night. When at last they stopped, the open field became their base camp. The knights erected tents and campfires. Quickly they settled in, yet still there remained only a few hours until dawn.

“Get what rest you can,” Arthur told his forty knights. “Tomorrow we fight.”

The knights dispersed, leaving Merlin and the king standing deep in thought. Neither spoke until Merlin finally revealed what was on his mind.

He sighed. “Morgana is here. I can feel it.”

“Good.” Arthur nodded, walking back to his tent. “It's time she faced us.”