Fireheart (A Merlin Love Story)

Chapter 48, Part 1

Ariella's P. O. V:

My group and I keep running through the night dark woods, until we see a cave past the trees.

Merlin tells the others as I linger beside him, "Ari and I'll cover our tracks; you keep going!"

Arthur, Gwen, Tristan and Isolde run on ahead, and I turn around with Merlin. He chants in a deep voice, "O drakon, fthengomai au se kalon; su katerkheo deuro!"

We see Agravaine and his men getting closer, but there was still no sign of the dragon. Merlin grabs my free hand and pulls me with him to the cave. It was then that we hear a thundering roar through the skies, and Mira gasps as she looks back over my shoulder.

"D-Dragon...!" Mira gasps, her blue eyes wide and filled with wonder.

"TAKE COVER!!" Agravaine orders his men, before they're bombarded with fire.

Once we reach the cave, I grab a torch and use my magic to light it, then we catch up with Arthur and the others.

"Did you lose them?" The Pendragon asks us.

Merlin and I reply in unison, "Safe!"

"You sure?" Tristan asks us uncertainly.

I ask rhetorically as Merlin and I shove our way through, "Do we look like idiots? Don't ever say that word!" I add to Mira as I meet her gaze—still filled with awe, but she nods her head in understanding.

Arthur replies, "You don't, Ari, but, yes, Merlin does."

I shake my head in exasperation as Merlin mutters, "Doesn't change, does it?" We pause and I hold the torch for us to see ahead.

Arthur asks Merlin as he comes up beside me, "Which way now?" When Merlin doesn't respond, Arthur asks in annoyance, "I thought you said you grew up in these tunnels?"

"I did! I-It could be that way!"

"Or it could be that way?" Arthur asks rhetorically.

"Yes!" Merlin says, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward with him.

"That's very reassuring!" Mutters Arthur in exasperation.

As we walk through the maze of tunnels, Merlin helping me as I was holding both the torches and Mira, Arthur leading the way, Tristan asks Gwen, "So, how do you know Arthur and Ari?"

"I was a servant in Camelot," Gwen explains.

"To Arthur and Ari?" Tristan asks as we make a turn to the left, Merlin making sure I don't knock my head against the low ceiling. We could all barely stand upright in these tunnels.

"No," Says Gwen. "Well, I was Ari's servant whenever she'd visit Camelot during her engagement to Arthur, but that was until her maid from Domino moved in to help take care of her.

"Then, why are you here?" Tristan asks curiously.

"He's my King. And, since she's moved into Camelot, she's my Princess."

"Well, so far, I haven't detected many kingly or Princessy qualities."

Gwen retorts as Arthur and I exchange exasperated expressions, "Well, maybe you don't know them."

Merlin braces my waist as I step down a slight slope to level ground, and as we walk on, we stop short and jerk our heads around when we hear a stone be dislodged.

Arthur mutters, "I thought you two said we'd lost them?"

"I thought we'd had," I reply.

Merlin says as we start forward, "We'll go back."