"Kiki!" Dropping Gwaine's arm, I ran to the girl, picking her up and holding her high in the air. "The prodigy has returned! We should all bow in her presence!"
Kiki laughed, squealing in delight. "The prophet has raised me higher! Bow below my might, old medicine person!" Cirus groaned loudly as I finally put Kiki down, ruffling her hair. "I see you've been keeping up my good legacy."
"Of course!" Kiki grinned, stepping away as Cirus glared at her. "Cirus regretted the day he let me learn from him."
"I think he regrets that about both of us." Wrapping an arm around Kiki, we chuckled as Cirus ordered us out. We laughed, grabbing Gwaine and dragging him from the tent.
"Who's your friend, Merlin?" Kiki tilted her head at Gwaine, snapping my attention to him.
"Oh, that's Gwaine, one of my more... Merly friends."
Kiki snickered as Gwaine glanced between us. "Merly?"
"Oh dragons, don't tell me you've found another Merly person," Osanne groaned, hopping off the white dragon- Luo. Yvain snickered as Sukie muttered about it happening everywhere I went.
Gwaine looked between the various campers and knights, hoping someone had an insight.
"It means you do dumb things with little plans and still manage to get out alright," Athe explained, snickering at Gwaine's expression. "My brother tends to find all the Merly people in the world." She shook her head as I glared at her playfully. "He hasn't got the foreplanning of the rest of us."
"I do so. I've saved your sorry dragonhide more than you've saved mine."
"That's because of your Merlin. You Merlin yourself out of bad situations and Merlin me into them." Athe lifted her head proudly, feeling the insult successfully hit my heart. I dramatically rolled over, leaning against Luo as if I was physically hit.
"The pain. Betrayed by my dear sister, how horrible. After everything, I did for you."
Athe rolled her eyes, stepping back. "You're impossible."
"No, I'm implausible." Grinning wickedly, I pushed myself up, listening to Athe's colourful swears.
"Wait..." The clogs visibly turned in Arthur's head. "You have a sister?!"
"Yep." I wrapped an arm around Athe's shoulders. "This little delight is my hateful little sister."
"But... she doesn't look or act anything like you," Arthur complained, his mind spinning.
"No kidding, It's almost as if we are two separate people. I can see why you're the king of Camelot with your thought process." Athe scowled, knocking on Arthur's forehead. "Though I can't say there are many in there."
Grabbing Athe's wrist, Arthur glared down at her. "And now I see it. But I thought you said you never met your father. How could you have a sister if you didn't know your father."
The air around the camp grew thick. Sukie jumped down, pushing Athe behind her. "How about we don't go discussing our past fires before we're even properly introduced. I am Sukie, the leader of this scattered bunch. The one about to rip out your throat is Atheley- Merlin's little sister. Over there is Osanne, the dragon rider and Luo, our great protector. Yvain and Dala- the twins- are our best runners and warriors and Cirus is our medic. The little girl buzzing around Merlin is Kiki, Cirus's apprentice."
Kiki waved happily as Sukie came to the end of her introductions.
"I think that's enough names, Sukie," I interrupted, making her pause. "The knights can grow to know some of the others in time if they don't try to kill us all first." The runners giggled a little at the comment, the idea impossible to them. "If you haven't worked it out yet, that's Arthur, the kind of Camelot. Then Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and-" I stopped for a second, knowing full well this wasn't going to be an easy introduction- "Modred."
The runners gasped at the last name, backing away. In a second, Osanne was in my head. "Why is Arthur's demise here?! We should kill him now!"
"No. We do not know how the prophecy will play out. It will be unwise to move before then." Similar conversations bounced around my head, slowly defusing the many angry mummers.
"Do you have a problem with Modred?" Arthur held his head up high, standing in front of Modred a little like a protective dad to his child.
Athe scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We have a problem with all of you though our distaste of Modred has a different flavour to our distaste of you and your murderous kind." Arthur's eye twitched in anger, looking like he was going to strangle Athe. "Your murderous glare is not helping your position. Merlin, do not take this with offence but since your friends are here we'll have to move on sooner than expected. A day at most. Then your friends will return to the castle and we will be on our way. By dusk of that day, I will have convinced you to rejoin us. You belong here, not in Camelot. Especially with what that bastard did."
The knight remained quiet for only a second before their shouts rose. Soon the camp was encased in voices arguing over my fate. Taking in a deep breath, I raised my voice. "That is enough! I do not care what you say Athe, my mind was made up years ago. I cannot abandon my path, nothing you, or you-" I took a second to point at Yvain- "do will change my mind."
Athe bit her tongue, lowering her head. "Then you leave me no choice."
"Athe," Sukie warned as Athe walked away from me. "Don't you dare? This is something we have no right to get involved in."
"How can you sit back?! That is my brother and that is the son of the man who killed my father! Who burnt my mother and him alive in front of me! Who tried to kill me just because of who we were! If destiny is so powerful, then it will power past this! Luo! Now!"
The dragon whined a little before she began charging at Arthur. Gaping, I stared at Athe in horror, looking to Osanne for help but she wasn't looking at me. "Luo! Stop!" The dragon wasn't listening. "Luo!" Nothing. She jumped at Arthur who brought out his sword pitifully. Just as she was about to burn him alive, I called out to her. "You will stop this now, as commanded by your lord!"
Luo flicked her wings up, soaring above his head and in a loop to land by my side.
"Athe," I called out darkly, my head lowered. "Run. Run far and run fast."
Athe stepped back, my burning gold eyes glaring at her. Sukie stepped between us though in a manner to show she was on my side. Athe gulped, seeing the glares she was getting. She turned tail and ran, though not before she muttered just loud enough for Arthur and the knights to hear. "Whatever you say, dragon lord."
YOU ARE READING
Burning Change
Fanfiction"When you live with a fire chasing after you, you only let it burn you once before you learn to run. That is who they are, Arthur. They are people who learnt to run, and somewhere along the lines, they forgot what is was like to not be running." Dur...
