𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳September, 505 AD
Everything was quiet as we rode past the lower town and towards the castle. Way too quiet. There wasn't a single soul in the streets – not vendors, not workers, not knights making their patrolling rounds... It was almost as if the place had been abandoned all of a sudden without explanation. Like Roanoke Colony.
My eyes widened when we reached the main archway to the courtyard and found a bunch of guards lying on the ground. Dead? Unconscious? My companions and I shared wary looks as we slid off our horses and I stayed right beside Dallas in search of some comfort while Arthur moved to check the men for signs of life.
"Are they dead?" Merlin asked.
"No, they are breathing," Arthur responded, not sounding very relieved by that.
"What has happened to them?" my best friend wondered.
"I do not know," the Prince answered with a shake of his head as he stood up and kept walking through the courtyard. I released a shaky breath and followed – which prompted Dallas to join, too.
Arthur took my hand when I caught up to him and gave me a gentle squeeze.
We reached the main expanse of the courtyard to find it littered with more hopefully-only-unconscious bodies.
"What is going on?" the Prince asked to the air as he glanced around with concern written all over his face.
"Maybe there's something in the water, again?" I suggested, my voice almost as low as a whisper.
A fourth horse was heard trotting into the courtyard a second before it rounded the passage from the archway, and I found that it was pulling a cart, whose driver was unconscious. I gulped and moved to stop the horse by blocking its path, then I began to pet it while Arthur moved to check the driver for a pulse.
"I will get Gaius," Merlin announced before running inside the castle, only to come back out moments later. "Arthur," he called out in an alarmed voice.
The Prince and I shared a concerned look and I hurried to get my bow and quiver out of my duffel bag before commanding Dallas to stay. Arthur grabbed my hand again and we took off jogging towards Merlin.
As soon as we entered the building, we found many more unconscious people inside, covering the corridors and the main staircase.
"What the fudge," I mumbled under my breath. Arthur squeezed my hand again and gently tugged me closer to his side while his eyes scanned the space.
"They are all fast asleep," Merlin pointed out. "It must be some kind of sickness."
"Or a spell?" I dared to note in a whisper.
My best friend sighed and breathed out, "Yeah."
"Where is my father!?" Arthur questioned in a low tone before dropping my hand and rushing up the stairs. Merlin and I exchanged a wary look before following once more.
