They ran.

There was no other choice.

The thundering echo of hooves followed them; getting closer and closer.

As they rounded a corner, they could sense his presence.

The dark shape gained momentum; creeping up on their tails.

A cry; a howl; and they were gone.

Eilwen found a cozy seat next to the tree and sat.

The sun was bright; reflecting lightly off the surface of the pond.

The grass smelled sweet: the perfect place to read.

Eilwen opened the large book; looking for the page she stopped at.

A paragraph about different types of animals caught her eye.

As she re-read the first sentence about animal enchantments the memory of why she had stopped crept into her mind.

Eilwen had risen early so she could start her lessons with Merlin. But when she arrived at Gaius' room, Merlin was nowhere to be found.

Eilwen asked Gaius where he was; Gaius told her that Merlin was out hunting with Arthur.

"You mean holding Arthur's entire kill, right?" she had asked sarcastically.

Gaius chuckled. "If you see it that way, then yes."

Eilwen plopped down into a chair. "It's not fair; how am I supposed to learn magic if Merlin is always with Arthur?"

"It's the life of a manservant, my dear. Merlin would be happier to teach you than assisting Arthur; I'll tell you that." Gaius said as he fixed up some materials on the table.

"How are your lessons coming along?"

"They're getting better." Eilwen replied. "I can move things more easily now."

"That's wonderful." Gaius said. "What about stopping time? Have you mastered that yet?"

Eilwen's eyes narrowed. "No, I still can't seem to grasp it. Every time I try I end up getting a headache."

"I'm sure you'll get it in time." Gaius reassured. "I have faith in you."

Eilwen gave Gaius a small smile; then returned to sulking. "Now what am I going to do today? I figured that I would be practicing with Merlin all day."

Gaius thought for a moment then walked over to one of the bookcases. He retrieved a large leather bound book and flipped through it.

"This might help aid you, my dear." He said handing it to Eilwen.

"What is it?" she asked touching the smooth surface of the smooth leather cover.

"It's a book of mythical animals." Gaius replied. "I'm more than certain that you'll enjoy reading it. And it's such a lovely day; why don't you go down to the small lake near the castle? I'm sure it will suffice."

It did more than suffice.

It was perfect; far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the castle but close enough to run back to if faced with danger.

But how could something dangerous occur in a place like this?

Eilwen finished the paragraph about animal enchantments; resting her eyes for a moment.

As she felt the warm sunshine on her cheeks, she wondered what Merlin was doing.

She knew that he was with Arthur and a mental image of Merlin falling all over himself trying to keep up with Arthur's fast pace made her giggle.

How peculiar humans were. They we much more complicated than what her lessons taught her. Then again, her lessons were based on any scrap of writings that her people found on the ocean floor. Most of the writings found were books; catalogues, medicine journals, and Eilwen's favorites: story books. She would spend hours reading tales about princes, princesses, and monsters.

Memories of sitting in the giant dome library; the only structure that was completely deprived of water flowed through Eilwen's head.

The days spent in that building; reading, hearing the books being read by the elders, and arguments that would erupt over the latest find was some of the happiest days of her life. Well, until coming to Camelot.

Eilwen thoroughly enjoyed her moments spent in the ancient castle and its surroundings. Being here helped her see how humans really behaved. Arthur wasn't at all what she had pictured a prince to be. He certainly looked the part; but he wasn't as charming as she had imagined.

Human nature Eilwen concluded.

What worried Eilwen most of all was her sea stone. She was positive that Arthur was the keeper of her stone. But after her conversation with the dragon; there were doubts.

Eilwen touched the green stone around her neck.

The one way she could possibly stay at Camelot forever.

Her last chance to be free…

SPLASH!

Eilwen was jerked out of her daydreams at the sound of a louder than normal splash.

She quickly looked around for the source of the sound: nothing.

And then she heard it.

"HELP!"

The voice sounded male; but it was distorted.

Eilwen rushed towards the pond; frantically searching the water.

She noticed ripples coming towards her. She looked up and noticed a patch of reeds jerking violently.

"That's definitely not the wind." Eilwen said to herself.

There was only one thing to do.

Eilwen quickly removed her white, fingerless gloves; throwing them on the grass. She removed her white slippers: the ones that always pinched her toes.

She positioned her arms above her head and dove into the pond.

The water was horribly murky and Eilwen found it difficult to see; she relied on her instincts.

She could feel the pulses in the water and followed them; swimming with incredible speed.

The pulses gradually became shorter: Eilwen was nearing her target.

She reached out her hands to locate the source of the commotion. She touched something smooth and fleshy: an arm.

Eilwen grasped the arm; pulling it and herself to the surface. She could hear the creature gasping for air as she pulled it to the edge of the pond.

Eilwen still couldn't see a thing; she rubbed her eyes in attempt to remove the muck that had accumulated. As her vision returned, Eilwen could see exactly what, or who, was making all the ruckus.

A skinny, medium size boy with dark brown hair was curled up on the grass besides her.

He was wearing ripped brown burlap trousers and nothing else. He was completely drenched from head to toe.

Eilwen turned the boy over on his back. She placed her head on his chest and listened for any signs of life.

She could hear his heart beating; his chest slowly moving up and down.

Eilwen patted his face.

"Come on, come on!" she said.

The boy suddenly coughed up some water: his eyes opened.

Eilwen sighed in relief; he was breathing.

She helped him slowly to move into a sitting position. The boy moved his shaggy, wet hair out of his eyes; dark shade of brown to match his hair.

The boy looked at Eilwen; fright reflecting in his eyes.

"You saved me…" he said in a quiet voice.

"I did." Eilwen said. "Are you alright?"

The boy looked at his arms and legs. "I seem to be."

"What happened?" Eilwen asked.

"I was fishing." The boy responded. "And I guess I fell in."

"I guess you did." Eilwen said laughing as she examined the drenched boy. "You're sopping wet."

"So are you." The boy pointed out.

Eilwen lifted up a dripping sleeve. "It seems you're right. How am I going to explain this?"

The boy smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." Eilwen replied smiling. "I'm Eilwen; what's your name?"

After Eilwen had asked this, the boy's demeanor changed. He seemed to pull back a little: his smile vanished.

"If you don't want to tell me, it's ok."

The boy shook his head. "Cameron."

"Alright Cameron, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

They shook hands. As they did Eilwen noticed a long, pink scar across Cameron's right arm.

"How did you get that?" she asked shocked.

Cameron realized what Eilwen was asking about; he hesitated.

"I was in an accident."

"Well, that didn't happen when you fell in the water." Eilwen noted. "I have a friend who is a physician, let me take you to him and maybe…"

"No!" Cameron cried.

Eilwen was startled with the sudden hostility that Cameron showed.

"I'm sorry, I was just…"

"It's fine." Cameron replied in a quiet voice. "It's healing and I don't want to trouble you or your friend." He stood. "Thank you again for saving me."

Cameron gave one last half-hearted smile to Eilwen and proceeded to walk into the direction of the forest.

Eilwen watched the peculiar boy jog away. An unsettling feeling crept its way into her stomach: who exactly was that boy?