Disclaimer: I do not own King Arthur, or Tamora Pierce's The Imortals quartet.

A/N:Just for readers of The Imortals, bits of that story line has been changed to suite my needs. Just try to keep an open mind!

Prologue: Wanderings

Veralidaine Sarasri was not having a good day. First she gets sent out on a pointless, if not suicidal, mission. In all honesty, she had absolutely no idea what Johnathan had been thinking… Oh yes, lets send out one of our most important spies after a gods-forsaken rumor! And lets not forget that if it is true, then she would be in a lot of trouble, all alone. She was starting to wonder if he had gone insane. But she had to go—far be it to defy her king—so she did.

After several gods-forsaken days of trying to blend in with the locals, she had been found out. How, she still didn't know; she was, after all, one of the kings best spies for a reason. What with her ever handy cat's eyes, and bear's claws. And her ability to become any animal that suited her. That definitely helped.

But they had been waiting for her, it seemed; she could only regret that she was never able to alert King Johnathan to the presence of a spy within his own court. Instead she had been bound, cuffed by magic repellant irons, and left to rot in a less than comfortable suite of cells! She thanked the gods everyday that no one knew just what to expect from wild magic. She had managed to escape with nothing to show except a burnt pair of wrists—from where the magic binding the irons had backfired—and torn skirts.

But then the rumors just had to be true.

Why couldn't it just have been a case of Wild Magic? Maybe like hers? She wouldn't have minded a friend! But, no… I just had to be some strange dimensional magic! In a land—not to mention world!—where it had never been before.

So here she was, alone, in a strange land, burnt at the wrists, and with no one in sight. And to top it all off… SHE COULDN'T FIND KIT! The foolish dragonet, the only other being that had made it across with her, had decided to wander off after… well, she wasn't sure what. It had looked kind of like a human, like her, but it was… blue? Was she in such a strange dimension that the people were blue? Sure there were some blue 'people' in her realm, but it wasn't like Sirens of the Realm of the Gods, or the Undins of the lakes. It was dirty, hairy, dressed strangely, and a strange, dirty blue. And it was obviously no magical creature. The newfound scholar in her itched to solve this mystery.

But she was getting ahead of herself. How was she supposed to solve anything, if she couldn't get out of this gods-forsaken forest? Sure, she loved nature as much as any other, perhaps mores so being so largely made up of it, but this was too much. Veralidaine—she hated that name, it really was just Daine—gave her sumptuous, flaring skirts a vicious tug, for the umpteenth time ripping it away from another snagging branch. The middle of a forest was no place for court garb. She didn't like court garb to begin with, it was no more enjoyable when fighting through brambles and close set trees. She snorted. Yet another thing to be angry with King Johnathan about. Not only had he sent her out on this stupid excuse for a mission, but she had to disguise herself as a court lady—full skirts and all.

Finally, after a full morning of walking, Daine made it past the tree line. Only to find herself in a single, small clearing. And still surrounded by trees. She laughed—it was more like a sob—and flopped down on the ground. So much for wishful thinking.

"Why? Why me?" She look up, and shouted to the sky. "Is this punishment for not joining you, all those years ago?"

Then it started raining.

Daine sighed, propping her stubborn chin on her hand. "Just great. This is just great! It can't get any worse now, can it?" She lifted her face to the sky, trying to catch the rain in her mouth. At least if she was going to get wet, she would get a drink out of it, too. Tired of the whole situation, she let herself fall back, not caring about her dress. It wasn't like it was in good condition anyway. She squinted her eyes, resigning herself to just watching the rain fall. She knew she should find some shelter, but she couldn't be bothered. None of this really felt… real.

She felt unattached. The silence of this world was deafening. It was almost like the People were missing. She sat bolt upright. That was it! That's what had been bothering her about this place. None of the People had come to great her upon her arrival to this realm. That never happened. Daine reached out, trying to find any form of animal life. It wasn't there. Or if it was… she felt her heart clench. Had she been removed from the fold? Desperate now, she reached further, sweeping even the very edges of her awareness. It was all so empty.

The tears started to rise, choking her. She really was alone now. She couldn't even feel Kit. Things really couldn't get worse. She'd never truly been alone before; even after her family had died, she'd had Brokefang and his wolves. Then she had her new family, Horse-mistress Ouna, Lady-Knight Alanna, the Royals, her teacher Numair, and Kit. Throughout it all she'd had the People, and the ever trusty Cloud. Now she had nothing as she sat shivering in the rain.

She closed her eyes, letting this new despair consume her. All alone. The Wild Magic was still there, she could feel it, but with nothing for it to touch… it meant nothing. So immersed in her own grief, she didn't notice the slight tingle that sometimes accompanied the People until it became a veritable itch under her skin.

Her head shot up, and she looked wildly around for what was perhaps the single link she would have to this world. The only one of the People she had felt so far. Maybe her salvation. Nothing there.

Finally she looked up, squinting to keep the rain out of her eyes.

There, reeling drunkenly, was a large bird all but plummeting for the ground. It spread it's wings one last time, instinctively trying to slow its descent. Stark against the grey cloud it wheeled, flashes of something sharp against its wing. A harsh cry sounded throughout the clearing, like music to her ears. She stood, tripping as her sopping wet skirts clung to her legs.

"Wing-sister!" The bird, a hawk she saw, gave no indication of hearing. Despair threatened again. Did she not understand her? "Wing-sister…"

The hawk crashed-landed in the mud and stood, head drooping and right wing trailing. Daine was horrified to see the arrow through her wing. She approached the injured bird carefully, crooning. "Wing-sister…It's alright. Everything will be alright. I can help you." She slowly reached for the hawk, and as soon as her fingers brushed the feathers of her back, she snapped at her. Prepared for the response, Daine managed to evade the sharp beak of her patient.

She narrowed her eyes. "You won't get better if you act like that! Don't you feel me? Don't you hear me? I won't hurt you…" The bird still didn't respond. Pushing aside the hopeless feeling that filled her, she reached out again. The feeling of the bird tickled her, but slipped through her fingers like slippery threads. The Wild Magic, the magic of the People, was there, but she couldn't touch it. Putting a trace more power behind her touch, she grasped at the copper strands again. This time they held. And connected.

A roaring filled her ears. Unusually, she couldn't tell if they were her 'ears' or her ears. She'd learned to tell actually hearing apart from the hearing she did with her mind years ago. Then everything snapped into place, and she could hear everything. The rushing of a river, the swaying of trees, the squeaking of bats, the hooting of owls, the howling of wolves… everything. And she felt them. And she knew that the People could feel her now, too. She hurriedly put up her old mental blocks. She'd worry about this later.

"Wing-sister… can you hear me now?" The hawk was staring up at her, her beady eyes wide.

Wing-sister? The tentative brush of another awareness. Daine grinned in delight, and relief filled her. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought she was.

Yes. Now let me heal you. The hawk surrendered gratefully, sagging against the woman's chest. Gently pulling the hawk's wing from her body, Daine regarded the arrow, deciding how to pull it out. Bracing the hawk against her chest, she grasped the longer end of the shaft and snapped it, swiftly pulling it out after. She winced at the hawk's cry of pain.

"Shhh… It's alright. It's alright." She stroked the hawk's head, soothing, and ruffled her chest feathers. Then she settled against a nearby tree, sitting tailor style. Cradling her newest friend in both arms, hunching over her to keep her from the worst of the rain, Daine closed her eyes, slowing her breathing. She was about to enter the healing trance when she felt the heard the excited chatter of a visiting squirrel behind the tree line. Someone was coming.

Daine surged to her feet just moments before a man came striding into the clearing—quietly, mind you. He moved like a hunter. Her quick eyes took in the half-full quiver at his hip, and the bow held firmly in his hand. Anger filled her, showing clearly in her eyes as they rose to meet his. She caught her breathe, and would have taken a step back if she hadn't already been backed against a tree. His eyes… They were a cold blue, and deadly. The threat clear in them made her stiffen her spine, her arms tightening around the bird. She saw his eyes flicker down to the beast before meeting her own again. Now the threat was doubled.

She didn't even think to feel relieved, human contact or not.

Gathering her courage, Daine stood straighter. "Trying your hand at hawk hunting, were you?" The bite in her tone was obvious.

His eyes widened so slightly she might not have noticed. Then his jaw clenched. As mildly as possible, "That is my bird."

Daine shuddered; there was danger in him, and… something in his voice made her heart race. For the first time she took the time to see him, as a person rather than just a threat. There were braids scattered throughout his wild, dark brown hair, falling into his eyes and partially covering his strong, whiskered features. He was tall, and obviously well muscled. A warrior born and raised. He frightened her.

But she couldn't back down.

"She is hurt. You tell me you are not the one to hurt her?" Daine had to be careful. She would not risk her savior.

"No." He remained stoic, and threatening, but his eyes softened slightly. Maybe she would gain more than just one friend in caring for this bird. And maybe… safety? It was obvious, no matter how stoic he chose to be, that he cared for the beast. And my her lack of fear, the beast cared for him as well.

She waited for him to speak again; an excuse, an explanation, anything. When nothing was forthcoming she surrendered. Relaxing—she now knew he would be no threat to her if he saw her as no threat to him—she slowly sank back to the ground. She was exhausted. After running all night, and walking all morning, and in a gown nonetheless, she was starting to reach her limit as the strength of adrenaline left her. And she still had to heal the hawk. She sighed, letting her head fall back against the tree as she held the bird closer. She heard the crunch of footsteps approaching her, but couldn't make herself move. Her body was shutting down.

Wing-sister? The hesitant touch of the hawk's mind against her own brought a slight, tired smile to her face.

I'm sorry wing-sister. The healing will have to wait.

Then she felt the hawk being gently lifted from her arms. She didn't have the energy to cry out when the rough fingers brushed her burn marks. Or to protest when the man started to walk away.

The hawk did.

The sounds of a franticly beating wings, beating against something hard, and the screeches of the distressed hawk filled the air. "What are you doing, you foolish bird? You know me!" Lethargically Daine reached out, touching her mind to the birds. Be calm… The hawk only fought harder. She must have felt Daine fading.

The sound of footsteps ceased. "You want me to bring the girl with me." The man sounded surprised. Then he sighed.

The last thing Daine was aware of was being lifted into strong arms. Then she blacked out.