Echo: I LIVE! But for how long? I'm worry now. Please don't let a bunch of ax-wielding maniacs turn up at my door in the middle of the night. I know I haven't updated in a year but I can atone for my sins, I can!

Goldfish: Ax-wielding maniacs will turn up either way. It is destined.

Echo: Magical talking goldfish don't double as prophets, do they?

Goldfish: Yes, yes we do.

Echo: Nice try. Anyway, I know it's been ages but I've been really, really busy this last year and haven't been able to update but I promise that I will complete this story. Have no fear!

Magic in Time

Chapter 7

~ The Citadel ~

The days passed slowly for the Pendragon children. Following their initial, awkward interaction, their father avoided them like the plague. Gwydre was frustrated by his siblings' prohibition of magic and would spend the evenings inquiring after their missing mother, occasionally flying into the wailing tantrums that all young children are prone to; and Pendragon children were exceptionally bad.

Seren could merely hold him as he cried; never having the heart to tell him that it was Arthur who had sent Gwen away.

Llacheu and Amhar spent their early days in the castle plotting pranks against Agravaine, though their attempts at humiliating the traitor often failed quite spectacularly. Soon they found another way to entertain themselves: watching the knights' training sessions. The knights did not share the king's awkwardness regarding his future offspring and eventually the boys were even allowed to join in the sessions, with the knights coaching them through the basics of combat. Sometimes Seren would watch them, and the wilder part of her longed to join in but she was loath to leave Gwydre on his own, lest anyone discover his secret. She did not even dare to tell Merlin.

Merlin. Why had he not come for them yet? Every morning she awoke expecting him to arrive – perhaps in the guise of Emrys, loudly proclaiming himself as 'Dragoon the Great' – to tell them that he was here to take them home. Already over a month had gone by. He could not have forgotten about them, surely. Had he? And mother and father- No, of course not. It was just taking time, that was all. Time travel defied nature, after all.

She could only pray they would be rescued before Beltane.

"Lady Seren?"

She turned from the window to face Corsen, a pallid young woman of around seventeen who had been assigned as her maidservant. She was pleasant enough, if somewhat dull company, and didn't seem to mind serving a girl several years her junior. Seren crossed to the vanity and sat down, instructing Corsen to fix her long hair into a tight braid. As she crossed the room, the maid spared a short, vaguely disapproving glance at the little boy still asleep in Seren's large bed. With the occasional exception of married couples, the nobility did not generally share quarters.

"It is unseemly, I know," Seren told her, "but we were so recently orphaned… He still misses our parents – bless their souls – and he is so young… He will not sleep without my company, it reminds him of mother, I think…"

It was not wholly a lie, and acting came quite naturally to Seren so it was easy to feign the grief in her voice. Corsen's eyes softened and her grip on Seren's hair became gentler; it was the only comfort she could offer the young girl still recovering from the sudden deaths of her parents.

That's who she was now, after all. Lady Seren Tremont, the recently orphaned daughter of minor nobles, far removed relatives of the Pendragons who shied away from the courtly life and kept to the country. Her family's estate had been burnt to the ground in a tragic fire, of which she and her brothers had been the only survivors. With no immediate relatives they were now wards of Camelot, residing in the citadel at King Arthur's charity.

As Corsen, finally discovering her tongue, began babbling about the king's generosity, extending his hospitality to orphaned children, Seren found her thoughts drifting back to their earlier focus.

When was Merlin coming to get them? Should she ask this Merlin for help? No – that was a stupid idea. If the Merlin some sixteen years in the future could not perform the spell then it was unlikely this one would be able to reverse it. He might end up accidently sending them back to Uther's reign where they'd be executed for sure! Even if they were believed, from what she'd heard of the man, Seren did not trust that Uther would not execute his own grandson if he were to discover Gwydre's abilities. Oh, this was a mess! They'd simply have to bide their time and hope Merlin would come for them before Morgana and Agravaine's coup.

These worries continued to plague the young princess and she stood up and let Corsen help her dress. Once she was laced up she politely dismissed the maid and went to awaken her brother. When they were both finally ready she asked if he wanted to watch the knights train the new recruits.

It was almost midday by the time they reached the training yard. Llacheu and Amhar had already been up for hours and were leaning far over the fence, cheering and hollering as Gwaine brought down a massive bear of a man, bigger even than Percival, though much clumsier.

"Where've you been?" Amhar asked as they approached.

"Avoiding Camelot's noblewomen," Seren replied with a scowl, "they keep inviting me to join their embroidery sessions."

Amhar made a face and turned back to the knights, just in time to see Gwaine deliver the finishing blow.

"That was good!" Seren noted excitedly as another hopeful took the place of the fallen bear-man, looking distinctly fearful as the renowned knight smirked.

"I could've done it faster," Llacheu boasted arrogantly.

"Oh, really?" Seren rolled her eyes, far too used to her brother's ridiculous claims to ever take him seriously.

"I am a killing machine," the prince proclaimed and immediately doubled over as Amhar's elbow collided with his gut, much to the amusement of his siblings. During this exchange they had completely missed the fight – which was over as soon as it had begun – and looked over to find Sir Gwaine standing directly in front of them.

"'Ultimate killing machine'? Now where have I heard that one before?"

Beside his grinning sister, Llacheu was slowly turning red.

"Care to prove it, little prince?"

It had not been Llacheu intention to end up in the ring with Gwaine. All he had done was protest against the knight's 'little' comment and he was suddenly witnessing the world upside down as he was tossed over Gwaine's shoulder and unceremoniously dumped on the grass and handed a wooden sword.

Gwaine had the clear advantage. He was both bigger and stronger, not to mention far more experienced, than the fourteen-year-old prince, and Llacheu found himself on his back, disarmed, in half a minute, looking up into Gwaine's smirking face.

However, just as he was reaching down to help the boy up, the prestigious knight was unexpectedly blindsided by a tackle from Amhar. Llacheu instantly sprung to his feet, barrelling into him from the front. Even Seren in her long dress and petticoats had somehow leapt onto his back, helping her brothers drag him down. Soon all the knights gathered cheering around a royal pile with Sir Gwaine at the bottom, and none were laughing harder than Elyan, Leon and Percival – the traitors.

This was how Arthur and Merlin found them.

"What's going on here?" the king demanded, pushing past the knights to get through. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't a training session. The sight of Gwaine rolling in the grass being smothered by his… children, however, took him by complete surprise.

"I-" he tried to speak but something about the sight – the ridiculousness of it? The heartfelt warmth? – stirred something inside of him… Beside him, Merlin clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Have mercy! I surrender!" Gwaine cried as the Pendragons finally relinquished their grip. Noticing Arthur and Merlin, the five of them quickly got to their feet.

"Sire," Gwaine bowed his head, the contrite in his voice and body language betrayed by the grin on his face.

"Gwaine," Arthur acknowledged, not even bothering to ask about what he had just witnessed. It was Gwaine, after all. "Llacheu, Amhar, Gwydre. Seren."

"My lord," the four honoured their sovereign with the unfamiliar form of address. Amhar had push Gwydre's shoulder to get him to bow with the rest of them.

Arthur then turned to his most trusted knights. "Leon, Elyan, Percival, we're going on patrol. Merlin, prepare the horses."

"Yes, sire."

"Can I come?" it slipped out before Llacheu could stop it. In an instant all eyes were upon him. This orphan boy, only fourteen years old, had the gall to ask to accompany the king and his knights on patrol?

"We'll be going into the woods. There'll be bandits. It's too dangerous."

"But you're taking Merlin."

Everyone, including Arthur, froze. Was Llacheu actually questioning his king? Among the knights there was a mutter of "little upstart". Though he did have a point, the boy was probably better with a sword than the manservant. Everyone knew Merlin couldn't wield a weapon to save his life.

Arthur opened his mouth to respond but Gwaine beat him to it.

"Oh, let the boy come," he ruffled Llacheu's dark hair, "it would do him good to get know the land instead of being holed up in the city."

Eventually Arthur agreed and Llacheu winked at his jealous siblings before trotting off after the knights.

"Fetch us another horse, Merlin," Leon told the warlock as the group reached the stables.

"A pony maybe," Gwaine suggested.

"I don't need a pony!" Came the indignant response.

"A small one."

With a small smile and an exaggerated sigh Merlin went to saddle another horse for Arthur's son – yes, this kid was definitely Arthur's son. He had not spent much time around the children, not that he made any attempt to seek them out but they seemed rather keen on avoiding him, he could not escape the feeling that they were hiding something. At least this ride would give him the opportunity to talk to one of them.

Llacheu, on the other hand, was just glad to be out of the castle.

Echo: And that is the last of the filler! We are finally onto actual episodes! Anyway, I suppose this story is AU now... Series 5... I'm not sure you and I will ever quite see eye to eye.