Rebellion

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

James held his breath as another shadow ran past the cupboard. Through the small slit between the doors, he could hear the screams and clash of swords from the corridor and the courtyard outside. Now and again, someone would run though the room, past the cupboard he was hiding in. It had all happened so fast.

Everything was peaceful, he was just about to go to bed when the alarm sounds and the whole of Camelot erupted into chaos. His mother had grabbed him and ran; his father had gone to fight the army that had descended on the castle. His mother had hidden him in the cupboard and told him not to leave. That felt like years ago to the scared four year old but it was only a few minutes.

More screams and shouts, joined by the whinnying of horses and loud bangs. James clapped his hands over his ears and shut his eyes tightly.

Suddenly the door of the cupboard was ripped open and James's eyes flew open to see a man standing in front of him with a bloody sword. A moment later, his fear disappeared and he called to the man, "Daddy!"

Arthur Pendragon scooped him young son into his arms and out of Gwen's hiding place. "It's alright James, everything is going to be ok," he assured him as he hurried out of his chambers and into the corridor.

Arthur hid his son's face from the bodies and the blood and he ran down the corridor. Turning sharply around a corner, he nearly ran into Gwaine who had two young children with him, not older than three.

"Morgana's army have taken the lower town completely!" Gwaine said, "There are an uncountable number of them."

Arthur looked around the corridor and then asked, "Where are the others?"

"Merlin's got Lara and Leon managed to get to Edward," Gwaine replied, "Eylan gave me Tom and I kept Will with me." Arthur glanced down at the two scared boys, Will hiding behind his father's leg.

"We've planned for this," Arthur said, "They know to get to the dungeons."

With a nod, Gwaine followed the king. All the way to the dungeons, they kept an eye out for Morgana's soldiers or even Morgana herself. They also knew that Mordred would be with her but they didn't pause to think about that. They both reached the dungeon in time to see Merlin and Leon already there with Gwen.

In Merlin's arms was his young daughter and Leon had his son with him. Gwen was trying to bandage up a bad cut on Leon's arm when the groups met.

"Where's Elyan?" Gwaine asked and Gwen finished Leon's bandage in time to say, "He ran ahead to check that the tunnel was clear."

Suddenly Elyan appeared from a hidden passage way in the corridor and caught sight of them. "Hurry!" he said, "We need to get them out before-."

He was cut off by a deafening boom from above them, and it rattled the foundations so much that dust fell from the high ceiling of the dungeons. They were silent for a moment and then Merlin said quietly, "They're here."

Arthur took a deep breath and hurried towards the tunnel entrance. The others followed and soon the group arrived out into the fresh air of the forest.

"I can't believe you were using that tunnel all those years and I didn't know!" Arthur said to Merlin.

Merlin grinned and replied, "Well, it took you long enough to realise that had magic."

Turning around, Arthur looked at the castle. Fires had broken out and his soldiers were fighting hand to hand with Morgana's. And he knew he was going to have to run head first back into the fight to defend his kingdom.

He heard a rustling in the trees and they all turned around sharply to see Percival and his wife, Jennifer, running towards them.

"You all know what we have to do," Arthur said, "We always worried that this would happen and we all agreed that our first priority would be to get the children to safety."

Of course they knew the plan; they had gone over it a thousand times just in case. Gwen was at Arthur's side and was murmuring quietly to her son to comfort him. Arthur's arms tightened slightly around James and looked at up at his father with big blue eyes.

"Arthur," Percival said, "We need to get going before Morgana realises what we're up to."

Arthur nodded and placed James down on the ground. As he looked around, he saw Leon hugging his son tightly while Elyan and Gwain were making sure their sons had warm cloaks on. Meanwhile, Merlin was talking Lara.

Lara and James were the same age and fought like cat and dog. They were the oldest out of the five and were the leaders of the little group of children. And now they had to give all the children to Percival and Jennifer to keep them safe. They would take the children to a safe place over the border but for how long, no one knew.

"Listen to me James," Arthur said, "I need to be really brave for me and your mother. You are going to go with Uncle Percival and Aunt Jennifer for a while; until things are safe." When his son's eyes are starting to water, Arthur said, "You are a Pendragon, James; there is nothing you can't do. Remember that. I promise that we will be together again. We love you so much."

James nodded and Gwen hugged him tightly. Arthur quickly made his way to Percival and said, "Give me your other sword."

Percival frowned but handed his second sword over to the king. Arthur took it and held out Excalibur to him.

Percival's eyes grew wide and Arthur said, "It is for James when he is older; in case I'm not there to give it to him myself."

Percival nodded and took the sword. Another bang echoed from the castle and the children started to panic. "Go!" Arthur ordered and Percival and Jennifer quickly hurried the children into the forest to where there were horses and supplies waiting.

Arthur looked at Gwen, who was dressed for fighting with her own sword at her side. She had refused to leave him, just like Leon and Elyan's wives had; but they were with Gauis, tending to the injured the last time he had seen them. Gwaine's other half was a barmaid who had dumped Will in the castle as soon as he was born; she hadn't been seen in years. As for Lara's mother...well that was as complicated as it could get.

Arthur stood beside Merlin, who was gazing up at the burning castle. "You know what she is after," Arthur said quietly, "But I refused to let her anywhere near."

Merlin nodded and looked at his best friend. "You know this will not end well?" he asked and Arthur nodded. "But we must try."

With that they hurried back down the tunnel.

-Hours later; miles from Camelot-

James rubbed his teary eyes with his sleeve and moved around slightly on his horse. They had been riding for hours; the screams from Camelot had faded away. Will was in front of him while Jennifer was carrying Edward and holding Lara by the hand as she walked beside her. Tom was in Percival's arms as he led the horse.

Their parents had gone to fight the bad witch and the mean boy and now they had to leave them. But his Daddy had promised that they would all be together again and Daddy never broke his promises.

Soon, they stopped after they had crossed the border and made camp. Percival and Jennifer stayed awake while the children were told to get some sleep. The others had fallen asleep almost instantly but James was still awake. As he lay under his blanket, he could only think about Camelot.

"Stop it."

James turned his head to see Lara glaring at him from her space on the forest floor. She was right beside him and she said, "I can hear you humming, so stop it."

James frowned. Had he been humming? Oh...yes, he had. He had been humming the lullaby that his mother always sang to them before they went to bed. Lara's mother wasn't around so James had to share his with her sometimes.

"But I like that song," he protested but Lara replied, "That's Aunt Gwen's song and you're not Aunt Gwen so stop."

They were quiet for a while and then Lara said, "I'm sorry. I just miss home."

James nodded and Lara whispered, "They're going to make us leave each other."

James looked at her and she said, "I heard Uncle Percival talking to Aunt Jennifer; he's taking me, Will and Edward and she's taking you and Tom and they're going different ways."

Different ways? As in they weren't going to be together? He would have Tom which was nice because he was his cousin but what about Will and his jokes or Edward and his friendship? And Lara. Who would he fight with if he didn't have Lara?

He took a deep breath and said, "It'll all be alright; we'll be together after our daddies save the day."

Lara perked up at this and she said, "Yah! They always save the day!"

James smiled and she grinned back. He never saw before, but Lara had flecks of gold in her blue eyes.

Soon, they both fell asleep and Percival and Jennifer were the only ones awake. "What are the chances that Arthur won?" Jennifer asked her husband.

He sighed and replied, "Not great if Morgana and Mordred worked together."

She took his hand and squeezed it tightly. She knew that he had wanted to stay and fight beside his brothers in arms but he also knew that protecting the children was important too. Percival stood up and walked towards the children. Carefully, so not to wake them, he slipped their necklaces off them. Each child had a piece of silver stung on a strip of leather. People throughout the kingdom knew the children had them, so he had to hide them so they wouldn't be recognised. He had also tightly bound Excalibur's hilt in cloth so that no one would recognise it. He could only hope that no one would get a good look at the blade but he was going to hide it for James.

When Percival sat back down beside her, Jennifer said, "You never told me the story behind those."

Percival smiled slightly as he looked at them and replied, "Each piece is from a treasure that the druids presented to Arthur after the peace treaty and the lifting of the magic ban. It was a gift of peace and since each child was born in the times of peace, then who better to give them to."

He paused and looked at her, "Arthur gave me one after I married you." Jennifer smiled softly and put her hand to his cheek. "We will be together after all this," she said, "I'm sure of it."

-Camelot-

For the people in the kingdom, the next few hours were a blur of blood, screams and despair. Camelot had been winning until Morgana and Mordred had joined forces in magic. The effect was catastrophic. Nearly the entire army was killed; whole parts of the castle were destroyed.

It ended with Arthur, Merlin, Gwen and the knights on their knees in the throne room. Morgana was sitting on the throne, Mordred by her side. He was young teenager now but there was no compassion in his cold eyes. They were disarmed and surrounded by her soldiers.

"I have to admit," she said, "You fought very well. It will be such a shame to kill you all after such a valiant fight."

With that she stood up and said, "Of course, if you give me what I want; I might spare you." The six people in front of her stayed silent. Morgana fixed her eyes on Merlin. He would have destroyed her if it wasn't for Mordred combining their powers. He still might if they weren't careful.

She walked away from the throne and stood in front of him. With a flick of her finger, Merlin's head was forced to look into hers. "Where is she Merlin?" she asked coldly but he just stared back at her.

"Where have you taken Lara?" Again, silence.

Morgana let out a slow breath. "I will kill you if you don't hand her over!" She swore she saw a shadow of a grin on his face.

"Where is my daughter Merlin?" she hissed at him.

Merlin opened his mouth and replied quietly, "You want her for her power Morgana; because of that, you have no right to call her your daughter. And I will never let you near her."

Morgana's anger was at boiling point and let go of Merlin's head. "Lock them in the dungeons!" she ordered and soon her enemies were marched out of the room.

She sat down on the throne and said, "You know what we have to do. They will escape after a while if we don't."

Mordred was leaning against the throne and said, "It is a very delicate spell; hardly reliable."

"It will have to do to keep them out of my way until Lara is returned to me."

Mordred strolled away from the throne and towards one of the broken windows. "All the children are gone," he said, "Percival isn't stupid enough to keep them all together and now that Arthur is defeated, he will think that the best plan is to keep the five of them separate for as long as possible so not to look suspicious."

He turned back to Morgana and said, "After all, we will be posting wanted posters for the children and keeping them separated will keep them hidden in his mind."

Morgana paused for a moment and then said, "Our spies told us that Lara and Arthur's brat are friends...they will be the keys to the spell."

Mordred raised an eyebrow. "How exactly?"

Morgana stood up, "Lara is the daughter of the two most powerful magic beings in history. We still do not know the limits of her magic; who knows, she may be more powerful then both of us. As for Arthur's boy, well, he's a Pendragon...they do have an annoying knack for having important destinies. Percival will separate them for sure; it's the smart thing to do..."

Morgana was silent for a moment and then smirked slightly. "Merlin and his friends will be placed in a sleep for as long as Lara and James are separated. That should keep them out of my way until I find her and train her."

"But what if they meet again?" Mordred asked.

Morgana walked over to the window and smiled out at the destroyed courtyard below. "I will find her before that."

Morgana's eyes softened slightly as she remembered her daughter's black hair and blue eyes. Lara had not smiled at her in a long time; she was afraid of Morgana.

Mordred frowned at her and he asked, "I hope you're not having second thoughts?"

His eyes flashed gold and Morgana suddenly lost the image of Lara in her mind.

"No, of course not," she said. She turned and walked towards the doors. "We will perform the spell now...and then we will celebrate. Camelot is finally ours!"

-Eleven years later-

The tavern was quiet, which was unusual with the amount of people that filled its benches and chairs at that time of night. But after years of Morgana's reign, everyone knew it was better to stick together and stay quiet then try and walk the streets alone. None of them paid attention to the old woman in the corner who was sitting a pint of mead and trying to keep warm by the fire.

Beside her was a group of farmers and one said quietly to the other, "The soldiers came again today; demanded more taxes. I had to scrap and scramble just to get it for them."

"But you hid that girl of yours?" another asked him.

The farmer nodded and mumbled, "Yes, anything to keep her away from Mordred; everyone knows that the girls who go into Camelot castle never return."

"Why doesn't someone do something about that basterd then?" the old woman croaked at them.

The farmers frowned at her and one hissed, "Keep quiet! One of the soldiers might hear you!"

The old woman chuckled slightly and replied, "And what will they do? Kill me? That would be better then living in this damned kingdom. Don't pretend that you all don't remember what it was like when King Arthur was in charge! Now he and the rest of his great Round Table are trapped, like the rest of us! And it's not like we can leave after the other kings locked down their borders. There's no safe place to run to anymore."

The woman's voice had started to rise and everyone in the tavern had turned to look at her. Some trembled in fear, some hushed her and other remembered with her.

Only one person, who had a dark cloak drawn over their head, turned to the woman and asked, "Trapped where? I thought Morgana killed them all."

The old woman licked a drop of mead off her lips and croaked out, "Kill them? No, not when she could rub it in their faces; plus Mordred has been attempting to extract Merlin's knowledge from his mind for years. Not that it'll work."

"Then why haven't they tried to take back the kingdom?" the hooded person asked.

"Will both of you shut up?" the barman hissed across the room, "The guards are patrolling and may come in any minute!"

The old woman ignored him and turned to the hooded figure, "I worked at the castle when Morgana took over. She put them in a sleep; all of them. Those poor people are lying down in the dungeons on slabs; like living statues. While the rest of us have to suffer from the reign of a tyrant and an evil creature!"

Just then, the door burst open and just like the barman had said, five guards poured into the tavern. Silence filled the room and then the head guard said, "Anyone left in this room after ten seconds gets killed. Only the old woman stays."

That caused a stampede as everyone ran out through the other doors and some even climbed out the window. When everything settled again, the old woman was still sitting by the fire, finishing her mead.

But the hooded figure had stood up and walked casually to stand between her and the guards.

"More or we will kill you," the guard ordered.

The figure lifted its head slightly and the guards caught sight of a chin and mouth. The mouth curled into a smirked and the figure said, "Oh, I would love to see you try."

The head guard, enraged by the insolence, drew his sword and ran forward. He had barely gone a few paces before he fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his head. Another guard ran forward with his sword, only for the figure to draw a knife from their boot and throw it at him, hitting him in the knee and smashing it. The third and fourth guard tried to fight but the figure took them down with well placed kicks and punches. The head guard had passed out from the pain and the final guard was still standing in his place, trembling. He looked at the figure who was slowly walking towards him.

The figure pulled back the hood to revel a pretty girl with black hair and blue eyes. She smiled at him slightly and said, "You seem like the smart one in the group so here's some advice: when you wake up, instead of going back to the castle, take your family and run over the border. I heard it's easier for guards to get passed."

The guard frowned slightly in confusion and said, "Wake up? But I'm not asleep."

The girl smiled again and when her eyes flashed gold, the guard was thrown back and smashed into the barrels behind the counter of the bar. The girl turned around to look at the old woman who was still sitting.

"Thank you," the woman said and the girl asked, "What you said about the king and Round Table; is it true?"

The woman nodded and replied, "Yes, the King, the Queen, the Royal Sorcerer and his four most trusted knights are in a room in the dungeon, asleep for the past eleven years. The wives of two knights are also there."

The girl frowned ad replied, "Four knights? I though Sir Percival got away?"

The woman shrugged, "He did but five years after Morgana took over, he was captured. His wife followed him to the dungeon only two years later. Poor things; they are the only hope to escaping this torture."

The girl drew her hood back up and walked over the guards to the door.

"But maybe that's about to change, judging by you."

The girl stopped at the woman's comment but when she turned to her, the woman said, "More guards will be on your trail by the time this lot wake up. I would get going if I were you."

And with one last smile in the woman's direction, the girl melted into the night.

-Next morning; a nearby village-

A small child hummed to herself as she played with her doll by the fence. Farmers and their families were busy throughout the small village and none of them paid much attention to the girl. She and her old brother had arrived in the town only a few weeks before and the boy had offered to work in the field for pay. With the kingdom like it was, no one asked questions and he was soon hired. The small girl, only six years old, was being looked after by the farmer's wife while her brother was working. It was a simple existence but a normal one for many people these days.

Soon the peace of the village was broken by the sound of horses galloping towards it. People in the village froze while those farmers who had spotted Morgana's guards were running from the fields. The girl did not worry; her brother would be here any minute and he would never let anything happen to her. She watched with sadness as the guards started to go around, demanding money from people; money that they did not have.

Suddenly, one guard grabbed a young girl and pushed her onto his horse. The screams from her mother only caused another guard to slap her across the face. Two more young woman were grabbed on put on horses. The small girl pulled her knees up to her chin and stayed quiet. But suddenly the head guard caught sight of her. Her reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.

"This one will do; she will grow up."

The small girl looked up at him and into his dark, cold eyes. "My brother is going to stop you," she said, with fierceness unlike any other six year old.

"Oh is he?" the guard asked, "And how exactly will he do that?"

Suddenly the guard felt the cold blade of a sword at his side and a voice behind him said, "You really don't want to know."

The guard dropped the girl and spun around, only to receive a blow to the face from a tall, blond haired fifteen year old. He fell to the ground and the boy turned sharply, blocking the girl from the guards.

They rushed at him, not realising the skill he had with the sharpened sword in his hands. In a few moments, they were all on the ground, bleeding from various wounds and in no state to get up. The boy turned to his sister who raised an eyebrow at him.

He put his sword back in his belt and said, "Don't worry, they'll all live. But we need to leave."

Ignoring the stares and whispers of the people in the villages, the boy and the girl grabbed their few belongings, stripped a guard's horse of Morgana's colours and took it. They rode away from the village, just like countless other times for some many other places.

But James was used to this, for he had been running since he was four and his home in Camelot had been taken from him. As for the small girl, Abby, running was all she had ever known.

They kept the horse for a few miles until they were far enough away from the village. Then they left it and walked into thick forest, hoping to lose any guards that might follow their trail.

Only a few miles away, the girl from the tavern was running for her life.

Morgana's guards had tracked her overnight and now they were just behind her. She had left the heavy cloak behind but had grabbed her satchel with her few belonging in it. There were no villages near enough and even then with her black sleeveless top and dark trousers, she would stick out. She knew she had out run them or double back somehow.

But at the moment, running blindly through the trees seemed like a good idea.

-James and Abby-

James emerged onto a dirt road that looked like it had not been used in a while. Abby followed him and stood by his side as he decided which way to go. With a sigh, he turned right and followed the road, with Abby beside him.

"Why were they taking those girls?" Abby asked, and James whipped his forehead with the white sleeve of his shirt.

"They were taking them to the castle," James said, "They need to work as maids and cooks; boys get taken too sometimes, to clean stables and be servants."

"But they'll never take us!" Abby said proudly, "Because you are the best fighter in all the land!"

James smiled at her and replied, "Thank you, Abby but I'm sure there are others better than me; remember that man in the village before last? He was quite good."

Abby shrugged and they kept walking, "But not as good as you; he was fighting so he could marry his wife remember?"

James nodded and then Abby asked, "Are you going to get married?"

James kept walking and adjusted the strap on the bag on his shoulder. "Maybe one day Abby, when I find someone nice."

"Nice?" Abby said, "Nice! You need someone more than nice!"

James chuckled as she rambled and continued walking down the road. There were thick trees one side of them and a slope the other side and James kept an eye out for danger.

"I mean, you need someone who is as good as you! Someone is funny and happy and can beat guards!"

James grinned at Abby's suggestions. Percival's daughter certainly had a mind of her own; even for a six year old.

"You need someone who will knock you clean off your feet!"

Suddenly a girl burst out of the trees to their right and banged into James, sending them straight to the dirt.

James looked up at the girl currently lying on his chest and saw a pair of bright blue eyes with flecks of gold.

Miles away in the dark dungeons of a once great castle, behind a thick door and an armed guard, there lay ten people all in a line on thick stone slabs. Suddenly one of them shifted slightly, for the first time in eleven years and murmured one word.

"Lara."