The effect of going through a Story door was disorienting, to say the least. Emrys looked around, trying to regain his bearings while keeping in tune with the dignity of a sorcerer. They appeared to be in the courtyard of an estate somewhere, presumably Nottingham. Unless his spell had gone horribly wrong ...

Gwaine turned around and around in circles, a grin on his face. "Look at this!" he said enthusiastically. "It's fantastic!"

Leave it to Gwaine not to keep in the dignity of a knight of Camelot. Emrys elbowed him sharply, trying to get him to behave. Then the young sorcerer's eyes fell on the young woman sitting on a bench in the garden they were in. Her raven hair fell in curls around her shoulders, her rather pointed noise buried in a book. The green dress she wore flattered her immensely. Gwaine scowled, not noticing her. "What do you want from me?" he demanded. "I'm just excited is all!"

When Gwaine started exclaiming, the girl raised her head. She stood up, her large skirt flowing around her legs. "May I help you?" she said in a strong British accent. The polite words belied the cold tone she was using.

"Ahh, yes," Emrys said, strategically placing himself in front of his brother. That would have worked had Gwaine not been at least a head taller than he was, and broader as well. "I'm looking for Ellen-a-Dale or the Lady Eve Andric of Gisborne."

"What for?" was the girl's question.

Emrys sensed rather than heard that Gwaine was going to answer and quickly forestalled him. "That reason is to be disclosed only to Lady Gisborne or Lady Dale," he told her coolly. "Not to some random woman. So if you would kindly guide us to where we want to go, we'll get out of your hair."

The girl raised her chin and eyed him with cold, clear-blue eyes. Where had he seen eyes like that before ...? It struck him suddenly, and he flushed as she spoke. "I am Lady Eve Andric of Gisborne," she said. "What do you want?"

Gwaine snickered at Emrys's mistake. Seeing his brother's expression, Emrys shot him a glare before turning back to Eve, plastering what he hoped was a genuine smile on his face. "My apologies," he said. "I mistook you for—someone else." That made her eyebrow shoot up to her hairline. "Forgive me. Anyhow," he added, and a significant spark of amusement turned her lips up in a smile as she looked away. "I have a letter here, from your mother, if you'd like ..." He patted his pockets, trying to find the letter.

Gwaine giggled like a maid, Emrys thought angrily. "I have the letter, Em," he said, handing it over to Eve.

The lady coughed in an indelicate manner, no doubt to conceal her laughter. "Thank you," she said. She scanned the letter quickly before looking up. "Which one of you is which?"

"I'm Arthur," Emrys said. "But everyone calls me Emrys."

"Why? It's not your name," Eve pointed out.

"It's my surname," Emrys defended himself. "And I'm the second Arthur. The first Arthur outranks me."

"Just a little," Gwaine snickered. Seeing Eve given him a look, he quickly regained control. "I am Sir Gwaine of Camelot, milady. At your service." He gave a flagrant bow and took Eve's hand in his own, kissing her knuckles to his lips. To be honest, Eve looked as taken aback by that as Emrys felt.

"Oh ... umm ... hello," Eve said, stammering a little. "So you two are really the Merlin's sons?"

"Yes," Emrys answered, looking to regain some of his dignity. "And you are Sir Guy of Gisborne's daughter?"

Eve nodded, her gaze fixed on him in an oddly uncomfortable way. Emrys cocked his head. "Isn't Guy a villain?"

That made Eve's curious gaze turn into a glare. "He was," she said flatly. "He isn't anymore."

"Oh." Emrys shifted uncertainly.

Thank goodness for Gwaine. For the first time in his life, he actually said the right thing at the right time. "Might we see Ellen-a-Dale now?" he requested.

Eve nodded. "Just enter the mansion and go in the first door on your left," she said. "Ellen is in the dining room there."

"Eve! Eve!" A redhaired young woman appeared beside Eve, her face lit up with excitement that seemed too childish for a woman of her age. "I've been reading all these Stories. Can you believe they're all real?"

Eve cleared her throat, indicating the two boys with her head. The girl turned, her dark eyes widening when she saw them. "Oh!" she said. "Hello! Who are you?"

"This is Arthur Emrys and Gwaine Emrys," Eve told her. "Arthur prefers to be called Emrys, though."

"Then that's just what we'll call him," the girl said cheerfully. She extended a hand. Emrys couldn't figure out why she was wearing boys' clothes. Women in Camelot never wore breeches. "I'm Lana-a-Dale. Dancer, singer, musician, and daughter of the legendary Alan-a-Dale."

"It's a pleasure," Emrys said, placing his hand in hers. He was surprised when she started shaking it enthusiastically. Lana-a-Dale was the polar opposite of Eve Andric.

"I'm sure it is!" Lana answered, smiling widely. "I've never met anybody from another Story before. What's Camelot like? Is it big and splendid?"

"Quite," Gwaine said, "but we were going to see who I assume is your mother ...?"

"Oh, yes!" Lana said. "Come with me and I'll take you to her. Come on, Eve!" She grabbed the hand of the person closest to her—Gwaine—and dragged him along behind her as she ran towards the manor. Emrys glanced at Eve.

The noblewoman shrugged. "I'm not holding your hand," she told him, and brushed past him. It was only when she was standing beside him did Emrys realize that she was more than a half a head taller than he was. That somehow just made the way she'd been treating him worse.

The three of them allowed Lana to lead them to the dining room. Ellen was there, as promised. Her blonde hair was straight, brushing just past her shoulders. Unlike Eve's splendid attire, her own dress was a little threadbare. A little older than Emrys's own mother, there were dark shadows under her eyes. But her plain face little up with a smile when she saw the two boys, and she laid her hands on Emrys's shoulders first. "You must be Merlin's sons," she said, turning so the smile embraced Gwaine as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ellen-a-Dale. My daughter Lana, and this is Eve, Rachel's daughter. Welcome to Nottingham, lads."

"Thank you, Lady Ellen," Emrys answered, inclining his head. "It's a pleasure to be here."

"Have you got any food?" Gwaine asked. "I skipped breakfast looking for my disappearing brother."

"Just call me Ellen," she instructed. "I assume that you are the one who takes after his parents more. Emrys, I believe?"

"Yes, ma'am," Emrys replied.

"And that means you're Gwaine," Ellen added. "Of course there's food for you. Eve, would you kindly go and see if the servants can bring some food for our guests?"

Eve nodded and slipped out the door. Lana bounced on her heels. "Are you the only ones who'll be here?" she asked.

"As far as I know," Emrys said.

"No," Ellen disagreed. "My husband's oldest and dearest friend's daughter will be here shortly. If all goes well."

"And if it doesn't?" Emrys questioned.

Ellen didn't answer. Instead, she pasted a fake smile on her face. "Eve will be here soon with some food," she told them. "Have a seat. I'm afraid I have business to attend to. The next guest will be a little ... unusual-looking."

"More unusual-looking than a woman in breeches?" Emrys asked before he could help himself.

To his surprise, Lana didn't take offense. "I suppose that is rather unusual," she concurred, thinking about it. "But in my line of work, I can't practice with a skirt until I'm good and ready."

Ellen smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "More unusual than Lana, I can assure you," she said. "You should take her up on her offer if she ever wants to perform for you. She's wonderful, and that's not just from a mother's opinion."

"I'll bear that in mind," Emrys said.

"I'm not fond of music," Gwaine muttered, wrinkling his nose.

This time, Ellen laughed. "You inherited that from Merlin, I'm sure!" she replied. "He never could stand even the slightest note of music." Then she went to the door. "Feel free to wander as you please," she invited them. "Treat Nottingham as if it's your own."

"Thank you," Emrys and Gwaine chorused. Ellen gave them another smile before ducking out.

Lana was looking at Gwaine, looking mildly offended. "You don't like music?" she said.

"It's no fault of yours," Gwaine hastened to assure her. "I simply have no patience for it. I'm sorry."

The bard pursed her lips. "That is a disappointment," she said. "Though I suppose not everybody can have the sophisticated tastes required to enjoy the higher-form of entertainment known as music."

"I have sophisticated tastes!" Gwaine protested.

"Apparently not," Lana retorted, but she was grinning, taking the edge of her words.

Eve came through the door, leading a servant holding a tray laden with food. The tray was laid on the table and the servant hurried out. Seeing both Emrys and Gwaine eyeing the tray hungrily, she gave the smallest hint of a smile and motioned to the food. "Go on, then," she told them. "We've already eaten."

Already eaten or not, Lana couldn't resist taking a piece of bacon from the tray. "Mm," she said. "Mum's a good cook, but nothing compared to this. Don't tell her I said that," she added.

Gwaine snorted. "Camelot's cooks don't hold a candle to this place," he replied. "Whoever the cook is must be extremely talented."

Eve cleared her throat, staring at her feet. "Thank you," she said.

"You're the one who made all this?" Emrys questioned, his eyes widening. "But—but you're a noblewoman!"

Eve looked up at him. "And ...?" she said.

"And, well, it's just not a skill traditionally not associated with a noblewoman," Gwaine put in, stamping on Emrys's foot. "Very lovely indeed, Lady Eve."

A blush came to her cheeks that made her seem less frightening and more human. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Someone knocked on the door, and all four of them turned. Emrys's jaw dropped when he saw the girl standing there. She was tall—why did all the women have to be taller than him?—and more muscular than a woman ever should have been, but that wasn't the most surprising thing. No, what was shocking to Emrys was the long red hair. And not just any kind of long—it reached beyond the floor and around her bare feet. When she caught Emrys staring, she gave him a smile, her green eyes crinkling. Freckles stood out on her cheeks. "Hello," she said brightly. She held up a piece of paper. "I've got a note. Am I late to the party?"

They all stared at her for a moment. Unsurprisingly, it was Lana who broke the silence. "Hullo!" she said. "I'm Lana-a-Dale. Who are you?"

From anyone else, that would have sounded incredibly rude. But somehow, when Lana said it, it was spoken with such pure innocence that nobody could take any offense from it. The girl smiled—she couldn't have been any older than fourteen-years-old. "I'm Rampion Scarlet," she said.

Gwaine frowned. "Isn't rampion a form of lettuce?" he asked.

Rampion cocked her head. "I suppose it is," she said. "But I'm not a leaf. And I'm certainly not lettuce. Or didn't you notice?"

Since nobody else had moved, Emrys went forward and accepted the letter from her, scanning it swiftly. "You're Will Scarlet and Rapunzel's child," he said.

Rampion looked him up and down. "Short," she mumbled to herself. "Dark hair, dark eyes, silly robes ... you must be Merlin's son."

Emrys squared his shoulders. "I am Arthur Emrys," he said. "But everyone calls me Emrys. And are you insulting my father?"

Rampion shook her head. "No. I rather want to meet him, actually. Unfortunately, I only got the briefest glance at him before he goes hurtling off through some Story door to who-knows-where."

"He does tend to rush off," Gwaine agreed. "I'm his other son, Gwaine."

Rampion nodded at him, still not smiling at either one. "Enchanted, I'm sure," she said. She turned her attention to Eve. The noblewoman turned bright red under the scrutiny and hastily looked at her feet. "Those eyes are unmistakable," she said. "You're an Andric."

"Eve," came the whispered response. Apparently, Eve was a little more reserved than Emrys had given her credit for.

"And you must be Lana!" Rampion added, turning to the tall dancer.

Lana gave a wide smile in response and swept a curtsy. "I am indeed," she replied. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, thank you," Rampion said, shaking her head with a smile. Emrys was drawn to how her red curls danced all the way to the floor when she moved her head.

"Does that mean you just found out about The Story as well?" Emrys asked. She seemed terribly familiar with them.

"No, of course not," Rampion said. "My father told me from a young age. Why—your parents hid it from you?"

Nobody answered, and a look of superiority came over Rampion's face. "I see," was all she said.

An awkward silence fell over them. Nobody really wanted to look at anybody else, and the only sound was of Gwaine eating with an almost frantic fervor. Emrys felt embarrassed for him. Finally, he couldn't bear the quiet any longer. "I think I'll have a look around," he said.

Eve glanced at him. "I'll come with you."

That hadn't been his intention, but Emrys couldn't think of a way to refuse her that wouldn't come out extremely rude. "Alright," he said.

The two walked from the room and started going down the halls. Neither of them spoke for several minutes until Eve finally broke the silence. "I had to get out of there," she admitted. "Rampion made things uncomfortable."

"Just because she knew about The Story before we did doesn't make her any better than we are," Emrys grumbled.

Eve shrugged. "I can understand her thinking she's superior," she confessed. "After all, she probably knows a lot of stuff that we don't. It's just ... I don't know. Seeing somebody else being nice to Lana ..."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always been like a big sister to her, even though she's older," Eve said, fixing Emrys with a serious look. "She's always been like that. Always acting much younger than she actually is."

"My father mentioned something. When they were talking about the problem and telling us about The Story," he added. "He said something about Lana."

Eve stared at her feet. "Then there's a reason she's like that?"

"Probably."

That seemed to make the noble uncomfortable. Emrys sighed. "We really ought to do something, you know. Figure out a way to help."

"The best way we can help is by doing what we're told," Eve replied.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Emrys said, exasperated. "I'm a sorcerer! I can do this wonderful thing called magic. I'm not a child to be coddled and commanded."

"Really? You could have fooled me," Eve retorted. "They didn't leave us behind just because we're young. We're inexperienced. We just learned there are other worlds out there. And it seems like whatever our parents are doing is extremely important. Staying here and doing as we're told is the best option."

"It may be for you, but not for me," Emrys retorted. "Powerless people tend to not want to take action."

Eve squared her shoulders, coming up to her full height. "Apparently, people with magic tend to be too conceited for their own good," she snapped. "If you want to go off and ruin your father's plan, be my guest. But I won't be stupid enough to follow you."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Emrys shouted at her.

"Yes!" she yelled back, turning on him. "You're stupid and you're selfish. Don't you think I want to go with my mother and father? But they must have had a very good reason for leaving us behind!"

Emrys scowled. "You think that just because you're a noblewoman means you get to treat me like I'm a peasant."

Eve tossed her head. "Then stop acting like one," she replied, and walked off.

Emrys stared after her. I just got a scolding from a girl, he realized. Heaving a big sigh, he turned on his heel and walked away.

. . . . . . . . . .

Merlin pursed his lips. "I haven't been here since ... well ... you know."

Will Scarlet, two and a half heads taller than the small sorcerer, glanced at him. "I've never been here," he said with a shrug.

"Lucky you," Merlin muttered. He raised his voice to address Rachel, peering through the pitch black to see her. "Any sign of him yet, Rachel?"

"Not yet," she admitted, the worry evident in the tightness of her voice.

"He'll be back," Will assured her. He turned and mumbled to Merlin, "I hope."

Merlin elbowed the former outlaw half-jokingly. "It'd take more than that for us to lose him," he answered.

"I can hear you," Rachel said, frowning at them by the light of the fireball Merlin lit in his hand.

"I know you can," he said. Despite the horrible conditions and the terrible place they were in, Merlin couldn't help but enjoy himself. It reminded him of times gone by. Even though they'd been in a state of constant peril twenty years ago, it was where they'd all met. It was ... oddly fun.

Will looked at him with his dark-colored eyes and grinned. As the youngest of the group, he still had the most youthful face, even in his mid-thirties. He would probably be nearing ninety and still look like a youth. His mass of bright, curly red hair shown in the light of Merlin's flame. "I've got the creepiest feeling we're being watched," Will said.

That caught Merlin's attention. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his magical senses, extending it beyond their group. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Guy of Gisborne slid down a rocky slope beside him. "Same blasted rock and destroyed terrain for miles," he reported. "Not a soul around."

"I don't know if that last part is actually true," Merlin put in quietly. All eyes turned to him. Rachel, Rapunzel, Morgana, Guy, and Will looked at him in utter bemusement. "Will is right. There's someone lurking in the rocks nearby."

"What shall we do?" Rapunzel asked. Her blonde tresses had been growing long the last time Merlin had seen her, but a recent attempted kidnapping on Rampion had cost her most of them. She had attempted to wrap the kidnapper in her hair and he'd cut it off. It now barely reached to her waist.

"We could fight," Morgana suggested.

"I have a better idea," Merlin said, and added fuel to the flame in his hand before hoisting it. "You, there!" he shouted. The others flinched at the change in tone. "Come on out before I lob this fireball at you. Come on, then."

From the shadows of between the rocks, a figure swathed in darkness rose, the face covered by a black cowl. Only the figure's pale lips were visible. "Lower your cowl," Merlin ordered. The figure made no move to do so. "I gave you an order, unless you want a fireball to those big pale lips of yours."

To be honest, the figure's lips were no larger than anybody else's, but it just seemed to fit. That same feature turned upwards in a small smirk. "You do not command me."

"Fireball it is, then," Merlin replied, cocking his arm back.

There was no fear in the other man's voice when he spoke. "Oh, very well," he said. His voice was surprisingly youthful. Long, skinny arms reached up and undid the clasp around his neck, lowering the cloak to the ground.

Before Merlin could get a look at the youth, massive black wings spread from his back and he flapped them once. "I did as you told me," the youth called back to Merlin.

Goaded into action, Merlin hurled the fireball at their stalker. The young man gave a shrill cry of pain as it struck his leg. "Merlin!" Rachel cried as the winged figure flew out of their sight. "What were you thinking?"

Merlin grimaced at his hand. "That I shouldn't have rushed the spell like that. I burned my hand," he added, blowing on the tendrils of smoke snaking their way off his palm. "Stupid kid."

"Oh, Merlin," Morgana said, shaking her head at him. "You always did leap before you looked."

"Hang on," Rapunzel interrupted. "Where's Will?"

"Don't be silly," Merlin said. "He's right here—" He indicated his side where Will had been standing, but the tall outlaw had disappeared. "Will?"

There was an unmistakable air of tension now. "He couldn't have just disappeared," Rapunzel said, her voice tight.

"But it appears that he has," Merlin replied. He wasn't one to spare another's feelings with false hopes and pretenses. "Which could be a problem."

"Could be?" Guy said, raising an eyebrow. "If something is going to go wrong, it will happen to him, it seems."

"That's not funny," Rapunzel snapped, glaring at him.

"Everyone just needs to stay calm," Merlin said. A stabbing pain interrupted him, and he doubled over in pain. He looked down at the arrowhead that had pierced his abdomen.

"Merlin!" Rachel shrieked.

He managed to lob a fireball into the middle of the rocks, lighting up the attackers surrounding them. "I think," he gasped out in a strangled voice, "now would be a great time to panic."