“On the other note, Arthur.” At this moment, Merlin turns an eye at where that Brat is. Though he didn’t stop for a second on his walk, he manages to avoid getting hit by low-hovering branches or to trip on uneven grounds despite the weight of my backpack he is now carrying. (Well, it is just me who needs to worry over the matter of being clumsy all the time.) He adds, “I take it that it wasn’t you who’ve carelessly let the hobby go, are you?”

“Of course not,” the Brat replies, almost walking alongside Merlin that I instantly move toward the latter’s other side then to continue listening with their conversation. “Kay had done it. But he is so adamant to chase after it to fully let it go. Sir Hector had given us the go-signal to let the young hobby go because Alegor had mentioned that that particular falcon isn’t being tamed by all means.”

“Hmm… you didn’t try taming it yourself? You certainly remember that incident with Arawn?” Merlin reminds him of.

“If I’ll have all of them, my hands will certainly be full with all of them. Not to mention that hobby falcons are for young men. And also, isn’t you, Merlin, who’ve encouraged me to completely tame Arawn when I was in the midst of giving up?” A small smile appears on the Brat’s face. Not the same one that he had given to tease me at all or the dangerous one. I am surprise to find out that even this Brat can do such a thing, and if I didn’t know him enough with that early encounter, I will even say that I’ve fallen into such a deceit of devilish charms.

“Ah! And I end up having the most scratches from Arawn,” comments Merlin as if it had taken him a long moment to realize the Brat’s words, not to mention that it took him indeed minutes before finally replying back. “Aren’t you completely a great falconer yourself, sire? One will just abandon it to fumble on its own the moment that he had given back its freedom from captivity, but a great leader will ensure that the newly freed one will have a fresh start of his own.”

Arthur laughs cheekily. “As always, big words, Merlin. Big words.”

I, for once, didn’t quite get what is behind Merlin’s words by that. I only realize something instead—that the relationship that Merlin and the Brat has is one that is truly more than just that of a master and a servant, but more of close friends that the two trust each other so much.

And in my own take of great leadership, trust is the necessary foundation.

A few minutes of walking, the three of us, in silence except for our footsteps against the ground and the rustling of the grasses against our legs, with me almost tripping countless of times in hope that neither from the two of them had seen my struggles (except that with the Brat’s chuckle despite keeping his eyes straight on is enough to make me understand that he knows), we finally make it at the end of the forest line and then to a vast field itself.

In a few meters of plantation, we make it to the common road and then to the lowered drawbridge where I can swear that my eyes had gone as huge as saucers in finally seeing such a grand and antique castle, surrounded by a moat. I’ve seen Edinburgh Castle and Buckingham Palace with my own eyes, but there is nothing so beautiful than the antiquity of this castle. I will say that this is a fortress, but my excitement to see such a thing that is certainly already lost in my time is enough to make my heart almost bury in joy.

“Hey, Stupid,” the Brat calls out, causing me to stop in my walk for a second before I even bump against him. He pokes my forehead that I immediately raise my hands to cover them from another trial and I narrow my eyes at him in contained anger. “Don’t gape too much since it makes you a lot weirder. Have you never seen a castle before?”

“Tsk… for another time, I am not stupid! I have a name! My name is Eira,” I defend myself, drawing away and moving to the side to get ahead of him, seeing that Merlin continues on his way to the main courtyard of the palace.

He chuckles, crosses his arms, and turns away as he follows Merlin the same way that I do. I hear him muttering, “A stupid all the same.”

As the three of us trail the halls of the palace, a handsome and tall young man comes running to our direction. He keeps his dark brown hair until his shoulders, tying it lowly. Compared to the Brat, this one appears to be cheerful and his brown eyes light up with energy. He immediately calls, “Arthur! Have you managed to safely loose the hobby? I take it that you did given that Merlin’s with you now, have you?”

The Brat sighs heavily. “The hobby had flown afterwards. It really desires its freedom for it to remain untamed for quite a while. Merlin helped easing it somehow until I’ve managed to untie its string.”

I didn’t bring up the notice that I also help. Saying that will certainly be another topic and ruin what great pride the Brat has.

The young man though notices me and opens his mouth to say something. But, at that moment, an elderly gentleman with the same features as the first one but with a grown beard, stands next to the other. He smiles and remarks, “It is a relief to find out that Merlin had been there to ease the hobby. If you’ve struggled to untie it on your own, Your Royal Highness, it will certainly have caused too much of a wound. Alegor had mentioned how it had been acting wildly that he had suggested it will be good to let it go. But Arawn remains a different story of yours, Prince Arthur. I can say that after all your patience, Arawn had finally recognize what he will be doing in the future.”

The Brat completely looks happy being acknowledge of his works that is causing me to wonder how untamable the one that they’re considering ‘Arawn’ to be is in the first place. He replies, “There are surely more to be added on with the rest of the falcons, Sir Hector. Who knows, perhaps, by the time that the hobby is all grown, it will return and finally be a good catch?”

“I also wonder about that sometimes.” Sir Hector then turns to the younger man next to him who keeps his eyes onto me with an alluring smile. “Kay, don’t you think that you owe Prince Arthur an apology about the trouble you’ve caused him? If you’ve held tightly onto the hobby yourself, it will not end up hurting itself that pushed His Royal Highness to chase after it.”

The younger man named Kay finally looks away from me and sheepishly gazes at the Brat. “I’m sorry.”

The Brat, however, scoffs and says, “Don’t just disturb me after dinner for the next few days as payment.”

Kay gapes at him. “Why not?! You should be aware of the affairs of Camelot being—”

“Oh, shut up with it for now, Kay,” Sir Hector interrupts with a light laugh as if it is one common situation between them already. He then looks at me for a second, causing me to bite my lower lip and look down to the floor to keep my own shyness myself, and inquires, “Merlin, this girl…”

All eyes turn to me except for the Brat who scowls. Merlin introduces me as I keep a strained smile for Sir Hector and Kay, all the while trying to contain my anger toward that bratty prince, “Allow me to introduce to you, my lord. Lady Eira. I brought her here because she valiantly saved the hobby and had lessened the inconveniences before Prince Arthur successfully let the hobby go. And the same one that I’ve mentioned to you last night.”

“Amazing…” Kay trails off, his brown eyes wide as if he can’t believe what he just heard. “I don’t think that there’s a woman who will dare climb a tree in that matter.”

“Kay…” Sir Hector scolds for another time that seems to cause Kay to bite his lower lip in shame. He then turns a smile at me and Merlin, saying, “Of course! Her features show too well that she’s someone around here, but then…”

“The clothes are what I’ve bought for her,” Merlin answers, sparing me from the humiliation of not knowing what to say at that. “Despite that, she’ll be the one who’ll bring fortune to us.”

“Is that so?” questions Sir Hector, almost chuckling. “If Merlin believes it to be, then there’s no problem.” He ushers a hand at the three of us. “We should go and have lunch then. I believe that you’ll be hungry.”

I can feel my own stomach almost wanting to savor the notion of breakfast. It is a good thing that there hadn’t been any rumble from me yet. However, remembering the pain that remains existent on my shoulder, I know that there’s something else that must be done first.

Merlin remembers it, good thing, for him to say, smiling at Sir Hector’s generosity, “If you’ll excuse both me and Lady Eira for a moment before lunch, sire. I take it that I need to have this wound of hers look out for before it become worse.”

It’s as if it had been the first time for both Sir Hector and Kay to see it, as they look at me helplessly now.

“We’ll be waiting for the two of you at the dining hall, Merlin. I am sure that my wife will be ecstatic to meet Lady Eira,” Sir Hector remarks with a suppressed smile and a worried gaze. His eyes are drawn onto my shoulder, bloody that is almost invisible at the red dress handed to me by Merlin but the marks of claws embedding against skin to puncture the fabric. “I believe that Acwald will have some poultice to relieve the pain.”

I and Merlin bow our heads in unison just as the Brat didn’t hesitate to parade on silently, already grabbing Kay by the collar as if to drag him out of this already.

“And, Lady Eira…” calls Sir Hector for a second before following suit to the hall to allow me and Merlin the dismissal to head where and Merlin can see the wound himself. He smiles as he adds, “Welcome to Forest Sauvage.”