Artoria had made certain that Diarmuid had kept his promise, and he had not followed her into the dense wood. She had jumped over boulders, weaved through the maze that was the tall looming trees, and even slid down a steep slope and balanced herself on the stone path of a creak. It took her a while, but she reached her destination.

The cave entrance was carved out in the shape of a raven with its wings spread wide and its head to the side. Artoria caught sight of a small glowing red insignia at the very top of the cave. The fact that she actually listened to the mysterious letter that appeared on her desk earlier that day was beyond her. What had most entice her of the letter was its writer and what they wished to discuss with her.

Artoria had heard of the Corv Cave many times over; it was popular amongst the locals for being a particularly creepy place. People were said to have gone missing around these parts of the woods, but Morgana reassured her that the cave was no safer than the castle. It had allegedly been the dwelling place of a dragon, once upon a time, eons ago.

Pitch black awaited within the long, jagged crevice, holding the woman she was to meet, along with all sorts of things that could also lurk in the deep, long shadows. Artoria analyzed her surroundings, but it was hard to really make out much aside from the trees' silhouettes and boulders when there was no moonlight. The overcast skies looked dark and gloomy, almost indicating that there would soon be rainfall. Artoria slipped her hood back on and looked around one last time to be certain that no one had followed after her before she placed her ring back on her ring finger, her appearance forming into Arthur once more.

The coarse rocks crunched under her feet with every step she took. Carefully, Artoria stretched her arm out and felt the cold and jagged wall of the cave under her fingertips. She could feel the dampness of the cave just by the walls. Using the wall as her guide, she stepped deeper into the cave until the darkness devoured her.

Artoria could hear the echoing of her breathing, and as she steadied herself, she started to hear a distinct sound in the distance. It sounded like dripping water. The drip-drip didn't happen consecutively; it took a few seconds for the drips to follow one another.

Artoria felt the sharp turn of the tunnel, and she looked back towards the exit one last time, barely seeing the light. She took one last deep breath before she continued deeper into the cave.

Crack!

Artoria jumped at the sound of a twig breaking. She whipped her head around herself, and that was when she heard a wooshing sound and immediately, there appeared a flame in front of her. The cave was bathed in light, and a figure emerged from the darkness. It was a woman, clothed in a white flowing dress that dipped off her shoulders. Her curly red locks fell like flames, and the jewels that adorned it sparkled like droplets of water in the sunlight. The freckles on her cheeks were barely visible, but her green eyes shone like emeralds.

The cave walls were black and shiny; the cave had to be hand-carved into obsidian rock. The light reflected off the igneous rock in flickering waves, bouncing off. If it weren't for the fact that Youth was before her, Artoria would deem the cave rather beautiful. If she recalled correctly, she had never been in such a place before.

What sounded like fluttering wings caught both their attention, and they watched as a bat flew past them towards the exit of the cave. Finally, they looked back at one another.

Drip. Drip.

"You came, your majesty." The woman smiled a wicked smile, sending chills down Artoria's spine. "I hardly expected you to meet me. I didn't think my letter could convince you."

"Are you the one they call Youth? The one who branded my knight?" Artoria held the pommel of the sword that was strapped to her thigh as she eyed the woman that rounded her.

Youth tilted her head, her features glowing orange against the flames. "Well, in simple terms, I am..." she spoke. "Although, I don't think you came all the way here just to ask me that. You want to know how to do it, huh? You want to know how to protect him, don't you?" She turned to Artoria and gave her a hopeless smile. "The simplest way to do so is by staying away from him. But alas, I know Diarmuid can be much too charming to keep too far away. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, he is rather safe around you."

Artoria remained silent.

"The vision so tells me he'll die in your hands...not by your hands. Us oracles cannot tell the full story, for that will ruin the future completely. However, there are ways to prevent this. Both you and I have something in common."

"And what is that?" Artoria raised her eyebrow.

Youth eyed her. "The goal of keeping Diarmuid safe." She bent down and took a bit of the flame that was between them and played with it between her fingers. "The reason I branded him was because of the darkness around him, and I think that if we work together, we can keep him from it."

"Is that why you called me out here? To the depths of a cave? Just to form an alliance?"

"Well, Morgana is a powerful sorceress, her shield around the castle makes it hard for me to be out and about in Camelot. The cave is an unseemly place to meet, of course, but the safest for me. Branding Diarmuid took quite a bit of my power and Morgana's bubble didn't quite help me recover quickly, thus I am here, hiding from potential evil that might be lurking just outside the cave. After all, Corv Cave is a magical place."

Artoria narrowed her gaze. "Why would I want to form an alliance with you when you've cursed Diarmuid before?"

Youth rolled her eyes. "The love curse I put on him was an act of rage on my part, I know it was wrong and I regret it. As ridiculous as it may sound, I love Diarmuid and I would do whatever it takes to protect him. As his King, I am certain you would do the same."

"I would never curse him."

"I mean you would protect him," Youth deadpanned. "You can't control magic, idiot. My brand protects him. Our alliance, with the help of Morgana, of course, would also protect him."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Oh, I never said you could trust me." Youth ruffled her hair, her green eyes glowing. "However, I would not harm that which makes Diarmuid happy. You need not trust me, just trust my love for Diarmuid."

"Love?" Artoria scoffed. "Is that what you call it? I only see your obsession."

Youth tittered. "Why, my dearest Artoria, you are much too cynical."

Artoria froze at her name. She looked around once more and drew her sword, pointing it at Youth. "Who told you that?"

Youth pressed the tip of her finger, the one that held the flame, against the tip of Artoria's sword. She pushed it away from herself. "That you're cynical? Or that your name is Artoria?"

Artoria redirected the sword to Youth as a gust of wind blew through the cave, causing the fire to die down for a little before it returned much brighter than it had previously been. "How do you know who I am?"

"You cannot fool a sorceress as powerful as myself. Your silly ring illusion means nothing to me. I can see right through you, my king." She grinned. "Woman or not, it doesn't really matter to me, and it isn't my place to tell everyone who you are either. If I wish to keep Diarmuid safe, I must also keep your identity secret, and I must also make sure to keep you close."

Artoria glared at Youth. "What is this darkness you speak of?"

"It doesn't only affect Diarmuid, my dearest Artoria. This darkness will encapsulate all of Camelot, your people will be drained of their life force. You must know about the black fog, right?"

"The black fog?" The king raised her eyebrow.

"Why yes, the black fog. It engulfs everything in its path. It takes that which is light and sweet and poisons it. It comes to Camelot and it will arrive before you know it."

"How do you know this?"

"I'm an oracle, my dear," Youth deadpanned as she rolled her eyes. "Morgana has seen it too. You wondered what is keeping Cornwall on Francia's shore? The fog is the culprit. You see," she began, "There was a curse on him way before I even laid eyes on him."

Artoria lowered her sword. "What do you mean?"

"I'm certain you already know that Diarmuid is the son of Donn, yes?" Youth raised an eyebrow.

Artoria nodded in reply.

"You see," she spoke. Youth began to walk in circles around Artoria, playing with the flame, letting it weave around her fingers. "Diarmuid had killed a man at a very young age; it so happened this man was rather...important, to say the least. A price had to be paid...blood demands blood." Youth smothered the flame in her fist. She raised her eyes and looked Artoria in the eyes.

Youth sparked up the flame again with a snap of her fingers. "Donn did everything he could, but Diarmuid needed to die. The boar was his destiny, it was written. His ultimate death was a pact made by Donn and Carman, a sorceress of destruction. The deal was forged with deep magic, but as we both are well aware, Diarmuid lives. As the son of Donn, and as per the pact, he must die."

"That..." Artoria searched her mind. "That can't be. How come he hasn't told me this?"

"Oh Artoria, he would if he knew." Youth huffed. "God knows he would give you his life in a heartbeat," she muttered under her breath.

"Aengus and Donn kept the curse quite the secret, but when Diarmuid was revived, it came to light; however, it was erased from Diarmuid's memory," she continued, "The fog seeks retribution. Once Diarmuid dies, the needless war for Brittany will end. Your people will be far away from the fog and be in safety. Everything will be just as it was meant to be..." Then the flame that hovered over her fingertips grew. "If Diarmuid lives, the fog will stop at nothing until it is satiated. The son of Donn must pay with his blood, the son of the king of the dead must die."

"Diarmuid will not die. I promised him one thing, I would never hurt him. I will find another way to destroy the fog and keep Diarmuid safe." Artoria sheathed her sword.

Youth's red lips stretched widely and she clapped her hands. "That's what I wanted to hear. There is a way to vanquish the fog. It requires our cooperation, along with the powers of Morgana and Merlin, of course."

"You know how to get rid of it?"

Youth nodded. The flickering flames between the two women cast long shadows along the cave walls. "I've spent a few months mulling it over, planning what would and wouldn't work. I found it. I found the black fog's weakness." She giggled. "If I wasn't already the most talented sorceress before I think this makes me."

Artoria tilted her head and narrowed her eyes on Youth. "What do we have to do?"

"The first thing you need to do is get Morgana to let me past her bubble, only then will I be able to work with you." Youth extended her hand. "Shall we form an alliance then, my dearest king?"