Ara was dreaming. She was sure of it. Her eyes were closed, darkness surrounded her, but she could somehow feel that she lay upon what felt to her like a hammock. It dipped less, however. A cot, maybe?

Yes. She lay upon a cot and could her the muffled sounds of voices around her. Two she recognized. From before, from the dream. There was another now, it sounded older. She must still be dreaming, she concluded. Camelot. Ha. There was no way she was in Camelot.

"Where did you find her?" The new voice spoke.

"About a day outside the walls. It was a hard ride to reach the city in half that time." Stiff, proper, arrogant, yet something hidden in the recesses of the voice. Arthur; or a man who claims to be Arthur --or a figment of her imagination.

"She seemed lost. I've never heard an accent like hers before." Kind, soft, something hidden.

"Perhaps she is lost, Merlin. Her body is exhausted, and she is very dehydrated."

"Will she be alright?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," the voice confirmed. "She will be. She needs to wake up soon, however."

As if on cue Ara's eyes began to flutter, her body finally allowing her to fully awaken. She squinted at the light for a moment before opening her eye fully and looking around at the men around her. Merlin smiled, Arthur's eyes softened.

She allowed herself to study the new man. He was older, as his voice had let on. Grey hair fell in wisps to touch his shoulders. Thick eyebrows above heavily hooded eyes, one raising up higher than the other. Wrinkles lined his face, and his eyes were clouded with age, but kind looking and comforting. Someone who knew pain and did all he could to help those who felt it.

After quickly assessing the man Ara sat up and wiped her palms along her jeans.
"Well, one of you will have to hit me." She said.

The men gaped. "Excuse me?"

"If I want to wake up I suspect you'll have to hit me." She shut her eyes tight, preparing for an impact that didn't come. She opened her eyes again. "Well, come on, I can't waste my days dreaming away."

Arthur leaned in to the man and whispered, though not very quietly, through clenched death. "Are you sure she's just dehydrated, Gaius? Perhaps she hit here head."

"She appears to be fine." The man, Gaius responded.

"Then what's she playing at?"

"I'm not sure, sire."

Ara butted in, "well, I'm not deaf, am I?" The men looked at her and she huffed. "But I am dreaming, so... Get on then!"

"Dreaming? What?" Merlin stuttered.

"Obviously! This can't be Camelot, you can't be King Arthur, or Merlin."

"Prince Arthur, I told you, I'm not king yet, and this is Camelot."

"Silly, of course this isn't Camelot. How could it be?"

"Because it is!" Arthur stuttered, utterly confused by the denial.

"My lady," Gauis started.

"My lady? Do you hear yourself? I'm not a lady, no ones really a 'lady' anymore, despite maybe the queen that is." She paused. "Is the queen even a lady? I don't think we define her as a lady anymore. I mean knights aren't really knights anymore so maybe the queen isn't a lady."

The men looked at her like she was mad; and maybe she was. She felt like she was.

"My lady," Gaius started again. "I think you should lay down." He placed hands upon her shoulders and gently pushed her back into a laying position.

"I'll leave you two to deal with this. Merlin, I will expect you in my chambers after dinner." Arthur touched a hand to Gaius' shoulder before walking out, barely catching the exclamation 'oh my god, were king Arthur and Merlin gay for eachother?' As he walked out the door.

Ara lay staring around for a while. Still feeling oddly surprised and giddy, having fun with the idea of what she could do with this odd dream, as it seemed she wouldn't be leaving it very soon. Sadly Gaius requested she rest, and she was growing bored. As she sat she thought, and as she thought her distracted him faded. She thought and she thought and then...
She screamed.

Merlin rushed to her side. "What is it? Are you okay? Are you in some kind of pain?"

"Oh my god!" She shouted. "I-I..."

"Yes? Spit it out!"

"I'm actually in Camelot!"

"Yes, I know..." Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't a dream?" She said hesitantly, quietly.

Merlin sighed. "No, Ara. This isn't a dream, I have no idea as to why you would think that."

"Well because Camelot is just a legend!"

"Come again?" Merlin folded his lips together and squinted his eyes, leaning forward as if to hear better.

"Back home... You... You're just a legend..."

"What do you mean 'I'm a legend'?"

"Merlin..." Ara sat up and put her hands on Merlin's shoulders, brown eyes meeting crystal blue. "I don't think I'm in the right time anymore."