A/N: On my mum's laptop again... I'm going to try and get 'Mindless Chatter And Strange Happenings' updated by the end of this weekend.

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Merlin.

Sorry for grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. Also, feel free to criticise/critique anything; I really don't mind and I never take offense. I'm always greatful for criticism.

/

Mordred stared at the ceiling above him, unable to sleep. He'd planned to go to bed earlier to enable him to gain the sleep he'd lost the night before, but his thoughts were overwhelming him. All day he'd been unable to think straight and, after recent events, he now had even more bothering him.

He jumped out of his bed, knowing he could not stay there a moment longer. If he could not rest, he could at least do something useful or something that would help put his mind partially to rest. That meant he'd have to return to Gaius' chambers and see if the young girl was still there. If she wasn't, he'd have to find her. It was important for him to see her and speak to her.

Pulling his boots back on, Mordred grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders. He pulled the hood over his head as he crossed his room. When he reached the door, he opened it gently, trying to ignore his hands which were now shaking. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly left his room, allowing his door to close itself and quickly made his way to Gaius' chambers.

/

"They don't seem to be infected." Gaius said calmly, twisting a young boy's arms around and closely examining his burns. "I need you to rub this remedy on them, and then take this before you go to sleep." He continued, handing the boy two glass vials filled with liquid. The boy nodded, thanked Gaius quickly and stumbled across the room to meet Percival, who would be showing him where he'd be staying.

"Who's left?" The old physician asked gently, looking around to see how many people were still waiting.

"Just me." The young girl covered in scars whispered, taking a step forward. She was nervous about having her wounds checked out as she didn't want to be asked about what had happened to her face. There were certain people she would tell, but she doubted that said people would recognise her after what had happened.

"Would you like me to inspect your scars as well as your burns? I could give you treatment that could help them fade."

"I think they are too deep to fade very much." The young girl answered, smiling sadly. "But I don't want them to. They are a part of me now, and they remind me of who I am. They are a constant reminder of what I've have gotten through in the past and to keep fighting for what I believe to be right."

"Very well." Gaius said softly, nodding his head and smiling slightly. He didn't like the fact that someone as young as her had received such wounds, but he was somewhat happy that they actually had a meaning to her. It was very rare that people remembered their scars are battle wounds and are constant reminders of what you've been through.

"Thank you." She said as the old physician took her arms and examined them closely. He turned them over and over, lightly pressing his fingers against the frail, melted skin. The girl winced slightly, biting her lip to try and ignore the sharp pain dancing up her burns. Gaius furrowed his eyebrows, then leaned backwards, taking several things from the nearby table.

"There seems to be a slight infection in some of the burns. It is easily treated, but your arms must stay bandaged and the mixture must be applied every twelve hours for two days." He said calmly, dipping his fingers into a pot and rubbing the cool mixture onto her arms. She nodded her head slowly, trying to show her understanding and distract herself.

Gaius finished coating her wounds in the mixture and quickly wrapped them in a thin bandage, making sure that every centimetre of the burns were covered. The girl smiled to show her thankfulness, knowing that if she spoke, her voice would reflect the pain she was feeling. The physician opened his mouth to speak, but a loud knock on the door interrupted him.

"Sorry for bothering you, Gaius." A voice said politely as he gently pushed open the door. Mordred slipped into the room and scanned it, checking to see if she was still here. He smiled slightly when he saw her beside Gaius, thankful that he didn't have to go exploring for her.

"What is it that you need?"

"I need to speak to her." He answered simply. When Gaius raised an eyebrow, Mordred quickly made up an excuse. "Because I wasn't present during the meeting and I need to understand what happened. There are other things I am also required to ask her."

The old physician nodded as he finished bandaging the girl's arms. He picked something up from the table and said, "You can speak to her until Percival returns to collect her. I need to find Merlin so you will both be alone." And with that, he quickly crossed the room and left.

Breathing deeply to keep himself calm, Mordred slowly walked across the room and stood opposite the girl. As he crossed the room, she stared at the bandages on her arms, refusing to lift her head. When he reached his destination, she glanced up at him, automatically locking eyes with him.

"What do you need to know?" She said gently, smiling sadly.

"Ash?" Mordred breathed, his eyes filling with tears. The girl blinked at him, saying nothing. After a minute, which seemed like an eternity, she grinned, a single tear of happiness rolling down her cheek.

"I can't believe you recognise me." She gasped, quickly moving towards him. As she gently hugged him, she whispered, "I barely recognise myself."

Mordred's face broke out into a grin and his eyes shone with happiness as he hugged his old friend. Ash beamed back at him as she stepped backwards and perched herself on the edge of Gaius' table. Luckily for her, the table was practically empty rather than overflowing with items like it usually was.

"The last time I saw you was when you left to find Morgana. I guess a lot has changed since then, including her." She said slowly, unsure whether she'd upset the young knight by bringing it up.

"A lot can change in three years." He replied emotionlessly, though she could see tears glistening in his eyes. Mordred directed his eyes towards to floor, frowning at it. "Morgana changed for the worst. You must understand that when I knew her, she was nothing like she is today. She was filled with kindness and compassion, not blinded by hatred."

Ash nodded, knowing that Morgana wasn't the only person who had changed for the worst. But she knew that now wasn't exactly the time to bring up who she'd met several months ago.

"The last time I saw you, you only had one scar on your face." Mordred said softly, glancing back up towards Ash and locking eyes with her again. This time, it was her turn to face away. She turned her head, staring into the distance.

"Things haven't been easy." Ash whispered, her voice thick and strained. "You know better than anyone how people with magic are treated. I knew that the druids would have no interest in me, but I could not find a place where people didn't already know of my talents. Every day, I faced the threat of a death sentence, but I always managed to escape. The three scars across my lips are a constant reminder of those days. Without you for guidance, I was lost again. But I eventually found home. After almost a year of searching, I found a peaceful village which I had never visited before. These people did not know of my magic which meant they had no interest in killing me. For a year, I lived in peace and it was like nothing I've ever experienced before. Just less than a year ago, some bandits invaded our village, searching for men to take to Ismere. Though obviously I am not a man, they knocked me out and dragged me to meet their queen, Morgana. When I refused to take her side and swore my loyalty to King Arthur, she was furious. She knew that I had magic and seemed to believe that I would be able to give her information about Camelot. She also wanted to know what I knew about Emrys. I remembered everything you told me about Emrys, but I didn't tell her anything. She didn't seem like the person you'd always described with admiration and love, so I didn't trust her. Morgana isn't the type of person who deals well with anger though, and she tortured me in attempt to get me to speak. The scars across my face and my breathing problems are from her brutal methods. She instructed Aithusa to keep me guarded whilst she dealt with some of Arthur's knights, but the young dragon is not like the high priestess. Aithusa is filled with compassion, but she will always remain loyal to the person who has looked after her. I received the scars on my neck by trying to escape Aithusa's guard, and she attacked me. But she could not stand to see what pain she'd caused me and she let me go. I returned to the village, remaining on high alert in case Morgana or her men returned. But they never did. Not until Aithusa attacked our village, leaving us with nothing."

"That's horrible." Mordred choked, unsure what else to say. His throat was dry and he pitied Ash for what she'd been put through. "But you're safe now."

"I know." Ash said, glancing back upwards and smiling sadly. A single tear ran down her pale face and she hastily brushed it away with her sleeve. Wanting to change the subject, she quickly added, "So how have you been?"

Mordred smiled, trying to think of where to begin. "It took me almost two years to find Morgana." He started, motionlessly staring into the distance, deep in thought. "But she was not who she used to be. To be completely honest, her actions scared me and I was horrified by the hatred that filled her heart. I knew I had to do something when she preparing herself to finally kill Arthur who was at her mercy. Unlike her, Arthur was filled with compassion and he'd risked everything to save his knights. When Morgana began to chant the spell that would take Arthur's life, I drove my dagger into her back."

Mordred blinked and looked back towards Ash once more. She was frowning as she stared at him, clearly absorbed into his story. He met her eyes once more and whispered, "I saved the King's life and then I was knighted."

"And that is something to be proud of." Ash said gently, her face breaking into a smile. She wanted to tell Mordred how she was also proud of him for making that decision and doing the right thing, but the words swimming inside her head couldn't form the right sentence.

"It was one of the best things I've ever done. Here, in Camelot, I am accepted even if they do not know who I really am. I finally have a proper home. The people of Camelot are my family and the knights are like brothers. There is only one thing that could make this better, and that would be to see her again." Mordred's eyes filled with tears as his thoughts drifted towards the girl who often visited his dreams. It had been years since they had been together and he missed her more with each passing day. There was a constant ache in his heart which grew when he thought of her.

"I met Kara." Ash said abruptly, knowing who Mordred had been thinking of. She had heard enough stories about Kara to tell her life story and she knew how much Mordred loved her.

"W-What?"

"A couple of months ago, I came across her. It's a long story, but Mordred-"

"How is she? Did she mention me?"

"Mordred, she's-"

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Percival said loudly as he opened the door. Ash shook her head, knowing that she couldn't continue what she'd been saying now. She smiled politely at the tall knight and walked towards him, ready to be shown to where she would stay.

"Thank you for telling me what I needed to know." Mordred said quickly, smiling kindly at Ash, trying not to feel disappointed that she had told him about Kara. He longed to see her again, but he knew that she wouldn't dare come to Camelot as she did not want to be executed.

"See you later, Mordred." Percival grinned as he led Ash out of the door and down the hallway. Mordred watched them go, thinking about how he'd need to speak to his old friend again. It was important for him to know how Kara was and how Ash had reacted to meeting her. He continued to think about it for a while, staring at the wooden door directly in front of him, before he decided he should actually leave himself.

/

"Gaius, I need to speak to you." Merlin said quickly as he almost bumped into the physician. Gaius raised his eyebrow, looking at his young companion with confusion and suspicion. "I had a nightmare."

"We all do, Merlin." Gaius replied calmly, his eyebrow settling back down to where it had rested before.

"No, but this one was terrifying. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I keep trying to forget about it, but I just can't."

"I'm sure it's nothing and you'll forget about it eventually."

"At the meeting though, that girl, the one covered in scars, she was in my nightmare."

"I'm sure it was just someone similar looking and you are over-thinking this whole situation. I can assure you, everything will be fine."

"But what if it's a warning?" Merlin asked slowly.

"Then act carefully. But do not act unless you are sure of the truth." Gaius answered, trying to make sure that the young warlock would absorb every one of his words. Normally, Merlin would act before he was unsure of the truth and just cause what he'd seen to happen, but if this case was anything similar, it was clear that the dream should not be allowed to happen.

/

Did that last sentence even make sense? :s

I hope you liked it c: