Under the blazing sky of a late summer afternoon, two young men ran across the sun baked grass. They were an unmatched couple, a dark haired Celt clutching one hand to a wounded side, the other a fair haired Saxon with a rivulet of blood staining the white sleeve of his tunic, who was half dragging the first along with him.

"Llud is going to kill me," Kai panted as he hauled Arthur over a tumble of rough stones. They were headed uphill, seeking refuge, any refuge from the band of marauding Picts that pursued them.

"It was my idea to go hunting," Arthur gasped back, leaning on his friend and foster brother for support. "Gods...."

Kai gave him a worried look. "Not much further," he urged.

"Do you even know where we’re going?" Arthur snapped, glaring at him. "Leave me here...."

"Are you mad? Llud would skin me alive!" Kai tugged at him imperiously, shoving the Celt ahead of him. "He’s already going to leather me for taking his horse. Gods know what he’ll say when he finds the Picts have got it!"

Arthur grimaced, pressing his hand harder against the rough bandage made out of Kai’s cloak that was wrapped around his middle. He rather doubted that Kai would be blamed for this mess. It had been his fault from start to finish. His idea to go hunting for rabbits for Kai’s birthing day celebration, his persuading that had led to Kai borrowing Llud’s war horse since his own elderly animal was too lame to ride, his decision to head down into the valley to see if they could spot the Picts the Scouts had mentioned. At least if he hadn’t been so impatient, Kai would have had his surprise birthing day gift from Llud; the beautiful black stallion he had brought for him.

He dreaded to think what Llud would have to say to him. Llud was used to Kai’s rebellious acts of recklessness. Arthur was supposed to be the sensible one, the up and coming chieftain...

The ambush had taken them both by surprise; Kai had been thrown when a Pict had leaped on him from a rocky outcrop, suffering a wounded arm in the process from a knife slash. In the confusion that followed Arthur had lost his own mare and been wounded in the side before the two warriors had managed to drive off the handful of Picts. The Picts had fled with the horses, while Arthur and Kai fled in the opposite direction

Llud would probably make him ride Kai’s old horse to replace his own lost mount. And make him pay for the animal Kai had been riding.

On the other hand, he might be so grateful to see them both alive he’d forgive the whole thing. Or maybe he could talk Kai into persuading Llud to forget it as part of his celebration....

Arthur sighed. No, that wouldn’t be fair. He couldn’t deny it had been his fault and Llud had raised them both to take responsibility for themselves. .

Kai had stopped pushing him and turned to look back, staring down the vale they had scrambled up so desperately into the sun hazed distance.

"I’m sorry," Arthur gasped, subsiding onto a handy boulder to rest and catch his breath.

"Huh?" Kai glanced at him with a frown. "You’re not that badly hurt, so don’t pretend you are!"

"It’s not that. I bloody deserved it..."

"Hah!"

Arthur waved a blood stained hand. "I've ruined your birthing day and your midsummer tunic and all for what? Nothing..."

Kai stared at him blankly for a long moment and then flashed the handsome grin that had the women vying for his attention. "Wouldn’t have missed it. I’ll have more of both," he said cheerfully.

I hope so, Arthur thought gloomily. It was only a matter of time before the Picts caught up with them. They hadn’t been more than a mile or so behind the last time they'd glimpsed them.

"What we need to do is find you some shelter. We’ll never make it back to the village before they catch up with us."

"Fair enough," Arthur inclined his head. "I’ll hide while you go back...."

"One more word, Arthur, and I’ll smack you one from here to Londinium," Kai snorted. "You’re not chieftain yet!"

"Neither are you!" Arthur retaliated indignantly. True he had grown used to leading the younger warriors on their raids and more and more often was finding that the older men were accepting his leadership too. Kai had never been much of a follower though and after the initial battle between him and Arthur when Llud adopted the young Saxon boy, they had settled into a partnership. The Saxon was always the one with the sarcastic remark when Arthur got to big for his boots with some outrageous plan. It was a pity he had let boredom persuade him into succumbing to Arthur’s persuasion this time.

Kai shrugged. "Don’t intend to be. Too much effort."

Arthur sighed. "Go look for shelter then. I need to rest for a bit."

The fair haired Saxon gazed at him solemnly for a long moment. "Promise?"

"What?" Arthur lifted his head to stare back at him.

"That you’ll be here when I get back. No crawling off into the bushes to hide. I don't have time to go looking for you if you get one of your weird Celtic honour ideas. The Picts are too close."

"You know what you are, don’t you?" Arthur snarled, outraged that his foster brother had read his mind as usual.

"Aye. And you know damn well, if you did hide, I’d stay until I found you. Picts or no Picts...."

Defeated, Arthur slid to the ground and slumped against the boulder. "All right, I promise. I’ll stay here and keep watch."

Kai nodded stiffly. "I won't go far," he told him and bounded off, flitting up the steep slope on long legs.

Shaking his head, Arthur rested back against the sun warmed boulder and wished for a drink. Strong ale for preference, but water would do. Their water bottles had been on the saddles, lost along with the horses....

It seemed like barely a second later that Kai was shaking him awake, his blue eyes full of anxiety. A little puff filled his cheeks with a sigh of relief as Arthur stirred.

"Fine way to keep watch that is," Kai snorted as he tugged at him, pulling his arm across his shoulders.

"I only closed my eyes for a second...You were hardly gone that long...." Arthur protested and was appalled by the weakness in his voice. After a second hesitation, Kai ignored his quaver.

"Didn’t need to be. There’s a perfect place for us to hide..." Kai lifted him to his feet, having to stoop to support him. He half carried the Celt, half dragged him up the slope. Arthur did his best to help, but his legs kept buckling under him and he could feel the hot wet pulse of blood running down his side. "Hold on, Arthur. Not much further. Then you can rest...." Kai assured him, urging him to keep moving when Arthur would have collapsed in exhaustion. Finally, they reached the top and a blast of cold fresh air lifted the sweat damped hair from their necks and made them shiver in reaction to the sudden chill.

Through glazing eyes, Arthur made out the tumble of giant boulders Kai had found, saw the huge mound of earth banked up on the top of the hill and recognised the ancient mound for what it was. "We can’t go in there," he mumbled in protest, digging in his heels in superstitious dread. The effort was too much and he sagged, crumpling into unconsciousness.

Kai was dragged to the ground by his friend’s sudden weight, cursing bitterly as he snagged his wounded arm on a rock. He had no idea what Arthur had been mumbling about and pressed a worried hand to his friend’s forehead. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that he felt icy cold instead of feverish. Either way, he didn't have time to fret about it. He had seen the Picts moving in the valley before he went back for Arthur. It was only a matter of time before they found them.

Rolling Arthur over onto his back, Kai shifted round to pull him over his shoulders, grunting at his solid weight. Straightening up almost killed him and he wobbled dangerously before he could catch his balance and stomp into the outcrop of boulders, picking his way over the rocky ground until he found the dark mouth that led into the depths of the hillside.

The passageway was narrow, walled with slabs of rough hewn stone that had been worn smooth by brushing shoulders and hands in the long distant past. Following the twisting path downwards, Kai felt none of the superstitious dread that would have bothered Arthur but instead revelled in the peace and quiet that seemed to emanate from the very stones around him.

The passageway finally opened out into a stone lined chamber with a central table like structure made up of two solid basalt blocks topped by a slab of bluestone. Staggering over to it, Kai let Arthur slid off his shoulder to lie flat on the slab, cradling his head so he wouldn't bang it. Then he had to lean on the stone until he caught his breath. Under his dazed gaze, the stone seemed to shimmer and sparkle, filling with a torrent of stars until he felt he was being sucked down and down into the depths...

Finally he registered the burning pain in his arm and wearily pushed back his sleeve, examining the bloody slash. The makeshift bandage he had tied round it had come loose. Unpeeling it with a grimace as it stuck to the dried blood, he tied it back into place and looked wearily around him. Torches flickered around the walls, burning with a soft crackle. Kai didn’t bother to wonder about who had lit them, focusing instead on a trickle of water bursting merrily out of the wall to fall into a stone carved basin. Lurching over to it, he knelt beside it and retrieved a copper cup from its tiny shelf above the bowl. The water tasted wonderful, sweet and cold and more refreshing than the best ale. He poured some over his arm for good measure, then dug into belt pouch for a handful of coins to pay for the favour.

Filling the cup again, he went back to Arthur and started to peel off the blood stained bandages around his middle, so he could wash and examine the wound.

The scrunch of a footstep from behind him had him grabbing Arthur’s sword and whirling around to face the intruder.

It was no Pict come to take his head however, but a short dark featured man with wild long hair pulled back by a gold band that winked in the torches. He wore the rough homespun clothes of a blacksmith under a heavy leather apron. "Put the sword down, young man, it’s obviously not your weapon of choice."

Kai grimaced slightly. He had lost his axe in the fight with the Picts when it got stuck in someone’s ribs. On the other hand, this man didn't look that dangerous.

"Hurt, is he?" Ignoring the Saxon’s belligerent stance, the stranger came over to peer down at the unconscious Arthur and cluck his tongue. "Nasty. But then you both look a little battered...." He gave Kai an ingenuous smile and Kai found himself smiling back wearily and lowering the sword.

"There now, that’s better. Let me see what I can do for you two lads. I have herbs that will help Arthur here...."

Kai lifted the sword again. "How do you know his name?" he asked sharply.

The Stranger eyed him carefully, half smiling. "The same way as I know yours, Kai. You think me a Stranger? But I am less a Stranger to this Land than you..."

Kai recoiled slightly, feeling a stab of hurt at the remark. All too often there had been taunts and sly insults about his heritage from those who didn’t know him. To the people of his village, he was Llud’s son, Arthur’s brother, friend, warrior, even lover, but to strangers....

The Stranger put a kind hand on his arm. "You and I should be friends, hmmh? We both have an interest in our future War Lord here..."

"War Lord?" Kai gave him a blank look.

"The Saxons are coming, young man. There will come a time when they swarm across the land like rats, looting and killing and burning. Arthur will be the one to turn them back...for a time at least. And his brother will be at his back." The Stranger paused, grinning wolfishly. "I don't suppose he listens to your advice about women, does he?"

Kai laughed. "Never."

"Never mind. Hurts, doesn’t it?"

"What this?" Kai glanced at his arm. "It’s all right. I'm more worried about Arthur."

"Oh, he’ll be fine. I’ll soon patch him up. The once and future king and all that. I meant being a stranger."

Kai snorted. "Only to those who don’t know me."

"Exactly. Strangers are only friends you haven’t met yet...."

"Or enemies," Kai answered sourly.

"Tsk, you’re too young to be so cynical. It’s the tiredness talking." The Stranger patted his good arm consolingly and casually took the sword away from him. "I shouldn’t worry about it. The day will come when you’re second only to Arthur. The men will fight to be your friend and the women will be begging for your hand."

"It isn’t my hand they beg for now," Kai muttered, flushing even as he said it.

The Stranger grinned at him in amusement. "Good for you. Remember, lad, never be jealous of your friend. He may be King in the end, but you’re the one who will find lasting happiness. You make sure your favours can’t be brought and that you always speak the truth to him."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Kai growled, unsettled and wondering if the man was completely mad.

"That’s all right. I don't get out much except for at a solstice. You’re a midsummer babe, aren’t you?"

"What’s that got to do with it?"

"Winter’s king and midsummer prince." The Stranger gestured as Arthur as he moaned and turned his head on the cold stone. "He was born at the midwinter solstice. Appropriate, don’t you think?"

"I think you’re mad," Kai told him flatly.

"Oh, quite possibly." The Stranger cheerfully offered him a wine skin although Kai had no idea where it had come from. He didn’t think the blacksmith had been carrying it before he handed it to him. "Here, have a drink...."

Baffled, but very much in need of something a great deal stronger than water, Kai took the wine skin and took a pull. Wine, sweet as honey, pure as flowers flowed down his throat, washing away his exhaustion in a wave of spring. Sleep flooded in behind it and Kai sank dizzily to the floor.

The Stranger leaned over him, patting his shoulder gently. "Rest now. You’re safe here...."

Arthur fell through a starry night sky, landing with a thud on a cold stone floor in a darkened room. He lay sprawled, gasping for breath for a while, then rolled over onto his back.

"Kai?" His first clear thought was for his friend as he struggled to sit up.

"Arthur?" Kai appeared out of the shadows, crawling towards him. "You all right?"

"I think so. What happened?"

"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember is the blacksmith giving me some wine then...." Kai shrugged and then frowned, lifting his arm to stare at his clean white sleeve. "My wound’s gone...."

"So’s mine," Arthur probed his side to check, but knew from the lack of pain that he would find nothing. "Where are we?" He caught his breath in alarm as a memory returned. "You didn’t, did you?"

"Didn't what?"

"Take us into the mound?"

"Well, what else could I do? The Picts were coming. We had to hide."

"But not a fairy mound, Kai! On midsummer eve? Are you mad?"

"What’s midsummer eve got to do with it?" Kai asked in bewilderment. "We’re safe, aren’t we?"

"We’re in the fairy realm. That’s it. Must be!"

"Now who’s mad?" Kai grumbled, watching as Arthur bounded to his feet and started to pace the chamber. He sat on the floor, drawing up his knees and looping his arms around them as he studied their surroundings. The blue stone slab on its stone pillars still stood where he had last seen it, the torches still burned and the passageway....

Kai pushed to his feet and went over to look.

No, no doorway. Only cold flat stone. And when he pressed against it, he heard shouts and screams and cries of pain from beyond....

"There’s a fight going on out there...."

"For once, Kai, don't fret about missing out on it. We have to get out of here...."

"I don't think we can," Kai said slowly, frowning hard.

Arthur made a rude gesture. "We have to do something," he snapped. "We’re not even armed...."

There was a shimmer on the blue stone slab and he whirled to look at it, staring at the weapons that had appeared. In a neat row lay a sword, a scabbard and an axe. Runes flickered into existence on the stone, burning with a sapphire fire.

Fascinated, Arthur started to ease closer. "You don't want to do that!" Kai protested, rushing to his side and attempting to get between it and the slab.

"Don't be daft," Arthur said impatiently, pushing him aside as he read the runes slowly aloud. "One thing each you may take from this place and one thing alone...."

"You can’t read that!",

"Yes, I can. It’s in Celtic."

"No, it’s; not. It’s in Saxon," Kai argued then added gloomily,. "I think we’re in trouble

Arthur blinked. "You think? We’ve been sucked into the fairy realm with no way out and you think we’re in trouble?"

"You’re sarcastic when you get scared, you know that?"

"Oh shut up. At least we’re armed now." Arthur picked up the sword, giving it an experimental swing before he peered at the scabbard. "These are the runes for healing," he said thoughtfully. "Still, a sword’s better."

Kai looked doubtfully from him to the scabbard, wondering why he thought Arthur was wrong. True, the sword was beautiful, a pattern welded blade that shimmered in the torch light, engraved with ancient runes of power that burned like fire. It was almost as beautiful as the axe; it too was pattern welded, its blade rippling like watered silk and a superbly inlaid pattern of blue enamel engraved along the edge. The blade edge itself was thin as a spider’s web that drew blood from his wary fingertip. With an axe like that he could cut the wind in twain....

Kai took a deep breath and picked up the scabbard....

Why? asked an inquisitive voice in his head.

The stars leaped and danced, swirling around his head in a terrifying whirl of light that dazzled him with their blaze. Kai landed on his knees, hearing the crash and clang of blades, the screams of pain of the wounded. Shadows danced across in front of him, swords dancing like fireflies as they glinted....

Arthur was battling some huge dark faced man, hammering him back with blows to sword and shield. The barbarian responded, lunging forward with a scream, hurling the smaller man against the solid stone upright behind him, disarming him with a sweep of his blade and yanking back his arm to drive the sword into him....

"No!" Kai screamed and lunged, flinging himself between them in sheer desperation.

The blade burst through his stomach, crunched through his ribs and dug into the solid stone behind him, skewering the Saxon to the upright. Shocked, Kai curled his hands around the hilt, staring at the weapon in disbelief thought glazing, darkening eyes.

Arthur screamed and the barbarian’s head disappeared in a burst of blood and bone as the War Lord decapitated him and then swung around to face Kai. His dark eyes were huge in his blood masked face and his tears left white rivers through the gore as he caught Kai by the shoulders.

"Arthur?" Kai whispered in bewildered confusion, tasting blood in his throat, feeling the pain swelling up inside him....

"Kai, don't leave me, Kai, I need you, my brother, don’t leave me...."

The pain burst....

Darkness....

"Kai! Wake up! Kai!" Arthur was screaming in his ear, shaking him violently.

Kai woke up with a yell and grabbed at Arthur, clinging to his friend in shock.

"Kai!" Arthur sobbed his name in relief, clasped his head in both hands and kissed him hard on the forehead. "I thought I’d lost you. I had the most terrible nightmare. And when I woke up, you were flat out and not breathing and we were shut in...."

"I'm breathing now and if you kiss me again I’ll kill you!" Kai shoved at him indignantly and then looked down at the leather scabbard in his hand. "Oh...." he said thoughtfully and then smiled ruefully. "I think this is yours...."

"What?"

"To go with the sword," Kai told him.

"How did you...?" Arthur looked towards the slab where the pattern welded sword lay, shimmering to itself in the torchlight. "It was a dream...."

Kai tugged at his tunic, gingerly running a hand over his ribs and then looking uncertainly at Arthur. "Part of it was, I hope," he said shakily. "Are you hurt?"

Arthur gave him a blank look and then probed at his side, tugging away the makeshift bandage. His clothes and skin were still crusty with dried blood, but the flesh beneath was whole. "No....Your arm?"

"It’s fine."

Arthur nodded slowly, looking back at the sword. "Why the scabbard, Kai?" he asked softly.

The Saxon shrugged. "I can get a new axe, but where else would you get a magic scabbard?"

Arthur frowned. "Not a fair trade," he argued. "You keep it."

"What would I do with a scabbard? I got it for you."

Arthur met his friend’s eye for a long, solemn moment. "I think," he said softly, "Someone wanted to remind me how important you are."

"Huh?"

Arthur grinned. "I didn’t say bright," he chuckled.

Kai glared at him and shoved the scabbard at him impatiently. "Go on, take it."

Taking the scabbard reluctantly, Arthur got up and went to retrieve the sword and slide it into the scabbard. The weapon fitted perfectly and he cradled it to him, whispering his thanks to his unknown benefactor. His eyes were drawn to the slab, and he stared down into the shimmering depths of the blue stone. "Kai, you’d better come and look at this..."

The Saxon levered himself to his feet wearily and came over to look. Beneath the surface of the blue stone, the shadow of the axe could be seen, glowing like ghost. Longingly, Kai laid his hand against the stone, regretting the loss of the fine weapon. But he knew instinctively that he had made it the right choice; Arthur would need the scabbard.

The stone rippled like water under his fingers and his hand into the stone up to the water. The axe handle slid into his hand, nestling into his fingers like a bird coming home to roots. It took Arthur prodding him in the ribs and urging him to take the weapon to make withdraw his hand and lift the axe free. As soon as the axe was free, the stone rippled once more and turned solid again.

"I think you’ve been given a birthing day gift," Arthur whispered. "We need to talk to a Druid about this."

Kai nodded, badly shaken then jumped in fright as stone rumbled behind them. Whipping around to stare, they saw a stone door rumbling back from the passageway. As it slid open, a burst of blazing sunshine angled straight down the passageway beyond and burst into the stone lined room, setting the blue stone afire and dancing over the two warriors. Arthur looked down at his gilded hands and body in astonishment. Kai laughed.

"You’re nearly as blond as me," he chuckled.

"What? All pale and weedy?"

"Very funny!"

"Kai! Arthur!" The voice echoed down the passageway to them, seeming to come from far, far away.

"Llud?!" Both young men echoed. Arthur instinctively hurried towards the passageway, only to eager to be out of the confines of the stone room. He dreaded to think what Llud would say about where they had taken shelter. The experienced warrior was superstitious even if Kai wasn't.

Kai however, hesitated, hanging back as he looked around him. Had he dreamed the Stranger?

No, whispered a voice at the back of his mind, And we are not Strangers but friends. I am sometimes called Wayland but always called the Smith....

"Then I thank you for my gift," Kai whispered. "For our gifts!"

"Kai! Llud’s here to find us with a warrior band!" Arthur bawled from outside and Kai hastily bolted instinctively after him, wondering if he imagined the low chuckle that echoed after him.

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