It's mid morning and as I walk up the market street on my way home my mind wonders, back to Lady Helen's room and the strange objects within it that I noticed as I delivered her preparation for the performance tomorrow night. A strange straw doll and an old book that I swear was magic. Was Lady Helen a magic user like myself? I'm completely lost in my thoughts that I don't even notice who I'm walking by until a voice pulls me from my mind and back into the world around me.
"How's your knee-walking coming along?" Great, it's him again. Just ignore him. He's not worth the trouble. "Oh, don't fun away!" Run?
"From you?"
"Ah, thank god. Thought you were deaf as well as dumb." His presence drew the attention of the crowd in and they started laughing.
"Look, I've told you you're an a**. I just didn't realise you're a royal one." I turned around to confront him, earning a few snickers from the braver onlookers. It is then that I noticed the guards on ether side of him. Is he really that week that he can't fight his own battles. "Oh. What are you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?" He laughs as though thinking I stood no chance and it's true. I wouldn't stand a chance if it wasn't for my magic and quick reflexes.
"I could take you apart with one blow."
"I could take you apart with less." I say as an inside joke that only I would understand. Pointless, yes I know. But he was being a prat.
"You sure?" He didn't believe me. Well I'll just show him. Can't have an a** like that ruling the kingdom without being thought a lesson, I thought. Gaius' warnings completely forgotten to me in my annoyance. I tare off my coat in a challenge and threw it at his feat since I didn't have a glove. He just laughs some more, taking a mace from one of his guards and throwing it at me. Not expecting it at first, I drop it, having never handled such a weapon. "Here you go, big man." Man? So he's so thick he hasn't figured it out yet? Picking up the mace, I watch as he expertly swings his around. "Come on, then." I attempt to swing mine, but as he raises his swinging mace over his head I begin to realise the horrible situation I have managed to place myself in yet again. "I warn you. I've been trained to kill since birth." Oh and you couldn't have told me that before hand? Well I'm doomed anyway. May as well have fun with it.
"Wow. And how long have you been training to be a prat?"
"You can't address me like that." I quirk my eyebrow and go along with it, dipping into a low bow.
"Sorry. How long have you been training to be a prat... my lord?" I laugh, but then he swings. My eyes widen and I manage to duck out of the way just in the nick of time. s**t, he's serious. He advances on me, swinging left right and center and I just manage to move out of the way every time, loosing my mace somewhere along the way. I'm corned and I panic, looking around for anything to help me when I see it. Situated perfectly hind the prince are two meet hooks. Without thinking, I use my magic to move them in the way of the prat's mace. It get's stuck, giving me enough time to escape. Ha! Maybe if I use it discreetly I can gain the upper hand? I do this a few more times and suddenly he's dropped the mace and fallen backwards. I can't help the fleeting thought as it enters my mind that he looks kind of cute when he's defeated. I smirk and look around at the stunned audience, until I notice Gaius standing there with disapproval. It's then that all of his warnings come back to hit me full force in the back of the knee, making it give way... wait a minute, that was an actual blow. I turn around just in time to see a broom whack me in the stomach then the head, knocking me down. Pretty soon his guards are picking me up and I just know I'm heading to prison again.
"Wait. Let him go." Wait, what? "He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one." I grudgingly agreed to the idiot part in that moment. "There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it." Oh, it wouldn't have to do with me not being a guy now would it? He leads his men away and I'm left there with a fuming Gaius. I'm in for it now, I think as he drags me back to our quarters.
Later that night, when Gaius come into my room to clean my wounds, he tells me about Hunith's letter. Well at least that issue is out of the way. Unfortunately there was yet another thing to put on the list I was quickly forming in my mind. Day three - Get into yet another fight with the royal prat Arther. So much for third time's the charm.
XXxxoxxXX
I awoke again that night to the strange voice in my head, calling out to me and sending shivers down my spine. Not being able to sleep through the voice, I get dressed and sneak out of my room. As I manage to distract the guards, I quickly walk past them and light a spare torch along the way. It's a mess down here, cobwebs everywhere and dusty old equipment lined the floor. But that annoying voice kept on calling me, so I followed its pull, hoping to figure out what was talking to me in my mind and shut it up. I follow the path down lower and lower, until it opens suddenly to a large, dark cavern. A loud laugh resonates through the vast space and I look around in search for it's source, but I can't see a thing with the torches faint light.
"Where are you?" I question when suddenly a loud sound, as though something were tearing through wind, reaches my ears. I back up quickly as I spot a large winged creature fly towards me and then perch itself on a large rock in front of me.
"I'm here." Was this the creature Gaius told me was locked up below the castle. A dragon I believe. I stared at it in fascination for a while as it stared back at me. Wonder in it's large eyes. "How small you are for such a great destiny."
"Why? What do you mean? What destiny?" I can't have a destiny when I was already struggling to simply handle being aloud to be a girl for the first time in my life. Besides, peasant girls like myself didn't have destiny's. Kings and Knights had them. Not her.
"You gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason."
"So there is a reason." Finally. So I wasn't a freak accident? I was given my magic?
"Arthur is the once and future king who will unite the land of Albion" Arthur. What does he have to do with my powers? He's just a royal prat who needs to pull that stick out of his a**. "But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike." Yeah, you would when you're being an a** all the time.
"I don't see what this has to do with me."
"Everything! Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion."
"No. No, you've got this wrong. I'm a girl! What can a girl like myself even do?"
"There is no right or wrong. Only what is and what isn't. But there is the issue of your gender.
"What do you mean? If anyone wants to kill him, they can go ahead. In fact, I'll give them a hand." It laughs.
"You were never meant to be a girl, Merlin. Things are not how they were meant to be. Now more than ever the balance is in danger of collapsing. But non of us can choose our destiny. It may have been Morlot's plan to destroy the future of Albion, but not even such a petty thing as gender can let you escape it."
"No. No way, no. No. There must be another Arthur 'cause this one's an idiot."
"Perhaps it's your destiny to change that." With that the dragon flew away."Wait! Wait, I need to know more! Why would my gender affect anything?!" But it just flew off leaving me to wonder what it meant about my destiny. There was no way that I was ever going to help the prat of a boy Arthur. Ever.
XXxxoxxXX
After being rudely woken by Gaius and sent to deliver a tonic to Lady Morgana, I'm not in the best of moods. Not after the cryptic late night talk I had with that bloody lizard. I think I am finally getting used to this maze of a castle as it only took getting directions three times to find the Lady Morgana's bed chambers. As I walk into the room through the open door I see her. Tall and elegant, in silky blue robes, with long wavy black hair, stands Morgana and all I can think is 'she's beautiful'. I'm stunned for a few seconds, unable to utter a single word until she starts talking, breaking me out of my stupor.
"You know, I've been thinking about Arthur." You and me both. "I wouldn't touch him with a lance pole." I laugh, shocking her. She turns around and stares at me, quickly covering her chest with her hands. My eyes widen upon realizing what she probably thought.
"Oh no, I'm not. I mean. Hi I'm Merlin." I foolishly hold my hand out in a sign of piece, but she just continues to stare, backing up slightly towards her dresser. Oops I missed the entire point. "I'm a girl!" I quickly say as I notice her reaching for an object I don't recognize. She stops for a second and looks questioningly at myself as if not believing my word. "I'm Gaius' niece."
"Gaius doesn't have a niece." She defends. Really Gaius? Did you have to go around telling people about me?
"Uh, it's complicated." I scratch the back of my head, at a loss of what to do now.
"Prove it." I just stared at her blankly for a few seconds before blushing.
"Um, how?" My voice stammering in nervousness. She seemed to stop and think for a moment.
"I would normally say go fetch Gaius, but if you're lying you may use the time to escape." She had a point there. Not seeing any other way out, I slowly unbutton my shirt to reveal the small amount of cleavage I had. Blushing profusely I hoped that this was enough proof for Morgana to believe me. It appears to be enough as she removes her hands from her chest and looks at me, a question in her eyes. "What are you doing here to begin with?" Glad that the topic was now away from my gender, I did up my buttons before picking the vial out of my jacket pocket and handing it to her.
"Gaius asked me to give this to you. It's for your nightmares." Morgana thanks and dismisses me which I'm grateful for. As I walk out of the room, closing the door behind me, I bump into Gwen. She looks confused for a moment, until I explain that Gaius sent me. She accepts it and enters Morgana's chambers after saying goodbye to me. I breath a sigh of relief and let my shoulders sag. I hadn't even noticed how tense I was in there until that moment. I took a step away from the wall I was leaning on and walked away. I still need to collect those herbs for Gaius at the market.
XXxxoxxXX
Follows Gaius to the feast. See's Arthur joking with the knights. then follows his eyes to Morgana who looks drop dead gorgeous. see's Morgana and stops dead. Stunned at her beauty. "Remember, you are hear to work." Gaius still annoyed at me. See's Arthur walking over to Morgana and watches them converse. "She looks great, doesn't she?" Gwen suddenly shows up at my side. "Yeah." You can say that again. "Some people are just born to be queen." Shocked. "No." Who would want to get with Arthur? He may be cute, but from what I remember Morgana saying, even she wouldn't want to get involved with him. "I hope so, one day." You mean one day when Arthur stops being a prat? I think secretly, not knowing how well that thought would be taken by the girl. "Not that I'd want to be her. Who'd want to marry Arthur?" Ah good, so she isn't blind. "Gwen, I thought you liked those real rough, tough, save-the-world men." I say remembering her earlier description of him. "No, I like much more ordinary men like you." I laugh. "Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary." Or a man at that. "No, I didn't mean you! Obviously. Not you. But just... you know, I like much more ordinary men. Like you." "Thanks." Well that was awkward. I should probably tell her so she doesn't start developing a crush on me when she still thinks I'm a guy, but she walks away before I'm given the chance. I pick up a pitcher of ail and move around, offering refills to anyone I see drinking, trying to get closer to Gwen in order to talk to her, but the chance never arises
Later on a horn starts playing music to announce the arrival of the King. Everyone quickly moves to their places at the tables or by the walls depending on their position in the castle. King Uther walks in, making a grand entrance and we all bow our heads.
"We have enjoyed 20 years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures. But few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora." A grand applause at his speech. He walks over to his seat and sits down, everyone else following suit. Music starts playing and Lady Helen begins to sing in a mystical language that I don't recognize. Her voice is pure pleasure, like nothing I have ever heard and it makes me feel so calm, as though I could fall asleep at any moment. It's then that I realise that is exactly what everyone else is doing. Even the guards are dropping to the floor as she continues her song. Something isn't right. I cover my ears hoping that it will stop me from falling asleep as well. It notice it instantly, my body is back to normal and I no longer feel like I'm about to pass out, but the calm feeling is gone, replaced with panic. What is going on? Even the king is asleep and all I can do is watch in terror as everyone is covered in a strange web like substance that is growing from nowhere for if I take my hand away from my ears I know I'll fall under the spell as well. She's looking directly at Arthur. As she pull out a knife my panic intensifies tells and I look around frantically for anything that can help. At the last second as she raises the knife I do the only thing I can think of and use my magic the break the chandelier above her head, causing it to crash down on top of her and stop the singing. I take my hands away from my ears and watch as the hall awakens, confused and disorientated. I hear a scream and notice the women is still alive and aiming the digger at Arthur again. She throws it. s**t s**t s**t s**t. What do i do? i may have said i would help someone kill him but i wasn't serious. not even a prat like him deserved to be killed. Rushes towards him and slows down time a little. Grabs Arthur and pulls him towards me. We colaps onto the floor together. The knife embedded in the chair where Arthur just stood. Everyone looks on and I stand up with no help from Arthur who is staring at me in wonder along with everyone in the hall. I hope that's all of it. The king walks up to me.
"You saved my boy's life." I blinked twice just now realizing the importance of that action alone. "A debt must be repaid." A debt? I'm just surprised he's paying me any attention.
"Oh, well..."
"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded."
"Honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness." Surprisingly enough your son's expression right now is more than enough.
"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special." Special? As in a piece of furniture or a medal? I wouldn't mind a better bed.
"Well..."
"You shall be awarded a position in the royal household." My eyes widened. That was perfect. It meant I didn't have to bother Gaius anymore about getting a job. I wonder what it'll be? "You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant." I stood there stunned as everyone clapped.
"Father." Arthur exclaimed as if I hadn't just saved his life. But that wasn't the thought that was running in my mind. No. It was too preoccupied with one word playing over and over again.
"Manservant?" I repeated while Arthur just looked at me then looked away in disgust. I didn't care at that moment. He could say anything he liked about me right now and I wouldn't care. I was too deep in thought, dreading the implications of that one word. The King thought me a man and just gave me a male's job. What would happen now if he were to find out I'm a woman serving the prince? Glancing up, I see Gaius sharing the same worried look as me. What would we do now? Was it even legal for the prince to have a female servant in his chambers?
XXxxoxxXX
That night, as Gaius and I talked about my magic, I asked him what we were going to do about my job. Well I say asked, but I more screamed at him in panic. Gaius, the wise old sage of a man calmed me down, telling me of how he is going to inform the King of my situation and would make him understand. Although it was not recommended for a prince to have a female personal servant, by law it isn't illegal. I agreed since I didn't have much of a choice and went to bed to prepare for a restless sleep.
A/N: And that's it. First episode over! How will Uther react to Merlin being a female or, better yet, how will Arthur respond?
