Chapter 1 – A New Ally

Merlin tottered unsteadily along the castle corridors. His arms were piled high with all sorts: armour, cloaks, clothes, shoes, a sword, and a fresh scroll of parchment. So high was his pile that he could hardly see over it to stop himself crashing hither and thither, unsettling several probably priceless ornaments from their places along the way. He was on an errand for King Arthur, well, multiple errands actually. He was probably forgetting one or two of them, but he cared very little. It was only mid-afternoon, yet he was on the verge of collapse. The Lammas Day Festival was fast approaching and Camelot was buzzing with activities and preparations of every sort. This, of course, meant that Arthur was far more stressed than usual, leading to a compensatory heap of work for Merlin. It was unfortunate, and more than a little unfair, but by now he was used to it.

Lugging his small mountain up the final flight of stairs, Merlin turned the corner sharply only to see the parchment fly from his arms and drift mockingly to the floor. He grumbled in annoyance and looked around. Nobody was about and so Merlin took the opportunity to summon the paper silently with a simple spell. It zoomed up to meet him and he grabbed it with a smile of satisfaction, pressing it to the side of his bundle with his thumb. He walked more steadily as he reached the king's chambers and, reversing through the leaned-over door, which he had taken care to leave so when he left earlier, entered the room with relief. Being sure not to squash the parchment, Merlin plonked the rest onto the wooden table and strode over to the desk, flinging the paper into Arthur's face.

The king looked up.

"Was that necessary?"

Merlin paused, already halfway back, looking his friend up and down. "Absolutely," he answered, a good-humoured edge to his tone. Arthur huffed slightly and looked back down, leaving Merlin to sort through the mess he'd left on the table.

"Did you polish my armour?"

"Yes."

"Shine my boots?"

"Yes."

"Wash my clothes?"

"Yes."

"Sharpen my sword?"

"Yes."

"Mend my cloak?"

"Yes."

"Prepare my horse for the hunt?"

"Ye-" Merlin stopped himself and cringed. Drat it. He knew that there was something he'd forgotten. Arthur sighed and leant back in his chair.

"And you were so close too," he taunted his manservant. Merlin clenched his teeth, and controlled the urge to roll his eyes by folding the shirt in front of him. The king looked down at his papers again, muttering. "Utterly useless."

Merlin was about to make a snap comment when a voice echoed through his mind.

"Emrys." He froze. It wasn't a familiar voice, but it was a familiar name and a familiar sensation - the whispers that tickled and resonated. As if driven by some greater force, Merlin found himself being drawn to the window by the fireplace. He was fairly sure that Arthur was addressing him, but he wasn't listening.

The voice sounded again, "Emrys." Merlin looked through the glass panes of the window, almost in fear of what was calling for him. As soon as the courtyard was visible he saw who he was looking for. Directly in the centre of the square stood an emerald-cloaked figure. The hood was up, but from the build, Merlin would've thought it to be a woman. She, if it was a she, stood alone, surrounded by the daily activities of the town's people. They hardly noticed her as they carted things to-and-fro, despite the fact that she was probably in their way. A child in the arms of his mother watched her curiously as he was carried across the courtyard, but that was all the attention that she heralded.

"Come to me," she said - he had been right; it was definitely a woman, perhaps even a girl. Merlin watched her. She made no move, but her cloak danced gracefully in the breeze.

"Merlin?" He snapped from his trance and turned quickly to his left.

"What?"

Arthur stood a few feet away, hands on hips and eyebrow raised. "Were you listening at all?" the king asked. Shaking his head a little experimentally, Merlin gave Arthur his best innocent-shock expression.

"Of course! I'll... go and get your horse ready right now," Merlin replied. Whether or not that had been the topic of conversation, Arthur made no comment. He simply watched in bemusement as Merlin pulled away from the window and left the room quickly, almost running down the corridor.

He had no idea why he was so keen to meet this stranger. He had no idea what was compelling him to run faster, but he knew no bad could come of it. After all, they would be in the middle of the courtyard; she wouldn't dare try any funny business. He reached the square within a matter of minutes. Pausing briefly at the door, Merlin advanced towards her, attempting to seem more sure of himself than he was actually feeling. He stopped a few feet away from her.

"Who are you?" he asked aloud. He was still unable to see beneath her hood, but he could see now that she was several inches shorter than him and of a very fragile build.

"Let us not speak here," she answered him without speaking. "Nobody can be trusted."

"What does it matter if we aren't using our voices?" Merlin retorted, opting to communicate with her silently. A laugh echoed through his mind and he flinched.

"More have the ability to hear us than you might expect, you of all people should know that."

He narrowed his eyes briefly before nodding. From afar it must have looked like an odd, wordless exchange and Merlin looked around cautiously; it wouldn't do to have people being suspicious. Why he trusted her he was not yet sure. She had Magic, and she seemed harmless enough. She had sought him out by the name very few, such as the Druids, knew him by. Was that enough?

He indicated to the steps down which he had just descended. She bowed her head and they walked side-by-side into the castle. He led them immediately to Gaius's chambers and straight into his room. Still a little wary of her, Merlin put himself between her and the door.

"Who are you?" he repeated. This time, she answered him aloud.

"Your race knows me by the name Luned."

Something in Merlin's mind whirred in recognition, but he thought nothing of it.

"My race?" he questioned as his heart skipped a beat. "You're not human?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

The girl pulled back her hood. "Take a wild guess." She smirked knowingly as Merlin studied her with his mouth wide open. Her skin was as pale as snow, almost translucent, and her sparkling emerald eyes stood out against her complexion. Her hair was a rich chocolate colour and it fell in loose curls down her back. She couldn't have been older than her early twenties, but there was something ethereal about her youth; she was beautiful, without a doubt. A waxing moon was inked in dark blue on her forehead, marking her as a priestess of the Old Religion. But that wasn't what he was staring at. From beneath her mane of hair poked the pointed tops of her ears.

"You're an Elf?" Merlin whispered.

"I am Iellwen, priestess of Emhain Abhlach, heir to Lady Maerwen of the Island, and gifted with the Sight," she answered. "I was sent to you by the Morrígan, to assist you in preventing the downfall of Arthur, Father of Albion and the Once and Future King." Merlin snorted. He was overwhelmed by all he had been told and was feeling slightly dizzy, but the last sentence had made him laugh.

"I don't need any help, thanks. I've been doing this for years."

"Alone?" The question had seemed patronising, but Merlin could do nothing but answer honestly.

"No," he said reluctantly. They fell silent as she gazed at him softly.

"Don't hate me, Emrys. I wish not to interfere, but to be of assistance when you need it."

Merlin paused. He didn't like that this 'Morrígan' seemed to think that he needed help doing what he was destined to do, but the priestess was looking at him in such a way that he felt weak at the knees. Had he always had a weakness for women with Magic? Perhaps. It certainly seemed that way now.

"How do I know that I can trust you?" he finally asked. She reached inside her cloak and pulled out a pointed crystal on a string.

"This crystal clouds when a lie is told," she explained, holding it up in-between them, "for instance: do you think of me as beautiful?"

"No," Merlin snapped instantly. Promptly, the crystal filled with a cloud of smoke and he cringed. Damn. He'd known the moment he had said it that he should have said nothing. She grinned.

"In all fairness, my being an Elf is probably cheating."

Merlin narrowed his eyes, more out of embarrassment than anger, and took the crystal from her hand. He held it up.

"Is everything you say about yourself true?"

"Yes," she answered. The crystal stayed clear.

"Do you mean any harm to me or the people of Camelot?"

"No." The crystal didn't cloud. Merlin frowned. Perhaps she was to be trusted.

But he continued with his questions still.

"Do you swear to protect Arthur with your life?"

"Yes." The crystal stayed clear.

"Will you do all you can to assist me?"

"Yes." The crystal didn't change.

"Will you ever willingly turn against Camelot or its people?"

"No." Nothing happened.

"Do you think I'm handsome?"

"No." This time, the crystal fogged up. Merlin laughed and he was sure that she would have blushed, had she not been an Elf. "That was unfair."

"It was payback," he replied.

"All right, fair enough," she sighed. They looked into each other's eyes and laughed.

"We could have so much fun with this."

She shook her head with a grin, and took it from his hands. "It's not meant to be for play," she answered, attempting to sound as if she was scolding him, but only achieving sounding highly amused. They fell silent and Merlin glanced down at his feet, then back up into his new friend's eyes. He was surprised to see the priestess watching him with a kind of wistful sadness – why was she sad?

"Why do I feel like I've known you all my life?"

"Destiny."

Sarah: Thank you for joining me on a new adventure! I hope you liked the first chapter of this lengthy saga. As always, your feedback is welcomed warmly.

Before you officially sell your soul to this story, I should probably let you know that I am a busy buzy NHS bee and my shift work means that I am very often sleep-deprived and confused. I aim to update this story at least every month, but it may be slow going.

You have been warned!