I was forced to stay up late last night, stupid sickness and medication, but yer I had actually forgotten all about this until I turned on my computer and it came up. Not sure if I should continue or not, so I decided I would leave it up to the public. Yes that means you :) enjoy my cherubs
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Shattering Peace
Chapter one
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It was dawn as fog drifted over the dense forest floor, silence rung through the forest as small birds started to make their morning calls. It was a peaceful morning, perfect in some ways. Merlin and Arthur made their way through the tranquil forest, horses slowly trotting down the uneven path. Already a good 2 hours out of Camelot the pairs bantering broke the tranquillity of the once silent forest.
"-and WHY did we have to leave so early?" Merlin complained, his irritation clear as he rubbed his neck.
"Because I want to be at the spot by midday and last time I checked my wants normally come before yours." Arthur replied as he slowed his horse down. "We can stop here for breakfast, what did you bring?"
"Bread and cheese." Merlin answered as he dismounted.
"Is that all you brought? What were you thinking?" Arthur raise his voice as his stomach growled agreeing with the young prince.
"Well I had a prat of a prince pestering me and I was half asleep, besides eat much more and your poor horse won't be able to carry you." Merlin said, half mumbling the last part, he still got a thump to the head.
"Some days Merlin I swear you have no ide-" Arthur was cut off by the crunching of leaves, someone was coming and fast.
"H-help…." A young woman whispered and she broke into the small clearing. "Please." She was pleaded with her whole soul.
Merlin ran to her immediately, she was covered with blood but from what he could tell it was not her own. Her face was stained with tears and blood mixed with dirt, she needed help. That was not the reason Merlin had ran to her, he sensed it immediately, the magic she held was powerful and had set off all his magic senses. Suddenly Arthur pushed them both to the ground and before protest could be yelled another cry was heard. A war cry. Arthur immediately took in a defensive pose sword at the ready and Merlin slowly backed up towards the horses, in case a quick escape was needed.
"Murderer! Get her!" A group of men came to join the clearing, villagers with pitch forks and giant sticks; their glares directed at the girl and the men that now stood in their way.
"Hand that piece of filth over, she is not your concern" the obvious leader of the group yelled as he glared Arthur down.
"She needs help, I as a knight am obliged to help; now I advise you to back down." Arthur's trained eyes started to assess his situation. It was roughly 8 against 1, just great…
"She murdered our leader; she's a cold hearted killer and deserves to die." Arthur's sword wavered in the air.
"No! I would never! I didn't kill him please just leave me alone!" the girl screamed from behind Merlin "Please…"she whispered so slightly Merlin only just picked up on her little prayer.
"Maximus, perhaps we should head back, she's got the message." One of the younger boys said trying to reason with the leader but to no prevail.
"Is she dead?" the so called Maximus asked the younger man.
"No." he replied timidly as the alpha male zoned in on him.
"Then the message hasn't been delivered, CHARGE!" The man's voice boomed over destroying whatever silence the forest once held.
"Merlin the horses, I will hold them back." Arthur yelled still able to command Merlin as he fought against uneven odds.
"Can you ride?" Merlin asked as he quickly readied the horses, he received a small nod but before he could kneel and offer a hand she had holstered herself onto the horse. Merlin did the same to his horse before realising there was no longer a horse for Arthur.
"Arthur!" Merlin called out, to which the prince retreated and only stopped momentarily before mounting his horse which now occupied two, the three made a quick getaway.
They weaved through the trees as the yells of the men slowly left their ears still the pace didn't falter for another good half hour. Finally they found a lake deciding they had travelled far enough they came to a halt. The men both dismounted and Arthur, being the prince he was, offered his hand to assist the lady; who rejected his hand and expertly slid off the stallion.
"Thank you." now Arthur didn't like to brag but he had saved a few people, had received many a thank you but had never received one that held so much emotion and gratitude.
"You're welcome." Arthur nodded in acknowledgment. "May I ask your name?" he asked as the girl slowly started to pat his horse; Merlin travelled closer, still intrigued by her magical power.
"Alexis Marthinra, may I ask the names of my saviours?" She said her eyes not once looking at them but rather paying more attention to the horse.
"This is Merlin, and I'm Arthur." Arthur was careful, not giving his last name.
"You're the prince and I am guessing he is your manservant?" she said this time glancing at the two.
"You would be correct." Hiding his identity was harder than he thought. "How'd you –"
"Your sword, it is well forged and your style presents that of an experience knight, and I've spent some time in Camelot before and seen you when we were younger. Not that hard." She shrugged.
"You need to clean." Merlin coughed as he looked at the girl still covered in blood.
"Right, Merlin stand guard I am going to see if I can scrounge up some food since you LEFT our breakfast behind." Arthur sneered grabbing his choice of weapons.
"Sorry did you not notice the men attacking us, I didn't have much time to worry about YOUR stomach." Yet another blow to the head, how Merlin was still functional was unbeknown.
By the time the two boys were finished bickering Merlin turned around to see the girl crouched beside the lake edge. She was just looking at her reflection. She looked at the blood that covered her, she knew what removing it meant. She was about to wash away her brother. She would wash away the blood of the person who raised her for the past 7 years, the one who had meant everything to her was now nothing more than blood staining her clothes. She was suddenly over come with a wave of anger, sadness and disgust as she started to scrub away the blood, eventually immersing her whole body into the ice cold water, her clothes weighing her down slightly, but she didn't care.
"I have spare clothes, they will be big on you but, ummm, you can't stay in those." Merlin said as he looked anywhere but the figure in the water, a blush covering his face.
"You are kind." He could hear the sincerity and suspicion in her voice.
"Concerned." he corrected and grabbed the clothes out of the bag; placing them near the lake's edge.
"Don't look." She warned and although Merlin was looking away his blush deepened.
"You know, don't you?" she asked as she sat around the fire Merlin was trying, and failing, to light.
"Know what?" He acted oblivious though had fair idea of the subject she referred too.
"I can sense it in you; my guess is with your power you can sense me as well." She gave him a look and he nodded.
"I knew from the moment you stepped into the clearing." Merlin admitted as he grinned and used a quick spell to start the fire.
"So what are you, wizard? Fairy?" She smiled.
"Warlock. You?" Merlin said with pride, he didn't really get to talk much about his talent.
"Elemental Warlock, looks like you and me are two rare beings huh?" She smiled.
"Elemental Warlock?" Merlin had heard it before though couldn't quite remember where.
"I am a Warlock I just can't do spell, instead I have the ability to control the basic elements, you know fire, water, air and earth. Don't worry I don't blame you for not knowing, not many of my kind left…" She then started to stare into the fire immersed in the flickering blaze.
"I know the feeling…" both of them lost themselves in the fire, talk of their people putting an instant downer on conversation.
"What are you two mourning?" Arthur joked as he came into the clearing, carrying two rabbits.
"Oh just talking." Alexis smiled, a clear fake one that Merlin often used when caught around magic.
"Right, nice to see Merlin actually managed to get a fire going." Arthur said as he dumped the two dead animals in front of Merlin.
"Now I don't mean to be forward but I do expect an explanation for what happened before." Arthur said sitting across from Alexis.
"I didn't kill anyone." She immediately got defensive her eyes going cold as she looked into the fire.
"You were covered in-"
"My own brother's blood, he killed himself right in front of me, he just, he just stood in front of me and..." She cut herself off as she held back the tears she had cried the whole night before. "The villagers came and they immediately assumed the worse. They chased me with anything they had and I ran I thought they would catch me and kill me and then I found you." There was silence as both Merlin and Arthur took in the story.
"Why would he-"
"I don't know." She said to quickly for Merlins liking, she was hiding something else.
"I'm sorry for your loss…" Arthur said, he could only imagine what it was like to see that.
If only he knew the whole story and not the watered down version. All three fell into silence, each musing over their own thoughts, Arthur's revolving around the girl who sat across from him. He finally got a chance to have a good look at her, at least one where she wasn't covered in blood and filth. She had auburn and golden streaks running through her light brown hair that held a curl much like Morgana's; though Alexis had roughly braided her hair down her side. She had brown eyes but as she starred into the fire Arthur could see they also held a little bit of green, they were mesmerising in a way. She had a lighter skin tone and from what he could tell she hadn't a blemish on her. She was beautiful but there was something else about her, something Arthur couldn't put his finger on, but the way she looked into the fire he could tell her mind was not blank. After eating and having quiet conversation the three slowly stood up, none of them really knowing the next step.
"Where do you plan on going?" Merlin asked as he slowly moved to the horses.
"I don't know, haven't really thought of it…" She replied as she turned around, only to crumble down; her face immediately losing the colour it once held. Cries of agony came as she held herself, pain blazing through her body.
"Alexis." Merlin and Arthur both moved forward, Arthur concerned she had been hurt from before and Merlin knowing better. He could feel the magic, it was starting to cause him a headache, all of her magic levels were going crazy.
"We need to get her to Gaius." Merlin said helping Arthur pick her up.
"Since when did you give orders?" Arthur raised an eyebrow
"Well…"
"We need to get her to Gaius, now." Arthur ordered, receiving a slight rolling of the eyes from Merlin. Carefully they hauled her onto Arthur's horse, balancing her body delicately in his arms as she writhed in pain.
"Maybe she is better with me?" Merlin offered, not like all this magic so close to Arthur who normally had to be saved from magic.
"You're flat out keeping yourself on a horse Merlin." Arthur smirked before setting off, Merlin behind him.
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Gaius had just finished his daily rounds and was sitting down about to start a nice cup of tea and a book, a peaceful day for him. Merlin had been taken away by the Prince earlier that morning and his day had been easy to say the least. He was use to people barging into his room with wounded men and sick women, though it was mostly men hurt in battle or training. Yes he was use to it by now and he had heard Merlin and Arthur from a far, their bickering hard to displace or ignore. Though he had not been ready for Merlin to open the door for Arthur who carried the now whimpering figure of the girl he had once called his own.
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REVIEW!
So should it be continued? I Was REALLY bored last night and I had actually forgotten I had started this until I turned my screen on. So yer it is up to all of y'all, Review, favourite do what ever you want to let me know if this should be continued or cut off and burnt. PEACE OUT!
Sneak Preview
"I can hear them screaming, I can feel them dying, Gaius this is what they went through; they went through all this pain." Alexis said as the tonic started to numb her senses, a small tear trickled out of her now watering eyes.
"Don't think about it, sleep well…my child…" Gaius whispered as he rested his lips on her forehead, whipping away her tear, he then sat and watched over her. He wouldn't leave her, he wouldn't let her go, he would not loose her; not again.
