Xeryn was starving. She hadn't had anything to eat and hardly anything to drink for the past week. As she leaned against her equally weak horse's neck, she began wondering if she would die like this: cold, alone and lost in this forest. All Xeryn wanted was to escape her father and that stupid Harold, the man she was betrothed to marry. For a week she had been traveling, trying to find Camelot, so she could live with her brother. He should be a knight by now and was probably living in the castle.
Xeryn felt her awareness ebbing away as she grew more and more exhausted. Her horse stumbled along, whinnying pathetically as it stopped to nibble at a small patch of yellowed grass. Finally, her vision blurred and went black. The last thing Xeryn felt before she passed out was the ground slamming against her back as she fell off her horse and onto the forest floor.
…
The girl Merlin and Gaius had just brought back from the forest didn't stir. In fact, she was hardly breathing.
"She's everything but dead, Gaius," Merlin said quietly.
"Now, don't draw conclusions so fast, Merlin," Gaius replied sharply, as though he didn't want admit the girl would die. "She looks like she was attacked."
Gaius performed a quick examination of the girl. His expression was serious. "She's not bleeding internally, which is good," he noted, "but I need to clean and dress these wounds before they become infected."
Gaius mixed up some herbal remedies and began bandaging the many cuts and scrapes on the girl. It had been a good thing he was out searching for rare herbs at the same time the girl collapsed. Merlin had found the girl unconscious and lying on the ground next to her horse. Gaius had tried his best, but he couldn't preserve the poor horse's life. He was too undernourished and exhausted. Though Gaius hated the thought of putting down such a beautiful creature, the deed had to be done. The girl, however, had a fighting chance. Gaius thought that she was most likely attacked by bandits and barely escaped.
Merlin sat on the table, like he always did. He studied the girl curiously as Gaius went about his work. If she was attacked, Merlin thought, it wouldn't be much of a surprise. She was a rather pretty girl, with long, wavy blonde hair, dark lashes and pale skin. Bandits wouldn't be able to resist her looks. As she lied perfectly still on the bed, the slight rise and fall of her chest the only indication that she was alive, Merlin thought her face was unusually peaceful after going through such pain. She reminded him of the porcelain statues he would sometimes come across in the market. Somewhere in the back of Merlin's mind, he hoped that this particular patient would live.
"Gaius, do you think-" Merlin began.
"She will die?" Gaius finished. He stared intently at the girl as he continued his work. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "She should live," he finally rasped, "but there is always that slim chance…" The rest of the physician's sentence trailed off.
"Perhaps we could use magic?" suggested Merlin.
Gaius turned to glare at the young sorcerer. "Merlin, you know we only use that as a last resort. Remember what happened last time?"
Merlin pretended to be greatly interested in his feet to avoid Gaius' gaze. The last time he had used magic to heal a patient, Prince Arthur had walked in just as Merlin was saying the spell. There was the slight chance that he had seen but simply chose to ignore it; however, Merlin quickly dismissed this idea because it would be very unlike Arthur. After that incident, Gaius told Merlin to only use magic when it was absolutely needed.
Merlin sighed and leaned back on the table, which caused Gaius to remind him sharply not to do so. He rolled his is eyes and sat down in a chair, leaning back on two of its legs.
…
Xeryn was in a forest. She kicked her horse lightly and sped her up to a trot. Suddenly, there was a noise behind her. It sounded like something dropped had onto the forest floor. Xeryn whipped around but saw nothing. Urging her horse to a canter, the noise sounded again, this time followed by a grim laugh.
"Now, darling," chuckled a deep man's voice. "It's dangerous for such a pretty lady to be going about alone in a forest."
Xeryn turned her horse around to face a man in tattered clothing. She gasped, for she immediately knew he was a bandit. "L-leave me alone," she warned hopelessly. She struggled to remember the defense movements she had been taught a few years ago. They were supposed to be easy to remember, but not one came into her whirling mind.
The man advanced, causing her to let out a small but frightened whimper; her horse whinnied and backed up nervously. Xeryn's heart pounded in her chest. Another man jumped out of a tree behind her, equally menacing as the first. "I don't think that's going to happen," he said, the silver of a blade flashing in his hand.
"Go away!" Xeryn exclaimed, giving her horse a sharp kick, making her turn away and launch into a frantic gallop.
Unfortunately, one of the bandits had jumped in front of the mare, causing her to rear up in surprise and send Xeryn sliding off her back. Xeryn hit the ground on her back, knocking the wind out of her. As she gasped for breath, the first man grabbed her arms while the other ravaged her saddlebags, stashing all her food and money.
"Let go of me!" Xeryn screamed, aiming a hard kick at her captor's groin.
He fell over in pain while his companion rushed over and whacked Xeryn hard on the head with the handle of his dagger. She fell to the ground, blood spilling onto the leaves as both bandits kicked, punched, and cut her almost to the point of unconsciousness. Not knowing exactly what direction she was going, Xeryn rolled away from the thrashing hands, feet and blades. She heard her horse whinny threateningly next to her and turned just in time to see her rear up. Her front hooves came crashing down on the man Xeryn had kicked earlier. Using the horse's side for support, she struggled her way back onto the saddle.
"Go, Jessamine!" she shouted her horse's name. Jessamine obliged her command and galloped off before the men could catch up.
Xeryn began to feel dizzy and sick to her stomach from the taste of her own blood in her mouth. She had been traveling for at least a week with pretty good health despite her wounds. But now the fact that she had no food or clean water to drink was catching up with her frail body and weak horse. Xeryn leaned against her horse's neck. Moaning slightly, she blacked out and slid off her horse.
…
Xeryn woke with a start. Finally, her nightmare had ended. Opening her eyes, she did not recognize the place she was in. From the tables clad with potions, elixirs and vials, she guessed she was in a physician's room. But where? she thought to herself. Xeryn was definitely not in the forest, or Avalon.
"Gaius, she's awake." A voice to her left startled her.
A boy with black hair and bluish-gray eyes sat in a chair at a small table. He looked like he had been pouring over a book. Judging by his clothes, he must be a peasant or a servant.
An old man stumbled into the room with chin-length gray hair. "Good," he rasped, "she's been asleep for almost a day and a half."
He strode over to Xeryn and kneeled by the cot she was laying on. "My name is Gaius. I am the doctor. How do you feel?" he asked gently. "Can you speak?"
Xeryn had to strain her throat to talk. "Water…" was all she could manage. Her throat felt like someone had lodged a strip of sandpaper down in it.
Gaius understood and tipped a glass of water to her lips. After Xeryn had moistened her throat enough to talk, she cleared her throat. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't exactly feel good. My body is racked with pain, obviously."
Gaius chuckled. "Well then, what is your name?"
"Xeryn. Xeryn Tarragon."
Gaius furrowed his brow and pondered thoughtfully at the name. After a moment, he asked, "Where is most of your pain stationed?"
Xeryn examined herself mentally. "My head," she decided. "I remember being hit rather hard there."
Gaius nodded as though making a mental note to himself. "I'll fetch some herbs to help with the pain."
He disappeared through a door. Xeryn turned to the black-haired boy. He had closed his book and was now tapping his fingers on the table anxiously.
"Are you his servant?" Xeryn asked curiously.
He smiled. "No, I'm Prince Arthur's servant. The name's Merlin, by the way."
Xeryn nodded, but regretted it as it sent pain screaming through the base of her neck. She clenched her teeth hard in order to keep from crying out in pain. Only after taking a moment to compose herself and take a deep breath did she speak again.
"Nice to meet you Merlin. Where am I?" she inquired.
Merlin leaned back in his chair. "You're in the court physician's chambers in Camelot."