A/N: Hi guys! I'm so excited to get this story on it's feet! You have no idea! I'm going to try and write this story in tandem with the TV show Merlin. I write it as a chapter per episode, more or less, but the episodes themselves will probably be split up into multiple chapters. This chapter/episode seriously had 14,000 words when I had finished! So yeah the episodes will come in multiple installments of chapters. If that makes sense. Also each season will probably have it's own book. So part 2 of episode 1, tThe Dragon's Calling, will be up shortly! I might update tomorrow. I dunno if there will be any hits/reviews between now and then, but oh well! If you're reading this I sincerely hope you enjoy!

The Dragon's Call: Part 1

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Adrielle questioned from behind as her brother led the way through the forest.

"Of course I am. The way to Camelot is south of Ealdor. The path is clear. This path," he said motioning down to the trail that had been eroded over time.

"Just because we're on a path doesn't mean we're on the right path," she sighed shifting her bag on her shoulders.

"Have a little faith in me, would you? I know we're going the right way."

"You know," she repeated, emphasizing that she knew exactly how he knew. A quick wordless understanding passed between them.

"Yes, I know."

Adrielle and Merlin were different. Everyone says 'oh they're different', but this time it was true. Adrielle and Merlin were twins, born on the exact same day to the same mother. Merlin always liked to brag that he was the eldest child. To that extent their mother had branded him with being the older brother, which meant he had to look after and set examples for Adrielle. Like a good older brother should. It always seemed to be Merlin who was constantly getting into trouble and Adrielle who was in charge of reprimanding him.

"If my senses are correct at the top of this hill we should be able to see Camelot," Merlin announced.

"If we get to the top and all we see are more trees I'm going to laugh and probably punch you for leading us in the wrong direction." Merlin turned around to make a face at her before continuing on forward. He raced to the top of the hill eager to find out for sure if he had been right or not. Adrielle pulled the hem of her dress up higher allowing her to quickly trek up the hill.

As they reached the peak and peered over the land, a great white castle stood. Camelot. The two of them stood there and took in the sight together. They had never been to a large, bustling city before. Especially never Camelot. Their home of Ealdor was a small village in the country of Cenred's land. Not many in Ealdor had ever graced the presence of their king, but word was he wasn't the friendliest of sorts. A rugged and handsome man he was, but also quite cruel and ruthless. Cenred didn't bother much with the small outlying village of theirs, which everyone was pleased with.

"My apologies, Merl," Adrielle said as they stared. "It seems you were right."

"Does that mean I get to punch you now?" Merlin asked, half joking half serious.

"No," she responded bluntly. Being the older brother that he was, Merlin took his chance and punched her shoulder, a good hearted laugh leaving his lips. Adrielle didn't find him as amusing and made to tackle him. Merlin side stepped and watched her falter, realizing he'd unleashed her wrath as he took off down the hill towards the castle. She chased her brother most of the way to the city, goofy grins appearing on their faces as they raced. As they reached the lower town they slowed down their pace. It was a futile attempt, in Adrielle's opinion, to remain without any sort of reputation their first day in Camelot. The two siblings held onto each other as they walked, laughing and clutching their sides while gasping for air. Despite the fact that they were siblings and practically obligated to row with each other every now and then, Merlin and Adrielle were each other's best friends.

They looked every which way as they walked closer to the castle, trying to take in as much of the city as they could. Villagers bustled all around them maintaining their day to day business. Stalls lined the sides with goods and wonders available for purchase. Children weaved in and out of their legs, parents hurrying after trying to control them. Chickens squawked and pigs squealed from their pens. It definitely didn't smell like the country where they had come from. The air was more alive, bristling and humming with the excitement and liveliness of the villagers.

As they neared the castle, the sound of drumbeats distinguished themselves from the normal sounds of the bustling city. Horns sounded, calling the citizens to gather round for what was about to happen. Adrielle and Merlin looked at each other and hurried over to where the large crowd was gathering, careful to stick close to each other. In the center of the gathering was a block of eight guards placed strategically to create a barrier in front of the people. Two guards led a man into the center from the citadel and up to the block. He did not struggle as they pushed him to his knees; his eyes betrayed him though. They were plastered with fear.

Adrielle could feel her brother come to the same conclusion next to her: they were about to witness an execution. They'd never seen a proper execution like this before. There wasn't much need in Ealdor.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all," a great booming voice echoed from behind them. The crowd turned collectively to gaze at the man who was speaking. He stood up on a balcony with two knights flanking him. He was older than them, probably in their mother's generation. Definitely older than her, but all the same. He could easily pass as their father. He had grey peppered hair and an old aged face. A magnificent crown sat atop his head, ordaining him as King of Camelot.

"This man," he continued powerfully, "Thomas James Collins is judged guilty of conspiring with enchantments and magic. And pursuant with the laws of Camelot I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death."

Adrielle gulped and tried to glance over at Merlin inconspicuously. That's another thing that separated Merlin and Adrielle from most others. They had magic. It was common knowledge that having and or practicing magic was something sort of a taboo. The two of them could move things with magic before they could even talk. It just sort of happened with them. When they were old enough to comprehend more, their mother told them that their gifts had to be kept a secret. It wasn't that they were monsters, but that some gifts are so special that they must be shared quietly. They thought that coming to Camelot was a fresh change, an escape from the mundane life in Ealdor. They had no idea that where they were going it was not only taboo to practice magic, but illegal. On penalty of death.

Merlin looked back at her, the same sense of dread creeping into his chest. The two looked back up as Uther continued. "I pride myself on being a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery there is only one sentence I can pass." He nodded to the two guards who had ushered the man called Thomas into the square. The crowd turned their attention back to the center as Thomas was push forward, his head coming to rest on the chopping block.

Adrielle found herself grabbing onto Merlin's upper arm and squeezing it, hoping to find some comfort and reassurance. Merlin wasn't usually the one she went to for protection necessarily, but they were all each other really had now. Especially when they were practically dead in the water everywhere they went in Camelot. If Uther or anyone else were to ever find out about them, who Adrielle and Merlin truly were, they'd be condemned to death without a second's hesitation. Even if they hadn't done anything inherently wrong.

The executioner stepped into position and slowly raised his axe in tandem with Uther's arm, waiting for the moment to strike. The drumbeats continued to beat their strange death march anthem. Uther brought his arm down and the execution struck. A collective gasp rang through the crowd; Adrielle had squeezed her brother's arm and looked away at the last possible moment, tightly shutting her eyes.

"When I came to this land," Uther continued, almost as if nothing had fazed him, "the kingdom was mired with chaos. With the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evils of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin."

Adrielle turned to Merlin, unsure of what to say or what exactly was going on. She usually always had some words to say no matter what the given circumstance. Although it seemed this was a brand new and disconcerting encounter for both of the twins.

The people and their king started to turn and leave the gruesome sight that was Thomas's beheading when a heartbreaking wail pierced the air. The crowd remained where they were and focused their attention on the source of the wails, an elderly woman with grey stringy hair. Her brown robes were tattered and frayed and her eyes were filled to the brim with agony and anger. If looks could kill the king would be dead within a second under her forceful gaze.

"There is only one evil in this land and it is not magic," she wailed. Even the king had been forced to stop and stare at her as she berated him. "It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance. You took my son. But I promise you, before these celebrations are over you will share my tears. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A son for a son."

At that King Uther reeled back and ordered his guards forward. "Seize her!" he shouted. The woman pulled a necklace out, a strange stone on a string, and held onto it as she incanted a spell. A wisp of air burst forth and engulfed the woman before the guards could reach her. When the powerful wind had stopped she was nowhere to be seen.

The king turned and left without another word, his knights following suit. The rest of the people who had gathered turned to one another and began to resume their business, chattering about the execution and the witch who had been in their midst; threatening the king and his son.

Adrielle turned to Merlin again worriedly. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her to the direction they had been going earlier.

"What are we doing here?" she asked quickly, trying to conceal her fright and uncertainty.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why are we here? Why has mother sentenced us to a place where we could be killed just for breathing? Just because we are who we are?"

"I don't know, Adrielle, you're the smart one. You tell me," Merlin retorted.

"I don't know, alright! That's why I'm asking you!" Her voice began to rise higher than that of the average townsperson. A few curious glances were sent their way, but nothing more was thought of this country girl's outburst.

"Keep your voice down," Merlin chastised. Whenever it was completely unnecessary and out of place, Merlin's 'big brother' attitude would push through. That she was a young and foolish girl who should listen to her wise and older brother. Pfft. Wise and older my arse, Adrielle thought. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

"Look, I'm sorry, Merlin," she retracted, her voice dying down again. "I'm just a little nervous and a little bit scared right now. Why are we here?"

"I told you, I don't know. I'm sure mother wouldn't have sent us here if she didn't have a good reason. Something more than just letting us stretch our legs out on our own. Have a little faith, will you?"

"I do. Although I'm not too sure when you became the wise and composed sibling and I...well whatever you usually are," Adrielle said, a faint smile quirking her lips. "Who are we suppose to be looking for again?"

"Er...Gaius," Merlin said, looking over the letter their mother had given them. It explained all her fears and doubts about them staying in Ealdor. What she wished Gaius to know about her dear twins.

"Do we even know what he looks like or where he might be?"

"No. She says he's our uncle but the two of us haven't ever met him."

"Oh brilliant," she said with a roll of her eyes. "So we're looking for a man we've never met before, who has never met either of us, we don't know where in the city he lives, and we only know his name?"

"And that he's Court Physician," Merlin added helplessly.

"Well I guess that's helps a little."

Merlin might have been content enough to just wander around the castle until they hopefully bumped into whoever Gaius was or their 'magic' senses came in and 'magically' told them where he was. Adrielle sighed and playfully slapped the back of his head; it seemed the roles had been reversed again back to their proper places. She took the initiative and casually strolled up to a guard. Careful not to accidentally scream that she was a witch, and get herself and her brother dragged away to the dungeons, she asked where they could find Gaius, the Court Physician. He pointed them through a door and up a set of stairs. She flashed a polite smile and turned back to her brother, ushering him to follow.

"Now, was asking for directions really that hard?" she poked playfully. "I just saved us a lot of time."

"Or we could have just followed that sign," Merlin said, pointing to a place along the stairs. Adrielle followed his finger to a sign that said 'Court Physician' with an arrow pointing the same direction the guard had. Adrielle huffed and turned back to face her brother.

"It could have been hours before we found that sign on our own." Merlin put up his hands in mock surrender. The two of them continued towards their destination quietly. At the end of the hall they found a door that was cracked open slightly. Merlin made to walk in until Adrielle's arm snapped up in front of him, halting him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"We can't just go barging in. That's rude, what if he's indecent?" she said sternly. Merlin nodded his head muttering 'oh, right', as he did. He knocked on the door quickly as he walked right on inside. Well at least he knocked, Adrielle thought.

"Gaius?" Merlin called. "Hello?"

"Maybe he's not here," Adrielle suggested as she looked around the room. It was quite an interesting room. She'd probably think that everything she saw in Camelot would be considered 'quite interesting' or new to her until she got use to things. There were a few tables scattered around the room, a small cot off to the right side, and another table she supposed was an examination table. It was the only table without...things on it. The tables were littered with books and papers, different scientific and medical instruments, jars and glasses filled to the brim with different ingredients. Herbs and foliage were also strung up and shoved into cups, anywhere room could be found but also where they could be easily accessible in an emergency.

"Perhaps he's indecent somewhere else," Merlin called back smarmily.

"Gaius?" Adrielle called out. Merlin strolled around the room and looked up to see an older man standing in front of a bookshelf on an upper level.

"Gaius!" Merlin called again, clearing his throat this time. Gaius started to turn to inspect who was in his chambers when the railing that he had been leaning on snapped. Adrielle reacted without even meaning to. Her breath hitched as she watched the old man start to fall to the Earth. Stop! Her mind screamed at him. Her eyes flashed from blue to gold and back again. It seemed that time around Gaius had slowed down. He was still falling, but it would take him some time to fall completely to the ground. Even then it probably wouldn't hurt him at all.

Merlin turned to look at her. What did you do? his face said. She shrugged, not knowing exactly what she had done. Merlin turned his attention to the cot nearby. His eyes flashed gold, just as hers had, and in an instant the bed moved from its original position across the room and under to where Gaius would inevitably hit. Time sped up again and Gaius came falling back to the ground, landing with a softer thud on his bed.

"What did you just do?" Gaius ordered as he quickly stood up.

The two twins stammered almost in unison, trying to find words to explain or even cover up what they had just done.

"Tell me!"

"Uh nothing, that was nothing...uh...that was...it was him," Adrielle said, finally blaming Merlin and pointing up at him. It was her fail safe, last resort tactic. When in doubt, blame Merlin. It had a fairly decent success rate. Usually it actually was Merlin's fault or it was extremely plausible that it could have been his fault.

Merlin looked at his sister annoyed before speaking again. "That wasn't me and that wasn't her either. That was neither of us. Nothing happened."

"If anyone had seen that-" Gaius continued, looking around the room to make sure no one had actually seen it.

"Oh no, no. That wasn't us. I don't know what that was but it was most definitely not us," Adrielle continued.

"I know what it was," Gaius spoke. "I just want to know where you learned to do it."

"Nowhere," the two said together.

"So how is it you know magic?" Gaius asked.

"I don't. We don't," they said, still speaking as one.

"Where did you study?" Gaius really wasn't going to take no for an answer, was he? "Answer me!"

"I-I haven't," Merlin answered by himself this time. "Neither of us have. We've never studied magic."

"Are you lying to me boy?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"The truth!"

"We were born like this," Adrielle chimed in.

"That's impossible," Gaius continued, refusing to believe these two young people, children still, had in fact been born with magic. He seemed to let it go for a moment, speaking again when another thought had popped into his mind. "Who are you two?"

They looked at each other before answering. "Oh, we uhm...we have a letter. Merlin get the letter," Adrielle said while touching his arm. He struggled with his bag for a second and dug inside of it before handing the letter over to Gaius.

"I don't have my glasses," he said, waving around the letter seeing it was useless to him now.

"I'm Merlin and this is my sister Adrielle," he said, introducing the two of them.

"Hunith's twins?" he asked surprised, finally getting to the reason they were actually here. "You're not meant to be here until Wednesday."

"It...it is Wednesday," Adrielle supplied, her brows furrowing.

"Ah...right then," Gaius said slowly. "Well the two of you better put your things in there." He motioned to a few steps that led up to a small door. The twins nodded and began moving towards their personal chambers, when Merlin suddenly turned around.

"You won't...er...you won't mention anything about uhm..." he nodded towards the broken railings and the cot.

"No, but Merlin," Gaius called as the two turned back around, "I should say thank you. To the both of you." The two nodded sheepishly before making their way back up to their rooms.

Behind the door was a small room. It looked like its initial purpose had been to be a bedroom, perhaps for only one person but certainly not two. Squished on either side by the walls were two identical cots. Crates and other boxes were stacked up in various places. A small desk and a chair had been set up between the two beds. On the wall by the door a small mirror hung. On the other side of the door stood a small cabinet, able to hold their clothes and small items they had brought with them.

The two twins quickly claimed their beds, Merlin to the right and Adrielle to the left, and sat their things down. They were grateful to have a proper chance to rest. Not just to rest but to be inside on a piece of furniture and not stopped out in the middle of the woods. The sun had since started setting. Adrielle was quick to light a few candles before they were plunged into total darkness.

"Look there," Merlin said, pointing to a window that hung just above Adrielle's bed. Faint sounds of the dying city could be heard as the two approached the window and slowly opened it. The window looked out over a part of the city. From their perch they could perfectly see patches of the castle, the citadel, and the lower town stretching out below them. Lights flicked from houses creating the illusion that they were looking out over stars.

"This is so cool," Adrielle breathed, as her and her brother leaned against the ledge and took in Camelot at night.

As the brother and sister pair got settled and accustomed to their new living arrangement, Gaius sat himself down at one of his many tables. He placed his reading glasses onto his face and read over the words his dear sister-in-law had written.

My dear Gaius, I turn to you for I feel lost and alone and don't know who to trust. It is every mother's fate to think her child is special, yet I would give my life to think that Merlin and Adrielle were not so. Ours is a small village and they are so clearly at odds with people here that if they were to remain I fear what would become of them. They each need a hand to hold and not each other's. A voice to guide them. Someone that might help them find a purpose for their gifts. I beg you, if you understand a mother's love for her son and daughter, keep them safe. And may God save all of you. Hunith.

Gaius lowered his glasses and folded up the letter, turning to gaze at the room where Adrielle and Merlin now slept.

Adrielle woke slowly the next morning. It was comforting and welcoming to find herself waking up in a proper bed. Blankets covering her with the right amount of warmth and a couple of pillows under her head. For a split second, she almost thought they were back home in Ealdor. That her mother would be coming in any moment, kissing Adrielle's head softly and calling for Merlin to wake, and when he didn't Adrielle would take to throwing a pillow at his lazy form. A soft and motherly smile would grace Hunith's lips before leaving the two of them.

Adrielle smiled sadly, the thought of her mother causing her heart to contract uncomfortably. She looked over to her brother's bed and found him still soundly asleep. She considered assaulting him with a pillow; waking him up for old time's sake. She decided against it, letting him sleep peacefully. There would be enough time for them to pick on each other while reminiscing on their past.

She pulled on her dress and moved to the small mirror. Her dark, black hair hung loosely around her face, curling at the tips which reached just barely past her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the beast and make herself look presentable. Her pale purple dress was just a size too big, causing it to hang unceremoniously from her body. She reached for a light brown cord and tied it around her waist, giving her dress and form a more feminine look. She smiled, her light pink lips twitching slightly.

She met her eyes in the mirror and checked herself over again. She had to admit, her dark blue eyes were quite stunning. They complimented her pale heart shaped face nicely; even her high and prominent cheek bones. She laughed to herself as she remarked how much resemblance her and Merlin shared. They were twins after all. He had the same colour hair, same blue eyes, and same sharp cheekbones.

She smiled to her reflection, seeming pleased with its appearance, and headed down to the main part of their chambers. Gaius was standing over one of his tables, preparing what she assumed as breakfast. He looked up as he noticed her presence and smiled kindly at her.

"Good morning, Adrielle," Gaius said, returning his attention back to their porridge. He dished out two bowls worth of food and set them both down at the table.

"Good morning, Gaius," she said cheerfully taking her seat across from Gaius.

"Sleep well?" he asked conversationally as they started their meal. She nodded in response. He nodded towards a bowl that sat at the edge of the table. "It seems your brother forgot to wash last night. How old are the two of you now anyways?"

"Eighteen. The both of us," she replied taking another bite of her food. Gaius nodded, returning to his food. She didn't notice as his hand came up and slowly pushed on a pot until it started to topple over the edge. Adrielle noticed it falling and quickly reacted, causing it to freeze in midair. She looked over at Gaius surprised before the magic wore off, causing the pot to smash to the floor and shatter.

"How did you do that?" he questioned. He wasn't as heated as he was last night. This morning he seemed more curious. "Did you incant a spell in your mind?"

"I don't know any spells," she offered honestly.

"So what did you do? There must be something."

"It just sort of...happens. We get caught off guard or something surprises us and these things just...happen." The pair looked from each other to the pot shards and back. Adrielle jumped up and began clear the debris.

"We? You mean your brother can do the same?" Gaius continued. She nodded as she returned to her breakfast, hopeful to avoid anymore interrogations. Gaius looked at her before returning to his meal.

Within minutes, Merlin had stirred from his sleep and came walking downstairs. Gaius served him breakfast and took the seat across from Adrielle, who was now finished eating. Gaius pulled the same stunt with Merlin as he did Adrielle, eager to see if they really could both to magic. This time Merlin froze the bucket of water for a moment before it too came crashing to the ground. Merlin hurried up and mopped up the mess.

"Looks like I'm going to have a time trying to keep you two out of trouble," Gaius said.

"Usually that's just my job," Adrielle said with a small smirk.

"I'm sure he needs all the looking after he can get," Gaius said, chuckling lightly. He came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But now you have someone to look after you, too. You can both help me out until I find some paid work for the two of you." He moved to one of his work stations grabbing a poultice and a small flask for them.

"Here. Hollyhock and feverfew for Lady Percival and this," he said touching the flask, "is for Sir Olwen. He's as blind as a weevil so warn him not to take it all at once. Oh, and if you two don't mind taking this to Tom the blacksmith." He handed them the three items and pulled out a sandwich for Merlin to eat on the go. He gave Adrielle clear directions to each of the three patients and sent them on their way.

"Oh and one more thing," he called as they reached the door. "I need hardly tell you the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed."

"Got it," Merlin said waving with his sandwich.

"I was speaking to Adrielle," Gaius said with a quirk of his eyebrows. "She seems to be the more responsible one out of you two. Now off you go." The two siblings shared a sly smile before they ventured off into the castle. They chattered casually as they walked through the castle, Merlin munching happily on his morning sandwich. They found their first room, Sir Olwin, fairly easily with Gaius's directions and knocked swiftly on the door.

Adrielle never expected the man who opened the door to be the Sir Olwin they were looking for. She could definitely tell that he was blind. His eyes were practically sealed together. It also looked like he was missing his teeth all together.

"Hello," Adrielle spoke up before Merlin had the chance to annoy anybody. He didn't necessarily look at them, but sort of moved his head towards where they were. Or where he thought they ought to be standing. "Uhm...we're assisting Gaius this morning. We brought you your medicine." He held out his hand to take the bottle except his hand was about a foot off. Adrielle took his hand in hers and moved it over to where her other hand was. He smiled a sort of toothless smile and accepted the bottle. He popped the cork off and began to take it without another word.

"Oh Gaius said not to drink it all at once," Merlin chimed in, but it was too late. He was already sucking down the entire thing. Merlin and Adrielle looked at each other, unsure what would happen after he took the potion all at once. "I'm sure it's fine."

The pair took off quickly. They rounded a corner and traded awkward faces before bursting into laughs.

"Let's hope we don't hear about that later," Merlin laughed.

"Oh God, Gaius will probably turn us in himself he'll be so cross," Adrielle joked. "Here why don't you go give that to Lady Percival and I'll go see Tom. We can get done sooner and have more time to explore, tour this place." He nodded at her suggestion and started to take off in Lady Percival's direction when Adrielle's hand suddenly clasped onto his jacket.

"Merlin, don't go getting into any trouble on your first day here. Or there will be hell to pay, got it?" He gave her a sheepish look before heading off on his own, not actually responding to her sternness. She watched him walk away before she turned and headed off to the blacksmith.

She smiled politely to people she passed. Throughout the castle servants were busy preparing for the Lady Helen's arrival and feast that would be held two days time in honor of twenty years without magic. Adrielle wasn't sure how she should feel about it. The entire kingdom as celebrating and rejoicing the fact that people like her and her brother were dead and abolished from Camelot. It made her feel like she was at odds against the world. She wondered, and shuttered at the thought, of what anyone like her could have done to make the use of magic so feared. So misunderstood.

She sighed and tried to push those kinds of thoughts from her mind. Her mother always advised her that she ought not to worry about things that were out of her control. She rounded a corner and up to the house of the blacksmith, firmly knocking three times. A young woman, maybe a year or two older than her, opened the door. She was a few inches shorter than Adrielle. She had creamy brown eyes and dark curly hair that hung to her shoulders. Her dark skin was complimented nicely by her coral dress.

"You're not the blacksmith," Adrielle said suddenly. "Unless you are. Not saying that you can't be. I didn't mean to be rude; you might very well be the blacksmith. I just didn't expect you to be a girl and you look confused so I'm going to stop talking now. Sorry."

The girl in question let out a breathy laugh before speaking. "I'm his daughter, Guinevere, although most people just call me Gwen. He's not here right now. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked politely. Her voice was soft and kind.

"Uhm I'm assisting Gaius today and he asked me to bring this for your father," she said while handing over the little bag.

"Oh thank you, I'll make sure he gets it. I wasn't aware Gaius had any assistants."

"Well it's only temporary. My brother and I just moved here and we're living with Gaius, he's our uncle," Adrielle explained.

"Oh, well then, welcome to Camelot," Gwen said with a smile. Adrielle hadn't formally met anybody in Camelot yet. It was nice to be shown some sense of welcome and hospitality, even if it was from this young woman. "I'd love to stay and chat but I really must be off. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid, you see."

"Well don't let me keep you waiting," Adrielle said with a smile, stepping out of the doorway. "It was nice meeting you, Gwen. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too..." she started, pausing when she realized she hadn't gotten her name.

"Oh, Adrielle." she supplied, offering her hand.

"Well, Adrielle," Gwen said while taking her hand and shaking it, "until next time."

She said her goodbyes to Gwen and made her way back to Gaius' chambers. Merlin was surely done with his task by now. Unless, of course, he'd gotten himself into trouble already. Oh, come on, Adrielle sighed to herself. You should have a little more faith in your dear brother. Adrielle decided to take her time getting back and explore the castle a little

Adrielle took a little walk through the nearby forest before she returned to Gaius's chambers, which she supposed were her chambers now. She was surprised to see only Gaius sitting there. She'd been out for hours. Where could Merlin be?

"Ah, Adrielle. Glad to see you're not in over your head," Gaius said.

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother. Got himself into a bit of trouble,"

"Already?" Adrielle sighed. "What has he done? Where is he?"

"He's in the dungeons."

"Dungeons?!" Her brother was so dead when she got a hold of him.

"He insulted the king's son. Arthur."

"Why is he such a clotpole? Merlin, that is."

"That is a mystery you may never be able to answer. I've been able to pull a few strings to get him out, but he'll have to stay the night there tonight," Gaius said handing her a plate of food.

"He's definitely going to be a handful."