Merlin POV
Uther was consumed by his hatred of magic. His sanity had always drawn a fine line when it came to matters of the supernatural but now it seemed as though he had finally broken. How could a man condemn someone who was as a daughter to him? Morgana would hang at noon and why? Because through no fault of her own she was born different… special, she was born with the power to see the future. There was no room for magic in Camelot so long as Uther was on the throne. Only when Arthur is king will the people be free to be as they are… magic or otherwise. Arthur had tried to protect Morgana, even to the point where he had physically punched his own father. Gwen had screamed for mercy and Arthur had pleaded with his father but to no avail, Uther was blinded by fear. I watched as my three friends were dragged to the dungeon, one to await death, and two to be confined for trying to save their friend. I remained silent…
In the morning I watched as the axe was sharpened. I stood in the crowd as Morgana was brought forward. With defiance in her eyes and fear in her heart she stood, staring at the people who had once bowed and addressed her as 'milady.' Those same people now stood demure as she went to her death. King Uther rose to address the people and as he did I made my move. My eyes flashed the tell tale gold as I raced up to Morgana, grabbed her arm, and transported us both into the forest. She hugged me and cried as we both reached the realisation that we were to flee from those who had once been our friends. I turned to leave but she grabbed my arm. Her eyes flashed with anger as she declared that 'Uther would die.' Much as I hated him, I would not kill him. It was up to fate to deal that card and for now I would wait in silence until the time when Arthur was on the throne. Only then would I return to Camelot and fulfil my destiny. The look on Morgana's face told me than she had made a decision and that hers would be a path or darkness.
I turned away from the friend I had just saved and made my way through the forest. I had no sense of direction, merely the burning need to move forward. I hunted rabbits and practised magic. Away from the insanity of Camelot I could begin to appreciate magic and not feel ashamed of my birthright. It was not for a long time that I would fell comfortable enough to encounter people. I kept to the shadows and the forest.
That is until I came across a small town. It was there that I felt the inexplicable need to enter the Inn. I pulled up my hooded black cloak and entered through the door aware that all eyes were upon me. The most beautiful girl I had ever seen sat in the back corner of the room. She was tiny, had short black hair and stunningly pale skin. I immediately felt protective of her and so when she gestured me over I immediately went.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time Merlin," she said.
I felt bad, "I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked.
She smiled and my heart leapt from my chest, "No, but you will know me.. I'm Alice" she replied.