Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any recognizable entities (characters, dialogue, etc.).

A/N: Big thanks to the Merlin wikia page for providing necessary information!

"Are we nearly there?"

"For the hundredth time, yes."

"So, we're close?"

"Isn't that what 'nearly' means?"

"Well, 'near' is relative, isn't it?"

"Shut up, Mer."

Merlin's next words became trapped in his throat as the siblings spotted Camelot for the very first time. The citadel seemed to glow as the telltale sounds of civilization reached the siblings' ears.

"It's…" Roslyn couldn't find the words to describe the infamous kingdom.

"I know."

Compared to Ealdor, the siblings' previous village, the lower town seemed luxurious, never mind the grandiose citadel. The siblings walked on, marveling at every new discovery. Soon, they came upon a large crowd. Merlin being Merlin pushed to the front of crowd, curious as to what was happening. Roslyn sighed before following with a murmured "Excuse me" to all she pushed aside.

Uther, the King of Camelot, stood on a balcony and addressed his subjects, "Let this be a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death."

Roslyn stopped listening as she stared at Merlin, her magic-using brother. No. Mer's not safe here. We can't stay. We have to leave.

Just as she reached Merlin, Uther gave the order for the man to be executed. The crowd gasped and Uther, who would have her brother executed for something out of his control, announced a celebration of all things. A heart wrenching wail tore through the square as an elderly woman stumbled forwards.

The woman pointed at Uther and cried, "There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance! You took my son! And 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."

While Roslyn did agree that Uther was an ignorant tyrant, revenge was simply not the answer. She did not know Uther's son, but surely he couldn't be that bad?

During Roslyn's musings, the witch had disappeared and the crowd had begun to disperse with whispers and muttering. Merlin turned to find his sister directly behind him and gave her a hesitant smile. Roslyn knew, though, that behind that smile, her brother was scared. And so was she.

The siblings made their way to the palace in silence, a mutual understanding that Camelot was not the wondrous place they first thought it to be between them. Merlin approached a palace guard and inquired on the location of Gaius's, their uncle's, chambers. The guard pointed behind him and the siblings began their trek up spiraling stone stairs.

Merlin knocked on the open door as the siblings walked in, but the chambers seemed to be empty.

"Hello?"

"Gaius?"

The siblings turned to stare up at the multitude of bookshelves and spotted their uncle on the platform.

Merlin cleared his throat, gaining Gaius's attention. Unfortunately, the railing chose that moment to break and their uncle began his descent towards the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Roslyn saw Merlin's eyes glow gold, and a bed suddenly appeared underneath Gaius before he hit the floor.

Merlin's magic was no secret to Roslyn, as she had witnessed Merlin's acts of magic since they had begun. Gaius, obviously not injured, rushed towards the siblings.

"What did you just do?" he demanded.

Merlin was at a loss for words and barely managed to stammer out an "Erm."

"Tell me!"

"I-I-I have no idea what happened," Merlin lied. Roslyn internally sighed. For someone with such as huge secret, her brother really was a terrible liar.

"If anyone had seen that…"

"Er, no! That-that was, that was nothing to do with me. That-that was…" Again, Merlin was at a loss for words and it seemed Roslyn would have to step in and save her little brother.

"I know what it was!" Gaius exclaimed, "I just want to know where you learned how to do it!"

Learned? Her brother never had to learn magic. It was as natural as breathing for him.

"Nowhere," Merlin quickly explained.

Gaius, however, was convinced her brother had attended some magical school of sorts. In a disbelieving tone he asked, "So how is it you know magic?"

Roslyn, knowing this conversation could last a while, interjected. "He was born like this. He never studied magic. He just…knew."

"That's impossible!" Gaius proclaimed. After a beat, he seemed to realize the siblings were strangers to him. "Who are you?"

"We have this letter," Roslyn explained as Merlin fished the letter from his bag and handed it to Gaius.

"I don't have my glasses," Gaius said, staring at the letter.

Merlin quickly retracted his hand and explained, "I'm Merlin. This is my sister, Roslyn."

"Hunith's children?" Gaius asked, realization dawning.

"Yes!" Merlin exclaimed as the siblings enthusiastically nodded.

"But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!"

The smiles on the siblings' faces dropped as Roslyn explained that it was Wednesday.

"Ah, right then. You better put your bags in there." Gaius pointed to a door with a few steps leading up to it. The siblings walked forwards before Merlin stopped and turned around, causing his sister to stop and turn as well.

"You-you won't say anything about, erm..."

"No. Although, Merlin, I should say thank you."

Merlin smiled sheepishly before turning and walking up the steps to their new room. Roslyn went to follow before being stopped by Gaius.

"Roslyn, are you..?"

Roslyn answered before Gaius could complete the question. "No, I'm not."

The siblings' room was small, but, considering the siblings had slept on the floor back in Ealdor, the quaint room was more than enough. Merlin laid claim to the bed closest to the door, leaving Roslyn with the bed up against the opposite wall. The siblings unpacked in silence, placing the few clothes they owned in the cupboards.

It was only as the siblings sat on their respective beds that the silence was broken.

"Should we stay here, Mer? It's too dangerous," Roslyn whispered, the image of that day's execution in the forefront of her mind.

"We'll be alright, Ro. I'll be alright. Promise," Merlin whispered back, also thinking about the execution the siblings had witnessed.

Nothing more was said on the subject for the rest of the night.

Roslyn was awake as soon as the sun shone through their small window. She smiled as she spotted her brother, peacefully at sleep. She decided to let him sleep a while longer as she dressed in her usual garb, a light blue dress with flat, brown shoes. She propped up her small mirror on their desk and styled her black hair into a braided bun. She smiled, satisfied, and walked out of their room, careful to not disturb her brother from his slumber.

"Good morning, Uncle," she greeted, spotting Gaius serving breakfast while a bucket of water stood on the dining table.

"Good morning, Roslyn. You and your brother didn't wash last night. I got you both water."

"Oh, sorry. Thank you, Uncle."

"Here's breakfast," he said as he handed her a bowl of porridge.

As Roslyn sat down and began to eat her breakfast, she heard a door opening and closing. Looking up, she found her brother, messy hair and all, speaking with Gaius. Her brother sat down in front of her, gave her a tired smile, and lifted his spoon.

Suddenly, the bucket of water on the edge of the table fell. Merlin stood up and, with a golden glow of his eyes, stopped the bucket mid-fall. Gaius and Merlin stared at each other and Merlin let the bucket fall with a thump.

"How did you do that? Did you incant a spell in your mind?" Gaius demanded, back on the topic of Merlin's magic.

"I don't know any spells," Merlin said.

In fact, I don't think Mer has ever met another sorcerer, Roslyn thought.

"So what did you do? There must be something." Gaius would not give up. Was it so hard to believe that Merlin knew magic naturally?

"It just happens," Merlin eloquently explained as he grabbed a mop and began to clean up the spilled water.

"Well, we better keep you out of trouble, both of you. You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here." Gaius handed a small sack to Roslyn and a bottle to Merlin. He explained, "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival, and this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."

Merlin nodded with an "Okay" and went to leave before Gaius handed him a sandwich with a smile. Merlin smiled at their uncle and walked towards the door.

"Off you go. And Merlin!, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed," Gaius warned.

"Goodbye, Uncle!" Roslyn called as she went on her way.

She smiled as she saw the hustle and bustle of Camelot. It was similar to Ealdor, but bigger.

She stopped a nearby palace guard and asked, "Where could I find Lady Percival's chambers?"

The guard gave her directions with an emotionless face before resuming his post. Roslyn thanked him before entering the palace. If the outside was impressive, the inside was grandiose. The stone walls were immaculate with not one spot of dirt in sight.

So distracted was she by her first glance of the inside of the palace that she failed to notice the group of knights approaching her. She did, however, notice how hard the palace floors were.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, looking up to see what had knocked her down.

"You should be more careful," the blond one warned, holding a hand out to help her up.

"I was…distracted. Thank you," Roslyn begrudgingly said, accepting the hand.

"Are you new to Camelot? Surely I would remember someone as beautiful as you."

Wonderful, a flirt.

Roslyn forced a smile on her face. "Yes. I arrived yesterday."

"Well, I hope to see you again soon." With that, the knights and what could only be their womanizing leader left.

I hope not.

After delivering the medicine to a sickly Lady Percival, Roslyn made her way to the courtyard with the hopes of finding Merlin. Fortunately, she found him rather quickly (who could miss him with his unique choice of clothing?).

Unfortunately, he was speaking with the blond knight she had no desire to see again. Sighing, she approached just in time to see Merlin take a swing at the knight and the knight twist Merlin's arm behind his back.

Gasping, she ran towards the duo. "Merlin!"

"I'll have you thrown in jail for that," the knight promised.

"What, who do you think you are? The King?" Merlin gasped out.

"No. I'm his son, Arthur," the knight – well, the prince – revealed as guards approached to haul her trouble-seeking brother off to jail.

Never mind. I hope the witch gets her revenge.

"Gaius!" Roslyn cried as she rushed into her uncle's chambers.

"What is it?" Gaius asked, mind already preparing for almost any situation.

"Merlin's been arrested." Well, every situation except that.

"What?! What did that boy do? They didn't catch him – " Gaius was worried beyond belief. His nephew had been here one day and he was already discovered?

"No! No. He – he tried to attack the prince." As Gaius opened his mouth to wonder aloud at Merlin's stupidity, Roslyn added, "But, in his defense, he didn't know he was the prince. He just thought he was a knight." She cringed at that.

"That boy…" Gaius sighed. He headed towards the door, calling over his shoulder, "I'll see what I can do to get your brother released."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Roslyn sighed with relief. Looking around, she noticed how messy her uncle's chambers were. As a thank you, she decided to clean up the chambers while she waited for Gaius to return, hopefully with Merlin in tow.

The next morning, Roslyn stood to the side as the people of Camelot relentlessly pelted her brother with rotten fruits and vegetables, mostly tomatoes. Sometimes, Roslyn believed Merlin had some kind of mental affliction because he was smiling and laughing as tomato after tomato hit him. However, he was more likely putting on a show for the children. Merlin always had a soft spot for children.

As the children rushed off, surely to acquire more projectiles, Roslyn and another woman approached the stocks.

"I fear we'll have a food shortage soon, brother," Roslyn teased.

"In my defense, he was being really rude."

Before Roslyn could respond, the other woman introduced herself. "I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."

Merlin stretched out his hand as far as he could and, with his trademark grin, said, "Right. I'm Merlin. Although, most people just call me Idiot."

"If the shoe fits," Roslyn grinned.

"And this is my wonderful sister, Roslyn," Merlin sarcastically added.

"No, no, no. I saw what you did. It was so brave," Gwen gushed.

Roslyn raised an eyebrow, channeling her uncle. I suspect a romance brewing.

"It was stupid," Merlin admitted.

"Well, I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him," Gwen told him, causing Roslyn and Merlin to release identical snorts.

"Oh, I – I can beat him," Merlin claimed.

"Mer, I love you, but you would not be able to beat the prince in a battle of strength," Roslyn chuckled.

"Roslyn's right. You don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows," Gwen explained.

"Thanks," Merlin sarcastically replied.

Gwen backtracked quickly. "No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just, erm… Arthur's one of these real rough, tough, save the world kind of men, and…well…"

"What?"

"You don't look like that," Gwen said, shaking her head slightly.

Merlin motioned her closer and whispered, "I'm in disguise," causing Gwen to laugh.

"Well, it's great you stood up to him," Gwen smiled, eyes only for Merlin.

Roslyn noticed excited children running towards them with more rotten food and decided to make herself scarce. "I'll see you tonight, Mer. Uncle wanted to speak with me," she called over her shoulder, although it was ignored by the two fast friends.

"Uncle?" Roslyn called as she entered the chambers.

"Ah, Roslyn! This is the Lady Morgana, the King's ward," Gaius explained, motioning towards the beautiful woman dressed in a fine gown.

Roslyn respectfully bowed her head with a "My Lady."

"Oh, there's no need for that here, Roslyn," Morgana said, stepping forward slightly with a smile.

"I was informing Morgana that you have yet to find paid work, and she mentioned how she could use an extra hand." Gaius raised one eyebrow expectantly.

"Thank you, My Lady. This is very kind of you," Roslyn remarked.

"My current maid, Gwen, works herself too hard. It would be nice for her to have someone to share the load with," Morgana commented.

"Gwen? Short for Guinevere?" Roslyn questioned, wondering whether Morgana spoke of the same woman she had just met.

"Why? Do you know her?"

"I just met her. She's quite lovely," Roslyn added, sensing a closeness between maid and mistress.

"That she is. Well, you can start tomorrow morning. Come by my chambers after breakfast." With a genuine smile, Morgana left, a small potion bottle clutched in her hand.

"Now we just have to find something for Merlin to do," Gaius announced.

"He seems to be getting into trouble well enough," Roslyn giggled, clearing the table for dinner.

"Oh, that boy will be the death of me."

Merlin walked in covered in a multitude of produce just as Roslyn set down the final bowl.

"How was your performance, Mer?" Roslyn grinned.

Her brother simply shook his head at her and sat down to eat.

"Do you want some vegetables with that?" Gaius asked, his grin identical to Roslyn's.

Merlin snorted, "I know you're still angry with me, both of you."

Roslyn shook her head and sighed. "I'm not angry with you, Mer, I'm disappointed in you. Mother asked me to look after you."

"And your mother asked me to look after both of you," Gaius added, smiling at Roslyn's protective nature. He turned his attention towards Merlin, who was staring into his bowl. "What did your mother say to you about your gifts?"

"That I was special," Merlin mumbled, scooping up some food only to let it fall back into the bowl.

"You are special, the likes of which I have never seen before," Gaius explained to her sullen brother.

With a smile, Roslyn stood up and left to give the two some privacy. She quietly entered their room and changed into her nightgown.

Merlin walked into their room just as his sister was unbraiding her hair.

"Are you really disappointed in me, Ro?" It came out softly, so softly Roslyn almost failed to hear it.

Roslyn stood up quickly and rushed to her brother. "No, Mer. I was disappointed in your actions today, but I will never be disappointed in you. I am so proud of you."

Merlin hugged her tightly, hunching over to bury his face in her neck. Roslyn responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his back.

"I love you, Ro."

"I love you, too, Mer."

The next morning, Roslyn was making her way towards the Lady Morgana's chambers when she ran into the Prince again. Thankfully, not literally.

"Hello again. I don't believe I caught your name yesterday," Arthur smiled, crossing his arms across his chest and unknowingly blocking her path.

"Roslyn, sire," she replied, bowing her head.

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

He is such a flirt. I'm going to be late!

"Excuse me, sire. I must be going or I shall be late to work." Roslyn hoped he would move. She had never met a royal before coming to Camelot, but she had heard others speak of their arrogance.

"Of course. I hope to see you again, Roslyn." With that, Arthur kept walking, allowing her to let out a breath of relief.

I hope not.

"Good morning, my Lady," Roslyn greeted as she walked into Morgana's grand chambers.

"Good morning, Roslyn," Morgana responded, smiling from her seat at her table.

"Oh, hello, Roslyn. It's lovely to see you again," Gwen smiled as she picked up Morgana's empty plate.

Morgana stood up, smiling at Gwen in thanks, and walked towards Roslyn. "There's really not much that I need done for now. Standard duties include laundry, bringing me my meals, mending my clothes, and keeping my chambers clean. Thankfully, I'm nothing like Arthur, so my chambers are usually well-kept and my clothes smell much better than his," Morgana added with a giggle.

Roslyn and Gwen joined her.

Working for Morgana doesn't seem so bad.

After Morgana dismissed her for the day, Roslyn walked back to her home. Was Camelot home now? Well, it was more a home than Ealdor. If not for her mother and Merlin, she would have lost her sanity in the village. The people were always so judgmental. Being nearly of age, they expected her to marry sooner rather than later. None of the boys – for that was all they were – in Ealdor interested her and she doubted she would ever marry. Her sole purpose in life was to protect Merlin; not to tend to an immature husband and bear children.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she entered her uncle's chambers and spotted a clearly injured Merlin and an irate Gaius. She managed to catch the end of Merlin's rant.

"…If I can't use magic, I might as well die."

"Mer! What happened? Are you alright?" Roslyn rushed towards her brother and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her brown eyes scanned his body, cataloguing his visible injuries.

"He fought with Arthur using magic," her uncle explained, lowering his voice over the last word.

Roslyn sighed internally, but did not allow her disappointment to show. "Come on, Mer. You should get some rest." She led her brother to their room and helped him lie down on his stomach. She walked around his bed and sat on his pillow. She then placed his head on her lap and ran her fingers through his hair.

Gaius entered with some medicine and sighed, "Merlin? Sit up. Take your shirt off."

Roslyn helped him take off his shirt and gasped at the sight of the bruises decorating his back. Oh, Arthur is going to pay.

As Gaius tended to his injuries, Merlin wondered aloud, "You don't know why I was born like this, do you?"

"No."

In a small, vulnerable voice, Merlin asked, "I'm not a monster, am I?"

At the same time, Gaius and Roslyn reprimanded him, "Don't ever think that."

"Then why am I like this? It can't be a family thing because Ro doesn't have magic. Please, I need to know why," he pleaded. Roslyn looked at him with sad eyes. Ever since he had discovered the reputation of magic users, he had questioned himself.

"Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me," Gaius mused, closing the salve he had used on Merlin's back.

Merlin, with his utmost faith in their uncle, replied, "If you can't tell me, no one can."

Gaius, a small, proud smile on his face, handed a cup to Merlin with the instruction to drink it to help with the pain. After he had done so – and his face had twisted at the taste – Gaius left the siblings on their own to prepare dinner.

Roslyn stood up and helped her brother move into a more comfortable position that would not irritate his wounds.

"Where were you today? I woke up and you were gone. Gaius said that you were working," Merlin tiredly murmured.

Roslyn smiled endearingly as she placed a blanket around her brother. "I found work as Lady Morgana's maid. Well, her second maid. Her first maid is Gwen. What a coincidence, hmm?" She waited for a response, but, upon looking at her brother's face, found him asleep. "Sleep well, Mer," she whispered, placing a kiss on his forehead before exiting their room to help their uncle.

The next day, Roslyn was washing Morgana's clothes as Gwen washed her bedsheets. For someone of nobility, Morgana was extraordinarily kind. She always asked for something, never demanded.

After the clothes and linen had dried, the two began their trek towards Morgana's chambers.

"So, how are you finding Camelot, Roslyn?" Gwen asked, pausing to adjust the basket in her arms.

"It's very different from Ealdor, for obvious reasons," Roslyn laughed. "But, my time in Camelot has been quite nice."

As they reached the chambers, they could hear Morgana speaking with someone. Curious, the two walked through the open door and spotted none other than Merlin standing in front of the changing screen.

"Gwen? Roslyn?" Morgana asked. It seemed Morgana believed that it had been her maids she was speaking with.

"We're here," Gwen replied, confusion in her face as she stared at Merlin.

Trying not to laugh, Roslyn mouthed, "What are you doing?"

Merlin made a few motions which neither Gwen nor Roslyn understood before they put two and two together and realized Morgana needed help dressing. The two smiled, shaking their heads, and went to help their mistress.

As he left, Merlin mouthed, "Thank you."

Oh, that brother of mine.

Morgana looked absolutely stunning in her maroon gown. As she entered the banquet hall, all eyes were on her, rightly so. Gwen and Roslyn discreetly entered after her and stood next to Merlin and Gaius. Roslyn smirked as she caught Merlin staring at Morgana. After realizing Gwen was friendly to anything that moved, she had thrown out the idea of Gwen and her brother courting. Merlin and Morgana, however…

Gwen seemed to be thinking the same as she asked Merlin, "She looks great, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Merlin absentmindedly agreed.

Gwen and Roslyn shared a glance and a grin. With that, both girls knew what they had to do. They had to set up Merlin and Morgana.

Horns sounded the arrival of the King and the guests found their places. Morgana only needed one person to tend to her tonight, so Roslyn was able to stand next to her brother off to the side.

Uther looked upon his people as he began his speech. "We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."

Heavy applause followed, though more likely it was for Lady Helen than Uther. As everyone took their seats, Lady Helen, wearing a bright yellow gown, stepped onto a makeshift stage. Music from an unknown source began to play and Lady Helen started to sing in a foreign language.

Her singing was quite mesmerizing, Roslyn noticed, quickly becoming tired. In fact, everyone had become tired. Merlin took notice and motioned to his sister to cover her ears before he did so as well. Cobwebs rapidly formed over the sleeping people as Lady Helen strutted closer to the royals.

As she closed in on her target, the siblings noted who exactly her target was: Arthur. She pulled a small dagger from her dress sleeve, possibly concealed by magic. Merlin looked around desperately, attempting to find some method to stop her. Roslyn tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the chandelier the singer was approaching.

Just as Lady Helen raised the dagger, poised to throw, Merlin dropped the chandelier on top of her with a golden flash of his eyes. She collapsed under the sheer force of the metal chandelier, turning into the old woman from a few days ago.

Confused whispers alerted the siblings that the guests had woken from their enchanted sleep. Uther and Arthur stood as they noticed that Lady Helen was no longer Lady Helen, but the woman who had threatened Arthur's life.

With the last of her strength – and possibly her magic – the woman threw the dagger at Arthur. It flew through the air so quickly that there was little hope the shock Arthur would move in time to avoid it.

But he did. Well, he did with the help of Merlin, who must have used the same magic he used to save their uncle on their first day in Camelot.

Both hurried to stand and all Arthur and Uther could manage to do was stare incredulously at Merlin, the boy who had saved the prince and sole heir.

Uther managed to find the words he wished to speak as he remarked, "You saved my boy's life. A debt must be repaid."

Modest Merlin rubbed the back of his neck with an "Oh, well…"

"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded," Uther declared.

"No, honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness," Merlin insisted, backing away slightly.

"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."

"Well…" And there went the modesty.

As Uther spoke, it seemed as though he was about to reward Merlin with the grandest prize of all time. "You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant," Uther revealed.

The court applauded, many whispering about what an honor Merlin had been bestowed. As she clapped for her hero of a brother, she held back a giggle at how Merlin and Arthur unhappily refused to look at each other.

This will be interesting.

That night, as the siblings laid in their beds, Merlin's voice broke through the silence.

"Ro?"

"Yeah, Mer?"

Both of them sat up and looked at each other across the room, the moonlight highlighting some of their similar features.

"I - I found a dragon a few nights ago," Merlin revealed.

"A dragon? Where?" Roslyn questioned, her curiosity piqued.

"Underneath the castle. He's the last of his kind. He – he's been calling to me in my head ever since our first night in Camelot. When I went to see him, he told me why I had magic," he whispered, his voice happy.

"That's wonderful, Mer!" she smiled, glad her brother had one of his questions answered at last. "Why do you have magic, then?"

"It's my destiny to protect Arthur."

I was right. This will be very interesting.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did or did not, feel free to leave a review or a message. I welcome constructive criticism!

Update schedule: Mondays and Saturdays, if all goes according to plan! If I finish up a chapter early, I'll post it early. I won't hold the story hostage in exchange for reviews.