Author's Note: Hey! Time Lady Evangeline here! This story, even though it's from Merlin's perspective, I guess it's still an OC fic if you add a character. I hope you enjoy, Merlin is such a fun show to write for! The timeline for this is just before Morgana's disappearance.

Disclaimer: I claim no possession of Merlin, or any of its characters.

Her name was Leala. The first time we met, I had accidentally spilled a bucket of water

onto her head.

"My apologies! It was my fault!" She said as she began to gather the things she'd

dropped.

"No, no, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." I bent down and picked up the last few items,

handing them to her. She was very shy, and didn't make eye contact with me. As she made to

go quickly, she slipped in the water and her head hit the stone floor. She let out a soft cry of

pain, and I rushed over to help her. She looked at me this time, and I could see that she had a

bump and a bloody scrape where her forehead had collided with the ground.

"Are you alright?!" I asked her, holding out a hand to help her up.

" 'm fine." She slurred, standing to her feet. She swayed, so I put my hand on her back

to steady her.

"Well, I'm Merlin, what's your name?" She stared at me for several seconds before

answering.

"Leala. I'm Leala."

"That looks pretty bad," I said, gesturing to her head. "Maybe you should go see Gaius.

He'll patch you up."

"I'm alright. I should go." She let go of my sleeve, of which she had not been aware of

gripping. She grimaced at the pain in her head.

"I'd feel a lot better if you came with me. Gaius can give you something for the

headache. And if you get in any trouble for not finishing your work, I'm sure I can smooth it

over with Prince Arthur. I'm his manservant."

"Er… I guess it wouldn't hurt to get bandaged…"

"Good, come on, I'll take you. I live with him." She walked slowly beside me, and I took

the time to study her. Her dress was ragged and flat from wear. It was patched in several

places. The sleeves were rolled up just past her elbows, and she wore an apron over it all. She

looked slightly worse due to the fact she was soaked in water and had blood running

down her forehead. The dirt that had been on her skin had turned to streaks of mud. Her hair

was a gentle light brown held up in a bun, and her eyes were a dark green.

We'd arrived at Gaius's now, and I swung open the door and held it for her. "Ah, Merlin!

You're half an hour late, what kept y- who's this?" Gaius made his way toward us, and caught

sight of Leala's head. "Oh, now I see. Come on over here, I'll help you." He said gently, leading

her to a chair nearby. "Merlin!" He shouted. "Fetch the remedy for headaches!" Leala winced,

bringing her hand up to her head.

"Does the noise hurt you?" He whispered.

"A bit. It's alright though."

"I'm sorry. May I have a look?" He gestured for her to move her hand, and she

complied. Gaius rinsed the wound and cleaned it, Leala biting down on her lip so she didn't

make any noise through as it stung. "I'm going to look at your eyes, alright? Merlin, bring the

light closer." I did as he said, and Leala squeezed her eyes shut as the brightness increased, and

Gaius permitted me to take it away.

"Did the light hurt?" She nodded, and Gaius sighed, opening one of her eyes wide with

his fingers. He pulled away after a moment. "It appears you've given yourself a concussion.

How exactly did this happen?"

"I slipped…" Gaius handed her the headache potion.

"Slipped?"

"I… uh… spilled some water… on her."

"Merlin! What have I told you about watching where you're going?!"

"No, it was my fault, I ran into him." Leala said.

"Well, either way, you're going to need bed rest, at least for tomorrow."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"I'll take over your duties for the day, don't worry." I assured her.

"I guess… Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Gaius gave her some of the headache potion for the next day and I offered

to walk her home. When I got back, Gaius eyed me suspiciously as we sat eating dinner.

"What?"

"This girl, you like her?"

"What?! No! Where'd you get that idea from?!"

"Just a guess, my bad." He chuckled, taking away the plates as we finished.

Author's note: Please review! I love all of your input!