The store was nothing special. It was just a little produce store with only six parking spaces out front, on the side of a lonely road. The road in question wasn't very special either. It started at one of many small towns that you would come across in Maine, and continued off into a very long stretch of highway that went through miles and miles of forest.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and a gentle breeze rustled through all the trees that lined the road, creating a beautiful sound. Walking out of the aforementioned store while talking to her mother on her cell phone, Anita looked up and saw two young men walking down the street… the middle of the street, to be exact. Now, on normal occasion she wouldn't think much about it, chalk it up to dumb boys that think they own the world, and just keep walking to her car.
But this was not a normal occasion, seeing that one of them was in armor and the other one was dressed as a peasant from medieval times.
"Gotta go mom!" she said quickly. "No I'm fine! I just got to go! I'm going to be driving!"
Ending her call with her mother, she began walking toward the boys just as the blonde "Knight" proceeded to pull a sword out of his scabbard and point it at a car coming down the street towards them. As it got closer the blonde pushed the dark haired "Peasant" behind him as if to protect him. The peasant obviously didn't like the idea of being protected, seeing that he began talking to the knight (who had still not taken his eyes off the approaching car) with frustration. Anita was still too far away to hear what they were saying, but the fact that they were arguing was crystal clear.
The car screeched to a halt, seeing that the boys were standing right smack-dab in the middle of the road. The man inside the car looked in fear at the clearly insane boy with the very real looking sword pointed at his car, and obviously was at a loss of what to do! Immediately seeing the danger that the boys, and possibly the poor man in the car was in, Anita, not thinking, quickly ran to the boys and stepped between them and the car before the knight stabbed the car as he clearly intended to do.
"What do you think you're doing you moron?" Anita yelled angrily. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
The blond "Knight" was more than a little shocked at the young woman yelling in his face, and the "Peasant" behind him didn't look much different. The two boys watched in shocked silence as the young woman took charge of the situation, not even breaking stride!
Stepping between the two boys and linking arms with them, she smiled apologetically at the poor man in the car.
"Sorry sir!" she called, her brain scrambling for a legitimate excuse. "My cousins are very devoted cos-players, and sometimes get carried away!" she spat out, her smile still in place.
Before the man could even think to do anything -let alone call the police-, Anita, both arms still linked with the two boys on either side of her, began to quickly pull them away from the scene towards her own car. She sighed in relief when she glanced back to see the man put his car in gear and just continue driving. Thank heaven this was such slow traffic road! If anyone else had seen this, she didn't know what she would have done!
Once the trio reached her car, it finally caught up to Anita just how dumb of an idea that was! Jumping in front of a crazy man with a sword like that! One glance at the sword that the "Knight" still had gripped in his hand, told her that it was very much real. He could have impaled her! She could have died!
With all these thoughts running through her head, Anita's legs seemed to give out on her as she let go of the boys and reached for the door handle on her car. Before she could fall, the "peasant" boy grabbed her arm again and helped her lean against the car for balance.
"Are you ok?" he asked with concern, an English accent evident as he spoke. He was glancing nervously around every so often, as if expecting something to jump out at him. He was also looking at Anita's little blue car warily, as if it would turn and bite him.
"He's right," said the Knight, matter-of-factly, his focus just on the girl for the moment. "You don't look so well." Anita noted in the back of her mind that he also had an English accent.
Shrugging off the brunette's hand, Anita turned and glared at the blonde.
"I don't look well?" she asked, her glare never wavering from the blonde. "Well," she continued, her body tensing. "Maybe it's because I just realized how stupid I was! Maybe it's because I realized that you could have killed me with one swipe of that sword of yours! You could have been a psycho murderer that just escaped from some institution somewhere! That would at least begin to explain why you are scared of cars, have no life experience, and why the heck you're dressed like that!" Throughout Anita's rant, her voice had slowly raised in volume until, once again, she was yelling in the blondes face. And he certainly didn't appreciate it; and he let her know it, too.
"I wouldn't have killed you!" he yelled back, frustration and slight anger in his eyes. "You just helped us escape that…that… whatever that was! And I am not a murderer!"
"A-and!" interrupted the peasant, bringing the girl's attention to him and away from the other boy. "We may still need your help!"
Regaining her confidence, Anita backed up from the blond -not having realized that she had even moved forward-, leaned back up against her little blue car, and folded her arms across her chest. Taking a breath while gathering her thoughts, she then quietly began to speak.
"Ok." she started, looking from one boy to the other. "Lets start with a simple question. Who are you guys?"
"I'm Merlin!" answered the "peasant" after a moment, reaching out with a smile to politely shake her hand, which Anita graciously accepted.
"And I'm Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot" responded the blond, standing tall and regal, just like anyone would think a prince should.
Anita sat silently, greatly hoping that they were kidding as her eyes still shifted from one boy to the other. But, after a few moments of silence, she released a long sigh while placing her face in her hands.
"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked deadpan, her hands muffling her words slightly.
"Yeeeessss. Why wouldn't we be?" Arthur asked, confused, glancing at Merlin then back to the girl.
"You mean to tell me, that you're the Arthur. Like, King Arthur? Is that what you're asking me to believe?" she asked incredulously.
"Well," Arthur corrected with a shrug. "I'm not king yet. I'm still crown prince."
Heaving a large sigh, Anita lifted her face from her hands and faced Arthur again.
"Ok, she started, putting her hands together in a prayer like position and pointing them at Arthur. "So lets assume you are Arthur Pendragon. Then what are you doing here? How are you here?" she asked in confusion.
"We were brought here by a powerful sorcerer." Arthur answered, glaring off into the distance for a moment before looking back. "And we're assuming he did it to get us out of the way, and weaken Camelot. The prince suddenly disappearing by magic is sure to cause fear among the people," he added with a grim look.
"Sooooooo… magic?" she said curiously. "That's how you got here?"
Arthur rolled his eyes and was about to spout out a retort when Merlin seemed to realize something and beat him to the punch.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked politely, slight worry in his eyes now that he was thinking about it. Receiving a nod from Anita, he continued. "Where is here?"
Anita was silent for a moment. Thinking that if these guys were telling the truth and that they really were who they said they were, she didn't particularly want to tell them the truth. But, taking a deep breath, she dove into her explanation, praying that the boys would stop her and laugh, saying that it was all an elaborate trick and that she was stupid for believing them.
"You're… in Maine," she began. "It's a state, part of the United States of America. That's the country you're in by the way. And… it's about f-four thousand four hundred miles away from… Camelot."
"United States?" asked Arthur in obvious confusion.
"Four thousand four hundred miles?" asked Merlin, just as dumbfounded as Arthur was at her explanation.
"Yes." she answered quietly, looking anywhere but at them.
"There's more… isn't there?" Arthur practically growled, glaring determinedly at Anita for answers. "You knew who we were when we told you our names. It was like you'd heard of us before," he said suspiciously, watching her every move closely.
"Um, yes. There is more," she admitted softly. "I have heard of you before, from… history and mythology classes in school. You two are part of some of the most beloved legends of all time!
The tails of King Arthur and The Wi- um… Merlin… yeah." Anita wasn't sure why she felt like she shouldn't say anything about Merlin being a wizard… but she did. He hadn't said anything about himself having magic. But they had mentioned other people having it. So she didn't know what to think! So she just let it be for now.
"Legends?" Arthur inquired, either choosing to ignore her almost slipup, or missing it completely. "And how long ago did these legends take place?" Arthur asked gravely, finally beginning to see what Anita was driving at.
"Well, King Arthur supposedly lived during the sixth century…" she explained, pausing before continuing. "And it's the twenty first century now. So, if I figure correctly, that's… about fifteen hundred years ago," she finished quickly, but not so that they didn't hear her. You could tell by their faces that they'd heard her loud and clear.
The boys were deathly silent for almost a minute, trying and failing to understand what Anita was saying to them. So they were just silent. That is, until Arthur finally snapped.
"Fifteen hundred years?!" he yelled, his face swirling with disbelief and intense anger. What he was angry at exactly was anyone's guess.
"That's impossible!" Merlin said with wide eyes. "Magic can't do that! Can it?"
"Apparently it can." Anita said quietly, watching the boys sadly. She was really starting to believe that they were telling the truth. "Cause here you are…"
"This is ridiculous!" Arthur cried, before saying accusingly. "You're lying to us aren't you? This has got to be some kind of sick joke!"
'Oh, that's it!' Anita thought, resisting the urge to give in to her bubbling up anger. "Why would I lie to you?" she finally asked quietly, looking down at the ground and still trying to keep her cool and not yell at Arthur… again. "I'm just trying to help you."
Surprisingly, Arthur calmed right down seeing her so quiet all of a sudden. He turned his head to look at Merlin, who was looking worried about the brave girl as well. With a deep breath, he took a few steps to close some of the distance between them and placed a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look back up at him.
"I am sorry," he began with a sigh. "This is a lot to take in… for both of us!" He added, gesturing to Merlin with a chuckle. "I can hear the sincerity in your words, and I thank you for being honest with us," he finished sincerely.
Merlin was slightly surprised by the softness that came out of the prince. 'The prat never ceases to amaze me... sometimes.' Merlin thought to himself, smiling as Arthur managed to get a smile out of the brave girl.
Anita gave a small smile to Arthur as a reward for his words. Then, looking back and forth between her two new friends, asked one more question that hung in the air.
"How are you guys going to get back?"
Arthur and Merlin stared at each other, clearly thinking deeply. Anita watched them carefully gauging their reactions and facial expressions. She could tell that Merlin knew more about the situation then Arthur gave him credit for –or at least she highly suspected it; and that Arthur was at a complete loss for what to do.
"We don't know." Merlin said sadly.
"But we will find a way!" Arthur quickly stated, his voice firm with determination.
Anita nodded in agreement with a smile, a real smile this time.
"You guys are going to need a place to stay!" she stated obviously. "I have plenty of room at my house, if you'd like?" she offered with a shrug, an easy smile on her face.
Her words clearly surprised the boys. Here was a girl that had just barely met them; and here she was, offering a nice place for them to stay, not even thinking twice! Her open generosity wasn't lost on the boys, and they graciously accepted her offer. After all, where else were they going to go?
After accepting Anita's invitation, there came the not-so-simple matter of getting them to climb in her car. Which she supposed that she could understand that, considering that they apparently hadn't ever seen a car before. Now, Merlin was much more open to the idea once Anita gave him her personal assurance that it was safe; Arthur wasn't convinced. A short time later, and after some arguing, Arthur agreed to get in the car… until Anita told him he had to put his sword in the trunk.
"No." he said firmly, glaring at her.
"Yes!" Anita responded just as firmly, pointing at the sword. "I am not having that thing in the front of the car! What if someone sees it?" she asked, with a look that clearly said 'are you a idiot?' on her face.
"Arthur, will you just give her the sword already?" Merlin cut in, just as exasperated with Arthur as Anita was.
Arthur glared shot to Merlin for taking the girl's side instead of his. He then turned to said girl, to see her standing determinedly with her arms folded over her chest, leaning her weight on one foot, and staring at him expectedly.
Heaving a large sigh, Arthur unbuckled his sword belt, wrapped the straps around the hilt, and slapped it into Anita's outstretched hand.
With an appreciative smile at Arthur, Anita walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. She reached in and pulled out a blanket that she kept there in case of emergencies and wrapped it around the sword before placing it carefully inside the trunk. Walking back to the front of the vehicle, she quickly explained to the boys how to open the doors, and climbed into the drivers seat.
She had Merlin sit up front with her, and Arthur in the back. After all, she didn't want to draw too much attention to them by having a guy decked out in full battle armor in the front seat for all to see! What if she got pulled over for some reason? Heck no! She did not need that. If it was closer to a comic-con, then that was one thing. But when it was this far? No. It my have been a silly fear, but Anita reasoned that with her luck, they were better safe than sorry.
She truly felt so sorry for the boys as she drove; every bump, pothole, and noise made them flinch; even the vibration of the car itself seemed to be making them nervous! She had explained the purpose of seatbelts and demonstrated their function earlier, and she was definitely glad she did, as that seemed to be the only thing keeping the boys together! They both gripped the seat belts across their chests like a lifeline, but with only one hand. The other hand was holding on tightly to something else. From what she could tell, Arthur was clinging to the edge of the chair, and Merlin gripped the armrest that sat between him and her.
Even though Arthur was obviously trying to hide his fear (which wasn't working,), she could still see it. Through the way his eyes were rooted to the back of her head rest, his tight lips, and his slightly irregular breathing, she could see that he was terrified.
Merlin's face was one of complete fear. His wide eyes shifted constantly from one thing to another outside of the car, and his fingers had a white knuckled grip on the armrest. Feeling her heart go out to him, Anita reached over and took Merlin's hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes met hers, and some of the fear left his gaze, allowing him to squeeze her hand in return. If she could reach Arthur some way, she would've helped him too. But she couldn't, so she'd first help Merlin the best she could.
"Just keep looking at me, ok?" she said softly, glancing away from the road every so often to look at him. "Tell me about your family Merlin, your friends."
Merlin knew what she was doing, and he appreciated it. He began telling her about his mother, Ealdor, Gaius, and some of his fellow servants, making some of his fear slowly ebb away. And through it all, her hand never left his for a second.
Arthur wasn't easily impressed, but he found that this girl's kindness and compassion touched him greatly. The gentle way she spoke to Merlin, and his responses to her questions seemed to even help Arthur calm down. It wasn't too long before Anita included him in the conversation as well, calming him further. Yes, he definitely was impressed.
Thankfully, the ride was only fifteen minutes or so, so Anita didn't have to worry about the boys for too long. She pulled into the doorless garage of her little home and quickly parked and turned off the car, bringing a sigh of relief from Merlin and Arthur. Climbing out of the car, Anita walked swiftly to the back and pulled out Arthur's sword, walked back, and placed it in his hands.
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked with a grin.
"Oh no!" Arthur responded, his voice sounding higher than usual. He quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "Not bad at all!"
Anita choked back a laugh while turning around, not wanting to insult the prince. "This way!" she said quickly, unlocking and leading them through the door that lead into the house.
Her house was kind of smaller in size, nothing impressive. Just a little blue house, one of many off the coast of Maine; you couldn't even see any other houses because of the trees. The garage led directly into the kitchen and living room. Down the hall, were her father's office and her parent's bedroom. In the kitchen was a staircase that leads downstairs to the basement, which had a large room for TV, fun and games, and all that. That is where Anita and her brother both lived, in their respective rooms, of course. After explaining all this to the boys behind her, she finally turned to look at them, surprised at what she saw.
Merlin and Arthur were clearly amazed at her home. They both wandered around the living room, looking at everything. Merlin was in awe at the family pictures that adorned the wall. Each depicted a member of her family in different stages of their lives. Her mother, her father, her big brother Alex, as well as herself, were all there. Arthur was more interested in looking at the furniture and such. He let his hand run over the upholstery of the couch and the tops of the end tables, clearly awestruck at their craftsmanship. And the lamps that adorned the tables were obviously confusing him with their purpose.
Anita had never really thought much about her house and her possessions, but looking at the wonder on the boys faces really put things into perspective for her. How could she have forgotten? Where they came from, they had nothing like this! Upholstered furniture, electricity, photographs, plumbing, and cars (to name a few), it was all new and spectacular to them. The house that once seemed small to her, with everything in it that once seemed average, now suddenly seemed like so much more than that, it was fantastic! With these grateful thoughts going through her head, Anita couldn't fight the happy smile that grew across her face.
Letting the two boys' wander, she quietly walked downstairs to the hall closet to find bedding and normal clothes for her two guests.
She opened the closet and pulled out one of the three mattresses there with a bit of difficulty. Before she could do anything else, the mattress was pulled from her grip. Turning, she came face to face with Merlin.
"Want some help?" he asked with a wide grin. He'd seen her walk downstairs and decided to follow her to see if she needed help or something.
With a laugh, Anita happily agreed. With two of them helping, it only took a little while to lay the mattresses out in her brother's room and put on the bedding. The clothes would be another matter.
"Where's Arthur?" Anita asked.
"Upstairs," he answered. Rolling his eyes, he continued. "Don't expect any help from the prat though!"
"The prat?" she asked with a laugh, cocking an eyebrow at the strange but amusing name for the prince.
Merlin simply grinned and laughed in response, not giving an answer.
Just then, the object of their discussion came down the stairs, making them try to compose themselves. The prince took one look at their faces, and asked deadpan.
"What is it?"
The mirth that they had been trying to hide, burst out of them in peals of laughter; Arthur's question combined with the look on his face making it impossible to hold it in.
"Don't worry about it Princy!" she gasped out between fits of laughter. She quickly composed herself, successfully this time, and cut in before Arthur could fully process and comment on the nickname.
"Come on! We need to find you some clothes!"
She led them into her brother's bedroom, and walked into the closet. Thank heaven he'd left so much of his stuff here! After digging through everything available, and occasionally making Merlin or Arthur try something on, she had a few outfits for both of them.
"Sorry they're a bit big on you Merlin," she said apologetically, tilting her head slightly to the side. "My brother was built more like Arthur!"
"Oh, no no!" he said with a smile. "It's fine! They're great, really!"
"Yes!" Arthur said, looking down at the strange clothes he now wore. They were strange, but comfortable. "Thank you again, for you kindness…um… uh..."
Arthur and Merlin shared a shocked look between them, before Arthur let out an awkward laugh and cleared his throat, while Merlin just looked around embarrassed. Anita finally realized what was wrong after a moment, and was appalled at her manners! There was a lot going on… but still! How could she forget that?
'How did we not even think to ask her name!?' Merlin thought, mentally kicking himself.
"So…?" asked Arthur, looking at her expectantly with a raised eyebrow.
With a laugh at her own forgetfulness, Anita answered the question with a small bow.
"Anita. My name is Anita!"