Hi.

I'm sorry, but this just won't leave my head while I was trying to work on my Warlock's Shield story. I am trying, but it's coming along so slowly...

Hopefully this will help me get on with things - and just will let you know that I am still alive and do intend to keep writing.

As always, please review - I love hearing people's thoughts about this. All mistakes are mine, as well, as always.

Thank you for taking a look :)

A couple of unsavoury characters chased her into the forest around Lake Avalon just as Merlin was passing it. He heard the commotion and then watched a young and admittedly pretty woman crash through the forest sharply vaulting over a boulder and scooping up pebbles she threw in one direction before promptly crawling in the opposite one. He was rather amused at how she fooled them and was about to keep going until he noticed one man had come from a slightly different direction and saw her. He yelled and the girl cursed colourfully, skidding to a halt and using a tree to change directions. Merlin grew more concerned by the minute and resolutely decided to intervene once one of the men produced a knife.

The girl dodged and weaved through the trees, seeming to subconsciously pick a path that led directly to Merlin.

The chase came to an abrupt end in a clearing Merlin was at the edge of when the girl tripped and crashed to the ground heavily with a pained groan. She scrambled to her feet, but could barely hobble and the men caught up easily. Merlin really didn't like the expressions on their faces as they boxed her in and one backed her into a tree. They laughed as she struggled against him and he pinned her by her neck, trying to feel her up with other hand.

"Let the lady go," Merlin grumbled, walking into the clearing as confidently as his disguise allowed.

"Or what, you old dirt bag?" the leader spat, but his distraction was all the girl needed. She twisted from his hold and kneed him in the groin as hard as she could, sending him to the ground with a punch to the face - with a resounding crack and a wail the man fell boneless to the ground and the girl grabbed a stick off the ground ready to defend herself.

"You will pay for that, you whore!"

"I see no whores here, besides yourself, dick," she glared at him and Merlin was strangely pleased to see a fiery spirit.

Momentarily forgetting that he wasn't supposed to do magic, Merlin flicked his wrist, sending two of the men flying into the nearby trees and colliding with an audible crack. They thudded to the ground unconscious, which left three more.

Merlin smiled as the men backed away in slight uncertainty.

Once the last of the men were knocked out cold, Merlin turned to the girl a little cautiously. To his immense surprise, she wasn't afraid in the least; she was watching him curiously with surprised elation on her pretty face. Suddenly she threw her head back and laughed in relief, dropping all the way to the ground. Merlin couldn't help a small grin at the laughter, but at the same time felt concern for her sanity rearing.

"Thank you," she surprised him again, propping herself up on her elbows to give him a grateful smile. "I'm glad you stepped in. It was starting to get messy."

"Anytime," Merlin shrugged, feeling almost compelled to drop the 'grouchy old man' persona and just be himself. "Are you hurt?"

"I did something to my ankle, but other than that, I got away with a mild scare," she sat up and pulled off her shoe slowly, wincing. Merlin came over and kneeled next to her with a sigh.

"You sprained it, good and proper," he finally declared his observation, once she allowed him to examine it. A look in his bag turned up one of his old neckerchiefs he kept and he carefully wrapped it around the injury. The girl was quiet, studying him as if he were a puzzle as he worked.

"Thank you…?" she trailed off, inviting him to introduce himself. He almost gave her an alias, but even Emrys had stuck in his throat. In the end he grudgingly answered, "Merlin Emrys."

She cocked her head to the side and looked at him with sharp, intelligent eyes. "I'm Nina. Nina Frey," she smiled and shook his hand, "nice to meet you, Mr Emrys." Her skin was soft, albeit a little chilly, but the contact sent warm tingles through his arm.

"Come now, let's get you back to town, young lady," Merlin stood and offered her a hand, trying desperately to maintain his disguise - her sharp penetrating gaze and inviting warm, bright smile would be his undoing.

She accepted his help readily, slight surprise registering on her face when he pulled her up with ease that contradicted his apparent age. Nonetheless, just like with tossing people around without moving, she didn't even ask when he didn't say a word.

Once standing, she used his arm and a tree next to her for support as she tested her foot. At first all seemed well, but just as she made a step, her ankle gave out and she would have tumbled down had Merlin not caught her. There was a moment of stunned silence as he put her back on her feet, or foot and supported her weight, trying to ignore the warm tingles her touch and closeness induced. He may be looking ancient, but underneath he was still a young man and she was rather beautiful.

Get a grip Merlin, he thought.

"Well," Nina said, ducking her head with an embarrassed blush. "Looks like I'm not walking anywhere."

"Indeed," Merlin just couldn't help himself. There he was, over a thousand year old warlock, reduced back to his twenty-something old self in the span of ten minutes by a pretty girl who watched him do magic and while obviously curious, let him tell her what he liked. Pathetic, he thought.

"You're not really an old man, are you?" She suddenly blurted out and he nearly laughed at her comical horrified look. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what I'm saying! I didn't mean to - "

"Busted," he sighed. He was reluctant to reveal himself, but he'd already half way done it. Besides, the same persistent voice that insisted he keep on hiding before was very suspiciously silent right now.

He's always trusted his gut instinct and his magic, and his magic was excited. He imagined that had it been a person, it would be bouncing around in glee. All because he met Nina.

With a put upon sigh, he went to recite the spell that would turn him back to his young self - only to be stopped by soft touch of Nina's hand on his arm.

"You don't owe me anything, Mr Emrys," she said quietly, looking up at him. "I know that there is much more to what happened and to who you are than I understand, but you don't owe me an explanation. If you don't want to tell me - don't; whatever happened..." she paused as if choosing her words carefully. "It was something unexplainable, magic… whatever you did, you saved my life. And the least I could do is take your secret to the grave."

Merlin was touched. He was a hair's breadth away from hugging the girl - because unknowingly, she managed to reassure, accept and alleviate his loneliness in one sentence. She blushed under his intense stare and leaned more heavily onto the tree behind her.

Decided, Merlin let his disguise slip and felt his back straighten automatically, his breathing ease and strength increase. Nina watched the change with baited breath, her eyes wide, as his appearance morphed from a stooped white haired old man to the tall young black-haired truth he was a thousand years ago before her eyes.

He chuckled at her awe, immensely enjoying her easy acceptance and the ability to freely use magic in front of another for once.

"Your eyes were gold just then," Nina said quietly, studying him. "Why is that?"

Merlin grinned impishly. "Magic."

Nina laughed, startled into it. "Magic. Okay. That kind of makes sense. If you don't mind me asking..." she trailed off and Merlin gave her an imploring look. "Why hide behind the face of an old man?"

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed of all things. "Long story short - I really shouldn't be alive and that ensured I cannot be recognized. It's also closer to my real age, despite the fact that this," he gestured to himself, "is what I've looked like for what feels like eternity sometimes."

"You're saying," Nina said slowly and Merlin was suddenly concerned that he may have piled too much on her at once, "that you are old as dirt in reality and are kind of immortal?"

"Yes?" Merlin replied, somehow making it sound like a question. Nina shook her head.

"That's incredible!"

"You believe me?" Merlin looked at her excited face sceptically. "Just like that? I've got to say, I've never sounded less convincing in my life. And I've had to convince a lot of people about nonsense before."

"I did just watch you throw grown men into trees without lifting a finger and then turn from an old man into a young one. Why would that be farfetched?" Nina pointed out and he had to relent to her logic.

"We need to get you to town. My medical knowledge is severely outdated, I'm afraid," Merlin gestured to her ankle. "Besides, won't your family be worried?"

Nina shrugged. "My family is travelling and I'm kind of alone here," she trailed off uncertainly. "I don't know which way is to town, either."

Merlin frowned at her. "They let you stay alone?"

"It's not unusual, especially for a student," Nina waved it off.

"Forgive me," Merlin smiled sheepishly. "Seems not only my medical knowledge is outdated. I've spent too long wandering alone and may have missed a few things."

"What was it like?" Nina asked eagerly and Merlin smiled, but shook his head.

"Later," he promised. "It can't be comfortable standing on one foot; besides, it would be best to keep the ankle elevated. Come," he stepped closer and guided one of her arms over his shoulders, leaning down to scoop her up.

"What are you doing?" Nina asked in confusion as he leaned over and instead of answering her, he simply swept her up into his arms with ease. "Merlin!" she yelped, looping her arms around his neck and he chuckled.

"I didn't mean to startle you, but as you pointed out earlier, you're not walking anywhere."

"But," Nina blushed, even as she relaxed into him and he started waking. "Aren't I heavy?"

"Not really," he shrugged entirely unconcerned. "I've had to lift a man twice your size and wearing full armour onto a horse a few times and once I've had to carry him - I didn't drop him and I assure you, I'm not going to drop you."

"That's not what I'm concerned about," Nina grinned and rested her head on his shoulder. "Who was he? That guy you had to break your back for?"

Merlin glanced down at her, to see her eyes half lidded and her fingers idly playing with a strap of his bag.

"This is going to sound mad," he mumbled, manoeuvring around a few obstacles, glad that his coordination had improved since his youth. "He was Prince and later King Arthur Pendragon. I had been his manservant for..." he paused thinking. "Seven or eight years, I think. Maybe longer. Can't remember now."

"Wait, are you talking about THE King Arthur?" Nina looked up at him with wide eyes and Merlin lifted a brow, glancing down at her momentarily.

"I wasn't aware there was more than one."

"I don't believe there is, but won't that make you THE Merlin?" If at all possible, Nina's eyes widened more and Merlin worried they might pop out of her head. "The great wise warlock that was King Arthur's closest friend and advisor?"

Merlin felt his cheeks heat and if he wasn't carrying Nina and walking, he would have been scuffing his foot on the floor and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment at the praise.

"And I'm making you carry me," Nina blushed a lovely shade of red and ducked her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'd take carrying you over carrying Arthur any day," Merlin grinned, entirely failing at suppressing a blush as Nina smiled up at him. "Besides, you didn't make me do anything; it was my idea."

Reassured, Nina rested her head on his shoulder again and tried to supress a yawn.

"Tired?" Merlin asked casually, trying to make his movement more fluid and not to jostle her so much. She hummed, blinking furiously. "You can rest your eyes for a while. It will be another half hour until we reach town."

"Okay," she mumbled, her fingers finding purchase in his shirt. With her eyes half open sleepily she was most adorable. Merlin smiled gently, bringing her closer to his chest.

"You're possibly the most trusting person I've ever met," he said quietly, not wanting to disturb her if she was already asleep.

"I'm not usually," Nina replied in a quiet mumble. "It's something about you. I trust you and I don't know why. Confusing." With that she turned her head more into his shoulder, sighing contentedly when he adjusted his grip on her to bring her closer and make her more comfortable. "This is why I believed you," she whispered. "No man in this day and age would have done what you did for a stranger."

He felt her smile and a few minutes later her breathing evened, signifying that she was asleep. Merlin continued on at a steady pace, glad for all the work Arthur used to make him do - he's become much stronger for it. While Nina slept, he thought about how much something as small as meeting and helping a stranger seemed to change him. He didn't feel frozen in time anymore; minutes dragged on for days instead of years flying by in a flash. There was something about Nina Frey that made him want to whoop with joy and dance a jig, his magic thrum in his veins with anticipation and heavy air of crippling loneliness and failure he carried with him for so long vanish into nothing.

"Patience is a virtue," Gaius told him once. "And one day all you've done will be acknowledged and rewarded."

Maybe he was being rewarded after all, Merlin thought, glancing down at Nina's peaceful features with a small content smile.