She was sixteen when her mother and father were pronounced dead. She could remember it, just like it was yesterday.
It was a Sunday; she'd never forget.
They told her it was a car crash, and from the looks of their bodies when she went to identify them, she couldn't argue the fact.
Her heart ached, and her mind didn't know how to process, anything.
The only survivor had been her younger sister, two years old at the time. Rosalynne had been found among the wreckage, at the scene. Somehow, she had slammed through the windshield, going 60 mph, and only had a few bumps and bruises.
They told her it was a miracle. As she stared down at the only real family she had left; she agreed.
Their aunt came to take custody of them, and moved them from Texas, to a weird town in England that she couldn't even pronounce. After the move, they rarely saw her. She was too busy with her acting career, but the little family made due. Everly spent the next four years looking after Rosalynne, devoting herself to taking care of her sister as best she could.
At first, it was difficult. Rosalynne would wake up in the middle of the night, crying for their mother. Everly tried to explain, but they both usually ended up in tears, instead. As the years rolled on by, they adjusted to their new roles.
Everly got better at caring for her sister, and the money their parents left them was more than enough for them to live off of, their entire lives.
At eighteen, Everly enrolled in University. She studied History, and took an interest in her classes on Legends and Mythology. After turning twenty, she got a part-time job as a Historian at the local Museum. They didn't need the money, but Everly couldn't sit and waste away in the estate their aunt lets them live in. She had to stay busy.
XxX
"Rosalynne? Darling, are you up there?" A feminine voice called from the first floor of the three story estate house. It was lavishly decorated for a house that only two people lived in and got to see, everyday.
Everly had gotten a call from work; she had the day off. Her sister was always begging to go out, so maybe they could do so, today?
Silence loomed, and then there was the sound of running feet before a head of blonde hair could be seen, rushing down the stairs. The small child came to a stop in front of the older girl, smiling bashfully up at her. She had a heart shaped face, and a missing front tooth on the top row.
"How do I look, Everly? We're taking pictures today, you know? I gave you the form to pay for them, didn't I? You didn't lose it, did you? You're always losing stuff. I rememeber when–"
"Rosalynne, slow down. Yes, you gave me the form. No, I haven't lost it. Now, give me a twirl and let me look at you." Everly grinned, watching as her younger sister twirled around in the pale blue dress she wore.
Her emerald green eyes took in her younger sister, working from her head to her toes. Her golden hair, which Everly had braided this morning, was in double french braids. She had donned a pastel blue dress that fell a little past her knees, with a white ribbon that wrapped around her middle and tied in the back. On her feet were an adorable pair of dark blue slippers. Her eyes are what stood out the most, to Everly.
They reminded her so much of their mother, sometimes, it was hard to look at Rosalynne without wanting to cry. Her eyes looked like they held the ocean inside them, constantly changing from light blue to dark blue. At the moment, they were a dark blue, the lightness of the dress, making them stand out.
"You look lovely, absolutely lovely, but I''m sorry to disappoint you. You'll not be going to school, today." She wanted to laugh at the forlorn expression upon her sisters face, but she refrained.
"Why not?" Rosalynne pouted, sticking her bottom lip out.
Everly smirked, "You know the fair is in town? I hear its the last day for it to be open. What do you say we ditch school and go there, instead?"
Rosalynne's mouth dropped open and she squealed, racing up the stairs to change her clothes. The fair Everly had brought up was a renaissance fair; they'd both be dressing the part. Anyone who knew her, knew that she didn't do anything by halves.
"I laid your new dress on your bed while you were in the bathroom. Once you're finished, meet me in the foyer, okay?"
"Okay!"
Everly giggled, making her way to her own bedroom, intent on changing out of her work uniform.
Once she entered her bedroom, on the second floor, she scurried over to her own bed and unzipped the garment she had ordered a week ago. She had hoped they could make it to the fair, so she had these outfits done up, then.
Slipping her clothes off, she selected her undergarments for the occasion, and slid them on. Afterwards, she pulled the dress over her head and let it fall where it should.
Reaching up with both hands, she unclipped her silver hair and let it cascade down her back in waves. It was an odd color of hair, and usually she had to continue dying it. Lately, her hair had been keeping its color, with no added dye. She wanted to question it, but thought better of it. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, her mother used to say.
Waving her right hand, she grinned as her own pair of slippers flew into them without her having to search for them. Bending over and slipping them on, she walked over to the mirror and assessed herself.
Her skin was pale, like she spent most of her days, indoors, which she did. Her hair fell to just above her tailbone, and it curled, wildly. She wore a pale green gown, embroidered with silver thread, along the hem. At the bottom of the dress, the embroidery rose up in a lovely picture of vines. It was an empire waist gown, which flowed freely, all the way to the ground. The gown had long sleeves, but hung off her shoulders, delicately.
Her eyes stood out the most.
They were a deep, emerald green. If one looked closely, they seemed to be swirling with tiny specks of silver within them. She was an oddity among her family, that was for sure. Her sister resembled her mother and father, blonde hair and blue eyes. Even their aunt had the same coloring, but Everly was different.
Grabbing the matching satchel, so as not to have to carry a purse, she left her room and meandered down to the foyer. Even after living here for the past four years, she still wanted to roll her eyes at the outlandish finery.
Along every wall was a painting that looked to be several years old. Upon each table was a crystal vase with a different arrangement of flowers. Sometimes the contrasting smell of them could give her a migraine. The floors were a solid slab of marble, that was complimented by a dark wood accent in some places. All the doorways that separated rooms were arched, with a wooden trim that had flowers carved in it.
It looked lovely in a catalog, but it was anything but home.
Coming to a stop, she leaned against the wall and waited for her sister to meet her. It wouldn't be long, unless she had trouble tying the dress, in the back. Snickering to herself as she heard a cry for help, Everly made her way to her sisters room.
Why does this not surprise me?
She smiled, fondly, when she entered the room. Heading straight for her sister, she immediately set to work with tying up the laces. Really, why did her gown slip on, while her sisters had to be laced? How could a child lace this thing by themselves? Inwardly rolling her eyes, she patted her sister on the head after she had finished.
"Everly, will you put my hair down? I want to look like you!" Rosalynne's comment made her smile all the wider.
"Of course."
Sitting on the edge of Rosalynne's bed, Everly took her time with unbraiding her sisters hair. She was careful not to run her fingers through it too much, not wanting to cause it to frizz, but just define the curls the braid transformed her hair into.
"Let's have a look at you, Rose."
Rosalynne turned around, and Everly's breath caught in her throat. She was the spitting image of their mother, and it killed her inside. Analyzing her, Everly thought the light pink gown suited her, just fine, especially the gold trim with the golden, short sleeves. Biting her bottom lip, she eyed her sister speculatively.
She's missing something..
Ah-hah! Waving her hand, one of the ostentatious tiaras her aunt had given them appeared within her grasp. It was gold, in color, and had several, clear, swarovski crystals lined along the base of it. Her sister gasped in awe at her show of magic, but said nothing. It was a usual occurrence within their lives.
"How can you be a princess without your crown?" She teased Rosalynne, placing it upon her head and whispering a few words to hold it into place.
With the spoken words, her eyes flashed an alarming shade of gold before settling back into their normal green.
"You have to have one too! If I'm a princess, you're the Queen." Her sisters words made her chuckle, but she nodded and did as told.
Summoning a crown for her own head, she examined it and deemed it good enough to wear. Unlike her sisters, hers was without added crystals. Instead, the crown was silver, and made to resemble a real flower crown. Copying the same incantation she used on her sister, on herself, they were soon on their way to the festival.
XxX
As they drove to their destination, Rosalynne babbled on and on. Normally, this would drive Everly crazy, but all it did was serve to amuse her.
"Everly, what are you working on at work? I know you have that new exhibit, so what's it about? Can I go and see it? Is it something cool, or really boring? Are they going to let you do the guided tours this time? I know you've wanted to do them for awhile." Her blue eyes turned to Everly, waiting for her to appease her curious nature.
"Actually, I think you'd like this new exhibit. It's definitely not the norm, for the curator, that is. He usually only lets factual evidence in the museum, but I guess even he likes the legends of King Arthur. I'm not sure if I'll be doing the tours or not. I'd like to, of course, but it isn't up to me. It would be great though, don't you think? What with my love of Camelot and stuff, right?" She shot a wink at her sister, causing her to laugh.
For a six, turning seven, year old, Rosalynne was extremely well educated. She'd always been curious, growing up, so it was no wonder that she asked about Everly's work. Sometimes, she even went to work with Everly, and asked about the different exhibits. Unlike others, she didn't just want the usual facts, she wanted to hear all the stories Everly knew about each piece on display.
Honestly, Everly might not have made it through university if it hadn't of been for Rosalynne.
As soon as they pulled into a parking spot, Rosalynne was out of her seat and opening Everly's door on the other side of the car. It took everything within her to not laugh at her sisters abundance of excitement. Grabbing one of her hands, they journeyed into the past through the recreation that the park had created. It was a fun day for the both of them, especially when they got to the Lady of the Lake.
It was supposed to be a show and tell about excalibur, recreated at a smaller lake, for realistic purposes. Everly thought it was ridiculous, but Rosalynne wanted to go see it. Sadly, the show was over, but they were allowed to check out the props and show pieces while everyone else was leaving the area.
The sun had been beating down on them all day, and Rosalynne decided that she was too hot to not cool off in the water while they looked around. So, skirt in hand, she shot into the lake and began dousing herself in it. Everly, too stunned to react immediately, darted in after her a few minutes later. She was not adverse to having a bit of fun.
It was blisteringly hot, anyways.
They splashed around, soaking each other to the bone, laughing all the while. It was incredible. They hadn't had this much fun in forever.
Picking her sister up, she threw her further into the water and laughed as she came back up, sputtering. With an evil glare, Rosalynne came at her like a bulldog and knocked her right off her feet, submerging her into the lake. Once they were both soaked through, they swam around a bit more, enjoying their time together.
Eira..
Snapping her head in the direction she thought she heard the name being called, she frowned when she saw nothing. The voice was deep, and had a growling tone to it, she mused. That was the closest she could come to describing it.
How odd..
"Come on, Rose, it's getting late. We gotta go." With that said, she listened to her sister's grumbling as they made their way to the shore.
"Everly, what's that?" Spinning back around from the fear in her sisters voice, she frowned as she saw what captured Rose's attention.
The middle of the lake seemed to be glowing from an unknown source of light. If she was honest, she'd say it resembled the sun, but the sun was below the trees, now, so that couldn't be it.
"Rose, come here." When she made no move to listen, Everly grew concerned.
Rose always listened to her.
"Rose!" Everly screamed as her sister dove under the water, as if in a trance.
Acting on instinct, Everly followed after her, diving under the water to try and catch her. It was an odd feeling. One minute, she was swimming down, and the next, she could have sworn she was swimming to the surface.
How did that happen?
Breaking the surface of the water, she looked around with mystified eyes. This was not the lake. Frightened, she glanced around, spotting her sister laying, face down, on the shore. Swimming her way as fast as she could, she dragged herself onto the shore to check if she was breathing. Once that was established, she let out a relieved sigh and collapsed to the ground in a wet heap. As soon as she got her heart to calm down, she glanced at their surroundings.
The forest surrounding her was dark, and deep. She could barely see the sun from how tall the trees were! Squinting her eyes, she pushed herself from the ground and began to look for firewood, never walking more than ten feet from her sister. Their family went camping every year, their father taught her how to survive in the woods, if need be. Her clothes weighed her down, but she didn't have the option to change, now.
Her mind was freaking out as she tried to figure out where they were, and how the hell they ended up here. There was no rhyme or reason, that she could find.
You've been called here by destiny, young one. You're needed here, Emrys cannot do this on his own.
She flinched, recognizing the voice that droned on inside her mind as she continued to try and light the fire.
Who are you? Who is Emrys? Where are we?
In a land of myth, and a time of magic...
She blinked, once. Twice. A third time. Then, she cursed up a storm that her mother would have been proud of, while her father would have been astonished.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!"
She wanted to scream. Oh, how she wanted to curse at the heavens above, but to do so would put them in danger. She didn't know what lurked in these woods. As the wood sparked, and a fire came to life, she huddled closer to her sister and pulled them near the warmth. The night winds were growing colder, and they were already wet from their dip in the lake. It would not due to catch a cold if they were where she thought they were.
Why?
Emrys and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, but you are the one that will hold them together.
That doesn't even make sense! Who is Emrys?
Emrys protects Arthur, while Eira is to protect them both.
Who is Eira?! Who is Emrys?! Why are you speaking in riddles?
You are, of course. The Druids have long foretold of a girl, pulled through time, to ensure the survival of Camelot. Camelot will not survive without Arthur, and with Arthur, comes Merlin. There is much you must learn, and fast, you must do so.
How am I supposed to save Camelot?! How am I supposed to protect anyone? I have my sister to care for and–
The answer lies on your head.
She could tell the connection had ended as soon as the last syllable was uttered. It was a hollowing feeling; one she wasn't used to. She felt empty.
"Why do things like this happen to me?" She murmured, cradling her sister to her chest as she fell asleep from exhaustion.
XxX
The sound of metal on metal awoke her the next day, but it wasn't the sound of a sword fight. Thank god. But, it was the sound of chainmail. She had heard it before, while working at the museum. It was a sound she could identify within her sleep.
Glancing down at her sister, she nudged her, gently, until her eyes fluttered open. Her mouth opened in a wide yawn, and she stretched her hands above her head.
"Rosalynne, you must listen to me, quickly. I'm going to need you to promise to do as I say, okay? We aren't at home anymore, do you remember what happened?" Everly asked.
Rosalynne nodded, "Kilgarrah told me to follow his voice. He's a big dragon, with large wings. He lived under the castle, at Camelot, until Merlin set him free. He says that you have a destiny, here, but I got to go with you because you loved me thissssssss much." As she stressed the word, she motioned with her hands to give Everly a visual along with what she was saying.
If the sound of the men wearing armor wasn't getting closer, she would have laughed. She didn't just hear the chainmail anymore, their footsteps were loud, as well.
Struggling to stand up with their stiff clothing, she ushered her sister behind her, not wanting her to be the target of the men she was sure were going to show up, soon. Turning to look over her shoulder, she smiled reassuringly to her sister.
"It'll be okay. I'll take care of you."
Rosalynne nodded, giving her sister this blindingly bright smile, not at all afraid. That was the thing about Rosalynne, she has always had complete faith in Everly. Honestly, Everly didn't know where it came from.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and lifted her chin, like royalty. Even under these circumstances, a real princess would still retain a regal air about her. Everly needed to do the same thing, and with her extensive knowledge of the time, she'd give it her best shot.
Her right hand reached behind her to grab ahold of one of Rosalynne's, helping to calm herself down as the men she heard began to appear through the foliage. Spying the sigil of Camelot, her eyes widened before she smiled.
One thing she knew about Camelot was that Uther had a penchant for letting wayward nobles be housed within his castle. Hopefully, that was true, and not just some made up story to make him sound like less of a tyrant.
Their eyes landed on Everly, assessing her inquisitively before one of them stepped forward with both hands up. She surmised that he was trying to show them that he didn't mean any harm, but all it did was make him look awkward. Studying him, she wanted to laugh, a bit. For some reason, he reminded her of a boy she knew from University.
He had shaggy blonde hair, and brown eyes, and he was scrawny. This man was slightly different, but the resemblance was there, in the way he held himself, she supposed. His hair was a shade darker, and she wasn't sure if his eyes were blue, or green, maybe something in between? Broader shouldered, and definitely taller than the boy from University.
"My Lady, are you alright?" His voice was kind, and the look in his eyes was genuine, so she decided that she could trust him.
She gave them a curt nod, "My sister and I came from across the sea, with our father, to negotiate a peace treaty with the nearby kingdoms," she swallowed, bitterly, not used to lying, "we made it here, but once on the road, bandits attacked. We barely made it away with our lives. Our father...well...he wasn't so lucky.."
His face was grim as he took in her words, "My name is Sir Leon, I'm a knight of Camelot. King Uther would want to know what happened to you, if you permit, we will escort you there?"
Rosalynne peaked out from behind her sister, drawing the knights attention to her. They all seemed a bit gobsmacked as they stared at the two, alternating. It was like they couldn't believe they were related.
Feeling Everly relax a bit, Rosalynne rushed from around her and gave the knights a perfect curtsey,(Maybe those etiquette lessons weren't so bad, after all.) "I'm Princess Rosalynne, and this is my sister, Crown Princess Everly. It's nice to meet you, Sir Leon."
It seemed, at her words, everyone relaxed completely and became more comfortable. Sir Leon gave a bow, and smiled at Rosalynne, kindly. He was close enough to touch her, but refrained from doing so, not wanting to cause a problem with the visiting nobles.
"If you'll follow us, we'll take you straight to the castle. It won't be more than half a days walk, from here. You can ride on one of the horses, if you'd like, Your Highness." Sir Leon spoke, to which Everly nodded.
"If the horses are all being used, it isn't a problem. My sister and I can walk, if we must. Although, you wouldn't happen to have a spare dress...or two, would you?" She chuckled, causing the knights to loosen up even more and laugh along with her.
"Actually," one of the younger knights stepped forward, "we've come from a trip to pick up supplies from the sea merchants, and new dresses for the Lady Morgana. Would you like to see them, My Lady?"
She smiled, endearingly, at the shy man, "I would, please."
It took about an hour for Everly to find dresses that would work for the two of them, but she eventually settled on a couple of the plainest ones in the trunk.
One was a dark shade of plum, for herself, and the other was a cream color, for Rosalynne. Really, they weren't the best looking colors on the pair, but neither of them were concerned about that. Both dresses were similar in design, but had slightly differing styles.
Where Everly's dress was another empire waist with an overlapping, tulle skirt, Rosalynne's was a plain, silk gown that fell straight to her feet. In fact, it was so long, that Everly had to rip the bottom so that Rosalynne wouldn't end up tripping over it all the time. Even with that, she had to use the remaining cloth, that she ripped off the bottom, as a belt, so that Rosalynne's dress would stay up instead of falling down.
Once they were dressed, Everly threw their hair into a braid, so as to keep it as clean as possible. Surely, walking through the forest was bound to be a dirty job, especially with an overly eager six year old.
As they began the journey, North, from what she could tell, it wasn't long before Rosalynne was bored. She dragged her feet beside Everly, as they walked, her face stuck in an eternal pout. Well, until she found something to occupy her time, it would be.
"Sister, could we play a game?" Her bright blue eyes turned to Everly, pleading.
Everly sighed, "What would you like to play?"
"I'd like–" She began, but was interrupted by a shout from one of the other knights.
Spinning around, she watched as the group was bombarded with real bandits. She cursed, inwardly, as she reached for Rosalynne and pulled her close. Everly backed them up to a tree, placing Rosalynne behind her so that anyone would have to go through her to get to her sister.
Everly hoped that they would remain forgotten, but once one of the more rugged bandits caught a glimpse of her, her hopes were dashed. He held a blade in one hand as he made his way towards the girls, an impish grin upon his face. She scowled as she watched him approach, her eyes sweeping the ground for some kind of weapon.
Ah-hah!
Diving to the ground, to her left, she latched onto a large stick, which resembled a club. She had played softball while in school, so it was probably her best bet since she wasn't wielding a sword.
"You'll fetch a pretty penny on the market, Princess." Everly cringed as she saw his rotted teeth, barely able to stop herself from showing how frightened she was at his words.
"Leave me alone." She warned.
His eyes narrowed, but then the grin made a comeback right as she heard the cries of her sister. She wasn't more than six feet from her, maybe, but that was more than enough for one of the other men to grab ahold of her wrists and begin to drag her away.
Anger coursed through her, like fire in her veins. Everly's eyes flashed gold as one of her hands flew out in front of her while she turned to make her way to her sister, club in hand. If any one of the knights had been paying attention, they would have seen the man that confronted her soar through the air and crash straight into a tree.
A sickening crack was the only sound he made upon impact.
Everly followed the other man, listening to her sister's whimpering as he hauled her off. Light on her feet, and faster than him, she cut them off about a mile from where they started. Getting up to bat, she took her position behind a tree, and waited. It wasn't long before she heard his labored breathing, and Rosalynne's cries for help.
Not too far behind the man, the rest of the knights trailed, finished with their own battles. The sound of their chainmail kept getting closer, causing the man to panic.
"Damn you, come on. Move it, ya brat!" He snarled as he yanked Rosalynne along behind him.
She let out another frightened yelp, and Everly promised to make him hurt for daring to touch her sister. Holding her breath as his footsteps came nearer, she waited until the last possible moment before swinging her makeshift bat as hard as she could.
The impact of the bat with his skull jarred Everly so bad that she had to drop it. Luckily, he dropped like a sack of potatoes at the same time. Eyeing him speculatively, she took in the crooked nose and bloodied face. With any luck, he'd learned his lesson.
Not missing a beat, Everly scooped Rosalynne into her arms, cooing to her, softly. One arm wrapped around her torso, to hold her close, the other cradled her head as she cried into Everly's shoulder.
"Shh...it's alright, my darling...everything's alright..." Everly murmured, trying to make her sister feel better.
And you were worried about protecting Arthur..It seems to me, that those worries were unfounded. Fate has chosen a wonderful guardian..
If she hadn't of been so busy with calming her sister down, Everly would have mouthed off to the dragon. Because, really, how dare he. Instead, she opted for holding Rosalynne even closer, and whispering tender nothings into her ears.
That is how the knights came upon them, not but a few minutes later. Sir Leon stepped forward, once more, an apologetic look upon his face.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry. We should have been paying better attention. This wouldn't have happened if–"
The hand cradling her sister jerked up, stopping him mid-sentence.
"It's fine. I took care of him. Let's be on our way." Her face was stony, and the knights looked more ashamed than they had, in years.
With a curt nod, Sir Leon took the lead and they were off on their way to Camelot, once more. Lagging around, somewhere near the back of the group, Everly placed her sister upon the ground so that she could look her over.
Rosalynne's eyes were rimmed red, and her dainty wrists were already starting to bruise. Letting out a sigh, Everly turned around and offered her sister her back. This was always a sure fire way of cheering Rosalynne up.
With a slight giggle, Rose clambered onto Everly's back, and that is where she promptly fell asleep from all the stress she just went through. Nonetheless, Everly continued marching on, with the knights. They would cast her sidelong glances, every once in awhile.
Probably trying to see if I'm tiring.
Blowing the loose wisps of hair out of her face, once more, she barely stopped in time as the knight in front of her came to a stand still. Peaking out from behind him, her eyes widened in awe as she saw the grandeur of Camelot within the distance.
Oh my...God...
Your fate awaits..
Ignoring the voice, she made her way around the knight and up towards the front of the group. Spying Sir Leon, she smiled as she made her way over to him. He seemed to be discussing something with a younger knight, that she couldn't remember being in their group.
"Sir Leon, is there a problem?" They eyed her oddly as they caught sight of Rosalynne still perched upon her back.
As she studied him, she could tell he was debating something, " My Lady, Sir Damarius has come from the Eastern scouting party..there seems to be a group of raiders that have been pillaging the outer villages. I need to get my men out there as soon as possible, but I promised to see you to King Uther. I wouldn't–"
"Leon, what about Merlin? I saw him picking herbs on my way to you. He could escort her to the King." Sir Damarius interrupted, earning him a stern glare from Leon.
Everly nodded, "I understand your duties, Sir Leon. If you trust this...Sir Merlin, take me to him and he can take me to King Uther. You'll have fulfilled your promise."
She had decided to play dumb on who Merlin was, because she wasn't supposed to know him, yet. Plus, the looks on the other knights faces from her calling Merlin a knight were laughable. Even Sir Leon did an amazing impression of a fish out of water, before collecting himself.
"If you would allow us, we will escort you to Merlin, and he can deliver you the rest of the way, My Lady."
She smiled, "That's fine. Let's get moving, you need to leave as soon as possible."
With that said, the rest of the group, bar Leon and Damarius, stayed behind while the two lead Everly and her sister to Merlin. Damarius was right, Merlin wasn't too far away from where he had approached the other knights.
As they came upon a clearing, she could tell it was used as a small herb garden. If the smell didn't make that obvious, the young man gathering herbs would. Observing him from afar, she took notice in the slouched position he seemed to have at all times, and he was tall. Once they got closer, she'd be able to see more of him.
Not very confident, is he?
I'm afraid not, Lady Everly. He has not grown into the legend he will become, yet.
Everly's eyes were gobsmacked as she gazed upon The Merlin, I mean, what were the odds that this would ever happen? Sure, he was way younger than what the stories told, but still, this was Merlin.
I'm dreaming...definitely dreaming. That would actually explain so much of the last twenty four hours.
Re-situating Rosalynne on her back, Everly smiled as they approached the young man within this small clearing.
"Merlin, " Sir Leon called out, to which the young warlock tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.
The knights were clearly amused by the situation, but Everly was not, especially when neither moved to help the lad. Letting go of one of her sisters legs, she moved forward and stuck a hand out to help him up.
"Are you alright?" She inquired, causing his eyes to snap onto her form, inquisitively.
He nodded his head, "who are you?"
Sir Leon choked on air, looking insulted on her behalf, "Merlin, this is Crown Princess Everly. She needs an audience with the King. I need you to escort her to the Castle."
The warning in the mans voice was plain to any who had ears, but Merlin just grinned impishly as he took her hand and stood back up on two feet, basket in his other hand.
He smiled at Everly, "Right this way, My Lady."
She grinned, in return, thinking him adorable. His crystal blue eyes, along with his dark hair, created quite the contrast. He had a certain boyish charm, in her opinion. Sir Leon bid them farewell as they turned to leave. Everly kept sneaking glances at Merlin, amazed that she had come face-to-face with the famous wizard.
"So, how do you know the King?" She asked, curious.
As far as she remembered, Uther wasn't fond of magic, by any means.
He blushed, "I don't, really, but I do know his son, Arthur. I'm his manservant, and if you'd ask him, the laziest one he's ever had...the prat.."
Everly chuckled, "I see...how did that happen?"
"Oh, same old...same old, saved his life, ya know? Not that anyone else notices..." Clearly, the last part was not meant for her ears, so she ignored it.
It was soon after, that Rosalynne began to stir.
"Sis, are we there yet?" Her tired voice mumbled.
"Afraid not, but it won't be long, now, sweetheart.."
"Can you put me down? I want to stretch my legs."
As they spoke, Everly could see Merlin watching how the two interacted with each other. By the look on his face, she could tell that he found it endearing.
"Oh, you mean these legs?" Everly's hands began to teasingly run across Rosalynne's legs, tickling her as they traveled along.
Rosalynne squealed, struggling to get away from her sister, while trying not to fall.
"Stop! Pl-Please!...I can't-I can't b-b-breathe!" Rosalynne gasped out in between peels of laughter.
Everly settled, kneeling down on the grass to let Rosalynne down. Once Rosalynne hopped off her back, they held hands as they continued their journey to Camelot. They traveled in silence, aside from Rosalynne's humming. It seemed, even in a new world, that the child could not seem to calm down.
It wasn't long before they entered the city, to which every person that saw them gave them a bow. Everly kept her head up, knowing that this was what was expected of commoners among royalty. Inside, she wanted to retch.
Making their way to the castle, Merlin lead them inside and straight to the main hall. That would be the one where all the hearings go on, as well as some important decisions. Everyone knew that the most important decisions were made in the Kings study, with only Arthur present, sometimes Morgana.
As they made their way through the halls, Everly tried not to frown at all the looks they were receiving. No doubt, it was from the way Rosalynne was interacting with Merlin. She had always been a friendly child.
Coming upon a set of large, carved doors, Merlin nodded at the knights standing outside them, and pushed the doors right open. If court was in session, they would have warned him before hand. Stepping inside the room, Everly locked eyes with Morgana, first.
She couldn't help but notice that the girl looked frightened, of what, she wasn't sure. Her loveliness was not exaggerated. Everly made a mental note to thank her for the use of her new dresses.
"Arthur, what is your manservant doing here?" Uther, she guessed by his placement on the throne, growled out.
Obviously, he didn't like Merlin.
The blonde haired man, next to the Kings throne, came into focus. Everly gazed at him, while he spoke to his father, finding him handsome. Just like Merlin, Arthur sported a lovely shade of blue eyes.
Jesus...everyone has blue eyes..
"Your Highness, my name is Crown Princess Everly, and this is my sister, Princess Rosalynne. Your knights found us, after we had been attacked by bandits. Sir Leon was escorting us here, but he was informed of a disturbance within the outer edges of the kingdom. He ordered Merlin to bring us to you." Everly curtseyed after she spoke, motioning for Rosalynne to do the same.
Thankfully, Rose was exceptionally smart, and caught on quick. Like with the knights, she followed her sister's example, and held her tongue so as not to say anything wrong.
Uther immediately sat up straight, and gave the best, charming smile, he could. To Everly, it reminded her of a rather surly gentleman that she had had the horror of dealing with, at the museum she worked.
"I apologize, My Lady, do you need an escort to help you and your sister back home? Camelot is always willing to help those in need."
Everly frowned, trying to think up a good enough lie. Rosalynne beat her to it.
"Your Highness, we can't return home. No doubt, our Fathers' second wife has already crowned her own son, as King. We wouldn't have a home to return to. She hate's us.." Rosalynne's voice cracked, as she spoke. It gave their story a feeling of truth.
Even dethroned nobles, were still nobles. Those study sessions with Rosalynne really paid off. Everly nodded, as Uther looked to her to corroborate her sister's story.
"It's true, You Highness, our mother died during childbirth," Everly noticed the sadness envelope both the Prince, and the King, "our father remarried, shortly after, but she never liked us. She already had a son from her first marriage, and had tried convincing our father to make him a legitimate heir to the throne, but he refused. He wanted me to take over in his stead. I'm sure, news of our father's death will have reached her before we could return, and she'll have already crowned her son as King."
The room was silent, and Everly watched as Uther thought everything over. Hopefully, he believed them.
Uther cleared his throat, "The circumstances, of which you have come to be here, are unfortunate. However, I do believe you. With your coloring, there is no question of your heritage. I've never seen hair the shade of moonlight. Camelot–"
"Everly is the only one with hair this color. Everyone else in our family has hair like the sun!" Rosalynne chimed in.
"A miraculous thing, indeed. Seeing as you have nowhere to go, Camelot, along with her King, offers you a home, here. You will become a Lady of our court, and once new land has been cleared, it shall be gifted to you and your sister. I cannot gift you a kingdom, but I can do this." He smiled, the first genuine smile since Everly met him.
Honestly, Everly was surprised he was even gifting them, this much.
Shooting him a grateful smile, she opened her mouth to say something, when Rosalynne shot across the room and gave Uther a hug. Arthur had lunged forward, intent upon stopping the child that could, possibly, do harm to the King, but Uther just smiled as she hugged him. Morgana looked like she had swallowed a sour lemon.
Once she pulled away, he patted her on the head, "Arthur, have your manservant prepare them a room. Morgana, would you allow them to borrow some of your old gowns?"
Said woman smiled, slightly, "Of course."
"Father, what do we really know of these people? They could be lying to you." Arthur had tried to be quiet, but failed.
Everly frowned, "Would it please His Majesty, to have a look at the Crown of Valeria, to appease the Crown Prince. You can have your jewelers authenticate it, if you must." She lifted the crown from her head, but Uther waved her off.
"That will not be necessary, forgive my son, he worries."
"In his shoes, I would do nothing less, Sire." Everly said.
She covered her mouth as she yawned, not wanting to appear rude. As she did so, Arthur ordered Merlin to clean them a room. It wasn't long before they were dismissed, while Merlin lead them away.
Both of them needed a bath, and a good nights sleep. She'd figure out everything else, in the morning.