AND HERE IT IS! THE MUCH AWAITED SEQUEL! Hope you guys enjoy! I do not own Merlin, but Kera is still mine! (Takes place a few months after The Death Song of Uther Pendragon) ONWARDS!
Uther's ghost had been purged from to land, the Horn of Cathbhadh had been locked away in the deepest vault never to be used, magic had been restored to the land and Camelot had been at peace for many months now,
"KERA!"
…..Scratch that.
The raven-haired girl glanced frantically behind her and ducked into the armory.
"Hide me!" She whispered quickly to the knights that were in there. The most rugged looking knight with waves of brown hair and a near constant flirtatious grin and the tallest and most well muscled of them all gestured to a small corner near the sword rack which they had pulled chairs in front of to sharpen their swords.
"Thanks Gwaine, Percy." She grinned, crouching behind the chairs they had seated themselves on.
"What does the Princess want this time?" Gwaine muttered to Kera.
Kera just muttered some profanities under her breath and flicked a strand of hair out of her face. In truth she didn't look much different than she had while impersonating her brother who had died some years ago during a raid upon a druid camp, except her hair flowed to her shoulders now, like it had once when she was a child, she now wore a slightly more form fitting blue tunic under her usual brown leather jacket, her neckerchief now had a ravens head stitched in gold upon it.
Suddenly Arthur Pendragon, the king of Camelot, came rushing in, a fine violet dress draped over his arm. Gwaine eyed it with a teasing smirk.
"Ah so you are actually a princess under all that armor!" The knight chortled. "Called it." He held out a hand as if asking someone to pay up to a bet and Elyan rewarded him by tossing some stinking socks at his face.
Arthur scowled at him, but graciously ignored his comment instead he asked, "Where's Kera? This is for her."
You could practically feel the hatred rolling off the girl hidden in the corner, if you had been looking you would've seen Kera's eyes flash gold and the dress caught fire.
The king rolled his eyes, patted the flames out and glanced over at the corner where Percival and Gwaine were casually sat,
"Alright Kera, come on out."
Camelot's Court Sorceress stood and brushed herself off.
"I am not wearing that abomination." Kera said crossing her arms defiantly.
"You are a member of the court now!" Arthur explained, his tone heavily suggesting that they had had this conversation before. "You must dress appropriately."
Kera's blue eyes widened into a pleading gaze. "Then give me robes, chainmail, let me where ceremonial clothing like yours! Anything but dresses!"
The fair-haired man crossed his arms. "I said appropriately. A woman wearing slacks is not-"
Finally Mordred stepped in, He put a hand on Kera's shoulder and much to his surprise she didn't flinch away (and did she look a bit flushed?) "If Queen Emery doesn't want to wear a dress, she shouldn't need to." He said, giving Arthur a look that reminded him that while the young Druid was fiercely loyal to him he was ten times more loyal to Kera and would take her side on almost anything.
"Thank you Mordred." Kera said brightly, as surprised as he was that the words were leaving her lips.
Arthur grimaced but sighed, "Well it's burnt now anyways, I suppose I will have the tailors make something more, suitable."
To say Kera's face was smug would be an understatement, her eyes blazed in triumph and her whole face seemed to glow.
"Oh shut it." Arthur snapped much to the amusement of the knights and with that the king stomped off.
Just as he left the armory erupted into laughter and Kera's was the loudest until,
"Just because you're no longer my servant doesn't mean I can't make you muck out the stables!" Arthur's voice rang.
"Yes, but it does mean I can do it with magic and be done in under a minute!" The girl called back.
Hours later Kera stocked into her Uncle Gaius's chambers tired and hungry.
"That prat seems to forget I'm not a servant anymore." She grumbled to her uncle who had an eyebrow raised impossibly high on his head.
The girl had come in with muck on her face and straw in her hair, Arthur had given her a list of tasks so long that it made her daily chores as a servant look like childs-play, telling her that it should be easy being the all powerful witch she was but even with magic it had taken hours.
Gaius scoffed. "I think you may need a bath."
Kera glared at him and sat down at the table (more of a cleared off work bench really) to a meal of cold stew that Gaius had prepared. After eating and before going to bed like she had very much wanted to do, Kera did what her uncle had suggested and washed up grumbling about obnoxious royalty and ungodly dresses as she did so.
Finally, finally, she put her head to the pillow and as she did so the strangest dream came to her.
It started off as one she had had for years, It was her, Merlin, Will and 'Gana playing in the woods by Ealdor. 'Gana and Merlin had their heads pressed together, holding hands and laughing while Will and herself snuck up behind them with a pail of water from the nearby river, they poured the icy liquid on the two snickering as they shrieked and sputtered. Merlin then retaliated by knocking Kera against a nearby tree (not forcefully) with magic and binding her there, refusing to let her go until she apologized which she refused to do, 'Gana had Will pinned to the ground and was sitting on him singing loudly and purposely off-key and ignoring his protests.
Then it changed, Kera was in the ruins of the Druid camp they had fled from on their sixteenth birthday and there was Merlin standing in the middle, pale blue and transparent, as soon as he saw her his eyes lit up and a goofy smile adorned his face, but instead of speaking, or running and engulfing her in a hug as Kera expected he might try to do he simply pulled something from out of his pocket, it was a horn, polished and gleaming, one she knew quite well, the Horn of Cathbhadh. Merlin gave Kera a look that plainly said; 'use it.'
The witch awoke sweating and gasping for breath, she threw off her covers and silently padded down to the door of the physician's chambers meaning to do exactly what her brother had told her to. Use the horn.
Sneaking past the guards was simple, although she had told Arthur exactly how many times she had been able to do it before he hadn't changed any of the guard staff or put new regulations in order. It was more or less a wave of a hand and off their dice flew, and off went the idiots to chase it.
"Morons." Kera muttered under her breath before lighting a torch and heading down to the vaults.
In the smallest, darkest, least assuming vault behind many thick tapestries and oil paintings was a small iron box which had far to many locks on it. Kera made quick work of the locks and opened the box, wincing at the rusty squeak it made and instinctively glancing around to see if anyone heard it. Of course, no one did.
Concealing the horn in her jacket she snuck out again and into the stables where her beautiful elven horse was housed. Ithil was gorgeous, the mare had a jet black coat and mane with deep, dark eyes that seemed to know what you were thinking, she also had a white star in the center of her forehead.
Mounting her steed, Kera magicked open the gates (also wincing at the sound that made) and cantered into the night.
It had taken half the time to get to the Great Stones of Nemeton this time around. Elvish horses were unnaturally fast, rarely tiring and traveling at speeds two times normal horses gallop. Quickly the girl dismounted and practically charged the stones, blowing the horn. A blue light engulfed her and when she opened her eyes she was in a shimmering, ghostly blue field, with wildflowers and the tallest trees she'd ever seen ringed by mountains, and off to the corner was a glittering blue lake. But Kera barely noticed any of that, her gaze was set on the figure sitting in the middle, calmly reading a book, he still looked the same as he had on their sixteenth birthday,
Merlin.
"Merlin?" She whispered looking at her brother in awe.
Merlin looked up from his novel and his eyes lit up in excitement. "Kerie! 'Bout time you showed up! I got the call that you were coming ages ago." He stood, brushing bits of grass off himself as he did so.
"Oh my god, Merlin!" Kera wanted to run to him and almost did before Merlin put out a hand to stop her.
"I'm sorry we can't touch." He said frowning.
"Oh…." Kera's frown matched her brothers, but then she brightened and said. "Damn it, I have to settle for just talking to my long dead twin?"
Merlin rolled his eyes, "I know crazy right?"
"I might have to take it up with the staff here." Kera answered enjoying the easy banter between them.
Her brother gave a lopsided grin. "You haven't changed much little sister."
"Hey I'm older than you!"
"Well, technically you are now considering I don't age anymore. But biologically, you are my younger sister." He answered.
"No, I'm the eldest, always have been, always will be." Kera crossed her arms and stamped her foot in annoyance.
Merlin gave a fake sigh. "Whatever makes you happy, little sister."
Kera glared but didn't press the matter, instead she said. "Oh god I've missed you."
The boy gave a sad smile. "I've missed you too, every day."
Kera looked down sheepishly. "I still sing that song to you, Safe and Sound, every night."
Merlin quirked an eyebrow. "I know, I've heard you."
"You have?" The girl looked confused.
"Yeah, we can look down on the mortal world, check in with our loved ones, I occasionally go in time to hear you sing. Nice job impersonating me by the way."
Kera blushed. "I was still so scared of Camelot, and you know looking alike had always been our protection, so I thought that maybe…"
Merlin looked like he wanted nothing more than to hug his sister. "I know Kerie, believe me I know." He then smiled and said. "Arthur's still a prat."
Kera rolled her eyes. "You have no idea..hold on 'still'?"
"Yeah, I tend to think people that murder me are prats." Kera flinched at his nonchalant tone and Merlin seemed to notice. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't of said that."
"Nah, it's alright, and yes you're correct, the King of Prats."
"A noble and fitting title given his station." With that the two twins burst into peals of laughter which were only cut off by Merlin glancing behind him and sighing.
"What is it?" Kera asked curiously.
"You have to go." Her brother said sadly. "You'll be trapped here if you stay. I love you."
Kera nodded and turned to leave. "Love you too."
"Kera!" Merlin cried faintly. "Don't look back!"
The witch didn't hear and instinctively turned to hear what he said.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "You never listen do you?" He muttered to himself, preparing to get ripped from the spirit world. "You have no idea what you just caused."
DUN DUN DUN! Don't worry, it won't be like Uther, Merlin's not going to be vengeful, I have something much more fun in mind. Did you like my Mordred/Kera moment? I ship it. I truly do.
