Familiar

~A Similar Arrival~

I don't own any of the characters, concepts, or franchises that you may recognize. Thanks for reading.

As the sun sank lower in the sky over Camelot, a young girl stood just outside the great city's gates, and shakily took a deep breath. She looked at the guarded gates for a moment, then she nodded to herself, and started to walk towards the gates. As she went, she smeared white powder on her face and traced lines with her fingernails, wrapping a shawl about her head and leaning more heavily on her newly found walking-stick. She reached the gates and stopped, an annoyed expression on her face. Ignoring the guards, she called in a weak, warbling voice "William? Will, my boy, come on now. William?" She huffed impatiently, and started to walk through the gates.

The guards throw out an arm, and one steps forward, saying firmly "Excuse me, Ma'am. No entry without papers."

The girl drew herself up to her full height, punctuating each word with a beat of her walking stick on the ground "Now see here, young man, I did not walk all the way into the city to be kept waiting by two irresponsible ruffians. My dratted grandson was supposed to meet me by the gates to deliver the pickled beet root for tomorrow's stew, but he decided to keep an old woman waiting. I've got my papers just at home, and you do as well, likely as not. So if you would be so kind as to let me pass, I shall think about not complaining to my grandson. He's the apprentice to the king's advisor's own assistant cobbler!" Dumbfounded, the guards just watched as the old woman turned up her nose, and holding her chin high, marched right into the most secure of cities.

She hobbled down the street, the guards watching her as she screeched shrilly "William, you dratted boy, where is my pickled beet root?!" Shaking their heads, the guards turned their backs, and gazed once more out into the darkening countryside.

The girl quickly ducked into an alleyway, stuffing the shawl in her pack, discarding the walking-stick, and scrubbing at her face with the rainwater pooling in the cobblestones. She attempted to make her hair presentable, then quickly gave up. Her raven hair, usually tame, if wildly curly, had become a rat's nest with days-weeks- of travel. Her gown was a simple one of dark blue, so it did not show the dirt, but that too was travel-worn. Her luminous green-blue eyes were bloodshot, and she was thin as a twig, altogether grimy, underfed and over-stressed. But she was happy and relieved and hopeful, because she had made it. She was so, so close.

She sat in the alleyway for a minute, resting, until she heard footsteps, and quickly sprinted away, ducking into an empty tinker's stall. Her back to the door, she listened to the footsteps fade. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out, fixed her eyes on the gleaming citadel, and set off towards the castle.

As she entered the courtyard, she looked around, seeing nothing but guards at the door, and a small crowd gathered around a cart, presumably, the tinker's. The guards looked as though it wasn't a day on which much extraordinary had happened, and were relaxed and talking. However, she knew they wouldn't be fooled so easily as the ones at the front gate. She bit her lip uncertainly, then wandered over to the tinker's cart, pretending to be interested only in a dented bronze cooking pot that was on sale for only four coppers. She looked at one of the barrels on the cart, and recognized it as tar-very volatile, very flammable, and very messy. Something the guards definitely wouldn't want spilling all over the courtyard. They'd want very much to avoid that- perhaps enough to leave their posts to help the tinker? She hoped so, for the tinker's sake.

She silently apologized to the tinker, and to Camelot, and hoping against hope it wasn't going to explode, deftly cut the ties holding the barrel, and leaned all her weight onto it. The barrel slowly rolled, rolled, rolled, while the girl got as far away as possible from it, then gave a theatrical scream and pointed, just as it was about to fall off the cart. The tinker sprinted over to try and cushion the barrel's fall, and it hit the ground without an explosion. But the problem didn't stop there, no. Now the barrel was rolling at a very fast speed towards the steps leading up to the castle doors. And the torch brackets alongside them. With a cry, the guards dropped their spears and shields, and ran to help the tinker stop the barrel from reaching the steps.

The girl ran towards the steps as well, but where the guards rushed to the barrel, she rushed up the steps, and into the castle, hovering uncertainly at the first window to watch the outcome. The tinker and soldiers got the barrel safely back on to the cart, and it looked as though the guards were berating the tinker for not securing the barrel better. Outraged, he held up his fastenings, and an almost comical expression of shock leapt onto his face when he discovered they'd been cut. The girl laughed aloud before she could stop herself, feeling slightly guilty- but amused all the same.

Satisfied that everyone was safe, she looked uncertainly about the halls, then a smile crept onto her face. It all came back-That was what she had hoped. Depended on, really. Though it had been years, her feet knew the way, and she scurried through the almost empty hallways, slowing to a brisk walk when servants came in sight, ducking behind pillars whenever knights passed. She came to the corridor leading to the familiar stairwell, and rounded the corner to find a patrol. Their hands went to the hilts of their swords, and her terror must have shown on her face as she backed away. The head of the group was a bearded young man with a twinkle in his eye- Sir Gwaine, knight of Camelot, and his trainees, though of course the girl didn't know this. The patrol relaxed, seeing that it was only a girl.

Gwaine sighed, and said kindly "It's all right, lass. Not from around here?" She shook her head, her eyes darting around looking for an escape route. Seeing none, she planted her feet. "Can we see your papers, Miss?"

She lifted her chin defiantly. "I don't have them with me." Gwaine shook his head grimly. "You should know to have them with you, especially in these dark times. I-" He frowned, and looked at her more closely, puzzled and curious. "I'm sorry, but you look- very, very familiar- But we can't let you leave until you have those papers-What is your name?" he finished curiously.

She started to answer slowly "Well, my name- you, see I'm terribly sorry about the papers, but-" Abruptly she took off running straight at the guards, and as the startled knights grabbed at her arms, she let them hold her up, and did a somersault, almost flipping the guards, and knocking them groaning to the ground. She sprinted and opened the door that led to the stairwell, and turned around. She looked guiltily at Gwaine, who was standing there dumbfounded, and she shrugged and looked as though she was about to go back, but then she shook her head, and said with a rueful smile "Sorry." Then she slammed the door, and ran, her footsteps echoing as she fled.

Gwaine helped the grumbling trainees up, chuckling at their expense, and said "Now, do we need to call reinforcements, or do you think you can handle it?"

Abashed, they mumbled "We can handle it."

The one lifted his head, saying "She only took us by surprise, how were we supposed to know? We could've taken her any other time…"

Gwaine held up his hand. "Now, the question is, will I tell the other knights, therefore subjecting all three of us to extreme embarrassment?" Seeing them pale visibly at the thought of the mockery that would ensue, he laughed. "Or, shall we swear to never breathe a word of this to anyone?" They nodded fervently at this, and Gwaine said "The second one it is, boys. Now let's find out why that little lass is so reluctant to give us her papers."

The girl fled up the stairs, stopping to rest at the familiar landing, and she allowed herself a small smile. The sign above the door, in simple script, read Physician.

She opened the unlocked door, and slipped inside, breaking into a grin when she saw a familiar figure bent over vials of antidotes. "Gaius!" she cried, running towards the old man.

He turned, and, shocked, said in disbelief "Kate?!" She reached him and hugged him tightly, and after a moment he hugged her back, pulling out and holding her at arm's length "My, how you've grown… But what are you doing here? Are the Lord and Lady Eastwood visiting all of a sudden?"

Her chin trembled a bit. "The Lady Eastwood has passed away. That's why I'm here. Oh, did I miss you, you grumpy old man!" She hugged him again as he chuckled.

"Come, you look exhausted. You've come all that way? On your own?"" He led her to the table, where she gratefully sat down, and looked around.

"This place hasn't changed at all." she said, smiling "Yes, I have, but there was nowhere else-"

There came a knock on the door, and Gwaine's voice called "Gaius?"

Kate paled, and Gaius gave her a puzzled look as he opened the door and said "Yes? What is it, Gwaine?"

Gwaine came in, the two guards behind him, and his eyes found a terrified Kate. He turned to Gaius and said "Gaius, you've got a girl sitting at your table that's the reason two of Camelot's finest are going to have very sore backsides tomorrow."

Gaius looked at Kate, shocked and cried "Kate?!"

She shrugged helplessly. "What? I panicked!"

Gawain tried to keep from laughing, but the twinkle in his eye gave him away. "Well, you're not in trouble for that, because it would be far too embarrassing to write up a report, but I'm afraid we'll still have to see your papers."

Kate looked at Gaius pleadingly "I-I don't have them. Not now. I do have them, I promise, I'm from the Eastern Borderlands-I can't -"

Gwaine watched her sputter and held up his hand. "All right, all right. You obviously don't mean any harm, well, serious harm, and… Kate… You do look incredibly familiar." He heaved a sigh. "I'm not going to take you to the dungeons. Don't leave this room. I'll bring it up with the king and queen at the next meeting. Gaius, watch her."

Kate let out a deep breath, and looked up at him, incredibly relieved. "Thank you."

Gwaine looked at her piercingly and curiously, and shook his head. "I've got to get to training. Goodbye, Gaius. Kate." To Gaius he added over his shoulder "Merlin should be along soon."

The door slammed behind the knight, and Gaius looked over at Kate. "What are we going to do with you? Knocking knights on their rear ends? And this is only your first day!"

She flushed. "I'm sorry! I panicked! I'm a desperate girl, Gaius. You should see what else I had to do to get in…" Her joking tone turned solemn "I was so close… There's nowhere else I can go but here. And now I'm here, and… I'd do anything to stay."

Gaius looked her in the eye. "The king is merciful, Kate. You'll be fine. But why on earth did you come without your papers?"

Kate looked at him ruefully. "That's a long story, Gaius. I certainly didn't leave them behind by choice… But I should probably wait to tell the story."

Gaius looked at her. "Now we know why you weren't answering our letters, Kate. We were getting worried."

She smiled sadly. "Sorry, I wasn't exactly available for the messenger to find. Nor could the messenger get to me at all." All of a sudden, they heard footsteps, and voices, and the door creaked open. Kate looked at Gaius questioningly, and he nodded. Her face lit up. She jumped to her feet, and rushed to meet the gangly, raven-haired young man who was just turning around.

"Merlin!" she cried, having just enough time to see his shocked expression before hugging him tightly. He hugged her back then held her out. "Kate?! You're here! What-How?" He hugged her again as she started to laugh. He let her go, and said "Kate, what happened? Why-"

They heard someone clear their throat, and Merlin turned around, a rueful smile on his lips. "Ah, yes. Kate, meet Arthur Pendragon, otherwise known as King of Camelot. And a complete prat, but only some know him as that."

Kate paled, and dropped to her knees, saying "My Lord… Sire, forgive me. I didn't know you were there."

Arthur shook his head and motioned for her to stand. "Enough of that, it's all right. Merlin, who might this be?"

Merlin looked at the girl, smiling broadly. "This, Arthur, is Kate. My little sister."

A/N I know, I know I know! It's been done. But this actually started out as a daydream, which turned into an actual dream, which I wrote down, that developed a plot. So I thought what the hey. Also I just finished season 5, and I need more merlin in my life. So here you have it. Chapter 2 should be up soon.

Love, Leviosa