"Merlin, go fetch some more wood. Do be quick about it. I don't want to freeze to death, Merlin." The aforementioned boy huffed as he picked up another batch of kindling. "A simple 'please and thank you' would have been appreciated," he continually muttered before dropping his gatherings onto the small, two-wheeled wagon he had brought along to carry the load.
Hands on his hips, Merlin lets out a satisfied breath at his collection. "Right. This should be enough." Pleased with his work, the boy turned and headed towards a nearby pond to freshen up before returning to the city.
Squatting by the edge, Merlin began to wash his hands underneath the water's surface when he felt a disturbance. He glanced upwards when the air seemed to vibrate and a distortion began to form right before his eyes. Merlin promptly stood up and moved back in caution. No sooner had he done so than a body abruptly materialized in an eruption of flames to his disbelief. Startled, the warlock falls backward from both the sudden force and blast of heat.
Merlin's eyes widened at the random sight as the body – miraculously not burnt to a charcoal – dropped into the pond below and splashed the bewildered boy. The flames disappear just as rapidly.
The cold water breaks the warlock out of his stupor causing him to burst into action. Jumping in, Merlin quickly dove to rescue the person currently sinking into the water's depths. Struggling a few times, he manages to bring them both to the pond's edge before dragging the stranger up onto land. He lets himself fall backwards and lays side-by-side with the other person. After catching his breath, Merlin turns to see the steady rise and fall of a chest. Relieved, he shifts onto his side before moving a hand to push the mystery guest's hair back to discover a pretty, blonde girl.
"Oh boy," Merlin muttered as he tried to figure out his next course of action.
The fact that the girl wore the strangest of clothes didn't help matters at all. Taking a glance at his surroundings, Merlin confirmed there were no witnesses to this unusual display of magic before performing a quick spell to dry the both of them. Afterwards, he eyed the wagon he thankfully brought along for this errand.
"Off we go then," Merlin muttered before rushing over with the unconscious blonde in his arms. He tried desperately not to trip over her red flapping cape in his haste; he stumbles but only twice. Reaching his destination, Merlin searched the wagon to find a large cloth, which he used to hide the girl from any wandering eyes.
The next step was to bring the girl to Gaius without anyone noticing Camelot's newest guest.
"Nothing to it," the warlock muttered before beginning his trek back to the city.
"Gaius!" Merlin called out as he nudges the door open with a leg. He rushes in to drop the blonde atop the nearby cot Gaius usually slept on. It wasn't easy getting her up those stairs to the court physician's office without anyone noticing sleeping beauty in his arms.
He promptly returns to the entranceway in order to shut and lock the door. He couldn't risk the appearance of another unexpected guest with the one he had at the moment. "Gaius!" Merlin shouts once more.
Finally, the aforementioned man appears from the back room only to be startled by the unforeseen patient brought in by Merlin. Gaius promptly hovers over the girl, categorizing the various wounds present to his eyes. At the moment, the old man opted to ignore the blonde's strange attire as her injuries took greater precedence.
"Where on earth have you found this poor girl?" Gaius asked as he picked up a hand to study the bruises and torn skin across the blonde's knuckles.
"She literally appeared out of thin air and dropped right in front of me!" Merlin exclaims as he moved to stand by the old physician. "What do you think happened to her?" the boy questioned.
"Well, she was obviously in a fight," Gaius answers while pressing around the blonde's ribs. Before the physician could further comment, they were interrupted by a shout of 'Merlin!' from outside.
Both Gaius and the boy halted in their movements. The silence only lasted a second before there was a rattle of the outside ring pull followed by a banging at the door. "Merlin! Why is the door locked?"
In a flurry of movements, Gaius moved to open another door while Merlin promptly gathered their guest into his arms.
"Take her to your room," the old man hastily instructed as he ushered the boy into the office's one bedroom.
The shouts continued as the two tried to hurry along with their actions. "I can hear your footsteps, Merlin! Don't think you can ignore me!"
Once the blonde is relocated to a safer location, Gaius places a hand on Merlin's arm to grab his attention. "I'll take care of the girl. You take care of Arthur," he offers before returning to his newest patient.
With a nod, Merlin rushes to attend the persistent prince. "I'm coming!" he shouts as he exits his bedroom and heads towards the locked door. With a final look at the physician, Merlin watches as Gaius closes the door before he opened his own.
"Hello," the warlock casually greets after Arthur is revealed at the entrance standing with crossed arms.
"Where have you been?" the prince questions.
"Oh," Merlin began as he scratched at the back of his head. "I just got back from gathering the firewood you had asked for," he answers nonchalantly.
"And why was the door locked?" Arthur continues with his inquiry.
"I like the privacy," Merlin quickly retorts.
Arthur simply raises an eyebrow at the response before shaking his head. "Whatever. I still need you to polish my armor, wash my leathers," he begins before heading off with Merlin swiftly following a few steps behind him.
"How is she?" Merlin immediately asks once he returned from completing Arthur's mind-numbing chores.
Gaius only sighs before standing up from his workbench to walk towards the boy. "I've done what I could without managing to successfully undress the girl."
"You tried to undress her?" Merlin chokes out in surprise.
"Of course, I did," Gaius casually answers. "Unfortunately, all I could figure out was how to take her boots off."
Merlin is momentarily speechless before he regains his voice. "Why?"
"So I can inspect her for any further injuries that might have been hidden underneath them," Gaius explains with a slight roll of his eyes. "Honestly, Merlin," the physician continues with a quick rap to Merlin's forehead with his knuckles. "What kind of person do you think I am?"
Merlin flusters at the small reprimand, muttering a soft 'ow' before rubbing at the slight sore spot on his forehead. Hesitating on his next words, the warlock wisely decided to head over to his room. Cracking the door open, Merlin takes a peek at the blonde that lay inside. "Do you think she'll wake up any time soon?" he questions curiously.
"Possibly. Her injuries weren't too severe," Gaius responds as he began moving around some jars and ingredients. "I've already applied some cream to aid in her healing."
A silence descends upon the room before Merlin decides on his next inquiry. "Do you think she might be magical?" he hesitates for a moment, "Like me?"
"Because she 'appeared out of thin air' as you described earlier?" the physician questions.
"That must imply some sort of magical abilities," Merlin argued.
"Or that someone sent her here," Gaius countered. Merlin's eyebrows furrowed at the suggestion. "You must be careful, Merlin. She might not be a friend," the old man reasoned.
A couple days had passed and their mysterious guest has yet to awaken from her slumber. She wasn't in any dire condition, at least not any noticeable ones. All her injuries had long since healed from the day Merlin found her. Still, the girl had neither stirred nor mumbled; no indication that would have eased their worries. The blonde could have easily been mistaken as one deep in her sleep.
"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Merlin asks with concern in his voice.
"There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with her," Gaius pauses as he measured the girl's pulse, "It could possibly be her body is still recuperating from whatever has happened to her."
"She's been asleep for days, Gaius," Merlin almost shouts in frustration. He didn't want to miss a chance to connect with someone who was possibly similar to him, magical in nature.
Gaius sighs before turning in his seat to look at the young warlock that had begun pacing the bedroom. "Merlin, I cannot give you the answers I do not have," he explained before returning to check up on the girl. "However," Gaius pauses for a moment, "I can tell you one thing for certain."
The warlock almost stumbles when he quickly turns to face Gaius. "What is it?"
"She's not from around here," Gaius reveals, much to the boy's displeasure.
"I could have told you that," Merlin groans with slight annoyance before resuming with his pacing of the room. However, he abruptly stops at a sudden thought. "Could," the boy momentarily hesitates, "Could the cause be something magical?"
Realizing Merlin's train of thought, Gaius immediately stands up, almost knocking his stool back from the force. "You are not using magic to wake her up!"
"We can't keep hiding her away!" Merlin retorts with a hand thrown out for emphasis. "Someone's bound to notice her sooner or later."
Gaius could only sigh at the boy's stubbornness. It was obvious Merlin had grown somewhat attached to the girl. "First give her a day or two," the old man reluctantly bargained.
"Fine," Merlin agreed before leaving to return by Arthur's side.
Kara Zor-El
Within an instant, the blonde lets out a gasp as she awakens from the call of her name. The day had begun anew.
[End of Chapter]
A/N: Yeah, there's not much Kara interaction in this chapter. Don't worry! You'll get that by the next chapter. Later on, the cause of Kara's arrival will be discovered in future chapters.