A/N: Hey hey! It's me! So yeah. I know I should finish my other one, but damn that writers block so I've started this one! So I got this idea after watching a few episodes of the 2005 series of Doctor Who. There might be some Merlin/Rose pairing in here a little bit... Lol, well, I don't really have a lot to say other than please R & R and I hope you enjoy it! I won't say much, let's just say that oh- the stories of Doctor Who and Merlin are being told a bit differently... Oh, and it starts at the beginning of the seventh episode of the first season of Merlin. Yeah, yeah, it's been done before. But I've looked and began to wonder if anyone had gone back as far as this... for Doctor Who I mean. Anyways, now it's my turn! :D
Disclaimer: Nope. Not me. Don't own them, or the lines I may take from the episodes! If you're looking for the owners, go to a different site! ;)
{HE GATES OF AVALON}
Doctor Who:
In London England, as Rose Tyler and her boyfriend Micky Smith begin to walk away form the spot of where the TARDIS had left, a wind picks up and a mysterious noise came about. The two of them turn around to see the TARDIS slowly come back into view. Once the noise and wind had stopped, the familiar face of the Doctor is also visible as he pokes his head out the door. "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time." he smiled, and then stepped back in the machine. She smiled back, and turned towards Micky. "Thanks." she said.
"Thanks for what?" he asked.
"Exactly." she kissed him on the cheek quickly, turned, ran towards the TARDIS, and hopped inside it for an adventure unlike any other.
"Right then Rose Tyler you tell me, where do you want to go? Backwards, or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it gonna be?" said the Doctor. In all the excitement of course Rose didn't really think things through. "Oh, backwards." she said. The Doctor put what he was holding down on the panel, and pressed a couple of buttons. "How far?" he asked.
"Surprise me." said Rose. The Doctor smiled he spun a dial, then flipped a switch. The TARDIS began to shake and make noise, as the Doctor pulled a lever in and out. After a few minutes or seconds, everything stopped. He flipped the switch back. "There you go, step outside those doors and it is the middle ages. A world unlike any other you've seen. Go on." said the Doctor. Rose almost looked as though she was doubtful.
She turned towards the doors. She stepped cautiously and just stared at them. "You, do remember how a door works don't you? It's very simple. I could show you?" said the Doctor.
(Before the Doctor and Rose show up)
Merlin:
While keeping low in the woods, Arthur has his weapon ready, and keeps his eye on his prey. He walks carefully, quietly. Steadies his weapon, aims and- gets annoyed as Merlin clumsily stumbles into him. "What is it?" he asked. Arthur, in frustration turned to him. "You really are a total buffoon aren't you Merlin?!" Merlin innocently looked at him. "I was just asking." he said.
"Who me or the deer? We're suppose to be hunting. It requires speed, stealth, and an agile mind!" said Arthur. He flicked Merlin in the head during that last sentence. "So you're able to get by in two out of three then." was his reply.
Their bickering was however, interrupted as the two of them noticed a strange wind pick up. To make things weirder, there was a strange noise along with it. "What's that? What's happening?" said Merlin. He looked at Arthur to him staring at something. He followed his gaze.
Just a few feet away, a sudden fog appeared. Only, it wasn't just fog. An object appeared as well. It was some sort of blue framed glass box. "You don't see that everyday..." said Merlin. A few seconds pasted, then a door swung open. Merlin and Arthur got down, and hid in the bushes. There, stood a girl. She looked young, about Merlin's age. She was tall, had blond hair, and... strange clothing. She wore slacks, not a dress or skirt which was strange. Well, nothing about this situation wasn't. She stepped out of the box and a man followed. To Arthur, there was something almost, unworldly about him though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.. The girl gazed around, almost, unimpressed. "Oh. Well, we're in a forest. What's so special about that? For all I know I could be in a forest in my own time." she said. Her own time? What did she mean by that?
"They must be magical beings. Only creatures of magic can time travel... right?" whispered Arthur. Merlin stared at the box, then the girl, then the man. He kept going back and forth but couldn't feel any magic in any of them. "No," he blurted, "uh I mean, she, the man and the thing just don't look or... seem magical." he finished. Arthur was about to say something, when the man spoke.
"Well, I can't exactly control where the TARDIS lands in the area now can I? I'm sure if we look around we'll find something that'll prove we're in the past." said the man.
"The past? They are magic." said Arthur, and before Merlin could stop him, he stood up his hunting weapon ready, and walked towards the two strangers. Merlin, reluctantly followed.
"Alright. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" said Arthur, weapon ready just in case. There greetings were interrupted as they suddenly heard a couple people screaming. "What was that?" asked Merlin.
"Quiet." said Arthur. They listened. There was more screaming. Screaming for help.
All four quickly ran to the scene.
The person who was mainly screaming was a girl. There was also a man, and older man that could have been her father. The two of them were being attacked by Saxons. There were quite a few of them. Arthur having his weapon, used it against one of them. One of the Saxons was about to attack the Doctor, but he was slow, and the Doctor was quick. He punched the Saxon, and stole his sword and joined Arthur in the fight. Rose and Merlin were desperately searching for something that would help them.
Doctor Who:
Rose's eyes darted here and there, looking for something, anything that she could use. As Arthur was battling one Saxon, she saw that another was sneaking up behind. She saw a near by branch that would be perfect to use. "Here, help me up. Gymnastic skills don't fail me now." she said to Merlin. She used his hands a step and grabbed on to a low branch that was big enough to hold her weight. As the Saxon was sneaking up behind Arthur, she began to swing. As she picked up speed, the Saxon drew closer, and closer to Arthur.
While this was going on, the Doctor was helping out the girl and the man. "You really enjoy this don't you?" the Doctor said to the Saxons. They said nothing. "No reply? Right then. Let's get on with it." he said. With that, they did.
"One... two..." Rose whispered to herself as the Saxon was nearly too close to Arthur. She was swinging at such speed, she could have swung all the way around the branch."Three!" she said, and let go just in time. She flew through the air and landed, feet first onto the Saxon's shoulders. Surprisingly, she held her balance as she was able to grab his sword. However, he wouldn't let go so easily. While she was doing this, Arthur stabbed the one he was fighting with a sword he'd stolen from another, and turned around to see it. The Saxon stumbled back closer towards the branch that Rose had grabbed onto. She grabbed it with her free hand. She held onto the sword, and the branch and balanced on one foot. She then used her other foot to kick the Saxon hard, (very hard,) in the head. "Let go!" she practically screamed at him.
The Saxon dropped, knocked out. Rose jumped down with his sword in her hand. There were two more Saxons to deal with. "Uhm... th-thank you." said Arthur, clearly shocked and bewildered at the girl's actions. "Sure." was all Rose could say. He glanced at Merlin. "See there Merlin? That's what helping is." he teased. Rose looked to the one named Merlin. Merlin? Did he just say Merlin? As in... the Merlin? ? "I guess I have gone back in time..." she thought.
"Right, now that you three understand what 'helping' is, you might want to do it!" called the Doctor. All three turned to see that the Doctor no longer had a sword and was facing the two final Saxons. Alone.
Merlin:
As one of the Saxons grabbed the man, Merlin glanced up and saw this perfect chance to use his gift. For, there was a large branch right above the Saxon. It was angled just right so that if he timed it right, he wouldn't hurt the strange man. He quickly said a spell, and the branch broke off and landed directly onto the Saxon. Freeing the man. He wasn't sure, but when he glanced to see if either of the two were watching, he might have seen that the girl who was with the strange man, watching. But he wasn't sure, so he shrugged it off...
Arthur and Rose, since they were the only ones with swords, and it was only two Saxons, jumped in to help the Doctor. When the three of them defeated the Saxons, they noticed that there was actually one left. Though, he got scared and ran off.
Arthur walked over towards the area where the branch had broken off onto the Saxon. "Stroke of luck." he said. Merlin walked behind him and shouted after the Saxon who was running off. "AND LET THAT- BE A LESSON TO YOU!"
All three stopped walking towards the girl and the man they had helped, and turned to give him a strange look. "What? I was covering your back." he innocently said.
"You alright? They didn't hurt you?" Arthur asked the two. The girl turned around from hugging her father. She smiled, and took off her hood. "No, thanks to you. I'm Sophia, this is my father." she said.
"Arthur Pendragon," he picked up her hand, and kissed it, "at your service." he finished. Merlin standing behind him, said something before he got left out. "I'm Merlin. Hi." he said. He then remembered that they had help. "Oh, and this... is..." he said, gesturing to two strangers from the box.
"I'm Rose. Rose Tyler." said the blond girl. She smiled at them, and waved awkwardly. "And last, but not least, I'm the Doctor." said the man. Arthur looked at him curiously. "Doctor?" he asked. The Doctor just smiled. "Yes, just the Doctor." he said. The girl, Rose, looked at the Doctor, then back at the others. "He's a little strange that way..." she said
Doctor Who:
At the castle, everyone was brought before the King. King Uther. "My name, Aulfric. This is my daughter Sophia." said Aulfric. Sophia nodded. "You're a long way from home. What brings you to Camelot?" asked Uther.
"Our home was sacked by raiders. We barely escaped with what few possessions we could carry." said Aulfric. Merlin, Arthur, Rose and the Doctor were watching from behind. "These are dangerous times. What will you do?" asked Uther.
"We travel west to where we have family, and I hope a new life." replied Aulfric.
"You can stay here a while, break your journey. A noble family like yours is always welcome in Camelot. As the two left, Arthur and Merlin watched. Then turned back to the King. "And what about these two? Who are they?" he asked, gesturing at Rose and the Doctor.
"Oh, uhm, this is Rose Tyler and this is... the Doctor. They helped us defeat the Saxons." said Arthur. Uther gave the Doctor a questioning look. "The Doctor?" he said. Arthur glanced at Merlin. He just shrugged. "Pleasure to meet you Sire." said the Doctor, and he smiled. Rose did the same. "Well, surely for helping my son and his servant defeat the Saxons, you'll need a place to stay. You may stay in the castle if you wish." Rose smiled. "Oh, I wish we could but-" Before she could finish, the Doctor pulled her to the side. "Come on now, we've only just begun. Besides," he glanced at the group, "it could be fun." he finished. She looked at him, then at the group. "Alright then." she said.
"Wonderful. Arthur have your servant get their rooms ready." said Uther. He stood up, and left. "Well, you heard the man Merlin, get going." said Arthur. "Oh, and my armour needs cleaning, the stables need to be mucked out, and I've noticed that you've been slack with the floors of my chambers lately." Merlin watched him leave, with an exasperated expression on his face.
Rose watched Arthur leave, she turned to Merlin. "Do you always let him push you around like that?" she asked him. He looked at her. "Well, I would like to say no, but he is the prince, and I don't really have any power over him at all. But, we are friends so he lightens up once in a while. Either that or I convince him to." he laughed. She smiled. "Does... does he know? Do they know? You know that you're... you, you know, magic?" she whispered. Merlin gave her a questioning look. "How- how do you know that? And no they don't Uther band all magic from the kingdom." he whispered back.
"Oh. Uh well, let's just say that where I come from... you're a legend." said Rose, and she smiled at him.
Merlin:
"Make sure you put her in a decent room..." said Arthur as he and Merlin enter his chambers.
"Uhm, which one? Sophia or Rose?" asked Merlin. Arthur stopped what he was doing. "Oh, well both technically. They're both our guests, but... but Sophia especially. They've been travelling outside." answered Arthur.
"The one next doors empty." said Merlin. Arthur began to take off his coat. "The one next door's fine," he said, "excellent in fact." Merlin gave him a small smile. There was a moment of silence, and Arthur glanced at him. "Shut up Merlin." he said.
"What I didn't say anything." said Merlin.
"You didn't have to. I want to make it clear, that my intentions towards Sophia are- completely honourable." said Arthur. He finished putting on a different coat. He looked at Merlin, who went back to what he was doing. "Put her in the room on the other side of the castle. It's warmer. More comfortable." said Arthur. Merlin looked up. "Of course." he said.
"She uh, is very beautiful." said Merlin. He kept himself busy with his work. "Yes, she is." agreed Arthur.
"And if your intentions are honourable," started Merlin, Arthur interrupted. "Oh, they are. Most definitely." he said. He took off his coat. "Then what's the problem with her staying next door?" said Merlin. Arthur thought for a moment. "There isn't one." he said. "You've convinced me. Put her in the room next to mine." Merlin smiled. Arthur glanced at him, then glanced away.
Doctor Who:
Once Rose was shone the room she would be staying in, she wandered about the castle. At first she was looking for the Doctor, who she just could not find at all. She then walked past a room, as she glanced in, she noticed that Merlin was there, helping Sophia. "And if you need anything, just let me know." he said. He passed her a bag. "Thank you." she said.
Rose didn't realise that there was someone behind her, also watching. As she turned around, she nearly bumped into her. "Oh, sorry I didn't hear you." said Rose.
The woman had long dark, almost black hair, a blue dress, and when she saw Sophia- a worried expression. At that moment, Merlin walked out of the room. As he did, the woman and Rose caught up to him. "Who was that?" asked the woman. Merlin stopped walking. "Uh, Sophia. Oh we rescued her in the woods well- Arthur, and Rose here and the Doctor did most of the rescuing-" said Merlin.
"She can't stay here." said the woman. She still with a worried look on her face. "Well, the King said that she and her father are welcome in Camelot. Is everything okay?" asked Merlin. The woman snapped out of her thoughts. She turned to Merlin. "Yes. Thank you." She then turned to Rose. "Oh, I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself. I'm the Lady Morgana. I'm the King's ward." she said to her. Rose smiled. "I'm Rose Tyler, my friend and I are guests here and will be staying for a while." she said. Morgana? As in, Merlin's enemy Morgana? Well, maybe it wasn't that time yet... after all Arthur was only a prince.
Morgana smiled, and walked off in her own thoughts. Leaving Merlin with her. He suddenly turned to her. "Oh, was there anything you needed?" he asked. Rose looked at him. "Oh no, thanks. I was just looking for the Doctor. Have you seen him by any chance?" she asked him.
"Uhm, no sorry. Uh, I could help you look." said Merlin. He smiled at her. "Thanks. That would be great." said Rose.
Little did they know, they were being watched by Arthur. "I wonder what's going on there..." he thought.
Merlin:
As the two walk down the corridor, Merlin felt... weird. It was nothing magical that's for sure. No, Rose and the Doctor were definitely mortal. Well, Rose was, the Doctor was just... strange. The feeling came whenever he was near her, or when he looked at her. He couldn't explain it. "How long have you worked in the castle?" she asked all of a sudden. He realised that they had been walking in silence. "Oh, uhm not that long. Few weeks now. I come from a village called Ealdor. (A/N: Spelling?) It's not that big. The reason why I left was because," he looked around, "my mother was worried that people would find out about my magic. She wanted me to be safe, so... here I am." he finished.
Rose thought for a moment, letting the information sink in. She looked off into the distance. Merlin didn't look away from her. "Did you, ever make a rash decision? Like, I mean, not even think about it for one moment?" she finally asked. She looked at him. "Oh yeah. Probably." said Merlin.
"I mean, like a life changing decision? I'll bet that moving from a small village to a much larger one probably wouldn't have been your first choice." said Rose. He chuckled a bit. "Well you're definitely right about that. I guess not any real decisions that changed my life. Not yet anyway. No one knows what the future will hold." he said.
"Well, what about you? Who is Rose Tyler?" he asked, he looked at her. She smiled. "Well, as you probably figured out, I am from the future." she said. Merlin laughed. "Oh, yeah I suppose that you know a little about what the future will hold then, huh?" he said. The two laughed for a bit. "I'm from a place called London, it's very, very large. I think you could probably fit the whole kingdom of Camelot in it, and it wouldn't fill up the space. And it's full of people. There always running around making errands, and working. I lived with my mother, my father died a while back-"
"I'm sorry." said Merlin. She glanced at him. "Oh, it's alright. My mother and I have moved on, and were living good lives. Although, my life wasn't really going anywhere. That was the main reason why I agreed to come along with the Doctor on his adventures. I just wanted some excitement. But I didn't think at all. I don't even know if 'Doctor' is his real name, or if he's in disguise or something. I actually only met him one day ago." she finished leaving Merlin wondering. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her during their whole conversation. Finally, he looked away. "I guess we should start looking then. Now, if we were a strange man in Camelot, where would we be?" he said.
"Right behind you." said a voice. They sort of jumped, and turned to see none other than the Doctor. "Where have you been?" asked Rose, a little annoyed.
"Right behind you." said the Doctor. Rose and Merlin looked at each other. Then looked at the Doctor. "The... entire time?" asked Rose. The Doctor smiled. "Yep. And might I say, you two are quite oblivious. I would have said something, but I thought it would be fun to see how long it would take for you to notice." he said. He was there the entire time? "How could I have been so stupid! I stared at her for practically the entire time- I should have seen him... why didn't I?" thought Merlin. He tried to shake off the feeling of embarrassment.
Just then, he could see that Arthur was making his way over from behind the Doctor. He sighed. Although, he wasn't sure if it was annoyance, or relief. "Ah, Merlin, there you are. I've been looking all over for you. There still is work to be done you realise that right? The stables, the floors, my amour, oh! And also clothes need to be washed. So, you'd better get a move on, it's already noon." said Arthur. Now Merlin sighed out of annoyance.
(A/N: By the way, it might be pointless telling you because you probably figured it out by now, that Morgana went to go see Gaius, that scene was happening while this scene was going on. Just to let you know! :) Keep reading! It's gonna get good!)
The next morning, wasn't exactly what Merlin had in mind. "I'm, taking Sophia out for a ride today. You know, show her around." said Arthur. Merlin began making his bed. "Where do I come into this?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer. "Well, I'm suppose to be on patrol, with the guard and my father this morning, so I need you to cover for me." said Arthur. Yep, Merlin absolutely knew that he didn't want to hear an answer like that. "What, and lie to the King? No, no way. He'll see right through me! I'll be in the stocks quicker than you can say rotten tomatoes!" he said.
"Merlin, I need you to do this for me." said Arthur. Merlin sighed. "I'm a terrible liar. I- I start sweating, my vision blurs, my-my brain stops working-"
"Well, no change there then. Look, I promised Sophia I'd take her out. And if I don't turn up, it'll blow my chances." said Arthur.
"You like her then." said Merlin. He smiled. "Yeah, what's not to like? I want to spend some more time with her. But I need to get my father off my back. I can't order you to lie to the King but, you'd be a friend for life if you do." There was a moment of silence.
"Go on then, you don't want to keep her waiting." Merlin reluctantly said. He then went back to his work. Arthur patted him on the arm. "Thanks Merlin. I won't forget it!" he said, and left the room.
Doctor Who: (That was a really long Merlin part... sorry about that. I'm trying to keep them sort of equal in length. While this next scene is going, on, Morgana is talking with Gwen. And Merlin is talking to the King.)
Rose walked down the corridor alone. It was an amazing castle. She just couldn't believe that she was actually there. In the time of Merlin and Arthur! Not only that, she had met them! Befriended, well befriended Merlin at least. She had also met the Lady Morgana! Morgana. She wondered what Mordred looked like, or even how old he was. She knew that he was younger than everyone else, just how much she didn't know. Maybe if they stayed long enough, she'd get to meet him...
Everyone seemed so nice. Even the King other than the ban of magic throughout the kingdom. And the penalty. Death.
As she thought, she turned and walked among the people who were at a market area. There were lots of food for sale, clothing, and there were little trinkets and whatnot as well. All of a sudden a large group of people almost running, went past her. She looked to where they were headed. "Excuse me, what's going on? Where are you going?" she asked one.
"Someone has been put in the stocks again, the penalty for going in the stocks is that they get fruit thrown at them. The children just love to that. It's good for their energy." said the woman. "Would you like to see? You seem like you're not from here." she smiled, and Rose smiled back.
Rose followed the woman and she wondered if that person in the stocks would be anyone she'd met. Once they had gotten there, sure enough- it was Merlin in the stocks. Being pelted with fruit. "Merlin-" said Rose. The woman turned to her. "You know him?" she asked.
"Oh, yes he's Arthur's servant, and my friend. What could he have possibly done to deserve this?" asked Rose. They looked over to Merlin, who was clearly enjoying himself for some reason. "Well, it's not the worst penalty that's for sure. Actually, for the past few weeks, it's mainly been him in the stocks. Each time, everyone has had fun. Even him. I'm not sure what happened this time though. Oh, they're out of fruit. You could speak to him now before they come back." she began to leave the area. "I hope you have a lovely time here miss." she said and left.
Rose turned back to Merlin. He spit out some of the food that had landed in his mouth. She walked up to him. "I forgot how much fun this was." he said plainly. She gave him a funny look. "Fun? That. Getting tomatoes thrown at your head? How come you're in here anyways? What did you do?" she said. He did what he could for a shrug. "Well, how can one stay mad when the kids have so much fun? I'm only in here thanks to that prat, Arthur. I had to cover for him while he took Sophia out for a ride when he was suppose to be on patrol with his father. Hopefully that's the last time I'll have to lie for him." said Merlin.
The two of them laughed for a bit. Then Merlin's fans came back. "Uhm, excuse me Rose, but my fans have returned." he said, with a smile on his face. Rose stepped back a bit, as the fruit pelting began again. One child threw a tomato and just missed his head. "You missed!" teased Merlin. He threw again, and nailed him with another. The splat was comical enough to make Rose laugh.
Merlin:
(A/N: During this little scene, the scene where Arthur takes Sophia out.)
Once Merlin was able to get out of the stocks, they went to go find the Doctor. Again. Where did he keep running off to? It seemed as though Rose was always looking for him. As the two are walking, they ran into Gwen. "Oh, hello. I'm Guinevere. I'm the Lady Morgana's servant. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said. Rose smiled. "You too. I'm Rose Tyler." said Rose. Gwen looked at Merlin. "Merlin what happened? What did you do to get put in the stocks again?" she asked him.
He sighed. "Oh, just a lie for Arthur." he said. Gwen shook her head. "You know sometimes you might be just a little bit too nice Merlin." she said. She smiled, and went back to what she was doing. "Well, I guess I'd better get cleaned up. I live with the court physician. Gaius. You can come and meet him. If-if you want." said Merlin. Rose smiled.
Merlin and Rose walked through the door to Gaius' chambers. Merlin went to get some water to clean up. Gaius was there, and noticed Merlin's predicament. "Have you been playing with your food again?" he asked. Merlin looked at him. "The King put me in the stocks." he answered.
"What did you do this time?" asked Gaius.
"Nothing." said Merlin. Rose and Gaius sort of gave a half smile. Merlin looked at them. "Honestly, it wasn't my fault. Oh, and this is Rose Tyler she's a guest of the King. Arthur wanted to get out of going on patrol with Uther and the guards so, I covered for him and took the blame." he explained.
"And Arthur was prepared to let you do this?" said Gaius. Merlin looked at him again. "It was his idea." said Merlin.
"Well, what made him neglect his duties? It must have been something terribly important." said Gaius. Merlin let out a sigh. "Sophia." he said. He smiled at Rose, who smiled back. "The girl from the forest." said Gaius. Merlin nodded. "Yeah. He wanted to take her out for the day. He is besoughted. (A/N: Is that the right word? Feel free to tell me to fix anything! :)" he said, smiling.
"They've only just met." said Gaius. Merlin looked at him again.
"I know. Guess it must have been love at first sight." said Merlin. He went back to cleaning. "Yes. I suppose it must be." said Gaius. He then turned to Rose. "Well, I hope you have a nice time here while you're in Camelot. I'm off to run an errand I'll be back a little later." he said, and left.
(A/N: This is probably obvious, especially if you've seen Merlin. But for those that don't know, the scene where Gaius is in Aulfric's chambers is taking place here.)
"He seems nice." said Rose. Merlin finished cleaning up. "Yeah he is. He's like a father to me. I've never actually known my father. But it's alright, I like it here. I've met good people, made some friends." said Merlin. He noticed that Rose was looking at him funny. "What?" he asked. She grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water he was using. "Oh, you missed some. Here on your forehead." she said, and gently wiped the food off. That strange feeling was back for Merlin. He wished he knew what it was. It was bothering him.
After talking for a little bit, the two of them left Gaius' chambers to see Arthur and Sophia return to the castle. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" asked Arthur. Sophia stopped walking and turned to him."Yes, thank you for today." she said. Merlin and Rose smiled at each other as Sophia gently kissed Arthur on the cheek. "Good night Arthur." she said, and left.
"That seemed to have gone well." whispered Merlin. He and Rose laughed softly for a bit. "Yeah, real well." smiled Rose.
Doctor Who:
(A/N: Morgana and Arthur are talking here.)
Rose and Merlin decided to go look for the Doctor again. "I really don't know where he runs off to. Oh, maybe we should go back to the TARDIS." said Rose. Merlin looked at her. "The what?" he asked. She realised that the Doctor and herself had not yet quite explained themselves to anyone. "Oh, the box that we used to get here. In the woods. Maybe he's there." she said. Merlin seemed to understand, so that's where they went.
Once they got there, they looked around. "Well, maybe he's inside it. Come on." said Rose. Merlin followed her to the inside of the TARDIS. After the first step in, Merlin looked like he was in awe. "The... the- inside, is... uh, larger than the out-side..." he finally managed to say. Rose looked at him. "Yep. That was my first reaction as well." she said.
"It's about time you got here." said a voice. They turned to see the Doctor working on the machine. "Is this where you've been coming to when you disappear for the day?" asked Rose. Clearly she was annoyed that all they had to do was come here to find him. "Yes, if you must know. The TARDIS broke somehow when we landed, I've been mending it. Looks like we're staying here for a while after all. Oh, hello again. Merlin right?" said the Doctor. He finally noticed Merlin standing there, still a little bit in shock and awe.
Merlin nodded. "So... so you use this thing to travel? Somehow?" he asked. Rose smiled at him. This was all too similar to her first reaction. "Yes. The TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It's a very nice invention." said the Doctor.
"You built it? And it- travels through time..." said Merlin. He was still amazed. "No I didn't build it, and yes. And it can also travel through dimensions as well. And through space to other planets." said the Doctor.
"So, what's wrong with it? What happened when we landed?" asked Rose. The Doctor went back to work. "Oh nothing too terrible. Just the engine blew, a button and switch need to be fixed here and there, ah, and something or someone tampered with the coordinate settings. Nothing that won't take more than two to four days tops. Don't worry. Hm, and apparently the teleporting device needs fixing as well." said the Doctor.
"So... nothing to worry about then right?" said Rose. There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice. Merlin smiled. "Right. Nothing to worry. You don't know how to work this machine, so you can spend your days... doing whatever it is you do in your spare time." said the Doctor. Rose and Merlin looked at each other, then back at the Doctor. "Oh, alright then. I guess we should leave you to your work." said Rose.
Merlin:
The two of them left the box to leave the Doctor to his work. "It seems that there is a lot that needs to be done in order to fix it. Are you sure you'll be alright?" Merlin asked. Rose nodded. "Yes, thank you. I think we'll be just fine." said Rose. The two of them made their way back to the castle. "Now I guess I should face the wrath of Arthur when he figures out that I haven't done my chores." said Merlin. Rose stopped walking. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have kept you from them. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry to get you into trouble." she said.
"Oh, no. it's fine. I liked spending the day with you. Getting to know you and the Doctor- well, you I suppose. I like meeting new people." said Merlin. That feeling was back again, and this time it seemed stronger than before somehow. He still couldn't figure out what it was. He wondered if she ever felt anything when they were together.
Rose smiled. They made their way back towards the castle.
The next day, didn't really go well for Merlin. He was in Arthur's chambers getting his armour ready for the day. Arthur walked in, dressed and ready for the day. "You're dressed!" said Merlin.
"Nothing get's past you does it Merlin?" said Arthur. Merlin couldn't believe his ears. "Well, you're suppose to be wearing these! Your father bestowing the knighthood of one of the men this morning!" said Merlin.
"I'm giving it a miss." said Arthur. Merlin was getting more and more flustrated by the second. He sighed. "Won't the King mind?" he asked.
"Not if you uh, cover for me again. By the way, thanks for yesterday, I heard you ended up in the stocks. Bad luck." said Arthur.
"They were throwing potatoes at me. It's only suppose to be rotten fruit." said Merlin.
"Well, I'm not sure if there's any hardened fast rules, but if it's any consolation, I think it was worth it." said Arthur.
"It went well." said Merlin. He smiled. "Great. Fantastic. She's incredible." said Arthur. He stared off in thought. "Don't worry. I'll find a way to get you out of it." said Merlin. Although he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Just make sure you don't end up in the stocks this time." said Arthur.
"I won't! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole deception lock..." he said to himself. Arthur suddenly turned to him. "Oh, and since you're doing somewhat well at helping me out with Sophia, I think I might just return the favour. You know, help you out with your situation." he said.
Merlin looked at him curiously. "Uh, what do you mean? What situation?" he asked. He really had no idea of what he was talking about. He wasn't in any situation other than lying to the king... was he? "Come on Merlin. You've been neglecting your duties to be with Rose just as I have been to be with Sophia." Arthur paused for a moment. "Remember, that doesn't leave this room. What harm could it do to have me help get things moving along for you?" he said.
Merlin just stared in disbelief at him. He couldn't say anything. His mouth had been locked shut. It was all of a sudden very awkward for Merlin. He hadn't come to this conclusion at all. Could that be what the strange feeling was? Love? No, it couldn't be. "I've only known her for a day or two. How could that have happened? It couldn't. Could it... have?" he thought.
"Merlin... are you okay? Clearly you haven't come to this conclusion at all. Have you? Merlin!" Arthur said, he then hit Merlin in the head to snap him back. Finally he was able to speak. "Uh, what?" he asked. Arthur gave him a look that said: Wow. You really are thick aren't you?
Doctor Who:
Rose left the Doctor to let him fix the TARDIS, only to find Merlin in the stocks again. "Merlin! What on earth- it's Arthur again, isn't it?" she asked. Merlin spit out a piece of tomato. "Yep. This time he's missing out on someone becoming a knight. Oh well. At least he's getting something out of it." he said. Rose felt kind of bad for Merlin. Having to lie, and being thrown into the stocks. More than once.
When he was out of them, they went to go see Gaius. When they got there, it was Gaius' turn to look in disbelief. "Not again Merlin. Surely." he said when he saw the mush on him.
"You would think that the appeal of pelting the same person with fruit would ware off after a while, but oh no!" said Merlin. He sighed. "I heard that Arthur wasn't at the knighting ceremony." said Gaius. Merlin finished pouring water into a jar. "Yeah, he wanted to make the most of his time left with Sophia." said Merlin.
"So you helped him." said Gaius. Merlin started splashing water on himself. "I'm his servant I had to." said Merlin. Gaius gave him a hard look. "You shouldn't have done that Merlin. I fear that Sophia may not be all that she seems." he said. Merlin glanced at Rose, then looked back at Gaius. "Why?" he asked.
For a little while Merlin and Gaius talked about Morgana being something of a prophet. Apparently she's been having dreams that some have come to pass. "That's what I hoped. But Aulfric caught me in his room, and in a flash of anger... his eyes changed color." Gaius said eventually. Merlin looked at him thoughtfully. "Who are they." he said.
Gaius looked at Merlin, and glanced at Rose. "It is not who they are that worries me. It's what they want with Arthur." said Gaius.
What were these people? Could they be aliens? Aliens wanting to conquer a great kingdom and form their own world? It could be possible. She and the Doctor have fought aliens before. In fact, the Doctor himself is an alien, even though he didn't look it. What did Sophia and Aulfric want with Arthur? Where were they now? Could they save him in time?
Later that night, she and Merlin snuck out to follow Aulfric to a lake. They hid behind a tree. "I seek an audience. With the Sidhe elders!" said Aulfric. He then, started to recite a spell or enchantment of some kind. As he is doing so, a wind picks up, and the lake begins to glow slightly. Little balls of light began to dance around over the lake. Merlin said a spell that mad everything go in slow motion so that they could see what the lights were. Fairy like creatures is what they were. Amazing. Rose had never seen anything like the place. It was beautiful! She leaned in towards Merlin to get a better view.
"I come before you to plead! (A/N: ? ) For the chance to win passage back to Avalon! And a life of immortality!" said Aulfric. One of the fairy's flew in front of him. "Your punishment for killing another Sidhe is a mortal body and a mortal life. You will never be able to return to Avalon." said the fairy.
"The crime was mine. Not my daughters." said Aulfric. Rose and Merlin listened intensely. "The gates of Avalon remain closed to your daughter. Unless the soul of a mortal prince be offered up to them." said the fairy.
"Thank you! An immortal life for my daughter is all that I desire, so I promise you, the soul of the greatest prince of all! Arthur Pendragon!" said Aulfric. Oh no. that's what they wanted with him. To give his soul up for the fairy like creatures so that his daughter could have immortality! This was terrible. They had to be stopped! "Yes!" said the fairy.
The Sidhe's began to disappear and the lights went away. Aulfric began laughing like a maniac villain. Aw heck, he was a maniac villain! And he was about to sacrifice Arthur's life! They then saw that he was about to turn around. They quickly managed to get out of site and hide behind the tree. Although while doing so, Merlin accidentally grabbed Rose's hand. They looked down, and he quickly let go. He didn't look her in the eyes afterwards.
Merlin:
Once Merlin and Rose made their way back to Gaius, they explained what they saw. "It was incredible. Absolutely incredible!" said Rose.
"Avalon! What you saw at the lake! It's Avalon! It must be!" Gaius said excitedly. Merlin looked at him. "What's-" Merlin started but he was interrupted.
"The land of internal youth! Mortals are only supposed to glimpse at it the moment before death!" said Gaius. Clearly, this was very important if he was this excited about it. "Well, I've seen it, Rose has seen it, we're still here." said Merlin. The Doctor, who at the moment wasn't fixing the box was there. He just looked confused as ever. "Obviously, I've missed some things while fixing the TARDIS. Could one of you please tell me what the devil is going on?" he asked. Although, he didn't really get an answer. "Extraordinary! What did it look like?" asked Gaius. Merlin didn't answer that.
"Does it matter? They're gonna sacrifice Arthur! We don't even know who they are yet!" said Merlin.
"We do now! I've found writing like this at the top of Aulfric's staff. It's an ancient script." said Gaius. He then said something in that language. "To hold life and death in your hands. In the writing on his staff, and what you saw at the lake, I'm afraid I'm now certain. We're dealing with a Sidhe." he finished. Rose looked at him. "A Sidhe, what's that? How dangerous are they?" she asked.
"That does not sound like a good thing." Merlin chimed in. They both stared at Gaius for an answer. "They're masters of enchantment." he said.
"You think Arthur's been enchanted?" said Merlin. Gaius glanced at Rose. "Almost certainly. I'm afraid Morgana's dream is coming true." said Gaius. Merlin and Rose stared at each other with worried expressions.
"Look, I realise that this is really serious, so if I'm going to be of any help, could someone please tell me what's happening?" said the Doctor.
Arthur has now summoned an audience from the king. Along with Sophia and Aulfric. "I requested this audience father, to discuss a matter of great importance. It cannot have escaped your attention that, I and Lady Sophia have grown very close." said Arthur. "Oh no. it's happening. He really is enchanted! What are we gonna do?" thought Merlin, as he and the other's stood in the background. "Not to close I hope." said Uther. Morgana looked at Arthur. "We're in love." said Arthur. He gave a half smile. "Which is why I come before you today, to ask your permission to marry." he said.
To everyone's shock... Uther began to laugh. "I assume you're joking." he said. Arthur looked at him strangely. "No. I'm going to marry her." he said. Morgana had a slight worried expression on her face now. "You've only met two days ago." said Uther. Clearly he wasn't going to let him do this. "We're in love." Arthur said more sternly.
"In love. We had no idea that you were such a romantic. Had we, Morgana?" said Uther. He looked to her. "No. He's full of surprises." she managed to say. She had also managed to keep a somewhat straight face as well. "I'm going to marry her. I don't care what either of you think about it." said Arthur. Uh oh. This was not good. "I thought you've come to ask for my permission." said Uther. Now it was his turn to be stern. "Out of courtesy nothing more." said Arthur. He grabbed Sophia's hand, and they began to leave. "Guards. Door. You've forgotten who's court you're standing in." said Uther. Arthur turned around. "You won't stop me. If I want to marry her, I will." he said.
"Arrest Sophia and Aulfric." said Uther. Arthur walked towards him. "What are you doing?" he asked, getting angry.
"And inform the executioner that his services will be required tomorrow morning." said Uther. Arthur was now as angry as ever. "You can't do this!" he said. Uther turned to him. "Yes I can! And unless you show me some respect, I will." he said. Arthur stared at his father. He then looked down at the ground. "Release them." said Uther.
"You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won't be the only one. Enjoy yourself while you can." Uther said to Arthur. Merlin let out a sigh.
As he and Rose, now alone because the Doctor went to work on the box, walked down one of the corridors. When they were alone, Merlin still couldn't exactly look her in the eyes for long. The incident at the lake made it kind of awkward for him. He wished he could get over it. But it was taking a really long time.
"So, what are we going to do? The enchantment has taken place. Arthur's gone." said Rose. Merlin glanced at her. "I don't know. But we have to try. I'm certain they're going to try tonight. We have to follow them and stop them." he said. They kept walking.
Doctor Who:
"Are you alright Merlin? You seem different." said Rose. She looked at him. He didn't look at her. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just stressed about Arthur." he said. Rose didn't believe him. Oh sure, that's probably part of it. But that wasn't the whole story. Something was bothering him. She could tell.
The next morning, she went to the Doctor to finally explain situation about Arthur to him. She did this while Merlin was with Arthur. "Right. So what's the plan of action?" asked the Doctor. Rose looked at him. "Well, we're not entirely sure. But Merlin and I had the idea to follow them when they are going to do the sacrifice. And somehow stop them." she said. The Doctor had a blank look on his face. There was a pause of silence between them. "That's the plan. To follow them willy nilly to the lake and somehow, in some unknown way, stop them form killing Arthur? What kind of a plan is that? But, if it's what we have then... count me in!" said the Doctor. Rose smiled. She knew she could count on him. He was always there for her.
As they make their way over to Gaius to make a kind of plan, they notice that Morgana is there. They decide not to barge in. Gaius told Morgana to stay there, and not tell anyone about her dreams, or what's happening. He then leaves and runs into them. "Well, what are you doing? I was on my way to find Merlin." he said.
"He said he'd be with Arthur, so that's probably where he is. In his chambers." said Rose. They quickly made their way over there, only to find Merlin knocked out cold on the floor leaning against a wall. They ran over to him. "Merlin?" said Rose, he slowly began to wake up. "Rose?" he said.
"Merlin! What happened to you?" asked Gaius as he helped him up. Merlin began to wake up some more. "Aulfric. Where's Arthur? I have to go after him. What's that buzzing noise?" he asked. He started to get up. "If you're hearing a buzzing noise-" Rose was interrupted. "I'm fine." said Merlin.
"Careful Merlin. You can barely stand up." said Gaius. Merlin dizzily walked past him. "I have to go." he said.
"You can't! Not in this state. You owe it to you powers that you survived this at all!" said Gaius. He had a point. "I'm fine. He needs me." said Merlin. He wasn't giving up so easily. "Has the buzzing stopped?" asked Gaius.
"Yeah." said Merlin. He glanced down at the floor. "Liar." said Gaius.
"I have to go Gaius. He'll die if I don't!" said Merlin. Rose could see that he was still slightly dizzy from whatever Aulfric did to him. "The Sidhe are a dangerous people. You must be careful!" said Gaius. Merlin looked at him. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing!" he said, and was about to head off. "Merlin! This way." said Gaius.
"Just testing." Merlin covered. Rose and the Doctor smiled, and followed quickly. If the Sidhe's were as dangerous as Gaius made them out to be, then they were in for something huge. They had to be ready for anything. Running through the woods like crazy, they eventually made it to the lake. The ceremony was taking place! They had to do something fast!
Rose pointed to one of the staffs on the ground. Merlin said a spell, and the staff came flying at them. He caught it, said another spell, and aimed it at Aulfric. An electric blue and white light came from the crystal on the top of it. It zapped Aulfric into pieces. Sophia looked up. "Father!" she began to run towards the scene. Merlin then aimed the staff at her. He said a spell, and the same light came from the staff at her. She too was zapped into pieces. Merlin then handed Rose his jacket, and ran towards the lake to save Arthur.
After a little bit, he found him and pulled him up out of the water. He was still alive! Everyone now smiled out of relief. "Well. We weren't that much help now were we?" the Doctor said to Rose. She just laughed. So did Merlin. The two of them went to help Merlin carry Arthur.
Merlin:
Back at the castle, all of them were in Arthur's chambers watching him slowly wake up on his bed. He made some sort of noise. They all glanced at each other. "Arthur?" said Merlin. Arthur didn't move yet. "What happened?" he asked. He looked at them. "Where am I?" he asked. He sat up. "Do you remember anything?" asked Merlin.
"Ugh! Oh my head! There was a girl..." he said. He looked at them again. "Sophia she... I asked my father something about her. I asked him uh-" He tried to remember. He slapped his hand down on his bed and sat straight up. "What was I thinking!" he said.
"Well, we did wonder... especially when you eloped with her last night." said Merlin. Arthur looked at him. "I did what?!" he said.
"Merlin had to bring you back to Camelot." said Gaius. Arthur just looked, slightly confused, and panicky. "I don't recall any of this!" he stated.
"Must have been some blow." said Gaius. He and Merlin glanced at each other. "What blow?" asked Arthur. He looked angry now. "Well, when I caught up with you, I couldn't pursue you to return. You were beyond reason- so I had to make you." said Merlin. Arthur stared at him. "You managed to knock- me out." he said. Merlin nodded. "Yep. With a lump of wood."
"He only did it to bring you back safely." said Gaius. Then Rose chimed in. "He didn't want to hurt you..." she said. Arthur looked at her. "Not that much anyways..." Merlin said quietly. Arthur pointed a finger at all of them. "No one, must know about this! Any of it! Is that understood?" he said. His eyes were open widely in slight shock.
Everyone sort of looked at each other, then sort of nodded at Arthur. He layed back more relaxed.
"When you failed to show up for patrol this morning I feared you eloped with Sophia in a fit of passion." said King Uther. All of them were standing in the court room. Discussing what had happened. Merlin, Rose, Gaius, and the Doctor were all standing in the background. Arthur looked to Merlin. "Oh, I wish he had. Because then I wouldn't be standing in front of you feeling like an idiot... again." said Merlin. Uther walked over to him. "This is becoming a near daily occurrence for you." he said. Merlin nodded. "But there was a mistake. And I would not say it was anyone's fault. Not- not really. Uhm, you-you could say it was mine." he said.
"Please someone tell me what happened." said Uther. Merlin was about to, but he was interrupted. "Someone with a brain." said Uther. Then Arthur spoke up. "After Sophia left, I wanted to take my mind off her. So- I went for a hunt." he said.
Morgana looked at him questioningly. "And killing things mends a broken heart?" she said. Arthur looked at her. "No. But it's good fun. Merlin was meant to inform you that I wouldn't be back til later today." said Arthur. He then raised his hand to gesture towards him. Uther turned to Merlin. "Have you some... kind of mental affliction?" he asked. Merlin looked at him. "Probably." he said. He noticed that Rose's lips formed a small smile. He looked back at Uther. "I'm looking into it Sire." said Gaius. Merlin glanced at him. "Well, I hope for our sake you find a cure. Or we'll find ourselves with a food shortage on our hands." said Uther.
"Food shortage." Merlin laughed quietly. He looked at the others, then understood what he meant by that.
After getting out of the stocks... again, he and Rose walked together when he was heading back to Gaius' chambers. "So... that went well." said Merlin. He looked at her. He hadn't really done that for a while now. "I suppose I'm over the awkwardness now... could I really have feelings for her already?" he thought. She laughed. "Yeah. Even though the Doctor and I weren't that much help after all." she smiled. Merlin couldn't help but smile as well.
Once they were there, they turned to each other. "I guess I should see how he's doing. You know, fixing the thing. Thanks for a wonderful time Merlin." said Rose. He smiled. "Oh, yeah, anytime- Rose. Uh, are you going to be alright?" he asked. She nodded. "Yes, I will be. Thank you. You'd better get cleaned up. Have a nice night Merlin." she smiled again, and so did he as she walked away to find the Doctor and the box.
He watched her for a little bit, then walked into the room and began to clean up for dinner. As he and Gaius are eating, Morgana walked in. "Morgana." said Gaius. She walk up to them. "I had some troubled nights." she said.
"I've prepared another draft for you. Have the dreams stopped?" asked Gaius. Morgana glanced at Merlin. Then she looked back at him. She shook her head. "Arthur told me what actually happened. You must have hit him around the head pretty hard." she said to Merlin. He looked at her. "Yeah, feel pretty bad about that." he said.
"Here you are. Remember, every night, just before you go to sleep." said Gaius. He handed her the draft. "Thank you Gaius." she said. She smiled slightly, then walked back to her chambers. "She must never find out the truth." said Gaius. Merlin looked at him. "Why not? She had a premonition that helped save Arthur's life." he said.
"And it could have cost her, her own, if Uther ever found out, things would never be the same again. It must remain a secret." Gaius said sternly. Merlin glanced at the door. "Is she like me? Can she use magic?" he asked quietly.
"No one's like you Merlin." said Gaius. Merlin looked down for a moment. "But she has the gift." he said. Gaius stood up. "For her sake I hope not." he said.
THE END OF CHAPTER ONE
A/N: Whoo hoo! Chapter one done 15 and a half pages later! Yeah! That was a lot of typing. Phew! But- it was worth it! The next chapter will be a Doctor Who episode! :D
Please R & R! Good and bad are welcome!
