Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, (Wish I did) I only own this interpretation of a female Merlin.
Casting: Bridget Regan as Merlin
In a small cottage in a small village the sound of a baby crying pierces through the air. As does the sound of a soothing humming.
"Shhhh, my darling. I will be right with you." Hunith assured her babe as she continued to wash her bedding.
She knew that her sweet, darling Merlynn would be ok for a few moments longer. The baby was staring at a wooden carving that lay on the bed, it was elegantly carved into the shape of a rose. Merlynn was reaching for it from her place on the floor, but due to her small arms it was impossible for her to reach it. Seeing the disadvantage the babes eyes glowed gold and then the rose was floating towards the babes grasping hand. Hunith turned around and gasped at seeing the floating object. She watched as it sailed through the air and soon reached the babes hand, which quickly clasped around it and placed it into her mouth sucking on it in contentment.
Hunith stood in shock for a few seconds before she quickly rushed over and checked her child. Seeing the happy smile on her daughters face as she fell asleep. This calmed Hunith a little. But she quickly scooped her child up from the ground and clasped her to her chest, rocking her back and forth as to not wake her.
"Oh Merlynn..." Hunith whispered to herself. "Oh my darling girl, what does your destiny hold."
Many years later...
Merlynn, now a young woman was walking through fields and forests in order to get to Camelot. She wore a pair of dark breaches, a blue tunic, a dark coat and a red piece of cloth around her neck. Her hair had been pulled into a cap hiding her true gender, as it was safer for a man to travel alone then for a woman.
No young man or young woman, no matter how great, can know their destiny. They cannot glimpse their part in the great story that is about to unfold. Like everyone, they must live and learn. And so it will be for the young witch arriving at the gates of Camelot. A girl that will, in time, mother the legend. Her name: Merlynn.
Merlynn entered Camelot and was both amazed and mystified by the beautiful kingdom that was Camelot. Growing up in the small village of Ealdor, hadn't prepared her for the sheer scale of the castle. While gazing at the castle, she noticed a crowd forming in the court yard. Fulfilling her curiosity she went to investigate, and what she saw shocked her. A man was standing on a wooden stage in the middle of the square, he was bound and stood next to an executioner. Glancing up Merlynn noticed that the King was standing on the balcony.
"Let this serve as a lesson to all." He declared from his balcony. "This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."
The King raised his arm, then lowers it as a signal to the executioner. Thomas Collins is quickly beheaded, causing many gasps to erupt from the crowd. While many had looked away, Merlynn continued to watch as a reminder to herself of how important it was for her to keep her magic hidden.
The King now standing tall looked down at the crowd with a smile. "When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin."
He began to walk away but was stopped by the sound of cries, no wails, coming from the crowd, it parted to reveal an old woman clasping her hand to her chest as if in physical pain. "There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance! You took my son! And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son." She called across the square. Everyone stared in shock, no one had ever questioned the king in such a way before.
"Seize her!" Called the King indicating to the guards around the square, but as the guards reached her she quickly cast a spell causing her to disappear in a whirlwind of smoke.
Merlynn continues on her journey, entering the palace and approaching a guard. "Where would I find Gaius, the- the court physician?" The guard only responds by pointing through the archway. Merlynn continues down the corridor until she comes across a loan door. After knocking and receiving no answer she pokes her head in through the door.
"Hello?" She calls. No answer, so she slowly wonders inside. "Hello? Gaius?" She calls again while clearing her throat, finally gaining the attention of the old man standing on a balcony, sadly this causes him to trip backwards from the bookshelf stairs and the railing supporting him breaks. Merlynn acts quickly making her eyes glow and she slows time enough to leave Gaius suspended in the air. After quickly looking around she also uses her magic to move a bed under Gaius before he hits the floor. This allows him to land safely on a comfy surface. After recovering from the shock he looks around seeing Merlynn standing there and quickly advances on her.
"What did you just do?" He demands.
Merlynn not knowing how to respond simply mutters, "Erm..."
"Tell me!" Gaius shouted at her again.
"I- I- I have no idea what happened." She stuttered.
"If anyone had seen that..." Gaius told her.
"Er, no! That- that was, that was nothing to do with me. That- that was..." She was trying to defend herself. He may have been her uncle, but he had not seen her in many years.
"I know what it was! I just want to know where you learned how to do it!" Gaius continued to advance on her.
"Nowhere." Merlynn quickly answered truthfully.
"So how is it you know magic?" Gaius questioned like she was a fool.
"I don't." She quickly responded.
But Gaius wasn't so easily calmed, "Where did you study?... Answer me!"
"I- I've never studied magic or, or been taught." She continued honestly.
"Are you lying to me, boy?" This made it clear to Merlynn that he didn't recognise her.
"What do you want me to say?" She questioned almost desperately.
"The truth!" Gaius said like it was obvious.
"I was born like this!" Merlynn declared.
"That's impossible! Who are you?" Gaius seemed to really be enjoying making her seem stupid.
"Oh, erm..." Merlynn muttered to herself as she reached into her bag retrieving the letter her mother had written. "I have this letter." She says holding it out to her uncle.
"I- I don't have my glasses." Gaius says.
"I'm Merlynn." She finally tells him.
Gaius looks at her in shock. "Hunith's girl?"
"Yes!" Merlynn exclaimed in happiness.
"But my Merlynn is most definitely a girl and besides she is not meant to be here till Wednesday!"
Merlynn quickly pulled her cap off allowing for her long ebony hair to fall around her face revealing her gender.
"Merlynn!" Gaius exclaimed as if she had just appeared. "Oh my young niece. Look at how you have changed." She smiled at him and quickly met him in an embrace. Quickly she pulled away to mention something else.
"Oh and it is Wednesday." She told him.
"Ah, right then. You better put your bag in there." He said indicating to the door at the back of the room.
"You- you won't say anything about, erm..." She asked referencing her use of magic.
Gaius simply gave her a gentle smile. "No. Although, Merlin, I should say thank you."
Merlynn's sleep was interrupted when a strong booming voice seemed to echo around her head.
"Merlynn... Merlynn..." The powerful voice brought her from the world of dreams into the world of reality. Merlynn decided that there was not much point in going back to sleep so she decided to dress for the day, in the same clothes as she had worn the day before, cap and all.
Gaius was putting bowls onto the table when he noticed his young niece coming into the room. "I got you water. You didn't wash last night."
Merlynn looked up at him bashfully and whispered out a, "Sorry."
Gaius just smiled down at her fondly, she hadn't changed much in the 10 years that he hadn't seen her for. She was still a little odd and quirky. "Help yourself to breakfast." He told her.
Merlynn sits down to eat her breakfast but can't help the slightly disgusted face at the watery porridge she was presented with. Gaius then intentionally knocked a bucket of water off the table. Merlynn stands up and stops it with her magic, freezing it in the air. Gaius gasps and they look at each other, as a result of being distracted Merlynn lets it drop to the floor.
"How did you do that?" Gaius questioned, "Did you incant a spell in your mind?"
"I don't know any spells." Merlynn was starting to become a little frustrated at all of the questions, and the tricking her.
"So what did you do? There must be something." Gaius continued to question not noticing her frustration.
"It just happens." Merlynn says exasperated. She quickly fetches a mop she noticed in the corner and starts to clean up the mess that she made.
Gaius decided to leave the topic alone for now, noticing her frustration. "Well, we better keep you out of trouble. You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here." He places a small sac and bottle on the table in front of her, and proceeded to instruct their uses. "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival, and this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."
"Okay." Merlynn muttered to herself, it seemed easy enough.
"And here." Gaius handed her a plate with a sandwich on it. Merlynn smiles and takes the sandwich, looking much more satisfied with this breakfast then the previous one she had been presented with. "Off you go. And Merlin, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed." He aimed this comment at her with one arched eyebrow, a silent warning.
Merlynn eats her sandwich as she walks down the Physician's Corridor and through the Square to deliver the medicine to her first person, Sir Olwin. She knocks on a door and a squinting old man answers.
Merlynn smiled at him only to remember that he was blind and wouldn't be able to see it. "Erm, I brought you your medicine." She says holding the bottle out to him. He reaches for it, putting his hand out in a different direction so she takes his hand placing the bottle into it. She starts to leave, only to turn back around when she remembered the warning Gaius had given. "Oh, and Gaius said don't drink it all at..." But she was too late and he had already finished drinking the entire contents of the bottle.
Merlynn simply shrugged, "I'm sure it's fine."
Later on, Merlynn was crossing the drawbridge gate into the training grounds when she saw a blonde man shouting at a serving boy.
"Where's the target?" The blonde questioned arrogantly, causing his gang to laugh in the background.
The servant answered unsurely, "There, Sir?"
"It's into the sun?" The blonde spoke in a deadpan voice.
"But, it's not that bright." The serving boy argued.
"A bit like you, then?" His comment making the blonde and his friends laugh.
The serving boy decided to not argue anymore. "I'll put the target on the other end, shall I, Sir?" He asked.
The serving boy carried the target toward the wall, in hopes of pleasing his master.
"Teach him a lesson. Go on, boy." One of the blonde's friends egged him on, making Merlynn look at them in surprise and disgust.
"This'll teach him." The blonde muttered to his friends, who were all encouraging his stupid attitude and cruel actions.
The blonde then proceeded to throw a dagger at the target. which was being carried on the back of the poor serving boy.
"Hey! Hang on!" The boy cried in distress.
"Don't stop!" The blonde ordered. Making the serving boy take a few steps back.
"Here?" He questioned.
But the blonde would not be swayed. "I told you to keep moving." He then threw another dagger, making the serving boy stumble again.
"Come on! Run!" The blonde shouted while laughing at the boys misfortune, which was making Merlynn simply fume.
The serving boy shuffles his feet along trying to carry the large target as the blonde threw more daggers.
"Do you want some moving target practice?" The blonde jokes to his friends.
The serving boy finally drops the target and it rolls to Merlynn's feet. She quickly puts a foot on it so that the serving boy can't pick it up.
Merlynn then looks up at the blonde. "Hey, come on, that's enough."
"What?" The blonde asked in shock of the person standing in front of him.
"You've had your fun, my friend." Merlynn continued, ignoring his surprise. As he walked closer to her, she couldn't help but notice that he was a handsome man, but she found that it was overshadowed by his arrogance and the lack of a heart he had previously shown.
"Do I know you?" He asked.
"Er, I'm Merlynn." She said while holding out her hand to shake. Since she was still dressed in the clothes that disguised her as a man, she though it was probably better to act that way.
"So I don't know you." The man commented ignoring her hand, which she lowered when seeing his dismissal of it.
"No." She bluntly replied.
"Yet you called me 'friend.'" The man continued.
"That was my mistake." Merlynn stated.
"Yes, I think so." The man smirked at her, expecting respect.
"Yeah." Merlynn smiled sarcastically at him. "I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass." She told him bluntly, not caring if she hurt his feelings, or that her comment was very rude. And with that she started to walk away, until his voice stopped her.
"Or I one who could be so stupid." The man snorted, making her turn back in his direction.
"Tell me, Merlynn, do you know how to walk on your knees?" He asked, adjusting his gloves as he walked towards her.
"No."
The man smirked at her. "Would you like me to help you?"
"I wouldn't if I were you." She stated as he got even closer to her.
He just looked at her and began to laugh, "Why? What are you going to do to me?" He scanned her body up and down, as if assessing her strength.
"You have no idea." She smirked to herself, if she could use her magic, then he would already have been slammed against the wall behind him.
But the man simply laughed at her again. "Be my guest! Come on! Come on! Come oooooon."
Merlynn finally loses her patience and takes a swing at him, but the man is clearly more skilled then her at these things and manages to twist her arm behind her back.
"I'll have you thrown in jail for that." The man commented, but he didn't sound overly concerned with what had just transpired.
Merlynn on the other hand was furious at his attitude. "What, who do you think you are? The King?" She snarled at him.
"No. I'm his son, Arthur." He leaned close to her ear to emphasise his point. This made her shut her eyes and shame at what she had done.
She was dragged to the cells then thrown into one. She simply tiredly reseted her head against the floor. Gaius was going to kill her.
Once again Merlynn was woken by a deep, bombing voice that echoed around her head, almost to the point of pain. "Merlynn... Merlynn..." She hears it coming from the floor beneath her and gets down to rest her ear against it, after hearing it call out again she quickly jumped up from the floor and backs away in fear. As she does this, she hears the rattling of the cell door opening and Gaius steps through.
"Merlynn!" He exclaims. He then sighs, "You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do? You behave like an idiot."
"I'm sorry." She tells him earnestly.
"You're lucky. I managed to pull a few strings to get you released." He told her and this makes a bright smile appear on her face.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She cried giving him a large hug but backs away when he doesn't respond to it.
Gaius gives her a disapproving look for being so excited.
"I won't forget this." She promised him, trying to get a smile out of him.
Gaius gives a small smile at the corner of his mouth. "Well, there is a small price to pay."
And this is how Merlynn ends up in the stocks, being pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables by children.
"Oh, no." She whispered when she saw the children return with more buckets of rotten vegetables and fruit. She watched as Gaius walked past, taking one looks at her and laughing.
"Thanks!" She called out to him sarcastically.
The children once again leave to get, yet more rotten fruit and vegetable when a young and pretty woman approaches Merlynn. She quickly introduces herself, "I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."
"Right. I'm Merlynn." She introduced hesitantly not sure why this woman was talking to her. But still she reached her hand further out of the stocks to shake Gwen's. "Although, most people just call me Idiot." She continued.
But Gwen was quick to argue with her, "No, no, no. I saw what you did. It was so brave."
Merlynn just shook her head, she had had plenty of time to think about her actions while she was in the stocks. "It was stupid." She whispered, more to herself then to Gwen.
"Well, I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him." Gwen commented, and as sure as Merlynn was that it was not meant to be an insult, it did feel like one.
"Oh, I- I can beat him." Merlynn snorted. She knew she could, just maybe not with her fists.
"You think?" Gwen looked at her with a slight smirk. "Because you don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows. You know, especially given that you aren't a man."
Merlynn looked at her surprised. Not many had guessed the girls true gender.
"Still..." She trailed off, "I could beat him, I don't need to be 'one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows', to do it, as you so poetically put it."
Gwen looked at her laughing, "No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just, erm... Arthur's one of these real rough, tough, save the world kind of men, and... well..." She trailed off looking at Merlynn quizzically.
"What?"
"You don't look like that." Gwen stated bluntly.
Merlynn looked at her with a small smirk before gesturing for her to come closer. Gwen did and Merlynn smiled and whispered to her, "I'm in disguise. As you pointed out before."
This makes Gwen laugh, "Well, it's great you stood up to him." She commented going back to their previous topic of conversation.
"What? You think so?" Merlynn questioned starting to smile.
"Arthur's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero." Now a full blown smile had stretched across Merlynn's face.
"Oh, yeah?"
Gwen simply nods. "Mm-hmm."
The children returned with more rotten fruit and therefore ending their conversation.
"Oh, excuse me, Guinevere. My fans are waiting." She told the girl while gesturing to the children.
Gwen makes a hasty retreat while the children continue to have their fun at Merlynn's expanse.
Later on in Gaius' chambers Merlynn sat down at the table, she had since washed and was now sat at the table in a dress that her mother had insisted she bring. It was the only thing that she had clean.
Gaius looked down at her and smiled he then lifted a bowl in her direction, "Do you want some vegetables with that?"
Merlynn looks up at him and snorts, "I know you're still angry with me." She comments.
All that Gaius said in response was, "Your mother asked me to look after you."
"Yes." Merlynn sighed.
"What did your mother say to you about your gifts?" Gaius asked looking at her curiously.
"That I was special." Merlynn whispered.
Gaius looked at her gently, "You are special. The likes of which I have never seen before."
Merlynn looked up at him curiously, pausing in eating her meal. "What do you mean?"
"Well, magic requires incantations, spells. It takes years to study. What I saw you do was... elemental, instinctive."
"What's the point if it can't be used?" She asked frustrated.
Gaius looked away from her. "That I do not know. You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin."
"Did you ever study magic?" She asked him.
Gaius was quiet for a few seconds before answering. "Uther banned all such work twenty years ago."
"Why?"
"People used magic for the wrong end at that time. It threw the natural order into chaos. Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from back then, even the dragons."
Merlynn looked at him in shock, her mother used to tell her tales of Dragons, mighty beasts that guarded the skies. "What? All of them?"
Gaius thought for a second before continuing. "There was one dragon he chose not to kill, kept it as an example. He imprisoned it in a cave deep beneath the castle where no one can free it." Merlynn was quiet thinking over what he had said. "Now, eat up." Gaius continued, changing the subject. "When you've finished, I need you to take a preparation to Lady Helen. She needs it for her voice."
Merlynn just smiled at him nodding.
Merlynn walked up a Spiral Stairway and entered Lady Helen's guest chamber. She placed the potion bottle on the vanity table and noticed the mess, which included a strange doll and a strange looking book. She then heard footsteps coming and quickly put the book down trying to cover up the evidence that she was snooping.
"What are you doing in here?" The Lady Helen demanded.
"An... I- I was asked to deliver this." She stuttered out. She quickly picks up the bottle from the table behind noticing the Lady Helen's flinch as she did. She handed her the bottle and then quickly made her exit, wanting to go to bed, tired from the days events.
The next day, Merlynn walks across the Square and unknowingly passes Arthur and his gang as she walks through the Lower Town, balancing a basket of clothes that Gaius had asked her to take to give to an orphanage near by too use as bandages. Suddenly she finds herself tripping over something on the ground and spilling the majority of the clothes onto the floor. She heard a group of men laugh, and did her best to ignore them. She was surprised however when she felt a presence beside her which was aiding her in picking up the clothes.
"Are you alright?" The voice asked. Immediately her body went rigid when she recognised the voice. Her head shot up and looked at him, yes she was right, it was bloody Prince Arthur.
"Oh, of course it's you." She hissed in anger. He looked at her in surprise.
"Excuse me?" He asked in shock.
Merlynn realised that he must not have recognised her, she looked down at herself, the only thing that had changed about her appearance was that she was now wearing a dress, and her hair was down. That was all it took, for her not to be recognised, that was just ridiculous.
"Oh so now I am wearing a dress I am worthy of your kindness? Does this mean that you won't be needing to teach me how to walk on my knee's?" She snarled at him.
He looked at her confused for a couple of seconds then finally realisation dawned on his face.
"You're a girl!" He exclaimed in shock, standing up tall, letting her finish gathering her clothes alone.
"Actually, I think you will find that while I am most definitely female, I am not a girl. I am a woman." She told him while standing tall in front of him, having gathered her clothes back into her basket.
He continued to look her up and down, as if confirming to himself that she really was a girl. But then he just smirked to himself.
"How's your knee-walking coming along?" He asked her. She just rolled her eyes at him, and picked her basket back up and continued walking.
"Aw, don't run away!" Arthur called out to her, which made her stop.
"From you?" She snarls.
Arthur signed in what sounded like relief behind her. "Thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb."
Merlynn just smirked at herself, "Look, I've told you you're an ass." She said as she turned around to face him, "I just didn't realise you were a royal one." At his look of anger, she laughed to herself. "Oh, what are you going to do? Get your daddy's men to protect you?"
Arthur just laughed at her, "I could take you apart with one blow." He commented.
"Oh only one blow? And here I thought that a prince would last longer then that."
Arthur and the knights looked at her surprised as she smirked, gave him a mock bow and began to walk away. She caught his outraged look in the corner of her eye, and when he began to follow her she used her magic to make his trip making all of his friends laugh. She was walking away chuckling when she spotted Gaius standing there, looking at her disapprovingly she bowed her head and followed him back to their chambers.
"How could you be so foolish?!" He shouted as soon as the door closed behind her.
"He needed to be taught a lesson." She declared as she put the basket down on the ground and turned to face her uncle.
Gaius just continued to look down angrily at her, "Magic must be studied, mastered, and used for good! Not for idiotic pranks!"
Merlynn lifted her arms and let them flop back down to her sides in sheer exasperation. "What is there to master? I could move objects like that before I could talk!"
"Then, by now, you should know how to control yourself!"
"I don't want to! If I can't use magic, what have I got?!" Her tone changed from anger to pitiful, "I'm just a nobody, and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die." With that she fell onto the bench next to her as a few tears leaked from her eyes.
Gaius approached her and lay a hand on her shoulder gently.
"You don't know why I was born like this, do you?" She whispered to him. This was the most vulnerable that he had ever seen her.
"No."
"I'm not a monster, am I?" She asked with a catch in her throat, making her seem all the moor pitiful.
Gaius looks Merlynn in the eye. "Don't ever think that." He told her sternly.
Merlynn looked at him with tears in her eyes and a trembling lip, "Then why am I like this? Please, I need to know why." She practically begged him.
"Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me." Gaius muttered distractedly as he wiped her face with a cloth.
"If you can't tell me, no one can." She said defeated.
He just patted her on the shoulder and got up to continue his work.
Later in the evening, Merlynn lies awake in her bed thinking through her conversation with Gaius when the mysterious voice once again echoed through her head.
"Merlynn... Merlynn..."
Merlynn had, had enough of this stupid voice. She got out of bed and sneaked out of the Gaius' Chambers. Merlynn followed the voice until she reached the cells getting to a point where there was two guards sitting outside a large gate playing some kind of game with dice.
She distracts the pair of guards by rolling their dice away from them. As soon as they were out of sight she grabbed a torch, lit it, and quickly heads down the Tunnel Stairway, following the voice.
Merlynn entered the area seeing the large caverns and caves that were hidden beneath the castle.
"Merlynn." Laughs the voice, but when Merlynn looks around for the owner of the voice she can not see anyone.
"Where are you?" She calls out. A large Dragon suddenly flies down from the ceiling and lands on a rock in front of her. He was a large golden beast, who sent out this wave of sheer power.
"I'm here! How small you are for such a great destiny." The dragon commented looking down at her.
"Why? What do you mean? What destiny?" Merlynn questioned shyly as she looked upon the mighty creature.
"Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason." He remarked.
"So there is a reason." She breathed out in relief.
"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion." The dragon began, Merlynn looked at him hesitantly and confused.
"Right."
"But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike." The dragon continued.
"I don't see what this has to do with me." She told him.
"Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion." If a dragon could smirk she would be sure that this is what he was doing.
"No. No, you've got this wrong." She declared in a voice that showed her certainty.
But the dragon wasn't fazed, "There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't."
Merlynn looked at him in exasperation, "But I'm serious! If anyone wants to go and kill him, they can go ahead. In fact, I'll give them a hand."
The dragon just laughed. "None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it."
But Merlynn wasn't letting the matter settle, "No. No way. No. No. There must be another Arthur because this one's an idiot."
But the dragon just smiled down at her in a knowing manner, "Perhaps it's your destiny to change that." And with that he flew off into the caverns, and out of sight.
"Wait! Wait! Wait, stop! No, I- I need to know more!" She called after him, but he was gone. She soon realised that he wouldn't be coming back and walked back up to her room, to get some sleep, with the dragons voices circling around her mind.
Gaius enters Merlynn's messy chamber and picks up her clothes which were scattered around the floor.
"Oi!" He snarled at her making her jolt awake in her bed in surprise. "Have you seen the state of this room?!" He continued.
"It just happens." She stuttered trying not to get in trouble again.
"By magic?" He questioned doubtfully.
"Yeah." She trailed out hoping this would make him let it go.
"Yes. Well, you can clear it up without magic. And then I want you to get me some herbs: henbane, wormwood, and sorrel. And deliver this to Morgana. Poor girl's suffering from nightmares."
Gaius tosses some more clothes at her.
"Mmm, I know the feeling." She muttered to herself.
Merlynn walked through the Griffin Landing and up some curved steps to the Lady Morgana's Chambers. Merlynn enters the open door and stares at Morgana as she walks behind her changing screen. She was a beautiful woman with pale skin and long ebony hair, similar to her own.
"You know, I've been thinking about Arthur. I wouldn't touch him with a lance pole. Pass me that dress, will you Gwen?"
"Uh, my Lady it is not Gwen." She voices hesitantly. Morgana is quick to lift her head above the screen to look at the imposter.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"I am Gaius' niece, he uhh, he asked me to bring you this." Merlynn said while lifting the bottle that she had brought to show her she was speaking the truth.
"Oh." Morgana seemed to accept that answer. "Well while you are here could you pass me that dress?" Merlynn quickly did as asked.
"I didn't catch your name." Morgana continued as she slid her dress on.
"I am Merlynn." She introduced herself.
"Are you the same Merlynn that Gwen told me about, the one that stood up to Arthur?" Morgana had a voice full of curiosity.
"Ahh, yes that would be me." Merlynn said embarrassed looking down at the floor.
"Could you help me with this fastening?" The lady requested. Merlynn quickly moved to aid her. "Well I thought what you did with Arthur was well deserved, he needed to be put down a peg or two."
"Thank you my lady." Merlynn said smiling. After fastening the dress they both exited from behind the screen just as Gwen entered the room.
"My lady?" She questioned on seeing them both together.
"I was just congratulating Merlynn on her dealings with Arthur." Morgana told her while lifting one of her dress up from the chair.
"As flattered as I am my lady, I must go, my uncle, Gaius will be needing my assistance." Merlynn said respectively to Morgana.
"Of course, it was lovely meeting you Merlynn, we must do it again some time." Morgana said as Merlynn bowed her head and left the room, giving Gwen a small smile as she did.
Many of the court members were gathered in the Banquet Hall. Gaius and Merlynn were amongst them. Merlynn had dressed up for the occasion slightly by weaving flowers into her hair and wearing the best dress that she owned which was a pure white, it had trailing sleeves from the elbow, and the front was corseted at the front making her chest be slightly emphasised showing her feminine figure. Merlynn quickly notices Arthur joking with his mates.
Merlynn then noticed Morgana enter the room wearing a heart stopping dress, which revealed her shoulders and was a deep red. Making her look positively sinful.
Merlynn faintly heard Arthur mutter. "God have mercy." But when she turned to look at him she was surprised to see that he was not staring at Morgana, but at her. She met his gaze for a few seconds before he looked away, as if he was pretending that he hadn't been looking. She simply rolled her eyes, of course now that she looked like a woman, she was suddenly interesting. Men were so predictable.
Merlynn turned her attention to Gwen as she sidled up next to her.
"She looks great, doesn't she?" Gwen commented smiling happily at her mistress.
"Yeah." Merlynn agreed.
"Some people are just born to be queen." Gwen commented looking at the food on the table.
Merlynn looked at her in surprise. "No!" She cried.
"I hope so. One day. Not that I'd want to be her. Who'd want to marry Arthur?" Gwen commented looking down again.
"Why do you think I said 'no.'" Merlynn asked her laughing. Gwen looked at her smiling but then quickly made a hasty retreat when she saw that Arthur was approaching. Merlynn didn't seem to notice Gwen's absence or Arthur's presence and kept talking.
"Who would want to marry a man, who finds pleasure in others suffering and embarrassment, who throws people in dungeons for no good reason and is all round a complete ass who wouldn't no manner's if they hit him round the head with a mace..." She trailed off as she saw that the Prince, the very man she had been speaking of, was standing right next to her with his eye brows raised at her.
"Oh..." She whispered, wide eyes.
He glanced down at her for a few moments. "If you were a man I would have fetched my mace and beaten you with it. You would have had to have been careful, I have been trained to kill since birth."
"Mmm and how long have you been training to be a prat?" She asked him before she could stop herself.
He chuckled at her, "You can't address me like that." He told her.
"Oh of course my mistake, how long have you been training to be a prat, my Lord?" She gave him a mocking bow as she looked at him. He stared down at her with a quizzical expression.
"There is something about you Merlynn, something I can't put my finger on." With that he walked away, joining his father and Morgana at the head table as everyone sat and waited for the entertainment to begin.
The king stood, "We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."
Everyone applauded and the music begun, Lady Helen began singing. The melody was haunting, it traced over the form like a delicate whisper. Slowly everyone's heads bowed and fell to the tables, cobwebs began to form over the bodies. Noticing this Merlynn quickly put her hands over her ears to block the sound. She then saw how Lady Helen was staring at Arthur in particular as she reached into the sleeve of her dress and pulled out a knife. Merlynn quickly reacted using her magic to break the chain holding up the chandelier causing it to fall on Lady Helen stopping her assassination attempt. The court members slowly began to wake up and pull the cobwebs off, muttering their confusion. Uther and Arthur stand up to see the old woman from a few days before who swore revenge on Uther, lying on the floor. Suddenly she raises herself up enough to throw the dagger at Arthur. Merlynn was quick to act as she slowed down time, just enough to reach Arthur and pull him out of harm's way. The dagger slices into Arthur's chair as they fall to the floor, Arthur landing on top of Merlynn, he manages to catch himself before he puts any weight on her causing the both of them to stare at each other in surprise, completely missing the old woman dying. The King quickly runs to them helping his son get to his feet as Merlynn pushes herself up off the floor. Both the King and the Prince stared at the girl in shock.
"You saved my boy's life. A debt must be repaid." The King declares looking at her in gratitude. While Arthur still stood there in surprise that she was the one that saved him.
"Oh, well..." Merlynn argued modestly.
"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded." The King continued.
"No, honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness." Merlynn told him.
But the King was not going to be swayed. "No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."
Merlynn didn't know how to respond, "Well..."
"You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant." That was not a reward Merlynn wanted. But still the court applauded. Arthur didn't seem to happy either.
"Father!" He shouted in argument.
Gwen claps with a pitying smile on her face. Arthur and Merlynn look away from each other both equally unhappy with this new turn.
Gaius knocks on Merlin's chamber door and entered later that night.
"Seems you're a hero." He commented looking down at her.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Merlynn comments, she herself didn't believe it.
"No. I knew it from the moment I met you. When you saved my life, remember?" Gaius smiled down at her.
"But...that was magic." Merlynn said hesitantly with a lowered voice as if someone could be listening.
"And now, it seems, we finally found a use for it." Gaius continued sitting down on her bed.
"What do you mean?" Merlynn questioned.
"I saw how you saved Arthur's life."
"Oh, no." She did not want to have the same conversation that she had with the dragon.
"Perhaps that's its purpose." Gaius continued.
"My destiny." Merlynn sighed.
"Indeed." Gaius then pulled a book out from under his arm. "This book was given to me when I was your age, but I have a feeling it will be of more use to you than it was to me."
Gaius hands Merlynn the book which has been wrapped in a cloth. Merlynn unlatches it and looks inside.
"But this is a book of magic." She said in shock.
"Which is why you must keep it hidden." He told her pointedly.
Merlynn nodded her head earnestly, "I will study every word." She exclaimed enthusiastically.
Their moment was interrupted by knocking on the door of the Physician's Chambers. They heard a guards voice call out,
"Merlynn, Prince Arthur wants you right away."
Gaius looked at her with a smirk. "Your destiny's calling. You'd better find out what he wants."
Sneak Peak:
"If he dies today Gaius, then it will be my fault."