I corrected the small error I had in addressing the knights - thanks for the review!
Again, I don't own anything here except for the few own characters displayed
Please, reviews are still highly appreciated :)
The sun of dawn woke her up. She rose from her rather uncomfortable bed, and pulled aside the curtains to take in the view of the awaken city. It was full of life already, despite the earliness of the morning. How much Camelot has changed in these years, she thought, braiding her messy hair with a strip of brown leather and dressing up in the only clothes she owned. Life hadn't been kind to her, and wealth never reached a wanderer, but she didn't complain. There were worse things in the world afterall.
As she walked out of the Inn, she noticed a familiar figure, leaning against the wall of the building, eyes closed. She couldn't help but chuckle, though not out of meanness, for she was slightly flattered by the knight's perseverance. The sound of her voice turned his attention to her.
"I didn't think I'd see you again, at least not up this early, considering your condition last night."
Gwaine sneered, but smiled slightly as he approached her. "I wouldn't want the only image of me in your head being the drunken idiot I portrayed yesterday, m'lady." He reached for her hand, but she stepped backwards, out of his reach.
"Unfortunately I'm not a lady, as you might see."
"Oh, but you are to me." Looking down at her, he again tried to reach for her hand. No success.
An utter of laughter escaped her lips. "And I don't think I'm the first woman to hear those words from you. Can you deny that, sir?"
"Well no, not really, but –"
"You see, I have some things to do. I did not come to Camelot for fun."
But Gwaine wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Maybe that's something I could help you with, princess? I'm all yours."
She looked him straight into those mesmerizing eyes. "Very well. I have to find someone named Gaius. Any chance you'd know who he was and where I could possibly find him, sir?
"Gaius? That's not a very demanding task, beautiful. Stop calling me sire and I will take you directly to him."
"Oh no, but that wouldn't be appropriate, now would it, sire? But I'm certain, that if he is indeed an easy person to find someone else would be eager to help me."
Gwaine looked at her, shaking his head. "Fine, you won. Please, follow me, lady…?"
"It's Evelyn. My name is Evelyn."
"Umm, sir Gwaine, isn't it?
Gwaine glanced at the woman next to him, and smiled. "You are a fast learner, lady Evelyn."
"I'm surely mistaken, you're not taking me towards the castle I assume?" She halted.
Gwaine looked surprised. "Well, to find the court physician, it is essential to go in the castle, as that is where he lives and works, m'lady. Is there a problem?"
Images crossed through Evelyn's mind. The face of Uther Pendragon and his little son. The way their noble foot steps echoed in the corridor's of the white castle. The way his father's head fell down from the podium on the courtyard, as his life was brought to an end by the king. She shivered. "My lord, you have been most helpful, but I'm sure you have much more important things to do. I can handle myself from here, thank you."
Gwaine grew yet more confused. "It's just around the corner, and my duties haven't even started yet. Don't you want to be seen in my company?"
Evelyn glanced around her suspiciously, and pulled her hood on. "Fast then, please."
Gwaine opened the door for her, and pointed up the stairs. "You'll find him there, m'lady."
Evelyn bowed her head at the knight. "Thank you, sir Gwaine."
"It was my pleasure, my dear lady Evelyn. I hope I will see you again." He reached for her hand for the third time, and this time she didn't move away. He placed a soft kiss on the back of it. "Farewell, for now."
Evelyn knocked thrice on the wooden door, and entered. The rather large room was tidy in all its messiness. The walls and tables were full of different bottles and books. A cauldron was hung above the fire place.
"Good morning, is there something I could help you with?"
She saw a gangly young man, even a boy standing on the other doorway on the opposite side of the room. His short, almost black hair was slightly messy, and he wore simple clothes, with a red scarf tied loosely around his thin neck. His incredibly blue eyes pierced her with wisdom and knowledge, which she found rather unusual for such a young man. "I'm actually looking for someone called Gaius, and I was instructed by a knight that I would find him here."
"Oh, I see." He smiled, and walked towards her. "You've come to the right place then. Do you have a name? Is Gaius expecting you?"
"Evelyn. And no, he doesn't know I'm here. In fact, I don't even know if he knows who I am."
"I'm Merlin. Pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand firmly. "Gaius is just gone out to deliver something to the king, but he should be back any minute. You want to wait for him?"
"Yes, please. My matter is quite urgent."
Merlin pointed at the bench in front of the table, as he sat down on the other side. "Please, have a seat, Evelyn."
Cautiously, she sat down. After a moment of silence, she gathered up her courage. "So, I assume Gaius works for the king?"
"Yes, of course he does. He is the court physician after all. And a trusted member of the court. You see, he has been around since his birth. King Arthur values his opinion highly."
Evelyn caught her breath in surprise. "Did you say King Arthur?"
Merlin didn't notice her sudden change of mood, but smiled widely. "You must be from far away then? King Uther died almost a year ago, and so his son, Arthur, heir to the throne, was crowned."
So the murderer of her father was dead. And the only idea she had on what her father had wanted from him was crumbled. She couldn't get a payback anymore, not on Uther directly. Why was she hear then? "Yes, indeed, I'm not from near Camelot. In fact, I'm not from anywhere. I've never settled."
Just then an elderly man entered the room. His grey hair was down to his shoulders, and he wore a simple, brown tunic. Evelyn rose from her chair, and glanced at Merlin, who nodded. Gaius looked surprised. "And who is our lovely visitor?"
"There's a matter I need to discuss with you right away." She glanced at Merlin again. "Privately. It is very confidential."
Gaius grew serious, and sat down. "Merlin is no problem, my dear girl. He is like a son to me."
Evelyn sighed. "Very well then." Taking a deep breath she continued: "My name is Evelyn, Gaius. I'm the daughter of the knight sir Bruin and his wife Elaine. My brother's name is Edern."
The serious look on Gaius' face disappeared, and his mouth opened in surprise. "Little Evelyn? It has been years!" He creased his forehead then, and lowered his voice. leaning towards her. "But you were banished. On the sentence of death. What on Earth are you doing back in Camelot?"
3.
Tension in the court physician's room was extremely high. Merlin walked around the room, closed all windows and curtains, and lastly locked the front door. Then he sat down to hear what Evelyn had to say for herself.
"I do not know, Gaius, and I wish I had a clue. Your friend's, my father's last words have driven me back to this unfortunate city."
Gaius nodded slowly. "Please, tell me about it." He paused slightly. "You know that I want no harm upon you or your family, never did and ever will, and anything you say will be safe with me and Merlin. Please trust us."
" 'When you come back here after your mother's murder, find Gaius. He will be the person to lead you to your destiny.' That is the only thing he left for me, a prophecy of some sorts."
"I'm truly sorry for your loss, dear girl. I wouldn't wish anyone to face such misfortune and sadness in their lives."
"The odd thing is, I don't think my mother was murdered. At least to me, it seemed more like a … suicide. I found her. She had hung herself from the ceiling of our little cottage." Then she leaned forward. "I need to know, was my father really a sorcerer, responsible for the crime he was punished for? For I never knew."
Merlin looked very uncomfortable on his seat, and rose up to prepare some tea for them. Gaius followed his restless movement with his gaze, forehead creased in thought. "I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you, but yes, he was indeed a sorcerer. A prophet of sorts."
Evelyn's hand clenched into fists. "And you knew? You must know magic then."
Merlin turned sharply to eye Gaius, who didn't meet his gaze this time but looked straight at the young woman. "Many long years ago I did. But it is banned now, and I shall therefore not practice such sorts anymore." He put his hand on her shoulder, and squeezed lightly. "Do not be ashamed of who or what your father was, Evelyn. I can assure you, he never used his abilities for evil."
Evelyn remained quiet, and watched Merlin pour them the steaming tea. After a long silence, she whispered: "So that's what it is then, magic?"
"What is, dear girl?"
"My visions. They're magic aswell."
Just then the sound of heavy foot steps penetrated the door, and they all fixed their eyes on it. Two loud knocks.
Merlin rose and went for the door. "Who is it? Is it something urgent?"
After a short silence, a low voice replied. "I'm looking for the lady Evelyn. Gwaine hinted she could be found here."
Merlin and Gaius now both stared at Evelyn, who shrugged her shoulders. "I happened to run into two knights last night when I arrived. Drunken sir Gwaine and a very polite sir Lancelot."
Merlin opened the door vaguely, and let Lancelot in. He looked rather surprised to see her sitting comfortably around the table. "I see you have made some new friends, m'lady."
Evelyn stood up, and smiled moderately. "Yes, indeed I have. Why are you looking for me, may I ask?"
"Well, it just came to my mind that you might want to take a tour around the city, since you're here for the first time. A compensation for last night's incident. I happen to have a free morning." He bowed slightly, even a bit mockingly, smiling widely.
Evelyn glanced at Gaius, who nodded. "I would like that very much, sir. "
Lancelot smiled, and offered her his arm. "Let us go then, m'lady."
"And here are the training fields for the knights. We spend a lot of time here, sparring and instructing the new trainees."
Evelyn took in the view. Somewhat 20 men were standing around the field, clanging their shields and swords, obviously cheering for the two battlers on the field. One of them wore the same outfit as Lancelot, clearly the armor of Camelot, and a red cape with a golden coat of arms of Camelot. Both men wore polished helmets, and they had only their swords drawn out, circling each other. The knight forwarded, and with a swift movement collected the other competator's sword, catching it straight from the air. A small movement from his legs, and the competator, clearly just a trainee, was sweeped from his feet and landed on the grass. Lancelot pulled her closer to the field, and the men gave space for them.
"A hint more training is needed if you dream of beating me, Baudwin. Not even close yet." The knight removed his helmet and shook his brown curls.
Lancelot glanced down at Evelyn, who was smiling wickedly. "That was quite a show, sir Gwaine."
Gwaine noticed her, and bowed scornfully. "I am most delighted that you enjoy what you see, princess."
Evelyn was now softly petting the blade hung on her waist. "Maybe you would give me the honour of sparring with you a little."
Gwaine and a few other knights, including Lancelot, burst out laughing. "That would be wonderful, m'lady, if it was not dangerous."
She stepped forward, clearly offering a challenge. "Are you worried you'll get hurt, sir?"
Gwaine didn't answer, just pointed with his finger for her to walk to him. She obeyed, slowly drawing her sword.
"That is not a good idea, Gwaine, Evelyn." Lancelot expressed his worry.
"Don't worry, friend. I will be very easy on her." Gwaine positioned himself, peering at his opponent along the blade of his sword. She was the first to move.
They battled fiercely for a moment. They were two extremely fast fighters, and the battle was just a blur, seasoned with furious clangs as their swords banged against each other over and over again in synchronization. Suddenly Evelyn faked, and instead of hitting for his head placed a solid, strong kick on his chest. Gwaine fell down heavily, but didn't lose the grip of his sword. The crowd sighed in unison.
"Get up, we're not finished here." Evelyn winked at Gwaine. He let out a furious snarl, and jumped up, charging her now with even more ferocious blows, the kinds that his trainees had never seen him fight with. He dugged one of Evelyn's blows directed towards his head again, appeared behind her and had his sword on her throat in the blink of an eye. They stood there, frozen for a long moment, breathing heavily.
"What do you think you're doing?" A clear voice from behind their still locked position. Both Gwaine and Evelyn turned around to see a tall, well-built blonde man, in a knight's uniform but wearing a simple golden crown on his head. Gwaine bowed, and forced Evelyn to do so with a hand placed at her back. "Very thoughtful of you to pay us a visit, my lord. Arthur, meet lady Evelyn."
Evelyn froze in the middle of her bow, looking slowly up to see the king approach her. He took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Pleasure to meet you, m'lady." He then fixed his eyes on her face, and a look of confusion appeared on his handsome face. "Have we by any chance met before?"
