Disclaimer: I don´t own the characters or the series.
Warnings: This is an AU. Based on the dialogue of the show.
Thanks to Fantasyy-Freak, Winchester-Jackson-Petrelli, and to MidnightSky101 for their help with this story. All remaining mistakes are just mine.
Thoughts would be marked /like this/
*.* .*
In the early morning Merewyn was still asleep when she heard a voice as though from far away calling her, just to be jolted awake when Gaius knocked at her door.
Reluctantly, the princess got out of the bed and went to the main chamber.
"Good morning" she said to her guardian, who looked too awake and alert at this time of the morning to her.
At the table Gaius presented her a bowl of a strange looking substance.
/Hope this is not the everyday food I´ll get/ she thought while taking a bit of the stuff with the spoon /or I ´m going to die of hunger/
Gaius seemed to find her expression funny and proceeded to explain the errands he wanted her to perform. Fortunately he also presented some edible food that she could take with her.
.*
Merewyn was excited about exploring the city and meeting people. And everything went well until the first man she had to deliver a potion to, didn't wait for the instructions, drank the entire vial and then closed the door in her face.
Praying that Gaius would never find about it she left the building and continued with the deliveries.
She was admiring the height of some of the constructions when she saw a group of young men making fun of a peasant who was running with a bulls eye while one of them threw knives to their ^moving target^. Then she saw the peasant trip and fall.
For a moment, Merewyn forgot that this wasn´t her kingdom, that she wouldn't be recognized as a princess and that she shouldn't be noticeable, and before she remembered all this she intervened;
"Hey! that´s enough. You've had your fun my friend." She called to the group while getting close to the fallen man.
The young man that had been throwing the knives approached, and he didn´t look happy.
/oh no/ now she remembered that this was Camelot and not Falcon.
"Who are you?" asked the blond man.
"I´m... Merlin" she tried to look as friendly as possible.
The man didn't look impressed, "You called me friend?" He said petulantly.
And while her mind thought /oh, great, a spoiled prat/ her mouth retorted "excuse my mistake, not one of my friends would ever be such an ass."
From that, the situation truly deteriorated.
Ok, calling a stranger a friend wasn't really a good idea. Calling him an ass was worse, but trying to hit said young man when you have no idea of how to fight properly, was insane.
So Merewyn found herself with her arm twisted painfully at her back.
"You are going to jail for that" warned the blond man.
The princess cried out "Who do you think you are... the king?" still trying to sound insulting.
"No, I´m his son, Arthur" he said before pushing her to her knees, /Ow, that hurt! /
Then the guards took her to the dungeons, and none too gently threw her in the cell.
Sprawled in the straw she looked around dejectedly, /accomplishements of the day; delivered one pouch of herbs successfully, check. Delivered one potion without proper instructions, check. Insulted the prince of Camelot, check. Try to hit said prince without result, check. Get to know closely the ^best^ part of the Camelot underworld, check... Gaius is going to kill me/
She sat and hugged her legs thinking /I wonder how long they would keep me here, I could get out with magic but I guess that would not be wise. /
/ I suppose that talking back to those men wasn´t wise either but... Why did he do that? Just because he´s the prince he has not got the right to torture the people. The last time I behaved like that I was five or six years old and Hunith looked at me with such disappoint that.../
Merewyn fell asleep thinking /I guess this prince Arthur never had a nanny like Hunith. /
*.*.*
It was early morning once more when she heard the voice calling her name again. Waking faster thanks to the uncomfortable ^bed^, she looked around for the source of the voice. She was so intent in finding it that Gaius startled her when he opened the cell door.
He looked at her severely "What part of ^keeping your head down^ did you not understand Merlin?"
"Sorry?" she said trying to avoid looking at his eyes.
Gaius arched an eyebrow, "Let´s go. I came to get you out of here."
"Really?" she asked eagerly, "Oh, thank you Gaius. I´ll never forget this..."
"Well," he had a strange glint in his eyes "there is a small price to pay for your freedom."
"Price?" she asked surprised, she didn´t have funds, and just the basic belongings for a peasant boy.
The meagre possessions from her princess´ days had been secreted at Hunith´s home back in Ealdor.
Gaius just left the cell and Merewyn had to hurry to keep up with the old man.
.*
She had never before stopped to think how humiliating it was to be hit by rotten fruits and vegetables.
For her, being in the stocks wasn´t fun, but Gaius seemed to find the incident hilarious.
/Ok, I learned my lesson, if I don´t want to taste putrid food I have to ^keep my head down^... literally/ she thought while trying to spit out some of the rotten juices that slid into her mouth.
Merewyn turned her head; a young woman was getting close to the stock.
"I´m Guinevere," the woman said, "Most people call me Gwen; I´m lady Morgana´s maid."
Merewyn blinked,/what is the protocol in a situation like this? /
"Hum... Hi?" she mumbled back "I´m Mer...lin"
They awkwardly shook hands.
"You must think I´m an idiot" said the disguised princess.
"Oh no, I saw what you did. You were so brave" smiled Gwen.
"And so stupid" interjected Merewyn.
After a strange conversation where Gwen repeatedly pointed out that Merlin wasn't as strong as Arthur, hadn't the muscles, and wasn't the rough -tough-saving the world kind.
Merewyn looked astonished at Gwen /is she trying to make me feel better or worse? / She thought, and then blurted "I´m in disguise."
But the young maid just laughed.
The princess wasn´t sure if she should feel insulted or relieved that her male disguise was so unassuming.
Gwen redeemed herself by calling Merewyn a real hero, but then had to leave in a hurry when Merewyn 's ^fans^ came back with more ammunition.
/Close your eyes, close your mouth, and resist girl. / The princess tried to encourage herself.
/This is going to pass soon. / Her forced optimism evaporated when the first lettuce hit her. /Aw! /
*.*.*
Gaius was there when, finally, Merewyn was let out of the stocks. But she had to wait until later, at the physician´s home, to wash away the bits of food that had stuck at her hair and face.
Back at her guardian´s main room, the old man offered Merewyn some dinner. "Do you want some vegetables with that?" he asked merrily.
Merewyn raised her head, surprised, and found the old man smiling. She tried to look offended, but the laughter bubbled out from her and with a lighter heart she started eating.
"I read Hunith´s letter again and found something interesting," said the physician "She seems to think that your ^condition^ started at a very young age."
Merewyn arched an eyebrow "You are not talking about me being a girl, are you?"
"No, I´m talking about your other gift" explained the old man.
"Mhm, I never really understand why she calls them my two gifts. Don´t know what´s so good about being a girl since my father wanted a boy to be the heir... and for my magic, well, I scared away all my previous nannies by summoning things from my cradle. Until I got Hunith. No maid lasted more than a week."
"You were that young when you started to show aptitudes?" asked Gaius intrigued.
"Yes, I believe that I was born like this."
"I have never heard of something like that"
"Never?"
"No. For what I knew of magic it requires incantations and, sometimes to learn the spells could take years. To do it so naturally, almost by instinct is... ^very special^"
"That´s was Hunith always said" mumbled Merewyn, "That I was really special."
Then Gaius explained how Uther banned magic from the kingdom and made it his mission to destroy anything related to it, even dragons. But that not all dragons died, that there was still one imprisoned deep beneath the castle.
They finished the meal and Merewyn left to deliver a potion to Lady Helen for her voice.
*tbc*
*Next chapter: Merewyn fights the prince… and meets a dragon.*
A/N: Please leave a review, be kind; English is not my first language.
.*.*.*.
Author´s Note unbeta-ed:
Greetings from México to the people from Belgium, Germany and France. I was young when I had the opportunity to visit your countries, but I still remember how beautiful they are.
To the people of Ireland, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Sweden & Australia, I think that your countries are so marvellous that I hope, someday, I would be able to travel there ;)
To the people from México: Espero que no les haya ido tan mal con el huracán Alex como a nosotros los del norte. Si hay alguien más de por acá, agarrense que ahí viene otro. Gracias por sus comentarios.