A.N: okay so here is the next chapter. i know what your thinking. this is fast but hey, i was sick so what else is there to do. anyway i hope yyou like it and just so you know, this chapter was 6 pages long i kid you not.

Chapter 2: Four years later

It had been almost four years since the raid and Merleiah's magic had only just come back to her over the last couple of years in little trickles with something else too. It was as if she had used all her power for that one day and over the last 4 years had been almost recharging. The weirdest thing was that when Merleiah had woken up and Merlin had asked her about what had happened and what she said, Merleiah couldn't answer him and that worried Merlin the most. Still nothing bad had happened since then and from that day, Sarah had looked after Merleiah. It was what Roxanne had asked for if anything had every happened to her and everyone had respected her wishes. Merlin was the one that had helped Leiah through everything the most though and through that, their friendship had grown to something more.

It was Merleiah's 13th birthday and everyone was off doing whatever needed to be done. There was going to be a party for Merleiah tonight and as the traditions of Ealdor stated, she wasn't allowed to do anything for the day. Ever since her mother's death, Merleiah had grown even closer to Merlin if that was possible. She had developed a crush but the problem was, was that Merleiah was sure that Merlin didn't feel that way about her. Merlin on the other hand was having the same problem but neither of them knew it. Will could tell though, there was just the way that Merlin smiled a smile that he only saved for her or the way that Merleiah looked at him when she thought no-one else as looking at which Will rolled his eyes. It was so obvious to everyone else but could they see it? Oh no.

Will confronted both of his best friends, telling them that the other liked them but of course they didn't listen or so he thought because that night Merlin acted on Will's words.

"Merleiah, can you err… meet me at the hollow tree after the party? There's something I want to ask you" Merleiah looked at him smiling and she nodded. She was about to say something when Hunith called for her.

"Merleiah, where are you we have to get you ready for your party and Sarah is waiting for you." Merleiah rolled her eyes and called back to Hunith.

"Yeh, I'm coming." Then she turned to Merlin and smiled. "Yep, well I'll see you at the party. Now I have to go and try on a dress." It was Merlin's tern to roll his eyes and at that Merleiah giggled. Merlin loved the sound of her giggle and the fact that it was him that had made her giggle was even better. Merleiah waved goodbye and she went to find Sarah.

When Merleiah found Sarah she was pulled into the house.

"Now I know that you don't like dresses but here." She pulled out the dress and Merleiah gasped. It was the most beautiful dress she had seen and it wasn't pink so that was just an added bonus. The dress was black and had ruffles at the bottom where it flared out. The top was beaded and was just low enough for Leiah to feel comfortable. The sleeves were long and flared out at the end much like the bottom.

(A.N: Look on my profile to see it and imagine the sleeves.)

"Wow… just wow. I might just start liking dresses if they're ones like this." At that reply both Hunith and Sarah chuckled at her. "Seriously though, you didn't have to go through so much trouble for me. This must have taken weeks for you to make." She said holding the dress at length to see it properly.

"It was nothing really Leiah. The pattern was really very simple." Hunith said, glad that the girl liked it. Leiah was interested at that. It was a well know fact that Hunith and Sarah were the two best seamstress' in this part of the kingdom and Leiah had always had a curiosity when it came to clothes, but that was hardly anything usual. Merleiah would do almost anything to appease her curiosity or her thirst for knowledge.

" Can you teach me how to make it?" she asked the both of them. Sarah smiled at her daughter and nodded before clapping her hand together and rolling up her sleeves.

"Well come on then, I mean it's not everyday a girl turns thirteen now is it?" Sarah asked. Leiah rolled her eyes and not so reluctantly, agreed to the silent but extremely possible possibility that Hunith and her adoptive mother were going to give her - for lack of a better term – a makeover and as Sarah and Hunith started taking out the makeup Merleiah knew she was right.. Throughout whatever time they had, Hunith and Sarah did Leiah's hair and make up. When they had finally finished, they told Leiah to put on the dress and wait for them to bring her the mirror and having decided earlier that they would show her the full effect at the end proved to have the reaction they were hoping for. When Merleiah looked into the mirror, she didn't see herself but a girl that was fit to be a princess. Her almost waist length chocolate brown hair that had been lightened by the sun had been curled into loose ringlets that fell down her face and styled do that there were curls framing her face and her hair had been pulled back at the top and held with a vibrant red flower. The makeup had been simple just like Merleiah liked it and only a touch of lip colouring. (I don't know what it was called then so I guessed.)

"Wow, you really went all out." It was pretty much like this with all the girls 13th birthday's but it seemed like they were doing something a little extra for her but Leiah brushed it off and turned to hug Sarah and Hunith with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry now, you'll spoil your make up." Sarah said wiping Leiah's eyes making sure not to smudge it.

"Sarah's right. And besides, a little birdie told me that you were meeting Merlin after the party. You wouldn't want to mess up your makeup now would you?" Hunith said smiling at the blush that started creeping up to Merleiah's cheeks.

"What?" she squeaked wondering how Hunith had found out about that interaction with Merlin. Damn it, she had probably been listening Merleiah guessed.

"Oh, it's just that my son has been a little fidgety lately." Hunith looked at her nails innocently before continuing, "that and the fact that I heard your conversation before I called you." By this time Merleiah was thoroughly embarrassed by Hunith's words. "Oh don't worry dear; I know how you feel about him. It's actually a surprise that nothing happened earlier considering how much time you two have spent together since…well, since you were born actually."

"Okay, I am going to completely ignore that." She said trying to loose the blush on her cheeks. Hunith chuckled at her knowing that Merleiah knew what she was talking about but left the poor girl alone.

"Alright then, lets get this show on the road." With that Hunith lead Merleiah out to where the party had begun.

~One Destiny, Two Choices~

When his mother took Merleiah off to get ready Merlin let out a breath of relief and leaned against the closest tree to him. Leiah had agreed to meet with him after the party and he would tell her…hopefully. Merlin had a feeling that his mother knew what was going on but he wasn't too worried about that. He knew Hunith loved Merleiah, well everybody loved Merleiah, and they couldn't help but love being around her. It was just how her personality drew people in and once they were hooked, they couldn't let go. Well that was certainly what had happened to Merlin anyway.

Will's cousins had come from the neighbouring village with their older brother and it was the first time that Merlin had met the youngest brother who, like himself was 14. Merlin had no problem with the two elder brothers who's names were James, who was 18 and Marcus who was 16 and both were nice enough when Merlin had met them so Merlin wasn't too worried about meeting the youngest brother. Will on the other hand was. He had seen how Matt was when he had gone to visit him – much to his dislike – in summers but still Will knew that Leiah could look after herself so in his mind he silently begged his cousin to not do anything stupid.

When Merleiah walked out the house all Merlin could think of was how pretty she looked. No not pretty but beautiful. Her dress was a simple black dress but it looked perfect on her and her hair was curled, which he had never seen on her before. In short he thought she looked beautiful. Merleiah saw him and walked straight over to him smiling.

"So what do you think?" she asked giving him a twirl. Merlin was having a bit of trouble forming coherent sentences and was just gaping at her. Merleiah looked at him and giggled before rolling her eyes and saying: "Come on Merlin, am I really that pretty."

"Wow Leiah, you actually look like a girl." Will said walking up to them. Leiah rolled her eyes again and hit will on the shoulder.

"You idiot."

"Oww that hurt Leiah." Will said rubbing his arm. "Anyway, forgetting the fact that you just punched me, there's someone who would like to meet you." Matt walked up to Leiah and took her hand and kissed it. When he did that something happened and Merleiah heard something, almost like an echo of a voice but…it was in her head.

Well ain't she a pretty thing. Let's see how long it'll take for her to be mine.

At the same time this happened Merlin notices Leiah's eyes flash almost purple for a spilt second, almost how their eyes used to be when they did… but Merlin stopped that thought in it's tracks. Leiah hadn't done any magic at all since that day and even if she had, her eyes would have flashed gold not purple. Merlin looked at her and she looked back at him with a shocked look before she turned her head back to Matt.

"Nice to meet you Matt." When she said it, it seemed like she was trying not to throw up but no body else heard it the rest of the night was fun. People talked and danced and went to Leiah to say happy birthday but then around half way through the party things went slightly awkward for Matt. He had asked Merleiah to dance and she had said yes but when the dance ended she thanked him and turned around only to feel a hand on her back but it was too far down for Merleiah to be comfortable with. She stopped and turned around to look at Matt and when she did she saw that Matt was grinning. Merleiah saw Merlin come over and he was a few steps away when he saw what had happened and he saw red. He was just about to walk over to punch Matt right in his smirking face when he heard a crack and saw Matt hunched over in pain and grunting in said pain. Then Merleiah did something that no-body expected. She kicked him. She kicked him right where it hurt and at that Matt fell to the ground and howled in pain. When Merleiah noticed that everyone including Merlin was looking at her shocked she just shrugged.

"He was touching me inappropriately." Was all she said before walking to Marcus and James. "I am not sorry that I hurt your brother but I am sorry in case the party has been ruined for you." James looked at her before he broke out into a big grin.

"Don't worry, Matt has had it coming to him for a while but I don't think he expected it from a girl." Leiah frowned at that and James backtracked quickly. "No offence about the girl thing." Leiah smiled and waved it off. James and Marcus walked over to their moaning brother and lifted him up taking him to the hut where they were staying. Merleiah smiled before saying:

"Well, is this a party or what?"

The rest of the party was fine and when it was over Merleiah got changed and made sure that everyone was asleep before meeting Merlin where she said she would.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" she asked rubbing her arms through trying to warm herself up. She looked up and saw that Merlin was trying to say what he wanted to say but couldn't. "Merlin? Is everything okay?" she asked. He looked down so she took his cheek in her hand noticing the sparks that she felt in her hand and the butterflies' that came alive in her stomach.

"I-I-I" he stuttered. Merlin didn't know what was wrong with him, he couldn't say 3 little word to her. He took a deep breath and finally said the words. "I like you." Merleiah's head snapped up at that. She couldn't bee sure he had just said that.

"What?" she whispered.

"I like you Merleiah." Merlin said louder this time. "I like you and I guess I always kind of have since we were kids." Merleiah looked shocked like she hadn't expected that and in truth she hadn't expected it. She had never guessed that Merlin had felt the same way as she had and she was only shocked because he did. Merlin though thought he had blown it so he looked down.

"Forget it, never mind Leiah. Night." He got up and started walking back.

"Wait." He heard Leiah say. Merlin stopped and turned around to see Leiah right behind him.

"Wh-" he was interrupted by Merleiah's lips on him, her arms slid up his to his neck and she held on to him. Shocked, Merlin didn't move but after a few seconds he put his arms around Leiah's waist and kissed her back holding her closer to him in the act to get her closer to him. Leiah thinking the same thing brought one of her hands up and fisted them in Merlin's hair. The kiss lasted several more seconds before they broke up.

"I take it that means you like me too?" Merlin asked. Leiah rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes you idiot." Before she kissed him again. Both people were too busy to notice Hunith and Sarah looking at them fondly.

"I told you she would kiss him first." Hunith said to her friend. Sarah only nodded still looking at them smiling.

Ever since then Merlin and Merleiah had been together and their bond only got stronger as every day went by.

"What are you thinking about Merlin?" Leiah asked sitting down by him wearing one of the dressed she had learnt to make.

"Just how we started dating Leiah." Merlin said looking at her. She had her hair down and her dress was a deep purple that surprisingly looked lovely her eyes that were the same colour as one on the trees they were sitting under.

"Oh, yes if I remember correctly, I was the one that made the first move." She said jokingly.

"Yeh, well…" Merlin didn't have a comeback to that and Leiah knew it.

"Don't worry Merlin. Nobody except the whole village knows so its fine." She said laughing. Merlin just scowled at her until she stopped laughing. "Come on Merlin. Sarah said to be back before dark and well, you know how she is." Merlin nodded. When they had first started going out Sarah had pretty much told Merlin that if he didn't respect Leiah and follow all the rules then she would find a way to make sure that Merlin would wake up one morning and be a very long way from home and so far Merlin had done just that. They stood up and Leiah dusted herself off. They started walking back when suddenly an arrow shot from out of nowhere heading straight for Merlin. Merleiah saw it and just as it was about to hit Merlin, she pushed him out the way and let the arrow hit her, feeling pain as soon as it did Merleiah bit back a cry of pain and fell to the ground, arrow embedded very very close to her heart.

come on people you must have a response to this so let he hear it. R&R