A/N: Here's our first real chapter! I hope you enjoy. :) Thanks to Alactricity, who is now my beta. Please review!

Never was a girl with a wicked mind, but everything looks better when the sun goes down...

Chapter One: Caught Me At The First

It was midday when Adam, Lena, and Olive found themselves standing in the corridor outside of Uther's throne room. Lena stood as still as a statue, silently pondering their uncertain future. Adam seemed fascinated with the knights standing outside of the throne room, and Olive was focused on keeping still, for the young girl had endless energy. Lena had warned her about being too rambunctious before entering the castle.

Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, Lena stroked Olive's soft hair in an attempt to calm herself; although she convinced herself she was doing it to calm her sister. The younger girl wasn't very nervous, however.

"Lena?" Olive whispered. She knew something was wrong.

"Yes?"

Olive realized she didn't really have anything to say, but she knew she had to keep the conversation going.

"Um…" the younger girl struggled to think of a topic. "Why… um… why do you push your hair in front of your eyes?" Olive saw Lena raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Well, you, um… you always push your hair in front of at least one of your eyes… why? Mother always said that the eyes were the windows to the soul."

By this point, Lena had figured out what Olive was up to, but figured that she might as well play along. She didn't know how long they were going to be waiting outside of the throne room.

"I have my reasons, Olive." It was a vague answer on Lena's part.

"What are they?"

Perhaps I do not wish for anyone to see my soul, Lena thought bitterly, nearly saying the words in front of Olive. She sighed. She tried to think of a way to speak her thoughts without saying something that would surely be a bad influence on Olive's innocent mind. She had never lied to Olive, and she wasn't going to start now.

"Livvie…" Lena began, using her pet name for her sister, "I think that, if the eyes are windows to the soul, I want mine to be stained glass. A bit harder to see through, and it requires a bit more effort… do you know what I mean?"

Olive nodded, even though she was still a bit unsure of the significance of Lena's words. All she knew for sure was that her sister hardly trusted people, and in turn, not a lot of people trusted her. But Olive loved Lena, and she believed in her sister. She knew she could.

After all, Lena had never lied to her.

Lena watched as Olive pondered what she had said. And while she loved Olive, Lena needed some time to think about the dream she'd had the night before. It had been quite an unpleasant night…

Lena wanted to get out. She was trapped, and she didn't quite know where she was. But she was drowning. She was drowning in blood. Lena ignored the fact that this was disgusting and frightening and focused on getting out. She felt as though she were bound to the floor by some unseen force.

Lena shuddered as the blood she was drowning in suddenly became cold. And she was bound, still bound…

It hadn't taken her long to figure out the meaning of her dream. Killed in cold blood, she thought.

Letting her eyes wander around the corridor, Lena's gaze met that of a knight, who grinned at her and sent her a wink. Lena felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks and looked the other way. This did not go unnoticed by Olive.

"Papa thinks you should marry soon," she piped up. Lena could not help but scoff.

"I have plenty of time to get married, Olive." She ruffled her sister's hair fondly, and Olive smiled.

"You will marry for love, won't you, Lena?" was Olive's next question. Lena looked down sadly and tried to smile. The innocence of the question was almost painful.

"I will… do what is best for our family," she finally answered. Olive looked at her, shocked.

"You would give up marrying someone you love for our family?" she asked. Lena shrugged.

"Family comes first, Olive. That's the way it is."

"Oi! Girls!" came Adam's voice. Olive and Lena looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Lena pushed some hair behind her left ear, and let a few brown locks stay over the right side of her face. Lena then lifted her chin, and watched Olive do the same out of the corner of her eye. She took a step forward with Olive following a bit behind her. One foot in front of the other, she reminded herself as she was greeted with the bright lights of the sun shining through the windows of the throne room. The corridor had been a bit darker, and Lena needed a moment for her eyes to adjust.

She stole a glance at her father, who gave her a nervous look. Instantly, Lena felt a sense of panic. Had it not gone well with the king so far? Lena was sure she had to be careful now. Taking a breath, she walked up to a respectable distance in front of the king, and sank into a deep curtsy.

"My lord," she breathed, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of her sweaty palms.

"You may rise," Uther commanded.

Lena clasped her hands in front of her and looked anywhere but at the king. She looked over his head, to the right of him, to the left of him, and she –

Oh. Oh.

She'd heard tales about Prince Arthur. She'd had a friend back on the farm, Ivienna, who'd been to Camelot and happened upon the sight of the prince once. Ivienna had raved about the golden-haired man for days, and Lena had rolled her eyes the whole time. Seeing him in person now, though, he was definitely not bad to look at. She supposed that, if she were still a farm girl, she would have wanted to talk about him for a while to her friends, too.

And then her eyes wandered to the raven-haired man standing off to the side with another gentleman who looked like he could be the former's possible grandfather. A dark-skinned serving girl stood by them in a lavender dress, looking at someone… perhaps the prince?

Lena wondered if perhaps this girl was more of a dreamer than even Ivienna. She had doubted if that was even possible.

Lena forced herself to look back at the king. She felt a slight tug on her skirt, and stole a sideways glance at Olive, who seemed to be just as nervous as Lena now. Being judged by a king sometimes did that to you.

"What is your reason for coming to Camelot?" Uther asked, the question aimed at Lena. The green-eyed girl cleared her throat, feeling as though her father had probably answered the question. Perhaps the king was searching for a different answer. But she noticed he wasn't even looking at her properly. He was staring over her forehead with an expression on his face that Lena couldn't place. She felt like she was missing something… but she had a question to answer.

"Our farm was destroyed… all our crops died. My brother and sister…" Lena saw Adam standing over by their father, and Olive was still right by her hip, "I feared that they would not survive for long. I knew of Camelot's prosperity, and I suggested that we come here." Lena looked back at her father. Was that pride in his eyes? She hoped it was. She felt her self-confidence get a little boost.

Lena expected Uther's ego to inflate a little at her mention of Camelot's good fortune, but instead his gaze misted over. "Go on," he prompted her. He looked nearly angry.

Oh, hell, oh, hell, oh, hell...

"Well… I was hoping to perhaps become a seamstress or a maidservant… anything that you need, really." Lena tried to keep a pleading tone from creeping into her voice. "My sister, Olive… I could teach her what to do. My father caught wind that your kingdom was in need of a royal blacksmith, and I believe he and my brother would be very good at that," Lena finished, inhaling sharply. She was nervous again, and she felt shaky.

Uther didn't say anything for a minute, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Prince Arthur cleared his throat. "We will have to give the matter some thought. There is a house you can stay in for tonight while the decision is made," Arthur said. He paused, and added as an afterthought, "I must make sure that you and your family are clear in understanding the laws of Camelot." The king looked over to where Dyonas and Adam were standing while his son continued to speak. "Magic is outlawed, and if you are found guilty of practicing it, you will be sentenced to death."

Lena gulped. No one in her family was magical or practiced magic, as far as she knew. She felt that they were safe.

"Yes, my lord," Dyonas answered, bowing his head. "Thank you for your generosity."

Lena stole another look at the prince, wondering why he'd had to step in. She caught his eye accidentally, and turned away the moment she realized she had. He looked as though he had a lot on his mind. And she hadn't missed the look – what it was a look of, Lena still didn't know – that flashed across his father's face upon the mention of magic.

Oh, the king. Powerful? Clearly he was. But he had hardly been able to look Lena in the eye, which made her question everything she'd heard about him. He seemed as though he was trying to put something back together… his kingdom, his life? Lena couldn't fathom what it might be. Had she missed something? Was Camelot not in the good state it had been when Ivienna had been there? Why was the king so… distracted?

Well, she considered, those who have everything have the most to lose, I suppose.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. She had been told she thought about pointless things too much, and read too deeply into them. She forgot her musings for the moment and followed her father and siblings out of the throne room, where two guards were apparently leading them to their temporary home.

Lena swallowed what was left of her fear as she heard the large wooden doors shut behind her. She looked down, seeing Olive still somewhat clutching to her.

"It's over now, Livvie," Lena soothed. "You're all right."

"I know, but was what the prince said really true? If we were magical, we would die?" Olive asked, eyes wide.

"Magic is a crime here, and, yes, the punishment is death." Lena watched as Olive's blue eyes widened even further. "But we are not magical, and we will not practice magic, so we will not have anything to worry about, okay?"

Olive seemed to relax a little bit, and then she asked another question. "Was magic illegal where we used to live?"

"No."

"Then why is it not okay here?"

Most of the time, Lena had the answers to Olive's questions. But this time, she found she didn't have one. Or at least, an answer that Olive was probably looking for.

"I… I am not quite sure, Olive. The king thinks it is wrong."

"Is it wrong?"

Lena sighed. "You are so full of questions, love. I cannot say if it is wrong or not, as I have never known anyone who practiced it, but it is what the king thinks, so we have to follow his rules."

Olive didn't ask any more questions, and for this Lena was grateful. She was also happy, for that night she would get to lie down in a bed instead of the forest floor.

This was a new beginning. And Lena was determined to make sure nothing got in the way of her family's future.

Lena spread a quilt across the bed that she was to share with Olive, touching the material delicately. She'd made it with her mother when she was ten, and although Adam and Olive were too young to remember, ever since it had been in their family, things had been better.

And then Mother died and everything turned out horribly, Lena thought sadly. She took a deep breath, placing her hands on her hips and surveying the house. It wasn't as big as what they'd had on the farm, but it was nice. She'd have to keep Adam and Olive on a tighter leash in Camelot, but they would be fine.

Olive is going to grow up here, and she is going to be beautiful, Lena thought, able to picture their life already. She is beautiful. Adam is going to be the apple of all the women's eyes. He will marry a lovely girl, and the whole family will adore her. Olive will be strong, just as I am teaching her to be. She will certainly give any man in her life some trouble. Lena smiled to herself. And the man she marries will be gallant, handsome, and chivalrous… and he will love her until the day he dies.

Whenever things looked uncertain, Lena liked to pretend she knew what was going to happen. She would imagine her sibling's futures, and they would always have wonderful lives.

But she didn't like to think about her own future. She wasn't sure why; she just didn't want to.

She thought back to what Olive had said about Dyonas wanting her to marry soon. She knew she was of age, and that she should have seen it coming. During their journey to Camelot, they had stopped off at many towns, and once in a while a stable boy would flirt with Lena.

Lena had seen her father's expression when such things happened. She had gauged his reactions, and she knew that he was waiting to see her response. Lena was sure that, if her father was given his way, a knight would fall for her or something of that sort.

Although Lena was of age, she was still young. She had plenty of time to find a man, didn't she? Of course, if a knight did ask for her hand, she wasn't sure she would be able to say no. A future with a knight of Camelot would give her family what they needed. Nothing was impossible, but Lena just didn't see her father's wishes coming true. And besides, weren't knights supposed to marry noble women? Of course they were.

As Lena wiped her hands on her ivory-colored nightgown and turned to go find Olive to put her to bed, there was a knock at the door. Lena sighed and went to answer it. On the other side was a man who she remembered seeing in the throne room that day. He had dark hair, a slim frame, and blue eyes.

"What can I do for you?" Lena asked, pushing a rogue piece of hair away from her face. She felt a little bit of heat rise to her cheeks as she realized she was only in her thin nightgown.

"Um, Gaius – the court physician – sent me with this," the man said, holding up a jar with a thick white paste inside of it. He seemed to notice Lena's less-than-substantial attire, as well, as the tips of his ears had turned slightly pink. Lena looked at the jar quizzically.

"Oh. Er, what is it?"

"He said that he noticed your sister seemed to have some sort of rash on her arm…" the man trailed off.

"Oh, yes, she got into a patch of poison ivy yesterday. She has been itching at it ever since." Lena took the jar from the man's hands. "Well, tell Gaius thank you very much." The man nodded, smiled a little, and turned to go.

"Wait!" Lena grabbed his sleeve lightly.

"Yes?" He turned back around.

"What's your name?" she asked. The man's smile grew, if only by a little.

"Merlin."

"Well, Merlin, I'm Lena, and thank you for delivering this," Lena said, stepping back into the house. "Goodnight."

"'Night."

Lena shut the door and placed the salve on the table. "Olive!" she called, and the young girl came running into the room. "Time to wind down, honey. Come here and sit next to me." Lena picked up the jar again and sat down on the bed, patting the spot to her right. Olive jumped right next to her, wearing a light pink nightgown. Rolling up the left sleeve of Olive's gown, Lena took some paste onto her middle and index fingers and rubbed it all over the lower part of Olive's arm.

"What are you doing?" Olive asked, swinging her feet.

"The court physician sent over something to help with your arm. I told you about poison ivy, you know."

Olive sighed. "I'm sorry, Lena."

"It's all right, love. There, that should stop the itching," Lena declared, having finished her tasks. "Goodnight, Livvie. I shall see you in the morning."

"You aren't coming to bed?" Olive asked, snuggling under the quilt. Lena knew Olive would need it, since it was mid-autumn, and it was getting chilly at night.

"No, Olive, I have some things I must take care of first," Lena explained, blowing out the candles near their bedside. "Go to sleep. Perhaps tomorrow I can take you around." Even in the darkness, Lena could see Olive smiling.

"Okay. Goodnight, Lena."

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Lena stayed in the room for a few minutes, waiting to hear Olive's soft, steady breathing that assured her the young girl was asleep.

Lena stepped on the other side of the curtain that separated her and Olive's bed and a small area of space from the rest of the house, and closed it as delicately as she could, so that she did not make much noise. She walked over to where her father was looking over some papers, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How are you doing?" Lena asked softly. Dyonas shrugged.

"Fine. Is Olive in bed?"

"Yes. Is Adam?"

"Last I checked."

The silence between Lena and her father was awkward, at least for Lena. She wished she had something more to say.

"The king is probably going to let us live here, you know. Permanently, I mean," she mentioned.

"Mm hmm."

"That will be good, won't it?"

"Sure."

Lena exhaled slowly.

"What's wrong, Father?" she asked. "Did something go wrong with the king? Did he say something?" Her voice became almost panicked. "Is he not going to let us stay?"

Dyonas shook his head. "The king hasn't made up his mind yet, Lena. He said that." Dyonas took a drink from his flask of water.

"Well, ever since we got here, you have been acting strange."

"Have I?"

"Yes, and I am worried!" Lena told him, panic creeping into her voice. Dyonas stood up and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"We are going to be fine, Lena. Don't worry about me." With that, he went into the space he shared with Adam, and closed the curtain. Lena stared after him hopelessly, and groaned. Something was happening, and she knew it. Who did her father think she was, someone with a mental affliction?

She blew out the rest of the lit candles and crawled into bed with Olive, not bothering to unpack her things. That could wait until the morning. Lena suddenly felt exhausted, as though their journey had finally caught up to her. She was asleep within minutes, comfortable under the quilt with her sister.

Not quite home, but something close.

Well, maybe someday.