Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any characters from the show or the myth


The dark clouds held in a bleak vortex above the land, for Vivienne she had never seen a darker morning. She could not help but be afraid as she travelled closer to the great lake; a cold breeze caused her to pull her black clock closer to her body. Her soul shivered as her youngest sister cried out in front of her.

For the oldest princess, the events of last night had seemed like an eternity ago. The great hall of the palace had been alight with great candles and tables full of the wealthiest food available, as expected of them, her and her siblings where dressed in their finest. It had made Vivienne happy to join in the dancing as the merriment continued.

But the night had ruined by the news of attacking Saxons. In an instant the fairy tale world the royal children had known was destroyed, they would no longer see a great party or leave the palace walls for fear of their life.

In these dark times, the Queen and her two daughters were now travelling to the Isle of the Blessed. Vivienne peaked from her mother's shoulders as she saw the large black palace that stood out against the misty lake. The very image made her reluctant to leave her horse. She sat frozen as her mother in black robes climbed off the fawn coloured horse, with the young Excalibur now encased in her arms.

"Come child." Her mother's youthful face held a serious expression, while her blonde hair was pulled back and hidden under the hood.

"I don't want to go mother." Her small voice whispered as she caught sight of the hooded man in the small boat.

"You must, we must go now Vivienne." Her mother said pulling the eight year old from the horse. With arms wrapped around her own shoulders Vivienne followed her mother towards the dark water edge. The older man helped the three girls in after being rewarded his fee.

Vivienne could only watch in fear as the imposing palace grew closer, she could hear her younger sister restlessly shift from under their mother's dark clock. The two sisters were the only of the Queen's six children to inherit her magic talents.

Within no time the little boat had come in contract with the small earthy shore. She took charge of her sister as her mother continued her way inside to pray for the defeat of the Saxons, the whole point of this journey.

"I'm scared Vivienne." Her little three year old sister whispered to her, with tears in her eyes. Vivienne carefully pulled her sister closer towards her body as she sat on a rock, her sister's wild red curls coming loose from the hood. "Tell me the dragon story."

"One day in a magnificence land of Avalon, there lived a splendid little dragon with skin as white as a fresh snow; she was free and loved to fly above the trees. But the land was full of many creatures, including snakes, wolves, doves and griffins. These creatures scared the little white dragon so much that that she flew away, and met a red dragon the red dragon however proved to be the little white dragon's death. But the dragon did not die, she was reborn and the very protector of the red dragon and was truly free. She spent the days flying free and whenever the red dragon was scared she always reminded him, that she would keep him safe."

Vivienne finished the story, one she herself had known since childhood, the prophecy of the fight of the red and white dragon. In secret it scared her as her family's emblem was the white dragon. She shook those thoughts out of her head as she carefully laid her sleeping sister behind the rock.

She cautiously made her way around the castle walls, her breathe catching in her throat, men from the land of Deira, the brutal wolf men from the North. She watched as the men followed by the fourteen year old Prince Odin, in furs and curled swords at their waists and each the wolf emblem on their chest. The princess's eyes grew wider as she saw the bloodied body of a man being drag along the ground towards an altar.

Before she could move she felt a hand over her mouth, slowly turning she found the familiar face of Agravaine. Her scared expression soon melted to a weak smile at the sight of her brother.

"What are you doing here?"

She whispered, taking her brother into her arms.

"Father was angry when he discovered mother and you two were gone, he, myself and a few knights came to get you and Excalibur."

"But why not mother?" Vivienne had never been close to her mother, but never imagined leaving her.

"Mother came to sacrifice herself for the Saxon defeat. Now come." They quickly walked hand in hand towards the shore picking up Excalibur on the way. The three children carefully dodged the wolf men hiding in the rocks, but close to shore they were met with the sight of the wolves and the dragons in battle.

"Will we win?" Excalibur whispered.

"Of course, wolves cannot defeat a dragon, remember white dragons will always protect, I will keep you safe." Vivienne whispered back. Although the brutal wolves fought, all but the coward prince were killed.

Prince Odin however hid in the rocks until his men were killed. With his curled blade ready he made his way towards the boat, his dark eyes however caught a target and jumped out at the older King. His blade digging into the King's chest, with a snarl the prince made ready to make the killing blow.

"Stop!" The powerful voice of the old high priestess echoed, the little children watched as an old women dressed in navy robes and their mother entered the scene of battle. "You have blasphemy on this of scared island. Be gone runt, and know that heartache will follow you all the days of your life." She said with power as Odin sourly climbed into the boat. "Mark my words; the reign of the white dragon is at its end." She finished in a rage, before calming down.

"Come children." The old women's voice caught them, scarred and in awe they made their way towards her and their dying father. Agravaine was scared as he looked upon his gasping father in his mother's arms. Gareth was fifteen, his was so young, he could not rule.

"You mother came to me to be a priestess in exchange for the safety of the land, but now she will give up her life for your father's. However I need one of you to stay or else the Saxons will invade." She said looking at the two girls. Vivienne looked at her father, who was now healed and her mother had disappeared before their eyes.

"I will." She spoke, handing over Excalibur to her father as she hugged her twin for the last time.

"Come child." The high priestess held out her hand. From this spot Vivienne stood as she watched her family sail back to the land of Camelot, he glittering future seeming so far away.