Chapter two
Emma walked towards the big ass castle in the distance, Camelot is a surprisingly desolate place, she internally sighed, as she came to the top of yet another hill.
While she walked, she desperately tried to remember anything about herself, I don't even know what I look like, she realised with a pang. For now a name and a direction would have to be enough for her. As minutes stretched into hours, she began to feel fatigue consume her body, but still she continued walking. She couldn't help but wonder why the darkness had seemed so familiar, there was just something so ominous and yet so intimate about it.
Eventually she began to feel like her mind and body were going to shut down, and she couldn't help but thank whoever was listening when she saw a village just ahead. But her tiredness was forgotten, when the moment someone saw her, the tried to run away.
The blonde narrowed her eyes, and grabbed the woman's arm with a speed that surprised even herself, "why are you afraid?" she asked without pretence.
The woman seemed to be a servant of some kind, she had just dropped two empty buckets, she was dressed in a long flowing skirt, with a bonnet covering her head.
"Because you just attacked this village three hours ago," she answered, fear evident in her features, and Emma instantly released her arm.
As she looked around she finally noticed the considerable property damage, probably even looting.
"You have to believe, I didn't attack this village; I only just got here! If I had been here, why would I return?"
"Do you have a twin?" she asked sceptically.
"Yes," she lied, "and I'm on a mission to stop her, please help me."
"I can't I have to get water," she sighed, as she picked up the bucket and began to walk away.
Inspecting the broken surroundings one more time, Emma noticed that the woman had dropped one of the buckets. "Hey you dropped this," she called, easily catching up to her.
"Why won't you leave me alone?" she grumbled, before noticing the other woman had the bucket and making to grab it.
"Please tell me what happened?" Emma asked, holding the bucket slightly out of reach.
"And what do you want in return?" she asked with narrowed.
Emma sighed, and brought the bucket down, "allow me to help you with the water and then answer my questions...also your name would be helpful."
Looking at the nearly setting sun, she deflated slightly, "fine, my name is Guinevere."
Why does that sound familiar? Shaking her head she replied, "Emma...so who's the water for?"she asked while following the other woman to the well.
"You ask a lot of questions," she pointed out.
"I'm new around here," Emma replied.
"The village?"
"Camelot," the blonde answered.
"Where are you from?" Guinevere countered.
"Now who's asking a lot of questions?" Emma quipped, before walking forward and taking her fill of water, and walking back to the path. Probably shouldn't add memory loss into the mix.
"Okay, no more questions, but we need to go this way," she smirked, pointing in the opposite direction.
Emma nodded sheepishly, and gestured for the other woman to lead the way.
About ten minutes later they arrived at the blacksmiths, with a tall muscular man forging long swords.
Emma offered him a small smile allowing Guinevere to do the talking, but before she could he grabbed one of the finished weapons and made to attack, only to be stopped.
"Father, this isn't her, apparently there's two of them," she tried to restrain him.
He looked at the blonde disbelievingly, "twins," Emma squeaked.
She realised that she must have looked completely non-threatening, because he began to laugh, "you're clearly not the same person, so why are you here?"
"I'm here to stop her," Emma replied somewhat confidently.
He gave her a disbelieving look, "are you sure about that?"
In that moment her resolve finally shattered, "I'm not sure about anything! The only thing I know is my name, I don't even know what I look like."
He shook his head in surprise, and looked to his daughter, probably silently asking where she found the crazy.
"I know I haven't done anything to deserve this yet, but please help me," she begged.
"Do you really want to stop your 'sister'?" he asked.
Emma nodded vigorously, "I don't know exactly who she is, but if she's hurting people, then I will stop her."
He suddenly broke into a smile, "you know, Camelot could use more people like you, Thomas by the way."
"Emma Swan...so you trust me?" She asked in shock.
He inspected her for a moment, "against my better judgement, I trust you. Just make sure that that trust isn't misplaced."
The blonde spent the next couple of days helping out at the blacksmith, working with Gwen, making deliveries, of course before she could go out in public everyone had to be told exactly who she was. In exchange for her services, Thomas allowed Emma to stay in his house, and offered her clothes and food. Gwen also tried to answer all of her questions. All she knew was that Emma's 'twin' was terrorising towns across Camelot, and that no one knew why.
Days turned into months, and Emma considered just staying. She began to feel like a part of the community; despite the town peoples' initial fear they had come to trust her completely. But each night she lay awake, thinking that she had a responsibility to help, she just wished that she could understand why.
When the weeks turned into three months, Emma finally got her answer.
Humming contently to herself, the blonde stood in the stables shovelling manure for a stable hand who had broken his arm, only to be interrupted by imposing white smoke, out of which an ageing man began to materialise.
Instantly she lifted the shovel and asked, "who the hell are you?"
"Please Miss Swan, that is not necessary," he laughed while holding up his hands in mock surrender.
"How do you know my name?" she asked sceptically, gripping the shovel harder.
"Lets just say I'm invested in your future," was his confusing reply.
"Is that supposed to make me trust you?" Emma laughed.
"Please, just listen to what I have to say and then you can decide whether or not to hit me with the shovel," he answered with a kind smile.
"Okay, then talk," she sighed, eventually dropping the shovel.
"My name is Merlin," he replied, and Emma furrowed her brow, there's that déjà vu again.
She pushed past this familiarity and simply nodded.
"This isn't my time, in fact I believe I may be around seventeen at the moment," he chuckled, "but my story doesn't begin quite yet, but yours began long before you were born."
"Excuse me?" she asked, tempted to bring the shovel back up.
"Does the phrase Dark One sound familiar?" she nodded instantly, though she was not sure exactly what it was. "Well your fate and it's have always been tightly woven for all of eternity. But I digress, that is not important just yet."
"I disagree."
"I asked you to listen to me Miss Swan. There is a fate that you need to fulfil before you can return home."
"And what is home?" Emma asked.
"I wish I could give you more, but the darkness really did a number on you" he waved his hands, "I have given you as much memory as possible. I'm afraid it's just snippets, you'll probably only be able to see it in your dreams. But it should be enough for you to do as I say. In a month there is a knight tournament, you must win it if you wish to go home," without warning he disappeared.
Drawing it up to a work induced hallucination, she sighed and decided to go and take a break.
