Hello! Here's the third chapter. Merlin is paranoid, as usual, but I apologize if any of the characters are OOC. Enjoy!

Merlin showed Alan and Coram to their room before heading back home. As he walked, he pondered, What is it about these strangers? Alan and Coram seemed pretty nice, but they were slightly suspicious. He admired Alan, for such a small man, and with such effeminate features, he had a lot of spirit. He had a strong will and his personality was as fiery as his hair. Also, Merlin had to admit, it was rather amusing to watch how he interacted with Arthur. Yes, Merlin liked the newcomers, so why was he suspicious?

When Alan had first introduced himself, he had a strange reaction to them, almost as if he'd recognized them. Merlin had also received an odd feeling during that encounter. He knew he had never seen Alan before in his life. With his red hair and bright purple eyes, he wasn't someone you were likely to forget. So it couldn't be that he had met Alan before, but Alan had a sort of... Not really an aura, but Merlin could tell there was more to Alan than meets the eye. The reason Merlin was most suspicious though, was because there was an almost... Magical feeling around the lad. It was confusing though, because, it felt like magic, but it also felt so... different... It felt foreign. Exotic. Were there different types of magic out there? And most importantly - did Alan have magic? If he did, why was he here?

He of all people should not be suspicious of someone because they have magic, but thinking of the past, almost all the sorcerers that came to Camelot had a bad sorcerers out there that used magic for good generally stayed far, far away from Camelot, and for good reason.

Yes, as much as Merlin liked the newcomers, he would keep a close eye on them until he was sure what their intentions were. Just in case...

Merlin woke up the next morning, late as usual. He groaned and dragged himself out of bed, dressing quickly and grabbing an apple that was sitting on the table. He muttered a quick 'good morning' to Gaius and hurried out the door.

Not surprisingly, Arthur was still asleep when Merlin brought the prat's food up. He honestly couldn't see why Arthur was so annoyed when Merlin was late, Arthur loved to sleep in anyway. Ha, the prat just yelled at him for fun. It was just another way Merlin was able to brighten up someone else's day.

He set Arthur's breakfast on the table before yanking open the curtains, allowing the sun to shine directly on Arthur's face. "Rise and shine! The world is missing it's daily serving of clotpole!" Merlin said with a huge grin. "You know that's unhealthy Arthur, the world needs 1 serving of clotpole, 2 servings of wonderful-ness, and 3 servings of humor everyday! We all have to do our share!"

"Who brings the other 5 servings?" Arthur grumbled.

"Oh, that would be me of course!" Merlin grinned and yanked the blankets off of Arthur, 'accidentally' knocking him on the floor.

"MERLIN!" He narrowly dodged a goblet thrown at his head. "WHY DO I PUT UP WITH YOU?!"

"Because I brighten up your day!" Merlin skipped out of the room before Arthur could find something else to throw at him.

After a few minutes Merlin went back to Arthur's room, helped him dress and put on his armor, before following him down to the training grounds.

"Okay, Merlin, grab a shield, a sword, and put on a helmet."

Merlin groaned, his good mood starting to dissipate. He hated doing this, but he did as he was told. He went up to face his first opponent, this one wasn't so bad, this person was a relatively new fighter, so Merlin was able to feebly fight back. Once that was done, he trained with different knights for the next few minutes. When he was fighting against one particular man who really battered him down. Then he heard someone shouting, "HEY! Why would you make your servant do that?!" He turned to see Alan, who had Faithful on his shoulder, yelling at Arthur, he assumed he looked pretty pitiful, not many others had ever spoken up on his behalf in training.

"Merlin can handle it. He's done this before."

"Did you see him?! He isn't a knight, he was barely holding on to the shield, he's a servant, and he has no training in how to defend himself."

"Well thats why we're here isn't it?" Arthur said.

"If he's going to fight, train him. Don't just pitch him against everyone without knowing what to do."

"Alan, don't worry, Merlin can take care of himself," For a split second, Arthur's voice got gentle, before resuming his arrogant tone. "If you want to see for yourself, you can train against him. I bet he's a great match for your skills."

"Do you always behave like a prat?" Alan demanded. Merlin looked up at this before laughing loudly. That was his line! And it was being delivered by a man who's head barely reached Arthur's shoulder. The others joined in, they had all heard Arthur and Merlin's banter before.

Alan continued speaking "No I'm not going to fight Merlin, I think I'll fight you instead, you aren't as great as you think you are!" Wow, Alan seemed mad, Merlin blushed slightly, Alan was angry on his behalf.

Arthur seemed very taken aback, before letting out a laugh of his own. "Are you sure you want to fight me? I won't be responsible if you get hurt."

Alan drew her sword, "I'm sure."

A large circle formed around the two, nobody would miss this for the world. Arthur getting told off by a red-haired pipsqueak who then challenged him to a duel? Everyone assumed that this fight would be over very quickly, the redhead would get flattened! Merlin wasn't so sure, the grace which Alan held himself spoke of his experience and competence. Merlin used his gangly height to his advantage, peering over the shorter knight's heads. He heard murmured bets taking place. So far the odds were 20:1 Arthur to Alan.

He could tell by looking at Arthur's face that Arthur didn't want to fight the youth. He was afraid of hurting him, but his pride wouldn't let him withdraw. Both took a defensive stance holding their shields and swords, but Alan didn't strike. Alan was waiting for Arthur to make the first move, Arthur lunged forward, but his heart wasn't in it. Alan easily parried the blow, knocking Arthur's sword out of his hand.

"Come on Arthur!" Merlin called, "That wouldn't have scared a rabbit!" Merlin noticed Faithful pacing back and forth, tail twitching. The cat was watching Alan and Arthur with an intensity far more intelligent than any animal had a right to possess. Again, he felt a slight magic hanging around the cat, and nervously turned his attention to the fight.

Alanna's POV

When she had seen Merlin cowering from the blows of his opponent, her blood boiled. What was he doing here? He had no experience fighting, and was barely hanging on to his shield! The perpetually happy servant was being used as a punching bag! This wasn't how noble knights were supposed to behave! She was very angry, and started shouting at Arthur. As she shouted, he looked the slightest bit remorseful, but she was still angry, and challenged him to a duel.

She could tell that Arthur was very reluctant to fight her. But he was too proud to back down. She drew her sword, Lightning, assuming a defensive position. Arthur did the same. She stared into his eyes, not moving, hoping to unnerve him. He was too experienced for that, but she could tell that he was uncomfortable. He lunged forward with a pathetic blow, which she parried easily before rapping the back of his hand with the flat of her blade, knocking his sword to the ground. She barely noticed the knights murmuring around her.

"Come on Arthur! That wouldn't have scared a rabbit!" She heard Merlin yell.

She hissed up at Arthur, "You're still underestimating me," before drawing back and allowing him to pick up his sword.

This time she struck first, he wasn't ready for her speed, and clumsily blocked it before moving out of her range. They circled around each other, Alanna slashed out at him in a series of quick strokes. She remembered using this same move on Jonathan, her speed overwhelmed even the largest of men and she was rewarded by her efforts. She got close enough to him to punch him in the gut before he jumped away. Merlin hadn't been kidding when he said Arthur was one of the best, Alanna couldn't tell where he would move, his torso gave away no hints, no direction, unlike less experienced fighters. Arthur was fast, strong, and unpredictable. Well, not totally unpredictable...

By this time, Arthur had adapted his style well enough to accommodate for her height, his blows came quicker, aiming downward, but still she danced out of the way. He moved closer and this time they exchanged quick parries in an exhilarating dance. She felt adrenaline rushing through her veins, they were very equal. Alanna wouldn't be able to best him in strength, but she had speed and trickery. They continued parrying until their sword hilts locked, bringing them body to body. Oh no, she thought, I need to get out of this quick. She was much stronger than she looked, but she still wouldn't be able to hold Arthur off for long in this position. She summoned her strength, and gave a massive push before removing herself from the body to body position. She heard mild gasps around her, and even Arthur looked stunned. She understood why, for someone her size it was normally extremely difficult to get out of that position. She was sweating and breathing heavily, so she knew she had to end this soon. She panted even harder, making herself look even more tired than she already was.

She moved forward slowly, pretending to be exhausted, and held Lightning in a position that would be easily knocked out of her hand. She knew no swordsman would be able to resist trying. He warily moved forward, coming to meet her before doing exactly what she had predicted. He slashed towards her sword hand but she immediately leaped out of the way, spinning as she moved to his side. His lunge had carried him off-balance, and she slashed at his hand, twisting Lightning as she did so and knocking his sword to the ground. But she wasn't done yet. She had moved so quickly that he was still off balance from his lunge, and as he tried to right himself, she tripped him, knocking him backwards. He lay flat on the ground, staring up at her in shock as she pointed Lightning at his throat.

Her anger was completely gone by now, and she smiled, lowering her sword. She reached out her hand, which he took, and she pulled him to his feet. He was still shocked, but he looked at her with a newfound respect. "I'm never underestimating you again." He flashed a brief smile at her. Perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.

Merlin's POV

Everyone stared in shock as Alan levelled his sword at Arthur's throat. The best swordsman in Camelot beaten by someone half his size. Merlin tensed, he would intervene if he had to, but relaxed as Alan smiled, and offered his arm, pulling Arthur to his feet. The knights who had switched their bets to Alan started cheering, as the others gaped at Alan and Arthur.

Alan moved with lightning speed when he fought. It was amazing, he had thought Arthur was fast, but Alan was far more nimble. But then again, Alan didn't have as much weight to carry around as Arthur did, Merlin permitted himself a tiny grin.

The morning was a long one, and everyone looked at Alan with newfound respect, and Merlin was happy that he didn't have to train with the knights anymore today, but he was still wondering about Alan's strange cat. He finished up his chores, but instead of going to take a quick lunch break, he headed to the library. Geoffrey wasn't there, which would make this easier for him to research. He started looking at books about enchanted animals. Most of the entries didn't help at all. He found pages on unicorns, griffins, dragons, acromantulas, phoenixes, sidhe, mermaids, bastets - he choked back sorrow at that entry, and finally he found a page on familiars. The name rung in his head, and he was sure he had heard it before. He read the entry.

Familiars are classified as supernatural spirits in the form of an animal. Occasionally they can take a different form, but are almost always a human/animal combination. They are created to protect or assist a person. While the general belief is that familiars are used for evil, believed to be a demon assisting a witch in her dark magic, this is often not the case. As only very powerful sorcerers can summon a demon, most familiars are not around for evil purposes.

Merlin felt better at reading this, Faithful's presence might not necessarily be a bad thing, but he still needed to find out why Alan and Coram were here. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Alan come in behind him.

Alanna's POV

After her duel was over, she continued training with the knights. She was happy that Merlin didn't have to train with them anymore today, but she knew it wouldn't be long before Arthur made Merlin train with them again. Eventually it was lunchtime, and Alanna decided it would be a good time to research a little more about Emrys and the Once and Future King. Faithful agreed with her, and hopped onto his favorite perch on her left shoulder. She munched on a piece of bread while wandering the castle halls. She had to ask for directions to the library more than once, the castle was so large! Eventually she found it, it was such a big library, Myles would have felt right at home here. It was full of towering bookcases and dust, lots of dust. She looked around, it was empty, except for one person. Merlin. She wondered what he was doing. "Fancy meeting you here." She suppressed a smile as he jumped and spun around, quickly shutting his book as he did so.

"Alan! You startled me!" He looked mildly nervous about something, she couldn't think what. "What were you reading?" She asked.

"Oh... umm...Just a book...About animals and mythical creatures."

Why did he look so agitated? "Sounds interesting," she said mildly. Where would she find a book on Emrys or on the Once and Future King? She turned and perused the shelves, not noticing Merlin take a breath to calm himself. She remembered the Goddess saying, "There are many prophecies concerning people of that place, but something changed, and now you are needed. The future is not completely clear, even to me, but you must assist the man they call Emrys and the Once and Future King. You will be needed to unite the land of Albion, and restore magic." Prophecies she had said. Alanna decided to start there.

"I'm trying to find a book," she turned back to Merlin, who seemed much more calm now. She must have really startled him. "But I'm not sure where to start looking."

"What book?"

"Ummm, do you know where books about old legends or maybe prophecies would be?"

A muscle in Merlin's face twitched at this, "Why are you looking up stuff like that?"

Should Alanna tell him? She could tell him that she was looking for Emrys, but she felt this was something she should keep to herself. Besides, Merlin probably wouldn't know anything about Emrys anyway. She made up a story on the spot, "When I was little, my mother used to read me stories of the great kings of old, and I just wanted to find a book on them. I'd rather you didn't tell anyone this, but I'm slightly homesick." She averted her eyes. Well it wasn't a total lie, she was homesick. Merlin nodded in understanding and directed her to the right bookshelf. She picked up a few books and skimmed through them, apparently nobody had decided an index would be a good idea.

She realized Merlin was still standing awkwardly behind her, she looked at him. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Thank you, for earlier today."
She smiled at him, "No problem."

As he turned to go, she remembered something, "Oh Merlin! How would you feel about me giving you proper lessons on how to sword fight?"

He glanced at her and smiled ruefully, "I don't think that would be the best idea, I'm terrible with a sword."

"A little bit of proper training could fix that. When I started, it was downright embarrassing how bad I was."

He shook his head, his smile widening, "Oh no, you haven't seen me with a sword. I must have been born clumsy."

She looked right into his eyes as he said this. From what she had seen, he was far more intelligent than he let on, but he kept it hidden. Why? She assumed he was doing the same with his coordination skills. "No, I don't think you're as clumsy as you pretend to be." His eyes widened but he kept a smile on his face.

"No, I'm terrible at this sort of thing. I am coordination impaired. But if you really want to teach me, I will let you try. I'm warning you now though, you'll give up on me eventually." He grinned at this."When would you want to start the lessons?"

"Hmmm, well I have nothing to do for the rest of today, and if you have time to come to the library you must be done with your chores. So how about on the training grounds before dinner?"

"Okay. I'll see you then." He left.

She continued looking through the books, and finally she found a few mentions of Emrys. Emrys is the one born of magic. He will protect the Once and Future King, and help him to claim his throne. How could anyone be born of magic? She continued her search, but didn't find much else. She wondered again, who is Emrys, and how am I supposed to find him. The Goddess said both he and the Once and Future King were in Camelot. She probably could safely guess Arthur was the Once and Future King, but then again, he might not be. But Emrys, he could be anyone. How was she supposed to find him?

She decided to put these thoughts away for now. Soon she would go to the training grounds, and give Merlin his first proper lesson in sword fighting.

Did you like it? I hope you did! Please review!

*Next chapter will take longer to update, softball started and the homework is being piled on. I don't have quite as much time, sorry about that. But I will try to post by next week. (I'll write over the weekend)

Next chapter I will be incorporating the tv series. Starting with The Crystal of Neahtid. :)

Question - what did you guys think of the duel?