Hey guys! Next chapter coming up!
(Ps. I just wanna say a huge thanks to everyone who's supporting me, especially whatswiththemustache, who's reviewed, favourited and followed this book! Thanks so much! Xx)
The Citadel, Camelot
Fia's eyes snapped open. She sat up, wincing as her breath caught in her throat, the pain almost blinding her. It all came flooding back to her: the soldiers shooting, Jenny falling, the bullet thudding through her heart, then waking up in the forest, staggering into the camp, and the small things, like the scent of blood on Jenny's hair, the icy coldness of her skin, the crunch of pine needles beneath her feet, the flickering shadows cast by the fire, the warmth of the flames burning her face as she blacked out. And the pain. The burning pain through her heart from the second her twin was hit, and the bullet bursting through her own chest.
Where am I? She looked around. She was in a large room, the walls draped with plush velvet. There was a huge stained-glass window on one of the walls, bathing the floors with red, green, blue lights. Moving slowly, she swung her legs out of the bed she was lying in and crossed the room, fumbling with the catch to open the window. She looked out across the rolling hills beyond. Trees. Everywhere, trees soaring above the earth, grand and majestic. Lush pastures, a carpet of green tumbling away in the valley, a small spire of smoke rising towards the heavens from the wood, a tiny silver brook sparkling in the sun, snaking away, in the distance, the peaks of snow-capped mountains. She caught her breath. A cool breeze rustled through the leafy branches, swirling her hair around her face as she breathed in, the air sweet and fresh. A bird warbled, a song of gladness and joy. Far below her was a courtyard of cobbled stone, rich smells rose from below, the sound of laughter, the babbling of voices rang out into the sky.
Suddenly, the heavy oak door behind her swung open. She spun around in surprise, her fists raised, only to be greeted with smiling face of a raven-haired young man.
"Who are you?" she asked, warily.
"I didn't know you were awake! I'm Merlin," he grinned kindly. "Who are you?"
She brushed the question off. "Where am I? And where's Jenny?"
"The other girl? She's next door – Gaius is treating her now. He's the court physician and my uncle…" he broke off as Fia coughed violently, blood staining her tunic. He ran over quickly, guiding her to a chair. "Here – drink this," he grabbed a small vial of liquid from a satchel on the table. "It should stop the coughing," he added when she looked at him distrustfully.
Fia glanced from bottle to boy. He looked nice enough, but she was a suspicious person by nature, so she set the vial aside, although she reasoned if they'd wanted to kill her, she'd be dead already. He sighed. "Drink it. Gaius said you have to."
She bit her lip. "Why should I trust you? I don't know anything about you. I don't even know what this place is."
Merlin walked back over to the window. He put his hands on the sill, staring out over the kingdom. He turned back to her. "This… this is Camelot."
"What, as in the Camelot, the one with King Arthur and the round table?"
He nodded, smiling. "Yep, the Camelot." he laughed at her shocked face. "In fact, you'll meet the king very soon. He wants to talk to one of you!"
"Not until I've seen my sister."
"Fia!" Jenny leapt up, running across the room and pulling her twin into a fierce hug. Merlin quickly excused himself, leaving them alone together.
Fia buried her face in Jenny's shirt. "Oh my god, Jenny. I thought you were dead!"
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as the pulled apart reluctantly.
"What for?" Fia looked genuinely puzzled.
"I… it's all my fault we're here."
Fia laughed. "Oh stop blaming yourself. And anyway, wherever we are, it's better than London."
Jenny shrugged. "But what I want to know is how we got here. From what I've worked out, we're in the Middle Ages!"
"Who cares? We're here, aren't we?" Fia dragged her sister over to the window in the corner of the room like an excited child and flung it open. "Have you seen the trees?"
Jenny smiled. She knew however they'd got here, it was a better place than the one they'd left, and somehow, miraculously, they were both alive. Her scientific mind knew there had to be a reason, but for now she didn't need to know it. All she wanted in that single moment was to be with her sister forever.
Yay! Another chapter coming up soon! *randomly hugs a tree*
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