Gwen and Arthur were sleeping peacefully when the news came.
A panicked nursemaid began screaming and banging on their door while wailing to the guards.
To be quite honest Arthur didn't know what to expect.
Gwen was nestled in his arms and the noise jolted them awake. Arthur groaned as Gwen shifted uncomfortably.
"What's happening?" She mumbled.
"I don't know but when I find out they'll be arrested for treachery" Arthur said getting up while slipping on a white tunic and some boots.
Gwen didn't know if he was joking or not.
She quietly sat up to get a better view of Arthur walking to the door.
When he opened the door a nursemaid practically jumped on Arthur in panic.
Gwen got up in shock as Arthur glared at his subject then his guards, "What is the meaning of this?" He asked as the guards quickly restrained her.
"E-Esmeralda" She cried out in panic.
When Gwen heard this she gasped and quickly got out of her shared bed and ran to her daughters room despite her night gown and Arthur followed. "GET MERLIN!" he yelled as ran to the aid of his youngest child and only daughter.
When he got to Esmeralda's chambers he saw her laying silently on her bed with her hand folded and staying deathly still. Her chest was heaving up and down to indicate that she was sleeping, and he got scared.
When Gwennie woke up she wasn't in her room or any place she was familiar with.
She was in a small hut where only a small bed could fit.
Her tiny lips began trembling, afraid she was in sudden danger.
"Mother, father." She began looking around.
But she was only greeted by the sound of birds chirping and trees swaying.
Taking leap of curiosity, Gwennie slowly got out of the bed she was in.
Her head began to pound with a beating intensity and she cried out in pain.
She turned to try to get back into the bed but it had disappeared.
Gwennie grimaced before stumbling out of the hut in pain.
When she walked out of the hut she couldn't even appreciate the beautiful meadow she was standing in.
She just stumbled holding her head until she couldn't bear it any more. She sank to her knees and began to cry in grief and agony.
Why was this happening to her?
Where were her parents? Where were her brothers?
Where was she?
But the sound of a river filled her ears. She looked up through the pain to see a beautiful sparkling blue river in front of her.
She couldn't tell if it was there before, or if it just appeared.
On instinct she reached her hands into the water and splashed it on her face.
As the cool water hit her face she gave a little shutter.
Her angst and agony washed away.
She couldn't remember why she was hurting or why she was so upset.
It felt like she was at home, at peace.
On a hunch she bent down to drink some of the water but a voice stopped her.
"I wouldn't recommend that." it called.
Gwendolyn slowly turned around to see a woman with a reef of flowers on her head and a fond smile etched on her face.
"Why not?" She asked.
"It's dangerous, too much of a good thing is bad for you" the lady simply said.
"Is that so?" Esmeralda questioned.
The lady smiled while walking closer, "Indeed it is young princess."
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" Gwennie asked pleasantly.
"Queen Lucinda of course."
"We've met?" Gwennie asked.
Lucinda just gave a small smile before extending her arm, "Walk with me, my child. We have a lot to discuss.''
Merlin didn't know what to do.
He would've thought that Gwendolyn was peacefully sleeping if her breathing weren't so sporadic and blood wasn't leaking from her nose and ears.
He wanted to say she was just suffering from a cold but he knew that wasn't entirely true.
He could sense magic.
Merlin soon looked to Arthur and Gwen and rubbed the back of his head, "I've never seen this before" he admitted.
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked wildly while gripping onto Arthur's arm.
Merlin was about to reply when he recalled what Thomas had told him yesterday.
Thomas sat in the chair in front of Merlin while reading one of his old magic books.
"There's something wrong with Gwen." Thomas said referring to his little sister.
"Yeah?" Merlin asked looking to Thomas, "What?"
"On our way back to the castle I saw she was in pain and when I went to see what was wrong with her..." He trailed of confusedly.
"What happened?" Merlin asked.
"It felt like something was attacking me. My eyes began to flash too." he said warily.
Merlin sat quietly thinking about what Thomas said. His eyes flashed too, and that never happened before. Did it have something to do with Esmeralda?
"Say, did anything happen to her while you all were gone?"
Thomas just shrugged, "She was with father the whole time, I don't really know." He admitted.
"Alright, I'll just ask your father." he replied.
"Did Esmeralda receive anything yesterday, or did something happen to her-" Merlin began to ask but he cut himself off.
"The necklace." he murmured to himself.
''What about the necklace?" Arthur demanded.
"What necklace?" Gwen asked.
Before he could answer a guard rushed in, "My lord, my lady, the princes want to enter" He said.
"Keep them out" the king demanded. "I don't want them to see their sister in such a state.''
Meanwhile, Merlin tried to take off Esmeralda's necklace but it burnt his hand, "It's enchanted" he said frustrated.
"It won't come off."
"Surely I can't be that special." Gwendolyn said in disbelief as Lucinda told her about the fate of her world.
"When the time comes you and Cordelia will have to come together and vouch for our world." Lucinda explained.
Gwennie just shook her head, "Never-" She started to say but Lucinda started laughing softly.
"Young princess, you are at a ripe age. You don't truly dislike Cordelia, just let things play out as they shall" she said.
"I won't" Gwennie said haughtily, "She wants Elliot all to herself and-"
"She shall have him when the time comes." Lucinda finished for her.
When Gwennie gave Lucinda a strange look Lucinda sighed, "Why don't you look into the water."
Gwennie did as told, when she looked down in the water she gasped at what she saw.
A young lady with flowing chocolate hair and a graceful smile. Her brown and blue eyes sparkled as she stood in a field barefoot while wearing a gray dress with a black bodice, "Who's that?" She marveled.
"Keep looking" Lucinda instructed.
Gwennie looked in the water again to see the girl running now, she was laughing and smiling while looking over her shoulder.
"Your suppose to catch me." She laughed.
The image changed again, the girl was sitting in front of a blonde girl with striking brown eyes and delicate features.
They were sitting together and laughing while sipping tea.
"That was you Esmeralda." Lucinda said using her formal name.
"Couldn't be." Gwendolyn denied.
"Don't ever deny yourself, you will learn that soon enough. But alas, our time together is growing shorter, if I keep you long you will die."
"Why?" Esmeralda asked.
"You are wearing that cursed charm." Lucinda said disdainfully looking at Gwennie's necklace.
"This?" Gwendolyn asked holding up her necklace.
"Bah" Lucinda groaned while looking at it. "Those blasted pixies" she mumbled before sighing and pulling out a ring from her pocket and handing it to Gwennie.
It was a silver band with three intertwined triangles carved in it, "You'll need this when the time comes. Wear it at all times to keep you protected. No go before you fade." She ordered.
"How?"Gwennie questioned.
"Take off your necklace"
Gwen and Arthur watched hopelessly as Merlin tried to save their daughter.
Just then the strange happened. Esmeralda's cheeks began to redden and her bleeding began to stop,
Her hands went to her necklace and she jolted awake gasping for air.
Her parents and Merlin jumped in surprise before crying, She was finally awake.
"You have no idea how worried I was." Gwen sobbed running to her daughter but paused when she saw her eyes.
One eye wasn't just blue while the other was just brown.
Her eyes were now this bluish brown color.
"What's happened?" Gwen questioned.
Esmeralda knew but she wasn't sure if it was just a dream or not,
But a glistening silver ring caught her eye and she couldn't help but grimace, what Lucinda said was true.
A/n: That concludes our first part of the story, It's not over yet. But next chapter is a one shot, Comment and tell me who you want it to be about and what you want it to be about.
