Hey guys, here's the next one. There is a little bit of a hunting trip later on in the chapter, so I hope that it is what you hoped it to be. Also, thanks to people who alerted, reviewed and favourited (although my computer does not think this is a word). I really appreciate that.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Merlin.

Chapter 14

Alina

Connor only released her when they were in his room. Alina's heart was racing by then and she was desperately trying to calm herself down, something that was not really working. The man who was supposed to be her brother did not seem angry, but in public he had a role to play, a role that he did not have to maintain whilst in his own chamber.

'Have a seat, Alina,' he said. He did not sound unkind and she took that as a good omen.

Keeping up appearances as long as possible, she told herself. So she obeyed and even managed to do so smiling. 'Was there something in particular you wished to discuss?' she asked in an interesting voice. 'Since you were so eager not to be eavesdropped on?'

He turned to her. 'You truly are not my sister, are you?'

Keeping up appearances? There was nothing to keep up. He had already seen through her.

She tried to contradict in nonetheless. 'I'm not sure…,' she began.

He raised his hand and she fell silent. 'Don't try to deny it. I knew my sister very well and you are not her, though you are doing an amazing job if you consider what happened to you.'

He lost her there. 'I'm sorry?'

To her great surprise he started to laugh. 'Look at your face! There is no need to be afraid.'

'Isn't there?' she asked, unsure.

'No need whatsoever,' he reassured her. 'Now, I am curious, when did the change happen?'

Her jaw dropped. He actually knew about this? 'You know?'

He sat himself down on one of the other chairs. 'I'm sorry. You are confused. You did not know how you came to be here?'

She had to take the risk and trust him. Seen as he already knew so much, she might as well tell him everything. 'It's difficult to explain,' Alina said. 'I don't know how much she has told you.'

'My sister told me that she was sometimes "visited", by lack of a better word, by someone from another time, usually when she hit her head, which happened to be quite often. She found out that the time you came from was a better time to live, so she started searching for a way to swap bodies. Shortly before she left for Camelot, she told me she had found a spell that would do the job. She told me that I would not see her ever again. Seeing as you are here and she is not, I take it she succeeded.'

Alina could not believe her ears when she heard that. 'It was no coincidence,' she whispered.

He looked at her interesting. 'You thought it was?'

'There did not seem to be another explanation,' she replied. 'I had these dreams when I looked through her eyes for as long as I can remember and I sometimes took over the control as well for several minutes, so when your sister was attacked and was knocked out, and I was knocked in, I thought it was just like the other times, with the small exception that this time she had hurt her head so hard that she just could not come back. It was an explanation that did make sense a little.' She pondered this a while. 'She used a spell to make us switch bodies, which means she must have my life now. She stole my life.'

'She said she would inform you of her plans,' Connor said. 'I really should not have been surprised that she didn't.'

Alina had to work her hardest to say that this behaviour was indeed completely in line with his sister's character, seen as she had obviously been trying to get her killed by not even hiding the magic books and objects. She did not do it. The other Alina was Connor's sister after all.

'The look on your face tells me that you are not surprised either,' Connor remarked. 'I don't know how well you knew her…'

'Quite well,' she answered in a cool voice. 'And I am sorry to tell you, but I was not so fond of her.'

They sat in silence for a while. 'So, what now?' she finally asked.

'Is this you trying to ask me if I will keep your secret?' Connor asked. He even sounded amused! Of all the reactions that she had anticipated, this had most certainly not been among them.

'In part,' she replied.

'Of course I will,' Connor promised. 'I don't think Uther would be thrilled to find out that the fiancée of his son had magic and is in fact not the real princess Alina.'

'That would be a shortcut to the executioner's block,' Alina agreed.

'So, what is the path you see for yourself here?' he asked. 'Do you want to stay in Camelot or did you hope to return home with me?'

'This may sound crazy, but I think it's best if I stayed here,' she replied. She did not even have to think on this one.

He nodded. 'I had hoped you'd say that. You see, as it happens, the kingdom needs that marriage between you and Arthur to go through.'

Her face fell. 'You can't be serious, Connor.'

'I'm sorry, Alina.'

'Ugh!' she said, feeling disgusted. 'Connor, have you seen what a jerk he is?'

'He can also be very kind.'

'If he feels like it, which is not very often, the way I heard it.'

Connor may be her brother of sorts, but he was also the king and she sensed there was no arguing about this.

'You have to, Alina.'

'It seems I have to tell everyone here the same, over again,' she muttered. 'I am not going to be the person responsible for changing the legend.'

'Legend?' Connor echoed.

'Oops,' she said, blushing.

'What legend?' Connor demanded.

'This is going to sound crazy,' she warned him.

'I'm used to that by now.'

'Well,' she started, hesitating. 'Everything that's happening here, including the whole business with the questing beast, in my time, where I come from, that's a famous legend. I am not in it for some reason. But in the legend it is said that Arthur is destined to marry someone else.'

Connor's jaw had dropped. 'What…?' He did not seem capable of speaking a complete sentence.

'I'm not sure what it means either, but the dragon says…'

'The dragon!' Connor yelled.

'If you scream a little louder, the king will hear that as well,' she remarked dryly.

'Please tell me you have not gone down to talk to that monster.' He was all kingly now, and he was certainly not a very amused king, an angry one more like.

'He's not a monster,' she disagreed. 'But he's not known for giving straight answers, I have to admit. Anyway, he seems to think I'm destined to change legend as I know it. By marrying Arthur,' she added miserably.

Connor fell back in his chair. 'Good heavens,' he whispered.

'Say that,' she muttered.

'So, where does that leave us?' Connor wondered.

It struck her then. 'I have an idea. You are going to tell Uther to put off the wedding for at least another year, giving me the chance to regain my memories, or that's the story. In reality it will be so that I can figure out what to do with this mess. That way your precious treaty will not be endangered in any way.'

'And after that year?' he demanded.

'I don't know now,' she admitted. 'I hope to know then.'

Arthur

'How bad was it?' Arthur heard Merlin whisper to Alina. They were in the courtyard, preparing the horses for the upcoming hunt. Merlin pretended to help Alina check her horse, but Arthur had not been fooled by that. And here they were, confirming all his suspicions.

'Not as bad as it could have been, I guess,' Alina replied in the same, hushed voice. 'He seemed to know everything already, so he did not freak out. He thought it quite amusing, actually.'

'Amusing?' Merlin echoed.

Arthur decided to wait a little while longer before breaking up their tête-a-tête. He had been dying to find out more about their relationship ever since he had heard them arguing when he was supposed to be unconscious. It seemed quite interesting to him.

'Don't ask,' she said, sounding annoyed. 'He still wants me to marry Arthur, though.' She caught Merlin's look, which Arthur could not see. 'Not a word,' she warned him. 'It's not funny.'

'I never said it was.'

'You were going to say something I so not need to hear right now. Anyway, I have been able to persuade him to put it off for at least a year, while I try to find a solution to this problem.'

Arthur also knew about this. It looked like Alina did really not want to marry him. In a way this was a relief, for he still did not feel comfortable in her presence, but at the same time it had been a disappointment too, because this meant that she did not like him. This saddened him, because in the last few days he had to face that he actually did like her. Him being jealous of Merlin had been proof enough of that.

'What are you going to do when the year's over?' Merlin demanded. 'You can't run from destiny forever, Alina.'

Big words, Merlin, Arthur thought. Do you even know what they mean?

Alina did not seem to mind his choice of words. 'I know that. That doesn't mean that I can't try, however, hoping the problem will solve itself. A year may be just what I need.'

What on earth? Arthur thought. What are you planning on, Alina?

'And if it's not?' Merlin asked.

She shrugged. 'I have no idea. Maybe I have to marry him, then. But I hope not. I told you before, Merlin…'

'You don't want to change anything, I know,' Merlin finished.

'I have managed not to do it up till now,' Alina continued stubbornly. 'It will be hard, but I also think it's possible. No future is written in stone.'

Did she detest the idea of marrying him really that much? That knowledge stung more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. It was time to interrupt them. He wasn't sure he could bear to hear another remark of hers on how she hated to get married to him.

'Don't you have other and better things to do, Merlin?' he said in a loud voice.

The pair of them looked up, startled.

'Arthur!' they said at the same time.

'Get your sorry ass out of here, Merlin,' Arthur all but growled at his servant.

'Whatever you want, your highness,' he said.

'Now, Merlin.'

Merlin understood there was no joking around now, so he just walked away quickly, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

'Why are you doing that?' his fiancée said in a very disapproving voice.

'What?' he asked, defensive.

'Shout at him like that,' she clarified. 'He has done you no wrong, surely.'

'Apart from being the most clumsy and lazy servant I have ever known,' Arthur said. And stealing time with my fiancée.

She snorted. 'That is no reason to be so unkind to him,' she said.

'I told him to stay away from you,' he said. 'His disobeyed my orders.'

'Good heavens, Arthur!' she exclaimed. 'How many times do I need to say it before it gets into that thick skull of yours? We are not lovers. We are friends and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. When I came here, Merlin was the only one who really understood what I was going through. He was kind to me and that's not something that can be said about you, Arthur Pendragon.'

'So, if I had been kind to you then, you would have liked me better?' The words left his mouth before he had given them permission to do so.

'Who knows,' she said, before turning her back on him.

The hunt was not too bad, Arthur reflected when they were on their way back to Camelot. He had done a good job keeping Merlin away from Alina, giving him as many chores as he could think of. Alina stayed mostly in Connor's company, laughing and talking. He supposed he preferred that to her talking with Merlin, even though he did not like it one bit that she obviously avoided his company.

Her hunting skills had every bit as good as he had feared. She did not take great pleasure in killing defenceless animals, but she excelled in it. Her arrows hit the animals without exception straight in the eye or heart, her spear never missed. It was depressing to see. There had been one time that they had both shot an arrow at the same rabbit. His had gone straight at it until the very last moment. All of a sudden the wind had come up, sending his arrow past the animal, who had done a run for it. It did not get far. Alina's arrow took it down before it had run five meters. Merlin appeared to think this was very funny, as did Alina. He had grinned widely at her. She chuckled before quickly turning her head away, so no one would notice her laughing.

He solemnly promised himself to never take her out on a hunt again. He was not sure his self-confidence could suffer another blow. She took it down, one bit at a time. First it had been the duel, then it had been the so-called questing beast and now it was hunting.

'You do not look to be in a very good mood,' a familiar voice observed beside him.

'Alina!' he called out, startled.

'You're learning,' she remarked.

'Learning what?'

'Not calling me by my title,' she clarified. She took a deep breath. 'I feel that I have to apologize,' she said. 'I was rude earlier, before we left. It does not change my opinion on how you treat Merlin, but I should have told you in a different way.'

'I should not have gotten angry with him, perhaps,' Arthur said politely. She clearly expected it of him.

She shook her head, smiling. 'There is no need to be jealous, you know. Merlin would never do such a thing to you. He knows very well that I am supposed to marry you. I don't think he even looks at me like that.'

'But you are always together,' Arthur complained.

She laughed. 'You're really rather sweet when you're jealous, Arthur Pendragon. But I assure you, there is nothing more going on between Merlin and me than just friendship.'

He chose his next words carefully. 'So, is there any chance you and I might ever become friends?' he asked in a tone that he hoped was not too interesting.

He should have known better than trying to fool the Lady Alina. 'You really are jealous, aren't you?'

He had no choice now but to confess. 'Is it really that obvious?'

She nodded. 'Pretty much, yes. And as for the being friends matter, I guess we could always try.'

'I thought you disliked me,' he blurted out, surprised at her answer.

This was in some way funny to her, because she laughed. 'Oh no, I don't dislike you!' she exclaimed. 'I don't like you exactly either. But I see in you the man who you will become, when you learn to be not to be such a… well, such a prat, to say it with Merlin's words. That's enough for me to at least make an effort for it.'

'So, from now on, we're friends?' he summarized.

She offered him her hand and he shook it, as if they were making a deal. 'Friends it is, then.'

They had only just released each other's hands when the bandits attacked.

Hopefully this is the cliff-hanger I wanted it would be. Bandits are going to attack further tomorrow…