A/N: Hello! Yes, this is an actual update, not a prank. I know I keep leaving weeks between updates, but I've got a little free time so here is the next chapter for you all. Enjoy.
"I… I got your note." Arthur told her, trying to keep it together. It was difficult, seeing her there but not being able to touch her, to know that it wasn't really her standing there and that she was still trapped with Hogan.
Lillian simply smiled at him. "I'm glad that she made it to you. It was all I could think of at the time, but after everything that has happened, spending a whole day…" She had missed him, and she was worried about him. She needed to see for herself that he was all in one piece. "I needed to see you, Arthur."
"Lily, your brother and I are working on getting you home. He was angry when I returned without you, and when I explained everything that had happened, he vowed that nothing would stop him. And so did I." All he wanted to do was grab hold of her, to hold her in his arms, but he couldn't, and it was causing a terrible aching in his chest.
"No, Arthur. You have to stop, whatever it is you and my brother are planning, don't. Please, don't." Lillian knew that she had to be strong, she had to tell Arthur to stay away, to leave her there, to make him understand that it just wasn't safe. "Hogan is unpredictable, there is no telling what he would do if you returned. He has magic, Arthur, and he isn't afraid to use it to hurt people, you know that."
"And that is exactly why we are not leaving you there." The Prince told her firmly. "I will bring you home, Lily, I promise you."
There were still tears rolling down her cheeks as she shook it. "Please, Arthur, don't. I can't bear to see him hurt you again. You have to stay away, you have to promise me that you will stay away."
He didn't want to make that promise, his promise was to save her, to rescue her, not to leave her in the clutches of that deranged man. "I can't. You mean too much to me, Lillian, you know that. I lost you once, I am not going to lose you again."
"Please, Arthur, you can't. You need to forget all about me, you need to go and live your life." Lillian pleaded with him. There was so much that she wanted to say to him, so much she wanted to tell him, but she just didn't have the strength. "You still have so much to live for, Arthur. You need to become the greatest King that this world has ever seen. And I know you will."
"Not without you." Arthur told her firmly, once again wanting to reach out and touch her. "You don't understand Lily, but without you then there is no point. You mean more to me than life itself, without you, I would be nothing but a broken man, leading to a broken King."
"Arthur…" She started, but stopped when she heard something in the distance. She felt a presence back in her chamber, back where she was lying on the bed, seemingly looking sound asleep. "I have to go, someone is there." She told him in a panic. "Do not do anything, Arthur. Promise me, you will not do anything?"
Before the Prince had a chance to reply, she was gone, faded out of existence like she never existed in the first place. There was not a trace of her left, nothing. "I can't Lily. I'm coming to save you, that is my promise." He managed to whisper, before dragging himself back over to his bed.
Lillian felt herself return to her body, the soft covers having been thrown over her at some point. Then she felt something else, someone was touching the side her of her face. She wanted to open her eyes and see who it was, but her mind was telling her that she already knew who she would see.
"Who knew that I would end up with everything I had ever dreamed of?" Hogan said softly, believing Lillian to be sound asleep. "Who knew that you would come back to me, and stay with me. Now, we shall be together forever, my dear Lillian. In two days time everything will be different, everything will be prefect." He said, before reaching down and pressing his lips against hers.
Lillian wanted to push him away, to stop him from touching her. But she kept her resolve and continued to pretend to be sleep. She hadn't liked the way he had been talking, the things he had been saying, it just scared her even more. She knew that he was up to something, and it was something that involved her. Now she knew that she had two days to get Merlin out of there.
Once she was certain that the man had left the room, she slowly opened her eyes. A few candles were still lit around her chamber, and the dinner that Merlin had left for her was still sitting on the table, cold. He was probably sound sleep now, at least she hoped he was.
She walked around her chamber, putting out the candles as she went. In her mind, Lillian could still see Arthur, and the pain that was on his face. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to try something, no matter what she said to him. He said that he couldn't leave her there, that she meant more to him than life itself, and that only served to hurt her more.
Eventually, she shuffled back over to her bed, getting herself under the covers, and letting the barriers break and the tears fall. She couldn't stop them now, and she wouldn't even want to. Lillian knew how bad things were, and that she was never going to see Arthur again, not in the flesh at least.
When Merlin came to her chamber in the morning, he saw that her meal from the night before had not been touched and he let out a sigh. The warlock had hardly been able to get any sleep due to his worry of her. Everything that she had said to him the night before kept playing on his mind, and he wanted to talk to her about it all.
He decided to let her sleep for a little while longer, having noticed her tear stained cheeks. Instead, Merlin went to fetch her some breakfast, hoping that she would at least try to eat some of it when she finally decided to wake up.
"You're Princess Lillian's servant, aren't you?" A voice said to him quietly when he was down in the kitchens.
He turned around and saw an elderly woman watching him. She looked tired, and worn, like she had just given up on everything. "Uh, yeah, I am."
"What she did was very brave." The woman told him, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "But she doesn't know what she's done, what she has let herself in for."
"What do you mean?" Merlin was curious to say the least, and he would really like to know more about what was going on.
The woman let out a sigh. "The master, he… he has plans for the Princess. Not good plans."
Now Merlin was even more concerned. He knew that something was going on, he had heard the whispers, the chatter about something going on and involving Lillian. "Please, you have to tell me what's going on. I stayed here to look after her, to protect her. If you know something…" The old woman stopped him by putting her hand up.
He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to tell him what was going on. "There is talk, that the master is planning to take Rolana for himself. He will use the Princess to get this. She is in much danger."
"What?!" The young warlock asked in shock. He wasn't entirely sure he had heard the woman right, but it sounded like she said Hogan was going to try to take Rolana.
"Lord Hogan is planning an attack on Rolana. He plans to take the throne for himself, and for this, he needs the Princess." The woman told him nervously, looking around her as if she were being listened to.
"How? How is he going to do this? Please, what else can you tell me?" Merlin was desperate, and the news had definitely unnerved him.
The woman just shook her head at him. "I wish I knew. I'm sorry I cannot help you more, but I simply do not know. All I do know, is that Princess Lillian has lost all freedom, and Lord Hogan will make sure that she will always be at his side." After that, she shuffled away from him, getting back to her work.
In a bit of a daze, Merlin gathered Lillian's food. Even as he walked to her chamber he was still in a daze, replaying everything that the woman had told him. When he returned, he saw that she was still asleep. She looked so peaceful, until you looked closer and saw the tears.
After placing the food down on the table, he went over to the bed quietly. "Hey, Lillian?" He called gently, trying to wake her up softly. "Lillian, it's time to get up now."
She let out a groan as she rolled over a little and away from him. "Go away, Merlin. Go bother Arthur." Lillian moaned to him.
Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Lillian, Arthur… Arthur isn't here." It was clear for him to see that she wasn't full conscious and had no idea that she wasn't in either Camelot or Rolana. "We're… we're with Hogan, remember?"
Once again she groaned. "Yes, I remembered, but I was trying to forget." She mumbled into the pillow. "I was quite happy to sleep and forget all of that, to pretend it had all just been a nightmare."
"I'm… I'm sorry, Lillian." The warlock replied, feeling very nervous. He knew he had to tell her, he wasn't going to keep it from her, she had to know what that woman had said. "Lillian, I… I have to tell you something, something important."
She finally rolled over in the bed and faced him, her eyes still red and blood shot from where she had cried so much. "What's happened? Please don't tell me it's Arthur? He hasn't done something stupid already has he?" She asked him with worry.
Merlin shook his head at her. "Uh, no. Um, actually, it's about you." He told her, grasping her full attention. "In the kitchen this morning, one of the cooks, she was telling me some things. There has been a lot of talk about Hogan and what he's planning. Lillian, he plans to attack Rolana and take the throne."
Lillian looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" Her voice came out, barely above a whisper.
"He wants the throne, and for that he needs you. That's all I know, that's all she would tell me. She said you're in danger, Lillian, so we have to get out of here. Fast." He wasn't sure how he was expecting her to react, but it wasn't anything like the one he received.
She shook her head at him. "No, Merlin, you have to get out of here. If he is planning to attack my kingdom, then I need to be here to stop him." She told him firmly. "You need to get out and warn my brother and Arthur, if he is still there."
Now he was confused. "Why wouldn't Arthur be there?" He asked her curiously.
"Because I have told him to move on with his life, Merlin. Arthur needs to forget about me and become the greatest king there has ever been." There were fresh tears glistening in her eyes already as she thought about Arthur. "This is my life now, Merlin. And even if I do get out of here, Arthur is better off without me."
"What? How can you say that, Lillian?" Merlin was in utter shock at what she was saying. "Without you, Arthur wouldn't be the man he is today. He would still be that pig headed clotpole who thinks he is better than everyone else and following his father's views on magic. He needed you then, and he still does now." He told her, trying to get her to understand that Arthur really did need her, and that he wasn't going to just stand by and let her stay there with Lord Hogan.
"I have brought Arthur nothing but trouble. He is better off without me, and with you beside him he will still be a great man. I know he will, Merlin." She was trying so desperately to believe what she was saying, to convince herself that it was right for Arthur to live his life without her. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was for the best in her opinion.
"Lillian, you can't mean that." Merlin really didn't know what to think of what she was saying. He was hoping that she wasn't serious, but he knew that deep down she was. "Arthur needs you, and you need him."
"It doesn't matter, Merlin. This is how things have to be, and that's the end of it." Lillian really didn't want to talk about it anymore, she didn't even want to think about it. Face
Nothing else was said between the two, as Lillian disappeared behind the screen to change and ready herself for the day, while Merlin busied himself with some cleaning. Both of them had a feeling of dread, because both of them knew something was brewing within the decaying castle of Lord Hogan.
As soon as she was ready, Lillian sat down at the table, playing with her breakfast rather than eating it. She wasn't in the mood to eat, she wasn't even hungry, all she could think about was Arthur. After visiting him during the night, after talking to him, she felt even more guilty for what she had done to him and to Merlin.
There was a light knocking on the door, and Merlin was quick to go and open it. "Hi, um… we've come to measure Princess Lillian…" The young maid at the door said nervously, two other women with her. Merlin slowly stepped away from the door, allowing the trio to enter the room.
"Uh, Princess Lillian, they're here to… uh…" Merlin didn't really know what to say.
She gave him a small smile as she got up from the table. "It's fine, Merlin. You carry on with whatever you need."
"But you haven't eaten anything…" He wasn't really that surprised if he was honest, even he wasn't eating properly.
"I'm really not hungry." Merlin just gave her a nod, before leaving her alone in the room with the three new women. "May I enquire as to the reason why you are here?"
They all looked at each other nervously, before the youngest one stepped forward. "We're… we're hear to measure you for… for you… your new gowns." She told Lillian nervously, playing with her hands as she did. Something didn't feel right to Lillian, and it was making her feel very uneasy.
"I have not requested any new gowns, nor do I require any. I am afraid you have had a wasted journey." Her reply had been simple and maybe a little harsh, but she didn't care. She didn't want any new gowns, not when she new Hogan was paying for them. Of course she didn't really have any gowns there, just a few simple dresses that Hogan had supplied for her, and the dress she arrived in.
"Lord Hogan, he… uh, he has requested it."
Lillian just frowned, her suspicion growing by the second. "What is your name?" She asked, trying to break the tension and find out what was really going on.
"Sera, I mean, Seraphina, My Lady." She replied, curtseying a little as she did.
Lillian looked to the other women, seeing how nervous they were as well. "And you both?"
"I'm Tia, My Lady."
"My name is Julia, Princess Lillian."
Lillian nodded to them both. "And do any of you know why Hogan has requested new gowns?" She hoped to get some answers, because she was desperate to know what was really going on. Instead, they all averted their eyes, making sure not to catch her gaze. "Your reluctance to answer just proves to me that you do know something but are unwell to share."
That was when Sera decided to speak up. "He… he said that you needed new gowns. That… that you are a princess and need to be treated as such."
Only Lillian wasn't so convinced with her answer. She was too nervous, stumbling over her words. "Please, I don't want you to be afraid. I just want to find out what Hogan is up to, because I know he is planning something. Are any of you here by choice? Or is Hogan forcing you to work here?" Once again, no one answered her. "Listen to me, whatever Hogan is planning, it is not good. I can help you, but only if you help me by telling me what is going on."
Tia stepped forward. "We are here to begin work on you gown. Lord Hogan has requested that we create a special gown for you."
"Requested or demanded?" Lillian asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.
"Demanded…" Tia replied, her voice suddenly extremely quiet. We have one day to complete the dress, or our families will pay the price for our failure."
That was when Lillian remembered what Hogan had said when he believed she was asleep. "In two days time everything will be different, everything will be prefect." She whispered to herself. "This gown, what… what do you mean when you call is special?" There was an image in her mind now, one that she prayed was not going to be real.
"It's… it's for… for your union… to Lord Hogan." The moment those words had left Sera's lips, Lillian sunk to her knees on the stone floor of her chamber.
"No… no… I… I won't do it. He can't make me." She murmured to herself, as the tears rolled freely down her cheeks. This was something she had feared, something that had crossed her mind when she made the decision to stay there.
Straight away the three women were down by her side, all with panicked looks on their faces. "I'm sorry, Princess Lillian, we are only doing what were have been ordered." Julia told her sadly. "If there was any other way…"
Lillian took a deep breath to try and pull herself together. "There is another way." She mumbled, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her dress. "Make the dress. Do whatever you have to. Act like everything is going fine. Please, just do what he asks. I do not wish for any of you to come to any harm, or your families."
The trio looked at her in shock. "But Princess Lillian…"
"Please, do what Hogan has told you. Do not worry about my, I'll think of something." The women all have concerned looks on their faces, but nodded.
After helping Lillian up, they began to measure her up, and disappeared to go and get the materials and fabric needed to create the gown. She was in a bit of a daze, and knew she needed to update Merlin on what had happened. He wouldn't let her go through with it, she already knew that much, so she needed to get him out of there before then.
The young women worked all through till lunch time, never stopping and always working. They had made significant progress with the gown, which was good, and yet bad at the same time. Lillian understood that they were doing it to protect their families, and she wasn't going to stop them, but the thought of what was to come made her sick to her stomach.
When Merlin arrived with lunch, she felt even more queasy. "I'm sorry, Merlin, I've completely lost my appetite." She told him, turning away from the food and looking to the wardrobe where the dress was hidden.
"Lillian, you need to eat something, you're going to make yourself sick if you don't." Merlin warned her, noticing that she was a lot more distracted then she had been in the morning.
"Have you found out anything else of Hogan's plan yet?" She asked him, wandering around the chamber and over to the window. She was hoping that he hadn't, and that she knew more than he did. She didn't want him to know what was truly happening.
Merlin shook his head at her. "Nothing. I've been trying to find out, but everything has been quiet today. And the woman who I spoke to this morning, she won't tell me anything else. I'm really worried, Lillian. We need to get out of here."
"You're right, we need to get out. So, tonight, you're going to sneak out and get back to Rolana." She told him, even though she knew he would never agree to it.
"And what about you? You're not going to stay here." Lillian didn't move, she didn't even try to answer him either. "Lillian, you can't really be thinking of staying here when you know he has plans to take Rolana."
"That is exactly why I am staying. Someone needs to keep an eye on him, to try and keep him under control. You need to warn my brother." She was going to stand her ground on this one, she was not going to back down, she was going to get Merlin out of there one way or another.
Merlin just seemed to be standing there in shock. "You can't… you can't be serious?" She didn't reply this time, there was no point. "Lillian, this is suicide! I'm not going to let you do this." He was pretty much shouting at her now, and she had flinched a few times.
"You haven't got a choice in this, Merlin. This is my life, and my decision. It was my decision to stay here so that Hogan would let Arthur leave, and it is my decision to continue to stay here." She told him, before finally turning to face him. "Merlin, you have to go and warn them. My brother needs to be prepared, and he will need your help. I can hold my own, you know that, but my brother will need you on his side."
"Lillian, I can't let you do this."
She just looked up at him sadly, knowing that there was nothing that either of them could do to stop what was going to happen. "You have to, Merlin, because you have to get back to Arthur. He needs you, you need to protect him." She saw him open his mouth to protest, so she was quick to stop him. "It's not your destiny to protect me, Merlin, it's your destiny to protect Arthur."
He knew it was pointless to try and fight with her, she being stubborn, and he knew he needed to give her time to think it through properly. As soon as he left, the trio from earlier were back, carrying on with the gown.
Lillian stayed silent. Her mind was constantly drifting back to Arthur, wondering what he was doing and if he was okay. No matter how much she tried to banish him from her mind, she just couldn't do it, he would always be there. That only made everything that was about to happen even more difficult.
Before she knew it, the gown was completed. It was amazing how much work the women had put into the dress, and how quickly they had managed to pull it together. They had worked tremendously hard on it throughout the entire day, never stopping and never complaining. Lillian did take a moment to admire their work, and she had to admit that the gown was beautiful, but the sight of her in it still made her stomach turn.
They helped her out of the dress before leaving, tucking it back into the wardrobe and out of sigh. They were to return the next day, the day that the union would take place. A whole day had passed, and Lillian was even more frightened of what was going to happen now. Now that she knew the full extent of Hogan's plans.
"Lillian, you really need to eat something." Merlin pushed, having returned with her evening meal. "You really don't look very well, so please, eat." His eyes were pleading with her, and she knew that he was right. Not eating was just making her feel weak, and it was her own stupid fault.
She silently sat down at the table, picking up the fork and poking around at the food. "Merlin, can you promise me something?" Lillian asked suddenly, getting his attention. "Promise me that tonight, you will leave."
Merlin let out a sigh. "Lillian, I won't leave you here. I promised Arthur that I would stay and look after you."
"Think about this logically, Merlin. If Hogan is planning to attack Rolana, they need a warning. My absence would be noticed, but you could do it. You could sneak out of here and warn them. Please, Merlin, you're the only one that can do it." Her eyes really were pleading with him to do it, for him to leave and get to Rolana before Hogan could get there with an army.
"You can travel using your magic, can't you warn your brother?" Of course, Merlin would think of something like that.
Lillian shook her head at him. "I can't. Merlin, I just don't have the strength. Right now, I can barely even cast a simple incantation. I just… I can't do it right now, Merlin. Please, Rolana needs you. I need you."
He could understand that she just didn't have the strength. She hadn't been eating, and he was pretty sure she wasn't sleeping very well either. It was understandable that she was feeling weak and that her magic had weakened with her. "Are you sure about this, Lillian?"
She nodded at him. "Yes, Merlin, I am sure. You have to warn them. The maids that were here today, they want to help, they are going to cover for you." Merlin looked at her in shock. "Hogan is threatening them, and their families. They want out, and we're going to get them out. There are very few people who are here willingly, Hogan doesn't have as many loyal followers as you might think."
It took him a few minutes, but Merlin finally made his decision. "Okay. Okay, fine, I'll do it." He said, making Lillian let out a sigh of relief. "Tonight, I'll go."
Lillian got up from where she was sitting and hugged Merlin tightly, which took him by surprise. "Thank you, Merlin. You have no idea how much of a relief it is to know that you will warn my brother." She told him, although it wasn't the whole truth. Lillian knew that he would never make it back in time to stop the union that was planned, and she understood why Hogan had planned it. "Now, go. There is no point hanging around here. Sera and Tia are going to be here first thing in the morning, and Julia will be checking in on me soon. So go."
Merlin looked at her with sad, worried eyes. He didn't want to leave her, and he knew that Arthur was going to give him an earful when he saw him there without her, but there was nothing else he could do. He couldn't convince Lillian otherwise, and he really did understand what she was saying. "Be careful, Lillian. We still don't know the full extent of his plan. We know some of it, but not all of it."
"I'll be fine, Merlin. You take care of yourself. And look after Arthur, that's all I ask, please, look after Arthur." She was hugging him tightly again, knowing that it was most likely the last time that she was ever going to see him.
"I'll be back, Lillian. I promise you, I'll be back for you." All Lillian could do was smile at him, as he gave her one last look before leaving the room.
It was only once he had left that she let the tears fall. She was dreading what was to come, but she couldn't think of a way to stop it. There was only one last thing that she could think of that she wanted to do before the morning came, before what was left of her world was completely destroyed.
She quickly changed for bed, and curled up under the covers. "Wæfersýn mec Arthur Pendragon." Lillian whispered to herself, trying to contain the tears as best she could.
When her eyes opened, she found herself once again in Arthur's chamber in Rolana. However, this time the prince wasn't there. She was confused, he was meant to be there, she was meant to appear wherever he was.
Lucky for her, a few moments later the door opened, and a very tired and worn looking Prince Arthur entered the room. He let out a sigh as he leaned against the door as he closed it. He didn't look too great himself, he just looked exhausted and like he had given up on everything.
Lillian knew she had to get his attention, she had to tell him what had happened and what was going on. He had to know why Merlin had left her there alone. "Arthur?"
His head quickly snapped up and his gaze turned to her. "Lillian… are you…"
She shook her head at him. "I'm a ghost, Arthur. I told you, that's all I ever will be, a ghost." Lillian reminded him of what she had said the night before, the night of her first visit. "Arthur, I have something important to tell you."
Straight away he rushed towards her, stopping when he realised he couldn't touch her. "Are you all right? What has he done to you? Has he hurt you?"
Lillian just smiled at him softly, reaching up to touch him, but her hand never making contact. "I'm fine, Arthur, he hasn't touched me. But there is something I need to tell you. It's Merlin, he's on his way back to Rolana."
There was a stunned expression on Arthur's face. "What? He is meant to be there, protecting you!" He growled.
"No, Arthur, listen to me, I sent him." She told him, trying to calm him down. "Arthur please, you don't understand what's happening. He's coming to warn you."
"Warn me of what?"
She let out a sigh. "Of what Hogan is planning. There has been talk, and we've found out that Hogan is planning to attack Rolana, and take the throne for himself." Arthur looked at her with wide eyes at this piece of information. "He's coming to warn you and my brother."
"Well you've warned me, why couldn't you have warned your brother as well?" It was a valid question that the prince had asked, but one that Lillian had anticipated.
"Arthur, do you really think anyone is going to listen to either if you if you said that I came to you at night, warned you, and then disappeared again? They would think you had lost your mind, you and my brother. No, Merlin has to do it, because he needs to be there." Lillian wanted so badly to feel Arthur's arms around her, to just have him hold her one last time.
The Prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No, I suppose not. But his information gives us a good enough reason to storm that castle and arrest him." Arthur told her, trying his best to keep himself in a sane frame of mind. "And that means rescuing you."
Lillian just smiled at him sadly. She had to tell him the truth, she had to tell him what she had kept from Merlin, she had to tell him just how far Hogan's plans spread. "Arthur, Hogan will have a rightful claim to the throne, if… if…" She was struggling to get her words out, because she knew it was going to kill Arthur just as much as it was killing her. "If there is a union between him and an heir of Rolana."
In an instant, Arthur's world crumbled around him, just as Lillian's had when she had found out. The woman he loved more than life itself was being forced into a union with a man who was more than just a little crazy. "When?" He managed to whisper, his heart hammering in his chest.
There was a lump in Lillian's throat, but she had to force it down. "Tomorrow." Even her voice was a whisper, and the tears were rolling down her cheeks. She had never wanted it to come to what it had, she hadn't wanted to tell Arthur, but she had to. He would have found out eventually, when Hogan had dragged her to Rolana, killed her brother, and crowned himself King. Arthur would have found out then.
A/N: Well, I hope you all want to utterly destroy me now. I'm sure you can all see where this 'union' is heading, and if you can't, well, you'll soon find out.
I do know where this is going, so I am going to keep on writing. I'm in a good frame of mind at the moment, and with some time on my hands I'm able to write. I also know that there are going to be a few surprises coming up soon.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have favourited/followed the story. I also would like to send out a great big thank you to everyone who has stuck me and my stories even during the long absences. And finally, you all you wonderful, magnificent people who have taken the time to leave review, thank you. I know everyone says this, but reviews really do help to keep me motivated, because I know it's not just me that is enjoying the story.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings, I have chapters to write! Ta ta for now!
Pippa.