America burst through the doors of the hospital. "Where are they?!"
A blue scrub clad nurse with a long brown ponytail stepped from behind the table and walked up to her. "America, don't—"
"Tilly, if you don't tell me where my children are, I swear to God, I'll— "America began.
"They're up on the second floor." Dr. Stepanic said, walking into the room, "Only minor injuries. It could've been a lot worst."
"What—what does that mean?" America asked, frantic.
"Come with me." Dr. Stepanic told her, "I'll explain what I know while we walk."
Dr. Stepanic briefed America on what happened, which admittedly she didn't know much.
"Arthur's foot suffered first- and second-degree burns, and they both inhaled smokes, and Arrietty's got ligature wounds on her wrist—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, ligature wounds?" America asked, "As in somebody tied her up?"
"We're honestly not sure what happened." Dr. Stepanic told her, "But that's what it looks like."
A bit formed in America's stomach. "Oh, Lord had mercy."
When they finally arrived in their room, it looked like Arrietty was asleep and a male nurse was rubbing some kind of ointment on Arthur's foot, reapplying the bandages.
America began to ran to them, when Dr. Stepanic pulled her back, "I know. But let them finish."
Since Arrietty was alone, sitting up in bed with bandages wrapped around her wrist, America ran to her, engulfing her an embrace. "Don't either of you ever do anything like this again!" She cried, momentarily forgetting her daughter couldn't hear.
"Mom!" Arrietty called out, "You're crushing me!"
"America, you might want to ease up a bit." Dr. Stepanic advised.
"Sorry. "America raised up. "Arthur, please tell me this Nemiuah bitch is dead."
Arthur froze a moment, in spite of everything shocked by his mother using the word bitch. He had never heard her say that before.
"I know, but it's a good word for her." America told him, "Well?'
"She's been dealt with." Arthur said, "Merlin killed her."
"He what?" America asked, "Is he— "
"Last I heard, the doctors were checking him out." Arthur told them, "We haven't seen any of the people who came with us since they started working on us."
That threw America. "Wait, who was with you?"
The others were scattered throughout the hospital. The ones with no or minor injuries had already been released and were trying to find each other. Merlin was currently having a bright light shined in his eyes.
"Really, there's no need for this." Merlin told them, "I'm fine."
"We just have to be sure." The doctor told him.
Just then, Gwen and Morgana ran into the room, a voice saying, "You can't go in there—"
"How is he?" Morgana demanded.
"I'm fine." Merlin spoke before the doctor could. "You?"
""A little scrapped up, but other than that, fine." Gwen told him, "Have you seen Arthur and Arrietty?"
"They took them upstairs." Merlin told them, "I'd see to them myself if they'd just let me go."
Five minutes later they were found Arthur and Arrietty's room, where America and now Toby were with them. America got up and walked up to Merlin and threw herself at the boy wrapping her arms around them. "Thank you," She sobbed, "Thank you so much for saving my children." And then she threw herself at Guinevere and Morgana in turn.
Eventually, everyone who wasn't family had to leave. America gave Merlin a key to the Finch's house, so he and Morgana and Guinevere all bunked there. The Finches said that they could take the bed, but still it felt odd, so they took planets and made a pallet on the floor.
"I know this shouldn't be important right now, but this is really where Arthur grew up?" Guinevere asked, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
"Just since he was about nine." Merlin told them, "They lived in a tent for a while, while everything was still being constructed, then a smaller shanty after that, then here."
"Still safer than Camelot probably." Morgana commented, "For everyone."
Given what just happened, no one argued with that.
At the boarding house, Daisy was spread out on her bed, Gwaine lying on the divan by the window neither of them sleeping.
"Did that—really just happen?" Daisy asked flatly.
At a house across the colony, Jensen opened the door and walked in. "I'm home." She called out, sounding weary.
Just then a young woman with chestnut colored skin, and long black hair walked into the living room. "Are you alright."
"Yeah," Jensen said, "Yeah, Del, I'm fine."
"There's all these rumors flying out there, people are saying the Finch kids are dead?" Denali told her.
"Not dead, just—in the hospital." Jensen explained.
"Oh, thank God." Denali breathed, "I just locked Freya in for the night. She's not asleep if you wanted to see her."
The house Jensen shared with her four roommates was one of the only residential houses in the colony that had lower level, in their case an unfinished basement. "Freya, it's Jen." She called out, "I'm about to turn the light on, okay?"
"Alright." A girl's voice agreed.
She turned on the light, revealing a small, young looking girl with long dark hair in the corner, covering her eyes to shield them from the light. Shackles around her wrist, ankles and neck chained her to the wall.
"How did you mission go?" Freya asked, "Can you tell me?"
"Well, no one really dies." Jensen said, walking down the stairs towards her, "So I'll take that as a good sign." She crouched down and took the other girl in her arms, "You need a little help getting to sleep?"
"Can you sing that one song?" Freya asked, "The Christmas one?"
Jensen began to rock her slightly singing, "Everything inside me cries for order. Everything inside me wants to hide. Is this shadow an angel or a warrior? If God is please with me then why I am so terrified…"
In the hospital, Arthur was woken up the sound of screaming. Jutting up, he saw his sister, fighting in her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Their parents also awake, everyone ran to her. "Arreitty!" American called out, forgetting her daughter was deaf in the heat of the moment, shaking her awake, "Arrietty, it, wake up!"
Arrietty's eyes finally opened. She looked around confused.
It's alright, baby. American signed, Your safe It's over.
But from the look on the girl's face, they knew it wasn't over for Arrietty.
Two days later, Uther burst through the hospital doors. "Where is my son?!"
"Oh, no, not again." Dr. Stepanic muttered, handing her clipboard off to a college and running to Uther. "Calm down. We just discharged him. He went back home with his par—his foster parents."
At the Finch house, Arrietty was stirring a bowel of beef and vegetable soup.
You need to eat. Arthur signed to her. He was getting worried. She hadn't really slept in two days and both times she had, had nightmares about what happened so intense she woke up screaming. Maybe she needed to see a therapist? Did they even have one?
That was when the frantic knocking began "Open up!" Uther's voice bellowed.
A pit formed in Arthur's stomach as he got up. American reached out and grabbed his arm.
"I'll handle this." Toby said, getting up and opening the door. "Look we can explain—"
"I don't want to fight." Uther declared, "I just want to see him. Is he alright?"
"They just gave me a clean bill of health." Arthur spoke up, "But, uh, as long as we're here, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?"
"You want to what?!" Uther shouted when Arthur made his request.
"It would just be for a couple of weeks, just until Arrietty's a little more stable." Arthur told him, "She's woken up screaming from nightmares the last two night, she barely eats, barely talks she's—she traumatized from wjat happened."
"And you honestly think you can help her?" Uther challenged.
"I can at least be there." Arthur responded, "Help them find the help she needs." After a beat, choosing his next words carefully, "Look, Daisy's got a carrier pigeon—that's a bird that can be trained to carry messages between two places, and please, don't ask me why or how, but hers is trained to come to my chambers in Camelot. I'll see if she would let you keep it, if an emergency happens, I have people in tec development who owe favors, they've been working on building motor vehicle, they got have two, but if I take one through the shortcut Lancelot showed us, I can be back in less than a day." After a beat he told him, "I've though this through. And you'll still have the other knights. "
Uther was silent for a moment. He wanted to say no but something inside him was stopping that reaction. "Alright. But the second she's stable I want you back in Camelot."
"Yes sir." Arthur agreed.
It turns out, Arthur wasn't the only one who wanted to stay.
The next morning at Daisy was heading down the stairs, she found to her surprise Merlin and the girls, Merlin exchanging scrip with the land lady. A they finished the transaction, they caught sight of him.
"Hey, guy," Daisy said awkwardly approaching, "Watch going on?"
"We're staying for a couple weeks until we figure—some things out." Merlin explained, "The house was getting somewhat crowded, so we somehow managed to scrape up enough for rent on a place here."
Later that day, as Morgana was arranging what little they had in their room, there was a knock on the side of the door. She looked up to see Morgause standing there. "I wanted to say goodbye."
"Please come in." Morgana said, gesturing for her to sit down on the bed. An offer which Morgana took. "So, where will go from here?"
"Probably back to the Priestesses." Morgause said, "I have some things to think over. Or maybe to Essiter, light a fire under Cenred about helping his subjects." Then remembering what just happened, she added, "Sorry, I didn't think."
"I assumed." Morgana responded.
"But before I left, I wanted to give you this." Morguase explained, taking a sliver bracelet off her wrist and handing jt to Morgana, "It was gift from my mother. I've enchanted so hopefully it'll help with your nightmares."
Morgana was about to reject it, but then she got an idea. "Thank you." She said taking it.
Morguase stood up. "In spite of all this, I hope you remember me fondly."
Two days after that, Arrietty was sitting on a bridge couch, encouraging in a staring contest with an older man with graying hair and wire framed glasses.
"Can you tell me about these nightmares you keep having?" The therapist asked.
"I'd really rather not talk about it." Arrietty replied, looking off, trying to end the conversation.
The therapist just stared at him, choosing what he did next carefully, jotting down some notes.
"She won't talk to the therapist." Arthur was telling the priest later, from his side of the confession box.
"Are you sure she can understand what he's saying?" Father Thomas, now a grey old man, asked.
"Yeah, he makes sure she can see her lips and he have some basic signs." Arthur explained, "Her eating habits are more or less back to normal, but she still having the nightmares. I swear I don't think she sleeps some nights."
"Well, my son, she has been through a trauma." Father Thomas pointed out.
"I know, I just—I want to help her and I don't know what I can do to help her." Arthur said, frustrated. What was the point in staying if he was absolutely useless?! "I just—I could really use some help here."
"Well, in my experience, first she's going to need time." Father Thomas advised, "Time heal physically and emotionally and mentally, and she'll do better with a support system. So really, just, give her time, and be there."
Three nights after that, Arthur was woken up by the sound of something thumping.
Getting up , he followed the sound across the hall to Arrietty's room. Peeking inside, he saw Arrietty, doing one finally jumping jack before switching to push-ups.
Not know what else to do, Arthur slowly shut the door back, closing his eyes. Be with her, Lord, please…
Two days later, Arrietty was staring at the ceiling of her bedroom when the door opened. Arthur poked his upper body in and began to sign. There's someone here who wants to see you.
Arrietty let herself be led into living room, where Morgana was waiting for her. Hello. Morgana finger spelled.
Hey. Arrietty responded.
"Arthur, would you mind leaving us alone for a moment?" Morgana requested.
He turned to Arrietty and signed. I'll be right down the hall. Then he left.
The pair sat down on the couch. Even though they had been friends for a while, the interaction just seemed so forced. Then again, everything seemed forced to Arrietty lately. Maybe it was because she was so tired.
Arrietty hadn't slept in three, maybe four nights, deliberately keeping herself awake. She would pace, do jumping jacks, read, or at least try to read, try to draw, anything she could think of, then drink a pot of coffee in the morning. She knew she couldn't keep it up, but it was better than seeing the fire again every night.
I know you've been having nightmares. Morgana got right to the point, signing what she could and finger-spelling what she couldn't, and now Arthur say's you're not sleeping.
Arrietty baled her fist before saying aloud, "He shouldn't have told you that. He had no right."
Maybe so. Morgana acknowledged with her mixture of sign and finger spelling, But I'm glad he did. Even if I can't know what you've gone through, I know what it's like to be afraid to shut your eyes. To be afraid to sleep. And there's been something I've been meaning to give you for the past couple of days that I think might help. I just wanted to make sure it would work first. She took off the bracelet and handed it to Arrietty.
Arrietty looked at this perplexed, furrowing her brows. "This isn't like what me and Dr. Adler talked about, is it?"
Now it was Morgana's turn to be confused. "Who?"
"This shrink my parents have been making me see." Arrietty explained, signing and talking, "He's been talking about this thing called tactile anchoring. Something to remind me that I'm—I'm not there anymore. I don't know, I think he might be a little." She rolled her finger around her head.
Morgana didn't know what to do with that, she signed, Well, I honestly don't know anything about that, Arthur didn't tell us anything about it, but I brought the bracelet because it will help you sleep. It's a healing bracelet, Morause gave it to me.
Arrietty looked at her, unsure. Yeah, but your nightmares aren't nightmares. They're vision.
It's worth a shot. Morgana reasoned. Please just give it a try.
"Okay." Arrietty agreed verbally.
That night, Arrietty tried to sleep, but found herself in the throes of a nightmare, twitching in her sleep.
Morona opened the door and crept in, standing at the girl's bedside. She began to chant, "Gefultrum hie pat heo onslape."
Suddenly Arrietty stopped twitching.
The next day, Arrietty was sitting Indian style on her bed, a sketch book in her lap. She was trying to will herself to draw something, anything….
She finally put the pencil to the paper, but nothing came. She threw the sketch book across the room and curled up on the bed.
"That's when the fire started." Arrietty said, a few days later at Father Thomas'
Since Dr. Adler wasn't working out American and Toby decided to try the counselling services offered by the church. So far, she was at least talking to the priest about what happened, so that was step in the right direction.
But I thought she was contained at this point. Father Thomas asked, rather confused.
She did it by magic. Arrietty explained.
Father Thomas rubbed his face.
"You don't believe me." Arrietty declared soberly.
It's not that. Father Thomas signed quickly. In truth, he didn't know what to think. He never believed in magic, and he had never seen anything that would make him start. He didn't think Arrietty was necessary lying, but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe her mind had altered what happened slightly, trying to make sense of it.
Toby had just arrived home. How did it—He began signing before Arrietty ran down the hall, then slammed the door,
"She said he thinks she's crazy." Arthur told him.
Arrietty took her sketchbook down and grabbed and pencil and started drawing furiously. She sketched out the frame, saddled in Nemiueh's eyes to show the utter gleam of hatred in it. She drew sketch, after sketch after sketch, until, finding herself exhausted, she passed out.
Arthur pushed opened the door, then saw his sister passed out on the floor. "Arrietty!" Arthur exclaimed falling to his feet and taking her plus. "Mom!" He called out, trying to shake her awake.
Arrietty's eyes finally opened. "Huh?" She looked around, confused.
Arthur backed away to give her space, signing, Are you alright?
Yeah. Arrietty signed, nodding.
Arthur began to look around at the mess around him. What is this? He asked, before picking up a picture of the dungeon, then another of the fire, not sure what to think.
"You know, I haven't drawn since we got back here." Arrietty spoke, "Can't say it felt good. "After a beat, she admitted, "I'm not really sure what I was feeling. Or what I was thinking."
Just then, America ran into the room. "What's wrong?!"
"Possibly nothing." Arthur said, "She's either made a step forward or step back."
Father Thomas was working on the week's sermon, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in."
The door was opened and a pale skinned, dark haired young man Father Thomas had never seen before stepped into the room.
"Ah, and you are?" Father Thomas asked.
"Merlin." The boy answered, "I'm a native. I was hopping I could speak to you a moment if weren't too busy."
The boy seemed troubled, so Father Thomas said, "Of course, my child, sit down."
Merlin did, and began. "I'm a friend of the Finch siblings—Arthur and Arrietty, you know?"
"For most of their lives, in Arriettty's case, all if it." Father Thomas answered.
"Arrietty, she's been-saying some things about your counseling sessions." Merlin began, awkwardly, wishing he had planned this out better, "I know you can't confirm any of it, but—there's something I need to show you." Steeling himself, he said loudly enough for the priest to hear, "Draca."
Turn around A voice in father's Thomas' head told him.
The priest did and saw the embers in the fireplace behind him formed a dragon,
Mouth agape, Father Thomas turned back around. "How—"
"When Arrietty talks about magic, you need to believe her." Merlin said, before standing up, "Thank you for your time." Then ran from the room.
Monday, three weeks later, Arrietty was standing in front of the school for the first time since the Nemiuh's first attack. She had been longing for this moment since this whole debacle started. But could she really just—go back?
Taking a deep breath, Arrietty looked down at the sliver bracelet on her wrist, and took a step forward.
Across town, Arthur and the others were on the boarding house front porch, trying to figure out how longer they could stay when Daisy and Jensen walked up. "Hey, guys." Daisy called out, "Can we, ah, borrow Merle for a moment."
They all exchanged looks. "I'll be right back." Merlin told them before heading down the stairs.
"Merlin, you remember Jensen, right?" Daisy began.
"Yes, you helped us with Nyemiah," Merlin recapped, "Thanks."
"No problem." Jensen began, "But, um, there was something I was actually hoping you could help a friend of mind with?"
AN: Early Merry Christmas everybody!