Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and rights belong to original creators.
No man, no matter how great, can know their destiny. They cannot glimpse their part of the great story that is to unfold. Like everyone, they must live and learn. And so it is to be that a young girl, a witch, would arrive at the gates of Camelot. That girl, in time, will bear a legend and will be known throughout the years as the mother of this tale. And her name was Merlin.
Camelot.
The very sight of it nearly made Merlin crumple to the ground in relief.
How long had she been walking through the forest? Two days? Maybe three?
Her feet was aching from the journey, and she couldn't wait to sleep somewhere where she didn't have to jump at every sound.
She shifted the bag she carried and made the last mile into her new home, a feeling of hope beginning to bloom in her chest.
Inside the walls, there was a bustling city. People yelled, bodies bumped into each other, fabric swirled and the lingering scent of sweat hung in the air. Wherever you looked, another stranger was looking back. Unknown hands brushed at arms and hands and thighs.
At the first chance she saw, Merlin darted out of the crowd.
The courtyard had a lot less people, all clustered beneath the balcony of the western side of the castle.
A steady, solemn drum beat began, and Merlin found herself curious enough to join the crowd and see what was going on.
Two gaurds were excorting a man in chains to the execution block. The man was young with untamed blonde hair and an resigned face. He didn't make a sound as he was pushed down in a position where his neck was bare and his head angled down.
On the balcony overlooking the scene, another man raised his hand for silence. Unlike the other, this man was dressed in rich clothes and a billowing crimson cape. He was built sturdy with dark curls and strong features. A golden crown on his head presented to all that this man was King Uther, ruler of Camelot.
"Let this serve as a lesson to all," the King began in a droning voice. "This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. As pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed such practices banned on the penalty of death. I pride myself on being a fair and just King, but for the crime of sorcery, there is only one sentence I can pass."
He gave a nod for the execution to begin and the guards stepped out of the way. The executioner rose his blade, and for that frightening second, time seemed to freeze. The man rose his head and looked into the crowd, searching for someone.
His eyes connected with Merlin and he smiled.
The blade fell and off went the man's head.
The crowd gasped and looked away from the scene in horror.
King Uther was undeterred. He continued his speech with pleasant smile on his face, like he hadn't sentenced a man to die in cold blood.
"When I came to this land, this kingdom was terrorized into chaos. But with the people's help, sorcery and witchcraft was driven from our lands. So I propose a festival celebrating twenty years of Camelot's prosperity and grace. Let the celebrations begin."
And with a flourish of his cape, the King turned and disappeared from view of the balcony. The crowd began to disperse, talking amongst themselves about the announcement their king had given them.
Only Merlin stayed still. Pale faced and shaking in her boots, she stared at the beheaded body being dragged away by the stone-faced guards. Their meaty hands weren't gentle, in fact, they only grabbed the sleeves of the bloodied tunic. A steady stream of blood followed after the corpse.
Suddenly, a high-pitched, mournful cry shredded through the air.
Heads turned sharply and bodies drew closer together as people jumped away from the old woman glaring at where the King appeared once again, drawn by the sound, with tears streaming down her face.
"There is only one evil in this world, and it is NOT magic," the woman's voice trembled with agony, "It is YOU! Your hatred, your ignorance! YOU KILLED MY SON!"
Merlin placed a hand to her mouth as she watched the scene. She could taste the vile bitterness of sick rising in her throat.
"I promise you, before the celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. A SON FOR A SON!"
"Seize her!" ordered the King to his guards.
Unsheathing their swords, the guards started forward.
The woman shouted out something in a language Merlin never heard before. She flung her arms outwards and the knights were pushed onto their backs feet away by some invisible force.
Hair flaring out in nonexistent wind, the woman turned back to the King and pointed at him with one crooked finger, "You WILL pay, Uther Pendragon!"
And with one more shout the woman disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a shaken crowd and a raging King.
"Call the guards!" Barked the King to a nearby knight, "I want every house, every alley, every tavern searched from top to bottom! I want that woman found, dead or alive."
"'Yes sire," said the knight. He turned on his heel and disappeared.
The crowd dispersed once more, whispering fearfully to one another after that performance.
By some miracle, Merlin managed to make her feet move. She walked away from the execution block and entered the castle walls, her mind still trying to make sense of the gruesome memory she recently required.
"Excuse me," she said as she spotted a dazed but unharmed knight, "Can you point me to Gaius the Royal Physician?"
"Of course, sir," nodded the knight. He turned and pointed towards the corridor on the far end of the courtyard, "Just walk right down there and make a left. Take the second door on the right and go up the stairs. It is the room at the very top of the tower."
"Thank you," Merlin sent the guard a smile, not making any move to tell him that she is a lady, not a man. It wasn't like he could tell from looking at her.
Merlin was dressed in a baggy dark blue tunic and brown pants tucked into dirty boots. A tarnished red handkerchief was wrapped around her neck, and her hair was tucked into the confinements of a large brown cap. To anyone else, Merlin would look like a peasant boy barely out of his teens. It was the effect she was going for; after all, it was a lot less dangerous for a boy to be traveling alone than it was for a girl.
Waving briefly to the knight, Merlin followed his instructions and made her way to Gaius' tower.
After climbing many steps and stopping multiple times to rest her aching feet, Merlin finally reached her destination.
She pushed open the door and knocked on the wood.
"Gaius? Are you here, Gaius?" she called out.
The room was filled to the brink with books and vials and medical equipment. It was shaped round and had another floor that held even more books.
As Merlin came further into the room, she saw the back of an old man who was invested in reading the writing on the books' spines.
He must be Gaius, she realized.
"Hello, Gaius?" She called up to him. "Ahem!"
The man startled. He twisted his head to look back at her, but his body slid backwards. The railing behind him crumbled, and down the man fell from the second floor.
Merlin acted without thinking.
Her eyes flashed gold, and time froze around her. She looked around in a panic, her eyes scanning the room for something to catch him with - there! The bed!
A quick tilt of her head sent the small bed zooming over, and Merlin blinked.
Just like that, time went back to normal.
Gaius fell on his back with a loud "Aa -Oof!" and looked at her wildly.
"I - I - what did you just do?" he demanded as he scrambled onto his feet, "Tell me!"
"Um," Merlin stepped back as he started towards her, "I - I didn't do anything."
"If anyone had seen that-," Gaius pointed towards the broken railing above.
"No one was here to see it - er - I mean, anything. I - I mean, that has nothing to do with me. That was -"
"I know what that was," Gaius interrupted, "I just want to know how you did it."
"No, I -"
"How is it that you know magic?" Gaius thundering expression made Merlin tremble more than the gruesome death of Thomas James Collins.
"I don't!"
"Where did you study?!"
"..." Merlin desperately wished someone could interrupt them right now. The back of her knees were pressing painfully against the crowded table behind her as she leaned back to get away from the old man.
"Answer me!" He demanded.
"I-I've never studied magic or been taught!"
"Are you lying to me, boy?" His voice had turned deadly cold.
"It's the truth." Merlin pleaded.
"The truth?"
"I was born like this."
"Impossible," Gaius snapped. He looked at the railing and then the bed again. When he turned towards Merlin once more, his face was a tad bit gentler. "Who are you anyway?"
"Oh," Merlin breathed in relief as she slid her bag from her shoulders and dug through it. "I have this letter."
She brought out the rolled piece of parchment closed with a long blue ribbon and held it out for him, "Here".
"I don't have my glasses," Gaius replied curtly as he took it from her.
"Oh, right," Merlin cleared her throat awkwardly, "I'm Merlin."
Gaius' eyebrow rose as if to say 'and I should recognize that why?'.
"Merlyn. I'm Hunith's child?" Merlin tried again.
"I was under the impression that Hunith had a daughter," Gaius looked her up and down as if to emphasis his point.
"Oh, my apologizes. I didn't remember what I was wearing," Merlin shot Gaius a small smile as she took off her hat. Her fingers ran their way through blackened curls.
"Well, well," Gaius' cool demeanor melted away in seconds. He drew himself up and greeted her warmly for the first time with a firm clasp on the shoulder. "You weren't meant to come here till Wednesday, my girl."
"...It is Wednesday."
"Ah, right then," Gaius waved the odd look she was giving him off, and pointed to just behind a stack of books where a tiny door could be seen. "You can set your things in there. That'll be your room from this day forward. Ah, how long did you say you were staying again?"
"Mother never specified."
"Perhaps in her letter," Gaius mused.
Merlin started walking towards her new chambers, when she suddenly stopped and turned back with a nervous look on her face.
"You won't say anything about -," fading off, she waved towards the scene of her crime.
"No," Gaius answered, "Although, Merlin, I should say, thank you."
"...You're welcome."
Gaius watched as the lanky girl, his new ward, disappeared behind the door. His eyes trailed back to the crime scene once more, before he started for the broom to clean the mess.
Later, when all of Merlin's things had been sorted out and put away, the young teen found herself writing at the table filled with Gaius' scrolls and decades worth of notes. She had bathed and dressed in her nightgown, her freshly washed hair falling loosely over her shoulders.
Merlin's new chambers were small and the walls were squared. Against the western wall was a tiny bed with folded blankets resting the edge of it. The candle placed on the small table besides it was still burning, casting faint shadows on the ageing stones. Earlier, when Merlyn noticed a window just south of the bed, she opened it to see a breathtaking view of Camelot and its' people bustling around in the streets in the approaching light of dusk. Now the people were all happily cozying in their houses. The moon was raised high in the sky and twinkling stars cradled it in a picturesque way.
Dear Mother,
I arrived in Camelot at long last today. It's everything like you said it would be; vibrant colors, bold people, and grandiloquent buildings. I was gaping at the sights for nearly half an hour after stepping through the gates! The churches are greater than those at Elador and the towers have such amazing views of the cities below. The chamber given to me by Gaius had such a view. You would've loved it had you been there to see it.
Speaking of Gaius - he knows.
Before you get upset with me, Mother, you have to understand that he would've been in dire condition had I not caught him at the time. He swore to me that he wouldn't tell anyone, but I can't really take that from someone I've never met before. If magic was seen as bad luck at home, then within Camelot it is a death sentence. I saw a man die today, you know. The king, that cruel man, Uther Pendragon, killed him in cold blood. He smiled at me just seconds before the blade fell, and his face still haunts my thoughts even as I write.
Maybe this was a mistake, Mother. I'm afraid of slipping up and finding myself burning at the pyre. What if Gaius doesn't keep his word? What if something like Gaius' incident occurs again and I perform magic in front of the King? I would much rather return home and find comfort in you and Will.
Speaking of Will, how is he? I hope he isn't giving the villagers a hard time because of my leave. I didn't get to say good-bye...Give him my love, will you?
It's getting late now, Mother, but I'll write to you again soon. I miss you dearly and I pray for your safety even now.
With lots of love,
Merlin
With a yawn, Merlin finished her entry with a great flourish of her name. She folded the parchment and tucked it securely away between the sheets of the bed. Unrolling the blankets, she buried herself beneath them and blew out the tableside candle.
Silently, she pondered what tomorrow would bring. Maybe she could find a way to fit in without using her magic? Maybe she could make a friend here and form her own family away home?
Well, only tomorrow would tell. With a feeling of both hope and apprehension blooming in her chest, Merlin closed her eyes and dived into the nightmares she knew were bubbling in the depths of her mind.