Chapter 25

"Merlin!" Gaius calls to the servant who is on his knees, scrubbing the floor. "I need some of those poppy roots and Myrtle for my supplies." The boy lets out a melodramatic groan, sliding onto the floor. I lean against a counter, sitting on the floor myself sewing a dress for a courtier.

"I have to get Arthur's laundry done, walk his dogs and clean his chamber pot," he protests. Putting down my work I look at the overworked warlock.

"I can walk his dogs and do his laundry but I am not touching his chamber pot," I offer, knowing that my workload is nowhere near his. He looks at me from his spot on the floor.

"Really?" he asks in a meek voice. I nod, already putting my stuff away. "You are amazing Elena," he beams, the puppy dog eyes back in play.

"I'll come with you to get Gaius' stuff then I'll do Arthur's jobs," I smile, standing up and grabbing one of Gaius' weaved baskets. We walk through Camelot into the forest, sticking to the edges as we search the grounds for the plants Gaius requested.

"I feel like nothing good ever happens from this place. Every time we go in something happens," I ramble, recalling all the things that have happened. Of course, I am exaggerating but it certainly feels like somebody nearly dies each time.

"Something goes wrong every time Arthur wakes up," Merlin counters.

"Touché."

While I have helped Gaius on many occasions over the past year and a half, I don't recall ever working with herbs. Merlin saunters along the grass, concentrating on each plant as he scans for what he needs and I follow behind not actually knowing what they looked like. He picks out a few red flowers that I do recognise as poppies and places them in the basket I was holding.

"I think Myrtle is deeper in," Merlin announces, turning direction to travel further into the forest. I follow him, taking in nature as I'd never seen myrtle before so there is no point in looking for it unless I ask what it looks like but I am enjoying the fresh air. I look at Merlin's back, covered in his brown jacket that he is seldom without. And that scarf. I suck my lips in thought, feeling the familiar pull of a string towards him, one that I can't cut. Would I if I could? Was the pull truly that bad? No. I enjoyed Merlin's company and he enjoys mine.

"Be careful of the cliffside," Merlin calls back over his shoulder, ducking under a tree. We follow a path that leads adjacent to a ravine, a steep hill of sticks and stone leading to the bottom. I lean over to look, making my head spin so I pull back, taking a step away from it. "Arthur's being such a prat lately," he complains loudly, now free from prying ears.

"More than usual?"

"Yes. It's like he wants me so occupied that I don't have time for anything else. I can't remember that last time I bathed," he laments.

"Gross," I laugh, playfully gagging as I come to walk next to him. "No wonder you smell like the pigs," I tease. He shoves my shoulder making me tilt over. I shove him back harder and he nearly falls but catches himself, giving me a face of surprise. Using his elbow, he shoves me harder on my shoulder, just meaning to knock me over but my root catches on a root.

"Merlin!" I shriek, feeling myself about to fall, fear flashing through me. Merlin reaches to grab me, our hands managing to catch each other but the momentum is enough to pull him down as well. We hit the edge of the ravine edge but the rounded edge and our tumbling bodies are enough to send us both over the edge.

I bounce, knocking off stones and sticks and leaves fly into the air as we fall down the hill. It seems to go on forever. Merlin's jolts and cries mixed with my own as we narrowly miss trees, not that we could see them coming; spinning and tumbling as we fall. My head smacks against something, a stinging pain erupting on my forehead but it feels like more of a cut than anything else.

The ground flattens out and my tumbling comes down to a stop, lying face-first on the ground. I hear Merlin's body land not far away, accompanied by his groan.

"Elena?" he calls out, shuffling to his feet.

"I told you nothing good happens in the forest," I grumble, still lying on the ground. Pushing myself away, I bring myself into a kneeling position and self asses my body. Mostly aches and pains which would turn into bruises but my forehead stings. I bring my hand to it and feel the stickiness of blood on my fingers. Cringing at the sight I look to Merlin who is already standing, a bloody nose. Feeling the wetness he wipes it with his hand but stops realising its blood. I move to stand up but groan as the swiftly forming bruises make an appearance. Merlin walks over, offering his hand.

"Thanks," I grunt, putting my hand in his.

As our hands connect this ethereal feeling overcomes me, a gasp shooting unwillingly from my throat. My body tenses, unable to let go of Merlin's hand and by the look on his face, he feels the same. It is like the bond, the string I felt connecting me too him is a thousand times stronger. I feel these emotions, ones I have no connection to bubble in my body.

A golden glow like the one that Merlin's eyes turn to emits from in-between our palms, a concentrated mist reaching out, swirling around our joined hands. Everything else in the world stops purely for this moment. No Camelot, no Arthur no knights. Just pure magic. The golden swirls move upwards along my arm stopping just under my elbow, seeping into my skin. The mist hasn't moved along Merlin's arm like mine, the mist wrapping around his wrist.

The light pulsates; beginning at Merlin then flows towards me. As soon as the first pulse reaches the point at my elbow, my whole arm begins to burn. My face contorts in pain, clenching my hand, not in Merlins.

"It… it hurts," I whimper out but I'm sure he can see from. I feel him struggle to try to pull away from me.

"I can't let go," he groans, sinking to the ground, kneeling in front of me. My skin bubbles near the elbow, reddening like I am having a reaction to something but the rash takes shape. A symbol, three swirls. Once the shape is complete, the golden mist retreats to its source in our palms. I release Merlin's hand, collapsing to the ground. My fingers trace the outline of the pattern on my arm, liked a tattoo that's raised as a scar. There is no more pain but the pull towards Merlin remains as it felt just before. The string now a chain, too thick for a sword to break.

"What was that?" I cry, a sob bubbling in my chest. "Merlin, you better tell me what that was," I shriek, grabbing his shirt in tight fists. The boy is petrified, just as I am shaking his head and trying to take deep breaths.

"I…don't know," he splutters, staring at the symbol. "I've never heard of anything like it. What is that?" he reaches out to touch it, tracing it just as I did. "Kilgharrah."

"What?" I wail, not understanding the word.

"The dragon I was talking about, his name is Kilgharrah. He might know, he's been able to tell me things before. We have to get back to Camelot and get your head looked at too."

I shake my head no, holding back a wince. "No, my head is fine. Mentally not so much right now," I admit, sniffling to hold back tears. Merlin nods slowly, his eyes moving behind me. He lets go of me, walking behind where he was looking and bends down to pick something up. He comes back, holding up a white flower.

"Got the myrtle," he chirps.

"Good job," I say under my breath.

We limp into Camelot, both supporting each other as we trek back up to the castle. I keep glancing at my arm, the mark on full display. Through the lower town, I stop Merlin.

"Can I have your scarf?"

The warlock hesitates in confusion but takes it off and hands it to me. Taking it in my left hand I place it over the mark and try to tie it but struggle with only one hand. Merlin catches on, tying it off for me. I silently thank him and we continue our hobble back to the castle.

"You're taking me to see the dragon, yeah?" I ask, wanting to know what this is and why it happened. I didn't want to wait, not even through Gaius' prattling while we get our wounds treated. Not that our wounds are that horrendous, my head looks worse than it is, since heads bleed a lot compared to other wounds. It has dripped down the side of my face onto my neck but the cut is shallow and long. It wouldn't even need stitches. I had inspected Merlin's nose as we were walking and it doesn't seem to be broken.

"Yes. I think this calls for a visit to him," Merlin agrees as we walk into the court. I let Merlin lead the way, his arm over my shoulder as he hurt his leg. My sides hurt, bruised and aching but fine enough to be able to walk.

"Merlin? Elena?" someone calls from behind us. Our heads turn, seeing Leon dressed in his full knight gear, cape and all. He jogs up to us, eyes scanning over us in shock. "What happened?"

"We're fine, Leon," I sigh, not in the mood to talk with him at the moment. I would end up saying something I regret. I turn back around intending to keep walking but a hand stops us from going further.

"No, you're not alright. Neither of you are." The tone of his voice deepens as though trying to use his knightly standing to get us to speak. "Merlin, I need to know what's happened, should I inform Arthur. Were you attacked? Gaius is the other way-"

"I said we're fine, Leon," I snap, eyes blazing into him. I feel bad, even more so as I see him step back, frowning. But right now I couldn't deal with any other person but Merlin. Merlin is all that I need and the only person I want to talk to. The only person who may be able to help me. I blame the string-turned-chain.

"Right," he growls nodding shortly, turning around to walk away. I sigh, leaning my forehead against the warlock's shoulder.

"I thought you like Leon," Merlin muses.

"I do," I answer. "I'll have to apologise later. But right now I can't handle talking to anybody."

"Understandable," he sympathised.

I give one last look over my shoulder at the knight who turns a corner out of view before urging Merlin to continue leading. We venture into a part of the castle I've never explored, down into the lower levels. Merlin uses magic to distract the guards and we sneak past them into a tunnel that leads even deeper under the castle, further down than I ever imagined it went.

The tunnel ends on a rocky cliff inside a humongous cavern. The sound of wings flapping echoes off the wall, coming closer. Even though I am expecting it, the sight of a dragon nearly forces me to the ground in shock but I hold myself steady as it perches itself on a rock formation in front of us.

"Ahh. And what do we have here?" the dragon speaks, its head leaning forward as it gazes at me.

"Something happened to us. While we were out in the forest," Merlin begins, "when our hands joined, this gold mist appeared. It burned a symbol on her arm."

"My, I haven't seen one these in many years," the dragon hums as though it is smiling.

"You know what happened?" I beam. This dragon may be the key to all my questions.

"I do, my child. Your people are called many names but in this language, you are called a Vessel."

A Vessel? But that doesn't make any sense. I'm not a boat.

"What is a Vessel?" Merlin presses, more confident with speaking to a dragon then me. "What happened in the forest with the mist?"

"The name has gone through many translations over time but it means exactly what it says. Your friend here is a Vessel. Her body is like a ship, and every ship needs a captain or a Meistr as they are titled. What happened in the forest was a ritual, a blood binding oath to each other."

"An oath? What type of oath?" I interrupt.

"An oath that connects a Vessel to its Meistr, the mixing of blood," he reiterates. Small connections form in my head, at the same time they do in Merlin's. I glance at Merlin's bloody hand then down at my own.

"Me? Are you trying to say I'm this 'Meistr'," Merlin scoffs, not believing his ears. The dragon nods.

"Yes. But it is not a slave-to-master bond. She has offered her mind and body to you, Merlin, wittingly or not, you are now connected. Vessels are rare creature, sought out by those who practice magic. A Vessel is able to give them many advantages. Those who have magic in their blood and Vessels are natural companions and they feel a pull to those who they make their connections with.

"Vessels has the natural ability to move the energy in this world, however, it needs someone with magic to harness this. A Meistr has the ability to unlock this potential. The Old Religion has many tales of these connections, some saying that a Meistr after many years of training can inhabit their Vessel's body and cast spells through them. Magic is a form of energy, those who practice it can wield it but Vessels are born with a natural connection to it, just like you Merlin. Vessels were sought out for their ability to enhance a sorcerer's power."

"So I'm sort of like a power-up," I say, trying to make a joke. Merlin hasn't said anything, still taking everything in. The dragon lets out a short laugh, surprising me.

"In a way. But we warned. This bond is not flexible, only breakable by death; distance is no friend in this bond. Meistrs are the priority of the Vessel, they serve to protect and support. If a Vessel is to die, the connection is severed. A weak Vessel leads to a weak sorcerer. "

"This…is a lot,' I mumble, my brain scattered in trying to take everything in. "How do I do this…thing?"

"I'm afraid I do not know that. I have never encountered a Vessel before and the tales do not give any word on how these actions are performed. I must also warn you, this bond is not always beneficial. Merlin's magic is now only accessible through the Vessel until the day she dies, which is the price to pay."

"I was taken- from my home by someone with magic. Is that why they took me, because they hoped I would join them?"

"It is very much possible. Those with magic feel the connection as well. Someone could have sought you out for their own gain."

"Thank you," I say, bowing my head at the dragon.

"Elena, as a Vessel, you have the choice to make. When a Meistr is wounded, you may choose to take it on yourself. If a Meister is to die, so will the Vessel, but the Meistr can live on even if the Vessel dies." The voice is inside my head, vibrating against my skull. "How do I do that?" I think but I receive no answer.

"Glad to be of help," he answers, flying away to whatever part of the cavern he came from.

Merlin and I silently exit the caves, limping back to Gaius. Neither of us knows what to say, the dragon's words replaying in my head. My eyes sting and I try to blink to wash the water in them away. Exhaustion rakes over my body, desperate to sleep. I stop right outside Gaius' door.

"I think I'm just going to go up to my room," I whisper, hugging myself.

"But your head-"

"It's shallow. I can clean it myself." I bite my lip, looking down at my boots. "I just need some time, I'm sure you do too." Merlin nods, swallowing thickly. I hug him goodbye, turning around to go to my chamber's hallway.

I pass straight by my door, heading for another. I knock on it, louder than usual. Footsteps shuffle on the other side, the door swinging open to the only person I wanted to see right now besides Merlin.

"El- are you okay?" Torj croaks, holding the door open for me to come in. I shake my head, letting the tears fall onto my cheeks. I swallow any pride I have left, falling onto Torj with my hands wrapping around his neck. He returns the embrace immediately.

We stand there, for longer than I can count for. I wail without holding back into his chainmail and he stands there holding me up without saying anything. I don't want to be questioned, have somebody tell me to get fixed. Right now, I need Torj, the man who understands what someone needs without them having to explain themselves.

Ok so this was a hard part to write (definitely needs an edit) but I just needed a beginning to Elena. This idea will be more panned out and come to life through the rest of the book, this is just a huge information chunk at the moment. I have notes as a reference that I will be working off so I do have the 'rules' ready to go which will slowly be unravelled over time - this chapter is not meant to give you everything. In saying that - yes, first draft so if there is something that confuses you just give me a shout and I can explain it better.