Merlin's Twin sister
Twilight/Merlin
Starts in episode 3x13 of Merlin.
VERSION 2
Corrected a few mistakes, added a few words, sentences... Then made it fuller, I hope you'll like it as well. There will be another chapter coming, taking on season 4.
Don't hesitate to review!
The day the great Merlin was born, he wasn't alone. He had a twin sister though he hadn't spent much time, a few days at best, with her before she was taken away from her loving family.
They had been together with their mother for about a week before an old man with magic powers came in the middle of the night. He started a fire on the other side of the village with his magic so everyone would rush there and, when the young mother rushed to help out, he found himself face to face with the twins in their crib.
They both had a great destiny and it took him a while before he could decide which one he'd take with him. His initial plan had been to kill one of them quickly and be off but it was harder than it looked, they were babies, innocent, adorable, even to him.
Together, they would not only make sure Arthur Pendragon was the greatest king Camelot had ever known but they would stop Morgana and Mordred from killing him so early. They would make sure he lived a long and happy life, where he'd be able to see everyday the peace he had created for every creatures that lived in Albion and he couldn't have that.
If only Merlin found Arthur, the man would become a great king and die by Mordred's hand. Everything would be great in the world, maybe Morgana would veen get a chance to rule, prove that she was better than Arthur. The man wanted Arthur to die early, he didn't want him to enjoy the peace he'd create. It would be his punishment to Uther, who killed so many magical beings who were innocent.
That's when he decided to take the girl. She had to be weaker, right? Because she was just a girl and it was known that boys were stronger than girls. He knew he should kill her, Bella, but she looked so pretty, so innocent and was so full of potential that he couldn't bring himself to do it. He took a last minute decision and grabbed the baby girl, deciding to take her with him and raise her, mold her to be the perfect Morgana follower.
The minute she was in his arms the boy, Merlin, started to cry loudly and so the wizard ran out, not wanting to be discovered.
He would raise the girl like his own and gain more power thanks to her, he knew it. She'd help him get a spot next to Morgana and who knows, they might help Morgana take power. The more time passed, the more he was determined to change history and be Morgana's right hand, to help her become Queen of Camelot. He wanted recognition, he wanted power, he wanted money and the girl he was raising would provide him with all that or he'd kill her himself.
The sorcerer tried to look into Bella's destiny when he arrived home but it was hidden from him. He knew that if she had been with her brother, she would have had a great role in the life of Camelot but what was it now? Why was it hidden from him? He had seen that if he had killed Bella, Arthur would have fallen for Gwen, a maid, and doomed himself to die young without heir but now that Bella lived, it all became clouded to him.
How could she change so much from afar? Had he been wrong in believing that she'd be easy to influence? Maybe he'd have to be harsher with her...
It didn't matter.
Bella would be raised as his daughter, she would love him and believe in him and after Arthur died, after had Morgana taken power, he would be by her side with Bella and they would have power, finally. That's the story he had deluded himself with.
While Merlin and his mother tried to live without knowing what happened to Bella, convincing Merlin that he should hide his magic and use it as little as possible, the little girl grew up learning to use magic from an early age. She knew that her father wasn't her real father, she could feel that he was lying to her and that he didn't love her like a father should love his child but she was just a little girl, she couldn't do anything about it.
Her days were all the same. Exhaustingly long, filled with learning, cooking, cleaning, gathering wood, herbs and different ingredients, practicing magic... All day long from sunrise to sunset. Her guardian expected her to do everything quickly and well and he would punish her everytime anything wasn't perfect.
Every night, in her dreams, that's when he peace came. She could see a boy, her twin brother. Or at least that's the story she invented to explain who he was though she was convinced that it was all the fruit of her imagination. She had imagined that he was her twin brother and that they had been separated shortly after being born. They spoke of their day in their dreams and she tried to imagine that it was all real. His presence helped her stay sane, he showed her what a loving and happy home life should be like and he gave her hope that it would all change some day.
.
When Bella turned 7, she was used to practicing her powers daily and to keeping them hidden when in public. She knew how to read and often got lost in her father's spell books. She wondered why her father wanted her to practice magic so badly when it was forbidden by the law of the king but she knew that she didn't have a choice, she had to do what she was told or she'd be punished. The only time she had ever disobeyed him, her father had punished her very severely and she didn't want to feel that sort of pain ever again.
Right now, she was sewing her dress back up after it was ripped when her father pushed her so she'd gather wood faster. He expected her to do all the chores, and to do them all quickly and well, not caring that she was just a little girl and couldn't do everything as fast as an adult. He often ended up punishing her and she hated it. She hated him.
Her father was outside, talking angrily with a man. He was using a tone of voice that he usually reserved for her when she didn't do as he asked and the other man replied just as angrily but she couldn't bring herself to be worried for her father.
She knew they were pirates and that her father hadn't been honest with them the last time they came, a few months ago. He said he would enchant something and hadn't done it right, she knew it because she had told him before he gave it to them and he had punished her so she didn't speak of it again. Now they wanted revenge. She had been ordered to stay inside and had no will to go out. Her legs were still hurting from last night, when her father hit them to punish her from protesting that she was tired and couldn't do magic anymore and she didn't mind to see her father hurting. She felt like he deserved it anyway.
Suddenly, she heard some men laughing and she was afraid because the laughter sounded cruel. If her father refused to help them, would they hurt her too? Would they hurt her to punish him?
Soon after the creepy laughter, the man who was the captain walked inside and looked at her. He bent down so he was at the same eye level as she was. Though she had been afraid at first, she quickly saw that he had more kindness in his eyes that her father ever showed her.
"Who are you sweetheart?" He asked her in a surprisingly sweet voice with an accent she didn't recognize but that gave her the feeling that it was from some far away exotic land.
Maybe Pirates weren't all bad men after all. This one seemed kind.
"I'm Bella, sir." She replied.
"Well Bella, I'm sorry but we had to punish your father. He hasn't been very honest with us..." The man told her.
"I don't think he was really my father. I don't look like him and he was mean to me." She said truthfully.
"Yes, he wasn't a very honest man. One of my men heard him say that he took you from your family when you were a baby because you had powers he wanted. Sadly we don't know who your family is and we can't get you back to them." The captain told her.
"Does it mean that I'll be all alone now?" Bella asked, wondering how she would feed herself.
"No, of course not. What do you say about coming to live with me on my boat? I promise I'll take very good care of you. You'll want for nothing." He suggested.
"I won't have to practice magic every day if I don't want to?" She asked.
"No, you'll be free to do as you please with your magic." He replied.
She reminded him of the little sister he had lost a long time ago to the fever and he wanted to take her under his wing. From this day, to this pirate captain and all the men on his ship, Bella would be like a little princess. They'd all love her and protect her.
Even other ships would know her as the little pirate princess, and, as she grew, just the pirate princess. She learned how to fight with a sword, how to throw knives, and to fist fight and how to simply be happy. She had, for the first time, a loving family in the pirate crew and it was her happy.
.
Time passed and Bella was now 16. She had learned a lot from her new pirate family and she knew how to fight, both with a sword and with magic. She learned a lot from their travels, from the different kinds of magics to legends and mythical creatures. She learned different ways of fighting, some without swords and even learned how to use medicinal herbs.
She still had the same connection with Merlin and he had just informed her the previous day that he was leaving his mother's village, Ealdore, to go to Camelot to stay with his uncle Gaius. Bella was happy for him, even though she didn't know if he was real or not, she wanted him to be happy and to try his luck somewhere else. It was her who convinced him to try and leave his home to find somewhere else what he felt was missing from his life.
Bella even found herself an affinity with Dragons, which had saved the crew one time. No fire could burn her and she could understand them, they all seemed to love her. She could also feel when a Dragon egg was nearby and she had the power to free them by naming them, which she did a couple of times.
The captain, her adopted father, had died a few days ago from an illness that no magic could cure and so she had gathered her most prized possessions and decided to go on a few adventures of her own, feeling that she should follow the advice she had given Merlin. Of course the new captain assured her that she'd always have a place on their ship, that they were still a family and so promised to stay in touch, to use her magic to sned them news from time to time.
After that, Bella left and spent her time fighting mystical creatures that terrorized villages, fighting thieves on the road, helping people who needed it whenever she could... She was never bored and always had everything she needed. When she had more than she needed for herself, she always found someone less fortunate to give it to.
Of course she had been tempted to stay longer in a few places, especially one time when she fell in love with a mystical creature who turned out later to just be using her.
.
At some point, 4 or 5 years after Merlin arrived in Camelot, Bella found a seer and saved her life when the poor old woman was attacked by thieves. In exchange, the woman who didn't have money to pay and still wanted to reward the good action, revealed to Bella her destiny, and who she truly was.
Emrys' twin sister.
Merlin's twin sister.
A woman with a great destiny.
Bella was shocked.
Merlin really existed and was her twin brother, it was real and not a story her young imagination had created to help her deal with the world. She was destined to help him guide Arthur on his way to greatness, her destiny was to kill Morgana while Merlin's was to kill Mordred before he could kill Arthur.
Wanting to see him as soon as possible and remembering that Morgana was creating trouble for them in Camelot from the dreams she had had, she started to head toward him right away and once she was close enough, she heard that Morgana had taken the castle and that she was hunting Arthur and anyone following him, so Bella did a simple spell to guide her to her brother, the one who shared her blood, and she soon found herself in front of the ruins of a castle who used to belong to the ancient kings of this land.
"Well, I guess I can't stay out here forever. Time to walk in and surprise him." Bella thought as she nervously glanced at the old castle in front of her and at the sky that was darkening.
She wished there was a way for her to announce herself that wouldn't shock them all, that she could speak with her brother first and meet everyone else later but if her dreams of Merlin were true, only Gaius and Lancelot knew about his powers and Arthur would probably panic and try to hurt her if she used it to announce herself. However, she was convinced that he needed to know about their powers before they did anything, it was important and so she did what she thought was the best thing to do, hoping it would all go as well as she expected and that merlin would understand and forgive her.
Walking slowly and carefully, she entered the old castle and found Merlin, along with everyone else, in the same room, standing with smiles on their faces around a large round table. Knocking on the door to let them know she was here, she waited in the doorway, showing that she meant no harm, even though she was well harmed.
They all turned her way and the men drew their swords, ready to defend themselves while Merlin looked shocked, eyes and mouth wide open.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked in an imperious voice.
"Bella? Is that you? You're real?" Merlin asked before Bella could answer the prince, his voice revealing how surprised he was.
Unable to explain right away to his friend that she was a good person, he walked to stand between her and the others.
"You know her?" Arthur asked his servant who nodded, waiting for Bella to speak.
Merlin had told Lancelot about his dreams of Bella and the newly knighted man smiled, feeling a great change occurring.
Since Merlin seemed to know and trust the woman, Arthur motioned for everyone to put their weapons down.
"Hello Merlin. We have a lot to talk about. I'd offer to step out but everything we talk about out there, we'll have to tell them here afterwards so maybe we could just have our conversation here?" She suggested.
"I... There are things they don't know." Merlin told her in a small voice, knowing the others still heard him.
"I know Merlin, but trust me, they need to know if we want to accomplish our destinies. Arthur will understand and forgive you for hiding it from him. He'll be angry and might need some time to accept the news but he'll forgive you eventually. I just know it, have faith in him like you've had from the beginning." she told him.
"Merlin, who's this?" Gaius asked his nephew.
The name was a painful one because it reminded him of the pain Merlin's mother suffered when her baby girl was taken away.
"Is this the same Bella you see in your dreams?" Lancelot asked his friend for confirmation, though he could guess that she was.
Merlin nodded his answer, to Lancelot and, in one look, he made Gaius understand who Bella was. Everyone else understood that the situation was grave because Gaius opened wide eyes and sat back down, a hand over his heart, tears in his eyes and a happy smile on his face.
"Everyone should sit down, I'll explain everything. Merlin, please. Trust me?" Bella pleaded.
"I do. You've always given me great advises, even if I didn't always listen to them. When I didn't listen to your advice, I always ended up regretting it. I'll follow your lead here, no matter what you decide." he nodded with a small smile as he went to stand by her side.
For the past few days, when he had dreamt of her, she had told him that they were twins and that she was coming but at the time he had believed that he had made her up in his mind to reassure him. His own version of an imaginary friend.
"Can we have some explanations here?" Arthur demanded, growing impatient.
Understandingly, he didn't like not knowing, especially since they had his father and his knights to rescue from Morgana and Morgause.
"It's coming. Please, just... I hope you'll understand." Merlin nodded.
"I have to say Merlin, had I known you were surrounded by so many handsome and strong men, I would have looked for you even before the seer told me who we were to each other. You never told me Arthur was so handsome, in any of our shared dreams." Bella teased her brother with a smile.
Arthur tried to hide his smile. He didn't want to relax completely until he knew the full story, but he had a good feeling about this woman. She intrigued him, but she seemed nice, pure of heart. He wanted to know more about her and the fact that she found him handsome please him more than if it had been anyone else paying him this compliment.
"Is he? He's not exactly my type, you know. I don't pay close attention to these things." Merlin replied, amused while Gwen chuckled.
"Which one is your friend Lancelot? Destined to be the most noble of Arthur's knights?" Bella asked Merlin who pointed to his blushing friend.
"This is Lancelot, Arthur of course, Gwen, her brother Elion, our Uncle Gaius, Percival, Gwaine and Sir Leon." Merlin pointed to each of them and to each, Bella gave a kind and peaceful smile.
"Okay, so here it goes. Please don't interrupt me before I'm done, even if you get angry. Trust that I'm peaceful and here to help. My name is Bella and all our life, Merlin and I saw each other in our dreams. We were able to talk and told the other what happened in our lives. I know everything there is to know about his life and he knows everything there is to know about mine. For a long time, I believed that he was just the product of my imagination, someone I had created to prevent myself from being too lonely and too sad in the harsh world I lived in, especially when I was a small child." Bella made a small pause here, she always tried not to think too much of the 7 first years of her life and even mentioning them brought painful memories back.
She still had nightmares about those years sometimes.
"A few months ago, it changed when a seer told me the truth after I saved her life. Merlin and I... We're twins. About a week after we were born, I was taken away by... By a warlock. He didn't have great powers himself but he was ambitious and he had enough magic to know that Merlin and I would be very powerful some day, that we had great destinies. He initially wanted to kill one of us but he couldn't or wouldn't do it, I'm not sure which. Maybe he saw that he wouldn't have the power to kill us, I'm not sure but he changed his mind. He thought that he'd be able to corrupt my power to serve Morgana's side when the time came for her to kill King Arthur and take his place, yes, I know you're not king yet but you will be. Yes, Merlin and I have magic but please wait until I'm done before you interrupt me. Please." Bella paused a few seconds to look at Arthur in the eyes and he nodded at her calmly.
Looking at Bella, Arthur couldn't imagine that she'd ever be evil, he wanted to trust her, he wanted her to be on his side. Maybe even, by his side.
"Anyway, he was wrong, I always hated him and the dark magic he forced me to practice everyday until I was 7. That's when pirates he had wronged killed him and took me in... They gave me a safe place to grow up and with them, I never wanted for anything. They made sure I had everything I could need, they did their best to hide from me what a child shouldn't see and for the first time, I felt loved. They taught me everything I wanted or needed to know, made me feel like I was their princess. I learned more things that I could dream."
"Are you the one they call the Pirate Princess then?" Gwaine asked her.
"Yes, I am." She nodded.
"I've heard of you. Quite a legend you carry, the stories I've heard, if only half of them is true..." Lancelot smiled.
"Me too, I'm glad you're on our side." Gwaine nodded with a great, inviting, smile.
"Thanks. Anyway, a few years ago my adoptive father, the captain, died of a fever nobody, not even my magic, could heal, and I went on my own until this seer revealed to me who I really was. The crew initially wanted me to stay and to be their new captain, but I wanted a change, after all, I had just advised Merlin to leave his home and look for his real place in the world, I had to do the same so I named the new captain and left. Merlin and I are powerful sorcerers, blessed by the purest magic there is, to be among the most powerful sorcerers of all times and do great, and good, things." Bella gave them a few seconds to understand and accept what she was reveling about herself and Merlin.
Gwen, Lancelot and Gaius looked at her kindly and with acceptance, Arthur seemed intrigued but not hostile, which was a good thing. The others looked at her with an interest she had seen before in men she had crossed. She could feel that Gwaine and Lancelot would later tell the others stories they had heard about the pirate princess.
"Our destiny is to serve you, Arthur. We're destined to make sure you become the great king of legend you're supposed to become. One of the greatest kings in history, the once and future king of Albion... Anyway, Merlin's destiny is to stop Mordred, to defeat him all the while guiding you, while mine is to defeat Morgana and her sister Morgause. I know that it's a shock to most of you but please believe that Merlin and I are no threat to you, at least while you remain on Arthur's side because let's be honest, the moment you betray or hurt him, you'll be sorry. We'll make sure of it." Bella wasn't only reassuring them, she was also warning them to stay on Arthur's side.
"I wouldn't dream of not being on your side." Gwaine told her with a flirty smile that made her blush a bit and chuckle in amusement.
"Arthur, don't hate Merlin for keeping this secret, please. I know him better than anyone, he has the greatest respect for you and has only used his powers to help you and to save your life, more times than you will ever know. He only didn't tell you about this because he didn't want to put you in a position where you'd have to choose between your allegiance to your father and your friendship to him. He couldn't protect you like he was destined to from a jail cell or on the run... I saw the future, in 10 years... I... If I stayed away or died and Merlin stayed hidden as your servant, in 10 years, Morgana would have been weakened but still alive and ready to take her power back, Arthur would be dead and the kingdom would be broken. We can't have that. We need to change this future. We can't let Mordred kill Arthur. We have to do everything in our power to change things and save this kingdom and its rightful king." Bella explained with force and devotion in her voice.
"You're really her, aren't you? Merlin's twin sister... I left Camelot to help search for you when the word came that you were gone... We looked everywhere for months without finding any clues... Looked through the forest, the caves... everywhere. We thought you were dead and decided never to speak of it again because the pain it brought out was too much... Some even believed that your father had come back to get you but I knew that it couldn't be so because he didn't know about either of you." Gaius declared before he stood to hug his niece.
"I can't believe this... Are we just supposed to trust you? To believe that you're not as bad as the others who have tried to attack us? And why would Mordred want to kill me, I helped him escape from my father." Arthur asked in a harsh voice, refusing to believe that he had been wrong in helping Mordred.
He did want to believe Bella and to trust her but he had been wrong before, he didn't want to be wrong again.
Merlin had stay silent the entire time, worried about Arthur's reaction, worried about being rejected. He couldn't bring himself to be angry with Bella though, she was right, it would be easier if he didn't have to lie.
"Trust Merlin. Trust me and trust her." Lancelot argued, standing up to face Arthur before he kept on talking:
"I've known Merlin's secret for some time now. He used his power to save my life, and yours, on numerous occasions. Without him, you'd have been dead a long time ago. He even risked exposure to save you." Lancelot told his king and friend.
"Listen, you all need to talk about it and make a decision so Merlin and I will step out. We need to talk anyway. Come and tell us what you've decided when you've made your decision but know that no matter what you decide to do we'll be there to stop Morgana, Mordred and the others. And personally, even though I don't like Uther for all his crimes against people like us, I'd never try anything against him. Not until he attacked me directly that is. " Bella declared before her brother took her hand and followed her outside.
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Merlin and Bella sat on the stoned steps of the castle while the moon shone on them and, as though they had done it for years, Bella put her head on her brother's shoulder and they started talking about everything. None of them knew that their voices carried up to the window and that, inside the Castle, Arthur and the others could hear very clearly everything they said.
"I'm sorry for the way I outed you Merlin, but it was the best way I knew how to solve everything. We need Arthur to know about us to be able to meet our destinies in the best way possible. I don't want him to die so soon. He needs to live a long and fruitful life, to become the king of legends he's supposed to become, have children to carry out his legacy." She whispered.
"I know, don't worry. I'm not mad at you. It's just... Arthur is one of my best friends and even though he doesn't show it, I know he considers me a friend too. I don't want to lose him and I hate the idea that he could feel like I betrayed him." He replied.
"He won't. I have a good feeling about this. He's a great man or he wouldn't be destined to be such a great and legendary king." Bella reassured him.
"I hope so." he smiled, placing his arm around her shoulders before he added:
"I'm glad you found me. I feel stronger with you here."
"Me too. That's probably because we are stronger together." She suggested.
"How was it, to travel so much and see so many different cultures?" He asked her.
"Great in a way but also sad. Lonely. I never had a place to call home, a place I knew I could always go back to. I always wanted it but, well... Maybe some day." She sighted.
"Camelot could be your home." Merlin suggested.
"I hope so." She whispered.
"When you were a child with that man who stole you, was it as bad as you showed me in your dreams or worst?" He asked her suddenly, wanting to know more.
"I... Truthfully? Much worst. He was never satisfied with me, I never did anything well enough. He'd have me work on my magic from sunrise to sunset to a point were, after he died, I didn't use magic for two whole years before I did again to save a friend's life. He'd punish me constantly, beat me to the point where I could barely walk, which only angered him because it took me longer to do everything I needed to do for him. I knew that I couldn't let my anger control me because anger meant dark magic and I refused to go dark, much to his own anger because that was what he wanted." She revealed to him.
"I feel bad for the childhood that I had with our mother... It was much more peaceful, easier." Merlin told her.
"Don't, it's not your fault and it made me stronger. I managed to fight all these dark feelings that would have lead me to go dark and managed to become a strong sorceress with the purest magic there is. One based on Love, even if it's not a love I felt but one I yearned for. That's all thanks to what you showed me of your life. I'm proud."
"So am I. About Love, as your brother I have to ask... Have you ever been in Love?" he asked her.
"Once, soon after I left the pirates... His name was Edward and I thought I loved him. I thought he loved me. He was actually a mystical creature and he used his power to make me fall in love with him. He just wanted me for my powers. As soon as I enchanted the objects he wanted me to enchant to conceal him and his family in our world, he left me, broke my heart, made me feel like I was worthless. I almost broke but I managed to stay strong, thanks to you in my dreams, and I hunted his family down. I found them and undid the enchantment I had done for them. He tried to attack me and I had to use my powers to stop them, to destroy them. They fed on blood and told me it was the blood of animals but it was another lie, they fed on the blood of humans... I... It wasn't easy, my heart was broken for a while and now that it's finally healed, I want to wait until I'm truly in love and am sure of his love for me before anything. I don't want little love stories, I just want my one true love, the who will last forever."
"I'm sorry you had to go through this but just so we're clear, your heart is free now?" he nodded.
"Just like yours." She smiled.
"Mine is more complicated than that." He frowned.
"I know, I remember when you told me of Freya, who is now the Lady of the Lake. I'm sorry you had to give up the woman you loved, but you have to keep faith and believe that one day, you'll find a way to be together. Love always finds a way, at least that's what I always try to believe." She told him sincerely.
"It was best for Arthur, she was cursed and I don't know if I could have broken it anyway. It was worth it." Merlin replied, unaware that Arthur and the others were still listening.
"I hope you'll find love again Merlin. I personally can't wait to feel it fully. To feel everything you feel when you're in love. I've heard about it, I've read about it and I've seen it in action but I've never truly felt it. Butterflies in your stomach every time he's around, feeling like smiling, even when you're sad or angry, just because he's here... Knowing for sure that everything will be fine because your together... You can lose everything you have, but as long as he's here with you, you feel like you're the richest woman on Earth, because you're loved." She said in a dreamy voice.
"Maybe you'll meet him in Camelot. Maybe one of the knights? They're good men." Merlin suggested.
"We'll see. Right now we need to concentrate on getting Camelot back from the wicked sisters." She smiled.
"The wicked sisters, really?" Merlin chuckled.
"What? It suits them!" She laughed.
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Inside the ruins, they had all started to discuss the revelation Bella had dropped on them, most of them agreeing that they could trust Merlin and his new sister, before they started to hear Merlin and Bella talk from the window. They all stopped talking to hear better and, as the discussion went on, Arthur realized that he really could trust Merlin and his sister. Merlin had always been by his side, even when it was too dangerous and now that he knew he had powers, he understood better how he had made it this far.
After Merlin's comment about the knights of Camelot being good men that his sister could be with, Arthur declared:
"I trust Merlin. Lancelot is right, he's always been there for me and the fact that he went along and was my servant for so long when he could have done so much more... It shows true devotion and loyalty. He never once turned against me. I've put my life in his hands before and it was never a mistake. I choose to trust him again." Arthur declared in front of them all.
"I'll go and get them." Gwen offered.
"I'd go but I should probably rest." Gaius nodded, still in awe of the fact that Bella was alive.
"She's pretty." Gwaine commented, pointing with his chin to the window, showing that he was talking about Bella.
"Her name means pretty, her mother chose to name her this way because she was, even right after she was born, a very pretty baby." Gaius replied with an amused smile when he saw the small frown on Arthur's face at Gwaine's comment.
"Right now the priority is to take back Camelot." Arthur reminded his new knight who nodded.
"And considering how powerful they are, you really shouldn't play with her or her feelings. She's not just a tavern wench." Lancelot added, making Arthur nod and smile.
When Bella and Merlin entered the room, everyone sat down around the round table once more. Arthur had looked for another chair and brought it for Bella, sitting her between Gaius and Merlin. They were a family reunited.
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"So, Morgana is using the cup of life to control an immortal army?" Bella asked them after they had summarized the situation for her.
"Yes." Arthur nodded.
"I know that we need to empty the cup of the blood to destroy them." Merlin told her.
"Yes, but getting to the cup won't be easy. It will be well protected." Lancelot reminded his friend.
"I can help with that, I have my sword. It was forged in a dragon's breath and will be able to kill the immortal soldiers." Bella told them, showing them her beautiful sword.
"Nice blade." Arthur commented.
"I named it Pacificator. It means Peacemaker." She smirked.
"Nice." Percival and Gwaine commented, eyeing the blade with envy, even though it looked a bit feminine.
"I like the irony." Sir Leon nodded, just as amused as the other knights were.
"I actually have one too." Merlin informed them.
"How? When?" Arthur asked.
"Well, I had it made for you, Arthur, a while back. But I was told you weren't ready to have it yet. In the wrong hands it could do great evil and I couldn't let your father have it because he definitely isn't worthy of using it, so I hid it until you took power. Its name is Excalibur." Merlin told Arthur before he let him hold it.
"It's a beautiful blade Merlin." Arthur commented.
"Worthy of a great king." Sir Leon nodded.
At this moment, Arthur gave the sword back to Merlin and, with a smile, told him:
"Hold on to it until you think I'm ready."
"Will do." Merlin smiled.
"How do we proceed then?" Elion asked.
"I need to go to the dungeon and free my father and our other knights. Merlin, how do you think we should do this?" It was new for Arthur to openly ask Merlin his opinion and the young warlock smiled.
Bella had been right, Arthur accepted it truly and though they'd need to talk about a lot of things, the future king trusted him.
"Bella and I could go together but it would probably be best to have another sword with us." Merlin replied.
"I'm a pretty good fighter, both with a sword and with magic, but the cup will be very well protected." Bella nodded.
"I'm sure you can fight, the stories I've heard about you... You could probably hold your own against all of us with your sword." Gwaine commented.
"That's true, thought if all of you truly attacked me, I'd have to use magic. I'm good, but not that good." She replied with a smile.
"When this is all over, I'd like to see that. test how many of you you can humiliate at the same time." Leon added.
"It's nice that they all accept that you have the power to humiliate them all." Gwen chuckled.
"Until then, maybe we should get back to the matter at hands?" Merlin reminded them, a bit annoyed to see that all the knights seemed interested in Bella, with the exception of Lancelot who was happy with Gwen.
"I'll go with them to the cup." Lancelot offered.
"Will the two of you be okay going against Morgana and Morgause on your own though? Will you have enough power?" Arthur asked Merlin and Bella.
"We're stronger together." Merlin nodded.
"I'm well trained, don't worry. I've fought a priestess as powerful as Morgause before and it was a quick fight." Bella smiled reassuringly.
"Merlin, I'm wondering... How did you have Excalibur made? I mean, dragons aren't exactly friendly creatures..." Arthur asked his friend, making everyone look at them.
"Well, remember the great dragon that was prisoner under Camelot's castle? He's the one who told me about your destiny, and mine. Your father is the one he hates, you, he likes. He helped me forge this sword for you. I... I'm the last dragon Lord. Belanor was my... our father. I didn't know until Gaius and your father sent us to get him, that's why I was so silent on our way there, I was worried about his reaction, about meeting my father for the first time. He didn't know about me. Not until I told him to convince him to help us at least..." Merlin revealed.
"I'm so sorry Merlin..." Arthur told him sincerely.
"So Merlin is a Dragon Lord who can force dragons to do what he wants... What about you Bella? How did you forge your blade?" Gwen asked the young woman who, she knew it, would become her friend.
"Well, I'm... I guess you could call me the Mother of Dragons. Merlin can order them around, force his will on them and when he finds an egg, he can force it to become a baby dragon. Dragons willingly come to me and do what I ask of them. They love me like a child love its mother, no matter how old they are. I can feel dragon eggs when they are around and I can, just like Merlin, make them become baby dragons by naming them. I... I've actually found a few Dragon eggs during my travels and I've freed them. They hide from humans for the most part but they always come when I need them. Also I can't get burnt. By normal or by enchanted fire, which comes useful from time to time." Bella explained.
"That's kind of cool." Gwaine smiled.
"Can you get burned, Merlin?" Arthur asked, curiously.
"I... I actually don't know for sure... I guess I've never been burnt, but I've never tried to be." Merlin replied.
"For tomorrow, I was thinking... Maybe it would be best if Merlin and I did our best not to reveal our identities to Morgana and her sister. We should disguise ourselves to ensure they don't know it's us." Bella suggested.
"Why?" Gwen asked, confused.
"We might not kill them, they might make it out and it would be best if they didn't know right away that Merlin and I exist, at least for the time being. Morgana will soon learn about us and our crossed destinies. She'll learn Merlin's druid name Emrys and she'll want him dead at all cost. It's best if she doesn't know or has no way of guessing who Emrys is. Knowing who one of us is leads to knowing about the other. I think we should keep Merlin and my true power and identity a secret for now. Make it so that only the people in this room today can know about it, at least for now." Bella explained.
"I agree. It would be best for the time being. Our secret. Known only to the inner circle until you two agree that it's time to reveal it to everyone else." Arthur nodded and so, everyone in the room vowed to keep their secret until they decided it was time to reveal it.
"How are you going to disguise yourselves though?" Gwaine asked, curious.
"I can age myself, I've done it before to solve a few problems... The people I interacted with who knew me didn't recognize me so it should do." Merlin replied, feeling a bit of shame knowing that Arthur was about to realize that he had been played by Merlin a while back.
"I could do the same but it won't help, I'll look pretty much the same just older. I guess I can just mask my face and fake an accent, I've gotten pretty good at this." Bella shrugged her shoulders.
"Or you could dress like a man." Gwen suggested.
"You just like dressing people up, don't you?" Sir Leon asked her with a smile, remembering that she dressed him like a girl to help him escape.
"Oh come on, dressing you like a courteous woman was smart and it allowed us to escape Camelot without getting caught." Gwen replied, rolling her eyes.
"You dressed like a woman? Like, in a dress? I wish I could have seen that, Leon." Arthur commented while the other laughed.
"He was very pretty." Gwen added, making her childhood friend blush.
"Now I understand why women take so long getting ready, those dresses are death traps." Leon commented, making everyone chuckle.
"I actually have some clothes with me. An amazon warrior outfit. It's a gift from their queen for helping them. I can wear this with the ceremonial mask I have, it hides half of my face, that with a hood on my head should do the trick." Bella replied.
"You've met amazons?" Gaius asked her at the same time as Percival asked:
"What are amazons?"
"Yes, I did. The amazons are a people of proud and strong women, very skilled warriors. They reproduce with local men and keep the babies until they're three. If it's a boy, he goes back to its father at the age of three, if it's a girl, she grows up to be an amazon. I liked it there. It's a nice change to see women in power for once." Bella explained with a smile.
"Later I'd like to hear more about them." Gwen told her.
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of occasions to share stories." Bella replied with a kind smile.
"So you're an amazon warrior?" Gaius asked his niece.
"Technically, I'm an amazon princess because the queen, who has no living daughters and is too old to have more, gave me her right of cast, but yes, I'm a warrior too. Though I'll probably never be a Queen, she has a sister who's younger and can have children, they'll take power once the Queen dies." Bella smiled, showing them the medallion that designated her as a princess of the amazon people.
"Maybe we should get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a long day." Arthur suggested and they all nodded their agreements.
Bella answered a few more questions from the men before she settle to sleep in a corner, with Gwen, so they could speak some more while Arthur asked Merlin to stay by him, wanting to know everything Merlin had done for him all these years. A little further away, she could hear Gwaine and LAncelot telling the others about the stories of the Pirate Princess they had heard.
Bella could feel that Gwen would be a good friend to her. Having a true friend would be a first, but a nice change to her life.
"Wasn't it hard to travel on your own, as a woman? You have to have been attacked a lot..." Gwen asked Bella.
"Yes, they tried. When you're a woman alone on the road, you're exposed to the worst of men. My magic saved me a lot. It allowed me to learn how to see if a man is a good man or not with just one look. I've gotten very good at this and so far I've never been wrong. With my travels, I've seen the worst of men, along with the best. I've learned to see, even when they try to hide it. For exemple, I can tell you that all the men in this room with us today are good men, they have pure hearts, I can see it." Bella explained.
"I don't know if I envy you or not... you've traveled, seen a lot, but it can't have been easy." Gwen replied.
"You shouldn't envy me too much. I could never rest completely, I was always on my guards. I didn't know if I could trust the people I met or if they'd try to get me arrested for having magic. The man who kidnapped me had made a lot of enemies and some of them somehow knew about me and found me, I had to fight them. Then there was the people who faked kindness and friendship to have my magic at their disposition..." Bella replied honestly.
"Well, things will change for you in Camelot, you'll stay with us, right?"
"I think so, as long as I'm welcome." Bella replied.
"You're welcome in Camelot!" Merlin, Arthur and Gaius said at the same time, revealing that they could hear everything and making the girls chuckle.
"It's nice to have a private conversation." Gwen rolled her eyes.
"We'll speak some more after everything." Bella chuckled, blushing a bit at the idea that Arthur himself said that she was welcome.
.
It was decided that Gwen and Gaius would stay behind and that Arthur would send knights to get them once Camelot was safe again. Before they left, Lancelot shared a kiss with the woman he loved, Gwen, and promised her he'd be careful as long as she was, too. Everyone pretended they didn't see him place a ring in her hand. The young maid smiled brightly and nodded before they kissed once more.
Bella had left the room a few minutes ago and came back changed into her outfit. Arthur couldn't take his eyes off her as soon as she reentered the room. She was absolutely beautiful. Of course Bella showed more skin than the usual women he saw but she had a large cloak on her shoulders and she showed them how she looked with the hood and the mask on.
"So, how do I look?" Bella asked everyone.
"Nobody will recognize you if they don't know first that it's you and since they don't know you..." Merlin assured her with a kind smile.
"You look absolutely beautiful." Arthur let out in a whisper, making Bella blush and her brother smile.
At this moment, Arthur wondered if his father would allow him to marry an Amazone and pirate princess. Would she still be considered royalty by his father?
"Thank you." She whispered back.
"Can you really fight in this outfit?" Gwen's brother, Elione asked her in a friendly tone, tough a bit doubtful.
"Of course. You'd be surprised what I can fight in. I once fought 5 thieves while wearing a ball gown and high heals. Let me tell you that the one who received the right heal in his left eye wished I hadn't been able to fight them. You don't have to dress like a man to fight them." She smiled.
"Can't wait to see it." Gwaine declared flirtingly.
When Merlin finally aged himself, revealing to Arthur and the others who he was in his elderly form, the future king rolled his eyes, recognizing the old man who had made him carry him on his shoulders. Arthur didn't say anything, he just smiled and lead them on their way. He understood why Merlin had taken some pleasure in being carried by Arthur, after all his hidden hard work.
Already, Arthur had taken the decision to ask Merlin to chose another servant for him and to release him of this duty, so he could concentrate on helping and learning from Gaius at first, and also be one of his counselors at court. He'd give Merlin the recognition he deserved.
.
At the last minute, right before they entered the castle, Merlin decided to give Excalibur to Arthur so that they'd be able to kill some immortal soldiers on their way to free Uther.
"Are you sure, Merlin?" Arthur asked him.
"Yes, I am. I think you're ready and you need it right now. Just don't let your father or anyone else have it. In the wrong hand, it could do great harm. And be careful not to cut anyone on our side with it, the wound could become fatale." Merlin warned and Arthur nodded his understanding.
The previous evening, while Bella spoke with Gwen, they had spoken together, about a lot of things that happened in the past and about the future, Arthur's destiny, the sword...
"Good luck Merlin, Bella." Arthur told them.
"You too. Be careful." Bella replied while Merlin nodded.
After that, they all entered the castle, fighting their way to their destinations, killing immortal soldiers with their dragon forged blades as they did.
.
Merlin, his sister and Lancelot quickly found themselves in the same room as the cup and the two evil sorceresses, who were protected by a few immortal soldiers that they quickly disposed of with the help of the sword.
"How did you do this? It's impossible to kill them!" Morgause spat.
"Not impossible, just really complicated." Bella replied, adding a fake accent in her voice.
It was the accent her pirate father had spoken to her in the entire time she lived with him. She had learned it to be more like him and used it when she wanted to disguise herself. She liked this accent, it sounded exotic, made the one who heard it think of far away lands.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Morgana asked her as Bella went to stand in front of her brother.
"Most people just know me as The foreign amazone princess, or the Pirate princess. Most poeple don't know that I am the same person. Hey you have been used to call out to me as well." Bella replied with a smirk.
"I've heard of you. You have magic, powerful magic. Why are you fighting for them?" Morgana's sister asked her.
"I'm fighting for the future, a peaceful one with Arthur as king."
"He won't welcome you in this land. Nobody will." Morgana argued, feeling Bella's power.
"We'll see. Arthur is different from Uther, were you not blinded by your anger and jealousy, you'd see that." Bella replied before she used magic to block the two sorceresses' view, which allowed Merlin to help her with magic and take them out.
Though Morgause was taken by surprise, Morgana managed to protect herself enough to be able to escape, forced to leave her sister's dead body behind while Merlin emptied the cup and liberated Camelot from the army of monsters.
.
It took a few days for Camelot to get back to normal, or as normal as it could be with Uther, its king, in a catatonic state. Merlin and Bella had even tried to reach him with magic, to heal him, but it hadn't worked. His mind was broken, as was his heart, and ùagic could do nothing.
Arthur was now in charge and the first thing he did was change the rules about magic, naming Merlin his prime counselor and welcoming Bella as a member of the Court. Bella was also the only woman, along with Gwen, welcomed at the Round Table, which Arthur had ordered to be brought in Camelot. Arthur had spread the rumor that Emrys was now a counselor at court but without naming Merlin. It would be enough for the druids and other magical people to know that things were changing.
Of course Arthur wasn't king yet, he was only prince and he couldn't change the rules too much until his father died, but he did his best and people respected him for that.
Merlin had chosen Arthur's new servent and he spent his time learning so he could take over when Gaius became too old to be the court's healer. He also made time everyday for his friends and Arthur, which was easy because, as Gaius had explained, Merlin was learning very quickly now that he didn't have other duties and he was going to be very good at this.
.
A few weeks after Camelot was freed from Morgana, they celebrated Gwen's wedding with Lancelot. It was a happy day and, that day, Arthur asked Bella to go with him. It was the first time he gave the slightest sign of being interested in her, but he did make sure that the other knights knew that he cared for her and they had all backed off, stopped their fliritng with her.
As a wedding gift, Bella and Merlin enchanted the couple's wedding rings so that they could always find each other when they were lost and so they'd know if the other is in danger. They also made sure the rings would protect them from Morgana's direct magic.
Uther probably wouldn't agree about Arthur's decision to court Bella, not only a commoner but a sorceress, but the prince didn't care. His father had failed in being a good king, he was determined not to follow in his footsteps, which is why he politely refused his uncle Agravaine's counsel when he tried to come to Camelot and give it.
Bella and Merlin had warned him as soon as the man arrived, full of pretended good intentions, and Arthur had decided to trust their advise. His uncle had been hurt in his pride but at least he wasn't around anymore and if he was going to plot with Morgana, he wouldn't do it from under their nose and he wouldn't be able to spy on them.
Of course Merlin took a few days off to take his sister to Ealdore as well, to see their mother. It was an emotional reunion and even though it was too late for the two women to have a true mother-daughter bond, they knew each other, and they would see each other from time to time now. Knowing that Bella was alive, with Merlin and safe in Camelot was enough for the mother who only wanted for her children to be happy.
Review please?
Another chapter is coming, following more or less season 4.
Lorelei Candice Black