A/N: I do not own Merlin, nor any of the characters in the show. Simply just Alexandra.
Alexandra hated men.
No, not men. Jarl.
Alexandra hated Jarl.
Jarl, the slave-trader. Jarl, the man who watches men fight to their death for fun.
Jarl, the man who made her sleep with his champion.
Alexandra did not hate his most recent champion. He was kind, kinder than most people have been to her in years. This man was gentle, and never did anything. Jarl's champion was the only man Alexandra trusted.
The only man I will ever trust.
"Come here, sweet cheeks." Her undignified master called.
Like any well-trained slave, Alexandra did as he instructed.
"It looks like you have another fun night ahead of you." Alexandra but her cheek to stay silent. "My champion, then me." The slave trader attempted to pet her cheek, but the young women turned away quickly.
Jarl didn't have a chance to reprimand her before his champion arrived. Alexandra took this as a get-out-of-jail-free-card and made her way to the back. Next to a man, a weirdly familiar man, being held captive by one of Jarl's men.
Alexandra met the captive man's eyes for a second. Only to nearly see herself in his eyes. Before she could greet the familiar man, Jarl called for the battle to begin.
The champion stood next to a man of equal height. He wore nicer clothes, that much she could tell from far away. He had blonde hair, not as long as the champion, but equally as messy.
I suppose being kept captive will do that to someone's hair, she chided to herself. Of course, if she had someone to say that aloud to she would have. But as it stands, she has no friends. No friends but the champion.
The men, the vile men, around her cheered. Ecstatic to witness their favorite pastime. Poor slaves forced to fight each other. She hated every second of these fights.
The champion seemed to have met his match. His opponent, the blond man, fought well. For a second, Alexandra was scared. She was very scared. Would her man die by this blonde's hand? Without thinking, she glanced away. If he was to die, she did not need to witness another man's death. Not this man, not her man.
She heard both men falling on the ground. Jarl shouting at one of them to finish the fight. The captive-man next to her began to struggle.
That's weird, she thought as she glanced back at the fight. I thought he wanted the blond to win. I thought they were friends.
Before she thought more about it, a fire erupted. She could have sworn the captive-man mumbled something, but she was too caught up in the chaos to think twice of it. The disgusting, vile men ran everywhere. Dropping down to flee the fire growing in the rafters. She managed to get a glimpse of the champion and his opponent running towards her.
No, not towards her, towards the captive-man.
The captive-man didn't see them. Instead, he looked around frantically, looking for his friend, the blonde man.
The champion and blonde found the captive. Alexandra was scared that the champion may hurt the captive.
Nothing like that happened. The champion was about to grab the captive, only to meet her eyes. Behind his brown eyes held plans, thoughts, processing faster than she could keep up. She's no mind-reader, but as though she knew what he was thinking, Alexandra ran out of the fire behind the campion, blond, and captive.
The young girl spent many years dreaming of this. The day she escaped from the slavers, the day her knight and shining armor saved her. She didn't expect it to be three knights, none of them in shining armor. And she certainly never expected to escape due to an uncontrollable fire. Nonetheless, Alexandra followed the men, nearly tasting freedom.
She followed the trio past the forest line, as though she was apart of the group. Just when the men deemed it safe, they stopped. All of them trying to catch their breath. As far as it seems, only her champion knows she followed, the ex-captive nor the blond had looked in her direction.
"Well that's somewhere I'll not be in a hurry to see again." Her champion panted out. Alexandra couldn't agree more.
"Best stay out of trouble then." The blond panted.
"I could say the same to you." The champion replied. Alexandra noted that these men knew each other. It made sense to her, the way the ex-captive had reacted when either of the men was loosing.
She sat on a near-by log, facing the backs of the three men. The ex-captive heard her and backed away. "Someone followed us."
The champion and blond turned on their heels, swords at the ready. Alexandra, now scared for her life, jumped up.
"S-sorry, I just saw you run out and had no idea where to go." She backed away, maybe she could outrun them.
The champion lowered his sword. "It's just her, she's no danger to us Merlin." Alexandra didn't know if she should be relieved or humiliated. Either way, it didn't matter. She was at their mercy now. Might as well take this as a success.
"You know her?" The blond asked, looking the girl over. "We need to discuss your taste in women. This is a child."
The champion laughed. "Pease, Arthur. You know I'm far nobler than that."
So the blond is named Arthur, then ex-captive is Merlin, Alexandra thought to herself. She knew she had to remember their names. It is possible she escaped her slavery, just as possible as it was she had only followed to gain new masters. Either way, she continued, the champion is kind. I won't get hurt again.
The ex-captive, Merlin, came closer to her. "You were with Jarl, why did you follow us?"
Alexandra cringed at her old master's name. If she never heard that name again it would be too soon.
Merlin seemed to have caught her quick movement and took a step back, relaxing. "You're alright, but why did you follow?"
Alexandra looked past merlin at the blond, Arthur. He still held his sword at the ready, she couldn't help but wonder if he possibly still thought she would attack them.
"I," She took a deep breath and glanced back at Merlin. "I saw you all running out and followed. I didn't know my way out but you all seemed to."
Arthur lowered his sword, now releasing the girl is no threat. "Why were you there?"
Alexandra looked away, she hardly wanted to tell these strangers her life's story. She doubted any of them would care. No one has cared about her before, these men are no different.
The champion is different, she had to remind herself.
She looked over at the champion, hoping he could come to her rescue once more. And once more he did not let her down. "She was like us, enslaved."
Merlin looked her over, his face contorting into one of disgust. They met eyes, that was the only way Alexandra knew he was not disgusted at her.
"She's a slave," Arthur said matter-of-factly. "Gwaine, I do not need more legal issues than what we already have. Now you go and bring a slave with you?"
Arthur was mad. Alexandra had no idea why he was mad, but like most angry men, she was the reason.
"I'm sorry." Alexandra quickly apologized. "I'll go, save you a lot from any more trouble." She turned towards the forest and began to walk, tears threatening to spill. She trusted her champion, and now he was about ready to throw her out. All because of the blond, all because Arthur was angry.
"Arthur- hey! Wait!" The champion's voice floated through the forest. Alexandra stopped and looked behind her, the man running to catch up. "Ignore him, please. Let me get you somewhere safe. It's the least I owe you."
This confused Alexandra. "Champion, you owe me nothing. You saved me. I owe you my life."
Arthur and Merlin caught up to them. "You kept me fed so I could fight another day, I will always be grateful for that."
"She's staying with us, Arthur. You heard me, I owe it to her." The champion was now looking back at Arthur, who seemed to be weighing the cost of keeping her around.
"We're on a quest. Not that you would know what that looks like."
"The trident-"
Arthur flashed him eyes that were on a mission to kill. "We already stumbled upon you, and we can't keep the company of another."
"Pray do tell, princess, what is this important quest that is keeping you from saving someone?"
Arthur began to speak before Merlin interrupted. "We're looking for the Cup of Life." This earned Merlin a smack on the head by Arthur, at which Alexandra quickly flinched at. Unbeknownst to her, her champion saw it.
"What part of 'secret' did you not understand?"
Merlin sighed and motioned to the champion. "It…Gwaine!"
So that was the champion's name, Gwaine. His name felt noble, much like Arthur's.
"Gentlemen, Gentlemen. It seems whatever it is that you're after, you could use some help." Gwaine looked back at Alexandra with a smile.
Alexandra shuffled over to the group of men. "I mean no trouble, sir. But I have nowhere to go. Mast- Jarl was my life. The life I've ever known."
Arthur looked at her, as though he had never seen her before. He took in her ragged dress, her long, but put away, hair, the dirt on her cheeks. All things that gave a hint of her status. "Are you marked?"
Alexandra knew what he was speaking of, in the five kingdoms, it was customary for slaves to be branded with an 's' on their left arm. So no matter if they escaped, they would always be brought back.
She pulled up her sleeve to show him. "Of course. None of you have been?"
The trio looked between themselves, as though they needed to triple check they were all okay.
Arthur sighed and looked around, taking seconds to think through whatever was going through his head. "Then we can't let you go running into the forest, you're no safer out there than where you are. One look at you and-" Arthur faltered with his words. "Never mind that, for now, if anyone asks, I'm your Master. When we get back to Camelot-"
"Camelot?" Alexandra interrupted. "You're from Camelot?"
Arthur seemed confused at the interruption but quickly gained back his footing. "Uh, yes. I suppose we haven't introduced ourselves have we?"
Alexandra laughed. "I'm Alexandra, I used to live in Camelot."
Arthur was taken back. "Then I'm glad we found you. As a citizen of Camelot, and someone who helped an old friend as it sounds, you are under my protection."
"Don't get all noble now, Arthur. The girl just saw you trying to kill me back there." Gwaine interjected. The blond gave him no mind, to which Merlin had shrugged.
"That was different, look. As your Crown Prince, it is my duty to protect my citizens. Alexandra is no different."
The girl was at a loss for words. This man, this seemingly unimpressive man was Prince Arthur. Sure, the name was popular enough that she never really put it together. But now, as far as she could tell the Crown Prince of Camelot just told her that, for now, he's her Master.
No, she didn't get a knight in shining armor. She got a prince with mud on his face.