A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I started school placement this week, been a wee bit busy with it. Sorry again, and enjoy.
"How did you know my name?" Merlin asked me as we took a slow walk back. It had taken him a long time to convince me to go back with him, and the promise that he would never snap any branches I was sitting on again.
"Everyone knows who you are. You serve and protect Arthur. The Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion. I know what you can do, Merlin." I told him as I wrapped some of my hair around my finger.
"Who are you?" He asked me sharply. I just looked at him blankly. "If you're here to harm Arthur in any way…" He threatened.
"Oh, get real, Merlin. As much as I do not get along with the Prince, I know he will one day make a fine King. I'm not trying to stop Albion, I'm just trying find out who I am." Merlin seemed to accept my answer.
"Do you have magic?" He whispered, we were closer to the castle now, and it was not really safe to talk about it. It had actually been a rather long walk, and had taken more time than expected. I hadn't realised just how far I had managed to run till now.
"I don't know. I hope not." I thought about it for a moment. Maybe having magic would be fun, but it was too dangerous, especially with Uther as King. I would have to either leave Camelot or keep it a secret. But I didn't even know if I had any yet.
'You must have to be able to talk to me like this.' Merlin's voice was ringing in my head.
'This is how some druids communicate. But I am not a druid.' I directed my thought at him, and he seemed to get it.
'Well you seem to be getting the hang of this pretty fast. The last time I spoke to someone like this was a druid boy called…'
My eyes widened. 'Mordred.' He was in the legends and, from what I could remember, he wasn't such a good guy either.
'Do you know him?' Merlin asked me.
I shook my head at him. 'Heard of him, yes. You know, in all this legend and destiny stuff. Never met him and really hope that I never do.'
"I think there is someone you should meet." He said, stopping outside of my room. "I'll call for you late tonight." Then he turned away and left me, standing at my door.
I shook my head and stepped inside to find Gwen and another woman sorting dresses and placing them in the wardrobe.
"My Lady, this is the Lady Morgana, the Kings Ward." Gwen said, signalling to the dark haired woman beside her.
"Lady Morgana, it is a pleasure to meet you." I said, giving her a curtsey. I was still surprising myself by all the new manners and etiquette that I seemed to posses.
"Princess Isabella. I hope you are feeling well." Morgana said, returning the curtsey to me.
"I am well, and please, just Isabella will be fine. May I enquire as to what you are both doing?" I was very curious to say the least.
"Gwen told me that you had nothing other than the dress you are wearing. I thought I would offer you some of mine, and Gwen is here to measure you up to make you some new ones of your own." Morgana answered, picking up a dress from the bed. It was a dazzling shade of purple, with gold embroidery down the bodice. "Why don't you try this one on?" She suggested, holding it out to me.
"Lady Morgana, that is very kind of you but I cannot. These are your dresses and I'm afraid I have no way of paying Gwen for her services." That was a thought, from what I knew, I was here with no money. Just because I was supposedly a princess, did not mean I had money.
"Oh, nonsense. I hardly bother with these ones anymore. I won't miss them. And as a guest of the King, payment has already been arranged for Gwen's services." She told me, forcing the dress in my arms and pushing me towards the changing screen.
I had to give in and do what I was told. Gwen and Morgana were very insistent that everything had been taken care of and that I needed to not worry about anything. I took off the green dress that I had been wearing, according to Gwen it was beyond repair. But assured me she could replicate it perfectly. I didn't really care, but apparently, those two did.
"So, how is the dress?" Morgana asked, waiting for me to emerge so they could assess me.
"It seems a little big." I told her. The dress was meant to pretty much hug me, but instead it just seemed to drop. I didn't have the same womanly figure as Morgana did.
"I'm not surprised. I don't know who is skinnier, you or Merlin." Morgana told me as I stepped out for them to see me. "When was the last time you had a proper meal?" She asked, holding onto my skinny wrist.
"Oh, I don't remember. A few months maybe." That was actually the truth. My uncle didn't want to waste his food on me and gave me the bare basics. I tended to live off rice, bread and whatever fruit I could find.
"Well, that simply will not do. It is no wonder you are nothing but flesh and bones. A few good meals and you will soon be able to wear those dresses more comfortably." She said, smiling away at me.
I couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you, Lady Morgana. You are being very kind."
"Call me Morgana. And there is no need to thank me. I cannot begin to imagine what you must have been through." There was a sad look on her face now. "Have you managed to remember anything yet?"
I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to tell her what I could. "I remembered that I am slightly afraid of heights. And I have found out the names of my parents and brothers. I have Prince Arthur to thank for that. He gave me that information." That was all the information I really wanted to give her, or anyone. That stupid dream was still bothering me.
"I hope that you begin to remember soon. I would love to hear all about Elbear and what it is like there." Morgana said to me, taking hold of my hand and squeezing it tightly.
"Thank you, Morgana, so do I. But in the mean time, I am finding the stories of Camelot to be true." The whole time we had been talking, I had been doing my best to remember what part Morgana played in the legend. I could remember that she was Arthur's half sister and that she herself had a sister, but even my memory on that was failing me.
"Well, maybe you could entertain us with some of those stories at dinner tonight. I am sure Uther would love to her about them." My eyes widened. I had completely forgot that I was to dine with them from now on.
I quickly regained myself. "Of course. Camelot has made a name for itself from what I recall. It is strange how it only seems to be my personal memory that is been affected. I can still read and write, I just cannot remember who taught me. I look for my home and I see nothing."
"Isabella, Uther sent people out to your kingdom, I am sure, that as soon as they return, you will learn more about yourself. Meanwhile, it would be nice to have another Lady around the castle who can assist me in my life long task of annoying Arthur." There was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke that last part.
"From what I have seen of the Prince, I would enjoy that very much. Someone needs to kick him of that high horse of his." Oh how true that was. He was nowhere near ready to become the King that people needed.
"Have you been shown around the castle yet?" She asked me, I shook my head at her. I had seen the throne room, my chamber and for a few minutes, Arthur's chamber. "Well then, come. We shall take a walk about and then prepare for dinner." She said, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the room.
As we were walking, we bumped into Arthur and Merlin. My head instantly went down and I looked at the floor. "Ah, Morgana, Lady Isabella. I trust you are having a pleasant day?" The Prince asked.
"I was just going to show Isabella around the castle before we prepare for dinner." She told him, not noticing my sudden change in demeanour.
"That was very thoughtful of you, Morgana." He replied.
'Hey, are you okay?' I heard Merlin ask in my head. It was still weird hearing his voice in my head.
'I'm fine. Why does everyone have to keep asking me how I am? Honestly, I'd be a lot better if people stopped asking me the same question over and over again.' I told him, staring to feel a little agitated.
"Lady Isabella?" I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me. All I could do was give them a questioning look. "I asked how you were feeling." Arthur said, giving me that stupid concerned look I had been seeing from him since I had met him.
"I am fine, sire. Thank you." I told him before letting my gaze fall back to the floor.
I heard Arthur and Morgana speak a little more before we went our separate ways. It wasn't long until we were at Morgana's chambers. I admit, I wasn't really paying too much attention to what she was talking about. I just nodded and mumbled a little every now and again.
The next thing I knew, she was leading me through the castle and towards the hall we would be dining in. "Princess Isabella, Morgana." Uther declared as we entered the room. Arthur was already there as well. "Princess Isabella, please sit." He motioned to the empty chair beside Arthur.
Morgana let go of my arm and went to her seat over the other side of the table. I took a deep breath and walked over to where I was to sit, saying I was nervous came nowhere close to how I was feeling. Just as I reached the high backed wooden chair, Arthur was out of his own and pulling it out for me.
"Thank you, sire." I managed to say as he pushed my chair under when I sat down. Morgana was opposite me and I couldn't help but notice the smirk on her face.
There was small talk between father and son, with the occasional input from Morgana. I felt completely out of place and wanted nothing more than to find an excuse to get out of there. But that would have been rude. The King had granted me, a complete stranger, shelter and safety in his castle.
"Lady Isabella, I hope you are comfortable here." Uther said, tucking straight into his meal.
"I am, and I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, sire." I said, carefully picking at the food on my plate. Of course I was hungry, but if I ate too much I was just going to be sick. I had done that before, gone days without eating properly and then stuffed my face at the first chance I got. The end result was not pretty. "It would appear the stories I remember about Camelot are true."
I saw both the King and Prince raise an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do these stories tell?"
That was the perfect excuse to stop eating, just tell them a story. "That Camelot is one of the most wealthy and prosperous kingdoms, with a fair and just King who is always looking to the safety of his people. You are highly respected for your dedication to the fight against magic." I wanted to kick myself for saying that, but I knew it was what he wanted to hear.
"You words are too kind, Princess." Uther said, beaming away and sipping at his wine.
"I only speak of what I remember, but your hospitality has proved the stories are correct." I told him, smiling at him. I felt like such a kiss up, but I knew I needed to keep on the king's good side, this was Uther after all.
"And do any of your stories mention my son?" Uther asked. That was my chance to really rub Arthur up the wrong way.
"Indeed there are, sire. They say that one day, he shall be as good a king as you. But he still has much to learn before that time comes." I had to put my goblet to my lips and drink some wine to cover the grin that was stretching across my face. Arthur seemed a little shocked and outraged from what I had said.
"It is true, Arthur does have a long way to go before he is fully ready to become King." Uther agreed, much to his son's dislike. I noticed Morgana smirking as well. Clearly I had ruffled the Prince's feathers.
Arthur decided to interrupt to make sure I couldn't put him down any further. "Father, I was thinking it would be a good idea to take Princess Isabella out of the city and show her more of the kingdom." He suggested.
Uther seemed to ponder in it for a moment before looking at me. "Lady Isabella, how do you feel about this proposal?"
"I would be honoured to have the Prince show me more of Camelot. I'm sure it is as beautiful as the stories would tell as well."
"Well then, that is settled. Arthur and you shall ride out at first light and spend the day touring some parts of the kingdom. Although I am sure I do not need to warn you not to stray too far." The last part was directed at his son.
"Of course, father." Arthur said, getting back to his wine.
Morgana was the first person to excuse herself and retire to bed. And it was only a short while later that Uther was also called away for something. So I was left sitting there with Arthur.
"You haven't eaten much." Arthur pointed out after his father had left.
I just shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not exactly used to having so much food."
"Well, if there is anything in particular that you want, I can get the cook to make it for you." He suggested.
"I… I've gotten used to making my own meals. I always liked to cook." I said, looking off into the distance. I would always annoy my mum by insisting on helping her cook anything and everything.
"Isabella, what happened earlier…" Great, I had been waiting for him to bring that up. "The mention of your uncle's name seemed to upset you greatly. Is there a reason why?"
At first I wasn't sure what to tell him. And after a moment of thinking, I decided I might as well tell him what happened in my dream. "Last night, my dream consisted of him killing both my mother and father. And since I do not have my memories, I don't know if it was just a dream or if that really did happen."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He said softly.
I forced a smile on my face. "There is no need to be sorry. You were only trying to help me. You weren't to know it would upset me."
"Or that you would climb a tree and then find out you have problem with heights." There was a little bit of playfulness in his tone. He wasn't mocking me, he was trying to cheer me up.
"Or that some creep of a Prince was going to follow me up said tree." That made the Prince laugh.
"I have been called many things, but never a creep." He said, regaining his composure. "Would you allow me to escort you be to your chamber? If you have finished eating, that is." I nodded at him and he was a gentleman in pulling my chair out for me again.
We walked most of the way in silence, and I kept my head down, as I seemed to be making a habit of in his presence. It would appear that he had noticed this as well. "Is there something interesting about your feet? You always seem to be looking down."
"Sorry." I mumbled. "Force of habit I guess." I said, still not bothering to looking up. I just carried on walking, until I was stopped by a pair of feet in front of me. I let out a sigh before pulling my gaze up to the man standing there, his arms folded across his chest. "Is something the matter, sire?"
"You seem to do anything possible to avoid looking at me. Is there a reason for that?" He asked me, trying to hold my gaze.
I didn't know what to tell him. I had my reasons, like that fact that when I looked at his eyes it felt like time had stopped. Or that when I looked at him, I couldn't help but wonder more and more about who he really was. "No, sire. If you would excuse me, I wish to retire now." I said, letting my eyes fall back to the floor as I darted around him in one swift movement and hurried along the corridor.
At first I was a little concerned that he was going to come after me, but he didn't. Once I was in my room I let out a sigh of relief. Dinner had been interesting, but I wasn't sure I could do that every single night. I was going to have to start thinking up excuses so I didn't have to go all the time, it couldn't be too hard really. Could it?
I pushed all thoughts of that prat of a prince to the back of my mind and focused on something else. Merlin said he was going to come for me later, that could be anytime now, and I was not going to stay in that dress any longer. I rummaged through the wardrobe and found a simple pale blue dress. No sooner had I gotten changed, there was a soft knocking at the door.
'It's me, Merlin' He said, clearly not wanting to speak out loud.
'Give me a second.' I said, pulling on some slipper style shoes and walking over to the door. I pulled it open and smiled at the warlock. When I looked at him I felt a little bit of reassurance. I knew he was keeping a big secret, and so was I. I knew about the future, I knew how brilliant he was going to become. I didn't feel as nervous or worried, I could look him in the eyes and smile. 'So, where are we off to then?' I asked him, trying to sound cheery.
'You'll see.' Was all he said. I just shrugged my shoulder and carried on following him down one corridor then another. Morgana had shown me around most of the castle earlier, but where we were now, I had no idea. She hadn't taken me there and I had to admit, I was starting to get a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Merlin picked up a torch and we headed down this stone staircase, and a long one at that. 'Merlin, where are you taking me?' I asked him, trying not to sound worried.
He had picked up on my anxiousness. 'Don't worry, everything is fine, I promise.' I let out a sigh and carried on following him down into the darkness. When we finally reached the bottom I looked around. We seemed to have ended up in some sort of cave under the castle. "I know you're here. I brought someone to see you." Merlin shouted, looking around.
I stared at the warlock in confusion for a moment before a heard the flapping of wings. The rather large lizard now perched on the rocks before us took my attention. "Oh lovely, a dragon." I mumbled, folding my arms across my chest to show that I was not impressed. This was just going from one extreme to the next, and I was getting seriously fed up with it now.
"Ah, the young princess. One who is so far away from home, further than anyone knows." The dragon called. He had my attention, and I stared into those golden eyes of his. "I'm sure you have many questions you wish to ask me."
"Me, nah, not really." I said, completely forgetting when time period I was in and speaking very rough. "I mean, if you tell me your name is Kilgharrah I may just have to laugh until I cry." That was something I remember from the television show. The great dragon was called Kilgharrah.
"You have already shed many tears since arriving here, but those have been tears of sadness. I am Kilgharrah." His voice echoed around the cave. And at first I didn't know what to do.
"Okay, fair enough." I turned to face the warlock who had been standing silent and watching my interactions with the giant beast. "Why did you bring me here, Merlin? Kilgharrah only ever speaks in riddles, you should know that by now." I said, going back into full princess mode.
"I thought that maybe he could help you with your memories." Merlin said, a little nervous.
I nodded at the warlock and turned back to Kilgharrah. "I take it you know where I am from?" He bowed his head at me, which I took meant yes. "Then there are two questions I want to ask you."
"Go ahead, young princess." The dragon replied, watching me carefully.
"One, how the hell did I get here. And two, why the hell am I here? And don't you dare give me any of that destiny and prophecy nonsense." I warned him, making sure to glare at him as I spoke.
"You were sent here by magic." He told me. I rolled my eyes at him, well it wasn't like I time travelled using a big blue police box now, was it? "You are here to play your role in the legend."
I looked at him, and a small smile started to form on my face. "That, was very clever, Kilgharrah."
"What was? What did he do?" Merlin asked, a very bemused look on his face.
"I told him not to say destiny or prophecy, so he used the word legend instead." I had completely slipped out of princess mode and was speaking just like I would to any of my friends back home. Not that I actually had many. "So come on then, Kilgharrah, where do I come into this?"
"I thought you only had two questions, young princess? You have asked these." Was he smiling? Was that blasted dragon smiling at me?
"You have opened more avenues of inquiry. Come on, give a girl with no memory a break." I said to him, giving him a cheeky smile.
"Now, you know what has happened with your memories, your charm will not work on me." He laughed.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. I guess, in time, I will find my own destiny." I hinted to the dragon.
"Indeed you shall, young princess. Your world is changing, your life has been moved to a better path. Do not dwell on the future, live in the past." The dragon said before flying off. I burst out laughing as he left, I understood exactly what he meant.
"Well, I have to say, that was rather interesting. The old lizard gave away a little more than he wanted to in the end." I said, smiling away.
"I couldn't understand anything that was going on between you and him. How did you know his name? And were you not scared of him?" Merlin asked, studying me carefully.
"Oh. Yes, right." I quickly got back into princess mode. "I remember tales of the great dragon as I remember tales of Camelot."
Merlin looked at me, as if he was trying to work out if I was lying or not when he finally nodded. "That makes sense. But what I don't understand is all this dwell on the future and living in the past. What does he mean by that?"
I bit my lip and put a worried expression on my face. "I don't actually know either. I think maybe it is time to head back. It's been a rather eventful day and I would really like to get some sleep tonight." I told the warlock, trying to draw his attention away from what the dragon had said to me. I didn't want Merlin to work it out, not until I knew exactly what I was doing in the legend.
"Sorry, I'll take you back now." Merlin said sheepishly. We began walking back in silence, I had a feeling both of us were thinking over what the dragon had said.
It wasn't long until we had reached the corridor that my room was down. "Thank you, Merlin. I am very grateful for what you have done for me. I shall see you in the morning, bright and early."
Before the warlock had a chance to say anything the door closest to where we were standing opened. Arthur stepped out and stopped in his tracks when he saw us. My head instantly went down and I focused on my shoes, again.
"Ah, Merlin, just the idiot I was looking for. I am taking Princess Isabella on a tour of the kingdom tomorrow. Have the horses ready for just after dawn." The Prince said, standing in front of the pair of us.
"Of course, sire." Merlin said, giving a little bow. "Good night, My Lord, Lady Isabella."
"Good night, Merlin." I said, quickly looking at him for the briefest of moments. He began to walk one way and I started to go the other, towards my chamber.
"Lady Isabella, may I inquire as to why you are wandering the castle at such a late hour?" The Prince asked, catching up with me.
"I found that I was having trouble sleeping and decided to take a little walk. Do not worry, I did not venture outside. I bumped into Merlin and he was kind enough to escort me back." We stopped as we reached the door to my chamber.
"You're doing it again." Arthur said with a sigh.
I knew what he was talking about, but it was easier for me to act like I didn't. "Doing what, sire?" I shifted my eyes so that I was now looking at the bottom of the door and not the ground.
"Avoiding looking at me. Have I done something to offend you?" I could have sworn I heard hurt in his voice. Was me not looking at him hurting him?
"No, of course not, sire. Now if you will excuse me, I believe we should both get some rest for tomorrow." I put my hand on the handle and was about to open the door when suddenly Arthur reached out and put his hand over mine. My eyes shot up and fixed on him as I felt the warmth from his touch.
"I hope you sleep well tonight, Princess." He said, staring into my eyes. I was captivated by his eyes. I really had never seen anything like them before, and I probably never would again.
"Thank you, sire." I whispered. For some reason I was find it hard to breath, let alone speak. "Goodnight." I whispered, opening the door and ducking inside quickly.
Once it was closed I rested my head against it and listened. I couldn't yet hear the prince's footsteps leading away from my door. Was he still standing out there? I held my breath and waited for what seemed like forever before I finally heard him go back to his own chamber. Only then did I begin to relax.
A/N: Again, i'm really sorry for the long wait. Settling into a new school and planning lessons is time consuming.
I hope you all liked this chapter. I promise to try and get the next one up quickly, especially if you guys are liking the story.
Pippa.