"Sleight of Hand" (Rose)
Ignoring every thought of my own irrational and stupid behavior, I sneak further down into the armory. All of the soldiers now stand ready at their posts ... and I will join them shortly.
I know we are outnumbered and I cannot sit back and do nothing. I cannot allow another band of thoughtless brutes take down my whole world one swipe at a time. I'm no longer that feeble child trembling in her father's arms from the leftover chills of a haunting nightmare.
As I reach for the smallest chainmail shirt I can locate, that small voice in my head that still clings to something other than reckless abandon says, 'If the enemy doesn't smite you where you stand, Merlin just may.' I huff a pathetic laugh and comment quietly, "Gaius will assist, no doubt." After I've gathered all I will need from this place, I steal back to our chambers.
I silently sift through Merlin's clothing and find an old shirt of his and a set of pants he now never wears because he's outgrown them. This is almost too easy. As I hear the sounds of the readying charge, feel the mounting tension, and the air thickening, I nearly tear out of my dress and hop into my disguise.
Other than the pants being near a foot too long, the outfit would do nicely. The shirt is a great deal baggier than anything I've ever put on, but since I'd be wearing a belt over my armor, it didn't really matter. It wouldn't show. As for the bottoms, I simply fold the hem of the legs up and shove the excess material into my boots so that this goes unnoticed- not that anyone has time to dwell on the wardrobes of their fellow man at such a time. I'm thankful for this, and for the fact that because everyone is in such a bustle, I am able to be completely unaccounted for.
However, once I slip into the metal that weighs me down at what feels like tenfold, a sly smile passes over my lips as I think of another fact ... Merlin isn't the only one who can perform magic with a simple sleight of hand. I'd be making wild movements and getting away with them. Perhaps the saddest part is, I know I am a fool ... and I don't care to stop myself.
I secure a sword at my side, strap a dagger to my leg, and tie my hair up higher than usual. My heart is pounding as my body rattles in its newly found protective cage. As I set the helmet on top of my head, the first screams of battle ring out and the rumbling of the collision on the battlements from the enemy catapults resounds. There is no time to turn back. I grip the only item I wear that indentifies me as me and not a soldier or a tiny version of Merlin- in other words, my mother's necklace. I carefully tuck it into my shirt and strut to the impending doom.
"Blur" (Merlin)
I slide through those setting up the medical ward, immediately Morgana is in view. Whilst eyeing her carefully, I find myself in front of Gaius in a few short paces.
"Gaius, one of us needs to keep an eye on here."
"Don't worry, I am," he answers dutifully.
"You mustn't let her out of your sight," I say with a dark air of urgent warning just as an explosion booms outside, the flash of bright fire spreading across the room. Through hard breathes I tell him, "I need to get back to Arthur."
He nods at me with understanding and I turn to leave. My own words are repeating themselves in my head, "You mustn't let her out of your sight." They keep getting louder and louder, but for me they're not referring to Morgana. I double back after a quick eye search of the surrounding area. A feeling of panic growing in my chest with every step, I quickly relocate Gaius.
Upon looking up at me, his brow furrows at once. "What is it? You should be with the Prince!"
"Where's Rose?"
His tone causes me to lighten up a bit. "What do you mean, 'where's Rose?'"
"Oh, you sent her off to get something then?"
"No," he looks at me with question. "Why do you ask?"
The worry is back and more potent than ever. "She's not here, Gaius."
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. Of course she is! Where else would she be? She's right-" He stops short and looks about. "That's odd. She was over there a few moments ago. Perhaps, she's run to get more dressings." He calls for her and a bit of hope rises within me. Maybe, she was just around the corner. In a few seconds, her strangely serene face would appear and calm my fears ... But it doesn't.
Everything she said about the siege that night, about the closest thing she had experience to it being the murder of her people, comes rushing back into my mind. "I need to find her," I tell Gaius with the panic now in my words. I don't wait for a response. Seeing his expression is enough to distinguish that, he knows what she is capable of pulling off. He knows she's gone to fight.
Everything around me begins to blur as I dash through the courtyard only to be flung to the ground by another fireball touching down very near to where I am. I hit the stones hard, my breathing labored and my heart hammering. A horrid thought arises. Clearly, there's no way the soldiers would let a woman fight. No doubt, she'll be cleverly disguised. I can only pray for a dead giveaway in her appearance, or I may not find her ... until it's too late.