Ok, so I know I said I would update yesterday, but I ended up writing chapter two-then turned it into chapter three cause I thought some stuff needed to be explained. This chapter has a pretty long flashback, where we find out all about Lena's "gifts". It might get kinda confusing at some parts and I tried to make it as clear as possible-but if you think its was to messy tell me. And again, this is my first story ever, so I can use any and all advice/criticism you've got. But please-be gentle, I'm trying really hard.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters. Anything/anyone you do not recognize belongs to moi. I may use lines and/or quotes that are not my own later on in the story. I'm not quite sure though-so I'm being un-specific. Those (if I do choose to use them) also do not in anyway belong to me.

PLUS: this chapter takes place after the girls and Lucan have been rescued, but before all the Arthur/Guinevere conversations, or the fixing of the dislocated fingers-just so you know

So lets Get this Started......

Choices

Chapter 2 : I Could Never See Like You

Guinevere watched Lena carefully. She was waiting. Waiting for any little indication of awareness. Anything that would mean she was awake. Anything that would mean she was alive.

She had been unconscious since yesterday-when the knights had freed them.

"Wake up." she whispered softly. "Just for a moment." she begged her cousin. "Please." She said it so softly-it was as if the word had never left her mouth. Lena had not heard it. Lena would hear nothing.

The healer knight she had learned to be called Dagonet told Guinevere she would wake. Told her that Lena needed rest, but that she would wake. Yet still Guinevere sat watching her cousin sleep.

''She will not die'' she tried to convince herself. ''She cannot die''

Lena was much too important to die.

''People as important as Lena have responsibilities. They can not simply die. It would be....irresponsible'' Guinevere winced slightly at her logic, but tried to comfort herself with the thought.

Their people needed Lena. Her father, Merlin, needed Lena. She needed Lena-and not only because Guinevere loved her like a sister, but also for reasons more selfish than they appeared. If Lena would die-her sight would pass to Guinevere-and that made the Woad afraid. Guinevere remembered when her father had first introduced her timid cousin. They had both been 7 years old. It was exactly a year after their grandmother had died.

Flashback

There was a storm going on. Again. Guinevere was sitting in her room, wrapped in thick fur blankets, her dark hair spilling over her eyes, obstructing the view out of her small window. She blew up a puff of air-shifting her hair to the side of her face without going through the hassle of extracting her hands from the piles of blanket.

She continued to stare intently out the window. Her dark eyes searching for anything to interest her. Suddenly she caught sight of a guard and a girl who looked about her own age. The girl was soaked to the bone-and covered in mud. The guard was leading her somewhere.

''Who is she?'' Guinevere knew most of the children in her village-and she had never seen this girl before ''Where are they going?'' she thought. Suddenly realization struck her-she stood up on her bed-the fuzzy blankets falling to her feet.

"They''re coming here!" she said aloud-excited to have anything remotely interesting happening.

She ran out of her room-down the halls, and by the time she had finally reached the entrance-her father was dismissing the guard. Guinevere watched cautiously from her position in the doorway-where she believed she could not be seen.

"You are Lena." Merlin said. It was not a question-but a statement. "I have been expecting you for quite some time." he said kindly. The child was so afraid- why was she alone? "Where is your mother?" he asked gently. Her mother should have brought Lena to he village as soon as her grandmother died. As soon as Lena had received the sight . A year ago.

When the girl did not respond he tried again. "Your mother? Liana?"

"How did you know my mother? How do you know my name? Who are you?!" she asked, desperately trying to hide the fear in her voice, but failing miserably.

The question shocked the old man. How could Lena not know he was her uncle? What had his sister told her of her heritage? "I am her brother, child" he explained calmly. "Your uncle" The girl was surprised by that-he could easily see it on her face. "Now.." he continued "Your mother? Where is she? We have things to discuss."

"My mother has died sir." came her shaky response. "5 days ago. She was very ill" Lena pressed on. "That is why I am here. S-she told me to go to the Woads. That Merlin would tell me everything that she....everything that she should have. Everything about the ........visions" she finished and looked down. Suddenly she looked up again, catching the man''s eyes "Do-do you know where Merlin is? He is supposed to be the leader of the Woads. I don''t really know what Woads have to do with it, but if you''re my Uncle-maybe-maybe you could help me?"

"Child" He began. "I am Merlin, leader of the woads- and you are Lena, a Woad, and the seer of our people." he explained. He could tell she was confused "Your gifts, your powers, your sight-are a thing that has passed through our family for generations. Your grandmother before you was the seer, and when she died her gifts passed on to you."

Though he did not show it, Merlin was shaken by Lena''s news. His sister. Dead. His only sister. Gone forever, and the last time he had truly spoken with her was before Lena''s birth. Before she left the Woad village with her husband. Her husband-where was he? Why had he not brought Lena here? He was in fact a Woad-a rather reluctant one, but a Woad by blood.

"You know about my, my......" she had never really known what to call them. Her Father had always referred to it as her "talents"-but Lena had never really liked that. "sight?" she asked, using the word Merlin had before. "You understand it?" she said-breaking Merlin from his thoughts of Liana and her husband.

The old man let out a deep breath. "Yes. And I will help you to understand it in time. I will teach you to control it- as best you can.""

He smiled at the child. She looked like her mother. She had brown hair-not quite as dark as that of his own daughter, Guinevere-he could see little pieces of gold, and other lighter and darker browns running through her hair.

Just like her mother. Her pale skin, the delicate nose, the shape of her face, the full cupids bow lips, even the light sprinkling of freckles over her nose belonged to her mother. She was Liana at 7 years old. Except for the eyes-no, she had the eyes of her grandmother. Her mother had small eyes. Small dark eyes. Lena had large ones, very large ones. Merlin remembered his mother''s eyes. Light in coloring, but not always the same color. Blues or greens or even sometimes grays-depending on the light. Full with lashes. And around the pupil had been a ring of gold. A bright ring of gold. It made their eyes glow eerily. As if lit from within. He had always loved his mothers eyes-and they were just as beautiful on this little girl.

Lena watched the old man. He was lost in thought. His dark brown eyes clouded with memory, staring into nothingness. He held a staff in one hand with carvings on it like nothing Lena had ever before seen. He had sturdy features, set jaw, prominent nose, she imagined that if he smiled-it would have been a nice smile. Like the kind the baker in her old town would give her every morning when she went out to get water. Sometimes he''d let her have a muffin or, on rare occasions, a cookie for free.

This time it was Merlin who broke Lena out of her thoughts. "Come with me, now, I will explain as much to you as I can" he said. "You too, Guinevere-come along, and don't try to hide-
I've known you were there for quite some time dear."

Guinevere cautiously came out from her hiding place, surprised that her father was not angry.

"Guinevere, this is Lena, your cousin. She will be staying with us from now on." Merlin informed his daughter. ""I have many things to explain to you both. So come along."

Guinevere looked suspiciously at this Lena girl. She had a cousin? Why had she never heard of this cousin? She studied the girl, and when they made eye contact, Lena smiled kindly-
Guinevere realized she was being studied as well.

She smiled in return as they followed Merlin down a dimly lit corridor-back to the room where important meetings were held.

'Perhaps'thought Guinevere ''having a cousin wouldn't be too bad.'

End flashback

And so, like he had promised, Merlin explained all he knew to the girls. He told them of the sight. That it was a power that had been in their family for longer than anyone remembered. It was a gift-a gift that let one member of their blood line see things that would come to pass. Things that may come to pass. Destinies, futures, choices that should not be made-Lena had the power to see it all. And when she died, the gift would pass to a child of hers, or grandchild, or any close relative who the sight saw fit to inhabit. If she died while she was young and childless-the sight would pass to the only one it could-Guinevere.

Now, Guinevere was not one who easily feared. There were very, very few things she was truly afraid of. The sight was one of those things. She remembered Lena going into her fits when she had long visions. She'd be out of it for long periods of time-and when she woke, she was often terrified.

She had seen more things than any one person should. She'd seen countless deaths yet to come, of people she did not know. She'd seen battles and bloodshed, and mangled bodies when she was not even old enough to fight. She had seen many terrible, horrible things, which Guinevere did not want to see.

Guinevere remembered when they were 12 years old and Lena had cried and begged and wailed and pleaded with Merlin to make it stop. To make it all go away.

And he couldn't. Because Lena had been chosen for this. It was her gift, her curse, her blessing, her duty, her cross to bear alone.

Guinevere had seen how hard it was for her cousin. How it weighed down her every movement. How it made her tired, and far too wise-how it made such a young girl so old.

And Guinevere saw how the people needed Lena. How they needed her for strength-how the needed her for faith. They had needed her grandmother the same way. The seers had been what kept the Woads around so long. What kept them from being wiped out by war and sickness like so many other cultures.

And Guinevere knew that the only one who could give the people the faith and strength they needed was Lena. She had been chosen for a reason. She was right for this. Guinevere knew that. And she knew that if Lena were to die, she could not take her place.

Suddenly someone was speaking, and it took Guinevere a moment to shovel out of her thoughts and realize it was Lena.

"If you would stop worrying about me being dead for a second, Guinevere-you would have realized I'd quite woken up." she said knowingly. "I am fine-do not worry, "her eyes closed lazily, but she kept speaking "As long as we are away from the prison-I will be fine." She said groggily, and then as quickly as she had woken-she was back asleep.

"What?" asked confused Guinevere "Lena, how did you know we'd been saved?! You were uncon-" Then feeling slightly stupid, she realized who she was asking "right-the sight...." she mumbled, but Lena would not have heard anyway. She was again, fast asleep.

Guinevere's earlier worries had washed away after speaking with Lena. And satisfied that her dear cousin would live, she succumbed to sleep.

Ok so I think that was a lot longer than my first chapter. I dunno if it was too long though.....so please please please gimme any advice you've got. Tell me if I've got a lot of grammatical errors-
that's never been my hot spot And tell me if you think this story is worth continuing. Thanks for reading, and PLEASE review

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