Lily's POV

I walk outside with Elissa on my shoulder, her wing still hadn't healed so I was hoping Gaius might have something to help and I had to pick up pain relief for my back and headaches.

I was on my way when I heard my brother taunting his current servant, Morris. I make my way over to see a younger boy stop the target board that Morris dropped. We made eye contact and I blushed at his sea blue eyes that seemed to have specks of gold in them. I looked at the ground when he talked back at Arthur.

"Yeah. I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass." He says. I giggle slightly and Arthur looks at me.

"Or I one who could be so stupid." Arthur retorts obviously hinting that the boy shouldn't talk back to him. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?"

So that's his name.

"No."

"Would you like me to help you?"

"I wouldn't if I were you."

"Why? What are you going to do to me?"

"You have no idea." I cringe, Merlin really doesn't know what's going to hit him, literally.

"Be my guest! Come on! Come on! Come oooooon." Arthur taunts, trying to get Merlin to snap and he does.

Merlin takes a swing at him and Arthur twists Merlin's arm behind his back. I shake my head and continue on to Gaius's.

"Lily?" Arthur calls. I sigh and turn around now seeing Merlin being dragged to the dungeons. "Where are your guards?"

"How am I supposed to know, I left them outside my door."

He doesn't look amused, I just smile and wave then speed walk the rest of the way to Gaius's.

"Hey Gaius" I call as I walk through the door to his chambers. He smiles and motions me to sit in front of him. "So what can I do for you today, my lady, I usually give you your remedies in your room" he says whilst searching for my two medicines.

"I told you to call me Lily but I'm not here for myself this time, I'm for..." I lift Elissa from my shoulder and place her on his workbench."...her. She has a broken wing and I'm not quite sure what to do"

He turns around and pauses before sitting down again placing the two remedies on the counter. "Lady Lillian, do you realise what type of bird this is" I shake my head, he reaches for a book that was on the floor and opened it to a certain page. "The Phoenix is a rare and powerful bird. It has extraordinary gifts, such as the ability to heal and immense strength. The Phoenix only bonds to one family in its life time and will remain loyal to that family as it is immortal and is born from the very ashes it bursts into when it dies. If I'm not mistaken my lady, that is a Phoenix."

I sat there shocked, I never thought I would one day save a Phoenix. "Thank you Gaius, is there any way to fix her wing"

"Yes, keep the bandage on for now and it should heal quickly, you should also notice her feathers turn fully gold and red and she will grow to about the size of a swan."

I nod and was leaving when I remembered Merlin. "Gaius, do you know Merlin?"

"He's my new ward, arrived yesterday, why?"

"Oh well he insulted Arthur and is now in the dungeons" I sat with a small smile, "ah well I'll go get him later, goodbye princess" I wave, "Goodbye Gaius"

I was standing with my father, Arthur no where to be seen, when Lady Helen came into the throne room. For a second I saw her reflection and thought I saw someone who wasn't Lady Helen but my eyes could be deceiving me.

Father stepped down to greet her.

"Lady Helen. Thank you so much for coming to sing at our celebrations."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"How was your journey?"

Lady Helen sighs and dramatically says "Oh, the time it took, Sire."

My father kisses her hand "Well, it's always worth the wait"

"It will be." She replies cryptically. I narrow my eyes as she walks out, something is not quite right about her.

Merlin...Merlin...MERLIN.

I shot up with a start. "My lady, are you alright" cries my maid, Christine, as she hurries to my bedside.

"Yes, Christine just a dream, that's all" I say and lay back down looking out at the stars. Just a dream.

"My lady, did you sleep at all last night?"

I look around my screen to see Christine sorting my dress out. "Yes of course, I just went to bed late" I smile as she gives me the dress, truth is I didn't get a wink of sleep after hearing that voice. There's just something about it that isn't right, I mean it sounds like it's coming from beneath Camelot.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, Arthur will be the one escorting you around today" I come out from behind the screen and sit in front of the mirror.

"How is that supposed to make me feel any better?" She shrugs and smiles. I grin and sit still while she pins my hair in the right places.

"Tell me again, dear sister, why are buying fruit in the lower town when you could just get up at the castle?"

I pay the vendor for a basket of apples and walk away from him. "Unlike you Arthur, I want fresh fruit" he was about to argue but I put my hand up. "That helps people get by" I then walked away from him.

I only got about 5 paces away from him when I crashed into someone. "Oh my lady, I'm so sorry" he says rushing to help me. I wave him off, "Honestly it's nothing" I take a proper look at him. "Your Merlin, right"

"Yes my lady" he bows and kisses my hand, I blush and become interested in the patterns on my dress.

"Hey get your hands off of my sister!" Arthur shouts while striding over to me. "Excuse me"Merlin says and starts to walk away. "Aw, don't run away" I grab onto Arthur's arm. "Arthur, leave it" I say with a warning in my voice, he doesn't listen.

Merlin stops a few steps away from us "what from you?"

"Thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb" I tried to go to Merlin but one of Arthur's friends held me in place.

"Look I've told you, you're an ass, I just didn't realise you were a royal one." He says fully turning towards us. I snigger a little. Arthur laughs "I could take you apart in one blow"

"I could take you apart with less then that"

"Come on then, I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth" Arthur replied swinging his mace around his head.

"Wow and how long have you been training to be a prat?" Merlin says with a small smile at me.

"You can't talk to me like that" Arthur snorts as hell gets closer to Merlin, me following at a safe distance.

He smiles "I'm sorry. H-how have you been training to be a prat, my Lord?" He says with a small bow. Arthur just smiles and swings at him, backing him into a cornered place in the market. I try to get through to stop them but couldn't, I jump and saw a glimpse of Merlin's eyes, they were golden? I look again and there back to his usual blue. I shake my head and finally get to the front of the crowd, Merlin is being held by some of the guards. "Wait" calls Arthur. "He may be an idiot but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it." He then walks away with me in tow just wondering, how is it possible for someone's eyes to turn gold?

I hum as a twirl around the room with Elissa watching me from the perch I installed earlier, the door opens and Christine enters. I stop dancing and face her. "Christine, could you help me out of this dress, I fancy having an early night"

"Oh well my lady, shouldn't you be dining with the king"

"Possibly but Lady Helen will be there, I don't want her to ruin my mood" I say sitting down to face the mirror.

"My lady what has gotten you into this mood"

"A boy, Christine, he's so sweet but sarcastic, took down Arthur in the marketplace." I took the brush from Christine and started to brush my own hair. "Say Christine, what would you do if you liked someone but couldn't be together because of reasons?"

Christine looks up from where she had been laying out my nightgown. "Well if I loved them enough, I would forego any rules and marry them anywhere but if this is about your father then just wait till Arthur is king, I'm sure he'll allow you to marry out of love."

I sigh and go behind the screen to change and come out in my nightgown. I sit on my bed and smile at my maid. "Yes, I guess you're right. Goodnight Christine" I call as I lay down. "Sweet dreams my Lady"

As soon as the door closes I turn on my side and gaze out at the stars, they're unnaturally bright tonight. Slowly my eyes grew heavy and I went into a deep slumber.

I walked out into a large cavern underneath the castle, I could tell it was underground as the light was coming from the torchI held in my hand. "Where are you?" I shout but it wasn't my voice. All of the sudden a large dragon came flying down and perched itself on top of a rock in front of me.

"I'm here! How small you are for such a great destiny." The dragon says, it talks?

"Why? What do you mean? What destiny?" I say almost shouting up at him.

"Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason." The dragon reply's,Wait this is Merlin speaking not me, so am I here?

"So there is a reason."Hang on so Merlin has powers? That can't be right.

"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion." Is he sure about, Arthur is a bully at the moment no where near king material.

"Right." I say or Merlin says, looks like we are on the same page.

"But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike."

"I don't see what this has to do with me."

"Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion."

"No. No, you've got this wrong."

"There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't."That's not confusing at all.

"But I'm serious! If anyone wants to go and kill him, they can go ahead. In fact, I'll give them a hand."Well thanks Merlin, nice to know you hate my brother.Besides the dragon just laughed.

"None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it."

"No. No way. No. No. There must be another Arthur because this one's an idiot."

"Perhaps it's your destiny to change that." With that the dragon flew away off to some unknown corner of the cave.

I gasp and sit up, shielding my eyes against the sun. "Morning Lady Lillian" Christine calls from across the room. "Well my lady, today you need to take your remedies then get changed, it's the feast tonight..." she pauses as I take both my medications. "Are you alright my lady? You seem a little off"

I look at her and get up. "Yes, Christine, I'm fine, I just need to see Gaius and Merlin this morning." I grab the dress and got dressed. "I'll see you later Christine" I shout then leave before waiting for an answer.

"Gaius? Are you here?" I call throughout his chambers.

"My lady, what are you doing here?" He asks as he came down from a room upstairs. "Oh I wanted to ask Merlin something" I say. He smiles, "He's just upstairs" I went up but was stopped before I got far. "Be careful, the room is a mess." He tells me letting me go.

I walk upstairs and knock on the door. "Who is it?" I heard Merlin's muffled voice. "It's me, Lily" I say through the wood. "Lily? Umm, coming" I then heard a series of bangs and ruffling, then Merlin opened the door breathless. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you went out last night" I ask, trying not to focus on his adorably ruffled hair. "Umm no, I was here all night"

"Oh, that's alright, well I better be off" I turn and jog down the stairs. "Wait, Lily!" He called after me, I stop "Yes?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing now, I'm just glad you're safe" I then turn and walk out of the house. If he didn't go anywhere last night what was that dream?

"Well my lady, I think you will like this dress" Christine says as she takes the dress out of the wardrobe. It was a long and navy blue with gold bands around my waist and my upper arms. It was so long, it dragged behind me. I got into it and Christine tightened the strings and tied it off.

"You look beautiful, my lady, now would you like your hair up or down?"

"Can you can leave it down but pin the front half up" I say fiddling with my long blonde hair. "Right away my lady"

Oh god I was late and father is going to kill me, I sped down the hall and burst open the doors to the food hall. Everyone looked at me, I walked down the centre and curtsied low to my father then took my place next to Morgana on my father's left hand side. He looks at me then stands up to give his speech.

"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora." As he finishes the doors open and Lady Helen enters and begins to sing. Her voice was soothing and I felt myself slip into a deep sleep.

As the lady continued to sing, I pressed my hands against my ears to block out the effects. Lady Helen continued to sing and put her up in preparation to throw a knife. I looked up and the chandelier fell onto of the Lady effectively stopping her singing and the people started to wake, all except one.

I look at the high table and notice everyone waking up but I noticed I wasn't. Wait what? How I am here and there but then I launch across the room to stop Arthur from being stabbed by a knife thrown by the witch. Father tried to get her arrested but she just smiled and said"A child for a child" then she fell to the floor, dead. I felt my link getting weaker before I succumbed to darkness real darkness this time.

I gasped and quickly sat up. "Careful, my lady." I heard Gaius say as he pushed me back to lay back down. "Gaius, what happened?"

"Well when the witch started to sing it seemed to have a more intense impact on you and was slowly killing you. I managed to remove the enchantment the only side affect seems to be your hair" he explained

"My hair?" I ask but he just gestures to look at the mirror. I stand up and look at my hair it has turned a platinum blonde with lilac running through it, if I'm honest I don't mind this new look. I turn to Gaius and smiled. "Where's Merlin?" I ask looking around for him. "Oh probably with Arthur"

"Why would he be with my brother?"

"Your father made Merlin his manservant after he saved his life."

Oh, they're going to be the death of each other.