Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin! I only own my OC, and any other characters or plotlines I make up along the way!
AN: I love this episode so much!
ENJOY!
"You are stepping on my foot!" I harshly whispered to Merlin.
"It's not my fault you're short!" He retorted.
Merlin and I were trying to spy on Arthur in the antechamber while he was in the Throne Room. Arthur had to do this thing where a task would come to him, and he would have to complete that task alone and unaided in order to prove that he will be a worthy King for Camelot.
"What are you two doing?" A new voice said, and Merlin and I nearly crushed ourselves in the door trying to get it to shut as we turned to the person who had caught us spying on Arthur. Fortunately for us, it was just Gwen.
"We're not spying," I immediately blurted, and Merlin rolled his eyes at me.
"Really?" Gwen slightly scoffed. "Elizabeth, you are the queen of eavesdropping."
"Am not!" I defended myself.
"Yes, you are," Merlin said to me, and I felt offended. Well, he just bitched himself out of a kiss for the rest of the day.
Gwen rolled her eyes but walked towards the doors of the throne room, and the three of us peeked our heads in through the doors. "What's he actually doing?" Gwen asked.
"Thinking," I answered.
"About?" Gwen prompted.
"You," Merlin responded, and Gwen playfully hit him in response, to which he "shhed" her before he shut the door. "He has to decide upon a quest."
"Crouching on his knees all night's going to help?" Gwen questioned.
"Yeah," I answered. "The quest is supposed to be revealed to him in a vision. He has to transcend his body for that to happen."
"And you two are going to stay here and watch him?" Gwen wondered.
"Gwen, this is one of the most important days in a prince's life," Merlin said obviously.
"Oh," Gwen nodded, and she patted us on the shoulders before walking away.
I had to meet with Morgana later, so I left Merlin to go and speak with her for a bit. Later that night on my way back to my room, he was passed out on the ground in the antechamber. I rolled my eyes, but I went to my bedroom, grabbed an extra blanket and a pillow, and went back to the antechamber. I draped the blanket over his body and went over to his head. I put his head on top of the pillow and bent down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. To my pleasure, Merlin smiled in his sleep after my lips left his forehead. I ran my hand through his hair one final time before getting up and going back to my room to get some sleep.
The next morning, I had to hold back my laughter as I followed Uther to the throne room who caught Merlin asleep on the ground. Merlin scrambled to his feet as he stepped out of the way for Uther, me, and the rest of the council to walk into the throne room. Arthur was standing at the front of the throne room, and Uther touched his shoulder. "It is time. What is the quest you have chosen?" Uther asked him.
"I can see but one path, sir. I am to enter the realm of the Fisher King and find the golden trident spoken of in the legends of The Fallen Kings," Arthur announced.
Uther paused. "You do understand that if you are to prove yourself worthy of the throne, you must complete this task alone and unaided," He told his son.
"I do," Arthur nodded.
Uther seemed extremely nervous over the Fisher King thing, so I went to Merlin about it. "Who's the Fisher King?" I asked him as we had dinner together (a secret occurance that the two of us had started to do).
"Gaius said he was a sorcerer who lived hundreds of years ago," Merlin answered as he tore into a piece of bread.
"What else?" I wondered as I sipped my water.
"He says that he was wounded in battle," Merlin started. "His wound had become infected and it spread through his body and his Kingdom. The Kingdom was reduced to a wasteland and it's been like that for years."
"What was Uther so worried about?" I pressed.
"There are some people who believe that the Fisher King's still alive, kept from death by his magic," He answered.
"Does Gaius believe?"
"I don't know," He responded truthfully. "He made it seem like he didn't, but also that he sort of did."
"Do you?" I asked instead.
Merlin shrugged. "I don't know either. But what I do know is that Arthur has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders over this quest, and I hope that he does not muck it up."
I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, it's like he intentionally makes things harder for himself."
The next day, Morgana, Gwen, and I were shopping in the market in the lower town. Gwen lifted a length of cloth and wrapped it around her head, posing funnily as we all laughed (though Morgana's laugh was more fake than anything).
I was admiring a bracelet when I suddenly felt someone grab a hold of my lower arm. I gasped loudly as I looked over at the person who had grabbed me. They had the appearance of an old woman, but I'd know the face anywhere.
"Please, please, just spare me a few minutes of your time, Sister," Morgause's elderly voice croaked.
Not wanting to be alone with Morgause, I reached over and grabbed Morgana's arm as I tugged her along with me and Morgause.
"My Ladies?!" Gwen questioned as we walked with Morgause.
"It's alright, Gwen. We won't be a moment," Morgana assured her.
"We must be quick, Sisters. This enchantment will not hold for long," Morgause said. "Tell me, what has Arthur chosen as his quest?"
I felt like someone was sticking my tongue with pins as I answered, "He is to leave for the Perilous Lands tomorrow."
"How perfect," Morgause smirked. She reached into her cloak and pulled out this funky looking bracelet with a golden eye thing in the middle of it. "Present this to the Prince as a token of your good wishes. When the time is right, you must make a likeness of the Prince and bind it to the gift using the skills that I taught you." She turned to Morgana. "Morgana, your magic is stronger than Elizabeth's, so I ask you to do this. When he does not return, you, Morgana, will take your rightful place as sole heir to the throne of Camelot."
Morgana took the bracelet from Morgause and hid it in her little pocketbook as she nodded. Morgause turned and began walking down the street. Morgana and I waited for Morgause to hobble down further before we returned to the stall we were at with Gwen.
"My Ladies! Are you alright?" Gwen exclaimed when we got back to her.
I gave her a weirded out look. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"I...I thought..." Gwen stammered.
Morgana gave her a gentle smile. "That poor woman didn't have a penny to feed her family. We felt duty bound to help her, Gwen."
Gwen had a weird look on her face, almost as if she didn't believe us.
The next day, Arthur was all set to leave for the Perilous Lands. Uther, Morgana, and I were watching from the balcony of the Palace in the main square as Arthur bowed to the three of us before mounting his horse.
"You look troubled, Sire," Morgana sneakily taunted.
"He is sole heir to the throne, Morgana," Uther reminded her.
She gritted her teeth before reverting back to her sweet as sugar persona. "Don't worry. I'm certain a Pendragon will rule over Camelot for a long time to come," She said, but only I understood the double meaning behind her words.
From behind Morgana, I shook my head at her behaviour, not knowing how much more I could take of this.
I didn't get the chance to tell Merlin about the bracelet Morgause had Morgana give Arthur last night because he was so busy helping Arthur get ready for his quest, but as soon as I had a free minute from Morgana, I was running to the physician's chambers.
Gaius and Merlin were looking through some books when I got there. "Morgause has given Morgana an enchanted bracelet to give to Arthur. I don't know what it's called, but it's supposed to make sure that Arthur doesn't return to Camelot."
"Merlin's said the same," Gaius said as he nodded his head at said warlock. "I'm not sure I know where else to look."
"Gaius, you have like a million books in here!" I exclaimed. "There has to be something!"
"We've examined every stone imaginable," Gaius tried. "Unless...Merlin..." Gaius moved to his bookshelf and pulled out a book, flipping through the pages until he landed on a page with the picture of the bracelet.
"That's it!" Merlin and I both said as we pointed at it.
"Then it's not a stone," Gaius said worriedly. "It's an Eye of the Phoenix."
"Phoenix?" Merlin repeated.
"Some call it the Firebird. Its eye burns with a fire that consumes the life force of anybody it comes in contact with," Gaius informed us.
Mine and Merlin's stomachs dropped at the same time as we looked to each other in horror. "Arthur," we both breathed.
"The Eye will draw energy from him. If it's worn for too long, Arthur will die," Gaius explained.
"I have to go after him," Merlin decided.
"We have to go after him," I corrected. "I'm at fault here. I should have checked with you to see what the bracelet did before I let Arthur leave."
"This is not a task to be undertaken lightly, you two," Gaius warned us. "You'll need help."
Merlin and I exchanged a look, before smiles crept up on our faces.
We needed help, and we knew exactly who to ask and where to look.
After making some pathetic excuse to Morgana about how I needed this very specific type of cloth for a dress from another village (yes, I could go by myself, Morgana) Merlin and I set out to search every tavern outside of Camelot to friend our old friend, Gwaine.
I had to make sure that Merlin was cool with us getting Gwaine's help first. I didn't want any bad blood there (especially after what had transpired last time we saw Gwaine) but he was okay with it, seeing as how I picked Merlin over Gwaine in the end.
We walked into tavern after tavern, but we finally found him in a tavern in Mercia. In fact, he had been thrown across a table, where Merlin and I looked down at him. "Hello, Gwaine," We said at the same time.
"Ah! Merlin! Beth! How are you?" He asked casually.
This large, scary looking came started coming after us, yelling at Gwaine, "Give me my money!"
The three of us took that as our cue to leave as we spun on our heels and ran out the tavern. We were being chased by the guy and his friends throughout the town as we tried to escape.
"Sorry!" Gwaine exclaimed as he bumped into someone.
The three of us jumped and ducked behind a table. Merlin peeked his head over the side, before twisting back to look at us and saying, "Run!"
"Remind me again what you're doing here," Gwaine said as he grabbed my hand helped me stand up, dragging me along as we ran. "Not that I don't love seeing Beth, but-"
"As much as I love watching you flirt with her, we're here because Arthur's in trouble and we need your help," Merlin answered as we ran.
"What kind of trouble?" Gwaine asked.
"There!" the man shouted, pointing in our direction.
"He's gone to the Perilous Lands," I answered as we took off faster.
"What, you serious?" Gwaine asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Merlin nodded.
"Just now, sounds pretty attractive. All right," Gwaine agreed. Gwaine let go of my hand so that Merlin could grab it, and Merlin helped me climb the castle wall in our bid to escape. Gwaine looked down before turning to the two of us, "All right, go for the horses."
Merlin and I looked down at the drop before looking back to Gwaine. "You have got to be joking," Merlin protested.
"Yeah, we're crazy," I pointed at Merlin and I before pointing to the ground. "But we're not that crazy!"
Gwaine simply shrugged before he shoved Merlin over the edge of the castle wall on to a stack of hay at the bottom.
"Merlin!" I called worriedly after him. I looked over at Gwaine and just kind of gave him a "WTF" look.
Gwaine made a big gesture of bowing in front of me. "After you, my lady."
I rolled my eyes at Gwaine, but I covered my eyes with my hands as I ran and jumped before I could over think it and lose my nerve. I screamed on the way down, but I landed softly on top of the hay. A minute later, Gwaine landed next to me.
Merlin held out his hands in front of him, and I reached over and took them as he helped me down from the hay stack. "Are you alright?" He asked as he ran his hands through my hair.
I nodded. "I'm fine."
"Oh, I see how it is," Gwaine grumbled as he climbed off of the hay. "No help for me."
Merlin and I shook our heads at Gwaine, but the three of us managed to get to the horses and make a getaway, Gwaine laughing with glee the entire time.
"Why were those men so angry?" Merlin asked later, after we were a safe distance away from them.
"It's always the way in gambling. You make a man a fool, he calls you a thief," Gwaine shrugged. "How'd you two find me?"
"Wasn't easy. We've been in almost every tavern in Angard," Merlin answered.
"So have I," Gwaine joked, which made the three of us laugh. Gwaine quickly turned a bit more serious as he said, "So judging by the way Merlin is openly gazing at you, Beth, I take it the two of you have confessed to each other?"
I felt myself blush at Gwaine's bluntness, but then I looked over at Merlin to see that he was in fact openly gazing at me, but he snapped back into focus at Gwaine's words. "No, I wasn't!"
I laughed as I looked back over at Gwaine. "As a matter of fact we have Gwaine, and it's all thanks to you. Thanks, friend."
He smirked as he saluted at Merlin and I. "All in a day's work." He turned to Merlin as he said, "She's a good kisser, isn't she?"
"Gwaine!" I exclaimed, feeling my face burning up but trying to swallow my laughter at the look on Merlin's face. Poor guy was turning as red as a tomato! "How about we just focus on helping Arthur, shall we?"
"Fine, fine!" Gwaine relented, and for a while we travelled in silence until Gwaine brought his horse to a stop. As a result, Merlin and I stopped too.
"This is it. On the other side of the forest lie the Perilous Lands," Gwaine told us.
"Doesn't look too friendly," Merlin commented as we inspected the barren land. If the thing about the Fisher King was true and that he and his land were connected, I'd hate to see how the Fisher King was.
"That's because it's not," Gwaine confirmed. "Believe me, it's wretched."
"How do you know, you've never been there," Merlin said.
"I've travelled to many places, Merlin," Gwaine reminded him.
"Not the Perilous Lands, I know that," Merlin said matter-of-factly.
"Why?"
"There aren't any taverns," Merlin finished, and Gwaine laughed and clapped him on the arm.
"I told you it was wretched!" He said, and he gestured for the two of us to follow him.
We got to a bridge were Gwaine motioned for Merlin and I to stay where we were while he scouted the bridge. We nodded, but of course as soon as Gwaine left we headed straight for the bridge. We hadn't been stopped from adventure before and we weren't about to start now.
Suddenly, a short man appeared in front of the bridge. Merlin automatically reached out and grabbed my arm, pushing me behind him protectively.
"So, Magic and Hope have arrived," he said.
Merlin's eyes bugged out of his head. This guy knew that he had magic somehow. "What?" He stammered.
The man shook his head at Merlin. "There is nothing to be afraid of. Your presence is essential if Arthur is to succeed on his quest."
"How do you know about Arthur? Who are you?" Merlin demanded.
"The Keeper of the Bridge," the man revealed. "I only wish to see the Fisher King's lands restored and prosperity reign again. Until your and Hope's mission is complete, this cannot happen."
"It's not our mission, it's Arthur's," Merlin said in confusion.
"That's what you choose to believe," the Keeper of the Bridge shrugged. "It's no accident that Arthur chose this path or you two chose to follow him."
We heard footsteps behind us, and Merlin and I turned around to see Gwaine walking up to us.
"Ah, Finally! Strength has arrived, the quartet is complete," the Keeper of the Bridge exclaimed.
Immediately, Gwaine drew his sword and pointed it at him. "Who's he?"
I reached up to put Gwaine's sword down, but it seemed like the Keeper of the Bridge beat me to it as he turned Gwaine's sword into a large flower. "I mean no harm to any of you. And I'd thank you to mean no harm in return."
"Where's my sword?" Gwaine demanded.
"It will return to you once you reach the other side," the Keeper of the Bridge told him.
Gwaine grimaced but slowly crossed the bridge as he made sure not to have any contact with the Bridge Keeper.
The Bridge Keeper turned to me and Merlin. "The Fisher King has waited many years for this day. Do not deny him what he wishes. and remember, nothing is as it seems."
We nodded and moved to cross the bridge. Merlin went up ahead, but the Bridge Keeper grabbed a hold of my arm, keeping me back.
"What is it?" I asked.
"There is a reason you are called Hope," He whispered, careful to make sure that Gwaine and Merlin didn't overhear. "For there are dark times coming up ahead, very dark times, and you are the only one that can free Camelot of it. And for that, you will need Hope, which you will inspire."
"Riiiight," I said slowly, loosening his grip on my arm. I got him to let go as I began crossing the rest of the bridge.
"Remember, Hope!" His voice called out, and I looked over my shoulder at him. "The only person who will be able to save the future of Albion will be you."
The Bridge Keeper's words haunted me as stared into the campfire that night. I was sitting in between Gwaine and Merlin, and I had Merlin's coat draped over my shoulders.
What did the Bridge Keeper mean, "dark times were ahead"? Why was I the only one who could save Albion? Albion wasn't even created yet. It was the land that Arthur and Merlin were to create together. Plus, I wasn't anything special, not like Merlin or Arthur were.
A distant squealing/roaring noise broke me out of my thoughts, and I instantly cowered into Merlin's side, grabbing his arm and burying my face into the spot underneath his shoulder. "What was that?" I wondered aloud, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
"Pheasant," Gwaine answered casually.
Merlin and I turned our heads to Gwaine. "Pheasant?" Merlin repeated.
"Very big one," Gwaine corrected, picking up his sword.
"You can turn back if you want," Merlin offered to him. "I've got Lizzie. We've handled far worse with just the two of us before."
"Heh, I'm not scared of pheasants," Gwaine scoffed, and he pointed at me. "And judging by the way Beth is cowering into your shoulder, she is, so you'll need someone who isn't scared of them"
Merlin looked down at me, who was clutching his upper arm tightly. I gave him a sweet smile as he shook his head at me and turned back to Gwaine. "Why do you want to do this?" Merlin asked.
"Same reason as two you: help a friend," Gwaine answered.
Merlin smiled as he leaned his head on my forehead. "Arthur's lucky to have us."
"Not Arthur," Gwaine corrected, giving the two of us a meaningful look.
My heart warmed as I looked over at Merlin, who had the same happy look on his face. I looked back to Gwaine as I said, "We'd do the same for you."
"Well, I'd hope so. You two are the only friends I've got," Gwaine told us.
"I'm not surprised," Merlin joked, which made Gwaine laugh. I was starting to feel a bit better about being the woods in the Perilous Lands, but then there were several roar/squeals, and I buried my face into Merlin's back again.
"They sound like three pheasants," I felt Merlin's back rumble as he talked.
"At least," Gwaine agreed, and I pulled my face out of Merlin's back to see Gwaine smirking. "Don't worry Beth, I'll protect you."
"That's great, but then who's gonna protect Merlin?" I joked, which earned me a laugh from Gwaine but a mock-annoyed look from Merlin, which quickly disappeared after I kissed the underside of his jaw.
Ah. my lips. How much magic they truly did.
We reached the Dark Tower during the next day, and I was getting shivers just looking at it. "There it is," Merlin confirmed.
A loud screech and flapping sounds from in the air alerted us to something. "What's that in the sky? They're not birds," Gwaine commented as we all looked up to the sky. They were bird-like creatures, but Gwaine was right, they weren't birds.
"I've never seen creatures like that," Merlin said.
"It's like they're hunting something," Gwaine thought aloud.
A tiny flash of light appeared in front of us, and Merlin squinted to try and see it better. "What was that?" He wondered.
Gwaine squinted to try and see it better too. "Sword," He suggested.
And that could only mean one thing. "Arthur!" I exclaimed.
We quickly got to the Dark Tower, slipping off of our horses as we approached it. Gwaine and I had our swords drawn as we walked towards it. Gwaine suddenly paused in his steps, throwing an arm out in front of Merlin and I to keep from walking any further.
"I should've known," Gwaine growled.
"What are they?" Merlin asked.
"Wyverns. Distant cousins of the dragon," Gwaine explained. "They're creatures of magic, so be careful."
Merlin, Gwaine and I crawled under the portcullis, taking turns holding it up for the other person to crawl through. As soon as we got through, Merlin said, "Lets split up."
We did so, with me and Gwaine going in one direction and Merlin going in the other. Gwaine and I were ready to defend ourselves if we had to, but we managed to get to the top of the tower where we heard Arthur and Merlin's voices.
A wyvern was about to attack Merlin, but Gwaine stabbed it through the back and killed it before it could. I could see Arthur from where I was standing-he looked weak and sweaty, but he was still alive. I was still behind Gwaine, so Arthur couldn't see me as he grumbled, "Great. This just gets better and better. Are Elizabeth, Gwen and Morgana here too? Are we going to have a tea party?"
Gwaine moved a little out of the way, and Arthur's eyes practically bugged out of his head when he saw that I was in fact there. I waved a little as I said, "Hey, Artie...so...how's the quest going?"
Arthur turned to Merlin and thundered, "YOU IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU BRING HER HERE TOO? NOW SHE'S GOING TO TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THIS!"
"Wow, I'm offended," I said. How could he think I'd go and blab this! I happened to be a very good secret keeper!
"We don't have time for this," Gwaine cut in. "There're more wyverns on their way. We need to get out of here."
"I'm not leaving without the trident," Arthur protested as he stood up and strode off and out the door. "It was the whole point of this quest."
"Do you want us to help you? Or do you want to do this alone?" Merlin called after him.
"Merlin!" Arthur exasperated.
Merlin and I exchanged smiles before we shook our heads and went after him. As I passed Merlin, he passed the Eye of the Phoenix to me. "You can keep that safe, can't you?" He whispered, and I nodded as I pocketed it.
"Do you actually know where the trident is?" I asked Arthur as we caught up to him.
"If I did, there wouldn't be a problem, would there?" Arthur seethed. Yeah, he was pretty pissed that Merlin, Gwaine, and I followed, but he'd have to live with it. In fact, if it weren't for us, he wouldn't even be alive to live with it.
"Any clues you can give us?" Merlin asked.
"This is a quest, Merlin, not a treasure hunt," Arthur shook his head at him.
"Well, it is sort of a..." Merlin started, but he was cut off by Arthur's loud, "Merlin!" of protest.
The four of us continued to walk through the castle. Merlin and I were walking more in front when we caught sight of a room. Merlin pointed at it as he said, "Look at this. "
"It looks kinda like a throne room," I offered.
"If the trident's going to be anywhere..." Arthur nodded as he and Gwaine came down the stairs to follow us.
I took a step inside of the room and immediately the stone beneath my foot depressed. I gasped as the trap door was triggered, but Gwaine, who thought quickly, pushed me into the room to prevent me from being squashed by the trap door. "Beth, watch out!" He called out as I dropped to the ground.
Too late; a stone door had fallen into place, trapping me inside of the throne room. I immediately scrambled to my feet and began banging on the stone door. "Merlin! Arthur! Gwaine!" I called out, hoping one of them would answer back. I groaned when I didn't get a response.
"So, Maeve, you have arrived," a voice from behind me whispered, and I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound.
I spun on my heel to see the back of a throne. Cautiously, I walked towards the throne, and I gasped at what I saw when I got to the front.
It was, in fact, The Fisher King. He looked eons old. He seemed too lively to be considered dead, but he looked too old to be considered alive. He was pale, slim, his cheeks caving into his face. The only thing keeping him alive was whatever shred of magic he had left in him. My eyes travelled down to the golden trident that he was holding tightly in his hands.
I cleared my throat before asking, "Are you the Fisher King?" I questioned.
The Fisher King slowly blinked as he nodded his head. "Yes, Maeve."
"Wait, who's Maeve?" I asked, putting my hands up.
"Why, you are," He confirmed. "That is what you are known as amongst the druids. 'Maeve' means 'queen', and you are Emrys's queen."
Wow. I never thought I'd be a queen. I shook my head free of the thought. "So you're still alive," I said, more of a statement than a question.
"For now."
There was a loud slam against the wall, and I looked up sharply to see it starting to shake from my friends trying to save me. "That's-"
"Your friends, Courage, Strength, and Magic," the Fisher King confirmed. "Without their help, you would not be here."
"But why am I here?" I questioned. "If anything, Merlin should be. He's the one who's Emrys, remember?"
"Yes, but he is not the one that needs to speak to me," He said. "It is you, the one who is not from this time."
My breath hitched a little as I took a staggering step back. "You know I'm not from this dimension?!" I exclaimed.
"I know many things, Hope," the Fisher King said. "But have no fear. That secret will go away and you will continue to be the only person who knows about your true origins after you give me what I desire."
"And what do you desire?" I prompted.
"An end to my suffering."
It clicked in my mind a few seconds later. "You want to die," I gulped.
"I have been waiting all these years for the arrival of a new time, the time of the Once and Future King," He said.
I shook my head slightly. "Like I haven't heard those words before," I grumbled to myself.
"You will hear them again," the Fisher King confirmed. "You are Emrys's queen, he will need you by his side with everything that he does. As the time of the Once and Future King dawns, my time can finally come to an end. This is why you were brought here. For this is not Arthur's quest, but it is yours. Arthur thinks that the prize is the trident-" he let it go, the trident making a loud clanging noise as it dropped. "But the real prize is something far greater."
The Fisher King held up his hand, and a closer inspection revealed a small vial of water. "Water from the Lake of Avalon. I've kept it safe these years, waiting for the right person to claim it. And that is you. You are the chosen one."
"You've got this all wrong," I started. "All of this stuff is Merlin's destiny, not mine!"
"Yours and Emrys's destinies are intertwined, Maeve," the Fisher King stated. "You are his destiny, and vice versa. You must help him in everything he does as he helps you. You must give this vial to Emrys, for Albion's time of need is near and during that time, the two of you will be separated. You must have hope that the bond between the two of you is strong enough to save Albion. Emrys's powers are great, but he will need help." He held out the vial. "Tell him when all seems lost, this will show him the way."
I was hesitant, but I reached over and took the vial from the Fisher King's hand. "Thank you," I told him.
"I have given you a gift," He said. "Now you must give me one in return."
"But I don't-" I started, and it dawned on me that I did have something to give the Fisher King. I reached into my pocket and produced the Eye of the Phoenix. "You'll die if I give this to you, won't you?"
The Fisher King held out his hand and closed his eyes in response. I moved to put it on him but hesitated, drawing my hands back. He opened his eyes in confusion.
"Before I do this, answer me something," I requested. He nodded, and I asked,, "Why do I not remember anything from the show? I mean, I know I exchanged them for coming back to Camelot, but my knowledge of the show will be beneficial to Camelot. Will I ever get them back?"
"That will be answered in due time, Maeve," He answered. "But for now, you must remain where you always have been: by Emrys's side."
I wasn't exactly satisfied with the answer, but the poor guy had been alive for centuries. He deserved peace.
That was what made me reach over and fasten the Eye of the Phoenix on to the Fisher King's wrist. It glowed, and the King vanished before my eyes with a smile. I faintly heard a "thank you" breeze past my ears.
The doors to the trap door suddenly opened, and I spun on my heel as I turned to the door and watched Merlin roll underneath it. "Lizzie!" He exclaimed as he got to his feet and ran over to me. I quickly shoved the vial of water into my pocket before he got to me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. After I assured him I was okay, I got a hug from Arthur and Gwaine.
"Ha! Look what I found!" Arthur's voice exclaimed, and I broke away from my hug with Gwaine to see him happily holding up the Fisher King's trident. With the trident finally in his possession, Arthur said, " Let's get out of this place."
Gwaine shook his head and scoffed as he turned and followed Arthur. Merlin tugged on my hand so that I'd follow him, but I couldn't tear my eyes off of the spot where the Fisher King sat. "Are you all right?" Merlin asked me.
I took one final look at the throne before turning to him and saying, "No matter what happens, Merlin, I will always be by your side."
That kind of surprised him, but he leaned over and kissed me softly before saying, "As I will always be by your side."
By the time we had gotten to Camelot's border, night was close to following. Gwaine stopped his horse at the edge of a field. "This is the border. By Uther's decree, I can go no further," He stated.
"I'm sorry, Gwaine," Arthur said truthfully. "Nothing I can do to change that."
"Maybe one day," Merlin offered.
"Yeah. When Camelot gets itself a half-decent king," Gwaine joked.
That rose a snicker out of Merlin and I, but a warning "careful" from Arthur. "He is my father," he went on to explain.
"Well, you can't have everything, heh?" Gwaine tried.
"And where are you headed this time?" I questioned him.
Gwaine licked his finger before sticking it up in the air. "I think I'll ride south," he concluded.
"You can't keep living like that," Merlin pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's fun trying," Gwaine allowed.
Arthur nudged his horse forward, and Merlin and I took that as our cue to leave. "Thanks, Gwaine," Merlin said to him.
Gwaine nodded at him. I moved my horse to Gwaine's as I offered him my hand, "It was good to see you again, Gwaine," I told him.
"Beth, always a pleasure," He said as he took my hand and kissed the back of it.
"I'll remember this, Gwaine," Arthur assured him, and with a final wave, Gwaine rode off.
As we finally approached Camelot, Merlin said, "I've got to say, that was a good quest. Did you meet that man on the bridge? And then the wyverns; they were really scary. And, oh! the door to the throne room! That was so close!"
"That door closed on me, remember?" I reminded him. I could feel the vial of water from the Lake of Avalon practically burning a hole in my pocket as a reminder.
"You two do talk some nonsense sometimes," Arthur shook his head at us. "I mean, what on earth would you two even know about it? It's not like you were there."
"Of course we were," Merlin said, confused.
"You were not there. You have not seen me for days. You've been on a little trip to pick herbs or whatever it is you do in your spare time," Arthur said to him. "And Elizabeth, you were off receiving cloth for a dress."
That was my cover, anyways.
"Ah, of course. If your father was to find out you weren't alone..." Merlin hinted.
"Yes, Merlin. So...just keep your mouth shut," Arthur said.
"Absolutely, Sire. I'd do anything you say...for a price," Merlin suggested.
"What kind of price?" Arthur asked.
"A day off," Merlin decided.
"Hmm. I think you've had too many of those herbs that you've been picking," Arthur said to him. He raised his voice a little as he called out to me, "And you, Elizabeth? What is your price?"
I thought for a second before I smiled. "Be a good King," I requested.
He turned his head to look over his shoulder at me. "You can count on that."
In the privacy of the physician's chambers, I held out the vial of water towards Merlin, who plucked it from my hands as I said, "The Fisher King told me to give this to you. That it's from the Lake of Avalon."
"Are you certain?" Gaius asked me.
I nodded. "That's what he said. He said that Albion's time of need is approaching and that when all seems lost, that vial will show you the way, Merlin."
"Interesting," Gaius allowed.
"You think?" Merlin asked.
"Well, it must have some significance," Gaius said.
"Maybe..." Merlin thought. "Do you believe his warnings?"
"Well, we already know of one enemy hacking ar our walls," Gaius reminded us.
"Morgana," Merlin stated as his grip on the vial tightened.
"Whether the Fisher King is right or wrong, we'd be foolish to ignore his words," Gaius said wisely.
Merlin and I turned our heads to look into the vial of water again, pondering the Fisher King and Gaius's words.
TBC...
Didn't expect to have the whole chapter finished tonight, but what can you do when you're on a roll?
Love in the Time of Dragons up next! Not gonna lie, very boring episode, so hopefully it'll be written up quickly!
Also, what do you guys think of Lizzie getting trapped with the Fisher King instead of Merlin? And what do you think about the Keeper of the Bridge's words? This season gets more and more interesting by the episode!
REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVOURITE! THANKS! STAY TUNED!
THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...
"I've missed you," Gaius's old flame, Alice, revealed to him.
"And I, you," Gaius responded as the two hugged.
Alice lifted up the lid of a small box and the creature inside roared.
"There's some kind of creature in her room," Merlin whispered to Gaius.
"That is the manticore," Geoffrey explained to Elizabeth and Merlin. "The ancients lived in fear of it. Trembled at its very name."
"I love you, Alice," Gaius confessed to her.
Alice conjures up a potion.
"She's up to something and whatever it is, it isn't good," Merlin tried telling Gaius.
"I really hope we don't have to kill Gaius's girlfriend," Elizabeth whispered to Merlin under her breath.
Alice gasped as her eyes were covered with black.
TUNE IN NEXT TIME!