Chapter 2: Princess of Camelot, Part 2
A/N Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Basic plot belongs to BBC.
In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a brave man. His name: Merlin.
Merlin was back in Camelot by nightfall. He went straight to the throne room, knowing Arthur would still be there. Arthur saw the look on his friend's face when he entered and looked concerned, getting up from the throne.
"What's wrong, Merlin? Did you not find the child?" He asked.
"I found her. Her name is Lena. But that isn't the issue here. The village she lives outside of is poorly run." Merlin said.
"What's happening in the village?" Arthur asked.
"The villagers are continuing to burn people with magic at the stake with their magistrate's permission. Lena has been abused as well, but has been able to survive. The village turned on her the moment her magic was revealed." Merlin said.
Arthur growled angrily. When he legalized magic, he went around to all the villages to make sure they weren't continuing burning innocent people. Apparently, he had somehow missed one, or the village thought that the law was irrelevant to them as they are a border village. Either way, this had to be stopped.
"Did you bring Lena with you?" Arthur asked.
Merlin shook his head. "No. I told her I'd come for her tomorrow." He said.
"I'll come with you. Seems there are people to arrest and replace." He said.
Merlin nodded, happy that Arthur would finally be leaving the castle. Arthur had that spirit in his eyes that Merlin hadn't seen in years.
The next day
Arthur and Merlin set out the next morning with three knights to perform the necessary arrests. When they arrived outside the village, all they could smell was smoke.
"You don't think…?" Merlin began, afraid of what they may find.
"Only one way to find out." Arthur said.
The men all entered the village and found the townsfolk gathered in the center. They could see a bonfire and a long pole. Tied to the pole by thick ropes was Lena, too weak to free herself. She was bleeding heavily from new wounds, likely received just before her capture. Somehow they had captured her, and Merlin was cursing himself as he was likely the reason she got caught.
"This wasn't your fault." Arthur said reassuringly.
"They may have seen me leave her cave...this was my fault." Merlin said.
"Let's just focus on freeing her. You untie her and stop the fire from burning while I confront the people." Arthur said.
Merlin jumped into the fire and used his magic to douse the flames. He then cut the ropes on Lena and carried her out. Arthur confronted the people, outraged that they did this to anyone, let alone a child.
"King Arthur!" Someone in the crowd shouted. All eyes fell on Arthur, who now stood atop the pile of logs.
"Burning an innocent at the stake is illegal." He said simply.
"That witch is not innocent! She has been nothing but trouble since she arrived!" Another protested.
"I now relieve you of her, but this village requires new leadership as well. Seize the magistrate." He ordered. Two knights took the magistrate and his second in command.
"Now then...who here are Lena's parents?" Arthur asked, looking around the crowd.
A couple stepped forward. Both had dark hair and eyes and wore simple clothes. They had tried to hide in the crowd but found it impossible.
"I would like you to tell me about her...at your house." He said. They nodded and lead him to a small cottage.
The wife looked at Arthur. "Lena...isn't ours. We couldn't have children. One night, when I was out bringing in the laundry, I heard a baby crying nearby. I found her and we raised her as our own." She explained.
"Until you learned she has magic." Arthur said.
"Yes….honestly though she looked out of place, even as an abandoned baby. She wore a pretty nightgown and cap, and was wrapped in a blanket that I assume was made of silk." She continued.
This got Arthur's attention. Elizabeth had had a red silk blanket that Gwen wove not long after she was born. She even embroidered Elizabeth's full name on the blanket. Merlin had placed a spell on it to keep it from ever wearing out. If this couple had the blanket, they too would be arrested.
"Do you still have the blanket?" He asked.
"I believe so." The woman said, going to a chest in the room.
She pulled out the blanket and gave it to Arthur. It looked as new as the day it was made, though a bit dirty. He assumed the couple was illiterate, otherwise they would have known they had Elizabeth. He clutched the blanket in his hands, ordering another knight to arrest the couple.
"What did we do?" The husband asked confused.
"You harmed your future queen." Arthur said angrily.
Their eyes widened in horror. The wife began to cry as they were lead out of their cottage. Arthur went over to Merlin, who was tending to Lena, now revealed to be Elizabeth.
"What was that about?" Merlin asked.
"This village attempted to kill their future queen." Arthur said, gritting his teeth angrily.
"You mean she's…? How do you know?" Merlin asked.
"They had Elizabeth's blanket." Arthur said, not wanting to say more.
Merlin looked down at the young princess. "I've treated what I can of her wounds, but we really need to get her back to Gaius." He said.
Arthur nodded, and they departed immediately. The knights had their prisoners, and locked them up upon arrival. Elizabeth was brought straight to Gaius. When they arrived, she had developed a fever from infected wounds, which Gaius worked quickly to bring down. Merlin helped in further healing while Arthur watched. He saw she was the perfect blend of him and Gwen. Her skin was slightly tanned, and she definitely had Gwen's face. He didn't get to see her eyes, but he remembered they were blue like his. He also remembered her having blond hair as opposed to brown, but figured it might have darkened as she got older.
Gaius and Merlin worked on Elizabeth for several hours. She slept peacefully through the entire thing thanks to a sleeping draft that Gaius gave her. Once her wounds were all cleaned and bandaged, she was moved into one of the many royal suites. The room would officially become hers once she knew the truth, but that had to wait until she was actually awake. Arthur stayed by her side, stubbornly refusing to leave. He pulled up a chair by her bedside and slept there all night long. Merlin left the two alone, returning to his own room.
Elizabeth woke up early the next morning, feeling sore all over. She remembered being captured by the villagers, but not much beyond that. She swore she saw Merlin and King Arthur, but wasn't sure that she hadn't just imagined that. She knew she wasn't dead, but she didn't know what to make of the splendid room she was in. It was nothing compared to her cave; everything was neat and tidy, with shades of red everywhere, even on the bedsheets. The room was very large, large enough for a full wardrobe, table with two chairs, a vanity, and shade for changing clothes. It was also very spacious. The room was so splendid in fact that Elizabeth was convinced she must be dreaming. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she was unaware that there was another person in the room with her.
Arthur, who had been sleeping against the side of the bed while sitting in the chair, felt movement in the sheets and woke up, finding Elizabeth was awake. Blue eyes met blue eyes as father and daughter saw one another for the first time in nine years. Elizabeth had no idea yet of course, but she soon would.
She squeaked, realizing the king was in the room.
"Y-your majesty!" she exclaimed.
He sighed, deciding to play along. He was unsure how to break the news that she was his daughter.
"Hello, Lena. Welcome to Camelot." He said kindly.
"I'm in Camelot….? What happened to me? Last thing I remember was being tied up and a fire surrounding me." She said.
"The village has been punished for how they treated you and everyone else who has magic." Arthur explained.
She nods. "I see…." She said.
He hesitated a moment before deciding to break the news to her through a story. He tells her about the day his child was taken from him. He holds up the silk blanket that he still had with him.
"This was stolen with her." He explained.
Her eyes widened "I've seen that before…in…in their house many times." She said, not wanting to call them her parents.
"It's yours, Elizabeth." He said, finally using her real name.
"What….? Then…that's how I ended up in that village? I was so sure I was abandoned…." She said.
"Your mother and I would never have abandoned you." Arthur assured her.
She smiled as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, not wanting to let go. He returned the hug, crying as well. He had his little girl back, and he would never lose her again.
Meanwhile, a girl named Avalon, who lived at the castle as Arthur's ward, made her daily break for freedom. She felt trapped at the castle, but was caught each time. The raven-haired girl pouted, hating the restrictions.
Her father was the castle's most important prisoner, but she couldn't help him at all, even with magic of her own. So what if her father kidnapped the firstborn princess? The king didn't know the real reason her father did it, but she did. Her mother had died not long after she was born, so her father took any paying jobs he could in order to support her. His last job happened to be a kidnapping, which failed miserably. Four-month-old Avalon had been found tucked away in her father's robes and was immediately made Arthur's ward. Avalon knew who her father was, as Arthur made no attempts to hide the fact. Arthur's actions against her father lead to the beginning of her daily escape. She was brought back each time, growing more and more frustrated. No matter where she went, she could never escape the king and his sorcerer.
Avalon's only friend was Wendolyn, the king's often forgotten six-year-old daughter. The little girl was bitter at being ignored by her father. After her older sister went missing, Arthur didn't want any more children, but one drunken night with Gwen changed that. Gwen was the only one who went out of her way to see their youngest, but even so, the little girl was often alone. She kept to herself in her room, having all her meals delivered directly to her room. It was this mutual dislike of Arthur that led Avalon and Wendolyn to become friends. Whenever Avalon was brought back from her daily escapes, she went to go spend time with Wendolyn.
When Wendolyn noticed that Avalon was later than usual, she poked her head out of her room. She saw two maids leading a mysterious dirty girl to a washroom. Arthur saw his younger daughter and went over to her.
"Father, who is that girl with the maids?" She asked, a serious tone in her voice. She was way too serious for a six year old.
"She is your sister." He said.
"That's impossible….you said yourself she was dead." Wendolyn said.
"I was wrong." He said calmly.
"Lucky me." Wendolyn said sarcastically, going back to her room.
Arthur sighed. He knew his relationship with Wendolyn was practically non-existent. He was even convinced that she only called him father as a formality and nothing more. Now that Elizabeth was back in their lives, he vowed to establish a bond with both of his girls. He wanted to be a proper father, no matter how hard it would be.
A/N that finishes episode 2! Next episodes will be Elizabeth adjusting to her new life and meeting new people, as well as introducing the new villain. I'm not giving a name yet, but I promise to reveal them very soon. Hope you guys enjoyed part 1 and 2! Once again, constructive criticism is welcomed.