It hadn't taken Gaius long to sort Anna out – fixing her up as best he could. She was asleep on the bed, whilst Merlin, Lancelot and Gaius were sat around the table.
"Why did she do it?" Gaius asked Merlin, as he knew Merlin had encountered her before.
"I don't know; I didn't even know it was her fighting till today." Merlin sighed, knowing her life was at great risk. But there was a small part of him that was glad she'd done it and glad they'd found her, otherwise they'd never know she held magic. This was a huge relief to him as it wasn't a secret he'd have to keep.
"She does know magic is forbidden doesn't she?" Lancelot asked, all questions directed at Merlin.
"I presume so – it's so harshly enforced she must know."
"We're not going to get any further by sitting here asking Merlin things; we're going to have to wait till she's conscious." Gaius concluded, rising to his feet.
"She is going to become conscious though, right Gaius? She's not going to die, is she?"
"The wound isn't infected as far as I'm aware and she is sleeping soundly enough – I'm sure she'll be fine."
"You don't sound certain."
"I never am." Gaius stated, before mumbling something about talking to one of the market tradesmen and leaving. Lancelot turned to Merlin.
"I still don't get why she did it – she must know magic is forbidden, girls competing is forbidden, competing without Noble blood is forbidden – was there ever a way that she could have got out of this alive if she was found?"
"No, probably not. But we can't tell anyone of this Lancelot. We have to say she was abandoned by her master, that he beat her and left her for dead before he left for the final or something." Merlin whispered, not sure who could be outside the door (knowing Arthur walked in unannounced frequently) or that Anna could hear him, if she woke up. It's not something she'd have wanted to know.
"Of course not Merlin, she'd be burned." Lancelot agreed easily.
"I can't believe she has magic." Merlin muttered, a small smile creeping into his features.
"She's perfect for you, Merlin." Lancelot chuckled, a hint of sarcasm entering his voice. Considering he knew nothing about her, it was a large claim to make.
"I wouldn't take it that far." Merlin chuckled. "I'm genuinely intrigued as to why she did it – there would be no benefit. She must have gone to such lengths to get Oliver's seal of nobility and getting armour must have been almost impossible."
"It wasn't." Merlin and Lancelot heard a weak voice from across the room, seeing Anna standing up, stretching and slowly, tenderly, making her way to where Gaius had sat previously. "I didn't plan to steal his identity. It was just me and him travelling here and he was weak, forced to compete by his father. No one knew how seriously ill he was, I tried to keep him alive till we got here but he passed away in the woods on the outskirt of the city. The last thing he told me to do was take his place and he gave me his seal of nobility. I used his armour and somehow managed to remain the Silent Knight until I was almost killed by Camelot's Prince."
"What were you going to do if you got caught? You have magic, you're female, you're not noble-" Lancelot asked.
"All true except the last one." She corrected him. Both he and Merlin's jaws dropped.
"You're what?" Lancelot asked. Merlin had remained strangely silent since she announced her consciousness.
"It's a long story, but I need an audience with Arthur."
"Why? What's that got to do with your nobility?"
"Because I'm related to him."
The next day and Merlin was standing by the door while Anna was granted an audience with him. Gwen had been kind enough to offer one of her dresses for Anna to wear and Merlin, Lancelot and Anna had agreed on the story Merlin had fabricated about how Oliver had beaten her, leaving her for dead before the final and left the city with his magic after the tournament. Soon the Knights would find Oliver's dead body and they'd presume he'd committed some sort of suicide after his magical discovery.
"Annabeth, Merlin tells me you were not living in sufficient conditions under Oliver's instructions and we will take this into account when we find him, and give you our greatest apologies." Arthur started officially, as he always did, using Anna's full name.
"Thank you, sire."
"He also said you had another matter you wished to discuss?"
"Yes, my Lord. I have this letter from my father," She began, handing him the wrinkled paper and letting him examine it.
"This is a family tree?" Arthur questioned, beginning to take this meeting very seriously.
"Yes, my Lord, my Father, is your Father's elder brother, Ambrosius; King Uther is my Uncle, sire."
"You share my name; I am your cousin." Arthur muttered, unbelieving of this sudden discovery.
"Yes, my Lord."
"Where is your Father now?"
"In my village, sire."
"And your mother?"
"Dead, sir."
"My greatest apologies."
"And mine to your sir, for the loss of your mother."
"So you would be heir to the throne if I were to lose my life before bearing children." Arthur whispered, as if in a daze. "I must consult my father." He announced, walking out with the letter still in hand.
Anna turned slowly to Merlin, confusion laced into her features. "Was that a good or a bad thing?" She asked.
"Uther will either offer you accommodation and start treating you like royalty, let you go home or have you killed for you association with Oliver." Merlin explained, not lying to her.
A moment of panic crossed her expression before she calmed and strode slowly towards Merlin. "I can get out, you know that. I won't ever be able to return to Camelot but I'd live."
"I'd say that a little bit quieter – remember whose chambers we're in." Merlin warned, turning to the door and seeing it still shut. "Will you let me take you out again tonight?"
"The Tournament is over, is it not? That's what I promised you. And Oliver is not fatally wounded." Anna smiled, placing her hand on her wound; Merlin placed his on top and opened his mouth to answer her. He removed it swiftly when he heard the door open.
Arthur burst in. "The King would like to see you."