The prince, Viktor was his name, (A/N: Play off of Viviane) stormed away from the garden, pushing the door right into King Uther. "You can't be leaving so soon!" Uther called.
"Good luck marrying her off!" Victor called over his shoulder. Uther then noticed that the seat of his trousers was missing.
"Ariana," Uther sighed walking out to the garden where his daughter was. "Ariana!" He walked to his daughter but right before he reached her, her dog jumped up and snarled at him, the piece of Viktor's trousers still in his mouth. That was the last straw. "Confound it all!" Uther said tugging the fabric in the dog's mouth. "So this is why Prince Viktor ran out of the castle!"
"Father," Ariana sighed, "Lancelot was just playing with him." She pulled the fabric out of Lancelot's mouth with ease. "Weren't you Lance? Weren't you just playing with that overly dressed, self-absorbed, Prince Viktor weren't you?" She said this sweetly as she scratched behind the dogs ears. She looked up and saw the displeased look in her father's eyes and straightened up.
"Child, you can't reject every suitor that comes here!" Uther scolded. "The law says you must be married-"
"To a prince before my next birthday." Ariana finished. "The law is wrong. Father, I hate being forced into this! I want to marry for love!"
"Ariana, it's not just the law. I'm getting old, I'm not going to be around forever. I need to know that you will be taken care of.
"It's not fair! I've never done anything on my own, never made any friends!" Lance yipped. "Well except you Lancelot. I've never even been outside the castle walls! If being a princess means I'm to locked up like a prisoner, then I don't want to be princess anymore!"
"Oh!" Uther said. "The gods forbid you have any daughters!" Uther said this to Lancelot and the dog just looked up and then settled back down. Uther walked back inside and decided to mumble to himself.
"I have no idea where she gets it from, Igraine was never so picky." A shadow fell over the King and he looked up to see Agravaine and Morgana standing there. "Ah Agravaine! Just the man I need to hear from."
"I am your humble servant sire," Agravaine said bowing as Morgana curtsied.
"It's all this suitor nonsense, Ariana refuses to take a husband. I'm at my wits end." Morgana giggled and Uther produced a small cookie from a near-by tray and pushed it into her hand. "A sweet treat for a sweet girl."
"Your Majesty, you certainly have a way with little girls," Agravaine said. Morgana shot him a glare. "Now maybe I can figure out a solution."
"If anyone can you can!" Uther said.
"I will require some funding of course," Agravaine said eyeing the ruby ring on the king's finger. King Uther thought.
"It's been in the Pendragon family for centuries," he said thinking aloud. Morgana mumbled a spell to make the king do as Agravaine commanded.
"I need the funding to find a husband for Ariana." Agravaine stated and the king handed the ring over in a daze. "Now, got to your knights and get their training started."
"Yes, that would be good," Uther said and walked away. Agravaine walked away with Morgana, once they were around the corner she threw the cookie the king had given her as hard as her thin arm could throw it.
"I swear if I have to accept another one of those stupid cookies, I'm going to scream!" Morgana said as Agravaine pulled on one of the torch brackets on the wall, revealing a secret passageway.
"Calm yourself Morgana, soon I will be king and Uther will be disposed of." At the top of the stairs in the passageway there was a door and Agravaine closed it behind Morgana and himself
…
Ariana was in the garden at night, which was forbidden for her, and she crept toward the wall. She was in peasants clothes and she approached a tree that, if climbed, you could get to the other side of the wall and into the city. She was about to climb when she felt a tug on the hem of her dress. It was Lancelot.
"I'm sorry Lance. I can't stay and have my life lived for me," she said sadly hugging her only friend. "I'll miss you." She climbed over the wall and when she was perched at the top she whispered, "Good-bye." Then she was gone.
…
Merlin was perched atop the fruit vendor's stall. "Go on Aithu," he whispered and the dragon hooked her tail around a peg and lowered herself to grab some food. She distracted the vendor while Merlin grabbed what they were actually going to eat. Aithu sat with Merlin on top of the stall and they began eating.
Down a little ways was Ariana wandering and watching her subjects as they milled about. She was offered a few things which she politely refused with a smile. She bumped into a fire-eater, making him swallow it and when he burped a spark came out of his mouth making Ariana jump.
Merlin peeked over at this strange girl who was apologizing to almost everyone. "Wow," he said. She really was quite beautiful. She had golden hair, unbound and straight, and the prettiest blue eyes Merlin had ever seen. He stared openly at her.
She saw a little boy reaching for an apple on a cart and she handed to him. "You must be hungry, here." She began to walk away.
"You better pay for that," the vendor said. "I don't allow thieves." He grabbed her.
"I'll go up to the castle and get some from the king," she said. He drew his sword and Merlin decided to jump into action.
"Thank you sir!" He grabbed the sword from the man and shook his hand. "I'm glad you found her." He turned to this girl, "Where have you been!?" He began to walk away with her and she whispered.
"What are you doing?"
"Just play along."
"You know this girl?" The vendor said.
Merlin patted his shoulder. "Sadly, yes. She's my sister. She's a little crazy."
The man grabbed Merlin roughly, "She said she knew the king!"
"She thinks the dragon is the king," Merlin said pointing out Aithusa. The girl curtsied to the dragon.
"Oh great and powerful king, I am your simple and humble handmaid," she said.
"Tragic, isn't it?" Merlin said stealing an apple off of the vendor's cart. "No harm done. Come now sister, let's go see the physician." They passed a horse and the girl smiled.
"Hello doctor how are you?" she said.
"Not that one," Merlin said leading her away gently by the arm. Merlin decided to make a run for it.
…
Morgana was powering a big machine with her magic. She felt drained. "Just a bit longer," Agravaine said. He took the ring and set it inside a fixture that would power the ball under it.
"Oh magic of the Old Religion," Agravaine said, "Show me the one who will enter the Cave of Wonders." In the glass ball an image appeared. A boy with black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt with a red scarf thing, and leading a girl. "My diamond in the rough." Agravaine chuckled darkly. Morgana let go of the rod that was channeling her magic and slumped to the ground.
"Now, let's get the guards to give him an invitation to the castle, shall we Morgana?"
"Great idea."
…
Merlin helped this girl up to the rooftop. "Almost there," he said. She tripped and fell into Merlin arms as he helped steady her. The girl looked up into Merlin face and he smiled at her. They were very close together.
She backed away saying, "I want to thank you for stopping that man back there."
Merlin shrugged. "Forget it, it was no big deal. So first time in the marketplace huh." He said it more of a statement than a question. He jumped to the next rooftop and waited for her.
"That obvious?"
"Well you do stand out," he said laying a board across to her. "I mean you don't know the dangers of Camelot's streets." She jumped over his head and landed behind him.
"I'm a fast learner," she said. Merlin watched her slack-jawed.
"Well okay then," Merlin said to Aithusa. He walked toward her. "This way," he said leading her by the hand. "Watch your head."
"You live here?" she asked looking around, the house had clearly been abandoned, except by him of course, and was in a state of disrepair.
"Yeah, me and Aithusa live here. We come and go whenever we want."
"That sounds amazing."
"It's not much, but," Merlin said grasping a tattered curtain and pulling it aside, "It has a spectacular view." The window showed pretty much the whole city, the castle looming over everything. "The castle looks amazing doesn't it?"
"I guess," she said but Merlin was too transfixed with the view.
"I wonder what it would be like to live there. Having servants and everything."
"Yes, having everyone telling you what to do and how to do it."
"It's better than here. Having to steal to eat and get away quick enough," Merlin said.
"Can't make you own choices," the girl said.
"Sometimes you feel so," Merlin said pausing to think of the word.
"You're just so," the girl reached for the word.
"Trapped," they said in unison. Merlin looked at her and she smiled. Merlin grabbed two apples and set one on his shoulder. He let it roll down his arm and hit it with his elbow to go toward her. "So where you from?" he asked.
"It doesn't matter," she said catching the apple, "I'm never going back there. Merlin took a bite of his apple and gave it to Aithu.
"Really? Why?" he asked her, plopping himself to sit next to her.
"My father's forcing me to get married."
"That's awful." Merlin noticed Aithusa trying to sneak the girl's apple. "Aithu!" She scrambled away and started 'talking' to Merlin.
"What?' the girl asked. Merlin turned toward her thinking.
"Uh, Aithusa said uh. That's not fair."
"Oh really?" she said chuckling.
"Yeah, of course."
"And what else did she say?" she asked amused.
"She said she wished she could do something to help," Merlin said dipping his head to look into the girl's bright blue eyes.
"Tell her I think that's very sweet." Merlin and the girl stared at each other and Merlin leaned in toward her when he heard Leon.
"There you are!" he shouted.
"They're after me!" They shouted standing in unison. "They're after you?" They asked each other in unison. The guards began cutting down the obstacles in their way.
Merlin looked out the large hole in the wall while the girl mumbled. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
"What?"
"Do you trust me?" he asked firmly holding out his hand.
"Yes," she said hesitantly putting her hand in his.
"Then jump!" he said pulling her with him. They landed on an awning but it ripped and they landed on a mountain of grain which softened their fall. They both ran right into Leon, who hoisted Merlin up by the neckerchief.
"We just keep running into each other don't we street rat?" Leon said. Aithusa jumped onto Leon's head.
"Go get out of here!" Merlin said elbowing Leon in the stomach. But they were surrounded. Leon grabbed Merlin and flung him to the other guards.
"To the dungeon."
"Let him go!" the girl said.
"Look here me! A street mouse!" Leon said laughing.
"Unhand him!" She shouted. "By order of Princess Ariana!" Leon stopped laughing and bowed, the other guards following his lead.
"Princess," Leon said. "What are you doing outside the palace? And with this street rat?"
"That's none of your concern. Do as I command! Release him!"
"I would except I have orders from Agravaine, you'll have to take it up with him."
"Oh I will!" she yelled at their retreating forms.
…
Back at the palace Agravaine was emerging from his secret room as Ariana stalked up. "Agravaine!" she yelled. Agravaine shut the door before Morgana emerged to hide the entryway.
"Princess Ariana," he said bowing.
"The guard took a young man from the market, on your orders!" she shouted in his face.
"Your father entrusted the safety of Camelot to me," Agravaine said. "The boy was a criminal."
"Tell me his crimes!"
"Kidnapping you of course."
"He didn't kidnap me! I RAN AWAY!" Ariana shouted.
"Oh well this is distressing news."
"What do you mean?" Ariana asked.
"The boy's sentence had already been carried out Princess," Agravaine said.
"What sentence?" Ariana asked.
"Death," Agravaine said and Princess Ariana gasped. "By beheading."
"No." Ariana said sadly.
"I am extremely sorry Princess."
"How could you?" she said sharply. She ran away the tears starting to fall from her eyes. Ariana sat in the garden crying as Lancelot approached. He nudged her arm and she looked up. "It's all my fault Lance. I didn't even know his name," she said mournfully. She hugged the dog and cried into his curly brown coat.
…
Merlin sat chained to the dungeon wall. Merlin tugged against his bond in vain. "She was the princess! I can't believe it, I must have sounded like an idiot to her!" Aithu came down from the window and Merlin smiled. "Come on, help me out of these."
Aithu turned away from him and spoke in her dragon language. She pretty much said that Merlin shouldn't have fallen for the innocent girl act.
"She was in trouble what was I supposed to do? She was worth it though." Aithu made a disapproving sound and melted the iron cuffs. "Don't worry, I'll never see her again, so what does it matter? I'm an idiot, she has to marry a prince, not a street rat."
"You're only an idiot if you give up boy," a voice said startling Merlin.