CHAPTER THREE

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the incredible support, this story is getting far more hits and follows than I expected! Just so you know I don't have an exact updating schedule, but I do have a lot of inspiration and free time this month so I will continue to update as long as there is interest in this story.

Secondly, I wanted to emphasize that this Merlin is very different in this story as a result of her upbringing. Balinor is, most definitely, a hurt man who in this version has long everyone he has ever loved, except Merlin. Everywhere he failed to stand up to Uther, to protect him and his, he wants Merlin to succeed. He knows she is more powerful and can successfully restore magic to Albion. So he raised her to be able to survive in any situation and to achieve her ends, no matter the cost. Hopefully this will help to explain some of the actions she takes. At the same time, though, Merlin maintains her own sense of justice, of honor. In a way this story is an exploration on the theme of nature versus nurture.

Thanks to everyone who favorites, follows and especially reviews! The comments definitely inspire me to write more. Sorry for the long note.

P.S. Sorry for any errors it's 3 AM and I probably haven't edited exceptionally well, but I wanted to update as soon as I could.

It was Merlin's first night at the Rising Sun and it was more difficult than she had anticipated. The men were all, predictably, drunk. What Merlin didn't realize was that most of them would also being uncharacteristically handsy and aggressive with her.

Her father never had access to alcohol and the druids certainly never drank to excess with this. Camelot was Merlin's first experience with excessively drunken men and she didn't think she liked it very much.

"Get me an ale would you sweetheart?" a man behind her grinned and smacked her backside. On instinct, Merlin grabbed his arm and wrenched it.

"Touch me again and I'll cut your hand off and feed it to the dogs. Got it?" He nodded and gulped when he noticed the blades on her back and scurried out of the tavern.

Tom walked over to the bar after witnessing the exchange. He turned towards her with his hands on his hips:

"You can't threaten every man that looks at you funny." Tom said, "it's bad for business."

"Are all men such scumbags?" she asked in disgust before apologizing, "I'm sorry, Tom, it won't happen again I just don't want them to think they can get away with it."

"I understand, but don't let it happen again. You're here tentatively, any wrong moves and you're out. They say it ain't right to have a woman bairmaid. It ain't proper. But to answer your question, yeah, most of the men here are that way. Not bad men, just looking to let off some steam."

Merlin grimaced. Maybe the Rising Sun wasn't the bohemian paradise she had originally thought. Still, it was a job and that was something she needed. Or would prefer to have, at least. Even if she could support herself off of Camelot's well-stocked woods (and it was becoming more apparent that she probably could) she still needed a cover story.

It would be a bit suspicious to only show up every now and then in Camelot to pull Arthur out of trouble. Working here at least would give her some semblance of legitimacy. Merlin curled a lip in disgust as two men across the room spat into their palms and shook hands at the conclusion of some seedy business deal. OK so maybe not legitimacy, but at least commonplace. People could write her off as a barmaid, it wouldn't make anyone more curious about the strange girl who had saved the prince.

Merlin left the tavern at the end of the night feeling sore, tired, and a bit dehumanized. But her work for the night was not over. She had a couple hours before sunrise (despite its name, the Rising Sun actually did not stay open until dawn).

Cautiously, Merlin returned to the castle walls. She probably could have made it past the guards inside, but at this point it seemed easier to just go up through Arthur's windows. Propelling herself upwards with magic, she climbed the stones easily enough before unlatching the window and entering his bedchamber.

Arthur lay sleeping in the huge bed, tangled in the sheets. He seemed to be having a nightmare as his face screwed up in fear and his chest heaved as he practically began hyperventilating.

Merlin whispered a soothing spell, watching the crinkles smooth out of his brow as he fell into a deeper sleep. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his face and chest and Merlin vaguely wondered what he was dreaming about.

Wondering was time spent wasted, she remembered, thinking of Balinor who like Arthur also suffered from nightmares. She had perfected her soothing spell over several years, allowing for a deep dreamless sleep which she now used on Arthur.

Sighing, she got to work, casting as many protection wards as she could over Arthur. As the sun began to threaten its arrival, she wove a final ward over him: an alarm, whenever he was in trouble or threatened she would feel it. Or at least, that was the idea. It was a ward of her own invention and she wasn't sure if it would actually work. There was only way to find out.

The risk of being caught in the prince's bedchamber, despite the amusement factor of its implications, was too high and Merlin snuck out the way she had came before morning's light peaked through the trees.

Finally collapsing on her cot in mid-morning, Merlin slept well into the afternoon

Arthur felt like a new man that morning. He wasn't sure what the difference was and attributed it to an exceptional night's sleep.

Breakfast with his father and Morgana was quiet at first until Uther spoke up.

"I looked into the girl for you. She's working at the Rising Sun. A barmaid."

"A barmaid? Father that is unacceptable, we have to help her."

"Morgana," his father turned to the girl, "please leave us."

"But—"

Uther raised both eyebrows, clearly indicating that this was not the morning to argue with him.

"Fine." She said standing up, "it's not like I ever get to know what's going on anyways."

Once the door was firmly closed, Uther turned to his son.

"We offered her a reward, she refused, and now she has a job. She is not our responsibility."

"Father, the Rising Sun is no place for a maiden. We both know this."

"What makes you assume she is a maiden? A barmaid is hardly anything different from a whore."

Arthur's chair scraped as he stood up.

"Don't speak of her like that! She saved my life! She is an honorable woman!"

"You are so quick to defend a woman you barely know, Arthur. My contact also informed that she lives in Childherric's Woods. If you are so desperate to help her, go speak with her, I'm sure you can offer her a position as a scullery maid or some such thing."

"Thank you father, for your generosity. I will."

"Be prepared to be disappointed Arthur. Being an adult and a leader is about realizing that you cannot control the choices of those around you, only your reaction to them. Some people are best left to fulfill their purpose and then forgotten. She saved your life, her purpose has been served."

Arthur clenched his jaw. It was useless trying to reason with his father when he got this way.

"Thank you for the generous information and allowance to offer her a position, father, I am truly grateful."

Uther waved him away.

Childherric's Woods were bigger than Arthur had realized.

He had been walking for hours and there was still no sign of his mysterious protector.

"Sire, perhaps we should return to the castle. They will stop serving dinner soon." His useless squire whined.

"No. I'm here to find Merlin and that is what I will do. Look there smoke!" he pointed above the tree tops less than a mile off to grey spiraling puffs in the sky, "that must be her. No one else lives in these woods!"

Merlin firmly believed that there was always a good and a bad part of every situation. As she leapt out of her bed and quickly pulled on her boots and blades she realized the same theory applied to this situation.

The good: her experimental alarm ward actually worked.

The bad: Arthur was in trouble. Mortal peril to be exact.

"Sire?" one of the knights asked.

"It's quiet . . . too quiet."

The camp was too big for just one person. There were beds and hot food still laying out in the camp. It had been recently deserted, the fire still smoking as it had been when Arthur first followed the smoke.

Maybe Merlin had family? Or maybe, he realized as an arrow flew past his head, this was a trap.

Merlin focused on Arthur's life force. He was fine, he was fine. She sprinted through the woods, jumping over fallen trees and brooks.

As she neared the scene, she could hear the sounds of battle from quite far off. Steel on steel clanged. She crept up, casting an invisibility spell as she moved forward to better assess the situation.

They were greatly outnumbered.

The squire and the one of the two knights Arthur had brought with him were already dead.

The bandits moved in forming a circle around Arthur.

"Well, well, well," the leader moved forward and tugged at Arthur's shield, "Arthur Pendragon, prince of Camelot, you honor our humble camp with your presence."

The bandits snickered around him, brandishing their weapons menacingly.

"You'll never take me alive!" he dramatically spun his sword and Merlin cursed him under her breath.

"Ah just as noble as we were told," said the leader, "well, if you truly are as noble as they say, then you will come peacefully with us, if not for your own sake, then for your companion." He nodded towards one of his comrades who, in a split second, had his knife poised at the remaining knight's throat.

"Now, drop your sword. You'll get us a fine ransom, you will."

Arthur complied, allowing them to bind his hands as they led the two soldiers deeper into their camp which Merlin now realized was around a ruined fort. They bound and gagged the pair before dumping them on the ground.

The men sat around the fire, eating, drinking, and congratulating themselves. Merlin sighed to herself. She needed to find a way to find a way to free Arthur and his knight without any hint that she had used magic.

Her ability to find them alone was already suspicious. She sighed again as she realized this was going to be a long night.

Once the majority of the bandits had drunken themselves into a stupor, she cast a deep sleep spell and crept forward.

Reinforcing the deep-sleeping spell on the hostages as she cut off their bindings. It wouldn't do to have them waking too soon. Any excess noise needed to be avoided. The spell caused the recipient to fall deeper into sleep, but it was no coma, any disturbances and they could all three be prisoners instead of just the two of them.

Once she was satisfied, she silently removed two of the bandits swords and placed them next to the boys she was saving.

Putting her hand over his mouth, she woke Arthur first. He struggled at first, making slight sounds of indignation.

"Shhhhh Arthur, it's me Merlin, I'm here to save you."

She pressed the sword into his hand.

"I'm not leaving without Leon." Arthur declared.

"Calm down, I'm not either." She pointed to the body next to them. "Now shut up, we don't need this whole camp to wake up."

"How did you find us?" he asked.

"What don't you understand about 'shut up'?"

Leon was much more accommodating than his liege and maintained his silence even as he woke up and she pressed the sword into his hand, quickly cottoning on.

Unfortunately for all three of them, Arthur was not much of a morning person and, despite the measures taken to make a silent escape ended up tripping over a bandit on their way out who began screaming bloody murder when he saw their two greatest treasures attempting to escape.

"Great." Merlin said, "Now we're fucked."

The three of them moved back to back to cover one another as the bandit's came wildly at them. They were outnumbered four to one and Merlin knew she needed to add a little something special.

The heavens opened up and began to pour. Thunder and lightning riven the sky and Merlin was so tempted to just electrocute all of the bandits who dared attack her.

But she could not, not yet.

So instead she stood by her comrades and fought bravely. Only occasionally using magic to give her stabs a bit of extra force. A pile of bodies began to stack up in front of her as she waited for the bandits to come to her. And then, suddenly it was over. They were dead. All of them.

What had she become, Merlin wondered, as she realized her body count had gone from two to twenty-two in the past week. Maybe Uther was right, magic-users were monsters.

"Come on," Leon finally spoke up, "we need to get back, they'll be missing us. We've been gone almost a full day."

Uther was not happy.

"And where, might I ask have you three been?" he demanded.

Leon spoke again, "My Lord, as you may know Prince Arthur, Knight Greene, Squire Jonathon, and I left for Childherric's Woods yesterday morn. Today only Prince Arthur and I return. We were captured by bandits. Somehow Lady Merlin found the camp and managed to save us."

"It's rather suspicious, I think," Uther began, "that in the few days you have been here Lady Merlin you have saved my son twice. Rather auspicious timing, wouldn't you say?"

"With all due respect, my Lord. I don't believe auspicious is an appropriate term to use at the time of anyone's death be they friend or foe. Truthfully, I want only to live a life of peace."

"And yet you keep finding yourself at my son's side."

"The fates have a strange will."

"Indeed they do." He gave her an odd look, "I assume you will not accept an award."

"You assume correctly, my lord."

"Then you are dismissed."

Uther and Gaius sat in the King's bedchamber later that evening.

"I don't trust her."

"Why not, my lord?"

"I don't know Gaius . . . there is just something about her. It's so familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

"Do me a favor and find out everything you can about this girl."

"Yes my lord I shall do my best, but there is one problem."

"And what, might I ask, is that?"

"Well sire you have not told me this young girl's name."

"Her name," Uther said, "is Merlin."

Merlin. Could it be? But how many other Merlin's could there be in the world?

"It will be done my lord. But please, do not concern yourself over the girl. From what I can tell she seems to be well intentioned and simply in the right place at the right time."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

Gaius hurried out of the King's rooms. He had research to do.

It was Merlin's second night at the tavern. No big deal that she had saved the King's son the night before.

Again.

It seemed like the King was trying to keep it quiet, but stories as scandalous as this spread like wildfire and soon it seemed to be the only thing anyone at the Rising Sun could talk about.

She was met with flurries of questions from the customers all of which she did her best to avoid. There was so much excitement, in fact, around the short trip of the prince to Childherric's Woods and his kidnapping that Merlin only barely found out about the tournament happening the next day.

She had thought that the bar seemed more crowded than the other day but, then again, it was only her second day so she didn't have much to compare it to.

Merlin was wiping down the tables and ignoring bawdy comments when it hit her.

There was a new magic user in Camelot.

Merlin had found the new magic user was. It had been easy enough to track him down during the first day of the tournament. She followed him until she was sure they were alone before confronting him in the armory.

"Magic is illegal in Camelot."

"Indeed it is." Valiant turned around carefully.

"It would be best for you if you were to withdraw from the tournament now and leave while you still can."

"Are you threatening me, little girl? And what are you going to do about it?"

"If you don't withdraw I will kill you." She answered simply.

"How could you kill me?" He asked acerbically.

"Easily. Any man who lets creatures fight for him must be a coward and subsequently easily defeated when deprived of his magical toys."

His hand rose to backhand her and she moved away to avoid it, but not quickly enough as the back of his hand scraped her face, re-opening her scabbed over wound. She pulled her swords out preparing to fight.

"You will regret that, sir." She promised. He scoffed.

"When I'm done with you," he threatened, "you'll be on your knees begging for mercy."

The door creaked open and both turned to face the intruder.

It was Arthur. Merlin kicked herself for getting distracted by Valiant's ploys and not realizing Arthur was nearby.

"Merlin?" he asked, confused. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course my Lord." She answered moving to leave.

Valiant sighed, picking up his shield, and moving to leave the armory. As he passed Merlin, he checked her with his shoulder and she hissed in pain.

Alone, Arthur and Merlin stared at each other for a moment.

"What happened?" he demanded to know.

"Nothing, Arthur. I'll take care of it."

"Take care of what? That man attacked you!"

Arthur stepped forward, reaching for her face, but Merlin ducked out of the way.

"And how do you know I didn't provoke him? I'm fine, Sire, you have my word. Please let me pass."

"What are you even doing in the castle?" He asked.

"What were you doing in Childherric's Woods?"

Looking for you. Was that her answer? Had she been looking for him in the castle?

He stepped backwards to allow her by.

"Why is it," he asked, "that whenever I see you, you're always in some kind of trouble?"

"What can I say?" she shrugged, glancing over her shoulder as she left the room, "I make friends everywhere I go."

Arthur felt . . . uneasy. He knew that not all knights were the paragons of honor his father's knights were, but still. Striking a maiden, even one as fearsome as Merlin was against the knight's code. Even if she did provoke him.

It seemed all she could do was provoke. Provoke him, his father, the bandits, Valiant.

Arthur shook his head to clear it.

Merlin was a damned distraction, he needed to focus on the upcoming tournament, or he would be the one in trouble.

Arthur was losing. It would be so easy, she thought, one dagger to Valiant's thick skull and it would all be over. But he would never forgive her: glory and honor etc etc etc

So she did the next best thing, whispering under her breath as she moved to the front of the stands, Merlin commanded the snakes to reveal themselves. They came off of the shield, writhing and spitting. Triumphant, Merlin watched Uther's reaction.

"He's using magic!" the King exclaimed.

Surely he would have to call the match off now.

"What're you doing? I didn't summon you!" Valiant panicked.

Merlin looked again to Uther. Why wasn't he ending the tournament? Where were the guards? Why was Valiant not being hauled off to the dungeons this very moment?

Upon Valiant's command, the snakes she had summoned came completely off the shield onto the ground and Arthur was unarmed and no one was doing anything!

Did Uther want his son to die?

One bite and it was all over. Why wasn't anyone helping Arthur?

"Fuck it," Merlin swore as she jumped over the barrier, landing roughly on her feet in between Arthur and the snakes. Pulling out her dual blades, she decapitated the two snakes at her feet in a sweeping X motion and advanced on Valiant.

With three swift moves he was disarmed and impaled by Merlin's sword. She held him close and whispered in his ear, "Why didn't you just leave when I warned you? They never listen." She shook her head and jerked her blade out of the body allowing it to fall to the ground.

Valiant stared up at her with dead, vacant eyes.

The crowd was dead silent for a beat before erupting into wild cheers. Merlin scoffed. Hypocrites. They claimed to support peace and hate magic, yet they watched men kill each other for fun, they reveled in it and did nothing to stop magic when they did see it! Even to protect their prince!

Disgusting.

She turned and left the stadium.

Arthur came thundering after her his face red with embarrassment and indignation, "What the bloody Hell was that?!"

"That was me saving you for the third time this week. A bit of gratitude would be nice, you know."

"Gratitude! Gratitude for what? For humiliating me? For stealing my title? I didn't need you to save me!"

Merlin realized that she was on autopilot and Arthur had followed her into the woods, towards her home. She made a sharp turn right; she didn't want him to know where she slept. Not yet at least.

"Funny how I said those very words to you the other day and you just told me to hand over my weapons."

"So what? Is this revenge for that? For making you look weak in front of the market square by defending you against those ruffians? Tit for tat? I thought you said we were even, the debt repaid."

"Have you always been so insufferably self-absorbed? Does it come with the title? Oh wait, that's right I forgot. You don't have the title because you, Arthur Pendragon, are still a child here in Camelot. Maybe if you stopped acting like a child and started acting like a prince, you'd realize that the world does not revolve around you. So have your little temper tantrum, whine and cry all you like out here in the woods, but you'd better buck up before you get to your feast if you ever want your people to respect you."

And she left him there, gobsmacked and half lost in the middle of the woods for approximately five minutes before turning around and following him out to make sure he got back to the castle safely.

He was a surprisingly good navigator and only took a few minutes longer than it should have if he had retraced their steps.

Merlin leaned against a tree and took three deep, calming breaths waiting until he was a safe distance away to return to the castle.

Meanwhile, Uther declared the tournament null and void based on the illegal use of magic and announced that the feast would be dedicated to his son's health.

Truly, the feast would continue as planned without the crowning or anyone referred to as champion.

Merlin stood in the hallway by Arthur's bedchamber waiting for him. She didn't know what she was going to say to him when she saw him, only that she needed to speak with him.

She rapped on the door twice.

Arthur opened it.

They stared at each other for a moment before he opened the door wider.

"Erm Merlin, come in, please."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for your aid this past week, Merlin. I'm sorry for the way that I have treated you. I am . . . unused to being protected by someone who isn't paid to do so by my father. I have been inexcusably rude to you; I hope you can forgive me."

"Right."

". . . that's it?"

"What'd you expect me to say?"

"Oh I don't know, I'm sorry for ruining your tournament and being rude to you as well!"

"You can't give an apology to get an apology!"

"Well why not Merlin?"

"Because that's just the way it works!"

"But I am sorry that I embarrassed you. It was not my intention. But I do not regret intervening. If your safety is not reason enough for me to have intervened take comfort in this: the man had besmirched my honor and, as according to the knight's code, it is within my rights to kill him."

"Besmirched your honor?"

"Did he—"

"No," she answered quickly, "he would not have survived to participate in your duel if he had tried. Just words."

"I see."

"Yes."

She smoothed her dress.

"So that's it. I'll just . . . I'll just go."

"You should come to the feast tonight."

"No I shouldn't. I'm no lady."

"Well tonight you will be. Even if my father won't admit it, techinically you are the champion."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow, "Because I heard that it was to toast your good health. Which, admittedly, I am also responsible."

"Very funny. Now go borrow a dress from Morgana and enjoy the feast."

"I'm not wearing a dress."

"You must to sit at the table."

"I prefer standing."

"Very well. Till then, my lady."

He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it lightly and whispering, "My champion," with a slight bow.

Merlin tugged her hand out of his grasp and smacked him upside the head.

Arthur's yelp of pain could be heard by servants two floors below.

"My Lady." Arthur greeted, offering his arm.

"My Prince." Morgana accepted it graciously.

"That was some tournament final." His voice was only slightly tinged with bitterness.

"Tell me about it. It's not every day a girl gets to save her prince."

"Merlin didn't save me. I didn't need saving. I'm sure I would've thought of something."

"Really? Because it seems to me like Merling saving you is a pattern and you are just too proud to admit you were saved by a girl!"

"Because . . . I wasn't."

"You know what? I wish Valiant was escorting me."

"Me too. Because then I wouldn't have to listen to you."

"Fine."

"Fine."

And with that he stalked off.

He startled as Merlin stepped out of the shadows behind him.

"Can you believe Morgana? She thinks I actually would have lost if you hadn't stepped in. As if I needed saving."

"You will always need saving. And I will always be the one to save you."

His mouth fell open at her declaration and he turned around to gape at her. Their eyes locked and the intensity of the moment was almost unbearably intimate.

It was broken only seconds later when Uther stood to make an announcement.

"Friends, tonight we celebrate the health of my son, Arthur."

He paused for the applause with a smile.

"It appears that these past couple weeks have been unusually dangerous for him."

Smattered laughter.

"But he has pulled through all of these conflicts incredibly, thanks to the help of one very formidable and honorable young warrior: the Lady Merlin."

Merlin was pushed forwards by hands behind her and suddenly was standing in front of Uther.

"It is in light of these recent events," Uther continued, "that I have decided to reward the Lady Merlin with a special position in the royal household. As she has saved my son not once, nor twice, but three times it seems only appropriate that she be officially appointed as Royal Protector of the Pendragon Bloodline, namely my son Arthur. Congratulations, Lady Merlin and thank you for your service."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it as the crowd applauded again. He smirked at her shocked expression. Finally, he had the advantage. He was still suspicious of her, but at least with her in an official position, he could monitor her at every hour of the day.

Merlin gave a small bow of thanks, feeling horribly out of place and wishing she had taken Arthur's advice about borrowing a dress from Morgana as she scurried back into the shadows.

It had been . . . a long day. And there was nothing she wanted more now than to go home and sleep. But she was stopped by a voice as she went to exit the corridor.

"Where do you think you're going?" It was Arthur.

"Home."

"You are my Protector. This is your home now."

She turned to face him.

"I don't understand."

"I don't either to be honest, it's an archaic position that hasn't been occupied in centuries but apparently my father finds it necessary. From now on you will sleep in the room adjacent to mine."

He looked at her searchingly, trying to find a reaction in her schooled blank face.

"We will always be together now, Merlin." He chuckled, "At least until one of us dies."

Merlin turned away and grimaced. He had no idea how right he was.

A/N: This chapter basically wrote itself. Next up: Nimueh, adjusting to life with Arthur, and resolving the situation with the Rising Sun.

Thank you to xBBx, Jesusfreak124, Pentacleluv, XxPurpleAngel9xX, and the Lord Writer for reviewing