Hello, everyone. This is a short piece I wrote in a bout a day. It's an excerpt from the daily lives of two women in Camelot of my own and my friend's making. For more back story on the two, I suggest her story A Lady and a Gentleman.
Enjoy!
Lizzie awoke. Slowly, as she was always predisposed to, her limbs also greeted the day in the form of popping and cracking as she stretched them away from her body, groaning and sighing sleepily. Her eyes were drawn to the small window streaming in light to her broom closet room. The sun provided just enough sunlight to brighten the corners of the area, showing her few collected knickknacks and trunk with all her valued possessions; mainly assorted clothes and a few pieces of jewelry.
Elizabeth sat up, approximating the time by the bit of sun she could see. It was early, possibly an hour or better after sunrise. Already she could hear the bustle of the castle and Camelot proper. Dragging a stool over to help her short frame peer out the window, she observed. There were a few people milling about in the center of the courtyard, a cart exiting after bringing fresh ingredients for the day, by the looks of the bits left behind there was a good haul of herbs and vegetables. Little leaves of lettuce and what looked like-could it be? Yes, it appeared there was some mint available. Ally would be having her special brew this morning.
Lizzie hopped off the stool and picked up a piece of cord to tie her hair back for the day. She moved to her trunk and pulled out a light green dress, one of her favorites. Quickly she dressed herself and exited her room, entering her lady's sleeping chambers. She closed the door quietly, not wanting to wake Ally. Lizzie smiled and imagined the look on her lady's face when she arrived back with breakfast with her special mint and blossom brew.
Her smile quickly faded when she noticed Alexandra was not in her bed. The sheets were in disarray and her sleeping gown was thrown sloppily over a chair near the large window at one end of the room. Concern piled in her throat and she took off for the door, not knowing where Ally could have gone.
She wrenched open the door and was greeted by a platter of food and a pitcher of water spilling all over her after violently bumping into it.
The dishes went clattering to the floor and the person carrying said items exclaimed, "Lizzie! Oh, I am so, so sorry!" Alexandra's wide blue eyes became quickly apologetic as she used the hem of her wide sleeves to dab at Elizabeth's water-doused face.
"Ally," Lizzie sputtered, twisting her face away from her friend's misplaced helpfulness while she apologized over and over again, "Ally, Ally!" She grabbed Alexandra's wrists and looked her in the face. "It's all right." Lizzie dropped her lady's arms and began to clean up the mess.
Alexandra walked into the room and leaned against the oblong wooden table near the door, sighing with her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie. I just wanted to wake you up with breakfast for once, like you always do for me."
Elizabeth gathered everything together, sizing up her potential breakfast of bread, cheese and meat, nothing fancy. "I suppose you did, m'lady. I am most definitely awake now." She laughed and Alexandra gave her a look. "Here," Lizzie set the platter on the table next to Ally and smiled a bit at her attempt to dress herself. Quite a few laces were looped through the wrong hole or untied and her seams were crooked. To her credit, her dresses were complicated without proper practice. "Why don't we change into dry clothes and then we can go have breakfast together? When was the last time we did that?"
Alexandra harrumphed and replied, "Practically never. You always get up before me and eat without me."
"All the more reason we should. Now," she playfully pushed her from her leaning position and scurried her over to her wardrobe, "pick out a new dress while I change. I'll be with you shortly."
Soon they headed out of Alexandra's room. Now two hours after sunrise the castle was fully awake. The pair gathered their breakfast from the kitchens and ate together in blissful company in the empty banquet hall. They chatted aimlessly, falling from one topic to the other.
Inevitably, after their breakfasts were only plates stacked neatly at Elizabeth's side the conversation drifted to a usual topic. Alexandra sighed deeply, "I wonder how Father's doing."
"I'm sure he's wonderful," Elizabeth knew this was a touchy subject, as the last time Alexandra had seen her father he had been gravely ill. She went in his stead to a peace conference that ended up being most... Interesting. However, when they were preparing to leave for their home of Lerasia, they were stopped by a messenger with fatal wounds who told Alexandra and everyone present that Lerasia was fiercely defending its borders against the wolves and an army of mercenaries after its precious resources. It was in no state to welcome Alexandra home and her father, Lord Dreus, practically begged King Uther to keep his only daughter protected within Camelot's borders. Under the treaty signed only the previous day of the unfortunate news, Uther was obliged to do as requested. Thankfully, the other kingdoms that had attended the peace conference would lend swords and men to Lerasia's cause.
"I hope so," Ally got a far-off look in her eyes and Lizzie quickly changed the subject to something of more levity.
"So," she beamed to her lady, "about now the knights should be training. Do you perhaps want to watch?"
"I don't know," Alexandra sighed in her melancholy.
Elizabeth pursed her lips and thought, then smiled again and sighed as well, "Oh, but that Arthur... He's something, isn't he? He will be leading the training, you know." Ally perked up a little bit and thought about it then slumped back down. Lizzie decided to use her secret weapon. She stood up and collected the plates, "Well if you're absolutely decided on being like this, I suppose I'll just go down there anyway. I can always talk to Merlin."
"All right, all right," Ally stood up too, walking with her handmaid and friend and pretending to grumble, "I guess it would be nice."
Whenever in public, Elizabeth did her best to play the part of handmaid perfectly and to the 't'. She never spoke out of turn and kept her head low. She followed her lady out of the castle and into the field where the knights and guard were doing their daily training. The expanse of grass next to the tall, white bricks of castle Camelot was spotted with sword racks with shields and targets resting against them. Little tents popped up here and there, for what purpose Elizabeth had no idea. People milled around, some of them in armor for training and others not.
They approached a swordfight between Arthur and a man in a helmet. Arthur had no trouble fending off the man's weak blows with only one hand on his sword. He held the defensive for a bit, allowing the man to think he held the upper hand. Then, effortlessly, Arthur switched his footing and began to relentlessly attack the man, pushing him nearly up against the wall before disarming him with a pommel strike to the gut. The man fell to the ground, wheezing for air.
Arthur looked up to the sound of applause. Surprised to see Lady Alexandra standing there clapping for his performance, he had the ever present Merlin take his sword and return it to the rack while he approached the young noblewoman.
"Lady Alexandra," he half-bowed to her and she gave a small curtsy in return, "what brings you out here?"
"Just enjoying the sunshine. It's terribly stuffy in the castle if one doesn't leave every now and then."
"Of course," Arthur looked back behind him to his servant who had put up his sword and was watching their exchange with interest. "Will you be staying long then? I can have Merlin get you two ladies a seat so you can watch more comfortably."
"Oh, no we're fine just standing-"
"Nonsense, I'll have him fetch a bench right away." He turned to the gangly young man and barked in his usual semi-friendly tone, "Merlin, a bench for the Lady Alexandra and her servant, quickly." Merlin rolled his eyes but set off anyway, and Arthur looked back to the women, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to whip these men into shape." With a charming smile he walked back to the group of men, shouting this and that and generally getting business back on track.
Alexandra giggled girlishly and Elizabeth couldn't suppress a faint blush and smile. Arthur was just that kind of man. "Some princess is going to be very lucky," Ally watched him retreat and mumbled, "my goodness it's like he's sculpted from marble."
"And I had to convince you to go," just then Merlin arrived, a bench from around one of the tents heaved onto his chest. He was leaned far back as he attempted to keep the unwieldy object aloft. Alexandra elbowed Elizabeth and gestured for her to help him with it, not doing so herself because it just wasn't proper. Lizzie rushed over and quickly picked up the end closest to the ground and helped him settle it on the ground where she and Ally were planning on sitting.
As they set it down, Merlin looked up to her and said, "You didn't need to help. I completely had that."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Of course you did. You were just making it look like you were dangerously close to dropping it for effect." She smiled sweetly and sat down with Ally. "Thank you, Mr. Merlin." He shook his head and grimaced to hide a smile.
"Yes, thank you, Merlin. That's all we needed." Alexandra sheepishly avoided his eyes as she dismissed him, a little embarrassed by her handmaid's sarcastic words.
As they watched the training they again discussed various things, this time the topics being a bit more light-hearted. To the people watching them, they seemed to partake in girlish gossiping, ducking their heads together and giggling, shifting their eyes to make sure no one was overhearing. Oftentimes they would point to something or someone and then quickly dissolve into whispers, their shoulders shaking from quieted laughter. The two never noticed a group of knights talking quietly amongst themselves, trying to egg on one of them to go over and talk to the pair.
"I'd let him keep the neckerchief on," Alexandra pointed across the field to where Merlin was fetching weapons for the trainees and Arthur.
"My Lady!" Elizabeth gasped and swatted her playfully on the arm, giggling with her nonetheless.
Then a knight approached them, this one a good-looking young man, a bit of scruff lining his jaw. He bowed deeply as the women quickly separated, "Lady Alexandra, Miss Elizabeth," he addressed them and Lizzie quickly knew his type. She could spot a would-be suitor miles away. "I was wondering, Lady Alexandra, if you would perhaps like a lesson on archery. I am the finest shot in all of Camelot, after all, and I would hate if you were to become bored just watching us train."
Alexandra also knew what he was truly after, but she always played the part of the fainting maiden well, "Oh, Sir Knight, I have no skills for such things." Elizabeth smiled inwardly, watching his face for the look of rejection. "Besides, as long as Elizabeth here is in Camelot, I'm afraid you aren't the finest shot." Lizzie turned to Ally, her brows raised high into her hair.
"Is that so?" He looked to Elizabeth skeptically, who straightened and kind of looked a bit hesitant.
"My Lady, I don't think-"
"Absolutely," Alexandra interrupted. She smiled slyly, "in fact, why don't we hold a contest? I'd hate to become bored."
"The stakes, my fair lady?" The knight had a smug smile growing on his face by the minute. He liked the sound of it.
"If I win, you lose your title of 'Best Shot in Camelot' and must give Elizabeth here your bow. But if you were by some small chance to best my girl here, you would want...?"
"Only a kiss from a fair maiden such as yourself, my lady."
"Brilliant, let's begin." Alexandra stood up and Elizabeth quickly pulled her to the side as the knight returned to his companions to set up the shooting range.
"Alexandra, what in the name of the old gods are you doing?"
"You have to set a good example for them, you know? As soon as one thinks he can just sweep me off my feet, they all think they can. I'd at least like a buffer for my stay here. This will probably put them off their game a week or two." Ally studied her friend's displeased face. "You'll do it, won't you?"
"I'm going to miss intentionally, just for the spite."
"We both know your pride won't let you." Elizabeth harrumphed and turned to the approaching footsteps, expecting the knight. Instead, she encountered Arthur.
"I hear there's to be a contest," he looked down to Elizabeth who sighed deeply.
"Indeed, my lord. I will state now that it was out of my control."
Arthur chuckled, "Please, all I ask is you beat him. Between you and me he needs to be knocked down a peg. Even better if he's beaten by a girl. Not that that's any worse, of course," he stumbled at his chauvinistic mistake, remembering he was speaking to girls, in fact.
"I suppose I will try my best, my lord," Lizzie gave one last displeased look to Alexandra and said, reluctantly, "I will need a change of clothes. This dress is a little tight across the shoulders."
Arthur raised and eyebrow but gestured for Merlin anyway, "Merlin, take Elizabeth to get changed."
Merlin nodded his head in the direction of the tents to Elizabeth, who followed along obediently. They were a ways away when he said, "So I'm not sure there will be much of a choice in the wardrobe. Mainly it's just linens and breeches for under the armor." He looked over her short frame and obvious womanly parts, "Yeah, nothing will fit."
"Fantastic," Lizzie scowled and Merlin opened the flap to one tent, gesturing her inside.
"There'll be shirts and pants in the open trunk that looks like it was searched with all the care of fifty or so grown men who can't pick up after themselves." Elizabeth smiled sarcastically and entered.
Sure enough, there was an open trunk, and it was indeed ransacked by various people who wouldn't know how to fold a shirt if their life depended on it. She went to work finding something close enough to her size to not make her look absolutely ridiculous.
Soon enough, Alexandra saw the two servants arriving back. Merlin trying so hard not to smile and Lizzie trying desperately to keep her too-big pants up with a length of rope she tied around the hem at her waist. The shirt was better fitting, but not by much. It was far too tight around her chest and hips but hung loosely around her waist, creating a sails-in-the-wind effect that made Ally bite her cheeks to keep from smiling.
Elizabeth stopped near her and glared. "I hate this."
"Oh, you'll be fine," she pressed her hand against her friend's back and pushed her to the range. "It's a distance and accuracy competition, like how it's done officially. After each archer takes a shot, the other must match it at equal or greater distance. I'm sure you'll have no trouble though."
The next thing Elizabeth knew, a bow and quiver of arrows was shoved into her arms and she stumbled out beside the knight who had agreed to the contest. She blew her bangs out of her face and slung the quiver across her back, pulling at the bowstring to get a feel for it. It was a standard issue training bow, rather used and pliable; in short, nothing like her own bow. Even better, there was a crowd to watch them. The whole guard and knights had stopped training to observe.
The knight saw her look of apprehension and smirked, "Still so confident, handmaiden?"
Elizabeth sighed and looked out to the target placed ten yards away, "What is your name, knight?"
"Sir Thomas, handmaiden. Did you want to know the name of the man who would best you in a competition for your lady's virtue?"
Elizabeth took an arrow from her quiver and lined up the shot, "No, I wanted to know the name of the man whose bow I'm going to mount above my door." She let fly the arrow and it struck true in the dead center of the target.
Sir Thomas looked somewhat surprised, but barked to the men in charge of moving the targets, "Fifty feet!" The targets were moved back accordingly and he lined up the shot, releasing the arrow and striking the center of the target. He smirked and Elizabeth kept a level face.
"Sixty feet," the targets moved and she shot it with little difficulty.
"Let's at least make this a challenge for me, shall we? Seventy-five feet, gentlemen," Sir Thomas got a bit cocky after the targets were moved, not taking the time to line up the shot perfectly, scoring just at the edge of the center circle.
Elizabeth couldn't help but get a bit cocky herself, "Seventy-five feet is a challenge to you? Pity. Eighty-five feet!" Elizabeth was challenging herself now. She was used to closer-ranged shots when she'd practiced her archery hunting with her father in the woods of the forest near her home. Nevertheless, she took a calming breath and let the arrow fly, also scoring just the edge of the center. She grimaced a little bit, becoming nervous. Surely she couldn't stay in the center if he were to move it any further back. Alexandra would have to make good on her bet and all these people here would know Elizabeth was nothing of what she said she was. Her heart began to pound.
"One hundred feet!" The targets were now butted up against the wall of the castle and Sir Thomas had a steely expression. He slowly drew back on his bow, taking all the time he needed to make the shot count. He let it fly and hit the target just outside of the red circle center. It was still and impressive shot. He turned smugly to Elizabeth, whose heart was thoroughly pounding in her throat, making her sick, "Your turn, handmaiden."
She glanced over to him, trying to shake off her nervousness, "My name is Elizabeth, thank you." Elizabeth drew an arrow from the quiver and placed it in her bow, resting above her left index finger. She looked over to the sidelines where Alexandra stood. Her lady looked somewhat nervous herself. Perfect.
Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath, trying her usual calming inhale and exhale. It did nothing to calm the pounding. Her bow seemed to shake with every beat, and she could see herself missing her target if it didn't stop. She slapped herself mentally trying to collect herself, she could do this. Then she felt a warmth on her chest, a curious gentle burn and suddenly everything was slowed. The target didn't seem so far away and her heartbeat seemed to last minutes between each thump. She really could do this.
With that calming thought, she drew back and let it go. Her eyes seemed to follow every ripple of wind past the fletching on the back of the arrow. It drew closer and closer to the target until thwup it was embedded deep in the center.
Lizzie dropped her arms and everything seemed to go back to normal, with a round of applause coming from the crowd and Sir Thomas cursing quietly to her right in defeat.
Alexandra raced over and hugged her handmaid tightly, "Oh Lizzie I knew you could! Good job, good job!" She laughed and Elizabeth awkwardly patted her on the back, unused to the public display of affection.
"I did my best, m'lady." She couldn't help the proud smile gracing her lips and didn't notice a certain manservant to the prince looking very confused about something.
As soon as the crowd had dispersed and the two ladies returned to the castle, Merlin hurried off to tell Gaius of the events.
Gaius chuckled, "Good, I hope it brought him down a notch or two. That Sir Thomas always had this demeanor about him that I never particularly liked."
"No, Gaius, that's not important," Merlin looked over to the door, making sure it was closed before carrying on in a hushed tone, "I think she was using magic."
The old man looked skeptical before answering, "Using magic isn't outlawed in Lerasia, Merlin. It's entirely possible she could be, despite the warnings."
"Elizabeth's been vocal about her opinion on magic, and it's not exactly a pleasant one." True enough, Elizabeth wasn't one to feel lenient about its use. It was pretty clear she condemned anyone who used it. She felt it took a wily, dishonest, evil person to resort to magic, and she spat the word mage like it was a curse. "I think she doesn't know she's using it at all. She seemed just as surprised as everyone else that she could make that shot."
Gaius looked to his young ward, who held a bit of excitement in his face, "Perhaps the best option here is to just let her be." Merlin scoffed and pushed himself off the edge of the table.
"Gaius, what if she ends up not being able to control it? It took me years just to keep myself from accidentally slamming doors and knocking things off my mother's shelves. What if she does the wrong thing at the wrong time and is condemned to death? She'd go to her grave hating herself. We have a chance to change her mind about magic, about how it can be used for good, not just evil."
"Merlin, changing one mind does not mean changing them all," Gaius looked to him sternly, trying to talk sense into his over-excited mind.
"It's a step in the right direction, Gaius. She's the handmaiden of Lady Alexandra, who has great influence on her father and therefore the rest of Albion. This could be exactly what we need!"
"Exactly what we need, or exactly what you need, boy?" There was a beat of silence. Merlin held a pained expression.
"I know this is right, Gaius. If she's using magic and doesn't know it, then she's in grave danger. If I'm not doing it for us, then I'm doing it for her." With that, he headed out the door. He had no plan in mind at all for what he would say, hoping he would just sort of think of something at a moment's notice. However, he realized he was never that tactful when he had something to say on delicate matters, with girls especially.
Merlin decided to plan the conversation before he actually began it, this time.
Lizzie hummed an airy little tune as she worked at the window of Lady Alexandra's room. She was having one heck of a time mending an odd-shaped tear in Alexandra's second-favorite dress. It was a weird kind of half-moon and it appeared there was some cloth missing. Her notes went lower in disapproval when she decided she'd have to patch it. The fabric color would be difficult to match and it would require some delicate stitching. What in the world did her lady get up to to put such an ugly rip in her dress? She shrugged and continued her happy song as she moved on to the next one with the fraying edges and busted seam. She really did adore the lavender silk used with the darker purple for accents. Lizzie considered pulling out her old embroidery cloth if she had any spare time after finishing these dresses.
There was a knock at the door and she looked up to see Merlin peeking in, his knuckles brushing the dark, heavy wood of the door. She didn't even stop the tune when she acknowledged him, deciding instead to sing, "Lady Alexandra isn't here, she's spending some time with your Lady Morgana." She had to force a few extra syllables where they didn't belong but she carried on humming when the sentence was done.
Merlin made a mildly amused face and stepped through to the room, "Actually, I came to talk to you."
Lizzie looked across the room to him curiously, her humming fading away. "Oh? About what?" She continued to sew as he approached closer.
He shrugged, "Mostly to congratulate you on your performance in the contest." Elizabeth smiled smugly and looked to the bow leaning against the window next to her.
"Thank you, Mr. Merlin."
"Really, please, don't call me that." She giggled and he went on, "I mean, wow, that last shot. That was something."
"I agree. I wasn't sure I could get it."
"I mean, really, it was great," he was standing directly across from her now, "it almost seemed, um, magical."
The needle and thread immediately stopped mid-stitch. "I assure you, there was nothing magical about it, Merlin," she looked up with a hard expression.
He threw his hands up in defense, "No, no, of course not. I'm just saying it was amazing."
"Then simply say it is amazing and do not waste your words on such evil notions," Elizabeth's accent slipped deeper and she cleared her throat a bit.
The conversation was already going against the plan. "Sorry, sorry. I just thought that it was too incredible to just be skill."
Lizzie slammed her hands into her lap and hardened her jaw, nearly glaring up at the young servant, "I do not like what you're implying, Merlin. I suggest you stop it before this needle finds its way into you."
He took that as his cue to leave, "Right, um, well, good job with the contest and, uh, good luck in future contests." He made his way quickly out the door, feeling her eyes burn into his back the whole time. He made no effort for the rest of the day on the topic, still feeling her glares of disapproval throughout the day when they were ever in the same room.
Merlin returned to his room that night, thinking deeply on the subject of whether or not Lizzie had magic. Surely if she did, she wouldn't feel so strongly against it. Then again, he didn't know her past. She could be blaming herself for something she'd done.
He sighed, curling up on his side in his too-short bed, mulling over all the possibilities. Perhaps she didn't have magic after all. Maybe she had some enchanted item. Maybe that's why she was so against magic. She wanted to throw off anyone in Camelot who might suspect she had something magical. But what could it be? It would probably be something she kept close at all times, something she was never seen without. He thought and thought, but couldn't come up with an answer. He didn't know her well enough.
Merlin decided that the next day he would ask the one person closest to her: Lady Alexandra.
Lizzie awoke. Slowly, as usual, she stretched out her arms and legs and said hello to the day. Her eyes were bleary as usual in the morning, but after blinking several times in rapid succession she realized they weren't getting any better. She reached for the pendant around her neck in concern but noticed it wasn't there. Alarmed, she searched the sheets of her bed for the precious piece of jewelry, finally finding it stuffed under her pillow. The leather cord had come untied in the night; it wasn't uncommon. She tied it around her neck again and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them up. Opening them again, her vision clicked into focus and everything was sharp and bright.
Elizabeth dressed and exited her tiny room, this time Ally was still fast asleep in her bed. This time, Elizabeth could surprise her with the special mint-blossom brew that she adored so much.
She quickly worked to get everything together and prepared, nodding at Merlin, who happened to also be in the kitchens readying Arthur's morning meal. He looked nervous so she shot him a smile and an apologetic look. It seemed to ease him but she didn't like the way he stared after her, it made her feel guilty.
Lizzie pushed open the door to the room and set the platter down on the oblong table near the door. Shaking awake her lady, she said her customary, "Rise and shine!" Alexandra only groaned and rolled over. "Ally, I brought you something special today for breakfast. You should drink it before it cools."
This interested Alexandra. She sat up groggily, sniffing the air, "Is that... Mint and blossom?"
"Indeed," Lizzie pulled the covers down to Alexandra's feet so she could get out of bed easier, which she did with much haste after her assumption was confirmed.
She greedily snatched up the tea, feeling the warm cup radiate heat into her cold hands. She inhaled the steam deeply, letting out a contented hum before gingerly taking a sip. "Delicious," she said and looked to her friend, smiling happily. "You know me so well."
"And you, I," Elizabeth pulled out one of the freshly mended dresses and draped it over the back of a chair. "Now finish breakfast so you can get dressed and I can do my chores for the day."
Soon, Alexandra was sitting by the window in her room, happily reading the last book that had been sent along with her from Lerasia. Elizabeth had left over half an hour ago, truly off to do her chores. Alexandra was on the last page of the book, reading about some happy nobility living the rest of their lives in harmony after all the plot in the book.
Finally, after hours of cumulative reading, Ally closed the book, completely finished. "The end," she hummed and set it down on the pile of other books she had read. It was then a thought struck her: now what? She'd just finished all of her books and was therefore out of entertainment. She didn't have many friends in the castle yet, only one acquaintance that she was expected to get along with and honestly, there was something about Morgana that Alexandra didn't like. Perhaps it was the way she sipped her tea or maybe it was her flawless appearance, but something just rubbed Ally the wrong way. Sure, she'd make polite conversation and laugh at all the right times, but she didn't particularly enjoy the time spent in her company.
So, Ally decided, she would find the library and begin a new pile of books.
That was easier said than done, however, as she had no idea where the library was. She only knew one existed, and even then she had her doubts now. Eventually she asked the right person and managed not to get lost and descended the right staircases to get to the expansive book storage room.
Alexandra approached the old, bearded man sitting at the desk with a smile, and he gave one in return. "Good afternoon, my lady. How may I help you?"
"Good afternoon. I was wondering where the story books are kept. I seem to have run out of my own."
"Ah, yes they are down these shelves, and to the right. We have everything from fairy tales to historic battles for your selection."
Alexandra gave a small curtsy of appreciation, "Thank you." She headed off the long, dimly lit hall of books. She kept a look out for an opening to the right but the shelves seemed to go on forever. Every step she took brought her deeper into darkness and she did not like that one bit. She was deathly afraid of the dark.
She thought she heard a noise behind her so she looked back through the dark and promptly bumped into someone. She yelped and scrambled to get under the nearest torch for light. "Who's there?" Panic rose in her throat and a voice in the back of her mind told her she was being unreasonable, but she shut it up with very unladylike cursing in her head.
"It's Merlin," sure enough, the lanky servant spoke up from underneath his own torch, and with company, Alexandra realized it was hardly as dark as she believed it was. He looked quizzically to her and then held a smile, "Lady Alexandra, I didn't expect to find you down here."
"Yes, well, if I had known it was going to be this dark, I certainly wouldn't be down here."
"You're afraid of the dark?" he asked, a bit surprised.
"No, there's just entirely not enough light." Merlin laughed and she chuckled nervously. She cleared her throat and asked, "Why are you here, if I may ask?"
He waved his hand in dismissal, "Gaius sent me down here to find some musty old book on creatures; the usual. Why are you here?"
"I ran out of books to read and I thought a library would be a good start for new ones. Unfortunately, I seem to have been too scared to actually get to the books I want."
"Oh, well, I could escort you, if you want." Merlin expected a polite decline, as his luck was just too good today.
"That would be fantastic, actually," she stepped toward him and hooked her arm around his elbow opposite the arm that was holding the torch. "The story book section is on the next right."
With that they started off, making casual conversation and Merlin trying his best to get Alexandra's mind off the dark. "You don't know that. It could come in handy in so many situations. I've used it as a makeshift pillow on more than one occasion, in fact."
Ally laughed a light, lilting cascade of notes, "But a neckerchief? I mean, honestly, it's a bit silly, don't you think?"
"I do not, actually. Besides, it's almost like a part of me now. I feel naked without one. I'm sure you have something you absolutely can't survive without."
Alexandra thought for a moment, "Not really. Not material things, anyway. I'm pretty sure I couldn't live without Lizzie, though."
It was too perfect to be real. Merlin took the chance as they made the turn to the right, "Well then she probably has something she always has."
Ally scoffed, "Yeah, actually, she does. She can barely function without it."
Merlin cocked his head curiously, playing it up a bit, "What is it?"
"That silly amulet. The one with the three circles made of blue stone and metal. I don't know why she keeps it, honestly." So the amulet must be enchanted! He couldn't believe his luck. First he runs into the one person he wanted to speak with that day and then the conversation naturally goes to what he wants to talk about. "Ah, here we are!" The pair stopped in front of the shelf filled with fantastic titles and Ally greedily began to pile them into her arms, picking every one that caught her fancy.
Soon they were on their way out, Alexandra having taken over a dozen books and Merlin scheming about how to get the amulet and test to see if it was the thing giving Elizabeth her amazing aim. Stopping at the front desk, Ally turned to the servant a look of sudden remembrance on her face, "Oh my goodness, weren't you supposed to fetch a book for Gaius? I completely forgot!"
Merlin shrugged and waved it off, "It can wait, I'll just get it later."
"If you're sure," Alexandra looked up to him with her big, blue eyes, "and thank you, Merlin. You're my hero today." A brazen thought crossed her mind and she decided she'd do it without even thinking. Standing on her tiptoes, Alexandra reached up and quickly kissed him on the cheek, making a quick getaway before she could make a fool of herself.
Merlin shook himself of what had happened earlier in the library; no matter how pleasantly surprised he was, he had work to do. In between chores for Gaius and Arthur, he researched different ways to test if something was enchanted. Normally he could feel it, but if the enchantment was strong or subtle enough it could slip by him. He found one sure way was to mix a special liquid and dribble it on the item. If the item glowed, it was enchanted, if nothing happened, then it wasn't. All he needed to do now was get his hands on that amulet.
Lizzie sat on the steps of the castle, braiding a section of her bangs and absently observing the people milling about. She made up stories around them in her head: what their life was like, what their part in the plot was like, if they were good or bad. She loved to make up stories. She loved telling them even more. She remembered growing up on her little family farm, never stopping to take a breath when she got on a roll telling her tales in broken English to her parents, her neighbors, the animals-anyone who would sit still long enough to listen. Her favorite stories always had dragons. She loved how a dragon could be good or evil or a mixture of both, depending on what the story needed.
Lizzie smiled as she thought about this, losing herself in her imagination and not noticing a familiar person reaching the edge of the stairs with a heavy bucket full of foul, liquidized refuse from around the castle. She especially didn't notice that familiar person conveniently lose their grip and balance.
She did notice when the nasty slop hit her square on the head, dripping through her hair, past her face, and onto her shoulders and back, defiling her clothes and skin. She gasped and immediately stood up, flicking the sludge from her hands and wiping her face. She gagged from the smell of it and did her best to keep it out of her mouth or she knew she'd definitely throw up.
The familiar person carrying the bucket had been none other than Merlin, who had done it entirely on purpose but tried so very hard to make it look like an accident. "I am so sorry!" He went to touch her arm in comfort but drew back because of the slop.
"Merlin!" Lizzie shouted. She was livid, "What the hell do you think you are doing, you oaf!" Her accent was as thick as Merlin had ever heard it before and he knew she might never forgive him for this.
"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" He pulled his neckerchief up over his nose because of the smell. He added that to the list of uses it had.
"What is this? It smells like death," she grimaced and gagged again, "and eggs."
"You should probably get washed up or that smell is going to stick." He didn't have to suggest it twice before she was hastily rushing to the nearest source of water, Merlin in tow.
Lizzie quickly made it to a spigot on the backside of the castle and pumped water into a bucket to rinse herself off at least a little before she would go into the castle to really scrub herself in one of the tubs. With no hesitation did she pour the bucket of cold water onto her head. She gasped again at the temperature shock but didn't take the time to recover before she was pumping another bucketful. Merlin watched awkwardly as she stripped off her thick waist belt and first layer to her dress, waiting for her to take off the amulet. She flung her clothing to him, cursing at him in her native tongue and gesturing wildly. What he mostly got out of it was, "At least be useful and hold my clothes," and the fact she wasn't removing her amulet. He decided to push it along.
"I am so sorry. I even got it on your necklace," the smell really wasn't coming off the clothes. Maybe he didn't need to make it so potent. In retrospect, really all he needed to do was have a some dirty water. Well, not much he could do now.
Elizabeth growled viciously and, as quick as her numb fingers would allow, untied the knot to her necklace and threw that to Merlin, too. She dumped the second bucket of water on herself and he took the opportunity of her soaked bangs hanging in her eyes to pocket the amulet for him to conveniently 'lose' on their way into the castle.
He did just that, too. After Elizabeth had made it to the castle after rinsing herself off and scrubbing herself thoroughly with some of Lady Alexandra's expensive soaps and oils, she found her amulet mysteriously missing.
"Merlin," she stood behind the changing screen and dug through her fresh clothes, hoping to find her cherished necklace, "do you have my necklace? It's not here."
He felt the weight of it in his pocket but lied easily, sucking in a breath through his teeth, "No. No, sorry. I must have dropped it on the way in." He heard her throw her clothes angrily to the floor and saw her stomp angrily from behind the screen, dressed only in her lowest layer of her dress, a thin, cotton shift. It barely reached her mid-thigh and he quickly averted his eyes, though she got right up in his face.
"Merlin, I swear to all that is holy, if you do not find my necklace, I will make you very, very in pain every day for the rest of your miserable life!" Her voice grew louder and louder, starting with a low growl and ending with a shout and harsh prod to his breast bone.
In the close proximity he could take in the scent rolling off of her in waves. The lavender oil she used in her still wet hair that clung to her face and shoulders, the rose petal and mint extract soap embedded deep in her skin and something entirely her own, not borrowed from Alexandra. It was like the dirt of the forest after a rain and it wasn't unpleasant in the least. Her eyes shone with anger, the light of the day reflecting in the deep green color he hadn't noticed before. He hadn't noticed a lot of things about her before. She had pronounced cheekbones and a strong jaw line that connected with a slender neck, now left obviously bare from the necklace's absence. There was a faint tan line where the pendant usually rested and it seemed silly now how he didn't know she always wore it. She always made herself look so plain next to Lady Alexandra, resigned to the idea that she shouldn't be seen. But she had her own beauty about her, possibly equal to that of her lady.
Merlin shook himself of his thoughts and stammered out, "Right, yeah, of course. Right away," he excused himself from the room and began his walk back to Gaius's study at a pace quicker than normal.
Lizzie grumbled to herself, very angry at that incompetent servant. Eventually she sighed. She knew it wasn't his fault he dropped that bucket of foulness on her. It also wasn't his fault he lost her necklace. She had been throwing things at him and she had rushed into the castle fairly quickly. Mostly she was frustrated because of an oncoming headache from her suddenly blurred vision. It always happened at the most inopportune moment. It would be difficult to continue her chores with her vision the way it was. She just had to trust it would go back to normal eventually, like it always did.
Merlin returned to the study and Gaius looked at him curiously, wondering if his ward had accomplished what he set out to do. Merlin smirked and pulled the amulet from his pocket. "I still don't see what you're proving here, Merlin," nevertheless, he handed him the vial of solution to test enchantments.
"This way we can know if Elizabeth's magical or not. If not, then we simply get rid of this amulet. If yes..." He trailed off, a smile on his face as he was already sure of the answer. He dropped the clear liquid on the pendant. A moment later it began to glow. He frowned. That was not what he was expecting.
"So she's not a sorcerer," Gaius seemed relieved by this, but Merlin just became upset.
"No, I was sure-she could still have magic. She could have enchanted this herself." Merlin wasn't sure exactly why he had wanted her to have magic so badly. Perhaps he wanted someone to confide in, a friend he could connect with on a deeper level. Someone he could convince of magic's place in this world while teaching them about themselves. He was disappointed.
"Merlin," Gaius watched the young sorcerer with the eyes of a parent.
"I'm fine, Gaius," Merlin waved him off, finding the corner of the table to be quite interesting. He shook his head, "Let's just get rid of this."
There was a knock on the door and the last two people Merlin wanted to see at the moment walked in. Lady Alexandra appeared to be guiding Elizabeth by the hand, who was feeling her way around with the other. When Ally spotted Merlin she couldn't help the blush that crept over her cheeks. She pushed away her fluttering heart; she had business to do. "Gaius, excuse us, but Elizabeth has a worrying problem."
Alexandra leaned nervously against the table while Gaius examined her friend. She bit at her nails as she watched as he held up varying numbers of fingers at different distances and Lizzie had to guess how many there were. And she really had to guess. Unless they were inches in front of her face, they were too blurry to make out.
Finally, after a few minutes of that, Gaius sighed. "I'm afraid it seems like your eyesight has deteriorated greatly within the last few hours. It's too poor for magnifying glasses and I don't know when or if it will get better."
Elizabeth nodded solemnly, "So I'm, for lack of words, blind?"
"Oh, Lizzie..." Alexandra began to tear up and she pressed a handkerchief to her mouth. "Excuse me, I need some air." She shuffled out of the room and silence hung in her absence.
Gaius gave Merlin a meaningful look and said, "I'll make sure she's all right," before heading out the door after her.
It was just Elizabeth and Merlin, then. It was silent again and Merlin couldn't take his eyes off the pocket carrying the amulet. He heard a sniffle and looked up to see Elizabeth wiping tears out of her eyes. "Are you crying?" Merlin felt a pang in his heart. He couldn't get rid of the amulet now, not when she relied on it so heavily. But if he were to just hand it back over and her eyesight miraculously improved, she would have questions, and she wouldn't like the answers to those questions.
"No," she denied and quickly swiped away another maverick teardrop. Merlin opened his mouth to speak but she scoffed dryly and shook her head, "I can't believe this. Just yesterday I was the best shot in Camelot and now today, I can't see one foot in front of my own eyes." She tried to laugh dryly again but it came out as a choked sob. "I'm sorry, Merlin. This is not your problem, I shouldn't be here crying in front of you, making you feel bad."
Merlin made his decision. "Elizabeth," she looked to him, he held out his hand, the amulet dangling from his slender fingers, "I found your necklace."
Instantly her face brightened, "Oh, thank you!" She reached out in his general direction and he dropped it into her hand, jerking his hand away out of guilt.
She immediately tied it back around her neck, touching the pendant when it was back in its familiar place. Then a curious look overcame her face and she blinked hard once, twice, three times. She opened her eyes wide and then blinked again. A happy laugh rose from her, and she began to look all around the room. "Oh my god, Merlin! I can see everything!" She hopped off the stool she had been sitting on and grabbed his arms, ecstatic. Then her smile faded a bit as she began to put two and two together, just as he had feared. "That's odd. It seems whenever I'm without my necklace, I don't see well." She chuckled nervously, "What a strange coincidence, right?"
Merlin pushed her hands from his arms and avoided her eyes, "Elizabeth, your necklace is enchanted by magic."
"What? No, I've had this for years, I would know if it was enchanted by evil," her brows knitted together in blooming anger and denial.
"Gaius and I, we had our suspicions after the contest. So I took your amulet and tested it. It's enchanted."
"Stop accusing me of such things, Merlin," she stepped away from him, "and who gives you the right to just take my things?"
Merlin pleaded with her, "We had to know for sure. We needed to make sure you weren't a-"
"A what? Sorcerer?" Elizabeth glared up to him, "I can't believe you would distrust me like that."
"Elizabeth-"
"No, no Merlin. I can't believe you would accuse me of such things. Of such wickedness," she shook her head and began to walk for the door. "No, I'm done with you. You and your silly accusations of sorcery and enchantments. If you need me, I'll be anywhere you aren't." With that, Elizabeth stormed out. She passed Alexandra and Gaius in the hall.
Alexandra brightened, "Lizzie, you're-"
"I need to be alone. Do not disturb me." Elizabeth continued past with that cold statement, leaving her friend confused in her wake.
"I'm sure she's fine," Gaius guided Alexandra back to the study with a hand on her shoulder, "Now I think we three should have a discussion."
Hours later, in the stillness of the night, Merlin found Elizabeth leaning on the edge of one of the high walls of the castle, looking out to the city expanding below them. She'd heard him approach and said with a twinge of melancholy, "Out there, in the city, I can see a woman watering two plants outside her home. She's blonde and I think the plants are some sort of ivy." She paused. "I can see a woman, in the darkness of the night, hundreds of yards away, watering ivies." Elizabeth shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek, "This is not right, this is not normal."
"Elizabeth," Merlin stood next to her and she shifted away, opting to slide down and sit with her head resting on her knees. He sighed and sat down next to her, "You know, I don't think you've heard this at all in your life, so don't be afraid to be shocked when I say this: magic isn't all bad."
She lifted her head to look at him with her dewy, red eyes, "Don't be an ass, Merlin." He scoffed and couldn't help the smirk. "I was being serious, you ass."
He shook his head, "I know, I know. It's just funny."
"How is it funny? How is any of this funny?"
"It's really not as bad as you think."
"The only thing keeping me from being a blind beggar is a necklace enchanted with magic; the only thing on this earth truly evil." That one stung a bit, Merlin had to admit.
"Why do you say that? Why is magic evil?"
Elizabeth sat up, "Well, I suppose evil isn't the right word. It's dangerous, but more than that," she looked to him with furrowed brows in concentration, trying to find the words. "It's like if you give a criminal a sword, he becomes much more fearsome. That's what magic is like: giving a criminal a sword."
"So magic is a sword?"
"Yes, magic is dangerous like a sword."
Merlin looked her in the eye, "What if you gave that sword to a knight?"
Elizabeth seemed taken aback, "I suppose then magic is not like a sword."
"Where did you get that necklace anyway? Certainly not from a criminal."
Elizabeth stopped herself from worrying the pendant out of habit, "A boy gave it to me. He was from my home village and he fancied me. He thought he could win me over with it, but that's not how it turned out."
"Was this boy dangerous?"
"No, he was very sweet. He always helped his mother after his father died," Elizabeth paused again. "My eyesight had been getting worse. It worried my mother a lot."
"So he gave you this to make you better," Merlin reached out and brushed his fingers against the pendant-ah, there it was. He could feel the magic in it quite clearly now.
"I suppose he did."
"So magic in the right hands can actually help people. Like giving a knight a sword," Elizabeth looked to him and stood up. Merlin followed suit and she gripped her pendant tightly in her hand.
"I guess it can. So long as that person is good and true," she laughed lightly, "so long as they're like you." There was a heavy silence for a beat and Elizabeth suddenly hugged him.
"Oh, um," for a second he didn't know what to do, but soon enough he reciprocated and enveloped her in his arms.
"Merlin, you are truly a kind person," she spoke into his chest, his shirt muffling her voice. He felt a dampness and realized she was crying again. "Thank you." She pulled away and wiped away her tears. She smiled at him and then punched him right in the arm.
"Ow! What, why-"
"Don't steal anything of mine ever again, or I'll cut off your fingers." Elizabeth nodded and walked off in the other direction as Merlin stood there rubbing his arm. The pain was lessened though when he realized he had changed her mind about magic.
It was a step in the right direction.
Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed.