The Dragon's Call - Part 2

She walked through the dark halls of the castle quietly, not wanting to break the eerie silence that seemed to engulf the kingdom. The corridors were illuminated with the light of the moon. None of the candles or torches were lit, just as there were no guards scouting the castle. This struck her as odd - she couldn't be the only one around.

"Estelle."

The voice bounced through the empty corridors, echoing ominously. She didn't recognise it; the voice was deep - gravelly almost - and distorted, seeming to come from not one person, but multiple. She winced, the echoing noise singing in her ears.

The young woman glanced around apprehensively, searching the shadows for a lingering figure. She found nothing but the darkness. A shiver ran down her spine. Slowly, she turned around, halting in surprise as she came face-to-face with a man - an almost normal-looking man. He had black hair, though the sides were starting to turn a dark shade of grey.

"You must help him," the man spoke in a clear, unwavering voice, as if she should understand what he meant. This time, it was one singular voice - not the cacophony she'd heard before.

She shook her head in confusion. "Help who? Who are you?" The redhead demanded, staying wary of the stranger.

But the man just stood there, impassively. "You must help him."

Estelle was about to ask again, when the man suddenly lurched towards her and placed a hand against her forehead. She attempted to scramble away from the man. It was as if a heavy weight had descended upon her. Black spots impaired her vision, and she fell, slowly falling into the sea of darkness that awaited her.

Estelle stood in, what could only be described as, a battlefield... Except it wasn't. It was a small village in the middle of the forest. But it may as well have been a battlefield.

People were shouting from all around her, battle cries from knights and screams of pain from the inhabitants of the village. She watched in shock as blood slowly stained the earth's soil, the body count gradually getting larger - from both villagers and knights alike.

Nobody seemed to notice the redhead as she gazed upon the dreadful scene. It was as if she was invisible.

Estelle wondered what had happened to reach this point. Why were the knights attacking? And, to her horror, she noticed the familiar crest of Pendragon upon a man who sat astride his horse.

But this man wasn't Arthur and seemed too young to be Uther. She stared at the unknown man, scrutinising him, until she heard a villager yell out.

"Ástríce!"

Estelle froze. They were magic users.

And suddenly, it clicked. She could remember stories about this moment. Gaius had told her about it. She then realised that the man who was bearing the crest of Camelot was, in fact, Uther. But it was Uther from a different time; a gruesome time in history that she could not bear to think about.

She looked around in desperation, hoping her thoughts were misleading her.

She believed that this was the beginning of the Great Purge.

A burst of images streamed through her mind. A woman laying on a bed, pale and lifeless. A baby crying. Fighting. A dragon. The scenes came too quickly, leaving her disorientated. She placed her hands against her ears, ungracefully falling to her knees.

And it all went dark.

"You must help him."

But the question was: 'Help who?'

"Estelle."

The young redhead bolted upright in her bed, chest fluttering madly. Her gaze frantically scanned the room and she started to relax when she recognised her surroundings. It was only a dream.

Estelle just sat in the middle of the bed, resting her throbbing head in her hands, trying to even out her breathing and lessen the pain. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, pulling at the knots, and wincing as she tugged on a particularly tough knot. Sighing heavily, she ditched the attempt and finally heaved herself up. Her stomach grumbled angrily.

Her vision blurred and she stumbled, waiting for the moment to pass. She sighed, grimacing at the pain pounding in the centre of her forehead. Estelle had always suffered from headaches for as long as she could remember, so much so that it was odd when she didn't have one. Gaius wasn't sure of the cause, which frequently worried her, but he continued to investigate it.

Her nightgown swirled around her feet as she finally walked, reaching for her hairbrush. She sat in front of her mirror and winced. She looked ill - sallow and pale, with dark circles under her eyes and a wild mess for hair.

The young woman glanced outside, noticing how the sun was only just rising and decided against calling for her maidservant. She tried to do as much as she could for herself, and loathed being babied. Not only that, but she felt guilty for the amount of work that the servants of Camelot were loaded with.

Estelle glanced between the hairbrush and her reflection, or more accurately; the birds' nest atop her head. Bracing herself, she quickly and callously ran the brush through her hair, until the once-unruly mess became presentable waves - a slight frizz lingering from the vigour of her brushing. She was, once again, left reminiscing the vibrant, scarlet hair she'd had as a child - which had dulled to a muted auburn shade as she got older.

Estelle also decided to get dressed before venturing out. She was sure she'd get some odd looks walking around the castle in her nightdress. She opted for a pair of black breeches with a white fitted tunic and a pair of boots. It was too much of an effort to try and manoeuvre herself into a dress by herself and she figured that not many people would be awake to notice her regardless. And so began her search for food.

On her short journey to the castle kitchens, she did still gain some strange looks from the early-risers, and shrugged it off. She had come accustomed to prying eyes during her years in Camelot.

Pushing the kitchen doors open, she was instantly welcomed with two different greetings; one of the human kind with a pleasant 'good morning', and the other was of the food variety. She briefly smiled and waved back to the kitchen staff. She was absolutely starved and only had eyes for breakfast, so any form of deep social interaction would be next to impossible.

Estelle strode towards a large table that held the prepared breakfasts, took a plate in her hands and sat down in a nearby chair. She hummed in contentment as she ate, making sure to profusely thank the staff for the meal.

She was halfway through eating an apple when she heard someone enter the kitchen and yell out.

"Lady Estelle!"

Said woman closed her eyes and sighed before turning to face the angry maidservant. Round one.

"Good morning, Nora. You seem awfully vibrant today. Have you done something different with your hair?" Estelle greeted the older brunette, an innocent smile on her face.

Eleanora didn't seem impressed with her attempt at distraction, and crossed her arms with a scolding expression.

"What do you think you are doing, looking like that?" The maid demanded sternly, gesturing towards her 'sloppy' appearance. Nora was a real stick-in-the-mud, and she always insisted that Estelle wear dresses around the castle. Now, Estelle loved wearing dresses, but she didn't always see the point when she had nothing of import to wear them to.

Estelle glanced down at her half-eaten apple. "I think I am eating. It seems like a sensible enough guess, don't you agree?"

The maidservant just gave the princess a withering look. Of course, Nora adored working for Estelle - she made it clear for all to see - but became easily annoyed by her flippancy, which happened more often than not.

"You must get dressed, my Lady," she tried again, attempting to be calm in her words.

The redhead gasped loudly, attracting the attention of those around her. "You mean to tell me, I have been walking around... naked?" She whispered the last word dramatically, as if it were scandalous to speak aloud.

The comment earned her chuckles from the kitchen staff, who had become accustomed to Estelle's sense of humour.

"Lady Helen will be arriving today, and you are nowhere near presentable," Eleanora informed her.

The princess sighed, and tilted her head at the maidservant, an innocent expression plastered on her face. "Am I to marry the Lady Helen?"

Nora gaped at the question, trying not to laugh at the younger woman's words. "Of course not."

"Then why must I be presentable for her?"

"Because you are a princess and a lady," the brunette replied, as if it were obvious.

Estelle stared at the maidservant impassively, despising the pedestal and blind respect that came with a title of nobility.

Eleanora grabbed the redhead by the arm and hauled her out of her seat, practically dragging her out of the room. Estelle had managed to yell out a hurried 'goodbye' to the staff before she had been whisked away.

Thankfully, she managed to keep her red apple, and was content to chew away at it as they made their way through the castle.

Arriving at her chambers, Estelle had been all-but pushed inside by her very aggravated maid, and felt a twinge of guilt ebb away at her. She hadn't meant to be difficult for Nora - she just hated having to abide by the standards of what was expected of her.

"Nora?" She called to her, softly. She gained no response from the woman, who was frantically gathering clothing. If there was one thing that Estelle hated; it was guilt. "I'm sorry for acting like a child and making your job much harder."

Her maid - and friend - stopped and laughed, much to Estelle's confusion. "No, dear Lord. You may irritate me on a regular basis, but, if anything, you make my job interesting."

"Oh… Well in that case…". Relief was evident in the redhead's voice and both women looked at each other and started giggling, not having any idea on why they were laughing.

"Right," Eleanora started, determinedly, her hands on her hips. "Let's get you ready. Give me the apple." The brunette held a palm out expectantly, her expression one of utmost patience.

Estelle sobered up instantly and stepped away from the maidservant, holding her apple to her chest in an attempt to protect it.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

The redhead just looked between the fruit and the maid, debating what would be worse; not eating her apple, or facing the wrath of one - slightly terrifying - servant.

And so Estelle took another bite of her apple... And ran away through the still-open door.

"Estelle!"

The maid was answered with a series of giddy laughs.


"Merlin... Merlin!"

The raven-haired, young man woke abruptly at the sound of his name, tiredly glancing around to find the source. The warlock mentally swore that the voice was speaking inside of his head, but disregarded it for lethargy.

Merlin stumbled out of his bed and room, slowly descending the stairs to the main Physician's chambers. He noticed Gaius standing at one of his benches, mixing different substances together.

The physician looked up when he heard the stairs creak, and acknowledged Merlin with a small smile of greeting.

"I got you water," the older man started, nodding towards the bucket on a table, whilst holding up a vial and shaking it. He watched as the two potions mixed together. "You didn't wash last night."

"Sorry," Merlin shrugged, running a hand through his messy hair and sat down behind the table.

Gaius put down the vial he was holding and picked up a bowl of porridge. He walked towards where Merlin was now sitting and placed it in front of the warlock.

"Help yourself to breakfast," he said simply.

Merlin stared down at the watery substance with a small grimace, using a spoon to play around with it. Unbeknownst to him, Gaius was looking at the black-haired boy with curiosity and glanced at the bucket which was sitting on the table. He quietly moved closer and 'accidentally' knocked the bucket off, the water spilling out towards the floor.

Catching sight of the falling pail, the warlock stood abruptly. His eyes flashed gold, freezing the bucket and its contents before it could hit the stone ground.

Both of the men turned to look at the other in alarm, shock lining Gaius' features as he gasped out at the display of magic.

Breaking concentration, Merlin let the bucket clang to the ground, the water splattering everywhere it could. The older man continued to stare at him, narrowing his eyes.

"How did you do that?" Gaius inquired, eagerly. "Did you incant a spell in your mind?"

Merlin shook his head quickly, stammering out the first thing that came to his mind. "I don't know any spells."

The physician frowned slightly, persisting. "So what did you do? There must be something."

The warlock avoided Gaius' gaze and shrugged. "It just... happens," he offered weakly as he quickly picked up a mop to soak up the water.

Gaius hummed in thought, taking the mop from the younger man. "Well, we better keep you out of trouble. You can help me until I find some paid work for you," he suggested, before handing Merlin a small sac and bottle that had previously lain on the table.

"Here. Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival," he started, gesturing towards the small bag. "And this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."

Merlin nodded at the information, repeating it in his mind in an attempt to remember. "Okay."

He was about to leave once he noticed another vial which held a blue liquid inside, and frowned, wondering if Gaius had forgotten it. "What about this?" He asked, picking up the small bottle.

The older man turned and looked up at the bottle, waving his hand offhandedly. "Oh, yes. That's for Lady Estelle. It hasn't yet been finished."

Merlin stared back down to the vial in his hands, silently wondering why the redhead woman would need a potion. It was then that he realised the title that Gaius gave her. Lady. Merlin opened his mouth, and then closed it - not knowing what to say. So she was a royal.

Before he could question the physician, Gaius held out a plate with a sandwich, to him. The warlock smiled at the man and gratefully took the food, reminding himself to ask him later about one particular lady.

"Off you go."

The raven-haired boy was opening the door, when he heard Gaius call his name, and turned around. "I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed."

Merlin nodded, grimly, heeding his advice. The image of Thomas Collins' execution was still fresh in his mind, and he had no hopes of going through that himself.


Estelle stopped and watched with thinly-veiled distaste at Arthur's behaviour, grimacing as the poor servant boy had to put up with the prince's petty bullying. She felt sorry for Morris.

Nora had finally managed to get the redhead into a simple blue and white dress, after much kicking and screaming, and Estelle decided that she would go to the training grounds again to see her favourite blonde prince.

Though, she wasn't sure that Arthur was her favourite at that moment. She sighed and shook her head in disappointment, frowning at the sight of Arthur taunting the poor boy, who was holding a large, wooden target. The prince still hadn't grasped the fact that the world didn't revolve around him.

Hiking up the skirt of her dress, Estelle strode towards the prince, undeterred by his arrogant attitude. She raised an eyebrow at him when he noticed her, and gestured towards Morris silently.

"Yes, Stella?"

Oh, playing the 'innocent' game.

"Why are you abusing Morris?" She demanded, exasperated at his lack of respect towards the servant.

Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't be melodramatic. I'm not abusing him. I'm trying to train. I thought that was obvious."

She opened her mouth to retort when Arthur cut her off, yelling at Morris. "Where's the target?". The knights let out a raucous cry of laughter and Estelle scoffed at the juvenile attitude. Sir Leon had the sense to stop laughing when she glared at him, quickly averting his eyes from her.

Morris moved the target to another position. "There, Sir?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, ignoring the glower he received from a certain redhead. "It's into the sun."

The servant glanced up towards the sky. "But it's not that bright."

Estelle cut in. "A bit like Arthur then," she added, meeting the prince's hard-eyed stare and smiling as she heard the knights restraining their sniggers.

"Don't you have something to be doing, like sewing?" He retorted.

Morris' voice interrupted their glaring contest. "I'll put the target on the other end, shall I, Sir?" He inquired politely as he started to carry the target to a large wall.

The knights goaded Arthur into 'teaching him a lesson', and Arthur - in a show of arrogance - threw a dagger at the servant holding the target. It thunked deep into the wood and the poor boy stumbled back a bit.

"Hey!" He cried out. "Hang on!"

Arthur and his knights entertained themselves by laughing at the servant boy, yelling at him to keep moving - taking enjoyment out of the way he ran himself ragged for the prince. Estelle marched forward and yanked the next dagger Arthur was about to throw, undeterred by the expression of irritation the blonde sent her.

She was about to reprimand him for his childish behaviour when a new - but not unfamiliar - voice chimed in. "Hey, come on… That's enough now."

Arthur, Estelle and the knights turned to face the voice - the redhead smiling when she realised it was Merlin. Arthur, however, looked at the man as if he were something he'd just pulled from underneath his boot.

"What?" Arthur demanded, disbelief colouring his tone.

"You've had your fun, my friend," Merlin continued, and it dawned on Estelle that he probably had no idea who Arthur was.

The prince smirked slightly, and addressed Merlin in a condescending manner. "Do I know you?"

Estelle chose that moment to interrupt, hoping to draw attention away from the raven-haired man. "His name is Merlin," she offered, smiling at the man in question - who gave her a small smile of gratitude in return.

Arthur ignored her, and she bristled at being so obviously brushed aside. "So I don't know you."

Merlin's eyes stayed on Estelle as he absently replied with a simple 'no'.

"Yet you called me friend." Arthur and the knights chuckled at the insinuation that Arthur could ever be a friend to someone so below him.

The captivating blue eyes slowly left her face and returned to Arthur with a renewed gleam. "Ah, that was my mistake," he started, joining in as the prince nodded in agreement to said mistake. "I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass."

Estelle coughed back the giggle that threatened to escape her mouth, watching as Arthur stared at the man in disbelief of his words. She used the moment of shock to her advantage, hurrying up to Merlin. He shot her a look of confusion as she lightly grabbed his arm and started to pull him away - before the prince could become even more agitated and do something rash.

Though it was too late for that, it seemed.

"Or I one who could be so stupid!" Arthur called out after Merlin.

The raven-haired man stopped in his tracks, resisting Estelle as she tugged on his arm. She tried to urge him with her eyes to follow her, but he reluctantly turned back to face the blonde.

Arthur started walking towards the pair. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?"

"No," Merlin responded confidently.

"Would you like me to help you?"

Merlin shook his head minutely, a tiny smile on his face. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he spoke in a grave tone, and it led Estelle to genuinely wonder what Merlin would do.

"Why? What are you going to do to me?" Arthur laughed, glancing back to his knights - who were also finding great amusement in the situation. Estelle just glared at the prince from over Merlin's shoulder, though - funnily enough - he seemed to be avoiding her gaze.

"You have no idea."

Arthur opened his arms wide; an invitation of sorts, and Estelle knew that this wouldn't end well. The prince smiled widely, knowingly goading the raven-haired man. "Be my guest! Come on! Come on!... Come oooooon."

Merlin reacted in the same way that Estelle might have; by throwing a punch towards the blonde's face. Arthur, however, saw the move coming from a mile away, caught the punch and twisted Merlin's arm behind his back.

"I'll have you thrown in jail for that," Arthur told him, his eyes narrowed on the back of Merlin's head in disbelief.

Merlin desperately struggled against the prince's hold. "What, who do you think you are? The King?" He shot back, confirming Estelle's suspicions that he hadn't a clue who his opponent was.

"No… I'm his son, Arthur," the blonde responded all-too-happily, and shoved Merlin down to his knees.

Estelle started towards the prince, schooling her features to be placating and soothing. "Arthur–".

"Don't," he interrupted her, sending her a firm glare. Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed.

The group of spectating knights made their way towards the trio; two of them hauling Merlin up to his feet roughly as Arthur instructed them to take him to the dungeons. Estelle watched with a grim expression - which only softened when Merlin glanced up at her.

'I'm sorry,' she mouthed, hoping he would understand.

In return, he offered her a sheepish smile before he was forced away by the knights, stumbling around under the force of their hand.

Estelle faced the prince, who was wearing a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he watched Merlin get dragged away. He noticed her less-than-pleased expression and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"What?" He asked defensively, crossing his arms over his chest with a glower.

The redhead simply averted her gaze from him and shook her head with great disappointment, huffing as she hiked up her dress, turned away and left him standing in the field alone.


Estelle used poor Merlin's trip to the dungeons as a reason to see her favourite physician. Judging by Merlin's questioning on Gaius' whereabouts the day before, it seemed as though the older man was the only person Merlin knew in Camelot - so it stood to reason that Gaius might want to get him out of the dingy cell.

The female made her way through the castle, smiling politely at those who passed by, and finally reached Gaius' chambers. She gave the thick, wooden door three firm knocks and waited. Though she didn't have to wait long before the door creaked open and a pair of kind, blue eyes were looking up at her.

"Estelle, my dear!" A smile lit up Gaius' face as he exclaimed her name, ushering her inside the chambers with a quick wave of his hands. He swiftly closed the door behind them and turned to face her, opening his arms wide in invitation.

Estelle didn't hesitate in wrapping her arms around Gaius in return, closing her eyes as his warmth engulfed her frame. The older man released her and held her shoulders at a distance, as if examining her for any discrepancies. "How are you, my dear? What brings you this dark corner of the castle?"

The redhead chuckled fondly. "I'm fine, Gaius! I just thought I'd stop by and see how you are," she replied warmly.

"Me? Well… I'm as good as these old bones will let me," he responded with a joking wince. "In fact, I've got myself a new dogsbody to take a bit of the weight off." Gaius laughed to himself, shaking his head as he moved towards a nearby bench to continue working on some potion or another.

Estelle grinned widely. "Is this dogsbody called Merlin, by any chance?"

The older man glanced up at her in shock, his eyes and mouth wide and his expression darkened minutely. "What's he done?" Gaius almost looked like he was about to be sick, and Estelle briefly worried that he might very well be.

"Nothing too horrendous," she chuckled, trying to placate the physician. "Just attempted to put a royal idiot in his place and failed."

Gaius' eyes rose heavenward and he heaved a deep breath. "Arthur?"

Estelle's soft smile became strained and turned into a grimace. "Yes - but in Merlin's defence, he was very noble about it… though it has landed him in the dungeons."

The physician sighed a weary sigh. "Well… I suppose I better talk with the King," he muttered tiredly. "And hope I can get the idiot out of the cells." He made his way out of the chambers, Estelle following close behind him, and they travelled through the castle until they found Uther in the Great Hall…

As it turned out, the King was not impressed at being interrupted for such unimportant and bothersome reasons and so declared - with a dismissive wave - that Merlin would be released at sunrise the next morning with one condition. Estelle grimaced at what poor Merlin would be subjected to.

The heavy doors of the Great Hall clanged shut behind Gaius and Estelle, the guards stationed outside glancing at the two briefly. The redhead offered to walk Gaius back to his chambers which he accepted gratefully.

They stewed in a comfortable silence for some of the walk back - though Estelle couldn't help but notice the anxious expression on Gaius' face.

"He'll be okay," she told him softly.

He gave her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I haven't done much of a good job keeping him out of trouble," he responded with a huff.

"Is he your son?" Estelle asked curiously. Merlin had told her about his mother and his village, but made no mention of his father. She thought that maybe it was a tough subject for him, but perhaps it was because Gaius was his father? Perhaps he assumed she'd realise that when he asked her for his chambers. Estelle had known Gaius since she was young - he'd never mentioned his family, and she'd never seen anyone come to visit him.

Gaius laughed heartily. "No, he is my nephew. My sister thought it would be good for Merlin to experience Camelot," he sighed wistfully.

"Merlin mentioned that he came from Ealdor - is that quite far away?"

He seemed to startle for a second before giving her a smile. "It's a small village on the border of Cenred's kingdom."

She nodded politely. She hadn't had much experience with Cenred's territory, having only visited the kingdom a handful of times when she was very young.

They stopped outside of Gaius' chambers. Estelle turned to her friend, gave him a bright smile and enveloped him in a tight hug - which he returned with a few light taps on her back.

"Now off you go, my dear - no need to hang around with this old man," he pulled back and ushered her away good-naturedly, turning to open the door to his chambers.

Estelle laughed but found herself hesitating. "Actually Gaius… there was something I wanted to discuss with you," she started.

The man faced her with a slight frown, raising his eyebrow as if to tell her to continue the story.

"I was out riding early yesterday morning and came across this… creature. I'd never seen anything like it before," Estelle told him, goosebumps crawling up her arms as she remembered the ferocious beast she'd encountered.

Gaius leaned forward towards her, intrigued. "What did it look like?"

"It was huge, with black fur. It had three heads– dog heads… and a snake's tail," she responded, disbelief of the event colouring her tone as she described the creature.

The older man frowned, a hand rubbing his chin in thought. "I'll look into it, my dear, don't you worry. Are you hurt?" His eyes scanned her form quickly, searching for anything amiss, but she waved away his worries.

"No, I'm alright - I managed to wound it, and it ran away. I'm just concerned with it being so close to Camelot's walls." She couldn't help but imagine what would happen if a child came across the beast.

It seemed Gaius was thinking along the same lines as she was, and nodded grimly. "I will do my best to find out what it is."

Estelle soon left after the conversation had taken a gloomy turn, bidding Gaius farewell and heading back to her own chambers to find her lovely handmaiden to turn in for the evening.


Sunlight suddenly streamed in through the window as the curtain was vigorously pulled open. Estelle groaned when the surge of light burned through her closed eyelids.

"Rise and shine," a frustratingly chirpy voice echoed through the bedchamber.

The redhead pressed her face into her soft pillow, grumbling in displeasure at the rude awakening.

Her maidservant harrumphed. "You're as grouchy as the prince," Eleanora muttered.

A few moments of silence followed the insult but, ultimately, the handmaiden succeeded in getting Estelle up as she rolled onto her back to glare at Nora. "That was uncalled for," the princess moaned, pushing herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. She reached her arms high above her head in a stretch.

"It's the truth," Nora responded, grimacing as she heard Estelle's back crack in three different places. The princess laughed at her maidservant's expression.

The first time Eleanora had heard it, she'd rushed straight to Gaius in fear that Estelle had broken her back or something equally as dramatic. After a brief examination, he'd declared to be as healthy as a horse, so Nora begrudgingly accepted the cracking as a part of Estelle's morning routine. Not that she was ever happy about it - judging by the disgusted look Nora gave the princess every time she did it.

Estelle huffed and heaved herself out of the bed, wandering over to the vanity that overlooked a view of the courtyard. The sun had barely begun to rise, and she could see a couple of the castle's servants hurrying around below.

She grabbed the hairbrush that had been left on the vanity, and started to attempt to tame her hair - waving away Nora with a smile as the maidservant tried to intervene and help. Once she'd brushed through some particularly difficult tangles, Estelle asked Nora to braid her hair. The brunette was talented at creating beautiful and intricate braids, so Estelle tried to ask for it as regularly as Nora would let her.

"Thank you," she told her maidservant gratefully, once Nora had finished putting her hair into an elegant braid that reached the middle of her back. She ran a hand down the length of the braid. "It's perfect."

The brunette stepped back and admired her work with a satisfied nod. Hands placed upon her hips, she fixed Estelle with a firm glare. "Now, since you missed the arrival of the Lady Helen, you will be expected to make up for your misstep today. The King approached me yesterday, quite angrily, and I told him you were feeling unwell and that you were grievously sorry to have missed her arrival."

Estelle's eyebrows rose heavenward at the blatant lie Nora had told Uther, of all people.

"Don't look at me like that," the maidservant reprimanded. "It was either that or throw you to the wolves. I don't even know what you were up to yesterday, and I wasn't about to tell the King that."

The princess' features softened, realising that Nora had indeed saved her from a furious Uther. "I'm sorry you had to do that, Nora. It won't happen again," she promised with a small, hopeful smile.

The brunette rolled her eyes, though Estelle could see how the corner of her mouth turned up in a reluctant smile. "You can make it up to me by apologising to the Lady Helen yourself," she responded, grabbing a deep cobalt-blue gown from Estelle's dresser. She raised her eyebrows expectantly, clearly anticipating an argument.

But Estelle smiled brightly at the maidservant and happily accepted Nora's help in putting the dress on.

As she admired her dress in the reflection of a long mirror, she wondered if Gaius had managed to get Merlin out of the dungeons yet - or if he would be made to wait a few more hours to be free.


Estelle's pondering was soon answered as she strolled through the Lower Town with Guinevere, Morgana's handmaiden and a dear friend of Eleanora. Gwen was a dark-skinned woman with a kind and pretty face. Estelle always had thought that the maid's smile could light up the whole kingdom, and her wisdom knew no bounds.

Estelle knew that Nora was incredibly busy that day and had asked Morgana if she could borrow Gwen's assistance as she wandered through the markets. Both Morgana and Gwen had been all-too happy to lend her a hand, which she was grateful for.

As they rounded a corner that led to the Lower Town square, both ladies could hear the distinct sounds of someone being pummelled in the stocks. Estelle winced as she saw the man bent over awkwardly, his head and hands locked into the device, flinching away as small children threw rotten fruit and vegetables at him. Estelle recognised the clothes he was wearing and the dark mop of hair atop his head. Having also heard Uther's condition for release, she instantly knew that the poor man was indeed Merlin.

Once the onslaught had ceased, Estelle and Gwen approached the shackled Merlin, who was trying to shake his hair free of the foul-smelling waste.

"Hello Merlin," Estelle greeted as they stopped before him, taking care to not step on the vegetables that littered the ground.

Merlin's head whipped up in surprise, squinting as the sun streamed into his eyes. The redhead shuffled to the side to block him out from the bright glare, and he smiled thankfully at the action.

"Este– um… I mean, my Lady," he stuttered out with a grin, bowing his head slightly, before casting his eyes to the maidservant at her side.

Gwen glanced at Estelle at the slip-up, a light frown on her brow and a small, but confused, smile on her lips. She turned back to the man in the stocks. "I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid," she explained.

He nodded as best as he could. "Right. I'm Merlin," he greeted, reaching a hand out for Gwen to shake. "Although, most people just call me 'idiot'."

Estelle covered her laugh with a hand, not wishing to somehow offend Merlin with her amusement. Gwen, however, hurried to console and correct him. "No, no, no. I saw what you did. It was so brave," she told him.

"It was stupid," Merlin was quick to counter with a shake of his head.

Gwen sighed softly. "Well, I'm glad Estelle tried to stop you… You weren't going to beat him."

The dark-haired man tried to straighten up in the stocks, his eyes darting to Estelle quickly. "Oh, I– I can beat him," he asserted confidently.

"You think?" Gwen asked. Before he could answer, she continued, "because you don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows."

Merlin appeared a bit put-out at the statement. "Thanks," he huffed, though Estelle could see the amusement shining in his eyes.

"Oh– no, no! I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just– erm…", Gwen stuttered, looking to the redhead for some help.

Estelle laughed heartily. "What Gwen means to say is that Arthur is a bit of a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero standing up to him," she explained.

Merlin visibly perked up at that, glancing between the two women quickly. "Oh, yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," Estelle nodded, a delighted smile upon her lips.

Merlin's proud expression cleared as he tried to point behind them, a look of anticipation dawning across his features instead. "Excuse me, ladies. My, erm, fans are waiting." He grimaced, looking at the group of children forming before him, a basket full of rotten fruit waiting to be thrown.

"Goodbye Merlin," Estelle said, wincing as she and Gwen left him to his putrid fate.

The two ladies continued down through the markets, stopping to admire the beautiful collection of flowers at one particular stall. The woman who owned the stall - an older woman with short, greying hair - gushed about how she and her husband had picked the flowers fresh from obscure parts of the forest, and that they were a rarity.

As they gazed at the vast selection of flowers, Estelle noticed Gwen glancing towards her every so often when the maidservant thought she wasn't looking. The redhead felt her gaze and quickly turned to meet her eyes. Gwen flushed, swiftly averting her attention to a stall selling fresh bakery items.

Estelle couldn't ignore the strange behaviour. "Gwen?"

The maidservant sighed and turned back to Estelle with a rueful expression. She opened and closed her mouth several times, evidently trying to phrase her words carefully.

"How do you know Merlin?" She asked, finally.

The redhead frowned, not understanding the significance of such a question. "He's Gaius' nephew and has come to stay with him for a while." She paused, racking her memory. "I can't remember how long he said he was planning on staying," she continued in a murmur. Estelle thought she really should find out from Merlin or Gaius - she didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling that Merlin would be important to Camelot.

"Oh," Gwen replied. Estelle didn't miss the note of relief that filtered through her voice.

"Why were you wondering?"

The maidservant hummed, busying herself with looking at a particularly glamorous and gaudy necklace.

Estelle persisted. "Gwen?"

"It's silly– and nothing," Gwen tried to reassure. She saw the expectant look the redhead was giving her and continued quietly, glancing around the market. "I just thought that maybe… you and Merlin– knew each other."

Shaking her head in pure confusion, Estelle asked her to explain.

"He stuttered when he said your name… like he wasn't supposed to know it. I thought maybe you two had been… intimate before and was just trying to conceal it. Like, if Uther knew…", Gwen trailed off to a whisper, wincing at the image of Uther on a rampage because of Estelle's relations with non-nobility.

Estelle, on the other hand, was taken aback. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the maidservant in shock. "I just met him a couple of days ago," she responded in astonishment. "He might not be used to having to address people using titles."

To her dismay, Gwen still didn't look entirely convinced. "Did you see the way he was looking at you?" She whispered, giving her a soft smile. "Just be careful, okay?"

The two made their way back to the castle empty-handed. Estelle couldn't believe the whole conversation that had happened, if she were being honest. Of course, she would be quite happy being in a relationship with someone of a non-noble background… had Uther not been around to look over her shoulder. Despite the fact that she was not his birth-daughter, she was now affiliated with the name of Camelot - and she knew Uther desired to marry her off in the name of an alliance. So no… she would not endanger Merlin - or anyone from a working background - to a grisly fate by the King's hand.

So, why did it sting so much to think about?


Estelle found herself strolling through the castle, trying to locate Lady Helen's chambers. She figured she better not go to see Nora until she had fulfilled her promise of apologising to the Lady. Gwen had left her to her own devices after their trip out, claiming a need to check on Morgana. Truth be told, Estelle was relieved to have her thoughts to herself as she meandered through the corridors.

As she approached what she believed was Lady Helen's chambers, a sudden and striking pain resonated through her skull. Estelle halted, her hands pressing against her temples with a grimace and she sucked in a pained breath. She cursed herself for neglecting Gaius' potions over the last few days.

She was unaware of how much time had passed as she stood there, slightly bent over, clutching at her head, when she heard a light scuffle down the end of the corridor. A voice called her name softly, a note of concern lingering in their voice.

The headache vanished as swiftly as it came, much to Estelle's surprise. Usually, they subdued slowly and achingly, a dull throb still present hours after the initial attack. But, this time, she was as clear-headed as ever.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Merlin, clean of rotten fruit, had been the one to call out to her. He was standing just off to her side, a hand half-extended cautiously - as if he wasn't sure what to do to help her - and the other holding a vial. He maintained an apprehensive expression. "Are you alright? Do you want me to get Gaius for you?"

Estelle waved away his concern with a smile. "No thank you, Merlin. I get these headaches every so often, it's nothing to worry about."

Merlin looked unconvinced. What was it with her and people not believing what she said?

"Really," she insisted. "I'm fine. What are you up to anyway?"

As if a switch had been flicked, he jolted and glanced down at the vial he held in his hand. "Oh– yes, I was just delivering this to the Lady Helen for Gaius," he replied, glancing at the door of the room in question.

"Oh, lovely, I was just about to go and see her myself." Estelle moved to knock on the door, glancing over when Merlin didn't move to follow. She smiled and gestured to beckon him closer. "Come on, it'll be alright if we go in together."

Estelle rapped thrice on the oak door and stepped back with her hands linked behind her back, patiently waiting for Lady Helen to answer. Merlin moved to stand beside her, smiling down at her awkwardly as they both waited outside of the door.

When it was obvious that Lady Helen was going to answer, Merlin glanced back through the corridor before hesitantly creaking the door open. He called out a greeting tentatively and raised his eyebrows at Estelle when he received no reply.

"It'll be alright to leave the vial in her room," Estelle told him with an encouraging nod. And they both moved to enter the room.

The chamber was decorated in the exact same way as all of the other guest chambers - simple but elegant. A large piece of silk was draped across the vanity mirror and Estelle hummed lightly in confusion. From what she'd heard about Lady Helen, it was apparent that the Lady was rather vain in nature.

Estelle watched as Merlin placed the vial on top of the vanity table before hesitantly picking something up. She moved to see what he was holding and her lips fell apart at the sight. The straw doll held in one of his hands was clearly an effigy of some description - she remembered Gaius telling her about them as he described the old days that were full of magic and enchantments.

A faint voice whispered in her ears, distant and unintelligible, and Estelle glanced over to Merlin. He was frowning, but she couldn't tell if he could hear the voices too. Gripped tightly in his other hand was a heavy, leather-bound book, held together by the pieces of string wrapped around it.

Sharp footsteps echoed outside of the room. Merlin hurriedly put the items back where they were as Estelle whipped around to face the door. Mere seconds later, Lady Helen strode into the bedchambers, her critical gaze sweeping over Merlin, Estelle and then towards her vanity desk.

"What are you doing in here?" She demanded.

Estelle stepped forward, exuding an air of confidence that she didn't really feel at all. "I just came by to apologise for my absence when you arrived in Camelot," she replied with an imploring expression. "I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere, but that is no excuse for my rudeness, my Lady." She dipped into a curtsey in a show of remorse.

"Never you mind. It is forgiven," Helen soothed, though her eyes still frantically darted between the pair of them and the table. Her gaze then settled on Merlin questioningly.

Merlin nervously looked to Estelle and then quickly grabbed the vial from the table. "Um… I– I was asked to deliver this," he responded, offering it out to Lady Helen with an uncomfortable smile.

Lady Helen responded with her own strained smile and both Estelle and Merlin took that as their cue to leave, though the redhead did bow her head to the Lady respectfully as she scurried after him.

The door slammed behind the pair as they exited the chambers and the two of them stewed in a tense silence. Estelle's mind was awhirl with possibilities - though she had to admit that there weren't that many good reasons for someone to have an effigy. The situation was bad, and she didn't know how to fix it.

Estelle glanced at Merlin to find that he was already looking at her apprehensively, a burrow in his brow. She didn't know how much knowledge he had on enchantments, and the like, so she kept her thoughts to herself and resolved to speak to Gaius as soon as she could. Perhaps he could give her some insight into a plausible reason why Lady Helen might have such an artefact.

"I– I should probably get back to Gaius," Merlin told her. His demeanour was reluctant, but she couldn't discern the precise cause of it.

Despite her whirling thoughts, she smiled genuinely. "Okay. I'm sure I'll see you soon, Merlin."

And Estelle watched as he slowly turned away to find his uncle, wondering if he would mention the strange occurrence in Helen's chambers or if she would be the first to break the news to Gaius.


A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed/favourited and left reviews! It warms my heart so much. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things (fingers crossed!) :)

The otter reader: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :) x