Autumn had finally arrived in the lands of Camelot. The trees were dressed in a carnival of golds and reds with hardly any green remaining. Varying hues of rust coloured leaves formed rings around each tree. As the wind blew the leaves began to dance through the air to their own orchestral song, pirouetting gracefully around each other. As if they were classically trained dancers in a well choreographed routine. The silence which hung in the air was shattered by the sound of a hunting horn. Knights wearing the official red uniform of Camelot wove their way through the trees, some carried loaded crossbows and others had spears or swords. They were all searching for the prize that their king hoped to retrieve, a trophy to take back to his queen.
Arthur, crossbow in hand, led the hunt. Blue eyes scouted the surroundings. Broken twigs on a low hanging branch or tracks in the mud amongst the fallen leaves were the main signs to suggest that deer inhabited this part of the woods. The hunting party had been out since first light much to the displeasure of the king's servant, Merlin. Completing chores all night had meant a lack of sleep, which was bound to put anyone in a sour mood.
"Maybe we should call it a day." Merlin groaned, looking over in Arthur's direction. His sword hung limply at his side, arms too tired and aching to hold it aloft. He hoped the king would see sense and call off the hunt but it was wishful thinking. All he really wanted to do was go back to his small room in the castle and sleep.
"Nonsense. We've only just begun Merlin." Arthur's eyes never turned to look at his servant. If he glanced away for just a split second his chance of catching a deer might slip through his fingers. He would return to the castle empty handed.
Merlin sighed. "Dollophead." He muttered under his breath, inaudible to everyone else. Only a brave man dared insult the new king of Camelot. "There is not much point if there is nothing to hunt, is there?" It was true. The whole hunting trip would be wasted if there were no deer in the area they were searching.
Merlin's comment caused Arthur to stop, crossbow lowered. "We could always give you a five minute head start Merlin. Then we'd have something to hunt." Arthur gestured with his hand for Merlin to walk on ahead. A few knights laughed at the king's joke.
In the distance, a twig snapped and the laughter stopped. Everyone's attention focused on where the sound had come from. As quickly as he could, Arthur raised his crossbow, finger hovering over the trigger, several of his knights doing the same. Merlin was poised to use his magic secretly if he had to. The deer was not about to escape and the king did not want to leave empty handed.
The hunting party held their breaths. Deer were flighty animals, one false move and they were off like a shot. Arthur gestured for some of the knights to circle round, cutting off any escape routes. He waited for the rustling of the leaves to lessen before leading his own mini party forward. With each step they were careful not to make a sound, not wanting to startle the deer. Without paying attention to where he was walking, Merlin tripped on a tree root and stumbled into Arthur.
"You really are a total buffoon, aren't you, Merlin?" Arthur said angrily, glaring at his servant. "We're supposed to be hunting. It requires speed, stealth and an agile mind. None of which you possess."
A smile tugged at the corners of Merlin's mouth as he tried to hide his laughter. "So you're able to get by on two out of three, then?"
Before he could respond, there was another crack of a twig, followed by what sounded like hurried footsteps racing towards them. The hurriedness of the footsteps sounded different from a running deer. The king halted his hunting party, everyone poised ready to strike. Fingers held over the triggers of crossbows, spears held high over head and swords were raised towards the sky. Bandits were known to be roaming the lands surrounding Camelot. The knights knew their job was to protect the king at all costs.
Into the clearing before them ran a young woman. She was disheveled and bloodied. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess with bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it, like she had been through a hedge backwards. All she wore was a stained silk under dress. Cuts and bruises littered her porcelain arms and legs. Her breathing was ragged, body shaking and her eyes were wide with fear. Arthur and his knights lowered their weapons, stunned at the woman's sudden appearance.
"It's a woman." Merlin whispered as he leaned closer to Arthur, his eyes not leaving the frightened young woman in front of them.
"Yes, thank you Merlin. I can see that." Arthur hissed, pushing his crossbow into his servant's hands.
Cautiously, he takes a few steps towards the unknown young woman, who stumbles backwards away from him. Arthur halted, extending a hand in front of him. His voice was soft as he spoke, trying to reassure her. "It's alright. What is your name?"
She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the rest of Camelot's knights hurrying towards her with their weapons held high. Panic ran through her veins as they surrounded her, she whirled around trying to find an escape but to no avail. She felt trapped, like she was being suffocated. The blonde had been running for what felt like days, away from the men dressed in black who had attacked her kingdom. Now she was surrounded by men in red pointing weapons at her like she was the target of their hunt.
"Sire, are you alright?" Sir Leon asked, concern lacing his voice. The king nodded, but his knights did not lower their weapons. No one knew who the young woman was, for all they knew she was a diversion. A tactic always employed by bandits.
Arthur's eyes travelled from the young woman to his loyal knights. "Lower your weapons." He demanded. His knights obeyed but did not move from their positions around her. In addition to serving as a protection barrier, they also prevented her from escaping.
"I'll ask again, what is your name?"
"My name is Ailidh, sire." Blue eyes focused on the man only wearing chainmail without the red cape. She bowed her head and tried to bend her knees, but her legs screamed in defiance. Her legs collapsed beneath her. Exhaustion took over and the young woman closed her eyes. Arthur rushed forward to her aid, concerned with her well being, which meant Merlin was not too far behind the king.
"We need to get her to Camelot. Percival, I require your horse." By the state of her appearance she must have been travelling for days, absolutely exhausted. Percival jumped from his horse, with no questions as to why, and helped Arthur lift her from the ground.
Arthur pushed the reins into Merlin's hands. The warlock fumbled with the sword and crossbow he was already holding. "How can you be sure that she can be trusted? You could be endangering Camelot." Merlin watched as Arthur snatched back his crossbow and gave the sword to a nearby knight.
"She needs to be treated by Gauis, Merlin, so she is coming with us back to Camelot. Maybe she can be under your care, that would give you something easy to do, since you are so useless at everything else." Arthur patted Merlin on the shoulder before walking away not noticing Merlin pulling a face.
Gaius was waiting on the steps when the hunt party came back after receiving word that his services would be required upon request of the king. A stable lad rushed over and took the reins from Merlin as he brought the horse to a halt. Percival, being the strongest knight of them all, carried Ailidh off the horse and to Gaius' chambers. There she would be looked after and her wounds treated until she was well enough to get an audience with the king. Her body was laid gently down on a small bed where she looked peaceful in her unconscious state. Merlin was already busy gathering supplies for Gaius to use. He grabbed a pot of a thick paste-like substance which would be applied to heal her cuts and bruises. The rest of the supplies would be used in a potion of some kind to help alleviate her exhaustion.
"She will be alright?" Arthur asked with concern. His attention was focused on Ailidh, his hand resting on his hips.
Gaius nodded, "She will be fine sire. She just needs a day or two of rest."
Arthur nodded, leaving the chambers with Percival in tow. The girl had sparked a curiosity within him. Who was she? Where did she come from? What had happened for her to end up in that state? Those were the question racing around his mind as he walked the corridors of his castle. He made the promise that when she was well again he would do everything in his power to find out all about her.
Meanwhile, back in Gauis' chambers, him and Merlin were doing everything they could to treat Ailidh wounds as well as clean her up. Gaius looked away from the potion he was brewing and at Merlin who was dabbing a warm cloth over the girl's forehead, removing any debris and dirt.
"So who is she?" The court physician asked, not knowing who he had the pleasure of treating..
Merlin wrung the dirt covered cloth in the water as he tried to explain all that had happened on the hunt. "...she appeared out of nowhere and only managed to say her name. Ailidh is her name but we do not know anything more than that."
Gaius pondered over the events as he stirred the mixture once more before pouring it into a cup. "Sounds like something terrible must have happened for her to run this far. The poor girl must have been terrified." He handed the cup to Merlin who tried to get the young woman to drink at least a small amount. With Ailidh in the state she was in, no one would be able to get the answers they craved. It was going to be a long wait.
Ailidh was having a horrible nightmare.
A woman dressed in all black with curls of hair coming passed her shoulders was making the princess watch as everyone she loved was killed. First her father, then her maid, and then every other person who worked in the castle. The pile of bodies grew larger by the second. Ailidh was helpless but enough was enough, anger and hatred was bubbling up inside her , like a volcano waiting to erupt. The other woman just kept laughing, gaining joy from murdering people in cold blood.
"No. Please no." Ailidh muttered as she tossed and turned in the bed. Her movements and cries becoming more rapid as the nightmare progressed.
The blonde seized her change and made a break for it. Running, running as fast as she could and as far as she could. Anything to get away from the monster of a witch who had taken away the people she held dear.
Merlin was by her side, dabbing her forehead with a cold cloth as sweat beaded on her skin. He looked up from Ailidh as he heard the sound of Gaius rummaging through the collection of premade potions, trying to find one that would ease the nightmare.
"Ah ha!" He exclaimed, clutching a small clear bottle in his hand. He rushed over to Ailidh and poured three drops into her mouth. After a moment of bated breath, the young woman eased into a calm sleep. "Let's hope it works till morning."
The first rays of sunlight peered through the small window of the court physician's chambers. Merlin was tending to Ailidh, topping up the mixture coating her wounds. Gaius was making up the medicines required by various people in Camelot, ready for today's rounds.
Ailidh began to wake from her slumber. Her body aching with every movement. She blinked several times, trying to adjust to the bright light filling the room. Once her brain had woken up she realised that she was no longer in the woods. Wrapped around her was a thin blanket and a strange smell hit her nose. She was definitely not in the woods anymore. Blue eyes darted around trying to make sense of it all. Had she been captured by the witch's men that had been after her? Her memory did not recall seeing men in all black instead she remembered seeing red. Fragments of the events of the past couple of days were coming back to her.
She sat herself up, ignoring the protests from her aching muscles, rubbing her throbbing head. That was when she noticed her wounds had been tended to and the mud removed from her pale skin. "Where am I?" She asked, not expecting to get a response back.
"You are in Camelot. You are safe now." Merlin explained, hoping he did not startle her in her confused state.
The sound of a male voice made her whip her head in his direction. "How did I get here? And who are you?" She desperately wanted answers otherwise she was starting to think she was going mad. Had everything that had happened at Eamont actually been a dream?
Gaius was the one to speak. "The king demanded that you were brought to Camelot in order to receive medical treatment. You were in a terrible state."
Things were beginning to come back to her. So it had not been a dream. That woman killing her father and the guards taking her maid had all been real. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the realisation hit but she fought them back.
"I'm Merlin, the kings servant and this is Gaius, the court physician."
Ailidh gave them a weak smile. It was all she could muster. There was nothing to smile about. She had lost everything, her family, her friends and her kingdom. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, "I wish to seek council with the king."
Merlin tried his best to hide his laughter, Gaius glaring at him. "I think we need to make you look a bit more presentable before you see the king."
"Ah yes." All she was dressed in was a ruined silk under dress and her hair was still a knotted birds nest. "Where can I get some clothes?" She asked, since she had discarded hers in the woods.