A/N - Thanks so much for all the reviews. They were great. Glad people are enjoying the twists. More to be revealed.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Additional Disclaimer at the bottom for after you have read the chapter - don't want to give anything away.

What else are they hiding?...

Chapter 17 - Pendragon Power

Tayla ran from her chambers, heading for the private gardens she knew from long ago. As she ran past him, Tristan tried to stop her, but she quickly pulled away and she continued to run. She rounded a corner and crashed into Merlin.

"My Lady, what is wrong?" Merlin noticed the tears on her cheeks and, as she glanced at him, Merlin's breath caught in his throat at the look in her eyes.

She pulled away again, turning to look back, as she heard familiar footsteps. She saw Tristan behind them, following her. As much as she wished to be in his arms, to be held by him, to feel safe, she knew she needed to be alone and, again, she fled. Merlin turned to Tristan.

"My Lord, where is she going?" Merlin asked him.

"To be alone," Tristan replied, as he continued to walk in the direction that the fleeing princess had taken. She may want to be alone, but he will be close by in case she needs him. As he always will be.

"Tristan... I'm sorry. My Lord, I can help her, I can understand." Tristan turned to look at him, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked him.

"Please, believe me. I can help," Merlin repeated.

Tayla found the place she was looking for, near the apple tree Arthur had fallen from long ago. Here, there were no windows from the castle looking over it, here she could be alone to calm her out of control emotions. She sat down, her back against the trunk of the tree and watched as a small flame flared in the palm of her hand. She then closed her hand, putting the flame out. She opened her hand and the flame flared again. And again. Tayla continued to repeat the process until she felt like she was gaining control of her emotions, and she felt the power in her receed, albeit quite slowly.

She heard footsteps and jumped up. She saw Merlin and Tristan coming to her.

"My Lady, Merlin believes he can help you. So do I," Tristan said firmly.

Before she could reply, Merlin stepped closer to her, she instinctively stepped back to protect him.

"My Lady, " said Merlin, "I can help."

"No Merlin, you can not," Tayla replied and turned away.

"Yes I can," Merlin continued. He stood behind her and reached his hand around so she can see it. Tayla gasped as she saw a small flame, similar to what she had been doing appear in his.

"I can understand, Princess," Merlin repeated. Tayla turned back to face him.

"How do I stop this Merlin? This power. I do not want it to consume me," she said desperately.

"What do you usually do?" he asked her. Before answering, she turned to Tristan.

"Tristan, can you make sure no one comes, please?" Tayla asked him with a gentle smile. She knew that it had been hard for him to bring Merlin here for her. To, in essence, disobey her wishes. She understood why he did it and wanted him to know that.

"Of course my Lady. Anything," Tristan replied, returning her smile with relief, before he turned and walked away, leaving them alone.

"Usually I find a place to sit and do this until it goes away," Tayla said, answering Merlin's earlier question, a flame flaring in her hand again as she spoke.

"Then perhaps you should continue, my Lady," said Merlin, still unsure how exactly he could help, only that he felt in his blood that he could. Even if it is just someone who can understand. Tayla sat back down, Merlin sitting in front of her, watching patiently as she calmed herself. He waited for the fire to lessen slightly in her eyes before speaking.

"How long have you had magic, my Lady?" Merlin asked.

"As long as I can remember," Tayla replied.

"Do you know where it came from?" Merlin asked.

"No, I thought it was through my father. There is magic far back in King Henry's line, but I guess now, that is not the case. Merlin, can magic just happen in someone, or does it have to be passed down to them." They both wondered if somehow this has been gifted to her through her relationship with Uther. The thought of there actually being magic in Uther Pendragon's blood almost made Merlin smile. He would have, if there hadn't been so much pain still in the Princess' eyes.

"I am not sure my Lady. How much power..." Merlin stopped, unsure how to ask the question. Somehow she knew what he wanted to know.

"Usually, just a small amount, enough to play with. Small tricks like lighting candles, making a breeze, moving small things, floating," Tayla answered.
"Ah," said Merlin, "The apple tree incident." Tayla smiled and nodded before continuing.

"But when my emotions are exceptionally strong and uncontrolled, the power, it grows and it scares me Merlin. This," she said indicating the flame exercise, "is all I know to stop it. To keep control." Tayla watched the flames continue to flare and disappear for a minute before continuing.

"Merlin, the temptation to give in, it is strong. The amount of power, the good I could do with it. But ... the power feels like it could corrupt and I can not let it change me," Tayla said, desperation in her voice.

"You are strong my Lady, not just in power. That is why it will not be able to change you." Merlin reassured her, hoping that he spoke the truth, for he had seen the fire in her eyes and it was far more than he had seen in anyone. Though he didn't know it, it was still far less than was in him. He knew the effect she had on Arthur and had first hand knowledge of how different she was to most nobility, she was strong in character and compassion.

They sat quietly for a few moments as Tayla continued the exercise.

"How much have you been taught?" Merlin asked, wondering if she had discovered this on her own.

"My father brought in a teacher early on who helped me learn what I could. It was never a lot though, as I said. It was much later on that I discovered the emotional connection." Tayla rested her head back against the tree and Merlin noted the exhaustion on her face.

"I take it Arthur does not know," asked Merlin. Tayla looked at him, sadness on her face.

"It is the only thing about me he does not," she replied. Merlin noticed the pain in her voice at having to keep something like this from him. He understood.

"I wouldn't count on that," another voice said. Tayla turned, and felt her breath stop.

"Arthur!" she said as she started to get up.

"No, stay," Arthur said as he sat down next to her. "You too, Merlin. I think the time has come for there to be no more secrets don't you?" Merlin nodded, though he was not really sure what to say. Tayla looked at Tristan. He nodded and she saw the look in his eyes. This was his way of protecting me. He trusts Arthur otherwise he would never have let him through. He turned and walked back to his post and she knew no one else would be joining them.

"Arthur I ..." Tayla started but Arthur interrupted.

"Perhaps you should continue what you are doing whilst we talk. There is a fire in your eyes that I am assuming you are trying to put out." Tayla was still shocked at his arrival but focused back on the flames.

"You know for months after you left, I tried to work out how you had come down from this tree. I tried every possible way of jumping, from every branch. But I could not work it out. Every time something different, but nothing ever resembled floating, though I did make sure there were no rocks before I climbed." Arthur smiled slightly.

"There were other little things I wondered about, that become obvious once I knew," Arthur continued, his head resting back on the tree as he spoke.

"How did you find out?" Tayla asked, her voice not much more than a whisper.

"You told me," Arthur replied, simply.

"No, I did not. I desperately wanted to but I knew how Uther felt about magic," Tayla said, shaking her head.

"No, you did. Do you remember when you were here when you were about ten, I think? You had a nightmare, about a huge dragon locked under the castle." Merlin's eyes went wide at this and he looked over at Tayla. She shrugged at him, obviously having no idea about the connection.

"You went to your brothers but they just laughed at you, so you came to me," Arthur continued.

"I crept into your bed and told you about it. You put your arms around me and said 'There are no dragons Tayla, but if you want, stay.' We feel asleep. But Arthur, I still do not understand," Tayla said. Both Merlin and Arthur noting the deep confusion on her face and the fire that was weakening in her eyes.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" asked Arthur her.

"No, I did not," she replied, frowning.

"Well, that night I didn't fall asleep as quickly as you. I will admit, I was thinking about slaying dragons. You started to talk and, at first I thought you were still awake. You told me everything. Including how you were sorry about the day at the apple tree, the things you could do, how you knew that some thought it was evil, but it wasn't. How scared you were to tell me," Arthur finished gently, looking at her face.

"You never said anything." Tayla said softly.

"Of course I didn't. You did not want me to know," Arthur replied.

"Arthur, I am so sorry I ..." Tayla stopped, not knowing what else to say. Some tears escaped her eyes. Arthur took her hand, the one that wasn't busy starting fires.

"Tayla, my father's beliefs about magic are not my own, never have been, though he does not know that. It is also probably wise that he does not find out, either about how I feel or about your particular 'talents'," Arthur said, then he looked at Merlin.

"So Merlin, when were you going to tell me about your talents?" Arthur asked.

"I umm,..."

"Never mind. I am going to say this only once Merlin, so listen carefully. Thank you."

"My Lord?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Only once Merlin." Arthur replied, leaving Merlin still confused.

"Tayla, I know you have seen your parents. What do they have to say about this? Is it true?" Arthur asked.

"Yes it is. My mother has confirmed that Uther is my father. As is King Richard, the father of Bryce, and King William, the father of Kalen." Arthur and Merlin's eyes went wide at this revelation about Tayla's brothers.

"What?" asked Arthur, shocked. Merlin's mouth dropped open and he had a hard time getting it closed.

"Apparently my father, King Henry that is, is unable to have children. An old war wound. Though that is more than I ever wanted to know about my father. So they devised a way to secure alliances. My mother had affairs with married kings. Then, when she found herself with child, it was something that the king would not want revealed so an unwritten alliance was born, literally," Tayla said, still unable to believe the depth of deception by her parents.

"Wow," said Merlin.

"Yes, wow indeed," replied Tayla.

"My father wasn't married though," said Arthur, with a frown.

"True, but he was in mourning and, in a way, that would have made the revelation even more destructive," Tayla replied.

"So where do we go from here?" asked Arthur, looking at Tayla, "I am guessing that the promise regarding marrying me is no longer valid."

"You were going to marry him?" asked Merlin, looking shocked.

"Haven't you been listening this morning Merlin? Apparently rumours have been flying around the castle." said Arthur, enjoying Merlin's reaction. There hadn't been much to enjoy this morning, so this was a pleasant change.

"Well, I haven't really had much time have I?" Merlin said, sounding a bit miffed at what he had missed out on. Between Arthur and Gaius, he hadn't had much time to listen to anything today. "You were going to marry him? Why?" Merlin asked Tayla again. Tayla chuckled and Arthur threw a stick at him.

"Hey!" Arthur said, "I am not that bad a catch."

"Of course you aren't. He was offering me a better choice than the violent or drunk prince," Tayla said smiling at Merlin. There was so much Merlin could have done with that comment, except for the look Arthur gave him, warning him not to go there or else he risked something horrible. So Merlin focused on the proposal side of things.

"You proposed and didn't tell me," whined Merlin at Arthur.

"I don't tell you everything Merlin, besides, she turned me down," Arthur replied.

"Well, now maybe she wouldn't have if you had asked for my help. Wait, What? You turned him down? But you said..." Merlin said, a little muddled.

"Shut up Merlin," Arthur said.

"Arthur!" Tayla reprimanded him.

"Sorry. Please shut up Merlin," Arthur amended with a smile.

"Better, but only just," replied Tayla as she stood up and started pacing in front of them. After some moments had passed, Tayla stopped and turned to face them. Arthur saw the look on her face.

"Uh oh." Arthur said. He knew that look too well. At least this time though, it wasn't aimed at him.

"What?" asked Merlin.

"Somebody is in trouble," Arthur said smiling at Tayla. She smiled back.

"Arthur, perhaps it is time that our parents, all three of them, learned there is a price for deception and lies. Perhaps it is time we take control of our future," Tayla said.

"And what would you propose?" asked Arthur. Merlin made a rude sound at his choice of words, which resulted in a light slap from Arthur, though not as hard as normal. Merlin was, once again, grateful of the effect the Princess had on Arthur.

"I do not know yet, but I am sure something will come to me."

"It always does," Arthur replied smiling at her.

"So am I forgiven?" Tayla asked him, a worried look forming on her face.

Arthur stood up and took her in his arms. "There is nothing to forgive... Sister."

"Thank you," Tayla whispered resting her head against him.

"What about me?" asked Merlin, in a hopeful voice.

"You, Merlin, will have to work for yours," Arthur replied, holding back a smile.

"For how long?" Merlin asked, sure that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Oh, about a lifetime."

"Oh, well, umm, hopefully, in a way, it will be a long one," Merlin muttered.

Arthur felt Tayla chuckle at this and heard her whisper, "Poor Merlin."

Arthur smiled, poor Merlin indeed.

A/N - Additional Disclaimer - I know nothing about how magic happens, references to that are imagination and worked for the story.

Thanks for reading.