Author's Note:
Because I have deprived you of an update for so long, I'm giving you two chapters at once. It's a short one, but it's chapter three of Eve:
Emrys…her name was Evangeline Emrys…
That name didn't mean anything to anyone but Merlin.
Flashbacks of Mordred, the little druid boy, started playing in his mind, distracting him from the scene right before his eyes. As Merlin was lost in his thoughts, Arthur and Evangeline continued arguing.
"You cannot talk to me like that, I am the Prince!"
"You are a prince not the prince, as I am not from this kingdom and therefore do not acknowledge you as my ruler."
"I could have you hanged for such disrespect, you know that don't you? Arthur asked in a dangerously low voice.
"I invite you to try," Evangeline retorted, matching his tone.
"Alright, say I was your king; would you still address me in this manner?
"Say I was one of your injured subjects, would you still address me in this manner?" she replied without missing a beat.
He opened his mouth to respond, then blinked and looked at her with anger flashing in his eyes. He felt like he had been defeated somehow because she played on his one weakness: his love for his people. If she were one of his people, he would never have yelled at her or argued the way he was. Instead, he would have made sure she was alright and tried to figure out what happened to her.
There was just something about this Evangeline Emrys that flat out irritated him and made him want to stay angry with her.
Was it because she acted so superior to him? Or because she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she obviously felt no affection for him?
"Arthur, I'm sure your father will want to speak with Evangeline," Gaius said, stepping between the two and giving Arthur a pointed look.
Gaius had known Arthur since the day he was born, and had been working for Uther since before that. Because of this, his opinions and suggestions were respected and often sought after by the royal family. So with this statement, Arthur took the hint and took a deep breath.
"Of course, Gaius, I will go fetch him."
He turned to leave, but Evangeline's voice stopped him.
"Why? Just arrange for me an audience with the king."
Arthur thought he had heard wrong and asked her to repeat herself.
"Is that not the custom? One seeks an audience with the king?"
"My dear," Gaius said before Arthur could even open his mouth, "You can barely walk. Unless you want us to carry you to the council room, the king will have to come to you."
Evangeline pursed her lips and closed her eyes. At that moment, Merlin was brought back to the present from his thoughts because he heard a strange ringing in his ears. It was soft, but very high pitched, and he knew what it meant.
Then, with seemingly no effort, Evangeline stood from the chair and looked at them with a smug expression; she was balanced perfectly on one leg. She then proceeded to walk to the other side of the room: she was barely limping, to the point where the limp was almost completely unnoticeable.
Turning to the men and smiling, she said in a calm voice, "I think, gentlemen, you will find that I am full of many surprises.
Arthur and Gaius were absolutely amazed. Merlin, however, knew exactly what was going on, or at least what one of her "surprises" was.
He needed confirmation though.
He needed to speak with the Dragon.
Slowly backing out of the room while Arthur and Gaius attacked Evangeline with questions (which she was ignoring), Merlin made the trek to the deepest part of the castle. Once there, he distracted the guards that sat in front of the cave entrance by magically knocking over a table that stood on the adjacent hallway. They ran off to investigate the noise and Merlin slipped through the gate and, grabbing the torch on the wall, ran down the stairs into the dark, damp cave.
"Dragon!" he called as he entered the enormous cavern.
He heard the Dragon before he saw him, as the sound of his wings beating echoed off the walls. Then, a magnificent beast landed on a pile on rocks before Merlin, with bronze colored scales and fire-blazoned eyes.
It spoke in a smooth voice with sarcasm ringing through it like a bell. "Ah, Merlin. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"I know you felt it: magic. It was strong and I know you felt it. Listen, there's a girl in the castle-"
"Whose name is Evangeline Emrys, and yes, she is a powerful witch with magic to match yours."
Merlin stood in stunned silence.
"You wish to know who she is, why her name is Emrys, and how you two are connected."
It was a statement, not a question. The Dragon seemed to know everything Merlin ever thought.
"Well, yes! Mordred calls me Emrys, one of my 'many names', as you say, then all of a sudden a woman comes from out of nowhere with that name. And she has magic? I need answers, please!"
"If I just gave you the answer to every question you asked, you would never learn anything, young warlock."
Merlin started growing agitated. "I know, but-"
"Furthermore, unfortunately I cannot answer all your questions this time."
Merlin faltered.
"You mean, you don't know who she is?"
The Dragon shook his head.
"No, I know who she is, and what happens at the end of this story. But if I tell you, you will try to prevent it, only hurting yourself and everyone involved. For once, Merlin, your feelings are in my best interest because you're emotions cloud your judgment. This, I cannot allow."
He then spread his wings and started ascending to a ledge high up in the cavern.
"Wait! Please, I need to know!"
"If you want answers, you will discover them for yourself! I will have no part in this tragedy!"
And Merlin was left alone.