Author's Note:

Two chapters at once again! I might make this a habit, I don't know though…took me a while to write. Anyway, I hope this chapter sheds a little more light on Evangeline's personality for those who think she's just a witch with a capital 'B'. ;)

Chapter five of Eve:

"And these are your chambers," Arthur said as he opened a set of doors to reveal a large, comfortable looking room.

Evangeline stared in awe at her new lodgings, and allowed a real smile to split across her face. She walked into the center of the room and spun around, drinking in the absolute warmth and luxury. From the bed draped in gold and red sheets, to the table already laden with fresh fruit and candles, to the windows that gave a perfect view of the training grounds and the forest beyond the city walls, she already felt at home in her new surroundings. She almost laughed in delight until she caught the look on Arthur's face. He seemed confused.

"What?" she asked defensively.

His eyes quickly narrowed and he scoffed in aggravation. "You know, you completely amaze me. First, you're some afraid girl who walks out of the forest begging for my help, then you're this woman who acts like everyone who has helped her has done some sort of wrong doing to her, then you're this sad village girl who has lost everything, then just now you seemed like the happiest woman alive only to again act like I've done something wrong. Which, last time I checked, I haven't. I just, I don't understand you."

Her voice shook as she replied, "I did not beg for help."

"Okay, you didn't beg, but you asked for it, and I did help you. And did I get a 'thank you'? No. Instead, you insulted me and treated me as if I were the dirt beneath your feet."

She stared at him with a blank face.

And then she walked over to him until she was merely inches from his face and looked into his eyes. His breath caught, and he was sure she was holding her breath. The world seemed to melt away until all that was left was her eyes and her voice:

"Thank you."

That was all she said. That was all she needed to say. That was all she was able to say, for at that moment, Merlin came barging into the room.

Arthur's face reddened as he stepped back, turned towards his servant, and asked, "Merlin, where have you been?"

"Uh, I was, um, sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Arthur repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, sleeping. I was up late last night polishing your armor," Merlin invented.

"Well good. And since you've obviously had a great nap, you'll be nice and awake while you tend to Evangeline's needs," Arthur instructed, sarcastically smiling and clapping Merlin's shoulder roughly.

"Of course, sire," Merlin uttered, smiling as best he could while thinking of the many names he would call Arthur later.

"Right then, I'll," Arthur turned to the door then back to Evangeline, "I'll just be going then."

"Goodbye, Arthur."

He looked at her quizzically before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Merlin and Evangeline then stood in the center of the room staring at each other, both feeling that pull once more. She knew there was something about him, but she couldn't place it. He knew she was a witch, but he wondered what she knew. Yet neither spoke for a few minutes.

Finally, Evangeline couldn't stand the silence. "Who are you?"

Merlin started to give his generic, "I'm Arthur's man servant and Gaius' assistant," answer, but she held up her hand to silence him.

"You know what I mean, Merlin. Who are you to me?"

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Her eyes narrowed and she walked towards the window, frowning. "I know you feel it, this connection between us. I want to know what it is, Merlin. If you have any idea, please feel free to share."

He was surprised at her directness; she didn't play games, she wanted answers and was impatient to receive them. He now knew that she felt the draw that he did, and he knew that it wasn't so much an attraction as it was a familiarity; he felt like he knew her. He knew she was a witch, and that her powers were great, but he didn't know if he wanted her to find out that he had magic.

So, he began crafting a lie, "Maybe we've met before. I used to live in a village not far from the Andara border, and-"

"You're lying."

She turned around and looked at him with the most intense eyes he'd ever seen. It was almost as if she could see right through him and know his every thought, his every secret. He felt energy in the air, like there was a pulse radiating from her and spreading throughout the room.

"I know you have magic," he whispered without stopping to think of what he was saying.

The energy fizzled out and she looked genuinely scared for a moment before releasing a very silky laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would you say such a thing," she asked with a warning in the subtext that Merlin easily picked up on.

He figured the best way to gain her trust was to prove to her that she wasn't alone, so he held out his hand and produced a small ball of light. She stared at it, marveling at its beauty and innocence until he let it go out. When he did, he met her eyes and nodded, signaling that it was her turn.

She closed her eyes, held her hands together, and spoke the words to a spell Merlin had never heard of. She opened her eyes and he saw the amber flash that meant magic was being done then unclasped her hands. A small white bird fluttered out and flew around the room, singing a sweet song.

Merlin laughed and looked at Evangeline to see that she was grinning with excitement.

"You're going to have to teach me that one," he told her, walking over to open the window and let the bird fly out.

They watched it as it took off to the trees, singing all the way.

"I've never met another of my kind, Merlin, this is truly the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me," she said, not taking her eyes off her bird until it was impossible to see. "And to meet someone as powerful as you…"

He turned to her and asked, "What makes you think I'm that powerful?"

She shrugged and simply said, "I can feel it."

He waited, but when he realized she was done talking, inquired, "Care to elaborate?"

"No," she laughed.

He could tell she was joking with him, and he was utterly amazed; she was a completely different person than the woman he met that morning. It was almost unreal, and he didn't want that moment to end because he could feel a friendship forming between the two of them that he knew was extremely valuable. But, he had to ask it:

"Why were you so mean this morning?"

She stopped laughing and a look of sorrow and guilt showed on her face before she turned away and started walking towards the bed. Well, now that Merlin was really looking, he could see that she was actually limping all the way.

"I do apologize, but I was worried about my safety. I didn't know where I was, and if you'd been in my hearing with the king you'd know that I've had a bit of a trying year so I was trying to be cautious."

She reached the bed and almost fell upon it. Merlin ran over to help her, but she brushed his hand aside, offending and hurting him.

"What did I do?" he asked.

Evangeline sighed and looked at the ceiling, not wanting to meet Merlin's eyes.

"Merlin, you have to understand that I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to start a new life and forget about the one I left behind. Now don't worry, I can't very well tell anyone about your secret without risking you telling everyone mine so you're safe. But we can't be friends. I don't have any friends, and I'd like to keep it that way. Now, if you don't mind, I wish to be alone for a while. You're dismissed."

And just like that, the cold woman was back, treating Merlin as if he was just a servant boy, and not the "powerful", amazing person she just told him he was. He couldn't do anything but bow and leave as fast as possible; his heart hurt so much he didn't want to be in the same room as her. He'd just been rejected by one of his own. For years he'd suffered in the shadows as King Uther actively sought to destroy and reject his kind, but he never thought the day would come when another person of magic would turn him away in such a manner.

He stalked back to his room to tell Gaius everything, and never heard the soft sobs that were shed in the room he'd just stormed out of. He didn't know how hard she tried to fight the tears that were disobeying her and falling anyway, didn't know how she tried to muffle the sounds into her pillow as she curled up into a ball on the bed as best she could with a broken leg. He didn't know that the spell which had enabled her to walk on that leg had broken and that she was in immense pain. Merlin didn't know how sorry she was for lying to him and Gaius and Guinevere and Arthur…especially Arthur. But most of all, he didn't know how much her heart ached with longing and guilt. So much guilt…

So much guilt.