Chapter 2: Escape
17 years later
Elea awoke sharply and painfully, the shackles around her wrists and ankles rubbed her skin raw. All she could feel was the pain, her throat dry from lack of water, her stomach knotted and empty, and every time she moved she could feel the numerous cuts and bruises that tattooed her skin.
She lifted her hands shakily to the crystal tied around her neck. It was a powerful magical device that altered her appearance. Clasping at it with two dirty hands she tried to channel its power to help her break the chains, but despite her enormous power the chains remained intact. In the back of her mind she realized dully that they must have been forged using magic. Groaning she fell back to the floor of the dirty cage and lay there, gasping for breath.
Not for the first time she thought of her mother and her old home. They were not fond memories, her castle, while large and richly furnished was merely a comfortable prison, and her mother was a cold-hearted, evil witch, who never visited her unless it was to teach her about dark magic, or the evils of Camelot.
A smile graced her lips as she remembered fonder memories of the four happy years she had spent in the druid camp, after her escape from her mother when she was 13.
Finally, exhausted she drifted into a troubled sleep.
Merlin stood still as he watched Gaius tend to the sick man
"Send for me if he is not better by morning" his mentor said to the man's wife. She nodded and the two left.
They were walking back to their home when they passed a cage which held a young girl captive. She was huddled in a corner, it was obvious that any hope of escape had left her.
"Gaius" said Merlin looking at the prisoner helplessly.
"She's fallen prey to a bounty hunter." said the older man.
"But she's only a girl." Merlin protested
"She'll still fetch a good price though." said Gaius sadly
"Someone's going to pay for her?"
"Uther offers a handsome reward for anyone with magic"
"There must be something we can do" said the younger man helplessly
"Merlin, bounty hunters are dangerous men, they are not to be meddled with, you of all people should know that" said Gaius, his voice betraying no emotion.
Throughout this entire conversation the girl simply sat, huddled in the corner staring with empty eyes at the two figures.
Merlin walked silently towards the door, checking that Gaius was still asleep. Quietly he slipped out the door and down the alleyways towards the tavern.
When he arrived there he opened the door and glanced in to check whether the bounty hunter was occupied. With disgust, Merlin saw that he was busy shoveling food into his foul face.
Slipping out the door again he crept towards the cage. Muttering a spell, the chains on the door broke apart and it swung open.
Moving towards the girl he said reassuringly "Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you." Muttering another spell the girl's shackles broke apart, thus freeing her.
Half carrying, half dragging the nearly unconscious girl Merlin led her to some underground passageways. Once they had walked nearly all the way down Merlin led the girl to a small alcove and laid her on the ground. She seemed too weak to move properly, probably from lack of food and water, but she managed to mutter something,
"Crystal"
"What?" said Merlin, obviously confused.
"Crystal necklace" the girl replied in a hoarse whisper.
Seeing what she was talking about, Merlin pulled the crystal from around the girl's neck. Once it was free of her completely the girl's appearance began to change. Her short, brown hair grew into long golden curls, her whole body stretched, changing from short and stumpy to a perfectly carved, willowy figure. She now had high, proud cheekbones, full, red lips and an adorable button nose. Her eyes had also changed, from a dull blue into the most beautiful and lively he had ever seen. They were blue green around the edges, which morphed into green the closer you came to the center, and around the pupil there was a small ring of amber. Even in this bruised and dirty state the girl's great beauty shone through.
Merlin, seeing the girl was dressed only in rags, took off his jacket and laid it over her. This seemed to promote her to speak as she then asked quietly,
"What's your name?"
"Merlin" the boy replied
"Elea"
At this he smiled, and said reassuringly "I'll be back tomorrow morning, I'll bring some food and water" with this he got up to leave, but just as he was disappearing from sight he heard the girl's faint voice say;
"Thank you Merlin."