(I changed my alias to Hime! It's my new resolution for the new year to be more girly :D )
Hime: Hope you enjoy this chapter too! I do not own Merlin!
While Arthur had his meeting, Merlin waited for him outside. He stared out of the window, deep in thought. He couldn't help but think about the girl he saw earlier. Something about her seemed familiar to him. Could she possibly have magic like him? Could that have been the connection? Or was there something more? Merlin didn't understand these feelings he had for the mysterious girl which frustrated him greatly.
Who was that girl?
Suddenly, a strong muscular arm wrapped itself around Merlin's neck in a brotherly gesture, "Merlin!"
Merlin turned to see Gwaine.
"Gwaine? Aren't you usually in the tavern right about now?"
"Yes usually but I feel like going with someone today. Care to join me?"
"I can't, I have to wait for Arthur."
"The meeting has just started right? Don't they usually last for hours?"
"They do but Arthur expects me to be here when he's done."
"Then you'll just come back before he comes out!"
"But there's no telling how long the meetings will go on for Gwaine! Do you seriously want me get in trouble with Arthur?"
"Yes, do you Gwaine?"
Merlin & Gwaine turned to see Lancelot, Elyan, Percival and Leon standing behind them.
"Oh come now Lancelot! I just want to go and drink some ale with a friend is all!"
Leon frowned, "And the possibility of him getting into trouble with Prince Arthur would persuade him to go how exactly?"
Gwaine pouted, "You guys refused to come with me! Who else am I supposed to go with?"
"Go yourself Gwaine." Elyan told him.
"You've done so many times before." Percival pointed out.
Gwaine frowned, he was not going to win this match and he knew it.
"So Merlin why did you look so deep in thought earlier?" Gwaine asked, changing the subject.
"Oh well, I was thinking about that young girl I saw in the forest."
"Young girl?" Lancelot asked.
Merlin nodded and told the knights of what had transpired earlier.
"It would be dangerous for her to be wandering around at night." Elyan agreed.
"Then how about we all set out and find her?" Lancelot suggested.
Gwaine groaned, "But I wanted to drink today!"
Leon rolled his eyes, "You drink everyday Gwaine."
Gwaine pouted but nonetheless agreed with his fellow knights to search for the girl.
Lancelot gave his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry Merlin, we'll find her."
"I hope so, Lancelot, I really hope so."
In the forest, Melinda was looking at the moon.
"It's beautiful," she thought.
But no, she didn't come to this open clearing to admire the moon's beauty, she had to call for him, he was the only one she knew that she could trust to ask for advice. She removed the pendant she was wearing and raised it high above her, the moonlight of the full moon shining on it, making the gold chain with the oval ruby solitaire pendant in her hand look magical as it glowed in the light.
Melinda closed her eyes and concentrated hard.
She called out loudly, "Come to me oh Great Dragon Kilgharrah!"
As soon as she said that, her ruby pendant glowed brightly and soon enough, it came. Kilgharrah swooped down and landed heavily on the grassy ground in front of Melinda. He silently watched Melinda calmly put on her pendant necklace once more.
"Your pendant...it is the Dragon's Ruby is it not?"
"Yes, it is."
"For a young child to call me here with something as powerful as that…"
"It is powerful. The Dragon's Ruby, a jewel passed down to every first daughter of every Dragon Lord. A jewel that the daughters used to call for any dragon they wished to help them in either battle or to seek counsel. It is as powerful as the command of any Dragon Lord and the Dragons are bound to both."
"For you to posses such a thing, you must be one as well. And just who are you little child?"
Melinda removed her hood, revealing her face, "My name is Melina Emrys."
The dragon's eyes widened in shock when he saw her face, "You look so much like that woman! That-!"
"I know, that's why I wear hood. Look Kilgharrah, I really need your advice. Please."
The Great Dragon sighed and looked at the girl once more; there was that pleading look in her eyes. That look and that eye color was so much like Merlin's that it scared him a little.
"Advice on what sort of matter little witch?"
"As you can see, I come from the future and I have no idea how I can return home."
"How did you come here? A spell?"
"No, I fell into a wormhole."
Kilgharrah sighed at that, the wormholes would forever be pests won't they?
"There is a way you can return."
"There is?"
"The Well Of Le Fay. If you throw a gold piece into the well and make a wish, it'll be granted instantly. You will do the same and wish a portal for yourself that will lead you home. However, the journey there would be hard and very dangerous. You will need someone such as your father to go with you."
"No way in bloody hell."
If the dragon had any eyebrows, he would have raised one at the young girl's words.
"And why not?"
"This is my problem! Not my father's!"
"I see that you are rather stubborn for a young girl."
"Mind you, I am thirteen."
"The rebellious age, how explanatory."
The young girl growled at the dragon's sarcasm, "Just take me to the Well Of Le Fay Kilgharrah!"
The dragon deadpanned at the command, "You have no right to order me young witch. You may have the Dragon's Ruby but it can only aid you in calling for me not ordering me. I am not bound to help you."
Melinda's piercing blue eyes flashed in anger at what the dragon said, "And what do you think I should do? Go up to my father and tell him that I'm his daughter? Like hell he would believe me! Especially when he sees my face!"
"You have his eyes, Merlin would surely notice that. Besides, magic exists, surely time travel can also?"
Melinda sighed, "But won't I be altering time itself by being here? And telling my father who I am?"
"Perhaps but fate always did have a twisted way of changing things so that it would go according to how it sees it."
Melinda's scrunched in a worried and sad expression, "I really don't know what to do…"
"Little witch, do you want to know what I would do if I was in your place?"
Melinda looked up, curious to what it would say.
"I would care less about the laws of time and what fate holds for me. What I would only care for is the family that I have who is probably so worried that they're going mad."
Melinda's eyes widened, she could picture it now, those born with magic have to be in control of their emotions or they could very well cause mayhem. Oh lord if her father lets his emotions control him, Camelot would most probably be destroyed!
"Dang it! Oh Godspeed, Kilgharrah you're right! Oh whatever shall I do?"
"Find a way to get Merlin to help you, young Melinda."
Melinda smiled at the fact that he used her name.
"Melinda…you're named after Merlin aren't you?"
"Yes, my mother said that when she first saw my eyes, she immediately decided to name me after Father."
"Your eyes are much like him however you do resemble your mother very much."
"I know; it gets on my nerves sometimes though. Especially when they keep comparing me to her. It's not that I don't like my mother, it's just that I want to be recognized as Melinda not as her daughter."
Kilgharrah nodded his head in understanding. Suddenly, a loud call was heard.
"Little girl in the hood! Little girl in the hood! Oh where are you oh little girl in the hood?" Gwaine called out from a distance.
"Gwaine! Shut up!" his friends yelled, irritated.
Melinda's eyes widened, "Oh god, the Knights of the Round Table?"
"Perhaps you can use them to your advantage. Anyway, it is my cue to leave. Best of luck to you young witch."
Before Melinda could say anything else, the dragon took off, leaving Melinda alone.
Perhaps you can use them to your advantage
"And how the heck can I do that you stupid old dragon?" she screamed at him.
"Was that a yell?" Melinda heard Gwaine ask his fellow knights.
Oh good lord
Quickly, Melinda put on her hood and turned around just in time to see the knights emerge out from the bushes.
"Are you the girl that Arthur and Merlin met?" Elyan asked.
Melinda nodded, "Yes."
"Why did you run from them? Merlin was trying to help you" Percival told her.
"I wasn't thinking straight, I needed to be alone. I'm sorry."
"You made Merlin worry for you you know" Gwaine told her.
Melinda's eyes widened underneath her hood, I made Father worry?
Lancelot came forward and held out his hand, "Come on, let's go."
Melinda hesitated at first but eventually accepted his hand, making Lancelot himself smile as he felt the warmth of her hand in his, even though he was wearing gloves.
"Prince Arthur actually wanted to send out his knights to search for you in the morning." Leon told her.
"Did he really? I'm so sorry for the trouble" Melinda said, feeling guilty.
I worried Uncle Arthur too?
Gwaine laughed, "Don't worry about it little one! So can you tells us where you live? We'll gladly take you home."
"You can't, I'm not from here."
Elyan frowned, "Then where are you from?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to see Prince Arthur for that, please take me to him" she told them.
"Why is it that you need to see him?" Lancelot asked.
"Because I have to if I wish to return home. Please, just take me to him. Please?"
The pleading tone in the young girl's voice instantly made the knights's hearts soften.
"I guss it wouldn't hurt for Arthur to meet her right? Besides, I'm sure he and Merlin would like to see that the girl is fine and well" the men thought in unison.
"Alright, we'll take you to him" Lancelot promised her.
Hime: Review please!
And happy new year!