A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

201. A Remedy to Cure All Ills

It was quite a beautiful day to be alive within the gates of Camelot City. There was so much to see within the city boundaries, and so much for the people to do as they went about their ordinary lives. But the sun was out and about, with a special shine to it that spoke of an endless day of possibilities ahead for the people who lived there. There were birds chirping in the trees and flying high overhead, singing their special song among themselves as they were tweeting across the open horizon. Such a sharp contrast when compared to the horrible roars that had came from the winged creature that had attacked their kingdom just a month before. Perhaps that was why the city was acting so lively, even if their lives had hardly changed at all since that horrific experience that tried to strike them down. Many of the people—especially those that had been directly affected by the griffin's assault on their land the month prior—were grateful to just be alive. But, of course, the same could not be said about everybody. One person in particular, had storm clouds brewing above her head, upset over the happiness and cheer that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.

Julia NoLastName was a peasant woman who had worked for the castle pretty much her entire life, ever since she was old enough to sit in front of a basin of water and scrub cloths against the metal washbasin without falling over. And she was a damn good washer, if she did say so herself. She had spent years in the wash rooms, scrubbing the sheets belonging to the guest chambers in the castle until they were in pristine condition. She had spent years washing cloths and towels made for their noble community when they bathed. And yes, if she had been lucky, she had been allowed to wash the noble undergarments which belonged to whatever lucky guest had been visiting Camelot's royal family that week. She took plenty of pride in her work, and would never stoop so low as to be called anything besides 'the best washer on this side of Camelot.' Nobody ever actually called her that, but Julia did try her damn hardest to get people to do it when she was a teenager. But, as the years wore on and she embraced her adult years, she had let it go in favor of watching over a group of younger girls who she didn't believe were as good as herself, and needed her guidance for such things. Which soap worked best with which fabric, and what to never put in the same basin unless you wanted the colors to blend together, and the many different tricks of the trade that made their day easier to live in. But, of course, by younger girls, Julia really meant the group of young women only a year or two younger than she herself was. BUT, as the oldest in the group, she felt it was her solemn duty to lead them down the right path.

The point to all this though, is that when young girls are concerned, there isn't a single moment that goes by without Julia being able to hear the latest gossip spreading among the kingdom. If there was anything that the laundry servants were able to do while they washed their cloths of the day, it was chatting. And Julia had ears almost like a bloodhound. It was why she was one of the first to know when Gwen had been released from the dungeons after she had ended up accused of witchcraft nearly three months ago, and it was only because of Consort Merlin's efforts to save her. It was also why Julia had been the first of the people to know that very same consort, who had behaved so recklessly to save Gwen's life, was still behaving recklessly by cheating on Prince Arthur like he had been. Nowadays though, most people had dismissed such rumors, and liked to pretend it didn't even exist, especially after the rumor mill caught wind of Arthur's stunt during a knight's celebration party the month before. She had not been permitted to be there, because she was meant to stay near the wash rooms, but she had heard all about how Prince Arthur had stood on a bench in the room and announced the rumors as a falsehood. Promising retribution for any he caught still speaking such nastiness about his consort. Julia was smart enough to keep her mouth shut about it, but she still privately thought it was a true rumor. There was no way a former peasant boy, whose nickname after the trial between him and the two traitor knights, was 'The Merciful' could actually be as clean as he seemed to be.

But all the rumors in the world weren't enough to satisfy Julia's need to have something truly interesting to fill as fulfilled with her own life as she pretended to be. Even now, Julia wanted to rip apart the good mood her 'young mentees' seemed to be in as they followed her through the edges of the training ground. She had a large basket full of recently washed clothing perched on her hip that needed to be hung to dry out in the sun, and the immense weight only had her mood worsening. She wanted to complain about it to the three girls trailing at her backside across the grass, like these little ducklings following their mama to wherever she wanted them to go. But Julia's already been told once today by one of her 'mentees' to shut up, after Julia's complaining had annoyed her enough. Julia had been agitated to be talked to in such a manner by a young girl who has no ideas of the struggles it took to live a life like Julia's. The only consolation Julia had, was that neither Gwen nor Mary had been here to see it for themselves. They might get similar ideas, and decide they could talk to her in the same manner as… Merida had. But it's been quite a while since Mary has joined them in their laundry duty, and Gwen didn't usually do her laundry duty on the first of the week. But that still meant Julia was stuck with her friend, the only girl she could actually stand out of the lot, Keira. And that annoying quiet girl, who usually worked in a different group but had decided to join theirs for today for some ungodly reason, Bethany. And… Merida… who's been quite the thorn in Julia's backside ever since they met.

"I can't believe we decided to come the long way this time, just to get these stupid cloths hung up! And Prince Arthur isn't even here for us to watch! I do not know about you girls, but this basket weighs more than I do, and I wanted to see some men sweating just to make all of this work worth it!" Merida was complaining from her place somewhere behind Julia, glowering at the training fields where a good dozen or so knights were running drills. But the man that was leading the group clearly wasn't Arthur, if the dark hair and olive tone of his skin was anything to go by. Julia glowered ahead of herself, while refusing to look at something she had already realized. Did Merida not realize there are other things in the world that could have their attention. Things that definitely did not include checking whether or not Arthur was on the training fields once again. "Am I really asking too much here? Because I thought Julia told the rest of us that Arthur's been out here training each and every day during these last few weeks? As in, intensive training, enough to make a woman's heart leap out of her chest at just the sight of those muscles swinging those swords and ax's around the field. Or did you lie to us Julia, just to torture us by making us walk this ridiculously long path just to hang up these damn sheets."

Julia huffed under her breath, but pointedly held her face upwards so that the red haired lass understood that Julia was fully ignoring her. Yes, Julia was the one that had told the all about Arthur's rigorous training sessions lately, and all about how it was a concern for her. It was just last month, that Arthur was said to be working on something quite top secret, and wasn't seen around the city for weeks! And now this month starts, and suddenly anybody walking their way past the training fields would have been able to see him? And not just a single hour or two in the morning, which would have been normal for him. But he had taken his training to a whole new level, it seemed. Beating the training dummy, several of them, in fact, into submission until they had to be tossed out. Or he was beating the new recruits until they were forced to tap out or suffer quite a rough recovery. From early morning to late at night, as if he was filled with this restless energy that wouldn't quite leave him, no matter how many swings the prince took with his blade. And Julia had convinced herself that it had to be all Merlin's doing. Something must have happened at the trial, something so huge that it had disrupted Arthur's usual routine. She had spent the last few days in this field, stalking the prince whenever she could and staring him down when she could get a few minutes away from her work. But staring at him had solved none of her questions, so perhaps it was her fault that she was stuck dealing with this group of girls behind her. She had hoped they would be able to offer a bit of insight into what was going on with the prince. But, of course, the first day she decided to bring them, was the first day that the prince had gone and disappeared on them. Something HAD to be wrong! Prince Arthur wouldn't just break from his new routine without there being signs of his interest starting to wane, unless something else has happened. But the only question Julia had in her mind was… what has happened?

"I suppose that it's quite strange if you think about it. If what Julia has told us is really true, then why wouldn't the prince be out here now? I mean, he works so hard already. So what could've happened to make him dedicate hours of his day to his training. It… it makes me worried." Came the quiet voice of Bethany, ducking her head down so that her long blonde locks could fall forward to hide her face from the rest of them. Julia's hands went tight around her basket, just because it felt as if Bethany was reading her mind. Only Bethany wasn't being quite as stubborn as Julia was, and could voice herself more acutely than what Julia felt she was able to at the moment. "But I really do hope that nothing has happened to either him or Consort Merlin. But perhaps he is simply taking the day off, or has other matters that he needed to see to? Because he is a Prince, there's probably thousands of things to see through and there's nothing I need to be worried about, right?"

Julia's scowl deepened, and she wanted to scream YES, as loudly as she could in order to get the message across. They should absolutely be concerned over what was going on between the prince and his consort this week. It was killing Julia to not know the details about what had went on during the trial that took place so many weeks ago, especially since it had been all anybody had talked about when it was actually happening. But the actual details seemed as if they were being kept to the people who were actually there. The only thing she had to go on was Arthur's strange behavior and new training regime, as well as the little bit Knight Julian had been willing to share with some of the other knights that she had overheard. Knight Bryon being banished was old news, Julia was pretty sure the entire city had heard him shrieking obscenities as other knights had dragged him into a cage on wheels to cart him out of the gates. And Julian was stuck on basic duty, mostly dealing with the worse job a knight was forced to do, as per his probation. But he did seem oddly happy about it. But that was probably because he was relieved he hadn't been carted out like Bryon. Merlin on the other hand… well, Julia hadn't been able to catch him. He has seen out and about a few times, but whenever Julia tried to get there whenever she was told by friends of her… he was already gone!

"Will you all stop complaining about what Prince Arthur is doing right now! He is hardly what I'm most concerned about right now! So, unless you have some actual information about where he's decided to go today, of all days, then this whining about his absence is going to get us nowhere." Julia snapped over her shoulder when she couldn't take it anymore, marching across the grassy fields as she hiked her laundry basket higher up her hip. The girls she was with grew silent at her outburst, sharing confused looks, because none of them had been 'whining.' They had simply been talking, as they tended to do to make the work they did go by faster. And Julia was actually the worse talker out of the lot, but Julia was in too much of a mood to recognize this. She huffed and she puffed to herself before continuing on, "I simply mean, there isn't any reason for us to speak about the prince. If he's absent here, then he's obviously disappeared to be with his consort somewhere. Merlin is the only thing that makes the prince neglect his other duties, so clearly he's at fault for Arthur handing his training sessions off to another knight. I just don't know WHY! Why hasn't Merlin been punished yet or anything! I mean, what happened during that trial that allowed Merlin to get off scot-free after he fooled the entire court into letting that one commoner into their ranks! Anybody else would've had their head chopped off for pulling the stunts he does! And yet, he's still roaming the city somewhere, with Arthur now in tow probably."

Julia's head was throbbing with her anger at the injustice of this. She was just so bloody sick of hearing one thing, while hearing absolutely nothing about all the things she WANTED to know about. She was just so bloody sick of hearing people she knew—people who had detested Merlin just as she did for all of the chaos and disruption he has caused—suddenly changing their tune. So what if Consort Merlin had saved the lives of a few no-good commoners when the city had been attacked by that winged beast last month?! So what if Merlin ended up being known as 'the savior' after that day to go along with the odd title 'the merciful' that Knight Julian had referred to him as, to explain as vaguely as he could why he was still here when Bryon had been escorted out. Julia could've done everything that Merlin had done! She could have gotten those titles had she been in the midst of things! So she didn't know why she had to hear all the girls—during her normal work days—fawning to themselves about what they've seen Merlin doing. Hell, apparently they saw Merlin stop to help someone pick up her lost washing after she had tripped over her own feet and dropped them on the ground! What was so bloody great about that! It was like everybody had dismissed the fact that the girl had only tripped in the first place because she had seen Consort Merlin walking down the hall before he noticed her. So it was his fault to begin with!

"But… Consort Merlin's not one of us anymore. I mean, he's the consort, so I'm sure the king is simply allowing him a few more allowances that the none of us would've been given because we aren't nobility. Besides, I think that Lancelot was special in his own way. I know you heard all about how he managed to get out of the kingdom with his head still attached to his shoulders. It takes quite a brave man to go up against that creature and save the prince's life… I'm sure Consort Merlin simply saw the potential Lancelot had. He probably didn't even mean to go against the rules in the first place." Bethany insisted, her tone soft and shaking as she tried to weakly protest in the face of Julia's ire. But there's a red tinge to Bethany's face that betrayed her emotions. Perhaps she… might have developed a tiny crush on Lancelot when she had seen him on the fields a time or two. She had wanted to approach him, but… why would he want her to, when she could barely string two words together when she was out in front of a man. "But Julia, I don't know you are so against Merlin? Yes, he had done a few questionable things, but I think he's more than made up for it. Everybody I've talked to during these last few weeks seems to be singing Merlin's praises and referring him by those nicknames of his. I just… I don't know why you only wish to see the bad, instead of embracing the good energy Consort Merlin has brought to the kingdom lately—"

Bethany cut herself off with a loud squeak, quite similar to a mouse, of fear as Julia sent her a withering glare over her shoulder to shut her up. Bethany held up her laundry basket to tried hiding her face from the brasher girl's temper as she eased herself behind Merida. The only girl out of all of them that has never coward in the face of Julia's 'run them down' personality. And Julia's scowl got deeper, transforming her face into something ugly as she took in the scene the blonde haired girl was making. There was a reason Julia would occasionally let Bethany hang around them, but allowing her to do so today had clearly been a mistake on her part. Especially if she was going to stand there and be just like all of the other girls that had fallen into Merlin's orbit. As if he was going to be the next best thing that ever happened to them, when he's still the same exact boy who's been in their kingdom for five months. And they hadn't liked him at all during those last five months, so why should it be any different now?

"Consort Merlin is nothing more than a swine who will bring misfortune to this kingdom, because he only does what he wants instead of keeping the rest of us in mind. How, exactly, was allowing a commoner to sneak himself into the knights something that would help us? How is it, that he could have a trial that actually punished two sons of noble families, and none of us were allowed one scrap of information concerning it? For all we know, one of us could be next on Merlin's list of people to get rid of. Do you really want to wait around and find out if he's coming after you next?" Julia demanded in a mad rant, so much of her blood pumping through her veins faster than it felt like her heart was able to keep up with. She needed other people to see reason, to see that Merlin is a danger to all of them and their way of life. A boy who thought only of himself, when he could be spending his time making their lives easier. It wouldn't have hurt him to get on the balcony Uther's always standing on and addressing the city just to give them a brief summary of what happened during that trial. She wouldn't be in such a frenzy if she knew what happened to the knights wasn't something that was going to happen to her next. "Everybody around here just goes on and on and on about him nowadays, as if he's some infallible being to the rest of us mere mortals. He could probably kill somebody and be allowed to get away with it, because heaven forbid we do anything to upset him! Arthur might even come after us himself, just like he did all those knights who pulled a few innocent pranks of him!"

Julia had been sickened each and every time she had heard the rumors when they came through the laundry rooms during that dratted week. Talk after talk about which knight had been punished because they did something that had caused the consort offense. If Julia had been there to see these pranks herself then she would have found it funny. She would have laughed her head off after seeing Merlin's disgruntled expression, seeing the way he was being expected to get his hands dirty like the rest of them. But her humor at the situation was ruined whenever she heard our Arthur reacted to them. HONESTLY! Beating up a bunch of new recruits on the training fields in front of everybody? Demoting a few of the more senior knights? Sending others to spend hours down in the cells? And why? Just because his consort had a few hurt feelings about it? It was ridiculous! Hearing the way Arthur jumped through hoops was enough to make her nauseated. He would have never turned on his own men if it hadn't been for Merlin's presence. Who was going to protect them when they needed it, if all of the knights were being punished or sent away? Why punish them at all when it was Consort Merlin that clearly needed to get a proper humor and laugh off whatever they did to him.

"Oh, my god! Do you even hear yourself right now! I am so bloody sick of you going on and on and on about how much you hate Merlin! I swear, it's all I hear from you nowadays and it's irritating! Everybody knows that you are just horrid about it because you are jealous of all the attention Consort Merlin gets when you, a fellow peasant, can't get the same!" Merida nearly exploded from right behind her, and there was a solid thump on the ground as the red haired lass threw her laundry basket down onto the ground. Julia went around in response to this, her lips falling open in disgust. How dare she, thought the jealous cow of a woman, how dare Merida speak to her like that! How dare she accuse her of jealousy just because she was speaking the truth! It might be hard for some to hear, but at least Julia wasn't blinded by a few acts Merlin had managed to get away with. "Maybe Merlin managed to get Lancelot off without punishment because he's actually competent at what he does! Maybe he WAS trying to be a help to us, because Lancelot's attempt could have opened the door for all of us if one commoner managed to make it through! Don't you have brothers? I'm sure one of them could have taken up the sword if given the proper training, or even one of their sons when they are old enough! That would have been quite a bit of gold coming into your family if it had succeeded! Which meant that you would have gotten exactly what you wanted, which is working less hours since your family wouldn't have to rely on your salary here in the castle. Or perhaps you would have rather your entire family starve, then allowing another member have the opportunity to earn more than you do."

Julia growled beneath her breath, pushing back her shoulders after the blow Merida had dealt her! It was no secret that Julia made the most money out of her six brothers and sisters, as well as whatever little bit their young children were able to scrounge up. Her job here in the castle gave her security that her family members didn't have with their boring and regular jobs down among the lower town. She had bragged about it quite a bit when she had first been hired when she had wondered into the castle—quite by accident—at a tender age. It had been a mistake, really. They were waiting for somebody else had mistook Julia as that person. It was days before anybody had figured out there'd been a mix-up, but by then, Julia had already gotten the hang of her new job and so they had decided to keep her. It wasn't Julia's fault that she was far better off than the rest of her family, nor was it Julia's fault that she was able to place a whole sack of coins onto their dining table every week when she got paid, and had to watch the rest of her family place only small handfuls down. Julia WAS better than the rest of them, and it was only her right to brag about it. Merida, though, could keep her big most out of Julia's business! It wasn't as if she and her family were any better off than hers was!

"My family actually knows what their place is, unlike others who keep trying to push the boundaries! I'm not jealous just because I think he should have been held accountable for the things he does! Consort Merlin has made a mockery of the court since day one, and let me tell you, I don't see anything that's been changed! I bet, by this time next month, everything will have blown over and all of you, who would waste your breath defending him, will return to loathing him just as he's always been." Julia sneered, watching as Merida's face as if turned steadily redder and redder as her anger mounted like the red haired lass she's always been. She refused to justify herself against Merida's accusations. If the girl knew anything about her and her family, then she would know her brothers were liable to kill themselves with a blade instead of being able to bring aid to the royal guards of Camelot. So she would keep being the main breadweiner of the family and that was all there was to it. "But hey, if you want to go on ahead and keep making a fool out of yourself, then I say you should keep behaving as you are! If you want to support Merlin, then that's fine! But I'll be the one that's laughing the next time he makes the royal family look like fools! But hey, I may just be wrong and he learned his lesson after realizing peasants are not meant to be knights!"

Julia finished her big speech with a sharp nod of her head, actually feeling as if she was pretty damn proud of herself. She knew what she said was the right thing, especially when she saw the way Merida was clenching her fists, looking as if she was trying to stop herself from clawing Julia's eyes out. But it's clear that Merida was really the jealous one! She was jealous she wasn't being paid as good as Julia was, and had to settle for the scraps! Oh, sure, they both got the same amount at the end of the week, but at least Julia had a little left over to spend on herself however she wanted. Unlike Merida, who spent every last coin she had by sending whatever she didn't need to where her family lived in one of the outer villages. Merida's father—which Julia knew because she made it her business to everything about the girls she hung around with—had saved money for years until he was able to squirrel away enough to send Merida right to Camelot, so she could have better prospects and a better life. Which is why Julia never understood why Merida bothered sending money to people she did not see, and hasn't seen, in many years. Merida hadn't even had the chance to meet the three triplet brothers her mother had been pregnant with before she left. She would be better off keeping that money for herself so she could find a home of her own, instead of suckling up the castle's resources by living in the servants quarters.

"…Peasants don't become consorts either."

Whatever good mood Julia had gotten from subsequently managing to shut up Merida, seemed to drain out of her faster than water drained out of a colander, as she whipped around to glare daggers at the girl who had spoken. Bethany… making herself known again in the worst of ways. Julia's anger spiked, did that bloody girl not know to stay out of other people's business? Did she not realize Julia was trying to put Merida in her place, and didn't need Bethany wanting to step in as if she thought she's going to be some kind of hero of the hour. What did Bethany think was going to happen? That she was going to be treated with the same reverence the servants were treating their 'esteemed consort', if she stood up to Julia? What a load of hogwash! Bethany was damn lucky that Julia allowed her to follow them around, but that wasn't going to happen anymore if Bethany continued stepping out of her lane. Whatever had happened with the girl who had, just yesterday, refused to open her mouth because she's terrified of how others would react to what she had to say.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU BLOODY ON!"

Bethany gave a loud squeak and bodily threw herself behind Merida in an odd attempt at keeping some distance from the irate girl. Usually, such a sight was something Julia would have enjoyed, considering so very few people would've reacted to her in such a way. But Bethany was afraid of her own shadows half the time, so it gave her no satisfaction. Especially when Bethany hasn't done anything other than keeping her distracted. Julia had so many questions that needed to be answered, there were so many mysteries that had to be solved, and all of them pertaining to the prince and his consort in some way. She did not have time for Bethany's crap! Who was she to question Julia? Julia knew exactly what life should be like, and peasants like them had no business being in the affairs of royalty. She knew that now, after seeing how spectacularly the consort tried defying the rules that had been in place long before any of them were even born. So Bethany could take her reverence towards the consort and leave her bloody well out of it.

"Don't yell at her like that! God, she's just pointing something out that you are so obviously missing, since you spend so much of your damn time judging the other people in your life! Peasant DON'T become consorts, but now times are changing! And Consort Merlin is able to see things that the nobles don't since they have never been one of us. He's only getting started, and when you think about it, five months as consort isn't really any time at all considering there'll be plenty of years ahead of him. So, why don't you back off and stop trying to badmouth him to anybody who'll listen. Because in case you haven't noticed it already, Consort Merlin has started gaining a pretty strong following these last few weeks. So stop sticking your nose in his business!"

Julia's face turned blistering red as Merida shrieked at her, pulling herself into a protective stance in front of Bethany, as if she thought Julia may actually try and attack somebody not worth her time. Her entire body was shaking, that is how angry Julia was after hearing the fiery Merida open her big mouth. Merida was just being blind! Blind just like every other damn person who was starting to see Merlin in a different light these days. So what if Julia went around trying to remind the other servants how many times Merlin had already failed them as their consort, and how many times he had done nothing but cause humiliation for the kingdom as a whole. It was her right to remind people so they wouldn't get disappointed whenever the next screw up inevitably happened! Maybe the red haired girl could sit there and say crap like 'five months isn't long' but she had felt these last five months! There were reasons peasants weren't allowed to stand as an equal to nobility. Lancelot had proved that last month when he was shown to be a fraud, and Julia didn't think killing a creature wasn't a good enough reason to make people forget about his trickery. And Consort Merlin is somebody who endorses such crimes!

"Consort Merlin is a public figure and I have every right to question each and every decision he makes! I'm a citizen in this city, aren't I? I deserve to have an opinion on the people that are running it! And if Consort Merlin steps out of his place once again, then I'll have no choice but to say I told you so, when it ends with this kingdom in ruins." Julia announced furiously, her anger growing when Merida scoffed and rolled her eyes. Julia knew that people thought she's being ridiculous, and there were probably plenty of people who also thought she was just jealous she didn't have the flattering attention Merlin was getting towards him these days. But Julia would stand by what she said, and she would remind everybody for years to come when they were all living in the woods and eating grasshoppers because they were chased out of the kingdom. "Oh, you can try and laugh at me all you want, Merida, but I'm not going to stop until I know all that I can know about Consort Merlin just so I can prove ya'll wrong! If he's so perfect like you all seem to think, then why does he make so many mistakes in the last several months! If he's so great, then how come he breaks the rules as if they are optional? If he is so perfect, then how come nobody knows exactly what happened during that trial!"

By the time Julia was done voicing her many complaints, her voice had risen to a loud shriek, the kind that could burst eardrums and so high pitched that only dogs should have been allowed to hear her at that frequency. Bethany ducked further down behind Merida as if to hide herself from the noise, though Merida seemed as if she was largely unaffected, keeping her narrowed eyes locked on Julia's form. The other member of their party—Keira-seemed as if she wished she could ignore them all, humming under her breath as she dug through her laundry basket to make a mental note on how many garments she had to hang up for today. Julia scowled at the lack of reaction from what was supposed to be her best friend, but Keira had been acting like that for weeks now. Zoning out and staring off into space and staring at insignificant things as if they were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Ever since she had gotten trapped under that stupid collapsed building when the griffin had attacked the castle and Consort Merlin had to pull her out before it crushed her to death.

"Have you ever considered maybe that's why everybody's finally starting to be open-minded and take notice of Consort Merlin? Because he's NOT perfect in any way, like King Uther or Prince Arthur and even Lady Morgana try so hard to be? Consort Merlin gets his hands dirty, and pushed boundaries, and doesn't yet something like 'the rules' stop him from doing something he believes to be beneficial. And yes, he makes mistakes, but you know what he does? He does not try to hide them, or brush them away as if they never happened, or blame somebody else to take the heat off of him. He admits it, and he goes out of his way to correct it and make it right. How many nobles do you know who are not sticking their noses so far up the Royal family's arses just to make them happy with their performance?"

Julia gritted her teeth at Merida's bluntness, her stubbornness refusing for her to see what was really in front of her. Consort Merlin had been born the same as they all the peasants were born… in the dirt and the muck like the pigs they kept in pins on the other side of the castle. So as far as Julia was concerned, it was Merlin who SHOULD have been sticking his nose up the arses of the royal family. He should have been going out of his way to please them like any other peasant would have done in Merlin's position. So what made him decide to go against what everybody's expectations for him? Why did Merlin like to make so many waves in the city, large enough to disrupt even the most ordinary of their afternoons. Maybe Julia just wanted to feel better about herself, knowing that she would have never opened her mouth if she was in Merlin's position, unless she was agreeing with each and every word spoken by the royals.

"And hey, maybe if you weren't so obsessed with getting here this morning to watch Arthur training, then perhaps you would have heard the news! The trial isn't exactly much of a secret anymore. People have been talking about it half the morning already. Apparently one of the servants working was passing food out in the council chambers this morning, and heard the councilmen speaking about what happened. She's been spreading the word non-stop, talking about how… Consort Merlin gave those knights a chance to repent for their crimes in order to save themselves. And how Julian was the only one that did it. I mean, have you not heard people whispering about 'Merlin the Merciful', yet? Or has your nose been so buried in your own arse, trying to figure out a mystery that isn't there, that you completely missed the big reveal?"

Merida's smug tone had Julia opening her mouth to give her a sharp retort in response, but her words died in her throat as she took in what the other had actually just said. But… it couldn't be. Merida actually knew details about what had gone on in the trial? Details that had only been privy to those who'd been in attendance… until now, apparently. But… how could she have missed such a thing like that? How could she, the queen of knowledge to every rumor that's ever been spread around the kingdom, have overlooked something she'd been deliberately trying to find out. But, thinking back to how her morning's been so far, Julia could remember seeing how many servants had fallen into groups as they whispered together. And she did vaguely hear bits and pieces of whispers as she passed them by… people saying things like… merciful. But Julia's been so dead-set on getting here early enough so she could spend a good chunk of her morning spying on Arthur, that she hadn't paid it any attention. But if what Merida said was true, if word was really out about the secrets that surrounded that trial, then… what else had been said that Julia had missed? What else was she able to find out, now that the information was free and running rampant in the kingdom?

"And don't forget Consort Merlin is also nobility, now that he's the lost heir to Gaius."

Bethany peeked out from behind Merida's shoulder just long enough to blow Julia's mind apart, but the second Julia whirled around to look at her with eyes so wide that they could've fallen straight out of her skull, Bethany had already taken shelter once again. But Julia was in a state of shock, trying to figure out if she had just heard Bethany say what she did. If she could even move one of her muscles, she would have grabbed Bethany by her hair and demanded she explain herself proper. Because… what? Merlin… the lost heir who belongs to the family of the Royal physician? Such news left her feeling scatterbrained as she tried regaining control of her facilities. But she couldn't get the image of Merlin out of her head, with Gaius standing next to him, as if she was trying to find any similarities between them that said they were related. She took all of their features and tried to make sense of them. Gaius' wide and bushy brows didn't match with Merlin's slightly thinner darker ones, though maybe that was liable to change when Merlin got old like Gaius. But Gaius' hair laid flat, while Merlin's looked as if he had never seen a brush in his life. Gaius' eyes were this pale blue that could often pass for gray, while Merlin's was much darker… how exactly could the two be related in any way. Gaius was just so refined, even if he lived in a dust covered hovel. And Merlin just… wasn't.

"Yeah, I think that's the news that is going around even more than the details on what took place during the trial. Everybody is pretty stunned to hear about it, actually. Everybody's been spending this entire time assuming Merlin was a peasant, and it turned out he had nobility blood running through his veins. It is definitely going to take a minute before people start moving on from that one." Merida said, her voice softer as if she knew exactly what Julia's trying to work through right now. All of the stunned disbelief that made a person feel like the floor was sticking to their feet, preventing them from moving. "Apparently the whole thing came out during the trial, that much I know. According to what I've been hearing, Uther just stood in front of the entire council and announced the consort's heritage as if it was nothing. So it's no wonder the council has been talking about it, probably trying to figure out what to do now that Gaius' noble line has somebody to carry it on."

That was right, Julia thought as her eyes sparkled with amazement. If Merlin is part of an ancient and noble bloodline, then… then that meant that they had all been lied to right from the beginning! The whole reason Consort Merlin had so many people interested in what he was doing, was BECAUSE everybody's been thinking he was as common as the rest of them were. Everybody had watched him so closely all these months, and crucified him for every mishap, was only because everybody wanted to know how a commoner would fair when a throne was thrust into their lives. Everybody had been excited in the beginning simply because they thought Consort Merlin, a peasant boy who understand exactly what the rest of them were going through, would somehow be able to make all of their lives so much better. But it would explain why nothing's happened that would change their lives for the better. Because… Consort Merlin had not ever been like the rest of them. Now like he portrayed himself to be. Not like he has been pretending himself to be… good god. She had figured it out. Julia is quite sure she had just figured out the mystery that's been plaguing her all this time.

"THAT'S IT!"

Julia's exclamation made Bethany and Merida look at her blankly, but Julia just looked at the two of them with a wide and manic grin as her mind ran wild. She could feel the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together in her mind, as if the mystery had basically solved itself once this new information was revealed to her. It made so much sense, and she only loathed that she hadn't figured it all out sooner! It would have been so easy to convince people to abandon the excitement and hope they seem to have toward Consort Merlin, if she was able to share this theory of hers with them. In fact, she couldn't wait to spread it as far as she could across the entire city! The people wound understand and they would finally see things how she saw them! And she had three people standing right in front of her that would be the perfect people to spread the news along to the other castle servants. If they all spread out, they could probably have a good chunk of the castle believing it before lunch! But when Julia saw exactly how confused Bethany and Merida seemed to be, Julia rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation. It seemed as if she was the only smart one among them.

"Don't any of you see? This explains why Prince Arthur has been seen coming out to these training fields every day for weeks! It explains why he's been so obsessed with bashing up his training dummies and knocking other knights to the ground so viciously. Clearly, Arthur must be furious that Merlin's gone and hid something so majorly huge from him! And this has been his way of getting his frustrations out!" Julia exclaimed, full of hype over her discovery. But when she saw Merida was still looking dubious about this, Julia huffed before trying once again. "Just think about it. King Uther somehow figured out what Merlin's real heritage was, and announced it the way he did because it would cause the people who needed to know to react! Nobody would have allowed the consort to marry Arthur if they knew he was the only heir to a noble bloodline. The two of them can't have children together, right? So both bloodlines could very well die out if they don't do something later on down the line. And since nobles are all about preserving their bloodlines, something like that if major! Nobody here has ever met Merlin before he came to the city, so he very well could have hid who he really was just so he could marry Arthur and have stake to the thrones. Arthur must've found out then as well, and that's why he's been spending his time on the fields. He probably feels so betrayed, knowing his consort tricked him like he did just to gain a marry! How much do you want to bet Arthur will end up banishing him from the castle for marrying him under false pretenses or something?"

Julia felt as if her chest could burst from how happy she was, now that all her mysteries were being solved in one fell swoop! She would have to make sure she spent the next few days hanging out in the courtyard, so she would have the highest chance of watching Merlin getting kicked out of the castle by the prince himself! His noble blood wasn't going to save him when Arthur's anger got involved in the mix! Merlin not being a peasant had just became the most greatest thing that could've happened to her! It wouldn't be long now that the people started understanding how serious Merlin's lies were for them ad well. They had all been tricked and lied to by Merlin pretending to be a peasant. He was meant to help them because he understood their lifestyle, but how much could a noble playing dress up and pretend really know?

"…Wow. You really are just that desperate to make Merlin out to be the bad guy in this situation, aren't you? Ready to throw him back underneath the carriage without having any actual facts to back it up. Your wild theories will do nothing considering there are plenty of people who saw the way he went out of his way to protect the people during that griffin attack. Or they had family that saw the whole thing going down." Merida said bluntly, immediately tearing down Julia's entire theory without giving two seconds of her time to think about how great all the facts had stuck together. And Julia glared at her angrily, as her cheeks puffed out. Julia didn't need something like 'hard proof' to prove her theory is the only right one. She KNEW she was right, she could feel it way down in her soul that this was the truth. And other people would see it as well. Merida was going to be forced to eat her own tongue when she saw how many of the other servants started agreeing with her! "So, how about you just do us all this favor and give the whole thing a rest for real, this time. I mean, you really should not be running your mouth if you aren't even going to investigate and ask anybody questions that might prove whatever craziness you think is going on between the consort and the prince. If you DID, then perhaps you would have realized people are ALSO claiming Merlin was unaware of his heritage until he came to Camelot and married the prince. So therefore, your theory is nothing but this load of hogwash since Merlin would've already been married to Arthur! Arthur was probably even there whenever he found out. So whatever reason he's got for running himself ragged on the fields every day for weeks, doesn't have one thing to do with Merlin's heritage being rebelled."

Julia bristled defensively, her lips going thin as the denial hit her strong. As far as Julia knew, there was nothing else going on in the prince's life. Nothing that was so big that it matched the shock that came with finding out your husband isn't what he seemed when you married. Besides, it still didn't explain why the people weren't rebelling now that the news was becoming a public knowledge. There should have been riots right about now, people stomping on top of the front steps of the castle and demanding Merlin's head for this deceit. The way things SHOULD have gone, involved having Consort Merlin standing on top of the balcony overlooking the courtyard and informing EVERYBODY who he was. And honestly, Julia didn't buy for one second that Merlin didn't know what his heritage was. How did somebody go through their entire life and not know that their blood was more special than the 'peasants' he pretended to be one of. It was THIS that was a real load of hogwash. Julia knew who her relatives were, so there was no excuses for Merlin not knowing his own.

"Stop trying to defend him. Consort Merlin LIED to us by not coming forth as a nobleman by blood. Even if he wasn't pretending to be a peasant to get Arthur to notice him, he was still pretending to be a peasant to the rest of us. It's like a betrayal, and I don't know why you can't see that! How can you defend some man that would keep something like this from us!" Julia demanded, tone harsh and violent. If Merlin could lie about something as small as what his bloodline was, then what else was he capable of lying about. If their lives or the kingdom was ever in danger, would he bother announcing it so the rest of them had the chance to prepare for the worst? Or would Merlin keep it to himself, just like he kept his bloodline to himself, until they were left scrambling to keep their lives. "Hell, wasn't Consort Merlin even supposed to be the People's Consort before he started screwing everything up like he did? He was meant to be our future, meant to look out for us in a way nobles couldn't! He was supposed to protect US because he had intimate knowledge of what we peasants have to struggle with on a daily basis. But that was only another big lie! How could that Consort ever understand any of us when he's just as noble as the rest of them are?!"

Julia couldn't see how ANYBODY was capable of forgetting about such things just because Merlin had… risked his life a time or two just to save a few people from certain death almost a month ago. This wasn't something that Julia could ever brush aside or pretend wasn't a real issue. Even if—as slim of a chance as it was—Consort Merlin really didn't know what his heritage was like Merida had claimed, that didn't mean he was anything like the rest of them normal people. It wasn't as if any of them knew anything about what Merlin's life had been like before he had came to Camelot. For all they knew, Merlin could've lived inside a three story home, where the meals were served on golden plates that glowed everytime it was brought out to him, while sleeping in a bedroom that was way larger than Julia's family home was. Hell, perhaps he even had a stable set up in the back with several horses inside of it, enough for him to ride on top of a different one everyday of the week. And Consort Merlin only CLAIMED he was a peasant because such accommodations weren't as luxurious as most nobles had their estates built. Which meant Consort Merlin GROSSLY underestimated the kind of life a REAL peasant had to endure.

"Do you know anything about Consort Merlin or do you just like running around spreading the hot air that comes out of your mouth. Because maybe if you had bothered listening to anything other than rumors that have no basis of truth in them, you would know the few things Gwen has been wiling to share! She does not talk much about her friendship with Merlin, or give out any real details that he shares with her, but she HAS mentioned somethings. Which you would have known if you weren't on the lookout for the most outrageous and dramatic lies that have been told about him! Perhaps though, it was too mundane for you to listen when we were doing laundry because it didn't include you." Merida said harshly, her hands moving down to rest on either side of her hips. Julia scoffed in disgust, was it really so wrong of her to not bother listening to anything that GWEN had to say. Gwen was such a bore! Never willing to share anything that she heard when she was hanging out with her 'friend' or when she was trailing behind Lady Morgana. There was SO much gossip Gwen must've heard while she was serving Morgana, so much juicy information that she refused to share because it 'didn't involve them.' So EXCUSE HER, if she started tuning out the girl since she didn't have anything interesting to say. "According to her, Merlin WILL be good for us because he's lived a life even worse than ours! At least we have actual jobs that allow us to pay for everything that we need to pay. Merlin didn't have THAT luxury. He grew up in one of the outer villages. And I already know that you've NEVER been outside been outside of Camelot a single day in your life, but I have. And let me tell you, those villages are HARSH! If Merlin did actually live in one, then I know that he has probably sweated himself to death under a blistering sun. He probably cried tears whenever he lost something he could not afford to lose in such harsh conditions. He probably bled just trying to keep things in check, and probably broke his back more times than you ever have because of how grueling it can be. So he knows exactly what people like us need. And until you actually know ANYTHING, just lay off like I keep having to tell you!"

Julia was furious after hearing all the crap Merida had just blown her way. How come Julia wasn't allowed to express herself and her own opinions and spread the word on facts that could only be true, but Merida was able to come up with a whole childhood for Merlin? Merida didn't KNOW if Merlin had really lived like that. She was just assuming things because she had heard 'outer village' from Gwen. And okay, maybe Julia had never been outside the kingdom before in all her life, but she DOUBTED it was actually as bad as Merida said it was. It was probably a boring place considering how few people there were compared to a city like Camelot, but she doubted it was anymore dangerous living in one than anywhere else in the world. The only reason people liked living inside the walls of the city were because people liked the security that came with it. Sure, she heard stories about bandits attacking the outer villages since it didn't have the protection from walls surrounding them, but she DOUBTED it would happen as often as some people said it did. Just people blowing things out of proportion to make their lives seem more pitiful than it actually was to get attention. Julia wasn't as naive as people thought she could be, and knew when people were simply exaggerating to gain pity. And Julia was about to tell the other girl what she thought—EXACTLY what she thought—about people who liked to complain about their own circumstances, when she stopped. And a slow smirk started to spread across her face. She had a feeling that she could shriek at Merida until she was blue in the face, and the red haired girl would still refuse to admit that her theories had the merit that they did. But perhaps Merida and Bethany both just needed to hear the opinion of somebody else. It was easy to argue against Julia when it was just one of her, but how much harder would it be when Julia's theories had double the attention. And luckily for Julia, she had her friend here to agree with every word she spoke as if it was the gospel truth. She knew that there was a reason she always allowed Keira to follow her around.

"You know, Merida, this whole thing is getting us absolutely nowhere. You have your opinions on the consort, even if they are clearly wrong, and I have mine. It is just the way things are, I suppose. But perhaps we should ask someone who is not Gwen what they think about Merlin. I think Gwen would probably be bias considering her close friendship with the consort, so how about we just leave her out of this and ask somebody else who wouldn't be bias." Julia said, as her voice grew into something softer and more sugar sweet. It was condescending as hell, the kind of tone somebody used when they knew that they were right and was going to prove it. "I do believe that there is actually one member with our group today that's actually talked to Consort Merlin for more than just five minutes. One person who has every reason in the world to hate Merlin, just as she has every reason in the world to love him. I'm sure Keira will have her own insight and agree with whoever she believes is right."

And Julia waved her hand to where Keira had been standing slightly off to the side of their group, listening to their argument with only half an ear while she's humming beneath her breath to herself. Merida gave her a narrowed eye stare before following her gaze to Keira, but it almost felt as if Keira's opinion on the topic of Merlin would determine which girl was right. Strange, considering the whole point of people having their own opinions was so people could express their differences. But Julia was smug about this one, as she lifted her chin just a little bit higher, as if she was a peacock trying to preen for them all. She was sure Keira would laugh in Merida's face after hearing how she defended Merlin against Julia. And Keira probably had to be the least bias around, since Merlin has already both wronged and helped her at some point. Sure, perhaps Merlin saved Keira's life last month when that building collapsed on her, but Julia felt it paled compared to how Merlin wronged her. Julia KNEW Keira had laid all of her blame at Merlin's feet back when the plague was trying to take Camelot off the map. Keira had been one of the hundreds of castle servants that had been forced out of the castle and forced to return to her home in the lower town, so she had been at risk for catching the disease that had been spreading. The girl had been traumatized during those few days where chaos ran amok, watching as people fought each other when supplies started to dwindle. Attacked each other at some points because they felt they had nothing to lose since they had all been expecting to die anyway, and Julia knew it was even worse for Keira as she didn't live in the safest neighborhood already. After the plague had ceased and people were checked over to make sure they were disease-feee and could return back to work, her and Keira had spent many days cursing out Merlin for what Keira had gone through. Keira had been convinced Merlin could've done something to prevent her from going through what she did. Had been positive Consort Merlin—the people's consort-had abandoned the people just like the Royal Family had. Julia was betting on that old wound to fester now that Keira was being questioned like this.

..

…

…

"What?"

…

…

…

Julia had been leaning closer and closer and closer, ready to explain with her smug excitement as Keira stopped her humming just long enough to look over at the three girls that were now eyeing her as if she was some kind of prophet that could speak what their future held with Consort Merlin standing so close to the reins. But now, she nearly fell over when Keira asked this question, her head tilting to the side in adorable confusion. And while Julia had been able to catch herself before she face planted in the grass, she did drop her basket on the dirt so she could slap a hand onto her forehead. God, she had known Keira liked to be in her own little world these days, humming stupid songs under her breath as if they meant something important, but her conversation with Merida had been a LOT more important than those stupid songs! And Keira apparently decided NOW was the time to ignore the lot of them. How could Julia show her opponent how awful Merlin was, if she didn't have somebody who detested his royal highness on a more personal basis to tell Merida why she hated him.

"Oh, this is absolutely stupid! Why the hell are we even talking about this with Keira, of all people! She wasn't part of our conversation, and it's not as if she's going to say anything that is going to help your case! I have my opinion and I'll not be changing it just because you shoved Keira at me!" Merida explained, as she gave an over exaggerated wave of her hand to the girl in front of them that still looked confused as hell about what she had missed. And Julia huffed with disgust at Merida's dismissal. Merida just didn't want to admit she was wrong about Merlin, and was trying to stop Keira from sprouting what had happened to her during the Great Plague under Merlin's 'careful' watch. "Besides, Merlin has already been drug through the mud one too many times because of all the people like you, Julia, who like to spread drama for your own amusement and watch what happens. So I've already decided I was going to stick to what I do know about Merlin, and Keira telling me she doesn't believe he'll make a good consort won't be swaying me. And considering how the people have talked all morning, I'm willing to bet there are a lot more people recently who would side with me over you any day. You know, people who AREN'T your best friend."

Julia supposed she was meant to get furious at Merida again, for deciding to go against her BRILLIANT idea. But not this time. This time, Julia grew more smug, her cocky smirk tugging her lips wider apart as she flashed Merida this superior expression. OBVIOUSLY, Merida knew Julia was going to win this little argument of theirs, and Merida would be forced to admit she was wrong about Merlin before they departed from this spot. What other reason did Merida have to be so desperate for this twist in their conversation to end? Because Merida knew already that Keira would be able to change her mind! It was why she did not want Keira to speak. It was why she was scoffing and rolling her eyes and looking as if she thought Julia was ridiculous for even trying this. But Julia was a smart woman—if she did say so herself—and knew she wouldn't regret it one bit if Keira got into their conversation. Now… she just needed to make sure her friend understood what was going on. Or they'd be here all day going back and forth for no other reason than to spite each other.

"I don't think Consort Merlin is a good Consort."

The two girls stopped their squabbling--with Bethany looking on in terror as if she thought the two were going to start scratching the eyes out of the other—so that they could look at Keira in surprise at her bold statement. Apparently Keira didn't have to know what the whole thing was about, she had just had to listen for a moment to get context clues. The blonde haired girl looked like she was properly focused for the first time in… probably weeks. People had gotten used to the way Keira would rock back and forth on her heels while she sung a little tune under her breath that only she knew the words to. They had gotten used to the way her eyes always looked as if she was staring off into space, no care in her world. As if her brain had decided to take a leave of absence…she's seemed happier that way. The kind of happiness that most people found hard to achieve when they worked the twelve hours they did every day all day long. But this wasn't that Keira anymore. Keira seemed almost laser focused on the group of girls in front of her, switching her gaze one by one as she made sure she had their full and undivided attention.

"I know that I've… never been shy about making my opinions known before. It's been quite a while that I spent being mad at him considering what I had to live through during the Great Plague. Which was probably stupid considering he's the one that put the pieces together and figured out how to make it end. And it was only because of that, that I and everybody else down in the town are able to get our lives back on track during these last few months." Keira spoke with this low and considering tone as she looked down at the laundry basket in her hands, though it looked to Julia as if she wasn't actually looking at the clothes themselves. "And then that whole rumor started a few weeks later, which told everybody how loose with his morals and his body that Consort Merlin actually was. How he slept with half the city, and… it ended up sealing the deal for me. I was pretty shocked when I heard the news that Prince Arthur had debunked the rumor and claimed it to be false, but before he did, when I thought he was nothing more than a cheap whore, all I could think was… does he not know just how lucky he is? Does Merlin not realize he's lucky to be married to somebody who is as wealthy and as handsome as the prince was? That he would be taken care of for the rest of his life, and his income would never depend on having to wash other people's undergarments just to get a few little meals. I suppose… I have spent much of my time thinking about Merlin and what it could mean with him so close to the throne."

Julia's spine grew straighter and straighter with each word Keira spoke, while shooting Merida these looks that grew more and more smug. From what she's hearing from Keira, it sounds pretty clear that the other girl was on the same page that Julia was on. She didn't even know why Merida was still here. Could she not see that she had lost their little fight before it had even begun? Keira's spoken, so Merida should take her leave and go crawl into whatever hole she's come from. And Merida could take each and every other servant that were too stubborn to admit the hero worship they showered Merlin with these days was in vain. The hole would probably get quite crowded from the sheer amount of servants who believed the same way Merida did, but Julia wasn't afraid to say to hell with all of them!

"…So… what do you think about him, then?"

Julia sent a furious glare over in Bethany's direction when the quiet girl grew bold enough to speak out for the first time in minutes. And she had to wonder if Julia was blind, deaf, and also stupid if she didn't understand what Keira had just said. Somebody who spoke about how much time they had spent with this kind of hate inside their heart towards one man, wasn't going to turn around and start singing his praises so loud that the moon itself could've heard. Keira had made herself very clear. Julia knew that Bethany never spent much of her time around other people, her jobs usually allowed her to be solo for a decent part of the day, but surely Bethany was smarter than what Julia felt like giving her credit for. But then again, there were some people in the world that simply needed to be spoon-fed their information before they could understand what the rest of the world already knew. It wouldn't surprise Julia if Bethany turned out to be one of 'those' dimwitted people. In fact, perhaps Julia should just tell her to shut her mouth if she didn't have anything intelligent or important to say to them. You know what… that's exactly what Julia's going to do. She opened her mouth and everything, fully intending to rip Bethany a new hole, so she'd think twice the next time she spoke. Julia would be doing her a favor, really, if the poor girl didn't already know how stupid she sounded. But then Julia was interrupted before the first sound could escape her lips, something shocking enough to send horror flashing through her veins.

"I'm thinking now… Consort Merlin actually makes a pretty decent Consort."

Julia boggled her eyes at Keira in disbelief, her ears ringing before she hadn't been expecting to hear that at all. She had thought it was more likely for gold to come raining down from the sky right on her long before someone like Keira would change the opinion she's had practically from the start. And still, she is half expecting for Keira to throw her head back and laugh with that mean and cruel laughter that Julia just adored, and telling everybody that she was joking. Maybe because she had been curious to see what their reactions would be if Camelot's biggest anti-Merlin changed direction. But Keira had her eyes cast downward, her hands fiddling with her laundry basket as a secret smile started playing on the edges of her lips. Her eyes were bright, and Julia could see that they were filled with more hope than she could ever remember seeing in them before today. And this… this wasn't Keira! Not the Keira that Julia has spent so many months of her time turning into an avid follower. This definitely isn't the Keira she knew, who had faithfully followed Julia and hung onto her every word and thought as if they were her own. At this point, Keira wasn't even meant to have her own personality! She was supposed to be a mini-Julia! A soundboard in which to agree with Julia in front of other people so she wasn't just standing there alone. Julia was so caught off guard by Keira's new found attitude, that she just start sputtering for a solid minute straight before she was able to get her faculties straight.

"WHAT?! But Keira, how can you even say something like this with that straight face of yours! You've spent more time than even I have just hating on Merlin, it has even gotten to the point where I wondered if you would try something that was crazy and assassinate him or something from the way you would speak of him!" Julia exclaimed rapidly, her eyes wide with all of her confusion and panic that came with this sudden turn of events. And she grew more desperate when she saw out the corner of her eye, the way Merida had crossed her arms along the front of her chest and was now giving Julia the same smug expression that Julia had been giving her. But that wasn't right! Julia was smarter than Merida was, and she was a better worker than Merida who was always trying to sneak off so she could play with the baby horses in the stable or something. She was even pretty than Merida! Her flat brown hair doing wonders for her complexion in a way that made Merida's wild curls look as if they belonged on some crazy lion that had escaped a fighting ring on the black market. "You were just telling us all the reasons why you have spent so much of your time hating him! Don't you remember how many tears you cried onto my shoulder when they opened the gates to allow you inside the castle after the plague! Don't you remember blaming Merlin for why it took so long for everything to get settled! And I know you were bouncing off the walls when everybody thought he was a whore! And I'm still not entirely convinced he isn't! Prince Arthur could have decided on a whim to announce that the way he did because he was tired of all the fallback such a scandal probably had on him! Don't you remember all of those obscene gestures you made in the laundry room with the soap, just trying to amuse me as we took turns guessing who he could do doing today?! Don't you remember any of that! Keira!"

Julia was hoping beyond hope that Keira just needed a good slapping dose of their reality, so she could remember who she was 'worshipping.' With any luck, Keira would turn back into the same spitfire nutcracker that Julia's known half of her life! She just needed a reminder, and Julia would have her friend back to normal. Or maybe there was something wrong with her… her near death could have done something to mess her up in the head. She could have hit her head while she was beneath that crumbling building the griffin had torn down, and it was why she was always staring off into space these days. Because there was something wrong with her internally! Or maybe it was something else… maybe Keira had been so traumatized by how she had nearly died last month that she had decided to take up drinking? Yes! The drinks at the local tavern were quite strong since they didn't bother watering it down like the nobles did. It was far more believable for Julia to think her friend was simply drunk, and that's what made her keep saying these outrageous things, than to believe this was really how Keira felt. Julia even opened her mouth once again, intent on throwing out more memories at Keira until she realized she was sounding as dumb as stupid Bethany had sounded, and returns herself to being the real Keira. But whether she liked it or not, the real Keira was standing right in front of her.

"I don't care about how I used to behave or how I used to think about him. I do not care if he fornicated with half the kingdom or not, and I don't care if he will do something next that will make me question everything I thought I may have known about him! I don't even care if Merlin's got the blood of nobility running through his blood, or if he's still the peasant we were told he was!" Keira spoke in a loud tone, to the point where it was almost a yell. And Julia pulled up short in surprise, her wide eyes blinking dumbly at the harsh way she had spoken to her. Julia could not recall any moment during the friendship in which Keira had ever actually raised her voice to her. But she was now, with her hands starting to tremble because of how harshly she was gripping at her basket. "All I know is that he will still be the exact same boy that saved my life the day the griffin attacked the kingdom. You don't know what it was like underneath all the dirt and the rubble, Julia. You don't know what it felt like to have a good hundred pounds of weight or so just dropping on you from above, to be screaming as I try to push my way through the planks of wood blocking me from the only bit of light I was able to see! You don't know what it was like out there, watching through that crack at all of the soldiers running past you, but nobody realizing you are even there because they were too busy fighting the beast that did this to me! You don't know what it was like fur the dust to cloud my vision and get into my eyes, to feel the bones in my body straining as if they were breaking IN my body! To feel the air as it starts to go thin, and know that NOBODY actually knows you are under there! You have no idea how it feels to know that this will be your last breaths, and you are going to die there… alone."

Their little group of four had gone eerily silent, the three other girls staring at Keira with expressions of sheer horror and shock on their faces. This had to be the first time that Keira was really opening up about her experience toward any of them. Not even Julia had known what she had gone through. Julia had tried bothering her for days after she was checked out by Gaius and released in full health, but Keira hadn't wanted to talk about it. Julia hadn't taken 'no' too well, because she had wanted to know all the details about what had gone on, since it was the most exciting thing that happened to any of them… ever. It had took Keira screaming at her before she had finally allowed the matter to drop. But it had somehow escaped Julia's notice how… traumatizing living through such a thing could actually be. She had been looking at the situation like people who stopped to look at some tragedy—a carriage turned over in the streets or a fire burning down someone else's home—and then moving on with her life because she had other places to be and things that needed doing. It was… far different than what she had thought it would be, hearing such words coming from one she knew so well. Keira didn't seem to care about their horror, all but rubbing their noses into what she has gone through.

"I was going to die, and the only thing I could do was curl up into a ball while just HOPING it would be quick when the building finally came down on top of me. Because I figured it would hurt less than if I had to endure the dirt trying to coat the insides of my lungs, making it feel as if I was going to actually be buried alive. And let me tell you… you know know how… exhilarating it feels to have somebody call out to you. To have somebody show up and acknowledge that you are there! For somebody to tell you how it's going to be okay, and that they were going to help me get out! In that moment, I don't even think I would have cared if that day really turned out to be my last! Because I could've cried! Just knowing that I wasn't going to die alone and unnoticed." Said Keira, with her chest heaving up and down as if her body was experiencing all the horror it had gone through on that day. Julia wasn't sure if she wanted to hear more of this. It was more… gruesome than Julia really wanted to hear. It didn't feel as fun as it should have when talking about something that hadn't happened to you. "And then all the dust cleared, and I realized that it was Consort Merlin who had found me lying there! And you know what he did? He held my hand when I begged him not to leave me, and he swore that he wasn't going to leave me behind. And you know what happened. Consort Merlin kept his word, and he did exactly what he said he would. Even when it got dangerous whenever that creature got too close to us, and it would have been safer for him to run before he got caught up in the same tragedy I was stuck in, he didn't leave me behind. I'm only standing here today because of what he did for me, and I am pretty sure that this is a debt I am never going to be able to repay. So, yes. If that is the kind of person Consort Merlin, then he has earned my loyalty."

Julia found her mind blank, clueless as to what she was supposed to say after hearing such things. Her mouth kept moving up and down, as if Julia thought something would come to her in the heat of the moment. But the longer Julia stood there, the more she realized… she couldn't argue. She actually could not say a single word against Keira's decision. She even whipped her head around to look at Merida and Bethany, as if one of the other girls would have jumped in to say whatever was escaping Julian's mind. But Bethany only kept looking at Keira as if the woman was speaking the gospel word, her eyes wide with this child-like wonder. And Merida… Merida was starting to smirk. A creepy mirror image to how Julia had been smirking so smugly moments before. Oh, how the tables had turned on them all. And Julia was helpless to do anything else that would've helped her case. She watched as Merida waved a hand towards Keira with a mocking tone in her voice as she spoke.

"Well, there you go. Apparently your opinion is just yours alone."

Julia felt as if she thought her head was going to explode after hearing Merida say those smug words to her. Her face even grew redder than a sunset going down in the horizon, a horrid growl trying to emerge from her throat. Opinions were stupid, Julia decided on the spot. They did nothing more than mess with people and cause fights. She didn't want to have anything to do with them, or with these bloody girls even, anymore. Julia releases a short cry of annoyance and frustration before she whipped around on her heels and started stomping back towards the section of field the laundry girls were allowed to use for the clothing. She could hear Merida happily trotting along behind her, and she was almost able to feel the smugness practically rolling off the red-haired girl. And Bethany was somewhere behind her as well, her soft steps making it feel as if she was a ghost, going unnoticed as she hurried to keep up with the group. It was Keira though, who hummed brightly under her breath loud enough for all of them to hear her, happy as a clam, as if she hadn't ruined Julia's opinion of her… forever.

X

It was quite a beautiful day to be alive within the gates of Camelot City. There was so much to see within the city boundaries, and so much for the people to do as they went about their ordinary lives. But the sun was out and about, with a special shine to it that spoke of an endless day of possibilities ahead for the people who lived there. There were birds chirping in the trees and flying high overhead, singing their special song among themselves as they were tweeting across the open horizon. Such a sharp contrast when compared to the horrible roars that had came from the winged creature that had attacked their kingdom just a month before. Perhaps that was why the city was acting so lively, even if their lives had hardly changed at all since that horrific experience that tried to strike them down. Many of the people—especially those who had been directly affected by the griffin's assault on their land the month prior—were grateful to just be alive. But, of course, there was one person that seemed as if they were far happier than all the rest. Humming the odd song beneath his breath, even if most of the words were just nonsense that not even he could make sense of.

In one of the smaller towers on the far side of Canelot Castle, a young boy was seen through the windows that led into his small bed chambers. This room was the one that belonged to the most famous person in all the land, the blue eyed Consort Merlin Pendragon. And at this very moment, Consort Merlin continued to ignore the birds that were flying past his window, stretching his body along the length of his bed as he laid out on his stomach. One of his hands was used as a prop, cupped around his chin in order to keep his head up as he read the pages of the book opened in front of him. His feet were bent at the knees and up in the air behind him, crossed at the ankles as they moved back and forth in time with the words he was studying so very closely.

But he felt as if his eyes were swimming, the words starting to blend together and blur, his eyes starting to strain from struggling to read through all the tiny script. This had to have been the twentith book Merlin had been forced to read through in the last four weeks. He had read everything Gaius had shoved into his arms since the night they had returned home from the trial. It had all been books pertaining to land investments, and property taxes, and infrastructure, and what Lords of their own estates were allowed to do and what they weren't allowed to do. How Lords of their own estates earned them by showing loyalty to the king, or in Merlin's case… has been given to him to pay retribution for all the hell the former Knight Bryon had put him through the day he tried to have Merlin killed. Needless to say, Gaius had buckled down on Merlin finally having a proper education, because it had been non-stop studying ever since. It had been a LONG four weeks, and Gaius had been a particularly ruthless instructor as he made sure Merlin was actually learning something. Constantly drilling all these useless facts into his head, making Mrrlin special cards with questions on them that he had to answer correctly, testing him on what information he'd been reading in the book he had gotten that day. Merlin hadn't even been able to get any studying in from his magic book, nor could he keep up with learning from Gaius' medical books. It had been… entirely law and decrees and how he could foster trade routes or get protection for his estate.

Merlin was pretty sure he had never learned so much information in his entire life, and he had never seen Gaius throwing himself into something as hard as he had this. But Merlin supposed be couldn't blame him, Gaius did have only four weeks to teach him the bare minimum of what he needed to know before they could do anything with the land. Which was why Merlin had complained far less than he usually would have from all the extra work he'd been doing in all that time. Four weeks did have a habit of becoming annoyingly short when something was coming up, and all of this stuff Gaius had been force-feeding him was, unfortunately, stuff that he needed to know for reasons unknown to him. In fact, Merlin was surprised by how fast it felt like these four weeks had been. It felt like just yesterday he was using his magic to make the aura in the air shift into a weapon Lancelog could use to kill off the griffin. And now look at where he was… being buried under the key notes pertaining to how all the property taxes had gone up in the last few years and what one needed to do in order to maintain said property.

Less it be turned into a ruin.

"MERLIN! ARE YOU READY YET, THEY ARE GOING TO BE WAITING FOR US IF WE DO NOT LEAVE NOW!"

Merlin nearly flinched after hearing the screams of his uncle coming from the foot of the staircase, but his head whipped up just as fast as he turned to look at the sun streaming in through his window. He could see from the position of the sun that it was mid-morning now, and that sent a wave of urgency through the consort. Merlin cursed heavily beneath his breath, flipping himself off the bed before running around in a mad hurry. He snatched up his travel bag from where it was half-hazardly laid out across the floor, a bundle of clothes thrown on top of it but not actually inside. Merlin cursed himself for his tardiness, and cursed himself for deciding he would be smart to try and get just a little extra study time in before they left. Today was the big day, the day that he would be leaving Camelot, and he still wasn't pack! Gaius was still calling for him, and it made Merlin flustered as he glanced around the room frantically to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. It would be quite a while before he would come back to this place… Merlin still wasn't sure he had everything, but he tied his bag close anyway. In too much of a hurry to bother doing a through check of his space. It would all still be back here when he returned, including the book he left on his bed as he slammed his bedroom door shut on the way out. The fancy scribbled on the top of the page taunting him even long after he left the room…

ESTATE PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.