Merlin

Aurelius and Uther led the way through the castle, one guard in front of me and two behind me. The corridors were dark and a bit cold, with the exception of a few places that had windows carved out of the side of the stone walls of the castle. Every step we took echoed through the corridors, reminding me of my uncertain fate. If Emris doesn't remember me, the sister he never met, I'm done for. I wonder how much of home he still remembers after living here for a while.

We eventually reach a dimly lit wooden door with a small "M" scarred into the wood next to the handle. Aurelius knocked harshly three times and then took two steps back, holding his hands behind his back.

"Come in!" a voice called from inside the chamber.

I felt my blood start pumping faster and my breath came quick as we entered Merlin's room. The place was lit by two windows and a candle. Across the room on the far wall were books from floor to ceiling. In the center of the room Merlin stooped over a table with a book lying open next to the candle, and a ghostly pink potion sitting to its left.

Aurelius cleared his throat. "Merlin..."

"Yeah?" Merlin's raven colored hair had grown some since the picture I had seen in the book, which now shielded his face as he balanced three books in one arm a green potion in his other hand, tongue sticking out in concentration.

"We have someone we need your opinion on." Aurelius said as he and Uther moved over, Aurelius grabbing my arm and pulling me in front of him.

Merlin looked up from his book, no expression on his face. His gaze wandered to the arm that Aurelius was holding, the one with the leather band. He dropped the books and potion and walked up to me, his emerald eyes gleaming with tears. "Who sent you?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"Edgar." I said in a quiet voice, knowing that here, with my brother, I would be safe, even with the tight grip on my arm.

Aurelius let got of my arm and Merlin pulled me into a tight embrace. He was warm and safe; he was family. I began to wonder of people from our planet showed this kind of affection.

"This is my sister." Merlin said. "Thank you for finding her."

"Well you know how Aurelius loves to check up on all the pretty girls that visit Camelot." Uther chimed.

Aurelius scowled at Uther and pushed him outside, he and the guards following behind.

We spoke at great lengths with one another about our journeys. I didn't have much to say, since I have only been conscious a few days or do, but I loved listening to Merlin's stories of his time here and back home. He also told me that, while at home he may have been Emris, but here he has given over to the life of Merlin, but will never forget the life he had as Emris. I was a little sad at first to hear this, but then it made sense. Here we must be incognito, his alien life is now over.

After a while, the sun started to set, leaving the candle as our only light source.

"Goodness, me! I almost forgot about dinner." Merlin stood up and then reached out his hand to help me up. "We can't have the king and his brother waiting on us, now can we?"

Uther

I continued to stare at Aurelius. Just seconds ago this man came off as coquettish, but now... it was as if he had turned into stone. I looked around Aurelius to see the three nights now had their hands on the hilts of their swords, looking at Aurelius for orders.

"I- I" I continued to stammer, stepping back a little, unsure of what was going to happen to me. One wrong movement and it would be off with my head.

"Aw, come on, brother! Give the girl a break, hmm?" A man, who looked like Aurelius, only seeming a few years younger and with hair more darkly shaded, came over and gave a good punch at Aurelius' arm. "Must you always get upset when girls don't come on to you!" He gave his brother a big smile, which appeared more like a smirk.

"Uther..." Aurelius muttered, no humor in his voice; as if he had to play the opposite of his brother. "Tell me, brother, what do you make of that?" Aurelius pointed at my wrist, where the leather bracelet that Edger had given me rested.

Uther's eye brows knit together a little, causing his green tinted blue eyes to squint a little. "Well, it sure does look like Merlin's. No one else had bared it thus far."

Aurelius nodded. "Are you from the druids?" He asked me pointedly.

I shook my head slowly. I remember some stories about druids, but I was definitely an alien, not a person of magic who hid in the forest. But then again... That kind of is what I have been doing...

"Well!" Uther swiped up my basket that was laying next to my feet and looked through it a little. "She does not seem to be hiding anything dangerous. Perhaps we can let Merlin decide for himself what we should do with her." He set the basket down again and stooped forward, looking at my bracelet once more. "Perhaps she is the sister he has been waiting for." Uther straightened back up and gave a little smile.

Aurelius still seemed stiff, unamused by anything that amused his brother. "Yes, let's hope so."

The Flower Stand

Camelot was teeming with life. Vendors were all about yelling and waving their products back and forth in front of everyone that went by. There were also several people sitting on the sides of the streets either asking for money, playing music, or juggling. The amount of people alone made me feel as if I was drowning. With all of the commotion I had to wonder how these people could sit in the heart of it all everyday.

Yet, when I look up and see the castle of Camelot, I get this odd sense of security. It was simply a building, but a building where I could find my brother, and maybe this emptiness I feel will be filled. My brother, Emris... Merlin. Someone like me. I could hardly contain the huge grin that spread across my face.

"Miss, miss! You need a flower!" Turning around I saw a fairly gangly man, dark circles nestled under his eyes, holding out a flower in my direction, hopefulness gleaming in his eyes.

"Oh, no, i'm good, thank you." The flower was really lovely, a light shade of purple and yellow at its tips, but I had to save the money I had for a new dress, and if anything is left over shoes would probably be a good investment.

The flower seemed to droop as the hope in the man's eyes seemed to fade. "But it's such a lovely flower."

I froze, the voice I heard did not come out of the disappointed man in front of me. As I turned slowly towards the voice, the face of king Aurelius stared back at me.

"Just couldn't stay away, could you?" he said with a smug grin on his face. "I'll pay for the flower, Marcus." Aurelius handed the man some coins and I realized that the commotion of the market place had fallen uncharacteristically silent. Not far from where we stood were three men clothed in red, a lion crest on each of their chests, and swords on their hips. I looked  up into Aurelius' eyes as he handed me the flower. "So, should I be offended or flattered by your presence?" He leaned forward against a wooden support beam, his face getting closer to mine, and gave me another half-smile.

"I... I thought about going home..." I fidgeted back and forth a little, messing with the leaves on the flower. "But I decided to visit my family here instead." I wasn't sure if I should mention Merlin, but anyone could be my family, so perhaps this was the best way to go.

He looked at me a little skeptically so I nervously bit my lip and looked down. "I see... well, who are you here to see? I know my people well, I could help point you in the right direction." He said, raising an eyebrow.

My stomach felt like it was going to burst with nervousness, getting worse with every second. I don't know what is with this guy. He causes my mind to be so foggy, I can't even form proper sentences with this guy around. I started to wonder if being invisible may have been the better alternative.

"Are you all right?" he asked, to which I simply nodded, not daring too look back up at him in my confused state. He reached out and touched my wrist, causing me to automatically jump back, dropping the flower and holding my wrist to my chest in an odd attempt at protecting myself. "Merlin has a bracelet similar to that."He murmured. My breath caught in my throat as he straightened back up, folding his arms behind his back. I searched his face for some kind of hint as to what he was thinking, but he expressed nothing. His face was set, his stare blank and hard; no doubt this is the kind of stance he learned during his battle training. "Are you here to see Merlin?"

Reset

I studied the way Aurelius' lips seemed to curve into smiles as each word about his hunting hobby left his mouth. I also noticed how his eyes changed shades of blue as clouds would cover the sun, and then flee from it. It also struck me a little funny how his hair seemed to stick up a little in random places, reminding me of wheat in a field. This was not how I pictured a king, especially one with a specialty in fighting battles, to look. Yet, I think it's a pleasant surprise.

"Enough about me," Aurelius chimed. "Would you like me to accompany you into town?"

Suddenly it all came back to me: Edgar's sad face as I left, the basket I had left next to the road, the pungent smell of a dead wolf. I began to backup, "Oh, I could never ask someone as noble as you to accompany a poor girl like myself, I must be heading back anyway."

He gave me a look I did not quite understand. His eyes squinted a little, head cocked a little to the side. "Yes, if you say so." He straitened himself up, his shoulders appearing more broad, and the sun hitting him just right behind his head, making him appear to be the king I had imagined. "Well, if you ever need rescuing from another wolf, don't hesitate to call." And with that he backed away towards what I would assume to be Camelot. With a good distance between us, he raised one hand, a strange smile on his face, and then turned, disappearing amongst the trees.

With Aurelius being gone, the scent of the wolf penetrated my conscience once more. Each passing second seemed to be worse, as if it decayed much faster than any other living creature. I looked at my blood stained hand and my heart began pounding. I had never seen something die before. My eyes felt wet as I looked back at the wolf. It still looked mad, but I began to feel bad for the wolf's madness. I shook my head and wiped my eyes with my sleeve and ran back towards the incline to the road.

Once back on the main road I found my basket, seemingly untouched. I wondered if I should really head back to Edgar, after all I look very questionable in this splattered dress and my hands the way they are now. If only I had not met that wolf... I would be speaking with my brothers by now, surely. I exhaled, feeling a bit frustrated. My dress didn't get it too bad, maybe I could take the money I got and purchase a new dress in Camelot without much grief.

I decided that was the best idea. If Edgar is going to get mad at me, I may as well have another dress he won't have to steal to make up for it. So, as if nothing had happened at all, I raised my head high, basket in hand, and continued towards Camelot, the land of Magic.

A Little Detour

I made my way back through the forest, passing the magical well and the small drop off right before you get to Camelot. As I was passing the small drop off where I had thrown a stick while chasing Edgar, I heard a movement. Looking over I saw nothing but bushes and trees.

"Maybe it's just a squirrel." I said to myself, and turned to walk back towards Camelot. Yet, my curiosity pulled me towards that small drop off. I turned back and heard another sound that sounded like a twig snapping in half. I wondered if I should be frightened by this, but everything just seems so new and exciting that fear was no where in my mind.

Setting the basket down on the side of the path, I slid down the side of the road which was angled pretty steep, but not so steep that I had to worry about falling. Once back on my feet, I glimpsed around, still only seeing shrubbery. So, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, using all of my focus to listen to my surroundings. I heard sounds of bugs calling to each other, the wind blowing leaves, and what seemed to be some kind of stream far off, but nothing like what I had heard before. I tried to concentrate even harder, but no odd sounds struck my ear. Yet, I felt I should go towards the trees on my right. So, of course, I did.

The grass felt nice against my feet, since I woke up with tennis shoes I had to go barefoot. "Such shoes will not exist for hundreds of years!" Edgar had cried when I asked him about them. Walking past a pair of entangled trees, I heard another sound directly to my right. There was a pretty big bush of berries, so surely whatever I was hearing was hiding in there. I knelt down and pressed my hand into the bush, "Hello?" I saw a small brown bunny shaking like it had just ran miles. "You poor thing!" I said, and right as I said it I heard a noise directly behind me.

Moving slowly, I backed a little from the bush and turned to see a decently sized wolf, bearing its teeth and the hair on its back raised as it snarled in my direction. I may not have been scared before, but I sure was now. It began to move its weight to its back feet, a stance they take right before they leap and rip your throat out.

Suddenly, a voice called out from above me, "Watch out!" In a matter of what felt like minutes, but was less than a second, the wolf pounced, an arrow shot through the air, and a dead animal landed on top of me. I let out a scream and saw the small bunny race off to safety as I landed in the bush.

I pushed the animal off of me, its blood covering my hands as I did so. It looked wild, even in death. One of it's ears was missing a good size piece like it had been bitten off, blood was dripping out of its mouth, and its eyes were still open and deranged looking.

"Are you all right?" A soft voice next to me said. I turned and saw a young man jump out of a tree. His hair shined like gold in the sunlight and his eyes a blue like the sky looks right after it rains. He came over swiftly and gracefully, putting his bow up and stooping down to look at me."He didn't get you, did he?"

I shook my head, unable to speak to this strange hero.

"Oh good." He reached out a hand and helped me up, getting some of the wolf's blood on his own hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you before, are you new around here?"

I gave a nod, and took a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me, I'm sorry I got blood on you."

He just gave me a kind of half-smile, "It does look like i've caught you red handed!" he laughed at his own joke and I just stared at him, not quite sure of his humor, or what he meant by that remark. His eyebrows furrowed a little, "Well that's different, everyone loves my jokes." He shook his head, "Anyway, my name is Aurelius, what's yours?"

I stared at him, not saying a word. This was the king? I almost wanted to yell and run away screaming. What was I supposed to say? I'm Fia and I was only wanting to sneak into your castle to see my alien brother? I shook my heard. "Fia..." I said quietly. "My name is Fia."

The Send Off

"Merlin! I know that story!" I was filled with excitement, Merlin was a great and powerful wizard. "But, Edgar... isn't Merlin really old?" I looked back at the picture in the book, he was a young man, not an old man.

"Yes... I'm sure you do know that story. Somehow, your brother has become the stuff of legends so to speak. Yet, this is a time before the old Merlin most of us know about. Aurelius is king, and his younger brother, Uther, is destined to take the throne before too much longer, which then of course his son--"

"Arthur! I know this stuff Edgar," I was full of excitement to be surrounded by such a magical place, I could hardly contain myself, "but if this is medieval times why am I in these clothes?" I gestured to the dirty jeans  and T-shirt I had woken up in.

Edgar hopped up and took the book back to its place. "Well, when we came to earth there was no knowing what time we would emerge. Traveling through space, even by magic, can be tricky. That's the same reason you have knowledge of stories and events that have not even happened yet. Because of this you have to be very careful out there, watch what you say. I'm sure you've been awake long enough for people to treat you like anyone else. Now, do sit tight, I must go fetch you some clothes from this era." He grabbed his umbrella and was out the door without a second to lose.

I stood up and wandered to the bookshelf, driven by my curiosity of what things Edgar could possibly be interested in. A lot of the books seemed old and fragile, the wording was almost completely rubbed off of all of their spines. A couple books seemed to have some kind of medicinal purposes, while others seemed to be different versions of the Arthurian Legend. I had to wonder, as I traced the books with a finger, if all of this is real, why is it planted in my brain as simply myth....

Edgar came back shortly after that, a dress draped over one small furry arm. He shook his umbrella and then closed it, leavening it leaning against the wall next to the door frame.

"Here we are!" He came over to me and handed the dress to me, "What do you think?" He asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

I held the dress out in front of me, it was a light blue dress with beige accents to it. "It's lovely," I said, smiling at Edgar, "But where did you get this?"

His nose twitched a little and he quickly replied, "Oh, no where, go ahead and put it on, i'm very anxious for you to speak with your brother."

Edgar helped me with the dress, and while doing so explained to me how some of the things in this town worked. Magic was not banned, but heavily watched over due to its possibility for evil. Merlin lived at the castle to help Aurelius fight the evil magic that appears in the land, and is a great ally and friend to both Aurelius and Uther. I was to go to the castle and try to find my way to Merlin, Edgar was not entirely sure how to go about it, but seemed positive I was smart enough to figure it out when the time came.

When the rain let up Edgar gave me a basket and a little money in case I wanted to try their food and blend in more. "Be very careful, and remember what I said about not giving out too much information. Merlin can be the only one either of us can trust, the others are too risky." He straightened the bow at the back of my dress. "I wonder if this is how parents feel sending their children to school..." he muttered to himself softly.

"I'll be back before you know it." I said, giving a soft pat on his little head. "Just don't go stealing any more things for clothing while i'm away." He smiled at me with teary eyes and gave a little nod. And, with that I stepped outside and began my trek to the magical land of Camelot, and it took all of my will power to keep myself from running all the way there. I could hardly imagine the wonders that awaited me.

Emris

A sat quietly as Edgar explained how the stories I knew were given to me by the magic that transformed us, which was also why I awoke in a cellar stiff and sore. I had been lying in that cellar for about three years while the infant version of my true self bonded to this older version of a human.

"I watched over you the best I could." He explained. "Yet, the magic had chosen to make me a rabbit, and rabbit makes a good meal for the humans that surrounded our area. So, when I could watch over you no more, I used what little magic I could muster in this small form and locked the cellar from the inside, so that only you could open it, and quickly ran with a dog or two chasing behind me. I have never felt so unwelcome!" He twitched his nose and crossed his arms. "It took people a while to take notice of me, since our species is usually unseen by human eyes. It took time for the humans to make me out. Although, i'm quite sure my making a top coat out of someone's curtains might have been a little rude of myself and brought attention, but I was not going to go around naked, that's just senseless."

"But you're not wearing any pants." I pointed out.

"Oh, I would not dare steal all of the woman's curtains! A coat is fashionable enough."

"Edgar..." I began cautiously.

"Yes? I know this is a lot to take in, and I maybe should not be ranting about myself... I do apologize. What is it, my child?" He uncrossed his arms and laid them in his lap, giving me his full attention.

"You mentioned a prince... I have a brother?"

Edgar hopped down from his chair once again. "Oh, yes!" He handed me the bracelet he had been holding and then went over to a small bookshelf and pulled down a leather-bound book. Hopping back into his chair, he gently turned the pages of the book, which looked greatly worn. "You found me around Camelot because I had found this." He turned the book back to me which had a picture of a young man, hair dark like a raven and eyes the same color as an emerald. "His name is Emris, he lives in Camelot as a young sorcerer with great wisdom. I knew the moment I came across this photo that it had to be him. While our people look much different from humans, this boy does resemble him so."

"What did our people look like, Edgar?"

"Yes, I was afraid you would ask that, it's a rather complicated concept to convey. You see, humans are made of that pink fleshy stuff, and we were not. Our shapes are very similar, but our skin was more like what earth thinks of as sunlight, yet tangible. Also, unlike the sun, we were not blinding, it was more like our outside was the reflection of our souls; each one of us made from our own soul's aura. We had nothing to hide, which eventually led to the exploitation of our powers, which led Nequior to us. Are you understanding any of this?" His fuzzy eyebrows knitted together with concern. "I'm trying my best, but there is just so much to our people... and to you."

I put a hand to my head. Everything was beginning to make sense, yet I wanted none of it. I did not want to be some kind of story from space that rings of sadness and an odd bunny-rabbit, but here I am. Edgar seems like a nice person, and maybe it's the fact that he's a rabbit, but I began to feel more alone than ever.

After a lot of thought I said to Edgar, "I want to find my brother."

He smiled. "I was hoping you would say that, I can't because i'll be eaten, but a young girl such as yourself should have no problem going into Camelot. The only problem is Emris may not be so easy to get to... He may live... in a castle... and he may be better known as Merlin to these people."