Chapter Text
It felt like flying in slow motion as Merlin landed on the hard ground, the wind literally being knocked out of him. He couldn't move and it felt like his back was broken. Silently, he blinked back tears of pain, relieved that no one was around to see it. Or…? He suddenly panicked slightly, not knowing for certain that he was completely alone in the place he had been dumped. Thrown from the sky would be more accurate, he thought.
The final battle had been won, Morgana was dead, the lands of Albion were once again united and Merlin's destiny had been fulfilled. Merlin should feel happy. Ecstatic even. But he didn't. And he knew why.
His friend was dead. Some days he would even go to the extent of calling him his best friend. Best friend or just a friend, it didn't matter. Nothing would bring him back. Arthur was dead. Merlin had felt so powerful at Camlann and yet so powerless in the attempt of saving Arthur.
I couldn't save him, Merlin thought with closed eyes as another tear rolled down his cheek. This time a tear of grief, not of pain.
The pain was subduing and he realized that he had in fact not broken his back. He saw treetops as he stared up at the blue sky and he felt dry leaves between his fingers. He sat up slowly and eyed his bearings, wondering where he was. His back and shoulders were aching from the effort of sitting up. Maybe I can heal my pain with magic–. He was startled to see a girl with long auburn hair and captivating hazel eyes, staring directly at him with curiosity.
"Good heavenly lord! Who are you?" Merlin asked the girl, rising to his feet as fast as he could.
The girl laughed. She looked to be his age but he couldn't tell for sure. She was a couple of inches shorter than him and she had a slim, athletic figure. Merlin couldn't stop staring at her choice of wardrobe. She was wearing some very unusual looking garments. They were definitely not very lady-like. Her laugh made Merlin frown slightly though it was a sweet and enjoyable sound.
"What's funny?" Merlin asked, eyeing her closely.
"Oh, it's just… You said 'good heavenly lord'," the girl said with a grin, mimicking his words.
"And that's funny–why?" Merlin demanded to know. He wanted to leave but there was something about her that spiked his interest. The fact that his limbs weren't fully cooperating with his brain after the hard landing, also made it impossible to go anywhere. His fingers were twitching in weird ways and he was experiencing knee pains of an eighty-year-old. He groaned inwardly. He needed another minute or two to recover.
The girl curved her lips in a smile. "Nothing, sorry, it's just something my grandparents would say." Her eyes darted over his body and she looked at him with disapproval and added, "What are you wearing?"
Merlin thought the girl was rather rude. He had known her for less than two minutes and she had already successfully managed to offend him twice. He wondered what village she was from. Certainly not from Ealdor. In Ealdor you were taught respect, good manners and how to dress yourself accordingly. Merlin stared at the girl with disbelief and said, "What am I wearing? What are you wearing?"
The girl looked down at herself and eyed him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? It's just outdoor pants and a pullover."
"I've never seen a girl wear such garments before… What village are you from?" Merlin asked, glancing behind her to see if he could spot cottages or people in the distance.
The girl broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. Merlin felt his whole face heating up in annoyance. He rolled his eyes and began to walk off, a deep frown marring his face. He didn't know if he was heading north, south, east or west and frankly, he couldn't care less. The girl was beyond rude and he didn't want to spend another second with her. The fascination he had felt towards her minutes ago had completely vanished.
"Hey, wait up!" the girl called behind him. He heard the crunch of leaves as the girl jogged to reach his side. "What's the matter? Where are you going?"
"I don't know! Leave me alone!" Merlin said, feeling like a frustrated five-year-old, who had been teased repeatedly by an older sibling.
"Actually, you're on my property," the girl said.
Merlin stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. He gazed at her with confusion.
A moment of silence passed before the girl spoke. "Fine, I'll play your silly game. Let me rephrase that. You're on my land."
Merlin's eyes widened and he gazed around the seemingly large forest and said, "My apologies, my lady. I seem to have gotten lost somehow. Please tell me the name of your village and in what kingdom it lies?" He suddenly felt extremely embarrassed. Being on another man or woman's land without permission was not considered good manners and he knew that if his mother ever found out, she would not approve. But I wasn't aware of the fact that I had intruded, he thought to himself.
The girl's hazel eyes sparkled with amusement but she was able to keep a straight face as she answered, "Apology accepted, my lord. You're in the village of Inverness of the Scottish Highlands kingdom."