Captured Heart

She's a Clutz

Lancelot's hand landed on Merlin's shoulder and she whipped around, twisting his arm around and pushing him to the ground. Within an instant, Merlin's dagger was at the what she considered to be the enemy's throat.

"Whoa!" Lancelot said from below Merlin, trying to avoid being stabbed, "Whoa. Did I actually manage to frighten the fearless leader of the bandits? This must be my lucky day. Does this mean that I win something?" Lance faltered in his speech when he realized that Merlin's only reaction was to pull him into a standing position and sit on a log.

She tilted her face away from him and Lance kneeled down in front of her, grabbing onto one of her hands with one of his and using his other to move Merlin's face so she would face him. This was what Lance always did when Merlin was hurting. Merlin had her own tactics to make Lance feel better, but this was Lance's way.

Merlin used her free hand to put an escaped lock of raven hair behind her ear and whispered her voice hoarse, "How did you get out of camp?"

Lance smiled at her and she gave him a tiny smile back. Tear tracks marked their way down her face and onto the front of her tunic. The knight said, "Loren let me out."

His sister sniffled, "I'm going to kick his butt for that when I get back."

Lancelot chuckled and said, "I'm sure you are. Answer a question for me, please? Why are you out here? You are quite a distance from camp, from your prizes."

Merlin tightened her grip on her brother's hand and looked up to prevent more tears from falling. Although her voice was still hoarse, the passion was still evident in her words when she said, "Ihate killing. These people... they don't deserve to die. They are following someone else's orders and doing someone else's dirty work for them and I have to kill them and people following myorders kill them. Everyone who died today? I killed them. It's my fault!"

"Oh, Merlin." Lancelot whispered before he brought his sister's forehead to touch his. For a moment, they just sat there with their eyes closed, reveling in the feeling of safety they gave each other. Lance's lips quirked into a smile and he said, "Well, I don't think you'll be killing Arthur and us knights."

Merlin tilted her head, their foreheads still pressed together. She opened her eyes and saw that he was smiling. She started to smile too and asked, "And why do you think that is?"

His smile bloomed into a full-out grin and he glanced around them before whispering conspiratorially, "Because we're growing on you."

Merlin giggled, which was his aim. He loved it when she giggled, but it was even better when she laughed, but that was happening less and less each day. Merlin smiled at him, "Maybe some of you are growing on me." She rolled her eyes and then copied Lance's earlier conspiratorial movements and whispered, "But maybe that Arthur one's not growing on me."

Lance laughed, "I think you're the first girl to ever say that."

Merlin smiled, "Is that so? Well then, none of them has ever truly met him. He is arrogant, rude, obnoxious, assuming, a clotpole, a cabbage head, a prat, and is ruled by a double standard. I cannot stand him."

The knight flashed her a grin, showing his white teeth before saying, "I didn't know Merlin. I mean, I know now, since you've made it absolutely clear."

"That I hate him?" Merlin raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nope," Lance corrected, "That you love him."

Merlin reeled back, staring at Lancelot in shock, "I do not!"

Lance laughed and said, "You love him totally and irrevocably. He's your true love!"

Merlin smacked Lance upside the head and Lance rubbed the spot, laughing and saying, "Totally worth it."

The young warlock aimed her glare back at Lance for a moment, and in that single second, she managed to trip over a protruding root and fall flat on her face. Lance burst out laughing and leaned against a tree as he waited for her to right herself. She grumbled, "Aren't you supposed to help people as a knight? I'm pretty sure you're supposed to help people." Lance just laughed harder.

When Sir Lancelot finally walked back into camp, it was with the bandit who had taken them captive. Arthur and his knights looked up and watched as they came in, Lancelot shoving Merlin and Merlin shoving him right back. They were both laughing with each other.

Percival idly commented, "I've never seen Lance look so happy before."

They were all washing dishes from a meal that Lancelot and Merlin had missed. Arthur looked up from his dishes after Percival said that, seeing that all of his knights were nodding their agreement. Arthur said, "He'll have to get over it pretty soon because we enact our escape plan soon."

Gwaine raised his eyebrow at Arthur and said, "I think Merlin can hear you."

Arthur was about to ask what he meant, but he turned and saw that Merlin was staring straight at him, her head tilted to the side. She looked as if she was studying him, tearing him apart under her gaze. Out of pure willpower, Arthur tore his gaze from hers and saw that Lancelot had come over. Arthur said, "Where were you?"

Lancelot scowled at Arthur's tone of voice and answered coldly, "I was making sure my sister was safe. Am I not supposed to do that, sire?"

Arthur shook his head sadly and turned back to his dishes. Lancelot snarled, "What?", startling them all. Lancelot was the calmest person they knew. He would never snarl at someone.

The King answered, "The way you're acting. That witch's magic must be corrupting you already. Her honeyed words aren't real Lancelot. Maybe she was your sister once, but not anymore. She is a shell of what she once was because she chose to use magic. That is not your sister anymore."

Lancelot's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. Even Gwaine stepped back from him. Then the knight stopped and closed his eyes. He appeared almost as though he was listening to someone, but no one was talking. He took a deep breath and said to Arthur in a controlled voice, "Merlin was born with magic."

Leon gave Sir Lancelot a sad smile and said, "Another lie she told you to protect herself." He looked up at the sky and said to Arthur, "The sorceress is distracted dealing with a mercenary who won't go away. It is time, sire."

"Time for what?" Lancelot asked.

"Time for our escape plan to begin." Arthur grinned at Lancelot and started walking away. He never expected what came next.