Beauty and the Beast: Part 2
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The night of the wedding, Catrina is in her chambers, brushing her hair when her servant, Jonas, comes up. "You look positively revolting," He compliments. "Does the enchantment hold?"
"It works a treat. Uther is like a puppet on a string," She grunts in agreement.
"What about the boy, Merlin and the girl? They know your secret."
"Leave them to me," The Queen orders.
"My Lord," Jonas greets the King before leaving.
"Darling," Uther smiles, taking off his coat. "We are alone at last," He goes to kiss her, hoping to move his nightly activities to the bed. She turns her head, feigning crying. "What's wrong?" He questions, taking her hand in his.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not you, I want this more than anything," She assures him. "This has been the happiest day of my life."
"Then what is it?"
"When I was forced to flee my home, the one thing I was able to take with me was my family seal."
"You showed it to me when you first arrived."
"It's the only link I have to my Father. And now it's gone, stolen from my chambers," She turns her head away with fake tears in her eyes.
"Who could have done such a thing?" He demands worriedly.
"Oh no, please, I don't want to cause any trouble, not on a day which should be filled with joy," She puts her hand on her husband's face.
"Catrina," Uther says sternly, removing her hands from his face. "Who took your seal?"
"It was Arthur's servant, Merlin and that girl," She lies.
"Elizabeth."
"Yes!" Her eyes light up with mischief. "Her."
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"Search the stables. You, check the kitchens and alert the guard on the south gate," The Crown Prince of Camelot barks orders, trying to find his idiot of a servant and the girl he fancies.
All around the city, guards all look for the two hidden sorcerers. I'm in the physician chambers working on a potion with Gaius when Goldilocks comes into the room hastily, shutting the door quickly behind him.
"Elizabeth," He calls out, making me look up at him to see worry in his eyes.
"What?" I question with furrowed brows. "Are you hurt? Why are you worried? Are-"
"You need to leave."
I pause from my question and stare at him. "What?" I say in confusion.
"You need to leave, Liz. The King has ordered me to arrest you. Catrina's accused you and Merlin of taking her seal."
"But we didn't."
"I don't care if you did, if you value your life, you will leave."
What he leaves out is that he values my life.
"If I wanted to nick it, I wouldn't get caught. I'm not helping my case, am I?" I ask rhetorically.
"No."
"Alright, give me a sec," I rush up to my room and dig out my wand and Invisibility cloak from my emergency bag and take the bag with me. I hesitate and also shove Merlin's magic book in. Can't have people finding out he has it, now can we? I take them and turn back down to see the blonde poking his head out the window, checking to see if the coast is clear. "Here."
He looks back at me and draws his brows together when he notices the cloak in my arms. "What's that for?" He nods to my arms.
I look down at them and unconsciously smile at the memories the cloak has. "My cloak," I answer. I take it from my arms and wrap it around myself, making my entire body disappear under it. Now my head is the only thing left visible to the eye. "OHHHHHH, I'M A FLOATING HEAD. SCARY!" I mimic and make the sounds of a ghost and bob my head up and down.
The blonde snorts and rolls his eyes at my actions.
Gaius comes up to me and inspects the cloak, mutter under his breath words like 'fascinating' and 'amazing'. That boosted my ego so much.
Artie sees some guards heading this way with Sir Leon leading them. He looks back at me and covers my head under my Invisibility cloak. "We need to leave now," He instructs. I nod then remember he can't see me, so I verbally tell him 'okay'.
He slips out behind the corridors just as Leon entered the physician chambers in search of Merlin and I.
I silently follow the blonde prince back to his chambers where he opens the door for me so I can enter before him. We both see Merlin changing the sheets on Goldilocks' bed.
"The King has ordered me to arrest you and Elizabeth," He instructs me.
"What?" Merlin spluttered, looking shocked.
"Catrina's accused you and Liz of taking her seal."
"But we didn't."
"That's what I said!" I exclaim, not realizing that the cloak is still covering me.
"Liz?" Merlin's eyes scan the room, looking for me.
I pull the cloak off me with a grin and I unceremoniously wave at my best friend. "Hi."
"I don't want to know and you haven't got time to explain," The blonde prince goes up to the side door and opens it slightly to make sure it's clear. "If you value your life, you'll leave Camelot right now."
"But-" Merlin starts but Arthur grabs the blankets still in his hands and pushed him forward. "She is a troll. She's trying to set us up."
The royal shakes his head, "We've been through this."
"I'm telling the truth. I saw her. We saw her."
"I don't care," He replies. A knock sounds at the door. He grabs my hand and leads me to the side door. "You need to leave," He looks at me in the eyes and I can see concern swimming in those beautiful baby blues.
Another knock sounds at the door and a voice calls out, "Sire."
"Go."
Merlin starts to move but I stay rooted in my spot.
"Go," He says softly that I almost didn't hear it. He takes the cloak from my hands and drapes it over my head, not breaking eye contact with me as the cloak covers me. He still looks at me as though he can clearly see me when I know he can't cause, well, magic.
He pushes me through the side door and shuts it behind him. Merlin comes and reaches out for me, trying to find me. I open the cloak so he can get under with me as well. We reach the corridors and see a pair of guards coming at us. Merlin pulls me into an alcove and I cover his mouth with my hand to halt his breathing as the guards walk straight pass us. I release his mouth and we both let out a sigh of relief.
Arthur goes to the throne room to deliver the news on the hunt. "I fear they may have slipped through our net," He lies, quite well I might add.
"You're very quick to give up the chase," Queen Catrina snaps from her throne.
"That is because I know my quarry is long gone."
The King looks at his son. "How can you be so certain?" He demands.
"Well, despite appearances, Merlin isn't stupid. With Elizabeth, he's better. They must have caught wind of our search and left," The blonde explains, lying through his teeth.
"Outwitting you army in the process," She quips as her husband goes to sit on his throne.
He agrees nodding slightly, "It appears so."
She leans over to Uther. "I thought your men aspired to the same high standards that my Father instilled in you," She says. The blonde narrows his eyes at the indirect insult.
"When I lead the army they did," He assures his wife.
"We don't even know if he's still in Camelot. They could be anywhere," The blonde royal states, pulling of his gloves.
"And that's a good enough reason to give up?" The Queen demands.
"No, I'm not. It's just that I believe our resources would be better-"
"I've had enough of your excuses," The King silences his son. "We both have," He reaches over to take his wife's hand. "I want the boy and girl found."
"Sire," Arthur says in dismissal, nodding his head in his father's direction. "My Lady," He nods again in Catrina's direction before leaving.
Merlin and I devise a plan and when I say we devise a plane, I mean I devise a plan. We put one of Merlin's beloved scarves out in the forest and lead the Knight of Camelot's in the wrong direction. It's completely brilliant. I know it is because I was the one who made it up.
"They're picked up Merlin and Liz's trail," Guinevere worriedly informed Gaius on the streets. "They say they're heading for the northern borders."
"I'm sure they'll out run them," Gaius assures the girl before walking away.
"What if thy can't?" She asks desperately, trying to catch up the old man. "Uther won't show them any mercy."
"Try not to worry, Gwen," He replies before actually walking away. He walks up to the physician chambers and goes to a barrel in the room. He removes the books on it, opens the lid and knocks on the side of the barrel. The grain in the barrel start to move and the raven hair of Merlin pops out.
"Well, that was uncomfortable," He states, rubbing his shoulder.
"I bet it was," I comment, pulling my Invisibility cloak off me.
"Why weren't you in here?"
"Because both of us wouldn't fit."
"Right, that's because you're getting a little..."
I narrow my eyes at him, "Please, continue that sentence, Merlin."
"Nope, don't think I will," He vigorously shakes his head.
"A necessary evil I'm afraid, they've picked up the trail Elizabeth left," Gaius interrupts before our conversation can continue any further. "But it won't fool them for long."
"If Goldilocks is in charge, it'll take them years to figure it out," I comment getting a snort from Merlin and a glare from Gaius.
"Then we better get busy," Merlin says calmly, walking to the door, me following.
"And Merlin, Elizabeth. Be careful. The guards are still searching for you," The old man warns us. We nod and leave the room. We silently tread until we see the redhead that is the Lady Catrina walking down the corridors scratching her arm with a scowl on her face.
Merlin takes the initiative to follow her while I follow with my cloak, ready to throw it over us at a moments notice. She opens the doors to her chambers and immediately looses the façade that is her perfect posture.
She grunts and hunches over while her servant, Jonas, goes to a cupboard on the wall and opens it.
"Do I have to?" The troll moans.
"You must keep up the pretense," Jonas informs her.
"I hate being like this! So clean! It's revolting! I can't keep it up. This skin, this face! I just want to claw it off!"
Jonas grabbed something from the little cupboard and brings it over to the table. "Think of all the money, and the power," He reminds her and her head pops back up from its crouched position. "Soon it will all be yours."
He uncorks a little glass bottle filled with some kind of brown liquid. Catrina glares at the bottle before grunting and picking it up to chug it. She slams the bottle back on the wood table and lifts up the sleeve of her dress, showing off the warts on her skin. The warts then slowly fade away before disappearing completely. My, along with Merlin, jaws drop at that.
Catrina hobbles to the door and opens it right before I dragged Merlin to the corner and draped the cloak over us. She exits the room and takes a deep breath, probably mentally preparing to be with her husband. She then walks off with her head held high.
Goldilocks just came from a meeting with his father and new stepmother. The King wants to impose a tax to charge the people for having protection provided by Camelot. The prince immediately opposes the idea but after Catrina, he finally nods his head and leaves the room.
The blonde royal walks off to his chambers where he enters and sighs deeply, sinking into his chair.
I decided to stalk the blonde back to his room under the cloak. Before he closes his door, I duck in undetected.
"They can't to that, can they?" I question, scoffing at the idea Uther and Catrina came up with.
Artie's head snaps up as his eyes scan the room looking for the voice that is mine. "Elizabeth?" He whisper-shouts through the room.
"Here," I pull off my Invisibility cloak from my seat on his bed. It's really comfortable and puts to Temperpedic to shame. "They can't do that, can they?" I repeat from earlier.
The blonde rushes to me and grabs my arm before whisper-yelling at me. "What are you doing here? You can't be here, you're on the run," He says, looking at his door as if he's expecting someone to enter.
I brush his worries off and release his grip on my arm. "They can't do that, can they? People are barely able to get by as is, if a new tax is imposed, people will starve," I flop onto his bed.
The blonde deeply sighs and I feel a weight divot next to me. I lift my head up to see the blonde sitting next to me. "I know, but I can't do anything," He sighs again then looks at me with furrowed brows.
I meet his gaze, "What?"
"How did you know that my Father wanted to impose a new tax?"
My mind blanks. "Uhhhhhh... you could say that I was stalking you, but that wouldn't be the case," I answer slowly as my brain comes up with an excuse.
"Uh-huh," The blonde nods, totally unconvinced with a smirk climbing onto this face. "And do tell, what would be the actual case?" His smirk now fully formed.
My mind blanks again. "Uhhhhhh... Stop putting me on the spot," I retort back, turning my head and allowing my hair to block my face as the blush is slowly creeping up. Elizabeth Minerva Potter does not blush. Ever. Yet, here I am, hiding my face from Goldilocks.
"No, no, no, come on. What's the reason?" I can hear the grin on his face. He shuffles himself so he's in front of me and he grabs my arms to I'm forced to look at him. My green eyes bore into his blue ones. He stops his movements as he stands incredibly close to me. I can feel each breath he takes on my cheeks.
I could kiss him right now.
Key word: could.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to, however that little voice in the back of my head keeps repeating the word that stops me from doing anything.
Selfish.
Selfish.
Selfish.
Selfish.
Over and over again like a drum, beating that word into my skull. Selfish. It echoes in my mind. Selfish. I can't escape it. Selfish. It repeats again and again. Selfish. The never-ending word that causes me to stop my movements as I catch myself unconsciously having my eyes linger down to his lips.
Selfish.
I clear my throat and he drops my wrists and takes a step back from me. I cough and stand up from my position on his bed. "Uh, well, I-I'm gonna go, um... bye," I stammer out then drape my cloak over myself and leave his room.
The Crown Prince of Camelot watches me leave the room and when the door swings shut, he slumps into his chair. His mind racing with the words 'what it?' repeating. He comes up with different possibilities of what if life was different? What if he wasn't a prince? What if she wasn't a magic user? He quickly shakes those thoughts off and goes back to tax. He can't help but have his mind wander back to those words:
What if?
While I was having an existential crisis with my feelings, Merlin was doing something productive by sneaking into Jonas' room and nicking the little magic potion from the cupboard. He sneaks back to the physician chambers where he finds Gaius working on something and me drinking a cup of green tea.
My best friend's voice brings me out from my thoughts, and I look up to see him handing the white-haired man the little bottle we saw earlier today.
"We saw her drink some of this potion and a patch of troll skin on her arm disappeared," He explains, arms crossed over his chest.
"It must be pretty powerful magic to physically change her like that," The physician concludes. He uncorks it and cautiously smells it.
"Could you make a potion that looks and tastes the same as this?"
"I don't know. Yes, I suppose so, but without the troll magic, it won't have the same effect."
"Exactly," Merlin says, following Gaius as he goes to his workstation. "If I can replace this potion with one that isn't magical..."
"So, Catrina will keep taking it but it'll no longer work," I realize and grin at my best friend of a warlock.
Merlin nods at me. "And she'll turn into a troll. Do you think you can do it?" He turns back and questions urgently.
"I don't know," Gaius sits down at his chair.
"We have to make the switch before morning or Jonas will notice."
"This it's going to be a long night."
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The morning is quite an awful time.
I despise it with my whole heart. It's too early to function properly, the sun is absolutely blinding, and people are always so grouchy in the morning. To make matters worse, it sucks even more when you're being hunted by the kingdom of Camelot.
So, it's safe to say, I despise mornings. Do I like waking up in the morning? No, I absolutely loathe it. Do I have to get up? Yes, because I need to help with potion. Will I get up? We shall find out.
A pair of hands gently shake my comfortable body as I sleep in my bed.
"Liz," A small voice whispers.
The same hands shake me again, this time a little more forcefully.
"Liz, get up," The same voice whispers.
I groan and dig my face deeper into my pillow.
The same person shakes me a little more.
"Liz-"
"Touch me again with you hands, Merlin, and you will lose them," I growl out. The hands immediately leave my body. I peek an eye open to see a Merlin slowly walking to the door. "Leave."
He nods and quickly leaves our room and slams the door shut in fright.
I love the fact that I can scare anybody. It's a skill I pride myself on.
After a few minutes of deciding whether or not I should get up, I begrudgingly move myself from the comfort of my bed and start to get changed. I decided to be a little adventurous today. I wear some gray ripped jeans, the sweater Grandma knitted for me. I'm being hunted and will almost always be covered with my cloak so no one will notice what I'm wearing.
I walk out our room as I slip on one of Merlin's many coats. He looks at me and notices a coat that looks very similar to his. "Is that mine?" He questions, wearing an accusing look.
I shrug and reply, "You're not using it." He huffs at me and turns back to Gaius as he mixes a potion together for the Lady Catrina. "What's in there exactly?" I ask, nodding my head to the brown liquid in his hands.
"No, don't-"
"Rat's guts, toad paste, horse dung, crushed sheep's eyeball, pond scum, three wolf spiders and what potion isn't complete without a dash of sheep's brain?" Gaius finishes.
I grimace at all the ingredients.
"Sounds delicious," Merlin mumbles, sounding repulsed.
"Good, because you're going to taste it," He hands the bottle out to my best friend.
"No way," He shakes his head.
"It's completely harmless."
"Er, no," He stands his ground. He then looks at me. "Why not have Liz try it?"
"No, don't bring me into this. You woke me up, you deserve this punishment."
After a look from Gaius, he sighs and dips the tip of his finger into the bottle, dabbing a little liquid. He hesitantly brings the finger up his tongue and after it lightly touches his tongue, he begins to cough and splutter the taste. "Urgh... ah... that is- ugh. That is disgusting," He finally says, scrapping his tongue off with his other hand.
"Yes," Gaius agrees. "Too you, but not to a troll."
"I can't believe you let me put that in my mouth."
"Yes, now try the original," He holds over the original brown potion.
I look at the brown sloshing liquid and grimace. "Ew."
"Just a small amount and be sure to spit it out."
Merlin sighs and eyes the potion warily. He takes a small amount on his finger and brings it up to his tongue again. He coughs and splutters again after tasting it.
"Does it taste roughly the same?"
"Yes, it's horrible," Merlin cries out, still coughing.
"Are you sure?" Gaius presses. "If it's too big a difference, Catrina will notice."
"It tastes exactly the same."
"Well, let's hope she thinks so too."
Merlin had the task of putting the fake potion back in the cupboard in Jonas' chambers. I was given the day off - as I am being hunted – to do whatever I want. So, I decided to find the blonde prat of a prince.
I have my Invisibility cloak with me, and I walk through the street of the lower town. I see a group of people crowing around an old man being forced to his knees by a couple guards. Seeing the old man on his knees rages me in a way I didn't believe was possible.
I can't do anything about it though.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the blonde mop of hair that belongs to Goldilocks walk towards the old man.
"What do you think you're doing?" He demands. I take a good look at him. A purple tunic with a white one underneath. His brown lather trousers and a black belt around his waist.
One of the guards answers the royal's question. "He's refusing to pay the King's tax," He explains, forcing the old man to stay still.
"You- you ask for too much," The old peasant begs. "I've given all I can."
"That's not enough," The other guard states.
The blonde looks at the people crowding around the scene. He sees the people watching him with curious eyes, waiting to see what the future king will do.
"Let me see," He orders, holding his hand out. One of the guard hands him a small leather pouch of coins over. He opens the bag and slightly frowns. He then hands the pouch back to the old man. "Release him," He orders.
"But the King said-"
"Release him," He repeats more forcibly. "Give them back their money. All of it," He states before walking away back to the castle.
I smile at his actions. They say that actions speak louder than words. Arthur just proved that right. There was a little word, but mostly action.
Not that kind of action, get your head out the gutter.
I follow the blonde as he treks up back to the castle. I step into the throne room, still hidden under my cloak, and watch the scene played out.
Goldilocks stops in front of his father and stepmother as they sit in their respective thrones.
"I gave you a direct order," The King says.
"The people cannot afford to pay the tax," The blonde replies.
"Don't tell me you're naïve enough to take them at their word," The Queen demands.
"We have their loyalty, their goodwill. Do not forsake that my making unreasonable demands."
"Is it so unreasonable for a King to expect his subjects to obey him?"
"They'll starve," He says tensely.
I notice Uther's pendant glowing a bright red. I furrow my brows and make a note to tell Gaius and Merlin later. "Nonsense," He stands up. "You've grown too soft. Remember these are your subjects not your friends."
"Why can't they be both?" Arthur asks.
"Because we rule the people, not the other way around."
The blonde prince looks down. "I think you're wrong," He says softly.
Catrina looks at the King. "I beg your pardon?" Uther questions dauntingly as he walks towards his son.
"I said you're wrong," He repeats, looking up from the ground, not backing down. There's the inner Gryffindor I know. "Without the people, there is no Camelot, we are as much they're servants as they are ours."
Catrina now also stands up and approaches her husband. "You allow him to address you in this manner?" She demands.
"No, I do not. It will not be tolerated. You will take your men down into the town and go to every house collecting the payments I demand."
The blonde pauses for a moment before replying, "I will not."
Uther looks at his son. "Get out of my sight," He whispers angrily. Goldi bows respectively and leaves. I rush out the room, following the blonde before the big wooden doors can close. The blonde goes to his chambers and when he closes the door, my foot get stuck. He frowns and tries to apply more pressure to close the door.
"OW! GET OFF!" I yell, pushing the door off my injured ankle. The blonde stumbles back before shutting the door.
"Elizabeth?!" He demands, looking around the room to try to find me. He then walks forward and points an accusing finger out at nothing. "What are you doing here?!"
I quietly snort as he is pointing in the wrong direction of me. "Wrong direction."
He then turns around and walks towards me with the same accusing finger out. "What are you doing here?!"
I shove his finger out my face then take off my cloak. "I live here," I deadpan.
He scowls at me. "Yes, I know that. What I meant was, what are you doing here when you're still being hunted?!" He questions, gradually getting louder as his sentence continued.
"Well, I was planning on talking to, but seeing as you don't want me here... I'll just leave," I swing my cloak around me before being stopped by the arm of Arthur.
"No, don't go," He says softly.
I look at him in his eyes.
Selfish.
I clear my throat and he drops his hand from my arm. "I saw what you did earlier. The people owe you a debt of gratitude," I change the subject.
"You saw that?"
"I'm stalking you."
He lightly laughs at my answer before sighing. "The people owe me nothing. My Father's still going to change the tax."
"I know, I heard. Can he not be persuaded?"
"Not by me. He can't stand the sight of me."
"I know, I saw. But he still loves you. No matter what happens between you, he will always love you."
"You should have heard the way he spoke to me."
"I know, I did. But you're still his son. Everyone appreciates what you did. They won't forget that."
"Maybe he's right. One day, I will be King of Camelot. I cannot be a friend to the people as well as their friend."
"Rubbish. That's not true and we both know it. You will prove him wrong when you're King," I state then add on softly. "You have a heart of gold, Goldi-" He and I both snort at that "-don't change, not for anyone."
A knock sounds at the door.
"Act casual!"
Sir Leon pops his head in to see me leaning my arm on Artie's shoulder with my Invisibility cloak tucked under my other arm.
"Liz?!" Leon looks at me baffled before stepping in the room and quickly shutting the door behind him. "What are you doing here? You could be seen!"
"No, I can't."
"You could be arrested!"
I raise an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to arrest me?" I question with a grin slowly coming on my face.
He huffs, "No."
"Then we're perfectly fine."
"You could still be seen."
"It seems like you're more worried about me than I am."
"I worry about my friends."
"I'm a friend?" I exclaim with a large grin.
"Of course, you are."
"Awwwwwwww, you're my friend too!"
He rolls his eyes at me but still has a smile on his face. He then looks at the blue-eyed man I am leaning on. "The King has sent for you," He informs him then looks back at me an notices my clothing choices. "Why are your trousers ripped?"
"They're meant to be."
"Why would they be purposely ripped?"
"Fashion in the twenty-first century makes no sense, but it's very pretty and comfortable. Sweatpants are a miracle."
"Uh-huh."
I throw my cloak over myself and laugh at the shocked face of Leon before we all leave for the throne room.
Goldilocks enters first before I am - not that anyone notices - then followed by Leon. The blonde royal looks around in confusion at the mass of people in the room before turning to his father, asking, "Father?"
"I am relaxing your duties, revoking your titles," The King informs everyone.
My jaw drops.
"What?" The Crown Prince asks in shock.
"We live in dangerous times. I cannot allow you to undermine my authority."
"You've always welcomed my council in the past."
"You stood against me for all the people to see."
"I'm sorry," He apologizes, but I can tell he didn't sound apologetic about his actions. "Any future grievance I have will be held in private."
"It's too late for that," Uther states then turns around.
"Father, this is-"
"You are to be disinherited with immediate effect. You are no longer Crown Prince of Camelot."
My jaw has yet to be picked up from the ground. Leon's fall in slack along with Arthur's.
Gaius starts forward, "Sire, Arthur is your son, your natural heir-"
"Gaius," Artie interrupts the older man. He then turns to his father with pain in his eyes before walking forward. "You've always taught me to be true to be my heart and that's all I've ever tried to do. To be the man you wanted me to be, someone you were proud to call your son."
The father and son duo look at each other before Uther states, "My decision is final."
The blonde looks at his father in hurt before walking out the room.
"Queen Catrina will be named as rightful Heir to the Throne. The ceremony will start forthwith."
Gaius look very unhappy. I look absolutely livid. Leon looks shocked but starts to hesitantly clap, followed by the rest of the room.
Everyone files out the room and I silently follow Gaius back to the physician chambers. He opens the door so I may enter first then he follows suit and shuts the door behind him. I throw my cloak off me and start yelling.
"He can't do that, can he?"
"I'm afraid so, Elizabeth," Gaius sighs.
"That's not how the monarchy works. The children have more right to the throne than ones through marriage. For example, if Queen Elizabeth were to die, her first-born son, Prince Charles will take the throne. Not her husband Prince Philip."
"Maybe that is how it is in your time, however, Uther can do whatever he pleases. Can you also fix your trousers?"
"They're meant to be this way."
Gaius looks at my clothes then shakes his head. "No, I don't think so."
"I assure you, they are meant to be this way."
Before Gaius can say something back, Merlin comes busting through the chamber doors. "We've done it. Catrina drank the fake potion," He grins. His smile falls when he sees Gaius worried expression and my mad one. "What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Uther has disinherited Goldilocks and made the troll the heir. That's what happened."
"So, if Uther dies, she will rule Camelot?"
"Yes. The people of Camelot will be ruled by a troll. A bloody troll," I say slowly as I let that information sink in.
| | |
"We gather here today to bear witness to the naming of Queen Catrina as rightful Heir of Camelot," Geoffrey Monmouth, the Keeper of Records as he reads out a scroll in the throne room.
Morgana looks shocked as she stands next to Gwen in the crowd. Goldilocks looks pained at the proceedings. Merlin and I hade under my cloak as we watch the scene from the balcony upstairs.
"Are you willing to take the oath?" Geoffrey asks. I've grown to know the older man as Gaius sends me down to the libraries quite often as his old age is quite the hinderance.
"I am," Catrina unsurprisingly agrees.
"And I have to say, for a troll, she looks quite good in that dress," I say bitterly.
"You're not wrong," Merlin nods his head in agreement.
Her dress is white with intricate beading all around the bodice. There's a white collar that flares out behind her hair which is in a neat bun. Her jewelry is perfect and matches with her earrings. There's a white cape attached to her shoulders that flows behind her when she moves. All in all, she shouldn't look as good as she does.
"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of Camelot, to uphold the laws and customs of the land?"
"I do," She says, starting to scratch her left arm with her right hand.
I lift my fist up to allow Merlin to bump it. He does.
"Will you, to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all you judgments?"
"I will," She continues to itch herself.
"Will you, to the upmost of your powers-"
She lifts her sleeve up a little and I see the bumps on her skin which she quickly covers and shares a look with Jonas.
"-maintain the laws-"
"Yes, yes."
"I'm sorry, you-you must let me finish," Geoffrey explains. "The wording must be exactly right to be binding."
"Get it on with it then. I mean really, where did you dig up this old crone from?" Demands Catrina.
Uther lovingly smiles at his wife before turning to the Keeper of Records. "She's right. Get on with it," He orders.
I lightly scoff in disbelief at the rudeness of Uther and his wife. Morgana and Geoffrey look the same in the front row and middle of the room.
"Will you, to the upmost of your powers-" He begins again.
"Yes, yes, yes," The troll snaps.
"-maintain the laws and customs-"
"I will, I will."
"-of the land and serve the people of Camelot?"
"Yes, just shut up and give me the crown!"
Gasps echo through the room. Merlin and I both lightly snort at the bluntness of the troll. Geoffrey hands the scroll away and exchange it for the crown. He holds it out for the Queen.
"Will you hurry up!" She snatches the crown and jams it on her head before running towards the door.
"Catrina!" Uther calls out after his wife.
Morgana, Artie and Uther all hurry after the new Queen of Camelot. Merlin and I run out of the balcony and see the troll rushing up to the big wooden doors of the council chambers. My best friend's eyes glow gold as the doors shut themselves.
"Catrina," Uther has now caught up with the troll, along with his son and ward. "Whatever's the matter?"
She turns around and raises her hands in defense. She then notices her left hand now is her troll skin so quickly puts her arm behind her back. "I don't know what came over me-"
"We do," Merlin and I say in unison then give each other weird looks.
"-I-I just suddenly felt so hot. I, do you know, I think I need to be on my own, alright?" She stutters, backing up.
Morgana comes up behind her guardian. "Are you alright?" She questions worriedly.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine really, I'll just-" She turns around to exit the doors.
I notice this to I raise my wand from under the cloak and aim it at the door. "Colloportus," I whisper. The doors then lock themselves.
The troll hurriedly attempts to open the locked doors. "Come on! Come one!" She begs. "Open," She snarls in her troll voice.
Artie looks taken aback at the obvious voice change then brushes it off. "Let me," He suggest.
'Now is not the time to be a gentleman, Goldi,' I mentally scold.
He walks forward but sees her hand and jumps back. "What's that?" He demands.
Catrina turns around and everyone sees her face warp and change colour.
"What's going on? Somebody help her!" Morgana cries.
Merlin and I grin under the cloak like mad men.
Her face continues to shape and morph back into her troll form.
I slap my hand over my mouth to get rid of the awful smell. Goldilocks does the same and Morgana just looks shocked. Uther's pendant glowed as Catrina turned back into her troll form.
"You're a troll."
Catrina turns to face her stepson and looks shocked while Uther looks livid. "How dare you speak about her like that," He states, also turning to his son.
Morgana looks shocked at the King defending a troll.
"What is wrong with you? Look at the state of her!"
"I don't believe it," Mumbles Morgana.
Catrina shifts her feet awkwardly then decided to leave the room. She turns around and rips the wooden door clean off its hinges and runs off.
"She just ripped a door off its hinges. Doesn't that tell you something?" The blonde demands, looking disgusted and in disbelief.
"Enough," Uther snaps.
"She's. A. Troll. A giant, gray..."
"Stinking," Morgana adds helpfully.
"Stinking troll!"
"There are many words I can think of to describe the troll, and none of them are kind," I say telepathically to Merlin. He lightly snorts and nods his head in agreement.
"Stop it! Haven't you hurt her feelings enough?" The King says, picking up the discarded shoes and crown left by the troll. "Insult my wife again and it will be the last thing you do," He threatens before leaving the room.
"Enchantment," I mumble, catching the attention of Merlin. "It's the blithering enchantment."
| | |
So, Gaius, Leon and a couple other members of the court decided to bring the matter that is Lady Catrina is a troll to the attention of the King. It didn't go well. At all. Uther threatened that the next person to insult the Queen will be tried with treason and beheaded.
"Uther must be enchanted, it's the only explanation," Gaius wonders as he paces the floor in the physician chambers.
"He is. That little pendant he wears is the source," I add in as I flip through book after book to find an answer to our little problem.
"Which is why we have to find a way to break it," States Merlin as he also flips through books.
"You won't find anything in your magic books," The older man informs us, making us stop flipping through them.
"You could have told us in the beginning!"
"Troll enchantments are too strong," He finishes, ignoring my comment.
"Then what are we going to do?" The warlock asks desperately.
"You must speak to the dragon."
Merlin's jaw drops in disbelief as does mine.
"If there's a way to break Catrina's hold on Uther, he'll know it. But be careful, dragons and trolls have been close allies in the past."
Merlin and I rush through the corridors down to the stairs to the cavern where the Great Overgrown Lizard resides.
Merlin tells the reptile what the situation is and what does the gold gecko do? He laughs. Loudly.
"This isn't funny," Merlin states, looking unamused.
"Oh, it is. It is. The thought of Uther marrying a troll," He chortles.
I crack a smile and snort at the thought of it and Merlin glares at me. "When you think about it, it is quite funny."
"Was it a very public affair?"
"Very."
Merlin glares at me before turning back to the iguana. "Public enough," He retorts. The dragon continues to laugh loudly. "Don't laugh," He snaps. "If she can't be stopped, Arthur won't become King. Albion will never be born."
That shuts him up.
"I'm sorry. You are right of course," The dragon says in a very unapologetic way.
Merlin nods then demands, "How can we break the enchantment."
"These are not trifling tricks, troll magic is very powerful."
"There has to be a way."
"The only way you break this enchantment is if Uther were to cry tears of true remorse."
Merlin and I furrow our brows before I question, "How do we make him do that?"
"That I can't answer. Uther's heart is cold as stone. He has never been sorry for anything," He replies, a little coldly too.
"Thanks, I think," Merlin mumbles and we turn to leave.
"Young Warlock," The dragon called suddenly, making us stop in our tracks and slowly turn to face him. "It was sometime ago you promised to free me. The help I give is not unconditional."
Merlin doesn't say anything but nods then leaves. I just follow silently.
In the council chambers, the Queen of Camelot sits on a pile of dung while her husband orders Sir Leon to collect more taxes. Then, it is revealed that Lord Bayard is planning to visit. Leon suggested that they should politely decline the visit on the basis that Uther's wife is a troll – not that he said that out loud as he would be dead.
The court physician chambers aren't any better. Merlin paces up and down the room as I bounce my leg and bite my thumb nail.
"The dragon said he had to cry tears of true remorse to break the enchantment," Merlin informs the white-haired physician.
"Well, that's not going to be easy. Uther's heart is closed to everyone," Gaius points out from his chair.
"No, not everyone," I reply, shaking my head. Both men turn to face me. "Goldilocks."
"Then there's only one course of action we can take," He concludes, standing up. "Uther must see his son die," He says seriously.
"Leave that to me," I state, walking out the door. I have the brilliant idea to see Artie in his chambers. I slide under his bed after grabbing a pillow and just wait.
I end up falling asleep on the floor and dream up of eating a nice burger and fries and milkshake. My mouth starts to water as the images float in my mind.
When night comes, I wake up groggily and see the feet of Artie climbing into his bed. I hear him left the comforters of his bed and slide under then I hear a candle blow out.
"Artie," I whisper with a grin.
The blonde's eyes snap open and he looks around warily.
"Goldi," I whisper again, my grin getting wider.
He jumps out of bed and grabs his sword and holds it in the air. "Who's there?" He demands as he looks around.
"Liz," I answer, sliding out from under his bed to tilt my head back to see the blonde in a loose white tunic that shows off his toned chest. I think his shirt is covering too much in my opinion.
The prince gasps in surprise and lowers his weapon with a groan. "You're back," He states.
"I never left," I grin up at him.
"You mean to say..."
"Yes."
"You've been under there this whole time," He completes slowly.
"No, of course not."
"Because if you were..." He points the sword in my face.
"I wasn't, I swear. Please remove your weapon from my immediate vicinity," I ask. He lowers his sword and I pull myself out from under his bed. "Little help here?"
He rolls his eyes and grabs my hands and pulls me up a little too harshly, so I collide into his chest. We both clear our throats and step away from one another.
"Sooooooo... your stepmother is a troll," I state with a grin as I watch him sit down at his desk.
He picks up a knife from his dinner and points it at me. "If you say 'I told you so'..." He trails off, knife still pointing accusingly at me.
"I wasn't going to, I would never," I assure him, however, my grin gives me away. "But if you did listen to Merlin and I earlier, then-" I see the 'really' look coming from the blonde and the knife in his hand "-sorry. We believe that you father's been enchanted. Now, we found a way to break the spell, however, we need your help."
"How would you accomplish that."
"You need to die."
His eyes bulge out his head. "What?!" He exclaims, a little too loudly.
"Shhhhh," I shush him. I go to the door where Gaius and Merlin await. I open it to allow them to enter. Goldilocks gets dressed in a jacket, much to my dismay. Merlin goes to fix the bed at the order of the prat.
"So your great plan is to kill me?"
"Yes," I answer.
"No," Merlin answers the same time I do. The blonde looks between us disbelievingly. "Well, yes. It... not exactly. It's... Gaius has a potion that gives the appearance of death without the actual dying bit. It's fine," He assures the royal. "There's nothing to worry about. It will only bring you to the brink of death."
"Oh, only to the brink," He doesn't look very confident in the plan.
"Only to the brink," I repeat.
"We haven't got a choice," Merlin argues.
Gaius decides to step in before Merlin and I lose all the blonde's hope. "We have to make your father cry."
"He doesn't care about me anymore."
"Nonsense. That's Catrina's influence. I've known your father for many, many years. There's never been anyone or anything he's treasured more than you. It's perfectly safe A single drop of the antidote will reverse the effect immediately."
"Antidote?" Goldilocks stops his pacing and looks at Gaius and I. "What antidote? You didn't say anything about an antidote."
"Er... I didn't really think it was important," Merlin rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.
"The potion will lower your heart rate and breathing. To all intents and purposes, you will be dead," Gaius explains to the prat.
"And the antidote reverses the effects?"
"Yes," He answers immediately. Then after a few moments of thought he adds, "If it's administered in time."
This catches Artie's attention. "If it isn't?" He demands, glaring at his servant for not informing him of this piece of information.
"You will be dead."
"You just said this wasn't important!" He shouts at the raven-haired warlock.
"Erm... yeah, I suppose it is a bit important," Merl admits, making Goldi and I roll our eye in sync.
"Merlin will have the antidote," The physician assures the future king.
The blonde pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"Once I have administered the poison-" Gaius begins to start then pauses when he sees the face of the blue-eyed man, he changes the word "-potion, he'll have half an hour to get it to you," He finishes.
Merlin has a small smile on his face as Arthur approaches him. "Don't be late," He warns.
"Am I ever?" Merl asks.
"I don't think you want that answered," I comment, receiving a glare from my best friend.
The blonde royal sighs before reaching out to take the bottle from Gaius' hands. He pulls it away before looking at him seriously, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"It's the only way to save Camelot," He replies, holding up the bottle and drinking it. "Ugh," He grimaces in disgust. We all look at each other as nothing is happening. He shrugs then starts to lean forward. Merlin and I catch his body.
"Merlin, what are you feeding the prat?" I question, groaning under the weight of the man. Merl just glares at me as we lay him on the floor. Gaius comes and closes his blue eyes and stands up.
"Time to break the bad news to Uther," Gaius says, handing the antidote to Merlin before leaving the room.
Merlin and I sneak out the room and down the corridor. He goes first when a green vase falls on his head, knocking him out.
"MERLIN!" I scream out. I see the little bottle of antidote rolling and down the stairs. I abandon my best friend and chase after the bottle. I almost get it before it reaches the last step, but it faintly touches my fingertips before it completely shatters on front of my eyes. "NO!"
I gasp and breathe heavily as I see the liquid pooling around the shards of glass. I dip my fingertips in the liquid then I remember my best friend.
"Merlin!" I rush up the stairs to see him laying on the stone floor, out cold. I shake his body, but he doesn't wake up. I look between him and the antidote and make the executive decision to abandon him a second time. I quickly untie his signature red handkerchief and go down the steps to soak up the liquid in a corner.
Uther quickly makes his way to his son's chambers where he fins him laying there. His normally pink lips are turning lightly blue, and his skin is extremely pale. "My boy," The King whispers as he cradles his son's head in his lap. "It was my fault. I pushed you away. My son, my son," He continue whispering.
The troll enters the chambers with grunt. "Come away. There's nothing you can do for him now," She says, pulling at her husband's arms.
Uther refuses as he pulls his son to him as he begins to cry, "I killed him. I killed my only son!"
"No, no, no, no," Catrina shakes her head and begins chanting. "Nu meaht þu begalan! Nu meaht þu..."
Uther looks up to his wife with tear stained cheeks. He starts blinking, "Catrina?"
"Uhhhhhhhh," She stutters, realizing her spell was broken as the pendant he wears stopped glowing red.
He looks up at her in shock and backs away from her. "What kind of trickery is this?" He demands.
I enter through the side door to see the troll in all her glory. Please note the sarcasm.
"How I've suffered these last weeks," The troll says with disgust lacing her voice. "Allowing you to touch me. Having to share a bed with you, it's repulsive."
'I'm sure he feels the same way,' I think.
"I know the feeling," The King agrees, slightly gagging at the thought.
"Oh, I've been looking forward to this," The troll snarls menacingly. She advances toward the King.
"Guards!" He yells out, the guards stationed outside the door rushes in. "Seize... it!"
The guards come in and attack the troll. The troll turns around begins to defend herself. I use this time to rush up to Arthur and start wringing out Merlin's handkerchief over the blonde's lips.
"Come on, come one, please," I mutter, straining my grip to wring out the liquid. I look up to see the troll actually winning against two Camelot knights. I see a single drop if clear liquid come from the cloth and dip down on his blue lips. Instantly, he starts to move. He lifts his head up as I drag him to safety to the side of the room.
Catrina then turns to face her dear husband. Goldi pulls himself from my grasp and advances to the troll. She jerks out the way and punches him, knocking him to the floor. She grabs his chin and sneers in his face. "Is that any way to treat your dear old stepmother?" She flings him to the wall, making him crash into it.
Uther takes this chance to attack his wife.
Talk about family problems, huh?
Jonas enters the room and his mistress nods him to finish off the prince. Jonas moves over to the hunched form of the blonde and pulls a dagger out of his cloak. He lunges forward but the prince rolls out the way and grabs his sword then plunges it into Jonas' gut, killing him.
One of the guards gets up bravely but gets head butted by the troll and knocks him out as well. Uther gets knocked out will a nice cross. For a troll, she has pretty good form.
The troll swivels around to stalk toward the back of Goldilocks.
My eyes glow gold as I whisper, "Locomotor Wibbly."
The trolls' legs collapse under her as if they were turned to jelly. The prince turns around and swings his sword then plunges it into the troll.
The troll starts to fart as she dies. I gag at the putrid smell emitting from the beast. I cover my mouth and nose with my hands and I go to open a window so Goldilocks and I don't pass out from the toxins. I gasp for fresh air as the window gets opened. The blonde comes and joins me at the window, also gasping for air.
He turns to look at me. My face illuminated by the moon and candles. "Thank you," He says softly.
"Uh-huh, no problem. I feel like I'm getting drunk on oxygen," I breathe deeply with a light laugh.
He chuckles at my comment and actually turns me so I can face him. "Thank you, Elizabeth. Without you I would be dead," His blue eyes bore into my green ones.
"Can't have you dying on me, now can I?" I slightly smile.
He grabs my hand with his and intertwines our fingers together. Our hands fit together like puzzle pieces finally matching with one another. I ignore the sparks the surged through me. I know it's cliché and cheesy, but it's the honest truth.
That little voice in the back of my head asks me, 'How do you know love is actually love, and not your hormones raging?'
"You don't," Arthur answers softly. Apparently, I said that out loud and not in my head. "Yes, you said that out loud." I also said that out loud. "The answer is: you don't. You just have to trust yourself enough to let yourself fall."
We just look at one another. Unconsciously, we both start to lean in.
Selfish.
That one word has caused me a lot of problems. Those seven letters cause me to have an existential crisis every other day.
It seems so simple. Allow myself to fall and wait for Arthur to catch me, but I can't. I can't fall. I can't take that leap of faith. Because if I do, I don't know what will happen. I'm used to knowing exactly what will happen. I like being prepared for anything. My emergency bag is stocked with the most absurd things to prove my point.
But, if I do this, if I let myself fall for him, I don't know what the future will bring.
Is it worth the risk?
Is it worth it, to throw away all of history and forge my own, just because I wanted to be selfish?
The answer is no. It's not.
So, I turn my head away at the last moment. "I can't," I whisper as I remove my hand from his and take a step back from the comfort of his presence.
"Why not?"
"You won't understand."
"Then make me."
I force myself to look up at him. His expression is one of concern and curiosity, but most importantly, sadness. A single tear rolls down my cheek. His face breaks at the salty liquid rolling down my face. He reaches his hand up to wipe it off, but I step back again. If possible, his face falls even more.
I move to the door of his chambers. "Gaius and Merlin will come," I say in a monotone voice, trying very hard to hide my emotions. I don't hear his reply as I shut the door behind me. I take a deep breath and blink away more tears then make my way back to the physician chambers.
At some point, guards passed by me to tend to their King and remove the troll from the castle. The entire way back I feel numb. I'm heartbroken but I never gave it away.
Maybe I did.
I know I did. I gave away it to the prat of a prince that is Goldilocks, and I didn't even realize it until it was too late.
I've never been in a relationship and the one in third year doesn't count. I've read books and seen movies of people falling in love. What it's like to be held as if they were almost afraid of accidently breaking you. What it's like to be kissed gently by someone who loves you – flaws and all. I've tried to steer clear from relationships as I've been the shoulder for many of my friends who have cried when they got heartbroken. I've always been curious to see what a relationship will be like. Just to know.
What would it like to feel loved?
I mean, being loved by your family and friends are wonderful an all but are probably different than love from a significant other. Your other half. The person who makes you feel whole. The one who makes you become a better person. The one who makes you strive to be your best. The one who will love you unconditionally forever.
Forever.
It seems like such a simple word. It's not. When people say 'forever' they don't mean it. Forever is a long time and we don't realize how powerful that word is. My time, people hook up with one another, no strings attached. People using other people for pleasure and nothing more. No love.
Love.
Yet another word that cause so much turbulence in people's lives. 'It's four letters, it can't possibly hurt you' they say. How wrong they are. That's the thing with love. It seems so insignificant, but it probably holds the most power out of everything. It can uproot people's lives for the better and completely shatter others in a split second. So many things are capable with that power.
Stories have been told over and over again, all revolving that simple yet complicated four lettered word. Just look at Romeo and Juliet. They were from pasts that should loathe one another, but they just couldn't. They fell hopelessly, madly, deeply, crazy, endlessly in love with each other. And it took their deaths to finally bring their two families together.
That's the power of love. It holds so much in a life, yet people squander it away like it's nothing. Say the word over and over yet have no true meaning behind it.
Maybe that's why I didn't go into a relationship. Maybe that's why I stayed away from love. Maybe it was to protect myself. Who knows? Cause I surely don't.
But, now that I'm actually experience love, or at least something similar to it, I don't know what to think of it. It's an emotional rollercoaster, ups and downs, left and right, twists and going upside down. I feel like I want to throw up and get off, but I can't. I'm addicted to the thrill of it. I can't seem to get enough of it.
I didn't realize was crying until I felt someone's arms wrapping around me. I look up to see Merlin gently rocking me back and forth in our room and whispering comforting words that do nothing to comfort me, but A for effort.
Selfish.
Oh, how I hate that word.
| | |
Goldilocks and his father had a lunch together where they discussed his recent actions with the troll. It was a lot of cringing on the prince's part when his father admitted that there are many things he regretted.
Merlin and I walk through the corridors.
"Merlin," A voice calls out behind us. Merlin and I turn around to see the blonde mop of hair coming towards us. "I want you to know that I never doubted you." Merlin stares at his master. "Alright, maybe I did. But, it's your own fault. You've got a suspicious look about you. Shifty. Like you've got something to hide."
I quietly snort, receiving an elbow from Merlin.
"I'm an open book," He replies.
"I don't believe you for a second," Artie says. "However, I do know that without your help, I'd still have a troll for a stepmother."
The two smiled at each other as I shuffled my feet awkwardly.
"Well, thanks," He goes to pat his servant on the back, but Merlin completely read the situation wrong as he goes for a hug. "Woah, what are you doing?" He raises his hands up and backs away.
"I though you were going for a hug," Merlin answers, also raising his hands up and backing away.
"No."
"No," Merlin shakes his head.
Goldilocks carefully lowers his hands before walking off. He glances back to give Merlin a wary look before his eyes lock on mine. I can see the questions swimming behind those blue irises but he doesn't have the guts to ask them.
Selfish.
It echoes in my mind.
| | |
Spells
Colloportus- to lock doors so they cannot be opened manually
Locomotor Wibbly- causes victim's legs to collapse as if turned to jelly
| | | | |
A/N- THANK YOU FOR 14K READS!
Have fun reading this and if I can get some feedback, that will be much appreciated!