chapter twenty-one!
021. the beginning of the end

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   HER MEMORIES OF HER FATHER were painful. She often didn't understand how a man could be so cruel to the children he sired▬how he could look at his son and see him as nothing more than a piece of clay for him to mould; how he could look at his own, sweet young daughter and see her as a disappointment. A weak, little thing who had done wrong by him by just opening her eyes and realising she was not another son. She didn't remember much of her own father▬sometimes, Adelynn chose not to remember. She refused to think back on the days she saw her father shout, and throw things across the chambers, and strike her mother until her cheek was swollen and blue; the days she cried as Ronyn stood over her, holding her tight to his chest as he took the blows for her▬for so long one time he received a fractured rib. She remembered how much he cried in his chambers when he thought she didn't hear, and it only put him in more pain, each time he hitched a sobbing breath.

    And yet, despite every horrible thing he had done, Adelynn had cried when her father died. She didn't know why▬she didn't understand it: how she could grieve a man who never loved her. How she could mourn a man she loved as her father even if he hit her, and he scorned her, and he couldn't look her in the eye without finding her a curse to his own being. She didn't understand it▬she did not know how she could hate herself so much to love the very man who hated her the most.

    But she supposed that was the worst pain he could ever give her: being her father and the only father she's ever known. The father that once decided to let her ride with him after buying her a new mare only to bruise her shins when they returned for accidentally knocking over the saddles in the stable. The same father that bought her paints, and then almost burnt them when she didn't spend her day doing anything else.

    But for the most of her childhood, it was a blur. It was a blur of hiding away in her chambers with Claudia singing to her and hugging her when her father's shouts and her mother's cries got louder in the night. It was a blur of noises▬screams, heart-dropping wails, the world outside, her maid's singing and Adelynn's own. Voices, and birds, and pleasant whispers only she heard, comforting her and letting her not remember some of the worst nights.

    She heard the sounds when she wanted to not listen▬when she blocked out the world; everything she hated that happened around her until they were all she heard ... sweet, gentle noises away from the chaotic, horrible life she knew. Sometimes she would hide under her duvet when she was younger and wished for the voices to come, staying up all night listening to their elaborate bird songs, old mythical tales, words that calmed her down and made her feel safe like she had just had a glass of warm will.

    But never once in Adelynn's life▬as short as it has been so far▬did she believe that it was something strange. She didn't even consider it out of the ordinary until she heard those insects; until they burned through her ears and overwhelm her ... to the point where▬did she destroy that vase in Edwin's room?

    Since that day, the voices did not stop. Nor did the occurrences▬they were small, things she could hide from her mother and her maid. Though, even then, Claudia was growing suspicious of the way she'd find candles knocked over across the room, Adelynn's paint's scattered across the floor and a splintered crack up her bed chamber window. And how she'd find Adelynn by her bed, quiet and pale at the cheeks▬as if she was unwell, but when Gaius checked her, she held no sign of illness.

    But that was because Adelynn knew this was a disease she could not be cured of.

    Magic was outlawed with the punishment of death within the kingdom. She did not want to believe that was what this was▬never once before had she ever considered the possibility, not until that moment. Not until she felt her blood boil and her heart pound▬so much she felt it in her head and within her soul, as if her being had been made of fire.

    And ever since she felt it then, she began to feel it more.

    But when she heard the little boy scream, she felt it like nothing before.

    Adelynn staggered▬she felt as if there was a blow to her stomach; like a sword had pierced her right through. The scream ran up her spine, boiled in her blood and pounded right to her head with such sharp pain she clutched onto Claudia beside her, barely able to stay standing.

    "Adelynn?" breathed Claudia, stunned to a horrified whisper as she held up her young mistress, keeping her on her feet within the manor's gardens. The youngest Vecentia found her voice in the back of her mind, distant and muffled. "M▬Milady?"

    Adelynn blinked. The garden around her had become a blur; the world around her seemed as if it was somewhere else. All she focus on, all she could focus on, all she felt▬deep within her like roots of a tree▬was the boy's scream: his pain, his cries, his desperation, his absolute terror. His heartbeat pounded with hers, and she almost fainted if Claudia hadn't shaken her, forcing her attention to fix back onto her.

    "Milady?" she breathed, very concerned. "Miss Adelynn? Are you all right?"

    She held her arm gently, but with a tight clench, as if fearful she'd fall into another strange spell.

    Adelynn stared at her, trying for a moment to hear the boy again. But she did not. And so, she managed a weak nod. "Yes." She quickly forced a smile on her face and turned back to the garden. "Just a little tired, is all."

   Claudia continued to frown at her, "Oh, then perhaps we should head back inside▬?"

    "No," Adelynn let out before she stopped herself. Her maid arched a brow, curious by her tone. She rushed to fix her mistake and smiled once more. "I quite like it out here▬I never get such wonderful fresh air when I'm trapped in my chambers all day."

    "You are pale, Milady," urged Claudia, still rather apprehensive. "Gaius has advised you not to over exert yourself▬"

    "The sickness of the water has well and truly left me, Dia," said Adelynn with an exasperated roll of her eyes. "You sound like my mother."

    "Well," said the woman, "it is what your mother tells me I must do."

    Adelynn breathed a small chuckle. She expected it to relieve her of this heavy feeling, but the boy's pain still seemed to weigh down on her. It turned her stomach to lead. She stared at the flowers, the ache still settled within her. She had stepped out into the daylight of a Summer's day, wanting to breathe in the air and the scent of blooming flowers in the gardens. She took Claudia with her, knowing she could not go anywhere by herself.

    She needed to get out▬to get away from the noises and from the nightmares that had become real each time she knew she shattered or knocked something over ... with just looking at it. She wanted to believe she was dreaming; that she was making things up▬that Adelynn was just looking for something to make her day something else other than mundane.

    And perhaps she was a perfect liar to herself, because even now, she would not let herself accept a truth she knew▬it was scary, it was dangerous; it would change everything in Adelynn's life. And so she lied to herself, just like she lied to every one else since it started.

    But even out here, the noises followed her; like her own shadow. And this boy, he screamed at her, he crawled to her▬he grasped onto her and pulled her towards him, and Adelynn found it hard to resist. Her gaze wandered towards the citadel just across the foundation walls▬and she could not look away. She felt the strangest urge to find him, to look▬to search and to see who he was. The voices called to her, and no matter how much she tried to ignore them, she very much listened.

    Help, begged the young boy's voice. Somebody, help.

    Adelynn couldn't pinpoint where it was from▬she heard him all around her; he came from the earth, from the stone walls and whispered within the wind. He spoke to her soul. She glanced at Claudia, wondering whether she heard the little boy as well, but at her gentle hum as she examined the different flowers, Adelynn knew she did not.

    Help, he cried again. Please, help me.

    She did not know where the voices came from, who this little boy was, or how she could hear him in her mind (or whether she was prepared to believe it), but Adelynn knew only one thing: she needed to find him.

    Her breath felt distant▬as if she wasn't breathing it herself. Help, he begged and he begged. She didn't know why he thought she was the one that could help him, but maybe he knew just how drawn she was to the voices she often heard.

    And she had to help him. For no other reason than that.

    Adelynn glanced at Claudia yet again, and tried her very best to look as pale and ill as she could▬though she was sure, right now, it was not hard. She could see on her hands she was drawn and gaunt. "P▬perhaps you are right," she lied through her teeth. "Perhaps I should retire back in the house."

    Claudia's eyes widened, a little taken aback by her sudden change of mind. "O▬Oh▬" she stammered for a moment, stepping away from the flower bed. "Of course, Milady. I'll accompany you▬would you like to change, have a bath▬?"

    "No, no," quickly said the fourteen-year-old, already starting her way towards the house, "It is all right, Dia▬I can manage perfectly well for the remainder of the day. I shall see you this evening, I suppose."

    Her maid watched her curiously. She was not ill in the mind▬she was smart, Adelynn very much knew. Which made it harder to lie to her. And while she would usually tell her everything▬Claudia was one of the only friends she knows, she could not tell her of this. It pained her to realise such, but it was true.

    Adelynn gave her a small smile before making her way back into the house. Once she was sure Claudia watched her no longer, she slipped away at a run; wrapping around the foundations and ducking through the front gates.

    She shuffled into the ongoing traffic into the castle▬hiding amongst the many workers, Upper Town merchants and ladies of the court; no one paid her any mind that she was a young girl without an escort. Even in her rich garb of burgundy, no one saw Adelynn Vecentia, just as if she was still hidden away in her room.

    Even then, she kept her eyes straight, her shoulders set and her walk direct▬she did not let any part of herself even try to draw an attention different to anyone else, and it worked.

   Adelynn shuffled around the traffic heading over the drawbridge, her heart pounding in her chest as the voice seemed to grow louder▬she knew she was heading in the right direction. Entering the citadel, the young girl darted to the side corridors of the square, hiding herself in the shadows beneath parapets and upstairs chambers. Adelynn was holding her breath, peering around the columns to frown at the guards that were mingling in the square.

   They travelled in pairs and packs, looking underneath tarps and asking servants many pestering questions▬they pointed here and they pointed there, and as soon as one did, the others following, rushing forward with their spears and scouring through contents of nearby wagons.

    Her frown deepened▬until she quickly looked away, acting nonchalant as a pair of guards passed her. As soon as they were gone, her gaze fixed back onto the courtyard, and it was then that she heard him again.

    Please, sobbed a young, pained voice. Please, you have to help me.

    Adelynn glanced around the courtyard▬and then she found him. Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. He hid, huddled and shivering in a thin green cloak behind the stone well. He was young▬very young; he couldn't be older than eight-years-old. Her breath hitched as her chest seemed to squeeze; as if her lungs shrunk, tightening and making it hard to breathe: he was already watching her. He waited for her to arrive with such a gentle look about him, and yet something cold washed over Adelynn. Something that made her on edge; the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. His skin was pale, his hair was dark, his features small and his body thin, but his eyes▬they were the colour of iron: intense and sharp. They pierced right through her and could see every secret she held.

    His lips did not move, but he spoke in her mind clearly: Help me.

    The guards' orders to one another were in the back of her mind, but as they grew closer to the little boy, she started to make the connection▬they were looking for this little boy. This young boy. He glanced at them briefly, and terror flashed across his youthful face. They're searching for me, he told her.

    Adelynn swallowed▬her mouth was dry. Around her, everyone seemed to move at a slower pace ... they drew their legs in an aching pace, moving their arms slowly ... but the she and the boy, they did not change. It was as if the world had slowed down around them under their own command.

    She clutched the stone column, scared to respond. She tried to speak through her lips, but nothing came out. The boy continued to watch her▬waiting for her to answer. He knew her secret better than she could even imagine. And it frightened her.

    She did not know how to speak to him, she did not know whether it would work▬but just as she would ask the voices to sing to her more when she was young; thinking her wishes and hearing them come true, she did the same now: Why can you speak to me in my mind? How can I hear you?

    And her eyes widened when he replied: Please, they're going to kill me!

    "Guards!" she heard the men shout and she jumped a little, her gaze darting over. "In here!"

    She watched them rush over across the courtyard▬away from the boy hiding just out of their line of sight. Adelynn didn't know why they were looking for him, she didn't take a moment to think how dangerous this was▬what the consequences were for her if she was caught. She just met the young boy's eyes once more, and she acted.

    She darted towards a dark stairwell back into the castle▬a servants' entrance she's seen Odette take many times. No one saw her as she hid herself in the shadows across from the boy. She counted her heartbeat, the world around her muffled as she eyed the guards▬waiting for the right moment ... they wandered to the other end of the square ... they travelled up the stairs and began to reenter the castle▬

    Adelynn locked gaze with the boy once more and nodded, This way, she said▬and this time, she could hear her own voice echo in her mind; there was little time for her to feel the chills it brought. She held out her hand, and the boy peered around, double checking the guards. Run, she told him. Come on▬run!

    The boy pushed himself onto his feet and took the chance. He sprinted across the stone courtyard towards her while the guards' backs were turned, clutching his arm tight. Adelynn shuffled on her toes, eyes continuously darting back and forth to the men conversing at the castle steps. The boy stumbled a little, and she could hear his quick breaths▬his heartbeat match her's; both of them scared.

    Adelynn didn't know where she was going to go. She didn't know where they'll hide. She didn't know what she was going to do▬but the moment the guards saw him and shouted, she knew there was no going back.

    She dipped further into the darkness as the guards went to follow. The boy made it to her and she grasped his hand tight. The two children ran together down the stairwell, their feet pounding on the stone▬it echoed in the corridor around them. Adelynn heard someone shout behind her: "ALERT THE REST OF THE GUARDS!"

    The boy glanced up at her as they ran, his cloak billowing behind him. Adelynn clutched his hand and held her skirts up with the other, pulling him along into the castle hallways▬she had no idea where she was going to take him. She started to panic. What was she doing? How could she do this▬how did she expect she'll find a way to keep him safe ... in the castle?

    She had a moment that almost made her freeze to think that she promised to help this little boy▬and he trusted her▬only for her to lead him to his death anyway.

    She glanced at him again. He was younger than her, but Adelynn was still a child herself. She only just turned fourteen in the early Spring. His palm was clammy▬or maybe it was her own ... Adelynn bit back the want to cry; helpless to the situation she threw herself into without a second thought.

    Not only will the boy die if they were caught, but so would she.

    Adelynn heard the guards voices grow yet again behind them▬she had to move. She hesitated on her feet before taking off down the corridor again; maybe they could find a way out down through the dungeons▬maybe an empty chamber to hide in, maybe▬

    She skidded to the stop as she heard footsteps in front of them. The boy hunched up, eyes growing wide with fear as he rushed to hide behind her▬they could do nothing as the figure rounded the corner, and Adelynn froze to find Merlin.

    He stopped, staring back at them▬the same way he had looked when he had caught her in Edwin's chambers. A horrifying look that held no surety▬Adelynn couldn't tell what he felt finding her yet again ...

    There was a terrible silence. Merlin took a step forward, his gaze finding the boy hiding behind her. His eyes darted upwards at the sound of the distant guards getting closer▬and finally, they found hers, starting to realise what she had done.

    Adelynn was desperate. She was more than desperate. Her breath hitched back into a stifled sob, "Merlin," she begged him. "Merlin, please▬"

    He watched her, intense and rigid▬just as he had before he left her in that alcove, marching away. And in this moment, Adelynn thought that he would leave her again▬that he would run for the guards and turn them in. He seemed to consider it▬

    She softly shook her head. "Merlin," her voice had dropped to a pleading whisper. They barely knew each other▬nothing more than he was Arthur's manservant and she was Ronyn's younger sister. She saw him on his death bead and he heard that she was on hers▬there was nothing connecting them in order for him to help her than the briefest of encounters; and yet those encounters had made Adelynn unable to stop thinking of it ... there was something different about Merlin▬something strange. But none of it could ever mean he had the right to help her in this moment.

    A door slammed open behind them. The little boy jumped. He clung onto her tighter. Merlin made his decision.

    Adelynn stared, shocked as he ran forward and took her arm, "Come on▬" he said and she did not even waste a moment to say anything. She just let go of her dress and took his hand, following him through corridors he knew far better than she did.

    The little boy stumbled along behind them, trying his best to keep up with his short legs. Adelynn almost tripped over her dress, watching Merlin lead them through corridors and around corners▬taking them up the stairs past windows towards a griffin standing up at the very top.

    Adelynn frowned▬she started to realise where he was taking them. "Wait▬" she tried.

    "Just trust me," Merlin cut her off and she found herself listening. She nodded and continued to follow, holding his hand perhaps even tighter than the little boy held hers.

    Adelynn continued to stare at him, not sure what to say▬not how to express her gratitude. Maybe she was too shocked to even know the right words. She just kept running. She just made sure the little boy was following all right behind them. She just trusted Merlin to get them somewhere safe.

    She barely had time to blink or catch her breath when they made it to where Merlin took them▬he swung open the door to the Lady Morgana's chambers and pulled both of them inside.

    Morgana glanced up from her morning breakfast, mouth agape as she watched Merlin close the door behind them. She, Gwen and Odette all spun around, surprised▬Adelynn hugged the little boy to her chest, finding herself standing close to Merlin's shoulder; hiding herself at the way the King's Ward's smile dropped, not sure whether to be angry or concerned by their sudden appearance.

    She and her maid servants were frozen to silence until Morgana demanded, "Have you forgotten how to knock, Merlin?!"

    Merlin tugged Adelynn and the boy forward, gently leading them away from the door. Odette's eyes widened, "The guards are after him. I didn't know what to do."

    He spoke of the little boy, but it dawned on them that Adelynn had thrown herself into the same danger. Odette glanced back and forth, growing a little frantic as the guards pounded their fists on the Lady Morgana's chamber door. Adelynn breathed heavily, glancing back over her shoulder at the sound. She held onto the boy a little tighter.

    "My Lady?" called out a voice on the other side.

    Morgana was torn. She did not answer the door, gaze fixed on the little boy with a perplexed frown. She seemed as if she was somewhere else, taken by the boy's gaze just as Adelynn had been.

    The guards pounded the door yet again▬more urgent, now. "My Lady!"

    The King's Ward was startled from her strange trance. Her breath hitched and she scrambled to find a place for them to hide. She spun in her shoes, glancing around her room before she pointed to the corner, "In there▬"

    Adelynn was tugged forward as Merlin grabbed her hand once again, dragging her and the boy towards Morgana's screen▬they ducked behind the delicate woodwork. Merlin rushed to pull the lavish red curtains in front of them, hiding them from view.

    The young Vecentia pressed her back against the wall, closing her eyes briefly to try and keep her breath steady. She did not let go of Merlin's hand, pressed flush against his arm with the boy close to her side. When she opened them again, she found herself glancing up at him again, and he met her gaze.

    Adelynn didn't know how to feel when he quickly looked away. As if the sight of her sort of scared him.

    She heard Morgana open the door outside from their hiding spot behind the curtains. "Sorry to disturb you, My Lady," said the guard waiting. "We're searching for a young druid boy. We believe he came this way▬"

    Adelynn felt him slump before she saw it. She glanced down and barely managed to catch him as he fell. The little boy dropped, his eyes rolling back into his head as he passed out▬Adelynn only started to notice how feverish his skin was. Sweat beaded on his brow. She fell down with him, and if it weren't for Merlin catching them both, the sound they would have created would have been it. The two of them crouched to the floor, gazing over at the sickened boy▬Merlin pulled his hand away from where it clutched his arm, and they both shared an anxious glance to find his tunic sleeve stained with dark, crimson blood.

    "I haven't seen anyone," answered Morgana swiftly by the door. "It's just me and my maids."

    "Best keep the door locked until we find him."

    "Of course. Thank you."

    The door closed. Moments later, Morgana pulled away the curtains and knelt down▬her breath fell away, heart jolting to find the boy unconscious in their arms. Gwen and Odette hovered at either side, and the blood that stained Adelynn's hand made each and every one of their stomachs fill with dread.

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THE YOUNG BOY did not talk. He made no noise from his lips; just watched them with his wide, startling eyes as they tried to clean and bandage his wound on his arm. He was still hot to the touch, and so they discarded his shirt to try and keep him cool. Odette could see the Druid mark on his chest; a Triskelion of three swirls. She sat with him, making sure he was comfortable with some of Morgana's spare sheets and duvets. His eyes fixed on her, and Odette found them hard to meet▬they were piercing.

    It was silent between them. She tried to ask him his name, he did not tell her. She tried to ask him where his camp was, he did not answer. He just watched her, breathing heavily▬silent and terrified.

    Odette shuffled back up to the wall, hugging her legs to her chest and setting her chin on her knees. She was still trying to calm down from Merlin's abrupt entrance, tugging Adelynn and this young boy with him. He didn't even ask if they were ready to risk their lives for this Druid boy▬they were just here, and they were hiding him in plain sight, and Odette was anxious at the thought of her head on the chopping block because of it.

    But she knew she wouldn't have said no. Odette could never see a boy executed▬he did nothing wrong. What wrong could this little boy ever do? But just because of his magic▬something, probably at his young age, he could not control▬he was something to be hunted; something to be destroyed out of fear that over the years, had simmered into hatred.

    "Are you still feeling hot?" Odette softly asked the boy, trying to get him to speak. He stared back at her with his light gaze. His dark hair was drenched, stuck to his forehead. He did not answer her. She pursed her lips and reached out to feel his forehead; he let her, his eyes following her movements▬fixed.

    He was started to cool down; his temperature didn't burn against her skin, which made her feel a little better about this whole ordeal. She pulled it back to wrap around her legs, giving the young boy a little smile. "My name's Odette," she told him sweetly. "I'm the Lady Morgana's second handmaiden. It's not that spectacular, I know▬but I'm really great at polishing shoes. Which must amount to something."

    Her brows lifted when she managed to get a slight, amused smile out of the young boy and she returned it. "You'll be okay," Odette then promised him. "Merlin and Morgana won't let anything happen to you. And I won't, either. We'll all keep you safe."

    Their one-way conversation and the slight chuckle the little boy made at Odette's sweet joke made Adelynn glance back. She sat by herself near the window, silent and frowning to herself. As everything settled down, she started to realise what happened▬what she had done. Adelynn Vecentia was still holding her breath, trying very hard not to cry in her fear. She finally could think back on how she had spoken to the boy in her mind just like he had to her, and it was a gut-wrenching realisation to everything she forced herself to ignore.

    Adelynn had to look away, swallowing back the lump in her throat. She gazed out of Morgana's window, blocking out every conversation: the gentle whispers Odette made to calm the druid boy down, the whispered concerns Guinevere said to Morgana across the room, and the loud silence Merlin held▬watching Adelynn with that same strange stare. She couldn't look at him; she refused to.

    She peered through the open window, welcoming the air that chilled her cheeks. The courtyard was empty as the beheading block was being prepared for the druid that accompanied the boy. Adelynn presumed it was his father▬and she felt sick to think his son was going to witness his death by noon.

    She could see her brother in the square, walking past the wooden platform with the Prince. Adelynn felt the lump suddenly grow, pained to see him▬what would he think? How will her brother react? She knew the truth of what was happening to her, deep down, and she knew that if Ronyn somehow found out ... well, she did not know▬she didn't want to think of what decision he would make. For all her life, her older brother has protected her. From her father, from the horrors of the world, even from himself. He took the blows for her, he received the bruises, the fractured ribs and the welts▬he hugged her, and he held her, and he did everything for her ...

    But if he was to know she might have magic ...?

    Would any of that even matter?

    Adelynn looked away from there, too. She stared at her slippers poking out of the hem of her dress.

    "Are you all right?"

    Her gaze shot up. Merlin frowned at her curiously, hesitantly coming over to stand near the chair she sat in beside the window. She didn't say anything, to which he tilted his head, "My Lady?" he asked her softly.

    It jolted her to a slight nod. She swallowed back everything to say, "Yes."

    Merlin nodded. Adelynn fiddled with the rings around her fingers. She pursed her lips, peering up at the Prince's manservant out of the corner of her eye. Now that the heat of the moment has passed, and she had the chance to say something to him, Adelynn was at a loss▬everything she wanted to say running through the castle corridors had left her, and she forgot every word of gratitude she knew in the vocabulary.

    She was thankful that Merlin awkwardly spoke up again, shuffling on his feet. "Er▬you sure?"

    Adelynn nodded. She started to find her words again, managing a stiff smile and saying: "Yes." Merlin nodded as well. He dusted his hands off on his leather jacket that was dull in colour from being worn so much. He went to leave her, but Adelynn somehow found the courage to speak up yet again: "Merlin?"

    He spun back, brows lifting as he let out a hum, listening to her. Adelynn tucked her feet around the chair legs▬not sure why it brought her comfort, but it did, to know she was locked onto the chair; rigid and rooted where she could not fall. Where the strange feeling she had whenever she was around Merlin that made her veins turn to fire seemed to disappear just enough to speak: "I▬I suppose I should say thank you. For not turning us in to the guards. You ... you've risked a lot doing so."

    Merlin gave her a small, shy smile. He scratched at the back of his ear, "Uh▬" he shrugged before setting his shoulders, meeting her gaze in quite a startling way. There seemed to be something else he wanted to say, and Adelynn frowned at it. But he held it back and changed his mind, deciding to tell her: "You're▬well▬you're Ronyn's younger sister. He would want me to help."

    Adelynn continued to watch him, curious herself, now. That wasn't just the answer, she could tell; she wondered why he felt the need to lie.

    Then, he scratched his ear once more, looking down to his boots. "Uh▬do you▬you don't mind me asking, but ... why did you help him?"

    Adelynn's eyes darted▬anxious over to Morgana and her maids▬; her breath hitched, too scared to say the truth with them in the room. Should she even tell Merlin the truth? She couldn't tell anyone. Merlin frowned at her reaction. Before he could say anything else, she quickly let out, "Why wouldn't I help him?"

    He stared at her, taken aback by her tone. Then, he quickly stammered as he tried to back-track his words, "I▬I mean, you're taking a huge risk, too, helping the boy. You're a part of the King's most trusted noble family. Y▬you're brother is a member of his most trusted court, I mean ..."

    Adelynn glanced back over at the young boy who was still being coaxed by Odette behind the curtains as his father's execution was being prepared right outside in the courtyard. She remembered how he spoke to her▬how she heard him all the way in her brother's garden ... how the voices have been with her for as long as she could remember, and it wasn't until now that they truly started to haunt her.

    She remembered how Merlin had left her in that alcove after she tried to tell him what she had heard▬somehow believing that he would somehow listen, that she could tell him even though she knew little to nothing about him. And despite that, she still felt that want to trust him. Adelynn did not let herself fall prey to it this time, but she did not completely lie, either.

    Adelynn pursed his lips and shrugged herself, "He's innocent. He's never done anyone any harm."

    Merlin sighed, leaning against the stone wall. He stared out of the window thoughtfully, watching the construction of the execution platform with a grave look in his eye. "Uther believes he has magic, and that makes him guilty."

    Soft▬to be sure no one else but him heard her▬Adelynn said, "What if Uther's wrong?"

    The manservant snapped his gaze immediately back to her own, surprised. He seemed to stagger for a moment. "You▬you believe that?"

    She grew shy under it. Adelynn shuffled on the seat. Their conversation had dropped to something even softer than a whisper. And part of her felt as if she was speaking to him in her mind, as well. "What if ... I mean ... surely not everyone who has magic must be evil and corrupted, right?" She spoke to him, but Adelynn understood that the real person she spoke to was herself. If she had magic ... that couldn't mean she was destined to be mad, and horrible, and cause nothing but suffering? She wouldn't destroy people's lives instead of vases with just a glance? Right?

    (She refused to).

    Adelynn felt like she was making a promise to herself as she continued, "What if a man's heart is what corrupts him, not the magic he wields? Because ... because ..." because I do not know what I will do, how I will live, if that is not true.

    Merlin continued to gaze at her▬and she could not describe it, even if she wanted to. He seemed a little anxious for the answer to his next question, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall off: "Because...?"

    The young Vecentia wasn't sure what to make of it▬of him, of this conversation, of this strange air between them ... but it was similar to the feeling she held the moment she heard the boy speak to her ... Adelynn was drawn to Merlin for reasons she did not know.

    "Because," she continued slowly, her words careful, "I just ... I refuse to believe otherwise." Adelynn arched a brow at the way Merlin did not look away. His brows furrowed a little▬he seemed pleasantly surprised, and did not know the best way to react. "What is it?" she decided to then ask him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "Nothing," Merlin rushed out, and the look was gone.

    She watched him for a moment more, something playful rising up within her. Adelynn didn't know much about Merlin, but she started to feel as if she wanted to learn. He intrigued her as much as he unnerved her.

    But before she could say anything more, the drums started. Silence echoed within the Lady Morgana's chambers as the march began▬pounding against their chests with a devastating and chilling echo. Everyone shared an anxious glance that slowly moved over to the young boy behind the screen; his gaze moved to the window in an instance, knowing exactly what was happening.

    Morgana marched her way over to the open window, her breath hitching as she gazed down at the courtyard. People were starting to gather around the execution block, hearing the drums and being drawn to it▬some out of respect, others out of sick enjoyment; they all found it better to try and not guess which one was the case. Merlin wandered to her side, frowning down over her shoulder as she unclasped the window to let it swing open.

    The man the young boy travelled with▬his father, they could only guess▬was marched up towards the platform under the gaze of the King and his son. Adelynn watched the reflection glimmering in the window glass, sick to the stomach. She watched him be forced up the stairs and to the wooden block where his executioner stood waiting.

    She glanced back at the boy who had shuffled closer to Odette, quiet, but his chest staggered in its movements up and down▬his breathing quickened; she could hear his fear, feel it.

    "People of Camelot," began the King, his voice echoing across the silence, "the man before you is guilty of using enchantments and magic. Under our law, the sentence for this crime is death. We are still searching for his accomplice. Anyone found harbouring the boy is guilty of conspiracy and will be executed as a traitor."

    Merlin's gaze slowly drifted to settle back onto Adelynn. She took a sharp breath through her nose.

    "let this serve as a warning to your people," said the King to the druid below.

    He merely gazed back unwavering; at peace in his mind, and courageous in his stance. Even standing before his death, the man replied with a calm, still tone: "You have let your fear of magic turn to hate," he told the King. "I pity you."

    Morgana pursed her lips. Soon, she shook her head and couldn't stand it any longer. She stepped away from the window, growing emotional, "I can't watch this," she breathed. She made her way to where Odette sat with the boy, joining them and quickly wrapping the boy close to her chest▬trying to protect him as much as she could against the scene happening right outside.

    Adelynn found herself standing and taking Morgana's place. She didn't know why she did it, but she felt herself wanting to see what will happen▬she felt obligated to watch this man die with a chest heavy with grief.

    The drums drew louder until they started to echo within Adelynn's very being. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and her jaw, refusing to let the urge win to look away. She watched the King raise his hand. She watched the druid be forced to his knees; his neck was shoved onto the wooden block▬

    The King flung his hand down and in a matter of seconds, the man's life was taken away with the glint of a falling axe handle. Adelynn winced, but she did not blink▬she watched the blade pass clean through his head and fall into the basket in front▬

    NO!

    The boy's scream made her flinch. It pierced her ears and spiked pain in her temples. She spun back around just as Morgana's glass mirror cracked▬a jagged, sharp line splintered all up through the centre, staggering out into a web of fractures with a shattering blast of power.

    They all stared at what he had done, breathless in shock. Adelynn forgot what it was like to breathe for a moment, startled by the surge of power she felt▬a blow to her chest that made her winded.

    She failed to notice the stare Merlin held, watching Adelynn's reaction with an all-knowing understanding she did not recognise.

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ODETTE DIDN'T WANT to leave the young boy. Not after all that had just happened. But with Morgana at his side, she found it easier to stand up and hurry after Merlin as he left the room. She could see the troubled look upon his face▬she had been watching it for a while now, and she took the chance to follow him in order to see whether he was all right. She had a feeling it was all slowly starting to dawn on them what they had all gotten themselves into.

    "Merlin?" she called as she left Morgana's chambers, trying to catch him before he travelled down the Griffin Staircase. She picked up her skirts to rush a little towards him. "Merlin."

    He slowed down as he heard her voice, glancing over his shoulder. He let her match his pace and she smiled a little▬though it was strained as the heaviness of the execution still weighed down on her, and she felt as if some part of her had shattered with the mirror. She knew it had been the boy's magic: so distraught and so upset, cracked and splintered; fractured in his heart to hear the execution. No child should have to go through that.

    "All right?" Merlin asked her softly as they descended the stairs together.

    She only just breathed a sad chuckle, finding the conversation so familiar to ones they've had plenty of times before, "I was just about to ask you the same question. You look troubled."

    He sighed and they turned the corner to the next flight of stairs, "How could I not be▬?" they passed a set of windows, and they could glimpse the crowd dispersing in the square as the execution finished.

    "Right," Odette understood and she flushed slightly. "Sorry. I just ..." she sighed, too, shaking her head. "I don't understand how executing a young boy is the right thing to do? Even the King must see the little harm he brings?"

    Merlin shook his head, giving her a gentle glance, "When magic is concerned, Odette ... I fear it does not matter to him."

    She pursed her lips, looking down at her feet, "I suppose you're right."

    They were alone in the corridor, and it was because of this that Merlin took the chance to say to her in a soft whisper, "Odette," she turned to him with a little hum, "I ... I'm sorry for just barging in▬I didn't even ask whether it was okay; I just threw you into the deep end on this, not even taking a moment to think I was risking your life as well. And now the threat of execution is hovering over you, too. I'm sorry."

    The young handmaiden made a face, stepping closer to nudge Merlin as they walked, "I would have agreed to help even if you did," she said to him. "You know that."

    Merlin sent her a grateful smile, nudging her back. But as a thought crossed Odette's mind, he watched the smile she held start to fall. She frowned to herself before muttering, "What I don't understand is why would Adelynn put herself in so much danger like that?" she met Merlin's gaze, all of the sudden very grave. "How did she even manage to find him? By herself▬she▬she's not allowed anywhere without an escort."

    "Perhaps ..." Merlin treaded carefully▬she could hear the hesitance in his voice. He was hiding something, she knew it, "... perhaps it was a spur-of-the-moment decision."

     Odette eyed him for a moment, trying to see what he wasn't telling her▬but she couldn't figure him out, for once. And so she let it go, "Well, no matter what, it was good you found her. Now ... now we just have to find a way to get the boy back to his people before our little ruse is found out. And hope it works ... for all our sakes."

    Merlin pursed his lips, troubled and thoughtful. Odette said goodbye to him in the lonely corridor before turning gently on her heel to return to Morgana's chambers and he watched her go. He felt heavy in his chest, the feeling of hearing both the boy's and Adelynn's voices in his head lingering like a breath on the back of his neck.

    There wasn't something quite right about that little boy. At the same time as Merlin felt the need to defend him and protect him, he also felt this scary need to push him away▬to place him at the King's mercy. Something deep within his gut tried to warn him ... of what? He didn't know, and it was troubling. For what could this young, innocent boy do?

    But when he shattered that mirror, Merlin knew he was powerful▬a dangerous sort of powerful for someone his youthful age. The only other person Merlin could think of capable of doing such instinctual magic of that intensity at that age was ... well ... himself.

    And Adelynn had sensed him just the same as Merlin had▬corridors and corridors away until he felt her presence, too.

    She had thrown herself into dangerous waters purely because she must've heard the boy, she must've felt that connection▬understood that he was similar to her, and it was scaring her. Merlin knew it, he could see it, and he remembered that feeling with an aching pain to his chest.

    But he didn't know how to tell her▬he didn't know when. No matter what the Great Dragon said about her, and about what Merlin must do ... he was stranded desperate for more questions, though he was not receiving any answers.

    It was more than that. Merlin was terrified to tell her. Even if he understood her pain, and her terror, and what she was going through, he was too scared to tell her that he was the same▬that he knew how she felt ... because what if she didn't believe him? What if her words meant nothing when it came to his own secret? How could he place his life in the hands of a girl he barely knew? How could she put her life in his?

    Merlin still brooded about it during supper; stressing over everything that happened in the morning and what tomorrow will bring. He barely ate his pottage, tossing and turning the soaked carrots and cabbage.

    Gaius was working his potions not far from the supper table, and the putrid smell of whatever he was making certainly didn't help Merlin's lack of an appetite.

    The young warlock glanced up, deciding to watch his uncle work for a few moments, eyeing the way he tested the colour of the substance in his glass tube against his manuscripts. He wasn't satisfied and placed it back over the fire, manually turning it to this angle, and then to that angle▬the same to which he has been doing for the past half an hour.

    He then placed it in its metal casing over the fire, letting it simmer to scratch a few notes on parchment. He was in such concentration within such tranquil silence, Gaius nearly jumped out of his skin when Merlin spoke up: "Do you know much about the Druids?"

    When he calmed himself, the physician shot the boy a small, light-hearted scowl before muttering, "Very little. They're very secretive people," Merlin nodded, turning back to his soup to toss it around more, "especially now they're being hunted by Uther."

    A sudden thought crossed Gaius's mind and he shot his gaze back up, a startling realisation striking him. He pointed his quill accusingly at Merlin and asked him very sternly, "Merlin, please tell me you haven't gotten yourself and Odette mixed up in this."

    The young warlock immediately went to argue his defence, wondering why he just assumed Odette was with him in this▬that where one troublesome servant was, the other couldn't be far behind. Of course, they were correct in their assumptions, but that didn't mean Merlin was prepared to admit to the fact. If he did that, he would have to admit to all the strawberries he's stolen off Arthur's morning breakfast plate and face yet another week in the pillory! "Me?" he let out, feigning quick innocence. "No. Mixed up in what?"

    Gaius just narrowed his gaze upon him. He walked up to him, still pointing his accusing feather quill, "For someone with such a big secret," he told him, "you are a terrible liar."

    Merlin set aside his spoon and lied once more, "Well, I haven't done anything. We haven't done anything," he added at the rise of Gaius's brow.

    "Merlin▬"

    The warlock sighed. He slumped a little in his seat, relenting and admitting in a soft voice: "I heard the boy calling out. He ... he was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear him▬" he tapped his temple, "▬like he was inside my mind."

    Gaius hummed thoughtfully, "Yes," he murmured, slowly starting to turn back to his work▬satisfied now that Merlin had told him the truth ... the young warlock wasn't about to then add he spoke only some of it. "I've heard of this ability. The Druids look for children with such gifts to serve as apprentices. While they're searching for this boy, you must be especially careful. Otherwise it will be your head on the chopping block."

    Merlin tried to muster his best grin▬though it turned into something rather sheepish, "I'm always careful. You know me."

    Gaius only shook the tip of his feathered quill underneath Merlin's nose, "Yes, Merlin," he said. "Unfortunately, I do."

    He returned his focus purely back onto his work. Merlin pursed his lips back down at his supper. He still couldn't find the want to eat any of it. Shyly, he glanced at his uncle again out of the corner of his eye, and said quietly: "Gaius?"

    The Court Physician breathed a small, exasperated sigh, "Yes, Merlin?"

    His mind clouded with the pale look Adelynn held, sitting in that chair within Morgana's chambers▬he remembered the same look she had when he found her in the corridors, clutching onto the little boy's hand, staring at him as if afraid he was going to turn her in. Merlin was ashamed that for a moment, he thought he was. The warlock chewed on his bottom lip, unsure on how to ask his next question. "Is it linked to powerful magic? Speaking into the mind?"

    His guardian pondered his words. Then, he decided to answer, "It is an ability not many have▬most who were, were taken and trained so I suppose, yes, it can be."

    "How did they train them?"

    Gaius rounded back onto Merlin again, suspicious. "Is there something else you are not telling me, Merlin?"

    The young warlock hesitated. Then, he shook his head. "No." Merlin forced a smile on his face. "Just curious."

    His uncle was not convinced. They had a short stare-off▬Merlin swallowed back the ache in his throat at all of his lies, desperate to ask Gaius all of his questions: ask him what to do about Adelynn ... but he did not.

    Eventually, Gaius left him be, and the conversation was finished.

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    a/n:

    odette in this chapter: hmmm .... actually so my work? or follow merlin?
    odette:
    odette: let's follow merlin!

    also not merlin stealing arthur's strawberries for odette they're friendship goals.

    BTW FIRST NEARLY COMPLETELY ADELYNN CENTRED CHAPTER!!!

    there's a few snippets of Merlin's conversation with Morgana that I've taken, but purely because if my oc's were in the show, I always imagined this would be an 'Adelynn' episode. And we'll get to focus on her and her magic and her relationship and connection with merlin so super excited 😆

     also she literally sorta explores the aspect of family trauma where the victim still loves the abuser </3

    oh merlin spoilers btw below if u haven't seen it or for some reason don't actually know how the legend of Arthur's life ends:

    also odette is literally trying to take care of the boy that murderers her future husband. she's like i feel strange and I'm like yeah, he's gonna commit regicide and kill ur hubby.

    well i mean not technically in this universe but in literally every other Arthurian tale yes