Part 1.
The Past
Chapter 1.
I woke up in a dark and sinister forest, not knowing where I was or why I was here. The ground beneath my body was soft and wet. I stood up as best as I could with numbness in my limbs. I had a weird feeling inside me. I looked around but I didn’t recognize anything, which scared me a lot. I had no idea or memories as to why I stood there, in the cold weather. It felt like a dream, but everything seemed real. So real.
With no other option but to move forward, I started to walk in the forest without any directions to go to. I was cold with only my pajamas on, so the promenade will help me not to shiver. So, I walked and walked for hours, without any goals nor persons to talk to and inform me on the place where I was. There was only forest for miles and miles on.
After many minutes, even many hours, I lost notion of time, I heard horses neighing in the distance. A feeling of hope rushed through me. I was saved, finally. With horses, I could achieve a town faster than by foot. I needed it because I was exhausted, even though I had just woken up a few moments earlier. But I couldn’t feel my limbs. However, destiny had another plan for me. The hooves came closer and soon I saw four soldiers appearing. They were strange. They wore weird clothes, like an armor or something. They looked like they were knights in medieval armor, with chain mail and iron guards, as well as swords. It was very unusual. Maybe they were doing a play?
I was stopped in my thought by one of them.
“Miss, what are you doing in the forest?” one of them asked me.
“I woke up here, in the middle of nowhere, but I don’t know why”, I explained to him.
“Was it magic?” another knight asked.
“Magic? I think you take your role way too seriously” I answered.
“How dare you speak to me like that?” the knight replied, taking out his sword.
He pointed the weapon toward me. I was starting to feel really uncomfortable with them. Something was wrong, and I was more and more sure that this, whatever this is, was not a dream.
“You should bring her to the palace” replied his companion.
They got off their horses and surrounded me. Two of them grabbed my arms and forced me forward. I was resisting as best as I could, but they were stronger than me. I could not move so I tried to reason with them and gather information as to where I was.
“Where are you bringing me? Where am I?” I asked them fiercely.
“Shut up” one of them shouted at me.
“You could at least answer me, please”
I felt a sudden and sharp pain in my cheek. I struggled to touch it, but the soldiers held me tight. Someone had it me to silence me. What kind of barbarian acted like that? Apparently, the kind that dressed in armor and behave like douche. I wasn’t going to let them do that to me.
“Who do you think you are? You don’t have the right to hit me like that”, I said with anger.
“We have every right, by order of the king”.
“What? What king?”
I received no answer. Great, my day was going better and better. After sleeping on the ground, I must have run into some idiots.
“Let me go!” I said.
I twisted to free myself, but nothing helped. The strength of these man was far greater than mine. I resign myself to follow them in the most total and awkward silence to learn more about the situation in which I was. I didn’t understand what was happening to me since this morning or even where I was. I didn’t recognize anything while the soldiers were taking me to their palace. Everything seemed strange here, starting with these knights. This dreamy feeling caught up to me, but despite the strangeness, I knew with certainty that what surrounded me was real. So, I decided not to speak and to wait to see how all of this would evolve before deciding what to do next. Hopefully a plan would come to mind that would save me from this curious situation and would bring me home.
Chapter 2.
After riding for a long time, we finally arrived in a small village with a drawbridge, and I was seized with a ferocious gag. The stench of the place was unbearable. The ground was dirty, and the house were just wooden planks laid one on top of the other. Poverty was everywhere. People were wearing rags and smelled funny. Nevertheless, the smell went away when we reached the castle. It was huge. Gigantic. And majestic. How could anyone find their way around in there? Apparently, my friendly companions had no problem with it. After letting the horse in a courtyard, they took me in the palace. It was made of stone but was beautiful. The architecture was so well done that I could not take my eyes out of it. And the furniture were all with velvet and seemed so comfortable. I wished I could sit there forever but my mates took me into corridors and then we arrived in a large, shiny room. They left me in front of an imposing man wearing a crown. He was tall, and I must say he had charm, with his blue eyes and golden hair.
“Who is this” he asked his knights.
“We found her in the woods, your majesty. We do not know who she is,” replied one of them.
“In that outfit?”
‘Indeed, sir, she was alone in that attire walking through the forest.”
“Leave us,” said the king.
The soldiers bent down and left one by one. It was very strange to watch, especially since it was the first time, I had met a member of a royal family.
“Who are you, milady?” he asked me once everyone had left.
“I demand to know where I am,” I replied.
“How dare you address me in this way?”
“Please, I don’t understand what I’m doing here,” I said.
“You are in Camelot.”
What? I was in Camelot? The shock rushed through me. How can I be in Camelot? Was the man in front of me Arthur? This was not possible. I could not be in Camelot; this was a legend. A myth. I did not understand my situation at all.
“Are you king Arthur?”
“Himself, and you are?”
I had to think fast of a response that could decide of my entire future. People were either rich or poor here. At least, that’s what I saw so far. I could maybe pass as a princess, after all, I’ve seen a lot of movies about manners and etiquette. Yes, that could be good. I didn’t have any other idea.
“I am Princess Avalon of Monaco, in France,” I lied, not knowing if it would pass.
‘You come from the kingdom of the Franks?” he corrected me.
“Yes, that is correct my lord,” I replied, breathing a sigh of relief in thought.
I tried to straighten my back in order to be more royal and to back up my lies. I hadn’t lie about my name and I didn’t know the name of France during the Middle Ages. But apparently, he was believing me.
“You are a princess. Why did you not say so before? And why are you wearing that finery?” the king asked me.
“I do not know, sir. I woke up this morning in the forest, completely disoriented, not knowing where I was,” I explained. “I tried to ask your knights, but they hit me instead.”
“I apologize for their behavior towards you, milady. Was magic involved in your situation?”
“I cannot tell, your majesty.”
“I guess you did not have a fine day. You must be tired. We will resolve this mystery another day. I will prepare a room for you. Rest as long as you want. We will finish this conversation later on,” said Arthur.
“Thank you, your majesty. You are so kind. May I speak to Merlin before, please?” I asked, calmly, having regained my confidence now that I knew where I was and especially at what time.
Inwardly, I was thankful for all the movies about royalty that I had watched. In particular, the ones about the Arthurian legend. I was happy I knew so much about the king Arthur and Merlin the magician.
“You know Merlin?” he asked.
“He is a childhood friend,” I lied.
“Oh, very well. I will send for him.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” I said, executing a curtsy worthy of my ballet lessons.
The king asked on of his men to fetch Merlin, then turned to another servant.
“Prepare a room for the lady and,” he said, looking at my clothes, “some robes would be advised as well”.
“Yes, sir,” said the servant before leaving the room.
“Milady, if you remember anything concerning what happen this morning, come to me or ask to see me,” said the king.
“Thank you, sir, for your hospitality.”
“Stay here and have the room, Merlin should arrive at any moment.”
Instead of responding, I bowed to him. Then, he left, followed by multiple guards. As the door closed, I felt a little panicky, realizing the mess I was in. I could not believe I was stuck in the Middle Ages with Arthur and Merlin. How did I arrive here? Did I time travel? On that thought, the door opened again to reveal a confident, powerful, ebony-haired young man. Merlin.
Chapter 3.
I cannot imagine that the majestic Merlin stood before me. The most powerful sorcerer in all the tales and legends. The power was felt in him, but it was a different power than Arthur’s. Arthur was resplendent with royalty while for Merlin, it was a more powerful power.
“Hello Merlin,” I said.
“Good morning.”
I was standing here, in front of him, in the flesh. I could touch him if I’d like, but I contained myself. My priority here was to understand what I was doing here.
“I do not know you, but you said the contrary to the king, why?” Merlin asked me before I could even open my mouth.
“Well, I am in a tricky situation. I woke up this morning in a forest near Camelot, but I should not be here. And you are the only one who can help me,” I explained.
“How is that? You seem sure I can help you.”
“Yes, because you’re Merlin.”
“Yes, and you are?”
“My name is Avalon.”
“That is not a common name.”
“Around here, maybe not, but from where I come, it is.”
“And where do you come from?” asked Merlin.
I could not lie to him if he was my ticket out of this hell. I had to tell him the truth, no matter the consequences. I just hoped he’d keep it to himself.
“France, in a little city called Lyon,” I replied.
“You mean the Franks?”
“No, I mean France. That is what it is called today, my time.”
“Your time? I do not understand.”
“Well, last night, I was in my bed, in 2021, really happy to go to sleep. And this morning, I woke up here, in … hmm, it must be what? 1400 something”
“We are in 1238. But wait, you come from the future?” he asked.
“I know, it is insane. I didn’t believe it at first but here I am. And I need your power to go back home.”
“I am sorry, but you must have confounded me with somebody else. I do not have any power,” he replied.
Why was he saying that? Of course, he had powers. He was the great Merlin. But, maybe here, in Camelot, that was forbidden. And since he didn’t know me, he had to protect himself. I just wished he believed that I came from the future.
“No, you are Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time. And I need you to send me back to my time, to 2021,” I insisted. “Is magic not allowed here?”
“No, that is why we have to be careful. I understand better why you lied to the king, he should never know, for you and for me,” he said. “I do have powers, but I hide it not to be hanged and you should do the same.”
“I don’t have powers, sir,” I replied.
“Then how did you arrive here?”
“That is why I need your help, I don’t know.”
Well, I suppose that he believed me. That was a good news, actually.
“And I do not know if I can either. But we will look into it. Time jumps are way beyond my abilities as a wizard. How did you say you knew me again?”
“Oh, in the future, you are a legend.”
“Is that good?” he asked.
“Yes, but I imagined you a little bit older”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, people say you were at least a hundred years old when you knew Arthur,” I explained.
“Well, they lied.”
“I guess so. Did you defeat Morgana?”
“No, she is still alive. Our troops are searching for her and her fiancée Mordred, but they are hiding with magic. It was probably one of the troops that found you this morning. Morgana has immense power as well, and she does not have to hide it. I envy her that. Run if you see her.”
“I don’t even know what she looks like. What about Guinevere?”
“She died a few years ago at the hands of Lancelot, it was horrible. All of the kingdom was in pain that day,” he says, tears in his eyes.
“But isn’t Lancelot supposed to be your best warrior?” I asked, stunned by what he said.
“Yes, he was at the time. He betrayed us when he fell in love with Morgana, even if she was with Mordred. She bewitched him in doing so.”
“What? The legend doesn’t say that at all.”
“Legends can be rewritten, you know. Morgana used to be a sweet, gentle girl, before she knew her history and discovered the extent for her magic. She went really bad when she found out that our former king, Uther, was her father, through Mordred. Since then, she has only been seeking the throne and revenge on Arthur”.
“Wow, that sucks.”
“What did you say? I do not understand your language.”
“Oh sorry, habits from the future.”
“You will have to change that if you do not want to be caught,” he advised me.
“Yes, right.”
“We will have to be really careful while you stay here, because Arthur should never know what really happened and especially who you are and when you came from. First, we will see if you have magic, since you traveled here from the future, there is a chance you do. Then, we will improvise.”
“I’ve never done magic in my entire life,” I protested.
“That does not mean you do not possess powers, milady,” Merlin replied. “Here is what we are going to do. Tomorrow morning, I will find you and we will go back to where you woke up, in search for a clue. Then, we will see if you do have powers. In the meantime, I am going to search for a spell to get you home.”
“Sounds like a good plan. But, Merlin, I know nothing about this world. I don’t even know how to go to the room we prepared for me.”
“I am going to help with that, do not worry. Just wear dresses and behave like a princess and it will be fine. I will assure that you eat with me and the king. Beside the meals, try to avoid Arthur at all costs. We do not want him to discover the truth. And if you are lost, just ask the servants or the knights.”
I nodded to all the things he said. He was right, he knew this world and this castle way better than I do.
“Follow me, I am going to show you your room,” Merlin said.
I followed him, wondering about everything he had revealed me. I knew the legend about him well enough, yet some things were different from the tale. If I was here, maybe I had a role to do in the life of Arthur, maybe to save his life against Morgana and Mordred. And help Merlin in doing so. But how was I going to help them if everything I knew about him and Arthur might be wrong? If that was why I was here. After all, how could I know? For I still couldn’t believe that I was in Camelot and will live among them for a few days. It was just unbelievable. And above all, I would like to know how and especially why I had ended up here. It was the mystery of the year. Well, in this case, of the century.
Chapter 4.
I had been given a room fitted for a queen. Okay, I said I was a princess, but that was because not being royalty here meant living in poverty and sleeping in beds full of moths. And I like some comfort, let’s not hide it. And to survive. Instead, I had a purple velvet four-poster bed, huge windows overlooking the courtyard, a wooden desk and a chest of drawers filled with pretty dresses. Perfect, I didn’t have to worry about my clothes here, thanks to Arthur. I had already been provided with them. And I had my own bathroom, which meant a basin and a draft shield. Oh boy, I was already starting to miss my 21st century bathroom, with good toilets. We were dangerously low on technology here and on hot water.
Daylight soon gave way to night, and I was served dinner in my room, which was nice. I was served a disturbing porridge and a piece of bread. It tasted weird, though, even the bread. But I devoured everything since I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. Then, I put on a robe and fell asleep as soon as I touched the sheets.
I was awakened by a young lady with red hair and chocolate eyes who drew the curtains of my room, letting the sun in.
“Good morning milady. I am your servant for the time of your stay. My name is Lily,” she said.
“Nice to meet you, Lily. What time is it?”
“It is 7 o’clock, milady”.
“In the morning?”
“Yes, milady”, she answered. “Breakfast is served at 8, you will eat with the king, so you have to get ready”.
“Okay, and then, I meet with Merlin, right?”
“I do not know, milady. I am sure the king will talk to you about it,” she said cheerfully.
I got up and let Lily give me a bath. She had to pull up big buckets of hot water and put it into a large one in order for me to wash. After, she got me all dressed up and put my hair in a crown of braids.
“You have a gift, miss Lily,” I thanked her, pointing to my hair when I see the beautiful result.
“Thank you, milady. I will take you to the banquet hall, now.”
I followed her into the endless corridors of the castle. There was so many corridors and stairs. It was a good thing Lily was there, or I would have gotten lost. However, before we got to the hall, we ran into Merlin.
“Hello, Merlin,” I said.
“Milady,” he greeted me with a bow.
“Lily, thank you for accompany me. Merlin will escort me to the hall.”
“Of course, milady,” said Lily.
She bowed as well then left the room in utter silence.
“Did you have a good morning?” Merlin asked me gently.
“Yes, but I still have to get used to the bowing and the getting up at 7 am. Am I going to be woken up at this hour every day?”
“Yes, if not earlier. We get up at dawn here.”
“Oh okay. I am just used to wake up at 9 am.”
“9? Bloody hell”
“Maybe for you but not for me. So, the schedule for the day is still on?” I asked him.
“We will have breakfast with the king, then we will go to the forest and then, you know,” he answered, whispering the last words. “You know how to ride at least?”
“Yes, but I have been out of practice,” I admitted.
“Okay, we will go to the horses right after the breakfast, then.”
“Oh, could I do a little swordplay as well? It can come in handy if I stay longer than expected,” I asked. “I might need to know how to defend myself here and face all kinds of dangers that lurk around.”
“Yes, why not. I will ask Arthur about it.”
“Thank you, Merlin.”
“Do not worry. Well, shall we?” he said, gesturing to the door.
“We shall.”
He offered me his arm and I took it, then he led me to the room where Arthur was waiting for us in front of a long table full of foods. It looked delicious. I hoped it won’t taste the same as my dinner. Merlin led me to a chair next to the king and took the one opposite me.
“I hope you enjoy our company, miss Avalon,” asked Arthur.
“Yes, your majesty. I appreciate a lot all the things you have done for me,” I replied.
“I have councils to attempt to in the morning, but perhaps we will have a talk this afternoon. I know you have plans with Merlin, but we need to solve the mystery of your arrival.”
“Of course, my lord,” I said.
“Perfect, we can eat now.”
I waited for the king to start his meal, then took some breads and started as well. It was delicious. Way better that what I ate before. I filled my stomach with all the food I could take, not knowing what I will get next. It was really nice to eat with Arthur and Merlin, to learn about the culture here a little. I tried to talk at little as possible, letting them talk about their lives in Camelot. As king, Arthur was dealing with threat of other kingdom, especially the ones aligned with Morgana, but also with his people, concerned about their lives and finding solutions to their problems. Merlin was helping in every decision, helping the knights to prepare for battle when Arthur could not and the functioning of the castle. It was all very interesting to hear. It felt utterly strange to be here with them, not being able to talk about my real life and having to lie about it. But I had this impression that it was for the greater good, that I had a role to play in all that, whatever it was.
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