Fireheart (A Merlin Love Story)

Chapter 5, Part 2

Songs used:

Connected by Katherine McPhee from Barbie and the Diamond Castle—->

Ariella's P. O. V:

Afterward, I hang out in Merlin's room with him, Lancelot and my brother, reading a book as I sit on Merlin's bed.

Lancelot asks, peering at the book in my hands, "What are you reading, Ari?"

"An adventure story about a princess locked up in a tower that's guarded by a fierce, fire breathing dragon, and a prince who has to save her," I sigh dreamily. When there's just silence, I look up to see all three men smiling at me. "What?"

"It sounds almost exactly like how Lancelot saved you from the creature yesterday," Merlin says.

I blush as I mutter, thinking back to the attack, "Sh-Shut up, Merlin!"

"My sister's always reading," Eric sighs, rolling his eyes. "She's even read all the books in Gaius's chambers—including the boring sciency stuff." He makes a face at that.

I poke my tongue at him as I say, "I can't help it if I'm a reader!"

"That's not very princess-like," He chides me, smiling cheekily at me.

Rolling my eyes with exasperation, I grab Merlin's pillow and hit my brother  on the back of his head with it, hard. He grunts as Merlin and Lancelot laugh.

As Merlin lights a candle, in his room, I look up from the book I'm reading, and ask Lancelot, "Why do you want to be a knight so much?"

"When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains," He says as Merlin sits on the bed beside me. Eric stands up. "They were slaughtered where they stood. My father. My mother. Everyone. I alone escaped." Lancelot pushes away from the wall and comes toward us as he adds, "I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of terror. I made sword craft my life. Every waking hour, since that day, I devoted to the art of combat." Merlin, Eric and I smile at him. "When I was ready, I set forth for Camelot. Now, it seems my journey ends. Everything I fought for—wasted!"

He sits down as Merlin promises him, "You have my word, whatever it takes, I'll make this right."

I glance at him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking.

🗡🗡🗡

While we waited for Merlin to return from his personal mission, my brother and I help Lancelot cut apples. We look up when Merlin returns. He smiles at Lancelot while holding a rolled up piece of parchment as we resume cutting the apples.

"What's that?" Lancelot asks.

"This is your seal of nobility," Merlin responds, causing Eric and I to jerk our gazes to him.

"I don't understand."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Sir Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Aldridge of Northumbria!" Merlin introduces as he unrolls the paper, showing us a crest. My blue eyes wide at this.

"No, Merlin, no!" Lancelot says as he waves his finger at him.

"Oh, right, so you don't want to be a knight, then?"

"Of course I do!"

"But, what? The rules don't allow it? Damn the rules! The rules are wrong!"

"But it's a lie! It goes against everything the knights stand for."