Summary: When Merlyn first came to Camelot and had to be a maidservant and silent protector to the prat Prince Arthur Pendragon, she never imagined she would fall for him nor did she believe the second part of her destiny; to become the Once and Fut...
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Chapter Twenty-Four, Courage, Strength, Magic
Gwaine and Merlyn had stopped at an inn on their way to catch up with Arthur who only had a day ahead of them. Merlyn was more than happy to camp outside but Gwaine would not hear of it. He paid for them to share a room, as there was only one room left. Luckily there were two single beds, and Gwaine had stepped out of the room while Merlyn changed and would only enter when she bid him to.
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Arthur's energy continued to drain day by day, especially when he had to fight against two robbers who had tried to steal from him while he slept and slit his throat for good measure. He had been successful in beating them, but only just and it had sucked away his already dwindling energy which he was becoming suspicious about, he knew Merlyn would not stay put and only hoped she and Gwaine (for he would not allow the girl he saw as a little sister to travel alone) caught up soon before he ended up killing himself. He finally made it to the edge of The Perilous Lands and he could see why it was called as such: the sky was a hazy blood orange, there was only a little forested area that his map said had a bridge that led into the wastelands of the Fisher Kings realm, the rest of the area was all waste lands with various sinkholes that he would have to watch out for.
Stowing away his map once again and tying up his horse, he made his way through the narrow forest on foot; where he came across a small clearing where a small man stood in the middle of the bridge blocking his way. He was dressed all in brown and black leather and Arthur also noticed there was a good size fire pit placed strategically in the upper middle so the man would not have to leave his position to keep warm. There were also pots placed over the fire obviously cooking some food for the man, by the delicious smell coming from it.
"Who is it that wishes to cross my bridge?" The man asked curiously, showing no signs of hostility which Arthur was thankful for but also wary of. It was always best to expect the unexpected. "A Knight, on a quest to find the trident of the Fisher King." Arthur said confidently, walking forwards slowly as he stowed away his sword. The man chuckled a little, a smirk gracing his lips. "Then you must be Courage." The man stated. "No, I'm Prince Arthur of Camelot." Arthur said, confused. The man walked forwards holding out his hand for Arthur to shake with a small smile on his lips, which Arthur readily accepted and shook firmly. "I'm Grettir." The man introduced. "I have to say, you're not as short as I thought you'd be." Grettir remarked, leaning on the fence beside the entrance of the bridge.
