Merlyn's Final Truth

Aithusa P2

Climbing the stairs of a narrow corridor, her only light radiating from a dim torch, Merlyn wondered how she managed to get herself into these situations. For a simple maidservant, she spent far too much of her time twisting through underground tunnels, visiting dragons, smuggling herself through castles or slaughtering some foul beast. It was above her pay grade, really. Admittedly, this time, she was acting for no one but herself, her cloak of darkness a familiar friend.

She found Borden waiting for her outside of the narrow tunnel, pacing anxiously, unable to phase through the locked door. She coughed, getting his attention, gesturing for him to move quickly. After the amount of effort it had taken for her to get the key, she was hardly going to fail this mission due to the man's sluggishness.

"I'm beginning to like you, Merlyn." he grinned, following her back through the tunnel. She took him down the steps, but stopped, knowing that her presence would mean too much trouble if they were spotted. She couldn't risk everything she'd worked for on this, no matter how much she wanted to ensure everything went smoothly.

"This as far as I go." she murmured, scouring the night for a glimmer of the guards. She pointed him in the right direction, handing him the stolen key. "Now, this key opens the last gate, but you have to get past the guards."

She wasn't sure if she liked the twinkle in Borden's eye. "That won't be a problem."

~

Merlyn was uncomfortable with how long this was taking. She glanced nervously down the passageway, listening for the light footsteps of the thief, praying that Borden was as skilled as he seemed to believe. Finally, as the distant shouts of guards began to rise from somewhere along the tunnel, Borden appeared, a tinge of panic across his features.

"Have you got it?" she whispered, refusing to attract any unwanted attention. He nodded; Merlyn felt herself relax, jerking her head towards another passage. "Follow me."

They left the way they came, pressing themselves close to the wall at the sound of shouting guards above them. Their footsteps were so close, but Merlyn barely let herself breathe, her heart only slowing as all noise slowly faded away.

"Thanks." Borden murmured, smiling at her with genuine appreciation.

"Anytime." Merlyn shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on the ramparts above them.

Borden handed her the key for the vaults; Merlyn pulled the door of the tunnel back to its frame, not particularly in the mood to be caught just as she thought she was in the clear.

"Tell me, Merlyn, would you say that you're a good liar?" Borden questioned suddenly, setting off every alarm bell in the witch's brain. She stepped back, managing to hit the slimy git in the face, but she was too late. A blunt object hit her in the back of the head hard, sending her falling forward, only to bash her forehead on the top step. She wished she could've said that she managed to put up some kind of fight, but she'd been taken by surprise. In the back of her mind, she vaguely registered the sound of footsteps fading away as her world spun into black.

~

It was really a testament to how terrible the guards truly were that Merlyn awoke exactly where she had blacked out, evidently unfound. She'd always known that Percival had been the only useful man in their ranks. Groaning, she sat up, trying to remember what had happened the night before, only for a key to fall next to her, clattering onto the floor. Her eyes widened as her memory returned; she stood quickly, locking the door of the passageway, amazed to find that morning had already arrived. To say that she sprinted to the  king's chambers would be entirely accurate, replacing the key on his belt, glad to see that he was yet to wake.