"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Merlyn is sent to Camelot and things get a bit tricky from there.
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Despite having experienced death and revival, it seemed that Merlyn had not stopped overworking herself for two employers, Gaius and Arthur. Merlyn suspected that they deliberately scheduled her work so that when she was not occupied with one task, she would be running errands for the other. Though she had hoped for a day off, Gaius interrupted her preparations by calling her name, dashing her hopes.
"Merlyn, I need you," No rest for Merlyn tonight. "To go collect me some mushrooms." Merlyn could barely contain her groan of frustration. "Lady Sarah is feeling rather ill and I need to make a potion, but -"
"How can you be out of mushrooms, Gaius? I only collected some last week!" Merlyn complained.
"Yes, but the illness Lady Sarah has is affecting others, which has depleted the mushroom stock. So I need you to get some," Gauis ordered. Merlyn was covered in mud stains and other dark substances she was too mortified to name, her clothes were torn at the knees from being on them for so long and she was exhausted. Now he wanted her to get him mushrooms? At such a late hour? "It'll only take you five minutes out of your busy schedule."
Gauis spoke with sarcasm in his final words, seemingly unaware of Merlyn's constant dedication to helping Arthur. Merlyn was tempted to snap back, but instead, she rolled her eyes and walked away before saying anything regrettable. The darkness of the forest at night caught her attention, and she realized that the same foreboding feeling persisted in the city of Camelot at this hour, but she could at least see in the forest. The tall trees with dense branches obscured the sky, casting even darker shadows. She made the mistake of not bringing a torch.
Merlyn halted her constant hunt for Gaius' fungi as an unexpected snarl erupted to her left. She stood motionless, transfixed on the commotion, and eventually shifted her focus to a blur a couple of feet away. Unlike the surrounding dark trees, it was animate and emitted menacing growls and snarls from the shadows. With her eyes gradually adjusting to the dim lighting, she could discern the creature's outline and even spotted a tail whipping behind it. As the creature drew near, she made out a pointed beak that was razor sharp.
Run!
Merlyn swiftly spun on her heel and raced away from the creature, hoping to surprise it with her zig-zagging path through the trees. The creature screeched angrily and chased her with even greater resolve. A trunk blocked her way, but it was only slightly taller than her knees and not too challenging to jump over. However, she had to decelerate before leaping, giving the creature an opportunity to strike and dig its claws into her back. Merlyn screamed and tumbled over the trunk, colliding heavily with the foliage on the opposite side.
Merlyn heard the creature's approach and felt its talons digging into the tree above her. As it came closer, she fought to remain silent, but the smell of her own blood betrayed her to the beast. A blast of hot air and a deafening roar enveloped her, but soon it turned into a heartbreaking whimper and the creature retreated. Merlyn opened her eyes to see a man with a sword and a sack standing beside her. He had fought off the beast that was attacking her.
