Merlin Fairytale Series

Chapter 1: Rumors

Finally updating, lovelies! I must say, working and writing two different stories at the same time is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Still, it's super fun, anyway! So...copyright crap...I don't own Merlin *sadly* or Anastasia just how I put it together. OK onward!
Picture is of Merlin.
Summary: Merlin and his partner gotta plan...

     10 Years Later.....
     The lands surrounding Paradise were abuzz with rumors. It was a well known fact about the fall of Paradise and Swan family. However, no one was aware of how such a thing had come to pass. One thing was certain, though, that fateful night had been a horrible tragedy.   
    Countless lives had been lost. And for 10 years, Paradise had been a place of sorrow. But now there was hope!
     Rumors had been flying lately that the Princess Rosalia had somehow survived the fall of Paradise. This was mostly due in part to the fact that her own aunt, Queen Regina, had offered a huge reward to whomever could return the young princess to her. There had been a number of con men and scam artists that tried, but they all had failed so far.
     As men and women alike gossiped about this particular bit of news, a figure in a dark, dragon-skin cloak rushed through the crowd. She grabbed a satchel full of essentials, tossing a few coins to the man selling her the goods. She ran to an oddly marked door, whispering a password that allowed her entrance inside. As she passed down a long corridor, a gentle growl caught her attention. She looked over to see her partner in crime:

     "Merlin!"
     "Well, who'd you expect, Nyx?" Merlin asked, cockily.
     "Smartass."
     They rushed down the corridor to a secret room and Nyx removed her hood to reveal her face:

     "The rumors have spread."
     "Thought so."
     For months now, Merlin and Nyx had been working on this scheme: they were going to find Princess Rosalia and return her to her aunt so they could retrieve their huge reward. All they needed was an actress who could pose as her.
     This plot hadn't been their first. As a matter of fact, the pair had done a number of them together. However, this one was the one Merlin insisted he'd been made for and it was pretty obvious why, even if Merlin refused to admit it: his crush on Princess Rosalia had never gone away and, one could argue, had grown over the years. Merlin, however, insisted that those assumptions were all lies.
     "We're on our way, Nyx! All that's left is to find a woman who looks similar to the princess, train her, and deliver her to her dear old aunt. That reward's practically calling our names!"
     Merlin flitted about the small room, packing a small bag. He and Nyx didn't have much, except each others' company but what else could one expect from the hand they'd been dealt? The last item Merlin packed in his bag was a small, silver box, the likes of which looked very expensive, which it was. It had once belonged to the princess and had been the only thing he'd retrieved that fateful night when he'd foolishly tried to save her life.
     No longer a kitchen boy, he was now the most skilled con man in all the land and there hadn't been a con or scam he hadn't played a part in, no matter how guilty it made him feel, sometimes. He'd never found out what happened to the princess, whether she'd lived or died, but he'd never again tried to do a good deed, finding the mere thought utterly preposterous. No. From now on, it was looking out for number one and that's how he'd lived his life for the past 10 years.
     Still, for all his talk of taking care of himself, he still had been a sentimental enough fool to keep the little box and now, it seemed, that sentiment was about to pay off.
Merlin finished packing and he and Nyx left their little hideout as they discussed their plans. They were no fools; they had a special place where they'd gathered together all the right people and bargained with them so they could find their princess look-alike.
     Next, they'd leave Paradise and board a train and make their way across the country. Finally, a boat would take them to Haven where they'd complete their con and collect the reward. Simple. However, afterwards was the part Merlin hadn't prepared for. He assumed he and Nyx would quit the business and settle down somewhere but the future was, as yet, undecided. Nyx, for her part, was hoping that Merlin would settle down, maybe meet a nice girl. After all, he deserved a little love in his life and he could be quite charming... when he wanted to be, that is.
     As Merlin and Nyx set out for the great unknown, Merlin found himself reminiscing about the past 10 years. After waking up the morning following that fateful night, Merlin had retrieved the princess' left behind gift and tried to find out what had happened. Unfortunately, he never did. Upset, and not knowing what became of his first and only crush, Merlin had vowed to leave Paradise but found he had no money. After several days of pickpocketing strangers, it cane that one night, he'd tried to steal from the wrong person. 
    That was the day that he met Nyx. Instead of being angry from what he'd tried to do, the former councilwoman had taken pity on the skinny little boy. She'd fed him some bread, hugged him, and taken him back to her secret hideout in the remains of Paradise. Since that day, she'd cared for him as if he was her own son. She'd fed him and taught him a better way of earning money. And that was how he'd become famous.
     Merlin had never forgotten his old life. He still missed the princess, his friend, Will, even bratty Aurora, but the time had come for him to move on. And so he would, with this one last con, he'd prove he was more than he ever would've been. However, Merlin had no idea that his life was about to change forever......

Sorry about the long wait and it's so short but I've been busy. Next chapter out soon, lovelies. Thanks for your patience. Love ya!