No Love Potions Required

Chapter 1

The hooves of my white mare, Serenity, trotted along the dirt road that led through the forest. I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in the wonderfully crisp autumn air that was willingly brushing against my face. A smile threatened to form at my lips as I saw the forest's end a little way ahead of me. I tightened my cloak around me, both from the cold of the autumn season and a sudden case of nerves. What if they do not accept me? I thought. Thoughts like this had constantly crossed my mind throughout the long journey I had taken to get here.

These thoughts vanished as I past the end of the forest. The dirt road lead up to a street filled with small cottages and vendors. Children ran throughout the street, chasing each other with homemade wooden swords as their parents watched from their shops. In the near distance, I saw a magnificent castle, adorned with a gorgeous burgundy red. The smile once again returned.

Camelot.

The very kingdom of the Pendragons. I had heard many praises of their kingdom on the way, but never could I have imagined its beauty in person.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost did not noticed the young man in front of my horse.

I drew back the reins quickly, attempting to divert my horse away from the man. In response to my hurried attempt of steering, Serenity leaped up, causing me to fall onto the ground behind her. I landed with a thud which knocked the breath out of my body. I heard the familiar thud of hooves as Serenity continued to trot down the street, to the disapproval of the stall owners.

The second sound I heard was of a human's footsteps, rushing towards me. When I looked in the direction of the footsteps, I saw the young man I had almost run over. This time I got a closer look at him.

He was skinny with very pale skin and jet black hair and ears that seemed too big for the rest of his head (though I would never say so out loud.) He seemed very much like a boy, for he wore garments a tad too big for him. His eyes, though... His eyes fascinated me. I could not tell if they were grey or blue, but that was not what fascinated me. They were old eyes, wise eyes, much different from the rest of his boyish appearance.

He knelt down next to me, concern evident on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked. His voice was deep and quite comforting, considering I had just fallen off a horse.

I smiled at him. "I am just a little out of breath, but other than that, I feel at the peak of health."

He smiled back at me in relief. We stayed like that for a moment before I cleared my throat.

"Would you be so kind as to help me up?" I asked.

The man blushed furiously, probably feeling foolish that he had not offered to do so before now. He held out his hand, which I accepted. Once I was back on my feet, I brushed the dirt off of my clothes and began running my fingers through my hair to get the dirt out of it as well.

"If I might be so bothersome, may I ask the name of the man I must apologize to for almost running over with my horse?" I asked, smiling kindly at him.

"There is no apology needed," he replied, again returning my smile. "But, my name is Merlin."

"I'm Thalia," I said, offering out my hand, which he shook. "Thalia Acero. Just in case you should find a need to use my name."

Merlin started to reply when a young man who seemed about Merlin's age appeared beside him. This young man looked the exact opposite of Merlin in appearance. He had a head of floppy blonde hair and blue eyes. He also had a slight tan on his skin, most of which was covered up by armor. He had the muscled body of one who spent most of his time fighting and the way he seemed to look down upon Merlin provided him with a regal air.

"Merlin, you have been out here for ages. It does not take two hours to bring my chain mail to the blacksmith."

Not only did he look the exact opposite of Merlin, his attitude was an entirely different story.

"I have already brought your chain mail to him." Merlin began to reply. "I was heading back, but-"

"But, he had the unfortunate luck to step in front of my horse while my mind was elsewhere," I said, directing both of their attentions towards me. "So if there is anyone to blame for his tardiness in his-" I paused, thinking this statement over. "-your errands, it is me."

The blonde kept his gaze on me for a moment before slowly looking back towards Merlin. "Well, if this beautiful woman is the reason you are late, I forgive you. But, do not let it happen again." He then turned back to me and took my right hand in both of his. "I do not believe I caught your name."

I glanced at Merlin before looking back to the other man. "Thalia Acero. And I do not believe you fit yours in between your complaints to Merlin."

Merlin coughed to hide a laugh. The edge of the young man's mouth quirked up in a slight smile before he moved the hand of his that covered the top of mine and kissed my hand.

"Arthur Pendragon, at your service."

The color drained from my face as I realized who I had been bestowing all of these sarcastic comments upon. I quickly pulled my hand from his and bent down in a curtsy. "My apologies for my attitude, Your Highness." I kept my head tilted towards the ground, so as to keep from making eye contact with the prince.

"No apologies needed, Thalia." Prince Arthur said, saying my name as though to test the way it sounded. He tilted my head up to face him.  "Now, I assume these are not all of your belongings." he continued, gesturing to my cloak and clothes.

"No, sir." I replied. "As I said before, I was daydreaming while riding through this street, causing me to have to steer away from Merlin so as not to run him over. As it seems, my horse did not like this particular change of direction, so she knocked me off her back and trotted off down this street. After which, Merlin helped me up and now here we are." I ended, smiling in Merlin's direction.

"And he has not yet offered to help you retrieve your belongings?" Arthur said. He turned to Merlin and smacked him upside the head.

I put my mouth into a determined straight line as Merlin rubbed the place where Arthur had hit. "I do not believe that was strictly necessary, Your Majesty."

"Arthur." he replied. "Call me Arthur. And it seems to be the only way he ever learns." He glanced over Merlin disapprovingly. "Anyway, I volunteer myself to get your belongings back. If you would care to join me, you are certainly welcome." And with that, he was off down the street, following the same path Serenity had gone down.

I turned back to Merlin and rolled my eyes. "I should probably go with him so he does not hold my belongings as ransom for a second meeting."

He laughed. "That is probably a wise decision. He is very... unpredictable."

"I saw him as many words, but..." I thought for a moment. "No, 'unpredictable' was not one of them."

We smiled at each other for a moment before I moved forward and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. I drew back, smiling kindly. "Thank you for helping me up. I hope we meet again soon, in slightly more welcoming terms."

Merlin was blushing furiously. "I hope so as well."

I smiled to him one last time before turning around and heading down the street after the hot-headed prince.

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Hey everyone! Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking: "You already have three other stories that aren't finished yet! Why on earth are you starting a new one?"

Well my friends, the answer to that is: This idea just hit me out of the blue and I seriously just had to write this story. Besides, I write mostly for myself, which usually involves brilliant (and also numerous and new) story ideas.....

BUT...

Just because I mostly write for myself does not mean I don't also write for you guys! So, I would love your guys' feedback! Comment and vote if you want! 

This chapter is dedicated to LittleRed_ because of our shared geeky love of Merlin. (We'll leave you to guess whether we're talking about the show or just Colin Morgan xD)