Power of the Storm

Chapter Two

02. It Is A Lose-Lose Situation

Gaius informed Magdelena of her brother's early release and the price he had to pay to be released early. While she was sure it would have been a sight to see, she was certain she would be more content away from the excitement and in the chambers helping Gaius brew some potions for illness, or just to have on hand in his small to-go satchel or in the many shelves which hung on the walls, a few were filled with books, one was overflowing actually. That belonged to Magdelena, she had books on all sorts of things, even books on magic disguised as books of science or fairytales, though she had some of both of those on the wide range of books she had.

Merlin came back and headed for his room to bathe and changed from his smelly clothes. He sat down to eat after being bathed, Magdelena decided to sit with them but not eat, she watched and listened as they talked about his power, similar to the one he gave her when she came to live with him two years prior. Merlin's was at least understandable, he could perform things spells could do, he could use spells she was just a freak who had such strange and diverse magical abilities she often used magic without realizing it. Which is why she kept away from crowds and didn't have many friends. 

"Do you know a Guinevere? She is Morgana's maid?" Merlin asks pulling her from her thoughts as she turns to her brother and gives him a small nod, "Can you actually speak? I have been here two days and you haven't spoken a word to either me or Gaius, that I have heard."

"I can speak but I find that when I do speak I am often ignored," she says though she was sure neither of them would ignore her, "Besides, I find it rather boring. To speak, or hold a conversation. Though if it bothers you so much, should you ask a question that dignifies a response I shall reply, would that suit you?"

Merlin was rather shocked, she spoke was formal and tight as if speaking physically hurt her, "I would like that." he says though hesitant not wanting to make his sister uncomfortable, or cause her any form of pain. She spoke rarely while in Ealdor, but she sounded different now as if Camelot had changed her.

"Than I shall try my best to uphold my side of the bargain," she says with another small nod, Merlin sends her a smile and she sends him a small one back. She was shy in Ealdor but he always figured it was because most of the children and most adults were scared of her he never thought she was a shy person, she spoke to him often when they would walk through the woods around Ealdor or go for a swim in the lake, "I do know Guinevere, she is a nice girl, she is the only one that tries to befriend me. I tend to steer clear of her if I am being honest."

"Why?" Merlin asks she sends him a look and he understands, "Why not befriend her? I'm sure you can't be happy helping Gaius, eating, sleeping, and reading." 

"I only help Gaius and read. I don't need sleep or food remember?" she asks, as they finish off their meal, tired of the longest conversation she had had in over 2 years, she walks over and sits down on her bed pulling out a new book and ignoring the two men in the room with her. She gets bored so she grabs the book and walks out into town people smile at her having seen her walk around with a book for the past two years. 

". . . warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth," Magdelena walks further into town, and stops at the small crowd beginning to form, she sees the Prince swinging his mace around while her brother holds one hanging at his side. 

"Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?" she cringes at her brother's words, will he never learn that you can't speak to royalty like that.

"You can't address me like that," the Prince says, she waits for the reply that was going to get Merlin killed one of these days if not this day, the Prince looked back at his knights laughing as if fighting this servant boy was the best way to gain popularity, one who had never held a weapon in his life. 

"I'm sorry. H-How long have you been training to be a prat, My Lord?"Merlin says with his goofy grins as he mockingly bows once more Arthur turns to laugh at his knights before turning and swinging his mace at the head of her brother, she flinches as Merlin ducks missing the mace by a hair. She goes to go forwards but the knights who Arthur had been with stopped her, she struggled in their grip. 

"Let me go you-you, ruffians!" she says in a whisper-yell, she watches as the Prince and her brother move out of sight and the knights laugh at the sight of the Prince just swinging as Merlin dodges the swings, "Why I never!" she says as they let her go and she races forwards grabbing his jacket as she passes before following the sound of the townspeople gasping. She arrived to see the Prince on the floor as Merlin stands over with his mace just hanging at his side.

"Do you? Do you want to give up?" the Prince was having trouble standing, he catches the eyes of a disappointed Gaius and a glimpse of his worried sister, who was almost in tears seeing her brother. In his moment of lost attention, the Prince grabbed a broom and knocks him to the floor smacking him a couple times with the broom. Once Merlin was on the floor, he swept the dirt on the floor towards Merlin with a smug look on his face. 

She pushed through the crowd just as the guards grabbed him ready to take him once again to the dungeons, "Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it." she lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She walks forwards and kneels down to Merlin, and punches his arms. 

"You-you stigmatical fustilerean!" she says though her voice was barely loud enough for the Prince to hear, he was taken back by her words, "Why would you do that!? You have never held a weapon unless you count your damn brain!"

"He started it!" Merlin defended, while he was correct and the Prince had egged him on he didn't have to go down to his level. 

"That-that give you no right to hit back," she says her eyes begged him to understand what he did wrong neither did notice the Prince was behind them listening to their conversation, "You-you botch of nature." 

"I had to defend myself," Merlin tried to defend himself, "What if someone insults you?" 

"No one knows I exist," she explains in a harsh whisper while helping him stand finally, "And I would like to keep it that way."

She begins to dust him off but he pushed her hands off of himself earning a small glare from her, "Now shall we head back to Gaius?" he nods his head and they turn to see the Prince still standing there she jumps quickly and looks at the floor and ends up behind Merlin as she hides her face against his shoulder. The Prince watches them as she pulls him away, staying hidden from them, he watched her carefully Merlin seemed to be trying to comfort the girl.

She went and laid on her bed once she arrived back to Gaius's chambers, she could hear Gaius give his lecture on magic to Merlin and she could hear the pained response of Merlin but she was too scared to listen and try and make an effort to comment. She just stared at the ceiling not taking too much notice as she realized that she was seen by the Prince twice, and twice they had made eye contact.