Not An Idiot [Merlin]

[Catalina Regalis]

Catalina couldn't help but giggle as she thought back to the day she had had a few days earlier. It had started out quite disastrous really, she had nearly been taken by a bunch of ruffians who would have done who knows what to her before taking her away from her family but she had been saved by a very surprising stranger. Prince Arthur himself. Or Prince Pinky as she thought in her mind. Her magic had kind of gotten crossed and she had ended up giving Arthur pink hair. It had been a complete accident but the Prince really hadn't thought it was all that funny. No sense of humor at all! She had thought it was hilarious and even now, after three days times, she still thought it was funny. The look on his face when he saw his reflection in the water... Priceless. She was so glad she had such a good memory. She wanted to remember that for a while.

Still, ever since that whole incident, Catalina had been in trouble. Unable to venture too far from the safety of their moved encampment, Catalina felt tethered and imprisoned despite having a little freedom. She didn't believe that Arthur would go against his word and betray the druids to his father. Her Uncle was not so trusting, she could understand of course. He had been alive a lot longer and he was not being selfish like Catalina was. He was thinking about them all while Cat was only thinking about herself. She was young so really she couldn't help but think of herself and her freedom.

When she complained that she was bored out of her skull, her Uncle Aldriv sat her down near the fire and had her make poultices. It had been decided by this time that due to Catalina's mistake, they would be leaving Camelot earlier than intended and head towards Mercia. It wasn't fair. Catalina loved being in the forests of Camelot, loving seeing the sun rise over the towers of the castle and just being there. Of course Aldriv knew this. It was his own way of punishing Catalina for her reckless behavior. He knew of her restless behavior and knew of her dislike of their secrecy but she would have to learn that some things were the way they were for a reason. She had to learn to think of something other than what she simply wanted. Her decisions affected more than she realized.

After an hour of sitting by the fire and making poultices, Catalina was near the point of insanity as far as she was concerned. She couldn't remain still much longer. So Cat got up and grabbed her basket. She was at the edge of the encampment when she heard her Uncle's voice, causing her to stop. "Catalina, where are you going?" His voice was sharper than usual, which was one reason she had stopped as quickly as she had. "I'm going to collect some mushrooms." It was a lame excuse to say the least but she had to get on her own. She knew that normally when she felt the need to be on her own that she got into trouble but she figured that that wouldn't happen. She could only get into so much trouble at a time.

"Uncle," she started as she turned to face the aging man. She had a great deal of respect for him but she was angry with him as well. "When will you stop treating me like a child?" She demanded, clutching the handle of her basket tightly, waiting for his response. She had a feeling she wouldn't like it and Aldriv did not disappoint. "When you stop acting like one." Predictable answer and yet it was not without it's sting. She sighed and stormed off into the direction of the castle. She wouldn't go into the City but she did like to look at it from a distance. It calmed her and right now she was so on edge that it may be the only thing that could calm her down. She was not acting like a child, her Uncle simply was not able to give her the space she needed to grow up.

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Tags; Merlin
Word Count; 718
Lyrics; "We Are" Ana Johnson
Time-frame; Early Morning - One Year Gap

[pie]

Merlin knew he should be getting back to Camelot, back inside the castle where he would than spend the rest of the day doing various chores for the Prince Arthur Pendragon... chores he was required to do because he was the man's manservant. Chores that he would prefer not to do, but who was he to complain? In fact, he did enjoy his job, the Prince had become his friend. Something that he had thought had been impossible, and something that had led him to complain less about his work. Not that it would make a difference even if he had.

He'd come here originally with a goal in mind. It hadn't been just a trip out of Camelot for the fun of it. No, instead, he had planned on picking berries to bring home. Berries were useful for numerous things... the majority of them dealing with food, of course. However, he had lost track of his goal and had instead decided to take a break for a while. He only intended to sit down for a moment or two for a short rest. That short rest, though, turned into long one, and he had laid down on a grassy hill in the forest where he could see Camelot. Okay, perhaps he had gone a little further than he had intended to go, but he wasn't afraid of encountering any danger out here, despite how danger could be anywhere.

And so, he laid there, the basket he had brought with him discarded somewhere off to the side, as he rested his arms behind his head. This position he had taken offered a splendid view of Camelot. It was a beautiful town and castle, he couldn't deny that. No one could, or they had to be lying! It stood as many things, and was a source of strength for the Kingdom. And, something that only made it all the more wonderful to Merlin, it had become his home over the past two years. Of course, Ealdor would always remain foremost in his heart as his home. It had been where he had grown up, and there he had made his fair share of friends as well.

But, because of his magic, he had never really fit in there -- the reason that his mother had sent him to Camelot. Whatever made her think that I would fit in at the source of the executions and troubles of magic? he wondered in bewilderment, and not for the first time since he had arrived in the city. Oh well, he'd found his place... perhaps. Of course, no one knew about his magic there, and it had to stay that way. At least, no one of importance did. There were a few people who knew. Only a few. It would stay that way until the time came for it to be otherwise.

A smile found its way across his face and he lifted his hand, pointing it at a puddle that had formed in an indent in the earth. "Fisc, frícian lyftgelác," he mumbled, using magic. He didn't think it would matter out here, he didn't expect anyone to catch him. Of course, he had thought the same thing last time when he had made a horse from smoke. However, of course, that had been over someone's house... wasn't very smart. Perhaps this time it wasn't either.

There weren't any fish in the puddle, of course, but he hadn't meant there to be. Instead, balls of water raised out of it, forming what looked like small little fish as it condensed themselves, floating in the air and spinning in circles as if swimming in midair. He thought it was pleasant, he would never understand why so many people now thought that even the simplest of spells were dangerous and evil...

_{* fisc, frícian lyftgelác = fish, dance through the air}

[Catalina Regalis]

It wasn’t often that Catalina found herself in conflict with her Uncle. He was a man with the patience of a saint and had always treated her well but it seemed that he was unable to understand that she needed to be allowed to grow up. He was trying to keep her a child and she knew why but he couldn’t, not for long anyway. She had to get away and learn for herself about the world that she had been so sheltered from. Had to make her own mistakes and learn from them and he had to let her. That was easier said than done she supposed. Catalina was not an unreasonable young woman, she often tried to see from the other person’s point of view when it came to a disagreement and her Uncle was no different. He wished to protect the youngest daughter of his dearly departed sister, his own flesh and blood. But there was more than just that, he was her mentor and her master. He had taught her everything she knew about magic, he was like a father to her in some ways but he was also smothering her. He thought she was wrong for how she felt in regards to herself. She didn’t wish to hide herself away and Aldriv believed such a wish to be foolish.

Perhaps it was, maybe her need to get away from the traditions of her people was selfish and would be her own destruction but she’d never know until she tried. Brushing her hair back from her face, Catalina sighed in frustration as she gently brushed a fallen tear from her cheek. She wouldn’t cry over this, she couldn’t. She just needed to relax and there was only one way she’d do that. Drawing the red hood over her head, she looked back to the encampment once more before she headed off for some peace of mind. She could feel her Uncle watching her, wanting to stop her but he didn’t. He couldn’t even if he had tried. Perhaps he was beginning to realize that the tighter he clung, the harder she fought to get away. How could he protect her from herself?

Escaping from the forest that had suddenly seemed so oppressive to her in that moment, she stepped out into the sunny weather as she gazed at Camelot in all its splendor. Such a grand city before them, there to serve as a beacon of hope to those who sought refuge within the strength of the walls but also to strike fear into the hearts of the enemies of Camelot. Was she an enemy of Camelot? She was magic but nature and thus was considered to be a danger by decree of the king but could one be evil without intent? She didn’t believe that but what if she was wrong? It had happened before. Amusing how her attempt at getting away to relax only seemed to bring more deep and complex thoughts that would essentially give her a nasty headache if she continued with it. So at that moment she chose to stop, instead choosing to wander around a bit. She knew a place that had a fantastic view of Camelot, the city and the castle and it was a great place to rest as well.

Imagine her slight annoyance when she found that her favorite spot was taken. A young man had decided to flop down in the grass and from the indent in the grass; he had been there for some time. There was something familiar about him but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was just yet. She remained quiet and out of the way, her eyes widening slightly when she took notice of the magic he was doing. It was nothing large and could hardly be considered evil or dangerous by any stretch of the imagination though imagine how it would have been had a Knight or someone loyal to Uther would have reacted had it been them that came across the magic and not her. The young man would have been in big trouble, possible death sentence. His display of magic was quite lovely actually and was something that Catalina would do when she was feeling bored or wished to practice her magic. Her Uncle wouldn’t approve of such flagrant use of magic but he was nothing but a sourpuss. She clasped her hands together and grinned as she followed the orbs of light in the air quietly, clearly enjoying the display.

After a few moments of silence, she felt that she should announce her presence since she didn’t wish to be rude. She cleared her throat as a way of getting his attention before walking over to where he lay. “Such a lovely display…I’m--” Cat started, about to introduce herself when she actually got a good look at the boy. Those ears, that face. It couldn’t be… Could it? It had to be since she had never seen anyone who looked quite like the friend she had made years back near Ealdor when she had been a child. She could be wrong but she was pretty sure she wasn’t. “Merlin?” She said with the tilt of her head, brow arched. “No no, I don’t mean I’m Merlin. I mean you… At least I think it’s you, though I haven’t seen you in so long… If it is you of course.” She said as she caught herself, realizing that Merlin might not recognize her since it had been a while since they had seen one another, seven or eight years perhaps. Poor Merlin, here she was rambling on and on… “I’m sorry, I was just caught off guard. I don’t know if you remember me or not, it’s Catalina.” She couldn’t deny that she’d be a bit hurt if he didn’t recognize her since they had been such good friends when they had been together but she’d understand. What surprised her most was the magic he possessed, had he been able to do that before? She couldn’t remember.

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Tags; Merlin
Word Count; 1056
Lyrics; "We Are" Ana Johnson
Time-frame; Early Morning - One Year Gap