Never Known Anyone Like You [Merlin]

[sissy]

Cold. She was so cold as the rain continued to fall around her. She had no way of escaping it, surrounded by bars of steel. One of her worst fears had come to fruition a few days before and she had been caught by the bounty hunter Halig. The trip to Camelot had been so long, it seemed to take forever and yet the moment that the creaky cage moved through the gates of the city, it was the blink of an eye. She was soaking wet from the falling rain, her ebony hair sticking to her as well as the tattered rags that clung to her frail form. Hugging her arms around her was an attempt at warmth but that was all it was, a vain attempt. It was absolutely miserable which seemed to match her mood spot on. She was here in Camelot to die. She would be sold off to Uther who would then put her to death and why? All for the greed of a horrible man like Halig.

She couldn’t say that she didn’t deserve to be there. She wasn’t some innocent looking druid girl who couldn’t hurt a fly no matter how Freya wished that was true. She was cursed and Halig knew that. He was unaware of what the curse was, he was always asleep when she transformed in her cage and she was unable to escape. Being a druid in a cage was hard enough but being an animal in a cage was a travesty but it was also good because it meant that she couldn’t kill anyone. So there was a small silver lining in her imprisonment, she was miserable but others were able to live. Was it really a fair trade-off? Was it selfish to wish to be freed?

The cage slowed and than came to a halt in front of the Rising Sun. Her last night before she was brought before Uther and sentenced to death. A small part of Freya actually felt relieved that her nightmare was over and no one would fall to her curse again but a bigger part of her was absolutely terrified of that hanging over her head. She was going to die. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. She wanted to live to see her beloved lake again, to see it in the summer. Surely with all the suffering that she had endured in her young life, she deserved that. Once. Just once…

In all her pondering, she hadn’t noticed the sound of the vile bounty hunter getting down from his seat. She cowered in the corner of the cage as he came around into her line of sight, her heart pounding at just the sight of him. It wasn’t as though he’d had have anything to gain from hurting her; he probably didn’t plan on opening the cage door until they arrived at the castle. He snarled at her, causing her to cower even more, his laughter stung more than any physical attack could have because as far as she was concerned, he had won. He disappeared into the tavern, leaving her on her own. Anyone who passed knew what she was or at least knew why she was there. Halig was a known bounty hunter with a specialty in hunting those with magic. If she was in his cage, it had to mean that she had magic.

Freya’s tears mixed with the rain as she lay down on her side on the floor of her cage. Would it hurt? Her execution? She couldn’t help but wonder as she laid there, the cold shackles bit into her wrists, an ever-present reminder of her hopelessness. The hay that surrounded her stank and was uncomfortable but at least it was something to lie on. She could hear people walking by and figured that the way she was laying, no one would see her. An older gentleman passed by the cage followed by a young boy. It was strange, an instinct that she couldn’t fight. Hope. She jumped up from her position on the floor and grabbed hold of the bars, staring at the boy and older man but no words escaped her lips. She couldn’t beg for their help, she didn’t deserve it and she couldn’t endanger others. It wasn’t right. Even still, she couldn’t take her eyes off the pair, her mournful eyes following them closely.

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Tags; Merlin
Word Count; 736
Lyrics; Shattered by Trading Yesterday
Time-frame; Night – During ‘The Lady of the Lake’

[em]

The rain was falling hard that evening, it was also quite late for both Merlin and Gauis to be out, but the physcian had to see to a patient who had suddenly been struck down with a fever. Merlin had accomapnied him just incase Gauis had needed any supplies that he’d left back in their quarters. Now they had to trudge through the rain and back to the castle.

Merlin knew the streets of Camelot like the back of his hand now. Especially as sometimes he’d have to sneak through them of an evening in order to avoid the guards on partol seeing him. The Rising Sun Inn was just ahead of them, he could only give a small sigh of releif. Soon he’d be back and dry in his nice comfortable bed, readying himself for another day to wait on Arthur. A small frown crossed his brows as he noticed what was outside of the inn. A cage. It’s driver obviously inside, either seeking a room for the night or stopping for food. As he and Gauis approached Merlin could see a shillouette. Someone or something was in the cage. It looked human enough to him and on closer inspection his thoughts were confirmed to be right.

As Merlin passed the cage he almost jumped as the inhabitent grabbed the bars that seperated them both. It was a girl? A girl in a cage? A girl in rags. By now Gauis had stopped. “She’s fallen prey to a bounty hunter” he stated.

“She’s only a girl?” Merlin replied

“She’ll fetch a good price though”. Price? What did that mean? She was going to be sold?!

“Someone’s gonna pay for her?” Merlin looked at Gauis in disbelief. It was barbaric to keep an innocent girl locked up in a cage, but to sell her as well?

“Uther offers a handsome reward for anyone with magic” Gauis carried on, and then turned away and began to walk.

Merlin looked back at the girl in the cage. In Uther’s hands she would die. He couldn’t watch that. Not when there were chances of freeing her and letting her run from Camelot in time. “There must be something we can do”. At this Gauis turned back to him.

“Merlin, bounty hunters are dangerous men, they’re not to be meddled with – you of all people should understand that”

As Gauis walked away again, Merlin looked back at the girl – still clinging onto the bars and watching him. He could only keep his gaze on hers. She looked cold, scared, and alone. He had to help her, there was always a way around these things. Ways that could keep her alive and allow her the freedom that she deserved. There was something about her that cried out to him. With his eyes still fixed on her, he gave her a look that would speak to her, to ease her mind just a little.

A look of hope.

[sissy]

It was foolish to believe that anyone stop to help her. Being in that cage meant one thing, that she had a death sentence on her head. No one would go against the King in aiding someone with magic; no one had any reason to risk their lives for her. She was nothing. Besides, Halig was not a man to be trifled with and she didn’t wish for anyone to bear his wrath simply because they chose to help her. It was really a no win situation for her from what she could tell. She was lost and once Halig returned, he would take her to the Castle and to Uther where she would lose her life, most likely at the stake. Part of her dreaded such a fate as that and yet the other seemed to welcome it because in the long run, despite not wanting to die, it would stop her curse and stop her killing of innocent people. Perhaps there was good even in the bad. Redemption in the fire. One life lost to save others… Mature thinking that was but she didn’t want to die. The thought of it terrified her.

She listened as the old man and the young boy spoke in regards to her and her predicament. She didn’t beg for help, didn’t ask them to release her because she was so sure that it would all be in vain. To his credit, the boy seemed genuinely concerned about her and seemed to want to help her but the old man cautioned him about bounty hunters. “You of all people should understand that.” He said to the boy. What did that mean? Not that she would ask of course, she was so cold her teeth were shattering and she didn’t want to endanger them by speaking to them. Still, there was a look in the boy’s eyes as he looked back at her. No words passed between them in those few moments before he turned to follow the older man but there was a feeling that he was trying to convey.

A look of hope.

Feeling that her chance for help had slipped away, Freya pushed away from the bar and huddled in the corner, trying to conserve some body heat. The rain was still falling as she finally lost sight of the two figures that had spoken of her. The old man and the young boy. What now? Halig would be in the Rising Sun for at least a few hours, not like he cared much about her left out in the rain. He cared nothing about her. All he cared for was his bounty…

It was hard to tell just when she had fallen asleep and it didn’t last long since it was hard to get comfortable while wearing shackles and lying up against the bars. The rain had stopped thankfully though she was still soaking wet, her hair sticking to her face. Surely Halig would be coming soon. The anticipation was possibly worse than her imprisonment. Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to fully wake up and sit up somewhat. Was that the boy that she had seen before? What was he doing here again?

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Tags; Merlin
Word Count; ---
Lyrics; Shattered by Trading Yesterday
Time-frame; Night – During ‘The Lady of the Lake’

[em]

Despite Gauis’ warnings, Merlin wasn’t going to give up on the girl. She wasn’t there to be sold – nor was it right to keep her caged up like an animal when she’d done nothing wrong.
Creeping past Gauis, who was quietly snoring away in bed, Merlin headed back out into the city – avoiding the guards who were on the night duty, and hiding in the shadows. He’d become so good at creeping around the city at night; it was easy to do now.

He peeked round the corner of a house and saw the cage still unattended outside The Rising Sun. Quietly he made his way over to the cage, looking around to see if anyone (mostly the bounty hunter) was watching or had noticed him. Thankfully all was quiet. He looked through the bars and saw the girl looking back at him.

“Tospringe” he held his hand over the cage’s lock and murmered. Immediately the lock burst open allowing Merlin to climb into the cage.

He grabbed her wrists, exposing the cuffs that were keeping her chained into the cage. “It’s alright, I’ll get you out of here” he smiled and looked down at the cuffs. “Unspanne thas maegth!”he hissed and immediately the cuffs broke off of the girls wrists.

Merlin jumped out of the cage. “Come on” he looked back and urged her to follow.

[sissy]

So many had passed the cage that the girl had been sitting in and no one had really given her so much as a second glance and if they did, there was judgment in their eyes which was almost as bad as no one looking at her at all. It was well deserved of course, even if they didn’t know what she had done or what she could do. Despairing, that was what she was doing at this point because really, there was no hope. She didn’t deserve it. All that she had done, this was her fated end and she knew it. It hurt and frightened her but perhaps death really was a release. Still, she was so young, how could she die without having really lived? The sound of someone approaching had taken her tired mind off these thoughts. The boy from before had returned but what was he doing there? His friend had told him already to stay away, warning him of the danger a bounty hunter entailed…

Freya’s eyes widened and she drew back further into the corner of the cage in fear. “Magic.” She whispered softly as she watched him. He had used magic. He had come to help her, whoever he was but the fact that magic had gotten her into this situation in the first place, she couldn’t exactly bring herself to trust it that much nor those who used it. “It’s alright, I’ll get you out of here” He sounded sincere. He was risking a lot doing this for her and she didn’t understand why he was doing it in the first place. He owed her nothing. Even still, she didn’t pull back when he lifted the cuffs that bound her wrists, watching him closely as he whispered old words, his eyes glowing for a moment before the chains fell from her wrists. She was free! It felt like forever since she had been free.

Not like she had time to savor her freedom of course. They had to move quickly or Halig would catch them both. Freya didn’t want to be the reason for him to be killed for using magic. Her heart was racing as she moved to the cage door and allowed Merlin to help her down before they moved to the side of the cage. It seemed that luck was not on their side because moments later the door to the Inn opened and Halig stepped out. He didn’t see her or Merlin just yet but it wasn’t long before he noticed the empty cage. His eyes widened and he began looking around frantically, his sword being drawn. She felt as trapped now as she did in the cage, they were going to be caught and the boy would join her in the cage and on the pyre if they were caught.

Watching him look around was terrifying and a few times Freya pondered running for it and giving the boy a chance to escape. But that wasn’t necessary as Merlin had done something to make a sign fall and hit the man on the head, thereby giving them a chance to run for it without Halig being able to catch up with them. There were guards coming in one direction and so Merlin led her down some side steps.

Freya followed Merlin closely, not knowing where she was going but hoping at the same time that he did know. She just wanted to be free, was that too much to ask for? She didn’t think it was. But with freedom came a price. She now was free from the cage but the curse remained. Was her freedom worth the lives of others?

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Tags; Merlin
Word Count; ---
Lyrics; Shattered by Trading Yesterday
Time-frame; Night – During ‘The Lady of the Lake’