Something Wonderful (Merlin x F! Reader) (Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves)

Chapter Two

(Y/N)'s POV
It's the same thing every time.
Find a new kingdom, scope out the perimeter, take note of any architectural flaws that I can use to my advantage, plan my heist, then move onto the next. Once finishing making the rounds on each kingdom, I hide out in the forest and thrive until I run out of food.
Fairy Tale Island had plenty of little villages to scope out, and my most recent had been the last.
However, I couldn't help but feel I was missing something. I had enough food to last until next month, and I had enough clothes to keep me warm until the summer's sun was ready, so it's not like I was missing anything important.
But I always feel like this before hiding out. It's not like I wanted to hide out. What I wanted more than anything was to have a safe place to go, to have a family to come home to.
I ruined that chance of happiness.
I was young when I left the orphanage. I knew nobody was coming for me, and I couldn't bear to stay in the place for much longer. Sure they treated me okay, but I wanted more. I wanted to be free and travel.
The problem is that you need money to do that, and I only left with a pocket full of coins which ran out by the time I had passed my first kingdom. There was no going back to the orphanage. There was no turning for help. I was a wanted fugitive in almost every kingdom I had been to.
Thankfully I was able to escape out of sight before anyone caught me in this one.
"CAPED THIEF! GET HIM!"
"Huh-"
Before I could process who the voice belonged to I was tackled to the ground. I screamed out of fear as the figure who did so pinned me to the dirt, their hands on my wrists so I couldn't use them. I was trapped, and couldn't move.

MERLIN'S POV

Hans had seen the figure first, a sleek black cloak perched near a small cave. If it had gone the way we planned back home, we would've been sneakier, but Hans got scared and jumped at the chance to capture.
Arthur took this as an opportunity to tackle the figure, and I heard them yelp under the pressure. Thank goodness we have some brawn on this team.
"Alright, end of the line. Show yourself."
"I would if my hands were free!"
Wait a second.
"Whoah hang on Arthur," I ran over to the scene of action and knelt down next to the body on the ground. I could see Arthur loosen his grip on the figure's hands. Their fingers were slim and although there were visible scabs and cuts, they looked soft.
I reached down and slowly revealed the face of the hooded figure, and what I saw baffled me. I was at a loss for words.
A girl. (H/l)(h/c) hair was sticking out in different directions, most likely from the impact on the ground. Her (e/c) eyes were dark with rage, but I could see through the struggle and straight to her beauty. Her lips parted with a clench of her teeth, and I could tell she was holding back certain inappropriate words.
"Let me go!" she snapped, crossing her arms across her cloaked chest. Arthur still had her under his body, his large figure preventing the girl from getting up.
"No can do, milady," Arthur boomed. The confidence seeping from his accomplishment in catching this woman reeked. "Just so you know we can and will use excessive force."
"Arthur, don't say that!" I seethed. I could feel my cheeks heat up.
"Why not?"
"Because-"
"That's a girl!" Hans interrupted, finally catching up to the action. He looked out of breath. Pino, Noki, and Kio started setting up a contraption to bring us back to the kingdom.
"Obviously, idiot, but the king asked the Fearless Seven to capture the person who fit the description."Jack appeared from behind his own cloak, and I noticed the bewilderment in the woman's eyes as she started to put the pieces together.
"No way. Fearless Seven?!"
The boys perked up at the change in attitude that she had made a point to serve. However it didn't seem like they minded. They all stood as high and mighty in front of her as they could.
But a quick smirk and movement of her leg behind Arthur made me realize the motive for her fascination.
"Arthur watch out!"
Before he could process my words the girl had flipped Arthur onto his back and pinned him down the same way he did to her. She flipped her cape back to reveal a holster on the side of her belt, and with a blink of an eye she whipped out a dagger.
"Whoah, hey! That's a bit much," we all murmured and took a step back from the two, and Arthur looked more scared than I had ever seen him before.
"Don't make me do it!" she scowled, and I could sense a twinge of fear in her voice. I loosened my body from its stiff posture and took a small step towards her. Her grip on the dagger tightened.
"Ma'am.. do you mind if I call you ma'am?" I started.
"I'd prefer (y/n)." She shot back.
I could feel my lips curl into a small smile as her name soothed my ears like rain. (Y/N).
"Alright.. (y/n)... we mean no harm towards you. At least, none more than we've already caused," I shot a glare at Arthur. He smiled sheepishly.
"Right! We were sent on a mission by King White to find you," Jack chimed in.
"Find me for what?" she furrowed her eyebrows, and I could tell she already knew.
"You're wanted, (y/n)."
She winced a little. "Crap."
(Y/n) stood up and let go of Arthur, and he stood with her.
"Can I get my stuff first?" she asked, rubbing her shoulder with her hand. I frowned slightly as I noticed her defeat. Jack answered a simple "sure," and we followed her towards her hideout.
It was a few miles away. I volunteered to follow her into the cave, and after making it through several vine curtains and rock barricades we arrived. After entering the cave, however, I was completely at a loss for words.
The walls were absolutely filled with drawings and pictures of architecture. They were incredibly detailed, and I could notice a few red circles and stars pinpointing certain flaws in the builds.
"Whoah, what were you doing in this place all this time?"
She had grabbed a knapsack and starting filling it with her supplies; food she must have stolen, the stones she used to draw on the wall, and a small wool blanket.
"Mapping the towns in your kingdom," she replied, pulling the bag across her shoulder.
"These are incredible, (y/n)! You have a real talent," I exclaimed, running my fingers across a drawing of a merchant city, and tracing the watermelons on the table of a merchant stands.
"Well, his majesty doesn't seem to care whether I've got that talent or not," she shrugged, and then she looked up at me. Our eyes locked.
Her (e/c) eyes had softened their gaze since we first encountered. It was just now when I was seeing them in their true beauty, the sunshine seeping from the top of the cave highlighting the gorgeous colors they emitted.
I frowned as I came to a realization.
"Why did you give up so easily when we told you why we were looking for you?"
She furrowed her brows and sighed, looking back around in the cave. "This is all I have," she replied. "I'd survive better in a palace. Not that I actually want to be there, but I don't have a choice. It's either go to the palace and survive, and stay here and starve." (y/n) looked back at me and shrugged. "Since you guys have my face I can't hide from anybody."
I couldn't help but feel bad for her. She was brave, not to mention beautiful, and I could tell she didn't mean harm. She was just hungry.
"You know," I offered her a sad smile. "We could use an architectural genius on our team. We're always having difficulty mapping out certain parts of the kingdom to plan an attack on an enemy."
"Yeah?" she looked up at me with one eyebrow raised. "Good luck with that, they don't come easy."
"(Y/n)," I said. She raised the other eyebrow. "I'm talking about you."
"Now why would I believe you? You were about to turn me in a few minutes ago."
I chuckled and she frowned. "We found you fairly quick, love. And you're notorious for escaping kingdoms before anyone can find you." I turned to the cave drawings and traced the merchant's stand once again. "We can tell the king you must have escaped before we had a chance to look. With you around, we can improve as a team, and if the King ever finds out about you working with us, he'll have to let you stay. Without you our team is significantly less prepared for battle, and his kingdom wouldn't be as safe."
"Okay, I see where you're going with this.." she frowned. "How would I communicate with you guys all the way out here?"
"Simple, you move in with us."
"Move in with seven men? You realize how unsafe that sounds in my shoes, right?"
"I promise that you'll have your own room and place to work, and not to mention Hans is an excellent cook-"
"Deal." she replied quickly, her smile almost reaching her ears from how big it was. She grabbed my hand for a shake, but the splinter I had yet to retract from my hand since our visit with the king jabbed further into my skin.
"Ah! Ouch, sorry," I winced, pulling my hand from hers. She frowned.
"Oh no, what did I do?" she covered her mouth with her hands.
"Ah, it's nothing, just a splinter I haven't taken out yet," I replied, shaking my hand to relieve the pain. All of a sudden (y/n) grabbed my hand gently, and I stopped in my tracks.
Wow, her hands are soft, I thought to myself.
"Here," she offered, then gently used her fingers to pull the splinter from its embedment in my skin. The way she worked so well that I could tell she knew what she was doing made me fluster.
"There," she presented the small sliver of wood for me to see, then flicked it away, not breaking eye contact. "All better." She patted the top of my hand for assurance, then in the blink of an eye walked out of the cave, leaving me alone with her drawings, my face rosy and heated.