20 year old Ariella Morgenstern lost her mother to an evil sorcerer when she was just seven years old, and has had some pain in her heart since, though her father, King Oberon, hates magic, but not nearly as much as King Uther, because of it. Ever s...
I tuck my arms under myself as I drift deeper into sleep, Luna curled beside me as usual. I hear loud thuds and bangs, causing my eyes to twitch as I know it's the minors who are working for Uther; they're digging under the castle for supposed treasure.
Do I believe it?
Yes, of course I do.
But I hate that they're working so late at night.
I scowl when I hear the banging again and this time, I get up to go and go to Arthur's chambers to ask him to make them stop.
However, just as I'd thrown on my pink cloak, I hear the prince yelling, "Merlin! Merlin!"
I tug on my boots and go to Arthur's chambers just as Merlin comes running down the hall. He gives me a questioning look before throwing open Arthur's door and running inside, with me following more slowly behind him.
"Yes, Sire?" Merlin asks as I stop beside him, seeing Arthur out of bed and standing before us. Shirtless, might I add.
"Are you deaf?" Arthur mumbles as he glances at me, rubbing the left side of his head, Merlin tilts his head just as another bang sounds from beneath us.
"I wish!"
"Can someone please make them shut up?! I can't sleep with all that ruckus going on down there," I groan, rubbing the heels of my palms against my eyes.
Dropping his arm, Arthur says in agreement, "You're not the only one!" He then says to his servant, "I want you to go down there, and tell them to stop."
Merlin reminds him, "But, they're working under the king's orders!"
I rub the heel of my left palm across my cheek tiredly as I drop the other one and Arthur mumbles simply, "Yeah! And you're working under mine—as well as Ariella's."
Merlin gives an exasperated sigh as the prince goes back to sleep.
"I'll go with you, Merlin," I say, blinking my eyes tiredly at the warlock. He gives me an appreciative smile before we head down to the vaults.
Upon reaching the vaults, Merlin grabs a torch and we head down the tunnel, but before either of us could relay Arthur's orders, I grab Merlin's arm and tug him back against the wall as a group of men come running out of the tunnels, screaming in terror.
As though they'd seen a ghost.
Merlin and I stare after them in confusion, before we look at each other. We turn and run in the direction they'd come from, before stopping in front of a hole in the wall, big enough for someone of our height to fit through.
Merlin holds the torch out, causing more light to spill into the chamber.
I grab his arm just before he enters. He looks at me in puzzlement. "This is just like in those adventure books I would read. A group of travellers discover a hidden tomb or treasure trove like this, but when they enter, at least one of them steps into a hidden death trap and they end up... well, you know, dead." There's a moment of silence as Merlin just stares back at me, a glint of awe in his eyes. "All I'm just saying is, we need to be careful in there. No one just leaves treasure like this unguarded."
Merlin nods his head and I let go of him, then we cautiously step into the chamber. There was loads of treasure of all kinds lying around: pearls, rubies, emeralds, jewellery, golden goblets, and the like. Merlin and I approach what looks like a tomb, a bearded man engraved on its lid.
And what looks to be a crystal blue heart in the centre of his chest.
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