The Lost Princess of Grerin || A Merlin AU

III. Guilty as Sin?

~~~

"You're a cheater!" Arthur exclaimed, making Ryia jump and the flame drop on the floor and catch the rug on fire. Quickly the girl put her hand up to put the fire out. "I am telling my father," Arthur says as he goes to walk out of the room.

Ryia puts her hand up to make the door shut, "wait Arthur, I promise I didn't cheat. Please don't tell your father."

"I don't owe you anything," Arthur tells her, "now open-"

"But you owe this to my father!" Ryia exclaimed as she cut him off.

"What?" Arthur questioned as he turned to face her.

"Please sit down," Ryia motions to the bed, "let me explain."

Arthur thinks about it for a second before sitting on the bed, "explain yourself."

"My father is Balinor," Ryia told him, "he was-"

"The dragonlord that helped us," Arthur finished what she was going to say.

"And the one who sacrificed himself for you and your servant," Ryia stated.

"So what? Your plan was to challenge me to a duel and avenge your father but you chickened out?" Arthur suggested.

"No!" Ryia exclaimed in frustration, "I wanted to see if you were actually worth my father sacrificing his life for. If you were worth his daughter losing the only family she had left." She didn't know the truth, that her father didn't sacrifice himself for Arthur but for Merlin. But why would someone sacrifice themselves for the prince's servant over the prince?

Arthur looked down uncertain what to say, "I didn't know he had a daughter."

"He told me to stay hidden," Ryia explained, "I know you don't owe me anything but please for my father, don't tell the king. I swear I didn't cheat."

"What about the flames? What were you planning on doing with them?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing, it's an old trick my father taught me for when I need help calming down, I can show you if you'd like," Ryia offered as she sat next to him.

Arthur nodded but stayed a little guarded. "Okay this is going to be a little more extreme than what you walked into but I promise I won't hurt you," Ryia said as she relit the candle before moving her hand to bring the flame up and make it go all around them. "Keep looking straight and you will see a story played out," as she said this the flame turned into two knights riding horses, going in a circle around them.

"It's... beautiful," Arthur stated as he looked at her, "but I don't know if I trust you."

Ryia made the flame go back to the candle, "I understood Arthur, but please let me try to prove myself before you tell your father."

"Can I leave now?" Arthur asked.

"I stopped using magic to hold the door as soon as you sat down," Ryia told him, "you could have left at any point."

Arthur just stood up and walked out.

~~~

Arthur walked into the throne room, watching as Viktor and his father said their goodbyes before the other king left. "Do you need something?" Uther asked as he looked at his son.

"What happened earlier?" Arthur questioned.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about," Uther said with a raised brow.

"Between Ryia and her grandfather," Arthur specifies.

"They just had a disagreement," Uther tells him a bit dismissively.