Avalon- A Merlin FanFic

Chapter 6- A Question

I thought I looked quite nice. I wore a dark green gown of velvet, which the Queen had bought for me. She said I owed her nothing, it was a favour to friends. I wondered who else she thought she was doing a favour for.

It was a beautiful dress though. From the waist up, the dress hugged my slender figure tightly, showing my small waist. The sleeves flared out at the elbows, and the cuffs were embroidered with a floral design.

The skirt was embroidered intricately, with intertwined flowers and vines working their way up the skirt of the dress and wrapping around the dress. I felt a sudden pang of nostalgia for my life at home with the elves. It vanished quickly though. I had been shown kindness by many people in Camelot, and it was beginning to feel more like a home to me.

I wondered if Merlin would be at the ball tonight. I felt unsure of his feelings towards me. I was not sure if he felt angry at me, or indifferent. I hoped that we could become friends though. He seems like the one person that I could be around most easily.

When he's not avoiding me, that is.

Merlin's POV

'Man up, Merlin. It's obvious you want to take her to the ball. Just go to her chambers and ask to escort her there. I'm sure she'll say yes.'

Arthur was lecturing me. Again. It had been a while since me and Avalon had last spoken. I'm not sure how to approach her, after finding out that she's the leader of the elves, and that she's in hiding. It was a little much to take in.

I wasn't quite sure of her opinions toward me. She was an empress, for goodness sake, and as far as taking her to the ball was concerned, I'm not sure I even qualified as worthy enough to escort someone of her status. That wasn't the only thing that bothered me though. I couldn't even be certain of her motives. For all I knew, she could mean harm to Camelot. That was just something I couldn't allow. If she did turn out to be a danger to Camelot, I wouldn't be comfortable with having to fight someone that I regarded as a friend. So for the time being I was trying to distance myself from Avalon.

I couldn't help but feel that Arthur was trying to play matchmaker and it made me a little uncomfortable.

I'm not sure I was going to get out of this one though.

'Merlin, if you don't ask to escort her I will personally drag you to her chambers and ask on your behalf.'

Yep, I had no chance of getting away with this.

Avalon's POV

I heard a knock at the door, and made my way over to answer. The person standing there surprised me.

'Merlin? Why are you here....?' I asked, slightly confused.

'Avalon, I just wondered if you would do me the honour of allowing me to escort you to the ball?' He replied, looking a little awkward as he stood.

Now I was very confused. My confusion stemmed from the fact that we haven't spoken in a week, and now he's asking me to the ball. However, I doubted I would get any answers if I refused, and it made sense to me to say yes. We might even manage to sort out the tension between us.

'Of course,' I answered.

Merlin sighed with relief and grinned awkwardly at me. 'I must admit, I was unsure of how you would react to that. Arthur more or less forced me to ask you.'

'Oh.' I replied. I felt somewhat deflated that Merlin had been told to ask me to the ball. I had hoped that it was his own doing. It would have been nice to know that he wanted to spend time with me out of his own free will, rather than being forced to do so.

Still, this was probably the best opportunity that I would get to fix things with him, and I was going to take it.

Merlin's POV

As we entered the hall, we were greeted with music reverberating off the walls and around the room. Some of the servants were dancing, whereas some lurked around the edge of the hall, laughing as they made conversation. They held their drinks in one hand as they gestured vividly whilst telling one another stories from their experiences in the castle.

I turned to see Avie looking around, eyes bright, beside me. I couldn't help but smile at her expression of wonder. It struck me then, that she was actually beautiful. Her chestnut hair hung in carefully arranged curls around her face. Her cheeks were rosy, and her skin glowed, reflecting the light from the chandelier in the middle of the room. Her brown eyes were bright, and shone.

It was at that moment she turned to face me and I realised that I had been staring at her. I turned away hurriedly, blush creeping on to my cheeks.

I couldn't help but compare her to how she had appeared in her true form as an elf. Her face looked mostly the same apart from her cheekbones, and her eyes had changed to a vibrant green. Her hair had been tomato red too, and longer. I wondered why I had been paying such close attention to her appearance. I pushed those feelings aside as I made my way over to the banquet table, and allowed my stomach to think for me.

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Laughter erupted beside me, as I looked at Avie. I realised with embarrassment that I had sauce on my face from the chicken casserole being served that I had ravenously tucked into. For the second time that night I felt my cheeks turn pink and I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief. Something then grabbed my hand and I felt myself being tugged in the direction of the gardens.

'We need to sort this out Merlin,' Came Avie's voice, as we reached the garden. I knew she was right but I still felt uncomfortable with discussing it. I just wasn't used with being able to discuss my magic with anyone other than Gaius. It just felt wrong, I was so used to having to hide my magic from everyone in my life. It was also odd to me that someone else was in the same situation. Having to hide who they really are.

I still didn't know what I should think about her though. And I was starting to have thoughts that I should be avoiding. It had been hard enough for me to adjust to Morgana being a villain when I had considered her a friend. I felt that it would be harder for me to deal with Avie becoming a villain to Camelot, even though really, I barely knew her.

I guess that it was time to try and set things straight, and rid ourselves of confusion.

'Merlin, I can tell that you hold Camelot dear to you, and I know that with your power, you try hard to defend it. I suspect that you have saved Camelot from many a tragic fate. Would I be right in saying that?'

I nodded. Everything that she had said was true, although I had never recieved credit for it.

'Merlin, I need you to understand that I am not your enemy. I mean no harm to Camelot. I have been driven here by the actions of the sorceress Morgana. Hasn't Camelot been affected by her too? You must understand that she is a serious threat...'

I cut her off as she spoke. 'I know more than anyone just how dangerous Morgana is. I suspect I know of her power and danger even more than you. She lived here until she developed her magic and then made numerous attempts on the King's life. It was I who single-handedly protected this kingdom from her. That's why I just can't allow anyone to harm it. I've worked hard trying to protect this kingdom, and I still do.'

'Just as I work hard to protect mine, Merlin. That is the sole reason that I am here. And I made the most important discovery in years. One that could overthrow Morgana entirely.'

'That discovery being....?'

'The identity of the third. Before, I spoke briefly to you of the three sorcerers with more power than any others in the land. These people are called the Triunity. I am one, Morgana is the second, and the third, is you Emrys. No one knew of your identity, you keep yourself well hidden, I must say. Does Morgana know of your magic?'

'She does not. She never discovered my true identity whilst she resided in Camelot.'

'Then I have a proposal for you, Emrys. Help me take her down, for the sakes of both of our kingdoms.'

Author's note: I know that I've neglected this story for a while, but I've had to study for my exams. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a comment and I'll reply to any I receive :) Thanks for reading so far guys :)