Merlin Fairytale Series

Chapter 7: Princess Lessons

*sigh* Ain't Merlin dreamy?
The gif is him looking smug.
Summary: Merlin and Nyx teach Rose how to be a princess.
  
     Three days. That's how long passed since the accident on the wagon. Ever since then, the three had been forced to continue their journey on foot. Now granted, Lyall was happy about this because he could walk beside the trio instead of hiding somewhere on a caravan of wagons but for the trio themselves, this set them back a bit.
     Supplies weren't an issue; Merlin and Nyx had prepared themselves well and if worst came to worst Nyx could shapeshift and go hunting. Or they could send out Lyall. Or both.
     Clothing wasn't an issue for although the trio generally kept to wearing the same clothing everyday, they were all warm and protected from the weather.
      No. The two main problems were: a) finding shelter (seeing as they had a limited supply of money) and b) the long trek from Paradise to Haven.
      On the bright side, they'd made it past the border of Paradise and were currently walking through another kingdom known as Immortales (City of Immortals).
      It was at this particular time that Rose felt compelled to ask, "What is our plan? Are we intending to walk to Haven?"
      To this, Nyx chuckled lightly. "Not likely, child, for the way to Haven is quite far and fraught with many dangers, including a number of bandit-infested lands, not to mention that there is an entire ocean to cross. Once we reach the Sea of Syreni, we will take a boat across it, which will lead us directly to Haven."
       "And before we reach this sea of mermaids, what then?"
      "You speak Latin. That is impressive and it gives me hope because the kingdoms of both Paradise and Haven have always been big on magic and, as everyone knows, Latin is the ancient language that allowed people to use magic in the first place. You will need to know these things of course. But, in answer to your question, we will take whatever transportation is needed. I'd carry you but I'm afraid, that would be too obvious, both to those who despise magic and to our enemies."
     "Why must I need to know these things?"
     "Why, child, you didn't think you'd get to the queen of Haven without consulting her old friend and cousin, the great Lady Ingrid, did you?"
     "Merlin."
     Merlin grinned, nervously. "Didn't I mention that?"
     "No you most certainly did not, Merlin. You didn't tell me I had to prove I was the princess! How do you think I'm gonna do that anyway? Do I even look like princess material to you anyway?!"
      With that, Rose ran off. Merlin attempted to follow her but Nyx held him back. "No, Merlin, let her go. She needs a moment to herself to vent out her frustrations. For now, let us rest."
                       * * * * *
      It was some time later that Nyx decided to go after Rose. She found the young woman plucking the petals off wildflowers.
      "Can we talk?"
      "What's there to say? He lied to me. And...I can never be a princess."
      "True, he did lie but you can be a princess. It's just going to take some time. Yes, there's a lot to learn and, yes, you will have to dress the part but it's a step in the right direction. There's nothing left for you back in Paradise but heartache. But in Haven, you can have your own beginning."
      Rose thought for a moment. "Alright I guess I have nothing to lose. Start your teaching."
                      * * * * *
      Nyx was right about princess lessons being hard. Rose quickly came to realize that it was full of remembering dates and names and the "little details", of proper etiquette, and of being "a delicate flower".
      Over the next several weeks, Merlin and Nyx taught and retaught Rose all about her royal family while teaching her proper manners. Several days, while travelling with gypsies on board caravans, Rose would be forced to demonstrate perfect posture, all while reciting every member of her family, friends, and council members, their names, relevance, and small details. It was a frustrating practice but the more Rose practiced, the more accurate she became. Oddly enough, she would sometimes know a detail without being told.
      At night, she was plagued by nightmares of a man chasing her, a man that was more shadow than man. During the day, back to her lessons. She breezed through Latin, knowing more of the language than they'd expected. Merlin even made a comment one day, "What do they teach you in those orphanages?"
     As time passed, the trio shared their lives with one another. Merlin never divulged his past, but admitted to knowing servants that lived and worked in Paradise. Rose told about her life in the orphanage and Nyx confided in once being a respected member of the council and a good friend of Ingrid's as well.
      Finally, once past all the manners, etiquette, and protocol, they moved onto the more challenging aspects of royalty. Now it was time to teach Rose how to ride a horse. They'd snuck in someone's​farm and borrowed three horses to begin that part of her training.
      Rose, as they quickly found out, was a prodigy when it came to horse-riding and hunting. Then they through in how to perform certain ceremonies on horseback and Rose caught on much faster than she ever did on protocol.
       That evening, they returned the horses but nearly got caught by the very angry farmer. Afterwards, they just had to laugh at their narrow escape.
       It should be noted that, during this time, the trio had grown close and Rose and Merlin closer still. There was something there now, something that hadn't been there before. It wasn't just that they (mostly) didn't hate each other anymore, there was SOMETHING MORE! What that was, they just didn't know yet.
      They were getting closer to Haven everyday. Soon they'd be on a boat, sailing across the Sea of Syreni, a mere few days from Haven.
     What they didn't know was that before they reached Haven, something big was gonna happen. Very big....

To be continued...

Yea so I'm kinda taking artistic license with this....