Merlynn

Prologue

WARNING: Brief depictions of suggested sexual violence in this chapter

Hunith woke to an unsettling quiet. She had grown used to Balinor's soft snores. She remained still, holding on to the hope that he was still with her. When news of Uther's advance had reached them, she knew he was going to leave, she just thought he'd say goodbye first. Hunith never really believed that Uther would risk going to war with Cenred over one man, she believed his armies to be too weak after the Great Purge, but what did she know of the mind of the King of Camelot?

    Her body was heavy as she pushed herself up off the bed and made her way to the tub which she had drawn water for the night before. Bathing quickly, she pushed thoughts of Balinor out from her mind. Feeling a little better, she started her day.

    It was about sundown when the village spotted the first knight of Camelot in the distance. They stopped at the border which marked where Camelot turned to Essetir, their presence made Hunith's skin crawl and she could feel the tension among the villagers.

    As day turned to night, she could see the small campfires being lit  and wondered at what this would mean for Ealdor.

    It was midday again when she heard the sound of hoofs pounding and turned from her work to see King Cenred and his knights rush through the village. He ordered men to set up camps to mirror the Camps of Camelot's knights just outside the village. This was to be the new normal for the next couple of days.

    Hunith didn't know that Cenred was watching her. She didn't see him when she stood up to his men about taking the village's food when they had plenty of their own. She didn't notice when his eyes followed her when she continued to work even though her skirts clung to her during the rain. She was unaware when he noticed she showed no fear, instead standing tall. He had to admit he liked her fiery spirit and her boldness. She never saw it coming when he asked her to return to the castle with him. The other villagers warned her not to go and initially she refused, but after threatening the livelihood of Ealdor, she agreed.

    Once back to the castle, Cenred had Hunith bathed and dressed in attire fit for nobility. With her hair done up and the dirt scrubbed clean, he had to admit her beauty. When she fought him when he asked to make her his, his sadistic lust overtook him.

    When they suspected her pregnancy two weeks later, she agreed to be his.

    When Merlynn was born, Hunith didn't know what to think. Cenred was outraged that she had not produced him a male heir. It wasn't much longer, when Hunith caught baby Merlynn practicing magic purely on instinct that she knew the truth.

    Hunith's fire had died out and this angered Cenred most of all. She was no longer beautiful to him, the child had taken that much, but he never thought she'd stop fighting him. He had hoped for a son to rival Uther's, but after a few months he'd begun to think this could be better. He kept Hunith and the child close to ensure their health, but never interacted with them more than he had to; however, once Merlynn was old enough to walk Cenred had her training with a sword. If she was beautiful like Hunith had been with that same fire, Cenred believed he could train her to be his greatest weapon.

    Hunith had different plans. Whenever Cenred wasn't looking, she was training Merlynn to be kind and to hate Cenred and what he stood for. As soon as Cenred would allow it, Hunith would take Merlynn back to Ealdor.

    At first they were outcast, but soon the villagers who once knew Hunith well welcomed her back home and empathised with her for the mistreatment she suffered at the hands of Cenred. Merlynn loved living in Ealdor, but when she started slacking in her studies, Cenred called her back to the castle. He taught her to be cunning like him, with a mind for strategies and manipulation. After a heated argument between Hunith and Cenred, once more satisfying Cenred's sadistic lust, and proof that Merlynn was back on track with her training, Cenred allowed Merlynn to go back to Ealdor provided she continues to train. Merlynn returned to the castle for one month out of the year so Cenred could track her progress.

    When Merlynn was 11, Camelot and Essetir made peace. A year later, Merlynn met Morgause. Cenred divorced Hunith and exiled her back to Ealdor in an effort to please Morgause and seduce her. At 16, Morgause accepted Merlynn and trained her as a seductrice, though Merlynn kept her distance in order to hide her magic.  After a year of training with Morgause, Merlynn silently vowed never to return to the castle. She spent one more year in Ealdor, before Hunith sent her to Camelot to stay with her brother Gaius. Cenred couldn't risk sending his men after her now that Camelot was strong again, and to be honest he couldn't bring himself to care. He knew of the girl's love for her mother and her home in Ealdor and knew that if the time came he had enough leverage to get her back. For now he had Morgause to occupy himself with.