Chapter Text
Scarlett walked around in circles, mesmerised by the wonders of Camelot. All her life she'd dreamed of being here. Of escaping her life of running and terror and coming to this mythical place. All around stalls were overflowing with delicious food, precious jewels and the rarest silk. Already she felt at home; even though she was not safe here at the slightest. Well, only if she couldn't keep a secret. Merlin was also roaming the stalls that day, running around for Gaius, as usual. If he wasn't doing errands for him it was for Arthur. It seemed like he never had any actual time to himself. He was by the bread stall when he saw her, Scarlett. She was studying one stall in particular, touching the various gems and delights. Her hair was dark brown, almost to the point of raven. She was wearing a simple purple dress and a black cloak that were both torn and covered in mud. Merlin couldn’t easily tell from this distance, but it looked as if the mud spotted her face too. He couldn’t be sure though; they could just be freckles. She could be injured Merlin thought to himself and decided that his best course of action would be to talk to her. Mentally agreeing with himself that he should take her to see Gaius, he gathered up his courage and treaded over to approach her. Nervous, he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and looked confused. Who the hell is this? She thought to herself. He was taller than her and had many striking features. His eyes were an incredible shade of blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the colour of the paint flaking off of the walls in an old castle, or even tiny flowers that spring up in the forest. His eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue; the shimmering kind. His cheekbones were prominent and defined his face. He had rather large ears, ruffled dark hair and a cheeky grin. Despite all that, Scarlett didn’t take well to people. She would always rather be alone than in company. Merlin was surprised. It wasn’t mud, it was freckles. Her whole face, completely covered in them. Her nose was crooked and she had full lips. She wasn’t entirely pretty, but to Merlin she was beautiful. She looked tired and worn, she needed some proper rest. “Hello, my name is Merlin.” Merlin told her. “Hello, what do you want?” She snapped in reply, irritated and agitated. Taken aback, Merlin slightly regretted coming over in the first place. “Are you okay?” Merlin asked gently. Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. “Do I look okay?” Merlin didn’t know what to say. He thought about just leaving, she obviously didn’t want to talk to anyone. Scarlett closed her eyes and cursed. And you wonder why you have no friends! She said to herself. “I’m so sorry- I haven’t slept in a while…I get a bit edgy.” Scarlett apologised guiltily. Merlin nodded. “I understand, don’t worry. I just wish you would let my friend, a physician, make sure you’re okay.” Scarlett sighed. “I guess that would be fine. My name is Scarlett, by the way.” A small smile graced Merlin’s lips. “Nice to meet you, Scarlett.”