Alianna was quite shocked by the tale she had just heard, but it only added fuel to the flames of her ever-rampant curiosity. She had one question that itched quite fervently at her brain. "If all that happened," she started, causing the Dragon King to look up at her in interest. "How did you ever become a servant?"

Merlin didn't know whether to laugh or grimace at the memory. "Well, I saved Arthur's life..."
"You saved his life? After threatening him? How did you ever get close enough to him again to do that?"

Merlin couldn't help but laugh at that. "Gaius held much trust as the Court Physician. I was lucky to be under his care. He informed me I would be serving at a celebratory feast, in which Arthur was present. I was one of many peasants who served at the feast without employment at the castle. I was, however, the only person there to notice the spell that was being cast over the room as a fair lady began her song."

"Fair lady? Spell?" Merlin noted how adorable it was when her daughter was confused, it remind him of her mother. Her eyebrows bunched together, causing a deep crease to form, and her nose scrunched up like a rabbit's. Merlin couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as he continued on.
"Yes. There was a fair lady that was a guest at the court, a renowned singer. She was meant to be the best entertainment possible for the celebration, but in her place was a cruel witch wishing to avenge the death of her son. To punish the previous king, she wanted to kill his son. Which was, of course, Arthur. She used a spell that was woven into the song she sang to put everyone in the court to sleep. I noticed what was happening and covered my ears, hiding just out of sight. As she pulled a dagger out of her breasts and geared to kill Arthur, I used my magic to break a chandelier from the ceiling. It landed right on top of the witch, stealing her strength from her and causing her spells to cease. Everyone woke up and her guise as the fair lady faded."

Merlin paused as he looked over his daughter once again. She was staring wide-eyed and intently at her father. He was reminded of when she was a toddler, and she looked at him as if he were a hero. Which, in all truth, he was-- but Merlin would never admit to such a thing. Alianna was looking towards her father with a shine in her eyes that she had lost when she was far too young, once she was forced to stay in the castle for her own safety. She was very rarely allowed to leave, and once she was old enough to train that was the main focus of her life. She didn't understand it, Merlin knew. He also knew she would have to learn soon enough, and he would of course have to be the one to tell her. Oh, how he wished she could just be a small child once again; how he wished there was not so much pressure shoved upon her shoulders. He felt so much guilt for what he had chosen for her, but he had no idea on how he could've possibly handled the situation any differently. The Dragon King and the King of Camelot had went over the issue more times than they could count. They had worked and worked for a solution which gave the poor child more freedom, but they had never gotten the chance to find one. It had taken too long, and now her childhood was fading fast, and the pressure to follow her destiny was only growing with each passing day. Morgana had been laying low for years, but she never let them forget that she was there. Recently the attacks were growing more and more frequent. The time would come when Alianna would be forced to face the world's greatest foe, and Merlin had no choice but to prepare her in anyway he could. He knew firsthand how impossible it was to defy your destiny. Fate would do as it wished with you, and that was an unarguable fact.

Merlin had been quiet for far too long. Alianna finally rushed him, breaking through his thoughts. "And then what? What happened? Did the witch die? Was that how you saved Uncle Arthur's life? How did that make you a servant?"

Merlin smiled widely at his daughter's excitement, his eyes squinting nearly shut. He reached a hand to the top of her head and mussed her hair. He dropped his hand and finished his tale. "The witch was on the floor, crushed by the chandelier. Everyone stood as they awoke to see her. They all recognized her from when she had threatened the previous King. Many thought the threat was gone, but it was not. The witch used the last of her strength to fling the dagger at Arthur. It was a perfect throw. It would've hit him, if not for me. Without thinking I slowed time. I sprinted towards Arthur, using all my body weight to push him out of harms way and to the ground. Time returned to its normal pace and the dagger landed itself right where Arthur's head heart had been. It was embedded deep into the wood of his tall-backed chair. It was a moment of stillness as everything registered to those around. Next thing I knew the previous King was praising me for saving Arthur's life. He was demanding I was rewarded. I tried to tell him it was fine, I was simply doing what I thought was right. After all, I had been thrown in the dungeons for threatening Arthur barely two days before. However, the previous King insisted. He had to reward me. His idea of a reward was to assign me to the post of Arthur's manservant. The both of us were completely aghast, but there was no fighting the word Uther."

Alianna looked away from her father with her gaze still sparkling. "Wow," she breathed.

They continued to walk as Merlin let the tale sink in. They were nearing the edge of the lower town, closing in on their destination. Alianna took no notice of this. The pair just continued on in silence.

Just as the Dragon King was slowing to a stop before the great gate that separated his kingdom and his comrades, his daughter turned to him in sudden enthusiasm.

"Y-you... you're amazing, Dah!"

Merlin was shocked by those words, but a sense of pride filled his chest as they had come from his beloved daughter. "Thank you, I'm glad to hear you think that, Ali," The two smiled at each other for a moment longer before Merlin spoke in a soft tone. "I think you should look up to see where we're headed."
The girl crinkled her nose and turned away from her father once again. Her face went slack with shock as her eyes moved upwards slowly, taking the Great Gate in. Many people were walking back and forth through it, not even noticing the slight blur caused by the portal. They simply slipped through it without a care. You could just barely spot the outlines and colors of the opposing lower town.

"You're taking me to Camelot!?"