Amelia's Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 5: Family

While growing up over the years, Amelia's friendship with Arthur also grows and they become like siblings, similar to her relationship with Morgana. He is the typical younger brother and Amelia – like a typical older sibling – often likes to remind him that she is a month older than him, which annoys him much to her delight. He is also the first one to truly make her smile and laugh after Helen's and George's deaths.

When Amelia arrives in Camelot, she is very subdued due to obvious reasons; losing someone that you have been close with for 13 years hits you hard. Everyone is being careful around her and Amelia can regularly feel their pitying gazes on her as to them she is only 13 years old, still, a very young girl, and not the 34 year old (adding her last life's 21 years and the 13 years of this one) she knows she is. Though Amelia has to admit she has never lost a parental figure before and in a way she still blamed herself for not being able to stop them from going out riding.

Nearly a year later, one in which Amelia turns '14', 35 technically, after a long day of Morgana trying to entice her into a horse ride, which she thinks is in bad taste, and everyone else practically walking on eggshells around her, she retires to her room.

Since becoming a more permanent resident of the Castle, her and Morgana have gotten their own Chambers. Uther has been trying to encourage her to have a maid close to Amelia's age to assist her after her previous maid Emma, who was old and had passed away. However, Amelia keeps on refusing as not only does she want to look capable but she also wants to be on her own for a while though Amelia hopes that he will finally give up and let Gwen assist her as she does now and again for big events.

It is this night that Arthur decided she has been sad for long enough and that the best way is to prank her. Thanks, Arthur.

After a while of being in bed, Amelia decides to get up to ask for a glass of water, as she feels thirsty, and lifts up her sheets to see a spider sitting next to her leg.

Typically Amelia is quite calm with spiders, but one crawling along in her bed while she's in it? No thank you! So in her defence, Amelia screams and begins to chase Arthur, who immediately loses his hiding place in her wardrobe when he burst out laughing.

"Arthur!" Amelia yells as she runs after him. "I'm going to kill you!"

Many servants are still going around doing their tasks, so it must look strange to see the future King of Camelot being chased by one of Uther's wards, who is threatening to kill him.

It is only when Amelia caught up to him, which is easier than it would have been in her last life as she is much fitter than she was, did both of them look at each other and realise how ridiculous they look and burst out laughing.

Amelia supposes she should thank him for making her smile and laugh though she still does not appreciate the fact that he put a spider in her bed!

——

However, there are moments with Arthur that Amelia does not always look back on fondly. Case and point is an event that happens a few years later when Arthur leads an attack on a Druid camp. She soon realises that this could be the attack that led to the Druid possessing Elyan in season 4.

While there was mention of this happening in the show, Amelia does not know when it is going to happen, only that it happens before Merlin arrives. Though she gets the impression it is when Arthur is relatively young as it was his first time leading Knights etc. on a mission.

Amelia has sneaked off to go riding as she wants to be on her own and Uther often sends Guards to go with her, which makes sense she supposes as her 'parents' were murdered when they went off riding by themselves and one of them was a Knight but what can she say, she is being rebellious.

Amelia has ridden off quite far when she suddenly hears screaming in the distance and the clashing of swords. She knows Arthur is leading his first mission and is worried that he is in some sort of trouble so Amelia quickly climbs off her horse and rushes towards the noise, a bit stupid she knows, with her dagger in hand.

Though when Amelia arrives, she wishes she hadn't. It appears to be a camp in disarray with everything strewn everywhere. People are running and screaming from men with the Camelot symbol on their clothing. Bodies are also strewn everywhere as well.

As Amelia turns looking at the terror around her, she notices Arthur standing not too far off from her with a horrified look on his face, her own face likely mirroring his own, as he looks from what is happening in front of her.

"I-I don't...I tri-", Arthur stutters. "I tried to! B-but they w-would not listen!" He looks close to tears.

"You have to tell them, Arthur! They are hurting children!" Amelia urges.

"I-I don't know h-how!" Arthur tearfully tells her.

Amelia can't stay here anymore so she looks away from Arthur, shaking her head, and flees back to her horse.

——

Amelia hurries back to Camelot, jumping off her horse not even waiting to see if a servant had come forward to grab the reigns before dashing up the steps into her Chambers. She darts under her covers and lies there thinking over what she had just witnessed.

It was not long later when Amelia hears knocking at her door. She stays quiet hoping that whoever was at her door would go away.

"Amelia! You cannot stay in there forever!" Morgana calls through the door.

Amelia wipes away the tears that she had not realised had fallen, until she touches her face, from her cheeks. "I can try!" Amelia responds.

"That's it!" And before Amelia could ask her what she means, Morgana bursts through the door.

"Morgana!" Amelia chides. She ignores her and clambers onto her bed in a way that was not accepted as 'lady like' and promptly pulls Amelia towards her into a hug.

"What happened?" She asks. "Gwen saw you fleeing into the Castle after your ride, which can I say how dare you not bring me with you!"

Despite herself, Amelia can not help but let out a small laugh at Morgana's comment. "It's Arthur," Amelia sighs.

"What did that twat do!" Morgana says angrily and before Amelia can answer her, Arthur bursts into her room. From his appearance, she can see he has only just got back and had not bothered to change.

"Amelia! I am so sorry!" He rushes out. "I did not know it was going to happen that way! I tried to tell them to leave the women and children but they would not listen!"

"It's alright Arthur," Amelia says quietly.

"Yeah but- what, what?" Arthur says shocked as Morgana glances at both of us from her position between them.

"Yes, I know it is not your fault. You tried and I realise that," Amelia reassures him. "Oh." He stands there awkwardly not knowing what to do.

"Come here you idiot," Morgana says exasperated pulling Arthur towards the bed despite his protests that he was not an idiot and into a hug with them.

Amelia sighs. This is her family now.

——

A/N: Hope this was enjoyable. Hoping to start with the first episode of Merlin after this chapter. I did these chapters as I wanted to show Amelia adapting to this new world and getting to know all the characters before what we see in the show and wanted to find room to develop my oc.