Merlin's sister the seamstress - lancelot love story

#1 Madelyn - introduction

As long as Madelyn had remembered she always knew how to sew. From the first time she attemped with a straw and grass to fix the neighbour's doll until the day she left Ealdor to become the apprentice of one of the land's finest tailors. Her mother had always appreciated the steady hand Madelyn offered yet it gave Hunith extra joy to see her daughter fix any clothing that needed mending. And with a boy like Merlin who spend most of his free time playing in the woods with his wild friend Will there was always something that needed fixing.

A smile appeared on the young woman's lips as she remembered all the times she had to fix her brother's clothing as he discovered his powers.

"Madelyn? How much longer do you intend to stare at that seam?" Startled said young woman looked up at the older woman who had woken her from her day dreaming. A smile met her as she looked at her mentor.

"My apologies Mary, I simply lost myself in the past." The older woman smiled wider and chuckled slightly.

"A habit you've developed the past days, if not weeks. Is there something I should be worried about? Might it finally be a man who caught your interest?"

A laugh left Madelyn as she looked back at the work in her hands and finished the seam. "Not in the way you wish I'm afraid, it's simply that I have received a letter from my mother and she tells me my brother will be coming here to Camelot."

"Ah! I see! Merlin wasn't it?"

Standing up to look over the dress she had worked on Madelyn nodded. "Yes. It's been too long since I last saw him."

Mary stood beside the apprentice that she and her husband loved almost like a daughter and looked at the finished dress.

"That's wonderful Madelyn. You truly have a gift. " Hearing the approval the younger woman smiled gently and made sure to carefully store the dress. "Thank you Mary. But I've still got a lot to learn."

"Nonsense!" The words spoken by a male voice made the two females turn towards the door where Bernhard stood. Mary laughed and nodded, agreeing with her husband.
"He's for once not wrong Madelyn, there's not a lot more we could teach you."

The tailor and his seamstress of a wife had travelled a few times from their home in Camelot to other cities to find new ideas and fabrics for their business and anytime they passed Ealdor they made sure to make a stop and greet the girl who listened to every word they spoke and watched every stitch they made. As the couple never had any children of their own they quickly welcomed the laughter and joy the little girl brought. As the years and visits went by they knew that the girl could have a bright future with her gift and eventually it was decided that Madelyn would join them as their apprentice.

Madelyn gently caressed the necklace she had around her neck, her mother's given to her at the day of her departure. A sad smile showed itself on Madelyn's lips as she remembered her mother and brother waving goodbye as she sat on the cart leaving Ealdor.
Looking at the couple in the room with her she smiled kindly.

"You two are too kind, I think each day is an opportunity for us to see or learn something new, if we choose to see it."

Hearing those words the couple smiled wider, proud of how much the woman had grown during her three years with them.

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The next day Madelyn walked through the busy town, smiling warmly and greeting the people she met and knew. She had just visited the Lady for whom she had made the dress and the praise she got made Madelyn's cheeks get red just at the thought. 

She saw the people moving towards a square where she knew a man was to be executed, accused of using magic. Feeling her heart squeeze slightly in fright for what could happen if her brother would ever be caught she turned her eyes down and chose not look as the axe fell.

"Maddy?"

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