A/N: Merlin was so cute with Freya, as we all remember, but what the next girl that falls in love with him is more than he bargained for? In other words, what if she likes him—but she also likes the idea of bumping off Uther? This first part is mostly about her and her friend, but the rest of the story will probably be told by Merlin. This is just me trying to ease into things. Enjoy! (It's kind of short.)

Prologue

Xyla sat in a tree ten feet off the ground, smiling a little to herself as she leaned against the tree trunk.

"Pick one," she whispered to her friend Kushi, who sat next to her.

Kushi giggled (Kushi always giggled) and shook her head. "No," she mouthed, looking down at the heads below them. "There's too many."

Xyla rolled her eyes. "Surely they cannot all be pleasing to your eyes? You, my friend, are not picky enough."

Sniggering, Kushi responded, "I've never heard that before. Besides, is that why we're here?"

"Of course not. So what? You're too sensible." Xyla peered down at the men below her, grinning. They were knights of Camelot, for heavens sake. They were handsome and romantic, and they had battle scars. What more did Kushi want? Brains?

"You pick one," ordered Kushi, her eyes flickering over the heads of the knights. None of them looked up. Even if they did, they would not see the two young girls scrutinizing them. One of the many advantages of being a sihirli kisi, a creature of magic, a human who lived a magic lifestyle. The obvious disadvantage was that if Uther Pendragon caught you, he would kill you.

"I don't want one. They're knights; they're stupid. I want a man smarter than I am, Kushi dear."

"Please pick one you like. I want to know who will meet your standards," begged Kushi.

"I'll pick one if you do," bargained Xyla.

Kushi bit her lip. "Well, we should be getting about our business anyway, I suppose."

Then Xyla laughed. "Oh! Now I know you have your eye on one. Go ahead, take the deal."

Kushi flipped her raven locks over her bare shoulder, muttering. "Fine. Do you see that blonde one?"

"Which?"

"The one with the blue eyes. The one with the shoulders," sighed Kushi ecstatically.

Being a girl, Xyla knew exactly which one she was talking about. "Him?" she laughed, pointing him out. "He's cute enough, I suppose. Do you know who he is, though? That's Arthur. Pendragon, you fool. He'd never like you."

Kushi was highly insulted. "Why not?"

"Because we're here to ki—"

"Arthur!" called a voice from below, making her stop mid-word, "Wait!"

Arthur, sighing impatiently, turned around. "Really, Merlin, are you completely useless?" He put a mocking emphasis on the word Merlin, as though he could say no worse insult.

"Because he's a jerk," Xyla finished with a growl, watching the skinny, dark-haired boy named Merlin catch up with an effort, running into their line of sight.

"Well, I'm useful enough to get a stone from my horse's hoof, something you couldn't be bothered with," responded the boy, making Xyla chuckle and Kushi scowl. Merlin rode his horse up after Arthur with a grin, clearly not concerned what Arthur thought of his lagging behind. As they spoke, the rest of the knight kept moving, slowly but surely leaving them behind.

"He shouldn't speak to the Prince that way," said Kushi angrily.

"Of course not, Merlin, that's why I have you," the Prince was sneering in a way that made Xyla's blood boil.

Merlin shrugged. "Make up your mind, am I useless or aren't I?"

"You are, idiot. I don't know why I keep you around."

"Don't take it out on me if you're indecisive, Sire."

Xyla bit her lip to keep from laughing at the backtalk.

"You shouldn't use words that are bigger than you are," remarked Arthur coldly.

Kushi chuckled.

"We can't all be brawn and no brains, Arthur."

And Merlin's words were so close to Xyla's earlier ones that she actually let out a peal of laughter, distracting Arthur.

"What was that?" he asked, looking up instead of responding to Merlin's implied insult.

Kushi covered Xyla's mouth with her hand, giving her a panicked, warning look. Xyla nodded, getting ahold of herself with an effort, and pushed the hand away.

"I didn't hear anything," said Merlin, glancing ahead of them, towards the knights. "Arthur, we're falling behind everyone else."

"What?" Arthur tore his eyes away from the tree above them and looked at Merlin. "Oh, yes, let's go then."

The two men prodded their horses on, disappearing from the girls' line of sight.

Xyla and Kushi could breathe again. "C'mon, then," said Xyla. "It's time to go."

"Wait! You didn't pick one!" protested Kushi.

"Oh, yes." Xyla gave the matter serious thought. "I don't know… Yes, I do! That marvelously witty boy. What was his name? Oh, Merlin. I pick Merlin!" she sang out, keeping her voice hushed.

Kushi looked disappointed. "Him? He wasn't even handsome!"

"I think he was adorable! And he was smart, too. And bold."

"Yes, but," giggled Kushi, "did you see his ears?"

"I loved them," answered Xyla defensively. Now that she'd picked her champion, she was going to stick by him until the end.

Kushi shook her head at such foolishness. "To each her own," she at last conceded, grinning. "Now let's get going."

"You know what? They don't look so tough. I think I can handle to hunting group, Kushi. I want to follow them and see what I can find out. Why don't you go ahead to Camelot and find work there? I'll catch up to you in a few days."

Kushi looked uncomfortable with this idea, but she finally agreed, admitting that there was nothing they could do to her friend as long as Xyla stayed hidden. And Xyla might pick up useful information on the trip, information they could use.

"Don't worry," Xyla soothed her. "Everything will work out. By the time we're finished here, Uther will be dead."

The thought comforted Kushi.

A/N: Well, there we go. It's not very long, but it's just a prologue. I don't know how long this is going to be. Thank you for reading, and I will try to respond to every review. I hope you liked it.