Crash Landed In Camelot

“My head…” I croaked as I laid there. I was soaked through and through and the temperature was freezing out. Wait. Freezing? It was the middle of summer. I was camping with Skyia and them. How did I get out of the river? It hurt to move, the blow to my head was severe.

I finally braved the pain to look through my bag for some aspirin. After downing two pills, I took in my surroundings and Toto was not in Kansas anymore. The trees were at least a good fifteen feet taller than the ones by the river. In fact, where was the river? How had I moved? How long was I out for? Was anyone looking for me? These thoughts of panic ran through my head as I tried to recognize my surroundings.
Having no luck, I began to slowly walking north in hopes of finding someone or something I knew. The trees were beginning to clear up and I was still tense becoming desperate for some sort of a familiar object. I became paranoid when I heard the snapping of twigs to my left.

“Hello? … Is anyone there?” I cried out nervously. And then I saw the beast. With an eagle for a head and the body of a lion, I knew I was face to face with a griffin. Wait. Griffin? They don’t exist. Maybe I should rethink that because it’s running towards me! I couldn’t outrun it and man does my head hurt!

“Astyrung!” I heard a voice yell. A large branch moved and stabbed at the griffin. Wait. I need to stop thinking that. But no. How did the branch move? The griffin’s still moving!

“BREGDAN ANWEALD GAFELUEC!” The voice yelled again. I watched in awe as the branch lit up and the creature collapsed dead. That was the last thing I remember as I too collapsed from shock.

I again woke up in another place. This time I had something over me to keep me warm and a fire was going. “Where am I?” I groggily asked the man poking at the fire.

“In the forest just outside of Camelot.” The man replied. Oh yeah. That’s right I was in the forest… outside of Camelot!?

“C-Ca-Camelot?” WHAT?

“That was some fall you took there. I can ask Gaius to look at the bump on your head for you.” The man offered. How was I in Camelot? I was in Issaquah by Seattle. Not in the legendary Camelot. Maybe I’m dreaming. Yeah. That’s it. I’m dreaming. I pinched myself to check.

“Ow!” I yelped. Not a dream.

“Why did you just pinch yourself?” The man inquired of me. Quick think of something!

“I thought I was in a dream but that really hurt so I guess, this is real?” I questioned. Fail. Shut up.

“How hard did you hit your head?” He asked clearly worried.

“Pretty damn hard because I’m in Camelot. When I’m pretty sure before I hit my head, I was in the United States of freaking America and not Britain!” I rambled.

“United States of America?”

“Wait. You don’t know what that is?” Of course he doesn’t. DUH. You’re in Camelot silly. Well sorry for forgetting that it is, some year way before I’m born. He’s looking at me weird. I should explain. “What year is it?” I asked.

“488 AD.” He stated. Can I have some water? This is a perfect spit take! I’m in Camelot, in 488! I’d rather be in Kansas right now. Wait. This is Rachel I’m dealing with. Ha! This is a prank. They probably gave me something.

“Okay, whatever your name is.”

“Merlin.”

“Yeah, Merlin whatever. Ha, that’s funny. Merlin and Camelot. Any who. This has been a funny prank. I mean you really got me with the griffin and you magically killing it and all. But the jig is up. I know what you’re doing. Rachel! Very funny! You can come out now!” I yelled looking around. “How did you do the griffin? I mean it looked really real.”

“Uhm… are you okay? Who are you calling for?” He asked cautiously.

“Rachel paid you do this right? She has to be watching. This is too good a prank to not be. Rachel!” Man, this guy is good. He never breaks character.

“I don’t know any Rachel. I assure you, you are in Camelot.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. I suppose you’re the legendary wizard Merlin who leads Arthur to greatness” I snapped. Merlin quickly looked around and emotions flashed over his face. Man. Where was this guy when I was in high school? He would have been awesome in drama.

“What are you talking about? I don’t practice magic. It’s forbidden.” He said defensively.

“Then how did you kill the griffin?” Might as well play along. Rachel and the others had better show up quick.

“I-I didn’t. There wasn’t a griffin. Remember you hit your head.” Hell, no. I did NOT imagine a griffin! You can’t make that stuff up! My heart can defend me on that one.

“I remember the griffin. You don’t forget a giant beast running towards you. You killed it. With magic too.” I stated definitely. “You can do magic.” Wait. No this is an actor. “Well you’d like me to think you can but you don’t want me to think you can but…” This was getting confusing. “I just wanna go home” I whined as I put my hand to my head.

“Where are you from?” He asked.

“Like you don’t know.” I whimpered.

“I honestly do not know who you are or what you have been talking about.”

“You really don’t know?” I asked skeptically.

“Honest.”

“So I’m really in Camelot? You’re really Merlin? And you really killed the griffin with magic?” I asked in quick session.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Wait. No. I didn’t use magic.” He stumbled out nervous.

“DAMMIT!” I jumped up. Far too quickly, because of the bowling bowl I had on my head and I felt dizzy. “Going down.” Merlin quickly jumped around the fire to support me. “But how?” I asked weakly.

“What do you mean how?”

“If this truly is Camelot, then I am in the past.”

“You’re from the future?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, like lemme see,” I mentally tried to do the math but my head hurt too much. “Screw it. About 1500 years from the future. I’m from the year 2011.”

“How did you get here?”

“That’s what I was asking you!” I snapped back. Merlin cringed at the snarkness of my voice. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. All you’ve done is try to help. I’m sorry. And thank you. You probably have somewhere else you have to be.” I rambled.

“It’s okay. Gaius won’t expect me back for another half hour. We need to figure out how and why you’re here. And you’re welcome.” We sat there a few minutes just staring at the fire, contemplating. Merlin was the one to break the silence. “What is the last thing you remember before waking up here?”

“Well, my friends were playing a very cruel joke, making me get my backpack from a branch that was dangling over a river that led to a waterfall. I got my bag but I fell into the water. And went down the falls. I remember, hitting my head and everything going white. Then I woke up, walked around disorientated and saw the griffin.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. That’s why I don’t understand. I think… I might have hit my head harder than I originally thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I’ve passed out before but everything went black. Everyone talks about hitting their head and it was black. I’ve never heard white lighting. I think that maybe I might
have…” I choked up.

“Died?” Merlin said finishing the thought I didn’t want to.

“Yeah.” I died. That has to be it. I feel like that’s the answer.

“But how did you get here?”

“I would love to know but that’s beyond me. I’m pretty sure I never read about myself in any of the Arthurian legend books.” Oops.

“You read about Arthur? Did we succeed?” He asked excitedly.

“I did. I was always fascinated. But it’s only legend. You two don’t make the actual history book because for some reason they couldn’t find any concrete histories. And I’m not going to tell you. You’re going to have to find out for yourself. I’m not ruining the timeline.” Doctor Who is going to pay off.

“Fine. I have some friends that can help us figure this out.”

“Do they use magic too?”

“Right. Uhm, remember when I said that magic was forbidden?”

“Vaguely.”

“Do you think you could keep it a secret? You wouldn’t want to change the timeline.” He added nervously.

“Oh right. Yeah! Of course. But uhm, how are you going to explain this?”

“We’ll think of something. We can ask Gaius. But first we need to get you into Camelot.”

“Right. Let’s go!” I slowly got up this time with a little bit of help from Merlin. I grabbed my bag and we began to walk into the forest.

“Wait.” Merlin stopped me.

“What?” I asked puzzled.

“What are you wearing?” I looked down to decipher what I was wearing.

“Jeans and a t-oh! Right. 488. Uhm, you wouldn’t happen to know how to conjure a dress, would you?” I joked.

“No. But I know someone that will have a spare. Wait here.” Merlin said while running out into the night. So let’s clarify things here. I’m dead in 2011. And I time traveled to 488. To Camelot nonetheless. Where magic actually exists! Okay. This is going to some take getting used to. I’ll have to be carefully, no modern medicine. Well I messed that one up; my head is evidence to that. No modern technology. Good-bye television and cell phone. No toilets and running water! I’m gunna die again! No. Snap out of it. You’ll survive. It’ll be fine.
Merlin is taking awhile. We must be far in the woods. Or he’s just left me here. No. He said he was going to help. This is Merlin we’re talking about. You’re thinking of him like he’s your best friend. Oh no! Skyia! She’ll be so sad! And mother and father. Oh no.

As I sat there a teardrop formed in the recent realization that if I were truly dead, I would never see them again. Before the tear fell, Merlin again appeared with a simple light purple dress.

“Are you all right?” He asked concerned.

“What?” I asked wiping the tear away. “Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. How’d you know I liked purple?” I joked to distract him.

“I didn’t. But Gwen was convinced that the dress was for me.” He said handing me the dress. Gwen. Guinevere? I stepped behind a tree.

“Do you often take women’s’ dresses then?” I called out from behind the tree.

“No. But she has often caught me in awkward situations. Not my fault. I was saving Arthur. She had an even harder time believing me because I didn’t give her your name.”

“It’s Cadi.” I said as I stepped out. It was a very simple dress, with a tan corset bodice. It had slipped over my head; I was surprised it had fit comfortably. Above the waist, I adjusted the strings to better fit my bust. The rest of the dress flowed from the waist but was still close to my legs.

“Well, Cadi. Welcome to Camelot.”

“Thank you.”

“I told Gwen you were my cousin.”

“Great. That’ll explain who I am. But not where I’m from.”

“Oh right. And you don’t have an accent that I recognize at all.”

“Right. It’s American…, which doesn’t exist yet. Uhm…” I paused. Well here goes nothing.

“How about I talk like this?” I attempted in my best British accent. Merlin laughed. He laughed! I was trying! “It’s not funny!” I continued in the accent. He laughed even more. “Merlin! I’ll tell!”

“You wouldn’t!” He quickly stopped laughing.

“No. But you stopped. So no accent?”

“No accent. Just say you’re from the Northern border near the River Tweed and there is a mix of cultures.”

“Aye aye captain.” I saluted. “You know. I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than a half hour”

“Gaius! I forgot.” Merlin rushed to put out the fire and grabbed my hand as we hurried towards Camelot. Camelot. My new home. For now.