The Daughters of Merlin

A month passed and the whole kingdom of Camelot was full of life and joy, even though the wedding was still two more months away. During this time, Virgil and Grace rarely got time to see each other as they planned the wedding.

While Grace was picking out the flowers she did her best to hide the fact that she was nervous but she ultimately failed by the fact that the ground beneath her was frozen over. Grace was worried that no one would like her choices, though that was the least of her worries, but she didn’t really want to dwell on the others.

Just as the florists walked away, Grace felt someone wrap their arms around her waist, pulling her close as they kissed her cheek.

“Oh, Virgil, you scared me.” Grace said, not turning to face him, though she did turn her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye.

“I know we haven’t spent much time together lately, so I was thinking, how about a little picnic in the woods? Anna has strawberries, watermelon, biscuits, and some chicken sandwiches all ready for us.” Virgil suggested, gently kissing her neck. “Zana can do the rest. I talked to her and she said it was alright.”

“That doesn’t sound like her.” Grace replied.

“Yeah, well, I agreed, so get going.” Zanabelle said, making Virgil and Grace look over at her as she walked up to the two. Virgil smiled at her though she playfully glared back.

“Well, I guess it’s okay then.” Grace agreed.

Virgil grabbed her hand and together they headed towards the kitchen where Virgil could quickly grab the basket before they would head out to the woods. As they walked, Virgil noticed that Grace was leaving a trail of frost behind her.

“What’s wrong, Angel?” Virgil asked, looking at her worriedly.

Grace didn’t answer which caused Virgil to stop walking. Grace was about to continue on past him when she realized that he had stopped, causing her to look over at him.

“What?” Grace asked, confused.

This caused Virgil to become even more worried. “Something’s bothering you. You know you can tell me anything.” He said, taking both of her hands in his.

Grace sighed, looking down at the ground, biting her bottom lip. “It’s nothing.”

“That’s a clear lie.” Virgil replied. “Do you not want to get married?”

Grace looked up at Virgil with wide, shocked eyes. “No! Of course I want to get married. I love you, Virgil. It’s just that . . . I’m not a . . . .”

“Princess?” Virgil finished.

Grace nodded. “I don’t know the first thing about ruling a kingdom.”

Virgil allowed himself to relax a bit. He lifted her chin, causing her to look up at him before he leaned down to kiss her. “Don’t worry about that. You leave Camelot to me, alright? And don’t forget, you’ll always have me and Zana by your side either way.”

Grace was still a little hesitant and unsure, but she knew Virgil was telling the truth, trying to comfort her. As she had done before, she shoved her worries to the side, instead choosing to focus on and enjoy spending time with Virgil.

“Ok.” She said before kissing him, causing him to smile.

“I love you, Angel.”

“I love you too, Virgil.”

The wedding was just a week away now. Virgil was over at Merlin’s cottage for dinner. While Merlin had prepared the food, Grace had brought Virgil upstairs, wanting to show him a drawing she had made of them when they were younger.

Grace wasn’t entirely sure when she ended up on top of Virgil, straddling his waist as he laid back on her bed. However, she decided not to question it much as Virgil began to lift up her dress, their lips locked together.

“Dad sent me to tell you guys that di-” Zana stopped in her tracks, holding the door halfway open as she noticed Grace and Virgil. “Oh, Bye.” Zana said before turning around and closing the door behind her.

As the door shut, Grace hesitantly pulled away from Virgil, looking towards the door, hearing Zana’s footsteps heading back down the hall and down the stairs. Grace looked back at Virgil who was shirtless, his six-pack in full view. He was looking at her amused.

“Guess dinner’s ready.” He said.

“As much as I want to stay here, we should probably go downstairs.” Grace replied, kissing him once more before climbing off of him.

As Virgil grabbed his shirt, putting it back on, he looked over at Grace as she pulled her dress back on. “Think she’ll tell Merlin?”

“We’ll be married by next week, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” Grace shrugged.

Once the two had finished getting dressed, they headed downstairs where they found that the table was all set with Merlin and Zana in their respective spots. Zana blushed when she saw them, her hair crackling with purple fire as she nervously took a sip of her water. Merlin glanced at Zana, smirking, finding the whole situation hilarious.

Virgil was slightly blushing as he and Grace took their seats.

“Let’s pray to the Creator.” Merlin said, holding his hands out. Zana and Grace, who were sitting on either side of him, grabbed his hands, each of the girls also taking a hold of Virgil’s.

“Who’s the Creator? If you don’t mind me asking.” Virgil asked, feeling slightly embarrassed that he didn’t know.

“That’s our name for God. He created Lilith. I’ll explain later.” Grace assured him.

“Oh.” Virgil replied.

When Merlin began speaking, they all bowed their heads, closing their eyes. “Dear Creator, we thank you for the food before us. We thank you for the lovely weather, the gifts that you have given us, and the time we get to spend with each other. May you smile upon the union of Virgil and Grace. Amen.”

“Amen.” The other three responded before letting go of each other’s hands and opening their eyes.

When Virgil opened his eyes, he was surprised to find the food that had been in bowls and platters a few moments before were now on his plate, separated and in perfect proportions. Though it surprised him, Virgil knew better than to question it, knowing it was just magic.

“So, Grace, did you find what you were looking for?” Merlin asked, picking up his fork and using it to take a bite of his food.

Zana, who had taken another drink of water from her glass, began coughing, spitting some of the water out as she tried not to choke on it, her hair catching fire again. Both Merlin and Grace looked over at Zana with amused smirks on their faces while Virgil simply blushed.

“What’s wrong, Zana? It’s not like we were actually doing anything.” Grace said, nonchalantly.

“A few more minutes and you probably would have!” Zana replied, smoke curling off her cheeks and ears.

“But we didn’t. Besides, it’s not like we were on your bed.” Grace responded, taking a bite of her food as well.

“Uhm.” Virgil glanced at them awkwardly. Zana looked like she was about to explode while Grace, on the other hand for once, seemed to be totally calm and confident. Merlin was just watching the scene with interest, eating his food as if this was normal.

"Tashika.” Zana said, her eyes glowing as she uttered the spell.

Virgil’s eyes widened as he watched as purple smoke swirled around Zana’s rice, transforming them into tiny, half inch tall soldiers that charged towards Grace.

Grace uttered the same spell, her eyes glowing briefly as well, blue smoke swirling around her rice as they too transformed. The two armies then clashed against each other.

“Girls, stop playing with your food.” Merlin said.

Zana and Grace looked at each other with matching smiles before looking at their father, their rice armies also turning to face Merlin. Without a word, the two armies charged towards the ginger Mage. Merlin transformed his rice and Virgil’s, sending their armies to clash against Zana and Grace’s.

All in all, it was just another regular family meal at Merlin’s cottage.