“It’s amazing,” she said softly, watching Merlin with gentle eyes. “/You’re/ amazing. I just wish Uther could see that, about us. We’re just … people. Good, bad, whatever. But maybe you can change his mind.”
The blush that touched his cheeks when she called him amazing faded quickly. I don’t think that anybody can change his mind, he replied with a sigh. He’s too blinded by pain to even consider it. There’s still hope for his son, though. Arthur’s a good man, one of the best I know, and I think he’ll make a great king. Hopefully, he’ll be the type of king who asks questions first and condemns later.
Summer opened her mouth to ask if Arthur knew, then paused as something occurred to her. “You … keep blushing,” she commented, smiling a little. “Does no one ever compliment you?”
There usually isn’t much to be complimented on, he shrugged matter-of-factly. I think only three living people know about my magic—four now that you know—and when I’m not messing up, I’m doing my job or breaking the law. Or some combination of the three. Realizing that he was getting into overly-negative territory, he changed the topic. I probably wouldn’t blush so much if I had darker skin, anyway. Um, where are you from, exactly?
“South. Far south, and east, on the edge of the water, where the white cliffs fall into the sea. It’s really beautiful there.” She smiled more wistfully, thinking of her home. “Well, so long as dragons aren’t terrorising us. Our folk are bringing in the harvest now. Some of it we’ll sell across the water, and some we’ll trade with my sister’s lord.” Picking at the coverlet, Summer went on, “They’ll be wondering if I’m alive, I expect. But there won’t be too much concern yet.”