1. Ren Falls Out Of Bed

Soon, your story will begin. You'll open your eyes to bright blue sky, and realize you're falling. You'll call for me to save you and although it's impossible, I will be there. At first, I'll be as confused as you. But only briefly, for I am, after all, myself. I'll greet you as we both fall. And I'll wait for you to tell me my name.

***

Waking up by falling out of bed is the worst, especially when the ground is so far away it looks like a map and the wind's screaming around you at a hundred miles an hour. It didn't even really feel like falling. All the same, the girl knew. But at least the ground was so far away she had a little time to think.

She'd certainly been asleep only a moment before. She knew that. But who she was? Where she'd come from? Why she fell? Her memories were as empty as the sky. But did that really matter? Nope. Because the faraway ground kept getting closer. The only question she needed an answer to right now was "How do I stop falling?"

At that point, the girl noticed a complicated mark on the back of her hand, and a hundred stories about a hundred heroes bloomed in her mind's eye. Any one of them could save her, if only they knew the person bearing that mark was in danger.

Too bad none of them knew. Even if she screamed, the wind would rip the sound away from her lips.

Nope. Nuh-uh. The girl refused to accept that limitation. She clenched her fist and the mark flashed brightly, sending her demand for help much, much farther than could a scream. The effort spun her around like a twister and the rising sun dazzled her vision. When the spots cleared, she no longer fell alone.

A man with white hair and a white cloak, and holding a black staff, floated beside her, a look of utter bafflement on his face as his head swiveled up and down. But when he noticed the girl beside him, he smiled as if enlightened. He said something, which happened to sound just like the wind roaring.

The cloaked man grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her closer, until her hip bumped him. The shriek of the wind vanished utterly, although she could still feel it whipping through her hair.

"Well, this is no good," said the man cheerfully. "And who are you?"

The girl blinked and waved her marked hand. "Don't you know?"

Glancing at her hand, the man said, "I know what that is, and what it's supposed to do, but who you are? You could be so many people, and I haven't a clue which."

"Well, who are you?" demanded the girl. She had a hundred (or more) stories in her head, but sorting through them to figure out who she'd called might take more time than she had.

"You have to tell me that for this to work," said the man, and glanced down at the ground again. His lavender eyes laughed as he added, "But you'd better do it fast, or we'll both regret it."

Of course.

The girl slitted her eyes as she stared at the man holding her elbow. White hair, white cloak… Something tickled her memory and one of the stories she knew shimmered into focus. He wasn't the star of the story, but he was there, in the background—

"Merlin?"

His smile widened. "Excellent. We're halfway there, and also incidentally a bit over halfway to the ground. Who are you?"

"I don't know! I don't remember!" the girl wailed. "This isn't how it's supposed to work!"

Merlin cocked his head like the falcon he took his name from. "No? What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't need to know my name! I shouldn't need to know yours! And I shouldn't be FALLING!"

With a laugh, he said, "Well, it's lucky you summoned me then. Let's see. You're lucky… How about I name you Serendipity?" When the girl wrinkled her nose, he added, "And I'll call you Ren for short."

The girl blinked. "Ren…?" It sounded familiar. Perhaps not her, but… somebody from one of those story bubbles.

The ground was definitely getting closer. She could see the deciduous forest, a primitive village, a crumbling stone castle, all too close, coming too quickly. "Sure! Great! I'm Ren! You're Merlin. Save me!"

Merlin's fair eyelashes swept down and lilac light bloomed around them in an intricate magic circle, obscuring the ground that seemed only seconds away. "And thus the contract is formed." Ren could see individual trees and she clutched at Merlin with both hands.

"Yes, that's right. Hang on tight!" Merlin put his arms around her, tucking her head close to his chest as he rotated so he was beneath her. "Here… we… go!"

They hit the forest, Merlin first, and the thick canopy did something to cushion their fall. Ren was alive by the time they hit the ground, anyhow, even if bruises and scrapes covered her skin and the final jolt knocked the breath clean out of her.

Merlin was still alive too, judging from the pathetic moans he gave as he twitched underneath her. As Ren gasped for breath, she noticed vaguely that all of Merlin's body parts seemed to be there and moving, so as soon as she could, she rolled off him in case that helped. She stared up at the hole in the forest canopy they'd made, looking at the blue, blue sky.

"Owwwww," moaned Merlin. "That hurt…"

"Why didn't you do magic?" asked Ren breathlessly.

"I did… I did do magic. Or at least I am magic, magic enough to survive that for you… Owwww."

"You couldn't cast a spell or something?" Ren turned her head to give the so-called Merlin a critical look.

"Oh, I'm not very good at spells," admitted the man. "Swords are much easier, don't you think?"

Annoyed, Ren said, "How the hell are you Merlin, then? And why was it lucky I summoned you?"

Merlin rolled over and met her gaze with his lilac one. "Two questions with a single answer! I'm not very good with spells, young lady, but I am very good at _cheating_."