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Merlin sucked in a deep breath of clean air as he limped his way outside. He had finally escaped Gaius’ overprotective gaze and found his way out of the barrier of stone walls. He had spent weeks inside the physician’s chambers, walking around it with a stick he used as a makeshift cane tucked in his hand in order to train his right leg back up. He’d gotten to know Lancelot well by now, and he really liked the man. Which, to be honest, was a really good thing since he owed him his life. It was also great to have a friend that actually liked him too. Not someone who’d been poisoned by the words of terrible men. The sound of horns dragged him from his thoughts and he suddenly realised he was in the middle of a crowd standing in front of a raised platform. A man’s voice could be heard across the courtyard, and he looked up to see one he recognized to be the King of Camelot speaking to his people. A man was brought towards the platform by a few guards, and as the King spoke proudly of ridding Camelot of Magic, the man was brought to his knees in front of a block. “The practise of Magic is banned, on penalty of death,” The King stated, and they all watched as the axe raised above the man fell down, effectively cutting through skin and muscle, severing head from body. Merlin cringed at the sight and turned away. The king boasted something about a feast before he made his way back inside. However, he turned back to the people when a sorrowful scream came from the crowd. The people stepped away to reveal an old woman, screaming about how The King had murdered her son. “I will get my revenge! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... a son for a son!” she screamed, and as the king ordered for her to be restrained, she murmured something to her necklace and vanished in a whirlwind. Oh right. Don’t do magic in Camelot, Merlin thought and stared at the retreating form of The King. He shuddered as he imagined himself being caught doing magic. How ironic would that be- barely escaping one death to be thrown straight into another. Merlin’s thoughts faded over to the strange voice he’d been hearing quite a lot of lately as he hobbled on through the city. He’d been woken several times lately, by a nudge to his conscience and a dark voice uttering his name. He’d tried to have his magic follow it, to find out who or what was calling him, but he’d had no luck with it yet. Merlin looked up as he heard mocking laughter close by. He caught sight of a young man carrying a big wooden target, and as he ran, he was pelted with daggers. A group of young men laughed as the threw the knives at the moving target. “Keep moving!” a blond man in a red shirt hollered and chuckled as he threw another knife. The poor man with the target stumbled and lost his hold on the big wooden shield. He kept crawling behind it as it rolled across the field. Merlin stepped forward and stopped the target from rolling further. “Hey, come on, that’s enough. You’ve had your fun, my friend,” Merlin laid the target down and looked back up at the guys. The blond in red turned and looked him in the eye. “Do I know you?” he asked, and stepped closer. “I’m Merlin,” he held out a hand towards the man. “So I don’t know you. Yet you called me friend,” the blond stated arrogantly, but his eyes were searching Merlin’s face as if he found it familiar. “That was my mistake,” Merlin replied and let his hand fall. Suddenly he realised he’d seen this man before. The blue eyes and blond hair were eerily familiar. “Yes I think so,” the man obviously decided to keep up his arrogance. “Yeah, I’d never have a friend who could be such an ass,” Merlin smiled, and was about to step away from the man. “Nor I one who could be so stupid. Tell me Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?” “No,” Merlin turned back to look at him. “Would you like me to teach you?” “I wouldn’t if I were you,” “Why?” the blond laughed. “What are you gonna do to me?” he asked, amused. “You have no idea,” “Be my guest!” The man held his arms out to the sides. “Come on!” he looked around, a big grin on his face. “Come ooon,” Merlin, thinking he would like to teach this man a thing or two, attempted to land a hit on his face. He had forgotten how unbalanced he was after being attacked, and lost his footing at the same time the blond leaned back a bit and caught his arm, turning him around, pinning Merlin’s arm to his back. He almost crashed to his knees, had it not been for the blond’s strong hold on him. “I could put you in jail for that,” the man gloated at his back“Who do you think you are, the King?!” Merlin spat. “No, I’m his son, Arthur,” Oh. Oooooh. Well what a coincidence. Prince against Prince. Arthur kicked him slightly behind the knee. Just enough to have him kneel. It had never been enough to hurt anyone, and that’s why he jumped when the man in his arms shouted out in pain and crumpled to the ground, rather than falling to his knees. “Merlin!” a shout came from behind them, and Arthur turned to see Lancelot’s shocked and worried face, and everything fell into place. This was Gaius’ nephew. That’s why he’d been so familiar looking. The guards came over, ready to take the boy away, but Arthur stopped them by holding a hand up. “No, leave him. I’ll let this slide for now,” Arthur told them and stalked off towards the group of men he’d been laughing with earlier. Lancelot ran over and helped Merlin to his feet and steered him in the direction of Gaius’ chambers. Merlin looked annoyed as he was helped back to the chambers, and he limped heavily, Arthur noted as he stared after the two of them. Even when he knew where he’d seen him before, he still couldn’t shake that feeling of familiarity. It was as if he’d seen him somewhere other than in the physician’s chambers, but he couldn’t for the life of him place where or when. He was certain that he’d remember someone dressing like that. A blue shirt and an intense red scarf around his neck that screamed for attention? Yeah, he’d remember that. A heavy feeling of guilt settled in him. He’d kicked an injured man. Sure, it hadn’t been his intention to hurt, and he didn’t know of the young man’s injuries, but he had still hurt the man. He shook the feeling off. He was a Prince, for crying out loud! he couldn’t fall apart because of something like this.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin lay in his bed in the little room Gaius had given him, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered how people could be such arses. He’d never imagined that the boy with golden hair and blue eyes he had saved from drowning could waste his second chance at life like that. If it indeed was the same guy, not some twisted twin or something. He sighed, a frown already in place.
Merlin…
Merlin jumped at the dark voice in his head. He could feel the magical pull from it, and got out of bed, deciding to follow it. Quietly, he snuck out of the physician’s chambers, and made his way down several corridors and stairs.The magical trail was strong this time. He did wonder if it could be a trap of some sort, but his curiosity overwhelmed him. It was a strong magical being that was luring him in, and he had to find out what it was. He was so focused on following the trail that he almost ran straight out in front of a couple of guards playing a board game as they kept watch. Merlin knew he had to get past them if he wanted to find the source of the voice. He looked around, and found a stone big enough to cause some noise when thrown. He picked it up and threw it down another corridor, and hid as to not be noticed when the guards went past him. Like he’d hoped, both guards got up to investigate the noise, and he snuck past their post and down another hallway. Soon he found himself descending rough stairs winding down into a wide cave underneath the castle. At first the caves seemed to be empty, but the trail stopped here, so the creature had to be there. “Hello?” he spoke out loud, listening for anything to indicate there was someone there. He waited, but there was no response. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a strange sound, like someone shaking out fabric, just infinitely louder. He gaped as a huge beast came from above, it’s great wings beating the air to soften the landing, but the cave still shook from the force of the impact. The beast was golden in color, and it’s eyes were yellow and intelligent as it met his gaze. “Hello, young Warlock,” the beast greeted and made itself comfortable. Merlin stared at the creature in front of him. He had not seen anything like it before. Not alive anyway. As he thought about it, it did resemble the crest of the Pendragon family. “Warlock? No, I’m just a simple…” Merlin trailed off, uncertain of the wisdom of giving the dragon his identity. “Merlin Emrys, the merman prince, the greatest warlock to ever walk the earth, the man of prophecy,” “How do you know all this? And what do you mean warlock? Who are you?” Merlin stared at the beast in disbelief. “My name is Kilgharrah, and your arrival to Camelot has been foretold for centuries. You have a great destiny ahead of you, young Warlock!” “Destiny? What are you on about?” Merlin was very tempted to just leave the crazy dragon. He assumed it was a dragon because of the similarity to the Pendragon crest. “The great warlock, Emrys, is destined to protect the once and future King, and help him create a world once again filled with the joys of magic! You must keep the name hidden, young warlock, for great pain will be upon you if it is revealed!” Merlin stared at the dragon open mouthed. “The prince is in danger, young one. The old witch is back in Camelot and plans to take his life. you must protect him,” The dragon added and looked at Merlin with a very serious expression. “The prince?! You can’t seriously mean he’s the one I’m supposed to protect? I already saved him once, and he wasted his second chance at life by being a right bully! He can save himself from now on! That prat doesn’t deserve any help,” Merlin crossed his arms and sent the dragon a stubborn look. The dragon only watched him in return with a slightly amused expression. “You’re still going to insist on me helping him aren’t you,” Merlin sighed. As the dragon chuckled, Merlin groaned. He turned on his heel and left the dragon to laugh at his own cleverness.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Yes Gaius, I’m sure I can walk by myself,” Merlin sighed as Gaius asked the same question for the fifth time that day. “I’m sorry my boy, I need to be sure. Can’t have you falling on the King,” He chuckled as he patted the boy’s shoulder. Merlin grimaced slightly but couldn’t keep from chuckling himself. Gaius had a point, and it would be typical his luck for it to happen too. Not that he would tell Gaius that. “Let’s get going, shall we?” The old man took the lead as Merlin and Lancelot followed. Just as they passed another corridor, Merlin slammed into someone coming out from said corridor, their hands full of linens. He hurriedly steadied the girl, and made sure she didn’t drop anything. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you coming,” He apologized, a slight frown on his face for not noticing. “OH! No! I’m the one who should apologize! I didn’t see where I was going! Oh, you’re that boy who stood up to the prince! That was courageous of you, but not very wise was it? You’re lucky for getting away with it. Best not let the King know! I’m sorry I’m talking too much, I need to get these linens to Lady Morgana’s chambers. Er.. I’ll see you around?” The beautiful brown skinned girl blushed and hurried off up the corridor they had come from. Her dark curly hair bobbed up and down as she almost ran up the corridor. Merlin stood there, dazed for a few moments before Gaius nudged him back to the present. “Don’t go falling in love with the Lady Morgana’s maidservant, now,” Gaius teased the flabbergasted boy as they made their way to the Great Hall where the King was holding a feast, honouring the singer, Lady Helen. “I’m not!” He protested in a loud whisper. “Shush now. You and Lancelot will stay here, and if it is required, you will help the servants,” Gaius said kindly and left them standing at the bottom of the stairs right beside where the King would be seated. The old physician went over to a group of older men where he engaged in conversation while they waiter for their King to arrive. Only moments went past before the King arrived. The people soon found their seats, before he introduced Lady Helen. Merlin cast a glance at the Prince, who were sitting the closest to him, by the the King’s right side. He looked bored, but tried to hide it by pretending to be interested in the Lady Helen as she stepped up on her stage.She smiled at the royals before she started singing a beautiful song. She swayed as if to entice the king, and sang in something sounding like a very old language. Merlin realized it wasn’t any old language, and looked at her questionly. He tried to translate what she was singing, but he wasn’t familiar enough with the language to manage it. Soon, people started falling asleep, and Merlin hurried to cover his ears, watching the spell take form around the room. The room darkened and cobwebs started covering everything, especially the people. It looked as if the room had been like this for centuries. Lady Helen was walking towards the royal table, and Merlin saw her gaze fixed on Arthur. She pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and readied to toss it. Merlin panicked, looking around, and finally caught sight of the chandelier above the woman. His eyes flashed gold as the rope snapped, sending the chandelier crashing down on the singer. Her song stopped immediately. A moment passed before the people of the room stirred. Confusion marred their faces as they removed cobwebs and dust from themselves, looking around questioningly. The King blinked and stood, looking at the woman on the floor, who were most certainly not the Lady Helen, but the old woman from the courtyard. She stirred, lifted herself up as far as possible and threw the dagger, aiming for the Prince. No one was able to react. The King could only follow the knife with his eyes as it spun in the air towards his son. The Prince only watched on in confusion, not realizing completely what was happening. On instinct, Merlin slowed time just enough for him to reach the Prince. He took hold of the Prince’s shoulders, and pulled with all his might to get the man out of the knife’s path. As he stepped back, the knee on his injured foot buckled, sending both of them to the floor just as the dagger pierced the wood of the back of the chair. Right where the Prince had been standing only seconds before. Everyone stared in shock at the knife embedded deep in the wood of the chair. The witch deflated, and died on the floor while the Prince and the boy made it to their feet. Arthur just stared at the boy in confused disbelief, while the King stepped over to them. “You saved my boy’s life! A dept must be repaid,” “Ah well…” Merlin squirmed in place. He just wanted to get away from all the attention. “Don’t be so modest. You shall be rewarded!” “No, honestly you don’t have to, your highness,” He smiled awkwardly and tried to inch away. “Oh absolutely! This merits something quite special,” “Well…” Merlin gave up on trying to push the attention away from himself, and looked respectfully up at the King. “You shall be awarded the position of the Royal household,” The King announced and patted his son’s back “You shall be Prince Arthur’s Manservant!” He added and made his way quite fast over to the witch on the floor. “Father!” The Prince protested in shock, but to no use. The people in the hall applauded the savior of their Prince. Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course that would be his so called reward. He met Arthur’s eyes for a moment before both of them looked away. A great reward indeed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Merlin had been sad to watch Lancelot leave. He had decided to go on an adventure in hopes of becoming a better man, and learn more about swordsmanship. He had become very good after watching the knights training, and Arthur had even offered him a position as a knight, but he had politely declined, telling the prince he needed to put his skills to the test before trying anything like it. Arthur had told him he would do that as a trainee to become one of the knights but he had still refused which had sent Arthur into a pouty mood for a couple of days. He had, however, seen Lancelot’s side of the case in the end, and had been there to see the man off. Things were not the same without Lancelot around. Now he had to shoulder every day as a merman on land by himself, not having someone like him to talk to. Sure, he could talk to Gaius, but it was never the same. It was exhausting, being the Prince’s manservant while constantly needing water. It got easier as the days went past, but each chore took much more time than the other servants used. Arthur constantly mocked him for it, and other servants loved to show off their superiority. His cover story was that he was a simple farmer’s boy from a tiny village somewhere far off. This is why he had no last name to identify with and the other servants didn’t like that a simple country boy had gotten into such a high end position in the royal household, no matter how much he had saved the Prince’s life. Merlin never used that as a comeback to any of them, though. He didn’t want the attention. The only one who did not mock him and his abilities, was Gwen, the wonderful maidservant of the Lady Morgana. Actually he’d come to know the two girls much better the last weeks. Morgana tended to steal him away from Arthur, sometimes as a prank to have him scour the entire castle, looking for his servant, other times she just pretended that she needed his help for something. Both girls were amazingly kind, and they didn’t care at all that he was a supposedly simpleminded farmer’s boy. He’d come close to telling them his secrets several times in a desperate need to have more than one person to talk to about his struggles, but the dragon’s warning still kept him silent. Merlin was dragged out of his thoughts at the Prince’s laugh. “Seriously Merlin? Another drink of water already?” He chuckled. It only gained a glare from Merlin who kept on drinking from his water skin. Gaius, who had come to the Prince’s chambers to deliver a jar of ointment for bruises, couldn’t help but send Merlin an apologetic look before returning his attention to his Pince. “Excuse me Sire, but I feel like I should explain Merlin’s condition. If you’d let me,” Arthur sent Gaius a slightly confused frown, but nodded for him to go on. “You see, Sire. Merlin suffers from a somewhat rare condition where his body absorbs and uses the water much more quickly than others. His body also dries out much faster and so he needs to drink excessively to keep himself hydrated. Otherwise he would get sick and possibly die very quickly from dehydration. However, his body slowly gets better every day, and in a few years or so he should be almost average in his hydration,” Gaius smiled at his ward then. Arthur seemed surprised there was a good reason behind Merlin’s extensive water consumption and seemed to be rethinking his mocking. However it only took a few moments for him to come to terms with it and it seemed he didn’t change his mind about the mocking after all. “Best be drinking your water then! Don’t want you drying out like a fish on my floor!” Little did Arthur know how true that sentence was. Gaius sighed, set the ointment down and left the Prince’s chambers. “Now, Merlin, we have a feast to get ready for. Are you finished filling my bath or are you going to drink that up too?” He laughed at his own joke, and it didn’t help that Merlin sent him an exasperated glare as response. “Yes, Sire, you bath is ready,” Merlin made the word sound like the worst possible insult in the way he said it. Arthur didn’t retort and made his way behind the screen to strip out of his clothes. Merlin’s breath caught in his throat when the other man came back out from behind his screen. He couldn’t help but stare at the man’s chest, frozen to the spot. Arthur looked up and came to a stop as he realised Merlin was staring at him. Slowly, a grin spread across his face as he saw the man’s inability to look away. “Why, Merlin! See something you like?” He boomed confidently. Merlin’s eyes only flickered slightly to his face and then back to his chest. He carefully stepped closer to the prince. “Where.. did you get that?” Merlin breathed out. It wasn’t much more than a whisper, and his eyes were focused on something at the top of Arthur’s chest. He brought his hand up and almost touched the Prince with his long slender fingers, but hesitated. “W-what?” Arthur swallowed thickly and felt his face heat up at the unwavering attention from the boy. “The shell,” Merlin said and finally met Arthur’s eyes. There were so much in his eyes that fought for attention, but the strongest seemed to be wonder, of all things. Arthur swallowed again. Suddenly he realized what Merlin had actually said, and looked down to see the blue shell around his neck. He’d forgotten to take it off behind the screen. He usually always hid it when he needed to take a bath, and hadn’t really shown it to anyone. Sure, people might have seen it beneath his tunic a couple of times, but he’d not taken it out to show anyone, finding it too precious to do so. He was once again hit with that remarkable feeling of familiarity as he looked into Merlin’s eyes. It seemed like the boy recognised the shell, which puzzled the Prince. “I… uh… It was a gift,” Arthur stuttered out. At that statement, Merlin sent him a skeptical look, as if he knew it wasn’t true. “A gift, you say? Well I guess it’s only appropriate to gift a Prince with such a rare item. You should be careful with it,” He said with a small smile. And just like that the moment was over. Merlin turned away to resume his work. Arthur stood frozen for a few more moments before he hurriedly took the shell off and hid it before stepping into the tub.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur saw Merlin talking to one of the amazingly beautiful serving girls that had arrived with Bayard, and he felt a pang of something remarkably like jealousy. Of course he couldn’t just leave his father’s side to intervene, and so he stayed where he was, trying to look like he didn’t want to leave at once. Bayard spoke up and, and thus caught his attention just as he noticed his manservant sneaking out of the room with the girl. Bayard, Mercia’s ruler gestured to his side where a man held out a box containing two ornate silver goblets. He picked them up and proudly presented them to the two royals sitting in front of him. “A gift to the King and Prince of Camelot to celebrate the signing of the peace treaty,” He smiled. Finally something interesting, The Prince thought to himself as he watched his new goblet being filled with the finest wine. He almost drank from it straight away, but the man in front of him started talking again. He didn’t really listen as he watched the wine in his goblet thirstily. He registered silence and once again tried to drink, but just as he put the brim to his lips, his father started talking and he once again had to wait. He was starting to think he would never get to drink the inviting wine when he heard the telltale sign that it was time to drink. “To Peace!” The two rulers lifted their goblets, and the Prince hurried to follow. He put the goblet to his lips, and just as he was about to taste the sweet wine, he heard a shout to his right, and stopped again. He looked sourfaced over at his manservant who stood not far from him with wide eyes focused on the cup, his hands raised as if to take it away from the Prince. “Don’t drink it! It’s poison!” A collective gasp could be heard from everyone in the room at the servant’s outburst. “What?! Do you accuse me of planning to poison the Prince of Camelot?!” Bayard roared. “No! Yes! I mean, He was seen lacing it!” Merlin directed at Arthur. He looked scared, but whether that was from the confrontation with Bayard, or the thought of the poison in the goblet, Arthur didn’t know. “This is outrageous!” Why would I poison the Prince of Camelot during a peace treaty signing IN Camelot, endangering my own men and myself?!” The man was red faced with rage at the accusation. “Easy Bayard. If the boy insists the Goblet is poisoned, then let him have a drink to prove it,” King Uther placated from his place. “And if it proves to be incorrect, you have my apologies, and the boy is yours to do with as you wish,” He said offhandedly like he had no care in the world what would happen to the boy he himself had appointed as his son’s manservant for saving his life. The cold rage in his eyes showed his true feelings toward the servant who had dared to interrupt his feast. “Oh come on now, I’m sure the boy just had too much to drink. Surely this is nothing to ruin the festivities over? Merlin, you idiot! Have you been at the slow gin again?!” Arthur burst out, glared at his servant and readied to take a sip of the wine again. He never got to the wine, because his father had taken the goblet out of his hands and out of his reach, motioning for Merlin to step over to him. The servant hesitantly made his way over to the King and took the goblet offered to him. He looked at it and swallowed. Just like that, he seemed to make up his mind and a determined expression flooded his face. He turned and lifted the goblet in a toast toward Bayard, whose eyes shone with rage at the boy. Then, he turned back and nodded at Gaius, the King and finally Arthur. He put the goblet to his lips and held Arthur’s gaze as he tilted it to let the wine flow into his mouth, and swallowed. He could see Morgana’s worried expression, and Gwen taking a step closer to him in his peripheral vision. He lowered the goblet, a smear of red wine coloring his lips, a strong contrast to his incredibly pale skin. Nothing happened. Merlin seemed confused when nothing happened after drinking the wine. He looked down at the goblet, then back up. He suddenly caught a glimpse of the maid who had told him about the poison as she stood in the doorway, watching him with a satisfied smirk on her face before she walked away. He realized that this was bigger than he’d thought. He looked over to the King just as he started talking. “Bayard, the boy is yours,” He stated coldly. Merlin sent an apologetic look Arthur’s way, when he felt a burning in his throat. He grimaced and tried to clear it. It only made him cough, and he realized it was hard to breathe. He could feel the color draining from his face, and his hand shot up to claw at his throat. The goblet fell to the floor, spilling the drops of wine still left in it. Both King and Prince shot to their feet as they realized what was happening. Merlin gasped at the pain shooting through his system. He felt terribly dizzy, and his vision blurred. He suddenly felt too weak to stand, and collapsed to the floor, a pained grimace on his face, his eyes screwed shut in agony, his stuttering breath wheezing and rattling in his chest. “Poison!” The King yelled, and his men surrounded the shocked King Bayard and his men easily. Arthur ran to Merlin’s side, kneeling over his servant who once again had saved him. Gaius wasn’t far behind him, falling to his knees by his nephew’s side, patting the side of his face. “Merlin!” he tried to get the boy’s attention, but there was no response. “We need to get him to my chambers, and bring the goblet! I need it to identify the poison!” He added and got to his feet. Arthur grabbed onto both of Merlin’s arms and hoisted him up onto his shoulders, carrying him to the Physician’s chambers. He registered Morgana’s maid picking up the goblet and following behind him.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur stared at his servant as he lay on the patient’s cot in the physician’s chambers, struggling to breathe. Gwen tended to him by mopping his brow to keep him cool as he was burning up from the poison. Gaius had just picked out a flower petal from the goblet and was looking at it closely while going through a book to identify the flower. “Ah, here it is. The petal comes from the mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower,” He read and and looked up at Arthur for a moment before returning his gaze to the book. “It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the forest of Balor. The flower grows on the roots of the mortaeus tree,” He added and turned the page to reveal a hideous looking monster drawn in on the next page. “That doesn’t look particularly friendly,” Arthur commented and pointed at the beast. “Cockatrice. It guards the forest and it’s venom is potent. A single drop would mean certain death. Few who have searched for the mortaeus flower have made it back alive,” Gaius looked at Arthur again as he finished. The prince paced the room, wondering what to do. He stopped, ran a hand over his mouth and sent Gaius a determined look. “Sounds like fun,” he stated and and made his way to the door. “Arthur, it’s too dangerous,” Arthur stopped and looked at the physician at the old man’s outburst. “If I don’t get the antidote, what happens to Merlin?” He held Gaius’ gaze steadily, only shooting Merlin a look when Gaius broke the eyecontact to look at his ward. “The mortaeus induces a slow and painful death. He may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not for much longer. Eventually, he will die,” The old man’s eyes were filled with sorrow as he said this. That was all Arthur needed to hear. He walked out of the room at a fast pace.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“I’m not letting you waste your life on some fool’s errand to save a simple serving boy!” “Oh, because his life’s worthless?!” Arthur all but shouted back at his father. He was shocked at his father’s unwillingness to let him get the antidote to save the man to whom he owed his life. “No, because it’s worth less than yours. Some time in the future, I will die, and Camelot will need a King,” Uther pointed out and was about to walk away when Arthur opened his mouth to keep arguing. “Please Father, he saved my life! I can't stand by and watch him die!” “Then don’t look. This boy won’t be the last to die on your behalf. You’re going to be King, it’s something you’ll have to get used to,” Arthur bit the inside of his lip to keep from shouting at his father as the King turned to leave once again. His rage was slowly boiling hotter inside him as he thought about what was happening. There was a way to save the boy. Someone just had to go get the antidote. But his father refused to let it happen. It was as if the King himself was tightening the rope around the boy’s throat. “I can’t accept that,” “You’re NOT going!” “You can’t stop me,” “Damn it Arthur! That’s an end to it! You’re not leaving this castle tonight!” At that, the King walked off, leaving a seething Arthur behind in the hallway. Arthur stalked back to his chambers, the door crashing open as he burst through it and tossed his sword at the table. He went to stand in front of the fireplace, leaning on it and staring into the flames. Not even a moment passed before he could hear the clicking of Morgana’s shoes as she slowly walked through the open doors. “Say what you like about the food, but can’t beat our feast for entertainment,” Morgana smiled sweetly. “Morgana I’m sorry, I should have made sure you were alright,” Arthur looked defeated as he glanced over at her before turning and walking towards the window. “Disappointed actually, I was looking forward to clumping a couple around the head with the ladle,” She followed him into the room. “I’m sure the guards could have handled Bayard and his men,” “Yeeh, but why let boys have all the fun?” “Morgana, you shouldn’t get involved, it’s dangerous,” “Spare me the lecture! I’ve already had it from Uther!” She rolled her eyes. “If it’s any consolation, you weren’t the only one,” “Not that I listen to him. Sometimes you got to do what you think is right, and damn the consequences!” Her voice wavered slightly at the last words, betraying her true feelings in all this. She adored the clumsy skinny boy who tumbled into their lives just a few short weeks ago. She had been down to see the boy and let Gwen know she was free to help Gaius for however long he needed, and had been told about the journey to find the antidote. She had also overheard the King and his son argue in the hallway, and was tempted to make the trip herself. However, she knew Uther would sooner realize her disappearance than Arthur’s, and was prepared to keep the King distracted for as long as possible to give Arthur time to get out of the castle and hopefully far along on his journey before the man realized his son was gone. “You think I should go,” Arthur turned to look at her. “Doesn’t matter what I think,” “If I don’t make it back, who will be the next King of Camelot? There’s more than just my life at stake,” “And what kind of King would Camelot want?” Morgana looked down to the sword on the table, grabbing the hilt and pulling it out of it’s scabbard, guiding it towards Arthur. “One that would risk his life for a lowly servant? Or one who does what his father tells him to?” She gave him a pointed look and offered him his sword. Arthur contemplated Morgana’s words for only a moment before taking the sword from her. “Will you distract my father long enough for me to get out?” He asked hopefully, hurriedly gathering a few needed things in a small pack. “You owe me,” Morgana stated. They both knew it wasn’t really true. As long as Arthur made it back with the antidote in time, they both got what they wanted. Morgana went on her way to find Uther and keep him occupied. Arthur ran down the corridors, making sure to avoid the guards on his way to the stables. He saddled his trusted mare as fast as he could, and they galloped down the street almost running the guards at the gate down as they tried to stop him. He let out a breath of relief as they made their way down the road and into the woods without problem. He would risk traveling during the night to get as far as he could, as fast as he could. He had a feeling that time was not on his side even if Gaius had said he had days to retrieve the antidote before Merlin succumbed to the poison.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The sun shone brightly through the windows, Illuminating the sweaty moaning figure on the patient’s cot. Gwen had been helping Gaius all through the night, making sure the old man got some rest while she kept mopping Merlin’s brow and forcing water down his throat. “He’s getting hotter,” She informed Gaius as he was cleaning the pot after making himself and Gwen some breakfast. He turned to meet her gaze, and made his way over to the cot, sitting down on a stool beside the bed. He took Merlin’s hand in his and touched his fingers to the inside of the Boy’s wrists. As he did this, Merlin started muttering incoherently, some words Gaius recognized to be the old magical language, and he peered at Gwen to see her reaction to it. “What language is that?” She asked, looking puzzled at the boy. “Ah, none. The fever’s taken hold. None of those words are his own,” He said, looking back to the pale wrist gripped in his hands. “His pulse is weaker,” He laid the hand back down on the bed, but as he sat back, he noticed the skin looked a bit strange just beneath the sleeve of his tunic. He reached for the hand again and pulled the sleeve down to reveal a gruesome red rash on the boy’s forearm. Gwen noticed his concerns and leant over to get a better look. “What is it?” She wondered. “That can’t be right. The rash isn’t supposed to appear before the final stage!” Gaius informed her and rose to get to his book. “What does that mean?” She asked worriedly, rising to follow him. “It says here that once the rash appears, death will follow within two days,” There was fear and concern in the old man’s eyes as he met Gwen’s gaze. “You said he had four days,” She stated, her voice quivering with concern for her friend. “Something has increased the flower’s potency,” He flipped to the next page, looking for an answer. “It warns that the effect of the mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the flower’s preparation,” They both looked at the panting boy on the cot. His skin was pale and clammy and he writhed in pain in his unconsciousness. “An enchantment? But Bayard’s no sorcerer. Who could have done this?” Gwen rubbed her arm as she felt a shiver go down her spine at the thought of a sorcerer poisoning her friends. Gaius took no notice as he was contemplating the possible culprits. Suddenly his eyes went wide and he looked at the maidservant. “What happened to the serving girl? Right before Merlin burst into the hall, he followed one of Bayard’s serving girls into the corridor,” “Dark hair, very beautiful,” Gwen muttered. “Find her. Quickly!” The old man’s tone was urgent, and Gwen wasted no time in running out the door to find the suspicious woman. Gaius sent his ward a worried look, taking up the discarded cloth to bathe his patient in water.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur had been traveling all night without pause, and by morning he arrived at the forest of Balor. He dismounted his horse, deciding it would be safer to travel by foot so he would be ready to defend himself should the vile creature guarding these woods appear. The forest was misty, and so it was hard to see anything further than an arm's length ahead. He walked slowly, observing his surroundings. Soon he came across a crying woman and tied his horse to a tree, carefully making his way over to her. “Are you alright?” He asked as he closed in on her. He soon realised who she was. “You’re one of Bayards serving girls. What are you doing out here?” Suspicion laced his voice as he thought of how she had dragged his manservant with her out in the corridor before he had come barreling back, shouting about poison. There wasn’t time to contemplate on it further when the woman screamed, and Arthur could hear a hiss from behind. He turned to see the beast from the book. He pulled out his sword, ready to fight. He swung It back and forth, thrusting it at the creature, trying to keep it far enough away from him to avoid the venom it possessed. It wasn’t much of a fight in the end, for the creature jumped at him, and he dodged it and turned to toss the sword at it. It hit it’s mark, and the beast fell dead to the ground. He waited a moment to make sure the thing was dead before he pulled the sword out, wiping it on the beast’s hide. Arthur turned to ask the woman if she was unharmed, but hesitated a moment when he saw the look in her eyes. She tried to play innocent, but he could see something in her eyes that told a different story. “You should get out of here,” He said instead, hoping she would leave. He realised the caves he was looking for was right beside him and he glanced at the opening for a moment before he looked back at the woman who had not moved from her position on a treetrunk. “You’re looking for the mortaeus flower, aren’t you?” She asked, her voice sounded so small, but there was something in it that made Arthur shiver. “How did you know? Who are you?” He asked, and raised his sword, pointing it at her. “Why else would you visit the caves of Balor? It is widely known to be the only place to find the flower. I know this place, I can help you! I know where they grow,” She pleaded. Arthur didn’t trust her, but he nodded anyway. He pulled out a couple of torches he had thought to strap to his horse before he left, lit them and handed one of them to her, and gestured for her to take up the lead. There was a chance she actually knew where the flower was, and that would save him some precious time. The Prince kept his eyes on the woman as they walked deeper into the caves. He was waiting for her to turn on him, or perhaps she was just leading him into a trap of some kind. He almost forgot it when she held out her torch to light up a bundle of yellow flowers growing on a wall of roots in front of her. He noted there was a thin stone ledge that reached far enough out to be able to pick the flower if one was careful enough to avoid falling into the black abyss below. He glanced at her, handed her his torch and stepped past her. He didn’t really want her at his back, but he needed to get that flower, and there was only room for one person on the ledge. He walked up to the edge and reached out for the flower, but realised he would have to lean on the root wall to avoid falling. he reached out with his other hand, and leaned forwards. He gripped onto what looked like a sturdy root, and once again reached up to the flower. This time, he managed to get one between his middle- and ring finger. Just as he was pulling it free from it’s roots, he realized the woman was chanting behind him. A loud crack echoed through the tunnel, and he turned his head, shouting; “What are you doing?!” Just in time to see the stone ledge crack. He felt how the stone was starting to slide free, and he just caught a glimpse of the vicious smirk on the crazed face of the woman before the stone fell out from under him, and he was plummeting into the blackness. It was pure dumb luck that he somehow managed to catch onto a root as he fell. He hadn’t fallen far, but he still had no idea how to get up from there. He heard the woman laugh, and the darkness descended on him as she left him for dead. By some miracle, Arthur still had the flower in his hand, but it would be of no use if he could not get out of there. He tried to force his eyes to adjust to the darkness enough for him to try climbing, but it was no use. It was pitch black all around him. Arthur adjusted his grip, trying to at least pull himself up to see if he could find a foothold. Just as he managed to jam one foot into a crack, the roots in front of him got lighter until he could see clearly enough to be able to climb. It was a bluish light and he wondered for a moment what was lighting up the cave like that. Then he saw it. A bubble of light hovered just above him. Threads of blue and white, remarkably like the colors on his shell, was swirling around each other, lighting up a path that would be possible to climb. His first instinct was to shout at it as he thought it was the witch coming back to taunt him, but it radiated warmth and a feeling of safety. He pulled himself up enough so that his foot took most of his weight, and the hand that still had the mortaeus flower between his fingers was brought down to put the plant in a little pouch he had on his belt. Then, he started climbing. Of course it couldn’t be that easy. Even if the cave was lit up by the bubble, it didn’t mean that the danger was over. Just as he’d found a good path to scale, he could hear ominous hissing from below. He glanced down to see an infinite number of red eyes coming closer from the darkness. He let out a yelp, which he would forever deny ever making, and tried to climb faster. He could see light from an opening above him, and hear the hissing and clicking of thin feet coming ever closer as he climbed for his life. As he finally reached the opening at the top, he could just feel a pull at one of his legs, before he hoisted himself into the open air of the forest. There was a screech, and whatever had been pulling at him let go and retreated into the darkness. He almost cried with relief at getting away from the terrifying thing. His heart was racing like crazy in his chest, and he gasped for breath. He took a moment to lay there and calm himself, before tiredly getting to his feet to find the horse. Just as he jumped down from a small ledge, his foot got caught by a broken branch that cut into his flesh, drawing blood. He hissed and almost stumbled to the ground as he landed. Pain spiked up his leg, but the wound wasn’t too bad. He would just have to get Gaius to look at it. For the time being, he just ripped a strip off of his tunic, and tied it around the wound to keep it mostly clean. Soon he found his horse, and immediately started his journey back home.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
As Arthur dismounted his horse outside the stables, he was surrounded by guards demanding him to come with them to the dungeons on his father’s orders. He thought fast, and came up with an excuse to go by Gaius’ chambers first. “I’m wounded, and there might be venom in it or an infection setting in. I need to see the physician first,” He said, showing them the hurriedly bound leg. There was hesitation among the men, and Arthur sighed. “I don’t think my father would approve if you sent me to the dungeons despite my need to see the physician,” He added. That did the trick and they escorted him to the old man’s chambers. He persuaded them to stay outside while he went in to get his leg checked. The sight that met him was not pretty. Merlin was writhing in pain on the cot, his skin deathly pale, lips tinted a pale blue, and a sickly red color around his eyes. He was wheezing in shallow fast breaths, was drenched in sweat, and really looked like he was only seconds away from dying. It wasn’t far from the truth, judging by the look of fear on Gaius’ face. Arthur pulled out the flower, handing it to the old man who had just realized the Prince was in the room. “Hurry,” Arthur whispered, and to buy the man some time, he went back out to the guards who escorted him to the dungeons. Gaius set about mixing the potion immediately. He looked around to make sure the door was closed and no one had snuck in while he was concentrating on the potion, before he gripped onto the bowl containing the mixture with both hands and started chanting. Since the poison had been enforced by enchantment, the antidote would need an enchantment as well to have any effect. Just as he finished, Gwen burst through the door, startling the old man. He made sure the potion looked normal, before he sent her a stern look. She looked apologetic as she made her way over to him. Gaius turned to his ward and suddenly realised the room was too quiet. Eyes widening, he stepped closer to the cot to see that Merlin’s chest was only just moving the tiniest bit. “Hold his nose,” He commanded and bent over to make the boy drink the potion. He got most of it in the boy’s mouth and stroked his throat to make him swallow. They both stood back to watch the boy. There was nothing they could do, but wait. The boy’s movements stilled completely. “He stopped breathing,” Gwen commented. “Gaius, what is happening?” She added, looking at the old man with wide eyes. Gaius met her gaze, before bending down to lay his ear against the boy’s chest. “His heart stopped,” The old man breathed. “He’s… dead,” Gwen spoke, her voice breaking. “He can’t be… can’t be,” Gaius muttered to himself, his eyes filled with sorrow as he watched the young man on the cot. A tear rolled down Gwen’s face, followed by another. Her breath hitched and she took a step back from the cot, bringing a hand up to cover her quivering mouth. Gaius reached out to her, enveloping her into a hug, and she leant into him trying to hold back a sob. He closed his weary eyes, trying to keep back the tears threatening to burst forth. “That’s disgusting! you’re old enough to be her grandfather!” a weak, mock stern voice called out. Gwen and Gaius both looked down at the cot in wide eyed shock. “Merlin! You’re alive!” They blurted out in unison. “Nah, I’m the ghost coming back to haunt you!” he grinned weakly. Gwen let out a small laugh before she all but fell on him to hug him. “Gwen, be careful with the boy,” Gaius chuckled and fetched a cup of water for Merlin to drink. “I’m sorry, I thought you were dead,” She let out as she wiped a stray tear away from her cheek. Merlin just smiled and gratefully took the cup Gaius offered him. “Well, seems like you’re out of danger, my boy. Now, you need proper rest,” Gaius commanded warmly. “I’ll go let Morgana know,” Gwen smiled and left the two of them alone.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur, Morgana and Uther stood on the ramparts watching Bayard’s men leave. Uther had relented and let Arthur out earlier than he’d originally planned. “So, let the bragging begin. How did you do it?” Morgana asked. “Honestly, I don’t know. I just know that I had help,” He paused. Morgana shifted to better see his face. “Someone sensed I was in danger, and sent a light to guide me. It’s only thanks to them that I’m here now,” He added somberly. Silence settled between them for a moment. “I’m glad you’re back,” She stated, and went back inside. As Arthur made to follow her, he was stopped by Uther who asked him to meet him early for dinner that night so they could talk. The Prince didn’t really look forward to it, but agreed none the less. He went back inside and made his way to the Physician’s chambers where the door was already open. He went inside to find Merlin sitting with his back to him, covered in a blanket, drinking a cup of water. “Still alive then?” The relief made him feel weak in his knees. He hadn’t been able to see Merlin until now, and he’d had a fear in the back of his head that he’d been too late and the servant had died after all. Merlin turned around to look at him. He was still pale, but he looked much healthier than the last time he’d seen him. “Yeah, just about,” He gave Arthur a small smile. “I-I understand I have you to thank for that,” He looked Arthur sincerely in the eyes. “Yeah well it was nothing. A half decent servant is hard to come by,” Arthur grinned. Merlin could do nothing but snort at that. “Well I didn’t just stop by to make sure you were alright. I want you back at work in two days,” He said, mock sternly. “I understand from Gaius that you will need those two days to rest, but no more than that!” He added. “Ah yeah, bright and early as soon as Gaius lets me out of here,” He replied, an amused glint to his eyes. Arthur nodded and made his way to the door. “Arthur,” He waited for the Prince to turn around to look at him. “Thank you,” he said in all seriousness. “You too,” Arthur responded. They shared a smile. “Get some rest,” He added, and went out the door. “Arthur may give you a hard time, but his heart is in the right place. There are not many who would do that for a servant,” Gaius said as he brought over a plate of food for his ward. “I think that woman meant to kill me, not Arthur,” Merlin confessed. “Just before I passed out, I saw her watching me from the doorway with a satisfied smirk on her face. I just don’t understand why, I’ve never met her before,” he added.
“Seems there are others who know of you and your destiny,” Gaius answered. They both sat in silence for a few moments. “Eat your dinner. There’s plenty of time to figure this out later,” Gaius pointed out and they both dug into the stew Gaius had cooked.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sometimes Merlin wondered if he really was Arthur’s manservant, or Morgana’s extra servant. Servant really wasn’t the correct word either. More like a pretend younger brother of some sorts. She would occasionally ask him to bring her food or clean bedclothes or other easy tasks like that, but he suspected she only did that for show. He loved his times with her and Gwen. Whenever someone knocked on Morgana’s doors, they pretended to be working, but when they were alone, they just sat around, talking. They taught him how to sew and to mend clothes. Morgana had been taught as a little girl, as her mother had insisted that it could come in handy if she should find herself without a seamstress, and so she had taken to helping Gwen sometimes as they sat talking. They even taught him how he could sew his own clothes from scratch. That, he decided, would be worth knowing, since buying the fabric was much cheaper than the finished clothes. Arthur was still a prat, but he’d become nicer the more Merlin got to know him, and a couple of times he would invite Morgana and Gwen over to his own chambers where they’d be talking and having a bit of fun. Arthur always threatened Merlin with the stocks if he ever said anything about it. The Prince didn’t want to look weak, Merlin figured. All in all though, they had become pretty good friends considering the relatively little time they’d known each other. They couldn’t really call themselves friends outside their little group because of the difference in their stations and such but as long as they were alone, they didn’t care about the noble and commoner issue. Merlin had many duties to attend to. He wasn’t just the Prince’s manservant, he was also Gaius’ apprentice. He often had to cut their fun times short to help his old uncle, and he still had the chores Arthur gave him to complete. He knew for a fact that Arthur had duties to attend to as well, but he kept denying it. And then, when everyone had gone, he would rush about doing his paperwork and almost run to his father with it. Merlin laughed every time he witnessed it.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
One day he was out picking herbs for Gaius, he had stumbled across a few stones that he knew had come from the bottom of the ocean at some point, and he knew that if they were to be cut into shape and polished, they would look amazing as jewelry. They would also be very easy to put a spell on. He’d wanted a way to pay back his friends for their kindness, and also a way to keep them safe, and this was it. He’d picked up all of the stones and brought them back with him. He had been working on them for hours every night, trying to make them look as good as possible. Morgana’s stone had been the most difficult, since it would have to look as if it was fit for a queen. After finishing it, he’d decided that Gwen’s would be just as nice, and so had spent many more hours making sure they looked wonderful. Morgana’s stone had been shaped into the form of a drop, while Gwen’s had become a smaller oval shape. He’d also decided to make one for Gaius, and one for Arthur since he still had quite a few left. These ones he didn’t really shape all that much, deciding the more natural shapes would better suit the men. The once gray and boring stones, were now properly polished and had revealed an amazing blue color with flecks of white and gold in them, making them look like a starry sky. Arthur’s had a white stripe over it, matching the shell, while the others didn’t have as much white in them. He enchanted them with a protective spell that would give them a minor protection against sickness and small injuries. it was more like a lucky charm, really, that would make them feel safe when wearing it. He’d made a small hole in all of them so he could fit a small thread through. He gave the ones for Gaius and Gwen an adjustable leather string so they could wear it around their necks, while he left Arthur’s and Morgana’s as they were. He didn’t have any chains good enough for a noble, so he decided to just give ;organa the stone and let her find a chain of her own taste. The one for Arthur on the other hand, he wanted to tie on the same string as the shell, since the man wore it every day already. Merlin put the one for Gaius on the table, along with a little note that read “To Gaius, Thank you,” with no indication as to who it was from. He wrote the same note for the others, again without any name telling them who the gift was from, and made his way to the Prince’s chambers. When he arrived at Arthur’s chambers, he hesitated. He wanted to add the stone to the same string the shell was on, but Arthur always wore the damn thing. He decided his best chance would be either while he slept or while taking a bath. He entered the Prince’s chambers and was a bit confused when he found it empty. Usually the prince would just be waking up by now. He looked around the chambers, and grinned when he found the shell half tucked underneath one of the pillows. He hurriedly tied the little stone so it would rest on the inside of the shell, and put it back where he’d found it, and went on to clean the prince’s room. Deciding he had done good enough, he made his way over to Morgana’s rooms which he was sure would be empty by now, since the Lady Morgana liked to go out for a stroll through the town at this hour if the weather was nice, which it was. He had planned to place both Gwen’s and Morgana’s present in there. As he neared the Lady Morgana’s chambers however, he realized the doors were open, and there were several voices coming from inside. Arriving by the doors, he could see Arthur with tousled hair and a shirt hurriedly thrown over his head staring towards Morgana’s bed. Gwen stood close by, looking pale and very worried, and by the bed stood both King and the court physician. Growing increasingly worried, Merlin stepped into the room to see what was going on. Morgana was lying pale as a sheet on the bed. Unmoving, except for the smallest hint of the rise and fall of her chest. Gaius was examining her, but no prodding or moving of her would wake her. Merlin’s heart was racing with dread and worry for his friend. He couldn’t help but feel he’d been too late with her gift, although he couldn’t have known this would happen. He looked over at Gwen who had tears running down her face. She tried to be silent, invisible, but this had shaken her very badly. All they could do was stand there and wait for the physician to finish with his examination, and hope there was something they could do to help.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Everything will be fine. I know they will. There’s nothing to worry about,” Merlin prattled on as he paced behind Arthur’s chair. It was the evening of the second day of Morgana’s mysterious illness, and there was still no change to her condition. “She’s going to be absolut-” “Merlin!” Arthur interrupted with a growl. “What?” Merlin stepped over to Arthur. “You’re making me anxious,” Arthur answered slowly, trying to hold his frustration back. “But I’m not worried,” Merlin bent down slightly as he said this, and then began walking back and forth again. “Then stop pacing!” Arthur gritted out and turned to look at Merlin. Merlin stopped, met Arthur’s gaze and took a seat in one of the chairs by the table. It took only a moment for him to start tapping his fingers on the tabletop. Arthur grit his teeth and rose from his chair. He ended up pacing back and forth himself. Merlin thought about commenting on it for a moment, but decided that the Prince was tense enough as it was.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“I cannot keep her alive for much longer. She has only hours left,” Gaius said somberly as he faced the King. “We cannot let her die!” Shouted Arthur as the physician’s words registered. “There was this man that came to the castle yesterday, he claimed to have a remedy that could cure all ills! Surely he can have a shot at helping her!” He added as he remembered the strange man from the day before. Gaius tried to talk them away from it, knowing there was no such thing as a remedy to cure all ills, but they wouldn’t listen. He followed them to the hall where the man would be brought in. “Edwin Muirden, Sire, Physician, and loyal servant,” The man introduced himself as he kneeled in front of the King. “Have we met before?” Gaius asked him. “I doubt you would forget a face like mine, sir,” the man said as he got back to his feet. He was referring to a great scar, seemingly from a burn, that covered half of his face. “Do you really believe you have a remedy?” The King interrupted. “There are not many ills I have seen and not successfully treated, sire,” At this point, Merlin came into the hall via the servant’s entrance. He carefully observed the men as they spoke about the remedy that could cure all ills. He frowned as the man accused Gaius of not having given the correct diagnosis, and as Their discussion went on, Arthur realised his servant was in the room, and suddenly had him attending to Edwin. He took this as a good opportunity to keep his eyes on the suspicious man.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin helped the man carry his equipment to the guest chambers he had been appointed. Edwin was putting up some strange contraption which Merlin immediately took an interest in. “Ah yes, it was all originally designed for alchemy,” the man told him when he saw the interested look in his eyes. “Making gold,” “You have an interest for science?” “Yeah, well, Science is knowledge,” Merlin replied with a smile. “It has the answers to everything,” The man nodded at him. “Maybe. It can’t explain love, though. I mean, feelings,” Merlin argued. “You seem too bright to be just a servant,” The man commented “Oh don’t be fooled, I’m not that bright,” Merlin had to keep back a dark laugh as he realized how true that was, considering how his life had turned out the last half year or so. Going from merman Prince, to a limping water addicted human servant for the Prince of Camelot. “Hmm, well we best be going before it’s too late,” the man said and gestured for the servant to bring along his equipment. The King, the Prince and the physician was waiting in Morgana’s chambers when they arrived. Merlin was instructed to place the equipment on the table near the foot of the bed, and then Edwin asked them all to step out so he could work in piece. Gaius tried protesting, claiming he wanted to learn, but Edwin refused. Merlin tried to stay as well, still being suspicious of the man, but a look from Edwin told him to get out. Awhile later, the man came down the stairs. He first accused Gaius, although gently, of giving the wrong diagnosis, and also of making Morgana’s illness worse with his treating of her. Then he gave the good news about her awakening. It was truly a miracle. Gaius and Merlin sent eachother knowing looks.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin knocked on Edwin’s door. When there was no answer, he walked in. Overcome by curiosity, he started fiddling with the things on Edwin’s desk, and came over one of the boxes the man had instructed to bring to Morgana’s chambers. He picked it up and opened it to find it full of seemingly dead beetles. He closed it again, and realized there was writing on the top of it, and read it out loud. He felt his magic react to the words, and suddenly heard something from inside the box. When he opened it again, the beetles were alive and crawling all over each other. “Very good,” Came Edwin’s voice from behind. Merlin spun on his heels, looking wide eyed at the man. Edwin came closer and picked the box out of Merlin’s hand, and whispered a sleeping spell to the beetles. “You have magic,” he added and looked at Merlin. “It wasn’t me I didn’t do anything,” Merlin talked fast in his nervousness. “Well if you don’t have magic, then how did you wake them?” The man looked him in the eye then. “Only magic can do such a thing,” he added. Merlin stood frozen by nervousness. This was not good. Not good at all. The man had been using his magic on Morgana, and now he knew about Merlin’s magic. In Camelot. Where magical beings were punished by death simply for existing. He was definitely going to use that for his own advantage. especially now that he’d saved Uther’s ward. The King didn’t really like Merlin too much. Too clumsy and too much trouble on a daily basis, really. Even if he’d saved the Prince’s life on two occasions already. The King would gladly value Edwin’s word above Merlin’s. “You know, you should not hide such a talent. Imagine what we could accomplice if we worked together. I can teach you to better control it,” The man watched Merlin with some kind of hunger in his eyes. He felt a shiver go down his spine at that creepy gaze. “Magic is forbidden in Camelot. It is punishable by death, I can’t risk my friends’ lives just to do a bit of magic, no matter how good the intention is,” Merlin said quietly. “I… need to go back to the Prince,” He added and stepped away while keeping his eyes on the man. “Yes of course. But Merlin. Keep our little secret between the two of us,” It sounded like a threat when the man spoke to him like that. He didn’t doubt it was intended that way. “Yes, yes of course,” Merlin left the room in a hurry. He did not like this man at all. Merlin didn’t know what to do. He was sure Edwin would find a way to hurt his friends if he said anything, and he did not want that at all. He couldn’t even talk to Gaius about it in fear of putting the old man in danger. Deep in thought, he walked to the Prince’s chambers to find it empty. He looked around for a bit, but couldn’t find anything to do in his rooms, so he decided to go to Morgana’s chambers to see if it was empty as well so he could put his gift for her in there. It wouldn’t do much against Edwin’s magic, but perhaps it could help a little bit at least. He smiled slightly as he found her chambers empty, and placed hers and Gwen’s gifts together with the now slightly crumpled notes where he knew they’d find them. As he left the chambers he realized this was probably not the best of times to leave gifts from an unknown source in their rooms, considering the creepy man wandering about the castle. It was too late now anyway since he could see Morgana coming towards him from the direction of the audience hall. “Oh Merlin!” She almost cried his name as she caught sight of him. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t change his mind! I don’t want that terribly uncanny man to treat me ever again,” She rubbed her arms as if she was cold when she mentioned the man. “What? What happened?” Merlin had a bad feeling about all of this. “Uther retired Gaius to have that Edwin step in as court Physician,” She looked freaked out at the thought, and Merlin could understand why. “Oh no,” Merlin whispered. “I’m sorry Morgana, I need to find Gaius,” He added, sidestepped her and jogged down the hallway in the direction of Gaius’ chambers. He burst through the door to find Gaius packing. “He can’t do this! What are you doing?” He burst out. He watched as Gaius contemplated something, but then he just ended up looking defeated. “I can’t stay if there’s no use for me here,” “You’re of use! I need you! You’re the only family I have here, and the only one who knows about who I am!” He felt desperate. He couldn’t let Gaius leave. It was hard enough to only have one person knowing about him and not be able to tell his other friends, but to live without anyone knowing? He could not bear the burden that would put on him. He felt so incredibly selfish in that moment, but to be honest, he’d rather go back in the ocean to face the damn knights that had left him for dead, than stay here without anyone to talk to about his past and about who he was. “Merlin, You’re like a son to me. I never thought I’d be blessed with that so late in life,” Gaius smiled. Yes he was his uncle, but he had never had the chance to truly be with him until now. The last months had been some of the happiest of his life. It had of course been stressful, since he suddenly had someone to take care of, but it had been wonderful, and he’d felt like somewhat of a father to the boy. “You’re more than a father to me,” Merlin stated quietly. He felt defeated. “Then, as a father, I tell you to stay here, and be safe. Arthur needs you, and you’re going to be just fine without me. You’re strong, I know that,” Gaius put a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. “Camelot is where you belong,” He added. “But you belong here too!” he felt tears well up in his eyes and tried his best not to let them fall. “Not any more. Merlin, you must promise me you will not waste your gifts,” he put his other hand on Merlin’s other shoulder, keeping those blue eyes focused on his own. “My gifts mean nothing without you here to guide me,” Merlin closed his eyes for a moment. “Merlin, you have a great destiny ahead of you. If I’ve had a small part to play in that, then I’m pleased,” He let go of Merlin’s shoulders and stepped away. “I’ve so much yet to learn, and you have to teach me,” Merlin’s voice shook with the effort to keep calm. “I’m afraid I’m leaving here tonight, Merlin, and there’s nothing you could do or say to persuade me otherwise,” It hurt Gaius to tell the boy this. “I will not let this happen,” Merlin let out quietly and turned on his heels, leaving the old man’s chambers.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“I can’t believe Uther would sack him over one mistake,” Merlin sounded so wounded when he said that as the Prince aimed his sword at a dummy set up for the knights training. Arthur turned to look at the boy. “A mistake that nearly killed Morgana,” he said. “besides, it wasn’t the only one,” He added and turned back to the dummy. “What do you mean?” Merlin looked confused at his prince. Arthur turned to his manservant again. “Edwin said his work was riddled with errors,” “That’s nonsense!” “No one wants Gaius to go. My father’s made his decision. There’s nothing anyone can do,” Arthur said calmly, although he didn’t really feel calm at all. He didn’t like Edwin at all. There was something about the man that almost sent shivers down his spine, and he couldn’t believe his father didn’t see what he did. Edwin’s eyes looked dead most times, but when they did not, they seemed full of hatred and disgust. He did not want a man like that as court physician, but there was nothing he could do about his father’s decision. He let his sword pierce the ground and left it there with Merlin as he made his way back to the Castle. On his way he was stopped by Gwen who looked very worried. “I just saw Gaius leaving, we need to stop this! I do not trust Edwin at all, there was no blood in Morgana’s ear, he put it there! He’s evil and Gaius knows it but he says there’s nothing he can do,” She talked quite fast, and the Prince had difficulties following her, but he managed, just barely. “I’m sorry Gwen, but I can’t do anything. My father had made up his mind,” He sighed. he felt he’d be having this conversation with several more people today. but then something caught his attention. “What? He put blood in Morgana’s ear? did you see him do it?” he asked her with urgency. “Yes! Or, not exactly, but I came in to tend to her while he was there, and he was doing something strange, I couldn’t see what, when he noticed I was there. He wanted me out of there, but before I left I had a close look of her and there was no blood in her ear then,” Arthur thought about this. Everyone seemed to have a dislike towards the disturbing man. He had to be up to something. “Come, it’s getting late. I’ll talk to my father and see what we can do,” He said and guided Gwen along towards the castle.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin was carrying a stack of linens to be washed when Arthur ran up to him. “MERLIN! My father has Morgana's illness! we must find Edwin!” He ran off again before Merlin had the time to respond. Merlin let the linens fall to the floor and sprinted off to look for the man. No matter how evil the man was, he had still cured Morgana. He pushed the door open and came to a halt when he saw Gaius surrounded by fire, and Edwin holding his hand up towards the old man. “What are you doing?” Merlin wanted to know. “He’s trying to kill the king! I couldn’t let him!” Gaius called from within the fire. “I can rule the kingdom now! With you at my side,” The last sentence he directed at Merlin, that hunger returning to his eyes as he said the words. “We can be all powerful,” he added in almost a whisper. “Release Gaius, now!” “It’s your loss, Merlin,” the man’s voice grew darker. He lifted one hand again aiming it in Merlin’s direction. A movement to the side caught Merlin’s attention, and he turned his head just in time to see the axe spinning fast towards him. He bent backwards a bit not to be hit by the sharp blade, and on instinct he sent the axe flying back at the enemy. He could see the confused fear in the man’s eyes as he overpowered his magic, and then the axe hit it’s target, splitting the man’s skull, sending him collapsing to the floor. Blood. there was so much blood. Merlin stared at the body. The axe had dislodged, and the open wound was staring back at him, covered in blood and gore. He felt his body go weak as he realized what he’d done. He forced himself to look at Gaius, trying to keep himself in control. It wasn’t much easier to see the shock on the old man’s face. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice wavering. “Yes, Merlin. Thank you,” there was still shock on his face, but he was filled with relief and gratefulness towards his nephew for saving him. Merlin nodded and his gaze turned back to the ugly scene on the floor. He felt bile rise in his throat, but he forced it back down. He was sure he was as pale as a ghost, as he could feel how the blood drained from his head. He broke out of his thoughts and ran over to the table to find Edwin’s box of beetles. He still had to help Uther. “This is bad. These can be enchanted to enter the brain and feed on it,” Gaius said beside Merlin. The boy jumped slightly, not having heard him come closer. “We need to hurry, Uther has Morgana’s illness,” Merlin almost whispered, and they both ran as fast as they could to the King’s chambers. Luck would have it that there were only the guards watching over the King in his chambers. They told them to keep guard and not let anyone in until they said so as they were going to do what they could to save the King. They knew the old physician, and so had done what they were told, and closed the doors. “How do we save him?” Merlin asked. “It can only be magic,” Gaius replied, looking at his ward. “But we cannot use magic on Uther, he’d kill us!” “We don’t have a choice,” “Gaius!” “There are times, when it is necessary,” Merlin’s scared eyes moved from his uncle to the King lying pale and sick on the bed. “I don’t know how,” Merlin let out in a small voice. “If you don’t, he’s going to die,” Merlin looked at him with so much trust, Gaius almost told him to leave it be. He was terrified that the King would realize what had happened and would take his boy away from him. But he couldn’t say anything as determination, although uncertain, spread across the boy’s face. Merlin went over and put one knee beside the King, and held one hand at each side of the King’s face. His eyes glowed golden before he closed them and started quietly chanting something that came to him out of the blue. He concentrated hard, his face scrunching up as he did. After a moment, he relaxed, opened his eyes and pulled his hand away to reveal the little bug that Edwin had put inside Uther’s mind. “Has anyone ever told you, you’re a genius!” Gaius breathed out. “You certainly haven’t,” Merlin replied, still in shock from everything. They both laughed at that, although Merlin’s was tinged by nervousness and unease. They both looked to the King as he returned to consciousness. Gaius went to the door and told the guards that the King was waking up and had them fetch the Prince and the Lady Morgana. When he returned to Merlin’s side, he could see the boy was pale as a ghost, and was swaying slightly on his feet. He was about to ask him if he was alright, when the Prince burst through the door, with Morgana and Gwen trailing behind him. The Prince was fussing over his father, Morgana on the other side of the bed, asking how he felt. The King was somewhat out of it and exhausted, and so Gaius had to make them back off to give the man some room to breathe. Meanwhile, Merlin quietly stepped out of the room. He felt awful and he kept seeing Edwin’s bloody body in his mind. He walked back to Gaius’ chambers and almost unconsciously started removing his clothes. He felt he needed to change, and so he pulled out a fresh set of clothes and put them on. He looked at the tunic and trousers he had left in a pile on the floor and just now saw the drops of blood spattered across his tunic. It wasn’t much, but it was there. He just stared at it for a moment, before he picked it up and walked out the door and towards the laundry room. There were always someone in the kitchen, and there was always warm water to be used for laundry or to draw baths for the nobles. Merlin passed several people without making any kind of eye contact or acknowledging their presence at all, filled a bucket of boiling water and went into the room used for laundry beside the kitchen. He put his tunic in the bucket and went to find soap. Merlin stood above the steaming bucket, watching the fabric of his tunic slowly sink through the water. Images flashed before his eyes. Edwin realizing his magic had been overpowered. The fear flashing through his eyes as he realized he would die by the axe. The blood. All that blood. And that sickening crack as the blade of the axe had split his skull. He had done that. He had murdered the man. Why did that bother him so? The man was evil. He had intended to kill his friends! Then why did it feel so horrible to be responsible for his death? He had to wash that tunic. Get the blood out. Wash the blood from his hands. Merlin sunk his hands into the hot water, rubbing the little piece of soap against the fabric until foam covered the surface. And he kept going until there was little left of the tiny piece. When there was no soap left in his hand, he started rubbing the fabric against itself, over and over and over. Then his hands. He scraped the rough fabric over his hands, scrubbing to get the blood away. He couldn’t go back to his job covered in blood. That was unacceptable. The servant was so focused on the scrubbing, he did not notice the people standing in the doorway, staring in shock at the man scraping himself bloody in the boiling water. He had not reacted to his name or any other call, and no one dared to go closer in case he had gone mad and would lash out. Someone had run off to find the court physician and possibly the Prince, considering it was the Prince’s manservant standing there, pale as a sheet, hands red and bleeding. “What’s going on here?” They all turned as they heard the Prince’s voice. He stood in the doorway, looking very confused. “Have any of you seen my manservant? Someone told me he’d gone this way,” His confused frown deepened as they all pointed to the laundry room. It made no sense for Merlin to be in there now. He was supposed to attend to him, not some other noble or whatever he was doing. When the Prince caught sight of his manservant, he instantly knew something was terribly wrong. The man had a devastated expression on his face, staring down into a steaming bucket of foaming water which he had his hands in. His face was pale, and his forearms were red and chafed, the foam in the bucket becoming red. “Merlin!” He called, not believing his eyes. What on earth could have made his servant do such a thing? The man in question did not react at the shout. “Merlin! What on earth are you doing?!” He stepped forward, but the man still didn’t so much as flinch. Now that he was closer, he could see tears streaming down his face. He felt a pang of sadness at seeing the usually cheerful man in tears. “Merlin, why are you hurting yourself?” He asked more calmly and carefully grabbing onto one of his hands and pulled it away from the bucket. He then took the other, and in the process, he touched the water. “Shit! This is boiling hot!” He turned Merlin so they were face to face, holding his hands still in between them. He stared into the boy’s empty gaze. He was truly worried now. The hands were red from the boiling heat of the water, and so incredibly sore and sticky with blood from his obsessive scrubbing. “Merlin,” Arthur tried again, slightly shaking the man. His eyes seemed to clear just a little bit then. “I killed him. Blood. So much blood. The axe… There was so much blood,” He rambled staring into Arthur’s eyes, fear written all over him. “What? What are you talking about? Who died?” Arthur didn’t know what to make of his ramblings. “Edwin… I… I needed to protect Gaius… He was using magic! He wanted to kill him! I had to do it! I… The axe… His head… So much blood… I…” Merlin gulped and then his whole face screwed up, and Arthur knew what was coming. He turned the man over to an empty bucket that stood beside the one Merlin had used, and the poor guy emptied whatever he had in his stomach. That was the moment Gaius arrived. “Oh, Merlin, my boy,” Gaius said with sympathy. The boy’s whole body trembled, and it didn’t take long for him to collapse in the Prince’s arms. “Bring him to my chambers,” Gaius knew Arthur would do it himself rather than have someone else take his friend. The rumors had spread, and thus they had reached Morgana and her maidservant. They had been on their way to the kitchens to see for themselves what they had heard, when they met Gaius, closely followed by Arthur, supporting a nearly unconscious Merlin. Without any words, they followed the others to the physician’s chambers. Arthur helped Merlin sit on his bed. Gwen had immediately picked up a cloth which she dipped in water and used to wash the boy’s face, while Gaius rummaged through his bottles of potions. The old man picked one out and headed up into Merlin’s room. “Merlin, I need you to drink this for me, alright?” He held the bottle to the boy’s lips. Merlin didn’t even try to resist, and it didn’t take long for him to succumb to sleep. They stripped him of the wet tunic, and trousers, and pulled a nightshirt over his head. They laid him down and made sure he was comfortable before Gaius ushered them all out from the boy’s room. “What happened? He was talking about blood and magic and something to do with Edwin?” Arthur’s voice was demanding. “Sire, Merlin saved my life tonight. I had realized that Edwin intended to murder King Uther, and as foolish as I was, I confronted him by myself. He used magic and had me trapped, ready to get rid of me, when Merlin entered the room. For some reason he had taken a liking to the boy, and didn’t believe him to be of any threat, so he turned back to finish me off. Merlin… He got hold of one of the axes on the wall. It was the first thing he could reach… And in his desperation to stop the sorcerer, he hit him with the axe… What you have seen of him now, is shock. I… If you’ll excuse me, I need to tend to his arms,” Gaius was a bit out of it himself, no doubt reliving the moment of Edwin’s death. Arthur stared after the old man as he went back into Merlin’s room. Edwin had tried to kill his father, used magic, and had tried to kill Gaius as well, and Merlin, Merlin, had killed him. The Prince figured no one had found the body yet since he had not been informed and it was best he made sure no one else had to do that discovery. “I’ll… go confirm that story,” he said to Morgana and left the chambers. When he arrived in the guest rooms Edwin had been staying in, even he had problems keeping his lunch down. He was used to death by now, but he was always affected by it. And this particular one looked horrible. It was no question about it. The man was dead. He left the room and informed a couple of guards about the situation. He ordered them to guard the room to make sure no one else accidentally found the body. He had to speak to his father, despite Gaius’s order to let the King rest. He believed his father would be able to rest better knowing the sorcerer who tried to murder him wa already dead.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It had taken Merlin a couple of days to calm down enough to be able to function on his own again. His magic had almost broken out of his control several times, reacting to his emotions. Gaius had helped him through the worst of it, and he had finally gained control over both his magic, and his body again. He was exhausted from the ordeal and he would no doubt have nightmares in the years to come. He was sitting in his bed, staring at the wall in front of him when there was a knock on the door. He didn’t even need to say anything before Morgana and Gwen entered. It didn’t take long for Arthur to follow. “You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you,” Morgana said with a smile. Merlin just looked confused, so she pointed to the stone on the silver chain around her neck. That brought forth a blush and a small smile on the boy’s face as he dipped his head in embarrassment. “They’re beautiful!, thank you!” Gwen added and came closer to give him a hug. Morgana did as well, and they were happy to see him smile again after what he’d been through. Arthur on the other hand, just stood back and observed them all. “I wanted to give something back to you guys. You’ve been very good to me even though I’m just a simpleminded farmer’s boy,” He paused for a moment, amazed at how easily the lie of who he was rolled off his tongue, and he felt guilty for it. He didn’t want to hide who he was from these people, but he had to. “And then I found these stones while picking herbs for Gaius, and I knew how they looked like on the inside and thought they would be appropriate presents,” He reached for the drawer on the dresser beside his bed and pulled it out to reveal a few more of the stones. They looked so grey and dull, with a hint of green tint to them. It was amazing how such a dull exterior could hide such a wonderful interior. “They’re wonderful, Merlin. Thank you,” Morgana smiled brightly at him and kissed his cheek before gesturing for Gwen to follow her. They left Arthur alone with Merlin, and Merlin suddenly felt a bit awkward as the Prince just stood there with his arms crossed, watching him. “You saved my father’s life. You likely saved many lives. You should be awarded for that,” Arthur informed him. There was no hint of amusement in his voice, only gratitude. “It was Gaius who-” “Save it Merlin. If you hadn’t done what you did, Gaius wouldn’t be alive to treat my father. For some reason, you don’t want to take the credit for it. You do know what an honour it is, right? You do know that you won’t be punished for doing what you did?” Arthur avoided mentioning how he had killed Edwin. He feared it would give the man unnecessary stress. Merlin didn’t say anything. He just kept his gaze lowered to the threadbare blanket covering his lap. “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell my father. He fully believes Gaius is the one to thank for all of it. I must say, it puzzles me. You go around as this loud clumsy oaf, drawing attention to yourself on a daily basis, but when you do something like this, that is truly worth the attention, you want nothing to do with it. Why is that?” Arthur gave the boy time to answer, but when he didn’t, the Prince just sighed. He stepped close enough to put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, squeezing it a bit. “Thank you. And Morgana’s right, you’re a sneaky one,” He grinned as the boy looked up at him and as he saw what the Prince meant, his expression turned sheepish. The prince held the shell up, turned to reveal the inside where the little stone was now resting. “I appreciate that you kept the natural shape of it. Fits me better than some drop or whatever,” He grinned and clapped Merlin on the shoulder he had rested his hand on. Merlin tried to come up with a retort to that, but he was too exhausted to think properly. It seemed the Prince noticed as he started to make his way out of the room.
“I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow then!” The Prince called out cheerfully before closing the door behind him. Merlin couldn’t help but smile at that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Merlin had realized Morgana had Magic. He wanted to help her, to guide her so she wouldn’t be consumed by loneliness and fear which more often than not happened to people with magic that had no one to guide them. For now he decided to lay low as it was just nightmares at this point. Due to her and Gwen’s friendship, she had dreamt of Guinevere’s father’s death and had done everything in her power to help him. Merlin and Arthur had done what they could as well, but unfortunately, he’d been seen by a couple of guards as he tried to sneak away and he’d ended up dead after all. It was a horrible time for all of them, but mostly for Gwen. Morgana had given her a few days off, with pay, to come to terms with it, but she had come back to work the next day, saying she needed the distraction. They did all in their power to cheer her up and help her. One day, Merlin found Gwen sitting by one of the windows in Morgana’s chambers while the Lady herself was having dinner with Arthur and the King. She was fiddling with the little stone Merlin had given her, looking out the window, a dress in need of mending forgotten in her lap. “Gwen? You alright?” Merlin tried carefully. Gwen jumped a bit and looked over at him with wide eyes. Registering who it was, a small smile brightened her face. “Yes, I’m feeling alright. Actually, every time I put this on, I feel safer, as if it is protecting me. I don’t even sting myself with the needle as much as I used to now,” She laughed. “I know, it sounds strange,” she added and smiled at him. “Actually… no. These stones are known as protective gems,” They weren’t really known as such. He just bended the truth a little, seeing as he couldn’t tell her he enchanted it. “Really? Then I guess they’re working. Or perhaps it’s just because I know it’s from you,” she laughed. Merlin flushed a little at that and gave her a sheepish grin. His face fell as he saw the sadness in her eyes, and he bent down and hugged her from behind. He held on tight. “I’m sorry we couldn’t do more for your father,” he whispered. Gwen smiled sadly at his words. “You did what you could. I’m just happy you cared enough to try,” She reached up to grip onto his arms that were wrapped around her shoulders. “You’re our friend. Of course we care. To be honest, I only ever had one true friend before I met you guys. Well, Lancelot too, but I didn’t really get to know him properly before I came to Camelot,” He rested his chin on Gwen’s shoulder, still hugging her. “Tell me about your friend?” She was curious to know something of Merlin from before she knew him. “He was this joyous person, always wanting to have some fun. He was a bit older than me, and he truly loved to drink and flirt with the ladies, and to be honest, men as well. And everything in between really. Unfortunately, they found him boring, which I can’t fathom, because there was never a dull day with him around. I guess they didn’t care much about personality, only rank. One day, he decided to travel. He told me he wanted to see the world, to find a place where they didn’t see rank. And so, he left. I was tied to my home for several reasons, so I couldn’t go with him. I never heard from him since, so I fear he might have died. Or perhaps he just forgot about me, I don’t know. It’s been several years since I last saw him. I miss him so very much…” he trailed off, staring into space at the memories of his best and only true friend from before he left the ocean. It hadn’t really been his rank that was the problem, more like the color of his tail. His had been dark brown, like his hair, with lighter brown details. In their city, it had been seen as boring and unattractive. Not matter his stunning looks, the color of his tail always ended up making people turn the other way. Merlin had been heartbroken the day he found his message and his knight’s attire. He hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye. He was shaken from his thoughts when Gwen squeezed his arm in comfort. “What do you mean by in between?” she asked after a moment. “Hmm? Oh. Well, you have women and men, but then we had some that were… neither, and some that were both. Some could be woman one day, and man the other. Some were born men, or women, but prefered to be the opposite. I’m not sure I understood all of them, but it’s not my business, and I don’t really focus on it. If they tell me to call them this or that, I will do what they ask, and as long as they are good to me, I will be good to them, regardless of who they are. You could say I’m a very open minded person. I don’t care about people’s looks, or genders, or who they love and so on, as long as they treat me and my loved ones with decency. We’re all people after all,” He didn’t say human. That would be wrong. But people wasn’t really wrong to use. Him being the Prince of the merpeople and all. “Huh. I haven’t really heard much of that before. I’ve seen men and women dress like the opposite gender, but I haven’t really thought of it that way. It does sound nice though, that people can be who they feel they are,” She turned and gave him a brilliant smile. “You keep amazing me, Merlin,” She paused a moment. “Thank you for being my friend,” She kissed his cheek. “Gwen!” Merlin exclaimed in mock horror and touched his cheek as he stood back up. They stared at each other for a moment before they both started laughing. “What are you two up to?” Morgana smiled as she came through the door, happy to see her maidservant laughing again. “Merlin just told me of his friend from back home. We should try to find him!” she grinned and stood up, completely forgetting about the dress in her lap, letting it slide to the floor. She blushed and hurriedly picked it back up to fold it neatly. “But that was years ago! I never even knew where he went!” Merlin protested, biting his lip. “What?” Morgana was a bit confused as to what they were on about. “Merlin’s friend from back home left a few years ago and was never heard from since,” Gwen told her conspiratorily. Merlin groaned and decided it was best he left to find his prince.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Ah, Merlin, there you are,” Arthur greeted him. Merlin had just arrived at the Prince’s chambers and found him reading reports at his desk. He was standing over his desk, seeming a bit agitated.“There’s a beast ravaging our people, and we’re going out to kill it. Gaius said it was called the Questing beast based on the description in these reports, and that it was from the old religion. Have you heard of it before?” He looked up at him then. Merlin could see he was taking the old religion seriously, but he was also eager to please his father who no doubt underestimated the magical involvement. “I’ve only heard the name before. I have no idea what it actually is, though,” He had heard of the Questing beasts while he lived in the sea, but they had never described it, or said anything about what it does or anything. Only the name was mentioned a few times. “Well then, I want you to make sure we have everything we need, and when that’s done, go talk to Gaius about it. We will ride at first light tomorrow so make sure to rest up properly. You’re dismissed,” Merlin bowed and left. In these situations he always did what Arthur ordered. He was even properly respectful most times. After seeing the strong resolve to protect his people the first time, Merlin had never joked around about it again. He had followed Arthur on several quests to keep his people safe, and he had seen the man Arthur truly was, and had seen the great King he would become. That first time had been the moment he knew the dragon had been right. He was glad he had decided to save that blond boy from drowning years ago. Merlin made sure the weapons and saddles and everything else was ready before he got back to Gaius’s chambers. “Merlin, I need you to know about this beast,” Gaius said as the boy entered his chambers. He didn’t even look up from the book he was reading from, knowing it was his nephew just from the sound. “Yeah, Arthur wanted me to talk to you about it,” Gaius looked up at him then. “He did?” “Yes, he’s determined to keep his people safe, so he wants to be prepared,” Gaius noted the warmth in Merlin’s eyes as he said this, and had to smile. “Alright then. The Questing beast is of the old religion. It’s arrival is a dark omen. It only shows itself when something terrible will happen. Last time it showed up, The Queen, Arthur’s mother, died. And it is highly venomous. One bite, and you’re dead. There is no cure,” Gaius held on to Merlin’s shoulder, staring into his eyes as he said this last part.“Watch out for yourself, my boy. Not just Arthur. Promise me,” Gaius looked so worried for him. Merlin felt his heart swell at the concern and love in the man’s voice. “I’ll do my best,” Merlin smiled at him. that was the best he could offer the man. Gaius kept his gaze a moment longer, nodded and patted his shoulder. “Let’s get some food in you before you go to sleep,”
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur had just finished with his encouraging words for his men when Morgana screamed his name in panic and came rushing down the stairs in her night gown. Arthur looked at her in alarm and stepped closer to her. “Morgana, what is wrong?” He asked as he took hold of her shoulders. “Don’t go! You’ll die!” She looked absolutely horrified with her eyes wide and wild looking. “I saw it!” she added. Arthur just sighed and let go of her. “I have to,” “I’ll take her back to her chambers,” Merlin took hold of her gently and walked her back up the stairs. “No!” She yelled and tried to squirm out of his arms. He tightened his grip. “Please, he’ll die if he goes! My dreams! I saw him die!” She was completely frantic. “Morgana! I’ll look after him! I promise,” He turned her around to face him, and shook her slightly. He looked into her eyes. “Now go back to your rooms and try sleep some more,” He smiled reassuringly at her and let go of her. She watched him walk back to his Prince’s side.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
They had followed the beast’s tracks into caves that was almost like a labyrinth with how many paths there were. Arthur ordered for the group of men to split up. He and Merlin went down one path, while the others covered the remaining paths. Merlin was not surprised to see that they had chosen the one place where the beast was hiding. Arthur, being the one with a sword in his hand, and armour on his body, pushed Merlin behind him and started questioning why on earth he had brought the servant with him on such a dangerous mission. Things happened too fast then. Arthur saw the movement, and just barely managed to push at Merlin. Merlin lost his balance at the unexpected force, and by pure instinct ended up slowing down time. He had ended up slowing himself down as well, and watched in horror as the beast lunged in slow motion onto Arthur. There was not much else to do than enchant Arthur’s sword so he was sure the beast would die. Arthur had his sword up, almost piercing the beast already, and Merlin did the spell, before the time sped up again. He saw the blade slicing through the Beast’s lower neck, and Arthur taking a step back before he hit his head on the stone as he was too slow to catch himself. The pain shot through his head like lightning. For a moment he felt himself go completely numb, just staring up into the roof of the cave. His body felt horribly heavy. and then the pounding started in his head and he felt it through his whole body. He clenched his eyes shut trying to let his magic flow through him in hopes it would help him heal a bit. It pushed the pain back enough for him to move, but wasn’t able to start healing him. Merlin shifted a bit, before pushing himself up. His vision swam a bit, and he felt the nausea assault him for a moment, but it was pushed back by his magic along with the pain. He felt as if his heart stopped at the sight of Arthur on the ground, blood oozing from a wound in his shoulder. “no no no no no” He breathed as he crawled over to him. “It didn’t bite you, It didn’t, You killed it,” He rambled as he came close enough to check the wound. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the clear teeth marks on his friend’s skin. It had ripped clean through the chainmail and gone straight into the Prince’s flesh. The servant felt a lump form in his throat, and panic overtake him as he thought back to what Gaius had told him. One bite meant certain death. He had failed. Not only had he failed his destiny, he had failed his friends. He had failed in his promise to Morgana. He had failed in protecting Arthur, and now he was dying. “No. You will not die,” He whispered, his eyes filling with determination. He didn’t know how, but he would definitely save Arthur. There was no way he could let him die. He’s a damn warlock according to the Great dragon, and it’s his destiny to protect Arthur. Even as his resolve got stronger, he felt his body go weaker. The pain and nausea returned slowly, and he knew he needed to get the attention of the knights. He couldn’t carry Arthur himself after all. “Help,” he croaked, and cleared his throat. “Somebody, Help!” He managed louder this time. His world was spinning as he heard the thumping of running feet getting closer. He just sat there numbly on his knees as the men came to them. He stared into nothingness as a few of them checked the Prince over, asking him question after question that didn’t register. Suddenly someone grabbed his arm very hard and shook him. He turned to look dazedly at the angry man in front of him. “He was bit, he needs Gaius,” Merlin mumbled. He felt like throwing up, and the world wouldn’t stop swimming and his head hurt so much. As his vision focused once more, he saw the angry man still in front of him, except he didn’t look so angry anymore. Rather, he looked concerned. “You’re bleeding,” Merlin heard the man say. Confused, he reached up to that spot where he remembered the ground hit him. He pulled back to see the red smear across his fingers. “Huh,” was the only thing he managed to get out. after a few moments he felt himself being helped up and guided out from the caves.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The journey back to Camelot had been horrible. Merlin had felt sick the whole way, and had thrown up. He had been so damn tired, but the knight watching over him had refused to let him sleep. Every time he had been close to falling asleep, the man had nudged him back into wakefulness. The noise as they had neared Camelot didn’t help, and he felt like his head was going to explode when they rushed through the city’s streets. When they arrived in the courtyard, Merlin didn’t register how the knights ran towards the physician’s chambers with their Prince in their arms. He could barely keep upright as the man that had been helping him the whole way guided, half carried him along to the court physician. The servant had no idea when he’d arrived in Gaius’ chambers or how long he’d been there. He heard snippets of conversations, but at that moment, nothing made sense to him. His head hurt too much and he was too nauseous to even try to understand what was going on. “I tried to stop the blood..” a gruff voice stated “kept him awake,” it added at some point. “Drink this my boy,” Was that Gaius? He tried to look at the man as he felt something cold against his lips. He opened up hesitantly, and felt a cold liquid run into his mouth. He swallowed, and then felt himself being pushed down on his side. He didn’t fight it. Gaius swam out of view, and he decided to close his eyes again. It seemed the world was finally slowing it’s spinning. And then his head exploded again as a loud banging noise erupted along with loud angry yelling. He opened his eyes a bit to see the blurry image of the King standing over his son. He closed his eyes again, and finally drifted off to sleep with a silent sigh.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin woke with a start. He looked around and found Gwen with her back to him as she picked up a bucket of water. She turned and almost lost her grip on the handle as she startled. “Merlin!” She squeaked. He only looked at her with wide, frightened eyes as he remembered what had happened. “Arthur,” He whispered. Her face fell at the Prince’s name, and she sat down on the stool beside the bed Merlin was lying in. “He’s not good, Merlin. He was bitten by that beast, which you probably already know, if you can remember what happened, that is… Gaius has been working on him in his chambers as the King ordered him to be moved. I’ve been helping Gaius a lot when he needed it, and I have experience with head wounds, so he asked me to stay with you and send for him if needed.. I’m sorry I’m babbling,” Gwen sighed and looked down at her lap as she finished. After a moment she bit her lip and looked up at him again. “How do you feel?” She almost whispered. “I’m fine, I need to see Arthur,” Merlin pulled off the blanket and tried to get out of bed. He was amazed at the lack of aches and nausea. “Did Gaius give me something for nausea?” he deliberately left out the pain part so Gwen wouldn’t start fussing. “He did a few hours back,” she replied and it looked like she wanted to push him back into the bed. “Honestly, Gwen, I feel fine,” he reassured her, climbing to his feet. He paused as he stood to make sure he really felt like he could make it to Arthur’s chambers. He wondered how it was possible to feel so unaffected by the blow to the head, but he decided to let that slide for now, and made his way to Arthur.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It was eerily silent when Merlin opened the door to Prince Arthur’s chambers. He quietly made his way inside to find Gaius watching an unconscious Arthur. The prince was sweating profoundly, and was very pale, but his breathing seemed normal at least. Gaius had a terribly sad expression on his face as he watched the prince. As he registered movement in his peripheral vision, he looked up to see Merlin approaching the bed. “Merlin! What are you doing out of bed?” He got to his feet and watched the warlock cautiously. “I… I needed to see him… Please tell me you can heal him,” Merlin almost whispered the words. He watched the Prince with such a pained and worried expression, that Gaius felt it sting his heart. “Merlin, my boy, there is nothing I can do for him now but make him as comfortable as possible. The bite of the Questing beast means certain death. I have tried everything in my power, Merlin, but nothing is working,” Gaius had moved over to grip his nephew's shoulders, looking into those sorrowful eyes. “There has to be something! He can’t die…” Tears sprung forth in his eyes at this. “I never got to tell him…” He whispered and looked pleadingly into the old physician's eyes. Gaius watched him for a long moment. “There is one thing, but it is as dangerous as facing the Questing beast itself. However, if anyone can do it, I believe it to be you,” Gaius gave the boy a small smile. He looked worried, but also confident in his words. Merlin blinked away his tears, his eyes filling with determination. “What is it?” He dried away the tears that still lingered in his eyes with the back of his hand. “There is a legend about the cup of life. It says that water from the cup can restore life, but at a terrible price. A life for a life. You must travel to the Isle of the Blessed to find it, but watch out for the guardian. Depending on who it is, they might make your journey harder,” Gaius patted Merlin’s shoulder. “But you must hurry, the Prince do not have much time left,” They both looked at arthur. Merlin nodded and only hesitated for a moment before he made his way back to Gaius’ quarters to gather what he needed. Gwen had left, and so it had been easier for him to gather his things and look up a map to the isle in one of Gaius’ books. The old man hadn’t even needed to tell him where to find it. He already knew of the secret book. He used his magic to copy the map over to a sheet of paper, and went straight to the stables where he borrowed a horse. He couldn’t risk walking. “Gaius needs a special herb for the prince,” He told the stable hand. That got him one of the fastest horses. It had been ordered by the King that if anyone were to give a message from Gaius about the Prince, no one were to hesitate in giving the best they possibly could. That was really a great help for Merlin at this point as he raced out from Camelot on a strong white horse.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
He tied the horse to a tree and approached the boat floating by the shore of the great lake. everything looked gloomy, and nothing at all suggested it was a blessed place. He looked at the isle in the middle of the lake with the ruins of what might once have been a beautiful castle, or perhaps a temple of some sort. It now looked more like a cursed place than anything blessed. He shook his head and stepped into the boat. He sat down and wondered about how to get across with no oars to row with. Just then, the boat lurched a tiny bit, before starting to glide in a straight line across the water. Of course it would be enchanted. He looked nervously at the ruins as he closed in on the isle. The boat came to a stop by a small pier, and he carefully stepped out of it. He threw a glance back at the shore where he left the horse, before he made his way up into the ruins. He looked around, making sure no one was close by as he looked for the altar where the cup should be. He came to an open space that looked like it had been a great hall of some sort, and in the middle of it was a great altar, and on top of it, stood a big, golden, but somewhat plain cup. He stepped closer, but stopped as he suddenly realized he was not alone.A woman was walking towards the altar, her brown hair pulled away from her face in many small braids, a tattered red dress that contrasted greatly to her pale white skin hugged her body in a very flattering way. Her blood red lips was curved in an unnerving smirk, and her unnatural blue eyes pierced his soul as she came closer. “You’re that woman who tried to poison me,” He stated as he realized who she was. “Clever boy. You realized it was for you then,” She said arrogantly as she reached the altar and laid her hand on the base of the cup. “You’ve come for the cup of life I presume?” She picked it up and stroked her fingers over the golden surface. “I need water from the cup of life to save Prince Arthur,” He took a step closer, trying to make himself look imposing although he felt very nervous. “You know about the life saving properties in the water from this cup. Do you know it also craves a life in exchange of giving life?” Her eyes glide up from the cup to look at him. “Do you think you can do that? Murder an innocent person, just to bring your friend back?” Her smirk turned into a full blown grin. She waved her hand, and suddenly three filthy looking people were brought forth by the invisible force of magic. Their hands were bound behind their backs. They were all women in different stages of life. One was old, around the age of Gaius, one was a young adult, around Morgana’s or Arthur’s age, and the last one was but a mere child, not more than 3 summers old. Merlin stared at them in horror as the woman in red went over to a trickle of water coming out from a hole in the wall, and filled the cup with the water. She came back to the altar and set the cup down before she found a small bottle in the folds of her dress, and proceeded to fill it with the water from the cup. “Here is your water, but you may not have it until you’ve made your choice,” She held out the bottle, and gestured to the now kneeling women. “Who do you choose as your sacrifice? The old one who has lived her life to the fullest and will die soon enough anyway? The grown up who has enjoyed the best years of her life to the fullest, and only have darker years ahead? Or the youngest, who has only just started her life, and thus do not know of the joys, nor the hardships of the life ahead of her?” Merlin could not take his eyes off the women. They all seemed like they had given up as they gazed at the ground they were kneeling on. None of them even looked up at him. It was as if they had done this countless times before, which was a horrible thought. “None of them,” Merlin blurted after a few moments. “What?” The woman in the red dress shot him an irritated look. “Well Then I have no need for them, do I?” she grinned and readied to strike. Merlin’s eyes widened in fear as he realized what she was about to do, and his magic reacted to his feelings, shooting out of him to protect the innocent women in front of him. A magic shield encased them. The sorceress’ expression turned dark, and her whole attention was now on Merlin. He felt like running. She was a strong sorceress, a priestess of the old religion named Nimueh, If he remembered correctly from all the information Gaius had provided ever since he recovered from the poison. He shot the three innocent people a look, and knew he could not run. They’d be killed if he ran, and Arthur would die without the water from the cup of life. His wide eyes turned back to her, just in time to see the ball of fire approaching him. He dove out of the way, and pulled up a shield around himself just in time to avoid being burnt by the exploding fire as it hit a wall behind him. Stones from the wall rained around him, crashing against his shield. He shot out a hand, sending a fireball of his own towards her, but it was weak, compared to hers. She snuffed it out with the back of her hand, glaring at him. “Your childish tricks won’t work on me,” she snarled, and her hand shot out towards him, her fingers curling inwards. The ground beneath him started shaking and crumbling, and out from the cracks came roots, curling around him. He panicked for a moment, not knowing what to do to escape being crushed by the roots. He closed his eyes, and concentrated on his breathing, and managed to set fire to them. They retreated fast, as if they had a mind of their own. Just as he got back on his feet, he was hit in the chest by searing hot fire. He was thrown back, crashing against the ruined stone wall. It felt as if his lungs collapsed. He gasped for breath that wouldn’t come. His back felt crushed, and his chest felt like it was still burning. Smoke whirled from the burn and he felt sick from the smell. “It is time for you to die,” Nimueh spat, and once again aimed her hand at him. On instinct, he threw up his own hand. Clouds darkened overhead, and an ominous rumbling caught her attention. She looked up in confusion, and when she realized what was happening, it was already too late. The intense heat of the lightning hit her, the effect of it strengthened by magic. Soon, flesh and cloth was raining all over the ruins, as an unnatural screech was heard among the rumbling thunder. Merlin, who had just managed to take a breath, rolled over and vomited. The pain and the smell, and the horrible thing he had just done all crashed together in his injured body, making him sick and weak. He heaved and gasped, curling in on himself. He knew he had to go back to Camelot soon, but his body hurt so much he didn’t know if he could even make it back on his feet. He’d lain there for a while when the old woman came over to him. He’d completely forgotten about them. He looked up at her through squinting eyes, pain and exhaustion written all over his face. She knelt by him, and reached a hand over to wipe his face with a wet cloth. “You saved us,” She stated quietly. “I never thought we would get away from here alive, but you saved us,” She smiled warmly at him and continued washing his face. He was glad she did. That way, his skin could absorb the water he greatly needed by now. He sighed in relief when it started raining as well. The old woman helped him up when he had finally gotten his breath back, and felt like he could move without collapsing. The other woman was carrying the little girl, who were hiding her face in her neck. She thanked him over and over for saving her and her child. She handed him the small bottle Nimueh had put the water from the cup of life in. They all made their way to the pier where the boat still was, and crossed the lake. The women helped him to his horse, and assured him they would be alright on their own. He hesitated for only a moment, but knew he really needed to get that water to Arthur, and bid them good luck before he spurred his horse onward.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin stumbled through the Castle’s hallways. It was the middle of the night, and the guards had nearly kept him from entering through the gates, until they’d realized who he was. He had handed the horse’s reins to one of the guards in the courtyard as there was no stable hand to take care of it, and he didn’t have time to do so himself. And now he was alone in the corridors of the castle, making his way to the Prince’s chambers. He pushed the doors open, staggering inside. Gaius was asleep in a chair by the bed, and Arthur was still as ever in the bed. He was barely breathing at this point, and Merlin hurried over to the bed. He leaned over his prince, pulling his mouth open, and poured the water into his mouth. It wasn’t much. A few drops trickled down between the Prince’s lips. He stepped back and watched his friend. The stress of it all came crashing down on him, and he knew he was about to tip over the edge. When nothing happened for a few minutes, he crumbled. He was supposed to protect his prince! The water was supposed to save arthur! He felt the tears gathering in his eyes, and he brought his hands up to his mouth. He couldn’t have failed. He just couldn’t have! He pressed his eyes shut and felt the tears run down his face as he fell to his knees. His legs refused to support him any longer. He grabbed his hair and pulled, a scream threatening to burst from him. “Merlin?” Merlin looked up into the worried face of his uncle. Tears were still streaming down his face and his breathing was coming too fast. The physician knelt by him, and took hold of his shoulders, looking straight into his eyes. “Merlin, Try follow my breathing,” Gaius said, and exaggerated his own breathing to give Merlin a rhythm to follow. They sat there breathing together until Merlin had calmed down. Gaius wiped the tears from his nephew's cheeks and gently asked him to tell what happened. As Merlin put into words what had happened on the Isle of the Blessed, Gaius looked him over. The poor boy had a nasty burn on his chest, and seemed to have hit his head again, although not as bad as the first time. That said, it seemed the instinctual magic that had prevented him from feeling the effects of the first hit, was starting to wear off. The merman seemed to be hurting in other than the obvious places as well, and Gaius guessed there would be several bruises to go with his wounds based on Merlin’s tale. “All we can do now, is wait. If the water from the cup of life indeed will cure him, we have no way to know how long it would take,” Gaius told the boy. Merlin nodded and dragged himself over to sit against the cupboard beside the Prince’s bed. He was so exhausted, he needed something to lean against to not crumble completely to the floor. The old man slowly got back to his feet and went to his medicine bag to find something to sooth the burn at least. He found an ointment which he carefully rubbed into his ward’s burn wound. Merlin sat against the cupboard beside Arthur’s bed, struggling to stay awake on Gaius’ orders through the rest of the night. The next morning found the servant asleep, as the King entered his son’s chambers. “Sire!” Gaius stood as he realized it was the King who had entered. The man looked troubled, understandably so, considering he had been told his son was dying. “Any change?” He asked as he made his way over to the other side of the bed, and paused, looking at the filthy servant sleeping in a very uncomfortable position. “Why is my son’s manservant sleeping on the floor of his master’s chambers?” he asked after a moment of silence. “I’m sorry my lord, he came back from a very dangerous trip to find a herb I discovered could be the Prince’s last chance at recovery, and refused to leave his side until he knew the outcome. He was too exhausted and injured to move on his own after delivering what I needed, so I let him stay to be able to keep an eye on the both of them,” Gaius paused a moment. “I apologize on behalf of the boy, but I beg you to refrain from punishing him this one time, as he once again risked his life for the Prince,” He added in a soft voice. He seldom talked to his King like that any more. After the purge, things had gotten strained between the two friends, but sometimes Gaius found himself using that voice again. A moment passed, before the King nodded. “Very well. You speak of a herb that may help? Did you not say there was no cure?” to anyone else it sounded like the King dismissed all possibilities for the herb to cure his son, but Gaius knew better. He could hear the faint fragile hope in the King’s voice. “Indeed my lord. I have been thinking, and leafing through every book I have on herbs and remedies, and I remembered a very rare plant that I once stumbled over that had properties that might be able to cure him of this poison. It is, however, a very dangerous journey. One which I could not do myself, and Merlin was the only one I could send out for it. I administered the draught in the night, and all we can do now is wait to see if it worked,” Gaius was proud of himself for coming up with that lie so fast, though he felt awful for lying to his King. Uther considered this for a moment as he watched his son. The Prince was still pale, and had still not woken up, but to the King, it seemed his breathing had changed for the better. As the King watched, Gaius approached to check Arthur’s breathing and heartbeat. The old man listened to the Prince’s chest, and stood to look his King in the eye. “Both his breathing and his heartbeats have improved, your highness,” he stated. “He is healing,” They both startled at the groan, although the King hid it better than the physician. They looked down to see Merlin blinking awake. He moved sluggishly where he sat, and moaned in discomfort. He squinted and blinked at the King. His eyes widened in fear, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he realized who exactly was standing in front of him. “Calm yourself, boy. You have been excused,” Uther’s voice was stern as always, and for a moment, Merlin had no clue what he was talking about. Then he realized where he was, and what the King thought about servants sleeping in the royal chambers. As the King turned his attention back to Gaius, Merlin did his best to clamber to his feet without drawing too much attention to himself. Just as he got back on his feet, everyone’s attention was brought to the bed at the sound of a deep breath, sounding almost like a yawn. Arthur was moving around a bit before he opened his eyes. He blinked confusedly at the sight of the Physician, the King, and a very exhausted looking manservant all staring down at him. “Arthur!” The King burst out and without thinking, he kneeled on the floor by the bed, pulling the Prince’s hand into his own. Gaius quietly ushered Merlin out of the chambers to give the King and his son a little privacy. “He’s alive,” Merlin breathed as they had closed the door behind them. “We did it Gaius, he’s alive!” He grinned and Gaius smiled back. It didn’t last long though, as he was supporting more and more of his nephew’s weight. He knew the boy was exhausted, and still had wounds that needed attention. He was about to ask the guard at the Prince’s door for some help, when he saw the man approaching. “Do you require assistance?” The guard asked before the old man could even open his mouth.
“Yes, thank you, that would be most welcome,” Gaius nodded, and the guard bent down and lifted the servant up onto his shoulders, and followed the physician to his chambers. The fact that Merlin had stayed silent, and not protested at all, was a sign of how exhausted he truly was. He was carefully laid down on the patient’s cot, and Gaius tended to him well into the morning. The old man smiled. The boy was going to be just fine. As was the Prince.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Morgana became more and more wild eyed the longer she went without anyone helping her with her magic. Merlin had noticed this, although she tried to hide it. After the questing beast, and Arthur’s near death experience, she had shrunk back from them, always coming up with excuses not to be with them. She even pushed Gwen away as far as she could. Her nightmares had increased and gotten worse.
One night, a horrible fire burst to life in her room, destroying most of her belongings and shattering the glass in her windows. The King had been convinced there was someone trying to murder his ward and had sent out a great force to find the culprit, as well as having guards close to her at all times. She had been terrified after that night. Gaius determined she was in shock.
One evening, Gaius and Merlin sat discussing the events around Arthur’s recovery from the questing beast. Merlin had finally relented, telling the old man what had happened that day.
“Merlin, I must ask, you’ve had such strong reactions to the deaths you caused. Don’t misunderstand me, I would too, but being a Prince, you must have been trained to withstand such things. Have you not worked along the knights and having to kill for the safety of your people?” Gaius asked gently. He had been wondering about this for a while now.
“Ah, that. Well, you’re right, I was trained. The problem is that I never managed to go through with any of it. Sure, a monster destroying a village I could handle killing as long as there’s no other way, but a person? Whether it be human or merperson, I could never stomach it. I have done so to protect my people, but I could never go unfaced. I have always reacted strongly to it. Killing is a horrible thing, no matter the intention,” Merlin looked away, remembering all the nightmares he still suffered. He thanked the gods he had not yet woken Gaius up with his screams.
“You’re a good man, Merlin. I’m glad someone like you is the heir to the throne under the surface. Perhaps there will finally be peace in this world,” Gaius smiled.
“Except they all think I’m dead, and the knights think I’m too weak to ever be King,” He replied with a sad smile.
They both jumped at the quiet knock on the door, and watched as Morgana carefully opened the door to look inside.
“Gaius, I was wondering if you have some more of that sleeping draught,” She said, not really looking at any of them.
“Ye-”
“I’m sorry, Morgana, the draught isn’t quite ready yet. I will bring it up to you shortly,” Merlin interrupted his uncle and smiled apologetically. Morgana’s eyes widened a bit and she looked up at them for only a moment, before nodding and closing the door as she left.
“What are you planning?” Gaius watched the boy with suspicion etched all over his face.
“What? Did you finish the draught earlier? How could I have missed that?” Merlin smiled innocently and grabbed the bottle from the shelf. “I’ll bring it to her after putting the Prince to bed. I guess it’s about time for that now,” he grinned and left the old man’s chambers.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It had been surprisingly easy to assist Arthur to bed. He had been so exhausted after a long day of training and other hard work that he had undressed himself and was already on his way to bed when Merlin arrived. By the time Merlin had stoked the fire and blown out the candles, the Prince was already asleep.
He’d walked slowly to Morgana’s chambers, hoping Gwen was finished for the day. Just as he knocked on the door, Gwen opened it and they both stood there, surprised. Usually, Morgana would have found it very entertaining, but she just sat at the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
“I was just leaving, should I wait?” Gwen asked Merlin quietly.
“No, you may leave. I only wanted to speak to her about the draught- it’s quite boring stuff,” He grinned and watched her leave. After waiting for a moment he silently locked the door, and secretly cast a silencing spell to keep the guards away before coming to stand by Morgana’s bed.
Her eyes flickered towards him before going down to her lap.
“Just set it down over there and leave me,”
“You have magic,” Merlin decided to just jump right into it. Wide frightened eyes shot up to stare at him.
“What?” Her voice had an almost dangerous quality to it. For a moment, the image of a crazy evil witch wearing Morgana’s sweet face flashed across his imagination. The dragon had told him she was destined to be his enemy, to become evil. He refused to believe it. Not Morgana.
“You have magic, Morgana. That’s why you have these terrible nightmares, that’s why your room set itself on fire,” He spoke gently, trying not to frighten her more than she already was.
Something like anger flashed across her eyes, and suddenly she was on her feet.
“Get out!” she hissed.
“No, Morgana, I came to tal-” but he could not even manage to finish his sentence before he was thrown against the wall and held there by a powerful but frightened force. He could feel her fear in her magic, and it was trying to protect her. However, it was so out of control, it tried to suffocate him. He held her gaze as he struggled to breathe against the wall. He could see her shock and confusion very clearly.
“What is happening?!” she cried, and then she realized why Merlin was making those choked off sounds. He was being strangled. “Merlin!” She didn’t want him to die! He was watching her with so much trust in his eyes, and she had no idea what to do. As he gasped for air that wouldn’t come, she shouted inside her mind to let him go. She repeated it over and over again. Let him go!
“Let him go,” she whispered. It was as if she’d blown out a candle. One moment Merlin was pinned to the wall, choking, and the next he crumpled to the floor, gulping one precious breath after another.
“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” She fell to her knees in front of him.
“I… I’m alright… Just… Give me a moment,” he sucked in deep breaths and tried to calm his frantic heart.
“I’ll get you some water,” Morgana turned to get up, but was stopped by a hand to her wrist. She looked back to see Merlin smiling at her. Suddenly, his eyes flashed golden, and he moved his gaze to look behind her. She sucked in a breath of her own and turned to see the pitcher of water, and a cup floating over to them. They landed gently in her hands, and she stared in awe at them, before turning her gaze to Merlin.
“You have magic,” she breathed. Merlin smiled at her as he rubbed his neck. She seemed to remember herself, and poured water into the cup, then offered it to the servant. He took it gratefully and drank, the cold water soothing his throat.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. It could perhaps have spared you all the fear you’ve been going through. I want to amend that now, and help you control your magic,” Morgana looked down to the pitcher, and filled Merlin’s cup once more. His voice was rough and she hoped the water would help him.
“Is… Is there no way to remove it?” her voice trembled a bit. Merlin sighed and an apologetic frown found it’s way to his face.
“That’s not possible I’m afraid… But I can teach you how to control it. I was born with it, and where I come from it’s not illegal, so I know a couple of tricks to gain control over it,” a couple of tears rolled down the Lady’s face, and Merlin reached out to wipe them away. She looked up at him then and nodded. Morgana took a deep breath, and wiped at her face with her sleeves, and that strong, authoritative look came back into her eyes.
“Please help me control this thing,” it was more an order than a request, really, but Merlin was happy for it.
“As you wish, my Lady,” he said in an exaggerated tone and bowed slightly where he sat. It brought a smile and a laugh from Morgana and she slapped him slightly in the shoulder for it.
“After such an outburst, I think you’ll be safe for tonight. I don’t think it’s wise to try work on it for now, but I’ll try sneak up again tomorrow and we’ll see if we can do the basics then. We need to find some place safe in the woods to practice, though,” They both got to their feet and Morgana seemed to think on it for a moment before meeting his gaze again.
“I think I know a place. It shouldn’t be too hard to get out there, as long as there haven’t been any reports of bandits lately,” she said with a wink. He knew she would get whatever she wished from the King. She had a remarkable talent for it.
“I don’t doubt it. I need to go, or the guards will have my head. Good night, my Lady,” he bowed again with a grin, and jumped away just in time to avoid the slap from Morgana. She had a grin on her face as well, and bid him good night in return.
Merlin silently unlocked the door, removed the silencing spell and slipped out into the corridor.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin used his evenings to sneak in and out of Morgana’s chambers to teach her magic control. A few nights, she managed to sneak down to the physician’s chambers after Merlin assured her that Gaius knew and would keep their secret. The old man had been disapproving to begin with, but seeing how much calmer Morgana grew every time she succeeded in learning something new made him see how good it was for her. In return, Morgana taught Merlin how to use daggers to defend himself.
Arthur was more than pissed off every time they returned from their trips to the forest to train each other. He had tried going to the King, but had been shut down because Morgana had specifically requested Merlin on these trips of hers. Gwen was confused at their sudden closeness and secret outings, but was happy that her Lady was coming back to her normal self.
When the poor druid girl had been brought to Camelot, Merlin had snuck off on his own. He’d been so preoccupied that he hadn’t even remembered his and Morgana’s training sessions. Morgana had figured he was the one hiding the girl that had vanished from a locked cage, and when she cornered him about it one night, he’d refused to tell her anything.
The night Arthur had dealt the fatal blow to the giant winged cat, Merlin had vanished completely. For a while his friend’s all thought he must have been one of the beast’s latest victims, until he came walking through the gates the next evening, deathly pale and sick looking.
Gaius had told them the boy had been out collecting herbs for him, and had gotten sick from a special plant he’d touched. Morgana, however, didn’t believe this story, and visited the boy to hear his story. It had ended in tears and agony. He revealed that the beast had been the druid girl, and that she had a curse on her. He’d been working to find a way to free her from the curse, and they’d fallen in love in the process. Merlin didn’t tell Morgana, but he’d related so much to the girl’s curse. The fact that he really was a merman, and all. Except he didn’t transform unwillingly, like she did.
Merlin told Lady Morgana of how he’d brought the dying girl to a lake deep in the forest, a place that looked exactly like the home of her dreams. He’d decorated a boat with flowers and sent her dead body floating out on the lake.
Morgana had pulled him into a hug, and he’d not been able to keep it in any longer. He cried in her arms, and she held him until he gave in to the exhaustion. A few tears fell from her own eyes at the boy’s pain. As she left, Gaius thanked her for being there for his boy. Of course he’d known what had happened. Not in detail, but enough to understand what Merlin was going through.
And then Morgause happened. Arthur had mistakenly underestimated her combat skills, and had lost the battle. She had spared his life in exchange for a promise to meet her at a sacred temple ruin. Before leaving, she added that she had information about his mother.
That was how Merlin found Arthur by the stables, checking his horse over. The Prince had said nothing to his servant about leaving for the meeting with the blonde woman, but of course Merlin knew.
“What are you doing here, Merlin? Aren’t you off to a lazy picnic date with Morgana?” Arthur tried to be mocking, but the bitterness lacing his voice made it obvious how he really felt about it. Merlin realized the prince felt abandoned. That he felt like Merlin was abandoning him to be with Morgana. He thought about it and was shocked to find he had almost not seen Arthur at all lately. That needed to change. After all, he was here to protect the young Prince. Arthur tried to cover it up with annoyance, but Merin saw through him.
“I’m going with you. Someone needs to watch your back,” Merlin grinned. It only earned a disbelieving glare from the Prince.
“
You
watching
my
back? Don’t be daft Merlin,”
“I’m stronger than I look!” he insisted and went into the stables to get a horse of his own. He diligently saddled it, talking as he worked. “I’m going with you no matter what you say,” he continued as he exited the stables with the horse nudging his back.
“Fine, I could always use someone to boss around,” there was a mischievous glint in Arthur’s eyes as he said this.
Before Merlin managed to mount the horse, Arthur had his in a trot down the road. Merlin scrambled to get on top of the poor animal before hurrying after the Prince, trying not to fall off.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Morgause stood tall and beautiful by the altar. On the wall behind her, red roses climbed up the stone.
“Your father killed your mother through magic,” she said after standing there in silence, watching them for a while. She held up her hand to stop Arthur from shouting at her. “Your mother could not conceive. In her younger years she caught a sickness that destroyed her fertility. Your parents were desperate for an heir, and Uther made a pact with the high priestess Nimueh. To exchange one life for yours. That life was your mother’s,” she looked down, as if in grief.
Arthur was speechless. Should he believe this woman? He certainly couldn’t. His father hated magic. It was the source of all evil, he said. But then again, could this be the reason? Had he really exchanged Ygraine’s life for the sole purpose of producing an heir?
He wanted to pull out his sword and run it through the woman’s gut. Then he saw the blue from Merlin’s tunic in his peripheral vision as the servant reached out to lightly lay his hand on the Prince’s arm. Arthur decided to stay his sword for the moment.
“Do you have proof of these accusations?” he growled. The woman looked at him with sorrowful eyes, and shook her head.
“I’m afraid not. Though, I can let you see her,” she paused, letting it sink in. “To give you a chance to ask her yourself,” she finished, her intense gaze held Arthur’s, all sorrow and sympathy gone, traded for cold hard… something. The Prince couldn’t read her. He felt Merlin’s fingers tighten their hold on his arm.
“You’re lying. She died when I was born! The dead can not be brought back” he growled. This time, he reached for his sword.
“DO NOT desecrate this temple by pulling weapons!” Morgause almost screeched. “I cannot bring her back, no. But I can call her soul,” she added more calmly. “It is your choice,”
Arthur had no clue what to do. If this woman was speaking truth, he had a chance to see his mother… however, if she was lying, this could all be a trap. Perhaps the sorceress needed his consent for some enchantment, and knew he would never give it freely. He looked over at Merlin for just a moment. His servant was watching him with a thoughtful expression. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the sorceress.
“Let me see her,” now he didn’t consent to anything, other than seeing his mother.
“As you wish” She lifted her hands, her palms facing upwards. She murmured in a strange language, looking towards the sky.
For a moment, nothing happened. Arthur waited and waited, and turned toward Merlin to give him an annoyed look, when he realized the sorceress’s voice sounded far away, and there were no natural sounds. As he looked at Merlin, he saw him frozen in time. Or, almost. It was as if everything had slowed down so much it was almost as if everything stood completely still.
He turned, looking around himself. Everything was in the same slow motion, except himself.
“Arthur?” a beautiful melodious voice drew his attention back around. There, not far from the sorceress stood one of the most beautiful women he had laid eyes upon. Her pale golden hair was pulled up at the back, but in the front, some of it flowed down in perfect ringlets. Her eyes the same piercing blue as his own, her pale skin a great contrast to her red lips. Her hair was adorned with gold and pearls, and her golden dress flowed beautifully around her. Arthur’s breath left him where he stood. He stared in shock at the woman he thought he would never see. He had once seen a portrait of her for a few seconds before his father had thrown him out. He had not seen it since and suspected his father of hiding it.
“Arthur, my boy!” she exclaimed with a teary smile. She stepped closer, her arms reaching out towards him, but hesitated, just watching him with so much love he felt his throat close up.
“Mother…?” he croaked. He would never admit that to Merlin, or anyone else for that matter. It was one thing to croak from a sore or dry throat or something the like, but from such an overwhelming feeling like this? No. He would not let anyone know.
No matter how hard he tried to stay stoic, he felt his eyes prickling with tears, and the lump in his throat would not leave him be. He stepped forward and could feel the love and warmth emitting from Ygraine. If possible, her smile grew warmer, and finally, finally, her arms wrapped around him. He could not keep his eyes dry then.
“Shhh, love, mum’s here,” She soothed, gently stroking his hair. She pulled away to look at him, and wiped his tears away with her thumbs as she held his face in her hands. She kissed his forehead gently.
“Is it true?” he asked when he got his voice back. “Am I the reason you died? Did father trade your life for an heir?” her smile turned to a frown at his question.
“My dear boy, don’t you ever think this was your fault. Don’t you dare. This was my and Uther's choice. None of us knew what would happen, other than we knew a life had to be given in return. It was not a light choice to make, but we had prisoners awaiting a death sentence for murder and tried to bargain their lives instead of some innocent child… However, Nimueh informed us before the ritual, that she had no control over the exchange. She could not guarantee who would be taken in return. Your father wanted to back down at this. He didn’t want any innocent person to suffer for us. I was the one who pushed us both on. But… as Nimueh finished the ritual, I knew. I knew it would be me. I never told him. I didn’t want him to suffer…” She trailed off. Her gaze had moved to the ground, but then she looked back up at him with such a sad expression on her face. “I never really left… I’ve been by your side ever since, and I’ve seen what he has done. It pains me to know I caused him to do such things…" she smiled sadly. "I hope you will not look as darkly upon magic as your father does... Magic is not evil, it is a tool to be wielded. Much like a sword. I think you know that, deep inside you," her smile turned more happy at that. She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "There's not much time left, my son. But know this: I'll always be by your side," she leaned in and kissed his forehead.
Arthur was speechless. The lump in his throat had taken over completely. Tears ran down his face as he watched her take a step back. But then, she seemed to realize something. She looked over his shoulder to where Merlin stood. A sympathetic look graced her features, and she made her way over to him. Arthur's eyes widened in confusion and surprise when she took his servant's face into her hands, stroking him gently. She leaned in to whisper something into those ridiculously big ears. Merlin stood as frozen as ever as she stepped back with a pat to his cheek. She smiled at Arthur again.
"Take care of yourselves," she whispered.
Arthur blinked, and everything was back to normal. Time was no longer going slowly, the sounds of life was back, and the sorceress was trailing off her chant.
A gasp caught his attention. Merlin was crying when he looked at him. It made the prince wonder what his mother could have told him. And how could he even have heard it considering he had been as frozen in time as everything else? He decided to ask his servant on their journey back. He wiped at his eyes and straightened up.
"Did you get your answers?" the woman asked. There was something cold and calculating in her eyes. As if she was planning for something. Something bad. He guessed from their conversation earlier that she was hoping he would go against his father. Perhaps she had even planned to conjure an illusion of his mother rather than her real soul. Or perhaps she had hoped the rumors she had heard was true, that his father had done everything on purpose.
“Yes,” He replied in short. He decided to keep his face stony and blank to not reveal his thoughts.
“Good,” she said. She watched him closely for a moment. “I will leave you to it then,” She added, and after a moment she left.
Arthur stood still, listening after her for a while. Merlin, thank the gods, kept quiet. Then, he grabbed Merlin’s arm and they made their way out of there.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The fire warmed their faces with it’s orange-yellow glow. It was dark around them as they sat close to the small campfire, relaxing after the long day of travel. They had not said much the whole way, and the prince was boiling over with curiosity to know what his mother had told the other man. He was thinking so much about it, he jumped slightly at his servant’s voice.
“You look like her,” he uttered quietly. Arthur frowned.
“I… what? How do you know?” there was a slight blush on his cheeks from hearing that as he considered his mother to be more beautiful than any woman he had seen. He was glad it was dark out.
“I… saw her. It was strange, because it was for such a short moment, but then again, it did feel longer in some ways. She…” Merlin trailed off. He looked lost in thought for a moment before he continued. “She told me to take care of you,” He looked seriously at Arthur for a moment, before that huge grin took over. “I guess she knows you can’t even dress yourself,”
Arthur was stunned into silence for a moment. “You can’t talk to me like that!” he burst out, but the glint in his eyes said otherwise. “Idiot,” he said fondly and pushed at Merlin before they both burst out laughing.
As Merlin took the first watch, he thought about his encounter with the Queen. She had radiated such warmth he had wondered for a moment if he had come home to his own parents. Oh how he missed them. Especially his mother. She must be heartbroken from his disappearance. But he knew he could not go home. After what he heard from Gaius, he likely would never be able to swim properly again. He hadn’t dared to transform again to see for himself. As he thought about this, he realized he’d gone too long without water, and pulled out his water skin. He made sure Arthur was asleep before he lifted his tunic and poured water over himself before drinking from the skin. His thoughts went back to Arthur’s mother. She had approached him with a warm and sympathetic smile, and had put her hands on either side of his face, stroking gently. Then, she had leant in, and whispered something only for his ears.
“Thank you, dear one, for keeping my baby safe. I am sorry for everything you’ve gone through… I hope you will continue keeping him, and yourself, safe, and I hope the future will bring you and your kind freedom,” She smiled as she stepped back, patting his cheek lightly before things were back to normal. He was so overwhelmed by her words, he could not help the tears that flowed down his cheeks at the time. Even now, just thinking back almost brought the tears back.
Merlin sniffed, but couldn’t help but smile. He looked back at the sleeping form of Arthur. He would definitely keep that prat safe.
It happened way too fast. Merlin had even enhanced his hearing with magic so as to catch anyone sneaking up on them long before they got close, but somehow this person had managed to get close without him hearing it. His only warning was the sound of a branch breaking. He stood, called out for Arthur, and then he was thrown back by a powerful magic attack. He crashed onto the dying campfire and rolled across the ground. As he groaned in discomfort, he heard Arthur shouting and steel clashing. He looked up to see Arthur pressing his sword against the sword of the sorcerer attacking them. Maybe he wasn’t as strong as he’d made himself out to be since he was using a sword already. And as Merlin pushed himself up, Arthur pierced the man’s chest. Merlin just stared at him.
“Well that was anticlimactic,” he commented as he rubbed his chest. Arthur just shot him a baffled look. “Well you know, usually when someone gets attacked it ends up being very dramatic and stuff… But this guy just got in one hit and then he lost. Anticlimactic,” He defended and brushed the dirt off his clothes. Arthur just snorted in reply.
“Sometimes I wonder if you really like it when things go to hell. Are you alright?” Arthur eyed Merlin as he rubbed at his chest again.
“Ah, oh, yeah. It’s just a bit sore, nothing to worry about,” he grinned. He did feel somewhat strange, but he thought it might just be the tumble across the ground that did it.
“Well, try to get some rest at least. I’ll take over the watch now,” as if on cue, Merlin yawned loudly.
“That sounds like a good idea,”
The night progressed without any further disturbances, and they made good time back to Camelot the next morning.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The King had been furious when Arthur got back, and as a result, the prince was sent back out on a patrol. Arthur had been too flabbergasted to argue, because his father usually locked him in his room or something the like if he disobeyed him.
Just before leaving, Arthur caught sight of his servant trying to do his job. He looked ready to drop and he did look a little paler than usual.
“Merlin, go get some rest before you end up sick and skip your duties,” Arthur had aimed for annoyance, but some worry had crept into him. Merlin sniffed and looked back at him with slightly bleary eyes.
“But Sire, am I not going with you?” his voice sounded a bit off, like his nose was clogged.
“No Merlin, it’s just a simple patrol. Besides I don’t want you fainting in the middle of the woods. Go rest up. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow!” he patted the man on the back and slightly pushed him in the direction of Gaius’ chambers at the same time. This time, Merlin did as he was told. Which was a slight miracle. He grinned to himself and mounted his horse. The patrol left soon after.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Gaius had left to look after a sick child in the lower town. He would be coming home late that night, or perhaps the next morning, he’d told Gwen. He had asked her to rely the message to his nephew.
She knew Merlin had gotten back with Arthur earlier that day, and the Prince had left without him soon after. It had been a few hours since the Prince left, and Gwen hadn’t seen Merlin since. She figured he was in his room, likely resting. He had seemed tired when he got back after all. She’d been busy with work all that time, and just now had gotten some free time to check on him before she had to tend to her lady.
Opening the door to the physician’s chambers, she found the main room empty. She walked in and headed for Merlin’s door, but hesitated. She knew of his condition when it came to hydration and decided to bring a pitcher of water with her to make sure he drank enough. She picked up the pitcher Gaius always kept at the ready, and smiled to herself as she made for the door. She knocked, and waited for a reply, but got none. Deciding he was probably sleeping, she opened the door.
The pitcher smashed to the ground and she let out a loud gasp, stepping back in shock. Merlin was lying facedown on the floor, his arms stretched toward the door as if he’d been trying to crawl to it. But that was not the worst of it. There was a long… tail. There was no other word for it. A long fish like tail that seemed to start at his hips, was lying half on the floor and half on the bed. It looked as though he had been on the bed, fallen off and tried to crawl to the door. He looked dry, and was definitely unconscious.
A scream wanted to tear itself out of her, but at the same time she couldn’t let out any sound. She closed the door back up and touched her hand to her mouth, staring at the closed door. She couldn’t believe what she had seen. It was impossible. She had to be seeing things. Shakily she reached out to open the door a crack and look into the room again. She shut it quickly when the same sight met her.
She ran.
Confusion and shock took over her mind. She wandered through the corridors of the castle, not really knowing where she was going. She only realized where she was when she was shaken slightly by Morgana.
“Gwen?!” her melodious voice broke through the confused haze she had fallen into. The lady was gripping her shoulders. “Gwen, what’s wrong?” she watched her with worry etched on her face.
“Mer…” she trailed off, unable to explain. She stared at Morgana in shock.
“Mer…? Merlin?” Morgana tried to clarify. Gwen could only nod. “What about him? What happened?” Gwen opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She stood frozen for a moment before she shook her head and grabbed Morgana’s hand and dragged her with her a few steps before letting go, walking respectably, but still leading Morgana in the right direction. Soon, Morgana understood where they were going and picked up the pace.
Entering the physician’s chambers, Gwen closed and locked the door. Morgana frowned at her.
“We can’t let anyone else see…” She whispered. She was still staring ahead, not really taking much in. Then she pushed away from the door and walked towards Merlin’s room. Morgana followed, and as Gwen reached forward to push the door open, she swallowed.
The door slid open, and they both stared.
“Oh…” Morgana let out after a moment of silence. “That actually explains a whole lot,” she mumbled. Then, she shook her head and focused. Merlin was unconscious on the floor, his legs exchanged for a fish like tail. Her eyes widened as she took in the tail. It was littered with scars on on one side, and his fins on the same side was shredded. “He’s crippled,” she gasped.
Gwen was finally looking more alert. She followed Morgana’s gaze and realized she hadn’t even seen it until now. Shame flowed through her at her reaction earlier. So what if Merlin had hidden his true shape. He was still Merlin. At least, she hoped.
“He must be drying out completely!” Morgana breathed and shot past her to kneel by his side, reaching out to brush her hand against his forehead and then moved towards his scales. “He has a fever! He’s barely breathing… Gwen! Have someone help you bring a tub in here!”
Gwen nodded, closed the door and ran off to do as Morgana ordered.
It didn’t take long before Gwen and another servant had brought the tub into the middle of the physician’s chambers. It was the only place big enough to keep the tub. And while Morgana stayed in Merlin’s room, watching over him, Gwen and the other servant filled the tub with water. At one point the other servant had dared to ask why they were filling a tub in the physician’s chambers. Gwen had taken a moment to answer, but had then lied about how Morgana had ordered it as a gift to the old man. It seemed to be a good enough answer for the servant, and it didn’t take too long for them to finish. Gwen shooed the servant off, and waited a moment before locking the door.
“The tub is ready,” she announced as she came back into the small room. Morgana had been trying to mop a soaked rag across Merlin’s back, but it didn’t seem to help much at all. Her eyes were red, as though she’d been crying at some point.
“Gwen… There’s something you need to know,” she whispered. She pulled herself together and met Gwen’s gaze. “I have magic. As does Merlin. He has been helping me control it ever since he found out,” her voice was firm and strong.
Gwen stared at her with wide eyes and swallowed hard.
Lady Morgana looked away from her and focused on her friend on the floor. She tried to get a good grip on him to lift him, but by accident she nicked her arm on one of the spikes on his back. She hissed and pulled her arm back to see blood seeping through the little cut. She drew a deep breath and tried again, even more careful this time to avoid cutting herself more. When she finally got a good enough grip, she started lifting, without asking Gwen to help. She got him a little off the floor, but it was obvious she was struggling.
“Come on Merlin, we need to get you in the water,” she grunted. Just as she’d gotten him to about the same height as the bed, she slipped on her dress and collapsed to the floor with Merlin halfway in her lap. There was no reaction from the boy at all, which scared her. “Gods! You’re heavier than you look!” she commented through her panting. “I’m sorry, I can’t lift you like this… I’m not sure I’m ready for this, but it’s the only way,” she murmured. After sending an apologetic look towards her maidservant, she murmured a spell and her eyes glowed golden. It drew a gasp from Gwen, but otherwise the maidservant didn’t move.
Morgana tried to lift him again, and this time it looked as if it was easier for her.
“What did you do?” Gwen breathed.
“I was aiming for a floating spell… I’m not entirely certain of what I did,” she looked confused, but wasn’t about to complain. “I think I might just have made him lighter,” she added. Morgana looked relieved when Gwen finally approached to assist her. “Careful! His spikes are sharp as knives!” she warned as Gwen was about to wrap her hands around Merlin’s tail. Gwen looked up into her eyes and nodded, before carefully getting hold of the colorful, but scarred tail.
It didn’t take long for them to get Merlin down to the tub, and after a bit of maneuvering and a few shallow cuts from those sharp spikes, they had finally gotten the boy in the tub. They stepped back.
“Err…” Gwen wringed her hands a bit. Most of Merlin’s tail was hanging out of the tub. There was no way they could soak the whole of him in such a small space. Morgana contemplated the situation for a bit. Then, she went back into the room and retrieved Merlin’s blanket, which she dumped into the water, making sure it got thoroughly soaked. She then pulled it over the tail. water sloshed everywhere, but they couldn’t care about that now.
“Do you think Gaius knows about… this?” Gwen asked, gesturing towards the tail.
“I haven’t the faintest idea. As of now I’m not even sure he really is Merlin’s uncle. However, if anyone can help him, Gaius can. We need to send word to him,” Morgana stepped up to Gaius’ work table and picked up a piece of empty parchment. She proceeded to write a message to the physician, signing her own name at the bottom before sealing it. “Do I look presentable?” she asked her maidservant as she straightened. Gwen fussed over her for a moment before nodding her approval.
Morgana made her way down the hall, looking regal and intimidating. She caught sight of a guard and called him over. Handing the parchment to the man, she used her most silky but dangerous voice as she told him; “Deliver this to the court physician. No one, and I mean NO ONE else is to know about this. Not even the King, am I clear? No one other than myself, the physician and my maidservant are allowed anywhere close to the physician’s chambers until I say otherwise, or you will face the consequences,” her gaze was piercing as she stared into his eyes. He paled at the thought of having Morgana’s wrath on him, nodded his affirmative, and scrambled off to do as ordered. Even the King feared her wrath, though he did a better job of hiding it, discreetly avoiding her whenever she was in that mood.
Grinning to herself, Morgana went back to the physician’s chambers to look after her friend.
Gwen was pouring water over Merlin’s head and face when Morgana re entered and locked the door behind her. The Lady’s expression changed to concern the moment her eyes turned to Merlin. It didn’t seem like the water was helping much. Then, something on his neck caught her attention. She could have slapped herself!
“Gwen, help me lower him further into the water,” she hurriedly ordered and took hold of the manservant. They lowered him so his whole neck was submerged, and watched. Gwen was confused as to why they needed to submerge him all the way to his lips, until she saw the tiny movement on his neck. Gods she felt stupid! Gills! The boy had gills. Of course he wouldn’t heal if he could barely breathe!
The girls bussied themselves with keeping their friend wet, until finally there was a hurried knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Morgana asked with her hand on the lock. She refused to let anyone in unless it was the physician himself.
“My Lady, you sent for me,” Gaius replied from the outside, sounding worried.
Drawing a deep breath, she unlocked the door to let the old man inside. He stopped dead in his tracks just inside the door.
The girls just knew he had already known about Merlin being a merman from his reaction.
“What happened?” he breathed.
“I don’t know, I found him collapsed on the floor of his room… I… I fetched Morgana, and he was so dry… We’ve been doing our best to keep him wet…” Gwen found herself tearing up as she thought back to her reaction to finding Merlin like this. She regretted that she’d ran away without making sure he was alive. He was her friend! how could she do something like that? Sure it was a great shock to realize he was a merman, and had magic, and that Morgana had magic. After all, magic was the reason for her father’s death. And magic was forbidden in Camelot. But that didn’t mean every magical being was evil, did it? and besides, they were her best friends. She couldn’t let something like that ruin it. Not when they hadn’t really done anything wrong to her.
Gaius finally snapped out of his shock and stepped up to the tub, reaching over to touch Merlin’s face.
“Do you know how long he was like this?”
“He could have been like this since you left for all we know. He was completely dry and barely breathing when I arrived,” Morgana answered the old man.
Gaius gently stroked his hand down the side of Merlin’s face, a pained expression on his face.
“You can never catch a break, can you, my dear boy,” he murmured. “All we can do for him is make sure he stays hydrated until he wakes up,” he looked up at the girls. “Thank you for taking care of him,” he added.
“He’s our friend, Gaius. Of course we’d care for him,” Morgana’s eyes were soft as she watched her friend, her mentor, finally breathing better. Then, her gaze traveled down to the blanket covered tail. “What happened to him? His tail is completely ripped…” a sympathetic frown found it’s way to her face.
Gaius sighed.
“It is not my story to tell, but I can tell you this. That is the reason he’s living on land. He was tricked and attacked. They attempted to murder him, and they very nearly succeeded. Lancelot saved his life by bringing him here. He would never survive in the sea like this. It’s crucial for the merfolk to be able to swim properly, or they will fall prey to all sorts of monsters. Merlin will never be able to swim efficiently like this,” There was such grief in the old man’s eyes; it spread over to the girls.
They all jumped sky high when suddenly there was a loud gasp from the tub, and then the flailing started.
Merlin’s eyes flew open, as wide as possible, the fear so evident that even the blind would see it.
“Get back!” Gaius shouted and they all stepped back just in time before the magical shield shot up around the boy. “Don’t touch it! That is no ordinary shield,” he warned as Morgana reached out. She pulled her hand back fast. Gaius picked up a tiny flower from the table and tossed it at the blue shimmering bubble. It went up in blue flames the instant it hit. They all swallowed audibly at that.
Inside the bubble, Merlin was thrashing and moaning in pain. His tail would suddenly whip to the side, or upwards, his hands hitting invisible targets as if he was fighting to free himself.
Gaius suddenly seemed to realize what was happening, and stepped up close to the bubble, without touching it.
“Merlin! Merlin, you’re safe! You’re in Camelot, the knights are gone! They don’t know where you are! You’re with me, Gaius!” As he catched his breath, he saw Morgana step closer.
“Merlin, I promise you no one here wants to hurt you. You’re safe with us. We’ll protect you,” her voice was filled with warmth.
“Merlin, we’re here for you, like you’re always there for us,” Gwen added with a smile in her voice.
Merlin hesitated for a moment, and let himself really look at where he was. The bubble finally shimmered away after a few moments. Tears were streaming down his face as he stared up into the ceiling.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He looked down on himself, his eyes still wide with fear, then he looked at the girls, and his eyes once again filled with tears. “I’m so sorry,” his voice trembled.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, my friend,” Morgana reassured him. She came closer and reached out to brush his hair away from his forehead. Gwen took a firm hold of his hand.
“Your secret is safe with us,” Gwen added and then she kissed his knuckles and grinned at him.
Merlin searched their faces for any trace of insincerity, but found none.
“Merlin, I need you to tell me what happened,” Gaius cupped his head gently, trying to catch his gaze. Merlin’s gaze flickered about for a moment, the fear still in him, but calming slowly. When he finally looked into the old man’s eyes, he looked as if all of his energy had seemed out of him.
“We… were attacked. By a sorcerer. He… hit me with a spell, but Arthur killed him… I think… I think he was after me…?” The merman’s eyes drooped, and Gaius patted his cheek to get his attention.
“Merlin, don’t fall asleep just yet. You should change back to human. Do you have the strength for it?” Merlin nodded very slowly at Gaius’s question. Then he turned his head towards the girls.
“Could… May I do this in private…?” he whispered, his tired eyes begging them to leave.
Gwen hesitated, and then she nodded with a reassuring smile. She ushered her lady outside and closed the door, but Morgana refused to go any further and they stood outside the physician’s chambers, waiting.
They startled at the scream that erupted from the other side of the door, and they looked at each other in shock. Their hearts hammered in panic, and their eyes filled with anguish at the pain filled scream that seemed like it would never end.
When silence finally returned, the physician shouted Merlin’s name, and at that, the girls couldn’t keep out any longer. They pushed through the door, to find Gaius pulling a very much human Merlin from underneath the water. The physician looked up in surprise as they burst back into the room, but didn’t comment. Merlin was unconscious in his arms, and it was clear Gaius didn’t want his head to drop back underneath the water. Morgana pulled the wet blanket from the floor and folded it so it behind Merlin so it would keep him from sinking too far in. Then, for modesty’s sake, Gwen pulled down a cloth from a cupboard and draped it over Merlin’s naked body.
“Will he be alright?” the serving girl wondered aloud.
“I believe he will, my dear,” Gaius smiled slightly. “He doesn’t seem to be under the influence of the spell any longer. He’s exhausted from fighting it, and that is most likely the reason he reverted back to merman form. His magic likely went wild in it’s process of ridding him of the curse,”
“So… if he gets very sick, or… or dies… He’ll turn back into a merman?” Gwen looked worried at her own question.
“That varies from merman to merman, from sickness to sickness, situation to situation. He might, and he might not. They never know, and that’s why it’s so dangerous for them to be on land. Especially now, when all magical beings are being killed on sight,” the old man sighed. “However, it is a gamble he must take, since going back to the ocean would almost certainly bring about his death,”
Silence returned to the room. Gaius finally ushered them out of his chambers, telling them to go rest. He promised to keep them updated on Merlin’s condition.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur went straight to Gaius’s chambers when he got back from the patrol. After he had reported to his father, that is. Merlin had gotten plenty of time to rest, so it was about time he returned to work now!
The Prince burst through the door to the physician’s chambers without knocking and stopped dead in his tracks as he found Gaius bent over the patient’s cot tending to a very pale Merlin.
“What happened?” he blurted out.
Gaius looked up for a moment before going back to wiping a wet cloth across the young man’s face.
“He fell ill, my lord,” Gaius said simply. “But I assure you he’ll be alright, and ready to go back to work after a bit of rest,” he added. Arthur realized he wasn’t acting very princely, and hurriedly pulled himself back together.
“Right, well, send word if his condition changes.” At that, he turned on his heel and left the chambers.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin was back at work the next day and it was almost as if nothing had ever ailed him. His memory of the day before was somewhat fuzzy, but he knew that Gwen and Morgana had seen his true form, and that Gwen was in on the magic secret as well. He wanted to tell Arthur, but he was terrified of the consequences.
He found it liberating that the girls knew of his secret. He could finally talk with someone other than Gaius about it again, and he ended up telling the girls the whole story, since they knew of his true form anyway.
“So you’re really a prince?!” they blurted out in unison, before covering their mouths with their hands as they remembered it was supposed to stay a secret.
Merlin nodded, laughing at their reaction.
“And now you’re manservant to another prince. A royal as a manservant. I wonder how Uther and Arthur would react if they found out about that,” Morgana snickered as she imagined their faces after being told about Merlin’s royalty.
“They, or Uther, at least, would throw me on the pyre. That’s how he would react,” Merlin reminded them. “I’m a magical creature, remember?” Morgana nodded at that.
“But how could the knights do something like that? Isn’t it considered treason to attack the heir to the throne?” Gwen asked.
“Yes it is, but no one else knows about it, and I can’t exactly outswim them in my condition, so I have no chance to get home and tell my parents what really happened. I have no idea how many of the knights share their opinions, so I could trust no one,” Merlin shrugged, but he couldn’t hide the emotional pain completely. He missed his parents greatly.
Gwen suddenly hugged him hard and long.
“I’m sure we shall find a way for you to contact them, soon,” she smiled. Morgana nodded in agreement.
“I hope so,” he smiled at them in return. Maybe things would really get better from now on. Maybe he could be happy living on land. really, truly happy. He hoped so.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Wait, so you’re saying Lancelot is a merman?” Gwen was completely red faced from blushing.
“Yes, he saved my life,” Merlin smiled. Gwen said no more and just kept staring at him, the blush still strong on her face.
Morgana just laughed at them from her seat by the window. It had been a few days since Merlin recovered, and they had been talking on and off about the fact that he was a merman, what had happened to him, and even some from before he was attacked. He had been very uncomfortable talking about his past, but the more he told them, the more confident he got.
There was a knock on the door, and the two servants scrambled to their feet, trying to look as if they were actually working. Morgana called for the person to enter, and one of the newer serving girls entered. She looked confused when she saw Merlin working there alongside Gwen, but hurriedly changed her expression to a neutral one.
“My Lady, you are wanted in the audience chamber with the King,” She curtsied and waited for Lady Morgana to dismiss her.
Merlin watched her closely. He had not had any chance to get to know her properly since she started. Her beautiful round face looked so innocent with those big emerald eyes. Her light blonde, almost white hair, was pulled back in a loose long braid with strands of hair that had fallen free; framing her face nicely. She was wearing a warm brown dress that hugged her curves gorgeously, but it was also evident that it was a commoner’s dress. Merlin felt a pang of worry for her all of a sudden, as he took in her striking looks. There were plenty of dirty minded men that would do almost everything to get their hands on such an alluring maiden, not caring whether she wanted to or not. He startled a little when her intense green eyes met his, and he saw her tilt her head a bit in confusion.
“Merlin? You with us?” He suddenly realized Morgana was speaking to him.
“Er, Oh! Yes! Excuse me my lady,” he bowed slightly to her. Morgana just snorted, and Merlin stood up straight again with a grin on his face. Gwen tried and failed to hide her own smile.
“I was saying that I think you should join Muirgen here to the audience chambers. You should be by the prince’s side, should you not?” Morgana smirked at him.
“Yes, my lady Morgana,” Merlin bowed again, and this time Morgana playfully hit him in the back of the head. Muirgen looked scandalized at the whole exchange, but did not say a word. Merlin followed the girl, heading for the audience chambers.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin had planned to catch up to the girl after tending to the prince in the audience hall, to get to know her, and make sure she knew of the dangers she would likely encounter because unfortunately, a great many men are pigs. He never got the chance, because Arthur and some of the King’s men were sent out to investigate the citadel of Idirsholas after being informed by a farmer that smoke had risen from the ruins. And of course he had to go with them.
There was no sign of any travelers having passed through the citadel, yet they kept searching until they arrived in a hall with something like a hearth in the middle of the great room. Arthur touched the ashes, seeing they were relatively new.
“I guess a handful of travellers passed through here after all,” he commented and walked further in. Merlin wasn’t so sure of that, and kept his eyes peeled on their surroundings. When he looked behind them, he froze.
“Or maybe not,” he spoke, and Arthur turned, ready to tell him off, but froze at the sight. The seven knights of Medhir stood behind them, their swords drawn.
Arthur, after a moment of stunned silence, drew his own sword, and his men followed.
They all ran head on into battle, except for Merlin who pulled to the back, trying to keep his magic ready to assist. Arthur finally found an opening in one of the knight’s attacks, and thrust his sword into the man’s chest. He grinned in victory, and pulled his sword out, but the grin soon faded when the knight went into a new attack, not at all hindered by the mortal wound.
They soon found themselves pushed back. The few of them who was left, that is. One after one, Arthur’s men fell to the swords of their enemy. By sheer luck, Merlin and Arthur managed to get around the knights so they could get to the entrance, but the last of Arthur’s men were not as fortunate as they were slaughtered in their attempt. Arthur turned to hold off the immortal men and yelled for Merlin to run, but before he could do anything, the frail roof above them collapsed, burying the knights of medhir. He didn’t hear Merlin’s muttered words or see his golden eyes. Arthur hesitated for just a slight moment, looking towards where he knew some of his men lay buried, but turned and pushed Merlin in front of him out of the hall and into the fresh air of the forest. They ran for their lives, trying to get to their horses before the undead knights caught them.
They dared a short break when they reached their horses.
“Did anyone else escape?” Arthur knew the answer to that, but he needed to ask anyway. Merlin just shook his head, trying to catch his breath. “What happened to your arm?” Arthur nodded at a rip in Merlin’s jacket.
“Oh, it must have caught on something,” Merlin looked curiously at the rift, and found he was bleeding from a cut underneath.
“Let me have a look,” Arthur grabbed his arm and looked closely at the wound. “Ah! Your first battlewound!” he grinned jokingly at his servant, before reaching for his own shirt and started pulling at the hem of it.
“No! No… Now you’ve ruined it,” Merlin sighed in annoyance as he watched Arthur tie a strip of red cloth from his shirt around the cut on his arm.
“Don’t worry. YOU can mend it!” the Prince patted Merlin’s shoulder and then made for his horse. “We should get back to Camelot; gather reinforcements,” Merlin just nodded and mounted his own horse. They pushed the animals hard as they made haste back to their city.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The guards at the gate, the people of the town, even the knights in the courtyard were all out cold. There was no one awake wherever they went. They found Leon laying in the middle of the stairs to Gaius’ chambers. It looked as if he had been on his way up, and had just decided to lie down for a nap. Merlin checked on him to be sure, and found the man’s heart was beating normally, and his breathing was fine. He hadn’t had much interaction with the man, but he found he liked him much more than the other knights, and he also seemed to be very loyal to Arthur. Perhaps even more so than to Uther, and the Prince always preferred to have Leon by his side rather than anyone else. As long as the man survived, Merlin guessed he would become one of the most trusted men among Arthur’s knights.
“He’s asleep, just like the others,” he announced out loud to Arthur, whom despite trying not to, seemed rather concerned for the man. Merlin made sure the knight wouldn’t fall down the stairs and hurt himself in his sleep, before they continued up the steps.
They found Gaius asleep at his worktable, and after trying and failing to wake him, they both decided it was best to find Gwen and Morgana, and also the King of course.
Morgana had fallen asleep at her makeup table, and Gwen was laying on the floor beside her. Merlin helped Arthur lift them to the bed, and then they went on to look for the King. They guessed he would be the main target of whatever was happening, and they needed to get him to safety. Arthur had been agitated the whole time, and as they looked through chambers after chambers with no sign of the King, he only got worse. All throughout the castle they found more and more people asleep. When they finally found the King, Merlin thought Arthur would explode with relief.
They decided to carry him somewhere else, but then there were sounds from somewhere in the room, and Arthur pulled out his sword. He motioned for Merlin to stay back as he went towards the curtains where there was obviously someone trying to hide. As he pulled back the fabric, a high pitched scream erupted from a terrified girl hiding behind it. Arthur hurriedly sheathed his sword, recognizing the girl as one of the servants, took hold of her hands and tried to calm her down.
“Shhhhh! Calm down! It’s me, Prince Arthur!” He shook her a little, and she finally looked at him. She had tears in her frightened eyes and stared at them both in shock.
“What happened Muirgen?” Merlin asked her. He came closer to her and reached out to comfort her. She looked up at him and seemed to relax a bit. “Please tell us what happened,” he added calmly but pleadingly.
“They… They all started getting sick. Everyone complained about not feeling well, and then they suddenly fell asleep. I… I tried to wake them but nothing worked!” the tears welled up in her eyes again, and her breathing picked up, starting to sound panicked. Merlin wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She was a short girl, her head resting on his chest as he held her close to calm her down. It added to her cuteness in many ways. He realised he was drifting off in his own thoughts again and mentally shook himself to focus again. He found Arthur giving him a strange look. He cleared his throat and let go of the girl. He rubbed the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink. She looked confused for a moment as he stepped away from her, but she didn’t say anything.
“Have a drink before we move my father. Can’t have you fainting on me,” Arthur abruptly said and tossed over a water skin Merlin had not realised he’d had on him. He hadn’t noticed how parched he was before he put the skin to his mouth and let the liquid run down his throat. “Now, help me move him,”
Arthur took hold of his father’s arms and Merlin took his feet. They lifted him and started walking to the door.
“Merlin! You’re supposed to lift him, not sweep the floor with him!” Arthur complained. “It’s only his feet! They can’t be that heavy!”
“His feet are not the problem!” Merlin grimaced.
“You! Give him a hand!” Arthur ordered the girl. She jumped slightly and ran to take one of the King’s feet.
They carried the king through the halls, his back hovering just slightly over the floor. Arthur had a very stern expression on his face, while Merlin had great problems keeping from laughing his ass off. Muirgen on the other hand just seemed confused.
“This is NOT funny, Merlin!” Arthur bit out at his servant. Merlin bit his lip, trying not to burst out into laughter. They walked past a window out to the courtyard, and Merlin stopped.
“Arthur,” He breathed as he stared out of the window. Arthur realized there was danger, and looked out to see the knights from the ruins.
“I seem to remember there were seven knights,” Arthur breathed.
“There were,”
“Then why are there eight now?”
“It must be the sorcerer controlling them,”
“We need to get my father to safety,”
They picked up their pace and made it into one of the servant quarters where they put the King on the cot. They pulled a thin blanket over him, to hide the expensive clothing.
“What should we do now?” Merlin wondered aloud and sagged against the wall. He suddenly felt out of breath. He looked to Arthur and saw him deflate a little himself. “We’re getting sick too,” he added. Arthur just nodded and the Muirgen’ eyes widened as she looked at them again.
“How come you’re the only one not getting sick?” The Prince asked her with suspicion in his voice.
“I… I don’t know,” She hugged herself, stepping away from them.
“It’s very strange. Every single soul in Camelot is asleep, except for us and you. We’re starting to feel the effects of it, but you’re not. You’ve got to admit that’s suspicious,” he added, stepping closer to her.
“Arthur, we should focus on getting out of this mess,” Merlin stepped in between them and put a hand on the prince’s arm. Arthur looked him in the eyes and sighed.
“We need to disguise him. what if we find him servant garments? It will disguise his royalty at least,” Arthur suggested.
“I’ll go look for some then,” Merlin decided and fled out the door before Arthur had the chance to say otherwise.
Merlin made his way down the corridors, not quite knowing where to look. He almost crashed into one of the undead knights and made a hasty retreat into the nearest rooms. He looked around in panic and found a cupboard big enough for him to hide in. Just as he had closed the doors to the cupboard, the knight came into the room. The creature, for Merlin didn’t know what else to call it, scanned the room for a while, before closing in on the cupboard. The servant held his breath and prepared for the excruciating pain awaiting him when the thing pierced him with it’s sword. He closed his eyes and thought about Arthur, and hoped with all his heart that the man would survive somehow. Then, he almost smacked himself for forgetting about his magic. He readied himself to attack, but the knight turned away from the cupboard and left the room. He sat there for a while, just breathing in relief, before he clambered out on shaky legs.
The dragon. He needed to find the dragon.
The warlock almost ran down the corridors until he finally reached the cave underneath the castle.
“Kilgharrah! I need your help!” He shouted out at the dragon that lay sleeping before him. For a moment he was terrified that the great dragon had succumbed to the same ailment that the rest of Camelot had, but then he realized the dragon just didn’t want to speak to him. “I know you can hear me! Stop pretending to sleep!”
Kilgharrah grunted and finally turned to him.
“Why, little one, should I bother aiding you when you do not do so in return,” the great voice boomed through the cave. “You demand answers and advice, yet you do not heed my warnings, nor do you keep your promises,” If Merlin wasn’t so tired, and in such a hurry, he would tease the dragon for pouting. As it was, however, he had no time for such things.
“Please, Arthur’s in danger! The knights of Medhir have arrived in Camelot and they are immune to all of our attacks!” Merlin had to lean on the stone beside him. “I swear I will help you when this is done!”
Kilgharrah rose to his feet and his head came closer to Merlin as his lips curled away from his teeth.
“I do not believe you, young warlock,” He beat his wings, ready to take off.
“Wait! I swear on Arthur’s life!” The dragon stopped, and regarded him again.
“Now that, is something I believe. Despite your protests to the contrary, you value his life, perhaps even more so than your own. Very well,” The dragon leaned down towards him again. “You need to eradicate the source of the spell,”
“What is it and how do I destroy it?” Merlin edged closer.
“It is not a question of what, but rather of whom. It was always foretold that the witch, Morgana would be the downfall of Arthur, but for some reason you ignored my warnings and kept her alive. It was told that she be the source of this powerful spell, however, you have changed something, young Warlock. Another, perhaps more dangerous, though not nearly as powerful, has arisen to take her place. Beware young one, for this woman is not what she seems. You may have succeeded in keeping the witch from the dark path for now, but you will have to face the consequences. The only way to lift the spell, is to kill her,” Merlin looked stricken at this information.
“Wh… Who is she?”
“Think, young merchild. Who has not been affected by the spell?” Kilgharrah looked deep into his soul with those big yellow eyes, Merlin was sure of it. “She must die,” The dragon added before flying off.
Drawing a deep breath, Merlin started on his way back to the Prince, fearing he had left him for dead. He couldn’t understand how she could be the one behind this. He had seen nothing that would tip him off. He’d have to visit Gaius before finding Arthur again.
Muirgen had just a flash of irritation in her eyes as he came through the door. Arthur was leaning heavily on the wall, his reactions too slow to really be of any protection. He was sweating and struggling to stay awake.
“Arthur! They’re inside the castle!” he deliberately ignored the woman. The prince jumped a bit but tried to hide it. He looked at Merlin and an annoyed expression took over his face.
“Where were you?!”
“I was ambushed by knights while looking for something to disguise your father with!” he shot back in a moment of frustration. It soon melted at the sight of Arthur’s stricken expression. “They didn’t get to me, now let’s get out of here!”
Merlin opened the door, but hurriedly shut it again.
“They’re here!” He hissed and locked the door. He knew it would not help them the slightest in the long run.
Arthur waved him over to a somewhat sturdy cupboard, and together they pushed it in front of the door. They leaned against it, panting, both of them slumping with exhaustion.
“If I need a servant in the next life-” Arthur started.
“Then don’t ask me!” they both chuckled. Arthur looked him in the eyes.
“I’ll hold them off, try to make an opening for you to escape,” he said. “Bring my father to safety, will you?” he grinned. They both knew it wouldn’t work. Despite all of Merlin’s being protesting otherwise, he helped Arthur shove the cupboard away and watched the Prince unsheathe his sword and run headlong into the enemy. He shut the door and locked it, before turning back to the serving girl with a devastated expression on his face.
“He’ll die out there!” she spoke up for the first time in a long while, her eyes wide and innocent.
Merlin bit his lip. They could hear the swords clanging in the hallway. He knew that if he was going to have a chance of saving Arthur, he’d have to act fast. He looked around the room and found the discarded water skin. He passed Muirgen, and crouched on the floor with his back to her. He picked the skin off the floor and looked at it for a moment. He took a mouthful from it, pulled out the bottle of poison he had liberated from Gaius’ chambers and emptied it into the skin. He hid the vial and let the skin air out a bit, before he turned to Muirgen again.
He caught her watching the skin and licking her lips just a tiny bit as he held it close to himself. He looked down at it, and then held it out to her.
“Here, you should have some before I finish it,” he tried to smile encouragingly. He felt it waver, and hoped she would read it as fear or the like. It wouldn’t be completely wrong to be honest.
She took it with a grateful smile and hurriedly swallowed a mouthful. Good. That was all that was needed. She put the stopper back in and handed it over. Merlin felt sick.
“Thank you,” she sat down on the floor, her back resting against a pillar not too far from the door. Merlin edged closer to Uther’s cot.
Then, she started coughing. One hand flew up to touch her throat, and then she looked at Merlin with disbelief written all over her. He nodded.
“I’m sorry. I can’t let them die,”
“How?!” she gasped. Then her expression twisted into an ugly grin. “You imbecile, You do not know who you’ve made your enemy,” she gulped in a few breaths before she started laughing. It was a laugh that sent chills down his spine and made his hair stand on end. He moved further away from her, and closer to Uther as if that would lessen the cold flowing off her in waves. How had he not seen this? How could such a freezing heart manage to hide underneath such a warm exterior?
The door splintered open in an explosion of magic as Muirgen slumped unconscious to the floor.
“My lady!”
It was Morgause that ran into the room, falling to her knees by Muirgen’s side. “What have you done!” her fiery eyes locked on him and he found himself thinking how funny it was that she would get so upset from losing someone, while not caring the slightest about murdering someone else.
“Lift the spell, and I’ll tell you,” he responded, not taking his eyes off her as he shakily stood his ground.
“You poisoned her! Tell me what it is, I can save her!” she pleaded.
As if that would benefit me the slightest.
He thought to himself. “Drop the spell, and I’ll tell you,”
She stared at him in rage, but ended up muttering a spell. Once she was finished, the knight that had followed her into the room collapsed to the floor.
“Now tell me!”
Merlin pulled out the vial and tossed it to her. She catched it in the air and turned to get a better grip on Muirgen. Just as the King sat bolt upright on the cot, and Arthur came sprinting back into the room, she shouted a spell. Morgause and Muirgen vanished in a whirlwind of magic.
The King, the Prince and the manservant stared at eachother for a long while. It was eerily silent in the castle, until suddenly there was shouting from the hallways.
“The King! Find the King!” someone yelled.
King Uther stared in confusion at the cot he was now sitting in, the threadbare blanket pooled in his lap. Arthur’s mouth opened and closed several times, finally looking at Merlin for answers. Merlin finally deflated and sank to the floor with a sigh.
A couple of guards appeared in the doorway, almost running down the Prince in their haste to find the King. They froze, staring at the occupants of the room, before one of them made off to inform the rest that the King was found.
There was a very awkward silence, before Arthur pulled Merlin to his feet and whispered that he should go to Gaius before he went on to report everything to his father. The servant made his way on slightly unsteady feet, to the Physician’s quarters.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The pillar of fire lit up the whole sky as the beast roared. Merlin’s breath hitched as he witnessed the destruction he was responsible for. He had set the dragon free. He had taken a sword from one of the knights of Medhir like the dragon had instructed, and he had harnessed its power to break through the giant chain that held the beast captive. Each link in the chain had been twice as big as his head, and he had been too stunned to move once the magic exploded the moment the sword struck the metal. Kilgharrah had flown off and now he was tearing down Camelot, house by house. The screams were deafening. He was so consumed by guilt that he was almost caught in the flames himself. Had it not been for Arthur’s reflexes, Merlin would be a piece of coal by now.
“SNAP OUT OF IT MERLIN!” the prince roared as he dragged his manservant behind him through the ash filled streets of Camelot. It was horribly hot around them, and the ash and smoke swirled around them. Merlin felt like he was choking on it all. The moisture in the air that usually helped him stay hydrated was all but gone. The dryness was splitting his skin on his hands and lips, and his throat felt like it was lined with sand as he tried to run with Arthur.
Once they got out of the city and into the cooler air of the open space just outside the forest, Merlin collapsed. Arthur, losing his grip on Merlin’s arm, turned to see the younger man on his knees coughing his lungs up. He swore, and ran back to pull him up. They got into the cover of the trees thanks to Arthur almost carrying his manservant. When in the cool shade of the trees, Merlin was finally allowed to rest against a tree. Arthur paced agitatedly as he kept looking towards the city. He and Merlin had been separated from the others, and considering Merlin’s condition their safest bet had been the forest. The prince knew there were others hiding in there, but he had no clue where they were.
He had ordered Leon to help a group of their citizens into the forest and keep watch over them. The dragon didn’t care about the forest, it only focused on the city. For some reason it didn’t target the castle either. Just the houses of the city. It made the prince furious that the creature seeked to harm the innocent ones in this whole mess instead of the ones that had actually kept it caged.
When the dragon had first attacked, Arthur had confronted his father about this, and the King had admitted to keeping the last living dragon in a cave underneath the castle.
Arthur suddenly remembered that Merlin had collapsed out there, and pulled his eyes away from the burning city to focus on his friend. He was sitting against the tree Arthur had dropped him at, and he looked horrible. He was breathing deeply, his eyes half lidded and his whole posture flaccid. Then Arthur saw the dry lips and smacked himself for forgetting about Merlin’s hydration issue. He knelt beside his servant and tried to get his attention.
“Merlin, stay with me,” Merlin looked at him, but didn’t respond. He had a pained expression as he just kept breathing deeply.
“My lord!”
Arthur spun around to find Leon approach him with a few worried people trailing further behind him.
“Does anyone have any water?” Arthur demanded.
It didn’t take long for someone to hand him a waterskin. He held it up to Merlin’s mouth.
“Slowly,” he encouraged. Merlin’s eyes fluttered closed as the water soothed his throat. He whined when the skin was pulled away again. “You know what Gaius said about severe dehydration,” Arthur snapped quietly as to not have everyone hear them.
Leon kneeled beside them, a worried frown on his face. He reached out and felt Merlin’s forehead.
“Sire, he’s burning up,” Leon turned to face Arthur.
“He was caught in the hottest part of it all for a while,” Arthur commented, then looked back to the city. Leon could see the agitation and the worry for his men written all over the Prince.
“Go, I’ll care for him,” he put his hand reassuringly on Arthur’s shoulder. The prince met his gaze and nodded firmly. He looked to his servant once more, before he made off towards the city again.
Merlin tried to protest, but he was too weak to even move, and soon gave up. Leon gave his shoulder a firm squeeze before he gave him more water. It was fascinating how fast the boy recovered with each sip of water. The knight had someone run to fill up the water skin, and after drinking that up too, Merlin had been alright enough to move again. It was remarkable. Usually it would take from hours to days for someone to recover from dehydration like that, but not this boy. Leon smiled to himself as he shook his head. Merlin just kept on surprising him, and he was glad the boy was the Prince’s manservant. It had brought light back into the royal. A light that had been dimming more and more the older the Prince got, and especially since that time when he’d almost been drowned. Now, however, it was slowly returning to him.
Then, the dragon left. They all waited for a long time before they made their way back to the city.
Gaius was busy treating a nasty burn on Arthur’s arm when Merlin found them. The Prince’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw his friend up and walking and full of energy again. Or, well, he was not completely alright. He was still a bit sluggish but he could move and didn’t look like he would keel over and die at any minute.
Merlin trailed behind his Prince as they made their way to the council rooms. The King had called for a council meeting now that there was a break from the dragon.
“We need a way to defeat this beast,” Uther stated, looking around at his knights, and finally stopping on Gaius. “Gaius?” he prompted.
Gaius seemed reluctant to say anything for a moment, before he took half a step forward.
“We need a dragonlord, sire.”
Uther scoffed and stood, turning to the window.
“That’s not possible and you know it,”
“But what if it is?”
“You know it isn’t,” the King sounded irritated now. “Unless there’s something you’re keeping from me,”
“They are only rumors,” Gaius hesitated.
“What do you know?” The King’s patience had run out.
“They say there is one dragon lord left. They say he was last seen in Cenred’s kingdom. His name is Cynwrig,”
“Cynwrig?” Uther seemed to recognize the name.
“Well if someone like that exists it’s our duty to find him,” Arthur put in.
“We’re at war with Cenred. If you cross the border and they see you, they’ll kill you,” The King countered.
“Then I’ll go alone. That way I will not be detected,”
“No, Arthur. It’s too dangerous,”
“More dangerous than staying here? We need this man to help us! It’s our only chance,”
Uther was quiet at this. He saw the logic in his son’s words but he did not want to admit to it.
“We’ll ride immediately,” Arthur added and passed his father, ordering Merlin to prepare the horses before leaving. Merlin looked around him nervously before following his Prince.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Who were the dragonlords?” Merlin asked Gaius as he packed a bag of medicine and food.The old man was lost in his own thoughts and did not register Merlin’s question. Merlin turned around looking questioningly at his uncle. “Gaius?”
The old man jumped a bit and turned to face him. He looked like he was deliberating something. Then he sighed slightly.
“There were once men who could talk to the dragons. Tame them. Uther believed the art of the dragon lords was the same as magic, and rounded them all up to have them slaughtered,”
“One survived… How did you know?”
Gaius smiled slightly.
“I helped him escape,”
“Gaius!” Merlin tried to suppress his grin.
“Merlin…” Gaius said softly. “You’ve never hear the name Cynwrig?” Merlin shook his head. “Your mother never spoke of him?” another shake of the head, accompanied by a confused frown. “I promised her I would never speak of this… Merlin, Balinor is not your father… At least not biologically. The man you’re going after… He is your true father,”
The bandage Merlin held in his hand fell to the floor, the shock evident in his face. Tears welled up in his eyes.
“My father? What are you talking about?” he breathed, staring at Gaius.
“Your grandmother, the Queen of the sea had a human lover. She birthed twins that were half human, half mermen. She was lucky enough that they were enough merfolk to live their lives underneath the surface, unlike me. Their names were Balinor and Cynwrig. Cynwrig fell in love with Hunith, but one day he felt his human side call to him. He decided he would only make your mother unhappy, and so he left her, asked his brother, Balinor, to care for her, and went to live his life on the surface. He discovered his gift and realized why he’d felt the call to live on the surface. He never knew your mother was pregnant with you. Balinor decided to marry your mother, and decided to raise you as their son.”
Merlin’s face hardened.
“I am his son. If not biologically.. He was the one who raised me. He was the one by our side all this time. Cynwrig is not my father,” the boy shoved the rest of his supplies into the bag and stormed from the room.
Gaius approached him as he fastened the last straps to the horse.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” Merlin turned apologetic eyes on his uncle.
“I know,” Gaius smiled. “Merlin, you must not let Arthur know who this man is. Uther would view the son of a dragonlord with the deepest suspicion,” Merlin nodded. Just then the Prince arrived.
“Off we go then,” he said as he swinged up on his horse. He hissed slightly, and adjusted his position in the saddle.
“Are you alright?” Merlin asked him, and Gaius had a watchful eye on the Prince.
“It’s just a scratch,” Arthur said and kicked the horse into motion.
“Keep an eye on him,” the physician warned, and then the manservant followed his master out of Camelot.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
They made their way on horseback through the forest until they finally arrived at the border. They looked out over a valley where a village lay nestled at the bottom. Sharing a look, they spurred their horses onward, and decided to have a break in an inn they stumbled across.
As they got through the door, the loud chatter turned to low ominous muttering as the men inside stared at the newcomers. Merlin automatically felt threatened. The burly men watched the Prince and manservant sit down at a table, and the unfriendly barkeep set down two pints of ale so hard on the table that half of the liquid sloshed out over the table.
“We’re looking for a man named Cynwrig. We’re willing to pay,” Arthur said, putting a pouch of gold on the table. The man sneered at them, bowed slightly down while looking through the crowded bar.
“Never heard of ‘im,” he snarled, spittle showering Arthur in the face. The man grabbed the payment for the ale, and left the pouch on the table.
Arthur grimaced as he wiped the droplets off his face. Merlin, despite being pale as a sheet from the threatening atmosphere, struggled to suppress his laugh. Looking into his tankard of ale, he decided against drinking it. It looked horrible and he made a face at it before putting it back down on the table. Looking up, he realized Arthur had decided the same thing. They looked around for a moment and settled on retiring for the night.
“What is wrong with you today?” Arthur asked as he sat down on the side of the bed, pulling his tunic off. Merlin sat on the other bed, with his back to the prince. He was quiet and didn’t want to face Arthur as he thought about what Gaius had said. Everything he thought he knew about his life had been a lie. Sometimes he wondered if everyone else had known that his biological father was living among the humans. Had that been the reason that the knights had targeted him, despite his stature as Prince? Had they believed him unworthy because they thought he would leave like his biological father had done? Did they think he would feed them to the humans? He’d never understood their view on humans. Sure, he knew some humans would slaughter magical beings on sight, but that didn’t mean everyone would. Alright so there was a greater risk of being slaughtered now that Uther was King. But how about when Arthur takes the throne? Would it still be like that, or would things change? Merlin truly believed there was good in every person, one way or the other. Even the knights that had attacked him. They did that because they wanted to protect their people, didn’t they?
“Merlin,” Prince Arthur had turned to look at him now. Merlin was shocked out of his train of thought. He turned sharply to look at Arthur. It was still strange to think of him as his Prince, but it felt good somehow too. These people had taken him in and been good to him. Alright, so they didn’t know who he was and he had to hide that from them, but still.
“Merlin!” Merlin focused on his Prince again. He was wearing a slightly concerned expression. And the merman realized he’d once again zoned out.
“Yes, sire?” Arthur just gave him a dead flat look.
“You’re in a fog. Really, what’s bothering you?” Merlin’s gaze zeroed in on Arthur’s arm. He could see now that the burn must have gone all the way up to his shoulder, since his shoulder and all the way down to his elbow was bandaged. He could now see red splotches coming through the white fabric at his shoulder.
“You’re bleeding!” he let out and turned further towards him. Arthur’s expression shifted, his eyes widening slightly as if to say ‘oh fie’ before he went blank again and feigned ignorance.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he said with a slight grin and lied down. “You know, If I weren’t a Prince, and so far away from you in status, I think we’d get on quite well,” he grinned at the snort coming from the other bed.
Merlin had an internal hysterical laugh at Arthur’s words. and in a fit of insanity he let out a few words he had not meant to let out.
“Who says I’m not a Prince in disguise?”
Silence.
Then Arthur laughed loudly. Louder than ever before, and Merlin felt his face heat up both in embarrassment and anger. What was so unbelievable about him being a prince?! This is why he can’t reveal anything to that damn prat.
“Well, at least you’re entertaining!” Arthur cackled. It took him a while to calm himself. He turned to look at Merlin and frowned as he saw the boy’s rigid back turned to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t really know what. He watched his servant for a few moments until he decided to just call it a night.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur was shocked into wakefulness when something or someone landed on top of him. He sat bolt upright and stared in confusion at the man draped over his legs. Then, he looked up into the wide and startled eyes of Merlin. He stood over him, his hands holding the medicine bag as if it was a weapon. Which it had probably served as, considering the groaning man on Arthur’s legs. Arthur blinked a couple of times, then calmly reached for his knife and held it close to the man’s throat.
“Well since you kindly decided to visit us in the night, you might as well tell us about Cynwrig,” Arthur smiled his best threateningly sweet smile as he poked the man’s throat with the knife. The man glared at him, but evidently decided it was best he talked. He probably regretted not taking the money when it was offered to him. Now he had to talk and he would get nothing for it except a painful lump in the head judging by the way he very carefully did not raise his voice.
“‘E lives in the caves in the forest. Follo’ the road, then, when ye reach the river, keep to it an’ ye find the caves. But ye wastin’ yer time. The man hates people,”
Merlin very helpfully pulled the man upright and pushed him out the door. They could hear him groan as he scurried off. It was light enough out that they decided it best to just leave immediately. They were obviously not welcome here any longer.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Those were some good reflexes you had, back there,” Arthur tried to sound happy, but he was a bit sour that he had not reacted to anything himself until someone landed on him. Usually he would react to the smallest of sounds.
“Gee, thanks,
Sire
. That sounded really heartfelt,” Merlin muttered sarcastically. Arthur did definitely, absolutely
not
pout.
They’d gotten off their horses and were following the river. After a while, Arthur felt himself stumble just a little bit and he realized how exhausted he was. When Merlin abruptly stopped in front of him, making him crash into the younger man, he felt woozy. Then, Merlin grabbed on to him, accidentally grabbing
that arm,
and dove down behind a huge rock. Arthur bit back a groan as the pain flared and pressed his face against the cool stone.
“It’s Cenred’s men,” Merlin whispered and kept his eyes peeled. He watched the men pass them, miraculously not seeing the horses. He waited until he was sure they were gone, until he nudged Arthur and got back on his feet. Realizing Arthur had not gotten up, he turned to mock him. Whatever he’d planned on saying died on his tongue as he saw Arthur was unconscious.
“Fie,” he swore. He checked the Prince’s vitals, finding his skin clammy to the touch. He grumbled to himself before he pulled the other man up and dragged him to the horse, and with a little bit of help from magic, managed to get him onto the big animal. He led the horse with him as he made his way towards the cave. It didn’t take him much time to reach it and when he did, he tied the horses and went inside, looking for his biological father.
The cave was dark and dripping water by the opening. As he walked further in, he found it looking more homely when he found candles and blankets. As homely as a cave could become, that is.
“Hello?” he called into the darkness. Before he could take another step, something sharp was pressed against his back, and a hand covered his mouth.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” a voice very much like Balinor’s hissed in his ear. The man removed his hand from Merlin’s mouth to let him speak.
“My friend needs help! He’s hurt!” Merlin let out and the man forcefully turned him around. Merlin gasped as he finally saw the man. He was the spitting image of Balinor, only with wilder and a little longer hair and beard. Other than that, they looked exactly the same.
“Well? Where is he?” the man narrowed his eyes at him. Merlin shook himself out of the shock and pointed towards the mouth of the cave, and made towards it. The man followed him, and upon seeing Arthur draped over the horse, helped Merlin get him inside.
They laid Arthur down on a big smooth rock and covered him with blankets up to his waist. Then, Merlin held Arthur up while Cynwrig pulled off his tunic, and then removed the bandages. Merlin carefully lowered Arthur back down, while Cynwrig turned to fetch a bowl of water standing at his side.
The man faltered as he was reaching out to clean Arthur’s wound. He stared in shock down at Arthur’s chest, and for a moment Merlin feared the wound was worse off than he thought. Then he realized Arthur was wearing the shell, and he understood Cynwrig’s shock. If the fact that he was a copy of Balinor hadn’t told Merlin his true identity, then the shock and recognition at the sight of the shell definitely did. The older man took a deep breath and continued caring for the wound.
Merlin watched the man clean the wound and mutter spells over it. There was an unreadable expression on his face as he did so. After finishing with Arthur, Cynwrig motioned for Merlin to join him by a fire he built, and after a while in tense silence, the boy was handed a bowl of porridge. The merman prince smiled in thanks and didn’t hesitate eating no matter how bad it tasted.
“We’re looking for a man named Cynwrig… They say he live around here…” Merlin prodded even though he knew this man was who they were looking for. The older man’s fingers tightened around the wooden spoon in his hand.
“Who are you?” he leveled Merlin with a cold stare. “What’s his name?” he pointed toward Arthur.
Merlin held his stare for a moment, trying to read the man. He realized he knew who Arthur was already, and knew it was no use lying.
“He’s Arthur Pendragon. Prince of Camelot,” Merlin deliberately didn’t say his own name. “We need your help. The Great dragon-”
“Kilgharrah. His name is Kilgharrah, and I don’t blame him for destroying Camelot after what Uther did. He slaughtered every one of his kind, of MY kind, and now you want me to help the man?” there was so much anger in this man, Merlin was afraid the man would decide to kill the Prince in revenge.
“You would condemn a whole city for the wrongdoings of one man?” Merlin asked in disbelief.
“Considering the people of this city willingly follow Uther’s lead, then yes,” the man spat. “And judging by the shell on that man’s chest, he’s not much different,” there was hate in the man’s eyes as he said this.
“What do you mean by that?” was Merlin’s incredulous response. He didn’t understand how those two statements fit together.
“That shell was the one I left with my beloved when I had to leave my people behind to join my kin in this land. That the Prince of Camelot has it can only mean she was slaughtered. She would never willingly give it up,” grief flooded his face as he said this, his voice almost cracking. He looked down on his hands, not willing to meet Merlin’s gaze anymore.
“You think… What’s her name?” Merlin softened his voice. The man looked at his face again, taking in his sympathy.
“Hunith. Her name was Hunith. She was the gentlest woman I ever had the fortune to meet. She was strong and full of life and energy, and the most beautiful person I ever laid eyes upon. Actually, you kind of remind me of her in a very strange way,” the man chuckled, though it sounded so sad, Merlin felt his throat close up at the same time his face turned red with embarrassment. “For a long time, I felt a part of me calling me. I needed to leave our home. I knew that where I was going, she would never be able to live a happy life, and so I left her in the hands of my brother, begging him to care for her, and I left that shell with her…” he trailed off, no doubt thinking back to those moments of his life.
“She is not dead. At least she wasn’t the last time I saw her,” Merlin spoke up. Cynwrig met his gaze, then. “She’s my mother. She gave me that shell,” the man’s eyes widened in surprise.
“So she found herself someone else then,” There was still sadness in his eyes, but there was also happiness at the knowledge that she’d moved on.
“Well… Yes, sort of. She did marry him, but he is not my biological father. She was with child when you left…” He looked down at his hands then.
“What… What are you saying boy?” There was something almost like panic in the man’s eyes.
“I’m saying that you, Cynwrig, are my father. My name is Merlin Emrys. My mother married your brother after you left, but she was already pregnant,” Merlin told the man quietly. He didn’t want to risk being heard by anyone else.
Cynwrig paled and couldn’t take his shocked eyes off of Merlin.
“What on earth are you doing up here boy? And why, for Poseidon’s sake, does the prince of Camelot have that shell on his chest?” the man asked meekly. Merlin sighed, and lifted his tunic a bit to show him the scars, and began telling him about how he ended on land.
“They… they maimed you?! The knights?!” his father’s anger had returned. And how strange was that, calling this virtual stranger his father… Merlin nodded as he hugged himself.
“What they did… You can’t swim like that… You would never be able to get back to your mother, to tell her what really happened,” he then breathed.
They were silent for a while.
“I hope my brother treated you well”
“He’s been a good father, and he has been good to my mother,” Merlin smiled. Cynwrig watched him for a few moments.
“Alright,” Merlin looked up sharply at the word. “I’ll help you,” Cynwrig added. Merlin stared at him for a while, before a relieved smile graced his features.
“Thank you!” he breathed.
“Merl…” Arthur groaned, making both Merlin and Cynwrig turn sharply to look at him. The Prince just turned his head and fell silent again. The two men smiled gentle smiles at each other and resumed their talking.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“I feel great! What did you do?” Arthur grinned as he came walking out of the cave to meet up with Merlin.
“You have to thank Cynwrig for that,” Merlin smiled.
“You found him?! Where is he?” Arthur’s eyes widened and looked around.
“Over there. Oh, and he agreed to help us,” Merlin grinned. Arthur looked slightly stupid where he stood with his mouth open, staring at his servant, until he laughed in relief. He decided he should pass out more often if things could just fix themselves while he was out cold.
“Wait, he knows who he’s helping, right?” Arthur asked suspiciously. At Merlin’s nod, he looked a little bit lost, but decided not to question it.
“Are you ready to head out then?” Arthur did NOT jump at the dark voice that was suddenly behind him. Most definitely not! Merlin snickered.
“Yes, unless Prince Arthur needs more of his beautysleep,” Arthur gaped at the guts of his servant, speaking of his Prince in front of a stranger like that. He never got to say anything however, since the older man just laughed and made to follow Merlin to their horses.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“How did you manage to become best friends with the dragon lord in such a short period of time?” Arthur hissed to his servant once he was sure Cynwrig wouldn’t hear him. They were sat around a fire, the dragonlord having offered to collect more firewood.
“He’s a good man,” Merlin shrugged. Arthur opened his mouth to speak again, but thought better of it once he saw the older man coming back to them.
“This should keep us warm through the night,” The man said as he dumped the wood on the ground beside the fire, keeping one bigger stump of wood to himself as he sat down and put a knife to it.
Arthur watched the man carve into the wood, before he got up, muttering something about patrolling the area.
As the Prince left them, Cynwrig and Merlin sat in silence for a while.
“I know nothing of being a father,” Cynwrig broke the silence. Merlin just looked at him, not knowing what to say to that. “I hope to rectify that. I… I hope you will give me that chance,” He paused his carving to look Merlin in the eye. “I will help you get in contact with your mother, and my brother again,” Merlin’s eyes filled with tears at that. He missed them so much, it was a giant gaping hole in his chest. The thought of just a slight chance to see them again filled him with hope. This man, his father in blood, was revealing himself to be a truly good man. He found he didn’t mind that he was is father. He actually quite like the idea. Even though he would always see his uncle as his father, well wasn’t that a strange thought, he would love for this man to stay in his life.
“Thank you, father,” Merlin smiled through his tears and watched a relieved smile form on the other man’s face. His father went back to carving the wood.
“Did you know that the hippocampus are the dragons of the sea?” The man smiled at Merlin’s confusion.
“But aren’t they essentially horses with gills?” Merlin had never seen an actual hippocampus before, but the carving inside the shell was a horse with fins, so he could imagine they looked like that. A few centuries ago, there had been so much confusion around the beasts. Nobles looked on them as prized possessions, and a statement of wealth. They had paid greatly to get one of their own and believed that the only way to tame one to be their pet, was to get hold of an egg and raise the foal themselves. However, the hippocampi breeded slowly, and in this hunt, many of them died. As did a lot of merfolk for daring to get close to the magnificent animals. It resulted in the near extinction of the hippocampi. They retreated to other parts of the sea, and no one had seen them since, believing them to have perished.
“Yes,” Cynwrig chuckled. “But horses are distant relatives of the dragons. Some dragons used to be much more horse-like in their features. Like the hippocampi. And the Kelpies are relatives of the hippocampi, and can change their appearance to look like white horses. Granted, they do not look as elegant when they’re in their true form. They can look rather nasty actually,” Cynwrig grimaced and it looked like a shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
“Kelpie?” Merlin had never heard the name before.
“Ah, yes, you wouldn’t have heard of them I guess. They’re quite beautiful and strong animals, when they are in horse-form that is. The tale describe them as vicious monsters that lure mankind to them with their beautiful looks, and once the person touch them, or get onto their backs, they jump into a lake, turn into nasty monsters and drown the person before it eats them. I myself have found they’re rather more like giant puppies that can do great harm if angered enough,” an amused grin spread across his face and he chuckled. “I’ve actually had one following me for several years now. I’m amazed it has stayed away for such a long time now, but I guess it finally got bored of me ignoring it,” there was so much amusement in his eyes as he looked at Merlin, that the boy could not help but laugh.
They were sitting in a comfortable silence when the Prince of Camelot joined them by the fire a little while later. It did not take them long to decide that sleep was a good idea, and soon, both Princes were asleep, while Cynwrig watched over them.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It was a beautifully sunny morning when Merlin awoke. He felt truly rested for the very first time in longer than he cared to remember. He stretched, and looked around himself. He paused as he saw a small figurine in the moss beside him. He recognised it as the wood that Cynwrig was carving the night before. It was now in the form of a beautifully detailed hippocampus. He smiled at the sight of it.
He jumped as a hand suddenly was on his mouth, and then a familiar voice hissed in his ears, ordering him to get up. He never dared to ignore that tone, and got to his feet immediately. In the blink of an eye, men was charging them from all over. Merlin dove for a sword that lay on the ground and spun to toss it to his father and then he retreated to keep an eye on the soldiers. In sheer luck he stumbled over another sword, likely dropped by the enemy, and picked it up to defend himself. His magic helped him fend off the attackers, and they had soon defeated them.
Merlin looked around and could not see anyone else standing, besides Cynwrig and Arthur. They all panted and looked around, and then smiles grew on their faces.
“You’re not bad with that sword,” Arthur complimented the man. Cynwrig huffed and turned with a smile to his son.
The smile vanished, and the man reached out, grabbing Merlin’s arm, spinning them around so fast that Merlin didn’t realize what had happened until Arthur roared, and a horrible thump was heard. He looked into the eyes of his father as they widened with pain, then he could feel the man’s weight on him and he sunk to his knees, holding the older man in his arms. Only then did he realize what had happened as he saw the bolt protruding from his father’s back.
“No,” he breathed. “no no no no no no!” he laid his father down on his side, checking the wound. It was a fatal wound.
“I’m sorry my son,” Cynwrig smiled sadly at him, blood already making it’s way to his lips as he struggled for breath. Tears streamed from Merlin’s eyes as he bent down, touching his forehead to his father’s, begging him to hang on. It was futile. The man took a last ragged breath before his life left him.
“No!” Merlin sobbed as he realized the man was already gone.
Arthur came jogging back, but slowed as he heard Merlin’s sorrow fill the air. His heart broke at the sound of it. He knew what he would find once he joined his manservant, but it still didn’t stop him from shouting out in frustration as he saw their only hope for Camelot lying dead on the moss covered ground.
An animalistic scream made both Princes look up. Their eyes widened in shock at the wild looking white horse thundered towards them. Merlin didn’t move as it came to a halt in front of him, on the opposite side of Cynwrig. It lowered its head and nudged the man’s shoulder, neighing sadly. It then knelt, before it lied down beside the man, putting its muzzle against the man’s face.
If possible, Arthur’s heart broke even more at the sight. It was a truly strange way for a horse to act, but it was evident that the dragonlord had been it’s master. He watched as Merlin stared at the horse, before reaching out a hand to carefully stroke it.
“I’m so sorry,” he breathed to the horse. The animal looked at him, and Arthur could swear the horse had been crying. He took in the look of the horse and tilted his head slightly in curiosity. The horse had pale blue eyes, the kind that usually told them a horse was blind. But these eyes were much too alive to be blind. The whole horse was all white, and had a pale pink color on its muzzle and around its eyes. Its mane and tail was long and thick, and it looked to be a truly strong horse with luscious feathering on its legs. Yet it was not as huge as other beasts he’d seen with feathered hooves.
Arthur looked at his servant again. The young man was leaning against the horse’s head now, whispering apologies to the animal.
“Merlin, we need to get back to Camelot,” Arthur pointed out. The boy took a deep breath and looked up at him.
“You’re right,” he dragged himself to his feet, and helped Arthur gather their things.
Upon realizing the fight had managed to scare their horses away, Arthur cursed. Some warhorses they were! Getting scared off at a simple fight! He had to talk to his father about this. Then he remembered how they likely wouldn’t have to worry about that much longer as their hope of saving Camelot was dead.
Arthur sighed and started walking towards Camelot. Merlin said nothing as he followed him.
After little while of walking, he suddenly found Merlin shouting as he flew past him, landing face down on the forest floor. It was so comical, Arthur could not help but laugh. He heard a snort behind him and was suddenly aware of a presence and turned to see the white horse behind him. It clicked into place, and he realised the animal must have nudged the servant in the back so hard he’d tripped.
“Arabus!” Merlin looked incredulously at the horse. Its ears peaked at the name and it nodded its head as it snorted as if it was laughing at him.
Judging by Merlin’s expression he thought the same thing.
“Arabus?” Arthur asked, amusement still in his voice. He must say it seemed a fitting name. It meant witty, and the horse certainly was.
“Yeah… He told me about him last night… Said he hadn’t seen him for a while,” Merlin mumbled as he got to his feet.
“Hadn’t seen it for a while? What, the horse comes and goes as it pleases?” If Arthur had a horse like this, he’d make sure he always knew where it was. It’s not every day one finds such a beauty.
Merlin brushed himself down and suddenly found his chest occupied by the horse’s head. He smiled slightly at it and started scratching behind it’s ears.
“Yes. The horse just started following him one day, so he let it walk free,” Merlin informed him. “Hey, would you mind taking us home?” he murmured to the horse. Arthur snorted.
“Yes Merlin, please start talking to animals as if they’re human,”
The horse bumped into Arthur then, and Merlin couldn’t help but laugh at the insulted expression gracing the Prince’s face. Arabus moved his head away from Merlin, turned so it’s side was to Merlin and the Prince, then it knelt, making it easier for them to climb upon its back. Merlin hesitated a moment and then turned to look at Arthur, who just stared dumbfoundedly at the horse.
“Go on then, sire,” Merlin gestured for him to get on the horse. Shaking his head, the Prince of Camelot got up on the horse, and soon after Merlin got on behind him. It was slightly awkward as the horse got back on its feet, as the servant was tossed into Arthur, and had to grab onto the Prince as to not fall down. Once Arabus was on his feet, Merlin hurriedly let go of Arthur’s waist. Arthur cleared his throat.
“Take us back to Camelot then,” he said to the horse, and it went straight into a fast trot, almost throwing Merlin off again. He didn’t waste time in grabbing on to Arthur, and decided they would just have to stay that way if they wanted to get back to Camelot soon.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“The dragonlord is dead?”
“Yes father. I regret to say that we failed our mission. He agreed to help us, but was killed by enemy soldiers,” Arthur stood tall in front of his King, his arms behind his back as he spoke.
Gaius looked to Merlin, and his heart broke at the sight of him. He couldn’t manage to keep the sorrow from his face, and had trouble keeping himself silent in his grief. He lifted a hand up to bite down on a knuckle.
“Then Camelot is doomed,” Uther sat down heavily.
“We will not go down without a fight. Let us ride out to the clearing, bring the fight to the beast,”
The King looked at his son with sorrow filled eyes, then nodded.
“Very well,”
“Who will join me?” Arthur turned to look at the knights in the room. They all hesitated, until Sir Leon stepped forward. one by one, the rest of them followed. “We will likely be riding to our deaths. Your honour will not be tainted if you choose to stay in the castle,” he told them. None of them changed their mind. “We ride at sundown,” Arthur added, and they all went to ready themselves.
Gaius led Merlin to their chambers, where Merlin told him of his meeting with his father. It was hard to listen to it. It had been such a hopeful event, until they had been attacked. He was intrigued to hear that the horse, or rather, the kelpie had followed them all the way to Camelot, and was currently in the stables enjoying the feed.
“Merlin, I did not say this before, as I hoped it would not be relevant. The gift of a dragonlord is passed from parent to child, but only at the death of the parent… Merlin, you may be able to save Camelot,” Gaius smiled sadly at him then.
Merlin considered this for a few moments. He looked out the window, seeing the sun was about to set. Determination filled him and he nodded to Gaius, before he left to attend to his Prince.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin laughed out loud as he found Arabus laying on his back with his feet in the air, a slightly crazy look to him as he rolled on the floor of the stables almost like a playful dog.
“I’ll let you rest and bring another horse tonight,” he grinned at the happy neigh he got in return and went to fetch a saddled horse form a stable hand further in. He warned him that the white one could be crazy, and told him it was better he stayed away from it. The boy nodded back at him, evidently agreeing wholeheartedly. Merlin chuckled as he passed the rolling horse on his way back out.
“Merlin, you don’t have to come with us,” Arthur told him once he caught up with the Prince and his knights.
“Well I’m coming either way. Someone has to keep you lot safe,” They all laughed at that Merlin had to chuckle a little bit himself. “Besides, I’d rather die out there, than inside the Castle,” he added more seriously. The others seemed to agree with him.
At Arthur’s signal, they mounted their horses, and were soon on their way out to a clearing outside the Camelot walls.
They spread out in a half circle in the middle of the giant clearing, looking into the sky for any sign of the dragon. They waited, and waited, and no dragon appeared for quite a long time. They started to wonder if the dragon had decided to finally leave them alone. Of course, that was the moment it arrived. It’s great wings beating the sky, sending wind down at them, making it hard for them to stay on their horses. The horses decided that now was a good time to flee, and that made it much harder for them not to fall.
The dragon finally decided to land, and they tried to confuse it by galloping around it and stabbing at it. Arthur managed to get in a vicious stab at the dragon’s left side as it’s attention was on one of the other knights, and it roared loudly, making the horses buck and gallop off in all kinds of directions.
Kilgharrah then breathed fire, sending some of the knights to their deaths, while the others were slung off into trees by their horses, and fell unconscious. Arthur was hit by the whip of the dragon’s tail and landed hard and unmoving on the ground.
Merlin screamed at Kilgharrah, and suddenly he felt his father’s spirit and could hear his voice guiding him. His scream morphed into a string of foreign words, and he stared in shock as the dragon bowed his head, looking sad and guilty. He realized he had called upon a spear to hover in the air, ready to strike the dragon’s right side. By instinct, he knew his heart lay there, and not on the left.
“I am the last of my kind, do not let me be the end of it,” Kilgharrah begged him.
Merlin felt a stab to his heart at the thought of killing the great dragon, and he knew he would never be able to do it.
“Leave! Never attack Camelot, and never hurt another human again! Or I WILL end you!” it tore him apart to utter such a threat, but he had to do so to stop the dragon.
“Thank you, Merlin,” the dragon said quietly. With some difficulty, he took to his wings and left. Merlin watched him go, before he ran to Arthur’s side. by some miracle, the man was not dead. In fact, he hardly had any injury except for impressive bruising along the side of him that had been hit by the tail.
“Arthur!” he called while shaking the man slightly. a groan signalled the Prince’s awakening, and he was relieved to see his eyes open.
“Merlin, what…” he looked at his servant in confusion.
“You did it! You dealt the dragon a fatal blow! It flew off,” Merlin smiled down at him, and then helped him sit up. He looked around to see Sir Leon stagger to his feet and going off to help the other injured knights.
Arthur looked at him in surprise and then laughed a slightly hysterical but relieved laugh. Merlin helped him to his feet, and they looked around to see that a few of the knights that had joined them out there had survived. They spared the dead sad looks before making their way back to Camelot to tell them the good news.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A lot of things happened after the dragon attack. Gwen revealed that she had a brother that had been away traveling for years, and she hadn’t even known whether he was alive or not until she received word of his captivity. The men had threatened her, telling her to bring Prince Arthur to them, or her brother would die. She had confided in them all, and they had traveled to save her brother, Elyan, from the clutches of Cenred. In the end, it hadn’t really been a difficult task. Gwen had been relieved to find her brother unharmed, but once they got back to Camelot, things weren’t that easy. They, or rather, Gwen, fought constantly. Elyan tried to win his sister back, but she was so hurt from his absence, that it was not an easy thing to do. He persisted, however, and Gwen started warming up to him, again.
Then it was Arthur’s quest to the Fisher King. It had been such an absurd quest, and Merlin had ended up following him, despite the fact that the Prince was supposed to do it by himself. He had received a gift to bring him luck before he left, and Merlin had felt it’s dark magic and found out what it would do to his Prince. He’d found Arthur completely drained of his energy, and removed the bracelet from his arm before he tried to hide so he wouldn’t be seen. He’d stumbled into the throne room of the Fisher King, and to his greatest surprise, the rotten corpse-looking person on the throne was still alive. He asked Merlin to trade him the bracelet for a bottle of water from avalon. The water, he was told, would help him in a time of need. Merlin agreed, took the offered bottle and put the bracelet on the man’s arm. It didn’t take long for the man to finally die. Merlin had successfully gotten out of there without Arthur noticing he was there, and the Prince arrived victorious back in Camelot.
Then, there was the cup of life.
Merlin felt shock and relief flood through him as he caught sight of the horse with the hunched figure coming towards him. He was out picking herbs for Gaius after learning of the massacre of the patrol. Sir Leon had been among the murdered. At least that was what the message had said. But as Merlin stared, Sir Leon’s trusted horse walked towards him, and it could be no one but the man himself ontop of it.
The servant slowly approached the horse, making sure not to scare it off. He took hold of the reins and calmed the skittish horse before moving back to the man clinging to his saddle.
“Sir Leon,” he calmly uttered, and gripped the man’s arm to get his attention. He could feel the muscles tense as the man jumped a little from the touch. Then, sluggish eyes met his.
“Merlin…” the knight breathed, tilting slightly to the side. Merlin carefully steadied him, before picking up his water skin to offer some to the man. The knight took it gratefully and downed a couple of sips before handing it back.
“I’ll lead you home,” Merlin smiled slightly as the man nodded, and led the horse back into the city. A warmth spread in his chest at the knowledge that the man cared enough to remember his name. It probably wasn’t so strange considering he was the incompetent manservant of the Prince, but he chose to see the positive in it either way.
People immediately got out of the way as they saw them coming. Merlin saw a guard sprint off in the direction of the castle, hopefully alerting Gaius to the injured knight’s arrival. Merlin stopped the horse as close to the steps of the castle as possible and murmured to Leon that he was home now, and could dismount. Shakily, the man moved his foot over the horse to get down, and Merlin discreetly steadied him to keep him from falling. A stable boy stepped forward to take the horse away, and Merlin led the knight to Gaius. Thankfully the guard had indeed alerted him before running off to inform the King. Merlin led Leon to the cot, and the man sat down with a relieved sigh. Gaius handed him a goblet of water, and the knight smiled slightly at him as he took it and drank a little bit at a time. Before Merlin moved away, Leon gripped his arm and looked at him.
“Thank you, Merlin,” he said with a tired smile before he let him go.
The man had just lied down when the King, followed by Arthur stormed into the room.
“Sir Leon!” Arthur burst out, happy that his most trusted knight was indeed alive.
Gaius stepped up to halt them.
“Please, your majesties, Sir Leon needs a bit of rest before his report,” he said apologetically. The King looked at the already half asleep man, before he nodded and ordered the Knight to report to him immediately upon waking. Gaius promised to make sure of that, and Uther left. Arthur hesitated a moment, before nodding himself. He grasped the knights arm in a comforting grip, before he too left.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“How did the druids heal you? You said you were as good as dead, was it magic?” King Uther was not pleased to hear this. He was grateful that such a loyal and trusted knight had survived of course, but he did not like the thought of magic having been used.
“They… They used some sort of cup, my lord. The moment it touched my lips, I could feel life return to me,” Leon was still weak from dehydration and and lack of food and rest, but he had decided to report to his King as soon as he was able. Gaius had agreed, but warned him that he would need several days of rest before he could go back to his duties.
The King paled slightly at what Leon said.
“The cup of life?”
“I’m not certain, sire. All I know is that it healed me.”
Merlin froze at the words. He thought for sure that the cup had been destroyed. Knowing its immense power, he looked around at the people in attendance. The King, the Prince, Gaius, Sir Leon, Morgana, Gwen… there were a couple of other council members there as well. A few servants… one servant caught his eye. He had not seen the old woman before, and he was sure the only old women in the household would be ones that had worked there since their younger years, which meant there was something off about her. He always made sure he at least knew the faces of everyone working there, and he always checked up on the new additions. He had never seen this woman before. Something was not right. It seemed the woman sensed someone was watching her, as she looked around and finally her gaze locked with his. He felt his heartbeat pick up as he realized those eyes were way too young for such an old woman. She narrowed her brown eyes at him. Then an elderly councilmember went past Merlin’s line of sight, and when he finally moved away, the woman was gone.
The talk amongst the nobles faded into a blur as Merlin thought back to the time he had gone after the cup himself. He should have thought of bringing it with him. He should have known it could be bad if it got into the wrong hands as all magical relics could. Nothing bad had happened as of yet, but he guessed it was only a matter of time. He looked at Arthur and he had a feeling the King would send his son out to retrieve it. Arthur moved, and he realized everyone was leaving, and the meeting was over.
Merlin went straight to Leon’s side to help him should he need it. The knight managed on his own, however shaky he was, but he gave the servant a grateful smile. Merlin made sure the man had everything he needed within an arm’s reach from the bed he was about to lay back down into before he left him to rest.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Where are we going?” Merlin ruffled though the prince’s clothing, trying to decide what to pack.
“I can’t tell you Merlin,” Arthur said distractedly as he looked over his armor.
“But how will I know what to pack? Will it be hot, will it be cold, will it be wet, will it be dry?” Arthur shot him a withering look and Merlin had problems keeping his expression neutral. He failed miserably when Arthur snorted at his attempt to keep from grinning.
“Really, where are we going?” Merlin asked again after a pause.
“That is information of utmost secrecy,” Arthur told him sternly.
“Yeah and if you told me you’d have to kill me,” Merlin joked.
“Immediately and without hesitation,” Arthur said seriously, holding his sword up. Merlin stared at it blankly. “We ride within the hour,” Arthur added and put his armor down. “Not that one!” he startled Merlin as he was about to put a pendragon red tunic in the bag. “Nothing that can indicate we’re from Camelot,” he said and pulled the red tunic back out and shoved it into the wardrobe. The manservant looked at him with an annoyed expression and turned back to the packing.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin decided to see if Arabus was up to going with them today. The horse had just stubbornly stayed in the stables whenever they went anywhere after it had brought them home. Arthur found it amusing, and he loved how the horse scared everyone working in the stables, yet was an angel every time Merlin arrived.
The merman prince walked over to where Arabus stood with his ears lazily to the sides and his under lip hanging in a very relaxed state. He seemed to really enjoy his life in the stables. As Merlin got closer he was shocked to find a stable hand brushing down the horse’s white coat. The boy looked up at him with a nervous expression.
“Merlin! Please help me, I can’t get away from him!” the boy hissed. he tried to stop brushing and walk away, but the horse just turned to look threateningly at the poor boy, and caught the young man’s tunic between his teeth and dragged him back.
Merlin had a hard time not laughing at that.
“Arabus! Let the poor man go,” he chastised and the horse seemed to sulk, but the man finally managed to get away.
“Thank you!” he bowed several times to Merlin before running out of the stables.
When Merlin turned back, Arabus had turned his backside on him.
“I guess that means you won’t join us on our trip then,” Merlin sighed. The horse snorted and laid down to roll around in the hay, ruining the brush job. Merlin snickered at the pure evil this horse had in it.
Merlin found another horse available, and brought it, along with Arthur’s out to be readied. Just as he finished, Arthur joined him dressed in a blue tunic with a leather vest on top. The servant secretly stared at his master, finding the outfit to be very good looking on his Prince.
“Let’s head out then,” Arthur said as he mounted his horse expertly. Merlin swallowed and scrambled to get on top of his own horse and follow the other man out of the city.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Are we heading to Cenred’s kingdom again?” Merlin grinned at his master’s back. He loved to tease this man.
“Merlin,” Arthur grumbled again. Merlin had been at it since they left the city, asking all kinds of questions despite the Prince telling him he could not reveal anything.
“Because we’re nearing the border and we’re not stopping,” Merlin went on. They were taking a different route from when they’d gone after the dragonlord, which was still a sore memory, but Merlin still recognized the landmarks he had studied on the maps he’d gotten to look at while living in Camelot. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before they came to the border, and once they were on the bridge that crossed the river further up ahead, they’d be in Cenred’s kingdom.
“
Mer
lin,” Arthur really started to sound pissed off now.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea. Aren’t the druids a peaceful people? They wouldn’t use the cup for anything but good. Leon is a good example of that,” Merlin prattled on.
“Merlin!”
“What?”
“Shut up!”
Merlin grinned to himself. The Prince had finally cracked.
They rode on in silence, the manservant following an order for once. That said, he only did it because he was satisfied with having driven the Prince to the end of his patience.
The bridge came into view, and Merlin mentally patted himself on the shoulder for remembering correctly. It was a sturdy stone structure with very low railings, and the water flowing underneath was deep and strong. This was the main passage across the borders. Had it not been, there wouldn’t be such an expensive bridge so far from any city.
Arthur looked around cautiously as they neared the river. There was a straight, broad road ahead of them, but the road was surrounded by thick forest, making it easy for enemies to hide from sight.
The horses’ hooves clicked loudly on the worn stone. As they closed in on the other side, there was a ruckus behind them. They turned to see several men racing towards them, and then there were men and dogs in front of them as well.
Arthur drew his sword, while Merlin tried to calm his skittish horse. Of course he’d had to end up with one of the skittish ones! He murmured to her, trying to soothe her as the dogs barked loudly at them. They were pressed further back on the bridge by the men in front of them, but the men at their backs was blocking their way before they had the chance to flee the bridge.
Arthur’s horse was calm and focused, while Merlin’s danced in place with nervousness. He could feel the whole beast tense in fear as the dogs drew closer together with their masters.
There was a moment of stillness where no one except Merlin’s horse moved.
Then all hell broke lose. Arthur swung his sword at the men that charged him, his horse knowing exactly what he wanted and helped by biting and kicking out against anyone coming close. The men realized Arthur was the greatest threat, and so they charged at him while they sent their dogs at Merlin. The warlock tried his best to help his Prince while trying to stay seated on his horse. Then the dogs growled, barked and bit at his horse’s feet, and she reared, neighing in fear. The sudden movement dislodged Merlin from the saddle, and he desperately tried to grab hold of the mane or saddle, or anything he could get his hands on. In her fear, the horse stepped sideways while still on her back legs while she kicked out with her forelegs.
The jarring movement made Merlin loose his grip on her mane, and he fell. He heard Arthur shout his name, and then he crashed into the stone railing, back first. His breath was knocked from him on impact and he lost his bearing for a moment. He was greatly confused when he found the world to be upside down. His whole body moved suddenly without his aid, and he looked up to see that his foot was stuck in the stirrup on his horse’s saddle. She was kicking out with her hind legs, and it caused Merlin to be dragged against the stone just as he realized he was hanging on the outside of the bridge. Then, she reared once more, and someone must have rammed into her, because she suddenly lost her balance. Merlin stared in horror as the great big animal tipped over the edge, coming closer to him with a pained, horrified, animalistic scream. That terrifying sensation of falling registered with him as he saw the ugly toothless grin of a ruffian peer over the edge as the bridge grew further away before the icy water swallowed both him and his horse.
He had never imagined he would ever find water this confusing and terrifying.
He was tossed every possible way by the current. He tried to get above the surface to breathe, but was abruptly dragged down by his foot. In his panic to get air into his lungs he forgot for a moment that he was stuck to a horse. Then he was suddenly underneath the big animal, and something hit im hard in the chest, once again knocking what little air he had from his lungs. water flowed in through his mouth and he tried desperately to get his magic to give him his gills, or transform the water into air in his lungs, but nothing he did was working. Suddenly his head was above water, and he tried automatically to suck in a breath, but was overcome with a choking cough before he was dragged down under by the current once more. He realized that his foot must have come loose from the stirrup, because he could no longer feel the tugging at his leg. He moved his arms and feet about, trying to push himself to the surface. His lungs felt like they would explode in his chest and he no longer knew what was up or down. He felt his body weaken as he struggled to find the surface, and the irony hit him hard, almost making him laugh at the sheer stupidity of it all. Here he was, a merman prince, drowning in a river. His body slowly gave up on him and he sluggishly thought that it didn’t matter anymore. He spluttered weakly as his head came above the water once more, and he heard someone shout his name before he slid back under. He felt the darkness pulling at him, tempting him with numbness and peace. He absently realized the water was calmer now as he slowly turned, his hand floating up in front of his vision as if he was reaching for the sun.
Strong arms wrapped around him, and he was abruptly dragged back to his pain filled body as his lungs tried to force air in, while at the same time trying to expel the water.
He was pulled along in the water until the person holding him reached shallower waters. It seemed as though there were two pairs of hands on him, and he felt himself being lifted up and carried before he was laid down on dry ground where he hacked and choked on water and air at the same time. Someone was rubbing his back, talking soothingly to him. He registered shouting, and then another pair of hands were on him. He felt his throat closing up, not able to get any air into his lungs at all. The voices were urgent as they talked to him, and then suddenly someone gave him a hard pat on his back, and it seemed that dislodged something, because soon he was retching up water.
The lungful of air was a blessing. He relaxed as he could breathe more normally again, and he felt that soothing rubbing motion at his back again. He lay there on his side, completely limp, just breathing.
“We should make camp somewhere,” someone suggested, and soon after he was carefully lifted again. The soothing motion of the person’s steps lulled him to sleep.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur’s blood had gone ice cold at the sight of Merlin’s horse toppling over the edge of the bridge, before it abruptly went boiling hot in his anger. He lashed out at the men around him, Killing every one who dared come close while his heart hammered wildly in his chest. This could not be happening. No. Merlin was somehow alright. He was probably just hiding somewhere.
A few of the attackers realized they were in over their heads and made to run away, but to Arthur’s surprise they were cut down by two men that had just joined in the battle.
“Arthur!” he turned in the direction of the shout, just in time to parry an attack before the man was sliced down from behind.
“Lancelot!” Arthur exclaimed in relief as he turned to cut into the chest of another man approaching. “Merlin!” he shouted, trying to convey that the other man should find his servant. “The river!” he added, and Lancelot nodded, cutting down men as he and his giant of a friend ran towards the side of the bridge where Merlin had fallen. Lancelot called out, and ran down the bridge to follow the river. That did nothing to calm Arthur.
He finally got rid of the last man fighting him. He hastily bent to wipe the blood away from his sword on the man’s clothing before he ran in the direction the others had taken. He stopped just as he got off the bridge as he saw the pack of dogs fighting his horse. Llamrei had bite marks on her legs and she courageously fought off these beasts that had no doubt been trained to kill. He ran over, quickly getting rid of them, took Llamrei’s reins, and guided her with him. He decided he had to check her over once he got his servant back.
He saw the two men further down the river where the water was much calmer. Merlin’s horse was staggering out of the water by herself, but it was clear the animal was not alright. Once on land, she just stood there, shaking.
The two men were hurriedly stripping some of their clothing before Lancelot ran forth and dove elegantly into a deeper part of the calm water. Arthur followed him with his eyes, but he could see no sign of Merlin. Then, Lancelot ducked under the surface. The prince found himself standing frozen, holding his breath as he waited for the other man to come back up. When he finally did, he saw he had Merlin in his grip, and there was movement in the servant. The royal gasped as he finally breathed again, and made his way toward where the big man was now helping Lancelot bring Merlin to dry land.
Lancelot sat behind Merlin as he lay on his side on the ground. He rubbed the boy’s back, talking to him.
“Merlin!” Arthur found himself shouting as he hurried over to his servant, grabbing onto him. “Merlin! Breathe!” he urged as he realized the boy was choking. He felt fear start to rise up again as the boy couldn’t get air into his lungs.
“Merlin, you need to relax!” Lancelot shot in as he held the young man steady.
“Please move over,” the big guy said, before giving Merlin a solid pat on his back. That did the trick, as the boy retched up the water in him. Lancelot held him steady as he heaved in lungful after lungful of air. He resumed his patting of the servant’s back.
“We should make camp somewhere,” Arthur suggested. The other two looked up at him and nodded, before the big man pulled Merlin easily into his arms. Arthur led Llamrei, while Lancelot took hold of the reins on Merlin’s horse. She followed on shaky legs. At this rate, Arthur was afraid the horses wouldn’t be able to continue. It shattered his heart a little, and he could only hope they would get better after a bit of rest. And then there was Merlin. From the look of it, the boy had fallen asleep in the big man’s arms. The prince knew the danger wasn’t over yet. He’d seen men seemingly survive drowning just for them to die in their sleep a while later, or succumb to harsh sickness that could also end up killing.
“There is a cave nearby,” The giant offered. “It’s dry and big enough to provide shelter for all of us, including the horses,” he added.
“Lead the way then,” Arthur practically ordered. The man nodded and they soon found themselves entering said cave. The man carrying Merlin put the boy down carefully after Lancelot had laid out a blanket he’d had in his pack, which Arthur just now registered he was carrying.
Arthur took a good look at both men. To be honest, he was quite impressed with the sheer size of Lancelot’s friend. Lancelot himself looked like he had trained quite a lot since they last met, and he’d also gotten a haircut.
“You arrived at a good time,” Arthur uttered. “Without you showing up, I’m afraid Merlin wouldn’t have made it… thank you.” It was hard for him to express his gratitude. He wasn’t used to thanking anyone. He’d grown up learning that he would get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, and there was no need for him to thank anyone because he was the Prince.
“I’m Percival,” the big guy stepped forward holding out his hand for Arthur. The Prince grinned up at him and clasped it firmly. He had a slight problem keeping the grin in place when the man tightened his hold. He prided himself in being a strong man himself, but the muscles on Percival was just insane.
“Arthur,” he replied. Thank the gods his voice came out normal. The other guy grinned in response.
“I’ll go gather some firewood,” Percival announced and left the cave.
Arthur looked back to where Lancelot tended to Merlin. Then, he looked at their horses. Merlin’s horse had decided to lie down, while Llamrei stood beside her keeping watch. It really had to be uncomfortable for her with the saddle still on. He needed to look after them, but he also knew they’d need something to eat. Lancelot looked up and saw his uncertainty.
“I can have a look at them,” he offered.
“Llamrei can be irritable when she’s hurt,” the Prince offered.
“That’s alright, I can handle her,” the other man smiled.
“Very well. I’ll be going for a hunt,” he regally told the man and janked out his crossbow from his pack on top of Llamrei. He stroked her and whispered calming words to her, before he too left the cave.
Lancelot watched him leave and dove straight into action. He turned back to Merlin, putting his hand on his chest and whispered a spell to make sure there was no water left in his lungs. He knew the risks if Merlin still had water in his lungs. He could end up drowning despite being on dry land. That’s the downside of being a merman transformed to human. It would be too risky and time consuming to transform back into merman form. And despite being creatures of the sea, they could end up drowning. They did have the advantage of being able to live in both salty sea water, and the fresh water of the lakes, unlike normal water creatures. But that didn’t help when they were in human forms.
He smiled in triumph when he found a bit of water and managed to guide it out of Merlin’s lungs. The young man breathed more easily after that.
Then, he moved on to the tired horse lying on the cave floor. He undid the saddle strap and managed to get it off the animal. She lazily lifted her head to look at him. He stroked her muzzle a little bit, before moving his hands down to her chest. He did the same spell on her, and found a great deal of water in her lungs. He carefully guided the water out through her mouth. It must have been a very unpleasant experience, judging by the horse’s terrified eyes. Lancelot carefully calmed her with soothing words, scratched her behind the ears and stroke his hand down her neck.
Next up was the Prince of Camelot’s horse. She stood regal and calm, watching Lancelot’s every move. He slowly closed in on her, reaching out to run his hand down her neck. She seemed to accept him and he moved on to her wounds. They looked nasty, but with a little help from his magic, they weren’t as bad as they looked. He knew he was crap at healing spells, but minor things like these he could do. It had only been sheer luck and desperation that had led to him keeping his Prince alive long enough for Gaius to have a look at him all those years ago. He froze at that thought. He had not seen his prince since then. How long had they been on land now? It had to have been close to four years by now. Or was it more? He shook his head and went back to looking over the horse. He took his water skin and poured some water over the wounds to remove the dried blood and muck. The horse nudged his head a bit and he smiled at her. Why had Arthur said she was irritable when wounded? He looked into her eyes and saw the intelligence and the slight mischievous glint. Ah. She probably did that to mess with her master. He laughed and petted her gently before he once again went back to his Prince.
Lancelot watched the man sleep as his body absorbed the water from his clothing. He had thought about removing his clothes to ward off the chill, but he figured Merlin needed the water, despite nearly drowning in it. He hadn’t changed much, but he had started getting a bit bigger in terms of muscles. He’d been quite thin when they first met, and hadn’t had the chance to properly grow into his body back then. Now, however, he had gotten a bit buff actually. He figured it had much to do with him using his muscles differently on land than in the water, much like himself, and he had no doubt he’d had his fill of strenuous tasks as the manservant to the Prince of Camelot.
He looked up as Percival came back with his arms full of twigs and branches. He wordlessly sat down to begin building the fire.
Flames were greedily licking at the wood when Arthur came back to the cave. He held up a big pine marten as he walked further in.
“How is he?” the Prince asked, nodding towards Merlin who was still sleeping. Percival rose from his seat by the fire and approached him, holding out his hand for the animal.
“I can prepare it,” he offered. Arthur nodded in thanks and handed the animal over before he went over to his servant to check on him.
“He’s been sleeping quietly. His breathing was a bit off to begin with, but he’s better now,” Lancelot smiled slightly.
“And the horses?” Arthur looked over at them. Merlin’s horse looked much healthier by now, but was still lying down. Llamrei stood much more relaxed than before.
“They’re better. Llamrei’s injuries wasn’t as bad as they looked. They all just need a bit of rest. As do you, Sire.”
Arthur had to admit that he actually did feel tired. He went over and sat down close by Merlin’s head, while Lancelot took out a pot that he filled with herbs, water and a few vegetables he had in his pack. He set it on the fire, waiting for the water to start boiling.
Just as bubbles started coming to the surface, Percival returned with the meat, and handed it over to Lancelot who put it in the pot after slicing it into smaller pieces. Arthur sat in his spot by the fire, nodding off now and then.
The prince jumped at the sudden groan coming from beside him. He sat up straight, turning to look at Merlin who was just starting to come to. He blinked his eyes open, looking very confused. His eyes slowly rolled this way and that, seemingly trying to make sense of something. Then, his gaze settled on Lancelot.
“Lance…?”
“Hey, Merlin,” Lancelot looked at him with a warm smile on his face.
“What…?” Merlin blinked again. Arthur pulled out his waterskin, bending over to help him sit up so he could drink something.
“Here Merlin, you should drink this,” he held the skin to the boy’s mouth. The servant automatically opened his mouth to drink, but as soon as the liquid came into his mouth, his eyes widened in panic and he ended up choking on it. His hands suddenly came up to grip at his prince’s clothing as if he thought he would be falling. Arthur hurriedly removed the waterskin from him and waited for him to catch his breath again.
“The river,” Merlin gasped out.
“Merlin, I know you like water, but that was a bit greedy of you wasn’t it?” Arthur blurted and immediately felt awkward as Merlin’s panicked eyes met his. But then his manservant laughed, and Arthur could relax a bit.
Lancelot watched their interaction and couldn’t help but feel happy. Even as panicked as Merlin was, Arthur managed to calm him down with just a few words. They had a great bond between them, but he suspected they didn’t even know that themselves. He busied himself with the stew, and found it was ready to be eaten. Picking up a bowl, he poured some into it and offered it to the Prince of Camelot, before offering another one to Merlin. They both accepted them with grateful expressions and started eating. Lancelot served Percival as well before he filled himself a bowl of his own. They all ate in silence for a while.
“When… When did you arrive?” Merlin looked at Lancelot.
“Just after you fell. I saw the horse toppling over the edge, but I had no idea… We saw there was a fight and realized they were bandits, so we decided to help. Then I saw Prince Arthur surrounded. Me and Percival here, charged at them to help, but then his majesty sent us to look for you. I was afraid it was too late when I got to you…” Lancelot looked down at his hands then. This was the second time he’d dragged his prince out of life threatening situations. He was infinitely happy he could be of service of course, but he didn’t like how much his Prince had to suffer.
Lancelot almost jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to find Merlin looking back at him with a smile.
“Thank you for saving my life. Again,” he said with a wry smile. He then turned his attention to Percival and did a double take as he properly looked at the man for the first time. “Wow, you’re huge!” He breathed before he realized what he’d said and bit his lip. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Thank you for helping us,” he added and looked up through his lashes at the man. Lancelot had to stifle a laugh at that. Merlin clearly had no clue what he could do to others with that look. He watched Percival’s face redden, and saw the jealous and slightly red face of Arthur before both men tried to get control over their reactions.
“No problem,” the big man replied and couldn’t help but stare at the smile gracing the young man afterwards.
“Well, we should just stay here and rest, and leave to finish our task in the morning,” Arthur uttered authoritively. Merlin looked like he agreed as he was nodding off already, even though he’d been sleeping for a good while already. Lancelot offered to take first watch, and he looked over the others as they fell asleep.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin felt much better in the morning. They all ate the leftovers of the stew from the night before, and Merlin helped Lancelot pack up. Lancelot tried to refuse his help, since Merlin was his prince, but Merlin had told him to suck it up and let him help.
As they made their way away from the cave, Arthur realized they weren’t too far away from their destination.
“What are you doing out here alone?” Lancelot asked them after a moment. Arthur was about to tell him it was a secret mission when Merlin opened his big mouth.
“We’re looking for the cup of life,” Merlin said with a wiggle of his fingers. Arthur smacked him on the back of his head. “OW!” Merlin’s hand shot up to rub at the spot.
“What is it about the word ‘secret’ that you do not understand?” Arthur growled.
“What! It’s Lancelot!”
Arthur grumbled and stomped on, dragging his horse behind him. They didn’t have too far to go, and he didn’t want to tire her out after the attacks the day before. Merlin had decided on the same thing, and Lancelot and Percival didn’t have any horses to begin with.
Lancelot looked scandalized at the violence, until Merlin turned to him with a grin and a shrug. He shook his head and decided to spend the walk explaining to Percival who these people were. He left out the merman part, since he hadn’t told him about himself yet, but he explained the cover story about how Merlin ended up in Camelot and how he ended up manservant to the Prince. Percival looked impressed and kept shooting the bickering men curious glances throughout their walk.
“We’re here,” Arthur said as he stopped to tie his horse to a tree. Merlin followed his lead, and soon they went through the opening of a cave similar to the one they had spent their night in. Arthur slowly unsheathed his sword, keeping it ready as they walked on through the tunnel. There were torches on the walls, and fabrics strewn all over.
At a closer look, the fabrics were torn, and it looked as though the cave had been looted.
Further in, a man lay propped against the wall, heaving for breath as he tried to stop the bleeding from his abdomen. Another man lay dead not too far away.
Arthur lowered his sword and stared in shock at the man, as he opened his pained eyes to look at them. Merlin rushed past him, ready to help the man as he had learned much from Gaius while living with him. The servant dropped to his knees beside the injured man, carefully lifting his hand away from his wound. His heart fell as he saw the extent of the wound. The man would not live much longer. Merlin looked into those knowing eyes and realized the man already knew it was too late. The man gripped at his jacket, staring into his eyes with sadness. Then, Merlin jumped as he heard a voice in his head.
“Forgive us, Emrys, we did not see them coming,”
“How do you…”
“The fallen prince that will bring magic back to the land, the one who will unite the land and the sea… Emrys, the druids will always be your allies. I have little time. They were masked by powerful magic. We did not see them coming until it was too late. They took the cup, Emrys. You need to take it back, keep it safe,”
“Who did this?!”
Merlin felt awful for not being able to help this man. The druids were a peaceful people. They did not deserve to be slaughtered like this.
“Cenred’s men… They’re in league with a vicious and powerful magic…”
the man didn’t get any further as his last breath left him. Merlin hung his head.
“Forgive me,” he whispered to the man before slowly returning to his feet. “There was nothing to be done,” he said, his eyes trained on the ground. “Cenred’s men attacked them. He said they were aided by powerful magic. Arthur,” he looked up at the prince. “They have the cup,”
“We need to return to Camelot,” Arthur immediately ordered, turning on his heels and rushing out of the cave. He stopped dead in his tracks as he exited. Merlin, Lancelot and Percival followed, but they too stopped as they realized what had happened.
The horses were gone.
“Stay alert. They’re still here,” Arthur murmured.
Swords at the ready, well, all except for Merlin, The four men made their way in the direction of Camelot, carefully keeping eyes and ears peeled.
When they crossed the bridge, and nothing had happened yet, they sped up.
They were just a few hours away from Camelot when they were ambushed. Merlin very nearly had his head chopped off, while Lancelot just barely avoided being pierced through the heart by an arrow. The attackers managed to split them up, and chased down all of them.
Arthur realized they were just a few hired ruffians, but they gained the upper hand when they managed to split the group up. Until the Prince and his companions finally got the opportunity to fight back.
Percival had managed to slice down his own opponents, and had joined Lancelot to fight his. Merlin had managed to hide somewhere or other, or at least Arthur hoped he had, and the Prince himself was currently running his sword through the man that had been too daring in following him. He had been pushed quite far off from the others, and was now fighting to get back to them. Cutting down the men that had chased him, he made his way back towards the others. Just as he saw Percival’s back, he felt a searing hot pain in the back of his thigh that unbalanced him. He crashed to the ground with a shout, and realized whatever had imbedded itself in him must be poisoned. A burning sensation spread slowly from the wound, and he felt paralyzed. Pain started spreading through his body and he felt his consciousness fade. He heard someone frantically shout his name, before darkness took him.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin used his magic to send a ruffian sprawling to the ground beside Percival when he realized he’d lost track of Arthur. He looked around, trying to make out where the prince had gone to.
Then, he heard Arthur’s shout. He stood frozen, trying to pinpoint where it had come from, and his fear rose as he didn’t hear anything else.
“Arthur!” he shouted out, begging for a response.
There was none.
He sprinted in the general direction he’d heard the prince, and saw Lancelot and Percival chasing a bandit with a crossbow in hand.
Arthur had been chased too far for Merlin’s liking, and when he finally found him on the ground between tall bushes, he felt relief run through him for a second until he saw the bolt in his thigh, surrounded by blood.
“Arthur!” he let out as he collapsed to his knees beside him. The prince was out cold with a pained expression on his face. Merlin reached out to touch his skin, finding him damp from sweat and warm to the touch. He looked back to the bolt in the thigh, and saw the ugliness of his wound.
“Merlin?” he heard Lancelot call out.
“Over here!” he didn’t take his eyes off his Prince at all, instead looking more closely at the bolt. It was streaked with some kind of liquid. He pulled a leaf from a bush and carefully wiped some of it off and brought it to his nose to smell it. Poison.
“Help me carry him somewhere fit to camp,” he said absentmindedly as Lancelot and Percival reached him. He tried thinking of what this poison was made of, and what would be the antidote.
The two men gently lifted the Prince, carrying him further away from the path than they already were, finding a spot good enough to camp in. They lay him down, mindful of the wound. Merlin immediately set to work, pulling the bolt out, pouring a bit of water over the bleeding wound, and ripped some of his tunic to wrap around the prince’s thigh. The man’s breathing was erratic, his body wracked by shudders. Percival eyed the Prince with a sympathetic look, before he once again offered to collect firewood.
Merlin watched him go, then shot Lancelot a glance. The other man nodded and stepped further off to keep watch, while Merlin turned back to Arthur.
He hovered his hand over the wound, whispering whatever healing incantations he could remember. He felt his magic surge, but nothing seemed to work. He tried to focus on the poison, to have it flow out of the wound, and for a moment, it worked. A few drops of the green liquid oozed from the wound, before his magic gave out again. He sighed and ground his teeth in frustration. Why was he so rubbish at anything having to do with healing? Sometimes it worked a little bit, but other times it didn’t work at all.
He looked at Arthur’s face, reaching over to wipe away sweat from his forehead. He didn’t have the antidote for the poison. He couldn’t figure out what it was. He just hoped that the little he’d managed to do would be enough for the Prince to survive.
A low whistle from Lancelot caught Merlin’s attention and he looked up to see Percival coming back with firewood.
“I’ve done what I can to help him. Let’s just hope it’s enough,” Merlin bit his lip and looked away.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur woke with a start. He had no clue where he was, and how he’d gotten there. He felt the uneven ground beneath his aching body, leaves and other small debris sticking to the side of his face. As his eyes focused, he saw Merlin on the ground beside him. The other man had a drying cut on the side of his face, and in the early morning light, he looked pale as a corpse. Arthur’s heart rate picked up it’s pace, and for a few moments he thought Merlin lay dead beside him.
Then, he saw the movement of his chest. He let out a breath of relief, and tried to move. Pain spiked through his body, but he bit it back and moved to sit up.
“Arthur?” Merlin had woken a the sound of movement beside him, and had looked over to find Arthur sitting up. “How are you feeling?” He sat up as he asked.
“I’m fine,” Arthur grunted. The Prince froze for a moment, before he sent a sharp look Merlin’s way. “We need to get back to Camelot!”
“Arthur, you’re injured,” Merlin tried to to tell him, but he struggled to his feet either way. Percival and Lancelot had woken up by now and hurried to their feet. Merlin could do nothing but follow Arthur as he limped his way towards Camelot on instinct.
The servant rolled his eyes at Arthur’s stubbornness and grimaced at his back, making the two other men chuckle. He complained for a bit, but he never looked away from his Prince. He kept a watchful eye on him as they made their way towards the city.
The nearer they got, the more destruction they found. Carriages were shattered and set on fire, men and women alike were slaughtered where they stood. Groups of knights lay scattered all over. Arthur kept going without looking at them. It was too hard for him. Many of these men was his own. He had trained many of them from the beginning.
There were no enemy bodies.
Merlin looked around with sorrowful eyes. He recognized most of the men lying dead around them. He felt the urge to bury them, but he knew they could not afford to do that just yet. They could be ambushed at any moment, and they needed to get back to the castle, to see how much damage had been dealt to it.
The destruction and murder was horrible. Several buildings was set fire to, and people lay slaughtered everywhere. Wagons and stalls were torn to pieces, fabrics and other goods lay strewn all over.
They made their way to Gwen’s house, seeing no living people along the way. They ran inside to find it empty.
Or so they thought before Elyan jumped at them with sword in hand. He was so out of it it took them a while to calm him enough for him to understand who they were.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize it was you!” the man was still shaking like a leaf from fear, and his eyes were wild.
“Elyan! It’s alright!” Merlin shook the man slightly as he looked him in the eye. “Where’s Gwen?” Elyan deflated at that.
“She was up in the Castle when they attacked,” he sank down on a chair, looking defeated.
“Then there’s still hope!” Arthur uttered and stepped towards the door.
“Sire, the Citadel has been taken,” Elyan muttered. Arthur froze, not even turning back to face the man. “These men… They’re immortal. No injury could slow them down,” the man added, looking at his Prince in sorrow.
“We need to get them out of there. We need to save my father,” Arthur still had his back to them. Merlin watched his rigid posture. He knew the prince was in agony from his leg wound. They really needed to do something with that, or he would die from maltreatment. They really shouldn’t burst right into the castle, straight into the arms of their enemy.
Yet, that’s exactly what they did.
Merlin felt his heart race as their group made their way past immortal guards. That truly brought back terrible memories.
“Lancelot, Elyan, you know your ways around the castle, right?” Arthur whispered.
“Well enough, I believe Sire,” Lancelot replied.
“I need you to see if you can get into the dungeons, see who’s in there. If you can, break out anyone you can manage and meet us in the valley of the fallen kings,”
“As you wish, Sire,” Lancelot bowed. He looked to Merlin as if to see if he agreed. At his nod, Lancelot smiled slightly and took the lead towards the dungeons. Percival followed them as well.
Merlin followed Arthur, but the man was having serious trouble walking straight. When he collapsed against the wall, Merlin had had enough. He grabbed the Prince’s arm, wrapped it around his shoulders, put his arm around Arthur’s waist and shouldered the other man’s weight.
“We need to have a look at that wound, Sire,” he said, drowning out the protests from the royal.
They were already pretty close to Gaius’ chambers. Merlin just hoped there weren’t immortal soldiers inside.
The chambers looked empty as they snuk through the door. Merlin dumped Arthur on the bench by the table, and went straight to the shelves filled with potions and other medical supplies.
Just as he was picking through the vials for a pain reliever, something crashed to the floor beyond the door to his room, which he just now realized was closed. He picked up the broom, which was the best he could find as a weapon within an arm’s reach, and made his way over to the door. He swallowed hard before he threw open the door.
Merlin jumped, and let out a shaky breath of relief as he saw Gaius on the other side, clutching a stool as a weapon. Then, he laughed at Gaius’ shocked expression and gave the man a hug.
“I’m so happy to see you alive!” he whispered in the old man’s ear.
“I could say the same for you!” Gaius patted his back. “Sire!” he gasped as he saw Arthur on the bench, only half conscious.
“Give me something to keep going!” the Prince mumbled as the old physician ran over to have a look at his leg.
“It is infected, my lord, you need to be treated,”
“No time!”
Gaius looked up at Merlin who shrugged. He’d given up on knocking some sense into the royal. The old man huffed, and expertly shuffled through the glass vials until he found what he was looking for.
“Here, drink this. It will numb the pain for a while, but you need treatment. Soon,” Gaius handed over the vial, and then started gathering supplies in a bag.
Merlin jumped into action, and started gathering whatever supplies and food he could find as well.
When the potion started working enough for Arthur to get back on his feet, both Gaius and Merlin had finished their rushed packing. The Prince led them down corridors, avoiding every soldier they came across. They checked room after room, trying to find others that were trapped inside the castle. They had found no one until they came across one of the rarely used guest chambers. There, they found Morgana and Gwen. The serving girl had been close to tears from anxiousness, clinging to her lady, who calmly used her body to protect Gwen when the door opened. They both relaxed at the sight of the prince and his manservant. They had changed to more agile clothing, though it seemed they had found them in the guest chambers, because the clothes did not fit them very well. They were much too big for their thin frames.
Arthur could not help himself. Used to seeing Morgana in tailored clothing that always made her look like a goddess, the baggy fabric made him laugh. She looked absolutely ridiculous. She sent him an icy glare, before Merlin reminded them of where they were. Arthur cleared his throat, but couldn’t keep the grin off his face.
They moved on, and soon came to a balcony above the throne room where they found an army of immortal soldiers to be.
And there, sitting on the throne, was Muirgen. Her long light blonde hair was pulled up into an elegant hairdo at the back of her head, with a handful of it still slowing down on both sides of her beautiful face. Pearls were woven into her hair, and running along her forehead like a delicate crown. Her lips the color of blood, a stark contrast to her pale skin. She was clad in an elegant formfitting dress with a warm orange red color, with a red brown corset like belt around her waist, and the same color lining the collar of the dress, which was so wide, it almost left her shoulders bare. The sleeves and cape on the dress was a bright yellow that almost shone in the great hall. She looked like the embodiment of kindness, but they all knew that was not true.
Beside her, stood Morgause in a beautiful crimson dress with silver pearls laced down her arms and across her waist. Her wavy blonde hair flowed like a waterfall down her shoulders. She looked truly intimidating where she stood beside her lady.
They both smiled as the doors to the great hall was thrown open, and loud protests could be heard as the King was dragged forth. Arthur almost burst at the seams at the sight of his father.
The King was forced to the floor in front of the throne.
“You cannot do this! I am the King!” he thundered.
“Oh, but I can. I do not care for your rules, little King. You have angered me. You have hunted my kind. Now it is time you paid for that,” Muirgen’s silky voice rang out through the hall, fooling their ears into a false sense of security. “I am the Queen of the Morgens, and I am here to bring your tyranny to an end,” she smiled sweetly.
That was when everything clicked into place. Merlin knew of the Morgens. They were water spirits that often lured men and women both into their watery homes with their alluring beauty. Their voices were silky soft, and could draw the most cold hearted people into a sense of security. They usually kept to themselves, but when angered, they could pose a great threat. Especially considering their Queen had decided she be the one to take matters into her own hands.
“You have brought my kind and other like us great torture, and have murdered hundreds upon hundreds of magical creatures. It is time you get a taste of your own medicine,” she held a hand out towards the King and spoke in a strange language. Her eyes glowed red, and Merlin had to physically hold Arthur back. He was sure the man would have jumped over the railing of the balcony in his rage.
“What did you do to me?” the King’s voice was hard but a little bit confused.
“I lifted the blinding charm I had Morgause put on you. Look around you. See anyone you recognise?” Her smile was sickly kind as she held her arms out to the sides, looking around.
Arthur and Morgana frowned in confusion, while Merlin, Gwen and Gaius silently observed what was going on. There were no one else in the hall, except for Muirgen’s immortal men.
“Morgana… Arthur…? But you… You didn’t return before the attack! Arthur, did they take the cup of life from you?!” Uther tried to get up from the floor, but the men around him held him down.
“Now, what do you say we thin out the herd a little, shall we? Bring me the serving girl,” Muirgen stood up, and stepped forward, pulling a knife from thin air. No one brought her any serving girls, but she seemed to grab onto thin air, as if someone had been brought forth.
The group on the balcony watched in stunned confusion as she sliced the air just above her own neck hight.
“Someone shut that woman’s mouth,” She said to the empty space to her left. Uther just stared at the ground in front of him in disgust, as if there was some kind of mess there that he wanted the servants to clean up instantly.
“Now then. Who’s next? What about that handsome knight over there? Or perhaps that cute little manservant?” she gestured at yet another empty space. “Or perhaps the Prince himself?” she grinned wickedly at Uther’s paling face.
Merlin suddenly understood what was happening. He felt sick.
“We need to leave,” He whispered and tried to drag Arthur away.
“We need to save the King,” he hissed in response.
“Arthur, we have to get out of here. What good will it do Camelot if you run down there and get yourself killed? We need to get away and regroup. Plan a way for you to take back the city,”
Arthur clenched his jaw, glanced at his father one last time, and then the little group snuck out of the castle. It was incredible that they even got out without having been seen. It was probably thanks to Muirgen and Morgause being so focused on the King.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Uther watched as a soldier dragged Morgana’s serving girl in front of the Queen of the Morgens. Morgana was fighting against the men restraining her, screaming at them to let the girl go. The short blonde woman was merciless. She took hold of the terrified serving girl, and in one smooth movement, cut the girl’s throat and let her fall to the ground in front of him. Morgana was crying and screaming herself hoarse.
Then, the woman asked who to kill next. Uther looked over to the familiar faces lined up on the woman’s left side. Morgana, Arthur and his servant, Leon, and Gaius. They all looked frightened, and stared at the corpse of the girl bleeding out on the floor.
Leon was dragged forth next. He was pushed to his knees as the woman came up behind him. She grabbed his hair and pulled so his neck was exposed. Uther watched as one of his most loyal knights was stabbed repeatedly in the neck before he too was discarded to the floor like he was nothing more than garbage.
Then there was Gaius. Arthur’s manservant kicked and screamed, trying to stop them from killing the old man. It was no use. The woman chose to slice him deeply in his abdomen. The man fell to the floor, watching his King while he slowly bled out. Uther could not stand the screaming of Gaius’ boy. The warm blood was now soaking the King’s breeches. He stared at his friend as the light left him.
He looked up to see Arthur’s servant was next. The boy was wild. He fought them all the way, trying to attack them. Arthur did the same. Morgana’s spirit had dwindled. She only watched her friend’s dead body on the floor. Arthur was shouting and fighting against the four men restraining him.
“Damned servant! Stay still!” Muirgen hissed. It only prompted the servant to spit in her face, which greatly surprised the King. Muirgen seethed with anger, and suddenly she threw herself at the servant. She stabbed him in the face, in the neck, in the chest, in the abdomen. Wherever she could reach, she stabbed her knife deep into him. The fight soon vanished from the boy, blood bubbling out of his mouth and the wounds dealt to him. As a finishing touch, the woman plunged her knife into one of his eyes.
She stood up, her dress covered in blood.
Uther had no bond to the servant, but that was just brutal. He felt himself go sick at the sight. The boy had been a simpleton, but he had saved his son’s life over and over again, and it was clear that Arthur cared deeply for him.
He turned to look at his son. The proud prince had been brought to his knees, tears streaming down his shocked face.
“Oh what beautiful hair,” Muirgen said as she caressed Morgana’s long black hair. Uther tried to get up from the floor, but the men behind him kept him still.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” he roared, fighting against the men restraining him. Arthur tried to fight as well, but he had no energy left in his body.
Muirgen smiled at them while she grabbed onto Morgana’s hair, pulling it up. Morgana grimaced, but otherwise didn’t react. Either way, Muirgen had a soldier hold her still. She pulled a new knife from nothingness, as the other one was still in Merlin’s eye socket, and started cutting the skin on Morgana’s head. The woman screamed in pain, as her skin and hair was slowly cut away from her skull. The blood flowed down her beautiful pale face, tainting her dress. Arthur had stopped fighting, staring at her with a green tint to his face. Uther kept fighting against the unnaturally strong men, screaming and kicking. It was no behaviour fit for a King, but he had to do it. He could not let this creature kill his family without a fight.
As the last tissue of skin was severed, Muirgen grinned wickedly down at the bleeding woman, before she wrapped that dark hair around her neck, and tightened it. Morgana was gasping for air as Muirgen tied the hair around her neck in a tight knot, making sure no air could fill her lungs.
Morgana collapsed all the way to the floor, still gasping, but losing her fight against death. Soon, she lay still on the floor, blood still oozing slowly from her scalp, eyes staring stiffly up at the ceiling.
King Uther was crying. He was sputtering words that no one could catch the meaning of, as he watched his ward’s dead body.
Arthur’s eyes looked dead as Muirgen made her way over to him. She had her men grab an arm each, and hold them out to either side. She had her magic cut off his armour and chainmail, and then the clothing underneath, until his torso was left naked.
She trailed her knife along his skin before she abruptly sliced him across his left eye. The cut was deep enough that it split his eyelids and likely damaged his eye a great deal. Her eyes looked crazy as she kept slicing him. Making deep cuts all over his arms, face and torso. Then, she went over to his hands, and started cutting his fingers to the bone, before she viciously broke those bones straight off, sending the fingers to the floor.
Arthur’s screams were unbearable. Uther could do nothing but watch. He was now pressed all the way to the floor so the men had more control over him. He watched his son being sliced open and broken by the tiny woman. The blood would not stop flowing, the bones would not stop making those horrible crunching sounds as the woman broke them. Arthur would not stop screaming.
Uther just wanted it to stop.
Muirgen started beating Arthur with the back of her knife, before she threw it away and used her fists, no doubt enhanced with her magic.
Uther stared as Arthur’s lifeless body slumped to the floor, completely unrecognizable. Several bones in his body was broken, his skin barely hung to the bones anymore.
The silence was deafening, suffocating.
Then, Muirgen started laughing a very ugly laugh.
“Throw him in the dungeons,” she ordered once she finished laughing. She looked at the bodies on the floor. “Throw these in there as well. Make sure he can not escape the sight of them. Especially these two,” she kicked at Arthur’s body, and gestured towards Morgana.
The King hung from the men’s grip as they dragged him to the dungeons.
He was chained to the walls, sitting on the floor, forced to watch his children who hung on the wall in front of him, their servants, his friend and his loyal knight strewn on the floor beneath them. The last of the blood flowing down the wall and spreading on the floor.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin watched Arthur as he sat staring at his own hands inside the cave they had hid in. He had healed well, but still had a limp. Merlin was afraid it was more mentally rather than physically, and Gaius agreed with him.
The Prince had not taken well to the conquering of Camelot. His father was a captive, many of his people slaughtered, and his men and his friends hunted.
Merlin felt horrible. He felt like he was at fault. The Morgens were relatives to the merfolk, and he couldn’t help but feel that as the prince of said merfolk, he should do something to stop this. And then he remembered his people thought him dead, and didn’t have much respect for him either way. That said, they probably would have executed him for even suggesting they should save the humans who had started the endless slaughter of all things magical.
He jumped as a hand took a firm grip of his shoulder, and he whipped around to see Gaius frowning at him.
“Stop it,” the old man whispered.
“Stop what?” Merlin feigned ignorance and forced himself to stop fidgeting.
“You’re not to blame for any of this, so stop telling yourself that,” Gaius uttered sternly.
“I’m not the one you should say that to…” the merman prince trailed off, looking back to the prince of Camelot.
Gaius sighed and stood to leave him. He patted his shoulder before walking away.
Merlin took a deep breath and laid down to sleep. Or rather, he tried to. But thoughts of the last days kept him awake, and he watched as the others succumbed to sleep before him.
As they had escaped Camelot, Elyan, Percival and Lancelot had managed to find Leon. They had barely gotten out of there without being caught, and together they had stumbled upon a few townsfolk in their escape.
They had hidden in the valley of the fallen kings, and Muirgen’s immortal army was searching for them. Someone was constantly keeping watch, to make sure they weren’t found. There was something about the valley that hid them, the people said. Really, Merlin had snuck out to throw up some protection around them. As long as they stayed within the borders of the spell, they would be hidden.
Merlin sighed and rolled over to look around him. Everyone was fast asleep within the cave.He wondered if he should go out and offer to take over the watch, but soon decided against it. He rooted around his pack and found the little vial of water from avalon. Frowning, he brought it up to his face to have a closer look at it. The Fisher King had said it would help him in a time of need. Perhaps now was that time.
He turned the vial over and over in his hands, looking for any clue whatsoever. Finding none, he tried a few different spells. He made sure he was quiet enough not to wake anyone. But nothing worked.
One moment he was staring at the little bottle in his hand, and the next his fingers curled around empty air. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and when he did, it was too late. The glass shattered at the impact with the stone. The water splashed out all over the ground.
Merlin blinked at it, trying to figure out how that had happened, and how it was possible for him to manage wasting such important magical water. He reached out, as if he could somehow save it, but stopped as he saw the faint light coming from the little puddle.
He leaned over it, looking into the water. His breath caught in his throat as the familiar face smiled up at him.
“Freya…” he breathed, feeling the tears prick at his eyes.
“Hello Merlin,” her smile widened. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“What… How…” Merlin choked out.
“You saved me,” her eyes watered. “You saved me from the curse, Merlin,” a tear ran down her face as her smile quivered.
“But… you
died
,” he whispered, feeling the tears fall from his eyes.
“In a way. My mortal body had to die for me to reach my full potential. I am the lady of the lake, and I will always be at your service,” there was so much life in her eyes as she said this.
Merlin finally smiled.
“There, that’s better,” she laughed. “Now, you need to take back Camelot, and to do that, you need excalibur. Only excalibur can kill the immortal. Then, you have to find the cup of life, and knock it over. Make sure the blood is emptied from it. Only then will the immortal army fall,”
“Excalibur?” Merlin was confused. He’d never heard that name before.
“Excalibur is a sword forged in a dragon’s breath,” she informed.
“How am I supposed to find this sword? How do I know it’s the correct one?”
“You recently made a friend who knows where it is, and is currently on their way to you,” she said with a cryptic air.
“Oh no, not you too,” Merlin groaned as he thought of the dragon’s cryptic behaviour.
“Sorry,” she chuckled. “But these are the rules I must follow,” she suddenly looked sad. “I must go now. You’ll know when you lay eyes on the sword. Now go take back Camelot,”
Before Merlin could say anything, she vanished. He stared sadly at the puddle for a while. The, he reached over and put his hand into the water, figuring he could at least absorb it. It tingled slightly as he felt it seep into his skin.
It didn’t take long before he decided he’d have to get out and find out who exactly that friend might be.
He snuck out through the cave opening, amazed that no one saw him leave. Even the enemy didn’t see him as he walked through the forest.
He’d been walking far when he heard something approaching. It didn’t sound like a human from the steps it took. It sounded like something on four feet. He listened closely, and edged behind a bush in an attempt to hide. It sounded like a horse. His heart sped up in his chest as he was afraid of being found by the enemy.
He felt like the world fell from under his feet as he felt something nudge into his back. He was certain his heart stopped. He was frozen.
The nudge came again, and harder this time, throwing him off balance. He spun around to try defend himself and promptly fell to his knees as he saw the familiar white coat of Arabus.
“Arabus!” he breathed in disbelief. The horse stood there, watching him as if it was making sure he was alright before it lowered its head to nudge at him again.
Merlin reached up to stroke the horse’s neck with a smile.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Merlin realized he’d been truly anxious about Arabus’ well being as he felt the relief flood him.
Arabus nipped at his hair before nudging his face with his muzzle. Then, the big horse laid down, looking imploringly at Merlin.
“You want me to get up on your back?” Merlin smiled.
Yes
.
Merlin jumped at the voice in his head and stared in shock at the horse in front of him.
You can talk?!
he sputtered in his mind.
Of course I can. I mean, all creatures have a form of communication after all
. The sound of his voice was a mischievous one, as if the horse was immensely entertained.
Oh haha. You know what I mean!
Merlin shot back.
You’re a dragonlord remember? Actually, you’re the second generation of a stronger kind of dragonlord, and the power should be more stable in you. You see, sea and land had their separate dragonlords. Cynwrig’s mother had the power lying dormant in her, and the man that she fell in love with was also a dragonlord. The first years of his life, he was so connected to his sea dragonlord part that he never even knew he was something more. Then it gradually changed and he was so pulled towards land, and his other dragonlord part that he couldn’t stay in the sea any longer. His twin didn’t inherit the powers. I mean he got some of it, but not enough to be considered a dragonlord. And you know. Horses are descendants of the old dragons, and I’m like a cousin to the great hippocampus, soooooo…
Arabus blinked at him, and Merlin got the distinct feeling he was actually winking at him.
But why didn’t you speak to me sooner?
Things would have been a lot easier if the horse had just started talking from the beginning.
It was entertaining to see you try to figure out what I meant. You always managed to so it really wasn’t a problem. Besides, it took me a while to figure it out. Because of your father’s unstable powers, he never realized I was actually speaking to him. He only got vague ideas of what I meant, and for a while I thought the same of you. But I guess we both just had to get used to it.
Arabus shifted a bit.
Now get onto my back. I know of something that might help us in this mess.
Then it clicked. Arabus was the friend Freya talked about. Merlin hurriedly climbed up on Arabus’ back and held on tight as the horse made to stand.
Hold on tight.
Arabus commented, and Merlin took a firm grip of the horse’s mane. The beast started a bit slow, but soon picked up it’s pace. Amazed that they didn’t run into any enemies, Merlin kept low on Arabus’ back.
It took a while before Merlin realized they had arrived at their destination. He looked around and was extremely confused when he saw nothing but forest and water.
The lake of Avalon harbours the great sword Excalibur. You must transform and swim into the deepest part to retrieve it.
Merlin shifted uneasily.
I… I can’t swim… my tail is torn to shreds.
Merlin swallowed. Arabus was quiet for a moment.
Then allow me to assist you. Ready your gills.
Merlin let his magic move towards his lungs, shifting them. It felt as though he was choking as the gills started forming into place. Pain spiked through his body, keeping him from realizing Arabus had stepped into the water. When the pain subsided, and his gills were properly in place, he opened his eyes to see that Arabus now stood with the water up to his belly. Merlin’s heart picked up it’s beat as he remembered the last time he was in water with a horse. Then, he felt Arabus shift in a strange way. As though his skin was gliding downwards. He looked down and sucked in a breath as he watched the horse’s skin run down it’s body, as though it was melting. It shifted from white into a brownish green, and his backside started lowering.
Merlin stared as Arabus turned his head to grin a very unsettling grin at him. Sharp teeth, demonic eyes, and a head that looked like it was mostly just the skull left, except for the runny hide hanging off of it.
Ready?
His voice had turned a bit more… dark in the transformation. Merlin blinked, and nodded dumbly. Then, they were off into the dark waters.
The water was terrifying and amazing all at once. Arabus’ sticky hide made it easier for Merlin to hold on as he was dragged into the deep. Fish and small magical creatures scurried away as the kelpie swam deeper down in the water. At some point, Merlin was sure he saw a baby kelpie.
The water was wonderfully clear, and the bottom of the lake was packed with life. Both creatures and vegetation. Magical and non-magical living in peace, side by side. Just like it had been in the ocean.
This is amazing!
Merlin revered and heard Arabus chuckle.
It’s been too long since I was properly in the water… last time I almost drowned…
he hadn’t meant to rely that last part, and he felt Arabus jolt beneath him.
When was this?!
The beast wanted to know. Merlin hesitated.
When we went to retrieve the cup of life…
he admitted. Arabus got silent.
As they swam along the bottom, they closed in on a strange sight. It looked like an underwater farm, by an underwater lake… how was that even possible?
It looked absolutely amazing. The animals were roaming freely. All kinds of colorful plants grew all around like a huge flower garden.
The door to the small cottage opened, and out stepped Freya with a smile so bright, it would put the sun itself to shame.
Arabus slowed down and came to a halt in front of her, allowing Merlin to come face to face with her as he dismounted.
Merlin was in shock. His whole body was numb from the overload of emotions.
Then, she hugged him. He broke down in her arms and wrapped his hands around her, holding on tightly.
Oh Merlin,
she breathed.
I’m sorry to have caused you such grief,
she stroked his hair.
But thanks to you, I finally found my purpose. You freed me from the curse. You made me feel like I was worth something. Thank you
, She pushed him slightly away, and kissed his forehead.
He looked at her with such pain in his eyes. And guilt. There was a deeper rooted guilt in him that couldn’t have something to do with her death.
They miss you, you know
, she said.
Even though Balinor is not your father by blood, he shares the same deep affection and love for you as that of his daughter,
she added and paused at Merlin’s surprised confusion.
You didn’t know?
Her eyes widened at the shake of his head. Then she got a faraway look for a few moments.
Oh… you didn’t have the chance to see your mother the last month of your life in the sea… Merlin… she was pregnant with a baby girl. You have a younger sister.
And just like that, Merlin broke down again. He cried for his family. His fathers. His mother. His sister, whom he had never known.
Freya let him have a moment before she got a determined expression on her face.
She reached up and touched her fingers to his temple. A spark of pain went through his head.Then, images flashed across his inner eye. His mother’s pregnant belly. Balinor’s sad but at the same time happy eyes. His mother with a newborn babe in her arms, the same mix of sadness and happiness in her eyes. The little girl with a mop of dark hair and soulful dark eyes. Such a kind smile on her tiny features. The girl growing up healthily, her beauty shining from her, already in such a young age. She and her parents gathered together, talking, enjoying themselves.
And then, figments of conversation filtered through to his mind.
“Merlin was such a kind soul. He would have played with you. Protected you. Loved you. He would have been the greatest brother you could imagine,” His mother was saying to the girl.
“Mithian, we love you so much,” Balinor said.
“I know you miss Merlin… I miss Merlin too,” the tiny voice of his sister said. A small smile gracing her face as she patted her parents’ hands. “Even if I never met him, I miss him too,” she added. And her smile broke. She was remarkably well spoken. She couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 years old or so?
The images vanished and Merlin saw Freya’s kind smile again.
They tell your sister all kinds of stories about you,
she grinned.
It’s very entertaining to listen to
, she added and laughed.
You were quite the mischievous one
, her laughter was contagious and soon Merlin was laughing along with her.
Now, you came here for a reason did you not?
As if you don’t already know!
Merlin chuckled. Her eyes twinkled.
Then, she turned around and whistled behind her.
A moment passed with nothing happening. Then, the most majestic creature came into view from a small forest of vegetation. The royal beast carried something in its muzzle as it swam over to them, and Merlin felt like his eyes would bulge out of his head.
It was a hippocamp. It was a small one. Smaller than Arabus. But it was still a hippocamp.
It’s mane flowed in the water, its strong muscles rippling as it moved. Elegant fins moving easily through the water, intelligent eyes catching Merlin’s as it came to a halt by Freya’s side. Its scales rippled in different colours depending on how the light hit them. Greens and blues and even reds. It was a magnificent sight.
I believe this is what you seek young prince
, There was a new voice in his head now. The hippocamp stretched its head forth, offering the long cloth wrapped item to him. Merlin gently accepted it, and unwrapped the cloth.
The sword.
It looked like most other swords to the untrained eye. Maybe a bit fancier, but still a normal sword. But Merlin could see the magnificence of it. The edges were sharper than any other sword, the material much stronger. Gold lined the middle of it as far up as the middle of the length. The name was engraved in an ancient tongue on the golden centre. The handle was luxurious and designed to be comfortable in the hands of the wielder.
Merlin wrapped the cloth back in place. It was obvious to him that it was a sword of legends. He could feel the power pulsing off of it even through the protective cloth.
It is very important that this sword does not get into the wrong hands. Only the once and future king must wield it
, the hippocamp was calm as it spoke. Its voice soothing and giving off a sense of security. It was as though it just needed to say it, but knew everything would be alright.
Young prince, it is time you returned to the once and future king. He will be most worried when he wakes up to see your empty spot,
it sounded entertained by the thought. There was also a warm fondness to its voice that Merlin couldn’t quite understand.
Arthur worried about him? Yeah, sure.
He’s right, Merlin. You need to return. You should bring these skins with you so you have an excuse for leaving,
Freya smiled sweetly as she pulled a couple skins out from nowhere.
Did everyone share some big secret he wasn’t in on?
Thank you both for your help
, Merlin smiled.
Freya hugged him and stepped back to let the hippocamp come forth. It lowered its head and ran its muzzle down the side of Merlin’s face, and rested against his shoulder in the horse equivalent of a hug. Merlin reached up to tentatively stroke his fingers down the side of its head.
Take good care of yourself as well, young prince. It will not bode well for albion should you perish before your time,
It seemed worried this time. Merlin wondered what it had seen to make it so.
I will do my best,
he replied. He couldn’t do better than that. Some things he just didn’t have any control over.
They bid their farewells, and Merlin climbed upon Arabus with the sword and waterskins tucked in his arms.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Getting back to the camp was faster than leaving, and there were still no enemies encountering them. Merlin was thinking that it was too good to be true, and that there had to be some kind of catch.
Then Arthur came storming.
The man was furious. Merlin noted there was no limp to be seen now, others were up and about as well, and seemed to have been on a frantic search. Wide eyes turned to him as he reentered the camp together with Arabus as the Prince of Camelot verbally attacked him.
“Where have you been?!”
Merlin held up the water skins in way of answering, but that didn’t seem to placate the Prince at all.
“You just up and left in the middle of the night without alerting anyone!”
“I didn’t want to wake anyone just because I decided to go fill up the skins,” he retorted.
“What about the nightwatch?!” Prince Arthur was red faced as he hissed in Merlin’s face.
Merlin was quiet as he looked into Arthur’s eyes for a while before replying.
“I’ve heard the whispers, Arthur. I burn through the water supplies like fire with my condition, and I should go get my own water,” he mumbled and walked past a shocked looking prince to get back to the cave.
The people around them looked stricken, and sent each other guilt laden glances.
Merlin hadn’t wanted to relay that information, but he didn’t see any other way for him to not be bothered any further.
He stepped inside the cave to find a very relieved Gaius embracing him. The merman prince quietly whispered what he had been up to and that he would explain further at a later time. Right now they needed to convince Arthur to take back Camelot.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It had been remarkably easy to get Arthur to charge against Camelot once they had talked about strategy. Apparently, Merlin’s little vanishing act had gotten Arthur to realize he needed to do something.
Now, Arthur’s best men and women were sneaking through old tunnels and passages to get into the castle unseen. Merlin had given the sword to Arthur, claiming he found it in the woods when Arthur asked where he’d gotten such a magnificent sword.
They had crossed paths with one of Muirgen’s men as they had just entered the castle, and Arthur had thrust the sword at him and had frozen in shock when the man all but exploded as the sword pierced him. The prince had looked up to see equal expressions of shock on the othes’ faces and had been about to ask questions when he’d apparently decided against it. They’d split up to cover more ground, and Lancelot had tagged along with Merlin.
They’d originally been on their way to discard of the warning bell, but then Merlin had dragged him to the side and told him they needed to get to the cup of life.
“I’m guessing it has to be somewhere in the middle of the castle to give out the power more evenly,” Merlin explained as he dragged the other man along down the corridors.
They jumped out of the way as Muirgen’s men ran past them. Then, the warning bell sounded, and Merlin cursed as he hoped the others would be alright.
“What do we tell them when they ask what we were doing?” Lancelot hissed as they snuck further away from the warning bell.
“We’ll just have to tell them the way was blocked and we tried finding another way through or something,” Merlin shot back as he felt they were getting closer to the source of power. “We’re almost there,”
They ran in through the door to one of the greater halls, and came to a stop as they saw Morgause standing beside the cup. She seemed surprised at first, but then smiled wickedly.
“Did you really think it would be that easy?” the woman asked and shot up a hand to throw Lancelot at the wall.
Merlin stood frozen for a moment, before he threw himself to the ground to hide his magical attack from her. He lay his hand flat against the floor and pulled his magic out to help him. The stone started rumbling, as if there were magical explosions in another part of the castle, and it helped shocking Morgause into doubt as she wondered whether Muirgen needed her help or not.
It didn’t last long enough for Merlin to do anything more, as she hurriedly returned to her confident self, and threw her hand at him. He felt himself being lifted into the air, but he was not thrown against the wall like he’d expected. He looked down at her, and felt his blood drain from his face at the sinister look in her eyes.
“You poisoned my Lady,” she spat. “You will pay dearly for it,” she added.
He felt a pressure against his body, and for a moment he didn’t know what that strange sensation was. Until he felt it tighten. Her magic was crushing him. Slowly.
As it was getting harder to breathe, he noticed Lancelot was moving. The man had instantly stopped his movement as he’d realized what was going on, and he tried to find a way to help without exposing himself.
Then he saw the cup on a pedestal just behind Morgause. He inched his hand towards it, deciding his best bet would be to stealthily make it fall. He hoped that would catch her attention enough to let go of Merlin.
He almost groaned when he realized the cup could not be moved by magic.
Looking up at Merlin, he knew he didn’t have much time left, as the merman prince was starting to look discolored from the pressure.
He bit the inside of his cheek and looked around to see a candle that had fallen to the floor. He grabbed it and decided it would have to do. If he added magic to his throw, it’d be hard enough to make her lose focus enough for him to charge.
That was exactly what he did. The candle hit the side of her head and it threw her off balance, making Merlin fall to the floor in a gasping heap. Lancelot jumped at her, and in the struggle, he managed to tip the cup off the pedestal. She yelled out in frustration and turned on him, but Merlin had gotten his bearings enough to stop her with another hit to the head with a candelabra he’d magiced off of a table. The woman fell to the floor with blood coating her blonde hair.
Lancelot was fast in securing the woman, before going to check on his prince. The man was taking deep, slow breaths as he lay on the floor. Bruises peeked out here and there from his clothing and around his neck from all the pressure the woman had put in her magic. He bent down to prod at Merlin’s ribs, and found them to still be whole. He would be alright after a bit of rest, Lancelot decided.
There had been too much of this. Of Merlin getting hurt. It needed to be stopped. He wouldn’t be able to take much more of the stress it put him under.
“You need to stop getting hurt,” he breathed without thinking. Merlin laughed a breathy laugh and looked up at him with a grin.
They both jumped as Muirgen stormed through the door they had entered through earlier, with Arthur, Percival, Morgana, Elyan and Leon on her heels.
She was bleeding, but otherwise didn’t seem like she was badly hurt.
“Morgause!” she called as though she expected back up. When no one came, she searched the room and when her eyes landed upon the bloodied blonde, her expression morphed into that of disgust. Her cold eyes stared at the woman for a moment, before she turned back to Arthur eying the sword he held.
“Whatever,” she said, her voice cold and indifferent, and in a flash of blinding light, both she and Morgause were gone.
Merlin let out a relieved breath and closed his eyes. This caught Arthur’s attention and Merlin soon found arms all over himself.
“Merlin!”
The servant looked up at his prince.
“I’m fine, just need to catch my breath,”
“What happened to you?! Why didn’t you disable the warning bell?!”
Of course the anger crept into Arthur’s voice again. The man needed to calm down or he’s pop a vein.
“Our path was blocked, sire. We attempted to find another way, but were attacked. We tried hiding in here, but that woman was in here. She threw me against the wall and had Merlin in some form of choke hold. We neutralized her just before you arrived,” Lancelot reported calmly.
Arthur stared at him for a moment before his hand came up to massage the bridge of his nose.
“It seems we got Camelot back at the very least,” he finally relented.
They all jumped as screams erupted in the hall. All who were able, turned to the door, ready to attack. A guard came running into the hall.
“THAT THING IS INSANE!” he yelled as he hid behind Percival.
A clacking echoed on the stone
Merlin propped himself on his elbows, looking nervously at the door.
Arabus burst into the hall with a sword in his mouth, looking wild and dangerous. He stopped when he recognized Arthur, and then he saw Merlin on the floor behind him. He let the sword fall and changed his demeanor instantly. He neighed and calmly approached the servant.
Merlin sank to the floor with a pained sigh. There had really been enough excitement for the rest of his life. He just wanted to sleep for a month.
“How did he even get in here?” Arthur asked incredulously.
Arabus nudged Merlin’s hand.
“I’m fine,” Merlin mumbled with his eyes closed. It was obvious he was about to fall asleep.
The horse laid down beside him. Arthur watched his servant for a while.
“Lancelot, take Percival and whoever more you deem necessary and go get Gaius and the others back into Camelot,” Arthur looked at the man for a moment to see him nod, and then looked back to Merlin. “Look after him, will you?” he asked the horse and immediately felt stupid for talking to a horse. But when the horse looked him in the eye and nodded, he wondered if it was so stupid after all.
He didn’t want to leave Merlin, but he needed to locate his father.
Morgana followed him as he made his way to the dungeons.
They opened the cells as they progressed, letting their people out. There had been no sign of the King in any of the cells. They approached the last one. It was one with a wooden door. To their amazement it wasn’t even locked. It didn’t bode well for whoever was inside however. An unlocked cell meant the person had no way of escaping.
The cell looked completely normal. They found the King sitting with his back to the wall, staring at the wall opposite him with a devastated expression on his face. After a moment of staring at him, taking in the fact that he’s not even chained, and appears to have no injuries at all, they realize he’s whispering something.
Arthur steps closer to him and finally hears what he’s mumbling.
“Children… my precious children…” with a small pause, that was what he repeated over and over again.
“Father?” Arthur tried. He felt cold all over at the distant look in his father’s eyes. And when the man didn’t react to his voice or his touch, he felt hollow.
“What have they done to him?” Morgana breathed. She didn’t particularly like the things Uther did as King, but she did appreciate him for taking her in and giving her a home when her parents died.
“Let’s bring him to his chambers and have Gaius check him out when he gets here,” Arthur said absentmindedly.
He bent down and wrapped his arm under the King’s arm to lift him up. Morgana took the other side. Their hearts broke as the man had no reaction to being moved from the cell. He never lost that sorrowful expression, or stopped whispering about his children.
People hurriedly moved out of their way as they carried the King to his chambers. They were fortunate enough that the chambers hadn’t been disturbed in their absence. They carefully put im on the bed. All they could do now, was wait for Gaius.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur sat with his head in his hands when Merlin entered his dark chambers. The Prince regent, who refused to be crowned King until his father’s passing, had excused himself to his chambers where he’d been sitting in darkness for a long time.
He had not taken well to Gaius’ words after the physician had looked the King over. Uther had been under a curse for a very long time. One that had damaged his psyche. The man still saw the horrible images the illusion had been projecting into his brain, even though the curse had been broken a long time ago. There was too much damage for Gaius to do anything but make him comfortable. The King didn’t have much time left. His body was deteriorating along with his mind.
Merlin stood silently beside his Prince, watching him. He wanted to comfort them man, but had no words he deemed worthy. So, he stood there quietly, supporting him with his presence.
After a while, Merlin dared to put a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.
“This only proves my father was right to deem magic evil,” Arthur muttered darkly.
Merlin tensed where he stood. He could not believe those words were coming out of Arthur’s mouth. He then realized Arthur had removed the shell from around his neck. It was lying on a table further away from them. Still in one piece, but he had taken it off. He never did that unless he was going to sleep. He had removed it when he was bathing before Merlin had seen. Afterwards he had not bothered taking it off more than necessary. He had on occasion forgotten to put it on in the morning if he was in a great hurry, but he didn’t take it off unless he went to sleep. And now, it was lying discarded on a table.
Merlin removed his hand as if burnt. He stared at the Prince. Arthur looked up at him, and the merman prince was shocked to see the cold in his eyes.
“I… don’t believe that is true, sire,” Merlin muttered. Arthur’s eyes turned darker.
“And why is that?”
“Because this would not have happened had he not decided that magic itself is a crime. What of the beings born magic? Are they criminals just for being born? You heard her… she was fed up with her kind being murdered for being magic,” he felt quite brave speaking up like this. Especially considering how terrified he was.
“Yes. Magic is a crime. You saw what magic did here. All that damage, all these murdered innocents. My father,” Arthur didn’t sound like himself. All warmth was gone from his voice.
Merlin’s blood ran cold, and he felt it drain from his face.
“Arth-”
“Why do you defend it so much? Are you secretly one of them? It wouldn’t surprise me,” Arthur sneered.
Merlin stepped back, as his eyes widened. This could not be Arthur. He gasped as Arthur stood. The man loomed over him, eyes shifting in the darkness. To his horror, Merlin felt his gills moving against his neck. He looked down to see he was halfway transformed. Scales littering his body, though he was still standing on two legs.
Arthur growled, and suddenly his hands wrapped around Merlin’s neck.
Merlin stared into Arthur’s wild eyes as he gasped for breath.
“Arthur! Pl-”
Merlin woke with a start. He was sweating and gasping. His body ached and his heart pounded in his chest.
A nightmare.
Thank the gods.
“Merlin,”
Merlin jumped as he heard the voice beside him. He turned to find Gaius with a wet cloth in his hand. Merlin looked down on himself and found he was flushed from a fever, and had bruises covering his body. For a moment he wondered what had happened, but then his mind delivered his memories to him.
“Arabus…?”
“He was escorted back to his stables after he was assured you would be safe in my care. I must say, he is a magnificent and extraordinarily intelligent creature,”
“Kelpie,” Merlin breathed as he carefully laid back down on his bed.
“That explains quite a lot,” Gaius smiled. “How do you feel? I was told what happened and I’m not surprised you slept as long as you did,”
“I had a terrible nightmare… Uther was so mentally broken, there was nothing you could do, and Arthur suddenly changed into this horrible cold shadow of a man… how long was I asleep?” Merlin turned to look at Gaius then. He frowned as he saw the physician’s expression. “Gaius, what is it?”
“The King… is very unwell. His body is not taking up enough nutrients, and he only stares straight forward, mumbling about his children… I fear he will not have much time left,” Gaius met Merlin’s fearful eyes.
“Arthur?” Merlin whispered.
“The prince sits by the King’s side along with the Lady Morgana. Guenevere is tending to his majesty. Prince Arthur wanted me to care for you after I was finished examining the King,”
Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. At least Arthur wasn’t alone.
“How did he take it?”
“Not well, as would be expected. But I do not believe him to change into a shadow of himself because of this. He is much too strong for that, and he has caring people around him. He will grieve, yes, but it will not destroy him,” Gaius tried to reassure Merlin.
“Let’s hope so,” Merlin mumbled as he tried blinking sleep away from his eyes.
“Go to sleep Merlin. You need rest,” Gaius patted him on his shoulder. Merlin merely nodded as he slowly succumbed to sleep.
Gaius sighed, and continued his careful swiping of wet cloth along Merlin’s skin.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin felt much better the day after. The fever had broken sometime in the night, and the bruises didn’t hurt nearly as much as they had been. He was up early, and making his way towards the Prince’s chambers on time for a change.
As he arrived at Arthur’s door with breakfast in hand, he faltered. He remember the dream all too well. He was terrified of what he would find behind that door. Had the nightmare been a vision? No. he could not think like that. Arthur wouldn’t become a monster like in the dream.
He took a deep breath and entered.
Arthur stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back. It was evident the bed was not slept in.
Merlin put the plate of food down on the table, and the soft thud caught Arthur’s attention.
“Oh, Merlin,” the man blinked as though he’d not realized what time it was.
“Arthur,” Merlin acknowledged.
They just stood there for a moment, until Arthur cleared his throat and went to sit by his table to eat something.
The Prince picked at the food before looking up at his servant, who has started cleaning the room in silence.
“So you’re feeling better I see,” Arthur commented. He had checked on Merlin briefly before going to his chambers, and the man had been in deep sleep.
“Yes… How… How is the King?” Merlin swallowed.
“He’s… not good. Gaius tells me he will not live for long,” Arthur abandoned all pretense of eating, and put his fork down. He slumped in his seat and looked to the window again. “It is a very real possibility that I will be King soon, and it frightens me,” he muttered so low, Merlin was certain the man did not intend to let it slip.
“You will make a great King, Arthur. You have so many people believing in you, and people close to you, in whom you can trust,” Merlin told him confidently. Arthur stared at him with what could have been described as awe for a moment until a twinkle got in his eye.
“You aiming for a raise or a day off or something?” he chuckled.
“Well I mean, it wouldn’t be refused,” Merlin smiled.
They both laughed.
“Tell you what, I’ll be by my father’s side most of the day. Why don’t you go help Gaius or something,” Arthur sent him a soft look he couldn’t place. That kept happening lately. What could it mean?
“What, a day off means to work for someone else now?” Merlin shot back and earned a startled laugh from Arthur. They grinned as silence stretched between them. Arthur ate his breakfast, while Merlin finished his work.
Merlin watched as Arthur made his way down the corridor in the direction of his father’s chambers. He’d do as Arthur asked. He would check in on the prince later. Make sure he was there if Arthur needed him.
In the meantime, he’d go see if Gaius needed anything.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Merlin.”
Merlin turned to Gaius with questioning eyes at the other man’s shocked call.
“Gaius, what is it?” he stared at Gaius as the man sat down on the bench with a surprised expression on his face.
“I never thought this would happen again in my lifetime,” the old man breathed. “Merlin… they have decided to send up another child to do human training,” Gaius looked up at the merman prince.
Merlin’s breath left his lungs in shock. His knees shook and gave out on him, making him sink to the floor. He stared out in front of him with his mouth hanging open. He had thought he would be the last of them to do that here. The others had been sent away to other kingdoms where experienced merpeople would take them in and teach them. Camelot had been abandoned for the sake of safety. They had only allowed other to be sent here until Merlin was finished, because Gaius was his uncle, and they wanted them to meet. After Merlin returned to the sea, they had not dared send others to Camelot. And now another child was to be sent here.
“You say child… how young…?”
“She’s five… Merlin, It’s your sister,”
Merlin’s face went white, and he stopped breathing. His heart beat so fast in his chest that he felt like it would burst through bone and muscle.
“Merlin, breathe!” Gaius was suddenly in front of him, gripping his shoulder. The merman prince gasped for breath as the thoughts spun around in his head. He had spent so much time on land among the humans that he dreaded contact with another merperson. And to top it off, this was his sister. The sister he had never met. Would she recognize him? Would she tell their parents? Would she tell the knights? If word got out to the knights, he was as good as dead. They would come to Camelot to finish the job.
“Gaius…? Merlin…? Is everything alright?” Gwen asked tentatively as she entered the physician’s chambers to find the two of them on the floor. Merlin looked like he’d seen a ghost, while Gaius looked very concerned.
“Merlin, why don’t you go lay down while I talk to miss Guinevere,” Gaius helped Merlin up and ushered him towards his room. The boy was in a daze as he made his way to his bed.
“Is he alright?” Gwen watched as Merlin laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.
“He’s in a bit of a shock. We just received word that his sister will be coming to Camelot for human training,” Gaius quietly revealed.
“He has a sister?” her wide eyes turned to Gaius then. “He never said anything about a sister!”
“He… recently found out. He never met the girl as she was born after he left the sea,”
Gwen’s hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes went to Merlin again. He was still staring at the ceiling. For a moment she wondered why he’d looked so terrified, but then she remembered why he was in Camelot in the first place. Of course he would be terrified. Not only would he meet his five year old sister for the first time, but he also risked being exposed to the murderous knights if she knew who he was.
“Gwen, could I ask of a favour from you?” Gaius interrupted her thoughts.
“Yes of course!” she immediately agreed. When Gaius asked for a favour, she would always give it freely. He did so much for everyone in the city, it was only fair to do something in return.
“I will be leaving to retrieve her at the beach tomorrow morning, but I have no clothing for a five year old girl. Could you be so kind as to make something for her?”
It was as though the stars themselves entered her eyes as she lit up from the idea of making clothes for a merchild princess.
“Yes!” she smiled widely and then she realized she had actually come here to fetch Gaius. “Oh I forgot I was supposed to ask you to come have a look at the King. Prince regent’s request,” her smile turned sad.
“Ah, yes it is time for me to have a look at him. Let me just gather my things,” Gaius picked up his medical bag and a few rags and was about to leave before he thought better of it and went into Merlin’s room. He let the boy know where he was going before he made his way towards the King’s chambers with Gwen in tow. She followed him inside to fetch the Lady Morgana before the two girls left Gaius and Arthur alone with the King.
“My lady, there is something I wish to speak to you about,” Gwen was always careful with how she addressed Morgana in the hallways, but the lady always understood when there was need of privacy.
“Let us retire to my chambers. I’m feeling rather tired,” Morgana replied and it didn’t take long for them to get there.
“What is it, Gwen?” Morgana wanted to know the moment the door was closed behind them.
Gwen explained what she had been informed about in the physician’s chambers and asked to have some time off to sew the clothing. Morgana immediately agreed and even wanted to help the woman in any way she could. They left for the market together to arrange for some fabric to be brought to Gwen’s house where the girls started working on the clothes at once.
Gwen ended up making two dresses with the help of Morgana, and late that evening they met up with the physician in his chambers.
“Oh my dears, these are much more than I was asking for!” Gaius was staring at the dresses the grinning girls were holding up to him. They were fit for a noble child, that was for sure!
The sound of shuffling caught their attention and they looked up to see Merlin standing in his nightclothes in the doorway to his room. He yawned and looked at them with half open eyes, his hair tousled from sleep. He caught sight of the dresses and smiled softly at them.
“Merlin, you should go back to sleep,” Gaius commented. Merlin looked up at him and nodded wordlessly before going back into his room and closing the door.
“I had to drug him to calm him enough to sleep. Poor boy was half asleep where he stood,” Gaius sighed.
The girls who previously had been very close to squealing at how adorable Merlin looked, now frowned at the information.
“I should retire myself,” the old man said. The girls quickly folded the dresses nicely on top of the table and bid the physician good night before they both retired to Morgana’s chambers. Morgana refused to let her maid wander through the streets alone this late at night, and it wasn’t as though they hadn’t shared a bed before.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Gaius entered Merlin’s room to find him sitting on his bed, looking out his window.
“I want to go with you, but I can’t let them see me,” Merlin commented, not looking away from the window.
“You can use a charm to hide your appearance,”
Merlin turned to look at him then. He had expected the old man to refuse him.
“Hide my appearance? As in becoming invisible?”
“No, my boy, changing how you look for a little while,” Gaius laughed. “Have you not read about it in the book I gave you?”
Merlin blinked at him and gave a sheepish smile.
“I may have forgotten about it…”
The old man burst out laughing. Merlin jumped off the bed to retrieve it, and hurriedly leafed through it.
“An old age spell?” Merlin snickered and looked up at Gaius.
“That works,” Gaius shrugs with a humorous glint in his eyes. “But you should wait with that until we’ve left Camelot, don’t you think?”
Merlin shut his mouth after starting to pronounce the first word. He nodded, wrote down the spell, and felt ready to leave.
“Take this. Better to look the part in clothing as well,” Gaius threw him one of his old robes. “Time to go, or we’ll be late,” he smiled.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arabus insisted on coming with them, and that’s how he ended up pulling their cart. Gaius had made sure to send a servant with a message to Arthur once the prince regent woke up, informing him of Merlin’s absence.
Gaius was steering the cart, while Merlin sat in the back, practising the spell. Once Gaius gave the word, Merlin crept in under a blanket they had brought with them, and started chanting. It took a moment for the spell to take effect, and when it did, Merlin felt uncomfortable as his body changed. It didn’t hurt like the transformation to and from merman form, but it was highly uncomfortable. Well, okay now his body ached as well. Great. This wasn’t as fun as he’d imagined it to be.
Then it hit him. That amused glint to Gaius’ eyes. He’d known. He’d
known
how it would feel!
He groaned as he pulled the blanket back to find the robe and pull it over his head. He spluttered as hair got stuck in his mouth, and he looked down on himself to see a long white beard along with long white hair. He tugged experimentally at it and then reached up to feel his face. What a strange sensation!
It didn’t take long until they stopped, and Gaius turned to look at his nephew and couldn’t resist laughing. He looked so out of it in his new form, it was simply ridiculous. He startled a bit at the strange sound coming from the horse, and he turned to see it was looking at Merlin too.
“Hey! Stop laughing you two!”
It just made them laugh even more.
Merlin huffed and got off the cart and made his way tentatively, and more clumsy than before, over to the water and looked down at himself. The water was remarkably calm today, allowing him to see his own reflection. He startled a bit, but then had to laugh himself.
“Alright, that is actually pretty funny,” he admitted and his grin looked so strange on his old self.
“They’re here,” Gaius warned him.
The old man made his way down to the beach, while Merlin hesitated. Then, he followed, making sure not to act like himself.
Merlin shivered as he recognized the heads sticking up of the water further out. The knights were still employed by his father then.
“Hunith! What a pleasant surprise!” Gaius burst out.
Merlin’s heart broke at the sound of his mother’s name. He had not been prepared to see her. His wide eyes slowly searched the water until he found her already sitting in the shallow waters. She had such a beautiful smile on her face as she greeted Gaius.
“I couldn’t pass up a chance to meet my brother now, could I?” her voice was as warm as always. She reached out to give Gaius a hug, and Merlin felt tears well up in his eyes as he knew he would not be able to give her a hug himself. As far as she knew, he was a stranger.
“Now, where is that niece of mine?”
“Mithian, dear, come meet your uncle,” Hunith turned to look behind her.
After a moment, they could see the mop of dark hair slowly coming closer until she finally showed her face. She was smiling shyly up at the old man.
“Hello my dear!” Gaius smiled kindly at her, and her smile widened, losing the shyness. She climbed upon her mother, showing off her beautiful tail. It had a light green color, with white stripes. Her fins had the same shape as her father, and the color of the fins and the end of the tail were a magnificent golden color. Her hair was long and dark warm, almost black color, like her mother’s, the same color as Merlin’s own. Merlin was sure she would have curls when her hair dried up.
Mithian’s adorable laugh brought Merlin out of his thoughts, and he looked over to see Gaius patting her cheek.
Then, the old man opened his mouth, and out came a question Merlin had not been prepared for.
“How is my boy Merlin? I haven’t seen him since he came to Camelot last time,” Gaius smiled fondly at the memory. Merlin was hit with how good an actor the old physician could be as he watched the whole exchange.
Hunith’s expression fell. Mithian turned sad eyes up at her mother and put a hand to her cheek.
“He… he died, Gaius… right before Mithian was born. He was murdered by a beast on a rescue mission gone bad…” Her voice broke at the end, her eyes filling with tears.
Merlin sucked in a breath at the look of sorrow on her face. Gaius was pretty convincing himself as he sunk to his knees with a devastated expression on his face. Merlin slowly moved his gaze over to the knights further out, and caught the subtle movement of one of them. He recognized the bloke to be one of the youngest in the group that had betrayed him. He looked very nervous. The others shot him a look, and Merlin noted that the man might not live much longer. He carefully moved his gaze back to his mother so as not to be caught staring.
“I am so sorry for not sending word, dear brother. There was no funeral… the beast was too ruthless. The only part left of him was a piece of a fin…” she choked on a sob as she no doubt remembered that time when the knights presented that torn off part of him to her.
Merlin wanted to reveal himself there and then. He wanted to scream and shout at the knights. Wanted to expose them to his mother. But he was too afraid. He was afraid they would go against them. Murder his mother and his sister. No. He needed to calm down.
Gaius laid a hand on his sister’s cheek.
“I am sure he’s in good care wherever he is now,” he soothed, his voice thick with grief. Again, Merlin was amazed by his acting skills.
“Thank you, Gaius,” she sniffed
“Now, I’m sorry to cut this short, but we must proceed,” Gaius smiled and patted her shoulder before turning to Mithian who hurriedly dried away her silent tears. “My dear, do you know what to do?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“This is your first transformation, am I correct?” Gaius paused and watched her nod. “It is important that you know that this might hurt. That is normal. It is also normal for the first time to be very difficult,” he lifted his robes up a bit and stuck his foot out. “See, this is what will replace your tail. Feet,” he smiled at her.
She looked up at him with wide, scared eyes.
“Take a deep breath,and focus your powers like I taught you,” Hunith smiled at her.
Mithian looked up at her and nodded. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and got an adorable expression of concentration on her face.
After a while she pouted and looked up at them again.
“I can’t do it, mum,” she said and sagged slightly.
“Sure you can, sweetie. You have to try again. Remember Gaius saying it could be very difficult your first time?” her mother encouraged.
Mithian nodded and once again closed her eyes and concentrated.
She tried over and over and over again, but still could not transform. Hunith shot Gaius a worried look.
Merlin made a decision then. He cleared his throat, and it was evident that Hunith and Mithian hadn’t really realized his presence as they both jumped at the sound. Gaius turned to look questioningly at him.
“Maybe I could be of assistance,” he bowed slightly.
“Ah yes, forgive me. I must have gotten so distracted I forgot to introduce you. Why don’t you introduce yourself?” he turned to Hunith again. “This is my assistant,” he added.
Merlin fumbled, caught off guard at having to come up with a name. He couldn’t very well introduce himself as Merlin.
“Your assistant? He looks to be at least ten year older than you, Gaius!” Hunith blurted out before she looked horrified at her outburst and apologized.
Merlin had a hard time keeping his smile off his face. Instead he tried to look slightly insulted. It turned into a grimace instead.
“I am… Dragoon. Gaius’ assistant,” he bowed again. His eyes were soft as he looked his mother in the eye. “May I?” he asked her and gestured to her daughter.
She hesitated a moment, caught off guard at those familiar looking eyes. Then, she shook the thoughts out of her head and nodded for him to continue.
He stepped closer and knelt in front of Mithian. She looked deeply into his eyes and after a moment, she smiled. He had no idea what she saw in there, but it was evident she saw his good intention.
“This will feel strange, little one, but fear not. It is not dangerous or harmful,” he said softly, almost forgetting to play his old man part.
He reached out and placed a hand on either side of her face. He watched her close her eyes, before he shut his own. He guided his magic carefully into her head, showing her his own feelings when he transformed that first time. He was careful not to reveal who he was though this vision he was projecting in her head. After showing her everything, he searched for her magic, and when he finally found it, he nudged it to the surface. He let go of her and stepped back.
“Now you can try again,” he encouraged.
She nodded, her eyes still closed. This time, it didn’t take long until something started happening. She moaned as her tail started splitting, transforming. Slowly, she changed into a human child, her gills the last to vanish. Hunith held her close as she fell limp from exhaustion in her mother’s arms. Mithian lazily looked down on herself and smiled in triumph.
“I did it! Thank you Dragoon!” she beamed up at him. He smiled back at her before he went to their cart to pick up the dress Gaius had brought with him.
As he came back down to the beach, Mithian was trying to stand for the first time. She was very unsteady on her feet. That was to be expected though.
Gaius held onto her as she reached up to hug her mother.
“Be good to Gaius now then, my dear! We’ll see you again when your training is complete,” she smiled brightly at her daughter.
“Good bye mum! See you soon!” the little girl beamed.
Gaius hugged Hunith as well, bidding her farewell.
Hunith gestured for Merlin to come closer. He was confused as to why she did that, but stepped closer either way.
“Take good care of my baby, will you?” she smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
“I will help Gaius look after her,” he said, his voice a bit thick.
“Now, let me see my girl in that dress before I leave,” she laughed and Merlin scrambled over where Gaius stood with Mithian. He carefully knelt down and put the dress on the girl. It was a very fitting dress on her. Merlin had to smile at the coincidence. The dress was a light green with light golden details to it. Had it not been for the fact that he knew these colors were popular in Camelot now, he would have been very suspicious of Morgana and Gwen.
“You look gorgeous! The perfect colors for you!” Hunith laughed. “Now be a good girl! Good bye!”
She was fast to leave then. Merlin knew it had to be because she didn’t want to make it harder for her daughter.
A big yawn caught his attention, and he turned to look at Mithian again. She blinked slowly at him and reached out. A moment later, she was clinging to his neck, getting heavier in his arms. He was very surprised to have her cling to him like this. Trust him like this.
“Come,
Dragoon
. It is time for us to go back to Camelot,” Gaius smirked.
Merlin smiled wryly at him, and picked the girl up. He climbed into the back of the cart, holding his sister close to his chest as they made their way back back to Camelot.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin, or rather,
Dragoon
laid his sister in his own bed the moment they got home. He closed the door and went back out to Gaius, ready to have a chat with him.
“We need to come up with an excuse for my absence… I can’t let her see me in my normal form,” he whispered.
“You cannot stay like this for such a long time, Merlin!” the old physician stared at him.
“Then we have to come up with a plan, because she cannot see the real me. She will know!”
Gaius pondered this.
“Well, then…. We could say to the Prince that you’re off helping the girl’s family while Dragoon, her guardian, is staying here with her for a while. But sooner or later you will have to come back,”
Merlin nodded to that.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door before it was opened to reveal the Prince himself.
“Gaius! Oh, Hello,” Arthur looked confused at the old man beside the physician. He looked familiar somehow, but he could not place him.
“Prince Arthur! Good timing,” Gaius smiled. “This is Dragoon. He is here as Mithian’s guardian. You know, the child with the same sickness as Merlin that I was going to retrieve today. Merlin is staying with her family to help them understand the sickness,” he added.
“Dragoon? What kind of name is that?” Arthur realized far too late that he had said that out loud. Gaius looked disapprovingly at him, and the old geezer beside him looked shocked. His expression soon turned grumpy.
“One would think the Prince of Camelot would have better manners. But what could one expect of a man with the face of a toad,” the old man spat the last word. Gaius facepalmed beside him.
Arthur stared at him in shocked disbelief. Only Merlin dared speak to him in that way, and even he had not used the word toad to describe him.
“Have we met somewhere?” Arthur asked in a high, incredulous voice.
“Mmm no. I never forget a face. Especially not one like yours,” the man looked him up and down with raised eyebrows.
A shiver ran down Arthur’s spine as the man blatantly checked him out. He was very confused. It was something about the man that intrigued him. But how could that be. The man was terribly rude. And to the Prince of Camelot no less.
And
he was
old!
He looked to be older than Gaius! He could have been his grandfather, if not great grandfather even! He shuddered at his own thoughts.
The man must have seen him react, as he wiggled his eyebrows at him with a satisfied grin on his face.
Flustered, Arthur turned to Gaius.
“W-when will Merlin be back?”
“I’m not sure, Sire. I hope it won’t be long,”
“Well then, I have duties awaiting me,” Arthur turned and left pretty fast.
As the door shut behind the Prince, Merlin laughed. Gaius frowned at him in disapproval.
“Are you trying to get yourself imprisoned?” the physician scolded.
“Sorry,” Merlin replied sheepishly.
“Merlin, you have to be careful. This enchantment will exhaust you, and it will not last forever,” Gaius changed the subject back to the matter at hand.
“I’ll just take a few breaks from it in some empty room somewhere then,” the servant shrugged.
Gaius sighed. The boy was not taking this seriously enough. He was afraid the enchantment would run out while the boy was in public. That would surely bring about his execution.
“Be careful, my boy,” he tried to have Merlin understand his worries through his gaze alone, but the boy didn’t seem to realize what he was trying to say. He just smiled and nodded, before he made for the door. This was going to be a long few weeks.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The next few days were quite strange in Camelot. This old man no one had seen before were slinking around, shooting rude and complimentary remarks at their Prince whenever they were in the same place, leaving the poor Prince confused and flabbergasted. But whenever the little girl Gaius was treating was seen with the old man, he was the gentlest soul.
The Lady Morgana had been as elegant as ever out in public, but once she was in an empty hallway or in her rooms, she screamed with laughter at the day’s events. She absolutely loved the confusion on Arthur’s face whenever the old man had crossed paths with him. Gwen, the poor soul had a much harder time keeping it in, and had to turn away most times as to not be seen laughing outright.
The people had almost forgotten of the fact that the King was gravely ill, and their city was still getting back on it’s feet after the morgen Queen’s retreat.
One day, the girls followed the old man as he walked down an empty hallway. They meant to have a chat with him, but he was walking fast down the corridor, and when they rounded a corner, he was gone. They blinked at each other, but then they heard a sound from behind a door close by. Morgana had sauntered forth and opened the door to find Merlin blinking back at her, dressed in the old man’s robes. Morgana dragged her servant inside and hurriedly closed the door. She looked at him, with a serious expression, before she burst out laughing.
“Of course it was you this whole time! I should have known. Where else would you be,” she chuckled and sat down in a chair by the table in the room. “Now, what could possibly be the reason for you running around as an old man?”
Gwen sat down beside her lady, and Merlin sank down in a chair opposite them. He let out a nervous breath as though it finally dawned on him that it was just the girls that had caught him, not some guard or someone else who would turn him in.
“I can’t let her see the real me,” he mumbled.
“What?” Gwen piped up, confused.
“Mithian. My sister…” Merlin looked down at his hands. “I can’t let her see the real me. She’ll know… she might slip up and let the knights know I still live, and they’ll come for me,” he picked at his fingernails.
“Oh Merlin,” Gwen sighed. They sat in silence. The girls had no idea how to proceed. They wanted Merlin to be happy, but that was not an easy thing to achieve for the time being.
“You should talk to her. She seems to be a remarkable young lady. Further along in intellect than others her age,” Morgana complimented.
“Yes, that is normal. Our intellect develops faster than our bodies at that age. Though she
is
remarkably far along for her age. It’s almost scary,” Merlin got a far away look in his eyes.
“All the more reason for you to talk to her. It’s your sister. She would love to know you’re alive!” Morgana reached out to take Merlin’s hand.
“I want to. Believe me I want to. But what if she slips up? It wouldn’t be safe for her!” his intense gaze met hers.
“You’re not afraid for yourself… you’re afraid for her,” she breathed.
“Yes. You have no idea what the knights are capable of,” he clenched his jaw and looked away.
“We do,” Morgana said as she moved her hand up his arm to where she knows the bite mark scar is hidden beneath his clothes. Merlin sighed and looked back and forth between them.
“You really think I should talk to her?”
“Yes,” it was Gwen replying this time.
“Okay… maybe I will. But not yet,” Merlin yawned, and the girls suddenly realized how tired he looked.
“Are you alright?” they asked in unison.
“Yes,” Merlin chuckled. “I’m just a bit tired, is all,” he smiled at them. He looked as though he was more than just tired, but the girls decided to let it go.
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Gwen offered. Merlin nodded in thanks.
“Right now I just need some sleep,”
The girls were reluctant to leave him alone, but decided he really needed the rest. So they left him to it.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Mithian was having a blast in Camelot. People were so nice to her! Even the grumpy Prince Arthur was all sunshine when she had his attention. She especially liked the beautiful Morgana, and her maid. They were kind and funny, and taught her how to sew and do her hair and many other things she found interesting. She adored Dragoon. He was a strange old man, vanishing without a trace sometimes, but he was the kindest, funniest man. He was so gentle with her, and also very protective. She didn’t understand how her people could hate these humans so. They were the same in so many aspects, and they were amazing.
After a while she learned much from Gaius about life on land, and why her people hated humans. Camelot in particular. She had been quite down when she learned about that, and had then begun to think about her family and the brother she never knew. Dragoon had been sad to see her like that, and had done everything in his power to bring her joy.
Then, she had learned about the current King’s situation and how he had gotten into it. At first she’d decided that he’d had it coming, and that the Morgen Queen had been right to do so. But then after thinking about it, she realized how horrible that was. She slowly got sadder and sadder about it until Dragoon took her aside and asked her what was wrong. She explained her dilemma and he looked at her for a long time before he smiled gently at her. He told her what a nice person she was, and advised her to bring her nice words to the Prince and Lady Morgana.
That was how she ended up outside the King’s quarters with the Lady Morgana. She bit her lip as she looked at the door. Morgana smiled sadly at her and opened the door to let her through.
She looked towards the bed, finding Prince Arthur sitting at the bedside. Just as she and Morgana entered the room fully, he looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of her.
“Morgana, what-” he stopped as Morgana held her hand up to stop him.
Morgana led Mithian over to the bed to see Uther properly. A few days back, he had finally stopped muttering. Now he just lay mostly still on the bed, either sleeping or watching the canopy over his bed. He did not talk at all anymore, and they barely managed to get food and drink into his body. He looked starved. His eyes were sunken along with his cheeks. He looked as though he was only skin and bone. He was pale as a ghost as well, with dark bruises underneath his eyes.
Mithian watched the sleeping man with sadness. She then muttered something Arthur and Morgana didn’t catch, kissed her fingers and touched them to Uther’s forehead.
“What was that?” Arthur looked at her with misty eyes.
“I prayed for his soul to have peace,” she smiled sadly at him and went over to stand beside the Prince. “No matter the bad things done, no one deserves to watch their family fade like this. I am sorry you have to go through this,” she reached up to touch his cheek. She had such warmth in her expression, Arthur was taken completely by surprise. His lip quivered, and he bent down to gather the sweet girl into a hug. She ended up in his lap, and the two sat like that for a long time while Arthur struggled to get his emotions together.
Morgana watched the two, her heart swelling at the sight. Merlin’s sister was going to be a most wonderful Queen one day. She thought of that again, and realized she assumed he would never go back to be the King he was born to be, and it shocked her. How could she think like that? She felt tears well up in her eyes as she realized that was likely what would happen because of Merlin’s injury.
She shook herself to stop thinking about that. She couldn’t let Arthur and Mithian know, and if she kept thinking of it, she would have to explain herself.
She looked up just in time to watch Arthur kiss Mithian’s forehead and stroke her hair back.
“Thank you,” he whispered and gave the girl a smile. She beamed back at him and jumped off his lap.
“I will let you be alone now. I will find my way back to Gaius by myself,” at the last sentence she turned to Morgana with a smile. Morgana nodded and took a seat by Arthur.
Mithian opened the door to find Dragoon leaning against the opposite wall, smiling warmly at her as she left the room.
“That was very good of you, Princess. You will make a great Queen one day,” he complimented her with so much love in his voice, Mithian felt her heart burst with joy. She grinned widely at him and gave him a hug.
“Will you teach me how to ride, Dragoon?” she abruptly asked. Merlin had to laugh. She had been wanting to learn riding since day one. He decided he would let her now, since she’d made such progress. She was among the lucky ones to be able to adapt faster to life on land than others.
“Let’s go do that then,” he smiled and made for the stables.
As they entered the stables, Arabus turned to look who had arrived and promptly started sniggering.
“Oi! Shut it you rude horse!” Merlin shot at him.
Mithian giggled by his side. The horse was so full of expression and easy to read.
I can never get used to that face on your young soul!
Arabus laughed in Merlin’s head.
Merlin had to laugh at the big horse. He did have a point. He wasn’t used to it himself yet either.
They came closer to Arabus, and just as Merlin was about to reach out to him, a stable hand came across them.
“Hey old man! Be careful! That horse is dangerous!” the man jogged closer, and Merlin turned to him with raised eyebrows. “Only the Prince’s manservant knows how to handle that beast,” the man added and warily shot Arabus a nervous look.
What have you done to these poor people?!
Merlin asked incredulously.
What? I just had some fun!
Arabus replied with a pout.
“What, this lamb?” Merlin reached out to pat Arabus. The horse leaned into the scratch and all mischievousness melted off him. The stable hand stared at the old man in front of him in shock. He had never thought anyone other than Merlin would be able to touch that horse without falling prey to it. “Now be a good lad and find this young Lady a suitable saddle,” the old man added.
It didn’t take long for Arabus to be saddled, and the old man led the big horse outside, Mithian smiling brightly by his side.
Merlin turned to the stable hand as he stopped Arabus outside the stables.
“We will be borrowing this handsome fellow for a little while. You can confirm with Gaius, the Physician that we are allowed to borrow him. I go by Dragoon, should you need a name,”
The boy just nodded, still watching Arabus nervously.
Dragoon turned to Mithian and smiled down at her.
“Do you want to ride now?”
“Yes!” she grinned and jumped slightly in place. Dragoon chuckled and bent down to lift her up into the saddle.
“Hold on tight to the saddle, alright? I’ll lead him,” Merlin watched her grab on to the saddle with a huge smile on her face. A surge of happiness ran through his chest at the sight. He was immensely grateful that he had the opportunity to get to know his sister.
Merlin led the way down the streets of Camelot, and out into the forest around the City. Once in a while he turned to see her looking around her with wide eyes.
They had been walking around for half an hour or so before Merlin decided it was time to get back to the city.
On their way back, Merlin heard a satisfied sigh in his head and he turned to look questioningly at Arabus who looked ready to fall asleep.
I like your sister
, the horse replied to his silent question. That only brought about more questions but before Merlin had the time to ask, Arabus continued.
She has been scratching and petting me ever since she got on my back, and her aura is delightful.
Merlin just laughed.
“What are you laughing about?” Mithian asked.
“Arabus here likes you and your petting so much he’s ready to fall asleep walking,”
Mithian giggled.
Merlin was content as he led them back to Camelot. Just as he passed the gates he realized he hadn’t seen Mithian bring any water. He hurriedly turned and saw she was starting to show some signs of dehydration.
“Mithian! Why didn’t you tell me you were thirsty?!” He stopped the horse and looked up at her with wide eyes as he scrambled for the water skin he always brought with him.
She looked embarrassed as she took the skin gratefully and took a sip of the water.
“I kind of forgot… I was so overwhelmed with everything I didn’t realize…” she muttered. She took another sip before handing the skin back to Dragoon.
The old man sighed and shook his head.
“Alright, let’s get Arabus back to the stables, and you off to Gaius so you can get some rest,”
It didn’t take them long to reach the physician’s chambers. Gaius looked Mithian over and assured them both that she would be alright with some rest and plenty of water.
The little lady went straight to bed after the check up, leaving Dragoon and Gaius alone.
They sat in silence for a while, making sure she had gone to sleep.
“Merlin, the King doesn’t have long. You should stage your homecoming. Arthur will need you here,” Gaius whispered.
Merlin looked sadly at the door to his room. He knew he had to do it. His heart pounded hard and fast in his chest as he thought about what would happen when Mithian saw him as himself.
“I know,” He swallowed hard. “I’ll leave in the morning, stay out in the woods, and return as myself in the evening,” he sighed. “Are there any herbs you require while I’m out there?”
Gaius reached over and patted his shoulder. Then he found a parchment and started writing down a list of herbs for Merlin to gather, and then found a pack he could use to bring the robes and herbs back.
“I’ll come back in the morning to say goodbye. I can’t just up and leave her without a word,” he stood, took the pack and list, and left.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Mithian had tears in her eyes as he told her he would have to leave. He could see her whole being wanted to ask him why, but she didn’t. She held her questions back, knowing she could not know everything all the time.
Dragoon gave her a hug, and then patted her head with a sad smile. Then, he left. He made sure people saw him leave. Even Arthur saw him leaving.
He walked quite far into the woods before daring to turn back to his own self. He felt the exhaustion threaten to overwhelm him, but he knew he could not afford to fall asleep out there.
He pulled off the robes he had borrowed from Gaius and sighed in relief as the troublesome garment was pulled free. He stuffed it into the bag and pulled out the list of herbs he was supposed to gather while he waited for evening to come.
He stretched his aching body before setting out to find the first herb on the list.
The sun was sneaking in through the trees, and he could feel its warmth on his body as it gradually soared higher into the sky. He was thankful for the nice weather. It would have been a miserable day for him to be wandering around in the forest if it was raining.
It was quite calming to wander around, picking herbs. He even picked many more kinds of herbs than was written on the list, simply because he stumbled over them. He figured Gaius would be needing them as well soon, so why not get them while he was out there anyway.
After noon, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer and sat down to eat his lunch. He had sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed a bread so he would have some food while he was out here. He figured one meager loaf of bread wouldn’t be missed.
After eating, he relaxed for a while. He soon found himself nodding off, and forced himself back on his feet to keep active. He wandered around, looking for things to do, herbs or flowers to pick, nice stones to gather… anything to stay awake.
When evening finally arrived, Merlin was more than happy to make his way back to the city. It had been relaxing to a degree, but with nothing to do, time had been going slow.
It was already getting late when he finally arrived at the gates. Thankfully the guards at the gate recognized him at once, and let him through.
He made his way through the streets and was careful to stay away from the tavern. He could hear the noise from the drunkards that were already too drunk to realize where they were.
He had almost gotten past the worst parts of town when he heard some drunk talking to someone in a chilling tone.
“A prtty gal like you can help m’ feel gooooood,” the voice slurred. It felt as though someone had poured ice down Merlin’s back as he heard that sentence. And as he heard the scared whimper from the girl the man was talking to, he felt like the world was pulled from under his feet. The girl was way too young to do anything close to what the drunkard suggested. He stood frozen for a moment before he ran in the direction of the voices. When he rounded the corner and saw who exactly was pressing themselves to the wall to get away from the big drunk man closing in on her, a boiling hot rage overtook him.
Mithian’s dress was dirty, and she had dirt on her face as well. It looked like she’d tried to run from the man, and had stumbled to the ground in her haste to get away. The man towering over her was huge, and the tiny girl had no chance in getting away from him unless she used magic. If she even knew how to properly defend herself with magic that is.
Merlin snarled and yelled at the man to get away from her as he ran towards them. He discarded all fear he had about Mithian knowing who he was. The need to protect her took over his mind completely, though thankfully not so much so that he forgot about the magic ban.
The man was slow to react, and so Merlin barreled into him, punching him in the nose to get him away from his sister. What he had not realized was that the big man had been in possession of a knife. He barely felt the cold metal pierce his skin as the adrenaline shot energy through him.
He punched the man again and then managed to get up and away from him. He turned to see Mithian still standing by the wall, her eyes wide in fear. He lunged for her, pulling her into his arms and ran from the great roaring beast of a man. The man gave chase, and even got close enough to nick Merlin’s back with the knife, but then he stumbled and Merlin managed to get some space between them as he ran for the castle.
He slowed down as a few guards came towards him, and he explained what was going on. His wild eyes, and the fear in the little girl’s face was enough to spur them into action. They ran down the street and Merlin lingered just long enough to see them capturing the right man, before he ran inside the castle. It was quiet in the corridors as the servants were busy tending to their duties in the different halls they were assigned to.
Merlin’s knees shook as he calmed down from the adrenaline, and he carefully put Mithian down before he collapsed to his knees against the wall. He rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed as he breathed to calm himself.
It was silent except for his breathing, and for a moment he wondered if Mithian had run away from him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw her standing before him, staring straight at him. It was no longer fear in her eyes, but shock.
He held her gaze, and felt his heart speeding up again as the panic started to take hold of him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he bit his bottom lip nervously.
She had tears in her own eyes. She blinked, and one of them rolled down her cheek as she took a shuddering breath. Then she stepped closer, reaching out a hand towards his face. She looked as though she thought he would disappear if she touched him, but had to try either way.
Her small fingers brushed against his cheek, and she gasped a little.
“Brother…?” her voice was tiny and uncertain.
Merlin swallowed hard against the lump in his throat, and nodded. It was as he thought. She would know the instant she saw his face.
She sniffled, and the rest of the tears fell from her eyes. Suddenly, Merlin found himself with small arms around his neck, and a wet patch growing on his shoulder as she cried into the fabric of his tunic. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close, resting his head on top of hers.
That is how Morgana found them as she walked a less occupied route back to her chambers.
She decided it was better to get them out of the corridor and into a safe room where they could talk it out without being overheard, and so she coaxed Merlin into following her. He still held his sister in his arms as they went down the corridor. Morgana opened the door to her chambers, finding Gwen pretending to tidy up the already spotless rooms. The maid hurried to pull out a chair for Merlin to sit down in, and he practically collapsed into the chair.
“What happened?” Morgana asked quietly.
“I had to stage my return… and as I walked past the rising sun, I heard a commotion. Came around the corner to find a man towering over her… he wanted… awful things,” Merlin choked on the last words.
Morgana’s eyes widened as she understood the meaning of those words. Merlin’s arms tightened around his sister.
After a while, Mithian pushed back to look at her brother. She stared into his eyes with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Dragoon,” she whispered. “You’ve been here this whole time! You even met mother! Why didn’t you say anything! Why were you hiding?!” Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she got off his lap. She was angry and confused. She couldn’t understand how he could do that to his family. All that pain. She looked at him again, and saw the paleness of his skin, and how he folded in on himself in sorrow. Her heart ached for him despite her anger.
She’d been so occupied with him, she didn’t realize there were others in the room, and she jumped as a hand came down on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see the lady Morgana and her maid giving her a sad look. Morgana handed her a cup of water.
“Give him a chance to explain. He’s been agonizing about this since he received word of your arrival,” Morgana let out with a knowing look.
Mithian turned to her brother again and noted the slight panic in his eyes. He was almost hugging himself where he sat. Then, he seemed to decide on something, and looked up at her with red rimmed eyes.
“Do you remember what I did at the beach? Showing you how to transform?” his voice started out weak, but gained strength towards the end. Mithian nodded as she remembered how he’d used magic to guide her. “If you allow me to, I think it would be easier to show you what happened, and why I’ve been hiding…” he looked down again as he thought about it. He would have to be careful with what he showed her. He didn’t want to scar her for life.
“You can do that?” Morgana asked with interest. Merlin looked up at her wide eyed wonder and had to smile. He kept forgetting how much she loved learning about magic.
“Yes. I think maybe I can do it on more than one person as well…” he smiled at her little jump of excitement. “I can try that now,” he laughed.
Mithian looked back and forth between the two as she realized Lady Morgana and her maid must know who he truly is.
“How do you want us to sit?” Mithian asked in her own way of confirming she was okay with it.
“I need to have my hands at each side of your head, so if we sit in a row, and each of you sit with your backs to each other, then I think we can prolong the connection. I need Mithian closest to me, in case this only works on one… then Morgana can sit in front of her, and Gwen in front of Morgana. I think your magic will help,”
Mithian dragged a foot stool over to sit in front of Merlin, and Morgana immediately sat down on the floor in front of Mithian. Gwen, hurried to lock the door, and brought a pillow over for Morgana to sit on, before sitting down in front of her Lady. Merlin showed them how to place their hands, and when they were ready, he placed his own on both sides of Mithian’s head, and made sure to place his fingers to her temple.
He concentrated hard, and for a moment he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to show them, but then his magic reacted and he felt the memories arise. He ended up going as far back as to the time he saved Arthur’s life, and started showing them from there.
The memories piled on and on after that. The fear he had experienced after saving Arthur, as he waited for the knights to do something. Then the relief as nothing happened, and the urgency when the word about the trapped merman arrived. At this point he tried to censor his memories and feelings, but he found that the dam had broken and he couldn’t contain the memories any longer. The girls experienced the betrayal, the absolute agony as the beast tore into his flesh, the numbness and pain, the drifting in and out of consciousness as Lancelot tried to help him. The warmth he’d felt as the other merman had done everything in his power to save him. The suffering and exhaustion as they had traveled to the beach to reach Gaius. The painful transformation. Suddenly waking up in a strange room in a castle on land. The terrifying and confusing first year. How things got easier as time progressed, but then the discovery of his true father, and the heartbreak that followed as he died in Merlin’s arms. The struggle as Muirgen had taken over Camelot. The shock of finding out he had a sister. Then the panic as he realized said sister would arrive in Camelot. All his fears, his panic, his hope, his love. The painful moment of meeting his mother again without her knowing who he was. The wonderful times he’d had with Mithian as Dragoon. The fear as he’d seen the man standing over her.
He gasped as though he had not been breathing as he finally managed to break the connection. He panted, and sagged in his chair as the magical exhaustion hit him and he realized he’d overused it completely with all those transformations, and this memory transfer to top it all off. He could barely keep his eyes open.
The girls had tears in their eyes as they turned to him. At his collapsed state, they hurriedly got to their feet and helped him up. He needed Gaius. He needed rest. Then they realized that they’d felt Merlin get stabbed in the last of his memories. They looked down to see there was indeed blood on his clothes. It wasn’t deadly, but he needed to be looked at in case of infection.
Mithian unlocked the door and walked in front of them the whole way as Gwen and Morgana dragged a nearly unconscious Merlin between them.
Gaius sighed as the women dragged him inside the physician’s chambers. He’d feared this would happen. But when he saw the blood, he got worried, and hurried to his feet to assist them.
They sat Merlin down on the patient’s cot, and Gaius didn’t hesitate in stripping the boy’s tunic off. It revealed the scars on Merlin’s body for Mithian to see, and her heart clenched at the sight. If she’d ever doubted him, these scars were proof enough.
Merlin had sustained a shallow stab wound to his abdomen, and a nick to his back. Gaius cleaned the thoroughly and wrapped a bandage around him just as a precaution. Gwen fetched a nightshirt from Merlin’s room and helped the boy into it. After getting him to drink some water, he fell asleep before he hit the pillow.
Morgana made sure to fill Gaius in on what had happened, before she and Gwen left. Mithian climbed up on the cot and laid down beside her brother. She refused to leave him alone after everything she’d learned that night.
She would make sure the knights got what they deserved. But she’d do so slowly and carefully. She didn’t want them to realize what had happened. She’d slowly poison their relationship with her father. After all, she was his little girl. Merlin was her brother, and she was determined to make them pay for what they’d done to him. It would take time. A lot more time than what she wanted, but she needed to protect him.
Gaius got her to drink a cup of water, and then he retired. She lay awake, watching over her brother long into the night before her own tiredness took her away to the land of dreams.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin woke up feeling like he’d gotten lighter. A weight had been lifted from him after letting Mithian know. He found her sleeping by his side, and he smiled. He wrapped his blanket properly around her and went to his room to change. He needed to get back to work.
Gaius was already up, and handed him a bowl of gruel for him to eat before he left for Arthur’s chambers. As he got closer, he had a heavy feeling fall over him and he decided to take a detour around to the King’s chambers. It proved to be the right thing to do as he saw Arthur standing in the doorway looking into the room. A guard was jogging in the direction of Gaius’ chambers, and Merlin knew immediately what had happened.
Merlin walked over to his Pince and stood at his side to look into the room. The King of Camelot lay unmoving on the bed just like he had been for the past weeks. But this time there was no sign of breath rising his chest. His eyes were open, but not seeing. His whole face was sunken and grey. It was clear there was no life left in Uther’s body.
Arthur’s face was blank as he stared at his father. He had not even realized Merlin was standing by his side.
The Prince jumped slightly as Merlin laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Merlin…” Arthur breathed.
Merlin just looked into his eyes, trying to tell him he would always be by his side.
Arthur blinked. He reached up to squeeze the hand that rested on his shoulders. He nodded at Merlin, and then stepped into the room towards his father.
Merlin stayed outside the door. Far enough to give Arthur some space, but close enough should he be needed.
Gaius arrived soon after. He sent Merlin a sad look before entering the King’s chambers. The door closed behind him and Merlin was left leaning against the opposite wall.
A while later, servants arrived to clean the King’s body. Arthur and Gaius left them to it. Arthur would be needed elsewhere until he was allowed grieving time by himself after the servants had finished preparing the King for the funeral.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Whenever they had a moment, Merlin and Mithian talked about their lives. They wanted to properly get to know each other, and talked about everything they could think of about themselves. Merlin told his sister about happy memories from when he was little. From his first time on land, and his life in the sea. Mithian told him about her life with their parents.
They both told stories of their lives to Morgana and Gwen. The two girls had been so engrossed in their stories, they had completely forgot about their duties. Morgana especially found the stories interesting as she learned a lot about the magical life in the sea.
One day they were all sitting in Morgana’s chambers, where they’d found to be the safest place to have these story times. Merlin had decided he wanted to try something new with his magic. He wanted to try project memories out in the open for more people to see without having to sit with the sorcerer’s hands on their head. If he could get that to work, then it would be easier to show bigger groups, even big crowds, if needed.
They had made sure to lock the doors, and Merlin had even charmed the room, making it soundproof and able to hide sudden bursts of light, should that happen.
The merman Prince sat with one hand to his sister’s temple, and one hand propped on one of his knees with the palm up as he sat cross legged on the floor. Mithian sat with her back to his chest, relishing the closeness to her brother. Morgana and Gwen had decided to join them on the floor, and was patiently waiting for Mithian to talk about a memory of hers.
“Are you ready, brother?” Mithian smiled up at him. Merlin grinned and nodded. He closed his eyes to concentrate as Mithian began her tale.
“This happened not long before I was sent to do human training. Mum told me that I was soon to be sent on a journey to a city called Camelot, and that it was a city of humans. I’d always heard the warnings to keep away from the humans. I didn’t understand why in Poseidon’s name they would want to send me up to them. At first I thought I’d done something wrong, and they wanted to punish me. Mum laughed when I asked her, and explained the tradition of human training, in case we should ever need to evacuate to land. I was so excited about the trip that I decided to go explore a little bit on my own. I wasn’t allowed to swim too far from the castle without anyone coming with me, but I disregarded that this time because I was so excited. It was a new adventure, and I wanted to start right away.”
Merlin had yet to project the memories out into the room. There had been the occasional small light, or a burst of color, but other than that, nothing had happened. He still sat with his hand to Mithian’s temple, his eyes closed, his face in a concentrated frown.
“I’d been swimming through the streets, in and out of alleys, hiding in gardens pretending I was out to find new species. Then, I’d gotten out to the caves and decided to go explore them. It was very exciting for me, and my imagination was running wild. There were so many beautiful brightly colored fish, and corals. I followed this pink fish around the corals, and soon I was quite far out from the city.”
Now, colors started to shine all around the room, transforming into shapes. A fish suddenly appeared, darting between the two wide eyed women who jumped at the sudden movement. Colorful corals sprouted from the floor, and a clean blue color tinted the room as though they were sitting under water. Sea creatures crawled all around them while fish and magical beings swam through the room.
Gwen gasped at the beauty of it, and Morgana had tears in her wide eyes as she looked around the room to find them sitting surrounded by a stunning seafloor landscape.
Then, while Mithian went on with her tale, Their surroundings changed.
“I was so fascinated by the color of that pink fish. It was iridescent and shifted in all kinds of pinks and purples and blues. Even greens. It’s fins were long and beautiful. They waved in the water like the thinnest veil. Then, out of nowhere, It suddenly froze in it’s path, and then sped off into the safety of the corals. I tried to see where it went, but it had gotten away from me. I didn’t understand why it had swam off like that. That was until I saw the shadow looming over me. I looked up to see a beast of a predator eyeing me curiously. It looked like a shark in many ways, but it’s fins and tail were replaced by webbed feet, and it’s eyes had a stark red color. We stared at each other for a while before it’s demeanor suddenly changed and it charged at me.”
Gwen inched behind Morgana as the beast stared them down. She shrieked as it shot towards them.
“I swam as fast as I’d ever swam before. It was terrifying. The thing was chasing me, and it even almost got a bite out of my tailfin. I thought I was done for when I heard someone yell. It caught me off guard and I looked around for the ones that had shouted. Then someone pulled me out of the way, while something crashed against the beast. It happened so fast I didn’t really realize what happened until it was over. I looked up into kind brown eyes. Long brown hair floated around her smiling face as she asked me if I was okay. I could do nothing but stare. I was too shocked from everything to do anything else. ‘I think she’s in shock’ I heard another woman ask, and I turned to find another beautiful face watching me with a concerned but kind smile on her face. Her hair was short and a nice shade of lavender. That was really all I registered before they followed me back to the city. Mum had been so worried and was so happy when they followed me back. They were rewarded handsomely I believe.”
Both Gwen and Morgana visibly relaxed. Merlin opened his eyes to look at the memories swimming around them. He recognized the faces of the mermaids that had helped his sister and he smiled.
“I met them again later and they really are some great people! I want them to come work in the castle. I’d like that. They’d be great knights I think,” Mithian mused. Around them, the images changed and suddenly it wasn’t a memory anymore, but the little princess’ imagination where the two mermaids wore the distinct seashells of the royal guard, and proudly presented their weapons.
Merlin snickered at the image.
“I think you’re right about that. I remember these two. The Moonstone sisters. They’re pretty awesome. I remember watching them fight off some of those beasts you were chased by. I was in awe at their skill and strength! You should recruit them,” He laughed and let the magic fade. The proud smiles of the sisters the last to vanish. He hugged his sister tight.
“You really need to be more careful though,” he whispered in her air.
“Yes, I know, brother,” Mithian sounded genuine.
“That was amazing,” Morgana shot in suddenly.
They blinked at her before all four of them burst out laughing. For a few precious moments, they forgot there were ever problems in the world.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After being crowned King of Camelot, the first thing Arthur did was shock the people by knighting commoners. He made changes to the rules on knighting, making sure that any commoner proving themselves to be worthy, would be able to reach knighthood.
Elyan and Percival were the first to be knighted after the new rule. Lancelot was also knighted, though he had papers indicating him to be a noble. The three men had been out on patrols for weeks and had only arrived back in Camelot after Arthur was crowned King. They had willingly gone out with other men of Camelot to patrol the area even without having been knighted. They had all proven themselves to be worthy of the title.
While Arthur had already been in charge of most of the King’s duties while his father was sick, he felt as though his duties were doubled after being crowned.
It did not help that Merlin one day told him he’d be gone for about half a day as he was going to escort Mithian back home.
Merlin felt guilty for abandoning his King. He wouldn’t be gone for too long, but Arthur really needed someone to vent to, and Merlin was that someone. But this was something he had to do.
As Mithian and Merlin traveled further from the City, Merlin found a safe spot to transform into Dragoon. After all, he couldn’t very well go as himself even though Mithian knew about him.
Mithian was sad to go back. She wanted so much more time with her brother and her uncle. But she knew it was important for her to return. That was also the only way she would be able to help Merlin to perhaps return some day. With that in mind, she clung to her brother for the rest of the way back to the beach.
Hunith was waiting close to the beach, her head above the water to watch her daughter arrive with the old man. She smiled as she saw the girl hugging the man tightly. It was a sign that she had truly enjoyed her stay, and that was important to the Queen as she didn’t have anything against humans herself. She did share the hatred for Uther that her husband also shared, but they both knew humans weren’t all bad. Despite that, they needed to keep laws in place that forbid their people to interact with the humans. Except in emergencies or training of course. It was just to keep them safe, after all.
Mithian hurriedly stripped her clothes off and ran into the water to transform. The old man had respectfully turned away from her, and only turned back once her transformation was complete. She waved at him enthusiastically, before shooting through the water towards the Queen.
“Mother!” she called and wrapped her hands around her mother as she got close enough.
“Did you enjoy your trip, sweetie?” Hunith smiled down at her daughter.
“Yes! Uncle Gaius and…” Mithian trailed off as she scrunched her face up in thought. “Grandpa Dragoon! They have been so kind to me, and I even got to meet the Prince of Camelot, and his sister! They are very kind people. Oh! I mean, he’s not a Prince anymore. He is the King now. His papa died while I was there…” She looked sad, and shot Dragoon a look as he was walking back up to his giant white horse.
“The King died?” Hunith’s eyes widened at that information. They would have to get the whole story out of the little princess once they were back with King Balinor. Maybe there was still hope for humanity. Unless the Uther’s son was poisoned against magic like his father that was.
“Come, let us return home. We will speak of your journey when we’re back with papa, alright?” She added with a warm smile. Mithian nodded, and together they sank beneath the surface.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur was a busy man. At least that’s what he kept telling Merlin whenever he complained about all the extra chores. Merlin knew this of course, but he loved to mock the man regardless. He always shot back that it must be
so
tiring to relax by the desk and eat fancy food all day. That always riled Arthur up until he realized Merlin was grinning at him. He’d then smack the servant in the head with a mock glare on his face before going back to his duties.
Then one day Arthur was staring off into nothing with a blank expression. Merlin was tidying up around the chambers when he realized the scratching from the pen against the paper had stopped, and the room had been in utter silence for a while. He looked up to see Arthur staring, and for a moment he thought it was at him, but when he moved he saw Arthur’s gaze didn’t even shift.
Merlin frowned and put down the tunic he’d been picking up from the floor. His shoes barely whispered a shuffling sound as he walked over to the big sturdy desk the King was seated at. He placed himself in the middle of Arthur’s field of vision.
“Sire?”
There was no reaction.
“Arthur?”
This time the King blinked and looked up into Merlin’s eyes.
“Are you alright?” To be honest, Merlin was a bit worried at the King’s behaviour. It wasn’t like Arthur to be so lost in thought.
“Am I a good king?” Arthur still had that far away look in his eyes. “How will I ever uphold my father’s legacy?” At this Arthur pushed his chair back and and leant his elbows on his knees as his head fell into his hands.
“Will I ever be as good a ruler as my father?”
Merlin bit the inside of his cheek. It really wasn’t like Arthur to be like this. It had to be the grief making a return. That said, he really didn’t have proper time to grieve his father.
Merlin once again stepped in front of Arthur.
“Arthur,” he tried getting the King’s attention, but Arthur didn’t look up.
The servant kneeled before the King. He gently cupped his hands around the King’s own and guided them away from his face. Those beautiful blue eyes finally met Merlin’s, and he gave his master a little smile.
“No Arthur, you will not,” Merlin started. Arthur’s eyes filled with uncertainty and hurt before Merlin could continue. “No, Arthur, listen. You will not be like Uther, because you are already a better ruler than he was. And you will become a greater ruler than he could ever hope to become. I know this, because you love your people, and they love you. A great King rules through love and respect, not hatred and fear. Your people are deeply loyal to you. I am honoured to be your servant, and I will be by your side until the day I die,” as the words left his mouth, he realized how true they were. He couldn’t leave Arthur. Not after all they’d been through. Even if he got the chance to go back to the sea, he wouldn’t. Well, not more than for a visit that is.
“Have faith in yourself. You will be the greatest King this land has ever seen,” Merlin smiled warmly as he said this.
Emotion danced in Arthur’s eyes, and for a moment it looked as though the King was about to cry. Then, those golden lashes furled against his cheeks, and after a few blinks, the tears were gone. He cleared his throat and straightened his back.
“Thank you, Merlin, for having such faith in me,” Arthur told him quietly and returned his smile.
As fast as a Candle’s flame blown out, Arthur was back to his Kingly posture. Merlin moved away to let his King go back to work. After all he had a lot of chores to finish up himself.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The days passed, and the commands from Arthur only grew. It was as though the King had forgotten Merlin’s words of comfort, and had gone straight back into the same routine he’d been in before his moment of uncertainty. No. It had gotten worse.
Merlin dragged his feet over to the table where Gaius was waiting with the supper. The boy collapsed into his seat and looked as though he’d drop to the floor at any second from exhaustion.
“Arthur is an insufferable prat these days,” he mumbled as Gaius handed him a cup of water.
Gaius’ eyebrow rose in a silent question while he handed Merlin his supper.
“He is trying to do a whole year’s worth of Kingly duties in one week. He’s running himself ragged and even skips sleep to get things done. Which results in him being in a constant bad mood. He takes it out on everyone within reach, which means I’m the one getting most of it,” Merlin barely even caught a breath as he ranted.
“Sounds like you both need sleep,” Gaius commented, and took a bite of his food. He sent Merlin a pointed look and didn’t look away until the boy took a bite of his own.
They both finished their food in silence. Merlin got up to ready himself for bed, but stopped at the knock on the door.
Morgana entered with a tired look on her face.
“Gaius, do you have a sleeping draught by any chance?”
“Are you having trouble sleeping, my lady?” both Gaius and Merlin looked at her with sympathy. Merlin was afraid her dreams had started up again, and he wondered why her magic would act up like that again.
“I do actually, but the drug’s not for me. Arthur’s the one keeping me up,” she grumbled. “Merlin, do you mind helping me drug him?” she looked at him with a blank expression.
Merlin could not help the laugh that bubbled up from inside him. At least he was not the only one finding Arthur problematic now.
Gaius sighed and handed a vial to Merlin. He then shooed them both out so he could get some sleep, himself.
“So what do you have planned?” Merlin looked at her as they made their way to the kitchen.
“I was hoping you could wait outside his room for a bit, then come inside when I call you and pour us some wine. Make sure the drug is in Arthur’s cup before you come in of course. I’ll distract him enough for him to down the whole thing without getting suspicious… I hope.”
Morgana could be scary sometimes. And right now, she was. She’d drug the King without any hesitance. Merlin was glad she was their friend and not their enemy.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Merlin went off to find two goblets, and a board to carry them on. Morgana instantly went for the wine. The servant made sure to pick out two different goblets so he could keep track of which one was Arthur’s. As luck would have it, Arthur’s favourite goblet stood washed and ready to be used. That made everything so much easier.
He placed the wine Morgana had retrieved on the board along with the goblets, and the two of them made for Arthur’s chambers.
Merlin stood off to the side a bit, while Morgana knocked and went inside. He heard them talking, and waited for Morgana’s call.
“Why don’t we have a drink while we work?” Morgana suggested. Merlin heard Arthur grumble, before Morgana called him in. He almost forgot to pour the sleeping draught into Arthur’s goblet before he entered. If he’d had any free hands he’d smack himself for not getting it ready while Morgana had been speaking to the King. It resulted in him responding late to her call.
“I see he’s just as slow around you,” Arthur commented a bit sourly. The man really had not been sleeping and barely even been eating the past few days.
Merlin said nothing as he carried everything over to the table, where he poured wine into the cups. He didn’t even have time to put the bottle down before Arthur snatched his goblet away and took a sip.
“This tastes funny. Is it a new wine?” he looked into the dark liquid as if he would be able to see where it came from.
“As a matter of fact it is. It was a gift. I thought it appropriate to try out while we work,” Morgana sipped from her own goblet and gave Arthur a smile. “Merlin, why don’t you tidy up in here before you leave,” she added and guided Arthur back to his desk.
Merlin moved some things around, waiting for the drug to take effect. It didn’t take too long before he heard a thud, and turned to find Arthur slumped over his desk.
“Finally,” Morgana sighed and put down her goblet. “Would you help me move him to his bed please?”
Together, and with a slight help of their magic, they moved the King to his bed. Merlin sent Morgana to her chambers for some rest, while he proceeded undressing the unconscious man, and pulling the blankets over him. He blew out the candles, and made sure everything was alright before he could finally return to his room for some sorely needed sleep.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur was less irritable the next day, but he was still a pain to handle. In addition he was confused as to how he’d ended up in bed, and a confused Arthur was a cranky one. Merlin went the whole day trying to come up with some way to have the man calm down and take a break.
He finally decided that a pretend hunting trip would be the only way to do it. But before he could drag his King with him, he had preparations to see to.
He gathered Morgana and Leon together, and spoke of his plan. The two of them agreed with him, though Leon did not like the idea of the King and his manservant going alone. Merlin argued that it would be the only way Arthur would let himself relax, and the knight finally had to agree. Though, Merlin had to tell Leon where they were going, and to leave signs as to where they would head off next, if they moved away from that area. The knight wanted there to always be a patrol close by in case they needed assistance. Merlin saw the wisdom in that, and promised he would leave traces.
Morgana and Leon would make sure the kingdom ran smoothly while the King was away. Merlin then moved on to the kitchens where he pulled one of the cooks to the side. He asked the woman to prepare food fit for traveling, and have it ready for first light, but to keep that information to herself. She nodded with a kind smile and walked off to do as asked. She had always been one of the nicer ones of the kitchen crew. At one time he’d actually been slightly afraid of her because she seemed to want to eat him at times. Turned out she was just finding him adorable and had adopted him in her own mind. Her hungry look had soon morphed into a more kind and loving one. And that worked nicely to his advantage most of the time. Like now.
He then made his way to the stables. He talked to the stable hands and asked them to have two horses ready at dawn. They were not going to be there that night, but they promised to pass on the request to the ones that were on duty that night. He thanked them, and went to find Arabus in his stall.
The big white horse looked so peaceful as Merlin approached him. He silently made his way into the stall and gently pet the kelpie’s nose.
That feels good
, the beast almost purred. Merlin had never thought a kelpie would be purring, but here it was, doing just that. Or, almost at least.
I just wanted to let you know I’ll be going on a hunting trip with Arthur in the morning. We’ll likely be gone for a few days. But do not worry. A patrol will always be close by, so there shouldn’t be any danger,
he continued petting the soft silky muzzle, then moved up to scratch behind Arabus’ ear.
Mmm… Alright. Be careful, young Prince. I’d hate having to find a new petting slave,
Arabus purred. His tone was a bit mocking, but there was an underlying sense of affection there as well.
You and Arthur are quite similar, did you know that?
Merlin chuckled and stroked down the strong neck of the horse.
I’ll see you in a few days,
he added with a smile and produced an apple he’d nicked form the kitchen. The horse lit up and happily munched the apple as Merlin went back to Arthur’s chambers to pack for the hunt.
Wandering past the armoury, Merlin decides to pack a couple of weapons first. Arthur would likely actually hunt something after all, even if it was only meant to be a pretend hunt. He picked out a crossbow and a few bolts, a couple of knives and an extra sword just to be sure. He stashed everything into one of the bags that were always in the armoury for these occasions, and dragged it all with him to the King’s chambers.
At first, Arthur didn’t react to Merlin dragging a bag of weapons into his chambers. He was familiar with the act, but then he started thinking about it and couldn’t remember ordering Merlin to do such a thing. He looked up with raised eyebrows, and found his servant pattering around his chambers, packing his clothes into a bag.
“Merlin,”
Merlin stopped in his tracks and turned to Arthur.
“Yes, sire?” his expression was questioning, as if he wondered why Arthur would speak to him now while he was packing.
“Why are you packing?” came the puzzled query.
“Sire?” Merlin looked properly confused now. “Do you not remember?” Merlin had been planning this thoroughly. He would be insisting that Arthur had ordered the hunt himself the night before, since he would not remember much from the time anyway.
“What are you on about?” Arthur furrowed his brow.
“You ordered me to prepare for a hunt, Arthur. I’ve been doing the preparations all day, like you asked. We’re leaving at first light, remember?” Merlin actually felt very good at having a slight control over the situation. The prat could be somewhat of a control freak, and the fact that Merlin was the one in control now felt amazing.
“Hunting? But I have no time for hunting!” Arthur let out incredulously. Then, he blinked as he realized what he’d just said. Not having time for hunting? That’s something his father would say. Was he really willing to give up the small pleasures in life, just like his father? Was he going to turn into a miserable old man, just like the King before him? No. No he was not going to do that. He had certainly been on his way to it, but not any more.
“You know what? You’re right. Hurry up and make sure everything’s ready before dawn,” the King ordered and went back to his papers.
Merlin blinked. Then a small smile spread across his face. He did it.
He was careful not to show Arthur how relieved he was. It could potentially ruin the plan. He made sure to hurry up with the packing, and made everything ready for the next morning. As he finished up it was time to get Arthur’s supper. He hurried off to fetch it, and was dismissed for the night after cleaning up the plates when Arthur finished.
This made it possible for him to pack his own clothing and medical supplies without having to lose sleep, and he was very grateful for it. It seemed that just the thought of a hunting trip calmed his master.
With a smile on his face, he finally got to bed at a decent time, and he was out the moment his head hit the pillow.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It was a bit hard to get up the next day, but the thought of the relaxing forest pushed him on. Merlin grabbed his bag and made for the stables where he asked the stablehand to tie it to his horse while he readied the King. He went to the kitchen where he found the food for the trip and the King’s breakfast to be ready. He even found a little breakfast of his own, which he gratefully dug into.
The kind woman had even packed the food in a pack, which made everything easier for Merlin as he would have to carry everything with him.
He slung the pack onto his back and gripped the tray with the King’s breakfast in his hands, and made for Arthur’s chambers.
Arthur was just coming from behind the dressing screen as Merlin entered with his food.
“Have the horses ready for when I finish my food,” Arthur directed him. It was unnecessary though, since Merlin was already on his way out with the bags he’d left in the King’s chambers the night before.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach the forest once they started their journey. Arthur took up the lead like he would always do, though it was just slightly ahead of Merlin’s horse. Just enough to see he was the leader, but still close enough for them to speak. Fortunately he was moving towards his favourite hunting spot like Merlin had hoped. After all, that’s where he’d told Leon they would be.
The first part of the trip, they rode in silence. Merlin shut his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of a light breeze against his skin, the warmth from the sun, and the sound of birds in the trees around them. Merlin felt completely relaxed as he swayed along with the horse’s movements.
The servant opened his eyes to look over at Arthur. He too seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the ride. Merlin smiled softly and turned to see they were nearing a good place to set up camp while they went hunting.
It seemed Arthur thought the same as he slowed his horse down and and then finally got off.
“We’ll set up camp here,” He ordered and led his horse over to the little stream running just past the clearing. He tied his horse and waited for Merlin to do the same.
Arthur helped Merlin unload the horses, and while Merlin set up the camp, Arthur shifted through the weapon bag. He pulled out the crossbow, checking it over to make sure there was no damage to it.
Usually they would have someone watch over the camp while they hunted, but today they just brought the food and weapons with them and went in search of prey for Arthur to shoot.
Merlin had no plans of gutting any animals today though, so he managed to scare away every creature whenever Arthur had his sights on them. Sometimes he did so “accidentally” by tripping on a branch or crashing into Arthur. Other times he used his magic to nudge the animal into running away.
At the end of the day, Arthur was quite frustrated with him, but at least the man had finally come back to himself.
Merlin set up a small fire and warmed some water for them to have a cup of calming tea. He pulled out some fresh bread and smoked meat the cook had put together for them, and served Arthur the meal. They sat looking at the fire while they ate. It was quiet except for the crackling of the flames and the animals of the forest.
Merlin realized Arthur was rubbing at a spot on his shoulder, and set down his plates to move over to him.
“Here, let me,” Merlin placed himself behind Arthur and started kneading his shoulders. The man immediately relaxed beneath his hands. Merlin spent the next half hour or so carefully massaging the King’s neck and shoulders, and a little bit down his upper back. His clothes were in the way, so it wasn’t as effective as it could have been but at that moment none of them cared.
“Thank you,” Arthur murmured contently. “We should probably get some sleep,” he added after a moment.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Merlin offered. Arthur usually slept lightly enough out in the open that he would hear things even before the one keeping watch, but he had been sleeping so little lately that Merlin didn’t want to take that chance. Arthur nodded and lied down in his bedroll. The King was out in a matter of seconds.
Merlin made sure to put up shields around them that would alert him to any enemies approaching. He might end up falling asleep himself as he planned on not waking Arthur up again until morning, so he wanted to make sure they were safe throughout the night should he fall asleep.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The next day Arthur insisted on trying to hunt again. Merlin silently chuckled to himself as he followed Arthur through the woods. This time they took a slightly different route than the day before. Merlin made sure to mark the ground they went so that the Patrol could track them should something happen.
It was yet another beautiful day, and after a while, Arthur gave up on hunting and just strolled around enjoying the beauty of the forest. He would never admit to that of course. He still held the crossbow and pretended to look for prey, but Merlin knew he wasn’t really trying.
Merlin got distracted when he saw a rare herb a few paces away from the path they were walking. He went over and kneeled down by the little plant and decided he could take some with him back to Gaius.
“Merlin!” Arthur whispered loudly as Merlin stood back up. The servant spun around to see Arthur crouched down low, and then he heard the snap of a twig somewhere off to Arthur’s right.
Before any of them managed to react, Merlin’s horse came galloping at them. It flew in between them and succeeded in catching both of their attention. They had made sure the horses were secure before they left them. That meant someone had been at their camp site.
Merlin turned towards Arthur just when there were shouts filling the forest, and men running towards them.
Most of the men ran straight for Arthur with their swords and maces drawn. Arthur barely even had time to pull his sword after he’d fired a failed shot with the crossbow he had in hand.
Merlin, carrying the weapons bag, frantically threw it down and tried getting out a weapon for himself as he also made the men trip and lose their weapons with his magic. But he had to be careful, so he could not use his magic to its fullest ability.
Arthur expertly overpowered man after man, but more kept coming and soon he would be overrun.
Merlin tried sneaking off into the bushes so he could concentrate on his magic, but just as he crouched behind one of the bushes, some of the men had snuck up behind him and before he knew it, one of them wrapped his arm around the servant’s throat.
The man tightened his hold on his throat and dragged him to his feet. The other two grabbed onto Merlin’s arms and, and they made sure to get within Arthur’s line of sight before they yelled out.
“Give up or the runt gets it!” the man preventing Merlin from breathing shouted towards Arthur.
The King turned to see Merlin gasping for breath in the arms of the ugly men, and soon found himself being pushed to the ground. He fought against them, but immediately seized when he saw Merlin starting to faint from not being able to breathe.
“Alright! Let him breathe!” he shouted and stared in fear at his servant. It reminded him too much of that time he’d almost lost Merlin to the river.
The man grinned and let go of Merlin’s throat. He collapsed to his knees, gasping loudly. Only the men holding on to his arms prevented him from falling all the way down.
They pulled his arms out in front of him and slammed metal cuffs on them while he was too occupied with trying to get air in his lungs.
Arthur was manhandled onto his back so he too could be cuffed with his arms in front of him. They were both dragged to their feet and chained together, with an extra length of chain that then was fastened to the saddle of a horse one of the men brought forth.
“There is a very nice lady that would love to meet with you,” one of them sneered and climbed up on the horse. The others found their own horses and soon the big group started moving with Arthur and Merlin in tow.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The men walked a path that would make it hard for the knights to follow their tracks. It was a well used path, and there was nothing special with the tracks they left behind. It just looked like a regular larger group of people traveling. Some on foot, some on horses.
Merlin wanted to change that. He had been disoriented at the beginning of their treck, but had finally come to a little while back. He had looked at their captors, and when none of them watched him, he had started fiddling with his red neckerchief. He’d pulled a thread free of the material and had let it slip to the ground. He’d kept on doing that whenever he managed to without getting caught.
Arthur had seen him do it, and had silently begged whatever gods were out there that the captors would not see what his servant was up to. If they did, he feared what they would do.
They walked for many hours, and the boys were struggling to follow their captors. They were now being dragged more than actually walking.
Merlin had desperately reached for his magic over and over again, but he could not get to it. He looked at the cuffs again, and could find nothing special about them. He felt his magic in him, but each time he reached for it, it retreated further into him. His only guess was that the cuffs were made of a magic suppressing material. Their only hope would be for him to keep leaving the trail then.
The servant pulled at another thread in his neckerchief when he managed to walk fast enough to give the chain a bit of a slack. This time it was a bit longer than earlier, and just as he dropped it, he felt chills go down his spine as the red fabric was pulled tight around his neck.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” the man that held onto his neckerchief looked furious as he held a dagger to Merlin’s abdomen.
Merlin froze up as he felt the blade dig into his flesh.
“What’s going on back there?” the one who looked to be the leader turned his horse around to see what was happening.
“The runt just threw a thread from his scarf onto the ground. Looks like he’s been at it for a while. What should we do about that?” the guy pulled the fabric against his neck again to show the leader where it was visible that Merlin had been at it for a while. Merlin gasped as he felt the sharp blade pierce his skin as he was pulled forth by his neck.
Arthur didn’t see the dagger, and assumed Merlin’s gasp of pain came from the pull against the servant’s neck.
The man holding his neckerchief grinned an ugly grin at the servant as they waited for the leader to respond. The man slowly moved the dagger, making sure the young man felt as much pain as possible.
Merlin whimpered, and gasped again, as the blade cut through more of his skin.
Arthur now realized that something more must have happened, because the pain visible on Merlin’s face could not be merely from pulling the neckerchief against his neck.
“Then take the damn thing, and bring some of the other men with you and make a fake trail. The woman wanted them alive so she could kill them herself, so don’t ruin it,” the leader finally responded and turned around again.
The man’s grin faltered and turned venomous. He twisted the knife slightly, and slowly dragged it out, making sure to cut the skin that little bit extra before tearing the fabric from Merlin’s neck.
The merman Prince choked on his own breath and fell to his knees.
The twisted man pointed out a few men, both on foot and riding, to come with him in a different direction. They walked at the same pace they had been and made sure not to change the route too abruptly.
The others watched them go for a while. Arthur slowly knelt by Merlin’s side, trying not to drag attention to himself by doing so.
“Merlin, are you alright?” he whispered.
Merlin drew a shaky breath before he nodded. Arthur helped him back to his feet, and tried to look him over, but the servant turned slightly away from him, not wanting Arthur to see.
Then, the group started moving once again, this time making extra sure not to leave an obvious trail.
Merlin breathed heavily as he was pulled forth by the chain around his hands. He stumbled, but managed to keep upright. Arthur was really starting to worry for his friend. There was clearly something wrong with him, and he couldn’t fathom why Merlin didn’t want his help.
Then he realized Merlin hadn’t been drinking water for way too long.
Just as he was about to demand water, Merlin fell down. The horse with the chain tethered to its saddle didn’t stop, which made it hard for Merlin to get back up. He tried but was constantly yanked forth. Arthur tried bending down to help him, but he was almost yanked off his feet as well.
An annoyed sigh came from behind, and then one of the men bent down and pulled the servant up from the dusty road. He grimaced as he drew his hand back to find it smeared with blood. It took him a moment before he realized that was a bad sign right now and had the others stop.
“What is it now?” the leader growled as he got down off the horse and came back to where the prisoners were.
“He’s bleeding,” the man that had helped Merlin up commented and pointed at a spot on the young man’s side.
Merlin’s legs shook, and he didn’t look too well where he stood.
The leader came closer and violently ripped the hole in Merlin’s tunic to have a look.
“He’s been stabbed. It was probably that damned Edmund. Bind it and throw him on a horse,” it didn’t seem like the leader really cared about anything other than delivering the merchandise.
Arthur stared as the men sloppily tied a strip of cloth around Merlin’s waist, removed him from the chain he shared with Arthur and slung him over the back end of the horse dragging Arthur, where he was strapped down properly. He moaned miserably as the movement from the horse caused him discomfort.
The King boiled with anger as the group kept moving forth without a care in the world for his manservant. The further they went, the more his blood boiled.
Then, on the border into Essetir, they briefly stopped. One of the men roughly lifted Merlin’s head by his hair and shoved the lip of a waterskin into his mouth. The boy drank greedily as much as he could before the man moved on to give Arthur what was left. It wasn’t much, but Arthur prayed Merlin had gotten enough to survive this ordeal.
It didn’t take long before they started walking again. Arthur was having trouble following by now. They had been walking the whole day, and it was getting dark. That did not bother the mercenaries it seemed, as they kept on going no matter what.
Arthur figured it was a few hours after midnight when they finally stopped.
Merlin was pulled down off the horse and dragged between two men behind Arthur. The King was led down a winding path and then in through a gate, and down stone steps into something that looked like a dungeon. Inside, they went down a few corridors before there were more stairs and then finally, he was pushed into a cell. He turned just in time to see Merlin being tossed in behind him. He caught the boy as he came crashing into him, and carefully lowered the both of them to the floor. Merlin was not doing so well.
Arthur leaned against the wall with Merlin propped up against his chest. It was a little awkward with their hands still cuffed, but it was enough room between his hands to make it work.
“Merlin, how are you doing?” Arthur asked quietly.
“I’m fine,” the other man mumbled, but it was clearly a lie.
“Do not lie to me, Merlin,” Arthur retorted sternly. Merlin sighed.
“Fine. I’m not feeling too good, and I’m drying out here,” the young man slurred a bit as he spoke, and Arthur found it to be a very strange way to say he was thirsty, but decided not to comment on it.
“We’ll get out of here soon,” he chose to say instead. Merlin didn’t answer.
Arthur rested his head against the stone wall and thought of what their chances were. Unless the knights somehow found them, it didn’t look good.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Lancelot had been placed on the patrol that would be keeping an eye on the King. They had to stay far back as to not alert the man of their presence, and so they only went close enough to actually see him a very few times throughout the day.
The first day had gone very smoothly.
The second day had started off good, but then turned hectic as they found the King’s campsite ransacked and the horses gone. They had struggled to find the path they had gone in to begin with, but when they found it, it had been easy to see where they’d been walking.
Soon they found there to have been more than just two people, and then they found a spot where there was obvious signs of a struggle.
They searched the area, and found a barely visible trail to follow until they ended up on a dusty road. There, they found a small red thread.
Lancelot sent two of the men back to Camelot to report, while the rest of them followed the trail.
They found more threads along the road, and they figured it had to come from Merlin’s scarf as the boy had been wearing a threadbare red neckerchief on their trip.
After hours of following the same path, they found a spot where the trail shifted off the road. Lancelot hesitated for a moment, before he followed. It was strange that they had followed the same path for so long, and then suddenly gone off it like this. But the threads did point them that way, and so they followed.
They had followed it for hours when they found a small piece of the same red cloth that seemed to have been cut off, rather than the threads they had been following. Lancelot’s suspicion rose at this, and he informed the men of his doubts. They all readied for a possible ambush, but kept on moving.
It was just a few minutes later when they found the rest of Merlin’s neckerchief. It lay discarded on the ground and it was quite visible it had been used to lead them there.
Further ahead one of the men realized there lay two bodies on the ground. There were bushes and a few trees obscuring them, but from where the knights stood, it looked as though it could be the King and his servant from the build of the bodies. There were also an alarming amount of blood visible.
The man ran forth before Lancelot could stop him.
It proved to be a mistake. The man was overpowered by the mercenaries jumping out of the bushes. The men on the ground stood up and showed they were not the missing King and servant.
Lancelot and the other knights attacked. They fought hard and won. Lancelot checked on the fallen knight, finding he was still alive, but out cold. They had killed off all the mercenaries except one, whom seemed to be somewhat of a leader for the group. He was restrained and grinned viciously at them, even though he’d lost.
“Where have you taken your hostages?” Sir Elias, a man with dark skin and bald head, demanded of their prisoner.
“Wouldn’t ya like to know, eh?” the man chuckled. He didn’t let up even though a sword moved to point at his throat. “They’re both dead. Killed one of ‘em myself. Thrust my dagger deep in his gut,” he added with an ugly grin.
Lancelot felt fear and anger build up inside him and he could see the same on the others as they wondered whether the man spoke the truth or not.
Sir Elias grit his teeth and slid his sword harshly across the man’s throat.
“Let us head back and follow the road. It’s obvious this was but a diversion. They likely realized Merlin was leaving a trail about that point where they headed off the path,” he uttered and cleaned his sword on a dead man’s clothes.
“What do we do with Sir Samuel?” Sir Nicolas queried as he looked at the unconscious man.
“Sir Nicolas, help me lift him upon his horse. Take him back to Camelot and send backup our way,” Lancelot commanded. The knight nodded and helped bring the man up on the horse Sir Marek brought over.
They tied him properly to the saddle, and Sir Nicolas got upon his own horse and made haste towards Camelot.
The others hurried back to the road to look for clues, but it was getting dark and they would not find anything when the sun set.
They arrived at a good spot to camp near the road, and Lancelot had them stay there through the night.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Morgana knew before the knights arrived that Arthur and Merlin were in danger. She’d had a vision of a bleeding Merlin and a lake, but she had no clue whether it had already happened or if it would happen on this trip or at a later time.
When the knights arrived, she knew it must have already happened. The two men came sprinting into the throne room where Morgana and Leon currently stood over a table, looking at maps over Camelot’s land.
They looked at each other before they faced the two knights, steeling themselves for what was to be said.
Gwen, who had gone to retrieve something for them to drink, just returned as one of the men opened their mouth to speak.
“King Arthur and his manservant have been taken hostage!”
Gwen lost hold of her tray, and the pitcher of water fell to the floor along with the empty goblets.
Leon and Morgana shared a look before he left the throne room in a hurry.
“Leon will gather the men. Please give them all the information you have,” Morgana had to sit down. Her brother and her friend was missing. To top it off, she was fairly certain Merlin was bleeding out wherever he was.
Gwen had finally collected herself enough to come over to where Morgana sat.
“I’m sure they will be fine. They always are,” she commented with a nervous smile and covered Morgana’s hand with her own. Morgana smiled at her attempt to be strong, but they both worried. After all, they knew Merlin’s strength, and feared what could have happened.
Leon came back to the throne room followed by Elyan and Percival. He informed Morgana the other men would be there soon, and his plan of action was to catch up with the patrol and then split up in smaller groups to do the search.
As the other men arrived, Morgana and Gwen listened to the information and discussions. The Lady Morgana gave the order for them to ride out as soon as they got their planning done. She itched to ride out herself, but she had made a promise to make sure the kingdom ran smoothly, so she stayed put. Though it troubled her immensely.
She and Gwen watched the knights set off. They saw how the people turned to watch the knights go, and then to see the lady Morgana watching them leave. Whispers instantly erupted between them. They most likely suspected that something had happened to the King by now.
“Bring them home safely,” Morgana whispered as she watched Leon and the knights exit the city.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Leon had ordered them to keep moving even though night had fallen. They needed to catch up with the patrol and regroup. They had met the two knights heading back to Camelot and had gotten more information out of them. One of them was injured, but thankfully alive. He had sent them on their way as soon as they’d relayed what information they had.
At least now they knew to follow the road.
Sometime after midnight they were cut off by one of the knights from the patrol. He had been on watch and had seen them coming. He led them to the camp, and soon they were all able to rest for the rest of the night.
The morning after, Lancelot and Leon discussed what to do, and finally decided on splitting up in smaller groups like they had been planning at the castle.
They agreed that the two of them, Percival and Elyan would be good enough as one group, and split the rest up evenly. Into three groups of six.
They knew the road led into Essetir and guessed the bandits had brought their King over the border.
Leon and his group would be the ones crossing the border to have a look, while the others would fan out and search the area before the border thoroughly to make sure they hadn’t led them in the wrong direction.
After a quick breakfast, they all set off.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Merlin,” Arthur tried shaking the other man to gain his attention. He was worried at the lack of response and how limp Merlin was against his chest. With his heart hammering away in his breast, he carefully lifted his arms to move Merlin over so he could see him properly.
They had both fallen asleep soon after they were thrown into their cell, but Merlin had yet to wake up.
He finally maneuvered Merlin to loy on his back on the floor so Arthur could look him over.
It didn’t look good. He was pale, and despite the cold in the dungeon he was warm to the touch. Arthur took a look at the stab wound and cringed. There was dirt in the wound and it was most definitely infected after not having been treated at all. That was not all. His lips were chapped and dry looking. Now that he thought about it he felt like his throat would close up from dryness, which meant Merlin had it way worse and was in serious trouble. Bleeding and having a fever certainly didn’t help his situation any.
Arthur looked around their cell trying in vain to see if their captors had granted them with any water, but of course they hadn’t. Merlin’s breathing was deep and rapid, and Arthur couldn’t fathom how he hadn’t realized something was very wrong until now.
The King went over to the door to look for a guard. He found one sitting on a chair that he balanced on two legs as he leaned against the wall. His feet were crossed on top of a small table, and he was munching on a red apple and nursing a wineskin.
“Hey! You there! We need water in here!” He called to the man. The man just looked up at him and with a shit eating grin, he lifted his wineskin and drank greedily before he returned his attention to his apple.
Arthur’s blood started boiling again as he watched the guard care only for himself.
He slammed his shackled hands against the bars with a loud bang.
“My servant is dying in here! From what I heard your boss wanted us alive!” he bellowed.
The man shrugged, but otherwise ignored him.
Arthur slammed his hands against the bars once more before he let out a growl of annoyance and went back to his friend. He wanted so bad to clean Merlin’s wound but without water it would be impossible. He settled for pulling him up to rest against his chest again.
He sat there, holding him close, stroking his hair. He thought about this whole trip and damned himself for ever going out hunting. Then he thought about how he’d been acting lately and regretted ever going that far in an attempt at pleasing his dead father. What had he been thinking? He’d been a complete arse!
“Merlin, come on. Hang in there,” he murmured as he held his friend.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard shuffling coming from outside their cell. He looked up to see the long haired man from before leisurely making his way over to the bars.
“Did ya give up already, mate?” he said with a drunken grin.
Arthur stared at him with a venom in his gaze.
He subconsciously tightened his hold on Merlin, which caused the man to look down at the unconscious man.
For a moment, nothing happened as the man looked at Merlin.
Then, his eyes widened. He gasped and suddenly grabbed the bars and pressed against them to look closer.
“Your highness!” he breathed out in shock.
“You didn’t realize that until now?” Arthur asked in disbelief. The man looked up at him in confusion for a moment before his eyes got back to Merlin.
“Not you, you twat. Him!” He put his hand through the bars, gesturing at Merlin. “Oh by Poseidon’s name, he needs water!” the man patted himself down as though he was looking for something.
“Well, yes, that is what I told you already,” Arthur stared at the man as though he was suffering from some kind of brain damage.
“Shit, I only have wine,” the man mumbled. He looked up the hallway seemingly contemplating something. “I can’t get up there to fetch any water just yet,” he spoke to himself.
He turned back to look at Merlin, and to Arthur’s surprise, there was actually worry in the man’s dark eyes.
“Did you finally decide it was important to keep us alive for your boss to be happy after all?” Arthur shot at the man.
“Couldn’t care less what that cunt wants. I’m just here for the gold,” he spat back. “Where’s his necklace?” he added as he narrowed his eyes at Merlin’s neck.
“Necklace? What are you on about? Only thing he’s ever been wearing was that stupid scarf,” Arthur felt a pang of guilt as he remembered how Merlin had risked everything to try leave a trail for the knights.
The guard moved his hand up to pull something out from beneath his tunic, and then it was Arthur’s turn to gasp.
“Similar to this, just a lot more blue on it,” the guy held out a white shell with a couple cobalt blue stripes on it. It slowly spun in his grasp to reveal it’s backside where the little half fish, half horse was carved into the shell’s surface.
Arthur stared at it as though he’d seen a ghost.
Before he knew what he was doing, his hands had shot up to his neck where the chain hung around it. He slowly pulled it out and watched as shock flickered over the guard’s face as he instantly recognized it.
“Why do you have that?!” then, the whole situation seemed to catch up to him. “Why is he… How do you know each other?”
“He’s my manservant. Has been for several years,” Arthur told him, though he felt the heat melt away as he tried to figure out what was going on.
This man was telling him that this shell, which he had taken from his saviour so many years ago, was Merlin’s. But Merlin had seen it… why had he not said anything? How could Arthur not realize it was him? What was going on?
“Gods... you mean to tell me the Prince has been your servant for years?!” The man was dumbfounded. There was a fury in his eyes along with the worry.
“Prince?!” Arthur was lost now. He had no clue what in the world was going on. Someone had to be pranking him. Merlin? A Prince?
“Yes! Merlin Emrys, the merman Prince! My best friend!” the man growled.
Arthur’s mouth popped open as he stared at the guard.
“Are you joking with me?” it slipped out before he could stop himself.
“Why the hell do you think he needs so much water?! Some kind of preposterous ailment?!” that man had a lot of anger in him Arthur thought fleetingly. But then what he said registered and he realized that Gaius must have been in on this. Whatever this was. He wasn’t even sure he believed it. It was just so bizarre.
“He desperately needs water. I’m gonna go get some, and then I’m gonna get you two out of here. I normally wouldn’t bother getting both of you out, but seeing as you have his shell you must mean quite a lot to him,” the man commented coldly. Then, before Arthur could say anything, he was off down the corridor.
Arthur carefully moved Merlin to lay on the floor. He stood up and started pacing. This was a lot to take in. Merlin. A merman. A Prince. He looked over at the man and didn’t know what to think.
He carefully ran his fingers over the shell and the stone hidden behind it. Why had Merlin let him keep it? Why had he added the stone? Why hadn’t he said anything? Why did he lie to him?
He’d been lying about who he was since the day he came to Camelot. Gaius must have known. There’s no other possibility. He’s the one that brought him to Camelot. That must mean Lancelot was in on it as well. He’d been lying too. But that wasn’t half as bad as Merlin. Merlin had been by his side since he saved him from that dagger. He’d crawled under his skin. Had he been manipulating him? Putting spells on him? Surely he must have magic as well since he’s a merman? Magic was outlawed in Camelot. Punishable by death. Could he execute Merlin? No. Never. And It also had the potential of starting a war between land and sea, seeing as he’s supposedly the Prince. That is something Arthur’s not willing to risk. He wouldn’t have been able to watch the man die by his hand either way, though. He’d become far too dear to him for that.
Well. He needed to survive this before Arthur could make any decisions either way.
The King must have spaced out, because suddenly there was a click from the lock on the door, and the guard came inside with what looked to be another wine skin.
“Didn’t you say he needed water?”
“This is water. The others would suspect something if I came back down with a pitcher of water instead of my usual wine skin,” the man knelt by Merlin’s side, gently stroking his cheek before he tilted his head and brought the skin to his mouth.
The water trickled down his chin, but it finally elicited a small reaction out of the man. His tongue moved a bit and it seemed he tried to swallow, but he was too out of it to really have any control over it. The man decided it was no use, and moved to lay Merlin back down. He looked down his body and saw the badly done bandage and removed it. He sucked in a breath at the sight of the wound, and immediately started pouring some water on it. He then ripped some cloth from his tunic and bound it properly around the boy’s waist.
The long haired man narrowed his eyes as he looked at the waterskin, and then proceeded to pour water over Merlin.
“What are you doing?! He needs that water!” Arthur let out with shock as he saw the man waste the liquid.
“And I’m givin’ it to him,”
“What are you-” Arthur stopped himself as he looked closer to see the water didn’t end up on the floor. He walked closer and watched as drop after drop was absorbed rather than trickling to the floor. Sure, Merlin’s clothes got wet, but it was less than Arthur would have thought.
“He doesn’t need to drink it,” was the man’s only explanation. “I’ll be back when it’s time to go,” he said as he stood after emptying the skin. “Oh yeah. Name’s Gwaine,” that drunken smile instantly came back on his face. “Now, you keep him alive, mate, or I’ll leave you here to rot,” he added. The grin never left his face, but Arthur saw it loud and clear in his eyes. This man was not joking.
Arthur watched the man go. He wondered what time it was. There were no windows for him to look out from, and he was pretty sure it would be at least morning by now. How did this drunkard think they were going to escape in broad daylight?
He decided not to think of it. The man seemed to really know Merlin and want him out of there alive, so he should just hope this Gwaine fellow really knew what he was doing.
Arthur watched Merlin from where he stood leaning against the wall. There was not much light in there, but the torch outside their cell provided enough light for him to keep an eye on Merlin. The man was still out of it, though there seemed to be slightly more life in him now.
Arthur didn’t know how much time had passed when he heard the sound of boots against stone.
He moved closer to Merlin, staring in the direction the steps was coming from. A big dirty man with a bushy beard and thinning hair came into view with a smug look on his face. He held what looked to be a waterskin and a stale loaf of bread.
“Seems the mistress is too busy to see ye. Ye lucky fellas get to live another day,” the man snickered and threw the skin and bread through the bars. He threw Arthur an arrogant look before he left.
The King knelt down to pick up the meager nourishments. He went over as close to the torch he could get, and looked the bread over thoroughly. Though it was stale and dry, it thankfully wasn’t mouldy. Next up was the water. He smelled it to see if he could detect any drugs, but the only scent he got was a slightly muddy hint. He frowned and carefully trickled a tiny bit into his cupped hand. It was dirty. It looked as though it had been scooped up from the muddy road.
Arthur growled and was close to throwing the skin out of their cell when he started thinking about how Merlin’s skin had soaked up the water like a rag. If what Gwaine said was true, would this water be okay for him? Or would it be as bad for him as it would be for a human like Arthur?
He started pacing around the small room thinking through the information Gwaine had given. Merlin. A merman Prince. What on earth was he doing on land then? Could merpeople even
be
on land? And why had he never said anything?!
The King stopped himself from thinking of it further as he realized he’d gotten distracted from the issue at hand.
Gwaine had said that Merlin didn’t have to drink the water. Did that mean it was okay for him to get doused in the muddy liquid they had gotten from their captors?
“Arth…” Arthur’s gaze shot to Merlin’s face at the sound of his name. Merlin’s eyes were rolling beneath his eyelids, and the man was weakly moving his head about.
Arthur knelt by his servant’s side, touching his shoulder.
“I’m here Merlin,” he soothed. Merlin seemed to calm slightly at the sound of his voice. Arthur looked at the waterskin again, and decided he needed to try. He opened it again, and moved to trickle it onto the man, but then changed his mind and pulled Merlin’s tunic down some at the neck so he could pour the water directly onto his skin.
Carefully he let the a small trickle flow onto Merlin’s pale skin. He watched as the water moved over him like he’d expect it to move on any person. But then, as he looked closer, he saw the water vanished much faster than it would on a regular human. It was as though the skin absorbed the liquid like bread dipped in soup.
He was so fascinated by it, he didn’t realize someone was outside the cell until he heard the lock turn. He looked over in alarm before he realized it was Gwaine.
“Where did you get that?” the drunkard sounded concerned as he hurried over. He reached out a hand and snatched the skin from Arthur’s hands and poured some of it into his own cupped hand. He watched it intently until it was all absorbed, just like it was on Merlin. The man frowned and looked over at Arthur.
“You gave him this without thinking of what it could do to him?” he hissed.
Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Gwaine held up his hand in a clear sign for him to shut up. The King clenched his jaw as the anger was brought forth again.
“Normally, this would be harmless. But in his situation, it could make him worse. These cuffs are suppressing his magic, keeping it from helping him heal and filter the water. In addition, his body is weak from the infected wound. He needs clean water,” Gwaine had pulled out his own skin while talking, and was pouring water onto the same spot Arthur had been. He kept going until the skin was almost empty, before he hesitantly handed it over to Arthur. “Drink. You’ll need it.”
Arthur drank the water slowly. It wasn’t much more than a few mouthfuls, but it would do him well either way.
“It’s still too bright out to make the escape. But with Muirgen’s delay, we’ll have the time we need. I’ll be back in a few hours, at dusk. Be ready because we need to make haste. I suppose you’re decent in a fight?” Gwaine looked at him with this mocking shine to his eyes. Arthur just glared.
The man threw him a dopey grin before leaving him alone with Merlin again. It was time to prepare for their escape, and Arthur needed to figure out what to do when they got out of there. Merlin obviously needed treatment. That was first priority. And then he could decide what to do with the revelation of Merlin’s identity.
Then he remembered the name Gwaine had uttered. Muirgen. He had hoped the woman would be satisfied with his father’s death, and would leave Camelot alone, but it seemed that was too much to hope for.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur jumped slightly as Gwaine made his return with a rather loud bang as he hit the bars running. He turned the lock and made straight for Arthur, unlocking his cuffs and handing him a sword. Then he unlocked Merlin’s, and pulled him up onto his shoulders as he silently apologized for making his friend uncomfortable.
Arthur was a bit taken aback at the suddenness of Gwaine’s arrival, as he didn’t believe that much time had passed.
“Change of plans. We need to go
now
. The cunt will get here earlier than expected, and a group of the mercenaries was sent off to distract a patrol of Camelot knights. It’ll be a fight, but it’s the best shot we have. Besides, there’s no fun in leaving unchallenged!” a shit eating grin spread across Gwaine’s face. Arthur couldn’t fathom how this could be anything close to amusing, but decided not to bother commenting.
Gwaine took up the rear with Merlin on his shoulders, but let Arthur know where to walk to get out of there the fastest.
The drunkard had been right when he said there’d be a fight.
Arthur had been surprised at the lack of goons running about the place until they got to the last hallway where it seemed everyone had decided it a good idea to cram themselves in. Arthur ran at them, expertly swinging his sword. Gwaine had grabbed a sword for himself from one of the fallen men, and helped, even with Merlin on his shoulders. Though he didn’t manage to do much, or he’d risk Merlin crashing to the floor.
It was rather anticlimactic how fast they managed to get out of there. Great. Now he was thinking just like Merlin had that time with the sorcerer.
They ran towards the woods, needing the cover of the trees to help them escape. Then, Gwaine suddenly did a sharp turn, Merlin still on his shoulders, and ran in a direction that was not towards Camelot. Arthur growled in frustration and ran after him, needing to find out what the man was up to.
He was surprised to see two horses saddled and ready, tied securely to a tree, hidden behind dense bushes.
“This is what you were up to?” he commented.
“Figured we’d need them,” Gwaine grinned. He carefully handed Merlin off to Arthur, untied his horse and mounted before reaching out for his friend again.
Merlin was perhaps a thin fellow, but he was tall, and not as light as Gwaine had made him look. How the man could run that fast with another man atop his shoulders, Arthur would never understand.
Gwaine was careful with Merlin, making sure he was secure in his arms before he kicked the horse into motion before the King had untied his own horse.
Arthur got up on the horse fast and followed Gwaine.
They traveled fast through the woods. It was not ideal for Merlin with his wound, but they didn’t dare go slower in case they were followed.
It was still early evening, and after they had been going in a slightly confusing pattern through the woods, they made their way towards Camelot.
“So, how did he become your servant?” Gwaine asked when they finally decided it safe to slow down a bit.
“My father assigned him the job after he dragged me out of the path of a thrown dagger,” Arthur didn’t like thinking about that now. There was too many confusing thoughts in his mind about Merlin and his intentions.
“Why was he in Camelot in the first place?” Gwaine prodded, not realizing or not caring about Arthur’s thoughts.
“He was brought to Camelot in a life threatening condition by another man,” Arthur didn’t say anything else.
Gwaine frowned and looked down at the man in his arms. His expression hardened, and he tightened his arms around Merlin.
They rode on in silence for about an hour.
The sound of rustling was what made them tense. They readied themselves for a hasty escape as they looked around themselves.
“Arthr…?” They both jumped and looked at Merlin. His eyes were slightly opened and rolled slowly about, seemingly trying to focus on his surroundings.
“I’m here, Merlin,” he whispered and reached over to put a hand on his shoulder.
Merlin tried to look over at him, but his eyes slipped shut and soon he was out, again.
They needed to get him some help.
“I know something that may help his condition, but we’ll need a lake or a deep river for that,” Gwaine muttered while he kept looking around them. “I believe there is one not too far from here,” he added.
Arthur didn’t have time to answer, as he heard the slight clink of metal. He turned to look in the direction it came from, and pulled the sword Gwaine had handed him earlier.
“Let’s get moving,” he whispered back to the other man. They had their horses move a bit faster.
A moment later, a rider cut them off at the front. They automatically tried to move to the side, but was again cut off. Gwaine pulled out his own sword while holding Merlin and the reins with his other hand. Arthur readied for a fight.
“Arthur!”
The King blinked in confusion at the shout of his name, and looked closer at the shadowed men around them.
Red. Camelot red. And that voice wasn’t from just anyone.
“Leon?” he asked and rode forth.
Leon had a big relieved smile upon his face as he had his horse step out of the shadows. The others followed, and Arthur felt grateful at the sight of his trusted knights.
“How did you escape?” Leon wondered.
“Gwaine here helped us out,” he waved at the other man. “We need to hurry. Merlin needs Gaius,” he added. He still felt strange at the thought of Merlin, but he promised himself he would make sure Merlin survived before deciding anything else. He didn’t want that war between land and sea, so he couldn’t have their prince die on him.
“No, he needs the lake first of all,” Gwaine insisted where he sat. Everyone looked confused at that, except the golden skinned fellow with the dark hair. Gwaine looked him up and down but couldn’t recognize him. He decided to have a talk with the man later.
“Why would he-” Leon started
“No time to explain,” Gwaine interrupted and kicked his horse into a fast pace again.
Arthur clenched his jaw and had a hard expression on his face. He moved to follow Gwaine, and the others immediately followed him as well.
It was getting darker, but Gwaine still did not stop.
“It’s not far,” he commented after a while as they carefully moved through the dark night.
The knights watched Gwaine with suspicion. They were confused as to why this stranger was riding with Merlin rather than Arthur keeping his friend close like he normally would. Though the King did seem to be somewhat out of it.
What had happened after they had been captured?
Then, they entered a clearing where the light from the full moon glittered like stars in the water of the lake. It was big, and even had what looked to be a little island in the middle of it. Gwaine rode all the way up to the shore where he slid off the horse, mindful of keeping Merlin on the horse until he was on the ground and could take the man into his arms.
He proceeded to lay him gently onto the ground before he started stripping.
Lancelot watched the man thoughtfully, while the others started asking why on earth he was undressing.
Gwaine shucked off the last of his clothing without a word, picked Merlin up and started wading out into the water.
Elyan ran forth, shouting for the madman to get back on shore. Arthur was also running forth, forgetting everything Gwaine had told him about Merlin.
They all moved towards the water, watching with wide eyes as the man walked further and further out. The dark water swallowed him and the boy in his arms.
Before Gwaine ducked completely under, he stopped and bent his head down. The knights could just make out he was whispering something, but didn’t hear what.
Then the two of them were gone.
Arthur stepped into the water as he felt his heart pick up it’s speed. Memories of Merlin drowning invaded his mind. He couldn’t put those memories and what Gwaine had said together. It just didn’t make sense. And now the drunkard had pulled Merlin down into the water.
When the bubbles came to the surface, Arthur panicked. He moved further out into the water together with Leon and Elyan. Percival wasn’t far behind. Lancelot on the other hand just stood on the shore watching the water.
They all stood there watching the spot where Gwaine had vanished with Merlin.
After a few minutes their shoulders sank. No one could survive underwater for that long. Had they really just watched their friend being drowned by a madman?
While they had stood there, frozen, Lancelot had started setting up a camp. When they turned around, it was to find his warm eyes looking at them with a worried expression on his face. He had gathered wood and was working on lighting the fire.
The men slowly walked over to the campfire, sitting down around it. They stared in a shocked silence at the wood Lancelot was trying to light.
The sparks caught on the wood, and soon the fire lit up the men around it. It crackled merrily and full of warmth, which was a contrast to the gloom surrounding it.
They looked up at the sound of splashing water, and everyone go to their feet in shock when the water rose up like a huge wave. It stood like that for a moment, before it moved up on the shore and then crashed down on the ground and retreated back to the lake.
They stared in disbelief at Gwaine as he lay there groaning. He blinked a bit and then sat up, and threw his fist into the air and shaked it at the lake.
“OI! THAT WAS RUDE!” he shouted, looking very annoyed. He grumbled and then seemed to remember where he was and looked over at the other knights with a sheepish grin.
At their open mouths he looked down on himself and then back up again.
“Oh. Yeah you fellas probably didn’t know this tiny detail,” he said, referring to the dark brown fish like tail that had substituted his legs.
He leaned back on his elbows, looking at them with a wide dopey grin and lifted his tailfin up from the ground.
“You like it?” he winked at them.
The men, except for Lancelot, just gaped, trying to figure out what was going on. Arthur brought a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose.
“Where’s Merlin, then?” he asked instead of answering Gwaine.
“That lake lady wanted to help and threw me out. He’s still in there with her,” he said then, looking out at the water. “Err… I should probably… you know… switch back to legs,” he grimaced.
Lancelot moved over to where the other man had stripped and picked up his clothes. He brought them over to Gwaine.
“Thanks, mate,” he said before his eyes glowed golden, and he curled in on himself in agony.
The others watched on in morbid fascination as the tail split and deformed until it became legs instead. It looked very painful, and judging by Gwaine’s moans, it really was.
He lay on the ground breathing deeply before he reached for his clothes, and dressed.
“I need some air,” Arthur said absently and walked away from them.
This was too much for him to take in.
Had Merlin not been drowning after all back in the river? Had it just been a trick? Had he been acting? What was his plan? Was he planning on conquering Camelot from the inside? Was he actually on the same side as that Muirgen woman?
He needed to stop this. He needed to get Merlin to leave. He would have to banish him. He would have to do it quietly, and maybe even imprison Lancelot and Gwaine. Or should they be banished as well? No. imprisonment for a while and then banishment. Just to make sure there wasn’t any trouble. Morgana wouldn’t approve, but he had to do it. Merlin had lied since he arrived in Camelot. And he was magic. It was illegal in Camelot.
Why was this happening? Why did this have to be so complicated?
Arthur growled and punched a tree in his frustration.
He stood there, breathing. Then, he heard the water of the lake moving again, and he looked up to see a woman standing on top of the water a few meters from the shore.
He walked towards the others to see what was going on.
“The waters of lake Avalon have healed his wound and rehydrated him. He will be confused when he wakes, but he’ll be alright,” the woman said. She lifted her hand and gently moved it forth.
A smaller wave moved in over the shore, and when it retreated, Merlin was lying on the ground as though the wave had gently put him down there.
“Take good care of him,” she said as though it was a warning, and then she looked straight at Arthur. It was as if she knew what he had been thinking about.
Then, she was gone.
Lancelot was by Merlin’s side immediately, Gwaine not far behind. Lancelot removed the makeshift bandage and they looked at the spot where the wound had been, only to find a small white scar in its place. They brought him over to the fire and made sure he was comfortable.
Then, the two of them started talking.
“So you’re one of us?” Lancelot commented quietly.
“You are as well then, mate,” it was more of a comment than a question. “Why did he end up in Camelot?” Gwaine whispered.
Lancelot looked at the others, and then moved off a bit and whispered a short version of the story, making sure the others didn’t hear it.
Gwaine was horrified, and the anger that bubbled up in him was evident to all of them.
“Those bastards will pay for what they’ve done,” he growled. He looked at Merlin with a frown and got quiet.
“We should probably try get some sleep,” Elyan commented absentmindedly, not aware of the conversation between the two mermen.
“I’ll take first watch,” Arthur offered. He wasn’t likely to be able to sleep in a while anyway.
The others nodded and lied down. None of them thought they’d get any sleep either way, but they could at least relax for a bit.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“Arthur?” The hoarse voice came as barely more than a whisper. The men had been up all night, none of them able to sleep. They all turned towards the source and watched as Arthur walked over to Merlin.
“Finally decided to wake up, then?” Arthur grumbled. Merlin groggily looked up at him and frowned.
“Where… What..?” It was clear that the man was confused. He sat up slowly, looking all around himself.
“Your buddy over there helped you escape. We’re by Lake Avalon,” Arthur replied shortly. Then, he moved over to the horse and started untying the reins. Merlin looked over where Arthur had pointed and his eyes widened.
“Gwaine?!” He had not seen his friends in several years, and had believed he would never see him again. Yet here he was, supposedly having helped them escape.
The man in question grinned his usual shit eating grin and waved at him.
“Well? How long do you all plan on staying here?” Arthur commented in an annoyed tone. The sun was rising slowly over the horizon, giving them enough light to travel by. Arthur wanted to get home and get this all over with.
The others looked at each other, not understanding what had gotten into Arthur. He hadn’t even said a word about leaving before that comment.
Leon was the first to get up and prepare his horse. The others soon followed.
Gwaine helped Merlin to his feet and handed him a water skin so the man could soothe his dry throat.
“I guess you have a lot of questions for me… We’ll get to that later, yeah?” he whispered to his prince before he led him to his horse. Merlin was still a bit shaken, and so Gwaine got up behind him to make sure he didn’t fall out of his saddle.
The group of men soon made for Camelot.
On the road, Arthur thought through his plan once more, making sure he had all the details down. He looked around at the unsuspecting men and felt a pang of sadness, but hurriedly shook it off.
They had betrayed his trust. It needed to be done.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
The men had all gone to get some rest once they returned to Camelot. Gwen and Morgana had been so incredibly relieved they had all gotten home safe, and Morgana made sure to send out messengers to let the other knights out searching know that the King had returned safely.
Arthur had been quick to excuse himself, and Morgana had been nothing but understanding.
The King let the men rest for a couple of hours before he gave the order.
Guards forced themselves into the chambers of Lancelot, Percival, Gwaine and Gaius. The men were confused when the guards manhandled them out of their rooms, and they soon found themselves in the dungeons without any explanation.
Several guards went into the stables, securing Arabus with the help of magic suppressing chains. They didn’t dare move the absolutely livid horse, and made sure it was unable to escape from the stables. Arthur didn’t doubt the beast was magical, and had ordered it to be secured without saying a word why.
Morgana and Guinevere suddenly found themselves in house arrest, unable to leave their rooms. Gwen was kept in her house, while Morgana was confined to her bedchambers.
Last but not least, Merlin was forcefully escorted to the King’s personal chambers.
He was pushed inside none too gently, and left alone with the King who was standing by the window, looking down at his people.
“Arthur? What’s going on?” Merlin wondered in confusion.
“I’d like to ask you the same thing,” Arthur commented without turning to face him. “But why would you be truthful this time?” Arthur turned then and his gaze was hard and cold as it met Merlin’s.
“What are you-”
“Don’t play dumb,” Arthur interrupted, anger seeping into his voice. “You’ve lied all this time. From the day you set foot in Camelot. You’ve been acting the part of a fool, while in truth you’re some monarch from the deep sea!” The fury took over, and he was growling the last words. He reached up to tear the chain from around his neck and held the shell out towards Merlin for a moment before tossing it on the table.
Merlin quickly looked down to see it hadn’t been damaged, before he looked back up into Arthur’s eyes. His eyes were wide with shock. How had Arthur found out? Why did this have to happen before he was able to tell Arthur the truth, himself? How could this all have turned out so fantastically wrong?
“Arth-”
“No. Don’t even try,” he stopped Merlin form speaking. He waited a moment before continuing. “Merlin Emrys, Prince of the merfolk. I, King Arthur Pendragon, hereby banish you from land. Go back to the sea where you belong, and do not set foot or fin in Camelot, or anywhere else on land, ever again. Should you do this, death will await you,” Arthur uttered in a cold, calm voice.
Merlin’s breath caught in his throat. His thoughts spun around his head, making everything clash together. He could not believe the words coming out of Arthur’s mouth. This was not happening. Was it? Didn’t he even have a chance to explain himself?
“Arthur,” he breathed, pleaded.
“Leave. Now.”
“But, Arth-”
“NOW!” Arthur shouted, his hand going to the sword Merlin just now realized was at Arthur’s side.
The panic threatened to take over his body as he stared at the fury in Arthur’s whole body. This could not be happening.
But it was.
He slowly moved to the door, silently slipping outside.
He didn’t even bother going back to Gaius’ chambers to pack anything. It would be of no use to him anyway.
He didn’t register anything as he walked through the streets of Camelot.
He didn’t realize where he was going, until he was there.
The beach.
Where he had met his sister for the first time. Where he had seen her for what he now believed would be the last time.
Slowly, he pulled off his tunic, then proceeded to unlace his trousers. He folded everything neatly, and placed the clothes on a rock on the seam between the grass and the sand.
He hesitated a moment, before he walked, one step at the time, out into the water.
His gaze was empty as he looked out over the wast ocean.
He walked until the water reached his chest. He stood there, watching the sun go down over the water. Usually, it would be the most beautiful thing he could think of. Sunset over the ocean. This time, though, it looked like the sun would burn him alive.
What a fitting end that would be.
His eyes glowed golden, reflecting the oranges of the sky.
The skin of his legs knitted together, the bones crunched as they changed their shape. The pain was nearly unbearable as his whole lower body grew into something entirely different from the legs he had gotten used to.
The evidence of how completely broken he was, was now visible for the whole world to see. The broken fins were even more useless than he had thought. After all he’d been so out of it the last time, he never really realized how bad it truly was.
If the knights didn’t find him, he didn’t doubt he would succumb to hunger from not being able to find any food in his crippled state.
He sank beneath the surface, laying on the ocean floor.
There, he finally let his sorrow rage free.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Arthur stayed in his room for the most part. When he had to leave due to Kingly duties, he put on a mask of stone.
The people were in utter confusion as to why he had imprisoned two of his most trusted knights, as well as the physician. Morgana had been in a rage when she realized she was confined to her rooms and has screamed herself hoarse demanding to know what was going on.
Had she not been afraid of what would happen if she revealed her magic, she would have tore down the door by now. Not for lack of trying manually.
A week had already passed since Merlin left. Things were not the same without him.
How had Arthur ever lived without the other man?
No. He could not think like that. The man had done nothing but lie to him ever since he first arrived in Camelot.
Yet, his thoughts kept going back to the raven haired man.
His paperwork lay discarded on his desk as he sat staring at them without managing to read anything written there.
He had not been to see any of his prisoners. Nor had he gone to see Morgana, no matter how much she demanded him to.
He made sure that they all got the food and warmth they needed. Other than that, he didn’t think of them.
No. His thoughts kept sliding back to Merlin, no matter how much he tried to resist it.
Since he couldn’t stop, he could very well just try to connect everything.
At the end of the day, he felt horrible. Merlin really had done nothing but help. He’d saved him several times over. He’d had so many opportunities to kill him. Hell, he hadn’t even needed to do so himself. He could just have let him die one of the numerous times he’d saved him.
Frustrated, he let his head fall into his hands.
He still couldn’t make sense of the moment he had taken the shell from him. He still couldn’t remember what had really happened, or the face of the person he had taken it from, even though Gwaine had said it was Merlin.
Another thing was the fact that he had come to Camelot. Why had he? Why had he been hurt? Where had he been hurt? Was it on land or in the sea? Why hadn’t some merman healer helped him?
He had so many questions. But he had sent away the only man who could have answered him.
Or perhaps not.
No. He couldn’t speak to Lancelot about this.
He shook his head and stood. He decided it was time to go speak to Morgana. He was sure she would murder him slowly if he didn’t talk to her soon.
He walked to her chambers and took a deep breath before knocking. He waited a moment, and then he pushed the door open.
Immediately, he felt hands on the front of his tunic before he saw her. She gripped tight and pulled him towards her. Her face was up in his instantly and he paled at the anger he saw in it. He had seen her mad before, sure. But he had never seen her as livid as she was now. She was positively seething with anger. He found himself thinking he was doomed.
“Why did you lock me in my rooms and where is Merlin?!” her voice was low and dangerous.
“Because I knew you would interfere if I didn’t. Merlin… has left,” he swallowed. He didn’t want to say what he had done just yet.
“Left?! He would never leave of his own free will without saying goodbye!” she raised her voice at him. “What did you do?!”
Arthur now saw panic in her eyes. He had initially been angry at the her immediate idea that he had done something. But the fear and honest panic in her eyes stopped him short.
Why was she afraid?
Why was she panicked?
She knew something.
“What are you hiding?” he asked.
“
What
?” if possible, her panic got worse. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and she had tears in her wild eyes.
“Morgana, hey, breathe! Why on earth are you panicking?!” Arthur was not very good with panicking women.
“Where is he? What did you do?!” she repeated, not calming down the slightest.
“Back in the sea! He was banished! Now calm down!” Arthur shouted.
Morgana gasped, and her tears finally streamed down her face. She backed up and collapsed down into her bed. She never looked away from him.
“When?” her voice was barely above a whisper.
“The day we came back to Camelot,” he suddenly got a bad feeling in his gut. It only intensified at Morgana’s sob.
“Then… it… he… he’s gone…” she looked devastated. “Arthur… how could you?”
“What are you on about?!” his confusion turned to anger.
“Do you have any idea what kind of horror awaited him in the sea?” she whispered.
“What?” that horrible feeling spread out and threatened to swallow him.
“I’m guessing you know who he is now, since you say he returned to the sea. But did you ever let him explain? Did you listen to him at all?” she dried her tears and took a deep breath. “Arthur, the reason he came to Camelot, is because he was attacked by his father’s knights. He was left for dead. Lancelot brought him to Gaius, who truly is his uncle. He just barely survived. If they see him again, they will know their plan failed, and they will make sure he’s dead this time! He was attacked for saving your life for crying out loud!” she breathed hard after that outburst.
Arthur just stared at her. He didn’t know what to say.
“A week. A whole week. Arthur… he was mauled, back then. He can’t swim any longer. He can’t outswim them. He won’t survive in the sea like that,” her voice was soft this time.
Arthur felt faint. Had he really condemned Merlin to death after all? Anything could have happened in a week. The knights could have found him. Or some beast could have chased him. What had he done?
He had acted out of anger. Without giving Merlin a chance to defend himself. How could he consider himself a fair ruler when he hadn’t given his own best friend a fair trial? Instead he had gone behind everyone’s back. Imprisoned everyone close to him to avoid an uproar among them. Sent Merlin away without letting him explain anything.
He was an idiot.
A complete and utter idiot.
Then it hit him. Morgana had known. How had she known? Had Merlin told her? Why had he not said anything to
him
?! Did Merlin really trust him
that
little? Well. Considering what Arthur had done, he had been right to distrust him. But it still hurt.
“Am I the only one who never knew? Did he tell everyone but me?” he asked her, complete defeat in his voice.
She looked at him for a long time. Taking a deep breath, while wringing her hands, she decided it was time to come clean.
“Arthur… I have something I need to tell you. By telling you this, I am essentially handing my life over to you, and it will also help you understand why I knew about Merlin,” she looked him deep in the eyes. “I trust you. So did Merlin. But some things are very hard to put into words. Especially things that have the potential of taking your life should you talk about them,” she took another deep breath. “Do you remember back when I had those horrible nightmares and nothing helped? And for a while after, Merlin spent a great deal of time with me? Well… turns out that… those nightmares were… visions. I am a seer. I… I have magic. Merlin realized this and came to help me. I was scared out of my mind and I almost accidentally killed him because I had no control over my powers. He helped me control them.” She reached out to Arthur and pulled him over to sit beside her on the bed. He’d looked like he’d collapse if he stood any longer.
Arthur was white as a sheet, and looked like he’d seen a ghost. He stared straight ahead, likely trying to make sense of it all.
“He revealed his own magic to me that time. But I had no idea who he really was until later. When you got home from your talk with Morgause, Merlin got sick. This, you already know. But what happened was that he’d been hit by a spell that fought with Merlin’s own magic, resulting in him transforming back to a merman while unconscious from the sickness. Gwen had gone to check on him, because Gaius had been away, and she found him in his merman form in his room. She came to get me and when I saw him, I felt like I finally understood. Arthur, he almost died that day. He was so horribly dry, and so sick… Gwen and I helped him as best we could until Gaius came back. After that, when Merlin was well again, he finally told us about his identity. That is how I know. We discovered him, Arthur. He always talked about how he wanted to tell you, but was waiting for the right moment,” she took hold of his hand and waited for him to digest it all.
“I am a fool,” he whispered at last.
“Well don’t expect me to disagree with you,” Morgana smirked, but it didn’t last long. “You need to bring him back. If there is anything left to bring home, that is…” she got sick just from thinking it.
“I can’t do that yet. There is something I need to do first,” Arthur swallowed and rose from his seat on the bed. Morgana just looked flabbergasted at him. Here she was telling him he had no time to lose, and he decides he has other things to do? “I can not bring a creature of magic back to the land that has banned it on pain of death,” he whispered and walked out of there. As he passed the guards, he dismissed them.
He jogged back to his rooms once he got out of the worst of the shock, pulled out a document and started working.
He called for a servant to let the council know that they were to gather before dawn. It was too late to do anything at that moment, but he could not wait longer than that.
Arthur did not sleep that night.
Before the sun was up, the council was gathered in the throne room. Morgana was there as well. Gaius had finally been let out of the dungeons and he did not look happy.
Arthur was nervous. Many of these men were Uther’s hand picked advisors. He just hoped that some of them were like Gaius. That they secretly wanted to help the magic users like he had learned Gaius wanted.
“I have gathered you all here for an urgent matter. I have come to realize that Camelot has been severely lacking in potential, and have not been stepping forth as a good example for other kingdoms to follow like we have thought. There are people in this kingdom who are being hunted for who they are. For who they were born to be. They are hunted down and killed for merely existing. Is this really what we want our kingdom to stand for?” He looked around at all the faces present. The men murmured between one another, wondering what people their King was referring to, scandalized that this was happening in their great Kingdom.
“Sire, if I may, what people is this?” one of the men spoke up.
“People of Magic,” he said matter of factly. This brought forth a sea of protests. Arthur held up a hand to quiet them down. “People of magic are just like any other. The only difference is that they have powers that others may not have. That said, some of us have abilities these magic users may not have. Take the knights for instance. They have the ability to handle swords expertly. Aren’t the swords only a tool for them to wield? It is just the same with magic users. Do we not pride ourself in being a fair kingdom? How can a kingdom be fair when the punishment does not fit the crime?” he had an authority in his voice that had the men go silent.
“We need to lift this ban now. The people of magic must have equality. I will have a few advisors with magical knowledge help me write up the new laws regarding magic to make sure magic users will receive fair trials along with non magical criminals. Those in favour, sign your names on this document,” Arthur commanded and placed the document he had been writing up that night on a table stood in front of him, his own signature already in place. The men hesitated.
Then, Gaius stepped forth. He signed the document and gave Arthur a nod. Morgana sauntered over and signed her own name, despite not actually being part of the council officially. Arthur was going to change that. Leon dutifully signed his own name, and Arthur was slightly embarrassed that he had not realized the man was there.
The men looked at each other, then at Gaius questioningly. He just looked back at them with a raised eyebrow, and finally some of them relented and reached out to sign their own names.
In the end there were still a few that refused to sign such a document, but they were outnumbered, and so Arthur declared the ban on magic lifted.
Arthur immediately had messengers readying to relay the message to the people.
Gaius walked up to him, wanting to speak to him.
“I am sorry Gaius, but I have somewhere else I need to be,” the King apologized and was fast to leave.
He made his way as fast as he could to the stables. It had just gotten light out, and he was anxious to get to a certain someone before it was too late. If it wasn’t already. No. He could not think like that.
As he entered the stables he suddenly realized why the stable hands had tried to get in touch with him so many times.
There was a heavy feeling of a burning wrath once he stepped into the stables. He looked around and saw how frightened the horses were. And then he saw it.
Arabus was staring at him with such hatred he felt like turning on his heels and running back to the castle.
The king swallowed nervously and stepped closer to the enraged horse.
He could see wounds all over the horse from fighting against the magic suppressing chains. He instantly felt horrible for doing this to the beautiful beast.
Arabus was breathing heavily, consistent with a boiling rage.
“Do you know where Merlin is?” King Arthur asked. His voice was small in the presence of the beast, but he would never admit to that.
Why should I ever lead you to him?
Arthur was taken aback at the sudden voice in his head. He knew instantly that it was the horse in front of him.
“Because I have realized how horribly wrong I was, and I need to fix it,” Arthur made sure to keep his gaze directed at the beast so it could look into him and see he was telling the truth. Then, he carefully removed the chains from around the horse.
He jumped as the beast shook itself as the last chain was removed.
You’re a very jumpy human, little King.
The horse mocked him.
If you ever do this again, you will not live to regret it.
The beast added in a very scary tone.
Now, we need to make haste!
Arthur nodded and was a bit surprised the horse let him onto his back, but he guessed it was only because they needed to hurry to where Merlin was.
The King held on for dear life as the horse gallopped out of the castle and towards the sea. He recognized the path they were headed. They were going to the beach where he had been rescued from drowning all those years ago.
Arabus slowed down just before they reached the beach. Even though they had been going as fast as they could, the sun was already far up in the sky, burning hot as the warmest of summer’s days. Arthur was drenched in both his own and the horse’s sweat, and he jumped down as soon as he could so he could walk by himself.
Merlin!
He heard Arabus call out. He didn’t know whether the horse got a response or not. He certainly didn’t hear anything. When the horse added a timid
Merlin…?
A few moments later, Arthur’s heart jumped over a beat in fear.
Then they finally saw the beach as a whole.
The horse stopped in its tracks, standing there, frozen to the spot as it stared down the sandy shore.
Arthur followed its gaze, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw it.
He recognized that blue tail!
Memories flooded his brain at the sight of it.
He had hit the water hard, but not as hard as he thought he would. He couldn’t swim back up. He was going to die. Wait, what was that? A boy? Oh what mesmerizing eyes…! His lungs felt like they were going to explode from the pressure, and finally he couldn’t take it any longer. As the bubbles exploded out of his mouth, he registered the colors of the boy’s tail. Wait, what? Tail? Oh… a… a merman? Those were some striking colors. Blue, red and yellow. Were those black stripes? Or maybe it was just his sight failing him. Oh, there were those eyes again. So close. Air. oh sweet air! He had sucked in a lungful of that wonderful life giving substance, and promptly blacked out. Then he remember seeing that beautiful smile. Wait, was the boy leaving? No! He couldn’t do that! Not yet! He had tossed his hand out to grab him and had been confused to be left alone with a shell in his hand. Then, his father’s men arrived to bring him back home.
He gasped as he finally remembered the first time he met Merlin. Merlin the merman. And he had kissed him! Or did that really count as a kiss when it had just been to give Arthur some much needed air? He shook his head. This was not the time to think about this.
Merlin was lying on his side in the sand just out of reach from the water. The waves reached the tip of his tail and moved the fins up and down in a slow rhythm. Of course the insolent man had gone against Arthur’s word as King. He really shouldn’t be surprised by this. The man had never listened to his orders. Why should he start now?
The King shook his head with a little smile on his face and slowly walked down the slight slope towards his friend.
“Merlin!” he called out, expecting the man to jump and scurry off into the water to pretend he had not been on land after all.
Merlin did not react.
Arthur frowned at that. Was he sleeping?
“Merlin!” he called again as he came closer.
Still no reaction. Arthur squinted at the man, ready to reprimand him.
Merlin was not moving at all. The only movement was that of the waves. Arthur’s heart caught in his throat and he sprinted the rest of the way.
“MERLIN!” he shouted as he came to a stop just behind him.
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. Merlin’s skin, and scales, were visibly dry. There was sand coating him as though he had been rolling in it. His ribs protruded, his cheeks sunken. A clear evidence that he had not been able to find any food. His lips were chapped and slightly parted. His eyes closed. His arms lay limp in the sand, one of them stretched out slightly towards the sea, as if he had been reaching for the water.
Arthur sank slowly to the ground behind him, hesitantly reaching out to touch him.
His skin was far too dry. It felt almost papery. And it was hot. Not a feverish kind. No. it was rather that of leather having been lying out in the sun for a long time.
Arthur’s breath hitched as he realized what this meant.
What had he done?
He slowly stroked Merlin’s shoulder. He bit the inside of his lower lip as he felt the lump in his throat. He moved his hand down to gently stroke Merlin’s hip fin. The dry scales scratched against his palm.
He swallowed as he finally saw what Morgana had told him. Gruesome scars marred his skin. As they ran across his scales, they got deeper. Creating valleys in the man’s tail. And then there was his shredded fins. It was clear he would not be swimming with those. So this was what those clothes had always been hiding.
“Merlin?” he whispered, not trusting his voice to hold. He looked at Merlin’s face and moved his hand up to caress his cheek. As he moved his fingers through Merlin’s hair, which was stiff from the salty seawater, he saw the slits in his throat, and for a moment he panicked as he thought about the knights cutting his throat open. But then he realized there was no blood. No. Those were gills.
Gills that were supposed to be moving.
Finally, Arthur let out a sob. Tears gathered in his eyes and he leaned down to rest his forehead against Merlin’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” he cried. He couldn’t believe it. Merlin had always been by his side. No. he hadn't. But it felt like it. After Merlin had arrived in Camelot, he had never been able to see a future without the other man. But now… he couldn’t even think it.
The King carefully moved one arm underneath the boy and gathered him up into his embrace. He held him close, hugging him. Tears flowed freely down his face as he felt the scratchy sand against unmoving skin.
How could he have let this happen? How?
Swallowing down a few deep breaths, he dried his tears and looked out into the ocean.
Merlin was supposed to be out there swimming right now. He was supposed to be happy and healthy. Not lying here dried out in the warm sand. But that happy life had ended a long, long time ago for him. Or had he ever been happy at all?
“Brother…?”
Arthur jumped at the tiny voice. He looked down to see Mithian crawling towards them. She was very much not human.
He admired the beauty of her colors, and somehow wasn’t really surprised she was a mermaid though she seemed to have grown since he last saw her.
Then what she’d said sank in. Brother. Merlin. That explained a few things actually. But it also brought up several new questions.
“No… he called for me… why…?” the broken voice brought Arthur’s tears back with a vengeance.
“I’m sorry. This is all my fault,” he choked out.
She looked at him with wide teary eyes. Then, her gaze moved back to the dry still shape in the King’s arms. The tears rolled down her face, before she scrunched it up in a determined expression.
“No. Pick him up and drag him into the sea with you. Arabus!” she turned to the horse. “Come assist me, please!”
She dragged herself back down into the water and turned to see Arthur still sitting there in the sand.
“Come on!” she uttered impatiently.
Arthur was confused. What was the little girl planning?
He stood up, Merlin still securely in his arms, and dragged him out into the water, not caring that his clothes got wet. It was not an easy task. Merlin’s tail was heavy, and the spikes on his back were not easy to handle, but he managed somehow.
He walked so far out that only his shoulders and his head were still above the water.
Arabus joined him a few seconds later, and they both looked expectantly over at Mithian.
“He’s still in there,” she insisted. She reached out and touched his cheek. Then, she closed her eyes for a moment. “Yes. He still is. It is faint, but there is still life in him!” she smiled happily up at Arthur.
“But how do we help him?” Arthur asked as he felt his rapid heartbeat in his chest.
“Hold him so he’s mostly underwater. Only let his face be above it. Arabus, will you help me reach him?” she turned to the horse who nodded.
Her eyes glinted golden, and she reached for Merlin’s temple. Arabus moved to nuzzle against his chest.
Arthur kept holding Merlin like Mithian had told him. He didn’t care how long it took. If there was the slightest chance for Merlin to live, then he would stand there for as long as it would take.
Mithian and Arabus was lost in their concentration while Arthur’s thoughts ran wild. Would Merlin ever forgive him for this? Would he ever trust him again? Those lips are too dry.
At that thought, Arthur shifted his hold carefully and lifted one hand up to run his fore- and middle finger over the man’s lips, coating them in saltwater. He didn’t know whether that would help or not, but he figured it would at least be better than nothing.
The water was cold, and after a while, Arthur’s lips were tinted purple despite the warm sun. occasional tremors ran through his body, but he said nothing and didn’t move. Merlin had been through such horrible things because of him, so he had no right to complain.
Then, something shifted.
Arthur looked closely at the man in his arms. Had he imagined it?
No.
“He’s breathing!” he couldn’t keep his excitement at bay.
“Arabus, make sure he doesn’t stop. I’ll be back soon,” Mithian said before she vanished into the deep. Arthur was impressed by her speed.
“Where is she going?” he wondered aloud, but no answer came. Something brushed against his leg and he looked down to see it was Merlin’s good tailfin that moved with the current. The other one did as well, the thin shredded ribbons weaving beautifully despite the gruesome story behind it.
Arthur jumped as Mithian materialized out of nowhere, reaching out to hold something to Merlin’s lips.
“What is that?” the King wondered.
“It is a plant with highly nutritious juices used for emergencies like this. It has such a foul taste that we don’t ever use it for anything other than emergencies. We have yet to find a way to mask it’s overpowering taste,” she sounded like Gaius, Arthur thought fleetingly.
Mithian squeezed the plant, carefully making sure every little drop entered her brother’s mouth.
“Here, take these. I need to go, or someone will find me here and see him. We can’t let that happen,” she handed Arthur a couple more of the plant. “You should keep him underwater until he’s hydrated,” here she moved her tail up and let Arthur touch it to get a feel of how their scales should be. “Or at least close to how that felt. And make sure he gets every drop of those plants in his mouth. It should be enough for him to wake up after a while. At least for long enough to transform so you can get him back to Gaius. Please, get him away from here as soon as possible,” her tone was authoritative and pleading all in one. Arthur was amazed at how strong she was. He had broken down, not able to do anything, while she had taken the lead after recovering from her shock. And she was just a child!
“I’ll keep him safe,” he assured her.
“I trust you,” she smiled and then she was gone.
The King stared out into the open ocean in wonder. That girl would become a great and powerful woman. She already was in many ways.
Arthur gently moved his fingers over Merlin’s scales, trying to decide whether he was getting close to hydrated yet.
Mithian’s scales had been warm, like the warmth of life rather than leather in the sun. They had been slightly slippery, but not as much as that of a fish.
Merlin’s scales felt colder to the touch than Mithian’s. They weren’t dry and scratchy any longer, but they weren’t slippery yet either. The King frowned as he thought of whether or not it was good enough.
He looked at the plants in his hands and decided he should do what the girl had done, and lifted them both up over Merlin’s mouth. He used one free finger to slightly nudge Merlin’s lips further apart, and then he started squeezing the plants slowly, carefully making sure no drop was wasted.
He then slowly shut Merlin’s mouth by nudging his chin, and lifted his head a bit more and hoped the other man would swallow the plant juice.
Arabus had been quiet all this time, and Arthur was a bit worried for the poor horse. He looked at it and cringed when he remembered the wounds. The white fur had been chafed off by the chains in several places, and some of those spots also had bloody wounds. They had stopped bleeding by now, but it still didn’t look good. He needed to have them seen to when they got back to Camelot.
How could he ever forgive him? How could
Merlin
ever forgive him?
No. This was not the time for self pitying. Now was the time to make sure Merlin survived.
A groan caught his attention, and he looked at Merlin’s face to find him grimacing.
It would have been amusing, but the relief of seeing any sign of life on the the Prince was overwhelming.
“Merlin?” he tried to get the merman’s attention.
Merlin moved weakly in his arms, and then he finally opened those gorgeous eyes. He squinted from the bright light, and blinked to clear his sight and then he looked at Arthur. He froze up, his eyes widened, and he just stared quietly.
“Er… Hey…?” Arthur uttered awkwardly. The last thing Merlin knew was that Arthur had banished him, and then he woke up in Arthur’s arms? That had to be extremely confusing for the other man.
Merlin blinked again as if he thought he thought it was a trick of the light.
“Arthur…?” he whispered in bewilderment.
Yes, it is the King. He’s had a change of mind.
Arabus supplied helpfully. The merman was surprised to see the horse in the water with him.
What, did Morgana enchant him or something?
Merlin asked back, obviously not understanding how Arthur could change his mind.
Arthur frowned and stared heatedly at Merlin.
“I can hear you, you know,” he commented, and Merlin’s eyes shot back to him in panic.
“How?”
My guess is that he finally opened himself up to magic, and that gave him the ability to hear our communication. I think it might just be the two of us, though I don’t know for certain. After all, the two of you share a special bond.
“I am so confused right now,” Merlin commented after a moment. “What
is
this incredibly gruesome taste in my mouth?” he then asked with a grimace.
“Mithian gave me some kind of plant to feed you,” Arthur shrugged, which wasn’t so easy with his arms wrapped around Merlin.
“Mithian was here?” Merlin’s voice broke. He bit his lip and looked away. He must have looked horrible to her, and he wished she had never seen him like that.
“Yes, and she said we needed to get you out of the sea as soon as possible. You… You should transform so we can bring you back to Camelot,”
As Arthur said that, Merlin seemed to remember that he was in merman form, and looked down on himself in shame.
“Let go of me then,” he muttered.
“No. I saw how much pain it brought Gwaine, and in your weakened state I wouldn’t be surprised you’d manage to drown yourself after transforming. No, I’m going to hold you,” Arthur looked away with a blush on his face and cleared his throat. It was true though. He wanted to hold Merlin close. He still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Merlin had essentially died and come back to life.
“Okay…” Merlin shifted a bit. Then, his eyes glowed golden. Arthur was so mesmerized by the color of it, that he jumped when Merlin whined painfully.
He looked down to see the same sickening sight of a ripping tail that he had seen on Gwaine, though Merlin seemed to be in more pain than the other man had been.
The merman’s weak arms clung to him, and he thrashed as his body was torn apart and deformed. Arthur ended up tightening his hold on his friend and tried his best to comfort him.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Merlin fell limp in his arms, and Arthur looked down to see the other man had fainted. It was no wonder really. It sounded like he was tortured.
Arthur sucked in a shaky breath, and started walking back to shore.
As he carried Merlin up the beach, he realized the other man was naked. He blushed hard, and looked to Arabus, who would have raised an eyebrow if he had one.
The horse looked around, before he walked up the beach and bent his head down by one of the rocks. He turned around to show Arthur Merlin’s tunic. The King sighed in relief and walked over to him. He realized he had to put Merlin down to get his clothes on him and so he found a good sandless spot to lay him down.
The King clumsily dressed his former servant, and after several minutes of frustration, he finally decided he was done. It was not easy to dress an unconscious person.
Arabus was gracious enough to lay down so Arthur could get ontop of him with Merlin without a problem. Once they were seated, Arabus made for Camelot with haste. Even though Merlin had been conscious earlier, he needed Gaius’ attention immediately.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arabus almost gallopped up the stairs in his haste to bring Merlin to Gaius. It was close to midnight, and there weren’t many people out and about, except for the guards.
Arthur was almost thrown off as Arabus skidded to a halt by the stairs. Then the horse laid down to let Arthur step off him without a problem. As he jogged towards Gaius’ chambers, the big white beast followed him.
In the dim light of the torches, Arthur could see that Merlin’s skin was burnt from the exposure to the sun. He felt the guilt piling up on him, but he pushed it back. Now was not the time.
Gaius’s door was locked when he finally arrived by it, and he kicked it in the hopes that Gaius would hurry. The King heard shuffling from the other side of the wood and impatiently called out for the physician to open up. At the sound of Arthur’s voice, Gaius must have realized it was important and the door flew open immediately.
“Sire!” he let out at the sight of the King. The old man’s gaze softened at the sight of Merlin, and then widened in shock as the big white horse showed itself. He moved to the side to let Arthur past and stared at the horse while he instructed to put Merlin on the bed. It was bizarre to see the great horse in the narrow corridor outside his chambers, and he wondered how in the world the animal had managed to get there. Then he remembered it was magic and pulled himself back to the matter at hand. Merlin.
The boy was extremely dehydrated. To the point where Gaius wondered how he even lived still. He immediately threw a cloth into the bucket of water he had by his work table, and draped it over the boy. Then, deciding that was not enough, even for a little while, he threw the rest of the water all over him.
“I need more water,” he didn’t need to say anything else, for Arthur understood how urgent the situation was.
The King ran back out, while the horse moved further into the room, but stayed close to the walls, trying not to get in the way.
It didn’t take long before servants entered the physician’s chambers with a tub.
Gaius instructed them where to place it while he tended to Merlin.
The servants ran back out once the tub was in place, and returned with buckets of water along with the King. They shot the royal confused looks, but dared not question the King’s involvement, and obediently poured the water into the tub.
Once it was full enough, the servants made sure to leave buckets full of water close by, should the physician need more.
They helped Gaius lift Merlin, clothes and all, into the water, and left once the old man dismissed them.
“He was fed some kind of plant juice high on nutrients before we left the sea,” Arthur supplied quietly as he watched Gaius gently wipe a wet rag over Merlin’s sunburnt face.
Gaius said nothing as he looked at Merlin’s malnourished state. He was not happy with Arthur. The King had sent Merlin away and imprisoned his friends without so much as an explanation.
And here the young prince was, starved, burnt and dehydrated because his tail was shredded so he could not swim, and the knights of the sea were out to murder him, so he could not return to his people even if he was capable.
And the Prince had not had any chance to explain himself to the King.
Arthur’s heart beat rapidly in his chest, and it was getting harder to breathe normally. A horrible feeling was stuck inside his body, and he could not get it to go away.
He
had done this to Merlin.
He
was the one who had stabbed
him
in the back, not the other way around.
The King excused himself. When had he started doing that? Kings did not have to excuse themselves? He walked at a fast pace back towards his chambers to get away from people in general. He was glad most of the castle’s workers had gone to sleep already, and thus he didn’t meet too many on his way.
He made sure his door was closed and walked on shaky legs towards his desk chair. He heaved for breath and felt his body go cold, an uncomfortable tightness growing in his chest.
How could he ever do that to anyone? More importantly, how could he do that to
Merlin
? He had practically
killed
him! No. He
had
killed him. Merlin had
died
! But wait… had he truly been dead? Mithian had said he was still in there… no matter. He had not given Merlin a chance. He had thrown his friends in the dungeons without a word. What fair King did such things?
A prickling feeling spread through his fingers as he felt lightheaded from his shallow breaths. This was not going to end well.
Distantly he heard a creaking from the general direction of his door. A moment later, someone was kneeling in front of him, gently calling his name. When had he bent over in his seat?
Careful, pale fingers curled around his wrists, slowly moving his hands away from the clutching grip he had on his head.
“Arthur, look at me,” Morgana murmured calmly.
Arthur looked up at her, seeing her calm expression.
“Breathe with me,” she instructed when he looked at her.
She took exaggerated, deep breaths breaths and Arthur did his best to imitate her.
She kept going until his breathing was calm again, still holding onto his wrists.
“Good. Are you feeling better now?” she watched as he nodded. “What happened?”
“I realized all my wrongdoings,” he whispered.
Morgana looked away. She couldn’t really tell him he was wrong, because he was absolutely correct. She was still spectacularly furious at him for banishing Merlin and confining her to her room.
But she knew what a good person he truly was. Of course he made mistakes. Everyone did that. Though this was bigger than some common mistake, she knew he cared. He had grown up learning how evil magic was. It was natural he would not take it lightly when his best friend was revealed to be a magical creature. After all, he had not condemned anyone to death yet. Or knowingly, that was.
She had seen herself in him when she’d walked in to find him panicking. It had reminded her of when she was confused over what happened to her. And Merlin had helped her understand. He’d want her to pay it forward.
“Did you find him…?” she asked, softly. She couldn’t keep the question in any longer. She had originally intended to go straight to Gaius once she saw Arthur had returned, but she feared what she would find. And when she realized Arthur was in his rooms, she’d decided to confront him instead.
Arthur’s breath hitched and a flash of pain showed on his face. Morgana’s heartbeat picked up at the sight of it.
“Yes… Arabus led me to him… it… was not pretty. I- I think it’s better that you see for yourself,” he bit his lip. It was strange to see Arthur this way. He usually went out of his way to keep his emotions under wraps. But when things got overwhelming enough, he couldn’t hide them any longer. In addition, he was exhausted. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a very long time, and he had just had a pretty nasty panic attack. And those tended to leave their victims fatigued.
“I will. Go get some sleep, okay?” she stood, her legs protesting a bit as she finally moved from the uncomfortable position on the floor.
Arthur merely nodded.
She watched him to make sure he actually did go to bed before she left.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Morgana nervously knocked at Gaius’ door before she slowly opened the door. She found the old man sitting by the hearth, stirring something with a strong herbal smell. He looked over to her and gave her a tired smile.
“My lady, what can I do for you?” he greeted.
“I was looking for Merlin,” she said it as though everything was normal. Gaius just looked over at the tub in the room. The lady let her gaze travel over to the wooden tub. The familiar mop of black hair rested on a pillow placed on the rim.
She didn’t know what she expected. She did think it would be bad, but as she went over to her friend, she startled.
He was looking at her.
“Merlin?” she gasped. He blinked lazily.
“Morgana… I didn’t know you were a mermaid.”
She stared at him dumbfoundedly. He smiled the biggest smile at her. She looked over at Gaius with wide eyes. The old man just sighed and turned back to the boiling herbal soup on the hearth.
“What?” she squeaked at Merlin.
“You’re beautiful… those colors are very nice. You look exotic… where are you from?” Merlin babbled, and she could see his gaze was unfocused as he looked at her.
“Gaius… what is wrong with him?” she turned to the old man again.
“He’s delirious. Turns out that the plant he was fed contains hallucinogens. That, combined with dehydration, and we’re left with this,” the old man shook his head. “All we can do is wait for it to run it’s course,”
“Gaius is a wizard. He has magical clouds do his bidding,” Merlin commented helpfully.
Morgana struggled to hold back a snort. She guessed those ‘clouds’ were the steam from the soup Gaius was boiling.
“Yes he is, and I am the witch of fire!” she let out theatrically. Merlin’s eyes widened as he looked up at her in awe. He was like a child in this state, mesmerized by everything.
She conjured fire in her palm and swirled it around, having it make beautiful patterns in the air while Merlin stared starry eyed at her. His lips formed an adorable ‘o’ as he followed the gentle flames with his eyes.
Morgana giggled at his childlike behaviour. A cough from behind her reminded her that this might not be the best idea, and so she released the charm. The flame vanished in a sea of sparks.
Merlin’s sad expression had her feeling like jelly from the adorableness of it all. She had the massive urge to hug him tight, but she knew that was not a good idea so she settled for patting his hair.
“I’m sorry, love, Gaius do not approve of fire tricks inside his room,” she smiled.
Merlin pouted. Honest to gods, pouted. His lower lip sticking out as he sunk further into the water.
Morgana could not take the adorable of it.
She
squealed
.
Her hand shot up to silence herself but it was too late. The sound had escaped her.
Gaius
snorted
. She looked over to see his old eyes crinkling in humor, and then the both of them burst out laughing. Merlin looked at them in confusion.
A burst of sleepiness took over the prince, and he nodded off to the sound of their laughter.
Morgana gently moved him so he still had his head above the water, resting against the pillow.
Gaius came over with a cream that he applied to Merlin’s face. Morgana only now saw the poor boy had a sunburn spreading all over his body. Sadness spread through her as she realized he must have been stranded for a while to get such a burn. It stayed clear of one of his sides, and she could imagine him lying on his side in the sun, possibly unconscious or just so exhausted and weak he was not able to move.
“Will he be alright?” she murmured. Gaius looked at her without stopping in his ministrations.
“Physically, he will. Mentally… we’ll just have to see,”
Morgana nodded in understanding. She believed Merlin would bounce back from all of this. It might take time, but he would do it.
The Lady jumped and squeaked at the touch to her back, and spun around to see the great white horse behind her. She almost fell to the floor in shock. She had not seen it when she’d come inside, and heard no sounds indicating there was anyone else in the room except the three of them.
Gaius chuckled as the horse nuzzled against her as if in apology.
“When did you come up here? How?” she asked in her shock.
“He arrived with Arthur and Merlin. He’s a very special kind of horse,” Gaius smiled. “Would you mind smearing his wounds with that salve over there?” he added and pointed at a jar on the worktable.
Morgana loved doing small things with the horses. Brush them, or generally just patting them and giving them treats. She had no objections to helping this magnificent beast with his wounds.
Picking up the jar, she moved over to his side and gently massaged in the salve. She let her magic flow, in the hopes that it would help heal the horse’s wounds. She worked her way around it, covering every little chafe. Once she was done, she kept massaging and scratching the horse as it relaxed more and more under her gentle hands.
“He likes you,” Gaius commented with a smile.
“I like him too,” she replied happily as she came around to the horse’s head and scratched behind his ears. Arabus’ eyes were half lidded, the ears relaxed and the lover lip hanging slightly.
Everyone would be alright. She was sure of it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everything was not okay.
Sure, Merlin was back home and healing, but he did not trust it to be this way for long. Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival had been let out of the dungeons, and Gwaine was furious. Lancelot and Percival wasn’t particularly happy themselves, but none of them had Gwaine’s temper.
The merman had immediately stormed into the King’s chambers, shouting profanities and how he never should have been gracious enough to help him out of the dungeons when they’d been in captivity. He had been all up in Arthur’s face, and they’d needed six guards to get the man out of there. The guards had wanted to throw him straight back into the dungeons, but Arthur had commanded against it.
The three men had received a formal letter of apology for their undeserved imprisonment. As had Gaius, Gwen and Morgana as well.
Arthur hadn’t dared go back to Gaius’ chambers after the day he’d returned Merlin. He was terrified of seeing Merlin again, and had no idea what he could ever say to him in the hopes of being forgiven.
Merlin was steadily getting better, though he struggled with muscular weakness from all the harshness his body had been through recently. He was slowly eating more and more food to make sure his body got used to it again.
Arabus had finally relented and had been escorted back to the stables where he had gotten a royal treatment with treats, good food and plenty of care.
His place in the Physician’s chambers was now occupied by Merlin’s friends. Gaius barely even needed to look after his nephew himself, as they were always wanting to help.
When Merlin finally regained enough muscular strength to walk around on his own for more than an hour, he decided enough was enough.
He needed to see Arthur. Now.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Arthur sat by his desk when he heard the door to his chambers open. He was about to call for the guards to get Gwaine out of there,
again
, when he looked up and saw who it was. His breath caught in his lungs as he looked at Merlin’s serious expression. He realized he had barely ever seen Merlin with such an expression on his face. And he hadn’t seen Merlin in weeks.
Merlin just stood there, watching him. Arthur really didn’t like having that expression pointed at him.
For a few moments, none of them moved.
Then, Merlin closed the door without taking his eyes off Arthur.
“So what are you going to do to me?” Merlin sounded defeated. Arthur didn’t understand why. He wanted to hold the other man tight and never let him go, but he also wanted to run as far away from him as possible, because he was afraid Merlin didn’t want anything to do with him.
“What?” was the only thing Arthur managed.
“What will you do to me? You banished me, remember? And now I’m suddenly back in Camelot,” Merlin looked down. A great sadness overtook his whole demeanor.
“I was the one who brought you back here, Merlin. Well. Arabus as well. Do you really think I would bring you back just to turn around and punish you?” Arthur realized his mistake the moment the words left his mouth. That had been exactly what had happened the day Merlin was banished. They had come home. Arthur had let him come home. And then he’d banished him.
Merlin just looked at him with that sad face.
Arthur sighed and leant back in his seat. He looked up into the ceiling and used his thumb to turn the ring on his forefinger.
“Merlin…” he wanted to say how stupid he felt. How much of a fool he’d been to do what he’d done. But he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth.
When he looked at Merlin again, he looked as though he was contemplating something. He chewed on the inside of his lower lip, and fidgeted before meeting Arthur’s gaze.
“Will you let me show you what I’ve been doing these last years?” he looked like he wanted to hide. “To show you that I only ever used my magic for good?” he added.
“Show me…?” Arthur was lost. How could he show him what had happened in the past?
“I can… project images in your head… memories. Thoughts. But only by direct contact,” Merlin shifted. Arthur felt a stab of uncertainty and apprehension at the thought. But he also wanted to know. He needed to know what Merlin had done under his nose all this time.
“Alright,” he took a deep breath. “Lock the door. Just in case Gwaine gets the idea to come interrupt you,” he added and almost blushed at what it could have meant.
Merlin hesitated for a bit, before locking the door. Then, he picked up a chair, moving it over to Arthur’s side. Arthur took the hint and turned his chair to face Merlin.
Merlin sat down on the edge of the seat, looking into Arthur’s eyes for a moment, before he reached up to carefully place his fore-and middle finger against Arthur’s temples, resting his thumbs just underneath the King’s eyes.
The gentle touch made shivers run down Arthur’s spine as he watched Merlin’s eyes search his own.
“I’m going to start from the beginning…” Merlin was nervous.
The last time he’d tried this, he hadn’t managed to sort out what he didn’t want to show. He desperately hoped he could do it this time, because he did not want Arthur to see the knights attack him. He only wanted to give Arthur a vague knowledge of what had happened back then.
Arthur nodded slightly beneath his fingers.
Merlin’s eyes glowed in a warm molten gold color. Arthur was awestruck with the beauty of them.
Then he was brought back to all those years ago when he had almost drowned. Except this time he was looking at himself. He felt Merlin’s feelings flow through him. Curiousness, concern, captivation. Then a slight panic as young Arthur’s air ran out.
It was surreal watching himself like this, with Merlin’s feelings running through him. Then, the scene shifted. He felt fear and anxiety run through him as he looked at a few mermen talking quietly among themselves before sending him a look. He jumped as someone touched his shoulder, and he turned to look into a kind face with a bushy, but well groomed beard. The man smiled, and the crown on his head glinted in the underwater light. A woman with an equally kind expression came up beside the man, and Arthur distantly got the feeling that this must be Merlin’s parents.
Then, he suddenly saw one of the quiet mermen from earlier call for him, informing him of a trapped merman.
Things got blurry, and then he looked into the mouth of a beast through a net, and realized he was trapped. He looked at the knights and saw them watching, their faces hard and cold.
Agony. He saw the blood staining the water, saw the teeth tearing through shells and flesh, heard a choked off scream. It all happened so fast.
It was as though the memories was at a pause, but there was still sound, and feeling. He realized Merlin’s eyes were closed, but he was still somewhat conscious. He heard the knights talking of how they’d bring the head of the beast back to the King to tell him his son was dead. How they talked about the trapped merman being dead.
There was silence. The pain so horrible he felt numb. Then, there was hands on him. Eyes opened to see a blurry face that slowly got better until he recognized Lancelot. He was talking but everything sounded far away. Torturous agony flared up again and swallowed him down.
After that there was bits and pieces of consciousness and pain.
And then the transformation. Arthur felt like he was going to die. And these were only memories. He felt like his body was torn apart by the beast all over again.
Then, it was as though they were skimming through Merlin’s memories. He still saw what happened. The feelings Merlin experienced. But everything happened so fast.
Then there was a fleeting moment where they were back in Arthur’s chambers. A tub of warm water stood in the room, and Arthur sauntered out from behind the dressing screen. He registered everything in the same way Merlin had done back then. First the fact that Arthur was naked, and then the shell around his neck.
The realization that this was indeed the boy he’d saved from drowning, and the warm feeling that enveloped him at seeing Arthur wearing that shell. There were so many feelings running through him at that point. Many he could not even name.
The memories rushed past him again, sometimes slowing down at significant moments of Merlin’s time in Camelot. Like the time he helped Morgana. That had been terrifying. Then, when he’d been able to talk to his mother. Arthur was ready to cry at that point.
The panic he felt at waking up as a merman in Gaius’ chambers was horrible. It was much the same feeling he’d had the night he’d brought Merlin back home.
Merlin had released the dragon. He understood why, from his memories, but the shock of it was overwhelming.
The next big thing his memories slowed down on, was a conversation with Gaius before their trip to find the last dragonlord. Gaius telling Merlin about his true father.
Arthur felt ice run through his veins. Cynwrig had been Merlin’s father by blood?
He saw the conversation between Merlin and his father, as they talked about their relationship and how Cynwrig would warn Ballinor of the knights’ doings.
And then came the moment Cynwrig died. Despite not knowing the man for very long, the sorrow was almost unbearable. And when the Horse arrived, it got so much worse as it was mixed with guilt.
They moved fast again, until the moment Merlin had almost drowned. The fear and panic as he realized he, a merman, was going to drown in a river. The relief and happiness at seeing Lancelot. The dread at finding Arthur on the forest floor, and the helplessness as the magic didn’t do as well as hoped.
Then the moment in the throne room as they had watched Uther being swallowed by the curse, and Merlin’s realization as to what was happening, and the horrible images that popped up in his mind.
Meeting Arabus in the woods was relief, and then seeing Freya in the lake, along with the magnificent hippocampus. The astonishment of finding out he had a sister.
The absolute numbing shock of meeting said sister, and using a disguise to refrain from being recognized.
Merlin
had been
Dragoon
?!
Then came the emotional moment of Mithian’s realization that Merlin was alive and by her side.
He saw how Merlin had done the same with Mithian, Morgana and Gwen, as he was doing now. And the beautiful colors of the image he had projected into the room as he held Mithian close.
The sadness at having to part with his sister.
The hunting trip had been a trick. Merlin and Morgana had tricked him. He knew it was meant well, and he could see what a monster he had been towards them.
Merlin had scared the animals away.
He had tried to fight the mercenaries with his magic, without letting Arthur know. Merlin had barely even been conscious most of the time after that. First he had been choked, then he’d been cut and his magic restrained. Arthur felt how draining it was to have the magic suppressed like that. He’d gotten weaker and weaker even before he’d been stabbed.
Then, everything was dark for the most part. Until a gentle hand caressed his cheek and a whisper told him he would be alright.
Arthur’s voice was harsh as he told him he was banished. He felt the numbness overtaking him after the heartbreak. The pain of transformation almost didn’t register in his numb state.
Merlin had done little other than floating in the water close to the shore. He’d tried to swim around to look for food, but he had never really managed to get around effectively. His strength had slowly left him, and he’d ended up in the sand, not having any energy left to move. He’d watched the slow waves as his consciousness dwindled. He’d thought he would die where he lay.
Until he woke to Arthur’s face above him.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin gasped as he pulled his hands away from Arthur’s temples. Arthur blinked, disoriented, eyes filled of tears from all the confusion and emotion. Then his arms were full of a limp body and he looked down to see Merlin as pale as a sheet in his lap, eyes closed.
Fear gripped his heart tight as he moved his friend to check his breathing. He breathed a sigh of relief as he found the sign of life he was looking for. He gathered the other man up in his arms and carried him over to his bed, before unlocking the door telling the guard to get Gaius.
Arthur’s heart galloped in his breast, but he was otherwise calm when Gaius arrived. The old man walked quietly over to Merlin, carefully checking him over, and after Arthur’s explanation, diagnosing him to have exhausted himself. He was not yet back to full health, and to do what he’d done, and for so long, was doomed to make him collapse.
“I’ll have the guards move him back to his room,” Gaius said as he stood to leave.
“No,” Arthur felt panicked at the thought of Merlin leaving.
“Pardon, Sire?”
“No. He can stay,” Arthur looked everywhere other than in Gaius’ face. That’s why he didn’t catch the old man smiling.
“As you wish, Sire,”
Silence followed after Gaius’ departure.
Arthur watched Merlin’s sleeping form, fidgeting with his ring.
He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, and when he’d moved his gaze away from Merlin. He only realized he’d done so when a pale hand rested on his, stopping his fidgeting.
He looked up into tired eyes, and then looked away once more.
“Arth-”
“I’m sorry,” Arthur interrupted him. “I’m sorry for doubting you. For banishing you without ever giving you a chance to explain,” he added quietly.
Merlin watched him closely, and when Arthur finally looked up again, he could see the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He’d felt it when he’d shared his memories, that Arthur truly regretted what he’d done. Merlin really couldn’t ever hate Arthur, and had forgiven him already before his memory sharing. Though he didn’t realize it until this moment.
The memory sharing. He’d shown him everything. He hadn’t been able to hold back this time either. Oh gods.
Merlin groaned and closed his eyes.
“What is it? Are you in pain?” the panic in Arthur’s voice was evident to him, though he wouldn’t be surprised if others could not hear it.
“I’m sorry. I showed you much more than I intended,” Merlin sighed. “I never wanted to you see the attack,” he whispered and stared up into the canopy of red fabric.
“I’m glad you did. It made me understand a lot more about you,” Arthur felt his face heat up. Talking about emotions really wasn’t something he was comfortable with, but he knew it was needed.
Only when he started playing with Merlin’s fingers, did they realize Merlin’s hand was still in Arthur’s own. They both stared at their joined hands, then up at each other, blushed furiously and looked away. Neither of them moved their hand.
Merlin pulled slightly at Arthur’s hand, and the King looked over at him for a moment, before moving up to sit beside him. He helped Merlin sit up as well, and a comfortable silence enveloped them as they sat side by side, playing with eachother’s hand.
They both knew what the other felt, from the memory sharing earlier, though they both still feared rejection, or simply going too fast.
“Merman Prince, huh?” Arthur commented after a while. “I guess that means I’ve had a royal manservant this whole time,” Arthur smirked. Merlin snorted.
“And I’ve been given a Prattish destiny,” Merlin retorted.
“That’s not a word,”
“Is now,”
They both laughed.
“I’m your destiny, huh?” The King asked once their laughter calmed down.
“Well, The dragon said so. Though I think I might have known before that,” Merlin smiled shyly.
Arthur chuckled.
The King jumped slightly as he felt a weight on his shoulder, and looked down to see Merlin resting his head there. He smiled and after a moment, rested his own against Merlin.
That was how Morgana found them, sound asleep, as she’d come to see how Merlin was doing. She’d heard from Gaius how Merlin had collapsed in the King’s chambers and had been left there to rest. She’d knocked, hearing nothing but silence, and had entered to find the two resting against each other, holding hands.
She silenced a squeal, and had hurried outside to grab Gwen. The two of them quietly made their way back inside. They stood by the bed, clinging on to each other, trying desperately to silence their excited squeaking.
The quiet giggles must have woken the the two of them, because suddenly two pairs of confused blue eyes were on them.
Morgana and Gwen gave them huge smiles, and the two boys blinked. Then, Arthur jumped up in an attempt to get out of the bed, but just ended up falling to the floor, while Merlin stayed put, bursting out into a delighted laugh.
Arthur grumbled, red faced and embarrassed on the floor, while the girls joined in on Merlin’s laugh. After a while though, the King couldn’t help but smile at Merlin. He’d missed him more than he’d ever thought he would.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
“What?” Morgana stared at him in disbelief.
“I want you to be an official part of the counsel. I want you as one of my advisors in magic,” King Arthur repeated.
Morgana sat down in the closest chair, staring at Arthur. Not only had he made magic legal, not only had he accepted her magic. Now he wanted her, a woman without the title of princess or queen, to be among the highly respected advisors to the King.
Arthur looked at her with amusement. He’d known his wish would bring shock, and he’d looked forward to make the Lady Morgana speechless. Not many could do that.
“Well?”
“I accept,” she murmured wide eyed. Of course she had to accept that.
Merlin watched on with a warm smile on his face. There was finally progress happening in Camelot. Magic was returning to the land, and women was getting the opportunity to take control of their own lives. In addition, he and Arthur were slowly returning somewhat to their previous relationship, though to be honest, things were getting more… deep.
They both knew how the other felt, thanks to the memory share, but both were still terrified of rejection. Things were going slow.
He was startled out of his thoughts when Arthur’s grin was up in his face and a hand reached up to ruffle his hair.
“Dozing off there, Merlin?” the King mocked. Morgana smiled widely in the background, and Merlin decided to act offended. He batted Arthur’s hand away and smoothed down his hair again. He couldn’t keep his smile off his face, though, and soon he joined Arthur’s chuckle.
After Merlin had recovered, Arthur had insisted that they treat him like the Prince he was, rather than a lowly servant. He was dressed in finer clothing, though still the same kind of style he’d been wearing all along. He’d felt it was weird walking around in these clothes after getting used to the cheaper fabrics.
Arthur had found a new servant to do the more menial tasks, while Merlin still insisted on doing the more personal things, like bathing the king and readying him for bed and such things. He also still accompanied Arthur wherever he went, like a personal guard. Though, that is perhaps what he’d been doing all along. The difference now was that Arthur finally knew.
The small gang of friends had also been enjoying much time together, just the four of them. Which was what they’d been doing when the King decided to throw that bomb on Morgana. Though Arthur had many things to do, they always found time to have some fun. Sometimes they decided to spend time with Arthur’s closest knights as well, and Gwaine had somehow managed to worm his way into that particular group of men, even though he still gave Arthur the stink eye. He kept saying he was Merlin’s knight first and foremost. Which none of the others doubted. Lance was too, they’d figured out. Arthur, for some reason didn’t mind, and still considered them his most trusted knights. Perhaps because he was determined to always keep Merlin by his side.
Merlin had insisted that the other servants and castle workers were treated with respect for their work, and Arthur agreed. It might have been because Merlin had been a servant despite being a prince, and the King respected him for putting up with it.
The castle workers had been confused when they were all gathered in the hall and informed of this. The steward had a new task at hand, which was to make sure everyone was treated respectfully, and listen to complaints from the workers and bring them to the King.
After the workers, there was a meeting with the castle residents. Hey were informed of the same thing, and made aware that there would be punishment for treating a servant or any other caslte worker poorly.
Murmurs and rumors spread out through the kingdom and across borders. People started coming to Camelot, looking for work and residency in the Kingdom they heard such good tales about. Many wanted to see for themselves whether the rumors were true or not.
Both men and women were allowed to try out for the knights, no matter their social standing.
The sudden increase in populace wasn’t just positive however. There was need for an increase in housing, and the food supply was turning out to be too small for all these new people.
Camelot found themselves in need of purchasing more food from other kingdoms, as it was too late to produce it on their own lands. Trading increased, and the royal hunters provided the castle with game that was smoked and dried to better be preserved.
It wasn’t just easy with all of this change. Even if their King had decided to lift the ban on magic, didn’t mean everyone automatically trusted magic. People were harassed in the streets, sometimes even beaten.
Most magic users still kept their abilities secret, and tried to draw as little attention to themselves as possible.
Of course some would still commit crimes. Both magic users and others.
The guards had their hands full trying to separate people who clashed in a fight, stop people from harassing others, and arrest those who committed crimes.
People were constantly put in the stocks and in the dungeons and put to work as punishment for their deeds.
One particular incident had the King of Camelot in a rage, and the man responsible almost had a death sentence bestowed upon him.
It began, like so many other things, with Merlin.
It was after Morgana had been officially named part of the council. Arthur and Merlin had steadily gotten closer and it was apparent to those around them.
A noble from the outskirts of Camelot visited the castle to join a feast in celebration of the new laws. He was not particularly fond of the change.
He had seen how the King’s manservant had started wearing richer clothing and did less work than before. He was certain the boy had used magic to escape the workload and trick his way further up in the system.
Of course the man decided he needed to do the King a favour and punish the boy.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
To say Merlin was confused when the visiting lord told him Arthur had ordered him to assist the older man in the stables was an understatement. He didn’t actually believe for one second that Arthur had ordered such a thing at all, but he decided he could at least help the man.
As they made their way to the stables, Merlin looked warily up at the heavy clouds in the sky. The air was heavy and pressing, and rain started falling as they closed in on the stables.
“My horse needs to be brushed and cleaned for tomorrow,” had the man been taller than Merlin, he would have literally looked down his nose at the boy. But as it was, the man was rather tiny. He still managed to have an air of arrogance around him.
“My lord, should this not be done by the stable hands?” Merlin decided he’d do well to attempt a respectful approach.
“How dare you speak against your King’s orders!” the man fumed.
Merlin wanted to have his magic pull the old man’s pants down to shut him up. But he decided to play along and just do the work.
Looking over at the horse he realized it was a skittish one, and it was still fully saddled. He’d have to use subtle magic to calm it if he couldn’t do so by other means. He really didn’t want to be trampled.
The merman Prince stepped into the pen, carefully making his way over to the horse’s side. He made sure the horse knew he was there, and then proceeded to remove the saddle. The horse’s ears kept moving, and the beast didn’t stand still. Merlin whispered calmly to it and patted it in an attempt at calming it. He looked over to Arabus’ pen and saw the horse was deeply sleeping. He sighed. He’d hoped his friend would help him calm the horse.
Ge finally got the saddle and the bridle off and retrieved a brush to work on the brown coat.
Merlin looked up at the old man as he brushed dirt and loose hair from the horse’s side. The man was frowning as if this wasn’t going like he’d planned it to.
Merlin narrowed his eyes at him.
What was the guy planning?
Then there was a clap of thunder, and the horse flinched.
Oh.
Merlin pressed himself flat into the wall, trying to get past the horse and out of the pen. But the big beast slammed into him, pressing him harder against the wooden surface. He desperately tried to push it away as it made it hard for him to breathe. The horse stepped on his foot in it’s nervous dance. When it finally moved, he lost his balance from trying to push it so hard.
Another clap of thunder, and the horse reared. It slammed it’s knee into Merlin’s chest as he fell forward, and his breath left him all at once. He crashed to the ground, disoriented. He looked up to see the dreaded hooves come at him and he barely managed to move out of the way of the crushing weight.
Then the man shouted something, and the slicing sound of a whip was heard from above. The horse screamed and moved over, slamming it’s hoof into Merlin’s side as he tried getting away from it.
Merlin heard another horse scream out, and then the gates to the stables flew open. Merlin could only hear this from where he was pressing into the corner of the pen, trying to keep away from the devastating hooves. He barely escaped having his face crushed as he moved out of the way. He’d definitely get a bruise on his cheek, but at least he didn’t have caved in skull.
There was an ominous low neigh from above him, and the horse in the pen froze. Merlin sat in the corner, pressed against the walls trying to catch his breath as he stared at the strong legs planted on the floor right in front of him.
MERLIN!
Merlin jumped at the loud shout in his head, and looked wide eyed up from the floor. He couldn’t see anything other than the chest of the brown mare.
“Merlin?” This voice was not just in his head, and a moment later Morgana was in the pen with him.
She helped him up, and looked him over, worry plain on her face as she looked at his cheek which was already bruising.
Merlin saw Arabus staring worriedly at him, while the horse in the pen still stood frozen except for full body tremors going through it.
The old lord was secured by a guard.
“How…?” Merlin whispered.
“He wasn’t really subtle with trying to get you out here with him. I had a feeling something wasn’t quite like it should be,” she sent the man a cold look. “Bring him to the dungeons,” Morgana ordered the guard.
She gently led Merlin out of the stables, using her magic to keep the rain away from them as they made their way to Gaius’ chambers.
Once they made it there, the old man gestured to the patient cot where Merlin sat down. The warlock obediently told him what happened and raised his tunic to show painful bruises along his torso.
Thankfully it wasn’t much worse than that.
Gaius had him drink a tonic to help him sleep, and just as he lied down in his own bed, Arthur burst into the chambers having heard of what happened.
The physician held him back, informing him of Merlin’s need of rest, and that he had only sustained bruising. Arthur calmed slightly, but still insisted on sitting by Merlin’s side.
The day after found a furious King Arthur in the throne room with a shackled Lord on his knees in front of him.
People Rarely saw such rage in their King.
The lord was terrified.
“Lord Crewe Stands accused of cruelty and attempted murder,” the librarian announced aloud in the hall where many were gathered.
The lord swallowed hard and stared in shock at the librarian before looking back at the King.
“But Sire! I didn’t kill anyone! I merely disciplined a servant!” the Lord tried excusing himself.
This was evidently a very wrong thing to say, as the venom in the King’s eyes intensified immensely.
“As you already know,
Crewe,
Camelot does not
discipline
it’s servants with cruelty. As you should also be well aware of, since this is among the reasons for your arrival in Camelot in the first place, there are new rules on how servants are treated, and there are consequences should a servant be treated wrongly,” Arthur’s voice was as cold as ice. “Another reason why your excuse is invalid is the fact that while Merlin indeed used to be my servant, recent discoveries show that he is of a higher standing than
you
,
lord
Crewe. In case you failed to see his nobel clothing and the fact that he has been joining everyone else at the feast,” Arthur paused, never letting his gaze wander from the kneeling lord. “In addition, you deliberately had him in your horse’s pen, while you knew it to be a nervous wreck. And even after he had been beaten by it from getting startled by thunder, you
whipped
it to keep it going. He was very nearly
killed
by your actions.”
The people in the hall stared wide eyed at the man kneeling before the king. Then, they all turned at the sound of the opening doors, and gasped in unison as Merlin, clearly beaten, with a blossoming bruise coloring his cheek, stood frozen in the doorway from all the attention.
The man in question stared at all the faces and swallowed hard against the rising anxiety. He then shook himself and took a step towards the King’s side, and suddenly the people parted to make a way through for him.
Merlin walked slowly towards the King, and everyone could plainly see how beaten he was. The only bruise that showed, was the one on his face. But his whole body screamed abuse as he moved slowly, and winced with every breath.
Arthur’s eyes softened as he laid eyes on his friend, and he stepped forwards as if he wanted to help him.
Merlin stepped up to him and pulled him aside.
“Please don’t do anything rash,” Merlin whispered.
“Rash? For attempted murder? The man deserves death himself for what he’s done!” Arthur hissed back. Merlin sent him a stern look and shook his head slowly.
“You are supposed to give him a punishment that fits the crime. I didn’t die. I was merely beaten,” Merlin paused. “A death sentence would not be fair. Remember what goal you’re working to achieve,” he reminded the King gently.
Arthur sighed. After a moment he nodded in agreement.
The King turned back to the people, looking them all over, before moving his gaze back to the kneeling lord.
“As punishment for your crimes, you will be stripped of your title. You will have to find yourself a job and fend for yourself. In addition, you will have to spend a week in the dungeons. You will see for yourself how it is, living like the servants you so readily find it in yourself to harm. Your fortune will be confiscated. Your home will be taken from you. Then we’ll see, after a year of living like the commoners you so highly disrespect, whether or not you deserve to have your fortune and home back,” King Arthur’s voice sounded cold and regal as he delivered his sentence. “No worries. Your home will be properly cared for in your absence,” He added with a slight bit of humor to it, which made the Lord’s blood run cold.
Merlin just sighed in exasperation by the King’s side.
It turned out that King Arthur decided he would employ people who were not as fortunate to care for the man’s home. They would be allowed to live there and earn some coin in exchange for taking proper care of the mansion after being trained by some of Arthur’s own house staff.
Merlin was overwhelmed by emotion when he found out what Arthur had done. Slowly, but surely, he managed to return to the easy banter, and love there had been between them before The King had broken his trust.
Now, things seemed to flow much easier between them. There was no secrets anymore. They both knew how the other felt.
And one night, their hearts moved them further than they had ever been.
They were alone in Arthur’s chambers after long days of tiring work. Merlin had decided that Arthur needed a warm, relaxing bath. He’d asked the servants to bring up the tub and fill it with water. He then warmed it to the temperature he knew Arthur loved.
He wasn’t supposed to be Arthur’s servant any longer, but he loved doing these small personal things for his King either way. The merman prince had been working on making an oil that would do well when massaged into the muscles, as well as having a nice, calming scent to it. Gaius had helped him as he’d already known of ingredients in oil that did a person well. Merlin was very satisfied with the results and wanted to try it on Arthur.
Arthur walked out from behind the screen, and Merlin felt himself being thrown back to a moment so long ago, when he’d first seen Arthur wear that shell. Just as last time, he could not take his eyes off it. Though, this time he saw more than just the shell. He saw the man wearing it. Just like last time, a grin spread across the King’s face.
“Why, Merlin! See something you like?” He boomed confidently. Merlin’s eyes flickered up to meet the other man’s gaze.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” he gave the sweetest smile he could muster.
Arthur’s eyes widened, and red spread across his face in a deep blush. He stood there, frozen to the spot not knowing what to do with that information.
“Did I finally break the great King Arthur?” Merlin chuckled. He turned away to fiddle with the oil in the hopes that Arthur would managed to gather himself enough to step into the bath before his naked glory broke Merlin in turn.
Only when he heard the telltale splashing of water, did he turn back around. He decided he’d watch the other man before bringing out the oil, and so he gently poured water on the golden locks before he proceeded to massage the soap into Arthur’s hair.
Arthur groaned quietly at the amazing feeling of another person massaging his scalp. It was over all too soon as he was urged forth so Merlin could rinse out the soap.
“Stay like that for a moment, Sire,” Merlin murmured softly.
A wonderful scent of herbs and flowers wrapped around his senses, and a moment later, he felt hands slick with oil on his shoulders. He groaned louder this time, and leaned into the touch. Merlin chuckled behind him and started working on the muscles in Arthur’s shoulders.
He worked firmly, pressing his thumbs into muscle, slowly moving them in an oval pattern. After being satisfied with one spot, he moved on to the next. After finishing with the shoulders, he moved up to work on arthur’s neck. He worked more gently there as to not make any mistakes in such a delicate area.
He gently guided Arthur to lean back in the tub as he finished. Arthur was completely limp in his arms, a dopey smile on his face.
Merlin reached into the water to rinse off the oil from his hands.
“I knew there was a reason I kept you around,”
Merlin turned to look up at Arthur. The other man was still smiling, looking at him with half lidded eyes.
The merman prince flicked his hand and sent water splashing into that face.
Arthur blinked.
Hands grabbed the front of Merlin’s tunic, and he felt his balance shift. In just the blink of an eye, he was soaking wet, lying on top of Arthur in the tub.
They stared dumbly at each other for a moment, before they both burst out laughing.
Merlin rested his head on Arthur’s shoulder, savouring the feeling of resting against those firm muscles.
“How long are we going to keep beating around the bush?” he murmured.
Arthur was silent.
Merlin heard the other’s heart speeding up, and bit his lip to keep from smiling. They were both just as nervous, despite knowing about each other’s feelings.
Fingers brushed up his neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake. They settled beneath Merlin’s chin, thumb resting just under his lip. His head was gently pushed up to face Arthur. They held each other’s gaze, everything else melting away around them. The King’s thumb slowly traced Merlin’s bottom lip. Merlin’s focus turned to Arthur’s rosy lips, and the hooded look he got from looking down broke Arthur’s trance. He leaned down and finally,
finally
their lips met.
It was slow and gentle. A brushing of lips against lips at first, until Arthur gently kissed Merlin’s bottom lip, then moving up to his upper lip. Merlin tried copying him, and after a moment his hand reached up to hold against the side of his face and neck.
They kept up the slow gentle feel of it for a while before pulling back just a bit to look into each other’s hooded eyes. They felt each other’s breath ghost over their lips. Then, they both smiled wide, resting their foreheads against each other.
“About time,” Merlin whispered in amusement.
Arthur could do nothing but chuckle.
They were okay.
They were
finally
okay.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A day later found Arthur and Merlin in the throne room discussing how to change the rest of the laws for the better. They decided it was not a good idea to make any new major changes, as the people would feel like they were trampled with them. But smaller adjustments would be good for the people.
Like taxes. As of now, the poorest paid the most compared to what they owned. This was something that often led to families in need.
Arthur nudged the taxes just a little bit to begin with. He wanted it to go gradual so there would be less fuss. The poorest paid a little bit less, and the richest paid a little bit more.
This was but one little change in Camelot.
The two were deep in conversation when the alarm bells rung out.
Their eyes widened and they both looked up in time to see the doors fly into the great hall, ripped off of their hinges with brutal force.
In the doorway stood a sweetly smiling Muirgen. She was elegantly dressed in yellows and oranges again, and her hair flowed like a waterfall down her shoulders.
It was disorienting always getting dragged in by her beauty, but it was part of the magic surrounding the creature she was.
“What, no welcome party for me?” her voice was as sweet and smooth as always.
Merlin shook his head, trying to get her magic to leave him alone. He shot a spell at Arthur to protect him from it as well and a moment later he shook his head, looking at Merlin with wide eyes.
“What do you want? You got your revenge!” King Arthur shouted out when he got his bearings back.
“Oh my tiny Pendragon chickling. No. You see, the Pendragon blood needs to be completely wiped out for me to be satisfied. Your dearest daddy has his dirty blood in your veins, so it’s just a matter of time before you end up the same as him,”
“Arthur, get behind me,” Merlin muttered as he held out a hand in protection. Arthur sent him a look of defiance, but it withered at the seriousness in Merlin’s eyes. He knew what the merman was capable of, and he finally realized that maybe he should let him take the lead on this. Magic against magic. He did, however have a great need to protect him. So he slowly stepped back to where he knew there to be a sword hidden by the throne. He deeply regretted not buckling on his own sword before he left his chambers.
“Ooohhh the little servant is taking over,” Muirgen taunted. She looked at him with disdain, but there was something like curiosity in her eyes. It was as though she knew there was something about him that she couldn’t figure out.
“Think about what you’re doing. Arthur has removed the ban on magic, and is working on making Camelot a better place for us all. What message will you bring the people if you kill him after all this?” Merlin tried talking her away from her plans. He didn’t want to fight her, and it was true that her killing Arthur would ruin the progress. People would mistrust magic again if a creature of magic murdered their King in cold blood.
“Enough with the talking,” Muirgen’s eyes narrowed. She looked disgusted as she cocked her hip to the side, resting her hand on it. She lifted her other hand, pointed it at Merlin, and smirked. Her eyes lit up, and a spell was thrown Merlin’s way.
Merlin effectively blocked it with a spell of his own, without even a whispered word.
Muirgen’s eyes widened a fraction.
“So the puppy learned to bite,” she spat, and her stance shifted to become more serious.
Merlin shifted as well, realizing she was not going to back down.
The Morgen Queen conjured a giant ball of fire and sent it hurtling towards the throne, where Arthur stood. Merlin threw up a shield of shimmering blue magic, sending the ball back at her. In addition, he had lightning building up and shot it at her immediately after.
She was not easy to trick however, and she dodged both attacks with ease.
Merlin tried commanding roots up around her, but the witch easily slipped away from them, sending a force wave through the room. Merlin didn’t have time to prepare a counter attack, and crashed to the floor with the force of her magic.
He got back up immediately, and saw Arthur charging at her with a sword at the ready.
“Arthur, no!” he shouted and subconsciously sent out a wave of magic to stop him. The magic took the form of a giant hand of water, and it wrapped around Arthur, picking him up and moving him back behind Merlin. Arthur’s face was a comical offended grimace, but Merlin couldn’t take the time to enjoy it, because Muirgen was at it with her attacks again. He made sure Arthur was held back and protected by his magic, while he concentrated on pushing Muirgen back.
After being hit, he decided it was time to let everything loose. He went at her with all he had, summoning lightning storms inside the throne room, surrounding her with fire, water and roots. He pulled weapons and shields from the walls and brought statues and armours to life.
Muirgen pushed back as much as he did. She had stones from the walls fly at him, the wood from the doors splintered into small sharp spears, flying at him from all directions. He could not deflect them all, and some pierced his skin painfully. Fire and ice exploded around him, everything hurled both at him and Arthur. The King was, at least for the time being, secure behind a wall of ice.
The dog he had brought to life managed to bite onto one of her arms. She screamed in pained rage at the creature, and threw it off herself. With a yelp, the dog hit the wall and crumbled to the floor. A stack of armour took it’s place, and managed to get in a hit to her side.
She let out an explosion of magic, throwing the armour away from her, returning it and the dog to their true forms. Still and lifeless.
Merlin, having stumbled from another of her attacks, didn’t manage to get away from the blast. His eyes widened as he realized just what kind of magic it was, and braced himself as it hit. He felt it warring against his own magic, undoing it.
The pain hit him harder than he thought possible. He thought for a fleeting moment that it might be due to his own magic fighting against that of Muirgen’s. Screams erupted from his throat, shocking Muirgen into stillness as she stared at him.
Merlin curled in on himself, collapsing to the floor. He writhed and and shook as the pain ripped through him.
Muirgen watched in confused silence as Merlin convulsed, his eyes full of pain and staring absently ahead.
Arthur yelled for Merlin, trying to break free from the wavering magic keeping him back.
The sound of ripping fabric resonated throughout the room, silencing Arthur.
Guards finally arrived in the room, but Muirgen effectively shut them off from getting to her as she threw up a wall of magic behind her. She wanted to see what was going on here. She had not thought the magical wave she’d thrown out would have any effect on the servant. She’d only meant for the annoying animated objects to leave her alone.
Her eyes widened as she saw the spikes protruding from the ripped clothing, the skin turning to colored scales, the gills slitting his throat.
She gasped at the horrifying scars littering the tail taking form in front of her.
Then, she recognized him.
Those colors.
Those markings.
There was no mistaking it.
A motion caught her attention, and she looked towards the collapsing ice wall. The Pendragon boy was crawling over the ice. As he did, his necklace slipped out from under his tunic.
There definitely was no mistaking it.
“The Prince,” she breathed. The presumed dead prince.
How had she not realized sooner?
There was no difference to his face, after all!
The Prince of the sea was here in Camelot. And the Pendragon child was wearing his shell. She had tried to kill him. She could have started a war between her people and the ocean. She was not going to risk that. That would just result in her kind being wiped out.
She lowered her arms, relaxing her stance as she looked at the scene in front of her. The King of Camelot was kneeling by the merman Prince, pulling his upper body into his lap, slapping the merman’s cheeks slightly.
The Prince was lifeless in his arms, and there was a panic that could not be faked in the King’s eyes.
Perhaps he was different from his father after all.
Didn’t mean she was going to go soft all of a sudden, though.
“Tell your servant he’s lucky he’s a Prince of the ocean. Both he and you would be dead by now if he wasn’t,” she spat. “Don’t ever do my people, or other creatures of magic, any injustice. I will come for you if you do,” she added after a longer silence. Then, she vanished in a whirlwind of magic.
The barrier keeping the guards, knights and other battle ready citizens of Camelot out of the throne room finally fell. Men and women came barreling through the door, weapons ready to defend their King. They all stormed almost all the way up to the throne before realizing there was no enemy to be fought.
They looked around, confused and somewhat disoriented at the destruction to the room. When their eyes finally found the King, they froze.
The King of Camelot was on the floor of the great hall, his former servant lying unconscious in his arms, resting in the King’s lap. He looked pale and injured. His face was of such innocence, they were struck with the shock of anyone finding it in their hearts to lay a hand on him. As their eyes traveled further, they were left flabbergasted and so confused they did not know what to think. The boy’s clothes were ripped to shreds, revealing a long colorful fish like tail. It lay curved in a big circle, the end of the tail resting against the King’s knees. And it was in a horrible state. It was scarred and destroyed, making it very unlikely that the young man could even swim.
A great heavy silence spread throughout the room.
Arthur looked up, his eyes wide as he realized how many people were in the room. How many had seen the well kept secret of Merlin’s true species. He didn’t know what to say, or what to think of the people’s expressions. Subconsciously, he tightened his grip on the other man, as if someone would try to take him away.
A moment later, his most trusted knights broke through the crowd, and upon seeing them, he realized Merlin needed water.
“Bring me the biggest tub you can find! And water! Buckets of water!” he ordered loudly, not really directing it at anyone specific. No one moved to begin with, but then a crowd of people shot into motion upon realizing their King had uttered an order.
Gwaine fell to his knees by Merlin’s tail, immediately uncorking a waterskin he was carrying, and poured it all over Merlin. It would not be enough, but it was better than nothing.
The other knights followed suit, pouring their water onto the dry tail.
It didn’t take too long before a tub was set up close to the King and was being slowly filled with water as more and more people arrived with buckets.
Gwaine helped Arthur maneuver the merman into the wooden tub, and as he was put in, Merlin finally stirred. He looked disoriented as he looked around at the faces above him. His gaze rested on his tail and after blinking away his confusion, he finally recalled what had happened. His eyes went wide as he took in the great hall, filled with people who were staring at him with a mix of shock and curiosity.
A hand in his hair caught his attention, and he looked up into Arthur’s warm eyes. It was reassuring, and he felt he could relax somewhat. He was the King, after all.
“It’s alright, Merlin. It was bound to happen sometime. Better now than later,” Lancelot smiled from behind Arthur.
“Alright, Show’s over! Make yourselves useful and start cleaning up in here!” Gwaine called out, annoyed. The people blinked at him until they realized he was among the King’s most trusted, and the King himself didn’t say anything against it.
“I can’t transform back yet,” Merlin muttered as people began picking up the rubble around them. “Her spell fought so hard against my own magic, I don’t know when I’ll be able to,”
“Don’t fret. We have water for you. We can cover you in blankets to keep people from staring too much. The witch is gone, and she will leave us alone unless we do something to anger her. You don’t need to fight any time soon,” Arthur tried to calm him.
“What happened? Did she just suddenly decide to leave?” Merlin questioned.
“She recognized you. Said we were lucky that you’re royalty from the ocean. If not, we’d be dead by now,” he explained. “Her words, not mine,” he added after a moment of deliberation.
“Oh,” the merman blinked. “Oh no… Arthur, I need to get back to the ocean. I need to warn Mithian, and my parents… They need to know about the knights. Anyone could have recognized me, they could be going to the knights and they could be planning to do anything by now,” Merlin looked on the verge of going hysterical.
Arthur didn’t know what to think. He didn’t think the knights would do anything other than perhaps try to get to Merlin to assassinate him if they realized he was indeed alive. He didn’t understand why the knights would be going after the King of the sea, when it looked like they had never even planned it.
“Shh Merlin, calm down. You can’t do any of that right now. You need rest,” he said, cupping Merlin’s hands in his. “We’ll find a way, but first, you must recover your strength,”
“He’s right, you know. We’ll help you figure this out, but only if you rest first,” Gwaine added as he sidled up to the tub again. The rest of the knights nodded their agreement, sending Merlin kind smiles.
Merlin took a moment to think before he nodded. His panic slowly faded from his features, leaving him sinking into the tub, exhausted.
“We’ll be here to keep you safe. Sleep now,” Lancelot squeezed his shoulder, while Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin’s hands slightly.
Merlin nodded sleepily. It didn’t take long for his eyes to slide shut. A servant suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere, handing a big thick blanket over to the King. Arthur jumped slightly, but quickly took the blanket and covered Merlin with it. It didn’t matter that it would get wet. It was mostly to cover him up so he would feel safer.
They all stayed near him, someone always touching him to let him know he wasn’t ever alone in the great throne room. Servants, guards, knights, and common folk all helped tidy up around the room, and wherever else the Morgen Queen might have attacked.
Gaius finally got there to look the King and Prince over. Morgana and Gwen joined in on guard duty. Morgana decided she would heat the water a bit to keep Merlin warm.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
In the end, they decided that Merlin should stay in his merman form to lessen his suffering. He was adamant to get to the sea as soon as possible, so it would be better to let him stay merman to lessen the number of transformations. Gwaine and Lancelot were immediately ready to help him travel. Arthur wanted to go with them, despite Merlin’s protests. He ordered Gaius behind Merlin’s back to find a spell that would let him breathe underwater.
He remembered the time Merlin had saved him, and knew it was possible. He did not, however, know for how long it would give him the air he needed.
It turned out that Gaius already had several spells like that in his possession. The best suited was one that would give him temporary gills. It would last everything from one to three days. It was never certain, and he warned Arthur over and over that he needed to be aware of the signs that the spell was ending.
The King brought Lancelot with him to Gaius, having him explain everything so the other man would know what to look for as well. Lancelot had agreed to help him cast the spell, even if Merlin didn’t want him to come with. The knight saw the positive effects his presence would have, however. Though he was loyal to a fault to Merlin, he also knew how important it would be for the royals to see the proof of Camelot’s change. To see that they could finally live in peace, again.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin decided Arabus would be a wonderful help and had him drag the wagon they were going to use to get to the sea. They filled the wagon with water as well as they could, and brought barrels of water along to make sure Merlin would not dry out on their way. They covered him with blankets to hide his tail.
Arthur, and Lancelot sat in the front, While Gwaine stayed in the back with Merlin. The merman was very unhappy with everyone for letting Arthur put himself in danger like this, but had realized it would be useless to discuss it any further.
Their trip passed by very fast and without any trouble. They abandoned the cart on the beach, Lancelot and Gwaine carrying Merlin to the water. Arthur worked on freeing Arabus from the wagon before he shed some of his clothing.
Gwaine and Lancelot writhed in pain as they transformed their bodies from human to mermen. Arthur shivered and gave them sympathetic looks along with Merlin. Arabus slowly made his way into the water, shivering a bit as he adjusted to the salty liquid.
Lancelot took a few moments to breathe before he put the spell on Arthur.
The King was not really prepared for how it would feel to grow gills, and fell to his knees as he clutched his throat. He gasped, unable to draw a breath. It felt as though he was being strangled by a cloth shoved down his throat.
Hands abruptly grabbed hold of him and pulled him under the surface. Water surged in through his throat, and his muscles automatically clenched, trying to expel it.
Fingers threaded through his hair on each side of his face, holding him steady. He felt something touch his forehead. He desperately grabbed the hands holding him, and finally managed to open his eyes. The saltwater assaulted his eyes, making him blink furiously in an attempt at clearing his vision.
Merlin was looking back at him, his forehead resting against Arthur’s own.
Merlin moved so their noses touched, gently stroking against Arthur’s. His fingers carded through the King’s hair, calming him.
It was a strange thing to breathe through one’s neck rather than the air flowing down through his mouth or nose. He was infinitely glad he would not have to go through the process of changing his whole body, as he felt how uncomfortable it made him just to change his way of breathing.
“I’m going to cast a glamour spell on you now. We need to make you look like a merman even if you aren’t. We need to keep the focus away from you until it’s needed,”
Merlin spoke, and Arthur didn’t know if it was out loud or in his head. He had no clue how speaking worked in the sea.
The merman’s eyes glowed a beautiful gold. He felt nothing happen to his body, except maybe the feeling of a thin veil of cloth flowing around it. He looked down and was met with a see-through image of a tail underneath him. He could still see his body through the image, and so he couldn’t really make out the proper colors.
Merlin looked at him with wide sparkling eyes, and he couldn’t help but wonder how he looked to the other man.
“You look like a true royal,”
It sounded like Merlin was out of breath as he said it. He moved back a bit, and looked Arthur up and down, looking very appreciative.
“You look very good as a merman,” he smiled devilishly. A groan and and a pretend barf resonated through the water and they both turned to look at Gwaine and Lancelot. Even Arabus looked through with them.
Speaking of Arabus. He was positively terrifying. It was amazing how such a beautiful creature could end up looking like
that
. The horse looked like it was melting and rotting, and it suddenly had sharp teeth and a long fish-like tail.
“By the gods,”
Arthur burst out at the sight of him. Arabus just responded by giving him the most terrifying grin.
“There are worse things in the sea than him. Just saying,”
Gwaine smiled widely.
Arthur shuddered and looked to Merlin for validation. Merlin just shrugged and pointed at his tail. Point taken.
Merlin and Arthur moved over to hold onto Arabus. The Kelpie had offered to be their tail for the trip, which they were both very grateful for as they would slow them all down otherwise.
Merlin reached over and poked Arthur on the side of his head, and just as Arthur was about to ask what that was about when the image of himself with a red and golden tail flickered by his inner eye.
He was momentarily stunned at the sight of it. Merlin’s feelings seeped through as well, and he felt warm all over from it all.
He looked at Merlin’s smile and couldn’t help the smile that spread across his own face.
“Quit the imaginary lovemaking back there,”
Arabus commented without even looking back, and both men turned beet red at the comment. Gwaine and Lancelot laughed behind them.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
They were fast approaching the city of the merfolk, and decided Merlin needed a glamour spell as well. He’d end up exposed and in danger if not. He cast one on himself, trying to pass as someone else. It was not an easy thing to do, and he still had a likeness to himself. Both Lancelot and Gwaine tried to tweak the spell to make him look less like himself, but it was no use.
Arabus ended up taking most of the attention as he was not a common sight in the city. Merlin felt his anxiety spiking like crazy as he floated along beside him. He was sure he would be recognized by someone, and he could see the knights spread all throughout the city. At this point he had no clue who were enemies or not. He felt sorrow for how long he’d been away from this place. How long he’d been
forced
to be away.
His breath hitched, and Arabus nudged him gently as he felt Merlin’s distress.
Curious glances followed them as they made their way deeper into the city. When the citizens realized there were strangers accompanying the kelpie, the attention gradually moved over to the small party of mermen.
There was suspicion along with the curiosity.
To their surprise, though, there was also sympathy to be seen in some of their eyes. It likely came from the fact that Merlin and Arthur were not swimming themselves, but rather clutching to the kelpie between them. The citizens probably thought the two of them were handicapped.
The knights, however, only had suspicion in their eyes, and it did not take long for two of them to approach the small party.
The two knights were big and clearly muscled. One was bigger than the other, and both were adorned with sharp, potentially deadly spikes.
Their expressions were carefully blank though their eyes brimmed with caution.
“What are your intentions here in the city of King Emrys?” the smaller one of them questioned.
Merlin stared at them with wide, fearful eyes, taking in every small detail. The one speaking had long dark brown hair in a braid, and a carefully styled and braided beard. His skin was the same golden brown as Gwen’s, and his tail complimented the skin with blues and greens. His eyes bored into Merlin, and what would usually be a light warm red brown color, seemed cold and heartless.
The other guy was bigger. He was more of the quiet type, like Percival. His skin was far darker than the other knight, almost completely black. His dark hair was twisted into elegant ropes adorned with gold at the ends. He too had a braided beard. His eyes looked completely black, and his tail contrasted nicely with pinks and golds.
Merlin was completely frozen in fear as flashbacks of his attack played in his head. These two had not been a part of it. He didn’t even think they’d been knights back then, but he had no way of knowing whether they were allied with the enemy or not.
The bigger man seemed to realize he was scared out of his mind. The man’s eyes softened and he put a hand on his comrade’s shoulder.
“Lachlan, I think you’re scaring them,” the bigger one commented with a small smile.
The other one, Lachlan, looked bewildered over at his fellow knight, and then back at the small party, his eyes stopping on Merlin. He seemed shocked for a moment before he pulled himself together and tried for a reassuring smile.
“Apologies. We are all a bit on edge lately. The princess was attacked not long ago, and so our security has been increased,” a flash of anger shot through his eyes before he calmed down again.
“Attacked?” Merlin piped up, the fear in his eyes shifting to concern for his sister.
“Kadin here was on patrol that night,” Lachlan gestured towards the bigger man. “She was ambushed in her room, but the attacker didn’t get to do much damage. The biggest problem is that he escaped, and had disguised himself well enough that we can’t find him based on looks,”
Kadin looked troubled and didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.
“We should perhaps refrain from saying anything else,” he murmured at Lachlan after a moment of silence. Lachlan nodded in agreement and looked them over once more.
“As I asked, what are your intentions here?”
“We hoped to get an audience with the Royals,” Gwaine was the one who spoke up this time. “I’m an old friend of the Prince. I’ve been away for far too many years now, and would like to see him again,” he let his easy grin eat up his face in a way that screamed confidence. He’d had no problem pretending he didn’t have Merlin there with him, and that he didn’t know what had happened.
The two knights’ eyes widened, and they looked at each other, regret and sorrow finding it’s way into their eyes. As they looked back, Gwaine let his expression fall. He moved closer to them, making sure they could see his tail.
“What?” he asked in a weary tone.
Recognition sparked in their expressions as they saw the color of his tail.
“I remember you. It has indeed been many years since the last time I saw you. The Prince was never the same after you left,” Kadin looked down at Gwaine’s guilty expression. “I regret to inform you of this, but the Prince died several years ago,” he added, and looked like he wanted to apologize for it all.
Gwaine acted shocked. It looked so real, Merlin almost felt like he needed to remind the man that he was alive.
“There was a memorial set up for him… We could bring you there if you wish?” Lachlan offered gently.
Gwaine did nothing but nod, his expression blank.
The knights turned, leading the small party towards the castle. The castle itself was huge, and so there was no problem for Arabus to help them inside. They were lead through the entrance hall, into something looking like a reception room. There, against the wall, was a great portrait of a younger, smiling Merlin. Underneath it was a table filled with sea flowers, shells, living corals, decorative stones, pearls, luminescent crystals and all kinds of other offerings.
Merlin was shaken at the sight of it. He knew his parents loved him, but he’d never imagined there to be so much love at his eventual memorial. And the fact that it had not yet been taken down. That thing had been up for years.
Gwaine froze at the sight of it. This time, he looked over at Merlin to see that he was indeed there. The fact that Merlin didn’t look quite like himself made it hard for Gwaine to remember his friend was not actually dead. He knew it had been incredibly close though, and the thought that this memorial could have been built on truth was enough to make him feel sorrow creeping over him.
Everyone else stayed in place as he moved closer to the memorial. He looked at the portrait of Merlin, of how happy and innocent he’d been back then. He looked at all the beautiful offerings, at all that had been written to him. He pretended to pray for Merlin, and just as he was finishing up, a familiar voice rang out from behind him.
“Gwaine? Is that you, dear?”
Gwaine turned with a lump in his throat to see the queen had entered the room. She was as beautiful as always. A bit older than he remembered, but still the warmth in her that he had struggled finding in others. It was tainted by sorrow, but it didn’t stop her from reaching out to him. He swam over to her, accepting the hug she was offering.
“I am so sorry you came home to this,” she murmured against his hair.
Deciding he needed to keep up the act, he asked the question he would naturally have asked if this had all been true.
“What happened?” he moved back a bit to look at her properly.
“He was out on a rescue mission along with a group of knights. He ended up being caught by the beast they were fighting, and the knights didn’t get to him in time. There… was not much left of him…” she broke herself off as her voice shook from the emotion.
Gwaine swallowed hard at the image that ran through his mind.
Hunith cleared her throat and looked around at the others, noting the kelpie and the two mermen clinging to it. She paused as her eyes landed on Merlin. There was something very familiar about him, but she could not place it.
Merlin held his breath as his mother looked straight at him. He was not ready for the revelation just yet. He let himself relax once his mother looked back to Gwaine.
“I see you’ve brought a few friends,” she smiled, hinting at him to introduce them to her.
“Ah... yes. This is Lancelot, Arthur and… Mer… Mer. And this magnificent steed is Arabus,” Gwaine really needed to work on his disguise-name skills. Hunith’s eyebrows rose in confused surprise at the name.
“My, I have not seen anything like this in my life, and certainly not a tame one. I’ve heard of these wonderful beasts, but I thought they only lived in freshwater,” Hunith commented and reached out to touch Arabus. She graciously avoided the awkward name.
The Kelpie closed it’s eyes and leaned into the touch.
“Apparently they can live in any kind of water. It was a present to Mermer from his father. As you can see, he needs the help.”
Hunith’s eyes once again went to Merlin. Or, Mermer as she knew him as now. She looked at him with sympathy before her eyes shifted to look at Arthur. He was in the same predicament.
“Gwaine, would you and your friends like to join us for dinner?” Hunith smiled at all of them. “Lachlan, Kadin, you may return to your duties now,” she added with a kind look their way.
“We would be honored,” Gwaine replied kindly. Hunith always managed to pull out the softer side of him.
Hunith gestured down a hallway, and had Gwaine and the others follow her into the dining hall. She informed a servant of the addition to the dinner table, and smiled as the servant scurried off to inform the cooks.
Arabus let Merlin and Arthur down by the raised platform that worked as a table. Gwaine sat down on one side of them, and Lancelot on the other. Hunith sat by Gwaine and the two of them started talking about the days he still lived there.
Arthur sat looking around, taking in everything around him. It was strange seeing how they lived in castles underneath the surface. He was curious to how all of this worked, but didn’t say a thing. He needed to stay in character.
Merlin bit his lower lip as he watched how easily Gwaine talked with his mother. He wanted to join in, to tell her he was alive. He felt his glamour charm flicker and knew he needed to concentrate on keeping it in place.
Lancelot sat in silent awe as he looked around the castle. He had not been there before, and was transfixed. He had always been very fond of the royals, even though he had been from a small village outside the city.
They all jumped slightly as Mithian came barreling into the room. She froze at the sight of the guests, and then her eyes widened. She looked at Arabus for a long time, before her eyes moved to Arthur.
Merlin managed to send her a small nudge to keep her from revealing she knew him, and then her eyes shot to look at him.
“Now, Mithian, don’t be rude. Stop staring,” Hunith commented with a smile.
Mithian shook herself and looked at her mother. She realized no one knew anything just yet, and kept silent.
“I didn’t realize we had guests,” she murmured and swam over to curl up against her mother.
As she swam past, Merlin could see the bruises on her skin. His blood boiled at the thought of someone daring to touch her.
“This is my daughter, Mithian. Mithian, this is Gwaine, Mermer, Arthur and Lancelot. The kelpie over there is Arabus. Be a good girl and say hello,” her mother stroke her hair gently.
Mithian looked up and had to keep herself from laughing at the strange name her brother had assumed. She was sure it was him from the small nudge earlier, and the fact that Arthur and Arabus was here with him. In addition, he still had similarities to himself, and she was astonished that her mother had not reacted.
“Hello, and welcome to our home,” she said dutifully.
“Thank you for inviting us in like this,” Arthur replied with a smile. He felt strange not joining in on the conversation. He looked over at Merlin a moment before returning his attention to the Queen and Princess. “Mermer here is of the quiet type,” he added with a grin.
Merlin sent him an unamused look, and the two royals laughed.
They all turned to the doorway when they heard someone approaching.
The small party stiffened a bit as King Balinor entered the dining hall with a few knights following behind him.
Merlin choked up at the sight of him. He truly was the spitting image of his twin, though he was more well groomed. Arthur froze at the sight of him as he had not realized the man was so similar to Cynwrig. It was like seeing a ghost.
“Oh, we have guests?” the older man commented and looked to his queen.
“Yes. You remember Gwaine, don’t you?” the Queen gestured to the young man by her side. “He was Merlin’s best friend. He just returned with a small group of friends,” she added after seeing the recognition in his eyes.
“Gwaine, my boy! How have you been?” the King smiled a big warm smile and reached over to touch his shoulder.
“I’ve been alright. Missed this place, though, so I decided to come visit,” his smile faded at the end, illustrating how he thought about Merlin.
The King’s smile faded as well. He looked down and shook his head. There was no need for him to reply to that.
Merlin felt like crying. Here his whole family rested around the dining table, and he was still believed to be dead. He wanted so dearly to reveal himself, but they all needed to talk first. They needed to warn them of the knights. The only problem was, there were knights in that very room. He looked over, and his breath caught in his throat. They weren’t just any kind of knight. They were among the ones who were in on the attack.
There were three of them by the entrance. He doubted the others were far away. They looked straight at him and narrowed their eyes. He swallowed hard as he remembered that Lancelot had been there that day, and they had not put any form of glamour on him. They wouldn’t remember… would they?
Merlin looked down at his hands folded in front of him. He kept watching them in his peripheral vision. Looking out for any kind of recognition.
He didn’t realize how much time had passed until a plate of food was placed before him. He looked startled up at the others who seemed to have missed him spacing out. They were talking merrily, and started eating immediately. Everyone but Arthur that is.
Arthur stared at the plate in front of him. It was covered in raw fish, cut into smaller pieces and wrapped in different kinds of sea plants. Merlin suppressed a laugh at the look on his face. He hadn’t thought about how different merfolk food would be compared to human food.
Merlin picked up one of the rolls and took a bite. I hadn’t realized how much he’d missed this until that very moment. He savoured every bite, and found Arthur staring longingly at him once he finished. The merman prince smiled encouragingly at the human King.
Arthur tentatively picked up one of the rolls and tried a bite of his own. He didn’t even know what to think of it. It was so strange to eat raw fish like that. But it also tasted… good. The seaweed, or whatever it was, gave a well seasoned taste to the fish. He picked up another one and was surprised to find it tasted far more spicy than the first. He looked more closely at the remaining rolls and realized they all had a hint of different colors. It was interesting to taste them all, and it didn’t take long before he’d finished his plate.
Merlin looked at him approvingly, smiling brightly as he finished his own plate.
A small gasp caught their attention, and made them look to the source. Hunith stared at Merlin with a shocked expression on her face. Merlin’s eyes widened, and he looked down on himself trying to make sure his glamour was still in place. It was. Why was she staring at him like that? Why did she have tears in her eyes?
“Oh, my boy, you have my son’s smile,” she breathed when he looked back up at her. He felt his magic waver, and was amazed she didn’t see it. A movement in his peripheral vision told him someone else had caught it.
He looked over to see the knights were tense, and whispering amongst themselves. One of them narrowed his eyes at him, before he left.
He sent a terrified look Gwaine’s way, and was relieved to see he had been paying attention.
“Actually, your highnesses, I came to speak to you about something very important. It would be best if this conversation could be held without any knights or guards present,” Gwaine told them outright.
Balinor raised his brows at that. It was an unusual request, but he signaled for the knights to leave them alone either way.
“I must admit, we have been lying to you since we got here,” Gwaine said, keeping his hands visible. He didn’t want them to believe he was there to assassinate them.
Before anyone managed anything other than a disapproving look, a commotion burst through the entrance.
A spell was shouted out loud, and the light of it hit Arthur square in the chest, removing the glamour to reveal his human physique.
“This is the culprit! This is the one who attacked the princess!” someone shouted, and a horde of knights came barreling into the dining hall.
Arthur gasped from the pain and confusion, and blinked at the men shooting towards him.
Gwaine was up and ready to fight, as was Lancelot and Arabus. Merlin gasped and tried to shy away from the physical fight due to his inability to maneuver well. Hunith shielded her daughter who was yelling for them all to stop, that they were mistaken. Balinor looked between his daughter, the human with gills in his home, and the knights, not knowing what to believe.
In the confusion, Merlin found himself pressed against the wall, and Mithian had managed to get past her mother to help Arthur. She sent magic at his attackers, and wound up too close to the fight.
“A human lover! Treason!” someone yelled out. One of the knights made for Mithian, and Merlin saw red.
“MITHIAN!” he screamed, throwing himself forward as well as he could, magic exploding from within him. He ended up ripping the glamour away in the process, and a brilliant blue force of energy swept at every knight around his sister. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her with his own body as a spear came crashing like a club against his shoulders.
He took a deep breath, turning around to see his parents now cornered, as well. Apparently the knights had decided they weren’t loyal anymore, after all. They had brought along magic-cancelling chains, and were securing the thrashing royals with it.
Merlin’s anger rose within him, his magic building up along with it.
“You will not escape this as easily as you did the last time,” he seethed.
His parents’ heads shot up, looking straight at him. They had not seen the glamour fall away, and had only seen someone protecting their daughter before they were overpowered by a group of knights.
Their eyes were wide, their gills freezing as they stopped breathing. Their struggle ceased, making it easier for the knights to secure them. Their faces went pale as sheets.
All activity halted around him as the merfolk in the hall realized what exactly was going on. Everyone staring in horrified shock at the supposed dead Prince.
A majorly scarred and handicapped Prince.
A Prince who could barely keep himself afloat.
A choked gasp came from the queen.
Her voice was but a tiny, strangled squeak as she breathed his name.
“Merlin…?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The way his mother’s voice broke pierced Merlin’s heart. He had never wanted to bring her pain. And yet he had. It had not been his fault, but in the end he had still been responsible for her anguish.
He didn’t have much time to feel guilty about it, though.
“You!” a low growl came from one of the knights. It was an older knight with short thinning grey hair, and orange tinted skin. His face was permanently pinched, and his soggy tail was a dull grey. “Traitorous, human loving filth!” he seethed, his face going red in his anger.
Merlin had the sudden realisation that this was their leader. The old knight had always disliked him, and had always been a hateful man. He had never understood why his father kept such a man among his knights to begin with. The knight was a very manipulative and slimy in his nature, so that may have been the reason.
Mithian clung to Merlin as if he was a lifeline, and stared at the knights around them. She had not realized that there were this many traitors in their midst. She had known there were a group of them, but this was a terrible amount of their force. They had no way of knowing whether the others were allies or not.
“Mithian, I need you to get out of here. See if you can find any loyal subjects at all. You’re a smart girl, I know you can do it,”
Merlin spoke calmly in her mind. His voice made her feel safe, and she managed to calm herself down. She took a look around, and found Gwaine and Lancelot ready to fight alongside Arthur. Arabus was also very happy to join in, and they only waited for the fight to start.
“I need a distraction,”
she replied.
“Close your eyes,”
he commanded, and she had no doubt he had said that to their parents and friends as well.
Immediately, a bright light erupted, blinding the knights. They yelled out in pain, and Mithian took her chance to swim off.
She raced out from there and down the halls, looking for anyone they could trust.
She came to the end of a hallway, and didn’t manage to stop in time to stealthily look around the corner as she swam too fast. In the next room, there were more knights. She tried to hide before they saw her, but it was too late.
Their heads shot up, and they looked straight at her. She saw their huge muscled bodies, and the colors of their tails. Pink and gold, and blues and greens. They pulled their weapons from their belts, faces hard as they approached her.
Her heart hammered wildly in her chest as she backed away from them. They didn’t stop.
“NO!” she yelled out as the biggest one reached a gigantic hand towards her.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Once the princess was gone, most of the knights managed to clear their vision enough to attack. Merlin had gotten separated from the others when he’d thrown himself in front of Mithian. Now, he was by no means weak, but it was very different trying to overpower a big knight with a functional tail underwater, than it would be to overpower a human on land. He was easily pinned down. One knight held his thrashing tail, while another grabbed him around the neck. The man made sure to cover Merlin’s gills with his fingers, making it impossible for the prince to breathe.
Merlin felt his anxiety spike as his oxygen was cut off. The water had no escape other than through his mouth and nose. As he didn’t get water out through his gills, he couldn’t pick up the oxygen in it. He gasped as he desperately tried to claw at the man’s arms to get them off.
His vision started to blacken, and blood rushed in his ears. He clawed at the man’s face, and finally managed to coax his magic into another attack. A force pushed the men off of him, and he gasped as he finally got the oxygen he needed.
Disoriented, he tried to move away from the knights, and found himself crashing into a broad chest. Hands grabbed him and he looked up into the dark eyes of Kadin. He looked stricken as he saw Merlin’s face, and the chaos around them. His grip on Merlin’s arms tightened, and Merlin was certain the man would run him through with his weapon.
The Prince was aware of screaming, and the scent of blood in the water, but his fear kept his gaze glued to the knight holding him.
Kadin’s head shot up to look behind Merlin, and suddenly the Prince was thrust behind the huge knight.
“KADIN!” someone shouted, and Merlin realized there was blood misting the water around him. He looked up and realized Kadin was shielding him, and he felt guilt run through him as he realized this man was an ally.
There was a flurry of movement around him, and he soon realized Lachlan had joined the fight. Kadin must not have sustained a very bad injury, because he was soon joining his fellow knight in defence of the royal family.
Merlin had a moment to look around and saw how all of his friends and these two knights fought bravely, despite the number of enemies. He found his parents had been immobilized, but not injured as of yet, and he realized he would have a chance to free them from the chains if he could swim over without being seen.
He took a chance and made for his parents, flapping his ruined tail and fins as well as using his arms to drag himself along the floor. This ended up being an advantage as he was so close to the floor compared to the other merfolk, and so he made his way unnoticed over to his parents. Even they had not realized he’d arrived behind them until he warned them in their heads that he would be working on freeing them, but they had to stay silent until he was done.
Unchaining them was not an easy task, and he had to be careful as to not drag attention to them. He was very thankful for Balinor’s broad chest, and long hair in that moment. It did a good job of hiding him from the knights.
Finally, the chains loosened. The royal couple’s muscles tensed in preparation to join the fight, and once the chain fell away, they shot off immediately. Hunith picked up the closest weapon she could find, while Balinor went in with his fists in his anger. These people had hurt their little family. They would not get away with it.
Merlin helped with his magic, and found that it was easier for him to fight now that his parents were free. He did worry about his sister, but he trusted her to be safe.
As the fight died down, the leader of the knights was secured along with his remaining followers. Most of them were too hurt to do anything, and some were even dead. More loyal knights and other subjects burst into the hall, ready to defend their royal family, and helped securing everyone.
In the flurry of activity, none of them recognized the Prince, and no one realized there was a human in their midst.
The knights were held down in front of the merman King. Anger boiled in his veins as he looked at them. These men were supposed to be protectors of their people. Instead they had plotted against the royal family, and thus also against the people. Balinor had always prided himself in doing the best he could for his kingdom. He listened to them. Helped them. Did what he could to please them all. The prohibition to go close to shore around Camelot was not something that was put in place so he had an excuse to punish anyone. No. It had simply been to protect his people. He didn’t want them murdered by ignorant humans. He always held out hope that Camelot would come to it’s senses again so that he could freely let his people swim close to the shore or even visit land.
He had always told his people to come to him if they had any problems with anything. Yet, these scum had gone behind everyone’s backs. Used manipulation and who knows what other kinds of dirty tricks to hurt rather than protect.
“Roland Lump. You, and your followers are accused of treason to the throne, but most importantly, to the entire city, itself. Plotting against the throne, attempted murder and trickery. What do you have to say for yourself?” King Balinor commanded.
The leader of the traitors stared at the king in disgust. Even held down, he obviously still thought he had the upper hand.
Merlin came up beside his parents, Mithian finally emerging and joining them. Arthur, Lancelot, Gwaine and Arabus were also very close. Lachlan and Kadin were present as well, though they floated more to the side.
“This city has fallen to the curse of the two legged vermin! The royals, starting with that revolting, human-loving
filth
, has set this place to a downward spiral! I was making this kingdom great again!” The man was so angry, he was foaming around his mouth in his red faced rage.
“Making the city great again?! By murdering innocent children?!” Hunith moved forth, fury oozing off of her. This man was responsible for Merlin’s supposed demise. She was certain of it. After the Prince’s outburst earlier, it was quite clear to her that these people had been behind the supposed attack.
“They are not innocent children! They are traitorous beasts mingling amongst the slimy two legs!” Roland spat.
Before anyone realized what happened, the traitors next to Roland managed to overpower the ones holding them down. They succeeded in letting Roland loose, and the old man immediately made for Merlin, while the others made for Mithian. Merlin focused so much on protecting his sister that he didn’t see Roland coming. Gwaine and Arabus reacted fast and eliminated the two men.
A choked gurgle resonated through the water, and everyone’s attention was brought to the small group beside the Princess. Merlin turned around to see Arthur in front of him, with one of the knight’s swords piercing the leader of the traitors.
Arthur sent Roland the most disgusted glare he could muster as he watched him drown in his own blood. Or, had he been human, he would do that. He had no idea how merfolk anatomy worked other than their need of water.
“The only disgusting shit here is you and your leeches,” he hissed and pulled the sword out.
Roland Lump looked so offended at being stabbed by a human, it was almost hilarious. Killed by what he claimed to hate the most. Blood misted the water around them as the man bled out. The wound had been fatal. There was nothing they could have done, even if they’d wanted to.
There was no problem keeping his followers down after that. It seemed their fire had burnt out with him, and the downfall of their other accomplices.
There was another issue, though. Two, to be exact. There was a human with gills in their castle. And a severely crippled, presumed dead, Prince.
The people stared in mortified shock at the two of them. Arthur was busy making sure Merlin and Mithian were alright, and the two merpeople clung to him in relief and happiness. For a moment they had thought Arthur was the one who had gotten hurt, and it had terrified them both.
Without thinking, Merlin gave the King of Camelot a chaste kiss, before he remembered where they were and how many people were around them. He blushed hard and let go of Arthur to look around him.
There was a moment of stunned silence before someone burst out laughing. Merlin turned to see Kadin guffawing while holding onto Lachlan’s shoulder. Lachlan started laughing himself, and Merlin looked on confusion, feeling like one big question mark.
A choked laugh was forced from the Queen, and Merlin looked over to see her in a mix of sorrow, relief and happiness. The King wrapped his arms around her, and the two held each other, while watching their children with warm smiles.
The loyal knights slowly moved to remove the traitors from the scene. Others started cleaning up around them, clearing the water with specialized filters, removing bodies and tending to the injuries.
Mithian swam to her parents, snuggling up to them. Her breath hitched, but she otherwise held herself together. It was remarkable considering her age. Merlin worried she would hurt herself by keeping it all together like that all the time, and he decided he needed to talk to her about it.
The Prince was held up by the King of Camelot, at this point. He worried his lip and averted his eyes from the Royal family. His gaze landed upon the two knights who had escorted them to the castle when they arrived, and saw how Lachlan gently tended to Kadin’s wound. There was so much love in the way he moved, that the Prince realized they weren’t just fellow knights. Kadin’s warm gaze watched Lachlan’s worried face and after a moment, he poked Lachlan’s nose and gave the other merman a small grin. Lachlan huffed in pretend annoyance, but his smile betrayed him.
There was some ruckus when two new merfolk arrived in the hall, looking ragged from swimming so fast. They looked around with wide eyes until their gaze landed on Mithian with the royal couple. They wore two necklaces around their necks. One with a small white stone, and one with the knight’s shell. They also carried similar weapons as Lachlan and Kadin.
They hurried over to the Princess, gushing over her and exclaiming how relieved they were that the royals were alright, and how they had rushed there immediately when they’d heard what happened. They’d been out on patrol when the whole thing took place, and they had been so scared something would happen to the royals in their absence.
Merlin had to smile. Mithian had actually recruited the moonstone sisters. It made him very happy. It meant she would be in good hands. Both her, and his parents.
“Merlin…?” It was said so quietly, Merlin had barely heard it. He turned to his mother, finally meeting her gaze straight on. He bit his lower lip, and hesitated. Hunith opened her arms in invitation, and Merlin found himself moving forth, slowly letting go of Arthur. It was not a graceful or efficient swim, but his mother waited patiently with a warm, emotional smile on her face.
Merlin practically collapsed on her once he reached her. She wrapped her arms firmly around him, hiding his fatigue from the others by holding him up. She buried her face in his neck and sobbed, refusing to let go of him. He felt smaller hands wrap around him as well, and realized Mithian had joined the hug. A moment later, big strong arms joined in. He felt safe in their arms. Safe and warm. It was a whole other kind of feeling than the one he had with Arthur, even though he felt safe with him, too.
All of his feelings and memories came crashing down on him in that moment. The betrayal. The fear. The trauma. The stress. The sorrow. The regret. And the happiness. Everything came clashing together, leaving him a shaking, sobbing mess. His family held him tighter. He felt hands touch his arms at the Queen’s back. Every touch was reassuring. Loving. He found himself breaking down further. He gasped and cried, barely managing to get oxygen through his gills.
He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but in the end, his exhaustion took over completely. The world around him faded, until sleep finally took over.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin woke to the feeling of fingers running gently through his hair. He was disoriented and felt heavy and exhausted even though he had apparently been sleeping. He blinked open his eyes and turned his head around to look up into the loving gaze of his mother.
“Hello handsome,” she murmured. Merlin realized he was lying on her tail. His mother was carding through his hair and had her other hand resting gently on the side of his face.
“Mother,” he sighed contentedly. He closed his eyes again, reveling in the feeling of her touch.
A comfortable silence stretched between them. The water around them was calm and relaxed, no tension anywhere close by.
Then, his mother’s fingers gently touched one of his scars, and he slowly opened his eyes to look at her again.
Her eyes were filled with pain as she looked over the damage done to him.
“I’d rather explain when the others are here as well…” he whispered. His mother met his gaze, and nodded.
“Of course, dear,” she murmured back.
It was nice. This quiet calm after everything he’d gone through. It would take time for his mind to heal, he knew that. But right now, he felt better than he had in years. The pressure of needing to tell his parents that he was alive had been getting to him, and it was a blessing to finally have done it.
A small sound made Merlin look over to the doorway. He smiled when he saw his sister lingering there. She smiled back and took it as an invitation to come closer.
“Hey Mithian,” he murmured and stretched out a hand to touch her cheek. She caught it and held onto it as she came closer, and ended up lying down on his chest, hugging him tight.
“I was worried,” she whispered, and hid her face against his collarbone.
Hunith moved her hand over to card it through her daughter’s hair as well.
“I’m sorry,” Merlin whispered back.
Mithian took a deep breath, but stayed silent.
Next to arrive was Balinor. He, too, lingered in the entrance until he felt he was allowed into the room. He rested against Hunith’s side without a word, and lay a hand against Merlin’s shoulder.
Merlin had closed his eyes again, enjoying the closeness.
The little family stayed like that for a long while, just appreciating the silence and closeness. And the fact that they were finally whole.
Arabus broke through the quiet with his psychic message that Arthur would need to go back to the surface within the next day or so, and they all knew they had much to talk about.
Merlin sighed and opened his eyes again.
“I guess it’s time to gather the others and start talking,” his voice was just a bit louder than a murmur.
Balinor tightened his grip on Merlin’s shoulder a little to show him support before he moved towards the entrance.
“I will bring them here,” he announced as he left.
Mithian got off of him so he could sit up. It was harder than he’d thought it would be, and was infinitely grateful for his mother’s steady hands. He ended up leaning against her, and moving his tail out in front of him. He already guessed they would want to have a look at it, even though they would not force him to.
The merman King returned with the King of Camelot by his side. Gwaine, Lancelot and Arabus came in right behind them, \ then the Moonstone sisters, and Kadin and Lachlan trailed in last.
“I want my most trusted knights to be present, if that is alright with you,” Balinor smiled, and Merlin laughed.
“Yes, that is fine with me,” he said as he looked them over. He was happy the moonstone sisters had joined the ranks. They truly were great assets, and very fitting to protect both the royal family and the citizens. They had always done so, but now they also got paid for their work.
Kadin and Lachlan had proven to be trustworthy, despite him only knowing them for a day or so.
Everyone found a place on the floor while Balinor found his place by his Queen again. Mithian leaned against Merlin’s other side, reaching out a hand to wrap it around his waist, hugging him.
Merlin felt around inside himself, trying to figure out if he’d have enough strength to show them instead of telling them. He fidgeted a moment, before he decided to try project his memories out into the room like he’d done with Mithian’s. It would not strain him as much as if he was projecting someone else's thoughts.
He let his memories flow, already from before his attack, to show them all what had been going on for years. The others were completely silent while he skimmed through his thoughts.
He showed them how he save Arthur from drowning, how the knights had sent him all those suspicious stares, how they’d lured him into their trap. Lancelot saving his life, the journey to Gaius, his time in Camelot.
Meeting Cynwrig. His death. Arabus joining him.
Muirgen’s attack.
It was all a lot of information, and it took most of the day to go through it all. Once he was done, he sagged against his family. Everyone sat still, devouring the information, trying to process it all.
Balinor and Hunith drew in shaky breaths.
“To be honest, I thought he was dead years ago,” Balinor whispered. “To find out he was still alive, but died not long ago… I need a moment,” he added quietly.
“I’m sorry we never told you how it was,” Hunith whispered to Merlin.
“You are still my father. Even though Cynwrig may be my father by blood, you still raised me as your own. You will always be my dad,” Merlin reached across his mother to touch Balinor’s arm.
The King looked at him with a heartbroken smile.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you, that I didn’t have my eyes open to what was happening right under our noses,” Balinor wrapped his hand around Merlin’s own.
All gazes in the room went to Merlin’s tail. It was covered in deep scars, his fins ripped and destroyed.
Silence once again filled the room as they all stared.
Arthur cleared his throat to get their attention.
“If I may, your highness,” he spoke up.
“Please, call me Balinor,” the merman King insisted.
“As you wish, Balinor. I would like to talk to you about a peace treaty between you and Camelot. As you see from Merlin’s memories, I have taken over as King, and I’m working on making the city a better place for all creatures. I want your people to feel safe in your human training,”
Balinor held his gaze without saying anything. His eyes were guarded, but also contained a warmth Arthur was surprised to see in a King. His father had always been shut off, and had taught him to hide his feelings. Other Kings had been too focused on their own gain to show any warmth towards fellow Kings.
Arthur was infinitely happy that Merlin had left out that part where he’d exiled Merlin and nearly caused his death. He was certain Balinor would not be as gentle if he knew about that.
“I trust in Merlin’s judgement. If he deems this a good thing, then I will gladly sign a treaty,” Balinor stated after a long silence.
Arthur smiled and did his best to bow despite being underwater. He looked at Merlin again, and found him smiling warmly back at him.
Conversation started up between them all. It was a pleasant atmosphere among them, and Merlin was subtly cuddled by his family the whole time.
Arthur and Balinor started talking about the peace treaty. It was a surprisingly easy conversation. There was some discussion, but it was nothing big.
Merlin was able to catch up with his family while also being allowed to rest. A feast was put together that night, celebrating the return of their Prince and the downfall of evil. The people were informed of the peace between land and sea.
After the feast, they took their time to remember Cynwrig and create a proper memorial for him. Merlin explained what had happened to him on land, and why he had felt the need to leave. Understanding dawned on Balinor’s face, and his only regret was that he had not been allowed to see his brother again before his passing.
Arabus provided some funny moments from his time with Cynwrig to lighten the mood, and it left them all laughing in the end.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
A few hours of sleep had passed, where the whole group of family and friends had gathered in a sleeping pile. Arthur had found it very strange to begin with, but in the end, he had felt safe, and even loved. It was the best sleep of his life.
Merlin was talking to his parents, letting them know he would join Arthur back to land. Despite being sad to see him go so soon, they were supportive of his decision.
While eating, a shy mermaid appeared in the doorway, twisting her hands together. It had taken them a while to realize she was there because she was so quiet, and Arthur even jumped when he finally saw her. She was a curvy thing with dark brown hair, and a tail that exploded in blues, reds and purples. Even black. It was like a painting, and unlike the pattern he had seen on the other merfolk. He blinked at her, before alerting Merlin to her presence. Merlin looked up in confusion, but as he saw her, a huge smile lit up his face.
“Cora!” he called and moved clumsily towards her. She smiled at him and finally moved into the room, hugging him.
Her hair floated wildly around her head, obscuring her face for a moment, before she pushed it away.
“Forgot your hair tie today?” Merlin chuckled. The young woman smiled sheepishly and pulled a band from around her wrist and did her best to tie her hair back to keep it out of her face.
“I… saw you earlier… the damage done to you,” she said after a moment. She looked sad, and her gaze was trained on the damage to his tail.
“Yeah… not easy to move around like this,” he replied awkwardly. He was uncomfortable talking about it, but didn’t want to be rude to his old friend. That said, they had never really interacted too much before his disappearance. She had only moved to the city just over two weeks before the attack. Merlin had instantly taken a liking to her strange nature and her experiments with colors and materials.
“I… have something for you,” she brought him out of his musings. She was biting her lip nervously, before her strange excitement took over and she dragged him by his wrist out of there.
Merlin was so confused he couldn’t even reply.
Just outside the room, there was a net of colorful items which she swam over to. She rummaged around in the net and pulled out a strange, thin material colored in purple. She held it up to him, grinning wide, eyes sparkling in excitement.
He looked at it, not understanding what was going on.
“I’ve been wondering what I could use this for, but then I saw your tail and got an idea,” she turned back to the net, rummaging around again, pulling out something that looked like green straps.
Merlin was so focused on the things she was pulling out, he didn’t realize someone else had joined them. He jumped as Arthur touched him, keeping him steady in the water.
“What’s happening?” Arthur murmured.
“I honestly don’t know,” Merlin replied equally quiet.
Cora cleared her throat, getting their attention again. She held up a piece of the material that she had combined with the straps and something that looked like a rod.
Merlin felt he looked like one big question mark.
“Uhm… What…?” Merlin blinked at her.
“Oh, wait, let me show you!” she surged forwards, and then hesitated just as she reached for Merlin’s damaged side. She looked up at him, as if asking for permission. He hesitated a moment before he nodded.
She gently cupped a hand under his broken fin, lifting it up slowly. She positioned the rod against it, strapping it around what was left of the fin. There was three thick straps that went around his broken fin, one around his waist over the fin, one under the fin that also went around his waist, and one strap further down that went around his tail and underneath the other fin. His backfin was forced down under the strap, but once Merlin realized what she was doing, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
The merman Prince choked up and started sinking to the floor, his tail out in front of him. Arthur held onto him, staring in awe at the object the girl had strapped onto Merlin. She moved over to grab another similar one and started working on his tailfin.
Merlin was shaking with emotion in his arms, unable to do anything else. The choked sob that left him caught the attention of his friends and family, and it didn’t take long before they were surrounded. Gasps and sobs was heard from all around them, but none of them were as emotional as Merlin.
The broken boy curled into Arthur’s chest, hiding his face behind his hands, shaking and gasping.
Once Cora was finished attaching the prosthetic, she backed off a bit, an emotional smile on her face. She was breaking down herself at Merlin’s reaction.
Arthur moved his arms to wrap firmly around Merlin, feeling a lump in his throat as he held his crying friend.
It took some time for Merlin to calm down. But once he did, he finally showed his face again.
“I’m sorry your backfin is pressed down like that. This was the only way I could think to attach it at the moment, but I will try find a better solution,” Cora said, unhappy that she couldn’t make it perfect for him.
“It’s fine,” Merlin’s voice was still broken. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Cora, I never thought I’d swim again. This? This actually gives me a chance to do that,” he said shakily.
He reached out his arms towards her, urging her to come to him. She hesitated a moment before moving over. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding onto her for a long time.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.
“You should probably try it before thanking me,” she laughed nervously. “It might not even work,” she added, uncertain.
“Even if it doesn’t work, you did this for me. I am forever grateful,” he smiled warmly at her as he let her go.
Arthur helped him upright, before Merlin tried moving his fins. He tested the movement and heaviness waving his tailfin a bit to test the water resistance.
A moment later, he was swimming.
Merlin was swimming.
He was
swimming
.
It wasn’t the most graceful or even coordinated swim. But he was swimming and that was all that mattered to him right now.
“It’s working!” he beamed.
Arthur had never seen such a radiant smile on Merlin’s face. He was struck dumb by it. It was a magical sight. Far more magical than any spell. It went straight to his heart and spread a welcome warmth through his body.
Gods, he loved this man. How had he ever thought anything else?
He wanted Merlin by his side for the rest of his life.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Merlin sent his parents curious looks in between saying goodbye to everyone. They were speaking to Arthur a bit to the side of everyone else, and Arthur was blushing. He really wondered what they were saying that made him so red.
Then, Cora caught his attention and he gave her a hug, thanking her again for all she’d done for him.
Arthur felt like melting into the bottom of the seafloor. Balinor and Hunith had pulled him to the side once they were readying to leave, and started questioning him about Merlin’s life on land. Then the conversation had taken a turn for something he had not been prepared for.
The talk.
To be more specific; the “take care of our son or we will end you” talk.
“Make sure to care well for our boy. He’s been through more than enough for one lifetime,” Balinor commented calmly.
Arthur could not help but feel there was a threat in there somewhere.
“If anything happens, let us know immediately,” Hunith added.
Arthur could do nothing but nod.
Hunith moved forth to give Arthur a hug, and before she let him go, she whispered in his ear.
“It is now up to the two of you to join the land and sea,” she smiled deviously at Arthur’s scandalous expression as she joined her husband’s side again.
Balinor clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed a bit with a proud, encouraging smile as if he’d heard her statement.
“Now, off you go,” they smiled innocently.
Arthur moved over to Arabus, and passed Merlin on his way. If possible, his face turned all the more red as he met Merlin’s gaze. The prince gave him a questioning smile in return, and when Arthur didn’t say anything, his expression turned confused.
Merlin decided it could wait, and turned to his parents to say his goodbye. They had already had their tearful goodbye in private, but he couldn’t just leave them without giving them both a hug.
It ended up as a long, tight grouphug. His parents were reluctant to let go of him, and to be quite honest he was reluctant to go, himself.
Just as they let go, Mithian barreled into Merlin, curling her tail around him in a deathgrip.
“Don’t take too long before you come visit again,” she demanded, and looked up at him with a great smile on her face.
“Don’t worry, I will be back for a visit, soon. And you all should visit Camelot, as well,” he laughed and hugged her back.
Merlin waved as he joined his friends. He was still wearing the prosthetics and worked hard to swim by himself. He wanted to swim for as long as he managed before hiking a ride with Arabus again.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
It didn’t take them long to reach the shore. Which worked to their advantage, since the gil enchantment was fading fast.
Arthur lay in the sand on the beach, breathing, getting used to lungs again. He was exhausted. Merlin was, as well, after having been swimming about half the way.
He worked on removing the prosthetics, but ended up needing help from Gwaine. Once they got it off, Gwaine carefully wrapped it all up and lay it aside. The three mermen thus began the process of transforming back.
Merlin ended up being the slowest, and had to take a while to just breathe after turning back to human.
Gwaine arrived at his side with a pair of pants, and Merlin found himself wondering where he’d gotten them from, as he couldn’t seem to remember what they’d done with their clothes. And Merlin hadn’t even had any clothes on. Had they thought to bring extra?
The Prince took them gratefully.
Arabus was happy to be back on land where he once again looked like a strong and elegant white horse. He was ready to gallop all the way back to the warm stables and the terrified, amusing stable hands. He reined himself in, however, as he knew he would have to bring Merlin and his friends home safely. He waited, although not very patiently, for them all to get ready.
The wagon had been left alone, and so they strapped it to him. Once they were all in, Arabus made haste back to their home.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Gwen and Morgana met them at the entrance to the castle, happy to see them back home. Leon, Percival, and Elyan were there, as well.
Merlin frowned at the absence of Gaius. He looked around, but could see no trace of the man.
“Where’s Gaius?”
Morgana looked at him with a strange expression on her face. Merlin felt his insides go cold as ice, fearing the worst.
“There was a bout of sickness running around the city while you were away. Poor Gaius ran himself ragged caring for everyone. He just finished treating the last of them this morning. He was so exhausted I couldn’t bare to wake him up again,” she smiled apologetically.
Merlin felt himself sag in relief. For a moment he… no. he was not thinking of that.
“I’ll go see to him,” Merlin then said and left the others at the stairs.
He had never lost the limp in his step, but it was no longer a hindrance for him. Yes, he might be walking strangely, but he certainly didn’t go much slower than others because of it anymore. He walked fast through the corridors, and up the steps until he finally arrived in Gaius’ chambers.
He opened the door in a careful manner, sneaking in so as not to wake the old man.
There were no patients in the physician’s chambers, and so Merlin figured Gauis had treated them in their own homes. He always preferred that if it was possible, since it brought his patients more calm.
The man in question was snoring lightly in his bed. Merlin noted that Gaius had finally gotten a more comfortable bed, fit for an older man’s tired back.
Gaius had apparently been so exhausted, he had not gotten the blanket to cover more than half of him and had left it at that.
Merlin carefully pulled the blanket up to cover all of him, and sat down at the side of the bed, smiling at his uncle.
He reached out and ran a finger across Gaius’ forehead, eyes glowing golden as he poured a soothing, and energy filling sensation into the man. He hoped it would help him recover faster from his exhaustion.
Gaius smiled in his sleep, and seemed to relax much more than he had before, and Merlin could not help but smile, himself.
He decided to stay for a while, and clean up Gaius’s chambers so the physician had less to do once he woke up.
He put a silencing spell on the chambers and got to work.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Once Arthur had gotten some food in his system, he seeked out Gwen. He had a small task at hand for her, and it was of the utmost secrecy. Once he found her, he looked around before pulling her into one of the vacant rooms. He locked the door, and moved further into the room to make sure no one could listen to them by the door.
Gwen frowned in confusion as Arthur leaned in to whisper in her ear. As he moved back with a small smile on his face, she couldn’t help but smile herself. He handed her a small piece of paper, which he had scribbled on during his meal so he didn’t lose track of his idea.
She nodded, and overcome by emotion, she surged forth to wrap him up in a hug.
Arthur ended up laughing, feeling wonderful at her enthusiasm. It made him feel like it wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
“I’ll start right away,” she smiled and hurried out of the room, struggling some with the lock in her excitement. Arthur smiled as he watched her go. She would probably tell Morgana the moment she met her. Maybe even have her help. He didn’t mind, though. As long as she didn’t tell anyone else.
Arthur looked out the window of the room he had dragged Gwen into, and smiled to himself. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to make this work.
Perhaps Morgana could help him out with his other plan. After all, it would go much faster and better with magical help, would it not? Yes.
Arthur nodded to himself, and went in search of the Lady Morgana.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Gaius woke up more relaxed than he had ever felt, before. He smiled to himself as he lay in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. The new bed had done wonders for his back, and it seemed it helped him sleep better, as well.
An enticing smell caught his attention, and he then realized he could hear the gentle sound of something being set down on the table. He turned his head to see Merlin placing the last of the tableware.
“Merlin?”
Merlin whipped around in surprise before a blinding smile lit up his face.
“Have a nice sleep?” he grinned.
“Merlin! My boy! You’re back!” Gaius sat up with a warm smile. He hurried out of his bed to bring Merlin into a hug. He’d been worried sick for the boy.
“How did the trip go? Are you alright?” he cupped Merlin’s face and looked him over.
Merlin laughed and moved Gaius over to sit by the table.
“I will tell you everything. But first, let us eat,” he smiled and uncovered a delicious looking meal of chicken and vegetables.
They ate in companionable silence, and once they finished up with some fruit, they started talking.
Merlin told him everything. He explained how they had discovered the culprit behind the attack, and how they had defeated them. How they had discussed a peace treaty, and how Cora had given him the prosthetics.
Gaius cried at that. He was so happy for his nephew, he couldn’t keep the tears back. Which in turn made Merlin cry.
It was such an emotional atmosphere that Gwen, who had come to find Merlin, had decided to leave the two alone for a bit longer.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Morgana had been wide eyed in surprise when Arthur had come to her for help. She had, however, not wasted even a moment. After the King had explained how he wanted things to turn out, and that he would otherwise give her the freedom to do as she pleased since she knew more about beautiful designs than he did, she had immediately gotten up to gather a few more helping hands.
He had no worries about leaving the dragon cave in her care. He would, of course, keep an eye on it to see how things proceeded, but he trusted her to do a good job with it. After all, it was for Merlin’s sake, and he had a feeling she would do anything for the boy.
He smiled as he watched her leave, and figured it was time for him to go back to his kingly duties now that he had put his plans into motion.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Morgana was buzzing with energy as she made her way through the halls. She had befriended a few powerful druids in her attempt to find good sorcerers capable of joining their court. She would need their help to get this done, as well as a few stonemasons who could guide them.
She found the druids, and explained the task at hand. The three sorcerers smiled widely and nodded in excitement at the thought. To be honoured to do such a big thing for not only the King of Camelot, but Prince Emrys the great warlock, as well, was the greatest gift they could imagine after having been living in the forests to hide and fear for their lives.
They volunteered in finding others who could help them out, and Morgana let them. She trusted their judgement, and knew they would find capable hands.
She decided to find Gwen, to tell her of this wonderful idea. Maybe she could help?
As she found Gwen sketching designs on parchment, she realized Arthur had put her up to something as well.
Guinevere squealed when she saw Morgana, and they both started talking at the same time, before they broke off laughing. Morgana let Gwen go first, and she picked up the parchment to show her the sketch of the Emrys and Pendragon household crest combined. Morgana gaped at it and needed to sit down as Gwen pulled out a sketch of a signet ring.
After explaining this all to Morgana, she seemed to finally understand what exactly this all could mean, and she ended up having to sit down herself. They sat in silence, gaping at each other before they both broke out in laughter and warm smiles.
Morgana then started explaining how Arthur wanted to change the dragon cave, so it could be used as a kind of pool for Merlin to exercise his swimming in. It was going to be a lot of hard work, but she was confident she would be able to pull it off with the help of their new allies.
They bounced ideas back and forth, excited to be in on this plan of Arthur’s. They knew Merlin would like it, and they would love to do all this for him.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
A few months later, and things were getting ready. Even with magic, it had taken them a lot of time to fix up the dragon cave.
The ring had been ready after just a couple of weeks, but Arthur had wanted to wait until the cave was finished.
Arthur and Merlin’s relationship had grown since their trip underseas. They had both finally realized it was okay to act on their feelings.
They still didn’t flaunt their relationship to everyone, but the city already knew about them. To be fair, they had really tried to keep it a secret, but most of the people had thought they were together years ago. And now that they actually sent each other loving looks and snuck off to enjoy each other’s company, it was more or less confirmed.
The citizens were just waiting for the wedding announcement, at this point.
Arthur went down to the cave again, wanting to know what was left to do. As he arrived however, Morgana was just finishing up the last touches together with the druids.
“Arthur!” she smiled as he walked further into the cave.
“Morgana. Have you finished?” he wondered as he looked around in awe.
“Just about. We’re about to release the animals. The plants have taken well to their surroundings,” Morgana gestured over to one of the druids who were balancing a big ball of energy over his head. He lowered it slowly into the water.
The energy turned see through once it came in contact with the water, and Arthur saw the fish and other small creatures that swam around in it. Once the ball had been lowered sufficiently, the animals swam out into the open water and disappeared below the surface.
“And that, I believe, was the last touch,” Morgana beamed. “What do you think?” she added with excitement.
Arthur looked around again. He could not have hoped for anything better. This exceeded his own imagination and expectation.
“Marvelous,” he breathed, and then blinked at his slip. Morgana laughed happily and patted him on his shoulder.
“Go continue your plan,” she teased and turned to make sure they cleaned up after themselves before they left the cave.
~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~
Merlin was standing on the rampart looking out over the city when Arthur found him. He trailed a hand down Merlin’s back as a greeting, and stood beside him.
Merlin leaned into his touch and closed his eyes, savouring the small breath of wind in the warm sun. It had been quiet, lately. After the trip to the sea, there had been no threat to them. Yes there were the occasional criminals in the city, but those were not going to magically disappear. Merlin chuckled at his choice of words.
“What are you laughing at?” Arthur asked, sounding amused. There was some other emotion hidden underneath which Merlin couldn’t put his finger on. He pondered it for a moment before deciding to let it slide.
“I was just thinking about how silent it has been lately. No attacks, or anything,”
“And that was somehow funny and made you laugh?”
“Yeah, it kind of is. All this trouble constantly, and then everything just stops,” he smiled at Arthur, and the King pulled him closer with a small chuckle.
They stood like that for a while, before Arthur cleared his throat, and that underlying emotion flared up, again.
“I have something I want to show you,” there was just the barest hint of a tremble in his voice. If Merlin didn’t know him as well as he did, he would not have caught it. Was Arthur nervous?
Merlin smiled warmly, trying to ease Arthur’s anxieties, even if he didn’t know where they were coming from.
“Show the way then, your Highness,” Merlin said with a small bow and a teasing grin.
Arthur laughed and gestured for Merlin to walk with him. They laughed as Arthur acted like he was escorting a frail old lady, until they re-entered the castle and pulled themselves together. They walked side by side in a comfortable silence. Until they got deep down into the castle.
Arthur’s nervousness came back tenfold, and Merlin started wondering what on earth was happening and why they were on their way to the dragon cave. He was suddenly very nervous himself, as he remembered the last time he was there. He’d set the dragon free. Was this about that? He shuddered, but didn’t stop in his tracks no matter how much his body wanted to.
He was full of questions when he realized the steps down to the cave itself had been redefined, and there were torches down the corridor to light it up. Then, when the new door met him, he stopped. Staring at it in confusion, he wondered why on earth there was a door there now.
“Arthur? What is this?”
“Close your eyes,” was the only reply he got.
Merlin swallowed hard, and did as he was told. He trusted Arthur. Yes, he was nervous, but he trusted him enough to let him guide him blindly into the cave.
The Merman Prince closed his eyes and felt Arthur snake an arm around his waist, holding him tightly.
As the door was opened, he was bombarded with a wet and vegetational smell. It was like entering a cave by a lake, and adding the smell of plants to it.
Arthur closed the door behind them, and guided Merlin further into the cave. Merlin was disoriented and unsure in his step as he remembered the layout of the cave, and feared the long drop down, should they slip and fall.
Arthur finally stopped, and took Merlin’s hand instead of his waist. He reached out to take his other hand as well, turning Merlin to face him.
“You can open your eyes now,” Arthur whispered.
The first thing he registered, was the wonderful bluish green light in the cave, and how Arthur’s face was bathed in it. Then, he realized there were sounds in the cave that had not been there at his earlier visit, and he looked around to see what was going on.
His eyes widened, and he pulled in a sharp breath as he took in the heavenly atmosphere around them.
They stood on that small outcrop that had always been there. Out from it, and over to the spot where Kilgharrah had always landed to talk to him, was a pool which he judged to be just deep enough for arthur to stand with water up to the middle of his chest. There was a few steps from the outcrop and down into the pool to make it easy to step down into it.
It didn’t stop with the pool however. The water went unhindered throughout all he could see of the cave. Everything other than the pool looked like a wild, almost natural water cave, with the exception of the plants that grew there.
Plants thrived as they grew along the walls of the cave, and undoubtedly on the bottom as well. Water lilies spread out along the surface of the water, painting it in all kinds of beautiful colors.
A few spots in the cave ceiling was carved through to let natural light and air inside, and it made Merlin realize that they had indeed moved further out from underneath the castle, rather than having it sit right on top of the entire cave.
As he stared at the beauty of the cave, he saw a little fish dart between the lilies, and let out a small noise of surprise. His eyes glittered as he watched the small fish swim happily around in the water.
Arthur smiled brightly as he watched Merlin’s reaction to the cave. It was clear he loved it very much.
Then, that blinding smile was turned on him, and he felt like the entire world stopped existing outside their little bubble.
“Arthur! How? When?”
“I put Morgana to work the day we came back from the sea,” Arthur smiled, and Merlin jumped on him, hugging him like he had not seen him in years.
“It’s wonderful! I don’t have words…!” to Arthur’s horror, Merlin started crying.
“Why are you crying?!” he held Merlin’s face in his hands and looked him over.
“‘M just happy!” Merlin sniffed with that big smile still in place.
Arthur blinked at him, and burst out laughing. He leaned in and kissed the other man’s forehead before he remembered there was something else he was meant to do here as well.
He cleared his throat again, and pulled back a bit. Merlin gave him a strange look as he did.
Arthur reached into his pocket and palmed the ring.
“Merlin. You’ve been living here for years, already. Though, it is only recently you have been able to be yourself. I don’t want you to ever feel the need to hide. Not who you are. Not what we are. Would you do me the honours of merging the Emrys and Pendragon family?”
Arthur’s hand shook as he pulled out the ring and held it up to show Merlin the signet.
Merlin was silent. He reached out a tentative hand to run the pads of his fingers along the two merged family crests. The dragon of the Pendragon family was in the front, while the hippocampus of the Emrys family was in the back. But the tail of the hippocampus was curled around the dragon, just beneath the wings.
It was beautiful craftsmanship. He stared at it, and forgot to breathe until he felt dizzy from it all and sucked in a deep breath.
He looked up at Arthur's slightly panicked expression and realized he should probably give the man an answer.
He opened his mouth but there was no sound coming out of it. He closed it and tried to clear his throat, before attempting to speak again.
“Yes,” came the low whisper and he nodded to make sure Arthur understood him.
Arthur’s eyes lit up, and he grabbed Merlin’s left hand to put the ring on his finger. A laugh bubbled up in Merlin’s throat, and the tears once again started streaming down his face. This time, Arthur followed in his footsteps.
Merlin surged forward and caught Arthur’s face in between his hands, he leaned in and pressed their lips together, pulling Arthur close in his happiness. Arthur’s hands found Merlin’s hips, and pulled him closer.
“I love you so much,” he whispered against the King’s lips, and wrapped him up in a tight hug.
They sunk to the floor and sat there, holding each other close as they looked at the beautiful water filled cave. Merlin toyed with his new ring, and snuggled further into Arthur’s arms.
“I love you too,” Arthur whispered as his thumb traced patterns in Merlin’s side.
They could finally be themselves.
They could finally take a moment to breathe.
Merlin finally felt safe.