94Arthur hadn't known what to think after witnessing Merlin's lesson. The boy had no sooner released his magic than chaos erupted. And again he hadn't even meant it. What was he even trying to do here? To help a boy contend with a magic that seemed bent on continued destruction? Merlin was innocent, but this magic was not. Whatever was going on, Arthur wanted no part of it and he didn't want Merlin to have any part in it either. And yet as everyone kept saying, there was no getting rid of this magic within him, 'fundamental' and 'ingrained'.
He'd grabbed Merlin after the druid's warning to trust this magic, and dragged Merlin out of the circle and away from the druids.
Once they were safely ensconced back in their tent he apologised. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you, I don't know what I was thinking! I just wasn't expecting..." He trailed off.
"That." Merlin mumbled the answer, staring at the furs at their feet.
He stared at this boy, slightly shorter than him and skinny as a twig. Hair an unkempt mess and dirt everywhere, it was clear that they'd been wandering the woods regularly. They hadn't dared risk the river in the cold. He just looked boyish, and in need of his mother's attention but then Arthur knew he himself could use a servant or two at the moment if he were to be presentable.
"This is so bloody unfair." He spat, curling his hands into fists.
Merlin looked up at him. "What?"
"You. And magic. It's so... ugh, it's not you! You can only barely bring yourself to kill a squirrel but never a rabbit, instead you give opinions on their tails like its an established fact in some old tome! Druids and trees flying through the air... it's- incompatible!"
"Well it's not like I can get rid of it." And damn it all if the boy didn't look like he was pouting, Arthur had to grit his teeth at how innocent he looked. "You told me I'd never be a monster.
"You are as unmonstrous as they come. The complete opposite in fact. The magic... well I don't even know what it is."
"Weren't you listening. You can't treat me and magic as two separate entities, we're too fundamentally the same." That was bitterness; it was Merlin he wasn't allowed to be bitter it just sounded wrong.
"That druid's an idiot."
"Because we'd know more about magic than he would." Merlin stated with a sarcastic little smile.
"More about yours anyway." Yes, that had to be it. Just saying it made him more determined.
"I don't know half of what they speak of-"
Arthur cut him off, "That's because it's nonsensical rubbish. You're of it, it's of you, what is that even supposed to mean?"
Merlin got a faraway look on his face as he said, "For a moment, just before, it was like I could sense more than myself. I was... attuned to the world."
"Is that what it was like before? When your magic was still... whatever it was." Merlin smiled at his attempt to formulate the idea.
"I don't think so."
"That's neither a yes nor a no Merlin." Arthur rolled his eyes. He definitely was never going to understand this if his questions weren't even answered properly.
"I think sometimes I could be aware of things outside of myself. But it wasn't, the magic feels different, more potent and... demanding."
"Like it's partial?" Arthur questioned.
"I thought that druid was an idiot?" Merlin grinned at him, and Arthur had to smile back.
"What is it demanding, then?"
"What?" Merlin furrowed his brows at him.
"If it's demanding, then what is it asking for?" Arthur repeated. He still didn't understand how magic asked for anything, but if that was how the boy described it then that was the terminology he'd use.
"I don't know."
Arthur took a deep breath, hesitant. "Why don't you let it out again, see what it wants?"
Merlin's eyes widened in fear. "What are you- Is that supposed to be a joke?"
"No. Do you have another way to find out what it wants."
Merlin bit his lip. "No. What if I drop another tree on you?"
Arthur looked around him. "What tree? We're in the middle of the camp."
Merlin looked at him unimpressed. "I could still set the tent on fire."
"Then I'll drag us both out." Arthur answered drily. "I won't let anything happen."
Merlin looked at him uncertainly. "What if it snaps again? How can you stop it?"
"It's just us. No druids watching, no spectacle. Just focus on the tent and what's inside it. I'm the only one here."
Merlin's shoulders fell and he closed his eyes as let go of his breath.
Nothing happened at first, Arthur just stood there in silence, watching Merlin stand there with his eyes closed. Then Merlin's brow furrowed and when he blinked his eyes open they were shining gold.
Merlin gasped and stepped back in shock.
"What?" Arthur asked, looking around to see if anything had happened, but everything was still. Merlin was just staring at him with glowing golden eyes; this went on for an uncomfortable length of time.
Arthur stood up taller and straightened at the strange and unwavering gaze the boy fixed him with and hoped that the tent wasn't about to catch fire.
Finally, Merlin's eyes shifted back to blue, but he didn't stop staring. "What happened?" He asked as the boy seemed to come back to himself.
"I think... I think it wants you." He spoke into the silence with confusion.
"Excuse me?" Arthur took a step back.
"Sorry." Merlin said immediately. "The magic it, uh... likes you?"
"Likes me?"
"Yes?"
"Is that a question?"
"Maybe?"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Totally reassuring, not unnerving at all."
"It's not- it- well-" Merlin sighed. "I don't know. It didn't start any fires this time." Merlin gave him a hopeful little lopsided grin.
"Because it likes me?"
"Yes, well it was rather too focused on you to be starting any fires. But the good thing is, that means no fires." Merlin's grin grew wider. As Arthur stared at him in incomprehension, the grin slipped and he continued defensively, "You wanted me to be more reassuring, I was trying to think positive."
"To reassure me about your magic liking me?"
"Would you prefer it hate you?"
"No." He responded instantly. Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"So... your magic wants me?"
Merlin quickly shook his head. "It's nothing weird or, it doesn't want you dead or anything. It was like it was comforting you. Like it wanted to look after you."
"Magic was comforting me." That sentence was irrational to his ears.
"I mean, I think that's what it was doing."
"Merlin!" He yelled. The boy just grinned. He had never been more confused or out of his depth in his life.
XxX
Merlin couldn't get it out of his head. The magic hadn't run rampant when he let it flow out of him this time, it had headed straight for Arthur. At first, Merlin had panicked, thinking it was about to hurt him but then... it had stopped. The magic never touched him, but it floated around the Prince like a blanket or a shield. It seemed... happy and content for the first time in ages. Merlin couldn't look away, and now he couldn't forget it.
He had no idea what the magic wanted, or why it had changed. He still definitely didn't like the druids staring at him and sharing glances around him as if whispering secrets right over his head.
He just wanted to be at home. He wished that his mother could be with him, stroking his hair and whispering assurances.
But for now, Arthur was with him, and he trusted Arthur. And for once his magic hadn't been destructive. At least this once his stomach could untie its knots.
XxX
While Merlin fell asleep that night, Arthur was unable to.
His tossing and turning was interrupted by a druid opening the tent flap. Arthur sat up as his heart beat faster. The druid merely gestured for him to follow and then left, the tent flap swinging closed behind her.
Arthur gaped. He wasn't sleeping anyway so he got up, quietly struggled with his cloak that it was much too cold at this point to do without, and followed after the druid.
She was waiting for him outside and when he came out she walked off to another tent, Arthur in step behind her.
Upon entering, Arthur found two more druids sitting on the ground, one of them the one which had taught Merlin that day. The other gestured for Arthur to sit with them, so he lowered himself gently onto the furs. The druid woman joined them, so that they sat with Arthur across from them.
"My name is Ogden." The man who'd invited him to sit said. "We need to talk to you about your friend."
Arthur sat up straighter and ignored the ache in his chest. "What of him?"
"You know him as Merlin. My people know of him as Emrys. I say this to explain why we are concerned about him."
"Concerned?"
Ogden smiled. "You are a good friend to be so protective of him. It is heartening to see, but you need not worry that we bear ill will towards him."
"He certainly wasn't being kind today." Arthur gestured towards the other druid.
"Alan? He was merely warning Emrys of the direness of his situation."
"His name's Merlin." Arthur insisted.
Ogden's gaze turned serious. "Prophecies have spoken of Emrys for over a thousand years. We call him by that name because it is his name. He, and his magic, have been foretold. So have you."
Arthur's eyebrows shot up. Over a thousand years. Foretold? "He's a boy. I happened to meet him on accident. There's nothing prophetic about it."
"Accident, destiny, these are just words. When he called out for our help to save you after that beast attacked, his magic had soaked into the clearing. It screamed out in desperation. We recognised him as Emrys, who else could he have been?"
"But he-"
"Doesn't even want magic?" Ogden finished. "Yes, so he said."
"I did not mean any ill by my warning." Alan interjected. "But his magic is powerful. Once he has fully come into his magic, there will never again be power to equal it. That power, in the hands of a frightened child, could bring catastrophe."
Arthur thought of a storm, deafening cracks of thunder, lightning striking outside his cell window and pouring rain. He thought of flying druids and trees and tents on fire.
"What has that got to do with me?" He didn't know why they'd asked him here.
"Because you are the only one able to help him. We cannot make him trust his magic, nor even see it clearly if he does not wish to. He trusts you. You must help him conquer his fear." Ogden said.
Arthur didn't know what to say. He wanted to help Merlin, but he knew nothing of magic. "I only met him a month ago."
Ogden and the woman both smiled at him indulgently. "You have been tied together since before you born. You can help him where no else can, just as he can help you."
"How? What do these prophecies say?"
Ogden's smile grew wider, but his eyes remained serious, and his tone became solemn. "They speak of you as King, Arthur Pendragon. They speak of Emrys, of his magic, as your guardian and aid." He paused. "That is all I shall tell today, you are still young, destiny still far away. It is imperative in this time to help your friend be unafraid of himself. To trust in his magic. The rest can wait."
"I don't even trust his magic."
The woman spoke up for the first time. "You would be wise to do so, young King. His magic will be your greatest ally."
With that Ogden gestured to the door and it was clear the conversation was over.
XxX
Arthur knew he had even less chance of sleeping now.
He knew he was to be King one day, but it always seemed so distant. He was only a Prince and he hoped to stay that way for a long time yet. To be called young King, told that a whole society of people have been telling prophecies of his Kingship for a millenium, it was just a bit too much.
He rolled over and saw Merlin on the furs next to his. His mouth was parted and his hair stuck up behind his big ears, he had the blanket pulled right up to his chin.
Emrys. Merlin. A young boy. A sorceror.
Arthur groaned and rolled over again. Prophecy was just beyond him. Magic, all of this, was beyond him damn it! He wanted his castle, and Sirs Leon and Galahad lecturing him, and his father watching over him with disapproval or pride. It was like another life now, but at least he had understood it.
Not like this talk of magic and unequaled power. He rolled over again. Power, at least, he did somewhat understand. And he had understood that they were inferring this boy, Merlin, was going to be the most powerful sorceror ever to exist. Watching him drool that was hard to fathom.
Emrys sounded so obscure and separate from reality. Merlin, right here in front of him, was weird and annoying. He was a child, a very real child.
For that, Arthur would listen to Alan and Ogden. He understood that Merlin's magic, however inexplicable, was dangerous in the hands of a frightened child and Merlin was frightened. If there was anything Arthur did understand, it was fear and how to get past it. He was a knight and an heir, he had to know how to conquer his own fear. In this, at least, he wasn't completely outside his realm of expertise, this he understood.
But Merlin also wasn't the mystical figure that these druids saw him as. He wanted his mother and his home and Arthur had promised to take him there. He hadn't cared or known about destiny or prophecy when he did.
Merlin shivered in his sleep. Arthur grabbed his own furs and blankets and shuffled himself over so they were lying next to each other. Merlin didn't wake up, instead relaxing into their combined warmth.
He would protect Merlin because he was Merlin, and otherwise alone and vulnerable. And he would help him with his fear because it was necessary and he knew how to do what needed to be done. Beyond that, Kingship and great allies... they even didn't live in the same Kingdom. Arthur would get Merlin home and then have to go back to Camelot himself and Merlin definitely wasn't following him.
Destiny be damned, but Arthur would help his friend while he was needed to do so. And that included from druids and prophecies.
XxX
"We're leaving today." Merlin gave him an odd look. "Right now actually, we need to get going." Arthur concluded.
"I don't understand."
"We're leaving isn't a difficult concept."
"But you're injured." Merlin argued.
"I'm mostly healed, I'll be fine."
Merlin looked around as if looking for more reasons. "First snow is coming soon."
"All the more reason to get going as soon as we can. Is there some reason you want to stay?" Merlin shrugged. "I promised I'd take you home, and I will. But to do that we can't stay with the druids all Winter."
Merlin acquiesced with a nod and stood up, putting his jacket on.
It wasn't like they had much to take with them. He made sure he had his cloak and slingshot but apart from that there wasn't anything to pack.
"Guess that's it then." Merlin muttered looking towards the tent flap.
Arthur took the first step and lead the other boy outside. They hadn't gone far before they came across Ogden who rose from his seat around a firepit.
"This is no mere hunting trip." The druid said. Arthur wondered how he could tell.
He made sure to stand up tall and straight and was slightly in front of Merlin. "No. We thank for you for your hospitality and for healing my wounds but we will making our own way now."
"We would never keep either of you here against your will. However you cannot simply depart with the clothes on your back. We have packed some supplies for you." He gestured towards another druid who came over and held out a worn leather pack to Arthur.
"Thank you." He said as he took it. Looking inside he saw a couple daggers and blankets as well as a skin of water and dried food. There was even flint.
He nodded at them once more and then they made their way out of the camp. Arthur tried to ignore all the knowing eyes on him. They were all the more unsettling now that he knew what they thought of him and Merlin.
XxX
It was after noon when Arthur made them stop walking. He ignored Merlin's confused looks as he scanned the ground. Picking up two large enough sticks he tossed one of them to the boy.
"Um, Arthur?"
"They only packed daggers, so sticks will have to suffice. I'm taking it you never learned swordfighting."
Merlin's eyes were widening. "Uh, what?"
Arthur had been thinking about it all day. Everything that had rolling around his head all night hadn't stopped. He had a responsibility towards Merlin and somehow he had to get the boy to get over his fear. He may know nothing of magic, but he did understand fighting.
"I'm going to teach you how to fight with a sword." Arthur explained.
"Why?"
"Fear gives something power over you. Strength strips it of that power." Arthur repeated the lesson he'd been taught by Sir Galahad. "I don't understand magic and I can't get rid of yours. But I've realised that I can help you overcome it. You just have to become stronger than it."
Merlin looked at him incredulously. "You think fighting me with a stick is going to help me control my magic?"
"It's not the stick or even the fighting itself. The idea is to make you stronger. More resilient. More confident in yourself." Arthur replied. "I'm going to help you, just trust me?"
Merlin looked from him to the stick in his hand and back. He raised his arm up, bearing the stick aloft. "Alright, what do I do?"
Arthur grinned. "You block me." At that he ran at Merlin and swung his stick, Merlin bringing up his own just in time.
XxX
A/N: Goodbye druids, something about the time in the druid camp was just super hard to write, glad to be moving past it. But... Had to bring up their destiny somehow.
Hope you enjoyed, please review it makes me smile :)
And if you want to know,
Coming next: Nimeuh
