The Great Rabbit Rescue by Emachinescat

A Merlin Fan-Fiction

SUMMARY: Spin-off of "In the Back of Our Minds." A creature in need, a selfless young warlock, and a big secret to protect - and Will is there to witness it all.

A/N: As mentioned in my story In the Back of Our Minds, I'm going to make good on my promise to write a short story about Will finding out about Merlin. It isn't directly tied with that story and you do not have to read it first. This is just a side-story of something I mentioned briefly in chapter 10. This is the first story with Will as a character I've written, and it's also the first with a young Merlin so bear with me… and please review! :)

The Great Rabbit Rescue

The river gurgled merrily as it coursed its way across the countryside, from the outskirts of the great city of Camelot through forested areas, delving fearlessly through the druids' forest, creeping across the border of King Cenred's kingdom, across beautiful, hardly undisturbed countryside, and passing right outside of the small, insignificant town of Ealdor. It continued on for miles and leagues after that, reaching to the farthest ends of the continent and spilling out into the ocean, but it is here that we will stop because it is here, in Ealdor, that our story takes place.

It was a bright summer morning, one of those fine days where the weather is warm – but not stifling – and the air holds just the right amount of moisture – not too dry and not too humid. It was the kind of day that no one would dream of staying indoors because of the brilliant weather, crisp air, and the buzz of energy wafting through the atmosphere. It was the most incredible summer day Ealdor had seen in a long time.

Two little boys, ten years of age, were fully intent on enjoying this day to the fullest. Merlin and his best friend, a talkative, easily excitable boy named William – Will for short – had just escaped from their respective hovering parents with the promise they wouldn't stray too far. They were also warned to be careful not to fall in the river as it was surprisingly deep and neither child was very good at swimming.

Will and Merlin trotted out of the village outskirts, bare feet taking their last steps on the dirt path and crumpling crisp green grass underfoot as they sped off in the direction of their favorite place to play – a shaded grove just beside the river. The two were racing, running so fast that their hearts pumped with a fire that only served to invigorate them more and their faces grew red and sweat beaded their foreheads, and still they ran.

Merlin reached the little wooded grove first and promptly collapsed onto the ground, giggling, breathing in great bursts of air as he tried to regulate his breathing. He was a slight child – skinny for his age – and had a mess of black hair that was currently nearly obscuring his big blue eyes. He was pale, with thick eyelashes, and his face was lean – he'd never really had any baby fat, although that was just fine with him, since he was, as he put it, "nearly a man now" – with a light smattering of freckles dotting his cheeks and nose that would eventually disappear with time and age.

Large ears stuck out of the side of his head, the tips never failing to poke out even when his mass of black hair – almost to his shoulders now; his mother said it was nearly time for a haircut but Merlin didn't like that idea so he'd turned his mother's crude hair cutting knife into a lizard when she wasn't looking. He hadn't meant to turn it into a reptile – he'd just wished really hard that he could let his hair grow long but right as he was thinking about that, a lizard darting by had caught his eye and before he knew it, his magic acted instinctively, combining the two thoughts and suddenly Mum's only means of cutting hair was scuttling frantically for the door.

His magic. Yes, Merlin, although a mere ten years old, already possessed more raw power and talent than the most practiced druid although he had no idea how to control it (the incident with Steve, his mother's knife-turned-lizard was an example of this). His mother knew how special he was but had never told Merlin the extent of his powers, only warning him that he could tell no one – and she meant no one, not even Will or the pretty girl that lived next door. Not that Merlin was interested in her in the slightest – she was a girl, he had bluntly informed his amused mother, and that meant she had cooties.

Now, as Merlin collapsed on the ground, all worry about how different he was disappeared as he was just a normal child – the one thing his mother had always wished for him. It seemed that the only time he was able to behave like he was ordinary was when he was with Will because Will was his best friend and he made him forget his problems, they had so much fun together.

Will wasn't too far behind, a slightly stockier boy with light brown hair, deeply tanned skin, and merry sky blue eyes that were always wrinkled in laughter. He was a troublemaker but a good kid all the same. Some people didn't want their children to become too close to the boy that always chased Mrs. Glory's chickens and liked to sneak into Old Farmer Tom's garden and nick strawberries when no one was looking. Merlin's mother was an exception.

Merlin was a shy boy – not just because he had such a dangerous secret to protect but because he was just bashful in nature, at least when a person first met him. Hunith hoped that one day he would come out of his shell, but until then, she was glad that he had at least one friend that brought out the "real" ten-year-old boy she wanted him to be. Merlin and Will balanced each other out. Will helped Merlin find more confidence and fun in his life, and Merlin, in turn, unconsciously helped Will to stay out of trouble (for the most part).

Will was running so fast that he didn't have time to stop before he plowed into Merlin, who was still rolling in the grass, shaking with laughter. Will tripped over his friend, fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and popped up to glare at his friend. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, pouting, his glittering eyes belittling his "angry" words.

Merlin jumped to his feet and laughed. "You say I'm clumsy!"

Will stuck out his tongue. "'Cuz you are!"

Merlin ignored him and continued – walking this time – toward the river, scouting around for good, flat rocks as he did so. He and Will had been practicing their rock-skipping, and he had managed to make it skip ten times yesterday (with a little extra nudge from his magic, but Will didn't need to know that)! He plopped down beside the river and sighed, gazing fondly at the beauty of the river wafting lazily by, oblivious to the affairs of men and perfectly content in its ignorance. He loved this spot.

Will sat down beside him and started pulling up handfuls of grass and tossing them toward the water, watching them float by with the current. "Hey, Mer, I've got a bone to pick with you," Will announced as he watched his friend aim a rock with one hand and then release it, sending it onto the surface of the river, skipping until it disappeared out of sight.

Merlin turned to Will and grinned triumphantly. "'Bout how much better I am at skippin' rocks than you?"

Will shoved Merlin in the shoulder. "Nah. 'Bout how…" he grinned devilishly and picked up a nearby stick, leaping to his feet and brandishing it in Merlin's direction, "…you are an evil bandit that has stolen my money and now you must pay… or I'm not Prince William of Ealdor!" He crowed out the last three words.

Merlin also scooped up a nearby stick and before he knew it, he and Will were immersed in a stick-sword fight to the "death." They ran around, "fighting," playing, and just doing what children do best. By the time they returned to their grove, they were winded, exhausted, and covered in tiny bruises and scratches. They always liked to play "Bandits and Princes" – not only was it a way to escape their everyday lives and childhood and be something of splendor, but it was just fun. When they weren't sitting by the river or playing, the two friends were usually up to some kind of mischief.

They began to talk about trivial things – how Merlin's mum had lost her knife, Will's prank on Old Farmer Tom (the old man was superstitious and Will was an excellent ventriloquist for his age; when Tom picked a vegetable and it screamed "Lemme go, I'm innocent, I tell ya, innocent!" the man decided that his crops were possessed by dark spirits and never left the house without his lucky rabbit's foot again), Merlin's new pet Steve the Lizard that he had acquired shortly after his mother's missing tool…

Just as Will was telling Merlin about how earthworms really don't taste all that bad, both boys' attentions were arrested by the sight of a little brown rabbit – just a baby, maybe six months old – hopping toward them. "A rabbit!" cried Merlin, immediately deciding that Steve needed a new friend.

"Lunch!" yelled Will, pulling out his slingshot. "Wi-il!" Merlin moaned and Will grinned, putting away his slingshot. "Just kidding."

Merlin moved toward the rabbit who was obviously spooked by his presence. The little animal looked at the little boy with grubby hands, sparkling eyes, and an eager face and at its only escape route – across the river. The only thing was, it was a wide jump and the rabbit wasn't sure it could make it. Still, it was either that or have its freshly groomed fur soiled by grimy hands and the torture of being squished and coddled. The rabbit obviously decided to take the lesser of two evils and made a mad leap for the other side of the river.

It almost made it.

With a plop, the tiny creature plunged into the deep waters below and it tried to swim – but it couldn't. Merlin and Will watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. Merlin, a very sensitive boy that hated to see anything in pain, was aghast as he watched the bunny struggle to stay above water and fail miserably. The animal let out a strange, terrified shriek – the most awful noise either boy had ever heard – and Merlin knew then that if he didn't do something, the rabbit would drown.

Without a second thought for himself, Merlin jumped into the water right as the rabbit disappeared underwater. He distantly heard Will yelling his name, but he'd already taken the plunge. The ten-year-old was submerged completely beneath the water now, his little hands groping blindly for the drowning rabbit, desperate to save the baby animal from a cruel fate, all the while trying to keep his own head above water.

He let out a sigh of relief as his hand brushed thick, water-laden fur and he grabbed the rabbit with both hands, heaving it out of the water and, with the last reserves of his strength, all but threw it to Will, who lunged to take the weakly stirring rabbit.

It was then that Merlin realized his mistake. He wasn't a good swimmer anyway and he had used the last of his strength to see the rabbit to safety. He hadn't been thinking clearly – he had seen a creature in pain, terrified and dying, and he hadn't even thought about it – he had had to save the rabbit. Now he was drained of energy, his head was pounding, and the water was growing higher and higher – or maybe he was sinking lower and lower…

Merlin felt his world twist and tilt as the current finally claimed him, pulling him under. He vaguely heard someone screaming his name but it didn't seem terribly important. Water poured into his mouth and he tried to breathe, tried to cough it out, but only sucked more water into his body. Choking, his half-closed eyes jerked open as pain racked through his little body, water hitting his lungs.

He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and it hurt so bad. He panicked. He didn't want to die! He couldn't die! Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he realized that he didn't have to die. He wasn't sure how his magic worked but if it responded to trivial desires like wanting his hair to grow long, then surely it would work to save his life! With that thought, he felt the magic fill him up and he knew his eyes were gold.

Suddenly, he was flying – or close to it – as a great hand of water lifted him into the air, depositing him gently onto the moist grass beside a shocked, sobbing Will that was on the verge of jumping into the water after his friend. When he saw that his friend had been restored to safety – by a giant wave, nonetheless – and that Merlin's eyes were changing from gold to blue, the sharp ten-year-old put two and two together and gasped, staring at Merlin, who was slowly picking himself off the ground, spitting out water.

"You have magic!"

Merlin choked even more on the water he was trying to dislodge from his windpipe and sputtered, "N-no. I was just…" The child, who had grown up evading the truth when it came to awkward moments like this, had no idea what to say this time. Will had seen it. Will had seen him do magic.

Will just stared at him and Merlin began to get uncomfortable. "Please, you can't tell anyone, Will," the boy pleaded, his eyes roving around and resting on the shivering lump of rabbit huddled in a ball on the ground, still dripping wet, but alive. Sympathy filled his heart (for he knew exactly how that rabbit was feeling) and Merlin knelt, scooping the furry critter into his arms and holding it close to his sopping chest. The rabbit instinctively burrowed closer to him although his wet clothes offered no warmth.

Will quickly peeled off his dry shirt and tossed it to Merlin, who caught it instinctively, still cradling the rabbit in one arm. Merlin wrapped it in the shirt, making a little cocoon of sorts, and the rabbit, who he had just named Rhia in his mind, twitched its nose and burrowed in deeper.

Will shook his head. "I was giving it to you, Merlin," he whined. "Now I'm going to smell like wet animal!"

Merlin chuckled warily. "No change there, then." He dropped his eyes, remembering the severity of the situation and understanding the implications of Will telling his secret, even at his tender age. "I'm sorry. He was just so cold…" He sighed. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you 'bout… well… y'know…" he trailed off, nearly petrified.

Will's eyes were unreadable as he studied his friend. He, a young child, ultimately had his best friend's fate in his hands. And yet there was only one thought that kept running through his mind…

"Can you turn people into frogs?"

Merlin blinked and the two friends burst out laughing even as Merlin shook his head – even if he had that much control over his magic, he didn't think he could bring himself to do that. Merlin knew then that Will didn't care if he had magic or not. At only ten years of age, Will had realized something that most grown-ups couldn't seem to figure out – that a friendship is stronger than just words. Sometimes it takes a great, juicy secret to really seal the deal and if both parties can trust each other with anything, then the friendship can only flourish.

Merlin rejoiced in the knowledge that no, Will finding out his secret was not the end but the beginning to a whole new beautiful friendship – and of course, even more mischief now that Will was savvy to his secret. Merlin and Will exchanged conniving grins as Rhia the Rabbit cuddled against the chest of her new master.

Yes, sir. Lots and lots of mischief.

The End

A/N: D'aaaw... Merlin's too kind-hearted for his own good! Still, you have to admit, the image of Merlin giving up a warm, dry shirt to a freezing rabbit is SO typical of him... and adorable if you imagine little Merlin cuddling said rabbit! :) Hee hee...

So... how'd I do? Please review and let me know because I honestly don't know how I feel about this story! :) Please review!

~Emachinescat ^..^