Disclaimer: I own nothing…
Summary: As Merlin continues to adjust to his new role and duties, the kingdom is visited by Cendred himself. He is willing to make peace within their two kingdoms in exchange for their help in recovering an ancient relic. But is it a harmless artifact or something else? Now as the kingdom is overrun by Cenderd's men, the boys will have to face someone they never expected to face….
Each other…
"The Staff of Souls"
Me: *grinning* I'm baaaaaaaack! Miss me?
Merlin: *groaning* I thought you were buried under a pile of books…
Me: Yes, well, I did ripped one of the tendons in my hand so there was that… But in any case! *To the mob* I am completely blown away by the sheer volume my last story got! And hopefully I will write something as mindblowingly awesome as before! (Your words. Not mine)
This story will have intrigue! It will have angst! It will have horrifying creatures! It will have Arthur pushing Merlin in front of them! And much more! :D
Merlin: *turns to Arthur and glares* You're going to WHAT?
Arthur: *roll eyes* Oh please! Aren't you the all mighty warlock of legend? I'm sure you'll be fiiine!
Me: *huffs* Boys! Settle down. *to the mob* Enjoy!
The sun shone bright against the clear sky as people carried on with their daily tasks. No one would believe the incredible events that occurred last month. After a sorcerer attacked their city, rendering the knights and guards incapable of fighting, they thought that all hope was lost. That was, until a second sorcerer appeared and proceeded to defend the royal family and the rest. Everyone was stunned to find out the identity of the mysterious Emrys to be none other than that of the prince's own manservant, Merlin. As they swathe knights carry the young man into the castle, they were waiting for their king to announce the date of his execution but it never came. Instead, they were surprised to hear that Merlin was pardon and the rules against magic changed. The young sorcerer went about their town, fixing the ruble left from the fight with a flick of his hand. Eventually, the people realized that they had nothing to fear from the cheerful sorcerer and returned to a somewhat normal life.
Today though, you could see some of the most curious staring near the training grounds as they waited for their prince and his sorcerer to appear. They could see in one of the tents a speck of raven black hair peeking through the red fabric.
"Arthur, I'm not sure about this…" Merlin grumbled under his breath as he eyed the knights on the field with unease. Behind him, he could feel Arthur rolling his eyes at his worry.
"Stop complaining already. You're doing it." Arthur stated simply as he went to gather his sword. Hearing this, Merlin turned around as he gaze into the air dramatically
"I can see it now." He said "Myself, walking right to the executioners block with your father looking on with a smug smile…"
"Merlin." Arthur exclaimed forcefully as he tried to shake the cursed images of the younger man in the middle of the pyre. He turned to see Merlin with an awkward look as the other clearly was nervous of what is to happen today.
"Look, father has agreed to allow you to train the knights against magic. That in itself is a huge step for him." He was indeed surprised when Uther had agreed to his request without so much as a glare thrown at his direction. His father had taken a liking of throwing his friend a look that could leave most of the royal court withering in fear and although Merlin had acted bravely in his presence, he would immediately deflate once Uther was out of his sight. Merlin turned towards him with a despondent look.
"Yes, but what if a knight gets hurt?" Arthur could only shake his head in disbelieve as he approached the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder. Merlin raised his head towards him and was surprised to see a look of trust and determination in his eyes. "I trust you and your magic. You could never try and intentionally hurt any of my knights. Besides," As he said this, Arthur gave him a devious look as he patted his back, essentially knocking him of his center. While Merlin regained his footing, he could see his master pushing him forward already gathered the last of his gear.
"I'm going to be amongst them so you better not mess this up!"
As Merlin tried to fight Arthur's constant shoving he found he was too late. They had arrived to the training grounds and were in front of the knights that volunteered for his 'training'. As Arthur addressed his men, Merlin was trying not to be bothered by the curious looks some of the knights were wearing. Most of the people who crossed his path bore the same expression and he supposed he should be used to it but it still unnerved him.
He was glad that Arthur had embraced his magic as he had and he was more than happy to use his powers to help him in any way he needed. But he didn't think that Arthur was going to ask his father to allow him to use his magic and actually train the knights against magic. Apparently, he was lost in his thoughts since he suddenly felt Arthurs elbow hitting his ribs. Arthur shot him an exasperated look as he walked towards his knights. After a couple of awkward seconds, Merlin realized that they were waiting for him to start talking. Clearing his throat, Merlin straightened in his place as he began speaking.
"Uhm… Good morning…" He stammered out and cursed himself for it. As he stared at the knights he could see Arthur slamming his palm on his forehead in disbelieve. "Yes, well, as you've been informed, I am to be training you against any future magical attack." As he continued talking, he began to feel more confident talking about his magic.
"We'll start with the basics. I've cast a defensive charm upon your armor and swords to provide you with some protection against weaker spells. But this is in no way a proper shield so you must not let your guard down." To his surprise, he saw that some of the knights standing to attention.
"Now," he said as he gestured at their sides. "Your swords are now capable of cutting through some of the more physical spells bringing us to the firs step of our training."
"Most sorcerers will try to show off their powers by doing flashy spells. Most conjure up the elements to create panic and confusion and relying on surprise to take their opponent unguarded…" As he said this, he extended his arms towards the ground.
"Cyfod, creigiau o'r ddaear…" Everyone watched as Merlin's eyes turned molten gold as some of the rocks on the ground began to float around him. The rocks rotated gently as they saw that Merlin didn't appeared to have any difficulties handling them.
Up in the castle, Uther remained perched upon the balcony overlooking the training grounds with clear apprehension. He wished his knights to be able of defending and dealing with future magical threats better than what they've done in the past. Having the young sorcerer to do that would be his own undoing incase there was ever a need to kill him. But the sheer use of magic in front of him was enough to make his skin crawl. The few weeks after the fight, he had come to notice a definite change in the sorcerer. He walked now as if a great burden had been taken of his shoulders. But that didn't mean he was comfortable to know that his son was a part of this training as well. He saw as the young man effortlessly levitated the surrounding stones around him and his scowl deepened.
"I want you to try and end the enchantment by cutting through the rocks. But please be careful of them. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt my first day." Merlin gave the knights an awkward smile. As the knights aligned themselves, preparing to complete their task, they heard their prince shouting at his warlock.
"Just get on with it!" Merlin rolled his eyes at this. He just hopped he was paying attention to what he just said. Closing his eyes, Merlin concentrated some of his magic inside the rocks. As his palms opened his eyes followed suit as shone brightly once more.
"Bwyta yn y tân!" Words said, a couple of the knights were taken by surprised as the rocks engulfed in fire. With a flick of his wrist, the flaming rocks went straight at them with new found energy.
The people stared in awe at the incredible display. As the rocks took flight, the knights immediately began to slash their ways through them. They dodged those who were approaching dangerously close at them and tried to slash those who were close. The knights quickly notice the stones were going to be more difficult to get to at first but after a while, they quickly began to gain the advantage. One by one, scraps of ruble lay on the ground, inert. As Merlin lowered his hands and his eyes turned to their usual light blue, he couldn't help but be slightly amused at the group of knights panting in fatigue. Not to mention the fact that Arthur's hair appeared to have been singed by the fire. Merlin approached the group as he doused some of the remaining fires surrounding them. He faced the group with a great smile.
"Excellent work today sires!" He exclaimed cheerfully "I believe we'll be able to increase your training to a more suitable level quite soon." Some of the knight's eyes widened at this.
"You mean, you were taking it easy on us?" Merlin just merely blinked at him, confused.
"Of course. It would be dangerous for me to let you fight without knowing what to expect." Arthur smirked inwardly as he heard the two talking. He knew that one way for his knights to start trusting Merlin's magic was for them to train with his magic. His plan seemed to be working as he had yet to hear anyone address the young warlock with anything but respect. Arthur approached the front as he gestured to his knights.
"Good work today men. We'll meet again tomorrow at the same time." Taking this as a dismissal, the knights gratefully made their ways home. When they were out of range, Arthur turned to Merlin and gave him a punch in his shoulder that earned him a mocking glare.
"Were you really holding out on us?" Arthur asked as Merlin gave him an odd look. "Well yes-"
"Didn't I told you not to worry? We're knights! I'm sure we could handle whatever you throw at us." Apparently that was the wrong thing to say for Arthur saw Merlin's eyes dulled with uncertainty.
"Arthur… I'm not even sure of what I'm capable of…" They fell into an awkward silence as Merlin began to take his armor off. Arthur would sometimes forget the many times Merlin had used his incredible power to defend the kingdom. For someone to have the power he witness a month ago must be an incredible gift as well as a burden. As Merlin finished with his armor, he gave Arthur a mischievous smirk.
"In any case, if I'm training you guys then I am going to be the one to decide how fast the training goes!" He turned around and carried the armor up to the castle, leaving Arthur feeling as he had just been dismissed by Merlin.
"My lord, a messenger has just arrived." Uther was walking back to his chambers as he saw the training ending when one of the guards found him.
"What is the message?" He asked offhandedly.
"He would not say." He answered "He says he will only speak to you, my lord." Huffing in annoyance, Uther started walking to the throne room.
"Very well..."
As the last of the guards walked out of the room, he gestured to the messenger to approach him.
"What is it that you wish to say?" He asked annoyed at the day's interruptions as the messenger took out a parchment from his bag. Handing him the document, the messenger bowed once more and backed away.
"I was asked to hand you this parchment to you personally, my lord." He started saying as the king began reading the document. "King Cendred wishes you to allow him safe passage into your kingdom. He wishes to speak to you regarding the peace negotiations between your two lands." Uther's eyes widen slightly at the news. Why would Cendred want to talk of peace now?
"My lord is on his way here right now waiting for your decision. What shall I report sire?" Uther mind reeled with the implications. Peace among their two kingdoms would certainly be welcomed. But he knew that Cendred must have something up his sleeve. They've never been able to see eye to eye in any of the peace negotiations but if there was even a small chance of achieving this, it would be an incredible burden lifted from his ruling. Having made his decision, he eyed the messenger and gave him a nod in affirmation.
"Tell your king he has safe passage..."
Me: ARGH! 1:36am… I am falling into old habits again…
But is worth it! :D
Just bare with me ok? Updates will come far and apart but all the more time to improve on them. And trust me… you don't want to rush what I have planned for our boys! *cue ominous lightning*
Merlin: Aaarthurrr! I don't like this!
Arthur: What do you want me to do? She's the boss here!
Me: *giggles* Until next time!
Arthur: *muttering* Who would've guess a mind as devious as her could make such an innocent sound…