The Greatest Warlock
"Doctor— what am I supposed to do— I-I can't do this! My magic is not strong enough!" Merlin cried. Dried tears stained his mud-covered cheeks as feelings of pain and confusion welled up inside. He held onto the hand of an unconscious prince who had blood seering out of his white fabric bandages. The Doctor knelt next to him and held onto the cowering figure. He brought his hands up to Merlin's cheeks and smudged the dirt away. Merlin's deep, cerulean eyes reminded the Doctor of the swirling nebulas, two billion light years away from Camelot. The sorcerer looked back at the man's old, old eyes. "Merlin, you can do this. It's the only way to save Camelot. You have to believe in yourself."
Merlin merely shook his head in reply. He didn't want to hear false hope— "No, I just— can't," He choked out his words as he tried to stop himself from weeping. "Doctor, please... Help—" The time lord gripped onto him firmly and gave him a light shake. "Listen. You are Merlin." The two ignored the sounds of swords clashing from a far. "You are the most powerful sorcerer in the whole universe. You are in many ways, brilliant. The people of Camelot might not know what you have done throughout the years but even with that in mind, you never failed to protect their land. But remember this, Merlin. In the future, people will know your name. Your story will be passed down to their children, and their children's children. Not only in this world, but many galaxies, far from Albion. The story of Merlin will spread and you will remembered more than anyone."
The sorcerer couldn't find his voice. "But right now, Camelot needs you. Arthur needs you. Alright?" It took Merlin a few seconds to gather his thoughts. He nodded vigorously. This got the Doctor to smile.
"Right then!" He patted both of Merlin's shoulders before standing up. He quickly turned to Arthur, "You go on and fulfill your destiny too, Prince Arthur!" He brought out his sonic screw driver and scanned the area. Merlin smiled back at the old man in fondness. He's right. It was his destiny to protect Arthur. It was his destiny to stay by his side. And knowing that, he will gladly serve Arthur until the day Merlin dies. "It's coming in a few minutes! If you're ready, I'll count to three and you just shout out those string of words! Remember, it needs to be in perfect timing or it won't work!" Merlin looked at him in confusion.
The Doctor paused and explained slowly, "Words of power?" There was a short silence, "Oh! For crying out loud- Spell! It's called a spell during the old days!" He scowled. The Doctor wasn't a man who believed in magic. It was all science, really. "Ready?" Merlin stood up as the beast slowly edged towards them. The warlock gave a small nod. "One… Two…"
Merlin's eyes glowed gold beneath the moonlight. "… Three!"
"Eorf Yith Scaleish!" He extended his arm while eyeing the torch next to the feet of the beast. With that, a gust of fire and wind swirled around the monstrous creature. Its defeaning cry could be heard all over the forest. The Doctor stepped back next to the unconscious prince and watched the shadow beast disappeared into flames. He glanced at Arthur in amusement and commented quietly, "You always seem to miss out the best parts, don't you?" The Doctor didn't expect a reply. "The legendary King Arthur," He said softly. "You know. I met a different King Arthur once." His eyes drifted downwards. He soon found himself in nostalgia; the days he had during his past incarnations began to burn into his mind once again. He pursed his lips in sorrow. "But that's another story."
There was a small thump. The Doctor's attention was averted back to Merlin. He ran to his aid and grabbed onto the tired figure, "Merlin! Good, you're still awake!" The Doctor lightly slapped his face, "Now hold steady—" He brought out his screwdriver once more and scanned the young boy's body. No broken bones or internal bleeding. Just bruises and a few cuts. "Minor injuries, don't worry. You just need a good rest." He grinned. Merlin looked rather dazed, but soon enough, he found his voice once more. "Arthur…?" The Doctor glanced at the prince who seemed to be sitting up now. "Oh, he's fine! He's waking up now, actually." Merlin breathed out a sigh in relief and mouthed, "Good." before closing his eyes.
The Doctor could feel Arthur's presence walking to him behind his back. He slowly turned to him. The young lad had one hand on his bleeding torso. His blonde hair was disheveled- he didn't even look like a prince. He dropped his sword and walked to where Merlin laid. "He's alright! He merely fainted, don't worry!" The Doctor reassured him with a smile. "See? His chest is moving up and down— signs of breathing!" Arthur was too tired to retort the man. He wasn't stupid. He knew that. Still, his tensed shoulders relaxed a little. "Merlin, you idiot…" He muttered quietly. The Doctor could see the prince's worry disappear.
Arthur's eyes caught sight of the beast's remains and the lit torch on the ground. His mouth hung open and turned back to the Doctor. "—You— you saved my life," The Doctor blinked and glanced at the beast. "Oh." He mouthed slowly. The time lord looked at Merlin then back to Arthur , "No! No, I didn't do—-" "Nonsense," He was cut off by Arthur's smile. The prince spoke louder, "I heard your voice while I rested on the ground. You were there!" He glanced at Merlin, "There's no one else—aside from Merlin, but he's a good-for-nothing manservant." The Doctor's frown deepened. "You are to be awarded," He continued.
Arthur walked out of the forest while calling out the names of his loyal knights. Slowly, dawn crept once again and the rays of the sunlight poured down through the branches of the trees. The sun gladly kissed the sleeping boy in gratitude. "Good job, Merlin." said the Doctor. He could have sworn he saw the edge of Merlin's lips tugged in contentment. The Doctor lowered the sleeping figure down on the soft grass. For now, the young warlock needed his rest. And Camelot was once again, grateful to Merlin.
Uh. Sorry, I made that spell up. This is set when the Doctor left Amy and Rory, just before he turned up at Craig's doorstep again. For Merlin, it's just around the early parts of the third series, I guess. Before the knights of the round table.