Title: The Æppel Guardian
Category: Gen (Canon), humour
Characters/pairings: Merlin, Gwaine, other knights
Rating: K
Author's note: My one shot for the Halloween 2013 challenge for the Merlin forum "The Heart of Camelot."
Merlin peered through the bushes, hiding him from any passersby on the normally busy main road to Camelot. Tonight all was calm, serene even. A pale moon's watery glow made everything around look bluish and slightly eerie. It was Samhain night after all, and anything was possible. The veil from the other world was at its thinnest. Spirits of the deceased would be able to visit their loved ones as people in the lower town left food offerings at the door, lighting candles in the windows to guide their loved ones home.
It was a magical night, but that thought alone could still get you hanged in Camelot. Not that this fact impressed Merlin much these days. Not since King Arthur had allowed the people to carry on with the old traditions. Unlike his father, Arthur cared for them all, even though Uther hadn't actually seen any harm in these food offerings either. As long as the word magic wasn't used at the same time. That man had been such a hypocrite.
Tonight Merlin was on a quest. Well, not an actual quest, but more of a little adventure. One that would be unforgettable for someone if things went right. Some spells were unpredictable, but at least the ones he had in mind for this, were totally harmless. He hoped.
As quietly as possible he made his way through the dense vegetation, crouching low, but still able to see the road to his right. This was going to be a lot of fun. Just the idea of what he had planned made his face burst into a silly grin.
What had Gaius said about using his magic for pranks again? Merlin grinned some more...
Six hours earlier...
"Merlin, that is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous," Gwaine exclaimed, while pulling off his chainmail, dropping it on the nearby wooden bench with a flourish, while his fellow knights were trying hard to hide a smirk.
Merlin cleared the wooden benches, his arms already full of chainmail, armour and a couple of dangerous looking crossbows. These all needed to be neatly stacked and stored, sometimes repaired and cleaned when it was necessary. It was always busy when knights came back from their practice sessions, or a patrol. Of course Merlin was Arthur's manservant, but the King definitely enjoyed giving him all kinds of other chores. Not that he minded this one, as he got to spend some time with Gwaine and the others.
Shaking his head at Gwaine's indignation, he turned to face the knight. "But it's tradition, we do this every year."
"Not as long as I've been in Camelot."
"You were out on patrol on Samhain last year."
"I don't like Samhain," Gwaine scowled. "A dangerous, unhappy night. Remember what happened two years ago, when Morgana opened the veil between the worlds?"
No one spoke for a moment when memories of fallen comrades, fellow knights, and in particular, Lancelot, came to the surface. Even after two years the hurt was still felt, but feelings of grief were mixed up with good memories now as well. Merlin could see his own thoughts reflected on the faces of his friends, and it brought a sense of belonging to his heart.
"But that's not what is really bothering you this year, is it?" Percival's calm voice was the first to break the silence, which was a rare thing. Did Percival know something they didn't?
Merlin thought it over and shrugged when it finally came to him. It was so obvious that he should have known. "Gwaine's unhappy with Camelot's Samhain traditions."
"All of them?" Elyan asked.
"Just one."
"Let me guess?" Leon pulled off his boots, and there was a trace of a smile on his face. "Burying apples along the roadside?"
"No one in their right mind buries apples, dozens of apples in the ground." Gwaine shook his head in disgust. "Apples should be eaten, not wasted like that."
"But it's for spirits who are lost, who have no descendants to visit," Merlin objected, although he knew he was fighting a lost cause. Gwaine had this thing about apples, and would defend their cause with a vengeance. That thought alone made Merlin chuckle.
"Superstitious nonsense." Gwaine stalked towards the door. "Those apples were buried this afternoon, and I will be there to guard them with my life. All night! No one will touch those apples, or they will have to face this knight. And tomorrow morning, I will dig them up and bake myself an apple pie."
"The spirits might be very unhappy with that," Percival said in a solemn voice, but Merlin could see it took him some effort to stop grinning.
"Let them come, no spirit can defeat Sir Gwaine." The door closed with a loud bang, and they could hear Gwaine's footsteps in the corridor, very loud and very secure. "I'm off to the tavern, but I'm ready to face anyone, anything..."
Lo and behold, Merlin caught a glimpse of Gwaine's back when he brushed some small branches away from his face, peering through the bushes. The knight was a man of his word, there was no doubt about that. He had seen him get out of the tavern before sunset, and had followed him while he'd walked through the south gate, swaying lightly on his feet, but with a determined look on his face.
Gwaine was sitting there, on a fallen log at the side of the road. His gaze went from left to right, almost frantically. He seemed to be shivering slightly in the cool night air. The cup he clutched in his hands, probably filled with mead, would keep him warm, there was no doubt about that.
Warm and intoxicated, what a perfect mix on a night like this. Merlin grinned to himself while he heard Gwaine whistle a simple tune, as if he was afraid to listen to the silence of the night. Merlin never associated Gwaine with anything like fear before. Fearless was the word to use for this bold, loyal knight. But this was the night of Samhain, and even the bravest knight could get very superstitious. Even if Gwaine had told them that afternoon that he wasn't.
Merlin was going to take full advantage of the situation. Bragging wasn't very becoming, and although it was part of the knight's charm, this was too good of an opportunity to pass.
Crawling on his hands and knees around the bush that separated him from the road, all the while keeping one eye on Gwaine, he let out a slow, silent breath of air, hoping the spell he was about to cast would do exactly what he intended it to do. Spells were tricky things with side effects at times, and definitely to be taken seriously.
"Æppel styrung."
Merlin whispered the spell, while the vibrating sensation of magic ran through his veins. He started to concentrate, the clear image of apples that were buried in the vicinity of Gwaine in his mind, and he knew there were at least a dozen or so. The people of the lower town had taken this task seriously, before returning to their homes for the night. The spell was accompanied with a small flick of his index finger.
It started with one of the buried apples. It suddenly popped out of the ground, right next to Gwaine, who jumped up from his log with amazing speed, a cry of surprise penetrating the silence, while he stumbled backwards, dropping his ale cup and reaching for his sword. The apple flew into the air and swirled there for a moment, like it was shaking off the soil it had been buried in, before it vanished with a tiny popping sound. Merlin knew it wasn't really gone, just invisible, while it landed softly right behind him on the grass.
At this point Gwaine had gotten hold of his sword, and he raised it with a loud curse at the spot where the apple had disappeared. He swung his blade a couple of times, up and down and to the side, like he was probing if the air in front of him was still what it looked like, just air.
Merlin sniggered, and had to muffle an outburst of laughter when he caught the startled look on Gwaine's face. Putting his hands on his mouth to stop the sound from reaching his friend, his whole body started to shake in a true fit of the giggles. Of course this was such a childish prank, but that didn't make him want to stop.
Before Gwaine could recover, all the other buried apples in the neighbourhood jumped out of the ground, flying around the knight's head and up into the air. Gwaine's face became one of indecision and fear, as if he was asking himself; would he slash away at these apples, or grab them instead?
"Nononono..." Gwaine muttered out loud, "I am dreaming, this is just a dream. Wake up Gwaine, wake up and grab those apples."
Pop, pop, pop, and all the apples vanished, leaving a stunned knight, who carefully raised one hand in front of him, probing the air. When nothing happened, he gazed down at his cup on the ground, the ale spilled and gone. And he whistled between his teeth.
"Apples disappearing, definitely a nightmare."
Merlin snorted inwardly and quickly looked down at the small pile of apples behind him. It was time for part two of his prank. He wasn't going to use a new spell, as he had used a similar one before to obscure his whereabouts. It had created fog out of the ground.
"Ic i aplucce dism."
It wasn't fog this time, but smoke raising up in white swirls, shaping itself like a human being, complete with head and arms and towering up like it was alive.
Gwaine gaped at the smoke-like creature, who moved towards him, his sword once again raised and ready to strike if the need arose. "Damn nightmare," he grunted, but stood his ground.
Merlin should have known that Gwaine wasn't a person to give up on anything he set his mind to. He had to take this one step further, or Gwaine would have more to brag about on his next visit to the tavern. Quickly giving it some thought, Merlin smiled to himself, another intense glow of magic warming him while he concentrated on his smoke creation.
"I am the æppel guardian, the spirit of the fruits, the keeper of everything juicy and crunchy." Merlin made his voice sound like a dark whisper, coming from the white smoke he'd gathered. "The apples are unhappy with you, Sir Gwaine, they are meant to be for lost spirits, so leave them be…"
This time Gwaine's sword fell to the ground, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, a constant mutter of 'too much ale, too much ale,' drifting Merlin's way, which almost made him burst out in laughter again.
The only thing left for poor Gwaine to do was turn on his heels towards Camelot, and run...
Merlin was on his way to the practice grounds of Camelot the next morning. After doing his chores for Arthur, he'd made a small detour to his room before he joined the King and the knights. Trying hard to look as innocent as possible, Merlin walked onto the field, a large bowl of apples in his hands, like this was a normal everyday occurrence, him bringing food to the knights.
Merlin instantly noticed that Gwaine was standing, or rather, leaning against the outer wall, looking like he had a serious hangover, but when he saw the bowl of apples, he jumped up, coming his way. It was what Merlin had been waiting, and hoping for.
"Some apples, you guys," he called out to Arthur and the other knights.
"Apples. Thanks, Merlin." Leon slapped Merlin on the back, chose a particularly tasty-looking one, and took a bite. "But I thought these were all buried yesterday as offering to the spirits?"
"True," Merlin stated, a grin appearing on his face, while he tossed everyone except Gwaine an apple. "But I was able to save these from their guardian."
"Wasn't Gwaine guarding those apples?" Elyan asked, turning from him to Gwaine, who was staring at the apples, and back at Merlin, a very suspicious look in his eyes.
"Well..."
Gwaine's eyes narrowed dangerously, while he took two steps forward to stand right in front of Merlin, blocking his view from the others. One hand landed on Merlin's shoulder, and Gwaine, a mischievous grin appearing on his face, slowly but surely pushed him backwards, and away from the group.
"It was you, wasn't it, mate?" the knight whispered in his ear.
"What was?" Merlin tried his best to stop from smiling, but it tugged at his upper lip.
"I was so drunk last night, I didn't see things straight. It was only you, you little..." Gwaine kept his voice as quiet as possible, but Merlin could see the others curiously observing them. "You tricked me. I have no idea how you managed it, but you did."
"Want an apple?" Merlin couldn't help it, he let out a chuckle while he all but pushed his bowl of apples in Gwaine's face, "they are saved, after all."
"Come here, you—"
Merlin quickly ducked out of the way of Gwaine's grasping hands, and bolted. His laughter reverberating across the field, while the remaining apples flew through the air, and Arthur and the other knights gazed after them in utter amazement...
The End