PLOT : A story about that time when the Crown Prince of Camelot and his man-servant fell in love.
DISCLAIMER I don't own Merlin. All rights go to the owners.
EPISODE ONE : THE DRAGON'S CALL
PART ONE : ARRIVAL IN CAMELOT
Backpack firmly on his back, Merlin walks through the countryside to the great kingdom of Camelot. His heart gave a painful tug when he remembered his mother's glossy eyes when he left home, but he knew that he had to learn control of his powers. And so, he will live here with his mother's old friend, Gaius – the Court Physician, and learn how to control his magic. A light smile tugged on his lips as he looked around what will become his new home, where he will lead an hopefully boring but fruitful life and build a solid future.
He arrives in the Square where King Uther Pendragon of Camelot, addresses a crowd from a balcony. Curious, the young warlock stops to watch and listen to what he has to say.
"Let this serve as a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant of the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass." The king raised his and then lowers it as a signal to the executioner. Thomas Collins is beheaded and people gasp while fear clenched Merlin's heart and he froze with shock.
"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." Uther exclaimed to his people, looking very proud of himself. Merlin's stomach churned at the sight.
A woman was wailing, the sound heart-wrenching. "There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance! You took my son! And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son."
"Seize her!" The king shouted, his face of indifference masking the fear he felt at those words. The threatening words towards his son. Mary Collins chants a spell and disappears in a whirl of wind and smoke.
So much for a boring life, Merlin thought as he walked away with a heavy heart and made is way to the entrance of the palace. Merlin enters the palace and addresses a guard.
"Where would I find Gaius, the- the court physician?" He asked as politely as possible. The guard points and the young warlock strode in the direction the guard showed. Merlin walks up steps and knocks on the open door to the physician's quarters and peeks inside.
"Hello?" Merlin calls before he wanders inside. Bubbling sounds of potions could be heard and Merlin looked at all the books and potions standing the tables full with confusion on his face. No one answered his call and he tries again. "Hello? Gaius?" He clears his throat. A second later, Gaius trips over backwards from the bookshelf stairs and the railing breaks. Merlin's eyes glow and he slows time while also using magic to move a bed under Gaius before he hits the floor.
"Heaven." He breathes relieved. "What did you just do?" Gaius demanded seriously, struggling to get up from the bed.
"Erm..." He stuttered, not knowing what to say.
"Tell me!" The white haired man demanded once again, finally getting up from his bed.
"I- I- I have no idea what happened." Merlin stuttered through the lie, wanting to protect his secret and not knowing his Gaius could be trusted with his secret, not matter what his mother might have said about Gaius looking after him and helping him with his magic. He didn't even seem to know about him.
"If anyone had seen that..." Gaius mused, looking up at where the wooden railing had broken.
"Er, no! That- that was, that was nothing to do with me. That- that was..." Merlin stuttered through another lie, panicked. He wondered if the white-grey man would out him to the king. Images of his decapitated body flashed across his mind.
"I know what it was! I just want to know where you learned how to do it!" The white haired man exclaimed once again as he
"Nowhere." He denied, shaking his head loosely.
"So how is it you know magic?" Gaius challenged.
"I don't." He said firmly, hoping desperately that the man would believe him and let it go.
"Where did you study?" Gaius asked again. Merlin kept quiet and still hyped on adrenaline and shock from his fall, the physician's patience was practically zero. "Answer me!"
"I- I've never studied magic or, or been taught." Merlin stammered, bewildered and scared.
"Are you lying to me, boy?" Gaius asked, eyes narrowed at the young sorcerer as he took a step forward.
"What do you want me to say?" He asked, resigned because nothing he said seemed to be the right thing or the right answer.
"The truth!" The physician exclaimed loudly, almost harshly.
"I was born like this!" The brunette caved, telling the man the absolute truth.
"That's impossible!" He scoffed in disbelief. "Who are you?"
"Oh, erm..." Merlin's eyes widening, realising that he's not introduced himself to the man. He pulls off his backpack, rummaging through it for something. "I have this letter." Merlin gets a letter out of his bag and hands it to Gaius expectantly, hope blooming in his chest.
Gaius stares down at it for a second before looking back up at Merlin. "I- I don't have my glasses."
"I'm Merlin." The young warlock introduced himself, desperately hoping that the physician knows who he is. Things was about to take an awkward turn if the man had no idea who he is.
Recognition – Merlin thanked the Gods – lit in Gaius' eyes as he looked at the brown haired boy. "Hunith's son?"
"Yes!" The young warlock exclaimed, nodding and a relieved smile on his face.
"But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!" The physician told him, eyebrows furrowed.
The smile dropped from Merlin's face. "It is Wednesday."
"Ah, right then. You better put your bag in there." Gaius pointed in the direction of a room that would now become Merlin's. He took his bag and walked to the room before hesitating and turning back to the white haired man.
"You- you won't say anything about, erm..." He left his sentence unfinished but Gaius knew what he meant all the same.
"No." Gaius told him firmly, he would rather burn to death himself before he turned Hunith's boy in to the king. "Although, Merlin," He called out, the brown haired boy halted and turned to him. "I should say thank you."
Later on, Merlin looks out his window and over Camelot, his new home. He smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.
MERLIN
His new bed wasn't the best out there but it sure beat the forest grounds and he was grateful for it. And for Gaius, who seemed to relax even more towards him during the dinner they shared. A voice in his head woke him up. It was deep and unfamiliar. "Merlin... Merlin..."
The voice stopped as Merlin wakes in his new bedchamber. He enters the Physician's Chambers, mind still a little sleepy.
"I got you water. You didn't wash last night." Gaius told him, much lighter and more polite than he was yesterday.
"Sorry." Merlin apologized, although he didn't really know what for. Maybe it was for Gaius having to strain his back by carrying the water from the kitchen and all the way up the stairs.
"Help yourself to breakfast." Gaius offers and Merlin sits down to eat watery porridge – that didn't look tasteful in the slightest bit. Gaius intentionally knocks a bucket of water off the table. Merlin stands up and stops it with magic. Gaius gasps and they look at each other before Merlin lets it drop. The physician looked at him with wonder and curiosity – he had never seen the likes of Merlin before. "How did you do that? Did you incant a spell in your mind?
"I don't know any spells." He answered the question honestly, much to the surprise and disbelief of the white-haired man.
"So what did you do?" He questioned, his curiosity unbounded. "There must be something."
"It just happens." Merlin muttered, getting up and fetching a mop to clear it up.
"Well, we better keep you out of trouble. You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here." Gaius places a small sac and bottle on the table, gesturing to each thing as he explained. "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival, and this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."
"Okay." He agreed, glad to be doing something. He got bored rather quickly if he sat around and did nothing.
"And here." The physician said and hands him a plate with a sandwich on it. Merlin smiles and takes the sandwich gratefully. "Off you go. And Merlin, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed."
No, Gaius didn't need to tell him. Not when he witnessed it with his own eyes. Merlin eats his sandwich as he walks down the Physician's Corridor and through the Square to deliver the medicine. He knocks on a door and squinting old man answers.
"Erm, I brought you your medicine." Merlin hands it to the man and Sir Olwin pops the cork and starts drinking it. "Oh, and Gaius said don't drink it all at..."
Sir Olwin finishes drinking the remedy and Merlin watches, jaw slightly slack. He gives a nervous smile. "I'm sure it's fine."
Merlin crosses the drawbridge gate into the training grounds. He stands on the side lines and watches as a blonde asshole bullied a servant boy. Merlin's heart went out to the boy for the unfair treatment he recieved.
"Where's the target?" Arthur asked and his gang of friends and fellow knights laughs the background.
"There, Sir?" The servant asked nervously.
"It's into the sun." The blonde pointed out. Why does it matter where the target stands, Merlin's thought to himself.
"But, it's not that bright." The boy told the blonde.
"A bit like you, then?" Asshole and his friends laugh at his remark while Merlin scoffed inside. Based on what he was seeing, the blonde man didn't look all that bright either, with what, him bullying his servant.
"I'll put the target on the other end, shall I, Sir?" The serving boy asked before begining to carry the target toward the wall.
"Teach him a lesson. Go on, boy." One knight egged him on.
"This'll teach him." Arthur said.
"Yeah." Another knight agreed.
"Haha. Teach him a lesson." The first knight egged on again. Arthur throws a dagger at the target while the boy was still walking with it.
"Hey! Hang on!" The servant exclaimed, having felt the dagger hit the target board.
"Don't stop!" The blonde ordered him and the servant takes a few steps back.
"Here?" The serving boy asked. A disapproving Guinevere shakes a curtain out an upper window, watching the Prince with something akin to disappointment.
"I told you to keep moving!" The blonde shouted and the serving boy had to raise the target and cover his head when Arthur throws another dagger. "Come on! Run!" The boy shuffles his feet along trying to carry the large target as Arthur throws more daggers. When he ran out of daggers, he had no choice but stopping and then he looked at his gang. "Do you want some moving target practice?"
The serving boy finally drops the target and it rolls to Merlin's feet. Merlin puts a foot on it so Morris can't pick it up. He looks at the blonde asshole. "Hey, come on, that's enough."
"What?" The blonde asked, feeling a bit of incredulity rise in his chest. Who the hell was this brunette to talk back to him?
"You've had your fun, my friend." Merlin said, not knowing that he would regret his wording choice in a second.
"Do I know you?" The blonde questioned, walking to the boy with long limbs that didn't back away or cower from him.
"Er, I'm Merlin." The brunette introduced and Arthur noticed he even had the nerve to hold out his hand. Either this boy was incredibly stupid or had no idea who he was.
"So I don't know you." The blonde said, ignoring Merlin's hand and walking even closer to the brunette - getting in his personal space.
"No."
"Yet you called me 'friend'."
"That was my mistake."
"Yes, I think so." Arthur agreed. There was something about this boy who hasn't stopped talking back to him. Something that irked him and made him so angry that his heart started beating faster simply by being so close to him.
"Yeah. I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass." Merlin told him with a smile, one that made the blonde even angrier as his heart started beating even faster. Merlin starts walking away and yeah, Arthur's ego hurt from the insult.
The blonde snorts, deciding to retort, "Or I one who could be so stupid." Merlin stops walking and the blonde wanted to show this guy that he couldn't talk back to him, that he was in control. "Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?"
"No."
"Would you like me to help you?" He asked but it didn't really sound like a question to anyone that was watching the scene the two boys was making.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Merlin warned.
Arthur chuckles. "Why? What are you going to do to me?" He asked mockingly.
"You have no idea." Merlin replied and honestly, the blonde truely had no idea what the brunette infront of him was capable of.
"Be my guest! Come on! Come on! Come oooooon." The blonde taunted, wearing on Merlin's self control. Merlin snapped and he takes a swing at him and Arthur twists Merlin's arm behind his back and the knight made noises of surprise and encouragement.
"I'll have you thrown in jail for that." The blonde hissed, he never thought that the gangly looking idiot would actually take a swing at him.
What is his problem, he did say be my guest, Merlin thought, trying to hide his pain - he'd never give the asshole the satisfaction. "What, who do you think you are? The King?"
"No. I'm his son, Arthur." The Prince sneered at him before Arthur takes Merlin out at the knees.
Well, shit.
MERLIN
Okay, who would read this if I continued?
