Merlin
Future proof
Part 1
Nimueh looked into the scrying font, that served as her looking glass, watching as Prince Arthur and the twit Merlin spoke about something, slowly she moved her hand over the font, seeing Gaius and Uther sitting together papers on the table between them, before with another wave, changing the Image to the Lady Morgana and her serving maid, all of them looking happy. She snarled, looking out of the window, at the falling snow, then she smiled.
"tis the season of goodwill" she muttered. Then she waved her hand over the font, the water beginning to boil. Finally she stopped, staring at the image before her, showing a dank, dark future of strange buildings and horseless carts.
"Argoose" she muttered, then frowned, waving her hand again. "Argos" she read again. Then she smiled, before she vanished. The room went deathly silent then she reappeared, picking up her purse and pulling out her credit card.
"Don't leave home without it" she muttered before she vanished again.
Two days later…
"Oh come on Arthur, yuletide isn't that bad" said Merlin as he made the bed while the prince dressed for the day. Arthur poked his head out, looking at Merlin.
"Really? All it is, is a pointless display of cheer in a time where there are no crops the rivers and lakes are frozen, it gets dark before bedtime and its freezing out" Arthur said. "I see no reason to be cheery about it" he said, his head vanishing again "and its dark out and I'm awake! Where's the justice?" he called.
"Your father likes it" Merlin said.
"My father likes to act the good benefactor to the people once a year-" Arthur said, then poked his head out again. "-it's a popularity thing"
"yes, and he does need help with that" agreed Merlin.
"What was that?"
"oh, nothing, just thinking aloud, ermm Arthur, what is that thing?" Merlin asked Frowning. Arthur stuck his head out again, frowning.
"What is what?" he asked. Merlin pointed to the corner of the room where a little white socket with three holes had appeared on the wall.
"That" he said. Arthur stepped forwards, scratching his head.
"I have no idea" he admitted. "it wasn't there yesterday" he said. Merlin rolled his eyes.
"Really, I didn't notice" he said, sarcastically. Arthur nodded and picked up his sword.
"Yes well, that's why you're the prat and I'm the prince" he said proudly, stepping past him with his sword. Merlin blinked, running a hand down his face.
"You never get my sarcasm" he muttered, frowning as Arthur approached the thing that had appeared.
"Be careful, you don't know what kind of creature it is" Merlin cautioned. Arthur narrowed his eyes at it.
"well its not doing anything" he said. "Maybe its asleep" he added. Then slowly put the tip of his sword into the bottom left hole. Nothing.
"Maybe its dead" said Merlin walking over and keeling down, examining it"
"Maybe" agreed Arthur. Merlin tilted his head then saw a little switch that had 'off' and 'on' engraved on it.
"wonder what this does" said Merlin flicking it. There was a loud pop, Arthur flew back and the room plunged into darkness.
"Arthur are you ok?" asked Merlin looking around in the darkness.
"Merlin… why did you turn the candles off?" he asked from somewhere to his left. Merlin turned to the sound stepped forwards then tripped over him, knocking his head on the bed. Slowly he got up rubbing his head as the candles turned back on above them.
"And you said it was dead" Arthur said, unaware that his normally neat hair was now standing on end. "Come on we should make sure no one else has these things here" he added, standing up.
"But Arthur…" said Merlin
"no time Merlin, people may be in danger!" Arthur yelled running out, sword in hand.
"Your hair?" Merlin said, before running after him, noticing that there was another of the white boxes just outside the door.
He followed Arthur to the great hall where, upon entering he stopped short seeing Uther and Gaius puzzling over squat red cylinder with two eyes, a grin and a helmet that said 'HENRY' on its head.
"What is blazes is that?" asked Arthur stepping forwards. Uther looked from it to him, then back to the box, before doing a double take at his son.
"What happened to you?" Uther asked. Arthur tilted his head confused as Merlin ran in.
"What?" Arthur asked.
"Ermm.. I believe Uther is complimenting your hair" said Gaius.
"My hair?" asked Arthur picking up a metal tray, looking into it, eyes going wide.
"MERLIN!" he roared turning around, Merlin's eyes went wide as he ran back out.
"I was trying to tell you!" he called back. Uther and Gaius looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"So, Henry, from what land are you?" asked Uther, looking into the grinning face, it remained silent.
"oh!" said Gaius eyes wide. Uther looked at him.
"It has a three pronged tail" Gaius said pulling the tail, the Henry not giving any indication it minded.
"Demon!" Uther spat, drawing his sword.
"A very long three pronged tail" said Gaius.
"Look at its head" whispered Uther. Gaius stopped pulling the tail and looked, seeing nothing, then looking at Uther.
"it turned" Uther stated as Arthur walked back in, Merlin behind him rubbing the back of his neck, Morgana and Gwen a moment later.
"Eww what is that thing?" asked Gwen, stopping short.
"This is Henry" said Gaius.
"Henry, the Lady Morgana and her servant, Gwen" Gaius introduced. Henry said nothing.
"Talkative, isn't he" muttered Arthur, as the top began to spin where Gaius pulled the tail again.
"Ohh I don't think he likes that" said Gwen. Gaius stopped and looked up.
"What? doesn't like what?" he asked.
"That thing where you pull his tail" said Gwen.
"Maybe that's how he talks?" said Morgana. Merlin frowned and walked past her taking the tail and looking at the end of it.
"Arthur look at this" he said. Arthur moved over to him, frowning.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Arthur asked.
"If its about breakfast then yes" said Merlin. Arthur sighed and took the tail, looking around, his eyes lighting up when he saw one of the magical boxes on the wall. He pulled the tail over to it and then pushed it into the socket.
"it fits!" he said proudly. The group turning back to Henry.
"I don't like its nose" whispered Gwen. Morgana looked at her and stepped forwards.
"Well I think he's cute-ish" she said, leaning forwards. "besides he's so different from us, he's probably scared is all", she said, her dress brushing the end of his nose.
"So what did that do?" asked Uther, looking at Gaius. The man shrugged.
"I have no idea" he said.
"there's a small tome in its house here" said Merlin, looking through the box, pulling out the instructions. "Also a lot of weapons, some of which are brushes" he added. Then turned and handed the instructions to Gaius who laid them out on the table, examining them.
"Well?" asked Uther, the others watching.
"Its difficult to decipher my lord" Gaius said.
"No wonder, they're upside down" said Arthur, standing next to his Father.
"Sire, you're on the other side of the table, they would be upside down to you" Gaius pointed out.
"It says here, Green for intensity, red for power" Merlin said, looking over Gaius's shoulder.
"Well, press the red one then" said Uther. Gaius reached forwards, then pulled back.
"We have no idea what that will do" Gaius said at length, Morgana leant closer to Henry, which was when Merlin leant past Gaius and pressed the red button. Henry roared, and Morgana screamed as it began to eat her dress, up its nose.
"Good lords!" exclaimed Gaius.
"Kill it!" yelled Arthur. Gaius reached over and slammed the green switch, and the roar grew and Morgana screamed higher as it ate more of her dress.
"the red one!" yelled Merlin slamming it. Henry went quiet and Morgana pulled her dress free, looking at Henry, eyes wide.
"That… tried to eat me!" she yelled.
"You attacked a member of my house, there can be only one course of action!" Uther roared at it.
"You will be executed at dawn by beheading" he announced, then with a flurry walked out of the room. The group looked at each other, but it was Merlin who spoke up.
"I hate to point this out, but won't it be difficult to behead something with no body?" Slowly everyone turned to look at him.
"Just saying is all" he said with a cheesy grin.
Merlin rushed down the steps to where the Great Dragon was situated, running into the cavern beneath the castle. The Dragon was already waiting, but it had two really long pieces of string stuffed into its ears, its eyes were closed, and its head was bopping. Merlin looked around the floor seeing hundreds of broken little flat boxes on the ground. He looked back at the Dragon.
"Errr Hello!" he called. The Dragon continued bopping its head. "yoo hoo!" Merlin called again, the dragon opened one eye looking at him.
"Ahhh, young Warlock, happy yuletide!" he greeted.
"Yeah, about that… what are you doing?"
"ooo best part" said the Dragon, closing its eyes, lifting its head bopping along happily.
"You do realise how disturbing that is right?" Merlin muttered.
"Man this stuff is happening!" exclaimed the Dragon, looking back at Merlin.
"now what do you want?" he asked.
"Right, its like this there are these, things appearing around Camelot, we got someone called Henry trying to eat Morgana, little white boxes that keep shocking Arthur, and now this!" Merlin said. He waited. Then sighed. "when your done" he said.
"Oh sorry, you were saying" said the Dragon. Merlin shook his head looking around.
"Doesn't matter, what… are all these?" Merlin asked gesturing to the piles of broken boxes.
"They're called I-Pods" said the dragon. "They make music" he explained.
"Why are they broken?" he asked.
"Merlin, have you seen the size of the play button?" asked the Dragon. Merlin picked one up.
"Yeah and?" he said. The Dragon lifted up its claw.
"Now try pressing it with this" he said. Merlin blinked.
"Mad, your all mad" he muttered. The Dragon sighed and pooped one of the pieces of string from its ear.
"here listen" said the Dragon. Merlin took it and put it in his ear.
"I'm you biggest fan, I'll follow you untill you love me.. papa paparazzi" the dragon said in tune, as he and Merlin nodded their heads to the beat, Merlin blinking then pulling the earphone out.
"What is that?" he asked.
"The song, its by some royal person.. the screen says it a Lady Ga ga" it said.
"No, I meant the stuff on this" he said holding up the ear phone.
"Just some earwax" the Dragon replied. Merlin nodded, then grimaced.
"Be a good fellow and pop it back in would you" said the Dragon leaning down. Merlin Grimacing as he did so.
"Okay, well I can see you're not going to be of much help" said Merlin turning away.
"Oh, you could do me one small favour" said the Dragon looking at him.
"What's that?" asked Merlin.
"Put song four on repeat, I like that one" it said. Merlin blinked and picked up the I pod.
"Sure, whatever you say" he said. Then, the Dragon satisfied he left the cavern.
Uther was walking past his chambers when he heard the familiar roar of Henry from inside. Grabbing his sword from its holster, he slammed the door open, blinking as he man servant ran the brush on Henry's nose along the drapery.
"Peter?" asked Uther, Peter turned and the bowing pressed the red button, shutting henry up.
"Sire" he said.
"What are you doing with that…. Thing?" he asked.
"What Henry?" asked Peter confused. "Cleaning sire" he said.
"Cleaning? With Henry?" Uther asked.
"Yes sire, Henry is my magic sucker" he announced proudly. Uther opened his mouth to respond, then blinked.
"You really didn't say that" he said, then he closed the door, leaving a confused Peter there.
"What was that all about?" asked Peter. Henry didn't reply.