I don't own anything and that applies for every chapter.
The Road Less Traveled By
Chapter 1: Betrayal or Trick of Mind?
Arthur had trust issues.
His first "friend" had turned out to want his friendship only because of his title. One time, Arthur had ended up embarrassing himself in front of his father and a very important kingdom visiting at the time. He watched as his so called friend laugh at Arthur has he tried to fix the situation only that it end up much worse. He could still hear that awful chuckling of the boy as he'd watched Arthur make a fool of himself.
That changed when Merlin came. He finally realized what a true friend was, and he knew that he could trust Merlin. Merlin couldn't keep any secrets from him; he the worse liar ever.
So with no fault of its own, Arthur found himself being tested on if he really could handle the biggest secret of all. It was going to set the rest of his destiny in motion in either a good way or bad way.
Like any other day, he was woken up by his manservant before daybreak so he could get ready to do his father's every whim. It usually started with an 'm' and ended with 'i..'.
Oh what fun, which was why he dragged his manservant Merlin along to share the exciting life of prince. Why have all the fun of running around to find these mysterious sorcerers and not share that joy. Not that he took his duties lightly. He knew what would happen to anyone who even showed signs of magic. There was a heavy price to pay.
However, every once in a while he can't help but wonder 'what if'. What if magic was good? Not that he had any examples for when magic was used for good. He did think that his father was too harsh sometimes in his rule for magic.
Today was one of those days when he couldn't help but voice this inner struggle he has with himself.
"This man has hereby sentenced to death for using magic in Camelot."
Even though people were used to punishment for magic, they couldn't help but sympathize with the family this time. Everyone knew that the family lived in the lower part of the town, in the poorest and often neglected area. It had gotten the most damage from when the Great Dragon attacked. If the man did use magic, it was probably only to feed their last child that had survived, out of the twelve children that had gotten burned to death from the fire that the Dragon had unleashed.
They watched as the guards pulled the man that now looked like a corpse down to the dungeon. The only sound in the throne room was the sobs coming from the remaining members of the man's family.
It must have been the child that was crying in his mother's arms or the heat that Arthur felt. Either way, something boiled over inside him, and he took action that day.
People did tell him he jumped into situations without a second thought.
So he waited until everyone left until he cornered his father with this issue.
The throne room in which the trial happened and Arthur with his father were left in was hot. So hot that the two royal members wore only wore a light shirts with casual pants, not bothering with whole dressing up.
Uther didn't even know that Arthur had stayed behind; he was too busy trying to find a way to cool down until Arthur cleared his voice to get his attention. Uther was a man who could never be caught off guard and he prided himself on that. It must have been the heat since he was caught off guard. He held his hand over his heart as he turned his head toward Arthur and said, "Arthur don't ever do that again. What is it you want?"
He hesitated for a split second before the heat pressure gave the push he needed.
"The man you sentenced…"
Uther waved his hand in a gesture that Arthur knew all too well as 'I've already made up my mind and don't want to hear about it anymore.'
The heat was becoming intolerance as like magic a rebellious part him that fought so hard to be pushed down broke free.
"Father." He used the tone he had used when thinking that Uther had lied about the death of his. Mother and his really birth.
It was the tone that made Uther stop. It suddenly felt very cold, and he wished for the heat to come back. What really made him freeze in place was the look in Arthur's eyes. It was the same fierce determination to be heard and not to be disregarded as a child but a great king in the making. He knew his son would just be just that in the future. Maybe in the future magic would finally disappear forever and world would be in peace again. However, until that day came Arthur still needed to learn something. Like there were some decisions that were hard to make but needed to be made.
"Arthur." He replied in a tone to equally match the one his son used. He would not back down today, though he might in the future. And he didn't intend to be intimidated by his 20 years old son.
Arthur opened his mouth and Uther got ready to immediately slap down the argument for the man to live, when the door to the throne room slammed to the wall as one of the guards came stumbling into the room.
Both royals forgot what they were arguing about as the king and prince within them got alerted to find the guard in a bloody mess.
"What happened?" asked Arthur.
The man could only say one thing before he passed out.
"The dead sorcerers you killed are back, my lord."
000
Merlin felt stuck.
He knew he needed to move on but he couldn't help himself as he kept going around in a circle and ending up back where he started.
He always ended up here where the dragon last lived. He still debated whether he did the right thing or not, and it still kept him up in the night. He knew Gaius worried about him since he knew that he had to look like a walking corpse, but just he could not move on.
It just felt right. People had suffered because of him and now he needed to pay the price.
So he sat on the last step before entering the cave, in the only friend that lived here still: the darkness.
He heard the squeak of the door to the cave open, then the familiar footsteps coming down the stairs, which brought him back to reality.
"Merlin, where are you? Where is the torch that I know should be here?" asked Gaius as he tried not to trip over himself.
Merlin raised his hand and his eyes flashed gold before returning to normal.
Gaius had to shield his eyes as a bright light filled the room.
"Merlin! What if someone saw you? Or much worse, if Arthur found out that you just did magic?" scolded Gaius.
Maybe if Merlin weren't so stressed and fed up about hiding his magic he wouldn't have snapped at Gaius.
"Maybe I want Arthur to find out so I can stop pretending to be something I'm not!"
Gaius eyes softened as he gently reached towards to put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin crumbled under his touch as he pulled Gaius into a hug.
"I'm a monster," he mumbled into Gaius' neck, as the past week finally caught up with him and he started to cry.
Gaius rubbed Merlin's back as he felt his heart break. He never knew anyone who had suffered as much as Merlin and he wished he could take all his pain away and make it his own. He would rather suffer than his boy…his son.
A few minutes later, Merlin could finally control his crying. He unwrapped himself from Gaius and let himself smile for the first time.
"Thanks, Gaius, I needed that. Why did you come down here?"
"Arthur is looking for you."
Merlin couldn't help rolling his eyes. Couldn't the prince go a day before getting himself in trouble and needing his royal butt to be saved?
He dusted himself off as he started to go up the stairs. Before he reached the last step to the opening of the cave he heard Gaius call him.
"Merlin, you are not a monster. No one could have predicted what the dragon would have done and you had to do what was needed to make sure Arthur and your destiny could continue."
He nodded his head before leaving.
Gaius sighed as he wondered if it would have been better if Merlin had never met Arthur. Because of this so-called destiny, Merlin had lost so much. Not that he thought Arthur was bad or anything like that, but he knew that over time Arthur would accept both magic and Merlin. However, how long would it be before that day came and Arthur found out? He just worried that the future was depending too much on the two boys who had only just become friends. Couldn't destiny step aside and let them be for once?
000
When Arthur and Uther got downstairs with their swords drawn, ready for anything, they were only met with stunned guards.
"Where are they?" demanded Uther to the closest guard.
"Where are who, my lord?" the guard asked.
"Who? WHO? Who else? The sorcerers, you fool!" he yelled. He threw his hand into the air as his patience was worn thin.
Arthur left his father to argue with the guards as he neared the cell where the man was sentenced to death stayed. He expected the worst worse and was not disappointed when he saw that the man had been brutally murdered. He had suspected as much, as it seemed that whoever had done this wanted to spread chaos. And what better way than to make a guard think he had seen stuff then go run off to the king to create panic. However, what this sorcerer didn't know was that Arthur now knew what whoever had done this was planning, and was going to stop it before it got out of hand. It seemed that whoever had done this was a novice, since there was a trail of something Arthur would rather not identify as he rushed past his father up the stairs.
000
"Where is he?" thought Merlin as he stepped into Arthur's chamber.
He was about to start clearing up the mess that Arthur's room usually had when the doors behind him slammed open. He turned around just in time to see Arthur come through the door and start to grab his sword. He watched the prince go around his room to pick up his armor as he slowly brought it up to his face for inspection.
"Merlin, when was the last time you cleaned this?"
Arthur didn't give him time to reply as he tried to quickly put it on. Merlin resisted the urge to roll his eyes again as he went towards Arthur to put on the armor. He stopped midway as he watched Arthur try to squeeze through the armor with his arm dangling out the arm pocket of the armor and his head seemingly to lost inside the armor.
Merlin suppressed his chuckle as the prince started to struggle to get it on.
"Merlin, don't just stand there; come and help me!" Arthur yelled through the armor, which ended up sounding like an echo.
Laughter filled the room as Arthur couldn't help but smile a little bit.
"It's been a while since Merlin smiled or laughed, or that's what Gwen and Gaius said. Not that I care..." thought Arthur but he said out loud, "If you don't help me out now I promise to send you to the stocks."
By the end of the threat, Merlin had already taken off the armor and was putting it the right way on Arthur. Once that was done Arthur did a quick look-over to check if he had forgotten anything before turning to Merlin and quickly saying, "There is a person or a group of sorcerers out in Camelot trying bring chaos here like usual. I want you stay here and finish cleaning my room. I don't want you leaving the castle. So you can stay here if you need to even though whoever did this is really bad in cleaning up their tracks."
He about to leave, but Merlin only hesitated a little bit before stepping in Arthur's path.
"I'm coming with you too, Arthur," he said, trying to say 'And I'm not take no as an answer' in his tone.
"No," said Arthur as he stepped forward, letting his body language speak as to answer back to tone.
If Arthur was going out there with no protection, especially if he was fighting magic, there was no way he could survive without Merlin.
Merlin continued to block Arthur's way before he finally gave up.
"Fine, Merlin! Are you ever going to change, Merlin? Do you have a death wish? Do you know that I might not come out this alive?"
Merlin couldn't help himself as smile form on his lips as he remembered the conversation that he had with Arthur so long ago with the same first question.
"No, you would get bored. And you already know the answer to the other question."
A new emotion filled Arthur as he stared at Merlin. He'd almost forgotten yet again how loyal Merlin was to him. He would never tell Merlin this, but he was glad to have a friend like him by his side. He reached for Merlin, and put a hand on his shoulder.
Merlin was almost sure Arthur was going to say something like 'thank you' as their eyes locked.
The words 'thank you' were on the tip of Arthur's tongue but he ended up saying instead, "Don't hold me back."
Merlin shoulder dropped a little bit, since he'd thought that maybe Arthur was about to show that they were friends. Time and time again, Arthur just loved proving him wrong.
However, it really didn't matter that much, because he knew that the day would come when he would tell Arthur he has magic.
He just wondered how much long he had to wait before it was too late.
000
The knights who rode with Arthur and Merlin could easily be seen the difference between the ones that were lost during when the Great Dragon attacked and the ones that replaced them. Arthur knew after the dragon attacked everything changed and the young knights (the ones riding with them now) scared to what might happen, especially of anything to do with magic.
He understood to a point until it affected the job. He swore it was like a contest with who could make the most noise, and surprisingly Merlin was losing. He knew that if he wanted to catch whoever had scared the guard into seeing things and killed the man in the dungeon he needed absolute silence.
So when they were halfway into a forest, where it seemed that the sorcerers had gone through, Arthur got so fed up with the constant fidgeting that he turned around and hissed to the group in front him,
"My god, you're worse than Merlin!"
"Hey!" Merlin huffed as he crossed his arms. "At least I know how to dress myself."
A silence fell as the knights watched the two older boys in front of them glare at each other. Arthur was about to hit Merlin over the head when he heard a choking noise near him. In his peripheral vision he saw one of the knights hold his neck, seeming to be choking himself. He saw another one pull his sword out and charge towards Merlin. He pushed the raven-haired out the way as he drew his sword just in time. Metal hit metal. Merlin gasped; just a second ago he was standing where Arthur now fought two knights.
Merlin did see the knight coming towards him, but to absorb of hearing the familiar words of the ancient language. He recognized the voice as he got up and quickly ran towards the direction it was coming from. He could vaguely heard Arthur yelling at him, but needed to know what heard was not…her.
000
He was back.
Arthur turned his head to tell Merlin to stay close and met face to face with the last person he expected to be there.
A boy around Merlin's age, with brown hair and bangs hid his eyes when he looked down. He was well built, even though if you looked him into his baby blue eyes you would think what this innocent boy is doing on the field that war and blood. He was wearing the proud colors and uniform of a boy who had turned into a man of knighthood. He was watching Arthur with admiring eyes, trying not to stare at him to long.
Arthur knew him and that was what scared him.
He was in the past, so what was he doing here.
"Your Highness, I think we should get started."
"Maybe if I don't turn my head I could get out of this nightmare. This cannot be happening again."
000
Her back was turn to him as she seemed to kneel down with regular red dress and her long curly hair. He couldn't believe he'd actually thought she the most beautiful women he ever seen. He'd seen better much beautiful women, like Freya.
"Nimueh!"
She didn't answer immediately; she took her time as she rose up. Her back still turned to him, but her body start to shake. That the only warning he got as she spin around and screamed, "FENIX!"
Merlin eyes widened as a huge bird that was on fire came swooping down towards him. Too many thoughts rushed through his head that he almost reacted to late. His eyes flashed gold before he too said the first spell that came to mind.
"Égorstréam!"
The heat rolled of the bird as it came face to face with him. He closed his eyes, but inside of being burned to death he felt himself being covered with water. He must have used something to do with a water spell, but he didn't get time to ponder that as Nimueh started sending more spells in his direction.
000
"My Lord, are you Ok?"
This couldn't be happening. Arthur looked at the army of dead men that was his first army that he'd so easy sent to their death. Now, like before they looking with so much hope and so much…
"NO! They are not alive. How did this happen…"
Arthur scanned the many faces that haunted him even now to find his raven hair friend. However, he remembered that Merlin had gotten replaced with the boy named Maxus. That meant this happened when he running after Merlin once he saw going towards the strange fog that start to come into forest. So the fog must have brought him here. So how could he get out this fog and get Merlin out here?
His eyes landed back to thousands of men behind him.
"No…"
He was not going to let the sorcerer win.
000
Merlin felt his leg buckle under him. He watched as Nimueh started close in. She smiled cruelly. Her longer, slender hand stretched out towards Merlin, inviting for one last chance to join her.
He felt his own arm stretch towards her, too.
000
They were already dead and Merlin was going to die. It was strange how he could feel something break inside him as he was torn between saving the past and the present.
However he knew the choice before he realized what the sorcerers were trying to do.
He saw his arm swing down as the thunder of a thousand men rained towards their death.
000
Arthur felt himself trip over a tree root. He quickly got on his feet and started towards where he'd seen his friend disappear, keeping an extra eye out for whoever was messing with them. When he found them, there was going to be hell to pay.
He wiped at the tears that he couldn't keep to himself.
000
Merlin knew that he would never join Nimueh even if she last person alive. Not that true, since he knew for a fact that he had killed her. So he did take her hand and hold it tightly. He never expected it, but she was the only person he had ever smiled cruelly towards.
The only warning he gave was the flash of gold as his veins filed with magic; it traveled from his hand to hers. He saw more than heard his magic turn from magic to electricity.
000
"Merlin!"
He was so close where his friend. He didn't care that he was running now and might end up hugging Merlin. He stopped abruptly when he heard someone chanting. Whoever was doing this was close and so close that they are right next Merlin.
"Idiot, buffoon, if he dies on me I'm going…."
He didn't know what going to do but felt the trees blur by as he ran as fast towards Merlin.
"Merlin!"
Merlin must been caught by the sorcerer spell, seeming to be ignoring him. Arthur pushed hard to reach him.
"Merlin!"
He saw him raise his hand towards the sky. Now he closer he realized that he was on his knees with his back to him.
"Mer…MERLIN!"
He felt before saw a powerful magic surround Merlin before a blue lightening came out of Merlin and shot to the sky.
Everything stood still. Arthur didn't even dare to breathe as Merlin started to sway a back and forth as he rose and started to come towards Arthur. Merlin head was drooped down and he couldn't see his friend's face. He about to close the distance between them when Merlin's head snapped up as his eyes connected with the golden eyes of Merlin.
"Wait, when did…."
"Fengnett!"
Arthur watch in amazement as Merlin stretched out his hands, and his eyes flashed golden before a net came fly towards him. Amazement was got replaced with shock when he realize that a net had come out of Merlin's hand, a huge net nonetheless.
That was ridiculous but he was caught in a net right now and he didn't see Merlin pull it out of his pocket then throw at him. The only other option was….no, Merlin could not be a sorcerer.
An anger ripped through him as he even thought that Merlin would ever be sorcerer. It must be the person who tricked before trying to make him think that Merlin a sorcerer so he would kill Merlin.
Well, he was smarter than that.
That's right, Merlin was not a sorcerer.
000
"Merlin!"
"You got to be kidding me. Now the great dragon is here, too?"
He still is holding on to Nimueh's hand as he saw her hunch over in agony. He was enjoying himself a little bit as he heard the great dragon call his name again.
"Merlin!"
He was almost done with the last spell to end Nimueh. He watched through her pretty black hair in her eyes as she cursed his name.
"Mer…MERLN!"
He didn't know how powerful he was until he saw the blue lightening come out him and end Nimueh's life. Now to get rid of the great dragon; he knew his legs fell asleep as he on the knee position for a long time. He saw himself sway back and forth as he watched the great shadow of dragon descent on him.
"Fengnett!"
He knew it was a simple spell but he felt that even the simplest spelling going to be powerful since his magic just radiating off him.
He was proud himself until it like someone took the blindfold off his eyes and instead of the great dragon there was Arthur.
Their eyes locked with each other as Merlin felt fear for the first time.
Arthur knew, and he didn't know if he should jump in the air with joy or turn and ran.
000
Tbc…
000
9/12/10- Thank you so much Miles333 for editing this!
5/7/10- OK I know you probably read better but I hope you give this story a chance. Also I know there are some mistake and already looking for a beta reader. Like my tense are probably everywhere, my voc. sucks and details are not that great. However, if you could tell what else I need to correct just in case I can't a beta reader in time so I could try fix it next time. If I don't have everything fix the next chapter I hope you don't get mad at me because I slowly trying to fix everything.
So review please!