The six fingered servant
Merlin always knew there was something different about him. His childhood was almost a blur to him, what with his father leaving so unexpectedly and his mother fiercely protecting him wherever he went, and so he began to suspect that he wasn't the normalest child on earth, he wished for friends but his mother refused anyone to see him apart from herself and a few of her most trusted friends. He couldn't understand why he was shut away from the world, because he knew that his Mother loved him very deeply and therefore was confused when he wasn't allowed friends. He was then even more confused-though relieved and excited- when his mother said to him that he should make his own way in life and travel to Camelot!
Merlin sat on the wooden bed; he decided his nails needed cutting. He got up and began to once again ponder his childhood, his brain settling down for a familiar story to be told, his thoughts as always began with the village.
~.~
"We have nothing more to give, please I beg you!" The women begged, tears threatening to make an appearance
"You have nothing more to give" the man sneered "I highly doubt that, you've hidden food from me before why should I believe you now" the man's teeth were yellow and gnarly; he was not under any stretch of the imagination a pleasant being. Yet it was not the man's face that Merlin was interested in, for being a young boy with no father he had little understanding of debts and failed harvests and ugly men, no. Merlin was more interested in the black leather gloves the man wore. He was in awe of them; they were beautiful and fitted perfectly.
~.~
At this point merlin sat down on the bed again with the small penknife and looked at his own hands, they had never fitted into gloves, and they never would.
"What are you gawking at boy!" The ugly man said angrily. Merlin's first reaction was to go and find his mother but his feet stayed put
With a small voice Merlin replied "y-your gloves, sir"
"You like my gloves do you?" the man said softly "here have them" his voice almost sounded kind. He began to take off the gloves daintily pulling them.
Merlin's right hand began to stretch out but then it stopped, and Merlin glanced down at his left hand
Such a trivial thing. Yet enough to condemn a man to the gallows.
~.~
The knife hovered over Merlin's thumb. He slowly cut the long nail off; wincing as he accidentally touched the skin. He still remembered the slap from his mother, the dirty looks from the village, the way he ignored all of this and felt pleased and excited for he had his own pair of gloves! Deep in his brain, he knew that there was a catch somewhere he just didn't think it would come so soon.
~.~
"Boy! How are the gloves" the man said with a hint of sarcasm. Merlin no longer referred to him in his head as the ugly man but instead he had upgraded him to the man on the horse, or the man with gloves. The man on the horse came very often but Merlin was unaware of what he really came, he was also unaware that he and his mother were almost penniless; all he knew was the generosity he had received from the man.
Therefore he replied with "they're very good sir, thank you again" he couldn't admit to the man that he had not actually had the chance to wear the gloves since his other had confiscated them when he first arrived home… after the slap.
"Why are you not wearing them?" the man on the horse said
"Err, its n-not cold enough for gloves today"
"Then why are your hands shivering," there was a pause "you haven't lost them have you?" the man suddenly snapped
"N-n-no Sir"
"DON'T LIE TO ME BOY!" Merlin jumped at the sound
~.~
Merlin looked down at his index finger. He'd made it bleed by missing the nail completely; he sucked the cut and shook his finger, his mind still playing the action back.
~.~
It happened really quickly.
One moment the man was on the horse then all of a sudden the man was holding Merlin up by the scruff of his shirt.
Merlin yelped and panicked he tried kick the man but it was no use. Then abruptly a knife was drawn and placed against his throat, Merlin yelped again. He felt his eyes burn golden and time began to slow down, he couldn't control it but he knew it was happening again. Merlin was dropped to the floor and he gasped whilst the man began to scream… the knife had made its way down the man's eye and was making it bleed horribly.
~.~
Merlin put the knife down. He always knew he was different and having magic certainly made him different. He picked the knife back up again and began cutting his middle finger. But having magic wasn't the only reason his mother had told him to make his own way in life.
~.~
After the ugly man had cursed and screamed, he rode away promising revenge, his name had been demoted again because he'd shouted at Merlin and held a knife to his throat. Merlin went back to his house, and told his mother what had happened
"Mother, why am I different to other children"
"Sweetheart you are not different!"
To prove that he was different all Merlin had to do was hold up his left hand.
~.~
Merlin held up his right hand, all done. He gave the hand a final blow and passed the blade to his right hand and started trimming his left hand. It didn't help that he was left handed, it'd never been a serious problem, He couldn't write well anyway and he'd learned from a young age to use his right hand when possible. It was just left handed peasants were viewed as odd and sometimes even accused of being sorcerers, and if that happened to Merlin it wasn't as if he could even prove those people wrong! And that wasn't it. As well as being a left handed sorcerer he was a left handed sorcerer with six fingers. If he'd only been born with one of these elements then perhaps he would get away with it, live a normal life… but all three, one wrong move and he was a dead man.
He finished cutting his index finger.
He glanced at his mindex finger, that's what he had named his 6th finger since it lay between his index and middle fingers. He put down the knife once again. Maybe just this once he would allow the nail to grow, just for his sake so he always remembered… it would be his own little rebellion against the king or perhaps it was against himself, Merlin couldn't tell.
~.~
"And there are your boots sire." Merlin nodded as he carefully handed Arthur the leather boots with his right hand.
"Thank you Merlin" Arthur said shortly.
"Anything else sire"
"Yes, why are you wearing a bandage on your right hand?" he replied pointing at Merlin's index finger
"I cut it" Merlin shrugged non-committedly
"I hope my work isn't causing you injury" Arthur laughed, though not unkindly"
"Yes sire"
"Okay. Can you please could you pass me my sword"
Merlin nodded.
Swords were a bit trickier to carry with one hand.
He carried it with precision and Arthur easily drew it away, but his eyes lingered too long on Merlin's left hand and Merlin's left hand remained too long in Arthur's eyesight. Merlin put it down quickly but Arthur had seen... It was too late.
Merlin gulped.
"Don't worry Merlin; your secret is safe with me"
For some reason Merlin highly doubted that.
~.~
Hope you enjoyed that!