First and foremost I apologise in advance. I get the feeling that updates will be sporadic at best (not due to me having genuine excuses, just laziness, so feel free to hound me to get a move on) and some bits and pieces may not flow as well as they should due to the way I have written some of this. (I actually started with the 6th chapter, moved onto the 5th, then second and third, a bit of the ninth and finally the first.)
This will have both het and slash in it (I think) Mainly Lancelot/Merlin (which will probably end up as Lancelot/Merlin/Gwaine if I know myself as well as I think I do).
People will die in this fic, but it will be none of the main characters. Mainly it will just be randoms dying in horrible ways in an attempt to cover for my poor excuse of a plot.
Feel free to mention anything that doesn't make sense or any problems you find as this will be un-beta'd. I will do my best to correct the problem.
Now I think I have given you sufficient reasons to turn away, now...ON TO CAMELO– I MEAN THE STORY!
Tabula Rasa – Chapter one
It was the smoke rising to the east that set off the first warning bells. Almost immediately the heads of houses had gathered and chosen two men to ride to their sister village and bring back word of the situation.
Neither returned.
As the day went on the cloud continued to build and blacken. The wind blew wisps of smoke towards their village; the acrid sent pervading the air. Another man was told to ride on and find the others but he too never came back. By nightfall a dull orange glow had begun to show in the distance, getting closer and closer. Animals, both small and large fled the surrounding forests and fields in an attempt to outrun the danger nipping at their heels.
If only the humans had followed.
For many years the villagers had been safe in the knowledge that fire would not touch them with a river to their east and a gully to the west. For the most part this also isolated them from the interference of other people, barring their twin village just across river. They had no need to trade and did not seek to welcome travellers from anywhere.
Indeed that had been the start of their problems.
That night, while the men, women and children slept, the fire reached the river. It flickered and waivered at the water's edge, an impenetrable wall of flame and in the midst of the inferno a shadow appeared.
Tongues of fire licked at its side but did not burn it. If anything they seemed to play around the base of the figure...
And with a rising of a hand, the fire leapt the banks and spilled onto the river. Red and orange swamped the cool liquid and set the water aflame and soon enough it crossed to the other side and made its way towards the sleeping village.
From the far bank a hoarse giggle bubbled its way up a torn throat as it watched the fire dance.
xXx
The boy ran, crashing through thickets and over fallen branches. Brittle twigs lay scattered over the forest floor and silently, he begged the Gods not to let him step on one. The burn on his arm throbbed with every breath and his smoke filled lungs strained and ached savagely but he didn't dare let himself stop. He could still feel the heat at his back and hear the screaming of his parents.
'Tristan!' His father had yelled. 'Run!'
It was the last thing he ever said. A dull roar and the fire had consumed him whole as his mother stood still and watched, shock and horror painting her once pretty face.
Above a storm brewed and thunder growled. Wind whipped the trees into a frenzy and in the distance he could hear the fire crackle and spark.
Gone, he though. All gone.
He forced himself to think of something else, anything else but nothing came to him. All he could think of was the fire, and the light and that laugh. So cold and so mad and so very, very sweet.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
For the first time in his short life he was truly alone. No mother, no father, no friends; just him and the trees.
And the woman.
Panic rose in his chest and he struggled to fight it down. It was all her fault. She had looked so sweet, standing there all calm in the middle of the street while screams erupted around her, like the eye of the storm...and she had smiled at him. Then his father had yelled and the fire grew and she laughed; a high wavering sound. Tristan ran and did not look back once. He didn't want to know what he would see.
He stumbled to his feet shaking his head. He didn't want to remember that. He just wanted to get away.
Above him the sky opened up and it began to pour. Shivering, he began to run again heading south. He knew that there was a village nearby and they could help him. He did not think of his village for he knew it was too late for them.
By time he saw the first building the moon had been completely blotted out by the clouds and his clothes were soaked through, rainwater stinging at his wounds.
He made it to the village and walked into the streets, eyes bleary and refusing to focus. Just as he heard someone call to him, gray began to close in around the corner of his vision and he sank to the ground. He did not hear the man calling for help or feel himself being lifted into strong arms.
All he knew was nothing.
xXx
Merlin woke to a boot being thrown at his head.
In all honesty he wasn't totally surprised as it wasn't the first time Arthur had gotten impatient with him and decided to wake him up himself. Thing was that usually only happened on days when they were actually meant to be doing something and as far as he could remember, neither of them really needed to be anywhere on time today.
Merlin contemplated this fact from his floor as he stared up at Arthur's face. Strange, it really was dark in the room.
"Wasit?" Considering how he had woken up, he was surprised he managed that much.
Arthur had already turned and was heading out the door. "Hurry up and get dressed. Something's happened."
Merlin felt himself blink and scrambled to his feet. "Do you know what?"
A shrug and frown were all Merlin got as an answer. "Once you're done get Lancelot to help you find the others and tell them to meet in the conference room."
Then he was gone. Merlin quickly grabbed his top off the floor, throwing it on as he stumbled out of the room, almost running straight into Gaius.
"Was that Arthur?" Gaius looked for all accounts as if he had just woken. It was then that the servant noted the darkness of the room.
"It's night..." Merlin noted as he stared, stupefied, out the small window.
Gaius nodded sympathetically. "Yes, Arthur woke us both up." He paused and sent Merlin a look. "Well what are you waiting for? I'm sure the prince wouldn't have disturbed your beauty sleep for nothing."
Merlin stumbled off out the door, still half asleep but awake enough to feel the urgency in the air. Something was happening going on and whatever it was he had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't like it.
xXx
Arthur wasn't all that surprised to find that he had beaten Merlin to the meeting room. The others were all there in varying stages of wakefulness; off to the side Gwaine was wearing a hole in the floor with his pacing, Elyan was blinking sleepily while sitting on the floor with his back leaning against a wall. Leon looked for all intents and purposes awake but he could see that the knight was still struggling to maintain full awareness and standing together were Percival and Lancelot, talking amongst themselves. They all looked up when Arthur came into view and Elyan clambered onto his feet.
"All right then." Gwaine rounded on Arthur and sent him a glare which would have been far more affective if he hadn't looked as if he was about to fall back asleep. "What is this all about? Merlin interrupted a very nice dream of mine. I was about to-"
Leon interrupted to the relief of the others. "Please Gwaine, it really is too late to be hearing about your fantasies." He paused, thinking. "Or it could be too early..."
Arthur cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak only for Merlin to trip through the door.
The knights watched with fond eyes. Merlin was no graceful warrior; he had enough trouble as it was trying not to hurt himself on the swords he cleaned or the things he carried. That did not mean that he wasn't as much a part of their meetings as they were. For all his youth, he had moments of unexplained wisdom and lately the knights had noticed that Arthur was beginning to rely on both Gaius and Merlin to come up with the majority of the plans, not that he would ever admit it. Realising that they were all watching him, Merlin gave a sheepish smile before taking his place between Gwaine and Lancelot.
"How is it that you're late even now?" There was a look of honest bewilderment on Arthurs face that sent the rest laughing, even the slightly out of breath servant.
Gwaine snorted and nudged Merlin with his shoulder. "I honestly don't know why you ask. Merlin's always late." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "I bet you don't really even notice it anymore."
Beside him, Lancelot took a breath, ready to defend his friend but it came out as a snort. He couldn't say anything really as Gwaine was spot on.
Merlin huffed, a barely noticeable blush dusting his cheeks.
He looked at Arthur and spoke, wry amusement colouring his voice. "You know while I'm sure you would like to discuss my slight...problem with time management you might what to tell us what this was all about before Elyan falls asleep standing up."
Off to the side Elyan jerked himself back up and sent an apologetic look towards the others.
"Yes well..." Arthur made to lean against a wall, feeling his knights and servant follow him with their eyes. "I would appear that we have a problem. An hour ago we got word that four days ago a village was attacked and all its occupants killed." Everyone straightened at that and the laughter drained from their eyes.
Arthur rubbed at his eyes before continuing. "One survivor, a boy, managed to get away and ran to the nearest village. We didn't hear about it until now because he collapsed from exhaustion upon reaching the place. It took a day for him to wake up and another one before he was willing to talk about what happened..."
Leon spoke, eyes dark and shadowed. "What did he say?"
"A party was sent out to the village the morning after he arrived to see what happened. It had been burnt to the ground and everyone killed. But it wasn't until he spoke that they learned a crucial detail."
The prince looked up at them all, weariness etched into his features. "Apparently there had been a woman there." At the confused looks he received he continued. "He said that she stood in the middle of everything and just...watched. He said that the flames bent to her will."
Merlin stiffened and he felt Lancelot lean towards him slightly.
"You mean sorcery." It was a statement, not a question and Merlin felt his heart sink as he watched Arthur nod.
"He said she called the flames to the village and laughed as it burnt." There was a quiet rage simmering in Arthur's voice as he spoke and Merlin almost winced at the sound. This time Lancelot's hand crept up to grasp Merlin by the arm, a steadying and reassuring presence.
"Tomorrow we will gather what we need and the next day we'll set off to find this sorceress and bring her to justice."
The knights nodded in agreement and only Lancelot noticed Merlin's hesitation.
Arthur took a moment to look carefully at each person. Elyan and Gwaine, a light of almost anticipation in their eyes, Percival standing behind the others tall and strong, Leon ready and willing to help and Lancelot and Merlin looking back at him with faith painted all over their faces. It was enough to rot his teeth but Arthur couldn't be anything but grateful for them all.
"Go get some sleep. Well meet at the stables; dawn, day after tomorrow." Everyone made a move to leave when Arthur spoke again, this time directly at his servant.
"And this time Merlin please try not to be late."
xXx
Merlin could feel his eyes on him as he began to head back to Gaius's quarters and tried in vain to stop the tingle that ran up his spine.
If there was one thing that Merlin had come to accept in the months since the end of the immortal army it was that Lancelot had become even more focused on his moods, always knowing what he was thinking and his plans. Not that Merlin was complaining really, it was a nice change to have someone to talk to and who really noticed what was going on in his head. That and it was just nice having Lancelot around again.
Lately he had become an almost constant presence, forcing food into Merlin's hands or making him sit down and have a break. Sometimes on the rare days when Merlin didn't have anything to do they would spend hours together talking about anything that took their fancy, often just content to sit in each other's company and watch the world go by.
Sighing he stopped and turned to look at the knight following him. Any complaint he had been about to voice, died on his lips when he took in the concerned look in the dark eyes and the small frown playing on Lancelot's lips.
"Merlin..." The older man paused and stepped closer to the servant. "Are you alright?"
The warlock couldn't help but smile at the worry in Lancelot's voice. It was nice to have someone that knew about his magic, and it was really nice to have someone who cared.
"I'll be fine."
The frown on the knights' mouth did not leave, if anything it grew deeper. "You know I'm really beginning to hate that word." He took another step forward and placed a warm hand on Merlin's shoulder.
Merlin chuckled at that and raised his own hand to cover Lancelot's briefly before letting it fall away.
"I really am. I can't say that I will enjoy this and it will make it harder for me to tell Arthur everything," the hand tightened in a gently squeeze, "but I'm fine."
Slowly the frown dissipated leaving only the concerned look. "If you need anything..."
Merlin really smiled this time and was delighted when the knight smiled back. "If I need anything I'll come straight to you."
"Good." Lancelot's hand moved slightly, almost brushing it against the nape of Merlins neck, before letting out a soft cough. "And when I say anything, I mean anything. Even if it's just to talk."
The older man left his hand on Merlin's shoulder for a few more second before letting it fall away and when Merlin turned to head back to bed he could feel Lancelot's eyes following him. It should not have made Merlin smile as it did but his heartfelt lighter than it had been in a while, especially since before the brief meeting.
Behind him Lancelot flexed a hand, still feeling the lingering warmth of Merlin's body heat on his skin.
xXx
A day later and Arthur was expecting to beat most of the others to the courtyard. He had cleared his plans with his advisers and had even managed to stop by Uther's chambers, explaining to a silent father why he wouldn't be around for a while.
Needless to say he tried to leave as soon as possible.
So imagine his surprise when he arrived to find that he was the last one there. Arthur looked over his men (and Merlin) with approval. In accordance with the plan they had all dressed in civilian clothing as opposed to knight garb. Merlin was the only one wearing his normal clothes and Arthur found that most of his knights looked quite odd without the armour and cape.
"Well lookie here," called out Gwaine. "Now here I thought you were going on about us being late."
A snort came from Merlin who was trying to hold onto both his and Arthur's horses. "Come on now Gwaine," chimed in the servant. "You can't expect him to be perfect all the time."
Merlin turned towards the approaching prince and handed out the reins to Arthur's horse.
"So," He looked expectantly up at Arthur. "How are we getting to where ever it is we're going?"
While the general idea of the plan had been hashed out over a few mere minutes, the actual plan was not known to anyone but Arthur himself.
"The exact location of the sorceress is unknown but she was last sighted near the town she burnt down."
Off to the side Leon and Lancelot nodded while the others listened intently. "I figure we'll start there. It's a small town bordering the Perilous Lands. To get to it we'll travel as straight as we can, cover more distance in less time. That'll mean that we have to pass through Drǣdan Forest. It'll only take a few days but- ..."
The coughing and choking sound was coming from Merlin while the stare boring into his back was from Gwaine. "Did I just hear you say Drǣdan Forest?" The other knights were looking at the two, obviously having as little a clue as to what was going on than Arthur himself.
"Yes..." Arthur pronounced slowly. "What about it?"
"Are you nuts?" The words slipped from between Merlins lips before he could stop them and he tried not to shrink when Arthur turned to glare at him, a scathing look on his face. "What I mean is; have you ever travelled through it before?"
Arthur admitted that he had not but did not see how that held any kind of baring on the subject.
"Those woods are filled with things Arthur. The kind of things which enjoy turning puny little people like us into tooth picks." Merlin's dry voice cut through any complaints he was about to make.
"Is that so?" Leon focused on Gwaine who nodded.
"Just think of it this way Princess." Gwaine dodged the swipe to his head moving closer to Merlin and Lancelot. "It's kind of like the Perilous Lands. You remember them don't you?"
Merlin sniggered as Arthur narrowed his eyes at the long haired knight. "And how would you know this Gwaine? After all you've never been to the Perilous lands..."
Gwaine sent Arthur a look that was entirely too innocent to be true. "Hmm, must have been a dream then."
"I'm sure it was." Arthur bit out, determinably ignoring the curious looks the other knights were giving him and the triumphant looks that Merlin and Gwaine were shooting each other.
"Yes and besides that-..." Merlin jabbed a thumb back at his horse. "These guys would barely be able to fit between the branches. Everything in that forest is completely over grown."
"Be that as it may, travelling through Drǣdan Forest is the quickest way to get to the village and we'll move faster with the horses." Arthur pointedly ignored Merlin when he threw his hands up in exasperation. "Besides how do you know this?"
Merlin looked over. "On my way to Camelot I travelled through it. Only barely mind you, I was in there for less than an hour but it was...unpleasant..."
Arthur turned to Gwaine. "What about you?"
The knight shrugged before replying. "I spent a day making my way through it after I left Camelot. It was the quickest way to get where I was headed."
Arthur nodded at that. "Either way we'll head off as planned. Now let's get a move on."
Arthur swung himself onto his horse watching as the others followed his lead. Minutes later they were heading off through the gates of Camelot heading north. From the back of his horse Merlin managed to catch Gwaine's eye over Lancelot's head as they both thought about what lay before them.
Then Merlin called out to Arthur.
"Don't blame me when I say I told you so."
xXx
"Told you so."
"I hate you Merlin. I really do sometimes."
And he really did at that moment. The smug smile on Merlins face was grating at best and it didn't help that Gwaine had the same expression as they all inspected the living wall in front of them. Well, living might not be the best word for it. By all appearances the branches looked dead and they were entwined so closely together that they formed a wall made of wood. It ran the whole edge of the forest and there was no visible entrance through which they could fit themselves let alone the horses; at least not without cutting back some of the skeleton-like branches first.
"Not another word from you." Arthur handed his reins over to the servant and drew his sword. Percival and Elyan followed suit, handing off their reins to Gwaine and Leon respectively and they stepped forward to stand beside Arthur before starting to hack away at the thicket.
It was slow going but once they started it got easier.
Branches and twigs pulled at their clothing and hair and scratched their skin and he pointedly ignored the comments and laughter Merlin sent his way. Arthur swung his sword with particular force and almost fell on his face when the brush gave way to open air. Percival and Elyan stopped cutting and helped steady Arthur as they looked into the clearing before them. Apparently the wood wall was only a few feet thick. Before them the trees spread out normally with plenty of room between to manoeuvre the horses.
"Well would you look at that." Merlin had come up behind him and was glancing around the forest with surprise. "I was expecting it to be thicker. Guess it has been a while."
"You think?"
Merlin grinned. "Yup, shocking isn't it."
It took a while but they managed to get the horses through the entrance and into the forest. By then the sun had risen as high as it would go and had begun the decent back down towards the horizon. The men grabbed their smaller packs, carrying a few weapons, clothes and in Merlins case, herbs, but they left the heavier packs for their horses to carry.
The travelled in relative silence, any banter being light and humorous. It seemed to be a reaction to the atmosphere of the forest itself. While it was surprisingly well lit there was a distinct eeriness to the air. The trees seemed to pale in the light, colour leeching from the bark. The horses could feel it and it left them shying away from the slightest of noises.
Above a bird of some sort flew high above the trees.
"How does anything live here?" There was honest bewilderment colouring Lancelot's voice.
Dappled sunlight lit the forest floor and plant life was scarce at best; the ground being completely devoid of life. All that was left to cover the bare soil was a thin carpeting of pine needles. There was also no animal life at least none they had seen yet. No one chose to answer the question, instead they all just listened. The bare branches creaked in the wind and the breeze sent faded leaves spiralling down towards the forest floor.
Suddenly one of the horses reared, screaming in terror. Arthur and Merlin leapt forward and grabbed onto the reins to try and hold him still.
"What the hell is going on?"
Arthur barely got the words out before his feet went out from under him. Merlin cried out and Arthur rolled to the side in an attempt to get away from the flailing hooves. Briefly he saw the others trying to control their own horses who were attempting to flee as well and the bridle slipped between his fingers and sent him stumbling back, almost tripping over Arthur as he did. Soon the hoof beats of Merlin's horse getting further and further away was the only sound, and the silence returned, impenetrable.
There were low mutterings as the knights tried to calm their other horses while Merlin pulled Arthur to his feet.
"What the hell was that?" Arthur exclaimed as he brushed the dust from his clothes.
Gwaine looked in the general direction the horse went. "I can safely say that I have no idea." Blinking he looked around. "Everyone okay?"
Mutters and groans resounded throughout the clearing and he took that as a 'yes'.
"So what now?" Elyan stepped forward and glanced around them. "I've heard that sometimes animals can sense things that humans can't and Merlin did say that there were plenty of things in these wood. Maybe we should just try going around. Would take longer but we're less likely to get eaten."
"We'll keep going forward." Arthur sent an equally long glance towards the surrounding trees. "It would take at least four days before we'd come around the other side and we'd still be facing the wrong direction and right now I would like to get to that village as quickly as possible."
No one else made a move to comment and the group headed off, taking care to stick together and hold onto the horses. It was unusually slow going and as the sun sank lower and lower towards the horizon it was Merlin who realised that a tree looked unusually familiar.
He stopped and Percival only just avoided walking into him.
"We're being pixie led." He announced.
"What in the devils name are you on about now Merlin?" The look Arthur sent him was one of exasperation but his hand still gravitated towards the hilt of his sword.
"It's just something that I've heard talk about before." Merlin paused, considering something. "Though to be honest I have no idea why it's called being 'pixie led' as I'm almost positive that there is no such thing as pixies-"
"Get to the point please Merlin," Arthur interrupted.
Instead of replying straight away Merlin pointed to the tree to his left. "It had been bugging me," he explained, "but I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. We've walked passed that same tree at least two times already."
Arthur had to admit that the tree looked familiar to him as well.
"So what can we do about it?" Elyan, ever practical, interrupted then directing his question towards Merlin who just shrugged in reply.
"Honestly I'm not sure. From what I've heard there isn't anything that we can really do to stop ourselves from going in circles. We just have to wait till whatever it is that's causing it finds something better to do."
"And what's causing it?"
"No idea," he said jovially. "But personally I've always thought it might be a type of-"
A rock flew through the air to strike the tree next to Lancelot.
"- goblin."
As soon as the word left his mouth another rock came sailing through the air to strike Gwaine in the leg. He went down with an oath and the next thing anyone knew, rocks were being thrown from all sides.
Merlin managed to dodge the first three that were sent his way but the fourth got him in the ribs and he went down hard. Whoever was throwing the rocks had one hell of an arm. Though in retrospect, Merlin realised, it was more likely whatever was throwing the stones. He looked up in time to see both Arthur and Leon take a hit. They both tried to struggle to their feet but found the next barrage of stones heading straight towards them.
"Where the hell are they getting the bloody stones from?" Gwaine had managed to get to his feet and was attempting to use his sword as a bat though it made little to no difference as the stones were coming from all sides. "There haven't been any rocks to trip over, let alone throw, for hours!"
No one got a chance to reply because it was then that the rocks found a new target. Up until then Merlin had noticed that, while they had all been hit at least once, the horses had been left untouched. Quite mercifully, he thought, as the horses had been jittery already and just about anything would probably send them running. Apparently this occurred to the stone-chucker as one of the smaller stones made a perfect arch and clipped Leon's horse on its flank. In a fashion eerily similar to last time, the horse reared, kicking his front hooves out and almost catching his knight on the shoulder. Luckily for Leon, Percival managed to yank him out of harm's way and both fell heavily to the ground. Soon the rest of the rocks were directed at the remaining horses, hitting them on their sides and muscled shoulders. Within minutes they had scattered to the four winds, and it was only after they disappeared from sight that the shower of stones ground to a halt.
By the end of it, not one them was not bruised or battered in some way.
"Bloody hell." Elyan didn't move from his spot, instead choosing to speak from his position on his back. "Is it over?"
Lancelot raised his head and looked around. When no stones came flying at him he let out a cautious, 'yes' and stood. The others held their breath as they watched him, half expecting a well aimed pebble to come flying out of the darkness and clock the handsome knight on the head. From the look on his face, Lancelot was expecting the same thing. Nothing happened. The forest had gone back to its brooding silence, everything quiet and still apart from the breathing of the men and the slight trembling of the branches in the trees overhead.
"Well Elyan it looks like we found Merlin's monsters." From his spot on the floor Elyan looked over to glare at Gwaine.
The other knight just sent him a slightly pained grin before clambering to his feet, groaning as he did. The others followed suit, taking their time and letting Merlin check them over. The younger man clucked his tongue at a few of the marks and cuts left by the rocks, hovering like a mother hen. Gwaine suffered through the examination with an annoyed look which was ruined by the grin tugging at the corner of his lips and Lancelot couldn't help but smile slightly as Merlin poked and prodded at his ribs, asking him if he felt any pain when he breathed.
Arthur snorted, dragging his servant off the knight. "Of course it would bloody hurt when he breathes. It hurts when all of us breathe. Now come on already, nights falling and if we're lucky we might find one of the horses."
As it was their luck held out and they managed to find two by time the sun sank completely below the horizon. They were milling about in a clearing a few minutes away, apparently none worse for wear after the incident. However any elation the group felt when they found the horses quickly disappeared. The saddles and most of the bags they had been carrying were gone; straps cut by some kind of crude blade, leaving behind few rations and just enough flint that they would be able to make fire for a few nights.
The horses nickered slightly when they were led further into the clearing but did not shy away from Merlin while he guided them.
Minutes later and a small fire was blazing cheerily in the centre of the clearing, casting shadows on the forest floor. Arthur was the first to announce he was going to sleep, quickly followed by Gwaine and Percival. Leon and Elyan took a bit longer but soon enough they too were slipping off into sleep.
Lancelot took a moment to observe his friend, sitting next to him. Merlin was staring into the fire lost in thought and the flickering flames made the shadows dance across his features. The golden light of the campfire reflected in his blue eyes bringing out the flecks of gold which were normally hidden and Lancelot was reminded of his eyes when he called up his magic.
The knight did not rush himself as he let his eyes wander over the younger man's face, down to his arms. There were very few times when he got a chance to really look at Merlin. And right then and there Lancelot didn't like what he saw. Startling Merlin, Lancelot thrust out an arm. Storm blue eyes looked into his, confusion etched into almost elven features.
"Your arm, let me see it."
Lancelot could see Merlin about to refuse and raised an eyebrow. It was a look he had seen Gaius use on Merlin before and it worked like a charm. Sighing, the warlock extended a hand out to Lancelot and let the knight look it over.
On first glance there seemed to be nothing wrong, but he had seen how Merlin had been holding it. Not right away, he thought with a small amount of shame, but he had defiantly seen it. He pushed up a long sleeve and turned the arm over gently. Just inching onto the inside of Merlin's arm was a bruise, larger than a fist and darker than a plum. In the darkest spot the skin had split slightly and the rubbing of his shirt had smeared blood up and down his arm.
Lancelot winced in sympathy and sent Merlin the look again. At least the warlock had the decency to look a little bit contrite.
"Why didn't you say something," Lancelot whispered. He didn't want to wake the others.
Merlin was just as quiet when he replied but whether it was out of the same wish that their comrades didn't wake up or it was born of something else, Lancelot did not know.
"It didn't feel too bad earlier and I was going to fix it up once everyone had gone to sleep."
Now Merlin did look genuinely sorry and Lancelot felt himself weaken under the look.
"Give me your things."
For one Merlin didn't argue and handed the knight his medicine bag. Fiddling with it for a few moments, Lancelot got what he needed and begun to clean and dress the wound. He worked in silence, with his mind focused on the task. He told himself that he did not feel Merlin's pulse quicken under his fingers and that even if they had (which they hadn't) it was not because of him. It couldn't be.
He finished quickly and handed everything back to Merlin who took it with a quiet "Thanks".
The fire crackled and Gwaine muttered something in his sleep, the sight sending smiles to the lips of the two. The knight really was quite sweet when his mouth wasn't open.
"Go to sleep," Lancelot said. He kept his voice soft but even he was surprised by how warm and gentle it sounded.
"Only if you sleep as well." Merlin looked back at him, stubborn despite the tiredness in his eyes.
Lancelot nodded and both of them let themselves lay back on the ground, pulling their cloaks tight around their bodies. The older man had just about drifted off when a slurred voice came from his left.
"G'night, Lancelot."
He smiled.
"Good night, Merlin."
Neither of them was awake when the fire burned itself out and branch-sifted moonlight moved to fill the clearing; just as neither of them saw the small forms detach themselves from the trees and dance off into the shadows.
That night the forest echoed with ghostly laughter and mist and clouds twisted as the moon rose higher.
xXx
The next morning Lancelot woke to the feeling that something was different. Keeping his eyes closed he did his best to figure out what it was. He could hear the others breathing and the horses snuffling at the ground; above them all he heard the faint sound of a bird crying as it took off and the creaking sound of tree branches moving in the slight wind. He could also hear...was that giggling?
Suddenly he felt something tighten around his wrist and with a shout he opened his eyes and sat up. Two things happened. One: out of the corner of his eye he saw small forms run off. He couldn't tell what they were because it was like looking at something through smoke or water; the lines kept shifting and distorting. Two: he fell straight back down, almost landing on the now awake Merlin, due to the piece of rope that was trying them together. The warlock looked up at him fully awake as Lancelot tried to balance himself with a knee between Merlins legs and a wrist tied to Merlins.
"What the hell?"
Surprisingly it wasn't the man beneath him who said anything, but Leon. Lancelot and Merlin looked over to see that the others had woken up, probably when Lancelot had shouted, only to find that they too were tied up. Arthur, Leon and Gwaine were all tied together by their feet while Percival and Elyan were tied together at the shoulder. When no one answered Leon repeated the question.
Lancelot shifted his weight allowing himself to fall beside Merlin, before answering. "I saw something run off into the trees just as I opened my eyes. Whatever it was tied us up."
Elyan twisted slightly, trying to avoid pulling at Percival while fiddling with his dagger in an attempt to cut himself free. "What do you think they were?"
"I told you, Goblins of some sort." said Merlin in a voice that was outwardly calm but perhaps a bit more wooden than usual.
"Goblins?" Gwaine rolled over ignoring Arthur and Leon's protests at the ropes tightened around their legs. "The same goblins who threw rocks at us decided to try us all together." Merlin nodded and Gwaine let a breath hiss from between his teeth. "Why?"
"Why not?" Elyan let out a small cry of success as he managed to cut through his ropes. "I highly doubt any of us would know how a goblins mind works."
Arthur grunted in agreement as he finally cut through his own ropes. "You have a point there. I remember that Goblin who was at Camelot. I can honestly say that I have no idea how it thought and these one here are..." Arthur paused considering his next sentence while he watched the others cut their ropes. "...wild I guess. Personally I don't want to know why they do what they do."
Soon all of them were untied and standing. To their surprise the only things in the camp that had been tampered with were themselves. Other than that everything looked how it did the night before, remaining packs in the same place, horses left untouched. Wordlessly they all began to pack and minutes later they were heading off again, leading the two remaining horses further into the woods. The further they went the more stilted their conversation became as one by one the men began to feel a presence watching them from somewhere close by. It held none of the mischief of the Goblins and was far darker and more animalistic.
Somewhere in the backs of their minds Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot felt a glimmer of recognition.
The horses had gone quiet as well, muscles tensed and jittering beneath their hides. They had felt it before the humans, a scent on the air a strange mixture of cat and something else.
Barely a minute later they entered a clearing caused by the collapse of one of the trees. The scorch marks rising from the base suggested a lighting strike and the men were reminded of the storm that had passed through Camelot a few weeks ago. When it had fallen it had torn away most of the branches from the surrounding trees leaving a gaping clearing in its place, the ground littered with debris. Suddenly the thick quiet which had fallen over the group was broken by an ominous groaning and creaking noise which echoed through the woods.
Coming from somewhere to their left was a faint rustling sound but when Merlin turned to look the sounds stopped and nothing moved amongst the shadows. Beside him Arthur narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the clearing. The knights all fingered their swords and drifted together to form a tighter group, some base instinct telling them that there was safety in numbers. One of the horses stepped forward to nudge Percival in the shoulder while the other began to, almost unnoticeably, edge away.
Above the bird twisted to dive at some prey it had seen moving along the forest floor.
The wind slowed to a stop as it got closer and to Merlin it seemed as if the forest was holding its breath.
"Arthur," he started. When he got no visible response he shifted closer to the knights. The tension in the clearing grew as the men stood, waiting for something but not sure what. Just at it got to the point of being unbearable the bird flew into seeing distance.
It wasn't a bird.
Before any of them could register it, a massive shadow blocked out the sunlight which filtered in through the opening in the canopy and it was quickly followed by a large grey mass. Wingtips broke off even more branches at it continued its dive at the group and a high pitched shriek send the two remaining horses feeing back into the forest. Merlin dived out of the way just as the others did and he felt the impact of the large creature as it landed on the forest floor.
The griffin was just as huge as he remembered; tall with the muscular hind quarters of a lion and the lightweight front of an eagle. The beast reared onto its back legs and screamed again, sharp beak snapping at the nearest figure which just happened to be Elyan. The knight dodged and swiped back at it with his sword only to stumble back when his blade shattered upon impact.
When the others saw this they quickly moved to distract the beast, giving Elyan enough time to move out of the way and arm himself with a second sword thrown to him by Leon. The creature stuck out at any knight it could see and its frustration mounted as it continued to miss. It a fit of anger it snapped out its wings and threw itself forward, flapping them and striking out with its feet and tail in an attempt to knock over or disarm one of the humans.
It succeeded.
Five of the humans went down. Off to the far side two of them went down hard while one of the ones which remained standing moved forward to guard them. Another two just stumbled and over shot their balance but were soon climbing to their feet. The last of the five stumbled as well but in the fall it lost its grip on its weapon.
It lunged
Merlin looked up in time to see the griffin bearing down on his friend who's dropped sword lay too far away for him to grab.
"Lancelot!"
So there you have it: first chapter.
Should I, or should I not continue this?
Though either way I will most likely end up posting the other chapters I've written just because it would annoy me to have them just sitting on my laptop doing nothing.