AN: Hello everyone! Just putting a small note up here just to explain a few things about this fic
This takes place at an unspecified time after To Trust Again. However, you do not need to read Loyal 'Til the End (the first fic of the series) or Trust since this is a standalone story from the plot lines of those two fics. Only thing anyone who hasn't read those two needs to know is 1. Merlin is the Court Sorcerer and 2. Magic is now legalized.
There will only be mentions of the past fics, but nothing more.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
"Emmy, hurry up!"
"Not yet."
"Emmy, we need to go!"
"Just wait a damn second!" the young sorceress snapped.
Leaves rustled, drawing her attention back. Branches pulled back, but revealed nothing. Flickers of movements were but ghosts. All that was left to do was push forward, and maybe she could pull him out, she had to get him out. He had to be there, he had to—
An arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her from her frantic searching. Emmy shrieked out in anger, her nails digging into the exposed skin of her captor, but he merely grunted. Quickly, she turned her attention back at the bush, hoping beyond hope to catch a glimpse of the person she searched for, but her captor was quick to divert her attention back to him. His grip shifted to her arm as fingers clutched unknowingly hard on her chin; her head was twisted around until he was within her view. She could only glare, her nails digging hard, drawing blood.
"W-we need to go. He would've wanted us to keep going," the man winced, trying to shake off her claws without losing his hold.
"Don't talk of him as if he's already dead," Emmy snarled—more crimson oozed out—"I'm not leaving him behind, Simon. Not Ralf."
"I don't want to believe it either, but there's nothing we can do! Let's go, before it's too late," Simon pleaded, tugging insistently at the girl. It accomplished nothing but furrows across his forearms. Then a sharp pain erupted at his wrist, making him reflexively release his hold as the girl's eyes turned from gold back to brown. With no time to take a breath, she was gone.
The night seemed to descend upon her in a suffocating, sickening warmth. Once more facing the bushes, there was still no movement. She must press on.
Her hands slashed at the growth, twigs crackled and fell. What remained reached for the sorceress, scratching and pulling her, slowing her, telling her to turn back before it was too late. Their cries fell on deaf ears, so instead they shredded through her clothes and marred her skin. Bloody lines oozed, carving a nonsensical yet appalling design into her flesh. The ragged edges of fabric hung from her frame, drenched and dejected from blood, sweat, and tears. Still she pressed onwards. Behind her, Simon shouted for her, pleading for her to return. But that too was soon lost in the woods.
Her throat felt raw, her voice hoarse as she belted out for her companion. Running as blindly as she was, she didn't see the tree root until it caught her, wrapping around her toes with vicious intent. By pure instincts, she extended her arm, hand opened and fingers outstretched towards the fast approaching ground. The sound of cracking bones was not the only announcement Emmy needed to know about her poor choice of cushion. Pain was enough to strangle her shout into a whimpering cry.
Emmy squeezed her eyes shut, and she took a few seconds to compose herself as she rolled onto her back and cradled her injury. Haggard breath after haggard breath, she forced her mind to calm down before any attempts of movement. Standing was still a struggle, her feet protesting her attempts—she had forgotten she had lost her shoes when they first fled. The pain of her abused toes was easily overridden by the one of broken bones.
Trees loomed over her, dwarfing her in their size. Their silent vigil mocked her as she spun around, eyes looking between their presences for her own companions. It was then she realized she could no longer hear Simon. He was just behind her, wasn't he? Breathing spiked, heart thudded hard in her chest as panic began to further take over. She was alone, alone against them—against it. It took them, and she was next. Oh Goddesses, it was coming after her.
"S-Simon," she tried to call out, but her terror only allowed a strangled whisper. "Ralf?"
More leaves rustled accompanied by the patters of footsteps.
Again she tried, hope and dread clashing for dominance, "Simon, is that you? Ralf? Please stop playing games, this isn't funny!"
"No."
She jumped, spinning around were she saw a child. A small boy, no older than five summers, looked up at her from widened eyes, mouth downturned in a frown. Fear swam in those eyes, fear and pity. Soon, more children appeared, boys and girls alike of varying ages, surrounding the sorceress. They stared at her, equally as wide eyed. The young ones clutched desperately onto the older children, looking as if they wanted to turn away and hide. But all remained standing, and they stared at her, gazes unwavering.
Then, in unison, they took a step back. The group parted, creating a path down the middle to reveal a single figure that stood still, patiently. Emmy hadn't noticed its presence until then, the one that was different from all the rest, standing in the very back. They all smiled at it, the false happiness plastered insanely across their face.
Within the cover of the night, it was hard to recognize the imposing figure as the same creature she and her companions had attempted to escape from. Except for the eyes, those inhuman eyes. Not even the darkness could mask that penetrating gaze as it watched her. It step forward, its light footsteps accompanied by the hissing of fire as it crushed the grass beneath its feet. It walked with sure movements, each step calculated so as to not waste not a speck of energy. Though small, Emmy couldn't help but freeze at the malice from those mesmerizing orbs.
No it couldn't end this way.
Emmy slashed out her hand, calling onto her magic in a frantic attempt to bind the creature, main it, even kill it; whatever was necessary to keep the distance between them from diminishing. Yet those little steps continued. Step by step, the near silent sound of footsteps were the sounds of nightmares. One more spell, one more gasping breath until it was too late. It extended a limb, its skin feverish to the touch, grabbed onto Emmy's outstretched fingers. The little thing could only manage to wrap around two of the sorceress fingers.
Yet that grip was like steel.
Emmy stumbled to the ground. The unbelievable strength was enough to force her to her knees. Delicate fingers stroked the large hands, gaze loving yet ravenous. It tilted its head, its beastly eyes shining bright, too bright, at the sorceress.
Then it smiled.
Eyes widened.
Pupils shrunk into slits.
Emmy was on fire.
All strength drained from her. The sorceress couldn't talk, couldn't scream. She couldn't even breathe. She felt none of the rough ground that scraped against her writhing body nor the pain as her skull cracked against a stone. More bloodshed, more injuries to riddle her body, and all ignored in the agonizing sensation the creature brought upon her. It felt as if her entire existence was burning. She was burning.
Then it stopped, leaving her gasping and shaking.
"Oh, you are perfect," it purred, its voice sickly sweet as the creature began to circle Emmy. "Just like your friends. Oh you three will work wonderfully!"
"W-What are y-you going to d-do to me?" she asked between clenched teeth, ignoring the spasms of her muscles.
"Nothing you can prevent," it sang, "for tonight my flames shall feast!"
Then the thing released its victim, watching with glee as the sorceress began to crawl away with stiffened limbs. Denial could not protect her from the futility of her actions for Emmy knew she would not be able to flee a second time. Continuing to fight was a want only fueled by instincts. However, no matter how her instincts screamed, none of it matter in the true helplessness of the situation. The creature was soon hovering over her, the suppose innocence of the skin it wore made it all the more terrifying as it flipped her on her back and pressed firmly down on her forehead.
Blinding agony loosened the building scream from her lips. Even as she choked for air, her shrieks continued. It was too much, Emmy had reached her limits. When it stopped, her head lolled and her vision became framed by an ever increasing darkness. She was losing consciousness, lacking the will to continue in this waking nightmare.
"You have the loveliest voice!" Emmy heard it laughed in jubilation. "Perfect! I can't wait, oh, I can't wait, come on children, let's not waste another second!"
Several hands grabbed hold, the children she had all but forgotten. Their grubby paws clenched into the fabric of the miserable frock, wrapped around wrist, tugged at her feet, as together they dragged her through the forest. Emmy lacked the strength to do anything but allow her eyes to glance around, blurring further and further. The last she saw before the darkness claimed here was the creature, its sure steps leading the demented party.
"Forbearne!" Gilli incanted, grunting as he was immediately met with resistance.
"Focus, I know you can do it."
A drop of sweat glistened against the candlelight as it beaded from Gilli's forehead and slid down, leaving a wet trail on his flushed skin. Swiping the moisture with the back of his hand, he kept his other steady on his task. Magic swirled from his splayed fingertips, stretching out for his father's ring which sat by an unlit candle a few meters away.
Many sorcerers, especially those who served the royal house, were adept in the art of sorcery. Those who weren't were taught, eventually adding on to Camelot's magical force. Unfortunately for Gilli, it wasn't so simple to cast without the support of the rune-carved ring. Without it, his magic lacked to proper discipline and power to be woven into an incantation. It was for this reason the young man was so eager when Merlin had first approached him on improving. Though proud to be a knight of Camelot, Gilli's skill with the blade would not be nearly as satisfying as being skilled in sorcery. Much like his father.
Merlin stood next to him, tracking his progress with his own magic as Gilli tried to light the candle. The idea, the warlock explained, was to try casting magic a short distance away from his ring to hopefully exercise and strengthen his magic, much like developing muscles to strengthen one's body. While Gilli gained an advantage for being one of the few magically capable knights, Merlin was confident that not having a constant reliance of the ring would prove fruitful in the future. However, the difficulty to do so caused Gilli's motivation to waver. He couldn't help but wonder, was it worth the effort with the high risk of failure?
The delicate tendrils of magic went further, wavering across the gap. With one surge of strength, it touched the ring and flooded inside. Gilli let out a sigh as his arm sagged from the easing tension. Then he switched his attention to maintaining the ring as it did its job. The rune-carved band amplified the spell, building it up until there was enough for a successful cast. All it took was a small push to release.
The two sorcerers watched as the flame flickered to life. It wasn't close to impressive, far from the spectacular fireballs he had seen Merlin throw in battle. Gilli's shoulders slumped, he had hoped it would be bigger at least. In contrast to Gilli, however, Merlin lips turned up as a smile took over his face.
"I knew it!" the warlock exclaimed, excited as he approached the candle and swiped his fingers across the flame. "Can you imagine everyone's surprise when you start throwing fire without the ring? There is so much potential…"
The other sorcerer narrowed his eyes, not liking where he was going. After hours of practice and evening took over since they first started, it seemed this training was going to be a lot more strenuous than he previously thought, and he knew there was no limits for Merlin when the warlock got carried away.
"I barely lit the candle," Gilli huffed, "I doubt this will get any further than that."
"Don't think so little of yourself," Merlin shook his head as he waved his hand and extinguished the flame, "you have improved much and it wasn't as if you were free to train before coming to Camelot. The only one doubting your abilities is you, now try again."
He groaned, "How long do I have to do this."
"Until it's easy for you to light it, then we can try without the ring!"
Gilli groaned at the enthusiasm as Merlin walked back into position. His clear blue eyes kept watch as the sorcerer prepared to perform another spell when a knock resounded from t/he door. The warlock sighed, motioning for Gilli to wait while he opened the door with a simple gesture. Revealed was a servant who scurried to Merlin and gave him a quick bow.
"Milord, the king orders for your presence in th—"
"Tell him I'm busy," Merlin dismissed with a roll of his eyes.
"I'm afraid this is important, milord. He told me if you refuse, he will send knights to escort you."
"Okay, fine," he grumbled before turning back to Gilli, "keep practicing, I'll be back after seeing what the prat wants. And where can I find this Once and Future Prat?" Merlin asked, returning his attention to the servant.
"King Arthur?" the servant asked, brow furrowed in confusion and discomfort at the lack of respect. "He awaits in the Court Physician's chambers."
The warlock sighed, knowing his easy going day was over. It was never a good sign when Arthur threatened him with a knight escort and his location in Gaius' chambers were more than disconcerting.
After sending off the servant, he swept out of the room, leaving behind a disheartened sorcerer. Merlin marched through the halls, irritation marring his features, though it was only feigned annoyance. He knew that Arthur wouldn't threaten sending the knights without reason. Whatever happened required his urgency and attention, and Merlin could only hope it didn't mean disaster. Things had been too quiet as of late, even bandit attacks seemed to dwindle. It made Merlin nervous. It's never this peaceful for long.
Upon arrival to the room, Merlin was greeted with the organized chaos of his mentor's chambers. Among the usual array of drying herbs, bubbling potions, and a variety of paraphernalia, Merlin spotted familiar figures standing by one of the cots. It wasn't difficult identifying the royal family of Camelot as King Arthur stared at Queen Gwen with furrowed brows as the later stared down at the cot's occupant with her teeth worrying her bottom lip. As he stepped inside, they all turned to note his entrance with Arthur beckoning him to come closer. So Merlin crossed the room, noticing Gaius and his young assistant Alison tending to two more patients in adjacent bed at the opposite end of the room.
"Merlin, finally," Arthur drawled, though the sarcasm was halfhearted in light of the worry that showed bright from those blue eyes.
"Arthur, Gwen," Merlin nodded to the royals as he stood on the opposite side of the cot. When he looked down, his eyes narrowed in wary surprise. "And Sir Olwen."
The last time the warlock had seen this knight was when he, along with four others, were sent on patrol to the kingdom's outskirts. They were Camelot's response to investigating a group of sorcerers rumored to have attacked travelers in the area. By the man's condition, Merlin could only assume the worst of that expedition. He was in rough shape, that much was obvious, but still conscious. By the bandages wrapped tight around his chest and the winces of pain every time he tried to shift to a more comfortable position implied evidence to either bruised or broken ribs. Aside from his ribs, there was also another bandage that wrapped around his arm, from bicep to mid-forearm. His face was haggard, showing more than saying of the trial the knight had gone through to return to Camelot.
"And the others, who's returned?" Merlin asked, glancing towards the physician and assistant were they kept busy. He couldn't see beyond the two to identify the occupants, however he could guess. Why else would Arthur want him here if not to discuss with him the serious implication such an attack would carry.
Sir Olwen hesitated, glancing for approval from the king before answering. His voice rasped out, with exhaustion dripping from every syllable he struggled to say, "Sir Madoc and Sir Vortigem were the only one who came back with me."
What of the rest, Peter and Griselda. Where are they?"
"I-I don't know, I—" the knight continued, trying and failing to keep his emotions in check as terror and panic began to take over.
"Peace Olwen, you're safe here. Just take a deep breath," Merlin soothed, whipping out his hand to summon a chair on which he sat upon. Now on the same level with the knight, the warlock continued in a soft tone, "If you so chose, you can make your report later. I can even kick out the prat if it'll make yoru feel more comfortable."
His lips twitched, revealing a glimpse to the familiar jovial knight the warlock knew Olwen to be. That reaction alone was what steadied Arthur hand from smacking his ex-servant as he waited for the knight's response.
Releasing one haggard breath as he gave a curt nod, Sir Olwen began again, "We managed to find their trail, it wasn't difficult. So we followed it until it took us to a village, a small one mind you, and asked around. Nothing unusual happened and we ended up in the tavern were a few men directed us to a nearby forest. They said three strangers went that away, but we shouldn't bother. So we got a room at the inn and waited until morn before heading out.
"It was when we were leaving, that the villagers saw Peter do magic. We had initially agreed to keep it a secret to avoid unnecessary problems, but Peter forgot himself and used it to toss back a ball some children were kicking in the streets. They acted… weird, more cautious around us. We left quickly for the forest soon after, I didn't want trouble with the villagers.
"There weren't much there, only what you'll expect from a forest. Griselda was getting ready to cast some kind of spell, something to find those damn sorcerers, when we got attacked."
Olwen stopped, brows furrowed as he looked down at his hands. When he chose not to say more, Merlin prodded, "Attacked? How? By who?"
Olwen shook his head, "I honestly don't remember, only flashes. All I know is that by the time I was aware of my surroundings, the other knights were unconscious and injured beside me and the sorcerers were nowhere to be found."
"But is there nothing else you remember, nothing that could show what we are dealing with?"
"No. The only thing I remember is hearing Peter and Griselda scream and th-the—"Olwen shuddered and gasped, trying to steady his quivering body"—the smell of burning flesh."
"Consider your report complete," Arthur said as he placed a firm hand on the knight's shoulder, "all that's left for you is to take it easy."
"That's good Sire," Gaius intruded as he gestured for them to get out of the way, "because now he needs rest."
Arthur nodded, already turning away to make his leave with Gwen as he said, "You are excused from your duties until you've fully recovered, all of you."
"Thank you, sire," the knight murmured with a nod.
Merlin lagged behind, sharing one last lingering glance with Gaius. From the quick silent conversation he shared with his mentor, Merlin knew they shared the same trepidation. However, there was nothing more the warlock could do for these men that Gaius and Alison couldn't already do. No, there was something else for him to do that was more of need of his talent.
It didn't take long for Merlin to catch up the king and queen, for the two waited for him right outside the door. None of them had to say a word as they continued away from the door.
"So what do you think, Merlin?" Arthur asked after a few seconds.
"I think," the warlock slowly began, still distracted by his own musings, "that I need to pack."
Arthur eyebrows rose as Gwen asked in a none too surprised voice, "You're leaving?"
"Of course," Merlin nodded, "Peter and Griselda are my responsibility, and if there's a chance, I'll rather they not die. Whatever happened to them, I can assume was caused by those sorcerers, or worse, the same sorcerers fell victim to the same thing. Either way, anyone who can take out those two so easily as well as several knights is worth looking into.
"Then I'm going too," the king stated.
"Really, Arthur," the ex-servant said as he rolled his eyes. "Don't you have a kingdom to rule? I can handle this fine on my own."
"Because this kingdom has been in constant danger as of late, Merlin."
"Are you asking for trouble?" Merlin shook his head as he scoffed, "Not something you would want, especially what trouble normally entails around here. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime!"
Arthur shrugged, "It's something to do aside from listening to the constant complaints from the locals. Besides something about this worries me…"
Gwen murmured, "I don't like not knowing what happened to the other two. It sounds as if someone targeted only the sorcerers."
"I agree," the warlock nodded. "Otherwise I doubt those knights would've been able to return."
"But if those sorcerers were responsible, there has to be a reason why they allowed the knights to get away. Yet they didn't even said any king of message," the king added.
Merlin smirked, raising his eyebrows as he teased, "Something intelligent coming out of your mouth? Don't hurt yourself there, sire."
Gwen giggled as Arthur's face skewed into annoyance. "Shut up, Merlin. "
The warlock laughed before sobering, "Arthur you don't need to go. I can handle this fine, I'm sure it isn't even that big of a problem."
"Then it'll be fine. As I said, it would be a break from the monotony of this place. It's either this or a hunt," Arthur shrugged. "I rather go myself and make sure an idiot like you don't trip over himself and get in trouble. We'll leave tomorrow."
"As you wish, prat," Merlin said as he rolled his eyes again before he stopped and gave the king an exaggerated bow. Then he straightened up, turned on his heels. He needed to head back to his own chambers to pack. As he walked away, Merlin said over his shoulders, "I suppose we should take a few sorcerers with us as well as knights."
"Do you believe it wise to bring other sorcerers?" Gwen mused.
"Probably not," Merlin stopped to look at Gwen, "but what else can we do? If we need to combat against magic, we need magic. I can take care of it, but I want to make sure we are well prepared."
"Then who do you think should go?"
Merlin shrugged, "Perhaps Aubrey, since he's strong, or Gilli."
"Gilli would be a good choice as a fighter, he's skilled at the blade," Arthur said, "but his sorcery isn't strong. You may be putting him in a vulnerable position."
"He's stronger than you think," Merlin waved away the concerns as he continued to make his way out.
Arthur nodded, watching as the warlock slipped around a corner and out of sight before continuing his way back to the royal chambers. Beside him, Gwen glanced at him, noting the emotions that warred to make an appearance on her husband's face.
"You're worried," Gwen said, as blunt as ever.
"How can you tell?" Arthur chuckled.
"Because I am too," the queen answered. "If someone is hunting sorcerers, then what's to say they can't do the same to Merlin? I know he's powerful, but I don't like that he's making light of this situation. We have little information of who this is, and while I don't doubt Merlin's abilities, we cannot ignore the potential of a powerful enemy."
"That's why I'm going," the king said, "and a few others. There's no such thing as too many people when it comes to keeping an idiot alive."
AN: And here we start again! Another story, another adventure. As far as I can tell this one is going to be rather short compared to its predecessors. Currently have 6 chapters written with the 6th being the second to last. It may be a bit longer than that, but not by much. Also, since I have most of this story written, I'm back to weekly updates. This is the reason why it has taken so long for me to post. I can concentrate almost entirely on editing rather than writing and editing (as I done in the past). Basically consistently updating that would actually fit my schedule. There may be a day late updates here and there since I'm still very much busy, but nothing to the extent with what happened with Trust. I will be updating as I finish editing.
For anyone who wants an update on Rebirth, that will take me quite a while to get back into. As I mention in several other places, when my last laptop broke, I lost files for that story. This doesn't mean I'm giving up on it, it just means it'll remain on hiatus until I can delve back into that story.
So next update will be on Tuesday, September 17th. Let me know what you guys think. This idea has been brewing for awhile now and I'm really excited how it turns out.
Until next time!
And, as always, reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated :)