Notes:
Gen Fic
Does not belong to me
Use of Celtic deities
Merlin smiled as he packed away the last shirt into his bag. He could feel the ache in his heart, fear, anxiety, excitement for a new start, and longing he knew he would feel for the people he left behind. He had said his goodbyes to Will the day before, and his mother had somehow been able to buy a small flank of deer for dinner, wrapping the remains for him to eat on his journey. He pulled the bag closed and hoisted over his shoulder, walked over to where his mother was sleeping and kissed her on the cheek before quietly opening his door and exiting the small house. He gave it a quick glance before strolling out of the village, the small smile never leaving his lips. The quiet of the predawn was only broken by birds and other small animals moving about preparing for the day. Merlin reveled in the peace and felt the grin grow even wider, and he stepped outside the village bounds.
Only to be roughly grabbed by the back of his neckerchief and tugged into a bear hold.
"And what are you doing, Merlin?" a rough voice that held a tone of mischief came from behind him, arms tightening over his stomach until he was suddenly let go to fall to his knees.
"Wha-" Merlin tried to get his breath back and looked up, "What? Orbsen? I thought you wouldn't be coming until the late spring?"
Orbsen just grinned back, one side of his mouth smirking at the look Merlin was throwing him.
"Who knows? Maybe I just decided it would be a good time to check on my favourite nephew?" The smirk grew wilder as he reached out a hand to help Merlin up, which Merlin took with some trepidation. Orbsen quickly drew Merlin to his feet before giving him a once over.
"I don't get why you call me that," grumbled Merlin, dusting the dirt from his pants.
"Because you are too young to be my brother, and too weird to be a cousin," Orbsen nodded sagely as his face deadpanned, " Anyway, we look too similar for us to just be friends."
And that was the truth. Orbsen stood 7 centimeters taller than Merlin, and had the startings of a beard, but that was about the only difference and could change with time. They both had deep blue eyes and dark black hair. Both were pale skinned. Truly if Merlin grew and Orbsen shaved his beard the only way to be able to tell them apart would be the jauntiness of Merlin's face. And the ears.
"I can't be more than two years younger than you!" Merlin cried with fake outrage a small smile breaking over his face, " And it still doesn't make sense to be your nephew!"
"You are still far too young to understand," Orbsen said haughtily, but his face soon mellowed out, "but really Merlin, what are you doing?"
Merlin shuffled a bit and sighed, he hoisted the pack further onto his back, "...I'm leaving... I just don't fit in here, and it is getting harder to really... control myself. My mum found out about Will, and she decided the best thing for me to do would be to live with my uncle in Camelot. She said he could help me with my control."
Orbsen looked at him curiously for a while before nodding, "Well then, I'm glad I came when I did. I don't usually like stopping by Camelot, so I'm glad I got to see you before you left."
Merlin looked up with a sly grin, he had been expecting some shouting or a few cuss words (Orbsen seemed to have an amazing ability to make new words out of thin air, Merlin had learned far too early to NEVER repeat any of them in front of his mother.), but Orbsen just tussled his hair a bit and sighed.
"Now who can I play pranks on, no one is as fun as you," Orbsen smirked and Merlin glowered at him, " Alright you, get going, watch out for bandits, and boars, oh and bugs, and brambles, bushes, bums, birds, bogs, biscuits-"
Merlin punched Orbsen in the arm before he could keep prattling on, " I'll be fine! You're worse than mum! Anyway, you know I can keep myself safe!"
Orbsen sighed, "I know, I know, but look at you my little nephew all grown up and going into the big bad city." He still had a smile on his face, but Merlin thought he saw something else lurking behind his eyes, " Just, stay safe, okay, Merlin?"
Merlin flushed and the geniality that appeared with that last statement, "Fine, fine, you mother hen," he smirked a bit at the end, and got a rough push on his shoulder as a response.
"So cruel to your loving Uncle, fine go away, I don't care," Orbsen sniffed dramatically and pushed Merlin further down the road, "Have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do~" The man cried out as he suddenly turned around and headed back towards the village.
"Like I would do anything you would do anyway," Merlin mumbled under his breath.
Merlin then started on his way to Camelot.
~~.~~
The man known as Orbsen smiled as he walked through the small town and entered the woods. Quickly he strode through them, eyes peering over trees and flowers curiously until he reached a small river. A light misting at the edge of the river began to grow, and soon spread to where he was standing. The mist wrapped around him, and he disappeared from sight.
~~.~~
One of the hidden isles
~~.~~
"I'm telling you, this needs to be set longer, at least another minute!"
"And I'm telling you, you are wrong, look, if I set it know it'll be easier to improve later!"
"You're just making the metal weaker if you do it like that!"
"This isn't going to be used for fighting anyway! It won't matter what I do with it!"
Two very loud voices where the first things that Orbsen heard as he stepped out of the mist. He chuckled as he walked closer to the ruckus, and saw two smith deities fighting over a small piece of metal. One was a girl with flowing red hair, as bright as the fire of the hearth. Her arms were thick with muscle, and yet she still had a certain grace to her, an other-worldy charm. Her sleeves were bunched up to give her arms room to maneuver, and she smelled faintly of herbs. Next to her was a large man, a hammer in one hand, a trinket in the other, and a small scowl on his face. Even in front of the hearth he wore no shirt, and bore no scars from the fires of the forge.
Orbsen snuck up behind the pair, and quickly grabbed the trinket from the large smith and grinned as they both jumped at the sudden intrusion, "Well, good tidings there, my Lady Brigit, good Sir Goibhniu, and how are you?"
"Manannan Mac Lir!" the woman, Brigit, sighed, "What are you playing at! And why in the world are you in that form?"
Goibhniu just huffed and turned back to the forge.
"Just trying to get your attention, my lady, and I had to meet my darling nephew today!" Manannan's countenance brightened, and he slowly dissipated the teenage appearance with a thought. He seemed to grow, and fill out. His beard became longer and his hair reached his shoulders. His eyes remained as blue as ever, " You know I have to be human like him, and it is easier to be a similar age to him as well."
Goibhniu sighed and mumbled, "Probably just likes to mess with the brat.."
"But of course," Manannan smiled, before a quick frown passed his lips, "Wait! You aren't allowed to call him a brat, he is mine! Only I can call him a brat!"
Brigit smiled endearingly before patting Manannan on the arm, "Manannan, you just left earlier this morning, and when you go to meet Merlin you usually stay for a couple days at the very least, why are you back so early?"
"Ah! Right!" Manannan's smile grew even larger, " Meeting! We need to have a meeting, everyone needs to come!"
Goibhniu stopped tinkering with whatever he was working on ( it looked like some kind of frog?) and turned around with no expression on his face. Brigit stared back as well, and then tentatively asked, "Is it time?"
Manannan shoulders fell a little, but his smile remained strong, "Yes, it looks like it is finally beginning. I am going to speak to the Dagda now. Merlin is going to Camelot, and all of the pieces are starting to move."
Manannan stretched and began to walk away, whistling a light hearted tune, "You should be prepared for the meeting, aren't you glad I stopped by?" With a wave he disappeared into a large forest, the trees seeming to part in his path as he made his way deeper inside.
~~.~~
Merlin walked away from the courtyard, trying to appear calm. The axe that was used to behead the sorcerer loomed in his sight as he scurried towards the castle. He walked across the corridors for some time before coming across a couple of guards.
"Where would I find Gaius, the- the court physician?"
The guards pointed up the stairs, and Merlin mumbled his thanks. He walked up another set of stairs to see a sign that said Court Physician. He opened the door and looked around.
"Hello?" he called into the quiet, not seeing any one inside. However, he did see the strangest collection of items that he had ever laid eyes on. Plants were drying, strange tubs were bubbling with colored liquids in them. There were candles on mismatched holders all over the room, and piles of papers covering almost every surface. There was even the most horrendous mask he had ever seen sitting on one of the tables.
"Hello?" he called again, trying to see around the room. A small staircase caught his eye, and he saw the back of a man wearing a long red robe looking at a bookshelf on the upper section.
Gaius?" Merlin coughed a bit and the man started, falling backward through the banister. Before Merlin could even move time had slowed to a stop. In seconds he saw a man falling from the railing above and glanced around the room, finding a bed that would suit his purposes. He used magic to drag the bed under the falling man, and time resumed it's normal course.
The man flopped onto the bed, and seemed more shocked by the fact that the bed was there then the fact he hadn't hit the floor. The man moved with surprising speed for his age and stared at Merlin.
"What did you just do?" the man, Gaius, most likely, stared at Merlin in shock.
'I haven't even been here for a day! I blame Orbsen, I bet he cursed me' thought Merlin. He dutifully ignored the fact that he knew his luck was truly rotten to begin with.
"Erm…" 'Right, good thinking Merlin, mumble, not suspicious at all.'
Gaius's eyebrow started to rise, "Tell me!"
"I- I- I have no idea what happened," Merlin tried to back away, but there was a table right behind him.
"If anyone had seen that…" Gaius's eyebrow seemed to rise even higher.
"Er, no! That- that was, that was nothing to do with me. That- that was…" 'An elf, a bizarre wind, the very earth moving! Something, anyth-'Merlin's train of thought was cut off as Gaius raised his voice.
"I know what it was! I just want to know where you learned how to do it!"
"Nowhere"
"So how is it you know magic?" Gaius asked, his voice dropping when he spoke the last word.
"I don't," Merlin tried to explain himself but was once again cut off.
Gaius seemed to get even angrier at that statement, "Where did you study?...Answer me!"
Merlin noticed something strange as that last phrase was shouted out. The man's outline seemed to… shift. As if someone else was also there, and shouting as well. Merlin stuttered in surprise as he responded, "I- I've never studied magic or, or been taught."
Gaius seemed to be trying to read his mind through his eyes, "Are you lying to me, boy?"
Merlin was truly panicking at this point, "What do you want me to say?"
Gaius's tone deepened as he said, "The truth!"
Merlin felt his breath come short as he replied,"I was born like this!"
Gaius snorted and looked to the side, "That's impossible." But as he said that, the flicker returned, as if… the other one was trying to get a good look at Merlin. Merlin suddenly drew his attention back to Gaius as the man asked, "Who are you?"
Merlin fumbled around his backpack and pulled out the letter his mother wrote, "I have this letter." He handed it over to the man hoping it would be able to help him.
"I- I don't have my glasses," Gaius replied, looking around in vain.
"I'm Merlin," and Merlin started to smile as he finally got a look of recognition on Gaius's face.
"Hunith's son?"
"Yes!" his smile got wider, finally he was getting somewhe-
"But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!" Gaius replied with a startled look. Merlin smile fell immediately.
"It is Wednesday."
There was a moment of silence as Gaius's face seemed to pause.
"Ah," the man took another moment to gather himself, "Right then. You better put your bag in there." He gestured to a small door near the back of the room.
Merlin carefully walked around Gaius, and then looked back at him, "You- you won't say anything about, erm…" he gestured at the bed and the balcony. 'I really don't want to run from the knights when I haven't even been here a day...'
Gaius looked at him again, and the other eyes did as well. He could feel them trying to figure him out, but suddenly they brightened and with a small smile Gaius said, "No. Although, Merlin, I should say thank you."
~~.~~
Merlin rolled over after looking at Camelot through his window, giving up on trying to sleep. Truthfully, he had had a few misgivings earlier in the day, but the sight of the towers and sounds of all of the people, there must be over a hundred, at least! The castle and the lights, it looked like a dream come true.
And alright maybe someone already knew about his magic, but they said they would hide it, so it should be fine… right? He sighed and rolled the other way. Then he thought back to the strange shadow behind the man. He really couldn't get a good look at it, and it didn't seem like it was doing anything…
"Probly just a trick of the light…" Merlin mumbled as sleep finally claimed him.
~~.~~
Only to be woken much too soon as he swore he could hear someone shouting his name.
He looked around the room, confused for a few seconds, before he remembered where he was. There was no one else in the room and it didn't seem like Gaius was calling him either. He grabbed a clean shirt, pants, trousers, and his neckerchief, and went into the main room. He walked in and saw Gaius ladling… something into a bowl.
"I got you water. You didn't wash last night," the man gestured to a bucket on the table, he set down the… porridge? Merlin apologized and the man continued, "Help yourself to breakfast."
Merlin sat in front of the food, messing with it in distaste a bit, not noticing Gaius looking at him inquisitively. He looked up as he heard something move and rose from his seat as he watched the bucket head to the floor. Without thinking he stopped it with his magic, only to hear Gaius gasp in surprise. He turned and was face to face with the man, shock seeming to course through his body. Surprised at himself for acting so instinctively, Merlin let the magic dissipate and the bucket crashed to the floor with a loud thump, spilling it's contents everywhere.
"How did you do that? Did you incant a spell in your mind?" Gaius looked concerned and intrigued, not as affronted as the night before.
Merlin quickly shook his head, "I don't know any spells."
Gaius in turn just looked more confused, "So what did you do? There must be something."
Merlin glanced down at the bucket again, and said one of the most true and annoying phrases, "It just happens."
Merlin quickly turned around and grabbed the mop that was near the door, and began to try to clear up the mess.
Gaius turned his back and grabbed some items off of another cluttered table, "Well, we better keep you out of trouble. You can help me until I find some paid work for you. Here."
Gaius placed a bottle and some kind of sack on the table as Merlin stopped mopping, "Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival, and this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once."
"Okay," Merlin laid the mop to the side and picked up the two items.
"And here," Gaius reached over to the other side of the table and handed him a sandwich.
"Off you go. And Merlin, I need hardly tell you that the practice of any form of enchantments will get you killed."
Merlin nodded as he left the room, 'Lady Pervical and Sir Olwin, won't be that hard right?'
~~.~~
His first real day in Camelot, the start of his new life, and he was already in the dungeon. Not only had he given the "Wart Remover" to the wrong Lady Percival, let Sir Olwin drink all of the tonic ( He should be fine, right?) he had also met the biggest ass in the entirety of Camelot. Who was the prince. Who he had insulted to his face, and tried to punch. Rationality was obviously not his strong suit. 'At least Orbsen isn't here, he would have probably done something even worse...right?' Merlin sighed as he stared at the bars. It wasn't the worst place he had been in, honestly, there was that one night he fell asleep in that cave by the river. He had woken to Orbsen about to dump water on his head to wake him up. Or the time Will and him got lost and ended trying to sleep on tree limbs. That didn't work either and took a very long time to explain how they had gotten sap on every single piece of clothing they owned.
So a cell, not the worst place. And honestly the only down side was how Gaius would react. But Merlin felt a bit vindictive. That...that PRAT had deserved the talking to. How could any one be that awful!
Merlin grumbled and rolled over, sleep now, annoying princes never again.
Merlin woke to his name being called again, he could hear it echoing around the seemed to be coming from the floor so Merlin lent down, put his ear against the ground and -
"Merlin!" Gaius shouted from outside the door of the cell, which was then opened.
"You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do? You behave like an idiot." Gaius lectured him as he paced around the cell.
"I'm sorry," It was really the only response Merlin could say.
Gaius leaned closer and lowered his voice, "You're lucky. I managed to pull a few strings to get you released."
Merlin beamed, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
Gaius just glared at him, Merlin calmed down a bit before saying, "I won't forget this."
"Well, there is a small price to pay."
~~.~~
Merlin decided at that point that the stocks weren't so bad, once you got used to the smell, and the rotten food being thrown at you. It could be a lot worse, and the kids looked like they were really enjoying it. He laughed as he saw them run off, probably looking for more food to throw. He tried to wipe some of the tomato out of his hair, and turned his head when a beautiful lady approached. Well, two beautiful ladies. However, as one seemed to be blurring at the edges and flickering in and out of existence, he decided to focus on the dark skinned woman in who was introducing herself, "I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."
"Right. I'm Merlin," he moved his hand a bit for a shake, and saw Gwen smile, while the woman behind her seemed to shake with laughter. "Although, most people just call me Idiot," he continued, but she seemed very resolute when she replied, "No, no, no. I saw what you did. It was so brave."
"It was stupid."
"Well, I'm glad you walked away. You weren't going to beat him."
"Oh, I- I can beat him," 'With Magic', Merlin gave a wry smile, a bit distracted by the flickering figure that was now doubled over with her hands around her stomach.
Gwen looked confused, "You think? Because you don't look like one of these big, muscle-y kind of fellows."
"Thanks," he deadpanned, now growing a bit irritated at the figure that he could almost hear howling with laughter.
"No! No, I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just, erm... Arthur's one of these real rough, tough, save the world kind of men, and... well…" she petered off, trying to not have to say anything else, but Merlin prompted her forward, "What?"
"You don't look like that," she responded, and Merlin looked around sneakily before moving his hand to make her come closer.
"I'm in disguise"
Gwen stopped for a beat before she laughed, "Well, it's great you stood up to him."
"What? You think so?" Merlin was a bit shocked, and then saw the strange figure glance up at him and nod as well.
Gwen continued on, "Arthur's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero."
Merlin was honestly shocked, and a bit awed with the praise, and could only reply a small, "oh yeah?" before he saw a group of children running back towards him. He wouldn't want Gwen to be stuck in the crossfire, so he cleared his throat and said loudly, "Oh, excuse me, Guinevere. My fans are waiting." She laughed as she scurried out of the way, but the figure that was behind her turned around and waved. He slowly waved back and flinched as a tomato almost hit his head.
~~.~~
Merlin sat down after finally being clean of all of the rotten food that was thrown at him. He had been out there for hours and was pretty sure that they had run out of rotten food in all of Camelot by the time he was done.
Gaius went to sit across from him and gestured to a salad, "Do you want some vegetables with that?"
Merlin smiled and laughed, "I know you're still angry with me."
Gaius took on a stern look, but there was still a trace of humor, "Your mother asked me to look after you."
Merlin was immediately serious, "Yes."
Gaius continued on,"What did your mother say to you about your gifts?"
"That I was special."
"You are special. The likes of which I have never seen before."
Merlin stopped playing with his food and looked up, "What do you mean?"
Gaius looked around before responding, "Well, magic requires incantations, spells. It takes years to study. What I saw you do was... elemental, instinctive." He looked almost in awe.
Merlin just huffed, "What's the point if it can't be used?"
"That I do not know. You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin," Gaius replied.
Merlin frowned into his dinner, the way Gaius talked it was almost as if… "Did you ever study magic?"
"Uther banned all such work twenty years ago," was the quick response.
"Why?" Merlin was all ears.
"People used magic for the wrong end at that time. It threw the natural order into chaos. Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from back then, even the dragons."
"What? All of them?"
Gaius paused for a second before he continued, "There was one dragon he chose not to kill, kept it as an example. He imprisoned it in a cave deep beneath the castle where no one can free it. Now, eat up. When you've finished, I need you to take a preparation to Lady Helen. She needs it for her voice."
After a quick trip to the guards to find Lady Helen's quarters, Merlin entered the room and placed the tonic on the vanity. He noticed a strange thing made out of straw placed upon the table, it looked vaguely humanoid in shape. He flipped it around a bit to get a better look. 'Well that is interesting, what could it be?' He dropped the item and saw a book that was partially covered. His curiosity was aroused and he looked over his shoulder before picking it up. Something about it felt wrong. Not like it was made incorrectly, for it was a beautiful piece of work, but that it was inherently not supposed to be the way it was. He felt drawn to untie the string that held it closed, but heard footsteps right outside the door. He placed it back down quickly and covered it back up, just in time to wheel around as Lady Helen entered the room. Merlin felt as if a wave of mist had suddenly covered his senses and everything felt muffled.
The woman looked from the vanity to him and asked, "What are you doing in here?"
He stumbled to find an answer before picking up the tonic, "An... I- I was asked to deliver this." He smiled and quickly left the room, looking back over his shoulder as he continued outside. He never noticed that the mist seemed to fade away the minute he left the room.
~~.~~
"Come on, then. I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth."
'How in the world do I keep managing to get into these messes! Oh right, I thought, "What would Orbsen do?" Of course I'm in trouble again!' Merlin hid his disquiet with a quick rejoinder,"Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?"
The prince looked peeved, but turned back and gave a small laugh, "You can't address me like that."
Merlin tipped his head in admonishment before peering back up with a smirk,"I'm sorry. H-How long have you been training to be a prat, My Lord?"
The blond took all of two seconds to try to disconnect Merlin's head from his body.
'Oh man' Merlin ducked just in time, but the blond was pissed.
Merlin was quickly backing into the open area behind him, and Arthur followed swinging his mace in what was apparently a fighting style and not just random circles.
"Come on then, Merlin! Come on!" Arthur stepped on a wagon to gain higher ground, and Merlin tried to wrestle the chain from the basket in a stall, he had no luck and had to run away as Arthur's mace almost skewered him. He then fell backwards over the stall, but was able to get up in record time as Arthur vaulted it to get at him.
'Keep backing up that's it no-' "OOF" he fell onto some sacks and Arthur stood over him, "Haha. You're in trouble now."
'Oh God.' "Oh God." 'MAGIC' Merlin looks around and saw two hooks behind Arthur. Ducking his head he flipped them so Arthur's mace got stuck.
Merlin bolted up just in time for Arthur to unwind his mace, and approached him once again.
'Magic worked once, lets do it again, lets see… BOX' and with a quick flash a wooden box moved directly in front of Arthur's foot. Merlin could barely hold in a laugh as Arthur shouted out, not expecting the pain.
Merlin shrunk behind a stall and a rope caught his eye, 'Third times the charm!' He pulled the rope and tripped Arthur, who dropped his mace. Merlin quickly grabbed it and started to swing it, "Do you want to give up?"
Arthur looked dumbfounded, "To you?"
"Do you? Do you want to give up?" Merlin kept moving forward, hoping to press the advantage. Arthur then tripped on the same sacks Merlin had earlier, and Merlin smiled. He had won against that awful prat! The prat who had been trained to kill since- and Gaius was watching. He flinched and then felt something very hard hit him in the back, then the stomach, and lastly the head. He fell to the ground with a "woof" and saw Arthur give a small smirk and sweep the floor with his deadly weapon...a broom.
Merlin was hauled to his feet by two of the guards. 'Great, another night in Camelot's best inn,' but for some reason Arthur spoke up, "Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it." And as the prince walked off, Merlin could swear he saw a taller, armored figure next to him, who glided through the passers by.
The walk back to Gaius's chambers had been quiet. Way too quiet. Which was promptly rectified as soon as the door opened.
"How could you be so foolish?!"
Merlin continued into the room,"He needed to be taught a lesson."
"Magic must be studied, mastered, and used for good! Not for idiotic pranks!" Gaius shouted back
Merlin was beyond exasperated, didn't the man get it? "What is there to master? I could move objects like that before I could talk!"
"Then, by now, you should know how to control yourself!"
"I don't want to! If I can't use magic, what have I got?!" Gaius looked shocked, but Merlin continued on, "I'm just a nobody, and I always will be. If I can't use magic, I might as well die." Merlin turned not looking for a reply and walked to his room.
He sat on the bed and tried to control his breathing, his calm, his control. 'Gaius of all people should be able to understand,' he thought, ' I know he studied some magic, doesn't it just feel right when he used it? It is the only thing that truly has ever felt right!' Merlin rolled onto his stomach. He sighed and buried his head in the pillow.
~~.~~
"Okay look here kid, what do you like most in the world?"
"My mother," The ten year old Merlin replied, face extremely serious.
"All right, what about after that?" The thirteen year old Orbsen peered down at the boy, who had been trying to hide his face.
"My...my magic, and Will, and strawberries, and summer, and sleeping, and-" the boy started listing but was cut off.
"Oi, what about me!" Orbsen said with a wry grin.
Merlin looked up at him, his eyes still red, "You are all the way at the bottom." Orbsen messed up his hair and was met with a pout, then laughed as he sat down next to the finally smiling younger child.
The smile quickly faded again though, "It's not fair. I can help! Why can't I use magic?" Merlin sniffled into his arms, "I don't want Miss Linda to die! I can heal right?"
Orbsen threw an arm around Merlin's shoulder and pulled him close, "Yeah, I don't want her to die either, but think about it like this for a bit, healing is hard, you know from your mum right? And healing with magic must be even harder. And if people found out about your magic, then you wouldn't be able to see your mum anymore, and I know that is the last thing you want." Merlin nodded quietly and mumbled, "But what is the use of having it then, I can't use it, but it is the only thing I'm actually good at."
Merlin looked up at the older boy like he had all the answers in the world.
Orbsen thought for a few moments, "Then practice in secret."
Merlin looked up, stunned.
"Your magic is important to you, and you are really good at it, practice it in secret so when you use it no one can tell, then you can't get in trouble right?" Orbsen nodded, " And learn what you can do, and what you need to work on, you can't just go from throwing sticks to saving dogs. But for you I don't think it will be a problem, you amazing kid, I've never seen any one like you!" Orbsen smiled but then stopped as Merlin's face fell.
"Merlin?"
Merlin sniffled quietly for a bit before looking up, "The other day… some of the kids said something…"
Orbsen sighed, "Come on Merlin, I told you not to listen to those brats, only good one is Will!"
"But! But they were right! I can do all this stuff that no one can, and no one else is like me, you said it your self! So what if… what if I am a monster?
~~.~~
Merlin was groggily awoken from his dream, and he heard Gaius say something.
"Merlin? Sit up. Take your shirt off."
Merlin carefully peeled off his shirt, making sure not to jar any of his injuries. He looked in Gaius's direction and asked the only question he had really ever cared about, "You don't know why I was born like this, do you?"
"No." was the disheartening response.
"I'm not a monster, am I?"
Gaius immediately moved forward, locking eyes with him, and enunciating each word clearly "Don't ever think that."
'Merlin, out of all the humans in this world, you are the least monstrous of the lot. Here, I'll speak in simper terms since you are being an idiot. You are NOT and will NEVER be a monster. Don't think like that ever again, promise?'
Merlin quickly shook himself out of the memory, "Then why am I like this? Please, I need to know why."
"Maybe there's someone with more knowledge than me," Gaius tried to reply but Merlin just shook his head.
"If you can't tell me, no one can."
Gaius sighed and poured some potion for Merlin, "Take this. It will help with the pain," and he left the room. Well, mostly, as there was still someone sitting on the end of Merlin's bed.
~~.~~
"Umm, hello?" Merlin peered at the man.
The man stared back for a moment, before saying gruffly, "Didn't he say it would help with the pain? Drink it already, you should always listen to a healer."
Merlin nodded and quickly downed the potion shuddering at the taste, "Yeck."
The man nodded, "It doesn't have to taste good to work. My name is Dian Cecht. Good day." The man seem to disappear and Merlin was left with an empty bedroom.
"What?" Merlin was completely still as he stared at the spot the man had just disappeared from. Granted it had been hard to see him to begin with, but he just completely vanished!
"No fair, I wanted to be first!" a new voice drifted up from next to Merlin, and he held in a yelp as he turned his head.
A woman, one of the most beautiful woman Merlin had ever seen was sitting next to him on his bed. She had red ringlets down to her waste, and her eyes glowed amber with an internal fire. Her skin was not the pale of the courtiers, but tanned, and her muscles were firm as if she had worked long and hard to get where she was. She held some kind of beauty about her, something ephemeral. She was also the tiniest bit see through, and seemed vaguely familiar.
"Ah well, second isn't bad, I go by Brigit, it is nice to see you again, Merlin," Brigit smiled at him.
That smile...it seemed familiar, OH! "You were the woman with Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed, finally getting his voice back.
Brigit giggled, "Yep! Oh, don't worry I'm not a ghost or anything, and I'm not haunting her or something silly like that, I'm just… helping out." The woman started playing with some of her hair and smiled at Merlin's look of incredulousness.
"Okay?" Merlin stared at the not-ghost girl Brigit.
"Alright, could have explained that better," Brigit mumbled to herself, she sat quietly and then spoke again, "I'm sort of like a guardian, I look after her I guess, I help her learn things, and teach her things, even though she doesn't know I'm there. There are others like me, you met Dian Cecht, and there are more besides him."
Merlin nodded, "But… can anyone else see you? And why are you so much more...colorful then Dian Cecht?" Merlin stumbled over the name a bit but Brigit just smiled.
"No one has seen us before now, so I don't know. And as for the other question, it is because I accepted her."
"Accepted?"
Brigit smiled even wider, "I decided that Gwen was someone I would be willing to give my powers to. She is kind, works hard, and is interested in all of my talents! She is also adorable… that might have been the deciding factor…" Brigit trailed off.
"So Dian Cecht hasn't accepted Gaius?" Merlin after a couple moments, "And does that mean Arthur has someone too?"
Brigit laughed this time, "Dian Cecht is a pompous arse, he will take his time to decide, because once you accept you can't go back. He can still help if he wants… he probably wont though. Ass. And as for Arthur…" Brigit started to smirk, "He has his work cut out for him! You would probably like his tag a long though."
Merlin nodded again trying to understand what in the world was going on, "So, not to be rude or anything but what actually are you? You said you are teaching things?"
"I can't answer the first question, I'm sorry, you will have to figure it out on your own," Brigit winced, "But for the second, well, each of us has a different specialty you can say, some more then others. I am good at herb work and smithing, among other things, while Dian Cecth is THE healer. By just being around Gwen I can make it easier for her to pick up techniques and memorize herb properties, but as she already is amazing in both subjects she really doesn't need my help!" Brigit puffed up with pride at that last statement.
Merlin smiled at the woman, who had really grown on him quickly, 'Even though she was a not ghost who had appeared in his room and might have been stalking him all day…'
"Do I have someone?" Merlin asked, but he could tell the answer from the look on her face.
"Not in the same way," Brigit replied with a gentle smile, "But you do have a lot of people who care about you, so don't be to worried. Oh! Also, the others won't be around as much as me. They have other duties. Once someone has been accepted it is a lot harder to move away, so you and me can be best pals!" She patted Merlin on the head and started to fade.
"Wait! Before I forget the one that has been trying to contact you is the-" Her voice faded out before she could finish the sentence. Merlin groaned and pulled at his hair. He tugged his shirt back on and flopped carefully onto the bed.
"What in the world is going on now," he sighed as he tried to fall asleep.
~~.~~
"Merlin…..Merlin….."
The voice appeared again and this time Merlin wasn't going to miss it.
He quietly walked downstairs, and looked over to see Gaius snoozing away comfortably. He managed to hit a pot on the way out, but Gaius stayed asleep so he just left, after covering the man with the blanket, of course.
As he walked closer to the dungeons he heard the voice again. He walked down the stairs and shuffled to a stop as he saw two guards playing dice at the base. He smirked.
One game of "Catch the Dice" later Merlin quietly made his way down the stairs. Whatever was calling him was definitely down there. He made his way to the bottom and stepped out onto a ledge that overlooked a humongous cavern. He heard laughter echoing around him, and was tired of the game, "Where are you?"
A wave of noise and air slammed into him, making him stumble back. On the ledge before landed the most massive creature Merlin had ever seen. He was probably as big as it's head! It could swallow him whole! 'A dragon!'
Merlin stood in awe, and the dragon began to speak, "I'm here!" Merlin stepped back again at the words. The dragon settled itself, "How small you are for such a great destiny."
"Why? What do you mean? What destiny?"
"Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason."
"So there is a reason," relief coursed through his entire body.
"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion."
"Right," nevermind, the dragon was obviously insane.
"But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike."
"I don't see what this has to do with me," Merlin really didn't like where this conversation was headed.
"Everything. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion."
"No. No, you've got this wrong!" Merlin waved his arms back and forth, no way this was real.
"There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't," the dragon seemed to smirk in response.
Merlin just looked at the dragon, "But I'm serious! If anyone wants to go and kill him, they can go ahead. In fact, I'll give them a hand."
The dragon laughed at him, "None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it."
Maybe if he just denied it the dragon would listen to reason, "No. No way. No. No. There must be another Arthur because this one's an idiot."
The dragon just replied in a level tone,"Perhaps it's your destiny to change that."
With those parting words the dragon spread it's wings and flew higher into the caver, a chain around it's leg ringing every time he moved.
"Wait! Wait! Wait, stop! No, I- I need to know more!" Merlin almost wailed, but was left alone in the dark.
He saw the chain that was holding the dragon bang against the stone walls of the cave, and slowly made his way back to the upper levels.
~~.~~
Merlin walked around the castle half in a daze after only getting a couple hours of sleep. He had woken up late, and had been handed a tonic to give to the Lady Morgana...now he just had to find her room. He finally asked one of the maidservant's that wandered by, and headed in the opposite direction of where he had been going.
Merlin saw that the door to Morgana's chamber was open, so he walked right in to see the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. She was fair with dark hair, her every action seemed to draw him in and...what? The dress? 'She thinks I'm Gwen...I'm going to be killed!'
He looked around and saw a dress, and put it on top of the screen separating himself from the undressing King's ward, making sure to not look at her.
"I mean, the man's a total jouster. And just because I'm the King's ward, that doesn't mean I have to accompany him to the feast, does it?"
He ducked down and tried to find a way out-
"Well, does it?"
Merlin pitched his voice higher and mumbled, "Mm-Mmm." 'Some one save me!'
"If he wants me to go, then he should invite me, and he hasn't"
Merlin looked around and tried to move closer to the door. He knew he wouldn't make it and straightened up next to a chair just as Morgana asked her next question.
"So do you know what that means?"
"Mm-Mmm," Merlin said again, looking down at a piece of clothing laid over one of the chairs.
"Where are you?" Lady Morgana looked concerned at the lack of reaction from her 'maidservant'.
Merlin quickly held up the cloak, as it turned out, and said in a falsetto, "Here."
"It means I'm going by myself."
That's it he needed to get out of there before-
"I need some help with this fastening," Morgana stated from behind the screen.
He was dead.
"Gwen?" Morgana sounded concerned again.
"I'm here!"
A voice rang out from behind Merlin causing him to spin around, and then grin with relief. The actual Gwen was standing behind him giving him a disproving look.
She mouthed at him, "What are you doing here?" But behind her he could see Brigit trying to keep a straight face, obviously knowing what was going on.
Merlin tried to show that Morgana needed help changing, and Gwen seemed to catch on. She nodded, and Merlin mouthed his thanks, sending a glare at Brigit he scampered out of the room as quick as possible.
~~.~~
Court was even more astonishing then Merlin could have ever dreamed. The very air seemed to hum with some kind of, power, not magic, but the power of the people who stood there. The Lords and Ladies of the court were already gathered and talking as he quickly walked behind Gaius. He was very lucky in this moment to be the man's ward.
There was so much food, and Merlin soon found himself feeling a tad out of place with his commoner clothing compared to the finery that surrounded him. And then he saw the prat with his friends. They seemed to be re-enacting the fight, but suddenly the man stopped dead in his speech, staring towards the entrance way.
Merlin looked and saw a goddess had arrived. 'Thank the gods I got out of that room earlier!'
He couldn't take his eyes off of her, but was jolted out of his day dreams by Gaius's contrite voice, "Merlin. Remember, you're here to work."
Merlin pulled himself together, "Oh, yeah."
Gaius walked away, but Merlin felt his eyes drawn back towards Morgana, but once again a voice spoke out from behind him.
"She looks great, doesn't she?" Gwen spoke as she moved towards him, a pitcher held in the nook of her arm.
"Yeah," he sighed.
"Some people are just born to be queen," Gwen stated, and Merlin could feel the tight jealousy in his stomach. That beautiful woman and the prat!
"No," he stated shocked.
"I hope so. One day. Not that I'd want to be her. Who'd want to marry Arthur?" She scowled a bit at the last phrase but Merlin just laughed.
"Oh, come on, Gwen. I thought you liked those real rough, tough, save the world kind of men," Merlin smiled.
"No, I like much more ordinary men like you," Gwen stated holding the pitcher closer.
Merlin raised an eyebrow, 'If only she knew,' "Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary."
"No, I didn't mean you, obviously," Gwen stated slowly, Merlin saw Brigit hide her face in her hands from the corner of his eye, "Not you. But just, you know, I like much more ordinary men like you."
The both paused for a moment before Merlin said a small, "Thanks," and then they both turned away form each other, Merlin keeping an eye on the now-was she swearing?- Brigit.
The horns quickly sounded, breaking the awkward tension between the two servants, and the both went back to their respective places.
A man, who must be King Uther, entered the room, and Merlin was shocked to see how… how ordinary this killer of magic was. The man spoke up once he had made his way in front of the court,"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora."
The King sat, and Lady Helen began to sing. The gentle music held a harmony with her voice, and the entire crowd was silent. She stepped off of the platform and began to walk towards the middle of the room. Merlin watched and saw a mist seem to spread off of her, and flow around the room. It wrapped around people, and suddenly everyone in the hall started to fall asleep. When the mist settled the people were covered in spiderwebs, seeming to hold them in place. Merlin then noticed that the mist was hovering towards him, but seemed to be swept away before it could even make contact. He covered his ears to drown out the music, and watched as every person fell asleep and the room darkened blocking out all light.
The woman was staring only at Arthur, and Merlin quickly looked from one to the other. 'She is not going to try to kill him, is she?'
And then she pulled a knife out of her sleeve. 'Yep. Trying to kill him.'
She reached her crescendo and seemed to be preparing to kill the prince.
'I wont let him die!' Merlin thought as he quickly looked around the room for something, anything, and noticed the chandelier that was hanging above her.
'THAT!' With a flash of his eyes the chandelier fell on top of her pining her to the ground. The mist quickly receded until it was only covering her figure, and soon the people of the feast began to move about.
Merlin looked again at the lady and saw the woman he had heard on his first day in Camelot, the one who wanted to kill Uther's son. Before anyone could react she raised herself up and threw the knife straight at Arthur. It spun end over end and the Prince did nothing.
'Move! MOVE!' Merlin felt himself mentally shouting, 'I said I'm not letting you die!'
And without a thought he slowed down time and dragged Arthur away from the knife, which embedded itself in the recently occupied chair. The look on Arthur's face was pretty much worth it.
He stood behind the prince, but was soon face to face with the King himself,
"You saved my boy's life. A debt must be repaid."
Merlin tucked his hands behind his back and ducked his head, '...probably never tell him I used magic, right?'
"Oh, well…" he looked down again but was interrupted.
"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded."
Merlin shook his head, "No, honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness."
Uther shook his head much more vehemently, "No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."
Merlin could roll with that, "Well…"
Uther nodded, "You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant."
Arthur immediately shouted, "Father!" with a look of pure horror on his features. Merlin feared his weren't much better. The entire crowd clapped in honor, but all Merlin could think was, 'I'm stuck with the prat!' He looked over at the boy who seemed to be having similar feelings as him. ' I can see this going so well..'
~~.~~
Somewhere far, far away, Manannan Mac Lir had started laughing so hard he fell into the cauldron he had been cleaning.
~~.~~
Merlin sat in his room trying to gather his thoughts. He had saved the life of the Prince Prat, the son of the king who would want nothing more to kill him, and he did it by the very thing that could get him executed! Why?
His shoulder's slumped, "I couldn't just let someone die in front of me, with me being able to do something to stop it."
He sighed, and perked up as the heard a knock on the door.
Gaius entered, "Seems you're a hero."
Merlin smiled in response, "Hard to believe, isn't it?"
Gaius just shook his head, and grabbed tighter on a wrapped parcel, "No. I knew it from the moment I met you. When you saved my life, remember?"
"But...that was magic."
Gaius smiled again, "And now, it seems, we finally found a use for it."
"What do you mean?" Merlin looked up needing to hear the answer.
"I saw how you saved Arthur's life."
'Not that answer!' " Oh, no."
Gaius merely shrugged, "Perhaps that's its purpose."
"My destiny," Merlin sighed.
Gaius raised an eyebrow at him, and began to unwrap the item he was carrying, "Indeed. This book was given to me when I was your age, but I have a feeling it will be of more use to you than it was to me."
Merlin grabbed the book and could feel something strange about it, not the same as the one in the Fake Lady Helen's chambers, but a purpose was set about it. He started flipping through pages. "But this is a book of magic!" Merlin exclaimed. Gaius just smiled.
"Which is why you must keep it hidden."
Merlin's mind was already miles away, "I will study every word."
A knock broke through the peace of the room, and a voice echoed up, "Merlin, Prince Arthur wants you right away."
Gaius shrugged towards the door, "Your destiny's calling. You'd better find out what he wants."
Merlin smiled and placed his book back down, heading to the door.
Finally, he had something he could do.
~~.~~
"So I met him," a voice spoke behind Manannan Mac Lir, startling him out of the staring contest he had been having with a cod.
"Merlin? You met Merlin, Lugh?" Manannan spun around with a large smile, "How is he doing, besides the whole manservant thing...that was great fun though!" Manannan smirked.
Lugh sighed, "He is fine, has a proper head on his shoulders, even, don't think he got that from you. Arthur, on the other hand…" Lugh's expression tightened, " I can honestly say that I will probably never accept him."
Manannan smiled and placed a hand on the younger one's shoulder, "Just wait, he will grow up, and if Merlin's around I know he will change for the better."
Lugh covered his face with his hands before looking up at Manannan, "I will try all I can to not let anything happen to him, Manannan."
Manannan smiled a truly gracious smile, his eyes crinkling up and his mouth slight parted, "That is all I could ask, now if you are not messing around with the prince, would you like to join me in a duel?"
"Gladly."
First chapter of this insane fic is finally out! I've been working on the premise of this fic for years, so it is a relief to finally have the first chapter published.
This is going to be very slow to update, as the chapters are longer then my norm, and the amount of research I have to put into everyone.
That being said, I am no expert on Celtic mythology (though I read so much my eyes hurt) and I have made this fic with an amalgamation of different deities and beings from all over the place, but with celtic roots. In some cases I use English names, or welsh names, it honestly depends on whatever fits the best.
If I make a massive mistake though, please let me know!
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and the rest of the chaos that will ensue
~Not Necessarily in Between
