The Labyrinth

Chapter 1

Be Careful What You Wish For

"May you get exactly what you want and live long enough to regret it."

― Sherrilyn Kenyon, Born of Shadows

Merlin had been enchanted with the book as soon as his professor placed it in his hands. It wasn't anything particularly special, in fact, it was quite old, the cover falling apart in his hands with the leather tearing away. The script had faded to which the blue eyed student assumed it had been given far too much sunlight. Nevertheless, despite it's horridness, Merlin could still read the title and it gave him a strange sense of wariness. There was something about this book…

"The Labyrinth." He muttered, mulling over the words he had just spoke and wondering just why they seemed to make him slightly ill. He shook the thoughts away and allowed his eyes to stray back to his professor whose radiant smile and chilling green eyes only showed him kindness and warmth which was strange as most students fled her class as soon as it was over.

But Merlin wasn't just anyone was he? He was the most powerful sorcerer in the Aboveground and Underground (not that he had been to the Underground in a long time. He had an aversion to it…but what that was, he could not remember). He could easily take on a stone cold professor.

Though Professor Williams, or Sarah as Merlin preferred to call her, was nothing but lovely. There was something enthralling about her, that drew Merlin in. He wasn't in love with her nor attracted. He was very much gay thank you and had a strong preference to the male genitals than that of the female variety.

Sarah was gentle and considerate to him, and they had lengthy discussions about fae mythology and the legends that surrounded them. It was all very fascinating to Merlin, as he very well knew that the fae were real and the way Sarah spoke of it…almost made him believe she herself had been to the Underground or at the very least, had some sort of encounter with the creatures earlier in her life. But that was near impossible as fae preferred the accompaniment of children rather than adults. Children were more likely to believe in them and the fae were nothing if vain. Vanity, in Merlin's opinion, were all that they had.

"Yes. It was one of my favourite books as a child. I figured you would enjoy it as much as I did."

Merlin grinned at Sarah, smoothing away the ripping corner as he did. "Thank you. Yeah. I think I'll like it very much."

Sarah nodded and began to pack her things. "Better hurry along Merlin. Your roommate seems rather impatient."

The woman gave him an amused look as Merlin scanned over his shoulder only to see his pratty (and undeniably gorgeous) roommate who did seem rather peeved as he glanced here and there in the hall he stood in. The blond had his arms crossed, unpleasantness splattered all across his face before his eyes landed precisely on Merlin's. The sorcerer only grinned sheepishly before thanking Sarah once again for the book and dashing outside to join the royal idiot.

"Merlin."

"What?"

Arthur merely rose an eyebrow at the big eared boy. "You're late."

"I was not. You were simply early."

"Merlin."

Merlin stopped in his tracks and looked directly at the blond. "I was having a wonderful conversation with Sarah before you rudely interrupted it with your impatience. For future reference, you should learn to wait, seeing as most women prefer a man with manners not your usual uncouth personality."

Arthur pursed his lips in response and Merlin's eyes shot down to glance at them before chastely reminding himself that Arthur was most certainly straight and not gay and therefore would never be into Merlin the way Merlin was into him.

"You know Merlin, when I'm king, you'll regret ever saying those kinds of things to me."

The only made Merlin smirk. "Never, you're royal pratness."

And off he ran, laughing out loud with wind in his sails as the future king chased him down, threatening to smash his head with his binder through the stone halls of Oxford University.

God, he wouldn't give this up for anything.

…

Sarah could only chuckle to herself as she watched her favourite student join the object of his affections in the hall before their usual banter began again. It was unfortunate that the prince was straight, for in her opinion he and Merlin would make a lovely couple.

It wasn't her business and truth be told she had no care for the royal family. They, to her, were nothing more than faces on magazines with no real power in the world.

She sighed, pulling some of her hair back behind her ear as she placed the final essay into her bag. She turned off the lights and exited the lecture hall, making her way to her car so she could go home. Sarah was leaving later than she would have liked, but it appeared that every conversation with Merlin tended to make her late.

He was just fascinating and a true scholar as his wisdom and intelligence knew no bounds. He was PhD material, of that Sarah was certain and she was excited to see where he would be going in his future.

Furthermore, his name was Merlin of all things and his roommates was Arthur. Sarah knew all about the stories about Camelot and Albion, about how Merlin and Arthur, together, brought magic to Camelot and united the lands.

But those were nothing but stories though, the professor supposed that if the fae were real, then it was quite possible Merlin and Arthur had been too in that time. Now however, it was just a coincidence, nothing more.

Upon arrival of her home, Sarah shrugged off her coat, droplets from the rain hitting her hardwood floors and seeping into the cracks. Her umbrella she placed by the coat rack before moving further into the old, brick house.

She loved living in the United Kingdom. The scenery was so different to that of back home, and she found it to be far more fantasy like. It inspired her paintings, murals and portraits that she hung on the walls of her house. Each picture recalled a part of her adventure in the labyrinth. The one of her friends hung in her living room, of the land itself in her study, the crystals hung in her kitchen and there were several others.

However, the only one she didn't know what to do with was of the Goblin King himself. It simply sat on her easel, waiting to be placed somewhere in her home. But where? No place seemed suited for it, for him. Sarah sighed and let her mind drift away from him and onto more productive things, like marking the essays of her students.

She went to her study and set the bag on her desk, all while pulling out a massive stack of papers to which she inwardly groaned. There was nothing less satisfying than grading poorly written papers.

Most students who took her courses only took it as a fluke. It was, supposedly, an easy class. Of course, Sarah made sure that once they stepped foot in the first lecture they learned that it was quite the opposite.

And that was how she had met Merlin. The first day of her class and he was the only one who ever raised his hand. She learned very quickly that he had an old soul in a body so young. He looked like a fae, with his pale, moonlight skin and fierce angles. He was thin and lanky, but that did not disallude her to the hard muscles underneath. He was stunning, in an ethereal way, and his knowledge of her class was astounding.

It only made sense for him to quickly become her favourite student. "Maybe I should mark his essay first." She whispered to herself. "No. I'll save the best for last."

However, the moment she placed her fingers on top of the stack of papers her phone went off. Its shrill noise echoed in the emptiness around her and Sarah quickly sought to end it.

"Hello, Sarah Williams speaking. Oh! Merlin! What do you need? Wait…slow down…what do you mean he's gone? You did what? I'm on my way. Wait…what do you mean you'll come get me? Merlin!"

As soon as she spoke his name for the second time in that call, Sarah vanished into thin air and the only sound that could be heard in her house was her phone clattering to the ground.

…

Merlin opened the book with tender hands, eager to read the pages and let himself get lost in the tale. He loved fantasy and anything associated with the subject since he himself was that of a legend.

Arthur meanwhile couldn't give two hoots about books. He was very much a politician, more interested in reading people rather than stories. Merlin spared a glance to his counterpart who simply stared out the window of the limo they were in that was taking them back to their place of residence.

Merlin shook his head and brought himself back to the story. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything to himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help!"

"Merlin, what are you doing?"

"Reading."

"And what would that be? Another silly fantasy of yours? Really Merlin," Arthur drawled, "You know better than to believe all of that childishness."

The sorcerer sighed, closing the book but keeping his finger in the spot where he had been reading. His ocean blues sought Arthur's sky ones before drifting back to the script.

Merlin had yet to tell Arthur that magic was not only very much real, but that he himself was the most powerful controller of it. Merlin had dreamt of a thousand ways to reveal his sorcery to his friend, but nothing seemed right. And he certainly didn't want a repeat of his past lives did he? Where Arthur was on the brink of death and that's when Merlin revealed that yes, he did have magic, or some sort of giant catastrophe that forced Merlin's hand and ultimately betrayed Arthur's trust in him?

No. He certainly didn't want that. So Merlin kept his mouth shut tight and continued to read. "Say your right words," the goblins said, "and we'll take the baby to the castle, and you will be free!" But the girl knew, that the Goblin King would keep the baby in his castle for ever and ever and ever, and turn it into a goblin! And so the girl suffered in silence. Until one day, when she was tired from a day of housework, and she was hurt by the harsh words of her stepmother, and she could no longer stand it..."

"And so she wished the baby away. "I wish the Goblin King would take you away!" And with a brief pop, the baby in her arms disappeared and only then did she realize her terrible mistake."

Merlin grinned to himself as he turned the page. Wishing someone away. How clever, he thought. Dastardly really, by the Goblin King no less. Merlin knew of the king from his past lives. He knew the fae had an elaborate labyrinth, and brought abandoned children to the Seelie kingdom and Unseelie. He had not joined either side but rather remained impartial. And that suited all kingdoms just fine.

The limo then stopped and Merlin's eyes glanced out the window. They arrived back home so Merlin quickly tucked the book into his satchel, to be read as soon as he got in. The rain however was unpleasant as the wizard made a mad dash to the house, scrambling for his keys before he finally managed to get inside. His jacket was quite wet, much to his chagrin and Merlin tossed it off and onto the rack. A chill settled in as soon as he stepped foot into the kitchen to make himself some tea. Due to the rain, Merlin felt it to be a nice way to get cozy as the weather forced him to stay indoors.

Arthur meanwhile was on his phone, chattering away about some sort of law that he (or his father if Arthur would be honest) didn't agree with. Merlin wasn't a big fan of Uther Pendragon, but a royal was a royal and despite the man's arrogance he was a good king.

However, his hold on Arthur repulsed Merlin. Because Arthur wouldn't do anything he wanted to do for himself. It was always his father's wishes, or as King Uther put it, what was best for the kingdom.

Which was absolute rubbish to Merlin, who very well knew that Arthur would much rather rule the kingdom his way, which to the sorcerer would be fair and just, but Uther would have none of it. Arthur was to be primed in Uther's image, not his own.

The kettle then went off and Merlin poured himself a cuppa, before crawling into the window seat and opening up the novel once more, allowing his imagination to take him away.

…

Merlin was enjoying the story quite a bit. It was a bit childish, but that didn't deter him from continuing it read it. Arthur had disappeared long ago, and if the wizard's hearing served him correctly, the blond was in the shower.

The water above him soon stopped and footsteps could be heard walking around upstairs. For a rich man, Arthur had found a rather poorly designed house for the pair to live in with their other roommates. Of course, Lancelot was out with Gwen, and Gwaine was most likely out at the pub, flirting with those of both female and male variety. A distraction, in Merlin's opinion, to that of his growing affection for Percival. Gwaine was a good man, but lived in great denial about most things especially concerning his love life.

"Merlin."

The drawl pulled the sorcerer out of his musings much to his dismay as he very much liked to drift off into his thoughts. With an exasperated sigh, Merlin brought his gaze to his friend and could only sputter and gap like a fish.

Arthur stood before him in low rising jeans with a towel drying his hair and no shirt. The muscles were strong and…well…big, making the sorcerer's mouth go dry and once again curse the gods for making Arthur unbearably straight.

"Yes Arthur?"

"Put the book down. You're too old for such childish nonsense."

That irked Merlin and rather than following the prince's orders, he ignored the blond, choosing to pursue the story over Arthur's companionship. That pissed off the prince who stormed over and ripped the book from Merlin's grasp. The sky blue eyes were all too bright but Merlin's rivaled in comparison.

"You shouldn't have done that." said Merlin, who left his happy spot to retrieve the book that his friend so carelessly tossed aside. He brushed the cover and breathed a sigh of relief. Sarah would have killed him if he had messed it up.

"Since when is a book more important than me?"

"I only have it for a brief amount of time Arthur. Sarah leant it to me."

"Ah yes. Your professor." sneered Arthur. "You know Merlin, student and professor relationships are forbidden."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I am well aware and very much not interested. You know I don't swing that way."

"I'm sure she could change your mind." Muttered Arthur, whose eyes were now looking out the window. "Come Merlin. We're going out.""

"You can. I'm staying here."

Arthur tossed him an annoyed look. "No. We are going out drinking. Leon wants to meet up with us."

"I have no interest in doing that. Go, have your fun, and don't puke on the carpet when you get home."

"Leon specifically asked for you to come and it would be rude to deny his request."

"No Arthur."

The prince snarled and ripped the book once more out of Merlin's grasp. Merlin could feel his anger growing but knew he needed to get it under control otherwise he'd do something stupid. Like reveal his magic.

"You're choosing this stupid book over your friends? Are you daft?"

"No you utter clotpole! I just have no interest in going out tonight!"

"It's Professor Williams, isn't it? You do like her. You want another reason to be in her company. God Merlin, you are pathetic!"

"You idiot. How many times do I have to tell you that I have no interest in women? I just don't want to go out tonight! And if you're going to be such a prat about it well than I'm most definitely not going out with you and your bumbling friends."

"The only one being a prat here is you Merlin. You and that stick up your ass."

Merlin could feel the magic sparking at his fingertips, urging him to send the blond flying back into the wall. He was standing so close to him, their noses almost touching and the anger radiating off of them in waves. And Merlin, bless his soul because he just…it's the book's fault really, decided to do something absolutely, positively, stupid beyond all reason.

"I WISH THE GOBLIN KING WOULD TAKE YOU AWAY!"

And he screamed it at the top of his lungs. Of course, nothing happened and the only thing that could be heard was harsh breathing on Merlin's part because he was just so angry with Arthur. And Arthur, well, he stood there dumfounded until he burst out laughing, at Merlin, to the point where he was bent over, grasping his knees for support.

"Really Merlin, the Goblin King? Are you absolutely serious? Has that book has done you in? There is no such thing as a Goblin king you –"

And before he could utter out a final insult a goblin appeared out of thin air, looked right at Merlin and winked, before grabbing Arthur and disappearing with a pop.

Merlin merely stood there and blinked a few times before the reality of what had just occurred sunk in. He had wished Arthur away. The prince of the United Kingdom, taken away by bloody goblins of all things.

"Bloody hell." muttered out Merlin before dashing to his phone to call the one person he knew could help him otherwise he was completely screwed.

…

"Hello, Sarah Williams speaking."

"Hello Sarah?"

"Oh! Merlin! What do you need?"

Merlin took a deep breath in before spewing out a summary of what he just did.

"Sarah, Arthur was being a bloody prat, and I had been reading your book and well, I just…I don't know what came over me, and its all the books fault really, and now he's disappeared!"

"Wait…slow down…what do you mean he's gone?"

"I may or may not have wished him away?"

"You did what?"

"Yeah."

"I'm on my way."

The house began to rumble then and Merlin frantically looked around. There was no way his professor would be able to get to the house. He sighed. Well, at least someone in this lifetime would know about him.

"Don't move. I'll get you."

"Wait…what do you mean you'll come get me? Merlin!"

Merlin snapped his fingers and immediately Sarah appeared in the hall, clutching onto the bannister.

"What?"

Her eyes frantically looked around before settling on Merlin who grinned sheepishly. "But…what…you're a…you're not a fae…what just happened?"

"No time to explain really. Ah, I think I wished away Arthur."

"You wished away the prince of wales?" she hissed out.

"Yeah. I think I did…by the Goblin King too."

The house rumbled once again. "And while I'd love to elaborate more I don't think we really have time. So you can forgive me later but…just don't speak for the next little while."

And Merlin snapped his fingers once again and the body of Sarah disappeared, replaced by a slender black fox with bright green eyes glaring at him. "I'm sorry about this, really, but he's coming and I don't think you being in human form will help me. Because there's a bit more to this, or to you, than meets the eyes isn't there professor? Don't think I didn't catch on. I'm not quite sure about your connection to all of this but I do know there is one. I sense fae on you, but how I'm not sure. And this book is more than just a book if I can wish away someone. Therefore, how you got it seems rather impossible unless you yourself have had dealings with the fae. But never mind that now. I believe I'm about to have a visitor in a few."

Thunder crashed outside and Sarah jumped into Merlin's arms before the student placed her on his shoulder. She curled around his neck as a bright flash occurred all throughout the house.

And there, standing before them, in all of his sparkling glory, was the Goblin King and he was grinning a smug grin, with canines showing and shimmering in the faint light.

"Emerys."

"Goblin King."