Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. Boy, I wish I did.
It was a simple scouting mission, really. Apparently, there had been an infiltration of numerous bandits in the western border, so naturally they rode out to see if bandits was all it was. It was an ordinary mission, however, Merlin's life had a habit of turning something completely ordinary on its head, leaving him to battle the extraordinary.
He knew there was something off as soon as he felt it. Every step his horse took behind Arthur's, Merlin felt a growing sensation of...power. It was like every limb of his body was awakened with an electric, ancient surge of energy. He felt energized and his mind and soul were like an ever expanding stream of consciousness flowing, stretching, and growing with each step. It was as if someone awakened him from a deep sleep- it was completely bizarre!
This inarticulate feeling soon became overwhelming, fast. Merlin tightened his hold on his horse's reins until his knuckles paled. He began panting as result, trying his best maintain a normal facade and to contain whatever it was that was happening to him.
"Do close your mouth, Merlin." Arthur threw a repulsed look over his shoulder. "You'll attract flies."
He clamped down on his bottom lip so hard that Merlin tasted a wet, metallic tang and he knew instantly that he drew blood. The enigmatic, but not completely foreign energy began to inundate every fiber of his being, and apprehension seized his gut. This wasn't good.
A cry escaped from his lips that caused Arthur to draw his horse to an abrupt halt.
"Merlin?"
The rest was out of his complete control.
A wave of magic crashed and consumed him from ground up. Merlin was too occupied by this surge of power to realize that his body had levitated from his saddle.
"Merlin!"
A light brighter than three suns combined exploded from his being. The horses probably neighed in fright, and the knights shouted in trepidation, but Merlin couldn't hear any of this. What he heard instead was a mass of calliopean whispers speaking in the ancient tongue of the old religion.
Arthur must have mounted off of his horse and made his way towards him because he felt a hand coil around his ankle.
Big mistake.
Suddenly, Merlin felt some of the energy course from his being into Arthur's. Amidst the sea of whispers, he heard Arthur's cry which all but stopped his heart, and within a blink of an eye, the light is snuffed out. He and Arthur went from levitating above the earth, to being dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes in a matter of seconds. Merlin wished he could say he had a soft landing, but chain mail wasn't exactly the best cushion you could land on.
Hearts pounding, they both groaned from the sharp fall. Merlin decided to pick himself up off of Arthur before the man grew livid.
"Ow," he softly groaned, still disoriented, and lifted his head off of the hard, metal surface.
Merlin put his hands on the ground on either side of Arthur's head. He made the mistake of groggily gazing up into Arthur's ocean blue eyes.
"Merlin," Arthur whispered, horrified, "your eyes!"
It didn't take Merlin long to realize that his eyes were glowing.
No!
He scrambled away from Arthur as if he were on fire, and his mind raced with a million thoughts of how he could explain this phenomenon.
"A-Arthur I-
The prince held up a hand to silence him. Arthur looked like he had gone into shock, and he probably did. His strong frame was as rigid as stone, his eyes the size of a doe's and glued to a spot two inches away from his feet. Merlin sat there, heart pounding, as he gazed fearfully at his friend for what felt like a thousand eternities.
"You," Arthur finally spoke, in a hushed voice as if the mere thought was ineffable, "have magic."
Merlin's gut did a somersault as his mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. What could he say? That this was all a figment of his imagination? That they had all been suddenly drugged?
"Arthur I...I.."
"So, it's true," he conceded, and Merlin wanted to die then and there than to witness to the sheer look of disappointment, rage, and disgust in Arthur's eyes. The piercing glare icily stabbed his heart.
"Please," he pleaded,"let me explain."
"What is there to explain, Merlin? Or is that even your real name?"
"It is my name-
-Or should I call you Emrys!"
He felt his blood run cold.
"H-how d-did you-
"Oh my God!" Arthur shouts exasperatedly, and scrambles to his feet. He tears away from him as if he had the plague. "I can't believe you!"
"Arthur please, l-let me expla-
"Enough!" the young Prince bellowed and the whole forest seemed to quake under his stentorian voice. "You lied to me! You- you-"
"I'm sorry!" He poured all of his remorse and guilt into these two little words.
"Sorry?" He asked, as if Merlin had the audacity to apologize. "You're sorry?"
Arthur stalked closer and with each step he took towards him, Merlin backed away. His luck had run out when he felt the hard spine of a tree's bark dig into his back, and he came face to face with an enraged bull.
Arthur grabbed the front of his shirt, twisted it in his grasp, and pulled him closer so that their faces were inches apart. His breath lodged in his throat when those stormy, ocean blue eyes assailed his own.
"You betrayed me!"
Those words rung in his ears with the promise of hunting him for life. He would rather be cursed with the most horrid and unspeakable spell, than to hear those words from his one true friend. Merlin's heart shattered into a million pieces.
When he opened his mouth , a fist collided with his temple, and he crashed to the ground in pain. The world dipped and greyed, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, but not before his tears could drop to the ground.