Heeey! I'm back! I suspended my other fic "The power of number two" because I was very busy, but I came up with this…hope you'll like it!

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LACING UP THE STRINGS

"Walk" Arthur growled.

Merlin swallowed, hesitating.

"Arthur...I-I...I can't..." he stammered.

Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief. "Go on! That's an order!" he cried angrily.

This was no good. Merlin wished he had stayed at the castle.

***

Arthur and Merlin left the castle very early to go hunting that morning, heading towards the forest of Galdon, a wide, thick wood that covered the twin hills near Camelot.

After penetrating into the very heart of the forest, they spent more than three hours tracking down a couple of deers, until they gave in – Arthur was utterly annoyed and placed all the blame on Merlin's noisy clumsiness.

Secretly glad that the deers' lives had been spared for that day, Merlin helped the prince to find a place to get some rest. Finally spotting a clearing through the bushes, the two boys walked towards it.

When they entered it, they came across something totally unexpected: the deers they had been chasing earlier were placidly grazing in the shade of a little stone shack. An old lady was sitting before the door, glancing fondly at the animals. Suddenly Merlin wished they hadn't come near there: he could sense magic – wild, untamed magic – with every fibre of his body. Hearing the sound of light footsteps, the lady lifted her gaze towards the boys; her sparkling eyes, set in a very wrinkled face, sent shivers running down Merlin's spine, shivers of dread: he felt like turning away from the strange figure, his instinct urging him to flee.

Shifting uncomfortably he opened his mouth to warn Arthur, but he did so a second too late: the prince was already resolutely heading towards the woman, so Merlin had no choice but to follow him.

Prince and manservant stopped right in front of her. Arthur frowned, but before he could make any sharp remarks, Merlin asked shyly: "Who are you?".

The lady looked at him, then turned back to the deers and answered: "Who I am – her voice was vibrant and low – is not important. Nevertheless, my presence is: I am here to warn you. This part of the forest cannot be touched by magic. You can't proceed".

Blinking incredulously, Arthur replied, outraged: "What are you talking about? I am prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, and this is my servant Merlin. We are no sorcerers".

She looked at him with her surprisingly sharp eyes, which made Arthur feel slightly uncomfortable, though his features didn't give away his true feelings.

"I know magic when I see it, young prince" she stated. She then averted her gaze on Merlin, who was standing right next to Arthur, his heart hammering violently in his chest. How did she know?

Wide-eyed, Arthur looked at the lady, then at Merlin, then back at her.

"What??" he exclaimed, his voice booming. "Are you insinuating that Merlin, this – he gestured towards the boy – Merlin...has magical powers?". He burst out laughing heartily.

Merlin's heart was beating so fast he feared it was going to crash his ribcage; he didn't know whether to feel relieved or hurt by the fact that the prince seemed so sure he was a total inept.

The woman awaited for Arthur's laugh to fade, then said in a serious tone: "I warn you, young prince: don't let your servant go past this clearing, if you care about him".

At these words, far from feeling relieved, Merlin felt a hundred doubts wash over him. Surely Arthur, although he didn't believe Merlin was magical, would not let anything bad happen to him? They were friends, weren't they? Then again, what kind of friend Arthur would consider him to be, when a very-likely-magical woman was so undoubtedly sure of Merlin's magical abilities? What kind of friend could he possibly be since he really was a warlock, a warlock who matter-of-factly had hidden his true nature to his closest friend for all this time?

He glanced over at the prince. His face was contorted in rage and disbelief, his usually clear blue eyes considerably darkened. He slowly turned towards Merlin.

"We are going to prove to this woman that she's wrong, that you're nothing but my manservant" he said icily.

The lady shot Merlin a pitiful glance. "I am sorry for you, Emrys" she said quietly.

The young warlock gasped loudly. Who was this woman? How could she know his other name? Perhaps she was a druid? And why had she said she was sorry like his head was about to be chopped off by an axe?

Hearing Merlin gasp, the prince's eyes narrowed, suspicion dawning upon him.

"What did you call him? Merlin! What did she call you?" he snapped. He glowered at the woman, who sustained his gaze but kept silent, then at Merlin, whose face was whiter than snow.

Enraged, firmly trying to shut the thought that Merlin could actually be a sorcerer out of his mind, Arthur pushed his servant roughly forward.

"Walk" he growled.

Merlin swallowed, hesitating.

"Arthur...I-I...I can't..." he stammered.

Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief. "Go on! That's an order!" he cried angrily.

This was no good. Merlin wished he had stayed at the castle. He inspired deeply, then he took a step forward. Was it an impression, or the air had suddenly chilled? A dull ache spreading through his chest, he lowered his head, refusing to show Arthur the painful struggle, both physical and emotional, he was in. He felt so guilty for not having revealed himself sooner, yet he couldn't help but think that he had done the right thing; and right now...right now he was scared of Arthur's reaction, and of what might happen to him if the prince, right behind him, kept on pushing him forward.

Arthur was keeping a watchful eye over Merlin, when the boy stopped all of a sudden. He brought a hand to his chest, squeezed his eyes and groaned in pain. He started shaking uncontrollably, then he collapsed on his knees, wriggling and moaning in pain. He managed to crack his eyes open and he saw the prince standing a few feet from him, wearing an expression of shock and...fear, was it possible? Why didn't Arthur help him? What was happening? Then the pain at his chest became so unbearable that Merlin could no more think straight.

Arthur watched his servant lying at his feet; he was feeling like his insides had been turned into stone. The shock, the horror, the sense of betrayal he was experiencing at that moment had him frozen to the spot. He could see the other boy suffering, but after looking into his eyes – those eyes that were no longer the usual pools of blue, but some strangely endearing yet terrifying golden circles – his mind and his body just couldn't bring themselves to Merlin's aid.

However, when the warlock started hyperventilating, Arthur turned towards the woman, who had been silently watching them all the time, and coldly asked her: "What's happening to him?".

She looked at him severely: "A long time ago this part of the forest was under a powerful dark enchantment. The forest was eventually freed, but no one was able to erase the memory of the wounds dark magic had provoked. Therefore, in order to prevent any other accident from happening, the sorcerer who freed these trees and this ground cast a curse: should anyone with magic blood walk in here, they would suffer immensely. This boy was born a powerful wizard, so, on insisting that he should walk, you have condemned him. His magic, his very essence, is being crushed within him right now".

Arthur listened to her gasping, powerful waves of guilt crashing upon him. His eyes showed a mixture of anger and anguish. They darted back to the twitching body at his feet, and once he saw Merlin's tear-streamed face, once he heard his desperate choking sounds, something snapped inside him: he howled "NO!", and threw himself at his servant's side, lifting him in his arms and carrying him away, away from that angered, appalling, merciless area.

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