Young, slim, black haired man grunted, getting up from the mud. He's clothes were dirty and full of small, long cuts giving an impression of someone who tried to fight an army of angry cats. His slim body didn't look any better. Full of bruises and cuts. Young man touched the back of his head and looked at his bloody hand. He glanced around and found a red scarf around his bruised neck. He pulled the scarf and wrapped it around his head, hoping that it would do the trick and stop the bleeding.
He stood up, feeling dizzy. He helped himself by leaning over a rock, realizing he was in some sort of dark cave. The light was coming somewhere from above, but it was only good enough to light the contours of the rocks and walls around him. In the dark he could hear the water dropping down from the stalactites above him. He put his hand on his head again, feeling the dizziness and pain coming back.
He took a deep breath, before straightening his back. He fought the pain and cut it of from his senses. He felt better now, that the pain wasn't hindering him so much. He looked around and this time he could see the contours of the rocks around him more clearly. Around him were three passages. Each rocky, full of stalagmites, mud and dropping water. Above him was a wall and a wide, high cliff. He realized, he must have fallen from up there, but he was still in shock he survived that fall. It was easily few floors up and yet he was still fine. Or at least alive without having anything broken.
He stood there for a moment, deciding which passage to take. He chose left and started slowly walking, gaining speed. Before he could understand where he was doing he walked on someone with armor and a sword in his hand. Tall, muscular man turned to him with the sword in his hand and took steep forward in his direction.
"Wait", black haired man lifted his hands.
"What for?", man took another step in his direction, seeing as black haired man took a step back.
"Don't harm me", shouted hastily black haired man.
"What?", blond haired man took another step in his direction, his silhouette was giving a strange, ominous vibe.
Young black haired man turned to run, but the blond warrior hand grabbed him by his red shirt and pushed him to the cliff's wall.
"Wait, i don't remember anything think, i think i've fallen here from the cliff above, please don't hurt me", shrieked young, black haired man, covering his face with his hands, his body shrinking.
"Merlin?", blond haired warrior looked confused. "You really don't remember me?", he asked with suspicion in his voice.
"No, my lord, i don't, please don't hurt me", shrieked young man, terrified.
"Well, you did bleed from your head, sit here, i will take care of it", young warrior made him sit and helped the black haired man bandage his head properly.
"So you don't remember anything", asked again blond haired warrior, looking at the other man with his blue eyes.
"Not. A. Clue", sighed black haired young man, standing up. "So you act like we know each other", he glanced at the armored warrior, who shook his head to the sides, disbelieving.
"Merlin, my name is Arthur Pendragon, i am your king and you are my personal manservant", blond haired warrior paused, interrupted by the other man loud, cherry laugh. The man before him grabbed his belly with both of his hands, laughing hard.
"Hahaha, so, who are you for real?", wiped his tears with the backs of his hands black haired man, feeling much better after hearing a good joke like that. "A mercenary? We are mercenaries?", asked young man curiously.
"Merlin..."
"Merlin, move away from him", black haired man turned to stressed voice, seeing black haired, comely young woman with a pretty face and enticing, icy blue eyes. She looked at him, concerned, her hand put in his direction, like she was trying to pull him away from the blond warrior.
Blond haired warrior lifted his sword and took a step towards her.
"Morgana", he hissed but stopped seeing as black haired man stood in his way, blocking his path.
"Merlin, what the hell are you doing", hissed warrior, confused and angered.
"Merlin, run away", cried the unclean, yet still beautiful young woman in black dress, with untidy, black, long hair.
"No, i can't allow that", slim hands grabbed warrior's right hand that was holding the sword.
"Merlin, you fool, she will kill us all with her magic", cried blond haired warrior trying to shove his opponent to the side.
"Merlin, i can save you, just move aside so i can use my magic", shouted Morgana, looking at him terrified.
Black haired man stopped struggling, but never moved his position between them. He took a step back and turned so he could watch them both.
"So who i am to you?", he asked black haired beauty standing to his left.
"I am Morgana Pendragon, your friend", she smiled to him, waving her slim hand in his direction giving him a sign to come closer to her.
"Merlin, she tried to kill both you and me, don't listen to her", urged him blond haired warrior, angered.
"Merlin, he killed his own father with a help of some warlock and use it as a pretense to hunt and burn everyone who has magic in his kingdom after becoming a king", she said calmly, looking between them. "That was when you came to me, looking for help."
"That is... a lie!", shouted angered blond haired warrior. "That warlock killed my father after tricking me into believing he would help me save him!"
Black haired man lifted his hand, interrupting their argument.
"So why are you both trying to get me to your side?", asked, glancing between the warrior and the witch.
"Because you are my friend", they both shouted simultaneously in his direction.
"Then the next question is", asked the man they both addressed as 'Merlin', "why are we here?", he glanced at both of them, trying to see their reactions.
Both the witch and young warrior looked at each other with anger and a lot of different feelings. For a moment they were staying like that, each of them debating itself.
"Maybe you will start first", black haired man turned to the one referring to himself as 'Arthur'.
"We... we wanted to stop Morgana from getting her hands on the Merwa's Wisdom."
"That is untrue Merlin, he is the one after it. We came here to stop him."
"Oh, then why don't you tell me, what it is? Anyone?" Black haired man looked between them, but they both weren't talking.
"You were the one who said that know everything about it", sighed blond haired warrior, looking at him.
"Merlin, i know only that this is a very powerful artifact hidden in the labyrinth of Merwa, that is hidded here somewhere", said Morgana.
"So you both don't know", summed it up black haired man, looking between then, thinking deeply. "So let me say, what i think about it. I think", he paused, to give his words stronger impression, "that both of you don't know anything about it and i was the one who knew how to get to this... Mewra's Wisdom or whatever it is. And i think, that it may be even possible that both of you are lying, trying to convince me to help you to get to this artifact." He glanced at them both and saw hurt in blond warrior's eyes and anger in woman's eyes.
"But i don't remember anything and it is possible that each of us was trying to get to this artifact on their own, maybe even you tried to stop me. And now, maybe you are trying to use me. And i don't want to take any chances with you... so we are going after the Merwa's Wisdom."
"What?", both of them looked at him confused.
"Merlin, that is absurd", Arthur looked at him in disbelief.
"That is the most strange reasoning i have ever seen", chuckled Morgana.
"Is it?", smiled Merlin, deciding that this is his real name. "I can't go back with any of you, because i don't know who to trust. I need more time with both of you and i need something that could stir my memories. And if i am the only one knowing anything about this labyrinth and the artifact inside, that could maybe unlock my memories. Also, with you both i am sure you will watch one another closely, so i will be relatively safe. Now, let's go and both of you play nice." Merlin started to walk past the black haired beauty, who were following his moves with her icy blue eyes. She smiled and followed him. Blond warrior was debating with himself for a moment, before deciding to go after her.
"So, how do you know, where to go?", asked Arthur, looking around, trying not to bump into any stalagmites.
"I don't, i just presumed we need to go deeper into the caves", said calmly Merlin, picking another passage, plunging into dark tunnel.
"Flægo", Morgana's icy blue eyes sparkled with orange light and the ball of blazing red light appeared above them, floating and lighting up the darkness before them.
Arthur looked at her, disturbed, but she only smirked to him, showing him her superiority over him. Merlin didn't look back, glancing over the narrow, rocky tunnel. He lead them for about an hour, wondering inside the tunnels before they walked on some doors, closed.
Merlin looked at the door in the red light coming from Morgana's orb. The doors were heavy, metallic, about two meters long and two meters high. They bore different symbols on each. Merlin studied the symbols for a moment, before nonchalantly pushing the door, opening them and walking through. Both Arthur and Morgana jumped after him, before the door closed by itself.
"So, the adventure starts", smiled Merlin, looking around. Morgana's red light stayed outside, not making it through the door. Yet that didn't matter. The narrow room was full of light coming from the round table in the middle. And the floor was full of skeletons, trying to get out of the room. Some had knifes in them, like they died from the wounds. On the other side were another doors, similar to the ones they walked through. Morgana rushed to them, trying to open them, but they didn't even budge.
"Don't try it, it won't work that way", both Morgana and Arthur looked at Merlin, who was standing near the round table, uninterested in the bodies around him.
"Merlin, you are not freaked out by all this?", hissed Arthur, pointing to the skeletons on the floor.
"I have lost my memories, so the only thing left i have are my wits and observation skills", sighed Merlin, looking at what was on table. "And i don't think those men died fighting there, more like killed themselves before suffocating."
Both Arthur and Morgana turned pale. Morgana turned to the door, trying to open them with her magic, but failed.
"I said that won't work, we need to... oh, that was easy", Merlin touched something on the table and the doors before Morgana opened, showing a way to another room.
"Wait, what?", Arthur followed Merlin, who pushed Morgana through the door, ensuring no one was left behind in the previous chamber.
They walked on the stairs. First was walking Merlin, second Morgana and the one following him was Arthur. The door behind them closed and they stopped, feeling some magical force not allowing them to move. Each of them felt hat falling oh his/her head.
"There were 5 hats in the beginning", said the voice in their heads, "two were of white and three of the black. You can guess only once. If the answer is wrong, you will simply die. If say anything, but black or white, your lives will be forfeit."
Arthur opened his eyes. And trembled. Morgana did too. And Merlin was waiting, not seeing anything, relaxed.
"Black", said Merlin after a moment and lifted his hand, grabbing the hat on his head. He pulled it down, seeing black pointy hat. He smiled to himself feeling Morgana delicate hand on his shoulder, turning him to her. And the he saw her hand hitting his face. Hard.
"Morgana, leave him", Arthur stepped down, with his fists ready to punch him, "i will do it myself", he gave Merlin a grave, bloodthirsty look.
"How could you risk our lives like that, you stupid bastard", spat Morgana, grabbing his red, dirty shirt.
"It seems to me you are the stupid ones, if you don't understand", both Arthur and Morgana stopped, looking at him confused.
"Merlin, you were the last one, the person who didn't see anything, then how could you know what hat you had on your head?", asked Arthur, looking at dark haired young man with murder in his eyes.
"Easily, because i was the one on the below", smirked Merlin.
"Merlin, how hard exactly did you hit your head?", asked Arthur, looking at him with anger and concern in his blue eyes.
"Oh... you must be really stupid...", Merlin looked at Arthur, who was standing silently, taken aback by Merlin's words. Morgana chuckled, glancing between both of them. "Then it is good, you were at the top. Alright, listen, because next time the situation can be averted and you will be the ones who will need to answer. So, if Arthur didn't said anything, that could mean there couldn't be two white hats on our head", he pointed at Morgana, "so next if i had white one, Morgana would say black, knowing that you didn't say anything because there wasn't two white hats. And if Morgana didn't say nothing, that would mean i have black and she is not sure if she has black or white on her head. See? Easy", said Merlin, watching them.
"Merlin, i don't know if you are just mad or i should have hit you in the head long time ago and made you a royal advisor", said Arthur, confused.
"I-i didn't think of that", gulped Morgana.
Merlin looked at them both, giving them both what i am doing here with these idiots look. He walked to the door, waiting for them.
"You coming?"
They both walked down, stopping next to him.
"Let's go then", sighed Merlin, coming in to another room together with the two people he should know very well, yet knowing nothing about them.
