Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and BBC Merlin
A/N: I'm only just a girl, staring at my laptop, asking you guys to give this fic a chance haha. Thank you for all those who favorited, alerted, and reviewed the first chapter :) Despite my busy schedule, they were greatly appreciated.
So, since we have a long weekend due to blessed holidays, I decided to post a new chapter today. Please do drop a review; they make me sane. Apologies for any spotted errors. My coffee is low so I'm awfully sleepy (and cranky).
Enjoy!
Part II: Summer
"Gods, I hate summer."
The knights who heard her rumbled in laughter and Merlin rolled her eyes.
"We can always take a nice, cold dip in the lake together…" Gwaine suggested, throwing a flirtatious wink her way.
Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Merlin replied, "Pervert."
"My lady," he said, giving a playful bow.
Merlin sighed and walked as far away from Gwaine as possible. "He really likes you, you know," Draco said in amusement when she finally stepped in place beside him. "Give the lad a break."
"He's not my type," she said, cheeks tainted red with his claim. "Gwaine's a… friend. I can't see him as anything but."
"Hmm."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She was scowling now.
Draco laughed. "You can think of anything you want, Great Merlin," he shot back, mimicking Gwaine as he threw her a playful wink.
Groaning, Merlin weakly pushed him away, prompting Draco to chuckle. She shook her head and bit the insides of her cheeks, trying not to smile at the easy grin on his face.
As the season changed, so did Draco Malfoy's mood. Their little interaction back in Gaius' room still hung heavily between them at times, successfully making some of their silent moments unbearably awkward. But, surrounded with friends like now, Draco somehow looked better. He sounded better, especially when he would easily laugh at the knights throwing a joke or two.
She had never seen him so relaxed before and Merlin took it as a good sign.
Now, the small, merry band was meandering through the forest. King Arthur was away for a peace treaty in Essetir and Merlin wanted to come, especially because Ealdor was in that kingdom and she had not seen her mother for a while. But Arthur requested for her to stay, especially to take care of a now pregnant Gwen. Merlin, of course, knew that she was a maidservant to the king first and foremost. With a heavy heart, she agreed, hoping that she would be able to see her mother soon.
With the proud lion away, his cubs wanted to play. The Knights of the Round Table invited Draco for a little hunting session, and Merlin surprised herself by inviting herself in. They mirrored her surprise, especially because she had been quite vocal about her adamant disgust of the sport.
"Somebody needs to look after you lot," she replied defensively, and thankfully, they did not stop her from coming.
Merlin steadily grew bored as the knights scattered about, excitedly chasing after a game they saw in the woods. "I'll be right here," she said, silently thanking herself for bringing a blanket and a book to keep herself busy.
"You're such a girl sometimes, Merlin," Leon teased, playfully ruffling her hair.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, but they all merrily laughed and left the poor maidservant alone.
With finally some peace and quiet, Merlin placed the blanket on the floor and sat down. She grinned at her magical book, congratulating herself by making it seem like an ordinary, trashy romance book to the prying eyes. She was seriously foregoing her studying on magic and spells. If she were to save Arthur's arse in the future, she had to be ready.
"'The Dragon Tamer'? Really?"
A hand flew to her heart as she swiveled around, only to come face-to-face with a highly amused Draco.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, annoyed she would not be able to achieve her peace and quiet.
The blond shrugged and plopped down beside her on the blanket. "I'm not really fond of hunting," he stated, ignoring the daggers she threw towards him.
"Go find your own spot," she snapped. "This is my blanket."
He softly chuckled and shook his head. "Of course, Great Merlin, the Selfish Extraordinaire," he said.
"I swear, if you don't stop pestering me, I'll blast you off to oblivion!" she exclaimed. "I mean it!"
The amusement never left his face, but he threw his hands up in defeat. "All right, all right, Sweet Salazar."
Merlin harrumphed and went back to reading her book.
"I know you're such a prude, and I didn't take you as a trashy romance book type of girl," Draco said after a while. Unwittingly, Merlin blushed scarlet. "'The Dragon Tamer' already sends off too much innuendos and well" – he cheekily gestured at the bewitched cover – "I thought you wouldn't allow yourself to be caught reading a book with a cover like that."
The young sorceress' eyes widened, forgetting that little fact. Her magic was still rusty and she just wanted to make the cover look as far from being a clearly magical one as possible. She didn't know her magic would conjure such a scandalous book, with an almost naked woman clinging to an almost naked man. If Hunith saw her holding one, she would never hear the end of it.
"It's not… it's not what you think," she murmured, embarrassed when he merely raised an eyebrow. Sighing, she thrusted the book into his direction.
Wordlessly, his eyes skimmed the page. "Oh," he said, eyes widening as he looked back at her. "A spell book?"
"I didn't want to get too suspicious," was her merely reply.
"Clever girl," he complimented, prompting to make her cheeks redder. "Although, it would be better if you're disguise did not include a couple about to fornicate."
She blushed scarlet at that. "My magic was rusty!" she defended, snatching harshly the book back to herself.
His chest rumbled with silent laughter. He looked around, making sure that they were the only ones in the place, before pulling out his wand from his right sleeve.
"What are you – "
"Shh," Draco said with a grin. He then proceeded to tap the tip of his wand on the book thrice, before saying, "Mutatio."
The tasteless book cover changed before her eyes, and Merlin was amazed. She peered at the title, a boring book about chores and knitting, and she grinned. "That's better," Draco declared, smirking smugly at the awed look on her face.
Merlin rolled her eyes, but could not help the disbelieving smile on her face.
They fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence. Merlin continued to peruse her book while Draco absentmindedly twirled his wand beside her, seemingly lost in thought.
"Draco?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you tried conjuring magic without a wand?"
Her question piqued his interest for he stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. Merlin had been itching to ask this question for weeks, wondering if he could be just like her, conjuring things out of the air, without using a magical stick to aide him.
"I've… never tried it before," he admitted, concealing his wand once more up his sleeve. He was contemplative for a while, before turning to Merlin with a determined look on his face. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Your magic," he said. "Back in Hogwarts" – he paused when she snorted in an unlady-like manner. "What?"
"Hog-what?"
"Hogwarts," he said, bringing a round of giggles from her mouth. Draco matched her chuckles with his own. "Yeah, I know, ridiculous name for such a prestigious school. But mind you, my alma mater produces powerful witches and wizards yearly, and that is no laughing matter." He shot a look at Merlin and grinned. "History books claimed you even attended Hogwarts, and you were sorted in Slytherin."
Her eyes widened at his revelation. "What?" she asked, all breath knocked out from her chest. If she had heard about this magical school before, she would have packed her bags and left Camelot without a single glance back.
"Yeah, apparently history can be erroneous," he said whilst shaking his head. "For starters, they got your gender incorrectly."
Merlin snorted. "I do wonder why," she thought, although already having an inkling.
Draco pointedly stared at her. "Men have fragile egos, Great Merlin," he said with a smirk. "I am sure wizards of old cannot accept the fact that the Legendary Merlin the prophecies and Old Religion spoke of is in fact a pretty lass."
She blushed at his offhanded compliment, but he did not seem to notice. "So… what were you saying a while ago?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh, right," he said with an easy grin, "I said, back in Hogwarts, we were thought that wands are the extensions of wizards. Meaning, without one, we cannot really conjure magic and such."
Merlin frowned. "Why is that?" she asked. "I mean, I can actually do it quite easily."
"We draw magic from the very core of the earth," Draco said. "It is a nasty little thing; quite unpredictable and hard to control. With wands, we can centralize our magic to produce more complex results."
"Hmm," Merlin said, thoughtfully looking at her hands. She looked back at Draco, the same thoughtful look still on her face. "Try it."
"Try what?"
"Try conjuring magic without a wand," she said, a determined look on her face.
Draco looked doubtful.
"Come on, it's not hard," she said, a cheeky smile on her face.
"I… I don't know any spells you use," he retorted, a frown now marring his face. "I doubt the spells we use in the modern era would have any effect at all. Besides, they were made with a wand."
Merlin sighed through her nose and opened her palm. "Watch," she said, concentrating her eyes on her palm. "Blóstmá." Her eyes flashed gold as a small, red flower appeared on her palm. She grinned at Draco's awed expression. "Go on."
Draco still looked doubtful but he opened his palm nonetheless. Shooting one last look at Merlin, he directed his eyes on his palm and said, "Blóstmá."
She could not keep the smile from growing from her face when she watched as Draco's eyes turned golden. The same small, red flower sat atop his palm and Draco beamed.
"I did it!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "I actually did it."
"Watch it," Merlin said, matching his laughter. "Between you and me, I'm still the greatest."
Draco, instead of being offended, laughed more heartily. "There's no competition," he said, shaking his head. "Trust me."
Once again, she blushed prettily at his offhanded compliment.
He now absentmindedly twirled the flower in his hand, deep in thought.
"What are you thinking?"
Draco shot her a look. "I have a theory," he said, "of how I can do wandless spells now and not back home."
"Go on," she urged him to explain.
He thoughtfully looked ahead. "Magic today is deeply ingrained to the very core of the earth through the Old Religion," he started. "And well, somehow it amplifies the magic through the wielder, making it easier to use. Back home, Old Religion is… well, old. It is a dead religion so wizards and witches alike lost that strong connection with the source."
"And?"
"And wands are quasi-sentient things," he continued. "They were made to know and feel what the wielder needs, drawing power from the core. So basically, you and the other magical being now have the Old Religion. We, back home, have wands."
Merlin nodded her head, somehow getting what he was saying. "Try conjuring magic with your own spells," she urged, feeling excited with the results.
Once again, Draco looked doubtful. "I'm not really sure…"
"Oh, come now - "
"There you are!"
Both Merlin and Draco turned around to see the other knights approaching them. The maidservant paled upon seeing a dead deer carelessly slung over Percival's shoulder. Draco shot an amused look at her reaction but she merely glared.
"We were looking everywhere for you, Draco," Gwaine said with a frown.
The blond stood up and grinned. "Sorry, mate, I'm not really a fan of hunting."
Gwaine's gaze landed on Merlin back to Draco briefly and deeply frowned. Draco shot a knowing look at Merlin, mouthing 'I told you so', and prompted to make the maidservant blush.
"The sun is about to set," Leon, ever the leader, declared. "We should go back to the castle."
"That's a good idea," Merlin said, making a show of sighing and rolling her eyes. "I want to go home."
"Nobody asked you to come in the first place, pretty lass," Gwaine said with a laugh. Merlin merely shook her head and stood up from her seat.
She then proceeded to fold the blanket and tucked the book inside her dress pocket.
"Merlin."
She straightened up and questioningly looked at Draco. The other knights already started their trek back home but the blond stayed behind, waiting for her.
"Thank you, I had fun today," he said, a disarming grin on his face. Merlin's breath hitched and merely nodded her head in reply, not trusting herself to speak. "Let's do this again."
To her utmost surprise, he lifted his hand and tucked the conjured flower behind her right ear. "Come on now," he beckoned as he turned around and trailed behind the knights.
Merlin watched his back for moments before lightly smacking her cheek to snap her back to reality.
She blamed summer for the sudden heat that flooded her body.
"Why do you always wear long sleeves?" she asked, frowning at his shirt. Merlin looked at the other knights and noted their bare forearms. "It's awfully scorching."
He did not look up from the potions book he was reading. "Why are you always asking questions," he retorted. "It's awfully annoying."
"Prat."
He grinned. "I know."
"Tell me more about this Hogwarts," Merlin demanded, watching Draco with heavy-lidded eyes as he brewed another potion for Gaius. The said Court Physician was quietly reading on his usual chair, but upon hearing Merlin's request, he seemed to abandon his book and directed his full attention to Draco.
The blond, weary from his work, expelled an exasperated sigh. "I'll bore you with the history," he said, quirking a smirk at her frown.
"No, you won't."
"How do you know that?"
"Draco - "
"I'm tired. Can't we do this another time."
"Just talk, Malfoy."
He stopped his stirring and openly grinned at Merlin. She felt a little unconscious at his disarming gaze.
"What?"
Draco chuckled and abandoned the cauldron all together. "It's been a while ever since someone called me that," he confessed. Expelling a sigh, he plopped down on the bench. "What do you want to know?"
Merlin shot Gaius a questioning look, but he merely shrugged. "Anything will interest this old man, really," the Court Physician replied.
Merlin looked back at Draco and thoughtfully nibbled her lower lip. "Well… for starters, what's a 'Slytherin'?" she asked, hopefully getting an answer to the question that had nagged her for days.
A pale eyebrow lifted from his forehead. "You remember that?" he asked, surprised. She just shrugged, a sheepish smile on her face. "Well… Slytherin is a house in Hogwarts," he started. "Long ago, in a time far, far away" – she rolled her eyes and he grinned – "there were four founders of Hogwarts. They were Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff."
"They wanted wizards and witches alike to start learning about the foundations of magic, so that they could produce more complex, powerful spells in the future." Draco absentmindedly fiddled with the ladle, a small smile on his face. "So they made Hogwarts, and divided the students into four houses under each of them."
"What house were you in?" she inquired.
"Slytherin," he said, puffing his chest in pride. "And a damn proud one."
"How do they divide the students then?" Gaius asked from his sit.
Merlin's eyes lit up, obviously curious about that stuff, too.
"Gryffindor made this Sorting Hat that will segregate the whole student body depending on the preferences of the founders. Gryffindor wanted the brave ones… stupid ones, if you really ask me. Slytherin wanted the ambitious, cunning students. Ravenclaw welcomed those who had wit beyond measure. And Hufflepuff… I don't really know what she wanted, to be honest."
"What if a student wanted to be a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin?" she inquired.
Draco looked at her incredulously. "Why would anyone want to be a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin?" he exclaimed, scandalized. "They are a bunch of wankers, really."
"A wa- what?"
"Modern cuss, don't mind me," he grinned cheekily.
"Well, Slytherins sound like sad, boring lots," Merlin pointed out, crinkling her nose with the description Draco said. She really did not liken herself as an ambitious type. She was content on being Arthur's shadow and only wanted the best for him. And cunning… cunning sounded a little evil, honestly. She fancied herself into thinking she was more of a resourceful one.
Draco looked deeply affronted. "Hey, you were in Slytherin, too."
Gaius shot her a questioning look and she shrugged. "Apparently, their history books claimed I studied in this place," she said with a humored smile. "And I think I would better fit in Gryffindor, right Gaius?"
"Stupid, blind bravery suits you, Merlin," the Court Physician cajoled.
"Exactly."
"No, no, you can't be in Gryffindor," Draco argued. "Anywhere but Gryffindor."
"A stupid rivalry, I presume?" she offered, lifting an eyebrow.
Draco snarled. "You have no idea."
"So in this school, you have subjects?" Gaius piped in, whilst Draco nodded his head. "Interesting."
The blond returned his gaze back at Merlin. "I think that's really the only things I can tell you about Hogwarts," he said. "I'd bore you to death, I swear."
Merlin begged to disagree but bit her tongue. Instead, she asked, "So what was the state of your world before you travelled back here in Camelot?"
Draco easily answered her questions a while ago, so she gave this a shot. Perhaps, she would finally get a glimpse of what Draco had to go through to make him like… this.
Her question caught him off guard for he immediately masked his emotions behind that indifferent look of his. Merlin silently sighed in frustration. She hated it the most when he was like this.
"Never mind, it was a stupid ques - "
"We were at war."
"He came here accidentally through a time travelling potion," Merlin told Gaius one night as the blond was off training with the other knights.
Gaius' eyes widened in surprise. He had not been able to properly concoct a plan to send Draco home because the blond still had not revealed about how he got here in the first place. "How did you know that?"
A sheepish smile appeared on Merlin's face. "He… err, told me."
"Oh? Since when?"
"I'm not sure," she confessed, guiltily looking at the floor. "About a month ago?"
Gaius arched an eyebrow. "And you're only telling me now because…?"
"Gaius," she wearily said, plopping down on the bench, "I don't think Draco wants to go home."
"Did he explicitly tell you that?"
"Well, no…"
"So we can't assume anything unless he says so," Gaius interjected, expelling a relieved sigh. Finally, he had a lead and all he could do was research on potions and probable spells that could counteract the effects of the potion he ingested. "Did he say what potion he drank? It would greatly help me if I knew the ingredients."
Merlin fell silent, torn between telling him the truth and keeping Draco's secret.
"Merlin?"
She swallowed a lump in her throat, eyes already shining as she looked at her mentor. "He… he tried to kill himself, Gaius," she whispered.
All breath seemed to leave the old, weary man as he stared at Merlin with wide eyes.
"How did you…"
"Remember the day when you came back and your bedchamber was a mess?" she asked. She waited as Gaius nodded. "The spilt aconite… h-he tried to drink it, Gaius."
If it was possible, his eyes widened more.
"He then told me how he was also trying to… you know," she continued, worriedly looking at her clasped hands on the table. "He said he drank whatever potion he had, and apparently it contained a time travelling ingredient and found himself here in Camelot."
Silence ensued and Merlin guiltily looked at Gaius. The betrayal of Draco's trust was eating her heart out and although he never explicitly told her not to tell anyone, she knew she could not gallivant around and proclaiming this. But then, she thought Gaius needed to know, especially if she was not around and Draco tried to have an attempt on his life once more.
"Did he say why he did it?"
Merlin shook her head. "No," she replied. "But when he told us that his world was at war when he left, I figured it might have to do it with."
"War affects people in different ways."
"I worry about him, Gaius," she tearfully confessed.
"All we can do is stay by his side, Merlin," Gaius somberly replied. "That is all he needs."
"Your name means 'dragon', right?"
"And?"
Merlin grinned. "I don't know, it fits you."
"Oh?" He shifted his head to look at her, eyebrows high in his forehead.
Merlin blushed and thanked the heaves above the night sky masked her embarrassment. "It's a pretty name," she interjected.
Draco guffawed. "I know I'm pretty," he replied. "No need to be embarrassed about it, Merlin."
"Prat."
"You always say that when you don't know what to say, you know," he said, clear mirth still in his voice.
"Prat."
"See!" he exclaimed. "And I can't see you clearly but I know you're rolling your eyes right now."
She caught herself, mid-roll, and actually laughed. "You're impossible," was her mere reply.
They were once again in the meadows, only this time night had befallen. She and Draco were actually tasked to get ingredients for Gaius' potion tonight, but they wanted a quick trip to this meadow. They got too carried away, apparently, and Gaius' ingredients were forgotten. They did not really have the heart to return to Camelot and face the wrath of the Court Physician.
"Who named you?" she then asked after a few minutes of silence.
She saw the corners of his lips lift into a small smile. "My mother," he replied.
"It really is a pretty name," Merlin said, prompting him to laugh. "Where did she get that?"
"From a constellation. It's tradition in the family."
"A what?"
Draco shifted his head to look at her questioning gaze. "Isn't astronomy existent during this time already?" he asked.
"Oh, a constellation," she said with dawning realization. "You mean the patterns made by connecting stars in the sky." When Draco nodded, she gave a shrug. "I was never really a fan. I read some books about it in Gaius' small library but I quickly got bored about it."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't really my strongest subject, but I did pass," he said with a smile. He fell silent for a while and Merlin watched him as he searched.
"There," he said, pointing his finger. "That's Draco. That's the constellation I was named after."
Merlin followed his finger as he traced a shape. Squinting her eyes, Merlin frowned. "It doesn't look like a dragon to me," she confessed.
"Use your imagination, Merlin," he urged.
She continued to follow his finger as he traced the constellation. "I still don't see it," she grumbled.
Draco chuckled. "Astronomy isn't for everyone," he merely replied.
Merlin sighed and looked back at him. "The name really does suit you, you know," she confessed.
He shifted his head so he was looking at her, too. "Why do you say that?" he asked, intrigued.
"I don't know… dragons are formidable," she said, words already tumbling down from her mouth.
He made a face. "I may be a lot of things, Merlin, but I don't think I'm formidable."
"Oh, I had my fair share of dragons," she said with a smile, thinking about Kilgharrah. "I think you are."
His eyes darkened and she sighed, knowing she said something bad once more. "No, I'm not," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm a coward."
Merlin didn't reply because she did not have any idea what he had gone through. Perhaps, his wounds ran deeper than his skin and she wondered if they would ever heal at all.
Silently, she reached for his hand and held it.
Thankfully, he did not let go.
"Merlin, you idiot!"
The maidservant flinched and sheepishly grinned at Arthur's cup of overflowing wine.
"Apologies, my lord," she said, hastily grabbing a rag and wiping the mess she made. Beside Arthur, Gwen was looking at her with amusement.
"Whatever got you distracted, Merlin?" the queen asked, highly intrigued.
An image of blond hair and grey eyes immediately entered her mind, prompting her to deeply blush. "Nothing," she said, a little too quickly.
Gwen was dubious whilst Arthur sighed.
"I heard from the knights you are busy with a boy," Arthur said, rolling his eyes. "Who could ever like you?"
Merlin snorted. Trust Arthur to be such a downer, especially to her.
"There's no boy," she said at the same time Gwen said, "His name is Draco."
"Gwen!" Merlin exclaimed, cheeks already reddening in embarrassment.
"Gaius' nephew?" he questioningly asked his wife. Gwen grinned and nodded. Arthur looked back at Merlin, a contemplative look on his face. "Good lad."
The maidservant sighed through her nose. "He's a good friend," she said. Gwen opened her mouth, about to retort something back, but Merlin shot her down with a glare. "Just a friend."
"Careful there, idiot," Arthur said with a raised eyebrow. "She is now your queen. Disrespect her and you'll find yourself in the stocks."
Merlin rolled her eyes. Gwen wouldn't allow that. "You got more intolerable when you got married," she whined, prompting Queen Guinevere to laugh beside her husband. Arthur shot both of the women a glare, but their smiles were not appeased.
"I heard from Leon he is a wonderful swordsman," Arthur then said as they calmed down.
She remembered the day she watched him train. 'Wonderful' seemed an understatement for Draco's skills.
"Do you think he will be a good knight?"
Merlin's eyes widened at his question. "You're thinking of knighting him?" she asked in disbelief.
Arthur merely shrugged. "Camelot needs formidable protectors," he said. "I've long forgone the law of making merely nobles as knights, Merlin. I need to protect Camelot. If I see a good swordsman, then he can be an asset to this kingdom."
His maidservant grinned. "He will be more than wonderful," she said. "Trust me."
"Have you ever been to war, Merlin?"
Her eyes widened at his sudden question. She was almost about to take a nap; lazy Sunday afternoons like today, especially during scorching days in the summer, made her lethargic. With Draco's sudden question, however, Merlin felt her whole body fully awaken.
"Yes," she carefully said, remembering all the times Camelot was invaded and she had to run around with Arthur, "I can say I have."
Draco made a noise at the back of his throat and stayed silent. Merlin fully stood up from Gaius' cot and sat down beside Draco on the bench. Her nose slightly wrinkled, recognizing the atrocious smell of an almost complete Sleeping Draught.
"Do you have nightmares about them?"
Merlin curiously peered at Draco, who was once again wearing that stoic mask of his. "Sometimes," she said, absentmindedly drumming her fingers on the table. "Often, I awaken, and then I don't dream anymore."
"Do they ever stop?" he feebly asked, and Merlin could see vulnerability shining through a small crack in his mask.
"If you are strong enough, they will," she said, this time not talking about herself anymore.
Draco wryly smiled, apparently knowing what she was doing. "I am not strong," he whispered in reply.
Merlin could feel her heart going to the blond, and once more wondered what horrors he had to face to become like that today. "You are now," she said, reaching out to grasp his warm hand. He made a move to protest, but she cut him off, "You will be."
"Your optimism is astounding," he said, a hint of cajoling in his voice. "I think Hufflepuff will suit you."
She grinned, watching as the mask fully crumbled down and replaced by Draco's small smile. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said.
Draco guffawed. "You really shouldn't," he said. "Merlin knows what they do in their dormitories." He paused at an eyebrow she raised. "Scratch that, you wouldn't know."
"You use my name as an expression?" she shrieked, incredulous.
"Everybody does it," he replied. "No need to get your knickers or whatever undergarment you're wearing in a twist."
Merlin darkly blushed. She forgot how Draco could be forward sometimes. She wondered how liberated people were in the future.
"Anyway, so I heard a rumor," the blond said.
"And?"
"And the king is planning to knight me."
Merlin's eyes bulged out from their sockets. "Gods, I didn't know Arthur was serious!" she exclaimed.
Draco knitted his eyebrows. "You knew?" he asked with a frown.
"Well, he might have suggested it to me before, but I didn't know he was serious," she interjected.
The blond sighed and shook his head. "Stupid suggestion, if you ask me," he claimed.
"Why is that? You're good with a sword. I think you'll be a wonderful knight."
He gave her a strange look. "I'm not noble," he shot back. "And chivalrous. And brave."
She merely lifted an eyebrow. "And Arthur cares about those because…?"
"Isn't there some Knight Code or something?" he asked with a frown. "Aren't those the requirement to become one?"
Merlin released a good-natured laugh. "Do you honestly think that Arthur cares about those?" she asked, humored when his frown deepened. "Draco, his most trusted knights do not have nobility in their blood. And ooh, don't get me started with Gwaine. Do you think he possesses those characteristics you just said?"
In spite of himself, he smiled. "Good point."
"Marvelous point," she corrected. "Arthur sees a potential in you. You'll be a wonderful knight, Draco, trust me." He gave her a pointed look and she smiled. "Hufflepuff, remember?"
Draco loudly sighed. "I don't know," he said. "I feel uneasy just thinking about it and besides… well, I don't exactly belong here and I don't really know what will happen in the future."
Merlin's smile faltered with his words. "Good point," she echoed. "Well, has Arthur called you already?" When he shook his head, she continued, "Then there's no point thinking about it right now."
"I was invited for a practice training with the king tomorrow, though."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah."
"Will you go?" she asked, carefully watching him.
Conflicting emotions crossed over Draco's face, until weariness dominated.
"Yeah, maybe."
"I hate summer," Merlin grumbled, soon sighing in relief as her feet touched the cold waters of the Lake of Avalon.
"Why?" Draco asked, grinning as he stepped in beside her. "The sun is out; the sky is bright. Everything is alive." He crouched down to dip his hands before looking up at Merlin. "I love summer."
He was already turning red from the heat and Merlin felt a little envious. He was as pale as snow, thus, it wasn't a surprise he would merely turn pinker under the scorching sun. Merlin, however, with a slightly tanner skin, knew she did not have such luck. It was one more thing to hate about summer.
"Oh, come now, you look better with a smile," he teased.
Merlin rolled her eyes, and the suddenly gasped, as cold water drenched her the front of her chest and a part of her face. "You prat!" she cried shrilly, also bending down to throw splashes of water towards the blond.
Draco was ridiculously laughing so loud it was too infectious. The maidservant found herself matching his laughter, throwing more water here and there to try to drench him as much as he could.
"Hey, no cheating!" he cried, as Merlin's eyes turned golden and a small tsunami from the lake fully drenched him from head to toe. Grey eyes dangerously flashing, Draco pulled out his wand from his right long sleeve, pointed it toward Merlin, and exclaimed, "Aqua Eructo!"
A great jet of water, almost rivalling the conjured tsunami Merlin made, shot the sorceress straight into her chest. It promptly knocked her off from her feet. Her loud shriek drowned Draco's laughter and she sank deep into the waters, gulping a mouthful of water in the process.
She was yanked up from the lake by the arm. Loud coughs wracked her body and Draco's laughter died down a bit, now a sheepish smile on his face. "Shite, sorry, sorry, I got carried away," he said, trying to appease the purple sorceress.
"Why, you - !"
With all her might, and maybe with the aid of a little magic, Merlin pushed Draco into the lake. He shouted as his feet gave away, submerging into the water and then resurfacing back. The blond was noisily coughing, but a wide smile was on his smile.
"I deserved that," he said, grabbing Merlin's offered arm. It was too late before she noticed the glint of mischief in his eyes. Merlin fell on her bum beside Draco and darkly glared at him.
"Very mature," she grumbled.
"What can I say?" he said. "I love summer."
Merlin sighed and shook her head, now scrambling back onto the ground. Draco splashed his way back, that cheeky grin still on his face. Merlin tried with all her might to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep herself form smiling. She knew she was supposed to be grumpy with his antics, but gods, his smile was really infectious.
"Bollocks, I'm drenched to the bone," she heard him say. Merlin turned around, about to reprimand him for being the reason why they were drenched to the bone, but stopped herself as Draco lifted his tunic off his body to reveal a startlingly pale, toned chest.
She tried not to gawk. Honest to the heavens, she did. But by gods, he was a sight to behold. Merlin remembered the marble statues back in the castle and anyone who could see him right now could easily mistake him as one. Sure there were scars here and there, and a particularly nasty one near his collarbone – she knew they got them from the war he spoke of – but gods.
"Like what you see?" he asked, voice thick with amusement.
Merlin turned into a deep maroon and cursed her wandering eyes. And his glorious chest.
"Really, Merlin, I know I'm a sight for sore eyes," he added, complete with a wink. That didn't help her redness at all. Warmth pooled even at the pit of her stomach and she tried to convince herself it was most likely due to the summer heat.
Draco good-naturedly laughed, wringing his shirt to get rid of the water. "Blast," Merlin murmured, his biceps contracting from his action.
She willed herself to look away, she really did, but nasty her looked at every dip and corner of his bare chest and arms, and that was when she finally saw the black tattoo on his left, inner forearm.
"What is that?" she gasped, horrified by its image. It was a black skull, with a snake protruding from its mouth. Merlin could feel herself shivering and she knew it wasn't because from the cold water.
All the color drained from Draco as he froze, his eyes slowly travelling down to his tattoo. Panicked, he tried to put on his tunic once more but Merlin had grabbed his left arm determinedly.
She hissed, burned by the tattoo, and immediately let go of his arm. Eyes widened in fear, she flinched as the skull seemingly blinked at her direction.
The mark on his forearm screamed dark magic and Merlin felt coldness creep into her heart. She looked away, terrified at the feelings of evil and darkness that seeped into her.
To her surprise, Draco darted past her and that snapped her off from her stupor.
"Draco!" she cried, suddenly feeling guilty from the reaction she made. "I… I'm sorry."
He completely stopped from his tracks and swiveled around. Merlin faltered at the murderous look on his face. "You don't have to apologize," he spat, furious. Perhaps with her, or maybe with himself, Merlin really did not know.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. "W-what is that?" she asked, eyes lingering on the now covered mark on his arm. He stiffened with her question but Merlin needed to know.
Draco looked away, jaw clenching with so much emotions he was almost frightening. But Merlin was not afraid. If it brought out so much anger in him, so much fear… maybe, maybe this was connected to his turmoil.
"A mark of evil," he spat, blazing eyes returning to gaze back at her. "A mark of my cowardice."
"Draco…"
"I told you I am a coward," he continued, voice now thick with an anguish that clenched her heart. "I am not good, Merlin."
"That's not true."
He scoffed. "You don't know me."
"Draco," she softly said, cautiously taking a few steps forward. "I know that you are not all bad."
He shook his head, adamant. "You don't know what I had to do in the war, Merlin," he whispered, voice cracking with emotion. "You don't know how much I…" He closed his eyes, that haunted look back on his face. "Those innocent people…"
When he opened his eyes, a tear slid down from his face.
"I killed people, Merlin," he confessed. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. "Tell me, where is the good in that?"
Fall was making its way through the scorching summer and Merlin was finally relieved.
Sighing contently on the chair in Arthur's bedchambers, Merlin leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. She felt astoundingly tired, she hoped Gwen would forgive her for falling asleep in their weekly get together.
"Merlin," Gwen called.
Merlin internally groaned, cracking an eye open as she looked at the worried queen. "Yes?" she asked.
"Is something the matter?" her friend asked, the worry not leaving her face.
"Whatever do you mean?" the maidservant asked with a frown.
Gwen intently looked at her, and Merlin knew she was debating whether to voice out the concerns plaguing her or let this issue go. The sorceress fervently hoped for the latter.
Queen Guinevere finally sighed and looked away. "Never mind," she then said, greatly surprising Merlin. Gwen was known to be a stubborn one and she never backed out from interrogations like this.
Merlin smiled and slightly shook her head. She reckoned she looked horrible and Gwen did not have the heart to pry information from her. She willed herself not to think about her blond friend and sighed once more. 'Too late,' she thought, the image of the dark tattoo visiting her.
"How is your pregnancy?" Merlin finally asked. She hid a smile as a sigh of relief escaped from Gwen.
"Gaius believes I'm past the dangerous phase," Gwen said, hand magnetizing down to her now-showing stomach. "I'll live."
"Do you know the gender?" But Gwen merely shook her head. "Arthur will have a heart attack if the babe is a girl."
A laugh escaped from the queen's lips. "He will be a great father," she beamed, cheeks flushing as she thought of her husband.
Merlin smiled at Gwen's happy demeanor. Gwen had never looked so happy before; it made her heart soar, even for a bit.
"Merlin."
"Yes?"
Gwen hesitated for a while, before saying, "Arthur really do wish to knight Draco, you know."
Her eyes widened a little. "Why?"
"When Arthur sees great potential, you know what he does," the queen said with a sigh. "He was impressed by his swordsmanship skills when they sparred." Merlin smiled, remembering the story from Draco. "Draco had disarmed him and Arthur thinks highly of people who do that to him."
"Arthur always wanted to best," Merlin said, grinning when Gwen blushed at the implication.
"Do you think Draco will accept Arthur's offer?"
"I am not good, Merlin."
"I don't know," she honestly replied. "Draco…" She lifted her eyes back at Gwen and sadly smiled. "He had been through a lot."
"Poor lad," Gwen sincerely said, laced with sadness.
"I killed people, Merlin."
"Yeah."
"Tell me, where is the good in that?"
Heart aching once more, Merlin blinked back her tears. She had not been able to talk to Draco ever since their spat, and the damned blond tried his very best to steer clear off of her. Gaius pointed out about their coldness one night, but Merlin merely shook her head, not knowing what to answer.
Was Draco mad at her? She sure knew she was not mad at him. She felt a little hurt that he was avoiding her, but what was she to tell him when they talked once more?
"Oh Merlin."
Gwen was instantly beside her, a hand brushing the tears in her eyes. Merlin did not even know she started to cry.
"What is wrong, love?" Gwen asked, but the sorceress merely shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Is it… is it about Draco?"
Merlin's heart clenched at his name. Closing her eyes, she wryly smiled and croaked, "Yeah."
"Is he all right?"
Merlin slowly opened her bright, wide eyes.
"No, I don't think so."
A/N: Ehhhh? Drop a review?
So, if you notice, the title of my chapters are the 4 seasons in a year. Therefore, there will be ridiculous time jumps because this story will only have 5 chapters, to be honest. I think I also made Draco a little OOC here in this story; but then again, with evil not breathing down his neck, I truly, fervently, adamantly believe that Draco Malfoy is a nice boy deep inside. Besides, I really like vulnerable, sad Draco haha.
Next update might be on Monday or Tuesday, depending on my schedule. I love the next chapter but I still can't decide if it's my favorite.
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe