Chapter 2

Something had gone horribly wrong.

One moment she was fleeing with the others - soaring high as her transport took her away from their old world and towards a new home - and the next there was pain and the sensation of falling, before a terrifying stillness made her fully aware of her plight.

She started to feel the cold of the outside world slowly seeping in and the hunger bite as the meagre source of food began to fade, coupled with the realisation that she was now totally alone.

She couldn't survive out here without her transport and his life was rapidly ebbing away due to pain, exposure and shock. Leaving had been a gamble - they had all been aware of that - but it was only now, faced with her certain death, that she felt genuine fear for the first time.

And then she sensed it. Food, coming closer. So much food and so much energy. Could she move there? Dare she attempt to leave her transport and transfer over to this new one?

But, even as she thought it, she knew it would be impossible. She could not survive even a brief exposure to the outside, not unless this source came close enough to touch and, at the moment, she was so weak that she doubted she'd have the strength even then.

However, within moments the pain started to ease and her strength begun to return as warmth and nutrients entered her. Then she was moving again and she felt safe, warm and more sated than she could ever remember in her life .

She had been saved.

~o~0~o~

It was early evening by the time Merlin had collected everything Gaius had asked for and was able to head back towards Camelot. As he reached the main track next to the meadow, the young man hoisted the bag further onto his shoulder and started to lengthen his stride, but soon felt something tug at him, demanding his attention.

Hunting for the source, Merlin turned his head to see a small, black form lying worryingly still at the side of the road, feathers blowing in the evening breeze, and he automatically headed towards it.

"Poor thing, I wonder what happened to you," he said, moving closer.

He had expected to find it dead but a sudden, unexpected twitch made him jump and cry out before cautiously edging forward once more. He was now worried about how badly injured it was and if it would have been better for it to have been killed outright and not made to suffer. If it was injured then it would surely die anyway and, if in pain, Merlin might need to put it out of its misery and he really, really didn't want to have to deal with that.

He crouched down next to the small, black form and, again couldn't help but jump slightly as it moved once more; this time flapping vigorously as it forced itself up into a standing position, seeming in very much better condition than the practical corpse it had been a few moments before.

"Here, I promise I won't hurt you." After a quick glance to check he was alone, the young warlock held out his hands and pushed his magic forward, both to calm and to heal. Responding to this treatment, his patient hopped closer, tipping its head, contemplating him. "You're a blackbird," Merlin declared with a smile. "But it seems you've broken a wing." He bit his lip, contemplating. Now he looked closer, the bird seemed to be in much better shape than he'd first thought; perfectly healthy apart from that one obvious injury and, now his magic had eased the pain and he'd apparently gained its trust, Merlin felt it was less likely to die from shock as many wild animals were prone to do.

"Well, I'm sure Gaius will tell me off for this but, I can't leave you out here now. Come on, little bird, you can travel in the herb bag – a comfy nest for you – and hopefully we can make you better when we get back to Camelot."

~o~0~o~

"What is it with you and strays?" Gaius asked with a long suffering sigh as his ward showed him the addition to the herb collection. "Have I not told you before that such causalities rarely survive their injuries? There is usually a very good reason for their situation – nature's way of ensuring only the strongest survive."

"But he is strong, look," Merlin insisted. "And it's only his wing. Please, Gaius. Please let me try to heal him."

"We really don't have time for this, Merlin. We need to get these herbs prepared and I have to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"But that won't take long, will it? Just tell me what I need to do and then leave him with me. I promise Ouzel won't cause you any problems."

"Ouzel?" Gaius frowned. "It's just a common blackbird, Merlin."

"Yes, I know, but I was thinking about the story of 'Culhwch and Olwen' and thought..."

Gaius smiled. "Ah yes, I see." The old man shook his head, suddenly more serious. "Is it wise to give it a name though? Either it won't survive the night or it will recover and return to the wild. Either way it's not a good idea for you to become too attached."

"You're probably right." Merlin shrugged. "But I feel I have to try to heal him if I can."

~o~0~o~

Merlin's sleep was fitful that night. He dreamt he was flying; soaring over the turrets of Camelot with a large group of shapeless, nameless friends, talking and planning in a language he couldn't fully understand.

His magic wrapped around him, safe and secure, and his senses were a strange mixture of the familiar and the extraordinary as he made decisions about the way to move his wings in order to fly, or discussed their urgent need to travel west. The sensations were amazing but unfamiliar to him, the thoughts communicated without speech, their decisions made as if they were one being. And yet, despite the excitement about the journey, the group was fearful too and there was this strange, unfamiliar type of hunger which couldn't be sated and made Merlin feel uncharacteristically panicked.

There was no doubt now that they had to leave. The need was urgent, the hunger all consuming and yet, as Merlin took off and flew with the others, he felt such an amazing sense of freedom and excitement to be on the wing, it was almost overwhelming. He loved seeing the unusual and dramatic views of Camelot far below, which seemed so perfectly accurate, even though he had never experienced the place from such a unique angle before.

Merlin and his abstract companions headed west, drifting lower to avoid a sudden danger from above. But then there was a boy with a sling shot, followed by a sharp pain in his side and, before he knew what was happening, he was spiralling downwards; the world spinning past at dizzying speed; trees and then sky and then trees and then flowers and then…

~o~0~o~

Merlin sat up with a low cry, and his eyes instantly sought the makeshift cage on his desk. A glance out of the window showed it to be dawn and the blackbird was awake, rustling his feathers as if disturbed by the sound Merlin had made.

"I think I just dreamt I was you, Ouzel," Merlin said. "Flying away from Camelot and then getting struck by a stone. Is that what happened?"

The blackbird just tipped his head as if contemplating the human in front of him before ruffling its feathers again. Merlin forced himself up and grabbed yesterday's half empty water skin, emptying it into the small dish in the bird's cage before yawning widely.

"Here's some dry bread and a few seeds for you. But I suppose I'd better get you some worms or something more filling later on," he continued as he started to dress. "If Arthur gives me a moment to myself, that is. I'm sure you must be hungry after your adventures yesterday."

He picked up his jacket and peered out into the main chambers to find it empty. It appeared Gaius had already left and now would not be back for several days. Merlin really wished he'd been allowed to go with his mentor and perhaps use his magic to help with the sickness, but Gaius wouldn't hear of such a thing, of course, not willing to put his charge into any sort of danger. He sighed and came back into his room, putting his jacket on.

"Off for another day of toil and lack of appreciation then," he mumbled. "They have no idea, Ouzel. No idea what I'm going through, what I've suffered. I consider them to be my friends but it always feels so one sided, do you know what I mean? I just wish they would understand exactly how I feel. If they knew, if they felt it too, then perhaps I might be appreciated more."

An unusual tickle on the back of his neck had Merlin turn to look at the cage again and he blinked, not quite believing what he was seeing. A strange hazy ball of light was hovering just next to the bird's beak, bouncing and pulsing with oranges, reds and yellows. Ouzel noticed it too, appearing suddenly agitated as he observed the light and hopping away to the other side of the cage, as if trying to escape from it. Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head, wondering if he was still dreaming and trying to force himself back to reality.

The world lurched and his ears buzzed loudly but, when he opened his eyes again, everything seemed to be back to normal. He looked around quickly but couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary and the blackbird had returned to its previous position, now apparently totally unconcerned.

With a sigh, Merlin picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and started to walk out of the room.

~o~0~o~

As he went to collect Arthur's breakfast, Merlin felt an odd detachment and something which was close to deja vu; as if he'd already completed his morning tasks and had now awoken to find he'd dreamt it all. He'd experienced that sensation before, usually when he was especially exhausted; a mundane dream about normal things which would keep repeating until he was completely confused as to whether he was awake or asleep. But this didn't feel quite the same - this felt real.

"I have your breakfast, Sire," he said as he entered the prince's chambers, still a bit disorientated. "Oh, you're up already."

Arthur was sitting at the table, already dressed, but made no reply – neither telling Merlin off for being late, nor teasing him as he usually did. Instead he just stared at his servant intently, quickly making the young man feel uncomfortable. "What? What is it?"

"You're feeling better today then?" Arthur asked.

"Better?"

"Back to your old self. No headache? Not hung over?"

Merlin frowned. "Hung over? What are you talking about? I haven't drunk any alcohol for weeks."

Arthur shrugged as he took a bite of food. "Well, you were certainly acting very strangely yesterday."

"Yesterday?" He frowned. "I hardly saw you yesterday, I was running Morgana's errands and collecting herbs for Gaius."

"Seriously?" Arthur's expression was a strange mixture of amusement and concern. "That was two days ago, Merlin. Yesterday you spent the whole morning working for me – until I sent you away to sober up."

"What? I-I don't understand."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you weren't drinking on the job and I'm happy enough to let it go, as long as you don't make a habit of it but, honestly, you really weren't yourself. Anyway, if you are back to normal then you can go and polish my armour. You made a terrible job of it yesterday."

Merlin opened his mouth to say he hadn't had a chance to clean Arthur's armour the day before but suddenly thought better of it. Hadn't he been thinking how odd everything felt earlier and whether or not he was truly awake? Perhaps he was still dreaming. Perhaps he would wake, yet again, and have to start the whole day over. With a shrug he left the prince and walked back out into the corridor, imagining himself back in his bed, willing himself to open his eyes.

"Good morning, Merlin. How are you feeling today?"

He looked up at Morgana suspiciously, noting the especially wicked glint in her eyes. "Fine. Why?"

"Any more poetry for me today?"

He stared at her wide-eyed. "P-poetry?"

She smiled broadly and moved a little closer, lowering her voice. "It really was very sweet, Merlin, and I'm certainly not complaining, but perhaps it's not the best idea for you to... court me, considering our positions."

"C-court?" he spluttered. "I... I'm sorry but, I didn't..."

"The poem was very good though," she continued. "Beautiful. I especially liked all the bird analogies; raven hair... blackbird's wings... heart soaring high like a bird taking flight..."

"Morgana, I'm really..."

She put a long finger to her lips. "Our little secret, Merlin but, thank you, it really was a lovely thing for you to do and I admit that I'm most impressed." Then she winked at him and left.

"Alright, what's going on?" he asked no-one in particular as he headed back downstairs

"Merlin..."

He sighed, raising his eyes upwards. Now what?

"Anna?"

"H-hello, Merlin." Her cheeks turned quickly pink. "A-about what you said yesterday..."

He winced. What had he done now? "Yes...?"

"I thought perhaps... a picnic? You know... if we can both get the time off."

"A picnic?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes and I also wanted to say... I mean..." She looked up shyly again, her cheeks now glowing. "I'm pleased you asked me to be your... ah, sweetheart, I mean... I wasn't sure this last week if you'd perhaps changed your mind and..." She shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, I'm pleased."

"Ah, yes," he replied, smiling back. "So am I."

Well, that was unexpected but, in this case he definitely wasn't complaining, assuming he hadn't said or done anything stupid in addition to the proposition. "It won't be easy, it's true," he continued. "But, I'll see what I can do to arrange some time off."

She smiled at him again and, despite his total confusion about everything, Merlin bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to one of her bright pink cheeks.

~o~0~o~

9/5/14