Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. BBC does.
"Merlin, what is wrong with you?" He snapped out of his thoughts at Arthur's words.
"What do you mean?" He asked, watching the prince closely.
"You've had a face like a wounded deer all day." Arthur rolled his eyes, looking back over at Merlin. "Normally you're driving me mad with nonsense. There's obviously something on your mind."
"It's nothing." Merlin muttered, not wanting Arthur to have any idea what was going through his mind. Arthur watched him for a moment longer before digging his heels into his horse and cantering off, the other knights following him. Merlin hesitated before following, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they reached the lake.
All too soon, they broke through the trees, the great expanse of the lake the large part of him still called home, holding so many secrets underneath the calm surface, spread out in front of them. The peace that he felt when coming here washed through him again, the call of the waters in front of him pulling to him but he knew that he couldn't answer. He looked to the others, seeing that they were watching the waves with trepidation and suspicion.
"Remember, don't go into the water." Arthur warned, turning and leading his horse to where they could set up a camp on the shore. "There's no telling what's under the surface."
Merlin let out a breath, knowing exactly what dwelled underneath the calm waves. He didn't say anything until they started to set up camp. "How exactly are you going to figure out if there's anything actually in there?" He asked and Arthur let out a sigh, looking out over the lake.
"To be honest, Merlin," he looked to Merlin, slight worry on his face, "I don't know." He looked back over across the lake before turning away from Merlin. "We need firewood." He turned back, pointing a finger at the servant. "Don't forget, stay out of the water."
"Yeah, yeah," Merlin sighed, patting his horse before walking in the opposite direction, knowing a small incline surrounded by trees. If one of the knights followed him there, it would seem like a reasonable place to collect firewood.
Mother, he called out mentally to his mother, hoping that she would sense where he was. Mother.
He kept an eye on the water as he gathered dead wood to use for a fire. He was rewarded a few moments later with his mother appearing in front of him, a concerned look on his face. She was glancing in the direction Merlin had come from, coming as close to the shore as she could, laying in the shallows.
"Merlin?" She said softly, watching him closely. "What are you doing here? What is Arthur doing here?"
"Uther thinks that villagers are being attacked by those in the lake and has sent Arthur to investigate." He explained and she looked confused at the accusation. She knew that no one from the villages surrounding the lake dared to come near it or enter the waters. They'd all grown up on the stories of the merfolk that dwelled in its depths. They knew what could happen if you set foot in the water. "I need you to make sure that no one is seen. With Arthur here there's not much more that I can do but they need to keep out of sight. If Arthur finds proof that we're here, Uther will no doubt seek to wipe everyone here out."
"I'll let everyone know." She nodded, giving him one last long motherly look before pushing herself back into the depths of the lake, Merlin wishing he could go with her.
Glancing back over the lake once more, hoping that they would heed his words and stay well below the surface, he gathered s few more branches of deadwood and made his way back to the camp, arranging them to make a fire.
The knights were setting up to sleep, arranging their bedrolls around where Merlin was lighting the fire with practised ease. Granted it would have been much easier if he had been able to use magic to light it but such as things were, he had had to learn to do it by hand. The fact that he had never done it before didn't hinder him when learning. It just helped that when he learned something new, he did it quickly.
"Sire," he glanced at Sir Leon who walked over to Arthur, sitting next to him where he had pulled a large fallen log near to the fire. "How are we going to determine what's been happening here? There's no way to really know what is in the lake."
Merlin ducked his head, part of him wanting to reveal that he knew exactly what dwelled beneath the waves and that he was one of them but also knowing that they couldn't find out. He had to ensure the safety of his family while he was here. He could hear them, confused, calling out to him. He knew that the temptation of so many humans sitting on the bank of the lake, close enough to call to them but having the decree from Merlin that they couldn't was large. He just had to hope that they could resist while the knights and Arthur were here and that they group of humans wouldn't linger too long.
"I don't know." Arthur admitted for the second time that day. He gazed out over the lake, watching the sun glint off the surface. "It seems so peaceful, calm but . . . to know that there could be such dangers lurking underneath. We have to know."
"I'm not sure we should be so close, sire," Sir Bertrand, another senior knight spoke up, looking decidedly nervous.
"And why is that?" Arthur watched the man carefully as he did anyone that might be seen to challenge him. Merlin had been on the end of that look many times before.
"I have heard that they sing, sire," he explained, glancing at the lake, "and that is how they attract their meals. They say that the voices of the merfolk . . . they say you cannot fight against it, my lord."
Now that was true. Merfolk were known for their beautiful voices and using them to lure men to their deaths. Merlin was not ashamed to say that he had feasted on human flesh while in the lake. He had not known anything different. During the colder months when humans did not venture far from their homes, they called the wild beasts from the winter slumber and fed on them. But everyone knew that human flesh was what they really wanted.
The singing voice of a mermaid or merman was not something that could be fought. It was why Merlin didn't sing when he was in Camelot. It would have been a bit hard to hide everyone coming to him while humming a tune. He had missed being able to sing as he once had, allowing the melodies to flow from him as he once had.
But it wasn't something he could risk in the human world.
"I have heard the same, my lord." Another, younger knight spoke up, somehow feeling safe in his words now that both Sir Leon and Sir Bertrand had said something. "They say that those that dwell in these areas stay away from the lake, lest the voices of the merfolk reach their ears."
"Well, if that were true, we wouldn't be hearing reports of villagers going missing here, would we?" Arthur shrugged and the knights didn't have an answer for his words.
"Why would they come here?" Merlin asked, turning to look at Arthur who raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, if they've been brought up with the stories and told never to go near the lake, why would they come here. Surely they would know what would happen to them if they did."
"Who knows?" Arthur shrugged again, gesturing towards the lake. "Maybe whatever lives in there has found a new way to lure their prey. That's what we're here to find out."
Not if I can help it, Merlin thought to himself, watching as the sun set over the back of the lake, the knights starting to bed down for the night.
Merlin didn't know how Arthur was planning on finding anything. If he were to try to discover anything about the lake, he would need to enter it and there was no way that he was going to do that. He had brought the knights out here for no reason. Merlin would just need to ensure that all of those in the lake understood that they could not make a meal out of the knights camped here.
Drawing on the energy from the lake, Merlin knew that he didn't need to sleep. Turning to face the lake, he feigned sleep, his face away from the knight on watch. Not that anything came this close to the lake without being called. There was no need for anyone to be on watch – other than Merlin that is – but as protocol stated, they had to do it.
Merlin shifted, pretending to wake up a few hours before dawn, sitting up and meeting the startled yet slightly sleepy eyes of Sir Murdoc. He looked over the lake, seeing that it was still calm and stood up, stretching out.
"It's not long to go before dawn," Merlin suggested, walking over to the young knight. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll keep watch."
"But you're a servant." He argued and Merlin rolled his eyes, giving him a wry grin. They all knew that he was trained with a sword, even though he was not permitted to carry one, given his station. "I can't-"
"I insist." Merlin sat down, gesturing towards the knight's bedroll and he could see him wavering. "Look, I'm not going to get any more sleep. You might as well take it." Sir Murdoc nodded in thanks before settling down into his bedroll to catch the last few hours' sleep before dawn. Merlin knew that if one of his family were to call for him, it wouldn't be long before dawn that they did.
He only had to wait an hour before he heard one of their voices echoing in his head. They were not too far away meaning that he could slip away and most likely get back before anyone noticed.
"Luka?" Merlin called and the blonde head of the merman surfaced. They were in a small alcove, where the water was still deep enough for him to be able to swim without lying flat on his belly.
"Merlin, what's going on?" He asked, glancing at where he could see the men, asleep. "Why are they here? Their scent, it's driving everybody mad down there."
"I know and I'm sorry." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Merlin knew what it was like to have the scent of humans with every breath he took. When he had first come to Camelot, he thought that it would drive him mad but he found that he built up a tolerance to it, that it didn't affect him now as it once would have. He knew that those below didn't have the same experience and they wouldn't have the same resolve as he did. Yes, he found his mouth still watered when he was in a large crowd but he had learned how to deal with it. They would not have the same luxury. "It's as I told my mother earlier. Uther believes that people from nearby villages are being killed by those in the lake."
"You know that's not true," Luka argued, looking Merlin up and down. "People from the villages don't dare to come near here. They know what happens to them if they do."
"I know that but it's not like I can tell that to the King," Merlin countered and Luka nodded. "Look, if everyone keeps out of sight, Arthur won't stick around for long. He knows that the only way to find any hard evidence would be to enter the lake and he won't do that."
"I'm sure many would like him to," Luka remarked, a teasing tone in his voice.
Merlin shook his head, knowing that tone. "You know who Arthur is and so does everyone else. He is not to be touched, even if he is stupid enough to enter the lake."
"And what about the others?" Luka asked, his eyes narrowing, wondering if all of them were off limits.
"If they want Uther's army here within the next few days then go for it." Merlin answered, his voice serious. "Once Arthur reports that there is nothing to be found at the lake, it's highly likely that nothing else will come of it."
"Let's hope so," Luka sighed, sounding resigned.
Merlin glanced behind him, seeing the gentle light of dawn approaching. "I'd better get back or they're going to wake up and wonder where I've been." Luka nodded, disappearing beneath the surface of the water.
Merlin listened carefully for any stirrings from the camp before turning and barely making a sound, let out a low hum, calling three rabbits to him, to give an excuse as to why he wasn't there if Arthur woke and found him gone.
He needn't have worried as all the knights were asleep still when he returned, taking the travel pot and filling it from the stream that fed into the lake. He would have gone to lake itself but he would have made footprints in the soft banks and they would know. He pulled out some of the herbs he had left over from the night before and started to make a rabbit stew, something to keep them warm on what was looking to be a chilly morning, such was the case in early springtime.
He turned as the knights began to stir, groaning and rubbing their eyes and they sat up.
"Something smells good," Arthur groaned as he sat down on the log he had used the night before. Merlin stirred the stew again, leaving it to settle for a few more minutes. "Merlin?"
"Hmm?" He didn't look at Arthur as he pulled the bowls out, readying them for the breakfast he had made.
"Where did you get the water for that?" He turned to see Arthur staring at him, a mild look of horror on his face as he realised what Merlin had made, obviously thinking he had gone to the lake to fill the cooking pot.
"There's a stream just over there." He gestured to where he had in fact gotten the water from. Arthur turned, following the direction he was pointing in, nodding in acceptance of his servants words. "You didn't think I'd be stupid enough to go to the lake when we have no idea what could be in there, did you?"
"Well," Arthur pretended to look thoughtful for a moment, "with you, you can never tell."
Merlin scoffed, stirring the stew again, spooning Arthur out a bowl before handing one to each of the other knights that had been roused by the conversation between Arthur and Merlin and the smell of food. If there was one thing they could all agree on, it was the Merlin was a good cook.
Not bad for someone that, by nature, ate raw flesh.
Cooking had been another thing he had had to learn quickly. Thankfully Gaius had been there to teach him the basics and the rest he had been able to put together himself. Gaius had told him of what herb mixtures went together and how different things were combined and all in all, he hadn't had any complaints so he had to be doing something right.
Merlin spooned himself out a small bowl, making sure to only actually eat the bits of rabbit that he had in there. While he detested the taste, he knew that he had to actually eat something while he was on patrol with the men otherwise they would start to question it. Even while in human form, he still ate raw meat, something Gaius had started to pick up from the market after Merlin had come to Camelot. His reasoning was that with a new ward, it seemed much easier to pick it up himself once or twice a week after finishing his rounds rather than burden the kitchens any more than they already were. With the wages that he made as Court Physician and the wages Merlin earned as Arthur's servant, it was more than enough to cover the cost of the meat.
Merlin didn't need to eat as often as the humans he lived with did. While in Camelot he only needed to eat two to three times a week to be sated and it had been something he'd gotten away with for the last three years or so. When he was in the lake, due to being able to call in larger meals, he had only needed to eat once every week to two weeks depending on the size of the meal. He had been completely perplexed when he had learned that humans had to eat as least two to three times a day to properly function. And some even more than that.
It had confused him greatly.
"Where did this meat come from?" Arthur asked, looking at Merlin once again.
"Its rabbit," Merlin shrugged and Arthur raised an eyebrow, silently asking the question once again. "I caught them while you were all still asleep."
"But you hate hunting." Arthur pointed out and Merlin rolled his eyes, aware that it was only Arthur that was paying attention to him.
"No," he corrected, "I hate hunting for sport. Hunting out of necessity, to eat is something entirely different." Arthur appeared to think about it for a moment before shrugging and going back to his meal.
It wasn't long after that that they had all finished their meals and Merlin had cleared everything away. They were sitting around the burned out fire from the previous night, discussing how they would be able to confirm whether there was actually anything in the lake. Merlin saw to the horses, knowing that there would be a lot of questions directed at him if they could see the amusement on his face.
Arthur let out a groan of frustration, running a hand through his hair. Merlin glanced over to see him sitting with his chin resting on his hand. He knew Arthur didn't like to be without a plan – however a loose one it may be – and sitting here, not having any clue of how they could approach the lake had to be eating away at him.
"I don't believe that there is a way for us to determine what is in the lake," he sighed, standing up and stepping towards the large expanse of water, a contemplative look on his face as though he were searching for any sign that all was not as it seemed.
"Maybe travelling to the villages and finding out from them would be more effective," Merlin suggested and Arthur turned to look at him, nodding slightly before glancing back at the lake. "As you said," Merlin walked over to the prince, stopping just behind him, joining his gaze out onto the lake he would always call his home no matter where he lived. "There isn't any way to tell what's in there. If there is anything in there, the only way anyone would find out is by going and . . . I don't think that would be worth the risk."
Arthur looked at him again, nodding before looking back around at his knights who all looked as though they very much agreed with Merlin's plan. He could see that the thought of lingering at the lake longer than necessary was unnerving to the men.
"As much as I hate to say it," Arthur glanced at Merlin who had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, "Merlin's right. We're more likely to figure out what's going on if we talk to the villages the reports came from."
As the knights followed Arthur's directions and they began to clear up the camp, Merlin let out a sigh of relief, looking back over the lake again, feeling like that crisis had been averted.
For the time being, at least.