Part II: The Dragon and It's Wizard
Nearly half an hour later, Merlin strode through throngs of people to the castle. He forgot to knock on Arthur's door again, which earned him a lengthy lecture as he prepared the prince for his tournament.
"Who was that man?" asked Arthur.
"What man?"
"That funny man--tall and skinny, looked like an idiot. Is he another relative of yours?" Arthur, seemingly oblivious to Merlin's mouth agape, studied himself in his full length mirror. He absently picked a piece of lint from his hood, still not seeing Merlin.
"No, no. Gaius said he's a doctor, didn't catch his name. But, he is a bit weird. I don't think he's from around here."
"Obviously, Merlin. No one dresses like that in Camelot; it's hideous. Now," Arthur turned around swiftly, startling his servant. "Don't forget about the feast tonight. Bring that foreign friend of yours. If he really is a doctor, my father will want to meet him." He pulled down his chain mail, grabbed his helmet (Merlin had forgotten to give it to him) and exited his chambers. Merlin stared at the door for a long time after he had left.
An idea came to him (so suddenly that Merlin berated himself for not thinking it before), and so the servant boy stole away down beneath the castle to the great dragon, unnoticed by anyone.
"Have you come to ask me about the Doctor?" the terrifyingly magnificent creature asked, floating down from somewhere above. It smirked, as per usual, and perched itself on its large rock mere meters from Merlin.
"Yes. Who is he?" He brandished his torch towards the dragon, trying to see its face better.
"He is a lord," it slowly said, still smirking knowingly.
"A lord? Lord of what?"
Its grin was now more pronounced than ever. "A lord of time."
"Y-You mean, he's from the future?" Sweat beaded on his brow, and Merlin felt as though the Doctor being a time traveler explained an awful lot.
"Or the past," it corrected. "Depends on where he had last traveled. Tell me, Merlin, what do you feel about him?"
"Feel?" He squinted into the dark at the dragon, wondering why it would ask such a silly question. "Well, he's a bit strange, isn't he? Talking about Graskes and bananas. What are bananas anyway?"
The dragon ignored his question. "Where the Doctor has been, Graskes and bananas are as common as goats and bread." It paused, leaning toward the boy. "He has come for you, Merlin."
"What? Me? Why me? Is it because he knows I can do magic?" His heart thundered in his chest, beating so loudly that Merlin half expected the sound to echo off the rocky cavern. "H-He saw me, but I couldn't help it. And somehow, he already knew. He knows about me!"
"Your destiny is legend," the dragon informed, "even to his people." It curled back, looking reminiscent of a cat ready to strike. "Go to the forest just beyond Camelot. There you will have your answers." The dragon spread its wide wings and leapt high into the air, immediately taking flight.
"Wait! Where's my riddle? You always give me some riddle to try and solve!"
But the creature didn't answer, and Merlin felt extremely confused. What was he supposed to find in the forest? Still, he listened to the dragon, curious about the Doctor and in fear for his future. If anyone were to find out he was a sorcerer-! Merlin gulped loud and hard at the thought, remembering the look on Arthur's face as Will had lied, saying that he was a wizard.
He walked past his house, debating whether or not to tell Gaius where he was going. A slow smile formed on his lips as he imagined Gaius's face, telling him he's investigating his new best friend the Doctor. Just as he hovered in the seconds between deciding, Gwen spotted him and ran over to him, arms laden with a basket full of bread.
"Merlin!" she breathlessly greeted. "I thought you'd be preparing for the feast tonight or going to Arthur's tournament."
"Yeah, well, you know me," he replied, now intent on to keep walking so he wouldn't be late for the feast later that evening. "Never where I am supposed to be." Merlin grinned at her, flashing his teeth.
"Yes," she agreed, smiling. "But you don't want Arthur to get mad at you again, do you?" Gwen followed him, not paying mind where they were going. She, too, it seemed was never where she was supposed to be, either.
"I'm used to it. Besides, what's he going to do to me? Fire me? I'm the best servant he can have." Merlin stopped just outside the gates. "I have to go, er, do something for Gaius," he lied, not meeting her eye. For a second, he thought she knew he wasn't telling the truth, and gulped. "I'll see you at the feast tonight, Gwen." They bade each other goodbye, Gwen looking confused as he stumbled through hay and nearly ran into a cart full of cabbage.
After walking for what felt like several hours (Arthur was right, he was a bit weak), Merlin saw the distinct, unmistakable outline of a tall box in the distance. He could just make out the color--blue--and wondered (albeit briefly) if anyone else had noticed it. "Not very conspicuous, is it?" he asked no one, now breaking into a slow run.
It still took him another ten minutes to reach the box.
"'Police public call box'?" he read, baffled by the meaning. "Well, how is that going to help me?" Merlin pushed on the doors, not surprised when it wouldn't open. "Great, just great. I should have known. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. It never is." Frustrated, Merlin kicked the box, injuring his foot in the process. "Stupid dragon," he insulted, hopping on one foot as he clutched his other and winced in pain.
The sorcerer nearly wet himself as the box seemed to tremble with anger. He stumbled backwards and tripped over a hidden root, falling onto the earth. The box was still. Had he imagined it teetering dangerously?
"I-If anyone is in there," he called, dusting leaves from his trousers, "I just want to have a look. I was-"
The door creaked open; gold light spilled into the darkening forest. Carefully, and with many curious looks about him, Merlin entered. Much to his surprise, it was a lot larger on the inside than the outside. He blinked, his eyes feasting upon the odd design. After several moments of jaw-dropping ogling, he found the inhabitant.
"You!" he exclaimed upon seeing whom was inside.
"Ah, hello!" the Doctor cheerily greeted. He was eating some strange yellow fruit Merlin had never seen before. "Turns out I did have a banana after all--hidden in my emergency supply cupboard. Last one, though, otherwise I'd offer you one. You don't mind, to you?"
"B-But you," Merlin gaped. "You were at Gaius's!"
"Yeah, well, I heal a bit quickly. Don't you?" He raised his eyebrows so high that they were nearly hidden in his mop of messy brown hair.
"How'd you get here so fast?" Merlin demanded, walking unsteadily to the Doctor. In the back of his mind, he processed that the floor was metal. Who had metal floors? Yet, it all seemed almost . . . familiar.
"Had to move it. Was a bit closer, but kept getting gawkers. Can't have future L.I.N.D.A. members bother me out here, can I?" He threw the peel behind him, his cheeks full of food. The peel disappeared into some part of the ship. "So!" the Doctor clapped his hands together loudly, starling Merlin. "Let's go on an adventure, shall we? Test that not quite human blood of yours. Speaking of which, you aren't hearing any strange drums or anything, are you? Because last time I met another Time Lord, he tried to do me in." He tapped away at some controls, pulled and pumped several levers, and even hit something with a menacing looking mallet. "Mind you, though, saying that, you do look a bit familiar. Have we met? It's not like I've been to this time before. Well, not this exact day and this exact place." He paused, frowning as he wracked his brain. "Could have been, though. Nine hundred years is a long time. Who knows? We probably met in the future--your future, my past," he uselessly clarified.
Merlin didn't know what to say. He was too busy staring at the Doctor in mild shock, not understanding anything he had said. Sound of drums? Not quite human blood? Time Lord? His heart skipped a beat, and he realized that the dragon had actually given him an answer that didn't require countless research--the Doctor had said it from his own lips. But still, nine hundred years? Was the mad man implying that he was nine hundred years old?
There was a loud sound like the rush of wind, and Merlin toppled to the floor as it spun through time and space. "But I have a feast to go to tonight!" he shouted, picking himself up and ogling wide eyed at the Doctor. "A feast I cannot be late for! I can't go on any adventure! Why are you taking me on an adventure anyway?"
"Oh, don't worry about a feast. Where we could go, we could have a thousand feasts much better than dodgy bread, no bananas, and moldy cheese." The Doctor grinned and waved dismissively, clutching the center console as if for dear life. "Besides, my ship is a time machine!" With another lurch, the Doctor, too, fell to the floor.
*****
Part III- The Magician's Regeneration
