Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter Three:
Merlin threw up his hand, sending five bandits crashing into the trees they had just emerged from between. He spun and ducked under a sword aimed for his neck as a bandit snuck up behind him. His eye flashed and the bandit went flying backwards, straight into two others. Merlin grinned to himself, before he turned his attention to the bandits approaching where the other Knights were tied up. He reached out with his magic and pulled them backwards, sharply, sending them flying across the clearing.
"Lancelot!" Merlin yelled.
A bandit was about to strike Lancelot from behind, as he pulled his sword from the body of another. Lancelot ducked and spun, cutting the bandits across his midsection. They fell to the ground dead and Merlin turned once more. Suddenly Merlin's magic reacted on its own and a crossbow bolt froze in the air three inches from his face. The bolt dropped to the ground and Merlin turned his attention to the trees as he tried to work out where it had come from.
Suddenly another crossbow bolt flew through the air and this time Merlin saw where it had come from his eye flashed and the branch the bandit had been sitting on, snapped under them sending them crashing to the ground. Merlin's eye flashed again and time slowed around him as he followed the path of the crossbow bolt.
He threw up a hand as time resumed its normal pace and the crossbow bolt stopped millimetres in front of Gwaine's left eye, so close in fact that when Gwaine blinked his eyelashes brushed the tip of the crossbow bolt. Merlin eyes flashed gold and the crossbow bolt spun round and shot off and imbedded itself in the chest of an approaching bandit.
Merlin raced across the camp and dropped to his knees in front of the other knights and summoned a shield of shimmer magic. Another crossbow bolt bounced off the shield and Merlin glanced in their direction and his eyes glowed and causing a branch to snap.
"Merlin!" Lancelot called urgently.
Merlin turned his head to look over his shoulder to see what had Lancelot so worried. Even more bandits were coming through the trees towards them. They'd been outnumbered before, but this tome it was double the amount as before. Merlin turned back to look at the other Knights, who were still bound. They needed help, but could Merlin risk untying them?
Merlin placed his hands on the ground on either side of him as an idea suddenly popped into his head. His shut his eyes for a second and concentrated. He opened his eyes, which were burning gold and threw his hands into the air. Out of the ground on either side of him, burst soldiers made of earth and leaves wielding weapons made of ore. Lancelot jaw dropped from where he had retreated to stand beside Merlin as he watched the approaching bandits.
The magically made soldiers charged forward to meet the approaching bandits and the battle began anew. Merlin got to his feet and Lancelot nodded to him. The two of them quickly joined the fray. Merlin summoned a whirlwind and sent it into a group of bandits that had gotten passed the soldiers, while Lancelot picked off bandits from the edge of the fight.
)o(
The battle with the bandits was over.
The bandits were dead and the magically made soldiers had returned into the ground they had come from. Merlin and Lancelot were both still alive and so were the other knights and as Merlin sat treating a wound Lancelot had gained during the fight, he risked a glance at them but he didn't look long enough to read the emotion in their eyes.
"You need to leave Merlin," Lancelot said, as Merlin wrapped his arm in a bandage.
"What?" Merlin asked.
"You need to run," Lancelot meet Merlin's gaze. "You need to get as far away from here as you can. I'll buy you as much time as I can, but I'll have to untie them at dawn."
Merlin glanced at the other Knights again.
"Lancelot," Merlin shook his head. "I can't leave. Arthur needs me. Camelot needs me… You need me. You have no idea what you'll be facing in the outlying villages."
"Merlin, if you stay, you'll be executed," Lancelot said, gripping Merlin's shoulder. "You need to go! I don't want to watch you burn."
"You don't know that," Merlin disagreed. "And what about you? You helped and harboured a sorcerer… You can't deny you knew about my magic. The punishment for that is death, Lancelot!"
"You have a destiny far greater than mine, Merlin," Lancelot answered. "Camelot would fall without you. I have no doubt you can still protect Camelot no matter how far away from it you are. But in order to protect Camelot, you need to be alive."
Merlin looked down at the ground in front of him.
Lancelot squeezed Merlin's shoulder and got to his feet, "I'll pack your bag."
Lancelot walked off and Merlin shut his eyes. He knew Lancelot was right, his destiny required him to live… If he died, so would Arthur and Camelot would fall into Morgana's hands. There would be no golden age, only death and war…
But at the same time he couldn't let Lancelot die.
Merlin opened his eyes. If Lancelot wouldn't come with him, he'd have to return to Camelot alone and risk getting caught because there was no way he was going to let Lancelot die just because he'd kept Merlin's secret! Merlin watched as Lancelot approached carrying Merlin's pack, spell book and Sidhe staff.
"Come with me," Merlin said.
"I can't leave them," Lancelot said.
"If you stay, you'll be executed," Merlin argued.
"And I will gladly go to my death knowing you have lived," Lancelot answered.
"Lancelot…" Merlin began.
"Go, Merlin," Lancelot said, pushing Merlin towards the trees. "You're wasting time. Go!"
Merlin nodded and summoned a ball of light with one palm and disappeared through the trees.
)o(
Merlin walked through the forest, a small ball of light guiding his way. He been walking for hours now, stopping every five minutes to cover his tracks with a simple spell. The forest was eerily silent around him and the stars visible through the trees seemed dimmer than usual. He had no idea where he was, all he knew was with every step he was getting further and further away from the Knights and Camelot.
"Emrys," A voice echoed through his head.
Merlin paused and looked round, but there was nobody in sight.
"Hello?" Merlin called out.
"Emrys," Another voice echoed through his head. "This way, Emrys."
"Where are you?" Merlin called out again.
"This way, Emrys," A voice sounding like it was coming from his right said.
The only people who called Merlin, Emrys, were the druids. After hesitating for a moment, Merlin turned and walked in the direction the voice had come from.
"This way," The voice whispered again after Merlin had made it a fair distance down his new path, guiding him to the left this time. "This way, Emrys."
As Merlin continued to walk, more voice echoed around his head but he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was like he was walking through a crowded market place, everyone one was talking, but you could never make out what one person was saying unless you were standing close to them.
"This way."
"Hurry, Emrys."
"This way, hurry."
Finally Merlin stepped out of the tree and found himself standing in front of a cave and in the mouth of the cave stood someone Merlin knew.
It was the druid chief Iseldir.
"Iseldir," Merlin greeted.
"Emrys," Iseldir bowed his head. "Come, follow me. We have been expecting you, Emrys."
Merlin followed Iseldir into the cave, which turned out to be an entire network of tunnels and cave and was home to Iseldir's camp.
"It is dangerous to walk these woods at night, Emrys," Iseldir said. "Even for one with you great power must take care. Few survive the sting of a Serket. Those who do not die from the poison, die from the pain."
"I've been stung before," Merlin said.
"Then you are lucky indeed to be alive, Emrys," Iseldir answered.
Finally they reached a small cave, mostly cut off from the others.
"You may stay here," Iseldir turned to Merlin. "No one will disturb you."
"Thank you, Iseldir," Merlin smiled.
Iseldir bowed and left, leaving Merlin alone with the whispers of the other druids echoing around him head.
)o(
Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.
