Chapter 3
Āweaxan Glēd
Disclaimer: I own neither Danny Phantom nor Merlin
Gwaine yawned, leaning back into the cool archway that marked his sentry point for the evening. The Princess – Arthur – had decided to put him on duty for the whole week as punishment for showing up hung-over to training three days straight. But it was hardly his fault that the ale at the Rising Sun was better quality than usual, and the company in the little tavern was always entertaining.
But apparently Arthur didn't share that opinion, and so Gwaine was stuck guarding the main gates for the fifth night in a row. This time of night it was very slow, any wise traveller had already set up camp for the evening and the sentries were left to watch the silent streets and empty shadows. In fact, probably the only thing Gwaine had to look forward to this shift was a visit from Merlin. The raven-haired man had walked out earlier in the evening, saying that he needed to collect herbs for Gaius.
Come to think about it, Gwaine wouldn't be surprised if Merlin had fallen asleep somewhere out there in the forest. It was something bewildering to him and his fellow knights that Merlin always managed to keep up with his work. Between his duties as Arthur's manservant, and his responsibilities as Gaius' ward-come-apprentice Merlin was usually run flat off his feet. Merlin probably ended up doing the work of three men, and managed not only to keep up, but also to always have a broad smile on his face.
Gwaine shook his head, trying to clear his mounting tiredness. It was late; the final bell having tolled many hours before, and the streets had been largely silent. Gwaine only had an hour left before a replacement came along to take over for the pre-dawn shift. Another yawn escaped his lips and he rubbed his eyes, trying to force himself back to alertness. Falling asleep at his post was probably not a good way to get out of Arthur's bad books.
The night air was cool and crisp around him, fragrant with the scent of the gradual close of summer. Gwaine's eyes went out to the forest, searching the tree-line for any sign of change. Merlin was still out there, and Gwaine was half worried for his friend. While the forests surrounding Camelot Citadel were among the safest Gwaine knew of, nightfall always brought out its own dangers. And Merlin, brave though the young man may be, was no warrior. But Merlin would never let something like common sense stop him from finishing his chores, and so now Gwaine was left to worry and hope that soon the easily distinguishable signs of his red neckerchief would poke out of the forest, signalling his friend's safe return.
A sharp crack pierced the silence of the night, emanating out from the forest. And Gwaine's hand reached automatically for his sword's hilt. He stood abruptly to attention, all weariness gone as he scanned the glooming edges of the forest for any sign of danger. It may have been several months since Morgana's last attempted coup, but no one was going to risk becoming complacent. All tiredness deserted him as he carefully examined the darkness for anything suspicious.
"You're just as clumsy as I am!" Gwaine sagged in relief as he recognised the voice that echoed on the wind. He doubted there was anyone in Camelot who would mistake that voice, a beguiling mix of kindness and snarky cynicism that was entirely Merlin.
Sure enough the lanky figure stepped out from the tree-line, his blue eyes unmistakably bright in the moonlight. Gwaine smiled, glad that his raven haired friend appeared to be safe. Merlin, however, turned back to the forest briefly and Gwaine's eyes creased in concern. A dark figure stepped out of the forest from between the trees, moving fluidly through the shadows of the forest's edge. The figure paused beside Merlin, a dark black cloak billowing around his shoulders.
"Not my fault, that root came out of nowhere!" The figure exclaimed, facing Merlin. The voice sounded young, as though the speaker had yet to pass their twentieth year. But it was also strange, the accent was much sharper than anything Gwaine was familiar with, and had stranger inflections than Gwaine recognised from his many wanderings across the five kingdoms.
"That's what happens when you decide to jump through the trees of an unfamiliar forest at night." Merlin commented, his dry sarcasm carrying on the wind.
"That's what I get for travelling through any forest at night with someone named Merlin." The younger voice grumbled.
Merlin laughed, eyes sparkling in the moonlight even from this distance. "Come on. I want to introduce you to Gaius before it gets any later." Gwaine couldn't help but smile at the younger man's teasing delight. Merlin and the cloaked young man made their way towards the main gate, and Gwaine could make out a second head of dark hair, tussled with leaves, and a pair of bright blue eyes sparkling lightly from the stranger.
"Merlin!" Gwaine called, attracting the attention of the two dark haired young men. "What did Arthur say about picking up anymore strays?"
"Well the last few didn't work out so bad." Merlin commented, blue eyes bright with a teasing smile. "I figure I can ignore him."
Gwaine rolled his eyes at the way Merlin looked at him, his blue eyes glittering mischievously in the moonlight. Gwaine turned his attention to the second dark haired young man. His earlier assumption seemed to be correct; the boy could be no older than twenty summers. He was probably closer to seventeen if truth be told. He had a similar build to Merlin, and what wasn't drowned out by the cloak was tall and thin. And he was probably more suited to light labour than wielding a sword. He just didn't seem to have the muscle structure. The boy's eyes however, they glittered with a strange light. He was used to that extra something in Merlin's eyes, something completely unexplainable. And this boy had that unidentifiable glimmer, but at the same time it was entirely different to Merlin's bright warm glow.
The boy didn't look like a threat. Well, no more of a threat than Merlin ever was, so Gwaine relaxed his stance. But as he did so he couldn't help but notice that the boy mirrored the movement. It was almost as though he had been assessing Gwaine as a threat and come to the conclusion that he could be overcome; as though that could ever happen. He was Sir Gwaine, Finest Swordsman in all the Five Kingdoms. Even if the Princess didn't agree with that particular view.
"Danny." The boy introduced himself, extending a hand from beneath the cloak. As the dark fabric parted Gwaine noticed an unusually bright flash of red and white cloth, completely unfamiliar to anything that Gwaine had seen before. But he set the thought aside in favour of introducing himself.
"Sir Gwaine of Camelot." Gwaine returned, taking the offered hand and meeting the boy with a firm handshake. The boy had a confident grip, but Gwaine noticed the ever so slight chill to the flesh. It was something that he'd picked up in his various tavern escapades. Sometimes you could tell how drunk a person was by the warmth of their hand. Something in the alcohol made the skin warm up, and Gwaine had trained himself to notice minute differences. Despite having only come out from the warmth of a thick cloak, the boy's hands were as chilled as though he's pulled them from a winter stream. It was strange, but not alarming.
"So where exactly did you pick this one up?" Gwaine asked, quirking an eyebrow at Merlin. This Danny wasn't suspicious per se, there were just a few more strange things about him than Gwaine was willing to just let slip by.
"He was..." Merlin began looking slightly unsure.
"I was travelling." Danny interjected, sending Gwaine a half awkward smile. "Sort of needed a break from home and wanted to go exploring, but took a majorly wrong turn and wound up lost."
"We met each other in the forest when I was looking for Gaius' herbs." Merlin tacked on.
"Yeah," Danny continued. "Merlin decided to stop me from accidentally slipping into a pile of... what was it?"
"Henbane." Merlin deadpanned.
"That." Danny agreed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"And since Merlin can't walk by a lost stray, here you are." Gwaine finished, shaking his head exasperatedly. Someday that habit was going to get his friend in trouble, but looking between the two raven-haired boys, and with Merlin's big beseeching blue eyes it was hard to begrudge him.
"Something like that." Danny tacked on, sending the elder raven head a curious glance. Gwaine could see there was more to the story. But he knew what it was like to want to take a break from home; he'd left his own to go exploring at around the same age as the boy. Plus, Danny had a look in his eye that was so much like a younger Merlin that Gwaine couldn't help but give him the benefit of the doubt.
"So how does a kid like you wind up lost so close to Camelot?" Gwaine prodded. He saw the intelligent glimmer in Merlin's eyes, as the young man recognised what he was trying to do. Merlin sent Gwaine a subtle nod, accepting the need to question subtly but simultaneously reluctant to let him push too far. Even if Gwaine was warming up to the kid it was beyond foolish to allow a stranger access to the city without prying a bit.
Danny shrugged at Gwaine. "To be honest, I needed to get away from my home town for a while. I never really fit in there, less so in recent years, and I just wanted to get out for a bit. But I managed to get a bit disoriented and then one bit of green looked like the next... and suddenly I'm tripping into the clearing where Merlin was collecting herbs."
"What, no fight for your life or magical creatures?" Gwaine scoffed with a shake of his head. "Merlin, my friend, you're losing your touch. He hasn't even got a head wound. Usually you need to be on the brink of death for Merlin to bring you into Camelot." Gwaine sent a disarming smile at the young boy, making reference to his own Camelot debut.
"No closer to death than I usually am." Danny replied, but there was a strange glint in his eyes as he said it. "And the closest thing to a magical creature I've been attacked by recently was probably the henbane."
"You need to watch out for those things." Gwaine commented with a wry smile. "They tend to sneak up on you."
Danny huffed lightly, blowing a few strands of dark hair out of his eyes. Gwaine grinned; the boy was just as easily ruffled as Merlin. It'd be fun to have him around if just for that novelty.
"Come on." Gwaine suggested. "Let's get you two to the physician's chambers."
Merlin sent him an appreciative smile. "But aren't you supposed to be on guard duty tonight?" The dark-haired man asked.
Gwaine shrugged. "The guard after me usually comes half an hour early. I can take you two back on the way to my chambers." And just on cur the replacement showed up, nodding at Gwaine and Merlin before sending an inquiring look at Danny. To save the argument Gwaine said that he'd already questioned the boy about his presence in Camelot and his story checked out. The guard nodded before taking up his post dutifully.
"Well, let's head off then." Gwaine commented, clapping his hands together. "Don't want her highness distressed over you being late in the morning, eh, Merlin?"
"He'll find something to be distressed over anyway Gwaine." Merlin replied shaking his head. "I'd be more worried if he decided not to get distressed about something."
"True." Gwaine smiled, shaking his head. He sent a quick glance to the younger boy. His eyes were wide as he stared up at the towering peaks of the citadel. Noticing his distraction Gwaine took a moment to whisper to Merlin. "You're sure he's not going to bring trouble, Merlin? I don't think we can handle another traitor so soon after Morgana."
Merlin smiled at him. "I really doubt it." The raven haired man replied eyes flashing with mischievous knowledge. "He's probably the last person to want to bring harm to Camelot. Trust me, he has reason enough not to want to."
Gwaine turned just enough to study his friend's bright blue eyes. Merlin often seemed naïve, but he was usually a pretty good judge of character. If Merlin was worried about someone then it was good reason to be wary of them, but it was rare for the younger man to be convinced that someone was as innately good as Merlin was suggesting that Danny was. "If you're sure." Gwaine commented, shrugging. He led the two dark haired boys to the Physician's chamber door, watching as the heavy wooden frame swung closed behind them.
Gwaine sighed, rubbing his hair tiredly as he made his way to his own chambers. He needed to get to sleep, and any concerns he had about the boy would wait till morning. He yawned widely as he made his way to his own chambers. It was only when he was tugging his chainmail off that he realised; he hadn't heard the boy moving at all. He'd heard his own movement as the mail rustled, and Merlin's usual clumsy stride. But he'd not heard the boy's footsteps as they moved through the empty Camelot hallways. So how did someone whose movements bespoke the same clumsiness as Merlin manage to move as silently as a ghost?
The heavy wooden door closed behind Merlin with a gentle thump and Merlin turned to survey the moonlit room. The scent of smoke mingling with herbs in the air told him that his mentor had only just turned the light out and so there was still a good chance that he was awake. Merlin set the herb bag on the table and sent a half reassuring look in Danny's direction.
"Gaius?" Merlin called, his eyes searching the area of Gaius' cot.
"Merlin?" A groggy voice murmured in the darkness. "What are you doing back so late?" Merlin bit his lip as he heard the rustling noise as his guardian and mentor pulled himself out of bed. He would usually let the old man rest, but in this case it was necessary to wake him up.
"I ran into a... complication when I was out." Merlin explained, hearing more than seeing as Gaius shuffled across the room. Danny was being mercifully silent, saving Gaius from the shock of a second dark haired boy being in the room.
"Only you, Merlin, could possibly run into trouble gathering herbs." Gaius commented scathingly. "Can you help with a light?" He requested.
"Oh," Merlin blinked. "Right, um..." He searched the moonlit table; the only thing in the chambers that was easily visible and soon found a candle. With half a thought it winked into light and Merlin saw Gaius blinking in the dim candle light.
"Merlin." Gaius gasped as he took in the figure standing just behind Merlin. "What have you...?"
"It's okay, Gaius." Merlin reassured, gesturing the elderly gentleman to the table. "Really."
"You just used magic, boy." Gaius roused in a harsh whisper. "In front of..." He gestured in the air towards Danny.
"Right, wasn't thinking." Merlin deferred, shaking his head. "Gaius, this is Danny. Danny, Gaius. Gaius, he's not about to hand me over."
"What makes you say that?" Gaius pressed, leaning in close to Merlin in a sharp whisper. "A complete stranger in the middle of the night and you go off practicing magic."
"I'm not gonna dob Merlin in if that's what you're worried about, sir." Danny said demurely.
Gaius blinked, twice, before turning to stare at the younger boy. "And where exactly did you come from? What is your purpose in Camelot? Merlin, I cannot believe your stupidity in bringing a complete stranger into the citadel and then proceeding to use magic in front of him."
"Gaius..." Merlin said, trying to placate his mentor. But Gaius just turned back to face the younger boy.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Gaius pressed, and it was astounding how intimidating he managed to look despite being in his white night robe.
"I bear no ill will to Camelot." Danny replied calmly. "If magic is banned in this Camelot then I will not reveal Merlin's secret. It would do nothing for me and only make everything I know a thousand times worse."
Merlin watched his guardian carefully, noting the careful blankness that came into his wizened face. "He's not from here." Merlin explained, sending a querying glance to Danny. The boy shrugged sadly.
"Camelot isn't on any maps where I'm from." Danny said dejectedly. "It's... it's been lost to time."
"Lost to..." Gaius mouthed. "Merlin?"
"See that's the complication I was talking about." Merlin explained. "I was picking herbs as you asked when a..." he paused unsure of the best way to describe it was. He didn't want to say that it was another tear in the Veil because that would only bring about more trouble.
"Portal" Danny prompted helpfully.
"A portal opened." Merlin continued. "Danny here was exploring on the other side and sort of fell through."
"The problem is that my side of the portal was over a thousand years ahead of this side." Danny tacked on. Merlin watched the blank look on his mentor's face turn to irate disbelief.
"I didn't believe it either." Merlin interjected. "But then I called Kilgharrah who pretty much said that it was true and that Danny was stuck here until he can find another portal himself."
"You called Kilgharrah?" Gaius gasped, his voice surprisingly small. The elder man took a seat at the table and Danny was smart enough to hand him a cup of water. "Did you leave no secrets hidden?"
"Merlin is famous in my time." Danny said. "Most kids grow up on stories about him, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table."
"Which isn't in the council room yet so..." Merlin trailed off.
"Be careful with what I say. Yeah." Danny acknowledged. "Kilgharrah said as much, and I know I'm already gonna be in trouble with my own guardian when I do get back." Merlin frowned at the resignation in the boy's tone.
"So you honestly believe that you come from the future?" Gaius pressed with his eyebrow raised sceptically.
"I honestly know that I come from a time more than a thousand years from now. Yes." The boy replied.
"Gaius." Merlin implored. "It's late. I believe he's telling the truth and Kilgharrah believes he's telling the truth. If you look at what he's wearing under the cloak it's not like anything we make here, and even if he were deluded, would you really turn a lost boy like him out at this time of night?"
Merlin stared at his mentor, watching as his will crumbled. "He can stay." Gaius replied almost grudgingly. "But you're going to have to find something for him to do while he's here."
"Thank you Gaius!" Merlin exclaimed, giving his guardian a quick hug. "Danny, come upstairs. We'll find somewhere for you to sleep and sort things out better in the morning." The boy nodded, sending a grateful glance towards Gaius as he followed Merlin up the small staircase and into his room.
Merlin immediately tripped over a shirt that he'd left on the floor that morning, but Danny managed to catch him before he could crash onto the hard floorboards. "Thanks." Merlin whispered, fumbling in the dark till he could sit on his own bed. There was a flare of cold energy and a whitish green orb was suddenly floating above Danny's hand. Merlin looked at it askance. It was a strange sort of energy that the boy manipulated. It had whispers similar to his own magic, but it was muted by what he could only guess was spiritual energy.
"Sorry." Danny murmured. "I figured you might like a... light." He trailed off awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as the whitish orb floated by his side.
"Thank you." Merlin said nodding appreciatively. He didn't know the extent of Danny's powers. Perhaps one of Gaius' books would give a better indication. He stared around the room. He's managed to trip on the only piece of clothing currently on the floor which was slightly embarrassing. His eyes moved to the closed door behind them. "I'm sorry about Gaius. He can be very protective at times. And he's always worrying that I'll get caught."
Danny sent him a knowing smile. "Sounds like my sister. She's insanely smart but ridiculously overprotective."
Merlin laughed, shaking his head at the younger boy. Part of him was curious, there was so much that he wanted to ask the boy; about the future, about his magic. But he also knew how much his own destiny crushed him. And knowing it from the boy's view would only set high expectations that he wasn't sure that he was prepared for. So instead he focused on the light. Danny had produced it without a spell or an incantation, much like his own magic before he came to Camelot. Merlin sighed sadly.
"You realise you can't just do that sort of thing here." Merlin said gesturing to the floating orb of light, although it almost pained him to say it. "It's not safe to use any form of magic in Camelot." The younger boy nodded, letting the light flicker out and bathing the room in dim moonlight.
"Right, sorry." Danny murmured. "I guess I'm not used to having to worry behind closed doors."
"It's alright." Merlin comforted, but stopped at the boy's frown. "Well, really it's not. But it's safer this way." He sighed, flopping limply back on his bed eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It's tiring, living as a shadow, pretending to be less than you are just so that the people around you are safe."
"But you keep going anyway." Danny continued, and Merlin turned to look at him, who was currently seated with his back to the wall. "Not because you want anything back, but because it's the right thing to do."
Merlin nodded in agreement. "Someday things will change." He whispered, more to himself than anything else.
"Someday things will change." The boy repeated, and Merlin wasn't sure of he was talking about Merlins future, or the boy's hopes for his own.
The room faded into heavy silence for a few long minutes before the boy spoke again. "How'm I gonna get home?" The boy asked in a soft murmur. Merlin frowned, not knowing a good answer.
"I don't know." He replied sadly. "I can slow time, but I've never heard of a spell that could open a portal to yours. And if such a thing did exist, the book would have been destroyed in the Purge."
"Kilgharrah said that the Veil had been opened before?" Danny pressed.
"Yes." Merlin replied shortly. "When Morgana sacrificed her sister to the Calleich. I'm sorry, but it's not worth the risk. If there's a solution I promise, I'll help you find it. But I won't use that sort of magic to do it."
"It's fine." Danny reassured. "I wouldn't ask you to. It's just that if it's been opened recently, that means that the information is out there. Maybe if I can find out how they opened it, I can figure out a way to open one safely."
"Maybe." Merlin answered with his eyes back on the ceiling. It wasn't bad logic, and Merlin wasn't about to shoot down the boy's hope right away. But Morgause had been taught most of her magic orally. The odds of finding a magic book, particularly one with dark magic like that were slim to none. But it wasn't as though Merlin knew of anywhere else to look. He may be a creature of magic himself, but there was still so much that he didn't know.
"You should probably try to get some sleep." Merlin instructed. "I think I have a spare blanket in the cupboard."
"Thanks." Danny murmured in reply. There was a faint rustling sound and Merlin heard the faint click as the cupboard closed again. The boy kept the blanket rolled up, apparently electing to use it as a pillow, favouring the cloak as a blanket.
There was a muffled "Night." From beside him, and Merlin listened as the boy's breathing evened out. He stared at the ceiling late into the night musing. There was a creature of magic sleeping next to him. And he was probably the most human magical creature that Merlin had yet come across. But Merlin could sense the cool power that the boy possessed. It was unfamiliar to him to be harbouring a sorcerer like this, let alone someone of a different species. But Kilgharrah had inferred that Danny would bring no harm to Camelot. And Merlin couldn't help but feel that doing this, protecting the boy, was a significant milestone in his destiny with Arthur as Emrys and the Once and Future King.
AN; I am not sure whether or not I like how this chapter ended. I liked writing Gwaine though, he's so much fun and he has this awesome curious-but-clueless outlook. Then again, Gwaine is just Gwaine and I think that's explanation enough. I'm gonna have fun with interactions between him and Danny in the future I think.
Sorry if Danny felt too complacent. But he's sort of stuck in a completely foreign time and the whole situation has yet to fully catch up to him. At the moment he's a bit lost, and is subconsciously clinging to Merlin for protection. That's my explanation and I'm sticking to it.
I will ask though, do you think that Danny would actually be able to use magic if he learned the language? I'm keen to hear what people think.
Translation
Āweaxan Glēd – Growing Embers
Hope you enjoyed all the same,
Bluerose