Hello all! I hope you readers are having a great week so far. I've finished up (or may be procrastinating) on some work, and so I figured that the best way to do that would be to post a new chapter for this story!
Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I genuinely appreciate the support, and I'm honestly just happy you are enjoying the read. I hope that my work continues to get better and I hope that you guys continue to read this! Reviews are welcome ;) And critic away! I'm always open to advice and criticism-just try not to be too rough with me. Anywho, thank you guys for giving this story a chance! And I hope you continue to like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC's Merlin
It was cold, far colder than Arthur remembered it being.
He opened his blue eyes and they widened as he shot up, stumbling to his feet. He frantically glanced around, finding himself alone in a desolate plain. The trees were burned and cut down—the grass dry and dead. "Merlin!" he called out as he turned, searching for his friend. He grimaced as the silence replied to his call, his heart racing against his chest. "Merlin!" he tried once more, hope slowly crumbling with every passing second.
"Arthur Pendragon." Said prince turned around and glared as he backed away from an approaching stranger in nothing but black.
"Who are you?"
"You should know," the man said, his voice low but familiar. Arthur glared as he stepped away from the intruder. He would have reached for his blade but he had nothing but the clothes on his body.
"Show your face!" the future king demanded as the hooded man chuckled darkly, stopping just a few feet from Arthur.
"You are blind to what you wish not to see."
"What are you talking about?" the blond snapped as the cloaked man reached up to his hood.
"Impossible." Arthur stared with wide eyes as his jaw fell slightly open; he was staring at himself.
"Arthur?" Blue eyes snapped open, blinking fervently. Said prince sat up once more as he glanced around, his manservant looking at him with a confused expression on his face. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he watched his master look at him. He raised a brow as the prince shook his head and glanced around.
The trees were still intact and the grass was greener than Arthur remembered it being; it was nothing more than a dream then.
"What is the problem!" Lyn snapped exasperatedly as she stood in the distance, tapping her foot against the ground. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest as she shook her head, her black hair pulled up into a mess of a ponytail—which still somehow suited her rather nicely. "We're wasting sunlight by dilly-dallying around and tending to the precious prince's wishes."
"Excuse me?" Arthur snapped, the color coming back to his face as he stood to his feet, appalled by the thief's words.
"Let me clear the air," the future king snapped as he stomped up to the young woman, his face so close to hers that their noses barely brushed. "I rely solely on you because you've traveled through this land once before. Don't mistake that for power or control. I can easily find my way to the cauldron without your help. I was merely being merciful by asking for it. If you wish to live then I suggest you speak when spoken to and do as told." Arthur glared into the young bandit's brown eyes, hoping his message had been clearly conveyed to her. Without a second glance, he walked past her, bumping her in the shoulder and ignoring Merlin's shocked gaze on his back. Lyn stared at him as he disappeared into the forest, her gaze hard and cold.
"I—I don't know what's gotten into him," Merlin said quietly as he approached Lyn's side. "He's not usually like that."
"That's not what concerns me," the traveler said quietly as she continued to stare after the blond. Merlin raised a brow as looked over at Lyn, her eyebrows furrowing deeper inward. "It was his eyes..." It was as if they were slowly losing that brightness she had first noticed when she met the arrogant fool.
Frowning, Merlin shook his head, quickly following after Arthur and leaving Lyn to her thoughts.
...
Needless to say, the journey forward had been a silent and stiff one. Merlin didn't dare say a word; there was something off about Arthur that morning. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his master didn't seem like himself; he wasn't his usual irritating, pratty self. He was distant and cold, unlike his normal, welcoming and warm demeanor. He said nothing though; he picked his battles carefully.
Lyn marched ahead of the group, though Arthur wasn't too far behind her. She tried to control herself as she felt the prince's piercing and icy gaze on her back. The last thing she needed to deal with was a selfish, little boy; so she wouldn't. The thief continued forward, pushing past the branches and pushing through the leaves. She stopped at a fork in the road and stared for a moment. Merlin and Arthur stopped beside her as they glanced down the different paths.
"Which way?" Arthur asked as he looked to Lyn, who looked at Merlin, the servant catching her gaze.
Left, he thought to himself as Lyn said nothing, staring into his blue eyes. There was a magical pull telling Merlin to take the trail to the left. It was growing stronger and stronger with each step the warlock took, and somehow, he knew Lyn knew that.
The young woman cleared her throat as she made her way to the path farthest left. "This way."
Arthur looked to Merlin as the brunet nodded, the blond nodding in return and the two following after Lyn. As Lyn took her fifth step, her eyes widened and her head snapped to the left. "Watch out!" she warned as something flew out from the bushes, tackling the young lady to her back. Arthur quickly pulled his sword out as he pulled Merlin closer, watching as a large, panther-like animal lunged at them. The prince shoved his servant aside, using his sword to block the creature's mouth. He winced as the animal shoved him back, breaking the tip of his blade with just its teeth.
"Arthur!" Merlin called out as the prince grunted, turning his head for just a second. His eyes widened as he watched Lyn stand to her feet, blood drizzling down her arm. She held her wound and tried to place pressure on it to stop the bleeding; it seemed to have no effect. The prince's blue eyes widened as he watched the magical creature that had attacked Lyn earlier approach her from behind, preparing for its next attack.
"No!" the blond yelled as he shoved his own offender back. He turned and sprinted to the black haired thief, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as he tackled her to the ground. The creature leaped just over them and into a tree, almost breaking it. Merlin stood to his feet and acted quickly as he held his hand up to the two beings. Warmth spread through his body, starting from his chest, and he felt a surge of power course through him.
"Forbearnan firgenholt!" Merlin watched as the tree behind the panthers broke completely, falling on the two and presumably killing them. The warlock sighed before he turned and sprinted to his prince, the blond sitting up and groaning slightly. He shook his head, regaining his bearings.
"Arthur!" the manservant called out as he skid to a stop, kneeling beside the blond. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," the swordsman assured as his memory slapped him across the face. He quickly looked down and grimaced as his guide lied motionlessly beneath him, her breaths forced and her gash bleeding heavily. Merlin peered over his master's shoulder and a despondent expression fell over his face. The prince and servant quickly stood to their feet, Lyn lying limply in Arthur's arms. He sighed as he shook his head.
"Can you tend to her wounds?"
"I can try," Merlin said as Arthur nodded.
"Do your best." The prince set the unconscious woman down on a soft patch of grass, Merlin pulling out bandages from his satchel. Arthur then turned, taking just a few strides to the torn down tree. Camelot's future king knelt down, peering under the trunk where the creatures should have lied. His eyes widened before he looked over to his companion.
"Merlin!" he called out as said brunet stood to his feet after cleaning Lyn's wound. He quickly made his way to Arthur's side, kneeling down beside the prince.
"What is—" Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes widened; where had the creatures gone?
It was as if they hadn't been there in the first place. They had just…disappeared.
The two looked at each other, fear slowly pooling in the warlock's eyes. Arthur sighed as he stood up, dusting his tunic off as Merlin stood as well. "Have you wrapped her wound?"
"I did, but I don't have the right supplies to treat her. Whatever attacked us, their fangs had some sort of poison on them," the physician's assistant explained as Arthur's frown grew. He quickly walked up to the young woman.
"Help me," Arthur said as Merlin nodded, placing Lyn on the prince's back.
"Let's get off the trail and out of sight," Arthur suggested as Merlin nodded, following after the prince. He stopped for a moment, his blue eyes lingering on the broken tree. He shook his head, quickly jogging to catch up to his master.
...
Give me your strength. Arthur ignored the voice—his voice, as he continued to sprint. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew he had to get away. Whoever or whatever was after him—it was dangerous and he knew he was no match for it; its magic was far too dangerous and far too powerful.
"Did you really think you could run away?" The future king quickly stopped as he huffed and puffed, his own counterpart smirking at him as he appeared from the shadows. Arthur attempted to catch his breath as he took a few safe steps back from the impersonator.
"Who are you?" he asked as he glared, his mirror self laughing darkly.
"I am you."
"No!" Arthur yelled. "You are not me! Show me your true identity," he commanded. He watched as his identical enemy narrowed his eyes. The future king's eyes widened as he felt the branches from the tree behind him wrap around his wrists, pulling him into the air. He grunted as he tried to pull himself free, failing miserably.
"Who I really am matters not. You and I will be the same soon enough," the imposter said in a low voice, walking towards the hanging prince. Arthur grunted as he tugged on his bindings, glaring up at the branches holding him prisoner.
"Fight it, I encourage you to. It's rather entertaining to watch," the second Arthur said with a chuckle, causing the true Once and Future King to snarl at him.
"What do you want?" Arthur snapped as he watched himself carefully.
"…I want your soul, Arthur Pendragon."
...
"Arthur? Arthur?" Merlin frowned as he tried to shake his companion awake.
The manservant had offered to take the first watch for the night, Lyn still fighting against whatever poison had been forced into her system. He could see the exhaustion from the journey through the prince's pores, so he made sure to force his friend to sleep, guarding the two with his life. The first hour had been rather uneventful for warlock, but that was when the future King of Camelot began to twitch in his sleep.
At first, Merlin thought nothing of the prince's movements. He must be dreaming, is what he told himself. So, he continued to sit in silence, feeding the dying flames every so often. It wasn't until the prince began to toss and turn that the warlock grew more concerned about his friend. He frowned at the way Arthur moved; it was as if he were running in his sleep. Finally, after waiting longer than he would have liked, Merlin stood to his feet, sitting beside the prince and shaking his shoulder. His first attempt had been ignored by the slumbering blond. Merlin rolled his eyes but shook him once more, sure that he would awaken that time. When nothing happened, the magic-wielder grew slightly nervous, shaking Arthur a bit harder and calling out his name.
Still there was nothing.
"Arthur—" Merlin's eyes widened as he stumbled back, Arthur sitting up and gasping. His eyes snapped open but there was something astray with them. They were blank and dull, life sucked from them. The warlock quickly approached his friend's side, holding him up as Arthur continued to gasp, like he was suffocating.
"Arthur!" Merlin shouted as the prince fell limp in his arms, his eyes open but dead.
"It's what I feared." The brunet turned and blinked, Lyn slowly sitting up and wincing. Holding her wound, the black haired woman took a deep breath, fighting the razor-like pain shooting up her arm. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her free hand as she stared at Arthur with a frustrated expression.
"What's happened to him?" Merlin asked as Lyn motioned for the flask of water. Emrys gently laid his friend down, sitting beside Lyn and handing her the bottle. The injured female took it gratefully, chugging the contents with just a few gulps. She sighed as she looked to Arthur.
"The demon of the forest has taken his soul."
"Demon?" Merlin asked as Lyn nodded.
"It has no name, no face, no voice. It's just a shadow of the woods. Pretending to be who you are, it invades your subconscious, manipulates you until it's taken every ounce of life."
"…Why?" Merlin asked quietly as Lyn sighed.
"There is no rhyme or reason. It does what it does because that is what it does," she said as she mustered all of the strength in her body. She let her left hand hover over her wound as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Merlin watched her carefully before astonishment filled his blue eyes.
"Ge hálige." Merlin stared with disbelief as the color began returning to Lyn's face. She moved her formerly injured arm a few times, satisfied with her work, before she stood to her feet and knelt down beside the prince. She cupped the blond's cheek with her hand and frowned at the way it almost turned her fingers numb; he was so cold.
"Wait a second!" the manservant snapped as he stood up and shook his head. He pointed at the young girl as she raised a brow, Merlin blinking and jaw agape. "You—But—Just now—"
"I'm not quite understanding."
"You have magic?" Lyn rolled her eyes as she nodded.
"How else could I have possibly guessed you had magic as well?" she asked as Merlin calmed down, hoping his nerves would let him rest.
"I'll answer your questions in a more pleasing time. Right now you need to keep the light of the fire burning bright. The nights are the most dangerous, and it seems a part of Arthur has already been compromised."
"Will he be alright?" Merlin asked with concern flooding in his eyes. Lyn looked up and hesitated before she looked back down at the prince.
"Let us hope so, for our own sakes."
