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Merlin listened to the wind. It howled, and it moaned as if in some pain, and it roared, whistling through the air and against the cave. The firelight danced off the walls, beautiful and yet somehow horrible. Fire was the cause of so much pain. He hated and loved it, and if he were being he almost identified with it. Odd as it may sound. It could be used to cause such harm, agony; death. When he'd held that crystal, the images it had shown him of the Great Dragon. He had this feeling, a low hum of guilt. Freya, Gwen almost getting executed because he'd tried to save her father, and other things that had happened, and he was sure there were still others to come.
The flames glowed in blue eyes, like seeing a glimpse of his gift, or more like his soul. 'He was magic', at least that's what some seemed to think. And it was almost funny, magic being what Uther always longed to destroy, and yet it lived right under his nose.
Arthur noted Merlin's distant stare. He climbed up to his place on Merlin's shoulder, (The place he soon hoped to never have to 'perch on' again) and batted the side of his face with a paw. "Earth to Merlin, you still with us?" he asked, glacing over at Kalian, who was finally more alive than dead, thanks to Merlin.
Merlin looked at Arthur, "Always am," he grinned. He figured he would check on Kalian soon. He scratched the back of his head, grin-grimacing, "What are we going to tell Uther? What will we say happened?"
"We tell him I was on patrol, we were attacked, taken by Saxons. We fought our way out... and that's the end of it. He doesn't need to know about Kalian, or..." he tilted his head, then nodded a few times at Merlin. "That is, if this all works out. WHICH... it had better," he stated, wagging a paw in Merlin's face.
Merlin smiled a bemused smile, looking at Arthur's paw. Shaking his head to pull his mind from his thoughts of returning to Camelot and the spell, he glanced at Kalian across the cave. Moonlight had filtered into the darkness, mingling with the reds, oranges and yellows already jumping on the walls. He could make out the other sorcerer's form, carefully standing so as not to unseat the mouse, and walked towards Kalian, pondering herbs. (Oddest sentence ever)
Arthur slid easily into Merlin's front pocket. He decided he was getting good at this... of course, once he was human again, it would never be mentioned again... ever. He smiled the smallest of smiles, but stayed quiet.
"How are you feeling?" Merlin kneeled next to him, waiting for him to answer. He sifted through the last of the herbs, picking out one of them and waiting for Kalian to take it.
Kalian took the herbs and nodded slowly. "Better. I suppose I should thank you..." he stated with a half smile as he sat up. He glanced outside the cave, into the moonlight, then back in at the fire Merlin had started.
"AAahh," Merlin made a face, "No," he said shaking his head. "But if you insist," he joked light-heartedly, smiling, but then it fell off his face as he sat, his back resting against the cold stone wall.
Kalian smiled again, this time more of a smirk. "You're angry at me? Or perhaps just tired of waiting for the spell?" he asked. He knew the answer already. Merlin had waited days for the spell, as had Arthur. He owed Merlin that. Arthur? Maybe he deserved help, maybe he didn't. But Merlin deserved to know what he wanted to, that much Kalian knew. Besides that; if Merlin trusted Arthur, then Kalian would as well.
"It has been days." Merlin stared straight ahead for several moments, before he craned his neck to look at Kalian, the back of his head rubbing against rough rock, pushing his short hair out, spreading hair out like a black peacock's tail as he didn't bother to move his head away from the wall.
"I know..." Kalian said with a quiet sigh. "My magic isn't strong enough yet... I can't reverse it. Of course, you can, I assume," he stated. Merlin-Emrys, could control such magic easily. Whether he knew it or not, Kalian wasn't sure, but he was aware that Merlin COULD turn Arthur back, if he possessed the spell.
"Maybe. I could always try, if I had the spell," Merlin stated. "Before we go further with this topic, I just have to say, I've been thinking about what you said earlier..." he paused, his eyes meeting green eyes. "I will protect your daughter," he said, his jaw set in determination. He narrowed his eyes, nodding at his own words, "You have my word."
"Thank you." Kalian looked away from Merlin, coughing quietly and then turned back. He looked intently at Merlin, then at the mouse-Arthur, who was in the warlock's pocket. With a sigh, Kalian spoke the spell to reverse what he'd done.
"Ae esuom uoy lliw ton eb."
His eyes glowed gold for a moment at the magic chant, but nothing happened. He'd known he didn't have to power to fix it. His magic had not yet returned fully.
Merlin flinched, grabbing the mouse in a fist and almost chucking him across the cavern so as not to have him un-enchanted in his pocket. When nothing happened he relaxed. He let out a quiet breath, disappointment hidden in his eyes. "What is the spell again? If you tell me, we could do it together."
Kalian laughed at the obvious panic as Merlin had believed Arthur would turn in his pocket. He himself had known it wouldn't work. He blinked at Merlin, contemplating his request. He nodded. Luckily, he knew the spell, so he knew that Arthur, and his clothes, would both go back to normal size... however, he could not undue to damage done by Arthur's tail... Kalian smirked as he mused about the hole the trousers would be sporting.
He reapted the spell, slower this time, so that Merlin would catch the words. "Ae esuom uoy lliw ton eb."
Merlin breathed out a quiet breath, setting Arthur down on the ground in front of both of the magic-users. "Okay," he murmured, looking at Kalian then back at the prince. They both started repeating the spell again. The cave filled with golden eyes and chanting whispers.