The flames finally returned to their normal orange glow as the finally picture faded, Arthur felt shaken. His knights had done so much damage, simply because the spirits and children were magical creatures. He understood when they had to kill the griffin, it was hurting people but Merlin and his family never hurt anybody.
He thought back to the boy and girl he saw on the lake as a child, he was right, it really was Merlin. He had met the man who was going to become his best friend, years before he thought he did.
He glanced up at Merlin, he was staring at him. He had obviously not realised the boy he had seen was Arthur.
"So that's Artemus's story" Amnres concluded "Merlin you have to finish it, why did you not come home?"
"Can you do the spell Artemus did?" Leon asked, it astounded Arthur how casually Leon had adjusted to the use of magic around him.
"Spirit's can only do weak magic" Atremus explained, "Merlin can do that spell easily, son show us what happened"
Merlin sighed uncomfortably and stared at the fire, his eyes flashed gold and once again all eyes were on the picture forming in the flames…
Merlin was cold. That was his first thought. He remembered falling and being knocked around in the river and then, cold. AM I dead? He wondered to himself, No I feel the ground under me…
Merlin cracked his eyes open and found himself lying on a bank half in the river. He carefully stood up ignoring the aches that came with it. His arm was especially sore. Merlin shivered in the cold night air, his usually warm furs were soaked through, heavy and cold.
He wandered up the bank and looked around, he didn't recognise anything in this forest, he must have been swept miles away. He began to panic, what if his father didn't find him? Then another cold thought crashed over him, what if his father was dead? Like his brother? Adiana and mother had most likely been caught as well.
Even if he did find his way home, there wouldn't be anybody to welcome him. He felt tears prick his eyes and mix in with his face paints. Maybe there were other spirits around who could help him, he began to walk through the trees. The forest here was thinner than it was at home, it made him uneasy.
As he walked he heard a twig snap. Panicking he quickly scaled a tree and perched himself on a branch, his arm protesting every movement. Merlin looked down to see and old white haired man and a basket a few feet away, gathering mushrooms. He crept along the tree branch to get a better look, he rarely saw humans that were not Children of the Forest.
Unfortunately for Merlin his arm picked that moment to remind him of his injury and gave out, with a cry of pain Merlin fell and landed sprawled on the ground. The old man looked up in surprise at the young teen laying soaking wet on the ground infront of him.
"Who are you?" Asked the man kindly kneeling down about a foot away from Merlin.
"Merlin" Merlin replied "Don't you try anything! I have magic I can beat you!"
"You should be careful saying that, if a knight heard you, you might end up at the bottom of a well" The man said softly "Don't worry I wont hurt you, I'm Gaius"
"That's a strange name" Replied Merlin
"So is Merlin" Chuckled Gaius "I'm a physician, a doctor, you're hurt, let me help you"
"Father says to never trust humans, not proper humans" Said Merlin defiantly sticking out his chin "You live in a town, you might take me to the king"
"I serve the king as his doctor but I do not hate magic, I wouldn't take you to him" Insisted Gaius "Let's go back to my chamber in the castle, I will get you some proper clothes"
"I like my clothes"
"They will execute anybody dressed like you, the face paint will have to go as well"
-BREAK-
Merlin made a face, he felt strange not having face paint or any furs, but the clothes Gaius had given him were quite nice. He especially like the red neckerchief. Gaius had held tre to his word and had not handing in Merlin.
Merlin was amazed by all the houses and especially by the castle, he wondered what his family would say if they knew where he was. Tears stung his eyes again he hurriedly whipped them away, but Gaius saw.
"Your family, the spirits you live with, where are they?" Gaius asked
"Knights attacked us" Merlin sniffed letting the tears fall down his face "I think t-they're…"
Gaius's face softened, "If you like you can stay here in the castle with me" he offered "You can help me with my rounds and when you are old enough you could get some paid work yourself"
"Live in the city?" Merlin sniffed, he wasn't sure how he felt about that "I won't be able to wear fur or face paints anymore?"
"Afraid not, but you can go into the forest, collect herbs and plants for me and sometimes just for fun" Gaius explained "I know you are not used ot it but if you have nowhere else to go there is a place for you here"
Merlin thought about it, Gaius didn't seem like a bad person and he didn't have anywhere to go. He knew he was going to have to learn a lot of human customs and dress differently and control his magic much better. But a home was a home.
"Alright, I'll stay"
After that the fire faded back to it usual colours.
"So Gaius took me in and he taught me about magic and medicine" Merlin explained "The one night when a witch attacked Arthur I used my powers to slow time and save him from her dagger and became his manservant"
"You can slow down time?" Leon gasped
"I've been doing it since a was a kid" Merlin shrugged sheepishly
"Come on them Merlin, how many times have you used magic while you were my manservant?" Arthur inquired curiously "Do you use it on your chores?"
"Without it I would never get all those jobs you give me done" Merlin grinned "And I lost count of how many times I saved your life"
"Well you better start talking then Merlin" Atremus smiled "because I want to hear everything that has happened to you since we lost you"
Merlin smiled and began to recount his various magical adventures with Arthur. He told him about the Afrac and the time he sent the light to him. When they reached the part about the griffin Arthur was slightly annoyed that Lancelot knew of Merlin's magic, years before he did.
Merlin spoke for hours only stopping when Arthur or Leon questioned him about his powers. Arthur felt guilty when Merlin mentioned the fight with Sigan, had he listened to Merlin he may not of had to put his life in danger. Finally Merlin told about how he had freed the dragon, it took several minutes to calm Arthur after that bit of information, he did calm when he learned that Merlin had discovered his birth father and lost him in the space of a day.
When he had finished Arthur stared at him. He had done so many things; HE had been the one to get rid of the dragon in the end and Arthur had been the one praised. After all these things Merlin had done he had never been thanked, in fact on occasion Arthur had berated him, thinking he was just hiding behind a tree.
"The first light is only a few hours away" Amnres commented "It is time we slept. You and your knight may sleep by the fire, I wont have you in our cave"
Merlin gave an apologetic smile as Leon and Arthur set up their sleeping bags while he followed his family into the cave.
"sire, what are we going to do, your not planning on killin them are you?" Leon asked after laying down on the opposide side of the fire to the prince.
"No, offcourse not" Arthur muttered "I'm worried about my father, he wont take no for an answer, and those kniughts could of already made it back to Camelot by tomorrow afternoon"
"We should get some rest anyway, tomorrow is going to be a big day"
12 chapters in only a few days! Woo! anybody else notice my chapters are getting longer each time :P
