Merlin was flabbergasted. His fingers trembled as his mind attempted to comprehend what his ears had just picked up. It seemed this task was proving to be rather difficult. The warlock swore his heart had frozen. Had Balinor just uttered the name of his mother? What did this revelation mean? Was there a chance for Balinor and Merlin to be related?
He did not dare whisper the forbidden word of the parent that had always been absent from his life. His heart plunged deeply into the recesses of his mind where memories of birthdays spent without this important person reigned.
Merlin had always been happy and grateful for his mother. He had thanked the gods over and over again for the fact that she always managed to make him smile when his world had crumbled. He had prayed for her safety and would gladly give his life for her without a second thought. Nonetheless, despite his content with the love that had always bound him and his mother, Hunith could never fill the void that the shadow of a faceless parent had created.
Faceless. Unknown. Unreal. Ghost. Shadow. Spirit. Merlin had conjured different words with which he would describe him. He had dreamt of their meeting many times. His heart had yearned to finally hear the beating of his father's heart. His mind had screamed for the conversations only fathers and sons could have. His shoulders had always needed to feel what it would be like to be held in his father's safe and tight grasp. His eyes had longed to look into those of his father. His ears had longed to hear the voice of his other parent either talking to him, telling him stories or simply saying his name or those four simple words that would make his entire resolve collapse and his being swell with pride – 'I love you, son.'.
But Balinor would never say those words. He would never see Merlin in such a light nor… could he? Would he? Did he know that he had a son? As Merlin replayed Balinor's last words in his head, he realized that the answer was no. If Balinor had known that Hunith had been pregnant, he would never have left her. That left him with two options – he could remain silent and ignore what he had just found out or he could dig deeper until he reached the crevices of Balinor's mind and unveil the entire truth.
"What happened with her?" Merlin asked involuntarily.
Balinor was taken aback by the boy's question. At first anger bubbled inside of him, but soon bewilderment kicked in when he felt Merlin's magic shift. Immediately after Balinor detected something else from the boy's energy – was Merlin afraid? What could the most powerful warlock possibly be scared of?
"Please, Balinor. I know I made a promise and I intend to keep it. However, I cannot this time for reasons I am certain you will be able to understand. Unfortunately, I will not reveal them until you answer my question." Merlin uttered.
Balinor calmed down when he felt that Merlin's energy had not spiked up again. It was oddly soothing and endearing at the same time. Balinor did not understand why he was so deeply affected by Merlin's magic. He just was. Was this the power of Emrys? Could this small boy actually influence other, more powerful sorcerers with just a mere shift in his energy flow?
"I will then. However, in turn I will ask you something when the right time comes." Balinor replied.
Merlin frowned. At first he hesitated. However, seeing as he had already revealed far too much, he concluded that he had barely anything left to lose. With a shaky intake of breath he nodded. Balinor smiled.
"I do not know what happened with Hunith. I…. Despite the fact that I loved her dearly, I had to leave. I thought it was better that way. After all, with me gone, she was going to be relatively safe." Balinor said. He then felt Merlin's energy jolt. His spiked up as well.
"Do you know her somehow, Merlin?" Balinor suddenly enquired, narrowing his eyes.
Merlin's eyes widened. His heart rate increased. Sweat poured down his temple. Balinor felt the cold chill that disrupted the boy's normally warm energy flow. This caused his eyes to narrow further and the crossing of his arms.
"I…" Merlin began, but stopped. He closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled slowly, deeply. He needed to calm his heart down and think everything through. If he answered positively, he would definitely raise Balinor's suspicion. However, even if he did lie, he would accomplish nothing. After all, Balinor would probably see through it immediately.
Balinor's energy spiked up suddenly. It was a clear sign he was becoming impatient.
"I do know her." Merlin answered as he opened his eyes and locked gazes with Balinor.
The latter's eyes widened before they returned to their previous size. With arms still crossed and head lightly turned to the left, Balinor asked, "How exactly do you know her?"
"I was born in Ealdor. You know how it is. People from a small village are bound to know each other." Merlin responded.
Balinor seemed hesitant at first. It appeared he was dubious about it all and had a feeling Merlin was keeping something from him. Merlin did not blame him. He would be suspicious as well were their roles reversed.
"How is she then? Did she get married?" Balinor questioned.
Merlin smiled sadly. "No, she never got married."
Balinor was surprised, but failed to hide the small smile that threatened to escape before he asked, "How so?"
"She said she had already found and lost her love once. She did not want to go through similar pain once more." Merlin replied coldly.
Balinor's expression became solemn. Soon it became somber as he narrowed his eyes and responded, "I can hear the accusation your words are laced with, Merlin. I suppose you care for her deeply."
Merlin laughed humorlessly. "Much more than that."
Balinor frowned, "What do you mean?"
Merlin's face hardened when he uttered, "She is my mother."
The wind picked up once more. It hurled toward the rocks and caves, sizzling with the whispers of the dead. The mountain gave no answer. It simply remained as silent as it had always been, simply allowing the gusts of freezing cold air to pass through it. Now, however, another member was added to the reverberation of those whispers – the fog. The blinding dampness appeared to be a mute observer to everything. It watched as it started to drizzle, adding a melody of forlorn worlds. It witnessed how the wind altered its speed, hitting the rocks with ferocity akin to that of a furious warlock who had just lost a loved one.
Then there were also the haunting tunes of fear that wind carried with himself sometimes. Those tunes were similar to the emotional state a certain dragon lord was now in.
"Merlin, come back here!" Balinor screamed, disrupting the nature's endless conversations.
"Like hell I will." Merlin mumbled as he walked out of the cave, immediately becoming drenched with gelid water.
Fire shot through the night, but did not reach its target. The rain had prevented the collision, making Balinor thoroughly unhappy. He needed to conceive a plan and soon, otherwise Merlin was going to walk out of his life again. Thinking quickly Balinor sighed and brought his hands together.
"I guess there is no way round it." He murmured as he closed his eyes.
As he whispered an incantation, his hands started glowing at particular places, forming three perfect circles. These circles started from the base of the palm and spread all the way to the tips of the man's fingers. His eyes, which had opened three minutes prior, had the same glint as well. When the final word was whispered, three glowing ropes were sent Merlin's way, entangling themselves in his body. One bound his feet together, while the other kept his hands planted firmly at the back. The third secured his upper arms.
Merlin thrashed and squirmed, but only ended up with fruitless effort. He was glad, however, that the ropes had not tightened with his movement. He was about to whisper an incantation when two hands grabbed his shoulders and hurled him up. The vise grip he was currently being held in made him reevaluate his plan. His mind, however, refused to work when his eyes met with furious swirling pools of fire.
"Never just walk out on me like that ever again!" Balinor screamed as his heart rate eased down.
Merlin was gasping for breath as well. His heart hammered in his chest. He could not believe that he was experiencing part of Balinor's mixed emotions. The warlock soon managed to relax for the fire in Balinor's eyes had disappeared.
"Do you promise to let us talk this through?" Balinor asked.
Merlin merely nodded unable to form any words. His mind was still preoccupied with the conversation or lack thereof he and Balinor had previously shared. To Merlin's dismay Balinor had at first refused to believe him. Even after Merlin flared his magic and tried to convince Balinor that the connection they shared and their obvious similarities were too great to ignore, that still had not worked. In the end, just as Balinor was coming to terms with the idea of having a son, Merlin became fed up. He simply stormed out of the cave, deciding not to pay any more attention to Balinor or waste his time on a man who was technically his father, but had not acted like one since he had found out the truth.
Merlin was currently sitting by the fire with a fried fish in one hand. His eyes focused on the flames as they danced before him, effortlessly lulling him to sleep. However, tonight in particular Merlin was restless and it was clearly shown by his constant fidgeting. Balinor had tried to calm him down to no avail. The boy was beyond the point of turning back. His mind was boggled with far too many issues and unnecessary thoughts.
Part of him was worried that his time was running out. Another was preoccupied with the newly discovered forbidden attraction toward a certain black-haired vixen. And a third was busy replaying the conversations Merlin and Balinor had had until it reached boiling point.
A fireball was shot Balinor's way, making the man jump in the knick of time. The captain of 'Magic' whirled around only to come face to face with his attacker. Merlin was livid. Before his eyes there was nothing but white. His mind was long gone. Nothing that was said to him registered. No amount of convincing could do the trick. Balinor had to resort to brutal force.
With a clenched fist Balinor whispered an incantation which made his arm glow bright green. He waited for Merlin to rush toward him with a sword which was conjured up from the boy's energy, a feat Balinor had to give him credit for. However, now was no time for gawking or feeling proud. Now he had to deal with a different matter entirely – stop his own son.
"Merlin, I am giving you one last chance. Stop this madness!" Balinor screamed, but the boy paid him no heed.
The man sighed. He had no other choice but to dodge the few times Merlin aimed for his skin only to end up slicing air. Balinor grunted when Merlin managed to cut his cheek. However, soon, Merlin was sprawled on the floor, moaning uncontrollably from a gash across his stomach. Blood oozed from the wound slowly as his chest rose rapidly. Balinor panted, but did not run toward Merlin's side. He merely stood, watching the boy gasp for air. Soon Merlin managed to calm down and the gash began healing. Once the boy's heart had almost completely adopted its normal pace, the wound disappeared, leaving only a scar.
"What the hell was that for?!" Merlin yelled as he got up hastily. However, once his feet were firmly planted on the ground his vision blurred. His head started spinning. His feet gave out and soon he found himself flying toward the floor. Surprisingly, the impact never came. Instead Merlin's form was now secured in a tight semi-embrace. As the boy's mind began fogging, one strange thought crossed his mind – Balinor's hold was definitely not unpleasant.
The dripping of water woke Merlin up. His eyes opened slowly and it took him some time to get used to the strange lighting. Just when the thought passed through his mind, his groan died in his throat. Merlin bolted upward and was soon on his feet, palms acquiring one yellowish-orange glowing sphere each.
"Glad to see you are finally awake, Emrys." A deep voice whispered.
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
A/N: I take it a lot of you enjoyed the cliffhanger. I hope what happened in this chapter was not too obvious. Also, I hope you guys liked it.
I want to thank you for reviewing, following, favouriting and reading. I wanted to mention something else as well. I am very grateful for the warm response the previous chapter received. Thank you all for your support. Please continue to be so in the future.
Until next time,
~ QueenofRhymes ~
