16th Challenge: Magic Goes Awry
Write about a character on the show using magic, with unexpected results. You can write about an incident that has already happened on the show, or you can come up with a magical mishap of your own.
Category: Merlin (Gen)
Characters: Merlin, Gaius
Rating: K
Word Count: 266
A/N: Thanks to sarajm for her excellent beta skills.
"Merlin, don't worry. There are bound to be a few mishaps along the way; after all, it's the first time you've tried the translocation spell," said Gaius with a fond laugh as he handed the broom and pan to his young student.
Merlin stood there, red-faced, sparkly and more than a little angry at himself for having mispronounced the simple spell. Instead of saying "feormian dærst rénian", he had said "feormian dorst ranien".
What was supposed to have happened was the water in the bowl in front of him would travel through the air to end up in the goblet placed at the other end of the table. What had actually happened was the water turned into a large pile of what appeared to be crushed diamonds.
But the mishap didn't end there. Oh no! As both Merlin and Gaius stared at the pile of diamond dust that now sat so innocently on the table, the mound suddenly began to shudder and writhe and then, with a flash of light and a quiet "pop", the pile exploded and the diamond dust flew all over the room, covering everything, including the two men, with a film of glitter.
"Well," said Gaius as he attempted to brush the worst of the mess out of his hair, "I'm off to the baths, and I expect these rooms to be spotless by the time I return. And Merlin … might I suggest you practice your pronunciation while I'm out?"
The last thing Merlin heard as Gaius exited the chambers was, "And brush yourself off … you look a right mess!"