Merlin had to deal with a lot of responsibilities as Arthur's court magician. It was up to him to keep the kingdom safe, and to serve his king and friend. Every day seemed to come with its new challenges, and it was absolutely exhausting, but it was work, and he was lucky to have these opportunities that most magicians could never dream of.
However, that didn't mean that Merlin went looking for trouble, or hoping for something new to be thrown his way because he wanted some excitement. He would give anything to have a quiet day every once and awhile. Where he could rest for more than five minutes without having to worry about trolls invading the kingdom, Hisirdoux getting himself into trouble, or Arthur and Morgana fighting.
Merlin had thought that he'd found one such day. Arthur was in a private meeting with visiting nobles, and he'd insisted multiple times that he wouldn't need Merlin's assistance that day. He hadn't heard any rumors about magical creatures or threats of wizards in Camelot, so he didn't think the kingdom was in immediate danger. Merlin didn't even have to worry about Hisirdoux, because Morgana had said that she wanted to watch the boy for the day. She didn't want Hisirdoux to feel uncomfortable around her just because he couldn't do shadowmancy.
Merlin thought that Morgana was a bit of a bad influence on Hisirdoux, but he still encouraged them to spend time with each other. His apprentice needed a friend other than his familiar, and Merlin hoped that if Hisirdoux had more people who could watch him, Merlin could afford to take his eyes off of him.
He should have known better. While Hisirdoux had a tendency to be found by trouble, Morgana was one who went looking for it. Merlin should have expected that if the two of them were spending time with each other, there would be trouble sooner rather than later. He should have known that his nice, quiet day wouldn't last for more than a few hours. And yet, somehow, Merlin was still surprised when a young servant came running into his tower, a panicked look in his eyes.
"Master Merlin, we're under attack!" The servant said frantically.
"An attack?" Merlin raised an eyebrow. He'd been up here in his tower, studying quietly, and he hadn't heard or sensed anything like an attack. There were no knights in the halls, no magical pleas for help from either Morgana or Hisirdoux, and one look outside showed that the day was calm. It certainly didn't look like there was a threat nearby. "What kind of attack?"
"There's a magical beast running around the castle." The servant looked close to tears. Merlin waved his staff with a calming spell, otherwise he may not get very much information from the servant. The lad took a slow, deep breath. "We-we don't know where it came from, and none of the knights' attacks are doing anything."
Well, that didn't sound very good. Still, Merlin wasn't going to jump to conclusions. If the beast was indeed a threat, they had to find a new way to defeat it. However, if the beast was harmless it didn't matter if the monster couldn't be harmed, because it wasn't there for a fight.
"Alright, I'm coming," Merlin gestured for the servant to lead the way. The boy looked terrified, but if Merlin tried to find the beast on his own, he may waste precious time. It was better that one servant boy be scared than for everybody in the kingdom to be in danger.
Merlin was led to the halls near Morgana's bedchambers. Merlin saw a dozen different knights crowding the halls, making it hard to push his way to the front, but Merlin couldn't exactly blame them. A beast anywhere in the castle could be a threat, but especially if the beast was anywhere near the nobles, especially Arthur or Morgana.
The servant had fled, but Merlin could already see the outline of a large creature. He didn't need a guide anymore. Merlin took a deep breath and raised his staff. He pushed back the knights that were still blocking him so he could get a proper look at the creature, and it was unlike any beast he had ever seen.
The creature was the size of a massive cat, larger than any wildcat that Merlin had ever seen. The size and color reminded him of pictures he had seen of beasts called lions, except this creature was far more than that. Merlin may have never seen a lion for himself, but he was fairly confident that they didn't have faces that resembled bears' or large wings.
As odd as the creature looked, the thing that bothered Merlin most about it was its aura. There was definitely an air of magic around the beast, but it was a magical aura that Merlin was incredibly familiar with. When he took a close look at the beast he saw the occasional pale blue flicker that he was all too familiar with.
Merlin frowned and lowered his staff. It was no wonder the knights hadn't been able to manage to harm the creature. One couldn't exactly harm an illusion. Merlin could use his own magic to dispel Hisirdoux' magic, but he didn't dare to. Magic was an extension of a magician. It could be dangerous for a caster if their spell was broken suddenly. Merlin may not be happy with Hisirdoux, but he didn't want to harm his young apprentice.
Merlin ignored the knights and stepped towards the beast. It didn't try to attack him, or even acknowledge him in any way. The creature was minding its own business, as Merlin knew that it would. He approached the beast without fear and stepped right through it. The knights were shocked and slightly panicked, but they weren't the ones he was focusing on right now.
Merlin went to the door to Morgana's bedchambers and knocked harshly on the door. He could hear a lute and some muffled singing inside. It seemed that Hisirdoux was playing with that instrument of his. This shouldn't irritate Merlin, but it did. What was Hisirdoux doing, to carelessly play music and leave an illusion unattended?
Merlin didn't wait for Morgana to open the door. He let himself into the room, closing the door behind him and sealing it closed with his magic. He was here to have a private conversation with Hisirdoux, and he didn't want to be interrupted.
Now that he was inside the room Merlin could actually hear the words of Hisirdoux' song. He was stumbling and stammering slightly, holding some words out for a needlessly long time or rushing through them as quickly as he could. It sounded as though Hisirdoux' little song was one that he was making up on the spot.
Hisirdoux seemed to be singing of a cheerful, yet monstrous creature, a beast that he described as having the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and face of a bear, much like the illusion outside the room. Morgana and Archie were both laughing at Hisirdoux' lyrics, occasionally making ridiculous suggestions of their own, which made Hisirdoux laugh himself before he incorporated them into his song. It was a foolish, fun game.
Any other day, Merlin would be amused by this, much like Morgana currently was. Even when he was clearly improvising, the boy was a surprisingly skilled musician. He had a lot of passion and very little shame, which Merlin had come to realize were good traits for any kind of performer. However, Merlin suspected it was because of that very passion that the castle was in such a panic at the moment, so no, he wasn't impressed or amused.
"Hisirdoux!" Merlin snapped. Hisirdoux cut himself off immediately and his hands slipped on the lute, making an ugly sounding chord. The magical energy that had been coming off of Hisirdoux while he'd been playing his music suddenly disappeared. Merlin didn't have to open the door to know that the illusion had disappeared. That was one problem taken care of, but now he had to make sure that nothing like this happened again.
"Master," Hisirdoux grinned at him. He didn't seem at all bothered by the unimpressed glare that Merlin gave him. "I didn't notice you there. Did you need some help reading those old books of yours after all?" The boy's question was genuine, but Merlin crossed his arms at the teasing, somewhat flippant tone. He had come to talk to Hisirdoux about controlling his magic, not to be disrespected.
Merlin scowled and grabbed Hisirdoux' lute, snatching it harshly from him. Archie hissed and arched his back, Morgana crossed her arms at Merlin, and Hisirdoux seemed to realize that Merlin was unhappy with him. The boy lurched forward, as though to take his lute back, but he restrained himself.
"Master?" Hisirdoux looked at him with uncertainty in his eyes, which just irritated Merlin more. The boy hadn't realized that he'd lost control of his magic at all, and that just wouldn't do. Any decent magician had full control of their powers, or at least recognized when they cast a spell unintentionally.
Deep down Merlin knew that this wasn't the boy's fault. He was still learning, and Merlin really shouldn't fault him for lacking control, but the bit of magic that had happened outside had been a powerful illusion, and it had lasted for at least a few minutes. All accidental magic could be dangerous, but especially something like this. Did Hisirdoux not realize the danger he would be in if Arthur got word of what had happened today? Nothing that Merlin could say would be able to convince the king that Hisirdoux had no malicious intentions, or that he had enough control of his magic to not be a threat.
"Do you have any idea of what you've done?" Merlin asked sharply. Hisirdoux flinched ever so slightly, and Merlin felt a twinge of guilt. He wasn't trying to scare the boy, but he was scared for him. They were incredibly lucky today, and Merlin doubted their luck would hold out. If Hisirdoux used accidental magic like this again, Merlin thought that they would be lucky if the boy was only banished from the kingdom.
"I haven't done anything!" Hisirdoux said desperately. He looked slightly panicked.
"He's been in here with me for hours," Morgana said coldly. "We haven't done any magic."
"Then do you care to tell me why there was an illusion of a lion, bear, winged beast hybrid roaming the halls, terrifying the knights and causing a panic?" Merlin asked.
"What?" Hisirdoux paled slightly. "I...I didn't try to-"
"It doesn't matter," Merlin said sharply. "You're fortunate that an illusion was all that you conjurred. What would you have done if the creature was real?" Merlin narrowed his eyes at Hisirdoux, who shrunk under his gaze. Merlin knew he should back down and calm himself, but he couldn't bring himself to. Hisirdoux had to learn. "What if you were singing about a fire burning down the castle, or Camelot under attack. What if you had suggested that the king had died?"
"I-I wouldn't…" Hisirdoux' eyes were wide and dilated. He looked like he was shivering. Hisirdoux was hunching his shoulders slightly. Was he cold?
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Morgana stepped in front of Hisirdoux in a way that was almost protective, though Merlin didn't know what she thought she was protecting him from. Merlin wasn't about to hurt the boy. "Douxie was just having fun. So what if he happened to use accidental magic? It happens to the best of us."
"Well, it can't." Merlin said. They couldn't afford to let this happen again, it was too dangerous, for the inhabitants of the castle, and for Hisirdoux himself.
"You can't keep him from using accidental magic." Morgana crossed her arms. "You can't even keep yourself from letting magic slip through your oh so perfect control."
"Perhaps not," Merlin looked at the lute in his hands. The very thing about this kind of magic was that it couldn't be helped. However, there were precautions that could be made. Merlin suspected that the illusion had appeared because Hisirdoux had gotten careless while he'd been singing. Magic was manifested through will-power and passion. Someone couldn't become a great magician if they didn't truly care about their magic, no matter how much they were forced to practice.
Hisirdoux' little illusion spell had latched onto the boy's passion for his music, and fed off of it. That was why the illusion had been so powerful, because his passion was strong. Merlin didn't want to kill Hisirdoux' passion, as he believed it to be one of the boy's strongest traits, but they couldn't afford to let something like this happen again. As long as Hisirdoux was still learning magic, it was too risky to allow him to continue to feed his passions. Merlin had to nip this in the bud before something truly unfortunate happened.
Merlin tightened his grip on the lute. He looked Hisirdoux in the eyes, his gaze apologetic, but firm. "I'm sorry about this, but I have no choice. I cannot allow a repeat of this incident." Merlin's staff began to glow as he brought up a spell that he hadn't used in a long time, a spell that was much more Morgana's style. A spell of destruction.
Hisirdoux' breath got caught in his throat and he stared at Merlin in panic as he realized too late what Merlin was about to do. "Master, pl-" Merlin cast his spell before Hisirdoux could finish his desperate plea. In a moment the lute in his hands shattered and splintered like a mirror. Hisirdoux froze and stared in horror at Merlin's empty hand. He looked more terrified than his life had been threatened by Galahad and the other knights.
Merlin sighed and reached out towards Hisirdoux, but the boy flinched and scrambled back from him so frantically that he ended up falling off the bed. Merlin moved to help Hisirdoux up, but Archie jumped in the way and bit his hand. Hisirdoux took this opportunity to rush to his feet and rush to the door. Merlin had used his power to seal the door closed, but Hisirdoux' out of control emotions manifested into magic and knocked the door open so harshly that it was nearly knocked off its hinges. Archie flew after him. Merlin went to follow them, but Morgana grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"What was that?" Morgana hissed.
"I did what was necessary," Merlin said shakily. He didn't regret what he had done. He had to keep Hisirdoux safe, even at the cost of his happiness. Merlin felt horrible, but his personal feelings were irrelevant. If taking Hisirdoux' lute, his method of expressing his passion, away from him was the only way to keep him safe from himself, then so be it.
"Necessary?" Morgana's eyes flashed dangerously and the flames in the fireplace flickered as though a strong breeze had gone through the room. "You just broke that boy's heart."
"Better that than for him to be dead," Merlin said loudly. His staff glowed a vibrant green as he just barely contained his own powers.
"Dead?" Morgana's look of fury turned to one of confusion and concern. "What do you mean?"
Merlin looked sternly at Morgana. "What do you think your brother would do if he learned about this incident? Would he accept the excuse that this was just an accident?"
Morgana took a deep breath and glared to the side. Merlin could feel the fury coming off of her. "No, he wouldn't."
"I am trying my best to keep this boy safe," Merlin said.
"Well, perhaps your best isn't what's best for him." Morgana glared at Merlin and gestured to the door. She considered their conversation to be finished, and Merlin didn't have the energy to continue to make excuses to her. He had the feeling that this was just one of those instances where he and Morgana wouldn't be able to agree, and it was a waste of time to try.
Merlin left the room, waving his staff to put the door back where it belonged. He was relieved to find the hallways were near empty. He had known that the illusion had disappeared once Hisirdoux had stopped singing that song of his, but Merlin was glad that most of the knights were gone as well. Hopefully once the creature had vanished, the knights had believed that the threat was gone.
The only person in the hall still was Galahad. The knight raised an eyebrow at him when he saw him. "You've dealt with the monster?"
"If by monster you mean my young apprentice letting his magic get the better of him, then yes, I dealt with it." Merlin sighed. He felt more exhausted than he would be if he had spent all day protecting the kingdom from real threats.
"Ah, I was wondering why the lad ran off so quick," Galahad said. "That beast of his looked ready to set the castle ablaze.
"Dragons do have a tendency to get violent when they're protective." Merlin said. He was having a difficult enough time with Hisirdoux, but now he should probably start worrying about what Archie would do if he hurt the boy further.
"I don't envy you having to deal with those two." Galahad shook his head. "It gives me a headache just watching what they get up to."
Merlin wanted to say that they weren't all that bad, but he himself had a bit of a headache and his stomach was twisting in knots at the thought of what could have happened if Hisirdoux' accidental magic had gone just a hair too far.
Galahad gave him a sympathetic look. "Why don't you join me for a pint of mead? You look like you could use a drink."
"Perhaps I will." Merlin wasn't as fond of drinking as Galahad was, though, to be fair, he didn't know anybody who was. However, the thought of having a few drinks and pushing back his guilt and fears sounded very appealing.
Merlin knew that he would have to talk to Hisirdoux sooner or later, but he thought it would be best for both of them if he gave the boy some time to calm down. Once Hisirdoux was ready to hear what he had to say, Archie was ready to not attack Merlin the second he saw him, and Merlin could properly explain his reasoning in a way that the boy would understand, then they would talk. Until then, Merlin would much rather forget, just for a few hours.
A/N: A somewhat shorter chapter, but the next one should be longer than average, so things even out. The next few chapters are going to be direct continuations of this one.
Writing from Merlin's point of view isn't as easy as it is to write about Douxie, but this particular chapter had to be from Merlin's perspective, otherwise he would just come off as way too cruel.