A Merlin with a twisted smile
Summary: "Merlin, you'll tell us if you we're in trouble. Won't you?" "Of course, Gwen." The people of Camelot are starting to have nightmares. All of them have one thing in common. There's a Merlin with a twisted smile and eyes that flash gold. (One-shot)
Note: Please, also stop leaving reviews about my grammar being bad. I am only one person and I will not be looking for betas. So, if you see mistakes kindly ignore them. Thank you to everyone else though who have been supportive.
The dreams kept coming.
They seemed normal.
It was just Merlin and Gwen chatting about their day.
Merlin telling Gwen about her husband being a prat.
Merlin telling Gwen about the servant gossip, but then it happened those eyes.
Those eyes Gwen had seen before in Morgana. A Lady Gwen was once loyal to before her heart turned dark and twisted. Those golden eyes on Merlin.
"Merlin," Gwen dream self said. "Whatever we did. We can fix it."
"You killed them," Merlin said.
"Who? Who did we kill Merlin?"
"My people you slaughter them. Now, I will slaughter you."
His eyes flash gold. Gwen dream self goes flying, but before she can hit the wall she wakes up.
She panting and sweaty. Her husband moved beside her.
It was a dream.
Gwen tells herself.
A horrible, awful dream.
Merlin eyes flashing gold.
She can't shake the feeling that maybe it was more than just a dream.
Gwaine is trying to sleep.
Key word trying.
He isn't doing too well at the whole sleeping thing mainly because nightmares wouldn't leave him alone. Nightmares about his best friend his best friend standing their eyes filled with rage.
Gwaine dream-self asked Merlin what he had done wrong. Why was Merlin upset with him? What caused Merlin so much pain?
"You killed them," dream Merlin said.
"Killed who?"
Because for the love of Camelot Gwaine couldn't remember who he had killed that would've been important to Merlin.
"The druids. You killed them. You killed my people."
Merlin eyes flash gold and before Gwaine dream-self hits a wall he wakes up panting, sheets on the floor pillow tossed to the side and really, he's just a messed.
He tells himself that it was a nightmare.
He has a feeling the nightmare was sharing a small bit of truth that made far too much sense to Gwaine.
Merlin had magic.
Percival sees it in his dream.
His little brother in all, but blood standing there with fury.
"Merlin whatever it is we can fix it," the dream version of the King said.
"It too late for that Arthur. I see now. I see you are no better than your father. You and the knights. There's no hope for this land. But I refuse to stand down and watch you slaughter them."
"Slaughter who?" Percival dream-self asked because for the love of Camelot he really can't recalled who they had killed to trigger Merlin to turn on them.
"My people."
Merlin eyes flash gold.
Percival wakes up finding himself stumbling out of the bed and hitting the floor.
He tells himself it was a dream.
Why did Merlin having magic make so much sense?
Leon had never seen so much rage before in Merlin eyes.
He had never thought it was possible.
Merlin was so pure, so kind, so sweet. Something had changed. Something had changed to the point that Merlin fury no longer could be kept at bay and now it rises.
"Merlin," Leon dream-self said. "The King looking for you. He wants you home. You're still welcome back."
Merlin didn't comment. His eyes flashed gold and Leon flew before he landed into a wall. He wakes up.
It was just a dream. Yet, Merlin having magic made so much sense.
Elyan isn't too sure what to think.
All he knows is he didn't like these nightmares. He was used to nightmares it comes with the title of being a knight. Sometimes battles playout in his mind, from the people he had killed to the people who had died around him.
Sometimes he has nightmares about his sister being killed, sometimes he has nightmares about Merlin being killed.
This was new though.
Merlin looking at him with so much rage and sadness.
Merlin disappointed in him.
Merlin frowning at him.
Elyan had only ever known the man to be a cheerful man. Always a smile, always had a joke this was not the Merlin Elyan knew.
"Merlin we can fix this," dream Elyan said.
"You had your chance."
Merlin eyes flash gold and Elyan wakes up.
He tells himself it's just a dream.
Arthur having a nightmare again.
Nothing new, they come and go, but he didn't like this one because Merlin was there.
Merlin was there standing at him with so much rage in him that it almost hurt to see.
His eyes flash gold.
"You're a sorcerer," dream Arthur said.
"I was always one," Merlin dream-self said. "I was born with it. All this time I stood beside you and you we're too blind to see. I had hopes for you Arthur. Hopes that you will be a great King. You weren't. You're no better than your father."
"What do you mean Merlin?" Arthur asked.
He tells himself that it's the magic. The magic that caused Merlin to act like this, just like it poisoned his sister heart it poisoned Merlin.
"You slaughter them."
Around him are the dead. They are druids.
"You and your knights killed every one of them. Man, woman and child. All dead now because of you. You Pendragon are the true monster."
Merlin eyes flash gold.
Arthur expected to find himself being slammed into a wall, but he isn't.
His dream-self stabbed his friend with his sword. Merlin eyes widen.
"No," Arthur cried out as Merlin dropped to the ground.
Another dead body among the druids.
Arthur wakes up.
"Gwen?"
"Arthur? What is, are you alright?"
"Just a bad dream. You shouldn't be up this late."
Gwen is sitting beside him her eyes widen with fear like she had just saw her worse nightmare come true.
"I want to check on Merlin," Gwen said.
"Then let check on Merlin."
"Arthur?"
He didn't answer his wife question. The King running out of his chambers and down the halls.
He needed to know. He needed to make sure that Merlin wasn't dead.
"Merlin."
Gwen followed behind him.
"Merlin."
He didn't care if he was waking up the whole castle. He wanted to know. (He didn't see nobles and servants alike poking their heads out through doors, they to waking up from a nightmare. Where Merlin had a twisted smile and golden eyes.)
Please, be alive.
"Sire," one guard said. "Is everything alright?"
"Where's Merlin?" Arthur demanded the guard is baffled.
"Most likely asleep Sire, it is passed midnight."
Arthur goes to Gaius not explaining anything to the guard on nightshift as Gwen said thankyou before following after her husband. He wasn't expecting to find Leon running in the halls. Or, Elyan, or Percival and is that Gwaine?
"Did you have a nightmare to Princess?" Gwaine asked.
"Are we all having them?" Leon asked as they hurried through the castle making their way down to Gaius chambers.
"Merlin."
Gaius wakes up the moment the door slammed opened.
"Sire. Is everything alright? We're not under attack, are we? Is anyone hurt?"
"Gaius, where's Merlin?" Arthur asked.
Gwaine rushes to Merlin room.
"Mate, you in there?"
The door opens on it owns, but there is no Merlin. The bed hasn't even been slept in. Gwen gasped at the sight.
"Is everything alright?" Gaius asked.
"Where is he Gaius?" the King demanded.
"Possibly out for a night time stroll. He does it sometimes to clear his mind."
All Arthur thinks is Merlin eyes flashing gold.
"Merlin," Elyan said.
Merlin at the door walking in with a limp of all things. The servant raised an eyebrow.
"Is everything okay? Nobody, hurt?"
"Merlin, I do think they may have had a nightmare," Gaius said.
"What? All at the same time?"
"It is possible. Then again they haven't actually explained to me why they are here."
"Where have you been?" Arthur demanded. "And, why are you walking with a limp?"
Merlin flinched at the sound.
"Not so loud Arthur. I think I have a headache."
"I think you we're hit on the head my boy. Mind telling me what happened?"
"Not too sure. Some sort of fight broke out."
Merlin?
Fights?
Arthur knows that the pair are keeping secrets. He also knows about the blood that is following Merlin.
"Oh, I'm bleeding. I didn't notice that."
"Come on then sit down, sit down my boy before you fall. Now, everyone out of the chambers. Merlin needs help at the moment and there are far too many people. Unless of course, any of you are badly injured?"
"No, we we're just checking on Merlin," Leon said.
Merlin seemed so confused.
"Why me?" Merlin asked.
Arthur sees the blood on the floor. His nightmare in his mind replaying how he stabbed Merlin in the heart.
"Merlin, you'll tell us if you we're in trouble. Won't you?" Gwen asked.
"Of course."
Arthur knows his wife got a feeling that he wouldn't.
"Out everyone and close the door on your way out," Gaius said.
Percival was the last one to leave the room.
"What a matter with them?" Arthur heard Merlin voice from the other side of the door.
"I'm sure it was just a nightmare Merlin."
"About me? Why would that cause so much panic?"
"Even if you don't believe it my boy. You do have a lot of people who care about you."
Arthur tries not to think about the fact that Merlin doubted them.
He also tried not to think about his nightmare.
The nightmares happen to everyone in Camelot. From nobles to servants alike. Anyone that knew Merlin. Anyone that had spoken to him. Anyone he had helped and Merlin had helped a lot of people. They would have these dreams.
Nobody, like the dreams.
The nightmares.
It wasn't the golden eyes that scared them. It was the twisted smile. The laughter that followed a sign that Merlin had lost his mind and became Camelot foe. Nobody, in Camelot liked these dreams.
The nightmares kept coming.
None of them slept.
The King, the Queen his knights and Arthur could see it. Merlin was worried. Arthur heard the conversations his servant had with Gaius.
"What going on Gaius? Is it mandrake."
"We will keep looking Merlin, but for now I have no idea what it is."
"They won't tell me what's wrong. They just keep asking if I'm alright."
Gaius could only sigh.
"That's not all Gaius. Everyone in the Kingdom having them to."
"I know my boy I know. We just need to keep searching."
It was true Arthur just wanted to know if Merlin was alright. If Merlin was alright then maybe, just maybe Arthur can stop his best friend from going insane.
"Merlin are you okay?" Gwen asked.
"I'm fine, Gwen you need to rest."
Gwen shakes her head.
"No, no I can't. I just want to know if you are okay. You are, aren't you?"
"I am Gwen, but I'm worried about you and everyone else. You need rest."
Gwen didn't want to sleep.
Gwen also didn't like the worry in Merlin eyes.
Merlin was under Leon bed.
"Can I help you?" Leon asked.
"I can't find it," Merlin said as he bolted up of the ground.
"Can't find what Merlin? Are you alright?"
"Would you stop asking that?" Merlin snapped.
Leon was a knight.
He was trained to face whatever would attack him. It was his job to protect. He was a knight.
Yet, he flinched because of a servant because for that one second those eyes reminded him of the Merlin from his dreams.
That was washed away replaced with worry.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just want to know, what going on."
Leon will protect Merlin. He will. He will make sure that the real Merlin won't end up like the Merlin in his dreams.
"Leon? Leon are you with me?"
Leon was lost in thought.
"You killed them."
"No."
Gwaine wanted the nightmares to stop.
He wanted this Merlin to stop.
"You killed my people."
"I didn't do it Merlin."
"You did. I hate you."
Merlin eyes flashed gold and fire burnt around them. Gwaine woke up once more.
He wouldn't be able to do it.
If Merlin turned against them Camelot would be slaughter because nobody would be able to kill Merlin. He is sure that even the King wouldn't be able to do it either.
Once more Gwaine didn't sleep.
Arthur sees it again.
That's Merlin.
That Merlin is not his Merlin.
It's different, darker, twister, laughing at him.
"Oh, is the King looking for me? All your knights seem to say that. The King wants you home they say, the King says you're welcome in Camelot they said."
That Merlin gives him a smile, but it wrong and twisted his hair is thicker, curly, he wears black now and fire burns around them.
"Did you miss me?" Merlin mocked.
"Come home Merlin."
Please, he begged.
"Why? To be you're servant again? Just so you can walk on me while I watch you respect all those knights and the woman you love, but walk on me? No, I don't think so. I don't want that, Arthur Pendragon. Want to know what I do want?"
No, Arthur thinks because he already knows the answer and he didn't like it. The smile on Merlin face just grows.
"I want you dead Pendragon."
Merlin eyes flash gold.
Arthur wakes up.
"Arthur, you need to tell me what going on?" real Merlin asked.
This was his Merlin.
His Merlin that wasn't evil.
He wasn't twisted.
He didn't want to kill Arthur.
His Merlin.
His servant.
No, that's what sets it of in some of his dreams. He was his friend.
"Merlin?"
He's so tired. He needed rest. He needed sleep, both Gwen and the knights did. Camelot needed sleep.
"It not just you Arthur. Everyone going through it. The knights of the round table, the knights in general, people in the market everyone in Camelot, but Gaius and I. You need to tell me Arthur. Nobody, would tell me what's wrong?"
His Merlin is crying and Arthur didn't like it.
"Are you okay?"
His Merlin screamed in fury and stormed out slamming the door shut behind them.
Arthur flinched when it happened.
Don't go, his mind begged.
Don't turn out like him.
The man in his dreams with the golden eyes and the twisted smile. The man that looked like Merlin, but wasn't. Lost in rage, and hate. The man that wanted Arthur dead for deaths he had not done yet. That was Merlin.
That was his Merlin.
Just different.
Madder.
Somewhere in life Merlin has enough and turned-out dark. Arthur is sure that Merlin in his dream is still his friend who is worried about him. That Merlin didn't want it to end that way either, Arthur knows what to do.
"Gwen."
"Yes, Arthur."
"I want to lift the laws of magic."
Gwen nodded her head the royal couple go off to do just that.
"You think you can change the past just because you brought magic back."
Elyan tried not to jump at the sound.
"Merlin come home. You're welcome home, please come home. Come home for Gwaine, for Gwen. Come back."
Elyan dream-self tries so hard to get Merlin to come back, but the fire around him burns brighter, hasher.
"No. I refuse to stand in a city that killed my people."
Merlin eyes flash gold.
Elyan wakes up.
Elyan is sure of it.
He's sure that is Merlin.
Just different. Older, full of spite and fire.
Merlin wanted the future to change. Elyan will do just that.
"Gaius."
Merlin is in Gaius chambers when he brings up the matter.
"How do we get them to sleep? The whole Kingdom is a mess. The only ones that aren't effect is us. Even kids are getting it. How do we stop it?"
"I'm not too sure, but magic is coming back."
Merlin waited for that day he truly did, but now he only wanted his friends to sleep.
"I know, but I miss my friends Gaius. I miss them. I'm sick of them given me pity looks like I'm just going to leave."
Gaius just sighed and nodded his head in understanding.
Magic has been brought back, but there's a cost.
"Percival get some sleep."
Percival just shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not tired Merlin."
"You look like you're about to fall over."
"I'm fine."
Merlin sighed.
"Merlin."
"Yes, Percival."
"If you, betrayal us. Will you come back home?"
Merlin frowned at the question.
"Depends if I'm welcome."
"You'll always be welcomed in Camelot Merlin."
Merlin smiled.
It made Percival happy at least for now.
Merlin goes to the woods one night.
He knows something is out there.
Someone taunting his Kingdom. It isn't Morgana.
"Come out. I know your there."
Only the wind responds.
"Why are you doing this?"
He hears it.
The voice in the wind it's faint, but it's there.
For you.
It was the only answer he would ever get.
"No!" Arthur dream-self shouted.
Merlin.
The dark and twisted one impaled himself with Arthur sword.
"We could've saved you."
"No, you couldn't have. I'm too far-gone Arthur and you wouldn't let me go. Let me go Arthur."
"No."
He can't he won't. He will not allow it.
"We would've saved you."
"You didn't with Morgana," Merlin said. "Why me? Why try so hard with me?"
"Because you're Merlin."
"That's not an answer."
He started sobbing because he could feel Merlin leaving.
"You're my friend. I can't lose you."
There's a smile on the twisted Merlin face.
It different.
It's not as big.
Not as crazy.
It's sad.
"Let me go Arthur. Return back to the world you know of."
There's more here that Arthur isn't understanding. More to this Merlin that he isn't understanding.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Merlin," the twisted one said. "Just different."
"I couldn't save you?"
"Not in my world. You couldn't let me go either."
Twisted Merlin let out his last breath.
Arthur woke up crying. Gwen was there to wrapped him in her arms as he held her.
"Did you have the same dream?"
Gwen just nodded.
"Your sleeping," Merlin noted.
Gwen yawned and pulled the blankets over her head.
"Trying to Merlin."
"You're loud," Arthur said. "Go elsewhere."
Arthur gives Merlin a lazy wave towards the door as he hides himself in his sheets.
"The knights, the servants. The Kingdom. Everyone sleeping."
"No, need to sound so proud Merlin. We know how to sleep."
"Yes, but you're sleeping."
"Merlin."
Merlin knows that tone. That was Arthur warning tone.
"I'm leaving." Merlin sang song as he left the chambers.
Shame he woke the pair up the next day opening the currents. Arthur swears the sun has something against him.
It's during a hunt and running into bandits do the knights of the round table see Merlin eyes flashing gold and branches magically dropping on the bandits. The knights noticed and turn to look at the servant.
Merlin just shocked that they noticed.
"Um…"
He isn't too sure what to say.
"How long?" Arthur asked.
One bandit is slowly waking up.
"I was born with it."
"And, why didn't you tell us you had magic when I lifted the law?"
He was more worried about his friend's lack of sleep.
"I was dealing with other things."
The bandit was slowly standing up.
"You still didn't tell us. Merlin we're you planning to tell us at all?"
Eh, no.
"Not really."
The bandit was running towards Arthur.
Merlin eyes flashed gold sending the bandit into a tree. The knights don't even seem shocked at all.
What was wrong with them?
He just used magic in front of them and nothing, their more crossed that he hadn't told them sooner.
"Mate you know bolting things up is not healthy," Gwaine said.
"Beside how am I going to make you Court Sorcerer if you're over there hiding in the shadows?" Arthur asked.
Merlin jaw dropped.
"What? Why are you lot taking this so well?" Merlin demanded.
"We had dreams," Leon said. "We rather you be on our side Merlin."
Merlin was just confused, but fine whatever. He was going back to Camelot.
"Merlin," Arthur said.
Merlin kept walking.
"Merlin, where are you going?"
"Back to Camelot where things make sense."
"Is this because I promoted you?" Arthur said as Merlin hopped on his horse.
"Merlin! Get back here. You still need to show me what you can do with your magic. I've only seen you cast fire."
"Since when?"
"Like Leon said. Dreams."
The knights watched as King chased servant.
"So," Leon said. "Do we need to call Merlin Lord now? Since, he's Court Sorcerer?"
"Why can't I stay as a servant?" Merlin voice was heard in the distance.
"Because that isn't good enough for my best friend."
"Arthur did you just say?"
"Shut up Merlin."
"I'm still calling him Merlin," Gwaine said as he chased after the pair. "Hey! Wait up for us."
Much to Merlin protest he would be late on made Camelot Court Sorcerer and nobody had a problem with it. Merlin had a problem with it. He was still heard whining about the whole thing three years later.
Little did Camelot know they just stopped a future from happening one where Merlin truly did join the dark side.