Archie frowned, his tail swishing as he looked over his shoulder back towards Camelot. He hadn't truly seen it as his den, his home. It had just been a place that he had lived. Still, it pained him to see the once great kingdom almost torn apart overnight. The king was dead, the knights had scattered, with only Gallahad staying at the practically deserted castle.
Many of Camelot's citizens, both the humans within the walls of the city and the trolls that hid in the forests, were evacuating the kingdom. After the Battle of Killahead they just didn't feel safe there anymore.
Archie understood their fear. He and his wizard familiar were leaving the kingdom as well, though for slightly different reasons. It was no longer safe for them. The people of Camelot had always been cautious about magic, but after the kingdom was attacked by magicians the people were out for blood. After his battle with Morgana, Merlin was in a magic induced sleep to recover, so he was in no state to defend magic users. Douxie was defenseless, and Archie had to keep on reminding himself just how true that was.
Archie had been cautious around the Douxie that had shown up from the future. He could tell that it was his boy, but when he looked at this new Douxie it was like looking in a twisted reflection. He could tell it was the same boy, but there were just enough differences between them that Archie had been unnerved at first, and it had taken him quite some time to get used to him.
The Douxie that he was used to was insecure, eager to please, and far too enthusiastic for his own good. He frequently got himself in trouble because he didn't always think before throwing himself into situations. Archie's Douxie was also very inexperienced with magic. He knew very little spells. He had great magic potential, but his most powerful magic came out instinctively.
It was a far cry from the arrogant boy from the future who wasn't afraid to question Merlin if he thought he was wrong. Future Douxie had somehow tapped into his full potential. He was a Master Wizard. He had been able to turn his Wizard's staff into a fancy lute. The boy had the power and courage to go toe-to-toe with Morgana, and had ultimately been the one to seal her.
The boy from the future was almost everything that Archie had imagined that Douxie would be one day. Powerful, confident, and willing to risk his own life for the sake of another. It was like a dream come true to see the Wizard his Douxie had become, but Archie couldn't help but be unnerved by it.
When Archie had first started to like the new Douxie, he'd been a little worried that he was just drawn to the boy from the future because he was the Douxie that he wanted his familiar to be. Now that the time interlopers had returned to the future Archie had those doubts creeping up on him again. He'd gotten used to future Douxie, and Archie was worried that he would expect his own boy to be just like him. He was afraid that he would come to be disappointed in his inexperienced and immature familiar.
Worse still, Archie was worried that he would do or say something to make Douxie think that he was disappointed in him. The boy had just lost his master and the one place he had seen as home. Archie wouldn't ever forgive himself if he made the boy feel like he'd lost his constant companion as well.
Archie tore his gaze away from Camelot and looked at Douxie. The boy was fast asleep. Archie normally didn't like it when Douxie slept out in the open, especially when they weren't around the few people they trusted, but he let it go this time.
They had managed to join a group of about two dozen refugees leaving Camelot. Some of these people used to be servants at the castle before everything went wrong. They knew that Douxie had magic, and that was dangerous knowledge in the wrong hands, but the boy had always been friendly to the castle staff, always going out of his way to help assist them. The castle servants saw Douxie as one of their own. As far as they were concerned he had been a servant to Merlin, but he'd just been paid in magic lessons instead of coin.
Archie didn't think they were wrong, but Douxie had never appreciated that kind of commentary. He would defend that he was an apprentice, not a servant, and if that made him feel better at the end of the day Archie would let him believe what he needed to.
It was only because they knew the people they were travelling with that Archie felt comfortable with allowing Douxie to rest. Another factor was that Archie wasn't looking forward to the moments that he knew would come immediately after Douxie woke up.
As much as Archie had grown fond of the Douxie from the future, there was one thing that he didn't think he'd ever forgive him for. The boy, in all his foolish recklessness, had frequently put his past self under a sleeping spell, without properly thinking about the consequences. Even Archie knew that the sleeping spell could cause memory issues, and Archie could already see the signs of it.
Though Archie had been spending most of his time with the Douxie from the future, as he'd been in the frontlines of the battles and had needed his familiar, he had still seen the signs of memory issues with his own Douxie. More often than not, immediately after waking up Douxie would not remember their visitors from the future at all. The poor boy remained confused and anxious for several minutes until he saw the others or someone said something that triggered his memories. Everything would come flooding back to him, and Douxie would then spend the rest of the day pretending he hadn't forgotten so many vital things.
Nobody else seemed to have noticed, which irritated Archie to no end. It seemed so obvious to him, but even the people that should know Douxie really well were blind to his struggles. Archie could forgive Claire and the other kids from the future, as they really didn't know the past version of Douxie, but Merlin should have definitely noticed that something was wrong. Or maybe he had, and he just hadn't thought it was urgent enough to deal with.
Then there was the Douxie from the future. That boy should know his past self better than anybody, especially after Archie had reminded him of the memory related side-effects of his spell. He should have known just what the issue was, but if he had then he had just shrugged it off and pretended that it wasn't as problematic as it was.
Now Archie had to deal with the consequences of his idiot boy's actions. Now that the others had returned to the future he wouldn't be surprised if Douxie never properly remembered everything that had happened, which was problematic. Archie needed to figure out how to tell Douxie just why they had left Camelot, what had happened to Merlin, and why it was more important than ever that they lay low and don't reveal their magic.
Archie didn't want to keep secrets from his boy, but if the boy's mind was determined to forget about all about their guests from the future then no amount of explaining on Archie's part would change that.
Douxie gave a small snort of a snore and rolled over, very nearly rolling off the cart they were riding on the back of. Archie walked up to Douxie and nudged his shoulder. The boy smiled in his sleep and rolled back towards Archie. The dragon purred contentedly and curled up against his wizard, snuggling close to him.
These next few days would certainly be hard. They'd both gotten used to living in the castle, being able to eat whenever they wanted, sleeping in a bed every night, and having a Master Wizard watching their every move, ready to pull them out of trouble if things started to look really bad.
Now they were going back to the way things were before. Just the two of them against the world, having to fight each day just to survive. As a dragon who favored the form of a cat, Archie loved to be lazy, but he was still a wild creature. His instincts allowed him to easily adapt to roughing it. Douxie didn't have that advantage.
That was alright. Archie would be right next to his boy, helping him through it all. That's what it meant to be a familiar, and Archie took that title very seriously.
Archie would be content if his boy remained asleep all night, but it was barely another hour before Douxie shifted and his eyes began to flutter. He was starting to wake up. Archie sat up, trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst. Douxie soon woke up, and for a few blissful moments everything seemed to be just fine. Douxie grinned and pet Archie's fur.
"Hello, mate," Douxie said, his accent even thicker than usual. He blinked a few times and looked around in confusion. "Uh, where are we?"
Archie raised his hackles. He'd been preparing himself to tell the boy why they had left Camelot, but he hadn't thought he would have to tell the boy that they had left at all. Archie had thought that Douxie's memory issues just had to do with the people from the future. Was he going to be forgetting general events? Would this last through his entire life?
Archie swallowed thickly and nuzzled close to his boy, both to give him comfort, and to comfort himself too.
"We're on a cart," Archie stated the obvious, hoping that it would spark something in Douxie's mind.
"Well, yeah, I can see that," Douxie chuckled slightly, though there was an anxious twinge in his tone. He was scared, and it wouldn't be long before his mask of bravado fell. "But why? Where are we going?" Douxie looked around a little more, his eyes full of worry and confusion. "Where's Merlin?"
Of all the questions that Douxie could ask, he just had to ask that one. Archie wasn't ready to address it, not yet.
"We're going to the sea ports." Archie said. "There we might be able to find passage to Ireland." Archie hoped that Douxie would be excited about the idea of visiting the homeland of his mother.
Douxie frowned. "But why are we leaving...Camelot!" Douxie's eyes widened, a spark of recognition in his eyes. "The battle, King Arthur, the kingdom, it's not-"
"It's not safe." Archie said. While it had pained him to see Douxie not remember things, it also hurt to see all the bad memories come rushing back in an instant. He just wanted the boy to be happy. That shouldn't be too much to ask for. "We had to leave."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember now." Douxie took a deep breath. He still looked worried and sad, but he seemed somewhat calmer than before. Maybe they'd be able to get through this conversation without him completely panicking. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky. "What about Merlin? He...he wouldn't just let me leave, would he?"
Archie grimaced. He didn't want to explain why Merlin was incapacitated right now, as he knew it would upset Douxie, but it would be better than having him think that Merlin had abandoned him. Douxie looked up to the Master Wizard, and on good days he was hopeful that his master cared about him at least a little bit, and that was what helped him plow through the bad days. Archie didn't want to see how distressed Douxie would be if he thought there was even the smallest chance that Merlin didn't really care about him.
"No, of course he wouldn't." Archie said, and he wasn't just saying it to make Douxie feel better. Archie may have mixed feelings about Merlin, but he knew that the Master Wizard cared about Douxie in his own way. "Merlin was left weak after his battle against Morgana. His magic put him to sleep, and he may be like that for a while. We're on our own."
"But...but he's okay, right?" Douxie asked anxiously.
"He'll be just fine." Archie said. It did little to calm Douxie.
"Wh-what happened to Morgana?" Douxie asked, like he was afraid to know.
"She was sealed away." Archie said. He didn't specify who was responsible for the actual sealing. He'd let the boy think that Merlin had done it. "We don't have to worry about her anymore."
Douxie pulled his legs close to his chest and looked up at the sky. "I still find it hard to believe that she would do any of this." Douxie shuddered. "I know that Merlin said that shadowmancy was dangerous for a wizard's soul, but I never thought that she would fall so far into the darkness." Douxie took in a shaky breath. "How could I have not noticed what was happening?"
"Wha-hey!' Archie dug his claws into Archie's arm. "This is not your fault. If Merlin didn't recognize the signs, why would you have?"
Douxie grimaced and shrugged. He knew that Archie was right, but his worry and concern was getting to his head. "Why...where was I during the battle? I know there was a fight at Killahead, but I don't remember being there. And I don't think I was helping Merlin fight Morgana either." Archie was quiet for just a moment too long. Douxie flinched and gave him an anxious look.
"A-arch, where was I?" Douxie asked, his voice cracking.
Archie sighed and averted his gaze away from the boy. He, Merlin, and the Douxie from the future had all agreed that it would be for the best that the boy stayed out of danger, though all for different reasons.
Archie had to stay by the future Douxie's side, because if the boy ever needed familiar help it would be during a terrible fight, and he hadn't wanted his boy to be in danger if he wasn't there to protect him. Future Douxie seemed to think that his past self would just get in the way and become a liability. As for Merlin, his reasons were probably a mix between the two.
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but how could he tell Douxie now that he had been safe in Camelot while everybody else had been fighting for their lives? The boy would be devastated and feel like everybody looked down on him, and just saw him as a child that needed to be protected.
Archie had already decided to not lie to his boy, so he sighed and decided to just take the leap. "You were in the kingdom, providing relief to the citizens." He hoped this would appease Douxie, lead him to think that staying behind had been his idea because he'd wanted to keep an eye on the people who couldn't defend themselves.
It wasn't even a lie. While Douxie hadn't stayed behind with the intention of helping the citizens, he'd done everything he could to assist where he could. Douxie always tried to help people, even when he should probably focus on himself. Archie was a lot different.
He had seen just how little a difference it could make when people tried to put good in the world. He admired people who wanted to do good, but he was a little more realistic. The way that Archie saw it, if he was going to put in the effort to do good, it was going to be good that would make a difference. It was going to be something that really mattered. More often than not this meant doing good for himself and those in his immediate circle.
Maybe it was selfish of him, but Archie was both a dragon and a cat. It was in his nature to put his needs and wants above anybody else's.
Douxie wrapped his arms around his legs. His shoulders were tense. The boy's anxiety was building, and all of Archie's attempts to calm him down were just making things worse.
"Wh-why wasn't I with Merlin?" Douxie asked, his voice shaking. "I-I'm his apprentice, it's my job to help him, and yet he fought Morgana alone. I should have been there. I-I should have done something." Just the thought of his Douxie being anywhere near that battle with Morgana was absolutely terrifying, and his fear manifested in anger.
"What do you think you could have accomplished?" Archie snapped. Douxie flinched and looked at Archie in alarm. Too late he realized just how much he sounded like Merlin. He couldn't bring himself to apologize quite yet though. Douxie's idea was stupid, reckless, and would have gotten him killed if he'd followed through with it. Archie needed his boy to understand just how foolish it was.
"Merlin and Morgana are Master Wizards." Archie said. Even Douxie from the future had been a Master Wizard. Even two wizards fighting against Morgana had been far too close of a fight. "You're barely an apprentice who struggles to maintain a cleaning spell."
Douxie was still for a long moment, and Archie's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. His face fell as he felt guilt build up in him. He'd taken it too far. "Douxie-" Archie tried to nudge the boy's chest, like he often did to calm him, but Douxie pushed him away. The boy didn't even look at Archie as he scooted to the edge of the cart. He pushed himself off and stumbled a bit as his feet hit the ground. It took him an alarmingly long amount of time to find his footing, but that didn't stop him from starting to walk away.
Archie's ears flattened. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to leave his boy alone, but he doubted that Douxie would want to be near him right now. This was unfamiliar territory for Archie. He was supposed to be Douxie's constant grounding force, not the one who insulted his magical capabilities.
He'd gotten too used to the Douxie from the future. That boy's arrogance was too strong for his own good, and he needed the criticism to remind him to slow down. This Douxie, Archie's Douxie, wasn't like that. He was scared, insecure, and hungry for validation of any kind. It had been careless of Archie to say something like that, and he had to figure out how to make it right.
Archie watched Douxie walk away for a long moment before he hopped off the cart and followed after him, though he was careful to keep his distance. He would give the boy as much space as he wanted, but he needed to make sure his wizard didn't hurt himself or wander too far from the cart. It was their ride to the sea port.
Douxie walked for a few minutes before he stopped right where he stood. His arms were wrapped around himself and his shoulders were shaking. Archie wasn't close enough to hear, but he'd bet anything that the boy was crying.
Archie had messed up even worse than he'd thought. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the boy cry like this. Archie slowly crept forward, approaching the boy. He hesitated for a moment before he stepped up to him and brushed up against his leg.
Douxie sniffled and knelt on the ground. He wrapped his arms around Archie, who nuzzled against him.
"I'm sorry," Archie said. "I didn't mean it like that, I really didn't." Douxie's magic may not be as strong as it could be, but that didn't matter. He was far more than just his magical abilities, even if he sometimes forgot.
"I-I know." Douxie said weakly, though he really didn't seem to believe it. The boy buried his head in Archie's fur. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
"That's okay," Archie said. "You're still learning."
"But how can I learn now?" Douxie asked desperately. "I don't have a master anymore, and I don't even have his books, so I can't teach myself."
Archie could understand why Douxie would be worried. Douxie had been able to teach himself the very basics of magic before becoming Merlin's apprentice, but his skills were at the awkward point that it would be dangerous for him to teach himself without proper instruction. His magic was strong enough that if something went wrong he could really hurt himself, but his control and knowledge was too weak for him to get himself out of any trouble he may find himself in.
"We'll figure something out." Archie said. Magic may be dangerous to use right now, but it was also dangerous for Douxie to not learn proper control of his powers. It would also be such a shame for him to not develop them. Archie had seen just what Douxie was capable of, and he wanted to see his boy reach that full potential. He wanted his Douxie to be as powerful and confident in his magic as future Douxie was.
"Everything will be fine." Archie nuzzled against Douxie, who gave him a small smile and scratched his ears. "But we really should rejoin the others. We don't want to lose the cart."
"I know," Douxie rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stood up, holding Archie close to his chest. "I'm okay."
"Are you?" Archie asked. He didn't want Douxie to push himself past his limits.
"No," Douxie admitted sheepishly. "But I'm working on it."
"We'll work on it together." Archie promised. He wasn't going to let his boy stumble and fall, at least not without somebody right there to pick him back up. "Come on, let's see if we can find something to eat." Archie wasn't exactly hungry, but he hadn't eaten much that day, as he'd been far too nervous to really eat, and he couldn't afford to not eat. Archie knew far too well how important it was to eat when you had the chance to, because there was no telling just when the next chance would be.
Douxie grinned. Food had always been a guaranteed way to cheer him up when he was feeling down. "Do you know what kinds of foods they'll have in Ireland? I've never actually been there. Maybe it'll taste like what I remember me mammy used to make."
Archie smiled, relieved. This was the excitement he'd been hoping for. "I wonder if the music is different than it is in Britain." Archie himself wasn't a big fan of music. He could take it or leave it. Douxie though, he absolutely loved it. He enjoyed all kinds of music styles.
Douxie's smile broadened. "Oh, I'd love to hear the music of Ireland. I've been looking for some new things to play on my lute." Archie was just glad that the boy had his lute at all. He'd lost so much so quickly, it would just be cruel for him to lose his one personal belonging.
Fortunately their group of refugees were walking right along the path. They travelled slowly, and it didn't take too long before they caught up to them. Douxie climbed back into the back of the supply cart they'd left before. Douxie's bag and lute were right where they had left them.
Douxie opened his bag and pulled out a small loaf of bread and some dried meat. They didn't have a whole lot of food with them, but they could always hunt for more later, or do some work for the other people in the caravan in exchange for some food. At that moment neither of them had the energy or will to put in the effort. The food they had made for a meager meal, but they'd both had worse.
After they ate Douxie leaned back and started playing his lute, humming a little tune as he went. Archie curled up on Douxie's legs and closed his eyes, planning on getting in at least a little bit of rest. He was still worried about his young wizard, but Douxie seemed to be feeling better now. He'd be able to handle a few hours on his own.
Archie doubted this would be the last time that Douxie forgot about the details of everything that had happened in Camelot, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time that he felt uncertain about his own magical capabilities. Archie would have to work with him on that, and also work on biting his own tongue before he said something stupid.
He just had to keep reminding himself that this Douxie was not the Douxie from the future. They were like two different people molded from the same clay. Archie had learned how to stop seeing all the ways that the Douxie from the future was different from his Douxie, now he just needed to do the opposite. He needed to relearn how they were different, or else he might make his familiar think that he held some impossible expectations for him.
It would take time for Archie to adjust, but now that they were out in the world again time was one thing that they had a lot of.
A/N: Similar to my story 'The Wizard's Apprentice', every chapter of this story is going to have a reference or quote in it. That story's references were from Merlin. This time the quotes will be from the Witcher, as you might guess from looking at the title. Some of them won't be direct quotes, but paraphrasing of ideas (like this chapter's), but they are there.