Step 6: Hide your magical paraphernalia.

In order to properly practice magic, you must keep at least the odd bit around for performing spells. You will probably have at least a few books as well (such as this one or my introductory guide "Simple Spellbinding Spells: Prat-Keeping Edition"). From my vast experience at hiding magic, I have one plea: please, for the love of everyone around you, hide your magical paraphernalia.

I haven't always been the mighty and distinguished warlock I am today. Believe it or not, at one point, I had a hard time hiding my magical supplies. It should be noted that placing magical books on the bookshelf, under your bed, or in your laundry basket are not good hiding places. A magical hiding spot, if you can manage it, is the best option. Otherwise, well, hide at your own risk.

"Merlin!" Gaius's exasperated voice rang out from the room below. Merlin shifted, head peeking out from under the blanket.

"Yes Gaius?"

The old man rolled his eyes at the false innocence in Merlin's reply and held a seemingly ordinary rag out by two fingers as the oaf bounded down the stairs. "Perhaps you would care to explain why this rag was dusting my bookshelf?"

Merlin blinked, looking at the rag with comically wide eyes. "I don't know, Gaius. Do your rags usually do that?"

He barely caught the rag out of the air as Gaius tossed it at him, for some reason seeming rather disgusted. Merlin stroked the rag twice before carefully folding it into his pocket.

"Though it's not preferable, I can deal with your usual amount of clothing strewn about and books left sitting open, but I draw the line at magical objects. I could have been Arthur! Or a guard! And who do you think they'll blame if magic is present in my workshop?" Gaius ranted.

Merlin thought that he would likely be blamed on such an occasion, but Gaius continued before he could protest, "And why on earth have you enchanted, of all things, a dirty rag?"

"Oi! You'll offend him!" Merlin exclaimed, covering his pocket as if he could keep the rag from hearing the insult.

"Him?"

Oh no, the eyebrows were reaching astronomical heights. Merlin cleared his throat and shuffled his feet a few times, "Yes, him. Just because he's not human doesn't mean he has no feelings".

Gauis opened his mouth, then shut it, shuffling off while muttering unsavory things about Merlin's intelligence under his breath. The clock struck the hour outside his window and Merlin ran out the door, ten minutes late to wake the prince and rag long forgotten.

The castle was still recovering from the Dorocha and the chaos they left in their wake. The courtyard was still in shambles, the village streets were lined with refugees, and the countryside was scorched and frozen in equal measures. The castle kitchens, however, were still in full swing. Cook shook her ladle threateningly at Merlin as he entered, dodging a minor lord's manservant and at least three kitchen maids with boiling pots. Merlin weaved his way to the prince's shirt, ducking behind a cabinet just at the right moment to snitch an apple and shove it in his pocket. He took the stairs two at a time, bursting into the prince's room exactly twenty minutes after he was supposed to be there. Luckily for untimely manservants, the oaf was still sleeping.

Merlin hung up the shirt, checked that breakfast had been delivered (it had), and prepared himself for the yelling. After ten minutes of dragging the prince out of bed by his heels, he endured another ten minutes of ranting and threats and dodging flying objects before he finally had the prince dressed and ready to go. Armed with a list of punishment chores, Merlin set out into the village to find the prince some fresh strawberries (of which there would be none) and some flowers that definitely weren't for Gwen. Honestly, it was a bit insulting they thought they were hiding their affection for each other from him. Especially when they recruited him to help them sneak around, but "no Merlin why on earth would I her flowers, you're such a girl Merlin".

In the courtyard, a group of children ran giggling around the fountain, Gwen on their heels. In typical Gwen fashion, she'd taken it upon herself to entertain the orphans of the Dorocha invasion when she wasn't waiting on the King. Merlin joined in the game for a moment, placing the apple from the kitchens in the hands of the race's winner as a prize. He moved on with a wave, mind focused on checking a few of the more doable tasks off his list.

"On your left!"

"It's right behind you!"

"Kill it! Kill it now!"

Merlin raced toward the castle, flowers abandoned on the cobblestone at the sound of the knights' fractic cries. Visions of dark beasts or Morgana's men pushed him to run faster. He finally reached the courtyard, out of breath and ready to fling his rather significant magic at whatever great threat plagued the castle now. Instead he saw the children from earlier huddling behind Gwen, crying as the knights chased...oh no.

"Agh! It's too fast!" Leon raged, sword bouncing off the cobblestone. Gwaine emitted a rather unmanly squeak as Reggie the Rag bounced past him towards the children. One of the little girls evaded Gwen's efforts, scooping up the quivering rag briefly before a knight ran at her, scaring Reggie away. The attack spell died on Merlin's lips as he tried not to laugh at the sight before him. The best knights in Camelot were racing around the courtyard, trying to stab a rag. Granted it was a living rag, but it was funny nonetheless.

Funny until Merlin realized two things: that he had accidently let Reggie loose with the apple and in so doing traumatized the poor rag and all the children he had befriended, and that his magical item was running loose around the castle courtyard. He had to fix this. Now.

With a heavy sigh, Merlin let a quick spell loose. Reggie ceased moving, becoming merely a piece of cloth once more as the knights pounced on him. Gwaine stomped on the rag multiple times before he realized it wasn't moving anymore, then immediately proclaimed his great success.

"The beast clearly submitted to the greatest warrior here" Gwaine crowed, dodging the cuffs the other knights let loose at him.

"The beast?" Merlin strolled up, flowers reacquired. "I didn't see any beast. All I saw were six grown men flailing about trying to stab a cleaning rag".

"Clearly you didn't see much then. This rag was imbued with dark magic" Leon lectured. Behind him, Percivel dejectedly whispered, "We weren't flailing".

"Are you sure it was enchanted?" Merlin stopped and picked up the rag, causing all the knights to lunge for him. Gwaine snatched the rag out of his hands and held it out by two fingers, oddly reminiscent of Gaius earlier that day. "It could have been the wind. Seriously, what sorcerer would risk death to enchant a flying rag?"

Merlin wandered off, leaving the knights to mull over those words and decide whether or not to confiscate the cloth in question. Smiling, Merlin opened his hand and whispered another series of incantations, mentally thanking the traveling circus who taught him sleight-of hand as Reggie the Rag sprang to life once more. Merlin took the stairs two at a time, headed back to his room.

"I've got to hide you better. We don't want a repeat of that" He whispered softly, leaving the knights to bring a perfectly ordinary kitchen rag from the village to justice.