Author's Notes: Yep, it's been a while, but I am back and the story commences! (You have no idea how many attempts it took me to spell commences correctly). So read, review, and enjoy!
PS: It's not that big of a deal, but in the last chapter I put Ygraine instead of Vivienne, so sorry about that. Just wanted to let you know because it bothered me.
Merlin rounded the last corner to Morgana's room. Mordred, after saying his piece, just turned around and left, leaving Merlin standing there, calling after him. The young warlock decided that the kid was the creepiest kid he had ever met, which was saying something because some of the Resistance children were strange.
He came across a door that, according to the map, should be the door to the Lady Morgana's room. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, calling out, "Lady Morgana? I'm here with a sleeping draft for you. From Gaius."
Evidently whomever was within the room had been startled by his voice, because they squeaked and there was a thud as if someone dropped something. A sweet voice called out, "In a minute!" There was the sound of two people shifting papers and putting things away and covering things up.
When the door finally opened, Merlin's eyebrow was already raised and he saw two women looking at him. One was the serving girl he had asked directions from earlier, but the other was pale, with black, wavy hair and startling green eyes. Merlin said, "You know, if you want to hide something, you should be a little more discrete than that. Anyway, which of you lovely ladies is the Lady Morgana?"
The serving girl, who knew that Merlin knew that she was a serving girl, blushed and looked down. The black-haired girl lifted her chin defiantly and said, "I am the Lady Morgana."
Merlin grinned at her and she blinked back at him. He was not what she was expecting. Merlin said, "Well then, milady, may I present you with your royal sleeping draft." He swept down low into a bow, flourishing his arm to give her the potion. Both girls giggled and he grinned at them again.
Morgana smiled and said, "You may just call me Morgana, just, probably not around my father. This is Gweneviere, though she prefers to be called Gwen. What's your name?"
Merlin was about to answer when Prince Arthur, also known as Prince Clotpole, turned the same corner that Merlin had turned not too long ago. Arthur stopped dead in his tracks and said, "It's you!"
Morgana, Gwen, and Merlin all pointed to themselves and said, "Me?" at the same time. Before Arthur could react, they all started laughing uncontrollably. Until King Uther swept into the corridor and saw the strange gathering of people around his daughter's room. Gwen and Merlin fell into hasty bows and everyone stopped laughing. Uther was about to speak when Vivienne, holding her son's hand, came around the corner with Mordred.
For a moment, everyone in the hallway kind of just stood there and stared at each other. Uther broke first, saying, "I have to get to the throne room. Carry on." He strode off quickly.
Vivienne was about to pull Mordred on their way when she realized that he was staring at Merlin with his head tipped to the side. The queen walked up to Merlin and said, "Does Mordred know you?"
Merlin winced and answered honestly, "Um, I met him a little while ago in the hallway. He was staring at me then like he's staring at me now. Your highness." Merlin added hastily to the end. Queen Vivienne smiled and brushed passed him in the direction that Uther had come from. Gwen and Merlin both straightened.
Arthur had sidled closer to Morgana's chambers as everyone had talked and he was right next to Merlin when he said, nonchalantly, as if he really couldn't care less, "So, how's your shoulder?"
Merlin barely kept himself from narrowing his eyes at the prince, but he managed. He answered, "It's fine. Gaius treated it and says that I should be able to use my arm like usual within a few days." If he hadn't been looking so hard, he would have almost missed the brief look of guilt that crossed his face. Merlin was about to make some jibe or another when he heard it, Merlin. The voice boomed through his head, but wasn't painful.
He glanced around at the others and they didn't appear to have heard anything. He filed the experience in the back of his mind and thought about finding a way to extract himself from the situation. He looked briefly at his map and said, "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we meet again soon. This was my last stop for Gaius, so I better be getting back home. Goodbye!" Merlin threw a wave over his shoulder.
Morgana's voice stopped him, "Where do you live? And why are you helping Gaius?"
Merlin turned around and answered, noting the curiosity written on their faces. He sighed and answered, "I live in that little room in the back of Gaius' chambers and I was helping him at first because I don't have a job and he's an old family friend. Now, I'm helping him because I'm his apprentice. Before I came here, I learned some of the physician craft, but Gaius is going to teach me more."
They nodded and Merlin made his escape.
Morgana looked at Arthur quizzically. Her heart was still racing from the heart attack Merlin had just given her and Gwen. They had been going over what was to be said at the next Diamond of the Day meeting when he had started talking. Morgana shook all of that from her mind and asked Arthur, "Why would his shoulder not be alright?"
Arthur winced and said, "I kind of hit it with a mace."
"You what?!" Morgana stormed. She barreled on without giving him a chance to answer, "He seems like a perfectly nice boy who hasn't done any wrong! He was courteous and polite and very flattering! In fact, I think that you could learn a thing or two about manners from him!" Before he could answer, Morgana pulled Gwen into her room and slammed the door. They could hear Arthur paused outside the door for a moment before he continued walking. They collapsed to the floor in giggles.
When the laughing subsided, Morgana pulled out the papers they had had out before. Then Gwen said the strangest thing, "Maybe we should ask Merlin to join the Diamond."
Morgana opened and closed her mouth a few times before stuttering, "W-what?" They had never just met someone and immediately been like, oh, hey, let's invite this person to conspire against the crown with us. Morgana was shocked she had even let the thought cross her mind.
Gwen blushed and said, "I don't know. I just have the strangest – and strongest – feeling that we can trust him, explicably. Something about him tells me that he has secrets to keep too, and that he will keep ours. I also feel like he would be willing to rebel against the crown." She looked down at her hands and shrugged.
Morgana thought over her encounter with the boy and realized that she felt the same way. Those feelings had been what had possessed her to ask him so many questions. She made up her mind, "You said that there are other second generations out there, right? Why don't we wait for them to show up before we start adding people who we don't absolutely need, alright?" Gwen nodded and she smiled. They got back to work, looking at all of the problems they needed to fix and all of the people they needed to address.
When Merlin got back to Gaius' chambers, he found Gaius looking through books in the little balcony at the top of the room. He asked, "What're you doing?"
Gaius jumped and turned at the same time, causing him to trip a little. His weight pressed against the ancient railing was too much and it broke, sending Gaius flying to the ground. Merlin didn't think, he just acted. His eyes flashed gold and time slowed down. Gaius was still falling, but infinitely slower. Merlin glanced around the room for anything that could help and saw Gaius' old bed. His eyes flashed gold again and his swung his head, moving the bed with his mind. When it was positioned to his satisfaction, he let time speed up to normal time and Gaius landed on his bed with an, "Oomph!"
Merlin rushed to his side, "Gaius! Are you alright?"
Gaius wheezed a little as he stood, but he nodded that he was alright. He put his hand on a table to steady himself for a moment and get a breath back before turning to Merlin and saying, "Thank you, my boy. I actually have another potion for you to deliver, and then your father wishes to speak to you through the crystals. This potion goes to the Lady Helen, for her voice. Thank you for helping around the place." He pointed to her rooms on the map and Merlin set off.
He was halfway to the room when he heard it again, Merlin. The voice once again boomed through his skull.
When Merlin finally took the right turn and found the room, he found the door to be open. He knocked on it a few times as he stepped inside. He went to put the potion on the dresser, only to find some strange objects. Merlin was about to look closer when he decided that snooping would be wrong. Just then, he looked up and into the mirror.
Right behind him was an old, wrinkled lady who Merlin swore he had seen before, but he couldn't quite figure out who it was right that instant. Merlin swung around, hand to his chest, about to apologize for being in Lady Helen's room when he saw… not the old hag in the mirror. The person in front of him was the Lady Helen, renowned across the five kingdoms for her beautiful singing voice.
She glared at him and asked, "What are you doing here, boy?"
Merlin gulped and said quickly, "I was delivering your potion, from Gaius. He said that you normally get a potion for your voice and he figured he'd just send it to you instead of having you come all the way there to ask for it."
He tapered off when her face softened. She said, "Tell him thank you for me. Oh, and boy?" She called as he was walking out, "Don't come into my rooms if I am not in here ever again, alright?" Merlin nodded hurriedly and went back to his chambers.
Merlin relayed Lady Helen's message back to Gaius before practically skipping up the few stairs to his bedroom. He locked his door behind him and flopped on his bed. He opened his satchel and got out the precious crystal that was his only communication with his family. He put it on the bed in front of him and waited for an image to appear. While he was waiting, he thought about where he had seen the old crone before and remembered the old woman from the execution that morning. It was the same person!
When one did appear, it wasn't his father; it was Morgause. Merlin's face lit up and he said, "Morgie!"
Morgause rolled her eyes and groaned, although Merlin could tell that it didn't actually bother her. They had become much better friends, more like siblings, actually, since he was ten years old and they started creating the gems that would really kick start the Resistance. Morgause then smiled and said, "Merlin! I wish we weren't talking through crystal right now, so I could hug you. It's been almost five days since I last saw you! I miss you, brother."
Merlin smiled at her and said, "I miss you too, sister."
"Aw, how sweet." Nimueh's voice cooed from off crystal. Soon, she moved Morgause back a little bit so she and Balinor could also be seen in the crystal face. Nimueh continued, "I've missed you too, Merlin."
Balinor just nodded to Merlin and Merlin beamed back at them. Then Balinor continued, "So Merlin, what have you learned so far. I know that you have only been in Camelot for a day, but it would be nice to know."
Merlin nodded to him and recounted the events of the day, "Prince Arthur is a prat. Lady Morgana is hiding something that involves her maid, Gweneviere. Someone got executed this morning for using sorcery. That someone's mother is now disguised as the Lady Helen and is probably going to attempt to kill Arthur at the feast tomorrow. Prince Mordred looked at me and said that my name was Emrys. There is something that is really loud that keeps saying my name but no one else can hear it. I think that just about sums it all up. Oh, and the whole Pendragon family is kind of awkward around each other when there are strangers around."
When he glanced back at their faces, he saw that they looked shell-shocked. Morgause's hand was over her mouth and she looked sick, but that was probably because of the execution thing. She never really did like killing. Nimueh seemed as if she was pondering some deep mystery of the earth. Balinor just looked like he was falling and there was nothing to catch him. Merlin asked, "What? What did I say?"
Balinor looked at him and said, "If that voice calls for you again, follow it. Find the source of the voice, no matter what time it is. And don't let anyone else know about it, understand?"
Merlin nodded and was about to say something when Nimueh pitched in, "When you find the source of the voice, ask it about the name Emrys and what it means that you are called that. Can you do those things for us?" Merlin nodded again. After finding out a little bit about how the move went, they had to leave and Merlin had to go to sleep. They said goodbye and the crystal went blank again.
Just as he was lying down to sleep, the voice called out to him, Merlin!
Merlin groaned and threw on his normal outfit before following his magical gut instinct like his tutors had taught him to do. He walked down several hallways and avoided all the guards. Soon, he was faced with a doorway that was locked. He glanced around him and whispered a spell to unlock it. He hurried inside.
After going down several steps, he found two guards playing dice with little gusto. With a flash of his eyes, the dice went rolling down a hallway to get lost in the hay. Both guards started digging in the dirt to find them. Merlin snuck past and grabbed a torch.
He started down a slope that got chillier as he went down, finding a cave at the bottom of it. He looked around the huge cavern and noted all of the different pathways and caves on the other end of the cavern. Merlin called out, "Who are you and why are you calling for me?"
Merlin heard a huge flapping sound, almost like birds' wings, but so much louder. He stared in wonder as a majestic creature landed in front of him, but he didn't understand. These creatures were extinct.
It was a dragon.