The only sound breaking the night being the far-off screech of an owl, Arthur picked up his sword and crept forward. He kept his breathing shallow and his eyes locked where he'd heard the noise. His heartbeat, which used to be such a steady rhythm, now thundered in his chest, making it hard to breathe. Mordred and his dragon-breathed sword had made Arthur's life so much harder.
"Show yourself." Arthur demanded, stopping before a cluster of bushes. The bushes began to rustle, and the king tensed the muscles in his arm. But before he could do anything, a figure crept out from behind the brush, hands raised.
"D-don't." A child's voice whimpered. "It's only me."
Callum? Arthur blinked, lowering his sword. What…
"What are you doing here?" The king asked, dropping to his knees and grabbing a hold of the boy's shoulders. "Has something happened?"
"No, sire." Callum chewed his lip guilty. Arthur furrowed his brow, not quite understanding what was going on.
"I followed you." Callum clarified, swallowing hard. "I followed you when you left."
Silence. Arthur's concern faded into fury. With a grunt, he stood up, grabbed the boy by the arm, and dragged him over to the fire. He firmly pushed Callum down on the log next to the flickering flame.
"You followed me?" Arthur snarled, pacing back and forth before the boy.
All those miles of land we crossed. Bears, wild boars, bandits… all of those things are out there! Arthur's heart skipped a beat. He could have been killed and we never would have known what happened!
"Did I not tell you to stay behind!" The king roared. Callum flinched.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "But I couldn't."
"Why in the name of God not?"
"Because you could die!" Callum looked up, tears in his eyes. "I couldn't let that happen!"
"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Arthur hissed, still feeling sick to his stomach. "I can't believe you disobeyed me like this. I should send you to Ealdor for even thinking to do something like this!"
"Arthur." Merlin's voice broke through his anger. "Don't say something you don't mean."
"Who are you to tell me what I mean, Merlin!" Arthur growled. He paused as he caught a glimpse of Callum's face… the boy looked absolutely pale… like a ghost.
"Don't send me away." He pleaded. "I'm so sorry, sir. I just…I don't want you to die."
Anger fading away to a dull buzz in his ears, Arthur let out a breath and knelt down.
"I'm not sending you away." He murmured, his voice still gruff. "But this can never happen again, do you understand me?"
"Yes, sire." Callum played his finger across the log's surface.
"We've come too far to turn back now." Arthur sighed, glancing up at Merlin and Thomas. "He'll have to come with us."
"Wonderful." Thomas threw a stick into the fire. Though, he didn't seem all that bothered by Callum's presence.
"Merlin, Thomas," Arthur nodded towards the dark forest. "Go get some more firewood."
"Sure." Merlin, understanding Arthur's need to be with the child alone, stood up.
"I'm not-." Thomas started to protest, but Merlin, taking a note from Arthur's book, whacked the back of his head.
"Ow!" He protested, rubbing his skull.
"Come on." Merlin said. The two went to look for wood, leaving Arthur alone with his… whatever Callum had become.
"I am truly sorry." Callum's shoulders slumped. "I shouldn't have disobeyed you."
"No," Arthur agreed slowly. "You shouldn't have… but that's not the worst thing you did."
"W-what?" Callum squeaked.
"Do you remember when you jumped in front of me in the rink?" Arthur asked. "What I told you then?"
"Um… yes?"
"What did I say?"
Callum, showing his true age for once, kicked his feet back and forth as he tried to ease some of the tension he was obviously feeling.
"Not to put myself in danger?" He tried.
"Exactly." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Especially not for my sake."
"But-."
"No." Arthur shook his head. "Never. You are too important to me to die."
The admission came before Arthur could stop it… but he found, after the words were said, he didn't want to. Callum's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yes," Arthur snorted, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders. "You crazy little warrior."
"Arthur?" Callum breathed into his shoulder.
"Umm?"
"Are you going to…" the boy trailed off, his body going rigid. Arthur sighed.
"I am going to punish you." He said truthfully. He pulled the boy away so Callum could look into his eyes. "I'm not sure how yet… but I meant what I said, I will never hurt you."
Callum suddenly smiled, leaning into Arthur once more.
"Yeah." He said. "I know that."
Thomas sat up that night, watching as Callum lay beside Arthur, his head resting on the king's shoulder.
They couldn't look more like father and son, the warlock thought, disgusted. It's happening so fast… if I don't find a way to shatter this bond they have… that boy will never become who we need him to be.
Thomas frowned as a cold breeze brushed against his cheek. He wrapped his arms around himself and shifted closer to the fire. He remembered when he was a little boy. His mother always used to say that cold winds were lost spirits traveling across the land, and that each time you felt the breeze brush past, it was the spirit greeting you on it's way.
Fairy Tales…. Thomas's heart constricted as he thought of his mother. She had been so full of life. Nothing in the world could make her sad or angry. She made the best out of every situation.
And they burnt her. Thomas remembered that day so clearly. The Druid camp had been raided by the knights of Camelot. His mother had been among those captured. Thomas and his father had hid in the brush out of sight. The knights hadn't even brought her back to the king to pass judgment. They'd done horrible, horrible, things to her. And then, they'd tied her to a tree and set it ablaze.
I never heard someone scream like that before. Thomas closed his eyes, and bit back tears. He would never cry again… not because of Camelot.
One day, the young man promised himself, opening his eyes and settling them on Arthur's sleeping form. You'll know how she felt, Pendragon… You'll suffer as she suffered.
Thomas suddenly jerked as his magic awakened inside him. Spinning around, he saw something moving about in the forest… like a mist that had taken shape.
Thomas, a voice whispered in his mind. Follow the sky trail… follow the fire.
What? Thomas stood to his feet, squinting into the woods. Who are you? What are you?
But the mist had gone, leaving the teenager alone in the darkness.
Author's Note,
Hey guys! so, I just wanted to say thanks again to all those who read and reviewed! I'm loving writing this story and I'm glad you are enjoying reading it! If you ever have any questions about the story, feel free to ask! I'll answer them in the next Author Note!