The sounds of music and laughter faded to the back of Merlin's mind as he approached the window. Slowly he reached out and touched the pane with his fingertips - then drew his hand back, inhaling sharply. The glass was so cold, it practically burned him.
Merlin rubbed his hurting fingers absentmindedly as he took another step closer, listening to the wind howling outside, the way it moved around the castle and beat against the window, the way it almost sounded like he could hear voices…
He was aware of Gaius coming up beside him, but he kept his eyes on the window.
"A storm is coming," Gaius said quietly.
Merlin nodded. "It's not just a storm. There's something about it, Gaius. It feels...unnatural."
"Do you suspect magic?"
Merlin turned to face him. "Do you? Could someone use magic like that?"
"In the old days there were many who could," Gaius answered thoughtfully. "This time of year, especially. The solstice is a sacred time, when magic is particularly powerful. There may be those who could use this to their advantage."
"Morgana?"
"Or Morgause, if she's still alive."
"They would certainly do anything in their power if they thought it might harm Camelot," Merlin muttered as he and Gaius turned to the window again. He listened intently, trying to make out the unnatural sounds that the wind carried just out of reach.
Suddenly Merlin jumped as he felt a hand grab his shoulder.
"Merlin! Our glasses are empty!"
Merlin barely turned to look at Arthur. "What a shame."
Gaius raised an eyebrow at Merlin, bowed his head to Arthur, and stepped away.
"Come on, Merlin," Arthur said, giving him a small shove. "What are you doing hiding away in this chilly corner? Did you forget we're having a feast?"
"I'm sure Gwaine has found a way to get his drink refilled, just ask him," Merlin said, keeping his eyes on the storm.
Arthur glanced between Merlin and the window with a confused expression. "It's just some wind, Merlin. It is winter, after all. And it is Christmas, and we're celebrating, so come join us. That's an order."
Finally Merlin looked over at Arthur, smiling a little. "Yes, sire."
"That's better," Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's shoulders and spinning him back around toward the dining hall.
…
After the feast, Merlin and Arthur made their way back to the prince's chambers - Arthur walking just a little unsteadily, Merlin shaking his head at him and suppressing a smile.
As Merlin pushed open the door, Arthur shivered.
"It's freezing in here," he complained. "Merlin, start a fire - and don't be stingy with the wood."
"You might be stingy with the wood if you were the one who had to gather it," Merlin muttered.
"What's that?"
"Nothing, sire. I'll get the fire started."
"Good. And get me some extra blankets for tonight."
Merlin ground his teeth slightly as he began building a fire. "Of course, the prince should have plenty of extra blankets."
Arthur flopped onto his back on his bed, then lifted his head up and looked toward the window.
"Merlin, shut the curtains! That's half the reason it's so cold in here."
Merlin looked over his shoulder at Arthur, waving the piece of wood in his hand. "I thought you wanted me to start a fire."
Arthur groaned loudly. "Fine then. I'll shut the curtains. I suppose I should be used to doing things myself by now."
Pushing himself off the bed, Arthur moved to the window. Merlin finished stacking the wood, then glanced over to see if Arthur would notice if he used a spell to start it. The prince was standing with one hand on the curtains.
"You just pull to shut them, sire," Merlin offered.
"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur answered distractedly.
Merlin stood and moved to Arthur's side. The prince was staring out the window, so Merlin followed his gaze. The figure of a man, hard to make out through the snow that was beginning to swirl, was carrying a small pack on his back and holding a stack of firewood. He was walking through the streets and seemed to be making his way out of Camelot.
"He's mad for being out there tonight," Arthur said. "I wonder who he is."
Merlin looked more closely. "I think his name is Stephan," he said.
"You know him?"
"I just met him today, actually," Merlin answered. "I ran into him when I was getting things for the feast."
Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin. "Literally?"
Merlin shrugged. "I apologized. He was in the marketplace, trying to trade some possessions to get food. He said he lives outside of the city, close to the mountain and the edge of the forest. He must be trying to get back home before the storm gets too bad."
"He's a little late for that."
"I don't think he has a choice," Merlin said quietly, watching the figure disappear into the dark and snow. "He doesn't have anywhere else to stay, or anyone to build a fire for him, or extra blankets. I'm afraid this storm could be very hard on Camelot, and especially hard on your poorest subjects, sire."
Arthur looked at Merlin and opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but then shut it. He turned and walked toward the door.
"That fire had better be started when I get back, Merlin," he called over his shoulder.
Merlin shook his head as Arthur left the room. He pulled the curtains shut, then grabbed an armful of extra blankets out of a trunk, piling them on the bed. Moving to the fireplace, he muttered a spell under his breath. He sat in front of the fire, hugging his knees, and watched the flames dance.
…
Just when it had been long enough that Merlin was beginning to think he should go look for Arthur, the door opened. Merlin turned to face it - and was hit in the face with a heavy cloak. He pulled it off and found Arthur smiling at him.
"Come on," Arthur said. "Put it on."
"Why?" Merlin asked.
"Well, if you fancy going out in that storm without it, be my guest."
"Why would I go out?"
"We're taking a little trip," Arthur answered.
The door opened further, and Lancelot came in holding a basket full of food. Gwaine followed with bottles of wine, Leon with clothes, and Elyan and Percival with arms full of firewood. All of them were grinning at him.
"You did say Stephan lives by the base of the mountain, right?" Arthur asked, trying to look serious. "Well make yourself useful, Merlin, grab some of those blankets."
Merlin shook his head, a huge smile spreading across his face.
…
Just as the small group left the city, the storm hit in full force. Snow came down thick and fast, blown into a blizzard by strong winds that seemed intent on pushing them back from their purpose.
Arthur and Merlin led the way with the knights close behind them, but with each passing moment it became harder to see where they were going. The horses started shying away from the wind and struggling to push forward through the snow.
"We'll have to continue on foot," Arthur yelled, his words barely audible over the storm.
"Shouldn't we turn back, sire?" Leon asked as they all huddled together.
"It's just as easy to go forward as it is to go back," Arthur answered. "Merlin and I will make our way, and you all can lead the horses behind us."
"Yes, sire," the knights answered, exchanging apprehensive glances.
Merlin dismounted, a gust of wind hitting him as he dropped knee-deep into the snow. He stumbled, feeling the magic in the wind course through his whole body. Someone grabbed his arm to steady him, and he turned to find Lancelot.
"Alright there, Merlin?" Lancelot asked.
"It's this storm," Merlin said, trying to talk loudly enough for Lancelot to hear him over the wind but quietly enough for no one else to. "There's magic in it. It's malicious, cruel."
"Is there anything you can do to stop it?"
"I'm not sure. I could try, but I've never seen anything like this."
"Come on, Merlin!" Arthur yelled. "Stop wasting time!"
Lancelot smiled a little and took the reins of the horse as Merlin sighed.
Merlin and Arthur went forward together, keeping the looming shadow of the mountain in front of them as their reference. The prince stayed in front, pushing a path through the deepening snow, either unperturbed by the storm or very determined to seem so. Merlin followed, hugging his cloak tightly around him.
Suddenly another gust of magic hit, mingled with the wind, so powerful it knocked all the strength out of Merlin's body. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath and shaking.
"Merlin?" Arthur turned around. "What on earth are you doing? It's not that bad."
He stepped back, his look of annoyance changing to one of concern as he knelt down beside his servant.
"What happened?" he asked, putting a hand on Merlin's shoulder.
"This darkness," Merlin muttered, "the...wind. It's like it freezes my heart. I don't know… If I could just…" He trailed off, shaking his head, unable to put the dread in the pit of his stomach into words that Arthur would understand.
"Merlin, what on earth are you talking about?" Arthur asked. His tone was slightly annoyed, but his eyes were still worried. "Come on, get up."
He pulled Merlin to his feet and steadied him.
"Now, I'm doing all the hard work anyway," Arthur continued. "Just follow the path I make. Step in my footprints if you have to. Really, you'd think you'd never seen a bit of snow before."
Arthur kept going, but he glanced back a little more frequently. Merlin followed, keeping his head down, focusing on each step, muttering every spell he could think of, but the wind carried his words away without slowing.
After Merlin had completely lost all sense of time and direction, he suddenly ran into Arthur, who had stopped.
"What is it?" Merlin asked through chattering teeth.
Arthur looked back at him. The prince looked almost as weary and cold as Merlin felt, but he was smiling.
"A light."
Merlin squinted as he looked ahead. There, barely visible through the swirling snow, a glimmer of light flickered in the darkness.
Arthur clapped Merlin on the shoulder as they smiled at each other.
"See?" the prince said. "I told you we should keep going."
The light grew as they moved towards it until they came to a small cottage tucked against the foot of the mountain. The glow they'd seen was coming through a small window. Merlin slumped against the side of the cottage as Arthur reached the door and knocked.
Within moments, the door opened a crack. Stephan stood inside, looking first suspicious, and then shocked.
"Your Majesty? And - Merlin, wasn't it? Please, come inside!"
They hurried in, Stephan shutting the door quickly behind them. The cottage was barely more than one room. The walls groaned with the force of the wind, and the small fire sputtered.
"My lord, forgive me, but what are you doing here?" Stephan asked. "Were you lost?"
"For a moment I thought we might be in that storm," Arthur said quietly, almost to himself. Then he turned to Stephan and smiled. "No, my good man, we came to find you!"
"Is there something I can do for you, sire?" Stephan still seemed confused, almost nervous.
"Quite the opposite. Only…" Arthur moved to the window and looked out. "I thought the knights were closer behind us than this," he said to Merlin, who had moved to his side.
"I thought so too," Merlin responded. "But it's hard to tell anything out there."
Arthur nodded. "Right. You stay here, Merlin, I'll go look for them."
"No, Arthur-" Merlin moved in front of Arthur, who was already headed for the doorway. "I'll go."
Arthur let out a short laugh. "You could barely stay on your feet out there."
"So I slipped once," Merlin shot back with an exasperated expression.
"You're still shivering," Arthur responded, crossing his arms.
Merlin quickly reached out and pulled Arthur's cloak off, throwing it over his own shoulders and moving to the door as he said "Now I'll be warm enough."
"Merlin!"
"Stay here sire I'm sure they're close I'll just be a moment," Merlin said in one breath as he pulled open the door, closed it quickly behind him, and whispered a quick spell to jam it shut.
"Merlin!"
Arthur's yell from inside the cottage could be heard even above the storm.
Rather than go back the direction they'd come from, Merlin turned to the right and set off toward the forest. He could feel powerful magic coming from that direction - magic that felt different than the cruelty swirling in the air around him.
He hurried into the forest, which offered a small degree of shelter. The trees grew right up against the edge of the mountain - a sheer cliff face that rose up into the darkness. Merlin put a hand against the rock, which seemed to hum under his touch, full of magic.
Following the cliff further into the forest, Merlin came to a spot where the rock fell back into a hollow - twice as tall as him, nearly as wide, but only a few feet deep. At the back of the hollow, a crack ran down the cliff face, and a small stream of water trickled down it until it disappeared into the earth. The water sparkled as if it were made of light.
Merlin stepped carefully into the hollow. It radiated magic - ancient, powerful, but also quiet and gentle. He breathed in deeply. His frozen limbs began to warm and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of him.
"Emrys."
Merlin turned and saw a young woman in a dark green cloak standing behind him, just outside of the hollow. He could see the blizzard still raging beyond her, but it didn't seem to touch her.
"You know who I am?" he asked slowly.
"Of course."
"Are you a Druid?"
The young woman smiled slightly. "No. I was here long before the Druids. I am Inés. This is my fountain. What do you seek, Emrys?"
"I need to stop the storm, but I don't know how."
"What makes you believe you can stop it?" Her question was not condescending, just curious.
Merlin shrugged. "I'm not sure I can. But I have to try."
"Why?"
"For Camelot. For my friends, who might still be trapped in it. For Arthur."
"It is a powerful storm, young warlock," Inés said thoughtfully. "The spell is full of ancient, dark magic. It was born of the solstice. But, as ever, the high priestesses twist magic to their own ends and miss the true meaning of the forces they manipulate."
"How so?"
"The solstice is a time of great power. It is the darkest time, and so it produces powerful dark magic. But the true nature of the solstice is not darkness, but light - the return of light, and its triumph, pushing the darkness away."
Inés turned and began to walk away into the forest.
"Wait!" Merlin called, stepping out of the hollow to follow her. She stopped, only turning her head slightly.
"Can you help me stop it?" Merlin asked.
"I have given you the answer you sought," Inés replied. "And you already have everything you need, Emrys."
With that she kept walking, and the blizzard closed in behind her, wrapping around Merlin again and obscuring the mysterious woman from sight.
Merlin made his way back out of the forest. The wind practically pushed him over, the snow stung his face, and the magic seemed to reach into every part of him, freezing his very soul. But Merlin pushed forward until he was completely in the open and could see nothing but the storm.
"Light," he whispered to himself. "The triumph of light."
He turned his face upwards, closed his eyes, and stretched his hand up toward the sky. Breathing deeply, he focused on the image of light, imagining it starting deep in his center, warming his blood, spreading through his body.
The words came from deep within him - not a spell he'd known before, but one that seemed to be a part of his subconscious. He began quietly, the ancient incantation gaining momentum as he felt light filling his soul. He opened his eyes as he shouted the last few words into the storm.
A beam of light, clear as moonlight, shot out of his hands and into the sky. It pierced through the snow and into the clouds. He held it steady, feeling the magic flow through him, the earth, the sky. The wind faltered, the cold started to drain away, and slowly the clouds began to break.
Merlin dropped to his knees, exhausted, but relieved. The full moon broke through the clouds and shone down on him as the storm slowly died away.
When Merlin reached the cottage again, the knights had already arrived. They were just settling the horses into a small cave nearby that served as a stable and beginning to bring in the provisions they'd brought. Arthur had apparently managed to get the cottage door open - violently.
"Merlin!" Gwaine was the first to see him, and he ran over to pull Merlin into a tight embrace.
The whole group hurried to him. The other knights clapped Merlin on the back and expressed their relief at seeing him, but Arthur grabbed his cloak back.
"Where on earth have you been?" he asked. "You were supposed to go find the knights, but instead we were about to have to go find you."
"Thanks for the concern," Merlin said sarcastically.
"Well, since you're here, you might try to help out a little bit," Arthur said, turning back to the cottage. "Bring the rest of these things inside!"
Merlin shook his head, but Elyan put a hand on his shoulder. "He went out looking for you and ran into us."
"We had to convince him to come back here first so we could leave the horses and then all look for you together," Percival added.
Merlin smiled. "I'm glad everyone made it alright."
"We almost didn't, until the storm let up and the moon came out," Lancelot said.
"We thought we saw a light," Gwaine said. "Like a moonbeam, but it almost looked like it was coming from the ground."
"Well, storms like that can play all sorts of tricks on your eyes," Merlin said with a shrug.
Lancelot raised an eyebrow, and Merlin smiled.
"Come on, we'd better get everything inside before Arthur starts throwing things," Merlin said, grabbing one of the baskets.
…
After the knights built a large fire, fixed the door, and organized the clothing and blankets, Stephan insisted they all stay and share the food with him. The simple meal they had was even more full of joy than the feast they'd held back in Camelot.
As they made their way home, the moon shone down through the clouds, lighting their way. Large snowflakes fell gently, and the wind didn't stir.
"That was good of you, sire," Merlin said, bringing his horse up beside Arthur. "To help Stephan."
"My first thought should be for my people," Arthur responded, staring ahead of him. "And it wasn't. I might not have thought of him at all if you hadn't said something. And that was a mistake. But tonight, being out here, going through this storm, realizing how little some people have… I want to do better."
"That is exactly why you will be a good king, Arthur," Merlin said. "It's like the solstice," he continued, glancing up at the moon. "Even during the darkest time, the light is coming. Even when you make mistakes, you're willing to learn and to change. And that is what will bring Camelot into a new age of light."
Arthur looked over at Merlin, his expression half confused and half impressed.
"I think the cold got to you tonight, Merlin," he said. "You're making too much sense."
Merlin shook his head, smiling, and they continued toward Camelot, the castle ahead of them glistening in the moonlight.
...
A/N - Merry Christmas! I wanted to write this Christmas Merlin fanfiction based on a certain Christmas carol. Points if you can tell me what carol this story is based on, and bonus points if you can find all the different allusions I made to it. (I know I'm a day late for Christmas, but since today is technically the "feast of Stephen" - which is a hint about the carol - it actually works well.) Hope you enjoyed this fun little story! :)