A/N - Hey Merlin fans! Sorry it's late today, I forgot to post this morning. *rolls eyes and facepalms* I literally forgot everything this morning, even my bloody medicine, for Christ's sake. I do despair at myself sometimes! At least remembering to post this also reminded me to have my pills. Yay! (I am in such a good mood though today!) Anyway, enough of me.
Thank you GuestM, you are still super awesome!
This was one of my favourite ones to write!
No. 15 – Magical Healing
"Nice day for it," Gwaine grumbled as they left the cover of the forest and the drizzling rain set upon them.
Merlin grinned. He didn't particularly like the rain either but watching Gwaine slowly start to resemble a drowned and kicked puppy was rather hilarious. He glanced at Lancelot who was riding beside him. He was trying not to laugh as he watched Gwaine flip his wet hair out of his eyes. Lancelot caught Merlin's eye and smirked.
They all plodded along in silence, heads bowed against the rain. Even Merlin, Gwaine and Elyan stopped talking.
The rain built as they moved further across the grassy countryside, drumming in a constant downpour. Their horses splashed through puddles quickly forming on the grass, mud splattering up to coat their feet. Merlin sighed, he'd probably have to stay and help the stable boy wash down all of the horses when they got back to Camelot. Rain always put Arthur in a bad mood, which he then always dealt to Merlin, by giving him extra jobs.
A screech from up in the sky made them all jerk around, turning their faces up to the clouds, squinting against the rain. Merlin thought he caught sight of a shadow crossing the dark grey clouds. He wheeled around to try and see it again, but it had vanished into the cloud cover, if it had even been there in the first place.
"Keep your eyes peeled," Arthur said grimly, his own eyes glancing suspiciously at the same dark cloud Merlin had been looking at.
The scraping sound of six swords being drawn joined the hissing and splashing of the rain. Leon had moved closer to Arthur, his sword held steady at his side.
Merlin's horse began fidgeting, shifting from side to side and throwing her head. She could sense whatever it was up in the clouds as well. Merlin turned his head away from Arthur then peered up into the sky, bringing his magic up to his eyes to try and focus through the driving rain.
Lancelot trotted up next to him, glancing at him then following his gaze, raising a hand to shield his eyes.
"Do you see anything we can't?" he muttered, leaning towards Merlin.
"I'm not sure. There's something up there, several somethings, I think."
Lancelot yanked his dagger from his belt, nudging Merlin in the arm with the hilt. Merlin slid his fingers around it, nodding to Lancelot.
"I could be wrong but…"
"But what?" Lancelot asked quickly.
"They feel sort of dragony?" Merlin admitted. He recognised the hum in his core, the place where his magic sprang from inside him. It was nothing like the Great Dragon; who almost made his insides vibrate with the power he held. But the familiarity of it spoke to his Dragonlord mind.
Another screech rent the air, much closer this time and before they knew it several dark shapes were swooping down on them. Claws extended first, wyverns appeared through the rain.
"On me!" Arthur yelled. The knights pulled their horses around, creating a circle with Arthur, swords trained upwards at the advancing wyverns.
Merlin frowned. He couldn't very well use his Dragonlord powers, not without shouting and revealing himself. At least mortal weapons worked against the small dragon-like beasts.
Percival got the first hit, his claymore easily reaching higher than the others' longswords. He plunged the huge blade deep into a wyvern's chest. It screamed and fell at his horse's feet. The rest of the wyverns cried their anger and dived. The air was thick with black leathery wings and sharp foot-long curved talons.
Swords clashed against scales, talons clashed against armour.
Merlin threw Lancelot's dagger, using his magic to guide it into the side of a wyvern's neck. The creature screamed and fell, its wings folding as it crashed to the floor. Merlin pulled the dagger back, turning to the next one.
Arthur and Leon were at the centre of the fray. Their blades flashed in unison as they attacked three wyverns that were trying to pull them from their horses. Gwaine pulled up behind a creature that was bearing down on Lancelot, stabbing it in the back and pushing it to the ground. Lancelot barely had time to nod his thanks to Gwaine before another two set upon them.
Every time the knights defeated a beast another one seemed to plunge down to take its place. And the rain hindered their vision, meaning the creatures still had the upper hand.
One wyvern crashed into the side of Elyan's horse, sending the horse tumbling to the ground with a cry. Elyan rolled free before the horse landed on him, bouncing to his feet and hacking at the wyvern with his sword. Percival turned his horse towards them and cleanly sliced the wyvern down.
Merlin hurled gusts of wind, sending the wyverns careening away, crashing into each other and plummeting to the ground, where they met the knight's blades.
Leon was knocked from his horse, one large wing striking him across the face. He tumbled to the ground, but not without jamming his sword into the wing. His fall caused the sword to carve through the wing, the creature tumbling to the floor with him where it was trampled by Leon's well trained warhorse.
Only a few wyverns remained; Lancelot and Gwaine had two on the ground, trapped between their horses. Percival was keeping near Elyan and Leon, the two knights down on their feet back to back against the two circling beasts.
A shriek from behind him made Merlin turn, his knees jerking to send his horse forward.
"Arthur!" he shouted, too late.
Just as Arthur sliced forward, killing the wyvern in front of him, another swooped up behind him in the gap left by Elyan's fallen horse. It hooked its claws into Arthur's shoulder and chest, tearing him from his saddle.
He landed with a sickening thud, the wyvern on top of him, its claws dug deep into him.
Merlin almost fell off his horse in his haste. He slid to his knees in the mud, staggered up and ran to Arthur's side. He was beaten there by Lancelot, who plunged his sword into the beast's back, yanking it off of Arthur with a twist of his blade. Merlin collapsed at Arthur's side.
The wyvern's sharp talons had sliced through his chainmail as if it were linen, leaving several long deep gouges across his chest. Arthur gasped, his breath gurgling as blood spilled from his lips.
"NO! Arthur, no!" Merlin cupped his hand against Arthur's neck, his fingers meeting slick blood.
The ground beneath Arthur's side was already red, rain washing the blood into puddles. Merlin could feel his life force pouring from him. He was dying.
He instantly pulled his magic to the surface, readying the spell in his mind.
"I've got to…" he said to Lancelot. He bit his lip, his eyes sweeping over the knights, who, now that they'd finished off the wyverns, were all running towards their fallen prince.
"Do it, Merlin! Just do it!" Lancelot yelled.
Merlin closed his eyes, steadying his breath and letting his magic fill him. He could feel it tingling in his fingertips as he laid one hand on Arthur's forehead, the other over his heart, trying to ignore the blood still seeping from the huge wound. He drew in a breath and let the magic spill from him into Arthur.
"Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!" Merlin chanted, his voice the deep roar of a Dragonlord.
It was the most powerful healing spell he knew, the one the Great Dragon had taught him, imbued with power from the ancient ones. It burned through him, tugging every ounce of magic he had in his core and forcing it into Arthur's veins.
Sweat broke out across Merlin's forehead with the effort. He knew his eyes would be glowing. The wounds across Arthur's chest and neck had stopped bleeding. The skin was slowly closing across the rips.
Merlin spared a glance at the knights.
Leon and Elyan had staggered back. Both of them raised their swords again. Lancelot's blade lifted in unison, his jaw set as he stepped between Merlin and his fellow knights. Percival wrenched his claymore out of the last wyvern, but didn't lift it towards Merlin. Gwaine's eyes flicked to Lancelot and his hold on his sword loosened. His face was unreadable.
"You have magic?" Leon gasped.
"I– yes…" Merlin stuttered, his focus still on the flow of magic.
"And he's using it to save our prince's life," Lancelot shouted, taking a fighting stance, his sword pointed unwaveringly at the other knights. "So get back!"
Gwaine let his sword drop to the ground and his eyebrows pulled down in a deep frown as his hands curled reflexively into loose fists at his sides. He glanced over at the others. Leon and Elyan didn't move. Their swords stayed trained on Merlin, but neither advanced towards Lancelot.
Arthur seemed to be breathing easier and the gashes on his chest were almost closed. Merlin pushed the last of his magic deep into Arthur's heart, immensely relieved to feel it pick up in rhythm, the beat getting stronger.
He collapsed down, his shoulders sagging with fatigue.
"I did it," he breathed, a smile tugging at his lips. Lancelot met his eyes and smiled warmly, then turned his icy glare back on the knights.
Little by little their swords lowered. Leon took a step forwards when Arthur gasped and stirred.
"My lord?"
"He's still alive," Lancelot said stonily, his own sword dipping, but his grip not wavering.
"He'll make a full recovery," Merlin added quietly.
Leon dropped to his knees at Arthur's side, as far away from Merlin as possible. Elyan and Percival moved up behind him, looking over his shoulder as Arthur slowly raised a hand to his head, groaning. Gwaine punched Lancelot hard on the arm, his eyes avoiding Merlin.
Arthur's eyes blinked open, he looked up at the sky then around at the faces all looking down at him.
"What happened?" he asked groggily.
The knights froze, shifting their gazes from Merlin to Lancelot, who still had his hand on his sword. No one said anything.
A/N - I am planning a follow on to this... as soon as I decide what the hell is going to happen!