Chapter Five
They walked and walked and walked and walked. Going around many twists and turns. No one spoke as they waked – everyone was thinking about their different secrets that they had to share. Leon and Percival's secrets brought on a deep sense of shame. While Gwaine and Merlin's secret could lend them (and other people) in trouble – especially Merlin's one.
Gwaine was the first one who broke the silence, "Merlin, what did Uther want your father to do?" he asked.
"That's a long story," said Merlin "And one I am not going to tell…." Merlin couldn't tell them without them finding out that it was him that released the dragon, and he was the last Dragonlord and that while being the son of a condemn man wasn't a crime, being a Dragonlord was.
"But you have meet him," said Gwaine trying to get more information from Merlin "That's what you told me once….."
Merlin nodded his head "I've meet him," said Merlin shortly ending the conversation. He didn't want to talk about it.
They carried on walking with Percival spoke up. "Are we going around in circles?" he asked "This looks familiar to me."
"It all looks the same," pointed out Gwaine but Gwaine had a feeling not much could surprises him anymore. They all stopped walking – what was the point if they were walking in circles? "It could be another test," pointed Gwaine
"What can we learn going around in circles?" asked Leon
"What have we learn in any of these test?" asked Merlin
Leon looked at Merlin – Leon thought that Merlin might of work some of it out already. "The first one – the room with the fire and the voices." Leon said "That was a reminder what we have already overcome. And maybe also a reminder that the past stills efforts us." Percival nodded his head – that made sense to him.
Leon carried on "The dreamland….." he thought "The only way out was to get to the beginning of everything… so that could mean…I'm a little unsure about that one…"
"Maybe that test was for you and Percival," said Gwaine at once. "What about the dead us?" asked Gwaine "Our tombs?"
Merlin thought he might have an idea. "Maybe we had to stop fighting with ourselves… or having to face ourselves."
"Or maybe it was that we had to face death. I mean we all have to one day," said Percival
"But the one that look like me, disappeared." Said Merlin at once. Everyone fell silent for a moment trying to work out the possible meaning could be. "What about the sharing secrets? Was that about being true to yours led or trusting each other?"
"Maybe it is to do with honesty," said Leon. "So the real question is…. What do we do if we are going around in circles?"
"We could mark the walls and see if we pass it again…"
"Marking the walls might be disgraceful to the ancient magic in this place," said Merlin, everyone looked at him – maybe paying more attention since finding out he's father had a magic link. "This place must has some importance. And marking the walls might cause us more trouble…."
"Something you read in one of Gaius books?" asked Gwaine
Merlin shrugged "Maybe it just superstitious." He said
"Well, I don't think we should encourage anymore trouble," said Percival, he didn't think they should dismiss any superstitious "Do we slip up. Two of us walk one way and the other two go the other? And with luck we will meet in the middle?"
"I don't think we should," said Gwaine "If anything happens – I think we should stick together. This cave is like a maze – it'll be so easy to get lost."
"Maybe that's the point," said Merlin "If these tests are lessons….maybe we cannot find our way if we haven't been lost beforehand…."
Leon didn't know what to do. "Percival and Gwaine go the way we come - Merlin and I will carry on this way." He was going to send Gwaine and Merlin together but he remembered in the dreamland where they were children – and if they get turn into children again it would be good if they had a adult with them. And, anyway Leon wanted to speck to Merlin – first to tell him that he won't tell Arthur about the secret Merlin shared, and secondly Leon thought he own Merlin an apology.
"Thanks," said Percival with a small playful smile. With that Percival and Gwaine turned to walk – Leon and Merlin could hear Gwaine voice echoing as they turn a corridor.
Leon and Merlin walked and listening - if there had been walking around in circles then they would at some time bump into Percival and Gwaine. "I am not going to tell Arthur," said Leon
"Isn't that going against the laws of Camelot?" asked Merlin
"You are breaking none of the Camelot laws," said Leon at once. Merlin tried to hide a guilty look from his face - if only Leon knew the whole truth. "And we do not choose our parents and shouldn't be punished for who there are."
"You are specking like my parents were criminal," said Merlin
"I do not mean it that way," said Leon "I do not know the whole story and it is not my place. And if Gaius helped your father escaped…. I trust Gaius judgement."
Merlin wasn't sure what to say about that. It had been a strange day. Percival found out the truth about him and accepted it. If it hadn't been their shared friendship and respect for Lancelot it might not have the same outcome. Now part of the truth about his father was in the open. Merlin feared that all his other secrets were going to come out. "I won't tell Arthur about you stealing from him." Said Merlin
"I think that is lest of our worries," said Leon "And I promise I will listen to you more…."
"Half of what I say is nonsense." Said Merlin
"But the other half makes a lot of sense," said Leon "If we listened to you at the beginning, we wouldn't be here in this mess now."
"True," said Merlin "But maybe we are meant to be here. I find that destiny likes its jokes. It's got dark sense of humour if that's the case."
Gwaine and Percival walked fast. Hoping that this was a circle and that they were would soon see Leon and Merlin walking the other way.
"I think this is a bad idea," said Gwaine
"Well, we had bad ideas all day," commented Percival lightly.
Gwaine looked troubled. "How many more things do we need to get though?" he asked "And we still got dead Merlin somewhere here that might want to kills us…. and since Merlin got medical knowledge… he will know how to kill us quickly…."
"The other went down easily." Reminded Percival
"Yeah – but this is Merlin we are talking about," said Gwaine like it explain everything "I don't think he knows what the word easy means..."
Maybe Gwaine had a point though Percival. It seemed like Gwaine, Merlin and Leon all seem to figure out more about these caves than he did. Leon had worked out what most of these test could mean, Gwaine seem to take everything in and question everything and Merlin seemed to understand more than what he was saying. Percival thought more. Merlin had magic so he had to be careful what he said – and he told them anything that might be useful. Merlin hated these caves as much as them – if Merlin knew a way out using magic Percival was sure Merlin would find a way to do so.
"You seem to be thinking hard." Commenting Gwaine
"Well, in a place like this thinking is important," said Percival. They come to a folk in the tunnel. "This wasn't here before, do you think we should turn back?"
Gwaine shock his head. "If this is a test – I think we take to choice between these two ways. The question is which way?"
Percival looked – both ways looked the same. "What do you reckon?"
"I reckon we need a lot of luck," said Gwaine "Got a rabbit foot on you?" Percival shook his head. "Well – dose one of them seem less normal to you? You know too good to be in a place like this?"
Percival looked closer at both tunnels – seeing smaller details that he hadn't noticed before. "Well, that one," he said pointing to the one closest to them "Is very rocky – and this one." He nodded to the other "seems more straight forward." Then the answer come to Percival almost at once – this was like a story he heard as an child – one of those stories the elders of his village will tell to teach the children lessons. "We got thought the rocky one. The other is too easy, and the easy way is not necessary the right way…."
"You are wiser than you look." Said Gwaine with a smile
"I hope I am right," said Percival
Gwaine and Percival walked into the rockier tunnel. The rocks made it harder to walk without tripping and the have to duck as rocks were sticking out above them.
Leon and Merlin were still walking without coming across anything. "We should have come across something by now." Said Leon the lack of anything was making him more uneasy than facing something he could physically see. Leon could sense Merlin felt the same.
"Maybe the cave is unset with us," said Merlin
"The cave cannot have feeling."
"The cave isn't dead," said Merlin "It's alive – it thinks and moves….and if it's alive then maybe it wants something….." Merlin eyes open wider with this theory "But what could it want? What would it want? Dose it want to tell us something?"
Leon wasn't use what to think but somehow the thought the cave was alive was scarier than what they faced already. "I don't think so…." But maybe Merlin was right. "If that is so, why all these games?"
"Maybe the caves want to know if we are worthy enough." Said Merlin "Wants to know what kind of people we are…stranger things have happen…."
They carried on walking "I don't think we are walking in circles." Said Leon "If we are then we would have seen the others by now."
"I don't think thinking logically in a place that not logic will do us much good." Said Merlin
"So do we go back?" asked Leon "Is it just foolishness to keep going forward."
"It we foolish keep going around in circles and getting nowhere." Said Merlin "But if we are doubting we are – we might be closer than we think."
"But surely we should see something by now." Said Leon. But Leon thought more deeply. "Maybe we are missing something…" he said "Maybe are not seeing the true way….." They both stopped walking.
"We could be missing something," mused Merlin "But then again maybe not. It's hard to know what you missed if you don't know you missed it." Merlin looked ahead of them – how long had they been walking? Long time but maybe not as long as it felt. "But do we go back looking for something we might of missed or carry on."
Leon like to double check but going back would take time – time they shouldn't waste. "I guess we go ahead." He said "If they had missed anything they would have just carry on their current path. Leon and Merlin carried on walking.
Percival and Gwaine was just walking over all the rocks until there come out into a circle space. Once they step into it the tunnel entrance disappeared. There was nowhere else for them to go "What now?" asked Gwaine his hand one both of the swords he carried – ready for a fight.
"Maybe we meet the others here," said Percival "Maybe we passed the test."
"Let's hope you are right," said Gwaine
Percival and Gwaine waited what felt like an hour – but time was hard to keep track of inside the caves and away from the outside. Then in front of their eyes an opening appeared. Both Gwaine and Percival drawn their swords but put them away when they saw Leon and Merlin appeared, once they did the entrance went away again.
"How did you get here?" asked Leon
"If I knew that, I would know how to get out of this place," said Gwaine walking up to Merlin and rested an arm on Merlin's shoulder. "We come across two tunnels and had to pick on. I guess we picked right. So the question is now what do we do?" asked Gwaine "I hate this damn cursed cave."