Hello everyone !
Here it is, a new chapter !
I hope you will like it !
Anyway, not much to say except thank you all for keeping up with me ! Your reviews help me keeping motivated ! Please, carry on !
And before leaving you with it I can't stop myself to ask you : did any of you see that new Star Trek Beyond trailer? Are you as excited as me? I'm loving it!
Well this is it! Enjoy the chapter and leave a note if you want ;)
Chapter 29:
Throughout the morning Merlin couldn't decide whether he was annoyed by Gwaine's presence or not.
He had wanted to go and face the Crystal Cave alone. He didn't know why it was so important to him, perhaps a misplaced sense of pride or a will to prove that he could do things by himself, contrary to what most people thought. Either way, it was for him alone to face.
He also hadn't wanted to reveal his plans to Gwaine but had been so irritated at being caught and the subsequent interrogation, that he had just blurted it all out.
A part of him even felt rather proud that his training of the knights had worked so well.
He had hoped that his friend would just let him go but he had also known that it would be impossible to try to convince him otherwise. After all, Gwaine had never been anything but protective of him. Not that it wasn't nice, but Merlin just wished that sometimes he could do things on his own.
However, as the morning progressed and the knight kept himself remarkably discreet, the warlock found himself relaxing, enjoying the calm energy of a waking forest; when Gwaine asked about Arthur's future reaction, he couldn't fight the smile that overcame his features.
Maybe it wasn't too bad to have a friend travel with him after all. And it was also nice to know he had his support even if it was obvious that Gwaine worried about his plan.
Merlin was shaken from his musing by a slight shift in the atmosphere. A shift that no one except a magic user would notice. They were nearing the Crystal Caves.
And, sure enough, only a few minutes later they arrived in the clearing in front of them.
The young warlock could feel his magic rolling under his skin, reacting to the old power infused in the earth and air around him. It made him shiver. He took a deep calming breathe and dismounted, leading his mare to a nearby tree to attach her.
"Well… This is it."
"Looks like a normal cave to me." Gwaine commented as he took in his surroundings curiously, as if expecting fireworks or something to happen.
Merlin let out a small smile.
"Trust me, it is anything but normal." He hesitated for a moment, feeling anxious at the idea of entering the place. "I'd better go. The sooner this is done, the better."
"Be careful Merlin."
The warlock nodded in acknowledgement and stepped slowly forward.
He spotted a fallen tree branch and bent down to pick it up before lighting it with a spell. Once more, he forced a deep breath in his lungs before carrying on.
Soon, he found himself in the damp shade of the cave's entrance and felt a ripple of power course through his body, making him gasp.
Immediately, he felt the pull of the crystals nestled further inside the cave and it took all his will to ignore it.
He forced his eyes to stay firmly on the ground as he walked, following the slight downward path that lead deeper into the rocks.
The atmosphere was getting more and more oppressing the longer he walked. It felt as if the walls were closing in on him and that his head was full of whispers urging him to look, to touch, to feel the power¸ to see the future and the past. It made him shudder.
Concentrating on his task, he managed to hear the sound of running water and followed it. The echo of his footsteps was the only indication that he had reached an opening inside the rock.
He steeled himself and carefully looked around himself. The natural bluish light of the cave was more useful in illuminating his way than his torch so he rapidly spotted a small rock formation in which water gathered.
He carefully made his way there and uncorked his empty water flask with shaking fingers before submerging it in the clear water.
Merlin could very clearly feel the power radiating from it as his skin touched the water and it felt as if the pull of the crystals was only getting stronger.
He closed his eyes as he waited for the water skin to fill, willing himself to just resist for a few more minutes. He felt sweat run down his face and his back as he clenched all his muscles as if he could physically stop himself from obeying and looking into the rocks.
Finally, after agonizingly long seconds, bubbles stopped escaping from the water skin and Merlin quickly pulled it out and firmly closed it before harshly rubbing his hand dry on his trousers' leg.
Once that was done, he let out a small relieved sigh and turned back towards where he'd come, eager to leave.
Only then did he find himself face to face with a glowing blue crystal.
Before he had time to understand what was happening he was looking into it.
He saw fire. And destruction.
Camelot's red banner disappearing in ashes.
He saw dragons facing each other, roaring to the skies.
He felt pain and desperation.
He felt hope and love.
He saw a dozen different dragons bowing to a man with dark hair.
Merlin physically wrenched himself from the vision, hurriedly taking a step back before running towards the entrance of the cave as quickly as he could, ignoring the painful pounding of his heart and the roar of blood in his ears, fighting the shaking of his limbs and tears that made their way down his face from the mix of emotions that were still coursing through his head.
Finally, he saw daylight ahead and forced a final bout of energy into his race. He burst out of the cave not stopping until he was at the opposite end of the clearing.
Only then did he allow himself to stop and fell on his knees, panting, tears cascading down his face.
He rubbed at them angrily, cursing himself for his carelessness. He should have known he wouldn't be able to escape the crystal's visions.
He almost jumped out of his skin when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Merlin! You okay? What's wrong?"
He heard the panic in his friend's voice and cursed himself even more. This was why he hadn't wanted anyone with him.
Flashes of the crystal's vision kept plaguing him as he shook and panted.
"Merlin!" Gwaine cried out again, shaking him.
"I… I'm fine." He managed to ground out.
"You don't look like it. You look like you've seen a ghost! What happened in there?"
Merlin would probably have felt touched by the concern radiating by his friend if he was not trying so hard to lock the visions in a corner of his mind and calm his heart and breathing.
"Nothing." He answered shortly and shook Gwaine's comforting hand off.
He forced his shaking legs into cooperation and stood up.
"Let's go."
He saw his friend gape at him and ignored him. He had no intention of discussing what had happened with the knight. Or with anyone else for that matter. He just wanted to forget about it.
He didn't want to believe all the pain and destruction that would again come to pass.
He wanted even less to think that he would be the cause of it.
So what do you think?