Hello, hello my dear readers!
I hope you are all well and happy!
It is time for a new Lighting A Flame chapter! And look at that! Chapter 30! I can't even imagine how this is possible XD! I hope, however, that you are still enjoying the story! I, personally, like this chapter pretty much!
Once more, I want to thank you all fore reading and reviewing and liking this story! And thank my fabulous Beta for her awesome work !
Read you soon (with a one shot ;) )
Chapter 30:
Chapter 30:
Gwaine had always thought that nothing could be longer then an uneventful night on guard duty.
Well, his opinion changed as he waited for Merlin to come out of the Crystal Caves.
Rationally, he knew that less than half an hour had passed since the warlock had entered but to the knight it already felt like an eternity.
Maybe the mystical atmosphere exuded by the cave and it's clearing where making him anxious, even without really feeling the magic that saturated the air.
He found himself pacing back and forth, surveying the surroundings, checking on the horses, then going near the cave, hoping he would hear what was going on inside.
He resisted the urge to simply go and find out. He had promised Merlin he wouldn't enter, that he would let the warlock do his thing unaided.
However, that didn't mean he had to like it. He couldn't help his protectiveness for his friend even if he understood why the young man wanted to prove himself.
To stop his nervous movement as he sat near the horses, found a broken branch and began carving with his pocket knife. He didn't have any form in mind but just wanted to occupy himself. How big was this cave that Merlin was taking so long?
He was on his third carved branch when he finally heard the distinctive sound of pounding feet.
He jumped up, heartrate picking up, and shifted his hold on his knife just as Merlin burst out of the cave. His face was white and he was visibly shaking as he clumsily crossed the clearing only to fall to his knees. Gwaine could hear his frantic breathing and what sounding like sobs puncturing the previously quiet clearing.
The knight wanted to run towards him but he stayed where he was, eyes fixed on the cave, expecting an awful magical monster to come roaring out of it. When nothing happened after a few minutes of waiting, he turned back and ran towards Merlin who was rubbing at his face to stop the tears still escaping his eyes.
"Merlin! You okay? What's wrong?" He asked, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
He felt the muscles underneath his hand tense and shake but no answer came forth as the warlock's eyes were glazed over, obviously not registering his surroundings. It only augmented Gwaine's worry and panic.
"Merlin!" The knight insisted, shaking the kneeling man.
"I… I'm fine." Merlin finally answered but it sounding anything but fine. His voice was shaky and far-away as if he wasn't really there and his eyes were still not focused.
"You don't look like it. You look like you've seen a ghost! What happened in there?" Gwaine asked, hoping to distract his friend from whatever was on his mind.
It took a few seconds before Merlin shook his hand away.
"Nothing." He said and pushed himself up, hands clenched at his side to stop them, in vain, from shaking. "Let's go."
Gwaine opened his mouth to protest but Merlin's closed off expression stopped him from saying anything.
He had seen that face only too often the past year and it couldn't mean anything good. However, he knew that his friend wouldn't talk about it. Not so soon anyway.
So the knight squared his shoulders and followed Merlin's tense form. They quickly detached their horses and mounted, leaving the clearing and its cave alone with its secrets.
The ride back was silent and tense. More than any ride had ever been in the last six months.
Gwaine kept searching for something to say but was discouraged each time he turned towards Merlin. It was obvious from the look on his face that the warlock didn't want to talk about what happened and that whatever it was; it was bothering him more than he wanted to admit it.
His hands kept clenching and unclenching the reins and, his horse feeling his restlessness, began shaking its head back and forth as if wanting to dislodge a bothersome fly.
Merlin, however, didn't seem to notice it. He seemed once again lost in his thoughts, eyes vague, mouth set in a tight line.
Gwaine was almost thankful when they emerged from the dense forest into the bright midday sun to see the white turrets of Camelot on the horizon. Usually, Merlin always smiled at the sight, like a child seeing his favorite toy, but this time it was like nothing had changed around them. He didn't even glance at the castle.
The knight shook his head. It felt like they were back in the days after Gaius died. He didn't like it. At all.
They arrived in the castle an hour later and put their horses back in their stables under the surprised glances of the stable hands. Before Gwaine had the time to say anything more, Merlin disappeared through the doors, probably back to his chambers.
The knight let out a defeated sigh. He had been hoping that this trip would help his relationship with Merlin but, at the moment, it didn't really look like it.
He wondered what he should do. Doing nothing and letting Merlin deal with whatever happened wasn't an option. But he wasn't sure his help would be welcome.
He could go and tell Arthur what happened but that felt like another betrayal to his friend's trust.
He hung his head, feeling suddenly exhausted.
Merlin's horse whined next to him and Gwaine was reminded that he was still standing in the middle of the stables, probably getting in the way of the servants' work.
"Don't worry dear, I will find a solution." He said to the gentle horse, stroking its head before leaving, still wondering what he was going to do.
He was trudging tiredly up the stairs when someone called his name. He turned to find Percival walking towards him.
"I thought you were asleep! Where are you coming from? I thought you were on guard duty all week." The giant asked with a smile.
"I… Well… I… I was." Gwaine answered, not quite knowing how to answer.
"You're okay Gwaine? You seem out of sorts."
"Yes. Yes. I'm fine! Just tired. Guard duty, you know how it is."
Percival nodded but looked unconvinced.
"Well, you better disappear before Arthur sees you or you'll have to come and train with us!" Percival clapped his huge hand on Gwaine's shoulder and turned back towards the training field.
"Wait!" The drunkard exclaimed. "I… Hum… I have a question for you!"
The sleeveless knight turned back and lifted an eyebrow in invitation to continue.
"Well, it's not really a question. I need some advice…" Gwaine hesitated, praying that this wouldn't count as betrayal. "If you knew something was wrong with someone and knew they wouldn't want you to interfere but you thought they should tell their friends, would you do it in their place?"
Percival frowned at him for a few seconds before crossing his arms.
"What's wrong with Merlin?" He finally asked.
"Merlin? I never said anything about Merlin!" Gwaine panicked.
"Please Gwaine, everyone knows you care about him more than anyone else and he's the only one I could imagine you taking such precautions discussing."
The long-haired knight sighed in defeat.
"Am I really that transparent? No. Don't answer that… I can't tell you what's wrong with Merlin. Mainly because I don't know and that's the problem."
"Have you tried discussing it with him?"
"Well… No… It didn't look like he wanted to discuss anything."
Percival nodded.
"Well, if you want my opinion, I think you should try to discuss it with him before going to anyone else for help." He finally advised.
Gwaine observed his fellow knight for a few moments before nodding.
"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't let him push me away like that. I'll go talk to him. Thanks mate!"
So? What do you think? My day would be made with a little review!