A/N: Hello! Sorry about the lack of updates recently! That doesn't matter now though, because here's a new chapter for you!
Chapter Seven:
While making his way out of the castle, Merlin saw his two best friends, Gwen and Arthur. As he got closer, he heard their conversation.
"Why did you take so long to get ready for dinner? Honestly, it's just a dress. How could it be so hard when you worked as a servant for so long?"
"Look, the clothing shrunk in the wash so I needed to find another dress to wear. When I finally found a suitable dress, there was a hole in it so I needed to patch it up. Would you have preferred me walking around in a night dress for all to ogle at?"
"No, I wouldn't. Look, I'm sorry about how rude I was. I'm under a lot of pressure right now and-"
Before Arthur could finish, Gwen kissed him.
"It's alright, I forgive you."
They don't seem to be affected much by the spell. Their love probably had something to do with it. I remember one of the first things I learned from the book was that true love can slow the effect of spells like these. It's nice to know that their love is true.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Merlin made his way towards the gates. Luckily, his friend, Leon, was at the one guarding the gates. It was at the very edge of the city of Camelot.
"Hi Leon! How are you?"
"Fine, Merlin. How about you?"
It was shocking that Leon wasn't irritated like the rest. Sure, there was a slightly bored look to his face, and his voice was rather flat, but he wasn't affected like everyone else.
Merlin was careful with his words. He didn't want the knight getting offended. "I'm fine too, thanks for asking. I'm going out for a bit, but I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?" he inquired.
"Just the woods. I wanted to take a walk, and I've always liked the wilderness. When it's not quite night, and it's not quite day, the sky is so beautiful."
"My shift is ending in a few minutes, can I come with? I swear, the people here today are acting more and more rude."
Should he let Leon come too? He was the only person not affected, and would probably be helpful to have, but it wouldn't do him any good to have Leon find out about his magic.
"Well, I may take a while. I like to go deep into the forest, I'm not sure if you'll like it."
With a quirk of his brow, Leon responded, "I know it's not like me to leave Camelot on such short notice, but I need a break. I think there's something wrong with the people here, and I've been standing here the whole day. How about we leave for a few days?"
He decided to tell the truth to Leon. "I was lying when I said I was just going for a walk in the woods. There's dark magic at work here, and I'm going to eradicate the source. It's going to take a few days."
That seemed to grab Leon's attention. "What? That's incredibly dangerous!"
"I've done it before. I'll do it again."
"I'm coming with," the knight said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Alright, but you can't let anyone know, and we need to leave immediately. I'll go get supplies while you finish your shift. Most importantly, don't move. If I'm not here before your shift ends, stay here until I come."
After Leon agreed to do as told, Merlin left to go get some more food and medical supplies. Leon would already have his water skin on him. For a moment, Merlin wondered if he should grab some weapons, but he already had a hidden belt of weapons on him, and Leon had a sword. Realising that he didn't get a bed roll, Merlin got two of them. Good thing I remembered. He also wondered if it was a good idea to let Leon come.
If I said no, Leon would probably get suspicious and follow me. He's also a good fighter, which might help with some bandits. Either way, I don't think that we're going to get out of this without him finding out about my powers. Leon would probably accept me, as he is only alive because of the druids. He knows that not all magic is evil.
When he reached the gate, Leon was just getting off his shift. They left without any words shared. As they got deeper into the forest, Leon's curiosity finally got hold of his mouth.
"How were you not affected? How do you know this was sorcery? More than that, how do you even know where to look?"
It was very obvious that Merlin stiffened at those questions. Still, he answered.
"I know the answer to your questions, but I don't know if you can handle it at this time."
Well that's cryptic, thought Leon.
"Look, I'm sure that whatever the reason is, I can handle."
After some hesitation, Merlin said, "I believe you, but I'm not sure if you will take it too well."
"When did you get so cryptic?" he muttered.
For the first time all day, Merlin laughed. Eventually, Leon laughed too. It was weird, after all. A knight was following a manservant, who is going straight to sorcerers, to kill them. That made Leon wonder something. He never asked Merlin this, and the man never showed his opinion about it.
"How do you feel about magic anyway?" The question came out more blunt than Leon expected it too, but it got the point across. Obviously, Merlin thought something about it, seeing how he suddenly stopped walking, his face guarded.
"Magic?"
Leon spun around at Merlin's voice. It was weary, and had a strange tone to it. They both stopped walking at this point.
"Yes, Merlin. Magic. How do you feel about it? Do you think of it as all evil? Do you think it's good?"
Slowly, he looked at Leon. Merlin looked older, and his eyes held a certain wisdom gained through age, experience, and loss.
"Magic is neither good nor bad. It is a tool. It can be used for good or bad. Really, it's the heart of the wielder that matters. If magic was evil, the druids would be too. Yet, they saved your life, knowing full well that you were a Knight of Camelot."
Leon nodded. For a while now, he thought the exact same thing. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one that thought that.
"I think you're right."
Now it was time for Merlin to ask.
"Let's say someone close to you had magic. They were born with it. They've only ever used it to help people. How would you react?"
Well that's random. "I guess I would feel hurt that they didn't trust me enough to tell me. I definitely wouldn't turn them in, because that would be beyond stupid and cruel. I would wonder why they were foolish enough to live in Camelot. Most of all, I would wonder if they were Emrys."
Stiffening again, Merlin asked, "Emrys?"
"While I was recovering, the druids told me the prophecy of the Once and Future King and Emrys. Emrys is supposed to be the most powerful sorcerer to ever live and ever will live. He's supposed to be the only one born with magic. A warlock, I think they said. Apparently, other people can start using magic at an early age, but they can live without using it. If Emrys were to try and not use magic, they would get ill, and if they still don't use magic, they die."
"What if they were Emrys then?"
"Then I would thank them without hesitation and promise to keep their secret. Why?"
"No reason... No reason."
They walked in silence after that. The sun started to creep up over the horizon, casting a brilliant orange light over the forest. They stopped for lunch when the sun got high in the sky.
"So... What can you tell me about this spell?"
Taking a drink of water, Merlin replied, "The spell casters become vessels-"
"What are vessels?"
"Oh yeah, you didn't know. Vessels are people that keep the spell alive. The spell feeds off of their magic and life."
When Merlin finished explaining about the spell, he added, "Also, they're working for Morgana and she's probably going to try and take over Camelot in a few days."
Leon grumbled, "Why can't she ever give us a break?"
After he said that, the both of them started to laugh again. When the laughter died down, Merlin noticed something.
"Isn't it quiet? Too quiet? Bandit quiet?"
Noticing the same thing, Leon exclaimed, "Oh come on! Why do they always have to come at times like this?"
Of course, while they were discussing this, the bandits came running out of their hiding spots, eager for blood and money. Merlin grabbed a sword, the length of his forearm, out of his belt and started fighting. They were able to defeat the majority of them, but more and more kept coming. Eventually, it was four against one, with more arriving each second. Why were there so many bandits, they didn't know or care. They just had to worry about getting rid of them.
Leon noted that this was becoming a hopeless battle, no matter their skills, when Merlin said, "I hope you weren't lying."
Before he had the time to wander what Merlin was talking about, all the bandits went flying backwards, sickening cracks sounding from where there bodies forcefully hit the ground.
Since all of the bandits were dead now, (they checked) the two moved away from the bloody scene. When they reached a lake, Merlin said that they should stop and tend to their wounds.
As Merlin bandaged Leon's arm, which had gotten a nasty cut, Leon finally broke the awkward silence to create an awkward conversation.
"So... You have magic?"
Not looking up, he nodded.
That was probably the 'reasons' that he was talking about.
Hesitantly, Leon asked, "Are you... Are you Emrys?"
Again, Merlin nodded, but this time, he also asked a question.
"Are you going to have me killed?"
Leon's jaw dropped at this question.
"What? How could you possibly think I would let you get killed? I'll keep true to what I said. I will keep your secret and thank you. So, thank you for what you've probably done."
A smile graced Merlin's face as he continued to tend to all of their wounds. They were sitting in a comfortable silence when Leon finally spoke the question that was on his mind.
"Why did you come to Camelot in the first place?"
With a resigned sigh, he answered, "My magic was getting too strong. I couldn't control it that well anymore, so Mother sent me to Gaius, in hopes that he could help me. I protested, but when she found out that Will, my late best friend, knew about me, she instantly sent me to live with Gaius. Our village was small, and she thought that if one person could find out, all of them can."
"It's amazing that you were able to survive in Camelot without anyone finding out."
"Lancelot did."
At first, that got Leon confused, but it made a lot of sense. Merlin and Lancelot were closer than the rest of them, and they spoke in hushed tones often.
After a little while longer, Merlin finished with his own wounds as well, and they were on their way. As the sun started making it's way across the sky, Merlin stopped. Confused, Leon stopped too.
Merlin muttered a few words in a tongue Leon didn't understand, before his eyes turned golden. When they receded to their normal colour, Merlin said that they were close and should get some rest. After all, it really wouldn't do much good to be sleep deprived and trying to fight angry sorcerers. They needed all the strength they could muster for the battle.
A/N: I know y'all were expecting a fight scene this chapter, I was too, but it's going to happen in the next one instead. Also, I just changed a few things near the end of this chapter. I realised it really didn't make sense if they took off during the evening, yet somehow made it very close before the sun started coming up.