Gaius cornered Merlin before he could sneak off to his rooms that evening after training. "I heard about what you did today," he said ominously.
Merlin sighed, bracing himself for the inevitable lecture. "And?" he asked impatiently.
"How could you be so foolish? Magic must be studied, mastered, and used for good! Not for idiotic pranks!"
Merlin stood his ground. "He needed to be taught a lesson. Besides, what is there to master? I could move objects like that before I could talk!"
Gaius raised an eyebrow. "I certainly hope you know what you are doing, because I for one have no idea. By now you should have learned how to control yourself!"
"I can," managed Merlin between gritted teeth. "But if I can't use magic, then what can I do? I may as well die as a nobody."
After dinner that night, Merlin and Gwen snuck up to the roof again to meet with Elyan to finish discussing training and begin to come up with a plan for the arena. The evening breeze of the night before had turned to a biting wind, and Merlin zipped up his jacket upon stepping out of the elevator. Elyan was already sitting on the bench, huddling against the wall in the futile hope of evading the cold.
"Hello Elyan," greeted Merlin.
Elyan grinned. "Hello mace-master." He had taken to calling the other boy that after his victory over Arthur that morning. Merlin grimaced.
"Don't call me that," he protested, joining Elyan on the bench.
"So," interjected Gwen, "What else did you learn in training so we can start planning for the arena?"
"Elyan and I spent most of the afternoon at the shelter-building station and then we visited the knife-throwing station. Bottom line is that I should avoid cliffs, knives, and Arthur in the Games." Merlin summarized.
"But if we can get you a mace, then we're good," laughed Elyan.
"I keep telling you, I was just lucky!" said Merlin, frustrated, and Elyan sent him a patronizing smile.
"Alright," interrupted Gwen. "Well I tried my hand at using a trident and an axe and then visited the first aid station. So now Merlin and I can both heal wounds should something happen to one of us. I have a spare bandage so we can teach Elyan the basics."
The three spent the next hour sharing medicinal skills and with Merlin showing them how to tie more complex knots and snares. The sky darkened from a velvety blue to deep black, and the stars began to shine, the moon emerging from behind a cloud. The temperature dropped even further, and Gwen began to shiver.
"Should we stop for now, Gwen?" Elyan asked, concerned.
"No, we can stay out a bit longer," she urged, looking at the two boys. "Any ideas what this year's arena is going to be like?"
Elyan shrugged, but Merlin looked thoughtful. "I tried to guess the vegetation of the arena from the plant life at the edible plants station, and there weren't any tundra plants, tropical stuff, or anything that could live in a desert, so I'm guessing that we won't have to worry about the extreme heat or cold."
"Well that certainly narrows it down a bit," replied Gwen earnestly.
"Yeah," acknowledged Elyan. "The arena aside, what are we going to do in the bloodbath? Are we going to participate or run?"
"Run," answered Merlin immediately, but Gwen looked unsure.
"When else are we going to get weapons and supplies? I think that if the supplies are spread out, then we should grab what we can, then run. If everything is the mouth of the cornucopia, then we can leave, but we aren't weak. We should arm ourselves in the beginning and prove ourselves as a force to be reckoned with. Especially if Arthur has a personal vendetta against us."
Slowly, Merlin and Elyan agreed, and they finally called it a night. Merlin knew that no amount of planning could really prepare you for the arena, but it certainly made him feel better to have a group of close friend/allies and a cohesive plan.
