Episode 3: It Was Me (Part Two)

The quaint village that rested a few miles out of Camelot was just a bit larger than Merlin had imagined. He had imagined three main establishments with small huts as homes. However, the homes were indeed made out of stone and seemed more than cozy for the winter nights. The streets were paved with cobblestone, so as Merlin and Arthur rode on it with their horses, it made a loud clip-clop clip-clop sound.

Merlin had dressed the same, but he added a second jacket over his brown one, as it was getting colder. Arthur, however, did not wear his royal garments. He was garbed in Merlin's clothing as to not draw attention. Despite this precaution, the horses were catching the eyes of the pedestrians of the village and the two friends were forced to ditch their ride.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Merlin spoke up to a woman who planned on passing him by. She was an old woman carrying a bouquet of flowers. She stopped abruptly and smiled at the sorcerer, who smiled in return. "Do you know where the infirmary is?"

"Oh, yes," the old woman assured and turned her body to point to a building down the street. "That one there. With the flag of Camelot by the door."

Merlin thanked her and he and Arthur started to head towards the clinic.

"What should we say?" Merlin asked in a hushed tone. A cold sweat of nervousness had broken out on his face.

Arthur sounded confident as he replied, "Well, I tell him to not speak a word of it to anyone."

"And what makes you think he'll listen to you?" Merlin scoffed with a grin.

"I'm the king of Camelot."

Merlin swallowed, "But, Arthur- "

Arthur raised his hand to stop him from walking. Merlin looked up to see two Camelot knights turning the corner down the street. Merlin, as he wasn't as instinctual as the royal warrior standing next to him, stood still in fright. However, his friend immediately took his wrist and pulled him in between two buildings into the shadows. Merlin tripped over a loose cobblestone and his back cracked against the wall of one of the buildings, knocking the air out of him. Grimacing in pain, he slid down onto the ground slowly, careful not to hurt anything else.

"Always such a klutz, Merlin," Arthur insulted in a whisper, kneeling close in front of him.

Merlin bit his lip. "G…Good thing we're headed to an infirmary. I think my back's broken."

Arthur shushed him and they sat there quietly, until the knights passed them. Arthur took Merlin's hand and pulled up quickly to his feet.

"What do you think they're here for?" Merlin asked as they crept cautiously out of the shadows of the two buildings.

"Same thing we're here for. Leon must've found out about the witness." Arthur moved quickly. Not necessarily a run, but much faster than a walk. Merlin had to trot to keep up with his pace. "Leon is frightening when he's not on my side."

Merlin still mused about what they would say, but time was more important and they had to speak to the witness as soon as possible. Before he spoke to anyone else.

Merlin and Arthur stepped into the infirmary building and were immediately met with a woman behind a countertop. The woman looked to be middle age with little to no gray hair.

"What can I do for you boys?" she asked kindly with a smile. Merlin noticed how Arthur jarred and the sorcerer wanted to laugh. The almighty king of Camelot wasn't used to a bit of modesty.

"We're, ah, here to visit someone," Arthur composed himself and forced a grin.

"Go right ahead. Please be courteous to patients who might be sleeping."

Arthur nodded. "Of course."

As they walked through the hallways of the clinic, Merlin was tempted to pull his neckerchief over his mouth for safety, but decided it was unkind to do so. He was also tempted to stop at every bed and do whatever he could to heal them. However, time was of the essence. One open curtain revealed a large man wrapped in bandages. He wore an eye patch.

"Arthur, wait!" Merlin whispered loudly. As Arthur stopped and went back to Merlin, he added, "That's him."

The witness looked to be speaking to himself and this puzzled Merlin. The two friends opened the curtain further and entered his area.

Upon immediately entering, the man paled and his back curled in what seemed like protection.

"G-Get away from me!" He screamed frightfully, cowering against the head of the bed. He pointed at Merlin with a shaky hand and time slowed to a crawl.

He couldn't recall anyone being so horribly frightened of him, other than Morgana. However, this man was just a man. A man whom Merlin had critically injured. Merlin felt his body stiffen at the sight. Gaius had always told him he wasn't a monster, but when someone looked so scared of him… how could even the most conceited person think of themselves? He wasn't able to control his magic. Had that happened before? He was just scared of him. His magic protected him, but he didn't mean to make it go that far.

"Stop shouting," Arthur said calmly, holding up his hands to show that they were harmless. "We're just here to talk."

"What are you doing?!" the man yelled. "He's a sorcerer! Quickly! Tell a knight!"

Merlin took a step closer to him, also hands raised. "Please, just list-!"

He was stopped when something hard connected with his cheekbone and he stumbled to the side, tripping over his foot and pulling the curtains down to stop his fall. Despite it, his shoulder hit the ground roughly, taking down the curtains with him.

"What the hell?!" Arthur yelled, kneeling besides Merlin and holding his body gently. "What do you think you're doing? We're here to speak with you! Stand down!"

The witness frantically stood from his bed, wincing at the pain it had caused him. Merlin cupped his injured cheek and propped himself up with his elbow.

"G-Guards!" the man yelled, looking around wildly. "Guards!"

Arthur sprang to his feet and tackled the witness to the ground.

"No, Arthur!" Merlin shouted, trying to stop them from wrestling around on the ground. Things were spiraling out of control. Merlin didn't know what to do. Magic was out of the question. The use of it would only result in more pain. Wait. That was it.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled over the grunts and yells of two men fighting. "Hold him down!"

Arthur did as best he could with the man's muscular body, but the fact that he was injured helped significantly. Merlin trotted over, ignoring the welt that was appearing and pulsing vehemently on his cheek. The sorcerer placed his hand over the man's eye patch, and as his eyes glimmered gold, he whispered the ancient dialect of sorcerers.

"S-Stop!" the man yelled, "What are you doing? Stop!"

As Merlin felt a wave of exhaustion pass over him, he knew he had completed his desired deed. That was when the man stopped writhing against Arthur's hold on him. He blinked a couple time with his single eye and a confused expression on his face. Arthur looked flustered with his blonde hair tousled during the wrestling and his clothes nearly backwards.

The king slowly released the witness and he stood. Merlin released a breath and leaned against the bed frame, praying to whoever was watching his magic had done the trick. The man sat up calmly, lifted his hand and took off his eye patch. With great relief, the eye underneath the eye patch was open and looked to be seeing. There was a faint scar that traced down the man's eyebrow to his cheek, passing right over the eye. It was most likely the injury that blinded him.

"I…" the man began in a quiet voice. "I can see."

There was a brief silence before Merlin said, "I'm so sorry for what happened." Merlin stood up. "Magic can be used like that," he paused to extend his hand to the witness. "But it can also be used to heal."

There was a beat where nothing happened. The man stared up at Merlin's eyes and then down at his hand. Merlin could feel the blue orbs of Arthur watching intently. However, the tension immediately ceased when the man took Merlin's hand. The sorcerer grinned and helped the witness to his feet.

"What is going on in here?" the woman from the front counter could be heard, followed by her footfalls. Merlin looked at Arthur and after smiling one last time at the man, the king and the sorcerer took off running.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You don't think he'll report you?" Arthur asked Merlin as they rode horseback through the forest back to Camelot.

"No," Merlin answered shortly with a loose smile.

Arthur frowned. "And why do you think that is? Just because you healed his blindness?"

Merlin shrugged. "That may be part of it. But when he took my hand, I felt a connection. An understanding." Merlin looked at Arthur to find him rolling his eyes.

"Why must you always be so dramatic, Merlin?" the king scoffed. "Just because he held your hand?"

Merlin smiled condescendingly. "You act like this, but I know you understand, you clotpole."

There was a tense silence.

"What did you call me?" Arthur asked with an angry smile.

Merlin's only reply was kicking the horse's side to make him run.

[cue Merlin ending]

END OF EPISODE 3