Okay, today I only have Merlin's part, because I wanted to write the whole thing in his, then the whole thing in Arthur's. It also is about 800 words, and I like giving people lots of short chapters often, because I think they're more fun that way (to read). Arthur's will be up soon.
"I did that," I cringed, realizing what I just said and who to. By that time he must've been ready to pull out his sword. I had just admitted the fatal folly, the worst imaginable crime.
"I guessed you did that. Still, it looked like a mistake to me, you must not be very good," Was he kidding me? I'm supposed to be the most powerful warlock ever. "I don't know what possessed you to study magic, in Camelot no less, but—"That was it. I interrupted him, not caring about the consequences anymore, he didn't kill me yet anyway, and I may have been safe for now. I told him, I'm sick of all the lies.
"I didn't," He gave me a confused look.
"Didn't what?"
No turning back, "I didn't study magic,"
"So it was just a one time thing?" he looked hopeful, as if begging me to lie and say yes. I wouldn't though, I needed the burden of these lies to leave me, and I needed the truth to be free.
"No, but I didn't study," he looked crestfallen, "I was born this way," Now came the confusion apparent on everyone's face when I tell them.
"But, don't you have to?"
I breathed in, time for the most important part of the confession, "um, no, see I was born to fulfill a destiny. I needed magic to do that,"
"A destiny?" He gave me one of his infamous looks of disbelief, "You? Some powerful warlock with a destiny?" He started to laugh, "But you couldn't even get that spell before right!"
"I'll have you know that that I am powerful, and one spell doesn't mean much,"
He stopped laughing at the look of seriousness on my face, "You're being serious?"
"Yes!" I said exasperatedly, and he calls me stupid, oh the irony. He still had a look of disbelief. "Look, I'll prove it," I stopped thinking, only irritation controlled my movements. I raised my hand and willed the fire up as I had the night in Ealdor, when Will died to protect my secret. Now it would all be for nothing that he had said he was the sorcerer, rescuer of Ealdor, on his deathbed, soiled his name before leaving this world, leaving me. It was in memory of him that I commanded the fire, sparks flying and hanging in the air, gathering together to form a dragon, even then I had known subconsciously about my heritage. Only then did I notice Arthur stepping backward a bit. Then it hit me, the world spun back down, crashing to my feet, my brain pounding. I stopped, and took a sharp breath. I looked at Arthur cautiously, gauging his reaction. He caught himself from falling backward, and froze. He stared at me in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe I had done that, as if I was insane. The stare penetrated my very soul, and if I knew for certain he didn't have magic, I would have wondered if he was reading my mind.
He went to sit back down, trying to save face and act like he hadn't just been startled backwards by a simple light show.
"Why were you in Camelot?" he asked, once he recovered and had picked up and tried to salvage his tarnished dignity.
"I told you I didn't fit in at Ealdor, then there was an incident with a tree and Old Man Simmons, and Will found out about my magic. My mom sent me to Camelot, then I found out my destiny and stayed,"
"What is this destiny?" I struggled to find a way to explain it.
I tried to stall, "Why?"
"I'm trying to decide if you're evil or not, just answer me," I recoiled as if slapped. Those words twisted around my heart, chocking me, how could I explain my destiny to someone who did this to me, who beat me when he found out my secret, who was now interrogating me just to see if he should drag me back to Camelot in chains and hand me over to his father, who if I didn't answer correctly would gladly see me burn, the skin melting off my bones, my final breath in the hot flames.
"I can't," I finally said after a bit of thought, "Someone else can tell you, not me. In fact ask the stupid lizard. He can tell you, though I wouldn't trust him, Mr. Half can't hate what makes it whole, fortune cookie, two sides of a coin." I take a breath, stopping my rant. "Just leave me alone," I tried to stand up, and I managed after a few minutes, before slowly making my way to the forest, walking away from him. He watched me leave. I never looked back. I should have looked back.