*peeks head around corner*
Hello! Remember me?
That author that was writing that story that one time?
I'm back
I have a whole list of excuses that I could reel off but I don't think any would really suffice for such a large gap of time (a mixture of writer's block, work experience, exams, holidays and a lack of wifi).
So here you go, the next chapter:
Emrys insisted on first gathering the people that had been present at the round table the night before so it was actually another half an hour before they left, walking off through the woods following Emrys' lead.
"I'm sorry about last night." Emrys muttered to Arthur so that none of the others could hear him.
Arthur just looked at him.
"I shouldn't have shouted at you, there was no reason to. Don't believe what I said, I know for a fact that he would help. That he will, without me having to ask him."
"You were right though." Arthur told him quietly, "If Merlin doesn't help us then it's my fault, I pushed him away and I wouldn't blame him if he didn't come back."
"Arthur, I'm not gonna argue with you, it is kinda your fault. But you know Merlin, do you really think a silly little thing like a banishment would keep him away?"
"It has done so far."
"Really?"
Arthur turned to look at him, there was a moment of silence.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I can't tell you, you need to figure it out by yourself." Emrys said somewhat reluctantly, "We're here." He nodded towards the clearing they had reached.
Arthur felt his jaw literally drop open, he wasn't alone. As the others caught up with them they all stopped in shock as well.
Within the clearing was at least a hundred people all performing some sort of magical act.
There were people dressed in Druid robes mixing herbs and forming elixirs for healing. Others were muttering incantations and holding up a shield that stretched from one side of the clearing to the other and glowed with a blue light. From the side of the space that wasn't devoted to healing, jets of different coloured light were shooting from hands and staffs towards the shield which rippled with each impact. Others were working with the elements and causing great winds to whip through the air, the ground to rumble and shake, fires were bursting up from no where and rain clouds appeared above each one to put it out. There were even some people practising weaponry enhanced with magic.
There was a great roar followed by a slightly smaller one from above them and two dragons swooped down and blew a jet of fire at the shield which - to it's credit - still held.
"What are they doing?" Arthur asked.
"Practicing, although frankly Kilgarrah and Athusa are just showing off." Emrys answered
"Who?"
"The dragons."
"...Right."
"Are you going to show us what you can do then?" Gwaine stepped forward and asked.
"Well... If I have to." Emrys sighed as if it was such a big chore to do as he had asked.
He stepped forward from the shadows of the trees and only the sorcerers closest noticed him.
That is until he waved a hand in a sweeping motion and all those attacking the shield were forced to sit. With his other hand he sent his own bolt of magic straight to the middle of the shield causing it to crack and dissipate.
With a few words he had both dragons sitting tamely in front of him.
"Happy now?" He asked Gwaine whilst lifting the spell and allowing people to stand up again.
"Um..."
"Didn't I kill that dragon?" Arthur strode forwards.
"You've been practicing." Gaius said and Emrys shot him a grin.
"I definitely killed that dragon." Arthur continued.
"I had time." Emrys told Gaius.
"That dragon is dead."
"You didn't even need any incantations or anything..." Leon muttered.
"That right there is a dead dragon."
"My magic is instinctual, I used to just be able to move things and slow down time without spells but now I don't really need them for anything." Emrys explained.
"Or perhaps a zombie dragon."
"What do you mean instinctual?" Percival asked.
"Can you get zombie dragons?"
"I could use magic before I could talk, I was born with it."
"And where did the other one come from! I'm pretty sure you need two dragons for a baby dragon."
"How did you cope with it for so long?" Gwen asked.
"Dead!" Arthur pointed at the dragon.
"Well I've never known anything different." Emrys reasoned.
"OI!" Arthur shouted at them, "Would you lot listen? That there dragon is dead!"
"No it's not Arthur don't be stupid." Emrys said.
"Yes it is!"
"Isn't."
"Is."
"Isn't."
"Is."
"I'm not dead Pendragon." A rumbling voice came from above them.
Arthur let out a small yelp that he would later deny, "You can talk!"
"I'm a three hundred and fifty two year old dragon that has been the destroyer of civilisations and the guide of destiny since before the thought of you even existed so yes, I can talk."
"B-but... You're dead!"
The dragon just raised an eyebrow, "Didn't we just go over this?" Emrys muttered.
"Yeah but you know what Arthur's like." Percival muttered and Emrys smiled in reply.
"You didn't kill the dragon Arthur." He explained.
"But Merlin said-"
"He lied. He sent the dragon away and ordered him never to attack Camelot again."
"Only a dragonlord can command Dragons." Arthur said.
"Exactly."
"But the last dragonlord's dead!"
Emrys sighed.
"And so's that dragon." Arthur said again pointing up at the dragon.
The small group of knights all simultaneously facepalmed.
"Don't look like that, I'm being serious. The dragon. Is-"
Clang.
Whumpf.
As Arthur fell to the floor he revealed the source of the clang. A young Druid girl was standing behind him clutching a frying pan, she looked quite pleased with herself.
"I'm sorry Emrys but that was getting really old really quickly and I just thought we could all move on much faster without the king's input." She said very quickly.
Emrys walked towards her and bent down so he was at her eye level, she cowered back slightly.
"Thank you." He said sincerely.
"Is he alright?" Leon asked crouching beside Arthur.
"He'll be fine, he's been knocked out so many times that one more isn't going to make a difference." Emrys said without glancing at the king.
Leon looked up at Gaius as if for confirmation.
"He's got a point." Gaius said an Emrys shot him a grin and turn to face the assembled sorcerers.
"Err... Hi." He gave them a meek sort of wave.
"I LOVE YOU EMRYS!" A shout came from the crowd.
"You don't even know me..."
"I LOVE THE IDEA OF YOU EMRYS!"
"...Thanks."
Gwaine chuckled behind him. Typical Merlin, dragons, sorcerers and stroppy kings were no trouble but girls? A completely different matter altogether. He frowned as this brought back a memory from the hut in the forest, he made a mental note to ask about it later.
"Thank you all for coming to help. I'm not going to make any promises about the dawn of Albion or the fulfilment of prophecies but ridding Camelot from the threat of Morgana will bring us one step closer. I had planned on getting Arthur to do one of his big long speeches that make everyone feel really good about themselves but he's somewhat incapacitated at the moment." He gave a glance to the figure on the floor, "So... Um... Carry on I suppose. We march for Camelot at sunset."
A silence filled the clearing.
Emrys nodded and turned to leave, "What are we going to do about Arthur?" Gwen asked.
"I could carry him?" Percival suggested.
"No that's alright, I've got him." Emrys said and with a flash of his eyes Arthur was levitated in front of the group, "Come on then, before everyone begins to think I've gone all psycho-sorcerer on you."
With that he left the clearing and walked back through the trees, Arthur still floating ahead of him.
Everyone shared a look but followed him anyway.
XXX
Later that day Emrys collected Arthur's armour from the room that had been reserved for the king and snuck away with it when no one was looking. He wasn't doing any harm, any fool should know the difference between protective enchantments and curses.
Of course Arthur isn't just any fool. He's a royal fool.
"What the hell are you doing to my armour?" A voice said from behind him.
"Enchanting it." Emrys replied without thinking and carried on rubbing runes into the metal with a polishing rag.
There was the sound of a sword being drawn and then a sharp point was pressed into his back.
"I thought you were meant to be on our side." Arthur hissed.
Emrys sighed and rolled his eyes, "I am on your side."
"Then why are you enchanting it?"
"Protective enchantments Arthur," He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world (which it was really). "Now if you'll just move your sword from my back."
"Oh, right yes of course." Arthur muttered and then put the weapon back into it's sheath.
There was a pause and then the sound of movement as Arthur sat down next to him and watched him work.
They sat there in silence for a bit, Emrys still rubbing runes into the armour and Arthur watching with mild interest.
"So what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm using a polishing rag to rub protective runes into the metal, I could've engraved it but I doubted you'd be too happy with that. Once I've done this then I just have to activate the runes and I'll probably cast a few spells on it just to give the runes that little extra kick."
"Where did you find a polishing rag?"
"I've always got one with me," Emrys paused and sat back with a slightly nostalgic smile, "I used to work for someone that always wanted everything polished within an inch of it's life so it became force of habit really."
Arthur gave him a curious look.
"What?"
"Who did you used to work for?"
Emrys looked over at him, "It doesn't matter," He started rubbing the armour again, "I don't anymore."
"Come on, who was it? Do I know them?"
"Probably."
"Well then why won't you- oh. This is about me having to figure out who you are isn't it? You won't tell me who you use to work for because then it will give you away."
"Something like that."
"Well then can I guess?"
"If you like, doesn't mean I'll tell anything."
"Did you... Used to live in Camelot?"
"I still live in Camelot it's just in a hut in the woods."
"So you did?"
"That's not what I said."
"You said that you still live in Camelot, implying that you used to live somewhere else within the kingdom."
"Smart arse."
Arthur chuckled, "Ok, did you work for my family?"
"Everyone who lives in Camelot works for the Pendragons in some way."
"But this person you used to work for, was it someone in my family?"
"Yes." Emrys put the rag down and let his eyes flare gold, as they did the runes he had been rubbing glowed with the same colour briefly before fading. He then began muttering under his breath, his eyes remained the same colour. Arthur stopped questioning him so as not to interrupt but Emrys gestured with his hand to carry on.
"So you used to live in Camelot - you still do - and work for a Pendragon?"
Emrys nodded and sat back having finished his enchantments. He picked up the rag again and began to polish the armour normally now.
"Were you a guard?"
Emrys looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Ok, not a guard. So... A servant?"
Emrys nodded again.
"In the royal household."
"Obviously."
"Ok then, what was your position?"
"That would make it too easy."
"Is that how you know Merlin then? Were you around at the same time as him?"
"I knew him when I was at the palace yes."
"But you didn't work for me, I mean I would recognise you if you did. Besides, the only person that worked for me personally was Merlin."
Emrys didn't have to answer as at that moment Leon appeared and addressed the king.
"Sire, you're needed in the main chamber."
"Alright I'm just coming Sir Leon," The knight left and Arthur turned to Emrys before leaving and said, "I'll figure out who you were you know."
"Who I am, not who I was." Emrys corrected not looking up from his work.
Arthur walked off leaving him on his own.
On seeing that he was on his own Gwaine walked over and sat down next to him.
"So," The knight said.
"Yes?"
"Something you said back in that hut of yours."
"Which bit?"
"When you were having your little rant about how you used to have a life you said... you said you fell in love." Gwaine's voice softened slightly at the end.
Merlin looked up from his polishing, "Did I?"
"Who was she?"
"Her name was Freya." Merlin answered after a moment of silence.
"What happened?" Gwaine asked gently.
"She was cursed by an old woman, every night she would turn into a beast. A Bastet. She was brought to Camelot by a bounty hunter, I rescued her from the cage he'd locked her up in - she was a Druid you see. We were going to leave Camelot, to live somewhere else where we wouldn't have to hide but on the night that we were going to leave she ran away. She thought that my life in Camelot was to good to give up for her but before she got out of the city she transformed. Someone hit her and when she turned back the wound was fatal. I think it was destiny's way of telling me that I wasn't allowed to leave."
Gwaine placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and Merlin looked up and gave him a small smile.
"I'm sorry mate."
Merlin shook his head, "It was a long time ago now."
"Who - who killed her?"
"That doesn't matter." Merlin said quickly.
"Come on, you can tell me."
There was a beat of silence, "He didn't mean to, well he did - obviously - but if he knew he wouldn't have and-"
"Merlin."
"Right, sorry. It was Arthur, Arthur killed her."
Gwaine looked at him in shock.
"And you forgave him, just like that?"
"I didn't really have a choice did I? It wasn't as though he knew." Merlin said before picking up the armour and going to put it back where he found it.
What did you think?
Let me know
I have tohave credit to the frying pan idea to... Well I'm not sure who you are but it helpe me move on from writer's block so thank you!
Shameless Promotion:
My friend (known as Romilda in my stories, her author name is fanataicy) us currently writing a series of one-shots each based on different knights of Camelot, her latest one is called Brotherly Bonding and is based in Elyan so go and check it out :)
