Chapter Summary: Merlin makes some friends and gains valuable information
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Chapter IV: A Friend in Me
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Something small with a blunt end pokes his cheek.
Merlin swats it away, mumbling pleas. Surely Gaius could give him a few more minutes to sleep? His head aches most profoundly, and his whole body is sore. He doesn't exactly remember what activities he had done yesterday but it's most likely Arthur's fault.
The same article is back, prodding insistently at his face. Merlin scowls. But the expression makes his temples throb more so he stops.
"Gaius . . ." Merlin blearily opens his eyes to welcome the sight of a wooden ceiling.
Wait. That certainly is not his room's stone ceiling.
Merlin bolts upright from the bed, memories flooding back. Another world. An orange carriage. New guards at the gates. Potions. Magic in Camelot. Queen Ygraine. Prince Arthur. He instantly regrets his sudden movement because the motion is accompanied by a nausea that threatens to disown the contents of his stomach. He groans, his head punishing his insolence.
Someone yelps, and Merlin's alert eyes are immediately drawn to the source.
A little girl, appearing about eight summers, stands beside the cot he lays in, brown eyes wide as they meet Merlin's. Her pale face is dotted with freckles, long sandy hair pinned neatly at the back of her head. In her hands -
Merlin blinks.
In her hands is an eagle, crooning and cleaning its feathers. Except, Merlin knows for certain eagles don't have four legs, and the body and tail of a lion.
"Is that a griffin?" Merlin's voice rises, tinged with a hysterical note. He can't be blamed; the last time he saw a griffin, it attempted to tear him apart with its beak.
The girl beams, nodding rapidly. Her previously wary expression fades as she starts talking excitedly about her pet. "This is Kelly. I found her in the woods when she was just an egg." The girls holds out the magical creature to Merlin. It's half the girl's size, and Merlin wonders how she is able to carry it. "Da let me keep her since she catches and eats the rats in the inn. Good for business, he said!"
The warlock does not know what it is in his expression that indicates he wants the griffin anywhere near him. But the little girl stares at him, clearly expecting him to take the creature. And, when Merlin glances at the griffin, the same expression is painted on its face. The creature looks at him with guileless eyes, beak releasing soft croons. Its wings flutter, the claws of its forelegs beckoning Merlin closer.
The warlock gingerly encloses his fingers around the body of the griffin - the baby griffin. She isn't as heavy as he thought it would be. However, the moment Merlin's hands form a tentative grip upon her, the griffin decides to take matter into her own claws. She struggles out of Merlin's grasp, and lunges towards his chest. The warlock backs away with a shout of surprise but Kelly curves her body around his left shoulder, sharp talons dangerously close to the soft flesh of his neck. Merlin freezes, not even daring to breathe.
The little girl is nonplussed as she stares at the scene. "She really likes you! Kelly usually bites the fingers of anyone that tries to pet her. Except me, of course." The little girl giggles.
"Then why did you offer her to me?" Merlin screeches, indignant. The griffin nuzzles its head at hollow of his throat, and he swallows. The feathers tickle his skin in a spine-chilling manner.
The girl shrugs. "I just wanted to see what would happen."
"You're a very shrewd child," Merlin mumbles, trying to detach the griffin from him. Kelly's talons tighten in return, threatening to break skin, and the warlock ceases his attempts. He begs the child, "Please get her off me."
The girl climbs the bed, sitting over Merlin's blanket-covered legs. She doesn't even try to heed his pleas. "I'm Selia, by the way." With a comically serious expression, she lifts her hand for a handshake.
Merlin, mind still occupied with the blasted griffin around his neck, replies with a simple "I'm Merlin." He takes the offered hand and shakes it firmly. A memory flashes in his mind, vague and unclear. "Were . . . Were you the one who hit me with the ball?"
Selia's cheeks puffs even as the tips of her ears pink. "It's not entirely my fault. You were standing too near our play area!" She says, pointing an accusing finger at the warlock. Then, she slumps. "But I am sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. My aim was bad."
Merlin chuckles, endeared despite himself. "It's all right. I suppose I shouldn't have been absentmindedly standing around."
The girl looks pleased at the admittance. Ah, children. So easily appeased. "How is it?" She taps her own head. "Does it still hurt?"
"A bit, yeah." But the longer Merlin is conscious, the more the pain fades. He reaches out to the back of his head to feel for bumps or wounds. Strangely, he finds nothing. He frowns in confusion.
"Gilli said you hit your head on a rock when you fell." She holds up two fingers. "Two head wounds!" Merlin doesn't think she should sound as amazed as she does.
The name registers belatedly in his mind. "Gilli?"
Selia gasps. "I'm supposed to fetch him when you awaken!" She hurriedly climbs down the cot, and heads for the door. The wooden barrier opens without any contact, and Selia runs out of the room with no other explanation.
Merlin is left alone with the baby griffin, who has made herself comfortable atop his shoulders.
Gilli. The name belonged to a boy he met a few years back, one Merlin remembers with a melancholic note. The warlock had related very closely to the boy's feelings and situation, had pitied him so much that he had revealed his deepest secret. Could it be . . . ?
No, it is too much of a coincidence. He's in another world, and Gilli is a common enough name.
His wonderings come to a stop as the man himself enters the room, followed by Selia.
"-been awake for a few minutes. He told me his head hurt a bit," the girl reported.
Gilli, for it is he, nods solemnly at Selia's words. His is the first familiar face Merlin has seen in this world. And even then, Merlin barely recognizes him.
He looks younger than Merlin recalls, the frown lines in his face less prominent than the laugh lines. Merlin remembers seeing a boy, bitter with revenge and burdened with eyes older than his body. Although they share the same face, the man in front of him now is an entirely different than the one he met years ago. Gilli's face is open, a hint of naiveness and ungainliness gleaming through his posture. His hair is darker, cheeks fuller and eyes bright with youthfulness. No recognition sparks in his expression as he meets Merlin's eyes.
Merlin gapes. The more he stares, the more sure he is of his assumption; it has just been a speculation before but this here is proof that he truly is in another world. This Gilli is not - cannot be - the one he knows.
Merlin realizes that Gilli is speaking and the warlock himself has been asked a question. "Uh, what?" he asks intelligently.
Concern draws Gilli's brows in a furrow. "I asked if you're experiencing any dizziness?"
"N-No." Merlin couldn't stop staring, couldn't stop comparing. Fortunately, the griffin let out a chirp, tearing Merlin out of his trance. "Though if you get this thing off me, I would be grateful."
Amusement and sympathy shine in Gilli's eyes. Selia huffs, offended in behalf of her pet. "We know when we're not wanted. Come now, Kelly!"
Thankfully, Kelly loves Selia more than she loves Merlin's neck. She untangles herself from the warlock and jumps into the little girl's open arms.
"I'll bring supper," the girl promises with a bright smile before trotting out of the room.
"I'm Gilli, by the way." Merlin's attention was drawn back by the only other occupant of the room. "My friend and I treated you after you got hit. It wasn't anything serious," Gilli reassured. "Selia's father, Tom, offered to house you until you got better. I guess Selia is feeling pretty guilty for hitting you."
"Yes, she already apologized," Merlin says because he can think of nothing else. An awkward silence fills the room. Gilli is giving him an expectant look but Merlin does not know what he - Oh! "My name's Merlin. Thank you so much for treating me." The warlock skims the supposed wound on his head. "It doesn't really hurt that much now."
Gilli smiles, back straightening with pride. "I'm glad. I'm not a full-fledged healer yet, of course. But I do plan to study under Mage Gaius' tutelage and improve some more."
Merlin sputters. "Mage Gaius?"
"I suppose you would've heard of him." Gilli's gaze darts down, an embarrassed flush touching his cheeks. "It is a bit arrogant of me to assume he would choose me as an apprentice. More talented mages are competing for the spot."
Merlin understands none of the things Gilli is saying. Is it better to pretend he knows? It would be difficult to keep up later on . . . In the end, he decides to keep his questions to himself for now until he can determine this Gilli's trustworthiness.
"All right," he says. He searches for anything to say but finds little that would not reveal his cluelessness. He only knows that in this world, Ygraine is queen, Arthur is just a prince, and magic is used all around Camelot.
Magic is allowed.
The idea slams into him like a wheelbarrow rolling down the hill. He inhales a sharp breath and looks down on his hands in numb shock.
Magic is allowed in Camelot.
"I can do magic," he breathed out. He can use magic inside Camelot without being arrested and executed. To Merlin, the notion is as foreign as the idea of Djinns before he met one.
"You can?" Gilli excitedly asks, seating himself on a wooden chair beside the bed and seemingly unbothered by the non-sequitur. Merlin's head snaps up, remembering that he is not alone. "Are you a mage like myself?"
Merlin's not entirely sure what the difference is. "No, I-" He trails off, still trying to wrap his mind around such an impossible concept.
Without thinking too much about it, he holds out a hand and produces a glowing blue orb floating atop his palm. Gilli gasps and Merlin's eyes turn to him. The warlock observes the younger man's reaction and sees nothing but awe and wonder. Gilli does not look around in fright, does not ask him to extinguish the light. Nothing in Gilli's countenance denotes that magic is unnatural in Camelot. Merlin lets out a breath he did not realize he was holding.
"I've never seen the likes of it before," Gilli confesses, fingers hovering over the spherical source of light. Then, he stills, expression going surprisingly blank. "You . . . You didn't utter any spell."
"A spell?" For such a simple thing? Merlin vanishes the orb, wondering at the strange tone in Gilli's voice. "I . . . I don't know the spell for that." Merlin does not even think there is one. In his defense, he does own only one book about magic.
Gilli appears stunned. He opens his mouth but before he could say anything to clear up Merlin's confusion, the door to the room creaks open. Two individuals enter the room, carrying a tray each. The shorter one is, of course, a cheerful Selia with Kelly resting around her shoulders. She is chatting enthusiastically with the young man that came with her. The young man has pale skin, dark hair, and a broad figure suited for a knight of Camelot. As he raises his gaze, piercing azure eyes meet Merlin's. A sense of familiarity tugs at the warlock then, twisting his stomach into knots.
But Merlin is certain he has never met the man in his reality before. That is until Gilli straightens and calls out, "Mordred! That better be dinner!"
The name freezes the blood in Merlin's veins. Looking closely, the man greatly resembles the druid boy he helped escaped Uther's clutches years ago. He forgets how to breath for before him stands the man that is destined to end the life of his best friend.
Mordred smiles, and teases, "It is. I know how irritable you get if you go without food for an hour."
"It's my Da's best stew!" Selia pipes up.
Mordred's gaze then turns to him and he pauses, noting the warlock's shock. He shoots Merlin a puzzled look as he settles down a tray of food on the lone table in the room. "Nice to see you awake," he says, a hint of wariness slipping in his tone.
Merlin could do nothing but gape. Mordred nears the bed, intending to introduce himself properly. However, as the warlock sees Mordred approaching, he could not quite stifle down a flinch.
"If the boy lives, you cannot fulfill your destiny," Kilgarrah had once warned him. But the warlock did not heed it. Merlin had let the little boy live and escape Camelot because how could such an innocent child be capable or willing to harm Arthur in any way? But now, seeing Mordred years later, no longer a child but a man of great strength, Merlin feels his fear solidifying like a stone in his chest.
Mordred halts, frown deepening at Merlin's reaction. Gilli, noticing the growing tension, glances confusedly between Merlin and his friend. Selia continues praising her Da's cooking, oblivious.
"Have I . . . Have we met?" Mordred asks cautiously.
"Ah . . . no, no, we, we haven't." But they have. Just not this Mordred. Merlin tears his gaze away from the druid's face and closes his eyes. This Mordred is not the Mordred he knows. In this world, magic was never banned in Camelot. Perhaps in this world, the prophecy between Arthur and Mordred does not even exist. He tries to separate the Mordred he knows to the Mordred that stands before him. It is no use thinking of them the same, especially since this one seems to have helped him out of kindness. "I'm sorry, I - You have the same name of someone . . . of someone I know."
"I reckon it's not someone you're friendly with," Mordred states, half-serious, half in jest. He steps back and turns his attention to the steaming bowls on the tray.
Merlin let out an involuntary laugh. "I suppose so."
Gilli glances between them, clearly curious but decides not to pry. Selia and Kelly, meanwhile, have started digging in into their respective dinners.
Gilli cleared his throat. ". . . Well, Mordred, this is Merlin. Merlin's a magic-user like us." Gilli beams, looking as if that is the best news he heard all day.
Like us. Right. Mordred has magic considerably powerful that someday, Merlin will be unable to protect Arthur against him. No, no, no. Not this Mordred, not this Mordred, Merlin reminds himself.
"Mordred, at your service." Mordred offers Merlin a bowl stew, smiling reassuringly. The warlock takes the food with only a hint of hesitation. He hasn't had a single morsel since the afternoon and his stomach is punishing him for it.
Mordred hands Gilli another steaming bowl before sitting down on a stool with a stew of his own.
"How's your head, Merlin?"
"It's fine now," Merlin says after swallowing a mouthful of stew to silence his stomach. Oh, it is as Selia advertises. The stew is delicious enough to be served to nobility.
A dreadful thought crosses his mind, and he bristles. "Thank you, both of you. And I would thank Selia's father too for letting me borrow a room. B-But I'm afraid I haven't got coin to pay for it all."
Merlin does not usually carry money with him on quests with Arthur and this time is no exception. Not only is he in an unknown territory, he also haven't got the resources to survive in it! Merlin ponders on this dilemma, and more disturbing questions hit him, diminishing his appetite. He can no longer deny that he has been transported to a world not his own, a Camelot that is not his. What happens next? What does he do next? He needs coin if he wants to eat - and Merlin wants that very much. He will have to get a job here. He needs more information about this world too while he is here. He isn't stuck here, is he? How will he get back to his world, to his own Camelot? Another Djinn perhaps? If there is a Djinn in his world, surely there's also one here. If Merlin could only know where to start looking for one, then he may have a chance to go back.
"-lin, Merlin!"
The warlock snaps out of his musings. He lifts his head and three concerned faces greets him. It seems he has been too engrossed in his worries to notice them calling for him.
"Don't worry about the room, Merlin!" Selia assures hurriedly. "Da's not gonna charge you for it. It was me who hit you, after all."
"And we don't need payment," Mordred follows, hands up in a placating gesture. "You did become Gilli's experimental subject for his healing arts."
Gilli sharply elbows Mordred's side as Merlin looks alarmed.
"It is not what it sounds like. I promise I didn't do anything that wasn't safe for me to do!" Gilli hastily explains, panicked.
"If you say so," Merlin replies, dubious, as he rubs his head to check if anything is amiss.
Gilli shoots Mordred a half-hearted glare, and Mordred responds by grinning roguishly. Merlin blinks, the interaction truly proving the difference of this Gilli and Mordred to the ones he met. In the first place, Merlin could never imagine them meeting, let alone strike a friendship.
"But how come you don't have any coin?" Selia asks, frowning. "Da always gives me some for candies. Did bandits take yours?"
"Ah." Merlin's mind quickly searches for a good lie. Gilli and Mordred lean forward, clearly curious for the answer as well. "Y-Yes. I encountered some bandits on the way to Camelot. Took everything I had."
"That's why you didn't even have a bag with you." Gilli nods to himself as if Merlin's statement confirmed his suspicions.
Merlin nods rapidly. "Yes!" Now, onto his first step to navigate through this world. He will have to depend on these two after all, trustworthy or not. The warlock has no choice. "You lot wouldn't happen to know a suitable job where I can earn some coin, would you?" Merlin is sure his pleading expression is evident to all. "I- I've worked as a servant before." Worked or still working as a servant? Merlin suddenly remembers his Arthur, and wonders whether he and the knights got out of the encounter with the Djinn unscathe.
"As-As a servant?" Gilli splutters. "B-But your magic!"
". . . What about my magic?" Are magic-users prohibited from being servants? Merlin thinks that would be a ridiculous law. He is capable of doing the work of two servants with his magic.
Mordred casts a questioning look at Gilli for his hysterical behavior.
Gilli opens and closes mouth a few times, seemingly unable to voice out his thoughts. When he finally speaks, he demands of Merlin, "Make that orb thing again!"
Humoring him, Merlin frees up a hand and summons a glowing blue orb once more.
"Wow!" Selia exclaims and, without hesitation, palms the orb with both hands. Kelly croons. "It's so warm!" The little girl continues petting the light.
Merlin sees Mordred's jaw drop open, his blue eyes widening a fraction. He immediately destroys the orb, worried what Mordred may have deduced upon seeing the warlock summon it. Selia and Kelly let out sounds of disappointment.
"A sáwle glæm," Mordred breathes out.
"See, he did that without uttering a spell," Gilli says vehemently. Anger drips in his tone as he adds, "I think you've been taken advantage of, Merlin. You have great potential for magic and you certainly deserve to be more than a servant!"
Merlin flushes at Gilli's enthusiastic defense. Lancelot has been telling him something similar for the past few years. However, hearing the words from someone who has just met him and seen him do a single harmless spell has a totally different effect.
"You . . . you have no idea what that was, have you?"
All eyes turn to Mordred, who wears an eerily blank expression. Merlin's shoulders raises instinctively as he always does when someone suspects him of any wrongdoing that is magical in nature. Sweat builds up around his forehead. "It was a light," he replies curtly.
Mordred's left eye twitches. "Where did you learn it?"
Merlin has been able to do it after being poisoned by the Morteus flower. He has learned it nowhere. Merlin considers saying exactly that but refrains at the last second. If Gilli has been so surprised to see him perform a wordless enchantment, then telling them that may make him stand out. Merlin, with years of hiding his magic and working in the background, has no desire to call attention to himself any more than necessary, especially if he is to waddle through this strange world that he knows so little of. No, better to lay low until he has any semblance of a plan. "I have - had - a book of magic," he answers instead, which is the truth indeed.
"You didn't apprentice under anyone?" Mordred continues inquiring, tone and countenance belying nothing of his real thoughts.
Merlin is currently Gaius' apprentice but he doubts that is what Mordred means. "N-No, I just read it in a book."
"I see." Mordred nods, gaze contemplative.
The air thickens with tension, and Merlin has half a mind to just flee. Mordred's piercing eyes remind him of the words, 'I shall never forgive this, Emrys, and I shall never forget' for the child Merlin nearly killed favored him with the same kind of stare. Guilt and dread bubble inside him, and Merlin tightly clenches the sheets around him.
Gilli, Selia and Kelly stay in confused silence.
"Selia!" A voice booms from outside, startling them all and dissipating the suffocating atmosphere.
Selia squeaks. "I promise my Da to help him clean the dishes after I bring you dinner." With a speed unknown to everyone in the room, the little girl quickly finishes her own dinner and runs towards the door. Again, the door opens without her touch. "Get well soon, Merlin!" She says as she and Kelly departs from the room.
The three men stare at the door, unsure of what to say next. At last, Mordred grins broadly, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Do you know of Camelot's Apprentice Exam tomorrow? Gilli and I have plans to take it."
Merlin is perplexed at the abrupt statement.
Gilli appears just as puzzled. "Yes, although I'll be taking the tests for mages and Mordred's taking the ones for sorcerers," Gilli follows reluctantly, trying to determine his friend's intentions.
Merlin perks up, interested beyond measure. "Uh - No, I haven't heard of it. Tests for sorcerers? And m-mages? Wha-What exactly does that entail?" Merlin remembers Arthur's 'tests' and they usually indicate quests to search for some ancient relic or another.
"Oh, you really are clueless." The amusement and wonder in Gilli's voice is truly unwarranted. "Everyone knows about the Apprentice Exam!"
"I'm not exactly from around here," Merlin could not help but drawl, a tad irritated.
"Then, where are you from exactly?" Mordred asks sharply, grin never wavering.
"V-Very far away. I doubt you'd even heard of it."
Mordred hums and Gilli once again shoots his friend an inquiring look. When Mordred fails to respond in any way, Gilli clears his throat and picks up the conversation.
"As you may know, more than a hundred full-fledged magic-users lives in Camelot." Judging by Merlin's startled expression, he does not, in fact, know. Gilli proceeds with the explanation nonetheless, silently wondering if Merlin's little head wound did more than render him unconscious. "A handful of those magic-users work in Queen Ygraine's court. The Apprentice Exam was proposed by Camelot's Court Sorcerer about fifteen years ago so that magic-users could pass on their knowledge to the next generation. It is to be held once every three years and so far, five exams have successfully gone through."
Camelot's Court Sorcerer . . . It is a phrase Merlin could only hope to hear in his world. Shaking the negative thoughts out of his mind, he decides to focus more on gathering as much information as possible. "Pass their - But couldn't they just write it down in books?" Merlin could not help but interject. Gaius has always emphasized on the importance of documentation because people's memories are unreliable, or so the physician says.
"Yes, well, a lot of enchantments are harder to learn from books." Gilli sniffs. "And you learn more by having a mentor than studying books."
"There are also certain spells that can only be passed down from one magic-user to another," Mordred adds pointedly.
Merlin thinks he learns much more from books than living sorcerers but that may be because he has never met one that is not trying to kill him or Arthur. "So, does the - this Apprentice Exam is a test to prove your worthiness?"
Gilli shrugs. "The Camelot court could only take in a couple of apprentices. Hundreds apply every year and the magic-users at court could not possibly take them all in. So, the Court Sorcerer proposed the Apprentice Exam to help narrow down possible apprentices. Those who do not get chosen can still choose to apply for apprenticeship for the magic-users not in Camelot's court." In a determined voice, Gilli says, "Although, I won't settle for any mentor less than Mage Gaius." As soon as utters the words, Gilli rubs his neck, embarrassed.
Mage Gaius. Merlin guesses Gaius is a famous sorcerer here. Merlin does not know if he can get used to the title attached to his name though. But the warlock is infinitely glad that at least Gaius is still in Camelot.
"I-It's like a tournament, then? A joust or a sparring competition?" Merlin recalls knights bashing each other's head with blunted swords, and imagines knights doing it with magic, shooting fireballs and summoning tornadoes.
Mordred tilts his head in thought. "I suppose you could say it's a competition."
"You are vying for the same positions." Gilli concedes. "But, unlike a joust, you don't fight each other. The magic-users at court appraises your skills through a series of tests. If your skillset is deem greater than those of the other applicants, you are more likely to be chosen as an apprentice. Each sorcerer picks at most two apprentices, each mage at least five."
Merlin supposes that is more reasonable than bashing each other's head senselessly. "So you two are applying? Tomorrow?"
"Yes. I'm aiming to be taken under Mage Gaius' guidance while Mordred here is aiming high."
"I'm apprenticing under the Court Sorcerer and no one else's," Mordred declares with a confident smirk. Then, Mordred snaps his fingers. "You should join us tomorrow."
Gilli blinks, obviously bewildered at the suggestion but goes along. To Merlin, he says, "You need money, right? If you get chosen, you can live in the castle. They'll provide you food and lodging, and a monthly allowance! You won't have to worry about getting a job."
Merlin scratches his head. Unlike Gilli or Mordred, he did not grow up in a world where a sorcerer is allowed to freely hone his skills. Merlin doubts he has the skill set to actually get chosen as an apprentice. He is Gaius' apprentice, and he knows he is a poor one at that, barely gaining knowledge about healing in the seven years under Gaius' care. Merlin has read one book of magic, and knows less than fifty chants. He is not going to be passing any kind of magical test soon.
But a version of Gaius will be there in the exam. Surely, in any world, Gaius is a fountain of knowledge. Surely, Gaius even in this world is trustworthy.
Merlin also reckons the Apprentice Exam is a good way to gather information about the magic in this world. Perhaps he can also find clues on the location of Djinns here. After all, a lot of sorcerers apparently would be in attendance. At least one certainly has the information he seeks.
There is no harm in trying, is there?
The warlock smiles, glad to finally have part of a plan. "Well, if you really don't mind, I'd also like to join you and participate. I'm not really familiar of anything in these parts."
"Splendid!" Gilli exclaims. "Now, really, my dinner's getting cold so any further questions you may have, Mordred can answer." With that, Gilli practically inhales his stew.
Mordred rolls his eyes as he sips demurely at his own dinner. Merlin wants to take advantage of the opportunity and asks endless questions. But he decides he has asked enough questions about seemingly obvious things in this world. It will not do well for him to raise suspicion. Besides, Merlin's head is beginning to ache once more.
After they finish their respective dinners, Mordred and Gilli bide Merlin a good night.
"We're just staying in the room across," Gilli informs him. "Rest as much as you can and we'll see you in the morning."
"Th-Thank you, Gilli. And Mordred. Truly. For taking care of me." The smile Merlin offers is nothing short of genuine. They truly have been kind to a stranger they know nothing about. Merlin wonders if everyone in this world is akin to them.
That night, Merlin lays awake in bed, a thousand thoughts buzzing in his mind. Eventually, he falls into a restless slumber.
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"What exactly is a sáwle glæm?"
Mordred pauses in removing his boots. Across him, on top of the second bed, Gilli continues changing into his nightwear. The flickering fires of the candles bathes them both in a surreal light, and moonlight filters languidly through the gaps of the closed window.
Mordred glances at the door to their room. Then, he answers, "It is what it sounds like - a glimpse of the soul. It is something you share with family, with a son or daughter, with a lover. It's certainly not something you go showing off to strangers."
Gilli blinks, processing that. "Then, why - ?"
"I don't think he knows what it means." Mordred has deftly discarded his boots and socks. He lifts his green tunic over his head, exposing pale skin marred only by a triskelion tattoo over the right side of his chest. "It's also not something you learn in any book. Father taught me how to summon a sáwle glæm himself."
"He - He lied?" Gilli frowns.
"Perhaps." Mordred shrugs on a soft-padded shirt. "Do you know I first sensed that he barely had the magical capability to light a candle?"
"So? Why did you suggest he participate in the exam then?"
"Gilli, someone of that supposed calibre cannot possibly conjure a sáwle glæm. And do it chantlessly."
"Oh." Gilli's eyes widen. "Oh! He can suppress his aura?"
"That seems to be the case." Mordred pulls the sheets of his bed back. "I urged him to participate because -"
" - of the obsidian scinncræfte crystal that will surely be used tomorrow, right?" Gilli rolls his eyes as he finishes Mordred's sentence for him. "You want to know what exactly he's capable of. You're so predictable."
Mordred smiles guilelessly but does not deny the accusation. "You've picked up quite a stray, my friend. You cannot blame me for being interested."
Gilli's brows furrow as his gaze turns contemplative. "You don't think he's dangerous, do you? He hides his aura, and he lied about where he learned that sáwle glæm. He seems to be fishing an awful lot of information about the exam. And I told him everything!"
Mordred stills again. Then, he gets under the covers. "Do you know children are more sensitive to evil ambiances?"
Gilli cocks a brow, unsure of Mordred's point.
Mordred continues, "A sáwle glæm, a glimpse of his soul. Do you remember what Selia said when she touched it?"
"She said it was warm . . ."
"Exactly." Mordred sighs. "Go to sleep, Gilli. I don't think there's anything to worry about for now."
Gilli huffs as he fluffs his pillow and lays on the bed. "All right. You get some rest too. I'll never forgive you if you don't meet the Court Sorcerer's impossibly high standards and get chosen."
Mordred chuckles. "Of course."
With a gesture, the druid extinguishes all the lit candles.
❤•°o.O`•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´ ◇ⓛⓞⓥⓔ◇ `•.¸¸.•´´¯`••.¸¸.•´´¯`•´O.o°•❤
A/N:
Man, do you know how much it took me to get Mordred's characterization just right? Ages, I tell you!
Hello, it's been a long time! I need to do some clarification on the timeline in this story! I made a list of divergence from canon in the first chapter's notes so old readers, kindly turn your attention there first ^_^.
Constructive criticisms are very much welcome! Kindly point out any glaring errors!
Hope something happens today that will make you 'kilig'!
~ Vividpast