Agravaine sat on the top of the grassy hill on his horse, Morgana behind him. They waited, waited for the man they knew must come. They sat and he finally arrived dismounting before them. "You're late," Agravaine said sharply.
"A thousand apologies oh patience one," the thief said sarcastically. Agravaine brushed it off and continued.
"Have you brought the third piece then?" he asked.
"I had to dispose of a few people but I do." The thief reached inside one of his pockets and pulled it out. "But I want my pay first."
Morgana slid down from her perch behind Agravaine and slapped the thief stealing the piece as he recoiled. She handed it up to Agravaine with a wickedly sweet smile. Agravaine pulled the other two connected pieces from his tunic pocket and held onto them, one in each hand, the three pieces of the treskelion that would lead him to his bounty. He put them together and it gained an otherworldly glow.
The ball of light shot away quickly and Agravaine gather Morgana into the saddle and took off after it. "Follow the trail before it gets away!" He spurred the horse faster and faster. The light settled into a triangle at three points on a cave opening masked by a boulder. One on each side and then one above the blocked opening.
"Finally," Agravaine said as the giant boulder rolled aside. "After all the years I spent searching. The Cave of Wonders (A/N: Yes I couldn't think of anything better okay so bear with me.)."
"Bye the gods," said the thief.
"Now, you must go in and get it for me, as we agreed. The rest of the treasure found inside can be yours but the crystal is mine!" The thief nodded and then approached the mouth of the cave.
"Where did you get this idiot?" Morgana asked. Agravaine hushed her and they watched the slow approached of the thief who was now almost inside the opening of the cave. He was on the threshold when a voice emanated from the opening.
"Who dares disturb my slumber?"
"It is me, the humble thief Jonathan."
"Know this, only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within, the diamond in the rough."
The thief looked back at Agravaine. "Go one then!" Agravaine said shifting Morgana so her elbow wasn't jabbing him in the ribs. The thief entered cautiously and when his foot touched the first step the boulder closed and ear-splitting cries for help could be heard behind the door. Suddenly they went silent and Agravaine and Morgana stood shocked at what they had witnessed.
"Seek out the diamond in the rough, he is the only one that will be able to pass safely through this cavern." The voice said and was silent. The pieces of the treskelion slid to the ground. Morgana gathered the pieces.
"Oh forget it!" She screeched. "It's hopeless! We're never going to get that crystal!"
"Patience Morgana, patience." Agravaine said as he gathered the girl onto the horse. "It's quite simple, we must find the diamond in the rough."
…
Merlin ran until he reached the end of the rooftop, the bread almost falling out of his hands. "Stop thief!" one of the guards shouted behind him. It was Sir Leon, one of the king's best knights. Merlin looked back to see the knights following him. "I'll have your head street rat!"
"All this for a loaf of bread?" Merlin asked himself out loud. He looked down, and jumped. He fell down some of the clothes from the clotheslines catching onto him. He landed in a heap on the ground with a shirt that was not his on. He grabbed the bread and looked satisfied with himself. Until he looked at the guards waving their swords at him.
"You won't get away so easy!" Leon called.
"You think that was easy?" Merlin asked. The street-women were laughing at him and he waved. He saw Leon directing his guards so Merlin decided it was time to scram. He stood and walked toward the women wearing his "disguise". "Morning ladies."
"Getting into trouble a little early today, are we Merlin?" One of the older ladies said.
"Me? Trouble?" Merlin asked. "No way, you only get into trouble when you get caught." Merlin felt someone hoist him up and then he was face to face with Leon.
"Got you," he said.
"I'm in trouble," Merlin said. Aithusa pulled the end of Leon's cloak over his head and sat there. "Perfect timing Aithusa, as usual." The little dragon smiled, if dragons' could smile. "Come on, let's get out of here." Merlin ran away from Leon just to run into another guard. He began to do what he usually did when he got bored, or in trouble.
"Gotta keep, ne jump ahead of the bread-line, one swing ahead of the sword," Merlin said dodging some sword sweeps from the angered guard. "I steal, only what I can't afford, which is everything. One jump ahead of the law-men, that's all and that's no joke. These guys don't appreciate I'm broke." He climbed quickly up a stack of barrels and kicked the nearest one down toward a small group of guards.
"Riff-raff!" Shouted one guard.
"Street rat!" shouted another.
"Scoundrel!"
"Take that!" They said throwing whatever they could find at him. He dodged quickly.
"Just a little snack guys," Merlin said gesturing to the bread he had, luckily, not dropped.
"Rip him open take it back guys!" the guards said to one another. He looked and saw Aithusa hanging from a peg near a window and he decided to throw the guards for a loop.
"I can take a hint, gotta face the facts," he said jumping to Aithusa. "You're my only friend, Aithu (A/n: Once again trying to improvise)." He sat in the windowsill of a room filled with girls about his age.
"Who?" They all asked. "Oh it's that Merlin, he's hit the bottom. He's become a wanted man of crime." They pushed him toward their mother.
"I'd blame parents except he hasn't got them!" she said swinging her broom as Merlin ducked.
"Gotta eat to leave, gotta steal to eat," Merlin said going to the first two sisters who gave disapproving stare and then sat at the window in front of the third sister. "Tell you all about it when I got the time!" He winked and she pushed him out the window with a smile. He landed on an awning though. "One jump ahead of the slowpokes, one skip ahead of my doom. Next time gotta use a nom de plume. One jump ahead of the hit-men, one leap ahead of the flock." Merlin skirted around some sheep and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I think I'll take a stroll around the block." He took off running.
"Stop thief!"
"Vandal!" A shopkeeper yelled Aithu was wearing his prized jewels.
"Aithu!" Merlin yelled grabbing the small dragon.
"Scandal!" A woman looking at fabric nearby screeched. Merlin ran into guards all around him so he backed into the doorway behind him.
"Let's not be too hasty." The door opened to reveal Grunehilda, an older woman who, frankly, scared Merlin. She picked him up bridal style.
"Still I think he's rather tasty!" She said giving him a kiss on the cheek, thoroughly creeping Merlin out, she was old enough to be his GRANDMOTHER! He rolled out of her arms.
"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat, otherwise we'd get along," All the guards dived at him at once and he slipped unnoticed under the thrashing piled of bodies. Merlin ran faster when they realized he wasn't there anymore. As they passed a sword swallower Aithusa grabbed the sword with her tail and brandished it menacingly.
"It's got a sword!" One of the guards said fearfully.
"Idiots!" Leon said unsheathing his sword, "We ALL have sword!" Aithu placed the sword down and flew to perch on Merlin's shoulder. He was surrounded again and he saw a spare rope so he climbed.
"One jump ahead of the hoof beats, one hop ahead of the hunt. One trick ahead of disaster, they're quick but I'm faster." Merlin said grabbing a carpet and standing in the window. "Here goes, better throw my hand in, wish me happy landing, all I gotta do is jump!" That's when Merlin put the carpet beneath him and jumped out the window. The carpet slowed his dissent but he couldn't say as much for his pursuers, who landed in a piled of manure.
Merlin landed into a secluded alleyway and smiled at Aithu. "And now esteemed offendee," Merlin said to the little dragon, "we feast!" He broke the bread in half and was about to eat when he noticed two young orphan children digging in the garbage. He knew these two youngsters and they cowered away just by him looking at them. He looked at the big brown eyes of the girl, Freya, and the blue eyes of Mordred as they stared at his food. He looked at Aithusa but she took a big bite of her bread to emphasize she didn't want to share with the children.
Merlin sighed and stood, walking over to the frightened and hungry tots. Freya gathered the boy to her side as Merlin approached. He held out his half of the loaf, "Here," he said. "Go on and take it." Freya took it cautiously and stared up at Merlin with her doe eyes. He patted her head and ruffled Mordred's hair and walked to sit next to Aithu who guiltily looked at the children eating their bread as if they hadn't eaten in days, which was probably the case. She walked over and nosed it toward the girl, who took it and patted Aithusa's head gratefully.
Merlin had wandered as he had heard music coming from the street to see a pompous prince who came riding through the town decked out in his royal best.
"On his way to the palace no doubt," said the man in front of Merlin.
"Another suitor for the princess," said another. Mordred went running through the legs of the men right into the street, Freya right after him. They landed in front of the prince's horse, which reared. Frozen in fear they cowered in the middle of the road.
"Out of my way urchins!" he said raising his whip. Merlin rolled in front of the children and let the whip hit his arm, it wrapped around and Merlin pulled it from his grasp.
"If I were as rich as you," Merlin said throwing the whip pack at the arrogant prince, "I could afford some manners!" The prince elbowed Merlin, who fell into the mud, to the amusement of the bystanders.
"Hey Aithu!" Merlin shouted. "It's not every day you see a horse with two rear-ends!"
The prince turned, "Humph, you are a worthless street rat! You were born a street rat and you will always be a street rat. Only your fleas will morn your passing." Merlin rushed the gate to the castle, which was closing. It was shut by the time he got there.
"I'm not worthless," Merlin said to the door. He scratched his ear, "and I don't have fleas." He sighed. "Come on Aithusa, let's go home." Merlin waked dejectedly through the streets. He sang quietly to himself.
"Riff-raff, street rat, I don't buy that. If only they'd look closer. Would they see a poor boy, no siree. They'd find out there's so much more to me." Merlin tucked Aithusa into her bed, a pillow with an excess it of cloth he'd filched as a blanket.
"One day Aithu, we're gonna be rich and live in a castle. Plus, we'll never have any more problems." Merlin said.