The sun was shining upon the island, feeding the greedy flora and fauna with its magnificent rays. Its energy was consumed immediately, putting a temporary end to each and every magical creature's craving. Merlin was astonished at the size of the island. There were only rocks covering the highest parts of it. Caves could be seen, however, because of the distance, they had adopted the form of a hole which needed to be closed.
Wind was blowing through the trees as birds soared through the cloudless skies. Merlin cringed when one of them emitted a high pitched sound. He shut his eyes tight, grabbed his ears and moaned. Merlin swore he would have fallen if Balinor had not caught him.
"How are your ears?" Balinor asked once Merlin had regained his balance once more.
Merlin shook his head and growled out, "What the hell was that?!"
Balinor chuckled before he wiped a red liquid which had trailed its way from Merlin's ear shell to the middle if his cheek. Merlin cringed once he saw the blood. He still felt the reverberation of the bird's scream in his head.
"Don't worry. It's just temporary." Balinor said to Merlin's good ear. When the captain of 'Magic' chuckled again, Merlin glared.
Merlin crossed his arms and uttered, "I fail to see the hilariousness of the situation."
"Merlin, you always fail to see the funny side of everything." Balinor remarked, making the boy scowl. Balinor's response was a simple smirk.
Once the two had calmed down, Merlin concluded it was high time they got down to business.
"I still need to know. Do you know what type of creature attacked my friend?"
Balinor seemed hesitant at first. He sighed, but kept his eyes firmly on the horizon when he answered, "The Encantado."
"The Enchantrado?" Merlin repeated, feeling his tongue had now been bound by a pesky word.
This time Balinor did not chuckle at Merlin's mistake. Naturally, the boy could not help but shiver. It seemed the graveness of this situation had now become tangible.
"The Encantado." Balinor repeated, however, he kept quiet.
"Care to elaborate?" Merlin urged, feeling sweat trickle down his forehead. He did not bother to wipe it with his sleeve, feeling as though the slightest movement could give Balinor a further fright.
"This creature was believed to have become extinct until recently." Balinor uttered. He then stopped watching the horizon, closed his eyes, whispered an incantation and then let go of the wheel. Merlin yelped when the ship shook only to continue its journey forward.
Balinor was walking briskly and before Merlin could even catch up to him and ask how exactly the steering wheel was moving on its own accord and they had not crashed or sunk, Balinor uttered, " 'Magic' can sometimes be controlled by magic. However, it responds to mine alone."
Merlin frowned before he asked, "What about your relatives? Should not the magic of you and your kin be the same?"
"Yes and no." Balinor answered as he opened the door to his room. Merlin followed, opening his mouth only to shut it when Balinor turned around sharply and explained, " Each person's magic unique. Although there is some similarity between my magic and that of my kin, only my parents, children or siblings will be able to control this ship by magic. Now are you done with your stupid questions?"
Merlin nodded. He sat and waited patiently for Balinor to find what he was looking for. As Balinor was rummaging through the cabinets, Merlin looked around. His gaze traced the bed which was covered by a red blanket. Next to the bed there was a small, wooden table with two chairs. Merlin was now sitting on one of them. There a few chests and cupboards, but no wardrobe. There were no cabinets either. Merlin wondered what exactly Balinor kept in his room and how much time exactly he spent in here.
Merlin's attention was drawn to Balinor once more when the captain of 'Magic' cursed for opening another drawer and not finding what he was looking for.
"Need any help?" Merlin enquired.
"I appreciate the gesture of kindness, kid, and don't take it personally, but I do not let anyone touch my belongings." Balinor explained.
Merlin nodded, although Balinor could not see. Instead, Merlin found another way to pass the time. As Balinor shifted to another pair of drawers, the warlock could not help but observe the man more closely. After all, the boy had trusted Balinor far too fast and yet there was still an air of mystery around the man. Now that he thought about it, Merlin had told the captain of 'Magic' a few details about himself, but had not received any personal information in return. Just what was Balinor hiding?
"Finally!" Balinor exclaimed.
Merlin glued his back to the chair when an old, dark brown book was plopped before him.
"What is this?" Merlin asked.
"A book." Balinor answered nonchalantly. He then smirked and added before Merlin could scowl, " It will help you understand exactly what you are up against."
Merlin nodded, however, he did not open the book. He simply rested his back against the chair, crossed his arms and said, "I'd rather you told me."
Balinor was about to groan when Merlin uttered, "Consider it a deal. You summarise everything I need to know in order to successfully eradicate the Encantado and I will never ask you about anything personal deliberately again."
Balinor considered the option. It was true that he could always evade Merlin's personal questions, but, after all, it would help him immensely if the boy did not venture into unknown territories. Therefore Balinor smiled and replied, "Fair enough."
Internally, he was facing a battle. A part of him wanted to keep everything about himself a secret, but another, more human one, yearned for the end of secrecy. On the inside Balinor wanted to expose a part of his life to Merlin, but on the outside he went strictly on to explain what he knew about the Encantado and regarded it as important information.
"The Encantado come from the Encante. This world is considered a utopia because there you cannot feel pain, anguish or fear. In the Encante there is no death. There you simply exist."
Merlin gasped. He had heard of such worlds, but had never considered the possibility of them actually existing.
"Encantado means 'enchanted one'. They are one of the most powerful creatures to ever walk the Earth. Usually the encantados stay in the Encante, however, there are times when their longing for the human world's problems, drama and pain seem far too enticing and they leave their home. The legends speak of a portal which can only be opened and closed by an encantado. Once one of them opened it, but forgot to close it."
Merlin sucked in a breath. His heart was hammering in his chest. He did not like the direction which the events had taken.
"Before I did not believe in it, but now, or rather thanks to a few recent events, I started believing in the story's verity." Balinor said. He sighed before he smiled sadly, "The Encantado was just a girl. She had been attracted by the feasts in the nearby castle and had desired to attend one. Naturally, she fulfilled her wish. However, during her absence from Encante, a young prince found the portal and, wanting to prove himself, entered it."
Balinor locked eyes with Merlin, "This prince had a kind heart. He did not believe that magic was created only to harm people. That was until he met her. He fell in love with her beauty. The Encantado that he encountered had turned into the prince's image of the perfect woman. They made love and out of that one night came the creature you are facing today."
Merlin frowned, "How exactly is this helping me?"
Balinor glared at Merlin, "It will once you learn to be patient and do not interrupt me."
Merlin adopted a guilty expression and sank into his seat, closing his mouth firmly. Balinor nodded as a way to show his gratitude, ran a hand through his hair and continued, "Three years later the prince's father died and he inherited the throne. The Encantado he had made love to came back a day before his coronation with a child in her arms, claiming the girl was his. The prince refused to heed her words and once she refused to leave, he threatened he would eradicate her species."
Merlin's eyes widened. The prince was starting to sound like a person he knew all too well.
"The Encantado laughed and simply waved off his menacing words. She let her guard down when she opened the portal, giving the prince and his army the perfect opportunity to enter the Encante." Balinor stopped to inhale and exhale deeply.
Impatient, Merlin asked, "What happened afterwards?"
Balinor did not have the strength to glare at the boy for disobeying him. He simply looked Merlin straight in the eyes and said, "The Encante was destroyed."
"But-but how? Surely you cannot just simply eradicate a whole species."
"There were sorcerers on the prince's side. He used them in order to exact his revenge. However, before he could destroy the last member of the royal family, something happened." Balinor replied.
"What?" Merlin asked, gripping the edge of the table.
Balinor sighed deeply, "The last surviving member of the royal family, the prince's child, disappeared."
Merlin's eyes widened as his mind tried to process what he was hearing. He blinked once, twice, three times. Nothing was happening. He could not comprehend how such an outcome could have occurred.
"Surely there must be something or someone that helped that child. After all, you cannot perform teleportation that easily no matter how advanced your powers are at such a fragile age."
"Merlin." Balinor said, attracting the boy's attention. "There was a sorcerer involved. This sorcerer is now using her in order to fulfill the plans his deranged mind managed to concoct. He is also the one I am after. However, before I face him I need to acquire a weapon. This weapon can only be found here. And even though I was not planning on getting you involved, I fear I see no better choice. Merlin, are you willing to assist me in preventing a catastrophe from happening?"
Merlin's heartbeat was thudding in his ears as he uttered, "Gladly."
"Remind me again how far we have to walk?" Merlin asked for the umpteenth time.
He wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead and inhaled gulps of air. Balinor looked at him for a second before he smirked, looked ahead and enquired, "I thought the great Emrys could handle a few miles?"
"Walking, yes, climbing, hell no!" Merlin yelled as he adjusted the position of his hand.
Balinor shook his head and chuckled once more. Merlin was becoming more and more amusing by the minute.
"Just a little bit more, kid!" Balinor yelled as he placed his hands on the rocky surface and pulled himself up. He then waited for Merlin to climb up to this level and helped him step onto the rocks.
Merlin panted. He could swear his heart was doing marathons in his ribcage.
"There is a cave up ahead. We are going to rest there for the night." Balinor said as he, too, panted.
Merlin nodded, not having the capacity to do use his mouth for two tasks at a time yet.
The two had collected wood beforehand thanks to Balinor's perceptiveness. Merlin had grumbled at first, but was now grateful for the man's insight. The warlock was also thankful for the quick fire spell Balinor had used to make heat and light fill the otherwise empty, damp and cold cave. Merlin was just about to voice his gratefulness when he noticed something. Balinor was looking at the flames and was still crouching. Five minutes at least had passed and he had yet to rise and adopt a sleeping position his body would deem comfortable.
"Is something the matter?" Merlin asked. He felt a shiver run through his spine when he felt Balinor's energy spike. It seemed he had indeed let his guard down.
The man sighed dejectedly. He hesitated at first, but finally surrendered.
"I was thinking." He uttered.
"About?" Merlin chanced his luck by asking.
Balinor chuckled before he rose, walked the few steps that separated him from his sleeping spot and lied down. He looked at Merlin and raised an eyebrow, "I thought we made a deal. I tell you what I know about the Encantado and you refrain from asking me any personal questions."
Merlin narrowed his eyes before he smiled triumphantly, "I did not ask you anything personal because there is no way I can see what is going on in your mind. For all I know, you could be conceiving a plan on how to dethrone Uther."
Balinor's eyes widened before his face hardened. His jaw tensed as he clenched his visible hand into a fist.
"I am planning no such thing. He may become insane when the word 'magic' is involved, but otherwise he is a sublime king, one that will remembered for centuries. I may not agree with the severe ways he chooses to deal with treason or similar penalties. However, I admit he is a fine ruler and I respect him for having the courage to stand behind what he believes in." Balinor uttered.
Merlin was taken aback. Anger flared inside the boy's weary body. He rose into a sitting position and growled, "Do you have any idea what it is like to live with that man's aversion of magic?! To stand in his presence and be treated as though you were trash, even though you have the power to destroy him and everything he stands for?! Do you know what it is like to be forced to hide who you are, to pretend that you are an idiot so that people will not suspect anything? To live and save the world from the shadows and watch as someone else takes all the credit and you remain the foolish and worthless servant you have ever been?"
The last words were whispered as Merlin's eyes glistened. Balinor watched the boy face an internal battle of hesitance and anger. It was obvious Merlin had a lot more to say, had much more experiences he wanted to share with someone. However, due to his common sense or intuition, he chose to remain silent. Balinor could only smile sadly as he rose and walked the few steps that separated him from the boy. The captain of 'Magic' sat down next to the warlock and wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulders. Although the gesture was unfamiliar and unexpected, Merlin welcomed the warmth openly.
"I may not know what it is like to live under the same roof as that ruthless killer of magical beings," Balinor uttered, drawing Merlin's attention, "But I do know what it is like to have to hide who you are, Merlin. I also know the repercussions of leading such a life."
The last sentence piqued Merlin's curiosity. He leaned backward and asked, "Have you lost precious people because of your secret?"
Balinor was hesitant, however, as the seconds ticked by, he smiled sadly and looked ahead. With a forlorn expression he professed, "I abandoned the love of my life, Hunith, because I had to run away from the persecutors of magic."
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
A/N: Thank you everyone for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing. I hope you liked this chapter especially the cliffhanger! :D
Meri Ley: Thank you for being so kind! I am not sure whether Balinor will be a dragon lord in this story. It seems we will have to wait and see how the plot progresses.