I not got much to say except for thanks for all of the reviews, so straight on with the story.
The next morning, the sun was shining again, but not in Merlin's mind. He was still sat down in the dragon's cave alone. Strangely though he was finding a form of comfort in his solitude.
Although being sat in silence gave him plenty well to much time to think over Lancelot's death, it was almost better than being around, especially Arthur, Gaius and the other knights. None of them seemed to understand just how pained Merlin felt. All that they could think about was Camelot's safety and 'replacing' Lancelot.
The knight who could never be replaced.
Merlin could feel the water that had been on his clothes had soaked through to his body and he suddenly felt a wave of coldness rush over him. The same coldness that he felt when he was in Morgana's dark presence. He felt the same about the isle of the blessed now.
How could you not feel cold about or hate a place that took people, friends and family away from you. And of course it was Morgana that caused Lancelot to be taken from him.
All of this was Morgana's fault.
If Morgana had never tried to kill Uther or betray them. If Morgana had never travelled to the Isle of the Blessed. If Morgana had never killed Morgouse and revived the Dorocha. If Morgana had never done any of this, then maybe, Lancelot would still be with them all. Sat here with Merlin now talking about Kilgarrah.
For Merlin knew that if Lancelot was still alive, if he was here now, that he would be desperate to learn more about the great dragon and how Merlin knew the creature. Merlin knew that he would be more than glad to tell his friend every thing.
If only Lancelot was here, then Merlin may not feel how he did at the moment, maybe Lancelot would be fighting with Arthur over who had the quicker reflexes as Merlin had commented on Lancelot's reflexes being slower than Arthur's before, although Merlin highly doubted that Lancelot would lose a fight to Arthur.
That would be entertaining. If it would ever happen.
Merlin slowly got up and began to walk the corridors again. He didn't go back to Gaius as he would then have to explain why he didn't come home last night, the fact that he was soaked and he would be bound to receive another lecture about not keeping wet clothes on as he could easily get ill.
He didn't want to return to Arthur's chambers as he would then have to explain why he left lest night and do more work. Merlin didn't really fancy doing any work for Prince prat at the moment.
He didn't want to go to Gwen's and bother her, after all she looked after the King now and still had to live on her own and do all of her own house work. Cooking and cleaning, of course Melrin could easily help her he would most likely get in the way more than help.
He really didn't want to go to the knight's training session as Arthur would be there as well as all of the other knights and Merlin didn't really want to be bombarded with too many questions at one time.
He didn't really fancy speaking to Gwaine although he may be able to shed some form of light on to the current situation, Merlin didn't really want to listen to all of Gwaine's jokes which did sometimes turn in to the opposite of what a joke was.
Sir Leon and Sir Elyan were both Merlin's good friends, but they couldn't really do all that much to help him. Besides Merlin felt lost as to what to do with him self some times around Sir Leon and what ever he told Sir Elyan, he would tell his sister, Gwen, out of care for him. Although Merlin didn't want that.
Merlin had already considered going to see Morgana when he was sat down in the dragons cave. He could speak to her, join her, work with her, try to get her to work with him and bring Lancelot back somehow. If the two of them worked together than they probably could do so, however he then decided that he could never do that, no matter how he felt, he could never work with her no matter what it would get him. He could never betray Arthur and the others. He would never work with her. Would he?
That only left him with one option and one person. It wasn't Merlin's favourite option, but it seemed to be the one that stood out from the others as his only real choice.
So Merlin guessed that he would have to take that one as his choice.
Which is how he ended up walking the streets of the city of Camelot looking around at every one who passed him. He passed Gwen's house, but he knew that at this time in the morning that she would be with the King.
The walk didn't take him very long and he was soon nearing his final destination. The beginning of the woods were quite dry and the ground and Merlin found that he wasn't slipping as much as he usually did. He probably only slipped in the first place, because Arthur always chose to go hunting when it had rained heavily a couple of days and the weather had then cleared up enough.
Arthur said that more animals came out in that sort of weather, but Merlin really wasn't convinced that that was actually true. He let those thoughts leave his head as he saw some one with their back to him, collecting some thing off of the wood land ground.
Merlin had found who he was looking for.
"Percival." Merlin spoke over the silence. His voice was only quiet and tender, however Percival still managed to hear it as the knight turned around to face him, his arms full of sticks of wood. In all different sizes.
"Hey Merlin. Are you alright?" Percival asked. Merlin could easily notice that his voice wasn't much louder than his own at the moment. Merlin thought that he had made the right decision coming to Percival.
"That's kind of why I'm here." Merlin answered. He was strangely nervous since he had lost Lancelot. It was almost as if having a knight who knew about his magic on his side reassuring. If any one in Camelot wanted to execute him for having magic, then surely they would have to execute Lancelot as well for knowing about his magic.
"Come on," Percival's voice reached Merlin's ears once again and the servant put his attention back on to the knight, "You can help me to collect wood and we can talk as we do so."
"You don't mind?"
"No of course not. I'd actually quite like the company really." Merlin could only guess that Percival was missing Lancelot as well. After all the two must have known each other for a long time. The last time that Merlin saw Lancelot was when the knight helped he and Arthur to save Guinevere.
Lancelot wasn't allowed back to Camelot so he had left them to go to some where else. Merlin guessed that he had met Percival there most likely in Haldor, which is where Lancelot had told him that he was probably going to go to. The two must have spent a lot of time together training to become the knights that they are now.
Merlin could remember how lost he had felt when he had received no word back from Lancelot when he had sent word to Haldor. Merlin just thought at first that Lancelot had gone to another village, however when Lancelot turned up with Percival he thought different. H should have known that he could keep his faith in Lancelot.
Merlin only wished he had been able to ask Lancelot about it, before the knight that died.
Percival and Merlin continued to walk through the woods, picking up any wood or sticks that were good enough for them to use back at Camelot. Ever since Uther had fallen ill, Arthur had been in charge and Arthur was now, after the recent dorocha incident making sure that they had lots of candles and wood to make fire, which was the reason as to why Percival was out collecting sticks and wood.
It was the job that he usually got given after all due to his strength. He could bring back twice of what Sir Leon and Sir Elyan could bring back put together.
"So Merlin, what's bothering you that you wanted to talk about?" Percival asked picking up another tree branch.
"Oh just nothing really," Merlin replied getting to nervous to actually speak to Percival at all, but one look changed that. With a sigh Merlin spoke again, "Lancelot's gone, Arthur gives me too much work, there's no one there to tell him off or challenge him, it's nothing much really."
"Merlin you're still wearing the same clothes that you were wearing last night." Percival said as he Merlin began to continue walking forward.
"So?" Merlin asked not seeing the knight's point.
"So you'll get ill if stay in wet clothes."
"Maybe that will be a good thing." Merlin mumbled quietly so that Percival deliberately couldn't hear him.
"What did you say Merlin?" Percival asked. Merlin replied with the first thing that he could think of.
"My legs are tired and the view from here is nice."
Percival seemed to contemplate this for a moment before speaking once again, "Then lets rest here for a while." The two sat down on the floor and Merlin remembered that this was the same place where he had nearly been caught for sorcery.
"Are you sure that your alright Merlin?" Percival asked again as he placed the collected wood and sticks on to the floor.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Merlin replied before deciding to try and change the conversation off of him and on to some thing else. Unfortunately the only thing that he knew he had in common with Percival was Lancelot. So that was the topic that Merlin had to bring up. No matter how much it pained him to speak of his fallen friend.
"I miss Lancelot." Merlin spoke. His voice was still quite quiet surprisingly.
"So do I," Percival started, "It's hard to get used to Lancelot not being here." Finally some one understood even if it was only slightly.
"How did you two meet?" Merlin asked still interested. After all he had never been told the story by Lancelot. He hadn't had time to tell it to him.
"We met in Haldor. He explained to me that he had been trying to become a knight. That it was his dream to become a knight of Camelot, but he wasn't allowed to step foot in Camelot any more."
"Yeah that happened when I first met him."
"He told me. He said that you were special, but he couldn't say why. He was loyal to whatever word he had given you," That reassured Merlin. Lancelot had never mentioned his magic. He had stayed true to his word, that was the Lancelot that Merlin knew so well."
"So why did you come to Camelot with him. You didn't have to?" Merlin asked interested.
"Cenred's men raided my village when I was a child and killed all of my family. When I heard from Lancelot that he was coming to help you to fight Cenred's men I decided to come with him and help you too."
"I hope that we can get Lancelot back." Merlin said sadly after hearing Percival tell the tale of how he and Lancelot met, it made Merlin even more desperate to have Lancelot back standing beside them.
"No Merlin, we will get Lancelot back and I'll help you even if no one else will."
Merlin almost smiled.
Percival obviously didn't see Lancelot as replaceable and Merlin thought that he might have finally found some one that he could talk to and rely on until he found away to get Lancelot back.
No wonder Lancelot and Percival were friends. Maybe Merlin could trust Percival enough to tell him the same secret that he had told Lancelot, well that Lancelot had found out about.
And just as Merlin had thought about giving up hope about Lancelot ever being able to return to this world alive, he had now found some one who wished for the same as he did.
Maybe Merlin had some one who could still give him some form of hope.
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