Hello, hello! I am back with more little!Merlin adventures for all readers. I hope that everyone had a great week. It snowed where I lived on Friday and then was 70 degrees on Saturday. It was a weird weekend. Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Morgana and Gwen made their way down the corridor towards Gaius' chambers. The two women were absolutely glowing with jittery anticipation. Lady Morgana held a small smile on her face, not her usual smirk. Her eyes were alight with excitement and there seemed to be more bounce in her step than normal. The swinging of her arms and hips was graceful and dancer-like. She was lighter on her feet than normal. Hopefully that meant her nightmares were coming less often. However, there was a different reason that the pair was practically glowing with joy, though none of the other people would know the real reason.
No, the lords and ladies of the court most certainly did not receive news about thirty minutes ago that a small boy had woken up. They didn't care for such gossip. It was widely spread that Lancelot had returned from a ride with an injured boy, but that news was soon replaced with whispers of a lord's new mistress. Of a lady's impregnation, and other pieces of much more tantalizing gossip than a simple peasant knight rescuing a peasant boy. So the reason why Lady Morgana and her maidservant were practically skipping down the halls was lost to the public. But for the two women, life in Camelot was about to get more interesting.
Elyan and Percival had stopped by briefly to let Gwen and Morgana know that little Merlin had woken up. Elyan also sniggered through the story of how Leon had managed to get the boy a job as Arthur's personal servant. Morgana couldn't think of a worse punishment for the child. The prince was never in a good mood when he awoke. He was constantly complaining about how his armor wasn't shiny enough, how his bath wasn't warm enough, or whatever else Arthur found to complain about. The man threw things, was never satisfied, and was always looking for a reason to fire someone. The only one that lasted more than a week was George. For all the jokes about what a bootlicker he was among the servants, that man had guts. Morgana admired him for being able to put up with Arthur day after day.
Upon hearing this piece of news, Morgana had hunted Leon down and demanded an explanation. The knight attempted not to cower at the lady's scorn as he explained his reasoning.
"First off," Leon had started, slicking back his hair and straightening his cape. "Merlin needs somewhere to live. Gaius is too old to take care of someone that young. I don't trust Gwaine with him. Elyan and Gwen have enough on their hands as is. I can't afford another servant. And Lancelot and Percival are often away from Camelot too much to properly support Merlin. This will be good for Arthur as well. He does care about the child and maybe this will help him become less of a spoiled ass." Morgana had to admit that Leon's reasoning made some sense. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt of the young boy being used to help transform Arthur's personality though.
Of course, Merlin wasn't going to be completely alone in this. He was too small to do a lot of the heavy lifting so George would still be employed. He could take care of the things like carrying the armor, saddling the horses, and other chores that would be too difficult for Merlin to do. There was also the added benefit of having Merlin live in the antechamber. There was an added layer of safety that came with being the prince's manservant. He would likely be the last accused of practicing sorcery because of his job.
Leon had also explained that Merlin would be going down to Gaius' chambers once a day for two hours. This would help the boy practice his magic in a safe environment. It seemed as though Leon had thought of everything. Even how much pocket money Merlin would be given so that he could buy treats. Morgana smiled at the thought of Arthur trying to keep Merlin under his control. She had a sneaking suspicion that Merlin was not one to be kept down so easily. Morgana could imagining her brother fuming in his room, trying to comprehend the thought that he actually had a hyper little boy as a servant. Oh, this was going to be a lot of fun.
One last corner and up the stairs, the two women reached their destination. Gwen put on a big smile, full of enthusiasm, before knocking on the door. Morgana felt her stomach flutter with nerves. Oh, she wasn't afraid that Merlin was going to hate her. She and Gwen were going to spoil this boy beyond belief. But the thought of having a knew member of the Round Table was exhilarating. There was somebody else out there that was like her, born with magic. There was so much she could teach Merlin. They would become an unstoppable team. But first, she had to meet the boy.
"Come in," Gwaine's voice called out from the other side. Morgana heard him speaking softly to someone, probably Merlin. Morgana pushed open the door and waltzed in to see Gwaine sitting next to a very tiny dark-haired boy. The same boy that had looked like death not but a few days ago. Now he was awake, and looking rather frightened. The boy, Merlin, gripped Gwaine's tunic and pulled himself closer into the man's side. Gwaine laughed and patted Merlin on the arm. He leaned down, his hair falling ever so slightly to curtain Merlin from Morgana and Gwen's view.
"Don't worry, kiddo. Its just the Lady Morgana and Esmeralda," he said. Merlin looked at Gwaine for a second before giving a small, shy wave to the two visitors. Merlin. Gwen squealed. Morgana rolled her eyes. She wondered how much Gwaine had already corrupted her sweet, innocent boy. Oh, Morgana was going to have to work hard to keep Merlin pure while this knight was around. But it was a nice challenge.
"Sir Gwaine, let us not confuse the child more than he already has been. This is Guinevere, not Esmeralda," Morgana said, properly introducing Gwen to the small child. Gwen stepped forward and knelt down so she was on Merlin's level. Morgana smirked as Gwaine stuck out his tongue. Merlin didn't seem to notice the interaction.
"Well, most people call me Gwen. My friends, that is. You can call me whatever you want, though. I mean, not that you would call me anything other than my name," Gwen began to ramble. Merlin giggled and stuck out his hand. Gwen stared at the appendage for a second before smiling and shaking it lightly.
"You're funny," Merlin said. He had unglued himself from Gwaine's side and was now looking at the two women. Morgana went to sit by on a stool and Gwen on the bench.
"You're Merlin, right?" Morgana asked sweetly. Merlin nodded enthusiastically.
"Yup. I'm eight," he said, thrusting out seven fingers. Merlin looked at his hands for a second. "Wait," he muttered to himself. He counted his fingers before thrusting them out again, this time with the proper number. Gwen clasped her hands in front of her mouth and held back another squeal of delight. Morgana laughed lightly at the boy's antics.
"What can I help you ladies with?" Gwaine asked, giving them a charming smile. Gwen blushed and looked away. Morgana rolled her eyes and went to swat at Gwaine. Gwaine grabbed her hand mid-swat and shook his head. Morgana was about to ask why when Gwaine motioned towards Merlin. Morgana put her hand down. She had known that Merlin was a slave. Judging by the looks of disgust Lancelot was giving while talking about the child, he hadn't been treated very well. Perhaps violence, no matter how trivial, scared the child.
"We wanted to visit Merlin," Morgana answered. She tried not to let her thoughts become apparent on her face. "I hear he's going to be working for my lovely brother," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Prince Arthur is lovely!" Merlin piped up. "He's nice and caring and wonderful!" he exclaimed. Morgana raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
"What about you, Merlin? What do you like to do?" Gwen asked. Merlin turned to her with the biggest smile Morgana had ever seen. This kid warmed up to people really fast.
"I like reading and drawing and practicing my special talent," he said, whispering the last part. "Gaius says you have a special talent too," he said, turning back towards Morgana. Morgana stared at Merlin for a second before smiling.
"Yes, I do." She laughed. "But you have to keep it a secret, alright," she said. Merlin nodded and pretended to button his lips. Morgana stood up and began looking at the various items on the shelf while Gwaine and Gwen continued to talk to Merlin. She bit her lip. Now that Morgana had met Merlin, the excitement was gone. Now it was replaced with the intense worry that had been with her since this morning. She didn't usually make a habit of telling people what she saw in her dreams, but this one was really troubling. She didn't want to worry Gwen, though Gwen probably already knew something was up. Morgana could probably just go to Leon or Percival and talk about her vision, but there was something pulling her towards Gwaine.
"Gwaine, can I talk to you for a second?" Morgana asked. Gwaine looked at Merlin nervously before untangling himself from the boy and standing up. Merlin reached up to grab Gwaine's jacket. Gwaine smiled at the boy and knelt down so he could talk to Merlin.
"I'll be right back, Merlin. I'm just going in the other room. Stay here and try out those things I taught you on Esmeralda," Gwaine said with a wink. He patted Merlin on his head before following Morgana into the storeroom.
"Are you already corrupting him, Sir Knight?" Morgana sniped, trying to lighten the mood and hide her own anxiety.
"Hey, the kid's a heartbreaker. What kind of man would I be if I didn't help him reach his full potential," Gwaine chuckled. Morgana sighed dramatically and flipped her hair. "But, you didn't come here to talk about whether or not I'm a bad influence," Gwaine said, his tone turning sober. Morgana peaked out the door to see Merlin and Gwen giggling over something. Merlin looked nervously at the door before Gwen pulled his attention back on her.
"No, I wanted to ask if you've gotten any information about his past life," she said. Gwaine shook his head.
"No, back at the cave he mentioned a maid who taught him how to read and a girl who talked with him. But Gaius doesn't think we should pester him just yet. He'll talk when he's ready," Gwaine replied.
"Please," Morgana scoffed, "I've only known the kid for two minutes and I can already tell you he's not that type. He'll redirect conversations and do whatever it takes to never open up," she said.
Gwaine nodded. "I know. I'm going to try and talk with him later. Hopefully he can at least tell us where he escaped from." Morgana couldn't do this. She couldn't burden others like she was. It wasn't fair. She could figure this out on her own. She went to leave when Gwaine grabbed her wrist.
"You had a vision," he said simply. Morgana turned back towards the knight, glowering at him.
"One: How do you know? And two: So what if I did?" she snapped quietly.
"Because, you're nervous and jumpy. It must have been something pretty bad," Gwaine explained.
"Not bad, well it was bad, but you shouldn't worry," Morgana said.
"Have you told Gwen?"
"No, not yet. I don't even know what happened in it," Morgana replied. Gwaine chuckled.
"Isn't that the norm?" he asked.
"This was different." Morgana hesitated before sighing. "I suppose I can tell you. You won't know what to do with it either," she continued. Really, the situation was more grave than she was letting on.
"Go right ahead, my lady," Gwaine said with a mocking bow. Morgana swatted him on the head before walking over to the window and looking out.
"I saw you, running with a wolf back to Camelot, and Lancelot being led to the pyre. There were some other brief flashes, but I couldn't make a lot out" she said. Gwaine gasped and sat down on an old box.
"Well that last one means Lancelot's been accused of sorcery," he said. Morgana nodded.
"There's more," Morgana said.
"Oh, goody. Just what I wanted to hear," Gwaine said. "I thought you only saw brief flashes?" he asked.
"I didn't see anything else, but I felt it," she explained.
"How does that work?" Gwaine asked.
"I don't know. But I felt fear and fire. I felt Camelot fall and blood being spilt," Morgana said. Gwaine stared at her for a few minutes before clearing his throat and standing up.
"I don't want to undermine your visions, but this stuff is only a "possible future". We just need to keep doing the best we can to protect the citadel and not worry about what the future "might" hold," Gwaine said. Morgana gave him a smile and turned back towards the door. The knight was more shaken than he was letting on. But really, Morgana was more shaken than she was letting on as well.
"I hope you're right. I don't want to live in a world where these come true," she said.
"Well, me running with the wolves would be pretty awesome. Perhaps we could work towards that one," Gwaine said with a smile. Morgana laughed and walked out the door to see Merlin talking animatedly to Gwen.
"And then, Rowena brought me back to the river and told me the spirits would help heal my hand. She said that I was special because I could talk to the forest. Morgana could too. But she has to open her mind and let go of her fears," Merlin said. Gwen laughed.
"Rowena sounds like a wonderful person," she said. Merlin frowned.
"She's not a person, she's a she-wolf," he stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Gwaine and Morgana stopped and stared at each other.
"It might just be a coincidence," Gwaine muttered to Morgana. Morgana shook her head.
"If this has anything to do with magic, there are no coincidences," she snapped. Gwaine sagged and went to sit down next to Merlin.
"Gwaine!" the little boy exclaimed. "I was just telling Gwen about some of the stuff I've done," he said.
"I want to hear more about this Rowena. How'd you two meet and how can you talk to her?" Gwaine asked with a bright smile. Merlin settled himself against Gwaine's side, wrapping his tiny arm's around Gwaine, and began to explain.
"Well, when I first got out in the woods, I didn't know how to hunt or trap or anything. So I was really hungry. But then, this giant white wolf-" Morgana sucked in a breath, causing Gwen and Gwaine to glance at her worriedly. Merlin seemed undeterred. "-was at the entrance to the cave. At first I was scared. But then, I decided to listen, like I do with the tree spirits, and I heard her talk. She helps me out whenever I need it. She calls me her pup and says I am very special," Merlin finished.
"Any other magical talking animal friends we should know about?" Gwaine asked, only half joking. He should probably tell Leon that Merlin could talk to animals. This might be a problem in the future.
"Well, I can speak with almost everything in the forest, but other than Rowena and Jeff, there's really no one else. Some rabbits come visit occasionally, but only once or twice a month. Their names are Helga and Olaf. They've been together for three years. Which is really long in rabbit time," Merlin explained. Morgana felt as though her entire world was about to come crashing down. Her visions almost always came true in some sense. The fact that this one was so vague yet so specific was probably what was the most terrifying thing in the world. And now, now Merlin was here. There was too much to worry about at once.
"Gwen, we have to get going. We have that council meeting," Morgana said. Gwen stood up and smoothed her skirts.
"Do I have to come?" Gwaine asked. He didn't want to leave Merlin, but he couldn't risk Uther becoming suspicious. He was also slightly afraid for Morgana. Things weren't looking good for her at the moment.
"No, Arthur managed to get you out of this one so that you could stay with Merlin," Morgana replied. Gwaine nodded.
"Can you tell me another story?" Merlin asked. Gwaine chuckled and leaned back.
"Have I told you about the time I became general of Queen Annis' army? Completely by accident, of course," Gwaine said. Merlin shook his head and Gwaine began his story. Gwen and Morgana said their goodbyes before slipping out the door and walking down the corridor.
"Is something the matter?" Gwen asked.
"I had a vision, Gwen. I think it's coming true," Morgana said.
"And Gwaine knows?"
"I told him to see what he thought of it. I'm worried," Morgana confessed. Gwen pulled her in for a hug and sighed.
"We will do everything in our power to keep Camelot safe," she murmured. Morgana smiled and began to tell Gwen about what she saw and felt the previous night. Gwen walked quietly alongside her, not daring to interrupt. By the time they got to the council chambers, both girls were worried about what the future may hold.
What does the future hold for our heroes? Find out next week! Bye now.