So quick note, I have so many excuses I could prattle on with but I don't think you're really interested so I'll just say I'm sorry that this took far longer than expected. I think this is the longest chapters I've ever written so I hope that makes up for it but I'm also sorry for the lack of promised Gwaine humour.
Thank you Anon and *blank* for your reviews and kind words, they mean a lot XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin
Shameless self advertisation: I have just recently created a blogger for my fan stuff, if you want to check it out the link is on my page. If I get enough interest I'll start posting more stuff.
WARNING: it gets a bit gruesome...depending on your standards...so apologies for any nightmares caused.
Darkness surrounded Merlin as he tried to move, confused as to why his feet disobeyed, forcing him to remain there. He strained his eyes to see something...anything.
Merlin slowly lifted his arm to his side; it was heavy as if made of lead. His fingers splayed as they met a wall, feeling the rough, uneven surface. It was slightly damp, no bricks forming the barrier making Merlin realise it was the inside of a cave.
It was then that Merlin felt the whisper of power; it was as if it was clawing up his body, seeping into his skin.
He knew he needed to get out, to run, he couldn't be he here and he certainly couldn't stay, but being here...it felt right. It was as if this power was a piece of the puzzle that fitted so snugly into him.
His feet suddenly moved, taking him further into the darkness of the cave, drawing him closer to the centre.
A light appeared as he turned a corner, no, a collection of lights appeared, weaving in and out of each other in long, endless lines.
It was beautiful.
The light was pure white, blindingly bright, but Merlin just stood there, transfixed, unable to look away. He drew nearer and nearer, so close he could nearly touch it until he stopped.
"Emrys."
Merlin was suddenly torn from his daze, head snapping in every direction, unable to locate the source of the whisper.
He should leave, now, he couldn't be here - he needed to get back to...
...Arthur.
Arthur. He need to make sure Arthur was okay. He needed to protect Arthur.
Merlin was about to summon the strength to leave when he heard it again.
"Emrys."
But there was nothing there, just him and the light.
He looked forward again, gazing back into it. He felt his arm rise, reaching toward it...so close...the pull was strong, luring him in.
A few strands of light started circling his hand, travelling further up his arm as other threads joined them. He was slowly being encased and he couldn't breathe, his heart racing, he knew he should leave but couldn't...no, more than that, he no longer wanted to...
He was nearly covered when...
"MERLIN!"
Merlin bolted upright, lungs clawing for breath, sweat plastered over his skin making his clothes stick to his bones. Hands reached for him, grasping his arms and face. He flinched away, moving to try and escape them.
Fear made his heart pound faster in his chest, he blinked rapidly, trying to focus but unable to clear the blurry view in front of him. There were voices too, calling for him but he refused to listen.
He felt as if he had been stripped bare, exposed to everything. His magic felt bruised, as if something had pounded in to it and Merlin wondered for a second if it was because of the dream or because he had said no.
It wasn't until he felt strong hands grasping his shoulders and blonde hair come in to his vision that it started to clear and with a jolt Merlin remembered where he was and who he was with.
"Merlin, are you alright?" Arthur asked, his voice holding both concern and frustration.
Gwaine came in to his vision then, worry plastered all over the rogue's face.
"Merlin?" Gwaine questioned when the warlock didn't reply.
Merlin couldn't find his voice and didn't think he would've been able to speak even if he could, so he just gave a shaky nod that didn't seem to placate either of his friends' concern.
"Okay, I really need you to pull yourself together because you're drawing way too much attention to us" Arthur whispered, oddly caringly and Merlin had to wonder how bad he looked.
"Well I think they should just mind their own business, they must know by now that being curious isn't way to survive, especially with daddy dearest hunting them down" Gwaine grumbled low enough that only his two friends could hear, "and come on, don't they get nightmares?"
"Shut up Gwaine," Arthur hissed, the crowed was starting to dissipate and they really didn't need Gwaine's comments being over heard. "We just need to keep our heads down. Merlin, do you think you can get back to sleep?"
Merlin highly doubted it and even if he could he certainly didn't want to. However, he nodded and slowly laid himself back down, fixing his makeshift bed and closed his eyes.
The sun seemed to take forever to rise and 'wake' his friends - Merlin was pretty sure neither of them were able to go back to sleep either. They cleared their camp in an awkward silence as it was the day of the test, keeping to themselves which the magical community seemed fine with.
At around mid-afternoon the travellers started to move and Arthur realised it must be time for the trial.
He reached down to the floor from his sitting position on the log and picked up a stick around the thickness of his thumb. He looked up, found his target and then lobbed it unmercilessly at the offending object's head.
Gwaine sprang to life, screaming "NO! Anything but the hair."
Arthur stared, eye brow cocked , unsure of how to he was suppose to react to the deluded dreams of a grown man but made a mental note to endlessly tease him later before he rummaged the ground for another stick, ignoring the glare Gwaine sent him. Once he found a good one he aimed it at the other useless person, but when he saw his servant's shaky hands that were clasped for dear life to his bowed head, Arthur refrained.
He stood, dropping the stick, and walked over to Merlin, Gwaine following him with his still glaring eyes as he angry rubbed his head, an over exaggerated pout fixed on the rouge's face.
Arthur dropped to kneel in front of his friend's figure and laid a hand on his shoulder. Merlin recoiled as if he had been struck, Arthur stared at the man with shock, confusion and...hurt.
Gwaine rushed over, crouching next to Arthur as both men looked over their friend. Merlin seemed worse, the look of a man who had been unable to sleep, eat or drink for days. A haunted man. Not someone who had been fine yesterday, before that wretched nightmare that had awoken half the camp.
"Merlin, are you okay?" Gwaine asked, his words laced with concern and worry.
Merlin just looked at him in confusion, as if trying to understand what the man had said.
"Merlin?" Arthur's voice had developed a slight panic as he worried for Merlin's sanity.
"Hey, Merlin, can you hear us?" Gwaine added, slowly and gently placing a hand on Merlin's knee.
It seemed to snap Merlin out of whatever it was as he blinked several times and rubbed his hands forcefully over his face.
"W-what?...er...yeah, I'm fine." And with that he stood up and stumbled a slight distance way.
"Okay, well everyone seems to be moving so I'm guessing it's time. Come on." Arthur tilted his head slightly in the direction he thought they should move and then swept down to pick up a few bags, a very unusual action for him but there was no way he was going to make Merlin do it – the boy looked like he would collapse if you just looked at him wrongly.
Neither swordsmen missed the look of pure terror that had flashed across Merlin's face when the trial was mentioned.
The cave was half covered by a hillside, the rock seeming to have merged with the earth. The entrance was dark; roots like snakes in the cracks. The whole area had an eerie feel to it, as if the whole thing was alive.
Everyone stood about two dozen feet away from it, not wanting to get too close and also allowing what seemed to be the hierarchy of the magical community some space.
5 sorcerers stood there, waiting, until finally Brotec entered the area, flanked by two followers. He was in his early-thirties, short, brown hair covering his head and eyes as black as coal. There was a greedy smile planted firmly on his face as he mock bowed to the others.
"What a pleasure it is to see you all here, I believe you are all keen for my rise to power." The man oozed arrogance as he steeped confidently nearer the cave, seemingly delighted as the reek of power bathed him.
"You can't seriously believe you're Emrys?" A man with shaggy black hair asked, astonished, as he stepped away from Morgause, who stood to his right, and toward Brotec. Brotec's henchmen moved forward menacingly, wordlessly warning the man not to take another step or risk bodily harm.
The shaggy haired man arched an eyebrow, looking disapprovingly at the two muscled men, and barked a laugh.
"Ha, you see that just proves it - Emrys wouldn't need two dumb lackeys, he wouldn't need anyone!"
Brotec looked at the man unperturbed and smoothly shrugged with the arrogant smirk firmly held in place.
"And I won't, Adney, once I receive what is rightfully mine...although it is always good to have ones followers around them."
"Oh my," A red hair man spoke up, his head shaking from side to side in exasperation as he joined Adney, "you really believe that, don't you? I thought perhaps you were just after more power but you truly are deluded. You really think you're Emrys."
"Well maybe he really is Emrys." A short brunette woman said cautiously, the others turned to her with slight amusement and annoyance, her shoulders stiffening at their response and her chin raising slightly, "Come on, no one would subject themselves to that cave without fully knowing what would happen – remember it is said to be one of the worst ways to die...and he is powerful."
"Thank you, Gelsey." Brotec offered her a small smile before turning back to the others. "You're all just jealous."
All the sorcerers scoffed at him before Morgause looked at him with a disgusted sneer.
"Please Brotec, no one can be scum enough to be jealous of you."
"As lovely as always, Morgause" Brotec beamed at her, seemingly pleased to have annoyed her.
"Hmmm" the red haired man pondered before Morgause could speak her retort, "but I was always under the impression that when it came for Emrys to receive this power he would not wish for it and well...you seem adamant that you do want it."
"Why would Emrys not want to be all powerful, Dawson?" Gelsey asked, confused.
"Well-"
"Oh shut up already," A woman from near the cave grumbled loudly, a thick black cloak covered her frame, wisps of gray hair hung from beneath the hood and her body arched heavily on the walking stick as she approached them. The others bowed respectfully to her. "We came to see if Brotec really is Emrys, not have a debate."
"Yes, Idla is right," commented Dawson, "shall we move on."
"Fine by me" added Morgause as she looked distastefully at Brotec, "either way he'll be in agony, Emrys or not."
Brotec nodded, ignoring Morgause as he approached the cave, the whole crowd seeming to hold their breath.
He stopped just inside the mouth of the cave and turned so that he was facing everyone; his feet were shoulder width apart as he gracefully raised his arms above his head, stretched at a slight angle.
He stood there as the crowd continued to stare, frozen in anticipation. No one knew what was to happen next and so when roots suddenly shot from four corners of the entrance, binding themselves around his limbs, twirling and twisting so that there was no way he would be able to break free, the whole crowd recoiled in shock.
Golden tendrils of light followed next, endless lines that streamed slowly from the cave, twisting, weaving and threading their way around him slowly but surely engulfing him. Throughout this Brotec kept on a delighted smile, warmed by the power surrounding him.
Half the crowd seemed to have accepted that he was Emrys as the light slowly crept to his face but the other half seemed to still watch forebodingly and cautiously waiting for it to start going wrong.
It was after only a few seconds of the light entering through his nostrils that he flinched. It was barely there, such a small movement, but then he flinched again, a much larger reaction and everyone knew something bad was about to happen.
The smile suddenly left his face and fear covered his eyes, most of the audience seemed to think he was still Emrys until one of the lights rose as if an adder readying to strike and after a moment that's exactly was it did.
A blood curdling scream erupted as it hit him, others soon rose and did the same, striking him repetitively and his screams got stronger, wilder and everyone knew right then that he wasn't going to survive.
He wasn't Emrys.
The screams of agony rose higher and many of the crowd turned their heads, unable to watch any longer. A few calls of 'someone help him!' and 'isn't anyone going to stop it?' were heard but everyone knew there was nothing they could do once the trial had been activated.
A few screams of horror had erupted from the members of audience who had their eyes still locked with the form of Brotec; the light was slowly stripping the man of skin, muscle and soul. The stench of burning flesh was unbearable, the slaughter of Brotec attacking every sense.
Silence.
No one made a sound, no one moved, there was no wind, no chirping.
Everything was unnaturally still as the crowd gazed upon the butchered skeleton that hung from its binds. The light was slowly retreating back into the cave, its job finished.
The roots retracted back into the stone, dropping the corpse so that it crumpled onto the floor in a heap.
Everyone continued to stare in dismay until their eyes snapped to Dawson as he cleared his throat.
"Well...er...that's the end of that then." He nodded as if to affirm what he just said.
Morgause just shock her as she stepped toward the charred remains.
"You just couldn't be humble, could you Brotec? How you had fit that abnormally large head into your castle will always astound me." She muttered under her breath before raising a hand and muttering a few more words.
A white hot fire engulfed the bones so that after a few moments only ashes remained which were quickly swept away by the wind.
"Such a waste."
Arthur decided they had seen enough, Brotec had failed and they needed to get back to Camelot to deliver the good news, although, as Arthur turned, he couldn't help but wonder - if Brotec wasn't Emrys...then who was?
He took three steps before he noticed only Gwaine was following, Merlin was still transfixed with the cave. Arthur frowned, worry for his friend doubling.
Merlin hadn't stopped looking at it, not moving or making any sort of sound, not even when Brotec had been torn apart. He just stared at it, a dazed look shrouding his eyes.
It was when Merlin started to walk toward the cave, instead of away, that Arthur officially thought Merlin had finally gone loopy.
The two swordsmen hurried toward the servant, Arthur with the intent of knocking him out if he had to.
"Merlin," Arthur hissed as he grabbed hold of the man's shoulder, "what in all of Albion do you think you're doing?"
That seemed to knock some sense into the boy, his head snapped to the prince before going back to the cave, a look of horror dawning on his face as if he only just realised what he was doing.
"S-sorry" Merlin whispered, but seemed unable to say anything more.
Arthur just shook his head, jaw set. "Come on."
Arthur's hand on the warlock's shoulder pushed him away from cave so that he was walking unsteadily in front of the prince.
However, they hadn't made it two feet until disaster struck.
A big, muscled, bald stranger and Arthur rammed shoulders together in passing, the stranger turning in intent to yell at him 'watch where you're going!' but he words never left his mouth.
The jostle had made Arthur's hood slip so that his face could be seen, so instead the stranger yelled, "Hey! I know you, you're Prince Arthur!"
Well you would have gotten this last night (well technically this morning) but I thought I should proof read it with at least some sleep, anyway I hope you liked it XD
LL x