Viola! My first original chappie! In this story any ways... Figured it was time for a certain warlock to visit his lands. There's a Dragonheart reference it here for those of you who can catch it! In case you people didn't already figure this out, I'm a sucker for a good OC- keep that in mind. I will probably have a lot of 'guest star' OC's. I'm a broke Senior in High School... Seriously, I don't own anything!
But you guys don't want to hear my sob story, so onto the Show!
He had put this off too long. Sure he wasn't yet of age, but that was no excuse. It was time for Merlin to visit his family's land.
He stood in the courtyard with the small party that had come to see the young lord off. It consisted of Gwen, Morgana, Gaius, Morris, and Arthur; he still wasn't sure why the prince was there. Quintus was making the journey with George and him. The fool druid refused to let the raven travel alone. The attitude of the party was somber.
"Don't worry all; I'll be back before you know it! We shall only be gone for a week," Merlin stated with a goofy grin.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Heaven forbid that we miss you. I'm looking forward to seven whole idiot-free days."
"Face it Arthur, you're gonna miss me!"
"As if!" Arthur sassed.
"Yes, well the rest of us will miss you three. Be safe and come back alive," Gaius stated. He was getting tired of all the boys' bickering.
"Be safe, Merlin." Morgana murmurred so that only Merlin could hear it.
"Don't worry, we will. Until we meet again, you lot keep safe!" Merlin called over his shoulder as the three men set off for the Ambrosius lands of Tarra.
Dean paced the hall nervously. Lord Ambrosius was visiting his lands starting today, and he had the nagging felling that this trip would end badly. He didn't have the heart to tell the young man that his land was riddled with problems. Mostly caused by his second-in-command, Sir Riane.
The teen didn't have time to dwell on this, for the young noble and his small party arrived. Dean stepped into the court yard and a gave a small bow to his lord.
"Greetings, Lord Ambrosius, and welcome to your lands. I hope you find everything here to your satisfaction."
The raven look uncomfortable. "Please, Merlin is fine- I'm not a fan of titles. This is the Apperntice Physician, Quintus; and my manservant, George. And who, may I ask are you?"
Dean was shocked. The man before was so unlike most nobles he had met before. "My name is Dean, my lord. I'm one of Sir Riane's servants. He sent me to show you to your quarters."
Merlin smiled kindly at the teen who was probably about fifteen. "Right then; lead on!" The four men walked into the small castle and headed for the most luxurious lodgings within. Dean led them deep into the building before taking a sharp right and ending up at a large oak door with a smaller off to the side a ways.
"This room is yours, my lord. There is an antichamber inside for your servant. The smaller quarters off the right is for Quintus. Sir Riane is hosting a welcome feast for you tonight. If you need anything, come and find me or another servant." With another bow, Dean exited, leaving the three men to get settled.
A few hours later, Quintus walked into the big room, looking jumpier than normal. "Quintus, what is it?" the knight asked.
Quintus looked at him, but his grren eyes seemed to gaze elsewhere. "Can you not feel it? Like something is tearing apart this castle..."
"Yeah, I feel it too. Feels nasty, like ants running through honey."
"I think it would be best if we kept our eyes peeled, there's no telling what lurks in this old castle."
At first, Merlin thought every thing was fine and dandy. Well, other than the creepy feeling of bugs crawling in honey. Then he noticed how scared the servants looked, how ravaged the villages were, how fat and stuck-up Sir Riane was. That damn prat was worse than Arthur. That's how the raven knew something was amiss with his lands. The feast that happened yesterday only furthered his suspicions.
Nothing major happened that night, but the women servants would hardly go near Riane, and every one else seemed overly wary, while some looked ready to clock him one. They ate and drank only the finest items, all the while he could see the lower class staring longly at even the scraps of food. None of the knights took mind. None, exept one. His name was Sir Bowen. Merlin made up his mind to speak to the knight about what was going on.
The raven also decided to take to the streets first. He used a glamor so no one would recognize him...
Molinda was making her way home to her father's tavern after working at the feast. She hoped her dad wouldn't be too worried; she was late because a certain knight had cornered her and had violated her privacy. Molly entered the pub quietly and slipped into the back to change before her shift.
She walked out and saw a teenager with a mop of rusty-brown hair and cool, grey eyes. He was sitting all alone, so Molly took pity on the boy.
"Hi there, I'm Molly. Can I get you anything?"
The kid looked up. His voice was rather deep for his age, "Hmm? Oh, I could use a meal. Name's Rhys, by the way."
"Nice to meet you Rhys! I'm sorry to say, but we don't have much in the way of food. The nobles of the land horde virtually all there is... I'll see what I can scrounge up. Then you can tell me why a boy like you is sitting alone in my father's tavern."
Rhys gave her a tentave smile, "Sounds like a plan!" Molly grinned at the teen before whisking off to find the thin boy something to eat. She reappeared in front of Rhys five minutes later with plate of scrawny chinken wings.
"Right, well you wanted to hear my story. I'm afraid it's not all that much. I came to the city in search of work after my parents died. Been travelin' around since they passsed on 'bout a year ago. I guess I thought this was a good place to settle for a while."
"Oh you poor thing! I hope that the knights of Tarra weren't the ones who killed them. They're god awful! All they care about is their damn taxes and food. And Sir Riane's the worst of 'em. He likes to... Never mind."
Rhys looked angry now. "Molly, what does he like to do?"
She didn't know why, but she felt like she could tell Rhys every thing, and that it would still turn out alright. "H-he likes to, to take advantage of female servants. Especially me and my friend Beth," Molly choked out.
The teen slammed his fist down on the table. The entire pub went silent at the brunette's display. He spoke in quiet fury, "He. Can't. Do. That. I'll kill that bastard for what he has done."
"Rhys, please calm done. It's okay! I-I'm used to it by now-"
"No Molly. I'm gonna fix this." He stormed out of the tavern without another word.
Bowen was out patroling the lower town. Since the young Lord Ambrosius was visiting his lands of Tarra, Sir Riane had doubled secruity in order to suck-up to the teen. Bowen was certain that this wouldn't help the fat man like he thought it would.
A kid burst out of the River Tarvern in a rather angry manor. He started stomping down the road, with a barmaid running after him. The other knights ran after them, with Bowen in tow. Once they caught up to the couple, two knights threw the boy to the ground while another one grabbed the girl roughly.
"Ooh hello beautiful!" the pig that held the maid said.
The brunette teen roared at him, "Let her go! Do you men have any honor?!" The man laughed hoarsely while his buddies rained down punches on the lad. Bowen was disgusted. He had sworn to follow the Old Code when he became a knight, and this went against every thing the Code taught.
"Stop! Use your head and think. What would Lord Ambrosius think if he saw this? Not to mentions what Sir Riane would do to you if that would happen!" Bowen hoped his reasoning wouldn't be lost on these meat-heads.
The boy spat out blood. "I wouldn't try me. I am a close friend of the Lord of Tarra, and I will go to him if you don't cease this brutality." The girl looked shocked at his statement. He looked a her with an unreadable look. "Sorry for lying to you Molly, but I needed to get a feel for this land and her people. I'm Quintus's cousin."
"Oh Rhys! Please, you don't have to take my problem to Lord Ambrosius."
Rhys gave her a weak smile. "Don't worry Molly, I'll be fine. You sir... what is your name?"
"Bowen." he replied stiffly.
"Sir Bowen, would you mind showing me to Lord Ambrosius's chambers? He and I need to have some words." Bowen nodded. After seeing Molly safely back to the pub, Rhys and Bowen headed towards the Lord of Tarra's room.
They stepped inside, and Rhys immediately changed. It was like his body melted away, replaced by a raven-haired boy instead.
"What the- Who are you?"
The kid sighed, "My name is Merlin Ambrosius, Lord of Tarra. And the last Knight of Old. You try to follow the Code as well, don't you, Bowen?" The last part was more of a statement than a question. Bowen was in shock. Who wouldn't be after meeting an Old Knight?
"Yes, I do. How did you know that?"
"I could feel it; just like I can feel your disgust for Riane, or the fact that you aren't going to hand me over to Uther for my 'crimes'. You have this kind of aura- it just screams Old Code and virtue."
"So, what are we going to do about Riane? What he does goes against what we stand for."
Merlin smirked, "Oh don't worry about him; he'll be dealt with before I leave. Just keep your head down, the knights'll be after you for standing up to their authority. Now if you'll excuse me, I plan on actually getting some sleep tonight!"
Bowen nodded. "Sir." He walked out of the room, unaware of what happened next.
Merlin didn't even wait for George to come in, he undressed and hopped into his bed. He felt someone grab his arms. The raven was hit on the head and desended into darkness.
When he awoke, Sir Riane and his cronies were standing outside his cell. They laughed at him.
"Look at the mighty Lord Ambrosius!" Riane howled.
"You'll be sorry you crossed me Riane; you have no idea what I'm capable of."
"Oh yeah? What are you going to do? You're just a lost little child and chained to a wall at that!"
"You might want to check your facts," Merlin stated simply. He willed his magic to rebel against the locks. They fell away with a satifying POP! The raven stood up and ambled to the door. He felt something click, and his soul sang with joy at reuniting with the other one.
"You have violated the Code, now you will pay for that mistake!" Merlin roared in an unnaturally deep voice. His eyes were burning gold the entire time. He raised his hand and the cell door blew off its hinges. Merlin stepped out and grabbed a sword and slew Riane's knights before turning to him. The fat man snapped to his senses.
The battle was short and intence. By the end, Riane was on the ground- dead along with every other corrupted knight in Tarra. His last thoughts were that he would never get to eat the boar he bought with tax money.
The dragon's blood receeded from the young lord's veins, leaving a tired and slightly teriffied boy in its place. He closed his eyes and slumped against a wall. That how Quintus found him later; still leaning on the wall.
Quintus hauled the warlock's body into his bed before departing for his own. No one woke Merlin up for a long time. It was midday when George ventured into the raven's room. He shuffled out of his bed, threw on some clothes, and then went in search of Bowen.
He found the man speaking to some scared servants about their jobs. He seemed rather fond of Dean in peticular. They all bowed when he came up.
"No- please, you don't have to bow to me."
Bowen spoke up, "My Lord, what can I do for you?"
"Well Bowen, that is something of a private matter... Would you follow me please?" Merlin walked off, Bowen tailing after him. Once they were in more private quarters, the raven spoke once more.
"First off, I'm putting you in charge while I'm not here. Second, I plan on making Tarra a safe haven for magic and followers of the Old Code. Secretly of course, but a haven none the less."
"Sir, I would be honored to help."
Merlin smirked, "I had a feeling you would say that! Come, I'm going to introduce you to my druid friend, Quintus." Bowen nodded dumbly before following Merlin.
The next week was spent organizing ways for sorcerers to get to Tarra, as well as getting the word out. By the end of the week, several druid camps had settled in. Even the citizens seemed better- happier too. Merlin was sorry to leave, but he knew Bowen would look after his lands especially with Dean as his new servant/friend. He made a silent promise to come visit again, soon.
Merlin rode into Camelot with a smile on his face, his companions following in suit. Arthur and Morris stood outside waiting for them. The prince snorted.
"Didn't think you would be that excited to see me Merlin!"
"You? Nah, I just missed beating you with a sword- that's all."
"Why- you little- MERLIN!" Said raven sprinted away, the bonde chasing after him. Yep, it's good to be home!
Alternate Title: Wherein the Snoody Sir Riane gets his Ass handed to him by a Sixteen-year-old
Whoop there it is! (Sorry, couldn't stop myself there!) Sooo, how'd ya like it? Anyone find the Dragonheart reference? I know I know, but I couldn't help myself! Ooh, one other thing; I'm pretty sure this gonna be a Mergana fic with a slow burn. (Lol. That sounded like an order in a resturant!) Not entirely sure yet though... Leave a comment on what you think!
Untill next time, keep hip my Faithful Readers!