Hey everybody! I try to update everyday, but I've been sick so that's why this chapter has come a little late. I'd love for you to review, thanks, and I hope you enjoy! :3
Merlin was resting with his back against a stump; the rest of the tree had been burnt to a crisp and collapsed onto a nearby house. The knights were sitting around a small fire a few yards away, all of them laughing except for Gwain who was the target for their teasing. Arther, on the other hand, was still speaking to the three villagers - with all the events he needed more conformation to make it sound less odd, even if he knew it was all because of magic.
Merlin still couldn't make his thoughts stray from the dream he had the night before. It haunted his every move, it sent chills up his spine, and made him feel more alone than usual. It was a feeling Merlin was use to - loneliness - because after all this time there was still no one who understood how he felt. Even with all the knights, Arthur, Gwen, and Giaus, the young warlock felt so misunderstood and secluded. No one knew how he felt deep down and that made the pain and emotion even worse. However, there was nothing to be done about the matter. His destiny was set, and his troubles were just apart of it all whether he wanted them to be or not. Merlin had become use to the way things ran in his everyday life at Camelot, it was inevitable the day he spoke to Kilgharrah for the first time, that he would have to become familiar with the suffering he had to so often endure. In the end factor, of course, he still knew it was for a great cause and that someday everyone would know of his true power. The day Arthur, the once and future king, united all of Albion and brings magic back to the land.
'But how long until that day comes? How much more pain and loss must I feel before it comes time to be free from the laws against magic?' Merlin thought, but he knew that only time could tell.
Arthur ended his long thorough discussion with Milo (elder of the village) and sat down next to his knights by the illuminating flames. Gwain was still making lousy comebacks to the others rantings and teasing but all fell silent once everyone caught a glimpse of Arthur's face even with all the fun they were giving themselves.
"What is the news? What do they say, sire?" Leon asked as he usually did, wanting to prepare himself for what they were facing. What none of the knights expected in response was a long sigh from their king.
"What's the matter, princess?" Gwain broke the awkward silence that followed. Elyan gave him a good punch in the arm as if to say 'shut up', and surprisingly he did. All of them did.
"They say this... Cloud - they believe it was - came from the East. At first many of the villagers thought it to be a storm cloud of some kind, but when it reached the crops the people saw it was distorted and wrong. Milo states it was a violet color, so almost instantly they knew it must be magic of some kind. Then there came truth to their accusation, because when it came in contact with something the item would burst into flames. It consumed everything in fire... Everyone it touched, in fire... Those who were trapped or already touched by the cloud burned alive. The rest of the villages escaped into the forest until it disappeared. They have no clue as to where it went." Arthur explained, trying his best to leave out the parts he was told, about how people were screaming in pain as their flesh melted off and how children would be be sobbing and shouting for help has the cloud past over them, engulfing their body in flames. It was almost too much for the king to think about it and still sit by their small campfire.
"What are we to do, sire?" Elyan asked this time.
"We shall gain more information and hopefully discover this sorcerers whereabouts. Whomever they are to be will be brought to justice... Until then, let us enjoy this night!" Arthur gathered himself a bowl of soup and held it up as as cheer. All the knights clanked their bowls together and began to eat, laughing as they told each other stories of complete nonsense and journeys to the tavern. Arthur was nearly enjoying himself as well when he noticed a missing servant. He looked about his surrounding until finally the kings eyes spotted Merlin by the stump, sitting quietly with a look of sadness on his face.
Arthur drew a quick breathe before standing and walking hesitantly over to his manservant. He sat down beside Merlin and nudged his elbow into the raven haired boys arm. Merlin still didn't change his look.
"Alright, what's wrong with you now?" Arthur leaned back against the stump as well and let his head fall back so he could gaze at the sky. Only, after Merlin didn't respond, did his master begin to get frustrated. "Merlin, I know your an idiot but your not deaf. What's the matter with you today, you've been unnervingly silent." The king spat out a little harsher than he expected. He was, however, expecting the response he received in turn.
"I'm fine." Merlin stated blankly. Not looking away from his hands which so lifelessly sat on his lap.
"No, your not fine. So tell me what's wrong with you - that's an order." Arthur urged him on and this time Merlin looked up at him, but his eyes were blank, showing no expression of sadness, which Arthur could clearly see in them when staring at his servant from his seat by the fire.
"I'm... Just... Thinking." Merlin said faintly.
"Just thinking!? Thinking about what? You must be more specific, Merlin."
"You want be to be specific?" Nor Merlin or Arthur knew why, but that made the servant snap, and his voice was now full of rage mixed with sadness and a bit of pain, "I'm thinking of everything! All the people I've lost, the things I've had to do, and the the pain I've had to endure. Want me to be even more specific?! I'm thinking about Freya, and my father, and Will! I'm thinking about how tired I am and how sick I feel... Are you happy now?" Arthur sat in silents, mouth open in shock. He didn't know how to respond to that, and now the knights were glaring at them curiously. Arthur waited for them to go back to their banter before responding.
"Freya? Who's Freya? And your father? I thought you said you never knew him... And William -" Merlin cut him off before he could finish.
"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to lash out like that... It's not important, none of them are important. It's nothing, really."
"Of course it's something. It's eating you up inside, I can see it. You can talk about with me, Merlin. I'm sure it's nothing to throw you in the stocks over." Merlin chuckled at his words. 'If only he knew' Merlin thought.
"No. I can't talk about it with anyone. Not really." Merlin was trying to get of the subject even though he knew Arthur wouldn't drop it now.
"Come on, you can't mean that. With all the friends you have," he pointed over to the knights, "you must be able to talk about it with someone, if not me."
"No. No one." Merlin's response was flat, almost to the point where Arthur nearly believed him.
"At least answer me this. Who is this 'Freya' you speak of?" Arthur teased, yet was still trying to get answers.
"Just a girl. It's not all that important."
"A girl? You and a girl? I don't believe it, for one second."
Merlin knew it's what Arthur wanted, but he couldn't help it, so he gave up trying to hide the facts, but still didn't tell of the deeper things - like the fact that it was Arthur who killed her.
"She was my age. Beautiful. She had long dark hair that was the softest thing I've ever touched... And she loved strawberries..."
"What happened to her, you sound as if she was the love of your life." Arthur chuckled but stopped when Merlin continued.
"She was the love of my life... Huh - can you believe it? We were going to run away together."
"Wait! She was what? You were going to leave with her? Leave Camelot and Ealdor?" The shock in Arthur's voice almost surprised Merlin.
"Yeah. Someplace by a lake, with beautiful white mountains in the distance where we could watch the sun set and the moon rise every night."
"Your such a girls petticoat... But, why didn't you? Did you and this poor girl get into a fight?" Arthur was teasing again.
"No. I took her to a lake. One with snowy mountains in the background and everything. The water was so still. So..." Merlin paused as if trying to find the right word, "beautiful. Just like her."
"I don't get it. If you took here there, then why did you come back? Gods, I never noticed you left."
Merlin hesitated, thinking perhaps he shouldn't say it. "She died in my arms. That lake is where I laid her to rest." The dumbfounded look upon Arthur's face quickly turned to one of regret and sorrow.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." The words finally escaped the kings lips, and Merlin did all he could do to hide his emotions. That one word 'sorry' felt so amazing yet the secret warlock had no idea why.
"Wait. Was that you being nice to me, just then?" Merlin smirked.
"Of course not, idiot."
"Right! Of course not your royal pratiness!" Merlin laughed this time and Arthur hit him on the arm and beckoned him to join the others around the fire, and he did. It was times like this Merlin knew he wasn't completely alone. Not really.
Further into their journey through the Ebony forest...
It was a pain not being able to see anything further than the light illuminating from the groups torches. The Horse's didn't enjoy it much either. From the moment they stepped foot in the dark forest the equestrian animals became rather fidgety and noisy. The only good that came of it was that Gwain was so busy taming his horse he actually shut up.
As for Merlin, his fears were confirmed. Giaus had warned him that the dark magic found within the Ebony forest was cursed and was said to make other magic weaker. So once they travelled deep enough, the warlock could feel his powers weakening, as if his very essence was being drained. He only worried that if there were an attack of some kind he would not be able to aid the knights, that his magic would perhaps fail him. It was a scary thought at the least.
Magic was Merlin's very being, the thing that made him whole. Growing up he was taught to hide it, but in a sense he never could, because it was who he truly was - he was magic. In fact, when just a boy, it was his every thought and fear that he was evil. He always heard talk how how people believed magic to only be used for destruction. He thought that it must be true if so many people believed it to be so. His mother was always the one to tell him he was not indeed evil, but the kindest soul she had ever known. Maybe, just maybe, if he were raised in different circumstances, he would have turned out evil and become like Morgana or worse.
Merlin was shaken from his thoughts when a loud growl erupted throughout the forest. Whatever it was, was close by.
"What in the name of Camelot was that?" Percival questioned. They all looked around, waving their torches in various directions to see if they could spot anything.
"Look, a cleaning in the trees, let's go there and take a quick break." Arthur road his horse over to the large patch of light. The tree branches above were cut apart enabling the suns rays to pass through. They all let out a sigh of relief when the light touched their skin. They never realized how wonderful the sun and a blue sky looked. However, before they had time to even take out their water-skins, another growl was heard. This time it sounded closer and - if possible - even more terrifying. Arthur was the first to pull his sword out and the rest of the knights followed. Merlin stood to the side, holding tightly onto the reins on his and everyone else's horse.
"Over there! I saw something move!" Elyan shouted and pointed to an assortment of bushes that had just rattled.
"Perhaps it was just the wind..." Leon suggested lousily.
"There is no wind!" Elyan presumed his case, and he was right of course, because the in the next moment a giant wolf like creature jumped out from behind it's hiding place and tackled Gwain to the ground. Arthur was the first to take a hit, swinging his sword he slashed the beasts arm and it let out an excruciatingly painful howl. Gwain rolled out from under it and quickly sliced his sword across the creatures stomach in doing so. Merlin struggled holding onto the horses as he watched in fear as the creature drew more and more blood. Finally with one last stab into it's chest, made by Percival, the beast fell and slowly but surely turned to stone right before their eyes.
"Well that was a close call! Nothing like being pinned to the ground by a monster to get the blood flowing!" Gwain said sarcastically while griping his bleeding shoulder.
"Let me take a look at that." Merlin gave the reins to Leon and Elyan to hold as he walked over to the injured knight. The gash was long but not deep, so Merlin merely stopped the blood and cleaned the wound before wrapping it in some kind of torn clothe to keep it from getting infected.
"Good as new, thanks mate!" Gwain said before hopping onto his horse once more. Everyone gazed up at him wondering if they should too, mount their horses. "Breaks are overrated my friends, we best be going." He convinced them. So they gathered their loose things and took off once more through the Ebony forest.