Chapter Summary: Merlinite was ecstatic to finally meet another gem that wasn't either corrupted, trying to kill him, or a combination of the two. In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have jumped to conclusions on the first one. In his defense, Tiger's Eye sure seemed normal. And she was probably the most beautiful person he'd ever met, Morgana and Nimue included.
On one hand, I probably should listen to Gaius. But on the other hand…
"Tospringe," Merlinite whispered, glaring down at the locks on the cage he was perched on. The door to the cage burst open and Merlinite flew inside. The girl in the cage gasped and pressed back. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly. Perhaps he should have gone with something a bit smaller, cuddlier. He did have a fondness for falcons though. Especially for sneaking purposes as they were both discreet and fast.
Though, now that I think about it, maybe it's the talking that's freaking her out. That probably isn't something that's seen a lot, even for those with magic.
He tried to look less threatening as he hopped closer to her, but he can't tell if she didn't pull away because it worked or she just didn't have anywhere to pull away too. Either way he held his wings over the manacles and whispered, "Unspene þás mægþ!"
The manacles fell off and she rubbed her wrists, staring at him oddly.
"Follow me."
He hopped towards the door, but the girl didn't move. Instead she said, "You're a gem?"
Merlinite looked back at the girl, but she was staring down at his neck where his gem sat in full view thanks to his scarf twisting over his shoulder to flutter like a cape as he had flown down to the lower town.
As he stared up at the girl he noticed something he hadn't before. Hidden behind her long brown hair and red-brown ragged dress, a striped gem pressed into the tan skin of her shoulder.
"You're-"
A clattering cut him off and both gems turned to the door of the tavern that held the bounty hunter.
"We don't have time," Merlinite whispered and she nodded.
She wrapped her arms around herself and with a whimper her form began to glow a soft brown. She shrunk and took on the form of a bird smaller than his that was feathered in browns and golds. The kestrel to his peregrine.
The two quickly took to the air just before the bounty hunter came out of the tavern.
The white gem led the brown one up over the castle to a tower room that had never been used for as long as he had been in Camelot and likely long before that given its state. They landed in the room and both shifted back.
"They won't find you here. The stairs are treacherous," Merlinite explained. "I sneak up here sometimes when I want to be alone." He wanted to say more, but he couldn't think.
There was another gem, another of his kind, one that wasn't a mindless corrupted monster or mad with power after being enslaved by humans, and she was standing right in front of him.
He scrambled to think of something, anything, to say.
"You're a gem," she repeated before he could figure out anything.
"As are you," he said with what Arthur referred to as his idiot smile.
"I am Tiger's Eye."
"Merlinite. It's nice to meet you. It's not often I run into a gem."
"No. We haven't exactly been plentiful these past three millennia or so," she sighed curling in on herself and sitting down against an old bed.
"M-millennia," Merlinite gasped, coming to sit next to her only to pause and sit in front of her instead when she moved to pull away. "How old are you?"
"I've never bothered to keep track," she said, peering at him like it was odd that he did. "Why? How old are you?"
"Four and a half centuries, give or take a few decades."
Her eyes widened. "So young! But how? Surely you weren't born from any kindergarten on Earth. They were shut down during the Rebellion. There's no way you could have incubated for that long."
Merlinite shrugged. He only really knew the basics of how he had been formed. "A bit of gem technology paired with a whole lot of magic."
"Earth Magic? Incredible! I never knew humans could be capable of such things on their own."
"Not just humans; dragons too."
"That makes more sense, though it's still incredible. Have you ever even spoken with a gem before?"
She sounded honestly curious, but the question still made him flinch. "No, not really. In fact, I've rarely had a form up until a little over a decade and a half ago. The humans that created me… believed I was more useful without my form. And then I fell into the hands of a family of dragonlords that did not realize what they held and trapped me believing I was a monster like our corrupt counterparts. I was lucky enough to land in the hands of a peasant woman who accidentally broke the magic binding me inside my gem. She is a kind woman who I owe much."
"Quite. I can't imagine being trapped like that."
It was quiet for a few moments before Merlinite looked out the window. Technically he could stay up here all night, but he still had a few chores he needed to get done for Arthur. Honestly, how Arthur thought he could get done all the chores he was given while still having time for basic human necessities was beyond him. The prince probably ran Merlinite's predecessors into the ground. The gem was just lucky he didn't require things like sleep and food like humans did.
"You'll be safe up here," he reiterated as he stood up. "I'll come back in the morning with some candles and anything else you'd like. Will you be alright till then?" She nodded so he sent her a smile. "I'll see you in the morning, Tiger's Eye."
Gaius and Uther were finishing up some work when the doors to the council room opened. The two looked up to see a knight escorting a man in.
"Ah, Halig. You've come bearing gifts?" Uther asked, turning back to his work.
"Yes, Sire. A druid girl," Halig said. He shifted nervously before adding, "But she escaped last night, here in Camelot."
"Well, don't worry. We'll soon find her. Have some guards help with the search," the king waved to the knight, not looking up.
The knight bowed and turned to leave, but paused when Halig approached the king.
"You need to warn them, Sire. The girl is dangerous. The informer told me she was cursed."
"How so?" Uther asked and they both looked up.
"He didn't know, but he said even the druids were frightened of her. They cast her out of their camp, calling her a monster and corrupt."
"It's against all the druids believe in to reject those in need of care," Gaius said, frowning.
"Why would they do such a thing?" the king asked.
"I dread to think."
"Set up sentries on all the gates," Uther told the knight.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Merlinite sighed as he shuffled through the castle. At least he had stopped dripping. He supposed it was slightly his own fault. He should have checked the water's temperature. He was just… distracted.
The gem glanced around to be sure no one was watching him before ducking into the staircase that led up to the room he had left Tiger's Eye in. He pulled off his neck scarf and tucked the supplies he had brought in it. He tied it up then shifted into bird form. He flew up the staircase into the room.
Dropping his makeshift bag on the bed, he perched on the frame and called out, "Tiger's Eye?"
The brown gem looked up at him from where she was sitting against the wall. "You're back."
"Yeah," Merlinite said, hopping down and shifting back. "And look…" He grabbed the scarf and opened it, revealing a set of candles and a few berries he had snuck from the kitchen. He took the candles and held out the berries.
Her eyes widened and she took the berries. She ate one and smiled. "It's good."
"Believe me, it's fit for a prince," he chuckled, setting out the candles around the room. He came to sit in front of her. "I wasn't sure if you ate. I know it's not necessary for our kind and I'm not really fond of it."
Tiger's Eye shrugged and kept eating. Merlinite glanced around, trying to find something else to talk about and spotted what looked like a tattoo on her arm.
"Is that a druid symbol?"
She nodded. "I stayed with them for a short time so I phased it onto my arm to try and fit in."
"Is that why you eat?"
"Why are you asking me all these questions?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm just curious."
"Of course you are. I'm sorry."
"I understand."
"Does anyone know what you are? You mentioned a woman."
"She knows, but she doesn't live here. It's only you. And one other person. He knows, but I'm not sure he understands."
"I wish I was like everyone else, but…"
"You always know, deep down, you're not?"
"Because I'm a monster."
"Tiger's Eye, don't say that. We don't have to be monsters. Look." He turned to the candles and waved his hand, lighting them with his magic. "Hoppaþ nu swicae swá lig flíehen," he said and the flames rose to dance through the air.
"How do you do that?"
Merlinite looked up in confusion.
"Use Earth Magic," she explained. "I've never met a gem that could. Our magic is different than that of humans and their earthbound kin. Not weaker or anything, just different."
"I… I don't know. I've always been able to," he said, looking down at his hands.
"It's not odd for some gems to possess special abilities. I've never met a Merlinite before, so perhaps Earth Magic is your type's specialty."
"I suppose."
A hand settled on his and he looked up to see Tiger's Eye in front of him. "It's beautiful," Tiger's Eye whispered.
He looked over at her and their eyes met. He blushed and sent the flames back to their candles. "I, um, have to go. Erm, someone might notice I'm missing. But I-I'll come back, and I'll bring you some more food. I promise."
He gave her one last smile then shifted to take to the air. He flew out of the window and soared over the caste to his own room. He dropped to the floor in his normal form and opened the door, coming face-to-face with Gaius.
"Do you know anything about the girl?" the man asked before he could say anything.
"What girl?" the gem asked, ducking past his mentor.
"The girl from the cage. She escaped last night."
"Good. I'm pleased."
"They're out hunting for her."
Merlinite honestly wasn't surprised. "Why can't they just let her be?"
"Did you help her escape?"
"No."
"Merlinite?" Gaius asked, giving him the eyebrow.
"You told me not to get involved."
"You promise me you'd nothing to do with this?"
"I promise, I did not free any girl!"
Gaius stared down his ward before nodding. "Good. Because if Halig finds out someone helped her, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes."
Merlinite yelped as someone grabbed his arm and swung him around.
"What are you doing here?" Halig growled.
"Am… I not supposed to be here?"
"You're the prince's manservant, aren't you? What reason do you have to be here?"
"I come here for the quiet."
"Really?" Halig snorted.
He moved to leave when his eye paused on Merlinite's neck. Realizing what he had spotted, the gem reached up to fix his neck scarf.
"The druid girl I'm looking for, have you seen her?" Halig demanded, shoving the servant towards a pair of guards.
"No."
"Do you know how much money she's worth to me?"
Merlinite shook his head.
"More than your life. So I'm asking you again. Have you seen the druid girl?"
The gem shook his head again. "No."
"Hold him," Halig commanded to the guards. "I think you're lying to me." He grabbed Merlinite's scarf and tugged on it.
"I'm not!" the gem pleaded trying to pull away.
"I don't believe you." Halig pulled back his arm to punch the squirming servant, but paused when the prince rounded the corner and called his name.
"Halig!" Arthur growled, marching up to the group. "What do you think you're doing?"
"We caught the boy behaving suspiciously, Sire."
"Merlinite?" Arthur snorted, like the idea was ludicrous. Merlinite would be insulted if he hadn't have used it to his advantage on multiple occasions.
"He could be harbouring the girl, and he's gonna tell us where." Halig pulled back his arm again and Merlinite shut his eyes. However, Arthur grabbed the bounty hunter's arm and pulled Merlinite away from the guards.
"Leave him alone. Merlinite is my servant. He has my absolute trust. If you have a problem with him, you come to me. Do you understand?"
Halig looked furious, but he bowed to the prince's wishes, metaphorically and literally. "Sire. Goodnight, Merlin," he growled, bumping Merlinite's shoulder as he passed.
Merlin? "He's been talking to your father, hasn't he," the gem sighed. That explained how he knew who Merlinite was. "Thank you." The gem turned to his master, only to see Arthur staring at the ground. He followed his gaze to see a bag on the floor, a pastry peaking out of the opening. "Ah," Merlinite muttered, reaching down to grab the bag that had fallen out of his pocket during the roughhousing.
"Are those the pasties the head baker makes for me?"
The gem hummed, nodding.
"You took them?"
"To keep you in shape," Merlinite said quickly, barely holding back the flinch that wanted to come as soon as he realized what he had said. Arthur was going to kill him. Or maybe he'd just give him back to Halig.
"Are you saying I'm fat?"
"No. Well, not yet. But we want to keep you fighting fit." Yep, he was dead.
"I am not fat!"
"You see? It's working."
Merlinite wisely retreated at that point, quickly fleeing to the staircase to Tiger's Eye's room. When he reached her, she was standing by the window, gazing out.
"Sorry I took so long," he said after he had shifted back.
"I was wondering if you weren't coming."
"I promised I would."
"I scare most people away."
"I'm not most people," Merlinite reminded her, holding out the bag of pasties. She smiled and took the bag.
They sat down and Tiger's Eye ate the pastries. Merlinite watched her until he asked, "How long had you been in that cage?"
She paused, staring down at the food in her hand. She shrugged saying, "A few days."
"And the bounty hunter?"
"Halig."
"How did he find you?"
"You can't always trust people," Tiger's Eye sighed, setting down the bag.
"I know. That's why I left home."
"Where is home?"
"Ealdor. It's a small village. Just a few fields, a couple of cows. Nothing special."
"The closest thing I've ever had to a home on Earth was this meadow. It was next to a lake surrounded by the tallest mountains. In the winter, the storms whipped up the water into waves and you thought they were going to crash down and take everything away. But in the summer, wild flowers and light. It was like paradise."
"Sounds perfect."
"It was."
"Was?"
"That was a long time ago. Long before you would have been around."
"Oh," Merlinite said, bowing his head. He glanced back up at her and asked, "You said it was the closest thing on Earth. So, what is home for you then?"
Tiger's Eye smiled. "Homeworld was… nothing like anything on Earth…"
"I've never known anyone like you," Merlinite hummed, staring up at the elder gem, who was back at the window. He felt shocked when he realized how long he'd been talking with Tiger's Eye. He stood up and dusted himself off.
"You're going?"
"We need to be careful. I'll come back in the morning."
"Merlinite."
He paused and turned back to the brown gem.
"I've never known anyone like you either," she said with a smile.
A lightness filled Merlinite's gem at those words and it persisted all through the night until he was able to return to Tiger's Eye after taking care of Arthur's morning routine.
"I know, I'm late again. Sorry. But, er, this is going to be the best bread you have ever tasted," he said, holding up the loaf he had picked up in the market that morning. "What do you want with it? Come on. You can have anything. Ham, cheese-"
"Strawberries?" Tiger's Eye asked with a small smile.
"Strawberries it is." He cupped his hands together and whispered, "Blóstma." He opened his hand, revealing a red rose.
"That's not a strawberry," she chuckled.
"I-it's the right colour," he said before holding the flower out to her.
"Why are you so good to me?" she asked, looking over the blossom.
"Because I can't help it. I don't know. I like you. With you, I can just be who I am. We don't have to hide anything. We don't have to worry."
"Merlinite, please, listen to me. I'm not like you-"
A stomping noise sounded from the stairs and the gems turned to the door.
"They must've followed me," Merlinite whispered. The two walked to the door and listened in.
They could hear Halig ordering around the guards then there was a crunching noise. Merlinite assumed someone tried to climb up the stairs. Halig, judging by the cursing that came immediately after.
"Like I said, treacherous," Merlinite whispered.
They listened until the sounds of the bounty hunter and guards faded away before heading back into the room.
"They're going to find me. I can't go back in that cage. I can't," Tiger's Eye muttered, sitting down against the bed.
"Shh. I won't let that happen," Merlinite soothed her, sitting next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She looked up and him and he smiled. "I promise you, you're never going to have to be alone again. I'm going look after you. I will. No matter what." She looked sceptical so he added, "You really don't realise how special you are, do you?"
"You're not scared of me?"
"Being different's nothing to be scared of."
Tiger's Eye and Merlinite met gazes. Merlinite found himself leaning in and his eyes flickered closed. The two pressed closer and closer until their lips touched and…
Dark blue eyes flickered open and their owner groaned. "What happened?"
They lifted up their four, sky blue arms and looked down at them in confusion. "Wait did we just-
"I don't understand why do I-
"I can't believe it! We-
"What's going-
"It's been so long since-
"Tiger's Eye? Where-
"Calm down. We-"
They hissed, bending over and grabbing the gem on their shoulder. Their body glowed blue before splitting apart.
Merlinite blinked up at the ceiling. "What was that?"
"Fusion," Tiger's Eye murmured.
The white gem turned to look up at the brown one. She was sitting next to him, looking down at him as she held her gem.
"Wow."
Merlinite hummed as he finished up his chores for Arthur. He was going to leave. He and Tiger's Eye. He wondered what they'd do, where they'd go. She had told him about so many places when she'd explained about the Rebellion.
He slipped out of Arthur's room and headed back to the Physician's Chambers.
Tiger's Eye was ill. He wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with her, but he'd felt it when they'd fused. She said it made it hard to stay shifted for long so she'd wear a disguise and they'd sneak out in the night. After that, they'd be free to do - to be - whatever. They could finally be themselves.
When Merlinite reached the chambers, he went straight for his room. They didn't need supplies of course, but there were a few things he'd want to take with him. He knew he'd miss Gaius and Hunith and Gwen and Morgana and maybe even (more than likely) Arthur, so he wanted to bring a little bit of Camelot with him when he left. He tucked the few trinkets he had into a bag then left the room. He paused when he spotted Gaius walking into the chambers.
"Gaius, I was just-"
"Merlinite, sit down. I want to talk to you."
"Is everything alright? You look worried," the gem said, sitting down with his mentor.
"The beast struck again last night. There are two more deaths in the lower town."
Merlinite thought he remembered Gaius saying something about a monster in the lower town. "Do you know what it is yet?"
"Once more there were no tracks around the bodies, but human footprints were leading away from them."
"Right."
"It doesn't seem to add up. The footprints would indicate a human was responsible, but the wounds inflicted are definitely the work of some kind of beast."
"Strange."
"Yes. Until I remembered what Halig said about the druid girl, that she's cursed."
The gem frowned. "What's that got to do with the monster?"
"The ancient chronicles speak of a heinous beast. It walks the day as a human, but at the stroke of midnight it shifts into a vicious, bloodthirsty beast. The writers of old called this creature a Bastet: a monster of nightmare that inhabits the twilight world between the living and the dead. Merlinite, I want the truth. Did you release the druid girl from the cage?"
"Of course not!" This could be. Gaius has to have gotten it wrong. Tiger's Eye wasn't a-
Because I'm a monster.
No. She wasn't corrupt. She was normal. She's just… ill…
"There was a time when you thought twice before lying to me."
"I did what was right."
"You know the creature and the girl are one and the same."
"You're wrong. She is… She's not…" Merlinite shook his head. It couldn't be true.
"Merlinite, please think about what I'm saying. You know it is the truth." He shook his head again. "Where is she now?"
"No."
"She's killed already, and she'll kill again. She can't stop herself."
"Please, Gaius."
The man turned away and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Merlinite asked, standing up as the man opened the door to the chambers.
"To Uther."
"I'm begging you! Just give me some time to get her out of the city, please."
"I'm sorry. I can't let more innocent people die."
Merlinite shook his head as the door closed then grabbed his bag. He ran back into his room and shifted into a bird once again. He flew out his window and to Tiger's Eye's room as fast as he could.
"Tiger's Eye! Tiger's Eye?" Merlinite hopped around the room, but it was empty except for the rose that was left on the bed. "No."
Merlinite turned away when Gaius came into his room.
"I had no choice, Merlinite. Uther had to be told," the man said, sitting down on the bed.
"They won't find her. She's gone."
"I'm sorry. I do understand how you must feel, Merlinite."
"You could never understand," the gem said, finally turning to his mentor. "Do you know how it feels to be so different from everything that surrounds you? To be a monster? To be afraid of who you are?"
"The girl's very different from you. She's dangerous."
"She's a gem."
Gaius's eyes opened wide at the revelation. He tried to say something, but Merlinite turned away again.
"Whatever is wrong with her, she doesn't deserve to die. I just hope she's safe. Somewhere far away."
Merlinite stiffened as the warning bells rang out through the city.
"Merlinite-" Gaius tried, but the gem was already shifting into a cat and running out the door.
He ran and ran until he reached the courtyard in time to see Arthur and the knights surrounding a beast. It looked like a striped, light and dark brown cat the size of a horse with large, bat-like wings. Sharp, golden crystals protruded from its back and mouth like spines and fangs respectively. It's glowing gold eyes darted about until it landed on Merlinite's feline form.
The white gem saw something change in it's eyes and Merlinite knew he had to do something. He looked around until he spotted the gargoyle hanging over the group.
"I'm sorry, Tiger's Eye," he whispered before pulling down the gargoyle with his magic.
The statue fell down and crashed on top of the brown gem. The creature screeched before disappearing into a burst of brown smoke. The knights stared for a few moments before realizing the beast had been defeated. Merlinite used their confusion and relief to dart in and nab Tiger's Eye's gem.
He left then, fleeing Camelot and running until he reached the shores of the Lake of Avalon. He set the gem down then shifted back. He sat next to the brown gem to wait.
The sun had risen by the time Tiger's Eye began to form. Merlinite watched her begin to form, but frowned when the light from her form began to shift from the basic shape to her monstrous form.
"No, it's okay. You're all right. You're safe now," Merlinite said, holding his hand out and hovering it over the spot her head was forming in. The form rippled then settled in her more usual form. Her hair now looked neater while she was dressed in a long, red-brown gown with iridescent sleeves and golden embroidery around the collar.
The white gem wrapped his arm around her to help her sit up.
"You must hate me," she sobbed, turning her face away.
"No."
"I'm a monster. I tried to tell you."
"I know."
"I wasn't always like this."
"Shh. You shouldn't try to talk," he said, spotting the crack that traveled down the entire length of her long, rectangular gem.
"It happened during the Rebellion. I got cracked and our leader and her Creamrose Pearl were able to save me, but something happened and I became corrupted. I can't control myself when it happens. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. I'm going to make you better, Tiger's Eye."
She shook her head. "No, Merlinite, there's no saving me. Even our leader could never figure out how to cure corrupted gems. That's why I had to leave them. Besides, I'm cracked and there's no time to fix it. Please go."
"No. I'm not leaving you."
"Merlinite," she sighed. She looked up and finally took in her surroundings. She smiled as she noticed the flowers, the lake, the mountains. "You remembered."
"Of course. I'm so sorry for what happened to you."
"Merlinite, you have nothing to be sorry for."
"There must be something I can do, some way to save you."
"You've already saved me. You made me feel loved."
"I don't want you to go."
"One day, Merlinite, I will repay you. I promise."
"Tiger's Eye," Merlinite weeped. He pressed his face into her hair and hugged her.
A cracking sound filled the air and Tiger's Eye's form disappeared.
Merlinite looked down in time to see the two halves of Tiger's Eye's gem tumble into the grass. He gently scooped the halves up and held them too his chest. "I'm so sorry, love."
He stood up and glanced around the area. His eyes finally landed on the lake and he waded a short ways into it. He brought his hands, still cupping the gem shards, to his mouth and whispered a spell into them. When he lowered his hands and opened them, the shards had been crushed into a fine powder. He pulled his hands apart, letting the powder drop into the lake and float away in the wind.
"Goodbye, Tiger's Eye."
The name of the story, Hawk's Eye, is from the gem that I use as Tiger's Eye and Merlinite's fusion. I actually have some concept art for them, but couldn't find a good time to slip the description in.
And no, despite how often I turned Merlinite into a falcon in this, he never turned into a Merlin. Unfortunately, I figured a peregrine better fit his coloration.