Merlin awoke at first light, finding his mother to still be soundly asleep. He was certain that not even the rooster would be awake just yet, or at least it had yet to make a sound. Silently he snuck his way out of his home and out into the damp and cold air that hung over Ealdor, carrying his boots in his grasp. He slipped his feet into the boots, which offered some protection against the rough and cold gravel road.
He drew a deep breath inhaling the fresh morning air, before his feet carried him off in the direction of the house of Will's parents. He had found that they had been struggling ever since the loss of their son. His guilty conscience was what made him aid them in their early morning tasks. They had on multiple occasion told him that it was hardly necessary for him to aid them, but he chose to do so regardless.
It only took a few hours to get the work done. He had made a choice to not take any aid from his magic in completing these tasks. He wasn't as used to manual labor anymore, after living in the sanctuary, as he had been before, many years ago, but over the last few months, it had improved considerably.
His mother found him, in order to bring him home in time for breakfast. He didn't object, his tasks with Will's family already being done for the day. He peered up towards the sun. It was still early in the morning, several hours left until mid-day. Following after his mother, he entered their home, taking a seat at the table, where he was promptly handed a bowl of oats boiled with goat milk, as well as some bread, which was left over from the day before. It hardly tasted like much, when compared to the meals he had in the Sanctuary, but he found no reason to complain. It filled his stomach, and kept him full until supper, not to mention it was his mothers cooking. That in itself made every meal delicious.
The bowl was held in one hand, and the wooden spoon held in the other. The bread laid on a wooden plate on the unstable, yet fully usable wooden table. The warm oats were scooped up into the spoon and brought to his mouth. They had some idle talk, about what they'd be doing for the day, or more specifically, the tasks his mother specifically wanted him to complete today.
"Do you think you could help poor Margareth and Jonathan with their harvest today? Poor sweet Jonathan threw his back out, so their harvest is going slow. They've been good to us, and they are old. Maybe you could help him with the pain as well? I know it has been a few months, but surely you must remember a thing or two of what Gaius taught you." Hunith absentmindedly spoke during their breakfast.
Merlin nodded, offering a smile with his response.
"Of course, mother. I'll do what I can for them. I should get some firewood too. We are running low, and we'll need more for winter"
"Oh yes, please do, if you find the time."
He nodded, now concentrating on finishing the remainder of his breakfast.
With a jolt, he got himself to his feet, placed a kiss upon his mothers cheek, before he headed out the door to officially get started with his day. He closed the door behind himself, now heading off towards Margareth and Jonathan's farmstead. It laid a little outside of Ealdor, but no further than a five minute walk.
Margareth and Jonathan were an elderly couple, yet they had no children to aid in the farm work during their old age. Occasionally they were visited from nephews and niece's and their children. They usually came during the harvest season, he had been told, but this year they had seen no trace of them.
Jonathan had been adamant to do the work on his own, being the stubborn old man he was, and as a result, his back must've given in, rendering him incapable of continuing. The mans face had been weathered due to long years of heavy work. The sun had aged his skin, and age had deepened his eyes, and given them a character he couldn't quite pinpoint nor understand, he had seen things in his life, but he would not speak of the past. His shoulders always seemed to be constantly hunched, and he seemed to have shrunk in height through the years. The old man had his respect. He was non-apologetically proud of who he was, and the man wouldn't have wanted his life to be any other way. He was a man of few words, and the stubborn old man emitted an aura of authority. Seeing a smile appear on his wrinkled and weathered features was a rarity. He had yet to experience such an event.
Margareth was a sweet old lady, who seemed out of place living in a village like Ealdor. Her physique was petite, standing no taller than the average child of twelve, but the woman carried herself with grace. She spoke in a dialect he couldn't quite pinpoint. Each word she spoke was properly pronounced, with perfect enunciation, and she spoke many of them. She was a contrast to her husband. Where he spoke few words, she spoke many. She seemed to enjoy the sound of her own voice, and enjoyed sharing tales of her past. At least up until a certain point. If you pried too much, Margareth too would fall silent. The woman was a talented cook, and had on more than one occasion sent her husband with a pot of porridge or excess food to their doorstep. She personally never seemed to leave the farmstead. One would think that the woman, with such a passion for talking, would seek out people to converse with. He had on a few occasions ran errands to their farmstead, finding Margareth chatting on with her husband, where as his response was silence.
He had heard from his mother that Margareth and Jonathan had been in Ealdor for well over twenty years. Though, Margareth had never mothered any children, and Jonathan had never fathered any either. The two of them seemed content, and they rarely interacted with the others in the village. It was as if they lived in their own little bubble. But they had been very good to him and his mother.
Frost would soon be upon Ealdor, as autumn drew closer to winter, and unless they got the harvest out of the soil before then, then the food would be spoiled. Their farmstead came into view, and Margareth was already up and about, preparing for the days harvest. Jonathan was nowhere to be seen. He assumed that the man must be inside, resting.
"Good morning, Margareth. Up and at it, are you?" Merlin spoke towards the elderly woman.
Her head lifted, a smile spreading upon her wrinkled features.
"Merlin, Merlin. It is good to see you. Have you come to help with the harvest?" the woman questioned in a gleeful manner.
"I have. How's Jonathan doing?" he questioned.
"Oh, you know him. He will be fine. As long as I can get him to keep to the bed, then I am utmost certain that he will be back to his usual, stubborn old self" Margareth stated in response.
They could both hear a grumble escaping the open door.
"Mother asked me to have a look at his back, but I am not certain I can help with that." Merlin stated, his gaze trailing towards the door.
"Oh, do not worry, do not worry. I can handle it just fine on my own. Here's a basket for the vegetables, and there's a basket for the potatoes. Jonathan managed to do one fifth of the field before he hurt himself. We should've asked for your help right away, but you know how he can be. Have you had breakfast yet? There's a little left over if you are hungry. And how is your mother doing, dear? Is all just fine? Are you two in need of anything?" Margareth chatted on, barely leaving any openings for him to respond.
"Oh, no. I had breakfast. Thank you for the offer though. Mother is doing fine. She is a little tired, but I try to help out the best I can. In fact, I'll be heading off to gather firewood once we are done here. Are you two in need of any? It'd be no trouble, really."
"That would be utmost kind of you, young man."
"Great! I'll get to it then!" Merlin grinned, grabbing a hold of the two baskets. He trekked on out into the field, setting down the two baskets. Some tools were retrieved, before he begun the harvest. Their fields were rather large, and covering it all should've been a three-man job. He was making steady progress, catching a glimpse of Margareth's movements near the house. Clearly, she must have been checking up on her husband. An hour in, the woman trailed towards him, chatted for a while, before she disappeared again. Half an hour later, she came back with a mug of water, and a pastry, ordering him to take a break. Another hour later, she returned, doing the exact same thing. It almost felt like he was being forced to take breaks so often, he hardly got any work done.
It was mid-day now, and surprisingly enough, despite the countless forced breaks, he had managed to work his way through a good half of the field.
Margareth approached now, once again.
"You should come inside. I'll be preparing something to eat. I am sure Jonathan would enjoy your company, and as would I."
"Actually, if you don't mind, I should head back home and help mother a little. I'll be back to finish up once we've had a meal." he spoke in response, slapping the earth and soil off his hands.
Margareth's smile faltered momentarily. He noticed.
"Merlin, I insist. Surely your mother will accept it if you miss one meal. I simply wish to repay you for your hard work thus far." the woman spoke, maintaining a smile.
"I really ought to head home for a little bit, though. And really, don't worry about repaying me. It's a pleasure to help." he stated.
"I insist." the woman responded. The smile now continued to falter.
Merlin fully rose to his feet.
"Perhaps some other time." he smiled towards her. "I'll be back in a short bit though." he stated, beginning to feel a little uneasy in the womans presence. As he turned to leave, Margareth raised her voice, shouting towards him.
"You can not go! You will dine with us today, and afterwards, once you are done with the fields, will head straight out to gather wood. You can not go home."
The sudden shout startled him. He had never heard the soft-spoken Margareth shout before now.
He felt a chill run down his spine. And once he felt a firm tug on his arm, he moved to pry it away from her grasp. He started away from the farmstead, with swift steps.
"I am sorry, Margareth. I will see you in an hour or so." he quickly spoke as he headed away.
"Merlin, stop right there!" Margareth called out after him, but he continued on.
"Boy!" a male, deep and rough voice sounded. He cast a glance back, seeing Jonathan standing in the doorway to the house, unhindered and not in any apparent pain.
Merlin continued forwards, aiming to get away from the two elderly people, at least for the time being. Frankly he didn't understand why they were acting in such a manner, nor did he understand how Jonathan was moving around like he was. Had it all been a ruse? He felt uneasy, and unsure of what the two elderly people had in mind. They hadn't acted like this before, and he frankly did not like it in the slightest.
One moment he felt fine, and then the next, it felt as though he had slammed his head hard into something solid. His hands raised to grasp at his head, as he let out a deep gasp for air. Pain spread through his body, as if he was being repeatedly beaten, and his mind blurred.
Hands grasped onto him, two pairs. He seemed to have stumbled and fallen to his knees or similar to that.
He could hear worry in Margareth's voice, and he felt the firm grip of Jonathan on his arms.
Reluctantly, he was brought towards their house, and hurried inside by the two elderly people.
He must've dozed off once he had been brought inside, for when he came to, an hour or two had passed.
His first instinct was to dart for the door as he awoke, but his path seemed to be blocked by Jonathan.
"Sit, boy." The man spoke, gesturing towards a chair.
Merlin glanced around the room, catching a glimpse of Margareth, who seemed to be holding her head in the palms of her hands, looking rather distraught.
"What's going on?" He questioned, peering towards Jonathan again. His only response was "Sit."
Reluctantly, Merlin found himself a seat across the table. His body was aching all over, for reasons he wasn't sure why, yet.
"I should've handled it better. I scared you, didn't I?" Margareth spoke towards him.
He didn't respond.
"You can't go back to the village today. There's going to be a Camelot patrol passing through, in search of you." the elderly woman revealed.
Merlin furrowed his brow.
"How do you know that?" he questioned.
"I saw it in one of my dreams."She revealed.
"I'm a little confused."
"I see what has yet to happen. I always have, my whole life."
"You have magic?" He could hardly believe it. Well, maybe it wasn't that hard to believe after all. There seemed to be sorcerers everywhere, if only you looked hard enough.
"I'm only a seer, Merlin." Margareth revealed.
Jonathan remained silent through the exchange.
"You could've just told me, you know. Then this wouldn't have happened like it did.."
"I could have.. but you're not you, are you?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but found no words escaping. He closed his mouth afterwards, only to open it a moment later.
"What do you..?"
"I saw it. Camelot and all that you did. I saw it, just like I saw the great purge before it happened."
"Why are you helping me? I hurt so many people.. I deserve to be captured, don't I?"
"You can not stay, boy." Jonathan finally spoke. "You must go back." the old man added.
"If they capture you, you won't be able to return to where you came from. Therefore, we decided that it was best if we kept you out of the village today. Things will remain wrong, if you don't return.. And we hope to see magic allowed, before we pass on." Margareth elaborated.
Merlin's gaze trailed towards Jonathan.
"Do you.. have it too?" The old man nodded. This was mind blowing to say the least. He had known these people since before he left Ealdor to stay with Gaius.
"So you left together, before the purge happened.. You could've warned people. You could've saved so many lives.." Merlin murmured.
"We tried. But it is not easy for people to forsake everything, over something that has yet to happen. I do not believe people expected Uther to do what he did."
"You are right.. I'm sorry, for putting you in this mess." Merlin apologized.
"You should remain indoors for a while. I think the patrol may be passing through very soon. I don't think they will stop by here so you should be safe with us for now. I'll prepare something for us to eat, so you just rest."
He nodded and leaned back in the chair, his gaze trailing towards his hands as he took a deep breath.
His head was still throbbing, and his body was still aching, and he couldn't help, but to wonder what had happened. Had things gone terribly wrong in the other world?