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Post by pie on Jan 30, 2011 0:59:03 GMT -5
 Perhaps if he realized that this wasn't a dream then Arthur's words would have had more effect on him. But he had had several "nightmares" of a similar scene playing over and over within the past week, albeit a totally different outcome. He could hear the annoyance and frustration in the Prince's voice, and indeed it gave him pause, he even stopped walking as he tried to compose himself. He wanted to lash out, he wanted to scream or something. He was still angry that a man he had called his friend so easily cast him aside as if it was nothing, without letting him try to explain anything to him. And now he wanted an explanation?! It was his dream, though, if he wanted to yell at the fake Arthur, than he was allowed to. Maybe it would help with his awake-frustration.
"You want an explanation?!" he yelled, turning around to face him. If he knew that he wasn't dreaming, he would hold his anger in check, or, more-so, he would be too shocked at the realization that Arthur was indeed here. Instead, he was using this as a means of venting that anger. He wasn't sure if he was angry at Arthur, or if he was angry at himself for lying to the man all those years. At that moment, he didn't see Arthur as the Prince, as the man who would one day become King of Camelot. He saw him as a man he had trusted, and then seemingly betrayed and had lost that trust. He saw him as an old friend.
"I tried to explain myself, I begged you to listen, and you walked away!" he went on. "You sacked me, you told me not to return to Camelot, and you left me! Why should I explain myself to you now? You had your chance, Arthur Pendragon, and you ruined it by not trusting me!" He turned around, taking deep breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side, trying to calm himself down before he said anything else. But what did it matter, though? Why did it matter? He wouldn't give his subconscious that pleasure, the pleasure of making him wake up in a worse state than he was when he fell asleep to begin with. No, he wouldn't let it win this little war it wanted to have.
Still, he didn't keep walking, even dreaming, he couldn't walk away from him. Even while angry, he couldn't do it. Perhaps deep down he knew that this wasn't a dream, or perhaps not. Perhaps he was wishing that it wasn't, that Arthur really was here... "Why are you here? After all, you don't care." It came out as a mumble.
[ WOO! 300th POST~!!! ]
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Post by pie on Jan 30, 2011 0:19:35 GMT -5
"Sometimes? How come only sometimes?" he asked curiously, feigning stupidity, knowing fully well that Arthur was just mocking him. Besides, even if he hadn't been, it wouldn't have bothered him one bit. He could just as easily go and insult him right back, after all, and while it might not appear to mean much when he called him a clotpole, or stupid, really, it would mean quite a bit. Merlin had been lying to him right under his nose for over three years!
Though Arthur was right, it didn't say who it was from. Of course, that would make sense, as the person probably didn't want to reveal who they were just yet. "Do you always have to rely on me to lock your own door?" Merlin commented. He was just going to assume that Arthur hadn't locked his door and so the person was able to just walk right into the room. Of course, if the person was the same person connected to the mysterious disappearances, and had magic, they could just as easily open it that way. Still, it was fun to taunt Arthur.
"Wait, we're just going to..." he paused, pointing at him and Arthur, than the door, and than downwards, "go there?" he was referring to the Dragon's lair, of course. Though when there was no Dragon there anymore, there was no danger... Er, right? Why did they have to go there anyway? He sighed, shaking his head, and followed Arthur. "Do you even know where it is?"
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 23:26:39 GMT -5
Shouldn't have come to Camelot... Oh, like he couldn't guess at that part. He knew that it was dangerous to go to Camelot, but what would he have told his mother? She wanted him to go to Camelot, hoping things would be better there, and stay with Gaius. She had hoped Gaius would be a good caretaker for him, and indeed he had been. He had taught Merlin much, but apparently that hadn't mattered, as in the end, it had all been for naught.
Still, he didn't want to be lectured right now about something that had happened in that past. Having little sleep lately didn't help with keeping agitation low, and the fact that Arthur was here, despite him believing that this was a dream, did not help either. He remained silent a moment, staring at his feet, before an audible sigh escaped his lips and he turned around abruptly, meaning to completely go back to his position in front of his mother's house.
He would, however, offer some words to explain what he was doing, despite the fact that it didn't matter. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to a dream tell me what I should and shouldn't do," he grumbled, marching away, but not at an overly fast pace, more of a sluggish pace. As if he wasn't quite sure of the way back to Ealdor.
Enough was enough, he decided. He had had enough with this dream, had had enough with letting this drag on. He didn't need sleep, sleep was overrated, for people too afraid to face reality... He didn't need to sleep.
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 21:44:37 GMT -5
Merlin nodded obediently and stood back for Arthur to go ahead of him, not wanting to get in the Prince's way. Someone had been in Arthur's chambers it seemed, as he said he hadn't been back to them. Merlin knew that Arthur would have locked them, as it wasn't exactly something easy to forget. Now, him on the other hand, he might have forgot, but he knew that today at least, he hadn't. So, creeping behind Arthur and standing off to the side of the door, glancing in around the corner, almost snoopily.
When Arthur called out to him, revealing that no one seemed to be in the room, Merlin walked in, and by the simple fact he was at the Prince's side in an instant, revealed that he hadn't exactly "stayed back" as silently promised. He noticed that he held a piece of paper with writing on it, and Merlin read it over Arthur shoulder as the Prince read it allowed. "It's a riddle," he said, stating the obvious. But a riddle about what?
Sky of stone? What kind of sky was made of stone? And what were these tests mentioned? Whatever it was, it didn't sound... "good". He pondered over the riddle in his mind at Arthur's rhetorical question, trying to come up with some kind of answer. "The 'monster with breath of fire' is the Dragon," he commented in a helpful but not-so-helpful tone. Again, probably stating the obvious. If it meant the Dragon, then he knew where the lair was. But what was the point?
"Remember, your father had the Dragon locked away for like, twenty years until it got free. If there's a lair, it's below Camelot?" It was more of a question than a statement, asking Arthur if he thought that perhaps that could be it. Riddles... what was up with them today?
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 19:59:49 GMT -5
Merlin followed Arthur into the forest without a single question, without a single word. And when they stopped, he didn't look at the Prince. He stared at the floor, his eyes unfocused, his face blank. He still thought of this as a dream, it still had to be a dream. What else could it be? Arthur had suddenly shown up in Camelot, and hadn't brought with him an army, or didn't appear as if he wanted to kill him because of his magic. Therefore, this had to be a dream.
The silence that followed seemed eternity to Merlin. He had half the mind to force himself to wake up. Then he wouldn't have to deal with listening to this fake-Arthur tell him about how he was wrong, about how he had betrayed him, any of it. But again, what was the point? There was none, it was just a dream, and he was used to hearing it all. He was used to attempting to explain everything to him, as he had in his dream. But that wasn't real, and neither was this. This was just a fantasy that his mind had created to try and give him some peace. But his subconscious would have none of it, and in the end, the same thing would happen like always.
So when Arthur finally spoke, Merlin forced his gaze up to look at Arthur, knowing exactly what questions were conveyed in that single word. Why. Why indeed, but oh how many meanings it had for the poor sorcerer. Where to begin this time, how to begin this time. "Ealdor was becoming too dangerous for me, I didn't fit in," he spoke in a low voice. Oh, but the same thing happened in Camelot, did it not? Send him to the most dangerous place in the world for magic, right into the heart of all the trouble. The center of the kingdom it was outlawed in. . .
"My mother sent me to Camelot to try and find a better life, hopefully with people that I would fit in with, would feel like I belonged with. She knew I was different, I don't know why she sent me to Camelot..." he sighed. He had already spoken more than he had while awake, and just in a dream. He still couldn't believe she would send him to Camelot. And he had thought that he had succeeded in finding the right place for him, the place he was meant to be at Arthur's side.
He forced a chuckle at the irony of it all and added, "Some good that did, turned out that I failed at that, huh?" then glanced back down at his feet, awaiting whatever torment that came always in the dream.
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 19:07:56 GMT -5
A time for gloating, a time for action. Yes, while Arthur died at his hands, bleeding from a wound from his own sword, then, and only then, would Merlin gloat. As the Prince Arthur Pendragon, curse the name, saw the futility of resisting the natural order of things, saw the build up of all that he had caused by mistreating his servant, than Merlin would gloat. And how wonderful it would all feel indeed. Yes, to finally see Arthur out of his life, out of everyone's lives... Camelot would be a better place. Everything would be better. How unsuspecting he was, and what amusement this was too!
"Don't worry, Searu, I won't let him worm his way out of this one. He's escaped death too many times..."
A wicked smile splayed across his face as he glanced over the prone Prince once more, running his hand lightly over the sharp edge of the sword, cutting his finger slightly and drawing a light stream of blood. Oh, but how much more blood would be spilt, and how much joy he would feel as he felt the blood running down his hands! He was almost too eager to do this, and had to take a moment to compose himself lest he deal a non-mortal blow. However, it seemed that that would be too long, for Arthur was waking up! Or had he been awake the whole time, he wondered, his grin fading. How much did he hear? No matter, Merlin had magic to aid him, and if it came to it, than he would use it for sure. Anything to help win this most vital task.
Like Searu had said, this was the moment he had been waiting for, no Prince was going to take it away from him by fighting back! But as he pondered over it, seeing Arthur awaken, his grin returning, he realized something else that would make this revenge all the more sweeter. To see the shock shown clearly on Arthur Pendragon's face! He didn't put the sword down, in fact, he completely ignored the Prince. Arthur knew that something was wrong here, so why not grant him the knowledge of the truth?!
With that thought in mind, with only one thought in mind, Merlin lunged forward at Arthur with the sword, swinging it in a downwards motion at him, keeping the Prince within his gaze.
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 18:05:15 GMT -5
He was unaware of how long he sat there, staring off into space. He didn't see the need to try to remember how long, what else had he to do in Ealdor, after all? Sleep? He found sleep unwanted lately, as if if he closed his eyes, he wouldn't wake up from this nightmare. As if he closed his eyes, all of this would be real. Besides, he found that the dreams that visited him in sleep lately were unappealing. One might even consider them to be nightmares, because they left him waking up abruptly, panting. Most of the time he was unsure of exactly what they were of, yet he knew that they dealt somehow with Camelot and his life there. A life he lost.
So he usually sat up at night, not finding much sleep. One might say it made him "agitated" because of his lack of sleep, but how could one be agitated when they didn't speak or do much to begin with? He preferred his silent, unending watch, staring off, through buildings and anything that presented itself in front of him. If someone came up to speak to him, he usually didn't pay it much thought, or completely ignored them. They would leave, then. They always did.
If he opened his mouth to speak to others, he was afraid of what would come out. What if he spilled his secret? Or poured out his frustration on them? He didn't want that, even in his current mind-state, he knew that he didn't want to place this burden on others. It wasn't theirs to bear.
So when all of a sudden, or so it seemed to Merlin, Arthur's voice sounded, Merlin started. He looked over with slightly wide eyes at the Prince standing there, surprised that he was even here. But then that surprise faded. It wasn't really Arthur, he knew. He was dreaming, Arthur wouldn't come all the way to Camelot. He had fallen asleep, and now his dreams were tormenting him once more with wishes, wants, memories of times with the Prince. Watching the Prince walk off, he wasn't sure if he wanted to follow. It was his dream, so why bother? He could do whatever he wanted to in his own dream.
He decided to just let the dream flow, what more would it hurt? Besides, he needed the sleep, and while he knew that he would wake up, panting and sweating, he might be just a little less tired. And so he stood up, and walked after the "Prince", following him without a word, dragging his feet forward and awaiting whatever he had to say. It wouldn't be good, he knew. It never was good, after all, they were nightmares. And whatever happened that was "good" in nightmares? He wasn't even sure if he wanted to speak to this dream-Prince, no harm would come from it. . .
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 17:44:05 GMT -5
When the guard approached Arthur, the fact that something was wrong was evident. Merlin watched curiously, not wanting to interrupt, but as soon as the Prince got up, he followed him without a second thought. Something was going on, and it seemed that it was the mysterious case of the missing people once more, the numbers dramatically increasing. Something was going on here, and he didn't think it was good. It had to be magic, he knew, people didn't just disappear out of nowhere like that.
As they left, Leofrick, still present, cast them another look, this one a mysterious grin. Things were getting very interesting it would seem. . .
The next few hours Merlin stayed by Arthur's side as much as he was needed. There seemed to be no explanation as to why the people were missing. There was no trace of them leaving, no magical trace of them disappearing, nothing. So how, then, was it happening? And how long would it take for them to figure it out? As they were heading back to Arthur's chambers, Merlin nodded to Arthur, understanding clearly that tomorrow would be earlier, and more frantic. "I'll be here, don't worry," he replied truthfully.
As they neared Arthur's chambers, Merlin stopped walking with the door in sight. "Arthur, did you go back to your room at some point?" he asked slowly, in a tone that signified that he thought something was amiss. The door was cracked open, and not in a way that it would be if the wind just blew it open, there wasn't enough to blow the door open that far. It was open to the point that made it appear that someone had entered the room. . .
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Post by pie on Jan 29, 2011 16:14:20 GMT -5
Ealdor was all that it was before he had left it, all that he remembered it to be. Yet at the same time, it was not. It was different, everything seemed so different when he entered the village. The people, the buildings, the air hanging about the place. Why was it? He shivered from the rain, but did not realize it, it was as if forgot he felt it after it touched him. He knew the answer as to why Ealdor felt different. It was because his life had changed, and while Ealdor was still, and always would be, his home, so was Camelot.
So he was in Ealdor, the place of his birth, where he was raised for the majority of his life. He knew the people here, but every time he came across one of them for whatever reason, he paid them no heed. It was as if they didn't exist. They weren't who he wanted, he was different from all of them, none of them could understand what he felt, or why he felt it. But then, nor did Arthur, though when he found out about the magic, he grew angry. Perhaps this was where he belonged, with people who didn't know yet, and couldn't understand.
The next week went by slowly for Merlin. As if time was dragging itself out, not wanting to move onwards for fear that it would stop altogether. Even though he stayed with his mother through the whole week, and while he talked to her, he still felt out of place. Like this wasn't where he belonged. He wanted to go back to Camelot, to try and explain everything to Arthur. But Arthur hated him, he was convinced, and didn't want him there anymore. He was wanted to go back, but he was afraid of what would happen. If by some off chance that this would all work out, he didn't want to ruin it by making Arthur angrier.
He didn't speak to anyone other than his mom that whole time, and he also didn't fail to notice the few strange looks he got from villagers when he passed them. They wondered, he knew, why he had become pretty much a mute, whereas before his leave those years before, he was rather the opposite. They wondered why he left Camelot, and why he wasn't going back. If he was just here on a visit or on some kind of business from the Prince, than why was he as silent as Death?
He didn't care, though. He preferred it that way, keeping to himself, keeping his thoughts to himself. He sat out front of the house many times that weeks, such as at this point, just staring off into what appeared to be thin air. His thoughts wandered a lot as he tried to make sense of this whole thing, tried to will himself awake, almost pleading with some higher power to make this all a dream, even though he knew, as he knew when he had left Arthur, that it was reality.
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 22:30:30 GMT -5
Well... that worked. If Searu hadn't intervened, than surely the object would have missed, he now realized, and than there might be a very suspicious Arthur on their hands! Or a very angry one, either way. Still, as he stumbled over to a chair and fell unconscious -- or what Merlin persumed was unconscious -- he smiled. The smile wasn't exactly a "good" one, more of an "evil" one, one that normally no one would see him wear, as he was not dark of heart. But he was still under the spell, and he wouldn't be broken out of it for a while yet. It was powerful magic, one that every time just a hint of his friendship with the Prince came to mind, immediately erased it and changed it into something that would make him hate Arthur. It changed his whole perspective.
"He was getting ready to kick us out," Merlin commented, staring at the Prince. "But now he can't, he can't even defend himself properly." He glanced at her, and than back at Arthur, walking over to him to stare down at him. "Oh, how oblivious you are, my 'friend'." He spit it out like a curse, his amusement turning into a dark glare. "You couldn't see danger right from under your nose. Well, it does not matter. You won't be alive much longer to spare it much thought." Merlin half-hoped that he would be semi-conscious enough to hear his words. To feel the pain as he killed him, to wonder what was going wrong.
"Anyway," he said, turning around to face her. "There has to be some sort of weapon around here that we can use, which will prove much more... 'painful' to our poor Prince," the last words came out mockingly. He began to search in the drawers around the room, searching for something. Sure, he could kill him with magic, there were all sorts of spells available that could torment the unconscious Prince. But why bother? Cold steel, something that Arthur was so accustomed to using, would prove more interesting. Soon, something that proved such a valuable ally to him, would turn out to be his deadliest enemy. Oh, the irony.
After a few minutes of searching, he would look under the bed, kneeling down and lifting the covers to search for anything useful. Perhaps something fell under here? He would find what he was looking for, a sword. "I was wondering where I put you earlier," he mumbled to himself, withdrawing it from under the bed. Standing up and dusting off his pants, he turned around and lifted the sword to show Searu. "This should be good enough," he commented, and walked back over to Arthur. "Guess you shouldn't have been such a 'prat' all these years, eh?"
[ Yep, Merlin misplaced your sword under your bed, lol. And... Poor Arthur, lol. ]
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 22:29:44 GMT -5
 Merlin didn't realize that she saw herself as in danger when she whirled around to face him. He should have, but the gracefully moving leaves had been too mesmerizing, too wonderful for him to think of that. He stared at the leaves still, watching them flow through the air, obviously at her whim, as the wind couldn't play such tricks of its own accord, no matter how hard or lightly it blew. When she spoke, he looked at her, drawing his eyes away from the leaves. Which was when he noticed the shock she must be feeling at his sudden arrival.
Oh, right, this wasn't a natural occurance, he reminded himself, bringing his thoughts back to reality. Magic was outlawed in Camelot, and normally people would run back to Camelot and immediately inform the King. But he wasn't one of those people, far from it. Besides, he had magic too -- though he was sure that she didn't know that -- and so she had every right to fear what he might do. He showed no sign of moving, no sign of intending to move at all, to run, or to walk. He just stood there, staring at her, gathering his thoughts. What should he say? he wondered. He couldn't just let her think he was going to turn her in! So, when she pleaded for the wind to stop and let the leaves fall back to the ground, he made a small lunging-forward movement before stoping himself.
"No, don't stop," he said, his voice soft as he watched the leaves fall back to the ground. "That was beautiful." He wouldn't deny it, it was such wonderful magic. Things like this reminded him that not everyone was evil, that magic could be a source of good, too. And surely, such a harmless act didn't make one "evil" like the King would say. Like many in Camelot would say because of him. If anything, it made you special, and such a gift shouldn't have to be hidden. Uther was afraid of magic, and he had every right to be after what he did, but if he hadn't done that, started the Great Purge, than he wouldn't have to be. There would be no one who wanted him dead, at least for that reason.
"Don't worry," he added. "I'm your friend, remember?"
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 3:28:24 GMT -5
Merlin noticed fully Arthur's warning glare. Did he let Arthur know that he saw? Yes, he grinned innocently. Did it bother him? Nope, not at all! Arthur wouldn't dare do anything while Gwen was in the same room, so he felt perfectly safe! And his casual demeanor would show it. He wasn't going to worry himself until after the dinner and when they left. Yes, then he would worry about Arthur murdering him. But until then, everything was a-okay! As long as he didn't push it too much and make Arthur snap, of course. That would be a bad thing, yes it would! Besides, he didn't want to completely ruin the friendly mood of this dinner. He was indeed grateful that Gwen had invited him over also.
And than Arthur brought up the rat stew! Yuck, that disgusting stew was awful! But it wasn't his favorite! Not at all! "Ah, but at least I hadn't thought it was tasty," he said, once more grinning, even chuckling this time. He knew Gwen most likely had no clue what they were talking about, and wasn't sure if she exactly wanted to know what they were talking about. It was indeed an awful stew. But, Arthur had wanted him to get rid of that rat! And he had!
When Gwen sat the food down on the table, Merlin smiled at her, taking a deep breath to smell it. It, on the other hand, did smell delicious, and he was sure it tasted the same! "It smells wonderful, Gwen," he said, but otherwise didn't touch it. Should he wait? Should he start eating? Hm... questions, questions...
[ I think we said it was chicken, lol ]
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 3:11:38 GMT -5
Merlin shook his head, not knowing how to respond. Yes, she wanted to hurt Arthur, she wanted to do more than just hurt Arthur, she wanted to kill him. But how could he have the heart to tell her that? But he should, he knew. He knew that he should let her know about it all, because... Because how could he not? Morgana was evil, she wanted Uther and Arthur both dead so that she could take control of the throne. And she would use anyone in any way possible to get her there, no matter what happened to those people. And then another question came up: Should he tell her his part in all of this? It had been a worry to Merlin since they had found Morgana, or well... she had "found" them. He had poisoned her, he had done something to her. He had hurt her, hadn't stayed loyal in trust to her. Kilgarrah had told him to kill her to save Camelot, he had thought it the only way, but he hadn't even tried... "Well, um... Yeah, she..." he didn't know what to say, where to begin, whether or not he should say it. Would it be a good idea to tell her? Or would it be a bad idea? She wanted to know why Morgana was evil, and he wasn't sure if this was the exact reason, but after he had poisoned her, Morgause was the only one who could save her, and she had taken her away. What would have happened had Merlin not poisoned her? "You see... uh..." It was obvious that he was trying to say something that he had a hard time saying.
Then she asked if they should tell Arthur. Yes, should they? The Prince might want to know, but would he believe them? Probably not, but should they warn him just in case? Everything would be fine if they didn't tell him... right? "No, we shouldn't," he said, forcing himself to sound confident in that assessment. "He might not believe us. What if he acts all stupid and lets her know that he suspects, also? She might do something and hurt him, or... worse. The only person that she is aware that knows is me. We might want to keep it that way to keep you all safe." Or as safe as they could be.
Why hadn't he told anyone? "No one would believe me." he answered. It was true, how would he have been able to convince anyone? "She's like a sister to Arthur, she's Uther's... ward..." Yes, ward... Should he let her know Morgana was his daughter? "And your best friend... How could I have convinced any of you without sounding like a lunatic?"
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 2:55:08 GMT -5
Merlin -- Arthur? -- immediately turned a deep pink color at Gwen's words and shocked, disbelieving look. Yes, what an embarassing thing to have to explain. Though they hadn't intended for this to happen! Not at all! And now they were each other, and messing up each other's lives in certain ways, and surely Arthur was going to kill him, not only for running away from the Knights and making him look like an idiot, but also for kissing Gwen if he found out! Yes, kissing Gwen, and she thought he was Arthur! She hadn't known because he didn't want to tell her... Boy, what a fool that made him look like now. . .
"Y-Yes, well... So you believe me?" he asked. "I know I should have told you from the start, b-but... Look how unconvincing it is! I-If you don't believe me, um... ask me something only I would know? Er... Merlin would know?" Yes, that would work! But if this was magic -- which it was --, then who could say that the imposters hadn't done something to get all the information they needed? Or... Hm... This was indeed complicated. But what other way could he fully convince her? He didn't want her to believe, but not believe at the same time! That was... confusing, but it was true!
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 2:44:49 GMT -5
 Merlin nodded, knowing fully well that Arthur didn't plan to respond to his thanks, and sat on the log in front of the fire for a few more minutes. Rubbing his hands together, thinking about the times to come, he knew that the next few days would indeed be long, but he also knew that he could trust Ealdor's existence, and all the people's lives, with Arthur. He knew that everything was going to be fine now that Arthur had come. A few more moments passed before he stood up and went back to his bedroll, slipping inside and laying there until he fell asleep, a much better sleep now that his friend was here.
Eventually he woke up again to the sound of birds chirping. He laid there silently for a while before he finally sat up, stretching and yawning, and looking around. He smiled at the sight of Gwen, and stood up quietly, walking over to her. "Gwen, guess what?" he said excitedly. He wasn't aware that she knew Arthur was here. Though, even if she hadn't found out when he had come, she would surely know when she woke up and saw Arthur there anyway, right? But he was too happy to think of that part of logic, so he didn't expect her to know. The grin on his face was so wide that it nearly went from ear to ear. He sat down on the ground, warming up by the fire tha tshe had started.
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 2:29:51 GMT -5
 Better off with a boring servant, eh? Merlin grinned at that, he couldn't help it, he knew that Arthur was joking. They were just servant and master, they were friends, something he was extremely happy about. He was proud of how much Arthur had changed, proud of the Prince that he had once rather hated. How much Arthur had progressed in becoming a man that would indeed be a great King in the future. And how proud Merlin was to call himself his servant. Well, most of the time, at least. Sometimes there was just that irritation thing going on that made him not so sure... But he would never give his position up for anything in the world. What a surprising turn of events this whole thing had taken. First he had absolutely been apalled when Uther had named him Arthur's manservant, and now he couldn't imagine life without that job.
"Yes, I'm sure you would be. One that would never give you anything different to do, always obeying every order. I can't imagine how annoying that would be," he said, dramatically shaking his head. No, he knew Arthur was joking, and it didn't bother him. But then Arthur reminded him of his chores, and his grin promptly faded into a frown. "Oh come on, can't I have the rest of the day off or something? I came all this way for you!" he complained. Though he knew the answer. And while he would prefer to actually not have to do his chores today, and rather tomorrow, he knew that if he waited, they would be even worse! Imagine Arthur's room if he skipped a day! Yikes!
But the mood turned serious again, and his frown also disappeared to a more steady, blank one, almost. He stared back at Arthur, and gave a small nod when the Prince spoke. Yes, hopefully it wouldn't come to anyone having to die. It would be a much better time indeed if both of them lived, if everyone could live. But times weren't always happy, weren't always good luck. Sometimes the bad happened, and all you could do was wish for the good. "As long as you don't put yourself in too much danger, we should be okay," he replied, and while usually he would speak it jokingly, it came out in a serious tone. "And while I may wish, if you don't want me to die, you better hope that all these chores you give me don't kill me first." That one was a joke. Lighten the serious mood, for both of them knew that they couldn't convince the other not to put themselves in danger for each other.
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Oct 7, 2011 20:25:46 GMT -5
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 2:12:51 GMT -5
 Merlin shrugged resignedly at Arthur's snapping tone. Yes, the words had upset him a little, but only because of how he had spoken them. Though he knew that Arthur hadn't meant to be rude, that he wasn't mad at him. It was this whole damned situation! He wouldn't have it any other way, having come to save Gwen's brother -- well, any other way besides NOT being in this cell, captured --, but it could have gone a LOT smoother and he wouldn't have complained. But he didn't want Arthur to blame himself for it. It wasn't his fault that they got captured. But he couldn't explain the properly to the Prince without telling him that there had been a traitor amongst them, Morgana. And even then, would Arthur believe him?
He'd let Arthur vent his anger on him if he wanted, but he didn't seem to snap any more, so it appeared that that wouldn't have to happen. He listened as he went on to say that it was probably her, and that Cenred had to be getting help from elsewhere. Merlin nodded, agreeing. He knew this, but he couldn't say that allowed. Besides, it might just complicate things and make it all the more confusing if he did. "Yeah, Cenred's pretty stupid, isn't he?" he added, trying to lighten the mood. It probably wouldn't work too well, though. "Morgause is the type to help Cenred's kind if it benefits her. And we know she is prone to help him, I mean, come on, she helped him when he attacked Camelot, right?" Just let everything slide into letting Arthur know Morgause was at the heart of this all. There was no point in trying to convince him otherwise, anyway, right?
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 1:50:34 GMT -5
Merlin stretched and yawned, sitting up in his bed. It was morning, and eventually he'd have to drag himself off to Arthur's to do his millions of chores and... He groaned and plopped himself back into bed, dragging the blanket up over his head at the unpleasant thought... Perhaps just five more minutes... But then the memories of the recent problem flooded through his mind, and he sat up so quickly again that he rolled right off of his bed and onto the floor with a loud THUMP! He continued to lay there, glaring up at the ceiling. "Why, oh why does this have to happen so early in the morning?" he mumbled, untangling himself from the covers. Standing up and throwing the opressing blanket into a corner of his -- messy -- room, he dragged himself to his door, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he closed it behind him.
Recently, him, Arthur and Lancelot had gone off to rescue his mother and the rest of Ealdor. Ealdor had been attacked by bandits in the absence of a King, as Cenred had been killed by Morgause -- what a lovely friend she had turned out to be to him, eh?--. They had kidnappened his mother, and quite a few of the other villagers, and the whole thing had just ended badly for them. Merlin had wanted to tear the bandits apart, blow them up, anything to release the anger he had felt at their acts, but his mom had stopped him. He hadn't been inclined to listen at first, but she was right to stop him. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself very well afterwards if he had gone ahead and did it anyway.
But now his mother was in Camelot, downstairs, and he intended to go talk to her. If she was up -- and if she hadn't been up previously, she surely would from his loud fall --, she would certainly hear him walking down the small set of stairs, he wasn't exactly going quietly. "Mom?" he spoke, which came out as a strange mixture of a yawn and a groan at the same time.
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 1:34:56 GMT -5
When his mother came over and pulled him into a hug, Merlin knew that she had read the obvious signs that was hinting at what he knew. When she pulled him into that hug, Merlin didn't bother to stem the flow of his tears... He had met his father, and had lost him that very next day. He had known him for such a short period of time, he had wanted to get to know him better, to get to talk to him, to tell him what had happened throughout his life, to bring him to see his wife again, Merlin's mother. And yet, at the same time, despite how proud he was of his father, he was also mad at him. The man had left his wife without a word. Yes, he had wanted to protect her, but still... without a word... He couldn't even begin to fathom how much that had to have hurt his mother. . .
Merlin nodded, choking on the words as he spoke them, "He died protecting me. We were attacked in the woods, and one of the men were coming at me to kill me, and he threw himself in the way... He didn't know that I had magic, that I could have stopped the man..." A sob escaped him, and his hands tightened into fists on his lap. His father died because of him. If he hadn't seemed so helpless, if he had just used magic a second earlier, than Balinor would still be alive. He could have stopped Kilgarrah, and then this reunion with his mother could have been a happier one, could have been one that they had made together. . .
He listened to her story about his father. He knew this, albeit in different words, but Balinor had told him. He nodded, and remained silent a few moments after she finished so that he could gather his thoughts enough to speak. Wiping at his tear-filled eyes, he said, "I let the Dragon out, I had promised him I would so that he would tell me how to stop Cornelius Sigan from destroying Camelot. He kept me to that promise, and when I let him out, he attacked Camelot. Arthur and I were sent to find... father... to request his help to stop Kilgarah's attack. When we got it and left, as he was... dying... he told me I was a Dragonlord...
"I stopped the Dragon, I made it leave. Arthur believes he killed it, but... Let him believe it. It was all a test, in some strange way. I don't see why I need the powers of a Dragonlord anyway, it isn't as if there are any other dragons left alive. He could have just listened to me telling him to stop in the first place, and then... then none of this would have happened..." And his father would still be alive. He wouldn't know him, but he would still be alive...
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Post by pie on Jan 22, 2011 1:33:49 GMT -5
Merlin knew that they had a point, that to speak so out there about the King was indeed dangerous, even considered treason. Oh, if Uther only knew how many times he had commited "treason", and mainly all in the name of protecting Arthur. Oh yes, if only he knew, what shock would have to pass the King's face, what pleasure Merlin would get in smiling in satisfaction at the truth finally being spilled -- at least until he was killed. But that was a thought that he preferred not to think of. Yes, he'd prefer not to worry about that aspect of it, as it was unimportant unless he actually did it, which was not something he planned, no matter how angry he might actually get. Yes, he would keep quiet, he would be careful with what he said.
"I'll be careful, mother," he promised her, giving her a small and painful nod, as it pulled on the sore and hurt muscles on his back. "Arthur wouldn't be able to survive without me," he added lightheartedly, his attempt to lift the mood, to make his mother smile. Anything to lessen the seriousness of the pain he felt.
He was grateful for her assistance as she helped him drink the water. Something he desprately needed. Some of the liquid went down his throat, but even swallowing was a task that was proving too difficult for him. It seemed as if he had torn his throat apart when he had screamed earlier. And now, even the cool, refreshing liquid wanted to get revenge for him drinking it. Stupid water. He gave up, and let himself fall back to the bed, turning his head away from his mother to hide his slightly angry, and slightly upset expression. And his thoughts went back to Arthur. Was he alright? He wasn't hurt too bad, right? The king had kept his word and only put him in the dungeon, yes? He wanted to go see the Prince, but knew that he wasn't fit enough to make that journey, albeit how small it actually was. He also didn't even know if he was allowed to go see the Prince.
"I'll get better," he said, forcing his tone to sound confident. "This is all just something minor, I've had worse..." Yes, like when he almost died from poison, he told himself. At least he hadn't been killed -- both then and now -- right?
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