Chapter 7
MERLIN
MERLIN...MERLIN...
Waking up in a cell was starting to be too common, even for him, or rather, her.
It seems that her body decided to change again, she wondered if, even with the lack of all her long curls, she was still as stunning as everyone thought she was before.
MERLIN...MERLIN...
Someone was calling her again, but as to who it could be, she had no idea. Merlin leaned a little towards the direction from where she heard the sound, but could no longer hear anything, as if the voice had suddenly been interrupted.
“Ah, here, please open up.” Ganymede's voice sounded along with a pair of heavy footsteps.
Knowing that her breasts were not properly covered due to the male tunic having a neckline with strings, Merlin quickly gathered her tunic against her bust, tying it with her purple scarf in a bow.
The door opened, and she turned to the new occupants, the guard seemed suitably speechless, while Gaius seemed to have suddenly become 5 years older.
“I…” the guard stammered, “I’m sorry, Gaius, but I think I misheard you, didn’t you say it was a boy who was being held?”
“Yes, yes, that’s what I said, he is a boy.”
The guard didn’t seem to believe the doctor: “With all due respect, Gaius, but that is clearly a woman.”
Realizing that simply remaining silent would not be ideal, Merlin quickly stood up and discreetly altered his body, he couldn’t risk anyone from the old guard recognizing him as Balinor’s daughter. With his sharp features back in place, his breasts straight again and his genitals correct, Merlin approached the bars and drew the guard’s attention to himself.
“Hello, sorry sir, but I’m not a woman, you must be very tired, that’s why you got confused, I don’t blame you for that.” The guard was startled when he looked at Merlin and rubbed his eyes twice in disbelief. Merlin waited for the man to step away and let him go, but the guard made a serious expression before turning to Gaius.
“Gaius, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to report to the king before I release you, just to be sure. My men swear that the prince sent a young man yesterday afternoon, and you said about a boy, he looks like a boy, but I’m sure I saw a girl two minutes ago.” He explained, erratically, the poor man could barely speak without stumbling or stuttering.
“I see, but unfortunately, I can’t allow you to do that.”
“What…” The guard couldn’t finish his speech, Gaius looked into the man’s eyes, and it was as if they were both in a trance.
“Cof Cuddio” Ganymede’s eyes didn’t shine, giving Merlin no perspective, but a bright green light came from his fingertips and entered the guard’s head, who seemed to fall asleep standing up. "You will release my apprentice and forget about the woman you saw in the cell, then go to your post and continue your day as if none of this had happened.”
The man stammered like a fool, and the green light left his head and dissipated without a trace. The guard rubbed his eyes and looked around, his eyes passing over Merlin and Gaius, but he didn’t seem to register their presence there, he looked at himself and the keys he was carrying and seemed even more confused before simply returning to the corridor he had come from.
Gaius nodded to his apprentice, and Merlin quickly picked up the basket of medicine and followed Gaius out. They climb huge stairs and pass by the same guard as before, but he still doesn't pay them any attention. When they reach the main hallway and Merlin realizes that there is no one around, he smiles excitedly and turns to Gaius.
“Gaius!” he calls out, feeling like he could jump around the old man with all the energy and excitement he felt. “Gaius, Gaius, Gaius…”
The old man continues to pretend he wasn't talking. Merlin pouts, but decides to just keep talking: “Gaius, what did you do down there? How did you do it? I've never seen anyone from my tribe do anything like that before! How does it work? Can I learn it or is it exclusive, like visions for seers or familiars for witches? Or…”
“Enough! Gods, Merlin, you don't understand the trouble you've caused me! I had to beg the prince to forgive you, after you promised me not to cause trouble!”
Ganymede looked furious, Merlin had never had anyone yell at him before, I mean, sometimes Allan would lose his temper with Merlin, but he always kept his voice low, Merlin didn't like yelling, but he admits that he deserved Gaius' anger... just a little.
"I'm so..." "No, Merlin, you're not, apologize only if you really won't make the same mistake a second time." Gaius rubbed his hand over his face and sighed to calm himself down "I'm getting back to my business, as for you, whatever you do, stay away from Arthur and the king, and if you meet them, bow and keep your head down, and if Arthur orders you to, make a formal apology to him."
“What! But he was the one who was wrong, not me…” This was an outrage! The pompous idiot was the one being the bully, why should Merlin apologize!?
“Merlin.”
“But that idiot…”
Gaius sighs, looking increasingly stressed: “That ‘idiot’, Merlin, is the prince of Camelot, also known as the greatest hunter in all the kingdoms. And, unless you wish for death, you better treat him with respect. Arthur may be a great prince, but he is not a great man yet.” His wise words sound clear, but their meaning does not reach Merlin’s ears.
“Great prince, as if, he is small in everything!”
The double meaning does not go unnoticed by Gaius who quickly jumps and hits the back of the teenager’s head.
“Ow! Hey, why so violent?”
“Quiet! It doesn't matter who you were to my people, Merlin, you're still just a boy, and you'll listen to what I say! Now, you'll go work for Mary for today and leave poor Fawkes to me, the Gods know how much worrying will hurt that bird.”
Merlin snorts with a pout.
“Her name isn't Fawkes, it's Tinkerbell, you old coot, I don't know how you could get her name wrong.”
His murmurs don't seem to matter to the old man, in fact, they make him quicken his pace and, before Merlin knows it, he's alone in the hallway.
Damn, I should have just gone into the castle and killed the king instead of agreeing to live with Allan's friend... although, if I can convince Ganymede, maybe he'll teach me that mind control spell, it would be really useful. He thought, walking aimlessly. With nothing better to do, Merlin decides to just follow Gaius's request and go to old Mary's tent.
"Respect, as if I would give my respect to the son of the murderer of my people, what nonsense" He grumbled and grumbled, there weren't many servants where he was walking and there was no one to complain about his chatter. Bored, he occupied himself with the only thing inside the medicine basket, a strange yellow flower that Merlin remembers being the last delivery he should have made yesterday.
It was a beautiful flower, but it was wilting, a shame, it was still young, only a few days since it bloomed and was picked.
“Can you imagine?” he whispered to the flower. “Me, respecting that ignorant idiot?”
One of the roots curls around his finger. Merlin sighs sadly at the flower.
“I should have given you to someone yesterday afternoon, then you would have a purpose and your life would not have been in vain, but now you are here, useless and wasting away.” The root curls again, this time around his entire hand. “I know you are just trying to comfort me, dear, but it is okay, maybe I can plant you somewhere again, who knows if…”
“Hi!” A sweet and gentle voice suddenly calls out.
He slowly turns around and is faced with someone who could only be described as an angel. With her coffee-colored skin, deep, honest, and pure eyes, and wool-like hair of the softest shade of brown, she was, without a doubt, the most beautiful young woman Merlin had ever seen. After studying her, probably like an idiot, Merlin apologized and held out his hand.
“I’m Emr…” He barely stops himself from revealing his real name, which makes the young woman in the yellow dress laugh.
“Emr? What an exotic name, I’m Guinevere, it’s a pleasure.” Strangely, or perhaps not, Guinevere seemed to be being genuine and not mocking his mistake, Merlin couldn’t help but find her a lovely woman.
“It’s a pleasure, Guinevere… I, well, I’m sorry, I’m Merlin.”
“Merlin, who were you talking to? I heard you talking to someone about planting, I know good places for that.”
Merlin stutters and looks down at the ground, he really needs to stop talking to animals and flowers in public, it could cause terrible harm in the future.
“Ah, well, you know, it wasn’t really with anyone, just this little one here, I like plants and this one was unfortunately uprooted for nothing, I just wanted to...”
“I wanted to return it to the ground, since it wouldn’t be useful to leave it without a purpose.” She finishes for Merlin with a smile, there is a small gap between her middle teeth, Merlin finds this detail to be a natural charm of Guinevere “I understand, here, if you don’t mind, I can replant it for you when you go to pick flowers for my lady, what do you think?”
Merlin blinks in surprise, he was used to this kindness coming from others of his tribe, but not from a woman of Camelot. From the way she is watching him with amusement, Merlin can only imagine that she is staring again and apologizes again, drawing more laughter from Guinevere. Yesterday magic had caught Merlin's attention on a man who was the personification of the sun, today magic was catching his attention on the personification of kindness.
“I…, yes, thank you, I would appreciate it very much, please.” Guinevere took the flower from Merlin gently so as not to crush it, unfortunately, due to Guinevere’s employment for her mistress, Merlin and she could not talk anymore, but Guinevere promised to plant the little flower back in some field or use it for something if it was useful and Merlin started walking again towards the lower cities where he should find Mary and Thomas.
“Hello? Mary, Thomas?”
She called out as she entered the tent, but Mary was not there. It was only when Merlin turned to leave that the old lady appeared in front of him and assessed him from top to bottom. For a moment, Merlin just stared back at her in confusion.
“I had a vision yesterday after you left…” The old woman said in a whisper.
Merlin blinked in surprise. “I didn’t think you were a seer either.”
“That’s the problem, my lord, I’m not…” The witch’s black eyes narrowed. “I saw you, but it wasn’t you, it couldn’t be you, it didn’t look like a dragon like the king or a witch like the queen, it looked like something else, something else… there’s something that screams power in you, my prince, something about you isn’t like the kings and queens of the past… a power that doesn’t seem to be of this carnal earth, and it made me wonder if I’m right in saying that you’re something more than flesh, or I’m something less than sane.” These are words spoken with intelligence and a certain suspense in each syllable, but Merlin does not understand what the old woman meant, of course he was powerful, his mother was a witch of great power and his father was the Dragon King, how could Merlin not be powerful? Understanding or not, Merlin was soon being pulled deeper into the cabin until they both sat on the floor behind a pile of pots, despite the lack of privacy, Merlin suspected that no one would be able to hear them.
“Mary” He calls hesitantly, but the witch stops him, crosses her legs and closes her eyes.
“Silence now, sir, we need concentration, I want you to expand your magic without fear, I need to know how powerful you really are, so this will be your first lesson; meditation, or just an exercise to calm your magic, because trust me, there is a lot of calm in you.”
Still a little confused, but curious, Merlin tries to cross his own legs and almost falls in the process, he is usually called graceful, but he considers himself much more clumsy than anything else. He clasps his hands in front of his body and stretches his spine, trying to imitate Mary as best he can, he closes his eyes and waits... And waits... Waits...
“Mary, I don’t know exactly what you expect of me, but…”
“Shhh, just breathe my lord, you only tried for a minute, close your eyes and empty your mind, think about stretching your magic, as if you were stretching your arms above your head or to the sides of your body, understand? Do it, but carefully, you are not in danger, just stretching a part of yourself” He explains gently without opening his eyes or weakening his posture.
“But how exactly do I do that?”
“Empty my mind?”
“Yes.”
“Just stop thinking.” She answers as if it were obvious.
“B-but... just stop thinking! How does one do that?”
Mary doesn’t answer her this time, but Merlin doesn’t want to give up yet, even though he doesn’t know how to clear his mind he can think of another way to meditate. His eyes close, and he allows himself to focus only on the earth below him, allows his thoughts to become hers and so on. At first everything is calm, he feels the footsteps of the villagers and feels the horses of the knights, feels the weight of the stone and wooden houses, even feels the castle and the walls. He stretches further and further, then the calm disappears and suddenly Merlin is enormous, bigger than anything and everything made by man. He is giant and hard-surfaced, he is ancient and wise. Not only that, but he doesn’t know his exact age, but he feels as old as any tree or any rock, although he is still very young. He is scattered and thin, though he grows taller every day. He feels he will never reach his full height, but he has no choice but to wait. His roots are already buried too deep in the sacred core of the Mother Goddess for mortals to simply pull them out and run. This does not mean his magic is free, only that it is still there waiting to be used. Merlin is rooted and still, but there is an entire world that lives and multiplies within the barriers that his limited strength has not yet broken. Sometimes unkind souls try to harm Merlin's children, and he wishes he could hurt them, even as he wishes he could cure them of their own hatred.
MERLIN...
Who?
MERLIN...
Hello? Can you hear me?
He closes his eyes tighter and, once again, he is no longer himself, now Merlin is big and old, but not as big and old as he was before, just big and old. He knows that he was once more than just that, that he was once powerful and important. Likewise, he feels angry, he feels alone, but at the same time, he knows that this is necessary, he is just following the immutable and cruel plan of fate.
Merlin...
Merlin...
“Merlin!” Mary jumped on him, knocking him to the ground, and Merlin was forced to open his eyes.
“HI! I woke up, sorry, I got a little lost…” His words trail off as he realizes the reason for such urgency on the old lady’s part. The ground was breathing!
“Gods, sir, we have to go, there is an earthquake all over the kingdom!” Her voice is urgent, and she doesn’t wait for Merlin to speak before pulling him out.
The gravity of what was happening became clear as soon as they passed outside Mary's cabin. The ground was rising and falling slowly, but it was enough to knock down even the most fragile houses. Merlin felt sick, he had no plans to wake up the sleeping person.
“Mother! Merlin!” Thomas ran up the street, looking horrified.
“Son, my boy, tell me why you're looking like that?” He asked tenderly, caressing his face, but Thomas didn't seem to be calmed by this.
“Mother, I think I've made a terrible mistake.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle...”
“Mommy, I used magic to keep a house from collapsing on my friends, but I didn’t realize a knight was nearby, I swear I didn’t see him there, I just wanted to...” All tension increased tenfold, Merlin felt himself holding his breath due to his fear and saw the earth breathe faster, panicking with him.
“By the king’s disgusting balls, we can’t go and take shelter in the castle, if anyone saw him we must leave immediately. Sir.” His breath released, and Merlin turned at the lady’s call. “Can you return to Gaius alone?”
Merlin speechlessly nodded.
“Great, we’ll go south of the forest, if you’re still interested in learning, tell old Gaius to inform me of what happens, please.” Trained eyes scanned for witnesses, and Merlin prepared himself for what she was about to do. Wordlessly, Mary waved her hands to the sky and an old owl appeared through the clouds, a familiar one came, bringing with it a great curtain of blackened smoke that covered the bodies of mother and son and made them disappear before Merlin's amazed eyes.
"Wow!" He should be returning to the castle now, but how could he? It was his fault what was happening, he needed to stop this.
Uniting all his will and his endless curiosity, Merlin returned to Mary's hut and sat in the somewhat awkward position he had before, he closed his eyes and, for the second time in a short space of time, allowed himself to make contact with the earth beneath his feet.