The Sorcerer, the King and the Simpleton
Repost for the author!mouse (formatting preserved). Just click in the box and press CTRL-A (Windows) or COMMAND-A (Mac), then copy and paste.
Part 1:
"Arthur, come on!"
"I won't leave him, Merlin. I won't."
"Arthur we have to go."
"No. Merlin, I can't."
Merlin looks around desperately, looking for someone to help, but the other knights have gone. It's only him and Arthur. And Sir Kay, but he won't be any use to anyone. The beating at the door gets louder and more insisted and Merlin can hear the wood, even strengthened with magic, starting to give.
"You have to! Come on!"
"I can't leave him."
"Arthur, he's already dead."
"He's not."
Merlin looks again at Kay and sure enough, he's still breathing.
"He will be. Within ten minutes. Less."
"I won't let him die alone. Not when there's a chance he may live."
"He won't. Arthur, he can't. Look at him!"
His innards are falling out of him. Merlin knows that not even Gaius can fix this. Not even magic has a chance. Arthur's jaw hardens.
"Then he shall die knowing-"
The door shivers and the head of a battering ram crashes through. Merlin, in the moment, remembers the spell he used before and his eyes flash before he can reconsider.
"Huh."
"Arthur, come on."
"Okay."
Merlin grabs Arthur's wrist and pulls, and Arthur follows. Tripping along behind Merlin and humming to himself as they run. Merlin can hear shouting behind him and there's the glow of torches on the walls, but he knows the way out. He runs faster and Arthur keeps up easily, still humming to himself. Merlin tugs and they turn, left and then right, into the passage. Through they speed and then they burst out into the night.
Merlin keeps running until they hit the edge of the trees, where he's brought to a standstill by a sword at his stomach. Arthur bumps into him and the sword only just lowers in time to keep Merlin from being skewered.
"Oomph. Sorry, sorry."
"Merlin!"
"Gwaine. Thanks for the welcome. We need to move, they're right behind us."
"The others?"
"There are no others."
"Wow. Just a scouting party, sire? Just poke our noses in and stir up an ants's nest."
"Ants bite. Don't sit on a nest."
Gwaine blinks at Arthur but there's no time for explanations. Merlin shoves, Gwaine moves and they're running again. Gwaine's leading this time, weaving through the trees and covering their tracks with circles and back tracking and following previous steps. Merlin covers them still further with a spell and Arthur just trips along behind them. At last Gwaine stops running, slowing to a jog and then a walk.
"Come on. Elyan and the other's are this way."
"We know Elyan, don't we Merlin?"
"Yes Arthur. Come on."
Now that they're not running Merlin lets go Arthur's wrist and Arthur bounces a bit in delight, catching up to Gwaine and walking beside him, trying to copy the way Gwaine's walking. Merlin laughs at the odd, rolling gait that trips Arthur every few steps. Gwaine gives them increasingly worried looks. When Arthur reaches for Gwaine's sword, probably drawn to it's shine, Gwaine stops.
"Right. What the hell kind of joke is this?"
"Um."
"I like jokes. Laughing is fun."
"Yes, Arthur."
"Merlin, what has happened to him?"
Part 2:
"It was... I think it was a spell."
"Did they have a sorcerer? Damn. We hadn't counted on that at all."
"No."
"Sorcerer. They have magic."
"Come on, let's keep moving."
Gwaine nods and, now that he's not suspicious of a joke, he seems perfectly happy to have Arthur at his side. This version of Arthur is much quieter than the other, head always turning to try and take everything in at once. His hands are always straying to touch the trees, fingers rubbing the bark and leaves.
Soon enough they reach a denser patch of trees and brush. Gwaine pushes through, holding up a curtain of ivy for Arthur to duck under with Merlin at his heels, and then there's a camp before them. Elyan's grinning at their side and Percy ahoys them from a hastily constructed tent. Thing. It's shelter, anyway. Leon's with the horses and a few more knights are scattered here and there.
"The king has returned!"
"Who is the king?"
"Ah, and here we have a problem."
There's chaos as Merlin and Gwaine try to explain, and Arthur wanders off to poke at one thing or another. Merlin keeps him in his sights and watches as Leon breaks away from the bickering knights (who is to blame, why they have a sorcerer, how they can beat him, what to do about their king). Leon goes to stand, deferential as ever, watching over Arthur. Merlin smiles and turns back to the bickering idiots in front of him.
"Stop talking."
They quiet down.
"Arthur is enchanted, but I believe I know of a sorcerer who can break the enchantment. He lives some way into these woods. I suggest we make for Camelot, taking a detour on the journey for this sorcerer."
"Magic is forbidden. Why do you know a sorcerer?"
"I know of him. He came to Camelot some years ago and Arthur has had some luck tracing him. The rest... it is but rumour."
"Let's hope rumour is correct. Fine, that's a good suggestion. We break camp at dawn."
Merlin nods and goes to fetch Arthur from Leon's stoic care. Leon doesn't seem bothered by his king suddenly acting like a child, though. He's laughing as Arthur runs in circles about a tree, chasing some unseen creature.
"Uh, is he chasing his tail?"
"No, he's trying to get a look at the back of his head."
Merlin smiles and steps forward to stop Arthur's endless quest.
"Oh, hello."
"Hi Arthur. We're staying here for the night."
"In the forest?"
"Yes."
"As you see fit, of course."
Merlin shakes away the bafflement that is a natural reaction to Arthur being to willing. The spell wore off pretty fast last time, but Merlin has since become far more adept at casting spells, so he's not sure this time he'll be so lucky.
"Where is Sir Mordred?"
"He's fetching water. I need to go set a watch, Merlin."
"I've got this."
Leon nods and, pausing to press a hand to Arthur's shoulder, he leaves them. Merlin nudges Arthur gently to the place the knights have gathered to tell stories and sits beside him, smiling at Arthur's wide eyed fascination for the tall tales being put forwards.
Part 1:
"Arthur, come on!"
"I won't leave him, Merlin. I won't."
"Arthur we have to go."
"No. Merlin, I can't."
Merlin looks around desperately, looking for someone to help, but the other knights have gone. It's only him and Arthur. And Sir Kay, but he won't be any use to anyone. The beating at the door gets louder and more insisted and Merlin can hear the wood, even strengthened with magic, starting to give.
"You have to! Come on!"
"I can't leave him."
"Arthur, he's already dead."
"He's not."
Merlin looks again at Kay and sure enough, he's still breathing.
"He will be. Within ten minutes. Less."
"I won't let him die alone. Not when there's a chance he may live."
"He won't. Arthur, he can't. Look at him!"
His innards are falling out of him. Merlin knows that not even Gaius can fix this. Not even magic has a chance. Arthur's jaw hardens.
"Then he shall die knowing-"
The door shivers and the head of a battering ram crashes through. Merlin, in the moment, remembers the spell he used before and his eyes flash before he can reconsider.
"Huh."
"Arthur, come on."
"Okay."
Merlin grabs Arthur's wrist and pulls, and Arthur follows. Tripping along behind Merlin and humming to himself as they run. Merlin can hear shouting behind him and there's the glow of torches on the walls, but he knows the way out. He runs faster and Arthur keeps up easily, still humming to himself. Merlin tugs and they turn, left and then right, into the passage. Through they speed and then they burst out into the night.
Merlin keeps running until they hit the edge of the trees, where he's brought to a standstill by a sword at his stomach. Arthur bumps into him and the sword only just lowers in time to keep Merlin from being skewered.
"Oomph. Sorry, sorry."
"Merlin!"
"Gwaine. Thanks for the welcome. We need to move, they're right behind us."
"The others?"
"There are no others."
"Wow. Just a scouting party, sire? Just poke our noses in and stir up an ants's nest."
"Ants bite. Don't sit on a nest."
Gwaine blinks at Arthur but there's no time for explanations. Merlin shoves, Gwaine moves and they're running again. Gwaine's leading this time, weaving through the trees and covering their tracks with circles and back tracking and following previous steps. Merlin covers them still further with a spell and Arthur just trips along behind them. At last Gwaine stops running, slowing to a jog and then a walk.
"Come on. Elyan and the other's are this way."
"We know Elyan, don't we Merlin?"
"Yes Arthur. Come on."
Now that they're not running Merlin lets go Arthur's wrist and Arthur bounces a bit in delight, catching up to Gwaine and walking beside him, trying to copy the way Gwaine's walking. Merlin laughs at the odd, rolling gait that trips Arthur every few steps. Gwaine gives them increasingly worried looks. When Arthur reaches for Gwaine's sword, probably drawn to it's shine, Gwaine stops.
"Right. What the hell kind of joke is this?"
"Um."
"I like jokes. Laughing is fun."
"Yes, Arthur."
"Merlin, what has happened to him?"
Part 2:
"It was... I think it was a spell."
"Did they have a sorcerer? Damn. We hadn't counted on that at all."
"No."
"Sorcerer. They have magic."
"Come on, let's keep moving."
Gwaine nods and, now that he's not suspicious of a joke, he seems perfectly happy to have Arthur at his side. This version of Arthur is much quieter than the other, head always turning to try and take everything in at once. His hands are always straying to touch the trees, fingers rubbing the bark and leaves.
Soon enough they reach a denser patch of trees and brush. Gwaine pushes through, holding up a curtain of ivy for Arthur to duck under with Merlin at his heels, and then there's a camp before them. Elyan's grinning at their side and Percy ahoys them from a hastily constructed tent. Thing. It's shelter, anyway. Leon's with the horses and a few more knights are scattered here and there.
"The king has returned!"
"Who is the king?"
"Ah, and here we have a problem."
There's chaos as Merlin and Gwaine try to explain, and Arthur wanders off to poke at one thing or another. Merlin keeps him in his sights and watches as Leon breaks away from the bickering knights (who is to blame, why they have a sorcerer, how they can beat him, what to do about their king). Leon goes to stand, deferential as ever, watching over Arthur. Merlin smiles and turns back to the bickering idiots in front of him.
"Stop talking."
They quiet down.
"Arthur is enchanted, but I believe I know of a sorcerer who can break the enchantment. He lives some way into these woods. I suggest we make for Camelot, taking a detour on the journey for this sorcerer."
"Magic is forbidden. Why do you know a sorcerer?"
"I know of him. He came to Camelot some years ago and Arthur has had some luck tracing him. The rest... it is but rumour."
"Let's hope rumour is correct. Fine, that's a good suggestion. We break camp at dawn."
Merlin nods and goes to fetch Arthur from Leon's stoic care. Leon doesn't seem bothered by his king suddenly acting like a child, though. He's laughing as Arthur runs in circles about a tree, chasing some unseen creature.
"Uh, is he chasing his tail?"
"No, he's trying to get a look at the back of his head."
Merlin smiles and steps forward to stop Arthur's endless quest.
"Oh, hello."
"Hi Arthur. We're staying here for the night."
"In the forest?"
"Yes."
"As you see fit, of course."
Merlin shakes away the bafflement that is a natural reaction to Arthur being to willing. The spell wore off pretty fast last time, but Merlin has since become far more adept at casting spells, so he's not sure this time he'll be so lucky.
"Where is Sir Mordred?"
"He's fetching water. I need to go set a watch, Merlin."
"I've got this."
Leon nods and, pausing to press a hand to Arthur's shoulder, he leaves them. Merlin nudges Arthur gently to the place the knights have gathered to tell stories and sits beside him, smiling at Arthur's wide eyed fascination for the tall tales being put forwards.