Hunt (part 1)
Author: weatherfeather
Title: Hunt (part 1)
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Geoffrey, Gwen, Arthur
Summary: Merlin practices some magic.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 554
Prompt: #384 Get Out (and a few others)
Author's Notes: Unusual change: Geoffrey is a trusted ally to Merlin.
A wave of water tall enough to hit the ceiling erupts out of the dry stone floor of the library, and Merlin realizes his mistake after it's already too late. The initial wave drags behind it a flood that fills the rows and soaks the stacks. It sweeps Merlin off his feet and, as though it has a mind and a plan, throws him into the side of Geoffrey's desk.
When the water stops rushing, Merlin stands up. This brings him face-to-face with Geoffrey, whose grip on his desk has not yet relaxed from fighting against the current.
Geoffrey's face has gone pale, and the look of shock and mounting anger there explains the dangerously calm tone of voice he uses next.
"Enough of your hocus pocus in the library, Merlin. Get out of here and find a quiet place to practice your water spells that isn't all over my books."
Merlin slows time for himself and casts a drying spell over the stacks. When he is satisfied that everything is undamaged, he brings time back to normal and runs out of the library before Geoffrey has a chance to say anything else. The last time Merlin messed up in the library, Geoffrey threatened him with a head injury via four hundred page tome.
As he rounds the first corner outside the library, someone calls to him from behind.
"Merlin? What happened? You're leaving puddle footprints on the floor."
It's Gwen. Merlin turns around to speak to her and sees the slippery mess he's been trailing behind him. Before he even makes eye contact with her, he realizes he dried the books but forgot to dry himself.
He meets Gwen's eyes after noting the heavy laundry basket in her arms and the way she stopped right before stepping in one of his puddles.
"Oh, I, uh, didn't realize. Sorry Gwen, I'll dry, um, I'll get a-"
"Merlin, nothing to worry about, I'll just go up the other stairs," Gwen says. She smiles, then hitches her basket up a bit. Before she turns away, she says, "Make sure to dry yourself off, too. Might want to change, since you smell like fish and Arthur's looking for you."
Merlin watches her walk back the way she came. When she turns a corner and is out of sight, he looks around himself to make sure nobody else is there then conjures a mop and empty bucket. If anyone comes across Merlin after coming across Gwen in a hallway, they'll expect to see Merlin cleaning. If the mop is especially absorbent to help Merlin do the job faster while appearing to look normal, nobody but Gaius will fault him for it.
He finishes mopping, checks his surroundings again, vanishes the mop and bucket, and dries himself off with a blast of warm wind all before Arthur manages to find him.
"Merlin!" Arthur only shouts at Merlin in this tone when he's angry at someone else. "Where have you been! Pack us a meal and prepare the horses. I'll meet you in the courtyard."
As Arthur turns away, Merlin asks, "Where are we going?"
Arthur turns back to bite out, "We're going on a hunt. Now get moving! I want to be gone before the sun changes position!"
Merlin can hear Arthur stomp his way down the entire hallway.
Title: Hunt (part 1)
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Geoffrey, Gwen, Arthur
Summary: Merlin practices some magic.
Warnings: none
Word Count: 554
Prompt: #384 Get Out (and a few others)
Author's Notes: Unusual change: Geoffrey is a trusted ally to Merlin.
A wave of water tall enough to hit the ceiling erupts out of the dry stone floor of the library, and Merlin realizes his mistake after it's already too late. The initial wave drags behind it a flood that fills the rows and soaks the stacks. It sweeps Merlin off his feet and, as though it has a mind and a plan, throws him into the side of Geoffrey's desk.
When the water stops rushing, Merlin stands up. This brings him face-to-face with Geoffrey, whose grip on his desk has not yet relaxed from fighting against the current.
Geoffrey's face has gone pale, and the look of shock and mounting anger there explains the dangerously calm tone of voice he uses next.
"Enough of your hocus pocus in the library, Merlin. Get out of here and find a quiet place to practice your water spells that isn't all over my books."
Merlin slows time for himself and casts a drying spell over the stacks. When he is satisfied that everything is undamaged, he brings time back to normal and runs out of the library before Geoffrey has a chance to say anything else. The last time Merlin messed up in the library, Geoffrey threatened him with a head injury via four hundred page tome.
As he rounds the first corner outside the library, someone calls to him from behind.
"Merlin? What happened? You're leaving puddle footprints on the floor."
It's Gwen. Merlin turns around to speak to her and sees the slippery mess he's been trailing behind him. Before he even makes eye contact with her, he realizes he dried the books but forgot to dry himself.
He meets Gwen's eyes after noting the heavy laundry basket in her arms and the way she stopped right before stepping in one of his puddles.
"Oh, I, uh, didn't realize. Sorry Gwen, I'll dry, um, I'll get a-"
"Merlin, nothing to worry about, I'll just go up the other stairs," Gwen says. She smiles, then hitches her basket up a bit. Before she turns away, she says, "Make sure to dry yourself off, too. Might want to change, since you smell like fish and Arthur's looking for you."
Merlin watches her walk back the way she came. When she turns a corner and is out of sight, he looks around himself to make sure nobody else is there then conjures a mop and empty bucket. If anyone comes across Merlin after coming across Gwen in a hallway, they'll expect to see Merlin cleaning. If the mop is especially absorbent to help Merlin do the job faster while appearing to look normal, nobody but Gaius will fault him for it.
He finishes mopping, checks his surroundings again, vanishes the mop and bucket, and dries himself off with a blast of warm wind all before Arthur manages to find him.
"Merlin!" Arthur only shouts at Merlin in this tone when he's angry at someone else. "Where have you been! Pack us a meal and prepare the horses. I'll meet you in the courtyard."
As Arthur turns away, Merlin asks, "Where are we going?"
Arthur turns back to bite out, "We're going on a hunt. Now get moving! I want to be gone before the sun changes position!"
Merlin can hear Arthur stomp his way down the entire hallway.