TSitS - Merlin
Title: The Sword in the Stone Series
Pairing: Pretty Gen. Kind of one-sided Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Arthur, hinted Gwen/Lancelot. It’s about as gay as the series is, which is pretty gay.
Disclaimer: I do not own BBC’s Merlin. If I did, I’d be pretty happy because I’d know Colin and Bradley personally.
Summary: The legend of Excalibur is not as simple as everyone thinks. Arthur pulls a sword from a stone, beginning a chain of events that will lead him to his destiny and the sorcerer prophesied to stand beside him.
Chapter Summary: Merlin finds an injured bird in the forest one day and brings it home to heal. Meanwhile, the castle is plagued by a series of maladies and strange occurrences that no one can explain. The only clue is a hint of silver in the sunlight. Could Merlin's new pet have anything to do with the events in the castle? But really, how much harm could a little Merlin do?
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Part IX - Merlin
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A/N: So every Merlin season/series includes a humorous episode at some point. I decided to try my hand at this, but I'm not sure how well I did at the 'humor' part instead of simply writing another bit of the legends into an installment in this series.
This part draws references from The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White and general knowledge about falcons and other birds of prey. Reference pictures for the falcon I used are:
www.treknature.com/gallery/Asia/India/photo180773.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Falco_columbarius_NAUMANN.jpg
www.corbisimages.com/images/67/C6D437DE-6B8D-4F7B-A6B8-BBF34F88EFDE/IH167456.jpg
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It was a calm day in Camelot and Merlin was out in the woods collecting herbs for Gaius. Gaius had made him promise to actually gather herbs, because Merlin had a habit of going to collect things for the old man and leaving his collections somewhere in the middle of the forest because he got distracted. Not today. It was the most peaceful of peaceful days.
The sun was shining. The day was not too cold as it was still early winter. There was a light layer of snow on the ground that made a lot of people upset because this early in the season it meant their crops might fail. Merlin didn't care though. He was wearing an extra, thick shirt to keep warm and that was all he needed. He was also happy because it was barely noon and he was almost done gathering the winter herbs Gaius wanted. He had the sage and savory and now all he needed was rosemary.
It was hard finding white flowers in the snow.
Just as Merlin spotted the rosemary, he heard the call of a bird he'd never heard before. "Ki ki ki ki ki." He looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary in the area around him, so he shrugged and went over to the rosemary and began to collect the best of the plant. He stuffed it into his side pack with the rest of the herbs he'd collected and stood straight with an easy sigh.
"Ki ki ki ki kiiii-"
Merlin jumped when something hit the ground a few feet away. Upon closer inspection, he found it to be a small bird: a falcon. Its right wing was bent at an odd angle and Merlin quickly looked up to see what could've hurt it. What he saw was a larger bird - a white underbelly and dark brown head and wings - diving down toward the fallen smaller bird.
Without thinking, his eyes flashed golden and the larger bird let out a loud "KEK!" as it was hit by some invisible force. It flapped its wings frantically for a few moments, steadying itself, and then flew away with an indignant sounding "Kek-kek-kek" and then silence as it vanished over the treetops.
Once the bird was gone, Merlin hurried over to the fallen bird and knelt next to it in the snow. Its chest was heaving quickly in and out, its injured wing twitching every few seconds. When Merlin leaned over to examine its wings, the bird actually opened its eyes and turned its head to watch him. It was a beautiful bird. Its body was white with flecks of burnt orange every so often, and fading to fully burnt orange by its feet, which were a bright shade of yellow like its beak and around its eyes. Which brought Merlin to the most amazing feature of the small bird. Its head was white with hints of the same burnt orange closer to the back of the neck while the crown was practically silver in color, as were its wings. They actually shimmered in the late morning light.
"Wow," he breathed out. "You're beautiful." The bird turned its head a bit and Merlin thought it looked bashful at the compliment. Grinning, he carefully lifted the bird from the ground and tucked it between his body and his jacket for warmth. "Don't worry. I'll fix you up."
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"Gaius, do you have any bandages I could use?" Merlin asked as he entered the room.
"What?" Gaius asked, turning from his work to give Merlin a once-over. "Are you hurt?"
Merlin shook his head and awkwardly pulled the bag of herbs from his shoulder with one hand, his other still held inside his jacket. Once his right hand was free, Merlin used it and his already occupied left hand to pull the bird from its warm haven and carefully set it down on a clear space of worktable. "No. He is."
Gaius raised an eyebrow and came to examine the patient. He gently pulled the wing out and inspected the injury and then nodded. "You can brace and bind it with the scraps I have." He pulled a pack of bandages from a cupboard and handed them to Merlin. "Really, what made you bring home an injured bird?"
Merlin shrugged as he began unraveling the bandages. "It felt right," he said in explanation. "Besides…I couldn't just leave him out there in the snow."
"Well, you'd better hurry and finish bandaging your new friend. Arthur sent for you several minutes ago. I told him you were out gathering herbs, but that won't hold him off for long," Gaius warned. Merlin frowned and set all his attentions to correctly bandaging the bird's wing.
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Merlin entered his bedroom that night covered in dust. Arthur had made him clean his armor, walk his dogs, muck out the stables, clean his bedroom, draw him a bath, wash his laundry, make his bed, scrub the bedroom floor, wash the windows, and clean the fireplace. The dogs, which were typically well behaved, caught sight of a wild fox that had wandered into the knights' practice field and tore off through the slush, dragging Merlin with them. And then the fireplace had pretty much exploded on him with ash from the fires Arthur had insisted Merlin start every night since it was oh so cold inside. Thus, he was covered in ash and muck.
He flopped down on his bed and sighed. Sleep pulled at him and he had almost given in to the calling darkness, without even eating the dinner Gaius was making right now, when a soft 'ki-ki' woke him up. Sitting up, Merlin looked to his bedside table and smiled at the small, ten-inch long bird sitting there, staring at him curiously. Its right wing was bandaged and Merlin was proud to say that he'd done a marvelous job. Gaius had looked it up in one of his books and said it would take about six weeks for the wing to heal properly, but the bird already looked much healthier after only a few hours.
"Hey….," he greeted softly, reaching out his hand.
The bird, a falcon, Gaius had said, based on its wing shape and beak, lowered its head slightly so Merlin could gently brush its head with his right index finger. When he pulled back it shook itself and then let out a small 'ki' when it jostled its wing.
"Careful," Merlin warned, just as soft as before. "You'll hurt your wing even more." The falcon tilted its head a bit and then lowered it submissively. "You know….it's almost like you can understand me," he commented lightly, smiling. A yawn tore across his face, coming out loud and startling the falcon into taking a step back from him. "Sorry," Merlin half-yawned, rubbing his face. "Arthur gave me a lot to do today. I won't hurt you. I promise."
"Merlin," Gaius's voice called through his closed door. "Dinner's ready."
Merlin looked at the door and then at the falcon. "I'll see if Gaius can't tell me what you eat, and I'll bring you some dinner back," he said before standing, swaying, and then walking back out of his room to eat. The door shut behind him and the falcon watched it, almost without blinking, and didn't stop until Merlin came back. He brought a dead mouse with him. The falcon 'ki'ed in appreciation and chowed down. Merlin couldn't watch.
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Morning broke over Camelot with a crisp feeling to the air: a sure sign of colder weather. Merlin woke to the soft calls of the falcon at his bedside and thanked it before getting up and ready to go to work.
"I won't be back until late. Behave yourself or Gaius'll toss you out," Merlin warned jokingly on his way out the door, shutting it behind himself to keep the small falcon inside. "Morning, Gaius."
He sat down and quickly scarfed the porridge Gaius had made. Gaius was already cleaning his own bowl. "Good morning, Merlin."
"So I just warned Archi not to make a mess or you'll throw him out…," Merlin began, "but please don't actually toss him."
"Archi?" Gaius asked incredulously.
Merlin nodded. "I woke up this morning with it on my tongue. Archimedes."
Gaius frowned. "Don't get too attached, Merlin. Falcons are wild animals. It'll fly away the moment its wing is better," he warned.
Merlin frowned but nodded. "I know. But calling him 'the bird' or 'the falcon' is tiresome, and he's gonna be here six weeks. I figured it was easier to call him by name."
Gaius shrugged, accepting. "Why Archimedes, though?"
Merlin stared into his bowl. "I don't know. It just came to me." He grinned up at Gaius. "Sounds intelligent, doesn't it?"
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The curtains were pulled back and Arthur groaned, rolling over and hiding his face in his pillow. Merlin grinned. "Morning, sire," he greeted cheerfully, knowing it would only annoy Arthur that he was so chipper.
Arthur groaned again, snuggling deeper into his covers. "Why are you on time, Merlin?" he grumbled. "Go away and come back in an hour."
Merlin snickered softly to himself and shook his head. "Sorry, can't. You've got knights to train, breakfast to eat, and customs to learn….and I don't know about most people, but I think Kings aren't expected to sleep in when they're woken up on time."
Arthur let out a huff and rolled over onto his back. "They are when their sleep schedule is set for lateness," he half-yawned before sitting up and rubbing his face. He wore a sleep shirt these days to fend off the cold of the nights after the fire went out.
Merlin was already set about arranging Arthur's breakfast on the table with his back to the prince. Arthur smirked, letting his hands fall from his face and grabbing one of his pillows tight in his hand. He hoisted it far above his head and let it fly in one swift motion. Just before it connected, there was a knock on the door and Merlin turned. The pillow caught him right in the face and he let out a shocked squawk, turning to give a mock glare to Arthur who was simply smiling childishly from the bed.
"It's Gwen," a voice from the other side of the door spoke up.
The childish smile vanished and Arthur's eyes widened. He jumped from bed and rushed to his wardrobe, grabbing some clothes and vanishing behind the changing wall. Merlin smirked at where he'd disappeared, picked up the pillow and tossed it back on the bed, before moving to answer the door. When he opened it, Gwen looked shocked to see him.
"Merlin," she practically gasped. "You're here."
He raised an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?" he asked.
Gwen shook her head, a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Oh. Nowhere. I didn't mean to imply…..ahem," she cleared her throat. "I meant to ask Arthur something."
Merlin looked beyond the door to the changing wall. It shook and Arthur let out a small 'oof'. Merlin grinned, but quickly schooled his features into nonchalance as he turned back to look at Gwen. "He's preoccupied right now." She frowned and he rushed to amend it. "But I can have him come find you later, if you'd like."
She gave a small, unsure smile and Merlin smiled in return: success. "That would be lovely. Thank you, Merlin." She made to leave but stopped halfway gone and turned back to look at him. "And you?" she asked, her voice gentle and friendly. "How are you doing?"
Merlin gave a confused frown. What? Why would she-Oh. He gave a sigh, but was smiling to lessen the attitude behind it. "Gwen, I'm fine. That was five months ago. There's not even a mark left from where the arrow hit me," he assured her.
Gwen nodded, accepting, and hurried off to attend to her duties. Merlin watched her go before shutting the door. He jumped when it revealed Arthur was standing just behind it, giving him a disapproving frown. "Ah! Arthur!" He saw the look being directed at him and frowned, his hand still clutching over his heart. "What?" he asked in confusion.
Arthur reached forward and placed his hand on Merlin's chest, directly opposite where Merlin's own hand was. "Liar," he accused quietly.
"What?" Merlin asked again, his confusion mounting.
"I've seen you're chest, Merlin," Arthur explained. "There's an inch and a half scar right here," he emphasized by pressing his hand into Merlin's chest a bit, "from that assassin's arrow."
And in Arthur's eyes Merlin could see the problem. He rolled his eyes and backed away, letting his own hand drop while moving away from Arthur's. "You're as bad as Gwen," he whined. "I'm fine. I swear. It was months ago! I'm not dead. I don't fret this much when you get hurt, and I'm the more emotional of two of us."
The hurt and worried expression died on Arthur's face, morphed into something more playful. "That's because you're a woman," he teased in a serious tone.
Merlin's jaw dropped, but then he saw the smile hiding on Arthur's lips and grinned. "Eat your breakfast, sire," he ordered. "Your fair maiden needs you."
Arthur cuffed him lightly on the head as he passed by on his way to the table and his food, scowling.
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Archimedes watched the bedroom door with unwavering eyes. He heard the outer door open and shut, and then the bedroom door swung open as if by its own accord. Archie took in a deep breath and hopped from the bedside table to the floor before scurrying from the room in search of food. This was a castle. There had to be rodents, birds, and insects somewhere…right?
He'd barely left the tower where Gaius lived when he caught whiff of something else: Merlin. Lifting his head, Archie saw Merlin open a window in an upper room and let out a small 'ki.' He shifted his head back and forth, watched as people entered the castle through a door across the courtyard, and began his journey.
At the bottom of the stairs, Archi stopped. This could be a problem since he couldn't fly. It had been hard getting up the steps to come inside in the first place and that was only a few steps. This was several dozen stairs….He hung his head but perked and looked up at the sound of Merlin's name.
"I'm off to train my knights," the creamy voice of Arthur Pendragon travelled down the stairs as he and Merlin exited his room. "I need you to groom my horse and get him ready for this afternoon. I'm going riding later, and you're coming with me."
"Right," Merlin agreed. He knew Arthur only brought him because he knew Merlin would find some way to follow him anyway so it was better to make it an order he come instead to avoid complications.
"You also need to sweep the fireplace again. The amount of ash that collected last night made the air dusty and grey this morning." They were coming down the stairs now and Archie hopped to the side and out of the way. He didn't want to be stepped on. "Finish cleaning my rooms and arrange for a bath to be brought up this evening. I want to wash the sludge off after our ride." Merlin shrugged behind Arthur and rolled his eyes: Arthur would get a nice bath while Merlin had to suffice with a bucket of water and a wet cloth. "But first," Arthur stated, stopping on the last bottom steps and turning to hand his sword to Merlin. "Sharpen this and give it to me on the field. I won't need it at first, but I will need it later in the training and I want it to be sharp. One hour, got that Merlin. I need it in an hour." He gave Merlin a look and Merlin frowned, taking the sword from him.
"Right. Yea yea. I got it. One hour," he grumbled. "Contrary to your belief, I'm not an idiot, sire. I can even read, if you remember."
Arthur shrugged. "Whatever," he brushed it off, even though he'd been shocked when he learned that only a short while ago. He turned away and continued down the steps and out the doors. "One hour, Merlin!" he called back.
Merlin sighed at the now empty doorway, void of the man in shining armor who had been with him only a moment before, and then looked down at the sword. "Alright. I'd best get to the armory then. One hour," he repeated jokingly before hurrying off.
Archie watched him go. "Ki ki."
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Merlin was just walking out to the field with Arthur's freshly sharpened destiny sword when it happened. He heard a strange noise, like thunder in the ground, and then his eyes widened as he realized what it was. He jumped out of the way with less than a moment to spare as suddenly every horse the king owned went barreling past at a gallop.
"What?" he asked, eyes wide in shock. With barely a pause, Merlin turned and ran as fast as he could to the training field while the townspeople ran out of the way of the horses. "Arthur!" he shouted as soon as he could see the prince. "Arthur!"
He ignored the looks the knights were giving him as he ran right through their ranks up to Arthur's side. Arthur let out an 'ah.' "Merlin," he greeted. "Good. You finished my sword. But you completely broke the ranks," he chastised, motioning to his knights who were in disarray after moving to let Merlin through.
Merlin huffed in several breaths before responding. "No. No," he let out. "The horses. Arthur, all the horses just ran out of town."
Arthur's eyes widened. "What? How!" he demanded angrily, thinking Merlin had done something stupid again.
Merlin shrugged, handing Arthur his sword. "I don't know!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I was just leaving the armory and coming to give that to you when they all ran past me. I didn't do it!"
Arthur let out a ragged sigh. "Alright," he addressed his knights. "New plan. Go fetch the escaped horses. We'll continue this exercise tomorrow. Now go!" he ordered.
The knights quickly sheathed their swords and ran to follow the prince's orders. Arthur grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and pushed him back toward the stables. "Let's go."
"What about the horses?" Merlin asked.
"I have more knights than horses. If they each catch one, we'll get them all back. Or we'll set a reward for the return of the King's horses, or something. It doesn't matter. We need to find out how this happened."
When they arrived at the stables, neither was prepared for the sight that met their eyes. There were fish all over the ground of a variety neither Arthur nor Merlin had ever seen, and countless birds on every structure, eating the fish.
"What on Earth-?" Arthur asked.
"They probably spooked the horses," Merlin offered helpfully. Arthur looked from the odd sight of his stables to Merlin. "But who would do this?" Arthur blinked and took a step to the left, trying to see around Merlin. Merlin glanced at him before turning, looking for whatever Arthur was looking at. "What?"
"Nothing," Arthur shook his head. "I thought I saw something silver…..but it was nothing. We need to find the person who did this…and clean the place up before the horses get back."
Merlin regarded him curiously and looked at the door and the area around it. Silver?
"Merlin," Arthur called his attention and Merlin's head shot to look at the prince. "I said clean."
Merlin nodded. "Right. Clean." He grimaced as a bird pooped on Arthur's armor.
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If anything, Merlin was more tired tonight than he was last night. He told Gaius not to even bother with dinner. Merlin could barely move his arms! He literally collapsed on his bed.
"Ki?"
Merlin managed to roll over onto his back and looked to his side table. "Hey Archimedes….," he greeted in a whisper. "I am so tired….Someone put fish in the stables and chased away all the horses with a bunch of birds….and I had to clean the stables out before the horses got back…" His eyes were falling shut. "It was….so weird…."
The soft sound of snoring permeated the air and Archimedes let out a soft "Ki" before lifting his uninjured wing and hiding his head under it to sleep.
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Merlin woke up on his own the next morning. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find Archimedes perched on one of the support beams in the roof above him.
"Archimedes?" he asked, still sleep ridden.
Archimedes looked down at him. "Ki ki ki." He spread his wings and glided down to land next to Merlin on the bed. Merlin's eyes were wide.
"You just…but Gaius said….You're wing's healed?" he asked in shock.
"Ki ki ki ki." Archie stepped over next to Merlin and rubbed his head against Merlin's jacket covered arm. That was when Merlin realized he'd slept in his clothes.
"Did I do that with my magic?" Merlin mused quietly, running his finger down Archie's silver colored wings.
Silver?
"Merlin!"
Merlin jumped as the door to his bedroom burst open and Arthur walked in. Archie let out a "Ki!" and vanished under the bed for safety.
"What?" Merlin asked, a bit angry Arthur had scared his friend.
Arthur stepped over to Merlin's bed and hoisted him up by the arm. "Let's go. The castle is overrun!"
Merlin frowned. "Overrun by what exactly?" he asked.
Arthur stopped pulling Merlin out the door and gave him a dead serious stare. "Badgers."
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Gwen hurried through the halls with a pile of Morgana's laundry in her hands. Suddenly, a small badger scurried in front of her and she jumped. "What is….," she trailed off, staring at it.
Another badger followed the first in front of Gwen and they vanished down the adjoining hall. Then another, and another. Twelve badgers. Gwen's jaw was pretty much on the floor.
"Badgers, what?" she asked aloud.
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Morgana sat down at her vanity and picked up one of her hair brushes. Just before the brush touched her hair, she stopped, eyes widening. Then she jumped and pushed her chair back from the vanity to look under the table. A badger looked back at her from where it sat on her foot and then barred its teeth and hissed at her.
"Ah!" she yelped, jumping up and rushing away from the table. "Wah!" she yelped again when another badger scurried from under her bed. "Gwen!" Two more badgers escaped from under her bed and one from under her pillow on the bed.
Morgana's eyes flashed golden and the badger nearest her was sent sliding across the floor and into the wall. The rest of the badgers stopped, stared at her for a few moments, and then hissed and barred their teeth like the one under the vanity. They began advancing toward Morgana in the middle of the room at a slow but threatening pace.
Morgana took a deep breath, turned, and ran from her room.
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Even as Arthur was leading Merlin through the castle, Merlin saw badgers in the halls. They didn't even seem concerned that there were people around. They were just walking down the hall like they owned the place. Arthur was steadily ignoring them in return. Gaius was already in the throne room when they arrived, with Uther and several of the council members.
"Gaius," Arthur announced himself as they entered the room. "Merlin." He motioned for Merlin to walk forward and Gaius nodded.
"I'll get right to work on it, sire," Gaius assured Uther before turning and leaving the room, Merlin hot on his heels.
"Gaius, what is going on?" Merlin asked once they were a hallway away.
"Uther believes there is some sort of magical plague upon the castle. Arthur told him about the birds and the fish in the stables yesterday and today badgers are practically running the castle. I've managed to convince him that perhaps something in the weather is affecting where the animals choose to make their homes, but now Uther wants me to contrive some way of ridding the castle of the pests," Gaius explained.
Merlin shook his head. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Gaius stopped mid-stride and turned to him. "I was hoping you could scare them away with your powers while I work out what's causing them to show up in the first place."
Merlin gaped at him. "You want me to go around the castle casting spells on every badger I find?" He flopped his arms uselessly. "I'll never find them all!"
Gaius shook his head. "No. I want you to cast a spell on them all at once." He turned around and kept walking.
It took a few moments for the shock to wear off enough for Merlin to follow. "What?" he asked incredulously. "I've never done something like that before. Gaius, I'm not even sure I can!"
"You managed to gain the power over life and death once, Merlin. Casting a spell to scare away a few badgers is not so difficult."
They had arrived back in Gaius' chambers again by now. Merlin half wondered why he'd been retrieved in the first place if they were just going to come back to where he started from. Merlin frowned and sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll see what I can do."
Just then, Gwen walked in looking nonplussed. "Gaius, there are…badgers. Everywhere." She frowned. "Morgana's room is overrun."
Merlin grinned slightly. "Then I should go to her room first," he said. And if he accidentally left a little spell behind to wake her in the middle of the night or make her hair frizz or something, well that wouldn't be his fault, now would it?
"Hm?" Gwen asked.
Merlin shrugged absently. "Gaius wants me to go de-badger the castle while he figures out what's bringing them here." He motioned to Gaius vaguely as the older man retreated to his books.
Gwen perked. "Oh. Can I help?" she requested.
Merlin felt himself deflate a little. If Gwen was there, he couldn't cast any spells. De-badgering Morgana's room, or anywhere, would be a lot more difficult without magic. Still, he could never say no to Gwen. He smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'd appreciate the help."
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…
Well that was a fun adventure. Merlin spent most of the rest of the day in Morgana's chambers with Gwen. When they first arrived, they saw seven badgers just prowling about, and one dozing on Morgana's bed. They'd grabbed brooms on the way up and started smacking the badgers with the brooms until they left the room. Simple, yes?
Until they took on the one in the bed.
It hissed and barred its teeth at them and Merlin glared right back before using the end of the broom to prod the creature towards the other side of the bed. It kept hissing, sounding more and more upset, but moved all the same. Merlin knelt on the bed just as the badger reached the edge so that the broom would reach far enough, and heard a displeased grunt from under the covers.
"What?" he gasped, jumping back. The badger he'd been prodding shifted like it was about to curl up and sleep again, but misjudged how much bed was left and tumbled off the side and out of sight. Gwen quickly swept him out of the room before joining Merlin by the bed. "Gwen, grab that side of the covers."
Gwen did as she was told and together she and Merlin pulled the comforter down to the foot of the bed. She gasped and nearly dropped her broom. Three badgers, a mother and two babies, were snuggled up near the edge of the bed. Merlin frowned and prodded the mother with the broom while Gwen took a step back from the bed. She passed the night stand and yelped when there was a hiss from under it. Bending over, Gwen saw another badger hiding under the wooden table.
"Merlin, there's another one over here," Gwen announced, sounding a tad worried.
There was a low 'thump' and then two softer 'thump's as Merlin managed to get the badger family off the bed, but the mother was anything but happy. Merlin let his eyes glow golden as he whispered a spell that sent the three badgers running from the room to find some other hiding place. Gwen lifted her head to give Merlin a beseeching look and Merlin passed her an innocently curious look in return.
"Is there?" he asked, moving to her side of the bed. He knelt down to stare the badger in the face and caught sight of something under the bed. More badgers! "There are two more under the bed," he noted. Turning around, Merlin sighed. "And another under the vanity."
Gwen looked stunned when he stood back up. "Why are there so many?" she asked, sounding actually frightened.
Merlin shrugged. "Must be Morgana's personality." He cracked a grin and Gwen managed to return it before one of the badgers let out a low rumble and brought them back to the issue at hand. Merlin held up his broom like it was a terrible weapon and smirked at Gwen before dropping to the ground and crawling under the bed. Gwen laughed at him and moved to attack the badger under the table.
Once they'd gotten those four badgers out, which had been a sight to see had anyone walked in on them, Gwen discovered two more hiding in the curtains by the window and Merlin found one in Morgana's wardrobe. Gwen managed to get her two out rather simply, but Merlin got bit on the ankle by his. Gwen fret over it as blood started to gather and run down into Merlin's shoe.
"I'm fine," Merlin insisted, even as it began to sting. "Really. Besides, there are a lot more badgers to take care of in other parts of the castle."
Gwen shook her head. "No. You should see Gaius." She took him by the left jacket sleeve and began leading him out of the room and down the hall. They were one hallway over when Merlin hissed and stopped walking. Gwen's hand slipped off his jacket and she turned to look at him. "What?" she asked worriedly.
Merlin shook his head. "Nothing. It just stings a bit."
Gwen gave a teasing smile, like someone would give to a funny child. "And you wanted to keep going. You barely made it down the hall."
Merlin frowned. "Ha ha."
Gwen offered her shoulder and Merlin took it, though he wasn't happy about it. If Arthur saw him being supported by a girl, he'd never live it down, especially for something silly like a badger-bite. Luckily, they didn't pass anyone in the halls; no servants and no nobles. Merlin suspected they'd all run away from the badgers. Getting up the stairs to Gaius's chambers proved the most difficult part of the whole journey, but they managed it.
"Gaius," Gwen called out calmly as they entered.
Gaius looked up from where he'd been scouring a book and mixing a flower into a potion of some sort. He saw the wince on Merlin's face and frowned. "What happened?"
Merlin frowned and Gwen smiled like she was about to laugh. "I got bit by a badger," Merlin revealed grudgingly. Gwen let go of his arm and Merlin stepped over to the work table and sat on it before rolling up his pant leg to let Gaius see the wound.
Gaius almost smiled until he saw the bite. "It really got you," he commented, moving to grab some bandages and medicines of some sort. Just as he applied the cream-like medicine to the cut, Gwen cleared her throat. Merlin looked to her while Gaius kept working.
"I should get back and make sure there are no more badgers in Morgana's room," she said, as if ashamed she would be leaving him like this.
Merlin waved her off. "No problem. I'll join you later-"
"I think you should stay off this ankle for at least the rest of the day," Gaius interrupted him without looking up from where he was now wrapping Merlin's ankle.
Merlin frowned. "I'll see you later, Gwen," he amended stiffly. Gwen gave a shy smile, waved, and left the room. Gaius finished doing Merlin's ankle and rolled the pants back down and tucked them into Merlin's shoe as usual.
"Ki ki ki ki ki." The sound of flapping wings caught their attention a moment before Archie was next to Merlin. "Ki ki." Merlin held out his arm like he'd seen Tristan do and Archie landed on his forearm peacefully, rubbing his head on Merlin's cheek.
Gaius frowned. "Its wing is healed?"
Merlin laughed at Archie's behavior. "Yea. I don't know how though. I think maybe I did it by magic somehow. It wouldn't be the first time my magic did something of its own accord."
Gaius 'hmm'ed. "Let me check something," he murmured, grabbing a book from a shelf. Merlin and Archimedes watched him curiously for a few moments and then Gaius let out an "Ah ha. Found it." His eyes scanned the page and a strange grin covered his face. "Oh my," he said with a little laugh.
"What? Did you find out what's bringing the animals here?" Merlin asked, stepping over to see what Gaius had found, a slight limp in his walk. The sting was still there, but Gaius's medication was helping already.
"No," Gaius shook his head. "I looked up your new pet. It's very interesting." Merlin looked at the book and at the picture of the birds there. A larger brown one labeled 'female' and a smaller one with silver-blue colored wings labeled 'male.' "Your pet….is a Merlin."
"What?" Merlin gasped.
"Ki!" Archie agreed, looking shocked.
Gaius stifled a giggle. "A Merlin," he repeated, grinning. "They're a subspecies of falcon. The males are typically smaller than the females, like your friend here, and have black to silver-blue colored feathers. I don't think there's ever been a recorded sighting of one that looks quite like yours though. Truly silver wings."
"That's cause I'm special."
Merlin nodded. "Right. That's because Archie's WAH!" he jumped, his arm flailing and sending Archie flapping and falling to the ground. He barely righted himself in time to land without hurting himself. Merlin had to grab the table edge to keep from falling over. Gaius and Merlin stared at the small falcon with wide eyes. "Did you just hear that?" Merlin stage whispered to Gaius.
Gaius nodded. "Yes I did….I'm just not certain how."
Archie finished fixing his feathers and looked up at them. "Cause I'm special," he repeated like it was obvious, and both Merlin and Gaius watched the beak and tongue move to let out the sounds. Archie's voice was young, like that of a twelve year old human boy, and it was definitely speaking English….
"You…you….," Merlin tried. He cleared his throat. "How come you haven't spoken before?" he asked.
"It's hard," Archie supplied shortly. "Ki ki ki ki kiii. Falcon is easier."
"And are you the one behind the strange animals in the castle?" Gaius asked, still sounding amazed that he was speaking with a bird.
Archie turned and tilted his head a bit, looking shy. "Ki….I wanted to help Merlin…."
Gaius frowned while Merlin looked oddly touched. "And how were you doing that?"
Archimedes's opened his beak a few times, but closed it every time, and turned his head and fluttered his feathers like he was having trouble making the sounds come out. Merlin's eyes widened. "Groom the horses."
"What?" Gaius asked, his attention leaving the remarkable bird and turning to Merlin. Archie looked at him too, his eyes sparkling.
"Arthur told me to groom the horses so they'd be ready for us to go on a ride…and then the animals showed up in the stables and the horses got out," Merlin explained slowly. "But what do birds have to do with grooming horses? Or fish?"
Archimedes stepped to the left a few times and looked away from both humans watching him. "My magic is no good."
"Magic," Merlin breathed out.
Gaius frowned. "Well, your magic is bringing a lot of wild animals to Camelot that don't belong here. Can you send them away?"
Archimedes sighed a soft "ki" and gave a jerk of a nod. "Try." Merlin and Gaius watched in fascination as the warm brown eyes of the falcon lit to gold; his entire body going rigid for a moment before his eyes faded back to brown and he relaxed. "They should leave now. Ki ki ki ki."
Merlin smiled, holding his arm out for Archimedes to perch on. Archie let out a happy "Ki!" and flew up to rest there. Merlin pet him easily, thanking him for a job well done.
…
…
"Merlin, he can't stay here."
Merlin shot Gaius a look and frowned. "But he's my friend. Gaius, he's a magical being and I want to protect him."
Gaius shook his head. "Then let him go away. Camelot is not a safe place for magic. You are in danger every day for your gifts. Archimedes's magic is sporadic at best. He can barely control it. The best thing for him is to be as far from Camelot as possible."
Merlin looked forlorn. "But…," he protested weakly. "He's…Archimedes…."
"I understand."
Merlin and Gaius turned from where they'd been whispering to each other over the table where they ate. Archimedes was standing in Merlin's doorway, barely visible in the darkness of the night. They hadn't even heard the door open. Archie spread his wings, a slight glint in the moonlight, and flew over to sit on the table between them. He turned to Gaius.
"I want to be good. I want to be helpful. I am not…" He turned to Merlin, who was frowning and looking depressed. "I want to help you. Thank you for helping me." He stepped over so he could lean against Merlin's arm. "We will meet again. I promise. And I will help you then."
Merlin pet him, slow and gentle. "I look forward to that day, Archie."
Archimedes blinked at him. "Thank you for naming me too," he said happily. "I will definitely remember you."
With that, he waddled away from Merlin, spread his wings, and flapped his way to the open window high in the far wall. He gave a last look back at them both, winked, and then flew off into the night; his wings giving off a silver shine as he went.
Merlin wiped his eyes to keep himself from crying. "Why does everyone leave?" he asked, his voice quiet and somber.
Gaius placed a comforting hand on his left shoulder. "We all have our own paths, Merlin. But they'll cross again in time." There was a moment of silence, and then Gaius laughed. "A Merlin," he snickered, standing and moving to his test tubes and herbs to do who knows what until he fell asleep.
Merlin glared at his retreating back, but found himself grinning as well. Merlin and a Merlin. Destiny had some sense of humor.
"By the way," Merlin began lightly. "I hear Morgana still won't sleep in her bed for fear of the badgers."
…
…
Next Time: Llud's Poison
The seer said one wizard would stand at Arthur's side. Just one. The only way to be absolutely certain you are "the one" is to get rid of the competition altogether. A mysterious illness has affected many of Camelot's citizens, and Merlin is no exception. Everyone with even a hint of magic in them is falling ill and dying with no clear reason as to why. Arthur sets forth to find a cure and save the kingdom.
Pairing: Pretty Gen. Kind of one-sided Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Arthur, hinted Gwen/Lancelot. It’s about as gay as the series is, which is pretty gay.
Disclaimer: I do not own BBC’s Merlin. If I did, I’d be pretty happy because I’d know Colin and Bradley personally.
Summary: The legend of Excalibur is not as simple as everyone thinks. Arthur pulls a sword from a stone, beginning a chain of events that will lead him to his destiny and the sorcerer prophesied to stand beside him.
Chapter Summary: Merlin finds an injured bird in the forest one day and brings it home to heal. Meanwhile, the castle is plagued by a series of maladies and strange occurrences that no one can explain. The only clue is a hint of silver in the sunlight. Could Merlin's new pet have anything to do with the events in the castle? But really, how much harm could a little Merlin do?
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Part IX - Merlin
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A/N: So every Merlin season/series includes a humorous episode at some point. I decided to try my hand at this, but I'm not sure how well I did at the 'humor' part instead of simply writing another bit of the legends into an installment in this series.
This part draws references from The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White and general knowledge about falcons and other birds of prey. Reference pictures for the falcon I used are:
www.treknature.com/gallery/Asia/India/photo180773.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Falco_columbarius_NAUMANN.jpg
www.corbisimages.com/images/67/C6D437DE-6B8D-4F7B-A6B8-BBF34F88EFDE/IH167456.jpg
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It was a calm day in Camelot and Merlin was out in the woods collecting herbs for Gaius. Gaius had made him promise to actually gather herbs, because Merlin had a habit of going to collect things for the old man and leaving his collections somewhere in the middle of the forest because he got distracted. Not today. It was the most peaceful of peaceful days.
The sun was shining. The day was not too cold as it was still early winter. There was a light layer of snow on the ground that made a lot of people upset because this early in the season it meant their crops might fail. Merlin didn't care though. He was wearing an extra, thick shirt to keep warm and that was all he needed. He was also happy because it was barely noon and he was almost done gathering the winter herbs Gaius wanted. He had the sage and savory and now all he needed was rosemary.
It was hard finding white flowers in the snow.
Just as Merlin spotted the rosemary, he heard the call of a bird he'd never heard before. "Ki ki ki ki ki." He looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary in the area around him, so he shrugged and went over to the rosemary and began to collect the best of the plant. He stuffed it into his side pack with the rest of the herbs he'd collected and stood straight with an easy sigh.
"Ki ki ki ki kiiii-"
Merlin jumped when something hit the ground a few feet away. Upon closer inspection, he found it to be a small bird: a falcon. Its right wing was bent at an odd angle and Merlin quickly looked up to see what could've hurt it. What he saw was a larger bird - a white underbelly and dark brown head and wings - diving down toward the fallen smaller bird.
Without thinking, his eyes flashed golden and the larger bird let out a loud "KEK!" as it was hit by some invisible force. It flapped its wings frantically for a few moments, steadying itself, and then flew away with an indignant sounding "Kek-kek-kek" and then silence as it vanished over the treetops.
Once the bird was gone, Merlin hurried over to the fallen bird and knelt next to it in the snow. Its chest was heaving quickly in and out, its injured wing twitching every few seconds. When Merlin leaned over to examine its wings, the bird actually opened its eyes and turned its head to watch him. It was a beautiful bird. Its body was white with flecks of burnt orange every so often, and fading to fully burnt orange by its feet, which were a bright shade of yellow like its beak and around its eyes. Which brought Merlin to the most amazing feature of the small bird. Its head was white with hints of the same burnt orange closer to the back of the neck while the crown was practically silver in color, as were its wings. They actually shimmered in the late morning light.
"Wow," he breathed out. "You're beautiful." The bird turned its head a bit and Merlin thought it looked bashful at the compliment. Grinning, he carefully lifted the bird from the ground and tucked it between his body and his jacket for warmth. "Don't worry. I'll fix you up."
…
…
"Gaius, do you have any bandages I could use?" Merlin asked as he entered the room.
"What?" Gaius asked, turning from his work to give Merlin a once-over. "Are you hurt?"
Merlin shook his head and awkwardly pulled the bag of herbs from his shoulder with one hand, his other still held inside his jacket. Once his right hand was free, Merlin used it and his already occupied left hand to pull the bird from its warm haven and carefully set it down on a clear space of worktable. "No. He is."
Gaius raised an eyebrow and came to examine the patient. He gently pulled the wing out and inspected the injury and then nodded. "You can brace and bind it with the scraps I have." He pulled a pack of bandages from a cupboard and handed them to Merlin. "Really, what made you bring home an injured bird?"
Merlin shrugged as he began unraveling the bandages. "It felt right," he said in explanation. "Besides…I couldn't just leave him out there in the snow."
"Well, you'd better hurry and finish bandaging your new friend. Arthur sent for you several minutes ago. I told him you were out gathering herbs, but that won't hold him off for long," Gaius warned. Merlin frowned and set all his attentions to correctly bandaging the bird's wing.
…
…
Merlin entered his bedroom that night covered in dust. Arthur had made him clean his armor, walk his dogs, muck out the stables, clean his bedroom, draw him a bath, wash his laundry, make his bed, scrub the bedroom floor, wash the windows, and clean the fireplace. The dogs, which were typically well behaved, caught sight of a wild fox that had wandered into the knights' practice field and tore off through the slush, dragging Merlin with them. And then the fireplace had pretty much exploded on him with ash from the fires Arthur had insisted Merlin start every night since it was oh so cold inside. Thus, he was covered in ash and muck.
He flopped down on his bed and sighed. Sleep pulled at him and he had almost given in to the calling darkness, without even eating the dinner Gaius was making right now, when a soft 'ki-ki' woke him up. Sitting up, Merlin looked to his bedside table and smiled at the small, ten-inch long bird sitting there, staring at him curiously. Its right wing was bandaged and Merlin was proud to say that he'd done a marvelous job. Gaius had looked it up in one of his books and said it would take about six weeks for the wing to heal properly, but the bird already looked much healthier after only a few hours.
"Hey….," he greeted softly, reaching out his hand.
The bird, a falcon, Gaius had said, based on its wing shape and beak, lowered its head slightly so Merlin could gently brush its head with his right index finger. When he pulled back it shook itself and then let out a small 'ki' when it jostled its wing.
"Careful," Merlin warned, just as soft as before. "You'll hurt your wing even more." The falcon tilted its head a bit and then lowered it submissively. "You know….it's almost like you can understand me," he commented lightly, smiling. A yawn tore across his face, coming out loud and startling the falcon into taking a step back from him. "Sorry," Merlin half-yawned, rubbing his face. "Arthur gave me a lot to do today. I won't hurt you. I promise."
"Merlin," Gaius's voice called through his closed door. "Dinner's ready."
Merlin looked at the door and then at the falcon. "I'll see if Gaius can't tell me what you eat, and I'll bring you some dinner back," he said before standing, swaying, and then walking back out of his room to eat. The door shut behind him and the falcon watched it, almost without blinking, and didn't stop until Merlin came back. He brought a dead mouse with him. The falcon 'ki'ed in appreciation and chowed down. Merlin couldn't watch.
…
…
Morning broke over Camelot with a crisp feeling to the air: a sure sign of colder weather. Merlin woke to the soft calls of the falcon at his bedside and thanked it before getting up and ready to go to work.
"I won't be back until late. Behave yourself or Gaius'll toss you out," Merlin warned jokingly on his way out the door, shutting it behind himself to keep the small falcon inside. "Morning, Gaius."
He sat down and quickly scarfed the porridge Gaius had made. Gaius was already cleaning his own bowl. "Good morning, Merlin."
"So I just warned Archi not to make a mess or you'll throw him out…," Merlin began, "but please don't actually toss him."
"Archi?" Gaius asked incredulously.
Merlin nodded. "I woke up this morning with it on my tongue. Archimedes."
Gaius frowned. "Don't get too attached, Merlin. Falcons are wild animals. It'll fly away the moment its wing is better," he warned.
Merlin frowned but nodded. "I know. But calling him 'the bird' or 'the falcon' is tiresome, and he's gonna be here six weeks. I figured it was easier to call him by name."
Gaius shrugged, accepting. "Why Archimedes, though?"
Merlin stared into his bowl. "I don't know. It just came to me." He grinned up at Gaius. "Sounds intelligent, doesn't it?"
…
…
The curtains were pulled back and Arthur groaned, rolling over and hiding his face in his pillow. Merlin grinned. "Morning, sire," he greeted cheerfully, knowing it would only annoy Arthur that he was so chipper.
Arthur groaned again, snuggling deeper into his covers. "Why are you on time, Merlin?" he grumbled. "Go away and come back in an hour."
Merlin snickered softly to himself and shook his head. "Sorry, can't. You've got knights to train, breakfast to eat, and customs to learn….and I don't know about most people, but I think Kings aren't expected to sleep in when they're woken up on time."
Arthur let out a huff and rolled over onto his back. "They are when their sleep schedule is set for lateness," he half-yawned before sitting up and rubbing his face. He wore a sleep shirt these days to fend off the cold of the nights after the fire went out.
Merlin was already set about arranging Arthur's breakfast on the table with his back to the prince. Arthur smirked, letting his hands fall from his face and grabbing one of his pillows tight in his hand. He hoisted it far above his head and let it fly in one swift motion. Just before it connected, there was a knock on the door and Merlin turned. The pillow caught him right in the face and he let out a shocked squawk, turning to give a mock glare to Arthur who was simply smiling childishly from the bed.
"It's Gwen," a voice from the other side of the door spoke up.
The childish smile vanished and Arthur's eyes widened. He jumped from bed and rushed to his wardrobe, grabbing some clothes and vanishing behind the changing wall. Merlin smirked at where he'd disappeared, picked up the pillow and tossed it back on the bed, before moving to answer the door. When he opened it, Gwen looked shocked to see him.
"Merlin," she practically gasped. "You're here."
He raised an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?" he asked.
Gwen shook her head, a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Oh. Nowhere. I didn't mean to imply…..ahem," she cleared her throat. "I meant to ask Arthur something."
Merlin looked beyond the door to the changing wall. It shook and Arthur let out a small 'oof'. Merlin grinned, but quickly schooled his features into nonchalance as he turned back to look at Gwen. "He's preoccupied right now." She frowned and he rushed to amend it. "But I can have him come find you later, if you'd like."
She gave a small, unsure smile and Merlin smiled in return: success. "That would be lovely. Thank you, Merlin." She made to leave but stopped halfway gone and turned back to look at him. "And you?" she asked, her voice gentle and friendly. "How are you doing?"
Merlin gave a confused frown. What? Why would she-Oh. He gave a sigh, but was smiling to lessen the attitude behind it. "Gwen, I'm fine. That was five months ago. There's not even a mark left from where the arrow hit me," he assured her.
Gwen nodded, accepting, and hurried off to attend to her duties. Merlin watched her go before shutting the door. He jumped when it revealed Arthur was standing just behind it, giving him a disapproving frown. "Ah! Arthur!" He saw the look being directed at him and frowned, his hand still clutching over his heart. "What?" he asked in confusion.
Arthur reached forward and placed his hand on Merlin's chest, directly opposite where Merlin's own hand was. "Liar," he accused quietly.
"What?" Merlin asked again, his confusion mounting.
"I've seen you're chest, Merlin," Arthur explained. "There's an inch and a half scar right here," he emphasized by pressing his hand into Merlin's chest a bit, "from that assassin's arrow."
And in Arthur's eyes Merlin could see the problem. He rolled his eyes and backed away, letting his own hand drop while moving away from Arthur's. "You're as bad as Gwen," he whined. "I'm fine. I swear. It was months ago! I'm not dead. I don't fret this much when you get hurt, and I'm the more emotional of two of us."
The hurt and worried expression died on Arthur's face, morphed into something more playful. "That's because you're a woman," he teased in a serious tone.
Merlin's jaw dropped, but then he saw the smile hiding on Arthur's lips and grinned. "Eat your breakfast, sire," he ordered. "Your fair maiden needs you."
Arthur cuffed him lightly on the head as he passed by on his way to the table and his food, scowling.
…
…
Archimedes watched the bedroom door with unwavering eyes. He heard the outer door open and shut, and then the bedroom door swung open as if by its own accord. Archie took in a deep breath and hopped from the bedside table to the floor before scurrying from the room in search of food. This was a castle. There had to be rodents, birds, and insects somewhere…right?
He'd barely left the tower where Gaius lived when he caught whiff of something else: Merlin. Lifting his head, Archie saw Merlin open a window in an upper room and let out a small 'ki.' He shifted his head back and forth, watched as people entered the castle through a door across the courtyard, and began his journey.
At the bottom of the stairs, Archi stopped. This could be a problem since he couldn't fly. It had been hard getting up the steps to come inside in the first place and that was only a few steps. This was several dozen stairs….He hung his head but perked and looked up at the sound of Merlin's name.
"I'm off to train my knights," the creamy voice of Arthur Pendragon travelled down the stairs as he and Merlin exited his room. "I need you to groom my horse and get him ready for this afternoon. I'm going riding later, and you're coming with me."
"Right," Merlin agreed. He knew Arthur only brought him because he knew Merlin would find some way to follow him anyway so it was better to make it an order he come instead to avoid complications.
"You also need to sweep the fireplace again. The amount of ash that collected last night made the air dusty and grey this morning." They were coming down the stairs now and Archie hopped to the side and out of the way. He didn't want to be stepped on. "Finish cleaning my rooms and arrange for a bath to be brought up this evening. I want to wash the sludge off after our ride." Merlin shrugged behind Arthur and rolled his eyes: Arthur would get a nice bath while Merlin had to suffice with a bucket of water and a wet cloth. "But first," Arthur stated, stopping on the last bottom steps and turning to hand his sword to Merlin. "Sharpen this and give it to me on the field. I won't need it at first, but I will need it later in the training and I want it to be sharp. One hour, got that Merlin. I need it in an hour." He gave Merlin a look and Merlin frowned, taking the sword from him.
"Right. Yea yea. I got it. One hour," he grumbled. "Contrary to your belief, I'm not an idiot, sire. I can even read, if you remember."
Arthur shrugged. "Whatever," he brushed it off, even though he'd been shocked when he learned that only a short while ago. He turned away and continued down the steps and out the doors. "One hour, Merlin!" he called back.
Merlin sighed at the now empty doorway, void of the man in shining armor who had been with him only a moment before, and then looked down at the sword. "Alright. I'd best get to the armory then. One hour," he repeated jokingly before hurrying off.
Archie watched him go. "Ki ki."
…
…
Merlin was just walking out to the field with Arthur's freshly sharpened destiny sword when it happened. He heard a strange noise, like thunder in the ground, and then his eyes widened as he realized what it was. He jumped out of the way with less than a moment to spare as suddenly every horse the king owned went barreling past at a gallop.
"What?" he asked, eyes wide in shock. With barely a pause, Merlin turned and ran as fast as he could to the training field while the townspeople ran out of the way of the horses. "Arthur!" he shouted as soon as he could see the prince. "Arthur!"
He ignored the looks the knights were giving him as he ran right through their ranks up to Arthur's side. Arthur let out an 'ah.' "Merlin," he greeted. "Good. You finished my sword. But you completely broke the ranks," he chastised, motioning to his knights who were in disarray after moving to let Merlin through.
Merlin huffed in several breaths before responding. "No. No," he let out. "The horses. Arthur, all the horses just ran out of town."
Arthur's eyes widened. "What? How!" he demanded angrily, thinking Merlin had done something stupid again.
Merlin shrugged, handing Arthur his sword. "I don't know!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I was just leaving the armory and coming to give that to you when they all ran past me. I didn't do it!"
Arthur let out a ragged sigh. "Alright," he addressed his knights. "New plan. Go fetch the escaped horses. We'll continue this exercise tomorrow. Now go!" he ordered.
The knights quickly sheathed their swords and ran to follow the prince's orders. Arthur grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and pushed him back toward the stables. "Let's go."
"What about the horses?" Merlin asked.
"I have more knights than horses. If they each catch one, we'll get them all back. Or we'll set a reward for the return of the King's horses, or something. It doesn't matter. We need to find out how this happened."
When they arrived at the stables, neither was prepared for the sight that met their eyes. There were fish all over the ground of a variety neither Arthur nor Merlin had ever seen, and countless birds on every structure, eating the fish.
"What on Earth-?" Arthur asked.
"They probably spooked the horses," Merlin offered helpfully. Arthur looked from the odd sight of his stables to Merlin. "But who would do this?" Arthur blinked and took a step to the left, trying to see around Merlin. Merlin glanced at him before turning, looking for whatever Arthur was looking at. "What?"
"Nothing," Arthur shook his head. "I thought I saw something silver…..but it was nothing. We need to find the person who did this…and clean the place up before the horses get back."
Merlin regarded him curiously and looked at the door and the area around it. Silver?
"Merlin," Arthur called his attention and Merlin's head shot to look at the prince. "I said clean."
Merlin nodded. "Right. Clean." He grimaced as a bird pooped on Arthur's armor.
…
…
If anything, Merlin was more tired tonight than he was last night. He told Gaius not to even bother with dinner. Merlin could barely move his arms! He literally collapsed on his bed.
"Ki?"
Merlin managed to roll over onto his back and looked to his side table. "Hey Archimedes….," he greeted in a whisper. "I am so tired….Someone put fish in the stables and chased away all the horses with a bunch of birds….and I had to clean the stables out before the horses got back…" His eyes were falling shut. "It was….so weird…."
The soft sound of snoring permeated the air and Archimedes let out a soft "Ki" before lifting his uninjured wing and hiding his head under it to sleep.
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…
Merlin woke up on his own the next morning. He opened his eyes and was shocked to find Archimedes perched on one of the support beams in the roof above him.
"Archimedes?" he asked, still sleep ridden.
Archimedes looked down at him. "Ki ki ki." He spread his wings and glided down to land next to Merlin on the bed. Merlin's eyes were wide.
"You just…but Gaius said….You're wing's healed?" he asked in shock.
"Ki ki ki ki." Archie stepped over next to Merlin and rubbed his head against Merlin's jacket covered arm. That was when Merlin realized he'd slept in his clothes.
"Did I do that with my magic?" Merlin mused quietly, running his finger down Archie's silver colored wings.
Silver?
"Merlin!"
Merlin jumped as the door to his bedroom burst open and Arthur walked in. Archie let out a "Ki!" and vanished under the bed for safety.
"What?" Merlin asked, a bit angry Arthur had scared his friend.
Arthur stepped over to Merlin's bed and hoisted him up by the arm. "Let's go. The castle is overrun!"
Merlin frowned. "Overrun by what exactly?" he asked.
Arthur stopped pulling Merlin out the door and gave him a dead serious stare. "Badgers."
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…
Gwen hurried through the halls with a pile of Morgana's laundry in her hands. Suddenly, a small badger scurried in front of her and she jumped. "What is….," she trailed off, staring at it.
Another badger followed the first in front of Gwen and they vanished down the adjoining hall. Then another, and another. Twelve badgers. Gwen's jaw was pretty much on the floor.
"Badgers, what?" she asked aloud.
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…
Morgana sat down at her vanity and picked up one of her hair brushes. Just before the brush touched her hair, she stopped, eyes widening. Then she jumped and pushed her chair back from the vanity to look under the table. A badger looked back at her from where it sat on her foot and then barred its teeth and hissed at her.
"Ah!" she yelped, jumping up and rushing away from the table. "Wah!" she yelped again when another badger scurried from under her bed. "Gwen!" Two more badgers escaped from under her bed and one from under her pillow on the bed.
Morgana's eyes flashed golden and the badger nearest her was sent sliding across the floor and into the wall. The rest of the badgers stopped, stared at her for a few moments, and then hissed and barred their teeth like the one under the vanity. They began advancing toward Morgana in the middle of the room at a slow but threatening pace.
Morgana took a deep breath, turned, and ran from her room.
…
…
Even as Arthur was leading Merlin through the castle, Merlin saw badgers in the halls. They didn't even seem concerned that there were people around. They were just walking down the hall like they owned the place. Arthur was steadily ignoring them in return. Gaius was already in the throne room when they arrived, with Uther and several of the council members.
"Gaius," Arthur announced himself as they entered the room. "Merlin." He motioned for Merlin to walk forward and Gaius nodded.
"I'll get right to work on it, sire," Gaius assured Uther before turning and leaving the room, Merlin hot on his heels.
"Gaius, what is going on?" Merlin asked once they were a hallway away.
"Uther believes there is some sort of magical plague upon the castle. Arthur told him about the birds and the fish in the stables yesterday and today badgers are practically running the castle. I've managed to convince him that perhaps something in the weather is affecting where the animals choose to make their homes, but now Uther wants me to contrive some way of ridding the castle of the pests," Gaius explained.
Merlin shook his head. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Gaius stopped mid-stride and turned to him. "I was hoping you could scare them away with your powers while I work out what's causing them to show up in the first place."
Merlin gaped at him. "You want me to go around the castle casting spells on every badger I find?" He flopped his arms uselessly. "I'll never find them all!"
Gaius shook his head. "No. I want you to cast a spell on them all at once." He turned around and kept walking.
It took a few moments for the shock to wear off enough for Merlin to follow. "What?" he asked incredulously. "I've never done something like that before. Gaius, I'm not even sure I can!"
"You managed to gain the power over life and death once, Merlin. Casting a spell to scare away a few badgers is not so difficult."
They had arrived back in Gaius' chambers again by now. Merlin half wondered why he'd been retrieved in the first place if they were just going to come back to where he started from. Merlin frowned and sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll see what I can do."
Just then, Gwen walked in looking nonplussed. "Gaius, there are…badgers. Everywhere." She frowned. "Morgana's room is overrun."
Merlin grinned slightly. "Then I should go to her room first," he said. And if he accidentally left a little spell behind to wake her in the middle of the night or make her hair frizz or something, well that wouldn't be his fault, now would it?
"Hm?" Gwen asked.
Merlin shrugged absently. "Gaius wants me to go de-badger the castle while he figures out what's bringing them here." He motioned to Gaius vaguely as the older man retreated to his books.
Gwen perked. "Oh. Can I help?" she requested.
Merlin felt himself deflate a little. If Gwen was there, he couldn't cast any spells. De-badgering Morgana's room, or anywhere, would be a lot more difficult without magic. Still, he could never say no to Gwen. He smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'd appreciate the help."
…
…
Well that was a fun adventure. Merlin spent most of the rest of the day in Morgana's chambers with Gwen. When they first arrived, they saw seven badgers just prowling about, and one dozing on Morgana's bed. They'd grabbed brooms on the way up and started smacking the badgers with the brooms until they left the room. Simple, yes?
Until they took on the one in the bed.
It hissed and barred its teeth at them and Merlin glared right back before using the end of the broom to prod the creature towards the other side of the bed. It kept hissing, sounding more and more upset, but moved all the same. Merlin knelt on the bed just as the badger reached the edge so that the broom would reach far enough, and heard a displeased grunt from under the covers.
"What?" he gasped, jumping back. The badger he'd been prodding shifted like it was about to curl up and sleep again, but misjudged how much bed was left and tumbled off the side and out of sight. Gwen quickly swept him out of the room before joining Merlin by the bed. "Gwen, grab that side of the covers."
Gwen did as she was told and together she and Merlin pulled the comforter down to the foot of the bed. She gasped and nearly dropped her broom. Three badgers, a mother and two babies, were snuggled up near the edge of the bed. Merlin frowned and prodded the mother with the broom while Gwen took a step back from the bed. She passed the night stand and yelped when there was a hiss from under it. Bending over, Gwen saw another badger hiding under the wooden table.
"Merlin, there's another one over here," Gwen announced, sounding a tad worried.
There was a low 'thump' and then two softer 'thump's as Merlin managed to get the badger family off the bed, but the mother was anything but happy. Merlin let his eyes glow golden as he whispered a spell that sent the three badgers running from the room to find some other hiding place. Gwen lifted her head to give Merlin a beseeching look and Merlin passed her an innocently curious look in return.
"Is there?" he asked, moving to her side of the bed. He knelt down to stare the badger in the face and caught sight of something under the bed. More badgers! "There are two more under the bed," he noted. Turning around, Merlin sighed. "And another under the vanity."
Gwen looked stunned when he stood back up. "Why are there so many?" she asked, sounding actually frightened.
Merlin shrugged. "Must be Morgana's personality." He cracked a grin and Gwen managed to return it before one of the badgers let out a low rumble and brought them back to the issue at hand. Merlin held up his broom like it was a terrible weapon and smirked at Gwen before dropping to the ground and crawling under the bed. Gwen laughed at him and moved to attack the badger under the table.
Once they'd gotten those four badgers out, which had been a sight to see had anyone walked in on them, Gwen discovered two more hiding in the curtains by the window and Merlin found one in Morgana's wardrobe. Gwen managed to get her two out rather simply, but Merlin got bit on the ankle by his. Gwen fret over it as blood started to gather and run down into Merlin's shoe.
"I'm fine," Merlin insisted, even as it began to sting. "Really. Besides, there are a lot more badgers to take care of in other parts of the castle."
Gwen shook her head. "No. You should see Gaius." She took him by the left jacket sleeve and began leading him out of the room and down the hall. They were one hallway over when Merlin hissed and stopped walking. Gwen's hand slipped off his jacket and she turned to look at him. "What?" she asked worriedly.
Merlin shook his head. "Nothing. It just stings a bit."
Gwen gave a teasing smile, like someone would give to a funny child. "And you wanted to keep going. You barely made it down the hall."
Merlin frowned. "Ha ha."
Gwen offered her shoulder and Merlin took it, though he wasn't happy about it. If Arthur saw him being supported by a girl, he'd never live it down, especially for something silly like a badger-bite. Luckily, they didn't pass anyone in the halls; no servants and no nobles. Merlin suspected they'd all run away from the badgers. Getting up the stairs to Gaius's chambers proved the most difficult part of the whole journey, but they managed it.
"Gaius," Gwen called out calmly as they entered.
Gaius looked up from where he'd been scouring a book and mixing a flower into a potion of some sort. He saw the wince on Merlin's face and frowned. "What happened?"
Merlin frowned and Gwen smiled like she was about to laugh. "I got bit by a badger," Merlin revealed grudgingly. Gwen let go of his arm and Merlin stepped over to the work table and sat on it before rolling up his pant leg to let Gaius see the wound.
Gaius almost smiled until he saw the bite. "It really got you," he commented, moving to grab some bandages and medicines of some sort. Just as he applied the cream-like medicine to the cut, Gwen cleared her throat. Merlin looked to her while Gaius kept working.
"I should get back and make sure there are no more badgers in Morgana's room," she said, as if ashamed she would be leaving him like this.
Merlin waved her off. "No problem. I'll join you later-"
"I think you should stay off this ankle for at least the rest of the day," Gaius interrupted him without looking up from where he was now wrapping Merlin's ankle.
Merlin frowned. "I'll see you later, Gwen," he amended stiffly. Gwen gave a shy smile, waved, and left the room. Gaius finished doing Merlin's ankle and rolled the pants back down and tucked them into Merlin's shoe as usual.
"Ki ki ki ki ki." The sound of flapping wings caught their attention a moment before Archie was next to Merlin. "Ki ki." Merlin held out his arm like he'd seen Tristan do and Archie landed on his forearm peacefully, rubbing his head on Merlin's cheek.
Gaius frowned. "Its wing is healed?"
Merlin laughed at Archie's behavior. "Yea. I don't know how though. I think maybe I did it by magic somehow. It wouldn't be the first time my magic did something of its own accord."
Gaius 'hmm'ed. "Let me check something," he murmured, grabbing a book from a shelf. Merlin and Archimedes watched him curiously for a few moments and then Gaius let out an "Ah ha. Found it." His eyes scanned the page and a strange grin covered his face. "Oh my," he said with a little laugh.
"What? Did you find out what's bringing the animals here?" Merlin asked, stepping over to see what Gaius had found, a slight limp in his walk. The sting was still there, but Gaius's medication was helping already.
"No," Gaius shook his head. "I looked up your new pet. It's very interesting." Merlin looked at the book and at the picture of the birds there. A larger brown one labeled 'female' and a smaller one with silver-blue colored wings labeled 'male.' "Your pet….is a Merlin."
"What?" Merlin gasped.
"Ki!" Archie agreed, looking shocked.
Gaius stifled a giggle. "A Merlin," he repeated, grinning. "They're a subspecies of falcon. The males are typically smaller than the females, like your friend here, and have black to silver-blue colored feathers. I don't think there's ever been a recorded sighting of one that looks quite like yours though. Truly silver wings."
"That's cause I'm special."
Merlin nodded. "Right. That's because Archie's WAH!" he jumped, his arm flailing and sending Archie flapping and falling to the ground. He barely righted himself in time to land without hurting himself. Merlin had to grab the table edge to keep from falling over. Gaius and Merlin stared at the small falcon with wide eyes. "Did you just hear that?" Merlin stage whispered to Gaius.
Gaius nodded. "Yes I did….I'm just not certain how."
Archie finished fixing his feathers and looked up at them. "Cause I'm special," he repeated like it was obvious, and both Merlin and Gaius watched the beak and tongue move to let out the sounds. Archie's voice was young, like that of a twelve year old human boy, and it was definitely speaking English….
"You…you….," Merlin tried. He cleared his throat. "How come you haven't spoken before?" he asked.
"It's hard," Archie supplied shortly. "Ki ki ki ki kiii. Falcon is easier."
"And are you the one behind the strange animals in the castle?" Gaius asked, still sounding amazed that he was speaking with a bird.
Archie turned and tilted his head a bit, looking shy. "Ki….I wanted to help Merlin…."
Gaius frowned while Merlin looked oddly touched. "And how were you doing that?"
Archimedes's opened his beak a few times, but closed it every time, and turned his head and fluttered his feathers like he was having trouble making the sounds come out. Merlin's eyes widened. "Groom the horses."
"What?" Gaius asked, his attention leaving the remarkable bird and turning to Merlin. Archie looked at him too, his eyes sparkling.
"Arthur told me to groom the horses so they'd be ready for us to go on a ride…and then the animals showed up in the stables and the horses got out," Merlin explained slowly. "But what do birds have to do with grooming horses? Or fish?"
Archimedes stepped to the left a few times and looked away from both humans watching him. "My magic is no good."
"Magic," Merlin breathed out.
Gaius frowned. "Well, your magic is bringing a lot of wild animals to Camelot that don't belong here. Can you send them away?"
Archimedes sighed a soft "ki" and gave a jerk of a nod. "Try." Merlin and Gaius watched in fascination as the warm brown eyes of the falcon lit to gold; his entire body going rigid for a moment before his eyes faded back to brown and he relaxed. "They should leave now. Ki ki ki ki."
Merlin smiled, holding his arm out for Archimedes to perch on. Archie let out a happy "Ki!" and flew up to rest there. Merlin pet him easily, thanking him for a job well done.
…
…
"Merlin, he can't stay here."
Merlin shot Gaius a look and frowned. "But he's my friend. Gaius, he's a magical being and I want to protect him."
Gaius shook his head. "Then let him go away. Camelot is not a safe place for magic. You are in danger every day for your gifts. Archimedes's magic is sporadic at best. He can barely control it. The best thing for him is to be as far from Camelot as possible."
Merlin looked forlorn. "But…," he protested weakly. "He's…Archimedes…."
"I understand."
Merlin and Gaius turned from where they'd been whispering to each other over the table where they ate. Archimedes was standing in Merlin's doorway, barely visible in the darkness of the night. They hadn't even heard the door open. Archie spread his wings, a slight glint in the moonlight, and flew over to sit on the table between them. He turned to Gaius.
"I want to be good. I want to be helpful. I am not…" He turned to Merlin, who was frowning and looking depressed. "I want to help you. Thank you for helping me." He stepped over so he could lean against Merlin's arm. "We will meet again. I promise. And I will help you then."
Merlin pet him, slow and gentle. "I look forward to that day, Archie."
Archimedes blinked at him. "Thank you for naming me too," he said happily. "I will definitely remember you."
With that, he waddled away from Merlin, spread his wings, and flapped his way to the open window high in the far wall. He gave a last look back at them both, winked, and then flew off into the night; his wings giving off a silver shine as he went.
Merlin wiped his eyes to keep himself from crying. "Why does everyone leave?" he asked, his voice quiet and somber.
Gaius placed a comforting hand on his left shoulder. "We all have our own paths, Merlin. But they'll cross again in time." There was a moment of silence, and then Gaius laughed. "A Merlin," he snickered, standing and moving to his test tubes and herbs to do who knows what until he fell asleep.
Merlin glared at his retreating back, but found himself grinning as well. Merlin and a Merlin. Destiny had some sense of humor.
"By the way," Merlin began lightly. "I hear Morgana still won't sleep in her bed for fear of the badgers."
…
…
Next Time: Llud's Poison
The seer said one wizard would stand at Arthur's side. Just one. The only way to be absolutely certain you are "the one" is to get rid of the competition altogether. A mysterious illness has affected many of Camelot's citizens, and Merlin is no exception. Everyone with even a hint of magic in them is falling ill and dying with no clear reason as to why. Arthur sets forth to find a cure and save the kingdom.