TOAFK - Merlin's Return
Title: The Once and Future King
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Pretty Gen, like The Sword in the Stone, but with eventual (by fan vote) Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Lancelot. Other pairings will be added as chapters with them are posted.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: up to 3x08
A/N: This is a sequel to The Sword in the Stone, and you should definitely read that before reading this.
Summary: Arthur knows of Merlin's magic, but their destiny has only begun. The journey to uniting the lands of Albion is long and filled with danger. Presented in 14 parts. Click Here for Masterpost.
Chapter Summary: An old friend returns and Camelot is besieged by creatures half human and half bird. Coincidence? When the knights ride out to face this new threat, Merlin finds that his magic is useless! And as the sun sets, there's a flash of silver in the sunlight.
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Part III - Merlin's Return
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The clatter of swords was the first sound anyone near the knight's training grounds would hear, but the clatter did not come from the knights. In fact, the knights had been told to leave the area for the next several hours, or else. Previous bad experiences kept even the most disgruntled knight away. The sound came, instead, from two lonely swords.
"Come on, Merlin," Arthur said in a disapproving tone. "Left. Right. Right. Forward."
"Left. Right…R-right. Ah. Forwa-!" Merlin yelped as he fell backward over his own feet and landed hard in the dirt. He let his sword drop uselessly to the ground beside him.
He felt like he was swimming in his own sweat. Arthur had been drilling him for two hours already and it was just past mid-day. The armor was stifling! Merlin took in deep gulps of air during the momentary pause.
Arthur stood over him with a frown on his face. He allowed Merlin five seconds reprieve. "Alright. Up. Let's go."
Merlin glared balefully up at his prince. "Are you serious?"
Arthur nodded and used his sword to motion to Merlin to get up. "Yes. I can't be worrying about you in every fight and, frankly, you're still absolute rubbish with a sword, despite my best efforts. Now get up," he ordered.
With a huff of breath, Merlin pushed himself up until he was seated. Arthur held out a hand and Merlin took it thankfully. Arthur pulled him to his feet and then retrieved Merlin's sword for him. Handing it back to his servant, he gave a brief nod.
The prince held his sword up in front of him. Excalibur gleamed in the light, and Merlin almost thought it looked happy in Arthur's hands.
"Once more, hold your sword like this," Arthur instructed, turning his sword so Merlin could see where he held the hilt. "Honestly, you would think after four years you'd know something this simple."
Merlin glared again. He grasped his sword in mimic to Arthur's. "I can do that," he insisted indignantly. "I'm not an idiot."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "As we've established," he said flippantly. He pulled his sword back, bending a bit at the knees into a battle stance. "Now parry."
Without any more warning, Arthur lunged forward. He swung his sword in from the right. Merlin's eyes widened but he managed to pull his sword up in time to catch Arthur's blade. Arthur kept pressing forward, trying to knock Merlin's sword away, but Merlin leaned into the action and threw Arthur back instead.
"Good," Arthur complimented, "Now do that again. Then attack."
The golden haired prince thrust forward. Merlin dodged to the side, not bothering to try and parry that move. Arthur immediately turned and attacked with a swing at Merlin's right side. Merlin lifted his own sword and met the attack head on. Merlin shoved forward, actually forcing Arthur to back up a step or face cutting himself on his own sword. With one great shove, Merlin knocked Arthur's sword wide. He then used Arthur's brief moment of unbalance to attack. He lifted his arms and brought his sword down fast.
Arthur watched as Merlin's sword stopped a hair from the top of his head, and then Merlin pulled back. The prince grinned. "See, I knew you could do it."
Merlin frowned. "Only because you're going easy on me." He let out a heavy sigh and dropped to the ground. "Let's just admit that I'll never be good with a sword."
"On the contrary," Arthur disagreed, sheathing Excalibur and placing his hands on his hips as he stared down at Merlin. "You're already better than half the men who come to Camelot trying to be knights."
Which wasn't a lie. A lot of noblemen's sons were pompous lay-a-bouts who could barely hold a sword, but their fathers wanted them to do something important with their lives so they all sent them to Camelot to be knights. Arthur enjoyed laying those men out on the ground. And even some of the knights Arthur trained daily couldn't stop a sword with as much precision as Merlin could. They would have cut Arthur just now.
He shook his head. "But you'll never be as skilled as I am," he added, to make sure Merlin didn't get a big head.
Merlin rolled his shoulders and winced. "Of course I'll never be that good," he said through the motion, "you've got a sword that doesn't let you lose." He lowered his head, stretching his neck. He felt so sore!
Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but paused. That was true. As long as he held Excalibur in his hand and had the will to carry on, he couldn't really be defeated. He wondered if he could get stabbed through the stomach and live…not that he was tempted to test it out though. Arthur shook his head once to clear it.
"Well, couldn't you just use magic to be a good swordsman?" Merlin's head shot up, his eyes wide. "I'm sure there's a spell somewhere in those books of-"
"Shh!" Merlin interrupted loudly. He pushed himself to his feet quicker than Arthur had ever seen him do…pretty much anything. Once eye level with the prince, he glared. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? My father already accepts you as my 'destined sorcerer,' so what are you worried about?"
Merlin gave him a withering look. "I doubt the kingdom would understand if the king gave clemency for one man, and then killed another for the same crime," he explained quietly.
As the logic of Merlin's words dawned on Arthur, his eyes widened a mite and he stepped back from Merlin. "I see your point," he admitted. "But it still stands to reason that you could be a better swordsman if you wanted to be," he insisted conspiratorially. With a nod to Merlin's sword, Arthur said, "In any case, I have other duties to attend to besides teaching my manservant to use a sword. So keep practicing on your own for another thirty minutes." He sheathed Excalibur. "After that, make sure to take a bath. I don't want you stinking up the whole castle. Also, walk my dogs and make sure all my hunting equipment is in working order. We're going on a hunt tomorrow, weather permitting."
The last two words were said in another somewhat conspiratorial way, and Merlin realized Arthur was expecting him to have some sort of control over the weather. What?
Merlin watched the prince walk off the field and out of sight with a gaping mouth. He threw his arms out to the side and then let them fall back to his sides. "And I wondered why I kept my secret from him for so long," he said to himself with a shake of his head before bending to pick up his sword. Heavens knew Arthur would just know if Merlin skipped out on the next half an hour of training, even with no one around to watch him. "He's such a dollop."
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"Merlin!" Gaius's voice pulled him from sleep. "Come here!"
His muscles were still sore from the training day followed by a full day of chasing after Arthur while he hunted, but Gaius sounded pleased and the sun was shining lightly through his window anyway, so Merlin pushed himself up and out of bed. He was still in his nightclothes, but Gaius wouldn't call him out without warning if there was someone here who would care.
Almost as soon as his bedroom door opened, Merlin found himself on his back with a chest full of feathers. "Oof!"
"Ki ki ki ki ki ki kiii!"
Merlin sat up, the bird falling to his lap instead, and beamed. "Archimedes?" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"
Archie let out a pleased trill. "Missed you!" He preened as Merlin pet his head. "Kii..." His voice was a note deeper than it had been the last time he was in town. That was probably because birds age faster than humans.
Merlin got up, carrying Archimedes on his arm, and moved to sit at the table. Once he was seated, Archie hopped up to his shoulder and nuzzled against his hair. Merlin laughed.
"I missed you too, Archie," Merlin said with a broad smile.
Gaius placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Merlin and sat down across from his ward with his own bowl. "He woke me up this morning before the sun was even up," the old man explained.
Archimedes ducked his head under a wing, embarrassed, but did not speak. Gaius shook his head.
"I'm not angry, Archimedes," he said. "But next time you visit, a more sunlit hour would be appreciated."
The 'kii' Archie let out then was a joyful sound, knowing he was allowed to come back. The falcon hopped from Merlin's shoulder to the table and then over to Gaius. He gave Gaius one head rub against his arm before settling on the table between the two men.
Merlin smiled for a few moments, contentedly eating his oatmeal mush. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. "I have to go tend to Arthur," he complained.
"That is your job every day, as I recall," Gaius said in a sort of half teasing tone.
Merlin gave him a withering look. "But there's no telling how long Archie is going to be here this time. And I haven't seen him in months. "
"I'll be here when you get back," Archie assured him. "Lots to...talk about."
Merlin pet Archie on the head with another warm smile before continuing to eat his breakfast.
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Arthur was having a strange morning.
First, Merlin had been on time to wake him up. Second, his breakfast had been perfectly warm, drink cold, with flowers on the tray. Third, Merlin had been humming as he cleaned Arthur's bedroom, practically bouncing and with a smile so wide Arthur legitimately feared it would break his face.
"What has you so sickeningly happy this morning?" Arthur asked as he popped a bit of milk soaked bread into his mouth.
Merlin shrugged, turning down the covers on the bed. "A friend is in town. I haven't seen him in awhile, so I'm happy he's here."
"A friend, hm?" Arthur asked, watching as Merlin moved to pick out Arthur's outfit for the day.
What friend did Merlin have that Arthur didn't know about? He was with Arthur very nearly every day. And a friend he hadn't seen in awhile? Someone from Ealdor perhaps? Except when they'd gone to help sort out that bandit problem, the only friend Merlin had seemed to have was Will and now, sadly, Will was gone. Not from Ealdor then.
Arthur had the patience to wait until he was done eating, then he couldn't stand it. "What friend?" he asked. He tried to sound blasé about it but the question came out sounding more curious than he would've liked.
Merlin smirked at him, picking up on it, and Arthur forced himself to look away so as to appear less interested. Merlin set a pair of boots on the floor next to where he'd set Arthur's outfit, then moved over to the table and sat down across from his master.
"You know," he began, failing as badly at being casual as Arthur had. There was a large grin on Merlin's face. "Maybe I should introduce you to him. You missed out last time he was in town."
Last time? Arthur shifted in his seat, clasping his hands together on the tabletop and frowning. "Is he a noble?"
That earned him a laugh. "Not nearly." Merlin's leg was bouncing under the table. "You don't have anything planned for awhile after knight's training today. How about I take you to meet him? He's staying with me and Gaius."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "If it stops you from jumping out of your own skin, then by all means, introduce me to your 'friend'," Arthur said, with air quotes.
If it also satiated his gnawing curiosity, that was just a bonus that he wasn't going to mention.
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"Alright then. Prince Arthur of Camelot, meet Archimedes," Merlin announced with a grand wave of his hand.
Archimedes, his silver feathers catching the light from the high windows, let out a 'ki' in greeting and stood as tall as his little bird form allowed. Arthur blinked at the falcon for a few moments, uncomprehending.
"Merlin," he began, "are you honestly trying to tell me that the 'friend' you were so excited about...is a bird?"
"A Merlin, actually," Merlin corrected with a smug smile. When Arthur lifted an eyebrow, he explained, "Archimedes is a type of falcon called a Merlin."
Arthur sighed. "Of course he is." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Listen, Merlin, I've always known you were mentally deficient, but a bird isn't a person. I mean, I like my dogs well enough, but they aren't my friends. This pigeon-"
"Falcon."
"Right, this falcon-what?" Arthur jolted to an abrupt stop and stared with wide eyes at Archimedes. After a moment, obviously deciding he was confused, Arthur began looking around the room. "Is there someone else here?"
Merlin chuckled, Archimedes hiding his face under a wing while his little bird body shivered with his own silent laughter as well. "No, it's just me, you, and Archie. Who is beyond honored to meet you, right Archie?"
Archimedes nodded his head as Arthur's gaze landed on him again. "Right. Ki kii ki."
Arthur needed to sit down. Luckily there was a stool right next to him, so when he collapsed there was something other than the floor to catch him. He never took his eyes off the proud looking hunting bird standing on the table.
Merlin took the silence as opportunity to explain. "Somehow Archimedes has magic, even though he's a bird. That means he can speak English, but it's hard for him so he doesn't say too much. It's still amazing though."
"Kiiii. Merlin saved me," Archie acknowledged. "I want to return ki ki the favor."
Rubbing his hands over his face, Arthur took a deep breath. Merlin saved a bird. Of course he did. That was just who Merlin was. He saved a magical bird too, because that was also who Merlin was. He attracted this kind of stuff. At least he was usually able to handle whatever that stuff was.
"Okay," Arthur let out, looking at Archie again. "Archimedes, you said?" Both Merlin and Archimedes nodded and they looked scarily similar. Arthur shook his head. "What kind of magic can you do?"
Archie's head moved up and down for a few moments before he made a sound. "Nature. Animals. I can...summon them."
"Summoning animals. Alright. That doesn't sound-," Arthur trailed off mid nod, remembering a case of wild animals running amok in the castle. "Wait. The fish in the stables? The birds? The badgers?" Archimedes looked to Merlin for help and Arthur massaged the bridge of his nose. "Ok ok, alright. Fine. It's fine," he repeated, shaking himself. "Just, tell me we aren't going to have a repeat of Nights with Morgana."
Last time, when Morgana had avoided her room for two weeks after the badger incident, she had wandered to Arthur's room in the middle of the night three times in the first week and twice in the second. All five times, she kept Arthur awake throughout the night, jumping at shadows and forcing him to tell her stories their nursemaids told them when they were little so they would go to sleep. He'd made half of it up because he couldn't remember the stories. Every time he'd made a particularly blatant lie, Morgana had glared at him, but overall she'd seemed to appreciate his attempts. Of course, then she fell asleep in his bed and Arthur couldn't use it until she woke up the next morning, refreshed, and left to her temporary chambers. It had been draining.
And Merlin, the cretin, was grinning like the cat that got the cream.
"I swear, Merlin, if we do, I'll send her to you this time. It's worse than a day in the stocks," he threatened his manservant.
Said manservant gave him an unimpressed look. "And how would you know, milord? Spend a lot of time in the stocks?"
"No, but it hasn't killed you yet," Arthur shot back, mimicking Merlin's tone.
Merlin scoffed. "Reciting fairytales for you sister isn't going to kill you."
"That's what you think," Arthur informed him darkly.
"I'm confused," Archimedes broke in.
Merlin reached out and pet the falcon gently on the head, running down its feathered back, but didn't explain. How did you explain the relationship between Morgana and Arthur anyway? Even before Morgause entered the picture, Merlin would've had a hard time coming up with a way to describe them.
"Tell me there aren't badgers hiding in my room," Arthur ordered of Merlin.
Merlin looked at Archimedes. It took the falcon a moment to catch on, but then he let out a shocked 'ki' and fluttered his wings. "No no no. No badgers. Just me. Ki kiiii ki ki. I control it better now."
Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "You're as reassuring as Merlin," he said in a tone like a mix between a sigh and a groan.
Archimedes preened proudly, even though it hadn't been a compliment.
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Only hours later, Arthur was in the lower town. The sun had begun to set but the town was far from sleepy. A group of six farmers had been attacked just outside the city walls and tales of what had attacked them traveled quickly to the castle.
"Gaius," Arthur said in greeting as he came upon where the older man and Merlin were bandaging the wounded men.
"Sire," Gaius replied with an inclination of his head, then kept spreading ointments on the man's wounds.
Arthur examined the man. There were deep cuts on his left arm and leg, and many smaller abrasions on the rest of him. His clothing was as roughed up as he was and his dirty face was scrunched up in pain. He wasn't moaning in pain, only wincing and gasping as Gaius carefully prodded the wounds while working. He was handling it better than some of the knights Arthur had known in his lifetime.
Arthur moved over to where Merlin was helping a separate man and knelt down by the older gentleman's head. He shared a brief look with Merlin. His manservant didn't look too grim so Arthur figured the old man was going to live.
"Sir," he greeted the man. His brown eyes took in Arthur with shock that overrode the pain he was obviously in. "I need you to confirm what it was that attacked you. An animal or beast?"
The farmer nodded roughly. "Yes, sire," he said, his voice sounding wrecked. "We thought they were...were women, just...standing just at the tree line. We called out to them but they...they only giggled and moved further into the trees. When we followed, they weren't women at all." He groaned and panted for a few moments when Merlin tied off the bandage around the worst of his wounds. "Women's faces and chests, yes. But no arms. No legs. No bodies."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. He had heard bits of this before he came to investigate, but not all together. He had thought the story was just getting mixed up in the retelling but it seemed not. How could a creature just be a head and chest?
The old man was staring at Arthur but his gaze was distant. "They had wings instead of arms," he whispered. "Giant birds with human faces. Talons sharper than a new sword." His voice became wheezy near the end and Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you," the servant said. "Now rest, alright? Keep an eye on your bandages, and have them changed out in the morning, first thing. Don't do anything strenuous and if you need more medicines, send someone to Gaius."
Once the peasant had nodded and the elderly woman and younger lady nearby had also agreed, Merlin cast a look at Arthur and walked away from the family. Arthur also thanked the man and then followed. They walked just out of earshot of all the people gathered around and then stopped. When Merlin spoke, it was quiet and Arthur almost had to strain to hear him.
"I spoke to Gaius," he said. "He said the descriptions given by the men sound like a harpy."
"What's a harpy?" Arthur asked.
Merlin nodded toward the men Gaius was finishing up bandaging. "Exactly what they say, apparently. Giant birds with human faces and chests. A creature born from magic long ago, when a seer misused their gift and made the gods angry. They steal from men to get revenge."
"And this?" Arthur motioned toward the injured. "This was hardly stealing."
Merlin shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "One of them took his daughter to work in the fields today. The harpies took her during the attack," he whispered. When he next spoke it was in the slightly louder voice of before. "Gaius says harpies are known to attack and torture wicked men, as well. I don't think...I mean, I don't think these men are wicked. No one deserves this."
Arthur refused to sigh. So he had yet another magical malady to take care of. At least he had Merlin to help him take care of it. He said as much aloud and Merlin began to nod, but then Gaius walked up with a dismal shake of his head.
"I'm afraid not, sire."
Now Arthur frowned. "What do you mean?"
Gaius sighed. "The harpy is known for its connection to the afterlife and its ability to create sudden windstorms with a simple flap of its wings. They have magic themselves and are thus resistant to magic used against them." He paused just long enough to look from Arthur to Merlin. "Merlin's gifts will be of little use this time."
"What."
It wasn't even a question, just a soft exclamation from Merlin at this turn of events. Arthur had to agree. If the harpies were resistant to magic...
"How do we get rid of them then?" Arthur asked in a harsh whisper.
The look Gaius gave him was one usually reserved for particularly dimwitted children. Arthur didn't appreciate the implication. "I imagine a sharp sword kills many things."
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"I'm coming with you."
Arthur let out a rough breath and turned to face the man standing behind him in the armory. "Merlin-"
"I'm coming with you," the dark haired male repeated.
Pelleas and Percival were watching them with interest as they clipped each other's armor on, while Urien at least had the decency to pretend not to listen in.
Arthur huffed. "You have no armor nor weapons. And even if I gave you a sword you wouldn't be able to use it."
Merlin puffed out his chest. "I'm a lot better than I used to be. Even Tristan complimented me once." The reminder of the prince they'd met made Arthur bristle and Merlin knew it, even if Arthur barely gave any outward reaction. "I could use a crossbow. I've been hunting with you plenty of times."
"And yet you've never fired a crossbow on any of those trips," Arthur pointed out.
Percival grinned and turned around to grab his sword, sliding it into the sheath around his waist. He had grown more muscular since their trip to the Fisher King and the other knights picked on him less. "It's hardly like the targets will be difficult to hit," he commented easily. "The farmers said the beasts were quite large."
Arthur shot Percival an annoyed look but the young knight barely seemed to care, just smiling with a shrug. However, his words seemed to open the discussion to the room at large.
"I heard he took on a dragon without armor once," Pelleas noted. "One of only three survivors too."
Instead of glaring at the peasant knight, Arthur sent his annoyance to the back of Leon's head, who was purposefully facing away. As the only knight to survive that attack, it had to be him that told Pelleas and the new knights. Arthur wouldn't have minded except that apparently all his new knights secretly wanted Merlin dead - since they wanted him to go up against magic beasts unprepared.
"He can borrow one of my swords," Urien added softly, holding out a blade.
Merlin accepted it with a smile, weighing the metal and giving it a small practice swing. It was lighter than Arthur's swords, not nearly as perfect as Excalibur, but it would do just fine. He beamed at Urien and then flipped to face Arthur with a challenging smirk.
With five sets of expectant eyes on him, Arthur gave a put upon sigh. "Fine. Fine," he acquiesced. "If you're that keen to die, go get your mail on at least."
Merlin gave Arthur a determined nod, suddenly serious, and rushed from the room.
"Don't run with a sword!" Arthur called uselessly after him.
The gathered knights chuckled softly. Leon walked over and gave Arthur a pat on the shoulder.
"He'll be fine," he assured Arthur. "We've gone up against worse odds than this and he's come out the other side fine."
But this time Merlin wouldn't have his magic to protect him, Arthur didn't say. He wasn't sure how much of their previous adventures turning out alright had been because of Merlin's magic, but he didn't want to test how much Merlin could endure in an unaided fight. Even with his magic he'd been wounded quite often. But Arthur couldn't raise these concerns with his knights because they couldn't know about the magic. If just one of them raised the alarm and word got back to Uther, even with Uther allowing Merlin to roam free at the moment...Merlin would likely be exiled or executed if his magic became common knowledge.
Arthur was beginning to understand why Merlin had kept quiet about his magic now, and to appreciate the stress caused by keeping that secret. God, everything would be so much easier if everyone knew why Merlin going into this battle was a bad idea. Then they wouldn't be pushing him to allow it.
Oh who was Arthur kidding, he thought as he finished readying himself for battle. Words - orders - had never stopped Merlin in the past, and Arthur was sure they wouldn't have stopped Merlin now. Merlin would have followed them anyway. He always did. At least this way Arthur knew to expect him, and he would have chainmail on and a sword, if nothing else.
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"I'm coming with you!"
Merlin shrugged on his chainmail and then grabbed the tunic to go over it. Gwen had sewn it for him so he could wear Pendragon red instead of the bandit brown tunic that had come with it when he and Arthur had stolen the outfit on one of their many adventures. Arthur had thought to commission Merlin his own chainmail, but Gwen told him the bandit mail was already good, if in need of some minor repairs. Besides, it wouldn't be used often so it would work just fine. Of course Arthur had consented to the opinion of a blacksmith's daughter.
"No, Archimedes," he said before slipping the tunic over his head.
The falcon flapped his wings irritably. "You're fighting. I'm fighting."
Merlin looked at his friend fondly. "I'd love that, I would. But Archie, harpies are resistant to magic. I can still fight with a blade, but you're a bird."
"Falcon's can fight!" Archie protested childishly, feathers ruffled.
Merlin reached out to pet Archimedes but the bird dodged his hand and flew to sit on one of the boards in the roof. The sorcerer huffed up at him. "A harpy is bigger than a person. Could you fight a bird that big?"
"Kiiiii!" It was an angry sound.
Merlin sighed. "I just don't want you getting hurt, Archie. If there was a way you could help, I'd let you come, but there isn't. So please, just stay here and wait for me to come back, alright? And don't cause any trouble for Gaius because you're mad at me."
Archimedes let out another short cry of petulance and then flew to the highest possible board, facing away from Merlin. With another sigh, Merlin grabbed his borrowed sword from the bed and left the room.
"I won't be long. I promise."
Only when the door had shut behind him did Archimedes turn his head to look down into the room. He let out a sorrowful 'kiii' and hid his head under his wing.
...
...
It wasn't hard to find the harpies. All the knights had to do was ride into the forest near the city and the beasts found them instead. First they heard a pleasant giggling sound, like from a blushing maiden, and Pellinore pointed to where three ladies seemed to be watching them coyly from the trees to their right. When Sir Geraint drew his sword, however, the women's faces contorted angrily and all giggling abruptly ended.
There was a call like a large bird and then the knights were caught up in a strong wind. Merlin pulled his arm up over his mouth and nose to block the flying dust and squinted at where the harpies were. Except they weren't there.
Another brief bird call and then Geraint was gone, his horse barely stumbling to show anything had happened. The other knights called after him as the great bird carried him away into the trees and drew their own swords. Arthur was shouting orders but the wind was so loud Merlin could barely hear him.
Lowering his head to stare at the saddle horn, Merlin said, "Cól wind." His eyes flashed golden and, after a few seconds, the wind was noticeably calmer. He could hear Arthur positioning his men and readying for another attack while also sending two men off after Geraint. With a determined frown, Merlin made sure his mouth was still covered and repeated, "Cól wind."
This time the effect was instantaneous. The wind storm vanished in a puff, the dirt and leaves that had been swirling falling swiftly back to the ground, or onto the knights and their mounts.
"Bors, Gaheris, go!" Arthur shouted, too loud in the sudden quiet. The two knights in question were riding into the underbrush almost before he'd finished giving the order.
Arthur passed a glance toward Merlin while the rest of the knights looked off at the sound of another bird's cry. Merlin nodded at him and then shrugged. On the path ahead of Arthur, a harpy landed and smiled at them.
"Such strong men," the woman cooed. "So brave."
Another harpy landed behind the party. She looked nearly identical to the woman in front of them. "Courageous," she agreed with her sister harpy. "Headstrong."
Arthur lowered his sword a fraction and stared the harpy in front of them in the eyes. "Why are you attacking Camelot?"
There was a round of giggles from both harpies as well as from the trees around them. The knights tensed but Arthur did his best to appear unmoved.
"Handsome men," a voice from the trees said.
"So handsome," said another.
Seeing that the harpies weren't going to give him a straight answer, Arthur lifted his sword again. "Leave us in peace or we will be forced to kill you," he said in his best princely voice.
Merlin heard the flapping of wings and then something sharp dug into his shoulders, breaking through the chainmail. "Ahhh-AY!" He shouted as he was ripped backwards off his horse.
As he hit the ground and felt himself being dragged backward, Merlin heard more bird calls and wings flapping mixed in with the metallic sound of swords and the battle cries of the knights. Merlin twisted his body and felt his right shoulder fall loose from the harpy's talons. Taking the opportunity, Merlin grabbed the sword he'd borrowed and broke the leather holding the scabbard to his waist so he could swing at the beast that had him. His blow caught the harpy in the vulnerable human-like flesh of her chest and she released him with a shocked sound.
Merlin quickly rolled toward the trees where he would have at least a small amount of cover. His shoulders and upper arms ached but he was still able to fight and he had the sword. "Oh." Merlin quickly unsheathed the sword, tossing the broken leather carelessly into the trees. Then he used the tree behind him to stand up and held his sword up at the ready.
"Special man," the harpy hissed out angrily, a dark glare on her face. "Tricky man."
A second harpy landed next to the first and Merlin gulped. "Yeah, let's see how tricky I can be," he said. Then he dropped from the battle pose and took off into the trees just as the two harpies launched themselves at him.
The sound of the harpies crashing through the forest after him kept Merlin moving. He dodged around trees, trying to keep changing directions so the harpies couldn't follow as easily. Merlin also made sure to keep the sword close to him so it wouldn't catch on anything or cut him while he ran. A harpy wing caught Merlin in the back and he fell down, barely catching himself on his hands instead of crashing into the ground.
He kept moving, on all fours for a few steps until he regained enough balance to stand up. One of the harpies behind him let out a bird cry and a moment later a third harpy landed in front of Merlin, directly in his path.
"Ah," he let out, spinning and running in a different direction, barely missing colliding with the harpy.
As he ran he heard the trees splintering behind him from contact with the talons and bodies of the harpies, heard them calling out "Such a quick one" and "Tricky boy" in soothing voices even as they tried to kill him.
The sound of fighting grew louder as he ran and Merlin groaned. They'd run him back to the fight! He stopped just out of sight of the battle and flipped around. Three harpies were flying in and around the trees toward him, only a few feet away.
Holding up his hand, Merlin whispered, "Pyrtan" and his eyes flashed golden.
Merlin felt his magic rush toward the harpies and almost smiled, but then he felt it just...go out. The spell did nothing to his attackers. It just stopped. And now the bird women were upon him, all three pairs of talons reaching for him at once. Heart racing, Merlin lifted his sword and slashed out at them.
One of the women screeched and flew to the side, holding one her legs up near her body protectively. Her body and leg were bleeding impressively and she soon fell over on to her side, badly injured but not dead. The other two didn't stop and Merlin shut his eyes, tensing for the blow.
The harpies, not only in front of Merlin but from behind him at the main fight as well, let out angry cries all at once. The blow to Merlin never came. He heard the sound of many wings flapping and opened his eyes to find all three of the harpies forced away from him and fighting off birds.
Grouse, pheasants, quail, hawks, kites, doves, cuckoos, owls, swifts, woodpeckers, shrikes, jays, tits, larks, swallows, warblers, wrens, starlings, thrushes, sparrows, cardinals, falcons, buzzards. Merlin had never seen so many different kinds of birds at one time in one place focused on one thing, but here they were.
They were much smaller than the harpies they were attacking but their sheer numbers were overpowering their large prey. The noise alone was raucous and deafening, coming from in front of Merlin and from where the knights had been fighting. Every one of the birds was tweeting, cawing, hooting, squawking, chattering, chirping, honking, and yipping at once.
Sunlight through the trees caught the wings of one of the birds, a flash of silver in the evening sun. Merlin had never felt so much relief at something so small. All the adrenaline seemed to leave him at once and he fell to his knees in the leaves and dirt. His borrowed sword, blood staining the blade, dropped in the earth beside him just as the previously injured harpy stopped fighting back entirely and the birds attacking it moved on to other enemies. One down, many more to go.
"Archimedes," Merlin breathed out as he sat back on his legs, a smile quirking at his lips.
"Merlin?!"
"Here!" he called, knowing he sounded exhausted and not caring.
Already the angry cries of the harpies were dying out all around them. Archie had solved their problem. Like Merlin ignored Arthur and saved the day, so had his falcon friend. Merlin would probably never get on to Archie for breaking a rule ever again.
A few moments later, Arthur and Percival were with him. Their swords were stained with blood as well and they seemed relatively unharmed, though Arthur's mail was torn where it showed beneath his armor and there was a cut on his cheek and Percival's armor was bent oddly at the shoulder. Percival cursed and dropped to his knees beside Merlin.
"You're bleeding," he rushed out, reaching out to touch Merlin's right shoulder.
"What? Ow!" Merlin shouted when Percival applied pressure to where the harpy had grabbed him. Percival ignored him and applied more pressure while Arthur took up the job of doing the same to Merlin's other shoulder. "He-ey...!" he complained, voice breaking in pain. "He's bleeding too!" Merlin nodded toward Arthur. "Why aren't you being brutally manhandled right now?"
"Because I'm the prince, Merlin." Merlin was about to snap a reply, because that was exactly why Arthur should be on the receiving end of medical care, but was interrupted by a shout.
"Sire!" Bors practically shouted as he joined them, his dark skin even darker in the fading light, making him seem almost shadow-like. "The harpies are all but dead and Geraint needs medical attention, Lionel too," he said of his brother. He took in Merlin's own wounds and nodded toward where the birds were fighting only one opponent now. "We should take this opportunity to retreat."
Arthur looked at the two fallen bodies of the harpies around them and inclined his head in agreement. He pulled his hand away from Merlin, which possibly hurt more than the pressure had.
"We'll send a second party to check for survivors and burn the remains," he said. "How many did you count in total?"
"Ten," Percival spoke up. "One took Geraint at the beginning, three followed Merlin, the rest attacked the main group." He passed Merlin a smile. "You did well for an untrained man against three magical beasts."
Merlin grunted and glared. "I'm not untrained," he insisted.
Arthur hoisted Merlin to his feet, making both of them wince. "Percival, help the others gather the horses to head back. I've got Merlin."
Merlin was watching as some of the birds began to fly away now that there were so few harpies to fight. A silver winged falcon pulled away from the masses attacking the one remaining harpy nearby. Archimedes flapped in place, looking at Merlin. "Ki kiii!" he called, sounding happy, before diving back in to fight with the others.
...
...
Merlin refused to take time off to heal up. His wounds hurt when he lifted his arms, but he could do many of his daily tasks while keeping his arms down and those that he couldn't he had magic for. All he would need to do is make sure not to let anyone but Arthur see him doing his chores.
Arthur, after recounting what had happened to his father, had come to Gaius to see about a few cuts he'd received in the fight. The king had assumed the birds had been summoned by Merlin while the knights had begun spinning tales of how nature itself rose up against the evil invading the land, which the townsfolk were lapping up with excitement.
"My father actually had a message for you," the prince stated to Merlin while Gaius applied some sort of salve to the cuts.
"Oh?" Merlin asked, lying on the table where Gaius had bandaged him. 'Relaxing' as Gaius had ordered.
Now Arthur smirked. "He said you were as useless as he'd always imagined and maybe he should have you beheaded, if you wanted to die that much. Then I could find myself a competent sorcerer once I'm king."
"Mm." Sounded like something Arthur would say too. Like father like son, he supposed.
"You did do well today, Merlin," Arthur continued, voice softer this time. "You acted impetuously, and took on more than you could handle by far, but...good service deserves acknowledgement. So thank you. And thank your friend too."
The door to Gaius's chambers swung open before Merlin could respond and in walked Morgana, as if she owned the place. She ran her eyes over Arthur at the table, Gaius placing one last bandage on his arm, to Merlin all wrapped up in ointment and bandages on the table, and crossed her arms.
"Well now, I'm sorry I missed out on all the fun," she said, looking completely serious but with a slight tease to her voice. "Are you the least and worst wounded of the bunch?"
Arthur shook his head. "No." He nodded his thanks to Gaius and then stood to pull his shirt back on. "Geraint has a broken leg and a bad gash along his back. He'll be healing for months. Lionel will scar on his face and left arm from his wounds."
Not to mention they never had found the stolen girl, even with search parties scouring the forests. But Arthur had ordered them to keep searching until they found some sign of whether the child had lived or died and he knew his knights would not fail him.
Morgana frowned and uncrossed her arms. "I really wish I could have ridden out with you."
"We both know my father would never allow it," Arthur said. "He already regrets letting you learn to swordfight as a child. You're supposed to be his shining lady."
"Shining like the blade of a sword," Morgana answered.
Merlin saw Archimedes fly past the high window and cleared his throat. "Did you need anything else, Arthur?"
The prince lifted an eyebrow at him. "No. But if you insist on coming to work tomorrow, at least come late. Erik can wake me up for one day." It was an order, no matter how much it sounded like an option. Merlin nodded and Arthur made his way out of the room.
Gaius busied himself cleaning up from all the bandaging and healing he'd done in the past two hours. Morgana looked Merlin over once more, his chest bare but for the white cloth wrapped around his shoulders and upper arms.
Turning her gaze away she asked, "You're alright?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine," he said.
Morgana propped one hand on her hip and looked down her nose at him. "Good. You know you're part in the legends isn't over yet. You can't go getting yourself killed just now."
Merlin smiled. "I know." He pushed himself to a seated position with a grunt and waved her over.
When she was standing close enough, Merlin pulled her down into a hug. It was brief because it put a strain on Merlin's wounds, but Morgana looked baffled when it ended anyway.
"Wh-what?" she asked.
Merlin shrugged. "You looked worried and Arthur never accepts hugs." He yawned without meaning to while a slow grin spread over Morgana's face. "I'm gonna go rest for the night. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Shaking her head once, Morgana said, "Yes. I suppose you will." She backed up two steps before turning and walking to the door. Once there she paused and looked over her shoulder at Merlin. Already she had regained her usual regal manner. "Get well soon, Merlin. Arthur is insufferable without you."
Only once the door was shut did Archimedes zip into the room. He swooped around the roof twice before landing on the table. Unlike Merlin, Archie wasn't injured at all from the fight this afternoon.
"Merlin!" Archie cried, lifting and lowering his head like it would give him a better view of Merlin's wounds. "Hurt!"
Merlin lifted his hand just enough to run his fingers over Archie's head and down his back. It seemed to calm the falcon so he did it again. "I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks. My chainmail protected me more than I thought it would."
Archie ducked his head. "Ki ki. Should've been faster."
Gaius harrumphed. "You were fast enough," he said, finished cleaning up. "I imagine I would have been dressing more wounds and pronouncing more deaths if you had not helped out."
"He's right." Archie perked up considerably at that. Merlin smiled at his bird friend for a moment and then frowned at Gaius. "He has to leave again soon, doesn't he? Not tonight but...soon?"
"Well," Gaius sighed, "Uther is still king. The danger of someone discovering Archimedes and his gifts is still very high. Him leaving would probably be best. Sooner rather than later."
Archimedes hopped closer to Merlin and nuzzled his side. "No."
"No?" Merlin and Gaius asked at once.
"No," Archie repeated happily. "I helped?" Merlin nodded. "I'll help more. Ki ki ki kiii ki. Right? My magic is," he shook himself, ruffling his feathers briefly, "better. I want to stay."
Merlin looked from Archie to cast a hopeful look to Gaius. He cared about Archimedes and the little falcon had been a big help today. Having another creature of magic around would be a comfort if nothing else. Gaius looked at Merlin's face and let out a put upon sigh.
"If he's found, it's on you," the old man warned.
Merlin smiled. "Really?" he asked with anticipation.
Gaius nodded. "Yes. He can stay." Archie let out a triumphant 'ki!' but Gaius held up his hand to halt the sound. "To be safe, he should stay indoors except at night, and hunt away from Camelot's hunting parties." Both Merlin and Archie nodded in acceptance. "And do not practice your nature magic where any other humans can see. Merlin is trouble enough."
"Yes yes!" Archie agreed. He flapped his wings but didn't take off, hopping around the table and letting out the occasional 'ki' in joy. "Thank you!"
Gaius sighed again. "Just don't make me regret it."
Archimedes hopped up onto Merlin's legs and butted his head against Merlin's bare chest. Merlin pet the falcon's head, down to the silver feathers in his wings, and couldn't stop smiling. Life in Camelot just got a little bit brighter.
...
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tbc
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Next Time: The Cup of Life
When a vision foretells of Camelot's ruin via an army lead by a one eyed giant man, Merlin and company will do anything to stop it. But Morgause has the Cup of Life and has created immortal men to fight on her behalf. When one glance in Balor's left eye means certain death, everyone will have to be extra careful while fighting for a way to survive. And there's a mysterious woman in town looking for Merlin.
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Translations:
Cól wind = Calm wind
Pyrtan = Strike