TOAFK - The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Part II
Continuing from TOAFK - The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Part I because LJ decided the post was "too large"
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Merlin wasn't sure what to think of Luke.
The early morning light was shining through his bedroom window. It lit Luke's face with soft light, making him look younger than he already was. Merlin stood in the doorway, watching silently, while he slept. Luke was so young, only fourteen. Why had he left home? What about his family? Why did he want to learn magic? Merlin wasn't sure what to think of this strange boy. What if he taught Luke magic and Luke turned out to be like Edwin or Morgause?
"Luke," he called into the room.
The straw haired boy jumped awake as if shoved. "What?" he asked, no trace of sleep in his voice.
"Come on. It's already late morning. We need to get going," Merlin said, moving to grab his satchel from where it rested under his cupboard.
"Go where?" Luke asked, sounding excited for the first time since Merlin met him, as he jumped out of the bed.
Well, it was a makeshift mattress made of extra pillows and cloths from around Gaius's chambers. Gaius hadn't minded and they both felt safer with Luke close to Merlin last night. If Merlin took him on as an apprentice, he would need an actual bed.
"Shopping."
Luke paused in pulling his tunic over his head and peeked out through the top with a raised eyebrow. "Come again?"
Merlin smiled. He may not know much about Luke, but the kid could still be adorable. "In light of recent developments, his great highness has granted me a temporary leave of service to attend to other matters," he said, attempting to sound like he was some visiting lord. Luke blinked blankly at him and Merlin smiled wider, knowing he'd succeeded. "Arthur gave me the day off to decide what to do about you."
"Oh."
Merlin waved for Luke to follow him out and then started walking. "So I'm going to use today to be solely the Court Sorcerer. I need to pick up some supplies first and then we'll see if anyone in town needs help. You can maybe show me some of your magic while we're out."
Luke brightened considerably at that and bounded after him. It was strange. Merlin had known Luke less than a day, yet it already felt like he'd somehow gained a little brother.
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...
"Just set this under your pillow tonight when you go to sleep. You'll feel better by morning. I promise," Merlin instructed.
The middle-aged woman before him accepted the poultice with a half smile, her eyes tired. "Thank you, Court Sorcerer."
Merlin shrugged his satchel back over his shoulder. He wondered if he would ever get used to his new title. He nodded at the woman with a kind smile and she vanished back inside her house.
"So, that ball cures all illnesses?" Luke asked curiously from behind him.
Merlin shook his head and he faced the boy. "No. A poultice can heal a lot of illness, but not all of them. She just has a head cold though, so it'll do the trick. Usually people go to Gaius for sickness, but I help out with a little magic if I'm in town and they ask."
As Merlin moved through the village, people waved and greeted him. It wasn't entirely different from before he was a member of the court, but it was different enough that Merlin was aware of it. Luke trailed after him, head turning this way and that. It reminded Merlin of himself when he first arrived in Camelot almost six years ago.
Unfortunately, Luke was walking backwards as he looked around and ended up bumping into someone. Luke, being smaller, ended up on the ground, while the other man barely stumbled. The other guy was taller than Merlin, with black hair and muscles. He looked like a blacksmith.
"Hey, watch where you're going," the guy growled out.
Luke glared and jumped up from the dirt. "You watch it," he shot back.
Merlin stopped and looked back, eyes a little wide. What was Luke doing?
"Show some respect, child. I could squash you like a bug," the blacksmith warned, eyes narrowed.
Luke didn't heed it. "Try me, ogre."
There was no warning when the guy lunged at Luke. Before Merlin could react, the guy had Luke by the throat. Luke kicked the guy in the chest. The blow was strong enough to make the man drop him and take a step back. As soon as he was on his feet, Luke tackled the blacksmith around the middle, causing him to stumble and fall. The blacksmith immediately grabbed Luke's hair as Luke swung at his face and used his hold to toss Luke away. Luke gave a cry of pain. Both combatants clamored to their feet, looking angry and a bit unstable. Then Merlin was between them with his hands raised.
"Stop it!" he shouted. Some people were watching the altercation before and more looked up now that Merlin was involved.
Luke faltered and fell back onto his butt. The blacksmith regarded Merlin curiously. Merlin addressed the blacksmith first.
"I apologize greatly for his actions. He is just a boy and doesn't know better. Please forgive him." He looked the man straight in the eyes as he spoke, showing that while he was sorry, this man was not better than him.
The blacksmith stared at Merlin for a long while. Then he frowned. "He was too weak to actually hurt me, so I suppose no harm is done, but if he trifles with me again, I won't hesitate to punish him."
Merlin let out a relieved breath. "Thank you very much." He turned and grabbed Luke by the forearm, hauling him to his feet. "Come with me."
Luke looked properly terrified of Merlin's tone. For the first time, Merlin thought he understood why Gaius had been so hard on him when he'd first arrived in Camelot, so hot headed and flippant with the law. He half dragged Luke all the way back to Gaius's chambers where, thankfully, they were alone. Releasing Luke's arm, Merlin shut the door behind them.
"I hope I wasn't such an idiot when I was fourteen," Merlin stated in a hard tone.
"He started it!" Luke argued.
"I don't care!" Merlin shouted back. Luke flinched. "Magic is still a touchy subject among the people of Camelot. If you want to learn magic here, the people have to trust you. They can't trust you if you go around picking fights and getting into trouble. And if you can't control yourself, I can't teach you."
Luke's face crumpled. "No. No you have to teach me. I need to know."
The desperation in his voice erased all anger Merlin still held. When he didn't immediately respond, Luke ran his hands over his face and through his hair roughly before turning and collapsing onto the bench at the dining table. Merlin waited a moment before moving to stand next to him.
"What do you need to know?" he asked quietly.
Luke's face was hidden in his hands, so his voice came out a bit muffled, but Merlin understood him all the same. "My father told me never to use magic. When I learned I could lock or unlock any lock, he got so angry. He told me magic was evil...and this proved my soul was black." There were tears in his voice. "I believed him. Then the bandits came and burned our house down, and I was so scared. I used magic on them. Not the locking magic, but the magic that throws people. I killed them," he whispered.
Merlin couldn't help the gasp that escaped him. Luke lowered his hands and the grief on his face nearly broke Merlin's heart. The tears in his voice now also escaped his eyes.
"I swear I didn't mean to. They fell-They fell-I didn't-," he sobbed out half sentences, crying harder as he looked at Merlin's face. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. And I heard about you, and about how great you were, how good, and...and I just needed to know." He took a shaking breath. "If I learned magic from you...then I know...I could be...I really could be good."
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"You're going to what?" Arthur asked, looking up from the documents spread across his desk.
Merlin was turning down the bed for the night. Arthur had had another servant up here doing Merlin's chores tonight, but Merlin had walked in and insisted on doing it himself. Now Arthur knew it was because Merlin wanted to speak with him privately.
Merlin looked at the fireplace and held out his right hand. The ash lifted from the ground and collected in the bucket that had previously been used to bring Arthur's bath water up. Only once the ash was in the bucket did Merlin respond.
"I'm going to train him in magic," he repeated simply. "Once he gets settled in and all."
Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes flashed gold and a fire erupted in the now cleaned fireplace. Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea. Merlin seemed to know more and have better control every time Arthur saw him use magic. Maybe he really could teach someone else how to use it.
Merlin picked up Arthur's laundry manually and moved to set it in the basket the last servant had left for them. He only made it two steps before he stepped on a dangling sleeve and tripped, throwing Arthur's clothes all over the floor again. Arthur let out a heavy sigh.
Then again...
"Come sit down," Arthur said as Merlin scrambled to gather the clothes again. When his ex-servant glanced up at him, Arthur waved at the chair across the table. Merlin didn't hesitate to sit with him. Arthur placed his hands palm up on the table and waited until Merlin had taken hold of them before letting a tiny smile lift his lips. "That's better."
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Dollop," he said, his tone too fond to take the insult seriously.
With a cavalier shrug and eye roll, Arthur gave Merlin's hands a quick squeeze before getting back to business. "Why can't Gaius teach him magic? He taught you, didn't he?"
"Yes," Merlin said with a short sigh. "But I also learned from a dragon, my father, Morgana, and about six different magic books." With a flash of his eyes, and without removing his hands from Arthur's, all the spilled clothing gathered itself into the basket again. "I'm not saying I'm an expert-" Arthur snorted and Merlin frowned at him, "but Luke really wants me to teach him. He needs me to."
Arthur lifted an eyebrow at Merlin. His manservant was keeping secrets, it seemed, though it didn't feel like a big one. It still made him feel a bit uneasy. He gave Merlin's hands one last squeeze before releasing them and standing up with a languid stretch. "So where is your apprentice now, then?"
The bedroom door swung open on its own as Merlin also stood, gathering the clothes basket into his arms. Merlin shrugged. "I told him to help Gaius make potions. He's working like his life depends on it," he murmured, eyes troubled.
Arthur pushed away any concern for this boy. They didn't actually know anything about him, yet Merlin cared about him and Arthur wanted to trust Merlin's judgment. Merlin, however, had a bleeding heart and could easily be duped with the appropriate sob story.
"Just make sure he doesn't break the castle," Arthur relented with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Merlin gave a bright smile, which made Arthur's submission completely worth it, before he headed to do Arthur's laundry. And come to think of it, why had Merlin not learned enough magic to clean his laundry by now?
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The window was high up in the wall. From here, they could see the courtyard of the castle and watch people going about with their daily lives. From here, they watched as Merlin carried a load of laundry to be cleaned.
Looking down at the vile in their hand, the figure smiled darkly. Tomorrow would be the day when Arthur Pendragon breathed his last.
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"So...why are we on the training field again?" Luke asked, shading his eyes from the sun and looking out onto the field.
Arthur was out there putting his knights through their paces. It was obvious that some of them were more trained than others, but all of them were keeping up, even the smallest -Luned. As Luke watched, Arthur ended that set of training and started pairing knights up for more combat based practice.
Merlin was seated on a bench next to all the weapons. "Because I'm still Arthur's manservant, even if I'm also Court Sorcerer."
The younger male shook his head. "I don't understand that," he said in confusion. "You're the most powerful sorcerer alive." Merlin let out a soft scoff that Luke ignored. "How could you lower yourself to being a servant?"
"Well..." Merlin leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and let out a breath. "I was made Arthur's servant right when I first arrived in Camelot, before I knew I was supposed to be some powerful magical force. And I hated every minute of it," he said with a laugh. "But...Arthur's a good master. And he's a good man."
Luke looked from Merlin to Arthur and watched the king on the field. Even with all his new duties as king, he was still the one doing the bulk of the knights' training. There was a sheen of sweat on Arthur's visible skin, which meant he was definitely sweating under all his mail and armor. He would need a bath later. From the look on Luke's face, Merlin guessed it wasn't the picture of a king he'd been expecting.
"He's arrogant," Luke snipped, barely loud enough for Merlin to hear it.
"I was also arrogant," Merlin continued, drawing Luke's attention back to himself. "All I could do was move things and slow down time, but I thought I had all the answers. Being Arthur's servant, I was able to use my gifts for good. I also got to see a side to Arthur that no one else did; a side of him that worried about his people and whether he would be a good king, who questioned certain actions taken by his father and who was fiercely loyal to those who were loyal to him." He smiled up at the younger man. "I wouldn't change these past years for anything. Not one day."
He hadn't told Luke yet that he would train him. It was sort of like Arthur testing Lancelot before letting him try out as a knight. Merlin wanted to see how Luke was around Arthur and Camelot before he officially took him on as an apprentice. And wasn't that a terrifying thought: an apprentice. If Luke turned out to be a threat to Camelot, Merlin would be the one to blame.
Arthur waved in Merlin's general direction and Merlin jumped up from his seat. He poured water from a waiting jug into a cup, then turned to Luke.
"Could you go hand this to Arthur? He needs a drink."
Luke's expression bordered on mutinous for a moment before he schooled his face and accepted the cup. He marched out onto the field, between dueling knights, as if getting Arthur his water were a matter of life and death. The sight made Merlin grin.
Unfortunately, Arthur threw his arm out, sword in hand, while shouting to one of the knights. The blade missed Luke but caught the cup dead on, knocking it from his hands. Caught unaware, Arthur also dropped Excalibur in the grass at Luke's feet. As Arthur turned to see who or what he'd hit, Luke dropped to the ground, reaching for the cup. His hand hesitated over Excalibur and then he grabbed the sword instead of the cup and stood back up.
Merlin was instantly tense. Luke held the sword up, looking from it to Arthur and back, for what felt like eternity. Arthur glanced past the teen to Merlin. Whatever he saw from Merlin had his eyes narrowing and he focused back on Luke. Merlin wished he could hear what Arthur was saying, but he was too far away. Then Arthur held out his hand for the sword. Again, like when he accepted the water, Luke hesitated. Merlin felt his magic rise to the surface, ready to act.
Then Excalibur was back in Arthur's hands and Luke was bending down to grab the cup he'd dropped. As the boy hurried back over to the bench, Merlin's magic calmed. Arthur locked eyes with him and gave a nod before turning back to his men. No one had even glanced at their king the entire time.
"Need more water," Luke was saying as he stopped next to Merlin. "Seems the king's wingspan is a bit wider than his eyes."
There was a hesitant glint in Luke's eyes and Merlin smiled at the joke, erasing the nerves from the teen's expression. Luke grabbed the water jug and refilled the cup before marching back over to Arthur and handing it off.
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Arthur had dinner that evening with Morgana and Merlin in the small dining hall. He used to eat here with his father and Morgana and maybe a visiting noble, if it wasn't a special occasion. Evening light was filtering in through the high windows, but it wasn't truly enough to see by, so there were candles scattered around the room. With a wave of hands, Morgana and Merlin had every candle lit with a perfect tiny flame.
Having sorcerers around was more convenient than Arthur had ever thought it'd be.
"So I hear that we have a surprise guest," Morgana commented teasingly. "A fan of Merlin's, if rumors are to be believed."
Merlin gagged slightly on his soup. He looked awkward in his nice clothes, eating at this formal dining table. Arthur was so used to him serving instead of being served in this room. Usually it was just the two of them in Arthur's room at dinner so this sight was still new to Arthur. He preferred the private meals they shared. In the past they had shared Arthur's large dinner portions, but these days Merlin was given his own meal to enjoy with Arthur. It was nice, though Arthur hadn't minded sharing.
"That's right," Arthur answered, pulling himself from his thoughts. "He follows Merlin around like a duckling and he's barely arrived."
Morgana looked like she was barely holding back a laugh. "Oh now I have to see this sometime. Where is your duckling?"
The blush was high on Merlin's cheeks. "His name is Luke and he's with Gaius," he said. "I'm going to start him as my apprentice tomorrow."
All laughter fell from Morgana's face. "Apprentice?" Merlin nodded. "As in, magic?" Another nod. Morgana let out a heavy breath. "Times are changing quickly, aren't they?" she said quietly.
It wasn't a question that wanted an answer, so they fell into silence again. When Merlin had finished his soup, he pushed his bowl away and rested his hands nervously on the table. Then he cleared his throat, gaining the full attention of the two other people in the room.
"Actually, Morgana," the ex-servant began, "I was wondering." He scratched his cheek briefly, eyes wandering. "Would you help out? With the training?"
There was a soft clatter as Morgana dropped her spoon back into her nearly empty bowl. By her shocked expression, she'd never expected such a request. Merlin plowed ahead.
"I'm a very powerful sorcerer, true, but I don't know everything. You've got a lot of experience with magic as well, of a different kind than I use," he explained. "I don't mean that I want you to do a lot of work with him, just...If I don't know the answer, I'd like to know that you would be willing to help me."
Morgana's eyes were overly bright and she blinked several times to clear them. Arthur and Merlin pretended not to notice.
It had been a long time since Arthur won Morgana's allegiance back from Morgause, but he had always known she wasn't completely comfortable around him. Even after Uther died and Arthur became king, after he lifted the ban on magic, she had been more reserved around him than she used to be. To her, this must be the final piece of a puzzle slipping into place; the proof that she really was at home here.
"I would be honored," Morgana said at length, nodding her head and smiling brightly at Merlin. Arthur had not seen a smile so free on his sister's face since before she met Morgause.
The side door opened and a dozen kitchen maids bustled in. Three of them collected the soup dishes and hurried back out, while the rest were bringing out pitchers of wine and plates piled with meats and vegetables.
Merlin's expression when his plate was set before him was almost comical. He still ate with Gaius more often than not, and was not used to having so much food just for himself, even when eating with Arthur. But tonight he was formally dining with the king, so his stomach would be over full.
The young woman who poured Arthur's drink was new, Arthur noted. So was the girl servicing Morgana. Merlin had the pleasure of one of the older servants, still young but with a lot of castle experience, serving him. This was probably because new servants would be tripping over themselves to please the king and a born and raised Lady of the Court, while Merlin was a servant with a title and the other servants would know him better from working with him.
Speaking of which, Merlin was now Lord Merlin, Court Sorcerer of Camelot, yet he was still working in the castle as a servant. Arthur frowned as he picked up his wine goblet, freshly full thanks to the kitchen maid serving him. He would need to do something about Merlin's conflicting jobs. He didn't want to lose Merlin as a manservant, regardless of what a terrible job he did half the time, but he didn't want visiting nobles to look down on the Court Sorcerer because he also scrubbed floors.
From the corner of his eye, Arthur caught sight of an increasingly familiar figure standing in the shadows of the room and watching them. It was Luke. He must have come in with the kitchen maids. That was another thing to consider when thinking about Merlin's jobs, Arthur mused. He now had an apprentice.
Merlin and Morgana both froze in their seats at the same time and Arthur paused with his goblet just before his lips, raising an eyebrow at them.
"Arthur," Merlin started, a bit franticly, at the same time Morgana half-shouted, "Don't drink that!"
He quickly pulled the wine away from his mouth and glanced at it. The color was dark and rich and nothing looked or smelled off about it. But if both of his magical consuls were panicking, then he could be certain something magical was wrong with it.
"What is it?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "Poison?"
Merlin nodded as Morgana gave a helpless shrug. "I just feels off," she said. "It's powerful though. I've never been able to sense a poison before."
Arthur waved over the kitchen maid who had served him and she scurried to his side. "Where did this wine come from?"
"The kitchens, sire, the same as all the wine," she told him in a meek voice, her eyes trained on Arthur's face.
"Did anyone come into contact with it before you poured my glass?" Arthur asked, voice strong and serious.
The kitchen maid glanced around the room briefly, her eyes passing over Merlin, Morgana, the two other maids still in the room, and Luke, then flicked back to Arthur. She shook her head. "Just me, sire."
In a flash, her eyes hardened and she had pulled a knife from the folds of her dress. Arthur made to push back from the table and stand just as she slashed out at him. Morgana gasped, Merlin's eyes flashed golden. Her knife jerked sideways, flying from her hand to land on the floor far away, but not in time to stop the slice across Arthur's left arm. Almost at the exact same instant, the woman was jerked backwards away from Arthur, landing in a heap six feet away from the table.
Merlin immediately turned to Luke, who had his hands out in front of him like he was trying to catch a falling object but knew he wouldn't make it, a wild look in his eyes. Morgana was already at Arthur's side and shouting for someone to fetch Gaius. The other maids scurried from the room, one through the servant's exit and one through the main doors to fetch Gaius.
"Are you alright?" Merlin asked, kneeling next to the king as Morgana grabbed an unused table cloth and used it to put pressure on the wound.
Arthur nodded, though he winced at the pressure on his wound. "It's nothing terrible," he insisted, though Morgana let out a huff. "If Morgana doesn't cut off the blood to my entire arm with that cloth, I'll be fine."
"Only you would minimize an attempt on your life," Morgana chastised. "You'll lose a lot of blood if we don't put pressure on the wound, and neither Merlin nor I are very good at healing spells."
"That seems like a rather big flaw in your skills," Arthur quipped shortly.
Merlin shook his head at them and, knowing Arthur would be okay, moved around the table toward the kitchen maid responsible. With a dark look down at her, he made a sort of figure eight motion with his hand and said, "Line cysban." Ropes bound the dazed woman's arms tightly to her torso and ensured that she would not be escaping anytime soon.
Of course that was when the guards rushed in, several minutes too late. Merlin let them take care of the woman - not trusting himself to be near her any longer anyway - and instead moved to stand by Luke, who was now staring at his hands in apparent shock.
Merlin stood in front of the boy and placed his hands on his hips. "What were you doing in here, Luke?" The anger at someone for attacking Arthur remained a bit in his tone, making Luke tense up. Merlin wasn't actually upset, but it was something he was curious about and maybe a bit of fear would make Luke more honest.
"I just," Luke fumbled, looking to where the woman was being hefted to her feet. "I wanted to see you, and you haven't been around since the training field and I thought I'd done something to upset you and I really really want you to teach me magic and I just thought-"
"You are not the leader of Albion!" the woman shouted, cutting Luke off and earning her a glare from Merlin. "You are Uther Pendragon's son, and you always will be." She had everyone's attention, even as the guards were dragging her out of the room. "You can pass whatever laws you want, but that won't change! The Lady Morgana should be Queen of Albion! She will be queen!"
Then the doors shut, muffling her continued shouts. Morgana looked between Merlin and Arthur swiftly and shook her head. "Arthur, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this attack."
Arthur shook his head. "It would have been a very badly thought out plan, if you were," he said. "Given your past attempts on my life, I would have been insulted if this was your next move."
A relieved smile quirked Morgana's lips and her eyes softened. "Yes, well, you can always expect better from me."
Gaius strode into the room then and let out a soft gasp at the sight of the bloody cloth on Arthur's arm. He shook his head and shot Merlin a withering look.
"You'd better come up to my chambers, then," he said to the king. "I'll need to clean and close that wound before we bandage it."
Morgana and Arthur, and the guards, all left with Gaius, leaving Merlin and Luke alone in the dining hall. Though Arthur threw a glance at Merlin before he was through the door, and Merlin motioned that he would follow shortly. He just had one thing to take care of first.
After the doors were shut, Merlin shook off his irritation at the attack as best he could, then gave a small smile and pat Luke's arm. "You did well. You helped save Arthur's life tonight," he assured the younger man. Luke got that look of hope in his eyes again, only now Merlin understood what it meant. Now was as good a time as any to give him the great news. "But if you want to help out anymore, you'll need to practice some useful spells first, so you don't cause more harm than good. And to do that, you'll need a teacher."
Luke's mouth dropped open, his eyes widened. "Y-you mean...You'll-"
Merlin nodded. "I've decided to take you on as my apprentice."
He wasn't prepared for the hug he got in return for that announcement but Luke wrapped him up as tight as he could manage. Merlin's smile turned soft and he hugged Luke back. He could tell: Luke was going to be a force for good. He didn't need to ask the dragon or Morgana or Tethella. He just knew.
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...
"I should be used to assassination attempts by now," Arthur griped. "But what is wrong with the guards that these lunatics keep getting close enough to try?"
Gaius made a 'hmm' noise of agreement and nodded before picking up some bandages and beginning to cover the wound on Arthur's arm.
"I have no doubt that Morgause is somehow behind this. She wants Morgana on the throne of Camelot, she always has. This was probably a ploy to make me doubt Morgana's loyalty, and to earn Morgana's loyalty for herself in return."
"That seems likely, sire," Gaius commented, still wrapping the wound.
Arthur stared at the wood of the floor for a few long, quiet moments. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Do you think it's a good thing, Merlin training that kid?"
Gaius didn't even glance up from his work. "Maybe not," he admitted, and Arthur's head snapped to him with wide eyes. "Merlin was a clumsy magician when he first started learning. Luke is even more so. It's quite possible that training Luke could injure both of them, or result in some sort of explosion."
Arthur let out a groan and dropped his head into his right hand, propped up on his knee. Gaius made a face when the motion made Arthur's left arm move too and shifted the bandages. He realigned them with the wound and continued his work.
"However," he said, and Arthur turned his head just enough to peak out through his fingers at the elderly man. "Merlin has always worried about his powers being used for evil. You are not the only person who has had trouble finding a good sorcerer," he noted, tying off the bandage.
Gaius collected his medical supplies and moved to put them away as he spoke. Arthur rolled his left shoulder and felt no pain from the cut on his arm.
"Luke wants to be an honest man; an honest sorcerer. Merlin is happy just to find someone like that. And if he is passing along his knowledge to a younger generation, so that his good magic spreads, then I have no qualms with it."
Arthur glanced toward Merlin's closed bedroom door. Well, now it was Merlin and Luke's bedroom, wasn't it? He supposed, if he looked at the situation from Gaius's point of view, then yes, it was a good one. He just hoped Luke didn't betray Merlin's trust. Camelot had been burned too many times in the past and they didn't need any more wounds. Merlin didn't need any more.
"Thank you, Gaius," he said, standing up and pulling his jacket on. "I need to see this would-be assassin and find out if she has any information on Morgause or her whereabouts. Then I have to pass judgment on her for trying to take my life," he said grimly.
Gaius nodded. "Of course, sire. Send for me if you need anything."
Arthur nodded and walked purposefully out of the room.
...
...
It was strange, standing in the field where Arthur liked to beat him with a sword, prepared to train someone in the art of magic. Luke stood opposite Merlin in the field, ten feet between them. Across Merlin's shoulders was his satchel, but there were no herbs in it today.
"Ok," Merlin started. "I agreed to teach you magic, but I can only do that if you agree to two conditions."
Luke nodded, hands clenching at his sides. "Anything."
"First: you have to use your magic for good. If I think you're going to use it for evil, I will stop teaching you. Immediately," Merlin stated seriously. Luke nodded again. "I don't know everything. Gaius is probably the best teacher when it comes to potions. Morgana knows some spells as well, though hers relate more to the art of illusion or prophesy, and unless you're a seer, those won't do you much good. You can still ask her for help though, remember that."
"Potions, Gaius. Illusions and visions, Morgana. Got it," Luke repeated. "What's the second condition?"
Merlin gave a tiny smile. "Magic is partly about how much power you have and partly how much training you've had. But it is mostly about intuition and feelings. Always follow your heart."
Luke smiled too. "Yes, sir."
Merlin's smile grew. "You are going to make mistakes. You aren't going to be perfect right away. You're probably going to get frustrated before you get any spell right. Learning magic is hard and takes years to master, but it is all worth it. Are you ready?"
"Always," Luke said, a glint in his dark eyes.
Merlin opened his satchel and pulled out an apple. "We're going to start with levitation. You can pick any lock, you said?" A nod. "Well, that involves moving parts of the lock to your will. Moving objects uses this same idea."
His eyes flashed gold and the apple lifted from his hand. With a nod of his head, the apple flew over to Luke, who caught it with wide eyes.
"Cool," he breathed out.
Merlin smiled again. "Hold the apple out in front of you." Luke did as directed. "Now, say the spell. Ábregdan."
Luke stared at the apple intently. He opened his mouth. "Ábregdan."
...
...
Next Time: Phoenix Tears, Part One
Word spreads of a once in a millennium find: a phoenix egg. Legend says that one who has the loyalty of a phoenix will live forever. Now it's a race for Camelot's finest to find the egg before Morgause does, or face an enemy who cannot die.
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...
Translations:
Ábregdan = raise/lift up
Line cysban = rope bind
Swebban = sleep
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...
Merlin wasn't sure what to think of Luke.
The early morning light was shining through his bedroom window. It lit Luke's face with soft light, making him look younger than he already was. Merlin stood in the doorway, watching silently, while he slept. Luke was so young, only fourteen. Why had he left home? What about his family? Why did he want to learn magic? Merlin wasn't sure what to think of this strange boy. What if he taught Luke magic and Luke turned out to be like Edwin or Morgause?
"Luke," he called into the room.
The straw haired boy jumped awake as if shoved. "What?" he asked, no trace of sleep in his voice.
"Come on. It's already late morning. We need to get going," Merlin said, moving to grab his satchel from where it rested under his cupboard.
"Go where?" Luke asked, sounding excited for the first time since Merlin met him, as he jumped out of the bed.
Well, it was a makeshift mattress made of extra pillows and cloths from around Gaius's chambers. Gaius hadn't minded and they both felt safer with Luke close to Merlin last night. If Merlin took him on as an apprentice, he would need an actual bed.
"Shopping."
Luke paused in pulling his tunic over his head and peeked out through the top with a raised eyebrow. "Come again?"
Merlin smiled. He may not know much about Luke, but the kid could still be adorable. "In light of recent developments, his great highness has granted me a temporary leave of service to attend to other matters," he said, attempting to sound like he was some visiting lord. Luke blinked blankly at him and Merlin smiled wider, knowing he'd succeeded. "Arthur gave me the day off to decide what to do about you."
"Oh."
Merlin waved for Luke to follow him out and then started walking. "So I'm going to use today to be solely the Court Sorcerer. I need to pick up some supplies first and then we'll see if anyone in town needs help. You can maybe show me some of your magic while we're out."
Luke brightened considerably at that and bounded after him. It was strange. Merlin had known Luke less than a day, yet it already felt like he'd somehow gained a little brother.
...
...
"Just set this under your pillow tonight when you go to sleep. You'll feel better by morning. I promise," Merlin instructed.
The middle-aged woman before him accepted the poultice with a half smile, her eyes tired. "Thank you, Court Sorcerer."
Merlin shrugged his satchel back over his shoulder. He wondered if he would ever get used to his new title. He nodded at the woman with a kind smile and she vanished back inside her house.
"So, that ball cures all illnesses?" Luke asked curiously from behind him.
Merlin shook his head and he faced the boy. "No. A poultice can heal a lot of illness, but not all of them. She just has a head cold though, so it'll do the trick. Usually people go to Gaius for sickness, but I help out with a little magic if I'm in town and they ask."
As Merlin moved through the village, people waved and greeted him. It wasn't entirely different from before he was a member of the court, but it was different enough that Merlin was aware of it. Luke trailed after him, head turning this way and that. It reminded Merlin of himself when he first arrived in Camelot almost six years ago.
Unfortunately, Luke was walking backwards as he looked around and ended up bumping into someone. Luke, being smaller, ended up on the ground, while the other man barely stumbled. The other guy was taller than Merlin, with black hair and muscles. He looked like a blacksmith.
"Hey, watch where you're going," the guy growled out.
Luke glared and jumped up from the dirt. "You watch it," he shot back.
Merlin stopped and looked back, eyes a little wide. What was Luke doing?
"Show some respect, child. I could squash you like a bug," the blacksmith warned, eyes narrowed.
Luke didn't heed it. "Try me, ogre."
There was no warning when the guy lunged at Luke. Before Merlin could react, the guy had Luke by the throat. Luke kicked the guy in the chest. The blow was strong enough to make the man drop him and take a step back. As soon as he was on his feet, Luke tackled the blacksmith around the middle, causing him to stumble and fall. The blacksmith immediately grabbed Luke's hair as Luke swung at his face and used his hold to toss Luke away. Luke gave a cry of pain. Both combatants clamored to their feet, looking angry and a bit unstable. Then Merlin was between them with his hands raised.
"Stop it!" he shouted. Some people were watching the altercation before and more looked up now that Merlin was involved.
Luke faltered and fell back onto his butt. The blacksmith regarded Merlin curiously. Merlin addressed the blacksmith first.
"I apologize greatly for his actions. He is just a boy and doesn't know better. Please forgive him." He looked the man straight in the eyes as he spoke, showing that while he was sorry, this man was not better than him.
The blacksmith stared at Merlin for a long while. Then he frowned. "He was too weak to actually hurt me, so I suppose no harm is done, but if he trifles with me again, I won't hesitate to punish him."
Merlin let out a relieved breath. "Thank you very much." He turned and grabbed Luke by the forearm, hauling him to his feet. "Come with me."
Luke looked properly terrified of Merlin's tone. For the first time, Merlin thought he understood why Gaius had been so hard on him when he'd first arrived in Camelot, so hot headed and flippant with the law. He half dragged Luke all the way back to Gaius's chambers where, thankfully, they were alone. Releasing Luke's arm, Merlin shut the door behind them.
"I hope I wasn't such an idiot when I was fourteen," Merlin stated in a hard tone.
"He started it!" Luke argued.
"I don't care!" Merlin shouted back. Luke flinched. "Magic is still a touchy subject among the people of Camelot. If you want to learn magic here, the people have to trust you. They can't trust you if you go around picking fights and getting into trouble. And if you can't control yourself, I can't teach you."
Luke's face crumpled. "No. No you have to teach me. I need to know."
The desperation in his voice erased all anger Merlin still held. When he didn't immediately respond, Luke ran his hands over his face and through his hair roughly before turning and collapsing onto the bench at the dining table. Merlin waited a moment before moving to stand next to him.
"What do you need to know?" he asked quietly.
Luke's face was hidden in his hands, so his voice came out a bit muffled, but Merlin understood him all the same. "My father told me never to use magic. When I learned I could lock or unlock any lock, he got so angry. He told me magic was evil...and this proved my soul was black." There were tears in his voice. "I believed him. Then the bandits came and burned our house down, and I was so scared. I used magic on them. Not the locking magic, but the magic that throws people. I killed them," he whispered.
Merlin couldn't help the gasp that escaped him. Luke lowered his hands and the grief on his face nearly broke Merlin's heart. The tears in his voice now also escaped his eyes.
"I swear I didn't mean to. They fell-They fell-I didn't-," he sobbed out half sentences, crying harder as he looked at Merlin's face. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. And I heard about you, and about how great you were, how good, and...and I just needed to know." He took a shaking breath. "If I learned magic from you...then I know...I could be...I really could be good."
...
...
"You're going to what?" Arthur asked, looking up from the documents spread across his desk.
Merlin was turning down the bed for the night. Arthur had had another servant up here doing Merlin's chores tonight, but Merlin had walked in and insisted on doing it himself. Now Arthur knew it was because Merlin wanted to speak with him privately.
Merlin looked at the fireplace and held out his right hand. The ash lifted from the ground and collected in the bucket that had previously been used to bring Arthur's bath water up. Only once the ash was in the bucket did Merlin respond.
"I'm going to train him in magic," he repeated simply. "Once he gets settled in and all."
Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes flashed gold and a fire erupted in the now cleaned fireplace. Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea. Merlin seemed to know more and have better control every time Arthur saw him use magic. Maybe he really could teach someone else how to use it.
Merlin picked up Arthur's laundry manually and moved to set it in the basket the last servant had left for them. He only made it two steps before he stepped on a dangling sleeve and tripped, throwing Arthur's clothes all over the floor again. Arthur let out a heavy sigh.
Then again...
"Come sit down," Arthur said as Merlin scrambled to gather the clothes again. When his ex-servant glanced up at him, Arthur waved at the chair across the table. Merlin didn't hesitate to sit with him. Arthur placed his hands palm up on the table and waited until Merlin had taken hold of them before letting a tiny smile lift his lips. "That's better."
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Dollop," he said, his tone too fond to take the insult seriously.
With a cavalier shrug and eye roll, Arthur gave Merlin's hands a quick squeeze before getting back to business. "Why can't Gaius teach him magic? He taught you, didn't he?"
"Yes," Merlin said with a short sigh. "But I also learned from a dragon, my father, Morgana, and about six different magic books." With a flash of his eyes, and without removing his hands from Arthur's, all the spilled clothing gathered itself into the basket again. "I'm not saying I'm an expert-" Arthur snorted and Merlin frowned at him, "but Luke really wants me to teach him. He needs me to."
Arthur lifted an eyebrow at Merlin. His manservant was keeping secrets, it seemed, though it didn't feel like a big one. It still made him feel a bit uneasy. He gave Merlin's hands one last squeeze before releasing them and standing up with a languid stretch. "So where is your apprentice now, then?"
The bedroom door swung open on its own as Merlin also stood, gathering the clothes basket into his arms. Merlin shrugged. "I told him to help Gaius make potions. He's working like his life depends on it," he murmured, eyes troubled.
Arthur pushed away any concern for this boy. They didn't actually know anything about him, yet Merlin cared about him and Arthur wanted to trust Merlin's judgment. Merlin, however, had a bleeding heart and could easily be duped with the appropriate sob story.
"Just make sure he doesn't break the castle," Arthur relented with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Merlin gave a bright smile, which made Arthur's submission completely worth it, before he headed to do Arthur's laundry. And come to think of it, why had Merlin not learned enough magic to clean his laundry by now?
...
...
The window was high up in the wall. From here, they could see the courtyard of the castle and watch people going about with their daily lives. From here, they watched as Merlin carried a load of laundry to be cleaned.
Looking down at the vile in their hand, the figure smiled darkly. Tomorrow would be the day when Arthur Pendragon breathed his last.
...
...
"So...why are we on the training field again?" Luke asked, shading his eyes from the sun and looking out onto the field.
Arthur was out there putting his knights through their paces. It was obvious that some of them were more trained than others, but all of them were keeping up, even the smallest -Luned. As Luke watched, Arthur ended that set of training and started pairing knights up for more combat based practice.
Merlin was seated on a bench next to all the weapons. "Because I'm still Arthur's manservant, even if I'm also Court Sorcerer."
The younger male shook his head. "I don't understand that," he said in confusion. "You're the most powerful sorcerer alive." Merlin let out a soft scoff that Luke ignored. "How could you lower yourself to being a servant?"
"Well..." Merlin leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and let out a breath. "I was made Arthur's servant right when I first arrived in Camelot, before I knew I was supposed to be some powerful magical force. And I hated every minute of it," he said with a laugh. "But...Arthur's a good master. And he's a good man."
Luke looked from Merlin to Arthur and watched the king on the field. Even with all his new duties as king, he was still the one doing the bulk of the knights' training. There was a sheen of sweat on Arthur's visible skin, which meant he was definitely sweating under all his mail and armor. He would need a bath later. From the look on Luke's face, Merlin guessed it wasn't the picture of a king he'd been expecting.
"He's arrogant," Luke snipped, barely loud enough for Merlin to hear it.
"I was also arrogant," Merlin continued, drawing Luke's attention back to himself. "All I could do was move things and slow down time, but I thought I had all the answers. Being Arthur's servant, I was able to use my gifts for good. I also got to see a side to Arthur that no one else did; a side of him that worried about his people and whether he would be a good king, who questioned certain actions taken by his father and who was fiercely loyal to those who were loyal to him." He smiled up at the younger man. "I wouldn't change these past years for anything. Not one day."
He hadn't told Luke yet that he would train him. It was sort of like Arthur testing Lancelot before letting him try out as a knight. Merlin wanted to see how Luke was around Arthur and Camelot before he officially took him on as an apprentice. And wasn't that a terrifying thought: an apprentice. If Luke turned out to be a threat to Camelot, Merlin would be the one to blame.
Arthur waved in Merlin's general direction and Merlin jumped up from his seat. He poured water from a waiting jug into a cup, then turned to Luke.
"Could you go hand this to Arthur? He needs a drink."
Luke's expression bordered on mutinous for a moment before he schooled his face and accepted the cup. He marched out onto the field, between dueling knights, as if getting Arthur his water were a matter of life and death. The sight made Merlin grin.
Unfortunately, Arthur threw his arm out, sword in hand, while shouting to one of the knights. The blade missed Luke but caught the cup dead on, knocking it from his hands. Caught unaware, Arthur also dropped Excalibur in the grass at Luke's feet. As Arthur turned to see who or what he'd hit, Luke dropped to the ground, reaching for the cup. His hand hesitated over Excalibur and then he grabbed the sword instead of the cup and stood back up.
Merlin was instantly tense. Luke held the sword up, looking from it to Arthur and back, for what felt like eternity. Arthur glanced past the teen to Merlin. Whatever he saw from Merlin had his eyes narrowing and he focused back on Luke. Merlin wished he could hear what Arthur was saying, but he was too far away. Then Arthur held out his hand for the sword. Again, like when he accepted the water, Luke hesitated. Merlin felt his magic rise to the surface, ready to act.
Then Excalibur was back in Arthur's hands and Luke was bending down to grab the cup he'd dropped. As the boy hurried back over to the bench, Merlin's magic calmed. Arthur locked eyes with him and gave a nod before turning back to his men. No one had even glanced at their king the entire time.
"Need more water," Luke was saying as he stopped next to Merlin. "Seems the king's wingspan is a bit wider than his eyes."
There was a hesitant glint in Luke's eyes and Merlin smiled at the joke, erasing the nerves from the teen's expression. Luke grabbed the water jug and refilled the cup before marching back over to Arthur and handing it off.
...
...
Arthur had dinner that evening with Morgana and Merlin in the small dining hall. He used to eat here with his father and Morgana and maybe a visiting noble, if it wasn't a special occasion. Evening light was filtering in through the high windows, but it wasn't truly enough to see by, so there were candles scattered around the room. With a wave of hands, Morgana and Merlin had every candle lit with a perfect tiny flame.
Having sorcerers around was more convenient than Arthur had ever thought it'd be.
"So I hear that we have a surprise guest," Morgana commented teasingly. "A fan of Merlin's, if rumors are to be believed."
Merlin gagged slightly on his soup. He looked awkward in his nice clothes, eating at this formal dining table. Arthur was so used to him serving instead of being served in this room. Usually it was just the two of them in Arthur's room at dinner so this sight was still new to Arthur. He preferred the private meals they shared. In the past they had shared Arthur's large dinner portions, but these days Merlin was given his own meal to enjoy with Arthur. It was nice, though Arthur hadn't minded sharing.
"That's right," Arthur answered, pulling himself from his thoughts. "He follows Merlin around like a duckling and he's barely arrived."
Morgana looked like she was barely holding back a laugh. "Oh now I have to see this sometime. Where is your duckling?"
The blush was high on Merlin's cheeks. "His name is Luke and he's with Gaius," he said. "I'm going to start him as my apprentice tomorrow."
All laughter fell from Morgana's face. "Apprentice?" Merlin nodded. "As in, magic?" Another nod. Morgana let out a heavy breath. "Times are changing quickly, aren't they?" she said quietly.
It wasn't a question that wanted an answer, so they fell into silence again. When Merlin had finished his soup, he pushed his bowl away and rested his hands nervously on the table. Then he cleared his throat, gaining the full attention of the two other people in the room.
"Actually, Morgana," the ex-servant began, "I was wondering." He scratched his cheek briefly, eyes wandering. "Would you help out? With the training?"
There was a soft clatter as Morgana dropped her spoon back into her nearly empty bowl. By her shocked expression, she'd never expected such a request. Merlin plowed ahead.
"I'm a very powerful sorcerer, true, but I don't know everything. You've got a lot of experience with magic as well, of a different kind than I use," he explained. "I don't mean that I want you to do a lot of work with him, just...If I don't know the answer, I'd like to know that you would be willing to help me."
Morgana's eyes were overly bright and she blinked several times to clear them. Arthur and Merlin pretended not to notice.
It had been a long time since Arthur won Morgana's allegiance back from Morgause, but he had always known she wasn't completely comfortable around him. Even after Uther died and Arthur became king, after he lifted the ban on magic, she had been more reserved around him than she used to be. To her, this must be the final piece of a puzzle slipping into place; the proof that she really was at home here.
"I would be honored," Morgana said at length, nodding her head and smiling brightly at Merlin. Arthur had not seen a smile so free on his sister's face since before she met Morgause.
The side door opened and a dozen kitchen maids bustled in. Three of them collected the soup dishes and hurried back out, while the rest were bringing out pitchers of wine and plates piled with meats and vegetables.
Merlin's expression when his plate was set before him was almost comical. He still ate with Gaius more often than not, and was not used to having so much food just for himself, even when eating with Arthur. But tonight he was formally dining with the king, so his stomach would be over full.
The young woman who poured Arthur's drink was new, Arthur noted. So was the girl servicing Morgana. Merlin had the pleasure of one of the older servants, still young but with a lot of castle experience, serving him. This was probably because new servants would be tripping over themselves to please the king and a born and raised Lady of the Court, while Merlin was a servant with a title and the other servants would know him better from working with him.
Speaking of which, Merlin was now Lord Merlin, Court Sorcerer of Camelot, yet he was still working in the castle as a servant. Arthur frowned as he picked up his wine goblet, freshly full thanks to the kitchen maid serving him. He would need to do something about Merlin's conflicting jobs. He didn't want to lose Merlin as a manservant, regardless of what a terrible job he did half the time, but he didn't want visiting nobles to look down on the Court Sorcerer because he also scrubbed floors.
From the corner of his eye, Arthur caught sight of an increasingly familiar figure standing in the shadows of the room and watching them. It was Luke. He must have come in with the kitchen maids. That was another thing to consider when thinking about Merlin's jobs, Arthur mused. He now had an apprentice.
Merlin and Morgana both froze in their seats at the same time and Arthur paused with his goblet just before his lips, raising an eyebrow at them.
"Arthur," Merlin started, a bit franticly, at the same time Morgana half-shouted, "Don't drink that!"
He quickly pulled the wine away from his mouth and glanced at it. The color was dark and rich and nothing looked or smelled off about it. But if both of his magical consuls were panicking, then he could be certain something magical was wrong with it.
"What is it?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "Poison?"
Merlin nodded as Morgana gave a helpless shrug. "I just feels off," she said. "It's powerful though. I've never been able to sense a poison before."
Arthur waved over the kitchen maid who had served him and she scurried to his side. "Where did this wine come from?"
"The kitchens, sire, the same as all the wine," she told him in a meek voice, her eyes trained on Arthur's face.
"Did anyone come into contact with it before you poured my glass?" Arthur asked, voice strong and serious.
The kitchen maid glanced around the room briefly, her eyes passing over Merlin, Morgana, the two other maids still in the room, and Luke, then flicked back to Arthur. She shook her head. "Just me, sire."
In a flash, her eyes hardened and she had pulled a knife from the folds of her dress. Arthur made to push back from the table and stand just as she slashed out at him. Morgana gasped, Merlin's eyes flashed golden. Her knife jerked sideways, flying from her hand to land on the floor far away, but not in time to stop the slice across Arthur's left arm. Almost at the exact same instant, the woman was jerked backwards away from Arthur, landing in a heap six feet away from the table.
Merlin immediately turned to Luke, who had his hands out in front of him like he was trying to catch a falling object but knew he wouldn't make it, a wild look in his eyes. Morgana was already at Arthur's side and shouting for someone to fetch Gaius. The other maids scurried from the room, one through the servant's exit and one through the main doors to fetch Gaius.
"Are you alright?" Merlin asked, kneeling next to the king as Morgana grabbed an unused table cloth and used it to put pressure on the wound.
Arthur nodded, though he winced at the pressure on his wound. "It's nothing terrible," he insisted, though Morgana let out a huff. "If Morgana doesn't cut off the blood to my entire arm with that cloth, I'll be fine."
"Only you would minimize an attempt on your life," Morgana chastised. "You'll lose a lot of blood if we don't put pressure on the wound, and neither Merlin nor I are very good at healing spells."
"That seems like a rather big flaw in your skills," Arthur quipped shortly.
Merlin shook his head at them and, knowing Arthur would be okay, moved around the table toward the kitchen maid responsible. With a dark look down at her, he made a sort of figure eight motion with his hand and said, "Line cysban." Ropes bound the dazed woman's arms tightly to her torso and ensured that she would not be escaping anytime soon.
Of course that was when the guards rushed in, several minutes too late. Merlin let them take care of the woman - not trusting himself to be near her any longer anyway - and instead moved to stand by Luke, who was now staring at his hands in apparent shock.
Merlin stood in front of the boy and placed his hands on his hips. "What were you doing in here, Luke?" The anger at someone for attacking Arthur remained a bit in his tone, making Luke tense up. Merlin wasn't actually upset, but it was something he was curious about and maybe a bit of fear would make Luke more honest.
"I just," Luke fumbled, looking to where the woman was being hefted to her feet. "I wanted to see you, and you haven't been around since the training field and I thought I'd done something to upset you and I really really want you to teach me magic and I just thought-"
"You are not the leader of Albion!" the woman shouted, cutting Luke off and earning her a glare from Merlin. "You are Uther Pendragon's son, and you always will be." She had everyone's attention, even as the guards were dragging her out of the room. "You can pass whatever laws you want, but that won't change! The Lady Morgana should be Queen of Albion! She will be queen!"
Then the doors shut, muffling her continued shouts. Morgana looked between Merlin and Arthur swiftly and shook her head. "Arthur, I swear to you, I had nothing to do with this attack."
Arthur shook his head. "It would have been a very badly thought out plan, if you were," he said. "Given your past attempts on my life, I would have been insulted if this was your next move."
A relieved smile quirked Morgana's lips and her eyes softened. "Yes, well, you can always expect better from me."
Gaius strode into the room then and let out a soft gasp at the sight of the bloody cloth on Arthur's arm. He shook his head and shot Merlin a withering look.
"You'd better come up to my chambers, then," he said to the king. "I'll need to clean and close that wound before we bandage it."
Morgana and Arthur, and the guards, all left with Gaius, leaving Merlin and Luke alone in the dining hall. Though Arthur threw a glance at Merlin before he was through the door, and Merlin motioned that he would follow shortly. He just had one thing to take care of first.
After the doors were shut, Merlin shook off his irritation at the attack as best he could, then gave a small smile and pat Luke's arm. "You did well. You helped save Arthur's life tonight," he assured the younger man. Luke got that look of hope in his eyes again, only now Merlin understood what it meant. Now was as good a time as any to give him the great news. "But if you want to help out anymore, you'll need to practice some useful spells first, so you don't cause more harm than good. And to do that, you'll need a teacher."
Luke's mouth dropped open, his eyes widened. "Y-you mean...You'll-"
Merlin nodded. "I've decided to take you on as my apprentice."
He wasn't prepared for the hug he got in return for that announcement but Luke wrapped him up as tight as he could manage. Merlin's smile turned soft and he hugged Luke back. He could tell: Luke was going to be a force for good. He didn't need to ask the dragon or Morgana or Tethella. He just knew.
...
...
"I should be used to assassination attempts by now," Arthur griped. "But what is wrong with the guards that these lunatics keep getting close enough to try?"
Gaius made a 'hmm' noise of agreement and nodded before picking up some bandages and beginning to cover the wound on Arthur's arm.
"I have no doubt that Morgause is somehow behind this. She wants Morgana on the throne of Camelot, she always has. This was probably a ploy to make me doubt Morgana's loyalty, and to earn Morgana's loyalty for herself in return."
"That seems likely, sire," Gaius commented, still wrapping the wound.
Arthur stared at the wood of the floor for a few long, quiet moments. Then he took a deep breath and said, "Do you think it's a good thing, Merlin training that kid?"
Gaius didn't even glance up from his work. "Maybe not," he admitted, and Arthur's head snapped to him with wide eyes. "Merlin was a clumsy magician when he first started learning. Luke is even more so. It's quite possible that training Luke could injure both of them, or result in some sort of explosion."
Arthur let out a groan and dropped his head into his right hand, propped up on his knee. Gaius made a face when the motion made Arthur's left arm move too and shifted the bandages. He realigned them with the wound and continued his work.
"However," he said, and Arthur turned his head just enough to peak out through his fingers at the elderly man. "Merlin has always worried about his powers being used for evil. You are not the only person who has had trouble finding a good sorcerer," he noted, tying off the bandage.
Gaius collected his medical supplies and moved to put them away as he spoke. Arthur rolled his left shoulder and felt no pain from the cut on his arm.
"Luke wants to be an honest man; an honest sorcerer. Merlin is happy just to find someone like that. And if he is passing along his knowledge to a younger generation, so that his good magic spreads, then I have no qualms with it."
Arthur glanced toward Merlin's closed bedroom door. Well, now it was Merlin and Luke's bedroom, wasn't it? He supposed, if he looked at the situation from Gaius's point of view, then yes, it was a good one. He just hoped Luke didn't betray Merlin's trust. Camelot had been burned too many times in the past and they didn't need any more wounds. Merlin didn't need any more.
"Thank you, Gaius," he said, standing up and pulling his jacket on. "I need to see this would-be assassin and find out if she has any information on Morgause or her whereabouts. Then I have to pass judgment on her for trying to take my life," he said grimly.
Gaius nodded. "Of course, sire. Send for me if you need anything."
Arthur nodded and walked purposefully out of the room.
...
...
It was strange, standing in the field where Arthur liked to beat him with a sword, prepared to train someone in the art of magic. Luke stood opposite Merlin in the field, ten feet between them. Across Merlin's shoulders was his satchel, but there were no herbs in it today.
"Ok," Merlin started. "I agreed to teach you magic, but I can only do that if you agree to two conditions."
Luke nodded, hands clenching at his sides. "Anything."
"First: you have to use your magic for good. If I think you're going to use it for evil, I will stop teaching you. Immediately," Merlin stated seriously. Luke nodded again. "I don't know everything. Gaius is probably the best teacher when it comes to potions. Morgana knows some spells as well, though hers relate more to the art of illusion or prophesy, and unless you're a seer, those won't do you much good. You can still ask her for help though, remember that."
"Potions, Gaius. Illusions and visions, Morgana. Got it," Luke repeated. "What's the second condition?"
Merlin gave a tiny smile. "Magic is partly about how much power you have and partly how much training you've had. But it is mostly about intuition and feelings. Always follow your heart."
Luke smiled too. "Yes, sir."
Merlin's smile grew. "You are going to make mistakes. You aren't going to be perfect right away. You're probably going to get frustrated before you get any spell right. Learning magic is hard and takes years to master, but it is all worth it. Are you ready?"
"Always," Luke said, a glint in his dark eyes.
Merlin opened his satchel and pulled out an apple. "We're going to start with levitation. You can pick any lock, you said?" A nod. "Well, that involves moving parts of the lock to your will. Moving objects uses this same idea."
His eyes flashed gold and the apple lifted from his hand. With a nod of his head, the apple flew over to Luke, who caught it with wide eyes.
"Cool," he breathed out.
Merlin smiled again. "Hold the apple out in front of you." Luke did as directed. "Now, say the spell. Ábregdan."
Luke stared at the apple intently. He opened his mouth. "Ábregdan."
...
...
Next Time: Phoenix Tears, Part One
Word spreads of a once in a millennium find: a phoenix egg. Legend says that one who has the loyalty of a phoenix will live forever. Now it's a race for Camelot's finest to find the egg before Morgause does, or face an enemy who cannot die.
...
...
Translations:
Ábregdan = raise/lift up
Line cysban = rope bind
Swebban = sleep