[Fic]: The Wizard and The Dragon Prince (1/?)
Title: The Wizard and The Dragon Prince
Fandom: BBC Merlin
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: AU. Merlin, a village boy from Ealdor, grew up during turbulent times when he befriended a dragon.
Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything from BBC Merlin.
Haha, I wrote this in 2009 and never had the courage to post it anywhere.
1
The thirteenth anniversary of Merlin’s birth saw the North Star fall from the sky and disappear in the blackness that was the universe. The village elders said that it was an omen. And a powerful omen it was. The aftershock of the earthquake could be felt by every villager before the news arrived from the distant land of Camelot that the Pendragon’s reign had ended. They all took a deep breath and waited; sure enough, within a week a new sovereign was put into place: a powerful sorcerer by the name of Mordred. At first, Ealdor didn’t know how to take this news. On one hand, Camelot was a different kingdom and therefore a different world-whatever happened to Camelot was of little concern. On the other hand, instability in another kingdom often indicated an impending war.
As Merlin grew up, signs of the predicted omen began to appear. Dragons from Camelot flocked to other kingdoms, one of which was Cendred’s, and despite the impressive size of the king’s army, these creatures continued to terrorize his citizens. Ealdor, in particular, was in the outlying region of the kingdom, and as a result, did not even receive the slightest attention from the king when these new pests arrived. A dragon’s nest settled in the ridge of Aesctir, near the village; thus, because of the villagers’ limited resources, they sent a tribute of crops and cattle to the forest near the ridge every three months to appease the dragons. However, for the two years following there was a drought: The sun scorched above while the earth hardened and cracked. Plants refused to grow. Livestock suffered. During news of these hard times the villagers received an order from the king to send one man from every household to the capital. At that moment, they knew; war with Camelot was unavoidable. And so it was that every grown man from every home left, one of whom included Merlin’s father. With the food running out and the men gone, the tributes to the dragon declined significantly-yet the dragons remained silent. The elders told them not to relax just yet, because the dragon’s peacefulness was just temporary.
Merlin was now fourteen, barely going on fifteen when the men of Ealdor joined Cendred’s army. Unlike the other maturing boys, Merlin was a late bloomer. When the other boys rose to impossible heights and had deeper voices and talked about girls of all things, he was still stumpy and thought girls were annoying. When the other boys teased him, Will was there to comfort Merlin who appreciated the effort even though Will’s presence often made him more uncomfortable than he already was. Will often confided in Merlin of his embarrassing dreams with naked girls and breasts and smooth thighs; descriptions that both horrified Merlin and made him seethe with jealousy.
Initially, Merlin longed for puberty. He was tired of being the only boy left behind. However, when it actually came, Merlin was more annoyed and frightened than glad. The clarity of mind Merlin possessed as a child was replaced with feelings and sensations that Merlin was sure he could live without. He had hairs growing in embarrassing places, his voice cracked at the most inappropriate moments and thingsthat he would rather have not mentioned were developing. Furthermore, he began to tower over the other boys, who, jealous of Merlin’s new height, teased him even more to shield their own envy. He felt cheated. He wanted this in order to be normal like all the others, yet the changes that happened to him initiated more differences than similarities. One of which was his dreams, where instead of obscene images of women, Merlin saw broad shoulders and strong chests and muscled abdomens. For months he couldn’t tell anyone, but after his mother’s constant prodding, he finally confessed. Hunith had hugged him and told him that he will always be her little boy: He was who he was and shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Yet, Merlin understood that he should not advertise this and only those closest to him were merited with the truth. Will’s eyes went wide when Merlin told him. For a week, Merlin thought that he was going to lose his best friend, until the day when Will good-naturedly patted him in the back and asked which of Ealdor’s young men Merlin fancied- a question which burned his ears red and made him smack Will in cheerful irritation.
However, the most disturbing development wasn’t anything physical or mental. Some nights when he woke up screaming from a nightmare, a vase in the house exploded into pieces. When he woke up from a particularly good dream, all of the possessions in his room floated an inch from the ground. At first fascination thrummed in his veins; until his mother walked in and started screaming with horror. Seeing the terror etched on her face, panic chased that fascination away and all of the floating objects crashed to the ground. From that moment on, magic brought nothing but fear to his heart and heeding his mother’s words he suppressed it as best as he could. What his mother couldn’t accept, Will could. When Merlin showed Will floating flowers and flying leaves, Will was awed. He vowed with his heart to protect Merlin’s secret. Merlin’s mother was angry at first, but she understood Will’s approval was important to her son.
With maturity came awareness. Merlin began to notice things that he had been oblivious to as a child- one of which was the gossip about the origin of his birth. With a careful ear he learned that Hunith was barren, and Balinor, his father, was also incapable of conception. Yet, here he was. Merlin didn’t believe the gossip until his sixteenth birthday, when his mother sat him down and gently told him the truth. Years of loss, shame and anger at being different set loose the monster within and as Merlin shouted and cursed at his mother she merely wept, not knowing how to ease his pain. Finally when he rid himself of the beast, all that was left was pain and hurt. Merlin clutched his mother tightly, then and cried.
He was a child of the Lake. He was born from the Old Magic, from Nimueh, its priestess, who at the bidding of the Old Magic gave her baby to the care of mortal parents. One day, he would rise to the destiny that was placed before him. What destiny, Hunith wasn’t sure. However, the Old Magic promised that Merlin would return to Nimueh after his twenty-fifth birthday and reside there forever as a spirit of the Lake.
Knowing his time in this mortal world was limited, Merlin lived as best as he could, waiting for a destiny that he couldn’t comprehend.
………………..
“Merlin!” Will hissed. “We should go.”
“But I want to see!” Merlin insisted. Both Merlin and Will were seventeen now, old enough to be considered men yet their hearts remained youthful. Today was the first day of the third month, when Ealdor’s tribute to the dragons of the ridge of Aesctir was due. It was Merlin’s and Will’s turn to bring the offering to the edge of the forest. Will wanted to leave right away before sunrise when dragons would come, but Merlin wanted to stay and see the fearsome creatures that haunted the village with only their existence.
“You don’t have to prove anything to Alwyn, you know,” Will said, his eyes darting back and forth anxiously. “He’s a coward himself.”
“I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone,” Merlin declared, although he really was. Alwyn, the prick, said that Merlin was a coward and dared him to remain with the tribute until the dragons came. Obviously, Merlin wasn’t going to back down from that- especially when Merlin desperately wanted to see Alywyn’s smug face transform into awe and respect.
Will snorted in disbelief. “Yeah right, everyone knows-”
Merlin cut him off. “Shhhh. Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Will whispered, suddenly a lot less annoyed with his best friend.
“C’ mon,” Merlin grabbed Will’s arm and tugged him behind the bushes by the Wych Elm. He couldn’t describe it- feeling that was seizing his chest, threatening to overwhelm his entire being. Even though the dragons were miles away and on an escarpment no doubt, Merlin could have sworn that he felt them.
The two teens waited with anticipation and fear, frozen in place. Despite the warnings flashing in their minds, We don’t want to see this,something else that could be bravery but was probably stupidity said, Show us. In the moment of tension their minds reassured them that they were men who had just as much (if not more) right to be in this land as the dragons. And so they waited, watching the cattle and the goods that were tied to a tree fifty feet away.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Hours passed. Morning came and the sunlight broke the sky, illuminating the earth beneath. Warblers, blue tits, and sparrows perching on nearby bushes glanced at the two humans in curiosity before flying away in search of food. At the gentle touch of the sun, flowers opened their petals and smiled in greeting. All around, life awakened from its night sleep.
No sign of dragons.
“So,” Will said at last. “Now that the excitement had passed, I think we should get back.” He stood up, stretching his arms as he walked to where they’d hidden the horses. “Let’s go, Merlin.”
“You go ahead, I’ll wait,” was Merlin’s reply.
“Oh come on, we have to go,” Will said. “You don’t want to stay and become dragon food, do you?”
“I’ll wait,” Merlin said firmly, still crouching with his back turned. Annoyed, Will walked to Merlin and shook his shoulders. “Merlin, we have to go before the dragons come. Besides, if we stay here any longer, we’ll miss lunch.”
Merlin refused to budge.
“Merlin,” Will tugged Merlin’s shoulder. “We have to-”
But as Merlin turned to face him, Will was rendered speechless. Merlin’s eyes, which were blue when he had last seen them, were molten gold.
“I have to stay,” Merlin said in a strange, echoing voice-as if two people were speaking at once.
“No, you don’t,” Will said cautiously, knowing that this wasn’t Merlin speaking. “Merlin-” he began gently.
“Yes, I do,” Merlin interrupted his eyes hazy and colored gold. “I have to wait for him.”
“For who?” Will asked, but as the words left his mouth, the forest became silent.
The chirping of the birds was suddenly gone. The insects remained eerily silent, and the trees looming overhead seemed to rise higher and higher, until the leaves overhead were so closely knitted that he could no longer see the sky. When the wind rose, the branches creaked back and forth, as if the whole forest was an angry mob swinging their wooden clubs threateningly.
And then the wind stopped.
The branches stopped moving. All was silent-but it was not a peaceful silence. The forest took a deep breath and waited for the opportunity to strike. Will felt it in his bones.
“Merlin,” Will whispered; but Merlin didn’t move, didn’t say anything except:
“He’s coming.”
Who? Will wanted to ask, but didn’t. The earth beneath them began to shake, and in the distance, the sound of beating wings grew louder. They didn’t have much time; Will contemplated just swinging Merlin over his shoulder and running. He wouldn’t get far, but at least they’d be a good distance away; the dragons would be too occupied with the tribute to notice.
A shriek pierced the sky and Will found himself falling onto his knees, instead. Heart wild, body tense and eyes wide, Will didn’t know what was happening to him at first-but as a giant shadow fell over the trees, he realized that this sensation was fear. Real fear. Carnal, instinctual; fear that prepared the blood and muscles for a fight.
Merlin, oddly, didn’t feel frightened. His mind felt hazy, obscure. A voice within him was telling him to wait patiently because he was coming. Who, Merlin didn’t know for sure, but something in his gut told him to stay and wait.
A rough wind almost pushed them back, and Will tightened his hold on his friend and wrapped his other arm around the Wych Elm. Eyes stinging, he had to keep his head down to protect them from the wind. When the air stopped moving and there was two soft “thumps,” Will glanced up, torn between awe and fright as his eyes rested upon the most amazing, yet menacing sight he had ever seen.
Two dragons at least fourteen feet tall stood before them, grass and branches crunching effortlessly under their claws. One had sleek, blue scales with wave-like spikes lining its spine from the tip of its tail to the top of its head. One small horn sat in between its nostrils. The other dragon, in comparison, was more slender and firm in build, though no less smaller in size. Its scales were pure white like the winter snow that fell on the ridge, and as sunlight struck them, they glowed in a light golden hue. Two horns protruded from its head-one on each side-and as this dragon stood they lifted proudly as if belonging to a crown. While the blue dragon gathered the cattle and the other offerings of food with its claws, the white dragon guarded the premises.
Will was startled when Merlin gently pried his hand away from where it was still clutching Merlin’s shoulder. “Merlin?” Will whispered, worried about his friends strange reaction.
In the distance the white dragon froze and his companion stilled in response. Slowly, the white dragon lifted its head in the air and sniffed. Once. Twice. Then the dragon turned its head toward Merlin and Will’s hiding place.
Everything happened in seconds. Before panic could properly grip their hearts, the white dragon was looming before them, one claw gripping the elm tree. With a flick of its wrist, the tree cracked at the base of the trunk and flew, sending Will with it. The momentum flung him a foot from the tree, and he cried out in pain as he landed arm-first onto the ground. His head burned like fire at the impact before turning into a series of painful throbs.
Merlin fell flat on his back; his eyes still gleaming in gold. The dragon reached for him, pinning him down with one claw on each side of his neck. Merlin didn’t feel afraid. Magic thrummed violently in his blood, singing, screaming -begging to be freed. An ancient voice deep within told him that he had to be closer, closer, and closer to this force, this power before his eyes.
The dragon lowered its head until its cat-like blue eyes were directly boring into his; its breath fanning his face. Suddenly, Merlin saw a faint image reflected in the dragon’s dark pupil-of golden hair and armor and sword-so far away, yet the vision stirred something so close to his heart.
The ancient voice within him whispered, “Arthur,” and Merlin echoed it.
“Arthur.”
And that was it. The dragon narrowed its eyes and growled, snapping Merlin out of his magic-induced haze. Abruptly, Merlin became very aware that the creature in front of him was a dragon, and one with alarmingly sharp claws trapping his neck and a large mouth that promised to contain a jaw full of sharp teeth. There was no image reflected in its pupils except of Merlin, himself, now blue eyed and trembling.
He suddenly became very afraid. The dragon must have sensed a change in Merlin, because within seconds, it retracted its claws and swished away to rejoin its companion. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, the two creatures took off.
Merlin followed them with his eyes until they became two tiny dots in the distance.
………………..
Will’s arm was broken and his ankle was sprained, but the village physician said that he should be fine given time and rest. However, Merlin wasn’t sure if his psychological damage would ever heal.
They hadn’t spoken a word to one another these last few weeks. The silences between them grew so great that even the village physician, who only vaguely knew how close they were, commented on this.
“Merlin,” Hunith asked gently. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Merlin shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it.
He didn’t even want to think about it. He just wanted to pretend that it never happened.
“I don’t know what happened on that trip with Will,” his mother continued. “But if Will hurt you….”
“He would never hurt me, mum,” Merlin said. “He’s my best friend.”
Hunith pulled him into her arms, resting his head on her chest as she did when he was a child. “I’m always here if you want to talk. Don’t ever be afraid of telling me anything.”
“I know, mum,” he mumbled.
Merlin came to see Will the next day. He was propped up on his bed; when Merlin came in, Will broke his blank gaze with the wall to look at Merlin as he sat on the chair by his bedside.
Merlin spoke first. “About what happened…”
And he couldn’t finish, because at his words, the memories of what happened came rushing back in painful waves, stronger than ever after being suppressed so long. His eyes became wet and his nose stung; next to him, Will was in the same state.
They finally cracked, braking down into painful sobs because they were close; so close to death. They were so scared. And from that moment on, they knew that it was foolish to think of themselves as strong men who could overcome anything, because those creatures-these dragons-were forces powerful beyond their comprehension.
Another month passed. Then another. Before the two boys noticed, it was the first day of the third month again. This time, Alwyn and another village boy had the shift, and Merlin didn’t even bat an eye when Alwyn mockingly teased him.
Time allowed Merlin to recover from his near death experience, and with rehabilitation came reflection. While Will was inclined to forget the experience altogether, Merlin wasn’t.
Answers started to come after months of reflection. Initially, Merlin couldn’t even bear the thought of almost dying, but once he began to accept it, rational thought became easier. Besides the very firm resolution never to engage with a dragon, he took note of inexplicable occurrences. Firstly, his magic reacted wildly when the dragon came. Secondly, the creature recoiled when Merlin whispered the name ‘Arthur.’
And finally….
This last thought was strange, unacceptable. Yet, his instinct was confident that it was true.
When the dragon’s gaze pierced deeply into his, the creature almost appeared…
….human.
Which was ridiculous; so Merlin discarded the thought immediately when it formed in his mind.
………………..
When fall began, news from the northern border brought a wave of tension to Ealdor.
For three years, Mordred of Camelot clashed with King Cendred at the northern border of Cendred’s kingdom. While Mordred’s army had the advantage of magic, Cendred’s army had the advantages of size and experience. Initially, victory favored Cendred, yet, something else happened in the last few months that turned the battle fields to Mordred’s favor.
The villagers were worried. If the northern border lost, then Ealdor would undoubtedly be conquered next. Despite being the closest bordering town to Camelot, the ridge and forest of Aesctir protected the village, and even though there was a river near Camelot’s capital that led straight to Ealdor, the southern border was composed of marshes that, during the summer, were filled with insects, which only multiplied as the weather became warmer. During the winter, they were frozen with a layer of dangerously thin ice. Geographically, Ealdor was temporarily safe.
Merlin wondered, sometimes, what really prevented Camelot’s army from crossing the forest and invading Ealdor. The villagers had no problem traveling in the forest. In fact, Ealdor was thought as the first village that would be lost. Yet, here it was.
Nevertheless, the village prepared for the impending invasion and the coming winter. The villagers were blessed with a few rainy seasons, so they managed to keep a considerable amount of food in stock-not much but hopefully, with careful rationing, it would last them the whole winter.
Merlin went to the forest again to gather fire wood with Will. They were there the whole morning and Will was off somewhere, taking a break, while Merlin looked for mushrooms and herbs for his mother. The day was pleasant and being out of the village allowed Merlin to forget the imminent strife.
Since winter was approaching, the morning cooled quickly, and by afternoon, Merlin was shivering in his thin jacket. The Western wind from the sea brought in the wet and mild climate again, a welcome counterpoint to the unnatural hot summer and fall they’d had. (Rumor had it that Mordred created the last drought in order to slow down King Cendred’s advances.)
Merlin paused. He could have sworn he heard something.
There it was again. Merlin quickly crouched behind a bush before cautiously crawling toward the sound. It was a groaning sound, undeniably human. He shifted slowly forward, carefully as to not alert whatever was ahead of him. The rocks and the twigs on the ground dug painfully into his knees, but he tried his best to use some semblance of stealth as he approached the sound.
Quietly, tugging the branches of the bush, Merlin found the source of the groaning. It was a blond man-no, boy- his age, naked with two arrows protruding from his back. At the sight, Merlin leaped from his hiding spot toward the boy, checking to see if he was still alive. The stranger was unconscious, but still breathing, although the wounds on his back seemed pretty bad.
This boy needed help. However, not sure if his attackers were still around, Merlin dare not call to Will. Gently, he swung the stranger’s arm around his shoulders and carefully lifted him up; hoping that his movements did not further irritate the wounds.
Will gaped at Merlin in shock when he crashed over the bushes with a stranger in tow. Despite Will’s protests, “Merlin, he could be a spy,” Merlin insisted that they help this boy; spy or not. Besides, if he was a spy, maybe the village elders could squeeze information from him.
“Merlin, we’re not that kind of people. We can’t torture information from him,” Will argued.
“Well, we can’t leave him here,” Merlin said. “He’s hurt, and he needs help.”
“Oh? And if he’s a spy from Camelot? What then?” They couldn’t take any chances. The northern border was losing ground and Ealdor would turn into dust if the Camelot forces prevailed.
“He’s not a spy from Camelot.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I just know, okay?” Merlin said irritably, and Will noticed, at last, that his eyes were once again like that day when they faced the dragon; flashed with gold. Unfamiliar. Strange.
“Merlin,” Will said cautiously. “Calm down. Take a deep breath.”
Merlin did, and as he exhaled slowly, his eyes returned to their normal blue. Will sighed in relief.
“I..I just don’t think it’s right to leave someone like that,” Merlin said.
“You know we can’t take any chances.” Will wanted so badly for his friend to see sense just this once. “Merlin, please, we can’t put the village in danger.” This was war. They couldn’t afford to….
“I understand,” Merlin whispered at last, and Will thought that was that.
Only it wasn’t.
“Mer-lin!” Will hissed. “What are you-”
Merlin said firmly, accepting no argument, “We can’t leave him out there. He needs help.” Merlin ripped long strips of his shirt and wrapped them around the boy’s wounds in order to stabilize the arrows and stop the bleeding. Then, he hoisted the stranger on his horse, and with incredible difficulty (and a little bit of magic), got on the horse himself, pulling the stranger flat against his back, his head on Merlin’s neck and both of his arms slung around Merlin’s waist. With one hand on the reign of his horse and the other holding on to the boy’s arms, Merlin ride ahead, pointedly ignoring Will’s protests behind him.
“Will,” Merlin interrupted with that strange voice again, his eyes turning gold once more. “If he hurts anyone or tries anything, I will stop him.”
Will froze, the insult “You and what army?” dying in his throat, because he knew that Merlin really had that kind of power in him.
Will may not have magic like Merlin, or sharpness like that of a scholar, but he did know that something had changed within his friend, ever since they faced the dragons. He didn’t realize, however, that Merlin had changed long before that. Before he discovered magic and before the war against Camelot. Merlin slowly transformed when the North Star disappeared, marking the beginning of his destiny.
Part 2.