Not How it Should Be (2/?)
HEY LOOK I FINALLY WROTE MORE. Part One is here.
Title: Not how it should be
Rating: PG
Pairings: Merlin/Nimueh, Arthur/Merlin and Merlin/Gwen
Summary: Majorly AU. Based on the idea of Nimueh noticing Merlin before he arrived at Camelot.
A/N: Good God recounting scenes from the episodes is dull. I skipped over a lot. So, uh... if you haven't seen the first episode (which is unlikely), this might be a tad confusing.
Oh, and also - I hearby dedicate this fic to the awesome and dearly departed Nimueh. May she rest restlessly and haunt many people.
Somewhere deep beneath Camelot, the great dragon hung his head.
Almost every possible future he saw lead to Arthur dying at Merlin’s hand.
Merlin left her cave much more purposefully than he’d arrived. He knew what had to be done. And he knew exactly what to expect in Camelot.
And so, when he watched as man was executed for sorcery, he thought to himself that a day or so earlier, he’d have been much more bothered by this. Because now he knew the man was going to be avenged.
Gaius’ rooms weren’t hard to find. He could sense the old man, through the strange, second-hand memories he’d gained.
“Hello?” he called as he came in. “Gaius?”
Gaius turned out to be standing on a very rickety-looking walkway, and was startled enough by Merlin’s sudden entrance to fall.
He hesitated, as time slowed around him through his magic. He knew Gaius was a traitor. He could almost remember it himself; she’d been there. But then something changed his mind. Don’t just let him die, he found himself thinking. You can’t just-
The thought cut off there, and he wouldn’t have done anything had it not occurred to him that having someone who knew more about the present state of Camelot might be a good idea.
Besides, it was easily done. A moment later Gaius was on his feet and glaring.
“What did you just do?” he snapped.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Merlin, possibly rather too quickly.
“If anyone had seen that-” Definitely too quickly.
“It was nothing to do with me,” he said.
“Where did you learn how to do that?”
Merlin thought of the woman in the forest, but didn’t mention her, of course. “Nowhere.” he said. “I’ve never studied magic.”
Gaius pulled a very interesting suspicious expression. “Are you lying to me, boy?” he said. Merlin shook his head. “Tell me the truth!”
“I was born like this,” said Merlin, which wasn’t entirely true. But close enough.
“That’s impossible,” said Gaius, and Merlin thought that he was as close-minded as he almost remembered. “And who are you?”
“I have a letter for you,” said Merlin, digging it out of his pack, and offering it to him.
“I don’t have my glasses,” snapped Gaius.
“I’m Merlin,” said Merlin, thinking that that isn’t entirely true either (he’s more than that now).
Recognition dawned. “Hunith’s son?” said Gaius. “But you’re not meant to be here till Wednesday.”
“It is Wednesday,” said Merlin. And wasn’t that something; he’d spent a whole night with the woman in the caves, and yet he’d hardly been delayed at all. There really was no limit to her powers.
“Ah,” said Gaius, and directed him through into another room.
“You won’t say anything about what happened, will you?” said Merlin.
“No,” said Gaius.
“That’s a change,” muttered Merlin.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing,” said Merlin. “I didn’t say anything at all.”
Gaius looked suspicious again, but he didn’t comment further.
“You must remember,” the woman said to him a few minutes later. “You can’t trust him.”
“I know,” Merlin murmured. “I won’t. Don’t worry. But there’s something else. There was a woman, at the execution today-”
“She’s of no consequence.” He was interrupted.
“But she wants what we want,” said Merlin. “She’s going to kill Arthur. Shouldn’t we-”
“You’ll prevent her,” came the response. “She mustn’t be allowed to harm him. I want you to kill him.”
Merlin glowed with pride.
“Remember what I said,” she continued. “Make him trust you. Saving him from a sorceress will do just that.”
And with that she was gone. Her presence in his mind lessened, and he sat down, smiling. She really was brilliant.
He met Arthur for the first time the next morning, and knew who he was right away. He found him outside, tormenting a servant, and resolved to put a stop to it as the target rolled past his feet.
“Hey,” he said. “Come on, that’s enough.”
“What?” said Arthur.
“You’ve had your fun, my friend,” said Merlin.
“Do I know you?” said Arthur.
Merlin has to stop himself from saying you will. “I’m Merlin,” he said, and offered his hand. But Arthur didn’t surprise him.
“So I don’t know you,” he said. “And yet you call me friend.”
“That was my mistake,” said Merlin, thinking that he shouldn’t have got on Arthur’s bad side so soon.
“Yes, I think it was.”
“I’d never have a friend who could be such an ass,” said Merlin.
“Or I one who could be so stupid,” said Arthur. “Tell me, Merlin. Do you know how to walk on your knees?”
“No,” said Merlin, trying hard to keep the laughter out of his voice. Arthur really was ridiculous.
“Would you like me to help you?”
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” said Merlin.
“Why?” said Arthur. “What are you going to do to me?”
“You have no idea,” said Merlin, and smiled. And when Arthur just kept taunting him, he almost did it right there, instructions be damned.
As it was, all he succeeded in doing was getting himself thrown into a cell for the night.
“That went wonderfully,” said a voice in his head.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s of no consequence. If anything you’ve made things easier. Arthur’s the type to respect people more if they’ll fight.”
Merlin smiled at the thought.
The old woman from before had infiltrated Camelot in disguise as Lady Helen. It was ingenious, Merlin thought; almost worthy of his lady.
Getting thrown in the stocks had not been. She’d found it amusing. He’d just thought it degrading. But on the other hand, he’d met Gwen. She was friendly, and pretty, if nothing compared to his lady.
“Don’t waste your time,” said Lady said to him. “You have others things to worry about.”
“Why can’t I enjoy myself?” he said, and she didn’t answer.
And so, much later, after the very interesting feast, he found himself talking to Gwen again.
“Uther,” he said. “Has a very strange idea of a reward.”
“He means well,” said Gwen. “At least, I think he does.”
“Well, now I have to spend more time around Arthur,” said Merlin. “A lot more.”
“He’s not that bad,” said Gwen. “Not really.”
“He is,” said Merlin. “Really.”
But this is a good thing. Exactly what he wanted. More than he could have wanted. He had access to Arthur now, and he decided to celebrate.
“You really are lovely, Gwen,” he said. “Do you know that?”
She blushed, and stammered something he couldn’t quite make out. He smiled.
“And of course I mean that.”
Then he leaned in to kiss her. He half expected his lady to stop him, but she didn’t; she let him do it.
But something made him pull back after a moment, so suddenly that she noticed.
“What’s wrong?” said Gwen.
Leave her alone! Whispered his mind. You- Then it cut off again, to his relief.
“Nothing,” he said, the smiled and kissed her again.
He wasn’t going to see his lady for quite a while, after all.
Title: Not how it should be
Rating: PG
Pairings: Merlin/Nimueh, Arthur/Merlin and Merlin/Gwen
Summary: Majorly AU. Based on the idea of Nimueh noticing Merlin before he arrived at Camelot.
A/N: Good God recounting scenes from the episodes is dull. I skipped over a lot. So, uh... if you haven't seen the first episode (which is unlikely), this might be a tad confusing.
Oh, and also - I hearby dedicate this fic to the awesome and dearly departed Nimueh. May she rest restlessly and haunt many people.
Somewhere deep beneath Camelot, the great dragon hung his head.
Almost every possible future he saw lead to Arthur dying at Merlin’s hand.
Merlin left her cave much more purposefully than he’d arrived. He knew what had to be done. And he knew exactly what to expect in Camelot.
And so, when he watched as man was executed for sorcery, he thought to himself that a day or so earlier, he’d have been much more bothered by this. Because now he knew the man was going to be avenged.
Gaius’ rooms weren’t hard to find. He could sense the old man, through the strange, second-hand memories he’d gained.
“Hello?” he called as he came in. “Gaius?”
Gaius turned out to be standing on a very rickety-looking walkway, and was startled enough by Merlin’s sudden entrance to fall.
He hesitated, as time slowed around him through his magic. He knew Gaius was a traitor. He could almost remember it himself; she’d been there. But then something changed his mind. Don’t just let him die, he found himself thinking. You can’t just-
The thought cut off there, and he wouldn’t have done anything had it not occurred to him that having someone who knew more about the present state of Camelot might be a good idea.
Besides, it was easily done. A moment later Gaius was on his feet and glaring.
“What did you just do?” he snapped.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Merlin, possibly rather too quickly.
“If anyone had seen that-” Definitely too quickly.
“It was nothing to do with me,” he said.
“Where did you learn how to do that?”
Merlin thought of the woman in the forest, but didn’t mention her, of course. “Nowhere.” he said. “I’ve never studied magic.”
Gaius pulled a very interesting suspicious expression. “Are you lying to me, boy?” he said. Merlin shook his head. “Tell me the truth!”
“I was born like this,” said Merlin, which wasn’t entirely true. But close enough.
“That’s impossible,” said Gaius, and Merlin thought that he was as close-minded as he almost remembered. “And who are you?”
“I have a letter for you,” said Merlin, digging it out of his pack, and offering it to him.
“I don’t have my glasses,” snapped Gaius.
“I’m Merlin,” said Merlin, thinking that that isn’t entirely true either (he’s more than that now).
Recognition dawned. “Hunith’s son?” said Gaius. “But you’re not meant to be here till Wednesday.”
“It is Wednesday,” said Merlin. And wasn’t that something; he’d spent a whole night with the woman in the caves, and yet he’d hardly been delayed at all. There really was no limit to her powers.
“Ah,” said Gaius, and directed him through into another room.
“You won’t say anything about what happened, will you?” said Merlin.
“No,” said Gaius.
“That’s a change,” muttered Merlin.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing,” said Merlin. “I didn’t say anything at all.”
Gaius looked suspicious again, but he didn’t comment further.
“You must remember,” the woman said to him a few minutes later. “You can’t trust him.”
“I know,” Merlin murmured. “I won’t. Don’t worry. But there’s something else. There was a woman, at the execution today-”
“She’s of no consequence.” He was interrupted.
“But she wants what we want,” said Merlin. “She’s going to kill Arthur. Shouldn’t we-”
“You’ll prevent her,” came the response. “She mustn’t be allowed to harm him. I want you to kill him.”
Merlin glowed with pride.
“Remember what I said,” she continued. “Make him trust you. Saving him from a sorceress will do just that.”
And with that she was gone. Her presence in his mind lessened, and he sat down, smiling. She really was brilliant.
He met Arthur for the first time the next morning, and knew who he was right away. He found him outside, tormenting a servant, and resolved to put a stop to it as the target rolled past his feet.
“Hey,” he said. “Come on, that’s enough.”
“What?” said Arthur.
“You’ve had your fun, my friend,” said Merlin.
“Do I know you?” said Arthur.
Merlin has to stop himself from saying you will. “I’m Merlin,” he said, and offered his hand. But Arthur didn’t surprise him.
“So I don’t know you,” he said. “And yet you call me friend.”
“That was my mistake,” said Merlin, thinking that he shouldn’t have got on Arthur’s bad side so soon.
“Yes, I think it was.”
“I’d never have a friend who could be such an ass,” said Merlin.
“Or I one who could be so stupid,” said Arthur. “Tell me, Merlin. Do you know how to walk on your knees?”
“No,” said Merlin, trying hard to keep the laughter out of his voice. Arthur really was ridiculous.
“Would you like me to help you?”
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” said Merlin.
“Why?” said Arthur. “What are you going to do to me?”
“You have no idea,” said Merlin, and smiled. And when Arthur just kept taunting him, he almost did it right there, instructions be damned.
As it was, all he succeeded in doing was getting himself thrown into a cell for the night.
“That went wonderfully,” said a voice in his head.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s of no consequence. If anything you’ve made things easier. Arthur’s the type to respect people more if they’ll fight.”
Merlin smiled at the thought.
The old woman from before had infiltrated Camelot in disguise as Lady Helen. It was ingenious, Merlin thought; almost worthy of his lady.
Getting thrown in the stocks had not been. She’d found it amusing. He’d just thought it degrading. But on the other hand, he’d met Gwen. She was friendly, and pretty, if nothing compared to his lady.
“Don’t waste your time,” said Lady said to him. “You have others things to worry about.”
“Why can’t I enjoy myself?” he said, and she didn’t answer.
And so, much later, after the very interesting feast, he found himself talking to Gwen again.
“Uther,” he said. “Has a very strange idea of a reward.”
“He means well,” said Gwen. “At least, I think he does.”
“Well, now I have to spend more time around Arthur,” said Merlin. “A lot more.”
“He’s not that bad,” said Gwen. “Not really.”
“He is,” said Merlin. “Really.”
But this is a good thing. Exactly what he wanted. More than he could have wanted. He had access to Arthur now, and he decided to celebrate.
“You really are lovely, Gwen,” he said. “Do you know that?”
She blushed, and stammered something he couldn’t quite make out. He smiled.
“And of course I mean that.”
Then he leaned in to kiss her. He half expected his lady to stop him, but she didn’t; she let him do it.
But something made him pull back after a moment, so suddenly that she noticed.
“What’s wrong?” said Gwen.
Leave her alone! Whispered his mind. You- Then it cut off again, to his relief.
“Nothing,” he said, the smiled and kissed her again.
He wasn’t going to see his lady for quite a while, after all.