TOAFK - Phoenix Tears, Part One
Title: The Once and Future King
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Pretty Gen, like The Sword in the Stone, but with eventual (by fan vote) Merlin/Arthur and Gwen/Lancelot. Other pairings will be added as chapters with them are posted.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: up to 3x08
A/N: This is a sequel to The Sword in the Stone, and you should definitely read that before reading this.
Summary: Arthur knows of Merlin's magic, but their destiny has only begun. The journey to uniting the lands of Albion is long and filled with danger. Presented in 14 parts. Click Here for Masterpost.
Chapter Summary: 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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This was one of the first chapters I wrote for The Once and Future King - well, this and the one after it. I broke it into two later in the writing process and added extra scenes and events in the scenes already present, but the basics were hashed out really early on. These two together are some of my favorites. Enjoy!
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Part X - Phoenix Tears, Part One
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"Yes," Morgause breathed out. "With this I shall never fear death."
She walked slowly, as if she had all the time in the world, but her face was pained. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders beautifully, but it was also marred with dirt. Before her in the great room was a pedestal. On the pedestal sat a nest, within which was the most marvelous egg. It was a deep red, flickering like fire, with ripples of gold seemingly dripped onto the surface of the shell. The flickering red seemed to pulse like a heart beat the closer Morgause got to the egg.
"I have changed my fate and now Emrys will fall to me instead." She reached out to the egg, her hand hovering just above its smooth surface. "Not even his great magic can stop me now. Albion will be mine."
There was the sound of clanging swords, of stone cracking through the ceiling. Someone shouted in pain, another yelled in panic.
"Morgause!" Morgause flipped around, glaring at her dark haired opponent.
A familiar blonde man stood at the door, glinting sword in hand, men in red at his back.
There was a body on the ground, clutching the egg to his chest as a mother would shield her child in death. The shell was cracked. He was dead. He was gone.
She stood her ground. "You. You are Emrys."
"No!" Arthur shouted, his voice desperate.
Magic burst forth like lava from a vicious volcano, engulfing the room and everyone in it, and his small, still body went up in flames.
Morgana's eyes snapped open with a gasped "No" escaping her lips. It took her several moments to realize she was safe in her own rooms, but her heart did not calm with the knowledge. She sat up, slowly, shakily. Her hands were trembling terribly and she ran them through her hair once before hugging herself tightly and shutting her eyes.
The sight of the dead body from her dreams flashed behind her eyelids and she quickly opened them again with a shuddering breath.
"Not now. Not now," she muttered in a rush. "It's too soon. Far too soon. He can't..." She felt tears prick at her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.
What could she do? She had to do something. Everything she had foreseen in the past had always come true. There was no exception. Sometimes she misinterpreted what she had seen, but what she dreamt always came to pass. She knew this. Still, she could not accept it. Not this time. But how can you change fate?
Morgana shut her eyes, blocking out her empty room, only to jerk them back open when her mind conjured up visions of flames instead.
There would be no more sleep for her tonight.
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Arthur watched with a lazy gaze as Merlin bustled around his room. His manservant, now Court Sorcerer as well, seemed tired. It wasn't just tired though, it was utter exhaustion. Merlin wasn't performing his duties with any less, or any more, precision than normal, but he looked completely wiped out; one motion from passing out or crying. The sight made something in Arthur's stomach clench painfully and he was overcome by a foreign desire to wrap Merlin up in his own king's bed and then lock the door and order him to sleep.
Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his comfy chair. "Merlin," he began in a rather stilted manner. He tried to not grimace. He'd been going for an easy tone, but his concern was showing. He always had issues being kingly in moments like this, moments involving Merlin at all really.
Merlin didn't even pause in making Arthur's bed. "Yes, sire?"
That just made the twisting in Arthur's stomach worse. Sire? How long had it been since Merlin had called him that in private? It felt like a lifetime ago. That settled it. "I...need you...to find me a new manservant."
The rustling of the covers stopped abruptly. For a moment, Merlin just stared down at the red fabric under his hands. Then he slowly lifted his head, a confused and yet vaguely pained look on his face.
"Why?" he asked, and Arthur was upset to learn that Merlin was better at masking his voice than the King was.
The blond frowned and leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees. "Because you're you," he stated simply, and then elaborated when Merlin looked afflicted. "You are my manservant, you are my Court Sorcerer, you are Gaius's apprentice, you have an apprentice of your own, and you are my counsel. Back when you only had two jobs you were barely managing not to fall on your face, and now you're workload has more than doubled. It isn't fair to ask so much of you, and I worry about your health."
"To be perfectly honest," Merlin interrupted with an easy smile, his pained expression completely gone, "I was counseling you before you even thought I had a brain, so I'm not sure that counts." He shrugged. "I just have official obligations now instead of personal ones."
Personal obligations. There were many personal obligations Arthur wished Merlin had but never mentioned. It had been weeks since the festival, since they shared custard and sugared nuts and sat close enough to feel one another's warmth and Merlin had kissed his cheek, but Arthur still thought about it often. As long as Arthur had known Merlin, he had found his mind drifting to thoughts of his servant whenever he had nothing to do or when he was bored.
Yet more and more lately, Arthur's thoughts were not simply about Merlin's lack of decorum, clumsy nature, or how he could be wise at the best times. Now he found himself lost in visions of the curl of hair at the nape of Merlin's neck, how blue his eyes were, how his fine clothes fit him perfectly. It was like the birth of Spring had woken up some part of Arthur that took notice of the peasant lord in ways that were distracting and highly inappropriate. But, he thought, at least Merlin sometimes seemed to suffer the same way Arthur did, so he wasn't alone.
Arthur sighed those thoughts away and leaned back in his chair again. "You know what I mean, so stop acting the fool," he said seriously. Merlin's smile slipped away and Arthur frowned as well. "You look about to fall down where you stand. You're exhausted."
Merlin's face gave a twitch that Arthur couldn't read. What had that emotion been? "I-"
"No," Arthur interrupted.
He stood from his chair and walked to the bed, around the chest at the end to stand near Merlin. He placed his left hand on the bed post at the foot of his bed and stared Merlin in the eyes.
"Besides all of your official duties, you are my dearest friend and closest companion," Arthur confided, his voice a tad quieter now. His voice was back to its normal pitch with the next sentence and a tint of red colored his cheeks. "I want you to be able to focus on your duties, yes, but I also worry for your health from a personal standpoint. I won't have you working yourself into an early grave. So I want you to find me a new manservant. Your choice. Albion knows I'll never have another servant like you, but if you're the one to pick him, then I think perhaps I can stomach the git."
Merlin smiled at this show of trust and Arthur cleared his throat, embarrassed at how emotional he'd almost become. Luckily, Merlin went back to making the bed a moment later, so Arthur didn't have to be the one to avert his gaze first. He really did enjoy the depth of Merlin's eyes.
"What about Luke?"
"What?" Arthur blinked, coming back to himself. "Luke?" Merlin's apprentice, Luke?
Merlin nodded and moved to the head of the bed. "Sure. I've got him running errands for Gaius when I can't and doing odd jobs for people in town otherwise right now. If he was your manservant, then both of our problems would be solved."
Arthur frowned. "Both of our problems?"
Merlin cast Arthur a playful smirk. "He'd have a steady job to do when I can't train him," he said of his own problem, "and you could stop worrying he's going to burn down the city."
Arthur almost took a step backwards, the statement hitting him hard in the chest. Instead he scoffed. "I'm not worried he'll-" Merlin lifted an eyebrow and Arthur stopped. He put his hands on his hips. "Ok, so maybe I am a bit worried about that. You can't blame me though. Half of your 'training sessions' end up with scorch marks in the training field and you with some new wound Gaius has to heal. He's not half the sorcerer you are, in power or in control. For all I know, he'll try making my bed with magic and turn the curtains into toads." Arthur stopped his rant and sighed, lowering his arms. "But...fine."
"So you're saying he can do it?" Merlin asked, his smile in his voice.
Arthur waved a dismissive hand and walked over to his table. He had said Merlin could pick and if Merlin though Luke was up to the task, then Arthur would at least give him a chance. "But he'll do his work manually, no spells," he added. "I won't have him practicing magic on my good tunics."
Merlin opened his mouth to respond but there was a knock at the door and they both stopped.
"Sire! Sir Tor and Sir Lionel have returned!" a nondescript man called from outside the door.
Arthur glanced at Merlin, who nodded. "I will be there shortly."
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They were all gathered in a small meeting chamber, the same one where Merlin shouted that he was a sorcerer right after Arthur first met him. It seemed strange to Arthur, all these years later, that Merlin had told him the truth so early on and Arthur hadn't believed him. And yet he hardly believed it now.
Arthur shook his head as he took his place at the head of the table and looked around at those gathered. Morgana sat to his left, Merlin to his right. They both looked equally sleep deprived, which was worrisome. Guinevere was to Morgana's left, Luke to Merlin's right. Gaius was next to Luke. Lancelot, Gwaine, Leon, and Percival were seated here as well. Sir Tor and Sir Lionel stood at the end of the table, looking like photo negatives of each other with grim faces and stiff postures, facing all those gathered.
"What did you find?" Arthur asked. Everyone looked from Arthur to the two standing knights.
Sir Tor shook his head. "We heard word that the witch Morgause was near the border of Caerleon, so we rushed to check. We found no sign of her, but several peasants claimed to have seen a woman matching her description. They said she was asking for directions."
"Directions to what?" Arthur asked, glancing at Morgana briefly. She was watching the knights and didn't notice, but Arthur could tell she was tense.
Sir Lionel shook his head. "An old castle," he stated, his deep voice almost startling after Tor's soft tenor. "They said she was looking for a temple no one had seen in hundreds of years. They told us it was the Temple of the Sun."
Gaius turned to look at Arthur. "If she is looking for the Temple of the Sun," he began, gaining everyone's attention, "then we must hope she does not find it, for all our sakes."
"What is the Temple of the Sun?" Arthur asked.
"It is a temple created by ancient magic. At its height it housed the eggs of dragons, naga, cockatrices, and other magical creatures. Supposedly, the sun shown down on the temple perfectly to incubate each egg to its individually required temperature. But the temple was attacked by those who feared the creatures it played host to. Most of the young were lost and those that survived fled, making homes throughout Albion and the rest of the world," the old man explained. "However, there is a legend that one very special creature is still there. The legend says that this egg was placed in the heart of the Temple after the attacks. The Temple was then hidden by magic, lost to those who would destroy it, to protect the egg until such a time as destiny had decided. If this egg fell into the wrong hands, before its time had come, then the world would fall into darkness."
"What was in the egg?" Merlin asked. Arthur glanced at him before leveling his eyes back on the aging physician. If it was a dragon, then Merlin would be indispensable as a Dragonlord.
Gaius closed his eyes for a moment. "A phoenix."
Luke's eyes lit up like stars and he practically vibrated in his seat. Merlin touched his arm and he kept his mouth shut, but anyone could tell he was excited.
"A phoenix," Morgana breathed out in awe.
"What's so special about a phoenix?" Gwaine asked, looking between the four magic users in the room.
Gaius looked at Luke and Arthur followed suit. Luke glanced at Merlin and Merlin nodded with a motion of his hand to the rest of the table. Luke grinned. "A phoenix is a bird of fire," he started, nearly bouncing in his chair. "Some people say it was made of fire, some say it was just a bird that gave off a lot of heat. A phoenix can live for over a thousand years. When it feels it is about to die, it builds a nest and lights itself and its nest on fire."
"Ouch," Gwaine noted.
Luke shook his head. "Fire doesn't hurt a phoenix normally, but when it bursts into flames, it's reduced to ashes. Then the ashes become an egg, in which is the phoenix. So, in a way, a phoenix is immortal. It lives, it dies, and is reborn. Forever." He beamed around at everyone gathered as if this news should be cause for celebration.
"A phoenix can be a dangerous weapon," Morgana took up in the moment of silence that followed, before Luke could continue. "If you kill a phoenix, you can use the parts of its body to create powerful spells. The eyes are the most potent part, followed closely by the heart."
"Why the eyes?" Lancelot asked.
Everyone looked at Luke. He jumped to explain, obviously feeling useful and happy about it. "A phoenix isn't created by magic. It is magic. When a phoenix cries, its tears can heal any wound, any illness. Its eyes can see farther than any other creature, magic or not. Some say it can even see into the hearts of men. Beyond that, its call is supposed to be a beautiful song that can cause even gods to stop in their tracks and that no instrument can mimic. Some legends say it can light itself on fire when it is perfectly healthy, as a protective measure or a weapon, and not burn itself," he rattled off quickly, almost too fast for a few of those gathered to catch. But the message was clear regardless - everything about a phoenix was power to a sorcerer.
"Do you know what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands?" Merlin asked, though his tone suggested he already had an idea. He clasped his hands together to keep from rubbing at his sleep deprived eyes and focused on his apprentice. Morgana frowned in his direction.
Luke shrugged. "Not really. I would guess, though, that if a phoenix...a creature of good magic," he specified with a glance around the table, "fell into the hands of someone evil...It would probably be an evil phoenix."
"Its magic turned backwards," Morgana continued smoothly. "All good things turned evil. Morgause could change fate-" Merlin flinched and Morgana noticed. Her eyebrows came together and her frown deepened as she kept talking. "She could take control of entire kingdoms."
Arthur flipped his gaze back on Tor and Lionel. "Do you know where this temple is?"
There was a momentary pause and then Lionel and Tor nodded, hesitantly. "We have an idea," Lionel said, "based on the words of the villagers we questioned."
"Then we can assume Morgause knows where it is as well," Arthur stated, standing. "We leave at once. We must find the Temple of the Sun first and stop Morgause from capturing the phoenix." He looked at his knights. "Find me Sir Tristan," he said to Lancelot, who immediately hurried from the room. "Percival," he said, "I will leave you and Leon in charge of the knights while I am away."
"M-me?" Percival stuttered out, his eyes flying wide. Arthur nodded resolutely and Percival gulped. Leon clapped a supportive hand on his shoulder and smiled at the much younger knight. Glancing between them, Percival steeled himself. "Yes, sire. I will not let you down."
"Good." Arthur nodded. "Now, ready eight horses for travel immediately. The traveling party will consist of myself, Merlin, Luke, Tor, Lionel, Gwaine, Lancelot, and Tristan. Hurry." Gwaine, Percival, Tor, and Lionel left to do as asked and Arthur turned to his remaining audience.
"I get to go?" Luke asked into the quiet.
Arthur nodded again. "You know the most about phoenixes. I'll need you." Arthur turned to Morgana. "Morgana..." He hesitated, seeing her frightened eyes staring at the table, but she looked up at him at the sound of her name. "I'm leaving you in charge of the kingdom while I'm gone, " he said gently. Her eyes widened. "Gaius and Guinevere, not to mention the knights and Geoffrey, will be here to assist you should you need any help. We won't be gone long."
Morgana opened and shut her mouth several times before any sound came out. "Yes. Yes," she repeated more firmly. "Thank you, Arthur." Her gratitude was genuine.
After all she'd done, he was still allowing her this chance. The longer she was on his side, the less she understood why she had ever been against him.
"We need to be on our guard," Gaius warned as he stood from his seat. Every eye turned on him. "If Morgause was so open about where she was headed, then we must assume she's expecting to be followed."
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Merlin had dismissed the stable boy who had been readying his horse. He needed a moment to himself and saddling his horse had seemed the perfect distraction. Luke was gathering their supplies, the magical and medicinal ones, so he had nothing to do. It felt strange to not be rushing to get everything ready for Arthur, but he was glad to be alone as well.
He pulled the belt tight around his horse's stomach and then pat her on the neck. "Good girl," Merlin said, voice soft. She snorted lightly and Merlin smiled. It quickly turned sour though. He'd never had visions while sleeping before, not like Morgana. And yet... "I think...this may be my final ride, Glydia."
Glydia was Merlin's favorite horse. She had been his mount on countless trips with Arthur, faithful even in the face of danger. When Merlin was made Court Sorcerer, Arthur had officially gifted her to him, saying every noble should own his own steed. He would miss her.
And Archimedes. Merlin hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye to his faithful feathered friend. The falcon was allowed to come and go as he wished now that Merlin was the Court Sorcerer. He hadn't been around when Merlin woke up this morning, still out and about doing whatever falcons did on their own. Merlin would miss him too.
"Merlin."
Merlin jumped, dropping his hand from Glydia's neck and turning to face the voice that called him. Morgana stepped into the stables. Her dark dress was getting hay all over it near her feet but she didn't seem to mind or even notice.
"Morgana," Merlin greeted. "What are you doing here?"
Morgana hesitated for the span of a heart beat and then hurried the last few steps between her and Merlin. She touched his arm and looked up into his eyes. "Don't go on this trip." Her voice was as frightened now as Merlin had ever heard it, but hard and quiet like even her voice was wearing armor.
Merlin's heart stopped beating. Morgana was a seer. Tethella had said she was the third most powerful seer in the world. If Merlin had seen a vision of this trip in his dreams, then of course Morgana had as well. All that mattered now was where they differed.
He pulled out of her grip gently and turned to finish readying Glydia. "I have to go," he said.
"No you don't," Morgana insisted, her voice lifting from a whisper. "Luke knows more about phoenixes than anyone, and you've been training him. Arthur will have knights with him. You don't need to go."
Merlin ran his hand along the saddle slowly. "It is my duty, Morgana, my destiny. I need to be at Arthur's side."
"Even if you risk your own life?" Morgana asked, her voice bitter.
Merlin turned halfway, to look at Morgana while keeping his hand on the saddle. He looked at her shoulder for a brief moment before looking her directly in the eyes. "Especially then."
Morgana gasped, her eyes going wide, and took a single step back. "You saw it too," she said. There was no question. Merlin turned away and walked over to the camp supplies sitting a few feet away. Morgana took a half a step toward him again and then returned to her previous spot. "Merlin, if you saw it, then why are you going? You can't go!"
Merlin was reminded of when Morgana foresaw the Questing Beast, when she had frantically run to Arthur and begged him not to leave. He brought one of the bags of supplies over to Glydia. "Morgana-"
"No," Morgana interrupted. "Merlin, you can't go. If you go...If you go..." She took several steadying breaths, her whole body shaking. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe, but it was clear that she wasn't calming down.
Merlin dropped the bag next to Glydia and instead wrapped Morgana in a hug. Her arms gripped his jacket immediately.
"Merlin, I saw you die," she whispered brokenly. Merlin's arms tightened around her.
"It'll be alright," he whispered back, reassuring her even if he didn't have all the answers.
"How can it be alright if you're dead?" she asked. "What do you think will happen to Arthur if you die? Do you know what that would do to him?"
Merlin stayed quiet for a long moment. He didn't want to think of how Arthur would react if his vision came true. He didn't want to consider how hurt Arthur would be by his passing. The Great Dragon had said Merlin would help Arthur to unite all of Albion. But he had also said Morgana was evil. Merlin had set Arthur on the course for Albion and he had given him allies on every side. Maybe that was all he was meant to do? Maybe his part in destiny was over?
No. He couldn't think that way. There was still so much Merlin wanted to do with Arthur, needed to do in fact. He refused to just give up.
He pulled away and looked down at Morgana. There were tears running down her cheeks. He brushed them away gently as he spoke. "If Morgause can try and change her fate...then so can I. And I'm more powerful than she is, remember?"
Morgana smiled, almost laughed, and caught Merlin's hand as he pulled it away from her face. "Emrys," she said like it was an inside joke.
Merlin smiled. "Exactly."
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"Bærnan."
"Bernan."
"Bærnan. Bær. nan."
"Bærnan."
The wood ignited in the fire circle. Luke beamed and Merlin pat him on the shoulder. Gwaine clapped like Luke had just won a jousting tournament and Luke blushed.
"Way to go, Junior!" he cheered. "You're getting pretty good!"
Luke frowned at the nickname. Looking at the fire, small but growing as it caught on the logs, made him smile again.
"Good job," Merlin complimented him, then stood up and walked over to where Arthur was unrolling his sleeping gear. Luke stayed by the fire.
"I don't ever remember our fires being that small," Arthur noted absently.
Merlin shrugged. "You had a more experienced sorcerer." He sat down next to Arthur, where his own pack was already laid out. He liked this sense of normalcy, as if it were just he and Arthur out on an extended hunting trip instead of a group of knights and sorcerer's off to face danger and possible death.
"What did you and Morgana talk about?" Arthur asked. Merlin cocked his head to the side in question. "I saw her leaving the stables. She looked upset. What did you two talk about?"
Merlin swallowed heavily and hoped the dark of the night hid it from Arthur. "Nothing."
If Arthur's raised eyebrow was anything to go by, it didn't. Merlin averted his gaze and Arthur hit him in the foot with Excalibur's sheath.
"Ow." He glared at Arthur and Arthur glared right back. It was a familiar battle. Merlin withered first. "We were talking about Morgause. Morgana," Merlin glanced around at the others around the camp and lowered his voice so only Arthur could hear. "Morgana had a vision." If he was leaving a detail out, Arthur didn't have to know.
"What happened in the vision?" Arthur moved to sit next to Merlin. "Nothing good, I can guess. Morgana doesn't cry easily."
How to explain that without revealing his own dreams? Merlin took a deep breath, and cracked. "I...had a vision too," he revealed. He hated keeping secrets from Arthur.
Arthur nearly gave himself whiplash turning to look at Merlin. "What?"
"Morgause got a prophesy. She was told how she would die." Merlin locked eyes with Arthur. "That's why she's after the phoenix. She's afraid to die."
"Everyone is afraid to die," Arthur said quietly.
"Even you?" Merlin asked, equally soft toned.
Arthur nodded slowly and broke eye contact. "Yes. Even me, Merlin." He watched his knights and Luke as they set up their sleeping gear for a moment. "What else did you see?"
Merlin shrugged and let his gaze wander as well. "It was very...complicated. I don't know what was the past and what was the future. We'll find the temple. We'll find the egg. Morgause was there and we were fighting." He and Morgause were fighting.
"Who won the fight? Which of us gets the egg?"
Merlin looked at Arthur and found Arthur watching him intently. "I don't know. My vision ended before it was over." That, at least, wasn't a lie.
"What about Morgana's?"
"If she saw who got the egg, she didn't tell me. She was worried about our safety. I spent the entire conversation calming her down. I didn't even think to ask how it ended. I guess," he looked down at his feet, "I figured I already knew."
Arthur tried to catch Merlin's eyes, but Merlin didn't look at him again. He wanted to ask what Merlin meant, but he had an idea of what Merlin would say. It would probably be something about destiny and Arthur being the Once and Future King and Merlin always being at his side. That's what he usually said in serious moments like this. And yet, his tone wasn't quite right for one of his wise speeches. Merlin sounded more reserved, his words heavy with something he wasn't saying.
It made Arthur uneasy somewhere deep inside of himself.
The knights cried out suddenly and both Merlin and Arthur turned quickly to see the problem. The fire had shot high up into the sky and over the rocks holding it in the circle. The fire spilled onto the grass and quickly spread toward the supplies.
"Arthur!" Merlin shouted, jumping up quicker than Arthur had thought possible. He ran and grabbed as much of the supplies as possible. Arthur was right behind him.
"Get it out!" Arthur ordered to his men.
Gwaine was chucking dirt at the flames, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. Lancelot and Tristan joined him to hurl more dirt on the fire while Tor and Lionel took the water skins and poured their water on the flames. Nothing even dampened the blaze.
"Ah!" Luke yelled and fell back from the fire, holding his left arm, where flames were licking at his clothes.
Merlin cursed and dropped the supplies he was holding. He jumped over a trail of fire to get to his apprentice. "Luke!"
"I'm sorry! I was trying to-"
So Luke had tried to make it bigger with magic. That's why the dirt and water didn't work! Merlin pulled Luke away from the rampaging flames and then threw his hand out toward the heart of the fire. "áðrysman!"
The flames went out almost instantly. They seemed to freeze where they burned, then dimmed and vanished like a candle that ran out of wick, leaving everyone in the dim light of the moon.
No one moved for a long while. Luke let out a whimper next to Merlin and a few of the knights were breathing loud enough to be heard in the quiet, but other than that it was a silent night.
"Gearwian clíewen léohtfæt." Merlin said it quietly but it was overly loud in the silence.
A blue ball of light appeared in Merlin's hand. Merlin's golden eyes looked even more alien in the blue light than they did in daylight. The ball floated over to the fire pit and expanded until it was as wide as the pit itself. There it hung in mid-air, revolving slowly and silently, providing more than enough light to see by. Merlin turned to look at Luke still lying on the ground.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Luke began to rush out. "It was an accident. I just-"
"Stop it," Merlin ordered. He knelt down next to Luke and reached out. "Give me your arm. You burned yourself."
"He burned half the camp!" Tor shouted angrily. "This is why magic is dangerous!"
A hand on Tor's shoulder silenced him. He gulped and turned, but instead of seeing Arthur there as he expected to, he saw Lancelot. He calmed until the hand gripped his shoulder tighter.
"You really should be careful what you say, Sir Tor," Tristan said conversationally from his left. "Magic created the fire and magic put the fire out. It's also the reason you can see right now. It's no more dangerous than a smith's forge or an untrained warrior. Everyone makes mistakes."
Something behind his gentle words was like a deadly sharp knife and Tor gulped and nodded. Lancelot pat him genially on the shoulder and moved to help Tristan and Lionel assess the damage.
Merlin tore the remainder of Luke's sleeve below the elbow off and turned his arm one direction, then the other, as easily as he could. Luke hissed a few times but was otherwise silent. "It's not bad, but I'll wrap it anyway. I'll need-" He stopped abruptly when his medical bag was dangled next to him. He looked up and saw Arthur standing there. "Thanks."
"I thought it was taking too long to catch, so I just thought I'd help it along," Luke finally explained himself.
Merlin took a quiet breath. "Luke...your magic is not very powerful," he explained as he took his own waterskin and poured a little on the burn. Luke hissed quietly. "You shouldn't try to over work it. Make do with what you've got and do the best you can. You were born with an affinity for magic and it's going to take you years and years to perfect it, to harness it the way I know you want to. I warned you of that before I started your training."
He pulled a small bottle from his medical bag and examined it in the light. It was nearly clear, with a slight yellow tint to it. The glass was shining blue in the light though and Merlin had to open it and smell it to make sure he had what he wanted. As soon as he uncorked the bottle, a sweet scent floated into the air.
"What is that?" Arthur asked. "It smells like Morgana's baths."
Merlin glanced up at him briefly before applying the oil in the bottle to a strip of white cloth. "Lavender oil," he explained in an almost off-handed manner. He pressed the cloth to Luke's burn and the boy started to hiss but stopped halfway. Merlin bound the cloth to Luke's arm quickly and then began putting his things away. "It eases the pain and quickens healing, and makes scarring less likely."
Luke was looking between the bandage and Merlin in shock. Gwaine gave a half-laugh. "Seems you've learned somethin' from Gaius after all."
Merlin shrugged. "Easy. Ask me something difficult and I'll really blow you away," he said with a grin.
The knights grinned back at him, though Gwaine was smirking at both him and Arthur and winked when he caught Merlin's eye.
Arthur's grin faded slowly into a light frown as he looked back at the spinning light. "You've been practicing magic for most of the time I've known you, haven't you?"
This time Merlin snorted. "Arthur, I've been practicing magic since I came out of the womb." He was finished packing his bag again and stood up, slipping the strap over his shoulders. "But why?"
Arthur pointed at the light. "I remember this light."
Merlin followed Arthur's finger and stared at the orb at the center of camp. "You do?"
A nod. "It saved my life once," he said. "A light to guide me in one of my darkest hours. Well, at the time. I've faced much worse since you drank poison for me. Still, why is it that even when I'm doing the saving, you're actually saving me instead?"
"Because neither of you is complete without the other," Tristan said as if it were obvious. "If you weren't saving each other, the world would be out of balance."
Arthur shook his head with a soft snort while his knights chuckled, but no one offered any opposing remarks. Merlin was glad they didn't. He liked the idea that he and Arthur would always save each other, always be there for each other. They were two sides of the same coin, two halves of a whole, destined for one another.
Frowning, Merlin's eyes flashed golden and two things happened simultaneously: some of the collected firewood flew into the fire circle and the fire lit again, and the blue orb vanished. The unnatural blue light was gone, replaced by the familiar glow of a campfire.
"Aw," Gwaine whined. "I wanted ta touch it. Would that've hurt me, Merlin?" he asked.
Merlin shrugged. He'd never had anyone touch it before. He didn't know. When he looked back at Arthur, the king was staring at him curiously. "What?"
Arthur shook his head. "Is there anything I've done in the past five years that you haven't had a hand in?"
"Probably," Merlin noted, then smirked. "But nothing immediately comes to mind."
...
...
Merlin helped Luke pack up his things the following morning, since he only had one arm to use. Luke held the last saddlebag closed while Merlin clipped it shut and then they were done and ready to go. Merlin glanced around at the others, still teasing one another while they rolled up their things, and then placed a hand on Luke's shoulder.
"There's a surprise for you back in Camelot," he said.
A smile drew up the corners of Luke's mouth. "A surprise?"
Merlin nodded. "Yeah. A position in the royal household," he revealed. "It'll be good training for you."
Now Luke looked excited. Merlin felt a little bad about getting the boy's hopes up, but only a very little. "Really? What kind of position? What'll I be doing? Sharpening swords? Lighting fires? Healing people?"
Merlin's lips quirked up. "Well it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" As Luke pouted, Merlin gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you up."
Arthur, having overheard them, turned away before the young man could see his smirk. Lancelot came to stand next to him and lifted his eyebrows.
"Well that's a dangerous glint in your eyes," the knight commented. "Should I be worried?"
"I told Merlin to find me a new manservant," Arthur quipped lightly.
Lancelot gave a slight frown and tilt of his head. Probably the idea of someone besides Merlin being at Arthur's beck and call seemed strange to him. "And why are you smirking like that then? Who did he chose?"
Arthur waved over to where Luke was being helped into his saddle but didn't say a word so as not to draw attention. Thankfully, Lancelot followed his lead. The knight's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a bit, but when he spoke his voice was quieter than before.
"Well...that should be interesting," he said after a long pause.
That made Arthur snort. "Nothing could be as interesting as Merlin as a servant."
Lancelot answered with a considering noise. "You never know. Merlin hid his magic from you. What do you think a sorcerer in training, in a land where magic isn't forbidden, will be like?"
Arthur shook his head. "No. I told Merlin that Luke would have to do his chores manually. No magic," he said. "Merlin managed that way for years, so can his apprentice."
Now Lancelot wore an indulgent smile. "Arthur, do you really think Merlin kept up with all your demands without a little help?" he asked. "And Luke has less patience. If Merlin cheated, I'm willing to bet his replacement will too."
He left Arthur with that thought and went to help Gwaine, who couldn't get his horse to stand still long enough to tie his sleeping gear to the saddlebags. For his part, Arthur was staring at his horse's flank with growing horror. Lancelot was right. A clumsy manservant was one thing, but a clumsy magician was another. And a clumsy magician in training was even worse.
Having Luke as a servant might actually be more trouble than Merlin had been.
Arthur took a deep breath. Well, he thought, he'd never wanted someone boring to begin with. That's why he'd let Merlin pick, after all. He just hoped Luke didn't burn down the castle trying to stoke the fire.
...
...
Next Time: Phoenix Tears, Part Two
The knights, and sorcerers, find the Temple of the Sun - and with it Morgause. She's determined to claim the power of the phoenix for herself but once again Merlin stands in her way. When Morgause casts a terrible spell, the egg hatches and the moment of truth arrives. Who will it choose to side with: Camelot or her enemies? In a struggle for life and power, one sorcerer won't walk away alive.
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Translations:
Gearwian clíewen léohtfæt = Construct sphere lantern
Áðrysman = smother
Bærnan = To expose to the action of heat, cause to burn, kindle, light, set on fire