Chapter Text
Leon woke to a cow shoving it’s long tongue into his ear. He jerked violently away from it. He groaned deeply, as the sudden movement caused his entire body to ache. He could hear laughter to his right.
“Waky, waky, rise and shine!” said the annoying voice belonging to one Sir Gwaine.
Leon turned his sore neck to look at him. Gwaine was sitting about two meters away from him, leaned up towards a wooden column and munching away on some bread.
Leon now saw that they were in a medium sized barn, together with no less than two cows, one small lamb, one goat and one huge horse. One of the cows was currently nudging him with their nose. Leon reached up and scratched it.
On the ground to his left laid Percival, still asleep. They were all laying on a small bed of soft hay, each with a woollen blanket draped over them and some soft fabrics for pillows under their heads. On the ground beside Gwaine was a wooden tray with bread slices and butter, as well as two jugs, one with water and one with milk. Sunlight streamed in through the windows and painted the barn in a soft, yellow light.
“Where the hell are we?” asked Leon. He too attempted to sit up, but stopped with a pained groan. He looked down at his own body. He was first now noticing that his chest was bound tightly with clean fabric.
“Easy tiger. You’re badly injured. We all are,” said Gwaine. His right leg was similarly wrapped in fabric.
“Oh god. Oh god.” said Leon. The sight of their injuries had made him remember. “Where is Arthur? And Lance?” he asked, slightly panicked. His face was starting to turn pale, and he tried once again to get up, this time with more force. Gwaine stopped him with a strong hold on his shoulders.
“Sit down, you absolute idiot. You’re in no state to stand.”
Begrudgingly, Leon had to admit that Gwaine was right. His entire body ached. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sit up, much less stand or walk.
“I don’t know where they are. I woke up just minutes before you. Here, have some water,” he said. Gwaine helped Leon swallow down some mouthfuls. Percival was still sleeping soundly beside them.
“I can’t stand up either. But, it is clear that we were saved. I thought for sure we were all dead.”
Yes, Leon had thought so too. The five of them had rode out to fight an unknown beast that had been terrorizing their kingdom for months. It was a hopeless mission, and they had all known it. But Arthur had seen no other option. Not even Gaius could tell them what the beast was, or how to kill it. He had only left them with the ominous warning that it was likely a creature of magic, and that it therefore likely would need magic to be killed.
They had not killed the beast. They had fought it, hopelessly, and had lost within minutes.
In that second a door in the back of the barn creaked open. Leon instinctively reached for his weapons, only to realise he didn’t have any.
“Oh! You’re awake!” said a cheerful voice. Out of the door came a boy, balancing another wooden tray. He walked over to them and bent down to set the tray down on the floor. The tray contained various medical supplies. The boy smiled at them, but both Leon and Gwaine could only stare.
The boy had an appearance so unique in quality that it stunned them both.
The boy was of medium height and size. He had unruly, slightly curly, brown hair and striking blue eyes. All very normal features in of itself. The uniqueness came mainly from the fact that his entire person seemed to glow slightly golden. He had a sort of ethereal quality to him that made him look otherworldly. His skin was porcelain clean, his facial features were soft and elegant, and his entire being seemed to radiate such warmth that Leon was convinced he could rival the sun herself.
“How are you both feeling?” the boy asked, and jerked them both out of their trance. They exchanged slightly terrified looks.
“My leg is slightly painful, I’ll admit. But other then that I feel great,” said Gwaine, the first of them to somewhat regain their senses. The boy smiled at Gwaine before looking expectantly to Leon.
“Um.. My chest hurts when I move.”
The boy chuckled. “And your entire body too, I’d imagine!” He said with a smile.
“But I’m glad to see that you’re both awake. You have all suffered great injuries, however you three will be alright. With the right treatment you will be good as new.”
“Us three? You have Arthur and Lance as well?” asked Gwaine, looking hopeful.
“I don’t know their names, but yes, I found two more of you. They are in my hut. There wasn’t space in there for all five of you, so I had to prioritize. Arthur and Lance, you said? Well, they have the worst injuries. I’m doing my best, however right now I can’t guarantee that they will pull through.” Explained the boy, in a soft, but serious voice. He then looked over to Percival and smiled. “This one will be alright too. He’s thick skinned, that one.”
Leon and Gwaine nodded, both slightly pale at the news.
“Thank you for helping us. We thought for sure we were all dead,” said Leon, remembering his manners.
“You very nearly all were. Stupid really, trying to fight a Beldon by yourself. Stupid, but also really brave. I’ve never liked them,” said the boy. He became quiet, seeming to be momentarily lost in thought. Leon and Gwaine exchanged glances again. There was about a hundred things they wanted to ask. The situation was becoming weirder and weirder by the second.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but can I ask your name? I’m Leon, and this is Gwaine. And he’s Percival,” said Leon carefully.
The boy looked up at him, looking a bit startled.
“Oh yes, gods, sorry!” he exclaimed. He cleared his throat before sticking out a hand. “I’m Merlin! So very nice to meet you.” Both Leon and Gwaine shook his hand, a bit cautiously.
“Alright Merlin. Could we maybe talk to your parents?” asked Gwaine.
Merlin stared at Gwaine for a few seconds, his face blank. He blinked several times. Then he gave them a new brilliant smile.
“No, sorry. My mom is dead, and my dad left me at this cabin about a year ago. I haven’t heard from him since. Don’t recon he’s coming back. I’m afraid you’re all alone with me.” He said it in a cheerful voice matching his smile. It sent chills down Leons spine.
Now it was Gwaines turn to stare. “Oh. Gods, so sorry to hear that.”
Merlin ignored him. “I came to change your bandages. Will you let me?” he said instead and gestured to the tray.
Both Leon and Gwaine consented, and Merlin got to work. He worked with skilled and gentle hands. They bombarded him with questions while he worked, and he answered each one patiently, painting them a somewhat clear picture of the situation they were in.
Merlin had found them in the woods near his cabin assumingly only hours after the attack, while he was out picking mushrooms. He had taken them all home with his horse and carriage, taking two trips. Then he had patched them up as best he could. That was almost two days ago. He had watched over them night and day since then, taking care of them to the best of his abilities.
Leon and Gwaine let the information sink in. Merlin was now done with all of their bandages.
“Eat. It will make you feel better. I need to go check up on the other boys again. I’ll come back soon with dinner. Yell if you need anything!” Then he left, though not before giving each animal an affectionate scratch. Leon and Gwaine stared dumbly after him.
“Leon.”
“Hm?”
“Did you see his ears?”
“No?”
“They were pointy.”
Leon jerked his head to the side to stare at Gwaine in shock.
“But it can’t be.”
“Can’t it? He was glowing, Leon, we both saw it. Besides, could a normal child do what he did? Could they have saved us?”
Leon continued to stare at Gwaine. He wanted to keep protesting, however Gwaine was actually making sense.
“But how? All the elves are dead.”
Gwaine sighed deeply.
“Apparently not all."