Chapter Text
Magnifico is walking alone through the kingdom but he senses that something is very wrong, he wasn't in Rosas….he's somewhere else… but somewhere familiar, everything also looked “bigger” somehow as if he had shrunk. He cautiously continues to walk in the unknown territory and sees smoke up ahead in a castle which naturally makes him panic. He started running but the closer he got the further away it seemed.
His legs seem smaller than usual, running fast has never been an issue for him till now, in fact his arms and hands looked smaller too, he'd have to figure this out later whilst he deals with whatever or whoever has attacked the kingdom.
When he gets close to the castle it explodes before he can enter, he falls hard on his back and earns a few scratches of blood on his hands and knees, no serious injuries (although his legs are in pins and needles) but his head is pounding like a drum, he slowly limps to a half destroyed water fountain to check on himself and in his reflection he sees himself but…as a child…13 again…
Magnifico is back to his child-like state and is horrified as he realises that he reliving a nightmare, the very thing that destroyed his family and tore his old kingdom apart, he hears a little girl calling out to him but his body is frozen in fear as he looks at the once elegant castle which has been engulfed in flames.
“Prince Magnifico! stay away from the castle, we're being attacked by raiders!” the little girl turns out to be Amaya, he turns and recognises her immediately, even as kids the two of them were very close, her mother was a handmaiden at castle (a personal maid) her father was a Knight and she were a scullery maid…or at least she tried to be, she was tasked with helping the Prince and weren’t assigned any difficult tasks that the older maids did because of her age, the two of them hung out a most of the time and caused mischief together and she were the only person he considered a close friend. So close she'd call him “Maggie” but only Amaya got to call him that.
“Young master please snap out of it, we need to go now! There's small ships down by the shore we can take, we must hurry” despite her attempts to be brave and wise her hands were shaken with fear and her voice was trembling
“Amaya i told you not to call me master” she grabs Magnifico's hand ignoring what said and ran, the two of them run through the ruined town together, he looks through the town and recognises the once live people that lived in the kingdom…the more he runs through the ruins the more piles of dead bodies he passes until finally he stumbles across his parents corpse or at least what's left of them, he looks at his parents who were nothing but lifeless corpses burning in the wind now, he wanted to scream but his throat felt hot as if it were also on fire
“Amaya where is your parents?” For a while she didn't speak, her silence said everything to him. She sniffles “She's gone” she lets the tears she been held back stream down her cheeks “they took everything”
The two of them silently walk to the end of island near the shore where ships and the few other survivors of the raid were going, just then an eldery man stopped to approach the young prince, he wore glasses, had a long white beard and wears a long blue vestment along with a long pointed hat.
“Wait there young prince” he puts his hand on Magnifico's shoulder “I can tell that you're in a lot of pain but if come with me I'll teach you many things that can help you rebuild your kingdom”
Magnifico looks curious but wary “how?” He asks the elderly man whispers to him “magic” this causes Magnifico to step back “Magic!? That's forbidden paganism, only evil people use it to do there bidding”
This makes the elderly man to chuckle “oh young one that's mere propaganda, only people with bad intentions can make magic evil but there's plenty of good people who wield it, including me and do I look evil?” the young prince still looks uncertain “but if you'd rather not than i guess I'll-”
“Okay” he cuts him off swiftly whilst clenching his hands “if being a magic user can help rebuild my kingdom…rebuild my life….I'll do it”
The old man smiles “good i could sense the potential in you, it would be a shame to let that spark go to waste” Magnifico doesn't question him as they walk towards a small boat
FLASH Magnifico wakes up in a sweat and starts hyperventilating, Amaya's face frowns at being woken but she jolts up when she realises that the noises are coming from her husband
“Mi rey! What's wrong!?” he doesn't answer and continues to panic, she slowly wraps an arm around him and hug him sideways “it's okay mi rey I'm here, everyone is safe and sound, nothing will hurt us, just breathe slowly” she whispers and repeat these words to reassure and comfort him
He slowly calms down and turns to Amaya “Mi reina” he hugs her waist “thank you my love” he whispers as his head leans into the nook of her shoulder, she rubs his back “dreaming about that day again weren't you?” he responds with a hum
“I'll get you some tea mi rey it always calms you” Amaya tries to get up but Magnifico has his grip tighten on you “mi rey i-”
“No stay” she hears him say in a shaky voice “stay with me please i need you” she eases back into the embrace and close her eyes “okay my love, I'm here I'm not going anywhere ”
Eventually the two of them fall back to sleep whilst still in interlocked with each other, Magnifico slowly goes back into his dream.
FLASH the young prince turns to see Amaya going to the ships the other survivors are taking “wait Amaya aren't you coming with us?” she looks surprised that he wants her along “Really? Are you sure you even need me anymore?”
“Of course i need you! i need you now more than ever not as a scullery maid, but as my closest friend…please? She smiles and runs toward them “of course Maggie” the two of them may have lost everything important to them but they still have each other.
As the boat sways away to who knows where Magnifico realises that the two of them don't know the elderly man's name
“Excuse me sir, forgive me but i forgot to ask but what is your name? The old man turns and smiles
“Merlin”