Chapter Text
The sun sailed high in the sky over the mighty kingdom of Camelot. It was a beautiful spring morning, with a light breeze stirring the grass and flowers, clouds racing across a bright blue sky, and birds chirping in the trees. Merlin Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth, and one half of destiny's coin with the Once and Future King, was setting out to the woods to gather herbs.
Merlin smiled to himself as he stepped out into the sunshine, feeling its warmth settle on his head and shoulders. He took a breath of the fresh air, letting it out in a contented sigh. It was going to be nice to be outside the castle walls for a few hours. He felt like he'd been cooped up all winter, running around after Arthur or doing chores for Gaius. Today he'd get a chance to stretch his legs around the woods for a while. As he moved out farther from the castle wall, he could feel his magic growing and expanding, stretching out like one of Arthur's dogs after a nap. Merlin let his power come alive, running in his blood, tingling along his skin. Spring was in full swing, and his magic seemed to recognize the new life growing and active all around him.
The clanging sounds of swords and shields rang from the practice yard as Merlin passed by. He glanced over, catching sight of Prince Arthur engaged in a sparring match with one of the knights. He considered using his magic to mess with him, maybe trip him up or make his sword too heavy to carry, but decided against it. Arthur had been too busy to require much of Merlin today, so he hadn't given him anything to retaliate for. The prince was safe for now.
Merlin gave Gwen a friendly wave as he passed by her house in the lower town. He resolved to bring her back some flowers if he ran across any. She'd been just as busy as him all winter, and if anyone deserved a bit of cheering up, it was her.
Soon he was on the road outside the city gates and headed for the woods. After a few minutes of walking, he turned off the road and the hard packed dirt changed to springy grass and leaves under his boots. He'd been in and around these woods often enough that he knew how to navigate them without getting lost. The herbs he needed shouldn't be too far into the forest. Merlin knew he had plenty of time to gather what he needed while simultaneously enjoying his walk.
Merlin took his time, wandering along the forest path and picking up any herbs that caught his eye. All too soon, the late morning sun was slanting through the trees, and he found that his bag was almost full. He was just thinking about turning back towards the main road when he heard crashing coming from down a slope to his right. It was the sound of something large and fast forcing itself through the trees and undergrowth. Merlin debated turning back towards Camelot and leaving whatever it was to move on its way when he heard the unmistakable sounds of distressed screams and shouts from the same direction. It seemed whatever it was had run into some travelers who would be needing some help to escape - some magical help most likely. He turned in the general direction of the commotion and took off down the hill.
He'd only been running for a few minutes when he stumbled into the clearing where the noise was coming from. Merlin pulled up short in surprise. He'd thought it was most likely a magical beast that was attacking, but he'd never pictured this.
The monster looked like a giant snake, colored a deep green and black, with intelligent yellow eyes that tracked the group of travelers it had cornered as its prey. A ridge of black scales crowned its head and continued on down its back, spiraling around the long, thick coils of its body. The snake opened its mouth, revealing fangs as long as Merlin's arm and made a sound somewhere between a hiss and a roar that made his ears ring. Merlin had to crane his neck and look way up to see how its huge head brushed the lowest branches of the oldest and tallest trees in the clearing. There were about five people currently backing away from the monster, but they wouldn't be able to escape on their own. Merlin knew he could get them back to the city safely, but he to get the snake's attention off of them first. He was considering causing a magical distraction when a shout sounded from the other side of the clearing.
This wasn't a sound of fear, but a battle cry. Merlin watched in astonishment as a young warrior charged out of the trees, sword drawn and headed right for the monster. Just as he got closer to the monster, he turned his sword at just the right angle so the sunlight reflected off of it and right into the snake's eyes. The monster bellowed, then turned toward its new challenger. The newcomer began to duck and dodge the snake's attacks, staying just out of range but close enough that the creature's attention was focused on him and not on the others.
Merlin had been looking for a distraction, and he could hardly hope for a better one. He darted out from among the trees, heading for the group of people still hesitating at the edge of the clearing. He had to dodge a wild swing of the snake's tail, but by now its attention was fully fixed on the other young man, who continued to evade its attacks. Merlin eventually reached the still terrified travelers.
"Hey! Camelot is not far this way, you'll be safe there, follow me!"
None of them seemed inclined to stay anywhere near the monster, so Merlin had no trouble getting the group to follow him into the forest and back on the main path towards the city. When the towers of the citadel were in view, Merlin turned back and gestured ahead.
"There's the citadel. The city gates are right down this road, keep going and you won't miss it."
The group expressed their breathless thanks before continuing on down the road. Merlin watched them go until he was sure they were going to find the way. Then he turned and ran into the trees, heading back towards the sounds of the giant snake's rampage. As much as he would've liked to leave the snake alone, or maybe to return with Arthur and a large group of knights with swords, he figured he should at least make sure the warrior escaped as well. Whoever he was, he clearly put his life on the line so the others could get to safety. After seeing the monster up close, Merlin knew there wasn't much chance of anyone escaping it alone. The only chance the young man might have was Merlin's magic, so he raced back through the forest.
Merlin broke through the trees at the edge of the clearing and quickly dropped to the ground again to avoid another sweep of the monster's tail. Every movement the snake made sent dirt and leaves flying into the air, and Merlin was covered in debris, sending him coughing. The snake twisted around, and Merlin found himself lying parallel to it as it continued to snap at the annoying pest still running around in front of it. Merlin had to admire the young man's determination as he darted in and out, and he seemed to be actually wounding the snake, finding chinks in the hard, scaled armor before ducking back out of range. He couldn't keep it up forever though, and it soon became clear that the young man was beginning to tire as his movements became slower, his strikes less forceful. Speed was essential in dealing with a monster as lightning fast as the snake, so it was only a matter of time before the monster finally caught his attacker.
The young man seemed to realize this as well, and as Merlin scrambled to his feet, he saw the warrior change tactics. The next time the snake bent its head low to try and snap its jaws around its attacker, instead of darting away, the young man lunged forward, aiming his sword at the soft inside of the snake's mouth. It was a bold move, but a risky one, and the young man's plan fell apart as the snake quickly turned its head away from the attack. The warrior was too close to dodge, and one of the snake's long fangs cut deep into his sword arm. He stumbled back, and the snake whipped around again. Merlin dodged out of the way, but the warrior was too slow, and the snake's tail sent him flying back into a nearby tree. Merlin winced at the impact and saw the young man collapse on the ground at the base of the tree. The snake tossed its head in the air as if it were celebrating its victory over the pest that had been tormenting it. There were some deep wounds on the snake's sides and head, most of which were dripping black blood, but with a monster this large, it wasn't enough to truly weaken it.
Merlin realized that the snake was moving forward to finish the young man off. He was moving again, trying to push himself to his feet, but his injured arm collapsed under his weight and he couldn't rise. Merlin dashed in front of the monster, placing himself between it and the warrior. He held out his hand, already speaking the words of the ancient language. His magic rose up inside him, and a strong wind blew past him, blowing through his hair and tugging at his clothes. He concentrated its power right in front of him and directed it at the snake and soon it was struggling against the gale, leaning its giant head down as its body whipped back and forth, straining to keep its place. The magic proved to be too powerful, and it was pushed back across the clearing. The monster was blown into the trees, shrieking as its head struck branches and its body whipped into trunks. Merlin sustained the wind until the serpent was barely visible among the trees. Only when the monster turned and moved back through the forest did he lower his hand. The thing had apparently decided that Merlin wasn't worth the trouble and retreated until it was out of sight.
Merlin released his breath in a sigh. Then the stranger let out a soft groan, and Merlin whipped around. The young man was trying to sit up, leaning back against the trunk of the tree and holding his hand over his other arm, trying to keep his injury from bleeding. Merlin could see right away that the cut was too deep; blood was already starting to show around the young man's fingers, wetting the black fabric of his jacket.
Merlin dropped to his knees, silently appreciating his time following Gaius during his duties as court physician. He had treated Arthur and the other knights after battles and adventures and knew at this point energy was still running high and anything could set off the fight reaction again. Merlin thought ruefully of the many swords he'd had to dodge until he'd learned to approach people carefully.
"Hey, are you alright?" Merlin asked, keeping his voice low and soft. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to get his attention.
The stranger startled, his head came up and he managed to fix slightly haze, brown eyes on Merlin's face.
"I think so," he replied, although the response came out slowly and his brow furrowed, as if the words wouldn't come as easily as they should. His hand that wasn't holding his injured arm came up to hold his head, his fingers digging into his dark hair. Merlin was starting to worry that he had hit his head on the tree; he didn't seem to be as alert as he had been just moments earlier when he was fighting the snake.
"Why don't you try standing up, and I can take you to the next town," Merlin said. "You should probably get that arm looked at."
The young man nodded slowly, then winced as the movement jarred his head. He attempted to rise to his feet, but he took it too fast and Merlin lunged forward to catch him when he pitched forward.
"Yeah, that seems about right," Merlin muttered as he braced himself against the new weight. A quick check confirmed that the young man was now unconscious, and Merlin knew he definitely needed to get him back to Camelot to see Gaius.
A look around the forest floor revealed the warrior's sword had landed a few feet away when it had been knocked out of his hand. Merlin also spotted a small pack across the clearing, likely dropped in that first charge against the snake. He leaned the young man back against the tree, then got up and retrieved his belongings. The sword went back in its sheath, and Merlin maneuvered the bag onto the stranger's back.
Merlin eyed the deep cut on the young man's arm that was still bleeding rather quickly. Gaius should be able to close it if they needed to, but he needed to do something to slow the flow now before too much blood was lost. He didn't have any bandages handy, so he took off his handkerchief and tied it around the wound. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it would hold. Merlin put the young man's arm around his shoulders and put his arm around his waist. He heaved himself up, dragging the warrior up with him. Merlin sighed as he realized his new patient stood almost as tall as he was. It wasn't going to be easy carrying him alone all the way up to Gaius' rooms in the castle.
He glanced around out of habit, even though he knew no one else was around. Merlin whispered a few quiet words in the old language, and the weight lessened just enough to allow him to adjust the other man so he could carry him on his back, with Merlin's hands supporting his legs and his arms around Merlin's neck.
He adjusted his still full bag of herbs to hang off his shoulder in front of him. It seemed his peaceful morning had been interrupted by yet another magical and mysterious situation.
"I knew it had been too quiet around here lately," he muttered to himself. "Gaius said not to tempt fate by pointing it out, but did I listen? No, and look where it got me."
He glanced over his shoulder at the young man he was carrying.
"Now you've been drawn into this too," Merlin remarked out loud as he started on his way. "Where did you come from? I don't think I've ever seen you around."
Predictably, there was no response.
Merlin made his way through the trees until he could see the road in the distance.
"It was kind of amazing what you did, protecting those people," Merlin mused aloud again. "I guess I'll tell you when you wake up. I wouldn't tell Arthur if it were him, he's got a big enough head already."
Merlin soon reached the main road and turned in the direction of Camelot. As he moved down the road, he saw a robin swoop out of the sky and alight on a nearby branch. He thought nothing of it as he continued on his way. If he had stayed and listened, he might've seen the bird shake its head rapidly in distress and start some rapid chirps. One would have had to be very close to it to realize its chirps were, in fact, words.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," it said to itself. After a moment where it seemed to be deep in thought, it hopped off the branch and into the air, following after the two young men as they entered the city.