Entry tags:
Fic: Touched by Magic (1/1)
Title: Touched by Magic (1/1)
Author:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dk323
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,831
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Lancelot (implied), Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC.
Summary: Merlin loses his magic. Enter Emrys.
Beta:a8c_sock
Author’s Notes: Written forella_bane as a thank you. She wanted a Halloween-themed ficlet. I know Halloween was months ago, but better late than never. :) This isn’t exactly a Halloween idea, but something does go wrong. Considering Christmas is right around the corner, this is a holiday gift fic too.
~ * ~
Arthur expected quite a lot of different mishaps to occur around Merlin. With Merlin now officially installed as Camelot’s Court Sorcerer, his former manservant had grown fond of doing magical experiments. More often than not, explosions could be heard coming from Merlin’s chambers.
When Arthur had come in to question Merlin about what was going on, Merlin at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed. But then he just gave Arthur a wide, happy grin and assured him that everything was fine. With that reassurance, Arthur was cajoled to leave the room. That left Arthur standing outside Merlin’s chambers, realizing too late that he had forgotten to inquire into what exactly Merlin was doing.
But when Arthur did ask him about what he did, Merlin delved into these long explanations that resulted in Arthur being a bit puzzled, to say the least. Unfortunately, it appeared that only a person who had magic could fully understand what ‘trouble’ – as Arthur called it – Merlin was getting up to with his experiments.
But Arthur tried. He really did.
He decided that the best thing for Merlin was to allocate him his own tower to conduct his experiments. That way Merlin would have more privacy to do what he wished. Also, the other castle’s occupants wouldn’t be suddenly disturbed in the middle of the night by a delayed explosion or some such thing from Merlin’s chambers.
In addition, it afforded Arthur some privacy when he visited Merlin at the more secluded tower so that they could spend some quality time together.
It was a closely guarded secret within Camelot that King Arthur was having an affair with the Court Sorcerer, that he loved him more so than Queen Guinevere.
So, naturally, everyone knew about it. Gwen gave her blessing and Arthur knew quite well that Lancelot left his Queen fresh flowers almost on a daily basis. It was all very sweet. From Gwen’s perspective at least.
Merlin left Arthur flowers too in the king’s chambers. Because of Merlin’s magic sustaining them, the flowers remained in bloom longer than they were naturally meant to. Merlin also gave Arthur a variety of magical charms with explanations about what they were for and when he should wear them.
For Arthur’s part, he gave Merlin a new wardrobe complete with an amusing coned hat that Merlin had probably already burned by now. Arthur also stole all those awful neckerchiefs that covered his sorcerer’s neck, and bought him some bracelets that were more decorative than imbued with any magical properties. Arthur did not doubt that Merlin had played around with the jewelry to give them a magical purpose. He also gifted Merlin with a gold ring – of which Arthur had a duplicate of for himself – to symbolize their love and caring for one another.
Then one day, Arthur found a feverish Merlin shifting restlessly in bed. What really startled Arthur was the man who looked just like Merlin sitting on the bed beside his Court Sorcerer.
The man was barefoot, wearing a blue shirt and, as far as Arthur could see, the stranger wasn’t wearing any breeches. The shirt reached just above his knees, so it covered enough. He was taken aback though when the man looked up at him, his eyes glowing a steady gold. It was just like when Merlin did magic with his eyes lit up as if they were on fire. The troubling part here was the man’s eyes remained golden even if he was not performing any magic (as far as Arthur was aware at least).
“Who are you? Why do you look like him?” Arthur demanded, nodding toward Merlin who was in the midst of a troubled sleep.
There was sweat on Merlin’s brow and Arthur judged that he was burning up. The stranger appeared deeply concerned at the state Merlin was in. The man pressed a wet cloth on to Merlin’s forehead.
Arthur stepped forward to check on Merlin, to feel for himself how hot he was, but the unknown man glared at him. When Arthur reached out to touch Merlin, the mystery man swatted at his hand in irritation. He didn’t want Arthur touching Merlin for some reason.
Arthur moved back, raising his hands defensively, when the man’s eyes sparked an even brighter gold and one hand rose before him. Arthur really did not wish to be on the receiving end of a magical attack, that is, if the gold in the man’s eyes meant the same as it did for Merlin: the magic was about to be released.
“I just want to see if he is all right. You didn't answer my question. Who are you? What’s your name?”
The man shook his head, pointing at his mouth, and then he shook his head again.
“You can’t speak?” Arthur confirmed.
The man nodded.
“Why do you look like Merlin then? Are you – but Merlin is an only child. I don’t understand.”
The man raised one finger, and then he pointed at himself. He raised another finger and pointed at Merlin. Then he brought both fingers together, two becoming one. The last motion he made was separating the two fingers again.
Arthur still didn’t quite comprehend what was going on. It sounded like the man was telling him that he and Merlin were the same person. But something unexpected must have happened overnight that had separated Merlin into two individuals. There had to be a reason why Merlin was suddenly taken with fever now. Could it be a side effect of whatever unfortunate event that had caused this alarming division? Or the fever had triggered Merlin to divide himself, however that worked?
Arthur almost couldn’t believe he actually was considering this theory. Could such a thing occur – for a person to be divided into two separate entities? But, if he had learned anything from Merlin, it was that magic had almost infinite possibilities. Maybe Merlin was suffering from a magical fever? Merlin had told him that there were sicknesses specific to magic users that resulted in peculiar occurrences.
Either way, Arthur hoped the reason was a magical sickness rather than an enemy seeking to hurt Merlin.
“If you’re a part of him, then what part of him are you?” Arthur wanted to know.
He took a chair and moved it beside the bed. He sat down, the strange man opposite him. Arthur was careful not to touch Merlin lest the other man attack him over the action.
The man looked more interested in checking over Merlin, brushing his dark hair aside that had stuck to his brow.
But he glanced at Arthur, his eyes still gold, and he had the grace to roll his eyes. Like it should have been so clear.
Realization dawned on Arthur. He nodded. “You’re his magic. A human-looking manifestation of Merlin’s magic,” he concluded.
The man inclined his head, confirming Arthur’s statement.
“I don’t know what to say to that. I – maybe I’ll call you ‘Emrys’ then?” Arthur suggested. “You need a name and I remember Merlin telling me that those of magic kin call him by that name.”
The man shrugged. He seemed not to care all that much about what he was called. But Arthur felt that it was wrong to just call him, ‘Merlin’ even if this man was so intimately connected to Merlin. It was startling to see him, a man who looked like Merlin but wasn’t him at the same time. His inability to speak and the simple fact that he was the embodiment of Merlin’s magic made Arthur anxious. What if Emrys’s only sense of morality was attack with magic if he felt threatened? Was there any humanity within him or was that the part in Merlin, who was currently under the grips of an illness?
Arthur saw how Merlin’s magic or Emrys as he decided to call him was so earnest about looking after his other half. That, more than anything, reassured him. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He knew well how deeply Merlin felt about his magic, how important it was to him. And it seemed that the opposite was true, that his magic cared about Merlin just as much.
“So…” Arthur started, trying to sound calm even though he was unsettled by Emrys’s watchful golden gaze.
Whenever Arthur moved his hand, wanting to touch Merlin’s hand, Emrys frowned at the King. When Arthur pulled his hand back, Emrys seemed pleased. Seriously, Merlin’s magic really was too overprotective over Merlin. Arthur decided to make a note of that and inform Merlin later when this odd situation was resolved.
“…if you’re his magic, then does that mean Merlin doesn’t have his magic now?” Arthur asked, though he had a good feeling he knew what the answer would be.
Emrys looked worried. He didn’t appear happy that Arthur had brought this up. He looked down upon his other half, gripping his hand tightly. Merlin was calmed by the action. Though he still did not wake, Merlin looked more at peace and not like he was in the hold of a nightmare. Emrys kissed Merlin on his brow, the deep affection for the sleeping man showing through.
Reluctantly, Emrys nodded.
Arthur rubbed the back of his head, thinking this predicament through. He should ask Emrys if he knew how to solve the problem. Although how would Emrys explain it to him if the other man could not say a word?
Maybe Merlin would wake up soon. That would surely help. If Emrys was lacking speech, then that meant Merlin was the one who had that ability.
“Is Merlin going to wake up? Do you know?” Arthur asked of Emrys.
Emrys bit his lip. He had an uncertain expression on his face.
Arthur sighed. “Well, all right. We need to fix this. We need to get you back inside of Merlin… do you know what to do?” He asked the other man.
Emrys looked like he had an idea. He smiled to himself and conjured a piece of parchment before him. Sweeping his hand over the paper, words appeared on the page.
Arthur saw how the words glowed golden for a moment before fading away to dark ink.
Emrys handed the paper to him and Arthur’s brow furrowed at what was written on it. The words were nonsensical to him.
“I can’t understand the words,” Arthur informed him, returning the sheet back to him.
Arthur would say that the other man looked almost sad at what Arthur had told him. But undeterred, Emrys looked like he had a solution in mind. Setting the paper down, Emrys leaned over Merlin and he positioned a finger on both sides of his forehead. His eyes sparked bright gold. He closed his eyes and Arthur waited as patiently as he could until Emrys was done with whatever he was concentrating on. Maybe he was seeking Merlin’s help in finding the right words to use so that Arthur would understand them.
Arthur thought that Emrys, Merlin’s magic, was more raw magical power, while Merlin, who was presently unresponsive, was the communicator. It was like the words Merlin sometimes uttered to unleash one of his spells – without that, there was just the magic waiting to be used. Still, at least Emrys could understand what Arthur was saying even if he could not speak himself.
This whole predicament was quite unnerving for Arthur, but he had long come to accept that nothing normal happened around Merlin. It was simply the price he had to pay for having such a man, his closest friend, in his company. And it was a price Arthur would pay gladly.
After what felt like an eternity, but in actuality, only a few minutes had passed; Emrys had finished whatever he needed to do.
He opened his eyes and he swept his hand over the parchment again. The parchment glowed once again. Emrys gave it to Arthur.
While this time, Arthur noticed that the words were in a decipherable language; the letters were written backwards. It was an improvement at least.
“The language is right, but the letters are scripted backwards,” Arthur told him.
Emrys gave a small smile, looking grateful that he managed to get it mostly right. His gold eyes flashed brilliantly for a second, his attention directed at the paper Arthur held in his hands.
Arthur saw as the letters turned themselves around. Admittedly, it was quite impressive to witness such magic to happen right before his eyes. It was as if the letters were animated and had minds of their own as they lifted themselves off the page and adjusted their positions. Then they calmly settled back down on to the paper.
“Thank you,” Arthur said to Emrys, “That was impressive,” he remarked honestly.
Emrys smiled widely at him in appreciation.
Arthur looked down at the paper. After reading what the solution was, Arthur couldn’t exactly say he was thrilled about it. But it had to be done. After all that Merlin had done for him and for Camelot, the least Arthur could do was to aid his dear friend and lover in his hour of need.
He looked up at Emrys, his gaze steady as his blue eyes met the other man’s golden ones. “I’ll do it. I’ll be the one,” Arthur declared resolutely, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Emrys bit his lip, giving him a slight nod. He didn’t look happy either.
Emrys’s eyes flashed gold and Arthur saw a few words added at the bottom of the paper.
The words were, ‘I’ll be careful.’
Arthur acknowledged the words with a nod.
“I have matters I need to attend to, but I will return before dinner. I haven’t installed a Court Physician since Gaius’ passing – Merlin has been taking on those duties. But – you already know that, I expect.”
Emrys gave him a look that Arthur read as, ‘Of course I know that, you prat’.
The words ‘I’ll be careful’ on Arthur’s paper cleared and a new message formed. Now it said, ‘I shall take care of him. Do not worry.’
Arthur smiled at him weakly. “Thanks. Guinevere may come by to see you, well, Merlin… I’ll tell her about you. I know she’ll be concerned about Merlin and I don’t wish to lie to her.”
Emrys appeared agreeable to the potential visit.
Unable to resist, Arthur leaned forward and he brushed his lips against Merlin’s. Fortunately Emrys had warmed up to him and he did not retaliate, accepting Arthur’s affectionate gesture toward Merlin.
Arthur departed from Merlin’s chambers; his last glimpse was of Emrys coaxing Merlin to drink a glass of water.
~ * ~
Later on, Arthur saw Gwen in the corridor holding an orange and black kitten.
“Oh hello, Arthur,” Gwen greeted him pleasantly. “I just went to check on Merlin and I was careful around Emrys as you suggested. He was actually quite sweet, like Merlin, once I grew accustomed to his inability to speak.”
“Did Emrys conjure you a kitten then?” Arthur inquired with a resigned sigh.
Gwen smiled. “Oh yes. It was so kind of him. He told me – well, more of a nod really – that I could keep her. Isn’t she precious?” She asked and murmured to the kitten who meowed contentedly in response. She then confided in Arthur, “Merlin seems to be getting better. Emrys is taking good care of him. He wrote to me that you and he have a solution to cure Merlin’s ailment. To bring him and his magic back together?”
Arthur inclined his head. “Yes, we do. I’m going to Merlin’s rooms right now to carry out the plan. Emrys didn't tell you exactly what it entailed, did he?” he asked a bit worriedly.
He didn’t want Gwen to know just what he was risking by helping to cure Merlin.
To Arthur’s relief, Gwen shook her head. “No, he did not. He assured me that everything would be fine though. Should I be concerned, Arthur?” She asked, frowning slightly.
Arthur shook his head a little too quickly. “No, it’s nothing. I’ll just be going to see Merlin now. I will see you later,” he said. He kissed her on the cheek.
“All right. I’m going to visit Lancelot,” Gwen told him, petting the kitten as she did so.
Arthur nodded distractedly at her. He did not see Gwen’s perplexed look on her face as he turned and walked away from her.
~ * ~
When Arthur entered Merlin’s chambers in his tower, he took a moment to stare bemusedly at the dark blue miniature dragon in the room. The magical creature was attempting flight and breathing out puffs of golden fire from his mouth. Thankfully the dragon was a few feet away from him, enough distance so that the creature’s fire didn’t have a chance of burning him.
Still, Arthur cautiously sidestepped the dragon. Emrys noticed his arrival and his gold eyes sparked. The clearly conjured dragon flew a little haphazardly toward Emrys. Sitting cross-legged, the other man was still on the bed, beside Merlin (who was peacefully resting, though he looked somewhat flushed). For some inexplicable reason, Emrys’s shirt was now white. He still was not wearing any breeches though.
The magical creature flew to sit on the bed by Emrys. The man stroked the creature’s back as if it were a puppy. No normal person would treat a dragon – no matter how small – as a harmless pet. But with Merlin being a Dragonlord, well, his perspective on animals was certainly different. Arthur swore that the dragon purred due to the attention he was receiving. The creature snuggled up against Emrys.
Arthur almost could not believe what he was seeing.
He decided to speak when Emrys gave him a questioning look.
“So it’s not just kittens you’ve been conjuring, is it?” Arthur quipped.
Emrys shrugged, but he gave him a small smile in return.
“We should do the spell,” Arthur declared.
Emrys nodded in agreement. His pet dragon vanished.
Unable to stay his feeling of trepidation, Arthur sat down on the floor near the bed as Emrys directed him. The tall vaulted window revealed the late afternoon sunlight, which cast a shadow upon the room.
Emrys sat down cross-legged across from him. He raised his hands, palms flat and facing Arthur, in front of him. Arthur did likewise as per the instructions he had memorized off the parchment.
He and Emrys grasped hands. Upon contact, Emrys sighed. Arthur tried to remain calm as the other man, Merlin’s magic, started to glow golden. Every inch of him became covered in vibrant golden light until he was only the bright light. It was even more evident now that Emrys was Merlin’s magic as the golden light, which could only be magic, overtook him. The only sign that he was remotely human was that the magic fitted into the human shape in which Arthur had first encountered him.
Arthur knew this would happen. He had read the explanation that Emrys had written after all. But it was still overwhelming to see someone who looked like Merlin appear so alien.
Arthur could see the light moving away from Emrys, as slowly but surely, the light was being transferred. Arthur felt himself growing warmer as the magic entered him. Emrys compelled Arthur to look directly into his molten gold eyes, to keep focus, and most importantly, to not wrench his hands away from the other man.
The magic started to deform Emrys, starting at the lower limbs, as if he were vanishing away in a gradual manner. As Arthur began to feel like he was on fire the more Emrys began to disappear, the king wished that he could cease contact and end this transfer.
But he knew he could not do that. This was important. He had to do this for Merlin. He had to return his magic to him. The only way to do so was using an intermediary person to hold the magic. Then that person would transfer it to whomever the magic belonged to.
The trouble was that the magic burned inside anyone who was not the original possessor of the magic. But Arthur could not imagine another individual undertaking this task. After all, that person would be risking his or her life by doing so, and Arthur would not have that on his conscience.
Apparently this illness was a harrowing one for sorcerers, and if it were easily cured, then fewer sorcerers would have died from the sickness. Not many people would risk a painful death by being burned inside out just so a magic user would have their magic returned to them. And if the magic user was without their magic for too long, they would waste away and die. Their magic was a part of them after all. To lose that part would be too much to bear in the end.
But here was Arthur, one of the mad few who were willing to risk that painful death. It took moments like this one that reminded Arthur all too well how much he cared for Merlin, his lovable idiot of a sorcerer. He would search to the ends of the earth for a cure if that would save Merlin’s life.
But Emrys had reassured him that he would be careful. So with that in mind, Arthur barely managed to choke out, “It’s too hot…” as he forced himself not to dwell on the burning sensation he was feeling as the transfer advanced.
Now, Emrys was without legs – everything below his waist had been transferred into Arthur. The hands that were touching Arthur’s own would be the last to go. Arthur understood that a point of contact needed to be maintained until the very end of this transfer with Emrys.
Fortunately Emrys appeared to have heard Arthur. The golden man tilted his head to the side as if he were studying Arthur and found him intriguing. He nodded at Arthur.
Arthur could feel a rush of near freezing water overtake him from within. It was enough to prevent the burning from overwhelming him. He had been close to realizing what it would be like to be burned alive. Certainly not a realization Arthur ever wanted to have. He felt the coolness subside after a few minutes. But fortunately, the burning coming from the magic was not as intense as before.
Arthur also could see that Emrys was making an effort to slow the transfer even further so that Arthur could handle the burden better.
And because of that slower pace, the rest of Merlin’s magic was transferred into Arthur at just under two hours.
Once Emrys’ hands had vanished -- signifying that all of Merlin’s magic was now contained inside of Arthur; the king acted quickly.
The magic within him weighed him down like a heavy burden. He felt sluggish and worn out as he made to move. But as fast as he could, Arthur stood up and reached the bed, climbing up on to it.
He knew this part would not take long. So, with that comforting thought, Arthur kissed Merlin on the lips.
Like two items undeniably attracted to one another, Merlin’s magic left Arthur and returned inside of Merlin in a great rush. The magic was not patient. It was eager to return to its rightful place and the speed of its movement took Arthur’s breath away.
Once he felt all of the magic inside him leave completely, Arthur collapsed beside Merlin.
He pressed his hand to his forehead and concluded that he was getting a bit of a fever. But then the need to sleep overtook him.
“Please be all right, Merlin,” Arthur whispered earnestly. He grasped Merlin’s hand and squeezed it, so that Merlin would know he was not alone.
Then he allowed himself to succumb to sleep. The transfer of magic had left him terribly exhausted.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up to Merlin tending to him. He was pressing a cool, wet towel to his brow from his bedside chair. Judging by the view out the window, he could see that it was already late, approaching midnight most likely. The room was illuminated by candles.
Gwen was standing with a frown on her face. “I can not believe you did not tell me what exactly you were doing, Arthur. I had the right to know!” She admonished him.
“What?” Arthur muttered, still not feeling fully awake yet.
Merlin smiled at him. He urged Arthur to drink water from the glass he offered him. Realizing how parched his throat was, Arthur did so without protest.
Merlin explained patiently, “When you returned my magic to me, I remembered everything that, well, Emrys, as you called him,” And at that, Arthur saw Merlin’s amused expression that just made Arthur want to hide under the covers for the rest of the day. “--experienced. I told Gwen about what you did. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me. It was too much to ask of you, I know.”
Arthur sighed, giving Merlin a small smile. “It was never a choice,” he declared resolutely, “And I wish you hadn’t worried Guinevere.”
Merlin shook his head when Gwen was about to interject. “Oh, believe me, Arthur. Gwen was quite adamant. I had little say in the matter. We both love you, Arthur. I know if I were Gwen, I’d want to know beforehand if you were risking your life. It is the courteous thing to do.”
“Thank you, Merlin. I trust you to have better luck making Arthur see sense,” she acknowledged.
Arthur felt like he was on the losing team in a game he hadn’t even asked to participate in.
“Lancelot will take over the training of the Knights tomorrow since you have a fever. But Merlin says you should be fine given some rest and plenty of fluids,” Gwen informed him.
Arthur nodded. Gwen smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him and brushing his hair aside tenderly.
“I shall leave you two then,” Gwen announced.
She kissed Merlin on the cheek. “I’m truly glad you are okay, Merlin,” Gwen expressed to him.
“Thanks,” he replied, smiling at her.
Gwen departed from Merlin’s chambers.
“So…you’re better now?” Arthur asked, though he could already see that Merlin looked the picture of perfect health.
Merlin kissed him softly on the lips. After he had pulled away, he said, “Yes, all thanks to you. The brave prat you are. I’m sure it was a startling experience for you. I’m sorry to put you through that. I wasn’t expecting the division to happen. I must have been overstretching my magic and that left my body open to this illness.”
Arthur raised his eyebrow. “Well, maybe you shouldn't do that. Until you feel absolutely sure you’re not overexerting yourself magically,” Arthur advised.
Merlin nodded quickly. He definitely didn’t want to have Arthur in harm’s way like this ever again.
Arthur continued on a lighter note, hoping to elicit a smile from Merlin. “Anyway, I’ve made my peace with all the oddities surrounding you long ago. I’m just glad that I was able to help.”
Merlin smiled widely at him and Arthur thought he never looked more beautiful. “I don’t know how to repay you. It was a good thing my magic was careful enough to keep you from suffering an untimely death.”
“Yes, I’m glad for that. And you don’t owe me anything, Merlin. You’ve done so much for me over the years, that this was my way of repaying you,” Arthur said sincerely.
Merlin looked a bit unhappy at that assertion. “But Arthur – you could have been burned alive. That’s the last thing I want you to do for my sake.”
“Your magic is more important, Merlin. I could not, would not, deny you a part of yourself even if it meant dying such a death. And you can't sway me from this belief, Merlin,” Arthur said firmly.
Merlin bit his lip, but assented with Arthur’s words after a long moment. He re-wet the towel with fresh water before he set it on Arthur’s brow again.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Merlin spoke up, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. “So, tell me everything. What did you honestly think of Emrys? My magic? I would love to hear it,” he told Arthur enthusiastically.
Arthur let out a groan as Merlin grinned at him. But he confided in Merlin in the end, and Arthur could just imagine Emrys’s reaction as he listened to Arthur speak to Merlin.
Thinking back on it, Arthur felt honoured to have seen Merlin’s magic in such a manner. And it gave him some comfort to know that that strange blue-shirted, barefooted man he had encountered was not truly gone.
That Emrys was back where he belonged, with his other half. After seeing how deeply Emrys cared for Merlin, Arthur knew that there was no other place Emrys would rather be.
~ * ~
~ This is what inspired me for the scene where Arthur and Emrys do the transfer. It doesn't exactly happen like this, of course, but if you want to know where the original idea came from, here it is. It's a scene from episode 2x09 "Dark" of the show Legend of the Seeker, where Richard Cypher is giving up his magic (called Han on the show) to Sister Nicci. Except in my story, Arthur acts as the "middleman" and the magic is ultimately transferred to Merlin in the end (versus Nicci just getting the magic and that was that).
Author:
dk323 Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,831
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Lancelot (implied), Arthur/Gwen
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC.
Summary: Merlin loses his magic. Enter Emrys.
Beta:
a8c_sockAuthor’s Notes: Written for
ella_bane as a thank you. She wanted a Halloween-themed ficlet. I know Halloween was months ago, but better late than never. :) This isn’t exactly a Halloween idea, but something does go wrong. Considering Christmas is right around the corner, this is a holiday gift fic too. ~ * ~
Arthur expected quite a lot of different mishaps to occur around Merlin. With Merlin now officially installed as Camelot’s Court Sorcerer, his former manservant had grown fond of doing magical experiments. More often than not, explosions could be heard coming from Merlin’s chambers.
When Arthur had come in to question Merlin about what was going on, Merlin at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed. But then he just gave Arthur a wide, happy grin and assured him that everything was fine. With that reassurance, Arthur was cajoled to leave the room. That left Arthur standing outside Merlin’s chambers, realizing too late that he had forgotten to inquire into what exactly Merlin was doing.
But when Arthur did ask him about what he did, Merlin delved into these long explanations that resulted in Arthur being a bit puzzled, to say the least. Unfortunately, it appeared that only a person who had magic could fully understand what ‘trouble’ – as Arthur called it – Merlin was getting up to with his experiments.
But Arthur tried. He really did.
He decided that the best thing for Merlin was to allocate him his own tower to conduct his experiments. That way Merlin would have more privacy to do what he wished. Also, the other castle’s occupants wouldn’t be suddenly disturbed in the middle of the night by a delayed explosion or some such thing from Merlin’s chambers.
In addition, it afforded Arthur some privacy when he visited Merlin at the more secluded tower so that they could spend some quality time together.
It was a closely guarded secret within Camelot that King Arthur was having an affair with the Court Sorcerer, that he loved him more so than Queen Guinevere.
So, naturally, everyone knew about it. Gwen gave her blessing and Arthur knew quite well that Lancelot left his Queen fresh flowers almost on a daily basis. It was all very sweet. From Gwen’s perspective at least.
Merlin left Arthur flowers too in the king’s chambers. Because of Merlin’s magic sustaining them, the flowers remained in bloom longer than they were naturally meant to. Merlin also gave Arthur a variety of magical charms with explanations about what they were for and when he should wear them.
For Arthur’s part, he gave Merlin a new wardrobe complete with an amusing coned hat that Merlin had probably already burned by now. Arthur also stole all those awful neckerchiefs that covered his sorcerer’s neck, and bought him some bracelets that were more decorative than imbued with any magical properties. Arthur did not doubt that Merlin had played around with the jewelry to give them a magical purpose. He also gifted Merlin with a gold ring – of which Arthur had a duplicate of for himself – to symbolize their love and caring for one another.
Then one day, Arthur found a feverish Merlin shifting restlessly in bed. What really startled Arthur was the man who looked just like Merlin sitting on the bed beside his Court Sorcerer.
The man was barefoot, wearing a blue shirt and, as far as Arthur could see, the stranger wasn’t wearing any breeches. The shirt reached just above his knees, so it covered enough. He was taken aback though when the man looked up at him, his eyes glowing a steady gold. It was just like when Merlin did magic with his eyes lit up as if they were on fire. The troubling part here was the man’s eyes remained golden even if he was not performing any magic (as far as Arthur was aware at least).
“Who are you? Why do you look like him?” Arthur demanded, nodding toward Merlin who was in the midst of a troubled sleep.
There was sweat on Merlin’s brow and Arthur judged that he was burning up. The stranger appeared deeply concerned at the state Merlin was in. The man pressed a wet cloth on to Merlin’s forehead.
Arthur stepped forward to check on Merlin, to feel for himself how hot he was, but the unknown man glared at him. When Arthur reached out to touch Merlin, the mystery man swatted at his hand in irritation. He didn’t want Arthur touching Merlin for some reason.
Arthur moved back, raising his hands defensively, when the man’s eyes sparked an even brighter gold and one hand rose before him. Arthur really did not wish to be on the receiving end of a magical attack, that is, if the gold in the man’s eyes meant the same as it did for Merlin: the magic was about to be released.
“I just want to see if he is all right. You didn't answer my question. Who are you? What’s your name?”
The man shook his head, pointing at his mouth, and then he shook his head again.
“You can’t speak?” Arthur confirmed.
The man nodded.
“Why do you look like Merlin then? Are you – but Merlin is an only child. I don’t understand.”
The man raised one finger, and then he pointed at himself. He raised another finger and pointed at Merlin. Then he brought both fingers together, two becoming one. The last motion he made was separating the two fingers again.
Arthur still didn’t quite comprehend what was going on. It sounded like the man was telling him that he and Merlin were the same person. But something unexpected must have happened overnight that had separated Merlin into two individuals. There had to be a reason why Merlin was suddenly taken with fever now. Could it be a side effect of whatever unfortunate event that had caused this alarming division? Or the fever had triggered Merlin to divide himself, however that worked?
Arthur almost couldn’t believe he actually was considering this theory. Could such a thing occur – for a person to be divided into two separate entities? But, if he had learned anything from Merlin, it was that magic had almost infinite possibilities. Maybe Merlin was suffering from a magical fever? Merlin had told him that there were sicknesses specific to magic users that resulted in peculiar occurrences.
Either way, Arthur hoped the reason was a magical sickness rather than an enemy seeking to hurt Merlin.
“If you’re a part of him, then what part of him are you?” Arthur wanted to know.
He took a chair and moved it beside the bed. He sat down, the strange man opposite him. Arthur was careful not to touch Merlin lest the other man attack him over the action.
The man looked more interested in checking over Merlin, brushing his dark hair aside that had stuck to his brow.
But he glanced at Arthur, his eyes still gold, and he had the grace to roll his eyes. Like it should have been so clear.
Realization dawned on Arthur. He nodded. “You’re his magic. A human-looking manifestation of Merlin’s magic,” he concluded.
The man inclined his head, confirming Arthur’s statement.
“I don’t know what to say to that. I – maybe I’ll call you ‘Emrys’ then?” Arthur suggested. “You need a name and I remember Merlin telling me that those of magic kin call him by that name.”
The man shrugged. He seemed not to care all that much about what he was called. But Arthur felt that it was wrong to just call him, ‘Merlin’ even if this man was so intimately connected to Merlin. It was startling to see him, a man who looked like Merlin but wasn’t him at the same time. His inability to speak and the simple fact that he was the embodiment of Merlin’s magic made Arthur anxious. What if Emrys’s only sense of morality was attack with magic if he felt threatened? Was there any humanity within him or was that the part in Merlin, who was currently under the grips of an illness?
Arthur saw how Merlin’s magic or Emrys as he decided to call him was so earnest about looking after his other half. That, more than anything, reassured him. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He knew well how deeply Merlin felt about his magic, how important it was to him. And it seemed that the opposite was true, that his magic cared about Merlin just as much.
“So…” Arthur started, trying to sound calm even though he was unsettled by Emrys’s watchful golden gaze.
Whenever Arthur moved his hand, wanting to touch Merlin’s hand, Emrys frowned at the King. When Arthur pulled his hand back, Emrys seemed pleased. Seriously, Merlin’s magic really was too overprotective over Merlin. Arthur decided to make a note of that and inform Merlin later when this odd situation was resolved.
“…if you’re his magic, then does that mean Merlin doesn’t have his magic now?” Arthur asked, though he had a good feeling he knew what the answer would be.
Emrys looked worried. He didn’t appear happy that Arthur had brought this up. He looked down upon his other half, gripping his hand tightly. Merlin was calmed by the action. Though he still did not wake, Merlin looked more at peace and not like he was in the hold of a nightmare. Emrys kissed Merlin on his brow, the deep affection for the sleeping man showing through.
Reluctantly, Emrys nodded.
Arthur rubbed the back of his head, thinking this predicament through. He should ask Emrys if he knew how to solve the problem. Although how would Emrys explain it to him if the other man could not say a word?
Maybe Merlin would wake up soon. That would surely help. If Emrys was lacking speech, then that meant Merlin was the one who had that ability.
“Is Merlin going to wake up? Do you know?” Arthur asked of Emrys.
Emrys bit his lip. He had an uncertain expression on his face.
Arthur sighed. “Well, all right. We need to fix this. We need to get you back inside of Merlin… do you know what to do?” He asked the other man.
Emrys looked like he had an idea. He smiled to himself and conjured a piece of parchment before him. Sweeping his hand over the paper, words appeared on the page.
Arthur saw how the words glowed golden for a moment before fading away to dark ink.
Emrys handed the paper to him and Arthur’s brow furrowed at what was written on it. The words were nonsensical to him.
“I can’t understand the words,” Arthur informed him, returning the sheet back to him.
Arthur would say that the other man looked almost sad at what Arthur had told him. But undeterred, Emrys looked like he had a solution in mind. Setting the paper down, Emrys leaned over Merlin and he positioned a finger on both sides of his forehead. His eyes sparked bright gold. He closed his eyes and Arthur waited as patiently as he could until Emrys was done with whatever he was concentrating on. Maybe he was seeking Merlin’s help in finding the right words to use so that Arthur would understand them.
Arthur thought that Emrys, Merlin’s magic, was more raw magical power, while Merlin, who was presently unresponsive, was the communicator. It was like the words Merlin sometimes uttered to unleash one of his spells – without that, there was just the magic waiting to be used. Still, at least Emrys could understand what Arthur was saying even if he could not speak himself.
This whole predicament was quite unnerving for Arthur, but he had long come to accept that nothing normal happened around Merlin. It was simply the price he had to pay for having such a man, his closest friend, in his company. And it was a price Arthur would pay gladly.
After what felt like an eternity, but in actuality, only a few minutes had passed; Emrys had finished whatever he needed to do.
He opened his eyes and he swept his hand over the parchment again. The parchment glowed once again. Emrys gave it to Arthur.
While this time, Arthur noticed that the words were in a decipherable language; the letters were written backwards. It was an improvement at least.
“The language is right, but the letters are scripted backwards,” Arthur told him.
Emrys gave a small smile, looking grateful that he managed to get it mostly right. His gold eyes flashed brilliantly for a second, his attention directed at the paper Arthur held in his hands.
Arthur saw as the letters turned themselves around. Admittedly, it was quite impressive to witness such magic to happen right before his eyes. It was as if the letters were animated and had minds of their own as they lifted themselves off the page and adjusted their positions. Then they calmly settled back down on to the paper.
“Thank you,” Arthur said to Emrys, “That was impressive,” he remarked honestly.
Emrys smiled widely at him in appreciation.
Arthur looked down at the paper. After reading what the solution was, Arthur couldn’t exactly say he was thrilled about it. But it had to be done. After all that Merlin had done for him and for Camelot, the least Arthur could do was to aid his dear friend and lover in his hour of need.
He looked up at Emrys, his gaze steady as his blue eyes met the other man’s golden ones. “I’ll do it. I’ll be the one,” Arthur declared resolutely, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Emrys bit his lip, giving him a slight nod. He didn’t look happy either.
Emrys’s eyes flashed gold and Arthur saw a few words added at the bottom of the paper.
The words were, ‘I’ll be careful.’
Arthur acknowledged the words with a nod.
“I have matters I need to attend to, but I will return before dinner. I haven’t installed a Court Physician since Gaius’ passing – Merlin has been taking on those duties. But – you already know that, I expect.”
Emrys gave him a look that Arthur read as, ‘Of course I know that, you prat’.
The words ‘I’ll be careful’ on Arthur’s paper cleared and a new message formed. Now it said, ‘I shall take care of him. Do not worry.’
Arthur smiled at him weakly. “Thanks. Guinevere may come by to see you, well, Merlin… I’ll tell her about you. I know she’ll be concerned about Merlin and I don’t wish to lie to her.”
Emrys appeared agreeable to the potential visit.
Unable to resist, Arthur leaned forward and he brushed his lips against Merlin’s. Fortunately Emrys had warmed up to him and he did not retaliate, accepting Arthur’s affectionate gesture toward Merlin.
Arthur departed from Merlin’s chambers; his last glimpse was of Emrys coaxing Merlin to drink a glass of water.
~ * ~
Later on, Arthur saw Gwen in the corridor holding an orange and black kitten.
“Oh hello, Arthur,” Gwen greeted him pleasantly. “I just went to check on Merlin and I was careful around Emrys as you suggested. He was actually quite sweet, like Merlin, once I grew accustomed to his inability to speak.”
“Did Emrys conjure you a kitten then?” Arthur inquired with a resigned sigh.
Gwen smiled. “Oh yes. It was so kind of him. He told me – well, more of a nod really – that I could keep her. Isn’t she precious?” She asked and murmured to the kitten who meowed contentedly in response. She then confided in Arthur, “Merlin seems to be getting better. Emrys is taking good care of him. He wrote to me that you and he have a solution to cure Merlin’s ailment. To bring him and his magic back together?”
Arthur inclined his head. “Yes, we do. I’m going to Merlin’s rooms right now to carry out the plan. Emrys didn't tell you exactly what it entailed, did he?” he asked a bit worriedly.
He didn’t want Gwen to know just what he was risking by helping to cure Merlin.
To Arthur’s relief, Gwen shook her head. “No, he did not. He assured me that everything would be fine though. Should I be concerned, Arthur?” She asked, frowning slightly.
Arthur shook his head a little too quickly. “No, it’s nothing. I’ll just be going to see Merlin now. I will see you later,” he said. He kissed her on the cheek.
“All right. I’m going to visit Lancelot,” Gwen told him, petting the kitten as she did so.
Arthur nodded distractedly at her. He did not see Gwen’s perplexed look on her face as he turned and walked away from her.
~ * ~
When Arthur entered Merlin’s chambers in his tower, he took a moment to stare bemusedly at the dark blue miniature dragon in the room. The magical creature was attempting flight and breathing out puffs of golden fire from his mouth. Thankfully the dragon was a few feet away from him, enough distance so that the creature’s fire didn’t have a chance of burning him.
Still, Arthur cautiously sidestepped the dragon. Emrys noticed his arrival and his gold eyes sparked. The clearly conjured dragon flew a little haphazardly toward Emrys. Sitting cross-legged, the other man was still on the bed, beside Merlin (who was peacefully resting, though he looked somewhat flushed). For some inexplicable reason, Emrys’s shirt was now white. He still was not wearing any breeches though.
The magical creature flew to sit on the bed by Emrys. The man stroked the creature’s back as if it were a puppy. No normal person would treat a dragon – no matter how small – as a harmless pet. But with Merlin being a Dragonlord, well, his perspective on animals was certainly different. Arthur swore that the dragon purred due to the attention he was receiving. The creature snuggled up against Emrys.
Arthur almost could not believe what he was seeing.
He decided to speak when Emrys gave him a questioning look.
“So it’s not just kittens you’ve been conjuring, is it?” Arthur quipped.
Emrys shrugged, but he gave him a small smile in return.
“We should do the spell,” Arthur declared.
Emrys nodded in agreement. His pet dragon vanished.
Unable to stay his feeling of trepidation, Arthur sat down on the floor near the bed as Emrys directed him. The tall vaulted window revealed the late afternoon sunlight, which cast a shadow upon the room.
Emrys sat down cross-legged across from him. He raised his hands, palms flat and facing Arthur, in front of him. Arthur did likewise as per the instructions he had memorized off the parchment.
He and Emrys grasped hands. Upon contact, Emrys sighed. Arthur tried to remain calm as the other man, Merlin’s magic, started to glow golden. Every inch of him became covered in vibrant golden light until he was only the bright light. It was even more evident now that Emrys was Merlin’s magic as the golden light, which could only be magic, overtook him. The only sign that he was remotely human was that the magic fitted into the human shape in which Arthur had first encountered him.
Arthur knew this would happen. He had read the explanation that Emrys had written after all. But it was still overwhelming to see someone who looked like Merlin appear so alien.
Arthur could see the light moving away from Emrys, as slowly but surely, the light was being transferred. Arthur felt himself growing warmer as the magic entered him. Emrys compelled Arthur to look directly into his molten gold eyes, to keep focus, and most importantly, to not wrench his hands away from the other man.
The magic started to deform Emrys, starting at the lower limbs, as if he were vanishing away in a gradual manner. As Arthur began to feel like he was on fire the more Emrys began to disappear, the king wished that he could cease contact and end this transfer.
But he knew he could not do that. This was important. He had to do this for Merlin. He had to return his magic to him. The only way to do so was using an intermediary person to hold the magic. Then that person would transfer it to whomever the magic belonged to.
The trouble was that the magic burned inside anyone who was not the original possessor of the magic. But Arthur could not imagine another individual undertaking this task. After all, that person would be risking his or her life by doing so, and Arthur would not have that on his conscience.
Apparently this illness was a harrowing one for sorcerers, and if it were easily cured, then fewer sorcerers would have died from the sickness. Not many people would risk a painful death by being burned inside out just so a magic user would have their magic returned to them. And if the magic user was without their magic for too long, they would waste away and die. Their magic was a part of them after all. To lose that part would be too much to bear in the end.
But here was Arthur, one of the mad few who were willing to risk that painful death. It took moments like this one that reminded Arthur all too well how much he cared for Merlin, his lovable idiot of a sorcerer. He would search to the ends of the earth for a cure if that would save Merlin’s life.
But Emrys had reassured him that he would be careful. So with that in mind, Arthur barely managed to choke out, “It’s too hot…” as he forced himself not to dwell on the burning sensation he was feeling as the transfer advanced.
Now, Emrys was without legs – everything below his waist had been transferred into Arthur. The hands that were touching Arthur’s own would be the last to go. Arthur understood that a point of contact needed to be maintained until the very end of this transfer with Emrys.
Fortunately Emrys appeared to have heard Arthur. The golden man tilted his head to the side as if he were studying Arthur and found him intriguing. He nodded at Arthur.
Arthur could feel a rush of near freezing water overtake him from within. It was enough to prevent the burning from overwhelming him. He had been close to realizing what it would be like to be burned alive. Certainly not a realization Arthur ever wanted to have. He felt the coolness subside after a few minutes. But fortunately, the burning coming from the magic was not as intense as before.
Arthur also could see that Emrys was making an effort to slow the transfer even further so that Arthur could handle the burden better.
And because of that slower pace, the rest of Merlin’s magic was transferred into Arthur at just under two hours.
Once Emrys’ hands had vanished -- signifying that all of Merlin’s magic was now contained inside of Arthur; the king acted quickly.
The magic within him weighed him down like a heavy burden. He felt sluggish and worn out as he made to move. But as fast as he could, Arthur stood up and reached the bed, climbing up on to it.
He knew this part would not take long. So, with that comforting thought, Arthur kissed Merlin on the lips.
Like two items undeniably attracted to one another, Merlin’s magic left Arthur and returned inside of Merlin in a great rush. The magic was not patient. It was eager to return to its rightful place and the speed of its movement took Arthur’s breath away.
Once he felt all of the magic inside him leave completely, Arthur collapsed beside Merlin.
He pressed his hand to his forehead and concluded that he was getting a bit of a fever. But then the need to sleep overtook him.
“Please be all right, Merlin,” Arthur whispered earnestly. He grasped Merlin’s hand and squeezed it, so that Merlin would know he was not alone.
Then he allowed himself to succumb to sleep. The transfer of magic had left him terribly exhausted.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up to Merlin tending to him. He was pressing a cool, wet towel to his brow from his bedside chair. Judging by the view out the window, he could see that it was already late, approaching midnight most likely. The room was illuminated by candles.
Gwen was standing with a frown on her face. “I can not believe you did not tell me what exactly you were doing, Arthur. I had the right to know!” She admonished him.
“What?” Arthur muttered, still not feeling fully awake yet.
Merlin smiled at him. He urged Arthur to drink water from the glass he offered him. Realizing how parched his throat was, Arthur did so without protest.
Merlin explained patiently, “When you returned my magic to me, I remembered everything that, well, Emrys, as you called him,” And at that, Arthur saw Merlin’s amused expression that just made Arthur want to hide under the covers for the rest of the day. “--experienced. I told Gwen about what you did. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me. It was too much to ask of you, I know.”
Arthur sighed, giving Merlin a small smile. “It was never a choice,” he declared resolutely, “And I wish you hadn’t worried Guinevere.”
Merlin shook his head when Gwen was about to interject. “Oh, believe me, Arthur. Gwen was quite adamant. I had little say in the matter. We both love you, Arthur. I know if I were Gwen, I’d want to know beforehand if you were risking your life. It is the courteous thing to do.”
“Thank you, Merlin. I trust you to have better luck making Arthur see sense,” she acknowledged.
Arthur felt like he was on the losing team in a game he hadn’t even asked to participate in.
“Lancelot will take over the training of the Knights tomorrow since you have a fever. But Merlin says you should be fine given some rest and plenty of fluids,” Gwen informed him.
Arthur nodded. Gwen smiled at him, leaning forward to kiss him and brushing his hair aside tenderly.
“I shall leave you two then,” Gwen announced.
She kissed Merlin on the cheek. “I’m truly glad you are okay, Merlin,” Gwen expressed to him.
“Thanks,” he replied, smiling at her.
Gwen departed from Merlin’s chambers.
“So…you’re better now?” Arthur asked, though he could already see that Merlin looked the picture of perfect health.
Merlin kissed him softly on the lips. After he had pulled away, he said, “Yes, all thanks to you. The brave prat you are. I’m sure it was a startling experience for you. I’m sorry to put you through that. I wasn’t expecting the division to happen. I must have been overstretching my magic and that left my body open to this illness.”
Arthur raised his eyebrow. “Well, maybe you shouldn't do that. Until you feel absolutely sure you’re not overexerting yourself magically,” Arthur advised.
Merlin nodded quickly. He definitely didn’t want to have Arthur in harm’s way like this ever again.
Arthur continued on a lighter note, hoping to elicit a smile from Merlin. “Anyway, I’ve made my peace with all the oddities surrounding you long ago. I’m just glad that I was able to help.”
Merlin smiled widely at him and Arthur thought he never looked more beautiful. “I don’t know how to repay you. It was a good thing my magic was careful enough to keep you from suffering an untimely death.”
“Yes, I’m glad for that. And you don’t owe me anything, Merlin. You’ve done so much for me over the years, that this was my way of repaying you,” Arthur said sincerely.
Merlin looked a bit unhappy at that assertion. “But Arthur – you could have been burned alive. That’s the last thing I want you to do for my sake.”
“Your magic is more important, Merlin. I could not, would not, deny you a part of yourself even if it meant dying such a death. And you can't sway me from this belief, Merlin,” Arthur said firmly.
Merlin bit his lip, but assented with Arthur’s words after a long moment. He re-wet the towel with fresh water before he set it on Arthur’s brow again.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Merlin spoke up, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. “So, tell me everything. What did you honestly think of Emrys? My magic? I would love to hear it,” he told Arthur enthusiastically.
Arthur let out a groan as Merlin grinned at him. But he confided in Merlin in the end, and Arthur could just imagine Emrys’s reaction as he listened to Arthur speak to Merlin.
Thinking back on it, Arthur felt honoured to have seen Merlin’s magic in such a manner. And it gave him some comfort to know that that strange blue-shirted, barefooted man he had encountered was not truly gone.
That Emrys was back where he belonged, with his other half. After seeing how deeply Emrys cared for Merlin, Arthur knew that there was no other place Emrys would rather be.
~ * ~
~ This is what inspired me for the scene where Arthur and Emrys do the transfer. It doesn't exactly happen like this, of course, but if you want to know where the original idea came from, here it is. It's a scene from episode 2x09 "Dark" of the show Legend of the Seeker, where Richard Cypher is giving up his magic (called Han on the show) to Sister Nicci. Except in my story, Arthur acts as the "middleman" and the magic is ultimately transferred to Merlin in the end (versus Nicci just getting the magic and that was that).