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Merlin fic: The Wolf and the Phoenix {1/?}
Title: The Wolf and the Phoenix {1/?} (AU! Crossover)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Spoilers: Up to 2x04. Blink and you'll miss it minor spoilers in this part.
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC. The “His Dark Materials” books are property of Philip Pullman. No money is being made.
Summary:
There’s another world where Arthur is an exiled prince for committing treason against the crown, for stopping Merlin’s execution, for not letting the sorcerer be killed to further the king’s blind crusade against magic. With Excalibur and magic on their side, Arthur and Merlin escape to a different world when the king’s men catch up to them.
It’s lucky that Excalibur can do more than strike men down in battle…
A/N: A bit of a His Dark Materials crossover where Arthur and Merlin (from a different world, not the show's world) both have daemons. Also, Excalibur is like the subtle knife in this - so its capability to cut through into other worlds is from "His Dark Materials."
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4
Details on daemons:
+ Daemons are the souls of people that are outside of their bodies rather than inside.
+ Daemons take on animal forms. The daemons can talk and are the opposite gender to the people they’re attached to (so a male will have a female daemon). The type of animal depends on the person’s individual traits and personality.
+ A magical person like a witch would have a bird daemon. So, that’s why Merlin has a phoenix daemon. Also, the daemons of magical people are able to be far away from the person they’re attached to.
+ On the other hand, daemons of non-magical people have to keep close to the person, so that would apply to Arthur’s wolf daemon. If the daemon is not near the person, then the person will feel pain/sick at the loss – since the daemon is a part of them.
+ If a person’s daemon is killed, then the person will be, well, catatonic, soulless – and it’s a mercy that they die not long afterwards.
+ It’s a major taboo to touch another person’s daemon.
~ * ~
A wolf’s howl broke their slumber. Arthur awoke first, drawing Excalibur immediately.
“They’ve found us,” Krolewska, his white wolf daemon, announced urgently.
Arthur nodded and then he turned to Merlin who, too, had been woken up by Krola’s howl. He was rubbing his face tiredly in an attempt to wake himself up.
“Where’s Zlota, Merlin? We need to go.”
Merlin just looked at him and then his eyes flashed gold briefly before he said, “She’s not far.”
Krola told them, her movements belying her anxiety. “She was the one who sighted Uther’s men from the tree tops. She came here to tell me, but then she decided to head back to get a better look. I told her not to, but she didn’t listen!”
“What?” Arthur said. “They’ll try to shoot her down!”
Merlin shook his head, trying not to worry too much about Zlocisty, his golden phoenix daemon. She was strong and capable – he trusted her judgment. Zlota would never put herself in danger, he was sure of it.
“Krola, do you know which way to go?” Merlin asked the wolf daemon.
She gave him an offended look. “Well, of course, I do!”
And with that, she held her head high and moved ahead of them. Arthur went after his daemon. Merlin shook his head. He always seemed to forget that Krola was just as every bit as arrogant as Arthur could be.
Arthur turned to him. “Merlin, are you coming?”
“I’m just going to pack up in case we don’t come back. Surely we need to keep our supplies on hand.”
Arthur nodded. He didn’t go any further, but Merlin could see Krola’s impatient look as she lay down and gave him a pointed glare, her head on top of her paws.
Merlin turned back to their campsite. With his arm out and a flash of his eyes, the fire went out and all their things were put away in their packs.
He was about to gather the packs when he fell to his knees, a broken cry of pain coming from him.
“Merlin?” Arthur said immediately, rushing over to him.
“Zlota…” Merlin grit out. He collapsed to the ground.
Krola growled, her sharp teeth bared, ready to pounce.
And then they saw one of the king’s men appear in the clearing. He was one of Uther’s knights and he was holding Merlin’s daemon by its long, slender neck. A few scarlet and gold feathers fell to the ground as the man carelessly shook the phoenix.
“Well, well, well, look what we have here,” The intruder said, his tone too cocky for his own good.
Arthur had no qualms about driving his sword through the man. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone harming Merlin.
No one.
“Let her go!” Arthur commanded, furious.
He charged at the knight with Excalibur. His daemon snarled viciously and went in to attack the knight’s hound daemon with fierce determination.
In sudden alarm at the attack, the man relinquished his hold on the phoenix.
“It all happened too fast. I couldn’t get away!” The phoenix cried.
And then, Zlota immediately changed into a firefly and flew to Merlin, hiding underneath his shirt. Merlin sighed in relief and, shakily, he stood up and joined the fight.
Because now, more men were making themselves known and coming into the clearing.
Arthur was holding his own as he fought off two men at once and continued on without any sign of tiring, his eyes flashing with intent, and his movements smooth and refined. Krola fought by his side, her eyes glowing silver as she went after the daemons, her sharp teeth ripping into fur-covered flesh.
Merlin produced balls of fire, of light, and aimed them at anyone daring to come at him. The king’s knights had little chance of striking a blow, what with the illusion spell he had been practicing. It allowed Merlin to mislead them, make them think he was in one place one moment, but then when a man went to charge forward, Merlin had changed his location. He remembered seeing Anhora, the Keeper of the Unicorns, doing it and during his months in exile with Arthur, Merlin had taken it upon himself to learn the useful trick.
His daemon, back to her usual phoenix form, swooped down to strike, sinking her claws into the knights’ daemons – trying to scratch their eyes out.
Merlin knew Zlocisty could do it – he had seen proof of her prowess a good number of times. One time, Arthur had been injured by a rogue group of bandits, a few magic users among them. Zlota had attacked the bandits’ daemons with ferocity while Merlin made short work of killing the thieves – only sparing the magic users who pleaded with him, saying they hadn’t been in league with the brigands, to please just let them go.
And so Merlin did. They had seemed sincere in their pleas and they had remained oddly passive whilst the bandits tried their hand at attacking him and Arthur.
The months, nearing a year now, spent in exile hadn’t been easy for them. Merlin knew he had to convince Arthur soon that they had to leave. This place, this world was growing too dangerous for them. Only with King Uther’s demise, would they have a chance in this world. A chance at fulfilling the destiny that Merlin thought could not be sooner fulfilled, sooner started.
Merlin couldn’t move fast enough, cursing his inattention, as a knight came up behind him and kicked him to the ground.
He could just spot Arthur with his hands full with the knights, parrying and striking blows when he found an opening.
Merlin looked up at the man standing before him. Zlota flew in a fluid circle low around them, ever-watchful.
“Why don’t you just kill me?” Merlin asked of the man. He felt irritated that the knight before him could only do so much as stare at him. The knight’s daemon was idle as well, her gaze steady on Zlota.
He found it very strange that the man hadn’t struck him with his sword, but instead had kicked him down. Now, he didn’t even have his sword directed at Merlin, but it was held in the man’s grasp away from him.
What was this about?
Then the man grinned without mirth and he crouched down in front of Merlin.
Merlin tried to back away, but then the man’s hand shot out and he grabbed a fistful of his hair.
He pulled Merlin’s head back, which elicited a sharp cry from him.
“A message from King Uther, sorcerer. He has found a use for you.”
Merlin’s eyes widened. What?
“What are you talking about?” Merlin demanded.
“If I tell you, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?”
Merlin just looked at him. “Tell me right now,” he commanded, imbuing his magic into the order.
The knight’s eyes glazed over and then he spoke, his voice sounding vacant to his ears. “The king has discovered a way to subdue daemons of sorcerers. Make the sorcerers do his bidding that way. Take away their free will.”
“Is that all?” Merlin asked, his tone carefully light despite the fire he felt burning inside of him. He wouldn’t let himself fear what might happen if… so Merlin focused on the outrage, the anger instead.
The man nodded dumbly.
Before the man could recover from Merlin’s spell, Merlin grabbed the other’s sword and stabbed the man straight through with it.
“Arthur! We have to leave NOW.” Merlin spoke silently with a thread of urgency in his mind to Arthur.
One of the first things they had mastered, with some help from the Druids, was the art of silent communication, from mind-to-mind.
They knew how important the skill was what with the danger of speaking aloud (that being revealing their location to those who wished them harm).
Having just finished fighting a man, Arthur looked up, trying to seek out Merlin with his eyes. “All right,” He said silently in reply.
The pathetic few left of Uther’s knights retreated. They knew when to surrender.
“Smart knights,” Merlin thought, his musing laden with heavy sarcasm.
He could hear Arthur chuckle in his mind. “That they are,” Arthur remarked back to him.
Arthur made his way over to him. Merlin gathered their packs and gave Arthur’s pack to him when he reached him.
Then without preamble, Merlin leaned in to kiss him on the lips.
They disappeared, riding on the winds of Merlin’s magic.
~ * ~
“You idiot!” Arthur exclaimed.
While he was used to Merlin, without notice, causing them to disappear and travel magically across some distance, Arthur never thought that Merlin would be this reckless as to transport them right inside Camelot. In the castle’s courtyard no less.
The two of them hadn’t dared coming back to Camelot since they had begun their exile.
“I know, I know!” Merlin said hurriedly, understanding Arthur’s dismay. Krola graced Merlin with a disapproving glare. “But I just have this feeling – look, Arthur, you have to use Excalibur. We have to leave this world – it’s not safe for us anymore! We can’t continue like this much longer!”
The people milling about in the courtyard were beginning to realize Merlin and Arthur’s presence.
They had to leave soon before the guards came after them.
“You came here to force me to do it, didn’t you? They’ll throw us to the dungeons for execution if we don’t leave now, right?”
Merlin hung his head, feeling a little guilty. Then he gathered the remains of his determination and he said, “You must agree with me, too, Arthur! We need a break – a safe place! Somewhere that no one will be after us. And--”
But then they saw Gwen running up to them, her Scottish terrier daemon, Troy, barking frantically by her side.
“Merlin. Arthur. It’s Lady Morgana!” She told them in clear distress.
Merlin grasped her arms, trying to calm her, but with little success.
“Calm down, Gwen,” He tried to soothe her. “What about Morgana?”
“She fell! She fell from the castle ramparts!” Gwen explained. She was sobbing.
Arthur was justifiably startled. How could this happen? They had told Morgana to flee, to find them when she found herself no longer welcome in Camelot. “What? Is she--?”
Gwen confirmed their worst fears. “She’s dead! She did it to herself.” If anything she looked even more distraught. Gwen turned to Merlin. “You understand, the king would have her killed. He found out. Lady Morgana would not listen to sense! Merlin, please. I can’t see you die, too.”
She was inconsolable. Merlin held her in his arms, letting her cry into his chest. “It was horrible. I couldn’t be there in time to stop her.” Gwen explained further.
Arthur looked between Merlin and Gwen and he made his decision. It was no choice at all, really.
“We’re leaving. All three of us,” Arthur said resolutely.
Gwen shook her head. She, albeit reluctantly, pulled away from Merlin’s embrace and she told him firmly, “No, I couldn’t. This is my home. I’ll be all right. You two go.”
They were interrupted by shouts nearby.
The guards had arrived.
“Please – go, go!” Gwen urged.
Arthur took his sword out of its sheath and drew it forward. He relaxed his mind, letting his mind wander from his arm all the way down to the silver edge of Excalibur. He knew he could do this despite having infrequent practice with it (they had relied on Merlin’s magic to carry them through most of the time). He focused and let himself become the very tip of the sword, moving with purpose as he touched the empty air in front of him, looking for a snag to cut through.
He found it.
“Arthur!” Merlin said in warning.
The guards were getting too close for comfort.
Still, Arthur kept his concentration and he cut where he felt the snag, quickly slicing into the other world until there was an opening big enough for a person to go through.
He knew he didn’t have the time to insure that the unknown world would be safe for them. From what Arthur could see, briefly, the window opened up into a similar courtyard and everything looked normal – he could see no immediate threat… it was the best he could hope for at the moment.
“It’s ready!” Arthur said.
He pushed Merlin through first and then Arthur turned to Guinevere.
He held out a hand to her, a pleading look in his eyes. “You must come, Guinevere. Whatever you say, I wouldn’t forgive myself if any harm comes to you. If the king seeks to punish you for consorting with enemies of the crown…”
Gwen shook her head. “It’s more important that you two are safe. Please don’t worry about me. Just go!”
Arthur gave her one last look before he saw Zlota fly through the window in a blur of feathers. The phoenix was carrying Krola as if the wolf weighed nothing – one of the phoenix’s many talents.
As it were, Arthur had no choice but to go through. He couldn’t be without his daemon. He could already feel the pang of separation when his wolf daemon was carried through into the other world. And Gwen appeared firm in her decision – there was no convincing her.
The guards were coming up to them, the swords drawn and at the ready.
Without a glance back, Arthur went through the opening into the other world. Hurriedly, he pinched the edges of the cut together with his fingers to seal the opening closed.
Once he was assured that the window was sealed off and that no guards would take advantage of the opening and come in after them, Arthur felt an inner calm come over him. Krola was beside him, rubbing up affectionately against his leg.
This world had to be better than the one they had left.
Merlin came up to him, Zlota flying high in the sky above him.
“I heard a scream, Arthur,” Merlin informed him. “Before you closed the window. Someone screamed.”
Arthur just looked at him. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Merlin.” Merlin only gave him a worried look in return.
“It’s not Guinevere. It can’t be. She said it herself – she wanted to stay. I couldn’t force her to come.”
Merlin nodded, biting his lip.
Arthur waved his hand at him. “I do hope you put an invisibility spell on us.”
Merlin nodded quickly. “Of course I did. Especially after seeing our duplicates just ahead of us.”
Merlin pointed to the two men walking alongside each other coming toward them.
Arthur could not believe what he was seeing. That didn’t make sense…the other worlds weren’t supposed to have alternate versions of people.
That was just ridiculous.
But, all the same, that was definitely him – in a red leather vest with a brown tunic underneath – and Merlin in his blue tunic and brown jacket, no neckerchief this time.
Merlin grinned at him. “Since they seem like they belong here – no one chasing them out – I think we’re safe. Isn’t that great?”
Arthur rubbed the back of his head in thought. “Yes, well, this certainly makes things interesting.”
They walked toward their duplicate selves, intent on getting a closer look at them while they were unseen to the naked eye.
“Arthur, do you think this Arthur doesn't know about…me? Considering what happened in our world…”
“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur gave him a pointed look. The debacle that led to Merlin’s near-execution was something he’d rather not think about. “I told you not to bring up that event. You might have a point though.”
And then Merlin noted to Arthur. “They don’t have daemons. Their souls must be inside their bodies.”
Krolewska sniffed in disdain, clearly displeased at the thought. Arthur petted her on the head and she licked his hand in a gesture of fondness.
“Right, I can see that. I’m not blind, Merlin,” Arthur retorted. “Stop time, would you? I want to investigate this Camelot without having to avoid knocking into people.”
As Arthur said this, he had to step aside as a servant girl was about to walk right into him.
Merlin shrugged and his eyes flashed gold.
And time stopped.
He also lifted the invisibility spell off of them.
“What the hell is going on??”
Arthur and Merlin stood still in obvious surprise. Time had stopped, Merlin was a master at the spell, so why was -- ?
Oh –
Right.
Of course, this world’s Merlin would be left unaffected. Something to do with their magic, he supposed.
The other Merlin walked over to them, arms crossing his chest, and a questioning look in his eyes.
And he appeared to be not just a little bit baffled and a side of annoyed as well.
Merlin didn’t blame him – seeing a duplicate of himself and Arthur – he probably would think he had gone crazy if he didn’t know that this was a different world.
“Will either of you explain what is going on? And why you stopped time?” The other Merlin asked.
When Arthur only gave a mock-yawn, Merlin concluded it was up to him to explain the situation to uh…himself.
This was weird.
And Arthur was an unhelpful prat.
Nothing new there, at least.
~ * ~
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They do, don't they? I love how everything came together like that. :)
It's dark and dramatic and wonderful and you've written them all wonderfully *prays for more*
Thank you - I'm glad that the characters ring true for you. :)