Chapter Text
Merlin sighed with contentment, he had finally managed to slip away from the castle and his bodyguards. He liked Lancelot and Gawain, but he needed to breathe without being watched.
Honestly, Arthur had become paranoid. Sure, he had faced several assassination attempts in recent months, but he was a powerful wizard. So there had been no real threat, but Arthur wouldn't listen to him on that point.
Anyway, it didn't matter now. He was alone and could relax.
He had left the castle for a quiet place where he used to gather herbs for Gaius. The place was far enough from civilization that he wouldn't be disturbed.
Dawn had barely broken when he left Arthur's chambers. It had taken him a while to tear his gaze away from the sun's rays shining on Arthur. They brought out the blond in his hair, making it even more magnificent than it already was. He had barely stopped himself from touching it. He coughed awkwardly at his thoughts and blushed.
He only had a few hours before Arthur woke up and started to worry, so he had to hurry. Fortunately, neither of them had any appointments scheduled for the day. Arthur wanted a day off, and he had decided that this was the perfect time for it. That meant the lazy oaf wouldn't be up before noon.
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After walking for half an hour, he arrived at his destination. As soon as he entered the clearing, he took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air of nature that filled his lungs and made him smile.
The morning air carried a certain humidity from the night. It was his favorite time of day. The forest was waking up along with the magic it contained. He could feel his magic vibrating with it, which was certainly related to his role as Emrys.
He touched the cold metal of the ring on his finger to snap himself out of his euphoric state; he would have plenty of time to enjoy it later. First, he had to find a comfortable place. He glanced around and chose one of the trees closest to the center. He needed an open space to have a perfect view of his surroundings.
He quickly sat down against the tree, feeling its bark against his back, and closed his eyes.
Since the ban on magic had been lifted, he and Gaius had pored over every book in Camelot. He had had enough of the vague words of the druids and the dragon. He needed to know everything about the nature of his magic and the legends surrounding him and Arthur. If they wanted to build a future together, they needed to know where they were going.
Unfortunately, they didn't find much they didn't already know. He was the most powerful wizard who ever lived and ever would live, King of the druids, he still shuddered at that title. And thank God he wasn't immortal well, yes, he was, but he could still die if he was wounded, so it wasn't that bad. Which brings us to the next point: Emrys needed to reconnect with the magic of nature, otherwise his bond with it would weaken and his life energy with it. Basically, he could get sick if he didn't obey this. He had begged Gaius not to say anything to Arthur, otherwise the idiot would worry, and he didn't need that right now.
So here he was, meditating in the middle of nature. From the moment his eyes closed, he could feel the energy of magic flowing through the earth, the trees, and even the grass. Everything was ultimately magic, but it remained an unknown world to anyone but him.
—-
“Hey!” Merlin had no idea how much time had passed, but he was awakened by a slight pain in his cheek. But as soon as he noticed it, his magic had already healed it.
It was a little strange, although it had always been instinctive, it seemed much more alive at that moment. No, it wasn't just his magic, everything around him seemed alive and resonated with the beating of his heart. It was as if his body and himself were also part of this nature.
In the incessant flow of life, he also recognized the presence of humans. Although hidden, he could clearly see them. There were about twenty of them, to be precise, all more or less well hidden behind the trees. The archer who had shot his arrow at him was the furthest to his left, and with a wave of his hand, a heart stopped beating.
The power in his veins felt like a torrent of energy, he had never felt so much magic in his body in his entire life. He would have to consult Gaius's books on this phenomenon, it was not just a matter of well-being after all.
He did his best not to get lost in it and spoke up. He had no idea why he could suddenly feel his opponents trembling with fear, but he took a certain pleasure in it. "Leave if you don't want to die."
He had no way of knowing what he looked like at that moment, but some of the bandits who had attacked him took to their heels and left. Each of them trembled with fear, as if the power of a god had just descended upon them. They all mentally thanked him for his mercy.
Those who remained were motivated by greed. They had been handsomely paid to kill the king consort. They had only a vague idea of who had hired them; all they knew was that he came from Camelot and was a close advisor to the king. Money was a good source of motivation and silence.
Merlin, well aware of their stubbornness, raised his hand once more and they all fell unconscious. He had no idea if he had actually killed them or simply put them to sleep, but his brain was a thousand miles away from really caring.
After this clearly surreal feat, Merlin was left somewhat dazed. He knew his magic was powerful, but after what he had felt, that was a huge understatement. He was happy to have been able to control himself and not cause some kind of major catastrophe.
He had to go home now. Judging by the position of the sun, he was already a little late, but Arthur should still be asleep, at least he hoped so. But one thing was certain, he would never tell anyone about this incident. He would never hear the end of it if Arthur found out.
—-
He reappeared in Arthur's bedroom and quickly changed before slipping in beside his husband. He had felt his magic react to his thoughts while he was still in the forest and had let it do as it pleased. He certainly wasn't going to complain; it was a very practical and useful spell for travel. Although he knew that this kind of magic would be inaccessible to him once his magic calmed down, he could still feel it stirring beneath his skin.
He would have to think later about the presence of bandits in this area; he had never seen any in over ten years. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore.
He fell asleep peacefully, unaware of the problems his little outing would cause him once everyone woke up.
Of course, his secret would not remain hidden for long. He had left a lot of incriminating evidence in the clearing. On top of that, he hadn’t even noticed that the arrow which had hit him was poisoned, and the poison was still actively circulating in his body. His magic was healing him, but the mixture was powerful. It would take him a whole day to heal himself, and during that time, his eyes would remain slightly golden, a sign that his magic was active. It was a detail that was difficult to hide, especially if the person in question was unaware of this drawback.