Chapter Text
Merlin ran back to Gaius’s chambers to pack his bag. Blankets, water, food, medicine and the little amount of money he had managed to save, that’s all they needed to survive in the woods before finding a safe place to stay. His bag was nearly ready when Gaius entered the room.
- “Gaius! I was just-”
- “Merlin, sit down. I want to talk to you.”
- “Is everything alright? You look worried.”
- “The beast struck again last night, there’s two more deaths in the lower town.”
- “Do you know what it is yet?”
- “The wounds on the victims are from a beast, but only human footsteps were found around the scene. I believe it to be a magical creature, a Bastet.” A short silence followed, but Gaius continued. “Merlin, do you know anything about the druid girl who escaped?”
- “No, I don’t know anything.”
- “Do you remember what Halig said? She is cursed, and I believe that she is responsible for the attacks. Don’t lie to me Merlin, where is the girl? She has to be stopped before she kills more innocent people.”
- “No, it’s not her fault, she wouldn’t hurt a fly...” said Merlin with tears beginning to form in his eyes. “Please Gaius, whatever that curse is, I’m sure I can cure her, just let me get her out of Camelot!”
- “Merlin, it is very powerful magic, even if there is a spell, you won’t be able to master it before midnight and then, she will strike again and kill once more. I have to tell Uther.”
- “No! Please Gaius, give me more time, help me find a cure, I promise I will get her out, she won’t hurt anybody!” Gaius looked at Merlin and sighted. He could see that Merlin had become very attached to the girl, and he couldn’t stand to break his heart.
- “Alright Merlin, I will help you, but if there’s any more casualties, I won’t have a choice but to go to Uther.”
They began to search through Gaius’s books for the spell to undo the curse. After an hour, they finally found the page. The spell was, as predicted, very difficult, and it had to be cast precisely at dusk. It meant that Merlin only had a few hours to escape Camelot with Freya and figure out the spell. He put the book in his bag and ran to find her, but when he arrived at her hiding spot, Freya was gone. She had left the dress behind, carefully spread on the ground as a way to tell Merlin goodbye and to thank him. Merlin began to panic and ran back outside, if Freya was hiding in the lower-town, he had to get to her before the guards did. Merlin rummaged between the houses while doing his best to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. Finally, he found her hiding behind a merchant’s house.
- “Freya, it’s me, don’t worry! Why did you leave without me?”
- “I didn’t want you to be in trouble… You have a great life here, I don’t want you to throw it all away for me. I’m not worth it Merlin, I am a monster, I only cause destruction. You are a very nice man Merlin, you made me feel love and I am eternally grateful, but I can’t let you ruin your life for me.”
- “Freya, I love you, I am not ruining my life by coming with you. You are the only person who can truly understand me. I might have a nice position in the castle, but it’s only because I’m constantly lying to everybody and hiding who I truly am. I am tired of the lies, I just want to live in peace, without the constant fear of the pyre. Beside, I know you are a Bastet, and I know a spell to break the curse. We just need to get to a safer place, outside of the city, and I will cure you.”
Freya looked at Merlin, her teary eyes full of hope. She hugged him and thanked him for everything he had done for her. Then, they began to move carefully, making sure that nobody could see them. A few times, Merlin used his magic to distract the guards, but they eventually made it to the forest as the sun began to set. They kept running until Merlin estimated that they were at a safe distance and they sat down on a fallen tree. Merlin took out his book, and went back to the page containing the spell. It was very powerful, but not out of reach for Merlin’s magic. He had mastered spells of such difficulty in the past, but he had had more time to practice then. He connected Freya’s hands with his, took a deep breath, and spoke the words. Nothing happened. He tried again, putting all his will into the words but there was still nothing. The forest was getting darker and darker, and Merlin kept repeating the same words again and again. Suddenly, Freya gasped. Merlin opened his eyes. They were bright gold, he could feel it.
- “It worked!” exclaimed Merlin. “I think it worked! I did it!”
They fell into each other arms, laughing and crying at the same time. Eventually, they laid down on the ground, still holding each other and wrapped up in the blankets that Merlin had brought. They had to wait for midnight to be sure. Merlin promised Freya that he was powerful enough to protect himself if the spell hadn’t worked. They didn’t speak while they waited for the sun to rise again with the confirmation that Freya was cured, they simply held each other close. After a long time, Merlin estimated that midnight must had past and he let himself relax a little. He began to think about the new life he was starting. He wondered how far they would have to travel, the neighbouring kingdoms weren’t much safer than Camelot for magic users, so they would probably need to go even further. Merlin had no idea what was outside of Albion, he had heard of different peoples with different languages and cultures, places where the sun never set, places covered with snow or sand all year round. As he let his thoughts wander through foreign imaginary lands, they somehow circled back to Camelot. He thought about everything and everyone he was living behind. He hadn’t said goodbye to Gwen or his mother. He hadn’t said goodbye to Arthur. He wondered about how angry the Prince probably was of Merlin’s absence. He wondered what Gaius was going to tell him when he’ll notice that Merlin isn’t back in the morning. Would Arthur worry? How long would it take for Uther to permanently replace him? Thousands of questions were buzzing in Merlin’s mind, and he lost track of time.