Defeating the Darkness (A Merlin Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, credit to BBC 1.

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"LEAVE OR DIE," read the note.

The knights looked around at each other worriedly. "Let's get out of here," Arthur said. 

"What should we do about Percival?" Elyan asked.

"Just get him on the horse, I'll treat the wound once we find a different spot to camp," Merlin said.

Elyan glanced at Percival, whose eyes were fluttering in the back of his head. "Shouldn't we take out the arrow first?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, he could lose too much blood."

Arthur and Leon hefted Percival onto his horse, securing a rope around his body so he wouldn't fall off.

"Who the hell shot that arrow?" Arthur remarked to Merlin as they quickly mounted their horses. 

"No idea. Maybe we're in one of those haunted areas. Remember last year when we camped in a spot where a village used to be, and then you tripped on something and the spirits tried to kill us?"

"Uh, I think it was you who tripped on something, Merlin."

"Let's go!" Leon called. Merlin grabbed the lead on Percival's horse. They all rode north, until the stream had narrowed into a thin trickle of water and the sun was a semicircle on the horizon.

Merlin swung his right leg over his steed and hopped onto the ground, snapping some twigs as he landed. "Get fresh water," he said to no one in particular, and untied Percival from his horse. Gwaine helped Merlin set him on the ground. Percival's eyes had rolled back into his head and his breathng was shallow.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Gwaine muttered, his eyebrows knit together as he observed Percival's poor condition. "It's just an arrow to the leg... the most they do is cause some pain, not a blackout."

"I don't think this is a normal arrow," Merlin said, observing Percival's leg. "Look." 

Gwaine squinted his eyes. At the area where the arrow had penetrated Percival's skin, dark thin lines were creeping down his leg.

"What is..."

"Magic," Merlin said. "Gwaine, could you look for a flower with thin pink leaves? I only need one to start eliminating the magic from his system."

"Of course." Gwaine stood up and hurried away.

Merlin had just said that to get Gwaine away; he didn't actually need a flower. What he did need was to make sure no one saw his magic while he healed Percival.

Elyan arrived with a bucket of water and a cloth. The other knights and Arthur watched Merlin expectantly.

"Uh, could you guys go help Gwaine find the flower?"

They turned away and followed where Gwaine had gone. Merlin dipped the cloth into the water and set it on Percival's forehead. Then he quickly pulled the arrow from Percival's thigh and threw it down next to him. Once he was sure no one was watching, Merlin raised his hands over Percival's wound.

"Ahlúttre þá séocnes. Þurhhæle bræd!" 

Nothing happened. Merlin closed his eyes, focused on channeling his magic, and retried the encantation. This time, the dark lines of magic on Percival's thigh started to fade. Merlin sighed and sat back. 

"You..."

Merlin's head shot up. Percival was staring at him with wide eyes.

"You... have magic."

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Cliffhanger... sorry for the shortness of this chapter. As always, any comments/votes are much appreciated. 

-xx iilypad