The cloaked woman was sleeping against a wall in the cavern when another woman walked in. She was not cloaked, but instead, the woman was wearing a torn up dress made of old rags. She was obviously living in the poorest section of Camelot. The woman’s hair was tied up into a bun on top of her head, with wisps of golden hair straying from her head.
“Tara, wake up. Come on, sister,” The woman nudged Tara, who was now sitting up and stretching.
Tara lifted up the hood of her cloak, revealing her round face that bordered curly blond hair, similar to her sister’s. A moment of silence was shared while Tara’s sister took out a small pack that was hidden under her dress. Pieces of bread and meat were inside of the pack. She gave Tara two pieces of each item, and saved only one piece of each for herself.
“Thanks, Anita. I haven’t had the chance to eat since yesterday, before I went down here to work on the spell,” Tara stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth.
“Oh, well if you haven’t eaten since yesterday morning, I feel guilty. I wish I could’ve gotten more food, but this is all I could afford,” Anita apologized to her sister and nibbled on her own piece of bread, “Enough about my problems. I haven’t seen you in a few months! How is your spell turning out?”
Tara smiled, “It’s turning out great. The bodies have switched…I just have to figure out a way to get Prince Arthur to turn on Merlin. Merlin’s the one who gets in everybody’s way when they want to kill either Prince Arthur or King Uther. Now it’s my turn to fix the problem!”
After Tara spoke, the two sisters shared past memories and spoke of politics in the Kingdom. When they both finished their meals, Anita wished Tara a farewell, and returned to her home in the poorest section of Camelot.
• • •
“I’ve found it!” Merlin shouted. He had gone to help Gaius look for spells after he cleaned his tools. Merlin’s index finger sat on a page of the spell book he often flipped through in times of need. Gaius and Arthur came up behind Merlin and looked at the page in the spell book. Arthur swallowed, uneasy, for he felt that he was betraying Uther by looking at the very thing that caused most of the havoc in Camelot. There was nothing on the page that Arthur could read—it was all in the form of what seemed to be Old English.
“What does it say?” Arthur asked.
“Well…let’s just say that it’s the spell we need to fix this. But there’s only one problem,” Merlin looked at Arthur and Gaius, who wore a grave face, “I don’t have the magic. I’m in your body, Arthur, remember? And you in mine,” Merlin looked at Gaius with pleading eyes.
“No, Merlin. I cannot do this spell for you. With magic this advanced…only the two persons affected can do the counter spell,” Gaius told Merlin. There was a moment of silence while the three stood there, coming up with an idea.
“Then Arthur has to do it. He’s the one with the magic in him now. And it’s my magic, too, which means that he should have the same level of power—“
“No, Merlin. I won’t do that,” Arthur interrupted Merlin. He took a deep breath, “I can feel the magic, Merlin. I won’t use it. Magic is evil…it’s always been used against Camelot or…or used to trick people about the things they love!”
Merlin stepped in front of Arthur and looked him in the eye. Arthur looked as if he was trying to hold in his emotions.
“Look, Arthur,” Merlin spoke with an encouraging voice, although it was a bit shaky, “I know that you, and a lot of other people in Camelot think that magic is bad. But having magic is not always bad! It just depends on the person, and whether they use it for good or for bad.”
“Then how do I know,” Arthur raised his voice a little, “That you aren’t going to make me say a spell that will only make things worse?”
“Because I’ve always been watching out for you, Arthur. Remember when Valiant came? I revealed his magic. During the time of when that group of men harassed my home village? Will didn’t cause the tornado. It was me. When you were gravely ill from the creature that scratched you, I used magic to heal you. And the Great Dragon? It wasn’t you who killed him. I made him stay away from Camelot for good. Yes, I’m also a dragon lord.
“The main thing, Arthur, is that you need to trust me on this. I’ve done so many things, and without getting a thank you either. But this will help. I just need you to trust me.”
Arthur stood quietly, contemplating his decision. He couldn’t be Merlin forever. In fact, Arthur wouldn’t be able to stand being Merlin! The feeling of magic inside of him is just…weird. “Ok.”
Merlin smiled at Arthur and grabbed the book, “Alright, I want you to repeat after me,” Merlin spoke five words in Old English. Arthur repeated him, but nothing happened. Except something did happen. While Arthur was saying the spell, he felt the warmth of Merlin’s magic increase. He never got hot or anything, Arthur just started to feel warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe if he connected with that feeling it would work…
Arthur repeated Merlin’s words a second time. He felt the magic and let it run through his—well, Merlin’s—whole body. And it worked. Gaius watched as he saw a silvery-blue wisp come out of Merlin’s and Arthur’s mouth. That wisp was their very soul. The wisps quickly found their way back to their regular person. Merlin and Arthur both stumbled backwards, but they soon regained their strength and stood still again.
“I’m so glad I’m back in my own body,” Arthur proclaimed, “I’d never be able to live as a silly servant boy.”
“Well I’d never be able to live as a dollop head!” Merlin retorted back at his friend, smiling.
“I am not a dollop head!” Arthur said. Arthur then had to go and get ready to practice with the Knights of Camelot. Merlin thanked Gaius and left to do chores for Arthur.
• • •
“What?! Why isn’t Arthur Pendragon mad at the servant boy? He should have him thrown out!” Tara yelled. She was looking through some crystals that she stole from a sorceress named Morgause.
“Be patient, sister,” Anita came behind her sister, “Give Arthur a chance to think to himself for a while.”
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Goodbye for Now (BBC Merlin FanFiction)
FanfictionArthur Pendragon has woken up in a different room. He is not Arthur Pendragon. Instead, he is Merlin Emrys. How does Arthur cope with knowing that his closest friend has magic?
