Merlin: In Modern Times

Chapter 2.4: The Ancient

A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry for being sort of distant. I've had a lot of things to deal with lately. Another chapter will be up real soon.

- MysteryOfWordsDK

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McGwaine's mouth was wide open as he stared at Merlin. For the first few minutes he said nothing, but widened his eyes in silent shock. He didn't doubt what he had just seen had in fact happened. Being an agent of the crown, he trusted very much in his own instincts. He looked at Merlin for a few moments to gather his mind and find the right words to say.

"Well. I guess it is Hogwarts after all..." McGwaine said, slowly. A huge smile appeared on his face and he inspected the words Merlin had just unveiled.

Merlin took a wary step forward. "Please. I'm not a fictional character," he replied, but with a smile. He waited a few moments longer to see if McGwaine was going to have some kind of reaction.

"You have a bit of explaining to do. I don't understand how this is possible." The agent said and run his fingers over the words Merlin had just revealed on the wall. "I feel like I've gone bonkers."

Merlin shook his head. "No, trust me, you are perfectly all right," Merlin said in a low voice. "Only a rare few knows about it. It's quite on purpose and I suppose you can see why it has to be that way. Magic does not belong in 'normal' society - it never has. Magic is something people see on the telly or read about in a book. Perhaps they dream of it, quite like you - and now you know that the dream is real."

McGwaine frowned. "Magic?" he repeated as if he heard it for the first time. "Strangely, that would make sense - as odd as she those words sound to me. But it's what Stuart was going on about when he was arrested, wasn't it?"

Merlin nodded slowly. "Stuart was too blinded by his beliefs to see reason. My guess is that he found information in his grandfather's books of the old days. Arthur mentioned those were still kept in the palace. Stuart's trusted them blindly, which helped us catch him. Because he believed the sword I gave to Arthur that night was the legendary one."

"But?" McGwaine encouraged.

"It came from the royal collections. I picked it up along the way," Merlin said with a smirk.

McGwaine shook his head with a small chuckle. "This is absolute and utter nonsense," he said. "D'you know that?"

Merlin had to agree. "Why do you then believe me, McGwaine? You're very relaxed considering the situation I've just put you in."

McGwaine took a moment to think before he replied. "Believe me when I say I have seen enough of the world to believe in nonsense. There are lots of things that can't be explained or understood." He made sure to have eye contact with Merlin as he said the last part: "Apart from the clear historical analogy between yours and Arthur's name, I knew there was something special about you. I knew that the moment I saw you, Merlin. Now, I have been trained to handle a stressful situation - but I could do with a drink or two."

"I understand," Merlin answered. He gestured for McGwaine to enter the boat, but when McGwaine made to take the ores, Merlin held his hand up. "Let me," he said and let his eyes turn golden. At once the boat started moving back towards the mainland.

McGwaine's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets, but he casually tried to keep his cool. "Scared? Why would I be scared?" he commented and kept staring openly at Merlin and then the boat. "Arthur would have a heart attack if he saw this."