Merlin's Secret

Chapter 3 Midnight

Merlin's POV
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I ran faster than I normally would. Usually I tried to keep my stride uneven, so I would be prone to falling more often. This was a special circumstance.
There was a crowd gathered around a small hut settled not twenty feet from the castle walls. The Knights were going to be here soon.
I needed to hurry. Going to the back of the hut, I used my magic to carve a quick door in the wooden wall.
My eyes flashed gold as the familiar power washed over my mind. It brimmed over in my mind, and I imagined a dam holding back a large ocean. The dam burst apart, and magic just overpowered my senses.
I hated restricting my magic. It groaned inside me like a living being as I built the dam and held it back again.
I stepped into the back of the small house. Although it was daytime out, no light seeped through the roof of the scene of the crime.
The body lay horizontally towards the door with his back facing up. It was almost like he was killed while trying to run out the door.
How horrible. Sounds outside the door made me assume that the Knights were almost here. I knelt to the body.
Guias's teachings came in handy in times like these. It was definitely blood loss. I took a closer look at the knife.
I gasped. No. The hilt and part of the blade I could see was pure black. There was a sigil where the blade met the hilt. It was a silver circle with a solid red slash diagonal through the center and a black dot in the middle of the red slash.
The crowds outside of the front door were parting. I needed to leave. I grasped the hilt of the knife, tugging it out of the poor man's body.
Taking it, I ran out as fast as I could. No one needed to get involved with this. It was my problem now. I breathed as quietly as I could, with my back to the outside wall of the hut.
    In my fist, I still clasped the bloody black knife. Is this what I get for five years of loyalty to King and country?
    I sighed, forgetting momentarily that I was hiding outside a murder scene with a bloody knife. The implications hit me in the head like a ton of bricks.
If I was found... I surveyed my surroundings. My training taught me to always keep a careful eye on the environment around me.
There were small huts with no doors facing towards me. I kept an ear on the inside of the hut as I pushed off the wall. Running quickly, I shot behind the hut that was settled right in front of me.
I breathed deeply. Taking the back gate, I entered the palace and made my way to my room. I knelt by my bed. Almost dreading to look at it, I released the knife so it was laying on my bed.
I took one more look just to make sure. Yes. It was there. That silver, black, and red sigil that completely ruined my life forever.
Suddenly feeling an urge to cement it in my mind, I walked over to the small, unadorned, hand-held mirror I kept with my magic books. I swept off my scarf and pulled back the shirt.
It was where it always was. Branded into my skin was the same mark on the knife. Minus the colors, of course. I sighed. Stupid scarf.
Well, at least it hid what it needed to hide. If anyone found out who I was... I shuddered to think. Suddenly there came a knock on the door.
"Merlin?" Guias called.
"Yeah...just give me a minute." I replied. The bloody knife still lay on my bed. I quickly dug a hole in the mattress, shoving the knife in, covering it with the blanket.
"Come in!" I told him.
The door slowly creaked open. Guias walked in, shutting the door behind him. He looked at me in such a way that suggested he was going to the talk about something really serious.
He sat down beside me on the bed as I still kept the position I knelt in.
"Merlin, I realize this is a hard time in the year for you." He began. I groaned. I didn't need this, not now.
"I also know you hate talking about it," He continued. "But it is necessary. Just like every year, you must make a decision. It's not an easy one, and I don't envy you, But it is a decision nonetheless."
I sighed. This had to be done. I convinced myself of that every year, every single one.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sorry, Guias." I said. He nodded.
"The potion will be ready by the time you leave." He told me sadly. I nodded heavily. He left, shutting the door behind him. He knew I would want to be left in peace.
I went over to the loose floorboard in my room. I opened it and dug everything out. Staring at the empty hole, I said a few words, my eyes flashing gold.
The false bottom opened up revealing a scroll and a heavy wooden box. I opened the scroll, reading the words I had already memorized ages ago.

Merlin,
I am writing this to myself, in the future. The reason you were kidnapped was for this reason and this reason alone. You know a secret. A most dangerous, impossible secret. I have never told anyone this secret, and never will, for it would change the course of history forever. I have written this letter because I have made the impossible decision of taking a potion to forget this secret. If I wish to continue to keep this secret, I-you- must take this potion every year on the day before you were born. Be careful, because every other year the potion must only last 6 months. It might cause permanent damage if you take the long lasting one consistently. If you are just one day late, you will remember. It's up to you. Just know that this secret is worth the forgetting bit of it all. That's how big this is. What I-you- went through at their hands only proves how dangerous it is. I have asked Mother to send me to Camelot to hide me. Although she does not understand, she trusts me. Merlin, your people are counting on you. I trust you will make the right decision every year. Good luck, and may the north wind always blow.
-Merlin

*****♦️*****

I sighed again. My birthday is tomorrow, exactly at noon. I donned the black cloak that I keep only for this one day every year.
The effects of the potion tended to be quite messy, so I needed to do this in the forest. I waited until it was sufficiently dark out. Then, I swept out to where Guias waited with a clear, small bottle of black liquid.
It was as thin as water. I observed it with disgust as I rolled it in the palm of my hand. I noticed Guias looking at me with concern.
I gave him a false smile, hoping to put him at ease. He smiled back, but we both knew we were faking. I left through the front door, making my way out into the night.

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