The Destruction Of Merlin

When You Saw Her Again? What!

The group of Knights remained silent as Azalea stuck her head round the oak door and summoned one of the bandits, demanding food and drink in the icy cold tone of voice that had earlier been directed at prisoners. The lesser bandit scurried away and Azalea turned her head back towards the group, her eyes warming as she set sight on Merlin.

"He'll be back in a few minutes." She grinned at the slightly terrified Knights before noticing they're expression. "What?"

"Nothing!" Merlin uttered, his red and puffy eyes now settling into a glare at his surrounding friends. "They're just shocked at how quickly you reverted back." Merlin half grinned at her, his eyes screaming that he understood the importance of a good mask.

"Oh. Right." Azalea and the Knights all looked incredibly uncomfortable in the silence that followed the revelation. Several awkward coughs later, a plate piled high with food (although not of the greatest quality) was pushed in through the crakes open door before a thud resounded through the room as the door swung closed, swiftly followed by the light scamper of foot steps running steadily away from the room.

Gwaine, unsurprisingly, is the first to move, picking himself off the floor and and grabbing a dull red apple of the side of the plate. With a swift and well practices movement, the apple is brushed up and down against the soft material of Gwaine's breeches, shinning up nicely, before a crunching bite is taken into the apple and Gwaine let's an appreciative moan slip through. The other Knights look on incredulously whilst Azalea and Merlin suppress their chuckles by shoving their entire hands into their mouths. Gwaine drags the plate back to the group and everyone settles in, almost forgetting the previously tense atmosphere.

Almost.

However, as much as Merlin tries, he can't find it in him to feel relief in his present company, only doubt and fear. Doubt about how well he could tell his stories and whether he could do the dead and suppressed justice and fear as to how his friend would react when they discovered his final secret, whether, at the end of his story, he would still be able to call them friends.

All eyes settle on Merlin's downcast face, everyone surprisingly eager to hear the story that Merlin has to tell.

"I suppose, first, I'll tell you the story of how I, uhm, met Freya and how she, left." Merlin's voice is already cracking, the idea of explaining seeming to break him. "And then I'll talk about when I saw her again? I think?"

"Wait? Did I hear that right?"

"When you saw her again? What!"

Merlin sheepishly looked at the slate floor, his eyes once again filling with tears, one gently rolling down his face. The Knights try to look concerned at their friend but can only manage shock. Elyan looks like he's been hit by a paving slab and his eyes are darting between Merlin and Azalea, cogs turning rapidly in his mind.

Gwaine takes another crunching bite out of his apple, the sound practically echoing through the silence and magnifying off the walls. Arthur looks at Gwaine like he's insane, eyes wide and nostrils flared in anger. Gwaine murmurs an apology and begins to attempt to chew the apple as silently as possible. In any other circumstance Merlin would be rolling around on the floor in stitches, couching his side because it'd be aching so much. Not today though. Azalea locks eyes with Merlin, her soft, brown ones asking all the question to his sharp blue ones.

"Uh, yeah. I did." Merlin's voice is about ready to crack, the memories he's dragging up obviously causing him agony. "It must've been about 2, no, around 3, years now."

Arthur continues to look utterly bemused, as does Leon. Gwaine and Percival have gentle looks pasted on although they way they hold themselves easily reveals their confusion. Azalea looks torn, desperate for new hope but unwilling to entertain any ideas until she know the truth. Elyan just looks scared. Well, not scared, but definitely unsure of what to say.

"How on earth did you manage that?" Arthur squeaks out. Not hearing the steadily approaching crash of armour against floor.

"Well, uhm-"

A crash interrupts Merlin's half attempt at explaining, as the doors swing wide open and several Knights come crashing in, swords swinging wildly.

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Hey cacti 🌵🌵!!!
I'm soooo sorry that this took this long, however I'm going to take a month and a week as a victory because... I'm awful at updating.

I had this all written out and ready to post last night and then my computer crashed and deleted all my work!! Aarrggh. Anyway. I hope those of you who have started school aren't doing to badly. I know I'm already behind with work.

See y'all soon!!! (I hope)

Love
Itha xxxx

(::)(::)(::)(::) Cookies for everyone!!