Wishful Thinking - Merlin [Under Construction]

A Nightmare a Day Brings Chicken Your Way

     Once the two men had made it out of the castle, they realized that they had no provisions, no maps, and no idea of where they were.

     Merlin looked up to the tops of the enormous trees surrounding them. "Does anything look familiar to you?"

     "No. I think I would have remebered a huge, ominous fortress in the middle of the woods."

     The warlock crossed his arms to cover his torso as best as he could. "What time of the year is it?"

     Arthur tilted his head. "Autumn; October."

     "Maybe I could start a fire?" Merlin inquired, his arms still crossed.

     "No, we should start moving. We've got to find people, eventually."

     The servant looked at the sky, where the sun was just beginning to rise. "I could, um -- if it's okay with you -- I could use my magic to find the nearest village."

     "Okay."

     Merlin looked at Arthur in shock. "Really?"

     The king nodded blankly. "I'm not happy about this, but the chances of survival are better if we know where we are going."

     The warlock blinked. "Right." His eyes went golden, and he stared straight ahead.

     Arthur stared at the warlock. "What are you doing?" He waved his hand in front of the boy's face, but Merlin didn't react.

     The boy's eyes faded back to their normal, vibrant blue. "There's a village about a day's walk north from here. It's the closest I could find."

     "How-? Never mind." Arthur clenched his jaw. "I guess we had better start walking."

     "Or," Merlin began tentatively, "we could fly."

     "You can fly?" Arthur felt lightheaded.

     "No! Not at all. I know a dragon."

     The king regarded Merlin cautiously. "Merlin, we killed the last dragon, remember?"

     The warlock looked at the ground. "Yes, I remember. You don't though."

     "You said that the dragon knocked me on my head after I stabbed it."

     "You didn't stab him."

     "You lied to me about this, too?" Arthur shook his head. "God, Merlin, what truths have you told me?"

     "Arthur-" The warlock looked at the king's face, begging him to return his gaze.

     "If he isn't dead, then how are we alive?"

     "I told him to leave," Merlin said sheepishly.

     "And he left?"

     "Yes."

     "Why would he listen to you."

     "Arthur-"

     "Merlin."

     "I'm a dragonlord."

     The king closed his eyes. "This is ridiculous." He paused. "What else have you lied about?"

     Merlin met Arthur's eyes with contriteness. "Enough."

     The king broke his gaze. "Call your dragon. We both need rest."

     The warlock began chanting in a language that only he understood. "O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!"

     Arthur had no clue what Merlin was doing, but, apparently, it worked. After a minute or so, Arthur heard a steady beating of wings, that seemed to grow louder by the second.