Was it Worth It?

6. Like Father Like Son

I fell down the stairs yesterday so now I'm in pain and my left arm is badly bruised, but the story must go on! Also I'm sorry that this and the first paragraph are centered, it wont let me change it :-/

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Merlin lead everyone through the woods in silence, the only noise being the occasional birdsong and rustling of rabbits in the underbrsh. It was a tense silence that no one wanted to break, not even Gwaine. As they turned one final corner the mouth of a cave opened up, it was located at the base of a mountain with a stream of freshwater out front. Merlin hopped off his black horse and tied it to a tree, the rest of them did the same. They followed him as he walked into the entrance. There was nothing there at first, the Arthur and the knights began to doubt him, but when Merlin snapped his fingers objects fabricated before their very eyes. There was a bundle of sticks surronded by a circle of rocks creating a firepit, and hovering over that was a pot filled with water. Merlin went and sat down on a frayed blanket, placing his satchel on the ground next to him. He looked at the fire and it burst to life, the pot magically floating just high enough for the water in it to boil. Merlin went over to a woven basket and opened it, grabbing some herbs, spices, vegetables, and meats. He then placed them in the pot and sat back down.

"Welcome to my humble abode. I don't know about you but I'm hungry, so I'm making some stew." Gwaine was the first to sit down, probably because of the mention of food, but he was soon followed by the rest of the knights. Arthur was the only one who was hesitant. In his mind there was a battle waging, and right now he didn't know which side was winning. On one hand, he desperately wanted to trust Merlin, because its Merlin; clumsy, idiotic, lazy, Merlin. But on the other hand, Merlin lied to his face for years, not to mention the fact that he is prophesized to be the most powerful warlock in all of history. Arthur just couldn't get over the years of lies, he wasn't even angry about the magic anymore, it was all about the betrayal. 

Merlin stared at Arthur intently, wondering what he was thinking about. He was about to ask but the stew had finished cooking. Everyone watched as he got up and looked around the cave before sighing and snapping his fingers. Six bowls appeared, one in front of every person, Merlin carefully grabbed the pot and poured an equal serving into each. Everyone dug in, not realizing how hungry they were until they put the delicious stew in their mouths. Soon people were holding their bowls out for seconds. Merlin frowned and looked into the pot, like he suspected there was no more food.

"I'm sorry guys, I've only ever prepared food for one so I never really stocked up. I made that stew with all I had." Gwaine pouted while the rest of the knights nodded in understanding. Merlin picked up everyone's bowls and snapped them clean before making them disappear again.

"Where did you get those bowls?" Elyan asks. Merlin looks up from the ground with a sheepish smile.

"There's a pottery shop in a market not far from here, I summon the extra bowls they don't have on display. I always clean them and put them back though, I don't think they have noticed yet." Everyone nodded but Gwaine got an idea.

"What else can you summon?" Merlin looked surprised that someone was asking him about his magic, but answered anyways.

"Uh, anything really. But the bigger it is and the further away it is the more energy it takes. The bowls didn't cause that much strain, but if I were to try to summon anything from Camelot it would probably wipe me out completely. I can also summon food if it's growing nearby, but after five harsh winters I learned how to perfect a spell so I can create healthy food from nothing. I'm really good at strawberries." Merlin's voice broke a little bit on the last word, but he managed to keep it together. Now that he was banished again he wouldn't be able to visit Freya.