The Knights of the Broom Order

Since When Have First Impressions Ever Gone Well?

Douxie ran a hand through his bangs, tears running down his face. This was his fault. He'd messed everything up again—somehow. And now Merlin was... He should have known—he should have predicted this eventuality, should have figured out healing magic. If there was healing magic. He should have prepared himself after last time.

Xxx

"Hello? Are you Merlin?"

Douxie straightened up from where he'd been picking up books Merlin had left lying around. A young knight who looked strangely familiar—probably just because he looked like all of the other knights, tall and blonde—was standing there, hand near the doorframe like he was not sure whether or not to knock. Merlin was god-only knew where—but more importantly, how had this knight mistaken him for the old wizard?

Douxie went with the most natural answer. "Yes," he responded, "I'm Merlin. Master wizard. That's me."

The young knight—seriously, they made them this young? He didn't look any older than Douxie himself—grinned. "Oh! Great! You can do... magic, right?"

"Yep. All things magical, that's me. You can tell it, I can spell it." Hm. That catchphrase needed work.

"Master Merlin—"

"Douxie, what are you doing?"

Douxie winced as Merlin appeared in the doorframe behind the knight. Well, it had been fun while it had lasted. He could've gotten used to being called 'Master Merlin.' "Just cleaning up. Like you told me to."

The knight's head whipped back and forth. "I'm sorry—there's got to be a mistake. He's Merlin."

One of Merlin's grey eyebrows rose. "Oh, is he?"

Douxie gave him a sheepish grin. "Heheh..."

"I'm afraid you're quite mistaken, young knight. I'm Merlin. That sorry excuse for a wizard is my apprentice, Hisirdoux. It's a good thing I arrived before you asked him to do any magic, or you might have ended up missing a few limbs."

The knight gave Douxie a horrified look. "Ah, he's exaggerating," Douxie protested, "I'm actually well on my way to becoming a master wizard, thank you very much, and—"

"Hisirdoux, go take care of your cat, he's hacking up hairballs all over the place."

"Oh, that's natural, all cats do it, there's nothing to worry abou—"

"Hisirdoux. Now."

Oh. "Right. I'll go take care of Arch."

Douxie trudged towards his room, where Archie was not, in fact, hacking up hairballs, but was reading a book. "He's not listening again."

"Mm. What else is new?"

"I was this close to getting some knight to believe that I was Merlin."

"Which would have been good why, exactly?"

"It would have been nice to be recognized as a wizard instead of..."

"An errand boy?"

Douxie sighed, dropping down next to his friend. "Yeah. That. Wonder why Merlin wanted me to leave, though? Normally as long as I keep my mouth shut—"

"But you didn't, did you?"

"Hm..." Douxie scrolled through the spells on his bracelet. "Spying spell, spying spell... I know I learned one, where is it?!"

"You think that's a wise idea? Spying on him?"

"I just want to know what's going on, is that a crime?"