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nacatu · 1 year

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Merlin x Reader (RSATSD)

Part 2

My deep, dreamless sleep swam around my healing body, warm and coddling.

That was until a sharp, loud scratching dug it's claws into my head, dragging me back up into consciousness by my ears. Erratic thumping and clinking jump-started my heart that, just moments ago, was peaceful and slow.

The claws sunk into my brain as it fully peeled my body from any rest I'd cocooned myself inside of.

I lifted my head, trailing the phantom claws sunk in my head as I struggled to open my eyes.

The horrid scratching didn't stop, in fact it only got more and more aggressive. I snap my half lidded eyes towards the window, only to see the familiar flock of crows trying to break in.

Dazed and pumped with a sudden adrenaline, I stumbled out of bed and followed my hurrying feet towards the annoying birds.

I slammed the windows open on them, knocking the closest one unconscious and causing it to fall to the ground. The crows scattered almost immediately after their brethren hit the ground like a bag of rocks.

The morning sunlight poured in through the window. The sky was painted an optimistic pink as a light blue haloed the bright colours of a clear morning.

I groaned and rubbed the heel of my hand against my eyelid, rolling the sandy sleep from the corners of my eyes. I pulled the window shut before lazily shuffling back to bed. Only then did I notice that all the dwarves were huddled under the blankets of their respective beds.

The silence suddenly held a power over me I couldn't ignore.

I stealthily tiptoed back towards my bed, seating myself like a feather back onto the mattress and started to tug the perfectly warmed embrace of the cotton sheets over my shoulders.

As the blankets settled on my chilled body, I felt an alert consciousness. I tracked the feeling and turned behind me. To my dismay, it was the sorcerer next to me. His brown eyes were cold steel against my skin.

I matched his expression sourly. "What?"

"I know what you are." He said quietly, totally and unnaturally still.

"And I know who you are." I whispered, flopping my body down onto the mattress, snuggling deep into warm sheets that smelled of sawdust. "Who all of you are."

Our eyes were locked, waiting for the other to make a mistake, one wrong move to give the go ahead. It was clear Merlin was itching for a reason to kick my ass out of here.

Unfortunately for him, I lost any inkling for a fight the longer I stared at him. "So... what happened to you?"

His eyebrows cranked farther down into his eyes. "Well, if you know who we are, you should already know how this happened."

I deadpanned, pulling the blanket closer to my body. "If I knew I wouldn't be asking."

He stayed silent, his mouth pressing into a tight sneer. The silent morning flowed by for long enough for me to understand that this conversation was over.

The blanket shifted around me as I turned my back to him.

"...If you do anything to hurt my team, I'll kill you." He uttered darkly into the silence. The firmness in his voice scraped against my nerves in such a way all my joint's calcified, and my skin numbed despite the cold electrical shocks just beneath. This was no threat, but a sincere promise.

It took almost all of me to not give into the urge to dive out the window and never be seen again, but I wasn't a force to be reckoned with either.

The drumming of blood flooding my ears seemed to serve nothing but the perpetual fear now circulating in my body. "If you try anything against me or Red, that curse you have now will be remembered as a blessing." My voice was flat, casual, but singed by a fire deep inside that if set upon the world, wouldn't be something to be scoffed at.

That was enough of a safety guarantee for me as I settled my heart beat, watching the new day-glow press it's light to the wooden beams within the ceiling. Consciousness became harder and harder to hold onto until the lasts strands of the waking world lovingly slipped from my grasp, sending me back into my dark pool of peace.

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CHAPTER 2: Forest Magick

____________________

The second awakening of mine was much less terrifying this time around. The summer sun was comfortable in its rise, at least four fingers above the horizon as its beams warm the foot of my bed.

With a slow stretch my senses collect together, carrying the scent of something sweet and buttery on the air. My eyes crack open into the warmly lit room with an achey spine and a rumbling stomach.

I slowly sat up to find I was the only person left in the shared bedroom. Convenient for me, now I can put my salve on in peace.

I slip the white dress off my body and take a generous amount of the salve from its tin, slathering along my spine. The aches and flecks of pain fizzle away within the spicy tingling. As it dried I hurriedly dig through my bag for my change of clothes. Whatever that heavenly smell was coming from was mouth watering, I either have to have it or have to get out of here before I lose my mind.

I pull on a fresh under dress that rests off the shoulders followed by a mustard yellow skirt that falls to just above my ankles. I didn't bother lacing up the white sleeves and instead focus my effort into lacing up my stays while I wandered the room.

Once the stays were secure I sit back down on my bed, lacing up my boots before finally picking up my bag and exiting the bedroom.

That was almost the wrong choice as once the door opened a waft of that delicious fluffy smell hit me like a ton of bricks falling straight to the bottom of my stomach. A growl emitted from me as I submissively followed my nose down the stairs and into the living room by the front door.

If I weren't so hungry the scene before me might have had me way more embarrassed for the men then it did.

There sat Snow with the entirety of the cursed F7 doting over her, desperate for her attention and affection. Little Merlin seemed especially hungry for the woman's eyes to stay with him as he spoke quickly to her. Of what I couldn't be bothered to try to know, but it was blatantly obvious she was having trouble listening as her stare kept wandering towards a plate full of... full of...

My mouth began to water slightly at the sight of four, maybe five slices of French toast coated in cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered sugar, decorated intricately with ripe fruit of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and the odd apple slice.

Hans spotted me and lit up. "Ah! Good morning Y/n!" He greeted happily with a jug of steaming syrup held in his hands.

The others all turned to look at me.

I grinned back and flounced towards him, eager and hungry. "Good morning."

"How was your sleep?" Pino asked, almost nervously.

I grabbed myself an ottoman and pulled it up between the triplets on a couch and Arthur in a recliner. Coincidentally, I was also sat straight across the coffee table from Snow and Merlin, the latter of who was glaring death upon me. "Really great, the cotton was a dream." I mused in my sweetest most innocent tone, successfully getting the sorcerer more riled up. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble, Pino." I mewled, demurely gazing at the eldest of the three. Merlin looked like he was going to foam at the mouth.

Pino's face exploded with colour. "Oh! It— It was really nothing! I'm happy to help!" He squeaked as his hat fell crooked atop his head.

I smiled at him, grabbing his hand in mine and giving it a kind squeeze. "Well, even so, thank you."

The poor man had to hide his face in the crook of his free arm's elbow. "I-It's— gulp— it's my p-pleasure—!"

I let go of his hand and immediately Niko shook Pino's shoulders in a small celebration. I slyly inspected Merlin who was only a second away from launching across the table and socking me in the head.

Despite the threatening electricity in the pooling air, I trusted that he wouldn't do a thing in front of Snow.

Well, nothing physical at least.

Snow noticed the pointed glare of Merlin's and quickly jumped into action. "So, Merlin, I'm sorry I didn't quite hear you before." She probed.

The little sorcerer easily pulled his glare into a soft, mushy smile as he looked to Snow again. "Ah right, of course."

I kept my eyes on them, only breaking my intense protective watch momentarily as Hans handed me a plate of French toast, much to my delight. I offer a quick thank you and slight bow of my head before going right back to making sure Merlin doesn't try anything. Sure, they're mostly nice enough, but there was something they were after from Snow. So as soon as I finish this food, we're outta here.

"I'll just cut to the chase. We've all talked about it, and if you're searching for your father and the F7, that'll simply take far too much time." He said with a shake of his head. An uneasiness in my stomach began far too late to intervene in whatever he was planning. "So, maybe we can help in place of the F7!"

Both mine and her eyes widened in shock. "What?!" She and I cried, far different in tone.

"Really? You'd do that?" She asked, as a smile began to spread across her face. She scooted towards the sorcerer to get a better look at him, as if trying to figure out if his eyes were sincere.

He flushed a light shade of pink as he sat up slightly, clearing his throat. "O-Of course! Afterall the F7 have been gone for a year, what're the chances they'll show up again now? That's just more work to do."

I thinned my eyes at him harshly as my arms fold over themselves. Is this slimy little skeeze ball really doing this?

"Well, more help can never hurt, huh?" She said with a charming grin, then looked to me. "This has been a pretty lucky couple of days for me." She chuckled, picking up her plate of French toast happily.

I guess more help can never be a bad thing.

My eyes drift to the blue tunic wearing turd.

I know for a fact Merlin will rat me out as a witch to his friends if I say anything about them being the F7 to Snow. Each of us only needs to do a little convincing and the protective veil is torn.

So, in the face of this blatant lie, I bit my pride back and looked away. "The more the merrier."

The men buzzed with excitement, a new glimmer of hope that hadn't been there moments prior became blinding in mere seconds. I had to look away to protect my eyes from the secondhand embarrassment radiating from the display. Unfortunately I had to subject my gaze onto a far more embarrassing sight in the form of crows zipping to and fro in the front. My eyes became saucers as I had to consciously keep myself from leaping to my feet in alarm.

My fingers dug themselves into the arm of the couch next to my rigid form as I anxiously stared out the window.

"I'll be right back." My mutter went unnoticed by everyone as I stood and tread out the door, taking the barely enchanted broom still by the entrance on the way out. Only a single pair of eyes followed me.

I slipped quietly through the door only for my ears to be bombarded by the shrill cries of crows in the tens in numbers. Some flapped and swooped down into my hair while others anxiously circled something farther down the way on the hill.

With fear and vigour, I swatted the pests from the air with the straw end of the broom. It worked surprisingly well as I cleared a perfect path towards whatever it was they were incessantly cawing about, only to leave behind a trail full of stunned birds on the ground.

There in the grass, swarmed with blackened feathers and inky beaks, laid the branch I'd left behind lasts night. The very same thing I nearly broke my spine for.

I begrudgingly swat the birds away and plucked the branch from the ankle high grass it was coffined by. The wood was pecked and splintered more than before. It's new texture made itself known against my calloused hands.

Within the moment of making contact with the branch, a gust stirred and fluttered against my body. An impromptu spiral of birds gradually summited an invisible line while keeping me within the typhoon of wings. The smell of magic; sour and zesty fell from every wing beat in a shower of life.

I stared up to the eye of the feathery storm. The deepened blue of the sky remained unobscured, funnelling some kind of deeper meaning down to me. Whatever this energy was, it reached down just brushing at the tips of my sky-bound fingers. The atmosphere was so kind, but terrified and selective. It was cold, but yearning to bless some kind of warmth onto the earth. The spiralling was nauseating as my palm reached farther towards the heavens.

"Hey!" A grating voice yelled out towards me.

Immediately the trance was destroyed as the crows all haphazardly scattered; the steady rhythm of wings became uncoordinated as the connection left me with a vague message and a lingering sense of dejecta memora.

A frustration burned along the bones in my back.

Merlin.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He griped, his voice encroached unpleasantly.

I collected my patience as best as I could as I kept my back to him. "Just taking in the sunshine." I held my snarl beneath layers of poisoned honey with a fixed gaze forward.

"Sunshine my ass!" He snapped, now only maybe a few feet behind me as his footfalls in the grass became easy to prepare for. "What was that?! And don't you dare try to lie twice!" He raged, shortly coming to a stop with an electricity sparking from him. Stray hairs of mine began to float unbound by gravity.

A frown crinkled my face before I whipped back around on him, readying both the broom and branch in separate hands. "It's none of your concern," I snapped, glaring down at him. Unfortunately, my hard stare faltered as a wash of alarm submerged me in a frigid realization. It numbed my being for a horrible moment.

His erratic aura, the lightning collecting and traveling along his arms in bursts and crackles, even his stupid little jacket. The very same shade as that patch of sky.

A dread set heavy in my stomach as it connected in my head.

The man eyed me for a confused moment, swiftly pointing his spell charm paper more accurately at me. "What?" He asked accusingly, distrust swimming about his darkened eyes. "What are you doing?"

The broom and branch slipped from my grasp and landed with a softened thuff. I groaned loudly and plopped my face into my hands. I wasn't intentionally being rude... well, maybe I was, but for fucks sake. This guy? You've got to be kidding me.

Confusion stared to sedate his aggressive suspicion as his spell charm lowered. "Uh..." He blinked a few times then quickly side glanced his surroundings before returning his eyes to me.

If only I had a shred of subtlety.

Slowly, I craned my heavy head back up to meet his inquisitive stare. His eyes scanned my slumped figure for any sign of danger that didn't come.

"... What was that?" He asked, as if prodding a sleeping beast.

I couldn't look directly at him otherwise this frustration would ignite into something far more severe. "I just—" My shoulders bobbed, "I hope we can get this over with soon."

That was about all I could say as I scooped the broom and branch off the soft grass.

The sorcerer's guard fell almost immediately as I walked around him, back towards the house. "Hey wait!" He cried out, trying to match my pace.

I cast a glance back at him with an annoyed grimace then set my sights back onto the house.

"I said wait!" His cold hand clasped around my wrist.

There wasn't even a second of contact before I wretched my arm from him and whirled back on him with a silent glare. One he easily matched.

"What happened out here? What did you see?" He demanded.

I scoffed, trying to ignore the crawling under the skin where he'd touched. "Strange that you're suddenly interested in my magic," I mocked, flippantly.

His eyes thinned up at me as his shoulders squared. "The fact that you're being so defensive about it is strange. Especially if it's nothing to be concerned about."

I jabbed a finger towards him as my face contorted into an annoyed scowl. "I wouldn't say it's strange being defensive when a crazed little goblin has an itch to fry me alive."

He looked aghast; insulted even as he took a half step back. "Goblin?" The surprise was short lived and a seething fury overtook it's place. "Not much room to talk when you'd steal a dead man's skin!"

Liquid rage pooled and swirled within me, rising to my head before I had any say in the matter. I threw the broom to the ground and held the branch tightly in both hands, pointing it directly at his heart. The end of my staff was void of any life, a vacuum that promised the worst. To my woe, he was just as quick; he aimed his index and middle fingers —with a spell charm trapped between them— for my heart as well with lightning visibly conducting along his body.

"Once again a sorcerer makes his ignorance known," I sneer down at him as I lift my chin a fraction. "For all the studying you'll commit yourself to, the idiocy in your class only seems to rise." The poisoned words were satisfying on my tongue.

A smug look played on his intense face. "Insults. As to be expected from the lazy and uneducated mind of a witch," He chided with a tsk.

My teeth grit and my knuckles whitened around the branch. Our auras clashed menacingly and horridly, a push and pull of two different oceans. Death waiting in a riptide to pull one or the other below it's turbulent surface.

"Stand down," he demanded, his eyes alight with electricity.

"I have nothing to lose," I scoffed, stabilizing the branch in my grip a little more. My eyes zero in and pinned him in place with a thin, calculating leer. "But you do, don't you."

He bared his grit teeth as his severe glare began to crack. Even if he didn't mean to, I could feel his resolve weaken, the strength he displayed became hollow, performative. He fought with his brain and his eyes flicked about me, gradually losing focus until finally and abruptly dropping his arms. A silence took hold as the lightning —along with its sizzling and popping— had completely disappeared back into his little body. He exhaled bitterly. "You'd be a waste of spell charm."

Despite my wanting to, I said nothing. His words didn't feel completely untrue, but his flustered red tipped ears added a layer of embarrassment to his claims. I lowered my new weapon, the void at the branches tip released back to the surroundings in thick unseen waves of negative energy.

The will to fight dropped dead in the water humiliatingly fast and only left the little green man red faced and angry. He sped past me retreating to his home while a fuming cloud of smoke was nearly visible as he stormed away. I kept a keen eye on him until he slipped back into the house, not once daring to cast a glance back at me.

Great. I have to stay here now, not just for Snow or a pardon, but for this little jerk too.

The cold grip of this new entrapment drew its fingers tighter against my skin, leaving behind frigid marks that only a witches eye could never spot.

I scoffed off a shiver and dug the end of my branch into the earth before me, desperate to ground myself. A few breaths and sheer will was all that kept me from completely giving in to the sudden uncontrollable rattling of my knees. Somehow this felt worse than always running away, especially now that running wasn't an option.

"Y/n?" Snow's voice called from the doorway, no more than thirty seconds after Merlin slunk back inside. I looked up from my feet dizzily. The weariness in my spent body suddenly felt childish. I hadn't even gone through with the soul stealing spell, merely conjuring it had me almost doubling over from exhaustion.

"Y/n!" She cried in alarm, rushing towards me with the other men trailing behind her as fast as they could. "What happened to you?" She asked as she fret about.

I waved my hand in dismissal before having to grapple back onto the branch propping me up. "Nothing. I'm just feeling a bit faint," I said through a breathless and shaky laugh.

The men all shared wary looks until Hans finally —hesitantly— spoke up. "Did... Merlin do something?" He asked.

My eyes widened for a fraction of a second. What a perfect setup! His dislike for me hasn't exactly been hidden, and now it could be utilized against him.

"In fact he did! He—!"

As I was about to elaborate on this soon-to-be intricate lie, but there was a sudden and sharp pang of guilt. It incessantly began needling into the flesh of my sensitive heart.

Condemning this kind of mark on someone's reputation (whose worst offence was being rude and irritating) and placing that mark within his closest circle of friends no less? That's... something a witch would do... something he'd expect from me.

Realistically this smear campaign would only set me back on whatever the fates had planned for Merlin and I's twisting destinies. So with a pinched nose, I wove a new narrative. "He noticed I looked a bit ill and went to fetch me some water."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

The other men shot him sharp, wide eyed glares causing Arthur to clam up and look away. "Er— I mean... th-that seems like he'd uh..."

Jack rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "I suppose I'll clear the air." He stated with a flourish of his hand, flicking his cape back.

The beat of my heart picked up speed to reach a gallop. Did they know what I was?

"We are all quite aware that he doesn't particularly like you Y/n," Jack stated with his fingertips pressed together in front of him. "I can assure you, none of us hold any ill will towards you here."

I eyed him suspiciously and remained silent.

"Truly, I cannot understand why he's being so rude to a friend of Red Shoes," he said this almost annoyed, as if Merlin's actions where ruining something for all of them.

Ruining their image perhaps? I glanced towards Snow, who was standing next to me still looking me over anxiously.

Pino then spoke up with a fluttery voice. "I personally have no idea why he would be so cold towards you," he proclaimed with a shy finger in the air. "Y-You're quite lovely I'd say."

The others murmured agreements, far less genuine but far more eager in saying so. It was hard to believe they were saying this for solely my benefit as their eyes all wandered to Snow.

I forced a strained smile to pull across my stiffened face. "Thanks."

Snow finally couldn't take my pitiful state and swept underneath my right arm, taking some of my weight off my unsteady feet. With her hand pulling mine over her shoulder and her another arm around my waist, she lead me towards the house. "Come on Y/n. Let's get you off your feet." She instructed as I leaned against her, the six men staying close in tow.

Pino ran ahead and opened the door for us to step into the cool house. "Careful Y/n," He said standing to the side, keeping a close eye on me with his hands ready to catch me at any point in time.

A genuine smile lifted my lips, the first one I'd given since ending up on their doorstep. "Thanks." It felt like a momentous occasion that one of these men showed me genuine care with no detectable ulterior motive strewn within their actions.

As I hobbled past the home's threshold, Merlin was nowhere to be found. I suppose he wouldn't be keen on sticking around once I got inside.

Snow led me to the couch in the living room and sat me down. I immediately melted into the cushions fabric as my fatigued, ill body welcomed the comfort with open arms. "Thank you." My thanks to the woman was barely above a whisper.

Her face twisted at the sound as she stared down at me, a knuckle caught between her pearly teeth.

Pino spoke up as he grabbed a pillow from the recliner. "Is there anything you need?" He asked, handing the feathered pillow to me.

I smiled and graciously took it in my hands. "Thank you, but no, that's alright. This is really nothing to worry about."

"How can you say that?" Arthur butted in, "You can't walk, you can barely speak, and right now, you're struggling to keep your head up." He pointed out, short and blatant.

"Oh?" I hadn't even realized my neck was bowing back until he pointed it out. I quickly move to correct my posture only for it to deteriorate again mere seconds later. Despite the clear issues I was having, I had no energy or agency to try and explain it away.

He was annoyed. His lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line as he stared me down.

Snow quickly shifted the attention off of me. "Well, what's the plan for finding my father today?" She asked, pulling the mens eyes towards her as she stood straight up, towering over everyone.

The men all scrambled to speak. Plans began to get tossed about willy nilly with me and my odd ailment long forgotten. I offered Snow a tired smile before leaning back into the couch and letting my eyes heavily flutter closed.

I slipped into a restorative, dreamless sleep. Something about resting my bones after conjuring such a draining spell was addictive in its comfort. The voices around me fell away into muffles, then nothingness.

I could've sworn only mere moments had fled past when a harsh clanging of metal jolted me from the little rest I managed to grab. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my now racing blood as I sat straight up, gripping the couches arm rest harshly.

The banging came to an end as I looked about in a flurry, just for my eyes to fall on the little lightning goblin himself holding a pot and a wooden spoon. My eyebrows settled deep into my eyesight before I plopped my head back on the couches back rest and let out a long sigh. "What do you want now?" I grumbled out.

"For you to get up," he snapped, "Everyone has been out looking for Red Shoes' father for hours now except us, and that's because of you!"

I blinked my eyes awake before braving the ice of his eyes again. "Then why are you here? If you want to go so badly then go."

"If I could don't you think I would have?" He hopped off the coffee table and towards a little satchel by the fireplace. "I promised Red Shoes I was gonna watch over you, which I think I've done plenty of today." He sorted through the things in the bag for only a moment longer before tossing the satchels strap over his shoulder. "So since you've slept plenty, I think you'll have more than enough energy to help with the search." His tone was acidic as he wheeled back to stare impatiently at me.

A bored stare was all I could muster. "Uh huh..." My groggy head fell back again as I waved my wrist about lazily. "Just go without me, I don't need a baby sitter."

He bristled as his shoulder squared. "Unfortunately that's not happening," He fled swiftly towards the door. "I'm tasked with watching over you, and I have no idea what kind of magic you conjured out there before, but I know it wasn't good. So if I go and you suddenly die or turn into sludge as some kind of side effect, I'll be blamed for it." He pulled the door open. "So I'd much rather just have you in my sight where you can't go and mess everything up for me."

The faint smell of mountain flowers wafted into the home with the suddenly opened door. That was the only thing pleasant coming from that opening. I groaned heavily again and rocked myself forward to my feet. "Why do you care so much about what Red thinks?" I asked airily as I strode towards his suddenly stiffening frame. "Actually... why are you all so infatuated with her? It's well beyond a crush... it's... almost desperate." I noted thoughtfully.

He didn't respond, keeping his eyes locked sternly on me while holding the door, waiting in the middle of the open space.

I hummed slyly to myself as I grabbed my branch and trotted slowly towards the doorway. "I wonder if it has to do with this curse you find yourself under," I mused, bending at my waist to get a closer look at his face.

He glowered up at me, his knuckles became a whitish green on the door knob.

A mischievous grin lit up my face. "Ahh, I see."

He huffed and whirled away from me, almost slamming the door on my nose if I hadn't been fast enough in catching it. "You have no business butting into my affairs," He stated shortly. "Keep your long, warty nose out of it and I won't blast you into next week."

I shot straight up. "Wha-?! Warty?!" I cried out, absentmindedly touching my nose. A growl fled my chest as I stormed after him, slamming the door behind me. "That's rich coming from you, you little toadstool."

He ignored my dig at him, opting for a more peaceful approach. "How about we don't talk to each other and focus on finding Red Shoes' father," He suggested with a toss of his wrist over his shoulder.

A red hot steam blew through my body as I glared holes into the back of his head. "Fine." The word thread through clenched teeth.

The short man sped down the hill towards the forest that coddled the house in thick foliage. A blessing of shade was granted to our silent search party while I aimlessly followed him like an idiot. Only the forest's ambiance was bold enough to flow within the distasteful tension we held.

Still —even though he was a complete annoyance— I want to understand where his motivations lay. I wordlessly ask the mystics that may be around to offer some clarity into the strange little monster of a man's motivations, as well as his intentions. I breath my intention and wish of learning into the air as inconspicuously as possible, keeping my eyes on Merlin ahead of me who was too engrossed in his own winding brain to pay me any mind.

I kept my eyes and ears ready for any knowledge that may be thrown my way, scanning the perimeter, trying to drown out Merlin's heavy feet against the soil, and the far off cawing of crows. This was all for naught unfortunately, because Merlin spoke up again. "How come those crows are always following you around?" He asked sharply with the audacity to be annoyed.

I sneered at the back of his head and fired back with a question of my own. "Why are you so desperate for Red's attention?"

However, my irritation quickly left as quick as it came. There on the toe of my boot was an earth worm, and a long one at that. My breath hitched as the thought of the near drought floated into my head, a dry harsh spell that's been collectively holding the land hostage for the past few weeks. Yet here was a worm out of the soil and wriggling aimlessly about, and on top of my foot no less. A sign, and one that only confirmed my suspicions about him and his F7 friends.

So, he's opportunistic.

This wasn't much of a revelation, but helpful to know there were signs being sent my way. I had to keep up though so brushed off the little wiggler and I sped forward, landing back at the comfortable distance I kept behind him.

He dodged my question too. "Well whatever the case, can you shut them up? They're extremely annoying."

I scrunched my face as him bitterly. "Don't you think I would if I could?" I chastised with a shake of my head, "Those birds don't listen to a word I say, quite the opposite in fact. I have to listen to them."

A small, unmistakable croaking of a frog stole my attention. Again, an oddity to be out at this time of day. And within this dry patch of land in the forest, far away from any water or stream to swim in? Another sign.

He's confused and misguided.

Possibly tying back to his opportunistic tendencies. Is he confused and misguided because of these tendencies? Or are these tendencies a result of being confused and misguided? I suppose it didn't matter how it occurred, it just matters in knowing what this person before me is like now.

"Well maybe you should use some of your magic. Do something useful with it and banish them." He insisted, a deep frown creasing his face.

I scoffed at him. "You can't banish a magic that's a part of you. That's like cutting off your arm just because of a blemish. It'll cause more harm than good."

He rolled his eyes and sourly sneered back. "Couldn't be worse than their bloody crying." He waved his hand up to the bird flippantly as he trudged on. I opted to remain silent amongst the cawing flock, there wasn't a thing I could say that would make his mood better in the slightest anyway. After all, I didn't totally blame him for hating the crows. They were no picnic, and took years of practice to drown out.

I look back to the scattered multitude of birds following, flapping and landing from branch to branch through the trees. Even for me their noisiness was getting ridiculous.

Maybe I should at least try to calm them down.

I slow to a stop and face the crows, lifting my left palm towards them to receive what they were saying. (Saying is a strong word, it's more of a signal through intuition)

What is going on with you guys?

The flapping of feathers and chaotic cawing were difficult to sift through, the energy was so hectic. Not in warning though, it was more... excited? That was the closest word I could find to describe it.

"What're you doing?" Merlin questioned to my back.

"I'm trying to figure out why they're all freaking out so much." I explained, keeping my focus trained on them, searching for any answer to my question. It was just like they were talking over each other, nothing was decipherable in the slightest.

'One at a time please!'

Only message I could make out was 'hurry' or 'quick' all tangled up amidst the flock.

My brows pinched together 'can you clarify?'

The waves of cawing started to become overstimulating as they all became more and more erratic.

'hurry!', 'witches magic', 'fast!', 'follow!'

The hair on my arms stood on end as their messages began falling into place. 'Where?' I ask back.

Immediately the birds take quick flight towards the East, a sharp divergence from the path Merlin was leading us down. My heart jumped into my throat and I gave chase.

"Wha— Hey!" Merlin yelled after me, clumsily getting his footing to cooperate. "Where the hell are you going?!"

"They caught whiff of a witches magic!" I cried over my shoulder, ducking and hopping around obstructing branches and roots.

"And you're going towards it?!" He hollered, the scrutiny in his voice was near completely drowned by the fresh panic shooting through his body. Two witches is bad news for any sorcerer. I didn't bother explaining, he was already following me anyways.

The crows flew down next to me before scooping back up into the canopy. The sky's blue was that of an ocean and they were the fish jumping out of water as they led.

After hopping and ducking through the forests foliage, the faint scent of a familiar magic powdered itself on the air; spiced yet wintery. The trail became more potent the farther I ran, but Merlin was keeping a good pace behind me. He was far quicker than I'd expect from a little goblin, even gaining on me from what I could hear of his oddly long strides, "Wait!" He cried after me, trying to sound demanding in his tone.

I felt just on the cusp of finding the source of the magic when a large, cool hand grappled my wrist and pulled me back to a stop, yanking my momentum from my body stiffly. A yelp pushed out of my mouth, running free where my speed had dissipated as the thread to the magic is smelt began to become thinner.

I rounded back on Merlin and his hand felt small around my wrist. "What are you doing?!" I all but shriek down at him before anxiously looking out towards the rapidly diminishing trail.

His hand felt bigger around my wrist. "You're running towards another witches magic! Don't you think that's a little stupid?!" He snapped, his hand tightening around my limb.

"No!" Was all I offered as an explanation before turning back to him with a sharp glare.

"Why?! We're looking for Red Shoe's father! Not a witch," He pointed out, "plus, even if she's civil towards you, what do you think a witch is going to do when she spots a sorcerer in your company?"

A sudden reminder rolled over my shoulders. Merlin hadn't any idea who Snow really was, or by extension what her step mother, the Queen was capable of. "Remember when Red said her witch step mother did something to her father? The magic I smell is her step mothers!" Merlin's head tilted with a small pinch in his brows as thought began to fall into place. "So whatever's at the end of this smell is a clue, whether it's the step mother herself, or a trace that might point us in the right direction!" I yanked my wrist from his slowly loosening grip, only to grip his wrist in return. His eyes widened in alarm. "So shut it and let's go." I turned from him and ran again, frantic to pick the trail back up again.

To my surprise he didn't fight me further and instead —after a few seconds of stumbling— fell into stride with me.

"So what are we supposed to do if we run into this step mother of hers?" He asked pointedly.

"I'm a witch, you're a sorcerer. I think we'll have a good chance of fighting her off." I stated boldly and cast a glance back at him as he suddenly began to struggle to keep up.

"R-Right—! But it won't be the easiest fight if her magic is that strong from so far away!" He huffed out, attempting to find his footing.

I rolled my eyes and looked forward, "If it is her, we'll be fine," I lied. I didn't believe it was her, otherwise the level of confidence I held would be scraping the floor.

Merlin was no idiot to be wary if it was her I could smell from here. That in itself would be an impressive amount of magic. But this wasn't her, it was simply a trace of her magic. She isn't impressive, she's horrifying.

"You better know what you're doing!" He called out, running with his legs out in front of him, as if leaning back and letting me drag him forward. "I'm barely in the mood to deal with one witch, let alone two."

I didn't respond and opted instead to yank his arm forward, putting his weight back solely on his own sprinting legs.

The smell became overpowering as the crows cawed louder with less direction. It's close.

I hopped a tree trunk —one I kind of wanted Merlin to stumble over— and finally, finally a large wooden rabbit stood there calmly sniffing about the dirt.

As I came to a stop Merlin flung around me due to our connected arms, coming to a soft footed stop with heaving lungs a bit ahead of me.

Both of our heavy puffing and sudden appearance took the rabbits attention easily. He stared at us both oddly and sniffed our way.

"So... thats what you're looking for?" Merlin asked, looking back to me before his eyes dropped to mine still around his wrist.

I quickly dropped my hold on him and nodded. "Yeah, yeah that's... that's the source." The rabbit was spiced in magic, just as Snow was with those shoes. But this wasn't the end of the similarities.

He squinted and blinked as his attention pulled back to the rabbit. He heaved a few steadying breaths as his eyes inspected the giant wooden animal, hands resting on his hips, "Huh..." he turned to me. "This doesn't seem very helpful."

The rabbit sniffed them hopped closer, his nose twitching like crazy in our direction. I couldn't look away. The rabbit —far beneath the layers of alteration magic— held a likeness to Snow.

A staggering likeness.

"Merlin." I said as my eyes stayed straight ahead.

He turned to me, confused.

I locked eyes with him. "That's her father."

His brown eyes widen for a fraction as they fly to the rabbit then me, then the rabbit again as his shoulders slump. "... you've got to be joking."

#rsatsd #merlin x reader #red shoes movie #x reader #prince merlin #f7

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paperrretro · 27 days

Text

LIGHTSTRUCK | pt. 12

Pairing: Merlin x Reader

Word Count: 2,619 words

Warnings: None

Summary: Your father accepts a position as Prince Merlin’s magic tutor, and you are unceremoniously dragged along.

(Or, pieces of your unspectacular life in and out of the royal palace, and how a certain idiotic prince somehow gets wrapped up in it either way.)

read on quotev | read on ao3

In the corner of a restaurant, huddled at a table meant for two, you slurp up the last of the noodles and lick the grease off your lips with a satisfied sigh.

Good, authentic Carmarthenian food is hard to come by on Golden Goose Avenue, but this one – this one is promising. A rich broth, fresh vegetables sliced paper-thin, spices that warm your throat like gentle coals in a fireplace. You long to be able to cook this well, but the culinary arts are more different from elixirism than one would think. (For one, the quality of food is measured by how good it tastes.)

“More?” asks the owner, an older lady who reminds you of Fay. (She owns the restaurant with her son. He’s your age, she’d told you when she brought your food. Single. Graduated top of his class at culinary school and takes very good care of her.)

“Oh, no, thank you. I’m so full.” You feel guilty for saying no, even though you’d given in the previous two times. You eye the table next to yours. “But could I have some tteokbokki to go?”

“Of course.”

After paying your bill and sitting for a bit longer to digest, you heft yourself up and grab your takeout, waving goodbye to the owner and her son before finally exiting the restaurant.

The bright sunlight scalds your eyes. Squinting against it, you look around for some signs or a directory. You’re already done with your work-shopping for the day. Maybe you could go browse for some new books.

Just as you reorient yourself and start heading towards Beauty and the Books, you hear two familiar voices coming from somewhere nearby.

“Red Shoes!”

You perk up, curious. Turning around, you catch sight of Arthur and Merlin rounding a corner, hands cupped around their mouths. Behind them lumbers a giant wooden bunny.

“Red Sh – oh,” Arthur cuts himself off once he spots you, blinking in surprise. “Hello. Fancy running into you here. Have you seen Red Shoes, by any chance?”

You eye Merlin, who only meets your gaze for a second before finding a sudden interest in the nearby lamppost. Fine. He can act how he likes, and you’ll pretend he doesn’t exist. “No.”

“Great.” Arthur sighs and slumps forward. “I take my eyes off her for just a few seconds and she up and disappears on me.”

Your brow wrinkles, and you glance around. You certainly haven’t seen Red Shoes since you got here, but Golden Goose Avenue is a big place, and you haven’t exactly been paying attention to the other shoppers. “Maybe she went into one of the stores to shop by herself. Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Well, no, but you never know what could happen,” Arthur persists. “Looks like hers bring all sorts of creeps out of the woodworks.” He shudders. “Speaking from experience.”

Now, that is something you can imagine. Maybe it’s not so great to be so beautiful, you think, if all you get in return are expectations.

“I’ll help you find her,” you offer.

“Would you? Fantastic!”

Walking alongside Arthur as he retraces his steps, you keep an eye out for silky brown hair, a red satin skirt – lovestruck gazes. You hope she’s outside so you can avoid the hassle of looking in each individual shop. Some of them are charmed to keep you inside for hours.

In all honesty, it’s more likely that Red Shoes will find the three of you instead of the other way around, given the heavy thump, thump, thumps that rumble behind the two of you down the street.

You clear your throat during a lull between calling her name.

“So, what’s with the giant wooden bunny?”

Arthur looks up at you and then back at the silent creature. He reaches up to scratch the back of his head before stopping midway and posturing instead. “Just a vicious beast that I rescued Red Shoes from last night. Pretty impressive, right?”

“Ha!” Merlin says, and Arthur whips around.

“Got something to say, magic boy?!”

As the two begin to bicker, you drop back to examine the bunny again. It stares back at you, eyes half-lidded as if utterly unimpressed with the company it has found itself in. ‘Vicious’ is the last thing you’d use to describe it. If anything, it’s calmer than any of you.

You’ve never heard of giant wooden animals living near Risky Rock before. Maybe the increase in monster activity is affecting the wildlife …

“—so I’m not even gonna bother explaining women to you anymore.” A loud scoff from Arthur distracts you from your staring contest with the bunny, and you furrow your brow as he breaks away from Merlin to resume walking. You jog slightly to catch up. “C’mon, [Y/n]. Red Shoes! Red Shoes?”

From the alleyway to your right, you hear someone call out.

“Guys! Guys, I’m here.”

When you turn to look into the shadows of the alley, you can just make out the figure of a young woman in the middle of a group of knights. She waves at you.

You don’t recognize her. Judging by the looks on Arthur and Merlin’s faces, they don’t know her either, so the three of you awkwardly look away and continue on.

“That was weird,” Merlin mutters once you’re out of earshot.

“She probably thought we were someone else,” Arthur brushes it off. “Let’s go, we need to find Red Shoes.”

Merlin nods, but when you look at him, his expression is troubled. He glances over his shoulder and stops walking.

“No, the way those knights were standing around her …” he starts. “Something didn’t seem right.”

You frown. You’d be the first to list Merlin’s many faults, but poor instincts is not one of them; you’ve been on the wrong end of them too many times to count. You think back to the alleyway and wonder what he had noticed that you didn’t. Was the woman secretly asking for help? Were the knights not as relaxed as you thought they were?

Arthur groans impatiently, throwing his arms out. “They’re probably helping her find whoever she thought we were,” he responds. “It’s fine. Now, are you going to help me find our princess or not?”

Your gaze flits from one prince to the other, stopping on Merlin as he continues to look over his shoulder. His fingers twitch, antsy, and his mouth presses into a thin line before he opens it.

“Keep looking for her,” he finally says, turning around and running back to the alley. “I’ll be right back!”

Curiosity eclipsing your pride, you run after him.

“Are you ser – guys!” Arthur yells after the two of you, his voice fading with the distance. “Merlin, stop trying so hard to play hero!”

With Merlin’s stature, it’s easy to catch up to him. “Hey,” you ask once you do, clutching your bags to your chest to keep their contents from clattering around, “what did you –”

“Shh.” He halts abruptly just before the entrance to the alleyway, throwing an arm out to stop you.

You hold your tongue and swallow the impulse to push him right back. Wordlessly, he and you peek around the corner and squint through the darkness.

Oh.

The knights, who had seemed so casual before, now cluster in the back of the alleyway, their weapons raised. And though you can’t see her, you can hear the voice of the young woman from before.

(You hate it when he’s right.)

The soft crinkle of paper by your leg catches your ear, and you glance down to see Merlin holding one of his talismans. Your eyes widen.

“Uh, Merlin –”

“Come on,” he mutters, and the next thing you know, he’s striding towards the knights and flicking his fingers with quiet confidence.

The knights rattle and drop like flies, revealing the cowering figure of the poor woman you’d all ignored earlier. She’s pressed herself against the back wall. As she lowers her arms, eyes round with shock and fear, shame swirls in the pit of your stomach.

You trail after Merlin as he picks a red shoe off the ground and dusts it off. He approaches the woman and offers it to her.

“Your red shoe, milady,” Merlin says.

His voice is gentle, assuring, and soft, and it renders you speechless.

Merlin isn’t gentle. He’s arrogant, and flashy, and tries too hard to be suave. He’s a prince. He’s not a gentleman. But the way he had gone back, and the way he had stayed to speak with the woman afterwards …

Something moves inside your chest. It warms behind your ribcage, and you are startled by the strangeness of it, and strangely frightened.

“… Excuse me, miss, have we met?”

“Um”—the woman tenses, meeting your eyes before quickly looking away, and you are hit with a odd, vague sense of familiarity—“well, that’s kind of a complicated question.”

You open your mouth, only to be interrupted by the sound of Arthur yelling out for Red Shoes outside the alley.

You had almost forgotten.

“Will you be okay?” You break your silence upon your second attempt, lowering the bags from your arms.

This time, the woman holds your gaze, and she smiles a bit bigger, nodding. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay … er.” There are now two pairs of eyes on you as you free one hand to dig around in your satchel and pull out a small bottle. It’s partly to assuage your guilt, which makes you feel guiltier somehow, but, “Here, have this. It’s a deterrent. You spray it.” When she takes it hesitantly, you hastily tack on, “It’s free.”

(Oh, gods, you think. Why would you even say that?)

Merlin tugs at your sleeve, gesturing at the street with his head. “We gotta go,” he tells the woman. “Stay safe.”

You mumble out some semblance of a similar sentiment, and as you leave her, hurrying out of the darkness into the bright light, you bite your bottom lip in embarrassment and squeeze your eyes shut.

“Wow.” Merlin releases you once you’ve both turned the corner, letting out a snort that brings blood rushing to your ears. “I bet princesses would be scrambling in line for your post-rescue care.”

“Shut up,” you grumble, desperately wishing for him to just drop it, drop it. (You know he won’t.) “What – what about that weird act you had going back there? ‘Your red shoes, milady’ – I almost died of cringe!”

“Excuse me? I wasn’t acting,” Merlin replies indignantly. “And it wasn’t cringey.”

“I’ve never seen you be that nice without a motive.”

He huffs up at you. “I’m actually genuinely nice, thank you! You’d know that if you didn’t antagonize me all the time.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around,” you retort.

“Oh, please.” The two of you begin to walk towards Arthur and the Wood-Rabbit, and Merlin’s voice takes on a smugger tone, needling at the part of you that remains young and oversensitive. “You know what I think?” he says. “I think you’re jealous that I was being nice to her.”

“… What?”

“It’s perfectly fine, [Y/n].” He casts a glance at you, a smirk stretching across his cheeks. “If you ever get attacked by a dragon or something, I’ll sweep you off your feet too.”

You balk. Heat spreads from your ears to the entirety of your face.

That little –

“Took you guys long enough!” Arthur scolds right as you’ve decided to encase Merlin’s head in an ice cube and then yours. “So, Merlin, was I right or was I right?”

“You were wrong, actually,” Merlin snarks. “There was a problem, and I took care of it. [Y/n] can vouch for that.”

“Yeah, right, you really think I’m gonna believe”—Arthur looks to you for backup, only for his face to drop when you glare at the ground and cross your arms—“believe … w-well, that’s …! Fine! Anyways, more importantly, I just saw Red Shoes on a wanted poster, and I have a lot of questions about that, so we need to find her ASAP.”

“Wanted poster?” you ask.

“You didn’t see them? The knights have been passing them out,” Merlin says. “The ones that weren’t busy harassing citizens, at least.”

He pulls out a piece of paper and unfolds it, offering it to you. With distaste curling your lips, refusing to meet his eyes, you snatch it up and read the header and footer.

WANTED, it says. BIG REWARD.

Drawn in the middle of the page is, without question, Red Shoes.

“What did she do?”

“It doesn’t say.”

“I know it doesn’t say; I can read. What did the knights say?”

“Go and ask them yourself.”

“Oh, for the Lady’s sake,” bemoans Arthur, throwing his head back and turning around, “I liked it better when you two were moping. Can you just –” He looks past you and suddenly, his eyes brighten. “Red Shoes!”

He waves his arm. You turn on your heel, catching sight of who you’re certain is Red Shoes dashing towards the entrance of the Avenue. She doesn’t so much as slow down or look over her shoulder.

“Stop!”

You blink, and a gust of wind blows by as two giant men barrel past you. It doesn’t take much to figure out who they’re chasing after.

Merlin yanks your arm a split second later.

“Get on!”

“Get on what –” Realizing his plan, you scramble after him onto the Wood-Rabbit’s back. “What about Arthur?”

Merlin clutches onto the greenery sprouting from the back of the rabbit’s head. “He’ll catch up!”

You yelp as the Wood-Rabbit stands up, grabbing a fistful of moss with your right hand. Your left hand isn’t so lucky.

The creature bounds forward, and you fly several inches up into the air. With a panicked gasp, you wrap your loose arm around the next sturdiest thing and squeeze tight.

Merlin lets out a mix between a wheeze and a cough as you all but crush his lungs. “What are you doing?” he yells, trying to pry your hand from his coat. “Grab Red Shoes!”

The rabbit jumps again, bringing your heart to your throat, and you tighten your grip. “You’re the rescuer, aren’t you?!”

“How can you expect me to – just do it!”

“I can’t!”

“Yes, you can!”

“I can’t!” you shriek just as you catch up to Red Shoes, throwing your arm out. She grabs it, and when the rabbit jumps, she soars upward and lands right behind you.

“I’m okay!” she yells, grabbing the moss on the Wood-Rabbit’s back with far better luck than you.

Merlin looks back, exhaling with relief when he sees Red Shoes. “Thank Morgaina,” he exclaims. The four of you sail past the Avenue’s entrance, and his attention then turns to you, his eyebrows raising as you dig your fingers into his coat again. “See, was that so hard, you big baby?”

“You’re a jerk,” you shout. But your nerves are alight, and your blood is rushing, and a sharp, wild laugh bubbles from your throat for the very first time. “If we die, I’ll kill you myself!”

“Like you could!” he says. You feel laughter rumbling through his chest, fresh and real and alive.

(Your heart jumps into your throat again.)

Behind you, Red Shoes dissolves into giggles. The adrenaline pounding in your head brings with it the hysterical relief that only comes from a terrifying experience, and your laughter joins hers and Merlin’s, cracking the air and leaving your pursuers in its wake.

This curse is going to take years off your life, you think. You find yourself not caring nearly as much as you should.

—

#prince merlin #merlin x reader #red shoes and the seven dwarfs #rsat7d #rsatsd #fanfic #reader insert #yes this fic is NOT dead #i've resuscitated it and it is groaning and limping along like an offbrand frankenstein :')

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