Drabbles, Dribbles, Fanfic Scribbles

Merlin [Merlin]

It was just his luck that he had ended up in Germany, during the Second World War. It was just his luck that the people who had offered him food and shelter were Jews. It was just his luck that he had grown so fond of them, that when one evening he had returned to find an empty house adorned with the Nazi flag, he had immediately set off to search for them, his blood boiling.

Right now, Merlin crouched near the fence of a Jewish camp. It had been advertised as a pretty little place where Jews were well taken care of, with little coffee shops and playgrounds for children. The sight before him told a different story. People were treated like dogs. The air reeked suspiciously of rotting flesh. The place was unfit for the lowest dregs of mankind.

Merlin dug under the fence and reached the other side. Suddenly, he froze, listening. There was boisterous laughter, too close for comfort. He crawled rapidly to a nearby overturned wheelbarrow.

He quickly scanned his surroundings. The laughter was coming from a shed that seemed like a guard outpost. Beyond that stood a long building. Merlin took a deep breath and sprinted towards the structure.

His heart nearly stopped when, halfway to his destination, the shed door swung open. The Nazis would see him, he would be gunned down, never to fulfil his destiny of serving the Once and Future King.

The thought almost made him turn back, but he knew he had to go on. It was what Arthur would have wanted. It was what Arthur would have done.

A moment later, the door swung shut as the guard on duty returned for another shot of alcohol. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, and ran.

The concentration camp was worse than he had imagined. The Jews lived in inhumane conditions, some of them looked like they had been tortured. Merlin's heart wept for them.

He spotted a file of Jews being roughly led into a massive box. Deciding to investigate, he moved quietly, until he stood in front of it. He watched in horror as the door was sealed shut by the man in the gas mask. He barely registered the heart wrenching cries, the begging, the pleading, the banging that slowly grew faint, until it died away entirely. He could not believe what he had just witnessed. Was this what the world was coming to? Was this the future to which Arthur would rise? For the first time in ages, Merlin was petrified.

He heard a thumping of boots. The advantage of corners was that they were dark, but they offered no escape route. Merlin crouched low as he listened to the footsteps growing louder with each passing second. There was nowhere to run. All he could do was shut his eyes and pray that he survive, pray that humanity survive, pray that the Once and Future King would rise. The world needed him now, more than ever.