Merlin stayed on gaurd, the clearing of men seeming to have gone silent.
The calm before the storm.
Then the branches snapped under the pressure of human bodies and they rushed into the clearing. Merlin hissed, his eyes glowing a bright gold as he took out the first wave of people, a fire wall surrounding his army.
"Was that it?" A young soldier asked. He was probably a rookie, just joined.
"No, that wasn't even warm up." An older solider tensely answered.
"Hold your ground." Arthur shouted his command.
"Hold your ground!" Someone from outside the fire mimicked. "Wash my sheets!" The same voice continued. "Kill the sorcerers!" It shouted. "Kill the men!" It finally ordered. With the command, a person walked through the fire.
Merlin let the wall drop, not wanting to have it backfire and trap them. Then the King pulled his sword with one hand and conjured a fire with the other. "Turn back now." He commanded easily.
The figure from in front of the army opened its mouth again. "Hunith, take Merlin and go. Don't look back. I will find you when it's safe." It mimicked with a wicked grin.
Merlin paled.
"Take this sword and go protect your mother and unborn sibling, understand?" It continued. Merlin was faltering. This was not expected and he wasn't prepared for the painful memories that resurfaced.
"No! Get out of my head!" Merlin shouted, his eyes flashing before he yanked both arms up and sent the water from an underground lake conviently placed under the army towards the tall figure.
It gave an almighty scream then dissapated into a mess of mud.
"So you figured it out huh? I suppose I should have used something that you haven't faced before but that list is so short and hard to come by these days. Isn't it Merlin?" A man asked as he stepped away from the trees.
"Who are you?" Merlin asked warily.
"Me? Just a mercenary. I gave the King a discount for having me attack Camelots army though." The Sorcerer jeered with a nasty smirk.
"Oh really? Why?" Merlin asked watching the man move into the light. Gasps sounded from around Merlin as everyone took in his charred form. "So this is about the Sorcery hunts is it? What happened, did you get accused and sentenced to burning?" Merlin asked, realizing the mans anger with certainty.
"I was burned alive! They thought I was dead but I wasnt. Not yet. They threw me in a ditch and left me there, If it wasn't for some druids I would have died! Even so, I'm cursed to this scarred form." The man growled angrily, his furious gaze landing on Arthur. "And you will pay for your father's deeds!" He shouted before letting lose a wave of fire.
Merlin quickly acted, raising his hands and drawing the fire in. Once he had a hold of it he pressured it until it was at bursting point and shot it back. It exploded in flaming glory.
"You know! I wasn't a sorcerer then! I was normal, but I vowed to be the one to kill Uther, so I learned. I trained and trained until I was perfect. Read everybook, eventually I got training with Morgana too, however I heard someone got to Uther first, before me. I will settle on Arthur's live instead." The man ranted angrily before he sent another spell aimed at Arthur.
Merlin blocked the spell with a click of his wrist then hissed at the foilage. Slowly, the underbrush, branches, and vines slithered out from the woods, trapping the second Sorcerer in their tight grip. He began to struggle but cried in pain as the bindings tightened.
"Don't struggle, they'll only become tighter." Merlin muttered before he motioned the man closer. "It's over." Merlin hissed.
"It will never be over until no more Pendragons live to tell the tale." The man spat before he violently struggled, with every intent to kill himself.
Merlin had other ideas though and released the man from the vines grasp. A wolf came from the woods and walked up to the Sorcerer. Merlin took the hilt of his sword and brought it down on the mans head. Then he pulled a potion out and forced it down his throat.
"Take him to Camelot and to the Queen and Princess there. Go now." Merlin ordered the animal who then dragged the body away, being joined by its pack at the clearings edge.
"Is it over now?" The same boy from earlier asked slowly as he lowered his sword. Merlin nodded, enticing a stand down order to erupt from Leon and Arrabella's mouths at the same exact tine. Slowly the men relaxed enough to sleep outside of the gaurds. Merlin and Arthur made their way back to the fire pit that they sat at earlier, being joined by the Knight's soon after.
"This is going to be a difficult journey isn't it?" Elyan asked as the knights all looked between themselves and the king with grimaces. No one wanted to admit that it would be the hardest thus far.
Merlin blinked awake just before dawn, moving about to pull out his rations and munch on them slowly as he packed. Soon enough the men were all packed and ready by dawn. Merlin mounted his horse and rode infront of the men.
"The mountains are a force to be reckoned with." Merlin warned his armies. "They are crumbling, steep, narrow, and slick. One wrong move and you will fall to your death. Watch your step." Merlin finished, everyone nodding and taking his warning as seriously as law.
"Nice optimism Merlin." Arthur jeered as he caught up to Merlin on the path with a playful grin.
"I'm serious Arthur, these mountains are some of the most dangerous. Typically we would take the tunnels except Draegan has taken control of their passage way, we have to go over the mountains." Merlin nervously stated, like he wanted nothing to do with the snow-capped range infront of him.
"What's wrong with the mountains?" Mordred asked curiously.
"They host a number of deadly creatures that range from shape-shifters to unusually large rats to snow farae." Merlin listed. "Not only that but they get so cold in places that they can kill a man within an hour." Merlin added.
"Can we go around?" Arthur asked.
"To go around would mean going hundreds of miles out of our way. By that pint we might as well just start a damn settlement there." Merlin replied as they walked up the steep path, a meadow far below.
"Oh." Arthur responded, his face etched with worry as he realized what this meant.
"Well, no point talking about it. Gwain said from his horse as he rode up in front.
"Gwain!" Merlin shouted from where he stopped.
"Yes my friend?" Gwain called over his shoulder.
"You're going the wrong way!" Merlin called back with a smug grin on his lips. Gwain stalked back to the group with a scowl schooled onto his features.
"Shut up." He muttered as he passed Merlin.
"I didn't say anything!" Merlin complained.
"You were thinking it!" Gwain fired back as he rode up the path.
Merlin warily looked up the path as he started riding again. He was nervous of the only option. "Into hell we go." He muttered before urging his horse faster to catch up with Arthur and the knights.