Teach Me

Chapter 7

"Are we close?" Merlin asked Mordred as the day was nearing an end.

Mordred nodded and pointed down the hill that they were just now walking over the top of. Merlin looked down and saw a group of tents together and he smiled at the sight of it.

"Alright then, we're almost there," he said happily.

The trio started to make their way down the large hill and before they knew it, they were at the entrance of the Druid's camp.

"Who goes there?"

Mordred spoke up, "it's Mordred, and I've brought friends."

A man in a dark cloak walked from behind a tree and embraced Mordred, "welcome back." He released Mordred and looked at Merlin and Morgana, "who are your friends?"

"I was in Camelot and the guards were looking for me. They wanted me executed. Merlin and Morgana helped me escape and they brought me home."

The man smiled warmly at the pair, "you have shown kindness to one of our own at a great cost, we would be glad to return the favor by giving you somewhere to stay if you are ever to need it, including tonight."

Morgana smiled at him, "some warm food might be nice."

Merlin piped up, "and maybe a place to sleep?"

The old man laughed, "of course, of course. Come right in."

He motioned for them to follow him and Mordred through the various tents set up everywhere.

Merlin and Morgana gazed in amazement as they watched the Druids practice their magic everywhere around them. At first Morgana was a little startled, but soon she began to grin at the beauty of it. Merlin was beaming from ear to ear at the thought of staying here and being able to be himself, something he was never given the chance to do before.

The old man led them to a small tent with two mats inside of it, both adorned in multiple pillows and blankets, "I hope this will do."

Morgana smiled, "oh this is wonderful, thank you."

She walked over to her mat and smiled at the comfort that the multiple pillows were giving her. Merlin left her in the tent and walked with the old man, "is it possible that we might have something to eat?"

The man laughed, "of course! Why don't I fetch you something and bring it to your tent?"

Merlin shook his head, "you don't need to go through the trouble, I can do it myself."

The man shook his head, "I won't hear it. After all you've done for young Mordred, it would be my pleasure to do anything I can to help you."

Merlin smiled awkwardly, "well, thank you."

He turned around and walked back into the tent, "I'm not used to people bringing ME food," he said as he sat down on his mat.

Morgana sighed, "yeah well, having people serve you isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sometimes I wish I could just do things for myself. I envy you, Merlin."

Merlin's eyes widened, "you envy me?"

She nodded, "of course I do. Although, you do have to spend all day with Arthur," she reconsidered. "But you do get to live your life without people expecting you to be perfect. Everywhere I go, people expect me to act a certain way. Sometimes I wish I could have a day off, you know?"

Merlin smiled and shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Although I do sometimes wish for a day off. I think that not having to do anything for a day sounds nice."

"It gets awful boring," Morgana commented.

Merlin chuckled, "I can't even remember the last time I was bored. I'm usually up at the crack of dawn running errands for Gaius and Arthur and my day doesn't end until I've put Arthur to bed."

Morgana gave him a sympathetic smile, "that doesn't sound very fun."

Merlin shrugged, "I don't really mind it all the time. Back home I used to work just as often."

"Where is home for you, Merlin?"

"Ealdor," he replied fondly.

"I've never heard of Ealdor," she said, lying down and propping herself up with her elbow.

"Not many people have. It's a small farming town. We didn't have much, but we always had each other. We looked out for one another."

She smiled, "that sounds nice."

He nodded, "it was."

"Why'd you leave?"

Well, people started to grow uneasy at the thought of his having magic. His mother did the best she could but eventually she wanted to send him away, for his own good. She sent word to Gaius and he gladly took Merlin in. Merlin replied, "I guess I needed a change of scenery, and Gaius is a family friend."

"So then how did you become Arthur's servant?"

Merlin laughed, "I saved his life and Uther decided to thank me by making me Arthur's servant."

Morgana joined him in laughter, "what kind of thanks is that?"

Merlin shrugged, "I have no idea, but I don't really mind. Sure, Arthur can be a prat at times, but he's not so bad."

"I have your dinner," came a voice from outside their tent.

"Come in," Morgana told him.

The old man came in with two trays of hot chicken and cooked potatoes, "these are for you. Goodnight," he nodded to them and left them.

"Thank you," they both replied before digging in.

"So are we heading back to Camelot tomorrow?"

Merlin swallowed his food and then replied, "right after breakfast, that way we hopefully won't be missed and even if we are, if it's only for a day, Gwen can cover for us."

Morgana nodded and after clearing her plate, pushed it aside and pulled the blankets over herself.

Merlin soon did the same and blew out the small flame in the lamp between them.

"Goodnight, Merlin."

"Goodnight, M'lady."