by Emrys Apollo
"Yes, Gareth's father saw Tristan's mark and asked if I was a blue mage. Normally we don't offer this information in the beginning, but if we're asked then we need to be truthful."
Gareth stopped walking and frowned. "What mark? I saw no mark on Tristan?"
Tristan walked over to the tall blond and pulled up his sleeve. "This mark. It's the mark of a blue mage guardian. I could tell by the way his eyes widened when he looked over at me. He knew that we weren't just random people trying to get in."
Gareth reached out and touched Tristan's birthmark. "I'd always wondered why he let you in so fast. I thought maybe it had to do with what he told me later. I never imagined it was something visible."
Tristan replaced his sleeve and wandered over to walk next to Hector again.
Merlin watched the frown disappear from Hector's face. He smiled to himself.
Lance frowned at Merlin. "What's the matter?"
Merlin chuckled and walked in pace with Lance. "It's nothing. Anyway, they let us in to stay at the inn for the night. Only, we didn't sleep that long."
Tristan sighed. "I finally got a nice warm bed to sleep in and something attacked the village."
Lance’s eyes widened. "The Dark Lord's forces?"
Merlin shook his head. "We thought so at first, but it turned out to be a warring village to the south. Tristan and I hurried outside from the inn to see what was happening."
Tristan frowned. "It was a battlefield out there. Clashing swords and shields, cries of anguish and death."
"Yes, and I wanted to help them. Up until that point I'd never used my powers in a real battle. Three men were going after Gareth and his father while their backs were turned. I aimed and let my power go."
Tristan snorted. "And promptly collapsed to the ground. The sire hadn't realized that using his powers full blast would drain him that fast. Though when he did, everyone froze."
Gareth chuckled and brushed a tree limb to the side. "That's because we've never seen magic before. We were a warrior race; we fought with weapons forged in town."
Tristan nodded. "As we soon found out. Once they saw that Merlin was a blue mage, everyone came for us. Apparently their enemies to the south weren't as wise to not attack a mage."
Merlin sighed. "We had to fight our way out. Once I figured out how to limit my power, I could help Tristan if needed."
Gareth frowned and sighed. "But first, you needed to get out of the gate."
Merlin frowned along with him. "Yes, that we did. We arrived at the gate to see Gareth kneeling down beside someone."
"My father. I only glanced away for a moment and an enemy attacked him from behind. I was....I was trying to get him to save his strength, but he wouldn't listen."
Merlin nodded and left Lance’s side to walk beside Gareth. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "Though it was important what he had to say."
Lance watched them in silence, unsure if he should interrupt them or not.
Tristan sighed. "I could see from the way that Gareth's father was gesturing, that he wanted his son to come on our journey."
Gareth wiped away an errant tear from his face with the back of his hand. "Yes, he...he told me that it was my destiny to accompany a blue mage, should one appear. That I should not grieve for his death....he died bravely without any regrets."
Merlin gripped Gareth's shoulder tight. "As one last thing, I drained his father's life into my being. I didn't want the Dark Lord to take someone so honor bound."
Gareth nodded. "I thank you for that. It's not something....something I could have asked for at the time."
"Indeed. We escaped the battles and made for the trees to the west. Gareth knew the area so we didn't get lost again in the darkened forest."
Lance frowned. "So you lost all of your family too? I'm starting to see a pattern here."
Merlin sighed and returned to Lance’s side. "To accompany me, you must not have any other ties, but to my own. It would distract you from your goal as guardians."
Lance turned to Hector. "I assume you lost yours as well?"
Hector sighed and nodded. "Yes, they were....." He stopped short and looked to the trees.
A crinkle of leaves close by stopped them in their tracks. Tristan and Gareth pulled out their swords and readied themselves for the attack. Hector grabbed an arrow and had it trained to the right.
Merlin sighed and whispered to Lance. "We'll have to finish this later."
Lance nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. He retrieved his sword and awaited the battle.
***
Merlin reached out his hand and stunned another man. He gasped for a breath from the madness around them. A group of ten creatures and men had ambushed the group right before sundown. His hands shook at his sides, his weakening body tiring from the constant charging of his powers.
Tristan and Gareth were in the front lines slashing and cutting down anyone who tried to get around Hector and Lance’s position by Merlin.
Hector readied his bow to take out another creature trying to double team Tristan. He turned to Lance. "Will this madness ever stop?"
Lance frowned and glanced over at Merlin. "I hope so, for sire's sake. He's getting weak."
Merlin grabbed a nearby tree to brace himself and catch his breath. Tired lungs forced damp air in at a fast pace, dizziness racked his body from exhaustion.
Lance spotted gold eyes in the distance. He saw the bow rise and ran for Merlin's position.
Merlin saw Lance at the last moment and frowned. "What's wrong?"
"No!"
Lance shoved Merlin to the ground and took the arrow hit to the chest.
Merlin's eyes widened and he scrambled up to catch Lance as he fell.
Tristan raced for the shooter and took him down with one strike of his sword. "You cowardly bastard!"
Hector fired off a few more arrows and ran for Merlin and Lance’s position. He looked down at Lance’s body in Merlin's arms and frowned. "Lance, you stupid idiot!"
Gareth knocked out the remaining men and left them in a pile. He eyed Tristan before walking over to Merlin's position.
Tristan frowned and sighed. He kneeled down beside Merlin. "Are you alright, sire?"
Merlin bit his lip and stared down at Lance. "Yes, I'm fine. But...but, he's not."
Lance's body lay limp in Merlin's arms, eyes rolled back into his head before he hit the ground.
Hector undid Lance’s shirt and eyed the injury. "Well, at least it's not a deep wound. Though it's going to bleed like hell when we remove the arrow."
Tristan sighed. "Just tell me what you need me to do."
Hector turned back to Merlin. "You need to let him go, sire. I can't fix him until you do."
Merlin gripped Lance tighter. "I don't want to lose him. Hector, please."
The healer sighed and touched Merlin's shoulder. "I can't promise you that, sire. But I can't begin to make him better without you letting his body go. He's probably bleeding inside and I need to stop it."
Tristan pulled on Merlin's arm. "Sire, this needs to be done. Please."
Tears weaved down Merlin's face. He sighed and let go of Lance’s body.
Hector rose to comfort Merlin and Tristan pulled him back down.
"Gareth can take care of him, this one is dying."
Hector nodded and searched in his pouches for some herbs.
***
Merlin watched on from the side, Gareth arms holding him from behind. A deep frown filled his face, emotions swirling inside out of control.
The enemies stirred on the ground behind them, groaning and cursing.
Gareth looked back at them and then back to Merlin. "What do you want to do with them, sire?"
Merlin wiggled out of Gareth's arms and headed for the trees where the man who shot Lance lay. He closed his eyes and gathered up his power.
Tristan turned around and called out. "Don't even think about calling up Vengeance, sire. I've already dealt with him."
Merlin sighed and
let the built up energy drain away. "It's my right, Tristan."
Tristan turned back to Lance’s body. "No, it's not. It's only your right if you and he were lovers. And you weren't."
Merlin's face crumbled, his hands brushed the falling tears. "Doesn't....doesn't mean I don't care for him. Dammit, why did he have to run into us in the forest? Why couldn't have he followed the path like everyone else?"
Gareth walked over to Merlin and put his arms around him. "You said it yourself back then, it was fate that he would appear. Not even you can change fate."
One of the fallen enemies tried to get up and Gareth pushed him back down with his foot.
"Sire, we have to deal with them. Either I kill them outright or you drain them."
Merlin nodded and walked out of Gareth's arms. He stood over the men and reached out to touch them. Blue energy flowed out of their bodies, wrapping around Merlin's arm and into his being.
The fallen gave out one last gasp and turned gray with death.
Merlin's eyes drifted shut, harnessing the power he'd been granted and storing it away for another day.
***
Tristan frowned and watched Hector sprinkle some herbs over Lance’s chest. "How bad is it?"
Hector shrugged and grabbed a few more from his bag. "I don't know. It's not helping that he's still out. He could have damage inside that I don't know about. This...this all could be for nothing."
Tristan reached over and touched Hector on the arm to still his movement. "Stop that. You will fix him, I know you will."
Hector's eyes drifted over to the side. "You place too high a value on me. I'm just a simple herbalist, nothing more. I'm not a miracle worker, Tristan."
"So you're just going to give up and let him die? Break the sire's heart into a million pieces, just like that? No, that doesn't sound like the Hector I know."
Hector sighed. "Thanks Tristan, just what I needed - more pressure on me."
Tristan looked over at Merlin who was draining the fallen enemies one by one. He leaned over Lance’s body to within a few inches of Hector's face. "Listen to me, you have to fix him. And I know you can do it if you focus. They don't have to know what I know; I've kept it secret for this long. Please, Hector."
The herbalist sighed and glanced over at Merlin to make sure he wasn't looking over. He looked back at Tristan and nodded. "Remove the arrow when I give you a nod."
Tristan nodded and got into position over Lance’s body.
Hector's eye drifted shut, hands pressed tightly against Lance’s chest. He took a deep breath and his hands started to first glow pink and then deep red in color.
Tristan felt the energy crackle around them, heat of the power warming his body along with Lance’s.
Hector's eyes flew open and he nodded vigorously at Tristan to remove the arrow.
Tristan grasped the wooden piece and yanked it out of Lance’s chest in one fluid movement.
Lance’s eyes opened and he screamed at the pain racing through his veins.
Merlin raced over to his side and grasped Lance’s hand.
Hector harnessed his powers back into his being quickly before Merlin noticed the extra warmth around them.
Merlin leaned down. "Lance?"
Lance gasped for air, hands reaching out for something unseen.
Hector called over to Gareth. "Bring me some clean water!"
Gareth nodded and grabbed the canteen from the ground. He brought it over to Hector, who reached down to put it to Lance’s lips.
"Here, drink this. You've been injured and your body is still trying to heal from it."
Lance sighed and drank deeply from the canteen.
Merlin frowned and looked over at Hector. "Is that normal? I mean, he's acting like he's been dried in the sun."
Hector nodded. "Yes it is. Though I think I might have given him a bit too much of this red herb. Sorry about that, sire."
Merlin chuckled and patted Hector on the shoulder. "It happens. I'm just....I'm just glad he's awake."
***
Lance lay in a small clearing of trees, resting from his injury.
Merlin sighed and watched him from the side, deciding whether or not to sit by his side or just watch.
Hector looked up from his pack and rolled his eyes. "Sire, go sit by him already. I know you want to by your body language. It's not like he's going to complain."
Merlin flushed and ducked his head down. "Is it that obvious?"
Hector chuckled. "Even to Tristan and he's out keeping guard. I know you're worried, so go be with him."
"He's....he's better now? I mean, you fixed him and such?"
Hector nodded. "Yes, I've fixed him. Now will you go be with him or do I have to physically pick you up and do it myself?"
Merlin chuckled and spread out his hands. "Fine fine, I'll do it."
***
The blue mage sat beside Lance’s pale form. He sighed and reached out for Lance’s hand to hold. Gloved fingers interlocked between the long, rough fingers of a farmer.
Lance sighed in his sleep.
Merlin frowned and bit his lip. "I...I don't know what to say. You...you risked your life for me. I mean, of course that's your job, but I never....I never expected it to happen so quickly."
Lance’s lips parted to breathe deeply.
"I give you my thanks. I was too busy watching the trees in front to see that archer. I won’t make that mistake again."
Lance’s eyes fluttered open and glanced over at Merlin. He licked his dry lips and watched a bright smile light up Merlin's face.
"Hey, I...I was just making sure you were rested."
Lance sighed at the mage. "I heard everything, sire. I was...I was only half sleeping."
Merlin flushed and looked down at the ground. "Yes, I figured that. I just....just wanted you to know that I am grateful."
Lance smiled and glanced down at their entwined fingers. He squeezed Merlin's hand a little. "It's my duty to protect you. I told you I would risk my life if need be."
Merlin frowned. "Yes, I remember. I just...I don't know what I would do if you were...you were lost."
Lance bit his lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. "You would carry on with Tristan, Hector, and Gareth like you had before I joined you."
Merlin's eyes slipped shut. "Yes, but I...."
Tristan walked into the clearing and snorted. "Sire, are you alright?"
Merlin's eyes opened and he nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Lance is awake again."
Tristan turned to Lance. "Do you still feel weak from the injury? The reason I ask is because we've lingered too long in this area. I don't want any of the Dark Lord's minions to ambush us."
Lance moved to get up in bed. "Yes, I think I'm better now."
Merlin frowned and let go of Lance’s hand. He sighed and stood beside Tristan.
Lance mirrored Merlin's reaction and shuffled his body up into a sitting position. He winced at the tightened muscles over his ribs.
Tristan frowned. "You're still feeling pain?"
Lance licked his lips. "A little, but I can push past it."
Tristan sighed and shook his head. "No, you can't. You'll be useless to us in battle."
Lance pushed himself up to his feet. He wobbled in place and fell forward into Merlin's body.
Merlin grabbed a hold of Lance’s form and tried to steady him. "Careful, you haven't been on your feet for a few days."
Lance’s head rose and looked into Merlin's eyes. The blue mage swallowed hard, their faces only a few inches apart.
Tristan sighed and pulled Lance out of Merlin's arms. "You're going to weaken the sire if you lean on him like that." He turned his head and called out for Hector.
The herbalist dashed through the trees, bow in hand.
Tristan chuckled. "He's still feeling pain in his chest. Do you have something that would abate it?"
Hector nodded and put down his bow. He rummaged in his pack and pulled out an herb from within. "Here, this will ease the pain.
"
Tristan took the herb and gave it to Lance to eat.
Lance’s face twisted up.
"I never said it would taste good, but it will help with your pain. Though I'm not sure why you are still having it." He moved over to Lance and touched his chest. "Does that hurt?"
Lance swallowed the herb and winced. "Yes, it does."
"A dull ache or a stabbing pain?"
Lance licked his lips. "A dull ache."
Hector sighed and pushed Lance to lie back down on the bed. "He needs another day of rest. He's not well enough to travel."
Tristan frowned. "But we can't linger here this long, Hector."
"Don't you think I know that, Tristan? He'll be useless in battle, you know that very well."
Tristan sighed and threw his hands into the air. "Fine, one more day." He walked away from the group and into the trees in a huff.
Hector sighed and turned back to Lance. "Ignore him. He's just worried, that's all. Just get some rest and let me know if anything else starts to hurt."
Lance nodded and glanced over at Merlin. "Will you stay with me?"
Merlin bit his lip and looked up at Hector. The herbalist rolled his eyes and left them to wander into the trees.
"Sire?"
Merlin nodded and sat beside Lance again. "Of course."
Lance sighed and closed his eyes again.
***
Hector didn't have to walk far to find Tristan punching a small tree back and forth. He sighed and wandered over to stand beside Tristan. "He'll get better, Tristan. There's no use in getting worked up about it. It's a waste of energy."
Tristan rounded on Hector, eyes filled with anger. "That's not why I'm angry! I've worked so hard to keep them apart and you freely shove them back together again."
Hector sighed. "They love each other."
"I know that! And I wish they didn't. He's going to be busy thinking about Lance and not the mission."
Hector reached out to touch Tristan's arm, but the guardian pulled away from it.
"Stop pushing them together, they can't be together. You know this as much as I do."
Hector looked at the ground. "Lance needs someone to fill his broken heart. He's lost so much that I have my doubts he would have been lost without the sire."
Tristan snorted. "I don't care about his feelings; he can't be with the sire. If Lance is lost somehow, it will destroy the sire and I'm afraid he will abandon his journey." He looked into Hector's blue eyes. "I can't let that happen."