concoursec | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Character(s): Merlin, Rapunzel
Location: The library
Rating: PG
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed
Summary: After Arthur's arrival, Merlin seeks out the only person who knows about his magic.

Arthur was here; and more than that, he was here from two years in Merlin's future; a future where he was King but magic was still banned, where Morgana lived but had become everything Merlin feared, and where Merlin still had to hide.

Arthur still hated magic, and now he was here in this place where they had classes on magic.

If he'd been back in Camelot, Merlin would have immediately sought out Gaius for his advice. But he wasn't in Camelot, and Gaius wasn't here. So Merlin went looking for the only person around that even knew he had magic.

He didn't find her until he got to the library, but by then Merlin was looking distinctly frazzled.

"Rapunzel!"

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Rapunzel was sitting and reading a book when Merlin came in and found her, looking up at the sound of her name in a familiar voice. It was Merlin. She smiled slightly before noticing his frazzled appearance. She could only guess that it had to do most likely with Arthur's appearance here in the Garden.

"Is...everything okay?" She asked, brushing some hair behind her ear. She hadn't managed to get much out of Arthur herself as to what he last remembered or anything but Merlin was looking pretty distressed, so something must have happened. Beyond the obvious of Arthur turning up here with the rest of those pulled in by the Time Compression.

Merlin took a deep breath. "Arthur's here," he said, completely unaware that Rapunzel had already met him.

"Oh! Yes, I met him when he arrived, or shortly after, at least.... But, don't worry! I didn't tell him about your magic. I kept my promise!" Rapunzel exclaimed quickly, hastening to reassure Merlin that his secret was safe with her and she had not revealed anything about his magic (or even her own) to Arthur.

"I know you're worried but he didn't seem to be reacting too badly to the situation, finding himself here, really.....?"

"...You did?" Merlin said, blinking for a moment, before turning concerned. "You didn't tell him about your magic, did you? Because you can't ever, ever tell him Rapunzel, Arthur, he won't..."

Merlin stopped, not quite able to bring himself to say out loud that Arthur wouldn't ever understand. "He's from my future, Rapunzel. Two years forward, and he's the King. But magic is still illegal."

Edited 2012-01-02 11:59 (UTC)

"I did. I told him you were here so he knew he wasn't alone being brought here from Camelot at least. And I didn't mention my magic either. After what you told me about home and all the times Mother warned me about my hair and it's powers, I figured it would be best to keep quiet about it, at least for now."

She paused as Merlin continued, eyes widening before she frowned slightly at the news. "So he carried on what his father believed? You would still have to hide?" she bit her lip, instinctively moving her hand to his empathetically.

"I thought that when Arthur was King, that I'd be able to tell him," Merlin said quietly. He didn't move away from Rapunzel's gesture. "And then he'd change things, and people with magic wouldn't have to hide anymore. But he doesn't know, and if I can't tell him when he's king, then will I ever be able to tell him at all?"

"I don't know. Telling him might mean he changes his mind, like you said, or....or he might still not be able to think ill of his father and his ideals. I don't know him as well as you to say which is more likely, but I don't think it's a decision you should make lightly or rush with." Rapunzel didn't have too much experience with this sort of thing, the closest to it was hearing from Eugene that Gothel had lied to her about her past, and she was still deciding what to do about it herself and sort out her feelings on the issue.

"I don't know. I don't know everything that's happened, and maybe..." Merlin pauses. "There was someone close to Arthur, who also had magic. And she...she betrayed us."

Merlin bit his lip. Thinking of Morgana he couldn't help but feel guilty. He'd nearly killed her - he hadn't wanted to, but he had. But she had helped Morgause, in a plan that would have ended with the deaths of everyone in Camelot. But he had hoped that maybe Morgana hadn't really wanted to kill everyone, that Morgause had just made her, that one day she'd come back and everything would be alright again. But from what Arthur had told him, that wasn't what would happen.

"If Morgana used magic against Arthur, I don't know if he'll ever be able to accept it."

"I guess you can't be too specific in asking him the reasoning and exact details on what's happened for him that you don't remember yet." It was similar to Eugene remembering more than she did, she figured. "Did he know she could use magic? What did did she have?" Was it similar to Merlin's, she wondered? It was hard to tell, each world seemed so unique, and her own powers were special for her back home as well, yet they could use all kinds of different magic here in the Garden.

"Do you know for sure why she did though? Maybe if you and Arthur knew the reasons behind what she did....?" It was all too similar to herself and Gothel in some ways, it pained Rapunzel to see Merlin in such a situation. She only hoped things would work out and he would no longer need to stop hiding his gifts like she did, that she could help him somehow.

"Well I definitely can't just go up to him and say, 'Arthur, why haven't you made magic legal?'" Merlin said, despondent. "And no, he didn't know. At least, not from the time I remember. And as for Morgana's magic...it's not like mine, but then Gaius is always telling me that no one's magic is like mine," Merlin smiled weakly. "Her magic only started flaring up recently. And she's a seer, which I'm not."

Merlin clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them. "I can understand her hating Uther. I can't even really blame her for wanting to kill him. When you're always having to hide who you are, wondering if maybe this will be the day when you end up on the pyre..." Merlin would be lying if he said that he'd never wished Uther dead himself.

"But before I came here, she helped nearly bring Camelot. She agreed to be the focus for a spell that would put everyone in Camelot to sleep. Everyone, no matter who they were. Uther I can understand, but the people of Camelot...they don't deserve to die for Uther's sins. I thought...I hoped that maybe she'd just gotten confused, that she'd realise that it wasn't right to hurt, and that she'd understand why...why I had to stop her." Merlin took in a deep breath. "I can understand why. But even then, it doesn't matter. Uther's taught Arthur that magic always corrupts. He'll think that it's the magic that is at fault."

"A seer? What kind of magic is that? You mean she's...sort of like a fortune teller or something, she can tell what might happen?" Rapunzel asked, curious about the magic of other worlds despite the situation at hand.

She hated the idea of being afraid of being killed for something like that, something the person had no control over, the guilt and fear they must have to live with. She couldn't totally understand wanting to kill someone, but it was hard to say and she was sure others might have done the same if put in that situation, at least.

"But magic doesn't always corrupt! We're proof of that."

"Morgana dreams of the future. Nightmares, usually, and Gaius has been giving her potions to help her sleep for years now." Merlin's expression turned guilty, as he thought of all the things he might have done. Maybe if he'd told her about his magic, maybe if he'd let her stay with the druids, maybe did something different...she'd have stayed the say she was. Stayed his friend.

It was still hard to believe that she had become someone that Arthur would call enemy.

"Arthur doesn't know that. Uther's never given him the chance to see the good that magic can do, and because of the purge most of the sorcerers that come to Camelot come there for revenge. The people Arthur knows with magic are usually trying to kill him."

"She can see something in her dreams before it happens? That's amazing! I never thought of magic like that before. But....I guess that's another thing others might want to take advantage of, right?" Because though Rapunzel genuinely seemed a lot better in matters of trusting others for the most part, there was still, and probably always would be a small part that nagged at her of her Mother's paranoia instilled in her after years of her warnings and lies.

"It can be hard, if someone grows up believing one thing then finds out it's....different, but maybe here, if Arthur sees other ways magic can be used, to help people, that aren't necessarily trying to hurt others, or him....if we're given a chance at least..." Things might be different. Whatever Merlin decided, however he dealt with this, Rapunzel would do her best to help him.

Merlin nodded. "Yes. But seeing the future...it's not as amazing as you might think. You see horrible things, things you couldn't bear to ever happen, and then you see them again when they happen for real..." Merlin trailed off. He wasn't a seer, not like Morgana. But glimpsing into the Crystal of Neahtid had been enough. "And maybe. I don't know, I don't think it was ever something that Morgana could control."

"I hope so," he said quietly. "But I don't know what I'm going to do, Rapunzel. He's going to be suspicious of everything here. And it doesn't help that the whole reason we're here is because of magic."

"I guess that's true. She probably couldn't control what she saw, and sometimes it might only have been what might happen unless things changed somehow....." Rapunzel mused, still not entirely sure how this other magic worked exactly but trying to get her head around it and understand nonetheless.

"I know for sure at the very least he'll see people using healing magic, and defensive ones too. So maybe that will at least be a start....though I don't think the Time Compression pulling us here helps too much...." she trailed off, biting her lip.

"I don't know if what she saw ever changed. Seeing the future, it's...tricky," Merlin said, in the understatement of the year.

"You won't show him your magic, will you?" Merlin asked, concerned. "I mean I hope Arthur will come around, but if he doesn't..."

"Maybe it didn't. I am not sure how something like that would work.....it's different from the magic I know." Rapunzel admitted honestly, appreciating the difficulty of it even as she runs a hand through her hair.

"I haven't said anything to him yet. About your magic or mine. I figured that would be best, at least until I could talk to you about it..."

"Your magic is different from anything I've even heard of," Merlin agreed. "Actually, I don't think that magic is always the same in different worlds." He didn't know much about this world's magic yet, but from what he'd read while secretly trying to read up on it in the library, it wasn't the same as his magic. And if Rapunzel's was different yet again...well, who could say that any worlds' magics would be alike?

"Maybe...maybe if he does come around you could, but until then..." But maybe Rapunzel could show Arthur that magic could be used for good, a traitorous part of him said. But he couldn't ask that of her. He couldn't ask Rapunzel to risk herself just to prove something to Arthur, especially not when she'd been through so much.

"It seems....pretty unique, even here. But the healing aspect isn't as much, given they have cure magic here at least. But you're right, I think magic can be different depending on where people are from." she agreed with a nod.

"Well, I thought I should talk to you before I did anything. I want to help show him magic can be used to help others, but I don't want to get you in trouble or anything...." Rapunzel did trust Merlin, after all, and knew Arthur couldn't be so bad if he was Merlin's friend at least. But at the same time, she was aware it could be risky as well.

"Healing's always important, no matter how unique it is," Merlin said firmly. Maybe Rapunzel didn't have Merlin's range or power, but her gift was still amazing.

"Are you sure? If Arthur knows about your magic...I don't even know what he'll say. Would you really be alright with doing that?" Merlin said, looking torn. He was touched that she wanted to help, but at the same time worried for her.

"I think it has more to do with time, for mine at least. It's....like I reverse it or something, keeping people young or reversing injuries, I guess." Rapunzel mused, but agreed that it was important. Gothel had instilled that into her over the years. It was why she had never left the tower.

"Well....I don't think he'd attack because of it or anything? Everyone here has classes in magic, at least the basics. So...if it would help. I've been quiet about it but Eugene is here and he knows about my magic. "

"See, that's still pretty amazing," Merlin said, grinning for a moment. "There's probably not many healing magics that can do that."

Merlin shook his head. "No, he wouldn't hurt you. If nothing else, Arthur will respect the laws here. But...that doesn't mean he'll react well, either." Then Merlin paused, and turned to look at Rapunzel. "...Who's Eugene?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure how other healing works exactly, really....I'm still learning the basic magic at Garden." The healing came more naturally, but she was working at the others too.

That was more or less what Rapunzel had figured so she nodded with Merlin's assessment of Arthur and his likely reaction. "Oh! Eugene...He's the one who climbed up to my tower and I got him to be my guide when I left to see the lanterns!"

"What their magic like?" Merlin asked eagerly. "I've been reading about it, but it's not the same as actually trying it yourself..." Maybe he wouldn't ever be able to use this other magic himself, but he could vicariously attempt to learn about it through Rapunzel.

"Eugene's the thief?" Merlin said, eyes widening. "He's here?"

"Well, there are different kinds of magic here. I mean, there is cure, and some defensive spells but there are also ones that are offensive too. I am not sure reading about it would be the same but I've been trying to study more myself." Which was what she had been doing before Merlin had arrived at the library and distracted her, but she didn't mind that. Arthur was more important an issue to deal with, after all. "I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but it's...different from my hair and it's powers."

"Yes! He is!" Rapunzel exclaimed as Merlin inquired about her guide. "I'm glad he is, that someone else from home is here." Even if that came at the price of learning more than she remembered and the implications that arose from it.

"