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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"Well we can just tell him we were studying...something else. Something that is definitely not magic," Merlin suggested.

"Maybe I need to get to know him then," Merlin said, as if he hadn't already decided to do that anyway. "And you've never heard of curses? Enchantments? Like making someone coughing up a toad."

"Maybe another class then? Like literature or something?" Literature was a safe excuse, right? Arthur couldn't get suspicious of that if he saw them and they told him that.

"Why would you want to make someone cough up a toad?" That sounded....weird, and a little gross. Rapunzel had experience through Gothel talking to her about others on greed and selfishness, but she herself had never felt any animosity towards anyone before. Concepts like revenge didn't really compute to her, even after finding out all that Gothel had done and what her real motivation had been in keeping Rapunzel in the tower.

"Sounds like a plan," Merlin said, grinning.

"Well it's not the best use of magic, I know. But say there was someone who had been lying, and framed someone for magic by giving people eye drops that would make them hallucinate things like toads coming out of a sorcerer's mouth..." Merlin scowled at the thought of Aredian, and how close he'd come to getting Gaius executed. "But don't worry, I don't actually go around cursing people. Only when they really, really deserve it."

Rapunzel brightened a little at that, glad he agreed and that she could help him in this small way at least.

"I guess....depending on the circumstances. I can see how it might be necessary but it still doesn't sound very nice." she admitted, considering the examples Merlin had given thoughtfully. "I hadn't really thought about magic like that before."

"Magic is...it's like using a sword. It's a tool, and how it gets used depends on the wielder," Merlin explained. "A sword can be used to both to harm and to protect. And sometimes you might not want to use it to hurt anyone, but it's necessary if you want to keep your friends alive and safe." Merlin smile wistfully. "Your magic isn't like that though. I don't think your could ever harm anybody."

"I guess that makes sense, when you put it like that..." Rapunzel agreed with a nod. That definitely seemed to be true for most things, they could be used many ways depending on the intention of the wielder.

"I don't see how my magic could harm someone if it can only heal or keep people young. The magic here might be different though." She had to agree, in terms of her hair's powers she couldn't see how they might hurt someone. Unless it was a situation as Gothel had described and people tried to hurt her or each other to use it's power.

Merlin paused. "Maybe not harm people," Merlin said slowly. "But it could keep people alive longer they're meant to. Or give youth to someone who didn't deserve it."

Like Rapunzel's mother, Merlin suspected.

"I never thought what might happen if...." Rapunzel trailed off, biting her lip. What Eugene had said implied that Gothel had kidnapped her, had been using her and lying to her all these years. Exactly as Merlin said.

"Like Mother did." it was still hard to come to terms with, to believe such a thing, but the explanation made so much sense now in hindsight that she couldn't deny it, even if she still wished she could confront Gothel about it.

"Rapunzel?" Merlin said softly. Had she realised that her mother was using her? He hoped she had, but he didn't want to push her too hard. She had to realise that herself, and he just hoped that she would realise from his voice and expression that she could talk to him if she wanted to.

"She lied to me. All that time she kept telling me about men with pointy teeth and cannibals and poison ivy and I should have been running from her, not hiding from all that in my tower." Rapunzel was angry and upset, but not as much as she had been initially upon finding out at least. "She was just....using me. She's the one that kidnapped me when I was little, that cut my hair back then. Eugene told me."

"I'm sorry, Rapunzel," Merlin said. "She should never have done that. Your gift is yours, for you to choose when to use it. Not anyone else."

And if Eugene told Rapunzel this...maybe Rapunzel was right, and he wasn't that bad after all. A thief who didn't care about Rapunzel wouldn't bother to tell her how her mother had been mistreating her.

"If she kidnapped you, then she wasn't your real mother?" he asked.

"Well....I thought there was something about that portrait of the king and queen. The lost princess they mentioned, the one they released the lanterns into the sky for each year....that was....is me." She was still coming to terms with that. The idea of a mother and father as parents who genuinely cared about her. That she was apparently royalty. At least being here at the Garden would give some reprieve and she could talk to Eugene if and when she got too worried or upset.

"You're a princess?!" Merlin said, staring at Rapunzel in shock.

And to think, all this time he'd been thinking that Rapunzel was...well. A commoner like him...

"Well, that's what Eugene says. I'm....still kind of scared about it, but....it doesn't seem like they ever gave up on me. I just hope I don't let them down." Because this knowledge means she can't just ignore it, ignore her duties and responsibilities, even if she wanted to. She is just worried and insecure about such status being applicable to her of all people.

"You couldn't ever let anyone down," Merlin said, trying to reassure her. "They'd have to have loved you a lot, to keep looking all that time. They'll appreciate you however you are."

"I hope so. I guess that is what I'm mostly nervous about, but also....my parents. I barely remember them. After Mother Gothel raised me and all..." even if she didn't know the whole story, the truth about just what Gothel's fate was, she couldn't help worrying. Gothel surely wouldn't just let Rapunzel leave.

"You'll get to know them again," Merlin said, although he faltered a bit when he thought about his own father. He'd grown up not even knowing his name, and then when he'd finally met the man he died soon after.

But no - Rapunzel wouldn't have that. Things would be different for her, he was sure.

"And don't you want to know what they're like?"

"I know. I do....want to meet them. I guess I'll see them when I get back home. Somehow." She's not too sure on the details, really. Eugene had been vague, but she sort of understood the basics and the implications at least. That was enough for now until she sat down and talked with him about it properly.

"You know who they are now. You can go looking for them," Merlin suggested. Then he grins at her. "You got yourself to Corona, didn't you? You could probably get to anywhere you wanted."

"Well....I know where they are. The castle is kind of hard to miss. I did manage to get there in the end. Even if the guards kept chasing Eugene and we have to avoid them in Corona." She couldn't deny that. Even with everything, she had gotten herself there, with Eugene's help and guidance of directions.

"See? You'll find them with no trouble," Merlin said. Then he paused and looked at her. "Exactly how much did Eugene steal if he's known by the guards on sight?"

"Well....the one thing I know he stole was a crown? Apparently it belonged to the prin--er, me." She hadn't really known what it was at first but recognized it from the portrait she had seen of the royal family in Corona. "That's how I managed to get him to be my guide. I hid it and told him he wouldn't get it back until he took me to see the lanterns and bought me home."

"He stole a crown?!" Merlin said, his eyebrows rising up. He imagined what Uther would do to anyone who would dare to steal a crown and winced. "...Maybe when you go to see your parents it would be best to not take Eugene with you. Royalty don't tend to react when when people go around stealing their royal jewels. Well. your royal jewels."

"Yes. But I'm sure they will understand since by stealing it and being chased by the guards he found my tower? I'm not sure if I could find my way back to Corona on my own without him." Besides, Rapunzel would be nervous enough without being alone at the time.

Merlin paused. It seemed a little strange to try and help Rapunzel defend this thief when he was...well, a thief, but he was starting to come around to this 'Eugene'. "You could ask your parents to take mercy on him. The might be willing to forgive."

Unless they were like Uther, but Merlin decided that it would be better to not mention that.