Over The Years | Merlin

i |The Dragon's Call

"Merlin watch out!" Elara warned, as her best friend tripped over an impossible-not-to-see boulder in the middle of the rocky path.

She threw her head back in laughter as she revelled in his unnaturally twisted position on the ground, his arms and legs sprawled apart awkwardly and his backpack now resting limply on his head. She stood with her arms crossed underneath her chest and a wide smirk plastered on her face.

"Honestly Merlin, I'm seriously worried about you," she chuckled as she shook her head in amusement, "you would think that with your talent, you would have found a way to make your eyesight better."

Merlin pushed himself up slightly off the leafy forest ground and turned only his head to look at her, his lips framed in a cheeky grin.

"Hey! You've always known that I've been clumsy," he defended, accepting Elara's extended hand as she pulled him back up to his feet. His brown backpack slumped down to the middle of his back once more.

"I think at this point the word clumsy is an understatement," Elara chuckled, dusting the leaves off of his back and gently elbowing him in his side with a smile.

He grinned down at her, her eyes level with his chin. She hadn't always been shorter than Merlin, but of course, once they both hit fifteen, it was game over for Elara.

Before she could react, Merlin reached down and grabbed a handful of autumn fallen leaves, only to throw them all over her chestnut brown hair and run ahead on the path. His giddish laughter echoed through the trees as she took off after him in a sprint.

"Merlin I swear...you will not get away with this!" She attempted to threaten him but couldn't restrain her laughter.

She followed him through the damp foliage, holding up the ends of her coffee-coloured long-sleeve tunic as her calf-skin brown boots crunched the autumn leaves under her feet. Strapped to her back was her most treasured possession and the only item that remained of her father; his dark rose-wood bow and arrow set. One after the other, the pair weaved between the towering trees as orange-green leaves rode the crisp morning wind.

"Got you!" she exclaimed as she ran into him. He had come to a stop at the start of a clearing.

You do realise that the whole point of 'tag' is that I don't catch you right?" Elara giggled as she looked at his face. His eyes remained straight ahead and glid over the scene in front of them, a small smile formed on his lips.

"Elara look," he marvelled, "we're here, it's Camelot."

A magnificent white stone castle sat perched on the top of a lush, grassy hill, its unique grandeur romanticised by the auburn sky. Red flags with golden dragons at their centre waved in the cool wind atop the castle's numerous turrets.

They had finally arrived.

***

The pair marvelled at the castle's innate glory as they strolled through the stone streets towards the centre of the city.

The bustling town buzzed with conversations between shop owners and customers, old friends, new friends and families alike, which contributed to the town's strong sense of vitality and pulse.

"Merlin look, your favourite!" Elara beamed as she pointed to a local shop owner's stand that sold the reddest apples that the two of them had ever seen.

As the pair reached the Western Entrance to the stone castle, the presence of the King's knights increased significantly, for a large assembly of citizens had gathered in the castle's central courtyard.

"What's going on?" Elara asked, shooting Merlin a quizzical look, but he only shrugged his shoulders.

The pair stood on their toes as they tried their best to see over the crowds, and eventually found a small gap between two groups of people that they squeezed in to.