A Different Kind of Magic

A Plan

The next morning, the guys finally came back, a bit tired, but in a good mood. Their mission had gone well, and Hans had even gotten his curse lifted. Idena was standing at the gate to greet them when they arrived.
"Welcome back."
"Good to be back." Hans said proudly.
"Well, look at you. Kiss a girl, did you?" She gave him a light punch on the shoulder. The cook grinned brightly.
"How's Merlin?" Jack asked.
"I'm doing just fine, thank you." The wizard came walking out of the palace. Idena spoke, ignoring him.
"He's doing well, but he seems to be suffering from a swollen ego."
"Ha ha, very funny." Merlin rested his elbow up on her shoulder, which she moved off, causing him to stumble forward.

The group started making their way inside, and Merlin began catching them up on the situation with the magical attack. Pino, Noki, and Kio spoke all at the same time.
"Off of Fairy Tale Island?!"
"Yeah. It's kind of crazy." Idena began talking, and Arthur pulled Merlin back, and started to lag behind the group.
"So..." Arthur spoke in a hushed tone. "What's going on between you and the witch?" He pointed towards Idena with his thumb, and Merlin laughed.
"First of all, she's not a witch, and second of all there is nothing going on between us."
"Are you kidding? I see the way you look at her." Arthur looked at his friend incredulously.
"Whatever." Merlin shrugged.

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The next morning, the F7, and Idena were standing around a table with the large map of the Island sitting out on top. It was the same map that Idena had used to track the magic source, so it had the shimmering green line going across it.
"The entire journey should only take a few days, that is, if the weather holds up, and we can find a way to cross the water." Idena noted, running her fingers along the paper.
"Couldn't you just summon a boat, or something to get across?" Arthur stepped forward.
"Not really my kind of magic." She shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, my magic requires energy from my body. So even if I could summon a boat, the energy it would require, would probably kill me." Jack chuckled, before realizing that she wasn't joking.
"Oh, sorry." The girl just smiled at him, before starting slightly, her eyes wide.
"Give me a second, guys. I'll be right back." With that, Idena stepped out.

Thinking that she had been offended, Merlin followed her out. He found her on the balcony, pacing back and forth, talking.
"I know, I've been gone for a lot longer than usual, but-" It sounded like she was cut off. After a minute or two, Idena resumed. "You know I never make requests like this. Please. Just this once. I'll return as soon as it's over." She paused again. "I... I understand."

Idena slumped down with her back against the wall. The wizard finally stepped out from the doorway to speak with her.
"What was that?" Merlin sat down next to her.
"That, was the queen."
"Your mother?"
"Adoptive mother, but yeah. She doesn't like that I'm spending this much time out here. Most likely, because now I'm not around to run her errands for her." The boy nodded slightly.
"Ah." He paused. "Wait... how were you talking to her?" Idena grabbed ahold of of simple silver chain around her neck, revealing a small green pendant.
"As long as I wear this, she can communicate with me telepathically." She replaced the necklace back underneath her shirt. "We should get back to the others."
"Right."

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The first day of travel, was pretty uneventful. It consisted of walking through fields, and a small forest. When the group of eight finally made camp for the night, they had made decent progress and were currently settled down in a grove of trees. The tents had already been set up, and they were sitting around a dying fire, after eating dinner. Idena was the only one not with them. She poked her head out of her tent.

"Hey, Merlin, can I see you for a second?"
"Yeah, sure." The wizard stood up and brushed off his pants before walking over, and stepping inside her tent. The others shared a smirk at their actions.

"What did you need me for?" Merlin asked, sitting down.
"I just wanted to see how you were holding up, after walking all day today. How does your scar feel?"
"It's a little sore, but it's nothing a bit of rest can't fix."
"Can I see it? I want to make sure it's not infected." Merlin shrugged before beginning to unbutton his shirt. He slid it off of his arms, and Idena extended a hand towards him. She stopped short. "May I?" He nodded, shivering when her cold fingers came in contact with his skin. Sliding her hand along the scar, she checked for any signs of infection. Hans walked in.
"Hey, Merlin, the guys wanted... " He trailed off, when he noticed Idena's hand on a bare chested Merlin. "Never mind!" The baker said quickly, before walking out. The girl pulled her hands away, embarrassed, and Merlin was blushing slightly. He grumbled.
"He's going to tell the guys." Idena chuckled.
"We're going to have a heck of a time, trying to convince them that it wasn't what he thought it was." They stayed silent for a moment before the wizard spoke up.
"What if we don't?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What if we convince them that we actually are together."
"You want to totally dupe your friends into thinking that we're dating?" Merlin thought she was going to say no, but then Idena laughed. "Heck, yeah! This'll be fun."

They spent the rest of the evening coming up with a plan. Eventually, Merlin realized it was kind of late, and got up to leave.
"Goodnight, Idena."
"Night, Merlin. See you tomorrow."

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The next morning at breakfast, the F7 was eating and getting ready to go. The guys were very obviously avoiding the topic of Idena around Merlin. He chuckled to himself. Finally, Idena came out of her tent, holding something in her hands. Walking up to the wizard, she handed it to him. The girl leaned in and spoke quietly, but not too quietly.
"You forgot your shirt." Arthur, who happened to be standing nearby, began coughing and turned slightly red. Merlin blushed a bit as well. He had forgotten to put it back on, after she had looked at his scar.