story beginnings and ideas

Merlin 1

Arthur, Uther, the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin were traveling to another kingdom or outlying village and are attacked by bandits. Merlin and Uther are on the opposite side of the fight from Arthur and somehow get separated from the group.

They spend the rest of the day trying to find the group but eventually it becomes too dark so they set up camp. Merlin had the dished and his bedroll in his pack that he somehow kept with him and Uther during the fight and Uther had a dagger, his sword, and a crossbow with one bolt. Merlin surprised Uther with his ability to throw knives and hunt when he asked for the dagger. Merlin told him that he learned to hunt out of necessity in his village and all he had was a dagger.

Uther knows that Merlin's father is Balinor and suspects that Merlin has magic. He sees Merlin use his magic to start the fire and noticed that during the fight with the bandits that he was causing branches to fall and the bandits to drop their swords. Uther doesn't immediately do anything in an effort to see what Merlin's intentions are; after all he has made Arthur a better person in the time he has served him.

Somehow the two stat talking and Uther reveals that he knows about Merlin's magic and Merlin just offers himself up to whatever punishment Uther thought up. This brings Uther's beliefs that all magic is evil to question and he starts to ask Merlin all sorts of questions about magic. He also asks if Gaius knows and Merlin answers truthfully. Uther is not surprised because of how close the two are.

Uther fights back a yawn and Merlin, obviously tires himself, offers to take first watch and heads to get more fire wood as Uther settles down.

When he comes back, Uther is asleep so he stays on the other side of the fire in an effort to not wake him. Later Uther wakes when Merlin moves to sit by him. Studying Merlin's face he can tell that Merlin took most of the watches. Uther sits up and convinces Merlin to sleep while he takes final watch.

The two set out to look for the rest of the group after leftover food as breakfast. They find a trail/road that leads to a small village that has a tavern and inn. Uther leads Merlin to the inn and when asking for a room calls Merlin his son. The innkeeper didn't recognize him so he tells her that they got separated from his other son and the rest of their travel party.

He tells her that if a man named Arthur comes looking for him to tell him which room he is staying in. She agrees and leads them to their room and says she will have a basin and warm water brought up for them to bathe.

That night the two talk more and Merlin tells him of all the times he has saved Arthur, him and Camelot, and revealing to him that his father was Balinor. Uther tells Merlin that he suspected it from the beginning - he looks too much like his father to not be related somehow- and that he deeply regrets what he did to him, though it seems that it was for the better because if Uther hadn't driven Balinor to Ealdor, then his son's closest friend would not have been born.