Sydney Sage (sage_lily) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-04-02 21:28:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !match-up, ~2017 april, ~50 points, ~~merlin (morethanblood), ~~sydney sage (sage_lily) |
WHO: Merlin and Sydney Sage
WHERE: Park
WHEN: TBD
WHAT: Magic!
RATING: PG
STATUS: log; completed - matchup
It had been several weeks since Sydney had been catapulted into a future where Draco was moving in and magic was as much a part of their life as books or coffee. It was still strange for Sydney to process that, since she’d spent so many years fearing magic and believing it to be evil. But little by little, she was getting more used to the idea of being able to wield it. As she worked on controlling her powers, she could see that maybe - just maybe - she could use it for the betterment of others rather than to harm. But maybe all evil magicians started out thinking that way. Still, she couldn’t help but be constantly intrigued. Sometimes, like now, when she was alone and no one else seemed to be around, she’d play a little with it. Just a little flame at the tips of her fingers, the spell on her lips keeping it alive. *** “Now that’s an intriguing little trick, milady.” The voice, as it were, came from above. Or to the side, rather. Merlin had been out walking, and thinking, and composing a few things in his head. He had enjoyed, and still enjoyed, and hoped he always would enjoy, learning and making new magics. And he had been thinking on that and wandering sideways. It was a thing he did, now and then. Mundanes, completely normal people, could not see him doing it, but those who were not of this place, and those who had magic could see, as now, when he stood, defying gravity, sort of, standing on the side of a lamppost as it if were the ground. *** Completely unprepared for that, Sydney let out a little scream and jumped away. She looked around wildly and, upon seeing the man standing on the lamppost completely sideways, she gasped and stumbled back. Nothing in all her experience or her education had prepared her for this. “Who...how are you doing that?” *** Merlin gestured and a rock muscled out from the ground, forming a chair nearby for her to sit on, if she wished. His smile was more gentle as he walked down the tree and onto the ground, then swept her a bow. “In the order asked, then, I am Merlin, milady, and the how is by magic.” He grinned wider, eyes dancing warmly. “Greetings and salutations, on this very fine day.” *** But Sydney only sidled away from the chair, eyeing it with obvious suspicion. “You’re Merlin?” Even she had heard of him, as immersed in the Alchemist’s education as she had been. And although she’d only heard of him in the context of legend, she knew enough to know that he was an extremely powerful wizard. And despite her burgeoning abilities to do magic herself, she still felt a visceral reaction to it. Magic was evil. Which mean powerful magic users were powerfully evil. She started to back away. *** Merlin answered the most asked question with a sardonic nod. “I am, milady.” Her eyed her, curious at her reaction, and sighed. A simple gesture erased the chair. “I mean thee no harm, nor will I pursue thee. I simply was drawn to thy magics.” He swept her a bow, and tapped the hat that now sat on his head. He had encountered fear quite a lot in his life. “None shall harm thee here.” *** It was easy enough for him to say when he could stand on lampposts and make chairs out of the ground, but Sydney wasn’t so sure about that. At the same time, she was intrigued. Merlin was a name of legend, and everything that had been written about him was shrouded in questions and mystery. If this was the real Merlin, he could answer questions that historians and archeologists would give their tenures to solve. “Did you really serve King Arthur and his Knights?” she asked warily. *** “No, not exactly. I advised him, and aided him in raising that version of Camelot. We didn’t always get along, but we both believed in the dream of a better world.” Merlin grinned at her, eyes warm and curious. “And when and where do you come from, milady?” *** “Palm Springs, early 21st century,” Sydney said, very well aware of how prosaic that sounded next to someone who'd helped raise Camelot. It couldn't be helped though. “This has to be really different for you.” *** “Ah, a nice time and place. I’ve been in the area a few times. “ He chuckled. “Yes and no. Truth is, I’ve lived a very long time. Events and places blend together. While I remember the days of my youth quite well, the twenty-first century is not a stranger to me.” He nodded. *** “You’ve lived that long?” Sydney hadn’t expected that. From the way he spoke and acted, she’d expected him to have come straight from the 5th or 6th century. It was strange to think of someone like Merlin, who’d always existed in her mind as a mythological figure from old books, in modern times. *** “Aye, milady. Far longer than I ever thought to do. I suppose God had not yet tired of me.” He smiled, eyes dancing with a golden warmth that was like sunshine, and hugs, and waking up well rested, just for a moment, then they went back to normal. *** For a moment Sydney found herself relaxing - and then she straightened, unsure of what had just happened. Was she starting to relax because he wasn’t as much of a threat as she’d feared? Or did something else happened? She hated this, this not knowing. “I didn’t think wizards believed in God.” *** “I am no normal wizard milady. If not for Yahweh, my fate would have been far darker, far worse, and so I thank Him every day, every breath, for the light He put in me.” There was absolute faith, but no pushiness, in his words, and he smiled with a warmth born of a lifetime of sureness in his faith. For, in truth, he carried that power inside him. He had never had to wonder if Yahweh existed. *** A religious wizard. That was unusual. Sydney supposed it was like the Moroi going to church as well. It was still blasphemous to her, but she trusted a religious magic user more than she trusted a non-religious one. “What did He do?” *** Merlin smiled. “He saved my life and my soul.” He gestured around the area. “IN my time, the celestials were much more known, gods stalked the Earth, and the Devil plotted to overthrow Heaven. He made a child on a mortal woman, who, realizing that the child would be used for evil and corrupted by the evil blood within it, took the baby boy to the local house of worship, where a seer named Blaise held sway. He recognized what had been done, and baptised the child, me. Yahweh, knowing the corruption within me, placed part of His own power within me, pushing out the corruption and balancing the blood of my father. He gave me free will, the chance to choose my own destiny, and to be my own man, not a tool of evil.” Merlin nodded. “And so I carry a portion of that power even now, a sign to me for all my life that He is there, and that I must always remember to choose my own path, and not let others control it.” *** This was nothing like the legends and stories Sydney had read, although admittedly the origins of Merlin tended to be shrouded in mystery. She was coming to see, though, that with people coming here from all sorts of places, there were variations in histories and stories. What was to say this Merlin didn't really have some version of God Himself in him? Or was the child of the Devil himself? “Did you...actually see him?” Sydney didn't know if anyone who actually had. There'd only been stories of saints. *** “Yahweh? Not… physically, no. I can feel His power in me, the sureness of him, the sheer peace of His power. When I use that magic, when my eyes turn gold, sometimes others can too.” He shook his face, simple warmth and awe and joy in his eyes. “I most often use it for healing.” *** “I see.” He seemed genuine in his desire to help and use his powers for good, but Sydney still wasn't sure how to feel about him. The Devil came in all sorts of shapes, and he had a tongue of silver. At the same time, she had no intention of going through life entirely paranoid and afraid of everything. She could take this man at face value unless she had evidence otherwise. “It's a laudable use of your magic,” she allowed. “Healers are always in high demand.” *** “I enjoy it. It’s good to use the power for something more than just tricks and fighting, or making things out of nothing.” Merlin grinned. He nodded to her. “May I ask of your abilities?” He was curious, but she seemed a touch flighty and he did not wish to scare her off so easily. *** “I'm...learning.” Sydney was definitely touchy about her abilities. She'd barely come to accept them herself. She wasn't ready to demonstrate in front of others yet, except for Paige and Lily. “I don't usually use them in public.” A clear hint to back off. *** “Of course. Perhaps another time we can discuss them.” he nodded to her. “I’ve been a student of magic all my days.” He stretched then, and smiled to her. “I hope I have caused thee little harm, and less concern, milady, and I wish you nothing but well. I should be wandering on. My day job calls.” *** No, he hadn't caused her harm at all. Some concern, but not as much as there could've been. “Thanks,” she said. She was still wary, but considerably less so than when he'd first appeared. “Have a good day.” *** |