"You," the little boy says. It's the first human voice Merlin's heard in hours, and it startles him enough that he whips around, fast enough to almost trip over his feet. He's dressed in the same fashion as the druids, hooded and cloaked and with a tremendous scowl on his little face.
"Uh," Merlin says. "... me?"
"You," the druid-boy agrees; he doesn't sound terribly impressed. He looks Merlin up and down, and though the top of his head barely reaches Merlin's hip, there is something in his gaze that is harder and more imperious than Uther at his best. His eyes are green as Camelot's hills in spring, bright under heavy beetled eyebrows. "You're not very much, are you?"
"Oi!" Merlin scowls. "Cheeky, aren't you--"
"I thought you'd be bigger," the boy continues. His brows draw even further together, and for a horrified moment Merlin thinks he's going to cry. "More impressive! You're the sorceror that's going to help bring peace to the land?"
The words sink into Merlin's stomach like a stone. He's not ashamed to admit he gapes a little. "What--"
"I don't know what Albion even sees in you," the boy declares, glaring Merlin down. His tiny hands are fisted and shaking a little with some unnamed emotion. There is more going on in his wide eyes, something Merlin can't quite pinpoint. "You're going to have try harder than that if you expect the rest of us to follow."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-10 06:25 am (UTC)"Uh," Merlin says. "... me?"
"You," the druid-boy agrees; he doesn't sound terribly impressed. He looks Merlin up and down, and though the top of his head barely reaches Merlin's hip, there is something in his gaze that is harder and more imperious than Uther at his best. His eyes are green as Camelot's hills in spring, bright under heavy beetled eyebrows. "You're not very much, are you?"
"Oi!" Merlin scowls. "Cheeky, aren't you--"
"I thought you'd be bigger," the boy continues. His brows draw even further together, and for a horrified moment Merlin thinks he's going to cry. "More impressive! You're the sorceror that's going to help bring peace to the land?"
The words sink into Merlin's stomach like a stone. He's not ashamed to admit he gapes a little. "What--"
"I don't know what Albion even sees in you," the boy declares, glaring Merlin down. His tiny hands are fisted and shaking a little with some unnamed emotion. There is more going on in his wide eyes, something Merlin can't quite pinpoint. "You're going to have try harder than that if you expect the rest of us to follow."