[Eleven years later.]
Merlin sat on the step of their modest home, watching as Cyprian repeated the same drill as yesterday.
He was currently lifting a sizeable boulder above his chest. Something impossible just a few years back. Sweat glistened on his back, now well defined in muscle from rigorous training. His dark brown hair, while tied back, reached his neck line. Not to mention the purplish tint in his pupils.
All in all, the contrast between them was stark. So much so, that the twins didn't even look related anymore. Though that was mostly because Merlin himself never trained the body quite like his brother did.
After completing a set of whatever exercise it was, Cyprian gently set the boulder down and approached Merlin.
"Say, do you want to go to Camelot?" Cyprian met his gaze before continuing. "Mother said it would be for the best if we left. The villagers are getting anxious. Especially after that stunt you pulled."
Merlin looked away at that. Of course he knew what his brother was talking about, it was the reason he looked so crestfallen.
"You know I never meant to do that, topple a tree I mean," he said while staring into the distance.
"I didn't think Will would see, " Merlin's brows furrowed as he recounted yesterday's events.
It was lapse of judgement on his part, trying out magic so close to the village. Will stumbled upon him purely by coincidence, and thank god it was him. Had it been another who found him, the chances of Merlin's neck being on the block were too high to admit.
Will had promised to keep quiet, but they were just one mistake away from being exposed.
Cyprian plopped down next to Merlin and put a hand over his shoulder. "It's in the past now anyway. We can only trust William not to betray us."
He did his best to sound encouraging but a sliver of unrest escaping was inevitable. Because at the end of the day, he—like any other his age, wanted to go out and see the world for himself. Ealdor was nice but it was just that. A village in the sticks. Far from the glorious purpose he dreamt of in his youth.
Merlin pursed his lips, sighing in exasperation at his brother's far from subtle urging. " If you want to go, you can always go by yourself Cyprian. I know you're trying to drag me along for whatever ride you have in mind."
"So that's a yes?"
"Yeah," Merlin agreed with a nod. He too wanted to experience the world at large. Being found out just gave him the push he needed. Maybe going to Camelot like Hunith suggested might end up being a good thing...
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Cyprian sat cross-legged on his bed. His eyes were closed as he channeled wave after wave of magic through his body. It was a strange thing, magic. He knew for a fact that he and Merlin were different from the other practitioners of Sorcery.
Though calling themselves sorcerers was a bit of a stretch. Considering all the 'magic' they could perform was incantationless telekinesis and temporal distortion that remained ever the illusive art to master. It came and went on its own.
At least it's something, Cyprian thought as he got up from the bed.
There really was no point in dwelling on the matter, there was no way to access even a flimsy grimoire in Ealdor. Which was why he'd focused on his body instead.
While Cyprian had no real combat experience to speak of, he was more than assured he could handle himself well against most knights. Not that he overestimated himself, no.
The average knight was usually not that much better than a common thug. The truly strong ones were often arrogant, letting their opponent take the first strike and all that.
In his own opinion, Cyprian believed that common soldiers were far more beneficial to have as a lord than the unreliable noble born knights. Of course that isn't to say he saw no use for them, no—quite the opposite. It was just that capable knights were exceedingly rare. Perhaps the knights of Camelot were among them.
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Cyprian began to pack his belongings. There wasn't much. Just a few clothes and an iron sword he'd 'borrowed' from a bandit. Shame he never came back to retrive the sword. It's edges were dull, but it could certainly get the job done.
Maybe I should get myself proper armour and a sword, Cyprian thought to himself. Then discarded the idea at once. A decent mail shirt was worth more than thirty years worth of his savings,he hadn't even been alive for that long. And there weren't any battle fields to loot from either. Truly, money made the world go round.
After he finished packing, Cyprian jumped straight back on to the cot to sleep. It was going to be a long few days ahead.
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The following morning, Cyprian got up early to wash up. He wore a sleeveless leather jerkin over a well worn linen shirt, along with woollen pants and a pair of muddy boots. His iron sword was sheathed firmly at his waist.
Their goodbyes were short. Hunith had long since wanted them to head to Camelot and learn to harness their 'gifts', under the man named Gaius. She seemed to trust him enough with their secret. Still, a few tears were shed nonetheless.
"Farewell mother, We will pay you a visit when we can," Cyprian said as he gave his mother a firm hug. Merlin nodded from the side, his back pack slung over his shoulders.
"Stay safe my children," Hunith at last.
"Especially you Merlin. You jump into things without thinking first," she looked at her two boys with fondness in her heart. They weren't her babes anymore, they've grown all too fast.
"Take this and hand it over to Gaius. He's the palace physician," Hunith handed a sealed letter to Merlin, who carefully placed it in his coat pocket. He too gave her a hug and bid her farewell, joinging his brother in the trek that would mark the begining of a legend.
(End of chapter)
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hope you liked it. next chapter when I get the time to write it.
oh yeah, the title is a referance to the short story by Robert E. Howard. It was the first story to feature Conan the Cimmerian.