#TIMESKIP 2 MONTHS LATER#
#AIDEN WILLIAMS POV#
I hold onto the hoof of an older horse as it's the last one that I have to trim and put in a new horseshoe in
Letting the foot down, I then begin to lead the horse back to his stall
I take a deep breath in as I finish up with my work for the morning
In the afternoon, I am going to have my first lesson on horse riding with Sir Ector who came back a few days ago after leaving to help a couple of towns that were being attacked by raiders
Walking over to the manor, I watch the sun in the sky for a moment before going inside
I haven't seen the White Haired thing for a while
I grumble as I learned from Artoria that it is a magic user
I wanted to ask if it would be willing to help figure out how to activate what source of magical energy my body is making
Which I have a lot of hesitation about
Telling another Magus anything like that can lead to trouble and right now, I don't want to throw away a good thing when I am already training to become a knight
Not for the right reasons though
The code of knighthood isn't really for me
At least the way that it is right now
But...being a knight can help me accumulate resources and obtain a place of my own
I let out a sigh as I rubbed the back of my neck
Shaking my head, I go over to the saddle that was gifted to me by Sir Ector which I left in the stable
I look over the leather saddle bags that I made by hand and some stuff that I purchased from Sir Ector's blacksmith
Thankfully he had already forged all of the pins that I needed to make my saddlebags as it's not that uncommon for people to buy them. Although he usually sells them to leatherworkers, he barely even batted an eye when I asked for 4 sets of them
I smile as I see the four bags
A sound catches my attention as a stablehand comes in to feed the horses who I greet and mention that I finished putting in the new horseshoes for the horses
Saying that I work fast, I bid the stablehand goodbye and head back to the manor to rest and wait for lunchtime
My eyes widen as I spot Artoria running through the manor with the white-haired thing chasing after her
"NO," She screams out as the white-haired thing laughs as he runs after her
"It was just a prank," He says as they run past me while I blink
Well...that's convenient
"Hey, WAIT," I shout out as I follow after them for a bit at least until we get to near Artoria's
"Sorry," I catch her saying in a whisper as she slams the door closed causing the white-haired thing to slam himself face-first against the door
I wince at the loud hit
Falling on its backside while groaning
Staring at it, I watch it stand up while rubbing its face
It freezes for a moment before it stands up and turns to look toward me and I will admit, its gaze is putting me on edge
"Hello again," It says with a bit of a confused tone on its voice
"That's it...hello, you kidnapped me and the first thing you say to me when you see me again is hello," I tell him before shaking my head
Right...not human
It tilts its head to the side looking at me with amusement in its eyes
Whatever
"Why did you kidnap me?" I ask it
"Oh, it looked like you needed a place to stay, so I decided to bring you here," It answers while staring at me, and for a moment, I think I catch him wincing but it was incredibly fast that I just don't know if it did happen or not
You are lying I almost say but I hold it in
"Artoria told me that you are a mage," I begin trying to get him to agree to teach me
"I am indeed, although it is an art that is not looked at fondly," He says while his expression changes to one of curiosity
"Would you be willing to teach me?" I ask him
"Would I...hmm," He hums as he looks at me before starting to spin around me
"Should I?" He asks and I have no idea if he is asking me or himself
"I am asking, it is alright if you say no," I tell him as while I would be frustrated with his refusal, I would not be angry
I have nothing to persuade him with
Heck, Artoria, Kay, and Sir Ector have all been avoiding saying his name, and even some of the servants have straight up just left right after I ask them for its name
"Interesting," He says looking at my expression with some amusement
"You have experience with Magecraft don't you," He states and I don't bother to deny it
"Yes, I do," I say plainly
"Alright, I will teach you," He says with a smile not even a moment later which catches me by surprise and his smile widens as he sees my expression
"Not a very experienced one are you?" He asks to chuckle
"Most Magus, are always serious and composed it is amusing to see one lose their composure so easily, then again you are young," He mentions while I do my best to calm myself
"When do we begin?" I ask him while trying to hide my excitement at being taught by a mage from the Age Of Gods
"Tell me, what days do you have free?" he asks me
"I have Saturdays and Sundays to myself," I answer to which he nods as he rubs his chin
"I will visit you in your dreams on Fridays and Saturday nights," He says while I do my best to hide my shock
Visit me in my dreams
Wow
I knew Magecraft used to be much stronger due to the higher amount of Mystery
But to the point that Magus were able to enter someone's dreams...
"Wait what's your name?" I ask him to which he begins to wave his hands around as a small spectacle and what seems to be music comes out of nowhere as white flowers with pink accents begin to sprout from nowhere
"People call me the Mage of Flowers, Just call me Merlin," He says as I blink at him I process that
Merlin...
THE MERLIN
I look at him and observe his expression before bringing my hand to my face
Oh my god...this guy is Merlin
"Hey, what's with that face? Why are you looking at me like that? WHY DO YOU LOOK SO DISAPPOINTED?" he screams at me while I look at him with what I am sure is a dead inside look on my face
I have barely had a conversation with him and I can already tell that he is going to be an annoying pain in my ass
I blink as a rather weird feeling comes over me as it sinks in that this guy is Merlin
One of the most respected Magus in human history...
"I have no words..." I say much to Merlin's shock and indignation
"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?...