Chapter 11 - Mordred and His Pixie Sticks
Submitted December 27, 2011 Updated December 27, 2011 Status Complete | A strange man from the year 2010 has arrived in Camelot, selling strange and wonderful things, like cell phones, computers, televisions...and books about sparkling vampires? Inspired by Merlin Children in Need 2009. Crack!fic
Category:
Television » - Other TV Show not listed |
Chapter 11 - Mordred and His Pixie Sticks
Chapter 11 - Mordred and His Pixie Sticks
Even though he technically wasn't from Camelot and possessed magic, Mordred was still the ninth to succumb to the futuristic material that was now spreading from Rosco's little stand out of Camelot and into the surrounding villages and had even been smuggled into some Druid settlements.
The Druids didn't like the idea of the technology any more than Merlin did – it was the opposite of their magic and made them uncomfortable. Be that as it may, some items that Rosco peddled still found their way into the hands of curious Druids. One of those Druids was Mordred.
Mordred may have been intelligent and powerful and might have seemed to be older than his age, but he was still a child. And children, no matter what time period they are from, love sugar. And so when he discovered a certain food item from the future that Rosco was selling, he found that he couldn't resist.
Pixie sticks – the name itself was appealing to anyone who had knowledge of magic. Pixies were creatures of magic and wonder and possessed pixie dust. The sugary, colorful powder in the thin paper tubes was reminiscent of fairy dust. Intriguing.
Mordred had spent most of his free time over the past few hours downing tasty treat after tasty treat, swallowing the dust-like colorful candy like it was water in the middle of the driest desert. Some of the older, more experienced Druids had tried to deter him from eating the candy, telling him that his consumption of it could lead to dire consequences. Mordred, however, had his own mind – and taste buds – and was set on making his own decision and thinking for himself.
Unfortunately for Mordred and everyone who would come in contact with him in the next few days, the young sorcerer didn't realize that a pixie stick is simply and purely sugar added with artificial flavoring (comprised of sugar), and even more sugar. And sugar, as you know, tends to make people – especially children – extremely and uncontrollably hyper.
o.O
Arthur watched Merlin in silence as his servant wandered around his room, tidying up as he went. Merlin didn't talk either, which had to be a first for the dark-haired boy, and Arthur couldn't help but feel a little guilty about how he had treated him the other day. He had thought that Merlin had forgiven him, though, but perhaps after he and the knights had attacked him with the Nerf guns, Merlin had gotten angry again.
Although he had meant to apologize to Merlin after threatening to throw him in the dungeons for no real reason and yelling at him, the prince simply hadn't gotten around to it. If he were honest, the truth was that he had forgotten. Merlin apparently hadn't forgotten about that or the way the knights had ambushed him, however, for he had barely spoken to Arthur all day, only talking when he was asked a direct question. Even then, he used the least amount of words possible and spoke stiffly, calling Arthur "your highness" or "my lord," something he did when he was angry or worried.
And why shouldn't he be upset? Arthur glared down at his iPhone, frustrated. This thing was proving to be a lot more trouble than he thought it would be. He thought back to what Merlin had told him when they had argued. Everyone was acting different. Was he acting different?
Sighing he put his phone down on his dining table and approached his servant, who was making the bed. "Merlin?"
Merlin stiffened for a second when he heard his master's voice, but he turned to face Arthur anyway. Arthur was shocked at the exhaustion and anxiety he saw in Merlin's eyes. What could have gotten him so frazzled? Surely it wasn't Rosco's merchandise that was upsetting him so like Merlin claimed. After all, even though they had run into a few problems since the introduction of technology to Camelot, everyone was so happy; their lives had been improved. So why did Merlin look so… unhappy?
"What?" Merlin sighed. "I'm really not in the mood to watch another music video, Arthur."
Arthur bit his lip. "What's wrong?"
Merlin rolled his eyes and smirked, but the look was strained. "I'd tell you, but you'll throw me in the dungeons, remember? Or set me up so the whole of the knights can shoot me with those stupid Nerf things. And I'd prefer not to have to go through it two days in a row."
Arthur winced. "Maybe I was a little harsh." Merlin gave him a look. Arthur grinned sheepishly. "Okay, so maybe I was a lot harsh. And the ambush wasn't fair. But is that really why you're so upset, Merlin?"
Merlin looked at the ceiling for a moment before meeting Arthur's eyes again. "Look, Arthur," he sighed. "If I try to explain that everyone in Camelot is going crazy because of all this junk Rosco's introduced, and how we are completely vulnerable to attack because no one wants to live in the real world now, you'll just get angry. It seems like I'm the only one that sees the truth, and that I'm going to have to be the one to fix it. So you just go ahead, listen to your music, text your friends, and have a grand time. I'm going to try and peel Gaius away from the television long enough to make the medicine your father needs for his shoulder, and then I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this right."
He stomped out of the room, eyes glistening. Arthur groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. Was everything really as bad as Merlin claimed it was? Shaking his head, he picked up his iPhone and fingered it for a few minutes, turning it over in his hand. Or was Merlin simply being childish?
His phone buzzed and he found himself stuck between laughing and bashing his head against the wall when he got a succession of messages, three from his father and one of them Morgana's Facebook status. The messages from his father read:
"Art (c I shortened ur name, HA!), guess wat, I'm txting and wlking! Isn't it gr8?"
"Ow – I just ran into a wall."
"I'm okay, don't worry! LOL (and no, you don't actually have 2 laugh out loud! Imagine that!)"
Arthur shook his head at his father's antics, and read Morgana's new status update:
"Morgana is BRILLIANT! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner… Ha ha!"
Arthur decided that he didn't want to know what Morgana was up to now (probably planning to attack him with Nerf guns) and exited out of his texts without replying of them. He turned on some Bon Jovi and stuck the buds in his ear. He had some serious thinking to do. He was beginning to get the feeling that this iPhone and perhaps the rest of Rosco's merchandise was more trouble than it looked…
o.O
The Druids were about ready to pull their hair out. Mordred, after consuming the contents of about fifty pixie sticks, had begun to run around their hidden camp, screaming at the top of his lungs, his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and flying behind him, yelling, "Ba-ba-ba-ba-BATMAN!" They didn't even know who Batman was. Apparently another of the Druid boys had gotten a hold of something called a comic book and had let Mordred take a peek. Now Mordred was pretending to be said character, his voice shrill and almost crazed as he darted and weaved between tents and around people.
He had just suggested trying something called "people bowling," when one of the elder Druids came up with an idea. He called the young, powerful, and currently high on sugar sorcerer to him, after closing his eyes briefly and muttering, "Forgive me, Emrys."
"Yeeeeeeees?" Mordred drawled, hopping from one foot to the other. His tongue and lips were stained blue and his was physically shaking. "What's up? Do you want to play tag? I'll be it, no you can be it, or we can both be it! Did you know that if you eat the blue candy it makes your tongue blue! It's just like magic! Magic! Look what I can do!" He squealed a few words from the Old Religion and a rude squelching sound tore through the air, causing the children to giggle and the older Druids to point their noses in the air distastefully. Mordred, meanwhile, shrieked with laughter.
"Mordred – why don't you go check up on Emrys? I take it you can speak to him from the edge of the forest?"
Mordred nodded, his head moving up and down so fast it made the man's head spin. "Yeah I can, and I can also touch my nose with my tongue wanna see?"
"Not particularly. You must go to the edge of the forest but do not enter into Camelot, for you will get caught. Make sure that Emrys is alright with all of this… chaos going on. And if you must, run in circles until you get your energy out. Just… calm down."
o.O
Merlin was trying to sleep but was finding it increasingly difficult since Gaius was watching the television loudly, crying at the top of his lungs, "No, Roderick, don't go in there, it's a trap!"
Suddenly he felt a stirring at the back of his mind like he did when someone was trying to contact him through his thoughts. He sat up, heart pounding as he felt a bit of hope enter into his heart. The Druids! Perhaps they knew what was going on in Camelot and were going to help. Surely they felt the same about the technology as he did, since they, too, had magic.
"Emrys…" It was the Druid boy, Mordred, but he sounded different. His voice was faster, a bit higher pitched. Merlin decided not to answer just yet, to see if the boy had anything else to say. When he didn't answer right away, Mordred tried again. "Emrys… Emrys. Emrys! EMRYS! EmrysEmrysEmrys! EMRYS! MERLIN!"
Finally, his mind spinning with Mordred's quick succession of calls, each one more frantic and high pitched, Merlin shouted (out loud and in his mind), "WHAT?"
There was a little giggle. "Hi!"
And Merlin knew then that not even the Druids had been spared the horrors of the twenty-first century. He was going to be alone – utterly, completely alone in his fight against technology.
Lovely.
The Druids didn't like the idea of the technology any more than Merlin did – it was the opposite of their magic and made them uncomfortable. Be that as it may, some items that Rosco peddled still found their way into the hands of curious Druids. One of those Druids was Mordred.
Mordred may have been intelligent and powerful and might have seemed to be older than his age, but he was still a child. And children, no matter what time period they are from, love sugar. And so when he discovered a certain food item from the future that Rosco was selling, he found that he couldn't resist.
Pixie sticks – the name itself was appealing to anyone who had knowledge of magic. Pixies were creatures of magic and wonder and possessed pixie dust. The sugary, colorful powder in the thin paper tubes was reminiscent of fairy dust. Intriguing.
Mordred had spent most of his free time over the past few hours downing tasty treat after tasty treat, swallowing the dust-like colorful candy like it was water in the middle of the driest desert. Some of the older, more experienced Druids had tried to deter him from eating the candy, telling him that his consumption of it could lead to dire consequences. Mordred, however, had his own mind – and taste buds – and was set on making his own decision and thinking for himself.
Unfortunately for Mordred and everyone who would come in contact with him in the next few days, the young sorcerer didn't realize that a pixie stick is simply and purely sugar added with artificial flavoring (comprised of sugar), and even more sugar. And sugar, as you know, tends to make people – especially children – extremely and uncontrollably hyper.
o.O
Arthur watched Merlin in silence as his servant wandered around his room, tidying up as he went. Merlin didn't talk either, which had to be a first for the dark-haired boy, and Arthur couldn't help but feel a little guilty about how he had treated him the other day. He had thought that Merlin had forgiven him, though, but perhaps after he and the knights had attacked him with the Nerf guns, Merlin had gotten angry again.
Although he had meant to apologize to Merlin after threatening to throw him in the dungeons for no real reason and yelling at him, the prince simply hadn't gotten around to it. If he were honest, the truth was that he had forgotten. Merlin apparently hadn't forgotten about that or the way the knights had ambushed him, however, for he had barely spoken to Arthur all day, only talking when he was asked a direct question. Even then, he used the least amount of words possible and spoke stiffly, calling Arthur "your highness" or "my lord," something he did when he was angry or worried.
And why shouldn't he be upset? Arthur glared down at his iPhone, frustrated. This thing was proving to be a lot more trouble than he thought it would be. He thought back to what Merlin had told him when they had argued. Everyone was acting different. Was he acting different?
Sighing he put his phone down on his dining table and approached his servant, who was making the bed. "Merlin?"
Merlin stiffened for a second when he heard his master's voice, but he turned to face Arthur anyway. Arthur was shocked at the exhaustion and anxiety he saw in Merlin's eyes. What could have gotten him so frazzled? Surely it wasn't Rosco's merchandise that was upsetting him so like Merlin claimed. After all, even though they had run into a few problems since the introduction of technology to Camelot, everyone was so happy; their lives had been improved. So why did Merlin look so… unhappy?
"What?" Merlin sighed. "I'm really not in the mood to watch another music video, Arthur."
Arthur bit his lip. "What's wrong?"
Merlin rolled his eyes and smirked, but the look was strained. "I'd tell you, but you'll throw me in the dungeons, remember? Or set me up so the whole of the knights can shoot me with those stupid Nerf things. And I'd prefer not to have to go through it two days in a row."
Arthur winced. "Maybe I was a little harsh." Merlin gave him a look. Arthur grinned sheepishly. "Okay, so maybe I was a lot harsh. And the ambush wasn't fair. But is that really why you're so upset, Merlin?"
Merlin looked at the ceiling for a moment before meeting Arthur's eyes again. "Look, Arthur," he sighed. "If I try to explain that everyone in Camelot is going crazy because of all this junk Rosco's introduced, and how we are completely vulnerable to attack because no one wants to live in the real world now, you'll just get angry. It seems like I'm the only one that sees the truth, and that I'm going to have to be the one to fix it. So you just go ahead, listen to your music, text your friends, and have a grand time. I'm going to try and peel Gaius away from the television long enough to make the medicine your father needs for his shoulder, and then I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this right."
He stomped out of the room, eyes glistening. Arthur groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. Was everything really as bad as Merlin claimed it was? Shaking his head, he picked up his iPhone and fingered it for a few minutes, turning it over in his hand. Or was Merlin simply being childish?
His phone buzzed and he found himself stuck between laughing and bashing his head against the wall when he got a succession of messages, three from his father and one of them Morgana's Facebook status. The messages from his father read:
"Art (c I shortened ur name, HA!), guess wat, I'm txting and wlking! Isn't it gr8?"
"Ow – I just ran into a wall."
"I'm okay, don't worry! LOL (and no, you don't actually have 2 laugh out loud! Imagine that!)"
Arthur shook his head at his father's antics, and read Morgana's new status update:
"Morgana is BRILLIANT! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner… Ha ha!"
Arthur decided that he didn't want to know what Morgana was up to now (probably planning to attack him with Nerf guns) and exited out of his texts without replying of them. He turned on some Bon Jovi and stuck the buds in his ear. He had some serious thinking to do. He was beginning to get the feeling that this iPhone and perhaps the rest of Rosco's merchandise was more trouble than it looked…
o.O
The Druids were about ready to pull their hair out. Mordred, after consuming the contents of about fifty pixie sticks, had begun to run around their hidden camp, screaming at the top of his lungs, his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and flying behind him, yelling, "Ba-ba-ba-ba-BATMAN!" They didn't even know who Batman was. Apparently another of the Druid boys had gotten a hold of something called a comic book and had let Mordred take a peek. Now Mordred was pretending to be said character, his voice shrill and almost crazed as he darted and weaved between tents and around people.
He had just suggested trying something called "people bowling," when one of the elder Druids came up with an idea. He called the young, powerful, and currently high on sugar sorcerer to him, after closing his eyes briefly and muttering, "Forgive me, Emrys."
"Yeeeeeeees?" Mordred drawled, hopping from one foot to the other. His tongue and lips were stained blue and his was physically shaking. "What's up? Do you want to play tag? I'll be it, no you can be it, or we can both be it! Did you know that if you eat the blue candy it makes your tongue blue! It's just like magic! Magic! Look what I can do!" He squealed a few words from the Old Religion and a rude squelching sound tore through the air, causing the children to giggle and the older Druids to point their noses in the air distastefully. Mordred, meanwhile, shrieked with laughter.
"Mordred – why don't you go check up on Emrys? I take it you can speak to him from the edge of the forest?"
Mordred nodded, his head moving up and down so fast it made the man's head spin. "Yeah I can, and I can also touch my nose with my tongue wanna see?"
"Not particularly. You must go to the edge of the forest but do not enter into Camelot, for you will get caught. Make sure that Emrys is alright with all of this… chaos going on. And if you must, run in circles until you get your energy out. Just… calm down."
o.O
Merlin was trying to sleep but was finding it increasingly difficult since Gaius was watching the television loudly, crying at the top of his lungs, "No, Roderick, don't go in there, it's a trap!"
Suddenly he felt a stirring at the back of his mind like he did when someone was trying to contact him through his thoughts. He sat up, heart pounding as he felt a bit of hope enter into his heart. The Druids! Perhaps they knew what was going on in Camelot and were going to help. Surely they felt the same about the technology as he did, since they, too, had magic.
"Emrys…" It was the Druid boy, Mordred, but he sounded different. His voice was faster, a bit higher pitched. Merlin decided not to answer just yet, to see if the boy had anything else to say. When he didn't answer right away, Mordred tried again. "Emrys… Emrys. Emrys! EMRYS! EmrysEmrysEmrys! EMRYS! MERLIN!"
Finally, his mind spinning with Mordred's quick succession of calls, each one more frantic and high pitched, Merlin shouted (out loud and in his mind), "WHAT?"
There was a little giggle. "Hi!"
And Merlin knew then that not even the Druids had been spared the horrors of the twenty-first century. He was going to be alone – utterly, completely alone in his fight against technology.
Lovely.
Comments
You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment