Author’s Note: I was inspired to write a little bit about my Bogsneak Merlin as a way of getting out of a bad funk. He’d just given me my first facet eye kiddo I bred, Morgan, and I wanted to delve deeper into their relationship as well as how the rest of the clan really views him.
Feedback is love :D I’ll add the dragons that appear in this little Drabble below! And I’m subscribed! Oh, and a warning for the discussion of mental health and possible medication. The names Merlin and Morgan/Morgana/Morgaine are from Arthurian legend.
A MARBLED DELUSION
Darkness fell calmly on the Lair of Many References. The night air was temperate and the winds from the day’s storm had calmed. Stars twinkled overhead, framing a pale crescent moon that shone softly in a vast veil of darkened sky. Down below, the various comments and musings that had peppered the day with sound were silent.
All was still and the attention of the many dragons gathered around a large campfire were turned towards the roots of the Behemoth. The great tree stood as a shadowy sentinel over the Labyrinth, its far reaching branches a testament to the Gladekeeper’s rule over her verdant domain. The crowd was mostly made up of hatchlings. They were wide eyed with tails wiggling in anticipation as their older companions shushed them. Some of these older few wore expressions of disdain and cynicism, others were merely amused at the prospect of another gathering.
The source of their disdain, amusement and cynicism emerged from his hiding spot behind a root of the Behemoth. An elderly Bogsneak waddled on aching feet towards the gathered mass of dragons, glasses hanging askew and moustache unkempt. His eyes shone in the firelight, almost as brilliantly as his sheer blue wings. But, those eyes shone with madness, an aching need to be believed by as many as will listen. A young Ridgeback came out of the crowd to stand beside him, her face wrought with concern. She had his wing colour sure, but her primary and her soundness of mind came from her mother. The Bogsneak didn’t notice her.
“My friends!” he bellowed, voice cracking from the intensity, “I come to you with concrete proof of my Wizardry!”
“Merlin’s come off his ***** again,” whispered one adult bystander.
“Thinking a book made him a wizard. It’s totally mad!” muttered another.
“It’s a real shame,” mumbled a third. ”He was so popular before all this wizard nonsense”.
“Father,” the Ridgeback finally spoke up in a kindly tone, “I think maybe we should save this for tomorrow? You’ve had a very busy day and-“
“Nonsense Morgana my dear assistant!” rattled the Bogsneak, madly grinning madly. ”Can’t you see they’re all begging to know?” Merlin gestured with a shaky claw to the hatchlings in the crowd. They were fidgeting with excitement, unaware of his condition and content to believe he was merely a Magician putting on a show.
The Ridgeback held up a claw, speaking much slower and clearer. “It’s Morgan, and it’s past your recommended bedti-“
“As I was saying Morgana! Proof of my wizardry!” Merlin made a grand gesture, a sign to Morgan just as much as to the crowd. The Ridgeback sighed and diligently wheeled out a cart, upon which sat a hat and a small rabbit. Merlin put the hat on his head, bowing as low as his old bones would let him.
”I shall now make this rabbit turn into a...what was it again?” He pondered, twirling his moustache in an erratic parody of thought.
“...A book, Father” Morgan replied flatly.
“Ah yes, a book! Thank you Morgana!”
MorGAN.”
”Morgana, Morgan, Morgaine, you Le Fay types are all the same!” Merlin chuckled and waved a claw dismissively. “On with the proof!”
”ALASHKABIBBLY!” the Bogsneak yelled wildly, waving his stubby front claws in the air and throwing a brown substance onto the rabbit and turning around.
“MY COCOA POWDER!” roared another voice in the crowd.
The rabbit, much to the disappointment of the hatchlings, remained exactly where it was. It sneezed some of the cocoa powder out of its nose and began to clean itself.
Merlin looked scandalised when he didn’t hear the woes of excitement from his audience. He turned back around and immediately started to babble, “But...BUT IT WORKED BEFORE! I-IT DID! THE BOOK WAS THERE! MORGANA YOU SAW IT!”
“Father,” Morgan said in her best clinically pleasant tone, ”the rabbit was sat on top of the book and it jumped out of the cart when you weren’t looking. We discussed this over lunch. And I’m Morgan, your aide and daughter. So please,” she held out a claw to the elderly Bogsneak. “come back to the den and get some sleep. I’ll see Himalaya about upping your dose in the morning”.
“I’M NOT CRAZY!!” Merlin boomed in response, balking away from Morgan. He leapt out from behind the cart and took off into the woods with an uncanny swiftness. ”WATCH AS I, THE GREAT WIZARD MERLIN, DISAPPEAR!”
After being stunned for several minutes the crowd dispersed, many of them murmuring angry comments directed at Morgan and her father before disappearing into their nests. The Ridgeback sighed again, heavier this time, and used her long claws to scoop ash onto the fire. It sputtered before it died out, leaving only a few embers behind. Just like his mental state’, she thought to herself.
She was about to search for her wayward charge when she felt a claw rest on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Thetis, a kindly Imperial with a suit made out of soft blue Crane fabric, smiling down at her. The hatchlings were gathered at her feet, many of them clinging sleepily to the crèche mother.
“Dear Morgan” she began, her voice gentle like a warm summer breeze. “Don’t blame yourself sweetheart. It happens to the best of us in the end”.
“What am I going to do Thetis?” Morgan’s brow ridges creased In worry. “He’s on the top range stuff, Himalaya said so herself. Stuff that Cyan PAID good money to import from Everbloom. Cyan doesn’t ever PAY for things! How can I be a care aide for Many References if I can’t even control my own Father?”
Thetis drew Morgan into a soft hug. “While it is true that Cyan’s methods are lucrative and Himalaya’s allegiances are skew, no one can doubt your skills. I raised you up after all, your tenacity is unmatched! Merlin is...a special case. One who deserves much more sympathy than he gets”.
“Sympathy?” Morgan wriggled angrily, “He’s not well Thetis. His delusions are getting worse and you played into them by bringing the children to see a magic show!”
The Imperial lowered her gaze and let Morgan go. “I know, and for that I’m sorry. But this sort of thing is something you have to ease a child into understanding. They get confused otherwise”.
“Brea no confuse”, a little voice piped up, startling both adult dragons out of their discussion. A Fae, tiny by most standards, toddled out from Thetis’s tail fluff. He came towards Morgan on mini robotic joints, the organic parts of his frame coated in tar residue despite the many baths he was given.
“Brea know lost things. Learn from Ova Side. Magic Man lost...mmm” he struggled to think of the word, brain like his joints still newly reanimated. “M...marbles? Magic Man lose marbles in head” Brea tapped the side of his own carefully. ”Brea help nice Ridgey find Magic Man marbles?”
Morgan just stared at Brea, lost for words. “I...”
“Brea...my darling child,” Thetis began softly, “it’s wonderful for you to offer but...I think your Magic Man’s marbles might be a bit far gone for that....”
“Brea want try,” the Fae insisted, hobbling even closer to Morgan.
Thetis reached for him urgently “Brea! Come back here it’s time to leav-“
Morgan held up a claw, stopping the Imperial. ”Please...let me.”
Thetis simply nodded, gathering up the rest of the sleepy hatchlings. Morgan leant down to Brea’s eye level and looked into his round, brown eyes. His pupils were permanently dilated from his ordeal, but underneath their endless void twinkled a tiny spark of regained childlike innocence.
Morgan’s worried look faded, replacing itself with one of calm serenity. “Brea...” she started, slowly curling her tail around his permanently small body. “Thank you for offering. My Father and I are honoured that you want to help. It means so much more than you know”.
She looked up for a moment, towards the woods Merlin had vanished into, and sighed a third and final time. “But some things that are lost can never be found”.
Feedback is love :D I’ll add the dragons that appear in this little Drabble below! And I’m subscribed! Oh, and a warning for the discussion of mental health and possible medication. The names Merlin and Morgan/Morgana/Morgaine are from Arthurian legend.
A MARBLED DELUSION
Darkness fell calmly on the Lair of Many References. The night air was temperate and the winds from the day’s storm had calmed. Stars twinkled overhead, framing a pale crescent moon that shone softly in a vast veil of darkened sky. Down below, the various comments and musings that had peppered the day with sound were silent.
All was still and the attention of the many dragons gathered around a large campfire were turned towards the roots of the Behemoth. The great tree stood as a shadowy sentinel over the Labyrinth, its far reaching branches a testament to the Gladekeeper’s rule over her verdant domain. The crowd was mostly made up of hatchlings. They were wide eyed with tails wiggling in anticipation as their older companions shushed them. Some of these older few wore expressions of disdain and cynicism, others were merely amused at the prospect of another gathering.
The source of their disdain, amusement and cynicism emerged from his hiding spot behind a root of the Behemoth. An elderly Bogsneak waddled on aching feet towards the gathered mass of dragons, glasses hanging askew and moustache unkempt. His eyes shone in the firelight, almost as brilliantly as his sheer blue wings. But, those eyes shone with madness, an aching need to be believed by as many as will listen. A young Ridgeback came out of the crowd to stand beside him, her face wrought with concern. She had his wing colour sure, but her primary and her soundness of mind came from her mother. The Bogsneak didn’t notice her.
“My friends!” he bellowed, voice cracking from the intensity, “I come to you with concrete proof of my Wizardry!”
“Merlin’s come off his ***** again,” whispered one adult bystander.
“Thinking a book made him a wizard. It’s totally mad!” muttered another.
“It’s a real shame,” mumbled a third. ”He was so popular before all this wizard nonsense”.
“Father,” the Ridgeback finally spoke up in a kindly tone, “I think maybe we should save this for tomorrow? You’ve had a very busy day and-“
“Nonsense Morgana my dear assistant!” rattled the Bogsneak, madly grinning madly. ”Can’t you see they’re all begging to know?” Merlin gestured with a shaky claw to the hatchlings in the crowd. They were fidgeting with excitement, unaware of his condition and content to believe he was merely a Magician putting on a show.
The Ridgeback held up a claw, speaking much slower and clearer. “It’s Morgan, and it’s past your recommended bedti-“
“As I was saying Morgana! Proof of my wizardry!” Merlin made a grand gesture, a sign to Morgan just as much as to the crowd. The Ridgeback sighed and diligently wheeled out a cart, upon which sat a hat and a small rabbit. Merlin put the hat on his head, bowing as low as his old bones would let him.
”I shall now make this rabbit turn into a...what was it again?” He pondered, twirling his moustache in an erratic parody of thought.
“...A book, Father” Morgan replied flatly.
“Ah yes, a book! Thank you Morgana!”
MorGAN.”
”Morgana, Morgan, Morgaine, you Le Fay types are all the same!” Merlin chuckled and waved a claw dismissively. “On with the proof!”
”ALASHKABIBBLY!” the Bogsneak yelled wildly, waving his stubby front claws in the air and throwing a brown substance onto the rabbit and turning around.
“MY COCOA POWDER!” roared another voice in the crowd.
The rabbit, much to the disappointment of the hatchlings, remained exactly where it was. It sneezed some of the cocoa powder out of its nose and began to clean itself.
Merlin looked scandalised when he didn’t hear the woes of excitement from his audience. He turned back around and immediately started to babble, “But...BUT IT WORKED BEFORE! I-IT DID! THE BOOK WAS THERE! MORGANA YOU SAW IT!”
“Father,” Morgan said in her best clinically pleasant tone, ”the rabbit was sat on top of the book and it jumped out of the cart when you weren’t looking. We discussed this over lunch. And I’m Morgan, your aide and daughter. So please,” she held out a claw to the elderly Bogsneak. “come back to the den and get some sleep. I’ll see Himalaya about upping your dose in the morning”.
“I’M NOT CRAZY!!” Merlin boomed in response, balking away from Morgan. He leapt out from behind the cart and took off into the woods with an uncanny swiftness. ”WATCH AS I, THE GREAT WIZARD MERLIN, DISAPPEAR!”
After being stunned for several minutes the crowd dispersed, many of them murmuring angry comments directed at Morgan and her father before disappearing into their nests. The Ridgeback sighed again, heavier this time, and used her long claws to scoop ash onto the fire. It sputtered before it died out, leaving only a few embers behind. Just like his mental state’, she thought to herself.
She was about to search for her wayward charge when she felt a claw rest on her shoulder. She looked behind her to see Thetis, a kindly Imperial with a suit made out of soft blue Crane fabric, smiling down at her. The hatchlings were gathered at her feet, many of them clinging sleepily to the crèche mother.
“Dear Morgan” she began, her voice gentle like a warm summer breeze. “Don’t blame yourself sweetheart. It happens to the best of us in the end”.
“What am I going to do Thetis?” Morgan’s brow ridges creased In worry. “He’s on the top range stuff, Himalaya said so herself. Stuff that Cyan PAID good money to import from Everbloom. Cyan doesn’t ever PAY for things! How can I be a care aide for Many References if I can’t even control my own Father?”
Thetis drew Morgan into a soft hug. “While it is true that Cyan’s methods are lucrative and Himalaya’s allegiances are skew, no one can doubt your skills. I raised you up after all, your tenacity is unmatched! Merlin is...a special case. One who deserves much more sympathy than he gets”.
“Sympathy?” Morgan wriggled angrily, “He’s not well Thetis. His delusions are getting worse and you played into them by bringing the children to see a magic show!”
The Imperial lowered her gaze and let Morgan go. “I know, and for that I’m sorry. But this sort of thing is something you have to ease a child into understanding. They get confused otherwise”.
“Brea no confuse”, a little voice piped up, startling both adult dragons out of their discussion. A Fae, tiny by most standards, toddled out from Thetis’s tail fluff. He came towards Morgan on mini robotic joints, the organic parts of his frame coated in tar residue despite the many baths he was given.
“Brea know lost things. Learn from Ova Side. Magic Man lost...mmm” he struggled to think of the word, brain like his joints still newly reanimated. “M...marbles? Magic Man lose marbles in head” Brea tapped the side of his own carefully. ”Brea help nice Ridgey find Magic Man marbles?”
Morgan just stared at Brea, lost for words. “I...”
“Brea...my darling child,” Thetis began softly, “it’s wonderful for you to offer but...I think your Magic Man’s marbles might be a bit far gone for that....”
“Brea want try,” the Fae insisted, hobbling even closer to Morgan.
Thetis reached for him urgently “Brea! Come back here it’s time to leav-“
Morgan held up a claw, stopping the Imperial. ”Please...let me.”
Thetis simply nodded, gathering up the rest of the sleepy hatchlings. Morgan leant down to Brea’s eye level and looked into his round, brown eyes. His pupils were permanently dilated from his ordeal, but underneath their endless void twinkled a tiny spark of regained childlike innocence.
Morgan’s worried look faded, replacing itself with one of calm serenity. “Brea...” she started, slowly curling her tail around his permanently small body. “Thank you for offering. My Father and I are honoured that you want to help. It means so much more than you know”.
She looked up for a moment, towards the woods Merlin had vanished into, and sighed a third and final time. “But some things that are lost can never be found”.