[Third Person Pov]
The next day arrived and with it came the last game of the school year. Arthur stood with the rest of his team as they prepared themselves to head out onto the field. The atmosphere around them carried a mixture of anticipation and nervous excitement. Equipment was being adjusted, last minute stretches were being done, and quiet conversations passed between teammates as they mentally prepared for the match ahead. Meanwhile his friends were making their way toward the spectator seats so they could watch the game.
Merlin was carrying both Sylvia and Cosmo over her shoulders. Sylvia hung over one shoulder while Cosmo rested over the other, both of them surprisingly comfortable despite the unusual position. Walking behind her were Lance and Gwyneth, both moving with noticeably sluggish steps. Their movements lacked their usual energy and there were heavy bags under their eyes that made it clear neither of them had gotten much rest.
Merlin glanced back over her shoulder and shook her head the moment she saw their exhausted expressions. "Who told you guys it was a good idea to stay up all night training? You both look like you have a foot in the grave already."
Gwyneth rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her palm, trying to push away the lingering drowsiness. "It wasn't just training. After seeing… him, I keep getting nightmares. Every time I try to sleep it comes back to me. So I decided to study and train instead, hoping that if I tired myself out enough I'd finally be able to sleep properly."
Lance turned his head toward her, his brows drawing together with concern as he studied her tired expression. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine…" Gwyneth muttered, her voice carrying a faint grumpy edge that came from the lack of sleep. "I'll get over it eventually. What about you? You don't look so good yourself."
Lance let out a long sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. The fatigue on his face made it clear that he had pushed himself far harder than usual the night before. "I couldn't sit still after everything that happened," he admitted. "So I pushed myself to try and catch up with Arthur. I'm realizing now that it was a mistake. I swear it's like that guy trains in his sleep with how far away the gap between us is."
Merlin quietly chuckled to herself as she listened to their conversation. Inwardly she mused, 'Oh how right you are little Lancelot, how very right you are… He was strangely motivated last night, although it's not so strange given the circumstances.'
By the time they stepped outside the school grounds and began heading toward the bleachers, the early crowd had already started gathering around the field. Students filled the stands with excited chatter while others hurried to find good seats before the match began. As Merlin walked along with the others Sylvia shifted slightly on her shoulder and looked toward her before speaking.
"Aunt Merlin," Sylvia called out, though the sound that left her throat came out more like a low growl that the others couldn't properly understand.
"Hm?" Merlin responded, tilting her head slightly.
"How can I become stronger?" Sylvia asked. Her voice carried a hardened determination that was impossible to miss. Her eyes were steady and serious as she continued, "I want to train and become stronger. I don't want a repeat of the other night to happen."
Merlin blinked once in mild surprise before inwardly thinking to herself, 'What is up with everyone lately? Have they all been bitten by the training bug or something?'
Before Merlin could respond Sylvia continued speaking. 'My inherent memories at the moment aren't enough, and you're the most knowledgeable person I know. You're someone Papa trusts, so I was hoping you would know what I should do.'
Merlin listened quietly, her thoughts turning more contemplative as she considered the young dragon's request. 'I guess she really is serious about wanting to grow stronger. True dragon-born, despite being new to the world, still possess the pride that all dragons carry within them. For her to ask an outsider, one that isn't even a dragon, for guidance on how to grow in power… that takes a great deal of humility. Not all dragons would be capable of doing something like that.'
A faint smirk tugged at Merlin's lips as another thought crossed her mind. 'It must be due to his influence.'
Merlin then projected her thoughts directly to Sylvia so that none of the others around them could hear their conversation. "I know of a straightforward way for you to grow stronger," she said calmly, "but neither you nor Arthur are going to like it."
"What is it?" Sylvia responded immediately, not deterred in the slightest by the warning. "I don't care. Papa and I made a promise to each other and we're going to complete it no matter what."
"Oh?" Merlin said with a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Even if I might not like it, it's still better than being weak," Sylvia continued stubbornly, her eyes narrowing into determined slits. "It's better than what I felt when I couldn't do anything to help Papa. So tell me, what do I have to do?"
Merlin looked at her for a moment before a warm expression appeared in her eyes. She reached up and gently scratched Sylvia beneath the chin in an affectionate gesture. "It's not going to be easy," she said, "but you need to develop your hunting instinct. Since you've been cuddled and protected since the moment you were born, it hasn't developed properly. That instinct is something every dragon must sharpen through experience. Which means that in order for you to grow stronger, you and Arthur would need to part ways for a while."
Sylvia flinched slightly at those words. Her expression twisted with clear reluctance at the thought of being separated from her father. The idea visibly bothered her, and for a brief moment she hesitated. However the hesitation only lasted a few seconds before she steeled her resolve and forced herself to accept it.
"Okay… if that's what I have to do."
Merlin studied her reaction carefully. 'She accepted that much faster than I expected,' she thought to herself. 'I thought she would complain, whine, or even throw a small tantrum before reluctantly agreeing. But it seems the incident the other night affected her far more deeply than I initially realized.'
"Who are you going to be cheering for?" Hermione suddenly asked, her voice snapping Merlin out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Merlin responded as she turned her head to the side. Only then did she notice that Hermione and Ron had taken seats beside her and joined them to watch the match. "Aren't you two normally looking after Harry?"
Ron rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Madam Pomfrey kicked us out," he admitted. "She told us to go enjoy the game instead of hovering around the infirmary."
Merlin chuckled softly and shook her head before turning her attention back toward the field. High above them the players were already lined up in the sky, hovering on their brooms as they waited for the match to begin.
"I'm rooting for my house," Merlin said, finally answering Hermione's earlier question.
"What? Seriously?" Gwyneth asked in surprise.
At that exact moment the whistle blew and the Quidditch match officially began, the players immediately shooting off across the field as the game started.
"I am," Merlin replied matter-of-factly. "I don't want Arthur becoming an arrogant jock if he wins too much. One moment he's celebrating his victory, and the next thing you know he's throwing his varsity jacket over some girl's shoulders while kissing her behind the stands. Then he's sneaking off to parties and drinking while underage. Before he even realizes what's happening he gets the girl pregnant before going pro. Suddenly he's a young dad who has to get a job to make ends meet and support his baby mama and unborn child. Because of that job he's constantly exhausted and can't perform properly during games. His sponsors start leaving him one by one once they see his decline. His performance becomes abysmal under all that pressure and eventually he gets kicked off the team."
Her voice became increasingly emotional as she continued, her eyes even beginning to grow teary as the terrible scenario continued forming in her imagination. "After everything falls apart he turns to alcohol to cope. He becomes bitter and resentful toward the girl and the child for ruining his future. And in the end he becomes nothing more than a man who peaked in high school," Merlin finished, her voice cracking slightly. "He'll become nothing more than a pathetic existence. Which is why I want him to lose. It'll keep him humbled."
When she finally finished speaking she looked over at Lance and Gwyneth, only to see them staring at her with their mouths hanging open in stunned disbelief. Slowly she turned toward Hermione and Ron as well and saw that they looked exactly the same, both of them equally speechless.
Seeing the utterly baffled expressions across all of their faces, Merlin couldn't hold it in any longer. She suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, clutching her stomach as she wheezed uncontrollably.
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