#013: Impetus - Merlin - A Little Push
Aug. 6th, 2022 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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vocab_drabblesTitle: A Little Push
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Author:elidelio
Rating: G
Word Count: 466
Summary: Merlin wants to fly, but he’s missing a little something…
“I don’t understand, Gaius,” The young warlock flopped down onto the chair and threw down the exasperating grimoire on the table, “I’ve been practising this spell for weeks and I’m no closer to flying than I was when I started. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve been even more solidly grounded than usual.”
“Merlin,” Gaius barely turned his head from the shelf he was sorting, arms filled with a variety of glass vials, “Magic is not a game, you shouldn’t take it lightly. What would happen if someone caught you flying around? Stay on the ground where you belong.”
Merlin groaned. “Don’t you think flying would be extremely helpful? Think of all the things I would be able to accomplish if I didn’t have to walk.”
“You shouldn’t use your powers for your own benefit, young man.” Gaius continued with his usual spiel, occasionally uncorking a vial, sniffing it’s contents, and placing it on the shelf, “Keep in mind your duty to Camelot, if you try to use magic to solve every trifling matter—”
Suddenly, the glass vials in his hands and in his surroundings flew up, hovering in the air for a few seconds before sorting themselves out and coming to a stop on their rightful places on the shelf.
Gaius turned to look at Merlin, who grinned in satisfaction as his eyes turned back from gold into their usual blue colour.
“Pretty handy, right?” He laughed, “Now imagine if I was the one who could fly.”
Gaius sighed, defeated.
“The reason you can’t get the spell to work,” Gaius resumed his role of the wizened mentor as he sat down on a chair across from him, “Is because you lack impetus.”
“Well, yes,” Merlin tilted his head in confusion, “I thought we’d established that as the reason I’m still firmly on the ground? Are you saying I should try jumping from a tall spot or something?”
“Not that kind of impetus. I’m talking about an impulse that comes from within, one you can’t get with just magic.”
Hearing this, Merlin became intrigued. “Elaborate?”
“We humans are not flying creatures, unlike birds or dragons who are born with the instinct to spread their wings and soar. No matter how much you may want to fly, your human nature is still one that seeks solid footing. If you want to overcome this, you need to find a way to embody that desire to leap into the air and make it second nature. That is the impetus I was referring to.”
“Oh…” Merlin pondered over his words for a few moments and, after what felt line a long time, his eyes shone with sudden understanding, “I think I know what to do.”
Fandom: Merlin (TV)
Author:
elidelioRating: G
Word Count: 466
Summary: Merlin wants to fly, but he’s missing a little something…
“I don’t understand, Gaius,” The young warlock flopped down onto the chair and threw down the exasperating grimoire on the table, “I’ve been practising this spell for weeks and I’m no closer to flying than I was when I started. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve been even more solidly grounded than usual.”
“Merlin,” Gaius barely turned his head from the shelf he was sorting, arms filled with a variety of glass vials, “Magic is not a game, you shouldn’t take it lightly. What would happen if someone caught you flying around? Stay on the ground where you belong.”
Merlin groaned. “Don’t you think flying would be extremely helpful? Think of all the things I would be able to accomplish if I didn’t have to walk.”
“You shouldn’t use your powers for your own benefit, young man.” Gaius continued with his usual spiel, occasionally uncorking a vial, sniffing it’s contents, and placing it on the shelf, “Keep in mind your duty to Camelot, if you try to use magic to solve every trifling matter—”
Suddenly, the glass vials in his hands and in his surroundings flew up, hovering in the air for a few seconds before sorting themselves out and coming to a stop on their rightful places on the shelf.
Gaius turned to look at Merlin, who grinned in satisfaction as his eyes turned back from gold into their usual blue colour.
“Pretty handy, right?” He laughed, “Now imagine if I was the one who could fly.”
Gaius sighed, defeated.
“The reason you can’t get the spell to work,” Gaius resumed his role of the wizened mentor as he sat down on a chair across from him, “Is because you lack impetus.”
“Well, yes,” Merlin tilted his head in confusion, “I thought we’d established that as the reason I’m still firmly on the ground? Are you saying I should try jumping from a tall spot or something?”
“Not that kind of impetus. I’m talking about an impulse that comes from within, one you can’t get with just magic.”
Hearing this, Merlin became intrigued. “Elaborate?”
“We humans are not flying creatures, unlike birds or dragons who are born with the instinct to spread their wings and soar. No matter how much you may want to fly, your human nature is still one that seeks solid footing. If you want to overcome this, you need to find a way to embody that desire to leap into the air and make it second nature. That is the impetus I was referring to.”
“Oh…” Merlin pondered over his words for a few moments and, after what felt line a long time, his eyes shone with sudden understanding, “I think I know what to do.”
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Date: 2022-08-07 04:14 am (UTC)