The Summoning ϟ The Flash & Merlin

Chapter 10: This is War

She wondered if she could hit the sandbag as hard as Barry had that one time. Hard enough to split it open, for the sand to pour out like an hourglass. Her knuckles, even wrapped, felt almost raw as she continued to hit it with every ounce of power she could put behind each punch. But every time her fists connected with the hard leather, it felt like she was landing another shot on Theo.

Sweat poured down her face and body when a muffled call pulled her out of her own little world. She grabbed the bag to hold it steady and her head swiveled slightly to the side. Standing behind her, with his arms behind his back, was Merlin. He wore a similar look to the one that everyone else was wearing around her now: tight lips and sorrowful eyes that held pity for the girl who had fallen for the villain bent on taking everything away from her. She turned her focus to the bandages on her hands as she began to slowly unravel them, feeling the wet roughness from the sweat that sat in the fabric. "Hi, Dad."

"Dad?"

"That's what you are. Unless you want me to call you Father as well," she told him.

"Your brother actually called me that once to annoy me. Don't know why it stuck to be honest," he answered her. "But I was wondering if I could show you something."

"What is it?"

He crooked his head towards the door of the training room. "Follow me."

..............................

His knuckle was white as he held onto the handle of the door. His breathing had stopped and his gaze seemed a million miles away. Rose gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him breathe once again. She had been watching him as she followed him upstairs to one of the few rooms that seemed locked up there. If it wasn't for Leonard and Oliver telling her she needed to learn everyone's secrets as well as escape routes, she might have ignored it. But her lock picking skills nor her magic were no match to whatever kept this room sealed shut. Rose spoke in a quiet voice, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," he answered her. "I just haven't been in here for over two decades. But I thought you might want to see it." He pushed down on the handle and threw the door open. She let in a deep inhale when she saw what was behind the door.

A nursery. Given the look of it, along with the amount of dust on some of the furniture, it hadn't been touched since around the time she had been born. It was simple and mostly colorless room save for the few brightly colored stuffed animals in the crib and on a rocking chair. Though she would want to claim it was breathing in the stale air that made her eyes water, the tears and speechless were all her own as she took a few steps inside the room that should have belonged to her. Her eyes roamed it and caught sight of a wood picture frame on an end table.

Merlin followed in behind her, the door creaking as she moved to pick up the photo. Her hand coated in a fine layer of over two decades worth of dirt as she wiped at the glass. It was the same picture she had in her photo album. Her birth parents. Her body sunk into the chair, a puff floating around as she did, as she let in another gulp of air. "I-I have this picture. It is the only picture I have of her. Of you."

"This was my favorite room once I was told I was having a child. My first. Never thought I would have one child, let alone three. But there was nothing quite the feeling of hearing about you. Even after Maria told me her end of the prophecy, I was still excited to have you here and watch you grow up. To teach you your first words, your first spell, all of it-" Merlin's voice started to falter- "I-I know I, and Maria, would have loved to have watched you grow up. But your family did a spectacular job with you."