I don't own Merlin but I love it
I just felt like writing this, it popped into my head a bit randomly so it is kind of random but anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
-Rin
P.S this will contain some mistakes because I haven't had the time to go over it like I usually would, so beware, when I do get enough time things may change.
NB: this is an edited version that I have gone over with a little more care, there were quite a few changes but nothing major, some more may follow in future, the same goes for other chapters.
Witches Coven
The cold chill in the air cut through the terrain on a blustery winter's night, it masked the heat coming from the burning village near by, the sound of the wind covered the screams of the people burning in their homes and the glow of the flame, too bight to look at, disguised the wreckage the fire left as roves became weak and collapsed in on top of trapped families who had no where to run.
A little ways east of the village a little girl sat watching, humming to herself, in her hand, a perfectly round fist sized emerald sat glowing with a strange light and as the girls voice climbed and fell so too did the glow, the haunting eerie tune rang out over the land, at it's peak drowning out the sound of the wind though at it's base it was barely heard.
Some time later the glow began to fade the flames that covered the village began to die and the girl stopped humming. As the song faded from the air the wind blew harder and the ruins of the village turned to dust and faded from existence, never to be seen again.
Twelve years ago it started, with a small town near the southern boarder, in one night, in raging gales it burned to the ground and its remains disappeared, turned to dust and blown away, countless settlements have followed but the fires cause remains unknown.
The cause has remained a mystery to even the best scholars in the king's city, Camelot, but then again that could have been because magic has been outlawed for the last twenty years leaving little or nothing now known about it.
King Uther of Camelot had a reputation for losing his head when he heard the word 'magic' or it could be said that he had a reputation for making other people lose theirs, the King of Camelot hated magic and those who used it with an unrelenting and terrifying passion.
"Twelve years have passed since the disappearance of the village of Bardon which stood in the most southern reaches of our kingdom, in the first five years Cally, Rotherom and Hurth followed suit and now, seven years since the last disappearance, Conith one of the southern towns has done the same." The court dignitary spoke explaining the situation to King Uther of Camelot and his council.
"Where there any survivors?" Uther questioned hoping the conversation wasn't going the way he thought it was.
"None sire on any occasion, although…" the man hesitated, the king raised an eyebrow at him to continue and so after taking a few gulps of air and turning a few shades whiter, he obliged "There have been reports form both Archeion and Roin, both close neighbours to Bardon and Hurth that a song was heard, a sort of humming at the exact time the two villages disappeared, but it was said to be… that of a child"
The sentence ending had the expected effect as the entire chamber took a large intake of breath.
"Was this heard anywhere else?" the king questioned his underling harshly, the man shivered slightly.
"No sire none of the other villages or towns had any close neighbours." The council man replied, the king sighed.
"Then are we to believe that a child is doing all this? And if so how?" The prince, who was occupying the seat next to his fathers looked up at the court dignitary with a calm stare reminiscent to that of his father, all sitting at the table knew that expression did not bode well for the target of the Pendragon's gaze.
"Well no sire, Bardon and Hurth were destroyed twelve years ago whoever did it, of course assuming that it was indeed a child, will be or almost be an adult by now sire, as for how…" The reply and what the man seemed to be implying were less then pleasing to Uther's ears.
"Find who did it, the person who did this is responsible for the death of hundreds, Prince Arthur I leave this in your hands." King Uther said as he got up to leave, Arthur nodded and he too left the hall as the court ended for the day.
Gaius the court physician hurried from the chamber to his house where his ward, Merlin was studying magic in the confines of his room. As Camelot's only sorcerer, Merlin would have to be told.
The sun shone above the trees of England's enchanting forests although the sky remained dismally grey, this went un-noticed to the teenaged girl who braved the forests wilderness bare foot following a path only she could see, with an emerald velvet cloak draped over her shoulders and a small leather bag draped over one shoulder one could mistake her for a wondering traveller, it was her lack of shoes and hooded head that made her look out of place.
The trees pulled away from her and yet the forest closed in and tried to swallow her, the green lady, rumoured to be a witch she hid in the trees and lived among nature and out of fear, few ever disturbed her.
Approaching a small log hut that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the green forest the girl pulled her hood down to reveal a pale skinned face with eyes the colour of the earth and hair that was a kin to open flame braided into a long plat, around her neck hung an emerald stone that was shaped into a perfect sphere and attached to a thin golden chain.
Stepping forward she opened the cabin and stepped inside. After closing the door behind her she set down her bag and removed her cloak to reveal a plain brown tunic underneath, sitting down at a small work table she removed herbs, spiders webs and a series of roots, twigs and berries from her bag and sorted them into piles. The spiders webs were kept in a jar on a shelf in the corner of the room, the herbs were hung on strings suspended from the ceiling to dry and the roots and twigs were either cut open and placed in jars for later processing or thrown on the fire in the middle of the room to prevent so much smoke from rising from it and filling the room.
That job done she got up and knelt by the fire preparing to make her dinner with some of the berries she had collected and various other vegetables she had gotten from the patch she kept out the back of the small one roomed cabin, she also washed her face and hands with the water she had collected from a nearby stream that morning.
As she set a cauldron of boiling water over the flames she was distracted by the sound of horse hooves echoing from some distance away, hastily standing, she grabbed her cloak from the rack beside the door and through it on over her tunic and then after grabbing the small leather bag she darted out the door.
Completely covered in the confines of her emerald cloak she made her way easily along tracks known only to her, in her head she heard the cries of the woodland as the horse and rider trampled through the undergrowth with no regard for what it they were trampling, this sound propelled her onward across a small rickety bridge that was the only path across the small stream and after walking for a few more minutes she saw him.
A rider clad in metal armour astride a white horse could be seen in the gloom, above his head he swung a sword of steel around as he cut through branches to clear a path, the light glinted off the cruel angles of the weapon and the girl's heart ached as the trees cried out in pain with each slice.
Slowly, as the man continued to cut, the girl crept round to the other side of the clearing and came to stand right in front of the strange rider, he hadn't yet cleared enough of the branches to see her but she caught sight of the red shield he held on his left arm with a depiction of a golden dragon painted across it's breadth, the trees gave one final cry, the loudest of them all as the rider broke through only to stop and freeze as his eyes landed on the small hidden figure.
"Who are you?" he questioned sounding slightly miffed, the girl inclined her head to the side.
"I could ask the same question but now I have seen your shield I require no answer" she replied, the rider removed his helmet to reveal a pale face with clear blue eyes and short blond hair.
"Listen girl, I have no time to play games I'm on an important mission from Camelot" He said firmly trying to turn his horse to walk around her but the horse had become like stone and would not move. The knight jerked on the reins and nudged the horse with his heals but still it refused to move.
The girls heart went out to the poor creature and she stepped forward with a hand out stretched as if to touch it only to find a sword in her face, completely unfazed she pushed the end of the blade aside and took another step, this time the horse reached out to her and pushed it's nose into her hand, the astonished rider had no time to think as the girl made it the rest of the way and hugged the horses long face to her chest while whispering words the rider could not understand, all of a sudden the horse about turned and began to follow the green clad figure back the way she came much to the horse's disgruntled passengers disdain.
"Just where do you think your going?" he asked sharply, the figure kept walking and simply said
"It is almost dark prince of Camelot and this forest is not safe at night for the likes of you" Prince Arthur was not amused but had to admit she was right.
"At least tell me your name" He sighed giving in, only then did her head turn in his direction.
"My name is Glory but you need not know, for after you leave here tomorrow, you will not remember it" she said before turning and continuing to walk, confused but deciding he'd rather not know the prince of Camelot followed his unlikely host to her one roomed cabin in the forests centre.