This is my first attempt at a
Merlin piece, so comments would be appreciated!
All recognisable charcters etc belong to the BBC. Everything else is my own. I do this for fun- not profit.
This is a WIP, so updates will come when they come. Hopefully, it won't be too long between chapters, but I cannot promise! (and only if people want this to continue!)
Enjoy! (I hope!)
Merlin was industriously going over Arthur's armour as the prince ranted about the stupidity of one of the younger knights. A stupidity that, once had seemed amusing to both the prince and servant, had resulted in a very long day; ending with Arthur having to compile another long report. Arthur hated reports, and so poor Merlin was once again at the receiving end of the Prince's frustration.
"At least no-one was hurt" interrupted Merlin.
"And that in itself was a minor miracle. Honestly, I never thought there could be anyone more of an idiot than you, Merlin" Arthur flopped in his chair as he said this, ignoring the evil look Merlin was giving him.
There was a loud knock at the door. Arthur and Merlin shared a look of momentary confusion, it was early evening. Who could possibly have need of Arthur at this hour?
"Come!"
"Sire, the King has requested you attend Court" said a knight, bowing as he entered.
"Very well. At what time are we to begin?" Arthur said tiredly. He had been hoping for an easy morning after the day he'd had.
"um... Sire, the Court is meeting now"
Arthur shared a confused look with Merlin, before gesturing to the knight to lead the way.
The grand hall was abuzz with noise. Court was not held this late unless something was very wrong. Arthur stood at the head of the hall, armed crossed as he awaited his father. Catching sight of Gwen's worried face; he gave her a small smile. Her responding one gave Arthur a strange feeling in his stomach, one he decided he rather liked.
Merlin who was standing beside Gaius on the opposite side of the hall smiled at the whole exchange, before turning to Gaius. "Any idea what this" he gestured around the hall, "is about?"
"No. None," came the stilted response. "Uther mentioned nothing to me when I spoke with him earlier. Have you been behaving yourself, haven't you?" He suddenly questioned in a harsh whisper.
"Yes. Honest!" he added at the disbelieving look. "I've been with Arthur all day."
"Well it looks like we're about to find out"
Right enough in strode the King, with a look on his face that made Merlin take an instinctive step back.
"Who" began Uther in a waspish snap upon reaching the head of the hall, effectively silencing the hall, "dared call MY court, using MY NAME!"
Arthur shot Merlin a shocked look, before taking a half step toward his father, and then seemed to think better of it. Uther was radiating anger, and no one dared breathe.
"I did" said a voice the back of the hall, and through the still open doors came a hooded figure. The statement had not been shouted, and yet the hall as one had jumped at the sound of it. Seemingly unaware of the shocked silence, or the wrath that radiated from Uther, the figure glided to the front of the hall.
"How dare-! What is your name?"
"My dear Uther, has it really been so long?" came the slightly mocking response. It was a truly magical voice; bells in a soft breeze but with a core of steel. Unconsciously Merlin took a step toward the figure, only to be brought to a stop by Gaius placing a hand on his arm. Gaius was not as unaware of the fireworks that were about to ensue, though he could not fault the young warlock's reaction.
"I'm almost hurt"
Uther in shock, merely gaped at the figure. Unheard by almost everyone he uttered a soft denial of what he was hearing. Arthur, shocked by his father's reaction took control of the situation. "Show yourself!" he commanded.
A gasp echoed about the hall as the stranger dropped her hood. Gaius and Uther as one paled as their suspicions were confirmed. Others gasped at the shock of seeing such beauty. Arthur found himself stunned as he locked eyes with this stranger. Such strange coloured eyes. Set in skin that appeared almost to have a pearl sheen, and burnt blood hair to frame in gentle waves. Power and strength seeped from every pore of the lovely stranger, yet Arthur felt no danger from her.
"Narandria!" gasped Uther. "Guards! Seize-"
"They will not be able to hold me, as well you know. Besides, I mean no harm." Regardless of her statement the knights had formed a half circle around her, swords drawn. As if oblivious, the beautiful woman continued, "Prince Arthur, I do not believe we have had the pleasure. I am the High Priestess Narandria."Glancing to either side of her, she appeared quite amused by the knights, "Now really. Is this how you treat all of your old friends Uther?"
"You are no friend! What was your purpose here sorceress?"
"I came to warn you. Camelot is in great danger; not all have been as forgiving of your crimes as I have been."
"I have committed no crimes! I am not the one who practises magic against the law!" roared Uther
"No- but it is not I, but you!, Uther Pendragon, who has the blood of innocents on their conscious!"
"How dare you-"
"No Uther, how could YOU! What crimes could those children, those babes, have committed? What you did was nothing short of a simple slaughtering!" Sparks erupted from her hands as she shouted, and the walls vibrated with her anger. The entire hall was dark with both Uther and Narandria's anger. With obvious effort, she took in a calming breath, and the hall seemed lighter again. "I did not come to argue past matters. I am offering you my help. Liusaidh has plans to take her revenge."
"I will not accept the help- nor take the word- of a sorceress!"
"Then Camelot will fall! Do not be a fool Uther. Liusaidh is far more powerful than you realise. Grief has made her mad, but it has not damped her strength; nor her skill. She lives only for vengeance. I have come to help stop her. I do not wish your death Uther- not any more. But more than that, I will not allow her to spill the blood of innocents."
"If what you say is true then we shall deal with her as we have always dealt with enemies of Camelot! Now seize her!"
"Fool!" she spat. Without a single utterance, her eyes flashed white and she pulled all the swords from the knights' hands so that the landed at her feet. Arthur pulled his own sword, and took a defensive stance in front of his father, but was unsure on how to proceed. Despite the show of magic, Arthur could not bring himself to view this woman as a foe. There was just something about her...
"If you will not accept my help Uther, then on your head be the consequences" she spat. More knights came in through the door, sent by a terrified servant who had run from the hall.
"Sèideadh, mi àithn sibh"
Merlin was surprised- never had he heard such magic. He watched as she raised her hands above her head, eyes once more white, but still with a strange purple hue, or aura, about them. Wind appeared from nowhere, grey with what could only be described as shimmering dust, and whipped about her form, hiding her from view for only a second. In that second there was a blinding flash of white, then suddenly the wind and Narandria were gone leaving behind a stunned court.
Arthur, preoccupied by what had happened in the hall and his unexplainable feelings toward the sorceress, dismissed Merlin almost immediately upon reaching his chambers. This suited the young warlock fine as he had much to think about. He wanted to talk to Gaius about the witch. Never had he seen anyone else not need a spell to move objects. And the spell she had used... 'Sèideadh, mi àithn sibh' he repeated in his head. What language was that?
Reaching the corridor of Gaius' chambers, Merlin felt a surge of energy at knowing that his questions were surely about to be answered. As Merlin went to open the door, he heard a voice that stopped him in his tracks. What was Narandria doing in Gaius' chambers? Curious, he opened the door just a crack.
"What I said in the Court is true, Gaius." There was a sadness about her face, and as fading light from the window caught her face, her eyes glistened with that strange purple hue. "I wish Uther no harm. I had hoped, that with time and age, would come wisdom. And bring with it peace and understanding." She turned away from the window, and seemed to float to the chair across the room, beside Gaius. "I see now that it has only strengthened his fears." A faint sad and self mocking, smile blitzed across her face. "No matter. I have done all I can in the given circumstances. And, as a bonus, I even get to meet you, Merlin" As she said this the door swung fully open, revealing a bashful Merlin.
Caught, Merlin stepped sheepishly through the door. Gaius looked at Merlin, and raised a brow in question of his actions. "Sorry"
Narandria smiled. "Don't be. I was rather hoping to get the chance to meet you; to have a chance to talk to you. It is an honour"
"M..me? Honour? But I'm... I'm no-one."
She smiled, and gestured for him to sit with her and Gaius. "But you will be one day. Yours is a great destiny, one that will not be forgotten."
"You know of my destiny? How?"
Laughing slightly she answered "Kilgharrah is not the only one enlightened in such matters"
"You know the Great Dragon?"
"Oh yes. In fact, we crossed paths not long ago"
A concerned look crossed Merlin's face "Has he hurt anyone else? He promised-"
"No," she cut across. "He is in the mountains- far from human dwelling. It is I who sought him out. We had much to talk about. Kilgharrah and I go back quite some time. I was... curious, as to how he had escaped. And to talk of what he knew of you- and Gaius" She smiled at them both.
"Gaius? Do you two know each other then?" He gestured between the two.
"Oh yes" Gaius spoke for the first time and placed a hand on top of hers. "We met many years ago. Back in early training. It was during a visit to a few select students to talk about remedies using what were once thought to be toxic plants."
"Yes all those wide eye students, eager to learn. And yet somehow, most of the time was spent just Gaius and I talking."
"I didn't know you were a teacher Gaius."
"I wasn't"
"But-"
"I was the wide eyed student, with, I have to admit, a rather large crush on the guest teacher - Narandria"
"But... you... I mean... I would have thought you were my age." Merlin stared at her. "Well maybe slightly older. Not to say that you look old, you don't. In fact you look rather...what I mean is-" flustered Merlin looked between the two sitting at the table with him, both who were rather amused by his fumbling. "How?"
"That," she gave a small smile, and gazed a moment out of the window "is a very long story. And it is getting late. Uther will not be pleased if he finds me here. Thank you for the tea Gaius. You have given me much to think on" With an elegance that spoke of unearthly grace, she rose and glided toward the door, before turning back to the face both "Please, take heed of my warnings. Liusaidh is not to be underestimated." She gave one last nod, before disappearing through the door, and out of sight.
Merlin turned and looked at Gaius, who simply raised an eyebrow.
The next morning, Merlin glanced over at the young prince as they made their way to the stable. "Do you think Narandria was telling the truth? About the plot against Camelot? She seemed genuine in her concern." He had asked the same question of Gaius the night before, but Gaius seemed unusually closed when it came to the mysterious Narandria.
Turning to face his servant, Arthur brought Merlin to a stop by placing his hand on his chest. He fixed him with a fierce look. "She's a sorceress, Merlin. You cannot trust her. She in an enemy of Camelot. She deals only in lies..."
"Now that's a little harsh, is it not? You do not even know me, young Arthur," seemingly out of the wall, appeared Narandria.
Startled Arthur reached for his sword, only to remember that he was not carrying it. Eyes narrowed, he measured up the beautiful women before him. Subconsciously he had taken a half step to his right, effectively covering Merlin. He might not entirely mistrust this woman but he wanted to take no chances. Narandria raised an eyebrow at the action, and awaited a response.
Arthur opened his mouth to demand to know why she had remained in the castle, but instead, to his surprise, harshly said, "You are to address me properly sorceress"
A faintly mocking look graced her features, "And how might that be?" she said in a tone one might use to placid a small child as they throw a tantrum
"Only close friends may address me by name. You," he emphasised by pointing "are to address me as 'sire' or 'my lord'"
"Ah. I'm afraid I can't." Nodding slightly she corrected herself, "Or rather, I won't. You are no lord of mine, in the same way that your father is no King of mine. I bow to no man. Not even you Arth... Prince of Camelot" Correctly reading his anger, she went on "I mean no disrespect to you. That is merely how it is. I suspect 'Prince' will meet both of our...terms?"
"Why are you still here?" Merlin questioned as he side-stepped Arthur. "Uther will have you killed" He could not explain, even to himself, why he felt protective of this woman, powerful as she evidently was. He could also not explain the relief upon seeing that she had not left as he had feared the previous night when she left him with so many unanswered (and largely unasked) questions.
Narandria gave a short laugh "I am sure he would try, were he to find me. I do not fear Uther. And my conscious would not allow my leaving. Not yet anyway."
"What is it you want?" Arthur demanded. The confusion she caused within him when he saw her was making his temper flare. She was a sorceress, and therefore could not be trusted. So why did he want to?
Narandria merely stared at him. Arthur could not match the intensity of the stare. He felt as though all of his faults and shames were being laid to bear, and yet he could not tear his eyes off hers. Even as he mentally fought to break his gaze away, he once again found himself puzzling over the colour of her eyes. They were of no shade of blue he had ever seen. Purple may have been a more accurate description, and yet that did not quite match the colour either. He had witnessed her power- her magic, in these eyes. The scene from the court had played in his mind all night, helping to remind him that she was an enemy, not as the friend as he kept wanting to see her as for reasons he could not understand.
Merlin looked on perplexed. He was unsure of what was happening. He could sense no magic- and yet something was definitely going on between the two before him.
Finally- "I want, to help" came the plain response.
Anger shot through Arthur. "Why should I believe that? You openly admit to being a sorceress and therefore sworn enemy of Camelot"
"I am a sorceress, but I am no enemy of Camelot!"
"You cannot be one without being the other!"
"Why? Why must that be so? I wish no harm to Camelot. I was born with magic, I cannot change that. I have done nothing wrong. I have my issues with Uther; I make no secret of that. But I do not wish to see him dead!" realising that she was losing control, she took several deep breaths. Arthur gave her a calculating look.
"Arth...Prince. Do not let your father's hatred blind you. Please"
"Arthur-" with a raised hand, Arthur cut Merlin off.
"Magic is forbidden in Camelot. Those who practise it break the law. As Prince I am obligated to uphold that law" Arthur said in measured tones. "You would do well to leave." With that he stepped past her and continued down the corridor that was still surprisingly empty.
Sadly looking after the young Prince, Narandria spoke softly and with evident fear in her voice, "Look after him Merlin. Liusaidh will use Arthur to get to Uther if she can."
More Merlin and Arthur in the following chapters I promise!
Please review- is this worth continuing?