SUMMARY: "Arthur Pendragon, the noblest and bravest king to ever rule Albion. It is known. But before this all comes to pass, you must embark on important quest." Merlin, Arthur, and the knights have to complete a quest that restores dragons into the world before heralding Camelot's golden age. Meanwhile, Morgana and Morgause are never lurking far behind, scheming sinister plots to grab power for themselves.
A/N Starts with scenes from Merlin Season 3 Episode 5 "The Crystal Cave" and diverges to AU. BUT I'll try to keep my writing on par with the original feel of the Merlin show. This is my first fanfic, born out of a desire to see the characters in Merlin put into some new situations (dangerous, gritty, and epic ones reminiscent of Game of Thrones), so I'll probably incorporate some GoT characters and story elements here. But you don't need any knowledge of GoT to read this story. I'll warn if there are GoT spoilers. Will be multiple chapters.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, and am not making any money from this fiction. It is created purely for enjoyment.
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Prologue: A New Prophecy
At the Crystal Cave, Merlin sees that his own prophecy shall soon be successfully fulfilled but also learns of a new prophecy.
**Earlier that day**
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. The sound of Merlin's heartbeat resounded abnormally loudly in his ears. Perhaps it was his body's way of reacting to unfortunate situation at hand.
"Rarhhhhhh!" screamed one of the thirty-some bandits in close pursuit behind Merlin and Arthur. Twisted roots of old trees seemingly reached out up out of the ground suddenly, threatening to hinder their escape. The dire situation distracted Merlin from noticing that they were nearing the Valley of Fallen Kings. He followed Arthur as he skidded down the slope of narrow ravine.
"Are they still after us?" he panted, trying to catch his breath.
Arthur craned his neck in the direction they had just come from, "I told you we could outrun them," he declared smugly.
"You sure?" Merlin looked back cautiously.
"Why is it you never trust me, Merlin?" quipped Arthur. Shortly after, an arrow whizzed past, and buried itself in said prince's right shoulder.
**Present**
Merlin removed the poultice wrapped in leaves from the fire and held it to Arthur's forehead. "Come on," he pleaded with the unconscious man. Merlin's eyes drifted worriedly to the arrow wound in Arthur's back. Trying desperately to keep his panic at bay, he shook Arthur gently, "Dollop-head. I need you to recover." Falling back on his feet, Merlin seemed to be thinking rapidly, his eyes darting back and forth. With his mind made-up, he turned Arthur over on his side and chanted a healing spell. Arthur's face, however, remained white as a sheet. A raven cawed ominously somewhere in the trees.
"Listen to me, clot-pole. I don't care if you die. There are plenty of other princes. You're not the only pompous, supercilious, condescending, royal imbecile I could work for. The world is full of them. But, I'm gonna give you one more chance." Merlin chattered with a false cheeriness, more for his own benefit than the prince's, as the latter lay deathly still. Merlin tried various incantations over the next couple of hours, all to no effect. Frightened and at a loss of what to do, Merlin walked despondently over to a puddle and crouched down, as if to do something but then just stared at his reflection. Splashing some water on his palms to wash Arthur's blood off, his panic suddenly broke through the surface, and his eyes stung with tears.
"Tell me, why are you so sad?"
Startled, Merlin looked up to see an old man standing near the ravine's entrance. "It's my friend. He's dying and I can't help him."
"Then do not waste your tears, for I can tell you that the time for him to die is not yet upon us."
The old man's name was Taliesin, and he knew who Merlin was—knew of Emrys. After healing Arthur, he took Merlin to a cave within the valley, leaving the now rosy-cheeked prince to sleep through his remaining recovery. Said cave was glittering with different shaped crystals, hence its name, the Crystal Cave.
"This is where magic began," Taliesin explained. Images began appearing in some of the crystals. Moving in for a closer look, Merlin saw a crowned Arthur sitting upon the throne, with a crowned Guinevere to his left and Merlin standing just to the right, in purple robes. "The Golden Age of Albion will soon be upon us," Taliesin smiled.
"Why have you brought me here?" Merlin peered at him cautiously. When no response came, he moved on to other crystals. He glimpsed a young, brown-haired child standing in a crowd, eyes full of fear as she witnessed an execution. In another crystal, he saw a white-haired young girl walking with three baby dragons flying around her.
"Your path will soon collide with the Mother of Dragons, and it is your destiny to help her!"