AN: Here is another chapter! I hope that it is enjoyed. At least a little bit!
Mordred woke up first. Glancing around to find that the others were lying in a circle in a forest glade. He frowned slightly. He wasn't sure how they had all gotten here. But he was fairly certain that it was not good.
He moved slowly, he wasn't in pain, and he didn't feel drugged (he still felt there was something suspicious about Emrys' collapse) but nonetheless they had all been transported from the castle to some forest glade.
He finally made it to his feet and moved around shaking Elyan who was laying next to him. He felt Elyan begin to stir and moved onto the others. Shaking them until they began to stir.
So far there had only been annoyed grumbles. No one had been willing to ask the three most important questions. Where were they? How had they gotten here? And how did they get back?
It was Gwaine who broke the impasse first. "Alright, I may be missing something here, but I'm pretty sure we didn't all get drunk and end up here."
Arthur sent him a withering glare. "No Gwaine, that's only something you would do. The rest of us are respectable."
Gaius interrupted before this could fall into some petty bickering. "Yes, well, could we perhaps figure out how we got here and where here is, if that isn't to much to ask of course."
Mordred could practically feel the sarcasm dripping off Gaius' words. And fought to maintain a blank face. He was surprised they were all taking this so well.
He was surprised he was taking this so well. He suspected they were all in shock.
He felt the presence before he heard it.
"I'm sure I could answer those questions for you if you'd like."
They all whirled around trying to find the source of the voice. He saw the other knights' hands moving to their swords. Their swords that weren't actually there.
There was a sigh. "Oh calm down, I'm not trying to kill any of you!" They all stared as a figure appeared before them. It was an old lady. Her hair was incredibly white and her face rather wrinkled. But it didn't stop the air of authority around her. He could feel that she was powerful. Perhaps not as powerful as he was. And certainly not as powerful as Emrys was but…. Emrys.
"You drugged him. You drugged Merlin." The words tore out of him in anger and shock. And he felt himself reach for his magic.
"Yes. Yes. Of course." The others looked shocked. Before Gwaine yelled out.
"Why did you drug Merlin! Will he be alright? If you've hurt him…" He trailed off threateningly. And then he frowned again. "And what is this with kidnapping us!?"
Percival frowned. "And if you went to the trouble to kidnap us and drug Merlin, why not just kidnap him with us?"
The old lady beamed at them. "Oh you're asking all the right questions. How exciting!" She let out a little giggle. "Firstly to answer Gaius questions. I brought you here, and well, you have to go through something before you can get back. I am letting you go back, you know. This isn't some nefarious plot. Yes I drugged Merlin. He would have figured out something was wrong and tried to stop it." Mordred thought he heard Arthur snort and felt a small burn of indignation, it really wasn't fair for Arthur to be so condescending to Merlin. "Of course Merlin will be alright, he needed the sleep anyway." He thought he saw Gaius actually nod a little bit at that. The old lady paused. "And quite honestly, it would be a little cruel to force Merlin to see what you're all going to see."
There were several confused looks around the circle at that. Why would whatever this sorceress had planned be worse on Merlin? And what was up with the strange concern she seemed to be showing for Merlin?
Arthur suddenly growled and moved towards the sorceress. "Take us back. Now. We have no desire to play whatever sick game you've come up with." He stopped several feet in front of the sorceress, but based on the surprised look on his face it hadn't been voluntary.
The old lady sighed. "Oh calm yourself. All you have to do is watch. And just so you know, it's really quite impossible to hurt anyone here. Not even with magic. So you're all safe from me and I'm safe from all of you."
Mordred noticed Gaius glance at him, as though asking for verification. He tried to send a pulse towards the witch only to feel it stop. She gave him an exasperated look, but didn't point out to the others his failed attempt. He ignored her and nodded to Gaius. The witch was telling the truth. At least about them not being able to hurt her. There was no way to know whether she was capable of hurting them.
Arthur was glaring at her. Before whirling around and storming off, commanding the others to follow him. They shared a glance with one another, Mordred sent a look at the woman to find her looking exasperated. He shrugged and followed after Arthur. She said she couldn't hurt them, he wasn't sure he believed it, but he wasn't going to let Arthur march off by himself.
It seemed everyone came to a similar conclusion as they all began to trail after Arthur.
They didn't get far before they were stopped by some invisible barrier.
Arthur whirled around again. "Let us go! We want nothing to do with you!" The old lady gave yet another exasperated sigh.
"I kidnapped you, do you think I care?" It was a valid point. But that did nothing to help Arthur's mood.
"Let. Us. Go."
"No. And you might as well listen. The sooner we get started the sooner you can get back to your precious kingdom."
"They'll come looking for us. You'll regret this."
He was fairly sure he saw the woman roll her eyes. "Yes, yes, whatever you say. Now can we get started."
"No."
"You realize you don't actually have much choice."
"I will not bow to some old sorceress' demands!"
Another eye roll but before she could once again point out the futility of fighting her Gwen broke in, speaking for the first time. "Arthur, perhaps it would be best to see whatever it is she wishes us to see."
Arthur gaped at her "But Gwen!"
"Arthur, it would be best. You heard what she said, the sooner we begin the sooner we can finish, and the sooner we can get back to the kingdom and Merlin. Our friend that's been drugged, and may need us." She paused "Plus we don't want to anger her into doing anything… untoward." Arthur frowned, considering her words. But Mordred had the feeling that while genuinely worried about Merlin she didn't seem to perturbed by the sorceress. And he found he shared that opinion. He didn't trust the woman, but he didn't see the harm and watching whatever it is she wanted them to watch.
"Fine." Arthur snapped. He turned to the woman "Can we get on with this."
Everyone turned to the woman. Waiting expectantly.
"Well, I was going to tell you what you were going to watch.. But after that display of impudence I'll let you figure it out by yourselves." She hesitated "If you have any questions I am sure that… someone here will be able to answer. And if someone can't I'll do my best to answer."
Arthur snorted, letting everyone know what he thought of the idea of asking her any questions.
"Is everyone ready?"
There were nods all around, and a sassy retort from Gwaine. As the world seemed to go white.
They were in a village and it was late at night. Although he didn't think it should be that late yet. He didn't recognize where he was, and from the looks of those around him the majority of them didn't seem to know either. Arthur was frowning as though he couldn't quite place it, but it was Gwen who finally figured it out. "Ealdor, were in Ealdor." Mordred frowned, that didn't mean anything to him. But it seemed to ring a bell in some of the others. Gwen was frowning again. Before she suddenly gasped.
And before he quite knew what was going on she was running panicked. The others seemed just as confused.
"Gwen? Gwen?" Arthur ran after her. "Gwen what are you doing?"
"She said it would be to cruel to make Merlin watch. What if something is happening to his mother? His mother Arthur!" Arthur froze as Gwen kept running, seeming to know where she was going.
Suddenly it clicked in his head. This was where Emrys had grown up. He felt strangely honored to be here. But felt a lurch of panic. It would kill Emrys to lose his mother, and with that thought he was running after Gwen. The rest of the group with him. He absently noted that Gaius could be surprisingly spry when need be.
His heart churned when he heard screams coming up ahead. Someone was screaming, and it was a woman.
Gwen had stopped in front of a house, as though momentarily paralyzed by her fear. She was shaking lightly before she burst into the house Arthur right behind her and the rest of them right behind him.
They stopped.
Completely shocked.
There was a woman laying on a mattress screaming. But she wasn't being killed, or tortured. She was… giving birth. And Mordred knew, this was the mother of Emrys.
And it made absolutely no sense. He could see it on all their faces. Emrys had never mentioned that his mother was pregnant, much less this close to being due (as in she was in labor right now.) (Although the fact that Emrys kept secrets wasn't new to Mordred)..
Arthur was frowning as though trying to figure something our.
Gwen was the first to react. "Excuse me, can I help? At all?" The woman helping Emrys' mother didn't react. Didn't so much as glance up.
"They can't hear you, or see you, or sense your presence at all really. You're not really here after all," Mordred frowned. He hadn't realized it before, but the old woman hadn't been there when they had first arrived in Ealdor, and he wasn't sure he was very happy to see her again.
Gwen wasn't paying attention though. She was frowning again. "This is wrong. Hunith is to young. Far to young. I was here a few years ago. She's to young."
Mordred felt a sudden burst of power fill the room. A small wail followed it, and the screaming died down.
They all turned to look at the new baby.
It was a boy. Mordred felt his heart drop. It was Emrys. Out loud he only looked at the old woman and asked "Merlin?"
The woman beamed. "Oh, you brilliant boy! Yes"
It was Leon who responded. "You wanted to come and watch Merlin's birth?" He looked as though he was starting to doubt the old woman's sanity.
"No, well, Yes. But No. We aren't done yet."
"Are we watching all of our births?" That was Gwaine, and he seemed to find the idea a little to amusing for Mordred.
Another eye roll. "No."
It was Elyan who figured it out. "Are we… watching Merlin's past?"
The old lady beamed again. "Oh, another intelligent young man!"
Arthur looked perturbed, Gaius frightened, and the others confused but curious. But it was Leon who once again spoke up. "Why?"
AN: Well there you have it. Chapter two finished. I hope you liked it. If so let me know! :D
(Still don't own Merlin)