Review replies then Chapter 2. It's so good to see my old reviewers and welcome to the new! :)
HoRnIe DeMoN- Thank you! Hope you like this one too.
Lady Cougar-Trombone- Thanks! I've planned it that way.
OechsnerC- Thank you!
sjritts- Glad you liked it! Ruadan's motivations will be revealed gradually, starting here. Morgause is here, and plenty of magic! :)
Crazyaniknowit- Mm, yep, Sefa. I've always wondered what happened to her. And aww, you're so sweet!
Meri Ley- Thank you! Soon you'll see what Ruadan is up to,
Nimbus Night 2405- Thanks! I hope this is soon enough!
Mike3207- You will see here what Morgause knows.
DarkLevithian- Thanks! Mordred is going to be in this one- this chapter, in fact. :)
In the woods, Sefa walked until she came upon a tumbledown fortress. Inside, Ruadan was praying. She recognized him and moved toward him, but he heard her footsteps. His eyes glowed and he disappeared only to reappear behind Sefa a moment later, holding a knife to her neck. She shrieked and said, "It's me! It's Sefa! I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Fear is in here," he tapped his chest, "no one can make you feel fear. Do you understand?" Sefa nodded and the man backed away. "You have something to tell me?"
"Yes. Arthur has set out for Ismere."
Ruadan smiled. "As I expected. When did he leave?"
"Yesterday at dawn. Shall I go back with you?"
"Your disappearance would create suspicion."
"What would you like me to do?"
"You have served your purpose for now." He started walking to where his horse was tethered, but stopped turn back towards Sefa. "I hope they haven't ill-treated you."
"They've been good to me, father."
"They are Pendragons. They're good for one thing only—death." He turned back around and walked to his horse, which he mounted and began riding, leaving Sefa behind.
xxxXxxx
In the morning, Arthur bid Annis a grateful goodbye. Everyone had donned their heavy cloaks as a frigid breeze blew all around them. When they reached the bluff overlooking the city, many looked back and fondly wished they didn't have to leave.
After a couple minutes, Arthur gently called them to order and they got moving again. They rode, with breaks, through the morning and into the afternoon. The sun was just beginning to descend and fog rise when a horse's neigh sounded from beyond the mist.
"I think we're surrounded," Merlin whispered.
"We can't stay here," Leon added.
Arthur peered through the fog and saw men in Saxon armor riding closer. "Run!" he yelled.
All the knights spurred their horses, but were attacked and forced to dismount to stand their ground. Soon enough, everyone was engaged in fierce combat. Leon knocked down a Saxon soldier then turned to face another with an axe. The Saxon kicked him down but he jumped up to fight again, until the axe grazed against his leg. Leon yelled in pain, which got Arthur's attention. The Saxon then knocked Leon to the ground with his foot.
Arthur made his way to Leon, defeating three Saxon warriors on the way. He faced the axe-wielding Saxon and disarmed him. He then fought two Saxon warriors, while another crept up behind him and hit him on the head. Arthur fell to the ground while the Saxon turned to face Elyan.
Meanwhile, Merlin had been fighting his own battles. He'd noticed there were at least two sorcerers among the Saxons' ranks, so he immediately focused on taking them out. He looked up at Leon's yell and saw Arthur's charge. He'd begun running in that direction when Arthur turned to fight the pair of Saxons. Too late he saw the one hit the King's head. Merlin yelled "Astrice" at the man before he could face Elyan and ran to Arthur. He pulled Arthur away from the battlefield and laid him against a tree.
He looked up to see two Saxons riding closer. "Astige ðu wyrm," Merlin whispered and a snake came from the bushes and scared one of Saxons' horses. It reared, which gave Merlin an opening to flee with Arthur.
After he'd dragged Arthur far enough away that he couldn't hear the battle, he laid the King on the ground and sat next to him. Arthur groaned and started to wake up, noticing Merlin watching him.
"What happened?" he wanted to know.
"You don't remember?" Merlin replied.
Arthur looked around. "Where are the others? Leon? Elyan?"
"There was nothing I could do. I had to get you to safety."
"What actually happened?"
"The usual—I saved your neck."
"Again, huh?"
"Someone keeps putting himself in situations where I have to!" He helped Arthur up.
Arthur chuckled. "So it would seem."
"Come on." Merlin led the way, away from the direction of the battle.
They walked steadily north for the rest of the day, ducking behind whatever was convenient when patrols of mounted men approached. Near sunset, the temperatures dropped steadily and snow began to fly. They took shelter in a sort of hollowed-out hill. Merlin cast a shield around them to keep out the cold, and they sat there, huddled together, talking.
A couple hours after sunset, they heard footsteps approach. Merlin tried modifying the shield to block them from sight, but the footsteps didn't stop. In fact, they came closer. A dark figure loomed in front of them and said, "Ende." Merlin's shield fell. Arthur raised his sword and Merlin his hand, but the voice said, "Wait." The figure unraveled the scarf from around his face. Deep blue eyes looked out at them.
Merlin looked back in shock. He remembered those eyes on a much younger face; this boy looked about sixteen. It was Mordred, the druid they'd saved all those years ago. His hand slowly lowered as Arthur asked, "Do we know you?"
Mordred looked at Arthur curiously. "You don't remember me, do you? You saved my life once, many years ago."
"Mordred," Merlin said.
Mordred smirked. "Hello, Emrys," he said into Merlin's head. "Your majesty," he said out loud. "I was on my way to Camelot to see you, and what do I find?"
"Mordred, you've grown," Arthur replied. "Come, sit with us."
Mordred sat. Merlin asked, "Why were you coming to Camelot?"
"I'd heard rumors that magic is now free there. I wanted to see if it was true, and if so, offer my services."
"It's true," Merlin smirked. He lit a fire in his hand without words.
Mordred watched as Arthur smiled indulgently. "Okay, put that thing out. We don't want anyone else to find us." He turned to Mordred. "How did you find us?"
"I just tracked Merlin's magic."
Arthur shot a glare at Merlin, who said "What? I can't help that. It's not like I can turn it off."
"So you have magic too then?" the King guessed.
"Forbӕrne," Mordred whispered. A flame appeared in his palm. He smiled at Arthur before closing his fist.
"I should have known," Arthur groused, "You are a Druid."
"Not all Druids have magic. Some people just enjoy the lifestyle," Mordred replied.
"That's good to know. We haven't had much luck contacting the Druids."
"Maybe they don't believe you?"
"Probably not. Can't say I blame them after everything my father did."
"Maybe Emrys needs to be involved?"
"It's okay, Mordred, he knows all my secrets now."
"Oh, good."
"You can call me Merlin. I don't go by Emrys much."
"All right. Oh, by the way, why are you out here?" Mordred wanted to know.
Merlin and Arthur looked at each other. "We're on our way to Ismere. We think some of my men are being held there."
"Ah yes. That's why I'm running from the Saxons. They work for a man named Ruadan. He's using all the men they take to dig under the keep."
"What's he looking for?"
"The Diamair."
"What's that?" Merlin asked.
"In the language of my people, it means 'The Key.'"
"The key to what?"
"The key to all knowledge . . ."
"I wonder what he wants to know."
Mordred looked at Arthur. "I've been wandering around these parts for a while now. It's well-known that Ruadan is an ex-Druid who hates you."
"Whatever for?"
"I don't know exactly."
"Can you tell us anything else about him?" Merlin asked.
"He broke from the Druids a while ago, so they don't really speak about him. But he left them because he wanted revenge on the Pendragons for something."
"Stranger and stranger," Arthur commented. Merlin yawned. "Well, Mordred, you might as well stay here with us for the night. Merlin's shield was keeping us warm; I'm sure you'd like that."
"Yes, thank you."
"You say you know these parts?"
"Yes."
"Could you get us to Ismere?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
Merlin re-established his shield and the three huddled together on the ground. It took them a few minutes, but gradually they fell asleep.
xxxXxxx
In the morning at Camelot, Gaius was sitting in the council chambers with Gwen, Morgana and Morgause. "Morgana tells me you may know something about this business going on at Ismere?" Gaius asked the blonde sorceress.
The Morgause glanced at her sister before answering. "I don't know of anything that might be happening at Ismere, other than that's where the Diamair is rumored to be hidden."
"What's a 'Diamair'?" Gwen asked.
Gaius answered. "In the Druid tongue it means 'the key.'"
"They key to what?" Morgana queried.
"The key to all knowledge. If someone's looking for it, they must be desperate to know something," Morgause replied.
"A former Druid named Ruadan is rumored to be inhabiting Ismere," Gaius pointed out.
"Ruadan. I have heard that name before," Morgause added.
"In what context?" Gwen wanted to know.
"He's been angry at the Pendragons for quite a while. It's rumored that his wife was killed in a raid about twenty years ago. He wanted to retaliate with violence, but the Druids objected. He left the clan he was with and struck out on his own."
"So why is he choosing now to show his hand if this happened that long ago?"
"That's a very good question."
They all sat back to ponder the question when the doors opened, revealing Sirs Leon and Elyan. Gwen stood to address them. "What news?"
"We were ambushed. A band of Saxons attacked us as we crossed the border into Ismere," Leon stated.
"And what of Arthur?"
"I tried to protect him," Elyan added.
"What are you saying?"
"We lost him in the battle. We don't know what happened to him," he turned to Morgana, "or Merlin."
Morgana stood abruptly. "What do you mean, you don't know what happened to them?"
Both Leon and Elyan flinched back slightly. "Well?" Gwen prodded.
Leon replied. "My lady, we were outnumbered and every single one of us were engaged in combat. I remember being attacked, the King saving me then being re-engaged. I lost track of him after that."
Elyan spoke. "Merlin blew my opponent away and he came up to Arthur. But I was attacked again. When the battle cleared, we looked around and both were gone."
"We searched for some time, the severity of some injuries was too great to wait. So we turned back to Caerleon and left the injured there to be treated while the able-bodied rode with us all night," Leon added.
Gwen sat heavily. "Thank you, Leon, Elyan." She turned to the rest of the group as the two knights left the room. "Now what?"
Morgana glared. "We go after them, of course." She sat too.
"We must think about this," Gaius replied.
"What's to think about? Two of the most valuable people to Camelot are missing. If this Ruadan is after Arthur then he really is walking into a trap. And that's assuming they're still free."
"Morgana, sister, calm down. Gaius is right. We have to think about our next move."
"She's right," Gwen said.
"Excuse me?" Morgause replied.
"Morgana's right. We need to search for them." She stood again. "I'll go talk to Leon. You three come up with a sane plan."
"Yes, my lady," Gaius answered.
xxxXxxx
In the frozen north, Arthur, Merlin and Mordred woke at about the same time. Mordred shared some dried food he'd been carrying. As they ate, Arthur asked, "How far to Ismere?"
Mordred looked up at the sky. "We should reach it by midday."
"Great." Arthur stood and dusted himself off. "Let's get going then."
Merlin opened his mouth to object but thought better of it. Arthur was determined to go after his men and trying to talk him out of it would be futile. He'd have a better chance of talking down one of Camelot's castle walls. He merely said "Yes sire" and followed in his King's footsteps.
Fortunately the snow had ceased falling but now the ground was covered in the stuff. It wasn't deep but it was cold, and the temperature stayed quite frigid. Merlin was wishing for his missing cloak when he heard Mordred's voice in his mind, "It's good to see you again Emrys."
"Merlin," he replied.
"Merlin. Something's making you uneasy."
"Well, yes. We're poking around unknown territory in the dead of winter, looking for men who might be dead. Oh, and they're probably being held by a man who wants Arthur dead. Noo, nothing's bothering me."
"Good point, I'm sorry. But tell me something—how did Arthur come to free magic?"
"That is a very long story."
"We appear to have the time."
"Are you two talking mind-to-mind?" Arthur broke in.
"Yes," Merlin said uncertainly.
"Well, don't bother. It makes me feel left out. What are you talking about?"
"Mordred wants to know how you came to free magic."
"Oh. Well, by all means, enlighten him."
So Merlin began telling the story, starting from when he'd last seen Mordred. He told him how Morgana went with Morgause and colluded with her for over a year. He shared how he discovered Morgana was being controlled through her bracelet and how he freed her. Arthur chimed in from time to time, taking great joy in telling Mordred how he'd surprised Merlin after he'd revealed his magic. Together they shared their romances and adventures leading up to the capture of Morgause and the birth of their children.
Mordred hung on their every word. He was equal parts amazed by Merlin's exploits and disgusted at Morgana' and Morgause's choices, but cheered when both had turned themselves around. He was about to offer to share what he'd done in the last several years when he looked up to see a black tower in the distance. "Oh," he said instead, "there's Ismere."
Merlin and Arthur looked up. Even from this distance the tower looked imposing. They moved close, darting between snow-covered hills. Once they were close enough, Merlin analyzed the thing. There was one set of doors leading in and no visible windows below fifty feet. "So, how do we get in?" he asked Arthur.
"Give me a few minutes." He led the way, slowly walking around the perimeter then sat in contemplation for a few minutes. "I've got it," he said suddenly, but you're not going to like it."
When Merlin had heard the plan, he was sure he didn't like it. But it was the only viable way in without climbing the outside where they'd be visible to anyone.
"Are you coming with us, Mordred?" Arthur asked.
"I will," he replied.
Sorry for the awkward ending- that was the best place to do it. :/ Thanks for reading! Next time- Strange magic, meeting Ruadan and coming home.
