Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Hero Worship

I was both intrigued and repulsed by Merlin. He was powerful, and that was something to fire my aspirations even before knowing I was a wizard as great as he. He worked wonders in the king's court and twisted fate to bring about the ends he wanted, and these too were admirable things. But what repulsed me was his capture by Nimue, the inevitable and predictable fall from the heights of glory through the trap for weak-minded fools: love. He loved her, and he lost his power to her.

I learned a great lesson from those dear days of childhood.