Swords were clanging under the blue sky. The battlefield was full of blood and dead bodies.
"Retreat!" a voice was heard and the opposite army disappeared in the woods.
Arthur's men tried to follow them but they stopped at the sign of their king.
"Hold! Do not follow them in the woods. They may have traps. Today's battle is ours men; let's leave the rest for tomorrow." He said making his men return to the camp.
"Whenever you want this to stop, I am open!" Arthur yelled at the opposite camp while leaving the battlefield.
The nursery tent was filled with wounded soldiers and Knights. Men with simple scratches orsingle legs.
The king entered the tent, being himself seriously wounded. He sat down waiting as the nearest nurse was taking care of a soldier who had lost arm.
He scanned the tent. He saw only fear and death. He saw his people, who was once happy and had families back at Camelot, either dead or dying.
He had someone waiting for him back in Camelot. A girl with black curled hair and a warm smile, in a lavender dress.
Arthur tried to bring himself back in reality. He opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.
He saw a woman in a lavender dress stained with blood.
Arthur blinked but he kept seeing the woman in the lavender dress stained in blood, a stray curled hair and a warm smile to those wounded.
She was Guinevere!
"Guinevere!" he called as the young woman finished taking care of Sir Percy's wound.
"My lord!" she said running towards him, bowing before him. "You are hurt!" she realized taking a second looked at Arthur.
"Yes, indeed. Would you mind to take care of it in my tent? That is, of course, if you are not needed here." Arthur said.
Guinevere smiled and escorted Arthur to his tent.
"ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Arthur yelled at her as soon as they got inside his tent.
"They needed more nurses! I had to come! I can't sit back and watch people die, not knowing if you are alright!" she yelled back.
"THIS IS NOT A SAFE PLACE TO BE, GUINEVERE! YOU MAY DIE!" Arthur yelled touching his wounded arm.
"Sit down, Arthur." Gwen demanded and helped him get his armor and shirt off.
"The chances of me dying are far more less than yours." She said while cleaning his wound. "War is not a right thing to do." She added.
"Do you think I wanted? My kingship starts with blood, that wasn't what I wanted. I tried to negotiate, but he just wants war." Arthur said disappointed.
"Don't worry, Arthur everything is going to be alright, as long you safe and sound." Guinevere said.
"I know I can't make you go back but promise me to be careful." Arthur said touching her chin making her look inside his eyes.
"Promise you won't die." Guinevere said receiving a passionate kiss from Arthur.
"My king!" Sir Leon interrupted them. "We are under attack, my lord. Their retreat was a trick to find us unguarded." He continued.
"What? An attack as the night is falling? The Mercians have no honour! Quick, hurry up!" Arthur said to Sir Leon and put on his armor with Guinevere's help.
"Please, be careful, I have a bad feeling for this." Guinevere begged him.
"War is a bad feeling by its own." Arthur said kissing her for one last time before leaving the tent.
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"May I found out the reason of your order, father?" Arthur yelled as he pushed the doors of the Great Hall wide open.
"Because you lied to me!" King Uther yelled back getting up from his throne.
"What do you mean?" Arthur demanded to know not changing his voice.
"Do you think I am an idiot, Arthur? A hunt without your Knights or servants while a servant girl is laid in your bed with Gaius over her head?" the king yelled at his son who gave him a surprised look.
"It is discussed all over the palace! I, myself overheard Sir Leon telling Sir Hector. You had better have a really good excuse for it!" Uther said pocking his son's chest.
"I… I…" Arthur lost his words. Who had given away his secret? Merlin loved his life and Gwen very much to have done it and Gaius was not a gossip man.
"Father, you always taught me to do what is right and that's what I am doing." Arthur said straightening his back. "Guinevere is sick and I am to blame, so it is my duty to go and get her the cure." Arthur said ready for what was about to happen.
"Will you risk your life for a servant? I don't know what is that you have done but I will not allow my son to leave Camelot for… a maid." Uther said.
"But father!" Arthur yelled.
"No, Arthur, I will not give in to another game of yours. Servants are disposable and a Prince can't build his life around them. I let you go away with it twice but that was it. If God wants the maid to live that is what will happen but you won't help." Uther said telling the guards to take him to the dungeons.
"Father!" Arthur yelled as the guards got him. "I just want to tell you that a King is only as good as his people as without them there can't be a kingdom." He said as the guards took him out of the room.
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Merlin stormed inside Gaius's chambers making the old man jump off his sit.
"What happened, Merlin? Why are you here?" Gaius asked him.
"Uther got Arthur; he found out about Gwen and has him in the dungeons." Merlin answered.
"How did this happened?" the old physician wondered.
"I don't know but we don't have time to find out. Uther may have capture Arthur but not me." He said entering his room.
Gaius's eyes went wide open.
"What do you mean?" he asked him.
"I'm going to the Elcove forest." He said exiting his room holding a bag.
"No! You must not go." Gaius yelled confusing Merlin.
The old man sighed. "The spell is broken only by the man of her love. Arthur needs to go and show humility, wisdom, strength, discipline and courage. He is the one who needs to risk." Gaius said.
Merlin looked at him surprised. He thought for a little while and ran to his room. He opened a book and searched the pages for the right spell.
###############
Arthur was sitting in a dark corner in his cell, thinking about what had just happened. He looked through the small window. It was night and the rain was back.
It seemed the weather was going along with his mood.
"Wait! Who are you? Show your face." He heard the guard yelling and approached the cell's door.
There was someone hidden in a blue cloak.
"I brought dinner for the prince." He said revealing his ugly face. It was burned all over, full of blisters.
"Ok, ok, hide your self. You are uglier than a troll, mate. I hope Prince Arthur won't be terrified." The guard said allowing him to enter the cell.
Arthur went back to his corner.
"I've brought you food, sire." The man said. His voice was familiar.
"Who are you?" the prince demanded to know in a low voice.
"It's me, Merlin." The young warlock whispered revealing his face.
"Oh, my… What happened to your face? It's worse than normal." Arthur said.
"I'll pass your last comment. It is a… Gaius's trick, to get you out of here. Hurry up, we must switch places." Merlin said receiving a look of disbelief by Arthur.
"Well, come on." Merlin said handing him his cloak. The prince put him on, took the plate and turned to leave.
"Your horse is in the stable, waiting for you." Merlin whispered before Arthur left the cell.
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The prince exited the palace from the servants' exit and ran to the stables. His horse was ready as his servant had told him. He rode it to the north gate with the rain being his alley.
"It's going to be a tough journey." Arthur said in an altered voice passing by the soldiers guarding the gate.
"Indeed." One of them agreed.
Arthur rode fast all night trying to recover the lost time. He had made it to the borders until dawn.
As the night is leaving and you are in our north borders, look up for the last star and follow it until it disappears.
He brought Gaius's words in his mind and looked up following the last star.
Following the path of the last star you will find a waterfall; rest there and then go east.
Arthur let the horse drink from the waterfall and headed east without resting.
It was noon of his trip's first day. His horse was tired not willing to go on without a rest.
"Alright, stupid horse; since you do not care for Guinevere, who is looking after you and giving you carrots behind my back…" the horse neighed interrupting him.
"Oh, yes, I found it out, mister! So, if you are too tired to save her, I'm leaving you here and go on myself." The prince told his horse and walked away.
The night came but Arthur did not stop. He hadn't rest for two days but he didn't care. All he had to do was go east and find the edges of the forest.
As he was walking, in the middle of the night, he heard someone approaching. He was in foreign land and that could cause a war. He hid himself behind a bush and waited.
A horse came without a rider. Someone was trapping him.
"Hmhmhmhmh." The horse neighed finding him. Arthur saw his sign on the horse and let off his guard.
"Oh, now you want to help me. So, do feel guilty for what you did?" Arthur asked his horse while getting up on it. The horse ran fast in his answer.
It was the midday of his trip's second day and at last they were in front of the passage that led to the forest.
In order to get inside the forest you need to pick the right path through the rock guardian.
"Ok, so, we've got two paths and only one is correct." He said getting off his horse and approaching the rock. He touched both entrances, waking up the guardian.
"Who is this, who wants to enter the magic forest of Elcove?" a voice was heard and a face appeared between the two entrances, rocks falling as he spoke.
"I am…" Arthur began to tell but stopped. He was sure there was some kind of catch. He had heard of stories similar to his situation. The wrong answer led to the fatal path and he was pretty sure that a magic rock didn't care about his title.
"I am nobody. I am just a man … in love." He added, the words escaping his lips.
"Your spirit is pure and your intentions innocent. Take the left path to lead you inside my forest, but I warn you, young man. Blood must not be spilt behind these rocks." The face said and disappeared.
"I guess I have to go on my own, now." Arthur told his horse and followed the left path.
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He was walking in the dark no more than five minutes to find himself in a wonderful forest. Beautiful, tall trees, small creatures flying over his head. He even thought he saw a fairy with pink wings.
He had no time to admire its beauty; another beauty was waiting for him.
He looked around and found the flower Gaius had asked. A white one, right next to the entrance.
He walked deeper in the forest searching for an El.
"How am I going to find this thing if it looks like a tree?" he said to himself.
He took his sword out thinking to hit all the trees until he found an El.
"Wait a minute." He thought and put his sword back. "What if I hit the trees and those Els get really mad. I am not afraid but fighting with a ten metres giant tree is not exactly my dream of life. Besides didn't that rock guy outside told me not to spill blood in here?" he thought out aloud and thought for a second. Even if he let others to take care of him and tell him what to do, Prince Arthur was quite smart to get through this.
He walked next to every tree and knocked gently on them trying to find an El.
After a while he came across with a tree different from the others. It was taller and weirder.
He knocked gently on it and shouted, "Are you the creature they call El?"
The giant tree woke up and stood on his feet becoming fifteen metres tall.
"I've been sleeping for over than three thousand years, who is the one who dares waking me up?" The El said with a voice that was heard all over the forest.
"I am…" Arthur began to say only to be interrupted by the El.
"I know who you are." The creature said.
"You do?" the Prince asked surprised.
"My boy, Els were born along with dragons. We were here before the witches of the old religion, the bears of the white ice and the kings of your kingdoms. You are the crowned Prince of Camelot, Arthur and I can't give you what you seek." The El said.
"Please! I… beg you! If you know so much then you know she is dying. I am not asking much." Arthur said in aloud voice to be heard by the giant tree.
"I am Elfor, an El lord, a leader to my people. My blood is powerful to your kind and necessary to me. Loosing blood will make me weak and you dangerous." The El lord said.
"But, I don't want it for me!" Arthur yelled out of anger. "You live in a forest well protected, how weak can you become by giving me a little blood?" He continued.
"Our blood contains the secrets of this world which we hold since the dawn of time. I cannot pass it to you even if it is to fulfill your destiny." Elfor said.
"I don't care about my destiny! I only want to save Guinevere!" Arthur yelled hurt.
"For over a thousand years no mortal man has entered Elcove. You must have a pure heart and I see your purpose is kind. However, you must approve yourself to gain such an honour." The El lord said.
"Ask me whatever you want." Arthur said desperate.
"Very well, did the Phoenix become ashes or the ashes Phoenix?" Elfor asked surprising Arthur who was waiting a physical task or a sacrifice.
The Prince opened his mouth to answer at once but held his words for him. Both parts were right, both were happening.
A phoenix was becoming ashes as his life was over, like the legends said, but from the same ashes a new phoenix was born.
Arthur raised his head meeting the El.
"It's a non- ending circle." He answered, sure of his decision.
"Your answer is correct, young Pendragon. You've earned your prize, use it wisely." The El lord said scratching his leg with his huge nails. Blood ran through the wound and Arthur collected it in a small bottle.
"Thank you!" Arthur shouted to the El lord as the giant tree returned to his former state.
"Three to go." Arthur whispered as he walked away seeing the sun setting.
############
He walked a long way inside the forest searching for the lake, Aldica.
As he was walking he saw many magical creatures passing by him. He saw fairies of all colours, squirrels playing with them and flowers dancing saying the sun good night.
"It's magic! It's so beautiful." He said smiling widely.
Suddenly his nose caught an awful smell. He walked a few meters ahead and saw a weird creature eating a deer.
"Oh my God!" he said discusted catching the creature's attention. The creature stood up, three metres tall, with the body of a bear and the head of a snake, covered in the deer's blood.
Arthur's eyes went wide open.
"I suppose when Gaius says half and half, he means only the head." Arthur said getting his sword out as the Imgo attacked him.
"What? No riddles from you?" he said raising his sword.
Blood must not be spilt behind these rocks.
Arthur remembered and put his sword on the ground.
"Very well, I hadn't wrestled in a while." He said preparing to fight empty handed.
Arthur was the first to attack knocking down the Imgo. The creature scratched the prince's back cutting his armor like butter.
Arthur stepped back as the creature stood up.
"You are tough." He admitted and tried for a second attack only to be thrown on a tree.
The Prince of Camelot did not quitted getting down from the tree and taking some time to think.
I've made fool of my self. Come on, Arthur. Never underestimate your opponent, especially when it is three metres tall and can crash you like a branch. Ii must have a weak point, all you want is its tooth. Arthur thought avoiding the Imgo's attacks studying the filthy creature.
The opponents stopped attacking each other and were walking in circles looking at each other; looking for the right time to strike.
The Imgo's mouth went wide open aiming for Arthur's neck as its own became longer attacking the prince leaving its body behind.
Arthur took the chance and grabbed its neck squeezing it with arms and legs.
The Imgo tried to return in its body but Arthur wouldn't let it. It would straggle, trying to escape the prince's hold only to quit out of luck of air.
Arthur took a dagger out of his right boot and took one of the two teeth the creature had. He looked at it for a moment; it was at the size of his hand. He put it with the other two findings and took a look at the sky .
It was night. He had to hurry.
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I hope it wasn't too tiring for you. I just didn't know where to stop.
Coming up … will Arthur be charmed by the lake sirens or he will search for the witch's cave?