Reawakening
Story 3 in the Reforged AU
CHAPTER 3
Even in the winter, not all life was gone from the forests of Camelot. Morgana lifted her head and closed her eyes, letting the thin winter sunlight warm her face. She listened to the birds in the trees. Heard the tiny scurrying sounds of small creatures venturing to the surface in search of food. Even the wind in the naked branches of the trees held a music, of sorts. Morgana loved her time out in the woods. She had spent so many years living in citadel towers and dungeon pits that she relished this chance to simply drink it all in. While late spring was her favorite time of year, the forests in winter held a majestic quality that invited reverence.
"We're nearly there. Are you ready for this?" Merlin asked, his voice in her mind startling Morgana out of her communion with the forest. Concern was evident on his face and in the tone of his voice, even in her mind. Finding the Druids had taken several days as the clan migrated around the realm with the seasons. A challenging task made more difficult by the thick blanket of snow that shrouded the forests of Camelot and obscured all traces of the Druids. Mordred had given his best guess as to where his clan might be but even he had admitted their task would likely take days rather than hours. But with a combination of Morgana's scrying abilities and Merlin's field knowledge, they had finally tracked the clan to the southeast corner of the kingdom in a cave in the Forest of Balor, and were approaching the main camp.
"Don't start doubting, now. I know we're the right people for this. It probably won't be pleasant, but not everything worth doing is easy." She responded, both resolute and gentle. But even so, she reached up and pulled the hood of her cloak down low over her head. Hiding her face. Catching Merlin's inquisitive look, she replied with a sad half-smile, "Well, no reason to court disharmony before we even gain entrance to the camp."
Sadly, Merlin couldn't disagree with her. They rode in silence as they reached the guards at the mouth of the caves that the clan was using as their winter encampment. Reigning in their horses, Merlin pulled back the hood of his cloak and addressed the guards. "I have come to speak with your Chieftain, Iseldir. Please take me to him."
The guards looked at each other with surprise. Even with his changed appearance, they immediately recognized this man. "Of course, Emrys," one of the guards replied. Please, come this way."
"Do you think they recognize me?" Morgana asked with concern, tucking her chin to further obscure her face.
"If they did, they haven't given any sign of aggression. Not that they would. I think we're going to be fine." He replied, dismounting and handing the reins of his horse to the other guard. Reaching up, he helped Morgana dismount and tucked her hand into his elbow, keeping her close and reassuring her with his touch.
They followed the guard deep into the cave. The further they went, the warmer it became and the more people they could see. Sitting around fires, preserving food, mending clothes. These peaceful people lived simply and Merlin was very fond of them. He hoped this meeting went well. Going deeper, they turned into a tunnel which led to a smaller antechamber. With a gesture, the guard bade them to enter this smaller cave. Iseldir sat at a table with a group of druids, deep in discussion. At their entrance, the stately Chieftain looked up, his grey hair glowing in the firelight. Seeing Merlin, a smile of recognition broke across his face. His grey blue eyes crinkled at the sides. He immediately stood and strode across the chamber. Reaching the sorcerers he extended a hand and clasped arms with Merlin. "Emrys! Come in, good man! Come in! To what do we owe the honor? The last we'd heard of you was that you'd been exiled from Camelot after Arthur learned of your abilities. What has happened? Are you well? Is there anything you need from us?"
"It is good to see you, my friend! All is well. I am happy and living back home in Camelot. But the tale is a long one. Let's sit down, shall we? And...you may want to hear this privately, to begin." Merlin humbly suggested, earning curious stares from the other people in the room.
Morgana tightened her hold on Merlin's arm, increasingly nervous. He patted her hand with his free one, giving what comfort he could.
After the Druids had left them their privacy, Merlin sat at the table with Iseldir and Morgana. Iseldir poured wine for each of them and as he handed Morgana her goblet he said, "Priestess, there is no reason to hide yourself. I see you, Morgana. I know you. I'll admit to being curious to see you accompanying Emrys, but perhaps that is a part of your tale."
Morgana stiffened at his calm words. He had known who she was on sight. With a sigh, she pulled back her hood and pulled her hair free to fall down her back in an ebony waterfall. "I wasn't certain how I would be received, Iseldir. Thank you for your kindness."
"You are different." The Chieftain observed, reaching out and patting Morgana's small pale hand with fatherly affection. He noticed the emerald ring on her finger but declined to mention it. "You are more like the young woman who brought Mordred home all those years ago. A wonderful change that I am gladdened to see. Now please. I feel that this visit is not a social call. Tell your tale."
"I don't know where to begin, really." Merlin admitted. "I suppose I'll start at the result and go back to the reasons. Camelot has rescinded the ban on magic. All who possess magic are welcome to return to Camelot as full and equal citizens under the laws of the kingdom."
"Well that is fantastic news, Emrys! Why did you not shout this from the woods these days while you journeyed to us! My people will be overjoyed to hear this!" The Chieftain stood up and made to leave the room but the look in Merlin's eyes stopped him and dimmed his joy. "There's more, isn't there," he said, returning to his seat. "Well you'd better tell me everything. Start at the beginning."
"You know already about my revealing my abilities and my exile. I'll assume you heard about that from the Atzinganoi?" Merlin asked with a knowing smile. Who else could have told the druids other than the exotic tribe that lived near the perilous lands?
Iseldir smiled in agreement, "That's correct. We trade with them frequently and in the fall we heard that you had been exiled and had stayed with them for several days. What we didn't know was where you had gone after that."
Merlin nodded in agreement with Ideldir's tale then continued. "After my time with them I ended up in Essetir where I met up with Morgana." He said her name with a wealth of love and the two clasped hands, looked at each other and smiled. "I love you," they both sent at the same time, deepening their smiles. Turning back to Iseldir he continued, "Our time in Ealdor, it...healed us." Chuckling softly he smiled, "Not that it was so smooth as that, necessarily. If it weren't for my mother we may well have killed each other on the spot." Merlin and Morgana both laughed at the memory. How blind they had been! Merlin continued with a faint smile, "But she restrained us and forced us to at least be civil to each other. We started over, and in time we remembered who we used to be. Remembered how we used to enjoy each other's company. How we had always been drawn to each other, even before we knew of our shared connection to magic. Our friendship blossomed into love. Morgana is not the same woman that she was. Morgause's corruption is gone from her forever and she has returned to the light."
Iseldir beamed at Morgana. "It is truly a gift from the Goddess to have our last High Priestess returned to us." He said simply and sincerely. "All who followed the Old Ways mourned your loss. It will gladden many hearts that you've returned to the light."
Morgana beamed at the Chieftain. "I am so glad to hear you say that. I have done so much harm. So much hatred and evil. I don't think I will ever be able to truly atone for my actions. But Iseldir, I want to try."
The dignified older man gave her an unreadable look. "Perhaps there is something...but that is not for now. Please continue."
Morgana nodded solemnly and continued with the tale. "One night while we were in Ealdor I had a vision of an attack on Camelot. An attack to be made by Druids."
Here Iseldir growled out a name. "Cerdain! That blackguard came to our clan and tried to recruit us to his evil cause. Vengeance with blood. Of all the ridiculous ideas! He had turned his back on everything we Druids stand for! I am saddened to admit that two of our more impressionable young men joined him."
Morgana nodded in agreement. "I was not shown the face of our enemy, just that Camelot needed our help. We knew that even though we were both likely to be killed for entering the kingdom, we had to help. So we set off immediately. On our way we met up with Arthur's Elite Knights who it turns out had been send to persuade Merlin to return home. But we failed in our original task and returned too late to prevent the attack. Left with no other choice, we joined the battle from the rear and fought our way to Arthur. Merlin defeated Cerdain. He saved Arthur's life. We won the battle, and Arthur finally realized that it is not magic itself which is evil, but rather that magic is a tool of men and some men are evil. He lifted the ban immediately."
Iseldir's pale blue eyes lit with understanding. "And so you have come to inform us of the good news. But there is something more you still haven't told me, I think."
Merlin nodded. "Exactly. When Uther banned magic, he revoked the citizenship of all Druids. All magic users actually. In order to rejoin the kingdom, the oaths of loyalty will need to be taken by the Chieftain of each clan. These oaths will bind every Druid living and not yet born to Camelot and her future sovereigns. This will mean that the Druids are recognized as full and equal citizens under the laws of Camelot. It will also mean that the Druids must recognize and enforce Camelot's laws. Infractions against these laws must be adjudicated with a fair trial."
"These seem simple and fair requests. Have the other Chieftains agreed to this?" Iseldir asked.
Morgana touched his hand. "Iseldir, you are the first Chieftain we've told. Your clan is tied deeply to Camelot. Not just through your courage and friendship over the years, but through Mordred as well."
"Mordred! He is alive? Where is he? Is he well?" Iseldir anxiously asked.
"Be at ease, friend. He is alive and well. He is a Knight of Camelot. He is the reason we've come to you first. He misses his clan and wants very badly to be able to see you all again." Merlin quickly reassured him.
The Chieftain shook his head in wonder. "A Druid as a Knight of Camelot! These are changing times, indeed. Well then, even as Chieftain I cannot make the decision to bind my people and their children to oaths of loyalty without their consent. I must speak with my clan. Please. Come stand at my side in order to answer any questions that arise."
They agreed and followed the kindly older gentleman into the main chamber. Iseldir's eyes briefly glowed and when he spoke, his voice boomed throughout the caves. "Clan! Come to the main chamber and see me. I have an announcement that affects each of you directly."
Every person immediately halted in their tracks, quickly coming to stand around their Chieftain. It took several minutes for the entire clan to assemble but when everyone was present, Iseldir continued. "Clan. They day has finally come. Camelot has lifted the ban on magic!"
A great cheer rose from the crowd. People wept openly and hugged one another. Holding up his hands until the crowd quieted, the Chieftain continued. "We are to be welcomed back as full and equal citizens of the realm provided we agree to abide by the laws of the kingdom. Are there any among you that disagree with this?"
Whispers broke out among the assemblage. Merlin strained to hear what was being said but the cacophony was too hard to sift through. Overall it looked positive. He could see several people nodding to their neighbors as they whispered. But there were a few dark faces. One, belonging to a large man with flame red hair, not too much younger than Merlin. He spoke up angrily. "So Camelot expects that after a generation of genocide that we will gladly bend knee? That we will what. Be happy to life under the thumb of Uther's son? I say no! We have lived well without the help of Camelot for my entire life. What could Camelot possibly offer that the land and the Goddess do not provide?"
Before Iseldir could respond, several more young men and women shouted their agreement with the malcontent. Morgana began getting angry. Didn't they know what they were saying? All she had ever dreamed of, even with the hatred of evil suffocating her heart, was a Camelot where all people, with magic or without, were treated fairly and equally. And here, they had finally gotten their freedom and these people were angry? It boggled the mind and infuriated the Priestess. She moved to step forward and tell the rabble-rouser exactly what she thought of him but Merlin's strong hand on her arm restrained her. In shock she looked at him. "What? Why are you stopping me? He is wrong! He should know exactly what he is throwing away!"
"I know. And I agree wholeheartedly! But this is not our decision to make. The Druids must agree to this of their own free will or it means nothing," he replied sympathetically but sternly.
An old woman with wrinkled skin and white hair pulled into a high bun walked over to the young man who had spoken out and poked him in the chest with a bony finger. "You know nothing! You think that we have lived well these years? You do not know because you've never known any way but this! Well I will tell you, young man. This is nothing! The state of our lives is a shame! The Isle of the Blessed itself is crumbling! Our ways are dying! You think you have the right to speak for us all, pup? I put you over my knee twenty years ago and I will do it again! Young Arthur is making things right! This is fair! We used to live within the laws of the land and as far as I'm concerned it's of no significance to do it again! Arthur rules wisely and fairly. I have no fear that he is like his father because even we have seen that since his crowning our lives have improved! Do the Knights hunt us down and slaughter us? No! We have been left alone! You don't speak for me. You don't speak for us! Now shut your mouth and be grateful that the Goddess has seen fit to give us this chance!"
The young man glared ominously at the old woman and raised a hand as if to hit her. But a lovely young woman with riotous red curls and deep brown eyes stepped between them, blocking his punch with her forearm and sweeping a long leg, knocking the man to the ground. Standing above him, she put a foot on his chest, holding him down. Her voice shook with fury and she yelled, "No, Desdah! What would Mother say if she could see you now? This is not our way!"
The young man, Desdah, struggled back to his feet and loomed menacingly over the young woman. "Sister or not, do not think to shame me in front of our people again, Leheya."
"Shame you? You? You shame us all with your hateful words and cold heart! I agree with Muriah! This is a great day! What has happened to you that you are so full of anger? Why are you not happy like the rest of us? Who are you? Because you are no longer my brother, that is for certain!" Leheya's chest heaved with anger as she stood up her brother. Unafraid and proud.
Glaring at her, at Muriah, at Iseldir, and at Merlin and Morgana, he said, "Fine. If you are all so eager to lick the boots of Uther's son then go ahead. Follow Muriah's lead. Follow my baby sister. But I will have no part of it! If you're with me, let us go! We will form our own clan!" He stormed off and roughly a dozen young men and women followed him.
A subdued Iseldir spoke to the rest of the clan. "It saddens me that so joyous an occasion should be marred in this way. Each is free to speak their mind as young Desdah has done, though the hatred in his heart makes me want to weep. Are there any more among you with concerns about rejoining the kingdom?
A few murmurs broke out and Muriah, the old woman from earlier spoke up. "I am ready to agree right now! But I do want to know something. Will Arthur right his father's wrongs? Will he return that which Uther stole from us? Will he rebuild that which Uther destroyed? It is easy for a Druid to forgive. But it is very difficult for us to forget." This was met with many nods of agreement from the clan.
Merlin considered the request for a long moment. And when he replied his voice was very quiet, yet carried to every ear in the cavern. "I cannot speak for Arthur on issues which we have not discussed. But he is a fair and honorable man. A good and kind King. I would not have served him these many years were that not the case. I know this man nearly as well as I know myself and I can tell you. He is a good man. He loves Camelot and all her people." His voice rose as he spoke, and by the time he finished speaking it was very nearly a shout. "If you agree to the oaths. If you agree to live by the laws of Camelot. I can promise you that I will take your concerns to your King. I will serve as your ambassador. And what's more. I can promise that your requests will be fully and fairly addressed. And while I do not have the gift of sight that my wife has, I do think that you will be pleased by Arthur's judgement in this case. But you must trust in me. In Arthur. In yourselves. Would you do that? Would you do as I have done? Would you be citizens of Camelot?"
The clan gave a deafening roar of approval as Merlin finished his rousing speech. Iseldir turned to Merlin and Morgana, smiling. "I think we have our answer! Thank you, my clan! Now let us celebrate!" And the Druids broke into an impromptu celebration with music and dancing.
While his clan celebrated the end of the magic ban, Iseldir drew Merlin and Morgana back into his meeting chamber. "I will gladly take whatever oaths are required. But first I offer something else. While. as you know, each Druid clan is independent from the others. We are at the root, one people. We are all still family. I would discuss these requests with my fellow Chieftains, so that if there are any other requests of this nature, perhaps they can be included in your petition to King Arthur and save him and you from repeated and contradictory requests. In the meantime. I would ask a favor of you both. Muriah is very old and very wise. And she made a good point. Camelot should help to fix that which they broke. But I don't think that brick and mortar alone will rebuild the Isle of the Blessed. There is something wrong with the very heart of that place. Morgana, this is what I referred to earlier. A way to make amends for the past and prove yourself to us all. I ask you both to go visit the greatest of the Druid seers. He is ancient, even by our standards, well technically he has been dead for centuries. But no matter, he lives far to the west in a crystal cave in the Valley of Fallen Kings. His name is-"
"Taliesin!" Merlin interrupted. "Of course! I have met him before and know the cave of which you speak. The source of all magic! But what do you think he will be able to tell us about the Isle?"
"Of course Taliesin is known to you, Emrys. I should have guessed. My hope is that he has seen or can see the cause of the...wrongness I sensed when last I visited the Isle. I would go myself but I need to be here to greet my fellow Chieftains when they arrive. I trust you two to do this important task. Will you grant me this?"
Merlin and Morgana shared a look and quickly discussed the request. Seeing nothing improper about the task, they agreed. Iseldir was quite pleased and bade them to take part in the celebration in the main cave while he sent riders with missives to his fellow Chieftains, calling for a gathering. The two sorcerers gratefully agreed and joining the celebration, they laughed, drank, and danced far into the night. It was nearly midday when they awoke and left on the trip to the Crystal Caves. The next step on their journey. But not before Merlin took care of one small detail.
