Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter Three:
Merlin turned in a circle where he stood in the middle of the round table and studied the Knights he had frozen in place. Sir Tristan was the only Knight who hadn't reached for his weapon. With a raised eyebrow, he turned back to Arthur who was staring at him and doing a very good impression of a fish out of water. Gwen who was sat beside Arthur, smiled at Merlin warmly and all the while she was trying to suppress her laughter.
"Let's take this somewhere more private, shall we?" Merlin said, but before Arthur or anyone else could answer, Merlin's eyes flashed gold.
And just like that, Arthur found himself standing in the council chambers. Gwen, Sir Elyan, Sir Leon, Sir Percival and Sir Tristan had also appeared alongside him. All the Knights other than Tristan once again reached for their weapons, only to find they were now unarmed. Merlin moved towards the table, his eyes flashing gold once again and a map of Albion appeared on the table. Merlin gestured towards the map and waited. When nobody moved Merlin sighed.
"Show me where you think you'll have a better chance of defeating the Saxons," Merlin said, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.
After a moment, Arthur stepped forwards and looked at the map.
"To reach Camelot, Morgana will have no choice but to cross the White Mountains," He explained, pointing the the trail Morgana had to take, only to jump as the map moved under his finger and seemed to zoom in on the area in question. But he quickly regained his composer and continued. "Now, the only pass that gives passage to an army that size, is here."
"I know it well," Percival said, joining the conversation. "The path leads through a valley with cliffs on either side."
"That's where we meet them," Arthur nodded. "Now we may be outnumbered but if we don't let them outflank us then we can hold the pass."
"For how long?" Elyan asked, stepping closer to the table but keeping a fair distance from Merlin, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Morgana has no care for the likes of men."
"She can't supply for an army that size indefinitely," Leon pointed out. "Not isolated by the mountains."
Arthur nodded, "If we can hold out long enough, she'll be forced to retreat… Percival, at what point is the pass at its narrowest?"
"Here, sire," Percival pointed to the map.
"What do they call this place?" Arthur asked, as the map moved again to give them a clearer view of the pass.
"Camlann, sire," Percival answered.
Merlin head snapped up at the mention of the name.
"I had hoped to never hear that name again," Merlin muttered darkly, getting to his feet. "You cannot go to Camlann, Arthur… No matter where you go, nowhere will be stronger than Camelot."
"I will not let my people die!" Arthur snapped. "If we make our stand here-"
"You will win!" Merlin cut Arthur off. "If you leave these walls, you will not… You cannot save everyone, Arthur! Even I can't save everyone… This is war! Morgana is far stronger than you think, but she cannot make it past Camelot's walls without aid from the inside. You have faced her before, yes, but you have never faced the true extent of her power. She is a High Priestess of the Old Religion, no mortal weapon can kill her. If you face her at Camlann, you will die! If you face her anywhere outside of these walls, Camelot will fall!"
"Camlann is our best chance," Arthur disagreed.
Merlin shut his eyes and began talking, his voice sounding hollow to those around him.
"Let loose the hounds of war," Merlin muttered. "Let the dreadfire of the last priestess rain down from angry skies. For brother will slaughter brother. For friend will murder friend. As the great horn sounds a cold dawn at Camlann. The prophets do not lie. There Arthur will meet his end, upon that mighty plain."
Merlin opened his eyes and looked at Arthur, whose face still bared a look of grim determination.
"I think I understand it now," Merlin muttered. "Ever since the Lochru told me, I had believed my vision to be true… But it wasn't."
Merlin's eyes flashed gold and suddenly they were all stood in the middle of a raided village. The ground before was covered with the bodies of women, men and children. Gwen gasped and covered her mouth with a hand, as tears streamed down from her eyes and the Knights minus Tristan and Percival suddenly knew where they were.
They'd been here before.
They had passed through this raided village on their way to Ismere.
They watched as Arthur appeared and walked through the empty village. He drew his sword and began to check the village for possible survivors. Not far behind him, Leon, Elyan and the rest of the knights appeared and copied Arthur actions and began looking for survivors. They watched as Merlin walked through the village, dressed in cloths similar to what he'd been wearing when he appeared on the round table and not his servant clothes they remembered him wearing.
Merlin walked towards the huts and steps leading into the cliff dwellings, on the far side of the village. As as a sudden wind blew around him, Arthur, Gwen and the Knights could have sworn they heard a whisper on the wind. Merlin looked around, he turned but saw no one. Arthur and Elyan passed him on the path below where he was standing and they showed no indication of hearing anything.
Turning Merlin went to follow them.
"Emrys..." A voice echoed on the wind.
Merlin turned round as they watched and spotted a small cave entrance, glancing to see where the other were, he made his way towards it.
"Emrys..." The voice echoed again and Gwen shivered as Merlin walked along the narrow tunnel deeper into the cave.
They watched as Merlin approached an old man, who lay unmoving beside a pool of water.
"Lochru," Merlin muttered, as he studied the symbol on the old man wrist.
Suddenly the old man moved and grabbed Merlin by the forearm, startling Merlin who tried to pull free but couldn't.
"Emrys." His voice echoes like it had before, as Merlin meets his gaze.
"What happened to you? Who did this to your village?" Merlin asked.
"That it happened at all... Is all that matters." Lochru spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have been haunted by this moment, for many years... Since long before you set foot on this earth, Emrys... I have waited for its arrival, with sorrow in my heart."
Suddenly Lochru sat up so his face was inches from Merlin's face.
"For even as Camelot flowers, the seeds of her destruction are being sown... The prophecies speak of Arthur's bane. You would do well to fear it, for it stalks him like a ghost, in the night. Unless you act quickly, Emrys, even you cannot alter the never-ending circle of, his... Fate."
The Lochru suddenly fell backwards and his hand splashed in the water. Turning Merlin looked into the water. In the water images appeared and the sounds of a battle filled the air and Arthur could be seen walking, around him dead knights and soldiers littered the ground. Damaged shields and broken weapons lay in the pools of crimson blood. Fires burn and the air was full of smoke. Suddenly a figure appeared and fought with Arthur. The sound of a sword entering flesh echoed through the air and Arthur fell to his knees.
"Is he alive?" Arthur suddenly asked from behind Merlin, causing Merlin to jump and turn to face him.
Upon seeing the look on Merlin's face, Arthur steps forward, worried. "What is it?"
Merlin just looked at Arthur for a second before looking back down at the pool of water, only to see it as it was before the images appeared, he looked back up at Arthur and just shook his head.
"Come on, Merlin... You've seen a dead body before," Arthur muttered. "As soon as we're given these people a proper burial, we're moving on."
And just as suddenly Arthur, Gwen and the Knights found themselves back in Camelot once more. Gwen let out a sob and gripped Arthur's hand, while Tristan looked concerned. Elyan and Leon both looked slightly shaken.
"What was that, Merlin?" Arthur asked, but he didn't receive a reply, because Merlin was nowhere to be seen.
)o(
Hey! I hope you enjoyed the start of this story. Until next time,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.
