Chapter Four- Destiny
"Will…" Merlin spoke softly as he placed his comforting hand on Will's shoulder. "It's okay."
Trembling with emotion and cheeks dampened by tears, Will could not reply. Overnight, Ealdor had turned from a calm, serene village into hell. The huts and the crops burnt to dust and bodies of both enemy and friend covered the mud on the field. Blood-stained swords lay beside the fallen warriors, one of whom was Will's father.
"Merlin, NO!" he screamed, as his fist clenched. "It's not okay." He whispered.
Merlin became numb- not knowing what to do or how to act, he stepped back towards his mother. A crowd began to gather around them, heads down in sorrow, in grief. Will's father was pale blue through the dirt smudged on his skin and his eyes still wide open. His once emerald green eyes were lifeless but terrifying. Will leaned over, using his trembling hands to close his father's eyes, and he began to sob. Deep sounds, almost inhuman, came out of his mouth as the rest of Ealdor lay silent.
"It was him! The monster. He brings this plague! He brings the evil that will be our undoing!" A woman fraught with distress and terror screamed through the crowd at him. At Merlin.
"Ever since he entered Ealdor, he has brought draught, famine and now war! How much more must our village suffer? How many more will die?" Some began to nod in agreement, blinded by fear; they began accusing the innocent.
"He is just a boy! My boy! How can you say this? It is not my boy responsible for your suffering. It is your 'king'!" Hunith retaliated at her irrational taunts but the crowd began closing in around them.
"The King does what he must. It is your boy who has caused our God to hate us. All that secrecy, all these rumours- think about it! It only started when he arrived!" Her eyes were tired but afraid.
"It can't be. He's my friend and I know him. He has a good heart!" Will rose from the floor in disbelief at what he was hearing.
"They always are! The people you would least expect. A sorcerer!" Merlin felt as if one of his nightmares had come true. His heart throbbed with fear as he looked towards his mother who was sweating.
"Cast him out!" A voice shouted from the back. "Throw him out!" The crowd began to usher him and began to become aggressive. The area around them became invaded by angry families and Hunith grabbed her son and entered their home. The crowd stayed around Will, unsure of where the criminals had escaped to. She began furiously supplies and handed him his bag.
"Mother! Stop! What are you doing?" She began pacing furiously and grabbed a scrap of paper and began writing.
"I'm sorry, Merlin, but you have to leave. I fear what they will accuse you of next. You have to go." Tears began to swell up under her eyes, causing a smudge in the ink.
"Where will we go?" He listened to his mother and began to pack a blanket. Luckily, most of their belongings were ready from yesterday's hurried departure.
"To Gaius. He will look after you as he did me many years ago. He lives in Camelot. But I will not be going with you."
"Mother, don't be silly. Pack your things."
"No, Merlin. I cannot."
"Mother! You will come."
"Merlin! Do not argue with me. I can still fend for myself here but you must go. I will write to you, I'll be fine. Don't be afraid, Gaius will look after you. Here." She handed him the paper, folded neatly, and he shoved it into the side pocket of his bag. She opened her arms and Merlin leant into her shoulder. He was too tall for his mother by now. Reaching to his forehead, she kissed him lightly as both mother and son began crying.
"Look after Will. He has just us, now…Well, you." He sniffled and his mother caressed his cheek. "I'll miss you both."
"You can come back to visit us one day." Hunith stayed hopeful.
"I will…Goodbye, Mother." He pushed the door open and hurried out towards the hills.
"Goodbye, my son."
Merlin.
How was it even possible for Morgana to know who Merlin was? Gaius was perplexed. The girl had mentioned this boy many times and she grew adamant that it was Merlin. He was but a young baby the last time Gaius saw him and many years ago too. Still, he didn't want Morgana to get her hopes strung up on something uncertain so he tried to steer clear of it. He didn't mention Merlin any more but the King's ward did not stop. She spoke of many stories- some you would even mistake as a fragment of her imagination, but no…She was growing in happiness, her eyes lit up with glee every time she began a story. Fondling the unusual charm around her neck, the royal was unusually optimistic, a happy sight for everyone in the castle.
Camelot.
Merlin had heard many tales of the beauty of Camelot in his home village. The stories often came from men with much too many a tankard of mead and too huge a voice. They spoke of the bustling lower town: market stalls draped with the latest silks, scent of food cooking sweeping through the town and people, so many people, all in harmony with each other. The Great Castle of Camelot with white walls tall in the ground and battlements overlooking the whole kingdom. Velvet red flags of the Pendragon house flew with the soft wind, proudly signifying the royalty of the kingdom. At the time, Merlin had thought the alcohol was exaggerating their experiences but even he couldn't deny the beauty of Camelot. Majestic and peaceful. Or so he thought.
As he crossed over the drawbridge, a crowd began rushing past him, gathering in the castle's courtyard. Horns blew proudly above the noise and before Merlin could realise- he was at an execution. Drums beating, as a young man was dragged in by the guard, parting the crowd. "Let this serve as a lesson to all," the monarch boomed from above, "This man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And pursuant to the Laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death."
Merlin looked up to his king, no doubt, he was ignorant. "I pride myself as a fair and just king." Uther's tone hit arrogance. "But for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."
To his left, a window peered open and a young woman inside the castle oversaw the execution. The king raised his hand as the axe came down to the man's neck. Merlin was no longer in the safety of Ealdor. His image of Camelot had been shattered within minutes and already he was missing home. He turned away, afraid of the severed body. He saw a woman, dressed head to toe in silk, with paler skin than even he had. Her hair hung over her shoulder, long, black and wavy. Merlin glimpsed at her for a few seconds before she turned away, shutting the window behind her. Her complexion was familiar, eerily familiar.
"Let the Celebrations begin." Uther spoke from his battlement to his people. Merlin had not listened to what he said, he didn't want to.
A wailing broke out from the noisy crowd and then silence overwhelmed the court.
"There is only one evil in this land and it is not magic. It is you with your hatred and your ignorance. You took my son." Merlin could feel a tear welling under his eye as he saw the woman broken by pain. He could only imagine how his own mother would react if Uther executed him.
"And I promise you. Before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son."
