The Kraken's Calling
Chapter 4
"Morgana?" Gwen calls out as she leaves the meadow and enters the Darkling Woods, the fallen leaves crackling underfoot. She'd made her way to the door near the kitchens through the servants passageways, disguised under her blue cloak. The wind catches under the hood and blows it back from her head, ruffling her hair. She glances up at the clouds chasing across the sky, to feel the warmth of the afternoon sun on her face in the midst of the chill of the wind. Winter's coming; she can feel the change in the air with the wind coming in from the north.
"My Lady." Morgana's voice brings her attention back to earth. "What news?"
"Leon left Camelot to travel to his ancestral home for some family emergency, and Percival has fallen ill. Poor dear Arthur is so concerned for everyone."
"Ah. So far so good." Morgana looks pleased.
"Is this your doing? Taking out his knights?" Gwen asks. "You're isolating him, aren't you?"
"They can't protect him if they're not with him," Morgana laughs. "Gwaine's the last. Unfortunately, he'll be injured while hunting." Gwen looks surprised; Arthur and Gwaine had just left that morning and hadn't returned yet. "Now we can set the plan in motion."
The two women step over to a fallen log, and sit companionably in the weak sunshine. "What do you need me to do?"
"You are to discourage him from going to King Alined's aid, but unsuccessfully. He must leave Camelot to travel to the south, but you must be above suspicion." Gwen looks puzzled.
"Alined? What do you mean?"
Morgana nods to herself. "Do you remember Trickler? He was King Alined's jester when the five Kings met with Uther to negotiate a peace treaty years ago." At Gwen's nod, Morgana continues, "he's on his way here with a distressing message from King Alined. He is under siege at Doerham by the Saxon invaders and is asking for help from his longstanding ally."
"That would require an army," Gwen points out. "He'll have all the protection he'll need."
"Ah yes, Arthur will lead an army south to Alined's Kingdom. But too late to save Doerham, alas. He'll face the Saxons all on his own, with none of his trusted Knights of Camelot to support him. He'll fall in battle."
"Don't underestimate him. If nothing else, Arthur's a great warrior."
Morgana sniffs in disdain. "Yes. But even if he manages to prevail with another glorious victory as the great warrior King, he'll get an invitation from a cousin he's never met that he'll find irresistible."
Gwen raises her eyebrows in a question, but Morgana forestalls her inquiry with a raised hand. "He'll send his army home, and go off on a lonely quest to find his mother. We'll find a way to end his quest when he's alone and far from Camelot."
xXx
"Merlin! What the hell? Get out of the way!" With a yell Gwaine slams into Merlin knocking him off his feet just as he's raising his hand to stop the wild boar's charge. Gwaine's sudden movement has attracted the boar, which rushes toward him with an angry growl, the sharp tusks at his open mouth catching Gwaine on the leg. The boar races past, wheels around, and readies to attack again. Arthur's second bolt hits it in the neck this time, and the animal drives forward a few more steps, then suddenly collapses to the ground, dead. From his position on the ground where he had fallen when Gwaine had shoved him aside, Merlin lowers his arm and his eyes fade from bright gold to their normal blue.
Without sparing Merlin a glance, Arthur races over to Gwaine, who is yelling, "Merlin, what the hell were you thinking? Were you going to halt the beast in its tracks with your hand up to signal it to stop?"
"Gwaine, lie back, you fool. You're injured." Arthur crouches near the injured man. "Merlin, get over here!" he shouts.
Merlin was already on his feet moving quickly to his horse for his pack with his medical supplies. He grabs it and runs back to where Gwaine lies on the ground, his leg bleeding from his wound. He kneels at Gwaine's side, ripping his own tunic to use as a makeshift bandage, before rummaging in his pack to retrieve a small vial of comfrey oil. He takes out his pocketknife to cut Gwaine's breeches around the injury, and pours water from the water skin onto the wound; Gwaine winces in pain, biting his lip. Merlin uses a clean bandage from his pack to daub at the slash and absorb the blood, then drizzles some oil carefully into the injury covering it with a clean bandage, and quickly securing it in place with the strip he's torn from the fabric of his tunic.
Merlin sits back on his heels, putting his pocketknife away in his boot. "We have to get him to Gaius," he says to Arthur. "This will only hold him for a short while."
"Gwaine, can you ride?" Arthur asks him.
He gives an assenting grunt, "if you help me mount, I'll manage."
xXx
As the three hunters pass through the gatehouse entry to the courtyard, Arthur calls to the guards to get help for Gwaine. They continue on at a slow walk up to the portico leading to Gaius's chambers. Merlin dismounts, leaving Cora to stand and wait, and rushes to Gwaine's horse. A few guards reach them, and he instructs them to take the injured man directly up to Gaius. Merlin runs ahead up the stairs to lead the way.
One of the guards addresses Arthur. "Sire. A messenger arrived while you were away. From King Alined."
"Where is he now?" Arthur asks as he leaps down from his horse, tossing the reins to the groom.
"In the guardhouse."
"Bring him to the Privy Council room." Arthur starts to ascend the staircase, and pauses mid-way, looking back at the guard. "And ask Sir Geoffrey and Sir Lionel to join me," he adds.
"What could Alined want?" he wonders, continuing his climb to the Citadel's main doors. It's been years since he's heard from him, apart from the ceremonial annual greetings they exchange. He never really trusted Alined since that meeting with the five kings to forge the terms of the now long-standing treaty. He had felt at the time that Alined really didn't want peace and had somehow tried to undermine the negotiations. But the treaty has held, with all participants, including Alined, abiding by its terms. Something must have happened.
He feels a chill breeze and glances up at the sky before entering the Citadel, trying to gauge the time. From the position of the sun, it looks like late afternoon already. They days are definitely getting shorter, he muses. Almost too late in the year to travel.
xXx
The two guards standing on either side of the open council room doors give Merlin barely a glance as he slips inside the room and makes his way down the side unobtrusively as possible. He takes his favorite spot as close as he can get to Arthur, under the window near a pillar to watch the proceedings. At the news that the King had returned and was granting an audience to a messenger from Alined's Kingdom, the knights and courtiers had gathered in the Privy Council room. Arthur is on his feet, standing in front of the thrones where Guinevere is seated holding a parchment in his hands, while Geoffrey sits at a small table at the side scribing the events. Sir Lionel stands nearby, frowning as he listened to the King's questions and the responses.
The messenger standing before the King in the center of the room is Trickler. Merlin recognizes him immediately. He always knew that Trickler was more than a mere jester; Trickler had magic and had used it in Camelot when he was here last with King Alined. "What's he up to now?" Merlin wonders. He glances up at Arthur to gauge his expression in reaction to what Trickler is saying. Arthur looks troubled, but is listening attentively.
"The Saxon's siege Doerham has gone on for a month." Trickler says this as if he'd been repeating it too many times to count.
"How did you manage to get through?"
"I made my way out through a hidden tunnel that led to the woods where Ceawlin's forces were thinnest."
"Ceawlin?" Arthur asks. "I've heard this name."
"Yes. He's the Saxon commander. A man named Beroun is his second in command apparently. He's the one to be wary of."
"I've heard of these men, Sire," Geoffrey speaks up. Arthur glances at him, and gestures with his hand to continue. "In my correspondence with the other costal Kingdoms. They've led raids and have been striking terror in villages to the south and east."
"This is not a small village they've attacked." Arthur presses his lips together in a tight line as he considers the invaders' audacity. "What have they demanded?"
"Complete surrender." The room is silent. All eyes are on the King as he paces back and forth, head bent, deep in thought. Trickler takes a deep breath, and continues speaking. "King Alined needs your help now to rout them, Your Highness. Our supplies are running short. The castle cannot hold too much longer, and we'll certainly not last the winter."
Arthur knows that Alined's Kingdom to the southwest was in a strategic location for the protection of Camelot from Saxon invaders from the sea. Uther had recognized its importance as well when he negotiated the original treaty among the five kings. Now Alined was invoking the terms of that treaty, seeking Camelot's aid in repelling the invaders. Arthur didn't see that he had any choice in the matter. Camelot will have to send a force to break the Saxon siege of Doerham. He wishes Leon were here. Leon's rock steady demeanor and strong leadership skills were sorely needed to mobilize an army on such short notice. He sighs inwardly, and scans the faces of the knights listening attentively in the hall. Sir Bedwir was next in the line of command with Percival ill and Gwaine injured; there was no one else. The timing of all of these events was truly unfortunate. He needed the men he could trust.
Arthur nods to himself, and says, "I will lead our army to Doerham."
"Arthur, must you go?" Guinevere speaks up for the first time since the audience began.
He looks back at her fondly, and shakes his head. "The army needs a strong leader. I must go."
She smiles at him in response. "I understand."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Trickler bows elaborately.
Arthur nods to Geoffrey and then immediately starts issuing commands. "Sir Lionel, can you work with Sir Bedwir to provision the men to march in four days' time? Both of you stay at the conclusion of court."
Geoffrey rises at Arthur's clear signal to conclude the audience and starts gathering his parchments together. The members of the court start drifting out of the room, to return to their own more mundane activities of daily life at the castle.
Lionel and Bedwir wait silently for the king, near Geoffrey. Guinevere rises from her chair to approach her husband. He pulls her near and takes her hand. Solemnly he reaches into his tunic and withdraws a leather thong, which is threaded through a heavy gold ring. He pulls it over his head with his free hand, and places it in Guinevere's hand.
He looks steadily at the men gathered around. "All witness. Guinevere has the royal seal, and my complete trust to rule the kingdom in my absence." He gently closes her fingers over the heavy ring. She smiles up at him, and places her other hand over his.
From his position near the column, Merlin watches silently, minutely shaking his head, his mouth in a grim line. He lowers his head, then walks to the front of the room to wait for Arthur.