~Joknotor Corner~

Hey guys! I hope you are enjoying things in the Altered Destiny world, so here come's another chapter! By the way, I know I've been dancing around the Mergana pairing, so next chapter, it'll pretty much be a love story, because who doesn't like a good old Romeo and Juliet pairing? Oh, one more thing: Please Review after you read! Even if you hate it, EVERY review and criticism helps! ENJOY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, or any of its assets.

Altered Destiny

Chapter Eight: The Tale of Merlin and Sir Tristan

The sound of clashing swords and splintering wood resonated throughout the northern forest of Camelot, as a mighty and bloody battle underwent. Arthur and Lancelot were leading the charge, fighting like men possessed in the misty wood. Still, Helios' men had the advantage, as they were accustomed to fighting in such environments. Merlin tried his best, but the fog had obviously been enchanted, and with all the fighting going on, he had not time to cast a counter spell. Instead, he found himself facing off against a great many enemies, and, even with his level of power, he also found himself being overwhelmed. "This can't go on much longer!" Lancelot called out, cutting down another foe. "I know! But this damned fog's giving us hell!" Arthur replied, impaling an enemy that tried to jump him. "Well, I'm been trying to do something about that, but it's a bit difficult with no cover!" Merlin yelled, nearly running into Arthur. "Well, shit on a stick!" Gwaine roared, making his way to the group. "We have to get fucking going now Arthur!" said Elyan, beheading an enemy that was creeping up on Lancelot. "Thanks for the save" Lancelot muttered. "It won't matter if we don't find a way out of this little trap" replied Elyan. "Cover me! I have an idea!" Merlin called out, and immediately Arthur and the Knights formed a circle around the sorcerer, who repeated a very long incantation, pointing a hand outwards between Lancelot and Elyan. Almost instantaneously, a tunnel appeared which led straight through the fog and out of the forest, where their horses were resting.

"Merlin, you've done it again!" yelled Arthur, as they tore away from the forest, mounted on their horses. "Yeah, where in God's name did you learn that one?" Elyan said. When he got no response, the Knight turned around, and yelled "Arthur! Merlin's gone!" The King whirled around, and saw that it was true; Merlin and his horse were missing. A loud BOOM sounded from the direction they'd come from, and a searing forest fire started, as the group tried to turn around. However, they were stopped short by a wave of arrows, which stopped just short of their position. Helios' remaining forces were trying to pursue, and the party was forced to make a hasty retreat.

"Hey, come on now. Wake up." Merlin jerked awake, grabbing his head and moaning. "What the hell happened?" Merlin asked groggily, then, after realizing he was in an unfamiliar room, leaped out of bed, falling on his ass, groaning. "Relax, you aren't in danger. I'm a friend." The stranger who had woken him offered Merlin a hand, and the warlock took it cautiously, still not sure of the curious fellow. "My name's Tristan. Don't worry, I'm no bandit" he said, as he helped Merlin of the floor and back onto the bed. "Where am I?" Merlin asked, his head pounding. "You're in Lot's kingdom, a little past the border." Merlin tensed up, looking horrified. "LOT'S KINGDOM?!" he yelled, in disbelief. "Calm yourself!" Tristan said, offering Merlin a glass of water. "Why don't you tell me your name" he said, trying to ease the injured man. "My name's Merlin" the Warlock said, drinking the water. This time it was Tristan's turn to be stunned, as he yelled "AS IN THE MERLIN?! THE SORCERER MERLIN?!" he finished, his jaw wide open. "Yes, that's me, alright. I didn't realize I was famous."

"You learn a lot in the smuggling business."

"Wait, you're a smuggler?"

"Well, I used to be."

"What do you mean used to be?"

"Helios saw an end to that."

"How'd that bandit manage to do that?"

"He put an end to all smugglers who used his land as a shortcut. I was lucky to survive, but my fiancée, she…" Tristan looked down, and sighed "She was killed; by Helios himself."

"I am so sorry, Tristan."

"It was a while ago. She always said that life goes on, so I've tried to do that, and live for her."

"Not to seem insensitive, but how'd you manage to rescue me? Last I remember, my habit of getting captured reared its ugly head."

"Oh please, Master Merlin, those crude, untrained grunts were no match for me."

"Oh, is that so?"

"I was trained by a master swordsman as a boy, the same man who raised me and taught me the smuggling trade."

"I see, what was his name?"

"His name was Darius."

The halls of Camelot were very grim; the usual hustle and bustle of the castle and town at a halt. Merlin was missing, and unlike before, when Leon had gone to rescue him, there were no clues or known bases where he could be held. Morgana sat alone in her room, staring out her window, clutching the necklace he had made just for her. Arthur paced his room, Gwen sitting in silence. "DAMN IT ALL!" Arthur roared, throwing a vase at the wall, slumping into his armchair, ready to kill someone. Back in his quarters, Gaius sat limp, unable to find the will to move or speak. Galahad was consoling the old man, and Mordred was taking over his duties, preparing potions the way Merlin had shown him. Gwaine was out on the training grounds, ripping apart every training dummy that he could, eventually collapsing into a heap, tears forming in his eyes. Percival, Elyan, Lancelot and Leon were on patrol, wandering numbly through the plains on the opposite side of Camelot's forest. That night, after everyone had gone to bed, a single hooded figure snuck out to the forest, making a point not to be seen. Once in the forest, Galahad removed his hood, and looked around, trying to see where his contact was. "What's wrong? I thought we agreed not to meet until the task was done." A voice called out, from a nearby tree. "There's been a slight…miscalculation, sir."

"Oh, and what would that be?"
"Emrys has gone missing, presumably taken by Helios' men."

"Well, that's just fucking perfect."

"What's our next move, my lord?"

"I wonder if Tristan knows anything about it."

"That hopeless womanizer? Why would he know anything?"

"Hey, he has his reasons for being such a…okay, maybe he is a little hopeless, but that is beside the point."

"I suppose you want me to go and see what he knows, then?"

"Galahad, you know me so well."

"Yes, because that is such a big life achievement." Galahad turned to leave, and the other man called out, "Be careful, Galahad. Especially if Helios is involved; I can't afford to lose you and Emrys, we still have to take out four of the five before the crystal is complete."

"I know, Lord Darius, but what other choice do we have?" Galahad returned to the castle, and left a note for Gwaine, saying that he had to go see his father, who had mysteriously fallen ill. Then, as quietly as possible, Galahad slipped out of Camelot, dashing towards Lot's kingdom, praying Tristan knew something. If only he knew how perfectly the situation would unfold.

"OUCH!" Merlin yelped, as Tristan redressed the wound on Merlin's side. "Don't be such a damn baby Mr. All-Powerful-Warlock" Tristan joked, as he replaced the bandages "There we go, all done." Merlin just glared at him, and muttered "Next time, just let me bleed to death, will you?" Tristan laughed, and he got up to finish making some brunch. Merlin muttered a pain-nulling spell, and put his shirt back on. "So what were you and your friends doing so close to the border, eh?" Tristan asked, handing Merlin a plate of chicken and eggs. "Well, we caught wind of a rumor that said a dangerous sorcerer named Jiriko, and I persuaded Arthur to let me go. However, he had to tag along, bloody clot-pole he is." Tristan looked up, coughing and hacking from shock, and asked "Did you just say…clot-pole?" Merlin smiled, and just ate his brunch. "So, what's your story? Why risk your neck to save me? Those were Helios' minions, after all." Tristan froze, and then sighed. "I have business with that scumbag. I was in love once, with a woman named Isolde. She was my…everything. Then, when Helios came recruiting, he tried to take her in order to get me to join him. When Isolde fought back, he…" Tristan trailed off, then, after a heavy sigh, finished "Helios killed her in cold blood, and tried to kill me too. I escaped, but not only did I lose the woman I loved, I couldn't even give her a proper burial." Merlin sat in astonishment, only managing to say "I am so sorry, Tristan." Tristan shook it off, and smiled at Merlin. "Her motto was 'Enjoy life while it's here, and don't waste time pondering what might have been', and it's what she lived her life by. I intend to do the same." Merlin gave him a curious look, but stopped short when he heard leaves rustling directly outside the window. Tristan, who didn't exactly want Merlin to start bleeding all over the place again, pushed the Warlock down, and grabbed his sword. He moved over slowly to the window, and then froze when he saw who it was. Galahad looked up at him, mock innocence on his face, and Tristan motioned for him to go, quickly. Galahad scampered away, and Tristan closed the window, turning back to Merlin and saying "It was nothing, just a fat squirrel." Merlin looked at him, and then shrugged returning to his food. Later that night, when he had made sure Merlin was asleep (albeit through the use of a sleeping drug), Tristan slipped out, making his way to a small clearing in the forest, where a single stone column stood, with several slots for what appeared to be amulets would go. One amulet, a green one in a silver casing, was already mounted in it. Tristan pulled one from out of his pocket, one with a ruby and a gold setting, and placed it in a slot. "Well, I guess I've found Merlin." Galahad said, appearing from behind a nearby tree.

"No, I found Emrys, you lost him, Galahad."

"Hey, I can't be around him 24/7! I'm Gwaine's squire, y'know."

"It's still your duty to make sure he stays out of trouble."

"Well, it's your duty to keep Sorcerers like Jiriko in check!"

"No, it was my duty, then I lost my partner. Now, it's my duty to cover Lord Darius' tracks, like Isolde did."

"Fair enough, but wouldn't it be more prudent to just come and serve ion Camelot? It would seem that Lord Darius has settled on a small cottage not far from the Tomb of the Ancients."

"Is that so? Wow, I guess I have been out of touch recently."

"Yeah, no kidding, lover boy."

"How many times to I have to tell you to quit calling me that?"

"I'm surprised you still think I care what you want."

"Alright, that's enough, you stupid fools" a voice called out from behind another tree. Tristan and Galahad drew their swords, and were immediately ambushed by Helios' right hand man, Killian, and a small team of expert swordsmen. "Well, this is going to be fun" Tristan said, as he got ready to strike. "Dibs on Killian" Galahad said, as he launched himself at the bandit. Four minutes later, the enemy party lay dead, Tristan and Galahad standing victorious, not a scratch on their bodies. "Return to Camelot with Merlin, would you Tristan?" Galahad asked, sheathing his blade and grabbing his amulet. "Fine, but don't expect me to stay, Galahad." Tristan replied, cleaning his own sword and taking his own amulet back. Galahad merely waved, and slid into the shadows, leaving Tristan to clean up the mess.

"Did the patrols find anything?" Arthur asked, as Leon gave his report. "No sire, they found no trace of Merlin. It would appear he was taken into Lot's kingdom." Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose, said dejectedly, "Relations with Lot are bad enough as it is. We can't afford to provoke a conflict with him." Morgana had barely eaten, and Gwen sat with her, comforting her friend. "I can't live without him, Gwen." Morgana managed to say, her voice very hoarse. "He's Merlin, Morgana, you know he'll be back; he always comes back" Gwen said, trying to convince herself as well. "Sir Elyan," Mordred said, after the meeting, eager to hear the news "Have they found anything new?" Elyan merely placed a hand on the young Druid's shoulder, and said "I'm sorry, Mordred." Camelot's bells had been silent for almost three days now, and, had Gaius not been busy entertaining Fenris, the Court Physician would have been more depressed and down than anyone else.

"RUN!" Tristan yelled, as his house exploded in a torrent of fire. Jiriko had come in search of a supposedly wounded Merlin, and would have done away with the warlock, had Tristan not shown up and grabbed Merlin. "Why run, Emrys?" Jiriko taunted, chasing after them "You know I'm going to catch you eventually!" Merlin turned on the sorcerer, and started to fight back. Tristan wanted to stop him, but a faction of Helios' men came rushing out of the forest, screaming battle cries. Tristan moved in to take them on, and was forced to let Merlin fight, as wounded as the warlock was. The face-off was fearsome, but ultimately Galahad, who had followed to two just in case, had to reveal himself. He joined Tristan in the heat of battle, trying not to show off too many of his combat skills. Still, even with the three of them fighting together, they were outnumbered. They began a hasty retreat, and Merlin launched a flurry fiery walls to cover them. They made their way to a nearby clearing, where Merlin, on the verge of losing consciousness, sent for Aithusa, who had been comforting Gaius. He gave the young white dragon a message: "Send Arthur to the furthest reaches of Camelot, to the place where the Battle of Pendragon's Ridge occurred. Tell him to hurry…"

Aithusa, upon hearing the call of the Dragonlord, raced to Arthur, who was sitting alone in the Great Hall. Aithusa, still new to human language, managed to get the message across, after which Arthur called all the Knights and their uncle to move out immediately. It was a day's ride, normally. However, with the help of the Magic-Wielder's Brigade, their horses were enchanted, giving them an over-abundance of energy, making it a two hour ride. Once they got there, Arthur rushed over to Merlin, who had passed out, and ordered his men to stand ready, as Jiriko and Helios' men caught up with them. Try as they might, however, the small bandit army and its deadly magical leader were too many. Merlin was unable to stop the onslaught of peculiar spells that Jiriko was known for. Eventually, Aithusa managed to weave her way through the chaos to Merlin, who, after using every last ounce of strength he had left to try and put a wall between Jiriko and the Camelot defenders, collapse in a heap. Aithusa, in a blind fit of rage, flew high into the air, and began to bombard the enemy with large fireballs, which she had learned from Kilgharrah, forcing Jiriko to rethink his strategy. However, Aithusa's true intentions were to distract the sorcerer and his rag-tag fighting force long enough for Arthur to pull his men back. Tristan, who had been slashed across his chest, gritted his teeth, and not only hauled Galahad over to a horse, but Merlin as well, even as some stragglers tried to stop him. Arthur, thoroughly impressed by the stranger's mettle, met him halfway, taking Merlin over to his own horse, and giving the general order to make for Camelot as fast as possible.

Three days later, Merlin woke up, on a bed in the physician's chambers. On the bed next to him lay an unconscious Galahad, his left arm covered in thick layers of bandages. "Merlin!" a voice cried out, as the sorcerer felt himself getting mauled by a bear hug. "Gaius, I can't breathe…" Merlin managed to get out, and his former guardian let him go, a look of mixed emotion plastered on his face. "Merlin, thank god you're awake" the old man said, relief coursing through him. Merlin simply smiled, as Arthur walked in, and decided to use his ever so large brain to pull Merlin into yet another bone-crushing hug, and the poor warlock could on squeak out something that sounded like "Oh, crap!" as he was being demolished. Gaius sighed, and gave Arthur a good old thwack across the back of the head, and the King dropped his friend, letting Merlin gasp for air. "Gaius, what the hell?" Arthur groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Sire, let's try not kill Merlin just as he's getting better, eh?" he said, raising a deadly eyebrow at the King. Merlin began to laugh, and very soon the other two men joined him.

Morgana sat in her room, alone and in a state of utter sadness and fear. She was on her bed, curled into a ball, no tears left for her to give. "Boo." Morgana's heart problems resurfaced, and she just about fell out of bed, except Merlin, suave devil he was, caught her, and held her in his arms. For what seemed to be an eternity, he just looked into her eyes, then, he pulled her into a tight embrace, and she broke down, crying like she'd never cried before. "I thought you'd run out of luck…" she said, after she had calmed down. "Me? Run out of luck? Never, my love" Merlin replied, smiling kindly at her. Just then, Morgana punched him.

"M-Morgana!" Merlin squawked, clutching his face.

"That was for being such a noble ditz!"

"What on earth do you…?"

"You keep getting yourself stuck in these situations, and it's pissing me off!"

"You think I like getting caught and nearly killed on a weekly basis?!"

"Then quit taking so many damned risks!"

"Morgana, we've been over this before! It is my duty to protect Arthur, and that is exactly what I intend to keep doing!"

"You nearly died, Merlin! If it weren't for that new guy, um, Triton, or something, you would have bled to death on the cold forest floor!"

"His name's Tristan, and I…! Wait, he's still here?!"

"Well, of course he is! Arthur is refusing to let him leave until you're healed enough to join is at the feast in his honor-! Hey, where the hell are you going?!" Merlin was already bolting out of the door at this point, calling over his shoulder "I'll be back later, love!" Morgana's mood changed from one extreme to the other, as Gwen soon found out. The former maid had never lost old habits, and was on her way to check on Morgana. "Watch out there, Gwen!" Merlin yelled, dashing past her and turning a corner before she could get a word out. Bewildered, she hurried to Morgana's chambers, only to find her sat on the bed, a brooding look on her face, and an aura of death surrounding her. Gwen sighed, and thought to herself "Damn it, Merlin. What'd you do THIS time?" and shut the door, hoping she could resolve this peacefully.

"GALAHAD! WHERE ARE MY BOOTS?!" Gwaine roared, making Merlin, who was passing by his door, slip and smack his head on the door. Gwaine tore open the door, but froze when he saw Merlin's body lying there. "Merlin, what in the hell are you lying around for?" the Knight said, picking up the warlock. "Why are you yelling at Galahad again?" Merlin countered, rubbing his forehead. "Look, he was supposed to have cleaned my boots last knight, as punishment for running off without telling me, but when I woke up this morning, they were still sitting there, untouched! I swear, that boy need a good old kick up the…" Merlin immediately changed to subject. "I wondered why he showed up in the forest." Gwaine merely grunted, muttering "Yeah, something about coming back from tending to his father." Merlin smiled, and patted Gwaine's shoulder "Well, he saved both mine and Tristan's life, so don't be too mad." Gwaine waved a hand passively, and Merlin walked out, eager not to continue the conversation.

"Aithusa, what are you…? No, no, no, no, NO!" Mordred's voice came from a nearby store room, and Merlin peeked inside, as the white dragon sent a pot flying in his direction. Merlin dodged it, but when the dragon spotted him, he cringed. Aithusa, like a force of nature, cannonballed straight into the warlock, and Mordred, afraid the youthful dragon might have killed the mighty Emrys, stood transfixed, until merlin threw the pot at him, saying "A little help here, please Mordred?" The Druid dashed forward, pulling Aithusa off of Merlin, letting the sorcerer climb to his feet. "Yes, hello, Aithusa; I am glad to see you too" Merlin said wearily. The white dragon yipped happily, and Mordred sighed from exhaustion. "Elyan's keeping you busy, I take it?" Merlin said, looking at him. "You have no ideas, Master Merlin" Mordred managed to say, falling on his back. Merlin laughed, and said "Well, I guess I'd best leave you to it" then, turning to Aithusa "Behave yourself, understand?" The dragon nodded, and Merlin dashed away, still on his search for Tristan.

Eventually, Merlin found the warrior, who was sitting on top of the wall, looking at the morning Camelot sun. "Beautiful view, isn't it?" Merlin asked, leaning on a portion of the wall. "That it is, Merlin; that it is…" Tristan said, looking intently at the view of the forest and the mountains beyond "Isolde would have loved it here, you know."

"Well, you certainly do her justice."

"What do you mean?"

"She wanted you to live on, discover new things, right?"

"That is correct."

"Well, I'd say that this is a great way to do it."

"It's too bad I have to leave after the feast."

"Well, that all depends, really" a voice from behind them said. The two men turned around, to see none other than Arthur standing there. "What do you mean, sire?" Tristan asked, jumping down. "I mean, you showed something out there that only a few people ever have: honor. You risked your own life for a total stranger, and you even refused to forsake him, even though it would have been easier to."

"I just did the right thing, sire."

"No, you did what even many knights find it hard to do: You protected the injured, simply because you knew it was what you had to do."

At this point, Merlin interjected, "Wait, you said that whether or not he stays depends on something, so what is it?" Arthur smiled, and said, with a little anticipation in his voice, "I want you to become a knight of the round table."

Two weeks later, all was calm in Camelot once again: Tristan had been knighted, Jiriko's forces had been repelled, and Morgana had calmed down, after much time spent with Gwen. Still, there was one person still unsatisfied with the results of the conflict with Jiriko. "Lord Darius" Galahad said, as he climbed up the small hill, followed closely by Tristan. "We must be more careful in future" the hooded man said, gazing at the room where Merlin was pacing "We were nearly revealed, not just to Emrys but to the Hex as well. If we are to be successful, we must eliminate him. He is far too unpredictable to be left alive." Tristan asked "Jiriko is the Hex? I thought the Hex was Ilsor's son." Darius turned to face them "No, Alator has confirmed it. The Hex, or the bane of Emrys as you like, is one whose magic no one else uses or has been taught." Galahad furrowed his brow "I thought Jiriko learned from Ilsor." Darius shook his head "So did I, but what he learned from Ilsor was nothing more than the true identity of Emrys." The three men looked at each other, a sort of understanding passing between them. "Lord Darius" Tristan began looking up at the moon "Helios…he knew we were at the monument. He sent one of his best after us. If we are to truly continue as planned, we'll need to end him." Darius, again, sighed "It wasn't Helios who knew. Helios had no idea. The one who told your attackers was…Ilsor II." Galahad and Tristan looked at each other, then back to Darius. "Come, I'll explain at the pillar…" the man said, walking deeper into the forest.

"Darius?" Kilgharrah said, as Merlin stood before him "Are you sure that was the name he used?" Merlin nodded, and the Great Dragon sighed, saying "In short, Darius is known as the Keeper of the Wolf's Blade, as society that was wiped out twenty years ago." Merlin thought for a moment, and then asked "So I take it he was a swordsman of great prowess?" The Great Dragon sighed and then said "He was the greatest swordsman who ever lived, Merlin." Again, Merlin contemplated this, then asked "So why do I get the feeling he's not dead?"

Darius stood alone in front of the exquisite stone pillar, his head resting against it, his lips moving in a silent prayer. Ilsor, Morgause, Lingured, Ortoasa, and Ilsor II. Even if one of the five WAS dead, there are still four left, not to mention Jiriko. It would not be easy, but there was little choice in the matter. Ilsor had always been different, but the others? No, they would not go like Ilsor, they would have to be killed by the only one left who COULD stop them: Emrys. "Destiny's a real pain, isn't it, Master Merlin?" Darius said, looking up at the sky.

Ooh! Ominous, huh? Well, I like this ending, because it calls for a MUCH needed break. Like I said, PLEASE Review! I appreciate it!