Right this is where it could become very complicated. I have a number of different POVs in this chapter. After #### it goes back to the original POV.
The different POVs are Arthur's, Morgana's and Merlin's. By giving you this hint you may find it easier to work out which POV it is if you get confused.
The POV is in bold in the square brackets e.g. [[[[Arthur's POV]]]].
Hope everyone finds this okay and any problems tell me please.
Enjoy :)
Chapter 9
"That's why you both wanted to help Mordred when he was in Camelot. The brotherly bond between Merlin and Mordred, Morgana just because of the familiarity of the magic."
"What about me? When I helped him?" Arthur asked shaking his head.
"You will not only be a fair and just king, you will be a kind and compassionate one. You will see each of your people as an individual. To you Mordred was one of your people and he needed help. There was also some help from Morgana but she is a piece of the puzzle that will make you the king you have been destined to be."
Morgana grabs my arm. I turn to look at her and nod.
She makes eye contact with Arthur.
"They don't need to know if you don't want to tell them."
"But they need to know. I know that you too are only trying to stop me from going down memory lane but I hear the screams constantly. People calling out to me for help. Every time the purge is mentioned, I hear them. I watched as my friends, people I would be happy to call family, are burnt by Uther, beheaded by Uther, even had their child taken from them and watched as he drowned them." I took a breath. "That's why I have Mordred up. The Druids took him well. And now look at him."
I couldn't help but look in pride at my son.
"Do you mind if we backtrack slightly?" Gwen asked. "Why is Merlin known as Emrys?"
Mordred, Merlin and Morgana looked straight at me.
"It's not my place to say. Merlin may tell you if he wants but I will not push it."
Merlin turned back to his long-time friends. "I will tell you once Elsa has finished. I don't want to ruin her storytelling."
I took back my seat. "In the next year I was requested to come to court. I didn't want to go. As he had just requested me, I knew something was wrong. I knew that he had found out, and his threat was still lingering."
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I pack deep in thought.
"You know why he has called you." Gorlois said scaring me out of my skin. "Sorry." He said after he saw me jump.
"Don't worry. I have my suspicions why he has, yes."
"Then why?"
"I said that he would see through our lies one day. Unfortunately I thought it would take him longer. The Pendragons could never really see past the end of their noses."
"Elsa there is something else. Why don't you tell me the truth any more?"
"You want the truth. Sorry I thought that I would remain your friendship with the man you call a king." I slammed down the lid to my trunk and magically moved it outside.
"Elsa how many times do I have I tell you not to do magic?" Gorlois was getting frustrated now.
"Sorry it's a part of who I am. Don't worry you will never see me again because it is very unlikely I will ever return." I started to walk to the door. "You wanna know what Uther has done. How about tried to tempt me into his bed? How about he do that before his wonderful queen had died? How about he is the reason she died? How about I warned him against using magic? How about he threaten me to find out if I knew where Balinor was? How about he still is tempting me into his bed while my belly was starting to round with child? He has killed my kind Gorlois …"
"Maybe you shouldn't use your magic for horrible things. I cannot believe that you cast a spell to get Ygraine with child."
"I never said I cast the spell. Nimueh did. I dreamt that this would happen …"
"Why didn't you stop it?"
"DIDN'T YOU THINK I TRIED! I warned them!" I shouted at him.
"Elsa, father, why are you fighting?"
I turned to see the now 8 year old Morgana standing at the door.
"It's nothing. Go back to your room." Gorlois said trying to get his voice back to it usual softness.
"Don't bother Morgana. I was leaving anyway." I enclosed her in a hug. "I will miss you little fay."
"I will miss you too. When will you be back?"
"I don't know darling. Hopefully soon, if not hopefully your birthday."
I kissed to top of her head.
"Please stop growing. If you continue you will be taller than me. I will have to come up with a new nickname." I tried to joke with her. I had no idea whether this would be the last time I would see her or not.
She gave me a smile.
I didn't look back as I left Gorlois by himself. If I knew then what he would do for me, I would have looked back and apologized a thousand times. I didn't deserve Gorlois, he was always too good for me.
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I remained my cold attitude all the way to Camelot. I didn't want to fight with my friend but he needed to know some of the truth. He was right, I was starting to hide the truth from everyone.
Guards met me at the gates and took me off my horse.
My suspicions were correct. I just hoped that Gorlois was still angry enough with me that he wouldn't come to Camelot in a few weeks.
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I wasn't sent straight to Uther. No I was put in the dungeons, in a cell that I helped make.
I felt weak as my magic started to drain out of me.
I started to curse. Curse Uther, curse Nimueh and myself.
I didn't know how long I had been in there before my cell door opened and I was dragged out.
I felt instantly stronger by the return of my magic. Yet my happiness was short lived as magical chains were put round my wrists.
The lack of magic and food quickly hit me and I was more dragged by the guards than taken. I had hoped to look strong but I couldn't. Too much had been taken from me to do that. I mumbled to myself that Uther was a hypocrite.
Uther smirked on his throne. I wish I could have done something to wipe it off but I was unsuccessful.
"Were you with Ygraine on the night that she gave birth to Arthur?"
I looked up at him then Arthur.
"No milord, I have told you that I was with Gorlois that night."
Uther got up and walked over to me, grabbing my face once he had reached me.
"Now say that again, but this time TELL ME THE TRUTH!" He spat in my face.
I closed my eyes to try and block him out.
"Milord I was ... I was with …"
"Ygraine!"
I tried not to let my emotions show.
"You betrayed me." Uther carried on.
"No milord, I didn't. I..."
"Lied to me. How did you get Vivienne's necklace if you weren't with Ygraine?"
I bowed my head low.
"She gave me a chance. Vivienne told me to run. I was going to stay by her. Uther I would give anything to change what happened. I even tried bargaining with my life. You don't think that I have nightmares from seeing the light leave her eyes or from hearing Arthur cry out for the mother he will never get to know. I panicked and made Gorlois tell the lie. I know it was stupid and selfish of me but I only thought of my survival."
I looked up at him. I had bent the truth slightly but I had now finally told him.
"You will be flogged and then beheaded for your lies and magic. Take her away."
I felt numb as my body was dragged away.
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Another week ... Few days ... I don't know how long, but I was finally taken out of my cell for one of three journeys. After the third I would never see my cell again, or Uther or Arthur or Morgana and Gorlois. I really wished now that I didn't fight with the last friend I had.
The sunlight hurt my eyes as I was pulled out.
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"You don't have too." Arthur said once he noticed the tears running down my face.
I wiped my eyes. "They need to know."
"What and put yourself through that misery?" Morgana said.
"I can tell it." Arthur said. "It was the first public flogging I had ever been made to watch an as it was a family friend, I really didn't want to watch …"
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"Father do I have to watch?" I said as we stood on the balcony waiting.
"Yes son. You need to see these things. You wouldn't be sheltered from them forever. You will need to see them before you are king."
I watched as Elsa was dragged into the platform. I like Elsa, she was nice and the only person that had told me something about my mother.
A group on horses had entered the courtyard at the same time.
"This woman had wormed her way into court and the hearts of the queen and I. She has betrayed us all in the worst way. She was one of the witches responsible for queen Ygraine's death."
I heard gasps from the crowd and Elsa stiffened.
"Do you deny your crimes?" My father finished saying.
"UTHER, wait." One of the men shouted as he got off his horse and started running towards the castle.
Elsa stared intently at him but his pace didn't change.
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"Let me clear up some things Arthur." Morgana said.
Arthur gestured her to say what she had to.
"My father wasn't as mad as he thought he was about everything. He couldn't continue to blame Elsa for Uther's mistakes..."
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"We will see Elsa again." I said as we trotted through the gates of Camelot.
"Yes we can, and I owe her an apology."
"Why?" I said as we started to slow down.
"Because I got angry at her for something she couldn't help."
"Is that when you were arguing?"
My father hummed in response but I saw his face drop as we entered the court yard.
I sat up taller in my saddle trying to see what was happening.
"This woman had wormed her way into court and the hearts of the queen and I. She has betrayed us all in the worst way. She was one of the witches responsible for queen Ygraine's death." I heard the kings voice boom into the courtyard.
I heard gasps from the crowd and my father unclasped his cloak, letting it float to the floor.
"Do you deny your crimes?" the king finished saying.
"UTHER, wait." Before I knew it my father was halfway across the courtyard towards the castle. That's when I saw who it was on the platform. It was Elsa.
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"You can carry on for now." Morgana said smiling at her brother.
"I will say up till you intervene."
"Don't worry I was going to stop you there anyway."
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Everybody was shocked by the man that even my father didn't speak.
"Please Uther think about what you are doing." Gorlois said to Uther.
"I have. She lied to me about her being with Ygraine."
"And she lied to me about the things you do to her before she exploded and till me before she left." Gorlois said in a hushed tone but I still heard him.
My father gulped.
"Please she is still our friend."
"I don't deny those crimes." Elsa said from her spot down on the platform.
Both Uther and Gorlois turned to look at her.
"What?!" The both said that the same time.
"I don't deny my crimes. I do not wish to lie any more. Lies will tear us apart eventually."
"But ... But." Uther stuttered before finding his composure. "Then you will be flogged today and beheaded tomorrow."
The guards grabbed her and chained her to the post.
They pulled her top up so that her back was exposed.
One of the guards drew the whip back and slammed it down onto the exposed flesh. The whip bit into her flesh leaving red lines across her back.
A stifled scream was all that was heard.
After ten strokes of the whip, Elsa started to cry out.
The screams had broken something inside of me. I wanted to help her but don't know what to do.
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"Well I did the only thing I thought I could." Morgana said. "I got off my horse and walked towards the platform..."
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"I am lady Morgana le Fay. My father is lord Gorlois le Fay. I will get access to this platform and you will not stop."
I knew that Elsa had heard every word.
The guards stopped and released her, dropping her to the floor.
I quickly ran up to her.
She pulled her top back down before she spoke to me.
"I have magic little fay."
"That doesn't matter."
"Are you not scared of me?" Elsa asked weakly.
I shock my head. "Why would I be scared of you? You raised me."
Elsa then dragged herself up.
"Then you give me hope for the future."
She looked up at her friends on the balcony and bowed.
"Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard."
And like that Elsa had vanished.
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"Talk about through friendship out of the window." Merlin said still shocked slightly by the story.
"I remember it."
Everyone turned to the servant-turned-queen.
"My father and I were walking through, delivering armor. I never knew it was you though."
"Well after that I was blamed for prisoners escaping."
"You were the woman I ran into." Merlin said.
"I'm sorry." I said to Merlin. I had very little memory of what happened after I disappeared from Camelot. I could fill the gaps.
"Carry on Merlin."
"I was 5 at the time. I was helping my mother pick herbs in the forests that surround Ealdor. I had ran off because of this mysterious energy nearby. My mother wasn't happy that I ran off."
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"MERLIN GET BACK HERE NOW!"
My legs ran quirkier than my mothers. I was smaller and more nimble to fly between the trees.
"MERLIN!"
I didn't stop running until I hit someone. For once I managed to stay upright but the person just fell straight to the floor.
"MA, THERE IS A WOMAN HERE!" I shouted in the direction of my mothers shouts. "SHE LOOKS INJURED!"
My mother reached my side a few minutes after I reached my location.
"Merlin what have I told you about running off? You could have been..."
My mother stopped talking once she had noticed the woman on the floor.
She sighed and bent down to my level, grabbing my shoulders as she balanced herself.
"Now Merlin I am going to ask you to do something that I have always scolded you for. I want you to run to Ealdor as quickly as possible and clear the table in our house. Then I want you to get Will's father and run back as quickly as you possible can. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes but why the table? She can take my bed."
"I need the table to see the extent of her injuries. Now go Merlin."
I didn't need to be told twice and ran back to my home.
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I quickly returned with Will's father.
"Ma, I am here."
"Hunith what's up?"
My mother looked up at William. (It's a family thing. The oldest son is named after the father and so the name goes down the generations.)
"I know that you know who she is but she needs out help."
"Hunith she is bad news. Uther has asked for her arrest."
"Merlin go back to Ealdor and lay out feverfew, Calendula and comfrey."
I nodded my head but could tell that they were going to be a while and hid behind a tree. I wanted to know about her.
"I believe that she has already been arrested by Uther."
I heard a gasp.
"We must help her but as soon as she is well. She must go."
"I understand that Will but how are we going to get her into the village?"
"Look we will change over your clothes and we will say that you fainted in the woods and Merlin came to get me to take you back."
"And me?"
"Go round the back into my house and then we will work it from there."
I heard noises but no more talking. I took this as my cue to leave.
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The woman, now lying in my mother's bed, still fantasied me. For some reason I was drawn to her.
My mother had left for some supplies and I was left to look after her.
After two days the mysterious woman had a fever. What from I didn't know but it had nearly taken a week for the fever to break, as it was doing now.
The woman groaned and turned over.
Her eyes opened up quickly, glowing the deepest gold I had ever seen.
"No!" She screamed as multiple things started to smash.
My mother returned and tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry Elsa. You are safe now. He cannot hurt you here."
My mother's soft voice managed to calm the woman and her eyes changed back.
"Hunith." She whispered. "What am I doing here?"
"I don't know."
"Uther, he um ... He ... Gorlois almost .. Why did I ..." The woman had trouble getting her words out.
My mother held her tighter.
"Merlin go and get some water please."
I nodded my head but hung around for a little bit.
"Now Merlin." My mother said harsher.
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I returned with the water but decided to leave them talking for a little longer.
"Where will you go from here?"
"I don't know."
"What about the Druids or the high priestesses?"
"The Druids won't want me. They will see me as a traitor to my kind. I followed Uther for years. And the high priestesses... Most of them are dead. Slain by Uther and I just watched."
I could tell that this woman was close to breaking.
"Then go an ask the Druids. There is no harm."
"I just don't want to be an outcast."
"I'm sure they won't. What about Gorlois?"
"He had already risk his life for me more than once. I will not make him harbor me any longer."
"Merlin should be back by now."
That was my cue to come in.
"Merlin what took you so long?" My mother said.
"Umm there was a um problem with um the tap." I said trying to make up a lie off the top of my head.
I looked at the woman and she looked back at me with sad eyes.
"Merlin don't keep staring at her."
"Don't worry Hunith." The woman said. "He is just curious. I have been in his home for a number of days." She then turned back to me. "Elsa." She held out my hand.
"Merlin, if you haven't already guessed." He said taking my hand.
Hunith hit him on the top of his head. "Don't be cheeky."
The woman sat up properly and crossed her legs on the bed.
"So do you have any adventures Merlin?"
I sat down and happily told her all the adventures and 'quests' that me and Will have, excluding the part about my magic.
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Merlin suddenly went silent and turned towards his king.
"Your magic?" Arthur said.
"Arthur please listen before …"
"YOU HAVE MAGIC!"
I put my hands in my face.
"Arthur calm down."
Arthur started to struggle in his chair.
I was surprised when Morgana started defending Merlin. "He is Emrys. If you didn't know what that means, it means that he has been saving your sorry arse because he believes that you will be a great king and allow magic back."
"My brother is the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth."
Arthur stopped struggling but I didn't release my spell.
"Look we are bloody outnumbered." Arthur said. "Was this your plan in the end? Hmm get a band of magic users against me?"
I could have slapped Arthur for that. "And do you think I would let them hurt you? I was there when you were brought into the world Arthur. I don't partially want to be there when you leave the world as well."
I could see the determination in Arthur's face.
"Arthur, I couldn't help it. I was born this way." Merlin tried a different approach to it.
"And I don't know how you didn't get it earlier as I said that he was almost burning down the house and making things float from when he was a baby." I looked around the room. "Unless you ignore it because you don't want it to be true, are you really that stupid not to work it out?"
I saw Arthur relax. "Every branch that has fallen at the right time, every enemy that has fallen just at the right time or the wind in Ealdor, that was all you."
Merlin wetted his lips. "Yes."
"You didn't use the flints in Ealdor either." Morgana said.
"No I didn't." Merlin said looking at Morgana.
"And it wasn't a crush on Gwen you were taking about but your magic for making the gust of wind come through which helped killed the afanc."
Merlin smiled as everything came into reality for Morgana.
"You could have killed me so many times." Morgana said.
"I didn't want to. I really wished that I could have saved you."
As much as I wanted to see them bond over old times I had to move on with the story. There wasn't much of the night left.
"Anyway so I left Ealdor, and found some Druids. Well the Druids that had Mordred. I did get to raise my child after all. It was two years after that I returned to Cornwall. I had returned before but I needed to see somebody this time, talk to them..."
