The Rivals, Part I
Children of the Druids
Chapter 10
"So, Helios," Morgana says. "Are you certain you can find this Jarl?"
"Oh, yes, my Lady." He pours a goblet of wine from the carafe on the low table between them, and passes it to her. She lifts it in salute with a wary smile. He takes a goblet for himself and returns her toast. Each takes a sip. "I know exactly where his stronghold is."
"Excellent." Morgana smiles. "Emrys will soon be revealed and destroyed. And Arthur will be at my mercy."
"We'll ride at first light," Helios promises. "But now, let us enjoy our meal." He leans back on the cushions, gesturing to his servants to bring in their food.
"After you business is completed with Jarl, my Lady, what of Camelot?"
"If we are successful in our pursuit, Camelot will be mine. The city would welcome me to assume the throne – without Arthur, no one would dare challenge me."
xXx
Following the route indicated on the map by the Druid elder, Arthur and his knights reach the coast and turn south. They had ridden through a section on the road where they found a man lying dead at the side of the road, holding a sword that pierced his body. There appeared to be some sort of a disturbance here, but Percival sees that two horses have continued along the road, heading east, so they continue on following the new tracks. They reach an apple orchard, with a castle visible in the distance. The men pause to eat their fill while Percival explores the woods at the edge of the orchard. He sees where a fire had been lit. The ashes still held a remnant of the warmth of the flames.
"We're close!" he tells Arthur triumphantly. "It's still warm."
"Let's get moving," Arthur commands. "We can catch up to them." He allows himself to smile for the first time in days as he spurs his horse on ahead of his men.
xXx
Merlin makes his way through the gate into the castle courtyard. He dismounts from his horse, tying her to a post near the entrance to the keep. No one challenges him as he enters. He's surprised that there aren't guards posted to protect the keep and its people. The last time he dealt with Jarl, when he bought Arthur as a slave to rescue him, the guards stopped him at the gate. Now, no one approaches. Something feels off here, as if he is expected. He draws the sword as he walks.
His footsteps echo in the dimly lit corridor as he makes his way forward to a doorway straight ahead, brilliantly lit by torches and candles. Cautiously, he approaches the doorway and pauses just at the entry.
Jarl turns around at the sound of his steps, and smiles in welcome of his old customer. "Myrddin. Isn't that what you called yourself?"
"Jarl," Merlin says, walking into the room, lowering his sword. "How kind of you to remember."
"And how did your last acquisition work out?"
Merlin says "like a kick in the head."
"Gave you a hard time, did he?" Jarl smirks.
"Yeah, when the spell wore off. But he is under control now, and safe at home doing his proper job."
"And what are you looking for now?"
Merlin reaches out with his mind to find the Druid children and hears young voices say "Emrys!" with a tone of relief.
"I'm here," Merlin responds to the voices, clears his throat and says aloud to jarl, "I'm here looking for some children to assist me in making medicines and potions. I find small hands have nimble fingers for this work."
"Yes, of course. I have just the ones," Jarl says, "wait here."
xXx
Jarl leaves the brightly lit room by a side door, one that leads to a back corridor to reach the room with the staircase up to where Malus waits. This is the moment the sorcerer had been waiting for, Jarl realizes. The great Emrys has entered his stronghold alone. When Malus defeats him, Jarl will receive his promised reward of unimaginable riches. He's played his part in stealing the children of the Druids and using them to lure Emrys here. His time has come.
Jarl chuckles to himself as he climbs the steps to the top of the central tower. The man thinks he's fooled us with his 'Myrddin' disguise, but the sorcerer had warned him that Emrys could take any form he wished. No one knew Emrys's true form, he'd said. As he approaches the top of the staircase, Jarl calls out, "he's here."
He doesn't climb all the way to the top; he does not feel altogether comfortable in the sorcerer's presence. There is always the underlying threat, so he keeps his distance. He starts to descend the stairs when he knows that Malus heard him as he gets a response from the sorcerer.
"I know. I can feel his power." Malus calls down, sounding almost gleeful. "He will be destroyed."
Jarl passes through the room with the staircase, and, grabbling a torch, heads down the hall to his own bedchamber to make ready for his departure.
xXx
Arthur and his men enter the castle courtyard through the unattended gate, puzzled by the lack of defenses. "Where is everyone?" Arthur asks, more to himself than to the others.
No one offers an answer, as they have none. They can see no guards, no soldiers or servants bustling about, no signs of the kinds of activity that they've taken for granted in Camelot. The keep is austere, constructed of an aging dull grey stone, and they approach it warily. Percival and Leon run ahead to flank the entrance to the keep as Arthur nears if head on. The door stands open to a dark corridor, with a brightly lit room at the far end. The doorways to rooms on either side are all empty and dark. Arthur slowly walks the length of the corridor, drawn by the light.
Arthur enters the room and sees a middle-aged man standing in the middle of the room, apparently deep in thought, a sword held loosely in his hand. He remembers him – the sorcerer - from his own experience as a slave. "You! Myrddin!" he yells. "Up to your old tricks buying more slaves, are you?"
Merlin spins around, as Arthur stalks forward with his sword outstretched to face the man he knows as Myrddin, the man he thought kept him a slave. Merlin backs away as Arthur advances on him, stumbling over a bench near the side of the room. He falls awkwardly, dropping his sword, and Arthur presses his own sword to his chest, piercing his tunic and drawing blood. Merlin stares up at him, desperate to control the magic that wants to burst free and save his life. He cannot harm Arthur.
"I remember you, Myrddin. You're a sorcerer." Arthur says angrily, looming over Merlin where he had fallen, pinning him with his sword. He calls to the knights who had followed him into the room, gesturing to his prisoner. "Restrain him. Bind his arms and legs."
Merlin is grabbed roughly by the knights and held immobile on the floor. He tries to squirm out of their grasps, but is easily overpowered. His hands are yanked behind his back. Percival takes the thong tying Merlin's hair back and uses it to tie his hands.
As Leon uses Merlin's own belt to bind his ankles together, Merlin gasps, never taking his eyes from Arthur's angry face, "I never meant you any harm. It's jarl you want. He's the slaver. He's the one who kidnapped the children."
"I'll deal with you later," Arthur says, as he leaves the room with the knights looking for Jarl.
Merlin is left on the floor, bound hand and foot. "Focus, Merlin. You've got to save the children," he thinks to himself. Merlin struggles against his restraints, testing their strength; then, with a thought as his eyes flash gold, he's free. He cannot stay here. Merlin releases his control over the aging spell, transforming back into himself. His powers have grown, and he no longer really needs the blue potion to reverse the aging spells, although the potion does make it easier. As he scrambles to his feet, he reaches out with his magic to find the children, sensing them all kept together in a room in the dungeons. "Emrys," he hears the children's voices call again in his mind. He follows the call along the length of the room to a staircase leading down. He starts to descend. When he reaches the bottom of the staircase, he sees a few guards, sitting at a table with a pitcher in front of them. He watches as one fills the cups of the others, and all enjoy their drink. Silently he mouths a sleep spell and the guards slump over the table; then with the force of his will, he focuses his magic and unlocks the door to the cell where the children are held. "Run!" he commands them through his thoughts. "Come to me." The children run, pounding down the corridor to reach him.
"Emrys?" he hears. His smile is jubilant when the children reach him, surround him at the bottom of the steps.
"Please, just call me Merlin," he says.