Inspiration: Something Beautiful by Lady Elrayen.
A thank you to all those who have reviewed so far.
Dream Merlin saw a forest, quite different than any he had seen. Mists hung on the ground even though the sky above was clear and the sun was setting. A faint buzzing in his ears, told him the entire forest was enchanted. Arthur looked worse for wear, his armor was dirt stained. His cape was muddy along with his boots. Arthur's hair was bedraggled. With the rusty sword, he looked like a knight who lost many battles.
A castle emerged from the woods, almost completely hidden by the vines that grew over it's walls. The trees grew right next to the walls, if not for the torches it would be invisible until you almost walked into it. Arthur knocked on the doors. When the doors opened, it was if dream had become reality, nothing except powerful magic could explain who had opened the door. Freya, alive and will in the world of the living.
"Welcome, King Arthur." Freya wore a simple blue dress that rippled like water. Her hair had been brushed and curled slightly. "I am Freya, The Lady of the Lake." "Lady Freya, I ask for rest and a meal for the night." Arthur's voice was dry as if he hadn't spoken for some time. "That you will have, but you have to promise me something in return." Freya led Arthur inside, the walls polished and decorated with tapestries of the land before The Great Purge. As soon as Arthur entered the main hall, his sword changed. The rust simply melted off, the blade gleaming with polished steel. He had only caught the runes on the sword, before they dimmed.
Bruta. The Disir had given Arthur the sword of the first king of Camelot. "What is the task you would have me do?" Arthur sat himself at a table with a simple meal of meat, cheese, bread and milk. Something a simple commoner would be lucky to get. "Save my sisters, Lynette from the Red Knight and Lynesse from the Green Knight." "Sisters!?" Freya said her family had died. Unless there were other Ladies of the Lake.
"I shall do as you ask, Lady?" Arthur looked at her carefully. "You seem strangely familiar as well." "And he calls me an idiot." Arthur could really be thick skulled. "You're imagination, Sire." ""The forest of Adventure can't be found on a map, it is neither here or there." Freya smiled mysteriously."Or is it all a dream.?" "You will not shed any blood here in these halls, or it won't go well for you." The torches blew out then relit themselves. Freya had vanished. "Strangest night ever." Arthur spoke to himself.
As Arthur went down a hallway, the torches blew out again. They didn't relight themselves like last time. Freya appeared in the hallway, wearing her old ragged dress. She looked at Arthur with fear. "Please let me go." "Oh,no." This was the worst moment of his life. Arthur had gone whiter than anything he had seen before. Then he dropped his sword, the blade hitting the stone with a clang. Freya began screaming in pain. The sound made Merlin's heart clench painfully. His love was transforming into the Bastet.
Her teeth elongated into fangs, Going down on all fours, her hands and feet turned into paws, with claws as sharp as knives. Wings grew out of her back, skin darkening and growing fur. Arthur hadn't picked up his sword. "I am so sorry for what I've done to you." Arthur closed his eyes as the Bastet pounced. His vision of Arthur went dark. The scene changed to a scene in the Catacombs below Camelot. Arthur was at his side, eyes now open. The King still didn't give any hint that his servant was next to him. They were now sharing a vision separately. The scene came into sharper focus.
Past Merlin was crouching over Freya. "I'm a monster, I tried to tell you." Past Merlin brushed the hair away from her face tenderly. "I know." Past Merlin spoke softly. "I wasn't always like this." Her face was streaked with tears of pain. "Shh, you shouldn't try to talk." Arthur was watching silently. "There was a man. He attacked me. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I thought he was going to kill me." Freya was talking fainter. "It was an accident." Past Merlin reassured her. "His mother was a sorceress, and when she find out that I'd killed her son, she cursed me to kill forever more." It was now a whisper spoken through pain. "I'm going to make you better, Freya." Past Merlin reassured her that he would take care of her, defeat this wound. "No, Merlin, the wound's too deep. Please go." She had resigned herself to death. "No. I'm not leaving you here." The scene changed again.
Past Merlin carried Freya in his arms to the Lake of Avalon. She was wearing Morgana's dress, the one he had stolen for her. Rain rippled down as Past Merlin set Freya down, holding her in his arms. She looked towards the lake. Her skin unnaturally pale. "You remembered." It was a whisper. "Of course." Past Merlin tried to smile but it was only a moment. "I am so sorry for what the sorcerer did to you." His voice was chocked with emotion. "Merlin, you have nothing to be sorry for." She was fading. "There must be something I can do, some way to save you." Past Merlin was completely and utterly desperate. Freya smiled faintly."You've already saved me. You made me feel loved." Past Merlin's face morphed to one of grief."I don't want you to go." Tears began to run on both Merlin's faces. "One day, Merlin, I will repay you. I promise." Freya's head fell back, Merlin's heart shattering into pieces as she breathed her last. "Freya?" The plea was barely audible. He touched her face tenderly, then sobbed over her shoulder, rocking her back and forth.
Past Merlin placed her body in a boat filled with ferns and white flowers. Arthur was crying. "That makes two times." The scene showed Freya in the burial boat, he wanted to turn away, but something stopped him. Arthur had disappeared from the vision. Freya's body vanished before the flames consumed her. Freya was hanging just below the surface of the water. A Sidhe Elder appeared over her and studied her. "Never thought I would pity a mortal." Another Sidhe appeared next to the Elder. "Some use of her to us, she might be." "I can sense her curse being washed away by death, nothing we couldn't do though." The Sidhe Elder approached and touched her forehead. He jumped away as if burned. The Elder wore a shocked expression on his face. "Her soul is still inhabiting the body and is strong."Be a shame if we can't use her for some great deed." A circle of Sidhe Elders appeared over Freya. The circle clasped hands to achieve even greater power. As one they spoke.
"Broc mín cræft afol æt áwæcnan fram cwealm." The staffs of the Sidhe touched her chest. "Berbay odothay arisan quicken." Her eyes opened. "Lady, you are safe here." An Elder spoke calmly to her. "Where is Merlin?" Freya was breathing normally underwater. An Elder flew up to her, he had a white beard and milky white eyes of an old mortal man. "You will see him again, but only for a short time." "You can only go to the treeline, for that is the boundary and the price of your immortality." "Until your guardianship of the sword is ended, you can't leave." Freya sat down on the lake bottom, her eyes shining from unshed tears. The rest of the Sidhe elders left.
A cry came over the lake's surface. Full of anger and sadness. Freya headed for the waters surface. The Sidhe elder behind her. Dream Merlin saw himself at the shore still staring out at the burning boat. He was lying on the rocks, scraping,screaming and writhing. "I am so sorry, Freya." Freya tried to surface but the Sidhe Elder held her back. He shook his head. "Not yet." If she wasn't underwater anybody could see Freya's tears.
Merlin stopped his fit of grief and anger. He simply lay there on the shore. "I don't blame Giaus for telling the king.""I don't even blame Arthur for the blow." "I blame myself for your death." Merlin whispered it, but the sound went through the waves. "Gaius tries, but he doesn't understand." "To have magic given to you without having a choice."
"With you, I was free." "My magic was appreciated and loved, instead of being feared." "Now that you're gone, I feel more alone than ever." Now he whispered his druid name to Freya. "I am Emrys, immortal, divine." "I am the most powerful warlock ever to walk the earth, destined for greatness and yet I couldn't save you." "I would rather spend a lifetime with you, than forever be alone."
Freya just floated a few inches down below the surface. Merlin made a few branches and sticks come together in the shape of a small boat. He got up into a sitting position at the waters edge. "Blostma." A rose lay in his hands. Placing it in the boat he sent it off into the lake. "You will always have my heart, Freya." He stood up from his pit of despair and grief. "Now and forever." He walked off.
Freya reached out and drew the little boat under the waves. She sighed."Merlin, I will always love you." The Sidhe Elder approached. "Avalon awaits it's lady and you still have an important role to play." The Sidhe pointed to the bottom of the lake, where the light barely reached it. There lay the Sword of Light, it's blade still gleaming. Freya picked up the blade, as she held it aloft, her arm broke the surface. It was if Fate was shouting, "Look, look what do see?!" Freya shook the sword as if in triumph, before pulling it under the lake water. The Sidhe Elder preformed a small bow. "For now on you shall be called Freya, The Lady of the Lake."
The hallway came back into focus. Arthur was underneath the creature. The Bastet padded away from Arthur, retreating into the shadows. A candle was lit behind Arthur. "Are you alright, sire?" In the candlelight Freya looked ghostly. Arthur started back, seeing ghosts was never a good thing."Don't blame yourself for my death, you were protecting your people."
"Merlin is a little brother to me and I rewarded him with heartbreak." Arthur had a weird way of showing it. "A half can not truly hate that what makes it whole." "I would only distract him." Freya smiled sadly. "We were going to run away together." "His destiny was cruel, a servant rather than a hero." Arthur swallowed."I am sorry for not letting you go like you asked." Arthur stood to one side, apologizing was a rare thing.
"It's a wonder how Merlin puts up with you." Freya smiled mischievously."Continue blaming yourself and I will turn your ears back int a donkey's." Arthur blushed and spluttered, "How?" "When?" "Once a year he goes to the Lake of Avalon, to talk as if I was still there."
Arthur as still red faced."How are you still alive?" Freya looked confused as to why she was spared."I don't know, Avalon has powerful magic, so it may have had something to do with it." "Or somebody decided to give me a second chance." Arthur knelt. "Then allow me to make amends."
He cut his palm. "With this blood, I swear to protect you from harm." A blood oath was binding, breaking it would curse Arthur's line for generations. It was an Old Religion oath, not one to be taken halfway. How Arthur learned it was a mystery or he just didn't know the consequences. Probably the latter. Freya placed her hand over Arthur's. "May this be the last blood you shed for me." When she removed her hand, Arthur's was healed. Only a scar remained, a reminder.
He awoke from his dream. Freya was waiting for him in Avalon. One day they could be together, when his destiny was complete. Arthur could handle a few knights, he didn't need to worry.
"Broc mín cræft afol æt áwæcnan fram cwealm." Translation: Use my great might to arise from death
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