Chapter 10 – The Prophet
Beta: Not corrected. I'm currently looking for a beta, wherever it is for a chapter or more. If anyone has any comments or suggestions they are of course welcome too, just send a PM or leave a review.
Words: 6157
I don't own Merlin
Miley ran a hand through his hair as he walked, making it stand up in every possible direction; a trait which seemed to follow his family if he remembered his father correctly. He clenched his teeth and focused on the project at hand; it was of no use to let his thoughts wander to things in the past which he could do nothing about in the present.
He clutched the little piece of paper currently lying folded in his pocket. He would have to visit the messenger soon, but he wanted to do this task first.
Miley navigated through the crowded marketplace while keeping his worry for the next months from showing. Controlling his facial expression was a skill he had mastered a long time ago; a skill you needed all the time when working for the King. The members of Cenred's court might be few, but those who were left, had held their power by being observant and because of their willingness to betray their neighbours to the King the moment they saw their chance. In a place like that, showing what you really thought was often a direct way to lose your title or worse, more so when your thoughts didn't follow the court's.
He had never enjoyed talking to the King. Cenred may not be as dangerous as Eadric, but the King was cruel and greedy and the news Miley had brought had only convinced him to move his plans forward. Some change was needed in Camelot, you would have to be blind not to see it, but that didn't mean letting Cenred replace Uther on the throne would achieve this. For all the loyalty a knight should have to his king; Miley was not a knight born of faith, but a man of need.
The boy, Merlin, complicated everything even more. Eadric may have been quiet in their first weeks in Camelot, but Miley would never be as naïve as to think that wouldn't change. The assassin would bit his time until he saw his chance to strike, this Miley didn't doubt. Reading people was one of his strength after all. His options to act; not so much, which was the reason he was no closer to pushing the events the right way than he had been when he rode through the gates of Camelot the first time.
Knocking trice on the chamber doors, he took a step back and waited. He knew the physician would be by the King for the next hour at least, but it was better to be on the safe side. As expected; no one bit him to enter and he could push the door open undisturbed and step inside.
The room was cluttered with all sorts of herbs, books and potions; however the thing that interested the knight was the still form of the young warlock, lying half across the patients' bed, where he had seemingly fallen asleep while reading a book.
Miley stepped closer to discern some of the symbols on the pages and his eyebrow disappeared under his hay coloured hair. He shook his head at the boy's careless action and walked back to the shelves to pull a few bottles down. He hid the chosen goods under his coat, before making himself comfortable on one of the benches standing by the table and waited for Merlin to wake up on his own.
It wasn't long before the warlock began to stir and cracked his eyes open to stare tiredly at the ceiling, mind still not fully cleared of sleep.
"Exhausted?" Miley asked and smirked when Merlin nearly fell out of the bed in shock. The warlock twisted his body around awkwardly to look at the knight, who just raised an eyebrow in a pose resembling Gaius. "Nightly excursions usually do that to you."
Merlin groaned and closed his eyes again. "How do you even know that?" The warlock nearly wined.
Miley just snorted at him. "There's a reason they are called messengers, Merlin, but this is not why I have come here; I have some news for you myself."
He waited for Merlin to sit up properly and had the younger man's attention again so he could continue. "We have gotten new orders from the King; our holiday is over. Now that we have established a base inside the castle we can move on with our jobs."
Merlin furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Firstly, in your case; recovering from your wound," The knight said, stood up and pushed his seat back under the table. "Let me deal with the rest for now. I just wanted to warn you about being prepared; we will begin your training as soon as you're back to health."
Miley could feel the eyes boring into his back, but he didn't linger.
"Wait, how did you even get in here!?" Merlin called out after him as he walked through the room.
Miley closed the door and sneaked through the corridors and crossed the drawbridge back out of the castle, all the while keeping a small smile on his face. He might not be able to do much against the powerful men back in Essetir, yet he promised himself then and there to do enough.
Merlin gave a relived sigh when Gaius finally deemed his arm to be fully healed, although he still felt a small twinge of pain when he moved it too much. Gaius said it would still feel sore the next few days, and then reminded Merlin once again that he had come out of the whole incident very lucky. When Merlin overlooked the days confined to the bed and the new scar left on his pale skin, he supposed it was very much the truth.
Gaius patted his good arm. "Now, enough of doing nothing; you are well enough to do some light work and my stores needs restocking; so get going," Gaius said in a stern voice and handed Merlin a basked and a list with the herbs he needed.
Merlin gave his mentor a small smile and stepped out in the corridor for the first time since the banquet.
He was halfway through the lower town, when he felt a presence behind him and turned around. Miley was dressed in an ill-fitting brown tunica and trousers which made him blend into the rest of the crowd in a way his old, richer garments never could.
"Up to work again then, huh?" The knight asked. Merlin nodded, before remembering the knight's words from a few days ago and quickly corrected him.
"But Gaius said that I'm not allowed to do anything strenuous until the wound has healed completely," Merlin added quickly before Miley could assume anything else. He wasn't sure what exactly Miley meant with 'training' other than it sounded like strenuous work to him.
The knight hummed in thought, looked at the basket in Merlin's hands and asked, "Where are you going, then?"
"The woods."
"Then I will meet you there in half an hour," The knight said, turned on his heels and disappeared from sight before Merlin could form the words for any protest he may have had.
He arrived at the forest after the last jog through the few fields which surrounded the castle. The birds greeted him with their singing while he walked into the green world, kept in the safe embrace of the trees around him. Out here he didn't have to fear the eyes of the guards or the whispers of the court, in that moment he could breathe a little easier even when he deep down knew that he wasn't truly free even here.
Picking herbs was a peaceful task and Merlin took his time while he waited for the Knight of Essetir to arrive. Not all of the plants were easy to find and he could therefor focus all of his otherwise wild thoughts on the single task at hand.
A twig breaking behind him made him turn around and he found Miley standing with the now broken stick he had heard.
"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," Miley said and walked around him and continued through the forest. Merlin followed without question until he spotted the scabbard and sword hanging by the man's hip.
"I'm not well enough to fight yet!" Merlin exclaimed.
"You said so before."
Merlin frowned at the knight's answer.
"Then why do you carry a sword?"
Miley looked back at him, and his look made Merlin cringe a little, as it reminded him of Gaius when he asked what the physician called 'an unnecessary question'. Miley though chose to do what Gaius wouldn't and answered either way.
"As protection; all kind of creatures and outlaws roam these woods, it would be unwise to go in without being armed."
If possible, this only made Merlin more confused. That the woods could be dangerous was obvious, yet none of them were 'unarmed'.
"But you have magic?" Surly the knight didn't fear anyone seeing his magic out here in the middle of nowhere? And even if he did; what would prevent him from escaping them? Surly, he didn't need the sword too?
"Why lower you chances, when you can use every mean possible and be better off instead? Don't think for a second your opponent wouldn't do the same," Miley scolded lightly, yet didn't sound like the question had actually bothered him.
They continued through the forest, following a small deer-track, until they arrived at a little clearing. It was large enough to give them room to move around without trouble, but not much more, and since there were no bigger roads for miles around the chances for anyone else stumbling on them were rather slim.
The knight still scouted the area to be completely sure and Merlin used the extra time to pick a few more herbs he hadn't found before, as these craved the sunlight of the open areas and could not be found in the shadows of the trees like most of the other herbs.
Miley arrived back and sat down against an old oak at the edge of the glade and beckoned Merlin to join him. Merlin sat, a little wary of what the knight wanted from him. He fidgeted with the handle of the basket while his gaze rested on a wandering beetle by the knight's left foot.
"Stop looking at the ground all the time or you will end up getting stuck with a bent neck in a few years," The knight said and Merlin reluctantly lifted his head. Miley was twirling a blade of grass between his thumb and index finger, while keeping his eyes on Merlin.
"I thought we could use the time to remedy your lack of spellcasting skills."
"Spellcasting?"
The knight nodded. "Eadric seems to have focused on mortal combat and not magic. I meant it when I said, it would be stupid to only focus on one ability if you can get an advantage by using more; this also applies the other way around."
Miley threw the grass away, folded his arms across his chest, and gave Merlin a searching look until the younger man shifted in unease. However, Miley seemed to have found what he had been looking for. He gave a tight smile and straightened his back; once again taking the stance of a soldier.
"Well then, usually, everyone has some aspects of magic they find easier than others, and many sorcerers and sorceresses are only able to perform spells from those categories, even with years of training. As a warlock you'll probably find everything a lot easier, nevertheless, I would suggest we start somewhere easy."
Merlin wondered if he should say anything about the Grimoire, but decided against it. He would at least wait and see what Miley could teach him first. He actually felt exited; he had never had anyone who could really understand the part of him that was magical. His mother and William had tried, of course, and he was really grateful for their support, but they didn't have magic. It just wasn't the same.
"The most common kinds of spells are the ones to create fire. Like most spells they wary a lot as there's many kinds of fire from lighting a simple candle to creating a ball of flames," Miley began. The knight looked around until they landed on a stick a few feet away. He whispered a word and his eyes flashed golden as the stick flew into his hand. "Here." The knight handed it to the warlock, who sent him a look filled with awe. Merlin may have been able to move things without words since he had been born, but this was the first time he really saw anyone use such magic in front of him. All he had ever seen before was the magic the assassin sometimes used when he had been in the castle by the sea.
"Okay," Miley said, breaking Merlin's train of thought. "Now, repeat the spell after me and try to focus your magic on setting the stick on fire."
Merlin nodded his understanding.
"Bryne!" The knight said as clearly as possible and Merlin tried to repeat, but like by the healing spell nothing happened. The knight shook his head a little.
"No, not like that; the 'e' is pronounced more flatly like the 'ea' in heavy and the 'y' is wrong too. Listen closely." The knight repeated the spell and Merlin mumbled it a few times before nodding, and held the stick up at eye level with both hands.
"Bryne!" Merlin commanded and the stick burst into flames so big Merlin had to drop it before he burned his hand too.
Miley calmly waved a hand over the flames, which were now lighting the surrounding grass on fire too and said, "Wæterstréam!" Water gushed out of his hand and extinguished the fire.
The knight looked up at Merlin and said in an approving voice, "Good, but next time you need to control the fire or you'll end up burning something down. Magic is still dangerous if not mastered and wielded with care; always remember that."
Merlin nodded and the knight proceeded with teaching him a few other easy fire spells and then let him practice until he had gotten completely control over the amount of power he used for each incantation.
"What about other spells?" Merlin asked an hour later, eager to learn more, but the knight shook his head. "Not today. People will start wondering where we have gone soon enough. It will be dangerous to continue."
Merlin let his shoulders drop in defeat and followed the knight when he showed the way back towards the castle, unable to come with an argument against the true statement. Gaius would be wondering why it had taken him so long already. He kept his basket of herbs close to his chest.
When they neared the place where Merlin had gathered herbs at first before the knight had found him, Miley spoke up again. "The spells I showed you today are mostly harmless; used to light a campfire or a candle. When you've more control over your magic we will dwell deeper into spells which can be used in combat."
Merlin nearly froze and ended up setting his foot down a little harder than intended and stumbled. While sitting in the clearing, hidden from everyone else, he had nearly forgotten why he was learning spells in the first place. To be reminded felt like a blow to the head.
Miley apparently noticed as he turned towards him and said, "Look." The knight paused and frowned. "I know you don't want to be here, but … sometimes fate doesn't take you down the path you wanted to and you'll just have to follow it regardless."
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked.
"I mean that you should stop feeling guilty for doing what we do and start accepting that you can't do anything against it."
Merlin narrowed his eyes. "But this is not only about us; this is affecting the others too; innocent people who have done nothing wrong!" He exclaimed in surprise over the sharpness of the knight's words.
"This is war; a game of chess where you have to strategically play your pieces to achieve victory. Sometimes casualties are necessary to call checkmate."
Merlin could fell his nervousness he had felt before slowly getting burned away by his rising anger. He knew that technically it wasn't the knight's fault that he was here, but in that moment he didn't care. For months he had stored his feelings deep inside and this was just the one drop that made the dike crumble.
"You want me to just accept that we are taking over a kingdom?" Merlin yelled. "Innocent people are going to die because of us and you just want me to look away?" Merlin forced the last sentence out between his teeth.
Merlin had thought the knight had shared the feeling of disgust at their situation; had felt this sense of wrongness creeping up through him and settle like a stone in his chest.
Apparently, he had been wrong. This was a 'necessary evil' to him; a game to be won. As if peace had ever been achieved through war; was history alone not proof of this? It wouldn't be the first time Merlin had misjudged someone; the last few months didn't make much sense to him. Even while living in Ealdor he never really got the feeling of completely understanding the other villagers; like he was seeing the world differently from everyone else. Was the world really such a violent place?
Miley had been the first person, other than himself, to have magic. Though the knight had taken him to Cenred, he had been acting under orders from his king and Merlin had not blamed him, because he had thought Miley had been kind of trapped too … That Merlin might have found someone who understood.
Merlin was nearly whispering when he continued. "You want be to just accept that I could be murdering Gwen and Gaius by doing this?" He could feel his eyes burning with unshed tears, yet he didn't let them fall as he ran back to Camelot, leaving the knight staring blankly at his retreating form.
When Merlin arrived back at the physician's chambers he was ready to go to bed although it was just a little past noon. He had calmed down from his talk with Miley and he now realized how stupid he had acted. It wasn't like what Miley had said hadn't been the truth; he had only been trying to help Merlin to not drown in guilt and accept that this was something they couldn't change.
The problem was that he really couldn't accept that.
"Ah, there you are Merlin! Sir Leon was just looking for you …" Gaius called when the warlock walked through the door. The old man took a small step to the side and thereby revealed the knight in question. Sir Leon's eyes found Merlin's and the warlock swallowed. Had he just tried to run away from his problems only for them to catch up with him here?
Sir Leon didn't look comfortable at all as he stood before him, yet his voice was steady as he spoke. "Yes." Leon cleared his throat. "I heard you had recovered enough to work again?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Only as long as it doesn't stretch his wound!" Gaius interrupted with a stern look at them both.
"Of course," Sir Leon quickly answered and Merlin nearly smiled at the thought of a knight of Camelot being intimidated by the elderly physician. Not that he blamed him; Gaius' disapproving stare made him shiver a little in fear too.
"I am here to show you the horse."
Merlin's eyes widened as he remembered his 'talk' with the King of Camelot, he had completely forgotten it until then. "Oh! Yes, of course … I mean: yes, sir," Merlin stammered.
The knight nodded and gestured for him to follow.
Walking behind someone for the second time that day, Merlin trailed after Leon through the upper town, back the same way he had walked not minutes before. They arrived at the stables and walked down the rows of horses used by the army generals and knights, until they arrived by a slightly smaller and cleaner row which held the horses selected for the royal family. Merlin thought back at the horse he had ridden on his way here with Miley; it had been a good and strong animal, but even he, a person with no former experience, could see that the horse would never have been a match for the mares and stallions standing here.
There were more than thirty boxes in the row and most were currently occupied. Merlin wondered how three people could have use of them all and decided it must be some sign of power, as they couldn't possibly be using all the horses for riding on their own.
Sir Leon stopped by one of the last boxes which held a dark brown mare. The horse reached out when he came closer and snorted in greeting. Merlin lifted his hand to stroke her soft muzzle and stared into her intelligent eyes.
"This is Aethelfled," The knight told him. "She's very gentle; you should have no trouble with her."
They stood a moment in silence while Merlin continued to pat the mare, his horse now, he reminded himself.
"Have you every ridden before?"
The question made Merlin stop clapping Aethelfled, until she reminded him to continue by nibbling his hair. He scratched her behind her ear. Well, he had ridden to Camelot all the way from Essetir, howbeit without any grace, resulting in a really sore backside and hurting legs. Either way; he wasn't supposed to tell that.
"No, sir."
"I thought as much," The knight said with a small smile, displaying a side of his personality Merlin was sure the serious man didn't show often. Leon looked up and down the stables, checking for other people, before stepping a little closer to the younger man.
"What happened at the feast should never have gone that way. It is our job as knights to keep the Prince safe. It wasn't your responsibility to act, but you did so regardless and for that I am grateful." The knight gripped Merlin's shoulder in a friendly way that surprised the warlock. He never had done it to get any recognition, but the knight's gratitude warmed him. This was entirely different from the King's talk about loyalty; this man's thank you was much more personal.
"What you did cannot be repaid in gold; to help you with this would be the least I could do."
The last sentence had nearly sounded like the knight questioned the King's choice of reward, Merlin noted, as he thanked the knight.
Sir Leon nodded back and offered to escort him back, keeping himself more relaxed now. Merlin politely reclined, assuring the knight that he could find his own way back. Leon took his leave with the promise that he would seek Merlin out again when his wound was fully healed.
Merlin stayed a little more by Aethelfled. "What am I supposed to do with all this?" He asked the young mare. The horse shook her mane and nudged him to get him to stroke her again. Merlin smiled. This, at least, was someone who wouldn't disappoint him.
The corner behind the stables was not a very impressive place; it smelled of dung and was mostly occupied by a large cart for the leftover hay. Not many ventured here other than the driver or the occasional stable hand helping with the loading. Most people would never think the Prince would be found here; and that was the whole idea.
Arthur Pendragon stood clad in a slightly ill-fitting brown tunic and matching trousers and tried to look as princely as possible in his current prediction. Unlike Miley, he didn't try to fit in at all. His sword was secured by his left hip and he gripped onto it unconsciously as he waited for his knights to arrive. Who were late. Again.
Finally the three knights rounded the corner and placed themselves in a half circle around the Prince. He had wanted Sir Leon to attend this unofficial meeting as well, but the knight had apparently been busy with a task for the King and had been unable to get back in time.
"I am glad you were able to come this quickly; we have much to discuss," Arthur said with a little sarcasm added to his tone. One of the knights, Sir Fane, shuffled a little sheepish; revealing that the youngest knight of the trio had been the cause of their lateness. Fane was two years younger than Arthur, having only just come of age, but the Prince had been quick to pick the man when he had revealed a sharp mind during his finally test to become a knight a few months beforehand.
"The King has given the orders to search the city of a possible spy after the events by the banquet. We are to listen around for rumours, though carefully, unless the spy becomes suspicious and disappears."
The knights' eyes hardened as they listened and the well-built knight, Sir Edgar, took a step forward. He was a master in maze-fighting and had been one of the candidates for the position of head knight when the old Sir Hadwyn had stepped down, and although Leon had been chosen over him Arthur still held a lot of admiration for the man, most of all because he treated nobles and servants with equal respect.
"Do we have any hint of who we are looking for?" Sir Edgar asked.
"No." Arthur shook his head.
"And this is why I tell you to do everything you can to remedy this. If any of you know of someone who could give us a hint, contact them, but do it discreetly." Arthur looked all his men in the eyes and let his gaze linger an extra second on the last knight, Sir Cadmon, who with nearly two decades of service was by far the most experienced of them all. Arthur knew Cadmon had several contacts in the upper – as well as the lower - town and probably further away too.
The knights nodded again in agreement.
"If no one has anything else to add, then we will meet again here in a weeks' time to discuss any development," Arthur said and dismissed them. He looked around a last time to make sure he hadn't overlooked anything, before following his men around the corner. He was greeted by the sight of Sir Leon walking towards the stables and nearly greeted his friend when he was stopped by the young man trailing behind. It was Gaius assistant, Marvin or something, Guinevere had told him. Maybe it would be a good idea to thank him for saving his life now that he was here? On the other hand; he didn't want to disturb Sir Leon in his task either … And he was sure he would get his chance another time …
Shaking his head to get back on track Arthur decided to follow another train of thought and went to the smith's old house to visit Guinevere. He knew Morgana had let her have the day off because she had felt a little ill the day before and he hoped he could check up on her.
That evening Merlin moved the Grimoire from under the patients' bed. He nearly put it under his own bed, when he hit his foot against something and crashed to the ground. He groaned as his shoulder throbbed in pain and he quickly checked to make sure that he hadn't torn the stitches, before looking around for the sinner.
Merlin quickly caught sight of one of the floorboards which had become loose and decided to take a closer look. He lifted it and found a small hole in the stone floor. The space under it was small, but would probably be enough for the book and if it wasn't; he could always try to cave it a little bigger with magic. He hid the book under the floorboard, a little sad that he hadn't learned any protection spells yet. Then his thoughts turned to Miley and the regret suddenly left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He would have to do something about it, he knew; the thought of having to apologize for not wanting war just didn't feel right. There had to be a way to get the knight on his side in this; their chances of getting out of this predicament would be greater, even if they still wouldn't be good. More like slim to none, but if he just gave up now they would already have lost.
Merlin crawled to bed soon after, too tired after a day of walking so soon after recovering. He didn't bother to do anything other than kicking his boots off and collapsing on top of the blanket.
Slowly sleep dragged him into its embrace, only for him to be forced back to awareness by someone shouting. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes and listened. Nothing. Strange; he had been sure he had heard something. A memory from his first day in Camelot stirred, but that had been more than one voice then; and it had surly been a dream; just like this time.
He was halfway back to sleep when the shouting came again. This time he didn't bother with waiting and jumped out of bed. He barely took the time to take his boots on before he stormed out of his room. Gaius was still sleeping and Merlin didn't understand how the old man hadn't heard the voice that had practically been roaring. The physician's hearing couldn't be that bad, right?
MERLIN! The voice roared again and Merlin clutched his head as he finally understood why the voice hadn't send the whole castle running; the voice could not be heard outside of his own mind. Have I gone mad? Merlin thought.
Could too much stress and fear make someone hear voices? He didn't hope so … and then again, if this should become a normal occurrence he should probable find out more about it.
What do you want? He asked in his mind, feeling stupid and both hoping for and against that the voice would answer.
What I want, young warlock, is not the answer you need.
Merlin frowned and thought back, what is it I need then? Merlin wasn't sure it was a good sign that even the voices he heard in his head were slightly mad too. Who talked in riddles anyway?
The voice chuckled, it sounded dry and far older than anyone Merlin knew, including Gaius.
You need to see and listen.
The voice disappeared and it was like his mind opened to let a new presence in, like the voice had gotten a body and he could suddenly feel it reside in the castle. No not quite. Under the castle. Merlin looked down at the floor, wondering if it would be a good idea to try to listen by it, but decided that others should have no more reasons to think him mad too. Gaius was still fast asleep and the warlock tiptoed out into the corridor on his hunt for a way below the castle.
He shivered in the cold air that came down the corridors, having forgotten his jacket in his hurry to get out. More than once a soldier came close by where he walked, but they always turned down other paths and he never even had to hide.
The dungeons were much easier to find than the Prince's chambers had been as Merlin had seen the barred windows more than once while walking through the courtyard on errands for Gaius.
The soldiers playing dice before the entrance were easy to distract too. With help from one of his newly obtained fire spells he send them running to investigate a strangely burning torch long enough for him to grasp another and hurry down the stairs to the deepest of the dungeons.
Merlin went down the rows of cells, lighting up as much space inside every one of them as he could. He was glad to note that most of them were empty, only once did he find someone holding up a thin hand to protect his eyes against the firelight, though he saw some shadows move in more than one of the others. None of them seemed to emit the presence he sought, and he could feel it lead him even deeper. He went down another set of stairs until he arrived at a small platform leading into a seemingly bottomless cave.
There was no one there, but he could found the nearly familiar pulse of the presence filling the cave until it was close to overwhelming.
"Hello?" Merlin called out into the cave and it echoed back from the walls. "Where are you?"
"I am here," The presence said and Merlin took a step back in shock; because what he had assumed to just being a big a rock in the middle of the cave actually had a big winged creature on it. It uncurled from its cat-like position and looked at him with big golden eyes. A rattling sound drew Merlin's attention to its front leg for a second where a huge chain hung. He looked back into the creature's wise, old eyes.
"A dragon!" Merlin whispered.
The dragon chuckled again, making the whole cave rumble. "Indeed, young warlock." It spoke. If a dragon could smile, Merlin was sure it would have. "How things can change and still stay exactly the same."
"Wait, what?"
"Much has happened that shouldn't; just as things that should, haven't come to pass."
Merlin frowned in confusion. The dragon made absolutely no sense, he told it as much.
The dragon hummed in amusement, or Merlin thought it was what it did. He wasn't completely certain.
"You do not have to understand, you just need to know that it has already begun. The wheel of fate may have started spinning, but prophesies like this will always come to pass."
"What prophecy?" Merlin was more confused than he had ever been before and that was saying something.
The dragon looked him deeply into the eyes; searching. Merlin shifted his stance, for a moment he had the feeling of his consciousness being split in half then it was gone again. "That is for you to discover," It said and flew upwards, disappearing into a cave somewhere above the platform.
Merlin shook his head. Who would have known that dragons would be so cryptic that they were on the borderline to strange? He didn't even know they could talk! He had never met a dragon before, and if he was honest he didn't know if he should be impressed by this specimen or not.
He decided it was best to just go to bed again, instead of pondering over it while standing in the cave as he had now begun to shake from the cold.
The door closed behind the knight with a soft click, quickly drowned by the drunken crowd. The tavern was filled to the brink this evening and he didn't notice the lonely man in the corner following his every step.
The knight walked up to the counter, his hood only just covering his face and was recognised immediately by the brewer. With a nod at the man he walked behind the table and disappeared into the backroom. The movement had been a discreet one and no one other than the man in the corner noticed.
Col got up from his seat and moved to the table closest to the backroom, smiling drunkenly at the men already occupying it and asked if he could join their game of All Fours*. They laughed merrily and got him a handful of cards. It was too far away to hear anything other than the din of the room, but this was quickly remedied with a mumbled word while he turned away to fetch some coins. He placed them in the pool in the middle of the table and the game began.
He lost most of the coins after only a few rounds do to his split focus, but it didn't matter; he would have much more now that he had gotten what he came for. Col left to the other men's laughter, refusing their request of another game and ignored the taunts that followed. The cold air hit him hard when he stepped out of the heated tavern and he pulled his coat closer as he walked, the castle rising ghostly pale in front of him.
*First known description of the game is from 1674, which is a little younger the historical period. Though the myth of King Arthur is said to have happened between year 5-600, Merlin seems to be set in a culture closer to 1500 – though with other kinds of political and religious feuds
Last chapter of part 1.
Names/spells:
Col: Charcoal, dark-featured
Edgar: Protector of the good
Fane: eager
Aethelfled: Noble beauty
Hadwyn: Friend during wartime
Bryne: flame/heat
Wæterstréam: stream of water
*Look at my profile if you want to find the website where I found the pronunciation of the spells.