For a few moments a breathless silence encompassed the room, as all pondered the Princess's revelations. Lord Darius, stood gaping at his niece, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Since the King's anticipated demise the subject of the next ruler was something most people had skirted around. Merlin had come to realise that most had been resigned to the fact that Lord Darius would take the throne and his son Curtin after him. The possibility that Isolde could become Queen hadn't seemed to occur to anyone, least of all Lord Darius who stood with his mouth wide open as if the very idea was unperceivable.
Finally, a sound that deeply resembled a chuckle escaped from the Lord's lips. "You have no proof" He said quietly. Isolde didn't so much as bat an eyelid as she suddenly produced a scroll, handing it to her uncle. "I think you'll find I do"
With hesitant fingers, Lord Darius took the scroll from her. Gently he unrolled the scroll and the others in the room watched with bated breath as his face seemed to grow pale, as pale as snow.
"This…your lying…how it could be possible...I thought he was joking…" Lord Darius rambled as his read the words again and again.
One of the nobles stepped forward, prying the scroll from Lord Darius's unresponsive hands. "I understand how this must feel to you, but I assure you this document is genuine. Isolde showed it to me yesterday and I'm afraid it cannot be disregarded. Come, I'll take you to your bedchambers. I believe you'll feel better with some rest." After sending the Princess an apologetic look, he lead Lord Darius away.
Once the pair were out of the room and the doors closed behind them, the Princess addressed the small gathering. "I understand that this is quite a shock to most of you and I will face much opposition from some of the other courtiers. But we have more imminent matters to deal with now. We will deal with other matters later. I need all of your support and co-operation if Vestavia is to remain strong and unconquered."
Everyone still present in the room nodded and murmured their agreement. Princess- soon to be Queen- Isolde nodded at them. "Thank you for your support." She spoke gratefully and honestly.
"Berys," she addressed the old noble, perhaps older than even Gaius Merlin supposed, "you have seen many battles with the Vikings over the years. Is there a way we could defeat them, assuming that it is the Vikings?"
The man, Berys, took a deep breath and it seemed to be age before he finally spoke, his voice heavy with the clear signs of old age. "The battles and wars against the Vikings have always been long, bloody and brutal. They were always terrible and but we nearly always managed to drive them back with the help of our allies. If the rumours of Jasin siding with the Vikings are true, then we have lost a very vital ally."
"Yes, that may seem to be the case," The Princess mused, "but what of the kingdom of Jaures? It may be a smaller kingdom, but the ties between us has never been stronger. Father has always encouraged a strong alliance between our kingdoms and I believe they would give us the aid we need."
The Princess then called for a messenger to be sent to Jaures, to plead their case and ask for assistance. Soon a suitable messenger was found and sent, with clear instructions to return with their answer as soon as possible.
"Princess," Berys began once the messenger had left, "I believe the assistance from Jaures would give us some hope, but it would not be enough against the Vikings"
"What do you mean?"
"Milady, the Vikings are a brutal people, their skills in battle and weaponry outmatched by no one. Even if we had more men to fight, it would only mean sending more men to their deaths"
"What are you saying Berys?"
"Milady, the only reason why our kingdom has been successful so far against the Vikings is the Pillar of Life. The Pillar of Life has not just been a sacred site where our people have held all manner of ceremonies. No, it was much more than that. For centuries the rock formation has served us as a fortress, providing us with a strategic advantage. From there it was easy to see approaching men and skilled archers were able to take down as many men as possible. Perhaps it was the magic of the place, but the Vikings always seemed to underestimate the importance of the place, they have never tried to take hold of it."
"But the Pillar of Life has been destroyed"
"Yes, Uther Pendragon was a hypocrite. He knew that only magic could destroy such a place and that is what he did. He destroyed it with the aid of magic. The Pillar of Life has been more than just a place of magic, it has provided our people protection for centuries. With the Pillar destroyed, I fear we have little to no hope against the Vikings."
The Princess sighed. "We seem to be at our most vulnerable. My father has just died, this Kingdom is not ready for war. And yet a mighty army that we have no hope of defeating is marching this way. It's almost as if they knew that we are in no shape to fight a war."
"Is it possible that we have a spy, a traitor amongst us?" Eneth mused.
Merlin watched as the others in the room spoke of the possibility of a traitor in their midst and spoke of plans and battle strategies. The topic of preparing for a siege was barely touched upon before dismissed, claiming there was not enough time to move all villagers to within the citadel. Discussions weaved around him as other nobles and knights joined them, but Merlin's mind was not on the talks or the impending battle. Merlin found himself thinking of the Pillar of Life. Since Berys had mentioned the sacred site, Merlin was feeling an unexplainable urge to go to the site. He didn't understand the desperation he felt. Perhaps it was the magic calling him. He tried paying attention to the war discussion around him, but found his mind kept straying back to the Pillar of Life. He just had to see it. It was when the meeting dispersed as everyone went on to make various preparations for the war when Merlin stopped Gareth.
"Gareth can you take me to the Pillar of Life?"
Gareth stared stunned that Merlin would ask such a thing at a time like this. "Um, what?"
"Please, I need to see it"
"Merlin there is a war about to happen. I have to help prepare."
"I know Gareth, I understand, but I have got to go there. I can't explain, but I feel a strong urge to go there"
Gareth watched him for a moment. Perhaps Merlin's desperation and determination showed for Gareth agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly. But Merlin didn't care as long as Gareth took him there.
The Pillar of Life was located to the North-West of Vestavia in the midst of grassland, just some ways away from Fernara Hill. As the pair rode towards the Pillar of Life, the land became more and more barren and desolate. The thick, long grass they rode through gave way to a hard rocky ascent. It was as if they were riding through a rocky desert.
When they finally reached the Pillar of Life, Merlin gasped. Despite the obvious destruction, it was truly an awe-inspiring place. It was eerily quiet as if all signs of life had vanished from this place. The dark empty sky only seemed to add to its emptiness.
Seven rocky pillars jutted out from the ground, standing at about three meters. The seven pillars formed a rough circle. In the centre of the rough circle, there was a rough marking on the ground. Merlin walked closer to investigate and Merlin realised it was some kind of ancient symbol. The symbol didn't look as if it was etched on the stone, but rather part of the stone. The symbol looked faint against the brown ground, and Merlin could see that some parts of it seemed to be burnished out.
"It was here, in this circle, that many people used to have their weddings and christened their children believing the magic of this place gave longevity. Now the magic has been destroyed and people don't come here anymore" Gareth said as he walked up behind Merlin.
But Merlin could feel the gentle hum of magic. It was weak and Merlin doubted any ordinary sorcerer would have felt it, but he could feel it. Merlin ran his fingers over the symbol on the ground and almost gasped at the feeble pulse of magic he felt. It was then he understood. The symbol was the source of the magic in this site. When Uther came here all those years ago, it was this symbol that he had attacked with powerful magic. But this symbol was the magic of the earth itself and cannot be easily destroyed especially by mortal means. Uther may have seemingly succeeded in destroying the source of the magic, but he had not vanquished it completely.
"Those," Gareth gestured to the remains of the fortress like structure to the north of the pillars, "were also destroyed."
The stone fortress was built several meters to the north of the pillars. From what Merlin could see, the fortress was like a high-raised platform that formed a semi-circle around the pillars. It was where archers or watchmen could stand and see far out into the distance. But some sections of it had collapsed and lay in ruins.
"The fortress," Gareth explained, "was something our people built centuries ago and another thing Uther destroyed. We've tried repairing this numerous times, but for some reason the structures would never hold. It's as if the magic of this land had held these stones together and without it, the stone just break apart."
Merlin looked around at the devastation around him. What once would have been a serene place filled to the brim with plants and animals, was now devoid of any life. The ground, where the grass would have once crept over and formed a blanket was now brown and bare. He could feel the earth itself crying in despair. The weak magic of the earth called out to him and Merlin responded.
Gareth didn't know what happened but he could feel it. He could feel as the hollow air suddenly became energised as it cackled with power and magic. Gareth could feel it down to his very core as it filled him with a warmth that he could not explain. For a moment, his memories took him back to his childhood where he and his siblings had eagerly listened to his father's stories. He remembered the stories he told of the Pillar of Life and how it would give a sense of warmth, of immense pleasure to anyone who went there. Gareth had been mesmerised by it as a child, but had begun to doubt the magic of it as he grew older. But now, standing here and feeling the warmth well up inside him, he realised that every word his father had said was the truth.
He watched as the symbol Merlin stood on glowed a bright red. A ball of energy surrounded the magician, circling him and creating a protective barrier. Splashes of different colours whirled and danced around the magician. The earth itself began to rumble and tremble, but Gareth found himself too immersed and mesmerised by the powerful display of magic to notice. He found himself subconsciously stepping closer to towards Merlin but found an invisible force stopping him.
The ball of energy, of magic, surrounding Merlin glinted with power and Gareth watched as it gradually began expand outwards like a shockwave. Stunned, Gareth watched as the dead earth began to revive itself, sprouting life. Grass seemed to appear everywhere the shockwave passed, as the sounds of life began to fill the once eerily quiet place. Even after the shockwave dispersed and vanished moments later, Gareth still looked around him with a strange sense of wonder. Even when a weary Merlin, whose eyes seems to return to their normal blue colour, turned towards him, words still failed him. "What…how…you…" were all Gareth.
Merlin only smiled weakly before staggering towards him. Gareth rushed forward to help him as Merlin's legs failed him and he collapsed to the floor. Gently, Gareth lead the magician back to their horses.
I have a feeling that the next chapter is going to be longer. I've written half of it, but there's lots more I want to write. Not sure when I'll post it though...