Rated M for graphic and lemon scenes. Arthur x OC and Merlin x OC.
We don't own BBC's Merlin, only our OCs and the ways the plot of the series is affected by their presence.
**There is lemon in this chapter***
-x-
In a land of myth, and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy; his name: Merlin...
-x-
A soft tune sand throughout the palace corridors from a hidden regal; it spread a certain sadness and merriment through the halls and, if one would stop and listen, the streets of Camelot. The song had a slow rhythm like a waltz, and the different octaves of the notes sang harmoniously with each other. This day would be remembered among many within and outside the royal household. Today, the two children of the king turned of age and the prince, being the eldest, was to become Crown Prince.
Arthur walked quickly through the halls, swerving through the rushing servants that swarmed the corridors to prepare the palace for the night's festivities. Merlin had reported to him this morning, like usual, and relayed a message from the king to see Azura instead of reporting for patrol. Once he had finished his small breakfast, resembling Merlin's wonderful cooking abilities, he started for Azura's chambers. It had been nearly three weeks since the incident with the vampires, and, at the mention, Arthur shivered uncomfortably.
The door to Azura's chamber was slightly ajar when Arthur approached and he pushed it in slowly, not wanting to startle her. He gazed around the chamber that basked in a pleasant, golden glow and saw no one neither lying in the bed nor sitting at the windowsill. Felipe was curled up next to the open window, the soft breath of the earth rustling his tan fur, and perked his head up, glaring at Arthur before setting his head back against his forepaws. Looking to his right, Arthur saw no one, but when he turned to his left, a sigh escaped his lips.
His eyes trailed up a bandaged ankle and along a white dress until he saw her face. "It's not that I don't enjoy this view, mind you," Arthur said calmly, combing a hand through his hair, "but what the hell are you doing up there?"
Azura looked down from the chair and pile of books she stood on, and smiled as her bright blue eyes fell upon Arthur's handsome face. "Ah, there you are," she said happily, "hand me that piece of parchment there."
He obeyed her commands and placed the roll of parchment in her hand. "I ask again, what are you doing up there?"
"Remember that spider I told you that was in this corner?"
"Yes, the one that doesn't exist."
"It came back," Azura whispered, like she was stalking the little creature, and slammed the parchment against the wall. "Got'cha, you buggar." Grinning, she threw the parchment onto the desk.
"Get down from there before you fall and break you ankle again," Arthur sighed, partially annoyed at her reluctance to stay off her ankle, and reached toward her as if to help her down. Azura laughed and leapt off the pile of books, landing in Arthur's arms which shot out, instinctively, to catch her.
"You wouldn't let that happen," Azura smirked from his grasp and kiss his lips teasingly.
Arthur let her down gently, but still had an arm slung across her back. "True," he admitted, nodding slightly. "Now, why did you call me here?"
Azura grinned and walked to the other side of her chamber, where she lifted her silver cloak off the bed post. "I got permission to take you out for the day," she smiled as she stared into the mirror's reflection, draping her cloak over her shoulder.
"You're taking me out?" Arthur chuckled and went over to fasten the cloak for her. He traced her brooch with his thumb as he closed it on the fabric. Lifting her hair from beneath the cloak, he moved his attention to their reflection in the mirror; he smiled. "Where are we going, then?"
"Dunno," Azura shrugged and spun around, "all I know is I have to have you back before sundown. Shall we?" She held out her hand and he took it, following her as she dragged him from her chamber and out into the courtyard where their horses were waiting for them.
Arthur helped her onto her white mare, Starlust, before mounting his own; he still believed her ankle was too weak to support her entire weight.
"Race you to the river," Azura challenged as she pat Starlust's flank. The mare was growing impatient, kneading at the tufts of grass that poked through the crevasses of the stone path.
"Don't cry when you lose," Arthur grinned, grasping the reins tightly in his hands. His stallion snorted and shook his black mane as he prepared himself for the challenge.
"On the count of three then," she stated with a faint grin and took the reins in her hands. She murmured for her horse to get ready and Starlust stretched her long legs and rolled her shoulders. "One... two..." Then, before she called off three, she flicked the reins harshly and Starlust was off, leaving Arthur in the dust on the count of two. He shouted after her, calling her a cheat, and flicked the reins of his horse, which sped after Starlust.
-x-
Merlin sat in Gaius' chamber, wrapping a small box in parchment. It was to be a birthday present for Kadian and he took pride in what was inside; he smiled at the thought of her surprised face when she opened it. The physician was fiddling with his many phials and supplies that had been lying idle in his chamber for several weeks now. His services had not been needed drastically since the knights returned from the cathedral. "Gaius," Merlin stated, forcing the physician to look up from his work, "do you hear the music too?"
"It depends, Merlin," Gaius replied curtly, "do you hear a regal, or are you losing your marbles?"
Merlin sighed as he finished wrapping Kadian's present poorly, securing the paper with a thin rope that he tied in a bow. "Yes, a regal," he grumbled. "I've look around the palace and I can't find where it's coming from. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Kadian since early this morning."
"And therein lies your answer," Gaius sighed dismissively and returned to his work; there was so little to do, but he took his sweet time so he did not waste the day.
"Kadian is playing the regal? Where?" Merlin inquired as he rose to his feet, tucking the parcel into his jacket pocket.
Gaius rolled his eyes and placed his work back on his bench. "You would not know it, but she does this every year, Merlin. The regal was her mother's. Uther had it moved after his wife's death and wherever he moved it, Kadian is. Now, let me tend to my work."
Merlin scoffed and left the physician's chamber; he was determined to find the source of the wondrous music that sang through the corridors.
-x-
The wood was serenaded by the gentle hymn of the larks that hid in the trees. High in the sky sat the sun at its zenith, shedding its lemon gaze onto the world below. A warm breeze swept the leaves to one side in a massive wave and the trees released several to flutter to the earth. Tiny curls of the river lapped onto the riverbank and rippled as Starlust came to a full halt.
Azura gazed over her shoulder and grinned as Arthur and his horse descended down the green slope. They stopped beside them and Azura tilted her head to the side. "You're not going to cry, are you?" she asked concerned as she dismounted and praised Starlust on her great job.
"No," Arthur grumbled and jumped from the saddle, "but you cheated."
"Did not!" Appalled, Azura shook her head and spun around to get her bearings. "Besides, you didn't stand a chance, anyway."
"Says who?"
"Says me," Azura replied triumphantly she turned to face him. "Oh, lighten up, Arthur. It was just a stupid race." She took a step closer to him, and he took a step closer to her. He was slightly taller than her and she need to look up a bit to stare into his blue eyes.
Then, with quick a smooth motion, Azura bent down and scooped water into her hand, throwing it in Arthur's face with a cocky grin on her face. Arthur ran a hand down his face, removing the droplets of water, and shook his head in a she-did-not-just-do-that way. He reached down and splashed her back, laughing as she cringed with the water dripping down her face.
Giggling, she made a run for it with Starlust galloping at her side, whinnying in amusement as they heard the hooves of Arthur's horse echoing their steps. Azura tethered the reins loosely on a low tree branch, slid her cloak over her head and slipped out of her flats before racing along the river bed. Arthur followed her every movement. Surely, she could have out run him easily, but she let him catch her around the waist and lift her into the air as she tried to pull away. "You know," Arthur said in a soft voice when Azura stopped trying to pull away, "Gaius said no running."
"He also said no climbing either, but you know how well I listen," Azura smiled and spun in his grasp. Before he knew what happened, she was kissing him deeply. She felt his grip loosen around her and she pulled away, walking out into the shallows of the river until the water rose to her knees. The water was just right, not too cold nor too hot.
She turned back to face him. "Come and get me," she called to him, waving her arms beckoning.
Arthur slid his arms out of his jacket, unlatched his belt, removed his boats and socks and placed them by the tree where their horses where tethered and grazing. He charged into the river and wading over to Azura, who pulled him to her and crushed her lips to his. She pulled away and while he was still a slight daze with that cute, bewitched smile, she showered him with water, catching him square in the face like she had before. She fell over and went completely as he splashed her back. Resurfacing, she set an annoyed, but playful, scowl.
Rising to her feet, she held out her arms wide, flexing her fingers. "Come here, Arthur," she said darkly as she waded over to him.
He stepped back, pushing her back softly. "Oh no, get back," he smiled with a short head shake.
"Don't be like that," Azura grinned and embraced him. She was completely soaked to the bone where, Arthur undoubtedly noticed, her white dress was nearly transparent. Then, she pushed him over and he went under the water, resurfacing with the same look she had. As he sat up with the water up passed his waist, he pulled Azura onto him and held her there with his lips to hers, his fingers combing through her drenched hair, and the sun beating directly upon them.
-x-
The soft tune from the concealed regal had faded into silence and the corridors grew quiet, even as the servants scrambled to get the evenings celebrations prepared. Uther stood on the balcony, overlooking his grand city, with his golden crown glinting in the slowly setting light. He watched as Arthur and Azura rode into the city, into the courtyard where the stationed guards raced to collect the horses. A slight smile curved the king's lips as he witnessed Arthur bid farewell to Azura, who had wrapped her cloak completely around her. They shared a short kiss before going their separate ways, to their chambers to prepare for the celebrations to come.
-x-
Merlin knocked on Kadian's chamber door, seeing Azura enter her own chamber down the hall. The door opened slowly and Kadian pulled him inside. There were dark circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep over the past weeks. She had been suffering from terrible nightmares about the vampires and the ritual they nearly succeeded in completing. Since the day she had returned, Merlin either smuggled his way into her chamber or she managed to get into his. Being near Merlin seemed to make the nightmares less frightening, but never did they vanish completely. "Merlin," she smiled, kissing his cheek, "what a surprise. Sorry I haven't been around..."
"It's fine," he said understandingly and shut the door silently behind him. "I think that a 'happy birthday' is in order." As he spoke, he pulled the small, wrapped box from his jacket pocket and held it out toward her.
"Merlin," Kadian gasped as she hesitantly reached for the parcel, "you didn't have to you."
"It's not every day you become of age," Merlin stated assuring and led her to sit on the edge of her bed with him to her right.
Kadian pulled lose the tie pressing the parchment against the package, then unravelled the parchment until a small, tan box rested in the palm of her hand. The tips of her fingers lifted off the lid. It collided to the floor as she gazed at the glistening silver chain inside. With a steady hand, she lifted the bracelet into the air. There were two strips of silver, zigzagging around each other that held tiny pieces of blue gemstones; the stones were the same shade of her eyes. "Merlin..." was all she could say as the stones reflected the dying sunlight which seeped in through the window.
Merlin reached over and took the bracelet from her fingers. He took her hand and placed the bracelet around her wrist, securing it. "I'm glad you like it," he smiled.
Speechless still, Kadian gave him a thank-you kiss that was slightly deeper than expected. Her fingers combed through his dark hair, messing it further. Reluctantly, she pulled away and rose to her feet. With a smile, she stated, "I've got to get ready. Oh, don't give me that puppy-dog look... Merlin... Merlin."
Sighing, Merlin got to his feet, still with the puppy-dog stare. He stood before Kadian, his face only centimetres from hers. His pleading stare meshed together with her serene gaze until he smile, kissed her, and left the chamber.
"Oh, and Merlin," Kadian said once he disappeared around the corner.
Merlin peered over the corner. "Yes?"
"Can you send Zu over here?" she asked, batting her eyes.
He nodded and disappeared, only to reappear when she called him again.
"And Merlin," she said, "thank you."
"You're welcome," Merlin smiled and vanished once more.
In a few moments, Azura appeared in her door way, drying her hair with a towel. "You sent for me?" she said as she looked through the edge of the towel.
Kadian tilted her hair, examining the drowned rat Azura was. "Normally, I would ask, but I just don't think I want to know," she laughed. "I don't know what to wear."
"I think you do a fine job, Kadian," Azura laughed, brushing her hair down and folding the towel, laying it across her forearm. "But, since it is your birthday, I will be glad to help. Just let me get my things."
-x-
The hall grew silent as the prince knelt before Uther, looking up at the king with a stern stare. Torchlight brightened the dark rays that dribbled in from the large, stained-glass window with a giant red dragon imprinted on it. Kadian and Morgana stood behind the king and to his left with their soft hands folded before them.
Kadian wore a stunning, ice-blue gown with a gathered skirt bedecked with silver lace and beads. The fabric seemed to wisp around her slender figure; the effect was quite ravishing. On her arms were silk, ice-blue gloves where the bracelet Merlin gave her rested. Kadian had pulled her hair back into a magnificent bun, leaving two strands of curls on the sides of her beautiful face, and wore her silver circlet on her temple, the loops shedding a shadow of the Celtic design on her brow. Her lips were painted a faint pink and there was glitter sparkling at the corners of her eyes. She was dazzling like the sapphires on the circlet and the gemstones around her wrist.
Morgana wore a seductive, maroon gown that complimented her generous proportions. The dress was accented with golden lace that branched into curlicues around her midsection. She looked as teasing as she did every day, taunting the gentlemen in the chamber with every subtle movement.
To their left, back by the wall, stood Guinevere and Merlin, each dressed in the attire of the servants of the royal household. Merlin had escaped wearing the wretched hat with the long, red and green feathers.
Across from them, in the front of the row of guests, stood Azura with her hair pulled back in a tiara twist, leaving her few strands dangling at the sides of her face. Her gown was of luxurious, ivory silk which with a form fitting skirt that clung to her breath-taking form. The silk was inlaid with gold and silver lace that formed intricate designs along the fabric. There were rings on her fingers, gold bangles on her wrists, a glistening gold armlet on her arm, and the aquamarine pendant her brother had given her was resting on her bosom. She looked as radiant as the sun at its peak in the hottest of summer days.
"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and its dominions according to the statutes, customs, and laws laid down by your forebears?" Uther asked as he gazed down at his son, his eldest child, with a sceptre in hand.
"I do, sire," Arthur replied, staring up at the king.
"Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds of judgement?" Uther questioned.
"I do, sire," Arthur answered.
"And do you swear allegiance to Camelot," the king continued, extending the sceptre toward his son, "now, and for as long as you shall live?"
Arthur raised a hand and coiled his fingers around the sceptre, "I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service, and to the protection of the kingdom and its peoples."
Uther turned to the servant standing to his right, with a cushion lain across his arms on which a golden crown rested. The king took hold of the diamond studded crown and turned back to his son. "Now," he said, "being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth, you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot." As his voice rang the last syllables, he placed the crown upon Arthur's head.
The hall erupted with applause as Uther smiled down at his son, with nothing but admiration in his eyes. Arthur stood and turned to the people who had gathered to witness this ceremony, his first real step toward becoming King.
As Arthur basked in his glory and the applause of those gawking at him, Gwen leaned closer to Merlin and whispered, "So, how does it feel to be servant to the Crown Prince of Camelot?"
"Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege," he mumbled, making her laugh.
"You're proud of him really, even though you complain about him constantly," she stated coldly, turning her gaze back upon Arthur, who met Azura's eyes as he scanned the hall.
"I am not," Merlin protested, seeing Kadian glance over at him from her position by the king; she must have heard part of their conversation.
"Yes you are. I can see it in your face," Gwen stated, nudging him slightly.
"Those socks are very clean, of course I'm proud of them," he replied with smiled, nodding, as he heard her chuckle again.
The applause was silenced and the ring of shattered glass took its place, echoing harshly through the chamber. A black horse, armoured in steel plates, crashed through the window stained with the red dragon. Its hooves sparked against the floor as it landed, its rider sitting upright on the saddle. The knight was suited in black mail and a dark, scratched helm concealed his identity. There was a wooden shield resting on his arm, flashing a white crest. The men equipped with swords drew them. Azura stepped back, allowing the knights to take their places to Arthur's right. There was a dark energy being released from the concealment of the knight's tattered, ashen cloak.
The horse trotted forward, ignoring the shrieks that had escaped the startled guests, until the black knight stopped its progression.
A scratched, black gauntlet crashed to the floor from the very hand of the black knight.
Everyone stared down at the gauntlet and the strange feeling it released as the prince sheathed his sword and reached toward it. However, his hand did not grasp the steel, but the hand of a young knight to his right, around his age, if not younger.
"I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge," the young knight said firmly as he set his green eyes upon the maimed helm.
The black knight's head turned stiffly toward Sir Owain. "Single combat to the death," his blood-curdling voice stated mono-toned. His black steed flared its nostrils and whinnied as he turned away from the knights and king, exiting the hall. It had all happened so fast, it took everyone several moments for the happenings to sink in.
Murmurs flooded the air once the tail of the horse disappeared, but Arthur just turned and stared at Owain, angered that he had taken up the gauntlet; however, Arthur said nothing. There was nothing to say that was not written in his eyes.
The celebratory feast concluded early that night, earlier than it should have.
-x-
Merlin and the court physician returned to their chamber after the King had dismissed the guest from the feast. As Gaius immediately returned to the work he had set aside, using it to busy his rattled thoughts, Merlin leaned in the doorway leading to his bedroom. His arms were crossed as he thought about the black knight and then, how he was going to get into Kadian's chamber that night to stay with her to coax her from the haunting nightmares. He looked at the physician. "Do you know this black knight?" he asked.
"I don't think so," Gaius grumbled as he poured an exotic-coloured liquid into a flask.
"Did you recognize his crest?" Merlin pressed.
"Crest?" Gaius glanced up, recalling the symbol, but he looked back at his work.
"Yeah, which house it is?"
"I did not see it clearly."
"So, you don't think he's from around here?"
"Merlin," Gaius exclaimed with subtle gasp of annoyance, "your belief in my all-seeing knowledge is both touching and wholly misplaced. Now, if you haven't any work to do, you'd best leave me to mine."
"Fine," Merlin grumbled and pushed off the wall. He went into his chamber with a shrug. He knew Gaius was going to be up for at least another hour, which would give Merlin the chance he needed to get to Kadian's chamber if all went well. He had a feeling her nightmares were going to be worse tonight, marred by the image of the towering, black knight.
When the door to Merlin's chamber shut the warlock inside, Gaius placed his work on his bench and left his chamber silently. He never liked to lie, especially to his nephew, but these times he had no choice.
-x-
The door to the Library swung open against the force of the physician's hands. Dust leapt into the air as Gaius walked forward into the depths of the dimly lit aisle of bookcases that reeked of musk. Few torches were lit around the library, many of which were dying with the lateness of the evening.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, the court genealogist, was standing before his desk with a large text lain out before him. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and closing. He seemed to relax when he saw that it was only a friend, not a foe. "Gaius," the genealogist said nodding as he rested an old, shaking hand on the open page of the text.
"You know why I have come?" the physician wondered, noticing he inscriptions and drawings on the page.
"You come about the black knight." Geoffrey saw Gaius nod and glanced at the page, moving his hand away from the name he covered. Above his knobby fingers was a draw-drawn crest. "He bears the crest of Tristan Dubois," Geoffrey stated grimly.
However, Gaius did not seem as surprised as one would have assumed; he only nodded. "And he is the only knight to carry the crest?" Gaius wondered, eyeing the opening page.
"Yes."
-x-
In the dim corridor adjacent to the hall where the feast had ended, Morgana confronted Arthur with her face red as a tomato and voice on the brink of pleading. Behind her, hesitating to reach for her, stood Guinevere who stayed silent and impartial to the evening's happenings; she felt the same as Morgana, though, for she feared for Owain.
"He shouldn't have picked up the gauntlet!" Arthur growled, throwing a fist toward the floor angrily; it was a challenge to him, he stood at the front of the knights.
"Then, put an end to it!" Morgana stated sternly; her voice was waning.
"The challenge has been taken up, the fight cannot be stopped," Arthur replied as he turned away from her. His gaze met Azura's delicate face that held her neutral feelings. She dropped his gaze and looked out the nearby window, smiling at the thousands of stars she could see.
"Fight in his place." Morgana sneered like a demand, forcing Arthur to move his sight back onto her.
"I can't," he said softly, if not regrettably.
"Why not?" Morgana snapped, nearly shouting. Guinevere took a step toward her, reaching for Morgana's wrist, but the ward pulled her hand away. She was not going to relent; she had to protect her friend.
"Owain picked up the gauntlet, Morgana. Owain is the one that must fight. That's the knight's code," Arthur stated with a low sigh. He wished that it was not true, but alas it was. As he turned away, he said, "He knew that."
Morgana rushed forward, stopping after several steps. "But, it's a fight to the death!" Morgana cried in a shout.
Arthur glanced over his shoulder, seeing her trembling lips quiver under her words. "I know," he sighed with his eyes hitting the floor. Extending a hand toward Azura, who took it, he led the way down the hall. As they walked slowly, like a silent death march, they could hear Morgana begin to cry and Guinevere trying to soothe her thoughts of what the next day would bring.
-x-
They entered his chamber without a sound. A small fire kindled in the hearth, glowing pale amber as it licked the crisp night air. Arthur let her hand drop carelessly to her side as he crossed the chamber to stand at the window, where he stared out, deep in thought. Below in the square, stood the Black Knight like a stone statue with a torn, black flag waving in his grasp.
Once she shut the door, locking it, Azura walked to stand beside him and rested her head against his arm. "You alright?" she asked gently as she gazed at the twinkling stars in the sky. They were peaceful, dancing amok in the dark sky with no worries of the troubles beneath their silver gazes.
When he did not reply, she sighed and pulled him away from the window; he did not fight her. She sat him on the edge of his bed and caressed his cheek softly as knelt down. She unbuckled his belt and ever so gently, placed it on the floor with only a delicate clash of the sword's sheath making a noise.
"Relax." She spoke softly as she climbed on to the bed behind him.
Her breath was warm against the back of his neck as she continued to speak slow and softly. "Let me," she grinned with her lips only centimetres away from his ear as her arms wrapped around him. The tips of her fingers traced the tiny circles of steel that made his mail and they curled around the bottom of the armour, slowly pulling it over his head until it landed onto the floor beside his sword. The padding beneath the mail was next to descend, then the simple red tunic that was against his chest.
Azura's fingers ran up and down his tense muscles, working through the knots and releasing the pressure where it was tightly bound. The way her fingers danced across his flesh filled Arthur with a sensation of complete tranquillity. All of his woes and stressing thoughts swam away, down the stream that her fingers made as they slid around his neck and down his spine. "You have magic fingers," he said in a soothed voice.
She curved her lips into a small grin, letting her fingers trickle around Arthur's neck and down to his torso, where they played with the boar's tooth he wore on a brown rope. Her head snuck into the crook of his neck as her eyelids gradually came together. "You could say that," she whispered, steadily opening her eyes to stare across the chamber, the surprising, organized mess it was. "Celebrations always seemed to be disrupted here, don't they?"
"Yeah," Arthur chuckled. "They do." He turned his head slightly to peck her on the cheek.
Azura locked her fingers together at his centre, feeling his heat through her gown. "So, my prince, why waste such a wondrous evening?"
"What did you have in mind, love?" Arthur grinned.
She whispered something into his ear, slow and alluring that left Arthur speechless. He sat there, feeling her warmth against his back, reminiscing in the evening they shared many nights ago, after Lancelot's celebration for receiving knighthood. Then, their minds had been poisoned with liquor, leaving parts of the night in a haze while letting other actions stand out, but now they were clear as crystal.
Slowly, he turned, catching her face in his hands, and stared into those blue eyes he adored so much. The idea of them together crossed his mind more that he was willing to admit; they were sinful thoughts. Never had he felt this way toward any other even when under an enchantment. Magic, no matter how strong, could not completely remove emotions; he strongly believed that. Whatever she had said sounded like it belonged to a foreign language, but he did not ask for a translation or a repetition. Surely, there were some who would not approve, especially out of wedlock, but he was the Crown Prince and he dared them to try to punish him.
Perhaps he thought too long, but it was no matter. Arthur gently brought her lips to his to taste that sweet, alluring taste that was Azura. His arms wrapped around her like coiling adders, strong and captivating. The silk of her gown was soft, smooth beneath his fingertips. The threat of the Black Knight vanished as Arthur kicked off his boots and crawled up onto the bed in front of her. Her skin quivered as the ivory gown slithered down her flesh, letting a faint chill fall upon her shoulders. Steadily, he guided her down, onto her back where he towered over her, his necklace hanging off his neck hovering over the crevasse of her breasts.
The tip of her tongue traced his bottom lip for a moment before being swept away by his, into their mingling lips. Her fingers danced down his back like tiny ballerinas until they reached his waist and the rim of his slacks, hooking around the fabric and waiting there, hesitantly, as Arthur's lips fluttered back slightly. This was the second time they had come this far, only one morsel of clothing holding them back. He gazed down at her, into the depths of the mythical eyes that gazed back up at his, the bold blue they were. Moments like this should be savoured, but the suspense was too much for him.
His eyes had slipped away from hers and onto the top of her body, the fascinating sculpture it was. His fingers traced her smooth skin, grinning as it reacted to his touch with a quiver as if it was frightened of him. It did not cross his mind that her hands were still hesitating at the edge of his trousers, nor did he care to ask for the reason why. All sensible logic to him flew out the door when his hormones and cravings set in. He crushed his lips on to hers, shattering any thoughts she was processing.
Suddenly, he felt a subtle draft; his trousers had crawled down his legs. He helped her along, since her reach went so far, and kicked them off once they reached his calves, otherwise they would get in the way, his way. He felt her hips roll beneath him and her sleek thighs rubs up against his, drawing him closer, tempting him, and deepening his kiss.
Her centre brushed up against him, and Arthur did not need another invitation. Azura bit her lip, dragging it away from the ravenous Arthur, who pushed inside her. She had to be quiet, there were people still walking about in the corridors near the prince's chambers. She shuddered as she felt him inside her, moving with small, rapid thrusts. Her fingers slipped through his mane, securing his face to hers which she pleaded would keep her silent.
It hurt, yes, but it was more pleasurable once the initial pain went away. Her back arched and she threw her head back, clenching her teeth to keep from crying out, but soft whimpers escaped from her lips like a kitten's mew. Being beaten, tossed around, cut, and tackled could not prepare her for this intimate act. Her insides felt weird as if butterflies were flapping their velvet wings in an enraged manner.
With her lips out of his grasp, Arthur kissed her neck that was painted with a blush-tint from the slowly dying flames in the fireplace. The bed creaked beneath them as they moved as one, sliding up and down against the quilts and sheets. The fur throw tickled Azura bottom, curving her lips into a grin even as Arthur lowered his face into her breasts, tracing the pair with his tongue and nipping at them.
"Arthur," she moaned as he pushed, as far as he could, knowing she was at her breaking point. Once her tense body released what she was holding back, his pace quickened and he pulled her lips to his, rapidly searching for his own release. He found it – she would have been rather disappointed if he could not - and let it all go, filling her to the brim.
Her breath was caught as a new sensation seeped into her. She bit her lip again trying to stay quiet, but Arthur swept her lips away. Azura hands slid down his torso, which was drenched in sweat as he worked inside her, and the way her hands fell into the groove of his muscles drew her close to him and made her skin tremble. He was shaking too.
Little crossed Arthur's mind as they continued this nightly game. All he cared was that she was his temple, secret, but his nonetheless.
-x-
Merlin rose from his sleep by an ear-piercing scream. His arms embraced Kadian as she thrashed about, her blonde hair slashing the air like knives as screams escaped her lips. Her eyelids were pressed firmly together, forcing her mind to stay in the dream. "Kadian," Merlin said repeatedly, shaking her until her fit stopped.
The princess stared across the room. Her blue eyes were petrified and jumped from object to object, searching from the elements of her nightmare, but her woes and fears were calmed: she was in her chamber, the sun was rising, and Merlin was beside her with tight arms embracing her. There were no vampires, no scents of lingering death, or blood-stained ash. It took a moment, but her muscles finally relaxed as she heard Merlin's coo, "It's alright, I'm here."
Slowly and hesitantly, Kadian shifted her scared eyes upon Merlin, who look crazed with his hair sticking up in many directions with dark circles under his eyes. This was the utmost night she had woken him with her screaming. Vampires had marred her dreams since that dark night; however, tonight, they had been joined by a dark figure, clothed in chain-mail painted black, mounted upon a black mustang. The image of the knight's maimed helm still haunted her eyes. Everywhere she saw the scratches, the walls, the ceiling, and even on her own body. "Merlin," she sighed, rested her head against him as her mind came to and she knew for sure the nightmare had ended. "He was there, the knight. I heard a name... Du-Dubois, I think it was. Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"I'll look into it... later," Merlin yawned, running a caring hand down her back. "Go back to sleep."
Nodding, Kadian lazily brought her head to rest on her nearly flattened pillow, which Merlin would generously fix later in the day. Her cheek fell against the pillow and her eyelids felt heavy as she felt a warm, captivating arm reach across her side and press her close to Merlin who was there to watch over her until the dreams stopped.
-x-
It seemed like mere seconds before she was woken again and sat up to gaze dazedly around the chamber like she was unsure where she was. Again, she saw no vampires or black-suited knights with scarred helms. Merlin was standing, sliding his arms into his brown jacket, and he turned when she sat up, running a hand through her messy hair that fell before her eyes. She smiled weakly at him as she pulled the covers back and pressed her feet against the freezing floor. Shivering as the cold air cascaded onto her skin, Kadian rose to her feet with a yawn and a stretch of her arms. "Did you sleep better?" Merlin asked, referring to the short period after she had woken up screaming.
"Not really," Kadian sighed, debating whether to take a step or to stand still with the lack of energy she had. There were dark circles under her eyes; she could see them in the gilt mirror that stared back at her with her own eyes.
"I'll look into the name once I get Arthur out of bed," Merlin replied, crossing the chamber to embrace her. He kissed the top of her head and released her from his warm grasp, which he knew she wanted to keep with her all the time.
"Thank you, Merlin," she said, her fingers skimming against his jacket as he stepped closer to the door. "For everything."
A small, amused smile curved Merlin's lips as he pulled the door open and stepped into the doorway with her stare still on him. There was nothing more in the world that he wanted more than to stay with her for the morning or indefinitely, but his duties called and Arthur was as patient as a ravenous lion. A kiss found his cheek after flying through air from Kadian's lips, and Merlin turned away, with pink cheeks and an even brighter smile.
-x-
Merlin's hand rasped against Arthur's chamber door, hearing no stirring or voices from inside. He received no reply and knocked again, remembering a small conversation the prince and he hand about knocking before entering. Merlin, after knocking for a third time, reached for the doorknob and turned it, but it would not revolve all the way: the door had been locked from the inside. Puzzled, he knocked again, this time calling, "Arthur. It's Merlin."
Then, he heard a groan from the depths of the chamber, followed by heavy footsteps, silence, and then more steps until he heard the lock unhitch and the door parted slightly. "Merlin," Arthur said his golden hair a mess and wearing only his trousers, "can you come back later?"
"Er, no, sire," Merlin replied, startled by the prince's rugged and exhausted appearance. "It's late enough as it is, my fault entirely... not completely mine... you could say it was mine..."
"Stop babbling, Merlin," Arthur grumbled with a yawn. He combed a hand through his hair and glanced back into his chamber. Sighing, he turned to Merlin. "Alright, I can manage. However, I need you to do something for me, and you can't tell anyone, do you understand?"
"Sure?" Merlin replied partially scared to see what he had gotten himself into this time.
Arthur brought his voice down low, glancing down the corridor to see if there was anyone else present. "I need you to go to Azura's chamber..." he paused. "Get her something decent to wear and whatever it is she needs to get ready."
Merlin raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Arthur. "She spent the night?" he asked his voice low and intrigued on the subject. "How was it?"
"Merlin!" Arthur growled, nearly hitting the warlock with a tightly-clenched fist.
Merlin stepped back in time to miss the blow. "I'm going!" he exclaimed, running down the hall to escape with his life.
-x-
He climbed the steps to the level where Azura's chamber was and experienced dejávu as he passed by Kadian's chamber. In the back of his mind, Merlin thought it was amusing, Arthur sneaking around the laws of Camelot, more the Church's laws, but laws nonetheless. Cautiously, Merlin entered Azura's chamber and met a dark, ravenous stare from the top of the desk.
Azura's ferret, Felipe glared up at Merlin, his small teeth parted and fur bristling. No wonder Arthur despised him so much. Merlin, half-expecting to be jumped by the ferret, crossed the chamber to the trunk that lay open at the foot of Azura's bed. Without letting his eyes slip away from the ferret, Merlin dug out a dress and a comb.
"Merlin? What are you doing?" a concerned voice called from the hallway.
The young warlock's eyes wiped over to corridor, fearing that he had failed in his simple task. The breath he held expelled from his lips when he saw that it was only Kadian standing there with her hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow. She wore a blue gown, like she normally wore, with the bracelet he had gotten her dangling on her wrist. "It's for Arthur," Merlin replied, pulling the dress behind his back as Felipe leapt from his perch and vanished underneath the bed-skirt.
"Last time I knew that's definitely not Arthur's size," Kadian scowled, stalking into the chamber and pulled Merlin's arm toward her. "Why do you have Azura's dress and comb?"
"I-I... um..." Merlin stuttered letting all of his sense and thoughts leave his mind.
"Merlin, you can tell me. Did Azura spend the night?" Kadian pressed as she stared into Merlin's eyes with a look that Merlin only saw when Gaius was trying to get answer from him, and Gaius' stare was the scariest thing he had faced since his arrival in Camelot.
Her stare was too strong and weakened Merlin until the point where he thought his knees would buckle. "Arthur told me not to tell anyone," he said with a reluctant sigh.
Kadian deepened her stare to the point where he began to cringe and sink toward the floor. "Anyone does not include me, Merlin. It's not like I'm going to run down the corridors screaming it," she stated with a frown.
When she blinked and her stare vanished, Merlin straightened himself. "Yes, alright, yes," he said like he was out of breath. "She spent the night."
There was a grin that appeared on Kadian's face which raised the quelled fear in Merlin. If Arthur found out that Kadian knew, it would be the death of him and he would receive worse if she told anyone else. "Thank you, Merlin. That's all I wanted to know," she smiled. "You can go now, before that ferret gets back."
"You saw that too?" Merlin replied, stepping toward the door while glancing around the room, especially the floor by his feet for Felipe.
"He's a seriously disturbed rodent, doesn't like anyone but Zu," Kadian stated, stepping out of his way as he moved into the corridor. "Wish Owain luck for me, he needs it."
"You don't think he can beat the knight?" Merlin suspected, turning to face her as she shut the door to Azura's chamber. Her eyes met his and he knew what they said; it was the talk of the palace and town: no one believed Owain could triumph over the Black Knight. Without another word, he waited until Kadian disappeared down the hall to make a run for Arthur's chambers.
-x-
Arthur took Azura's clothing in haste when Merlin finally returned from such a simple task. Merlin waited outside the prince's chamber for what felt like ages until Arthur granted him passage. He was surprised to see that Azura had managed to get Arthur into his chain mail. She was sitting on his bed, which she had stripped the blankets off to be washed (which Merlin really did not want to do and would let his magic take care of), brushing her hair. Her eyes glanced over at him when he entered, with an awkward expression.
Merlin jumped when she spoke. "Did Kadian have another nightmare last night?" she asked, ignoring Arthur as he began to instruct Merlin on what he needed done.
"Yeah," Merlin acknowledged, trying to process two different conversations at once. "This time the Black Knight was in it along with the vampires."
"Poor girl," she sighed, pulling her hair back and tying it back into a messy bun. There was a certain glow against her skin that Merlin noticed when she rose to her feet and the sunlight hit her from behind. "I'll see what I can do, later. When's Owain getting here? I want to wish him luck, since I won't see him fight."
"Any minute now... you're not going to the arena?" Merlin asked, completely ignoring Arthur, who had finally given up on talking to Merlin and reached down to pick up the dress Azura had worn the previous evening and tossed it behind the screen, out of sight.
Arthur chuckled slightly. "It'd take a miracle to get her to step foot in there. I've already tried," he sighed as he crossed the room to stand by her. "I've never heard her use the word "no" so many times in a single sentence."
Azura nudged him in the side and laughed as he slung an arm across her back. Merlin held back a comment as he went to pick up the blankets that Azura had tossed to the ground. He quickly said that he would be back with Sir Owain and left the chamber; he could not take it anymore, the way they were acting; it was too awkward and unfitting for him to be there when they were high on rapture from last night.
-x-
It was not long before Merlin returned and suited Sir Owain in his armour. He draped a red cape over the young knight's shoulders and latched it in the front with two bronze clasps that had been imprinted with the Camelot insignia. Arthur had been lecturing Owain on the ways of mortal combat and how it was different from the training he had been given. It was important for Owain to find the flow of the battle and be in control of it, let his opponent fight to survive his attacks, and not the other way around. Azura was sitting in the chair by the fireplace, with her legs crossed as she listened attentively to their conversation, finding it rather interesting.
"The problem is: you haven't seen him fight before. You have to quickly get the measure of him," Arthur stated.
"I have the same advantage, he hasn't seen me fight either," Sir Owain replied, setting his green eyes on the prince. "You watched me. So?"
Arthur placed a firm, gloved hand on the knight's shoulder. "And I know no one braver," he said with a straight face, masking what they all knew and feared for him.
There was a soft knock on the door and their eyes shifted toward it as Guinevere came in. She set her chocolate eyes on Owain and extended a tan hand which held a red ribbon. "The Lady Morgana asked me to give to you. She wishes you to wear it for luck," she said, dropping her stare once her voice faded away.
Sir Owain stepped closer to Guinevere, taking the token in his hand. "Tell the Lady Morgana I thank her and will wear it with pride, but I don't need any luck," he said in a soft, caring tone.
Guinevere bowed her head and scurried from the chamber to return to Morgana. When the door had shut, Azura rose to her feet and approached Owain, kissing him softly on the cheek before whispering in his ear, "Be safe." She turned to Arthur, smiled, and left the chamber to allow the men time to discuss tactics on well-aimed blows.
-x-
Azura strolled down the corridors with a smile on her face, which seemed to cast light brighter than the sun upon all the lurking shadow in every corner. The people who passed by her could not help but smile back as they headed toward the arena which would bring those smile down to straight lines. When she heard her name being called, she stopped and turned toward its source. "Ah, I should have known he couldn't keep his mouth shut," Azura sighed letting her bright eyes rest upon Kadian's face.
"That's not what I want to talk to you about," Kadian replied, grumbling, as she approached. She brought her voice down to a harsh whisper. "I want to talk to you about Owain and Morgana."
"What of it?" Azura asked, walking with Kadian toward the exit of the palace.
Kadian paused and continued walking alongside her, trying to find a way to word her sentences. When they reached the outskirts of the arena, Azura stopped and Kadian turned to stand in front of her. "We all know Owain isn't going to make it out of this," she sighed with her voice still low as peasants passed by to take their seats. "Morgana's going to be a wreck and what Gwen and I think would be best is that you took care of her. If anyone can stop her from drowning in her tears it would be you."
"Why me?" Azura asked, glancing over at the arena and the very soil that her brother had been stricken by a venomous snake. She could see him and Valiant duelling, like ghosts, in the centre and herself, sitting beside Kadian in the stands. Where Valiant had been towering over Jaiden stood the Black Knight waiting for the upcoming challenge. Shivers crawled up her spine as Kadian spoke again, returning her mind to the dark reality.
"Because, you're... you," Kadian said. "If anyone can turn darkness into sunlight it's you. We... I have this feeling."
"You and your feelings, Kadian," Azura sighed with a faint laugh. "Alright, only because Morgana's my friend."
"Thank you, Azura," Kadian replied, embracing her softly before stepping toward the stands. She turned, however and stared back at Azura who had a haunted look on her face while her eyes stared into the arena, but blinked and she had returned from the past. "I hate to be curious... how was it?"
Azura raised an eyebrow and turned away, but kept her gaze over her shoulder. "Your brother's no prince," she smirked and went on her way, leaving the dark memories she carried in the arena.
-x-
Every person in the stands knew that it would take a miracle for Sir Owain to win this duel. The Black Knight had not shifted his stance nor made any changes as Arthur accompanied Owain into the arena, whispering last minute advice to the young knight before his life would be put on the line. Arthur felt that this should have been his duel, his fight to the death, but he had been beaten to the draw and now had to watch one of his knights perish. As the prince went to take his spot by the king, a soldier removed Owain's red cape and handed him a helmet and his trusty sword.
The stands had grown quiet; the gathered were on the edge of their seats. Morgana squeezed Kadian's hand as she saw her token tied to Owain's right arm. Guinevere was on the opposite side of the ward, holding her other hand as her coffee eyes watched the Black Knight lift his blade into his hands, awaiting Arthur's word to begin.
A chill wind howled, kicking dust into the air as Arthur stood to his father's right, watching the Black Knight and Owain, who slipped the helm over his head and readied himself. Arthur half-wished Azura would be sitting beside him, but she was not and he had to deal with it. "Let battle commence," he declared and took his chair beside Uther.
The Black Knight moved quickly, giving Owain little time to block and dodge his initial strike. Their swords clashed and the stands erupted in a wave of cheers of encouragement. Owain stumbled away from another one of the knight's strong blows, already feeling his breath slipping away in exhaustion. He knew Arthur had been right when he said it would be different than the training he had obtained.
The young knight blocked and countered when the Black Knight came at him again. He noticed how the flow of the battle was in favour of the opponent, strong offensive with a weak defence on his end. His sword parried a blow to the side. He stepped, the sword swinging above his head, only inches away as he ducked underneath the Black Knight's arm, slicing at the black mail that shielded the knight. Owain's heart raced as he raised his shield to deflect the next blow.
Owain was pushed away by the force of the Black Knight's next attack; his shield's block forced him to stumble backwards. He gazed up and closed his eyes as the knight's gauntlet swept across his face, knocking his helm to the ground where it spun until it collapsed to its side. There was only a single layer of mail between Owain's head and the knight's sword. In the background of roaring cheers, Owain could hear Arthur shout: "One well-aimed blow!"
The Black Knight's sword swung overhead, his sword screeching through the air like a hawk ready to kill a tiny mouse. Owain raised his shield and held the enemy sword over his head and while in a low, soft-bow stance, he forced his sword upward.
From where he stood, Merlin saw the point of Owain's sword slip through the black tunic the Black Knight wore. "Yeah!" he exclaimed with a smile, which made Gaius jump and stare up at him like he was mad.
The Black Knight rose his arms and they returned to his sides quickly, sword in hand. He pushed Owain back with a strong kick, followed by swings of his sword which looked like tarnished sliver blurs. Owain stumbled back, deflecting each of the knight's harsh blows.
Morgana caught her breath and squeezed Kadian's hand so tightly it turned red.
Arthur was ready to spring forward from his seat.
Uther looked intrigued and leaned forward, his head leaving his hand.
Azura turned away from the window she was watching from.
And the crowd went silent as the Black Knight's sword dug into Sir Owain with immense force. Owain went limp, his blood dripping down his silver mail as his fingers uncoiled and his sword collapsed to the ground. His last sight was of Morgana whose eyes glossed over with tears and she lost her breath as her grip on Kadian's hand released. The red token he had worn with pride rested against the gravel, ripped where the knight had sliced his arm when he tumbled to the ground.
The battle was over; the victor was the Black Knight.
The Black Knight lifted his sword from Owain's corpse, coated in scarlet blood that stained the soil around the young knight. He threw down his gauntlet and rested his hands upon the hilt of his sword as he awaited his next challenger.
Uther grasped Arthur by the arm as he sprung to his feet in rage. One of the knights to their left leapt down from the stands, bending down to lift the scathed gauntlet into his hands. "I, Sir Pellinore, accept your challenge," the dark skinned knight declared, his mail glistening with the bright sunlight.
"So be it," said the Black Knight. He turned, lifting his sword onto his shoulder and walked out of the arena with a sturdy gait.
Kadian embraced Morgana who sat cold as if petrified by a ghost. Her eyes gazed over at Merlin who attempted to explain to Gaius that the knight had landed a blow. She had seen it too, Owain's "well-aimed blow". There was something mysterious about the Black Knight. Merlin met Kadian's stare. He was thinking the same thing she was: what if the Black Knight was already dead?
-x-
"Morgana, shh," Azura chimed, holding Morgana in her arms as the ward wept so hard it was like rain was pouring into the chamber. Guinevere and Kadian had left Azura to tend to Morgana, they had already done what they could; she would not stop crying, and even when there was no tears streaming down her face, her breaths skipped and she wailed like a baby. "It'll all be alright."
This was worse than a nightmare for Morgana. She felt like she was living in one that terrorized her every night. All she saw in her eyes was the sword piercing Owain's body, ending his young life quickly, and his blood smeared against the tarnished steel of the Black Knight's sword. Morgana felt weak, alone. Owain had been her best friend, closer to her than Kadian ever was, and one might even say that he was her first love, but they were never together, not even for the shortest of time. Their friendship had been pure and if it had been taken any further, it would not have been right. He was the first person at her door when news of her father's death arrived, before the king could even mutter of the promise he had made. A friendship like theirs was rare, and now it was lost. "H-he's gone," Morgana sobbed.
"Yes," Azura replied, running her hand down Morgana's long, wavy black hair. "He's in a better place. He's safe now, away from evil."
Morgana pulled away from her and stared into her eyes, reading her for the truth in her words. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy from crying so hard. "How c-can you kn-know?" she asked, wiping her eyes free of the tiny water droplets.
"Because I made it so he would be safe," Azura said, brushing Morgana's hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ears.
Morgana looked away. "Owain was always there for me, watching over me, protecting me. Now that he's gone... I f-feel venerable." Her voice cracked as she spoke and she was in tears again which sparkled in the light like tiny diamonds. "Do you know what his last words to me were?"
"No, will you tell me?" Azura asked, holding out her arms to embrace her again. She felt tears welling in her eyes as well, she had a weakness for other's tears and it always brought back memories of the deaths she witnessed.
"'No matter what happens, Morgana... I'll always love you,'" Morgana said with a weak smile. She could see him speaking those very words to her in his soft, calm voice he always spoke to her in.
Tears swam down Morgana's face again as she leaned into Azura. "Shh," Azura soothed, looking up to avoid shedding her own tears.
-x-
The door to the physician's chamber swung open as Kadian walked in. Merlin and Gaius jumped at the sound of the door slamming against the wall. "Why isn't he dead?" she demanded, stalking over to them as they hovered over a text.
"I believe him to be a wraith," Gaius replied, stepping back to show her the image and passage on the page. "A spirit conjured from the dead."
"Where have you been?" Merlin asked since she had disappeared after the duel with Morgana and Guinevere.
"Where have I been?" Kadian hissed. "I've had to pry Morgana off me, listen to my brother and father argue over Sir Pellinore taking up the knight's challenge, who, by the way, hasn't even recovered from his wounds from Othanden. What have you been up to?"
"Calm down, Kadian," Gaius sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder instantly soothing her roused anger.
Kadian shook her head. "If that monster is a wraith, then who was he?" she asked, avoiding Merlin's concern gaze that fell upon her.
"We were just going to find out," Merlin said, taking his hand and turning her gaze to him. "You are most welcome to come along."
They left the physician's chamber and set off, out of Camelot, toward the crypts that were underground. Merlin and Gaius pulled open the large, creaking doors which, when opened, expelled a foul odour from the darkness. The three stepped inside and Gaius peered down at the darkness. "I love old crypts, nothing won't be seen dead anywhere else," Merlin said aloud, jokingly as the proceeded further down the steps.
Then, the door shut behind them in a loud thud. Gaius glanced over his shoulder and then back at the darkness before them. "Must have been a gust of wind," he mused with a shrug before starting down the staircase which few would ever walk down unless being carried inside a stone casket to be laid to rest for all eternity. "We should've brought a torch."
Merlin turned and extended a hand toward the unlit torch which rested coldly against the wall. With a quick incantation, an orange flame sparked and licked up the wood, casting light into the darkness. "Handy," Gaius commented as Kadian smiled and instinctively took Merlin's hand, which reached for her.
"Yes," Merlin smiled, proud of himself as he waved the torch in front of him to shed more light on the declining steps before them.
Stone graves where lined throughout the burial chamber with cobwebs draped across each one varying in ages. The torchlight guided their path through the small labyrinth of graves of people whom Kadian had no idea existed. Many of them were of fallen knights that had either died within the city or had been brought back to Camelot from falling in combat. Kadian's eyes danced around, shining through the shadows on her face as if they held light themselves. She remembered hearing Vaeturthingor's voice among the shadows as he stole the very bodies which rested in these caskets. There was an odd feeling lingering in the air which drew Kadian closer to Merlin as they walked into the depths of the tomb.
"Are we breaking into someone's tomb?" Merlin asked as Gaius took the lead.
The court physician stopped beside a stone tomb, on which a figure of a man had been carved into. "It looks as if someone's already broken out."
The carved man had his stomach taken apart be a strong force, like he had taken a sword to the gut. Merlin's torch revealed the inside to be empty as Kadian peered into it. "Whose tomb was this, Gaius?" she asked allowing her finger tips to skim across the jagged ends of the fracture.
"This is the tomb of Tristan Dubois," the court physician replied, glancing up at Merlin.
"That's the name from my nightmare, Merlin. Who was he, Gaius?" she asked, setting her wondrous stare upon the elderly physician.
Gaius hesitated, but he knew that she had a right to know. "He was the brother to Ygraine, your mother," he answered with a deep, steady voice. "It seems that someone has risen his spirit from the afterlife to allow him to seek his revenge for your mother's death."
"On whom?" Kadian questioned further, stepping closer to the physician.
Gaius took a deep breath. "Your mother died during child birth, and he blamed Uther and cursed Camelot that one day he will take his revenge," the physician said, walking toward where they had come. "I thought it was the ramblings of a dying man. Come, we mustn't stay here."
"Gaius," Kadian said, stopping the physician's feet where they were. "What does this mean for Sir Pellinore?"
"It doesn't look good, I'm afraid," he replied without meeting her eyes that stared as his back, prying for some solution to end this before Camelot lost another knight.
-x-
Twilight seeped in through the window, taking the same shade as the embers that rose and fell in the fireplace. Azura stared into the flames; she had only just escaped from the weeping Morgana. Even seeing Arthur barely made her lips curve into a smile. She leaned back in the chair she sat upon and glanced over at Arthur, who was watching the Black Knight from the window. "Will you stop that?" she asked.
"What?" he asked without letting his eyes slip away from the towering knight.
"Moping about; if you're unhappy, take measures into your own hands," Azura replied, rising to her feet and crossing the room to stand behind him with her chin on his shoulder. The light left the horizon, cloaking Camelot in a dark blue shadow, only the Black Knight's black armour shone through the darkness. Azura had to look away when her eyes fell upon the knight.
"What do you suppose I do? My father won't let me take up his challenge," Arthur stated, turning away and coiling his fingers, gently, around her arms.
Azura sighed and averted his gaze. "You did not hear this from me, but..." she drifted off as she hesitantly met his gaze, "make your own challenge. Only if, you're really unhappy, Arthur. And, I only suggest this because I don't like seeing you like this."
-x-
Sir Pellinore met the Black Knight in combat at noon the next day. The clashing of blade and shield rang through the scarcely populated streets of Camelot, but at the chilling sound, the shadows shivered and sulked away. Every citizen in the stands were cheering on Camelot's Sir Pellinore, their hands coming together and rising into the air with every heart-jerking moment of the duel.
Kadian held Morgana's hand. The ward seemed haunted as she sat by the King, who grinned as he admired the work of his skilled knight. Images of the previous duel scarred her green eyes as the Black Knight swung his howling sword down against Sir Pellinore's raised shield.
To all their surprise, Sir Pellinore seemed to have the control of the battle's flow. He sliced at the tattered black tunic and scathed black chain, spinning under the Black Knight's raised arm. Arthur examined the Black Knight's technique, the brute strength behind each downward motion, the firm, agile footwork, and the intimidation in his stance. With each blow, he was on the edge of his seat, gripping the gauntlet on his hand.
Standing to one side was Merlin and Gaius eagerly watching the Black Knight, testing their theory on who he was and what he was. However, by the way Sir Pellinore fought, there was some doubt in their minds. "Maybe you were wrong?" Merlin suggested, meeting Kadian's wondrous stare from the opposite end of the arena.
"I hope so," Gaius replied, keeping his eyes on the knights in combat.
The Black Knight parried everything Sir Pellinore sent at him next, until after minutes of waiting, Sir Pellinore landed a blow which knocked the Black Knight's sword to the dark-brown soil. He was momentarily defenceless with nothing but air between him and the sword in Sir Pellinore's hand, which penetrated his chest in what looked like a fatal blow.
The crowd gasped and cheered as they saw the blow, even the members of the royal household smiled in delight.
Sir Pellinore stepped back triumphantly, pulling his sword free from the Black Knight's chest with nothing smeared across the shining steel. To his and every one's surprise, the Black Knight did not flinch and retrieved his sword which lay at his feet and overwhelmed the Sir Pellinore with crashing blows. Camelot's knight struggled to deflect each strong blow, but the Black Knight was unstoppable, a cruel, killing machine with no passion for mercy. Together with the beat of the drum, the Black Knight delivered to Sir Pellinore a fatal blow.
And as Sir Pellinore collapsed to the ground, stone-cold dead, the Black Knight pulled free his blood-stained sword and turned toward the king. He started to remove his gauntlet, but before it could be cast to the ground a glistening silver gauntlet clashed against the dirt.
Startled, the Black Knight looked up to see Arthur staring at him, standing before his seat beside his father, who was just as startled as the rest of the crowd.
"I will not see any more of my men die," the prince bellowed, his deep voice echoed by the beat of the drum. "I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you."
Kadian's eyes darted away from the lifeless corpse on the battlefield and to her brother, who stood, unscathed by the murmur of the crowd and the king's angered stare.
"So be it," the Black Knight said in his blood-curdling tone.
"Single combat. Noon tomorrow," Arthur stated.
Gaius caught Uther's eyes. The king was white as a ghost, and undoubtedly, scared stiff of the past that had now come to haunt him.
-x-
Arthur stood before his father, who stormed into the council chamber. "How could you be so stupid?" the king roared, stopping before his son, who had his arms crossed against his chest. "I'll revoke the challenge."
"No," Arthur said, unfolding his arms and turning to face his father directly. "The Knight's Code must be upheld. That's what you told me."
"This is different," Uther growled angrily.
"Once a challenge is laid you cannot rescind it," Arthur stated knowingly, if not obnoxiously as he avoided his father's gaze as he completely ignored every word he said.
Uther frowned. "You are Crown Prince."
Arthur replied, "There cannot be one rule for me and one for all the rest."
"I forbid you to fight," Uther growled, setting his son's stare on him again as his powerful words echoed through the chamber.
"You want me to prove myself worthy of the throne. I cannot do that by being a coward," Arthur stated, his own voice filling with his own anger and frustration.
"No, Arthur, this will be your death," Uther growled deeply.
Arthur would not hear anymore and walked toward the door, saying, "I'm sorry that you have so little faith in me, father." And as his father shouted his name, he continued to walk, untouched by anger behind the king's voice.
-x-
Kadian moved through the corridors of the palace as sly as a lynx, avoiding eye-contact with any whom she passed. The Black Knight was a wraith, Sir Pellinore had proved that with his last breaths, and now they needed to find a way to defeat it before it took another important life from Camelot. She entered the chamber of the court physician and met Merlin's stare from where he stood with his arms crossed at his chest. "You were right," she said, turning her attention to Gaius.
"I wish I wasn't," the physician sighed.
"If Arthur fights that thing, he'll die," Merlin stated.
"Arthur may be Camelot's strongest warrior, but no mortal weapon can kill that blasted creature," Kadian stated harshly as she sat on an empty stool.
"Then we must find a way to defeat the wraith ourselves," Merlin added and disappeared into his bedroom when Gaius commented on how they would accomplish such a thing. When he raced back into the chamber, he placed the two magic texts he had on Gaius' bench. "Mortal magic."
"Merlin, it's too dangerous," Gaius protested as Kadian circled around the room to gaze at the inscriptions on the pages as Merlin flipped them.
"We have no choice," she sighed, placing a hand on a page as Merlin went to turn it. "This one. Tonight, when every one's asleep. I mustn't go; it is easier for you to get out of the palace than I." She turned around as if to speak to the physician, but Gaius was no longer hovering above them. He had left the chamber quietly.
-x-
The dead of night fell upon Camelot. Nothing and no one roamed the streets, no one dared. The Black Knight stood before the arena entrance, one hand clasping a torn, black flag, and the other grasping the hilt of his hated sword. A chill breeze swept against the dirt, kicking dust into the air and into the looming shadows. To the knight's right, the young warlock slipped from the castle and into the watching shadows.
Merlin raised a hand and whispered, "Cume her fyrbryne." His eyes flashed gold and a wild, whipping flame appeared from nowhere. The hot tongues encircled the knight and engulfed him in a wall of crackling fire.
Merlin waited. His magic seemed to have worked; the flames were licking across the fabric clothing the knight.
But with a screech, the flames were vanquished, leaving the Black Knight completely impassive. Then, the knight turned his head stiffly and sharply to stare at Merlin through the shadows, sending chills up and down the warlock's spine as he fled the scene as a failure.
-x-
He raced through the palace hallways and rushed into Arthur's chamber. The prince was rehearsing moves with his sword slowly, replaying or adjusting the angle of his wrist of arc of each soft swing. He was anxious as ever and seemed rather annoyed when Merlin raced in, frantic.
"Merlin," he sighed, dropping his sword at his side and turning to take hold of a goblet, "remember that conversation we had about knocking?"
"You have to pull out!" Merlin exclaimed, rushing to capture his lost breath as he spoke.
"And why's that, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he took a long swig of water.
"Because he'll kill you," Merlin said with a curt nod.
"Why does everybody think that?" Arthur growled; he was tired of everyone condescending his ability to win this challenge and that he was going to die.
"Because they're right. Just pull out. You're the Crown Prince. No one wants to see you die over some stupid challenge," Merlin explained, watching as Arthur placed the goblet down and returned to preparing for tomorrow's duel.
"I am not a coward."
"I know that," Merlin sighed, cautiously approaching the prince. "I've stood there and watched you overcome every fear you've ever face..."
As his wrist rolled and his sword flashed against the firelight, Arthur replied, "That's what's required of me."
"But you are more than that... you are not merely a warrior, you are a prince. A future king. You have proved your courage, but you must prove your wisdom..." Merlin continued and lowered his voice into worry than demanding like it had been.
"I am not backing out," Arthur growled, shaking his head to relieve his mind from his servant's voice.
"Please, Arthur, listen to me," Merlin said, walking around the prince to the window. "Look at him - he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep. He just stands there in complete silence. Doesn't that tell you something?"
"No one is unbeatable," Arthur muttered, sliding forward as his sword pierced through the air.
Merlin looked back at the prince, desperately. "If you fight him, you will die."
"I cannot listen to this, Merlin," Arthur growled, growing more and more impatient and aggravated which each syllable spoken by Merlin. His strikes grew stronger the more impatient he became.
Merlin walked around Arthur again. "I'm trying to warn you, Arthur."
Arthur turned and swung his sword. "And I'm trying to warn you, Merlin!" he snarled, holding the blade a good millimetre away from Merlin's neck.
It was no use to convince Arthur otherwise on what his mind had already made up. Merlin sighed and stormed from the room, slamming the door between him and Arthur. There was more behind Merlin's pleading than just his destiny, and deep down, Merlin knew that, but dared not to say or really think about it.
-x-
Kadian walked silently through the corridors, trying to sooth her mind that was far from ease. Occasionally, she would glance over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her, but each time it was only the shadows and dim firelight, each time except one. When she turned, she met Azura in the middle of the corridor. "Kadian," Azura said, "what are you doing up at this hour?"
"I can't sleep, like usual," Kadian sighed. "You?"
"I was debating on whether to see Arthur or not," Azura shrugged. "The knight's a... wraith, right?"
"Seems so," Kadian replied.
"Where's Merlin?" Azura asked in a low whispered.
"Dunno," Kadian sighed.
"What's really bothering you?" Azura asked, stepping closer to the point where she was face to face with Kadian. "You can tell me anything, you know that."
Kadian stared into the depths of Azura's eyes, trying to read what they concealed, but they gave off nothing, just like usual. "What happens if Arthur dies?" she asked. "What happens to Camelot? What happens to you? What happens to me? Didn't he think about anyone else before throwing down that gauntlet? I wish I could see the future, both ways: Arthur lives, Arthur dies."
"You are no prophet, nor am I. Even Morgana is no help," Azura sighed, resting her palms on Kadian's shoulders, sucking away the tenseness which tightened her muscles around her bones. "However, you know the answer to those questions; you only wish that they were not true. If Arthur dies, Camelot will be in dismay and you will become Crown Princess and take the throne after Uther's death. Myself? I don't know. Perhaps, I stay, or perhaps I leave and travel the world. I can tell you now, Arthur will not die; his destiny hasn't come to pass."
"Destiny, destiny, destiny!" Kadian hissed, rolling her shoulders to rid them of Azura's hands. "As far as I know, I have no destiny, no promising future of some worth to someone. Hell, I don't even have a purpose or even a reason for being."
Azura shook her head, letting a soft sigh escape her lips. "Everyone has a purpose and everyone has a destiny. Sometimes, it is better to let ours unfold instead of knowing what will be. Good luck, Kadian; I truly hope you find your answers. I... I must go to Arthur," she spoke in a voice filled with grim, yet unique wisdom that sent Kadian's mind into a churning pool of rattling questions.
Without another sound, Azura turned and walked away, being engulfed by the shadows until she was out of sight. Kadian stared after her, wondering if it had actually been Azura speaking or the Great Dragon which dwelled as a captive several layers of rock beneath her. What is my destiny? was all Kadian asked herself as she continued on her way; this time with a destination of the dungeons.
-x-
The haunted figure of Uther Pendragon sat within the empty council chamber. At the rattle of the window, he jumped to his feet and his hand shot to the hilt of his blade. He expected the wraith to appear and smite him where he stood and end this reign of terror on Camelot, especially the royal family. Nothing but a chill breeze escaped the looming shadows and darkness of the night. The breeze had blown out the candles and Uther turned to retake his chair.
His eyes fell upon a ghastly figure and a pair of deep, drowning blue eyes. Fear swam through his veins as he stared at her, the enchantress with dark hair like night and a red-wine dress. "I should have known," he said, realizing her involvement in the happenings.
"It is more than I'd hoped for, Uther. Soon, Arthur will be slain. You will have sent him to his death," Nimueh sneered proudly with her pink lips curving into a grin as her voice rang from her throat.
"Their deaths are on your hands. You conjured that monster," Uther stated, paralyzed where he stood.
"Always so righteous, Uther, but never to blame," Nimueh smiled, taking one step closer to the king and not a step further.
"Haven't you tired of revenge?" Uther questioned.
"Haven't you?" Nimueh retorted blinking as her stare grew intense with all the memories she suffered through. "You began this war when you threw me from the court and slaughtered all of my kind!"
Uther, freed from his paralysis, stepped forward. "You brought this on yourselves. You practiced evil."
Irked, Nimueh tilted her head. "I was your friend, Uther! You welcomed me here!"
-x-
"And you betrayed that friendship!"
Kadian stopped, hearing her father's angered voice ringing from the depths of the council chamber, which she thought to be empty at this hour. Her journey to the dungeons would wait. She felt a presence, a dark, powerful presence which drew her closer to the alcove leading to the chamber. The presence was familiar; she had felt it before and only now recognized who and what it meant. Only once before had she felt such power, now that she thought, and that was the first day that the court of Mercia had come to Camelot; the day that Merlin had been poisoned by an enchantress whom Gaius referred to as Nimueh.
"I did as you asked! I used the skills you so desired to give your barren wife a son you craved!" A feminine voice hissed from the chamber and Kadian immediately knew the face that it belonged: Kara, as she had known her by, the pretty maidservant to Lord Bayard, who, in time, was revealed to be Nimueh.
-x-
Uther's eyes softened as the word "wife" escaped Nimueh's angry lips. Even his voice filled with sorrow as he spoke. "Never speak of her in that way. My wife was worth a thousand of you. And you took her from me... leaving me with more than I asked which will remind me every day I breathe of what you had done."
"She died giving birth to your children. It was not my choice. That is the law of magic. To create a life, there had to be a death, the balance of the world had to be restored," Nimueh sneered.
"You knew it would kill her!" Uther growled, slamming a fist upon the table.
-x-
"No, you're wrong!" Nimueh shouted her voice as sharp as a blade. Kadian took a step away from the door, she did not want to hear more, but she had to: this would answer many annoying questions. "If I had foreseen her death and the terrible retribution you would seek... I would have never granted your wish for a son. Your greed alone has brought this to you, Uther."
-x-
"I wish you hadn't." Uther said, dropping his gaze to the floor by his feet. The image of his wife, Ygraine, stained his sight and he found it unbearable to stare at the cause of her departure any longer. He remembered holding her lifeless body in his arms, cradling her as he rocked back and forth crying.
"You wish you didn't have a son?" Nimueh smiled. "Well, that'll come true tomorrow."
"I will not let you take him," Uther stated, lifting his gaze as he turned away. "Not after what you have put me through."
"That is your choice," Nimueh replied, her smile enlarging. "I have watched so many people I love die at your hand, Uther Pendragon. Now, it is your turn; starting with your son, then, your pretty, true daughter."
Uther whipped around to set a dark, bloodcurdling stare upon the enchantress, but she was no longer standing in the shadows with a blue glow. The space was empty and another chill wind flew through the chamber.
-x-
When the wind escaped from the chamber from the crack between the door and the floor into the alcove, Kadian had already gone. She had heard what she needed, and then some. Magic had killed her mother, deep magic in which she had never believed could be possible. Now, this new, mind-boggling information changed her outlook on everything. This magic she had was part of her mother's death, and as she ran through the corridors to her chamber, she wished that she never had it, because maybe, in its place, she would have the warm embrace of a mother.
-x-
Merlin stood within the palace library, dissatisfied with the text he searched through. It was late; the moon had reached its peak some time ago. Prior to entering the library, Merlin had stopped to tell Kadian that his mortal magic had failed, but she was not in her chamber, nor anywhere he searched thereafter. He placed the text back on the shelf and heard a noise coming from the depth of the hall. He waited and listened before returning to rummaging through the shelves.
A book escaped his grasp and he bent down to retrieve it. He froze when he saw a pair of feet beside him. And ever so slowly, he looked up.
Geoffrey of Monmouth was glaring down at him and did not remove his stare as Merlin rose with the text in his arms. "How did you get in here?" he demanded.
"The door was open," Merlin answered quickly.
"No, I locked it," Geoffrey stated, staring down at the text Merlin held.
"Well, someone must've opened it," Merlin replied, still gazing at the man with an innocent face.
Geoffrey lifted his stare from the text. "And you thought you'd come in and help yourself?"
"I was looking for a book..." Merlin said. "For Gaius."
The genealogist's stare relaxed and he took the book from Merlin's arms and set it on the shelf.
"He thinks the Black Knight is a wraith," Merlin stated.
"Then, Arthur's in grave peril," Geoffrey commented, his eyes scanning the mess that Merlin had made of the shelf.
"Which is why I'm here," Merlin sighed and paused for a beat before continuing. "I need to find a weapon that can kill the dead."
Geoffrey took in a sharp breath before turning to face Merlin again. "I have read of such things in the ancient chronicles."
Merlin's face brightened like a dog would when a piece of meat was waved before his snout. "Really? What did they say?" he asked.
"Several fables speak of ancient swords..." Geoffrey said drifting off as he remember each fable one after another as if he was reading them off the page of their book.
"That can kill the dead?" Merlin asked.
"The fables speak of swords which can kill anything - alive or dead," Geoffrey clarified, running a hand down his violet robe.
"Can you show me one of these fables?" Merlin wondered.
Geoffrey turned to him. "Methinks..." he drifted off and then nodded, returning to the shelf of books behind him. He continued to search through the books.
"I'm kind of in a hurry," Merlin stated as he watched.
"Yes, you young people always are," Geoffrey sighed, removing one text from the shelf and crossing the floor to place it on the desk. Dust leapt into the air as the text collided with the wooden table, dust that made Merlin sneeze as he took a chair.
Geoffrey flipped through the text, page by page at a snail's pace. Merlin watched the rough pages rise and fall with the motions of the old man's hand. His chin has against the back of his hand that was on the table, while his other hand rested on the top of his temple, scratching his head as his impertinence grew.
"Yes, here we go..." Geoffrey said and Merlin picked up his head. "And Sir Marhaus looked upon the great sword begotten in the dragon's breath and found it passing good..."
Merlin leaned forward, pointing at the words which Geoffrey had just read aloud. "What did you say?" he asked.
"'And Sir Marhaus'," Geoffrey replied, staring at Merlin, trying to read the thoughts in the young's mind.
"Not about him..." Merlin said, rising to his feet slowly, "The dragon."
"The sword begotten in the dragon's breath...'," Geoffrey repeated, shifting his curious gaze to the words inscribed onto the parchment. "'He found it passing good.'" He looked, but Merlin had already gone. He scoffed and sealed the text. "Always in a hurry."
-x-
Arthur stood in the window alone; he was staring down at the Black Knight who towered in the courtyard like an immovable boulder. There was doubt in his eyes as he stared down at his opponent, who showed no emotion, not even the breath of life. He heard a noise and turned sharply to see Azura watching him with blue eyes drowned in her true feelings.
"I don't want you to fight tomorrow," she said.
"You're worried about me," he smiled, slightly amused by her change in heart. He turned back to gaze down at the knight.
"Yes," she continued, stepping toward him with silent steps, "I don't know what it is, Arthur."
"I have to do this," Arthur replied, dropping his gaze to the brick of the windowsill.
Azura nodded. "I understand, but I hope that you understand... why I will not come to watch you tomorrow."
Arthur twisted slightly, just enough for his gaze to reach her face. It was cast in sadness. The candles in the chamber glistened off the water that welled in her eyes and the downward curve of her soft lips.
"I do not doubt your skill, your ability. I-I just cannot watch another man I love die in that place. It scares me, Arthur, scares me more than anything," Azura whispered in a tone that masked the deeper sorrow; by the dumbfounded expression on his face, she doubted that any other her words had reached him. She turned to leave the chamber; she had said what she wanted to say.
The door creaked back as she pulled it open, exposing the hallway to her. As she went to take a step, she heard a voice call after her. "Please, don't go," Arthur said.
Azura spun around.
-x-
Gaius stood in his chamber, preparing for bed. There was a knock on the chamber door and he turned to see the king push it open and walk, hesitantly, into the physician's chamber, where he would scarcely be seen. "You knew that one day all this would come back to haunt me," Uther said, shutting the door behind him before crossing the bare, wooden floor to Gaius, who placed the towel in his hand onto the bench in front of him.
"Not quite so literally," Gaius replied, meeting the king's troubled stare.
"I should've listened to you. You told me no good would come of using witchcraft," Uther stated, stopping several feet from the physician.
"You wanted an heir. You thought it was the only way," Gaius replied, remembering the fateful day as if it was only the day before.
"Nimueh told me there would be a price."
"You wanted to know that the price you would pay was Ygraine's life."
Uther winced at the memory of his beloved's death, feeling the stinging pain in his chest like he had that day. "I cannot let Arthur die..."
"Then you must stop the fight."
"No..." Uther said sternly, shifting his gaze away from Gaius' for only a moment. "I will take his place."
"You realize what you're saying?" Gaius questioned, raising a white-grey eyebrow.
"Ygraine died for him," Uther stated, "and so must I."
"Uther..." Gaius protested letting his voice drift away from he realized the certainty and necessity in the king's eyes.
"I have no other choice."
"There must be another way."
"No!" the king curled his fingers into a fist and let it fall onto the bench to his left. "My death will stop the wraith and Arthur will live." He set his eyes on Gaius. "It means that you will be the only person left who knows the truth. You must swear to me that you will keep your oath."
Gaius waited a moment, finally relenting. "I will take it to my grave," he stated with a slight nod.
"You always were a good friend, despite my temper," Uther smiled, uncurling his fingers and rested a stern hand on Gaius' shoulder.
"I always thought that would be the death of you," Gaius chuckled deeply.
Uther managed a weak smile that slowly faded as he spoke again. "I must ask you one last favour..."
-x-
Kadian sat in her dark chamber, staring out the window as she ignored the weariness that slowly sucked away her energy. The voice in her head was not her own, but that of Nimueh and her father, speaking angrily in the throne chamber. All the secrets which had been revealed to her were not for the faint-hearted, and even she partially regretting walking down that very corridor at the time. She had changed into her off-white nightgown, and removed all of her jewellery.
"You look so sad, now that you know the truth of your magic's origin," a haunting voice whispered from across the chamber, behind Kadian.
The princess turned and set her eyes upon the priestess' face, the pretty sculpture it was. "You're Nimueh, aren't you?" she asked stupidly, startling by the new presence and the magic aura that radiated from the woman's pure-white skin.
"Indeed," Nimueh replied, stepping from the shadows. "I knew that you were in the corridor, the entire time. If only Uther had noticed..."
"What do you want?" Kadian hissed, rising to her feet.
"You're magic is far more powerful that you think, far greater than the measly spells you cast with the young warlock, Merlin," Nimueh grinned, her red lips glistening in the silver moonlight. "You're magic was given to you by the magic of life, a gift that few can... receive. You do not know how much the laws bend for you. You can do things that mere magicians can only dream of, or die trying."
"Leave here," Kadian demanded. "I do not want to see your face every again in Camelot, do you hear me?"
"Why so hasty?" Nimueh wondered, walking to stand before Kadian.
"You took my mother from me," Kadian sneered and swung a hand toward Nimueh. Instead of touching flesh, she touched the air, breaking apart Nimueh's body. It was only a hallucination, nothing more than a figment of Kadian's startled, scared mind. She stared at the air before her, waiting for the image to appear again, but only darkness filled the spot and the rest of the chamber as a cloud stretched across the shining moon.
-x-
Merlin stepped out onto the lip of rock overlooking the great cavern, where the large, golden dragon sat perched on a pile of rubble.
The great dragon raised his eyes. "Merlin!"
"Do you know why I'm here?" Merlin asked, grasping a bundling in his arms, wrapping in a faded, red piece of fabric.
"It may surprise you, Merlin, but my knowledge of your life is not universal," the dragon chuckled, deep and loud like thunder.
"It's to do with Arthur, his life is in danger. He will die unless I can make a weapon that can kill the dead," Merlin stated with eyes that begged for help in his quest, his destiny.
"So what have you come to ask of me?" interrogated the dragon as he lifted his mighty skull off of his front claws, setting his golden eyes onto the bundle held in Merlin's arms.
Merlin bent down on one knee, placed the bundle on the ground and unravelled it, revealing a silver blade with a tarnished handle. Even in its raw, tarnished state, it had a simple beauty. It was the best sword that Guinevere's father had ever crafted, and the maidservant had given it to him upon his request in order to save Arthur's life. He reached down to pick it up, but it leapt before his eyes. The sword hovered in the air before the great dragon, glinting the firelight of the torch Merlin had brought with him to guide his feet to the cavern.
"Will you burnish it?" Merlin asked, rising to stand straight as he examined the way the dragon admired the raw beauty of the blade. "To save Arthur?"
The dragon kept his large eyes on the sword, considering doing as Merlin requested. "That is your destiny, young warlock, not mine," the dragon stated, shifting his eyes only for a moment onto Merlin.
"But if Arthur fights the wraith and dies, Camelot will have no heir. I will have no destiny," Merlin replied.
The dragon considered Merlin's request further and spoke with a voice that could quell a storm, "A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power."
"I know..."
"You do not know. You can only guess. You have not seen what I have seen. If you had, perhaps, you would not ask this of me," the great dragon interrupted, setting his now-fierce eyes on Merlin. A puff of smoke expelled from his narrow nostrils and spiralled in the air like a cloud until the dragon breathed it in again. The jewelled eyes of the dragon had seen many things, good and bad, but never would he divulge such horrors and miracles for, perhaps, they were too great for a human's ears to hear again; centuries of knowledge lingered in his mind and thus, he held the greatest power of them all.
"What are you saying?"
"In the wrong hands, this sword could do great evil. It must be wielded by Arthur and him alone," the dragon growled in a low voice, one that sent shivers up and down Merlin's spine. It was a warning: the consequences would have them rue that very day.
"I understand," Merlin nodded.
"You must do more than understand," the dragon stated, flaring his nostrils; he grunted at Merlin's ignorance, but yet, he felt he could trust the young warlock for he was indeed destined for great things. "You must promise."
"I promise."
The dragon brought his head back and exhaled an almighty blast of brilliant fire. The sword was temporarily lost within the spiralling, consuming inferno. When the flames receded, the sword was shining like finely cut and polished diamonds - the torchlight flashed off it, almost blinding Merlin as he stood in awe as his eyes took in the amazing sight of the sword. He turned his head away and when he looked up again, the sword had been returned to him. It was lying on the cloth blanket, where he had unravelled it. He reached down and retrieved the sword from the ground, wrapping it in the red cloth.
And as Merlin turned to leave, he heard the stern voice of the great dragon, "Heed my words."
-x-
Arthur still stood before the window, gazing out at the Black Knight who stood, towering, in a haunting, nerve-racking stance. The emotions which swam through him were evident, even though he would deny them openly. He sighed. "Zu, listen..." he said softly, shattering the silence in the chamber, "I...I need to tell you something... something that I've been meaning..." He paused, struggling to find the words that would form the sentences in his thoughts. "It's more of a question, I guess... I dunno how... Zu?"
He turned, hearing nothing from behind him, half-thinking that she had left. However, she was lying on his bed with her long, thin legs bent back and her arms embracing her chest. Her eyes were closed and her yellow hair cloaked her face with thin wisps, slowly shifting with every calm breath.
Arthur had not realized how late the night had progressed. He walked over to her, lifting her gently to pull the blankets from under her. For a moment, he thought he had woken her with the way she shifted her shoulders, but she still slept soundly. Draping the blankets over her figure, he brushed her hair from her face and kissed the top of her head softly. As he walked back to the shadow-stained window, Arthur could not help but think about what Azura had said to him a little while ago and the ripple effect his death would have on Camelot, and possibly, Albion entirely.
If he lost, and he really stressed the small probability, he would lose her in more ways than one. He would never hold her in his arms nor feel her soft skin beneath his fingers. If he died, he could very well loose her to another man who would never love her as much as he did. Where ever he went to after death, the darkest place, or even the shining golden city, he knew that he would miss her, and regret putting her through the pain, the sorrow, and the depression that already clouded her pretty eyes from all the death they had witnessed.
Arthur turned, hearing the chamber door creak open and the voice of the court physician. "I've brought you something that might help you sleep," Gaius said, entering the chamber with a small, sapphire-blue phial in his grasp. He noticed Azura out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice to avoid waking her.
"I'm fine. I don't need it," Arthur replied, shaking his head.
Gaius removed the cap from the phial and stepped closer to Arthur, holding the phial out for him to take. He was not going to take "no" for an answer. "Here. It'll relax you; it'll take the edge off your nerves."
Grimacing, Arthur took hold of the phial and downed its contents in one gulp. "I wouldn't drink it for pleasure," he said, lowering the phial from his lips as he tongue tried to rid his mouth of the horrible taste.
"Why don't you sit down for a moment?" Gaius suggested, taking the phial and placing it on the table before waving a hand toward the empty spot on the bed beside the slumbering Azura.
"Mind you... if you forget the taste... the effects are..." Arthur began to say, raising his eyebrows in means to keep his eyelids from closing. He plonked himself on his bed, succumbing to the sedation. "Quite enjoyable."
"Lie back," Gaius said and Arthur rested his head on the pillow. "How're you feeling?"
"Mmm..." Arthur managed to slur as his eyes rolled and his head felt light as air.
Gaius watched Arthur until he finally drifted off and his blue eyes were hidden. He turned and walked toward the lightly swaying door, removing the key from the door lock and shutting it behind him. As he turned to depart down the hall, he locked the door from the outside, trapping them both inside.
-x-
The sun seeped over the dark horizon, shedding a golden-pink light over the slumbering kingdom. The Black Knight stood as stiff as a board, still griping the tattered black flag in his right gauntlet. His dark-sheltered eyes watched as townspeople began to prepare the arena for the fight which he was to win because it was only prince he was fighting. There was a drummer standing to the far side, ready to beat his drum.
The beats echoed through Camelot and the stands were filled. A drugged Arthur still slept in his chamber, with Azura curled up beside him like a cat, both unaware of the preparations that slowly came to a conclusion.
Kadian left her chamber, shutting the door silently behind her skirt. She greeted Morgana with a warm, half-hearted smile and they headed for their places beside the king's chair to watch a fight that would go down in history. The light was bright and she kept her lips in a firmly pressed line, not wanting to speak or say anything that would set her angered, wild emotions loose. If she told Morgana, the ward would never look at the king the same and most likely tell Guinevere, who would tell Merlin, who would ask Gaius and the entire kingdom would soon know what trickery Uther did in order to have an heir.
They sat on the hard benches, folding their hands in their laps as they waited, watching the Black Knight whose flag and cloak was removed by two servants and carried away, out of sight.
-x-
Merlin stood in the Armoury, preparing Arthur's armour for battle. The slow rataplan of the drum bounced off the stone walls, echoing like the clashing of steel blades. He unwrapped the burnished sword from its blanket. It shimmered in the day's light as Merlin held it in his hand. Suddenly, the door to the Armoury opened and Merlin turned, expecting to see Arthur, and possibly Azura (if he was able to convince her), but instead, his eyes fell upon emotionless Uther Pendragon.
"That's a fine blade," Uther acknowledged, shifting his cold eyes onto the shimmering blade in Merlin's hand.
"It's for Arthur," Merlin smiled, proud of his work.
"He won't need it today," Uther replied in a grumble as he turned away from the servant to take in the dark surroundings.
Merlin looked confused and the facial expression did not escape the king.
"I will be taking Arthur's place," informed Uther as he admired the shine of his son's armour that lay out on the bench.
Merlin's eyes widened as he realized the sword was meant only for Arthur. The thunderous words of the great dragon haunted the back of his mind. "But, sire..."
"Prepare me for battle," Uther ordered with a weak tone.
"But Arthur should be the one..." Merlin protested.
"No," Uther snapped, "the grievance is with me, the fight is mine."
"I do not have your armour," Merlin stated, placing the shining sword back in its blanket and covering it.
Uther pointed to Arthur's armour, which was apparently too small to be of any use to him; it would have fit perfectly was he twenty years younger. "This will do. It's likely to make little difference."
Hesitantly, Merlin strapped on a breast plate. Uther seemed to be in a trance as he was suited in the silver armour - like he was a man on death row, coming to terms with his fate. He remained silent as he strapped the bracers and hauberk on, struggling to secure it well enough to protect parts of the King.
"I'll get you your sword," Merlin said, turning to rush from the Armoury after securing the last strap.
Uther shook his head and threw back the blanket covering the shimmering sword. "This one will be fine."
Merlin shook his head furiously as he became horrified. "No, sire... You don't understand... that one was made specifically for Arthur."
The king took the blade in his gloved hand and examined the way it dazzled. It was almost unnatural. "Who made it?" he questioned.
"Uh... Tom the Blacksmith."
"It's worthy of a king."
"You'd be better off with a sword you trusted."
Uther slowly wielded the sword, watching emotionlessly as it sliced through the thin light-rays and twinkled like the North Star. "It has an almost perfect balance... Tom is not the Royal Swordsmith. I'm surprised Arthur went to him."
"It was me," Merlin stated quickly, receiving a look from Uther that was full of curiosity. "I felt he needed a better sword."
Uther looked at Merlin, surprised at his reply. "You do show him incredible loyalty."
"It's my job, sire," Merlin shrugged with a faint smile.
"But you go beyond the line duty," Uther pointed out, watching the blade for another moment.
"Well... you could say there is a bond between us," Merlin mumbled, barely loud enough for the king to comprehend, let alone hear.
"I'm glad..." Uther sighed, hearing a heavy beat of the drum. "Look after him, will you?" Without another word or flicker of anything that could show that he was still human, he set off for battle, taking the burnished sword that was meant for Arthur and Arthur alone.
-x-
Uther walked indifferently into the tournament ground and stopped, letting the crowd erupt in surprised gasps and startled stares. The drummer ceased his momentous rhythm. Kadian exchanged glances with Morgana and Guinevere, neither of them had expected this of the turn of events. Uther started his stride again with visible tension, arriving to stand before the Black Knight who turned to face him.
"You can have what you want - the father, not the son," Uther sneered as he met the dark visor of the rival knight, the animated form of his wife's deceased brother.
Stiffly, the Black Knight took a step back, drawing his hell-blade and awaited the duel to begin. Uther placed his helmet over his temple, giving him little protection against the brute force that he would meet. A hushed silence fell upon the spectators and Kadian gripped her skirt; even though she looked at her father with hatred, she knew, now, that Uther was ready to face the price for his unspeakable actions twenty-one years ago.
The battle began with a heavy, downward strike from the Black Knight, strong enough to bend the king's knees to the point where Kadian could picture her father falling into a split. The drummer began his thunderous rhythm again, which matched that of the shriek the two swords squealed when they collided.
-x-
Arthur began to stir as the sound of the drum seeps into his chamber from the tournament ground. He sat up and grabbed his head. The drug left him with a pounding head and blurred, messed-up senses, like a bad hangover. His fingers combed through his messy hair as he turned to see Azura still sleeping peacefully in a tiny ball. It was then that he realized that a drum was being beaten. He rushed, stumbled, to the window and gazed out, angered at what he saw: his fight being fought for him.
-x-
Uther and the Black Knight traded blows, their swords reflecting the sunlight as they soared through the air. They were two gladiators engaged in ancient warfare, neither holding the upper hand for more than a second before the other retaliated. The king handled the battle especially well for his age and the rust that stained his skills.
Kadian scanned the gathered crowd, even the ones who stood because everyone had come to watch the duel. That was when she saw her, staring in the hair back with her pretty face cloaked in a periwinkle cloak. Kadian recognized her by the hypnotic effect of her sapphire eyes. Nimueh watched the battle with greed and vengeance in her eyes and a crooked smile curling the sides of her red lips.
-x-
Arthur rushed to the closed door and found it to be locked from the outside. He kicked at it in vain, wondering what the hell is going on? His eyes trailed over to Azura, who stirred slightly and rolled over, bringing her legs up to her chest and shrinking the ball she placed herself in.
-x-
The Black Knight swung ruthlessly at Uther, who parried and countered with great skill, one that had met the oil-can, and he now held the flow of the battle. Merlin watched the action intensely, reacting as the blows met.
The Black Knight's assault was unrelenting, and he showed no signs of weariness or weakness. Before the people of Camelot's eyes, the sword in Uther's hand fell and clattered against the cobbles. The king was defenceless and reached to retrieve the blade from the ground. The Black Knight sliced at his arm, striking the silver plate.
Uther stumbled back, reacting with pain and the Black Knight closed in for the kill. Only a shield was in between the knight and the king and was used to beat away the knight's harsh, well-aimed, blows. These last attempts were desperately heroic against each shrieking cry from the Black Knight's sword as it crashed down upon the dark shield like a rock-slide.
-x-
Arthur shook and kicked the door violently, cursing at the stubbornness of the door that would not open no matter the force behind his blows. His aggravated cries woke Azura and she sat up with a start, gasping for breath as if she had escaped the clutches of a monster. She looked at him through squinted eyes and then at the light that peered in through the glass. The drum was beating loud and deep. Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened and she raced to the window and peered out, seeing the helpless state that the king was in with nothing but a shield against the brute strength of the Black Knight.
"If you did this-" Arthur growled, slamming a palm against the door.
"If I did this?" Azura hissed, whipping around to face the accusing Arthur. "How dare you!" She stormed over to the door, shoving him out of the way without a care in the world. Removing a pin from her hair, she picked the lock, flinching at each clap of thunder made by the drummer.
The moment the lock clicked open, Arthur raced from his chamber leaving Azura crouched low to the ground with the pin, bent, in her hand.
-x-
Nimueh's crooked smile grew as the Black Knight, her wraith, drove Uther toward the wooden barriers; the king was doomed. The Black Knight lunged forward with a deathly blow, and somehow, Uther stepped out of the way and came up behind the knight. With a strong blow from Uther's gauntlet, the Black Knight's helmet flew off, revealing the hideous, nauseating wraith that hid behind it. With fluorescent eyes and black rippled flesh, the wraith let out a screech, high-pitched and loud.
The wraith came forward again with strike after strike after strike, driving the king back with the harshness and unnatural strength of the blows. Uther fell onto his back at the strength of the steel which beat down upon his shield, his only protection left from certain death. The dazzling sword was only a foot or so away, whispering for him to take it up.
Down the strikes continued and the crowd gasp, even Kadian turned her eyes away from the watching Nimueh. The knight's sword rose into the air for one last, impenetrable blow, and it fell like a rock-slide...
Alas, Uther's heart raced as he saw the point of the wraith's sword centimetres from his nose. The metal had pierced through the shield and remained stuck there. The wraith pulled the sword back, unable to lose it from its capture. Uther slid his arm out of the shield and rolled to grab the sword that called to him.
"Die a second time," Uther growled as he stood with sword in hand. He stuck the sword through the wraith's breastplate. As he pulled the sword back, the wraith opened its abnormally large mouth and its final breath hit Uther square, causing him to stumble back.
The wraith threw its head back and let out a screech as started to burn and then exploded into black, shimmering dust.
Merlin's eyes widened as the flames disappeared and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. The sword was everything the dragon had promised.
Kadian's eyes swept across Merlin's ecstatic face before they reached the crowd of commoners; Nimueh had vanished.
An exhausted Uther with sweat pouring down the sides of his face looked down at what remained of the wraith - an empty suit of armour.
-x-
Gaius stood beside the king inside the council chamber, dressing his wounded arm. Uther was smiling, still engrossed in his good luck. "I thought you said a wraith couldn't be killed," stated the king, shifting his beaming gaze onto the physician, who finished securing the linen to the wound; only a speck of blood seeped through.
"Yes, it was remarkable," Gaius nodded, looking at the sword which lay on the table beside the king. "Is that a new sword?"
"It's the best I've ever fought with," Uther nodded, taking the sword in his hand and handing it to Gaius to examine it. "I was interested in those markings, there."
"On one side it says 'take me up'," Gaius informed, reading the wondrous inscription on the flat side of the steel. "On the other 'cast me away'."
"What does that mean?" Uther wondered aloud.
"Where did you get it?" Gaius stated quizzically, almost demanding.
"Merlin gave it to me," Uther answered, smiling at the sword he was triumphant with. "It was forged for Arthur."
Gaius' eyes widened, but their conversation was interrupted by Arthur's entrance; he did not look happy. Gaius quickly packed his supplies and as he withdrew from the chamber, he said to the king, "That should heal pretty quickly. I'll redress it tomorrow." With that, he vanished before Arthur could lay a hand on him.
"Thank you, Gaius," Uther called after the physician, while slipping his tunic over his head. "Thank you for everything."
Arthur turned to his father. "You had Gaius drug me!" he growled, his anger apparent in his low voice. "I was meant to fight."
"No, you weren't," Uther replied softly as he slid off the table and finished redressing in his "royal" attire.
"The Knight's Code...!"
"Be damned!" Uther growled, whipping his gaze onto his son, sensing his anger. "I believed you would die. I could not take that risk. You are too precious to me. You are worth more to me than anything I know... more than this entire kingdom... more than my own life."
Arthur was taken aback for he was completely shocked by the way his father had spoken to him, about him. He had never seen his father like this, even as a child. It was always orders and looks of disapproval. "I've always thought... well..." Arthur went to say, but this new side of Uther was messing with his thoughts.
"What?" Uther asked.
"That... that I was a disappointment to you," Arthur confessed, dropping his gaze to his boots, but looked up when his father spoke.
"That is my fault, not yours," Uther said, resting a firm hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You are my only son." He smiled. "I would not ask for another."
Arthur was unsure how to react and Uther retracted his hand from his shoulder. "I heard you fought pretty well," he said, obliviously switching the conversation from their messed-up, complicated relationship.
"Thank you," Uther smiled proudly.
Arthur prepared to head off and looked at his father. "You should join us for training, sometime. Sort out your footwork."
Uther tilted his head to the side. "Oh, I'll show you footwork," he grinned, nearly landing a kick on Arthur's rear. Arthur moved swiftly away and ran from the room. Uther smiled after him, happy that for the first time in Arthur's twenty-one years, they could share an opportunity like this.
-x-
Emerging in the adjacent hall, Arthur smiled, happy that for once, he truly knew what his father thought of him. But then, as he went to take a step, her froze. Staring up at him was Azura, whose eyes pierced through him like knives with her inner fury.
"Huh, footwork," she said harshly and turned away, starting down the hall without a care in the world.
Arthur was released from his paralysis. "Azura, wait!" he called, running after her. When he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his chest.
"What do you want, Arthur?" she hissed, trying to pull away from him, but his embrace was too strong.
A grin appeared on his face, one that she could not see, as he spoke, softly, in her ear, "I want you, right now."
She elbowed him in the gut and his arms released her instantaneously. "Apologize," she demanded, keeping her back to him as she crossed her arms against her chest and let her shoulder fall sharply.
"For what?" he asked, his voice slightly higher because of the elbow to the gut.
"Oh, you know what," she hissed, hiding the amused smile on her face.
Arthur sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair, messing it up slightly. "Alright, I'm sorry, okay?"
"What are you sorry for?" Azura replied, moving her head so that she could have one eyes watching him.
He sighed again, this time while stepping forward and embracing her again, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Sorry for blaming you for locking my chamber door to prevent me from duelling," he replied softly, setting affectionate eyes on her that seeped through her harsh defences with ease.
Her arms dropped to her sides and she spun around in his grasp. "Good. And, I trust that you know that I'd never do such a thing, ever; you should know me well enough by now," Azura said, thinking about slapping him across the face, but she held back that pleasure.
All he did was smile and shake his head slowly. "I know," he sighed. "I just keep forgetting."
She reached up for a kiss, but when he made means to drag her down the hall, she pulled her grasp away. Her cheeks were so red; it was like she was on fire. Sighing, he kissed her again, cupping his hands over her burning cheeks. It was the middle of the day. He desire would have to wait.
-x-
So, everything turned out all right in the end, Kadian thought, strolling through corridors of the palace with no particular goal in mind. And I did nothing to help, absolutely nothing. Maybe I should speak to Gaius about... Nimueh and my father. He's been 'round long enough; he should know what happened to my mother and the secret.
Her mind was made up and she spun on the balls of her feet and headed for the physician's chamber. It was late in the evening. Merlin was probably in bed by now, sleeping like a baby, sprawled out on his tiny bed. Only the physician was awake in his chamber, preparing for bed. When he saw her, he told her that Merlin had retired for the evening about an hour ago when he was taking some medicine to the king, and it was best not to wake him.
"It's not Merlin whom I wish to speak to, Gaius," Kadian said, shockingly more formal that she normally would. The door shut softly behind her, not wanting to wake the sleeping Merlin in the bedchamber. "I came to speak to you."
"What is it, my child?" Gaius asked, stepping toward her with a concerned stare.
"I know that magic was used to give my mother children," she stated softly and she stared at him with unrelenting eyes. Gaius' eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder frantically to see if anyone was around to their conversation. "I know that Ygraine died because of the law of magic."
"How did you come by this?" Gaius interrogating, bring his voice into a harsh, low whisper.
"It does not matter," Kadian replied, averting his stare. "I want to know: whose life did I take?"
Gaius turned her gaze onto him with a gentle movement of his hand. "You took no one's life," he stated, turning eluding her stare now that beamed with further curiosity on a subject she knew little about. He felt, as his lips formed his forbidden words, that at any moment, he would be executed for treason. "It is my opinion that you were conceived during their last attempt. In his haste to give Ygraine a child, Uther confronted Nimueh because you gave her no signs of pregnancy. Nimueh did as you father requested and held her vicious tongue on the matter of you... I knew that she must have known of your existence, she used to speak with her eyes. You must not speak to the king of this. If he learned that you know of this, it will be my head on the mantle."
"I-I understand, Gaius," Kadian said, nodding her head up and down as she took in his words, the cold truth that they were. She turned, without another word and departed for her chamber. Now she knew what she was: a mistake.
-x-
That next morning, Merlin retrieved the burnished sword from the Armoury and rode out, into the dense wood surround Camelot. The Great Dragon had called to him that evening, when the court physician had left to bring the king something for his pain from his wound. He told the dragon the truth, that it was not Arthur whom had wielded the sword, but Uther. The dragon raised his massive, golden skull into the air and roared to the heavens in fury and betrayal. In a deep, rattling voice, he demanded that Merlin, the untrustworthy warlock, take the sword far from Camelot, to a place where no man could find the sword. Merlin had betrayed him.
Merlin rode to a beautiful lake and dismounted his horse with the bundle of the sword in his arms. Gently, he unwrapped the blade like it was a new-born. It glistened magnificently in the rising sunlight. The silver blended with the gold inscriptions as he held it in the yellow rays. The raw beauty the sword held was astonishing, incomparable to any other blade. One day, he knew that it would find its way into Arthur's hands to be wielded for the good of Camelot and the well-being of Albion.
With a great swing of his arm, the sword soared through the air, reflecting the blue, shimmering water as it flew. Elegantly, it kissed the surface of the water and sank down, with tiny bubbles reaching for the surface with its descent. It reached the depths of the lake and the hilt wedged itself between to submerged stones.
And there was the resting place of Excalibur, the sword of the greatest king who would ever rule Albion.
-x-
**A regal is a medieval organ with reed pipes and two bellows.
Next time on Forbidden Magic and Desires:
Merlin is reunited with his mother after a band of raiders sweeps through his home village. It is up to him and his closest friends and family to save the village of Ealdor. Tensions rise between Kadian and her father, now that the truth of her mother's death has been revealed. She now faces the hardest decision in her life: to stay or leave Camelot forever?
