Inspiration: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran. I watched the Lady of the Lake and Another's Sorrow again recently when I realized how Mithian and Freya looked similar. Same brown eyes, same dark hair. Coincidence? I don't think so.
When the cloud cleared, the capital of Nemeth stretched before them. The city had not been fully repaired from Odin's attack. Scaffolding was set up along the citadel, the outer walls had been repaired. "They have to be warned." Merlin was the first to break out of Dark Merlin's spell."If they will believe the threat." They all agreed to that. "I don't know if Nemeth forbids magic, so we will have to be careful." Putting away their weapons, nobody talked much as they were all in shock. Dark Merlin carried an evil aura with him, that mortals didn't. The guards let them through the city gates with no trouble. They were more interested in the horizon line, watching for a monster or invading army.
As soon the doors to the citadel came into a view, a vision came and he wasn't asleep. The doors had been smashed apart by some kind of blast. The metal was melted at some points. Scratches led up and over the wall. Some kind of beast had attacked. Melted armor lay haphazardly, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Everything then went back to normal as Gilli shook him a bit.
"Merlin, you okay?" "It looks like someone walked across your grave." He cleared his head, getting his bearings."I'm fine, really." Avalon approached the knights. "I seek an audience with the Princess of Nemeth." The knights replied in a monotone."State your business and come back at noon." "It is noon." Avalon pointed out. "I only come to seek aid, or have your forgotten your oath to help those who seek it?" Avalon sure had a way to get past knights.
The knights opened the doors to the citadel and asked for their weapons. Merlin had hid the sword of Light from view by a simple concealing spell. Gilli handed over his sword and shield. Avalon handed over her bow, arrows, sword and shield. She also handed the knights her riding jacket. Inside, a few long knives, blowdarts and a few knockout rags were inside. Avalon smiled innocently, "What, A girl can't defend herself?"
They were led into the throne room. Mithian was talking to her father, King Rodor. "Merlin." Mithian smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back. He suspected Mithian had a soft spot for him. During the time hen Morgana held her father hostage, her resemblance to Freya was unsettling. "Princess Mithian." They bowed. "Has Arthur sent you for some reason?" He seriously hoped Mithian would believe him. "I wish this was just something between allies and friends." "We come to warn you of an attack." Mithian and Rodor straightened. "We have heard nothing about an attack."
Avalon broke in. "With respect Princess Mithian, the attack will involve shadow magic." "Morgana?" King Rodor questioned. "No, something from the Isle of the Blessed." "Thank you for the warning, but I don't see how an entire army can cross Camelot and Gedref without being noticed or travel that fast." King Rodor was getting old, but he was still a powerful king. "If it can make the young old, who is to say it can't move armies?" King Rodor was at a loss for words at Avalon's reasoning. "Who are you?" Mithian questioned, her tone a bit colder.
"Lady Avalon, your majesty." "You don't seem like any other noble I've known." Was it just him or did it get a bit tense in the throne room? "I came from Avalon, a kingdom of magic, to offer peace with Camelot and the Old Religion." King Rodor stood. "Any friend of Camelot is a friend of Nemeth and friendships are important with such threats lurking in the shadows." "Welcome to Nemeth." The tenseness disappeared, well mostly.
A servant showed them to their rooms. Below, the elite guards and knights left for the lower town to bolster defenses. The balcony looked out over the city. "They don't stand a chance." Avalon looked out sadly. They were meeting in Merlin's room and Avalon had cast a soundproofing spell on the walls and windows so nobody could hear what they were talking about. Castle walls had ears.
"We must do something." Gilli paced back and forth. "It's the calm before the storm. We have no idea how or when they will attack. Right now, they have to make their first move." At his words, Gilli stopped pacing. "While you guys wait, I'm going to practice." Hopefully, he didn't kill anybody this time.
Avalon walked over to the balcony overlooking the town. "How do you do it,Merlin? Not preform magic to save lives at the probable cost of your own?" Ishold's last moments came back. He had the power to save her then, but Arthur was in full view. "Sometimes, there is only one thing you can do, turn away." Avalon looked at him with something like disappointment. "Then you are not the hero I thought you were." That one was below the belt. "A hero is a king, a servant his shield and sword."
Avalon turned away to look out over the city. "Sometimes, someone notices and says well done." He wondered how Gaius was doing. Probably worried, he had been gone a long time. Nearly a month now? Camelot came first and Dark Merlin was a threat to Camelot. He had a duty to stop Dark Merlin, but no clear plan how to do it. "When in doubt, start in the library."
The library was roughly the same size as Camelot's. The court librarian was gone, but the desk was overflowing with magic books. They had symbols of the Old Religion instead of letters. One book was completely black. No symbol was on the cover, no symbols or runes. Opening it, a place marker led him to an enchantment that used shadows as a way of travel. Apparently it worked the same as teleportation spells. The attack would come at nightfall.
Hearing footsteps, he closed the book and hid behind a bookcase. Mithian arrived with the court librarian. "There is only one spell that can transport armies and it would involve very powerful magic." Merlin eavesdropped from his hiding place. He needed to learn more about what creatures Dark Merlin was using. "Only one creature of magic can use that method of travel and they are simply called shades." "They are similar to the Knights of Medhir, yet they don't need a vessel of power or an intended target." "Can they be stopped?" Mithian's voice came from near the desk. "Only a magical weapons could stop them." That was all he needed to know, just one small problem. Gather a magical army, check. The very idea was insane!
He managed to sneak out of the library and back up to his rooms. Guards never learn to look up at the castle walls. Merlin walked across the balustrade, the wind blew lightly today, thankfully. "Just don't look down, just don't look down." Place one foot in front of the other. Managing to unlock a window, he sneaked into an empty hallway. "Whew." By the snores, Gilli was fast asleep. "At least one of us has his priorities straight." A nap sounded good, he hadn't slept in a royal bedchamber before.
Faster than thought, he was asleep. A vision of a mountain greeted him. Going up the slopes, the vision stopped at a cave. A drip of water ran into a pool. Se in the cave was a rock that looked sort of like a seat. As the vision faded, all he could see was red. So much red, the color of Camelot's cloaks. A servant's knock awoke him from his vision. He had an ominous feeling about that cave. "Princess Mithian requests you join her for dinner." Getting up was easier said than done. The bed was a bit too comfortable.
The table was set up for three. King Rodor had joined them. "If my memory serves correctly you are Merlin, Arthur's manservant and advisor." "I don't know about advisor, your majesty." Arthur never admitted he was right at least not within earshot. "Then you don't sit to Arthur's right at the round table and convinced your king to spare Odin, the man who killed his father?" "I don't sit at the round table." Only Gwen, the knights and Gaius did.
Rodor countered "Then you stand at his right." "What is this all about?" Mithian cut in. "Father, I still don't think he will agree." "I thought you would support an alliance between Camelot and Nemeth without hesitation." They spoke as if he wasn't even there and it somehow involved him. "I do support an alliance, just not like this." "Mithian, I'm not always going to be here and Nemeth can't be ruled by a sole sovereign. I have not let suitors come forward until after they have my consent and I can think of no better plan than to further an alliance to Camelot by marriage. So far, Merlin is the one I would give your hand in marriage to."
He almost spat out his drink. The world reeled around him. Married to Mithian? If he had been standing, he would've collapsed. "I am honored your majesty,but I need time to think it over." King Rodor turned to face him. "It has been only a day and you must be tired after your long journey." The King left the hall. "I'm sorry for my father, he can be a bit stubborn." "It's fine." Outside, night had fallen. A few servants went past, rushing through the doors. "What's happening?" Mithian questioned them. "Lady Avalon is sending the knights off at the request of the king." Avalon stood on a balcony overlooking the main square. She was dressed in white, her golden hair flowing behind her.
"Of all the money that ere I had, I spent it in good company.
And of all the harm that ere I've done, alas was done to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I cannot recall.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all."
"Of all the comrades that ere I had, they're sorry for my going away,
And of all the sweethearts that ere I had , they wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise while you should not,
I will gently rise and I'll softly call, "Goodnight and joy be with you all!"
"Oh, if I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile
There is a fair maid in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled
Her rosey cheeks and ruby lips, she alone has my heart in thrall.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all."
(The Parting Glass by the High Kings.)
She had the voice of an angel and she looked the part. Singlehanded, Avalon had won the hearts of the knights. Mithian talked to her father and hugged him. He went back into the castle. Avalon and Gilli were waiting near the throne room. "I will not ask you to lay down your lives for me." It was fair to give them an option of leaving before the fight began. "You taught me that magic is to be used for good, to help people and preform great deeds that any knight would do." Gilli was dressed for battle. He wore only chainmail and leather boots. A shield and sword rested on his back. "I have been on this journey with you since the beginning and I will follow it to it's end." Avalon had bow and arrow ready, a sword was sheathed at her side. "If these are to be our trials by fire, we will all burn together."
A roar shook the castle. Rushing outside, he would never forget the sight of Nemeth burning. Fire leaped into the skies. They saw the dragon clearly for the first time. It was covered from head to foot in white scales. A figure in black rode the the dragon. "Dark Merlin." He could hear the laughter from here. The army marched straight for the castle. The White Dragon came swooping down one of the walls and blew fire, scorching hundreds of knights at once. Archer's focused their fire on the dragon as it came for another pass, but a dragon's hide was harder than the strongest steel. It was almost unreal with how fast Dark Merlin advanced. "Only magical weapons can stop them." It was the army of immortals all over again.
Fire was all around them as the dragon began it's attack on the citadel. Scaffolding crumbled and fell. The enemy was over the walls and into the lower city. People ran for their lives. Some soldiers were carrying buckets of water, but there where simply too many fires. Dragon fire burns hotter, faster and higher than most magical fires. A fireball came out of Dark Merlin's hand. "Incoming!" It landed in the middle of the square where a statue of a king stood. The statue blew apart, sending bits of stone flying. "That was too close."
The smell of smoke and burning bodies filled the air. It was scent that he could never forget. The knights of Nemeth were being pushed back under the relentless tide. The enemy had encircled them, a position that all leaders feared. The end was near. They took up their final stand in the main square. Standing at the parapets above the doors, they prepared to fire arrows down upon the enemy. Knights filled the square and parapets. Over the din of battle, no one could hear him shout at the White Dragon.
"Dracan! Nán dyd ǽlc áciere miss! Eftsíðas eom ála cræt! Géate' stǽr ábære gárrǽs! Géate cyre. Mé tácen átende diegollice. Car grise áþes." In response, the dragon turned towards him and blew fire. He barely dodged in time. The heat roared over him, leaving it hard to breathe for a few moments. The last of the knights rode into the castle. Sealing the heavy doors behind them, but it wouldn't last long against a dragon. King Rodor was beside him. "Merlin, protect my daughter, please see that she leaves Nemeth." The King's face was soot stained. His armor was badly dented and cape torn."Is there a way out?" The doors shuddered as the enemy hit them with a makeshift ram. "There is one way, it leads to the stables of a farmhand sworn to help us in time of need." The doors shuddered again, but did not give. "Run, for as long my daughter is safe, Nemeth is safe."
The White Dragon touched down before the doors and breathed fire. The doors were blown apart and the flame raced through, incinerating some knights in an instant. Some flew backward into the walls or were barely protected by their shields. As the smoke cleared,Dark Merlin stood in front, covered from head to toe in black armor. A spiked crown, with rubies that looked like blood drops was crafted into his helmet. His sword was black and dark as nightmare. The knights of Nemeth trembled. Soundlessly, he tapped a shield of Nemeth with his swordpoint. A challenge to the death, meant for the king. King Rodor approached and drew his sword. Merlin went to the throne room.
Gilli and Avalon joined him, both of their faces soot stained. Avalon's quiver only held two arrows. Gilli's clothes were grimy from battle. Mithian was in the throne room, along with a few elite guards. She was dressed in red with a silver breastplate. Her eyes blazed confidently. "Princess Mithian, we must leave." She stood up. "I will not abandon my people to a tyrant." "Mithian, we don't have time, if you die, Nemeth dies with you." The guards looked towards the princess, waiting for an answer. "You are dismissed for now." The guards left. Alone, Mithian looked almost fragile. Telling her that it was her father's wish for her to be safe would only make it worse. She sheathed her sword. "I will return."
Mithian led them to the library, underneath the librarian's desk was a pressure plate. When pressed, a few bricks in a nearby wall moved aside. Avalon went in and lit a torch. Mithian went in last and closed the passageway. A click signified that the passage was locked from the inside. The passageway slated down a few feet before evening out. Mithian paused and looked out a grate that let them see out, but no one could see in.
The grate looked out on the main square of the castle. Dark Merlin and Rodor were still fighting. Blows were exchanged, but Dark Merlin was young and powerful. Rodor had experience so it was an even match. Crossing blades and twisting them, Dark Merlin punched Rodor in the face. Slamming his black shield against the king, Rodor fell onto his back. "That was a dirty trick." Mithian was in shock, her face had gone stone white. "The first blood in a new war." Dark Merlin gloated and stabbed downward. Mithian's scream was drowned out by the cheering of Dark Merlin's troops. A few of Rodor's knights surrendered, they instantly became part of Dark Merlin's army. Their armor changed until it was as Dark Merlin's troops. The ones who didn't fought valiantly to the last man. They couldn't watch anymore.
The rest of the journey was in silence. The tunnel led to a ladder, a rock swung upward on hinges. From their vantage point they could see the city burn. Auburn flames went high into the night, illuminating the scene. Black smoke went up into the air. Rodor's words came to him. "Protect my daughter." Horses had been readied nearby but the farmhand was nowhere to be seen. They almost made it to the woods when two knights appeared. The knight armor was black as shadow. Avalon kept riding forward at full speed and knocked her bow with an arrow.
"Heofonléoht, ágiefan mín flán!" The arrow began glowing with a golden glow. It was so bright it was hard to look at. Releasing, the arrow became as a sunbeam. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him, because the arrow split into two. Both knights disappeared into black mist with a yell. He could've seen her eyes turn brown. Must be a trick of the night or the sudden illumination. "Hurry, he would've sensed that!" Dark Merlin would probably come once his shades didn't come back. He didn't want to be there at that time. They rode into the forest at full gallop, Nemeth burning behind them.
"Heofonléoht, ágiefan mín flán!" Translation: "Heavenly light, impart my arrow!"
Reviews are magic!
