What's up, guys? I'm glad you all liked the last chapter. This one will be a little longer, but no one's complaining about that, right? Shout outs:
The Unknowing Herald: Well, I could have just not put her in at all, you know! Haha, I know you're kidding.
Gohan Roxas: You're right, lol.
TWI1IGHTMAST3R: You'll find out in the chapter after this one.
13TheAce: Haha, that sounds about right! Yep, you'll see it in about four chapters, lol!
Celeron96: Very good, my young apprentice! Make a cameo in this story, Star Wars will, *Yoda-like laugh*.
Shadowdragon1317: Lol, yep! I'll get to it as soon as I'm done with this!
Alright, two things: One, I have a new poll up that will determine what happens after I'm done with this story and Dissidia. Two, how do you guys feel about the pace of the story right now? I realize that we're slow in getting into the worlds, but I want to focus on characterization and group bonding instead of just jumping from world to world, fighting, you know what I mean?
Alright, you know what I own. If you don't know what I and everyone else owns, then you skipped some chapters and need to go back.
Chapter 25: Tristan and Isolde
"I never knew the truth. I should have known that Lorans wasn't who he said he was." Arthur muttered, having heard Pierce's story with an open mind. Pierce sighed and nodded.
"You've put your kingdom in the hands of the wrong people. Morgana has taken your place on the Council, and we know that Lorans helped her do it. What do you plan to do now?" he asked. Arthur sighed.
"I don't know. Without Camelot, I am nobody. I can't help you, I'm sorry, Pierce." he replied.
"We're not here wanting your help, Arthur. We came to help you." Ava told him.
"For our parents' sakes, we came to help you get your kingdom back." Griffin said.
"My father believed in you, Arthur, with all his heart. It's only right that I do the same." Pierce told him.
"Down!" Arthur yelled suddenly. Pierce dove to the ground, tackling Merlin as countless arrows came flying through the trees around them.
The blonde-haired man and his group ran for cover, but most were hit where they sat. "We've got to help them!" Merlin yelled. Arthur nodded, holding his sword.
"Lulu, Ava, get Merlin and Arthur back to the wagon where the survivors are hiding." Pierce told the girls.
"What about you?" Ava asked him, worried. He smiled calmly.
"We've got it handled, now go!" he told her. She nodded, and held her Keyblade ready as she and Lulu led Arthur and Merlin through the trees. "Griffin, do your thing!" he yelled as he shot a Thundaga through the trees. He couldn't see his attackers.
Griffin glowed bright orange as he jumped above the log he was hiding behind and threw his Keyblade out into the woods ahead of him. His blade glowed bright brown and transformed into a monstrous bear.
The bear had dark brown fur and its fangs and claws were several inches long each. It roared furiously as it charged through the forest, drawing the attackers from their cover. "What is that?!" screamed one.
"Morgana never said anything about this!" screamed another. The bear chased countless soldiers away, giving Pierce and Griffin enough time to make it back behind the wagon. Only the man and the woman had survived out of their group.
"Isolde, are you hurt?" the man asked her. She shook her head.
"No, Tristan, I'm fine." she assured him. He looked over at them.
"Who are you? Morgana Pendragon's men wouldn't attack just anyone with such fierceness, would they? And that bear, that is no natural thing." he demanded of them.
"My name…..is Arthur Pendragon." Arthur told him calmly as he picked up a crossbow and began firing at the returning attackers. Griffin grunted in pain.
"Something took out my beast." he told them when they looked at him questioningly.
"We have to get away from here." Pierce said.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Tristan told them angrily. "It's because of arrogant nobles like the Pendragons that I'm forced to live my life as a smuggler." he said.
"Get down!" Isolde yelled, pushing him out of the way. She gasped as an arrow found its way into her side.
"Isolde!" Tristan yelled as he caught her before she hit the ground.
"I'm fine…." she muttered, lying in his arms.
"We have to get her out of here. I can lead you to Ealdor. It's safe there, and we can treat her." Merlin assured him, crouching down next to them and feeling her wound, making sure it didn't puncture anything. Tristan hesitated angrily, but Isolde touched his hand and nodded silently. He sighed, before looking to Merlin and nodding.
"You guys go! We'll make sure they don't get through!" Pierce told them, standing up and throwing his Keyblade at a soldier who was getting close.
"Just hold them until they get clear!" Luriel yelled as she threw a sickle straight ahead of her. It bounced off a tree and rebounded back, hitting a man hiding out of sight. Ava cast an earth spell that made many soldiers fall to the ground, and Griffin wasted no time in transforming his blade into a hulking rhino that charged through their enemies.
EALDOR, LATER THAT NIGHT…..
The group slowly walked into the small village. A single woman was sweeping grass off of her doorstep when she looked up. She smiled widely and gasped in surprise as she ran toward them. "Merlin!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around the young man. He smiled.
"Hello, mother. We need shelter for the night, so we can treat her wound." he explained, gesturing to Isolde, who was being carried by Tristan, refusing to let anyone else help him. Merlin's mother nodded and led them into her house.
"How is she?" Merlin asked his mother as they were the only two still outside. They were staring inside of a nearby house where a young woman was kneeling on the floor silently, watching the wall in front her.
"As well as can be expected. Broken hearts take time to heal." his mother told him. He nodded.
"I hope you'll be alright, Gwen." he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him.
AN HOUR LATER…..
"Well, the arrow's out. There's no sign of infection, so she should be good to go in a day or so." Merlin announced, standing up, having just finished treating Isolde's wound. Tristan smiled. He, Arthur, and Griffin were all sitting at the table. Ava and Luriel were patrolling the town together. Pierce figured it would give them time to bond, since now would be a perfect time for that.
"Thank you for everything you've done for her, Merlin." Tristan told him sincerely. Merlin smiled and nodded.
It wasn't that much later in the night that Arthur woke up to a familiar face, one that startled him. "Guinevere." he said, staring at the woman he had once loved, and banished.
"Hello, Arthur." she told him softly. He stood up and stared at her, as if unsure if she was really there. "I've missed you." she told him.
"And I you." he replied quietly. They suddenly heard screams.
"Pierce!" Ava yelled as she ran in the door, Lulu only two steps behind her.
"It's Agravaine! He's found us, and he's surrounding the village!" Lulu exclaimed. Pierce jumped to his feet, the others right behind him.
"Merlin, is there another way out of the valley?!" he asked the young man. He nodded.
"The tunnels through the mountains. I can take us there!" he told him.
"We leave! Now!" Pierce announced. Merlin barely had time to hug his mother goodbye as the entire group, now joined by Guinevere, raced out the back way of the village.
"There they are! After them!" they heard Agravaine yell.
"Isolde!" Tristan yelled, his wife unable to keep up with them.
"Just leave me." she told him calmly. He shook his head.
"We're always a team, remember?" he told her, scooping her up into his arms and running with the others.
"How much farther?!" Arthur yelled.
"At the base of the mountain! Go, I'll cover the back!" Merlin yelled. Arthur led the group inside, but Agravaine and his massive army were only minutes behind them.
As the last of the group ran inside, Merlin stepped forward and breathed deeply. He began to mutter an incantation and his eyes glowed orange. He then turned and ran inside.
Agravaine's army gasped as a great shadow fell over them. He looked up and gasped in utter shock as a massive dragon flew over them and let loose a barrage of lethal flame.
Only he and four of his men made it into the cave in time.
DEEPER IN THE CAVES…..
"What was that?" Tristan asked as they heard voices.
"Agravaine's entered the tunnel." Pierce said quietly.
"I'll draw them off. The exit is straight ahead, just follow the path." Merlin told them as he began to head back. Arthur stopped him.
"Merlin." he called out. Merlin turned around, and Arthur sighed. "Don't do anything stupid, alright?" he told him. Merlin smiled.
"Me?" he asked him, jogging back down the tunnel.
"I'll follow him. Don't wait for us." Pierce told the young king, and ran after the young man.
SOMEWHERE IN THE TUNNEL…
Agravaine and his men slowly walked through the tunnel, looking for any signs of life. It surprised them when Merlin appeared right in front of them. "Oh, hello!" he yelled. They immediately ran after him, and he scampered through the tunnels easily.
He misjudged his location though, and ended up at a dead end. He looked for any way out, but knew it was hopeless as he heard the swords draw behind him. "Merlin, where's Arthur?" Agravaine asked him calmly. He slowly turned around and looked at the traitor. "Tell me now, or I'll have to kill you." Agravaine told him.
Merlin calmly shook his head. "I don't think so." he replied.
"I don't, either." Pierce announced, appearing behind the men and blocking their exit. Agravaine sighed, and ran at Merlin in a last-ditch effort. Before Pierce could even react, Merlin raised his arms, and Agravaine flew through the air and crashed into a rock. With one last surprised gasp, he fell limp and moved no more.
With a few strikes, Pierce felled the remaining men and walked up to him. "You alright?" he asked. Merlin nodded sadly.
"Let's go." he said tiredly, leading the way back.
THE END OF THE TUNNEL….
"What was that?" Ava asked. Arthur turned around.
"Merlin." he said worriedly.
"He knows the way out, he'll find it." Tristan said.
"I'm going back." Arthur said firmly, immediately heading back down the tunnel. Tristan turned and stared in surprise.
"For a servant?" he questioned in disbelief. Gwen smiled.
"You're wrong about him." she told him, slowly walking to the exit.
Arthur didn't have to go far to find the two. "Merlin, you're alright!" he greeted. Merlin smiled.
"Were you worried about me?" he asked him in shock. Arthur sighed.
"Alright, I admit it. I was worried because you're the only friend I have and I couldn't bear to lose you." he told him seriously. Merlin smiled.
"Really?" he asked. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Don't be stupid." he told him as he turned and walked back. Pierce sighed in amusement as they followed him and met back up with the group.
"So where to now?" Arthur asked as they reached daylight and looked at the horizon. It was then that Pierce saw something. A silvery shadow close to the tree line. He silently walked toward it and away from the group, ignoring their protests and questions. He knew what he was seeing.
"Father?" he asked as he reached the spot where he had seen the shape. Silver smoke converged on a spot in front of him and took of the shape of Jack.
"Son, I know you're busy, But I must remind you of what I showed you before. The world I showed you, you must go to it now. There is no time for delays. Gather your sister and Marek, and go there. The surviving members of the Rikkison lineage must all be together when you go. Son, you must go there now. Leave this mission to those who came with you." Jack told him. Pierce sighed.
"If that's what you say I should do, Dad, then I will." he told him firmly. Jack smiled and nodded.
"Remember, son, when you need me, I am always here." he told him before fading away. Pierce sighed, and walked back up to the group.
"I'm afraid I have to leave you here. There's something I have to do now. I'll meet up with you later." he told them. Ava opened her mouth, but he answered her unspoken question. "I'll explain later, I promise." he assured her. She nodded, and without another word he leaped high into the air and back-flipped as he summoned his rider. Landing on it with such ease that would have made his father proud, he soared into the air, putting his hood up and activating his wrist communicator. "Rayne, Marek, meet me at the coordinates I'm sending you now. This is our top priority. Our father, your brother, Marek, made me promise that we would do this now and not later. Get there as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for you." he said. Without another word, he leaned forward and flew even faster, heading toward his destination.
Alright, I was going to end the Camelot storyline this chapter, but that would have easily added another 3-4000 words, so I'll just do it in the next few chapters. I'm sure you will all be excited for next chapter! Don't forget to review.