Chapter 29

"What about Ealdor!?" Merlin asked, worried.

"We haven't heard from it," the knight answered.

"Arthur..." Merlin said, looking at the king.

"I know," he replied, nodding. His gaze went back to the knight. "Tell the men to get ready, I'll be there soon."

The knight nodded and left the room with a bow.

"Arthur, what if..." Merlin started.

"Merlin, don't worry," Arthur said, putting his hand on Merlin's shoulder. "They'll be fine. The Saxons don't know you were born in Ealdor, these are just random attacks."

"But... but why?"

"They want to lure us out of Camelot. They want us to take the fight to them."

"So, what do we do?"

"We'll take the fight to them, of course."

"But the other kingdoms haven't arrived yet, there is no way we—"

"Merlin, calm down. I'm not about to attack the Saxon's camp with the men we have now. We are not ready. Our goal at this moment is to protect the villages of Camelot from any further attacks. And Ealdor, of course." As he was talking, he was moving all over the room, readying himself for battle.

"And what about the other villages?" Merlin asked while he handed Arthur his sword.

"I have no doubt that every king is receiving the news as we speak and that they'll protect their own people," Arthur said. "Hell, this could even get us even more support against the Saxons."

"Really?" asked Merlin.

"Maybe... It could also end up with us not getting help at all because the other kings feel they have to prioritize the protection of their own kingdoms, but I don't think so. They know that the future of all Albion lies in the balance. Still... that's a matter for later, are you ready?" he asked, looking at Merlin.

Merlin was going to answer 'yes' when he realized that was a lie; there was still something else he had to try before going with whatever Arthur was planning. He was still trying to come up with a way to tell him this when Gwen appeared from the other side of the door.

"Is it true?" she asked, looking at Arthur.

"I'm afraid so, but we are taking care of it."

She turned to look at Merlin. "Do you know anything about..."

"No."

She opened her mouth only to close it again. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Gwen asked, looking at both of them.

"Yes, there is," Arthur answered. "I need you to send messages to the other kingdoms. Inform them about what's going on, just in case they don't know, and tell them that we need their help, and that it can't wait any longer. Whatever we'll do, we'll do it soon."

"Arthur," interrupted Merlin, "I have to go ready some things before we leave. I'll meet you in the courtyard, alright?" he asked.

"Sure," Arthur answered. Another day he would have added a 'just make sure you don't get asleep' or 'don't get lost' or maybe a 'stay away from the tavern', but not this day.

Merlin rushed out of the room and Gwen faced Arthur. "Where are you going?"

"East, towards Ealdor."

"Is Merlin going with you?"

Arthur smiled. "Of course."

Gwen looked at him for a few seconds and then she let out a sigh. "Alright then," she said. "Just take care."

"Always do," Arthur replied with a smile.

"Liar," she said, returning his smile.

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"Morgana! Morgana!"

"Merlin, what's going on?" she asked, seeing the troubled look on his face.

"Listen, can you teleport to Ealdor?" Merlin asked her.

"What, wh—?"

"Can you!?" he asked, interrupting her.

"No, no, sorry," she answered, shaking her head, still confused about what was going on. "I can only teleport to places where I've performed a homing spell, like my cave. Merlin, what is it?"

"Oh..." Merlin couldn't keep his disappointment for showing. "Morgana," he said, "we just found out that the Saxons are attacking villages all over Albion."

She was surprised by the news, but then she remembered what Merlin had asked her before. "Is it Ealdor...?"

"We don't know," he said, "there have been no news on it."

"And what about the village where you found me on my birthday?" she asked, worried about... well... everyone, but mostly about Aidan and Nadia.

"I... I don't know," Merlin said, blaming himself for not having asked about it. "I... I haven't thought about them, I was so busy thinking about my home that... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Morgana replied, worried about it. "What is Arthur going to do?"

"He's assembling most of the knights to aid the villagers. I think he intends to bring them back to Camelot."

"Isn't he afraid that this is a—?"

"Trap? Yes, he has thought about it, but what choice do we have? It's not like we are going to leave the villages to their fate."

"Of course, of course..." replied Morgana, with a thinking face.

"Morgana... What if Ealdor has been...? What if my mother...?" Merlin's face showed the question he didn't dare to ask.

"Hey, don't worry, it's going to be fine," Morgana said, moving towards him and placing one hand on his cheek. "The people of Ealdor are very far from helpless, remember? And besides, you good guys always seem to win. It's actually very annoying," she said with a small grin, trying to cheer him up.

"Us good guys," Merlin clarified.

For a little while Morgana just looked at him. Did she considered herself one of the 'good guys' now? Absolutely not. Still, this wasn't the time for this talk.

"We'll see," she said, making a small smirk.

Merlin sighed, while making a small smile. "I have to go now," he said, "Arthur is waiting for me to leave."

He had almost turned around when Morgana spoke.

"Merlin?" she said.

He turned around to see what she wanted. Morgana drew him towards him and gave him a kiss.

"Good luck," she told him.

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When Arthur reached the round table, Gwaine, Percival and Leon were already there. Elyan was still in the forge, and right now they needed blacksmiths more than they needed knights. In the middle of the table there was a map of Albion with a red mark in every spot the Saxons had supposedly attacked. They were so many of them...

"I take it that by now you heard the news," Arthur said, looking at the rest of them.

They all nodded.

"Those cowards!" exclaimed Gwaine. "Why aren't we attacking them already?"

The rest of them stood silent, but Arthur could read his knights well enough to see that they were all thinking the same.

"Because we are not ready," Arthur simply replied. "Today we have suffered a big hit. I trusted that our scouts would be able warn us if the Saxons tried something like this, but they found a way to move men past them undetected," he said, in a gloomy voice, looking at the map. "We will defeat them. We will expel them from this land. Our land! Just not today. Today we help the people affected by their attacks."

Percival and Leon nodded the second Arthur stopped talking. Gwaine took a bit longer, but he finally did too.

"We will be forming four groups," Arthur said. " Leon you'll be going north, Percival west, Gwaine south and I'll take the east."

"But that's going directly towards them!" Leon protested. "You shouldn't be the one going in that direction."

"It's my choice," Arthur said, in a tone that left no room for argument. "Besides, we'll divide the men accordingly to the danger each of us expect. And I'll take Merlin."

"Oh, if you take Merlin then it's fine," Gwaine said, in a joking tone, which made Leon and Percival let out a small laugh.

"Listen," said Arthur, trying to get their attention back. "They attacked us knowing we would something like this, so there is a good chance this is some kind of trap. Remember, this is search and rescue only, do not engage unless it's absolutely necessary, and don't deviate from your path."

Once more time, they all nodded.

Arthur gave a look around the room and took a deep breath.

"Go get ready the men."

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Merlin got to the courtyard just in time to see Arthur climbing to his horse. He was moving towards him when someone else's horse stepped in his way.

"Kid, good of you to finally join us."

Merlin looked up. "You are coming with?" he asked.

Dragoon nodded. "Yes, if you two are going that close to the Saxons I want to be there."

"Is everyone going to Ealdor?" Merlin asked, looking at the hundreds of knights around him.

"No," Dragoon answered, "they are to go all over Camelot."

"Dragoon," Merlin said, looking at him, "is there any chance you can teleport there? To Ealdor, I mean."

"Sorry kid, I can only teleport to places where—"

"Places where you have used a homing spell," finished Merlin. "Yes. I know." He stood silent for a second. "When this is all over you are going to teach me how to do that."

"Sure."

Merlin looked around once more.

"Wouldn't it be better if you went with another group?"

"Why kid? Don't you enjoy my company?" Dragoon asked, giving him an inquiring look.

"Not really, but it's not about that," Merlin answered in a playful tone. "I was just thinking that it would be better if we are in different groups, just in case one of them is attacked."

"Perhaps, but besides myself, there are only two targets worth an ambush and they are both in the group moving to Ealdor," Dragoon said. "Also, if I go with any other group, the Saxons might attack them just because of me, which defeats the whole point of me going with them."

Merlin was going to said something, he wasn't sure what, but something, when a horse approached them.

"Merlin, finally," Arthur said, from atop his horse. "Come on, we are leaving."

Merlin thought about arguing with Dragoon a bit more, but there wasn't any time to waste, and truth be told, he could use his help. He did as Arthur said and climbed to his horse, who was waiting for him nearby. It had been a long time since he had seen so many knights of Camelot at the same time. Not since Morgana's last attack. Merlin couldn't believe that all that had happened just a bit over a year ago. It seemed so far away... especially after everything that had happened these past few months, which, by the way, Merlin had even more trouble believing.

After dodging a handful of horses, Merlin eventually managed to get next to Arthur.

"Arthur," he said, looking around, "what if us leaving Camelot is part of their plan?" Merlin asked, guessing that Arthur had already thought about that.

"Don't worry Merlin, I have scouts watching their main army, and there is no way for them to move that many men without me knowing, not matter how good they are. Besides, it's not like I didn't leave knights protecting the city. As long as they stay behind Camelot's walls they'll be fine."

"And what about us?"

Arthur kept silent for a few seconds.

"We'll have to be very careful," he finally answered, with a serious face, as the four groups drifted apart.

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They didn't go directly to Ealdor, instead they went through a few other villages on their way. Merlin knew that this was the smart thing to do, but he couldn't help to be more and more worried by the minute. Luckily, the first place they visited hadn't been targeted by the Saxons. It was a small village, filled with no more than fifty people. After explaining the situation, Arthur left a few of his knights there with orders to get as food as possible and escort the villagers back to the city and to the safety its walls promised.

The second village was somewhat similar. This time the villagers fought a bit more the idea of leaving their home, but in the end Arthur convinced them. He explained them that it was just for a short time, until the invaders were defeated. They weren't happy, but they know him to be a fair king, and so they did as he asked.

After leaving that place, Merlin thought that the reports might be wrong, that maybe the Saxons hadn't attacked, that it was all just a misunderstanding. Those hopes disappeared at the sight of the third village.

Everything was in ruins. The houses had been burnt to the ground, and it was the same for the farms. In the streets, countless bodies told the story of all the people who couldn't escape the attack. They hadn't stood a chance.

Merlin thought about Ealdor... What if it was like this too...? What if he was already too late...? He forced himself to shake those thought out of his head and focus on the now. Maybe someone had survived the massacre. Maybe there was still some hope. He closed his eyes and tried to look around for someone still breathing... at least one... but there was none... Everything was in complete silence.

Merlin looked at the rest of the knights. In their faces he could see all the feelings that were raging inside him. Of all of them, Dragoon's face was the one that impacted him the most; he realized that was the first time he had seen him truly troubled. It wasn't hard to understand why... not after what had happened to his own village... Was he due to become another Dragoon, seeing the ruin of his own town?

A hand fell on his shoulder and startled him. Arthur was looking at him as if he could read what he was thinking. Merlin was waiting for him to say something, but instead Arthur looked at him for a few seconds and without saying a word he moved to the middle of the group.

"We keep moving," he ordered aloud, for everyone to hear. "Once every village is secure, we'll make sure they have a proper burial," he added, looking at a few corpses next to him.

The knights didn't said anything, but they followed him out of that place; no one wanted to stay there any more than they had to.

Ealdor was next, and it was impossible not to feel the question in everyone's minds: what will we find there?

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When Merlin finally had his village in his sight, he let out a sigh of relief. Ealdor was there, and after what he had seen, that was a lot. He squeezed his horse with both legs and rushed towards it, despite Arthur's protests which were quickly left behind.

The fear came back to him once he started to get near the village. The place was there, but that was it. No one was tending the fields, no one was washing clothes, no one was feedings the animals. The place was empty. That feeling got even worse once he saw a few signs of battle around the place. They weren't many, but they were there.

He got off his horse and ran towards his house, yelling for his mother. There was no answer. The place was as empty as everything else.

He was running towards the next house when he saw the arrow coming towards him. Usually he would have slowed time without even trying, but this wasn't an usual situation and his mind was still busy thinking about what might had happened to his mother. Luckily for him, the arrow just deviated from his path as if by art of magic, which probably was the case since just a few moment later Dragoon appeared besides him. He would have to thank him later for that.

"Stop, stop, don't shoot!" someone yelled. "It's Merlin!"

He had never been happier to hear that voice. Her mother came out from behind some bushes and rushed towards him. As they hugged, Merlin could see the rest of the village coming out of their hiding places. Some of them looked wounded.

"Are you alright? Did the Saxons hurt you?" Merlin asked, inspecting his mother.

"I'm fine. Other's no so much. The... Saxons, you say?... they came less than an hour ago, but we managed to fight them off." Hunith could see the confused look on her son's face. "They weren't that many, and we were waiting for them."

"Did you know about them?" Merlin asked. "How?"

"A friend of yours actually. She said her name was Aithusa," she added, with a barely wicked smile on her lips.

Merlin was still processing that, when Arthur and the rest of the knights reached his position.

"Merlin, are you mad or just stupid? You can't run off like that! What if this was a trap!? We have to stick together!" Before Merlin could say anything, Arthur looked at his side and spoke again. "Hello Hunith," he said in a cordial tone, completely opposite to the one he had just used with Merlin, "it's nice to see you again."

"You too, Arthur," she said, already accustomed at the strange relationship he and her son had.

"I take you were attacked?" he asked, looking at the villagers.

"Yes, but we were able to push them back."

Arthur smiled. "I expected nothing less from the people of Ealdor," he said, in a tone loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "However, you can't stay here no longer. They will probably come back, and this time they'll be ready for you."

"Can't you stay here and help us?" one of the villagers asked. "Like last time?"

Arthur shook his head. "I'm afraid this time us won't be enough. They army is larger than anything we've seen before, and for that reason knights of every kingdom are meeting in Camelot to get ready for the battle." Arthur hoped he was telling the truth. "You must go back with us."

"You are no king of us!" another villager yelled.

Arthur looked at him and climbed off of his horse. "No, I'm not, but I am your friend," he told them. "I owe much to Ealdor, and I would hate for anything bad to happen to you." He could see they were not convinced. "You know me. We have fought side by side and you know that I wouldn't be asking you this if there was any other way. If this was a battle we could win I would be the first one holding a sword, but it's not. Not here. Not today. Come back with me to Camelot and, when the real battle comes, if anyone of you wants to fight by my side you will be more than welcomed."

Arthur saw that some of them were still doubtful, but before he could say anything else, Hunith moved in front of him and faced the rest of the village.

"We'll leave in ten minutes," she said, in a commanding tone. "Go to your house and pack your things. Now!" She said the last bit looking at the one who had spoke before.

The villagers immediately broke the group and ran to their respective homes. Hunith turned around to face Arthur and Merlin and she gave them a warm smile.

"And I thought I had it bad growing up in the castle," Arthur whispered Merlin in the ear.

"You have no idea..." he replied.

Nine minutes later, just in case, all the villagers were ready to leave.

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The whole caravan was moving towards Camelot. The villagers were traveling in the middle of it, protected by the knights. Merlin was riding next to his mother, making sure that no one else could hear what they were talking about.

"You've met Aithusa?" Merlin asked.

"It was the strangest thing," his mother said, nodding. "I was washing some clothes when a white dragon flew over my head. I noticed it was flying low so I followed it and I saw that it had landed in the middle of the village. Everyone was petrified, not knowing what to do, when suddenly the fierce dragon opened her mouth and said in a little girl voice: 'Does anyone know where I can find Hunith?'" She let out a laugh. "I almost fainted, but quickly understood that it must had something to do with you."

"And what about the rest of the villagers? How did you explained to them?"

"I've told them that the warning came from a powerful sorcerer who was once a friend of mine," she said. "But Merlin, I think they all know the truth. I think they've always knew."

Merlin looked around. The list of the people who knew his secret was growing dangerously by the second. Still, he was sure he could trust them. Well... most of them.

"You know what's even stranger?" Hunith asked, in a tone that Merlin had grown to fear. "When she talked to me she called me grandma."

"Oh... that... that's because I hatched her, so she thinks of me as her father," Merlin explained.

"Yes, she told me that," Hunith continued, still with that tone she used when she caught him doing something in secret. "She also told me that her mother was the one who sent her here."

"And did—" Merlin started asking, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat. "And did she told you who her mother was?"

"No, she didn't," Hunith answered.

Merlin let out a concealed sigh of relief.

"But then I asked her," Hunith continued.

Merlin's hearth skipped a beat. Now he understood why her mother was talking like that.

"Merlin, why is Morgana helping us?" she asked. "Does she know about you?"

"A lot had happened in the past few months," Merlin said, not knowing exactly how to start. "She has changed, mom. She's going back to her old self, to the Morgana who once helped us save the village." Merlin could see the disbelief in his mother face. "It's true! I swear! You should see her now, she smiles again! And she helps people," Merlin said, remembering about 'Le Fay'. "You should have seen her, we were on this village—"

"Oh, my, God! You like her!" interrupted Hunith, seeing his son's face. "I mean, I always knew that you had a crush on her, but I assumed that after all this time... So? Have you told her yet?"

"What!? How did you—?" Merlin asked, taken aback. "Well... We kind of... I mean, we..." This wasn't the time or the place Merlin planned to tell his mother the news.

"You have! What did she say?" Merlin must have showed something in his face, because his mother just continued talking. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so happy... Just imagine a little girl with your eyes and her hair!"

"Mom!" Merlin exclaimed, with his eyes wide open.

"I'm just saying... I'm not getting any younger and I really look forward to have grandchildren before I go."

"I'm not having this conversation!" exclaimed Merlin, a bit overwhelmed. He moved away from his mother and towards Arthur's horse.

"Merlin... Merlin!" his mother called for him, but he just kept moving.

"He's a good kid," someone said. "He'll make a great man."

"He will," Hunith replied. "And you are?"

"Well, according to Merlin I'm your brother," the man said, smiling.

"Oh, yes, he told me about you... Dragoon? Or should I say Drake?"

"Out here is Drake."

"Well, Drake, it's nice to meet you. I always wanted a younger brother." Dragoon smiled at that, but he didn't corrected her. "Now tell me," Hunith continued, "what have Merlin been up to since I last saw him?"

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Merlin had looked back once only to see his mother and Dragoon talking. He shivered; nothing good could come out of that.

"Knights in sight!" someone yelled. Merlin look ahead and indeed a few knights of Camelot were waiting for them with some other people by their side. They were part of the knights Arthur had left to protect the villagers of the second village they had visited. When they got closer, one of those knights approached Arthur's position.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked. "Where are the villagers?"

"Sire, they are safe, probably already back in Camelot by now," the man said. "In our way back we came across a small group of druids breaking the law." Merlin gave another look at the rest of the people he had seen before. They were definitely druids. "We managed to subdue them, but we didn't have enough men to transport them safely back to Camelot, so a few of us escorted the villagers while the rest waited for you."

"What have they done?" Arthur asked him.

"Sire, they were using magic, sire."

"What kind of magic?" Merlin asked.

The knight gave Merlin a confused look, as if he was taken aback that the manservant was asking him a question. Probably hasn't been a knight for too long. He noticed that the king was also waiting for the answer.

"I don't know much about it, but they confessed to be using healing spells," the knight said.

"You arrested them for healing people!?"

"You arrested them for healing people!?"

Merlin and Arthur looked at each other. Arthur had expected for Merlin to ask something like that, but Merlin was very surprised that Arthur had asked that too.

"Yes, sire. Magic is outlawed," the man said, as if it was obvious.

Arthur opened his mouth only to close it. He looked at the druids and took a deep breath.

"Not today," he said.

Arthur moved towards the druids, followed by Merlin and the knight. He dismounted.

"Release them," he ordered his men. They flinched for a second, wondering if they have heard wrong. "Now," Arthur added, noticing that. The knights moved and cut the ropes that tied the druids. Once the druids were all standing up, Arthur spoke again.

"My knights tell me that you were using healing spells, is that correct?" Arthur asked.

"It is," one of them replied.

"Were you attacked also?"

"We were."

"Why?" Arthur inquired.

The man looked at him and for an instant Merlin could see a sad smile on his face. "Because we wanted no part in this war," he said. "Because we refused to act against you."

Arthur stood silent for a few seconds and then he nodded. "We have injured people, can you help them?" he asked. "They are villagers," he added, seeing the druid's face.

"And then?" the druid asked.

"Then you may go, or you may come with us to Camelot, whichever you prefer."

The man looked around to his people, probably, thought Merlin, asking them telepathically what do they think they should do and if they should trust them. After some time he looked at Arthur.

"We'll help them and then we'll go our way," the druid said.

"Fair enough," Arthur replied.

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Merlin could already see Camelot in the distance, and while they had lost some people in the attacks, thing might have gone a lot worse. His mother and most of the villagers of Ealdor were alive and he had been happily surprised about Arthur's decision to let the druids go. And to asked them to use their magic to help the injured villagers! Maybe his destiny wasn't such an impossible task after all.

Once they finally got to the gates they learned that they were the last group to arrive and that the rest of them had arrived safely. However, they also learned that at least other four villages had been destroyed by the Saxons.

Arthur and Merlin met with the rest of the Knights of the Round Table.

"Sire," they all saluted Arthur.

"Very good work men," he compliment them. "Did any of you encounter any enemies?" asked Arthur.

"I was just telling them," said Gwaine. "We have caught a bunch of them."

"Really? How badly were our losses?" Arthur asked.

"Well... there weren't really any," Gwaine said. "They were already defeated and all tied up once we found them."

"How's that?" Arthur asked, confused.

"It was Le Fay!" a new voice exclaimed.

They all looked down to see the little girl who had talked and little boy who was standing next to her.

"You should have seen her!" the girl continued. "Her eyes glowed and shushhhh, they were all went flying!" she said, moving her arms around to emphasize how they all were blown away.

"Nadia, you have to say 'my lord'," the boy pointed out. "He's the king."

"Who? Merlin?" Nadia asked, which made every knight look at him.

"No, him," the boy said, pointing at Arthur.

The girl looked at Arthur, as studying him. "I want to be king," she finally told her brother.

"You can't. You are a girl. You would be a queen."

"And how do I do that?"

"Well... you could marry a king."

The girl looked at Arthur once more and they at her brother. "But Aidan... He's too old!" she protested.

"You know them?" Arthur asked, a bit amused, looking at Merlin.

"Yes, I've met them when I visited their village," Merlin answered, hoping that the kids wouldn't tell about him and 'Le Fay'. Knowing the kids, he should get Arthur away from them as soon as possible. "I'll make sure to get them to her father," Merlin said. "I imagine that you have a lot of work organizing all the villagers."

Arthur looked at him and then at Nadia. He wanted to know more about Le Fay defeating those men, but unfortunately, and strangely, Merlin was right. He nodded and bid the kids goodbye.

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The next morning everyone woke up to the alarm.

Arthur had just got dressed when one of the scouts called to his door.

"Sire, there is an army coming, and it doesn't bear the banner of any of the other kingdoms," he said.

Arthur rushed, half hopeful, half worried. When he finally reached the walls he saw what his men had spoken about. It wasn't a very large group, maybe just a few hundred, but they were definitely coming their way. As his scout had said, they bore a banner that didn't match any of the other kingdoms, but he was still able to recognize it. A triskelion.

Arthur smiled. It seemed that his last message had finally reached its destination.


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A/N: I hope you liked it!

Remember the 'There was one more messenger who hadn't returned yet, but Arthur didn't expect him so soon.' line?

Yeah... me neither.


Thanks AJsRandom, NightsAnger, Lady Flurryous, mersan123, Patiku, Meri Ley, The Forrest of Fanfic and hithere for the reviews =D

Lady Flurryous = To attack the villages the Saxons used some kind of cloaking techniques or spells rather than a mass teleportation spell, otherwise Camelot would be in a lot of trouble xD (even more than already is) (and besides, here I talk about the homing spell needed for teleportation which kind of justifies why every sorcerer isn't always jumping around from one place to the other).