Alaia Skyhawk: This will be the last update on this fic until I reach "Lancelot" in A Question of Destiny. When I do, both fics will update together for 3 chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Merlin TV series etc, but I do own the star of this fic... LIAM!
Music: Breaking the Spell, Avalon (Merlin OST)
~(-)~
Chapter 51: Negotiations ~Part 3~
The horse pounded down the road, following the track as it wove through the band of dense forest surrounding the City of Camelot, continuing to do so even when that span was passed and it reached the broken woodlands and fields closer to the city. Its breath was ragged, great snorting gusts of air coming out with each grunt of effort, its rider urging it onwards with a single ancient word.
"Aheardian! Aheardian!"
Timothe gave the horse the command to endure, the creature obeying despite its exhaustion. Ulwin's horses, trained to be nigh fearless in the face of magic, were also trained to respond to that word. Once heard, they would obey every order given to them... This horse would keep running until it collapsed at its dying breath if he told it to, but for the distance involved, with luck he wouldn't have to.
Gritting his teeth, he narrowed his eyes at the sight of the castle turrets coming into view. Proceeding a short distance further, seeing a distinct pair of rocks to his left, he then sent the horse off the road careening into the woodland beside it. It might have seemed insane, but he was trusting the horse and not his own eyes. He'd been told the landmarks to find the Oristalla Clan's watchman, told how to find the tiny stretch of hidden trail he was not able to see.
The horse could though, steering clear of the treacherous ground either side of it. He allowed it to slow its pace, its breathing still laboured but starting to ease, letting it lead the way until he saw the final landmark.
Timothe brought the horse to a stop, tying it to a tree so it couldn't go to the nearby stream. He could not let it drink until it had regained its breath and cooled down. To do so, to allow it water that was cold while in that condition, he might as well draw his sword and kill it now for it would likely bear the same result.
Leaving his mount where it was, Timothe approached the centre of the clearing, his eyes gazing at the arch of climbing ivy strung between two trees either side of the stream. That natural arch was the landmark, and he knew the watchman would not reveal themselves until he proved he was an ally.
"I am a messenger from Lord Hargren, and I come for the sake of the bright future of Camelot."
His words faded into silence, faded among the sounds of birdsong and wind. For several tense moments nothing happened, until a robed figure stepped into sight as if from nowhere.
They regarded him solemnly, nodding once before speaking.
"For the bright future of Camelot, I would hear your message. Speak."
Timothe faced the druid, his expression grim.
"There has been an intruder within the manor at Ulwin, an intruder posing as a maidservant of King Bayard. We know not for what reason, only that she must be a powerful sorceress to have beguiled so many in her treachery. We fear she may be seeking to harm Prince Arthur, by using the same means to enter Camelot and get close to him. Have you any way to signal Georg, and get this message to him? He must be warned to be on guard for a maidservant going by the name 'Kara'."
The druid was frowning, remaining silent before lifting his face to the wind.
"Gepyll abirest me fnaest! ...My lady, a messenger from Hargren bears a request for me. Does Gallye permit me to proceed?" There was utter silence, Timothe frowning in confusion, tense minutes passing while the druid man remained unmoving. And then, as suddenly as he had gone silent, he faced the guardsman before him and spoke. "I have been given permission to pass on your message. You may remain here and rest, and leave at your own discretion. Your task is done."
He turned to walk away, Timothe calling out after him.
"So you have a way to call Georg out here?"
The man looked back, smiling slightly from within his hood.
"No, but I can get the message to him. You can trust in that."
He left Timothe standing there, hurrying away through the trees until he reached the small cave that was his shelter. Taking a leaf out of Nellan's book, he swiftly removed his druid robes and replaced them with clothing of the commonest sort seen in the city. He then picked up a carry-frame stacked with fallen wood, the sort the poorest people would gather for their fires, and made his way to the road into the city.
Keeping his head lowered, but not too low, he carried his burden unnoted through the city gates, making his way to a certain house in the lower town. He entered it, unloading the frame into a basket by the hearth within, and then settled down to wait for the first of the evening bells to ring.
Ring it did at the appointed time, the front door of the house opening a short while later. The black-haired women who entered paused when she saw him, before frowning slightly in concern.
"You have a message for us?"
The druid man nodded, picking up his now empty frame and shouldering it once again.
"I do, Catherine. Lord Hargren warns to beware of a false maidservant, Kara, among those accompanying King Bayard upon his imminent visit here. She beguiles those around her with sorcery, and it is feared she may seek to harm the prince. Be on guard."
He walked out of the house, to leave the city the same way he came in. As for Catherine, she was already resolved, returning to the castle in the guise of having left something behind, so she could pass the message to Georg.
~(-)~
Servants came in and out of the laundry rooms, most with tabards of Camelot scarlet, but a few with Mercian sapphire. King Bayard had arrived mid-morning as expected, a day late due to his detour, but otherwise as planned. Tonight he and Uther would sign the treaty, meaning if foul play were plotted, it would have to happen before then.
Catherine watched as she dealt with her duties, using open smiles and pleasant words to draw gossip from all who entered. By midday her first task was done, and in the guise of heading off for her allotted time to go eat, she made a detour to another scheduled matter.
She turned into the side passage where Georg waited for her, murmuring to him as she passed him without stopping.
"I've seen all the maidservants you counted when they arrived, and none of them are called Kara. No one among the servants from Mercia is aware of anything strange."
Georg nodded, turning to walk in the opposite direction to her.
"Keep listening, and report to me before the feast if you discover anything."
They went their separate ways, Georg heading out to the main passages to begin his usual patrol. Unlike the regular guards, who had set routes, as Captain he wandered where he willed... supposedly seeking to catch those who knew the patrol patterns unawares.
Truth be told, for him it was just an excuse for him to be able to spy anywhere without suspicion. For that reason alone, Lord Hargren had manipulated Uther into giving him this position. Within this castle there was no better place to set a spy.
He walked through the halls, eyes warily moving from one maid in Mercian blue to another, looking for any face different from those he had memorised. Reaching one of the open colonnades, he then spotted Prince Arthur's manservant being spoken to by the Court Physician. One of Bayard's servants was walking away from them and towards him, his eyes seeming to slide away from her face when he looked at her.
He paused as she passed him, frowning and shaking his head a little, before turning and looking down the passage she had taken. But she was already gone, disappeared deeper into the castle, the shiver that had run down his spine sending him looking for her.
Hurrying in the direction he thought she had gone, he turned and followed the passage... unaware of the woman who came out of hiding behind him... Frowning as she watched him before heading the other way.
Georg continued to search, cursing when he realised he'd lost her. He'd known what faces belonged and which ones didn't, and for some reason his eyes had been pushed aside from looking at her. The barest glimpse of a fair faced teased his mind, a face far fairer than any he knew were among Bayard's servants. She could only have been the one he'd been warned about, 'Kara'.
He kept searching, now cursing that he was but one man trying to find in a castle this size, a woman who did not want to be found. It was so easy to keep an eye on Merlin, who spent most of his days doing his duties as Arthur's manservant. Even when he'd caught the young man wandering about late ta night when he shouldn't be, he'd required little effort to keep track of. But this, this was infuriating.
He was forced to stop when the bell rang to announce the feast would start soon, forced to go take his place guarding the main entrance to main dining hall. He could not move and go inside, could not watch either of the two servants' entrances. And without physical proof he could not ask the king to arrest all of Bayard's supposed staff.
The uproar rising from within just a short while later had him bursting through the doors. Joining those who were called on to arrest Bayard and his men. That's when he saw what had happened, Prince Arthur picking up the collapsed and pale form of his manservant...
Merlin...
Georg forced himself to pay attention to the commands King Uther was giving, following the order to escort Bayard and the rest down to the dungeons. All the while though, his mind dwelt on Gaius' ward. He was supposed to watch him, to report any strange occurrences to Lord Hargren. But this... It didn't take much to realise that the sorceress must have done something with the cup for Arthur while Bayard was at Ulwin. But if she was after Arthur, why come here? She could have just left the cup and watch everything happen. And how had Merlin found out the cup was poisoned... Unless 'Kara' had told him...
Why was Merlin the target, and not Arthur?
He couldn't answer it, forced to grit his teeth and follow his orders. But as soon as Bayard and his people were secure, Georg headed straight for Gaius' chambers. Arriving there, he found Merlin being almost frantically tended to by the Lady Morgana's made, while Gaius looked up from the book he was referencing and frowned.
"Can I help you?"
Georg kept himself composed.
"I came to see if there might be anything I could do to help. The castle is under lock-down, but if you need supplies from the apothecary in the town I can arrange them."
Gaius shook his head, his expression grim.
"I thank you for your offer, but this is not a poison normal means can cure. The poison of the Morteus Flower has but one antidote, and Prince Arthur is already seeking permission to go seek it. Return to you duties, for I'm sure the king will call for you at some point."
Georg nodded, closing the door and descending from the tower. But his destination was not to report to the king, but rather to seek out the maid he knew would be waiting near the main gates.
"Catherine, take word to Nellan's messenger. The sorceress has struck, the goblet meant for Arthur was poisoned using the Morteus Flower, but it seems it wasn't meant for him. 'Kara' may have manipulated Merlin into drinking from it instead... She wants him dead for some reason."
She nodded, ducking into the shadows and waiting for him to distract the guards on the gate. As soon as he had their backs turned, she hurried out through them and into the city. If was a foregone conclusion that with the furore going on at the castle, Nellan's messenger would already be waiting for her at her house.
~(-)~
The two siblings sat within the tent, eyes gazing into the fire until a faint but unnatural breeze carried a voice to their ears.
"Emrys lies gravely ill, dying, from the poison of the Morteus Flower. I fear it is her work. Camelot is in uproar, and King Bayard stands accused of trying to kill the prince."
Ellyn sighed, lifting her face and murmuring quietly.
"Gepyll abirest me fnaest... Do not worry, all will be as Gallye has foreseen. Trust to destiny, that all will be well."
Nellan watched her, frowning slightly and letting out a sigh.
"Was it fair not to warn them of what Gallye told us? Fair not to tell them that this is a fated point of Arthur and Merlin's path on road to founding Albion?"
Ellyn turned to her brother, unconcerned.
"Hargren may be our ally, but even he cannot know all of our secrets. Were we to tell him of Nimueh's foreseen actions, he would have made sure to thwart them... When what has occured is something we know is an event that has to happen. Merlin and Arthur will learn an important lesson from this. Merlin, the knowledge that Arthur will risk his life for him, and Arthur, the knowledge that Merlin will do likewise for him."
Nellan remained uneasy, shifting uncomfortably.
"And what about the fact you refuse to tell even me when the all of the trials that Gallye has foreseen, in Merlin and Arthur's future, approach?"
She smiled, as one might at a young and inexperienced child. Someone who as yet was not certain of their own path.
"We each cannot know our destiny, the exact path it will take. There are some things that must be left to fate, for not even I have been told everything. Gallye is a force unto himself; he who sacrificed his sight in a vow to the Old Magic so that he might see the paths of others. He sees and knows what we may not, but it is also a part of his oath that he is not permitted to reveal what he sees. The only thing he is permitted is to tell us is if an event is destined, or an interference that must be stopped. To tell who will be involved in an event, and if things will go good or ill... More than that, and the Old Magic would demand his life as punishment."
Nellan sighed again, rising to his feet.
"So what am I to tell Hargren when I see him?"
His sister tilted her head, still smiling.
"Tell him that Nimueh's poison failed, and that Merlin is fine. She will not strike at him or Arthur again, for by their conclusion these events will have revealed to her their significance. She is no further threat to them."
Nellan frowned, not entirely happy. He knew his sister kept secrets, and that there were many things Gallye would tell her and no other. She was hiding something from him, and he knew she would never tell him what.
He turned to leave, heading out of the tent and into the night's darkness.
"I'll return once I've told Hargren what he needs to know. Until then, sister."
"Until then, brother, trust that all will be well."
~(-)~
Alaia Skyhawk: If you're wondering about Gallye, he's a sort of Oracle. He sacrificed his sight for the power to view the immediate future of any individual he knows enough about, and know if what he sees is meant to happen or not. It's part of how Nellan's clan keep watch over important people involved in prophecies, and know when someone is trying to screw with the destiny of those people. So if Gallye tells them he's seen something that isn't meant to happen will happen soon, the clan can step in and prevent it. Of course the price for that ability is Gallye being blind, and that if he says too much about what he sees then it will be a breech of his vow and well... Ellyn sums up what would happen to him quite clearly.
