Chapter 9? Exciting! Hi there! How are you doing? Awesome, I hope.
Disclaimer: You and I both know that I do not own BBC Merlin. Therefore, I claim that this disclaimer is valid.
The sorcerer stepped back a few paces and removed the necklace and ring from himself, his silver eyes glowing with a manic glint. Merlin was semi-confident that his senses were restored. He could perform the most powerful escape spell he could think of, but with the prison box's enchantment, it would be difficult. He tried anyways and Merlin's eyes flashed gold. The prison box didn't even flinch. Osric smirked, obviously amused. If the box could not be destroyed from the inside, could it be broken from the outside?
Merlin glared, "What are you planning?"
Osric thought for a moment before shrugging, "Might as well tell you. I am going to erase my original destiny and change it."
Merlin was expecting a lot of various responses. This surprised him the most. "How is that possible?"
"It is quite possible. You see, I've heard of Cornelius Sigan, the soul who possessed a thief's body, but after Sigan left said body, the thief died. Now why did the thief die? By deduction, it was probably because the body couldn't contain two souls at once, after all the law of nature is one soul per body. Therefore, when Sigan possessed his body, it kicked the original one out."
Far-fetched, but reasonable to a point.
The sorcerer continued, "Now since, a soul is made up of a normal identity and one's destiny. Theoretical, if I put in the Once and Future King into my soul, it will kick out my original so-called destiny and I will gain the Once and Future King as the new one."
Silence. Even the knights stopped fidgeting.
Merlin said slowly, "You're going to become the new Once and Future King."
"Indeed I am."
Without thinking, Merlin blurted out, "Why would you want to do that to yourself?" The warlock did not want to antagonize his captor too much, they were at a disadvantage, but Merlin could not fathom why someone wanted to become Arthur.
He laughed, "Oh Emrys. I was born with power, with magic. I was born for a bigger purpose than to just flaunt my magic for fun. There must be a reason, a purpose. What better reason than to become a king?"
Merlin was sure he was talking to a madman. A stupid arrogant one. A manipulative stupid person. Osric was even worse than the Prince Arthur he encountered when he first arrived at Camelot. Merlin exclaimed, "That's impossible. You can't just become king!"
"Is it? Is it really? Mankind never thought to see living souls before their eyes," Osric gestured towards the two Arthurs. "Is that not enough evidence for you that the impossible is possible?"
"Splitting souls may have been possible, but not the switching of destiny. That is mad talk."
"Mad talk, dear Emrys, is only reserved for those who do not have the courage to do what needs to be done. You have always tried to change your fate, your king's supposed doom. So why not make it a literal thing? If I die, then so be it. If I succeed, think about the possibilities magic can teach us." His silver eyes glowed brilliantly.
Half of Merlin really wanted Osric to try his experiment, then laugh when he failed. Or stare in horror if he did succeed. But Merlin would not think of the latter. Right now, he needed an escape plan. Okay. His magic was returning. Arthur was split into two. The knights were muted, and they were all in these enchanted prison boxes, under the watchful eye of a madman. He tried contacting Morgana, but the connection was weak. What could he do?
"I'm not saying goodbye while under a binding spell!" The Once and Future King barked. Arthur Pendragon nodded in agreement.
Osric tilted his head in thought. He shrugged and released the Once and Future King from the binding spell. The King rubbed his wrists subconsciously, his expression neutral, but Merlin could read the King like an open book: he was planning something.
The Once and Future King smiled, "You do realize that to become me, you would have to wield Excalibur, the sword forged in a dragon's breath. It can pierce anything, as long as you are worthy to own it." Arthur Two got up and moved in front of Merlin's prison box and faced the sorcerer.
His silver eyes glared with pride and fury. "Of course, I am worthy!"
Arthur One, the restrained Pendragon, smirked and taunted, "Prove it."
"Why should I prove anything to you?" Osric seethed through his teeth.
"Because I rather die than be fused with a worthless sorcerer's soul." Arthur Two finished.
Osric picked up Excalibur and pointed the blade at the Once and Future King. Merlin held his breath. Excalibur was strong, but he didn't know how durable it was. If being the two sides of the same coin meant anything, Merlin had an inkling what Arthur's next move was.
The reference to Signan is from the episode "The Curse of Cornelius Signan" and the thief is Cedric, the one who tried to replace Merlin as Arthur's manservant. I don't know if the sorcerer's reasoning makes sense; it makes total sense in my crazy mind XD. If not, that's okay (I can clarify some stuff in the next chapter). The main point is that the sorcerer knows how to fuse souls back together…