"The Physician's Game" (Rose)
It doesn't take long for Gaius to go straight to Uther and have him assemble a council concerning the location of the crystal. Merlin and I stand near the back by the throne room door amongst the knights and let the physician's game begin.
"You know the whereabouts of the crystal?" the king questions proceeding the bent truth Gaius presented him.
"I believe so, Sire," he confirms.
"I see," states Uther, his words doused in suspicion, no doubt. "How did you come by this information?"
"In my capacity as physician, I have dealings with many people. They hear things, Sire, and they see things." I, for one, am surprised at Gaius' skill in the art of deception. However, I suppose it comes with the job of harboring not only one, but two magical young people in his abode. "Last night I was confronted by one such man who told me that the crystal had been stolen by a band of renegades, led by a man called Alvarr."
At the mention of that name, my eyes flicker straight to Morgana. Had anyone else known what the three of us did, they would see how utterly transparent she was being at this moment. The attention of the court certainly not fixed upon her, but I almost wish it were. There is still a part of me though, clinging to the hope that perhaps destiny can change. Maybe, she and Mordred need not to take such a dark path. I never would have even considered the possibility of any evil in Morgana at all in the beginning. She has always shown me nothing but kindness in the short time I have stayed here in the castle. This web of contention Alvarr has weaved Morgana has flown straight into. I just pray that she can escape before the final strike.
Uther pushes Gaius for more details, "Who exactly was this informant?"
"I think it would only be fair to protect their identity, Sire," he reasons, "If news of the betrayal were to reach the renegades, it could indeed endanger their life."
"Very well," Uther concedes.
"Where is this Alvarr hiding?" Arthur steps forward from his spot on the opposite side of the throne that Morgana is sitting at.
"He was last seen in the Valley of Chemary, Sire."
"Summon the guards, Arthur," Uther interjects before another word can be spoken, "I want this matter investigated without delay."
"Yes, Father," Arthur takes charge of the nearby soldiers whilst Morgana dismisses herself and walks after the prince.
"Thank you, Gaius," the king says while my eyes are trained on the lady surely sneaking away to protect her thief at all costs. "Once again, I am in your debt," he nods to the physician.
Gaius bows, as is the proper response to give, and I shoot a look over to Merlin who is radiating thought. "What now?" I ask in my most hushed speaking voice.
"We wait."
"Striking Back" (Merlin)
Up until now, we have been able to do next to nothing on matters concerning the crystal. Arthur is assembling a group of highly skilled warriors and me to come along on the raid. Rose gingerly makes her way into the room as I pack my things. "Promise me you'll stay safe, Merlin," her voice has never sound so worried before, "Please."
"I'll be alright," I smile.
"You promise?" she seeks assurance with big, soft eyes that I cannot resist.
I take her hands tenderly, "I promise." She smiles a little, and we linger for a precious moment. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?" It's my turn to be concerned, "We've never been apart since you've arrived ..." I trail off, not wanting to come across as clingy or needy.
"Not like this, no," she looks down, "But there's always Gaius. I'll just take this time to learn more from him," her gaze is upward once more, "And perhaps clean your side of the room."
I laugh, "Good luck!"
"No kidding," she giggles, and then her countenance changes, "You, too."
I let go of her hands and wrap her in a hug, resting my chin on the top of her head as she closes the gap between us. "I'll miss you," I whisper, really trying not to get stupidly emotional over this. I'll be back.
"I'll miss you, too," she sniffs.
We break apart, and enter the other room. Gaius and I exchange a swift farewell, being used to goodbyes between us for an extended period. With this, I'm on my way out the door to join up with the others.
The whole ride to the camp, I have thoughts of Morgana's location creeping through my brain. She knows these people have struck at us, and we are now striking back. There's not a doubt in my mind that she is already ahead of us, warning them of our arrival. But it is of no consequence. If I know Arthur- and I do- we will not be returning to Camelot without that crystal.
We pause near the top of the valley, peering out over the trees through the mist. "Gaius had better be right about this," Arthur says with a hint of warning before we press on. I kept my mouth shut only because I know I cannot defend his word without exposing other things. There is no point to it then, if you think about it, and I have. I often find myself in situations where I cannot condemn another for I would then be condemning myself. It's extremely frustrating.
Worry wells up inside me as we near our destinations. Unfortunately, Arthur is more in tune than he looks. "I don't know why I bring you on these expeditions," he comments, "You spend the whole time terrified."
"I am not terrified," this I will defend. He has no idea.
"Yes, you are. I can tell you are," he insists.
"No, you can't," I argue.
"If you weren't scared," he challenges, "You'd be talking rubbish as usual."
"I am talking rubbish as usual!" I poorly cover my current standing. "I mean, I am talking as usual," I trip over my words, "So, clearly, I'm not scared." 'Way to prove a point, Merlin,' I think to myself in a scold.
A look of triumph crosses Arthur's face, complete with a smile that shows inner laughter. I decide to say nothing more. I suddenly find myself longing for a friendly face empty of mockery- one in particular who stayed behind.
We come to a road that can go one of two ways. "Where now?" Arthur turns to me in question.
"No idea," I shake my head.
"I thought you said Gaius gave you directions," he prods.
"He did," I affirm, "He, uh... He just didn't tell me about this part." An expression of disbelief takes over the prince's face. I hop off my horse before any yelling begins, but it does a second afterward.
"Merlin, this is your fault!" he rampages as a ringing fills my ears, which are trying to tune into the voice that belongs to the youngest of the perpetrators. "If you'd just guarded the keys to the vault..." his voice fades away, replaced by an echo of Mordred's.
'They're coming! The crystal... Warn the others!'
All these phrases wrack around in my mind as Arthur's voice breaks through the barrier of my hearing once more. "Merlin! I am talking to you!" He comes up behind me, "What are you doing?"
"The renegade camp," I pause, "It's that way." I motion to the direction of which I speak.
"And you know this because?"
"I know it because ... Because of," I try to think of an answer, as he shakes his head at me, showing that he thinks I'm an idiot.
"I give up," he starts to walk away.
I concentrate as my eyes flash gold and a footprint appears in the mud. "Because of this!" I declare, moving to the mark.
Arthur heads toward me, "So it's a footprint. Who says it belongs to a renegade?" he pushes.
I go the easy way of convincing him and conjure multiple prints. "There's more," I inform him anew.
He plods over and observes. Finally taking my word seriously, he commands, "Follow me," to the whole of our party- and follow we do.
Within a few moments, we lay low in the very woods that Rose and I had been in the other day and in the very same fashion. "I told you," I utter softly above Arthur's head, "Didn't I tell you?" He says nothing, but plunges to the edge of the border of the trees and nearer to the tents that appear far too still. "Wait," I call after him in a whisper, "What are you doing?" He trots right into enemy territory without a signal. We tread after him, not a glimpse of any other life around.
Arthur makes it to about the center of the camp before he eases up and throws his sword to the ground, driving the point into the dirt. He squats down next to what used to be a cooking fire and grabs a handful of the lumps of ash. "Well, whoever was here, they're not here anymore," he fills us in as the remainder of the men search out the rest of the area.
I shoot a couple glances in either direction, "Yes, they are," I state, with an arrow whizzing past Arthur and sticking into one of our men to prove it. Soldiers all around me, shot, falling in defeat ending with their last breaths.
"Take cover!" Arthur shouts, and we all scramble for cover as the small army of renegades charge at us from all sides. Yells, grunts, and groans hang in the air as the battle ensues, man after man hitting the dirt as the life drains from their body. Arthur cuts through a few enemies and I find security in the hollow of a tree. This is where I can help best, without my skills being uncovered. Two arrows fly into the trunk right by my head, their origin from no other crossbow but Alvarr's.
"Run, Mordred!" he demands. My eyes follow the Druid, and then the rest of me does, as well. I take a few steps after him, stop, and bring a root to stretch out in his path with my magic. He trips with a grunt, and stands, whipping around in his place. A couple of our men head for him with swords in hand as he lowers his head, closing his eyes. Only I know that cannot be a sign of defeat. I watch as spears dart into each of their chests. My jaw drops and clenches in anger and disappointment.
His eyes connect with mine, a darkness swimming in his bright orbs as his voice haunts my mind once more.
'I shall never forgive this, Emrys, and I shall never forget.'
He turns and makes his escape, as does my hope of a personal victory in all of this.
I return my attention to the camp, finding Alvarr the last enemy standing, surrounded by those of us who survived. He attempts to strike Arthur in vain.
"Give me the crystal," Arthur demands, bringing his sword's point to Alvarr's chest, gripping his shoulder with his left hand.
"Why should you care?" Alvarr hisses, "What use it is to you?" Arthur plunges his sword into the ground as two other men secure the thief and pat him down. "You're a fool!" he spits, "How many lives have been lost this day, and for what?" Arthur maintains a grave look at the man. "You cannot wield the crystal. You do not have the power! None of you do!" he calls after us as they pull him back.
I watch on intently as Arthur yanks the pouch off of the crystal. Little do they know that I may possess the capability of using such a tool. I have to get a look at it. I want to see... I must. I confirm my plan for this to myself as they take Alvarr away.
Later in the evening, I sit by the fire with my palm pressed against my forehead. Arthur's voice cuts into my thoughts, "Merlin?"
"Sorry?" I offer, not having heard what he said to me.
"Not the right answer," he informs plainly.
"What?" I question in an unusual tone of voice.
"Something on your mind, is there?" he pinpoints.
"It's just," I begin, "When we entered the camp, it was a trap, wasn't it? They knew we were coming."
"Yeah, so?" he sees no relevance to my statement.
"How did they know?" I press, trying to get him to think on it.
"Well," he dwells a second, "They're sorcerers, aren't they? Probably used magic or something. Now," he holds up the crystal, "I need you to guard this with your life."
"Why me?" I question, chills creeping up my spine for fear of the power it holds.
"I can't hardly very well guard it while I'm asleep, can I?" he states the obvious.
"Neither can I," I protest.
"Who said anything about you sleeping?" he asks, provoking indignant feelings in me as he tosses the thing to me.
I sit not looking at it, just nervously clasping it in my hands when I have a change of heart. I drop it on the ground. I no longer want to hold onto it. I'm strongly reconsidering the matter of utilizing the crystal to any extent.
My breathing labored, as it seems to be staring me in the face, tempting me to look into it and see what it has to show. I ignore its call for a long while. The fire dies out in this time. Everyone is asleep. I can feel a pull radiating from it. I grab it from its spot on the ground, no longer able to resist and uncover it. I gape at it for a few seconds and right when the images start, I wish I hadn't.