"Undeniable" (Rose)
Merlin bursts into the small clearing we reside in for the time being. "We must get Arthur to the cave," he informs me, heading towards the Prince.
"So you've found him?"
"I think so," he laughs nervously.
I check to see that the horses are properly tethered, and I follow Merlin to the cave. It's dark and very dreary, but my eyes adjust swiftly, and there is far too much anticipation built up within me to be brought down by the setting. The cave in long in length and short in height, but that makes it feel cozier, if one can ever consider a cave as cozy- not like Balinor has had much of a choice in the matter.
We make it back to the encampment where a man with a blank expression, rough hands, a scraggly head of hair complete with beard, meets us. He stares me down in a way I am totally unaware if he wants to hug me or murder me. I cannot seem to bring my eyes to his. He takes hold of Arthur, laying him on a part of the ground prepared for sleeping on, it seems. He begins to ask us to fetch things, and we readily do so. I bring him the small pot he asked us to fill with water. When I do, I see his eyes for the first time, and though they are brown, I see the same genuine spark of life in them I have only seen once before in a certain serving boy. I recall the moment I first encountered Merlin and his shining blue orbs. I saw in them a fire. They give off the sense of his heart, and I conclude that he inherited that from his father. They share the same undeniable quality. He breaks the contact and goes to work preparing what comes to be a gray paste of some sort, which he packs into Arthur's wound.
Merlin and I are off to the side, watching this stranger work. I lean over discreetly and whisper in his ear, "You have his spirit." He smiles like a joyful child at the comment, regaining his composure as hastily as he'd lost it.
"More Mutters" (Merlin)
The man holds out his hand over Arthur's brow, hesitates, and then picks up once again, muttering softly, eyes closed, in what sounds to me like an old language of some sort- or possibly something else ... He looks to me, as if to see if he had offended me at all. I merely gaze at the floor. "He needs rest," he says quietly.
"Will he be alright?" I question with hope.
He nods, "By morning."
He walks past me and I turn a little, "Thank you."
He carries on with preparing a meal. Rose offers her services as I stay with Arthur for a bit. Surprisingly, he lets her work with him. She does have this way of getting to your heart much faster than other people do. She's hard not to love. She treats him with the utmost respect, making the dish to his preference, and saying small things that grab his attention, and I swear he fights off a smile each time. Watching them, I get a glimpse of what she and her father must have been like together, were this man not so reserved.
When the food is finished cooking, Rose serves us, and we sit around the fire to dine. He starts eating without a word, and I try to break his silence. "Looks good," I give a small smile and take a bite. I am relieved that it is as satisfying as it is. He keeps quiet, so I try again. "How long have you lived here?"
"A few winters," he answers swiftly.
"Must be hard," I comment.
"Why are you here?" he demands, raising his voice slightly.
"Just traveling," I shrug a little. He goes back to chewing, seeming to not mind that explanation. "We're looking for someone," I add. "I was told- well, they said that he lived somewhere hereabouts. A man named Balinor." I finally finish, attempting for it not to appear so important. He simply resumes eating, staring at me blankly. "You've never heard of him?" I can sense that Rose does not want to intrude on this first real conversation between us, so she says nothing, although I wish she would. She's better at this sort of thing than I am, clearly, for he still says nothing. "He was a Dragonlord," I finish off my ramble.
"He's passed on," he says matter-of-factly.
"You knew him?" I counter.
"Who are you?" he snaps again, this time addressing us both.
"I'm ... Merlin," I draw out to see if there is any sign of recognition for him in my name.
"And my name is Rose," she introduces herself calmly.
"And him?" he points at our sleeping friend.
"He's my master," I say plainly.
"His name?" he barks.
"His name is ... Lancelot," I blab, "He's a knight, y'know, but a nice one."
He leans forward in a semi-threatening manner, "His name is Arthur Pendragon." I feel my face give way. "He is Uther's son."
"Yes," I admit.
"This is Cenred's kingdom. He's asking for trouble. What do you want from me?" he interrogates.
"Are you Balinor?" I turn the tables.
"Please, tell us," Rose takes my side when he is silent yet again, "We need to know."
"The Great Dragon is attacking Camelot," I add to the information now rising to the surface.
"His name is Kilgharrah," he tells us.
"We can't stop him. Only you, a Dragonlord, can," I close.
He nods subtly, "He doesn't act blindly. He kills for a reason: vengeance. This is of Uther's making."
"He's killing innocent people- women and children," I present the case further.
"Uther pursued me! He hunted me like an animal!" he shouts.
"I know," I murmur.
"What do you know about anybody's life, boy?" he stands, faces the other direction, and begins to pace. "Uther asked me to use my power to bring the last dragon to Camelot. He said he wanted to make peace with it, but he did not. He lied to me. He betrayed me! You want me to protect this man?"
"I want you to protect Camelot," I state.
"He killed every one of my kind. I alone escaped," he yells as Rose hitches in a breath and doesn't let it out.
"Where did you go?" I feel my eyes widen. Perhaps the truth can now reveal itself.
He breathes deeply, calming down, "There is a place called Ealdor."
"We know of it," she says quietly.
"Yes," I confirm.
"I had a life there," he recalls sadly, "A woman- a good woman." I nod repeatedly. "Ealdor is beyond Uther's realm, but still he pursued me. Why would he not let me be? What was it that I had done that he wanted to destroy the life I'd built- abandon the woman I loved? He sent knights to kill me. I was forced to come here, to this!" I lean back a little as he steps near. "So ... I understand how Kilgharrah feels. He's lost everyone of his kind, everyone of his kin. You want to know how that feels? Look around, boy." He has no idea of what I've been through, what she's been through- how we know. "Let Uther die. Let Camelot fall."
"That's not fair," Rose protests softly.
I pause, "You want everyone in Camelot to die?"
"Why should I care?" he challenges.
I swallow, "What if one of them was your son?"
"I don't have a son."
"And if I told you-"
"Merlin," Arthur mumbles. "Merlin," he proceeds in a fit of coughing as Balinor walks away ... He's my father, and he has absolutely no clue.
'All is not lost,' Rose reassures me. 'We will convince him.'
I hope that with all my being she is right.