Chapter 1 (the dragon's call)
It is a beautiful day in Camelot. Mary stands in front of her small home and sweeps the floor. In between, she watches the people streaming past her towards the castle. She waits until she is going to go in that direction. She knows that an execution is taking place today, and she always takes care not to be near it. Gaius, the courtphysician, knows about it and does not expect her until noon.
As her gaze roams over the people of Camelot, she catches sight of a young man she has never seen before. He is probably not much older than she is...has very dark hair, carries a backpack with his belongings and walks through the alley with a puzzled look.Mary smiles, he seems to have never been in such a big village before and today's hustle and bustle only makes all the new more exciting.She herself arrived here not so long ago with the same wonderment on her face. It's hard to believe it's been about a year now.The young man comes in her direction. He smiles at her and she immediately notices his friendly, blue eyes.
"Hello, you seem to be new here! Can I help you?" Mary addresses the stranger and is surprised of herself... otherwise she is rather cautious about other people and is more of a loner. She has a hard time making new friends, but that has to do with her past.
The man replies:" Oh dear, is it that obvious? I need to get to the castle, but it's not hard to find. My name is Merlin." He holds out his hand to her.
Now that's what you get, Mary scolds herself inwardly. She takes a step towards him and gives him her hand. "I'm Mary. Welcome to Camelot!"
Friendly, he squeezes her hand and smiles at her. He is about a head taller than her, very slim, almost skinny, and she estimates him to be about 20.He lets go of her, waves and disappears into the crowd. It occurs to her too late that she should warn him of the impending atrocity.
King Uther has once again linked someone to sorcery and is now having him executed. Mary knows the condemned man only slightly, but she has never seen any danger in him. He has always been very friendly and helpful.
She shakes her head, she disagrees with the king on many things, but she would never say that out loud, otherwise she would end up on the executioner's block herself.
When she hears the drums of the approaching execution, Mary retreats to her cottage. As she braids her hair, she hums softly so that she does not have to hear anything of what is happening in the nearby castle.
After an hour, Mary sets off for the castle. She has promised Gaius that she will help him dry herbs. The streets are almost deserted. Only a few people are still on the road or chatting on streetcorners. Strange, something must have happened. She passes Stefan, one of the stable boys. "Hello Stefan, how are you?"
"Hello Mary, of course you weren't at the execution, so you don't know yet! The mother of the condemned man threatened Uther that the same would happen to him...an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son...those were her words. Before she vanished into thin air...it was quite scary."
Mary frowns worriedly...that does sound unsettling. She walks a little faster, perhaps Gaius can tell her something more about it.
As she arrrives outside the doctor's chambers, she hears voices inside: "But you're not supposed to come until Wednesday?" she hears him say as she opens the door.
Gaius' counterpart replies: "But it is Wednesday!"
Mary smiles to herself. It is well known that the courtphysician sometimes forgets the time when he is so busy. But she has grown very fond of him over the last year and sees him as a teacher, friend and father.
Surprised, Mary stops when she notices the mess in the room. Gaius's bed is in the middle of the room and it looks like something has fallen on it. She looks at the two men standing next to it, who are also looking at her. In the second man she recognises Merlin, the young man she met in the morning. "I'm sorry to just barge in like this. I didn't know you had company, Gaius!"
"Oh, Mary, you can always come in here. You know that. I've been waiting for you, too. May I introduce Merlin to you? He's going to stay with me and maybe learn something from me."
Merlin replies: "I've already had the pleasure of meeting Mary. She was the first kind soul i met here in Camelot."
Gaius: "Well then, that's wonderful. Mary has healing knowledge. She lends me a hand whenever she can. Merlin, you must be tired from your journey. There's your chamber. It's not much but I think it should do." Gaius points to the back of his examination and living room, where a small staircase leads to a wooden door. Merlin grabs his backpack and disappears inside.
Mary knows the room. A month ago, this was her room before she moved into the small cottage in the lower village. Gaius had taken her under his protection a year ago. She was distraught and traumatised then. He had shown her that there were self-sacrificing, helpful people with hearts in Camelot. Despite seeing in him something like a father, she no longer wanted to live in the castle, where she was always confronted with the king and his rules. Also, in the lower village she was closer to the people who desperately needed her. She knew the effects of many herbs and cared for the injured and sick whenever she could. She had received all her knowledge from her mother.
"What are you thinking about again. You seem worried. Come, help me push my bed back into place!" Gaius snaps her out of her thoughts.
Mary asks: "Gaius, have you heard from the mother of the executed man? Is Merlin this boy you were expecting? The son of an acquaintance of yours? And by the way, what is your bed doing here under the bookcase?"
Gaius looks at her with a smile: "You have so many questions again! Yes I heard about the mother's threat and you would do well to worry about it. Yes, Merlin is Hunith's son...she asked me some time ago to take him in and guide him. And my bed is here because I tried to get to one of the shelves. Didn't work though. I'll have to find the ladder."
Surprised, Mary's gaze falls on the ladder lying next to the bed, as if it had fallen over. Something seems strange to her. But she doesn't ask Gaius about it...she trusts him.
Gaius and Mary work all afternoon on herbal mixtures and ointments. When it is already dark, Gaius says: "Mary, why don't you call it a day and go home? I'll bring this medicine to Lady Morgana. I'll see you in the morning!" He pats her shoulder lovingly.
"Yes, thank you Gaius, I will do that. I'll tidy up a bit here and put yesterday's soup on the fire so you and Merlin have something to eat. See you tomorrow!" Gaius disappears through the door.
Mary puts all the vials, jars and mortar in their place. Builds a fire and hangs the heavy pot over it. Frowning, she sniffs the soup...she hopes Merlin isn't fussy. Cooking is definitely not Gaius's best feature.
She wanders her eyes around the room once more and as she does her eyes fall on a piece of parchment. It is a letter to Gaius. And although Mary knows that it is none of her business, she begins to read the fine handwriting.
My dear Gaius,
I turn to you because I feel abandoned and I don't know who to trust. It is every mother's fate to believe her son is different and yet I would give my life if Merlin were not so.
This is a small village and he is so at odds with the residents here, if he stayed I would be very worried about him.
He needs a helping hand, a guiding voice, someone to show him the meaning of his gift.
I ask you, if you can understand the love of a mother: Protect him.
May God be with you both.
Hunith
Mary lowers the letter and looks to the chamber door where Merlin is inside. Guiltily, she puts the letter back on the table. This Merlin carries a secret with him, she is sure of it.
Quietly she goes to the door and makes her way home.
Outside the castle gates she bumps into Guinevere. They have become friends over the past year. Gwen, as most people call her, is the servant to Morgana, King Uther's ward.
Together they go to the lower Village and Mary tells her all about the new arrival in Camelot.
Outside their home, the two girls say goodbye.
The next morning the sun shines again. Mary gets up at 6:00. She wants to stop by to see some patients before heading to the castle. She packs her shoulder bag with the necessary material and steps out into the sun.
People on the street know her and greet her in a friendly way, offer her bread or fruit or want some advice from her. Almost every morning it is the same, but Mary loves this time of the day. She feels welcomed, respected and can help.
As the day approaches midday, Mary has finished all her visits and sets off to see Gaius.
Near the castle she sees some knights gathered on a lawn in front of it. One in particular stands out as he picks on a servant who is carrying a target. He keeps sending him to a different place until he gets the idea to hit the target in motion. The servant gets scared when the first knives hit the wooden target and runs faster. Mary narrows her eyes and watches the whole thing from afar. Ready to rush in at any time should there be casualties. She already knows the game well enough.
The servant suddenly stumbles, falls and drops the disc, which rolls on to the street, where it is stopped by a shoe.
"Hey, come on, that's enough!" Mary is horrified to see that Merlin is the one who has just stood up for the servant. She bites her lower lip and slowly walks towards the action. Far above, she sees Gwen in a window, also watching the whole thing.
A blond knight, who is clearly the leader, walks slowly towards Merlin. "What did you just say?"
"You've had your fun, my friend. Let it go!" Mary can't believe her ears...
The knight continues to walk towards Merlin and Mary quickens her steps. "Do we know each other?"
"Oh, no, I'm Merlin!" he holds out his hand to the knight.
The blond seems less pleased and says : "So we don't know each other, and yet you called me a friend?"
"That was a mistake on my part, I've never had a friend who is such an ass!"
Mary gasps...oh Merlin, don't you know who you're talking to?
Merlin actually has no idea.
The knight takes him in a clamp grip and says : "You're going to the dungeon for this!"
Merlin: "What do you think? You're the king?"
"No, I'm Arthur, his son!" Merlin is immediately hauled off.
Mary turns around and runs as fast as she can to Gaius.
The old man is standing at one of his tables, mixing up a tincture, when Mary rushes breathlessly into the room. "Gaius, they've put Merlin in the dungeon...he had an unpleasant encounter with Prince Arthur!"
Gaius rushes past Mary, "This is getting off to a good start! I must speak with the king."
At the same time Merlin is put in the dungeons under the castle and locked in a cell.
The next morning Merlin awakes to a distant voice calling his name. Perplexed, he gets up from the cool floor and looks around. There is no one there. And yet in his head he hears someone calling him by name. "Merlin...Merlin..."
The boy is about to check under the straw of his sleepingquarters when the cell door opens and Gaius walks in. "What were you thinking. Someone like you shouldn't stand out here in Camelot. And what are you doing? You're making an idiot of yourself! You're lucky I was able to negotiate with the king to get you released!"
"Oh thank you Gaius! I won't forget this!"
"No, you won't forget...you'll have to make a sacrifice!"
And before Merlin understands what is happening to him, he is already in the pillory being pelted with rotten fruit.
Mary and Gwen have met in the garden and are enjoying their break together. There is quite a commotion in the castle as Lady Helen arrived last night. She will be singing the day after tomorrow, at the festivities in honour of the 20 year banishment of magic from Camelot. Gwen and Mary are also looking forward to it. They have heard nothing else but how wonderful Helen's voice is supposed to be!
Gwen talks about her day at the castle, and that yesterday she watched Merlin take on Arthur.
"I think he's an incredibly brave boy. No one has ever talked to Arthur like that before. It made me laugh a bit!"
"I don't know Gwen, I thought it was incredibly stupid of Merlin...however, I guess he never learned how to interact at court. Too bad he bumped into Arthur on his first clash! What's all the commotion in the marketplace?"
Excitedly, the two young women walk towards the action. Of course, this is how they bump into Merlin, who is standing in the stocks, just catching his breath as the people have run out of tainted throwing objects.
Mary remains standing on the edge with her arms folded.
Gwen, however, walks up to Merlin and says: "My name is Guinevere, but everyone calls me Gwen. I'm Lady Morgana's maid."
"Hello, I'm Merlin!" Merlin tries to reach out to her, which of course is hardly possible as is hands are stuck in two holes so he can't escape.
Gwen smiles, "I watched what you did yesterday and thought it was very brave!"
"Well it was more like stupid!"
"I'm glad you didn't go in for a fight. Arthur is a bullie and would have flattened you for sure. Everyone thought you were heroic!"
"Oh my looks are just camouflage. I could have taken him on just fine." Before Gwen can say anything in reply the people come in with new fruit and she quickly gets to safety and rejoins Mary. "I wonder what he meant by it being a cover. As if he could do much more than he pretends..." says Gwen to Mary.
Mary had heard his statement too and keeps it in the back of her mind. There is something about this Merlin and it will not leave her alone until she has uncovered his secret.
Towards evening, peace returns to Camelot. Merlin steps out of his room, freshly washed, and joins Gaius and Mary. Mary has set the table for them and a stew is simmering over the fire. "I will take my leave. I wish you a quiet evening and a good night." With that she pulls on a cloak and walks out the door.
Gaius and Merlin sit down at the table. Merlin looks at the stew and fervently hopes that it is better than the last meals he has had from Gaius. On the other hand, he is so hungry that he would probably even eat rotten vegetables to get full.
Gaius looks at Merlin seriously, "what did your mother tell you about your gift?"
"Only that I am special."
"She's right about that. I only know people who can do magic, who have studied it and read books. I've never seen anyone like you!"
"Why is there no magic in Camelot?" asks Merlin. This question has been burning on his tongue since he arrived.
"Well, Uther banned magic from Camelot 20 years ago, and everything associated with magic. So were the dragons!"
"All dragons?"
"There's still one, they say, that Uther didn't kill, but keeps imprisoned as an example in the caves deep beneath the castle, where no one can free him."
Lost in thought, Merlin eats his stew.
Mary also gets up at 6:00 on Saturday. She puts on her plain purple dress. It matches her deep blue eyes and fair skin perfectly. She leaves her brown curls loose today.
In a good mood, she goes out into the street and walks through the market stalls. Just as she is not paying attention to the path, she stumbles, but is caught somewhat ungently. As she is about to thank who ever catcht her, she looks directly into Arthur's face, who smiles at her.
She quickly frees herself from his grip, stands up straight and says, "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the path, Sire!"
"Oh that's no problem at all. I love helping beautiful women in need! You look stunning today, Mary!"
"Thank you!" she stammers and walks on quickly without turning around. She doesn't know Arthur very well, but since her first day in Camelot, she's seen him as an arrogant, self-absorbed prince. As best she can, when working in the castle, she tries to avoid him.
As she is about to turn the corner, she hears shouting and screaming behind her. When she turns around, she can hardly believe her eyes. In the middle of the street, Merlin and Arthur are facing each other. Arthur throws Merlin a mace and challenges him to a fight. Merlin cannot hold the weapon and it falls at his feet.
"Oh no...this can't go well, there will be casualties!" mumbles Mary to herself and heads for the fight.
The fight is in an imbalance. Arthur is a skilled fighter and much stronger than the lanky Merlin. The dark haired, after all, is quite quick and can protect himself from most hits by jumping behind stands or crates. The fight becomes more and more fierce and if Arthur's mace had not got tangled in two sickles, Merlin would certainly have been seriously injured. Arhtur then trips over a rope and lands on the ground. Merlin is confident of victory, pushes Arthur all the way to the ground with a broom and turns to the cheering crowd. His eyes meet Mary's, who is watching the spectacle anxiously. Arthur stands up blind with rage, picks up a nearby broom and uses it to bring Merlin down from behind. He hits him 3-4 more times until Merlin lies bent over in the straw.
But when the guards want to help Merlin up and take him away, Arthur raises his hand and says: "Wait, let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one! There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it." With these words, Arthur turns and walks back to the castle.
The crowd slowly empties and finally Mary makes it to Merlin, who is still crouching on the ground with his head hanging. "Merlin?"
Slowly he looks to her and she sees in his eyes a pain and loneliness she knows all too well herself. She helps him to stand and accompanies him back to the castle, to Gaius. But Gaius is not there at the moment and so Merlin goes to his room with his head hanging. Mary looks after him dejectedly.
She gathers some things, goes to his room door and knocks softly. "Merlin? I know you're hurt. May I look at the physical wounds?"
"Come in." she hears softly.
When she pushes open the door, she sees Merlin lying on his bed. He is lying on his side, looking blankly at the wall.
"Merlin, would you sit on the edge of the bed for a moment?" Slowly Merlin straightens up. His pained face shows her that he has taken some bruises.
"Take your shirt off, please. Then I can take a look at the damage." Merlin does as he is told.
His back is covered with bruises and some abrasions. On his flank he has a bleeding wound, probably where the mace hit him hard. Mary carefully cleans the wounds and puts ointment on the spots. Merlin makes no sound.
It squeezes Mary's heart to see him so sad. "I'll give you something else for the pain so you can sleep. Why has it come to this?"
Merlin just looks at her and says softly, "Thanks for fixing me up. I'll be fine."
Mary gets up and closes the door behind her just as Gaius enters. "I just heard...where is he? How is he?"
Mary puts a hand on his arm, "I've already treated him. But maybe he needs someone to talk to. Someone he trusts. He seems so sad, Gaius. What's happened to him? Something is different about him...I can't put my finger on it, but I have noticed it since he came to Camelot."
"You ask so many questions again, Mary. I can't answer them for you. But as clever as you are, you'll figure out some of the answers yourself." He smiles fatherly at her and pats her hand. "Go, I'll see you at the feast tomorrow." Gaius disappears into Merlin's room.
Mary hears them murmuring, and tries to listen more closely. "Am I a monster, Gaius?"
"Don't think that!"
"Then why am I like this? Please I need to know! Why?"
"Maybe there's someone who knows better!"
"If you can't explain it, then no one can!"
Frowning, Mary walks to the door...what did Gaius mean by saying there was someone who knew better?
Lost in thought, Mary walks through the corridors of the castle, not even noticing how she ends up at Lady Helen's door. She is startled when she hears a thud. When she looks through the door, which is ajar, she sees a servant drop dead, giving her a view of Lady Helen. But it was not Lady Helen. In the mirror behind the woman she sees, has white, stringy hair. Before the singer can discover Mary, she disappears into the shadows of the columns.
Merlin lies awake in his bed. So many things are going through his mind and his whole body aches from today's fight. He knows he should have just kept going. But this arrogant prince, for some inexplicable reason, infuriates him. He closes his eyes and tries to think of something else.
"Merlin"...there it is again, that voice in his head. Merlin sits up. No one is in his room.
"Merlin" the voice is deep, friendly and sounds old...quietly Merlin gets up. Even more quietly he walks through his bedroom door into Gaius's chambers. The old physician is lying in his bed, fast asleep.
Merlin bumps his foot against a chair, which falls over with a thud. But Gaius only clears his throat briefly, turns once and continues to sleep. Relieved, Merlin grabs his brown leather jacket and goes outside. Again and again he hears the voice calling for him. Somehow he knows where he has to go. It's as if the voice is guiding him. As he goes down a flight of stairs, he notices two guards playing a game of dice at the foot of the stairs. Without thinking twice, Merlin's eyes light up golden and the dice fall off the table as if by magic. On and on they roll and the guards go after them. Both men disappear into a dark corridor.
Merlin's path is clear. He stops in front of a gate. It is dark behind it and cold, damp air seeps out. Without further ado, the young wizard lights a torch and pulls open the gate. He has to descend a steep, damp staircase. It smells of sulphur and fire. A passage follows that makes two bends. Shortly afterwards, Merlin is standing in a huge cave on a rocky ledge. The cave is empty. And Merlin no longer hears a voice. Was he only dreaming after all?
"Where are you?" Only the echo answers.
Merlin is about to turn away when he suddenly feels a gust of wind. A huge dragon has landed on a rock behind him. Startled, Merlin takes a step back. The dragon is as big as a house. It has big glowing eyes and even bigger teeth.
"How small you are, for such a great destiny!" the dragon's voice is friendly.
Merlin realises it is the same voice he has always heard in his head. "What do you mean by that? What destiny?"
"Your gift Merlin, it was given to you for a reason."
Relieved, Merlin replies, "So there is a reason!"
"Arthur is the one and future king who will unite Albion. But he faces many dangers, from friends and foes."
"I don't understand, what does any of this have to do with me?"
"Everything! Without you, Arthur will never win. Without you, there will be no Albion."
"No! That's where you're wrong.If someone wants to kill Arthur, I don't mind. I'll even help!"
The dragon laughs loudly: "We cannot choose our fate, Merlin. And no one can escape it."
Merlin shakes his head. "No, not a chance. There must be another Arthur. For this one is an idiot!"
"Perhaps your destiny is to change this!" The dragon looks at Merlin seriously. He opens his huge wings and rises into the air. One foot of the great creature is chained with a thick chain.
"No, wait! I need to know more about it!" Merlin stares after the dragon until he can no longer see it.
The next morning, when Mary stops by Gaius' house, she hears discussions coming from Merlin's room. After some time, Gaius stomps out and walks out the door. He doesn't seem to have seen Mary at all. She is tempted for a moment to run after him. So eager is she to share her observations of last night with him. Gaius always finds a logical explanation for everything. Merlin comes out of the room.
He looks tired, Mary thinks to herself. "Good morning. How are your injuries?" Sleepily, Merlin looks at Mary, "Oh, your treatment worked wonders! Thank you very much. Unfortunately, I still didn't sleep that well. Gaius wants me to tidy up and collect herbs such as cupweed, weedwort and sour grass. I have no idea what they look like!" Mary takes pity, "All right. Let me have the herbs. I like going into the forest. Why don't you take this tincture to Morgana? She has nightmares and this will make her sleep more soundly."
When Merlin knocks on Lady Morgana's door, Gwen opens it for him. "Oh, hello Merlin! You brought the tincture. Thank you."
"Gwen, who is it?" A beautyful girl comes to the door. She has dark long curls and a friendly face. Gwen introduces her to Merlin.
Morgana thanks him "Nice to meet you Merlin! I guess I'll see you at the feast tonight." Gwen smiles at Merlin and closes the door.
Mary loves it in the forest. The air smells so fresh, everything around her is alive and she feels really free. She quickly finds the herbs Gaius needs and walks to her favourite places. She completely forgets the time and only notices how late it is when it gets dark.
Startled, she rushes back to the castle. She has to tell Gaius about Lady Helen. Mary has a bad feeling about this. But when she comes back, she can already hear Lady Helen singing in the great banquet hall. The song is mesmerisingly beautiful and Mary's heart warms and she gets tired...so tired. The doors to the hall are firmly closed and so Mary tries to peek through the cracks.
All the people sitting at the long tables are asleep! Mary tears her eyes open. Something is wrong. Suddenly she spies Merlin, who is the only one awake, covering his ears. Of course...the music is magic and makes everyone sleep. Mary covers her ears. Horrified, she sees Helen pull out a knife and head straight for the table with the king and prince. Desperately she tries to get the door open, but it is firmly locked. Mary wants to scream when she sees the big chandelier suddenly fall down and bury Lady Helen under it. Mary is still shaking the door and finally it opens. Mary rushes into the room and sees Lady Helen throwing the knife at Arthur.
Mary cries out and covers her eyes with her hands. Everything remains silent and Mary does not dare to open her eyes. After a few minutes, which seem like an eternity, she hears noises. Slowly she lowers her hands and watches Merlin and Arthur stand up. The knife is deep in the chair where Arthur had just been sitting. Merlin must have pulled the prince to the ground before the knife could mortally wound him. The sleeping people have woken up again and the king looks in disbelief at the knife, his son and Merlin and last but not least at the woman lying dead under the chandelier. She has lost her enchanted form and Mary recognises in her the mother of the executed sorcerer from a few days ago. She wanted to carry out her threat and kill the king's son.
Uther walks up to Merlin. "You saved my son's life. I am in your debt. You shall be rewarded."
Merlin waves it off sheepishly, "There is no need, Your Highness!"
"Of course. I wish to reward you with employment in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's personal servant!" Neither the Prince nor Merlin can object, for the King has already turned away.
Mary has to stifle a smile. She sees Gaius at the other end of the hall and their eyes meet. He smiles too...at last Merlin has a job, for his task as Gaius' messenger, he has done more poorly than well so far. Suddenly Gwen is standing next to Mary: "I wonder if that will work out? Those two don't like each other at all!"
"I believe that both can learn a lot from each other. Perhaps this is an opportunity for everyone."
Late in the evening, when Merlin is already in his room reviewing what has happened, Gaius comes in. He carries a large book under his arm. "We have found a use. For your gift. I saw you save Arthur. Perhaps that is the reason!"
"My destiny..." replies Merlin, thinking of the dragon's words.
"This book was given to me at your age. But I think it will be of greater use to you."
Merlin opens the large book and sees many written foreign words inside. Astonished, he looks at Gaius: "This is a magic book! I will learn every word!" Merlin beams.
"You must keep it hidden, Merlin!"
"I know, and I will!" contentedly, Merlin falls asleep that night. Perhaps it can become something like home here after all. Tonight he feels less alone!