The Moment of Truth
Part 2
Hunith watched her daughter from the doorway as the young woman finished preparing the evening meal. Merlyn had come a long way from the skinny girl she had waved off that day nearly two seasons past. She had blossomed, even thrived in Camelot. Her petite frame had gained perhaps a little height, her figure was maybe a little fuller. Her daughter was no longer a child.
Sending Merlyn to her brother had been the hardest decision of her life, one she had tortured herself with since the moment she had waved her daughter off that fresh spring morning. But she knew now that it had been the right decision. And knowing this she berated herself for going to Camelot and not trying harder to make her stay in the city where she was safe.
Steadying herself she entered the room and sat at the table, patting the other seat.
"Come here, little bird." Reaching out she cradled her daughters face in her hands, stroking her rosy cheeks with her thumbs. Merlyn nuzzled her cheek into her mother's hands, enjoying the caress.
"I do love you, Merlyn, so very much."
"I know." Merlyn opened her eyes and looked up at the older woman, removing her mother's hands from her face and holding them tightly in her own. "What's wrong?"
"I should never have gone to Camelot. I've ruined everything for you."
"You haven't. Why would you say that?"
"I know what you're planning to do."
Merlyn let out a long sigh as she closed her eyes and hung her head. Choosing her words carefully she looked back at her mother.
"If it comes to a choice between saving people's lives and revealing who I really am…" She moved her shoulders up in a helpless shrug, "there is no choice."
"You can't let them know about your gift."
"Why not? Maybe it's meant to be this way. And if he…they don't accept me for who I really am, then…" Merlyn trailed off and pulled her mother into a tight hug.
"It will be okay, Mother. Everything will be fine."
It was the last watch of the evening and Arthur was taking his turn to watch the tree line in the dying light. Alun shifted beside him on the tree stump they were perched on, having joined the young Prince in his sentry duty.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, I would like to thank you for your help." The older man broke the comfortable silence between them, the words needing to be said. "I know the risk you have taken coming here."
Arthur cleared his throat. "I just wish I could do more." He said honestly, "If Ealdor was on the other side of the ridge…"
"This would not have happened." Alun stated firmly. "Your father looks after what is his."
The older man looked sideways at the Prince, weighing something in his mind before decided to broach the subject.
"Excuse me for asking, Sire. But… why are you here?" Arthur looked startled although he really shouldn't have. In truth he was wondering why it had taken so long to be asked. He struggled for a moment before answering.
"There are two reasons really. I helped Merlyn and Hunith get an audience with the King. When I heard what was occurring and what it meant… I remembered a group of bandits who had targeted a small village in Camelot. The knights responded quickly and those responsible were punished but that little village…many died and they are still trying to recover. Knowing it was happening again, to a frien… to the home of somebody I know…" Arthur shrugged. "I had to do something."
"What's the other?" Alun pressed.
"Merlyn." Arthur confessed, meeting the other man's gaze for the first time in the conversation. "She saved my life and I owe her a lot. So do the others. This is her home."
"She asked you to come…?"
"No. She wouldn't ask."
"She's an amazing girl, well woman really." Alun mused, a fond half smile briefly pulling on the side of his mouth. "I remember the day she was born. Hunith had given birth in those woods of all places." He said jerking his head forward at the trees they were watching. "She and her brother came out of those trees just as the day broke, Merlyn a tiny bundle in her mother's arms."
"She's still tiny." Arthur chuckled.
"Aye, but she's a fighter." Alun said almost proudly. "She was born too early, but she hung in there… And what she lacks in size she makes up for in brains. Always thinking that girl. Little dreamer."
"Did you know her father?"
"Aye. Good man. He never knew her. I'd better go check on Iain and Bryn." Arthur knew the discussion was over and nodded, his eyes back on the tree line. He could help but enjoy the little titbits of information he was picking up about Merlyn, getting a glimpse of a life so different from his own.
He was nudged out of his thoughts by the arrival of Lady Guinevere. She knocked his shoulder gently with the small wooden bowl she handed to him.
"Merlyn made you some food."
"Thanks." Arthur said dryly looking down at the grey mush. "I think."
"Food is scarce for these people, you shouldn't turn your nose up at it!" The sharp tone from the normally placid noblewoman surprised him and he turned to face a very embarrassed Guinevere.
"Oh, no. I-I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. It won't happen again…"
"It's quite alright, Guinevere." He said amused at her discomfort. "Thank you. You're right. And you were right to speak up."
"I'm just…worried about tomorrow." She confided. "I've never really fought, for real I mean. Yes I've spared with my brother but this is…real." She finished lamely.
"You don't have to…"
"I do." She interrupted. "I want to. I just hate the waiting."
"Me too." Arthur sighed, eyes now forward. "Me too."
It was still dark outside when the village woke for the pivotal day. One way or the other, their lives would never really be the same again. Their village would be destroyed, or it wouldn't. Arthur returned from a quick check of their 'defenses', to see most of his party all decked out in their gear.
"You should go join the others and take your places," He told them, pulling out his own.
"Will do." Morgana said walking over to him. She smiled and reached up to give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek and hugged him close. "Good Luck, Arthur." He patted her back a little bewildered at the attention.
"You too, my Lady. Be careful".
"Always." She grinned back at him before leaving with the others, leaving Merlyn and Arthur alone. Merlyn moved to help him with his armor, perplexed when he pulled away.
"No, not today. Put on your own."
He turned to deck himself in his chain mail and armor, finishing quickly. Turning he went to reach for his sword and stopped at the unfamiliar sight of Merlyn in chain mail, struggling with a bracer.
"Here." He stepped forward and took over her awkward thumbing. He picked up the second and reached for the other wrist, aware of Merlyn's intense gaze on his face.
"My throat's dry." She said a little tightly and Arthur clasped their hands together for a brief, reassuring moment.
"Mine too."
He squeezed her hand again, enjoying the sensation.
"It's been an honor."
Merlyn looked more nervous than he had ever seen her, her hands trembled slightly and he rubbed them together in an effort to reassure her.
"Whatever happens out there today, please don't think any differently of me." The fear in her voice broke his heart. He let go of one of her hands and raised it to her face, tilting it up so her eyes would meet his, lightly cradling her cheek.
"I won't. It's alright to be scared, Merlin." Her lips trembled in a weak smile.
"That's not what I meant."
"What is it? If you've got something to say, now's the time to say it." Their eyes locked together and he saw a look of resolve enter her eyes. But before she could answer, the door crashed open.
It was Glen.
"Arthur. They've crossed the river."
The battle had begun.
The mysterious wind dissipated as quickly and fortuitously as it had appeared, chasing the defeated bandits as they fled into the trees. The villagers stood in awe, pulling themselves and each other off the ground as they stared at their retreating enemy. Too shocked to celebrate they looked around to see who had conjured such a powerful display of nature's fury.
Arthur's eyes were fixed on the pair in front of him, his sharp gaze piercing their backs. As if they had felt the heat of his gaze, they turned and met his furious scrutiny.
He swore Merlyn's face paled at the sight of him. Of his rage.
"Who did that?" He demanded.
"What?" Asked Will, an edge in his voice. Arthur's vision fixated on the younger man as he advanced furiously on the pair.
"Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it. One of you made that happen."
Merlyn moved forward, despite Will's grip on her foreman. The movement diverted Arthur's attention, his gaze darkening at the restraining grip on the maidservant.
"Arthur..." She pleaded with him, trying to placate the angry man, swallowing hard to keep her fear under control. Even now the magic swelled in the veins close to the surface, itching to burst out in response to the absolute panic that she was struggling to fight down.
So involved in their standoff, no one noticed Kanen's wandering hand, finding an abandoned crossbow and aiming it at the Princes back.
No one but Will.
"Look out!" He shouted, jerking both Merlyn and Arthur out of the way. Darting forward he managed to put himself between the Prince and his foe. The Arrow pierced his unprotected chest, tearing though flesh and muscle leaving devastation in his wake. It had been Kanen's last attack. The bandit collapsed back from his half raised position and was dead before the villager nearest him caved in his head with a shovel.
"Will!" Merlyn screamed, scrabbling over the ground to her fallen friend, Arthur and Iain reaching him at the same time.
Crouching down Arthur stared at the man who had given him nothing but grief since he'd arrived. "You saved my life." He said confusion heavy in his voice.
"Yeah. Don't know what I was thinking." The younger man managed to joke though blood-stained lips." Arthur's heart sank as he took in the position of the arrow…
"Come on! Get him inside!"
"That's twice I've saved you."
Arthur stared into one of the many fires lit around the village as its residents rushed around in the dying light of day. They tried to repair as much as the damage as they could before they rested. Men and woman had fallen but it was not the slaughter everyone was expecting. The injured lay in their houses, the most serious an unoccupied home by Huniths as she and Merlyn had worked tirelessly to tend to the most serious.
Merlyn had left the room where Will had died and gotten straight to work. On carrying the young man into the house, Iain had quickly left to get Alun and Hunith. He had left his rescuer to die in peace, with those he was closest to, his mind preoccupied with all he had learned.
A sorcerer had saved his life.
The thought whirled over and over in his mind. He couldn't quite get a handle on it. To reconcile what had occurred with what he had been taught all his life. Will had been a pain in the butt from the very being and obviously resented him. Arthur had put it down to jealousy over Merlyn but when it came to it, the younger man had chosen the village over his anonymity.
Then he had put Arthur's life above his own.
As darkness crept in, people began to retire for the night. The ladies Morgana and Guinevere had been amongst the first to give into their exhaustion, unused to the physical demands the day had necessitated. Now Eira and Glen had settled down for a good rest after securing the livestock.
Sleep alluded him and the unnerving gaze of the goat in the corner unsettled Arthur enough to leave the small abode.
The makeshift infirmary was a beacon of light that drew him in. He stood just inside the door. Twelve men and three woman lay on the make-shift cots. Merlyn knelt beside one of the men, a boy of no more than fourteen really, yet Arthur recognized him as one of his most promising 'students'.
Hunith was sat at the small table by the door, pestle and mortar in hand, concentrating on crushing the leaves together into a paste. She finished and task and stood, only to sit down rather quickly as her vision blurred.
Arthur was by her side in an instant, recognizing the almost faint and urged her head down to her lap.
"It's alright. Take a minute. You two haven't for one since the battle started." He said to Merlyn who had rushed across the room. Merlyn peaked into another bowl on the table then stared down at her mother disapprovingly.
"Mother, you didn't touch your food. No wonder you fainted…"
"I didn't faint." Hunith said suddenly, the stubborn tilt of her chin, so much like her daughters that Arthur knew Merlyn came by her own streak honestly.
"You very nearly did!" Merlyn insisted. "I sat down and ate…"
"I practically had to sit on you." Hunith muttered.
"Now it's your turn…" Merlyn bossed, meeting her mother's dark look, much to Arthur's amusement. Until Merlyn whirled on him.
"Sire…could you ensure that my Mother stays sitting until she has finished every scrap of her meal?"
"Merlyn, I don't need to be watched…"
"I'll keep you company." Arthur assured her, parking himself on a smaller stool.
"Thanks." Merlyn replied before one of the woman called out to her and she left to tend to her patients.
Arthur watched her silently as Hunith ate her meal. The young woman moved gracefully and competently between the beds, sponging feverish brows, feeding small amounts of food, water or various concoctions.
"Gaius has taught her well." Hunith observed following his gaze. "She has grown up so much."
"Why did you send her to Gaius?" Arthur asked her. "Are you training her to take over from you or…" He trailed off as Hunith shook her head.
"No…Not really. Merlyn. She doesn't really fit In here. Girls in Ealdor don't read, or write or dream of adventures and what lies beyond the forest. They want to get married, have children and live in the village. Ever since she was little, Merlyn was always asking questions and watching the world around her. She couldn't contemplate staying in one place the whole time. She was happy but not content like the others. "
"You must have taught her to read and write."
"Yes. My Uncle taught me everything I knew. It felt wrong not to pass it on. Merlyn was such a quick study. She's surpassed me."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"Well she's not far off, watching her." The pride on Hunith's face and in her voice was unmistakable.
"She is a credit to you." Arthur told her, sincerely.
They sat in a companionable silence as Hunith finished her meal. His thoughts still reliving the events of the day. He appeared to wrestle with something before deciding to broach the subject. Hunith reminded him so much of Merlyn and of Gaius that he had felt immediately comfortable with her, a feeling that had only deepened over the past few days.
"Did you know?" He asked her, quietly.
"Know…"
"About Will. The magic." Hunith went still for a moment, studying him with a sharp eye, before slowly nodding.
"And it didn't bother you?" He asked. There was no accusation in his voice or judgement. He kept an even, calm tone as he sounded her out carefully.
She was quiet for a long moment. Wondering how much to share.
"I was born and raised in Camelot." She said quietly. "I was a little older than Merlyn during the Purge. I saw things no one should. So much pain and suffering. The evil that men do to each other, whether they had magic or not."
"Do you think magic is evil?" Arthur pressed gently. "I'm just asking because I was raised to believe that magic was evil, destructive. That it corrupted men. And I've seen it used for nefarious purposes. But recently I've seen things…" He trailed off.
"Not just today?" Hunith asked softly, assessing him.
"No." Arthur did not elaborate, finding the subject harder to talk about as he realized just what he was saying.
She was quiet for a long moment, looking down at her fingers as they twisted in her skirts. The only sign of her inner turmoil.
"I understand the law and abide by it, mostly. Magic is forbidden in King Cendred's lands as well as yours. However, my personal belief, is that magic is like any other tool. A weapon like a sword to attack or defend. A potion to heal or poison. A fire to destroy or forge. Its purpose is determined by whoever welds it."
Arthur swallowed and nodded respectfully.
"It's just hard for me to accept that a sorcerer saved my life. They've really only tried to kill me before."
"You were saved by a man." Hunith said with a sad smile. "A good man."
"He didn't even know me. In fact I think he hated me."
"Will was a bit jealous of you I think. And angry at nobility. His father was killed in Cendred's army whilst the King stayed behind safe in his castle, miles from the battlefield. You surprised him I think. Standing in the front line."
Arthur shrugged his shoulders. "I stand with my men." He said simply.
"You're a good man, Arthur. Your mother would be proud."
Arthur straightened and turned round further to meet Hunith's eyes.
"You knew my mother?"
"Yes, a little. She was a lovely Lady. I was very young when Gaius took me in and I was fascinated by the beautiful ladies of the court and the handsome knights. I remember one day I was playing in the corridors and had run round a corner and straight into the Queen. I went flying and was so mortified I started to cry." Hunith laughed a little at the memory and Arthur was entranced.
He had no memories of his mother and his father would barely mention him. Gaius had shared some stories with him, but the young man would never be satisfied.
"I remember that she waved off her own attendants who were fussing around her, knelt down and helped me to my feet. She was so kind, checking to see if I was alright and wiping away my tears. She gave me one of her handkerchiefs although I was afraid to use it, it was so pretty. It had her initial with little bluebells sewn around them. I was amazed that she knew who I was, not my name but that I was Gaius's sister. I remember that we walked back down to the courtyard together and she talked to me the whole time. I felt like royalty in that moment."
"She sounds wonderful." He said, his voice slightly thicker than it had been moments before.
"She was. I see a lot of her in you." Hunith said honestly patting his back. "Now. Can you do me a favor and convince Merlyn to rest. I will need her to relieve me in a few hours."
"Of-course." Arthur cleared his throat and stood, preparing for battle.
After a little persuasion, Arthur and Hunith managed to convince Merlyn to return home and rest for a few hours. He walked her back to the hut. Merlyn stayed outside to wash up quickly and Arthur left to give her some privacy. When she did not return after a while he cursed and got up again, wrapping his blanket over to clothes to ward off the chill. Reaching the door he stopped dead at the small sounds from the other side of the door.
The quiet weeping broke his heart. Slowly he opened the door to see Merlyn stood at the small bucket of water, illuminated by a dying torch, her small shoulders shaking as she scrubbed fiercely at her small hands. Water sloshed over the sides of the bucket as she wrung her hands over and over in the water, sobbing the entire time.
"Merlyn." Arthur murmured, reaching into the water and finding her hands, stilling them in the frigid water before gently removing them. "Shh, it's OK. Please don't cry."
But she was still sobbing soundlessly now and shivering. Unable to stop himself Arthur pulled her into his arms and held her close, rubbing his hands up and down her back, shoulders and arms briskly to warm her up. He pulled the blanket off his shoulders and wrapped it around her before wrapping her in his arms and hugging her to him.
Gradually her shivering slowed and stopped but she made no move to leave the comfort of his arms.
"I'm…I'm sorry." She managed, tears still thick in her voice.
"Don't." Was all he said, gently rocking her back and forth, his chin resting gently on her head. "It's OK. It's been one hell of a day."
The torch was almost out, leaving them in near darkness. The only other lights coming from the infirmary and the pyre of the raider's bodies that was still burning, watched by a few folk. The villager's funeral pyre would be constructed and lit tomorrow. The pair were hidden in shadows.
"I've had blood on my hands all day." She said, sniffing.
"I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about Will."
"I just can't believe he's gone." She whispered. "We grew up together you know. Me, Will and Iain. We did everything together and now… And all the others."
Arthur had no words he just held her tighter, taking comfort in the easy way she rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to remember the events of the day, but they replayed themselves over and over. The battle, the aftermath…
"Will, don't."
"It's alright, Merlyn. I… won't be alive… long enough for anyone to do anything…to me… I did it… saw how desperate things were be…becoming… had to… do something."
The agony on Wills face as he struggled for breath was almost too much for her to bear. She found his hand and he griped it hard, smiling at her though the pain.
"You're a sorcerer?" Arthur asked in disbelief but Merlyn spared him little thought.
"Yeah….What…you…gonna do? ...Kill me?" She barely heard Arthurs reply, but saw the comforting hand the Prince lay on the dying man before he left.
"I was right…about him. Said he was going…to get me killed." Will joked.
Merlyn shook her head tearfully.
"You're not going to die." She protested in vain. Tears escaping her eyes as she kept pressure on his wound. Where was her mother? They had to stop the bleeding.
"You're a good person… Merlyn. A great one. And… you're going to be servant to a ….great king. Now you…can still… make that happen. My gift to you... love…you."
Merlyn griped his hand tighter and muttered a few words under her breath. Almost immediately Wills face relaxed as her magic took away the pain in his chest. She could not heal him. She didn't yet know how. But she could take away his pain.
"My gift to you." She whispered as he gave her a grateful smile, unable to say any more.
"Merlyn, Will!" Hunith and Alan ran into the tent, Iain on their heels. The trio stopped dead at the sight of the fallen man.
"Oh, Will." Merlyn looked at her mother's face and the small flame of hope she held died. There was nothing they could do.
Alun came and sat down and the foot of the bed, lying his hand on Wills leg.
"You did well, my boy." He said, choked. "Your father would have been so proud."
Hunith sat at his head, running her fingers though his hair with a mothers touch. Iain and Merlyn stood either side of him gripping his hands tightly so he knew they were there. That he was not alone.
Surrounded by those he loved most, Will, son of Walden breathed his last and faded from the world.
She buried her face in Arthur's chest again, closing her eyes and savoring his embrace, unaware he was doing the same. Imagining the slaughter that would have occurred if Ealdor had fallen and images of Merlyn in Wills place hard to shift in the unforgiving darkness of the moonless night.
Both unaware of the eyes watching the stolen moment from inside the house.
Arthur watched in some relief from the battlements some five days later, as Merlyn returned from Ealdor. He had returned four days prior with the two ladies, claiming to have happened upon them on their way back from Lady Morgana's annual pilgrimage to her father's grave.
He hadn't been entirely sure she would return although the others seemed to take it for granted that she would find her way back to Camelot. However until he saw her ride into the castle yard, he had not been convinced. Quickly he strode to the stairs and descended the stone steps, intending to reach the yard before she could disappear.
After the funeral pyre for the fallen villagers had died down, he had decided to make his way back to Camelot with the rest of the party. Merlyn had requested a few more days with her mother which Morgana had eagerly granted.
"I'm sorry again." He had said lamely. Standing beside her as the fire raged.
"Thank you." She'd whispered. "For everything. I'm glad you're alright."
"You knew he was a sorcerer, didn't you? That's what you were going to tell me?" It hadn't the right time but he'd needed to know.
"Yes. It was." She'd said dully, eyes fixed on the flames in front of her. Afraid to face him?
"You know how dangerous magic can be. You shouldn't have kept this from me, Merlyn." She'd ducked her head in acknowledgement but otherwise had no response to his reprimand. Instead, after a few moments, she had turned and walked over to her mother who wrapped her in a comforting embrace.
He hadn't been able to speak to her since and left Ealdor regretting their last conversation.
Reaching the stables he whipped around the corner and bumped straight into a female figure. His reflexes kicked in quickly and he quickly threw his arm around her waist and hauled her back towards him. He quickly steadied her before giving her a bashful smile, realizing where his wandering hands had gone and quickly withdrew them.
"My apologies, Lady Morgana. I did not see you there."
Lady Morgana sent him a devilish grin and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure." She replied. "Well at least you saved me from the floor, if not your fiendish clutches." Arthur blushed uncomfortable at her attentions. Was she flirting with him?
"I was just going to check on Sunrise, the horse Merlyn borrowed. I saw them come in the yard."
"I've just seen her…here she is." Morgana said as Merlyn came around the corner and happened upon them.
"Ahh, Merlyn, Arthur was just here to check on Sunrise but I'm sure you took prodigiously good care of her."
"Of course, my lady." She replied. "David is just looking her over but I'm confident I've returned her in good health. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the loan of such a horse, Sire."
"Anytime, Merlyn." He waved away her thanks. "How was your journey back?"
"Uneventful, sire. However my Uncle will be thrilled with the plants and herbs I scavenged on the way." She pulled out a small package and handed it over to the Prince.
"My mother sent this to you. Said you would know whose it was."
Puzzled Arthur unwrapped the small bundle and froze at the sight of the small white cloth, his mother initials delicately embroidered with some intricate bluebells stitched in one corner. He swallowed once, moved by the gesture and met the two pairs of inquisitive blue eyes watching him.
"This once belonged to my mother." He explained. "She gave it to yours years ago when she was a girl."
"You will have to tell me that story someday." Merlyn said surprised.
"Me too." Morgana butted in, unhappy at being excluded. Threading her arm though Merlyn's free one she pulled her maidservant with her as she headed toward the castle at a trot. Leaving both Merlyn and Arthur looking at her in bemusement.
"Come along Merlyn, let me fill you in on what you have missed. You will never believe what happened to Sir Tomas whilst he was on patrol last week…"
Shaking his head Arthur smiled as he fingered the cloth that once belonged to his mother, touched that Hunith had kept it and in such good condition. Tucking it safely in his pocket he whistled as he entered the stable. Relieved that everything was back to normal.
Thank you for reading.
Sorry it's taken so long I kept wondering off plot as you might have gathered. Please review, I would love any advice or comments from those who have stuck with me and this story. I do plan on continuing it soon.