Merlin rushed through the corridors until he spotted a courtyard just ahead. His eyes widened as he saw a man - Maleagant he assumed, given the finery and crown - standing over his prince. He nearly called Arthur's name before he remembered Luned's warning about true names.
"Sire!"
Both turned to him and the king smiled. "Ah, Emrys, wonderful."
Merlin ignored him, looking over Arthur as he hesitated in the doorway to the courtyard. He was relieved to see the prince was unharmed, sitting in a plush chair with just steel manacles keeping him bound. "Are you okay, Sire?"
The prince was looking around with a frown so Merlin slipped the ring off his finger and pocketed it. Arthur's eyes locked with his and after a second of shock, he said, "I'm fine, Mer-"
"Names have power here, Sire. Call me Emrys," the warlock said quickly. "Have you given him your name or Lion's? Where is he?"
Thankfully, Arthur shook his head. "He's back in the dungeons.
Merlin turned to the king with a glare. "Hand them over."
Maleagant raised his hands in surrender. "As I told your king, I have no intention of fighting you."
"He said he would just hand us over," Arthur scoffed. "As if we couldn't see past a blatant lie."
"My people can not lie," the king said, looking offended.
"Then I'll hear it from you," Merlin said.
Maleagant nodded. "Should you come to us, you are welcome to take him. I will even call for my knights to fetch your lion."
Merlin frowned as he thought that over. "It's that easy?"
The king smiled. "I am aware that I do not stand a chance in a fight against you."
Nodding, Merlin came forwards. Two steps in, the floor disappeared beneath his feet and he fell.
"Mer-Emrys!"
He gave a yelp, which cut off in a moan as he hit solid stone. He tried to push himself up, but it felt like the ground was pulling him towards it. He opened his eyes to see glowing blue runes surrounding him. He turned his head to see a square of light overhead, which Maleagant appeared within.
"Enjoy your stay, Emrys."
The square closed up.
Merlin growled and fought against the magic keeping him pinned, but could only get to his knees and elbows before the magic would drag him down again.
Arthur thrashed against the magic keeping him pinned as the hole Merlin fell down closed up. "I knew you were a liar!"
Maleagant scowled at him as he came back over. "I did not lie."
"You said -"
"That he could take you if he came to us. He did not reach us, so I have no reason to hand you over."
"That… How is that not lying!?"
"I spoke the truth!"
"But you made sure he couldn't come over here!"
"I never said I would allow him to come to us, only that if he could I would allow him to take you."
Arthur tried to kick the man, but he was too far away.
"This wouldn't have happened if you'd given me his name."
"Because you would have used it to do something else. I would like to use his name. Yeah, but not to be polite!"
"I never said that's why I wanted to use it. I simply said that's why your people use proper names."
"You're even worse than the court. At least they have the decency to just lie instead of talking around in circles."
Maleagant snorted. "My people are far better than you humans. Your lies only show how unintelligent you are. That you can not get what you want through the use of truth is a weakness of your species."
The knights returned and the king nodded at them.
"You can return to your cell now. You may as well eat and drink. You will not be going anywhere for a long time."
Arthur punched the wall of the cell the moment the knights left.
"Sire? Are you okay? What happened?"
"M-My servant's been captured." When Leon frowned, he added, "We can't let any of these people know our actual names. Something about them having power or something. I don't know, it sounded bad."
Leon nodded. "So he was captured, and no one else knows where we are."
"Exactly."
"Did the king say what he wanted? Is he holding you for ransom?"
Arthur shook his head. "I think he's just doing this for the fun of it." And maybe Merlin's power. "They're not human and they don't care about human things. I think he only even called me up to trick my servant into a trap, and to gloat."
"What are we going to do then?"
Arthur didn't answer as he didn't have one to give.
Merlin glared at the runes as he was forced to the ground for the hundredth time. There had to be a way to get past them.
A door opened nearby and he turned to see Luned walking in, a bowl in one hand and a jug in the other.
"You lied to me," he growled.
"I did no such thing," she tutted, back straightening with offense.
"You said your people couldn't lie, but Maleagant lied to me."
She knelt next to the runes, giving her overly-wide smile. "You've spent too much time with humans, Emrys. They are too used to their lies to be able to tell the difference between an honest truth and a deceitful one."
He thought over her words, then Maleagant's. "He said if I came to him, he'd let me take the prince… but I never reached him -"
"So he did not need to hand him over," she finished with a nod. She poured some water into the bowl and slid it into the circle for him to drink. "The truth is a more powerful weapon than lies. You would do well to learn how to wield it."
"Won't do me much good trapped in here," he said, pushing himself up enough to look into the water. He looked up at her. "You know, I'm human."
"Are you?"
"Yes."
She hummed, unconvinced.
He let the runes pull him back down. Curious and a bit desperate, he asked, "Would you be able to help me?"
"That is quite the favor you ask of me."
"Is that a no?"
"No, but in return, I would ask something of equal importance of you." She leaned forwards so she was just at the edge of the runes. "A kiss."
He flushed. "What?"
"A kiss from Emrys is equal to the task you ask for me. Should you fail again against Maleagant, he will know I was the one to free you and my punishment will be severe. But a gesture of love from one such as yourself is powerful indeed."
Merlin fidgeted. He needed to get free so he could save Arthur and Leon. Was a kiss really that big of a deal?
He thought of Freya tucked into his chest as they spent some time together before he had to leave for the hunt. Of Arthur's quick kiss only what had to be a day earlier.
"I-I can't."
"You can't?"
"It… isn't mine to give." He thought quickly and his mind went to the copper in his pocket. He pulled it out and held it up. "Would giving you back this be worth your help?"
She studied him a moment, then smiled. "It seems I was not wrong to choose you. You would choose your loyalty to your loves over your freedom and that of your knights. Yes, I will take the ring as payment."
Her hand glowed blood-red and she reached in to take the ring. Once it was back on her hand, she slapped it against the ground just in front of a rune. As the stone began to crack, she grabbed the jug and stood.
"Drink. You've had nothing for hours," she said before slipping out the door.
He turned back to the floor to watch the cracks slowly spread until one cut a rune in half. All of them immediately stopped glowing and the pull vanished, allowing him to stand. He glanced briefly at the water before running to the door. He could get something once he was sure the others were safe.
Opening the door slightly revealed a guard standing stiffly just outside. A whispered "Swefe nu!" had them collapsing to the floor. He grabbed their arms and dragged them into his cell.
Leon tapped his fingers mindlessly on the bars of the cell, keeping watch as Arthur restlessly slept in the corner. Neither of them had wanted to let their guard down around the Otherworld beings, but they needed rest.
Not for the first time, Leon's eyes drifted to the tray of food. He grabbed the bread and looked it over. It appeared normal, and smelled normal when he brought it to his nose. He tore it in half and didn't find anything wrong with the inside either. He set down half for his prince and settled back into his watch with the other. He tore a piece off, but before he could bring it to his mouth, the door to their cell block opened.
He dropped the bread back on the tray and shook Arthur awake as a guard walked up to their cell, sword drawn.
"What's going on?" Arthur said, climbing to his feet.
"King Maleagant wants the knight now," a familiar voice growled and they both froze.
Not paying them any attention, their guard waved his hand to open the cell.
"Well, that was easy," Merlin chuckled. He whispered something as he slammed his sword hilt against the guard's helmet and the man collapsed. He then yelped as the bars began to slowly reappear.
"Idiot," Arthur huffed as he and Leon barely darted through them before they could close.
"How was I supposed to know they'd automatically close once he was knocked out?" Merlin huffed, handing Leon the sword he'd been holding while Arthur stole the sword off their guard.
"Oh good, you found them."
Leon and Arthur swung towards the cellblock door, swords at the ready, but Merlin stepped in front of them and pulled off his helmet. "Luned? What are you doing here?"
"Luned?" Leon asked.
"She's a friend."
"She's covered in blood," Arthur sighed. To Leon's surprise, he did lower his sword and Leon hesitantly followed suit.
"It's not human if that makes you feel better," the woman said with a smile that sent a shiver down Leon's spine.
"Slightly," Merlin chuckled nervously. "She's been helping me, Sire."
"My half of the deal is complete, Emrys," Luned said, staring at Merlin. "It is time for you to complete yours."
The boy flinched as she slipped back out the door.
"What deal?" Arthur asked.
"Well… to get her help, I kind of had to promise to take down Maleagant. He's -"
"What!?"
"- not the true ruler and she wants to put the actual ruler back on the throne."
"Mer-Idiot!"
"But it's okay, I've got a plan."
"Do you now?" Arthur said, staring Merlin down. His eyes darted to Leon for a moment, but he didn't get the prince's meaning.
Merlin looked at him as well and shook his head. "It will be okay, trust me. Come on."
He grabbed Arthur's hand and tugged him out of the cellblock, with Leon rushing to keep up.
"Would you like to share this plan of yours?" Arthur huffed.
"Not really."
The prince pulled his hand free to smack the back of Merlin's head.
"We need to go, Sire. I'll explain later," the servant huffed, putting the helmet back on.
Arthur grumbled, but they followed him up through the castle until they reached a side entrance.
Merlin pushed the door open slightly to check if anyone was there, then held it open. "Hurry."
They'd barely stepped through the doors before knights came rushing from the market stalls to surround them.
"Now, now. Who let you out of your cage, Emrys?" Maleagant asked.
"Emrys?" Leon asked, but everyone ignored him.
"That doesn't matter," Merlin said, stepping in front of them. "What does matter is that we are leaving the castle, and so are you?"
The king laughed. "Is that so?"
Merlin said something, but Leon couldn't tell what. The roar of wind sounded in his ears despite their not being so much as a breeze while his vision blurred around Merlin's mouth.
Arthur looked as confused as Leon, but all the magical knights stiffened and glanced around. Their gaze eventually settled on Maleagant, who was frozen with wide eyes and faintly glowing.
Merlin took another step forward and spoke again, though only part of his speech was obscured. "*******, you will leave this castle and never attack these people or mine ever again."
The king looked furious as he took a step back. "How?"
"Now."
Snarling, Maleagant took another step back before his body collapsed into a flurry of leaves that flew up and over the crystalline outer walls. The knights all turned to Merlin before kneeling. A pulse of blue-white light came off them in a flash, leaving their armor dark and bloodstained.
"What happened?" Arthur asked, stepping closer to Merlin and eyeing the knights.
"I think the enchantment on them has been lifted."
"Indeed." The three turned to see Luned walking up, looking pleased. She turned to the kneeling knights with a hum. "The crown is yours now, Emrys."
Merlin blanched. "I'm good. Your queen can have her throne back."
"Wonderful." She waved her hand and it lit up with blood-red magic. A haze Leon hadn't noticed before lifted away from the golden frontlet on her head to reveal it was actually a copper diadem in the shape of curling horns.
"Of course you were the queen all along," Merlin chuckled, exasperation tinting his tone.
"I never said I wasn't." She waved her hand again and the crystal walls darkened to obsidian and gave off a faint red glow.
Cheers sounded from around the castle and the knights slammed their swords against their shields. "Long rule The Lady of the Fountain!"
"That's much better," Luned chirped. "It will take time to remove the rest of his enchantments. I don't even want to know what he did to my bloody fountain."
"Does she mean bloody as in actual blood or…" Leon started and Arthur shook his head.
"I don't even want to know. Can we go now?"
She turned to the three and looked them over. "Have any of you eaten or drank anything while in this land?"
"No," Merlin said, glancing at Arthur and Leon as they shook their heads.
"Pity. I would have enjoyed having any one of you in my court."
"Pardon?" Leon asked.
"Those who eat or drink of this land become of this land and cannot leave."
"You gave me water to drink!" Merlin yelled.
She smiled and stepped close to Merlin, grabbing his face between her hands before he could pull away. Softly, she said, "I would have greatly enjoyed having you in my court, sweet Emrys."
"We're leaving. Now!" Arthur growled, grabbing Merlin and yanking the boy away from her. To Leon's amusement, he tucked him against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
The queen looked amused as well, if a bit disappointed, as she whistled. The knights stood and moved aside as two giant hart-like animals galloped up, saddles on their backs. "My lovelies will take you back to the glade you arrived in. From there, you need only follow your footprints out. Make sure to not look up from them until you reach familiar territory or you may find yourselves even more lost than before."
Arthur gave a grunt that could generously be considered a thank you and shoved Merlin towards one of the beasts so Leon went to the other.
"Emrys," she called once Merlin was up. "Could you tell me how you knew Maleagant's true name?"
"I can't," he said and she nodded as if that was the answer she was expecting.
Arthur climbed up in front of Merlin then checked that Leon was on before nudging the beast on.
Thankfully the creatures seemed to know where they were going as Leon certainly didn't and he wasn't sure he'd be able to direct them if he did. The world seemed to blur around them as the animals rushed out a gateway, across a causeway, and into the forest. Quite soon, the animals slowed to a halt inside the glade where Leon had downed the hart that had led them into this mess.
All three slipped off the beasts. Arthur and Merlin's let the servant pet it's snout for a moment then both took off back the way they'd come.
"What exactly just happened?" Leon asked.
"What did you say to him?" Arthur added.
"I used his true name. That's what they meant by true names have power. In this world, if you use someone's true name, you have complete control over them."
"How did you find his? I'm guessing it's not Maleagant."
Merlin shook his head as he started pulling off the guard armor and tossing it to the side. "It isn't. It's just a name he uses, like how The Lady of the Fountain told me to call her Luned or how we called him Lion," he said, nodding towards Leon.
"Or how you used that Emrys nickname," Arthur agreed, coming forward to help.
"R-right. I meant what I said back there, though. I literally can't say how I found out about Maleagant's true name. It was part of the deal for how I discovered it," Merlin hummed.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well, let's just be glad you did. Now, let's get going."
With Merlin looking his usual self, they followed their footprints as they'd been told. Only once Merlin had confirmed they were safe did they look up. Leon headed towards their abandoned camp, hoping the horses hadn't run off or been taken as his prince leaned against a tree to glare down at his bare feet.
"We're riding straight for Camelot and you're pouring me a hot bath," he heard the prince huff.
"Of course, Sire."
"Merlin."
"Yes?"
It went silent and Leon frowned. He crept back towards the two and peeked around a tree.
Arthur and Merlin were standing just a breath apart, Merlin's arms wrapped around Arthur's neck and Arthur's hands on his waist. They both were blushing, but that didn't stop them leaning in.
Leon ducked back around the tree and continued on with a sad smile. He knew Merlin was good for Arthur - had seen how the prince had changed for the better since the servant had arrived - and was happy for them, but he also knew that Arthur had responsibilities. Arthur could never marry a servant, especially not a male one. Hopefully, they would be able to make it last as long as possible until Arthur's duties got in the way.
"Mrow."
The knight looked up and frowned when he spotted a shape slinking into the trees. It almost looked like… No, that was impossible. How could the cat have gotten all the way here from Camelot? Unless he's magic?
Shaking his head with a chuckle, he stepped into the camp and gave a sigh of relief when he spotted Hengroen, Llamrei, and Cameliard waiting for him by a weather-beaten, but otherwise untouched camp.
"Meow."
Merlin threw up his arms as he turned to see Cavall staring up at him from down the hall he was passing. "Why? No, how? We are in an Otherworld!"
The cat yawned and turned to scratch at the door he was sitting in front of. "Mrrrrrr!"
Merlin walked over and picked up the cat. "I'm going to get you a pen in the kennels!"
He turned to the door and frowned. It had a geometric design that felt out of place with everything else he'd seen in the castle. He spotted words lower on the door and let Cavall climb onto his shoulders so he could kneel to read them. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be in a script he recognized.
He was just about to stand again when Cavall's tail smacked him in the face.
He swatted it away with a glare then turned back to the door. His eyes widened when he realized he could understand the writing now. Similar to his first spellbook, the writing was in a language he didn't know, but even still he knew what it said.
I leave this as a gift to those of my land who may end up trapped in this one
Should you need to face the ruler, the key to their defeat lies behind this door
Speak this word and it shall open
Be warned, by opening it, you make a deal with me, and deals are binding in this realm
Should you open this door, you may not speak of it or what you find to any other
Should this agree with you, then you need only speak
Agoraf
Merlin stood, biting his lip. He set his hand on the door and said, "Agoraf."
The door creaked open as magic washed over him and sunk deep inside.
He pushed it the rest of the way and found himself inside a tomb. A sarcophagus laid on a plinth and above it was more words written in the unknown script.
True names hold power in this world
Those who carry another's name carry that person's very soul
Be wary of who you give yours to as they can command you
So long as they reside within this world
Below you will find the Sarcophagus of the Monarch
It holds the true name of whatever ruler sits on the throne
I stole it away and hid it here so that you, my kin, could find it as need be
Open it and the monarch's soul shall be yours
Merlin's eyes widened and went to the sarcophagus. The sides were engraved with a story that seemed to feature one of the people of this world traveling alongside a pair of humans to return a dragon egg to its mother.
Grasping the edge of the lid, he carefully lifted it until he could read the underside.
Here lays the King
Malegant, the Clear One
Here he shall lay by his True Name
Brendan
For the record, the copper horn in the courtyard was definitely supposed to spew blood instead of water. Luned's got an aesthetic.
Note: Due to events, I might be posting this a little less frequently. I'm thinking once a week, but I haven't decided yet. Thank you for being understanding.