-Thirteen-
Camelot
Even in ruins, Camelot was the most incredible thing Liz had ever seen. It took every little tacky tourist legend and razed it to the ground. The whites of the castle were dirty but she could imagine what it had looked like in all of its splendor. Merlin drove under a grove of trees and then they could see the castle entirely. The trees had pressed in around it, but the walls still partially stood. Merlin drove through the front gates and stopped at the inner courtyard. "We'll have to go on foot from here," he said, shutting off the engine.
"How has nobody found this in all these years?" Liz asked in awe, getting out of the car and taking in the lower city. "This is incredible! Besides time, it doesn't look like anything has touched it."
"I cast an enchantment over it after the castle was defeated and abandoned," Merlin told her.
"When was that?"
"It was a few generations after Arthur. Saxons invaded and the city was weakened. Not every king after Arthur was as good a king as him."
"His heirs?"
"Arthur and Gwen had a son and a daughter. They ended up ruling together with equal powers. Their reign was one of the most peaceful times in Camelot. I stayed and advised them for a while, but after that I left Camelot. It just wasn't the same after Arthur died. I was called back several times to advise new kings. Arthur's great grandson wasn't a very strong king. He suffered from a bone disease and couldn't fight. By the time he called for my help, the city was already under attack and even healed, he couldn't fight. He was struck down and the city fell into chaos. I tried to save it, but then I realized it wasn't meant to be saved. It just wasn't the same without Arthur. So I left. It was one of the hardest choices I've never had to make."
"I can't even imagine."
Merlin pocketed his keys and looked at Liz. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and followed him as he made his way past the ruined houses and overturned carts.
"It's like it was attacked yesterday," she said in a whisper as if anything louder was taboo in such a silent place.
"It's hard to see it this way," Merlin replied.
They made their way up to the fortress which had suffered the worst damage. The once beautiful towers were now crumbled. The courtyard was covered in scattered stones the size of cars. Liz and Merlin carefully made their way up to the front doors.
"Where would the sword be?" Liz asked.
"In the vaults? I'm not sure. Something tells me it isn't here, but we might as well look since we're here."
"Is it safe to go in?" she asked.
"Probably not." He was already going through the doors – or what was left of them. One hung from its hinges while the other lay half-buried in leaves on the ground. They entered the front hall, and Liz took in the feeling of standing in Camelot. It was surreal. "I used to live here," she said mostly to herself.
"It's hard to believe, isn't it?"
They wandered around, Merlin giving her a tour of the castle. They reached the throne room. One of the thrones was still mostly intact and Liz sat down on it. "Take a picture of me," she said suddenly.
"What?" Merlin grinned as she passed over her phone.
"Seriously. I'm sitting on King Arthur's throne. That needs to be immortalized."
"I thought you hated all the legends," Merlin said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Well that was before I knew they were real and I'd lived in them!"
Merlin gave in and snapped a shot of her sitting on the throne. She bounced forward and took the phone from him, examining the photo. "I look awesome," she said.
Merlin laughed. "You always do," he said with a smile. Liz smiled back.
"What else is there to see?"
"Well, we could see the physician's quarters if they're still intact. The vaults are far below the castle. Hopefully the entrance hasn't been blocked off."
"Couldn't you just blast the stones out of our way with your magic?" Liz asked.
"You just really want to see me blow things up, don't you?" He cast her an amused glance.
"Well, you have to admit, that's a pretty incredible power."
"I haven't had much use for it lately," he admitted. "It would be pretty noticeable if I started blasting cars out of my way on the way to work."
"You have a job?" Liz asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
Merlin lifted a brow. "What did you think I did? Sat around and made prophecies?"
"Something like that."
"I went to school for medicine and worked as a doctor in one lifetime. Then I was an archeologist for a while after I got my PhD in medieval history. Lately I haven't been working. I saved up enough money from working as a doctor that I don't need to work for a while."
"Wow, so you're rich and really well-educated. I'm feeling a little substandard here with my associate's degree in general studies."
"You're plenty intelligent," Merlin told her. "And you were a knight of Camelot. I don't think anyone today can put that on their resume."
"I guess that counts for something," Liz said with a smile. "Although that might raise some eyebrows."
They stopped short when they found themselves facing the broken door of what Liz supposed was the physician's quarters. Merlin bent down and picked up something from the dusty floor. It was a plaque. He blew off some of the dust, and Liz could read the words. Physician's Quarters.
Merlin stared at it for a long while until Liz touched his arm. He jumped slightly as if he'd forgotten that she was there. He looked down at her for a moment and then silently put the plaque back down. He squeezed Liz's hand before entering the room.
Everything had been smashed and thrown about the room. Pages from old books lay scattered everywhere. Liz bent down and picked up a page. "Why are people so destructive?" she asked.
"Sometimes it feels like that's all they are," Merlin agreed. "This was my room." He stood at a door at the top of a short set of stairs. He pushed it open and they entered a dusty room. The contents had been thrown around too, but the structural damage was minimal. "Come look out the window," Merlin told her. "The view is amazing."
She came forward and stepped onto a small platform built into the wall so that she could gaze out the window. The open air felt good after being stuck in the dusty castle. Liz couldn't breathe for a moment though. The view was more than amazing. It overlooked the parapets and the lower towns. It was as if she could see all of Camelot from this window. She felt Merlin come up behind her.
"We used to stare out at the city at night," he said, his breath close to her ear, "and watch the stars."
"That sounds lovely." Liz felt her heartbeat pick up at Merlin's closeness. She held her breath for a moment and then turned around slowly. Merlin was looking at her, and for a moment she forgot the view altogether.
"Do you remember?" he asked, his voice pained. He wanted so badly for her to remember.
"I want to," she said. "I really do."
"But you don't."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe this will help you remember." Before she could ask what, he leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and kissed her. She breathed in sharply, surprised, but his lips were soft on hers, and she found herself leaning into him. His hand came to rest on her hip, and she brought a hand up and laid it over his heart. For a moment a memory flashed. She was no longer Liz, she was Ryll again, and she could feel how much she loved Merlin. Then the feeling faded. They broke apart, both breathing a little too quickly.
"I remembered for a moment," she said. He watched her until she looked away. "But it faded. I'm sorry."
"It was worth a try," he said, shrugging. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you."
She grinned. "I've had worse surprises."
Feeling awkward, Liz stepped off of the ledge. "Shall we find the vaults?" she asked.
Merlin nodded and followed her out of his old room and through the physician's quarters. Liz started down the hall, but Merlin paused and she saw him slip the physician's quarter's plaque into the leather bag he'd brought with him. She turned away and let him catch up to her.
"It's just down this way," he said, leading them down a set of stairs. They had to climb over some fallen stones and it grew dark very quickly. Merlin held out his hand and suddenly a ball of light appeared before them, illuminating the walls. They followed the light deeper and deeper until they reached a wall of fallen stones.
"I guess we're going to need your powers after all," Liz said.
"It looks like it." Merlin thought for a moment and then said, "Back up. I don't want you to get hurt." He took a few steps back too and then shut his eyes to concentrate. Then he thrust out his hand and the stones crumbled into dust before Liz's eyes. She coughed on the dust.
"That was awesome!" she said. Merlin opened his eyes.
"Come on," he said, leading her through the metal gates. The gates had been broken long ago and so the lock did not hinder them. The air was stale inside the vaults, and Liz was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. As if sensing her discomfort, Merlin stuck close to her side. They kept their eyes alert for any swords. Liz found quite a few, but Merlin shook his head whenever she presented them to him.
"I don't think it's here," he said finally.
"Where else would it be?" Liz asked.
Merlin thought for a moment. Then his eyes lit up as if he was remembering something important. "Of course!" he said. "I'm stupid. There's only one place it could be."
He started toward the entrance to the vaults. "Wait! Where is it?" Liz asked, hurrying to keep up with him.
"In the stone," he said, looking back at her with triumphant eyes.
"The stone?" she asked. "As in the sword in the stone?"
"Yes."
"So that legend was true?" she asked. "Arthur really did pull Excalibur from a stone?"
"Yes."
"How did it get there?"
"I put it there."
"You put it there?" She thought for a moment. "Why did you put it there?" she asked as they made their way up to the corridor.
"I needed somewhere to keep it safe until Arthur was ready to wield it. I helped him pull it out with magic. He needed to believe that only the true king of Camelot could pull it out. It was a bit of a morale lifter."
"Clever. Very clever." Liz was impressed.
"It will be there, I know it," Merlin said.
"How far is-" Liz cut off as a tremendous rumbling came from overhead. They both looked up in time to see a huge stone crumbling from the ceiling. It came falling straight at them. Liz didn't think. She lunged for Merlin and knocked him out of the way. The stone crashed where they had been standing a moment before. Bits of it broke off, and a piece hit Liz on the head. She saw stars and then everything went black.
