Episode Summary – With the King of Camelot's knowledge of Merlin's magic and Morgana and Mordred's defeat, peace has been lingering in the great kingdom for nearly a year. However, the world knows that peace cannot be achieved so easily. There is a new enemy of Camelot. And he doesn't take too kindly to sorcerers.
Author's Note: Woah, it sure has been a while. Past a month! I've been crazy busy with school work, but for the time being, I have plenty of time to write. I hope the long awaited episode 4 of Merlin Series 6 does not disappoint those who have been waiting for it! As always, I hope to do the characters justice. Please review and enjoy!
Episode 4: The Mask of Chaos (Part One)
Piper sighed heavily and brushed her strawberry blonde curls out of her eyes. She had been healing sick folk all day and her mind and body were exhausted. The sun was just disappearing below the horizon when she had packed up her things and settled on her cart. She stroked the mule that was going to carry her from Brighton to Gail, just about thirty miles.
With Uther's death and King Arthur as his replacement, somehow, the threat of magic was diminishing. Those who had been revealed to be sorcerers were not executed. At least, that's what she had been hearing through the grapevine. As a sorceress herself, Piper was on constant guard, ready to strike any knight that crossed her path. This was why she mainly travelled at night. She whispered a few ancient words and an invisible veil covered the cart and herself and her mule. She was weak from a day's work, but a simple spell to mask her presence was baby work for someone as skilled as she.
She yipped and gently lashed at the mule's backside with a leather rope and the mammal snorted, galloping. Blackness engulfed the forest she rode through, but she was guided by the illuminating glow of the full moon. The stars twinkled above the lush trees and seemed to pave a way through the woods. Nearly an hour later and the mule brought her and her cart to a high hill, treading carefully, for on either side of the hill was a one-hundred and twenty degree slant, which would send the cart crashing at the bottom.
With nothing but the atmosphere separating Piper from the moon and stars, she felt humbled and grateful for the scene that lay before her. However, something soon changed when she entered a second forest. The mule had picked up speed and she could no longer hear the chirping of insects or the cooing of owls. All she could hear was the loud thumping and clicking of the cart's wheels and the mule's hooves. The trees weren't blowing in the wind. Everything seemed still except for herself.
Immediately sensing such a dramatic change, Piper pulled back on the reigns and the mule halted to an abrupt stop. And suddenly, everything was quiet. The blackness that surrounded her seemed so much darker and ominous. Piper tried to squint through the dark night, but to no avail. Only the trees seemed blacker than the night itself.
She wasn't all that frightened. She was a skilled sorceress and she trusted her abilities with her life. Any ravaging bear or griffin couldn't hurt her. She had nothing to fear.
She lifted her hand, muttered the ancient dialect of the Druids, and her palm lit up in a burst of yellow, illuminating a small radius away from her face. As she did so, her breathing stopped and her heart nearly dropped. A strange mask was just inches from her face, the nose of it nearly touching her nose. The sheer surprise sent her reeling backwards and she collapsed onto the ground, screaming.
Scrambling, and focusing to keep the light on her hand from going off, she got to her feet and frantically looked around with wide eyes. The mask was gone. She couldn't recall what it looked like, but she faintly thought it looked to be something elves, those in ancient stories, would wear, though she wasn't too knowledgeable about them.
"Show yourself!" She called out bravely. She spun around to check her backside. Nothing. She couldn't see further than ten feet away from her lit hand. All else was blackness.
Shocked, Piper could hear someone whisper into her ear. The voice was so low and silky and clear that she would swear the lips of her follower were pressed to her neck. "You are a sorcerer," the voice said, "yes?"
She yelped in fright and circled around. Again, finding no one.
She replied with a steady voice, "I am! So, don't you-!"
Fire seemed to spread along her back and rip open her stomach, choking her last words. Dense, hot liquid climbed up her throat and spilled out of her mouth. Her bright, courageous eyes dulled into nothingness. The last thing Piper ever saw was a strange, yellow mask, floating in a sea of darkness above her.
[cue Merlin opening]
Merlin was in a good mood. A damn good one, if you asked him. The night before, Gaius had made his favorite soup and he woke up without any sores. Now, working for the king of Camelot and waking up without muscle problems was a huge leap from when he couldn't move an inch.
"Off to Arthur's chambers already, Merlin?" Gaius questioned as he finished the last bit of his breakfast. Merlin shoved his arm eagerly through his jacket's sleeve and beamed at the old man.
"That's right," he said giddily, "Waking him up is always fun."
Gaius raised his eyebrow in doubt. "Unless the Queen hasn't already woken him."
Merlin paused and frowned. "She does tend to do my job, sometimes. Only the fun ones."
"Well, get to it, my boy! Or you'll miss it!" Gaius laughed heartedly and motioned to the door.
Merlin replied with a beaming smile and he ran out the door.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Something small, soft, and warm was planted on his cheek and Arthur's eyes fluttered open from his rather deep sleep.
"Good morning, my love," Guinevere whispered into his ear and stroked his bare arm with her gentle hand. Arthur smiled lucidly, but was still too sleepy to reply. Waking up to her beauty in a dark and quiet room was the right way to treat the king.
His wife slowly got off their bed and Arthur heard her quicken her footsteps. Suddenly, light exploded through his closed eyelids and he whimpered loudly, shielding his eyes with his arm.
"Rise and shine, Arthur!" Gwen yelled loudly and laughed after having thrown the curtains open to reveal the bright morning sun.
"Guinevere!" Arthur groaned angrily, throwing the blankets over his head.
The door to Arthur's chambers blew open and in hopped Merlin, looking quite excited so early in the morning.
"Did I miss anything?" Merlin asked loudly, though upon seeing the curtain open and Arthur looking stressed, he frowned. Arthur sat up finally and scratched the back of his neck, still squinting so his eyes didn't hurt from the brightness.
"Why is it that you two get your fun by making me absolutely miserable?" Arthur questioned and glanced up at Merlin. Upon seeing his sorcery-wielding manservant, Arthur's eyes slowly opened to their normal skew. His mind flashed with memories of the dream he had endured last night; Merlin's eyes shimmered gold, a huge gust of wind blew Arthur off his feet, Merlin was going to kill him, and a strange, yellow mask.
"Arthur?" The back of Merlin's hand was pressed firmly against Arthur's forehead. "What's wrong? You don't seem well."
Thinking about how his confusing dream may have been reality, Arthur's hand shot up and grabbed Merlin's wrist with the force of a strong knight and the sorcerer winced at the strangling squeeze.
Arthur immediately let go after feeling the fragility of Merlin's wrist. It was small and Arthur felt like he could snap it in two. Merlin was not the frightening, evil man he saw in his dreams. He was fragile, in both physical and emotional aspects.
"I was just helping," Merlin defended, cradling his wrist in his other hand. "You looked pale."
Arthur coughed into his fist. "I'm just angry at the rude awakening." He glared at his wife's direction.
"Oh, come now," Gwen teased with a snicker, "We wouldn't do such things if it weren't so delightful to get a reaction out of you."
Arthur frowned and Merlin grinned. Today was going to be a good day.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Arthur clapped his palms over his ears, trying to drown out Gwaine's awful singing. The only other sounds were the clip-clops of the horses as they were on their way to Brighton after getting news of a plague. Of course, Arthur brought Gaius to cure the illness and Merlin to help him, but for safety purposes, he also brought Gwaine and Percival.
"Sire, may I ask what the symptoms of this plague are?" Gaius asked, his horse following in close proximity to Arthur's.
Arthur shook his head. "The letter did not say. Though the one who wrote it said she was one of the few who did not have the disease. So, it must be contagious."
"Not necessarily," Merlin chimed in over Gwaine's singing. "A big town like Brighton could have a disease traveling through food or animals."
"Merlin-" Arthur began, but he hit his patience limit. "Gwaine! Shut up!"
Gwaine grinned brightly and Merlin and Percival laughed.
They had arrived in Brighton nearly two hours after having left Camelot and Arthur's head was killing him ever since he woke up. He considered asking Gaius to take a look at him, but with a deathly plague running through his kingdom, Arthur would not rest until his subjects were healthy.
Arthur frowned in slight confusion. Brighton was bustling with men and women and children and farm animals. The buildings were made out of stone and the ground out of cobblestone. Brighton was oddly… lively for a town with hundreds of sick people.
"This is quite strange," Gaius muttered, looking around suspiciously.
Gwaine hopped off of his horse and tied the reigns to a wooden stable, as did the rest of them.
"Everything seems perfectly normal," he announced casually as he pat his horses side.
Arthur glanced over at his manservant, who seemed too busy with settling the horses then to notice the abnormality of Brighton. Or, perhaps, normality?
"King Arthur!"
The king of Camelot spun on his heels to see a middle-aged woman running up to him. Her hair was spun neatly around the top of her head like how a snake wraps its prey with its body. She wore peasant clothing, but expensive jewelry. She stared at Arthur was wide, hazel eyes. She looked relieved beyond belief.
"Your name?" Arthur asked casually.
"Sire, I am the one who sent you the letter about the plague running through this city. I am Victoria Bellamore." She swiftly took Arthur's hands in hers. Arthur was a bit skeptical with how friendly she acted towards a royal king, but decided it was because his subjects liked him and there was no wrong in that.
"Why is it that no one seems to be… dying?" Percival chimed in, just as curious as the rest of them.
Victoria smiled at the knight's question and replied, "A young woman by the name of Piper strode into town yesterday morning. She healed every single ill man and woman by the end of the night!"
Arthur could almost feel the sudden interest fuming from Merlin's eyes.
"Through the use of sorcery?" Gwaine asked, stepping up beside Arthur.
The woman's smile disappeared and she nodded hesitantly.
Arthur waited a beat and then turned his head back to look at the old sorcerer. "Gaius, perhaps it would be best for you to return to Camelot."
There was a tense silence, as all the knights knew of Gaius's previous relationship with sorcery. Gaius expressed no emotion, but looked at Merlin's face for but a moment, nodded, and went on his way back to the castle.
"And where did this sorceress leave towards?" Arthur asked in a somewhat dark voice.
Victoria swallowed heavily and said quickly, "Sire, please, spare Miss Piper. She saved my son and my husband. She saved Brighton! You cannot execute her!" Victoria gasped, covering her mouth, and bowed her head forward. "I… I am sorry. I will hold my tongue."
Arthur smiled faintly and held Victoria's hands gently. "There is no need. Speak your mind freely. As for the sorceress, she will not be executed, nor detained. She has saved one of my most cherished towns and there is no punishment in that." Arthur paused and released his subjects' hands. "I only wish to give her a proper reward."
Victoria began to shake and a beaming smile rose on her face. "Oh, thank you, thank you! Sire, you are most gracious! She told me that she was heading to Gail, as a sickness seemed to be stirring there, as well."
"Arthur?" Percival asked, shocked, though he did not receive an answer.
Arthur dipped his head forward in gratitude. "Thank you, Miss Bellamore."
The king turned and unwound his horses' reigns from the wooden stable as Victoria walked away to spread the happy news.
"Arthur, you can't be serious," Gwaine whispered as he unleashed his horse, as well. "You are planning to award a sorcerer?"
Arthur threw one leg over the horse and rested on the saddle. "This sorceress healed my people, Gwaine," Arthur subconsciously looked over at Merlin, who looked relieved as he saddled his horse. "A sorcerer can choose to hurt or help people, and the ones who make the right decision should be rewarded."
Gwaine frowned on top of his horse. "Agreed, but when did you have this change of heart? Camelot used to slaughter any and all users of magic."
Arthur felt a pang of guilt and regret, but replied tersely, "And that stops now."
Percival trotted up beside Arthur's horse and clamped a hand on the king's shoulder. "I can't say I'm not glad you've made this decision, Arthur. You are truly merciful and kind."
Arthur bit his tongue so hard that he tasted the metallic flavor of blood spread in his mouth. It is not him whom they should be thanking. It is Merlin. It's always been Merlin. He is the reason why Arthur came to this decision. He's the reason why Arthur is king.
Without replying, Arthur lightly heeled his horse's side and the four of them were on their way to Gail. However, in the back of Arthur's mind, he could still feel the hollow stares of the yellow mask that he saw in his dreams.