Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter thirty-eight: A month and a day I promise to stay.
Freya smiled as she sat, head on Merlin's shoulder, watching the ripples dance over the surface of one of Avalon's many lakes. Her hand was entwined with Merlin's, fingers laced around each other's, palm to palm. The last time she had been this happy was when Merlin kissed her for the first time in the catacombs below Camelot. Glancing round slightly she watched Merlin, his eyes were shut and his head turned to the sky, as he enjoyed the late afternoon sun.
Their wedding had taken place and the two of them were now married, Freya couldn't be happier. She had been given her a mortal body back by the Side, but when she married Merlin, their souls were joined. The wedding ceremony was one for creatures of magic, with their souls now joined, both were immortal and creatures of pure magic…. Plus Freya had been dead and the dead do not age, so both were immortal and would never age.
The only difference was, Freya magic was the magic of Avalon, the oldest magic of all and it shone with the silver light of the moon. Merlin's magic was earth magic, magic of the human realm and it burned with the golden glow of the sun. Yet their magic as it danced around them in fine, glittering mists, it was beautiful and it was peaceful.
Freya smiled and rested her head back on Merlin's shoulder, shifting her head so she could listen to Merlin's heart beating, she shut her eyes.
"You know you look beautiful when you smile." Merlin whispered.
Freya opened her eyes and turned, looking at Merlin, his eyes still shut and face turned towards the sky. "How did you know I was smiling?"
"You do not need your eyes to see." Merlin answered.
Freya thinks for a moment. "You can see with magic?"
Merlin opened his eyes and met her gaze. "Magic creates a picture of the world around us, you simply need to learn how to see it."
Freya smiled and rested her head against Merlin's chest. "You think I'm beautiful?"
"You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen," Merlin answered. "The first time I saw you, I knew I would never meet another like you."
Freya almost laughed. "The first time you saw me, I was covered in dirt and my dress was little more than rags, my hair was a mess and I was chained up in a cage."
"I will always think you beautiful," Merlin answered. "No matter what you look like. And I will always love you."
"Will you still love me, when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"
She knew she would never age, but Merlin hadn't worked that part out yet.
Merlin shifted and cupped Freya face in his hands. "You are the most beautiful person I know and you always will be, no matter what…. Looks are not the only thing that make you beautiful. And I will always love you, nothing will ever change that."
"What did I do, to deserve the love of someone like you?" Freya asked.
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The lake next to a small village was calm at this time of year, small waves no higher than your ankle washed over the banks of the lake. A young girl, sat watching the water. She loved the water, no matter what the weather.
Yes it was sometimes scary in the winter, when the wind wiped the waves into mountains, which threatened to crash down on the village and sweep it away, but never did. She loved the lake, she always felt more peaceful close to water.
Not far from her a women was washing clothes in the shallow water, she glanced up every now and again, just to make sure the young girl was safe. She was quite clearly the young girl's mother, they shared the small brown hair and pale skin. But the women eyes were hazel. As she turned back to washing the clothes, the young girl picked a wild flower.
"Freya, my child," The women spoke. "Go find your brothers and gather some fire wood, your father will be home soon."
The young girl, Freya, nodes and gets to her feet. "Yes, mother."
The women smiled and watched her daughter go, but quickly called after her. "Be careful, Freya."
"I will mother." The girl called over her shoulder.
She walked in to the village and soon found her older brothers, playing with the other boys from the village. "Mother said we needed to collect fire wood."
"Go away, Freya." Her oldest brother, a boy of fourteen nearly fifteen summers, growls.
"But mother said-"
Her other older brother, a boy of thirteen summers, glares at her. "We don't care what mother said."
Freya looks between them, unsure of what to do. Finally she turns and walks off into the forest on her own. Her brother had always treated her like that, they said they didn't like girls, but they always looked out for her.
And so Freya walked deeper into the forest, picking up sticks as she went. She didn't notice the woods slowly getting darker around her, until a wolf howling in the distance snapped her out of her thoughts.
Freya glanced round wildly, she had no idea where she was or which path she had taken to get here. It hadn't rained for weeks, so, the ground was hard and bared no tracks to lead her way back home. The forest, was slowly getting darker. Gripping the sticks closer to her chest, Freya glanced round before walking through the trees, hoping this was the path home.
No longer than five minutes of walking, Freya stops. Listening carefully she hears the slow footsteps of another person. Freya smiled, maybe they would know the way back to her village. She quickly rushes through the trees. The slight that greets her is, an old women haggard over her straw basket. A tattered grey cloak hung around her.
Freya who had been taught by her mother to respect and help her elder quickly rushed forward. "Can I help you, lady?"
The old women looked up at Freya. "If you would be so kind."
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Merlin watched Freya. She was resting against his chest, her brown hair hiding her face from view. Glancing over the lake, Merlin couldn't help, but feel like they were being watched. Somehow he knew who ever it was, they meant no harm. Suddenly Freya was gripping his arm, tracing the scars on his arm, just below the elbow.
"These look like teeth marks," Freya traced them. "How did you get them?"
Merlin smiled. "They are teeth marks, as for how I got them…. That's not an interesting story."
"But a story none the less," Freya answers. "By the time we leave Avalon, I want to know ever story."
"Well," Merlin sighs. "Long story short, I got bitten by a wolf."
Freya looked at Merlin in shock. "Not many people survive wolf attacks."
Merlin smiled. "Good thing it didn't attack me then…. When I was growing up, I always sent out to collect fire wood by my mother. One night I went too far away from the village, I wasn't watching where I was going. I entered a small clearing and something growled at me, looking up, I came face to face with a wolf."
"How old were you?" Freya asked.
"Fourteen." Merlin answered. "I simply froze, I had heard stories of wolves and people who had been killed by them in the winter. But it didn't attack me, it just kept growling…. I was about to run, when I noticed it had an arrow sticking out its hind leg. It must have crossed paths with a hunter.
"Me being me, I had to help it. Placing the fire wood down on the ground, I slowly moved towards it. Once it knew I meant no harm and it couldn't escape, it let me near it…. I think it must be something to do with my magic, animals have always been quick to trust me.
"But anyway, I pulled the arrow out its leg. The wolf let out a howl of pain, before turning and sinking it teeth into my arm. My magic lashed out, but instead of killing the wolf it healed it. Once the wolf was no longer in pain, it let go and run.
"I passed out half way home, I woke up a couple of days later. I was told by my mother, that a search party had found me in the woods surrounded by wolves, who quickly fled. I was bought back and the bite on my arm was cleaned. I had a fever which caused me to stay unconscious for the days after, but other than that there was little other damage."
Freya shakes her head. "Only you would be foolish enough to risk helping a wolf."
Merlin smiled. "It was in pain and I knew I could help, what else could I have done?"
"It was a wolf Merlin! A wolf!"
Merlin rolled his eyes. "It was an animal in pain. I had to help it."
Freya sighed. "How you lived long enough for us to meet, is a mystery."
Merlin laughed.
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Freya dropped her fire wood and took the basket from the old women, the old women slowly made her way through the trees, Freya following behind carrying her basket. At last they came to a small hut like cottage, beside a fast flowing stream, which Freya knew run into the lake. Through the trees you could make out the mountains, she had no idea she had got so far away from home.
The house was surrounded by a small garden of wild flowers and herbs. Many woodland animals sat nearby watching as they passed. Freya glanced round, the area felt different to the rest of the forest, almost like it was sacred.
The old women opened the door to the small hut like cottage and entered. "Thank you, for your help, child."
Freya smiled as she put the basket down on the table. "My mother told me it was polite to help ones elders."
"Then you mother is a kind women," The old women answered. "If you grow up to be half as kind as your mother, your life will be blessed indeed."
Freya looked at the old women. "What do you mean?"
"Destiny, child." The old women answered. "You best return home, child. Follow the stream and it will lead you home, no harm will come to you, I promise."
Freya nodes, before asking. "Destiny?"
The old women smiled. "You have a great destiny, child. Your heart is kind and you wish no harm to others. And I must thank you for your help…."
"Freya," Freya answers. "What is your name?"
"My name is Abnoba, Freya, lady of the lake." The old women answers.
"Who's the lady of the lake?"
Abnoba smiled. "Time will answer that question child…. Here take this, a thank you gift."
She holds out a rune, carved in to a silver stone. Freya takes it before looking up, but the old women is gone.
"Thank you." Freya mutters, unsure if the old women was still there, just out of sight.
Freya quickly leaves and follows the stream just as she was told. But unknown to her, the old women was watching her from the shadows of the forest. Her form slowly changed into that of a young women and her ragged cloths turned to fine silk.
"A gift I have given," Abnoba smiles. "The protection of a goddess. For destiny is great and fate is cruel. And so a lover's heart, shall never break."
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Freya smiled as she picked up one of the strawberries Merlin had created for her. She studied it, it was a perfect red colour and was almost shaped like a heart.
"Your family?" Freya asked.
Merlin glanced at her. "What about my family?"
"Tell me about them."
Merlin sighed. "There isn't much to tell…. My father was Balinor, the last of the dragon lords and the only one to survive the great purge. He was tricked by Uthur, before fleeing to my home village. My uncle Gaius had told him he could find shelter with my mother, Hunith.
"Over the years my father stayed with my mother, they fell in love. But Uthur caught wind of where Balinor was hiding. He sent knights to hunt him down. My mother tried to hold up the knights as long as she could, giving Balinor just enough time to get away.
"A couple of weeks later, my mother found out she was pregnant with me. She was scared about what Uthur would do if he ever found out she was carrying Balinor's child, she tried to keep her pregnancy a secret for as long as she could. But soon she could no longer hide it.
"Luckily none of the villagers went to Uthur, many of them feared he would burn the whole village for harbouring Balinor for as long as they did…. Even if at the time Hunith was the only one who knew who he was. My mother knew Balinor would never come back, he wouldn't endanger her like that…. So my father never knew he had me as a son until days before he died."
Freya smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Merlin replied.
Freya shakes her head. "I asked about your family and it caused you pain to remember."
"I want to tell you Freya," Merlin answered. "We are married now, so they are your family too."
Freya smiled. "I hope Gaius and Hunith like me."
"They will love you," Merlin grinned. "My mother Hunith, raised me on her own. She never married or found someone else, so I grew up fatherless. I asked about my father many times, but she refused to answer. It must have been hard on her, I was born with magic. I was moving objects before I could talk.
"But we were happy, life was simple as long as you had food on the table and a roof over your head, you were happy. My mother loved me more than anything else, she still does. Every time I wrote a letter telling her of my adventures, she would always worry about the times I got hurt or nearly got caught.
"As I grew older, my powers increased, I started to lose control of them more easily and my mother knew it wouldn't be long until someone found out. So she sent me to stay with my uncle Gaius, court physician in Camelot…. I had never seen much of Gaius in my childhood, I think I may have met him once or twice. So it was like meeting a complete stranger.
"Gaius never had any children, so he started to treat me like his son and I soon learnt to see him as a father. He has taught me a lot of things about healing and has always tried to guide me to the best of his ability. He always lecturing me on the fact I need to be more careful with my magic and that if I was caught I would be killed. He's even used magic to help me.
"Then there is Alice, she's Gaius's love. They were to be married before the great purge started, but they have only seen each other twice since then. She once stayed with us in Camelot, but was to be executed before Gaius helped her escape. She is one of the best healers I know, her knowledge in the magic healing arts is the envy of many. There a few things she cannot heal.
"And finally you have the dragons. Kilgharrah and Aithusa. After my father died, I became the last dragon lord and the dragon became my kin. Kilgharrah is also known as the great dragon, who everyone believed Arthur killed. I must warn you, if you need a question answered, do not go to him…. He only answers in riddles. Aithusa was the dragon I hatched from the last dragon egg and he has just learnt how to breathe fire."
Freya laughs. "You have one interesting family."
Merlin smiled. "What about your family?"
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The years past and Freya kept the rune given to her. When her family had found her, she had kept the rune hidden. People here knew of magic, but did not like it. A sorceress lived in the wood, rumoured she had a son, but she was cold and cruel and hated people outside of her family. For that reason magic was not liked here and Freya knew the rune was magical.
She always felt safer when she had it with her, like someone was looking out for her. Whenever she was in trouble it would glow and surround her in light, protecting her. Luckily she was always on her own when it happened, so no one ever saw it.
She helped her mother as she washed some pots in the shallow water of the lake, she glanced up and watched the fishing boats out on the lake. Her father was out there fishing, the lake was like an ocean and was full of fish. Her father had once told her this was the largest lake in Albion.
Back in the village her brothers were helping in the small farming fields. They grew vegetables, which they traded with the next village for milk and bread. The fish the caught was also traded, they were the only village to fish on this side of the lake. Life was simply here and Freya was happy, but she couldn't help but feel something was missing.
All the other girls were a couple of years older than her, but they had already planned to marry. Freya had yet to meet anyone she even liked the looks of, let alone think about marrying. Both her brothers were to marry, but the Freya had yet to meet who they were marrying.
"Mother do you think, I will ever marry?"
Her mother looked up. "You will one day, my child. But you are young, you still have a couple of years before you should even think about marrying."
Freya nodes. "Will I love them?"
Freya's mother sighed. "I should hope so, a marriage without love is no marriage at all."
"Do you love father?"
Freya's mother smiled. "With all my heart."
Freya smiled. "I'm going to collect some fire wood, mother, it will be dark in a couple of hours and I do not want to get lost."
"Be careful."
Freya smiled and made her way into the woods. As she began to collect fire wood, she did not notice a young man come up behind her, until he grabbed her arm. Freya screamed, as she was pushed backwards into a tree, dropping the fire wood she had collected. In the distance she could hear people calling her name, altered by her scream.
The young man grinned wickedly and forced her head back, her vision danced with black dots, as her head came in contact with the tree. Through the haze, she could just make out the glittering of a knife blade and she screamed. Her eyes burned gold and the young man was thrown back into a tree a couple of metres away. Freya collapsed to her knees.
She tried to pull away as someone put their arms around her, unknown to her it was her oldest brother.
"Please leave me alone." She begged.
"Freya," Her older brother, muttered softly. "You're safe now."
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Freya smiled sadly. "My family…."
"You don't have to speak about them if you don't want to."
"I want to tell you," Freya answers. "My father was a fisherman, he and many others from our village fished on the lake. He was kind, but he had a quick temper. He taught my brothers how to fish and farm, so they could work alongside him. He always made sure I was alright, if any of the village children were mean, he would always go talk to their parents and he even taught me to swim. He wasn't scared to show my mother he loved her, he was always picking her flowers or bringing the best fish home for us to eat."
"He sounds like an honourable man." Merlin mutters.
Freya smiled. "He was. He loved my mother and he loved us. Many men see it as a weakness to show emotions in public, but my father never cared about that and we were truly happy."
"It's a shame not more people are like that," Merlin mutters. "Love is no weakness."
Freya nodes her agreement. "My mother was a druid, she was the kindest person you would ever know. One day when she was young, she was caught by bandits in the forest and my father saved her and they fell in love. After a couple of years of seeing each other, my father asked my mother to marry him. So my mother left the druids to be with my father. She was happy, but I sometimes saw her watching the forest and I knew she was thinking about the family she left behind."
"Did she have magic?" Merlin asked.
"I'm not sure," Freya answers. "It is possible, if she did have it I never saw her use it…. Thinking about, she must have known about my magic, she taught me the ways of the old religion when she could."
Merlin smiled. "Druids always seem to know when people have magic."
"A couple of years after my parents married, my oldest brother was born. He was four years older than me and always used to tease me. He used to push me in the mud and pull my hair, but whenever I was in trouble he would help me. He was brave and a charmer, there wasn't a girl in the village who didn't like him. My father taught him how to fish, but he was scared of the water, so he only farmed.
"Then there was my other brother, he was two years older than me. He was a trouble maker, always pulling pranks on me and the other children in the village. Father was forever telling him off, but father could never stay angry at him for long. He was far better at fishing than farming, but couldn't swim. One day he fell out the boat and nearly drowned after that my father refused to let him fish, so he too farmed.
"And then finally you have me. The youngest of my family." Freya smiled.
Merlin gripped her hand. "I wish I could have meet them."
"So do I."
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In had been less than three days since Freya had killed the young man in the wood, the wound on the back of her head was healing nicely and the pain had faded away. Her mother had taken such care in treating it, Freya couldn't help but be thankful that her mother was skilled in healing. Her father had lost his temper and demanded that they hunt down the sorceress whose son Freya had killed.
It was mid-afternoon and the sun was hanging low in the sky, Freya was sitting outside her home watching her mother work. Suddenly out of nowhere a women appeared, her gaze landed on Freya and her yells filled the air, flashes of light shot towards Freya and her mother moving quickly stepped before her and fell to the ground.
"Mother!" Freya screamed, falling to her mother's side.
The sorceress sneered at Freya. "You killed my son!"
Freya looked up, tears streaming down her face as she held the lifeless body of her mother in her arms. "I-I, I'm s-sorry."
The sorceress laughed a bitter, humourless laugh. "How pathetic you are, you little witch! Don't think for one moment your little act will fool me!"
Freya looked down at her mother face. "You-you, k-killed my m-mother!"
"Pity," the sorceress sneered. "She was such a kind soul."
Freya hugged her mother close, her mother was dead.
Out of the trees, Freya father and brothers appeared, along with the other men from the village. Upon seeing Freya's mothers' dead body, her father let out a battle cry and charged towards the sorceress. She simply turned, yelled a word Freya couldn't understand and all of the men including her father were thrown backwards. They landed on the ground with a sickening thud and all seized to move again.
The sorceress turned her attention back to Freya. "Since you love to kill so much, little witch, I will curse you to kill for evermore."
The sorceress held up her hand and began to chant, but before she could complete the spell, a root burst out the ground and dragged her into the forest. The old women Freya had helped years ago appeared.
"I am sorry child," She whispered. "But I came too late…. She cursed you to take the form of a beast and to kill until killed, but the spell was not completed. By day you will take a human form, but by night you will take the form of a beast…. Destiny has been shattered, but not lost. Have faith child, you will know what it feels to be loved."
The years past, for a year or two the druids had been able to keep the curse under control, but then one night, when the moon was full and the powers of old were strongest, she killed many. After that she fled and just kept running from place to place, trying not to kill, but she could not control it…. She was a monster.
Then one night, she was caught. Trapped in a cage, she waited alone and scared, knowing her fate. Uthur was a cruel man and all who were caught, were killed. As she watched the stars from her cage, she almost smiled. She would miss the beauty of the world, but her life wasn't worth living, not anymore.
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Merlin watched the sun rise, his body tense and his mind racing. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his shoulder.
"You are worried." Freya mutters.
Merlin almost smiled. "Had I known when I entered Avalon, I would have to stay here for a month and a day, I would have waited until the war was over."
Freya sighed. "You do not know how much time would have passed when we return to the human realm, you may have only been gone a couple of hours, a day even!"
"Or I could have been gone years!" Merlin answers. "I know I should enjoy the time I have here, but I can't help but worry."
He was the only one who could hope of beating Mordred. Mordred had stolen so much power from others, even Merlin would have trouble fighting him. Merlin could return to the human realm and find it completely destroyed, with no one left. He would have failed his people, he would have failed the human race.
Freya kissed Merlin's cheek. "No matter what we return to, I will always stand at your side."
Merlin knew he couldn't waste his time here, he and Freya wouldn't have a peaceful life like this for a long time once they returned to the human realm. But he would have Freya at his side, with her he felt like he could do anything. He had something to fight for, someone he would risk even Arthur's life to protect.
Merlin turned and kissed Freya on the lips. "Then we best enjoy our time here…. We won't have peace like this for a long time…. Plus we are married."
Freya smiled, a light blush colouring her cheeks. "We haven't even opened the wedding gifts yet."
"We haven't even received all the wedding gifts yet and we have been married for days!" Merlin laughed.
Freya got to her feet and Merlin followed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Freya slipped her arms around his neck, her eyes locked with his. "Are you sure this is not a dream?"
Merlin smiled. "If this is a dream we best make the most of it."
And the two of them kissed with the rising sun creating a golden halo of light around them.
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Hey next up is the queen of hearts and the sorcerer's shadow, hopeful won't be too long until the next chapter is up, so until then,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.