Epilogue

Big Tom liked to take his morning tea at Maggie's Cafe. He liked it there because there was no where else in his small village that served a passable tea. Also, it was the only time during his day, save sleeping, when he didn't have to listened to Gareth and his never-ending chatter.

Tomos scratched his thickly covered head of hair and pulled up a stool to the counter at Maggie's. There were only two other patron's in the cafe this morning, which actually made Tom rather pleased.

He whistled at the counter girl, and said, "Cuppa, love."

A pudgy young girl with brightly flushed cheeks nodded and went to grab the pot. As she walked past the small television screen on the back counter, the screen flashed to the morning news.

"Turn it up, would ya?" Tom asked. The girl poured his tea and then raised the volume on the set.

"- fled in the night," the anchorwoman announced in stern, serious tones. "And now for our top story, we go live to Robbie Patel who is in Cardiff, at the scene of what can only be described as a war zone. Robbie?"

The story flashed to images of destruction, toppled cars, army mobilization, and scores of confused and frightened people. A man's voice was heard over pictures, "Thanks, Jen. I'm here this morning in Cardiff after a terrible night in which the army was called out to deal with what locals say was an attack by a 'wild animal of enormous size'. Witnesses describe a lizard-type creature the size of a building that decimated a group of armed military troops and civilians caught who were caught in the crossfire." The middle-aged Indian reporter appeared, holding a microphone. He was walking through rubble-strewn streets and caved-in buildings. "However, despite the devastation you can see around me, there has yet to be any official statement as to what actually took place. We've attempted to reach the army for confirmation, but so far, they have been strangely silent. And the body of the beast in question has yet to be found." The camera shifted to a pre-recorded video showing a huddled group of weary-eyed people. "I talked to one of the survivors of the ordeal and here is what he had to say."

The image flashed again to a middle-aged man and his young son. Off camera, the reporter asked, "What can you tell us about the 'creature' that attacked you?"

The man looked warily at the camera, and then down at his son. "It was not just an animal. Huge, taller than those buildings there. Like a dragon, it looked. The army, they put up that barricade," he turned and pointed to a heap of vehicles and rubble in the middle of the street, "but they couldn't slow it down, not with all their weapons. It just... ate them up." He finished uncertainly.

"Ate them up?" Robbie said skeptically.

"Aye. Huge jaws it had. Chewed through man and metal alike. Nothing would stop it." He placed a hand upon his son's shoulder and his eyes grew distant.

The reporter pressed on,"So, what happened then?"

"There was a man. Two actually. One man went out to face that...thing...alone. And he..." the man paused, as if worried.

Robbie asked, "He what?"

"He-he blasted it... with some sort of lightning..." there was a long, pregnant pause, "from his own hands."

"Wait..." Robbie seemed suspicious. "Lightning? That's not possible."

The man nodded, "I would say so myself, except I saw it. My boy saw it too. All of us did." He motioned to the crowd around him and they nodded and murmured their agreement, so he grew more confident in his speech. "Then, the other, a well-built blonde fellow, he got up top there and began shouting to us. He said...he said his name was King Arthur. And that the fellow fighting the dragon was...Merlin."

"King Arthur and Merlin? Really?" The sarcastic tone was now very evident in the reporter's voice.

With a completely serious expression, the man replied,"Yes, sir. We were there, we heard what he said to us, about how he had returned to protect us...and, well...we believed him. We all believed him."

"You really believe it was the King Arthur?"

"Yes. Absolutely." He stated emphatically.

The video panned back to the newscaster, now live. "And it was the same with all of those who were present, Jen. They all claim to believe that it was Arthur and Merlin that saved their lives last night."

The female anchorwoman was back, "That's incredible, Robbie. All those people claim to have not only seen a dragon, but Merlin and Arthur as well?"

Robbie answered, "Yes, and I felt the same way as you, until I came across this mobile footage. Keep in mind the video quality is poor, but I think you can make out enough to be able to decide for yourself."

A shaky, pixelated video began, showing what looked like a large, blurry, black mass being struck with blueish-green lightning. It zoomed in to the source of the lightning. Clearly, it was a man, tall, skinny, with curly dark hair. Incredibly, he was shooting powerful bolts of electricity, although it seemed as though there was nothing in his hands. People behind the camera could be heard cheering him on. He ducked as the undecipherable black blob came for him. Then, the dark-haired man yelled something and hit the ground with his hand. The camera rocked back and forth violently, as though the earth was shaking. More cheers. This went on for several more seconds, until the blurred shadow struck again. Only this time, the man was clearly hit by it and sent flying through the air. Screams from the crowd. The camera zoomed out and panned around dizzyingly. It came to rest upon a different figure at the top of a tank. He was handsome, tall, and strangely, in a white bathrobe. Also, he was holding a heavy sword high above his head. Then, clear as day, his voice could be heard, cutting through all the other garbled noises from the video. "FOR MERLIN!" He shouted. And the entire crowd, including the cameraperson, echoed it. The screen went dark.

"Wow," Jen said. "That's pretty amazing, Robbie. And the one in the robe, he's claiming to be King Arthur?"

"Yes, Jen. And we believe that the one seen battling whatever that dark-shaped thing is, is Merlin."

"Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. And have you been able to speak with either of these two men?"

"No, they apparently disappeared last night, just after this whole ordeal. The local law enforcement are asking for any information about their whereabouts, however. They have provided us with these pictures of the two men, gathered from cell footage."

Two familiar images popped on the screen, side-by-side. Big Tom didn't hear any of the rest of the story. He was already out the door, in search of Gareth. As he headed for the quay, he scratched his beard and fretted. It was the same expression he always wore when he was wrestling with an especially troublesome catch. He had known from the start that blonde fellow was different. Everything about him had seemed off. Then, the nagging thought that had troubled him suddenly solidified in his mind. The island. That strange lump of overgrown rock that had appeared as if out of nowhere. His step quickened. Determined, he headed for his boat, thinking only about how badly he wanted to go check out that island.

Tomos never made it to his boat. By the time he got to the marina, the world around him had erupted into an orgy of creation. Big Tom was thrown from his feet, as impossibly large tree roots pushed their way up out of the graveled road. Grass grew over the pathway as if it wished to devour him where he lay. He pushed himself up to his feet quickly, and spun around where he stood. Trees and vines, grass and brush were all sprouting from the earth, engulfing the little shops and houses of the village. People screamed and ran from their homes as they were rapidly turned into mossy-covered hills. It was as if a great, green blanket had been tossed over the whole town.

Tomos looked to the water at the marina and his mouth fell open. Sunning themselves upon the newly carpeted docks were scaly-skinned mermaids. Upon the ships, danced sprites and elves. And in the water, large white horses played, flicking each other with their fins. Reality had simply ceased to exist, as the earth sought to erase the handy-work of man.

Next to him, a tall ash tree sprouted and then instantly shot for the sky. Tomos took this as a sign. Of what, he wasn't quite sure. He rubbed his head and pulled out his favorite pipe. "Welp," he commented to no one in particular, "guess dis is what comes from mixin' wit wizards." He lit his pipe, and continued on his way.

Author's note-

Well, if you liked this story the sequel called "Queen of the Wild Magic" is up now. It will finish up the story of what happens to Addy, Merlin, and Arthur. Look for more magic, more drama, more action, and, of course, more romance. Also, some familiar characters will return. But will they help our heroes or harm them? Questions will be answered, friendships tested, and an ending that will leave you breathless. (Or, at least, I will try my hardest!)

Can't wait to hear what you think! The reviews mean so much!