The next three days had been hectic for Arthur and Leon as they struggled to prepare for the actors. Merlin couldn't help but be excited. He had never been to a play before. Cenred and Morgause weren't too keen on anything that didn't involve strengthening their powers. Merlin and Freya talked about what it would be like to see an actual play. Freya always talked about the romantic ones. Merlin didn't know why girls liked that stuff so much. Two people kissing was gross. Even if Gwaine said he would one day enjoy it. Merlin was certain he never would. But Freya would always go on and on about handsome princes rescuing damsels in distress.
One time she asked if Merlin would be her prince. He agreed, only to get kissed by Freya. She insisted that's what princes do. Merlin decided he never wanted to be a prince.
Merlin's heart dropped thinking about Freya. He wondered if she was alright. He tugged on the coat he wore. Who would help Freya out when she transformed? Iseldir was usually too busy working and protecting everyone so he couldn't do it. Alice was nice, but she was also old. As old as Gaius. She wouldn't be able to keep Freya under control. And Gili was always too afraid of her during transformations.
Freya had said Morgause promised to find a cure for her disease. But Merlin didn't think Morgause was looking. He didn't think Morgause cared. She only cared about power. And nothing was more powerful than Freya when she transformed. Even Merlin couldn't be in the same cage as her. He had to be kept in another one. But he still kept her company through those nights by singing and telling stories and talking about the plays they would see when they escaped. He also promised Freya that he would become a prince someday so that he would save her and buy her pretty dresses and things to put in her hair. And when she had fallen asleep and turned back into a girl, Merlin would kiss her cheek, since apparently that's what princes did.
"Hey kid, what are you thinking about?" Elyan said, walking up to Merlin.
"My friends," Merlin said with a shrug. He bent back over and continued polishing Arthur's boots.
"What about them?" Elyan sat down beside him and began sharpening his sword.
"I miss them. And I want to help them. They're still where I left. I wonder if they hate me for leaving and not coming back," Merlin said. He felt like crying. As much as he hated Cenred and Morgause, he still couldn't deny that there were people with them that he wanted to see again.
"Listen, Merlin, I left home without a word." Merlin stopped polishing and looked at Elyan.
"You did?"
"Yeah. I was young, and stupid. Our mother had just died and I thought I would be better off somewhere else. To this day I feel guilty, leaving Gwen by herself. It broke my heart when I found out our father had died and Gwen had to take care of everything herself."
"So what happened?" Merlin didn't know where Elyan was going with this. Maybe this was something only gown ups could understand. Merlin didn't want Elyan to think he wasn't grown up.
"Well, when I did come back home, I thought I'd get slapped. Well, I did get slapped. But more importantly, Gwen forgave me and I've learned to be a good brother again. I'm not telling you this for no reason. I honestly think you had a better reason to leave without a word than I did. What I want you to know is that if they really are your friends, they'll understand. They might be mad at you for leaving but they'll be glad you're alright," Elyan said, patting Merlin on the head.
"Do you think there's anyway to help them?" Merlin asked.
"Well that depends on where they're at." Merlin had yet to tell anyone where he had been held. Every time someone tried to bring it up, he clammed up. Just thinking about it gave him nightmares.
"Um, well—" Elyan stopped sharpening his sword. This might be the moment that he learned something about Merlin. "Um, there was this man and woman who captured me and Freya and Gili and Alice and Iseldir. The man's name was, um, Cenred." Merlin's voice dropped off to a whisper. Elyan nearly fell out of his seat.
"What about the woman?" he asked quietly. He couldn't risk scaring Merlin back into silence. Merlin shook his head.
"I can't say her name. If I say her name she'll know where I am." Merlin's voice was so quiet, Elyan had to strain to hear him. He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.
"Do you want to tell Arthur what you told me?"
Merlin shook his head. "Can you do it instead?"
Elyan nodded and gave him a quick one-armed hug. Merlin thought he would feel lighter after telling someone about his past. But instead, he just felt heavy and weak. He hunched further in on himself.
"I'll go tell Arthur. We probably can't help them right away. But we can still start planning something. You know how good Leon is at planning things. We'll get them back, Merlin," Elyan said. He stood up and started walking towards the castle. Merlin turned around, wondering if he did the right thing.
oOoOoOo
Elyan was not looking forward to telling Arthur what Merlin had told him. Cenred was a king, and Camelot's greatest enemy. There was no way Uther would allow Arthur to raid the man's palace. Though the others Merlin had mentioned probably weren't being kept in the palace.
Of course, what Merlin said made sense. Cenred was known to force those with magic into slavery. He didn't know why they hadn't managed to put the pieces together yet. Maybe they were hoping for a weaker enemy, so they could actually have a chance of winning.
"Nothing like going after the big fish, I suppose," Elyan muttered. This was going to be a nightmare to deal with. He could already see the many hours he and the others would have to stay awake in order to launch an attack against Cenred.
But right now, Cenred's lands and Camelot were relying on an uneasy treaty that kept them both out of each other's hair. Although Cenred was probably planning on taking over Camelot as soon as the state was weakened. This was probably the only time Elyan thanked God that Uther was in good health. As long as he was strong, Cenred wouldn't attack.
Elyan knew Arthur would make a better king and probably be able to defeat Cenred should a war happen. But no war was better than a huge war, especially during a time of political instability.
But Merlin's information also confirmed suspicions that Cenred was planning something. Or, at least, the woman he was with was planning something. Cenred never struck Elyan as the go-getter type. He knew what he wanted, but didn't bother taking it unless it was easy. So if anyone was gearing up for war, it was the woman Merlin spoke of. That would make things even more difficult. Cenred, they couldn't go after. But this woman, as long as she wasn't in a position of formal political power, they could hunt for her. The only problem was she didn't have a name.
Elyan arrived at Arthur's chambers and knocked on the door. When he entered, Arthur was sitting at his table, papers scattered about him. Leon was sitting on the floor, also surrounded by papers. Elyan wondered if he should wait until the actors were gone.
"Yes, what is it?" Leon barked.
"Merlin told me who was keeping him before this. You're not going to like it."
Leon and Arthur's heads popped up. Whatever they were working on was now abandoned in favor of hearing Elyan.
"He said it was a woman, and Cenred." Elyan winced as Arthur slammed a fist on the table.
"Dammit! We can't risk starting a war with them. We're walking on eggshells as is," Arthur said. Leon shook his head.
"This does confirm our suspicions that Cenred is preparing something. He might be planning on taking over Camelot, or the other kingdoms," Leon said thoughtfully.
"What about this woman? Who is she?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know. I tried to press Merlin for more information but he said saying her name will give her the power to find him," Elyan answered.
"So she's powerful?" Leon mused.
"Probably. She was able to capture sorcerers and she's stayed quiet about it. Merlin talked about his friends from that place and even listed a few names."
"Do you remember what those names were? We can have Gaius look into them and see if he recognizes anyone. We know they've tried to collect Emrys, who knows how many other powerful sorcerers they've gathered," Arthur said. Elyan listed off the names while Leon wrote them on a sheet of paper.
"Take this to Gaius, see what he knows. We need to know what we're going up against. They might be Merlin's friends, but under extreme torture and grooming, they could become weapons." Leon handed Elyan the sheet of paper and Elyan left. He looked at the list of names. Merlin had mentioned Freya several times before, always saying she needed his oversized coat for some reason. The others were new.
Elyan found Gaius at his bench, preparing a tonic for Morgana.
"Are the nightmares getting bad again?" he asked. Gwen was off to the side, embroidering a handkerchief.
"Yes. We've talked with the Great Dragon about it. But he wasn't very helpful. All we know is that a ghost has caused trouble in the past. Gaius is looking for some more information," she said.
"Well I'm afraid I don't have much better news. Merlin told me where he came from."
"That's wonderful. He's finally opening up," Gwen beamed.
"Cenred was the one that was keeping him."
Gwen's smile fell. "That's even worse than what I had imagined. I thought maybe some rogue noble. Definitely not a king. Are we going to tell Uther about this?"
"I don't see how we can without revealing Merlin. And if we don't reveal Merlin, then we have no solid proof of what Cenred is doing."
"I understand that. But we can't just let Cenred keep doing this. Magic is a gift, not a weapon," Gaius said.
"Well, Merlin did give me some names. If we know who these people are, we might be able to find the proof without endangering Merlin."
Gaius put down the potion and pulled out a piece of paper. "What were they?"
"Gili, Freya—"
"Well those two don't sound familiar," Gaius said.
"Merlin talks about Freya sometimes, though. I don't know much about her. He does seem awfully smitten though," Gwen chimed.
"Well, he also said Iseldir—"
Gaius gasped. "Now that might be a problem."
"Why?" Elyan asked.
"If this is the Iseldir I'm thinking of, he was entrusted with a very sacred artifact: the Cup of Life. He's a leader of a band of druids farther north. According to sources, he's the one that holds the Cup of Life," Gaius explained.
"And what does the Cup of Life do?" Gwen asked.
"Well, it can give everlasting life to one who drinks it, and it can make armies immortal. If Cenred has Iseldir, then there's a good chance he has the Cup of Life as well."
"Merlin did mention one other name."
"Oh, who was that?" Gaius began folding the parchment and putting it on the shelf.
"A woman called Alice."
Gaius dropped the parchment. "Alice?"
"Yeah, do you know her?"
"Oh, I do believe so. If she's the same Alice, well then, I really am a fool. She was my fiancée. She had to run during the purge." For the first time, Elyan thought Gaius was about to break down.
"Gaius, why don't you sit down?" Gwen pull out a chair and helped him into it.
"Thank you my dear. I can't believe it. I sent her away to be safe. She probably would have been better off in Camelot. They were killing sorcerers so rapidly there wasn't any time for flashy displays such as the pyre. She would have probably just been beheaded. That's probably much better than Cenred." Gaius gave a hollow laugh.
Elyan patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. Now that we know who's keeping them, we can work on rescuing them." Gaius didn't seem so convinced. Elyan walked out the door, ready to tell Arthur what he had discovered.
"Oh, Gaius," Elyan called. "Merlin also mentioned something about a woman who was keeping him as well, someone powerful enough to track him if he said her name. Do you know anyone like that?"
Gaius sighed. "I know of two women who may have that power. I pray it is neither." Elyan nodded and closed the door.
"Gaius, do you think it's a coincidence that the dragon also said there were two women who could have released the spirit?" Gwen asked.
"If it is, I fear for us all."
