A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the amazing reviews, keep them coming :D This might be my last upload for a while so...hope it's ok! I actually wasn't intending the end of this chapter but...I think I have some pretty good new ideas. I have totally reviewed my whole plan which has now unfortunatly been scuppered- for the better I hope though:D Not entirely sure where this story will go now...it'll be a surpise for all of us!!
Please review!! :D:D
Chapter 4- A new life?
Merlin followed Fyrmest through the dense trees, all the while sensing the incredible energy being given off by them. Merlin had no doubt that this place was indeed the site of some immense power, he could feel the magic of the Old Religion in his very blood, rushing through his veins, making him feel more alive than he had ever before.
The rest of the Druids followed Merlin silently. The way the way they all fell into line behind Fyrmest demonstrated their great respect and reverence for him. They also looked at him with the same expressions; these people were frightened of him. Merlin felt a quiet amusement; what would Arthur say if he found out Druids were afraid of his bumbling manservant? But then, he realised, Arthur would probably say it was just his face that was scaring them.
Merlin almost laughed aloud at this memory, Arthur had always teased Merlin mercilessly over his appearance, but he suddenly felt pain as he thought of Arthur. What must Arthur be thinking of him now? Was he now frightened of him? Merlin couldn't bear the thought that he would be. True, he had fantasised occasionally what it would be like to have everyone know who he was truly, to respect him and not dismiss him as they usually did, for Arthur to see him for more than he was, but these were only fantasies. Merlin was never one to bask in his own glory; perhaps he felt annoyance whenever Arthur got the credit for something Merlin had done again, but Merlin had never wanted the attention. Not if it meant forsaking his best friend.
The Druids were now beginning a deep descent, down a steep bank, further into the gloom of the forest. Perhaps this was the site of some Ancient magic, but it sure was depressing.
Fyrmest strode confidently forward, passing through the mist which now snaked around the trees, and passed out of sight. Merlin blinked. The man had just vanished right in front of him. Perhaps he had just got lost in the mist? But as he desperately sought out Fyrmest's figure, he realised the mist was not dense at all, and he was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?
Merlin turned around in confusion to the Druids assembled behind him. They were looking at him, with expectant gazes, obviously waiting for him to do something. But what? Great, he thought, the first people who could possibly accept him for who he was, and they though he was an idiot. Well you are an idiot he heard the memory of Arthur say to him. He pushed this thought hurriedly out of his head.
"Um..." Merlin began, unsure how to ask what to do without coming across as his usual dense self.
"Follow me Emrys, through the mist. Your destiny awaits you." He heard Fyrmest speak in his mind. Destiny? That old word was beginning to really annoy Merlin.
He turned on the spot and stared out into the mist. He realised there was something not entirely right about the mist. It wasn't of a natural creation; it seemed to glisten quietly in the dim light, inviting him forward. Merlin reached out with his magic and sensed something concealed behind the mist, something large. Enchantment after enchantment greeted Merlin's senses and he realised the mist was not as it seemed.
He took a deep breath and stepped out into the mist, rather dramatically it might be said as he felt like he was making some momentous leap into the unknown.
He then promptly got his foot stuck in a root and fell over flat on his face. Perfect; his one chance to impress the Druids and he had to act like a complete idiot. Typical, clumsy Merlin was what Arthur would have said, but Merlin refused to think of him at that moment, it hurt too much.
He straightened up with as much dignity as he could, with all manner of forest foliage sticking to his clothes and resumed his walk into the mist, sensing the Druids following him.
As soon as he had passed through the mist, he suddenly realised what had been concealed from him. It was an entire village. Each of the houses seemed to be grown out of the earth itself, leaves and branches intertwined to form walls and roofs. Small fires were lit outside of each house, with dancing flames of different colours forming magical shapes and creatures in the fire. Children ran about happily, laughing with a carefree attitude, while their parents watched idly. A great sense of warmth and happiness seemed to be radiating from every corner, contrasting with the stark bleakness of the surrounding forest. This place had a feeling of security around it, a place where anyone could be happy. Compared to the last Druid camp he had been to, which had been erected so as to be disassembled in a hurry if there was an attack, this place had a feeling of permanency to it; it felt as if this place had always existed, and always would. A place frozen in time.
As soon as he entered, the Druids who were relaxing outside of their houses looked up and stared at Merlin, wonder in their faces. Merlin felt his ears begin to go red and wished they would stop staring. Fyrmest, who had been waiting for Merlin, gestured for him to follow, and led a path through the village to the grassy knoll at the far end, where a sort of meeting place seemed to be. A great silence fell over the crowd, eerily reminding him of the crowd at his execution-well there was a comparison he never thought he'd have the chance to make. Merlin felt the stares of everyone around, boring into his back, feeling very uncomfortable. He hoped with all his might he wouldn't trip up again. He could not believe the expressions of wonder in each individuals face, wonder at him. Some simply stared, others broke into joyous grins at the sight of him, children whispered to each other and pointed openly, and some burst into tears.
They had finally reached the head of the village, where Fyrmest had halted, and turned to face the villagers. Merlin followed suit, and immediately regretted as he saw every living thing in the village regarding him in awe, even some of the lazy dogs curled up around the fires had raised their heads and looked at him with mild curiosity. Everyone seemed to be expecting him to say something, absolute silence prevailed in the village, and even Fyrmest was looking at him eagerly.
Merlin desperately tried to find something smart to say, but it eluded him. "Wouldn't be the first time would it?" smirked the Arthur-memory. Merlin ignored this, cleared his dry throat, raised one hand half-heartedly into the air, waved it slightly.
"Hi," he croaked. Damn.
Fortunately this seemed to be enough. The entire crowd cheered and clapped, wiping tears from their eyes, staring at him in admiration, Okay, something weird had to be going on here, this was him they were cheering at wasn't it?
Fyrmest then placed his hand firmly in the small of his back and guided him into one of the larger houses, where he found some benches and a small, laughing fire with blue flames. Merlin hesitantly sat down on one of these benches and looked around him at the dingy interior. Fyrmest sat opposite him and regarded him with a calculating expression and remained silent. A couple of other Druids also entered and sat down and gave him the same treatment. All of this silence was really unnerving Merlin, he had never been one to sit and stay silent. That's because you've a gob the size of a basking shark, the Arthur-memory said. That would be exactly what Arthur would have said, servants were neither supposed to be seen or heard, Merlin was a direct contradiction of both.
Finally Fyrmest spoke.
"We are truly glad to see you here with us Emrys. This is something we have anticipated for a long time."
"What are you talking about? How did you know I would be there? What has this got to do with my destiny?" Merlin bombarded him with questions hoping to get some answers.
Fyrmest chuckled at his torrent of questions. "It has everything to do with your destiny Emrys; your destiny to bring magic back to the lands of Albion, to free us from our persecution."
Merlin was confused. "I thought it was my destiny to protect Arthur and help him become king?"
Fyrmest smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Ah, so have heard a little of the ancient prophecies. Yes, it is indeed your destiny to protect the young Pendragon, but why does it follow that you cannot do both. The moon cannot rise without the sun setting."
Merlin scowled at this. He'd had enough riddles from Kilgarrah to last him a lifetime. Why couldn't anyone give him a straight answer?
"How can I protect Arthur if I'm here freeing you lot from persecution? It doesn't make any sense!"
Fyrmest raised his eyebrows. "Doesn't it?"
Merlin considered this, though still annoyed at having to work this out himself after everything that had happened in the last few days. How could he possibly do both? Unless he knocked Arthur unconscious and dragged him back here and tied him to a tree, which admittedly, wasn't the best plan. Too right it isn't! As if you could ever knock me unconscious anyway! came the Arthur-memory's arrogant thought. And when Arthur ever became king, how was he supposed to convince him that magic was not evil, and help Arthur trust him again. True, Arthur's opinion of magic had never been as strong as his father's, but Merlin suspected that might have changed after discovering that his servant, his friend, the one he had confided his deepest feelings in, had apparently betrayed him.
All these thoughts spilled around Merlin's mind. Somehow he had to be able to convince Arthur to trust him once more, to place his faith in him, and so enable Merlin to protect Arthur, change his views on magic, unite the lands of Albion, return magic to the kingdom and release the Druids from their persecution. It even sounded difficult, how was he ever to put this into practise? Great. Why was nothing ever simple in Merlin's life? Kill the Griffin, stop the witch, break the spell, save Arthur, stop the dragon, save Arthur, keep his magic hidden, avoid being eaten by Wildren, be a good servant, save Arthur, run Gaius's errands, lie to the King, save Arthur, fulfil his destiny...the list was endless.
He ran his conclusion by Fyrmest who nodded and said: "It may seem like an impossible task, but in the end, it can be done, as a stream will always find its way to the sea.
Hmph! More riddles, sulked Merlin. However, Fyrmest continued.
"The ancient prophecies foretold of this day. The day when everything is set into motion, when the pieces begin to fall into place, it is your choice Emrys, do you dare challenge the impossible, or continue to hide who you are until even you are not certain? My people tire of hiding, of running, many here have not even ventured outside of these protective enchantments which protect them from the outside world. You have the hopes of many, resting on you. They look to you as a beacon. Please, make the right choice. Will you join us?"
It didn't sound as if he was being given any sort of choice. Merlin looked at Fyrmest, and then at the other two Druids in the room, both of whose faces bore the marks of emotional trauma, no doubt brought on by Uther's ruthless reign. Weakly, Merlin nodded.
Fyrmest's face broke into a grin, illuminating his features in a way Merlin could tell had not been done for a long time.
"But first," Merlin said. "I would like to know the answers to a couple more questions."
Fyrmest nodded to indicate he was listening.
Merlin took a deep breath and voiced one of the doubts he had been having ever since the Great Dragon had informed him of his destiny.
"How do you know I am even Emrys? How can someone like me be the one you're all waiting for? I'm nothing, insignificant, why do all your hopes rest on me? I'm a clumsy, idiotic servant who can't even walk down a corridor without falling over! What can I possibly do to help?"
To his surprise, Fyrmest laughed softly.
"Not Emrys? It was obvious from the moment I laid eyes on you who you were. The immense power resting inside of you determines it, it identifies you, the aura of magic surrounding you is more powerful than I have yet seen in any other man. You will be great Emrys, the greatest warlock the world has ever known; there is no doubt of that. Do not allow your mind to be troubled, everything will become right in time, after all, the night is darkest before the dawn."
Merlin briefly pondered these words. He did not completely believe them, but he wished fervently that they were true.
"You will stay with us I trust? We have more than enough room for you here. Your power is great, instinctive and elemental, but untamed. We can offer you basic training, an outlet for your magic, you can learn much from us, as we can from you. We can teach you the ways of the Old Religion, that which you should have been taught since birth, but were denied. You will be completely cared for, you will not be lacking in company. Everyone here knows your secret, you need not feel lonely."
Merlin highly doubted this but said nothing.
"Have you any other questions?"
With a jolt, Merlin remembered the question he most desired to ask.
"Were you the ones that sent the Griffin to Camelot?"
Fyrmest frowned, and looked deeply confused at this.
"I have no idea what you are referring to. What Griffin?"
Merlin sighed. He had expected this. He looked closely at Fyrmest, and sensed a profound feeling of honestly on his part. He obviously didn't know, the answer was written in his face.
"Never mind," he dismissed, trying to push that thought from his mind. Well there goes that theory. Well since when have you ever had great powers of deduction? Merlin ignored him.
He believed Fyrmest when he claimed to know nothing of it, yet some doubt was troubling him. Something was not as it seemed, and the Druids were at the heart of it, whether they knew that or not.
Fyrmest seemed to accept that the conversation was at an end and motioned for Emrys to stand up.
"I will now show you to your own private residence. You may stay there as long as you like, in safety and in peace."
Merlin once again followed Fyrmest and the other two Druids through the village and the gawking villagers until they entered a smaller house, not dissimilar to the one they had just left.
"We hope that you will be comfortable here Emrys. We will leave you now; you have no doubt had an exhausting day."
Merlin nodded and realised for the first time just how tired he was. He tried to stifle a large undignified yawn, but ended up looking twice as ridiculous. The two silent Druids stared at him.
Fyrmest saw Merlin staring back at them.
"I should have mentioned earlier, Emrys. We are part of the Council of Elders which governs this village. There are four of us, four for the elements, which as you can guess are very dear to us in this village. The power of nature, the earth, is respected above all else, and the balance it offers, gives us comfort in these troubled times, as we seek solitude in these forests allowing nature to speak to us. Only one out of the four Elders is allowed to speak out loud- the one that has been elected as leader- the others must communicate without words."
Merlin knew this to mean the mind communication he had come to associate with Druids. Suddenly the eerie silence of the other two was explained. Merlin couldn't for a moment contemplate being silent for so long; as Arthur had so often told him, he couldn't shut up for five minutes.
"These are Brim and Lyft. Byrne is with a group of Druids trading at the next town. He should be back later on tonight. I shall call you when he arrives, you should know who he is."
For some reason, Fyrmest's gaze hardened when he mentioned Byrne and Merlin suspected there was something more to this Byrne character.
With that, Fyrmest, Brim and Lyft, took their leave and left him alone in the small house. Merlin wandered over to the corner of the room where there was a small bed, covered in leaves and collapsed on to it, staring up at the roof, where the sun's light filtered ever so slightly through the dense branches, He hardly knew what to make of that day. Everything had been so emotional, and physically exhausting, Merlin found his eyes slowly drooping and surrendered himself gradually to sleep, although a trouble still grew in his mind. Despite Fyrmest's assurances Merlin felt more alone amongst those who knew his secret than those who didn't. He wished more than anything to go back to just being Arthur's clumsy manservant, he wouldn't even mind being put down all the time. If only things went back to the way they were, his last thought was before he finally succumbed to sleep...
Merlin found himself running through the streets of Camelot, his heart thumping in his chest, his gangly limbs flailing everywhere as he sought to escape from the dark shadow that pursued him. It rushed behind him, never ceasing, always threatening him. He felt it begin to bear down on him, its crushing weight on his shoulders threatening to overcome him. It surrounded him completely and he lost himself in the black, crying out. Suddenly Arthur appeared through the dark swirling clouds. Merlin tried to call out to him Arthur just stared at him.
"You were supposed to be my friend. You betrayed me! It's because of your carelessness, Albion will never be born! You've ruined everything!"
And with that Arthur turned his back and walked away, ignoring Merlin's strangled cries. Then Merlin found himself on the battlements of the castle, looking out over the kingdom. What he saw was death and destruction, the kingdom up in flames...all because of him...
This was his fault.
Merlin awoke abruptly, breathing heavily; sweat pouring off of him in buckets. He tried to calm himself down, but his hands were shaking and he felt dry sobs beginning at the back of his throat. It had been so vivid, highlighting all of his fears.
A cough at the entranceway alerted Merlin to what had awoken him. A young Druid boy was standing there and motioned for Merlin to follow him. Merlin collected himself, rose and followed the boy into the centre of the village. The sun had now set and the moon shone out brightly over the village where a cluster of people were assembled.
The crowd parted for Merlin and he made his way to where Fyrmest was standing. Fyrmest saw him approaching and gestured to where a group of horsemen were approaching through the mist, accompanied by laden carts
"Byrne and the others return to us."
Merlin watched them approach. The villagers cried out welcomes to them and praised them in their bravery in obtaining the supplies they needed. Most of the Druids began distributing goods form the carts among the villagers; however two figures in horses rode up toward where the Elders and Merlin were standing. The foremost figure dismounted in a fluid motion from his horse and strode confidently up to Fyrmest, where he offered him a slight bow. He then turned his eyes on Merlin, where they widened in shock.
"Yes Byrne, Emrys has joined us."
Byrne regarded Emrys with a thoughtful look in his eyes, a look that Merlin did not like. Whereas Fyrmest and the rest had looked at Merlin in silent curiosity, Byrne seemed to be eying Merlin up like he was stock at some market. Merlin didn't trust him at all.
"Emrys, allow me to introduce to you Byrne, the last of our Council. I hope you will come to trust him, he is a very able sorcerer."
Merlin said nothing.
"And this is his apprentice," added Fyrmest as the second figure also dismounted.
Byrne removed the hood that had been covering his face to further regard Merlin, but Merlin had no eyes for him. Instead his attention had been wholly engrossed by the second figure as she too removed her hood. Merlin stood there frozen in shock, staring at her, and she did the same. Neither seemed to be able to move.
It couldn't be. She couldn't be here. This could not be happening.
It was Morgana.
A/N: Dun dun dun... What'll happen now?? As always, please leave a review! Not sure whether I've captured Merlin's character right. Please give some feedback!