A/N: Whew! The longest chapter by far! I've literally been up all night writing this, and atm I really don't care about any little errors, I'll sort them later. I need sleep...it's six in the morning...Please review and make me feel better. :D
Chapter 22- The battle begins
The blood red sun rose almost lazily over the buildings in Camelot, casting dark shadows in the streets below. Gone was the usual hustle and bustle of the market, the merry children playing, the life of the city. All that could be heard was the distant calls of the soldiers on the walls of Camelot.
Gwen sat rigidly in a straight-backed chair in Gaius' chambers. Gaius sat across the table, the cares of the world written across his face. Gwen had never really thought of Gaius as being old, but now, he looked frail and weak.
Gwen's heart was in her mouth. She'd been sitting here the entire night. The tense atmosphere filtered through the city, preying on everyone. The expectation of the attack was eating away at them. It was the calm before the storm. Gwen hadn't felt like this since she had been locked up in Camelot's dungeons awaiting execution for witchcraft.
Waiting for dawn.
Thinking about that reminded her of Merlin. Where was he? Ever since she had seen him appear in Arthur's chambers she had been wondering the same thing. Was he coming to help? He'd shown before he cared about protecting Camelot, why, she didn't know, but he had risked his neck time and time again for its safety. Was that where Arthur had went? To find him?
Thinking of Arthur hurt her. She felt it deep in her heart. Where had he gone, why had he left so soon before the battle? Talk had been spreading in Camelot; the prince had abandoned them, there was no hope. She refused to believe these rumours; Arthur would not abandon his people, no matter how hopeless the situation. She had to have trust that he had gone for help. The Arthur she knew was no coward. She had seen the look in his eyes as he had left. She knew.
But unfortunately, most people in Camelot had given up.
Arthur was the symbol of hope for these people; if he had left, what did that mean for them? They were frightened.
Gwen looked up at Gaius, who sat clutching his bag of herbs, ready for any casualties the day would bring. She saw the haunted look in his eyes. He was thinking about Merlin. The slightly hunched over figure of Gaius had looked strangely lonely without the sight of Merlin trailing behind him. Although Gaius had constantly complained about Merlin's lateness, inability to pay attention and general messiness, he truly had missed him. Especially as he had no idea if he was all right, or even it he was even alive or dead.
Gwen had tried to be a comfort to him, but she knew only the sight of Merlin himself would rally him. And if this war went ill, he may never see him again.
Gwen took a shuddering breath. This was the day everything would change. Everything would be decided on this day.
Far off, a distant rumble sounded. The warning bell started to ring.
Uther paced his throne room, impatient. The night had been spent just waiting. Waiting for the attack. Everything was prepared.
As much as Uther hated himself for admitting it, he wished the attack would come faster; anything was better than this aimless waiting. Cendred was toying with him, tormenting him. Uther needed some form of action.
The doors to the throne room burst open and Sir Leon strode in, his red cape billowing around him. The toll that previous few days had had on him, rested in his face as he gave an abrupt bow.
Uther stood up straighter, smoothing his face into a confident expression. Ever since Arthur had supposedly 'abandoned' them, morale had been low. Understandably. News had spread of the sorcerers that had swelled Cendred's ranks. The people were scared. Their best fighter, the man who would one day lead them as king, was nowhere to be found.
Uther had sent out discreet search parties, trying to trace his son, but there had been no luck. His horse had been found, wondering the woods around Camelot. Why could his horse be found but not Arthur? Why would he abandon it?
Uther had to admit: it did not look good. He must have been in some kind of trouble. Perhaps kidnapped by Cendred, to be used as a hostage.
Uther knew Arthur had not abandoned them, nevertheless, he feared for his safety. His son had been fixated on the idea that Merlin was somehow innocent of betraying Camelot and he had obviously ridden out to find him. If Merlin could have convinced him of his innocence, there could be no harmless explanation. He was in league with Cendred. Arthur must have been tricked.
Uther did not tell his people that the prince was most-likely a captive or even worse, dead. Some thought that he had left to fetch reinforcements. 'To find someone that'll help us,' was what Arthur had said to Sir Leon, and the people who believed this, assumed he had gone to a neighbouring kingdom to fetch help. Uther let them believe this, he did not tell them he had gone to seek the help of sorcerers.
It pained him that his son had been so easily coerced.
His attention was taken as Sir Leon approached.
He looked older than he really was, his eyes heavy.
Uther knew the news could not be good.
"Sire, the armies are here. They are visible from the walls. Around ten thousand."
Uther sighed heavily.
"What else can you tell me?"
"They have no siege weapons of any sort my lord. Perhaps we may hold them off."
Uther shook his head.
"Stone walls are no match for magic. They will find a way, with or without siege weapons."
Sir Leon said nothing.
Uther looked out at the window, where the early morning sun was streaming in. On any other day, it would have been a beautiful sun rise. Today, it just looked as though someone had streaked the sky with blood.
Then a great rumbling noise grew from outside the palace. The floor shook and dust fell from the ceiling. A thousand blood-curdling cries drifted up through the windows.
The siege had begun.
The warning bells began clamouring and Uther heard the shouts of his own men as they began their own attacks.
He turned to look back at Sir Leon.
"The battle has began. Your place is on the defences. Bring honour to Camelot."
Leon nodded, his face set in a firm resolve. He said nothing, choosing to overlook the implied farewell statement of the king.
Neither had much hope.
He swivelled and marched through the open doors.
Uther stood still for a few moments longer, hearing the battle cries, the sound of the walls crumbling and the sound of death.
He lifted his sword from the table, attached it to his belt, and followed Sir Leon through the oak doors of the throne room.
Merlin sat in the early morning sun outside of what had previously been his home. His relief at finding his mother alive and unharmed seeped through his body and calmed him slightly. It was onlyshort-lived however, the battle in Camelot was only just beginning; how many people would he soon be worrying about? Gwen, Gaius, even some of the Knights had begun to grow on him.
The battle had begun, and here they all were, sitting hundreds of miles away. It seemed hopeless.
Merlin watched his mother and some of the other women from the village make their way through the Druids, offering refreshments, drinks of water, food they had managed to save, and any healing herbs they possessed.
What was the point? They would never arrive in Camelot in time.
A clanging of swords grabbed Merlin's attention. Arthur stood in the centre of Ealdor with several of the younger Druid warriors; the ones who had never seen battle and had only ever trained with wooden weapons. Some of the Druids had set up a temporary forge and were churning out swords and helmets, their efforts accelerated by magic. But still, they did not have time to equip everyone with proper weapons and armour. Right now the Druids were armed with mis-matched weapons, anything they could lay their hands on. Some had even accepted the offers of pitchforks and other farming equipment from the villagers.
Seeing Arthur training these young people forcibly reminded Merlin of the time Ealdor was being attacked by Kanan. Everything had seemed hopeless then as well. Maybe not all hope was lost...
Some of the villagers had offered to join the Druids, those who had defended Ealdor from Kanan. Although they had no direct obligation to Camelot, they were grateful to the Druids for saving them, and many still wanted to repay the debt to Arthur for his assistance in their fight against Kanan. They all also wanted to help Merlin.
Much to Merlin's surprise, the villagers had not seemed too shocked when they had been told of Merlin's magic. Apparently, most of them had suspected it at some time or another. Merlin had always been a terrible liar. Only his mother had looked concerned, looking from Arthur to Merlin with a slightly worried look on her face. She had said Arthur would have to find out one day, but she had not expected it to be so soon.
He had reassured her everything was resolved between them both, but she had not been completely convinced. Merlin had neglected to leave out the fact he had almost been executed and he and Arthur had spent three weeks apart, after said almost-execution, with no idea what the other was thinking. He had missed out the fact Arthur had done nothing to stop his execution, and how, at first, he had believed Merlin had betrayed him.
Arthur ducked and dived and moved through the Druids like water, dodging all of their advances. He almost looked as though he were enjoying himself. He didn't appear to be training them, it was more like he was showing off his own abilities.
Fyrmest had given them an hour, before they set off again, towards Camelot. Many were taking the time to get some additional training before they left. Arthur didn't seem to be giving them much of a chance. He was knocking them back easily.
He needed to be taught a lesson.
Merlin grinned. He knew exactly how.
He stood, and walked slowly towards the fighting Druids, observing them carefully.
Arthur saw him coming and stopped his own fight. He wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I can't train them up to Knights standard in such a short time, but, I think they have a real chance."
Merlin raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"You don't seem to be giving them much of a chance, you're flattening them."
Arthur looked slightly offended.
"I think I know a few things about training soldiers Merlin."
"Soldiers, yes. But what about Druids? You can't treat them as soldiers."
"And you think you know better than me?"
"Well let's just say, I'm not as useless as you think."
Arthur laughed.
"You think you can beat me?"
Merlin just smiled.
Arthur looked him up and down.
"All right, but I can't be held liable for any injuries you're about to get."
He raised his sword above his smug face, inviting Merlin to attack him. One of the Druids handed Merlin his sword. Merlin regarded it for a moment before he took it. I might as well have some fun while I can, he thought.
He took the sword and feigned weakness, letting the sword pull his arm down, and hit the ground.
Arthur laughed harder.
Merlin pretended to grunt with effort as he lifted the sword up to the same position Arthur's was.
The stood looking at each other.
Then suddenly, Arthur struck out at Merlin's left side, but Merlin was ready for him.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, in what could be interpreted as a look of intense concentration, but his eyes glowed golden under his eyelids. He opened his eyes, and saw Arthur's sword swinging at him, slowed down to a snails pace.
Merlin grinned.
He easily dodged the blade, swung round and struck out with his own. He saw Arthur's look of surprise, at what Merlin assumed must have appeared as a very quick reaction, and once again struck out with his sword.
Merlin parried the blow, and every one that came after. He could easily have disarmed Arthur, but chose to watch him suffer first.
He saw Arthur's eyes grow wide in astonishment, and then focus as he appeared to put genuine effort into fighting Merlin.
Merlin stifled a laugh at Arthur's reaction. What must it be like for a prince to be out-matched by a servant?
The fight continued on for a while longer, with Merlin pulling off some pretty impressive moves, spinning around and lunging and ducking and, basically, just playing with Arthur. He really was enjoying himself.
Eventually he decided enough was enough and decided to bring it to a close. He hit out with his sword and by applying a certain amount of force, managed to make Arthur's blade go spinning out of his hand.
Merlin blinked, and everything returned to normal speed.
Arthur looking up at Merlin in shock as Merlin placed his sword on Arthur's chest.
"Give up?"
Arthur was stunned.
The Druid warriors had surrounded them in a large circle along with the villagers in Ealdor. They were also in shock, and stared at Merlin in a new-found respect. How had some skinny boy, with no armour and next to no training beaten a fully-armoured prince with a lifetime of experience?
It felt good.
Arthur tried to regain his dignity. He puffed out his chest and held his head high.
"How the hell did you do that?"
Merlin tried to keep a straight face.
"It seems you should pay better attention to your servants, we can fight better than you think."
Arthur continued looking at him in disbelief.
"If you can fight like that, then why have you always let me beat you?"
"You remember the Jousting Tournament don't you? People are just too frightened. What would Uther do to a servant that could defeat a prince?"
Arthur was lost for words.
Merlin continued.
"Maybe you're not as good a fighter as everyone says you are, maybe, you're never really given a fair opponent."
Arthur looked seriously alarmed as he considered this.
Merlin tried not to laugh.
Arthur shook his head.
"No, that can't be it. Come at me again."
Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really want to be humiliated again?"
"Merlin!"
"All right."
He closed his eyes once more, hiding the golden glow, and watched as Arthur swung a blade at him in slow-motion. This time, he would get it over with quickly.
He parried the blow, ducked under the sword and hit the flat side of the blade against Arthur's back legs causing him to fall crashing to the ground.
Arthur looked up at him in anger.
An anger which was only increased by the laugh of Morgana from the sidelines.
He cast her a venomous look and stood up once more and challenged Merlin again.
"Surely Arthur, your head isn't big enough to risk being annihilated again."
Arthur said nothing, just continued looking at Merlin in determination.
Merlin shrugged.
Arthur came at him again, Merlin side-stepped the blow, parried another couple easily. He disarmed Arthur once again and for good measure hit him on the back of the head with the hilt of the sword, and once again, Arthur was sprawled on the ground.
Morgana laughed once again, and the village children pointed in ridicule. Even Fyrmest looked amused. He caught Merlin's eye and winked, he obviously realised what had really occurred.
Arthur clambered up once again and stood looking at Merlin in a cold fury.
"Tell me the truth Merlin; what have you done? And don't you dare give me that crap again about people holding back or I swear that if we survive this war I'll put you in the stocks for a month."
Merlin laughed.
"The stocks? Uther couldn't execute me, but you think that you can keep me in the stocks?"
Arthur was not amused.
Merlin relented.
"All right, so I may have cheated al little tiny bit, but you deserved to be taken down a peg or two. You can be a little bit arrogant at times."
Arthur looked indignant.
"Me? Arrogant? Who's the one always going on about how many times you've had to save my life, how much you've risked, and how great a sorcerer you actually are?"
Merlin just laughed.
Arthur sighed and shook his head.
"You never take anything seriously do you? I knew you were using magic!"
"No you didn't."
"Shut up."
The crowd began to drift off, finally having got the joke, leaving Merlin with a seriously annoyed Arthur.
Arthur was regarding him curiously.
"How exactly did you do that?"
Merlin shrugged.
"Slowed down time."
"Slowed down time?"
"Yup."
"Do you often mess with time?"
"Not often. Only on special occasions."
Arthur just shook his head.
"I'll get you back for that Merlin. At least I don't have to spend my time worrying about you in battle. You're completely on your own."
"I always am."
Arthur walked off, his ego still slightly bruised.
Merlin stood by himself for a moment, relishing what had just happened. He had never actually tried using magic to win a sword fight before, but now he had, he was pleased he could pull it off, it would be invaluable.
Fyrmest approached him.
"Although I can't say I approve of practical jokes in general. That one did amuse me."
Merlin grinned.
"It was supposed to teach him a lesson."
"It did that. Arthur sometimes takes his abilities for granted. He can be blind in that respect. That's why it is a good thing you are here Emrys. You balance that out."
Merlin blinked in confusion.
"I do?"
Fyrmest smiled.
"Certainly you do. Together, you are more powerful than apart. Together, you cannot be defeated."
Merlin considered this for a moment.
Fyrmest continued.
"How is your magic?"
Merlin closed his eyes and reached out for his magic, trying to make sense of it.
"It's not as bad as Byrne seems to think it is. It does feel like it's out of my control sometimes, and the magic I just used there tired me slightly. Stuff like that never usually does."
Fyrmest looked concerned.
"Your magic is more powerful than what Byrne could anticipate, it is not surprising he thinks it would be worse affected. But, if it is affected, it is still reason to be concerned. I suggest you take a while meditating, try to feel the magic within you."
"But doesn't control take years to learn?"
"Control is natural to you, you only have to relearn it. You can make great progress before we leave."
Merlin nodded. It wasn't a bad idea; he couldn't risk losing control during battle. It was best to be prepared. He looked around he village, where there was absolute chaos prevailing, battles were recommencing and people hurried about, making last minute preparations for the long march ahead.
There was no way he would be able to meditate here.
He headed off towards the woods, slinking through the familiar trees. He felt like a child again, sneaking off to practise magic on his own, without his mother ever realising. He found his way to the river, which had curved around from the place the Druids had crossed and came quite close to the village.
It blew him away to think, that if he'd just followed this river upstream as a child, he would have found the woods of the Druids. Life could have turned out so differently...
He found himself a rock and sat down on it, and tried to remember the exercises Fyrmest had taught him to reach inside and sense his magic, but his mind was too full of raging thoughts to concentrate.
He opened his eyes and looked around him. He then laughed as he recognised the place.
This was the part of the river where Will had found out about his magic. The high bank on his right was where that tree had fallen, and where Will had tried to cross. Something had brought him back here. He felt the significance. This had been a turning point in his life. Now he was facing another.
Merlin smiled sadly as memories of Will came flooding back. Will, who had criticised him for not revealing his magic to Arthur to save the lives of his friends and family. Now everything was different. Now they were depending on him.
Merlin brought himself out of his reverie, and closed his eyes once more. He was not going to fail them.
Arthur stood in the centre of the village, watching Merlin's retreating back. Merlin's little prank had seriously annoyed him, but, he wasn't as angry as he'd appeared. He was glad at least Merlin could defend himself, even if it meant cheating.
Arthur groaned. Merlin was never going to let him forget this.
And besides, against any normal opponent, Arthur was unparalleled.
But where was Merlin going? It wasn't safe for him to be in the woods alone.
But then he remembered. Arthur still found it difficult to believe Merlin could look after himself. He had spent so much time looking out for Merlin defending him in fights, believing he was useless; he found it hard to break the habit. He had to remind himself; Merlin was far more powerful than he was. Merlin might be an idiot sometimes, but he wasn't stupid. He'd managed to last in Camelot, despite being a terrible liar.
Arthur sighed. It was going to get some getting used to.
"You look conflicted, young Pendragon."
Arthur almost jumped out of his skin as one of the Druids appeared silently behind him. He turned and found one of the Elder Druids facing him, a smile on his face.
"Uhh...," Arthur hesitated. The Druid looked friendly, but the silent conversations were unnerving. Merlin had told him little about it, how did he know that they weren't reading his thoughts?
The Druid waited patiently, while Arthur racked his brains trying to remember his name. He knew Fyrmest was the leader, he was the one that actually spoke, but the other two, Lyft and something else, he couldn't distinguish. Why did they all have to have weird names?
The Druid seemed to realise.
"I am Brim. I see our customs frighten you slightly."
Arthur scoffed.
"I'm not frightened, it's just...unusual."
Brim smiled.
"I am sure it is for you. Mental conversations are a part of our culture, if you want to continue this alliance with us you will have to get used to it."
Arthur had no answer. No matter what he said, talking with the mind was just strange.
"Perhaps if I explained a little, it may help?"
"It might."
"Most Druids prefer to speak mentally, by directing their thoughts straight into another's mid, so only they can hear it. It prevents eavesdroppers. However, we can also project our thoughts, so several people can hear it at once. This is what we use for Council meetings. However, too many people talking together mentally is not a good idea, it can cause headaches and discomfort, voices cannot be distinguished from each other."
Arthur nodded, understanding a little better.
"So, you don't need magic to hear the voice, just to send it?"
Brim smiled.
"Exactly. Right now I am projecting my thoughts directly into your mind, therefore you can hear them. But, if we were in a group, I would be projecting it broadly. Anyone with magic would pick up on it instantly, but those who do not, need a little training. Not magical training, just a calm and open mind would help. That is why you can hear my voice now, but not when Fyrmest, Lyft, Emrys, Morgana and I are speaking because we are projecting it out for anyone to pick up."
Arthur tried to get his head around this. It was so confusing; why couldn't they just speak normally?
"Could you teach me? I mean, to pick up on these conversations? It'd save Merlin the trouble of relaying it back to me. It'd be useful in battle."
Brim considered him for a moment.
"If you wish. It appears we have a long march ahead of us."
Arthur agreed and turned out to face the village again. Merlin was now gone from sight.
"Where did he go?"
Brim looked in the direction of the trees.
"Probably to meditate."
Arthur snorted.
"Meditate? Merlin?"
Brim laughed.
"You would be surprised at what a few weeks of living with Druids can teach you. Emrys' magic is out of control at the moment, he needs time to find it again within himself, or else he will be no good in the battle. We have potentially, the greatest sorcerer ever to live on our side, but what is the point if he cannot use his magic? My guess is he is trying to regain control before we leave."
"Will he succeed?"
Brim looked thoughtful.
"Under normal circumstances, I would say no. Morgana has been with us for months, and she has not yet learned complete control, although that may only be due to Byrne's influence. The more times she lost control, the more times he would have an excuse to take some of her excess magic into himself, under the pretence of helping her. But Emrys, is like no one else I have met. His magic is beyond anything I have seen. Even Fyrmest never anticipated this much power. Magic does not manifest itself without training, it cannot be used without incantations or hand gestures, time should not be able to slow down...yet Emrys has managed all of this, even as a very young child. He is unprecedented. He may surprise us all."
Arthur stared at him. Was this really Merlin they were talking about? It was still a lot to wrap his head around.
"You'd better not tell him any of this. His head is getting larger than mine."
Brim laughed softly.
He then turned and walked briskly back to where the Healers were all assembled.
Arthur looked worriedly up at the sun which was gradually getting higher and higher in the sky. Camelot was being attacked at this moment, and he wasn't there. It infuriated him. He wanted to be back with his people doing good, instead of waiting around, before beginning a three day march to what would probably be to a pile of ruins.
It frustrated him. People were dying, and he was stuck at the other end of the kingdom. Gwen was there...
He didn't know how long he had spent gazing at the sun before a small voice came up behind him.
"You'll go blind if you look at the sun."
Arthur turned slowly on the spot and found a small boy, perhaps seven or eight gazing up at him.
"What difference does that make to you?"
The boy frowned.
"My aunt says Uther is blind, I don't want you to go blind as well."
"Oh really? And why not?"
"I like you. Merlin likes you. You've come to help us, even though your dad hates us."
The boy looked confused, as though he thought the answer was obvious.
Arthur had to smile at his innocence. Then he frowned.
"Wait, you called him 'Merlin'. Don't you people usually call him 'Emrys'?"
The boy nodded vigorously.
"Yes. But he lets me. I call him Merlin, and he calls me Hal, even though my name is actually Halwende, but that's just too long and boring. We're supposed to treat him with respect, but he lets me call him Merlin. I'm the only one that does it." The boy finished proudly. Then he paused. "Well, Morgana calls him Merlin, but she doesn't count."
Arthur laughed.
"Don't tell her that."
The boy, Hal, shook his head.
"No, she pretends to be nice, but she can be really nasty when she wants to."
He looked around nervously.
"She didn't hear that did she?"
Arthur cast a glance over the boy's head, where he saw Morgana in the distance with the other warriors.
"No, I don't think she did. It'll be our secret."
The boy looked happier.
"Good. I'm good at keeping secrets."
Arthur didn't doubt it. How many secrets had this boy had to have kept in his short life? A child, whose life had been marred by Uther.
The boy looked slightly nervous, as though scared of Arthur.
"Are you all right Prince Arthur? You look sad."
Arthur sighed.
"I'm just thinking of Camelot. I don't like being so far away."
"There's someone there you care about isn't there?"
Arthur observed him shrewdly.
"You're awfully perceptive aren't you?"
"That's what my aunt says, even though I don't know what it means. She also says I can read people like a book, which doesn't make sense because I can't read. Can you read Prince Arthur?"
Arthur smiled to himself.
"Yes I can. You know, you don't have to call me 'Prince Arthur'. Just Arthur will do."
The boy smiled.
"Then you can call me Hal! That's just you, Merlin and my aunt that call me that now!"
Arthur laughed again. This boy had a way of making him forget the outside world.
Hal paused for another couple of moments.
"What does perceptive mean?"
"It means, you can tell things about other people. You can pick up on what they're feeling."
Hal pondered this.
"That makes sense. I could tell Merlin was sad when no one else could."
Arthur looked down at him.
"Why was Merlin sad?"
Hal shrugged.
"He said something about missing people back home, having someone to talk to. He was sad that he couldn't go back."
Arthur hadn't realised. The whole time he had been in agonies, trying to determine Merlin's true allegiances, he hadn't even considered what it was like for Merlin.
"Did he-did he say anything else?"
Hal thought for a long moment.
"He mentioned something about someone not accepting him for who he was. He was worried."
Arthur let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Merlin had spent the last three weeks just as uncertain, worried, frightened and conflicted as he was.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that I thought that person was pretty stupid."
Ignoring this mild insult, Arthur asked:
"Oh really? And what did he say?"
"He said he wasn't exactly a genius."
Arthur shook his head.
"I'm going to kill him."
Hal looked shocked.
"Why?"
Arthur looked at him in surprise. Obviously Druids didn't use violent hyperboles as people in Camelot did.
"It's just a figure of speech. I'm not really going to kill him."
"Oh that's good. You couldn't anyway you know."
"Yes I could!"
Hal laughed.
"No you couldn't. I saw him kill a Griffin and everything."
Arthur grumbled.
"I could kill a Griffin..."
Hal didn't appear to hear him.
"I want to be just as powerful as Merlin when I'm older."
Arthur rolled his eyes. How much had Merlin paid this boy to be his devoted admirer?
Hal didn't say anything else, he just drew patterns into the earth with the sole of his shoe. It suddenly struck him how very young Hal was.
"You're not really going to fight are you?" Arthur asked him sharply.
Hal looked up.
"Of course. Well, not actually fight. My aunt wouldn't let me. But I'm going to help. Doing messages, helping the Healers and stuff. It's pretty boring, but I want to see Camelot. My mum and dad lived there."
Arthur had a sinking suspicion of what had happened to Hal's parents, but he didn't say anything about it.
"You might not want to fight, but what happens if you get separated from us? How will you defend yourself?"
The boy looked at him as though he were mad.
"Magic of course."
"Yeah...right..."
Arthur observed him closely. How could such a small person use magic?
As though reading his mind Hal's face broke out into a grin. His eyes flashed and flames began licking at his hands. Arthur yelped and jumped backwards, but Hal didn't appear to be in any pain. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it. He held up the flames in his palms, lighting up each of his fingers with a different colour flame and sending some whizzing through the air. Arthur was transfixed.
Finally, Hal let the flames die down and looked at Arthur in satisfaction.
"See," he said with a smug look on his face.
"Wow, impressive,"Arthur said, honestly. "I've never seen magic used like that before, it was...amazing."
But that wasn't strictly true. He remembered what he had seen in Merlin's memories, when he had shown that girl Freya, something similar. Until then, he had never seen magic as something beautiful.
But this boy, with his innocence and naivety, had shown him otherwise.
If Arthur could see the beauty in a well forged sword, which could be used as a brutal weapon, then why shouldn't he see magic as something of beauty as well?
At that moment, the soldier from earlier, Arian, stumbled through the gaps in the houses. He looked lost, and confused. Arthur felt a small surge of pity for him.
Hal was also watching him.
"He was quite silly in believing all those lies wasn't he?"
Arthur laughed dryly.
"Yes he was. But if that's all anyone had ever told you all of your life, then wouldn't you believe it? What if I told you now that the sky is actually green instead of blue?"
Hal looked at him strangely.
"But the sky's blue. I can see it. It's obvious."
"Yes, and it was obvious to him too. Sometimes, you don't see what's in front of your eyes, until someone points it out."
Hal frowned, his face scrunched up in concentration. Then he was struck by a thought.
"You were him! You were the one Merlin was scared wouldn't accept him!"
Then he looked suddenly frightened.
"I'm sorry I called you stupid Arthur."
Arthur shook his head.
"I was stupid. I was as blind as my father. Just...don't tell Merlin I said that."
Hal nodded, eagerly.
Arian was still looking about, unsure whether he was welcome or not. He didn't seem to see them.
"What will happen to him now?" Hal asked.
"He'll stay here with me."
Arthur and Hal both turned, and saw Hunith standing there smiling.
"With you?" Hal asked in wonder.
She nodded.
"He's still unwell from his wounds, I'll look after him. He can be safe with those of us who are staying. We don't blame him for what he did. We can teach him otherwise."
Hal considered her for a moment. Then his eyes went wide.
"You're Merlin's mum!"
Hunith laughed.
"Yes I am."
Hal looked at her, as though in admiration.
"I like Merlin."
"So do I."
Hal grinned. Then, from amongst the Healers, one Druid called him over. He made an apologetic face, before running off to join him. Arthur and Hunith watched him go.
Hunith watched him with a sad look.
"Children shouldn't be fighting. They shouldn't see such suffering."
"I agree. But, thanks to my father, he's probably already suffered quite a bit," Arthur said bitterly.
Hunith looked at him in sympathy.
"You can't be blamed for what your father has done. No one here blames you. You can change their views on Camelot, you can reunite the Druids with the rest of the kingdom. There need no longer be any suffering and pain. Don't dwell on the suffering that's already happened. Look forwards, see how you can stop it."
Arthur looked at her, touched at the amount of faith she showed in him.
"You're very wise, you know, Hunith."
She smiled.
"Aren't all mothers?"
She was silent for a moment. Then she whispered, so soft Arthur could barely hear her.
"Your mother was."
Arthur looked at her sharply.
"You knew her?"
Hunith nodded.
"Quite well. I used to live with Gaius in Camelot, I was his assistant. I was assigned by the king to be her personal healer during her pregnancy. She enjoyed my company. We often used to laugh together. Not unlike the relationship I observed between the Lady Morgana and her maidservant when they were both in Ealdor. Sisters in all but blood, some said, even though I only knew her for a few months."
Arthur was shocked.
"Why, why didn't you ever tell me?"
Hunith looked sadder than ever.
"Because, you didn't know the truth. Now you do."
At first Arthur was puzzled. What truth? But then he remembered, he remembered what Morgause had shown him, what he had seen in Merlin's memories...
"So it's true then...my father used magic...so that my mother could conceive?"
"Yes. But you have to understand Arthur, he loved your mother. He never knew that she was going to die, I'm sure of it. I'm sure there was some form of foul play on the part of the magic user whose services he used. He would never have agreed to it, if there was any chance it would end in Ygraine's death."
Arthur was silent, trying to take all of this in. When he had found out what Morgause had told him was actually true, he had felt the old anger against his father rise up inside him. However, he had not had time to dwell on it. And now that he was told...Uther hadn't meant for her to die...
"But-he still used magic! He still used magic, and now he punishes everyone else!"
"I'm not condoning his actions. I'm just trying to let you know the facts." She looked at him with such an understanding smile, it made Arthur's heart ache. The smile of a mother, one he would never know. "Merlin doesn't blame Uther for what has happened to him he's doing everything he can to stop sorcerers from taking revenge on him. If he can forgive him, can you?"
Arthur mulled this over, but it caused such a confusion and pain in his mind, he had to stop. This could all wait until later.
Hunith made to leave, but Arthur stopped her.
"Why did you leave Camelot? Why weren't you there when I was growing up? I would've appreciated someone else who had known my mother. My father never spoke of her."
Hunith looked hesitant.
"After...what happened...Uther was very thorough in his Purge against magic."
Arthur couldn't believe his ears.
"You have magic?"
"No! No, I don't," Hunith looked alarmed. "But, in those days, healing and magic often went side by side. Those who used herbs for healing were accused of being witches, Uther thought what they did was too close to magic. He had many killed. But, because of his wife's fondness for me, he spared me. As long as I left Camelot and never returned."
Arthur frowned.
"But you came back. When Ealdor was attacked, you asked him for assistance."
Hunith laughed drily.
"Do you honestly expect him to remember the name of a servant after twenty years?"
No, Arthur didn't expect him to. Uther had called Merlin 'Marvin' plenty of times in the past, despite seeing him every day. His father would never remember a servant.
"After I left Camelot, I came here. It was the first village I found over the border. The people here were kind to me. I found a new life with these people."
She gazed off into the distance.
"Then he came. Gaius had helped him escape from Uther, he had told him I would look after him. And I did. I took him in. We were happy here for a while."
Arthur watched her sadly.
"Balinor, Merlin's father."
She looked at him in surprise.
"You know?"
Arthur nodded. "And Merlin knows too."
Hunith looked upset.
"How did he find out?"
"Gaius told him. Camelot was being attacked by the Great Dragon and we needed Balinor to help us."
Hunith had went very still.
"Did you find him?"
Arthur hesitated. He didn't know whether he should tell her.
"Yes. We did."
Hunith watched him closely, before closing her eyes in silent acknowledgement.
"How?" She almost whispered.
"Saving Merlin's life." Arthur said simply.
She nodded, her eyes glistening.
"He knew then? I never had the chance to tell him I was with child. Uther had heard Balinor was hiding somewhere near here. He had to leave, to protect me. If Uther had found me sheltering a wanted man...well, he rarely gives first chances, let alone second ones. Balinor left to protect us."
Arthur was suddenly quite uncomfortable.
"Maybe you should talk with Merlin about this."
She laughed weakly.
"Our stories are intertwined Prince Arthur. If I had never have left you as a child, which I desperately didn't want to do, Merlin would never have been born. It's funny how things work out in the end."
And with that, she didn't say another word, and walked off, offering a water skin, which Arthur only just realised she had been holding, to another Druid.
Arthur did not have long to ponder her words, before a distant calling took his attention.
It seemed Fyrmest was gathering everyone together. It was time to leave again.
Arthur took himself to the centre of the village, where everyone was assembling, barely even noticing anything going on around them. Fyrmest was saying something, but Arthur didn't register, all he could think of was what Hunith had told him.
As he stood there, he saw Merlin come back from the forest. He watched as Hunith made her way to him. They stood looking at each other. Neither said anything. Hunith just took him in her arms and held him for a long moment before releasing him, planting a kiss on his forehead, and walking back to the rest of the Druids. A mother's love. One that Arthur had never known.
He forced himself to listen to what Fyrmest was saying, laying out the plans to get to Camelot. Even if they made all haste, Arthur knew they would arrive too late. Camelot could withstand weeks of siege, but she had never yet been tested against a magical army. How long did that give them? How powerful were Byrne's sorcerers? He couldn't believe any of them were more powerful than Merlin. But then again, Merlin was only one man. And he was far away.
Merlin joined him, standing side by side. For the first time, Arthur really appreciated how much Merlin had really done for him. Here he was, risking his life, to save Camelot, and a king he had every reason to hate. He and the rest of the Druids could have stayed in that Druid village, far removed from everything, safe and content. They didn't have to be here. Merlin could have lived his life there, with people he had something in common with, but he was returning to a city of oppression.
Arthur was grateful.
Still, Merlin was standing awfully close to him.
"Mind moving over a bit Merlin? We're in an open space. No need to share oxygen."
Merlin rolled his eyes.
"There isn't any room-there are Druids on every side. And besides, you couldn't share anything if you tried."
"You know Merlin, I'm not half as self-centred and arrogant as you seem to give me credit for."
But Merlin had froze, a look of realisation on his face mingled with hope. He seemed to not have heard Arthur.
"Hello? Merlin?"
Still Merlin didn't answer. His eyes had a wide, frenzied look about them. He was thinking hard.
"Merlin would you mind telling me what the hell-"
"Shut up Arthur!"
"Hey! You can't tell me to-"
"No seriously! Shut up for a moment."
Ha began pacing up and down in the limited room available, muttering to himself. Arthur was bewildered.
Then a grin shot across his face.
"I have it! I actually have it! I'm just so amazing!"
"And you accuse me of having a large ego?"
"I've just discovered a way all of us can get to Camelot!"
Arthur stopped.
"Are you serious?"
Merlin nodded, grinning boyishly.
"Yeah! I think it'll work!"
"Would you mind telling me exactly how-"
"Sharing! You gave me the idea! Sharing!"
Sharing?
"Merlin-"
"Come on!"
Merlin grabbed onto Arthur's arm and dragged him up to the front, nicely interrupting Fyrmest's speech. He didn't look offended, more curious. That was one huge difference between the Druids and Camelot. Arthur dreaded to think what would happen to someone who dared interrupt one of his father's speeches.
"Emrys what-"
"I know how we can get to Camelot!"
Fyrmest looked shocked for a moment, then he grinned widely.
"This was the opportunity I knew was coming. It could not have been as hopeless as we thought. Something always comes along. We must be patient. How exactly do we get there?"
Merlin looked triumphant.
"Sharing."
Fyrmest and the other two Elders looked perplexed, but Morgana let out a gasp.
"Of course! Merlin you're a genius!"
Arthur snorted. A genius? Powerful maybe, but smart? Even magic couldn't change that about Merlin.
Fyrmest looked at them in confusion.
"How?"
Merlin spoke, hurriedly, the words tripping out of his mouth.
"When I had to go Camelot to warn Arthur, Byrne had just removed my magic; I was weak. So, Morgana let me into her mind, and we shared magic. I used her magic to Transport to Camelot! We could do that! If all of us share our magic, if we combine it together, it would more than powerful enough to Transport us all there!"
Merlin finished, evidently out of breath.
The Elders stood shocked, thinking it over.
Arthur knew next to nothing about magic, but he knew that what Merlin suggested was no small feat. Even he knew it would take huge amounts of magic and effort to accomplish it.
"I thought you all said you couldn't Transport there?"
Morgana answered.
"Only some people know how, but if we combine our knowledge, we all could! One person couldn't take everyone, but all of us together..."
A smile lightened Brim's face.
"That plan's so crazy it might actually work." Merlin hurriedly relayed this to Arthur.
The other Elder, Lyft Arthur thought his name was, snorted.
"It's madness! So many minds combined together? It's sheer folly! There's far too much risk involved!"
"I did it Lyft. I shared my magic with Merlin."
Lyft sneered.
"Yes Morgana, and you were almost killed in the process."
Morgana faltered.
"That's irrelevant."
However, Arthur seemed to think it was.
"Irrelevant? You never told me she almost died Merlin! You said she had almost given too much, you failed to mention 'too much' would kill her!"
Merlin bit his lip.
"Oops."
Arthur sighed in exasperation.
"How can we contemplate this? If it's as dangerous as you say? It could kill them all!"
"I agree." Lyft seemed satisfied.
Morgana glared at him.
"We have to try!" She wheeled round to face Brim. "What do you think?"
Brim was silent for a moment.
"I think it could work. I have faith in Emrys."
Merlin smiled gratefully.
Arthur wasn't convinced.
"But-"
"Arthur" interrupted Merlin. "I know it's dangerous, but it's our only option. And besides, we're going to a battlefield; it's not as is we're going to be safe exactly either way."
Arthur looked at his determined face, and sighed resignedly.
"I swear Merlin, if we die, I'm going to make your life miserable in the next life."
Merlin grinned jauntily.
They all turned to Fyrmest.
He stood contemplating them.
"It is our only hope. The ancient prophecies said to have faith in Emrys, so I shall."
He looked out over the Druids.
"If any disagree, speak now."
There was silence.
Fyrmest nodded.
"This will be difficult. So many minds joining together...combining so much magic...there's no guarantee it can be controlled...but if it can be attempted, we must try."
He thought for a moment.
"Well, Emrys, what exactly must we do?"
Merlin stepped forward.
"It's simple really."
Sir Leon paced the outer defences of Camelot, looking out at the destruction before him. The sorcerers has been bombarding the outer walls of Camelot since dawn. Huge torrents of energy raining down on the walls, rendering great parts of it into dust. If this kept up, the walls would soon be gone.
The only comfort was, that sorcerers seemed to tire as easily as normal people, they could not keep up the siege for great periods of time.
But it was enough.
Cendred's soldiers had flocked into the walls, meeting Uther's. The streets of Camelot and the surrounding plains and fields were covered in figures in red and blue.
Arrows rained down on the defences, somehow, always meeting their targets.
Blue-tuniced soldiers charged forwards, without fear, dealing out blows to whoever came close. The red-tunics were brave, and fought back, but no matter what, something always prevented them from making contact. No matter how many times one of Uther's soldiers struck out, the blade met some sort of invisible barrier. These soldiers were invincible.
And they knew it.
They had no fear.
Eventually, the realisation that they were facing invincible enemies had crashed over Uther's soldiers, and many had fled back to the walls of Camelot, though these had been penetrated by the enemy and they were trapped.
They were being killed like mice caught in a trap.
Sir Leon could see no hope.
He and his contingent of Knights had taken up a position in front of the walls. Somehow, most of the soldiers in the city itself had been pushed back. It seemed the defences on the soldiers wavered as well, with the tiredness of the sorcerers. It seemed the effort of sustaining so many shields was having an impact.
Sir Leon had quickly realised this and ordered his men to seek out the sorcerers among Cendred's ranks. They were easy to find. They were all dressed in black cloaks, and surrounded by muscular soldiers. They were the only ones not armed.
His men continued to attack the men around the sorcerers, hoping to weary the sorcerer himself, but it had little effect.
Then he had tried distracting the sorcerers attention.
He had ordered catapults from the city walls to be manned, for the first time in a hundred years. The heavy barrages on Cendred's men caused great strains of the shields, and distracted their attention.
Using this combination of tactics, one man, Eadwyn had managed to reach one of the sorcerers, taking him by surprise, and slicing his head off. However his triumph was short lived. He was surrounded by Cendred's troops. He did not return to share this small victory with his comrades.
Still, Sir Leon thought, his bravery would not be forgotten. These sorcerers could be defeated. He just hoped it would not cost as many men for the next one.
A steady stream of casualties had flown into the city, to Gaius and the women of Camelot; horrific wounds, crimson blood, shattered limbs, missing limbs...
Despite the realisation of how to defeat the sorcerers dawned on them, the situation was hopeless. His men were not expendable. Without help, they would all die.
Even as he thought this, a great wind was struck up, causing everyone to stop in their tracks, cease their fighting and cover their faces. Battle debris flew around and men were knocked off their feet.
Something about this wasn't right to Sir Leon. This wind was not natural.
Then he remembered. The sight of that black-haired boy, disappearing in a gust of wind.
He looked up, and on the hillside opposite Camelot, a great light appeared, and many figures seemed to come out of it. Leon closed his eyes against the glare, and when he was finally able to look again, he saw a great mass of people standing on the hillside.
They were too far away for him to see clearly, but he estimated there were at least eighty of them.
The stood there for a few moments observing the battlefield.
Then a wisp of smoke appeared, rising above them, like a cloud, until it took a shape.
Leon recognised it as the symbol of the Druids.
He gasped out loud. They had come.
Then, something else caught his attention.
Two figures stood at the front of the army.
One seemed to shine in the early morning sun. Armour reflecting the rays.
He seemed to be the only one in metal armour.
Leon didn't need the eyes of an eagle to know who was the second figure.
It was Arthur and Merlin.
Leon didn't care about sorcerers any more.
He knew they were saved.
A/N: Omg...five different Pov's in this chapter. I think I've rambled on a bit, but I didn't want to delay the battle any longer, I think I've dragged it on long enough. Anyways, I'd like to know what you think of what I've just done instead of sleeping! That's how much I love you guys for R+R!
:D