A/N: Okay, this chpater has given me HEAPS of trouble, since I've just realised, action scenes are NOT my thing! But...I've tried. I've had to spend ages working out plans and stuff coz in my original plan all it said was: "They fight." so I have no idea what I was thinking at the time. I'm really not happy with this as I have no concept of fighting scenes or anything like that. But, anyways...hope you like it besides!
Chapter 23- Tactics
The early morning sun shone down on Camelot and the surrounding plains, bathing everything in a red light. The sky was a confusion of oranges, pinks, and reds, a mottled mass of colour and the few clouds that streaked across it were tinted purple and blue.
The heavens above, could not however, make up for the desolation and chaos that prevailed beneath.
Merlin overlooked the scene before him and felt his chest clench in a mixture of anger and fear.
The castle still stood proudly, undamaged, but the walls surrounding the town, in particular those surrounding the entrance, were almost gone. The lower town was ablaze, sending swirls of smoke into the atmosphere. Dark plumes of smoke congested in the air above the city, looking like an angry monster, glowering down upon the inhabitants.
In response, one of the Druids conjured a column of pure white smoke, and sent the Druid symbol spiralling into the sky.
On the plains surrounding the city, were strewn the bodies of hundreds of soldiers; both Cendred's and Uther's, however, Merlin saw with a sinking heart, that the red-tuniced bodies lying on the ground, far outnumbered the blue-tunics.
The once green and fertile fields had been wrecked and stained with blood. Black masses lay here and there. Giant craters peppered the land, remnants from the catapults, scarring the ground.
The stench of death was everywhere.
From their vantage point on the hill overlooking the destruction, the armies looked like tiny ants, swarming over the battlefield, scurrying about, but all at once, they stopped, and looked up in disbelief. The flurry of motion halted, as they stared up at the Druids.
Merlin smiled a tiny smile. The element of surprise.
He turned to look at Arthur who was scouring the scene intensely with his eyes, with such a look of concentration on his face, Merlin knew not to disturb him.
He looked past Arthur to see the Elders, who were also surveying the scene analytically.
Merlin looked back, trying to look as though he knew what he were looking for like the others, but all he could see was chaos.
He couldn't see a way out of this predicament. But, at least now they were here. But was it already too late?
Now that they were here, everything seemed surreal. He had been so focused on getting to Camelot, he hadn't cast a thought about what would now happen. Well, he had never been known as the prepared type...
No one moved for a few long minutes. Arthur's face was pale, but determined, there wasn't a flicker of fear in his eyes. This was his moment. Defending his kingdom. He'd been training for it his entire life, it was time to prove his worth.
Suddenly, Cendred's troops sprang into motion again, releasing a relentless attack against the stationary red-tunics. Jolted out of their surprise, they hastily defended themselves, and the fighting resumed. But this time, the soldiers of Camelot had a new vigour in their actions. Help was at hand.
Roused by the sudden re-engagement of hostilities, Arthur blinked, and motioned for the Elders and Merlin to come closer.
"As far as I can see, the soldiers of Camelot are losing. They've been hemmed in by Cendred's troops, and have been either pushed back to the walls, or isolated completely. There are still some defences in place, I don't think there are any of Cendred's soldiers in the city itself. That gives us the advantage."
Arthur sucked in a deep breath.
"I don't know much about how these sorcerers are affecting the battle. I need to know as much as I can if we can hope to defeat them."
Fyrmest spoke.
"The sorcerers are equally distributed amongst the men, I believe that they are responsible for a certain number. They are conjuring shields around said soldiers, preventing anyone from getting close to them. I can see they've also been bombarding Camelot's walls with powerful spells. Without magical reinforcement, the walls will crumble completely, and the rest of the city will be exposed."
Merlin glanced at the city. Several large gaps ruined the once strong walls, it provided easy access for any of Cendred's troops. Several small barriers had been hurriedly thrown up by Uther's troops in response to this, but if something was not done, Cendred's men would soon gain access once more. Like an open wound, Camelot was laid bare.
Fyrmest continued.
"There is hope however. Sorcerers tire, like any normal man. Their shields do not last forever, there will be times when they are ineffective."
"But how will we know when that is?" Arthur pressed.
Fyrmest considered.
"It is almost impossible to tell, for the ordinary soldiers. But we can sense the shields, we will know how strong they are. It would be foolish for these normal soldiers to continue battering a shield hoping to exhaust the sorcerer, they will not succeed. We must tell the soldiers where the shields are most vulnerable."
"But how are we to communicate with these soldiers? They have no training, even Arthur can't pick up on our messages on his own. I had anticipated that there would be time to teach him." Brim spoke gravely.
Arthur asked:
"I thought you said that there was a way to project your thoughts directly into someone's mind?"
Lyft shook his head.
"It only works that way if you are familiar with that person, each mind has a sort of signature, only if you know the person can you identify their presence among many."
Arthur slumped, after Merlin had relayed this. Mental communication was useful for the Druids in battle, but when they were working with those who didn't have this skill, everything was infinitely more complicated to relate.
Merlin thought slowly.
"If we station a Druid with each section of Uther's forces, they will be able to follow the mental directions other Druids are giving them. Then, they can tell the soldiers where to attack."
Arthur looked at him.
"That's not a half-bad idea Merlin."
"Give me some credit."
Fyrmest was still deep in thought.
"We can weaken their shields by bombarding it with magic, then the warriors can attack with hand-to-hand combat. Those attacking the shields can send messages to tell where the shields are weakest. Some of the more powerful can head directly towards the sorcerers, try to incapacitate or kill them. They can maintain their own magical shields around their bodies, they have more of a chance or surviving an encounter, although they are outnumbered."
Arthur was silent for a moment.
"But how are we to get to the soldiers? They are on the other side of the battlefield. And even if some Druids could get there, what's the guarantee the soldiers will trust their advice?"
No one spoke.
Then Merlin had an idea.
"I could do it. Until some Druids can manage to get there, I can relay the messages to them."
The others looked at him, not entirely convinced.
"It could work. Arthur, the different sections of the army are each commanded by one of your Knights, right?"
Arthur nodded slowly.
"Well, I know them all. I've been in contact with them every day, I've been on errands with them, I've been there while you were training them. I'm pretty sure I could send some mental message to them!"
Arthur shook his head.
"You don't know them well enough. And they probably won't trust you."
"I have to try. I know them better than you think, what's that old saying? A good servant knows everything that goes on in their household? I've been in contact with them a lot, and I could probably relay messages from you to them."
Morgana, who had so far remained silent then spoke up.
"I'll do it. I know them better than you do Merlin."
Merlin disagreed.
"As far as they know, you've been captured by an evil sorceress, they won't know whether to trust you or not. You could've been compromised, being controlled by Morgause. And anyway, you'll be fighting, you can't be distracted by sending mental communications all the time!"
Morgana had no response to this. She acknowledged the truth of his words.
Arthur bit his lip.
"It's the best lead we have at the moment. So, are we agreed? Some Druids will try to neutralise the shields, and when they are weak the warriors will attack, and a message will be sent to each Knight on where to attack?"
Fyrmest nodded.
"It's the only thing we can do at present. We must try and drive them back from the walls, push them further away from the city. Which brings us to our other point."
He cast a glance at the smoking city.
"Obviously, we are not all warriors. The rest of us will have to gain access to the city. We, once we are there, will reinforce the walls, and put up magical shields to prevent further harm to the city. Others will observe the battle, and assist where they can, spying tactical advantages and helping to destroy their shields and help our own. I think this is where the children should be, out of the main conflict, relaying the messages from us to the defenders at the walls. The others, the Healers, will also stay in the city, and assist where they can, with a few in the battlefield, shielded, doing anything they can, for both sides."
He looked at them all very seriously.
"Do not think of these people as your enemies, they are the cruel victims of lies and deceit, You remember Arian in Ealdor? They are not ruthless invaders, merely misguided souls who believe they are doing all they can to protect their own homes from Uther. It may be easier to think of them all as heartless, but as soon as we forget compassion, we lose our humanity."
No one said anything to this.
Then:
"This is all very well Fyrmest, but how is this section to gain access to the city? The entrance is heavily defended by Uther's troops and in front of them are thousands of Cendred's! Aside from this, Camelot is near impenetrable." Lyft was sceptical.
Arthur spoke.
"Nothing is impenetrable. Camelot has its design flaws and weaknesses as any other walled fortress. There is a way in somehow that Cendred has overlooked."
"But where?"
Arthur sighed.
"I'm not sure exactly. I never thought I'd be considering how to break into my own city. Usually, when Camelot is being defended, there is no way in or out. But there must be a way."
Merlin racked his memory, desperately thinking of a way into the city.
Then he remembered.
He had once before left the city when it was heavily guarded.
"The dungeons."
Arthur looked up.
"The dungeons?"
"Yes! I left through there once. Past the prison cells is a narrow tunnel with a grate at the far end. It's easy to remove with magic, I did it when I went after Morgana once. That's how you and Mordred escaped from Camelot."
Arthur considered this, then nodded.
"It's our best hope. We just have to pray it's not guarded by Cendred's men."
"If it was, they would already be in the city." Merlin countered.
Fyrmest nodded.
"It's settled then. Arthur will lead the main attack here with the warriors, Emrys shall take the defenders and healers into the city."
"Why me?" Merlin blinked. He hadn't counted on being separated from Arthur.
"Because Emrys, you know how to get into the city. And despite your abilities to defend yourself, you are not a natural fighter. You are the most powerful, you can strengthen Camelot's defences considerably and protect their soldiers. You're the only one that can counter the powerful spells being directly aimed at the city. Also, if you are relaying the messages of the Druids to the Knights, you must be in a position where you have clear sight of the battle."
Merlin nodded. Fyrmest made sense, but he'd counted on being on Arthur's side during the fight. Although, thinking back, this was probably the worst idea, he wasn't a great fighter. Fyrmest's idea was better; he could be of more use in the city.
"Go with the Healers first, you showed an aptitude for Healing in the few weeks you spent with us Emrys. There may be some Knights there you can speak with, to convince to follow your directions in the fight. Then, go to the defences and stay there."
Merlin nodded, but something preyed on his mind.
"And what if I come face to face with Uther?"
The Elder exchanged glances.
"I doubt you will be able to convince him to accept our help, but we must give it regardless. Try...try not to see him. But if you do, you must not allow him to turn on us. Do what you can. You least of all he will trust."
Merlin laughed without humour.
"That'll be a pleasant encounter. 'Hi, I'm the guy you sentenced to death for treason and sorcery, want some help?'"
Arthur laughed.
"Try to stay out of his way. If I know him, he'll be in a terrible fury when he finds out."
Morgana spoke:
"Perhaps if I went to Uther? I could try and talk to him, convince him that the Druids aren't his enemies."
Arthur shook his head.
"He wouldn't listen to me, so I doubt you'll make much difference. Nothing will induce him to accept our help."
"Will the soldiers and people of Camelot accept our help?" Brim asked.
"They aren't stupid, they know they have no hope of surviving otherwise. Most of them will accept any help they can get, regardless of who offers it. My father though, is a different matter."
Fyrmest sighed.
"We shall deal with him in due course. At the moment though we must do everything in our power to help his people."
There as a finality in this statement. This was it.
Arthur took charge.
"Morgana, take the warriors and inform them of what's happening. We'll attack on my signal. The bombardments of the shields will take place first. Can I trust you to arrange that?" Arthur directed this at Lyft, who nodded. "Good. Brim, can you organise those who will be shielding our warriors? And Fyrmest...well...I don't know..."
"I will go with Emrys. I am an experienced Healer."
"Right. Merlin, take all of those who are going into the city round through the forest, try to stay out of sight; we don't want them knowing there's another route into the city. Keep your ear out- or mind out, whatever- for what's happening in the battle. Relay what's happening to me and to the Knights. Try to convince them on what to do. Please try to stay out of trouble."
Merlin shrugged.
"I always do."
Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Right. Let's do it then."
They parted.
The entire exchange hadn't taken more than a few minutes, but in that time, the battle had still been raging. Merlin walked through the ranks of Druids turning his back on the battle, his heart thumping madly, the blood rushing in his head. His fingers shook with adrenaline.
He found the group of Healers and motioned for them to follow him. He quickly found the other sections that would be joining him; the defenders, the children. He told them quickly of the plan, taking all his effort to sound confident and authoritative. He had never been in a position of leadership before.
Fyrmest soon joined him, his eyes reassuring. It was time to leave the rest of the army, to go their separate ways.
Merlin cast one fleeting glance back at Arthur. He was worried. He knew Arthur could defend himself and was an excellent fighter, but even Arthur had not been involved in such a large-scale battle as this.
Arthur met his eyes, and nodded curtly. He was concerned too.
Merlin felt something, an eerie feeling, as though this may be the last time he saw Arthur alive. But he shook that thought away immediately. It would do no good to be pessimistic. They would both survive this. They had to.
The ones who were attacking the shields stood behind the warriors, their palms outstretched, ready for the command. The Druid warriors stood, ready, prepared for the fight. Morgana assumed a fighting stance, fire in her eyes. They were ready for the charge, for the ultimate conflict.
Arthur swung his sword up, testing the weight and looked once more at Merlin. A silent acknowledgement. Merlin hoped it wasn't a goodbye.
Then Arthur turned and looked back out over the battlefield.
Merlin also turned and looked into the forest.
"Come with me," he murmured to the Druids following him, and he led them into the forest.
He had only been on his way through the dark trees for a few minutes before he heard the unmistakeable sounds of spells rushing through the air, and the blood-curdling cries of the warriors as they charged.
Merlin continued on, his heart in his mouth. He couldn't think about them at the moment, he had to ensure his part worked out properly.
The sounds of battle drifted through the air; metal clanging against metal, battle cries, the whooshes of spells and...the wails of the dying.
It made Merlin sick to his stomach. What could ever be gained of so much death and destruction? At the end of this battle, there would be no winners.
He broke into a run and made his way down the opposite side of the hill from the battle, the Druids pursuing. Gradually, the noises faded away. All that was left was silence. None of the Druids spoke. Even the birds had ceased to sing.
After a short while, he turned, and picked his way through the trees, trying to get his bearings and once again find the walls, the Druids following closely. Not long passed before he found them. This part of the outer walls met the forest closely, only the far side of the castle was open to the fields where the battle was being fought. No one had thought to attack this part of the city. The sheer walls were impossible to climb, and there were no weaknesses to make use of.
Except one.
Merlin recognised eventually where they were, and followed the walls around the city, his right shoulder parallel to the wall, looking for the tunnel that would give them access to the city.
Eventually he found it.
He exchanged glances with Fyrmest who nodded for him to proceed.
Merlin raised his hand and summoned his magic. To his relief, he had gained most of his control back and the magic seemed to be manageable.
"TÅbrecan!"
The metal gate covering the entrance to the tunnel broke into many pieces with a great racket of breaking metal and stone, and great clouds of dust were released.
Coughing, Merlin made his way to the entrance to the tunnel. It did not appear to be guarded by any of Camelot's soldiers. Good, this would make his job so much easier.
He beckoned, and the rest of the Druids and Fyrmest followed. It felt strange to him; these people were obeying his orders, him, the servant. They trusted him this much...
He made his way cautiously inside, conjuring a small flame in his palm to light the way.
The dungeons appeared to be deserted, the cells empty. Merlin made his way hurriedly through the maze of the tunnels and found the staircase to lead to the upper levels.
He kept a small part of his mind open, listening into what was happening in the battle, but there were so many voices it was hard to make sense of what he heard. As far as he could tell, the shields were weakening and the Druids were surging forwards. As soon as he could make contact with the Knights, they could also attack. He reached out and sensed Arthur's mind. He didn't try to talk to him, lest he distract him fatally from what was hapening, but he felt reassurance that he was all right.
The sounds of the battle were coming closer and closer. The usual guards post was abandoned. Of all the times Merlin had sneaked in or out of this dungeon, this was by far the easiest time he had had of it.
The darkness was unnerving him, so he hurried forwards, until he found himself blinking in the sunlight.
The streets of Camelot were in a state. Several houses were on fire, debris littered the streets, and ordinary citizens rushed about in a panic, hysterically screaming for loved ones.
Merlin looked at Fyrmest.
"What now?"
Fyrmest addressed some of the Druids behind him, who were also emerging from the dungeons, looking around in horror at the ruined city.
"Water Druids, I need you to tackle the fires in these houses, and then progress throughout the city. Fires are erupting everywhere. The situation is dangerous enough outwith the city, without danger within."
Several Druids nodded, and proceeded to the fires. Their eyes flashed and great torrents of water flew towards the smoking houses. Several of the townspeople stopped in shock, their eyes wide at the blatant use of magic in their city. Many screamed, they must have assumed the sorcerers had penetrated the city to attack them.
However, the Druids worked calmly and succeeded in extinguishing the fires in the immediate vicinity. They then turned to face the townspeople, the Druid symbols embroidered in their clothes marking them. The people of Camelot knew the Druids were peaceful, their fear and suspicion subsided, and many rushed to help.
It appeared Arthur was right; these people knew when to accept help.
Fyrmest turned to speak to him.
"Now we must all be separated. Which ways to the defences?"
Merlin pointed down a narrow street.
"If they follow that, they'll come out at the main entrance. Most of the defences are around there. There's access to the tops of the walls and the battlements down there as well."
At his words, many of the Druids turned and headed off down the street, eager to join the fight.
Almost half of the children left also, they were going to be the reconnaissance between the Druid warriors and the defenders in Camelot. Merlin saw Hal's bright shining face threw him a wide grin before he too headed off. Hal appeared the be the youngest there. Merlin felt a tug of fear as he watched him leave. Although the boy wasn't directly involved in the action, he could still be hurt.
Soon, all that were left were the Healers, and the children who had offered to help them.
"Where would the injured be taken Emrys?" Fyrmest asked him.
"Umm...to the palace. In times of emergency it's usually opened as a sort of infirmary."
"Lead the way."
And Merlin did, finding his way up to the palace, as he had done so many times before, weaving in between fleeing citizens, reinforcements for the front defences, and the injured.
All the while, the battle still raged in his mind.
Merlin thought about sending the messages to the Knights from where he stood, but he knew it would be difficult to isolate them from the many minds present. His best chance would be to find at least one Knight and manage to convince them to trust him. Then he could give him the advice needed, and he could pass the word along.
The palace soon came into view and Merlin saw the full extent of how many were injured.
The whole courtyard in front of the castle was full of makeshift beds, with blood covered figures lying in agony, with gut-wrenching cries of pain. There was barely any room between any of the patients; they were crammed together like animals. Injuries ranged from bloodied heads, slashes across torsos, and one man, who appeared to have lost both of his legs.
Many women threaded their way in between the injured, tending to their wounds as best they could, whilst older men, too old to be fighting, constantly arrived bearing stretchers with more wounded. It was an endless stream of the dead or dying.
Many of the wounded lifted their heads from their cots at their arrival, their eyes widened as they recognised who had come, but none protested.
Fyrmest nodded to the Healers, who slid between the beds and began their work. Druid Healers were renowned for their abilities, a man inches from death could be spared easily by Druids. Merlin usually loved to watch them work, to see how they could mend flesh and bone with a few simple incantations, but now, he had someone to find.
He filtered through the crowded space, pushing past Druids, soldiers and the healers of Camelot, searching. They stuttered in shock at the sight of him, pointing and gasping and whispering: why had he come back?
But Merlin didn't have the time for them.
He bounded up the steps of the palace and found his way inside, where yet more injured lay.
Then he saw him, the bunched over figure of the man who was as a father to him.
He was bent over a patient, administering some salve to a wound before dressing it. He looked thinner than when Merlin had seen him last, there were a few more lines on his face, and he looked tired, more tired than Merlin had expected from this old man who was usually bounding with energy.
Merlin hadn't realised how much he had missed him.
Gaius stood up, and turned to tend to another patient when he caught sight of Merlin standing there, watching him.
They regarded each other wordlessly for one long moment.
Gaius' face was emotionless as he looked at him.
Finally, he took one step forward and said:
"What took you so long?"
Merlin's face cracked into a grin.
"You know me Gaius, I'm always late."
Gaius smiled, and instantly looked years younger. He closed the gap between them in a few steps and pulled Merlin into tight hug before releasing him and looking at him closely.
"I hope you've been looking after yourself?"
"Oh, you know. Almost being executed, killing a Griffin, been given a recruitment offer by a dangerous mad-man sorcerer, losing my magic, getting it back again, making up with Arthur, rallying the Druids, marching off with the Druids, rescuing my mother and the rest of Ealdor from a storage pit, beating Arthur in a sword fight...oh and Transporting eighty people from Ealdor to Camelot...you know, the usual."
Gaius regarded Merlin in amazement before chuckling softly.
"You never cease to amaze me Merlin. I take it that you and the Druids then are here to help us? How ever did you convince them to come?"
"I have a very trusting face."
Gaius sighed.
"This is a story for later. I'm overjoyed to see you again. I've missed you."
"So, have I Gaius."
A moan from a bed, drew their attention, and Gaius hurriedly bent down to examine him. His face turned solemn.
"Laceration to the neck, several ruptured veins. There's nothing I can do for him."
Merlin glanced at him in horror.
"There must be something!"
"I'm afraid not."
Merlin looked down at the dying man, who gazed up at them with fearful eyes. The blood bubbled over his wound and stained the sheets around him.
"But you can't just leave him!"
"I must attend to those who have a better chance of survival. It would be futile to waste treatment and time on him when there is nothing I can do."
Gaius' face looked sympathetic, but resolved. Merlin knew he was right, it was only logical to attend to the most needy. But still...the eyes of this soldier bored right into him. He was little more than a boy...
Merlin closed his eyes, and forced himself to recall what Fyrmest had told him about magical Healing. He had to be able to sense the wound within, he had to be able to close over the internal damage, to replace the blood lost...
Merlin knew he was attempting the impossible but he had to try.
He placed his palm over the dying man's throat, and reached out with his mind, piercing through flesh and blood until he felt the root of the injury. He concentrated with all his might, and slowly released his magic, trying to piece together the damaged tissue. It was strenuous work, Merlin felt tired but he kept going, not allowing anything to distract him. He felt sweat beads form on his forehead as he worked. He had to save this man's life.
After Merlin thought he had done everything he could, he opened his eyes and looked into the man's face. The soldier was staring at him in amazement, with no hint of the pain that had once been there. He threw a hand up to his neck, and felt only the tiniest of scars, where once there had been a great gash. The blood was still staining his skin, but the wound was gone. He gasped in amazement. He once again fixed his eyes on Merlin, tears of gratitude welling up.
Merlin smiled at him, stood up from his kneeling position at the man's bed and turned around where Gaius stood facing him.
He looked down at the man.
"This is your destiny Merlin, this what you were always supposed to do. You've come so far since you were that young village boy who turned up on my doorstep. I'm exceedingly proud of you."
Merlin felt himself blushing, it was not often that Gaius gave him praise, but then he noticed, that Gaius was also looking at something over Merlin's shoulder. Gaius smiled and turned away to the wounded, while Merlin looked to see who was standing behind him.
It was Gwen.
She looked at him, her face the epitome of joy and wonder. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. Merlin, not expecting this, held her awkwardly for a few moments before she released him. Her eyes were filled with delight in seeing him.
"I knew you'd come back Merlin, I knew it."
Merlin grinned at her. He had missed her almost as much as Gaius.
"You seem quite relieved for someone who knew for certain."
She laughed, and looked down at the man who had previously been on the brink of death.
"What you did Merlin, it was amazing. He was going to die and you just..."
"Yeah, I'm just amazing like that."
She laughed again, but then something stopped her, and she grew sombre.
"Merlin, if you're here, then..."
Merlin knew what she meant.
"Arthur's here as well. He's fighting. We managed to convince the Druids to fight for us. Hope isn't lost yet."
She nodded, her eyes filled with worry as she no doubt thought about Arthur.
"Are you all right Merlin?"
"Yeah, yeah, course I am."
"Good, that's one thing to be thankful for."
Merlin managed a weak smile as he watched her. Like Gaius, she looked strained, and weak. This war was having an effect on everyone.
Merlin remembered with a jolt what he was supposed to be doing. He cast around the room, desperately looking for one of Arthur's Knights. He caught sight of one vibrant red-tunic, this one was emblazoned with the Pendragon symbol; a Knight.
He excused himself from Gwen and made his way over to him.
"Sir Leon!"
He looked up and grinned in Merlin's direction.
"You came back. Arthur said you could be trusted, that you wanted to help us, but I didn't truly believe it until recently."
"Are you hurt?"
He glanced down at himself.
"Not seriously. You and Arthur's grand arrival distracted me, and I caught an arrow in my shoulder. Gaius has bound it, I'm about to rejoin the defences."
"Good, so am I."
Sir Leon raised his eyebrows.
"You?"
"Yes me! I'm not useless you know!"
"Of course not, but, I thought you'd be fighting."
"Arthur is, but I've to help with the defences using magic."
Sir Leon flinched a little at the mention of magic. Merlin supposed it would take him a while before he outgrew the habit of a lifetime.
Merlin hurriedly filled in Sir Leon on what was happening. He listened intently.
"These Druid warriors, they can bring down the shields?"
"For moments at a time yes. They can also make them weaker to help you with your attack. I've to relay messages to you and the other Knights. I'll tell you where is weakest."
Sir Leon nodded.
"That's good. There's no point in attacking where we have no hope of breaking through. Many lives can be spared. We'd better go, we have some more Knights to convince."
He rose from the bed he had been sitting on, and he and Merlin made their way through the maze of the wounded. Merlin nodded to Fyrmest, who sat beside a young girl, who had evidently been crushed by some piece of falling rock during the siege on the walls. Fyrmest gave him an encouraging smile, before turning back to the girl.
They rushed through the streets, full of debris and smoke, and past Druids and civilians who were battling the flames. Merlin hadn't seen such chaos in Camelot since the attack of the Great Dragon.
Soon, as the streets grew more and more congested with soldiers, the true extent of the damage on the outer defences of the city became clear. Most of the buildings on the outer rims of the city had been reduced to rubble and the walls were crumbling. Merlin could see several Druids before the walls, their palms outstretched muttering spells under their breath, whilst the remaining parts of the wall glimmered with the imbued strength. More Druids stood on top of what was left of the walls, surveying the battle, providing shields for Uther's own forces. The Druid children scurried about, delivering messages to various commanders, both mental and physical communications. Before the walls, hasty defences had been constructed by Uther's soldiers, created from the debris. Archers were poised on the battlements, Druids standing by their sides, using magic to guide the arrows.
These people had fully embraced the Druid's help. They were all working side-by-side.
They had now reached the main command point, where two other Knights were assembled. They looked in amazement at Merlin.
Merlin ignored them, and instead opened his mind for the mental communications.
He was met with a buzzing of confused noise, many voices all at once, each clamouring to be heard. He listened closely, trying to isolate them.
"Lyft?"
"Emrys?"
"What's going on?"
"We're attacking their shields continuously, it had proven effective. Although we cannot eliminate their shields completely at least one is down at all times. We are being random, they cannot anticipate our attacks. We and Uther's troops are making considerable progress. We have already eliminated five sorcerers. The fewer sorcerers there are, the more stretched the others will be in trying to project their shields thereby making them weaker and easier to defeat."
"How many casualties?"
"At least three Druid dead, but our shields are protecting them from the worst of it."
"And Arthur? How is he?"
"Still fighting. He took down one of the sorcerers."
"He won't let me forget that."
"Indeed. Six sorcerers are now gone, including Fylgan. I overheard some of the sorcerer's words, Fylgan was killed by Byrne for failing to capture us. We have a chance."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Brim and the others are ensuring our shields are adequate but there are fewer Druids in Camelot itself, they cannot sustain those shields for much longer. Help them."
"I was going to do that anyway, I meant about the Knights. Where should they be attacking?"
There was silence for a moment.
"The right flank. It is the weakest with only one sorcerer trying to defend many. That section will fall easily if attacked, but our warriors are too far from it."
"Leave it to me."
Merlin retreated from the mental communication and found three Knights staring at him.
"The right flank. That's where you have to attack, it's the weakest."
One Knight stood looking at him with an eyebrow raised, There was a huge gash across his cheek.
"And why should be take your word for it?"
Merlin felt himself go tense.
"Because I'm here to help you."
"And what's the guarantee of that?"
"Sir Drefan," Sir Leon interjected. "Prince Arthur trusts him, and so do I. He is here fighting at the moment, he had allied himself with them."
"And how do we know that? How do we know this isn't some trick of this boy's? And if he is here, what's the guarantee he's on our side? Who knows what this boy has done to poison his mind?"
Merlin felt his anger rise up.
"Me and every other Druid here have risked their lives in coming here! Why else would we be here if not to help you?"
"To sabotage us!"
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that you were as good as defeated when we arrived. Now you have a real chance, who's fault is that I wonder!"
"Don't patronise me boy! You're a sorcerer! You can't be trusted! Uther shall be informed of this!"
And with that, the Sir Drefan stalked off. Merlin felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If he fetched Uther...
He turned to Sir Leon and the other Knight who he recognised as Sir Alden.
"Do you both trust me?"
They both nodded.
"My whole opinion on sorcery has been changed today," said Sir Alden. Sir Leon nodded vigorously.
"Good. Now you heard what I said. The right flank, you need to attack there."
Sir Alden dipped his head in acknowledgment, and sprinted off.
Sir Leon considered Merlin one last time before also following.
Merlin collected his thoughts for one more moment before he pushed his way to the scaffolding that climbed up to the battlements. He climbed us the rickety wooden structure until he stood on top of one section of remaining wall and looked again out onto the battlefield. Now, for the real work to begin.
On the other side of the field, stood two men, also surveying the scene in front of them, from a small craggy cliff.
Byrne had watched in anger, as the war-painted Druids had came charging down the hill, pounding his sorcerers defences until they were almost obsolete.
He had watched as he angrily commanded his sorcerers to order the soldiers to attack instead of standing there gaping.
He had watched as Arthur Pendragon had struck down his sorcerer.
He had watched as his sorcerers were slowly being mown down, and the soldiers being annihilated.
He had watched as they were being pushed back, as Uther's forces and the Druids had slowly gained the upper hand.
The time for watching was over.
At his side, King Cendred stood, a nervous wreck. His moon like face was sweaty and coloured.
Suddenly he turned and glared at Byrne.
"You said this would be easy! You said taking Camelot would be simple! My army is being slaughtered! We are losing! You said with magic on our side we would be invincible!"
Byrne sighed. Now was also the time to rid himself of an irritable shadow.
"I said a lot of things my lord, to a lot of people. I rarely mean any of them."
Cendred regarded him suspiciously.
"I told you my lord I would help you to conquer Camelot, that you could add it onto your own kingdom, and we would serve under you. I lied."
Cendred began to back off, a growing apprehension on his face.
Byrne continued.
"I never intended for you to be king of Camelot, and I certainly never intended for my followers and I to become your court sorcerers- like kept pets. I needed you, I needed your army to give me the upper hand in the battle. But now I see your usefulness has worn out. Your soldiers are hardly worth the effort of the shields my sorcerers are risking their lives to sustain. It would be far easier if we were to just sever the link."
Cendred looked horrified now, and his eyes filled with fear.
Byrne smiled cruelly.
"Now, we have a real chance. Good bye."
His eyes flashed.
"Acwellan!"
Cendred need never bother him again.
Byrne once more surveyed the scene before him. Now was the time for the real fight to begin. He was going to enter it himself.
He sent a message to all his followers, using a new method of mind communication he had developed himself to prevent other magic users from hearing it.
"Cendred is dead. The soldiers are useless. Abandon them. Focus all your magic on the walls and the Druids. Kill them all. But keep Arthur and Emrys alive, I shall deal with them myself."
Byrne held his head high as he stepped down towards the battle.
Now, the fight was even.
A/N: Sooo, how did I do? Pretty crappy IMO but I'm working on improving. Next chapter, I think, will see Arthur's POV of the battle and hopefully Uther's reaction! That'll be fun to write!
Review please! :D