AUTHORS NOTE: everyone calm down! I have not you all and killed Arthur off - perhaps meeting Ava now makes him fight harder in the future and he lives and Ava returns to a future where her father is still alive... yeh? that is why Eveline brought her back - to save her father and set this right...
you get me guys? lets calm down and read... PLEASE REVIEW
CAMELOT – THE ROYAL CHAMBERS
Having not seeing anything on her palm, and with the pain in her head and palm gone, Gwen sighed and rubbed her eyes again, before her hand fell to her small rounded belly and she sunk to lay on her back against the soft pillows, stroking it softly.
As she settled her husband rolled heavily to lie facing her, stretching one arm over her middle as he kissed her cheek.
"Alright?" He mumbled whilst still half asleep.
"mmm…" She yawned and turned her head slightly away from him as he rolled all the way onto his side, arm over her protectively, head on the same pillow, breath warm and safe on her collar bone.
"Go to sleep…" She whispered drowsily as her hand stilled low on her small belly.
There was peace for a moment.
Suddenly the warning bells started to peel loudly in the air.
Arthur ripped himself from his wife's sleeping embrace and shot out of bed.
He raced to the window and threw it open, staring down into the courtyard as he saw a man all in black, short and stocky, racing through the open gates of Camelot and into the lower town, clutching something to his chest.
Knights were racing after him and shooting at him from the battlements.
Arthur cursed and strode to the door, throwing it open.
"Stay there." He barked at his wife before he slammed it behind him.
She scowled and folded her hands over her belly as she sat up.
Through her worry over what was happening she absentmindedly moved one thumb over the palm of the hand that had been burned for a moment in her sleep as the man in the archives disturbed the crystal.
There wasn't even a mark there now.
A moment later she lifted her hand to wrap around the necklace Merlin had given her to protect her from magical enchantment or curse.
CAMELOT – THE ROYAL CORRIDOR
"What happened?" Arthur demanded.
Elyan and Gwaine stopped before him.
"We were alerted when a man was seen running from the archives…." Elyan explained, "we sounded the alarm but he knocked a few guards out with magic… he had something in his jacket… but he made it out into the corridor and threw the gates without any of the arrows touching him…"
"Did he open the gates?" Arthur demanded.
Elyan looked to Gwaine.
"No Sire." Gwaine explained, "the gates were already open…"
"Why?" Arthur almost shouted, "I ordered that all the gates be locked and guarded at night for the protection of the queen…"
Elyan looked down, "they were locked Arthur, until about an hour ago when Merlin left, saying he would be back shortly…"
"And the guards didn't lock them afterwards?" Arthur demanded, not quite able to believe he was hearing this…
Gwaine shrugged, "Perhaps they didn't want to lock him out?"
"He is a sorcerer Gwaine!"
"Then maybe they are afraid of him… I have to admit… I sort of am…"
"Who would have thought it… Merlin…" Elyan agreed.
Arthur snapped his teeth together, "Pursue the man, lock the gates and ask Gaius to help you find out whatever it was this man wanted from the vaults that Merlin was going through and I can only assume left unlocked…"
Arthur strode back to the Royal chamber door and opened it.
Gwaine and Elyan inclined their heads, "Sire…"
They turned to walk away as Arthur disappeared inside.
They were stopped when the king ripped the door opened again and shouted an instruction.
"And tell my court sorcerer when he returns that I want a word with him, and that if he has been to the tavern he had better be sober when he does so!"
The door slammed again as the warning bells continued.
THE DRUID CAVE OF BRECKFAR
"Watch your step… there you go… careful…"
Merlin reached for Ava's hand and helped her step down over the icy rocks into the dark cave.
Ava had expected it to smell damp and mouldy, but rather it smelt crisp and salty like sea air.
She pushed her hair from her face and followed Merlin through the strange moonlight in the cave, winding in between large rocks that almost glowed silver.
As they rounded a corner they were greeted by the sight of a dozen druids stood cloaked facing them, in front of a large raised alter.
Merlin and Ava stopped dead.
A heartbeat passed before the tallest druid in the middle lowered his hood to reveal an ancient face.
Ava stared over Merlin's shoulder as the old man smiled and dropped to his knees.
All the other druids followed suit.
Merlin held up his hands instantly, "please, stand up…"
The eldest druid without a hood inclined his head, "You are welcome here Emrys."
"well you did summon me." Merlin nodded to him and looked around, "what is this place? And why have you need of me?"
"We have no need of you Emrys it is you who has need of us…" The druid waved the others away.
They shrunk to the sides of the cave and watched, still cloaked, from the shadows.
Merlin narrowed his eyes slightly, "alright…"
"Forgive them." The uncloaked druid smiled slightly, "magic has only been permitted in Camelot for one day… and the legends about you are most great… they are unsure as to how someone so close to the king, could have such great magic and kept it a secret…"
"It is just one of my many gifts." Merlin put his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, blushing slightly.
The druid chuckled, "indeed. My name is Lassar, and we are the brotherhood of Breckfar."
Ava looked around her again and fisted her hands at her sides against the cold.
Merlin inclined his head, "then what is it that you have to tell me."
Lassar gestured for Merlin to follow him, and Ava followed suit, as he stepped up onto the raised rock around the glistening white marble alter.
As they stood beside it opposite Lassar though, they both saw that it was not an altar, rather a font filled with dark water, that seemed to ripple as Merlin stepped close although he had not touched it.
Lassar held Merlin's gaze firmly.
"The crystal of Breckfar is under threat."
There was a dire warning in his voice.
Merlin found his eyes narrowing, "what is the crystal of Breckfar?"
Lassar looked down at the ebony waters of the font and waved his hand over the surface.
There was a fierce ripple and the blackness seemed to tear, revealing an image of Merlin earlier that day crouched in the vaults rummaging around.
It then changed to show a scene from earlier in the night where the small man removed a crystal from the set hands of the granite statue, not ten metres from where Merlin had been crouching.
Merlin looked up at Lassar, "that doesn't tell me what it is and why it is so important to have it back."
"Surely you understand that someone taking something from Camelot's archives so soon after magic has been legalised cannot be good…"
"Surely you realise that I am fully aware that thieving is wrong." Merlin stated, "but if I do not know what it is that has been stolen how can I understand why it is so important to have it back."
Lassar did not blink, "the crystal is dangerous."
"How so?"
Lassar looked down again and moved his hand once more over the water.
The image that showed this time was not one Merlin had ever seen before.
Ava stared at it also.
It showed a man taking the crystal from its setting, before hammering at it with a hammer as though to crack it open. Sparks flew everywhere and the crystal turned crimson.
The image changed to show a man wearing a crown clutching at his hand as white burn marks appeared over him and moved up his skin, wrapping around and around until his entire body was covered, and his eyes turned ice white. The poor man with the crystal was shown again, staring in fury as the icy cloud of power drained from the crystal leaving it clear.
The final thing that was shown was the ice king falling to the floor dead, the tears on his cheeks leaking white to the floor, before turning red and forming a new crystal.
Ava gasped and stared at Lassar.
His voice was low and rough.
"In times of danger, the crystal of Breckfar will choose a host, one of royal blood, to reserve itself and the people it protects."
"Wait 'chose'?" Merlin stared at him, "so this crystal that has been taken… it is alive?"
"In a way." Lassar held a hand out, "It is a tremendous power source one that many believe can make a person without equal in magical powers. It has stood at the heart of Camelot throughout the centuries, preserving the very roots of the citadel which have always been in magic."
His eyes flittered to Ava for a moment, looking her over before his eyes went once more to the wide ones of Merlin, "The crystal thrives as it has always done, when it si placed in the hands of its keeper…"
"The statue." Merlin muttered.
"Yes." Lassar nodded, "It thrives on the collective emotions of all those around where it stands…"
"The people of Camelot." Ava whispered.
Merlin snapped his eyes to stare at her before once more he looked to Lassar.
The old druid nodded with fierce regret, "Yes."
He moved his hand over the waters of the font to show Merlin's memories, happy times with the knights, Tanya, Gwen and Arthur together… so much laughter and courage…
Ava felt tears fill her eyes as she stared at her mother and father, so young and happy together in a way she had never seen…
She wiped her tears away and looked at Lassar as he spoke again.
"Under King Arthur the people of Camelot are thriving and so the crystal does too… it is at its most powerful…"
"So whoever has taken the crystal will want to try and extract that power from the crystal for themselves?" Merlin almost demanded.
"The crystal is said to be as old as the world itself. In time it developed a consciousness of its own. It knows when it is threatened, and so it leaks and holds onto the soul of one of royal blood." Lassar urgently told him, "but that kind of power cannot be held in the head of one mortal… it will burn their soul out and kill them… and a new crystal will be produced, leaving the one it left empty and decorative."
Merlin stared at him, "then Arthur and Gwen are not safe…"
Lassar said nothing.
Ava drew in a stuttering breath.
Merlin pushed himself and leapt away from the font.
"But you said that you summoned me here because it is under threat, we need to go back to Camelot and stop the man from taking it and then everything will be fine… come on Ava!" Merlin turned to race for the door.
Ava dove after him.
"The crystal has already been taken."
Lassar's voice halted them both and Merlin spun, "What!"
"You arrived too late here to be told of the dangers of the crystal." Lassar stated gravely, "my guess is that you were distracted."
Ava straightened and merlin glanced at her before at Lassar.
His eyes narrowed, "Then we need to get the crystal back from the man who took it."
Lassar nodded.
"Before something terrible happens."