The Ancient Seer

Merlin woke up earlier than usual that day – he felt something weird in the air that he couldn't quite name. Most days, finding himself to be awake too early for his regular hours, he'd lazy in bed until he managed to fall asleep again (and, of course, that led him to be late and Arthur to complain, but what would be the fun in life if he did everything properly?). Yet, something made him feel that if he didn't rise at once, he'd be in trouble for a long time.

As he got ready to face the day ahead, he remembered that Gaius had been asking him for days to find some time to get him some herbs – not far in the forest, actually, they grew close to the southern gate, and yet, he hadn't had the time. It seemed to Merlin that Arthur was trying to bury him under an endless pile of work – perhaps he thought that if Merlin was busy enough he wouldn't have the time to mention what (he thought) had happened between Sophia and the Prince.

Of course that no one needed Merlin to know that Arthur had been acting like a fool – he had, after all, proclaimed his foolishness in front of the whole court when he said he'd marry Sophia one way or the other, and no one honestly thought that the prince had come to his senses and gave up on the mad idea. No, they probably thought that the King had made sure that his wishes were followed, even if it meant resourcing to force (not that Uther had ever shown any sort of qualms with the usage of force).

Arthur had little idea that Merlin wanted those things to be known even less than the prince did – it would be far harder to explain how exactly he had killed the sidhe when they were meant to be immortal and when he was supposed to be an ordinary country boy and not a wizard. Honestly, Arthur thought very little of him if he thought he couldn't keep secrets – it seemed pretty obvious to Merlin that, between the two of them, Merlin was far better at it than Arthur.

Well, if he was up earlier than usual, he could at least go and fetch Gaius' herbs. Breakfast would have to wait until he returned – certainly they wouldn't feed him in the kitchens, but try and make him cook, and Gaius wouldn't be up for almost another hour. It was still dark, and the fresh night air filled his lungs as he left the palace.

Merlin loved to come into the forest – Camelot was far too noisy, the smell of too many bodies pressed together and one could smell the horses even when away from the stables (and even when they had been meticulously scrubbed clean). Under the cover of the woods, he felt almost back home, although he had never been alone in Ealdor. On the forest there were no nobles and no rules, and no secrets as well, for he had nothing to hide from the trees surrounding him or the animals that lived there: he could feel them, and they could feel him, bound by the mysterious laws of magic. Men would often say that it was lonely, but Merlin knew better – he knew that there was life pulsing all around him.

The first signs of light were showing through the shelter of the threes when he felt someone watching him. He stood up, immediately alert, surprised that someone had managed to reach him without him noticing it earlier. There was a figure standing, partially hidden by the trees in a dark cape – it was no one from Camelot, he was sure of it.

"Who are you?" he said, taking a small step back.

Merlin saw the person let the hood fall back, to show an old woman, her hair almost completely white. She didn't look like any sort of threat, but something inside him was still deeply disturbed by the way she had been watching.

"Emrys" he heard a soft and yet powerful voice say, but he hadn't seen her moving her lips. He took yet another step back, and he could sense more than see the woman smiling. "Do not worry, I mean you no harm", she said, finally.

He didn't reply, as he knew not what to say.

"It is an honor to meet you" she said, stepping forward, and this time Merlin didn't step back. "Your life and your destiny have been foretold for years."

Although he had heard it before – and from a dragon, no less – it was the sort of thing that would always make him feel nervous. There was a sort of deference in the old woman's voice, and it made him uneasy. Still, she was unlikely to harm him – there was a deep sadness in her eyes, but also kindness. He took a step closer trying to see her better.

The daylight was increasing, and he knew that if he took too long, he would be late once again, but he just couldn't turn his back without knowing what had brought her so close to Camelot – one didn't need to be a prophet to know that she was gifted with magic for it seemed to pour out of her very skin. For a moment, Merlin thought she was shining with power, but no, it had just been a trick of the light, and she was only an old woman, her face wrinkled and soft, eyes as dark as the night. She was plainly dressed, as a simple woman would be, in dark colors, and the only thing in her that caught his attention was that although it was still warm, she wore gloves, and fine ones, seemed to be made out of the finest silk.

"Who are you?" he asked again, not in the threatening manner he had done before, but honestly curious. "And why are you here?"

"I came here to find you, of course" she said with a smile, and turned her head slightly to the left, towards the sun. "A new day approaches, and it is your destiny to bring its dawn. My mother called me Eilan, but after all this time… Most of my people know me simply as Gweledydd."

"Why?" He asked, not even trying to repeat the name. "Who are your people?"

"I am a druid" she said, lightly. "And in the language of our people, my name means simply 'Seer'."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just stared at her, wondering – would she come to let him know something? And did he even want to know more? Every single thing about destiny and his future that he had learned had only made his life harder, and he wasn't sure he needed that.

"I come to you with a warning" she said, finally. "You are now at a crossroad, in which many paths are possible. The choices you make now can alter the future of many."

"I thought my destiny had been foretold" replied Merlin, "that I couldn't really change it."

She shook her head, still smiling.

"Destiny is one thing – many paths can lead to the same conclusion. It is fate and not destiny that is impossible to be changed and shall happen one way or the other. And this is the reason I seek you now: your actions now may lead shape the fates of many, and while your destiny will be the same in the end, the road to it may be vary depending on what you do now. This is the moment, my child: this very day marks the beginning of the end, and it is in your hands how it will end."

Merlin felt chilled down to his bones, and if he had before felt like the weight of the things he must do crushed him; it had never been that hard. He felt little and young, terribly young, to be responsible for such things – he could hardly keep himself to his own path, how should him shape the roads that other people would take? He had magic, yes, and he was talent, but in the end of the day he was but a serving boy…

The seer was looking at him, and there was pity in her eyes, and he felt as if she knew everything he was feeling and everything he was thinking, all his questions and doubts.

"How can I do that?" his voice was strangled by the fear.

Eilan took out the left glove, and Merlin saw that there was a tattoo in the inside of her wrist – three spirals that were joined in the middle, and a birthmark like a sickle in the middle of it. It felt unnatural, but the look in her eyes eased his nerves – but only for a moment, for in the next, her old hand was touching his arm and he was seeing things.

A young boy, hurt, in Morgana's chambers, held against her bosom. He knew he was dying, and he knew he should do something about it. Morgana, in a red cap, taking the boy out in the dark and then Arthur was guiding him through the lower levels of the dungeons. He saw the man's lips forming his name, calling to the night, but no one came, except of the guards of Camelot, and there was blood and a body of a child rooting in the castle's square under Uther's satisfied gaze, while Arthur and Morgana were in the dungeons like prisoners.

But, no, he was there and they had gotten out – the boy was free. Morgana was crying and screaming for Arthur, and he didn't listen to her pleas, and soon he was lying dead, or close to it, and Merlin knew he'd give his life for his to continue. And he did, but he couldn't do the same to Morgana, not when she was enchanting the whole castle, and he saw her scared eyes as she died – no, she was alive, and bringing an army against the city, the young boy had grown and walked with her in war, his sword meeting Arthur's body with an disconcerting ease.

Everything swirled once again, and he was in Morgana's arm as she kissed his brow and cried in happiness. She was conjuring flames, and he saw himself smile to her, knowing that he had taught her well. Arthur was there, too, tall and proud; the crown in his head, as he called and the grown boy kneeled to become a knight under Morgana's kind smile on the king's left, and Merlin on his other side, like equals, also beaming at the child that had made it all possible.

There were other images – chaotic and too fast for him to understand it well enough or to sort it out in the middle of it all: Gwen's smile as she became a wife in Camelot's great hall; Lancelot walking to his death; men he didn't know fighting for his life; both Morgana and Gwen wearing crowns, and neither looking pleased about it; Sir Leon inciting the knights to fight; Gaius being tortured and Uther crying over Arthur's body with a weird chain around his neck.

Merlin blinked, and he was again in the forest, still a young boy, feeling completely dizzy after all the information he had received. He looked at the woman in awe; for he had never expected such thing, and there was concern in his eyes.

"This is the gift of Prometheus" Eilan said, gravely. "But it is also a curse, for knowing too much is far worse than knowing nothing. It is a burden to live without ever touching another thing, and almost every three and every stone carry their own memories and imprints, all that was and all that might be – it is almost too much for a mind to bear."

"It must be lonely" he muttered, still trying to clear his head. He knew what he didn't want to happen, but he had no idea of what could he do to make sure that those things would never come to pass. A curse indeed.

"Not more lonely than having to carry a destiny such as yours, my child" she said, and while it might have comforted him on another moment, right now, he needed answers. " I have shown you all the possibilities that his day might bring; but only you can make it be one way or the other."

"I don't know how" he started, and then shook his head. "How will I know what I should do, and what will change each of those things? How can I make sure that…"

He swallowed hard, uncertain of how he felt or what could he think.

"I could not give you the answer, even if I knew" she went on sad, and a spark of anger ran through him: why did she warn him if she couldn't help him avoiding it? But as she continued to speak, he felt it vanish once again. "But I do know this: you should keep counsel with your own heart, first and foremost. You are just a boy, and it is natural that you'd seek the advice of others – older, or more powerful than you. Yet, this future is yours and yours alone, and you should temper what you listen with your own natural wisdom. You have a good heart – a big heart – and I am sure that it will lead you to the right path if you listen to it."

"But…" he begun, still feeling confused and worried; but she silenced him with a gesture.

"The guards are coming – I must leave before I am found" she said, and the seer whispered a few words, holding her hands together and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

It wasn't even morning yet, but Merlin knew that this was bound to be a day he would never forget.