Jump Chain Gothic 5 - Merlin
Part 19
Camelot. Albion.
Pellinor and the black knight were fighting, and by the looks of things they were evenly matched, but that wouldn't last as the wraith wouldn't get tired. Pellinor was mortal, his stamina would run low, and when that happened the Knight of Camelot would die.
I watched Sir Pellinor as he caught the black knight's sword on his shield, and stabbed the black knight in the stomach, much like Sir Owain had yesterday. Sir Owain hadn't won that fight, but he was alive again, and I was keeping him in stasis.
The crowd cheered as Pellinor pulled out the sword, however the black knight stayed on his feet, completely unfazed by what should have been a mortal wound. Pellinor was so shocked by this that he left himself wide open, the black knight took the opening, and stabbed Pellinor in the chest.
For a few moments there was silence as people realised what had just happened. Yet another brave defender of this kingdom had fallen in battle.
"Am I seeing things, or did Pellinor's sword go in?" Morgana asked me.
She seemed to have forgiven me for disappointing her last night, not that I'd done anything wrong, but I wasn't going to complain if it meant getting to spend time with her. Currently I was standing next to her as she sat near the king and the prince.
If Uther was bothered by his secret daughter spending so much time with me, he made no sign of it. Which was understandable as he had bigger concerns on his mind. Not that his approval mattered much to me. Besides given what was happening here he might be glad that one of the best knights if the realm was watching over his ward.
"I saw it too," I agreed.
The black knight lowered his sword and then turned to the royal box. A gauntlet hit the ground in front of us, and the king moved to stop his son, but it was too late. It hadn't been the wraith's gauntlet that had been dropped, it had been the prince's.
"I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you" he said,
"So be it," the black knight responded.
Uther sank down on his throne, he was clearly distressed by this turn of events.
"Single combat," Arthur declared. "Noon, tomorrow".
The black knight nodded, hefted his sword onto his shoulder, and exited the arena.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
Arthur stood patiently in the council chambers. Eventually, the doors burst open and the king walked into the room. Even before he spoke his foul mood was easily detected by all around him.
"How could you be so stupid?" Uther demanded to know, with a mixture of anger and worry in this voice "I'll revoke the challenge".
His son would have none of that.
"No," Arthur said firmly, not looking at his father. "The Knight's Code must be upheld, that's what you taught me".
"This is different," Uther replied.
"Once a challenge has been laid down, it cannot be rescinded," Arthur continued by saying.
"You are Crown Prince!" Uther stated.
Arthur finally turned to face Uther.
"There cannot be one rule for me and one for all the rest" the prince insisted.
The king just stared at his son for a few moments.
"I forbid you to fight" he said firmly.
That should have ended the discussion, but it didn't.
"You want me to prove that I'm worthy of the throne, I cannot do that by being a coward," Arthur said the king.
"No, Arthur, this will be your death," Uther replied.
By now he was pleading rather than demanding.
"I'm sorry you have so little faith in me, Father" said the prince.
With that he turned and walked out of the council chambers.
"Arthur!" Uther called after him.
The Once and Future King did not so much as slow his pace.
(Line Break)
The Fortress of Ismere. Albion.
Just as a lifeless clone of Sir Owain had lain on a slab in my lab now a clone of Sir Pellinor did the same. I was just putting some finishing touches to the lifeless body before transporting it the tombs beneath the Citadel. But that was the easy part.
Bringing Sir Pellinor back to life was something that was already in process, and it had worked well enough for Sir Owain, but now I was having second thoughts. Sir Pellinor was no less deserving of life than Sir Owain, however I was concerned that even Arthur wouldn't accept the unexplained return of two of his knights.
Thankfully I didn't have to deal with this issue for quite some time, that was what stasis booths were for. I could keep both men on ice, so to speak, until I figured out what to do with them. For now I would hide them away so that I didn't have to worry about them.
Years from now when Uther was dead, buried and mourned by his son at least, I would send one of the knights home, and the other would go somewhere to live out his life in peace.
While this project was turning out to be a little trickier to finish than I'd hoped, it hadn't exactly taken up much of my time, and this way Arthur would get his magic sword and no one would have to die. Which fitted in my visions and suited my own agenda.
Everything was proceeding as I desired.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
Late into the night, Merlin slipped out of the castle. He cautiously moved about keeping to the shadows, and eventually he found the black knight standing in the center of the training field, facing the palace. The knight was completely motionless, the only thing the moved was the banner he carried, which fluttered in the breeze. Other than that he may as well have been a statue.
Merlin held a hand out to the knight, and began to channel his great power.
"Cume her fyrbryne," Merlin chanted.
A line of fire snaked away from him and encircled the knight. The flames rose higher and higher, eventually towering above the knight's head, and then Wraith couldn't even be seen as its form was completely hidden behind the flames.
Merlin grinned, thinking himself victorious. Then the flames began to die down, and his smile faded. The knight had not moved, nor did he appear the least bit singed. After another few moments, the flames died out completely to no effect.
Suddenly, the knight turned his head to look at the young warlock. Merlin stumbled back a few steps before turning around and running to the castle out of fear.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
Merlin burst into Arthur's chambers and found the prince practicing with his sword. Arthur looked up, lowered his sword, and sighed.
"Merlin, you do recall that there's such a thing as knocking?" he asked.
Merlin ignored him.
"You have to pull out" he insisted.
Arthur groaned.
"Not you too" he complained.
No one seemed to have any faith in him.
"He'll kill you, Arthur!" Merlin shouted.
"Why does everybody think that?" Arthur asked.
He was clearly exasperated.
"Because they're right!" Merlin said "That's not an ordinary knight, he's a wraith!"
"So what?" Arthur said, now inspecting his sword. "I'm not a coward"
Merlin clenched his fists in frustration.
"I know that" said the young warlock "I've stood at your side and watched you overcome every fear you've ever faced".
"That's what's required of me," Arthur commented
He almost sounded casual about that.
"But you are more than that," Merlin said "You're a prince, a future king! You've proved your courage, now you must prove your wisdom".
"I'm not backing down," Arthur insisted.
He resumed his practice, not even looking at Merlin.
"Arthur, please, listen to me! He's not human, not any more" Merlin yelled "That's the spirit of your uncle Tristan, come back to kill your Father and anyone who stands in his way! No mortal weapon can stop him! You saw as well as I, Sir Pellinor struck a fatal blow, but the black knight didn't fall".
Merlin walked to the window, which had a clear view of the black knight standing in the training field.
"Look at him! He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep! He just stands there in complete silence! Doesn't that tell you something?" Merlin asked.
"No man is unbeatable," Arthur declared
He was trying to sound much more confident than he actually was.
"But he's not a man!" Merlin objected. "If you fight him, you will die!".
"I'm not listening to this" the prince said.
Merlin moved away from the window and walked up behind his employer.
"I'm trying to warn you, Arthur!" said the young warlock.
Arthur whirled around, sword still in hand, and almost pressed the blade into Merlin's flesh.
"And I'm trying to warn you, Merlin!" shouted the prince.
The fact that Arthur could easily stab his manservant wouldn't deter the young man from speaking, but his words were falling on deaf ears so Merlin knew he needed to take action.
(Line Break)
Albion. Camelot.
While Nimueh was in town, she wasn't foolish to actually walk through the castle. Instead she was sitting in her hideout and sending out her astral form in order to speak to people. In this form she could move about and be seen only by those she wished to see her, she couldn't affect the world much when like this, but she didn't need to for what she had planned.
So far been happy to let Tristan tear through the knights, but she could not allow him to kill Arthur. And Tristan would not remember that Arthur was the nephew he had feared to leave in Uther's care after his beloved sister's death. It was time to give Uther a nudge so that he would save his son and face his brother-in-law in combat.
Nimueh found the king drinking alone in the council chambers. With a silent spell, she blew out the candles. Uther whirled around and saw her, and she was eerily lit by the moonlight spilling in from the windows.
"I should have known," Uther said wearily.
Nimueh smirked, and set her plan into motion. She knew the king well enough from her days in court to predict how he would react.
"It is more than I'd hoped for, Uther. Soon Arthur will be slain. You will have sent him to his death."
Uther put down his goblet.
"Haven't you tired of revenge?" he asked,
Nimueh stiffened upon hearing this. He had the gall to ask her that?
"Haven't you?" she retorted, sounding much calmer than she actually felt. "You began this war when you threw me from the court and slaughtered all of my kind!"
"You brought it on yourselves, you practiced evil," Uther argued.
Even after all these years, Nimueh felt a stab of pain go through her heart at that statement. His anger over his wife's death was something he had a right to feel, but he'd lashed out with that anger, and had caused so much harm to the people she cared about.
Killing Uther wasn't enough for Nimueh, she wanted the man before to suffer, to see everything he had built turned to rubble all around him,
"I was your friend, Uther" the High Priestess said "you welcomed me here!"
"You betrayed that friendship," Uther insisted.
She had done no such thing.
"I did as you asked!" Nimueh stated in her defence. "I used the magic you so despise to give your barren wife the son you craved!".
"Don't…ever speak of her in that way," Uther said with a soft snarl "She was my heart, my soul, and you took her from me!".
Which had not been part of the plan.
"Ygraine died giving birth to your heir!" the magic user shouted back "It was not my choice. That is the law of magic. To create a life, there had to be a death, the balance of the world had to be repaid!"
Nimueh had told Uther all of this when he first made the request; it was not her fault that he chose not to listen.
"You knew it would kill her!" Uther accused.
Nimueh shook her head.
"No, you're wrong" the sorceress firmly stated "If I had foreseen her death, and the terrible retribution you would seek. I would never have granted your wish".
Uther bowed his head.
"I wish you hadn't" he said,
Nimueh was incredulously at first, but she didn't think the king really felt that way, and if he did well the prince might just die, but she doubted that would happen, Arthur was the Once and Future King, the wraith would be defeated somehow.
"Well, your wish will come true tomorrow" she said.
Uther lifted his head again.
"I will not let you take Arthur" Uther said.
Nimueh was secretly pleased, she'd been able to goad him into doing something reckless.
"I have watched so many people I love die at your hands, Uther Pendragon. Now it is your turn," Nimueh declared coldly.
Tristan had been the one knight in all of Camelot to speak in her defense, not blaming her for his sister's death, and Uther had struck him down. Then Uther had gone on his purge, and his attacks had left many dead on both sides of the conflict. He deserved a far worse fate than Nimueh could ever devise for him.
Uther bowed his head again. When he finally looked up, Nimueh was gone. Uther realized that if he wanted to save Arthur, without revealing the secret he had so carefully buried, there was only one course of action left. Uther headed to Gaius's chambers. He would need help if he was to take Arthur's place in the duel.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
Late at night Merlin browsed in the library. It wasn't exactly the best source of information when it came to magic, but Merlin was running out of ideas. He pulled a book from the shelf, and accidentally knocked another to the ground. Merlin crouched to pick it up, and heard a voice behind him.
"How did you get in here?" the record keep asked suspiciously.
Merlin stood up, and made up some lame excuse, which wasn't believed, but Geoffrey didn't see any point in arguing about this. Recent goings on had left him an dour mood.
"What brings you to the library at this late hour?" he asked.
"Arthur is in grave peril," Merlin replied "Gaius believes the black knight is a wraith. Do you know of any books that will tell me how to kill something that is already dead?".
In fact he did.
"Well, I've read of such things in the ancient chronicles," Geoffrey said, giving it some thought. "Several fables speak of ancient swords that could destroy anything, alive or dead".
The young warlock now had hope.
"Could you show me one of these fables?" Merlin prompted.
Geoffrey frowned in concentration for a few moments, then fetched a book and set it on his desk. He flipped through it as Merlin looked over his shoulder.
"This is the Chronicle of Beltane," Geoffrey informed Merlin.
He stopped on a page that had a gilded illustration on it, which had clearly been the work of many hours by a skilled artist.
"Now then... ah, here we are. 'Sir Marhaus looked upon the great sword, begotten in the dragon's breath, and found it passing good'"
Merlin's eyes widened.
"Thank you!" shouted manservant as he ran out of the library.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion
Merlin knocked on the door of Gwen's house. She looked surprised when she opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
She was clearly surprised to see the young man here.
"I've come to ask for a sword, the strongest sword your father's ever made," Merlin explained.
He held up a small purse filled with coins. Arthur wasn't a great boss, but he never sort changed Merlin when it came to pay.
"I'll pay whatever price you demand, but I need it now" the warlock insisted.
Understanding the urgency Gwen let her visitor into her house. After a few moments, she presented a cloth-wrapped object. She unwrapped it to reveal a particularly well-made sword.
"My father's been saving this. He's always said it was the best sword he ever made" Gwen told the manservant.
Merlin smiled and handed her the purse.
"Trust me, you've just saved Arthur's life" he then said.
Merlin wrapped the sword again before returning to the castle.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
When Merlin arrived in the dragon's cave, he found the dragon perched on his usual outcropping. The dragon lifted his head, and gave the young man a look that didn't really say anything.
"Do you know why I'm here?" Merlin asked.
"It may surprise you, Merlin, but my knowledge of your life is not universal," the dragon remarked.
Although it often seemed otherwise.
"It's to do with Arthur" Merlin explained "His life's in danger. He will die, unless I can make a weapon that will kill the dead".
Merlin knelt and unwrapped the sword.
"What does that have to do with me?" asked the giant fire breathing reptile.
Merlin floated the sword in front of the dragon.
"Will you burnish it, to save Arthur?" he requested.
The dragon didn't move.
"The dead do not return without reason," the massive magical creature said "Who has he come for?"
"Uther" Merlin admitted reluctantly.
Given the Great Dragon's loathing for the king the young warlock had been hoping that he wouldn't have to share that little bit of information.
"Then let him take his vengeance, and the wraith will die without my aid," the dragon declared.
Merlin softly sigh.
"But it's Arthur who's going to fight the wraith! You have to save him!" the young man insisted.
"That is your destiny, young warlock, not mine," the dragon reminded.
The prince's manservet wasn't going to give up so easily.
"If Arthur fights the wraith and dies, what happens to my destiny?" Merlin asked "You said he's the Once and Future King, not me! I can't unite Albion!"
The powerful magical beast gave the matter some thought. He was considering the possible ramifications of what he was about to do.
"A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power," the powerful creature warned.
The sword would have some of the dragon's power within it.
"I know," Merlin acknowledged.
"You do not know," the dragon said sternly. "You can only guess. You have not seen what I have seen. If you had, perhaps you would not ask this of me".
Now the warlock was feeling concerned.
"What do you mean?" Merlin queried.
"In the wrong hands, this sword could do great evil. It must be wielded by Arthur, and him alone".
Merlin nodded.
"I understand"
"You must do more than understand," the dragon pressed. "You must promise."
Merlin nodded again.
"I promise" he said,
The dragon sucked in a deep breath as Merlin backed away and covered his eyes. Then the dragon blew a steady stream of fire onto the sword. When he had finished, each side of the blade sported a runed gold inlay that had not been there before.
"Heed my words. This sword was forged for Arthur, and him alone" said the dragon.
Little did either of them know that events would led to the wrong person weidling this weapon.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
The crowd broke out into subdued muttering when Uther entered the arena instead of Arthur. I was not surprised. All I thought about was that the dragon was not going to be happy when he found out about this, and how that wonderful looking sword was going to end up in the bottom of a lake. If hadn't already obtained such a blade I might have been tempted to take it for myself.
I watched as Uther walked up to the black knight, and somehow he was able to hide the fear he must have been feeling.
"You can have what you came for," the king announced. "The father, not the son".
The black knight turned his head to look at Uther as a soldier removed Uther's cape before quickly making his way out of the arena. I didn't blame the man for not wanting to stick around.
Then Uther put on his helmet, and what followed was a tense few moments when nothing at all happened. Soon after that Uther and the black knight were battling ferociously. Somewhere amid the furious exchange of blows, Uther managed to hit the knight in the head with his shield, which made the black knight's helmet flew off.
The crowd gasped in horror at the sight of the knight's bare head, it was blackened and eyeless, and the skin was stretched so thin that all could clearly see the outline of the skull. It was clear to all that this was not a living thing, it was something unnatural. And as if to the support that the wraith let out an inhuman snarl before continuing the attack.
Before long Uther was forced to the ground, and he lost his grip on the sword. The wraith loomed over him, repeatedly battering at the king's shield. Then it landed a blow so hard that its sword became stuck in the rim of the shield. After a few moments of tugging, the wraith pulled the shield off of Uther's arm, and the shield was still attached to the sword.
The wraith lifted its sword and tried once more to remove the shield, but in doing so it left itself wide open. Uther grabbed the sword, which I knew to be Excabulir, and plunged it into the wraith's chest. The wound immediately began smoking.
As Uther pulled out the magical sword, he backed away so quickly that he tripped and fell over. Meanwhile the wraith dropped its own sword as the wound caught fire. The flames spread until the wraith exploded, leaving behind nothing but ashes.
The rest of the crowd was shocked into silence. After a few moments, Uther rose to his feet and removed his helmet. The crowd began to cheer and applaud.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
"I thought you said a wraith couldn't be killed," Uther said.
The court physician was inspecting the king's wounds. He wasn't badly hurt, which was amazing considering what he'd just been through.
"Yes, it was remarkable," Gaius agreed "Is that a new sword, Sire?".
"It's the best I've ever fought with," Uther replied
After picking it up the older of the two men inspected the blade.
"I'm intrigued by these markings," Uther said.
Gaius examined the runes.
"On one side, it says 'take me up', and on the other it says 'cast me away'" said the healer
At that moment, the doors opened and Arthur walked in. He did not look happy. The physician decided to beat a hasty retreat.
"You had Gaius drug me!" he yelled. "I was meant to fight him! The Knight's Code…"
"Be damned," Uther interrupted.
Arthur froze, and looked at his father in shock.
"I believed you would die" said the king "that was a risk I could not take. You are too precious to me! You mean more to me than anything I know, more than this entire kingdom and certainly more than my own life!"
Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times before replying.
"I've always thought that…I was a big disappointment to you" the prince struggled to say
"Well that is my fault, and not yours," Uther said quietly. "You are my heir, and my son. I wouldn't have it any other way".
Arthur stood in silence for a few moments, unsure what to say. After a while he settled for changing the subject.
"I heard you fought pretty well" he told his father.
"Thanks," Uther said with a smile.
"You should join us for training some time," Arthur suggested. "Sort out your footwork."
"I'll show you footwork," Uther threatened in a playful tone.
He rose to his feet and kicked at his son. Arthur dodged, and made his way out of the room.