8 Adventures of Merlin

Some traditional tellings support our Merlin dies a Threefold death; a combination of a stabbing, a drowning, and a hanging.

Update: Merlin has just defeated a visiting king who wished to kill him for control over Aithusa. He faced the opponent's immense and shocking talent in the old ways without his magic and without killing.

"What about the sorcerer?" Merlin wondered aloud, feeling the comforting warmth of her hand on his forehead. He heard the sound of their breathing and realized that they were too close, so he lifted himself slightly. He dragged her hand away and rolled over.

She sighed, "The sorcerer is the King of Dyfed and when we let him out, he'll attack our people and call for war."

Merlin groaned. "He was always going to attack. He tried to kill me for being the Dragon Lord."

"Which is a surprise to no one on the Earth." She whined and rolled off the bed.

He sat up. "What will you do?"

"Hide the dragon away," she whispered. She brushed her hand through her hair and grimaced. "I guess you'll want to be left alone. I have a meeting to attend."

"Wen," said Merlin.

She turned. "Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She gave him a thin smile and grasped for the door handle.

Saffer, a Druid woman welcomed into the court when Merlin assisted the Druids; knocked on the door to Gwendolen's chamber… "I wanted to speak with you about your new associate."

"My associate?"

"It comes to my attention as it's the natural way of our world – and of events that you spend much time with a sorcerer called Merlin."

Wen turned away. "He's my Dragon Lord."

"He also seems to have become a close ally and friend to you, which is why you should know the nature of these events."

"What's happened?"

As you know, it is coming on high summer, and my position as a Bendrui gives me a connection to the court of the Desir.

"The three-maiden conduit for the triple goddess."

"Well, the court of the Desir has seen fit to have enacted some effect over players in your court. It's nothing to worry about, but you may need to hold a council with them soon to prove your allyship to the old ways.

"What does this have to do with Merlin?

He's spoken prophecies to the court over the threefold death.

Shakes head – That's reserved for Great Celtic kings. Merlin has trouble stepping out of his chambers, let alone the shadows, for anything. My father needs to stand beside him in meetings. "

"And he's a very affectionate sort, I know. But he is an enemy to the court of the Desir. He swore against magic to protect his king."

"I know this."

"No, princess. King Arthur was welcomed on hallowed ground to take council from the Desir. It was Merlin with the king and returned with the choice not to lift the persecution of magic in Camelot. He had the king's ear and did nothing."

"Why don't have the Druid let this be known to me? I am the inviolable high Queen of Avalon.

"For weeks only, my dear."

Sniffs. "Where are the other council members?"

"That's just it. Let it be known Merlin's crimes and the Desir will have their way; they mean to kill him, or rather let the Goddess have it on him. The court is afraid of his choices amidst prophecy. Only Morgana Pendragon truly represented the old ways."

"The Desir doesn't coerce events."

"They can petition the goddess to coerce events."

"—Not a king."

"He holds the name Emrys. True Welsh –for the meaning 'King'"

You still support merlin despite being quoted as 'against' magic?"

"I know we have all fought for the same things. The sorcerer might have failed his mission, but that does not mean he has been sinister to our ways."

"This is right. He's suspicious and wounded. Not evil. I hope you don't take our losses and put them on his head like others."

"I don't. If the Druid wanted Merlin's position known, Morgana would have known long ago. It wasn't until the fall of the King that some became frustrated. Even then, most Druids didn't know the name."

"How do you know?"

"Prophecy. Magic through a young one who could use the Crystal of Nihetid."

"Who?"

"He's gone now."

"Oh."

Saffer folded her hands, stood, and glided from the room, holding Gwendolen's eye contact until she reached the door.

"Meilyr, I want you to get Tannic and a few other knights. I want to make a journey."

"Where about?"

"The grove of Breneved."

Gwendolen clasped the hook on her wool cloak. This time she set out in everyday clothes suited for a villager; she kept her hair hidden under the cloak under cover of night. She rode on the back of Tannic's horse rather than her own.

They deliberately arrived in the night, and when she dismounted, she let her eyes flash orange, and a burst of fire started a torch.

The path down into the cave was filled with stringy stick-made wishes left by worshipers. They marked the entrance to the cave of the goddess. Flame endangered the relics, so the queen's light lit the way in her hand.

"Leoht."

Gwendy dropped her hand as she came on the three cloaked women. "I've come to speak with you about the threat you've made against my ward."

"Emrys." The way they said it was long, drawn, and hauntingly eerie. It faded into a voiceless echo as it stopped like a breath of air. "We know him."

A second – "A traitor to magic."

Gwendy's eyes fell on the direction of each changing voice.

Third – "There will be no mercy for him. He'll vanish like all failed rulers do."

The first Desir – "An emblem of a ruling order never successful. He falls to the trifold death."

Gwendy interrupted. "He's a warlock I've given refuge to — a servant not long ago. Hardly an 'established order of rule.'

"He could represent one," said the First Desir.

Gwendy huffed. "Mine."

"Or Arthurs," said the Last Desir, farthest right.

"A Trifold death is reserved for Celt Kings. The Court Dragon Lord is hardly that. And the death isn't a spell; it's carried out by the people."

"It is a destiny." The First Desir nearly shouted from her raspy whisper.

"Which you would foment. Not me."

"It's too late now, girl. A fate that eliminates the threat of Camelot must come to fruition. We can no longer let the enemies of magic persist in their course."

"You are supposed to hold the line of fate and the goddess – not invent practices in your own ways! You'll lead us to war!"

"We've been at war!"

"War is over!"

"This is our extermination!"

"Guard!" squeaked Gwendy. She slipped backward on the force of Desir's magic. Her wrist turned under her, trying to stop the fall. She hissed and pulled it away from the stone.

"Majesty!" said Meilyr, coming upon them with sword drawn and curious.

She held her shaking wrist in her hand. "I cannot let you attack mine own," she said, trembling.

But the Desir didn't relent. Instead, they attacked Meilyr for having a sword. He yelped as Tannic came up to join them. As Meilyr lost his balance, one of the three threw fire to scare the queen into leaving.

"Stop!" said Gwendolen, who hadn't defended herself and whose cloak caught fire. "This is a sacred place!"

There was a 'humph,' a small sound that slow ears would have missed. The aggressive eldest of the Desir, the one who had brought the influence of using a prophecy to create this entire plan, slid off Tannic's sword to the floor.

The magic stopped. The room went dark with a fallen brasier spilled to the cave-floor.

"What have I done?" whispered Tannic.

"The Desir have used magic to influence a prophecy to kill my Dragon Lord," said Gwendolen loudly.

The other two Desir had fled by the time she said "Léoht," and a rush of light spilled into the surrounding room.

They followed the Desir's escaping and now potentially dangerous order on horseback. Gwendolen, all the while, cradled her potentially broken wrist.

They met a small bog. One that made their horses sink and Meilyr called out to the queen, who was riding somewhat in the lead and jumped off his horse to pull hers out of the mud before it was too stuck. "There! Get her that way!"

They kept going until they saw the cloaked form of one of the Desir ahead. With all the boggy foot prints around, it seemed she had sunk too much on her foot-ridden desperate escape. Her body was face down in the water, and she had drowned.

Tannic pulled between the Queen and the body and said low. "Alright. I have some suspicion of how this will go." He'd gone steadier and quieter. One had been stabbed. The other had drowned. All that was left for a full 'Trifold Death' was one.

As suspected, they came to an enemy village up ahead. The knights covered their armor and only Tannic and Meilyr went with the queen.

The third Desir had been hung in full view of a square filled with playing children dappled in mud and women washing the weekly clothes.

In silence, they looked on, then the queen pulled her reins and steered toward home.

"Beon mersċ, oþ ðæt forþgan hiwræden."

(Become marsh, until forever when all have left this place.)

She tipped a bucket, opened a pen, let all the animals out, and opened every window with whispered words.

She then used a long spell to bid every tool to break when picked up in a fervent display of magic Camelot and its allies had never seen in almost thirty years.

People stumbled to close the gates and catch animals, but when they did, their gate latches broke. They stumbled into the sinking mud that suddenly gathered sticky around sinking grasses and their slippered feet blackened.

Their swords and bows and shovels and forks all broke when touched, so when they rallied against their superstitiously chosen few to stop the bad luck by 'killing the witches,' that night – there would be no tools to kill each other with, and there would be no working till to work the muddy land, and their crops would never be planted again.

"Gewítan, abrecan á andgelóman þære findan grapian."

(Now, break all/forever tools that find hands that grip)

"Seo manung."

I claim this place