Sooo... writing frenzy still going strong. I felt bad for leaving you guys on a cliffhanger, specifically since I had chapter 8 already written. I actually just finished writing chapter 9, but I want to get at least a little bit ahead before I post it. Lol.
Once again, thank you for all your reviews. You are the fuel to my continuous writing!
Reviewer Responses
Healed535: Cause it would be too long! XD That and I hadn't really done a really nasty cliffhanger yet. I thought we were due for one.
Ugla: Yay! :)
GeorgiaEmrys1D: Oh cliffies. They do horrible things to us. I sorry.
flyaway213: XD I am a horrible person. You should see what I do to my characters in my original stories. I've accepted that as a writer... you really have to be a terrible terrible person. *mwahahahaha* :3
Mediatrix: Had to. Completely. Buckets and buckets of 'had to'.
WE-ARE-SHER-LOCKED: I apologize. I know there hasn't been magic used and such, but that's cause I'm saving it up for the second part of the story. THERE WILL BE BADASSERY!
Morena Evensong: Thank you! :) I'm glad you remember Dayla. And I am doing the same. Fill my head with fanfics so I don't realize that it will soon all be coming to an end.
1983Sarah: Yeah... they seem to get it wrong a lot. They tend to constantly arrest people for sorcery... who haven't done any sorcery.
reading-rider: It is my way of coping, I suppose. lol. And no problem! Thanks for reading it!
Merlin fan: No! No heart attacks! Defibrulator!
EchoRose480: Yes! Intrigue! Slightly-more-aware-of-the-world-around-him Arthur! And- aww, you think? *squee/blush*
CaptainOzone: Yay for baffleness (word? Oo) And I'm glad you like Frio. I like her too. You should look up the Rough-Legged Buzzards on google. They're gorgeous!
shadow visor: Really! Yay! I love it when I can surprise people!
Ash9: Well, there was a reason that Arthur called Leon and Percival. He knows that Percival may have his bonds with everyone, but he is the closest to an outside party in the knights. Leon has been a knight far longer than the others and Arthur knows that he is loyal to the kingdom and that will always come first. Arthur knew that the two of them would do what he said and he could trust them not to blab about it. Elyan and Gwaine are a little too close to it.
servant123: XD Sorry! There didn't seem to be this many cliffies when I was writing it. Maybe I just have low writer's-esteem, LOL. I want to make sure everyone comes back so I leave you hanging... I really am a terrible person. XD *rubs hands together*
I don't own Merlin, and here we go!
Finally, Leon spoke directly to the servant. "Merlin, by order of the king, you are under arrest for sorcery."
Earlier that day...
Arthur had long believed Merlin to be something of a weakling, a girl, and even a coward on some occasions. But he had never imagined him as an old fogey. But he couldn't help but think back to Merlin's words in his chambers and imagine him as just that as he watched the councilmen bicker. The council members seemed to have suspicion somewhere in the realm of Merlin's (not that he would ever tell the servant that someone else agreed with his 'feelings'), and the king now sat in his chair, his chin held on his mouth and the other placed on the table in boredom as the old men battled it out among themselves.
"We can hardly trust magical folk to speak of peace with Camelot," cried Lord Thelred, standing from his seat. The youngest of the council members aside from the king himself, he had been known for his avid support of Uther. "They plot the ruin of our kingdom."
"If the do seek conflict with us," argued Geoffrey, "it is because they have been so persecuted by Uther's hand! Peace cannot be attained without the cooperation of every faction within the kingdom."
"Then we drive the druids out!" announced Lord Warwick. "If peace can truly not be attained without their cooperation, it would be much wiser to simply relocate them."
Arthur finally spoke, not moving his position. "They will not be forced from their ancestral homes, Warwick," he snapped. The lord stood straight and cast a wary glare at the king. "Forcing them to leave will only further antagonize them."
"Why risk the danger of peace talks, My Lord?" pleaded Thelred, his voice full of honey. "Our forces far outmatch that of the druids. We can easily drive them from our kingdom."
"As I've said before, my decision to pursue peace talks with the druids is final. My father's persecution of the druids was excessive and unjust." A deadly silence fell over the council as though they questioned their own ears. "They are peaceful, and we are to treat them with respect."
Lord Montague nodded. "It is likely that the kingdom will profit from this alliance in trade alone. Who knows what the druids have to offer?"
Arthur leaned on the edge of the table. "We cannot simply dismiss them because they are magic. That was my father's mistake. They deserve to live their lives as much as any of our citizens. I have learned well that lesson."
The group fell silent again. Finally, a hand was raised opposite Arthur where sat the two most senior members of the council who had been murmuring between themselves for some time; Lord Ellard and Lord Thurstan. Lord Ellard spoke first. "We have seen the war against magic rage since the beginning of the Great Purge. We have seen the devastation that magic can wreak, even in the hands of the meek."
Lord Thurstan nodded. "In the name of your father, Arthur, we implore you; do not do this."
Arthur thought for a moment, but he was hardly considering their objections. "This meeting was held to discuss how to proceed with the formation of a truce with the druids. That decision will not be withdrawn." He looked to the window where the sun was beginning to set. An entire day of wasted breath and he now had nothing to report to Morven later. He growled under his breath and stood. "I am obliged to remind you, that I am king of Camelot. You are my council meant to advise me. If you do not wish to offer your advice upon matters which I have already decided, I shall make the decision without it." The air in the room tensed heavily, but Arthur didn't sense shame so much as anger. He wanted the council to have a say in the matter, but it seems as though they were more interested in endlessly arguing.
He stood and dismissed the lot of them, rubbing his eyes and stretching the moment they left the room. He motioned to one of the guards. "Call Morven here, would you? I wish to dine with him."
The guard hustled away and the food arrived shortly after. Arthur had devoured half his meal by the time Morven had been fetched and dressed for dinner. He bowed as the large doors swung closed behind him. "I am honored by your invitation, Sire."
Arthur motioned to the chair and Morven slipped into it. As the druid began to pick at his plate, inspecting the foreign preparations, the king flicked his hands at the guards. "Leave us." The guards obeyed and Morven looked suddenly nervous. Arthur laughed. "Don't worry. I wanted to get rid of the extra ears."
Morven nodded and grabbed some fruit off the table and munched thoughtfully. "You have a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, My Lord. Your lands must be quite fertile."
Arthur nodded proudly. "Our fields are the most prosperous of the five kingdoms. I wish for you to take a sample of our crops back to your people. If we are to become friends, we will need to work out trade agreements. I believe that we can both prosper from this union."
"As do I, Sire." From the other end of the table, Arthur missed the guilt that passed across Morven's eyes.
Arthur took a sip of water and folded his hands in front of his mouth. After a moment, he said, "Morven, may I request something in confidence?"
Morven's eyes lit up. "Of course, My Lord."
Arthur smiled and looked down to his half-eaten plate. "You know that during my father's raids on the druid villages, he seized many scrolls and artifacts."
Morven saddened. "Yes, Sire."
Arthur seemed to struggle with how to speak next. "I would like to ensure that all of these artifacts and scrolls are delivered back into the hands of the druids; where they belong." Morven smiled brightly and nodded. "But I would like to learn more about your people from them before I do."
A strange look came over Morven's face at this. He seemed excited, but his excitement was tainted with another brief flash of guilt. "I am happy that you have taken an interest.
"Do you think," began Arthur, his stomach churning for no particular reason, "that you could help me translate one of the scrolls I have found? Our knowledge of the druid language is limited."
Morven nodded immediately. "Of course, Sire. It would be an honor!"
Arthur smiled and resumed eating, his nerves calmed. He hadn't noticed it when he originally planned to request this of Morven, but the act of asking a favor of the druid frightened him. He was walking on eggshells, doing his best to cross no lines.
Once dinner had been finished, Arthur lead Morven to the library. Arthur dismissed a rather perplexed Geoffrey and headed back to the chest where he had locked the ancient scrolls. He pulled out the first he had found and Morven spent a long time reading over it. He smiled. "I well know these prophecies. These concern Emrys."
"Emrys," muttered Arthur. "You know of Emrys then."
Morven laid the scroll across the table and bent over it. "Every druid child is born with the name Emrys within their minds."
"What do you know of him?" asked Arthur, sitting back in the chair pulled up to the desk and motioning to another for Morven.
"Emrys is a figure shrouded in much mystery. We only know a few things about him." Morven pointed at the text. "These prophecies were made by the great seer Taliesin."
Arthur pondered his words and then bent to retrieve the other scroll. "What can you tell me about this one?" he asked, handing it to him.
Morven took the scroll and smiled broadly at it. "Such writing... it has been long since I have seen such beautiful lettering. We retain very few scrolls of this age." Arthur saddened a small bit at the implication he knew was hidden in the statement, but Morven seemed too taken by the scroll to care. He unrolled it and stood again, laying it across the table, and began to read.
For a moment, he said nothing, his eyes just darting back and forth across the page. Suddenly he looked at Arthur as though he forgot the king was there. "I apologize. I must paraphrase. The prophecies are written in a specific dialect so that they can be read by anyone, but the normal language is difficult to translate into the common tongue."
Arthur looked to the scroll with interest. "Why are the prophecies different?"
Morven grinned at him. "The words of a seer are meant for the benefit of all." Arthur returned the smile and Morven returned to the scroll. After a moment, he looked up at the king again. "This passage speaks of Emrys' great power."
Arthur nodded. "I remember trying to translate that section but I had difficulties."
Morven laughed. "It says that the power of Emrys shall surpass all those who have come before him and all those who come after." Arthur's hands' grip on themselves tightened and his shoulders tensed. "This next passage speaks of a great kingdom he will build alongside the Once and Future King."
Arthur paused. Once and Future King... he had heard that somewhere before. Someone had once called him that, but who was it?
Morven continued, smiling at the king again. "Many of the tribes believe that the Once and Future King is you, Arthur." Arthur nodded nervously. Morven read a bit more. "This next passage speaks about two items that can be used to identify Emrys." Arthur noticed that Morven suddenly tensed as he read further. "The first is referred to as the 'Emrys Caer' (1), which means 'stone'. It is a simple stone, that when brought into the presence of Emrys will shine brighter than the most precious of gems." Arthur groaned inwardly. Difficult to spot if it looks like any old stone. Morven unrolled more of the scroll, finding a large section that Arthur hadn't yet reached. "The other is called the æmtignes, meaning 'emptiness'. It refers to a mirror that will reflect no one but Emrys himself." He slid the scroll over into Arthur's line of sight. "They have drawn a likeness of this one."
Arthur felt his blood run cold. A million things ran through his mind at once. He had seen that mirror before. He had seen something else as well... something his mind simply could not accept. There had to be an explanation. He stood abruptly, knocking his large chair back onto the floor. Without another word to Morven he dashed from the room, the druid on his heels.
Seeing the king sprinting down the hall was not an unusual occurrence in the palace, but also seeing him pursued by a druid caused a decent amount of alarm and two guards quickly took chase. The king dashed down into the vaults as quickly as his legs would allow, but Morven stopped at the top of the stairs and smiled. He took a deep breath as though feeling the same warm blanket of magic that had warmed Merlin's heart.
Arthur's hands were shaking as he shoved the key into the lock and threw open the doors. He looked to the wall and tore the cloth away from the mirror suspended underneath. He didn't notice Morven's exclamation. "The æmtignes! It must have been seized during the raids!"
Arthur stared at the mirror. It was off-putting, staring into a mirror and seeing nothing but the scrolls and shelves behind him. He waved at it as though suddenly it would behave like any other mirror, but the sheet of glass remained blank. Morven moved closer to the king and smiled at his lack of reflection.
"It is an eerie thing, this mirror," he said.
"Out!" shouted Arthur. Morven leaped away from him. The king pointed at the guards. "I want everyone out of here immediately, and send me Sir Leon and Sir Percival." The guards nodded and hustled off to their tasks. Morven remained, guilt-ridden eyes fixed on the king.
"Have I done something, Sire?" he asked.
Arthur shook his head. "No Morven. I'm sorry I shouted." he finally turned to the druid. "But I would like you to return to your chambers now."
After a moment, Morven bowed and left.
He played the moment over and over again in his head, but no matter how many times he examined it, it remained the same. Without a doubt he had seen Merlin's reflection in this mirror. The servant had stood transfixed by this mirror no more than two weeks ago.
"Do you look pretty today, Merlin?" he whispered. There was no humor in his voice.
How could it be possible? How could Arthur's clumsy, bumbling, idiotic manservant possibly be such a figure of legend? Was it possible that the prophecies were wrong? Even Arthur knew that was a stretch, but it made more sense than Merlin being such a powerful sorcerer. His mind had gone numb. There was so much chaos and confusion that it had all settled into the back of his mind like a dull hum to be sorted later and he was left with silence.
He was startled some time later (though it felt like seconds, and Arthur couldn't honestly recall what he had been thinking about in the interim) by the noisy arrival of Leon and Percival. Both knights looked a bit shaken as the outburst had obviously frightened the guards that had been sent to fetch them. "What is it, Sire?" asked Leon.
Arthur struggled for a moment, looking into the mirror once more. He almost flinched when he saw nothing within it. He yanked the cloth back over the frame and ran a hand down his mouth. An emotion finally leaked from behind the wall where Arthur had shoved his emotions; fear. It clenched at his stomach so powerfully that he was nearly sick. He put a hand to his middle and leaned on one wall. He heard Leon and Percival move to assist him, but waved at them immediately.
"I'm fine," he barked. He was having difficulty quashing his anger.
Visions of seeing Morgana sitting on his father's throne with a cruel smile on her face flashed through his mind. It was quickly followed by the memory of Agravaine standing at the side of mercenaries that flooded his kingdom.
He pushed aside the memories and looked to his knights, whose expressions of fear and concern were deepening by the moment. "I want you... to arrest Merlin."
Leon and Percival exchanged a look. They stood silent for a few moments, waiting for Arthur to recant the order and laugh at his obvious joke. When he did nothing but stand stone still with a blank look on his face, Percival took a step forward.
"Merlin...?" he asked. "Sire-"
Arthur cut him off. "Do not question it and breathe not a word of any of this to another soul. Do you both understand?"
They both hesitantly nodded and headed slowly up the stairs. After a few moments more, Arthur followed in their footsteps but retreated immediately to his chambers. He acknowledged no one on his way in, drawing a few stares and expressions of concern. No one else existed at the moment. Arthur was in his own mind, and it was not a fun place just at that moment.
He slammed the doors shut behind him and shed his cape, chain mail, and padded shirt, dropping them onto the floor and wandering to the large dining table. He plopped into one of the chairs and held his head in his hands.
The fear still tossed and turned in his stomach like an untamed stallion. He gripped his hair, the desire to pull it out until everything made sense beginning to tug at his mind. He wanted to erase the information from his brain, scrub his mind until all memory of that god-forsaken mirror was obliterated. He felt his eyes sting, but he refused to let any moisture leave his eyes. He gritted his teeth against the emotions that were now pouring from behind his wall of ignorance.
What was wrong with him? Was he such a horrible king that not a single person close to him could avoid betraying him? How much of his personality had been carefully crafted by his relationship with these people? Who was he now that they were being stripped away? He had long believed that the council of others was important. But how could he trust the council of traitors? Was he so blind? Was he so stupid? Was he so naïve?
I will take your place... What is the life of a servant, compared to that of a prince?
An offer of sacrifice; to take Arthur's place as the lamb for slaughter. The sting of betrayal ran through his mind, coupled with a strong feeling of familial love. They were water and oil. They wouldn't mix and yet he managed to feel them at the same time. It was as though suddenly the world he lived in made no sense. The palace where he had grown up was no longer familiar. The ground beneath his feet was crumbling.
Something bubbled deep inside him, threatening to spill out from every pore of his body. Rage and humiliation began to ooze from his mind and inflamed his soul until he stood from his chair, gripped his fist tight and slammed it into the nearest wall with every bit of strength he possessed. He threw his head back and let a roar and anger and humiliation tear from his throat. He screamed until he had no breath, and the guards were in his room in an instant. They stared at the empty room, expecting to see an assailant or perhaps a mortally wounded royal, but they saw Arthur standing still, one hand cradled in the other. Arthur waved them away immediately, sending them a powerful glare when they did not immediately move.
He turned to head to his bed only to find his wife staring at him with terror in her eyes. She was dressed for bed, her hair already braided, and she hurried to his side, taking his now broken fingers into her own. She looked over them for a second before putting a hand to his face.
"Arthur, what's wrong?" she asked softly. She sounded on the verge of tears. "What's happened?"
Arthur opened his mouth a few times, and when she saw his struggle, she lead him to the bed and they sat on the edge together. "I... I don't know what to do." To his own horror he felt his breath hitch in his throat and he tried his best to swallow the lump that formed. Gwen brushed some of his hair from his face. She remained silent, waiting for the king to offer new information. The amount of pain he held in his eyes brought tears to hers. She gingerly held his broken hand in one of hers and held the other on his arm, gently stroking it with her thumb.
"How long..." He trailed off and looked down to the hand held in Guinevere's. "How long must you know someone... before you know who they truly are?" He was surprised to see a droplet of water land on Gwen's hand. "When can you know...?"
Guinevere shifted on the bed, piling a few pillows behind her and leaning her torso back. As she leaned, she urged the king with her and laid his head against her breast, stroking the top of his head like he were a child. Arthur laid his injured hand to one side and held one of hers close to his heart with his other.
"Arthur, you are surrounded by people who love and care for you. Sometimes it's about believing in the bond you share," she said, resting her cheek on the top of his head. There was no way of knowing what was happening in the king's head. It didn't matter. The amount of agony and confusion in her husband's eyes would have her holding him until the sun came up if it was needed.
Arthur pulled his legs onto the bed and stretched them out, shifting a little more to his side and against Guinevere. "What if believing in that bond means believing the impossible?" he whispered. How could he believe Merlin's good intentions when he was now questioning everything the man had ever said to him?
"Then believe, my beloved," breathed Gwen. "As we believe in you."
Arthur thought no more, falling into a dreamless and restless sleep.
1: Okay, I wrote Caer because of poetic liscence. XD The actually word for stone I think if Carr, and I just couldn't take seriously anything in here called the Emrys Car.
Emrys-mobile...
Okay, less of a cliffhanger, but still a little one. Lol. Sorreh! Two updates in one day. Whew! I'll see you all soon!
Don't forget to review so my writing frenzy can continue!