(11) End Of An Era
9th century, B.C. — 13th century A.D.
(863 B.C. — 1200's A.D.)
Spoken main: Greek(fading)/Latin (75 B.C.); Ingvaeonic (5th century A.D.); eventually, morphing into Shakespearian English/Modern English/Written main: all forms of English
(Lines in bold, (but without *'s) are not mine but taken from "The Final Problem"; lines with words [redacted/altered] are not mine but taken from "The Abominable Bride".)
The sun rose on a solemn day. Several large mounds dotted the ground where Mycroft's current village once stood thriving by the port. Mycroft was the only survivor. He looked around at the destroyed place, still finding some dried blood on the ground & buildings, before tiredly pinching his eyes shut with one hand for a moment. They had won for now, but yet, they had failed horribly. This town did not deserve what had happened to them.
The Lady left with some of the Waldheri wolves to find any relatives of those who had once lived there to deliver the news. Johaiñe took care of the prisoners on board the Enillydd, using one of the other ships that now had no owner to bring them up the coast a bit to a new home.
Sherrinford found Sherlock near the dock by the Enillydd, loading a few barrels of honey onto it for the wolves. "I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see you again."
"I was busy," Sherlock replied.
"I know that now," Sherrinford all but snapped. "Eurus was devastated when you didn't return."
Sherlock kept his eyes on his ship. "Did you manage to find her?"
"No," Sherrinford answered. "She did not seem to be here."
"Sorry I missed her," Sherlock said, taking a step up the plank as if to board.
A hand landed on his shoulder. "Just where do you think you are going?"
"Mikró," Sherlock snarled, not bothering to face him.
"Did you honestly think we would let you go again, any time soon?" Mycroft went on.
"I have to agree," Sherrinford said. "Xanthá, what else are you planning to do? Did you not accomplish what you wanted?"
Sherlock finally stepped back onto the dock & turned to them at last. "I did. But as you can see," he nodded to the Enillydd as he went on, "I am a Sea Raider now. It's high time I do some of my own raiding."
"You must be joking," Sherrinford said with a disapproving look.
"It is something I have always wanted to try," Sherlock explained.
"So now you wish to attack innocent towns?" Mycroft asked in an accusing tone.
"Don't be absurd!" Sherlock snapped. "I know our rules. I will continue to be careful of how I get our red drink, just like I've always been doing."
"What of Eurus?" Sherrinford tried. "She wants you to come home."
"My ship is my home," Sherlock said before turning back to the plank & began walking up, flipping the dark red cloak over one shoulder. He stood on the deck, next to the railing, to look down at Sherrinford & Mycroft as the ship pulled away from the dock.
"How long can he keep that up?" Mycroft asked.
"I do not know," Sherrinford answered. "Losing Elizabet & the children did something to him. It's like he closed up his feelings."
They stood silently as the Enillydd entered the path of sunlight. Suddenly, Mycroft said, "Yes, Theós, I do have one regret. I wish I could have saved them as well."
Sherrinford looked at him before turning & walking away. "I'm going to find Eurus."
No one knew where exactly Eurus had gone other than somewhere by the ocean. She didn't even tell Tobias much about it. Eurus was not part of the main battle that drove away Dracula & Micah for the time being, but she did end up picking off a few stragglers that had come into the town she was in. They didn't even see her as she made short work of them using her bow.
Eurus unstrung the bow to put it away before walking back into the path. She picked up her arrows from the dust piles as the ashes floated away. She had been going through a few seaside towns, picking up bits of gossip about a strange ship with purple sails. Today had been exceptionally busy with news in regards to the great showdown with some undead fiends that had unfortunately destroyed two towns.
After striking a large pomegranate against a stone, Eurus sat on the sandy beach while she ate the seeds inside. The red exotic fruit sometimes found its way here through the sea routes & its dark juice stained her lips, helping to hide the mark of blood she sometimes drank out of a flask. She finished off the fruit before looking up at the water once more.
A ship with dark purple sails was parked there in the middle of the bay.
Eurus looked at the other ships still floating. One thing she had heard was that the ship of purple sails would magically sink all others in the area before coming near the land but here, it seemed none of the others were sinking any time soon. She got up & headed into the main travel-way of the town.
The people here were quietly excited at the sight of the infamous ship, for by now, it was a well-known fact that its intentions were to drive out the dreaded vrykólakas. Eurus sat out of sight in the tavern, sipping a wine she had mixed with the blood as she listened to hushed conversations that normal people should not be able to hear, but her heightened senses picked up easily.
Whoever was on that ship didn't seem to have much interest in this town other than honey. Eurus sat a little straighter at that. So, the ship had wolves on it. No wonder they knew how to handle her kind. She stayed in the corner for most of the afternoon, seeing all manner of people come & go. In the evening, Eurus stood up to leave. As she passed a group of young men at one table, her sharp hearing picked something up.
"'Tis leaving, now," said one man.
"What is?" asked a friend of his.
"That ship of purple sails," he answered. "The Enillydd."
Eurus whipped around. "What did you say that ship was named?"
"The Enillydd, my dear girl," the man repeated.
Eurus stared at him for a moment. Purple. Trefor. She suddenly knew it couldn't be any sort of magic that would sink the other ships. It was more likely to be the sharp edges of the wings of others like her; like Sherlock. She turned & dashed out the door into the dimming evening. She ran down the path to the beach, not caring who she collided into on her way. "Xanthá!" Eurus screamed as her feet entered the waves. "Come back." She watched the ship sail away. "P-please!" She fell to her knees, sobbing. "Please, come back!" Her violet eyes sparkled with tears as she watched the ship grow smaller on the horizon. He was gone. Again. Left her behind. Again. She stood up & stepped back onto the path leading up into town. "No. Not again," Eurus snarled to herself, her eyes straying back to the dark water. "I won't let you!" She tossed her cloak & bow case aside under a bush, dived into the water & spread her wings.
Like a dolphin, she glided quickly forward out of the port & soon found herself in the open ocean at night. She stopped for a moment to look around before continuing forward. She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing. She had never swum out this far from land before & now it would be next to impossible to get up into the air. But her only thought was to keep going until she found his ship.
As Eurus headed further out to sea, she was soon joined by over a hundred large animals with square heads. Someday, they would be known as sperm whales but at the time, the animals existed in huge numbers since they were not yet used much except by native folks. Eurus had never seen anything like them. Dolphins perhaps were all she had ever known & so these large monsters at night appearing out of nowhere terrified her. They surrounded her without warning. Eurus screamed & dived under water, only to feel more of them.
She tried to go deeper but sperm whales were among the deepest whales in the ocean & it was time for the pod to come up for air. Eurus surfaced again as three more whales came up. She let herself drift, hoping not to be noticed as the whales surged forward, taking more air. Soon, she realized that they didn't seem to care about her at all, whatever these things were.
She felt the water churn beneath her & suddenly she was propelled upwards as a whale had come up right under her. It was enough to spread her wings & fly. She hovered over these strange creatures for a short time, watching them surface again to breathe. She flitted upwards a little more to avoid a breaching whale.
Eurus glided over the ocean, keeping her eyes downward to look for ships. Finally, after a long flight, she saw a dark spot on the water. The moonlight cleared to reveal its purple sails. She swerved downward & landed on its stern. Eurus closed her wings & tied the remnants of her top behind her neck before following the side down to the main cabin. She slipped inside & flipped herself onto the bed.
It wasn't long before he came in as well, leaving the view at the bow to turn in. As he lit up the candles, a voice asked him, "What in Hades are you doing, Xanthá?"
Sherlock whipped around, curls flouncing & eyes glaring red. He saw her, lying there on his bed, smiling smugly up at him. "I ought to ask you the same thing ... Eurus."
She stood up. "I was looking for you." She affectionately ran her fingers through his curls before striking him hard across the face. "How dare you?"
"You're the one invading my ship," Sherlock snarled, rubbing his cheek. "How dare YOU?"
"We have been beyond worried about you!" Eurus exclaimed. "Almost a hundred years with no word from you or about you. What if you had been destroyed? We never would have known what became of you! Xanthá, please, come home now."
"I am home!" Sherlock declared. "You should fly back to yours." He shoved past her & dropped onto his bed.
"So that's it, then?" Eurus turned to follow him. She stood by the bed & crossed her arms. "You're out of our lives? Don't you want to be with us?"
Sherlock looked out the tiny window. "Maybe some day. Not now. I'm re-establishing the trade routes now that they are safe. Our kind can use them."
"Is it safe, though?" Eurus asked as she sat on the bed up against the headboard to be next to him. "I didn't start by flying out here. I just swam first & something really, really big came after me & lots of them."
"Probably fish * ," Sherlock shrugged. "There are many types out here. I like the black & white ones. They're mostly harmless."
"Mostly?"
"Well, don't get in their way when they are feeding or get between them & their young," Sherlock pointed out. "Just like the animals on land."
"No problem with that idea," Eurus said. "I'm staying well away from them."
Sherlock shifted to lie on his side, head resting on a hand to look up at her. "We'll be going into an island cove for a short time. The moon is nearly full & there's a good place for the wolves to run about. I will show you how our kind handle such large fish."
Eurus looked at the door leading out to the deck. "Are there any living on board that aren't wolves?"
"Not at the moment," Sherlock said. "It's just the wolves & five—well now, six, of our kind, but that will change after the moon phase."
"Take me with you."
"Even if I do, the crew will still change," Sherlock replied. "It's inevitable once we reach the main ports of the other large islands." He pulled her down to lie on the bed with him. "However, you should still go home. Are you not with Tobias now?"
"Yes," Eurus said. "But he is a mortal doomed to die."
"All the more reason to return to be with him until you can not ever again," Sherlock said.
"I just wish things could be the way they were," Eurus said.
Sherlock raised a hand & with a quick twirl of his fingers, he sent an air current to dose the candles. They now lay in darkness & Eurus eventually fell asleep beside him. Sherlock leaned over her to whisper in her ear, "So do I but it is impossible." He put his head to the pillow & soon fell asleep beside her.
When Eurus woke up, it was late in the morning & she was alone in bed. She got up & looked around the tiny cabin before venturing outside on deck. She went to the side & looked down. The water was clear straight to the white sandy bottom. Ahead on shore, she could here growling & looking up, she saw four or five grown men rolling around in the waves, all barking at each other.
The island must have been deserted. The wolf pack could act normally without anyone discovering them. Eurus turned away & wandered through the ship, but she was alone. There were also no lifeboats around, having already been taken by the pack to get to shore. She opened her silver wings & flew to land.
The group playing in the water paused to bark at her as she landed in the shallows before turning back on each other. They were grumbling over a large swordfish one of them had caught & all of them wanted to eat.
Eurus moved inland, finding a stream leading into a fresh water pond somewhere in the center. Sherlock was sitting on a large log next to it, wings wide open & dipped into the pool. He stood up as she approached. Extending a wing point towards her, Eurus found an apple speared onto it. She pulled it off & began to eat it.
"I've long since claimed this island for our own kind & wolves," Sherlock began. "It is safe to show our true selves here."
"It's like a hidden haven," Eurus said, finishing the apple. She looked around at the wildflowers growing.
"Precisely," Sherlock agreed. "Come with me." He closed his wings, picked up his coat, cloak & upper covering & led her to the far side of the island.
Here, a long white beach sparkled just under the clear waves. Further out, several of those black & white whales were playing. Eurus stared at them, transfixed for a moment, before looking at Sherlock. He had already stripped down completely & had his wings open & curled around himself.
"Come join me," Sherlock said, taking her hand to pull her closer to the beach.
"WHAT? NO! Xanthá, no!" Eurus squealed, pulling out of his hand.
"Trust me!" Sherlock stepped back a few paces, into the water. "Come in!"
"Xanthá!" Eurus gasped in a whisper as she pointed to a spot beside him.
Several killer whales were closing in on him. He stepped back further into the deeper water & put a hand on one of them. "See?" He raised his hand & the whale tried to spy-hop to follow his hand. "Animals bow to us, Eurus. The fish you met in the night were probably worried about you being trapped in their home, unable to fly." At that, he flipped himself sideways into the water & sunk mostly out of sight. His wings billowed up for a bit until they went under with him as he went off the edge of the shoreline into the depths.
"By all the Gods!" Eurus exclaimed to herself, watching the icy mass of membrane twist under water as a whale swam down with him & matched his movements. Both spun like corkscrews down there before coming to the surface.
"Now, will you join me?" Sherlock called, lying across the whale's back, his wings wrapped around himself.
Eurus watched as the whale dived with Sherlock clinging to the tall dorsal fin as both disappeared under water. She finally got undressed, opened her wings & slipped in near the edge. Sherlock went to her & a whale followed. She reached out to touch its nose before Sherlock pulled her off balance.
She tipped in beside the whale, wings flailing. The whale pushed her up with its nose.
"This one is a female," Sherlock said.
"How do you know?"
"Well, I've noticed that all the fish of this type with small back fins are the ones giving birth," Sherlock replied. "The tall-finned ones are the males."
"That's ... great," Eurus gasped, clinging to the small dorsal fin as the whale she was on turned to go out into the water. Eurus folded a wing against the whale's back & sort of sat on it, using her other wing to cover herself.
Sherlock laughed before diving in close to her. He taught her how to move with them, how to spin as they do, using her wings to curl around herself to shoot forward under water.
Eurus found herself in a whole new world. The white sand churned up by the playing whales, adding a white dusty fantasy to the clear waters ... & the singing! These whales were very chatty & constantly sung to each other underwater.
While under the water, she watched Sherlock swim straight up. She followed him, lifting her eyes above the surface to see him partially break out, flipping his head back before slightly sinking in again. Three whales nearby saw him as well & began copying. Eurus watched the four of them spy-hop a few times before attempting it herself.
The largest male killer whale joined her by shoving his nose against her feet, propelling her right out of the water. Eurus flipped her long black hair back, her arms crossed over her breasts, her silver wings stretched out on either side as she came straight back down, slicing into the water as she sunk right under before bobbing up again.
"Now you understand!" Sherlock exclaimed before going under with another whale.
Eurus spy-hopped again; although, her whale buddy didn't help this time but he still joined her by doing his own spy-hop nearby. They stayed with the whales for most of the afternoon, coming out to dry in the sun before it went dark.
"This is why I don't play with those kinds of fish, often," Sherlock muttered as both were lying face down on the dry sand, wings extended out to dry. "It takes so long to dry."
"Well, we aren't wolves," Eurus said. "They can stay in water longer than us."
"All dogs seem to like water almost as much as the fish do," Sherlock said. "But I find I am not too fond of water."
"To tell the truth, neither am I," said Eurus as Sherlock wiggled around to get closer to one of her wings. He began preening her & she soon returned the favour.
As evening came on, they finally dried out & got dressed again. They walked back across the island towards the ship. About halfway across, several wolves in their canine form ran past them. Eurus laughed a little as one went right through a small sapling, letting out a yelping bark of surprise before chasing after the others.
She waited until they were nearly at the beach where the Enillydd was floating before asking, "Have you ever found anyone else?"
Sherlock looked at her. "No. I don't have the time right now."
They settled on the beach. Another wolf ran by. Eurus dug her hands into the soft sand while the full moon shone down, lighting the place up almost as bright as day. She looked up at the rolls of purple canvas. "Theós rebuilt the old hunting house," she suddenly said. "It's bigger than before & all stone. It can't burn again."
"That's good," Sherlock said, knowing how much it meant to her. But ... it meant nothing to him at the moment. "Does anyone use it, though?"
"Well, I guess we can't call it a hunting house," Eurus shrugged. "We don't really do that any more. But Theós is often there, usually with his partner."
Sherlock understood why Eurus had asked him if he had ever found another. "Theós is with a new man, now?"
"Yes, about twenty years ago," Eurus said. "One of our own kind."
"I see," Sherlock sighed, looking out at the water. He listened to the waves slap against his ship. Everyone seemed to be moving on, except him. "What about ... Mikró?"
Eurus looked at him for a moment. The younger ones were usually the first to forgive. Was it his time now? "He is sometimes with the Lady, still. But ... I don't know ... it's odd, really."
"What is?"
"Mikró used to be like Theós, remember?" Eurus reminded him.
"Not like Theós," Sherlock disagreed. "He never went for women. Mikró is fine with anyone."
"Well, I've not seen him with other men since he killed us," Eurus said.
A spark of red flashed through Sherlock's eyes, remembering what it was like to die. "He has the ability to choose," he began. "Unlike Theós. It is only a matter of time before Mikró goes back to his own. But then again, time has no meaning for the likes of us, any more."
"Perhaps," Eurus said. "Do you have that ability? To choose?"
Sherlock put his face into his hands for a moment before shoving his fingers up through his hair. This conversation again. It was always awkward when others tried to talk about such a topic with him. "I don't know," he said, thinking of that heated stolen kiss with Trefor up in the loft. "Maybe. I really don't know." He started thinking of Elizabet again.
Eurus moved closer to him. "I know you're different, Xanthá."
"Yes but why?" Sherlock asked. "I see others. Even the animals in the mating season. Like they can't control it, whatever it is. I hear the words. I do not know what they are talking about, yet somehow I managed to have three—" He stopped. Now he was thinking of the children. He looked at her. "Eurus, there is something very wrong with me, I think."
"No, there isn't. You're just still in love with Elizabet."
"No, it's not that," Sherlock said, getting up to pace in the sand. "I mean, I am. But that isn't it. I've seen plenty of women & men. Naked. Usually when they're in the water. But others will do something about it. I just move on & eventually forget about it."
"I remember a time you didn't think you had to go to a witch doctor," Eurus said.
"As you say, it's been almost a hundred years," Sherlock said. "I thought maybe I was still young. Perhaps I still had some growing up to do. But now I am supposed to be old. I am supposed to be dead. I am dead, but not in the proper way. Yet for finding a mate, none of that ever changed for me. But it has nothing to do with death for others of our kind are just as lustful as the living. So .. it's just me."
"As everyone keeps reminding us, we have the time to find out," Eurus said. "Perhaps soon, you will know what is going on," she finished, turning a bit to watch three wolves run into the water. "No Waldheri? These wolves have dark fur."
"No," Sherlock said, watching the pack rush out of the salt water & head to the pool for a drink. "I'm too far from their homeland most of the time."
"They come from our father's land?"
"Most do," Sherlock answered. "I am heading back up there. You can stay until the next port which is still on our own land." Eurus tried to argue but Sherlock cut her off. "You need to go back to Tobias & Theós. There is nothing for you out here on these waters."
"Will you ever come back? Will I see you again?"
"We're immortal, Eurus," Sherlock said. "It is inevitable, just ... not now."
Eurus sighed. "I wish we were young again. Growing up before everything happened." She lay back on the sand, looking up at the moon. "I remember Theós would pick me up & spin me around when I was little. You were just a baby then. The first time I tried riding a horse, I ran him & Mikró down."
"I dimly remember that," Sherlock said.
"You laughed out loud!" Eurus laughed softly right then. "You were my favourite. Because I could make you laugh. I loved it when you laughed. I miss that." She stood up to watch three of the wolves running across the island.
"Perhaps you will again, someday," Sherlock said. "But I am not ready to leave the open water any time soon."
Eurus hung her head but said no more. When morning came & the wolves reverted back to their human selves, she followed them. It would be many centuries still, beyond the coming start of the Christian Era, before women would be banned on ships, so at the moment, she went on board without a second thought. There were four other women among the wolves who kept her company for the next two days until the Enillydd stopped in a port to let Eurus off.
Sherrinford & Mycroft both waited on the docks, having kept track of the ship with purple sails by often flying over the ocean to spot it & plot its course. Neither were happy with Eurus running off & all three of them once more tried to make Sherlock stay, but he would not heed them.
The three of them stood on the beach, watching the last spot the Enillydd disappeared into long after it was gone. At long last, Sherrinford was the first to turn away, hearing his current lover calling his name after he had come out looking for Sherrinford.
Sherrinford & Mycroft ended up nearly touching noses. Both shared a quiet glare before going their separate ways. Eurus followed Mycroft back into the town & stayed with him until Tobias caught up to her. She kept it civil with Mycroft, making it clear that none of them were happy with what he had done to them, but she was the first to slowly start letting him back into their lives again. No one knew when Sherlock would return & Eurus wanted to have her family back as much as possible & felt it was time to start trying to make amends, however small.
Those who had taken off after Dracula & Micah also did not return for a long while. The Lady took over the role of being the resident witch doctor, taking care of the people as Merlin once did. Unlike with Sherlock however, Merlin or one of those with him, would occasionally send a message back to her, letting everyone know what was going on. They had lost track of Micah but still attempting to catch up to Dracula. Eventually, they lost track of him as well for many an age.
Sherlock, on the other hand, didn't reappear for a long time, but Sherrinford & Eurus would sometimes find a crate or two at their doorsteps, filled with anything from gems to gold to exotic materials. Though no one knew for sure, both silently decided that Sherlock was taking care of them, in his own way. At least two of them. He still seemed to be put out over Mycroft's antics as nothing yet was ever left for him, so Eurus took it upon herself to start sharing some of her gifts with him.
Whoever was leaving the gifts suddenly dropped more off for Eurus as if they had caught on to her sharing & finally, after several more years, they just ended up leaving something for all three. This more than anything seemed to prove to Sherrinford, Mycroft & Eurus that it was indeed Sherlock checking up on them, albeit silently. They also suspected that Sherlock would return time & again to stock up his own blood supply from the prison death island as almost always, a few of the condemned would be found killed & drained around the same time another chest showed up for the Prínos siblings.
Sherrinford resorted to changing the old Musgrave house once more & now it was more of a storage place that looked like a home on the outside but lined with the riches inside. Sherrinford moved there full-time & made sure it was well-sealed if on the occasion he couldn't stay there until everyone could figure out what to do with the stuff Sherlock was leaving them.
Life on land seemed to pass on without Sherlock & memory of the ancient attacks from the graves was fading, although many superstitions about such beasts were arising. People would believe literally anything. This suited the young Undead Law just fine as most of its members were reclusive, borderlining on xenophobic.
Mycroft still kept to the area near the sea close to where London would be established; although, by now, it was more to keep watch for Sherlock than anything else. Sherrinford had started getting along with him again, though their encounters were short & kept at a minimum. Eurus was the only one by now who was comfortable equally with either of them & often found herself caught between them as a mediator.
It was well over another century before Sherlock suddenly appeared once more. The Enillydd was very old & sunk by now & at long last, Sherlock felt a need to return home. But he was certainly different to what they had grown up with while still alive. He was more cold & calculating & he had gotten amazingly better at scanning anyone over with just a look & pulling up information on them he had no business knowing.
It was soon evident to those who had once known him that all emotion [was now] abhorrent to [him] & he remained cold & indifferent just as people eons from now would one day come to know the great Detective Sherlock Holmes. He had sealed himself away like the two halves of his heart, one for Elizabet & one for Trefor, now dead in ages past.
The epochs of time pressed on. The language changed. Greek soon died out as Latin took over.
The Undead Law was growing in number as those in the other nations joined in, a silent global government rising up among those living in shadows. The four remaining Prínos often helped spread their law out to the other lands & eventually, they found themselves in Rome, enjoying the new baths there.
It was a peculiar time when they arrived. The ancient lands were in some sort of turmoil over a radical Jewish rabbi. Even though the Undead Law had little to do with the living folks, this event was something all felt would have repercussions for the long foreseeable future.
Advised by the Lady & a few others back home to not get involved, the four of them discreetly sought out other wolves & undead folks in the area. Now that contact had been established, they took some time to recline in the Roman baths, already attracting an appeal due to the ones recently built back in Albion about thirty years ago.
Not all baths were open to the public & the one they were currently in was privately owned by their Roman undead contact who now had connections to the Lady back home. The mineral water was heated & had a distinct scent of sulphur. The four of them could have their wings open here as the only servants allowed were wolves under the care of their host.
Sherrinford slipped in farther, letting his Phoenix-fire wings soak up. "I think Shlomo likes the idea," he murmured, letting his wings droop a little. The undead weren't as gleeful about water as the wolves were, but there was something to be said for relaxing in hot mineral water.
"Do we really want the Jewish nation to join?" Sherlock muttered. "They seem rather stirred up about something or other, right now."
Sherrinford let out a groan. "Why are the living so cruel?"
"Mm," Mycroft shared a knowing glance with their eldest sibling. "Crucifixion."
"Yet they call us the monsters if they knew what we were," Sherrinford replied, also silently remembering how they were once all threatened with such an execution. Sherlock never knew at this point & they had no intention of telling him. "Those who are like us, however, seem to agree to remain apart from the living." It would take just under a thousand more years, but the Kabbalah, the Jewish extension to the Undead Law, would one day be established.
They left to return to Albion three days later amidst more crazy occurrences still concerning this radical Rabbi whom people in those lands could not stop talking about & would still not stop talking about even over two thousand years later.
The Christian Era had now begun, bringing with it more invented ways to banish undead spectres, none of which would work, of course.
Other changes came with it, including a new language coming up: Ingvaeonic.
It also spelled disaster for Eurus & women everywhere as time went on. Eurus often had to be hidden at the old house that was now a treasure trove. Her three brothers had to protect her, sometimes by even acting like she didn't exist while she stayed hidden. In an odd way though, it slowly reunited the brothers as the animosity Sherlock & especially Sherrinford felt for Mycroft faded, though never truly disappeared, as they banded together to keep her safe.
It was fine. It was all fine. Until suddenly, in the late 400's A.D., Eurus started getting sick. It was unheard of for one among the dead to be ill but Eurus started feeling a hot itch in her back & whenever she opened her wings, ash would fill the air. The itching pain of it was so bad that she resorted to tearing up her wings almost daily & when that didn't work, she started asking to be destroyed. She also tried to stop drinking her blood rations when she realized that if she went a few days without it, her wings would start to stiffen & dry out along with the rest of her body.
In a desperate bid to find out what was going on, the Lady sent out nearly everyone to figure it out. Two weeks into Eurus's suffering, a woman from the frozen lands beyond the ocean that would one day be called Canada, flew in to meet with the Lady.
"Keep her cool," the woman said. "We call it the Flying Burn." She went on to explain how it wasn't deadly, just majorly annoying & the best way was to lie on the tundra in the icy cold. Sometimes, a flare up could get so hot, it would melt the permafrost. She also insisted that Eurus be forced to drink blood or she would just make things worse for herself.
Once the foreign woman left, Eurus was faced with another problem. Ice was rather hard to come by in Albion, especially since it wasn't winter. The next best thing would be to stay in the ocean, allowing the cool waves to wash over her pitiful wingspan. It was all her brothers could do to keep her hidden while she finally burned out.
Eurus spent the next few days recuperating at the Musgrave home.
The Flying Burn was a rare occurrence. Eurus was the first in Albion to suffer it & no one knew how she could have acquired it; although, it was most likely from coming in contact with an infected one from one of the ports. Contamination & quarantine were still not known practices & it was merely an unfortunate luck that she had caught the disease at all. It was also fortunate that none of her brothers picked it up from her.
By now, the land & the people were rapidly changing. Just over three hundred years later, Albion was attacked by a very different kind of Sea Raider than what people were used to. Vikings!
Around the same time, exactly one hundred years later, the land, by now referred to as Angelcynn, also changed into a Monarchy & Athelstan became the first King in 893 AD.
At first, the Undead Law ignored this new development. Royals came & went. It was of little concern to the dead. But as time went on, it was clear that these royals would be here for a while & the Undead Law began to act like a secret society & eventually create a government in plain sight that would one day allow Agápi, Sherrinford, Mycroft & others to be high ranking agents in the Secret Service for the monarchy some day.
It started by having some of their own as guards to the royal family. Then, over a thousand years of not being seen, Merlin was suddenly, finally back home, accompanying King Arthur. Merlin had a friend with him, Nimue **, an undead woman from a distant land. Together, they helped set up the Knights & the Round Table & ensured that several of Merlin's old friends, including the three Prínos brothers, were knighted. (It would be another century or two before Eurus would be publicly allowed the title of Dame.) This would be the true beginning of the Secret Service for the Undead Law, but it would eventually expand to include anyone as the years went by.
Though the Lady & a few others knew that Merlin had been on a long mission, some people were not only surprised to see him back but also curious as to why his sword, Excalibur, now belonged to the current King. Merlin was also in full sight of everyone & would go down in history as an important figure during Arthur's reign. He kept his undead likeness a secret but allowed the fact that he was a wizard to get out.
Merlin only used Excalibur when training other knights & eventually crossed blades with Mycroft. "That is a nice sword you have, Mikró," Merlin remarked as he felt over the long thin blade. His fingers deftly found the slightly rounded wing ridge in the center. "Yours?" He held it out until Mycroft took it.
"Yes," Mycroft answered. "We have all created a sword from our wings, just like you."
"That is wise," said Merlin, inclining his head as he listened to Mycroft's footsteps on the ground. "The battle among our kind may have moved from this land, but it is not over." He raised his own rapier & began to attack Mycroft.
"You fight well," Mycroft said as he defended & circled Merlin. "For one who can not see. How do you do that?" Oh, Mycroft forever regretted asking that as Merlin decided to have a bit of fun. Merlin blindfolded him & Mycroft soon learned to fight as one who could not see.
"Perhaps some day," Merlin said one time while they were in a courtyard. "You can learn to use your wings blindly as well."
Mycroft whipped off the strip of cloth around his head to look at Merlin. "We need to be away from the living for me to try that."
"That can be arranged," Merlin said with a smile. He lifted Excalibur again & promptly shoved Mycroft to the ground & pinned him, Excalibur's point hovering just above his heart. "Hmm, you fight better when you can't see, I think."
Mycroft rolled his eyes as he stood up, pushing the point of the sword away. "So why are you allowing the King to use this?"
Merlin lowered his sword & looked at a point just above Mycroft's left shoulder. "The royal family has enemies they will never know about. I like Arthur. He is a good man but requires protection from things he does not even know."
Mycroft stared at him for a long moment. "One of them's back, isn't he?"
"I am not quite certain but I believe Míka might be."
"What?" Mycroft snarled. Though he had no love for either Micah or Dracula, he hated Micah just a bit more since they had personal history between them & even more intimate history Mycroft only once disclosed to the Lady.
"Míka & I have been trailing each other for many an age," Merlin said. "He has been trying to target your family, your sister in particular, since about the time the four of you joined us."
"Great!" Mycroft cast down his sword for a moment & turned away. "That's fantastic." He didn't bother to ask why, assuming it was due to the sheer hate he & Micah felt for each other & now Micah was just wanting to torture him some more.
Though Merlin didn't quite understand the obsession Micah had for Eurus, he did know that Micah had ill intentions for her. Few knew about the cure Merlin had created for himself that would never work on him since Excalibur was Merlin's wing ridge. Micah, unfortunately, had been suspecting that there was a cure spell bound to the royal blade for a while but Merlin would never let it go. Excalibur could destroy every undead creature on the planet except for Merlin & the cure required the destruction of at least one of them. At the time he had created it, Merlin had hated the undead & thought it suitable to destroy them in the process of receiving a cure. But by now, Merlin had come to respect the new way of life & in any case, Eurus was a lovely forever young lady who did not deserve to be destroyed for someone else's lust of being cured.
So now, Merlin was stuck in a conundrum. He had a plan to remove Excalibur & himself from history but it would require a powerful spell, which is why he had brought Nimue. Once Arthur had been well established, Merlin's final task before disappearing was to warn the Prínos family to take care of their sister.
Merlin stood on the balcony of his quarters, staring out in visions enshrouding Excalibur. Nimue came to stand by his side & leaned on his arm. She knew this would be a great sacrifice to him. He would be cut off from not only his old friends & her, but also his own kind. Not even she would remember him. But if there was any chance at keeping Excalibur away from Micah, it would allow Eurus or anyone like her who would be picked for the 'job' of activating the cure to be safe.
"Is it time, my love?" Nimue whispered.
Merlin sighed. "I am sorry, my dear. But since we are immortal, perhaps in the epochs of time, we will meet again."
"That is my only hope," Nimue said.
"Bring me Excalibur," Merlin said. "We will cast the spell tonight & I will take the sword with me into hiding."
Nimue nodded & hurried into the dark halls of the castle. The moment the door closed behind her, Merlin dropped to his knees in a new vision. He saw the Waldheri wolves. By now, they were called Wats & eventually it would develop into Watson. The Prínos had long since taken charge of the pack. It was only natural to do so considering not only the ancient history the two clans shared but also the fact that Eurus tended to fall for one of those wolves over the eras. She was currently with a young one named Randall.
But something was going to happen that would destroy that particular wolf pack. They were scattered & covered in blood or dead. Slaughtered. Driven out of this land. Nearly the entire pack was destroyed. His vision ended on the face of Tobias, but it wasn't Tobias. This man was standing in the future with things exploding around him & something hit him hard in the shoulder. A voice echoed the word 'Doctor'.
"OH!" Merlin screamed, coming back to reality. He had never seen that before. He never once perceived any danger to any wolf pack & had no idea how it connected to anything else. He thought hard on this Doctor he had seen. Tobias was no doctor & Tobias had died a long time ago. Furthermore, Merlin had seen things that did not exist. He had never seen anything like it before. Flying machines that dropped things that would explode. He tried to focus on this Doctor. A name was not mentioned but it was clear he was some sort of future Watson. Did this mean that the pack would survive? Would this Doctor restore it?
Nimue was at his side as he came to. "Merlin? Merlin!"
"We have to do it now!" Merlin gasped.
"Merlin, listen to me!"
"Right now!" Merlin bellowed at her.
"Merlin, the sword is gone!"
Merlin stared at her. He put his hands on her face, his fingertips touching her temples. "Get it back! Now, help me do this spell."
"Merlin!"
"I left the message in your mind," Merlin said. "You will remember to get it back & get rid of it & that's all you will remember. We have to erase the memory of me & that sword now!"
"Why?"
"I just saw the destruction of the Wats pack!" Merlin gasped. "They were driven out of Angelcynn! We can't let that happen. Removing my memory might be the only way. We have to act quickly. They will be destroyed very soon!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not sure of anything, right now!" Merlin exclaimed. "I saw ... things. In the air. They don't exist. Not yet. They're indescribable! But there was a Wats there. I think if I remove myself from history, that Wats will have a chance to take care of his pack."
"Alright," Nimue said, petting the long white hair.
"We will meet again," Merlin said.
"But this spell is not reversible," Nimue said.
"No, it isn't, but that doesn't mean we won't meet again," Merlin pointed out. "We've meet before, in my recent travels of following after Drákoulas & Míka. We will again & we would just have to start over. I'll remember, of course. I'll be the only one. Right now, get my sword back & hide it."
"What will you do?" Nimue asked.
"I'm going to find Drákoulas & drive him out so the others can destroy him," Merlin said. "Now, let's do this."
"Alright," Nimue replied, kissing him one last time, before however long it will be when the meet again, if ever. "You be careful out there. Drákoulas is very powerful."
"So am I," Merlin said. He was, after all, the oldest of them all. "I will have the advantage of him not knowing me, any more."
Nimue managed a short laugh in spite of it before grabbing her own spell book.
They cast the enchantment together, removing Merlin's memory from history as much as possible. His name fell into legend but only alongside King Arthur who, due to the side effect of being closely involved with Merlin as an advisor to the throne, also ended up a legend & to the modern age, people still argued about whether or not Arthur even existed or what century he was from, some even saying he was as early as the fifth century A.D. at some point in time.
But some tales remained. The historical facts were distorted & forever lost. *** But since Merlin had to leave one lasting memory for Nimue to retrieve Excalibur in time to hopefully save the Wats pack, some traces remained in the threads of time. Merlin also unwittingly left behind a gift of magic. His vision powers still lingered, but only as imprints that required the touch of an object related to the visions.
The loss of Merlin's wisdom & protection, friendship & insight would come as a blow not even felt to those who no longer remembered that they once knew him well; only bits & pieces of any life with him but only as it pertained to King Arthur.
It truly was the end of an era. An age. An epoch of time.
(AN: Please note, I am not anti-Christian. I am Christian myself, sort of Protestant 7th Day Adventist, sort of Messianic/Hebrew Roots, but unlike most, I not only see but also admit to how Christianity, any religion actually, can be misused for evil in the name of God. Sorry. We aren't all bad!)
* The word whale was not known until the late 1700's. Before that, the word 'fish' was more likely to be used, albeit incorrectly, to describe such creatures now known as whales.
** Nimue is one of the ladies from ancient legends. There are several versions of the Lady Of The Lake, including one who may have given the sword, Excalibur. Nimue is one who erases the memory of Merlin/kills him/hides him in a tree/etc. as there are several different versions of the Lake Lady. In any case, Merlin usually vanishes.
*** There is much debate about King Arthur. Some say he existed but was not a king. Others say he was a king but not for England since he may have fought against the Anglo-Saxons. Various accounts put him in the fifth, ninth & twelfth centuries (all A.D.) if he did exist. But hey, every legend has its roots in some facts. Who knows what truly happened?