Chapter 8

Origin of magic part 2

" What do you mean by Merlin Ignotus ? I am not your heir and I am certainly not a royal . I am just a farm boy from Ealdor . " Merlin said after hearing the king. He was enjoying the king's tales of old days but after hearing the king's last words dread and confusion began to creep into his mind. ' This can't be right. I am not a bloody royal. I won't be able to rule a country. He must have mistaken. ' He thought. He was going to voice his thoughts but Uriel spoke first.

" Always so modest. You are the greatest sorceror of earth, Emrys of the legends , the last dragonlord and still you consider yourself a farm boy. I can see why you were chosen by The One. "

" But that still doesn't make me fit to rule a kingdom. I am a protector not a king . I don't even have a claim on the throne of your kingdom . " Merlin said.

" Who says that a protector can't become a king ? Isn't it the king's duty to protect it's people ? " Uriel questioned.

" Yes, but... " Merlin couldn't finish his word because Uriel spoke midway.

" No but. The Druids and The Catha people are waiting for you. They are waiting for their king. Will you deny them their leader ? " Uriel was pleading now and it caught Merlin off-guard. He never thought that the king was that desperate.

" But as I said earlier , I have no claim on the throne. I can't just go and take it for myself. " Merlin said but he was having doubt that Uriel would back down.

" Who says that you don't have any claim ? " The king almost shouted.

" WHAT ? " Merlin was shell-shocked.

" What do you mean by that ? " Merlin demanded.

" Don't be so surprised , Merlin. You are an Ambrosius . The only house of the dragonlords which never lost it's power over the dragons. Some houses of the Dragonlords lost their power for their greed temporarily and regained it after overcoming greed and lust for power. But some were so lost in greed that they lost their power forever and their future genenerations were never able to regain it. But your forefathers were never lost in greed and darkness thus the house of Ambrosius is still considered the noblest house of the dragonlords.

You are the last living member of this house that makes you quite eligible for my throne as Ambrosiuses and Ignotuses are distant cousins. But you have a more potent claim in another way. My great grandfather had two sons . Roran Ignotus and Martin Ignotus. Roran was my grandfather and his line ended after my death but my great uncle's bloodline still lives on. Even after three hundred years, his legacy is intact. His blood runs through a peasent woman whose forefathers became peasents after the battle of Elmet. She lives in Ealdor and her name is Hunith Ignotus. " Uriel stopped there knowing that the young warlock would bombard him with questions again.

But unexpectedly Merlin laughed. " Very funny, sire. My mother ? A royal ? That's the best joke ever. "

Merlin looked at the king and he saw nothing but seriousness on his face. His laugh vanished from his face then and there.

" No. No. That can't be true. My mother can't be a royal and neither am I . You must have made a mistake. " Merlin said frantically.

" Ther is no mistake, Merlin. From Avalon I was first sent to Elmet and there I met Iseldir , the chieftain of the Druids as well as Alator, the High priest of the Catha people. They have gathered there and now they are waiting for their king. The kingdom is now totally restored to it's former glory. The only thing that it's missing is it's king.

And you will be the king , Merlin ; son of Hunith and heir of Martin Ignotus. If you have any doubts it will vanish when we will go to Elmet. There is proof that you are an Ignotus in Elmet and I have seen it . That's why I am so sure about this.

When you will see the proof, you won't be able to deny your responsibilty. But are you willing to take on your responsibility ? Are you willing to be my people's king ? "

The king asked. A hint of desperation in his eyes.

" I don't think I am able to handle this much responsibilty. I have protected a king , yes. But to lead an entire nation is beyond my capability. And why are you even asking if I am willing ? You seemed stubborn enough to make me king no matter what I say a few moments ago but now you are asking for my willingness. May I ask why, Uriel ? " Merlin questioned Uriel in return.

" Because I sensed hesitation in you. You are unsure of yourself. And after what you went through , I don't want to force you to make decisions against your will like the dragon forced you to make. " Uriel replied.

" You mean my decisions concerning Morgana and Mordred. " Merlin said. His mind became filled with guilt when he thought about the poisoning of Morgana.

" Yes , your decisions were forced by the dragon. Killgharrah is a staunch believer of prophecies which is greatest weakness. He forced you to take actions based on a prophecy which may or may not come true. And for your decision, Morgana turned to the dark ways as did Mordred. If you had believed in yourself and made your decisions according to what your heart said not what a cryptic dragon said ; all of these recent unfortunate events would have been avoided. " Uriel heaved a sigh after finishing his words.

" Wait. May or may not come true ? You are saying that Morgana was not destined for evil and Mordred was not destined to kill Arthur ? That the prophecies were fake ? " Merlin's disbelieving voice echoed through the cell as if his own voice was mocking him for his past foolishness.

" I am not saying that the prophecies are fake. Taliesen's ancestor Torygg saw Morgana and Mordred's dark destinies in the crystals of the crystal cave and relayed it to the magical community . But he warned them that the prophecy was not about absolute. Like all the visions seen in the crystals , this prophecy was also not set in stone . As time went on, people began to forget Torygg's warning. And after Talisien's death centuries later , people forgot it entirely. Most of them forgot the prophecy except the dragons.

But the dragons always believed in the crystals' visions fiercely and never even considered Torygg's warning . So when the time of Morgana came, the great dragon forced you to turn your back on her which led her astray. I don't blame you for this as you were young and naive. But Mordred was your fault. You were no longer a boy but a full grown man . Still you followed the dragon's words despite what your heart said. You ignored your pure heart gifted by The One . Not for once you thought that humans are the makers of their own destinies. Hell ! You even tried to kill him though the boy only saved Arthur.

Your fear for Mordred's supposed destiny clouded your judgement which brought upon all these miseries upon you. That's why I am asking you so that you can follow your heart not other's words. If your heart says to join with me then do it and if it says otherwise then I won't force you. But remeber to believe in yourself and your heart no matter what. " Uriel finished his long speech and took a deep breath.

Merlin didn't know what to say. All those years ago, when he turned his back on Morgana , his brain and Gaius was telling him that it was the right path . That it was right to forsake your friend for the sake of destinies . But a part of him was screaming inside his mind that it was wrong to abandon a friend. Now he knew that it was his heart telling him to help Morgana in lieu of hiding his magic. He felt ashamed. What Uriel said made perfect sense. Following the prophecies blindly led him to this situation . He couldn't say anything . So he lowered his head and tears began to fall from his eyes.

Seeing the warlock's distress , Uriel spoke softly , " Don't cry , young one. All is not lost. You can still set things right. Ther is still time. Just follow your heart and you will find the right path . Now do you want to take the responsibilities as the leader of the Druid and Catha people ? What does your heart say ? "

Merlin was at a loss. He knew that it was the best way. He wouldn't be able to stay in Camelot after all and he wouldn't be able to return to Ealdor. Arthur would hunt him down and kill him. And he wouldn't retaliate against Arthur because he promised not to be like Morgana. So going to Elmet was the right choice. That's what his heart was telling him. But to lead an entire country ? That thought was scaring him. He was not groomed to become a king. He was not ready even if he was the rightful heir to the throne. Then again the people of Elmet was his responsibility wheather he liked it or not. He was Emrys. The guardian of magical community. He couldn't ignore the magical people's wishes. Not anymore. It was time to face his responsibilities as Emrys .

But how would he rule ? Again he questioned himself. That was the only problem of joining Uriel. So he said, " I want to go to Elmet . That's what my heart is saying. But I can't rule. To rule a country alone is beyond my capability. "

Uriel smiled and said , " But you won't be alone. You will have friends there. Alator, Iseldir, Daegal, Gilli they all will be there to help you to ease your burden. "

Merlin's face brightened hearng his friends' names. He and Daegal saved Arthur from Sarrum's assassin, Albin. Daegal was almost killed by Albin who threw a knife at the boy before his death. But Merlin saw the knife and stopped it midway using magic. Then he took Daegal to Iseldir so he may live in peace and not amonng the bandits. Daegal wanted to stay with Merlin but as his mother was a sorceress, Merlin didn't agree saying that Camelot wasn't safe for him. But he promised that they would meet again. It seemed that the time to fulfill his promise was near.

And Gilli was a good friend too. At first he was angry at Merlin for not standing up for magical people but later he came round. Before parting with Gilli , Merlin promised that magic would one day be free. It seemed that day was near also. Magic would be free but not in Camelot. It would be in Elmet. That thought brought another question in Merlin's head. But before he could ask , Uriel spoke again.

" And your mother will also be there. As she is an Ignotus, she belongs in Elmet. There will also be another person to help you. Freya , the one who bears your blood in her veins. "

Hearing Freya's name, Merlin's eyes brightened and for the first time in weeks, he smiled brightly which reached his eyes.

Uriel gave Merlin a mischevious grin that surprised Merlin. He didn't know a king who was capable of giving such grin.

" Bingo ! " The king said.

" I knew that Freya's name would cheer you up. Iseldir told me that you two were in touch and are in love. It also makes things much more convinient for our people as they would not have to wait long for a queen. Now have I convinced you that you wouldn't be ruling alone in Elmet ? "

Merlin's cheek reddened hearing the king's words. But he nodded hearing the king's questions.

" Praise be to The One . But I sense that you have a question in your mind. What is it ? " The king asked cheerily.

" What about the prophecy about the once and future king ? Is that a fake prophecy ? " Merlin asked.

Uriel sighed and said , " That prophecy was not like the visions of crystals. The prophecies that came from the crystals are prophecies of probability. They may or may not come true. They are nothing but a prediction of a single possible outcome of many in the future. But the prophecies of the once and future king are not like them. This prophecy came directly from The One which was first relayed to me by one of the Mall'aka along with the prophecy of Emrys.

The two prophecies are intertwined and will surely come true as it is from The One. The prophecy of Emrys says about the coming of you, Merlin Emrys Ignotus, son of Hunith Ignotus who will return magic to Albion in a time of persecution and return the Druids and the Catha people in their homeland and lead them towards a golden age. It also says that you will be the bane of triple goddess.

And the prophecy about the once and future king says about a king who will be born of magic three years before the birth of Emrys. He and Emrys together will unite the land of Albion and end the struggles between the kingdoms.

I said these two prophecies to the two chieves who came to meet me after the battle of Elmet . The Druids and The Catha preserved these prophecies . But through the passage of time even these prophecies became twisted. What you heard from the dragon was the twisted form of the original prophecy. This new prophecy is now known among the Druids and the Catha. When I heard it from Iseldir and Alator , it shocked me. I told them of the original one and even as we speak they are re-educating the people of Elmet so that any misunderstanding may not rise. "

" So that means Arthur won't bring back magic but I will. " Merlin said.

" After Arthur's reaction towards your magic, do you think that he is the one who will return magic ? " Uriel asked.

" No , I think not. But what about me and Arthur uniting Albion. He betrayed me and I will never help him. So how will the prophecy become true ? " Merlin asked.

" You will not hold grudge against Arthur forever. You are not like Morgana. If you were , Camelot would have been history right now. I strongly believe that one day you will forgive Arthur.

And Arthur will come to his senses because what he has done to you is not totally his fault. Mordred's honeyed words poisoned his mind and without Mordred, soon he will understand his fault. Maybe oneday he will ask for your forgiveness and I'm sure you will forgive him. Forgiveness is in your nature. And thus you two will fulfill the prophecy. " Uriel said with conviction in his voice.

Merlin doesn't seem convinced. He said, " I am not so sure about this, Uriel. What he has done is unforgivable. Even if I forgive him, I don't think we will be friends again. "

" Nowhere in the prophecy it said that you two would have to be friends. Anyway , The prophecy will come true. No matter what because The One is the creator of fate and time. And The One never lies. Any more question, Merlin ? " The king asked.

" What about me being the triple goddess' bane ? " Merlin asked fearing what the answer might be.

" Simple. You will defeat her and bring back the ancient religion. " Uriel said as a matter of factly.

" But how ? She is so powerful. "

" You are more powerful than her. You wield the power of the ancient religion. You wield the power of ' The Calling ' and The One will help you if you need it. Even the triple goddess is helpless against such power. " Uriel said.

" WHAT ? I have ancient magic ? I didn't know that. And what is the power of the calling ? This is getting more and more complex. My head is aching, " Merlin complained.

Uriel smiled. Merlin noticed that for a king he smiled too much. He asked, " You can cast magic without incantation. Can you not ? "

Merlin nodded .

" That is the ancient magic. But it is raw. When you will defeat the goddess , this magic will come back to humans. And you can hone your skills in Elmet which was the center of ancient magic during it's golden age. As for the power of ' The Calling ' ; it is the ultimate power of Emrys. It will enable you to command the earth's magic itself. The earth's magic is limitless. And you have become one with it's magic. Thus your magic has become limitless. "

" But how did I obtain such power ? " Merlin asked.

" Love. Your love for Aren triggered your hidden power. Love is the purest form of emotion. Thus your urge to protect Aren forced your hidden power to surface. And with this power you will defeat the goddess. "

" But why does she want to kill me ? "

" Because she wants to finish what she started. She wants to vanquish the dragonlords once and for all. "

" But why ? "

" The dragonlords were the only one who didn't acknowledge the goddess' supremecy after the battle of Elmet. And The Isle of Man was the only place where the gooddess couldn't enter because of the One's protection. She was waiting for a chance to destroy them. And the opportunity came when Queen Ygraine Pendragon died . "

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Sorry for the abrupt ending. But it is midnight and my mother is yelling to turn off the computer. So I have no choice . And I wanted to give you guys a chapter tonight. So here it is and I promise I'll update soon. Thanks to all who reviewed , favourited and followed my story. You people are great. I am honoured