The Rivals, Part I

Children of the Druids

Chapter 12

"Merlin! What the hell are you doing?" Arthur shouts, seeing his manservant face to face with a man Arthur assumes is the sorcerer.

At the sound of Arthur's voice, Merlin whips his head around and hastily lowers his hands, his face reflecting his surprise. The other sorcerer moves suddenly with a jerk throughout his body as if released from restraints, and laughs. He flicks his wrist and Merlin is lifted off his feet and slammed backwards to collapse in a heap into the wall opposite. As Arthur walks into the room, Merlin groans and tries to pick his head up, to sit leaning against the wall. Arthur rushes over to hover over him.

"I knew you were too weak to defeat me," Malus snarls.

"Who are you calling 'weak'?" Arthur barks, snapping his head up, drawing his sword and whirling around in one smooth movement, turning his back on Merlin to face the sorcerer. Sword at the ready, Arthur stalks confidently forward to confront the smirking sorcerer in front of him.

Malus swings his gaze away from Merlin to look at Arthur with contempt. He laughs as he watches the foolish and brave king approach. "You will die, you fool," Malus shouts and he raises his hand in a leisurely gesture to start to cant a spell, the words tumbling from his mouth, guttural and cruel.

Behind Arthur's back, Merlin listened to Arthur's bravado, but he's seen the evil intent implicit in Malus's gesture and words. Instinctively, Merlin reacts, his magic stopping Malus from completing his curse, and he shoves: his eyes glow with a fierce pure golden light as his arms lift up and forward, his hands held rigid, fingers splayed; he roars a silent scream, "NO!" And he shoves the other sorcerer away, away from Arthur, away from the tower; away out into the night in a whirl of wind and dust and smoke that appear out of nowhere. Malus vanishes; the dust slowly drifts down into the sudden silence of the chamber.

Arthur stumbles backwards in shock, rubbing his eyes, not sure he can trust what he thinks he saw. The sorcerer is gone, the room empty where the other man had been standing only moments before. He lowers his sword, holding it loose and easy in his hand, and turns to cross the room back to where Merlin sits. Merlin is slumped against the far wall, his eyes closed, slowly lowering his arms.

"Did he just create that whirlwind and disappear?" he asks Merlin, gesturing at the empty room behind him. "Was that Emrys?"

"Huh? What?" Merlin says, looking around. "No."

"He just vanished! He was the sorcerer!" Arthur grabs Merlin's arm and yanks him to his feet. "You were facing him before, on your own. What were you trying to do, you crazy fool?" Arthur demands, shaking him roughly.

"I was trying to save the children of the Druids," Merlin answers, extracting his arm from Arthur's grip.

"By challenging a sorcerer? You don't even have a weapon!"

Merlin quirks a rueful smile, stoops to retrieve his pocketknife, which had fallen when he hit the wall, and shows it to Arthur with a shrug. He bends down again to put the knife back into his boot.

"A pocketknife!" Arthur throws up his hands, and says, "what were you thinking, you idiot!"

Arthur leads the way to head down the stairs and out to the large room where Arthur and his men had left the bearded man bound hand and foot. He looks around in confusion. "Where did he go?"

"Who?" Merlin asks innocently. The children race over and surround him. Arthur's knights stand nearby, to protect them from the others in Jarl's service who might appear.

"There was a sorcerer here, a man with long brown hair and a graying beard; he was tied up. How could he get up and vanish?" Arthur asks.

"Well, he was a sorcerer, wasn't he?" Merlin says, grinning. "The other one did it. You know, disappeared?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," Arthur says, cuffing his head. "So, who is this Emrys, then? Did you find him?"

"Erm . . . no, he never appeared."

"You never managed to find him, you mean," Arthur laughs. "I told everyone you'd need my help."

Arthur looks at the children who have gathered around Merlin, as if noticing them for the first time. "The children are all safe," Arthur marvels. "How did they get out?"

"I unlocked their cell," Merlin explains. "Where's Jarl?" he asks, looking around as if expecting the slaver to appear and demand payment for the children.

"Jarl's dead. Let's get out of here."

Standing with his arms around the children nearest him, Merlin says, "Arthur, I need to take these children back to their families with the Druids. Please let me have the time."

Arthur shakes his head, says, "We'll all go."

Arthur and the knights retrieve their horses, taking a few additional from the stables. Merlin heads back into the woods to look for Sandrine to bring her to the others. With the help of Arthur's map, they sort out a route to return the children to their villages.

xXx

Morgana and Helios, followed by a few of his men, ride into Jarl's stronghold through the main gate into a deserted courtyard.

"It's awfully quiet," Helios says.

Morgana agrees, "too quiet by far."

They dismount in front of what appears to be a main entrance into a central keep, calling out. A man emerges from the tower, stumbling a bit in inebriation. "You're too late. Your friends left hours ago."

"What friends?" Helios asks.

"Oh, that young king of Camelot and his knights. He killed Jarl and took the children."

Morgana breaks in, "and his servant?"

"You mean the gangly boy?" the man asks. "He was here too. They all left together. Just a few of us left here to fend for ourselves. Nowhere to go."

"Did they find Emrys?" Morgana snaps, trying to interrupt the man's self-pity.

"Who's that?"

"A sorcerer. An older man."

"Yeah. He's gone. Took off in a whirlwind, most likely. He always did like to show off his magic."

Morgana turns to look at Helios, frustration and anger evident in the way she held herself. "So, my dear brother is once again the hero."

Helios snorts. "Let it go, Morgana. We'll have another chance."

"Yes. But I was so close to finding Emrys," she grits out.

"What about us, then?" the man interrupts.

"Come with us," Helios answers. "We always have need of a few good men."

xXx

Arthur is the hero when he and Merlin, along with a few of Camelot's knights, travel from Druid village to village bringing home their children. The Druids are joyful, praising the King with their words and celebrations; their thoughts flying to Emrys in silent thanks.

At the last encampment, in the Forest of Essetir, they leave Shayna and the little boy. Sandrine had no family; she chose to stay here. They say their goodbyes to Emrys and the King, giggling through their clumsy curtsies before running off to join the other young Druids.

The knights are mounted and ready to ride back to Camelot, when Iseldir approaches Arthur to say farewell. Merlin follows him, keeping his thoughts to himself, and rejoins the others from Camelot, mounting his horse to wait for Arthur with the other men.

Arthur reaches out to clasp Iseldir's arm. He clears his throat. "There was once a Druid encampment near Camelot City," Arthur says. "It was the scene of a terrible tragedy many years ago. It should never have happened, and I am sorry for it."

"Yes," Iseldir says, "we know of it. Many died there. It is a sacred place."

Arthur takes a deep breath, nods once. "I want you to know, that if you wish to return and settle there again, the Druid people would be welcome." Arthur nods again, not waiting for a reply. He turns and mounts his horse.

"Emrys," Iseldir thinks. "What just happened?"

"Atonement," Merlin responds, just as silently. His smile grows wide and free and full of hope as he wheels his horse around to follow the others to return home to Camelot.

END