Fic: The Wolf and the Phoenix (4/?)

[dk323]

Title: The Wolf and the Phoenix (4/?)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG
Word count (Ch. 4): 4,605
Characters/Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Spoilers: Up to 2x04 (AU after that (2x04 is the "Lancelot and Guinevere" episode))
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC. The “His Dark Materials” books are property of Philip Pullman. No money is being made.
Summary:
In another world where daemons are the norm, Arthur is an exiled prince for not letting Merlin be executed to further the king’s blind crusade against magic. With Excalibur and magic on their side, Arthur and Merlin escape to a different world when the king’s men catch up to them.

It’s lucky that Excalibur can do more than strike men down in battle. But Arthur and Merlin discover that they can never truly escape their enemies.
 
A/N: A bit of a His Dark Materials crossover where Arthur and Merlin both have daemons (their souls are outside of their bodies and are in animal form). An AU! version of an older Will and Lyra appear here and they'll definitely have minor appearances in the next chapter. Just as a nod to the book series. 

The inspiration for the telepath character was due to the X-Men: First Class movie. So think Charles Xavier/Professor X...in regards to the scope of the telepath's power. I am unfamiliar with the other X-Men movies and comics though. I'd like to thank my friend for persuading me to see the film with her. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the idea for giving the character these telepathic abilities. 

It has been a while since I updated this, I know. I apologize for that. I was working on some parts for this chapter, but ironically, none of that made it into this part because to keep the pacing steady, I decided to focus on Arthur and Merlin more. I know how this story'll turn out. I try to avoid sad endings, so I'll end this story as happily/satisfactorily as I can.
 
Chapter 4: The taking of the betrayer 
 
Arthur and Merlin tell the daemon-less Merlin about what led the pair into exile. 
Unbeknownst to them, a prophecy may be what breaks Arthur and Merlin's bond forever. It is the beginning of the end… 
   
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

~ * ~
 
Arthur and Merlin talked with the other, daemon-less Merlin late at night in Merlin’s upstairs room in Gaius’ chambers.
 
Arthur’s wolf-daemon, Krola, had her head in Arthur’s lap while Zlota, Merlin’s phoenix-daemon, was cleaning her golden feathers on the bed.
 
Arthur and the two Merlins sat in a circle at the foot of the bed.
 
Merlin was in the middle of telling his daemon-less self the tale of what led him and Arthur into exile.
 
“So unfortunately, Uther did discover that I still had a bond with my magic even if I didn’t have any magic flowing through me. That was still gone. But as you can imagine, Uther wanted to eradicate anything related to magic within me.”
 
“Oh no,” the other Merlin reacted sympathetically. “Did he succeed? You told me that if the magic bond is severed, then you would die not long afterwards.”
 
Arthur sighed, nodding. He answered first before Merlin. “Uther did succeed, but luckily Merlin just managed to survive it. I guess he’s stronger than I thought he was,” Arthur teased lightly. He smiled fondly at Merlin.
 
Merlin shoved him in the shoulder in mock affront. “Hey, you just watch me, you prat,” he shot back in a friendly retort. He smiled back at Arthur.
 
The other Merlin’s interest was undeniably peaked. “So what did King Uther do exactly? How did you survive the loss of the bond, Merlin?” He asked his daemon-possessing self.
 
“I think it was through sheer force of will that I survived," Merlin said thoughtfully. "I just did my best to focus on wanting to live, to see and to be with Arthur again. Uther had me put in a horrible ghost tower that sucked any remnant of magic, most importantly my bond with my magic, from within me. I remember feeling so empty. It was a terrible feeling. The feeling made it near impossible for me to hope I'd live through the ordeal,” Merlin relayed with a frown as he recalled the dark time. “When it came time for my execution on the pyre, Morgana had a plan in place, fortunately. Arthur couldn’t rescue me while I was in the tower, understand. Because he possessed my magic…”
 
“Morgana told me that she was concerned about the fate of Merlin’s magic contained within me if I went anywhere near the ghost tower,” Arthur confided, his past frustration echoed in his words. “The best option was to save Merlin before his execution…when he was outside, out of the blasted ghost tower. The waiting to save Merlin made me impatient and irritated. Especially thinking about how awful Merlin must be feeling trapped in that tower. So both Merlin and I had a rotten time of it. Though of course, Merlin had the worse of it. I commend him for not losing his head after his time there. It’s something short of miraculous. And there, see? I complimented you,” Arthur pointed out with a grin.
 
Merlin sighed while his daemon, Zlota, huffed in exasperation at Arthur’s obvious attempt at complimenting Merlin – to make up for the brief teasing earlier.
 
“Thank you, Arthur,” Merlin told him, shaking his head. “As you expect after my miserable time in the tower, I was half-dead when I was taken to be executed.”
 
“Morgana had a spell ready to incant before Merlin was to be burned at the pyre. We only had a short window of time to work with. But we succeeded as Merlin would be dead now otherwise. The spell allowed Merlin’s magic that was held inside me to return to Merlin. Also, Merlin’s bond with his magic was re-established. We – that is, Morgana, Gwen and I – managed to free Zlota before the execution so she could go to Merlin when he made his escape. Once Merlin had his magic back, he quickly transported himself away magically.”
 
“Zlota, the clever daemon she is, found her way to me,” Merlin put in with a smile.
 
Zlota preened at the praise. “Of course I would always find my way to you, no matter what, Merlin,” she said confidently.
 
Krola barked. Arthur shushed her since it was late at night and it was best not to wake Gaius. “Zlota sometimes is too clever for her own good,” the white wolf-daemon said.
 
Zlota held her head high, pretending not to hear Krola.
 
“But how did you transport yourself away if you had been half-dead before? Did your magic help to cure you then? Make you feel alive again?” the other Merlin asked.
 
Merlin looked thoughtful. “I suppose so. I felt like the sun had possessed me and woken me up. I didn’t feel half-dead anymore with my magic returned to me. I was able to quickly react, knowing that I had to take the opportunity to escape before Uther’s guards did something to thwart my attempt.”
 
“I had prepared beforehand, knowing that I would choose go into exile with Merlin rather than stay in Camelot with a king that would execute a good man,” Arthur said with conviction, a note of disdain in his voice when he mentioned the king. He then acknowledged bitterly, “It’s a pity that my father was too blinded by hate and anger to see Merlin’s goodness. That his magic didn’t make him a bad person.”
 
“So that’s how you both went into exile,” the daemon-less Merlin finished, a pensive look in his eyes as he thought through what he had just learned. “I still don’t understand why Morgana and Gwen didn’t go with you two.”
 
“I asked Morgana that she and Gwen should escape with Merlin and me, but she thought Merlin would be wearing himself thin protecting all of us with his magic. That it was better for Merlin’s sake that he only focus on protecting me. It’s less stress after all to look after one person over three people. So they chose to remain in Camelot,” Arthur expressed regretfully.
 
Arthur and Merlin exchanged downcast glances with each other. Bringing up Morgana was hard to do not long after her death. They didn’t think they were ready to tell this other Merlin about the tragic fate of their Morgana.
 
“Maybe we could find out if your Arthur has any clue about you possessing magic,” Merlin changed the subject quickly, smiling at his other self. “If Arthur and I give it a thorough investigation, of course. I can turn us both invisible and we can follow your Arthur around. We may be able to uncover something.”
 
“If you could do that, I’d appreciate it. Sometimes I think he may know, but I just…well, there’s no right time to bring it up. I don’t want to say anything that’ll get me executed if Arthur doesn’t suspect already,” the other world’s Merlin confided in them with a shrug.
 
Arthur nodded. He reached out to clap the other Merlin on the shoulder. He reassured him, “That’s completely understandable. But hopefully, with luck, your Arthur may be closer than we think to knowing. And like you…”
 
“He’s unsure about when to bring it up,” Merlin finished. “And that could also mean he’s conflicted. Maybe despite how long you’ve been keeping your magic secret, your Arthur is still willing to spare you. He still sees you as a friend worth standing up for,” Merlin considered, hoping to give his other self a more positive outlook on the matter.
 
The other Merlin smiled. “I hope that is the case.”
 
“Well that’s settled then. This should be an interesting ‘investigation’,” Arthur remarked, pushing at his Merlin’s shoulder playfully.
 
Merlin rolled his eyes, smiling at him. He kissed Arthur lightly on the lips.
 
After saying goodnight to the daemon-less Merlin, Merlin and Arthur along with Zlota and Krola retired for the night. They left the other Merlin’s room and by using Excalibur, they returned to the Shadow World to get some rest.
 
Now they were in a copy of the other Merlin’s room. Merlin enlarged the small, narrow bed in the room to one just big enough to fit him and Arthur comfortably.
 
As they lay next to each other in bed, Merlin wondered thoughtfully, “You know Lady Corah? She said she came from a World of Magic, but don’t you think it’s a bit strange that she couldn’t tell us more?”
 
“Corah said she died years ago. Her memory is understandably not as good as it once was,” Arthur figured, not sounding too bothered by it.
 
“Yes, maybe,” Merlin said non-committally. “But it would be nice to see a world where magic users are the majority,” he declared wistfully.
 
His phoenix-daemon looked like she agreed, appearing excited at the prospect. “How interesting it would be,” Zlota said out loud happily.
 
“Surprise, surprise,” Krola put in, sounding almost bored. She rubbed her head at Arthur’s hand, conveying silently that she wanted to be touched. Arthur obliged, petting her idly.
 
At the same time, Arthur gave Merlin a significant look.
 
“Well for me anyway,” Merlin quickly revised. “I guess for you, you’d feel rather outnumbered. You’re the one with Excalibur, so I’m thinking if I discover the entrance to that world…”
 
“You go on ahead to that world, to visit if you want. But I think I’ll stay here. I’m not going to bar you from going. I know you’ll come back to me eventually,” Arthur said, supremely confident in his belief.
 
Merlin flashed Arthur a happy grin. “Here I was worried you would be a jealous prat about it,” Merlin teased him.
 
“Hey now. I’ve become much more reasonable in the time we’ve been together,” Arthur countered.
 
Merlin expressed his gratitude with a kiss.
 
Arthur wouldn’t let him pull away, instead deigning to deepen the kiss. Merlin heartily approved.
 
They went to sleep at some point, but that wasn’t high on their priority list.
 
~ * ~
 
“You’re King now?” Lady Corah asked, going off the gold crown now upon the dark-haired man’s head.
 
Also, his father’s, King Balinor’s, ring was now on his finger – only the King of Camelot could wear that ring. She could only assume that the previous King had, sadly, passed away. A new era of Camelot had begun.
 
She looked at the man who she had known as the prince of Camelot before she had died. And now, Prince Merlin was officially King of the land she still wistfully thought of as home.
 
“Yes, for little over a year now. Not long after my 22^nd birthday,” King Merlin acknowledged. He turned to his blond, brown-eyed companion. Corah did not miss the blond man’s perceptive look as he peered at her. Merlin introduced him to her, “This is Blakeney, an advisor of mine. He possesses strong telepathic abilities as well. I’m certain we are assured of your loyalty? Blakeney will know right away.”
 
“She’s a loyal subject of Camelot, Merlin,” Blakeney said promptly.
 
Lady Corah looked mildly affronted. “Of course I am firmly loyal to my dear home,” she said sincerely. “I may have not possessed magic myself, but I am indebted to a sorcerer for the chance to live a longer life than I otherwise would have.”
 
“Lord Vortigern, yes. A highly regarded advisor of my father’s. I am glad to hear of your loyalty. I need your help, My Lady Corah,” The King implored of her. “I would be most grateful for your cooperation.”
 
“Anything you need,” Corah offered easily, ready to assist.
 
“How much do you know of the prophecy?”
 
“I know the part about you: “The one with the greatest power will lead the charge against the dark world.”
 
“Good. There is, unfortunately, I suppose, more to the prophecy. And so it goes:
‘The White Wolf will betray the Golden Phoenix. Without true forgiveness, the darkness will consume all worlds. But the betrayal is not the only route to ending the battle. For the Prince of Darkness has one weakness, but whoever seeks to destroy the orphan will never succeed.’
You have met the ones who have animal souls outside their bodies? A white wolf and a golden phoenix? It has come to my understanding that these two people have visited the Shadow World,” Merlin said to her.
 
“Yes,” Corah confirmed. “They are alternate versions of yourself and the deceased Prince Arthur.”
 
“The Prince Arthur of our world is regretfully alive, My Lady,” Blakeney confided in her. “He is the Prince of Darkness in the prophecy. One of his father’s men took Arthur before he could perish in the plague. Arthur was raised in the Dark World, immersing himself in dark magicks for years. Our world is fighting his forces who hail from the Dark World. If he wins, then all of humanity in every world will suffer the end of days, a time of misery and despair.”
 
“Oh no,” Corah remarked in honest dismay. Then she realized, reluctant to bring this up because it sounded so terrible. “So the bit where the white wolf will betray the golden phoenix – that means that Arthur and Merlin who have daemons…Arthur would betray Merlin…”
 
“Yes,” the King acknowledged, frowning at the unfortunate predicament. “And most definitely, true forgiveness will be harder to achieve. The trouble I’m dealing with, My Lady Corah, is that we need the betrayal to happen. I am not fond of my people dying in the war against the Dark World. The sooner the betrayal unravels; the sooner things can come to a happy end for our world. The forgiveness part of the prophecy may take some time, but even just the betrayal occurring will weaken the Dark World’s forces.”
 
“What do you need me to do?” Corah asked. “I suppose if Arthur is meant to do the betrayal, then you require him.”
 
King Merlin nodded grimly. “Yes, we need to take him as a person of interest. I want this taken care of as soon as possible. How much have you told them about our world, My Lady?”
 
She shrugged. “Only a little, Your Majesty. Just that I came from a world dominated by magic users. I took care not to mention you or the plague. I did not wish to bring about questions from them if they discovered there was a Merlin in our world, meaning you, of course, Sire.”
 
“Very good. The less they know the better. You have done well, My Lady. I appreciate it. Is it possible you could take us to where they are?” King Merlin asked her politely.
 
“Yes. They are here in the Shadow World, resting now, I believe. But take heed, I must tell you that this Arthur with his wolf-daemon has the power to drain magic from sorcerers. And as you may expect, the other Merlin possesses powerful magic as well.”
 
“Don’t worry, My Lady. We will take note of what you told us,” Blakeney reassured her.
 
“What about the effects of the plague? Since the other Arthur doesn’t possess magic, won’t our world be poison to him?” Corah wondered.
 
“The worst of the plague has long past. I admit that it is hard to accurately predict that our world is once again friendly to those with no magic. After all, as unfortunate as it was, all non-magic users died out years ago, like you, My Lady. It is truly sad that a lovely young woman like you died before her time,” Merlin said contritely, his words said with a smooth practiced grace.

King Merlin was born for this high role of leading his kingdom and he certainly had the charisma to prove it.
 
“Alas, we do have medicines to administer to him if he feels ill,” the King pressed on. “But if this Arthur has the ability to drain magic, then that means he has some sort of magic within him. It may not be the magic we are used to, but it is still a magic that should keep him from ailing during his time in our world. And as for you, Lady Corah, as you are a spirit now, you possess magic of your own. You may return to our world if you wish to. We have need of spirits like you to assist in research. It must be lonely in the Shadow World for you. Would it not be nicer to return home, My Lady? I give you the offer happily. What do you say?”
 
Lady Corah smiled genuinely. “Oh yes. I couldn’t decline such a generous offer. Yes. I will accept.”
 
“That is good to hear. Just as I’d hoped,” the King said, nodding. He looked pleased.
 
And with that, the Lady Corah took King Merlin and Blakeney to where Arthur and Merlin were sleeping in the Shadow World.
 
~ * ~
 
Arthur woke up, confused when he felt for the space beside him and discovered it empty.
 
“Merlin?” Arthur mumbled.
 
He opened his eyes slowly. “Merlin? Where are you?” He said louder this time.
 
Had Merlin woken up before him? It didn’t seem like him as usually Arthur would wake up early.
 
“Merlin isn’t here. And I don’t think we’re in the Shadow World anymore, Arthur,” Krola informed Arthur, her voice sounding worried.
 
The wolf-daemon was sitting by his bedside. She placed her furry white front paws on the bed. Despite Merlin being missing, apparently, Arthur felt relieved to have Krola with him. That helped to calm his concern slightly.
 
Arthur sighed. He looked around the room he was in. From a quick look, he easily could tell that this definitely wasn’t the Shadow World anymore. The chambers he was in were a far cry from the daemon-less Merlin’s quarters he and Merlin had gone to sleep in. The room looked like guest chambers for nobility and the room wasn’t overwhelmed with grey. Instead, his current chambers were the exact opposite.
 
If Arthur wasn’t in a current state of confusion – hoping someone would come and explain to him where he was and why he was taken – he would have been in awe at the gilded sleekness of the room. The bed frame was made of gold, the walls and floor were a rich golden colour, the tables were golden and there was even a huge rug with what Arthur assumed was this kingdom’s coat of arms.
 
At the center of the rug, the coat of arms depicted a deep red dragon breathing out fire, which was shaped into a fiery phoenix, the bird’s wings spread out, making the phoenix look exceptionally grand.
 
Three words were written underneath the picture:
 
Vita Magica Lux
 
Arthur knew that meant, “Life Magic Light” which told him first and foremost that this kingdom definitely wasn’t an anti-magic kingdom like the one ruled by his father. Could this world be the world of magic that Lady Corah had told him and Merlin about?
 
The room certainly didn’t carry a dreary melancholic atmosphere like that of the Shadow World. For this, Arthur was grateful. The less time he could spend in the Shadow World, the better.
 
He wished though that he had Excalibur with him. When he went to sleep, Arthur had placed his cherished sword in its scabbard on the bedside table. He wasn’t sure if whoever had taken him into this world had taken his sword as well. Clearly whoever lived in this world had knowledge of an alternate form of travel between worlds.
 
As far as Arthur knew, he was the only one who could use Excalibur to open and enter other worlds. So hopefully his sword had been left alone…if the person knew about the limitation of the sword and could easily travel to other worlds without Excalibur. Then the person would have no desire to steal the sword, right?
 
Arthur rubbed his brow. Who was he kidding? Who’s to say their curiosity – regardless of their level of knowledge of Excalibur -- over the sword wouldn’t tempt them to take it? Or even worse, to experiment on the sword?
 
“Oh no. They’re going to break my sword apart,” Arthur moaned out loud. He thought he would be ill if he had to see Excalibur in pieces. It was his sword. If anyone dared lay a hand on it… that person would risk dealing with a very angry Arthur.
 
Then he mused, “And if I was able to be taken, then Merlin wasn’t able to stop them. He would’ve woken up; I know it, if he had sensed someone unfamiliar in our room. Do you think whoever took me left him alone, Krola? He’s either still in the Shadow World worrying about where I am or he was taken like me…” Arthur decided logically.
 
“Either option is just as likely,” Krola remarked. “Come on, get out of bed. You can check if the door’s open,” she advised. “If your captor put you in this nice room, then maybe they’re also good enough to not lock you in.”
 
Even as she said the words, Arthur could already tell she was of the same mind as him. No matter that he wasn’t in the dungeons as he’d expect compared to the rich room he was currently in, Arthur highly doubted he’d be able to leave this room freely.
 
She put one paw on his arm and shoved at his shoulder with her nose.
 
“All right. All right,” Arthur agreed. He stroked his daemon on the head and then climbed out of bed.
 
He went to the door with Krola walking close beside him. She rubbed her furry head against his leg sometimes and whined a little as well. Arthur knew that his daemon was feeling uneasy and anxious. And as a result, she sought comfort from him. He couldn’t blame her. He felt just as ill at ease.
 
Arthur turned the knob on the golden door, which had a dark red dragon emblazoned in the center of it. The door wouldn’t budge and a golden shimmer formed that felt like it was literally pushing Arthur’s hand away from touching the door. Getting the hint, Arthur moved away from the door.
 
“Well the door is out of the question,” Arthur commented resignedly.
 
“There’s a window on the other side…we could take a look. Get a better idea of what this world and kingdom looks like,” his wolf-daemon suggested.
 
Krola sounded undeterred by the confirmation that they were locked in this room until someone came to see them.  
 
Arthur walked across the room to see what was happening outside through the window.
 
The window was tall with the outside frames, predictably, also made of shining gold.
 
Krola stood next to him as Arthur peered out the tall window. He was surprised to see a young woman with dark golden hair on a winged horse in the sky outside his window. While the winged horse was predominantly white in color, the magical creature’s wings were black at the tips.
 
The female rider couldn’t be more than 15, 16? And she was flying that winged horse like an expert rider. She directed her horse to fly up above the clouds until Arthur couldn’t see either of them anymore.
 
That was when Arthur noticed a young dark-haired man on a dark green, golden-streaked dragon a little further away. The dragon didn’t look huge – certainly not as big as the dragon kept imprisoned by his father, and that Merlin had had associations with. Arthur let out a small smile as he recalled Merlin’s exasperation with the dragon’s cryptic advice to him.
 
Instead, this dark green and gold dragon was closer to the size of the woman’s winged horse. Maybe a little bigger? It didn’t seem as daunting to ride this particular dragon considering its more medium size.
 
But then Arthur’s attention was diverted by the woman on the winged horse as her steed came down from the sky, escaping the clouds. To his alarm, she maneuvered her white horse so that it flipped upside down. The winged horse, seeming to be practiced in this move, was still quite able to flap its black-tipped wings steadily.
 
Shockingly though, the rider purposefully – Arthur sure hoped it was intentional – let go of her hold on her winged steed.
 
The woman started to fall, and her winged steed disappeared in a brilliant flash of white and black light. Before the woman could hit the ground, her horse appeared right below her and she smoothly landed on the winged horse, grabbing a hold of its mane. She cheered, grinning as she directed her steed to land on the gilded courtyard floor.
 
Arthur watched as the young man – who could now tell was most likely the same age as the girl – flew down on his dragon to meet the girl.
 
From the small group gathered in the courtyard – most of them women – Arthur heard them cry excitedly, chanting, “Lyra! Lyra! Do it again!”
 
“You think that was impressive?” The man asked of the others. All the women nodded confidently while the boys sort of shrugged, suddenly ambivalent now. “You just wait!”
 
“Don’t tell me you’re going to do that, Will,” Lyra said, frowning at him.
 
Arthur wondered just exactly the dragon rider was going to do. He was feeling engrossed in the scene before him.
 
The man – Will, as his name was, apparently – only winked at her and then he launched himself into the sky on the dragon. He kept going higher and higher, gaining speed along the way.
 
Then Arthur couldn’t see him anymore as he disappeared above the clouds. After what felt like a long time, but maybe was really only a few minutes, the green golden-streaked dragon reappeared by itself, without its rider.
 
The dragon transformed into a literal fire dragon. Arthur was impressed. He had never seen a dragon completely made of fire. Arthur wished that Merlin was here with him. He would have loved to see all of this.
 
But the dragon soon returned to its original state, and Arthur was wondering where the rider had gone off to.
 
The dragon flew back up, vanishing behind the clouds. Then after a long moment, the golden-streaked dragon reappeared, now with its rider on its back, and from their position high above, dragon and rider dived at great speed down to the courtyard. The on-lookers gasped with anticipation and made space for the dragon to land.
 
A lesser rider would sure meet his or her death when colliding with the unforgiving floor. But this rider knew what to do as he pulled his dragon up at the last second so they could land safely in the courtyard.
 
The dark golden-haired girl gave a long sigh, but Arthur could see her smile slightly as well.
 
“And that is what makes me one of the best dragon riders of Camelot,” Will said out loud, looking rather pleased with himself.
 
The whole group applauded him, though the women called for Lyra to do another trick.
 
Arthur’s mind was focused on the word, ‘Camelot’… was this yet another world with another Camelot? Like the daemon-less Merlin’s world? And if there was a Camelot, then that meant there should be an Arthur here, a Merlin…
 
Arthur felt a headache growing as he turned away from the window.
 
“We’re in another world’s Camelot,” Krola mused.
 
Arthur nodded stiffly. “I hope for my sake that doesn’t mean there are also alternates of me and Merlin and the others we know. It might have been interesting at first, but to have yet another world with other versions of us...that’s too much,” he admitted grimly.
 
Krola agreed with his sentiment.
 
~ * ~
 
Back in the Shadow World, Merlin slept on. His sleep was so deep that he didn't notice that Arthur was gone. Zlota was in her firefly form, having nestled herself in Merlin's hair. All was well.

~ * ~

Final note: I don't think I've mentioned this before, but here are the name meanings for Arthur and Merlin's daemons. Krolewska and Zlocisty are both Polish words...I wanted to give them unusual-sounding names. Also, to add a personal touch due to my Polish background. I couldn't resist.  

Krolewska (Krola for short) means royal, which fits for Arthur of course. 

Zlocisty (Zlota for short) means golden, for the phoenix being scarlet and gold as well as Merlin's eyes turning golden when he does his magic.  

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