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Paperlegends: The Raven Knife (7)
Masterpost
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 & Epilogue
“Gwydion, Gwydion…” Bran kept repeating weakly. Then he stopped, maybe too exhausted from fighting the illness.
Ophelia checked his brow. “He’s really burning up. Nothing’s working,” she said worriedly.
She stroked Bran’s hair, attempting to comfort him. In too quiet whispers, Bran started speaking in Latin, the words didn’t make coherent sense like he was grasping for words that weren’t coming out right.
“We have to get him to hospital if it continues like this,” Robin decided.
Gwydion spoke from his present perch on Bran’s upper arm. “But since this is an echo of the illness the Prince of Darkness put on him in his previous life, then…”
“No. You’re not transferring the illness on to yourself,” Robin shot down. “You’re a bird now, Gwydion. We don’t know how that’ll affect you. And you know that Bran will be upset with you for risking your life like that,” he reminded him.
“But I can’t just watch him die. My magic isn’t even working on him. I don’t like not being able to help Bran get better,” Gwydion argued.
Then Ophelia spoke up, suggesting, “We should put Bran in a lukewarm bath. To cool his body down.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Robin agreed. “And Gwydion, I understand how frustrated you feel. Believe me, I feel the same way. I know we have an unconventional set-up here, but I’m the oldest here in terms of this reincarnated life now. So I’m pulling rank now. If you could respect my decisions, then I’d appreciate it. If we cooperate, then Bran will get better.”
After a pause, Gwydion assented, bowing his feathery head. “Okay, Robin.”
“Thank you,” Robin said. Then he lifted Bran into his arms.
“Gwydion?” Bran asked for him again in a whisper.
“Yes, I’m here, always,” Gwydion assured him.
Bran reached out to pet him, and then he turned his head toward Robin’s chest as if he wanted to hide away from the world.
“It’ll be all right,” Robin comforted him quietly as he slowly carried him out of the room to the bathroom.
Walking beside Robin, Ophelia stroked Bran’s hair. “Poor, poor Bran,” she said sympathetically.
Gwydion just stayed on Bran’s chest, quietly hoping for some sort of small miracle.
~ * ~
After finishing with Arthur, the Prince of Darkness stepped out of the house. He looked across the street where Gwydion was living with his strange little family.
The Prince could sense that Bran was very sick. He looked up at the night sky, knowing that someone was eavesdropping. It had to be James. There were limitations on what he could do, but oh, could the god of unnatural magic be an eavesdropper like the best of them.
“I’m not going to make a habit out of this,” the Prince said out loud to himself.
He whispered a few words under his breath. The spell was done. Yet he felt his eyes changing. Upon conjuring a lit mirror, the Prince realized his eyes were now a normal blue, the eye colour he’d been born with.
“Go back to how you were,” he commanded them.
And his eyes returned to their full black colour.
Maybe Morgaine was right. Maybe he was acting off lately.
This immortal life was taking a toll on him.
“I feel better,” Bran declared. It was not long after Robin had put him back into bed after his bath.
Robin pressed his hand to Bran’s brow to check his temperature. It felt normal. Gwydion checked Bran’s vitals with his magic, with Bran assuring him that he really did feel better. Inexplicable the recovery may be, but it appeared to be real. Gwydion hoped it wasn’t a fluke and Bran wouldn’t relapse.
“Bran’s okay,” Gwydion announced after his check.
“Oh my goodness,” Ophelia uttered with a smile. She hugged Bran to her.
“Could you guess who did it? Like maybe James?” Robin wondered.
“My father may dislike it, but he generally has to stay out of human affairs like healing people. I’m sure he would have helped Bran in a heartbeat if he’d been allowed to. I can’t tell if this was just Bran defeating it on his own. The lukewarm bath might have helped, but I don’t think this is just temporary relief from that. I think he’s well and truly better. There may have been external help from somewhere,” Gwydion said, honestly puzzled.
“I’m better. That’s what counts. We should focus on that,” pointed out Bran.
“Well we’re talking about Gwydion here,” Robin reminded him.
“Can’t rest until the mystery is unravelled,” Ophelia nodded.
“Of course a mystery is meant to be solved,” Gwydion said.
“Oh Gwydion, don’t ever change,” Bran told him. Gwydion was on his finger now.
“What’s there to change? I’m perfect,” he said smartly. He was pleased as Bran stroked him gently.
“I love you,” said Gwydion solemnly to Bran via mind-to-mind communication.
“I love you too, my little bird,” said Bran silently in affectionate reply.
“Someone must hate me,” Merlin declared to no one, well, maybe Athena and a sleeping Lux.
Because when he’d opened the door to his and Arthur’s home, what looked like Cavall transformed into a white wolf and a black wolf that might have been the Prince’s pet were fighting each other in a battle to the death.
Seriously, this sort of stuff should be restricted to nature documentaries. Merlin really wasn’t too enthused about seeing animals attack each other before his eyes. Especially considering wolves weren’t exactly his favorite animals as they’d scared him when he was younger.
And now lucky him, he had a front row seat to watch two battling wolves.
Yet he shoved his fears aside because Arthur was his priority now. He would just have to brave getting past the wolves and hope they didn’t turn their bloodthirsty attentions on him.
“I could store Lux in the Compass for you,” Athena suggested.
“Good idea. The wolves might see him as a free meal,” Merlin said.
After Athena had put Lux inside the Compass, Merlin opened the door again.
The two wolves were still going at it. The black wolf had a small puncture wound to his side. When the dark wolf saw Merlin enter, the wolf growled in threat at him and made to leap in his direction.
“Fuck!” Merlin just managed to cry before the white wolf got in the black wolf’s way.
Merlin fell to the ground as the white wolf protectively covered Merlin with his body.
Then the white wolf -- Cavall, Krola whoever the creature truly was -- growled in warning at the black wolf.
The white wolf pounced on the darker wolf and forced him to the ground. Merlin watched in entranced horror and a twisted delight at the white wolf got the upper hand over the black wolf. The lighter creature started ripping the black wolf to shreds. The defeated creature only whined in pain and misery as it lay near death.
“Cavall!” Merlin exclaimed, trying to get him to stop, but the white wolf was too intent on his eating his enemy. Then he changed tact and called him by a different name, “Krola! It’s over, you did it.”
Nothing. The white wolf didn’t stop.
“Krolewska, just stop now. The black wolf’s finished,” Merlin said, choosing Krola’s full name and hoping that would make the necessary impact.
It fortunately did. Cavall looked at him, returning to his Norwegian Elkhound form.
“Good dog,” Merlin praised him, patting him on the head when he came up to greet him. “And if you’re really in there, it’s good to see you again, Krola,” he said to Arthur’s white wolf daemon of his past life.
Cavall licked his hand happily.
Merlin asked Athena to release Lux now, and she did. He took his puppy and placed him in his doggy bed. Cavall followed after him.
He got an unwanted message from the Prince of Darkness when he returned to the black wolf’s corpse. There was note written with a white pen on black paper saying that the black wolf wasn’t really the Prince’s wolf. Like he’d be dumb enough to leave his actual wolf with Cavall. No, the black wolf was a conjured substitute.
Merlin tore the paper after he’d read it. Whatever. He was sure Cavall as a white wolf would have defeated the Prince’s actual wolf pet just as well as he’d had the substitute.
Merlin couldn’t find Arthur on the ground floor. Cavall nudged him with his nose, directing him to go up the stairs.
Arthur was sleeping on their bed, but Merlin could tell that it wasn’t a natural sleep. He didn’t move and instead, remained lying down on the bed, his face up. Arthur’s hands were clasped together over his stomach. At least Merlin could see him breathing, steadily inhaling and exhaling softly. So he was still alive, thank goodness.
Then he saw the glass bell jar on an equally conjured round table. Merlin immediately thought of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, but in this case, the rose was a black one. Fitting, Merlin mused, since the Prince was clearly behind this. He bet the only colour rose the Prince could conjure up was a pitch black one.
There was yet another message from the Prince of Darkness – same black stationary, white ink – telling Merlin what would happen to Arthur if he didn’t save him in time.
The note said:
”Well you could probably guess the score here. If you don’t find the right cure for Arthur by the time the last rose petal falls, then he will never wake up and he will die.
That gives you, oh, about twelve hours. That rose has a little charm on it to make it die faster.
I sincerely hope you fail.
The Prince of Darkness”
Merlin swore. He guessed that his magic wouldn’t help Arthur then. Of course the Prince wouldn’t make it that easy.
As he saw one rose petal fall from the enchanted dark rose, Merlin turned to the Diamantine Compass. He asked the device what and where the cure was.
But the Compass proved no help.
“Answer locked by the Prince of Darkness because, and quote “I’m not a fucking idiot” end quote.”
So it seemed that the Prince could even prevent the Compass from releasing certain information. Maybe the Prince could have been behind the Compass not telling Merlin who he meant to kill with that cursed tree. Of course now Merlin knew that it had to be Bran since he was an incarnation – fitting the “not an adult but not quite a child either” puzzle Merlin had been perplexed by before.
Merlin went over to Arthur. He knelt down beside him. “Athena, is there anything you can do?” He asked futilely.
“Well, I could suggest that the cure for Arthur is most likely in King Merlin’s world, the World of Magic. If there’s any world that would have a magic cure, then it’d be that world.”
“Not to mention it’s the Prince’s birth world too,” Merlin noted with a sigh.
“And there’s the Raven Knife…” Athena reminded him of the Knife with the ability to travel to other worlds.
Merlin nodded. “I have to go talk to Bran and Gwydion. I’m sure they’ll help.”
“Don’t worry, Arthur. I’ll save you,” he promised Arthur.
He leaned over Arthur and kissed him on the lips.
Then with a heavy heart, Merlin left the room with Cavall following after him.
He realized that he should probably eat something though. His stomach was complaining of the lack of food. He grabbed a pear from the fruit bowl, but then Cavall barked suddenly. The Elkhound sounded like he was warning Merlin of something.
“What is it, boy?” Merlin asked, puzzled.
Cavall only whined in response.
“Well then,” said Merlin. He replaced the pear he’d grabbed and took a plum instead to eat.
Cavall growled, but Merlin ignored him. He wasn’t sure what the dog’s problem was. I mean, it wasn’t like he was eating a poisoned apple. He wasn’t going to put himself into that mess with the aura of fairytales so strong around him these days.
But when he bit into the plum, and after he swallowed, he started choking. Merlin swore silently. Were plums not safe anymore either? This was ridiculous.
The Prince of Darkness appeared. He grabbed a red apple in mockery and bit into it himself. He watched, unhelpfully of course, as Merlin fell to the ground, continuing to choke. Merlin grasped at his throat as he tried in vain to breathe.
Cavall growled at the Prince. Lux had woken up too and he was barking his high alert bark, seeing something was wrong with Merlin.
“Fairytales, aren’t they a bitch?” The Prince said casually, taking another bite of the red apple. “You know why Gwydion was reborn as a sweet little bluebird in the Fairytale World? His godly father was aiming to protect him, knowing he’d be safe there amongst the kind-hearted princesses and loving forest creatures. But of course Gwydion returned to Bran’s side in this world like a bee is attracted to honey. It’s unfortunate, really, that your father Hephaestion gave up his god’s status. He could have protected you too, you know. Oh well…too late now.”
And the last thing Merlin saw before he lost consciousness was the Prince of Darkness magically disappear, leaving Merlin to his fate.
Sunlight streamed through the window when Merlin woke up. It was early morning. He gasped out for breath. To his astonishment, he saw Athena as a human manifestation beside him, leaning over him like she had just kissed him. She had long black hair down to her waist and light clear blue eyes. She was in a Tudor-style blue dress for some inexplicable reason.
“What…how?” Merlin uttered in question. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. “I thought I would die.”
“I was worried too,” Athena said quietly. “I wasn’t able to help you when you lost consciousness. I tried and tried. But finally I got through. It was the lynx your father left you, Merlin. The compressed magic the lynx possessed saved you when my magic couldn’t. I told you it would prove helpful one day. I had to transfer the lynx’s magic with a kiss.”
She smiled radiantly at him, a golden sheen glowing off her human shape.
“Thank you,” Merlin told her sincerely. “The lynx is gone now? Even as just a miniature figurine?”
“Yes. I used up all the magical power of the lynx. She performed the task she was meant to: saving your life. After that, the lynx had no reason to remain.”
So the Prince had been wrong, Merlin thought. Despite his father giving up being a god, he still had the ability to protect his son long after his death. The lynx, Perija, had been there when he needed her most.
“I never expected to see you like this,” Merlin noted.
“Nor I, but it’s nice seeing you from this perspective,” Athena told him. She embraced him, and he reciprocated easily.
After the hug, Merlin voiced, “I only have a few hours now to get the cure for Arthur, don’t I?” He looked at the clear signs of dawn reigning over the land.
“About six hours. There’s still time,” Athena reassured him.
After Athena returned to her place inside of Merlin, he pet Lux and Cavall affectionately. He hoped the two dogs had gotten some sleep during the night.
He stood up, intent on obtaining the cure and saving Arthur.
When Merlin rung the doorbell, Ophelia answered it. Merlin was concerned when Ophelia looked sad. Something bad had happened.
“What is it?” He asked her as Ophelia let him in to the house.
She put her hand over her mouth, and shook her head. The mobile she held in her hand almost dropped to the ground.
Before the device hit the ground, Merlin used his magic to summon the mobile to his hand. “Sorry, here,” he said, moving to hand the mobile back.
“No,” Ophelia declined, stopping Merlin from returning the mobile to her. “It’s – Robin, he left not long ago. Just to Rosebrooke, but I got this message from the Prince and--”
Merlin looked down, really looking at the mobile’s screen now. The message was still on the phone.
And it appeared that the Prince wasn’t just putting Arthur in danger.
The text message was:
I have Robin. Don’t bother with getting James’ help. Robin will suffer more if you do. You have my word.
The Prince of Darkness
Merlin looked up from reading the grim message. Ophelia appeared to be trying her best to not cry.
“Ophelia, I’m so sorry,” Merlin said sympathetically.
“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The Prince has always been interested in giving us problems, seeing how much he can mess with our lives. Alice’s death was no accident, for one.”
“I wish I could help… what do you think you’ll do?” He asked her.
She shrugged, looking defeated. “It’s too new now. I can’t quite even comprehend losing Robin much less think how to save him. I haven’t told Bran or Gwydion yet as they’ve gone to the Fairytale World. I got the Prince’s message after they left. I don’t know how to even begin to tell them… oh god,” she breathed out. Merlin embraced her as she looked like she really needed it.
“I’m sure James is aware of this. I know the Prince warned against him helping, but maybe James can figure a way around it. Don’t give up hope,” Merlin advised her gently.
“Yeah, I’ll try,” Ophelia said softly. She pulled away from him, and hurriedly swiped at her wet eyes. “Anyway, what’s brought you here?”
“Arthur’s in a forced coma at home. The Prince threatened to kill him if I don’t get the cure in time. I thought the cure would be in the World of Magic. But with Robin in danger, I don’t want to impose… I know you’ll have to tell Bran and Gwydion about Robin, and they’ll be focused on getting him back. I could try contacting James, maybe.”
“No, no, it’s all right. I wouldn’t stand for anyone to die as a result of the Prince’s scheming. Bran and Gwydion will help you,” she assured him firmly, leaving no room for argument. “The cure for Arthur is the cure-all in the World of Magic as you thought. It’s one of the most potent magical medicines in that world, which you can assume from its name. The cure-all was only developed a few decades ago. It’s dreadfully expensive too, but Bran can get a hold of it.”
“Thank you,” said Merlin. He was grateful to hear that Athena’s guess had been right.
“I can check when Bran and Gwydion will return. It shouldn’t be too long now. They said they’d only be going for a little bit. I almost wish I hadn’t let them go since Bran was sick just yesterday. I worry he’ll relapse, but Bran insisted he’s feeling better than ever.”
“I’m glad he’s okay. Shame he got ill soon after the Tauren incident…” Merlin remarked.
“Yeah,” Ophelia agreed. “Bran needed a break in another world. At least he’s with Gwydion, so that eases my mind.”
“Oh and if you’re hungry, feel free to take anything you like from the fridge,” Ophelia offered.
Then she went up the stairs to check on when Bran and Gwydion would come back.
Merlin planned on avoiding any sort of fruit like the plague. He settled on yoghurt and some cereal with a glass of water.
Unfortunately, he was struck by another future vision in the midst of his early breakfast.
This time, he witnessed someone dead on the floor of the same castle he’d seen before. Sadly the dead woman looked like Morgana. Back in the days of Camelot, she’d been Arthur’s adopted sister.
She looked the same age – mid to late thirties -- as she had when he’d seen her as a ghost that time at work, a time that seemed like forever ago now.
A short distance away from the body, he saw who he assumed to be Morgaine. The Morgaine King Merlin had told him about.
Robin and Alice looked a few years younger here. Fourteen maybe? They were being forcibly restrained and kept separated from one another.
“You killed our mother. You will regret that,” warned Robin solemnly.
“But that day is not today,” Morgaine said unconcernedly. “I think you’ll like the punishment I have for you,” she said to him. She caressed his cheek in a falsely affectionate fashion. “The outside world can be such a mean place for those as handsome and charming as you. I’ve half a mind to take you myself.”
“Leave Robin alone!” Alice exclaimed.
“Gag her,” Morgaine ordered.
“You will fall,” Robin shot back at her defiantly, trying desperately to get out of the hold Morgaine’s men had him in. “The worlds might be starting to collapse, but there is still hope.”
“Well I do wish you luck with that quaint little notion,” said Morgaine insincerely with a hollow laugh. “You’ll be trapped in this castle for the rest of your life. You’ll suffer a very painful death if you try to leave. So don’t even think you can rescue your sister. You won’t be able to.”
“Take Alice away,” she directed the men with her. “She’ll be known as Rapunzel now.”
Alice was shaking her head wildly, attempting in vain to speak through her gag.
“I have something to take care of. Leave without me,” Morgaine informed her accomplices. They departed with a frustrated Alice who tried to unsuccessfully kick at the men holding her.
Once they were gone, Morgaine turned her attention to Robin. She had frozen him in place after she’d told the two guards restraining him to leave.
“How selfish of you to keep your sister considering the magical qualities of her hair.”
“You’re the one who wants to use her for selfish reasons,” Robin pointed out, glaring at her.
Morgaine looked amused. “You’re – untouched, are you not?”
“What are you talking about?” He asked.
“I think we can come to an arrangement,” she said softly, a smirk on her face. “After all, I can’t have you be alone all the time in this cold castle. There may be times when you need a little warmth,” Morgaine said the last word with dark intent.
Merlin didn’t miss what her aim was and by the look of Robin’s wide nervous eyes, he didn’t either.
She cupped her perfectly-manicured hand over his cheek in cruel tenderness.
Robin couldn’t shy away from her as he was frozen in place, and he could only hang his head in defeat. A tear fell down his cheek, which Morgaine wiped away a little too hard. Blood appeared where the skin was cut by her sharp nail.
The vision ended and it left Merlin desperately wanting to forget this. He didn’t know how he’d be able to go through with getting the cure for Arthur when half his mind was on Robin’s grim future life. It hurt to think about it. Now he understood how Robin turned out to be so broken when Alice reunited with him four years later.
He wondered where was he during this period of time? Had he even been reincarnated yet at that point? Merlin would have liked to think he would have helped if he had been alive during that time. Then again, he might not have been aware of the situation due to not remembering his past lives and the visions he was seeing now.
He couldn’t help if he didn’t know where the help was needed.
“It was like you guessed before. Morgana was – or will be – Robin and Alice’s mother,” Athena brought up to him quietly. She probably sensed that Merlin’s mind was in turmoil.
“Yes,” Merlin said with a sigh. “She would be a good mother, I’d imagine. After all, Morgana was a good person back in Camelot. She was the last person to deserve that fate, to be forced into the position of killing herself,” he said sadly.
It was also unfortunate that Arthur never really got to know Morgana in this life since she’d died as a young child.
Merlin was grateful when Ophelia returned to the kitchen. He needed to take his mind off the vision and focus on something else. He needed to save Arthur before it was too late. Even if the vision broke his heart to think about, he had to focus on the good he could do now. At least he had the consolation that Robin and Alice had reunited a few years after that vision. That would have to do for now.
Ophelia frowned at him. “Are you all right?”
Merlin guessed that his face didn’t do that great of a job hiding his unhappiness upon seeing that vision.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You have enough on your plate with Robin. What did you find out?” He asked her.
“I believe Bran and Gwydion should be returning in five minutes. Bran will be able to retrieve the cure for Arthur.” She assured him, her smile small.
Merlin could see she was thinking how she couldn’t save Robin. Merlin was grateful that Arthur was where he could see him, for all intents and purposes, safe and sound at home. Merlin knew Arthur was physically okay and not fatally injured or anything. And all Arthur needed was a cure.
Unfortunately Robin had been taken by the Prince of Darkness, and it was all too easy to imagine the worst was happening to him right now.
~ * ~
When Bran and Gwydion returned, Bran was all wet as if he’d been in the water.
“What were you two doing?” Ophelia asked them, eyeing them suspiciously.
“I might have jumped down a waterfall…” Bran began sheepishly. He saw Merlin there. “Oh hi Merlin.”
“Hi,” replied Merlin.
Gwydion only looked at Merlin like he was wondering what the hell he was doing here. Merlin remembered he and Gwydion had always had a strange familial relationship with one another.
He saw Gwydion as a loose cannon. Gwydion was the Merlin who was so intent on immortalizing his own brilliance that he was only steps away from losing sight of reality and letting magic consume him wholeheartedly.
And being raised for the first ten years of his life by the Prince of Darkness gave Gwydion a kind of experience that Merlin could never understand fully. Bran was one of the few people who could ground Gwydion, bring him down to earth in a way.
“That was five times, he jumped it,” Gwydion announced all too freely.
“I should’ve screwed your beak shut. Traitor,” Bran shot back at him amicably.
“Come on, Bran. Let’s get you dry. I need to tell you something too,” Ophelia told him.
Merlin could tell that Bran caught the serious tone in Ophelia’s voice for he nodded, frowning.
Ophelia took him up the stairs while Gwydion stayed with Merlin.
“So you remembered?”
“Yeah.”
“You sound so happy about it,” Gwydion indicated dryly.
“Unfortunately Arthur’s in trouble now. The Prince will kill him if I don’t cure him in the next six hours.”
“Where’s Arthur now?”
“He’s at home, in a coma in our bedroom. I need to get the cure-all from the World of Magic.”
“And you need my Raven Knife for that, right,” Gwydion said, understanding.
“Yeah.”
Merlin recalled that Gwydion had always seen the Knife as his since he was its maker. With Bran being the knife’s wielder, the Raven Knife was truly a knife of two owners: maker and wielder.
“I could keep an eye on him for you. Make sure he’s left alone in his current vulnerable state. The Prince of Darkness seems to avoid confronting me like the plague, so he won’t bother Arthur if I’m there. Not sure why that is, but it serves its purpose especially now.”
Merlin imagined that Gwydion’s father James had a hand in keeping the Prince away from his son.
“That’s a good idea, thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Gwydion flew away to do what he’d suggested.
When Bran came down with Ophelia, he looked as Merlin had expected: grim-faced and clearly in shock.
“Bran, if you can’t do it, that’s fine… I know you’re more concerned about Robin.”
Bran peered at his Raven Knife. He shook his head, looking carefully at Merlin. “That may be true, but I can’t do anything about Robin now. But getting the cure-all is something I can do. So there’s no point in debating the matter. I need to focus--” he took a deep breath, looking like he was doing his best to keep his composure. “—on completing this task for you. It won’t take long, I promise.”
“You should get Eilonwy to help you,” Ophelia suggested.
Bran nodded. “Yes, that’s a good idea,” he acknowledged. “Where’s Gwydion?” He asked Merlin.
“He decided to keep an eye on Arthur.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay,” Bran said curtly, still sounding like he wasn’t quite all there.
“It’s best I go in through Gwydion’s room,” declared Bran.
“Bran--” Ophelia started in, concerned.
“I’m fine, Ophelia. Honest,” he assured, albeit it felt weak to Merlin’s ears.
She squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Bran smiled lightly at her. “You can come and see Gwydion’s room if you like, Merlin,” he told him.
Ophelia gave Merlin a pointed look, and he acknowledged it, understanding that Bran was far from okay. And he also wondered if Bran would even be able to properly use the Raven Knife now.
He hated to say it, but Arthur’s Excalibur wasn’t as sophisticated as the Raven Knife. While both blades cut openings to travel into other worlds, Gwydion had built upon Excalibur. He put in advanced magic into the Raven Knife like the clever raven so the Raven Knife would have a sort of high-level artificial intelligence. But one thing remained relatively the same. Both blades would break if the wielder was emotionally compromised.
In his past life, Merlin recalled how Arthur had been largely unable to use Excalibur to travel to other worlds during the five years they’d had their riff post betrayal. When Merlin hadn’t forgiven him yet. Arthur had told him he’d felt the sword tense as if it were about to break and he’d been uncertain about using it. Clearly Arthur’s unhappiness at the sad state of his relationship with Merlin had a big role to play.
So that left Merlin worried for Bran and using the Raven Knife at this moment in time.
Bran showed Merlin into Gwydion’s room. Merlin was surprised, and reconsidering the fact that he really shouldn’t be.
Gwydion’s room was like walking into a forest with grass sprouting an assortment of colourful flowers, tall trees and Merlin swore there was a pond off in the distance.
“A little much, right?” Bran spoke up.
“For Gwydion, no, not really,” Merlin quipped with a small smile.
Bran smiled back at him.
Then he removed his Raven Knife from its sheath.
He watched as Bran moved to find that snag in the empty air to cut through. He remembered that during their exile, Arthur had explained to him how Excalibur cut openings into other worlds.
“I have to relax my mind, let it wander from my arm all the way down to Excalibur’s silver edge. I must focus, let myself become the very tip of the sword and then move purposefully, touching the empty air. All to seek that snag I can cut through, and then I’m able to slice into a different world. Of course I have to insure I make the opening big enough to enter through.”
Bran moved the Raven Knife to find that snag, but then Merlin heard a cawing sound in protest. It had to be the raven spirit inside the Knife.
The Knife slipped back inside its sheath of its own accord. Luckily the Raven Knife had this protective mechanism to keep it from breaking when Bran wasn’t in the right state to use it.
“Bran…”
“I think I just need a moment,” Bran uttered quietly.
“It’s okay. I understand you’re worried about Robin.”
“Probably it would have been better if Ophelia had told me after I got the cure-all.”
“Robin’s your family now, Bran. You had the right to know as soon as Ophelia could tell you. I’m not going to stand in the way,” he told Bran firmly, meaning it. “There’s still some time to help Arthur, don’t worry.”
Bran took a deep breath and then exhaled. He hung his head, grasping the hilt of the Raven Knife like a lifeline.
Merlin embraced him, which seemed to help Bran a little as he returned the hug.
Pulling away from him, Bran confided in him, “Even after I remembered my past life at five, I still couldn’t help but see Robin as my father. I guess five years of seeing him as nothing but that left a permanent impression on me.”
“Well I’m sure whatever’s happening to him now, he knows how lucky he is to know there are people who love him and want him back safe and sound. That’s what’ll keep him going.”
“I really hope he’s all right even if that feels like false hope.”
“I hope so too. Robin’s a good person. He deserves a happy ending, so to speak,” Merlin said with a smile.
He tried not to think of the future vision he had just seen of a 14-year old Robin and Morgaine. Instead, he chose to remember the other more reassuring vision a few years later when Alice returned to Robin and vowed to help him.
Bran gave him a weak smile in return, but the brief talk seemed to help him.
“I’m going to give the Knife another go,” Bran decided.
Fortunately this time, the black raven on the hilt flew down the blade until it reached the tip – becoming smaller as the animated bird arrived at that point. There was a fleeting glow at the tip as the opening was made, and then the glow subsided.
“Good luck,” Merlin wished him.
“Thanks. I won’t take long. Just an hour at the most.”
With that, Bran entered the opening, walking through it. After Merlin saw him seal the opening closed with his fingers, he left the room.
“Ophelia, I’m going back home. Bran said he’d only take about an hour,” he informed her.
“Yes of course. I know you want to be with Arthur now.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Yeah yeah. Go, I’ll be fine.”
“By the way,” Merlin couldn’t resist asking. “Who is Eilonwy? You mentioned her earlier to Bran.”
“She’s Gwydion’s half-sister who lives in the World of Magic. And consequently, Eilonwy is our go-to person in that world. She’s twenty four now.”
“So James is her father?”
Ophelia nodded. “He’s still able to have children… it’s a bit surreal, but James is a god so he can still father children if he wants to.”
Brigit was one of James’ children then, Merlin recalled that vision with her and Gwydion he’d had weeks ago. Terrible luck that she was made into a vampire though.
“Well I’d better go. You’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. I think James should be seeing me soon. I’ll be fine,” Ophelia told him.
“I’m sorry about Robin,” Merlin told her.
“Thanks. And you too with Arthur.”
He nodded, acknowledging the thought, and left.
“Hey,” Merlin said to Gwydion.
His cousin – which seemed weird to think of Gwydion as such considering he was a bluebird now – was settled in a conjured nest on an empty space at the table.
Cavall and Lux were also in the room, doing their part to guard Arthur. Although maybe Lux just followed Cavall so he wouldn’t be alone. Cavall was lying on the floor beside the bed while a playful Lux attempted to get his attention by climbing up on him.
Merlin pet Lux when the pup moved to greet him.
“Smart dogs you have,” remarked Gwydion. “If Cavall was just an average Elkhound, he’d probably be waiting to get his teeth into me.”
“Yeah well he has Arthur’s daemon Krola inside him – how, I don’t know. That must make him more aware that you’re not just an ordinary bird.”
“Yes, you’re right about that.”
“Ophelia didn’t get the chance to tell you about Robin…”
“Oh don’t worry about that. I know. My father came by and told me. Absolutely terrible that the Prince took Robin, but my father will do what he can to get him back. I have faith he will.”
Then Gwydion offered, “I could tell you a little about how the World of Magic is now.”
“All right,” Merlin agreed, sitting down. “Go ahead. I figure with everyone possessing magic that they don’t have the usual transport like cars or the Tube or airplanes.”
“No, adults – once they pass the teleport test – can magically go from one place to another. For an alternative transport, there are winged horses. Usually dragons are reserved to be ridden by Dragonlords as dragons are notoriously proud and stubborn creatures. Though there are dragons bred to be smaller than average and those can have human riders, if you’re willing to put in the effort needed to work with such a magical creature. But that dragon issue was present way back in our past lives, so that’s nothing new.”
Gwydion continued, “Since children can’t magically teleport yet – at least legally – there’s a way for them to get around by magic means. The most popular winged creature used as a travel device is a dog. Some of the dogs look like your dog Lux but with wings. There’s a parental lock on the winged dogs to limit where the children can go…usually just locally.”
“And what about traveling to other worlds? Like what the Raven Knife and Excalibur do?”
“The average person, at least in the World of Magic’s Camelot, can’t travel to other worlds. It’s limited to just traveling within the world. If you’re really into travel, if you’re very wealthy – the wealth part is important – and you know the right people, then you may get a world-traveling device at an exorbitant cost. The Raven Knife and Excalibur are special in that they weren’t bought and were ‘destined’ to be meant for one wielder. Other world-traveling devices can be programmed to accept the commands of more than one person. Of course that feature costs extra, so most just stick to just one ‘wielder’.”
“I guess Bran’s lucky then that the Raven Knife you made was meant for him,” Merlin said. “I know in his past life, he had that diamond he used to travel to other worlds before the Knife, but--”
“The Raven Knife is much sleeker, sophisticated and could be used as a weapon when need be.”
“And the Knife is priceless; it united you and Bran together.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Gwydion acknowledged.
“How is Camelot in that world now? Still as impressive as centuries ago?”
“Well the city has gotten bigger, but it’s generally still a place where residents enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and are happy to live there. Queen Madeline, a direct descendant of King Merlin, currently rules Camelot. She was elected, but we magic users see the world differently, and Camelot citizens believe in the importance of keeping someone of King Merlin’s bloodline in power. Since King Merlin was the harbinger of the city’s Golden Age, people don’t want to tempt fate by choosing someone not related to King Merlin by blood. It’s with good cause as it looks like Camelot is experiencing an eternal Golden Age.”
“Compared to this world where Camelot is only a story of myth and legend.”
“Yeah. Funny how things can be so different from one world to the next.”
Then a portal opened up and a woman in her twenties with sandy brown hair stepped out of it. Merlin guessed that she was Eilonwy, Gwydion’s half-sister.
She was wearing a shaded purple and blue ruffled skirt. Rather amusingly, she also wore a fitted T-shirt with Merlin à la Disney’s Sword in the Stone flailing his hands about in dismay as the errant sugar pot poured too much sugar into his cup.
But the most important thing was that Eilonwy held a vial in her hand. Merlin sincerely hoped that was the cure-all.
“Nice shirt, Eilonwy,” said Gwydion in a tone that clearly suggested he was far from fond of the shirt.
Eilonwy smiled at him, sweeping her hand across his little body. “I thought of you when I saw this shirt. I couldn’t not buy it. I was thinking of making a little bird-sized shirt just for you,” she teased him.
“Not in a million years,” said Gwydion stubbornly. He stepped backwards to increase his distance from his mischievous sister.
Eilonwy turned to Merlin. “Hello, I’m Eilonwy, Gwydion’s half-sister. Bran wanted me to give you the cure-all,” she indicated, handing him the vial. “Oh, and Gwydion, Bran’s at Rosebrooke. He wants to see you there.”
“All right. I’ll go there.”
Then Gwydion disappeared.
Merlin peered at the clear vial. It looked like golden fairy dust that glowed.
“There are instructions for how to apply it. Only a little bit will be needed. I need to take the rest of it back home since the cure-all is under very restricted access. You can only use it for Arthur to save him.”
“Okay. How did you get here to this world if Bran’s not with you?”
“Oh! Well my father gave me this hummingbird device,” she said, indicating the small silver, blue and gold hummingbird she had appear in her hand. “It was a gift for my 21st birthday. I can’t visit every world in existence since Father put a lock on the hummingbird. He can be overprotective. But still, I can travel to this world. That’s what matters now.”
“So how do you use this cure-all?”
“You let a small bit of the fairy dust fall directly over his heart. The fairy dust will remove the dark magic surrounding his body, which takes some time, and cures him fully by the end of the process.”
With Athena’s help, Merlin made sure he put a bit of the cure-all over exactly where Arthur’s heart was. The curing fairy dust appeared to work as it lifted the dark magic the Prince had put on him.
“Bran wanted me to give you this,” Eilonwy told him as the cure-all worked its magic on Arthur. “A member of the Inventor group of the White Diamond Clan was selling some of his wares while Bran was there. Bran thought you’d like a diamond phoenix because of your phoenix daemon. With your magic, you can alter the phoenix to have feathers or change the colouring on it. The one thing you can’t change though is size.”
Eilonwy showed him the little phoenix that was about the size, maybe slightly bigger, of the lynx Merlin had had. Half the size of his palm. The phoenix was made of blue diamond with interesting golden accents throughout the miniature bird.
Merlin appreciated the small gift. He was glad that he would be able to make adjustments to make the phoenix resemble Zlota more. Particularly his daemon’s scarlet-gold colouring. Although how it looked now wasn’t half-bad either. And the phoenix was a sentient creature like the lynx had been.
He couldn’t help but smile as the phoenix moved about his palm and spread her wings a bit. Just seeing a phoenix again, moving about, made him feel like he had Zlota back again. A silly thought maybe since this clearly wasn’t Zlota, but he still couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
Merlin wished there was a way to repay Bran for getting the cure-all and buying this miniature phoenix for him.
Arthur began to stir, Cavall’s ears perking up at the same time.
“I should go. The cure-all’s working, so I’ll just take the rest of it back home. I’m glad I could help,” Eilonwy told him with a smile.
Merlin returned the vial to her.
“Thank you. It was nice to meet you too. Maybe we can see each other again, under more pleasant circumstances.”
“Yeah, that’d be good.”
After she gave him a small wave, Eilonwy exited via the portal, and the opening soon closed up after her departure.
Merlin decided to remove the Diamantine Compass from his forearm. He felt it was time to let the Compass go for now. He’d store it for now and maybe use the Compass later if there was really something pressing he felt the need to know.
He put down the phoenix inside Gwydion’s nest he’d left behind. Merlin thought the nest looked too empty so the phoenix just had to be there. Athena took out the Compass for him, and with the diamond device came out the golden box from his father. Merlin set both on the table.
His attention was drawn to the phoenix in the nest, which Athena had altered all too easily to look more like a phoenix with feathers and scarlet-gold colours. It was just as Merlin remembered Zlota. The miniature phoenix was perfect.
He sighed though. What he wouldn’t give to have his daemon Zlota back. Lux was great, and he was quite fond of his dog, but it simply wasn’t the same as it was in his past life when he had Zlota by his side. For now, in this life, he just had to learn to continue to cope with not having a daemon. He stroked the phoenix’s feathers, trying his best not to shed a tear. It wouldn’t do him any good or solve anything.
“You miss Zlota, don’t you?”
Merlin nearly jumped when Arthur spoke up behind him.
“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed. He hugged him, grateful to see him alive and well, the Prince’s curse thwarted. Arthur's eyes were their normal perfect blue -- as far from the unnerving black of before as possible. He kissed Arthur for good measure, Arthur reciprocating just as enthusiastically. Merlin kept walking backwards until his movement was halted by a wall. They kept their lips locked in earnest the whole time.
“I guess we have a lot to talk about since we’ve both remembered our past lives,” Arthur declared after he reluctantly pulled away.
Merlin nodded. “I should tell you about Athena.”
Arthur raised his brow. “Athena?”
“Yeah. She’s my magic. She named herself. I even saw her as a human manifestation not long ago.”
“Okay, I’m thinking what you’ve been through lately is far more interesting than what I’ve gone through. Now I don’t recall your magic working like that in our past lives. I don’t see that being a detail you’d keep from me.”
“It’s just in this life. Trust me. Her presence was as much a surprise to me as it is to you now,” Merlin assured him. “I have to admit that having her with me helps with not having Zlota…” Merlin decided.
Merlin could feel Athena’s pleasure at his sincere remark.
“Well then I’m glad you have her. Are you really related to Snow White and Cinderella – their incarnations or whatever?”
“Yes, that’s true. Who told you that?”
“Had a couple of run-ins with our favorite enemy the Prince of Darkness. Next time I see him I want to kill him. Even an immortal man can be killed somehow,” Arthur declared hopefully.
“Yeah you’re right. There has to be a way,” Merlin said with a nod.
Merlin was puzzled by the sudden odd feeling that was now overcoming him. It felt like his heart was being squeezed, and he couldn’t breathe.
He. Couldn’t Breathe.
“Art--hur--” Merlin said softly, feeling alarmed and a bit afraid.
He collapsed. The last thing he heard was Arthur’s stricken exclamation of, “Merlin!” as he rushed to his side and the pitter patter of paws approaching him.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 & Epilogue
“Gwydion, Gwydion…” Bran kept repeating weakly. Then he stopped, maybe too exhausted from fighting the illness.
Ophelia checked his brow. “He’s really burning up. Nothing’s working,” she said worriedly.
She stroked Bran’s hair, attempting to comfort him. In too quiet whispers, Bran started speaking in Latin, the words didn’t make coherent sense like he was grasping for words that weren’t coming out right.
“We have to get him to hospital if it continues like this,” Robin decided.
Gwydion spoke from his present perch on Bran’s upper arm. “But since this is an echo of the illness the Prince of Darkness put on him in his previous life, then…”
“No. You’re not transferring the illness on to yourself,” Robin shot down. “You’re a bird now, Gwydion. We don’t know how that’ll affect you. And you know that Bran will be upset with you for risking your life like that,” he reminded him.
“But I can’t just watch him die. My magic isn’t even working on him. I don’t like not being able to help Bran get better,” Gwydion argued.
Then Ophelia spoke up, suggesting, “We should put Bran in a lukewarm bath. To cool his body down.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Robin agreed. “And Gwydion, I understand how frustrated you feel. Believe me, I feel the same way. I know we have an unconventional set-up here, but I’m the oldest here in terms of this reincarnated life now. So I’m pulling rank now. If you could respect my decisions, then I’d appreciate it. If we cooperate, then Bran will get better.”
After a pause, Gwydion assented, bowing his feathery head. “Okay, Robin.”
“Thank you,” Robin said. Then he lifted Bran into his arms.
“Gwydion?” Bran asked for him again in a whisper.
“Yes, I’m here, always,” Gwydion assured him.
Bran reached out to pet him, and then he turned his head toward Robin’s chest as if he wanted to hide away from the world.
“It’ll be all right,” Robin comforted him quietly as he slowly carried him out of the room to the bathroom.
Walking beside Robin, Ophelia stroked Bran’s hair. “Poor, poor Bran,” she said sympathetically.
Gwydion just stayed on Bran’s chest, quietly hoping for some sort of small miracle.
~ * ~
After finishing with Arthur, the Prince of Darkness stepped out of the house. He looked across the street where Gwydion was living with his strange little family.
The Prince could sense that Bran was very sick. He looked up at the night sky, knowing that someone was eavesdropping. It had to be James. There were limitations on what he could do, but oh, could the god of unnatural magic be an eavesdropper like the best of them.
“I’m not going to make a habit out of this,” the Prince said out loud to himself.
He whispered a few words under his breath. The spell was done. Yet he felt his eyes changing. Upon conjuring a lit mirror, the Prince realized his eyes were now a normal blue, the eye colour he’d been born with.
“Go back to how you were,” he commanded them.
And his eyes returned to their full black colour.
Maybe Morgaine was right. Maybe he was acting off lately.
This immortal life was taking a toll on him.
“I feel better,” Bran declared. It was not long after Robin had put him back into bed after his bath.
Robin pressed his hand to Bran’s brow to check his temperature. It felt normal. Gwydion checked Bran’s vitals with his magic, with Bran assuring him that he really did feel better. Inexplicable the recovery may be, but it appeared to be real. Gwydion hoped it wasn’t a fluke and Bran wouldn’t relapse.
“Bran’s okay,” Gwydion announced after his check.
“Oh my goodness,” Ophelia uttered with a smile. She hugged Bran to her.
“Could you guess who did it? Like maybe James?” Robin wondered.
“My father may dislike it, but he generally has to stay out of human affairs like healing people. I’m sure he would have helped Bran in a heartbeat if he’d been allowed to. I can’t tell if this was just Bran defeating it on his own. The lukewarm bath might have helped, but I don’t think this is just temporary relief from that. I think he’s well and truly better. There may have been external help from somewhere,” Gwydion said, honestly puzzled.
“I’m better. That’s what counts. We should focus on that,” pointed out Bran.
“Well we’re talking about Gwydion here,” Robin reminded him.
“Can’t rest until the mystery is unravelled,” Ophelia nodded.
“Of course a mystery is meant to be solved,” Gwydion said.
“Oh Gwydion, don’t ever change,” Bran told him. Gwydion was on his finger now.
“What’s there to change? I’m perfect,” he said smartly. He was pleased as Bran stroked him gently.
“I love you,” said Gwydion solemnly to Bran via mind-to-mind communication.
“I love you too, my little bird,” said Bran silently in affectionate reply.
“Someone must hate me,” Merlin declared to no one, well, maybe Athena and a sleeping Lux.
Because when he’d opened the door to his and Arthur’s home, what looked like Cavall transformed into a white wolf and a black wolf that might have been the Prince’s pet were fighting each other in a battle to the death.
Seriously, this sort of stuff should be restricted to nature documentaries. Merlin really wasn’t too enthused about seeing animals attack each other before his eyes. Especially considering wolves weren’t exactly his favorite animals as they’d scared him when he was younger.
And now lucky him, he had a front row seat to watch two battling wolves.
Yet he shoved his fears aside because Arthur was his priority now. He would just have to brave getting past the wolves and hope they didn’t turn their bloodthirsty attentions on him.
“I could store Lux in the Compass for you,” Athena suggested.
“Good idea. The wolves might see him as a free meal,” Merlin said.
After Athena had put Lux inside the Compass, Merlin opened the door again.
The two wolves were still going at it. The black wolf had a small puncture wound to his side. When the dark wolf saw Merlin enter, the wolf growled in threat at him and made to leap in his direction.
“Fuck!” Merlin just managed to cry before the white wolf got in the black wolf’s way.
Merlin fell to the ground as the white wolf protectively covered Merlin with his body.
Then the white wolf -- Cavall, Krola whoever the creature truly was -- growled in warning at the black wolf.
The white wolf pounced on the darker wolf and forced him to the ground. Merlin watched in entranced horror and a twisted delight at the white wolf got the upper hand over the black wolf. The lighter creature started ripping the black wolf to shreds. The defeated creature only whined in pain and misery as it lay near death.
“Cavall!” Merlin exclaimed, trying to get him to stop, but the white wolf was too intent on his eating his enemy. Then he changed tact and called him by a different name, “Krola! It’s over, you did it.”
Nothing. The white wolf didn’t stop.
“Krolewska, just stop now. The black wolf’s finished,” Merlin said, choosing Krola’s full name and hoping that would make the necessary impact.
It fortunately did. Cavall looked at him, returning to his Norwegian Elkhound form.
“Good dog,” Merlin praised him, patting him on the head when he came up to greet him. “And if you’re really in there, it’s good to see you again, Krola,” he said to Arthur’s white wolf daemon of his past life.
Cavall licked his hand happily.
Merlin asked Athena to release Lux now, and she did. He took his puppy and placed him in his doggy bed. Cavall followed after him.
He got an unwanted message from the Prince of Darkness when he returned to the black wolf’s corpse. There was note written with a white pen on black paper saying that the black wolf wasn’t really the Prince’s wolf. Like he’d be dumb enough to leave his actual wolf with Cavall. No, the black wolf was a conjured substitute.
Merlin tore the paper after he’d read it. Whatever. He was sure Cavall as a white wolf would have defeated the Prince’s actual wolf pet just as well as he’d had the substitute.
Merlin couldn’t find Arthur on the ground floor. Cavall nudged him with his nose, directing him to go up the stairs.
Arthur was sleeping on their bed, but Merlin could tell that it wasn’t a natural sleep. He didn’t move and instead, remained lying down on the bed, his face up. Arthur’s hands were clasped together over his stomach. At least Merlin could see him breathing, steadily inhaling and exhaling softly. So he was still alive, thank goodness.
Then he saw the glass bell jar on an equally conjured round table. Merlin immediately thought of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, but in this case, the rose was a black one. Fitting, Merlin mused, since the Prince was clearly behind this. He bet the only colour rose the Prince could conjure up was a pitch black one.
There was yet another message from the Prince of Darkness – same black stationary, white ink – telling Merlin what would happen to Arthur if he didn’t save him in time.
The note said:
”Well you could probably guess the score here. If you don’t find the right cure for Arthur by the time the last rose petal falls, then he will never wake up and he will die.
That gives you, oh, about twelve hours. That rose has a little charm on it to make it die faster.
I sincerely hope you fail.
The Prince of Darkness”
Merlin swore. He guessed that his magic wouldn’t help Arthur then. Of course the Prince wouldn’t make it that easy.
As he saw one rose petal fall from the enchanted dark rose, Merlin turned to the Diamantine Compass. He asked the device what and where the cure was.
But the Compass proved no help.
“Answer locked by the Prince of Darkness because, and quote “I’m not a fucking idiot” end quote.”
So it seemed that the Prince could even prevent the Compass from releasing certain information. Maybe the Prince could have been behind the Compass not telling Merlin who he meant to kill with that cursed tree. Of course now Merlin knew that it had to be Bran since he was an incarnation – fitting the “not an adult but not quite a child either” puzzle Merlin had been perplexed by before.
Merlin went over to Arthur. He knelt down beside him. “Athena, is there anything you can do?” He asked futilely.
“Well, I could suggest that the cure for Arthur is most likely in King Merlin’s world, the World of Magic. If there’s any world that would have a magic cure, then it’d be that world.”
“Not to mention it’s the Prince’s birth world too,” Merlin noted with a sigh.
“And there’s the Raven Knife…” Athena reminded him of the Knife with the ability to travel to other worlds.
Merlin nodded. “I have to go talk to Bran and Gwydion. I’m sure they’ll help.”
“Don’t worry, Arthur. I’ll save you,” he promised Arthur.
He leaned over Arthur and kissed him on the lips.
Then with a heavy heart, Merlin left the room with Cavall following after him.
He realized that he should probably eat something though. His stomach was complaining of the lack of food. He grabbed a pear from the fruit bowl, but then Cavall barked suddenly. The Elkhound sounded like he was warning Merlin of something.
“What is it, boy?” Merlin asked, puzzled.
Cavall only whined in response.
“Well then,” said Merlin. He replaced the pear he’d grabbed and took a plum instead to eat.
Cavall growled, but Merlin ignored him. He wasn’t sure what the dog’s problem was. I mean, it wasn’t like he was eating a poisoned apple. He wasn’t going to put himself into that mess with the aura of fairytales so strong around him these days.
But when he bit into the plum, and after he swallowed, he started choking. Merlin swore silently. Were plums not safe anymore either? This was ridiculous.
The Prince of Darkness appeared. He grabbed a red apple in mockery and bit into it himself. He watched, unhelpfully of course, as Merlin fell to the ground, continuing to choke. Merlin grasped at his throat as he tried in vain to breathe.
Cavall growled at the Prince. Lux had woken up too and he was barking his high alert bark, seeing something was wrong with Merlin.
“Fairytales, aren’t they a bitch?” The Prince said casually, taking another bite of the red apple. “You know why Gwydion was reborn as a sweet little bluebird in the Fairytale World? His godly father was aiming to protect him, knowing he’d be safe there amongst the kind-hearted princesses and loving forest creatures. But of course Gwydion returned to Bran’s side in this world like a bee is attracted to honey. It’s unfortunate, really, that your father Hephaestion gave up his god’s status. He could have protected you too, you know. Oh well…too late now.”
And the last thing Merlin saw before he lost consciousness was the Prince of Darkness magically disappear, leaving Merlin to his fate.
Sunlight streamed through the window when Merlin woke up. It was early morning. He gasped out for breath. To his astonishment, he saw Athena as a human manifestation beside him, leaning over him like she had just kissed him. She had long black hair down to her waist and light clear blue eyes. She was in a Tudor-style blue dress for some inexplicable reason.
“What…how?” Merlin uttered in question. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. “I thought I would die.”
“I was worried too,” Athena said quietly. “I wasn’t able to help you when you lost consciousness. I tried and tried. But finally I got through. It was the lynx your father left you, Merlin. The compressed magic the lynx possessed saved you when my magic couldn’t. I told you it would prove helpful one day. I had to transfer the lynx’s magic with a kiss.”
She smiled radiantly at him, a golden sheen glowing off her human shape.
“Thank you,” Merlin told her sincerely. “The lynx is gone now? Even as just a miniature figurine?”
“Yes. I used up all the magical power of the lynx. She performed the task she was meant to: saving your life. After that, the lynx had no reason to remain.”
So the Prince had been wrong, Merlin thought. Despite his father giving up being a god, he still had the ability to protect his son long after his death. The lynx, Perija, had been there when he needed her most.
“I never expected to see you like this,” Merlin noted.
“Nor I, but it’s nice seeing you from this perspective,” Athena told him. She embraced him, and he reciprocated easily.
After the hug, Merlin voiced, “I only have a few hours now to get the cure for Arthur, don’t I?” He looked at the clear signs of dawn reigning over the land.
“About six hours. There’s still time,” Athena reassured him.
After Athena returned to her place inside of Merlin, he pet Lux and Cavall affectionately. He hoped the two dogs had gotten some sleep during the night.
He stood up, intent on obtaining the cure and saving Arthur.
When Merlin rung the doorbell, Ophelia answered it. Merlin was concerned when Ophelia looked sad. Something bad had happened.
“What is it?” He asked her as Ophelia let him in to the house.
She put her hand over her mouth, and shook her head. The mobile she held in her hand almost dropped to the ground.
Before the device hit the ground, Merlin used his magic to summon the mobile to his hand. “Sorry, here,” he said, moving to hand the mobile back.
“No,” Ophelia declined, stopping Merlin from returning the mobile to her. “It’s – Robin, he left not long ago. Just to Rosebrooke, but I got this message from the Prince and--”
Merlin looked down, really looking at the mobile’s screen now. The message was still on the phone.
And it appeared that the Prince wasn’t just putting Arthur in danger.
The text message was:
I have Robin. Don’t bother with getting James’ help. Robin will suffer more if you do. You have my word.
The Prince of Darkness
Merlin looked up from reading the grim message. Ophelia appeared to be trying her best to not cry.
“Ophelia, I’m so sorry,” Merlin said sympathetically.
“It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The Prince has always been interested in giving us problems, seeing how much he can mess with our lives. Alice’s death was no accident, for one.”
“I wish I could help… what do you think you’ll do?” He asked her.
She shrugged, looking defeated. “It’s too new now. I can’t quite even comprehend losing Robin much less think how to save him. I haven’t told Bran or Gwydion yet as they’ve gone to the Fairytale World. I got the Prince’s message after they left. I don’t know how to even begin to tell them… oh god,” she breathed out. Merlin embraced her as she looked like she really needed it.
“I’m sure James is aware of this. I know the Prince warned against him helping, but maybe James can figure a way around it. Don’t give up hope,” Merlin advised her gently.
“Yeah, I’ll try,” Ophelia said softly. She pulled away from him, and hurriedly swiped at her wet eyes. “Anyway, what’s brought you here?”
“Arthur’s in a forced coma at home. The Prince threatened to kill him if I don’t get the cure in time. I thought the cure would be in the World of Magic. But with Robin in danger, I don’t want to impose… I know you’ll have to tell Bran and Gwydion about Robin, and they’ll be focused on getting him back. I could try contacting James, maybe.”
“No, no, it’s all right. I wouldn’t stand for anyone to die as a result of the Prince’s scheming. Bran and Gwydion will help you,” she assured him firmly, leaving no room for argument. “The cure for Arthur is the cure-all in the World of Magic as you thought. It’s one of the most potent magical medicines in that world, which you can assume from its name. The cure-all was only developed a few decades ago. It’s dreadfully expensive too, but Bran can get a hold of it.”
“Thank you,” said Merlin. He was grateful to hear that Athena’s guess had been right.
“I can check when Bran and Gwydion will return. It shouldn’t be too long now. They said they’d only be going for a little bit. I almost wish I hadn’t let them go since Bran was sick just yesterday. I worry he’ll relapse, but Bran insisted he’s feeling better than ever.”
“I’m glad he’s okay. Shame he got ill soon after the Tauren incident…” Merlin remarked.
“Yeah,” Ophelia agreed. “Bran needed a break in another world. At least he’s with Gwydion, so that eases my mind.”
“Oh and if you’re hungry, feel free to take anything you like from the fridge,” Ophelia offered.
Then she went up the stairs to check on when Bran and Gwydion would come back.
Merlin planned on avoiding any sort of fruit like the plague. He settled on yoghurt and some cereal with a glass of water.
Unfortunately, he was struck by another future vision in the midst of his early breakfast.
This time, he witnessed someone dead on the floor of the same castle he’d seen before. Sadly the dead woman looked like Morgana. Back in the days of Camelot, she’d been Arthur’s adopted sister.
She looked the same age – mid to late thirties -- as she had when he’d seen her as a ghost that time at work, a time that seemed like forever ago now.
A short distance away from the body, he saw who he assumed to be Morgaine. The Morgaine King Merlin had told him about.
Robin and Alice looked a few years younger here. Fourteen maybe? They were being forcibly restrained and kept separated from one another.
“You killed our mother. You will regret that,” warned Robin solemnly.
“But that day is not today,” Morgaine said unconcernedly. “I think you’ll like the punishment I have for you,” she said to him. She caressed his cheek in a falsely affectionate fashion. “The outside world can be such a mean place for those as handsome and charming as you. I’ve half a mind to take you myself.”
“Leave Robin alone!” Alice exclaimed.
“Gag her,” Morgaine ordered.
“You will fall,” Robin shot back at her defiantly, trying desperately to get out of the hold Morgaine’s men had him in. “The worlds might be starting to collapse, but there is still hope.”
“Well I do wish you luck with that quaint little notion,” said Morgaine insincerely with a hollow laugh. “You’ll be trapped in this castle for the rest of your life. You’ll suffer a very painful death if you try to leave. So don’t even think you can rescue your sister. You won’t be able to.”
“Take Alice away,” she directed the men with her. “She’ll be known as Rapunzel now.”
Alice was shaking her head wildly, attempting in vain to speak through her gag.
“I have something to take care of. Leave without me,” Morgaine informed her accomplices. They departed with a frustrated Alice who tried to unsuccessfully kick at the men holding her.
Once they were gone, Morgaine turned her attention to Robin. She had frozen him in place after she’d told the two guards restraining him to leave.
“How selfish of you to keep your sister considering the magical qualities of her hair.”
“You’re the one who wants to use her for selfish reasons,” Robin pointed out, glaring at her.
Morgaine looked amused. “You’re – untouched, are you not?”
“What are you talking about?” He asked.
“I think we can come to an arrangement,” she said softly, a smirk on her face. “After all, I can’t have you be alone all the time in this cold castle. There may be times when you need a little warmth,” Morgaine said the last word with dark intent.
Merlin didn’t miss what her aim was and by the look of Robin’s wide nervous eyes, he didn’t either.
She cupped her perfectly-manicured hand over his cheek in cruel tenderness.
Robin couldn’t shy away from her as he was frozen in place, and he could only hang his head in defeat. A tear fell down his cheek, which Morgaine wiped away a little too hard. Blood appeared where the skin was cut by her sharp nail.
The vision ended and it left Merlin desperately wanting to forget this. He didn’t know how he’d be able to go through with getting the cure for Arthur when half his mind was on Robin’s grim future life. It hurt to think about it. Now he understood how Robin turned out to be so broken when Alice reunited with him four years later.
He wondered where was he during this period of time? Had he even been reincarnated yet at that point? Merlin would have liked to think he would have helped if he had been alive during that time. Then again, he might not have been aware of the situation due to not remembering his past lives and the visions he was seeing now.
He couldn’t help if he didn’t know where the help was needed.
“It was like you guessed before. Morgana was – or will be – Robin and Alice’s mother,” Athena brought up to him quietly. She probably sensed that Merlin’s mind was in turmoil.
“Yes,” Merlin said with a sigh. “She would be a good mother, I’d imagine. After all, Morgana was a good person back in Camelot. She was the last person to deserve that fate, to be forced into the position of killing herself,” he said sadly.
It was also unfortunate that Arthur never really got to know Morgana in this life since she’d died as a young child.
Merlin was grateful when Ophelia returned to the kitchen. He needed to take his mind off the vision and focus on something else. He needed to save Arthur before it was too late. Even if the vision broke his heart to think about, he had to focus on the good he could do now. At least he had the consolation that Robin and Alice had reunited a few years after that vision. That would have to do for now.
Ophelia frowned at him. “Are you all right?”
Merlin guessed that his face didn’t do that great of a job hiding his unhappiness upon seeing that vision.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You have enough on your plate with Robin. What did you find out?” He asked her.
“I believe Bran and Gwydion should be returning in five minutes. Bran will be able to retrieve the cure for Arthur.” She assured him, her smile small.
Merlin could see she was thinking how she couldn’t save Robin. Merlin was grateful that Arthur was where he could see him, for all intents and purposes, safe and sound at home. Merlin knew Arthur was physically okay and not fatally injured or anything. And all Arthur needed was a cure.
Unfortunately Robin had been taken by the Prince of Darkness, and it was all too easy to imagine the worst was happening to him right now.
~ * ~
When Bran and Gwydion returned, Bran was all wet as if he’d been in the water.
“What were you two doing?” Ophelia asked them, eyeing them suspiciously.
“I might have jumped down a waterfall…” Bran began sheepishly. He saw Merlin there. “Oh hi Merlin.”
“Hi,” replied Merlin.
Gwydion only looked at Merlin like he was wondering what the hell he was doing here. Merlin remembered he and Gwydion had always had a strange familial relationship with one another.
He saw Gwydion as a loose cannon. Gwydion was the Merlin who was so intent on immortalizing his own brilliance that he was only steps away from losing sight of reality and letting magic consume him wholeheartedly.
And being raised for the first ten years of his life by the Prince of Darkness gave Gwydion a kind of experience that Merlin could never understand fully. Bran was one of the few people who could ground Gwydion, bring him down to earth in a way.
“That was five times, he jumped it,” Gwydion announced all too freely.
“I should’ve screwed your beak shut. Traitor,” Bran shot back at him amicably.
“Come on, Bran. Let’s get you dry. I need to tell you something too,” Ophelia told him.
Merlin could tell that Bran caught the serious tone in Ophelia’s voice for he nodded, frowning.
Ophelia took him up the stairs while Gwydion stayed with Merlin.
“So you remembered?”
“Yeah.”
“You sound so happy about it,” Gwydion indicated dryly.
“Unfortunately Arthur’s in trouble now. The Prince will kill him if I don’t cure him in the next six hours.”
“Where’s Arthur now?”
“He’s at home, in a coma in our bedroom. I need to get the cure-all from the World of Magic.”
“And you need my Raven Knife for that, right,” Gwydion said, understanding.
“Yeah.”
Merlin recalled that Gwydion had always seen the Knife as his since he was its maker. With Bran being the knife’s wielder, the Raven Knife was truly a knife of two owners: maker and wielder.
“I could keep an eye on him for you. Make sure he’s left alone in his current vulnerable state. The Prince of Darkness seems to avoid confronting me like the plague, so he won’t bother Arthur if I’m there. Not sure why that is, but it serves its purpose especially now.”
Merlin imagined that Gwydion’s father James had a hand in keeping the Prince away from his son.
“That’s a good idea, thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Gwydion flew away to do what he’d suggested.
When Bran came down with Ophelia, he looked as Merlin had expected: grim-faced and clearly in shock.
“Bran, if you can’t do it, that’s fine… I know you’re more concerned about Robin.”
Bran peered at his Raven Knife. He shook his head, looking carefully at Merlin. “That may be true, but I can’t do anything about Robin now. But getting the cure-all is something I can do. So there’s no point in debating the matter. I need to focus--” he took a deep breath, looking like he was doing his best to keep his composure. “—on completing this task for you. It won’t take long, I promise.”
“You should get Eilonwy to help you,” Ophelia suggested.
Bran nodded. “Yes, that’s a good idea,” he acknowledged. “Where’s Gwydion?” He asked Merlin.
“He decided to keep an eye on Arthur.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay,” Bran said curtly, still sounding like he wasn’t quite all there.
“It’s best I go in through Gwydion’s room,” declared Bran.
“Bran--” Ophelia started in, concerned.
“I’m fine, Ophelia. Honest,” he assured, albeit it felt weak to Merlin’s ears.
She squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Bran smiled lightly at her. “You can come and see Gwydion’s room if you like, Merlin,” he told him.
Ophelia gave Merlin a pointed look, and he acknowledged it, understanding that Bran was far from okay. And he also wondered if Bran would even be able to properly use the Raven Knife now.
He hated to say it, but Arthur’s Excalibur wasn’t as sophisticated as the Raven Knife. While both blades cut openings to travel into other worlds, Gwydion had built upon Excalibur. He put in advanced magic into the Raven Knife like the clever raven so the Raven Knife would have a sort of high-level artificial intelligence. But one thing remained relatively the same. Both blades would break if the wielder was emotionally compromised.
In his past life, Merlin recalled how Arthur had been largely unable to use Excalibur to travel to other worlds during the five years they’d had their riff post betrayal. When Merlin hadn’t forgiven him yet. Arthur had told him he’d felt the sword tense as if it were about to break and he’d been uncertain about using it. Clearly Arthur’s unhappiness at the sad state of his relationship with Merlin had a big role to play.
So that left Merlin worried for Bran and using the Raven Knife at this moment in time.
Bran showed Merlin into Gwydion’s room. Merlin was surprised, and reconsidering the fact that he really shouldn’t be.
Gwydion’s room was like walking into a forest with grass sprouting an assortment of colourful flowers, tall trees and Merlin swore there was a pond off in the distance.
“A little much, right?” Bran spoke up.
“For Gwydion, no, not really,” Merlin quipped with a small smile.
Bran smiled back at him.
Then he removed his Raven Knife from its sheath.
He watched as Bran moved to find that snag in the empty air to cut through. He remembered that during their exile, Arthur had explained to him how Excalibur cut openings into other worlds.
“I have to relax my mind, let it wander from my arm all the way down to Excalibur’s silver edge. I must focus, let myself become the very tip of the sword and then move purposefully, touching the empty air. All to seek that snag I can cut through, and then I’m able to slice into a different world. Of course I have to insure I make the opening big enough to enter through.”
Bran moved the Raven Knife to find that snag, but then Merlin heard a cawing sound in protest. It had to be the raven spirit inside the Knife.
The Knife slipped back inside its sheath of its own accord. Luckily the Raven Knife had this protective mechanism to keep it from breaking when Bran wasn’t in the right state to use it.
“Bran…”
“I think I just need a moment,” Bran uttered quietly.
“It’s okay. I understand you’re worried about Robin.”
“Probably it would have been better if Ophelia had told me after I got the cure-all.”
“Robin’s your family now, Bran. You had the right to know as soon as Ophelia could tell you. I’m not going to stand in the way,” he told Bran firmly, meaning it. “There’s still some time to help Arthur, don’t worry.”
Bran took a deep breath and then exhaled. He hung his head, grasping the hilt of the Raven Knife like a lifeline.
Merlin embraced him, which seemed to help Bran a little as he returned the hug.
Pulling away from him, Bran confided in him, “Even after I remembered my past life at five, I still couldn’t help but see Robin as my father. I guess five years of seeing him as nothing but that left a permanent impression on me.”
“Well I’m sure whatever’s happening to him now, he knows how lucky he is to know there are people who love him and want him back safe and sound. That’s what’ll keep him going.”
“I really hope he’s all right even if that feels like false hope.”
“I hope so too. Robin’s a good person. He deserves a happy ending, so to speak,” Merlin said with a smile.
He tried not to think of the future vision he had just seen of a 14-year old Robin and Morgaine. Instead, he chose to remember the other more reassuring vision a few years later when Alice returned to Robin and vowed to help him.
Bran gave him a weak smile in return, but the brief talk seemed to help him.
“I’m going to give the Knife another go,” Bran decided.
Fortunately this time, the black raven on the hilt flew down the blade until it reached the tip – becoming smaller as the animated bird arrived at that point. There was a fleeting glow at the tip as the opening was made, and then the glow subsided.
“Good luck,” Merlin wished him.
“Thanks. I won’t take long. Just an hour at the most.”
With that, Bran entered the opening, walking through it. After Merlin saw him seal the opening closed with his fingers, he left the room.
“Ophelia, I’m going back home. Bran said he’d only take about an hour,” he informed her.
“Yes of course. I know you want to be with Arthur now.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Yeah yeah. Go, I’ll be fine.”
“By the way,” Merlin couldn’t resist asking. “Who is Eilonwy? You mentioned her earlier to Bran.”
“She’s Gwydion’s half-sister who lives in the World of Magic. And consequently, Eilonwy is our go-to person in that world. She’s twenty four now.”
“So James is her father?”
Ophelia nodded. “He’s still able to have children… it’s a bit surreal, but James is a god so he can still father children if he wants to.”
Brigit was one of James’ children then, Merlin recalled that vision with her and Gwydion he’d had weeks ago. Terrible luck that she was made into a vampire though.
“Well I’d better go. You’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. I think James should be seeing me soon. I’ll be fine,” Ophelia told him.
“I’m sorry about Robin,” Merlin told her.
“Thanks. And you too with Arthur.”
He nodded, acknowledging the thought, and left.
His cousin – which seemed weird to think of Gwydion as such considering he was a bluebird now – was settled in a conjured nest on an empty space at the table.
Cavall and Lux were also in the room, doing their part to guard Arthur. Although maybe Lux just followed Cavall so he wouldn’t be alone. Cavall was lying on the floor beside the bed while a playful Lux attempted to get his attention by climbing up on him.
Merlin pet Lux when the pup moved to greet him.
“Smart dogs you have,” remarked Gwydion. “If Cavall was just an average Elkhound, he’d probably be waiting to get his teeth into me.”
“Yeah well he has Arthur’s daemon Krola inside him – how, I don’t know. That must make him more aware that you’re not just an ordinary bird.”
“Yes, you’re right about that.”
“Ophelia didn’t get the chance to tell you about Robin…”
“Oh don’t worry about that. I know. My father came by and told me. Absolutely terrible that the Prince took Robin, but my father will do what he can to get him back. I have faith he will.”
Then Gwydion offered, “I could tell you a little about how the World of Magic is now.”
“All right,” Merlin agreed, sitting down. “Go ahead. I figure with everyone possessing magic that they don’t have the usual transport like cars or the Tube or airplanes.”
“No, adults – once they pass the teleport test – can magically go from one place to another. For an alternative transport, there are winged horses. Usually dragons are reserved to be ridden by Dragonlords as dragons are notoriously proud and stubborn creatures. Though there are dragons bred to be smaller than average and those can have human riders, if you’re willing to put in the effort needed to work with such a magical creature. But that dragon issue was present way back in our past lives, so that’s nothing new.”
Gwydion continued, “Since children can’t magically teleport yet – at least legally – there’s a way for them to get around by magic means. The most popular winged creature used as a travel device is a dog. Some of the dogs look like your dog Lux but with wings. There’s a parental lock on the winged dogs to limit where the children can go…usually just locally.”
“And what about traveling to other worlds? Like what the Raven Knife and Excalibur do?”
“The average person, at least in the World of Magic’s Camelot, can’t travel to other worlds. It’s limited to just traveling within the world. If you’re really into travel, if you’re very wealthy – the wealth part is important – and you know the right people, then you may get a world-traveling device at an exorbitant cost. The Raven Knife and Excalibur are special in that they weren’t bought and were ‘destined’ to be meant for one wielder. Other world-traveling devices can be programmed to accept the commands of more than one person. Of course that feature costs extra, so most just stick to just one ‘wielder’.”
“I guess Bran’s lucky then that the Raven Knife you made was meant for him,” Merlin said. “I know in his past life, he had that diamond he used to travel to other worlds before the Knife, but--”
“The Raven Knife is much sleeker, sophisticated and could be used as a weapon when need be.”
“And the Knife is priceless; it united you and Bran together.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Gwydion acknowledged.
“How is Camelot in that world now? Still as impressive as centuries ago?”
“Well the city has gotten bigger, but it’s generally still a place where residents enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and are happy to live there. Queen Madeline, a direct descendant of King Merlin, currently rules Camelot. She was elected, but we magic users see the world differently, and Camelot citizens believe in the importance of keeping someone of King Merlin’s bloodline in power. Since King Merlin was the harbinger of the city’s Golden Age, people don’t want to tempt fate by choosing someone not related to King Merlin by blood. It’s with good cause as it looks like Camelot is experiencing an eternal Golden Age.”
“Compared to this world where Camelot is only a story of myth and legend.”
“Yeah. Funny how things can be so different from one world to the next.”
Then a portal opened up and a woman in her twenties with sandy brown hair stepped out of it. Merlin guessed that she was Eilonwy, Gwydion’s half-sister.
She was wearing a shaded purple and blue ruffled skirt. Rather amusingly, she also wore a fitted T-shirt with Merlin à la Disney’s Sword in the Stone flailing his hands about in dismay as the errant sugar pot poured too much sugar into his cup.
But the most important thing was that Eilonwy held a vial in her hand. Merlin sincerely hoped that was the cure-all.
“Nice shirt, Eilonwy,” said Gwydion in a tone that clearly suggested he was far from fond of the shirt.
Eilonwy smiled at him, sweeping her hand across his little body. “I thought of you when I saw this shirt. I couldn’t not buy it. I was thinking of making a little bird-sized shirt just for you,” she teased him.
“Not in a million years,” said Gwydion stubbornly. He stepped backwards to increase his distance from his mischievous sister.
Eilonwy turned to Merlin. “Hello, I’m Eilonwy, Gwydion’s half-sister. Bran wanted me to give you the cure-all,” she indicated, handing him the vial. “Oh, and Gwydion, Bran’s at Rosebrooke. He wants to see you there.”
“All right. I’ll go there.”
Then Gwydion disappeared.
Merlin peered at the clear vial. It looked like golden fairy dust that glowed.
“There are instructions for how to apply it. Only a little bit will be needed. I need to take the rest of it back home since the cure-all is under very restricted access. You can only use it for Arthur to save him.”
“Okay. How did you get here to this world if Bran’s not with you?”
“Oh! Well my father gave me this hummingbird device,” she said, indicating the small silver, blue and gold hummingbird she had appear in her hand. “It was a gift for my 21st birthday. I can’t visit every world in existence since Father put a lock on the hummingbird. He can be overprotective. But still, I can travel to this world. That’s what matters now.”
“So how do you use this cure-all?”
“You let a small bit of the fairy dust fall directly over his heart. The fairy dust will remove the dark magic surrounding his body, which takes some time, and cures him fully by the end of the process.”
With Athena’s help, Merlin made sure he put a bit of the cure-all over exactly where Arthur’s heart was. The curing fairy dust appeared to work as it lifted the dark magic the Prince had put on him.
“Bran wanted me to give you this,” Eilonwy told him as the cure-all worked its magic on Arthur. “A member of the Inventor group of the White Diamond Clan was selling some of his wares while Bran was there. Bran thought you’d like a diamond phoenix because of your phoenix daemon. With your magic, you can alter the phoenix to have feathers or change the colouring on it. The one thing you can’t change though is size.”
Eilonwy showed him the little phoenix that was about the size, maybe slightly bigger, of the lynx Merlin had had. Half the size of his palm. The phoenix was made of blue diamond with interesting golden accents throughout the miniature bird.
Merlin appreciated the small gift. He was glad that he would be able to make adjustments to make the phoenix resemble Zlota more. Particularly his daemon’s scarlet-gold colouring. Although how it looked now wasn’t half-bad either. And the phoenix was a sentient creature like the lynx had been.
He couldn’t help but smile as the phoenix moved about his palm and spread her wings a bit. Just seeing a phoenix again, moving about, made him feel like he had Zlota back again. A silly thought maybe since this clearly wasn’t Zlota, but he still couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
Merlin wished there was a way to repay Bran for getting the cure-all and buying this miniature phoenix for him.
Arthur began to stir, Cavall’s ears perking up at the same time.
“I should go. The cure-all’s working, so I’ll just take the rest of it back home. I’m glad I could help,” Eilonwy told him with a smile.
Merlin returned the vial to her.
“Thank you. It was nice to meet you too. Maybe we can see each other again, under more pleasant circumstances.”
“Yeah, that’d be good.”
After she gave him a small wave, Eilonwy exited via the portal, and the opening soon closed up after her departure.
Merlin decided to remove the Diamantine Compass from his forearm. He felt it was time to let the Compass go for now. He’d store it for now and maybe use the Compass later if there was really something pressing he felt the need to know.
He put down the phoenix inside Gwydion’s nest he’d left behind. Merlin thought the nest looked too empty so the phoenix just had to be there. Athena took out the Compass for him, and with the diamond device came out the golden box from his father. Merlin set both on the table.
His attention was drawn to the phoenix in the nest, which Athena had altered all too easily to look more like a phoenix with feathers and scarlet-gold colours. It was just as Merlin remembered Zlota. The miniature phoenix was perfect.
He sighed though. What he wouldn’t give to have his daemon Zlota back. Lux was great, and he was quite fond of his dog, but it simply wasn’t the same as it was in his past life when he had Zlota by his side. For now, in this life, he just had to learn to continue to cope with not having a daemon. He stroked the phoenix’s feathers, trying his best not to shed a tear. It wouldn’t do him any good or solve anything.
“You miss Zlota, don’t you?”
Merlin nearly jumped when Arthur spoke up behind him.
“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed. He hugged him, grateful to see him alive and well, the Prince’s curse thwarted. Arthur's eyes were their normal perfect blue -- as far from the unnerving black of before as possible. He kissed Arthur for good measure, Arthur reciprocating just as enthusiastically. Merlin kept walking backwards until his movement was halted by a wall. They kept their lips locked in earnest the whole time.
“I guess we have a lot to talk about since we’ve both remembered our past lives,” Arthur declared after he reluctantly pulled away.
Merlin nodded. “I should tell you about Athena.”
Arthur raised his brow. “Athena?”
“Yeah. She’s my magic. She named herself. I even saw her as a human manifestation not long ago.”
“Okay, I’m thinking what you’ve been through lately is far more interesting than what I’ve gone through. Now I don’t recall your magic working like that in our past lives. I don’t see that being a detail you’d keep from me.”
“It’s just in this life. Trust me. Her presence was as much a surprise to me as it is to you now,” Merlin assured him. “I have to admit that having her with me helps with not having Zlota…” Merlin decided.
Merlin could feel Athena’s pleasure at his sincere remark.
“Well then I’m glad you have her. Are you really related to Snow White and Cinderella – their incarnations or whatever?”
“Yes, that’s true. Who told you that?”
“Had a couple of run-ins with our favorite enemy the Prince of Darkness. Next time I see him I want to kill him. Even an immortal man can be killed somehow,” Arthur declared hopefully.
“Yeah you’re right. There has to be a way,” Merlin said with a nod.
Merlin was puzzled by the sudden odd feeling that was now overcoming him. It felt like his heart was being squeezed, and he couldn’t breathe.
He. Couldn’t Breathe.
“Art--hur--” Merlin said softly, feeling alarmed and a bit afraid.
He collapsed. The last thing he heard was Arthur’s stricken exclamation of, “Merlin!” as he rushed to his side and the pitter patter of paws approaching him.