Here is a Brighter Garden (1/3)
Title: Here is a Brighter Garden (for tobreakthespell)
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur; includes Gwen/Morgana
Warnings: Themes of capture and imprisonment. Slight depictions of violence.
Summary:
It began with a death. It began with a prophecy.
When Hunith of Ealdor passed into the spirit world, two seers separated by distance but joined by blood were startled awake by the sudden rush of power released throughout the land.
He had finally awoken.
Original fairytale: Allerleirauh (or, Tattercoats/Coat of Many Furs)
(An ungodly chunk of the fairytale has been modified in my re-telling.)
[Thanks go out to nohartsmile (♥) for her cheerleading & encouragement. Thanks also to M for her wonderful beta skills. The title is from Emily Dickinson's "There is Another Sky."]
Here is a Brighter Garden
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
It began with a death. It began with a prophecy.
When Hunith of Ealdor passed into the spirit world, two seers separated by distance but joined by blood were startled awake by the sudden rush of power released throughout the land.
He had finally awoken.
One seer flung herself into the adjoining room. "It is time," she said, gasping, and cold blue eyes regarded her with piercing interest.
"Well, then. It begins."
The other seer blinked wearily at the dark, groping blindly at her side. When her hand fell on warm flesh, she relaxed and drew closer.
"Is it an attack?" mumbled the body next to her.
"No. Go back to sleep, love," the seer responded, pressing a kiss to the head full of dark curls as the ship rocked them gently. Somewhere above them, a voice called the hour. "At sunrise, we'll change course.
I must warn the king."
"All you need to find him is his name. Search for the boy called Emrys."
It took Nimueh nine months to reach the boy, having sent scouts and magic-wielders throughout all the villages during the search. When she finally came across him, she paused.
"Interesting," said Morgause, pulling her horse to a stop beside her. "Has he gone feral?"
One eyebrow raised, Nimueh sent her magic out and searched. "It is the right boy," she said dismissively, turning away. "You know what to do with him. As for the rest," she added, eyeing her surroundings with distaste. She curled her lip at the peasants staring curiously into the cave.
"They have all seen too much."
Grinning in delight, the man named Edwin set three houses on fire.
"Your help is, as always, appreciated." The king sighed. "But there is nothing I can do. The knights are useless in matters of magic. Our magicians can only do so much and against Nimueh, they are powerless."
Biting her lip, Morgana stared at the map in front of them and frowned. "She found him a fortnight ago," she said, "and soon she will come to Camelot to complete her empire. Perhaps it would be better if we strike first? Before..."
Beside her, Guinevere laid a hand on Morgana's arm. "Sometimes," she said softly, "the only option is to wait. It may still be that Nimueh's end of the prophecy will not be fulfilled."
Morgana raised her hands in defeat and looked away. "May it be so."
The king stared at her, leaning forward. "Have you been able to unravel our part in the prophecy?"
"No," she replied, irritated with herself. "In every dream, it is the same - it is there but as I wake, it shifts and disappears.
It is as if it is constantly changing."
"Come, Emrys, imagine what we could accomplish together. What greatness we could achieve."
"I don't want greatness," he replied, despair echoing throughout the dungeon. His words rasped; his voice was ragged. "I want to be left alone."
Nimueh held her sneer in check. "It was her time, and as all mortals pass, so did she. But you, Emrys - the things that have been foretold about you are legendary. We must not waste time."
"Go away."
"I will return," she said, and would say every time. "I will return and you will join me."
And as she left, dragging the corpse of a servant who'd displeased her, he turned his face and stared hopelessly at the magical bars that held him captive.
For three months, she pursued him with increasing anger and would not relent.
She offered priceless treasures which he returned to her trove with a wave of his hand. She offered spells to turn water into wine and lead into gold, pursing her lips when he then did so without a spoken word. She offered pure, beautiful maidens she had kidnapped in her conquests. And though she sent him the virgins, naked, he returned them fully clothed and untouched to their villages, with bags full of provisions and clothing.
"I grow weary of these resistances." Her voice slid across the walls of his confinement, rattling against the chains that held him in place. "I can force you to join with me, Emrys, but it will be more powerful if you did so willingly."
Exhausted by her demands, he finally replied, "If you do what I ask, I will join you."
Eyes gleaming, she nodded. "What is it you require?"
"Bottle for me the sun," he said with a sigh. "Bottle the moon and bottle the stars as well. Fashion for me a cloak that transforms me into the immortal creatures of this isle. Only then will I join with you."
She stared at him in stunned silence, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You believe that this will deter me - that I will be unable to perform these tasks. But you are not the only one with power, Emrys. And I will show you what you can have if you only joined me."
Nimueh left him in blessed silence and he curled into himself, squeezing his eyes shut and imagining a world of golden sunlight, blue skies, and fields red with wild-flowers.
Time passed and he began to think she had forgotten him, giving up on his impossible requests and returning to her campaign of war and conquest.
"There," she said, a mixture of smugness and greed colouring her voice as she threw a bag on the floor beside where he lay. "I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now fulfil yours."
He picked it up with trembling hands and looked through its contents. Three frosted bottles tinkled lightly as they knocked into each other, and a garment tumbled out that radiated power and secrecy.
He closed his eyes as she turned and called over her shoulder, "Tomorrow, Emrys. Tomorrow, we shall perform the ritual and our powers will be bound for all eternity."
"Sire, what is it?"
"Ah, Gaius. I apologize - I hadn't meant to wake you," the king said as he fastened his cloak and picked up his sword form the table.
Gaius frowned and surveyed the man before him. "You need rest, highness," he told the younger man. "It would be more prudent if you waited until dawn to hunt, at least."
The king grinned wryly. "I'm unable to sleep, Gaius. Even if I cannot catch anything in this darkness, hunting will ease my mind. Return to your quarters - I may return late, if at all, tomorrow. If I do not return, you can expect me the next day."
Though he pursed his lips, Gaius bowed and walked back to his room.
Bow in hand, the king looked around his room, at the emptiness, and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder," he muttered to himself, "if it would be such a bad thing for that sorceress to take this castle as well."
But he shook off such thoughts as he left the castle and rode into the forest.
Before dawn broke, Emrys clothed himself in the cloak of power, fastening the bag with the three bottles to his neck with the kerchief he had used to wipe away the tears on Hunith's face.
Eyes flashing gold, he began to ram into the bars. He rammed, and his body changed to take the shape of a unicorn. As the horn grazed the magical cage, his thoughts turned to memories of his mother and the bars shattered. He leapt free.
Power shaped an aura of light around him, and as he galloped up the stairs to the dungeon, the doors swung open.
Wizards and witches streamed into the corridors and hurled spells at him, but he brushed them aside and continued out the hallway and through the main entrance.
"Emrys!" Nimueh raged from the balcony as he headed away from the isle. Her power spun away from her in her fury. "You will not get far! I have claimed you and you will never escape me--" Beside her, Morgause chanted steadily, a spell blazing from her hands as she held them out toward the disappearing figure.
"I will find you!"
Ignoring her, Emrys raced on, time slowing around him as he took on inhuman speed. Freedom echoed through his mind. Freedom. Though he knew not where he could go, he continued to run and with each step felt the bonds Nimueh had set on his magic fade completely.
He ran for hours. The only direction he knew was away.
And then came a snap from underneath him as pain shot through his leg. His body spun painfully around as he found himself tethered fast. Frantic, he sent his magic down to the offending piece of metal and then collapsed in dismay.
It was not made of magic. In this form, he had no power over it.
"Well, now," sneered a voice from behind him. "Look at what my trap caught, Alvarr. And you said it was useless."
There was a low whistle and footsteps neared Emrys' body. "I must say, Halig," replied a silky voice, "you've outdone yourself." Alvarr reached out and stroked Emrys' flank, then his horn - Emrys shuddered and a low, keening sound escaped him.
"What say we see how much Nimueh will pay for this beauty? And after she hunted the rest to extinction for their magic, too."
They chuckled as they bound the unicorn to their caravan and headed back toward the isle.
Part 2
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur; includes Gwen/Morgana
Warnings: Themes of capture and imprisonment. Slight depictions of violence.
Summary:
It began with a death. It began with a prophecy.
When Hunith of Ealdor passed into the spirit world, two seers separated by distance but joined by blood were startled awake by the sudden rush of power released throughout the land.
He had finally awoken.
Original fairytale: Allerleirauh (or, Tattercoats/Coat of Many Furs)
(An ungodly chunk of the fairytale has been modified in my re-telling.)
[Thanks go out to nohartsmile (♥) for her cheerleading & encouragement. Thanks also to M for her wonderful beta skills. The title is from Emily Dickinson's "There is Another Sky."]
Here is a Brighter Garden
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
It began with a death. It began with a prophecy.
When Hunith of Ealdor passed into the spirit world, two seers separated by distance but joined by blood were startled awake by the sudden rush of power released throughout the land.
He had finally awoken.
One seer flung herself into the adjoining room. "It is time," she said, gasping, and cold blue eyes regarded her with piercing interest.
"Well, then. It begins."
The other seer blinked wearily at the dark, groping blindly at her side. When her hand fell on warm flesh, she relaxed and drew closer.
"Is it an attack?" mumbled the body next to her.
"No. Go back to sleep, love," the seer responded, pressing a kiss to the head full of dark curls as the ship rocked them gently. Somewhere above them, a voice called the hour. "At sunrise, we'll change course.
I must warn the king."
"All you need to find him is his name. Search for the boy called Emrys."
It took Nimueh nine months to reach the boy, having sent scouts and magic-wielders throughout all the villages during the search. When she finally came across him, she paused.
"Interesting," said Morgause, pulling her horse to a stop beside her. "Has he gone feral?"
One eyebrow raised, Nimueh sent her magic out and searched. "It is the right boy," she said dismissively, turning away. "You know what to do with him. As for the rest," she added, eyeing her surroundings with distaste. She curled her lip at the peasants staring curiously into the cave.
"They have all seen too much."
Grinning in delight, the man named Edwin set three houses on fire.
"Your help is, as always, appreciated." The king sighed. "But there is nothing I can do. The knights are useless in matters of magic. Our magicians can only do so much and against Nimueh, they are powerless."
Biting her lip, Morgana stared at the map in front of them and frowned. "She found him a fortnight ago," she said, "and soon she will come to Camelot to complete her empire. Perhaps it would be better if we strike first? Before..."
Beside her, Guinevere laid a hand on Morgana's arm. "Sometimes," she said softly, "the only option is to wait. It may still be that Nimueh's end of the prophecy will not be fulfilled."
Morgana raised her hands in defeat and looked away. "May it be so."
The king stared at her, leaning forward. "Have you been able to unravel our part in the prophecy?"
"No," she replied, irritated with herself. "In every dream, it is the same - it is there but as I wake, it shifts and disappears.
It is as if it is constantly changing."
"Come, Emrys, imagine what we could accomplish together. What greatness we could achieve."
"I don't want greatness," he replied, despair echoing throughout the dungeon. His words rasped; his voice was ragged. "I want to be left alone."
Nimueh held her sneer in check. "It was her time, and as all mortals pass, so did she. But you, Emrys - the things that have been foretold about you are legendary. We must not waste time."
"Go away."
"I will return," she said, and would say every time. "I will return and you will join me."
And as she left, dragging the corpse of a servant who'd displeased her, he turned his face and stared hopelessly at the magical bars that held him captive.
For three months, she pursued him with increasing anger and would not relent.
She offered priceless treasures which he returned to her trove with a wave of his hand. She offered spells to turn water into wine and lead into gold, pursing her lips when he then did so without a spoken word. She offered pure, beautiful maidens she had kidnapped in her conquests. And though she sent him the virgins, naked, he returned them fully clothed and untouched to their villages, with bags full of provisions and clothing.
"I grow weary of these resistances." Her voice slid across the walls of his confinement, rattling against the chains that held him in place. "I can force you to join with me, Emrys, but it will be more powerful if you did so willingly."
Exhausted by her demands, he finally replied, "If you do what I ask, I will join you."
Eyes gleaming, she nodded. "What is it you require?"
"Bottle for me the sun," he said with a sigh. "Bottle the moon and bottle the stars as well. Fashion for me a cloak that transforms me into the immortal creatures of this isle. Only then will I join with you."
She stared at him in stunned silence, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You believe that this will deter me - that I will be unable to perform these tasks. But you are not the only one with power, Emrys. And I will show you what you can have if you only joined me."
Nimueh left him in blessed silence and he curled into himself, squeezing his eyes shut and imagining a world of golden sunlight, blue skies, and fields red with wild-flowers.
Time passed and he began to think she had forgotten him, giving up on his impossible requests and returning to her campaign of war and conquest.
"There," she said, a mixture of smugness and greed colouring her voice as she threw a bag on the floor beside where he lay. "I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now fulfil yours."
He picked it up with trembling hands and looked through its contents. Three frosted bottles tinkled lightly as they knocked into each other, and a garment tumbled out that radiated power and secrecy.
He closed his eyes as she turned and called over her shoulder, "Tomorrow, Emrys. Tomorrow, we shall perform the ritual and our powers will be bound for all eternity."
"Sire, what is it?"
"Ah, Gaius. I apologize - I hadn't meant to wake you," the king said as he fastened his cloak and picked up his sword form the table.
Gaius frowned and surveyed the man before him. "You need rest, highness," he told the younger man. "It would be more prudent if you waited until dawn to hunt, at least."
The king grinned wryly. "I'm unable to sleep, Gaius. Even if I cannot catch anything in this darkness, hunting will ease my mind. Return to your quarters - I may return late, if at all, tomorrow. If I do not return, you can expect me the next day."
Though he pursed his lips, Gaius bowed and walked back to his room.
Bow in hand, the king looked around his room, at the emptiness, and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder," he muttered to himself, "if it would be such a bad thing for that sorceress to take this castle as well."
But he shook off such thoughts as he left the castle and rode into the forest.
Before dawn broke, Emrys clothed himself in the cloak of power, fastening the bag with the three bottles to his neck with the kerchief he had used to wipe away the tears on Hunith's face.
Eyes flashing gold, he began to ram into the bars. He rammed, and his body changed to take the shape of a unicorn. As the horn grazed the magical cage, his thoughts turned to memories of his mother and the bars shattered. He leapt free.
Power shaped an aura of light around him, and as he galloped up the stairs to the dungeon, the doors swung open.
Wizards and witches streamed into the corridors and hurled spells at him, but he brushed them aside and continued out the hallway and through the main entrance.
"Emrys!" Nimueh raged from the balcony as he headed away from the isle. Her power spun away from her in her fury. "You will not get far! I have claimed you and you will never escape me--" Beside her, Morgause chanted steadily, a spell blazing from her hands as she held them out toward the disappearing figure.
"I will find you!"
Ignoring her, Emrys raced on, time slowing around him as he took on inhuman speed. Freedom echoed through his mind. Freedom. Though he knew not where he could go, he continued to run and with each step felt the bonds Nimueh had set on his magic fade completely.
He ran for hours. The only direction he knew was away.
And then came a snap from underneath him as pain shot through his leg. His body spun painfully around as he found himself tethered fast. Frantic, he sent his magic down to the offending piece of metal and then collapsed in dismay.
It was not made of magic. In this form, he had no power over it.
"Well, now," sneered a voice from behind him. "Look at what my trap caught, Alvarr. And you said it was useless."
There was a low whistle and footsteps neared Emrys' body. "I must say, Halig," replied a silky voice, "you've outdone yourself." Alvarr reached out and stroked Emrys' flank, then his horn - Emrys shuddered and a low, keening sound escaped him.
"What say we see how much Nimueh will pay for this beauty? And after she hunted the rest to extinction for their magic, too."
They chuckled as they bound the unicorn to their caravan and headed back toward the isle.
Part 2