TSitS - Emrys and Vortigern: Part II
Title: The Sword in the Stone Series
Pairing: Pretty Gen. Kind of one-sided Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Arthur, hinted Gwen/Lancelot. It’s about as gay as the series is, which is pretty gay.
Disclaimer: I do not own BBC’s Merlin. If I did, I’d be pretty happy because I’d know Colin and Bradley personally.
Summary: The legend of Excalibur is not as simple as everyone thinks. Arthur pulls a sword from a stone, beginning a chain of events that will lead him to his destiny and the sorcerer prophesized to stand beside him.
Chapter Summary: What is destroying Vortigern's castle? What about Merlin is so special that he can stop it? Morgana and Arthur plot a way to rescue Merlin on their own, but a terrible nightmare of Morgana's may signal that time is running out for Camelot's resident magician.
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Part XIII - Emrys and Vortigern part 2
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"I want you to figure out what keeps destroying my castle," he demanded hotly, anger rolling off of him in waves.
Merlin looked down at the crack in the floor, then at Vortigern with shock on his face.
…
…
"You what?" Uther asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I want to see the western shore," Morgana repeated. "I've never been to the ocean before, and Camelot is allies with the country to the west, so I thought maybe I could journey there tomorrow and spend a few days on the shore."
Uther's eyes, if possible, narrowed further. "Really." Morgana nodded innocently. "And…what else?"
Morgana shrugged nonchalantly, like she wasn't surprised Uther had seen through her at all and she wasn't worried about it. "Well, I'd be taking Gwen, of course. But I also hoped to take Arthur along."
"No."
Morgana frowned. "Why not?" she asked stubbornly.
Uther shook his head. "If he leaves this city, Arthur will head straight for Cymry."
Morgana sighed. "That is exactly why I wish to take him with me," she began. Uther gave her a curious and confused look. "Look….with his favorite servant missing, Arthur's concentration slips more every hour. He can't focus on learning to become a king. He can't focus on knight's training. He can't focus on anything," she complained, waving her left arm toward one of the side exits like it was Arthur himself. "I thought, maybe a few days relaxing on a beach, far from his duties, might be of use to him. Maybe he'll get over it."
Uther stared at her long and hard. Morgana held herself strong and tall like a noblewoman the whole time, awaiting his decision. Please say yes. Please say yes!
"Alright," Uther agreed, looking away from her. Morgana let out the breath she was barely aware she'd been holding. "But," Uther started again, looking at her again. Morgana repositioned herself. "You will take Sir Urien with you for extra protection. I won't have you getting kidnapped again."
Morgana frowned. "Surely Arthur is enough. He's the best Camelot has," she reasoned.
Uther shook his head. "He's also distracted. And one man is simply not enough these days. Sir Urien will accompany you three, or you will not go at all."
With a sigh, Morgana agreed, curtsied, and left the room. Arthur stood a hallway away, waiting. When Morgana turned the corner and came face to face with him, she was frowning. "What?" he asked briefly.
"We can go," she said. "But he's ordered Sir Urien to accompany us."
Arthur placed his right hand to his chin in contemplation. "The knights have listened to me before for lesser reasons than this….Sir Urien might actually come in handy in the long run. Once we're out of Camelot, I'll see where his loyalty is."
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…
Hyne led Merlin down to the lower levels of the castle with not but a single torch to light the way in the darkness. "Whatever the problem is, it is most assuredly beneath the castle," he explained. "The only issue is that no one, and I truly mean no one, can find anything down here that would cause such quakes."
Merlin watched the walls and the floor as they walked. There was a feeling thrumming through the air, coursing in his veins, and he got the distinct impression his father was there with him now. "As a Dragonlord, you will gain certain…abilities, that will assist you," he heard within his soul, and closed his eyes, feeling his way down the stairs by way of his hand running along the wall.
There was blissful silence for about ten seconds, and then Hyne broke it just as the ground leveled out into a long hall with several side passageways. "As soon as you fulfill the vision I foresaw, Lord Vortigern will release you and you may return to Camelot without a breath about your secret."
Merlin opened his eyes and stared at the back of Hyne's head. "No he won't," he said simply.
Hyne let out a strange laugh and ducked his head for a moment. "No. He really won't," he chuckled. "You're powerful, young warlock. Very powerful."
And that's when Merlin understood. Once he'd proven himself by fulfilling whatever prophecy Hyne had told him, Vortigern was going to use him as a weapon. Most likely, he'd use Merlin as a weapon against Camelot and all of Albion, forcibly taking Arthur's position as rightful King. Well, Merlin couldn't allow that…now could he?
"Has Vortigern heard about Arthur?" Merlin asked conversationally, still trying to get a sense of what he was feeling. "Does he know who Arthur is?" he stressed.
Hyne nodded. "Of course. Every noble in all of Albion, and half of the countries across the sea know of Arthur Pendragon's amazing feat, of his destiny to rule."
"Then why?"
"Because Lord Vortigern doesn't believe in destiny. He believes in gaining what a man can through sheer force and will. He will take control the only way that really matters: by the sword." He seemed quite pleased with himself.
Taking a deep breath, Merlin rushed forward and shoved Hyne into the wall of the hallway. Hyne dropped the torch and it rolled several feet away to the top of another staircase leading further down. "Swebban," Merlin said forcefully, holding Hyne against the wall as he spoke. Instantly, Hyne went still against him and Merlin slowly lowered him to the ground. "A taste of your own magic, Hyne," he grimaced before standing up and moving to grab the torch from where it fell. "Now…where are you…?" he asked the air. He had to find out what was down here and get out before Lord Vortigern realized anything was wrong.
Merlin began descending the stairs swiftly, eyes darting from side corridor to side corridor every level he came to, taking lefts and rights at seemingly random times. Finally, he came to a dead end. Instead of turning back, Merlin walked right up to the wall and placed his hand against it. It felt like the wall had a heartbeat!
"Yppan," he whispered, and suddenly the wall vanished before him to reveal another passage. There were stairs here too, leading even further down. They were very crude in structure, very old, but sturdy and Merlin hurried down them. Eventually he came out in a cavern similar and yet much smaller than the one beneath Camelot castle had been. "Ah," Merlin gasped, almost dropping the torch again in his surprise.
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…
A burst of fire. Hundreds of men, young and old, running with torches and swords and farming tools, all yelling and screaming and angry. Lord Vortigern in his throne as the walls shake and crumble and the floor splits in two, looking angry and distressed. Merlin with his hands bound behind his back, tattered clothes, and a bruised cheek. A low roar. Fire. An explosion. The fortress was burning to the ground! Vortigern pulled a sword from its sheath and swung it at Merlin at point blank range. There were bodies everywhere, in armor and not, all burnt or bloody, all pale with death. Merlin's eyes were closed as if in sleep, soot and blood on his face.
"NO!" Morgana shouted, shooting up in bed with gasping breaths. Her eyes shot around the room once before she jumped up and ran to her window, looking to the west with bated breath. There was no smoke. There was no fire. "Merlin," she breathed out.
Grabbing her robe, Morgana threw it around her shoulders and ran from her room, down the halls and around corners, until she finally came to a stop outside a very familiar door. Her hand was shaking terribly when she raised it to knock four times on the wood three inches in front of her. When no one answered in several seconds, Morgana knocked again, most insistent this time but still soft due to the lateness of the hour.
"I'm coming," Arthur's muffled voice answered gruffly, clogged with sleep. A moment later, he opened the door shirtless, looking peeved. His expression changed to surprise and then quickly to concern when he saw the state Morgana was in. "Morgana?"
"I…I'm sorry," she practically gasped out. "I just…" Her eyes flicked each way down the hall. "Can I…come in?" she asked hesitantly.
Arthur blinked once, slowly, before shaking his head and moving to the side, opening the door wider. "Of course. Of course. Come in." Once the door was shut and locked behind her, Arthur turned and watched as Morgana went to the window, looking out and to the west as best she could as if waiting for an attack. "Morgana, what's wrong?"
Morgana actually jumped, flipping to face him. "I…I had a dream, just now….a vision." She shook her head. "I've had them for years now, but…recently I've learned to control them, to stop them, because otherwise I get them every night and I get no rest."
Arthur nodded slowly. That would explain how she'd behaved in the past…except for the past year, of course. He was still getting used to the fact that the girl he'd grown up with like a sister was magic, by birth and not by choice. "And tonight's?"
Morgana gulped down a breath. "I let it come," she admitted, then shook her head. "I saw…such terrible events….Vortigern….his castle will burn to the ground. His subjects are planning a revolt, and soon…they'll act on it. I saw him attack Merlin with a sword," she revealed with a shaking voice. "I saw the castle in ruins, the soldiers and the villagers all dead and strewn across the ground…..I saw Merlin-," she cut herself off abruptly, shutting her eyes tight against the images in her mind, and shook her head. "Arthur, we don't have much time. If we don't hurry…."
"Merlin will die," Arthur finished for her, his expression grim. Morgana nodded shakily.
…
…
Dragons! It was dragons!
Merlin watched as the two dragons flew back and forth past each other, coughing out little bits of flame every now and then, and slamming into the walls of the cavern. One was pure white with tendril-like spikes rolling down its back every six to twelve inches. The other was a burnt red color with sharp looking, deep yellow spikes every two to four inches along its spine. Somehow, without asking, Merlin knew the white one was younger than the red, but only by seconds.
The red dragon turned to make another shot around the cavern and caught sight of Merlin standing at the edge of the cavern. It roared, something cute when compared to the Great Dragon he was used to, Kilgarrah, and both dragons flew over and landed only feet from where he stood. They were only about six feet tall each. They were baby dragons!
"Hi," Merlin began.
The red dragon roared again, interrupting anything else he would've said. "Who are you?" it demanded, sounding like a petulant child.
"I am Merlin," he introduced. "I'm a sorcerer and a dragon lord. How old are you both?"
The red dragon made to speak but the white one moved its head in front of him and cut him off. Its voice was softer, gentler, almost fearful. "Only a few months," she revealed. She turned her head to the far corner of the cavern and Merlin looked too, seeing the shards of their eggs there. "We just hatched here. Where are we?" she asked, turning back to face Merlin.
Merlin shook himself. "You're under a castle fortress ruled by a man named Vortigern. He's a warlike man who built his castle here for its strategic battle position. The country is called Cymry." He took a step forward and the red dragon growled. "You will not hurt me."
Instantly, the red dragon stopped growling and lowered its head in submission, chastened. The white one spoke instead. "I know about Dragon Lords. I don't know how….but I know."
Merlin smiled. "That's good." He took a breath. "Why are you attacking the walls and making the castle shake?"
The red one lifted his head. "Because we want out! We want to be free! We're tired of this stupid, pathetic space we were born in and want out!"
"Ok," Merlin agreed, and both dragons looked at him curiously. "I can get you out. In fact, I'd enjoy nothing more than letting you out from under this castle." Because Vortigern's castle would suffer for it. "But you have to agree to some terms."
"What terms?" the red dragon asked, untrusting.
"You have to swear that the first thing you'll do upon leaving this place is seek out the Great Dragon Kilgarrah. He believes he is the last of his kind and I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to know you two exist. Second, you can never, ever, under any circumstances, attack, hurt, or kill a human. Be good," Merlin ordered in a kind, trustworthy tone of voice.
"Anything," the white dragon agreed instantly. There was a moment of silence and she turned her head and leaned sideways to knock into the red dragon, who shook himself, glared at the white dragon, and nodded to Merlin.
"I agree too," he answered at length.
Merlin smiled again. "Great. Now, I'm going to go back out and come up with a way to release you. Be ready. I'll get you out of here soon. I promise." With that, he turned and headed back out of the cavern via the secret passage he'd found. Once back in the known passages, Merlin turned around, held up his hand, and said, "Háligreft." The tunnel vanished behind a solid wall and Merlin smiled to himself before hurrying away from the area.
Just as he reached the top of the first flight of stairs, he was grabbed and thrown to the ground roughly. The torch rolled back down the stairs, but it didn't matter because Merlin heard "Bærnan," and another torch was lit in the hands of Hyne standing four feet down the passage. The man pinning Merlin down quickly bound his wrists tightly, almost painfully, behind his back before doing the same to his ankles.
"What you did was very naughty, young warlock," Hyne sneered, his face red on one side, doubtless from where Merlin had shoved him into the wall. "Lord Vortigern is not happy with you."
"He can burn," Merlin hissed out. "I won't help him. I won't be a weapon!"
Hyne shook his head, a frown on his face. "That just won't do." He nodded to the man holding Merlin down. "Take him to The Chamber."
The man hoisted Merlin up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes or rice and made his way down the hall to some unknown location. Merlin shut his eyes and prayed Arthur was ok right now.
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…
It was early the next morning and Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen's horses were saddled, packed, and ready to go. Sir Urien was just coming out of the stables with his own horse now.
"Let's move," Arthur ordered, already on his horse. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back," he grumbled.
Morgana frowned. "You shouldn't rush through life like that, Arthur. It's unbecoming of a King." She was also already in the saddle.
Arthur made to grumble something back at her, but caught sight of Gwen mounting her horse just past Morgana's shoulder and stopped. She looked conflicted: happy to be going on a trip, but cautious and worried as well. Gwen glanced over at Arthur, gasped silently at seeing him staring at her as well, and looked forward again with a large blush on her face. Oh. Arthur frowned slightly. She was worried because he was on the trip with her. He wished she wasn't-
"All ready, sire," Sir Urien announced, coming to a halt on his horse right next to Arthur. "Shall we proceed?"
Arthur frowned at the knight. He was a few years older than Morgana and himself, but not by much, with dark brown hair in a choppy cut and amazingly green eyes. He was attractive. Arthur was more so.
"We shall," Arthur agreed, tapping his horse with his heels to make him walk forward.
They were just out of sight of the castle when Sir Urien spoke up again. "Sire?" he breeched.
"Hm?" Arthur asked without looking at him.
"I just wanted to let you know," Urien began again. "Whatever it is we're really going to do out here….I'll follow you."
Arthur stopped his horse short and turned to look at the young knight beside him. Everyone else stopped their horses accordingly and gave him similar looks. "What?" Morgana managed.
Sir Urien fiddled with his reins for a moment before sitting straight-backed in his saddle. "I know your servant is missing, sire, and I know you asked the King to send troops to retrieve him and that you were denied. I highly doubt this is really a trip to the ocean purely for pleasure, my lord, and I simply wished to assure you that I will do whatever it is you require of me….unto death."
Morgana shared a happy, pride filled look with Gwen while Arthur simply blinked at the man. After a few moments, he nodded and kicked his horse into walking again, the rest following his lead. "Good," Arthur said once they were all moving again, "because we'll be infiltrating King Vortigern's fortress in less than two days."
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It was late afternoon when Merlin was shoved down on his knees before Vortigern in the throne room. His hands were still tied behind his back, though it was hours later. He squint his eyes in the brightness of the room, still recovering from being in the dark Chamber for hours with Vortigern's thugs showing him how he'd regret his decisions. A bruise from someone hitting him was forming high on his left cheek, and he didn't doubt that there were a lot of other bruises under the clothes he'd woken up in. He'd never had anyone beat him before, and Merlin decided he never wanted anyone to ever again. It really really hurt!
"Have you reconsidered?" Vortigern asked slowly, looking like he had not a care in the world.
Merlin glared at him. "You have me beaten and then ask if I want to work for you? What kind of stupid idea is that?" He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he'd never been very good at it. "I'll never work for you. Arthur Pendragon is my only master."
Lord Vortigern tensed, a deep and intense frown on his face. "You will work for me, or you will regret it for the rest of your very. short. life," he threatened.
Merlin opened his mouth to retort, but stopped, turning his head to the side a bit as the white dragon's voice entered his head. "Merlin! Something's happening outside the castle! Where are you?"
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An army of three hundred farmers and workers, peasants, of Cymry was gathered at the edge of the woods outside the castle fortress, just out of sight.
"Alright," the one in charge began. "The rumors were true. The whole place looks about to fall to pieces. Now's our chance to take back our land and freedom. Everyone ready?" he said in a moderately loud voice. The whole multitude murmured their assent. "Then….charge!"
At once, every one of them ran forward out of the trees and charged the broken form of the fortress of Vortigern. The attack wasn't the most skillful or the best thought out, but it accomplished surprise and that was what really mattered.
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"No," Merlin breathed out, looking back at Vortigern with a little frown on his face. "You will."
"What?" Vortigern shouted in disgust. "You dare to threaten me? I am a King!"
The entry doors burst open and two knights ran in. "My lord!" the younger one shouted. "The citizens! They're attacking the castle!"
"What?" Vortigern shouted again, this time in shock. His head snapped to Merlin, who had the tiniest smirk on his face, and glared. "You," he spat. Vortigern ripped his sword from its sheath and practically ran down the stairs to Merlin's level. "You did this!"
Vortigern pulled back with his sword, preparing to strike. Merlin's eyes flashed golden and the ropes binding him shredded to pieces. He pushed himself backwards away from the sword as it came forward, but the blade caught his left arm as he fell and Merlin cried out in pain.
"Sire!" the older knight called before the king could stab Merlin straight through where he lay on the ground.
"What?" Vortigern demanded hotly.
"What should we do about the revolt?" he asked, trembling before his king wielding a weapon.
Vortigern sighed heavily and re-sheathed his sword. "Take the knights and attack back, obviously. Must I do everything myself?" The two knights shook their heads and ran back out of the room to do as they'd been told. Vortigern waved the two thugs over and gestured to Merlin. "Take him to a cell. I'll deal with him later," he spat.
Merlin couldn't think beyond the pain in his arm enough to fight back when they grabbed him, so the next thing he knew he was being tossed in a cell the likes of which Camelot would never see. It was absolutely filthy! He waited until the door was locked and the men had walked away before turning his attention to the bleeding cut on his arm.
Merlin quickly tore the bottom of his shirt off and tied it above the cut to lessen the bleeding, then tore more off and made a makeshift bandage to cover the wound, tight and good. Once he was satisfied with the bandaging, Merlin took the top tie off and winced at the increased blood flow through his arm. He wished he could remember one of the dozens of healing spells in his book, but right now he was drawing a complete blank!
"Merlin," the red dragon called.
Merlin gasped and held his head. The voice was piercing into his mind like a sharp dagger. "What?"
"What's going on up there?"
"A bunch of Cymry's peasants are revolting and attacking the castle. Everyone's busy defending the….wait." He released his head and ran to the door, wrapping his hands around the bars and peering each direction. There was no one there. "I can release you now. The castle's standing on its last foundations anyway, so no one would think anything of it if the whole place just collapsed in the battle. And everyone's outside fighting, so no one would get hurt. Are you ready?"
"We were born ready."
Merlin grinned, releasing the bars but leaving a bloody handprint behind. He paused. "What are your names?" he asked.
"Saxones," the girl responded.
"Wales," the boy answered.
"Saxones, Wales….Say hello to Kilgarrah for me," Merlin said softly before his eyes shone gold.
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Arthur, Urien, Morgana, and Gwen all jumped when an explosion rocked the ground, and their horses stopped walking.
"What was that?" Gwen asked, looking around.
"There!" Sir Urien pointed above the trees, where smoke was rising into the sky. "Smoke."
"Vortigern's fortress," Arthur breathed out, spurring his horse into a gallop.
Morgana took off next, and Urien waited until Gwen had gone before him to begin as well. They continued on for several minutes simply running at full speed in the direction of the smoke. Then suddenly the trees cleared and before them, spread as far as they could see, was the ruins of Vortigern's castle fortress.
"Oh my….," Gwen let out, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.
The castle was on fire, remnants of a tower burning to ashes. Most of it was simply fallen to pieces, having crashed in upon itself, probably after the tower exploded. But the castle wasn't what got to Gwen. It was the bodies. Probably two hundred peasants and soldiers lay strewn across the ground around the ruins. By the state of the bodies, they hadn't been killed by the explosion, but in some vicious battle, though some of them were somewhat injured from the collapse of the castle. The one nearest the tower was actually on fire himself. Morgana had to close her eyes against it all.
"Vortigern's castle is destroyed," Arthur said simply. His face hardened and he turned to his traveling companions. "Sir Urien. Protect Guinevere with your life. Morgana, come with me," he ordered sternly, dismounting his horse. "When we return…we'll begin burying the dead."
Arthur and Morgana walked by body after body, checking each one as they passed. None of them were Merlin. After the preliminary search came up with nothing, Arthur looked to the remains of the castle.
"Maybe he was inside when it collapsed?"
Morgana shook her head. "No. I could see daylight in my vision of him," she explained. "He isn't in the castle."
"Then he must be here, but we can't find him," Arthur concluded, looking around. "Were there any bodies we missed?"
Morgana too looked around once before shrugging. "I don't know. There could be dozens of bodies in the woods that we just can't see…." After a moment's pause, she said, "Let's head back. We'll bury those we've found and check each one again as we go. We'll find him, Arthur," she promised.
Arthur wished he could believe that, but the expanse of area the bodies could be strewn across was large and the possibility that they would simply pass him by in the rubble was all too likely.
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It was Gwen who found him.
It was nearing sunset and Arthur and Sir Urien were burying probably their fiftieth body while Gwen and Morgana did their best to gather the dead and search for the wounded. There weren't many wounded still in the area. Gwen had walked about six feet into the woods to search when she came across Merlin, leaning haphazardly against a tree.
"Arthur! Morgana!" she screamed. "I found him!"
All three others immediately dropped what they were doing and ran toward the sound of Gwen's voice. She was kneeling next to Merlin's body, checking his pulse, and smiled up at them when they drew near.
"He's alive," she told them, her eyes already filling with tears.
He may have been alive, but he wasn't in the best of conditions. There was a large bruise on his left cheek and blood and soot swept across his right cheek. The silken clothes he wore were tattered, partially burnt at the edges, and looked to have been ripped to pieces in places: such as the sleeves, which were now non-existent, and the bottom hem. There were bruises on his arms, none as extensive as the one on his face but there all the same. His left arm was bandaged with the scraps from his tunic, but the blue fabric was now deep red with the blood that had been absorbed and was now soaking clean through and down his arm.
"What's that?" Morgana asked, motioning to Merlin's wound.
Arthur knelt down by Merlin's left side and examined the cloth there. "Fetch the horses and get me the medical kit. We have to take care of the wound quickly." Sir Urien hurried off to do as ordered. "It looks like maybe he was trying to escape the battle but passed out due to the state of his arm. I'll do what I can, but Gaius should have a look at it himself, and soon. We'll camp here tonight, and travel back to Camelot at first light."
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…
When Merlin blinked his eyes open, it was to the first glimpse of day breaking over the horizon. It passed through the leaves of the trees and created delicate patterns across his face. He tried to block it out with his right hand, but that caused him to roll on his left arm a bit and he hissed in pain. He sat up and grabbed his upper arm just beneath the wound and then stopped and looked around in confusion.
Gwen was sleeping right next to him on his right side. On his left side was a burnt out fire. A mostly unfamiliar man slept on the other side of the fire, but the armor nearby suggested he was a knight of Camelot. Morgana slept with her feet near Merlin's head and her head by the knight.
When had they gotten here?
"Ah," a very familiar voice let out just before Arthur walked into Merlin's line of sight. "You're still alive, then?" he asked easily, fiddling idly with the stick in his hands.
"I guess," Merlin answered, a smile threatening to crawl on his face at the sight of his King. He was covered in dirt from digging graves and looked like he had been awake for at least a few hours, probably on guard duty.
Arthur motioned to his left absently. "There was a terrible fight just over there, at Vortigern's castle. The whole place just…fell down," he continued as if it didn't matter. "We were actually heading to the beach for a bit of off time until we felt the tremors," he lied. Merlin caught it easily but kept his mouth shut for once. "You look like you got caught in the battle a bit," Arthur noted, motioning to Merlin's arm. "I'm amazed you weren't killed, what with your penchant for causing trouble."
Merlin let the smile overtake his face. "No. It'll take a lot more than that to kill me."
Arthur grinned. "I hope so, Merlin." For a long moment there was merely silence where they stared at each other and then, "Because in your absence my chambers have fallen apart. Really. They are absolutely terrible," he covered with a grimace.
Merlin smiled softly. Same old Arthur. Perfect.
…
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Next Time: The Legend Begins
Morgause sends an unstoppable enemy to Camelot; a beast no mortal weapon can kill. Morgana foresees a weapon that can bring victory to Arthur in the coming battle and Merlin dreams of someone he once loved and lost that may be more than an idle vision. What do the dreams mean? Is it now? Is now the time for Merlin's secret to be revealed?
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Translations:
Swebban = to put to sleep
Yppan = reveal, display
Háligreft = veil
Bærnan = to expose to the action of heat, cause to burn, kindle, light, set on fire
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So the next one is the last one. The next one is the one I've been waiting to write because it includes the interesting bit about Excalibur that I learned whilst doing random Arthurian research. I hope you've liked this so far and that you stick around for the finale.
Merlin will Return.
Pairing: Pretty Gen. Kind of one-sided Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Arthur, hinted Gwen/Lancelot. It’s about as gay as the series is, which is pretty gay.
Disclaimer: I do not own BBC’s Merlin. If I did, I’d be pretty happy because I’d know Colin and Bradley personally.
Summary: The legend of Excalibur is not as simple as everyone thinks. Arthur pulls a sword from a stone, beginning a chain of events that will lead him to his destiny and the sorcerer prophesized to stand beside him.
Chapter Summary: What is destroying Vortigern's castle? What about Merlin is so special that he can stop it? Morgana and Arthur plot a way to rescue Merlin on their own, but a terrible nightmare of Morgana's may signal that time is running out for Camelot's resident magician.
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Part XIII - Emrys and Vortigern part 2
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"I want you to figure out what keeps destroying my castle," he demanded hotly, anger rolling off of him in waves.
Merlin looked down at the crack in the floor, then at Vortigern with shock on his face.
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…
"You what?" Uther asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I want to see the western shore," Morgana repeated. "I've never been to the ocean before, and Camelot is allies with the country to the west, so I thought maybe I could journey there tomorrow and spend a few days on the shore."
Uther's eyes, if possible, narrowed further. "Really." Morgana nodded innocently. "And…what else?"
Morgana shrugged nonchalantly, like she wasn't surprised Uther had seen through her at all and she wasn't worried about it. "Well, I'd be taking Gwen, of course. But I also hoped to take Arthur along."
"No."
Morgana frowned. "Why not?" she asked stubbornly.
Uther shook his head. "If he leaves this city, Arthur will head straight for Cymry."
Morgana sighed. "That is exactly why I wish to take him with me," she began. Uther gave her a curious and confused look. "Look….with his favorite servant missing, Arthur's concentration slips more every hour. He can't focus on learning to become a king. He can't focus on knight's training. He can't focus on anything," she complained, waving her left arm toward one of the side exits like it was Arthur himself. "I thought, maybe a few days relaxing on a beach, far from his duties, might be of use to him. Maybe he'll get over it."
Uther stared at her long and hard. Morgana held herself strong and tall like a noblewoman the whole time, awaiting his decision. Please say yes. Please say yes!
"Alright," Uther agreed, looking away from her. Morgana let out the breath she was barely aware she'd been holding. "But," Uther started again, looking at her again. Morgana repositioned herself. "You will take Sir Urien with you for extra protection. I won't have you getting kidnapped again."
Morgana frowned. "Surely Arthur is enough. He's the best Camelot has," she reasoned.
Uther shook his head. "He's also distracted. And one man is simply not enough these days. Sir Urien will accompany you three, or you will not go at all."
With a sigh, Morgana agreed, curtsied, and left the room. Arthur stood a hallway away, waiting. When Morgana turned the corner and came face to face with him, she was frowning. "What?" he asked briefly.
"We can go," she said. "But he's ordered Sir Urien to accompany us."
Arthur placed his right hand to his chin in contemplation. "The knights have listened to me before for lesser reasons than this….Sir Urien might actually come in handy in the long run. Once we're out of Camelot, I'll see where his loyalty is."
…
…
Hyne led Merlin down to the lower levels of the castle with not but a single torch to light the way in the darkness. "Whatever the problem is, it is most assuredly beneath the castle," he explained. "The only issue is that no one, and I truly mean no one, can find anything down here that would cause such quakes."
Merlin watched the walls and the floor as they walked. There was a feeling thrumming through the air, coursing in his veins, and he got the distinct impression his father was there with him now. "As a Dragonlord, you will gain certain…abilities, that will assist you," he heard within his soul, and closed his eyes, feeling his way down the stairs by way of his hand running along the wall.
There was blissful silence for about ten seconds, and then Hyne broke it just as the ground leveled out into a long hall with several side passageways. "As soon as you fulfill the vision I foresaw, Lord Vortigern will release you and you may return to Camelot without a breath about your secret."
Merlin opened his eyes and stared at the back of Hyne's head. "No he won't," he said simply.
Hyne let out a strange laugh and ducked his head for a moment. "No. He really won't," he chuckled. "You're powerful, young warlock. Very powerful."
And that's when Merlin understood. Once he'd proven himself by fulfilling whatever prophecy Hyne had told him, Vortigern was going to use him as a weapon. Most likely, he'd use Merlin as a weapon against Camelot and all of Albion, forcibly taking Arthur's position as rightful King. Well, Merlin couldn't allow that…now could he?
"Has Vortigern heard about Arthur?" Merlin asked conversationally, still trying to get a sense of what he was feeling. "Does he know who Arthur is?" he stressed.
Hyne nodded. "Of course. Every noble in all of Albion, and half of the countries across the sea know of Arthur Pendragon's amazing feat, of his destiny to rule."
"Then why?"
"Because Lord Vortigern doesn't believe in destiny. He believes in gaining what a man can through sheer force and will. He will take control the only way that really matters: by the sword." He seemed quite pleased with himself.
Taking a deep breath, Merlin rushed forward and shoved Hyne into the wall of the hallway. Hyne dropped the torch and it rolled several feet away to the top of another staircase leading further down. "Swebban," Merlin said forcefully, holding Hyne against the wall as he spoke. Instantly, Hyne went still against him and Merlin slowly lowered him to the ground. "A taste of your own magic, Hyne," he grimaced before standing up and moving to grab the torch from where it fell. "Now…where are you…?" he asked the air. He had to find out what was down here and get out before Lord Vortigern realized anything was wrong.
Merlin began descending the stairs swiftly, eyes darting from side corridor to side corridor every level he came to, taking lefts and rights at seemingly random times. Finally, he came to a dead end. Instead of turning back, Merlin walked right up to the wall and placed his hand against it. It felt like the wall had a heartbeat!
"Yppan," he whispered, and suddenly the wall vanished before him to reveal another passage. There were stairs here too, leading even further down. They were very crude in structure, very old, but sturdy and Merlin hurried down them. Eventually he came out in a cavern similar and yet much smaller than the one beneath Camelot castle had been. "Ah," Merlin gasped, almost dropping the torch again in his surprise.
…
…
A burst of fire. Hundreds of men, young and old, running with torches and swords and farming tools, all yelling and screaming and angry. Lord Vortigern in his throne as the walls shake and crumble and the floor splits in two, looking angry and distressed. Merlin with his hands bound behind his back, tattered clothes, and a bruised cheek. A low roar. Fire. An explosion. The fortress was burning to the ground! Vortigern pulled a sword from its sheath and swung it at Merlin at point blank range. There were bodies everywhere, in armor and not, all burnt or bloody, all pale with death. Merlin's eyes were closed as if in sleep, soot and blood on his face.
"NO!" Morgana shouted, shooting up in bed with gasping breaths. Her eyes shot around the room once before she jumped up and ran to her window, looking to the west with bated breath. There was no smoke. There was no fire. "Merlin," she breathed out.
Grabbing her robe, Morgana threw it around her shoulders and ran from her room, down the halls and around corners, until she finally came to a stop outside a very familiar door. Her hand was shaking terribly when she raised it to knock four times on the wood three inches in front of her. When no one answered in several seconds, Morgana knocked again, most insistent this time but still soft due to the lateness of the hour.
"I'm coming," Arthur's muffled voice answered gruffly, clogged with sleep. A moment later, he opened the door shirtless, looking peeved. His expression changed to surprise and then quickly to concern when he saw the state Morgana was in. "Morgana?"
"I…I'm sorry," she practically gasped out. "I just…" Her eyes flicked each way down the hall. "Can I…come in?" she asked hesitantly.
Arthur blinked once, slowly, before shaking his head and moving to the side, opening the door wider. "Of course. Of course. Come in." Once the door was shut and locked behind her, Arthur turned and watched as Morgana went to the window, looking out and to the west as best she could as if waiting for an attack. "Morgana, what's wrong?"
Morgana actually jumped, flipping to face him. "I…I had a dream, just now….a vision." She shook her head. "I've had them for years now, but…recently I've learned to control them, to stop them, because otherwise I get them every night and I get no rest."
Arthur nodded slowly. That would explain how she'd behaved in the past…except for the past year, of course. He was still getting used to the fact that the girl he'd grown up with like a sister was magic, by birth and not by choice. "And tonight's?"
Morgana gulped down a breath. "I let it come," she admitted, then shook her head. "I saw…such terrible events….Vortigern….his castle will burn to the ground. His subjects are planning a revolt, and soon…they'll act on it. I saw him attack Merlin with a sword," she revealed with a shaking voice. "I saw the castle in ruins, the soldiers and the villagers all dead and strewn across the ground…..I saw Merlin-," she cut herself off abruptly, shutting her eyes tight against the images in her mind, and shook her head. "Arthur, we don't have much time. If we don't hurry…."
"Merlin will die," Arthur finished for her, his expression grim. Morgana nodded shakily.
…
…
Dragons! It was dragons!
Merlin watched as the two dragons flew back and forth past each other, coughing out little bits of flame every now and then, and slamming into the walls of the cavern. One was pure white with tendril-like spikes rolling down its back every six to twelve inches. The other was a burnt red color with sharp looking, deep yellow spikes every two to four inches along its spine. Somehow, without asking, Merlin knew the white one was younger than the red, but only by seconds.
The red dragon turned to make another shot around the cavern and caught sight of Merlin standing at the edge of the cavern. It roared, something cute when compared to the Great Dragon he was used to, Kilgarrah, and both dragons flew over and landed only feet from where he stood. They were only about six feet tall each. They were baby dragons!
"Hi," Merlin began.
The red dragon roared again, interrupting anything else he would've said. "Who are you?" it demanded, sounding like a petulant child.
"I am Merlin," he introduced. "I'm a sorcerer and a dragon lord. How old are you both?"
The red dragon made to speak but the white one moved its head in front of him and cut him off. Its voice was softer, gentler, almost fearful. "Only a few months," she revealed. She turned her head to the far corner of the cavern and Merlin looked too, seeing the shards of their eggs there. "We just hatched here. Where are we?" she asked, turning back to face Merlin.
Merlin shook himself. "You're under a castle fortress ruled by a man named Vortigern. He's a warlike man who built his castle here for its strategic battle position. The country is called Cymry." He took a step forward and the red dragon growled. "You will not hurt me."
Instantly, the red dragon stopped growling and lowered its head in submission, chastened. The white one spoke instead. "I know about Dragon Lords. I don't know how….but I know."
Merlin smiled. "That's good." He took a breath. "Why are you attacking the walls and making the castle shake?"
The red one lifted his head. "Because we want out! We want to be free! We're tired of this stupid, pathetic space we were born in and want out!"
"Ok," Merlin agreed, and both dragons looked at him curiously. "I can get you out. In fact, I'd enjoy nothing more than letting you out from under this castle." Because Vortigern's castle would suffer for it. "But you have to agree to some terms."
"What terms?" the red dragon asked, untrusting.
"You have to swear that the first thing you'll do upon leaving this place is seek out the Great Dragon Kilgarrah. He believes he is the last of his kind and I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to know you two exist. Second, you can never, ever, under any circumstances, attack, hurt, or kill a human. Be good," Merlin ordered in a kind, trustworthy tone of voice.
"Anything," the white dragon agreed instantly. There was a moment of silence and she turned her head and leaned sideways to knock into the red dragon, who shook himself, glared at the white dragon, and nodded to Merlin.
"I agree too," he answered at length.
Merlin smiled again. "Great. Now, I'm going to go back out and come up with a way to release you. Be ready. I'll get you out of here soon. I promise." With that, he turned and headed back out of the cavern via the secret passage he'd found. Once back in the known passages, Merlin turned around, held up his hand, and said, "Háligreft." The tunnel vanished behind a solid wall and Merlin smiled to himself before hurrying away from the area.
Just as he reached the top of the first flight of stairs, he was grabbed and thrown to the ground roughly. The torch rolled back down the stairs, but it didn't matter because Merlin heard "Bærnan," and another torch was lit in the hands of Hyne standing four feet down the passage. The man pinning Merlin down quickly bound his wrists tightly, almost painfully, behind his back before doing the same to his ankles.
"What you did was very naughty, young warlock," Hyne sneered, his face red on one side, doubtless from where Merlin had shoved him into the wall. "Lord Vortigern is not happy with you."
"He can burn," Merlin hissed out. "I won't help him. I won't be a weapon!"
Hyne shook his head, a frown on his face. "That just won't do." He nodded to the man holding Merlin down. "Take him to The Chamber."
The man hoisted Merlin up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes or rice and made his way down the hall to some unknown location. Merlin shut his eyes and prayed Arthur was ok right now.
…
…
It was early the next morning and Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen's horses were saddled, packed, and ready to go. Sir Urien was just coming out of the stables with his own horse now.
"Let's move," Arthur ordered, already on his horse. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back," he grumbled.
Morgana frowned. "You shouldn't rush through life like that, Arthur. It's unbecoming of a King." She was also already in the saddle.
Arthur made to grumble something back at her, but caught sight of Gwen mounting her horse just past Morgana's shoulder and stopped. She looked conflicted: happy to be going on a trip, but cautious and worried as well. Gwen glanced over at Arthur, gasped silently at seeing him staring at her as well, and looked forward again with a large blush on her face. Oh. Arthur frowned slightly. She was worried because he was on the trip with her. He wished she wasn't-
"All ready, sire," Sir Urien announced, coming to a halt on his horse right next to Arthur. "Shall we proceed?"
Arthur frowned at the knight. He was a few years older than Morgana and himself, but not by much, with dark brown hair in a choppy cut and amazingly green eyes. He was attractive. Arthur was more so.
"We shall," Arthur agreed, tapping his horse with his heels to make him walk forward.
They were just out of sight of the castle when Sir Urien spoke up again. "Sire?" he breeched.
"Hm?" Arthur asked without looking at him.
"I just wanted to let you know," Urien began again. "Whatever it is we're really going to do out here….I'll follow you."
Arthur stopped his horse short and turned to look at the young knight beside him. Everyone else stopped their horses accordingly and gave him similar looks. "What?" Morgana managed.
Sir Urien fiddled with his reins for a moment before sitting straight-backed in his saddle. "I know your servant is missing, sire, and I know you asked the King to send troops to retrieve him and that you were denied. I highly doubt this is really a trip to the ocean purely for pleasure, my lord, and I simply wished to assure you that I will do whatever it is you require of me….unto death."
Morgana shared a happy, pride filled look with Gwen while Arthur simply blinked at the man. After a few moments, he nodded and kicked his horse into walking again, the rest following his lead. "Good," Arthur said once they were all moving again, "because we'll be infiltrating King Vortigern's fortress in less than two days."
…
…
It was late afternoon when Merlin was shoved down on his knees before Vortigern in the throne room. His hands were still tied behind his back, though it was hours later. He squint his eyes in the brightness of the room, still recovering from being in the dark Chamber for hours with Vortigern's thugs showing him how he'd regret his decisions. A bruise from someone hitting him was forming high on his left cheek, and he didn't doubt that there were a lot of other bruises under the clothes he'd woken up in. He'd never had anyone beat him before, and Merlin decided he never wanted anyone to ever again. It really really hurt!
"Have you reconsidered?" Vortigern asked slowly, looking like he had not a care in the world.
Merlin glared at him. "You have me beaten and then ask if I want to work for you? What kind of stupid idea is that?" He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he'd never been very good at it. "I'll never work for you. Arthur Pendragon is my only master."
Lord Vortigern tensed, a deep and intense frown on his face. "You will work for me, or you will regret it for the rest of your very. short. life," he threatened.
Merlin opened his mouth to retort, but stopped, turning his head to the side a bit as the white dragon's voice entered his head. "Merlin! Something's happening outside the castle! Where are you?"
…
…
An army of three hundred farmers and workers, peasants, of Cymry was gathered at the edge of the woods outside the castle fortress, just out of sight.
"Alright," the one in charge began. "The rumors were true. The whole place looks about to fall to pieces. Now's our chance to take back our land and freedom. Everyone ready?" he said in a moderately loud voice. The whole multitude murmured their assent. "Then….charge!"
At once, every one of them ran forward out of the trees and charged the broken form of the fortress of Vortigern. The attack wasn't the most skillful or the best thought out, but it accomplished surprise and that was what really mattered.
…
…
"No," Merlin breathed out, looking back at Vortigern with a little frown on his face. "You will."
"What?" Vortigern shouted in disgust. "You dare to threaten me? I am a King!"
The entry doors burst open and two knights ran in. "My lord!" the younger one shouted. "The citizens! They're attacking the castle!"
"What?" Vortigern shouted again, this time in shock. His head snapped to Merlin, who had the tiniest smirk on his face, and glared. "You," he spat. Vortigern ripped his sword from its sheath and practically ran down the stairs to Merlin's level. "You did this!"
Vortigern pulled back with his sword, preparing to strike. Merlin's eyes flashed golden and the ropes binding him shredded to pieces. He pushed himself backwards away from the sword as it came forward, but the blade caught his left arm as he fell and Merlin cried out in pain.
"Sire!" the older knight called before the king could stab Merlin straight through where he lay on the ground.
"What?" Vortigern demanded hotly.
"What should we do about the revolt?" he asked, trembling before his king wielding a weapon.
Vortigern sighed heavily and re-sheathed his sword. "Take the knights and attack back, obviously. Must I do everything myself?" The two knights shook their heads and ran back out of the room to do as they'd been told. Vortigern waved the two thugs over and gestured to Merlin. "Take him to a cell. I'll deal with him later," he spat.
Merlin couldn't think beyond the pain in his arm enough to fight back when they grabbed him, so the next thing he knew he was being tossed in a cell the likes of which Camelot would never see. It was absolutely filthy! He waited until the door was locked and the men had walked away before turning his attention to the bleeding cut on his arm.
Merlin quickly tore the bottom of his shirt off and tied it above the cut to lessen the bleeding, then tore more off and made a makeshift bandage to cover the wound, tight and good. Once he was satisfied with the bandaging, Merlin took the top tie off and winced at the increased blood flow through his arm. He wished he could remember one of the dozens of healing spells in his book, but right now he was drawing a complete blank!
"Merlin," the red dragon called.
Merlin gasped and held his head. The voice was piercing into his mind like a sharp dagger. "What?"
"What's going on up there?"
"A bunch of Cymry's peasants are revolting and attacking the castle. Everyone's busy defending the….wait." He released his head and ran to the door, wrapping his hands around the bars and peering each direction. There was no one there. "I can release you now. The castle's standing on its last foundations anyway, so no one would think anything of it if the whole place just collapsed in the battle. And everyone's outside fighting, so no one would get hurt. Are you ready?"
"We were born ready."
Merlin grinned, releasing the bars but leaving a bloody handprint behind. He paused. "What are your names?" he asked.
"Saxones," the girl responded.
"Wales," the boy answered.
"Saxones, Wales….Say hello to Kilgarrah for me," Merlin said softly before his eyes shone gold.
…
…
Arthur, Urien, Morgana, and Gwen all jumped when an explosion rocked the ground, and their horses stopped walking.
"What was that?" Gwen asked, looking around.
"There!" Sir Urien pointed above the trees, where smoke was rising into the sky. "Smoke."
"Vortigern's fortress," Arthur breathed out, spurring his horse into a gallop.
Morgana took off next, and Urien waited until Gwen had gone before him to begin as well. They continued on for several minutes simply running at full speed in the direction of the smoke. Then suddenly the trees cleared and before them, spread as far as they could see, was the ruins of Vortigern's castle fortress.
"Oh my….," Gwen let out, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.
The castle was on fire, remnants of a tower burning to ashes. Most of it was simply fallen to pieces, having crashed in upon itself, probably after the tower exploded. But the castle wasn't what got to Gwen. It was the bodies. Probably two hundred peasants and soldiers lay strewn across the ground around the ruins. By the state of the bodies, they hadn't been killed by the explosion, but in some vicious battle, though some of them were somewhat injured from the collapse of the castle. The one nearest the tower was actually on fire himself. Morgana had to close her eyes against it all.
"Vortigern's castle is destroyed," Arthur said simply. His face hardened and he turned to his traveling companions. "Sir Urien. Protect Guinevere with your life. Morgana, come with me," he ordered sternly, dismounting his horse. "When we return…we'll begin burying the dead."
Arthur and Morgana walked by body after body, checking each one as they passed. None of them were Merlin. After the preliminary search came up with nothing, Arthur looked to the remains of the castle.
"Maybe he was inside when it collapsed?"
Morgana shook her head. "No. I could see daylight in my vision of him," she explained. "He isn't in the castle."
"Then he must be here, but we can't find him," Arthur concluded, looking around. "Were there any bodies we missed?"
Morgana too looked around once before shrugging. "I don't know. There could be dozens of bodies in the woods that we just can't see…." After a moment's pause, she said, "Let's head back. We'll bury those we've found and check each one again as we go. We'll find him, Arthur," she promised.
Arthur wished he could believe that, but the expanse of area the bodies could be strewn across was large and the possibility that they would simply pass him by in the rubble was all too likely.
…
…
It was Gwen who found him.
It was nearing sunset and Arthur and Sir Urien were burying probably their fiftieth body while Gwen and Morgana did their best to gather the dead and search for the wounded. There weren't many wounded still in the area. Gwen had walked about six feet into the woods to search when she came across Merlin, leaning haphazardly against a tree.
"Arthur! Morgana!" she screamed. "I found him!"
All three others immediately dropped what they were doing and ran toward the sound of Gwen's voice. She was kneeling next to Merlin's body, checking his pulse, and smiled up at them when they drew near.
"He's alive," she told them, her eyes already filling with tears.
He may have been alive, but he wasn't in the best of conditions. There was a large bruise on his left cheek and blood and soot swept across his right cheek. The silken clothes he wore were tattered, partially burnt at the edges, and looked to have been ripped to pieces in places: such as the sleeves, which were now non-existent, and the bottom hem. There were bruises on his arms, none as extensive as the one on his face but there all the same. His left arm was bandaged with the scraps from his tunic, but the blue fabric was now deep red with the blood that had been absorbed and was now soaking clean through and down his arm.
"What's that?" Morgana asked, motioning to Merlin's wound.
Arthur knelt down by Merlin's left side and examined the cloth there. "Fetch the horses and get me the medical kit. We have to take care of the wound quickly." Sir Urien hurried off to do as ordered. "It looks like maybe he was trying to escape the battle but passed out due to the state of his arm. I'll do what I can, but Gaius should have a look at it himself, and soon. We'll camp here tonight, and travel back to Camelot at first light."
…
…
When Merlin blinked his eyes open, it was to the first glimpse of day breaking over the horizon. It passed through the leaves of the trees and created delicate patterns across his face. He tried to block it out with his right hand, but that caused him to roll on his left arm a bit and he hissed in pain. He sat up and grabbed his upper arm just beneath the wound and then stopped and looked around in confusion.
Gwen was sleeping right next to him on his right side. On his left side was a burnt out fire. A mostly unfamiliar man slept on the other side of the fire, but the armor nearby suggested he was a knight of Camelot. Morgana slept with her feet near Merlin's head and her head by the knight.
When had they gotten here?
"Ah," a very familiar voice let out just before Arthur walked into Merlin's line of sight. "You're still alive, then?" he asked easily, fiddling idly with the stick in his hands.
"I guess," Merlin answered, a smile threatening to crawl on his face at the sight of his King. He was covered in dirt from digging graves and looked like he had been awake for at least a few hours, probably on guard duty.
Arthur motioned to his left absently. "There was a terrible fight just over there, at Vortigern's castle. The whole place just…fell down," he continued as if it didn't matter. "We were actually heading to the beach for a bit of off time until we felt the tremors," he lied. Merlin caught it easily but kept his mouth shut for once. "You look like you got caught in the battle a bit," Arthur noted, motioning to Merlin's arm. "I'm amazed you weren't killed, what with your penchant for causing trouble."
Merlin let the smile overtake his face. "No. It'll take a lot more than that to kill me."
Arthur grinned. "I hope so, Merlin." For a long moment there was merely silence where they stared at each other and then, "Because in your absence my chambers have fallen apart. Really. They are absolutely terrible," he covered with a grimace.
Merlin smiled softly. Same old Arthur. Perfect.
…
…
Next Time: The Legend Begins
Morgause sends an unstoppable enemy to Camelot; a beast no mortal weapon can kill. Morgana foresees a weapon that can bring victory to Arthur in the coming battle and Merlin dreams of someone he once loved and lost that may be more than an idle vision. What do the dreams mean? Is it now? Is now the time for Merlin's secret to be revealed?
…
…
Translations:
Swebban = to put to sleep
Yppan = reveal, display
Háligreft = veil
Bærnan = to expose to the action of heat, cause to burn, kindle, light, set on fire
…
…
So the next one is the last one. The next one is the one I've been waiting to write because it includes the interesting bit about Excalibur that I learned whilst doing random Arthurian research. I hope you've liked this so far and that you stick around for the finale.
Merlin will Return.