One Silver Summons [8/9]
Fandom: BBC Merlin
Characters: Uther, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, OFC
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 3x13, "The Coming of Arthur"
Warnings: Character death
Words: ~13,500
Summary: Uther is determined to deliver a gift to Morgana. Arthur sends Merlin and Gwen, his most trusted friends, to ensure the king's safety during the perilous journey. *This is a semi-sequel, using two OFCs from Comedies End With a Wedding. It isn't necessary to read that one first.
Chapter 7: Souls and Sorcery
When Gwen and Merlin woke late the next morning, the king was still asleep. Gwen wanted to let him rest, but Merlin felt he would prefer to press on. In the end their argument woke him up, and they both thanked their lucky stars that they didn't normally have to deal with him in the morning.
He led them outside and down the hill toward Cenred's castle. When he found a nice flat spot, they stopped.
Uther took the point of his sword and drew a rune on the ground. He took the crystal pendant from around his neck and placed it in the center of the rune. Adding a bit of his own blood, he chanted, "Gjennom mitt liv, innkalle jeg deg. Akt mitt kall, Eir."
A lightning bolt cracked out of the clear blue sky and struck the crystal. Uther picked it up and put it back on while Merlin and Gwen gaped at him.
"Magic. That was magic. You did magic," said Merlin.
"You two will not speak of this, of course," said Uther stiffly.
"Then you admit that not all magic is evil? Not every sorcerer always wicked? I won't run my mouth, I just want to hear you say it once."
Even after all he'd seen, the boy was stubbornly clinging to the idea that magic could be used for good. No amount of seeing it gone awry or twisted to bad ends would convince him, it seemed.
"Magic is...unpredictable. Purity of spirit, strength of will - these are of nothing when it comes to magic. Once unleashed, no natural force can stand against it. It is dangerous. Too dangerous."
"I see now. You're afraid. You're afraid because you don't understand it and you can't hit it with a sword."
Uther glared at him. "Are you calling me a coward?"
"Coward? No. Not at all. I just don't understand why you're afraid of magic and not afraid of looking Death in the eye and calling his mother a yeasty strumpet."
Uther turned to Sigrid, who had followed them as docile as a cow. All her noble spirit, joy, hurt, anger, love - gone. That this puppet could walk and talk only made a mockery of everything Sigrid was.
"Look into her eyes and tell me there aren't some things worse than mere death."
To his credit, the boy actually took the time to think about it. "Will we be able to help her?" he asked quietly.
"I believe so." Uther paused to think for a moment. "You were the one who saved Morgana's life when she was fatally wounded. It was you, not Gaius, wasn't it?"
Merlin nodded. "Would you've had me do differently?"
"…No."
Merlin wanted to savor that moment, but he didn't have much time before a winged horse appeared out of approximately nowhere and landed in their midst.
A woman with fair skin and copper-red hair dismounted and looked Uther over.
"You seem to have bungled things rather badly, son-in-law," said the woman. She was wearing silver armor that shimmered in the sunlight. "You're supposed to die in battle, not drag your maimed carcass about like a beaten dog."
"Always a pleasure, Eir," said the king. "But that is not why I summoned you." He stepped aside to let Eir get a better look at Sigrid.
"Where is her soul?"
"I suspect a sorceress called Morgause took it. Have you heard the name?"
"No. But she shall become familiar with mine in the seconds before I flense the meat from her bones."
Uther smiled grimly. "As I hoped."
"Begging your pardon, but what do you mean took her soul?" Merlin asked, looking from Eir to Uther and back again. "Is this something we need to worry about?"
"They keep their souls outside their bodies," said Uther. He pointed at a sea-green gem Eir wore inset on a choker.
"…For easier pilfering?" It seemed somewhat impractical to Merlin.
"For harder killing," Eir explained. "When the soul is entwined with the body, a strike hits both."
Something clicked in Merlin's mind. "Then, when Sigrid came to Camelot, she must have had her soul…um, inside? That's why she was afraid."
"Correct. If she had died in that state, her soul would have been lost forever."
"Foolish girl. She should not have taken that kind of risk," said Uther.
Eir regarded him with something approaching warmth. "We do lose a little something when we're untethered from our hearts. Sigrid wanted to return as you remembered her, son-in-law."
Uther raised an eyebrow at Eir. "Why do you persist in calling me that?"
"Did my daughter not bring you a token of her affection?"
Uther nodded, touching the crystal pendant.
"And did you not swear oaths to each other?"
He answered in the affirmative.
Eir leaned in a little. "Then perhaps you did not consummate your union?"
"Now that is really no concern of yours -"
"What more would you deem necessary for a wedding, son-in-law?" She clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Let us go hence and burn some witches."
As they rode towards Cenred's castle, Merlin noticed that Eir was watching him. Staring, really. Almost leering.
"Something I can do for you, my lady?" he asked, finally.
"Have you ever contemplated your afterlife, Merlin?"
"Ah, not really," said Merlin, wondering if he should try to angle his horse away from her. "Why d'you ask?"
"I'd like you to come with me to the hall of the gods. All in good time, of course." She smiled, which for most people would have been a reassuring gesture. But Eir's face betrayed very little of her thoughts; whether that was because she held tight rein on them or a side effect of keeping her soul in a gem, was hard to say.
"What interest do you have in the boy?" Uther asked.
"His aura is…fascinating."
Merlin frowned. "My what now?"
"The light of a soul cannot be contained by the frail shell of a mortal body. It is always shining, though you do not see it. Yours is golden, like the dragon of your lord's emblem. I have never seen another like it. Though I have seen the matching crimson," she added, with a little tease in her voice.
Gwen gave Merlin a "good for you" grin.
"Who's my soulmate? Gwen?" said Merlin, more to bait Gwen than anything.
Eir glanced at her. "Lavender aura. No doubt she will make a fine wife, but unsuitable for our purposes."
That intrigued Merlin. "What purposes?"
"We collect the most valiant and noble warriors to fight alongside the gods for the fate of the world. They must be bold, for our side is prophesied to lose." There was that smile again. "Arthur is the crimson. We will certainly try to recruit him as well."
At that, Uther actually slowed down to get a better look at him. Ever since he and Gwen saved the king's life - again - Merlin had the distinct feeling that Uther was keeping a running tally on them both. It was disconcerting, but it was also something of an improvement on the way the king had previously looked right through him.
The king said, "Your soul is a valuable commodity. If you choose to sell it, make sure you get a good price."
Merlin supposed Uther meant him to take that advice back to Arthur, but still. The king gave me fatherly advice. Arthur wouldn't even believe this if I told him.
[ Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 ]
Characters: Uther, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, OFC
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 3x13, "The Coming of Arthur"
Warnings: Character death
Words: ~13,500
Summary: Uther is determined to deliver a gift to Morgana. Arthur sends Merlin and Gwen, his most trusted friends, to ensure the king's safety during the perilous journey. *This is a semi-sequel, using two OFCs from Comedies End With a Wedding. It isn't necessary to read that one first.
Chapter 7: Souls and Sorcery
When Gwen and Merlin woke late the next morning, the king was still asleep. Gwen wanted to let him rest, but Merlin felt he would prefer to press on. In the end their argument woke him up, and they both thanked their lucky stars that they didn't normally have to deal with him in the morning.
He led them outside and down the hill toward Cenred's castle. When he found a nice flat spot, they stopped.
Uther took the point of his sword and drew a rune on the ground. He took the crystal pendant from around his neck and placed it in the center of the rune. Adding a bit of his own blood, he chanted, "Gjennom mitt liv, innkalle jeg deg. Akt mitt kall, Eir."
A lightning bolt cracked out of the clear blue sky and struck the crystal. Uther picked it up and put it back on while Merlin and Gwen gaped at him.
"Magic. That was magic. You did magic," said Merlin.
"You two will not speak of this, of course," said Uther stiffly.
"Then you admit that not all magic is evil? Not every sorcerer always wicked? I won't run my mouth, I just want to hear you say it once."
Even after all he'd seen, the boy was stubbornly clinging to the idea that magic could be used for good. No amount of seeing it gone awry or twisted to bad ends would convince him, it seemed.
"Magic is...unpredictable. Purity of spirit, strength of will - these are of nothing when it comes to magic. Once unleashed, no natural force can stand against it. It is dangerous. Too dangerous."
"I see now. You're afraid. You're afraid because you don't understand it and you can't hit it with a sword."
Uther glared at him. "Are you calling me a coward?"
"Coward? No. Not at all. I just don't understand why you're afraid of magic and not afraid of looking Death in the eye and calling his mother a yeasty strumpet."
Uther turned to Sigrid, who had followed them as docile as a cow. All her noble spirit, joy, hurt, anger, love - gone. That this puppet could walk and talk only made a mockery of everything Sigrid was.
"Look into her eyes and tell me there aren't some things worse than mere death."
To his credit, the boy actually took the time to think about it. "Will we be able to help her?" he asked quietly.
"I believe so." Uther paused to think for a moment. "You were the one who saved Morgana's life when she was fatally wounded. It was you, not Gaius, wasn't it?"
Merlin nodded. "Would you've had me do differently?"
"…No."
Merlin wanted to savor that moment, but he didn't have much time before a winged horse appeared out of approximately nowhere and landed in their midst.
A woman with fair skin and copper-red hair dismounted and looked Uther over.
"You seem to have bungled things rather badly, son-in-law," said the woman. She was wearing silver armor that shimmered in the sunlight. "You're supposed to die in battle, not drag your maimed carcass about like a beaten dog."
"Always a pleasure, Eir," said the king. "But that is not why I summoned you." He stepped aside to let Eir get a better look at Sigrid.
"Where is her soul?"
"I suspect a sorceress called Morgause took it. Have you heard the name?"
"No. But she shall become familiar with mine in the seconds before I flense the meat from her bones."
Uther smiled grimly. "As I hoped."
"Begging your pardon, but what do you mean took her soul?" Merlin asked, looking from Eir to Uther and back again. "Is this something we need to worry about?"
"They keep their souls outside their bodies," said Uther. He pointed at a sea-green gem Eir wore inset on a choker.
"…For easier pilfering?" It seemed somewhat impractical to Merlin.
"For harder killing," Eir explained. "When the soul is entwined with the body, a strike hits both."
Something clicked in Merlin's mind. "Then, when Sigrid came to Camelot, she must have had her soul…um, inside? That's why she was afraid."
"Correct. If she had died in that state, her soul would have been lost forever."
"Foolish girl. She should not have taken that kind of risk," said Uther.
Eir regarded him with something approaching warmth. "We do lose a little something when we're untethered from our hearts. Sigrid wanted to return as you remembered her, son-in-law."
Uther raised an eyebrow at Eir. "Why do you persist in calling me that?"
"Did my daughter not bring you a token of her affection?"
Uther nodded, touching the crystal pendant.
"And did you not swear oaths to each other?"
He answered in the affirmative.
Eir leaned in a little. "Then perhaps you did not consummate your union?"
"Now that is really no concern of yours -"
"What more would you deem necessary for a wedding, son-in-law?" She clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Let us go hence and burn some witches."
As they rode towards Cenred's castle, Merlin noticed that Eir was watching him. Staring, really. Almost leering.
"Something I can do for you, my lady?" he asked, finally.
"Have you ever contemplated your afterlife, Merlin?"
"Ah, not really," said Merlin, wondering if he should try to angle his horse away from her. "Why d'you ask?"
"I'd like you to come with me to the hall of the gods. All in good time, of course." She smiled, which for most people would have been a reassuring gesture. But Eir's face betrayed very little of her thoughts; whether that was because she held tight rein on them or a side effect of keeping her soul in a gem, was hard to say.
"What interest do you have in the boy?" Uther asked.
"His aura is…fascinating."
Merlin frowned. "My what now?"
"The light of a soul cannot be contained by the frail shell of a mortal body. It is always shining, though you do not see it. Yours is golden, like the dragon of your lord's emblem. I have never seen another like it. Though I have seen the matching crimson," she added, with a little tease in her voice.
Gwen gave Merlin a "good for you" grin.
"Who's my soulmate? Gwen?" said Merlin, more to bait Gwen than anything.
Eir glanced at her. "Lavender aura. No doubt she will make a fine wife, but unsuitable for our purposes."
That intrigued Merlin. "What purposes?"
"We collect the most valiant and noble warriors to fight alongside the gods for the fate of the world. They must be bold, for our side is prophesied to lose." There was that smile again. "Arthur is the crimson. We will certainly try to recruit him as well."
At that, Uther actually slowed down to get a better look at him. Ever since he and Gwen saved the king's life - again - Merlin had the distinct feeling that Uther was keeping a running tally on them both. It was disconcerting, but it was also something of an improvement on the way the king had previously looked right through him.
The king said, "Your soul is a valuable commodity. If you choose to sell it, make sure you get a good price."
Merlin supposed Uther meant him to take that advice back to Arthur, but still. The king gave me fatherly advice. Arthur wouldn't even believe this if I told him.
[ Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 ]