Cups and Saucerers - Chapter 6 of ?
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Drake discovers that Arthur was brutally murdered in a Cambridge cafe ten years ago. He rushes to tell Merlin the news. Merlin resolves to travel back in time and change the course of history, and nothing Guy can say will change his mind.
Fourteen years later
Cups and Saucerers tea shop, London. Monday 2nd June 2014. Time: 2pm
Drake saw the paragraph in today's Daily Telegraph, next to a smiling photograph of the incoming Prime Minister Mr Reid.
Mr Reid (28), our youngest prime minister since William Pitt the Younger, was in Cambridge today unveiling a ten-year anniversary memorial to a dear friend of his from university. Arthur Pentagon was brutally killed at the age of 20 shortly before his graduation day in 2004. Arthur’s sister Morgan Pentagon (32) is currently serving the tenth year of a life prison sentence for his murder.
Arthur had been dead for ten years.
Drake rushed to “Cups and Saucerers” to tell Merlin the bad news. He strode up to Merlin, who was talking animatedly to Guy, and strangely not dressed in his usual waiter’s uniform. Merlin, truth to be told, looked a bit wild-eyed and scruffy. When Merlin would not let Drake speak, but instead told him to wait before he told Merlin the bad news, because he didn’t want to drop the teapot, Drake rolled his eyes and sniffed, scenting the unmistakable whiff of time travel.
Guy had told him that a future version of Merlin been to visit the tea-shop twice already that week; there didn’t seem to be any clear reason why, Guy said, other than that ‘future’ Merlin appeared to be rather more affectionate than usual, and kept giving Guy random hugs, which Guy found a bit disconcerting at his advanced age. So Drake was not entirely taken aback when the last thing ‘future’ Merlin did before vanishing with a barely audible “pop” was to enfold Guy in a teary-eyed embrace.
When, an instant later, an immaculately dressed Merlin emerged from the kitchen, complete with a tray of Coalport China, and some biscuits, Drake and Guy waited without comment for Merlin to set the teapot down. Then Drake told Merlin the bad news.
It was quite clear what Merlin was going to do about it.
“That’s it, that’s enough," he said, once he'd recovered from the shock. "I’m going back in time. I’m going to find Arthur and save him. It’s my destiny.”
“Don’t be stupid, Merlin,” protested Guy. “If you travel back to the 6th Century you will do unimaginable harm to the timeline. Who knows what terrors you will unleash?”
Merlin shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not going to prevent Arthur’s first death, that’s impossible,” he said, with a manic grin spreading across his face. “But his second death? Now that’s a lot more plausible.”
Drake coughed. He had seen something of this outcome. “Merlin, it is your destiny to protect the young Pentagon from this untimely fate,” he said in a deep voice, “If your future self is to be believed, you have four months. I suggest you get started straight away.”
Guy spluttered his protests for a little longer, eyebrows arching comically, but it was clear that Merlin had made up his mind, and this crazy plan squared with the visions that Drake had seen.
Here in 2014 he, Drake and Guy would research how Arthur’s death came about. They would find a key preventable point in the timeline. Merlin would open a tea shop in Cambridge, back in March 2004. He would befriend the student Arthur, and do his utmost to prevent the events leading up to his death. In the meantime, Drake, Linda and Guy would be entrusted with the care of the London tea shop.
~#~
Later, after Drake had left, Guy stood on the threshold and turned to express his doubts while Merlin closed up the shop.
“Merlin,” Guy started. “Have you thought about the logical consequences of what you wish to do? Truly? I really don’t think you have.” Guy’s mind was running away from him as he tried to deal with the potential ramifications. If Merlin ever changed the course of history by using a time-travelling spell, then presumably any consequences he was trying to change or prevent would no longer need changing, thus negating the need to travel back in time in the first place.
So therefore he would not travel back in time: which would mean that these consequences would no longer change. This sort of time paradox could have catastrophic implications for Guy’s sanity, not to mention tying the whole fabric of space-time in knots.
Guy explained this problem, patiently, to Merlin, three times.
“Fine,” said Merlin, eventually, leaning back in his chair. “I have the perfect solution. You must write me a note, documenting every time I time travel. I can look at your notes each day, so that I always make the jump back, even if the thing I am trying to change hasn’t actually happened.”
“But Merlin, that won’t work! If you already know what to do and when, before it happens it might change what happens.” said Guy, massaging his temples. “Plus I’ll need to write down why you have jumped back in the first place, and if you know that in advance, it might affect what happens. And God only knows what would happen if you were meant to make a jump and didn’t do it.”
“It was fine before,” Merlin said, mouth set in a mutinous line. “You didn’t protest then.”
“That, my dear boy, was because you weren’t trying to change the course of history.”
Merlin looked forlorn. Guy gently put his hand on Merlin’s wrist. “Just let it go, Merlin,” he said. “It’s too dangerous. So much can go wrong.”
Merlin pulled away, passed a hand across suspiciously bright eyes, and then started to clear away Guy’s tea things. At that moment, another customer entered the shop and Merlin bustled around.
When finally the last customer had left, and Merlin was clearing up, ready to close the shop, the warlock turned suddenly to his old friend, and Guy sighed when he saw the manic expression in his eyes that meant Merlin had dreamt up another possible way out of his conundrum.
“I know!” said Merlin, brightly, “all you have to do is put your note in a sealed envelope, and write the date and time when I should initiate the jump on the outside. That minimises the chances of me knowing something will happen before it is due to occur. I promise only to open the envelope half an hour before the jump is due to start. Easy peasy!”
Guy rubbed his head. There was no point arguing any more. Merlin was going to do this whether he liked it or not. He tried to ignore the jubilant way that Merlin punched the air when he finally nodded his assent.
Linda stood, cloth in hand, behind the till. A faint smile curved her lips as she watched this exchange through unblinking eyes.
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