TSitS - Emrys and Vortigern: Part I
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: Lord Vortigern of Cymry has come to Camelot for one reason: to find Merlin. Why? Now Merlin is far from Camelot, far from his destiny, and anything can happen. What causes the quakes of Vortigern's fortress? What will Arthur do when he learns his servant is missing?
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Part XII - Emrys and Vortigern - Part One
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A/N: While researching, I found a legend that mentioned a 'young Merlin' and kinda went all O.O and read all about it. Thus spawned this. It was supposed to be only one installment, but I realized it was too long to be only one. And then I thought: Well, every season has a two part episode in it. Here's mine.
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A grand carriage had arrived in Camelot. Its ostentatious golden yellow color dulled only by the deep brown wood of old trees native to the country it came from: Cymry. Once stopped before the large entry doors of the Camelot castle, a door opened in the side and a man dressed in blue and red peasant's clothes stepped out hurriedly before turning and helping his master out. The man that exited second caused all of the knights of Camelot to stand their straightest and hold their breaths.
He wore golden yellow robes with white fur lining made from the pelts of fox found in a country across the sea. On his head was a crown, symbolizing his kingship and showing off his grandeur with all its gems and detail. His servant walked before him, as if announcing the way. Knights opened the main doors and led him to the throne room, where King Uther and Prince Arthur stood in waiting with many of the local nobility surrounding them.
Uther stepped down from his seat and shook hands with the man, a little smile on each of their faces. "Lord Vortigern," he greeted amiably. "It is so rare for you to make a visit. I'm so pleased you could come."
Lord Vortigern, a man around Uther's own age but two inches taller and quite a bit more muscled, shook his head. "The pleasure is all mine, my liege," he corrected. "I heard your son pulled his destiny from a stone and I wanted to see for myself."
Uther grimaced ever so slightly but immediately smiled again and motioned for Lord Vortigern to come closer to the throne with him. "Yes, he did, in fact. Arthur will assume the throne of Camelot upon my death and, if the witch is to be trusted, rule over the entirety of Albion. But enough about politics," he brushed into another subject easily. "We'll host a banquet to celebrate your visit with us. Tonight."
Lord Vortigern grinned. "I always did love a good party."
Arthur scoffed silently from his place on the side.
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"I don't believe him."
Merlin looked up from where he was polishing the buttons on Arthur's newest banquet tunic, which held more class than the last one in his opinion. "Why not?" he asked easily.
Arthur, who was just coming out from behind his changing wall wrapped in a towel, scowled. "I pulled that sword from the stone almost a year ago, and he is just now making a trip to Camelot to offer his congratulations? It's got to be some sort of trick."
Merlin watched Arthur as he walked over to the bath Merlin had just finished preparing for him, but looked back to his job of polishing the buttons when the prince made to get into the tub. "I don't know. He is from Cymry, so maybe he just couldn't make the journey before."
Arthur scoffed. If Merlin hadn't known better, he would've thought Arthur was completely relaxed in the tub, as his posture suggested. In fact, he was really upset. "Lord Vortigern may get his clothes from across the sea, but his kingdom is not that far away. It's in Albion, even."
Merlin grinned, pausing in his work to turn and look at Arthur. "Maybe he'll challenge you for the kingship, like Sir Pelleas did," he joked.
Arthur snorted and flicked water toward Merlin. Merlin was across the room, so it didn't get anywhere near him, but it was humorous anyway. They smiled at each other for a moment before Arthur realized what he was doing. He cleared his throat and faced forward in the tub, looking at the far wall instead of his servant. Merlin shrugged and went back to finishing the tunic.
It wasn't until Merlin had finished polishing and was moving to set the folded clothes to the side that Arthur spoke. "Lord Vortigern is well known as a warlord. The man lives for battles, Merlin." The water sloshed a bit when Arthur sat up in the tub instead of laying back. "He's the last person who would congratulate me on uniting all of Albion."
Merlin grabbed a towel and made his way over to Arthur in the tub at a leisurely pace. "So you don't trust him, is what you're saying."
"Right."
Merlin shrugged. "I can't say I do either. He's got this….strange feeling about him."
Arthur scoffed. "As usual, you have an amazingly ridiculous opinion, Merlin." But he did agree all the same. Lord Vortigern was creepy on a practically subconscious level.
Merlin chose to ignore the jab at his intelligence and instead held out the towel. "You might want to hurry up in there, sire. You'll be late for the feast," he teased subtly.
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Lord Vortigern's servant juggled and blew fire at dinner, and several artisans from within Camelot's walls also showed off their talents and skills. One did gymnastics, one presented the lord with a portrait, and a few joined together to show off a local dance. The night was going spectacularly well, actually.
About two and a half hours into the festivities, Vortigern coughed into his hand a few times and pat his chest. Uther turned to him in minute concern. "Are you feeling alright, Lord Vortigern?"
Vortigern gave a wavering smile and coughed again into his hand. "Actually…I think I may be coming down with something….Perhaps I should retire to my room for the night and rest."
Uther nodded encouragingly. "Of course. You need your health."
Merlin and Arthur watched him like a hawk as he left. Arthur motioned for Merlin to bend down. "I want you to follow him," Arthur whispered in Merlin's ear. "Don't let him see you, because I won't stand up for you if he does, but tell me if he goes anywhere but his chambers."
Merlin nodded, set the wine pitcher next to Arthur's goblet, and left the hall in the least conspicuous fashion that he could. Just outside, Merlin had to hide because Vortigern was speaking to his servant at the end of the hall. They were whispering and Merlin didn't catch any of what they said before they both headed off together down a connecting hallway. Merlin took a deep breath before following as softly and secretly as he could manage, hiding in crevices every chance he got.
Unfortunately, Vortigern and his servant were actually just heading to the room Uther had had made up for him to stay in during his visit. They weren't headed to the armory, or the treasure room, or Uther or Arthur's bedrooms. Merlin frowned and made his way back through the castle to the dining hall.
He immediately picked up the wine pitcher once he was back at the table and poured more into Arthur's goblet. As he handed the now full goblet to Arthur, he leaned down next to his ear. "He got his servant and they went to his chambers. That's it."
Arthur frowned but accepted the wine from Merlin. Something still didn't sit right with him about Lord Vortigern.
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Lord Vortigern stared out his chamber window the next morning, watching Merlin leave Gaius's tower and make his way across the courtyard toward the main castle doors.
"Hyne," he called softly. "Are you certain he's the one?"
His servant moved next to him in the window and looked out at Merlin as well, who'd stopped part way across the courtyard to help a female servant pick up some clothes she'd dropped. He held up a clear stone on a string and it bent forward until it was pointing directly at Merlin before glowing a faint golden color.
"Yes, sire. The stone confirms it. He's the one we came for."
Vortigern nodded, his eyes following Merlin into the castle before he moved from his spot at the window. Hyne put the stone in his pocket and turned to watch what his lord was doing. Vortigern stopped at the table in his room, placed his left hand on it for a moment, and then turned to face his servant.
"You know what to do then," he said as if it were an order in and of itself. Hyne nodded without a word. Vortigern inclined his head in acceptance. "Good. Do it tonight." A glare slid itself slowly into place on his face. "I can't stand to be in such a peace loving place for one more day."
"As you wish it, my lord. I'll invite the young Merlin in the usual way."
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The door to Gaius's chambers opened softly and slowly. Three shadows, two large and one smaller, crept inside. They completely bypassed Gaius asleep in the main room and instead followed the smaller man up the three steps to the second door. That door opened just as silently as the first and they slipped inside Merlin's bedroom.
Hyne, the smallest of the three, held up three fingers. The other two nodded and Hyne lowered each finger in a countdown until there were none. The two larger men reached out at the same time and grabbed Merlin's arms and legs tightly, hoisting him roughly out of the bed.
"Wha-" Merlin began in shock and fear, but Hyne cut him off by gagging him as soon as his mouth opened. Merlin looked at him, eyes wide in surprise, before glaring. Arthur was right! They were up to something!
"Shh," Hyne instructed. "Lord Vortigern requires your assistance."
Merlin gave him a 'go die' glare and began struggling as much as he could, but the two larger men were stronger than he was and he wasn't making much progress. He did manage to hook his foot on his cover and throw it off the bed, but that was about it. They carried him out of his room and across the workshop and Merlin caught sight of Gaius still asleep.
"Hmmph!" he cried around the gag, a muffled sound. He glared, eyes flashing gold, and suddenly vials flew off the counters to shatter on the floor and the broom fell over and books shot off the shelves and landed with loud thuds on the ground. "Hyhuh!" he called out to the older man.
The noise woke Gaius up with a start and he shot up in bed, flipping around to see what all the fuss was about. "Merlin, what are you-" He stopped his complaint suddenly, just as the men holding Merlin stopped walking. "What are you doing with Merlin!" Gaius yelled, standing up.
Hyne smirked. "Seems there's a slight hitch in the plan." He took a step toward Gaius. "Sorry, old man, but I cannot let you interfere."
"I won't let you-"
"Line cysban," Hyne breathed out in a hiss, and suddenly Gaius' arms shot to his side as ropes appeared out of nowhere and hogtied him. Merlin tried to yell behind the gag but it didn't really work. "Swebban."
Gaius' eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor with a low 'whump' that made Merlin wince. He hoped the older man wasn't hurt from the fall!
Hyne turned back to the other men with him. "Let's go. We're already running late."
Merlin's attention snapped from Gaius on the ground to Hyne standing before him and he felt rage consume him. This guy…this sorcerer working for Lord Vortigern….he'd used magic to harm Gaius! Merlin's eyes flashed golden and the two men holding him cried out, dropping Merlin to instead care for their suddenly burning hands. Merlin hit the ground running, so to speak. He caught himself, ripped the gag out of his mouth, and jumped up.
"You won't get away with this," he breathed out, taking a step forward so he was right up in Hyne's face, raising his fist to punch the guy's lights out.
Hyne didn't even flinch. "Swebban," he repeated just before Merlin threw his punch. Merlin's eyes rolled back just as Gaius' had and he too fell to the floor, but in a jumbled heap. "If I'd known you would be so much trouble, young warlock, I'd have cast that spell on you from the beginning." He looked from Merlin on the ground to the guys with him. "Pick him up."
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Arthur grumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway. It was practically noon and Merlin had never shown up this morning with his breakfast! Lord Vortigern had departed that morning for Cymry, his failing health a concern large enough for him to cut his visit short. Arthur had barely woken up in time to see him off because Merlin never came to make up his room! Needless to say, Arthur wasn't very happy with his servant just then.
He slowed upon reaching Gaius' chamber door. It was wide open. Stepping inside, he was shocked at the state of the room. Glass vials were shattered all over the place, their contents seeping into wood and stone and straw. Books were strewn all across the floor, some in positions that Arthur knew would break the spine and cause them to fall apart at the seams. But the most startling thing was the sight of Gaius tied up on the floor with a growing bruise on his forehead.
Arthur rushed to Gaius' side and knelt by him, giving his shoulder a shake. "Gaius," he called quietly. Gaius groaned, his eyes opening blearily. Arthur let out a sigh of relief but frowned shortly. "Gaius, what happened here?" he asked. Looking around, he noticed that Merlin's bedroom door was open as well. "Where's Merlin?"
That seemed to wake Gaius up in an instant. He struggled to a sitting position with Arthur's help and the prince immediately began untying the physician. "They took Merlin," Gaius gasped out. "Last night…"
Arthur paused for a moment just as he finished untying the ropes and forgot to breathe. Then he shook his head and pulled the ropes off of Gaius. "What do you mean? Who? Where did they take him? Why?"
Gaius shook his head, holding out his hands for Arthur to take. Once he had the extra help, Gaius stood, Arthur with him. "Lord Vortigern's manservant, the one that was breathing fire at the feast," he explained in a rush, in a wheeze. "Him and two others. I heard a racket and it woke me up. I thought it was just Merlin sneaking out or something, but then I saw them….carrying Merlin towards the door…" He stopped to gasp in a few breaths and Arthur let him have his moment, instead looking around the room before finally resting on the door. "I'm sorry, sire….I couldn't stop them."
Gaius knew how much Merlin meant to the prince, and vice versa. Merlin was a son to Gaius, but he was Arthur's best friend.
Arthur shook his head, a deep scowl painting his face. "That rat," he spit out. "I saw him off this morning and the whole time….Merlin was probably stuffed in a trunk or something in that oversized moving hutch he calls a carriage!"
He stalked to the door in a huff. "Sire?"
Arthur turned around. "I'm going to my father. Lord Vortigern has stolen from the royal family of Camelot." It was said easily enough, but Gaius could sense the anger seeping from the prince's eyes and posture.
"Wait," he called out. "I'll come with you."
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"Let us out!"
Merlin's eyes shot open and he shoved himself up in bed. Looking around the room, he couldn't find anything that would've woken him so violently; no person yelling, or any person at all. What he did find is that this was not his bedroom in Camelot. Looking down at himself, he found that he was also not wearing the night clothes he wore to sleep last night. Instead, he wore dark dress pants and a deep blue tunic reminiscent of the robes Gaius sometimes wore, but it was all made of much finer fabric…like silk. On his feet was a pair of simple flat shoes the same deep blue as his tunic. He'd never touched such soft and fine fabric before in his life!
For a moment Merlin was totally confused, and then his eyes widened as he remembered what happened the night before. "Gaius," he breathed out, jumping out of the bed and rushing to the door. He grabbed the door handle and ripped it open, but stopped upon seeing the two large men who'd taken him from his bed standing guard outside. "Hm," he let out.
They stared at him blankly, emotionlessly, for several long moments before the one on the right motioned for the one on the left to go away. Even with the odds slightly more in his favor now, Merlin still just stood in the doorway, his hand on the handle.
"Morning," he greeted. The man, a bald and muscle bound human, grunted in greeting. Judging by the way he held himself, this man was not a soldier but a thug for hire.
Merlin opened his mouth to say something else, to ask a question, but the second thug for hire returned at that moment with Hyne in tow. Merlin's expression fell into one of distaste at the sight of the Cymry servant.
"Ah, young Merlin," Hyne greeted with a smile. "It's good to see you awake at last."
Hyne and Merlin simply stared at one another. Hyne was waiting on Merlin, knowing he wanted to speak, and Merlin was reigning in his anger at the man enough to be able to form the words. When he did speak, it was in a surprisingly calm and soft voice.
"I'm not in Camelot."
"No," Hyne responded with a gentle nod, his voice matching Merlin's in tone.
"I'm in Cymry, at Lord Vortigern's fortress castle."
"Yes." Hyne nodded. "It's nearing midday now. My Lord Vortigern expressed the desire to speak with you immediately upon your wakening, so if you would….," he trailed off, flourishing his hands in a show of Merlin following him without incident.
Merlin nodded, his lips drawn into a tight frown, and followed without a word. The two thugs for hire guarded on either side of him, so there was no way he would get out of this without a fight. He would simply have to see what Lord Vortigern wanted from him, do what he could, and then escape back to Camelot….to Arthur.
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"I request that we send troops to Vortigern's castle to retrieve my manservant and gain retribution for the offense," Arthur finished in an authoritative voice.
He stood in the throne room before his father, who sat in the throne. Morgana and Gwen stood to Arthur's right, looking worried. Gaius stood to Arthur's left, looking grim and harried. Uther stared Arthur down for a moment before taking a deep breath….and shaking his head.
"No, Arthur," he disagreed. Arthur's jaw dropped. Before he could argue, Uther continued. "I understand that the boy…Merlin…was a trusted servant of yours, but I will not risk open war with Cymry for the sake of one boy."
"But he stole from the royal family," Arthur contended, "from right under our noses…in our own castle!"
Uther frowned. If it was this easy to get rid of Merlin the wizard, then perhaps he wasn't the one meant to help Arthur after all. In that case, it was better he ended up dead or gone forever than for him to stay by Arthur's side plotting God knows what against the kingdom with his evil ways. Uther mentally shook himself. He'd been through this: Merlin was good. Merlin had saved his life, and Arthur's, and the kingdom's, and used his magic for good. He was not evil. Still….
"You still have much to learn about being king," Uther stated in a deep, commanding voice. "One servant is not worth all out war. Even if we sent only a few soldiers and peacefully asked for the return of your servant and some sort of recompense for the insult, Lord Vortigern is a man of action and of war. We would not come out of the event unscathed. I cannot risk the lives of all of my men for one servant."
"But-" Arthur tried. Uther interrupted.
"That's the end of it, Arthur. You are not to go after him. Return to your duties," he ordered.
Arthur frowned deeply, begrudgingly, but bowed regardless and walked from the room without a word. Morgana frowned for a brief moment before touching Gwen gently on the shoulder and following Arthur out the main doors and down the hall. Gwen got the message and returned to Morgana's chambers to await her mistress after her meeting with Arthur.
Gaius gave Uther a disapproving look. Uther glanced over Gaius' state of being and opened his mouth to apologize for how he'd been treated, but Gaius turned and left through a side door before a sound had passed his lips.
Morgana walked with Arthur to his chambers, and then shut and locked the door behind them once they were inside. "Arthur-"
"I know….father is right," Arthur forced out, setting his hands flat on his table with his back to Morgana. "One servant isn't worth a war. One servant isn't worth an army of men's lives. But Vortigern hurt Gaius and kidnapped my servant…" He trailed off after that, not sure of how to continue. He felt so angry right now!
Morgana placed a gentle hand on Arthur's shoulder and he looked up at her. "I want to help him too. Gaius is alright, but there's no telling what has happened to Merlin…or why they took him." She looked away at the ground to her right for a moment, took a deep breath, and then stared right into Arthur's eyes. "Do you trust me, Arthur?"
Arthur brought his eyebrows together. Trust her? Why wouldn't he…oh….right…Morgana was a witch. His eyes widened slightly with realization. Morgana was a witch. She'd tried on several occasions to kill his father or to destroy Camelot. A lot of people had been hurt because of her actions in league with the witch Morgause. He narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"Yes."
Because regardless of what she'd done, Morgana had come back to them. She'd left Morgause behind and joined Arthur in his cause to protect Camelot from all evil, both of magic and of men.
Morgana nodded as well, to herself, and took another deep breath. "I'm…I'm going to use magic…Arthur. I'm going to see if I can find out anything about Merlin."
Arthur nodded slowly, agreeing to her idea. "Be careful though."
Morgana gave a weak smile before removing her hand from Arthur's shoulder and making her way around him to the window. She pulled the curtains shut with shaking hands, and Arthur noticed. Morgana wrung her hands together as she walked back to the table. She took a seat and rested her clasped hands on the table in front of her, taking a deep breath. Arthur hesitated only a moment before he placed his right hand on both of her hands. Morgana looked up into his curious and worried eyes.
"S-sorry," she apologized. "I….I still worry that I'll be killed for…" Her eyes dropped to the table, to where Arthur held her hands firmly, and yet gently, in his own.
He gripped her hands a slight bit tighter for a second. "I'll protect you," he promised in a whisper.
Morgana looked up at him again, awe shining in her eyes. "Thank you….Arthur." After a moment, Morgana blinked, shaking her head and gently shaking Arthur's hand away. "Ahem," she cleared her throat and shut her eyes. "Ingefeallan ǽrende ymbe Merlin," she breathed out quietly, her voice shaking still in slight worry.
Arthur watched in shock as her eyes slid open, golden in color. He couldn't help the slight fear that leapt in his chest at the sight. Her eyes flicked back and forth in rapid succession for several minutes before Morgana gasped loudly, her hands shooting off the table to hold her head and she shut her eyes, breathing deeply. "Ah….," she let out, slowly letting her hands lower to the table top again.
Several moments passed with no sound or movement, so Arthur spoke up. "Morgana?" he asked simply.
His sister's eyes snapped up to meet his own and she frowned. "I saw him. I saw Merlin."
Arthur knelt by the table to be closer to Morgana's height. "And?"
Morgana looked at Arthur's shoulder instead of his face. "He's in Cymry…with Lord Vortigern….but….I saw them take him, Arthur. He put up a fight and Vortigern's manservant…put a spell on him…to make him sleep."
Arthur's hands on the table formed into fists and Morgana stopped talking abruptly. She kept her gaze where it was, afraid to look up and see Arthur's anger - his anger toward magic. About a minute later, Arthur seemed to realize she'd stopped talking and his voice broke through to her.
"And? What else?" he asked, the barest hint of frantic concern lacing his words.
Morgana took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Vortigern wants him for some reason….his servant, a seer like me I'd guess….He told Vortigern something, that…there was something that needed to be done that only Merlin could do." Her eyes narrowed in confusion. What was there that only Merlin could do? He wasn't the only sorcerer in the world, and definitely not the most powerful, so what? "I saw Merlin in Vortigern's castle with his servant and the two men who kidnapped him. They were headed for the throne room to meet Lord Vortigern." She shook her head. "I had a bad feeling, like something terrible is going to happen…or….or already has happened, to Merlin." Morgana shook her head again as if to clear it of the thought and looked at Arthur's face. "I'm sorry. I know none of that is really helpful."
Arthur shook his head. "No. Thank you, Morgana. You took a big risk doing that for me."
"For you?" Morgana scoffed. "I did it for both of us," she corrected, her tone turning into the one of haughty teasing that Arthur was used to. "You're not the only one who cares about Merlin's safety, you know."
Arthur grinned. "Oh. I know," he said like he knew a big secret. Morgana almost responded, but Arthur's face fell from the grin into a simple straight expression. "At least we know he's alright."
"For now," Morgana interjected, and then gave an apologetic look when she realized how unhelpful that was.
Arthur nodded. "Now all that we need to do is get him back before it's too late."
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Merlin stood before Lord Vortigern with Hyne at his side and the two thugs at his back. Vortigern brushed his golden hair, with gray hairs scattered throughout it showing his age, behind one shoulder and regarded Merlin evenly. Merlin kept his eyes on Vortigern's feet, clad in the golden yellow version of the shoes he himself wore.
"I know your secret, boy," Vortigern began. "I know you practice magic under King Uther's very nose. If you try anything foolish, such as escaping from this place without my say so, I'll make sure all of Camelot knows what you are."
Merlin took a breath so deep his shoulders lifted several inches. "What do you want from me?" he asked in a quiet and yet defiant voice.
One of the thugs behind Merlin lifted his arm as if to hit Merlin, but stopped when the whole castle began to shake. Merlin practically tripped forward when a large crack appeared under his left foot but managed to simply take a step to the right and balance himself. Eyes wide, Merlin looked to Vortigern for an answer. Vortigern, a deep frown on his face, leaned forward with his hands clasped before him.
"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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Next Time: Emrys and Vortigern - Part Two
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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Translations:
Ingefeallan ǽrende ymbe Merlin = reveal tidings concerning Merlin
Line cysban = rope bind
Swebban = to put to sleep