ANTHEA || Hisirdoux Casperan

09 | Fae

The elder wizard huffs as he leans over his workspace studying the Time Map, his amulet, Morgana's arm, and the shattered remains of Excalibur. The kingdom is defenseless and the people are growing restless. War lingers just outside of Camelot's walls and the timelines are completely and utterly botched.

His apprentice from the future and the company he's brought with him has only made things worse as far as the old wizard can see. Due to their meddling, many timelines have sprouted from this current branch they are living in. And if they stay, their future may become lost in the continuously sprouting branchlets. He can't let that happen. Everyone has a place in time and a time in which they are placed. If they turn from that, who knows what will happen.

Suddenly, a knock sounds softly at the wooden door. The wizard huffs and closes the Time Map before turning toward the door.

"What is it?" He calls, as the door creaks open slightly.

"Master Merlin," Anthea begins, closing the door behind her, "There's something I would like to speak to you about."

Merlin sighs and sits down on his stool, "Yes, what is it?"

Anthea steps farther into the room, "When Excalibur threw everyone back, it destroyed the ring Hisirdoux gave me. I landed on a rock... I- I should have died," She explains holding out her left hand, "But Douxie's ring, it healed me somehow. However, that wasn't the only thing that it did. In the process, it also eliminated the enchantment you placed over my magic."

Merlin gazes at her over his hands, "You have about half of what happened correct."

"What do you mean?" She questions as the elder wizard stands in front of her.

He takes her hand in his own before summoning magic in his other and hovering it over her skin. As he does so, her skin glows faintly illuminating the leftover dust of her engagement ring. Where her ring used to be on her ring finger, it glows brighter.

"At first, he had tried enchanting it himself but since he is not very experienced with magic quite yet, the ring would repel every spell he cast on it," The wizard reveals, "Just as he was about to give up, I enchanted your ring with a strong protection spell that would cushion whatever blow you would encounter. Then, it would heal whatever damages you took by destroying your ring in the process. Hisirdoux has no knowledge that I did this and I don't intend on telling him since he believes he did it himself."

"But why?"

Merlin lowers his hand and releases Anthea's, "I know how much Hisirdoux cares for you. If something were to happen to you, he'd go to the ends of the earth to get you back. He'd even destroy himself if it meant saving you and I can't let that happen. Now, you said that that the magic-locking spell I used was broken. Explain."

"I-" Anthea breathes, taking in everything he just said, "I- can feel all of my magic. It doesn't feel suppressed or muted like it did when under your spell."

Merlin hums as he summons his magic around the girl. As he studying that stream of magic around her, he notices that she is overflowing with a magical aura. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed. Behind her, there seemed to be translucent curtains of magic that sprung upward from her shoulder blades before draping along the ground. These 'curtains' of magic seemed to capture every nonexistent current of air and waver with her emotions.

That's when he knew that this girl before him was not entirely human.

He disperses his magic abruptly and finds his stool once more. No wonder his enchantment didn't survive Excalibur's blast, Anthea's magic is otherworldly, just like Excalibur's. Together, they broke his spell while it was at its weakest.