The Hidden Kingdom

Chapter Nine

Merlin took the first watch as all the knights settled in. He sat by his bedroll watching as the last flickers of the campfire went out. The moonlight had started to cast a glow over the lake as the sky darkened and the stars began to peek through. The knights all slept soundly along to the faint sound of crickets and the whisper of the breeze lulling them to sleep.

Although taking first watch was never something he particularly liked, Merlin for once didn't argue against it for too long. The silence of the night gave him time to think and drop the mask of the clumsy servant that he often put on in front of the knights and Arthur.  Arthur's snores echoed across the camp, unknowingly scaring off the animals. Along with Gwaine muttering nonsensical words in his sleep, a part of him was glad he wasn't trying to fall asleep just yet.

Despite his body urging him to give into sleep, Merlin's mind was racing. As he heard a soft whisper in the distance, he quickly turned his head towards the lake and gasped. Freya's silvery figure hovered above the lake like a ghost. With wide eyes Merlin walked towards her until his feet reached the edge of the water.

"Freya?" Merlin whispered in awe.

Freya's silhouette suddenly lost its glow, her features sharpened, and suddenly she looked just how he had remembered her. Long brown hair framed her pale face and warm brown eyes looked back at him as she waded through the water. She looked real enough to touch, as if she were alive once more.

"What? How?" Merlin asked in a hushed voice.

"Shh Merlin, this is only for a little while." She said quietly as she moved towards him.

Merlin looked at her softly, his eyes glistening. "I've missed you." He whispered.

"I know. And I have missed you but Merlin, we haven't got much time. There is something you need to know." She said softly.

Merlin glanced back at the knights to make sure they were all still sleeping before he turned back to Freya, a curious look on his face. "If this is about Ilaria, I was already warned that someone would be after me there."

Freya looked at him sadly and shook her head, "There is much more you need to know Merlin. Ilaria has many secrets, many of which will unravel now with the new king." She explained quietly. "But listen to me Merlin, Emrys to them is a shining beacon of hope, but also of power. I fear many things will change for you." She said reaching out her hand as if to touch his face before a sad smile took over her face and her hand dropped suddenly. Merlin's eyes glistened as he stared at her fondly.

"Remember to trust not what you see, but what you feel. There is a prophecy Merlin, and I fear that not even you can escape it." She said softly.

"Another prophecy?" Merlin asked with a confused look.

Freya nodded, "You are but one side of a coin Merlin, Arthur is the other, you know that." She explained as her gaze darted to a sleeping Arthur who seemed to roll onto Merlin's bedroll in his absence. His snores reaching across the camp. "But one side of the coin cannot exist without the other. The prophecy states that either Ilaria's Kingdom will fall, or you will. If you fall, then so will Arthur."

"What would happen to Arthur?" Merlin asked frowning deeply.

"If you fall, then Arthur has only two roads that he could follow. He will either become just like Uther or he will die." Freya said quietly.

Merlin shook his head quickly, "He wouldn't become like Uther."

"Loss can do many things to a person Merlin."

"So what? I have to decide between destroying an entire magical kingdom or die and fail the future of all of Albion?" Merlin asked in disbelief.

Freya nodded slowly, "It is a heavy weight to bear Merlin, but I believe in you. When the time comes you will know what needs to be done."

"This isn't fair." Merlin whispered angrily. "Either way I lose. I can't destroy a kingdom of my own people and at the same time I can't.... I won't let Arthur's death be because of me." Merlin said his eyes darting side to side as his hands tugging at his hair restlessly.

Freya took a step back from him going deeper into the lake. "I am sorry Merlin; I wish there was another way. But Destiny has a way of surprising us, don't give up hope." She added in a soft voice. Suddenly, she shifted back into a glowing silhouette, a ghostly figure that looked ethereal in the moonlight.

"This is goodbye again, isn't it?" Merlin asked with a sniff.

"I'm afraid so Merlin. I only came to warn you, what you do next is up to you." She said with a kind smile as she disappeared right in front of his eyes.

Merlin shoulders slumped as he turned back to the camp. He saw Gwaine stumble as he stood up from his bedroll and frown once he noticed him.

"You alright mate?" He asked worriedly.