𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦

Chapter 16 - Merlin's History Pt. 2

Chapter 16

3rd POV

Merlin's History Pt. 2

Harry stood in a forest in his mindscape, Merlin standing nearby. The ancient wizard had his back to a large tree, his hands whittling a stick with a thin knife.

"So, Merlin. What are we doing? More wandless magic?" Harry asked after having waited for the ancient wizard to speak for minutes. He watched the old man carving away at the stick, it was staking shape, Harry thought would eventually resemble a person.

"No Harry, no wandless magic. I have something to show you, my past. You need to understand, you need context. Learning how to fight will not solve all of your problems, though these memories are painful. So please forgive an old man for procrastinating." Merlin murmured, his eyes never leaving the piece of wood in his hand.

Harry nodded and leant back against a nearby tree.

"Morgana, was taken away be the elves after she tried to remove Guinevere fromArthurs side." Merlin began, his voice hollow, lacking any of the amusement or warmth it normally carried.

"The elves kept her captive for years,I later discovered that some of the Elves were discussing their plans near her, their plans for camelot. She escaped her prison, using the abilities she had learned from me over the years of her apprenticeship." The knife cutting at the wood stilled for a moment before it continued in long even strokes.

"It was common, but it happened in those days. Where a master and an apprentice fell in love. The relationship was always close, but sometimes it went further. Just as in our case. But it blinded me to her failings, I saw that later. Merlin took a deep breath before continuing.

"After she escaped her prison, she returned to her brother. Only to find he had left Camelot. I remember her, just as if it were yesterday that I saw her last."

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Merlin sat in a chair, his gaze never leaving the fireplace. He was in his study inside Camelot. There were countless magical instruments filling the room, every surface bore some shining trinket that he was in the middle of studying.

The room was a few meters square, simple and with a few luxuries apart from the objects of his study.

The room held a large oak table in the center, overburdened by objects of his study. Every wall was lined with bookshelves, filled with times too sensitive to be kept in the greater library of Camelot. Merlin wrote many of these tomes himself, while the elves wrote a few others,those who taught him magic.

There were two overstuffed wing chairs facing the fireplace,Merlin occupied one of which. Behind his chair at a writing desk, with loose sheets of parchment littering it, each sheet showing partial designs for various magical constructs and spells. Arthur often joined him in his study to discuss anything from matters of state to updating the decor.

The door to the room opened and a woman entered the room, her long black hair disheveled, covering her face except for the violet eyes that peered out from behind the curtain of knotted and tangled hair. She wore little more than rags that left little to the imagination regarding the woman's once full figure hidden beneath.

The woman's skin clung to her bone, covered in scar tissue from wounds long since forgotten in favor of new ones.

Merlin's gaze never left the flames as she moved on silent feet and sat in the chair opposite his, her gaze falling on the fire. Together the two sat for long minutes, the tension in the room almost tangible.

"Why?" She croaked, her voice weak from disuse.

"Why did you leave me with those monsters?" She continued, Merlin heard the pain in her rasping voice and the betrayal.

"Morgana, my love. I had no choice, would you have pit me against them? To be cut down by their wrath, unable to do anything to protect your brother?" Merlin said, his gaze locked on the dancing flames as he sighed.

"I have advised your brother for many long years. I have done what Ican to steer him from the path the elves set him on. But I cannot cross them, if I do, they will not hesitate to kill me. I have stopped dozens of plots against your brother and were it not here, the elves will have already had their way in Camelot." Merlin Murmured, hsi voice low.

"But I failed, your brother has left the relative safety of Camelot. What the ultimate plan of the elves is, I do not know.but they have drawn him away from the castle, much has happened since they took you." Merlin explained, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"Where is my brother?" Morgana demanded, her voice scratchy and dry.

"I do not know. Guinevere has left Camelot; she is with Mordred now. I do not know what they are planning, but your brother has left to confront them, against my advice." Merlin opened his eyes, meeting Morgan violet haze.

"Why? Why did you not go with him?" She whispered.

"Because you were coming, I saw it in a dream."

Morgana's eyes flashed with rage.

"You have the gift of foresight. Why have you not used it against the elves?" Her voice was steady, cold as ice as her gaze never left Merlin's.

"The gift of foresight is more akin to a curseMorgana, I have told you this before. You can see glimpses of the future, but you cannot change it. I've seen the future, and it does not contain the Elves. They are doomed but I don't know where this doom comes from." Merlin sighed, running a hand down his face.

A rush of images flashed through Merlin's mind and with a groan his hands cradled his head as the agony of foresight burned through his mind.

The pain tore through him for what seemed like days before it subsided, leaving him weak as he sunk back into his chair with a pained groan.

Across from him Morgana's violet gaze never left him.

"What did you see?" She asked, wondering in her voice.

Merlin groaned again as he turned his head to stare into the flames.

"Camlann. You need to go to Camlann. Your brother is there, as is Mordred. I saw rivers of blood." Merlin whispered, he barely noticed as she leapt from her chair and left the room.

He was so very tired.

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Harry blinked.

Viewing memories never seemed to get any easier, it was always disoranting when they finished.

Looking around himself, he saw Merlin still carving away at the stick and saw that the piece of wood now resembled a woman, though he was surprised that the woman didn't look like Morgana. This woman he was carving was slim, lithe rather than possessing the womanly curves that Morgana had held.

"What happened after that?" Harry asked, resolving to ask about the woman at a later stage.

Merlin continued with his carving for a few minutes before sighing.

"She went to Camlann, the battle she found there had long since ended. There were few survivors. Arthur, her brother, was one of them. But he was too far into the grip of death by the time she arrived." Merlin explained, his voice a mere whisper.

"She carried him to Avalon where he died, and she buried him." Merlin sighed, tucking the carving and the knife into his robes and pushed off from his tree.

"Harry, I didn't see Morgana for years after that. But that is a story for a later day." Merlin said, a soft smile on his face that Harry didn't buy for a moment.

"But for now, we will work on your wandless magic,and perhaps work on designing a staff for when we teach you grand sorcery."

Harry grinned at the thought of tossing mountains around.