Merlin's Secret

Chapter 22 Memorials

We ran into trouble in the parlor room. We had to leave behind the safety of the tunnels and enter into the main room to get to the floor length mirror that opened to continue the passage way.
We checked carefully, looking through the crack in the door for about five minutes before even getting out. But the exact same time we were opening the door, three young guards were also opening the main door.
They gasped, and the two slightly older ones drew their weapons. Just as I was about to blast them unconscious with magic, Sir James stepped forward.
"Good Knights of Keyelleyia, we come to this room to await the arrival or Sir Arkien, who sent us on a mission to the west. We have returned, and he has decreed us to tell the King of our findings." He explained to them. They relaxed, and one of them came forward.
    "Of course, brothers. However, Sir Arkien is in the Audience Chamber with His Royal Highness the King at this very moment." He explained.
    Sir James, running out of excuses and things to say, turned to me.
    I pursed my lips, not really knowing how to get us out of this situation other than by force, when Arthur stepped forward.
    "Then, Knights, what indeed are you waiting for?!" He said angrily.
    We all looked at Arthur, including the three traitor Knights.
    "What possibly could-" Arthur interrupted them by saying,
    "We won't be kept waiting, not another minute! Do you know what it is like in the outside world? It has tired us greatly trying to hold back our magic from the Kings that would have us slaughtered for simply telling the truth about ourselves! So I will give you only five minutes, and we had better be in that Audience Chamber with the King and Sir Arkien!" Arthur ranted.
    We all stared at him in utter awe, especially me. Who knew he could have pulled that off?!
    The three Knights, however, were practically peeing themselves with fear.
    My prat can sound very intimidating when he wishes to.
    As they went ahead of us to show the way, I cornered Arthur in the back of the group.
    "When did... What..."
    "Merlin." Arthur firmly said, looking at me in the eye.
    He continued, "When I first found out who you were and what you could do, I was furious, even though I didn't show it. I thought, how could you lie to me like that? After all we've been through? Then I started to hear what the others thought about you. About magic. We talked about it practically the whole night after you went to sleep.
    "But then your Knights explained about how you were born with magic, and couldn't do a thing about that. I started to realize that the way I was thinking was unfair to both of us.
    "You couldn't risk telling me the truth because you didn't want to put me in that position- my father or my best friend. I respect that. I wish you would've told me you were a prince, but understand you couldn't do that either.
    "What I said to those Knights back in that room was me trying to channel how you must've felt for all those years, Merlin. And I'm so sorry I didn't realize that sooner." He finished. I almost stopped walking.
    That's exactly what I've dreamed about him saying for years and years, and when he finally does say it, it's when we're probably about to die.
    I chuckled and told him that. He looked sad at first, but then the fire of determination visibly lit his eyes.
    "I'm going to make sure we live through this, Merlin." He told me. We caught up to the rest of the group, and we were standing outside the Audience Chamber.
    The three Knights entered discreetly, telling us to wait there. We stood in anxious silence. Slowly, Sir Sirach drew out his weapon, which reminded us all to do the same thing.
    I quickly reminded them of the plan, and they nodded. Sir Isaiah and Gwaine came with me when I left the group and entered into the nearest door that had a passageway entry door in it.
    I followed the way in my head, all the while nervously clutching my sword with one hand, and the Hourglass of the Sands of Time with the other.
    I led them through the tunnels until the three of us arrived at the door behind Viv's throne. We peeked through, hearing,
    "Your Royal Majesty Vivirae, Sire, there are several Knights outside who claim to have been sent on a secret mission to the outside world. They request an immediate audience." One knight said, literally shaking in his boots.
    "Is it Synaeke?" I heard in reply. With those three words, I knew something was very wrong. It wasn't Viv's voice on that throne.
    Well, it was, but it was very twisted. It was silky smooth, like honey to lure in the flies. I felt the evil in his voice, and I was very, very scared of what I would see. I don't want to have to look into the owner of that horrible voice and see...Viv, my brother Viv.
    "N-no Sire, I did not see General Synaeke in the group of people, but they had on uniforms similar to his. Also, they said it was Sir Arkien who did this."
    Sir Arkien looked confused, and he turned to the King.
    "Sire, I assure you, I did no such thing! You know I have no control over Synaeke's troops!" He exclaimed.
    There was silence, but from the growing dread in the three young Knights' faces, Viv was either really mad, or scarily happy.
    The man to whom that smooth voice belonged to laughed, and there was no humor to his voice.
    "Then it must be the visitors that I have expected for a long, long time." He chuckled with his unearthly beautiful voice.
    "Let them in." He commanded.
    Arthur must've either heard, or gotten very impatient, and he pushed the door open himself, which was an impressive feat, as the doors were as big as two horse drawn carriages.
    King Arthur, Mordred, Sir Joshua, Sir Sirach, and Sir James walked into the throne room, Arthur at the front.
The people in the Audience Chamber all gasped at the impunity he seemed to think he had.
When they looked up at Viv, Sir James froze out of fear, but the rest of my Knights had anger ignited in their eyes. I was most surprised by Arthur.
In his eyes, as plain as day, I could se hate. Everyone in the room could most definitely see it, it would be so hard to miss the obvious murderous intent behind the cold mask on his face.
This was one time I was truly scared of Arthur. He had never looked at me that way- in fact, I've never seen him look that way at anyone, even Morgana, or his father, or any monster we've ever faced.
Viv was silent, probably taken aback at the pure hatred in the eyes of a stranger without magic whom he's never met before in his life.
Either I must've been wrong, or he got over it real quick, because he started laughing.
This was almost as scary as Arthur's look. It wasn't smooth or sweet, this was the laugh of an insane murderer who just killed his family. It was fear inducing, gut wrenching laughter. It sounded like it was laughing literally in the face of Death. No, it was laughing like it was Death.
"Leave us." Viv spoke to the room through his laughter. Everyone cleared out.
He continued to laugh and laugh.
Finally he said,
"Sorry, young King Arthur. I've just never felt such pure hate."
From what I could see of Sir James and the other Knights' faces, Viv just matched the look on Arthur's face.
Viv was silent, but then I could hear the smile in his voice as he said,
"Shall we play the game?"

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