Merlin: The Light of Eriador

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Arthur Pendragon, his hair dripping with rain, his cloak soaked and covered with mud, was brought to his knees in front of the leader of the Druids of the Black Leaf.  He was a war prisoner in a fight that didn’t even concern him.  He did not blame his knights for his current position.  He was only glad that most of them were still alive, even though they were now in chains.  All of his anger was directed at King Ulrik who had brought this conflict into Camelot for his own selfish purposes, and on the physician Emmerich, Merlin’s father, who was, apparently, also a sorcerer.

He could see both men now besides him, and he had a hard time deciding which one of them he hated more.  However, he had to contain his rage and to keep his wits about him; otherwise he would not get out of these woods alive.

The man now standing in front of him had a shaved head and a long black cloak.  He gave the impression of a knight wearing a monk’s outfit.  His eyes, dark and furious, were not leaving King Ulrik’s.

“Hello, father.”

Arthur looked at the king in horror.  “Father?”

“Didn’t he tell you?” replied the Druid.  “I am Bryan, prince of Vallonia.”

“I renounced you long ago,” muttered the king.

The man called Bryan laughed a cruel laugh.  “Did you renounce Godric as well, father, when you sent him to do your bidding?”

“Of course not.”

“Of course not!” bellowed the Druid.  “He was your favorite.  Your puppet.  You sent Godric to do what you could not.  To kill me.”

“That’s a lie,” snarled the king.

Arthur could only stare from one to the other, bewildered by the family feud to which he was but a witness.

Ulrik could no longer contain his anger.  “You killed him!” he burst out.  “You killed your brother!”

“You corrupted him!” retorted the Druid.  “You turned him against me, against my kind.  He was already dead to my eyes.”

“He was your brother!” repeated the king.  “You have forsaken what is most sacred!”

“And what did you do?” yelled Bryan.  “You would have burned me at the stake for practicing magic.  I learned magic to do some good in this world, not to kill my own blood!”

“You have been corrupted by power!” replied Ulrik.

“ENOUGH!”

It was Emmerich who had shouted.  Arthur was surprised to hear him speak at all.  With his black and white hair splattered across his face, it was hard to make out his expression.

“You got what you wanted,” said the physician.  “You have Ulrik.  Arthur is not part of the bargain.”

Bryan’s reply was to unsheathe a sword that was hanging at his belt and to place it on Emmerich’s neck, but the physician did not budge.  Ulrik was pursing his lips and Arthur immediately thought that he had the look of someone who has just been betrayed.

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” muttered the prince under his breath.

“Be careful what you are going to say, sorcerer of the old religion,” said the Druid warningly.  “So far, you have promised much but delivered little.  Weren’t you supposed to take care of the sorcerer protecting Camelot?”

He was turning his blade over and over, pressing it on Emmerich’s right shoulder, admiring it as though he was seeing parts of his plan in it.  

“He is more powerful than I anticipated, my Lord,” replied Emmerich evasively.

“More powerful than you, no doubt.  I shall take care of him myself,” declared the Druid.

There was an interruption.  One of Bryan’s men came to talk to him in a low voice.  The sword was momentarily withdrawn while he whispered back some instructions.  Arthur took this opportunity to speak his mind to Emmerich.

“And you’re a traitor.  That’s just great!  Is there anything else I should know?”

“I’m sorry, my Lord,” said the old man.  He was not looking at Arthur but at Ulrik.  

“How could you?” whispered the king.  Arthur had expected him to be outraged, but instead, his tone was sorrowful, defeated.

Emmerich’s reply was barely audible.  “You told me to protect Odran and Ursulla.  That’s what I did, my Lord.”

“You can still make the right choice,” offered Arthur.  “You’re a sorcerer.  You can get us out of…”

He didn’t finish his sentence.  Bryan had returned his attention to his prisoners.  There was a contemptuous smirk on his face.  This can’t be good… thought Arthur instantly.

“We have captured Prince Odran,” declared the Druid.  “He followed you into the forest.  There was a servant with him.  One of yours, Pendragon.”

Arthur couldn’t help but half-smile.  “Let me guess: not very tall, kind of skinny, dark hair, big ears with an equally big mouth?”

“That sounds about right, except for the big mouth: he was passed out.”

Arthur let out a sigh of irritation.  “Merlin.”

“Bryan!” said Emmerich forcefully while rising to his feet.  He ignored stubbornly the few swords that were almost instantly pointed at him.  “Do not add another murder to this quarrel.  Odran is innocent, and so is Arthur.  You are playing with forces that are beyond your control.”  

Arthur could foresee many outcomes after this comment, and almost all of them ended with Emmerich lying on the ground, dead.  What he did not expect was to hear the black Druid laugh.

“My knowledge of magic is more extensive than yours, Emmerich,” he snorted.  “The balance will only be restored when enough royal blood had been spilled.  Just as they killed our leaders, we shall kill theirs.”

“But when does it end?” said the physician.  “How much blood is enough blood?  You’re gathering power to yourself by doing this, but you do not know control.  You must end this folly now!”

“I will not be lectured by you, traitor.  Forbaern yfel.”

Arthur had not expected fire to surround them.  He jumped to his feet and took a few steps back, as did the other men.  Ulrik screamed as the flames touched his arm.  Only Emmerich seemed untroubled.  And then Arthur saw something amazing.  Emmerich whispered some words and his eyes turned momentarily gold.  The fire died away in a flash, but the spell had taken its toll on the physician.  He swayed a little and he was clutching his head.

“That’s it?” laughed Bryan.  “That’s all you’ve got?”

For a short moment, Arthur thought that he saw something change in Emmerich’s blue eyes.  Were they turning gold again?  And then their eyes met, a decision was made, and the physician became passive at last.  Arthur watched him recoil as one who is defeated after only the first blow.  Two men came to tie his hands behind his back.  One of them was carrying a heavy metal chain which he wrapped around the old man.

“I think I will hang on to you a little longer, Emmerich,” said Bryan.  “I still need you to identify the other sorcerer.  Gehaeftan!”

At Bryan’s command, the chain glowed and tightened itself around Emmerich’s chest, making him wince in pain.

The Druid then turned to Arthur.        

“Pendragon should pay for what his father did to our kind, but not tonight.  I think that Uther should watch as we burn his son alive.”

“NO!” bellowed Emmerich.

But he was powerless against the magic chain.  Arthur heard him shout a spell as Bryan’s men were taking him away, but the result was only a scream of pain.  The last that Arthur saw of Merlin’s father before he, himself, was taken away, was the outline of a hooded man disappearing into the blackness of the forest.