Merlin: The Light of Eriador

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Light of Eriador had brought him to this. In these woods, the future of Camelot would be decided. He would either watch his younger self die or he would perish himself. This was the reason why he had been brought back to this place and time. The wisdom of the crystal had been to keep him away from Camelot and Arthur long enough so that the old memories of friendship would not keep him from his mission. Instead, he had been permitted to guide the young prince of Vallonia on his way to becoming a great ruler. Odran was now ready to take on his brother. Unlike Arthur, who could not bring himself to kill Morgana, his young apprentice would not fail.

It had been his fault; all of it. Stupid Merlin, he thought bitterly. He had been so preoccupied with protecting Arthur's life that he had also kept him from the truth. Because of his selfishness and stupidity, Arthur had been ill prepared to deal with the events that had unfolded after Morgana's betrayal. And on top of everything, he had had to suffer the loss of a friend. The nature of Merlin's secret had made Arthur hesitant and doubtful about how to deal with those who possess magic. How else should he have reacted? He could never have sentenced Merlin to death, but not to kill him was a betrayal of everything he believed in. Exile would have been a blessing compared to the pain of seeing his friend struggle with the difficult decision. It had seemed like the best way to start Arthur's reign: to end years of lying with one simple truth. Yet it had turned out to be the worst idea he had ever had. Revealing his secret had been nothing but a selfish way to prove his worth and that he wasn't, once and for all, an idiot.

Of all the things said on that day, those were the words that he remembered and repeated most in his head. The look of pain and betrayal on Arthur's face had stayed with him ever since. I never thought you were an idiot, Merlin.

A scream brought him back to reality. "Bryan! No! What have you done?"

He wasn't quick enough to catch Odran's arm to restrain him. The young prince took a leap forward and, pulling a small silver knife from under his sleeve, he threw it in a flash of light and with surprising accuracy. The blade caught Bryan's hand and he dropped his dagger with a cry of pain. But it was too late. The younger Merlin was laying on the ground, sprawled on his back, red blood flowing from his shoulder. The druid woman was crawling towards him, sobbing, as the Black Druid was pulling the knife from his wounded hand.

"You're too late," sneered the strong man as he watched his leaking hand. "His power is already mine."

"Emmerich, do something!" shouted Odran without looking at his mentor.

But Emmerich - that was his name now - was rooted on the spot; the information had rapidly registered in his brain and his course of action was no longer clear. There was so much implied in those words: His power is already mine. The magic of the crystals had given birth to a great many legends, most of them true, which was the reason why he had decided - or would decide in a few years - to seal the cave completely. Could this really be the Taker, as it was known in the old religion? The Crystal Dagger, or the Taker, was the weapon that had killed the first wizard and passed on his power to a mortal man as opposed to a creature of magic. To find such a weapon here couldn't be a coincidence.

There were very few spells that could take away a person's magic; he had tried one against Mordred, but it had been too dark and that power had almost killed him. It was because of that failed try that he had decided to bind Merlin's magic with an enchantment instead. Taking away someone's power was almost impossible without causing death or worst. Yet the Crystal Dagger made it all possible...

No, it would be wrong, he thought immediately, shaking the idea out of his head. Magic was an element of balance in the world. To have it gathered around a single person was certain to have disastrous consequences. Moreover, he could not use the dagger himself: he wanted to get rid of Merlin's - his - magic, not increase it. The person holding the dagger gets the power, such was the legend. Still, the fact that the dagger was here and now had to mean something; it always did. One thing that he knew about Camelot was that nothing ever happened there that wasn't part of a greater plan.