A Ghost From the Past

The Arthurian Legend

Charlotte cried. She had a baby in her stomach and the baby's father and her husband was crazy. She didn't understand. He had always been so calm, so clever and now he was going mad. Charlotte sat on her horse on the way to Mr. Payne. She didn't know where else to go. She was scared, confused, heart broken and pregnant. She could not believe that story he had told her. It could not be real. Of course not. Why would it have to be this way? Why couldn't they just be happy together? How could a friend's death have ruined his mind in that way? And that story. Magic, Dragons, Evil sorceresses.

Charlotte sobbed and stopped her horse when she arrived to Mr. Payne's estate. She carefully jumped down of her horse. A young boy hurried over to her.

"Can I help you, madam?" he asked politely.

"Can I please see Mr. Payne?" she asked with a broken voice.

The boy looked a little nervously at her wet eyes, but then nodded. The boy handed her horse to another servant and then started to walk towards the big farm house. She followed him into the hallway.

"Please wait here." the boy said and quickly walked off.

Charlotte took a deep breath and waited, her eyes wandering around the room. The hallway was mostly decorated in green colors. The doors were dark brown and it was all very stylish. Charlotte wiped away the tears that still streamed down of her face.

"Mrs. Appleby?" Mr. Payne's frightened voice sounded from up the stairs. He hurried down to her. "What's wrong? What's happened?" he asked and looked her in the eyes.

Charlotte tried to get control over her voice.

"Can I please stay here for the night?" she asked. Mr. Payne nodded.

"Of course, of course, but first tell me what happened."

Charlotte nodded, but then burst out in tears again. Mr. Payne looked really frightened now. "Sara!" he called. A maid came running from one of the other rooms. "Can you please make us some tea?" he asked.

Sara nodded and ran back the way she had come.

"Come." Mr. Payne said and showed Charlotte into a living room with comfortable looking chairs, all in green, and some small tables. He sat her down in one of the chairs and sat himself in front of her in another one. Mr. Payne handed over a handkerchief. Charlotte smiled and took it.

"Thank you." she mumbled. She dried her eyes and looked down at her hands.

"Please tell what happened." Mr. Payne said pleadingly.

Charlotte looked up at him. "I'm with child."

Mr. Payne looked a little uncomfortable, but then nodded. "And you don't want to? You don't love your husband?" he asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "We have tried to have a baby for so long, but..." Charlotte stopped to gain control over her breathing.

She dried her eyes again. Sara came in with some tea and scones. Mr. Payne smiled at her and took the pot. None of them said anything while he poured the tea. He handed her the cup and then sat back down.

"So why are you sad?" he asked.

"I love him. I love my husband so much, but..." she said and looked down in her cup.

Mr. Payne didn't say anything. He waited until she was ready to continue. "I think he's going mad." she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Payne asked.

"It started when we were out in the forest. He said that he had heard something. He ran away from me and when I found him he sat on the edge of a cliff, screaming a name. After that he said that he was alright, but then a little while after the priest came for a visit and Nathan just started to scream at him. Something about that he had seen someone and he did not believe that priest hadn't also seen him. When I asked him about it he told me that a long time ago his best friend Arthur had died. He told me that it was him he had seen." Charlotte sobbed and her hands were shaking.

She lifted the cup to her lips and tasted the tea. It was sweet and warm and it felt good. Mr. Payne handed her a scone which Charlotte gladly took. Her appetite had increased with her pregnancy.

"He said that his friends name was Arthur. That he was killed, stabbed. I told him that he was tired. That it just was his imagination. After that he just changed. It was right before your visit." Charlotte told.

Mr. Payne nodded. "He was acting a bit strange." he agreed.

Charlotte took another bite of her scone. It didn't taste as good as Gwen's, but it still was lovely.

"He just became more and more cold. He never spoke to me and when he looked at me it was with hate in his eyes. I was sometimes scared of him. And then earlier I told him about my condition." Charlotte said and put her hand with the scone in over her stomach.

Mr. Payne nodded. "He became so happy. It was like getting him back. I asked him to tell what had been wrong with him and he told me the craziest story." she said again with tears in her eyes.

"What story?" Mr. Payne gently asked.

"Something about himself being over eight hundred years old, and that his real name was Merlin or Emrys. He said that he was the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth and the last dragon lord, that it was his destiny to protect the once and future king Arthur Pendragon. He told the craziest stories about their adventures. But when I told him to prove it with magic, he said that ever since Arthur had died his magic had too." Charlotte said sadly.

Mr. Payne looked thoughtful into the air.

"Did he tell you what happened with King Arthur?" he asked. Charlotte looked confused at him. "There was a great battle and he died." Charlotte told.

Mr. Payne stood up and walked over to his book shelves. Charlotte looked at him. He took out a big red book and sat himself back in the chair.

"What are you doing Mr. Payne?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "Oh, please call me William." he said before looking down in the book again.

Charlotte took a sip of her tea.

"The story reminds me of this." he said and pointed at the book. "There are some differences but it seems like Nathan told you the real story of Arthur Pendragon, king of the round table. The Arthurian Legend." William told.

Charlotte gasped. "What?"

"It's an old legend of King Uther and Queen Igraine. They had a child, but the wise sorcerer Merlin told them that the child needed to be taken from them because of Camelot's, king Uther's kingdom's, destiny. Merlin brought the child to a knight and he raised it. He called the child Arthur. King Uther and Queen Igraine died and the wars over the crown threw the kingdom into chaos. There was no king. No leader. Until Merlin planted a sword in a stone and told the people that the man who had the power to pull the sword from that stone would be the rightful heir of the throne. Arthur, who was only a boy, pulled the sword out and became king." William told.

"There is much more in that story, but that is not important right now. But King Arthur died at Camlann. Stabbed by one he thought was his friend." he continued.

"But that's not what Nathan told me." Charlotte said.

"Try to tell me exactly what he told you. Tell me everything." he said and leaned back in the chair and took his tea and scone from the table.

Charlotte looked confused, but she told him the story.

When she was done the first morning light peeked through the window.

"Strange" William said. Charlotte nodded. "If he thinks that he is Merlin, why does he then tell the story that differently? Has he just rewritten the story in his mind?"

"I don't know." Charlotte said.

Her face was expressionless. She had no more tears left. She just felt cold and empty.

"Dear Charlotte." William said and stood up. He walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "I promise you that you can count on me. I will protect you from his madness. You can stay here as long as you wish." he said and looked her in the eyes.

She smiled down at him. "Thank you."