After The End

Chapter 13-The Silence Before The Storm

Mimueh was standing stone still, eyes fixed on a point a little beyond where Merlin and Gwaine had previously been, on a pillar of bricks that rose high of the ground. Suddenly there was movement from behind it and out came a figure. The figure of the thought to be deceased Nimueh. "Not having second thoughts are we sister?" Mimueh says nothing trying to put a coherent thought together though her mind is anything but coherent. "I- It just seems so cru- el and he seem- seemed sincere and kind..." Mimueh finally managed to stutter out. "Sincere! KIND!!!" Nimueh all but screeched "HE. KILLED. ME!!!" Mimueh turned away trying to hide her flinch. She refused to be afraid of her own sister. "Now. You know what you must do now, don't you sister?" Mimueh felt shivers run up her spine. Yes she knew what it was her sister wanted from her. What she expected Mimueh to do. The thing that only she, as far as she knew, could do. She also knew the consequence that would follow if she did not follow through with the plan. So for now, her answer must remain "Of course Nimueh."

As me and Gwaine travel to the other side of the island, me using magic to steer us in the right direction, I feel my connection to Aithusa growing stronger. Occasionally water vapour will rise to spray us in the face and we hear the far of howl of a lone wolf. As we pull into land, I notice Gwaine has been uncharacteristically silent.

 As if noticing this too Gwaine vocalises with a quiet humour but not unawkwardly "So the princess too lazy to get out of bed again, fell into another hundred year slumber."                          "More like a thousand..." I respond somberly. Noticing my downcast expression Gwaine hurries for a change of conversation "Sooooo... Speaking of saving dragons, you can turn into one yourself now too huh? Pretty impressive but I'd only be really impressed now, if you could conjure me up some mead out of those magic hands of yours." 

I role my eyes at Gwaines hankering after a drink barely into his fifth minute of resurrection but decide to humour him anyway and click my fingers (for show rather than necessity) and there in Gwaines right hand is a bubbling tankard of mead. Rather than being greeted with an exclamation of Gwaines excitement however, my action was instead responded to with Gwaines whine of "Is that all?" frowning at the newly materialised drink.

 With a groan I step up from the boat onto land, Gwaine following just behind, we set off at a fast walk to the rhythm of Gwaines incessant gulping and soon drunk talk. As nightfall grows nearer I feel my connection with Aithusa grow stronger. When it is evident the light has dwindled too much to see by Gwaine and I set up camp in wait for the midnight hour to strike, at which point we should be able to finish our journey with ease. By 'Gwaine and I' set up camp what I really mean is I let Gwaines drunken persuasion and challenges influence me to use magic to set up the whole camp myself. "Coooommmme onnnn Meerrrliiinn, I wanna see some magic... What can't you do it or something?" Gwaine had previously slurred.

 Sitting around the magical fire I had created I amuse my drunken fool of a friend (how I regret my indulgence from before now) by creating 3D images within the flames. They are not 'images' for long however, before they start coming alive. "Ignis draco" And suddenly there is a miniature dragon of fire, living, breathing, flying once through the flames and then around Sir Gwaine's head. "Lux splendida unicornis" And there's a unicorn, looking just as I remember them looking from that time Arthur had slayed one and in repentance had had to prove himself pure of heart. It shines silver in the gold of the fire as it gallops across its new wilderness. With one final spell "Admoneri me" It is as if someone has pressed a replay button of my life in Camelot. As faces and scenery emerge from the flickering sparks. Me meeting the Royal prat for the first time... My encounter with Gwen while being in the compromising position of the stocks... Lancelot saving my life from the griffin... The bar fight in which we met Gwaine... Just everything from the moment I arrived in Camelot up until it all felt hopeless; The battle of Camlann.

 Gwaine's eyes never avert from the fire once, so entranced he is. Without us realising Midnight has crept silently upon us and pounced. This being the reason it is to both our great surprise when the familiar roar in my blood takes place and I am once again a majestic creature of the old religion. 

Having had to go through and repeat arrangements several times with a drunken Gwaine to get him to understand he luckily climbs on and sits on my scaled back the way I had described to him as the most comfortable for me to fly in. The most likely reason being for this being that Gwaine has reached the end of his drunkenness where he will be overwhelmed by tiredness and wake up with a massive headache... Without one of Gauis's fowl tasting but effective medicines. 

We fly through the night sky with purpose and I'm certain that if anyone below was to look up at this moment, my golden scales would be percepted as a shooting star isolated in the depth of darkness. Under the protection of nightfall, it is as if I am all the flora and fauna of the world at once, providing a light for all of nature to be guided by. It is this that keeps me company even after Gwaine falls asleep and we reach our destination, some suspicious feeling caverns. The magic being emanated from them is some of the strongest I have ever felt and I know instantly that more than just one of my kin waits in need within... And one things for certain;                          

This is the silence before the storm.