The Call of Camelot

Chapter 7 - Prophecy

Even with the heat coming from the flames, I felt cold. The fire warmed my skin however inside I felt as though I was frozen.

I'd gone past the point of wishing I could wake up from some horrible nightmare and let the truth of Ambrose/Merlin's words truly sink in.

I don't know how long it had been since he and the King had told me the truth of why I'd been brought back here but judging by the sunlight that shone through the ancient windows, which had gone from lines on the wall to elongated rectangles across the wooden floor, it had been hours and the morning appeared to be giving way to the lateness of the afternoon.

I closed my eyes and placed my face in my hands, reliving that conversation.

"The fate of Camelot rests in your hands" was the dramatic way in which Arthur had answered me when I'd asked again why I was there.

To be honest, I hadn't known how to answer such an extraordinary statement. The only thing I could think to say was "huh?".

Way to sound like an idiot Cara, well done!

Merlin... It was still strange for me to call him that,  offered to explain the situation on the Kings behalf, perhaps to avoid such dramatic wording.

The truth was, well, there's no other word for it, terrifying.

My entire life, I'd never imagined myself to be remarkable in any way, nor had I ever wanted to be. I was content with a life of mediocrity, content to fall in line with the usual humdrum of everyday life.  So to go from that, to being told that an entire Kingdom, and the fate of every person that lived within it depended on not letting anyone murder you, was a surprise to say the least.

Merlin had told me of a prophecy, one written centuries ago that told of a child both the mortal realm and of the fairy realm.  This child was a key, one that could be used to harness the magic of the fairies and that by killing that child, by spilling her blood, a person could harness that magic for great good or great evil.

That child was me, and from the moment I was born I had been hunted by a group of dark Druids called the Banduri who wanted to use Sidhe magic to destroy Camelot and all neighbouring Kingdoms.  All intentions set to murder and enslave those who lived within them and to create a Kingdom of their own.

So in order for me to be protected, I had been taken.  Arthur and Merlin had found a small group of allies within the Banduri itself and it had been one of these Druids who'd hidden me so far into the future.

Merlin explained that for many years, the secret of where and when I was had remained a secret. That is, until word had reached Camelot that the Banduri had somehow discovered where I had been taken and once again, I was being hunted.

Under orders from Arthur, Merlin had then travelled forward in time himself using his magic, to try to find me as quickly as he could.

"And when did you know that you had found the right person?" I'd asked.

"I knew from the moment you told me the story of how you found your parents that I'd finally found you. For eight years I'd orchestrated those digs, depended on the fact that you'd be pulled to the past as the best way to flush you out, you can't begin to imagine the relief of finding you, Cara!"

"I'd applied for those digs every year for six years!" I said with a small laugh, though inside I felt no amusement, I just felt numb.

"You and about a hundred other girls who fit the profile of the person I was looking for." He replied, and with those words the memory of what Laura had said to me at the meet and greet came rushing into my mind. So you're this year's resident redhead.....