Arthur's Sons (Book 1)

A Fallen Angel

4 Years before Camelot

"Merlyn!" Hunith called as her daughter had barely made it a step out the door.

"Yes mother, what is it?" She replied looking back.

"Don't forget to get some extra rabbits while your out, Mary is a bit under the weather and we both know Will can't cook so I'll make some extra solstice stew for them." Merlyn nodded and grabbed her bow and quiver from beside the door and hurry out into the dense summer forest surrounding Ealdor.

The woods were alive with the twittering of birds and insects hummed lazily through the gentle summer breeze. Merlyn loved the woods, her magic becoming attuned with the life thrumming all around and causing it to pleasantly sparkle beneath her skin as she tracked deeper into the wood. Keeping low and quiet she approached a well-known burrow and carefully scanned for any furry occupants. One rabbit cautiously raised its head from the safety of the burrow searching for danger, Merlyn notched an arrow and took a deep breath, then another and let her arrow fly. A kill shot right through the eye. She grimaced at the thought of ending the poor creatures life but knew it was simply a part of life, she continued catching a few more and collecting some essential healing herbs that her mother would need to help Will's mother feel better.

The sun was sinking into the late afternoon when Merlyn spotted a plump doe nibbling on some shrubbery. She crouched down and studied the deer for a moment thinking of the stews, roasts and dried meat that could be made from the creature. Salivating at the thought Merlyn un-slung her bow and crept forward, once in range she lined up the shot and the world around her seemed to still. Just as she let the arrow loose an ear-piercing scream echoed through the woods startling both Merlyn and the deer causing the arrow to lodge in the tree right by the deer's head and for the said creature to bolt in panic. Merlyn cursed under her breath and let loose a sigh standing from the brush. As she turned to head back to the village she heard shouting in the distance and another cry of pain. Merlyn bit her lip and after a moment of deliberation swiftly headed towards the voices.

As she approached a nearby cliff she noticed a human-shaped pile of red fabric and armour lying at the bottom and a group of Cenred's men atop the cliff scouting a way down swords in hand. Merlyn waited a moment as the men ran along the cliff looking for a path down, once they were out of sight she hurried forward and rolled the fallen man onto his back. What she saw took her breath away, the boy not two summers older than her had the face of a warrior angel with hair spun from the golden rays of the sun, his skin was slightly tanned from time spent outside and a strong jaw with a pair of plump pink lips slightly parted to draw in air. Merlyn was star struck by the beauty of the strange knight who looked crafted by the gods themselves, she gently reached out and stroked the contour of his cheekbones almost in a trance, she managed to shake herself free for a moment to examine his body for wounds. For a moment she didn't see anything until she noticed blood coming from his tall leather boot, carefully she removed the boot on his right foot to discover a compound fractured tibia. The wound was quite severe and continued to bleed, carefully she tore away the knight's pant leg to expose the wound. The bone was jagged and had torn through the flesh like a blunt knife, Merlyn had to cover her mouth to hold back her lunch, she then studied the wound and decided that with the help of her magic she could snap the bone back into place and bind it so that she could get him back to Ealdor. She stole a glance at the boy as she placed both hands either side of the wound and took a deep breath before grabbing his ankle and pulling it up sharply while pushing down just above the wound snapping the bone back beneath the flesh and using her magic to guide the bone back into place. The boy's body arched in pain and he let out a strangled scream which sent the birds scattering, she managed to hold him still and dodge his flailing arms till he passed out from the pain. After making sure the bone was in place and cleaning the wound of dirt and grime she took his crimson red cloak with a golden dragon insignia and cut long strips into bandages and bound the wound then braced it. Merlyn was in the process of figuring out how to carry him back when Cenred's men broke through the tree line running toward them with swords drawn, Merlyn drew her bow and quickly took out a few of the charging knights. One of the men grabbed her and her magic surged burning the man who she then threw against a nearby tree before using her gift to then quickly handle the last two men whos skulls shattered against the cliff wall. Merlyn quickly caught her breath before looking down at the boy she had saved, he was bigger than her and wearing armour so she quickly used her magic to make him lighter and carefully lifted him onto her back with his legs around her waist mindful of the broken leg.