Chapter 3: The True Heirs: Part 2

At the nearest town, the man asked where they were and decided their route from there. Neither person spoke during their trip until sunset that night.

"Its almost sundown. Why aren't we stopping for the night?" asked a puzzled Merlin. People never traveled in the night.

"We're almost to me brother's castle. Besides, there are bandits in the woods who love to steal the food of sleeping travelers."

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you? Why did you save me? Why did you betray Vortigern? Was the battle caused by you"? And who's your brother and how did he get a castle when Vortigern is the king?" fired Merlin.

"My, my, my, aren't you inquisitive. Anyhow, I suppose yeh do deserve some answers. After all, I saved yeh from death and told yeh to follow me without explanation. My name is Uther, third and youngest son of Emperor Constantine III of the Byzantine Empire. I saved yeh because I saw the so called stick yeh carried. It's a wand. Yeh can't fool my family by a change in clothing. Also, I didn't betray Vortigern; I was a spy for my brother, and the battle was my doing, at least partly. Yeh see, Vortigern was a fool and let the Saxons settle in Britain. The Saxons, though, didn't think they were given enough land, and Vortigern, being the idiot he is, refused the Saxons. I saw that I could gain an advantage from Vortigern's stupidity, so I gathered all the Saxons Vortigern was stupid enough to give positions in his army, gathered them together, and told them we would rebel against Vortigern on my signal.

"Me brother is the true heir to the throne. His name is Aurelianus Ambrosius. He chose the name Ambrosius for himself. Yeh see, he couldn't carry the family name because it would alert Vortigern to his existence. Yeh don't understand, do you? Well I suppose I should have started at the beginning. When me father died, me eldest brother, Constans, took the throne and enlisted Vortigern as his advisor. If only he hadn't, he might still be here today. But then Vortigern has always had a way with words. That's how he made Constans his puppet, and how he convinced a group of mercenaries to poison Constans. When Constans died, Vortigern summoned Aurelianus and I to see him. He pretended to mourn for Constans, but as soon as the guards left, the devil told us what had really happened, and that if we wanted to see the sun rise again, we had to flee Britain and never return. We fled, but only to the edge of Wales. There, Aurelianus revealed he was the true heir to the village folk. They were a superstitious bunch, and claimed that one day, the true heir would claim the throne. They rewarded us with a castle, and obey our every command. As of late, Aurelianus has been plotting against Vortigern, assembling a giant army to face Vortigern in a duel of fates. And now that we have the Saxons on our side, Aurelianus says the only other thing we need to ensure victory is a wizard to advise us like all of our ancestors have. So there you have it. I've answered all yeh questions; now yeh answer some of mine. Who are yeh, what were yeh doing at Vortigern's fortress, and how did yeh become so good with the sword?" finished Uther.

"I am Merlin, son of none. I was at Vortigern's fortress to warn him that the Saxons would clash with him, but my plan back fired. And I've had nothing better to do for the last few years besides train with the blade. Now I won't be able to do that, thanks to an irreparable dulled edge."

"Well I must admit, I was surprised at how quickly yeh decided to break your blade, and for me life. It was quite brave of you to defend me, even though you don't know me. I'll have to get me brother's smiths to forge yeh a new blade."

"You could get me a new blade?"

"Yeh saved me life. I owe yeh."

"Thanks!"

They continued conversation until majestic castle stood before them.

"Behold, Caernarfon Castle." said Uther.

The castle was beautiful is the sunset. The water of the river sparkled orange fire, a mirror of the magnificent castle. Boats littered the harbor. The towers of the castle were like hexagonal spires, watching your every move. Merlin would never had though that a man-made structure could be so beautiful.

"How was this made?" asked a bewildered Merlin.

"Its construction was ordered by King Edward I when he invaded Wales. He wanted it to be the most beautiful building in Wales, and yet, also the most fearsome. Come, let's go see my brother. He's expecting us."

The twosome made their way into the castle and were greeted by a messenger, telling them they were to make their way to the banquet hall where they would dine with Aurelianus.

"Greetings, brother!" said the man heading the table that spanned the length of the hall.

"The same to yeh." said Uther, indicating they exchanged greetings like this often.

Aurelianus called a squire, and told him to relay the orders of a magnificent feast to the cooks. Before too long, servants were carrying everything from lamb to fish to spiders to wine to beer, to roast pig through the large double doors at the end of the hall. After having meager meals for months, Merlin was glad to have the opportunity to gorge himself. He didn't care if he looked rude; all he cared about was food.

"So I hear you're a wizard," began Aurelianus, "Did you know each and every one of my ancestors has had a wizard for an advisor? We've been very fortunate to have their advice; without it, my family would have lost the throne long ago."

"Are you offering me the chance to be your advisor?" asked Merlin between mouthfuls of lamb.

"Yes, I am. I have finally amassed an army large enough to oppose Vortigern and the Saxons are my allies. All I'm missing is a wizard for an advisor. Would you care to become my advisor?"

"No. I would if I could, but my mom's probably worried sick about me. I'm afraid I must leave tomorrow."

"My people could locate her and she could live here." suggested Aurelianus.

"You would never find her. After all she is a wizard herself. But if you would like advice, I'd be happy to supply it."

With that, Merlin recounted his dream he had had.

"I'll have my scribes record it," Aurelianus promised, "I'm sorry you have to leave tomorrow, but since you have to, Uther will accompany you across Britain and Germany."

Summoning a servant, Aurelianus told him to take Merlin to the guest quarters.

"Right this way." said the servant.

Merlin slept well that night, knowing he would set off the next day for home.

Chapter 3: The True Heirs: Part 1

"Bring out the prisoner!" shouted the king gleefully, "He is to be executed the second the sun rises, no sooner or later!" The king was positively joyful. But then why shouldn't he be? He was about to end his problems with his fortress. Or, at the very least, thought he was going to.

Merlin was in worse shape than the previous night: he was covered in the hay littered on the floor of the stables and had many cuts and bruises on the part of he sentries who had thrown Merlin into the stables.

Merlin's head was shoved on to the wood, and locked in place with another piece of wood on top. Merlin watched as a man dressed in black armor and a helm walked towards him, wielding a long sword.

At least it will be an almost painless death, thought Merlin.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable pain. Instead he heard the king's advisor scream. Then all was quiet. Merlin opened his eyes, and there at his feet lay the king's advisor, his head rolling and blood gushing from the stump that was his neck. He looked up and saw a battle happening between the king's subjects. When he looked to his right, he saw the executioner bringing his sword down on Merlin. Once again, Merlin braced himself for the pain, and was relieved to feel the lock that held him released. He didn't have time to enjoy his freedom, for the executioner yanked him up and led him away from the battle.

"Traitor! Kill the traitor! After him! I want him dead!" screeched the king, all joy in his voice replaced fury. With unnatural speed, the king sprinted toward Merlin and the executioner, ripping off the helm of the executioner as he did so. Under the helm was a handsome face, sporting a full beard and scraggly black hair. The man had warm blue eyes that any other time Merlin would think to compliment his dark complexion quite well, but Merlin had no time for such thoughts as it seemed the king wanted a fight.

King Vortigern lunged at the executioner, aiming for the throat. The man with blue eyes raised his sword to parry, successfully blocking the king's lethal attack. The man retaliated to the king's unexpected lunge by sending an underhand swipe to meet the king's chin. The king caught the blow with his shield while bringing swinging his sword towards the man, whose sword had flown out of his hand after the king caught the blow in the shield. Merlin didn't hesitate to draw his own sword. He drew his sword from its scabbard and caught the king's sword on the edge, sliding his sword down the length of the king's, dulling the king's sword and his own, until the hilts were locked. The king, enraged at Merlin's skill, tried to pull his sword in an attempt to unlock the swords. The king succeeded in freeing his sword, but instead of flying towards him, it flew towards Merlin, who gracefully caught it in the air while kicking the desperate King Vortigern so he was on his knees. Putting the flat sides of the swords together, he crossed them so that King Vortigern's head lay between the two blades, the sharper edges facing his neck. Merlin had Vortigern trapped; he was completely at Merlin's mercy. With just a flick of his wrist, Merlin could behead the king who had ordered his execution. But yet, the question was, should he kill Vortigern? Should he kill the tyrant who lay before him? As Merlin pondered this question, he became oblivious to the battle around him, seeing only the king and the swords. He didn't known what half of what the king had done, nor did he know why the king had done them. As doubtful as it might seem, the king may have perfectly acceptable reasons to explain his tyrannous actions. No matter how he looked at the situation, Merlin left with only two choices: kill him or don't.

Kill him! said a voice in Merlin's head, He's evil and you know it! You can't let someone like him live! He'll look for you, and when he finds you, you will die at his hands! You can't trust a man like this! Another voice said, Let him go. He may regret what he's done and is trying to make up for it. At least give a chance. Even if he is evil, he may change after looking death death in the face. You have to give him a chance. Just one.

For what seemed hours, Merlin stared at Vortigern, seeing fear written on his face. He knew his life lay in the hands of the boy who stood before him, holding two swords that could end his life. Just looking at the king's face made Merlin want to forgive him. But time and time again, the same question came up: Should I or should I not kill him? Merlin struggled and struggled with this question, not knowing which path was the right one.

Merlin hadn't reached a verdict when the battle surrounding was getting closer to him and the king. Sensing there was someone behind him, Merlin turned, sending the sword of the man behind him flying, and before he realized what was happening, Merlin lopped off his head. turning back to Vortigern, Merlin saw the king scrambling madly away from him. So he had taken advantage of what he had been given. Perhaps the king was smarter than Merlin had given him credit for. He knew that although the king had escaped this time, he would someday finish what he had started. But that would have to wait. Other matters commanded Merlin's attention right then such as getting away alive.

Guided by the man with blue eyes, Merlin forced his way through the fight, killing or mortally wounding anybody foolish enough to stand in his or the man's path. They made great progress and were away by the end of the hour.

When they were a good ways away from the fight, Merlin looked back, and saw two dragons, the same ones Merlin had seen in his dreams. The red one was flying south were as the white one traveled east.

Chapter 2: The Orders of a King

Merlin was on a plateau, higher than anyone else on the soon-to-be-battlefield. He watched as the Celts prepared for the march to battle. They were all outfitted in thin chain mail, and carried swords and longbows, and a quiver from which to take arrows for the bow. The Saxons were much more well suited for the coming war; they were dressed in full armor, held not only superior swords, bows, and arrows, but also war-axes and throwing knives. They had horses enough for every man to ride three, all wearing armor and all pure-bred stallions.

The Saxons outnumbered the Celts, an astonishing twenty-five thousand to a mere five thousand. To top it all off, there was a white dragon leading the Saxon forces.The Celts would surely be conquered.

Merlin watched in both horror and fascination as the two armies collided, the Saxon cavalry sending Celtic swordsmen scurrying for cover behind small canvas tents. Merlin was shocked as the mercilessness of the Saxon invaders. They drove right through the defenders, forcing them back all the while. Didn't they feel pain when they killed others? That's how Merlin felt when he hunted. Didn't they know they shouldn't be squabbling among themselves, but rather trying to make peace with one another? And if they did, why did they continue to fight?

Over the horizon, a small red dot was steadily getting larger, until finally, Merlin could distinguish the distinct shape of a dragon. The dragon of the Celtic army. Perhaps the Celts could win this battle! Maybe it wasn't so hopeless after all!

Merlin was wrong. The Celtic dragon engaged the Saxon dragon, keeping the white dragon from preying on the Celts. The skirmish was in the favor of the Celtic dragon for the first few minutes, but the larger Saxon dragon soon overpowered the red dragon. The white dragon tore at the red dragon, ripping flesh and muscle and revaling bone.

The Celtic dragon dropped from the sky after many bites, gashes, and torn limbs. He fell, and the battle was no more. The Saxons had won.

Merlin was sitting bolt upright in bed. He had had a terrible dream, on that he knew would become a reality if he didn't do anything about it. He knew he had to warn the Celtic king of the coming invasion.

Merlin quietly seeped out of his tent that he shared with Shiroix, and headed for Nasuada's tent. He knew he what he needed: Nasuada's wand. Although he didn't know how to use magic, he assumed it wasn't too hard. All you had to do was pick up a stick and say a few words and presto! Spell cast. The hard part was finding the words, but Merlin had been studying Nasuada's lists of words in the Speech of Gramarye. He knew the words he wanted to say were Ensans Nueva Hevre Gijfon: To Castle Of King. Merlin decided these words were best while he borrowed Nasusda's wand.

As soon as Merlin had the wand, he muttered those words softly, not wnting to wake anyone. The magic took immediately, for as soon as Merlin finished his last word, he was looking at the foundation of what would become a great fortress. It spanned for miles, ending only where Mt. Snowdon began. Yet, Merlin saw no builders. He looked around for an answer and saw there were tents encompassing the work site. The workers must be sleeping. After all, it was late.

Merlin didn't feel the ground rumble beneath his feet, for he was entranced with the size of the massive fort. Had he heard the rumbling, he might have saved himself from a dangerous adventure that would take place throughout the next few days. But he didn't, and was scrambling for cover from the falling stones of the fortress. The dust cleared before too long, revealing two sentries running towards Merlin. They wore a red vest over chain mail and carried with them a pike sharp enough to inflict damage rival to that of a sword. On their red vests was a line of diamonds going around their chests, a line of emeralds around their waists, and a line of gold between the two other lines. The sentries took Merlin none too gently by the wrists and led him to the king's tent.

"I want him slain," the king boomed as he stormed into the tent, "and then I want my magicians to ressurect him so I can use him as a target for my archers! And then I want him ressurected again so he can die again and again and again, each death being more painful than the last! I want-" The king stopped as he saw Merlin. The king, Merlin noticed, was wearing only thin robe and the golden circlet that showed he was king. He had many wrinkles on his face, belieing that he was fairly old, despite how young his voice may seem when he was in a fury. His gray eyes told he had only been on the throne for a few years, although he had witnessed the rise and fall of many reigns of many kings. Merlin thought he must be somewhere in his fifties, due to his graying hair.

"This is just a boy," the king continued in a much softer tone, "A boy this age couldn't have destroyed my fortress. I demand to see the real criminal now!" His adivisor, apparently used to such outbursts, calmly explained to the king why Merlin was there.

"I know that this boy did not commit the crime, but I know he can stop the crime from happening. Like your magicians said, in order to stop the destruction of your fortress, the blood of a fatherless child is needed upon the foundations. I believe this is just the boy you need."

"You're right. This boy is to be slain at dawn tomorrow. If he is slain even a second late, then the head of the person responsible is mine. Throw the prisoner in the stables for the night."

"Wait King Vortigern!" shouted Merlin after the leaving king.

Startled that the boy knew his name, the king turned around. "I know why your fortress is falling each night," continued Merlin, "There are two dragons under where you are building. Each night they wake and fight each other, causing the ground to shake and your fortress to fall. The two dragons are red and white; the red one is the Celtic dragon, your dragon, and the white dragon is the Saxon dragon. They fight because war is coming between these two people. I know, I saw it in a dream."

"You foolish little boy. The Saxons are not my enemies, rather they are my allies. I have invited them to prosper in this land. They will not betray me, nor shall I change my mind about your slaying. I will see you tomorrow."

Merlin was shocked. He knew his dream was real. Why didn't the king believe him? wNo need to worry about that, Merlin told himself, I'm going to die!

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Meeting

"Come on Mom! You know we need food! So why won't you let me go hunt?" whined Merlin, now seven years old. He and his mother had been traveling for years, and were nearing Gaul, where the bridge to Atlantis lay. They had stopped for a few days on the border of Germany and Gaul. While resting, they had been caught unawares, and had been robbed of all food and useful tools, thus starting the argument between Nasuada and Merlin.

"Because you're too young and you never know what night happen. I've already told you people are afraid of us, and will kill you if given the chance. Why can't you leave it at that?"

"But we're in the forest; there's nobody in the forest!"

"I can see you won't let this go. If I let you hunt, will you promise not to leave the forest?"

"Yes, oh yes! Thank you Mom, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll make sure to bring back a nice big deer!'

"We could use a meal like that," chuckled Nasuada, "Well, go on now, before I change my mind."

Merlin was skipping through the forest, a bundle of joy. This was the first time Nasuada was allowing him to hunt! Now all those years of training with the longbow would pay off! He would see a deer, and send an arrow to fly right through the eye! It might be a little messier than a wand, but wizards don't start training until eleven years old, and even when Merlin finished his training and became a full-fledged wizard, he wouldn't need his wand; he was an excellent bow ans swordsman.

After a few minutes, Merlin became aware his singing was scaring away the animals. He resolved to stop. The very moment he did, he was rewarded; a magnificent, snow-white stag stepped out of the trees. There was a slight rustling noise as Merlin found a perch in a tree where he could send an arrow to the throat of the stag. Merlin silently and quickly strung his bow, fitting an arrow in the notch. He slowly pulled the string back, and . . . whizz! An arrow flew towards the white stag, but missed as the stag turned his head to face Merlin, and pranced back into the trees. Merlin sat there, shocked. It hadn't been his arrow. He sat in the tree, knowing the crafter of the arrow would come to retrieve it. And when he did, Merlin planned to ambush him.

He was astonished to find the other bowman was a boy about his own age, with black hair and red eyes. Even though the would-be-hunter was just a boy like himself, Merlin still planned to ambush him. As the boy bent down to pick up his arrow, Merlin silently dropped from the tree.

"Hello. If you are planning to ambush me, you will find I'm a very capable swordsman, and I do not wish to kill you." said the boy, unimpressed at Merlin's sudden appearance.

"How did you know I was up there? And who are you? Why were you hunting that stag?" asked a bewildered Merlin.

"So many questions, so little time. But I'll answer your questions. I sensed you in the tree, and I was hunting the stag for more answers."

"Speaking of answers, I'd like to have more. You haven't answered my second question."

"To tell the truth, I honestly don't know who I am. All I know is that my name is Shiroix, and I only know that because the stag lead me to a tree with my name carved into it. That's why I'm hunting it. I've answered you're questions, now you answer two of mine: what's your name, and may I join you for supper?"

"My name's Merlin, and yes you may."