Chapter 15: The Council

"Why?" asked Nimue.



"This is no time for questions! Just take me to them! I don't care if they are asleep or not, just take me to them! Blaise's life may depend on it!" replied Merlin, already running to where he thought the Council might be.



Less than one hour later, Merlin was rapping on the door of Geoffrey's house, where the Council was meeting.



"Merlin? What are you doing out and about this late? I thought you had gone to your cottage." said Geoffrey in a sleepy voice, indicating he had recently dozed off.



"May I come in? I have vital information that you and the rest of the council needs to know immediately." replied Merlin, already pushing past Geoffrey.



"Yes, you may, and so may Nimue."

The first thing Merlin saw was a small round table in the center of the room with two people sitting around it. Merlin had thought the Council would be old, but in fact, they were fairly young, almost as young as Geoffrey.

"Come sit Merlin," said one who had a bald head, "We would like to hear what you have to say. If it is what you say, I fear for the worst."

As Merlin recounted his dream, he saw that the Council did not look surprised by what he was saying.

"And you would like permission to go after him I presume?" asked the other Council member who had a goatee.

"How did you know?" asked Merlin bewildered.

"I too lost a family member that I could have saved, but the Council then wouldn't let me. I know your pain Merlin, but we can't let you go. If you go, you may end up dead. I am sorry." said the second council member, the one with a goatee.

"Then death is a risk that I will have to take; I don't care what the consequences would be if I were to return unharmed, but I will take them, if only I am able to save Blaise." said Merlin, nearly shouting the last few words.


"Even if the punishment for disobeying the Council is long-term exile of sixty years minimum, starting from the moment you return to the Light from your venture?" asked the bald Council member.


"Yes."


"Then go," whispered Geoffrey, "Go so you may return sooner from your exile. Go save Blaise, and hurry, before it's too late!"


Without thanking the Council, Merlin ran off, faster than he had ever ran before, knowing every moment he wasted here meant another moment that could result in Blaise living.


"Wait Merlin!" cried Nimue from far behind Merlin.

"What is it?" asked Merlin impatiently.

"Let me come." she replied. Merlin realized she wasn't asking.

"No."

"Yes, I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not. It's too dangerous. I promise that someday I will come back." said Merlin with finality.

"I'll be waiting." said Nimue in such a soft tone, Merlin had to strain his ears to understand what she was saying.

"Goodbye." said Merlin. With that final word, Merlin ran off into the forest, and burst into flame. Moments later, a phoenix flew out of the forest where Merlin had disappeared, circled back to fly above Nimue, then started its journey to save Blaise.

"Goodbye." said Nimue with a touch of sadness, watching Merlin fly off into the sunrise.

Chapter 14: Blaise's Task

"Merry Christmas Merlin!" called Blaise as he entered the room he and Merlin shared. It was Christmas morning and Blaise was kneeling under the tree, reaching for one of Merlin's presents.
"Here you go lad," said Blaise, handing Merlin the present he had found. Merlin, meanwhile, was still waking up. After nearly a month of vigorous training, Merlin was looking forward to sleeping in. Unfortunately, it was Christmas, Blaise's favorite holiday. No matter what Merlin did or said, he knew Blaise wouldn't leave him alone until he unwrapped the present.

"Thanks," said Merlin, blinking his eyes rapidly. Merlin slowly unwrapped the present, still not all the way awake. When the present was unwrapped, there before him lay a chalice. The chalice was unlike anything Merlin had ever seen. It was an iron-gray but shone as if it had been polished endlessly. It was decorated lightly, holding only a few symbols Merlin didn't know how to translate. Despite the fact it looked like it had been picked up on the side of the road, the chalice had a aura of power about it.

"Do you like it?" asked Blaise.

"Yes. Where did you get this?" replied Merlin.

"I'll tell you when you're older. What do you have for me?"

Merlin climbed out of bed and walked to the tree, taking his cane-wand with him. He tapped the tree with the cane and muttered a few words. Moments later, a sword revealed itself.

"This is what I got you," said Merlin holding out the sword. Tears came to Blaise's eyes.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"I made it myself. All those hours I was gone after training I was learning how to forge a sword from the elves."

"What is the sword's name?" asked Blaise, still looking at the sword in wonder.

"Excalibur." replied Merlin.

"Fighter. I like the name. It fits great. Thank you Merlin. Thank you."

As Blaise removed Excalibur from its scabbard, he revealed the true beauty of Merlin's craftsmanship. The sword had two little rounded squares cut out of it where the blade met the hilt on either side, which would provide a harder hit by easing off the weight. The sword came to a good point before slightly curving to a side, which would act like those hooks the fishermen that Merlin had seen used. Running down the middle of the sword was a small indentation, like a shallow trench, which took more weight off the sword. The entire sword was a light gold, and sparkled like star in the sky. It was a truly beautiful sword.

"I'm only sorry blood will be on this sword so soon," said Blaise. Merlin couldn't tell whether or not Blaise's tears were of joy or not.

"What do you mean?" asked Merlin, curious as to why Blaise would say such a thing.

"The Council believes they have found a rogue Dark wizard, and they would like me to convince him to join our side. If he doesn't, I am to remove any evidence he existed." replied Blaise.

"Then how will I continue my training?"

"You will train with Geoffrey. He is a good a wizard and I trust him with my life."

"When will you be back?" asked Merlin, already knowing the answer.

"I don't know," said Blaise, "It all depends on how powerful this wizard is. I fear he may be part of an elite organization that is part of the Dark. If he is, our battle will be legendary."

"When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow. The Council is allowing me to celebrate Christmas with you."

The rest of the day passed quickly, Merlin and Blaise performing magic for the peasants of Caernarfon Castle, and Blaise humored Uther with his tales of long ago, while Merlin put on a flight performance even natural born birds would be jealous of. Come dusk, Blaise and Merlin left Caernarfon Castle, and traveled by magic to the Light's make-shift headquarters. Geoffrey was waiting for them.

"Good day Merlin, Blaise," said Geoffrey, bowing to both Merlin and Blaise in turn, "We are glad you took this obligation upon yourself. You are quite well suited for this particular job."

"Thank you. I look forward to completing it." replied Blaise.

"Merlin, you will be studying with me until Blaise returns. Understood?" asked Geoffrey.

"Yes." replied Merlin.

"Farewell Merlin. I hope see one another again soon." said Blaise.

"As do I," Merlin said calmly, watching Blaise mount a brown horse and ride off into the forest.

"Come Merlin. I have had a small cottage built for you." said Geoffrey, leading Merlin towards the small village that had been erected.

"Halt! Who goes there?" asked a guard who stood up top the wooden fence that encompassed the village.

"Tis I, Geoffrey of Monmouth. Let me pass."

"Yes sire."

A moment later, the gates swung open, revealing a delightful celebration.

"It is the Wizard's New Year," said Geoffrey, seeing Merlin's puzzled face,"Always we celebrate the Light's existence on the anniversary of Betrayal. You have never witnessed it before because you have always fell asleep before it began."

All around were wizards, dragons, elves, and all sorts of other creatures, having a jolly time in the dim light of candle-lit street posts. Regardless of how tired he was, Merlin joined his fellows, and began to shift different features of his face, giving himself a pig-nose with cat-ears and wolf-teeth, and a good many other humorous combinations.

Hours later, as people began to go home, Merlin shifted back to his normal self, much to the disappointment of small children. It was time he got some rest that night. He began his walk towards his small cottage, admiring the different homes that had been built by some one's own hand. They were all beautiful.


"Merry Christmas Merlin," said a voice behind him. Merlin turned around to see it was Nimue.


"Merry Christmas to you as well," replied Merlin.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other."

"We saw each other two months ago. That's not that long ago."

"All the same, I'm glad to see you again."

"As am I." replied Merlin in a flat tone.

"I don't remember you being a stone wall last time we saw each other."

"A lot has happened in two months; I killed someone for the first time. I began training as a wizard. I became an advisor to a king. I am not the same person, nor shall I ever be for as long as I live."

Frustrated, Merlin turned around and began to walk towards his cottage. But he saw something; he saw his uncle in a forest, dying.

"Merlin," Blaise wheezed, "I am dying. Take this."

Slowly, Blaise handed Merlin a ring he had never seen Blaise wearing before.

"Spirits. . . Have I redeemed myself on this day?" Blaise asked of the sky. Then he was dead.

"Blaise! No! Don't leave me!" screamed Merlin, falling down in the snow.

"What's wrong Merlin?" asked Nimue, worry written on her face.

"Take me to the Council! Now!" commanded Merlin, knowing if he was to succeed, he would need to move fast.

Slight Changes

For purposes that will be relveant to continuing the story properly, I have made a slight change to Chapter 4 when Merlin is eavesdropping on Blaise, Nasuada, and Uther and a change to Chapter 3 when Merlin first meets Aurelianus. Below are the changes.

***

Chapter 4

"WHAT!!! That man sired the boy! There is absolutely no likes between the two, and I’ve known him all my life! How can they be father and son? HOW!!!" boomed Uther so loudly, Merlin nearly wet his pants.

"Calm down Uther! We don't want to wake the boys. They cannot know any of this! If they knew, then the Dark would have a powerful weapon; the boy would be thirsting for revenge," said Blaise, trying to calm the enraged Uther.

"I'm sorry . . . But how can he be the father of those two? For heaven’s sake, none of the three of them look alike!"

“He is actually the father of only one of them; the younger one was born from the trickery of another wizard.” corrected Blaise.
"My true husband did keep much secret. I was always mad at him for not telling me anything. I realize now that if he had told me anything, my first son would never had been born. Now, looking back, I see those were the happiest years of my life. By being secretive, he saved me. But it meant we were separated, and it meant the birth of my second on a man who disguised himself to be mu husband. He only knew there was one child, his child. He didn’t witness his son’s birth. If he had, he would've known that I had two children. Right now he thinks there is only one. Someday, he will learn of the second child. And that will be the Light's darkest hour, when he realizes there are two, one who is bent to his will, the other against him. Yet, it will also be the Light's strongest hour, for it will be the first time he's felt fear in millennia." said Nasuada.

"Then why can't he know?" asked Uther impatiently.

"If we tell him, we have to tell him everything, and if we do that, he will know many secrets, all of which have been kept secrets for millennia." explained Blaise.

"Then why not just give him hints?"

"At his age, we can't tell which path he will go down, and if the knowledge that there were two children that I had were to reach him, the things he could learn would ultimately destroy us. He could one by one find all of our cities, crush any resistance there, search the survivors' minds, and eventually cause the downfall of Atlantis. If we find a way to tell the boy without him finding out, we would do it, without hesitation. But we know of no way to do so at this point in time. Can we trust you to keep this a secret?" asked Nasuada.

"Ehhh, I guess so. But if the boy still doesn’t know when I'm laying on my death bed, then I will tell him if he is near."

"Agreed." replied Bernie.
What are they talking about? Merlin asked himself, Who is him, and who are the boys, and what are the secrets? As Merlin's head swarmed with this new knowledge, he made his way to bed, and fell asleep pondering these questions.

***

Chapter 3

Aurelianus had green eyes and graying hair. He had a weary look to his eyes, and an air about him that Merlin couldn’t quite place. It seemed almost as if Aurelianus was old.

“Who is this boy you bring with you?” asked Aurelianus of Uther. When Merlin looked back on that moment several years later, he would recall see a slight expression of surprise coming over Aurelianus’ face as he said it.

“He’s the boy who saved me life. He calls himself Merlin.”

“Merlin. . .” said Aurelianus, looking at Merlin with an expression of awe, “Could it possibly be? No, I’m a fool for thinking so. He couldn’t still be here, not after. . .” Aurelianus’ voice trailed off before putting on a warm smile.

“Come dine with me. We have much to discuss,” said Aurelianus.

Aurelianus showed Merlin to his place by him. The sun was setting when a most curious thing happened. As Merlin was sitting down, Aurelianus noticed how Merlin shivered, and muttered a few unintelligible words. A moment later, the fire roared to life as Aurelianus began conversation.

“You’re a wizard aren’t you lad?” asked Aurelianus.

Merlin nearly choked on his food upon hearing this. “No I’m not,” he said hastily.
“Yes you are. Do you think I don’t know what that stick is on your waist? I’ve seen my fair share of wizards. How would you like to be an advisor to me? I could use your help when my own forces join the Saxons at Vortigern’s castle.”

“I would love to, but I can’t. My mother is probably worried sick about me.” replied Merlin.

“What is her name?”

“Nasuada.”

“Nasuada. . .” said Aurelianus, his voice trailing off for the third time that night.

An hour later, Aurelianus called a squire to show Merlin to his room. Merlin fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the mattress.

Change of Arms

I have recently come across a new weapon in my reserch for Merlin's Story called a sai. Seeing how a sword is a traditional weapon, I thought I might give Merlin something a little different. From now on, Merlin's sword, Fanomar, will be referred to as a sai. Below is a picture of two sais.

A New Beginning

Just today, I thought of a new beginning for Merlin's Story, and have written in what will be the final document of Merlin's Story when finished and pasted it below. I hope you enjoy it!

Before the Story was Told

“Little ones! Stop fighting over whether Merlin or his son was a better wizard, because both of them were two of the greatest wizards of all time.” said an old man to two children who had been fighting.

The man had white hair, and walked with a cane. He had many scars, but it was the scar across his right eye that had caught the children’s attention.

“Now listen, both of you,” continued the man, his voice shockingly loud and forceful, “I can tell you the story of Merlin and his family, but if I do, you must promise me you will never tarnish the Ambrosius family name by continuing your petty dispute. So what will it be?”

The man leaned on his cane and looked expectantly at the children. One could tell that before the man had been injured, he must have been very handsome.

“Yes,” said the children, delighted to hear the story of Merlin’s family, starting with him and ending with his son.

“I thought you might say that,” replied the man, grinning, “So take a seat. The story of Merlin and his family is a long one, and it will take some time for me to tell.”

Eagerly, the children sat on the ground, not caring that they might become uncomfortable during the story.

“I suppose the best place to begin is at the beginning.” said the man looking off into the sky, “So here goes. . .”