Chapter 31.
“I am exhausted!” said Arthur when he came back a few days later.
“Why?” I asked him.
“Your grandfather has me trained every day. I should be used to it since I use to practice every day when I was in Camelot, but it is not the same now. With the magic, I feel like all the strength in my body is leaving me a little more each time,” he explained, sighting.
“Yeah, magic has a cost and usually it takes your energy out of your body.”
“Yes, I cannot get used to it.”
“Perhaps someday.”
Silence felt in. However, it was not awkward like before, on the contrary. It was nice to feel like our relationship was the same as when we were in the past.
“So,” I started.
“Yes?”
“Does it not feel strange for you to do magic?”
“Oh yes, completely. But I had to revise my priorities and perspectives. Magic can help us. I did not want to see it before, I know and I have been horrible to you about this subject, and I want to apologize for it, however it is actually you who made me reconsider my point of view,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you do magic, and I did not feel threatened. I see you do magic and I know that you would not hurt anybody with it. That you use it for good and not for bad like Morgana used to.”
At his words, I hiccupped, and flashbacks of a certain battle came to mind. I could see the scenes flash before my eyes, as if I was there. I could see the guards dying because I had lost control of my magic. I thought I was past that point when I resumed lessons with Merlin. But the guilt was still there. And so was the fear that it would happen again.
"Avalon, look at me!" I heard a voice from afar.
I felt shaken and finally, I came back to my senses. I saw Arthur, in front of me, gently holding my hand. He looked worried and looked at me with a curious face.
“Avalon, are you alright? What happened?” he asked.
“It is nothing,” I responded. “I was just taken over by my emotions, that’s all. I just need to breathe a little.”
“Ok, take your time.”
The young man watched me closely as I inhaled and exhaled. I wasn’t subject to panic attacks normally, but with what happened recently, I could not blame my brain nor my body to feel that way.
“I feel better,” I said after a moment.
“I am glad.”
“I am sorry. It is just that you were wrong. I did use magic to do a bad thing. It wasn’t intentional but I killed some guards, some of Morgana’s men, with a spell, because I was not controlling it. I am sorry, Arthur. You were right, magic can be dangerous.”
“Hey hey hey,” Arthur said, placing his hands on my cheeks to raise my head. “It is not because you did one mistake that it means you are bad. Yes, magic is dangerous, but I believe in you. I always have. And it is not going to change because you lost control of a spell.”
“But I used it to do bad things.”
“No, on the contrary. You used it to do good, to save us and yourself.”
He approached my face. His hands were still on my cheeks, and I could feel his warmth spreading through me. Soon we were breathing the same air and my heart began to beat faster. Arthur came even closer, I could almost feel his lips on mine.
But I had to be cursed because something interrupted us, again. Something or someone?
Chapter 32.
"Avalon, be careful. It is not over yet, stay vigilant!" said a familiar voice in my head.
Surprised by this interruption, I stepped back. From the look on Arthur's face, he hadn't heard the voice. On the contrary, he seemed hurt by my gesture. I wanted to reassure him, but I didn't have the time.
“Avalon, the danger is close. They are coming for you!” exclaimed the voice once more.
And then, I recognized who was speaking. But how could it be him? He was dead long ago. Nevertheless, magic had a certain way of defeating the odds.
“Merlin? Who are coming for us?” I responded.
“What are you saying?” asked Arthur, lost.
“Merlin sent me a message telling me to be careful, that THEY are coming for us, but I don’t know who THEY are.”
“Merlin is alive?”
“I do not think so. But I bet even on the other side, he can send message. He was a powerful warlock after all.”
“Ok and what is he saying now?”
“He stopped responding, I don’t know why,” I confessed, confused.
“Maybe sending a message is complicated. Maybe he could not say more.”
“Yes, maybe. So, we need to discover who THEY are and what THEY will do.”
“Yes, where can we find the information?”
“That is a good question!” I replied, having no ideas as to where to search.
"Does the prophecy say anything about this?"
I was searching inside myself for the answer. I repeated each verse of the prophecy to myself to make sure I didn't miss anything.
“Arthur will be reborn on the island of Avalon,
Facing powers of great blackness
Beware of the enemies of the kingdom
Who attack in the darkness,
For deceptive are the appearances
Victory will be only if the chosen one appears."
"Well, the first verse has already happened, and so has the fifth. And since you're the chosen one, I guess we'll know how it ends. But verses 2 through 4, I don't know what they mean. It could mean anything. It may have already happened, but it's unlikely. So, I guess this will be the THEY we're looking for," I analyzed.
"Okay, so all we know so far is that there is a THEY after us, so more than one person, that they have dark powers, that they are the enemy, and that they will attack in the dark, whatever that means."
"Yes, so we know very little."
“We need more information,” said Arthur.
“I agree, but where can we find them?”
“Usually, when I do this, I do to the library of the castle. I had a very knowledgeable savant who would give me all the information I wanted. Do you have someone like that here?"
“No, but we have a library!”
And so, we went to the library. It wasn't far and it only took us a few minutes to get there. However, I didn't realize that the books were mostly in French. So, the search went slowly. We found a few books in English, but Arthur had trouble understanding everything because the language had changed over time.
We looked mostly in Arthurian legends since we didn’t know where else to search. However, we came back empty-handed. There were a lot of enemies of the kingdom in the legends but none that were likely to be here, in our time. And sometimes the myths were not true. You couldn't believe everything you read.
So, we left, after hours of research. We were disappointed and tired, having no clue as to who THEY were. The only thing we could do is stay alert to every possible danger. And to…
“Wait, I have an idea!” Arthur exclaimed, cutting me off from my thoughts.
“Yes, I listen.”
“Maybe we should ask your grandfather, he knows a lot of things we do not. What do you think?”
“I think it is a marvelous idea!” I replied with a smile.
In the year 1600.
The eras passed, bringing change and novelty. People forgot, preferring to focus on the present moment and the future. They forgot who was there before them, who had forged their town, their home years before.
They also forgot the battle that had changed everything, not knowing that it would not be the last. That everything could change with a simple gesture. That everything was ephemeral.
And that everything depended on two beings, who were still between life and death.
Chapter 33.
“You are hearing voices in your head?” was the first thing my grandpa said after we explained what had happened.
“Yes, but it is Merlin’s voice, I recognized it,” I responded.
“And he is telling you to be careful, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you think I can help you?”
"Yes, because you know a lot more than we do. Who could be after us?"
"I don't know, it could be anyone. However, in legend, when Arthur is reborn, it's usually Mordred he has to face."
"But Mordred is dead, I killed him in the last battle," Arthur replied with a serious face.
"Perhaps this is just an allegory, and someone has taken Mordred's place?"
"What do you mean by that?" asked my grandfather.
"That either Mordred has found a way to be reborn as well, perhaps through a third person, or an individual might have become him, just as evil and with the same purpose as before."
“That would mean it could be anyone!” exclaimed Arthur.
"Yeah, so we're back to square one," I said in dismay.
"Maybe not," my grandfather replied. "I just remembered something. Give me a minute to look it up."
And he rushed to his office, his eyes clouded with the memory of something. We heard noises as my grandfather searched for something we knew nothing about. I met Arthur's eyes and saw that we had the same face. A face of expectation and disbelief.
A few moments and a lot of noises later, my grandfather came back with a big book. The latter was decorated with gold and had a magnificent binding. It looked old but still had all its splendor. I even felt that it was glowing. A book that glows, I must have been delirious!
My grandfather came back towards us and put the book on the table next to us. He beckoned us to consult it, leaving us to discover for ourselves what was in it.
So, I opened it and a strange feeling came over me. It was as if I already knew the contents of the book without even getting past the first page. It was written “The Book of the Beowulf” on it.
“Beowulf? Why does that sound familiar?” I asked.
“Because it is the name of a famous poem. But Beowulf means for some wolf of the bees, an allegory for the word bear,” my grandfather explained to me.
“Did you say bear?” said suddenly Arthur.
“Yes, indeed I have.”
“What? What is it?” I insisted.
“My name in Latin means bear or son of the bear”, the young man replied.
“Okay, but I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
“Just read the book and you’ll know”, my grandfather told me.
And that is what I did. I turned the pages one by one to learn all about reincarnations. It talked about Arthur’s reincarnations as well as all the important characters of the Arthurian legend. Merlin’s was here also, so was Mordred and Morgana. It said that ‘if the dark forces were still upon the world, then Arthur and Merlin would have to fight against it, in order to bring peace and light on the land, no matter if it was by a reincarnation or any other kind of method.’ Which only meant that we would have to face dark forces. Something we already knew. And that in the weird way, I was the reincarnation of Merlin. Because I was his descendant. Wait!
“Maybe Morgana and Mordred had children and now, it is their descendants we will need to face,” I exclaimed.
“But they did not have any, except Gwaine and you took care of him,” said Arthur.
“Yes, but we didn’t even know Gwaine was Morgana’s son until he told me, how can we know for sure?”
“We cannot”, replied my grandfather. “We will need to stay alert and make some research about their linage. Luckily, I have a friend who can have access to some archives. He was a writer.”
Finally, we were making some progress. After hours of searching and a headache that was coming on, we had finally found a solution. Well ok, it didn't solve everything, I agreed. But it was better than nothing. And right now, it was all we had.
Chapter 34.
Life went on. My grandfather was gathering information, traveling to see his friend and having access to some records. My parent had no ideas about the threat we would have to face, and I preferred it this way. They were working like usual, not worrying about me. As for me, I was in vacations, luckily. Otherwise, I didn’t know what I would have done. I probably would have skipped school. How can you concentrate when someone's life has been turned upside down like mine? I had no idea!
So, I was just waiting, mostly in my room. Ok, that was not ideal, but at least I had time to practice. Practice my magic and my fighting skills. I had invited Arthur to do the latter. It was hard to train with him. He was a fierce warrior and I never, ever broken through his armor. However, that was better than doing nothing!
At the end of the training, I was drained. Arthur was living his best life in the pool whereas I was inside, looking at old photo albums. I found them a little bit earlier and now, I went down on memory lane.
“What are you doing?” asked a voice from afar. “Are you crying?”
“They are tears of joy,” I said when I realized that tears came down on my cheeks.
I hadn’t even realized that I have been crying. I was so focused on the pictures, on remembering my past that I wasn’t really in the present.
“Come sit down, I’ll show you why,” I told Arthur.
The young man approached and sat next to me on the couch. I could sense how close he was, his skin brushing against mine. I could feel tingles on my body. I realized that I had never felt this way about anyone, that it had never been as strong as it was right now.
“Here,” I said, putting the album on his laps.
“What is this?” Arthur asked.
“It is a photo album. Photo captures a moment in someone life, and then, we make an album out of it. And this is mine.”
“So, it is you here?” he questioned pointing to one picture where I was little with my bike.
“Yes, but I was young. I may be 5 years old,” I replied.
“Wow.”
He continued to flip the pages, watching photos after photos, seeing me grow up through the images. It was interesting to have his reactions when he looked at them. Sometimes he was laughing, other times he said I was cute, and my heart bumped. It was good to exchange about happy memories of our childhood.
I told him about the time I fell with my bike into the pool, making him laugh so hard that I joined in. He told me about the time he and his best friend were running around Camelot, disturbing everyone by playing with fake swords.
We kept talking about our memories for what felt like eternity. But it was nice to learn more about him, to feel closer to him with the tales of his past. To get to know the real Arthur.
In the year 1700.
Time flew by, healing wounds. The world was changing so fast, and yet people were adapting.
The past became history, legend, myths that were told before going to sleep or around the fire to keep warm. Not many people believed in them anymore.
And yet, they should. Because the truth lies in the legends, in one in particular. One that would perhaps change the world.
Chapter 35.
“Morning”, said Arthur a few days later.
“Hey!”
“What are you doing?”
“Analyzing Merlin’s prophecy,” I responded still focused on my work.
“Why? I thought we would wait for your grandfather to come back from Paris.”
“Yes, I know but I hate doing nothing. My grandfather told me they found nothing, and we cannot wait around like fools until the darkness falls over us. We need to know how to defeat it,” I explained.
“Okay, let me help. What do you got so far?”
That was the problem though. I didn’t go far with my analysis. I had been working my brain all morning trying to find something that would help with the prophecy, but I hadn't found it yet. Maybe Arthur could help me unlock it.
“Not far.”
“Oh ok, perhaps we should go step by step,” he proposed.
And that was what we did. We went over it line by line to see if we could understand some of the word and their meanings and then, we crossed them. We already knew that the first line was based on the gesture I made to time travelled back with Arthur to my present. And that the chosen one was Arthur. But the fifth lines about appearances was making me uncomfortable. Gwaine lied to us before, but I felt in my bones that the line wasn’t made for him. However, I could not figure out who it might be. Right now, there was just Arthur, my family and me, and I knew for sure that my family wouldn’t betray us.
As for the enemies of the kingdom, there were plenty. Starting with my theories about the descendants of our enemies from the past, Mordred and Morgana. We searched in the Book of the Beowulf for answers, but it only says that the final battle would include dark magic, thus it covered the second sentence of the prophecy. And that was in accordance with my theory about descendants.
“Ok, so what we know for sure is that we know almost nothing,” I resumed.
“Yes,” nodded Arthur.
“Great, thus we have to be prepared to face anyone.”
“That would be the wiser choice indeed. We need to train more, especially our magic.”
“Yes, but without my grandfather to help us with that, what can we do?”
“You said Merlin trained you. And I saw him in action, he is mighty powerful. You could train me!” he exclaimed.
“I do not possess his talent nor his knowledge, Arthur,” I replied, deceptive. “Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer ever, and he knew about his magic since he was a child, not like me. I just discovered I can do all this stuff with it, and I am still scared to use it badly. I am sorry but I can’t train you.”
“I just wish Merlin would have told me,” he blurred out.
“He had his reasons.”
“I know. I was not the most convenient person, right?”
“No,” I responded truthfully. “But you are better now.”
“This is because of you,” he said. “I know I was an idiot when I first arrived here and I am sorry, but you helped me grow, helped me learn things I did not even know could exist. I have learned a lot thanks to you. You help me see the world differently, you help me become a better man.”
Okay, I have to admit, I blushed. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Arthur moved closer to me and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I felt extremely comfortable in his arms. I felt protected like nothing could happen to me.
Photo credits : Pinterest
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