Chapter 16.
“Here you are, your majesty!” exclaimed a voice.
At that, Arthur pulled away and got off his mount in a single movement. I hadn’t had time to feel his touch. It went to quickly I couldn’t believe it actually happened or processed it. While I got off the horse as well, Sire Gwaine, who had talk, walked towards us.
"Did I interrupt something? I am so sorry," he said, half apologizing, half giggling.
He was accompanied by the other knights and…
“Merlin,” I exclaimed, rushing to him to give the warlock a hug.
“Glad to see you are alive,” he said.
“You as well.”
“Where is my hug?” asked Sire Tristan, joking.
Everyone laughed with him, so happy to release the tension. We needed to enjoy these moments where we could be all together without facing any instant threat.
“We need to gather the war council in the round table, we have important information to discuss,” said Arthur after a moment, not losing sight of his mission.
“Yes, Sire!” yelled all the knights.
And like that, we all headed for Camelot and the round table room. I travelled back with Merlin, since Arthur was proceeding the way. It went really fast. Arthur surely wanted to dwell into this matter instantly.
When we reached the castle, we abandoned our horses to some servants and headed to a room. People knew the way to this without thinking whereas me, I was still lost. Thankfully I was not alone. At first, I thought I wasn’t going to the meeting, but Merlin told me to stay because it could concern me or that I could bring new insight.
Yes, as if I knew how war council meeting worked. Ok, I could maybe help them because I knew something they didn’t concerning Morgana and Mordred, but it was very light. And I didn’t understand the matter of the Grail. If I remembered correctly, it was Perceval who was supposed to retrieved it for the king.
We arrived in another giant room with a big round table in the middle. It was the most beautiful table I have ever seen. It was covered with what looked like handmade drawings on the wood. And it was telling a story. A never-ending story. I guessed it started where Arthur was seated. I could see a knight retrieving a sword stuck in a rock. Then, the same knight surrounded by a cavalry heading straight for a battle. After that, one man was distinguished from the others. He was lifting his sword in front of him, and it was glowing. Then, all the knights were seen winning the combat. On the next drawing, I could see Camelot in cheer, welcoming the fighter, dancing with joy with each other. It was a beautiful story, one made of hope for the future.
“Since we are all here, the meeting can begin,” said Arthur.
All the knights and Merlin seated at their attributed place. I stayed behind Merlin, standing, and watching the council. They were discussing the matter of Morgana finding the Grail. What could that imply for Camelot? What Morgana was planning? What solutions they were to counter them? Ideas were fussing from every corner.
“I could try to retrieve the Grail from them,” proposed Perceval.
“Alone? That would be too dangerous!” said another, which I didn’t know.
The man seemed old but wise, nonetheless. He was right. I knew Perceval had a role to play in this, but that wasn’t the way to do it.
“Can I?” I asked in a small voice.
“Sure, Milady,” responded the king.
“What we do we know about the Grail other that Morgana wants it?”
“It is a magical relic, that gives powers to whomever holds it, Milady,” responded Sire Gwaine with a smile.
“We possess a map that supposedly led to the way of the Grail, Milady,” added another knight that I hadn’t met yet.
“And Morgana has a map as well?” I questioned.
“We do not know for sure, but we can guess that she has indeed a map,” said Sire Tristan.
“So maybe we need to find it on our own,” I proposed as well.
“We can organize a quest to find the Grail, but it will be full of challenges,” replied Merlin.
“I am up to the challenges, Sire,” said Sire Perceval.
“So I am,” added another knight.
Soon, every knight was proposing their help to find the Grail. Arthur who stayed quiet until now, asked for silence and sought Merlin’s guidance.
“What is the best way, Merlin?”
“As I said, we can organize a quest. But it would be a small group, small enough not to get caught, big enough to face challenges and Morgana’s men. You all need to know that it would be a very dangerous quest. We will need to face magical creatures and forces that will weaken us, fool us and make us turn on each other. The map leads to the Valley of the Fallen Kings and beyond. It is full of magic there.”
“Alright then, we will go on the quest of the Grail and counter Morgana. We cannot fail,” said Arthur with conviction.
“We will need no more than 10 persons, my lord,” added Merlin.
“Fine, we will leave at twilight. Take Sire Perceval, Sire Gwaine, Sire Tristan, Sire Bohort and Sire Galahad. Milady Avalon and Milady Iseult can accompany us but at first sight of danger, they will flee,” ordered Arthur.
“Yes, Sire,” bowed Merlin.
Then, everyone bowed as well while the king was leaving the room. I was chosen to go on a quest. My very first quest. And as usual, I was not prepared for it. I wondered what was waiting for us on this mission and what danger would we have to face in order to stay alive.
Chapter 17.
As said, we left at twilight with horses prepared for a long journey, not really sure when we would get back, if we were. We packed food, clothes, and weapons. And only that. It scared me more than I realized. I felt like we were rushing in this without any preparation, even with magic on our side.
We moved slowly towards our destination, mostly because it was so dark. Finally, after almost a whole night on horseback, we arrived at the Valley of the Fallen Kings. We were all exhausted from this day of travelling. But we finally achieved our first destination. It was where the quest truly begun.
We went deeper into the valley and stopped at dawn. We needed to eat and sleep before going any further. The knights pulled up some tents for us to rest while Merlin was preparing a fire and laid out our food.
The forest was so silent, and I pulled away from the group a moment to feel its energy. The colors of the sunrise were magnificent. And I couldn’t look away.
“Milady,” said Iseult, removing me from my contemplation. “Would you like to eat? I think Merlin prepared a mushroom soup.”
“Yes, it would be my pleasure.”
Merlin then served me a bowl. Everyone was already eating, so I joined. I decided to seat next to Iseult.
“How are you, lady Iseult?” I started.
“I am fine, thank you and you Milady?”
“Fine as well, but I am not used to going on expeditions,” I revealed.
“Do not worry, nobody is used to it, no matter how many expeditions they have been on,” she explained.
“Is it your first time?”
“Oh no, Milady. I have accompanied Tristan as much as I can, helping the knights in the best way I can, meaning with food or with the organization of the travel. I have heard you will be much help.”
“How is that?”
“Because you have been training to work with a sword, Milady. It is very courageous of you,” said Iseult with a smile.
“It is very kind of you to say, Lady Iseult but I have only been training for a week, I did not even hold a real sword. Mine was made of woods,” I explained. “I would not be much help.”
“Perhaps, but you have some basics, it is more that I can say for me,” she tried to lighten the mood.
“Just take the compliment,” added Sire Gwaine, who slid in beside me.
“I am,” I replied.
“It did not look that way,” joked Gwaine, teasing me.
“No, it did not,” said Iseult, laughing with the knight.
We continued teasing each other while finishing our meal. It was a very pleasing moment. Iseult was a good and comprehensive friend. She was also the only one who could understand me, as we were both women. And Gwaine, with his humor, was making me laugh a lot. He also brought a positive mood along the group. We developed a strange relationship he and I. Whenever I felt alone, he was here to support me, like the big brother I never had. And it felt good.
As we were proceeding our way to the Holy Grail, the days became longer and more grueling. I could feel my strength diminish as we went along. And I was not the only one. Was it magic that made us feel like that? Or were we just tired of traveling? After all, Merlin warned us about the dangers of the Valley. And as we went beyond it, I could sense the magic floating in the air. But not in a good way, unfortunately.
Chapter 18.
We were continuing deeper into the never-ending forest beyond the Valley of the Fallen Kings. It was the middle of the day, but everything was so dark and confusing. We went on for days and days, it seemed. Everyone was tired, sweaty, hungry, and wanted to stop. But we couldn’t. We had an important mission to fulfill. And I believed if we all felt like this, it was because of the weird magic that surrounded us. It even made us hallucinate sometimes. Small things like imagining a river full of water, fruits hanging from a tree, however a second later, everything was gone.
That is why I thought it was an illusion when I saw a man walking in the back. I could not see his face, because he was covered in black garments. The next second, he was gone, like all my other hallucinations. So, I continued, taking my horse on the way ahead.
I should have kept my guard up because a moment later, we were attacked from every part. Men were arriving on us at full speed on their horses. And they were all dressed in black.
“Go,” shouted someone.
I turned towards Merlin. He was trying to calm its mount.
“How did they know we were here?” he asked.
“I do not know.”
“Follow me!” he said, turning around and leaving in the next direction.
The knights were facing the enemy, letting us escape in the woods. I followed Merlin but some guards were on my tails. So, we forced our horses to go faster, in order to put some spaces between the knights and us. And when we finally were far enough, Merlin let his magic loose.
It was amazing. And the first time I saw him do that kind of magic. Usually, he used basic spells to show me what I should do. But here, I could see how powerful and experienced he was.
“Lux pura luceat” the warlock shouted, lifting his hand in front of our foes.
From his palm came out sparkling jets of light, which blinded me slightly. They were directed at the guards, who could do nothing. The latter disintegrated instantly with a final cry of pain.
“Remind me never to upset you,” I said to merlin.
He smiled at me and then, we rushed towards our friends. However, this forest was like a maze and by pure hazard, we handed up at the end of the woods, in front of a tower. The latter was huge and splendid. It was filled with shiny rocks and gold. But it seemed abandoned.
A moment later, we were joined by Arthur, Iseult, and the knights. They all looked amazed by the sight of the tower.
“It must be where the grail lies,” said Perceval.
We all agreed with a nod.
“Knights,” said Arthur turning to face them. “Start ahead, we will join you in a moment.”
While they were going forward, Arthur joined us. He looked rather serious, with something bothering him in his mind.
“The guards, they found us so easily,” started the king.
“Yes, my lord. I noticed. My only suggestion would be that there is a traitor among our ranks.”
“Yes, I concluded as such. But who? That is the question?”
“I must be someone who is travelling with us,” answered Merlin.
“We should keep an open eye from now on,” advised Arthur. “We are already in an unwelcome territory and Morgana could already be here.”
“I should warn you, my lord. This tower is full of magic and danger. I can feel it. We must be very careful on that as well.”
“Thank you, Merlin, we should. And we shall keep this conversation to ourselves.”
We all nodded. But if there were a traitor among us, we should keep every conversation private. I wondered who it could be. I couldn’t see any knights betraying Arthur. Or Iseult, for that matter, after what the king did for her. But if I thought deeply about it, the only one who can do that would be Sire Perceval. Wasn’t he supposed to retrieve the Grail? After all, the legend didn’t mention whether it was for Arthur or his sister.
Chapter 19.
We entered the tower, and a rush of heat came over us. It was more difficult to search every room and corner with that abnormal warmth. It was making our palms steaky and sweaty. But that was the only difficulty we encountered. The tower seemed abandoned. There was dust everywhere and cobwebs on the ceiling.
Then, I heard a strange noise. Since we divided into groups, Arthur, Merlin, and I searched for the others, having no clue as to where they were. The tower was so vast, it confused us. And the heat didn’t help. I was making me dizzy and thirsty.
The noise was getting closer and closer. It also became louder. Like there were not only one person but more. And indeed, they were more than one. However, they were not human. Far from it.
Strange animals appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. At first glance, they were magical creatures. Merlin and Arthur drew their swords and began to defend themselves. But their attacks did not work. It was like the creatures were immune to iron or something.
“Chimeras,” yelled Merlin while fighting one.
“We need to get out of here, now,” screamed back Arthur.
I took my eyes off the fight and instead looked for a way out. There, it was a door. I rushed towards it and tried to open it. But it must be very old and heavy. And it wouldn’t budge.
“Aperi te,” I whispered so that Arthur won’t hear me.
Fortunately, the gate opened, squeaking. I looked on the other side, but it was all clear.
“Here,” I said. “Come at once!”
“My lord, go first, I will hold them off,” replied Merlin.
Reluctantly, Arthur gave up the fight and moved quickly towards me. We passed the entrance and then, saw Merlin did the same.
“We need something to block the door,” he said, giving me a wink.
While Arthur was searching for something big enough to do the job, Merlin did a quick spell to lock it. The creatures were pounding at it, so I held it while the warlock worked his magic on it.
“It sealed,” he whispered to me.
But I couldn’t leave my post, otherwise Arthur would know something was up. So, I maintained it until Arthur came back with a metal bar that was placed to contain the door. We could finally breathe a little. As soon as I thought that, I heard footsteps and the knights and Iseult appeared in the corridor we were in.
“They are here,” shouted one of them.
“We were searching for you,” said Sire Tristan.
“And we as well,” replied Merlin, happy to have found his friend.
“Did you find anything?” asked Sire Perceval.
“No and you?” answered the king.
Perceval shook his head no, disappointed. His reaction seemed odd to me.
“We will continue the search then,” said Arthur, with confidence.
At his words, we moved on towards our goal. We took endless stairs until we finally reached the top. In front of us was a beautiful gate. Sire Perceval, who leaded our procession, opened it and we handed up in a big hall, which looked like a throne room. And in its center was a pedestal. If the Holy Grail was somewhere, it should be here.
“It is empty,” said Perceval with a sad face.
“How is that possible?” asked Arthur.
“By the looks of it, it was just taken,” replied Sire Gwaine. “See how there is dust only around, tracing a circle on the velvet cushion?”
“Morgana took it, then,” concluded the king with anger.
“It looks that way, yes my lord,” said Gwaine, apologetically.
“Did we look everywhere?” asked Arthur.
“Yes, my lord,” replied Merlin.
“Then we shall return to Camelot and organize ourselves to face Morgana,” the king ordered, disappointed.
So, we went down the stairs to return home. The quest was over, and we had failed. The general mood was not good. We were all depressed that we had not found the grail after all these days of travel. Then, all of a sudden, the stairs started to shake.
“An earthquake?” said Sire Tristan.
“Run!” yelled Arthur.
Everything went up so fast I couldn’t even understand what had happen. One moment I was next to the knights, the other, I was pushed aside by Merlin. I handed up on the ground, looking at the rock who fell down the ceiling just above the position I was in. Merlin had just saved me. I was about to thank him when some stones come off the wall, blocking the way. The warlock and I were trapped in a room, without a way out and alone.
Chapter 20.
It was dark and cold where we were. Merlin lighted up a fire in his hand so we could see where we handed up. It was just a room filled with rubble and of course, no way out.
“We are not trapped, you know,” said Merlin like he heard my thought. “I can conjure a spell that will move the stones, but I need Arthur and the knights to go away.”
“Oh okay,” I replied, understanding what he meant. “When will that be? And how will you know?”
“I can feel Arthur. I do not know how to explain it, but we have a link to each other. We can sense when one is in danger or close. The link squeezes and that is how I know.”
“It is convenient.”
“Very indeed. Besides, I need to talk to you while we wait,” he admitted.
“What is it?”
Merlin, with still the light in his palm, sat on the ground. I did the same, seeing how serious he suddenly became. I guessed what he wanted to tell me was very important.
“The war is coming soon, and we will have to face it. I am sorry that you have been dragged into all of it. But we will have to be braver than usual. If Morgana has the grail, she will be more powerful than ever. It will have casualty, especially on our ranks, but we must assure that Arthur will survive. Without him, Camelot would be lost, and dark forces will plunge us into an era of chaos. Therefore, we must do everything in our power to stop it, even if it means revealing our power,” explained Merlin, very carefully.
“Ok,” I said after a few moments to take it all in. “You can count on me. I will work on both my magic and my fighting skills to be ready.”
“It is not all,” the warlock replied. “There is a prophecy about Arthur that appeared to me a long time ago when Arthur and I first met. And you shall here it, in case something happens to me.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” I protested.
Of that, I was very sure. I could not explain it, but I had this sensation that Merlin was powerful and wise enough to outlive everyone here.
“Listen carefully,” advised Merlin.
I nodded, ready to hear what he had to say. I focused deeply, waiting for his prophecy. When he opened his mouth to say it, I saw his eyes glowing in the darkness surrounding us.
“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."
I took several minutes to imprint the words on my mind. It was weird to hear a prophecy. It was like it was engraved in you, leaving you a mark deep in your heart.
“So, you believe Arthur is the chosen one?” I asked. “Did you say the isle of Avalon?”
“Arthur is the chosen one, he successfully retrieved Excalibur from a rock,” said Merlin with confidence. “The isle of Avalon is not far from Camelot, but we never went there.”
I wanted to add that I have actually heard of that name before in the legend. But I couldn’t say to Merlin that Arthur had to be injured to go there. After all, the prophecy said that ‘Arthur will reborn’ and I believed it. I didn’t want to cause him pain or fright, so I kept it to me.
“Ok,” continued Merlin. “Arthur has finally moved. We will be able to get out of here.”
As soon as he said that, he blasted a spell and the stones exploded, opening a way for us to get out. I was amazed every time Merlin did magic. I could feel how powerful he was each time, especially because it made incredible spells appear.
“We shall find our friends,” told Merlin, leading the way.
It only took a couple of minutes to found them again. They were searching for a way to get us out of the room, and they were surprised to see us here. Merlin explained how we got out: there was another door. Of course, it wasn’t true.
"I am glad you are both okay," replied Arthur with a smile. "Now we shall leave this place behind."
And we returned home. It was easier this time, like the forest knew we were leaving and that it wanted us to get out the way fast. I was dreaming of a long bath, a good meal and my bed. But I should not forget that soon, we would have to face Morgana and Mordred.
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