Just another day in Camelot - Merlin one shots

Alinthy Part 2

"Looks like no one has opened these doors in a hundred years!" Arthur knocked on the massive door again, then kicked it in frustration. They where both outside the castle of Alinthy but there seemed to be no one in it, no guards, no servants running around and no king or queen.

"Mabey we should ask the towns people and see if they know anything about it. Mabey they are grieving..." Arthur looked at Merlin funnily.

"Grieving?"

"I don't know Arthur!" Things looked back to normal as they entered the towns again, people bustling around getting on with there life except for one thing. There was no sign of magic anywhere, which was strange as this was supposedly a Kingdome built on magic. Both Merlin and Arthur noticed this soon enough. Several attempts where made to try and talk with someone, but they all seemed quite busy and ignored them as they rushed past. Finally, someone stopped to help.

"You look a little lost, can I help you?" They turned around and came face to face with a middle aged woman carrying a basket of bread.

"Oh yes, we have some questions we would like to ask." Arthur said as politely as possible as Merlin nearly got nocked over by someone bumping into him.

"Sorry, I can't here you very well dear. I'm just on my way home, it will be much quieter there."

- - - - - - -

The door closed behind them, quieting the loud, constant chatter from outside. They where led into a small living room with two comfy looking chairs and a fire place in the middle. The woman laid her basket of bred in what must have been the kitchen and came back, crouching down to light the fire. Once everyone was seated and the fire crackling merrily, did they begin to talk.

"So, you had some questions. I don't recognise you two... are you from the lower villages?"

"No, we are from Camelot." Arthur looked to Merlin, hesitating on weather he should reveal who he truly was. When he looked back at the woman, he saw her wide shocked eyes.

"We haven't gotten visitors from outside in years. Decades! My husband will not believe this."

"Why?" Merlin asked, talking for the first time. He was finding it hard to disguise his magic in such a small area. He was playing with the breeze a bit and messing with the fire.

"I will have to start from the beginning if you don't know anything.

This was once thriving land, filled with wildlife, crops where doing well and magic just amplified everything. It was paradise. We had a king and queen who were deeply in love and their people loved them too. We heard Uther had started to kill people with magic and the king and queen made plans to help the druids, but before they could act, they both fell terribly ill and died. Everyone was devastated, but that was not what shocked people most. The next day magic had vanished, disappeared. No one could use it, not even the strongest sorcerers could summon even a bit of their magic. Slowly it became the new normal to get on with life withought it. The queen had no child so there was no one to take up the throne but no one attempted to take it as the prophesy given the night of the deaths was quite clear. The next ruler will bring magic back into Alinthy. So now everyone waits for that person and hope for a better future."

The only sound was the fire crackling as the king and the warlock though about what the woman had just told them. Arthur looked over to Merlin who was frowning.

"Why doesn't everyone just leave Alinthy? There might be a chance you get your magic back." Merlin asked breaking the silence.

"People have tried but we can't. Its like there is an invisible wall around all of Alinthy that prevents us from leaving, but people can still enter. The druids have entered before and have lost all their magic in doing so. Over time people forgot about this kingdom and some maps don't even bother putting Alinthy in."