Merlin: The Land of Albion

Bravery in Pain

Arms carried Arthur away in the light breeze. The king felt heavy and weak and was only halfway awake. Even though his sight had become blurry, he could still recognize the people carrying him as farmers. They took him to their village, found him a bed to sleep in and cleaned his wounds the best they could. Though unable to speak himself, Arthur heard every word they spoke:

"Look at him," said a young girl. "I've never seen a real warrior before!" She nursed his wounds with a white cloth. The blood colored it red long before she finished and it was obvious that this wound could be fatal if not treated. Still, amazement fled in the young girl's eyes. "Look at that armor! Who knows what horrors he has seen?" she whispered excitedly.

"Hard to say. He's not from the area, I think," said another girl. "Mother, do you know this man?"

Another woman came to have a look at Arthur. Her eyes investigated his wounds and his sword. It was without doubt better quality than she had ever seen before and it had an unfamiliar crest carved upon it. "He is a knight from a wealthy kingdom, my girls," she determined. "There's a crest of a dragon carved upon his shield here. I do not know which king it belongs to, but I do know it's been years since I've seen a quality sword quite like this one."

"Are you sure, Alys?" asked a young man. "A knight... in our village?"

"Yes," the woman said, crossing her arms. "But right now this man needs rest to recover. Come on." She took the two girls and the young man out of the house. "He will not wake before morning, I am sure."

Arthur opened his eyes, but he had no energy to follow them with his eyes. He just stayed still, breathing heavily, trying to push away the pain he felt that ached all over his exhausted body. All he could see was the roof, made out of hay. It was old and had more than a few holes in it. Still, they seemed to have been repaired several times, but without luck. The moon peeked in through the holes. Its light seemed to be erasing all and Arthur felt himself slip away until the light disappeared and he remembered no more from that night.

The morning rose from its sleep and brought light upon the land. Arthur felt a vicious pain just below his ribs as he woke form a deep sleep. He opened his eyes to examine the damage, well aware that someone was watching. Carefully, he poked his wound in order to determine the extent of the soreness. Until he hit a really sore spot. A tiny gasp of pain escaped his lips. It hurt more than he could imagine.

"You might want to lie back down," said a young girl. "It's going to take some time for that right there to heal." She frowned earnestly. "Are you in a lot of pain? My mother can give you something to ease the pain."

Arthur didn't answer as he discovered not one, but two girls staring back at him. They had long hair, slim faces and tiny bodies. The one who had spoken wore a dark green dress and the other a deep blue, both with a blue scarf swung around their shoulders. They greeted him with nervous smiles.

"My name is Allena and this is my sister Morna," said the girl in green. She had brown, curly hair. The girl in blue had black and completely straight hair.

Arthur still said nothing, but looked at the two girls, without finding any words to say. Something had paralyzed him from inside out. It took him time to find the power to speak. He fought to find but a few words, although it seemed to be a somewhat impossible search.

Alys, an older woman with long darkly grey hair, stepped into the house with a stack of firewood in her hands. She was not surprised to see Arthur awake, merely to see her daughters staring at him with such amazement. She had a long scar at her left cheek which made the corner of her mouth turn upwards in a odd way. She had undoubtedly been through a great deal in her life that was proved by the wisdom she seemed to master in her movements. Even though the scar looked scary, Arthur could not imagine her any other way.

"My name is Alys and these are my daughters," she said. "What be yours?"

Arthur finally found the words to speak. "Percival," he lied.

Alys nodded shortly.

"Are you really a knight?" asked Morna, the girl in blue, impatient to hear his answer.

Arthur took a short glance at her, then turned back to Alys. She looked at him, wondering. "Anyway," Alys said. "I hoped you can stand. We eat together here in this village and normally there are no exceptions. I should think the men would like to see you, too, as it were them, who found you."

Arthur nodded. "Of course."

"It is the house in the middle of the villa-" Alys began.

"Just follow the noise and you'll be sure to have got it right!" Morna broke in, smiling widely. "I could lead you there - if you'd like?"

Alys eyed her with a firm glance and Morna instantly returned to her duties. "Now, try to stand." She helped Arthur out of his bed, careful not to scratch his wounds. Arthur tried to hide it, but it was very obvious that the pain was almost overwhelming him. Alys gave him a walking stick she had picked up from under the bench. "Try to walk."

Arthur obeyed and walked a few steps. It seemed to be just fine if only he took it slow. Too fast was too painful.

"I can excuse you from this meal if it is too much for you," she suggested.

"No, thank you." Arthur shook his head. "I'll be fine." Nothing more was said. Alys and her daughters watched as Arthur fought his way to the eating house, refusing to receive any help getting there. Alys was surprised to see he had the strength to walk so far on his own already. Not many, men or women, had the strength to do such a thing when wounded as this man was. But who was he?

"Alys!" The young man from earlier waved at her. "Isn't that the man we found in the fields yesterday?"

She nodded briefly. "It is, Elias. But he will not accept either mine or anybody else's help unless it is absolutely necessary. It seems he likes to do things by himself."

Elias kept his eyes fixed upon Arthur. "I see," he said. "What's he called?"

"Percival, he says. And his sword bears a crest upon it. It shows a mighty dragon, colored in red and golden," Alys answered quietly as she, her daughters and the young man, Elias reached the eating house. Inside sat all the villagers of the town, talking and mumbling words to one another, until Arthur came in. By then, all turned quiet and a dozen of curious eyes rested upon the wounded Arthur. Unaware of it, he straightened his back, staring warily back at them like any decent knight would. The fireplace in the midst of the house had an orange flame, which moved as elegantly as a dancer though there was no wind to be found within the house.

"So Alys was right..." A man got up from the crowd. He was a tall man, with long dark hair and very round belly, which his shirt only just covered. There was no doubt that he was some sort of leader of the town, Arthur sensed it the moment he moved. "... you really are a knight, aren't you?" He circled around Arthur, examining him even further. "I take your proud silence as a yes. All I will ask of you is that you tell me your name. That shouldn't be hard for a knight to say with some pride." A scornful smile grew upon his lips.

"My name is Percival," Arthur answered with a monotone expression.

The villagers all stood around him, some curious others suspicious. They had saved his life and offered him food. He was still alive. But Arthur simply could not bring himself to care about the fact that he survived anymore... It meant nothing when everything else was lost.