Merlin: The Land of Albion

Truth Will Out

Killgarrah's words were all that filled Merlin's mind as he patiently waited. He let the tips of his fingers sweep through the tall grass that dominated the small clearing he was standing in. This was a quiet place with room for no evil. Only the sun broke through, casting a glance of gold over everything. It reminded Merlin of the day he had first arrived in Camelot as a young boy. But it also reminded him of the wise old man whose voice he so terribly missed to hear; it reminded him of Gaius, of the times when he had to collect plants and mushrooms for the old physician and the times he had scolded Merlin but smiled almost immediately after. Merlin smiled sadly at the memory. He had not seen Gaius since the day Morgana had attacked. He could be held prisoner in the dungeons of the great palace. There was of course another possibility that Merlin couldn't really bear to think about; if Gaius had shared the same fate as Gwen... Merlin would never forget Arthur's face when he saw his wife killed that day. Gwen had been a great queen and most of all a great friend. To have lost her was like losing a part of your heart. It was not hard to understand Arthur's despair or why he could not find a way to move on.

These few months without Arthur had really shown Merlin how much the people of Camelot cared about their king and queen. They waited for the king to return, they waited for him to lead them in the battle against Morgana. It was a hope that rested in their hearts and remained there in spite of the king being gone. But the hope never faltered. They still believed.

"Emrys."

Merlin turned around to face a small boy with wide blue eyes. His hair was white and he bore a dark brown cloak over his clothing. In his hand he held a wandering stick. To the eye he was but a child, but in reality that was far from the truth.

"Sumata," Merlin greeted. "I am glad you came."

The boy nodded. "I hear you have called me here in the name of Albion's destiny and that the young king has lost his faith."

"I see only one way to make Arthur believe again and that is to show him a touch of destiny. That is why I have called for you. I need assistance in making him see. Can you help me?"

Sumata titled his head slightly to the right and took a long, thorough look at Merlin. "I have seen many futures, warlock. Not all show a happy tale. But the witch thinks that destiny can be conquered and that servants can be cast away when deemed useless. I shall only help destiny take its course. Then we may see if that will be of use to the your young king."

It annoyed Arthur that Merlin had once again taken off without his knowledge. It was right out defying that the he would do this, just as Arthur had asked him not to. How is that for a friend? Arthur thought, scowling. He forgot that Allena and Elias were still watching his every move, trying to decide what to say first, but when Arthur looked up, still scowling slightly, Allena's hesitation turned into cold determination.

"I have never seen so many knights before in my entire life," she said in a dangerously calm tone of voice. "You must really be special."

"No," Arthur claimed. "I am not." He looked at her with wary eyes.

Elias crossed his arms. "They seem to think so!" he said. "I don't know much, but I do know that no ordinary king would order this many men out to search for just one knight!"

Arthur was about to answer, but Allena cut him off. "And they have a sorcerer with them too. I can tell from the way mum looked at him."

Arthur looked at the two villagers. They wanted an answer. The desperation was slowly rising within their eyes and Arthur sighed in frustration; what was he supposed to do? What was the idea of Merlin coming here if a he would just leave all of a sudden and leave Arthur for the wolves to eat? Arthur had no idea what to do. What would happen if the people of Geldrion knew the truth? What would they say? How would they treat a fallen king?