Dark Horse (Watty Awards 2013)

1- Wary Hearts

"Merlin!" Arthur screamed.

He knew he should never have brought Merlin with him to the Valley of the Fallen Kings, but the manservant had insisted. Now, as the rocks tumbled down, separating the King from his servant, Arthur felt helpless. He drilled his sword into the ground and cried out in frustration.

~~~

Merlin slowly got up from the ground. The bandits Merlin had protected Arthur from had unprecedentedly fled, and Merlin looked around for the cause. He shrugged, and began walking up the steep hill to reach Arthur on the other side. He stopped when he heard a voice pierce the silence.

"Emrys," the voice said. "Come with me."

Merlin turned around and saw Taliesin standing behind him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Come with me," Taliesin repeated, "to the Crystal Cave."

Merlin shook his head. "No, not that again. I couldn't bear it." But as much as he didn't want to go, Merlin found himself following Taliesin to the cave.

~~~

Arthur put his sword back in its sheath and trudged up the hill to reach Merlin on the other side. He was appalled when the manservant was nowhere in sight.

"Merlin?" Arthur called out. He looked around nervously. "Merlin!"

The dead silence that encompassed everything scared Arthur. No birds, no crickets, nothing. The King started to make his way down the hill, but slipped on a rock and tumbled down the hillside. When he reached the bottom, his head hit a rock, and he groaned in pain. He sat up and put a hand to his temple. A small stream of blood was pouring out.

As Arthur wiped the blood away, his eyes fell upon the mouth of a cave a few feet away. He hadn't remembered ever seeing it before, and he peered into the entrance to see what was inside. A little ways in, he saw light in the cave, and he began to make his way toward it.

~~~

Merlin wasn't surprised to see the cave hadn't changed since he had last seen it. The crystals still shone as brightly as ever.

Merlin turned to face Taliesin. "Why did you bring me here?"

"There is something you must see," the old wizard replied. He pointed to a crystal a short distance away, and Merlin walked over and gazed into it. The images that flashed before his eyes startled him.

Merlin could hear battles cries and saw swords clanking together. The next image showed Arthur in a forced kneel before Morgana. Merlin put his hand up to shield his eyes.

"No! I can't take it anymore!" he yelled.

"You must remain watchful and alert, Emrys," Taliesin warned. "Or else these events will come to pass." With those words the magician vanished.

Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. He absentmindedly rubbed the bridge of his nose. He mustered all the courage he could and looked into the crystal again. Nothing was there, so he walked a few feet to another crystal and fixed his gaze on it.

He saw Gwen upon her throne, talking with a hooded figure. To the queen's left stood Sir Leon. The figure then leapt onto Sir Leon, and Gwen shrieked in horror. The scene vanished.

Merlin stood aghast. Gwen's scream still echoed through his head. He sighed and made his way toward the cave exit.

~~~

Arthur reached the source of the light at last. He was amazed at the sight he beheld before him. Thousand of crystals lined the walls and floor. One particular crystal seemed to stand out, and Arthur stepped down toward it and looked at it curiously. He gave a start when he saw images flashing before him.