Crash Landed In Camelot

I soon left Gaius looking over books while he could still focus. I rushed to the dining hall, no one seemed to notice. When I reached the hall, I heard Uther offering Tristy, her name is so annoying, a room in the castle to stay as long as she needed. It was everyone.

“Thank you, my lord. That is very kind,” she said softly.

“Cadi! Have you met Lady Tristiana?” Uther asked, cheerfully, only looking away from her for a moment.

“Briefly,” I replied. Tristiana looked at me strangely. She knows! Quick! Act blonde! Stare at her like she’s a priceless gem and you’re unworthy.

“Tristiana, this is Lady Cadi. She is living with us now that she has left her brother and throne in Allerion,” Uther continued.

“Pleasure,” Tristy said, politely.

“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine,” I exaggerate every word. She seemed to believe me, for she looked back to Arthur and Uther.

“Will you be joining us for breakfast?” she asked.

“Uhm no. Actually I came to ask Arthur if I could borrow Merlin for a few days. I need help with Gaius’ errands,” I explained.

“I suppose,” Arthur replied. “But before he leaves, he needs to muck out the stables.” Merlin looked dejected but not at the chore but because I was taking him away from Tristiana. He’d get over it.

“What did you do that for?” Merlin scowled. He kept looking back into the hall, wanting to go back. We couldn’t talk here, there were too many people. I took Merlin’s arm and looked for an empty corridor.

“How did you do that?” he asked puzzled.

“Do what?”

“How did you stop the spell?” He knew about Tristiana!

“I don’t know. Gaius and I think that I am immune and somehow I transfer immunity with contact,” I explained.

“But how long does it last when you let go?” he asked looking at the hand holding him.

“Not long enough,” I said, glumly. “How did you know about the spell?”

“I felt there was something strange about Tristiana but I couldn’t stop myself from being obsessed with her,” Merlin explained.

“We need to find a way to stop it. Do you think it’ll be in your book or in one of Gaius’?”

“Maybe, but I don’t what to look for,” he said unsure.

“Did you notice anything on her that seemed to be powerful?”

“Why are you asking me?” he asked, incredulously.

“You were the one staring at her for the last hour,” I joked.

“Very funny. It’s hard to know what to look for. Maybe the answer lies with you,” Merlin replied.

“Me? How could I fix it?”

“You are the only one unaffected. There must be something different about your magic. It’s possible you can fix it. It would be quicker than looking through books for possible spells. Do you know where the book is?”

“It's with the druids in the Forest of Ascetír.”

“We should get supplies and leave as soon as we can,” Merlin said dragging me towards Gaius’ chambers.

“What about Uther and Arthur? She might do something to them.” What were her plans for them? Why was she doing this?

"There’s nothing we can do for them. If we come back and there’s trouble, we’ll have to fix it,” Merlin said.

We continued to walk toward Gaius’ chambers. It was just before midday; therefore we were leaving as soon as we got our supplies together. We were going to have to take one horse to keep him safe. The journey was planned as we packed. We were so focused on our task; we failed to notice the attention we had attracted. It seemed they had found something else to catch their fancy. However, as I left with Merlin on Phillip I noticed many eyes staring at us. Perhaps they thought it strange they way we were riding. I was hugging Merlin from behind, so we could keep contact. Or perhaps it was Tristiana’s spell making them wary.

We didn’t know how long the journey would take because we only knew that the druids were in a cave in the Forest of Ascetír. We rode late into the night. I remember using Merlin’s shoulder as a pillow and falling asleep as we rode. But when I woke up I was on the ground by a dead fire. Merlin was nowhere in sight. Oh no. What if the spell took hold again? Did it work this far? I got up from my bed and called out, “Merlin?”

“I’m over here,” he called back.

“Where’s here,” I wondered aloud.

“By the stream. Just stay there. I’ll be there in a moment,” he replied. I guess he was okay. Why is it so cold this morning? I wish the fire was still going; I could warm up some food and myself. No way! As soon as I thought my wish, the fire was blazing. In the blink of an eye. Did that really just happen?

“I see you started the fire again,” Merlin said, as he approached.

“Uhm, I guess so, yeah,” I replied. So if I wish for something it happens? I wish I had another blanket. Nothing. This is all so confusing. Wait. Merlin! No, he seems okay. “How do you feel?” I asked.

“Tired. But I’m not feeling compelled to see Tristiana,” he answered. He got out our breakfast. “After we eat, we should go.” How was he safe? We broke contact hours ago. Maybe because of the prolonged contact, it’s lasting longer? I wish I knew something to help.

“Hopefully, we find the druids today,” I said munching on my bread.

“We entered the forest a little after you feel asleep. Soon after, I decided to make---- What am I doing here?” Merlin demanded. Oh no. It does affect him out here.

“Merlin calm down. Tristiana asked me to take you to find flowers for her,” I tried to explain inching towards him.

“Of course. A woman like her deserves flowers to match her beauty,” Merlin said in a trance. I stood from my seat on the ground before he could move. I had to make contact. Why did I have to worry so, I cursed it. “What are you doing?” he asked as I reached for his arm. He pulled away. It seemed as if the spell knew what I was trying to do.

“You’ve got a spot of dirt on your face. You wouldn’t want Tristiana to see it, now would you?” I said using a logical reason. It seemed to work because he calmed down and I grabbed his hand.

“Not again,” he said coming out of his stupor. “Thanks. I shouldn’t have risked the lack of contact for so long.”

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s not common for a man and woman from your time to have contact for any prolonged period of time,” I argued. “Besides, it appeared as though it lasted longer this time. Although, I don’t know why for sure. I have an idea.” Merlin looked at me in wonder waiting for my theory. “Well, at first with you and Gaius I just touched or held your arm and it seemed to be that I had to constantly touch you. But when I was hugging you it lasted longer afterwards. I believe it has to do with forms of intimacy in touching,” I explained.

“So you’re saying that the more the intimately we touch, the longer I can go without having contact with you?” he asked clarifying my idea.

“Something like that, I guess. I don’t know. It’s just something I noticed. But we should start moving. The sooner we get the book, the sooner we will have definite answers,” I said distracting him from my idea. What had come over me? Intimacy? What kind of intimacy were you looking for? This is getting complicated.

We finished our breakfast and picked up camp. I took my place on the horse, behind Merlin. We continued for a while in silence before I whispered, “Merlin?” resting my head on his shoulder.

“Yeah?” he equally whispered, turning his head toward mine. Our cheeks centimeters apart. I don’t know why but all of a sudden I forgot what I was thinking. My heart started to beat faster. Did I have feelings for Merlin? Sure his eyes weren’t quite as blue as Arthur’s but they were warmer and kinder. And Merlin has stuck by me through this all. “Cadi?” he said, cutting through my thoughts.

“Sorry. Uhm, it seems I forgo---oh! I remember now. Could you say something in Old English? When Kilgharrah spoke in Old English. I somehow understood it,” I asked. My heart was still beating through my chest. I hope he doesn’t notice.

“Sure, just give me a second,” he stopped Phillip for a moment and put out his hand. “Blóstima,” he said, his eyes glowed and a flower grew.

“That was easy. You said flower,” I giggled. He put the flower behind my ear. “I bet you do that to all the girls,” I teased. He blushed. “It’s sweet,” I said seriously. “Thank you.” I hugged him best I could from behind. Was I starting to fall for him?

He cleared his throat and asked, “You understood what I said?”

“It was more I heard it in normal English,” I tried to explain.

“Strange. It’s weird how your powers are only appearing gradually,” he said.

“I wish I knew how they worked or even what I can do with them.”

“We’ll know something soon. We’re getting closer to some caves.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

He pointed in the far distance towards some large boulders. “Those could be the caves they reside in.”

As we neared the caves, I became nervous. “What if they don’t have the book? Or what if it doesn’t have any more information than we already know?” I asked.

“Calm down, we’ll worry about it when we have to,” he said. We stopped and tied the horse to a tree and started to walk towards the cave. As we approached, I became even more anxious. I knew I shouldn’t be but I was. Why was I so nervous? Normally, the nerves showed up after the vent. Maybe it was Merlin by my side. We were just outside the caves. “Light,” he said in the ancient tongue holding out his hand. The light he created illuminated the cavern.

“How far into the cave do you think they’ll be?” I asked, my voice echoing.

“I don’t know. It could be they aren’t even in these tunnels,” he responded.
We slowly traversed the cave and came to a split. “Left or right?” Merlin asked. I was going to say right something in my gut said to go left. So I listened and went left. It wasn’t long before we came across another light. As we approached, we saw evidence of humans. Whether it was the druid camp, we could not tell but it was definitely a camp for a group of people.

“Hello?” I called out. It appeared deserted despite the obviously recent fire. We stood for a moment waiting for a response. Hearing non, we walked further in.

“Emrys,” a voice in the shadows said softly. “You’ve brought a friend.” I knew he wasn’t trying to be but his voice was intimidating me.

“We seek your help,” Merlin stated, stepping towards the voice. “We are looking for a book,” he continued.

“I see,” the man said, coming out of the shadows. With him came the others in the camp. They returned to their belongings. “What be the title of the book?” Merlin looked to me for the title. But I didn’t know how to say it. The title is in Old English, but I only knew the modern translation. Curse this gift.

“Uhm, I only know the translated title,” I said nervously twisting my hands about.

“Perhaps we will be able to figure it out,” the man persisted.
“Book of Prophecies,” as I said it Merlin looked at me strangely. “What?” I asked him curiously.

“You said it in the old language,” he explained.

“That’s impossible. I don’t know it in Old English,” I said, confused.

The stranger spoke, “Welcome Armes,” Merlin and I looked towards the man.

“So I truly am Armes?” I questioned. “How do you know?”

“You speak without knowing. And you’ve come for your book. It was foretold that one day you would come to claim it,” he explained. Someone emerged from deeper into the cave, she carried a clothed book. The man took it and continued, “This book explains the prophecies of Armes, you. You must guard it with your life for it contains information that could prove dangerous in the wrong hands. Emrys, we look to you to help guide and protect her and the book.” He walked over with the book. I carefully took the package that held my future.

“Thank you. You’ve no idea how much this book means to me,” I said softly. The people parted to let us leave. Some bowed their head as we passed and others looked in awe, as if they were shocked to see me there. We slowly reached the entrance, the sun blinding us for a moment. When we reached the horse, I decided to examine my prize. I carefully unwrapped the faded leather coverings to examine the cover. In faded print was the title Book of Prophecies: The Prediction of a Prophetess.

“It’s in the old language,” Merlin stated as if explaining it to me. But to me, the book was in plain English.

“Strange, I guess I can read Old English as well as hear and speak it.” I opened the book to examine its contents. It was thicker than I imagined it. I wondered what could be in; it couldn’t all be just about the prophecy. There had to be more in it. Examining the spine, I realized that other than while being written, the book had very rarely been opened. The handwriting was fine and very neat.

“We won’t make it back to Camelot tonight but we should start moving. You can look at the book when we make camp,” Merlin said interrupting my examinations.

“You’re right. Camelot may be in danger,” I said, carefully recovering the book. “Let me steer the horse, you can rest your head on my shoulder and get some sleep.”

“It’s fine. Besides you don’t know the woods,” Merlin said holding the reins.

“I remember the path and we go southwest,” I explained, trying to convince him he needed rest. “You’re going to need your strength for when we get to Camelot.” Merlin eventually conceded and he took his place behind me in the saddle. It took a bit more convincing to get him to relax and take a nap. Soon after I got him relax, he fell asleep. I knew that he needed the rest; there were monstrous bags under his eyes. We continued until shortly after the sun set. I woke up Merlin and we set up a camp. After the fire started and we ate, I took out the book and began to read it with Merlin looking over my shoulder.

In her own time will come a prophetess that will change magic forever. The extents of her powers are indeterminable. I know all this already. Her power will be elemental in its source. She will not need spells to make her wishes known. Something will trigger her powers and her wish will be done. So that’s how my powers work. Wait. That doesn’t make sense. A trigger? What kind of trigger?

“Merlin, how do your powers work?” I asked hoping it would have insight to my own.

“It depends. At first it was just instinctive, it only happened when I desperately wanted to stop something. Now I have better control. I use the old language to better channel what I want to happen. From what I’ve managed to read of your book, it seems as though your powers will work like mine did before but you will be able to control it,” he tried to explain. It made sense. So far the only time I’ve done something visually magical was the fire. And I had been really cold. “I suspect you will need to practice to master how to use your powers and find your trigger,” he continued.

“You’re right. I don’t know why I thought the book held all the answers. Why is it so thick though? What else could be in it?”

“I don’t know but we should get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll be in Camelot and we don’t know what has happened in the days we’ve been away,” Merlin said taking the book and putting it away. I laid down on the ground and took his hand. Tonight we were taking no chances. But in truth for me, it felt instinctive like I was supposed to be near him.