Repost: Timesword - Part III
Robert B. Marks
Part III
I remember the battle as though it was only yesterday.
Perhaps it was the most important battle ever fought in the
history of the world, for Excalibur was there.
Uther marched his army to the field and charged, taking
Fortager's army by surprise. Fortager had thought that Uther
would wait until the afternoon to fight, and that he could
destroy Uther's camp without any difficulty at all.
As it was, Fortager saw Uther's smaller army and decided it
would be an easy victory. But, like many men, Fortager's pride
had undone him. His pride had alienated him from me, and in this
battle it claimed his life. No doubt he knew that I was on
Uther's side, but he had never had any real faith in the mystery
of the world; that also alienated him from Wodan, and the battle-
god took victory away from him and handed it to Uther.
The battle was long and bloody, but Excalibur sang with joy
that day. Uther wielded it like an avenging demon, and all who
came against him fell to it. Even Fortager, with all his might,
died by Excalibur's edge. It seemed the sword inspired the
entire army, for they all fought like demons.
And, on that battlefield, I saw the future that Excalibur
promised. Not a man of the enemy was spared. The sword would
grant absolute power, but at the cost of all humanity. Excalibur
would tolerate no rivals.
Alas, I had been warned, both by Wodan and the Doctor. At
the time I hoped that Uther would follow my advice, that his
heart and will was strong enough to not fall victim to the
sword's song.
But the Doctor was a part of me now, merged to me by the
power of Excalibur. And his voice remained in my head, warning
me of what was to come, warning me that the Timesword would
destroy all that came against it.
At the time, I didn't listen.
* * *
The Doctor couldn't bring himself to watch the battle. John
had gone to tend the wounded, but Fred remained with him. And so
the Time Lord and his companion sat on the ground, waiting for
one of the armies to return, either to celebrate or destroy.
The morning passed, but there was nothing. The Doctor and
Fred waited in silence, but the lines of an army didn't appear
until the beginning of the afternoon. As they waited, Fred's
eyes flickered over to the dangling body of a hanged man on a
distant tree, Uther's sacrifice to Wodan for victory. She
shuddered.
"It's Uther!" the Doctor declared. "He won!"
Fred stood to see Uther and his thegns marching proudly,
bearing both his and Fortager's standards high in the air. At
the front of the line John, bloodstained and weary, rode a
dappled horse.
Finally, Uther entered the camp and stood on a hill. "The
wars are over!" he declared. "England is ours now! We will
celebrate!"
There was a great cheer, but the Doctor didn't pay attention
to that. What he saw was the way Uther cradled the Timesword in
his hands, as though it was more precious than the peace he had
just won.
"We have to be there," the Doctor said. "We have to see the
celebration."
"But aren't we going to leave?" Fred asked.
The Time Lord shook his head. "My superior intuition tells
me that something horrible is about to happen. I just hope we
can do something about it. We'll leave after the celebration."
* * *
The Doctor did have to hand it to Uther: it was an
incredible celebration. First the food was brought out,
sumptuous beef and boar. The very smell of it made the Time
Lord's mouth water.
He turned to see Fred enjoying herself immensely. She
chatted animatedly with some of Uther's thegns, and especially
with Gunther of Cornwall's wife, Ygraine. The two were almost
spitting images of each other, and the Time Lord thought for a
moment that if they ever swapped clothes, it would be hard for
even his superior senses to tell them apart.
John, on the other hand, sat silently at the table, barely
touching his food. His clothes were still bloodstained, and he
had refused Uther's offer of a fresh tunic and cloak for the
celebration.
"They took no prisoners," John said quietly, his eyes
haunted.
"Sorry?" the Doctor asked.
"They took no prisoners. They slaughtered every single one
of the enemy. It was like some mad blood-lust."
"This religion does require that some of the captives, if
not all, are hanged as thanks to Wodan," the Time Lord pointed
out.
"But they didn't take any captives," John insisted. "They
just killed everybody that wasn't on their side."
And then Merlin was at his side. "Doctor, I need to speak
to you right now."
The Doctor nodded, and then he got up to follow the wizard.
"What is it?"
Merlin leaned against a tent, half listening to the
celebrations in the distance. "Uther has declared that he will
have Ygraine. Gunther has fled with her, but Uther will take the
battle to his hall tomorrow. He plans to use Excalibur against
him."
"Will you let him?" the Doctor asked.
"I will take Excalibur from him before the battle starts,"
Merlin said. "You must get your companion away, though. She
looks very much like Ygraine, and I have seen a dark future for
her if she does not leave now."
The Doctor nodded. "I'll take her back to the TARDIS
immediately."
"Meet me this morning by your blue box," Merlin stated. "We
will finally deal with Excalibur then."
With that, the two returned to the celebration. The Doctor
tapped Fred on the shoulder.
"We have to go now," the Time Lord said.
"What's going on?" John asked.
"Uther is going to war for Ygraine," the Time Lord replied.
"And Fred looks too much like her. We have to get out of danger
before this explodes."
"Shouldn't we try to stop all of this?" Fred asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "Everything is in Merlin's hands
now. For a change, we only have to keep out of the way, which I
think all of us can manage. Discretion being the better part of
valour, and all that?"
"But..."
The Doctor silenced her with a stern look. "No buts. The
situation is in capable hands. We are just going to leave."
With that, the three time travellers slipped out of the
celebration and into the night.
* * *
Merlin answered Uther's summons with appropriate haste. He
found Uther pacing in his tent, cradling Excalibur as he walked.
"Gunther and Ygraine have fled," Uther reported. "I will
summon my thegns tomorrow. What lies in the future?"
Merlin looked to the sky. "If you continue on this course,
pain, death, and war. But you will win, and in the end I will
help you. But do not force the future along this path, I beg
you!"
"I've seen real power, Merlin," Uther declared. "Excalibur
showed it to me. It can all be mine, everything I want. And I
want Ygraine."
"She is Gunther's wife," Merlin insisted. "She is not yours
to take."
"She is what I want," Uther said, and Merlin could see
madness in his eyes. "She will bear me my children."
Merlin closed his eyes for a moment. "Yes, she will. His
name will be Arthur." He opened them, but all he saw was a
future of war and death, and every word locked it further into
being.
"Then I will be victorious," Uther declared, raising the
Timesword in the air. "With Excalibur, nothing can stand against
me!"
"I did not see you fighting with Excalibur," Merlin pointed
out. "I only saw that you won."
Uther's arms and face fell. "Do you mean I will lose it?"
Merlin nodded. "In this future, it is inevitable."
"How can it be prevented?"
Merlin stepped closer, looking Uther in the eyes. Madness
stared back at him. "Are you set on this path? Will you not
turn back?"
"I must have Ygraine," Uther replied.
"Then you will lose the sword," Merlin stated. He began to
walk away, but then stopped. "However, if you leave it with me,
I will guard it for you."
"How can I trust you?" Uther asked, holding Excalibur
tightly to himself.
Merlin turned. "Have I ever lied to you?"
Uther shook his head. "I will place Excalibur in your care
until the battle," he said, handing the sword to Merlin.
Merlin took the sword, and it sang to him, welcoming him
back as one welcomes a lover, promising power and riches. He
sheathed it, almost in anger. Then he turned away.
"Merlin, where are you going?" Uther cried. "You have not
given me all your counsel, and I would have more!"
"To store this sword where you will never be able to use
it," Merlin replied. "You are no longer worthy, Uther. You have
lost Excalibur."
Merlin didn't turn back, but he heard Uther choke back
tears. "Where will you take it, Merlin? How can I prove myself
worthy again?"
Merlin began to walk again. "It has tainted your soul,
Uther. Only a worthy king will ever wield Excalibur again. You
may seek it and try to wield it again, but I warn you: you will
fail."
"Merlin, come back!" the wizard heard, but he kept walking.
"Come back, please! PLEASE!"
* * *
The Doctor stood outside the TARDIS, looking around the
field in horror. The valley was filled with mutilated corpses,
and the rank odour of death surrounded him. Once again he was
glad he had decided not to come to see the battle.
At least Fred and John were out of harm's way. They were
resting in the TARDIS, waiting for him to take off again. But,
he had some unfinished business.
He saw Merlin picking his way through the corpses, finally
coming to a couple of large rocks a few meters away from the blue
time machine.
"Come, Doctor," Merlin said. "Let us finish this."
The Doctor walked up to the wizard, his straw fedora tucked
under his arm. "What now?"
"It corrupted Uther, so he shall not have it," Merlin
stated. "It will be wielded again, but by a good king, a worthy
king. One who is destined by fate to wield Excalibur, not who is
chosen by me."
The Doctor nodded. "You are making the right decision."
"Good," Merlin said. "Only a worthy king shall ever wield
Excalibur! Only one chosen by destiny!" With that, he drove the
Timesword into the stone, the sword sparking as it impaled the
rock and then the living earth.
Merlin nodded. "Now it is done."
The Doctor stepped up to the sword, putting on his hat.
"Please excuse me, but I must know something." He placed his
hands on the hilt, the sword singing to him of what could have
been, but not what could be. With a might heft, he tried to lift
the sword from the stone.
It didn't budge.
The Doctor smiled with relief. "It is no longer a part of
my destiny. I am free at last."
"I am the champion now, Doctor," Merlin said. "Excalibur is
now my responsibility. Go and enjoy your freedom."
The Doctor nodded and walked into his time machine. There
was a groaning sound, and the blue box disappeared.
* * *
And that is the point that the time travellers leave my
story, at least, for the most part. The Doctor remains inside me
as well, but I am still Merlin, even if I am also Time's Champion
now.
Excalibur would haunt my life for all eternity. My spell
kept it from Uther's hands, but in the end I did help him take
the Ygraine. The result from that coupling was Arthur, and I
stole him away in the night, hoping to forge him into a king who
would be able to control Excalibur and heal the land of all the
wars.
The loss was too much for Uther. He killed Gunther of
Cornwall, but Excalibur had taken too much of his sanity from
him. The loss of his son drove what little was left away, and he
disappeared, wandering the night until he was finally found by
some of Gunther's thegns and killed. The land was left without a
king.
My prophecy kept the land in chaos for fifteen years, during
which time Nimue and I raised Arthur, acting as his tutors. At
least drawing Excalibur had become a test of kingship, so the
wars of Uther and Fortager were not repeated, and the only losses
of life were from failed crops. But, finally, Arthur was ready
to claim Excalibur, and he did, and the land had a king again.
But, while Arthur was strong enough to resist the
temptations of Excalibur, those around him were not. Somehow,
Excalibur had become more powerful during its internment, and it
sang to all those around it. Arthur's kingdom, which started in
peace, was condemned by Excalibur to end in bloodshed.
I had both succeeded and failed. The mystery in the world
was preserved, but Excalibur had contaminated the land with its
song of power. The wars became more brutal and bloody, the
weapons more terrible, the people more greedy. I watched as its
shadow spread across the world, singing to all that would listen,
leaving a song of power in the very land itself.
They now say that power corrupts, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely. Those that say it are right, for Excalibur
has made it so with its song of power. It took only a span of
ten years for the damage to be done.
In that time, Arthur withered and other powers came to be.
Lancelot seduced the queen and stole her away. Mordred arose,
leading the Angles once more, and at Camlin that last of that
line of kings fought over the land, and both sides fell.
And Excalibur was again in my care.
Oh, it sang to me then, just as it sang before. It told me
of all the power I could have, if only I would use it. But I had
seen what it did to Uther, and I had seen what it did to Arthur's
kingdom, and I would not allow it to happen again.
I hid it in a cave, cut off from the rest of the world. I
surrounded it with the last of my powers, silencing its song to
the world at last. But, I should have listened to the Doctor and
let the world wither, for that would have been a better fate than
the one I condemned it to. My legacy is more than the fall of
Arthur and his father, it is also Hitler and all the atrocities
in the world.
And there the Timesword waits for another, for my prophecy
of so long ago remains on it, a part of it forever. Some day a
worthy king, chosen by destiny, will come to claim it.
Perhaps, by then, the world will have had a chance to
recover from my mistake.
THE END
--
The future has not been written, / The past is set in stone,
And I am but a lonely wanderer, / With time my only home.
-- From Magus Draconum
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