Repost: Timesword - Part II
Robert B. Marks
Part II
Oh, those were terrible times. Fortager had brought his
tribe from Europe and conquered, ruling as a tyrant for ten
years, and his lust for power nearly claimed my life as well. I
was lucky to escape with my love, Nimue.
And then Uther came. He was one of the Saxons of Normandy,
a drighten of a fairly large hall. Like many of his kind, the
call to war came naturally to him, and he invaded Fortager's
lands. Many rallied to him, hoping he would prove more just than
the tyrant.
Between the two of them, for two years the land was gripped
by war. Uther was able to take and hold the south, and he seemed
for some time to be a just king. But as he ruled, he made war,
and the world suffered under the both of them.
Death came far too easily then. And as they fought, the
land suffered. The crops failed, and hundreds died.
I had always hoped that if Uther won, then peace and the
land would be restored. I hid Nimue in a cave where she would be
safe, and gave Pendragon all the help I could against Fortager.
Once I heard of the coming sword of power, I knew precisely who I
would chose to wield it.
But I had to get it first.
* * *
The Doctor looked around, his greatcoat flapping in the
wind. The afternoon sun was beginning to climb down the sky, and
the birds sang songs of love in the trees.
He sighed deeply, filled with a sudden longing. If given
the chance, he could stay here for some time. A century or two,
perhaps.
"I need to speak with you!" came a voice from the trees.
The Doctor spun around to find a bearded man with deep blue eyes
facing him. The man wore a woolen cloak and robes.
"And who are you?" the Doctor asked.
"I am Merlin of the Tuatha de Danaan," the man said. "You
have something I need. I want to bargain for it."
"Merlin is a myth," the Doctor declared. "There is no
magic; you don't need my brilliance to know that."
"Every myth has an element of truth," Merlin stated. "And
what you call 'magic' I call the forces of nature. I am who I
say I am. And I need what you bear."
The Doctor held up the bundle with the Timesword. "Do you
mean this? You can't have it."
"Why not?" Merlin asked. "What will you do with it?"
"Destroy it," the Doctor answered. "It is evil. It brings
out the dark side of any who use it."
"Our time is dying, traveller," Merlin called. "We are the
last of our kind, the last wonders in our world. Without our
memory, the world will whither. That sword holds our salvation.
In the hands of a good man, it will lead the way to the future."
"It will betray you in the end, Merlin," the Time Lord
stated. "Its strength lies in the darker side of the one who
wields it. I would not visit it on anybody."
"I can see the future, traveller," Merlin said. "Your name
is the Doctor. Your companions are named Fred and John. I see
Fred calling your name as she swings from Fortager's gallows."
The Doctor stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"She has been captured by Fortager. She will hang at dawn,
a plea to Wodan for victory in battle. I can save her, but there
is a price."
"The sword."
Merlin nodded. "You cannot reach her in time, and you would
be killed on sight. Fortager is preparing to march against
Uther, and he views anybody crossing his picket line as a spy to
be dealt with. I can spirit her out by sunrise, however. But
first, I want the sword."
"Save Fred first," the Doctor demanded. "And then I'll give
you the sword."
Merlin nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Head to the south.
There you will find the camp of Uther Pendragon. Tell the guard
I sent you."
With that, Merlin was gone, striding into the forest at an
impossible speed.
* * *
John waited outside the tent, hoping that Uther would see
him soon. He could see the afternoon wasting away, but the
guards remained impassive.
"Look," he tried again. "My friends will be expecting me
back, and I am already late. Can I see Uther tomorrow, perhaps?"
"You can see me now," came a voice, and a tall, gaunt man
stepped out of the tent. His hair was midnight black and flowed
to his shoulders, and his chin was clean shaven. He wore a grey
cloak, and under it John could make out the standard of a dragon.
John bowed in what he hoped was an acceptable manner. "Your
highness, I am..."
"John, and you are a companion of the Doctor," Uther
finished, a smile on his face. "Merlin told me you were coming.
What an amazing complexion you have! Do all your people have
such a complexion?"
"Most," John admitted cautiously. "I came here to find a
forge of some kind."
"My hall's blacksmith is with us," Uther said. "Whatever
you need, he will provide."
John smiled in relief. "Great! I'll be off and tell my
friend."
Uther shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to
leave. Fortager is preparing to make battle on us, and it
wouldn't be safe. I have given you guest-right, and your safety
is now my responsibility. You will be issued a tent, but nobody
will be leaving this camp tonight. After the battle, then you
can meet your friends."
"But I..."
"No buts! I will not have you killed, particularly when
Merlin bade me to protect you. Food and a tent will be provided.
I have plans to make and I must appease Wodan, so just see the
guard now and he will see to you."
John grimaced and stepped outside. When he looked to the
sky, the sun was beginning to set.
* * *
Fred paced around the tent, trying to think of some way to
escape before dawn. For a while she had thought of overpowering
the guards, but then she realized that there was no way she could
possible overpower the two huge men standing outside her tent.
Then she thought of seducing them, but that thought lasted for
about a second. Even if the very idea wasn't disgusting to her,
she would only be able to disable one before the other killed
her.
"I'm in a real fix now," she muttered.
"I would agree," came a voice, and she spun to see a blue
eyed, bearded man regarding her.
"Who are you?" Fred demanded. "Why are you here?"
"I am Merlin," the man said. "Don't worry, the guards can't
hear us. I am here on behalf of your friend, the Doctor. I can
rescue you, if you want."
"What's the price?" Fred asked warily.
"Your friend has already agreed to pay it," Merlin stated.
"But I cannot rescue you unless you wish it. Do you wish it?
They will sacrifice you in a couple of hours, after all."
Fred nodded her head.
Merlin smiled and waved his hand. "It's done."
Fred looked around. "I don't see any change."
"I suggest you look outside," Merlin said. "And I have no
doubt Fortager is wondering where his tent went."
Fred cautiously looked outside. A camp was still there, but
there were no guards. Indeed, even the standards were different.
Merlin smiled. "You will find both your friend the Doctor
and your friend John here. You are in Uther's camp."
Fred turned to thank the man, but he had already gone, as
silently as he came.
* * *
The Doctor sat on a rock in Uther's camp, absently stroking
the sheath of the Timesword. Uther had been polite and kind,
informing him that John was present and where to find him. He
hadn't yet; he feared the bargain he had made.
"Hello Doctor," came a familiar voice. "I have kept my side
of the bargain. Fred is now in this camp, and she is seeking you
even now."
The Doctor nodded. "Thank you, Merlin."
Merlin sat down beside him. "You know, you are putting the
sword in good hands. I want to see the world grow and flourish.
Without it, this wonderful world will perish."
"I know you think that," the Doctor said, offering the
sword. "I only know what it nearly did to me. It is evil;
remember that."
Merlin took the Timesword out of the Time Lord's hands.
"What is it called?"
"Ek'ha'le'bar," the Doctor replied. "It means 'sword of
time'."
"Excalibur," Merlin intoned. "A good name." Then he drew
it.
His world was flooded with images. The Doctor's life and
secrets flashed before him, ingraining themselves in Merlin's
very being. All the knowledge of the universes came to the half-
mortal's fingertips. And he knew and understood what was
happening.
Others could use the sword, but only Time's Champion could
ever own the Timesword. And now he owned it.
Now he would become Time's Champion.
Merlin felt his very soul being rewritten, and he fought.
He fought for every inch of ground, every bit of individuality.
He fought for every single dream he had ever had, every vision of
the future.
And as he fought, the sword sang to him. It sang of ancient
battles and great powers. It sang of the demise of the Dark One
and the ancient Timewar. It sang of all the power it could give
him.
He sheathed it and gasped. Beside him, the Doctor shook his
head slowly.
"I warned you," the Time Lord said. "It is no longer in my
hands." And then he got up to seek his friends.
* * *
And so I made my bargain and sold my soul. The Doctor had
warned me, but I didn't listen. After a couple of millennia of
being wiser than everybody else, listening is a character trait
that is quickly lost.
But still I had hope. As the dawn came, my hope for the
future returned, stronger than ever. I could stand to own
Excalibur, but another would wield it, and perhaps it wouldn't
sing to him as it sang to me. Perhaps a good, strong man would
be able to wield it and bring a new age upon us all.
And I knew one good, strong man.
* * *
Uther paced around his tent, his mind approaching a thousand
problems at once. How would he defeat Fortager? How would he
hold the greater kingdom if he did? What would he do if he
didn't? Like any good commander, he knew that all the plans in
the world would be dashed in battle if only one thing went wrong.
"Merlin, what will I do?" he asked, looking up as though he
could pierce the tent and stare at the sky.
"You will fight in the morning," Merlin said, standing in
the door to the tent. In his hands he held a strange sword that
actually seemed to radiate power.
"Why the morning?" Uther demanded.
"I had to rescue somebody from his camp," Merlin replied.
"Fortager believed her to be a spy, and so now he thinks that he
can catch you off your guard."
"The rest of my thegns won't arrive until noon," Uther
pointed out.
Merlin nodded. "I know. But Fortager will attack in the
morning. I have foreseen it."
"Then I will lose," Uther said. "He outnumbers me two to
one."
Merlin held up the sword. "You will win, for you will wield
Excalibur."
Uther took the sword from Merlin's hands and looked at it in
awe. The snake-like pattern on the blade writhed as though it
was alive, and the sword actually sang to him of glory and power.
"It sings," Uther muttered.
"Listen to your heart, not the sword," Merlin warned. "The
sword, in the end, is mine. You will have it so long as you are
worthy."
"I will prove myself worthy," Uther said, holding Excalibur
up to the light. "Summon Drighten Gunther of Cornwall to me. I
know how we are going to win this battle."
Merlin nodded and stepped out of the tent.
* * *
It took the Doctor about an hour to find Fred and John, but
in the end he did. They spent the early part of the evening
looking up at the stars and telling each other their parts of the
greater tale.
"Nearly hanged you?" John sputtered. "I remember some of
the Arthurian myths, but I don't remember Fortager being that
paranoid."
"It is their religion," the Doctor stated. "At this time,
the idea of blood sacrifice is only just dying out."
"I see you have found your companions," a voice said, and
the Doctor turned around to see Merlin behind him.
The Doctor nodded. "What do you want?"
"I understand you want to slip away during the battle,"
Merlin said. "I have some bad news for you. Uther will be
meeting Fortager in the valley with your time machine. The
battle will be fought around it. You will have to wait until
after the battle and after the celebrations before you may
leave."
"What happens if Uther loses?" Fred asked.
"Then it is quite possible that everybody left in this camp
will be hanged in Wodan's name," Merlin stated. "Only time will
tell what the end will be."
TO BE CONTINUED...
--
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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