Alissa Ming
Wandering Storyteller
Chapter 8
The day had been long, Arthur was stunned and speechless, and Merlina guided him gently back to Ector's home. The full consequences of the day's events hadn't truly registered with him. And Merlina left him to think about it as she tackled the problem of how they'd survived Morgan's last attack. By that time, it had been only herself and Arthur still there. And she knew, didn't just think, but knew, that she didn't have nearly enough magic to have done something like that. In fact, she knew she had no magic whatsoever. So what had happened?
She continued to muse as they finally came home, Ector greeted them, and sent the both of them to bed. Arthur gave a distracted good night, and Merlina responded. Then she entered her room.
Merlina fell asleep rather quickly. She dreamed. She walked down a pathway to the lake, Arthur at her side. She carried a staff in her hand, white with a blue gem. The color of the gem didn't seem right. But she ignored it as she and Arthur walked side by side. As they got closer to the lake, it started to glow, and ripple as someone came out of it. But before Merlina could see who it was, the dream shifted, only showing a brief glimpse of a familiar looking sword. Suddenly, she was walking alone down a different path at night. A path that lead to a man. A blonde haired man, who smiled up at her. He held a staff in his hands. White with a blue stone. The words "You are more powerful than you know" reverberated in her head.
Merlina woke with a start. She sat up, rather than going back to sleep, and tried to figure out if it meant anything. Her instincts told her the dreams meant something. She was so sure, she got up, and sneaked out of the castle. She found herself walking she knew what where, following her instincts. She followed them all the way to the path in her dream. She followed it. It took much of the night before she found herself approaching a small hut. As she got closer, a man with blonde hair came out. He didn't seem to notice her. At least not at first.
Suddenly, the man straightened and turned to Merlina. "Well, well, you are more powerful than you know. I never thought I'd live to see the day. Welcome, welcome. Please, come sit down. What can I do for you, young one?"
"I had a dream that led me to you. I think you can remake my staff?" Merlina tried to sound confident, but couldn't help a small, plaintive sound in her words.
The blonde haired man smiled at her. "Of course, your staff. Describe it for me."
Merlina described her staff as she'd owned it. Then, she described the staff she'd seen in her dream. The man nodded his head, thoughtfully as she spoke.
"I see, I see. So what you want is a seeing gem and releasing gem combined into one."
"Releasing gem?"
"You don't know what that is? It's a stone specially enchanted so that it allows one to use magic inside them naturally that, for one reason or another, has been locked away. It's supposed to bring that magic out naturally, gradually. Mostly because typically the reason magic is sealed away is it's too powerful for a child to understand how to control. So the idea is that they will gradually come into their power as they start to understand magic and it's rules, and their own power. Eventually, the magic user no longer needs the gem."
Merlina could not speak. The idea that she had magic all along was ridiculous. Her parents would have told her, or lady Nimue or someone. Then she asked, "How powerful does one have to be in order to need one of these stones? To need magic to be sealed away?"
"I've never heard of it happening," the man admitted. "Oh, there have been parents who have feared the power of their children, but sealing away magic takes quite a lot of magic in and of itself. An Archmage, a dragon, or an especially powerful fairy could do it. A lesser mage, and most magical creatures don't have enough energy or control to do such a thing. There are no Archmages. Or at least their weren't..." he trailed off glancing at Merlina, then continued, "Dragons don't use their magic frivolously, especially taking into account that not even dragons have complete control of magic. They do things on instinct mostly. As for fairies, they're another group that doesn't use magic for no reason. And they always have their price. They don't do favors for free."
Merlina raised an eyebrow. "What if you're half fairy?"
"Well," the man mused, "a fairy might do something like that to protect their child."
Merlina nodded. She'd begun to suspect he was right. That must have been what happened. And it explained everything. She'd told herself that it couldn't have been her that cast that shield, but it explained the energy running through her. She hadn't been tired the way she might have been after such a fight. Even this late at night, she was more awake and energized than she'd ever been. She'd never felt this much energy before, and she was sure now that it was magic, finally released, running through her after so many years. "Why would someone do this? What power level causes someone to do this?"
"Well..." the man hesitated. "That's a bit tricky. I'd say someone destined to be an Archmage would be about the right power level, but sometimes parents think that their child is going to be too powerful for their own good. That's actually typically parents without magic having a magic child. They don't understand it, and it frightens them.
Merlina couldn't speak. Both her parents were magic users. Her father was a fairy. Neither of them would have made that assumption. But that meant...It couldn't be!
"I'm...an Archmage?" she asked, not even wanting to voice the thought aloud, but being unable to help herself.
"Are your parents mages?"
"Yes. And I'm half fairy..."
"Then I'd say that's very likely." The man smiled. "That's the power level I'm sensing from you anyway. Considering there can only be one Archmage at a time, I didn't think I'd ever meet one."
Merlina was stunned. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.
"Anyway!" the man clapped his hands together. "Come in, come in. I have a staff I need to make for you. I think I have a Releasing Gem somewhere in the house. I found it one day and kept it in case I'd need it later. The chances were slim, but so are the gems."
Merlina followed in stunned silence, contemplating all that had been said, and grappling with the idea that she could have such power. The power of Merlin.
The day had been long, Arthur was stunned and speechless, and Merlina guided him gently back to Ector's home. The full consequences of the day's events hadn't truly registered with him. And Merlina left him to think about it as she tackled the problem of how they'd survived Morgan's last attack. By that time, it had been only herself and Arthur still there. And she knew, didn't just think, but knew, that she didn't have nearly enough magic to have done something like that. In fact, she knew she had no magic whatsoever. So what had happened?
She continued to muse as they finally came home, Ector greeted them, and sent the both of them to bed. Arthur gave a distracted good night, and Merlina responded. Then she entered her room.
Merlina fell asleep rather quickly. She dreamed. She walked down a pathway to the lake, Arthur at her side. She carried a staff in her hand, white with a blue gem. The color of the gem didn't seem right. But she ignored it as she and Arthur walked side by side. As they got closer to the lake, it started to glow, and ripple as someone came out of it. But before Merlina could see who it was, the dream shifted, only showing a brief glimpse of a familiar looking sword. Suddenly, she was walking alone down a different path at night. A path that lead to a man. A blonde haired man, who smiled up at her. He held a staff in his hands. White with a blue stone. The words "You are more powerful than you know" reverberated in her head.
Merlina woke with a start. She sat up, rather than going back to sleep, and tried to figure out if it meant anything. Her instincts told her the dreams meant something. She was so sure, she got up, and sneaked out of the castle. She found herself walking she knew what where, following her instincts. She followed them all the way to the path in her dream. She followed it. It took much of the night before she found herself approaching a small hut. As she got closer, a man with blonde hair came out. He didn't seem to notice her. At least not at first.
Suddenly, the man straightened and turned to Merlina. "Well, well, you are more powerful than you know. I never thought I'd live to see the day. Welcome, welcome. Please, come sit down. What can I do for you, young one?"
"I had a dream that led me to you. I think you can remake my staff?" Merlina tried to sound confident, but couldn't help a small, plaintive sound in her words.
The blonde haired man smiled at her. "Of course, your staff. Describe it for me."
Merlina described her staff as she'd owned it. Then, she described the staff she'd seen in her dream. The man nodded his head, thoughtfully as she spoke.
"I see, I see. So what you want is a seeing gem and releasing gem combined into one."
"Releasing gem?"
"You don't know what that is? It's a stone specially enchanted so that it allows one to use magic inside them naturally that, for one reason or another, has been locked away. It's supposed to bring that magic out naturally, gradually. Mostly because typically the reason magic is sealed away is it's too powerful for a child to understand how to control. So the idea is that they will gradually come into their power as they start to understand magic and it's rules, and their own power. Eventually, the magic user no longer needs the gem."
Merlina could not speak. The idea that she had magic all along was ridiculous. Her parents would have told her, or lady Nimue or someone. Then she asked, "How powerful does one have to be in order to need one of these stones? To need magic to be sealed away?"
"I've never heard of it happening," the man admitted. "Oh, there have been parents who have feared the power of their children, but sealing away magic takes quite a lot of magic in and of itself. An Archmage, a dragon, or an especially powerful fairy could do it. A lesser mage, and most magical creatures don't have enough energy or control to do such a thing. There are no Archmages. Or at least their weren't..." he trailed off glancing at Merlina, then continued, "Dragons don't use their magic frivolously, especially taking into account that not even dragons have complete control of magic. They do things on instinct mostly. As for fairies, they're another group that doesn't use magic for no reason. And they always have their price. They don't do favors for free."
Merlina raised an eyebrow. "What if you're half fairy?"
"Well," the man mused, "a fairy might do something like that to protect their child."
Merlina nodded. She'd begun to suspect he was right. That must have been what happened. And it explained everything. She'd told herself that it couldn't have been her that cast that shield, but it explained the energy running through her. She hadn't been tired the way she might have been after such a fight. Even this late at night, she was more awake and energized than she'd ever been. She'd never felt this much energy before, and she was sure now that it was magic, finally released, running through her after so many years. "Why would someone do this? What power level causes someone to do this?"
"Well..." the man hesitated. "That's a bit tricky. I'd say someone destined to be an Archmage would be about the right power level, but sometimes parents think that their child is going to be too powerful for their own good. That's actually typically parents without magic having a magic child. They don't understand it, and it frightens them.
Merlina couldn't speak. Both her parents were magic users. Her father was a fairy. Neither of them would have made that assumption. But that meant...It couldn't be!
"I'm...an Archmage?" she asked, not even wanting to voice the thought aloud, but being unable to help herself.
"Are your parents mages?"
"Yes. And I'm half fairy..."
"Then I'd say that's very likely." The man smiled. "That's the power level I'm sensing from you anyway. Considering there can only be one Archmage at a time, I didn't think I'd ever meet one."
Merlina was stunned. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.
"Anyway!" the man clapped his hands together. "Come in, come in. I have a staff I need to make for you. I think I have a Releasing Gem somewhere in the house. I found it one day and kept it in case I'd need it later. The chances were slim, but so are the gems."
Merlina followed in stunned silence, contemplating all that had been said, and grappling with the idea that she could have such power. The power of Merlin.