Merlyn - Arthur x Female Merlin [1]

Chapter Six: A Mother's Love

Everyone had made their ways to their seats and stood waiting for Uther to arrive. As the horns were blown once again, Uther made his way into the Great hall, his crown gleaming on his head. The Court fell silent as the king began to speak.

"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing Lady Helen of Mora" Uther finished clapping his hands together loudly. Everyone followed suit. Uther made his way to his seat at the long table and sat down. Upon his actions, everyone else sat down and applauded as well before turning to face the finest singer Camelot had to offer. Lady Helen swept into the room in a glamorous gold ball gown that glowed in the candle light. Once the applause had quietened down, the Lady Helen gave the crowd a grateful smile before she readied herself to sing. The Court held its breath in anticipation.

~8~

Merlyn couldn't believe she had forgotten. Lady Helen, dark presence of magic, she had not checked it out. Merlyn picked up her dress and ran towards Lady Helen's chambers. She had to discover if the woman was a witch or not. The moment that Gwen had mentioned the Lady, Merlyn's stomach had dropped and her gut screamed at her that the Lady was up to something and it wasn't good. Her gut had never been wrong before. Thankfully, the Lady Helen's room wasn't too far away. As Merlyn barrelled passed people, her gut seemingly became tighter. She was running out of time.

~8~

Arthur sat in his seat whilst his eyes scanned the room. He was not searching for Merlyn   but he did happen to notice her absence ... thankfully Leon was still in the hall so he knew they weren't together. He absentmindedly wondered where she had gone. That's when the Lady Helen began to sing. Arthur directed his attention to the singer. He had to admit that she lived up to the reputation that preceded her – her voice was exquisite. He did not recognize the language but the song was beautiful though it had a soft and eerie melody. He had never heard anything like it.

~8~

Merlyn finally reached Lady Helen's chambers. She opened the door and gasped in horror. On the floor of the Lady's chambers was a young maid. Dropping to her knees Merlyn placed her fingertips to the girl's throat. She was deathly pale and seemed to have had the life sucked out of her. There was no heart beat. Merlyn sighed. Reaching forward she closed the maid's eyes in respect.

"I'm so sorry." Suddenly Merlyn felt a strong wave of magic. What was happening? The Lady Helen wasn't in her chambers. Looking over her shoulder, Merlyn swore. Lady Helen had to be at the banquet. Rushing to her feet, Merlyn darted back the way she came. Bloody typical!

~8~

Arthur continued to watch as the singer began to make her way slowly towards the centre of the room. However, the more she sang the drowsy Arthur began to feel. His eyes drifted to his cup, it was still full of wine – he hadn't drunk that much. As his eyes lifted again he vaguely saw the other Court members lowering their heads down as if they were going to sleep. Arthur struggled against the urge to sleep but he ultimately lost. His eyes sliding shut.

Though the Court was asleep, the Lady Helen continued to sing. Bit by bit the candles were snuffed out and cobwebs were forming and creeping over everything except the Lady Helen herself.

~8~

As Merlyn neared the banquet hall, she could hear hauntingly beautiful music. But something was strange about the song. The words ... the Lady Helen was singing in English or any language that Merlyn had ever heard. But her magic was reacting to it. She just knew it was a spell. Merlyn swiftly opened the door to the banquet hall and couldn't believe it. Everyone was asleep and everything was covered in cobwebs. All the candles warmth and light had gone out, the moon providing the only light through the large windows. Merlyn thought she had walked into an abandoned castle. The only person awake was the Lady Helen who was walking towards the top table as she sang. Merlyn covered her ears to block out the spell. What was the Lady Helen doing?