The Emerald Thief - Merlin BBC [1]

Chapter 20: Iseldir's Wisdom

"How can you be so sure?" Arthur asks in a whisper, watching confused as Iseldir stands, walking over to the fire. Percival and Leon oversee the man as he takes a seat on a log seated by the fire. Arthur quickly follows.

Iseldir's stern gaze falls on the coals of the fire. "Because I have seen so."

"Seen?" Merlin repeats, taking a seat across from Iseldir on the other side of the fire.

Iseldir's eyes fall on Merlin, giving him a soft smile in recognition. The unspoken secret of Merlin lingers between them. "My powers are growing, and as it seems, I have developed the rare gift of sight...of course, nowhere near as powerful as those born with such power."

"For me, I only see small portions. Nothing truly makes sense, but some I can piece together", Iseldir explains. "As Edythe may have told you, I can reach out to others' minds. I can only see for those I am connected to."

"The connection between Edythe and I is very strong. Therefore, I have more vivid visions."

"You said you saw her in Camelot earlier", Arthur states, lost in thought, "do you still see her there?"

"Oh yes," Iseldir agrees. "I have seen much of her in Camelot. Much of her fate lies with friends and family alike. She'll find more in Camelot than she knows. Some with whom she does not yet see in the light she will," Iseldir observes, his eyes falling on Leon for a moment. He quickly diverts his gaze with a warm smile on his face.

"How can I ensure she'll stay?"

"Learn about her, understand her", Iseldir lists ", trust in fate, all will fall into place."

The group falls silent as Gwaine and Elyan emerge from the now dark forest, the sun a distant memory. The two look around the group surrounding the fire, eyes in confusion. With no explanation, their gaze falls on Edythe, fearing the worst. They find her looking much more alive and sleeping peacefully.

Gwaine barely forms the words on his lips before Merlin answers, "This is Iseldir. He came to help Edythe. He's a friend."

Elyan and Gwaine share a glance, the two shrugging as if finding this kind of behaviour regular. "So...she's going to okay then?" Gwaine asks, voice low as the two take a seat.

"She'll wake soon, I imagine", Iseldir answers, giving the knight a reassuring nod.

"You raised Edythe", Arthur states, intrigued to find out more about Edythe now that he has the chance. "W-what was she like?"

"Stubborn", Iseldir groans, causing the group to chuckle. "But she always has been, and through it, she's taught me a great ordeal."

The men hang off Iseldir's every word, intrigued to learn of the woman they know very little of. Not to mention she is a lost princess, Arthur's sister.

"When we found her in the forest, no one was prepared to take her. The letter and circumstance seemed too suspicious. But I knew I could sense the rare magical gift she had. Long she has suppressed it because of the power it can create."

"No matter how much I taught her, she preferred adventure and sword fighting over such things. I taught her what little healing I know, and she seemed to take to that like a duck to water, among other things...."

"Yet, not all sorcerers believe in peace. Not all druid leaders believe in suppressing power. They wished to teach her to use the gifts...thought they could be used for...well, I'm unsure."

"I knew I didn't want that life for her. All kinds of witches and warlocks have been taken from their families to be trained, which isn't always bad. I just knew...that wasn't Edythe...."