The next morning Aria had woken up late so she quickly got dressed into her riding gear and put pulled her hair back into a braided ponytail. She had completely forgotten to have some breakfast since she was so excited that she was finally allowed to venture outside of Camelot's borders.
Aria sheathed her sword, placed her arrows in her quiver, placed them over her shoulders grabbed her handmade bow and pulled her blood red cloak over her shoulders.
She then quickly sprinted all the way down to the courtyard where Arthur, the knights, Violet and Merlin was waiting for her along with all the horses.
Arthur smiled when he saw that his sister was late again.
"Finally, I was about to send someone to go and look for you " Arthur teased Aria with a smile
" Sorry I'm late, I got caught up enjoying my last moments of not being here for a while," Aria said sarcastically spreading her arms out and gesturing to the magnificent castle.
Arthur laughed at his sister's sarcastic comment.
Arthur then mounted his horse after he finished laughing.
" Alright let's get going" he yelled
Aria gracefully mounted Majesty and galloped after her brother. Violet was not far behind her.
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They had been riding for a while and were now venturing through a forest.
Aria and Violet were riding up front, just behind Arthur and Merlin.
" Do you think that Gwaine and Percival could still be alive?" Merlin asked Arthur
" I have to find out. They're knights of the roundtable. It's the bond we share. " Arthur replied glancing back at his sister to make sure she was alright. Aria just gave him a kind smile as they continued on.
" I understand," Merlin said
" If it was you that disappeared, Merlin, I wouldn't bother." Arthur teased
Aria started giggling which caused Arthur and Melin to turn around and look at her.
" What's so funny?" Arthur asked her confused as to why Aria was giggling.
" Because you and I both know for a fact that that is not true," Aria smirked
Arthur was at a lost for words. He knew his sister was right.
After a few moments, Arthur responded.
" Shut up, Aria" he sighed
Aria, Violet and Merlin all just laughed while Arthur scowled.
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The group were finally coming up to the gorge that meant they were at the start of Annis's lands.
Arthur, Merlin, Leon, Elyan and the two women rode up close to the edge of the goge.
" This gorge marks the start of Annis's lands. " Arthur said loudly so everyone could hear.
" it's prime ambush territory" Aria informs making the men look at her surprised with her knowledge.
Violet was not so surprised and knew that the princess knew much from all of the books she had read over the years.
" What? I'm not entirely brainless, I do know things" Aria shrugged
Arthur was the first to snap out of his shock and got straight back to business.
" Take some men, follow the ridgeline," Arthur ordered, gesturing to the edge of the gorge.
Elyan rode off with some men while everyone else entered the gorge.
The only sounds that could be heard were the whistling of the wind against the rocky walls and the sounds of horseshoes along the grassy path.
Aria was once again up front with Arthur, gazing at her surroundings with interest. Violet was behind them with Merlin looking a little bit nervous.
Merlin noticing the maids nerves smiled kindly at her in hopes of cheering her up. Violet smiled back at Merlin but still looked nervous as she glanced up at gorge walls towering over them.
Aria's gaze went from the gorge walls to the path in front of her when she heard Elyan and his men approaching from further up the gorge.
Aria and the others stopper their horses when they met halfway.
" Something you need to see," Elyan said
They all followed Elyan to what appeared to be an abandoned village that was built into the gorge walls.
They all dismounted and gazed at the village.
Aria let out a loud gasp and stumbled backwards slightly once she saw the lifeless villagers on the ground and felt pity for them.
Arthur glanced back at Aria when she gasped then followed her gaze to the bodies littering the grassy floor.
All the knights had drawn their swords and started looking around the village so Aria and Violet copied their actions. Aria had gotten out her bow, knocking an arrow while Violet drew her sword, that she had been given by Aria, from its sheath.
Violet didn't have much experience with a sword so she was incredibly nervous and tried to stay near someone in case something happened and they had to fight.
Unlike Violet, Aria looked around the village feeling sorrow in her heart for the villagers but also a sense of fascination with how the people managed to build inside the gorges rocky walls.
Merlin had wandered off on his own, exploring the village when a faint whisper in the wind called out
" Emrys..."
Merlin looked confused before ignoring the sound and continued looking around the village. But the voice called out again
" Emrys "
Merlin's head shot around to find a little archway venturing deep into the walls of the gorge.
The voice seemed to get louder the further he went into the cave.
" Emrys"
Merlin finally came to a little pool inside the cave where an old man lay on the side with one hand in the water of the pool. The man was pale and appeared to be dead.
Merlin looked over the man curiously before noticing a druid mark on the man's wrist. Only this druid mark had a yellow coil running through it.
As Merlin was staring at the mark in confusion the man suddenly burst to life and grabbed hold of Merlin's wrist, startling the sorcerer.
" What happened to you?" Merlin asked the man
The man gave no answer.
" Who did this to your village?" Merlin tried again.
The man finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and croaky
" That it happened at all, is all that matters" The man answered.
Merlin stared down at the man in confusion.
" I have been haunted by this moment, for many years. Since long before you set foot on this earth, Emrys... I have waited for its arrival, with sorrow in my heart." The druid man suddenly sat up to look Merlin in the eyes.
" For even as Camelot flowers, so the seeds of her destruction are being sown. The prophets speak of Arthurs bain. You would do well to fear it, for it stalks him like a ghost in the night"
The druid took a deep breath before continuing.
" The one known as Nerys (neh-ris ) is our only hope at saving him," The druid said
Merlin was now even more confused. The Great Dragon had never mentioned anything about someone called Nerys. Wasn't it his destiny to protect Arthur?
" What? Who? Who is Nerys?" Merlin asked the old man
The man took in a deep breath before speaking again
" eyes blue as the sky, hair of sunshine gold. Only Nerys can prevent what is foretold "
The old man then looked down at the murky water in the pool.
" Look, this is what you should expect to happen if you and Nerys should succeed" The druid man placed his hand in the water and the water began to glimmer with all sorts of colours until a picture formed.
Merlin could recognise it anywhere. It was Aria's chambers back at Camelot and the said girl was laying upright in her bed with a small bundle of white blankets in her arms. Her golden hair was down and slightly tousled, she looked tired but was still smiling lovingly down at the bundle.
Arthur, Gwen, Gaius, Merlin, Violet and a strange man with pitch black, curly hair and pale eyes, appeared and gathered around Aria, they were all smiling happily. But what surprised Merlin most is when he saw Morgana walk into the room and join everyone by the bed.
She looked like she did before she turned evil. Her raven hair fell in beautiful waves down her back, she was wearing a stunning emerald green dress and something Merlin hadn't see her do in a long time.
Morgana was smiling.
Not sinister or a smirk, but a genuinely happy, caring smile.
The strange man walked up to Aria and the bundle and gave Aria a kiss on the lips before sitting beside Aria and looking down at the bundle as lovingly as Aria had.
Merlin smiled down at the water, relieved to see that there was a future where everything turned out for the better and where everyone was happy.
The vision then disappeared as the old man took his hand out, causing Merlin to look back at the old druid man. He was still smiling happily, but the old man did not share in Merlin's joy and was staring seriously at the young warlock.
" Beware Emrys, for if you and Nerys fail then not even you can alter the never-ending circle of Arthur's fate" and just like that, the old druid man fell backwards, letting out his last breath as his hand once again fell back into the murky water.
Merlin's smile fell as he looked back into the water to see a different vision.
It looked like a grassy plane with many bodies of knight's of Camelot were lying lifelessly on the ground.
The same strange man with dark hair and pale eyes that Merlin saw in the previous vision was walking among them, sword in hand and he was dressed in battle armour.
Arthur also appeared but instead of a happy smile on his face, like in the previous vision, Arthur looked tired and injured. He too was in battle armour.
Arthur was staring shocked at the strange man who had come to stop in front of him.
The man suddenly swung his sword at Arthur who was just able to block the attack with his own sword.
The man drew back his sword and stabbed Arthur through the stomach, causing Arthur to fall to his knees before finally lying down onto the floor.
A mournful scream erupted from the vision and the scene changed to Aria who was also in battle armour, her sword at her side and her golden hair tied in a braid over her shoulder. She stood on top of a cliff and appeared to have witnessed Arthur being stabbed. She had tears running like rivers down her face as she fell to her knees sobbing.
" Arthur!" She screamed in agony
Merlin was suddenly brought back to reality
" is he alive?"
Merlin quickly looked up to see Arthur and Aria standing there watching him.
" What is it?" Aria asked stepping towards her friend.
Merlin looked back at the murky water with tears in his eyes before he looked back up at Aria and Arthur shaking his head.
" Come on Merlin, you've seen a dead body before. As soon as we give these people a proper burial, we're moving out" Arthur said turning to leave.
Aria stayed where she was looking at Merlin with worry and concern in her eyes.
" Merlin, are sure you're ok? " She asked kindly noticing the tears in Merlin's eyes that were threatening to fall after what he had seen.
Merlin shook his head again.
" It's nothing" He croaked trying not to start sobbing in front of the princess.
Aria gave a small, gentle smile, placing a comforting hand on Merlin's arm before nodding her head in the way Arthur had gone.
" Come on then, let's get going" She walked off to catch up with her brother and Merlin was not far behind. He was still thinking about the visions he saw.
Who was that strange man?
Why in one vision does he kill Arthur and the other appear to be Aria's lover?
Why was Morgana looking like her old self?
Who was this Nerys?
And what was their role in all of this?