Arthur ran around the cave like an excited young child, looking at all of Merlin’s old wizardry instruments. Some were very foreign to him and he didn’t even attempt to use. However, he was able to see a large table of potions, potions of all different types. His collection of potions was far grander than he had ever seen before, even in the witch’s palace.
Then in the center of the cave, underneath the beam of light, but on top of the stream, was the most mystical object of all. It was a massive dish on a pedestal. Wondering what it was, Arthur moved towards it, up a small rock stairway that led up to it. The closer he got to it the more he noticed how it glowed. It was a golden bowl decorated with all sorts of valuable jewels. “It cannot be…” said Arthur slowly. But right after he said these words he knew it must be it—The Holy Grail. For so long it had been hidden from the world. Of course, Arthur knew that Merlin was wise to hide it because all men in the world would seek the object just for its material value. But this did not interest Arthur.
Arthur stopped in front of it and stared down into it. As he did he saw a bright, sparkling clear liquid that he knew was more than just water. The liquid seemed to captivate him.
Arthur looked down into the grail and dipped his finger into the water. He found that, when he touched the water in the grail, he was able to glimpse into his past—the part of his past that Merlin had wiped away. He then realized that the grail had a magical ability, the ability to do much more than restore Arthur’s memories. Instead, he found it had the ability to grant Arthur complete vision of his life. It allowed him to see even those parts of his life he would not have ordinarily remembered. Long ago Merlin must have placed Arthur’s memories into the magical water of the grail so that eventually he would be able to remember everything. This would explain why Merlin never could disclose his cave to him while still alive. Merlin felt that if Arthur ever knew his past, his entire past, he would never have felt himself worthy of being king let alone of being powerful enough to defeat the witch.
It was now, however, after it was all over, that Arthur knew he could glimpse into the water of the grail and discover all of his memories— his true past. When he placed both hands on the grail and peered deep into the water of the grail he allowed the magical object to take him back to his past.
There a grand and lifelike vision opened up to him. He saw his father and mother for the first time. It was a special event—his very own birth. His mother and father were both so overjoyed to hold him in their arms. Tears began to stream down his cheek. But then he saw a terrible time come to pass, a time when a witch began to rise! Corruption ran through the hearts of many men and women.
It was then, when a witch began to corrupt his father’s kingdom, that Arthur’s mother fled Camelot for fear that Arthur would be corrupted should he remain in Camelot. There, in the water, he watched as his own mother ran away from Camelot holding the babe Arthur in her arms. A short while after the babe had been taken away outside of the city Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father and the king of the land, was notified of his wife’s actions. He sent as many men out to find Arthur and his wife and bring them back to safety within his kingdom. But it was too late.
By then his mother had already gone deep into the wilderness, to not be found by any of the king’s men. Now terribly exhausted and dehydrated she laid the child onto the grass. She then looked up to the heavens and cried, “Save this child! Preserve this child from the evil of the witch! I now give my life to this cause as a testament.” And so Arthur’s mother died there, leaving Arthur all alone on the grass to stare up at the stars and, in what would be a short period of time, die there.
But before all was lost, who came to find the young child but an old wizard—Merlin himself. Arthur could now see Merlin, then much younger and vibrant, come towards the babe, pick him up from the grass, and carry him safely back to Camelot.
Merlin then brought the babe up to Uther in the top tower of the castle in Camelot. There Merlin told Uther what had happened to his child.
“Your wife is dead,” said Merlin sadly.
“My wife,” mumbled Uther, barely able to withhold tears. “She abandoned him…she took him without telling me. How could she do this?”
“She had the best intentions Uther,” said Merlin. “She heard of the corruption that the witch was bringing on the kingdom and in order to preserve her child, she took him away from the city. Where she was going I am not sure, but she was surely going to be away from corruption, for in the wilderness I saw her dead body. Sadly, she could not endure the perilous wilderness alone.”
“But why didn’t she tell me? Why not have me go with her and save her life?”
“She most likely didn’t want you to leave your kingdom without a king,” said Merlin. “These are dark times Uther and without you leading the kingdom your people would surely lose all hope. But never fear Uther, for I have found your dear Arthur—your special gem of a babe!”
Uther was, for many moments, silent. Then he finally spoke: “So what is to be done Merlin? You saved my child and now I covenant with you that I will offer my only son to you. It is only just.”
Merlin hesitated for a moment. “I must confess to something to you Uther,” said Merlin. “There is a reason I went outside of Camelot and it was not to find your child. I went to investigate the workings of this witch and found that there is indeed a witch in the land. If my ability to foresee into the future is correct I foresee that in the near future it will be my destiny to meet this witch. What will happen of this encounter I do not know, but I do know that it was not by chance that I found this dear child there in the grass. Eventually a time will come when your kingdom will need Arthur.”
“What must I do Merlin? I trust your judgment more than anyone.”
“I will tell you what this kingdom needs Uther, but you may not like it,” replied Merlin. “You must lead your men into battle, for they need you to fight against the witch. And fight against the witch you shall, however, I have foreseen that you will die against her. But this must happen because the boy can know nothing of his history until after the line of witches is destroyed. Know this Uther. Because a great injustice was done to your babe Arthur by losing his mother and, in the future, you, he is, for all intents and purposes, a wizard like me. However, he must not know or believe himself a wizard. Why? Because wizards like me are far too proud and too prone to fall for and indeed, fail against witches.” Merlin shook his head and approached the window, staring out into the darkness up at the moon and then back over the dark city of Camelot.
“As you know Uther, I am a visionary man. I feel my own weakness against this witch. I have power to control this world, power to conjure up any spell, and power to subdue all nations under me, but there is one thing all of my magic can’t do. It can’t give me power to control my emotions and pride. But, I hope that if there were a wizard that didn’t know he were a wizard and were never trained to be a wizard he would be different. He wouldn’t succumb to the witch’s love because he wouldn’t be so proud. And this is merely my hope because the future on this matter is too conflicting for even my magic to completely predict. But it is worth taking the chance. As a wizard Arthur would no doubt fall for a witch as I fear I may. And in doing so he wouldn’t be able to get back up. But as a man—as a simple, ordinary man—he may be able to not only rise after he falls, but be able to save his kingdom. And the advantage a wizard has against a witch is that he cannot be made into her servant, turned into stone, and most especially, he will never give away his heart. So, in the end, the best chance we have to fight a witch is to send a wizard who believes himself to be a simple, ordinary man. And in doing so, in defeating the witch, he will be able to show his people the power that they have as ordinary people—that you don’t have to be a witch or a wizard to be great, but greatness can be found in everyone. And this is the message that I hope the life of Arthur sends to all men.” Merlin moved his hands through the babe’s hair, staring deep into his eyes. “So do you
now see? It was not coincidence that your wife left your child there and that I happened to find him. And it is not coincidence that you now prepare to go to battle against this witch. We all must sacrifice our lives for this beautiful babe Arthur! Oh how the heavens shall shine on such a child!”
Uther nodded. “Yes I see now Merlin,” he replied sadly, staring deep into the child’s eyes. “But he is so wonderful. I will not be able to see him again and this is what pains me the most. I will not be able to see him grow up. I will not be able to see him fall in love. I will not be able to see his beautiful children. Oh, woe is me! But I will do what you say because I have made a covenant with you. But you must promise me something in return.”
Merlin nodded. “Anything you ask Uther.”
“Merlin, promise me you will look after the boy. I fear that this world may be too much for our little Arthur…”
“Do not fear,” replied Merlin. “I will watch over the boy, but I must do it from afar, for him even being near a wizard for too long may lead him to understand his true identity. For now, however, I think that I will place him under the care of a friend of ours, like good Sir Ector. Yes, Sir Ector is a good choice! There Arthur must remain to learn humility, for humility will be the greatest weapon against the witch. You see Uther, the only way this will truly work is if I put Arthur in the most humble of positions. He will be a simple and humble orphan sword-bearer until the time comes that he is needed as king. But by then I will not dare be in his presence in the castle. Arthur must experience humility, but know himself as king. Only this combination—belief and humility—will be great enough to go against this witch.”
“But the boy will need some magic, some protection?”
“And he will get it. Should I fail against this witch, which I sense I will, I must figure out a way to give my magic to Arthur as a help to him without him knowing and thus feeling the pride that comes with magic. I must put all my magic in an object that will help him against the witch.” Merlin then looked down at Uther’s sword. “Yes, a sword would be a great object to secretly bestow upon him with helpful magic. Great Uther, I predict the time will come when your son will wield the magical sword of victory. I foresee a great miracle Uther. The child you hold, the child who was abandoned by his mother and who will be impoverished most of his young life. It will be this child who will change the course of the future. It will be this child that people will remember for generations upon generations. So you should not fear to shed tears Uther, for although you go to your death you are leaving your kingdom the greatest gift that it could ever have. You are leaving the world your dear son Arthur. And know that the time will come when you will be able to see your dear Arthur again, and that will be a time of joy beyond anything that magic can create.” Merlin smiled and took the babe Arthur in his hands. “It is a miracle really…a miracle that such a small thing can change the course of the future, bringing joy and love again to all men and women.”
Uther shed tears of love and joy for his son. “But do you think it wise Merlin? Leaving the future of this great kingdom in the hands of one man?”
Merlin smiled. “I would rather risk leaving millions of kingdoms in the hands of one good man than in the hands of millions of ordinary men.”
“But that is a lot of tampering with a boy’s life…his life will never be normal. He will be deprived of the natural love of a mother or father. The boy will never know how much I love him.”
“His life was never meant to be normal,” said Merlin. “And he will not experience the tender love of a father or mother in life. But there will be a time when he will know of your love for him Uther. And my heart tells me that Arthur will only be helped by this tampering. He will come to appreciate love even more, that is, the love that exists between a parent and child. He will be molded from suffering and responsibility into the king and hero we know that he can be. You see, there is an ancient prophecy of a boy who was to be born of your line…a boy who would usher in a new age. But I will take no chances on this matter. I will let the deep magic decide, the sword in the stone. However, I believe that Arthur is the chosen one and he will pull the sword from the stone, and I am rarely wrong if I do say so myself. This will tell me that this is indeed his destiny. You see Uther, the first sword, the sword that Arthur pulls from the stone, will tell me that Arthur is truly to be king and defeat the witch. But I will not give him the magical sword until he is ready to face the witch. Thus you may say that the first sword, the sword he pulls from the stone, is in all reality, a decoy or preparer to the real magical sword that I will give to Arthur when he is ready.”
“Once Arthur’s task is complete and the witch is destroyed, however he cannot linger here. If all of our hopes come to pass and he is able to defeat the evil magic of the witch the magic within him will still want to escape, will want to reach its full potential. Then Arthur must hand off his kingdom to a man, an ordinary man and the Age of Magic will finally come to an end. But this is meant to be. King Arthur, the great legendary king, will find a magical land to the west, the land from which I originally sailed from so long ago. Arthur will then bind together the Age of Magic and the next new age, the age where they will forever write about our great myths. You see Uther, after I am gone I foresee that Arthur will find this place, will see this memory that I have implanted into the Holy Grail, and then, and only then, will he find a map—my old map that will allow him to sail away where he may find his own magical kingdom waiting for him in the land of Avalon. There he will find his parents and his love Guinevere waiting for him, a place where all those killed by evil magic go. There he will be purified of the tainting evil of the witch. Indeed, although most love rises and falls, I believe that the truest and purest love can exist for an eternity. But for this Arthur must go to a land where things exist for an eternity…” Tears then streamed down Merlin’s cheeks as he cradled the young child in his arms. “…not this world where everything is so fleeting and where pain, suffering, and injustice are no stranger.”
Merlin watched as the babe Arthur reached over and grabbed his magical dragon key from off his belt. He then began to play with it incessantly. “Arthur delights in your key!” exclaimed Uther.
“Yes and that is no coincidence either,” said Merlin. “For this key is a special key. This magical key has the ability to open anything created by magic. Arthur is like this key—for he will be the one who is to eventually understand all the deepest secrets of magic.”
“Then you will look after him,” said Uther.
Merlin nodded. “Of course. Whether here in Camelot or outside of it I will always keep a watchful eye on your son.”
“But I don’t understand,” said Uther. “Why tell me all of this? Why encapsulate it into a memory so that he can see it? The boy doesn’t need to understand how I died or that he is a wizard, does he?”
“Yes, the time will come when he needs to know,” said Merlin. “And by then I fear I may be gone…”
“But why?”
“Because I will not cast the final spell of the magical age. No, instead Arthur must cast the last spell. In short, his first spell in his kingdom will be his last.”
“What are you saying? What spell?”
“In my cave he must find my wand and there, from the top of the tower of Camelot, he will produce a spell that will end all magic in the land—thus making sure that no witch or wizard is ever created in the land again.”
“But why?” asked Uther.
“Because, no matter the joy of good magic, the price of evil magic is far too great! I have foreseen a new age Uther—an age in the future where all men and women will be able to live together in peace, where the light will never diminish, and where former enemies will become friends. Never more will anyone suffer the pain of evil magic, a magic that is nearly impossible to defeat. Instead, the new magic in this world will be a magic found in each person’s heart, a magic they create for themselves—namely belief. Belief in light and life, and most importantly l
ove, will sustain all men in the future, keeping them happy and away from the bonds of sin and destruction. Once Arthur places the spell over the land the only magic that will remain is the magic of love, love that may hurt at times, but a love whose fruits will far outweigh its evils. No more will wizards or witches exist because of great injustice. Thus love will be the only magic that the Age of Magic leaves behind. As I said before Uther, this is your boy’s destiny—to end the Age of Magic and begin a new age. He will begin an age without magic but with the belief and hope in it and, should I say, belief in the magic of love.”
“Merlin, you must take over the kingdom after I have gone,” said Uther. “There, as king, you will have enough power to watch over him until he is to be king.”
Merlin nodded. “As it is meant to be, for you will go now to fight against a terrible evil. But rejoice Uther, for there are far worse things than death. Your death, just as is your wife’s, is a great token of your love for the boy and, after all is said and done and this great plan in enacted, the joy people will be able to have will come in the fantasy that they create in their own minds and hearts. But this fantasy will be worth it because they will have created it themselves. To many people their fantasy will be derived from the legend of the great King Arthur!”
Uther smiled and Arthur watched as the two separated from this great meeting.
Arthur suddenly lifted up his head, being released from the memory he just saw. Everything now seemed to make sense. Arthur now knew why Merlin had to keep his memories and identity in particular a secret. He knew it was because Arthur needed to think himself a man, but be a wizard. He also knew now what he had to do. He had to find Merlin’s wand and end magic in the land forever. But now that Arthur knew who he really was it all made sense. Somehow he knew it was all truth.
Arthur moved over towards the far edge of the cave where, on a stand in front of the waterfall, sat Merlin’s wand. In of itself it was nothing very extravagant. It looked like a thin, white piece of ivory with a slight curve in it. Then, wrapped around the wand, was a band that held together a piece of old parchment.
The Poison Rose: A King Arthur Tale Page 28