Mordred 6.1

6

The Previous Realm

I was back in the cottage where I was born. It was also the day I broke my first link to Merlin. I recalled then it was a dark day for me. I rushed to the garden gate when my mother opened the door. She had blood on her apron and was protesting me from coming in.

“You must not come in.” Mother shouted at me while she barricaded the doorway.  I rushed past the gate but she held out her hands at me. I stopped there and was to ask why when the hoofs were heard. I turned to look and saw the riders.

It was the White Knights; the armed division of the Council. They were wizards and witches which are considered as knights. There were three of them, and one was a lady. They dismounted before the gates and walked up towards me.

“Guardian, we …” I interrupted the lady’s greeting. I knew her by reputation. Lady Nimue was legendary. She was Merlin’s favourite apprentice before her promotion. She had built up a reputation by then. She was beautiful and stood just below my nose. Her uniform of white was a two piece with the matching high boots covered by the red knee length cloak. She wore her hair close to her face and curled in at the sides. At her side were her two sidekicks; Galahad and Gawain. The two were brothers with the former being the older one. Galahad was the handsome looking one but his attitude was the turn off to many ladies. He preferred them laddies to them. Gawain was the other exception but he has only eyes for Nimue. The two knights were dressed like Nimue but Gawain had on his green scarf around his neck while Galahad on his pinkish shaded one. All three of them were armed with the wooden staff; a standard weapon of the White Knights.  

“Lady Nimue, let me ask that you give me some time.” I pleaded but there was a commotion from the house. Mother was thrown forward to the ground. I turned to look and saw my father stepping out. It was my father but his appearance had changed more like an ogre in the looks. It was not his usual look then as a miner although he could look all covered in dirt and soot but I had seen it before. It was a spell from the Dark Books but these spells were hardly seen anymore.

“My food, you wench.” My father alter ego hollered out while reaching with his right hand to swipe at the blood off his lips. The spell made one ravenous for uncooked meat. The ogre reached for my mother when I lashed out with the element of the winds. I swept the ogre off its feet and then used the element of the earth to build a wall. It blocked the ogre and allowed me to grab hold of my mother. When I pulled her away, the knights had moved in with their attack. 

The ogre had breached the wall and was stepping out.

Nimue struck with her wooden staff at the ogre on the left leg. The ogre called out in pain from the pain spell emitted from wooden staff. It rolled to the side but Gawain had used his staff to call on the green spell. From the wooden staff, there appeared roots which reached for the good leg of the ogre. The roots entwined itself on the leg and pulled it taut. Galahad like his name sake rushed in with his staff to hit at the ogre lower chest. It was a sneak attack but an effective one for the ogre was soon curled up on side in pain.

I saw the attack and took to defend my father. I rushed in with a powerful jump and lashed out with a front  kick at Galahad and then reverse the same leg for a sharp round kick at Gawain.  It was a move taught to me by the French monks where I spent a year with them. They called it Savate and it was a refined form of fighting form with the body parts. I landed before my fallen father’s figure and by instinct I struck out a back slap at Nimue. She reeled back from the blow before she balanced herself from falling.

Galahad recovered fast and swung his staff towards my head. I wanted to do the upper block with the left forearm but decided to grab the staff. I counter the effect of the energy with my earthen coated right glove hand then to grab hold of it. I lashed out with my left foot for his Galahad right knee. He went down hard but with the wooden staff held in my hand I did a wide swing with it to knock Gawain and Nimue. With the knights retreating, I reached for my father figure.

“Father …..” It was then I was blasted by the mental strike. I screamed out at the pain and was forced to roll onto my back to escape the pain. I knew that mental blast spell and whom it belonged to. Not many of us knew the spell but the few elderly masters. Merlin mind blast was all deadly as it sent me crawling towards the opened doorway of the house. I turned my aching body just in time to see then Merlin releasing the spell of blue flame on my father.

“Burn, you ogre.” Merlin hurled the blue flame at the figure which inside was still my father. In the spate of seconds, the blue flame engulfed the figure and then imploded. I cried out in more pain then at the loss of my father and then glared at Merlin.

“That was my father inside it.” I raised my voice at the Head of Council who had his arms comforting the lady knight. 

“You could have used other spells to dispel the influence.”

“Your father had been influenced once too many.” Merlin defended his action. “He had to be defeated.”

“No! You lied. I have placed protected spells here.” I was upset at the elderly man. He had been accusing me of other issues but that day he crossed the line when he killed my father.

“Silence, Guardian. Know to who you are to serve.” Merlin shouted out his command.

“Not to you alone, Merlin but the Council.” I replied. “You have done wrong today…”

“Then prove me to the Council.” Merlin challenged me. I was to do that but Mother had stopped me.

“Merlin is all powerful. You are no match to him.” I had to heed my mother’s advice and backed down. I took her with me to the far lands but soon she was to die of the loneliness without my father.