Mordred 21.2

The New Realm

We went our own way after we left the cave. Gabriel had stayed back to locate Ramiel. He believed not all the Grigori are on the side of Merlin. He wants to communicate with them so that they can be back to their true self as the Watcher; which was to oversee and protect the Angels there.

Leggins have returned to locate his own people. Aladdin have left to seek his followers on the Divide. We left Chiton with some of her friends to recover leaving me and Rumpel to do our own thing. I decided to go back to the main land but the divide was an obstacle. We had to retrieve bike first. I checked the bike and saw it was damaged in the front wheel. We did not notice it then or maybe the damage was done more recent. Nevertheless the bike could still move although we may never cross the divide with it. We rode the bike towards the Pier. It was one place which we could cross.

The Pier was actually a bridge across the divide but it was manned by Guards. It was span cantilever split into three sections and supported by the incline legs on the cliff sides. The middle span was a draw bridge operated by the other side. At both ends of the bridge were two bunkers each with the manned heavy fire powers. There were two Dreadnoughts stationed at the New Salem side. 

On that day, the scene that greeted us was different.

The Dreadnoughts were seen in a slumming position with the chest cavity torn wide. The human operators were not seen anywhere. The bunkers were in a state of collapsed and there were the bodies of the guards laid on the ground. Smoke was billowing from the inside of the bunkers. The bridge was intact with the draw bridge levelled down.  On the side of the Divide was the Elves led by one named Edgown. He was accompanied by a few hundred elves all armed with their swords drawn. Across the Divide were the armies of the new realm, with ten Dreadnoughts and five armoured vehicles with rotary cannons and missiles on them. There was also a company of over a hundred guards with heavy fire power. There were also three armoured helo-planes hovering over the Divide. The helo-planes were aircrafts in design but the two turbine engines on the wings can be tilt to allow it to hover above the ground. Each craft have an array of missile and cannons.

The guards were under siege by another group that was on their side of the Divide on New Salem land.

It was led by the Dark Queen, with her line of knights. Their numbers were about fifty but there were the others who had joined with the Queen that was intimidating including wizards and witches. There was also a fraction of the people of New Salem there that joined in with assorted of weapons from crude home made to the automatic guns of the new realm. She was also backed by a pack of dragons that flew overhead.

I was to move in to intervene when I saw Leggins arrived. He moved to the front of his people and greeted them.

“The Clan of my people” Leggins addressed them. “This is not our war. Let us retreat to our own land.”

“There will no retreat, Leggins.” Edgown replied. “The Elves have been given a new mandate by the Gods. Hear them out.”

From the rear of the elves, three figures rose above their heads. It was Merlin, Berlin and one named Lilith. The three figures were no longer in the disguise of Man but of the Fallen. They were clothed in armour and held each a long staff on their right hand. In Merlin’s left hand was a sword that once belonged to the King of the Elves. It was named Dragonier. It was the sword made for only to be held by the King.

“Edgown your new leader heed my words. You will now not only defend your land but it will be wider. It will cover the whole of New Salem.” Merlin voiced out.

“I stand to defy your …request, Fallen One. Now that I have learned of your treachery, I will not stand to listen to you.” Leggins raised his own sword, the Elwedgwen at Merlin. He then turned to look at the Elves.

“Your so named King had betrayed you all. He created the vortex to bring us here as his army. He had us all for fools. I had long suspected of it but there was no proof of otherwise.”

“Then showed me your proof, Leggins of the bastard descendants of Tauriel.’ Merlin cut in. “The King himself told me that you were not of his blood but held sympathy for your mother, he adopted you. Is that how you repay his kindness?”

“I am not his bastard. I am his rightful heir and leader of the Elves. I carry his sword, the Sword of Orbs.” Leggins displayed his sword. “You have acquired that by deceit. More to that, you are no Elf in the blood.”

That last line drew mutterings among the Elves who was then questioning the ascent of Merlin as the King after Tauriel. It was said that Merlin was once the King’s friend. It was Merlin who convinced the King to be the custodian of the renegades. It was an arrangement that lasted for years and peace reigned in the land. Some days just before the crossing due to the vortex, Merlin had emerged from the forest bearing the dead body of the King with his sword. Merlin had told them that Tauriel was in the fight with Keb, the King of the Serpents. Just before the King was to die, it was alleged by the Inner Council of the Elves that Tauriel had declared Merlin as the new King.

“He is God and deserved to lead us all.” Tauriel had whispered to the assembled three Elves. It was how Merlin became the new King and led the Elves to the new land. Back at the Divide, Leggins glared at Merlin. It was true that Tauriel had taken in his mother for his own soon after a battle between the King and the challenger to the throne. The later was Sauriel, the younger brother of Tauriel. The battle was bitter and fierce but the King had the dealt the killer blow. In his victory, Tauriel declared two things to the assembled.

“I am the true King and none may dispute it ever again.” King Tauriel had spoken then. He then looked at the widow of his brother. “The widow and her unborn child will be mine as the blood of the family will run in that unborn child. The child if it’s a boy will carry my sword, the Elwedgwen by his side as if it was mine. If the child is a girl, she will also be mine but she will wed the warrior that I will appoint.”

The child turned out to be Leggins and was given the sword.

“Merlin, we believed in you but doubts have being brought to my ears soon after we came here. For that I challenged you to a duel of the Kings. You cannot refuse me by the ancient traditions.” Leggins thrust his sword into the ground and stood there. The challenge once issued cannot be refused by the King and must be fought to determine the next King. The last King had fought over five challengers in his time and won all.

“I will not trifle with you on such matter now. I have a war to fight.” Merlin refused the challenge. He then looked towards the Elves. “Your King commands you.”

None of the Elves moved to the command but when Leggins told them to clear a space for the duel, they did as instructed.

“I, Leggins son of Tauriel called upon the usurper of the throne to a duel.” Leggins challenged the other. Merlin looked down at the elf and then descent to the ground. His wings then spread out wide behind him in a show of defiant.

“Leggins son of Tauriel, your insolence will be dealt with in accordance to the rules of the duel. None may leave the clearing except by death.” With that Merlin flapped his wings and the strong gust from it threw the gathered off their feet but not Leggins who held onto the sword thrust into the ground.

“I called on the spirt of my father to guide me in this duel.” Leggins called out to the earth below his feet. “Hear me, my dear father.”

“Fool!” Merlin directed his strong gust of wing at Leggins. The other was thrown back by the force of the wind but I had intervened with my own craft. I called on the wall of earth to block the wind before I rushed out to look at the elves leader. Leggins landed on his back but managed to avoid major injuries when he rolled with the wind. He crouched up on his knees and then looked at his opponent. The swords still remained embedded into the ground a distance in front of him. Merlin swooped down to reach it but was thwarted by the intervention of some wolves that appeared out of nowhere.

“Merlin the Traitor shall not handle the sacred sword Elwedgwen except for those who are bestowed the right.” The voice came from the treelines. He stepped out with the support of a long staff while to his side stood the Blood Prince and the furry Great Wolf. Aladdin stood at the rear of the rear with Seth. The King was clad in armour hidden behind the cloak of leather which half covered his body on the left side. They were accompanied by a company of their followers.

“Keb of the Serpent.” Leggins called out. He had not seen the trio since they left the last realm. The sword Elwedgwen was brought to Keb by the furry wolf that had overtaken Merlin to snatch it back.

“Leggins, your father Tauriel was once a friend of the wolves and also of the serpents.” Keb told the young leader. “Once the elves were left to their own land but they never troubled us. It was Merlin who had us fighting when he influences some of ours and theirs. They declared a war then created by him to split us. It was Tauriel who discovered the treachery of Merlin but he was not powerful to confront Merlin alone. He called on me to assist, but King Tauriel was wounded in the battle. I managed to escape and during my recovery, I heard Merlin had made himself King after Tauriel died in the battle.”