Allies

Merlin and Gwen led the brothers around the side of the Castle to the entrance off the kitchen. As they stepped through the door, the warm smell of dinner wafted around them. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to stop and eat. Merlin and Gwen led the brothers down the dark hall and up a set of stairs to a small sitting room. Gwen turned to the brothers and said, “Please wait here.” Then she and Merlin traversed another set of stairs to get their mother, Morvryn. Coming to a large ornate door, Merlin knocked and called, “Mother, we have visitors that you should come and meet.”

Morvryn pulled herself from her thoughts. It was late to be receiving visitors, and she heard the serious tone in Merlin’s voice that was normally so happy and peaceful. She had received word only a few days prior that the British king had been killed. That meant it fell to her now to help his children. From the strange hour and the tone of Merlin’s voice, she suspected that was who was downstairs. Quickly, Morvryn wrapped a thick dressing gown around her night clothes and went to see if she was right.

Just a moment after Merlin had knocked, Morvryn swung the large door open. She was fair with blonde hair that fell down to her waist. Grey had started to show at her temples and her face had started to soften with age, but she was beautiful. “I know” she said. “I have been expecting them.” Merlin and Gwen traded glances of surprise, and then looked expectantly at their mother. “There are things that I have not told you. Please, come quickly. Time is of the essence.”

Merlin, Gwen and their mother descended the stairs back into the small sitting room where Uther and Ambrose were waiting. Uther was standing next to the fire place and Ambrose had started to nod off in a chair nearby. As Morvryn drew near, she called to the brothers, “Hello, boys.”

Ambrose jumped out of this chair and Uther whipped around to give her a deep bow. “Please excuse our late arrival,” he said. “We weren’t prepared to flee so soon. Vortigern moved on the castle sooner than we expected.”

Morvryn motioned for them all to sit down and reassured them. “Not to worry. You are welcome in my home at any hour. Please tell me what has transpired, and what you need. I will be happy to provide whatever is necessary.”

Merlin spoke suddenly. “I hate to interrupt, but how exactly do you know one another?”

Morvryn shifted her focus from the brothers to her children. “I was sent to live in the British court at a young age. There I had to form my own family, my own alliances. Early on, I banded together with another young girl, and she was my closest companion. After I came back home when my father died, she ended up marrying the king. Uther and Ambrose are her sons. When they were born, she wrote to me about her concerns for their safety and the kingdom’s. I swore that when the time came, I would protect them and aid them in any way that I could.” Morvryn looked to Gwen and then to Merlin, holding their gaze a moment each. “That time has come,” she said finally.

Merlin and Gwen looked between their mother and the brothers. They weren’t sure what to think. As they sat there in silence, Ambrose finally spoke up. “That is why we have come. We have allies that will fight for us, but we can’t get there by land. All the roads north have been blocked by Vortigern’s men because he knows that is where our allies lie. We need to sail north, up the coast, to mount an attack. If we move quickly, he won’t suspect it.”

Morvryn nodded. “Alright. I’ll start making the preparations. You both need to rest.” She turned to look at Gwen and Merlin. “I am going to need your help to get everything ready. Tomorrow they will sail for Britain.” At that Morvryn showed the brothers to rooms they could stay in and set about with her children to prepare a ship.

This scene in the story is predominantly a new creation. Although Uther and Ambrose do overthrow Vortigern, going to Brittany, getting help, and sailing north were creations of my own. Because this is a short project there can’t be a long drawn out campaign to retake the throne. Therefore, I have created a situation in which the brothers only need to make it to their allies in the north of Britton for them to retake the throne quickly. This is where Morvryn comes in. I needed a reason for her to be willing to help these two young men even though they don’t know each other well. I know that in later royal courts it was common for nobles to live at court for a time especially if they were trying to marry off their children. I imagine that is could be a very stressful time, and that it would require the forging of alliances and friendships to endure it. So, I decided that Morvryn would have met and befriended Uther and Amrbose’s mother while they were both at court. That friendship is the basis for Morvryn’s want to help the brothers. Moving forward it will be interesting to work out what motivation Merlin and Gwen will find to help the brothers, because although their mothers were close, these four are strangers. Be sure to come back to read the next installment and see what happens!