Journey

Merlin tossed the last loop of rope onto the dock, as the ship pulled away. The sun was rising while he and Gwen silently waved to their mother standing on the dock. When the last glimpse of their mother and homeland slipped from view, the two went below deck. Merlin spoke a word of magic and small flames jumped to life in the lamps along the walls. Ambrose and Uther jumped at the sudden brightness. Merlin and Gwen chuckled lightly, and Merlin said, “Alright. You guys can come above deck if you want. No one can see us from shore, so it should be safe.”

The four of them clambered above deck, and the brothers stood taking in the strange sight. The ship moved through the water swiftly with no crew members or passengers except for the four. Instead, Merlin, Gwen and Morvryn had cast magic around so that it sailed itself. No one, but those five, could know where the ship was headed or who was aboard it. If word got to Vortigern before Uther and Ambrose made it to their allies in the north, they would lose the element of surprise and the upper hand. So, Morvryn made Merlin and Gwen promise that they would escort the two brothers to their allies. So, the four sailed quietly through the water.

“Gwen, you can head down and catch some sleep. I can take the first shift,” Merlin said.

Gwen nodded and turned towards the stairs. “Sure. Try not to get into any trouble up here.”

Ambrose leaned on the railing and Uther stood at the bow contemplating what was to come. Merlin sat cross-legged near the mast, concentrated on scanning the surrounding sea for approaching ships. When he sensed one, he would reach out with his magic and adjust the approaching ships ruder to send it out of their path. After a few hours, Gwen came above deck and traded places with Merlin. Near the middle of the day, all four of them sat together at the bow to eat.

After a few bites, Uther cleared his throat and said, “I want to thank you two for helping us. I know you don’t know us, and this is a long journey to make, especially at someone else’s request. So, thank you.”

Between bites, Merlin said, “Well, we just have to get you guys to Britain and then head back home. You have the hard job of reclaiming a whole country. Speaking of which, can I ask you what your plan is once you get to Britain?”

Ambrose looked up and said, “Once we arrive, the others will brief us on their progress, then we will decide when and where to confront Vortigern’s forces. We are hoping that once his men see that both Uther and I are alive and leading the resistance some of them will lay down their arms. All the men in this fight, on both sides, are our people. Some have decided they would rather profit from Vortigern’s corrupt rule, and others have been lied to, but they are still our people. We would like this war to end as peacefully as possible.” Ambrose paused, but Uther spoke up. “We will fight them to the very last if we have to though. Vortigern is an evil man and cannot be allowed to rule.”

Gwen and Merlin nodded as the brothers spoke, and then the group fell silent for a while, considering what had been said and what was to come.

The brothers knew that many men would die on both sides and that bringing the country back together afterwards would be a struggle all its own. Sitting next to one another on the deck, Uther and Ambrose looked more ragged than anyone their age should. The importance of their mission was not lost on them. If they failed, Vortigern would reign over Britain with cruelty and destruction. They had to succeed in regaining control of the throne.

Merlin could tell that the brothers were consumed in dark thoughts. In the hopes of lightening the mood, Merlin suggested, “Since we are going to be on this ship a while, why don’t we get to know each other?” The others nodded. So, they started to talk about lighter things: their lives, what their homes were like, how they grew up, their favorite hobbies, and their friends. Their conversations continued throughout the days, and by the time they neared Britain they all felt like they had known each other for years.

They waited off the coast until dark to dock at the northernmost city in Britain. Uther and Ambrose’s allies controlled the city, but they were too close to the end of their journey to take any risks. While they waited for night, they sat down to eat a last meal on board. Ambrose looked to Merlin and Gwen and said, “I bet you guys are looking forward to getting home.” The plan had been for Gwen and Merlin to return with the ship to Amorica once they dropped off the brothers, but after spending so long together the two didn’t want to abandon the brothers.

Gwen and Merlin looked at each other knowing that they both wanted to help the brothers. Finally, Gwen spoke. “We are supposed to return with the ship, but Merlin and I want to stay and help, if you’ll let us. We can send a message to our mother to let her know where we are after it is safe. Gods willing, this will be over with peacefully before she even realizes we haven’t started the return journey.” Gravely, Uther replied, “If you’re sure, we’ll take all the help we can get.” Merlin nodded.

They finished their meal quietly, mulling over the coming war and the dangers they may face. As the darkness thickened, Merlin and Gwen guided the ship into port silently, and the four friends started off towards the city and the dangers of the war to come.

Like the last one, although these characters aren’t original, the story is. Going into writing this story I knew there were a few things that it needed to include to keep the plot going. I knew that I would need to find a reason for Gwen and Merlin to travel north with the brothers and a reason for them to decide to help them. While writing it, I also realized that the brothers would need to sail in secret which might prove difficult if a whole crew had to be organized to sail the ship. That is when I decided that it would make the most sense for the ship to be sailed with magic which would also provide a reason for Merlin and Gwen to go along. From there it was relatively easy to figure out that they would likely become friends due to the sheer isolation of the trip. They are four young adults, trapped on a ship with nothing to do and no one else to talk to but each other, so obviously they talk a lot and get to know each other. The trip is an unspecified amount of time because I'm not sure how fast a magic ship travels and so that the reader can interpret for themselves how long it would take to form a friendship like theirs. After this, I am going to write one more story to try and wrap the whole thing up. Tune in next time to see how that goes.