War

Merlin and Gwen perched on a cliff at the edge of a valley. The next day it would become the site of tremendous bloodshed if they couldn’t pull off the feat of magic they were planning. They hoped those with some remaining loyalty to Uther and Ambrose would lay down their arms once they could see that the brothers were alive. As for the rest of the men in Vortigern’s army, the glamor that Gwen and Merlin would cast together would convince them the strength of Uther and Ambrose’s allies was twice the size of Vortigern’s. The brothers hoped this would convince the remainder of the men to surrender. If it didn’t, Gwen and Merlin were prepared to aid the attack from their vantage point. This cliff was close enough to the valley that they could easily view the battle as it unfolded but had enough vegetation that they could remain hidden from Vortigern’s army. They had spent most of the morning looking for a location like this.

Some distance back to the north, the armies allied with Uther and Ambrose were doing their own preparations for battle. At the head of the camp stood a red tent emblazoned with an ornate dragon. Inside Uther, Ambrose, and their lords discussed fallback strategies if Vortigern’s men insisted on fighting. Lord Harkin addressed the brothers, “While I am sure that we all appreciate the help of your friends…” hesitating slightly. “How can we be sure that Vortigern doesn’t also have some strange magician working for him who can see through our ruse?”

Uther sighed and pressed his fingers into his brow. “We can’t know until Vortigern’s forces get closer whether or not he has a magician; however, Merlin has assured me that he and Gwen can deceive even another magician with the glamor.”

Lord Harkin shifted with unease. “Yes, sir, but are you sure we can trust this magician?” Harkin asked as politely as he could.

Ambrose spoke up from just behind his brother. “We have seen Merlin and Gwen perform unbelievable feats of magic. We got here on a ship with no crew, guided by Merlin and Gwen. We have seen him summon fire and perform other wonders with the same ease that you or I draw breath.”

The lords, unfamiliar with magic, wore looks ranging from disbelief to fear, but none spoke. Finally, Harkin said, “Yes, our Majesty.”

At dawn the next day, the army began its march towards the valley while Gwen and Merlin rode to their cliff to start constructing the glamor.

They left their horses at the bottom of the cliff and cast a spell over them to calm them and hide them from sight. Casting a spell over themselves so that they could not be seen, they climbed the cliff and set up their gear near the edge. Just as they finished setting up, the army marched into their view. They stood hand in hand and began to chant together. As they did, men materialized from behind one another and widened the ranks. Soon the army appeared to be twice its size.

In the opposite direction Merlin and Gwen could see Vortigern’s army begin to take shape on the horizon. They marched towards Uther and Ambrose’s army until they were just outside the range of archers. Uther and Ambrose rode at the head of their army, wearing gilded armor and accompanied by men bearing their red banner with the ornate dragon. When he was within shouting distance, Uther called to Vortigern’s soldiers, “Brothers, Vortigern has killed our father and attempted to usurp the throne through evil and devious means. This is not a rebellion that you are fighting. Ambrose and I have not died, and we lead this army of loyal men to reclaim the throne from Vortigern. He has lied to you about our deaths, hoping to trick you all into betraying your king.” Pausing, Uther waited for this information to filter through the men and reach each person. Continuing, Uther said, “I do not blame those of you who have been lied to. If you lay down your arms now and accept peace, you will not be punished. However, if you refuse, we will be forced to fight.”

When Uther finished his speech, many of the men among Vortigern’s army dropped their weapons and fled. The remaining men, however, were not deterred by the presence of such a large army. Their intimidation plan wasn’t working. Merlin and Gwen could see this from their vantage point as Uther and Ambrose prepared to lead the charge.

Panicked, Gwen turned to Merlin. “It isn’t working. They aren’t afraid. Merlin, we are going to lose.”

Merlin looked at the battle field and knew she was right. “I have an idea. Gwen, can you hold the glamor by yourself?”

Gwen looked at him and felt the weight of their spell. She nodded.

Merlin nodded back and said, “Hold it and when I say, let it go and join me.” Merlin dropped his attention from their army and focused on Vortigern’s. He reached out with his mind and searched for Vortigern and the commanders of his army. Locating them all, Merlin began to gather his power and chant. When he was ready, he called to Gwen. The glamor faded, as she clasped hands with Merlin. He pulled on her energy through their connection and used it to gain control of the minds leading Vortigern’s army. His voice surrounded the men and weigh down on them. He commanded them to call for surrender. Under such pressure, not even Vortigern could resist, and the enemy army laid down their arms. They had not even noticed the disappearance of half of Uther’s men.

Merlin and Gwen both gasped when the spell was over. It had taken almost all of their strength, but they had saved their friends, and the lives of many others. There would be peace in Britain, at least for today.

Wow, I didn't really know where this story was going, but I couldn't be happier with where it ended up. I hope the mind control at the end isn't "jumping the shark," but I wanted to really get some impressive magic in the mix since so much of this story hasn't included it. I also liked the idea of Merlin and Gwen having to deviate from the proposed plan since it would be a little boring for it all to work out just perfectly. If you couldn't tell, I am a little over the word count, so I am looking forward to cutting this down in my revision assignment to a really dense action-packed story and clearing up anything that was difficult to understand. There are obviously some loose ends to tie up and quite a cliff-hanger. I hope that you as the reader use that as an opportunity to imagine your own story and be inspired to read about Merlin, Gwen, Uther and Ambrose. This is the last story in this storybook, so I want to thank you for reading this far. It has been a great experience writing it and I hope that you enjoyed it. Please feel free to use the link to my comment wall on the home page! Thanks!