EPISODE 24
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PERCIVAL :
( …?
Where…? )
[ percy sits up. ]
?? :
Ah, you’re up.
MERLIN :
Perfect, you can eat this now.
It’s still fresh.
[ percy scrambles back ]
…Calm down, Percy, it’s just a joke.
[ he sets up some more things ]
MERLIN :
Drink this.
And don’t make me force it down your throat.
PERCIVAL :
What is it?
MERLIN :
It’s a sedative.
To desensitize you while I finish up taking care of you.
It was a lot simpler while you were in a coma.
PERCIVAL :
A…coma?
MERLIN :
What do you remember, Percival?
PERCIVAL :
…I was in Corbenic…?
With Tristan and Dinadan…
And during the night, I…!
MERLIN :
You touched the Grail.
PERCIVAL :
I…
MERLIN :
What did you see?
PERCIVAL :
I…I don’t have the right words to…
I felt
infinite,
vulnerable,
insignificant,
and…and…
MERLIN :
Breathe.
It’s all right.
PERCIVAL :
What is the Grail, Merlin?
MERLIN :
That’s a broad question, Percy.
And I have no answer that will satisfy you, I’m afraid.
But you freed it from its seal. Without a guardian, it’ll go where it pleases.
That simple action…
…has heavy consequences.
But for now, you’re in my home, and you’ve got nothing to fear.
The weirdest, most worrying thing in leagues
is me.
PERCIVAL :
…To be honest, I’m surprised you even have a home.
( I thought you lived in the woods. )
MERLIN :
Oh, yes, that too. I mostly use this cabin to store my druid’s attire.
( And sleep, sometimes. )
It came in pretty handy for the care you require, though.
The magic affecting you is even more ancient than I am.
And we needed to act quickly, so I had to bring you here using magic too.
You lot and your natural rejection of magic, I swear.
PERCIVAL :
…Us lot?
MERLIN :
Humans.
PERCIVAL :
…Why do we react so badly to it, actually?
Dame Morgan can use it just fine, but she was born a human, wasn’t she? Is she secretly a fairy, then? She doesn’t look like it, though…
That said, you don’t look like a fairy either…
And fairies don’t help humans,
unless they stand to gain something from it.
…What’s going to happen with the Grail, Merlin?
I failed the test, didn’t I…?
I’m so lost. What should I do…?
MERLIN :
Sometimes, there is neither a great secret nor a real explanation.
Let’s see, to answer each of your questions… You’re just not made to manipulate magic.
( scratch )
You can acquire the ability to do so, but only at a cost, as with everything.
And I am indeed not human.
But I’m not really a Sidhe, either.
That probably allows me to grasp the nature of magic in a different way than the rest of you.
As for the Grail…
There’s nothing more I can tell you.
PERCIVAL :
But!
Can’t you see the future?
Don’t you know whether I made a terrible mistake by failing?
Why didn’t you intervene?
Why didn’t you keep me from…
failing again…
…and again to meet everyone’s expectations for me…
[ he’s nauseous and his head is spinning rip ]
MERLIN :
What do you think fate is, Percival?
If I tell you that I can see what will come to pass,
does that not imply some kind of inevitability?
I do not see nor understand everything, Percival.
I perceive what manages to reach me,
like snatches from a conversation.
I don’t know all the details, only a few fixed points.
What can I do in the face of ineluctability?
I once predicted a great role for you to play in all this. It could mean many things.
PERCIVAL :
…Why did you tell me about it, then, if it was so vague?
MERLIN :
Would you have followed Aglovale out of North Wales had I not told you?
PERCIVAL :
…You manipulated me.
MERLIN :
Yes. You said it yourself.
Fairies only help humans if they stand to gain something from it,
even if it’s much more complicated than you can imagine, Percival.
I’ll take care of the markings the Grail left on you.
You can leave for Camelot once you’ve gotten some rest, we’re not that far.
[ percy looks at himself ]
PERCIVAL :
I don’t see any markings…?
MERLIN :
It’s because they’re on your heart.
PERCIVAL :
W-what?
MERLIN :
Don’t worry, I don’t need to cut you open to take care of them.
Unlike Morgan, though, I’m no healer. This is going to hurt.
So drink.
Be brave, Percival.
Tomorrow, you’ll be ready to go.
Even if the next few weeks in Camelot won’t be easy on you.
You’ll find a bit of comfort there,
I guarantee it.
PERCIVAL :
( I want to go home…
But…
Where is home now…? )
< text is in Welsh >
?? :
< Sit down, Aglovale. >
BEDIVERE :
(sigh)
< Don’t you have better things to do than to pace around me, your Majesty? >
AGLOVALE :
< Lamorak's got the sitting around part covered.
He needs rest, after all.
…They should already be back by now, Bedivere.
What did Gawain tell you, exactly? >
BEDIVERE :
< That they left three days before she did.
All in all, nothing Lamorak couldn’t tell you. >
AGLOVALE :
< I can’t believe they weren’t in Corbenic.
Dinadan’s going to hear from me alright. >
BEDIVERE :
< …You need rest as well.
Go and get some fresh air, will you? >
( knock, knock )
< Come in. >
PERCIVAL :
…Hello?
AGLOVALE, BEDIVERE :
…Ah.
AGLOVALE :
Percival?!
You’re…you’re alright?
You’re not hurt?
What—
PERCIVAL :
Yes, I’m alright.
Let’s move on.
…Where are Tristan and Dinadan?
BEDIVERE :
Did something happen to them?
PERCIVAL :
Merlin told me they’d get back after I did.
BEDIVERE :
Merlin?
AGLOVALE :
You do realize you’re going to have to explain yourself eventually, don’t you?
PERCIVAL :
…Yes.
I just need a bit of time. I came here to let everyone know I’d returned.
AGLOVALE :
…I’m not the one you need to tell.
Go to the other side of the courtyard,
then through the main hall.
There,
you'll find Seneschal Kay waiting for you.
KAY :
What’s your business?
Audiences are over.
PERCIVAL :
…I'm here to report back.
Sir Bedivere told me⎯
KAY :
Name, kid.
PERCIVAL :
Percival of Wales.
KAY :
(intrigued)
Ah, Pellinore’s youngest. Wait here for a bit, Arthur wants to see you.
On the bench, not planted in front of me like some idiot.
PERCIVAL :
…Oh.
Hello, Mordred.
ROUND TABLE TRIVIA
Merlin has tattoos all over, except on his face.
Merlin :
With all this happening, I didn't have time to put any makeup on!
He uses paint made from woad, a plant that produces a blue pigment.
The technique comes from certain Celt tribes, who used it to paint themselves up before going out to fight.
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