It was another of those days you’d rather
strike from the calendar. Although, it promised to be the most beautiful day
for a long time and began with a promising morning. For once the rolls they had
ordered all arrived and the coffee didn’t contain any of that disgusting
powder, which somehow occasionally manages to crawl out of the filter bag to
end up in the coffee itself. Marie shuddered at the thought.
After the delicious breakfast, Marie made
her way to see Gray. They were going to buy Christmas tree decorations and a
wreath together. Marie was looking forward to it. She had never imagined that
Gray would be looking for Christmas decorations with her. Somehow the two
didn’t seem to fit together. Kitsch Christmas junk and Gray. To her, it seemed
similar to someone trying to teach Gray how to knit. But it was his idea. Marie
laughed as she remembered Jack’s facial expression. What had he been thinking?
Marie thought, giggling.
“What’s so funny?” A voice tore her away
from her thoughts. Marie looked up and straight into his eyes, which were
always so full of life and pulled the ground out from under her feet.
“Hello, Gray”, she smiled at him. “Oh no.
Haven’t you shaved?” Marie cocked her head slightly to one side and examined him.
Granted, his three-day stubble suited him. Gray grinned boldly, pulled Marie
towards him and tried to rub his cheek against hers. “Stop it!” She didn’t find
it funny and pushed him gently away from her.
Gray laughed. “I was only kidding! Sorry.”
He ran his right hand over his stubble. “I want to grow a beard!” He explained,
looking at Marie.
“A beard! Do you want to play Father
Christmas, or something?” Marie shook her head.
“Why not? Don’t you like it?” He winked
cheekily at her.
“Just don’t do it!” Marie grimaced at Gray
again to show him clearly that she would not like it.
Gray laughed, pulled her close again,
looked deep into her eyes and said softly: “If you don’t want Father Christmas,
I certainly hope you’d like a kiss from Gray!” He kissed her without waiting
for a response. Marie grew dizzy and hot at the same time. Her knees trembled
and she wished this moment would never end. The kiss was more intense than she
had ever felt with anyone else. He gently stroked her cheek and Marie felt
herself blush. Embarrassed and in love at the same time, she blinked at him.
“Is everything ok?” He asked a little bemused. Marie just nodded silently and
smiled.
Marie was now sitting on her sofa, staring
straight ahead. Her gaze fell to the wreath she and Gray had decorated
together. It was decorated with little hearts and rolled up messages for each
other. The ones for her were in purple and the ones for Gray were in blue. The
small presents stuck in the foliage had the same colours. The purple and blue
candles bore the numbers one to four. Marie gently took the first candle, which
had already been lit, in her hands. Tears rolled down her face, dripping onto
it. The memories of the first Advent made her heart ache. She and Gray had lit
this candle two days ago. Gray had lit the match and handed it to Marie. It was
their first Advent together and it should have been the best. Marie could still
feel his kisses on her lips, hear his heartbeat and smell his aftershave. “I love
you, Marie. From the very first moment I saw you.” he had whispered in her ear.
Marie’s whole body shook. She couldn’t
contain her anger any more. At that moment, her sadness and disappointment
merged together. Full of rage, Marie threw the candle against the wall and
shouted: “You bastard!” Marie’s feeling of disappointment intensified until she
pulled every single candle from the wreath and threw them against the wall.
“Marie, I love you. I love you so much, I
can’t bear it. It’s too intense, too much. This love is so strong; I’m
frightened to admit it. This may sound absurd to you, Marie, but this love is
so strong I’m afraid of losing it!” Marie lifted the wreath from the table.
“Please give me time, Marie. Give me time to make sense of everything that’s
between us!”
She had almost burst with rage. “You need
time to see other women? You can have it!” She threw the wreath against the
wall. Her eyes filled with tears, she
now stared at the wreath and candles, which remained undamaged despite their
heavy impact with the wall. She dashed the tears from her face again and again
as she put the wreath back together and set it on the table. Slowly, she calmed
herself down, breathed deeply and lit the second candle. The flame flickered
and it was almost as if she could see Gray’s face in the glow from the blue
candle.
Then someone called her name. “Marie!
Marie, my dear child!” She looked around the room, but couldn’t see anybody.
“Marie. Dry your tears and open your eyes!”, said the familiar voice. A white
figure appeared before Marie and stood directly in front of her. She held a
small package in her hands, which she held out to her. “Don’t be afraid!” Marie
now realised that it was her dead mother, who was appearing to her as a ghost.
Marie took the package hesitantly and placed it on the kitchen counter.
“Mum!” She wanted to hug her mum tightly,
but realised this was impossible and banged her head on the cupboard at the
same time. Her mother laughed.
“Oh Marie. You haven’t changed!”
Marie rubbed her head. “It’s good to see
you”, she smiled at her mother. “What are you doing?” Her mother swept through
the room, stopped by the coffee table and looked at the wreath.
“Why are you destroying something you love?”
Marie was about to answer when her mother started wagging her finger at her.
“Oh no, my little angel. That’s no excuse. You want to be loved like a grown
woman. You expect the man who loves you to promise you eternal love
immediately. True love takes time to grow, you know, and it’s a love that’s
hard to understand. You’ve had enough time to understand what you feel about
Gray. But he’s a man. He needs time to understand it too. If you love him, you
must learn to accept this and, above all, to respect this! Your love still has
time and your time will come! But now you have a very different task at hand!”
Marie couldn’t believe what she was
hearing and was a little angry with her mother. “You don’t understand! Gray has
been seeing another woman. I saw him!” She threw back her head defiantly. “I’ve already said, you’re not mature enough
to understand how things really are.”
“Mum, how can you...!” Her mother
reprimanded her harshly. “I’ve had enough of your behaviour now, Marie! You’re
about to make the same mistake I once made! I regretted it to the grave that I
was once as defiant and immature as you are now! But let’s not talk about this
anymore. Open the package!” Slowly, Marie’s mother approached her. “Trust what
you feel in your heart, Marie. I know
you’re upset and in
pain, but you really do have a very important task to fulfil. You can’t allow
yourself these emotional outbursts. You have to keep it together and stay
strong!”
Marie’s anger evaporated somewhat and she
nodded. “Mum, I’ve been looking for the purpose of my life the whole time and
when I met Gray, I thought he was my purpose. But now?” Marie felt tears spring
to her eyes once more. With some effort, she managed to hold them back. She
would have loved to lean against her mother now and feel her kisses in her
hair. The way it used to be when everything was normal. When her mother was
still alive. But it wasn’t possible.
“Open the package!” Marie’s mother repeated softly. “There you
will find your answer!”
Marie opened the package and held an old
amulet in her hands. It was beautiful and was adorned with a small dragon. The
dragon’s tail encircled the piece. It was made of gold, with small pearls
decorating the dragon’s back. “Mum, what is this?” asked Marie.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s stunning!” Marie placed it around her
neck and the dragon’s eyes began to glow. Startled, Marie took it off again.
“No, my child. Don’t be afraid. This is your
destiny. Your past. A little bit of what you’ve been searching for. Your life’s
purpose!”
Marie looked at her mother sceptically.
She lowered her gaze to the floor and
approached Marie. Her see-through hands patted Marie’s cheeks.
“Marie. I didn’t tell you to protect you.
You are the heiress of Camelot. A descendent of King Arthur!” Jack appeared at
that moment. Marie hated how he just turned up out of nowhere. Gray had the
same habit. That’s to be expected when dealing with time travellers. You never
knew where they’d turn up next. Marie was happy that Gray never appeared in the
bathroom when she was shaving her legs, or using a mud pack. It was awkward
enough that he’d once surprised her while she was wearing a cucumber mask on
her face and toe-spreaders on her feet because she had been painting her nails.
“So, are you ready for your next adventure?”
Jack tore her from her thoughts, grinning boldly. Marie was still holding the
amulet in her hands. She felt a little queasy. Her, an heir of Camelot. It was
absurd. She didn’t want to believe it.
Marie’s mother swept over to Jack. “You
will show her the way, Jack. Promise me you’ll look after her!”
Marie saw Jack’s eyes fill with tears and
felt as though the two of them had some kind of special bond. It was clear from
the way Jack looked at her mother. “You two were in love once! Weren’t you?”
She got no answer. Marie saw Jack’s hand rest on her mother’s cheek. Julianna
closed her eyes and kissed Jack on the lips. “I wish I had the opportunity to
spend a couple of hours with you again. There’s still so much I want to say to
you!” Then she turned to Marie. “Marie, whatever happens, keep the amulet with
you. No one but you can discover and use the amulet’s secrets. Only you can
prevent the worst. You must travel back in time and save the kingdom. If
Camelot is not saved by the night of the third Advent, everything will be lost.
I know it’s a heavy burden to carry, but it was predestined. And no matter what
you discover, never forget that I have always loved you!” Then Julianna’s ghost
disappeared.
Marie stood there, looking at the amulet
in her hand and glanced up at Jack questioningly. He smiled comfortingly,
approached her, took the amulet from her hand and placed it around her neck. “It’s important that you wear this.
Otherwise it can’t protect you. Come, it is time!” he reached out his hand to
Marie.
“But I don’t understand. I don’t want this!
What’s the meaning of this?! Don’t I get a say in this?” protested Marie.
Jack grabbed for her hand and pulled her
towards him. Then he turned a knob on his wrist strap, a bright light appeared
and Marie disappeared with Jack to another place.
They
now stood in the middle of some ruins and Marie looked around curiously.
“Jack, where are we?”
“What do you feel?” he asked, instead of
giving her an answer.
“I don’t know. Should I be feeling something?”
asked Marie.
Jack nodded. “I had hoped you would!”
Marie closed her eyes. “I somehow have the
feeling that I’ve been here before. It feels so familiar. Jack, where are we?”,
she repeated her question.
“They say these ruins are what remain of
Camelot!” They both looked around curiously. “Marie, do you still have the
ability to rebuild images of places?”
Marie shook her head. “I can’t always
empathise with a place, and when I do it usually just looks how I wanted it to.
Do you know what I mean?”
Jack wasn’t going to give up that easily
and he took Marie’s hand. “You shouldn’t be afraid of your abilities!”
Marie swallowed. Sometimes she actually
was afraid to admit certain skills. Gray also tried constantly to encourage her
to use her gifts. “Jack, I’m really worried that one time I’ll rebuild a place
with my mind and not be able to find my way back home!” She swallowed.
“I’m with you! Don’t be afraid. Just close
your eyes and do it.” Marie held onto his hand as tightly as she could. She
knew all too well that it was time to test and use her abilities. Right now she
could be a descendant of King Arthur, but she still had her own strong doubts
about that. Marie nodded. “Jack, don’t let go of my hand, ok?” Her voice
trembled slightly in fear. Jack promised her and took both of her hands in his.
“Jack, please answer a question for me; did you love my mother very much?” She
looked at him earnestly.
Jack nodded. “Yes. She was a great love of
mine”, he answered honestly and from the tone of his voice, Marie could tell he
was being truthful.
“A great love?” she asked.
Jack laughed. “Well, do you know how old I
am?” he winked at her.
Marie smirked. “Of course! Jack, am I your
daughter?” She glanced quickly at the ground, then expectantly up into Jack’s
eyes.
He shook his head. “No, Marie. But I wish
you were. I promised your mother I’d look after you as if you were my own flesh
and blood. That’s exactly what I’ve done up until now and it’s what I’m going
to continue to do!”
Marie had hoped for a different answer.
She hated her father. Her memories of him made her angry and she wished she’d
had a chance to tell him that to his face. Jack seemed to sense her anger.
“No, Marie. Hate is a false companion.
Forget him. Concentrate on your task.”
“It would have been amazing if you were my
father.”
“I’m flattered. But in a way I am! I was
always close by, even if you couldn’t see me!”
“That’s why you were there when Robert was
abducted by aliens!” Jack nodded. Marie smiled and closed her eyes. She
imagined the ancient ruins of days gone by rising and rebuilding themselves how
they had once stood. And it seemed to be working.
At any rate, she heard Jack cry “Wow! Open
your eyes! You have to see this!” Marie opened one eye very slowly, then the
other. Indeed, before her stood not only Jack, who now let go of her hands and
looked around excitedly, but also an old castle which shone in all its
splendour. They were now standing in the middle of a courtyard, which was very
impressive to behold. Climbing plants grew up some corners of the castle and
flowers bloomed in all imaginable colours. Turrets stretched towards the sky
and the sun’s rays fell on a walkway. They must have stood there. King Arthur
and his beloved Guinevere. At least, that’s how Marie imagined it. The imposing
staircase invited them to enter. This was how she had imagined the castle when
her grandmother used to tell her about the legend of King Arthur. Jack and
Marie looked at each other, laughing.
“Wow. See what you’ve done?” Jack was
visibly impressed by what he saw.
“Yes.
I can hardly believe it. It’s just a shame we can’t go inside the castle.
Because it’s just a hallucination!”
“Yes, but what a hallucination! Very
impressive! And it looks so real”, a stranger approached the two of them. He
was dressed in a very old-fashioned style, but he looked very nice. He and Jack
seemed to know each other, because they greeted each other like comrades with a
hug. The unknown man glanced over at her.
“This is her?” Jack nodded. “May I introduce
you? This is Marie!” Marie extended her hand to the stranger. He examined her
closely, smiling kindly. This irritated Marie.
“Please excuse the way I’m looking at you,
but the last time I saw you, you were a little bundle and only a couple of
hours old!” Marie looked at Jack questioningly. He just stood there and smiled.
“Oh, excuse me, I still haven’t introduced myself. I’m Merlin!”
Marie looked at Jack questioningly again,
who just nodded at her, then back at the man who called himself Merlin. Suddenly,
Marie had to laugh loudly. She bent over with laughter. “You two are good. I’ll
give you that! I’m supposed to be the heiress of Camelot and, by coincidence,
Merlin is standing here in front of me! Of course! Sorry, but this has gone a
bit too far now!”
Merlin and Jack shrugged. “Come. I’ll show you
around this fascinating hallucination a little. Really impressive!” Merlin said
to Jack. Turning to Marie, he said: “Marie, let me know once you’ve recovered
your sobriety. Then I can finally show you the way. Please consider, time is
moving forwards, not backwards!” He looked around and went over to a
flower. “Really impressive!” Marie heard
him say.
Jack reached for a flower, but it slid
through his fingers. Marie approached the two men slowly. “So, this isn’t a
joke?” she asked.
“Does this look like a joke?” Merlin asked
Marie earnestly, gesturing to their surroundings.
“Trust is the beginning of everything!” Jack
said to Marie and put his arm around her.
“Marie, I’m asking you to trust all of
this!”
“Bring her back to me! Do you hear me,
Merlin? Bring her back to me in this world!” he now turned to Merlin. He
promised to do so.
“As long as that’s what Marie wants! Don’t
worry, Jack. I’ll look after her!”
“Marie, trust him, ok? You can do this! And
when you’re back home again, we’ll celebrate Christmas together, I promise
you!” Jack kissed Marie’s forehead.
“Come, it is time!” Merlin gestured to a
stone in the middle of the courtyard.
“We have to go over there!” Marie’s amulet
glowed slightly. “You’re not coming?” Marie asked Jack. He shook his head.
“I’ll stay here and make sure you can get
back. Otherwise, I could meet the other me from the past. And you know what
sort of consequences that could have. Everything will be fine! Go now!” Marie
went to Merlin, who was already waiting for her.
“Oh Jack, if you see Gray, please tell him
that I, that he, that we, forget it, don’t tell him anything!” Jack grinned and
nodded.
“Will do!” Merlin held his hand over the
stone, murmured something Marie couldn’t understand and the stone rose out of
the earth. A kind of small column now stood before them. The amulet around
Marie’s neck glowed brighter and instinctively, as if she knew exactly what she
had to do, Marie removed one of the pearls from the dragon’s back and placed it
in the middle of the column. A pale pink light shone.
Marie and Merlin now suddenly stood in a
dense wood. A couple of birds chirped and the sunlight streamed down through
the treetops. The ripple of a brook could be heard in the distance.
“Wow, it’s beautiful here!” Marie’s eyes
wanted to capture as much of this stunning landscape as possible and the
feeling that looking at it gave her. She closed her eyes and took a couple of
deep breaths. She wanted to fall to the ground and listen to the birds and the
ripple of the water, but
Merlin didn’t give her
the chance.
“Come, Marie. We don’t have much time. It
may be beautiful here, but unfortunately it’s very dangerous too. We have to
get to Camelot!” Merlin pulled her behind him by the arm and suddenly stopped
on a rocky hillside. He rummaged behind a bush, pulled out an unusual looking
bag and pushed it into Marie’s arms. “Here, please put this on. And hurry!” He
moved a few paces away from her so that Marie couldn’t see him anymore. She
looked warily at the clothes meant for her.
“Erm, Merlin. What on earth is this?” she
called after him. No answer came. “Great. In this I’ll look like a potato from
the grocery shop around the corner from me!” She quickly stashed her clothes in
the bag and put it back where Merlin had hidden it. She glanced down at
herself. She felt very uncomfortable in this dress. It itched everywhere and
she felt like a sack of potatoes. She went in the direction of the sound of the
rippling brook and of Merlin, who was talking with someone. “Merlin, do I
really have to wear this dress? I’m sure I look like a sack of potatoes!” She
was pulling at her clothes when she suddenly jumped. She could hardly believe
her eyes, because on a rock in front of her crouched a dragon and it was
actually talking to Merlin.
“But a pretty sack of potatoes, I must say!”
the dragon said to Marie. Marie smiled.
“Thank you!” she said, doing a little bow for the dragon.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the dragon and eyed it from head to toe.
“You understand him?” asked Merlin,
astonished. Marie nodded.
“Of course! He’s wonderful!” She approached
him slowly.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” asked the
dragon.
“No, not at all!”
“I am very relieved. Because he’s going to
fly us there. It’s the only way we can get to Camelot!” Marie shook her head.
“Oh no, you can forget it! I’m not flying on
a dragon!”
“You don’t have another choice!” Merlin
grinned from ear to ear and looked down at her dress. “I’m sorry about the
dress!” He took Marie’s hand. “There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“Can I touch you?” Marie asked the dragon. He nodded and lowered
his head. “It would be an honour to be stroked by Arthur’s daughter!” She
withdrew her hand immediately.
“Excuse me? Arthur’s daughter? I’m sorry, I
may be a descendant of him, but I’m certainly not his daughter!” Marie shook
her head fiercely. The dragon glanced up.
“Yes, my child! It is so! You are the first
born child of King Arthur. And according to the prophecy, you’re the only one
who can defeat the dark sorcerer. So that Camelot remains standing!” The dragon
glanced at Merlin.
“What else are you keeping from me? Who is
the dark sorcerer? And I’ve never heard of King Arthur having a daughter
before. He had a son or two! I can’t remember exactly anymore. But I know one
thing for sure: he didn’t have a daughter!” She looked at Merlin expectantly.
“I had hoped that Jack had already explained
everything to you. It is indeed true. You are the first born and he also had a
son – your twin brother. The prophecy says that King Arthur’s first born will
defeat the sorcerer. Arthur didn’t believe any of it, but thank God his wife
Guinevere did. After Arthur’s last battle, we proclaimed to the people that he
was dead. But he isn’t. He lives. Only his wife, his knights and I know this.
Well, you know now too. It was Arthur’s idea. He thought it would keep the dark
sorcerer away from Camelot. But it was an error, which was clear to me
immediately. Guinevere was pregnant and bore twins. You and your twin brother.
Guinevere begged me to take you to safety. We had to lie to Arthur because he
still didn’t believe the legend, so we told him you had died shortly after the
birth. He would never have allowed you to leave Camelot. I cast a protection
spell upon you, so you would be safe and I also gave you several abilities
because I thought you would find them useful. And the amulet you’re wearing has
magic in it too, which protects you as long as you are wearing it. But you must
use it wisely. You’re not allowed to use it for black magic, or to trigger a
curse!” Merlin took a deep breath and looked at Marie. “Marie, please. You have
to help Camelot, or we will all be lost. Your brother and your parents too!”
Tears streamed down Marie’s face. She
swallowed. Her dear mother, who she loved very much, wasn’t really her mother!
She could hardly believe the words! “So has my entire life been a lie?” “Marie, please understand. You weren’t
allowed to discover any of this before. If you had known, you would have been
in danger!” Merlin tried to comfort her.
“The dark sorcerer would have found you in
your world!” explained the dragon.
Marie nodded and dried her tears. “So I’m
King Arthur’s daughter?”
Merlin nodded. “It’s cruel what you did to
Arthur! Telling him his child was dead when it wasn’t true!” Merlin sank his
gaze, ashamed and murmured softly: “I know. But we had no other choice!” Merlin
looked up at Marie again. His sadness was reflected in his eyes.
“Ok, then I reckon I have to do what is
required of me, right?” Merlin nodded.
“Then my actions will not have been in vain.
It was not easy for me to lie to my best friend!”
“As if my life as a normal daughter wasn’t
already complicated enough!” Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. In truth, she
loved exciting adventures and her time with Torchwood had taught her that every
person is born for a reason! “Tell me, Merlin, did Arthur find out in the
meantime that you had lied to him?”
“Yes. He knows. Although I fear that he still
doesn’t believe it!”
“That’s understandable! Let’s find this
stupid sorcerer and send him back where he came from!” Merlin smiled now and
was visibly delighted that Marie was taking on her task and was ready to fulfil
her destiny.
“Thanks!”
“Don’t thank me so soon, Merlin! Because
when I get out of this potato sack, I know exactly whose head I’d like to shove
inside it!” Merlin understood immediately and laughed. Even the dragon found
the idea of seeing Merlin in the dress very amusing and he laughed with them
about it.
They landed in the middle of Camelot’s
courtyard. Merlin and Marie climbed quickly off the dragon and he flew back
into the air to return to his realm. Marie recognised the place immediately.
Although in reality the courtyard was much more beautiful than in her
hallucination. She looked around and was fascinated by what she saw. It almost
seemed to her as though she was dreaming the entire thing. Someone would wake
her up any moment. Any moment her mobile would ring, or her alarm clock would
sing ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’. But this wasn’t so. In reality she found
herself in a time she knew only from books and descriptions.
A very pretty woman with long brown hair
approached and greeted Merlin and Marie warmly. The woman took Marie’s hand in
hers and gazed lovingly at her.
“So this is Marie?” she asked Merlin,
without taking her eyes off her. Marie sensed that the woman in front of her
wasn’t just any old woman. It was Guinevere!
“You’re Guinevere, aren’t you?” Marie asked
shyly.
She
nodded and tears ran down her cheeks. “May
I hug you?” she asked. Marie nodded and was immediately surrounded by
Guinevere’s arms.
Merlin cleared his throat. “I don’t want
to interrupt, but there’s no time for this!” Guinevere understood and let Marie
go at once. She now led both of them into a large hall and introduced Arthur to
Marie.
He stood rooted to the spot and observed Marie
warily from a distance. “Take no notice of him, Marie. He’s a sceptic!” explained Guinevere.
“I can understand that. I am too!”
Marie and Arthur now approached each other
slowly. “So, you’re my daughter. The daughter who is meant to defeat the dark
sorcerer? A girl from the future is supposed to be able to do what my knights
have so far failed to do and the sorcerers at my side?” He circled Marie with
slow steps and surveyed her from all sides. Marie felt oppressed. She wanted to
run, but she knew it wouldn’t help. She had to face her fears. “First I was
told my daughter had died shortly after birth and now, one month later, she’s
standing in front of me! Tell me how, Merlin? And how can this girl defeat the
sorcerer?”
Merlin appeared at Marie’s side. “Firstly,
she’s not just any girl; she’s your daughter, Sir. Secondly, the prophecy says
she will defeat him!”
Marie swallowed once more and looked
imploringly towards Guinevere. She stood, went over to her husband and laid a
hand on his shoulder.
“She is your daughter, Arthur. She can do
it! Trust in her!”
Arthur just shook his head. “I’ve come so
far I can accept that my servant is a sorcerer, but I cannot believe that this
girl here is my daughter! I have a son! Merlin, take care of them. I don’t have
any more time to listen to this nonsense. Girl from the future. Daughter.
Ridiculous!”
“Merlin, take Marie to the kitchen and make
sure she gets something decent to eat. And a more suitable dress, please!” She
surveyed Marie with a wink. Marie would have like to have thanked her, but she
felt paralysed. Arthur’s words affected her greatly, even though she could
completely understand his scepticism. Marie looked over at Arthur, who was
still regarding her highly critically. His gaze was like a stabbing pain
through her heart.
Dark clouds filled the sky. There was
swishing and rumbling from everywhere. Merlin explained to Marie that it was no
thunder storm. It was the dark sorcerer, who was trying to force his way into
the inner courtyard.
“The protection spell I cast won’t last much
longer. And I’m afraid Arthur cannot be dissuaded from fighting the sorcerer
alone!”
“What’s so wrong with that? I still don’t
know how to compete against the sorcerer!”
“Your amulet, Marie! You still have some
pearls left and you can use them!” Marie changed into the dress Merlin had
given her behind a curtain. The material felt lovely and it didn’t itch,
either. True, she was used to going around in jeans and trainers, but she liked
the dress too. She no longer looked like a sack of potatoes. Merlin wanted to
explain more to her, but he was summoned by the King to help him put on his
armour. Marie’s amulet glowed red. What was that supposed to mean?
She took the amulet off and held it in her
hands to view it more closely. Something in Latin was engraved along the tail.
She read ‘Omnia vincit
amor’ and put the amulet back on. “Love conquers all!
How is that supposed to help me?” she asked herself.
“What are you doing in here?” a voice seemed
to ask out of nowhere. Marie turned towards the voice and couldn’t believe her
eyes.
“Jack? You? But what are you doing here?”
Marie approached him to greet him warmly, but Jack looked at her, frowning.
“Who are you? And where do we know each
other from?” he wanted to know.
“Oh, erm, I’m Marie and we know each other
from, well, from...” Marie hesitated with her answer a little. What if he
doesn’t know he’s a time traveller yet? He’d think she was completely nuts, or
worse, he could even kill her.
“From another time?” Jack finished the
sentence. Marie nodded, relieved. “Strictly speaking, from the future!”
Jack laughed. “Well, that’s a relief! Let
me guess, you’re Marie. Right?” She nodded. Marie was happy that the Jack from
the past was just as nice as the Jack she knew in the future. “I’m supposed to
defeat the dark sorcerer, but I don’t know how. Could you possibly help me?
Merlin speaks to me in riddles!”
Jack sat on the table and Marie followed
suit. “Well, I know you have to do it before it’s the third Advent in your
time. The pearls in your amulet will only hold their magic for that long. With
the magic in the pearls, you can really achieve something that nobody else here
can. What exactly that is, you’ll have to ask Merlin. And I know it has
something to do with love!”
Marie knew all of this already. “Here it
says love conquers all! Does that tell you anything?” she asked Jack. Jack
smiled.
“Yes, of course! And soon it will tell you
something too, I hope! It would be a shame if not!” Jack sipped his tea,
smiling. Loud cries could suddenly be heard from outside. Marie and Jack ran to
the window and looked out onto the courtyard. Some people ran away in panic and
hid in the stables. She saw Arthur battling a man dressed in black in the
middle of the courtyard. The dark sorcerer.
“I’m guessing this is your time, Marie!”
Marie clasped her amulet in one hand and
nodded at Jack. “I’m afraid it is!” She hurried out of the kitchen and heard
Jack call
“Good luck and say ‘hi’ to my future self!
If you survive, that is!”
In the hallway outside the kitchen, she
ran into Guinevere. She was holding a baby in her arms. Her eyes were filled
with tears. “Marie, please, run. There’s no point. Get yourself to safety.
They’re all dead. And Arthur won’t make it alone against the sorcerer. And I
can’t find Merlin!”
Marie looked at the baby; it was crying.
No, she wasn’t going to run. She would fulfil her destiny.
“Guinevere, get yourself and the baby to
safety. I’m going to fight!”
“Have you lost your senses? Please come with
me!” Guinevere begged. But she shook her head. She gave the baby a kiss on the
forehead and hugged her sweet mother.
“Please don’t worry! I know now what I have
to do!” At least, she thought she knew what she had to do, but she wasn’t going
to say that.
“Are you sure?” asked Guinevere. Marie
nodded. She took the amulet in both hands, removed two pearls from the dragon’s
tail and pushed them into Guinevere’s hand.
“I hope I can protect you!” Marie bent down
and kissed the baby’s forehead again. The baby stopped crying at once and stared
at Marie with bright blue eyes, smiling. “I think he knows who I am!” Guinevere
nodded.
“I think so too!” Marie took the amulet and
used it to catch the child’s tears. The dragon’s eyes lit up briefly. Guinevere
looked at Marie, confused. Marie just shrugged.
“I have no idea why I did that. It was
instinct!” Guinevere looked deep into her daughter’s eyes one last time and
said:
“You’re just like your father!”
“Thanks!” Marie said and ran outside into
the courtyard.
Marie almost collided with her father.
“Marie, no! Go back inside. It’s too
dangerous!” Blood ran from wounds on Arthur’s arm and leg, and he seemed to
hardly be able to stay on his feet. “We can’t defeat him! I’ve already stabbed
him several times in the heart with a sword!”
Marie glanced over at the black-masked
man. Merlin was trying to fight him with his magic, but the dark sorcerer’s
magic seemed to be stronger. Arthur spoke to Marie in a low voice: “Take my
sword, Marie. Kill him, if it’s your purpose!”
She
nodded, tears running down her face. “Please, you can’t die! Not now and not
like this!” Arthur’s hand gently stroked her cheek.
“You have your mother’s eyes! I am not
afraid of death!” he whispered and
collapsed.
“No!” cried Marie. “No! You can’t die!” She
shook the body lying in her arms in desperation. Eyes filled with tears, she
could vaguely see Merlin kneeling next to her. He put an arm around her
comfortingly.
“Don’t give up hope! You still have the
pearls...”, he was
interrupted by a sinister voice.
“So we meet again! Marie, you piece of crap,
come here and fight! It’s your purpose, your destiny, to kill me! Come here and
stop wailing like a little child! You slut!”
Marie jumped when she heard the voice. She
dashed the tears from her face and stood up. “Please get my father out of here,
Merlin!”
Merlin nodded. “Marie, with the power of
love you can defeat him!”
“I know!” said Marie, placing a pearl in
Merlin’s hand. “Put it in his mouth!” She took a step away from her father and
looked at the dark sorcerer. He wore a black mask, so she could not recognise
him, but the voice was familiar. She knew that voice all too well! “What did
you call me? The only one here who’s a piece of crap is you! Too cowardly to
show your face! What kind of man are you? A man who hides behind a mask? A man
who kills innocent women and children!” Her voice shook with rage. Marie was
more than determined to deliver the man who stood before her to the afterlife.
She held her father’s sword, Excalibur, tightly in her hand. “Take off that
crummy mask!” she ordered him in a very
harsh tone.
He laughed maliciously and ripped the mask
from his face. “Better?” he asked in the same harsh tone. He also held a sword
tightly in his hand.
“I actually never wanted to see your nasty
face ever again, even though I would have liked to tell you how much I hate
you!” Marie looked at him, scowling.
“If you want to tell me, then do so!” he laughed mockingly.
“No, hate is a false companion, you know. I
forgive you for what you’ve done. I forgive you for giving innocent children to
aliens, and I forgive you for trying to kill my father!”
The man looked at her, annoyed, but didn’t
let Marie out of his sight. “But I can never love you, or forget what you’ve
done! And I’m going to make you pay for it!” She raised the sword. “Fight!” she
commanded him.
“I’m your father! You won’t kill me! You
don’t have it in you, you little slut!” “You are not my father. You are the man who
eked out his miserable existence at the side of a wonderful and warm woman.
Your life was so miserable you had to resort to black magic to become anyone or
anything! You disgust me so much!” She swung the sword as though she had done
it all her life and fought the man she loathed. She managed to fend off most of
her opponent’s attacks.
“You’re good! I have to admit! You’re still
a piece of crap, but a good fighter!”
“Something nice, coming from you!” She
didn’t want to get into a discussion and waited for the right moment to strike
with the sword. They delivered a bitter fight, neither wanted to give in. Until
she wasn’t on her guard for the blink of an eye.
The
dark sorcerer knocked her sword from her hand and Marie was now unarmed. The
man who called himself Marie’s father came charging at her at a fast pace. He
was determined to kill Marie.
“Do you have any last words, you brat!” He
held the sword against Marie’s chest and stared at her, his face distorted with
rage.
“I have something to say to you, you
bastard!” a voice sounded. Marie
discovered, to her delight, that Gray must have followed her into the past. He
stood there now, holding his sword tightly in his hands. “Come here and fight
against a man! You pansy!”
The sorcerer released Marie and tore
towards Gray. The two of them fought like wild bulls. Neither gave in. It was
blow for blow and sparks flew from their swords. Marie ran over to Excalibur
and then to Merlin and her father, who was now standing back on his feet.
“I have an idea!” Marie said to Arthur and
produced a small pocket knife from under her skirt. Surprised, Arthur took a
step back. Marie scored the knife against her hand; blood flowed out. She
handed the knife to Merlin, took the
amulet from around her
neck and held it under her hand. The blood dripped onto it and the dragon’s
eyes glowed again slightly.
“Have you gone mad?”, Arthur asked his
daughter. Merlin smiled.
“Well she is your daughter!”
“Now you, Dad!” she said. Arthur hesitated a little, then
reached for the knife and copied Marie. The King’s blood ran over the amulet.
The amulet glowed brightly. Then she placed it back around her neck, grabbed
Excalibur and hurried over to help her boyfriend. But she was too late! Just as
she reached Gray and the sorcerer, the man dressed in black thrust his sword
into Gray’s chest. He withdrew it with a malicious, resounding laugh and Gray
fell to the floor.
“No one can defeat me!” he said to Marie, who was now kneeling next to
her boyfriend.
“Go and kill him. I love....!” That was all
Gray could manage. Tears ran down his cheeks and he closed his eyes.
“No!” cried Marie. She sobbed bitterly. The
sorcerer stood over her and was about to attack with his sword when Marie
jumped up, swung Excalibur and severed his head from his body in one stroke.
Merlin and Arthur came running over to Marie. Merlin attempted to revive Gray
with magic. Arthur and Marie stared at the body and the severed head, which
disappeared into thin air in front of them.
“This isn’t over!” a voice hissed through
the air. Marie let Excalibur fall to the ground and knelt over Gray, sobbing.
Merlin shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Marie!”
She shook Gray in desperation, shouting
over and over: “Wake up! Wake up! Don’t leave me alone!” Marie put a pearl in
his mouth. She waited and hoped that Gray would return to her, but his eyes
remained closed. Marie laid her head on his chest and her tears mixed with his
blood.
Arthur handed Marie an old ring. It was
adorned with a small pink pearl was an inscription: “Omnia
vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori” (Love conquers all, let us yield to love).
Marie burst into tears as she read the sentence. Arthur held his daughter
tightly and tried to comfort her.
“I’m so sorry, Marie. I shouldn’t have given
you the ring. Forgive me!” Marie swallowed.
“No, it’s ok!” She looked at him. “Thank you
for everything. Please take care of yourself and your family.”
“You really want to go back to your own
time?”, Arthur enquired. Marie nodded and dried her tears.
“I have to take Gray home. Jack’s waiting.”
Arthur nodded and took her hands in his.
“You can open a portal to our time using the
ring. You can visit whenever you like! You will always be welcome here. Never
forget that!”
“I won’t! Nor will I forget you!” It was
obviously difficult for Arthur to let his daughter go. “Merlin’s waiting. I
have to go, Dad!” Marie had already said goodbye to her mother and her little
brother. She approached Merlin, who was waiting for her in the middle of the
courtyard. The stone in the ground rose once more and stood as a small column
in front of them. Gray’s lifeless body was wrapped in canvas and lay at Marie’s
feet. Marie glanced sadly down at him.
“Wait! I’m coming with you!” Arthur shouted
and hurried after them. “I’m coming with you!” he repeated. “I’m not leaving
you alone at a time like this!” Marie smiled at him.
“Thank you, but what about....?” Arthur
interrupted her.
“Of course I have discussed it with her.” He
nodded and held Marie’s hand. “Then I will stay here and take care of them
both. Only three people can pass through the portal.” Arthur nodded thankfully
at his friend and confidant.
“Thank you, Merlin!” said Marie. “Say hello to your friend, the
dragon, for me!” She smiled and placed a pearl on the column. Marie could
vaguely make out Merlin waving to her.
Jack
knelt over his brother’s body, sobbing. “Why?” he asked Marie. She could only shake her head
feebly.
“I can’t answer that. We tried everything!”
Gray’s body lay on the floor in her living room.
“We have to get him to the Hub!” Jack said as he stood. He swiped the tears
from his face.
Arthur looked at the Advent wreath on the small
table next to the sofa. “It’s a beautiful wreath. Is today the third Advent?” he
asked.
Marie sensed that he was trying to
distract them a bit. She nodded. “Gray and I made that. We wanted to light the
candles together on each Advent.” Marie’s tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Since he’s still here, you should light the
third candle!” said Arthur. Marie looked
sadly at Jack.
“Will you light the third candle with me, as
his brother?”, she asked. Jack nodded and handed Marie the flaming match. She
lit the candle’s wick in tears. “For you, Gray!” Jack put his arms around Marie
and let his own tears begin to fall.
“What’s that?” asked Arthur suddenly.
“Marie, it’s not over! You still have a
pearl!” Jack released Marie and all three of them stared at the white figure,
which now floated before them. It was Marie’s grandmother, who greeted Arthur
warmly and curtsied. “It is an honour for me to be able to meet you in person.
Of course, you can take the words ‘in person’ in the remotest sense!”
Arthur laughed. “The privilege is mine!”
Marie’s grandmother glanced at Gray and wept. Marie had often asked herself
whether ghosts could cry – now she knew the answer. “It’s not over yet, Marie!”
The ghost turned her attention to her grandchild.
Marie shook her head fiercely. “Oh no,
I’ve done what was asked of me. And lost my love because of it! Why should I
continue to fight? Tell me!” her voice trembled.
“The sorcerer, as he calls himself, is still
not dead. He could return at any time!”
“I cut off his head!”
“Yes, out of hatred! Because of that, you
did not defeat him. No, unfortunately you made him stronger!”
“Because I killed him in anger? How has he
managed that?” Marie wanted to know. She got her answer from Jack instead of
her grandmother.
“I told you that hatred is a false
companion. Only love can defeat him. Love he has never felt and never received!
And only you can kill him because you are the first born. He wants to take
Arthur’s place and kill his wife and your brother. But if he kills your
brother, you’ll die too. A part of your brother is in you and vice versa. He
can do magic because he once made a pact with aliens!”
Marie shook her head again. She didn’t
want to know any more. She just wanted peace and quiet and she wanted to be
alone so she could grieve for Gray.
“Leave me be! I will not fight any further!
I’ll just die, so what!” She knelt beside Gray and gently swept his hair off
his forehead. “There’s just no point anymore!”
Arthur grabbed her arm, hauled her up and
shook her by the shoulders. “What kind of attitude is that, Marie?” he was
clearly angry with her. “I would never have become King with an attitude like
that! You can’t just leave others to die because things aren’t going well for
you! Damn it, Marie!” Surprised, Marie looked at her father and lowered her
gaze in shame.
“But I can’t do this anymore! Doesn’t anyone
understand that?”
“I understand it very well! My brother lies
at your feet! But he should not have died in vain!” Jack approached Marie and
gently stroked her hair. “I understand you very well. I travelled across
galaxies, fought aliens and never gave up just for the hope of seeing him again
one day!”
“You had a purpose, but I don’t have one
anymore! I’m sorry, Dad! I just can’t!”
“Being a ghost, I have the power to grant
you a wish. But of course, I’ll need something in return!” chimed the voice of
Marie’s grandmother. Marie looked at her grandmother earnestly.
“What kind of wishes can you grant?”
“Only what your heart desires!”
“Would it be possible to bring Gray back to
life?”
The ghost shook her head. “No. But think
carefully!” Marie looked at Gray and at the two men, who frowned at her.
“I’d like to go back in time to just before
Gray fought the man in black. No, wait, please take me to the time when Arthur
handed me the sword. I think I should have done something differently at that
point! Is that ok?”
“Yes, certainly, but there is a price.”
“What is it?”, asked Marie.
“Give me something which comes from that
time. Something very important to you, at least as important as he is”, the
ghost gestured to Gray. Marie looked at her father and Jack questioningly.
“The ring”, said Arthur.
“But then I can never see you again!” said
Marie sadly. Arthur hugged his daughter briefly and looked at her.
“It’s alright. You’ll always be in our
hearts. And it will be easier for us to let you go if we know you are happy!
Your happiness is our happiness!”
“Thank you”, Marie smiled.
“That’s what fathers are for, right?” Arthur
winked at her.
“Granny, I still have one pearl left. Can I
pass it on to someone?”
“Of course, my child, if that’s what you
want!”
“It is!” Marie smiled from ear to ear.
“Jack, I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you were there for me and
watched over me in secret like a father. I wish I could have spent more time
with you, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again someday!” Marie hugged Jack
warmly and handed him the last pearl. He accepted it, touched.
“You have to speak your wish, so he can
fulfil it!”, Granny advised her grandchild.
“I wish for Jack to be happy and to be able
to spend more time with Julianna. That’s if he wants to!” Jack smiled and
nodded silently. His eyes filled with tears.
“Take good care of my little brother for me,
you hear?”
“Yes, I promise!” Then Jack disappeared in a
pink beam of light.
“So, my dear child. Now over to you! Are you
ready?” Marie quickly grabbed the Advent wreath from the table and handed the
ring to her granny. “Ready!”
Marie almost collided with her father.
“Marie, no! Go back inside.
It’s too dangerous!” Blood ran from wounds on Arthur’s arm and leg, and he
seemed to hardly be able to stay on his feet. “We can’t defeat him! I’ve
already stabbed him several times in the heart with a sword!”
Marie glanced over at the black-masked
man. Merlin was trying to fight him with his magic, but the dark sorcerer’s
magic seemed to be stronger. Arthur spoke to Marie in a low voice: “Take my
sword, Marie. Kill him, if it’s your purpose!”
“If it’s my destiny!” Arthur looked at her
and frowned.
“That seemed very familiar to me!” he said and
Marie nodded, smiling.
“So, it worked?”
”I
hope so! We can only be certain if it ends differently!” She quickly placed a
pearl in Arthur’s mouth, who continued to look at her with a frown, but kept
the pearl in his mouth. Then she produced a small pocket knife from under her
skirt and cut her hand with it. She handed it to Arthur, who stood before her
on very unsteady legs. “Please hold on!” she said. He nodded and cut his hand with the
knife. Marie took the amulet and held it beneath their hands. The blood dripped
onto it and it lit up brightly like before. Marie wrapped the amulet around the
tip of Excalibur’s blade and it merged with the sword. “So, let’s see who has
the last laugh here!” Merlin came to Arthur and supported him, because he could
no longer keep himself on his feet.
Marie approached the black-masked man with
quick, steady steps. Her voice strong, she commanded: “Take off that mask and
look at me as I send you back to hell!” The man laughed maliciously.
“Are you trying to tell me what to do, you
piece of crap?”
“Are you going to prattle on like an old
chatterbox, or fight like a man?” Marie was determined to end this nightmare.
The man ripped his masked angrily from his face and lashed out at Marie. The
blow was so heavy, she dropped Excalibur. Marie was unarmed. The man held his
sword against Marie’s chest.
“Do you have any last words, you slut?” he hissed angrily at Marie.
“Hey, you pansy! Get away from my girlfriend
and fight against a man!” In dismay, Marie realised that Gray was now in
exactly the same situation as before. The man in black released Marie and tore towards
Gray. The two fought each other like wild bulls. Their swords produced sparks. Then
came Merlin, holding Excalibur in his hand. Marie and Merlin observed how Gray
managed to disarm his opponent. At that moment, Merlin murmured something Marie
couldn’t understand and Excalibur flew over to Gray. Gray grabbed it,
brandished it at his attacker’s head, who was now storming towards him once more,
and beheaded the dark sorcerer with one blow. The lifeless body and the severed
head turned to dust and were blown away in the wind. Then Gray collapsed.
“No!” cried Marie and ran to him. She knelt over him
and sobbed. Gray looked at Marie and wiped her tears away gently with the last
of his strength. “It’s ok, Marie!
Don’t be upset!” then he closed his
eyes.
Marie pounded Gray’s chest and shouted
over and over: “No! Please don’t go! You can’t go!” Merlin knelt over Gray too
and felt for his pulse. Then he murmured something Marie couldn’t understand
again. Merlin looked at Marie.
“He’s alive. His pulse is weak, but he’s
alive!” Marie laughed with joy and kissed Gray’s forehead. Tears dripped down
onto him. Then he opened his eyes.
“You seem to be making a habit of saving me!
I should do it too for a change!” he breathed softly and smiled at Marie.
“You crackpot! You already have! But please
don’t do it again, ok?” she asked him.
“Why not?” Marie kissed him and said:
“Because I don’t have any more pearls!”
That Christmas was the best Marie had ever
had. Everyone danced, laughed and was merry. Her little brother slept
peacefully in Guinevere’s arms and Arthur stroked his wife’s cheek lovingly.
Even Merlin flirted shamelessly with a young woman.
Gray lit a match and handed it to Marie. Their
Advent wreath stood before them; the fourth candle still unlit. Marie took his
hand and they lit the final candle on the Advent wreath together. They both
looked at each other happily. “And you’re sure you don’t want to go back?” Gray
asked her. Marie shook her head.
“I’m still sure!” Gray kissed her head
fondly. Marie looked at Gray and kissed him so deeply, she felt herself blush
again. Gray took her face in his hands,
looked deep into her eyes and smirked. “What?” Marie asked with a shy glance.
“You still blush when I kiss you!” Marie
punched him gently in the ribs and laughed.
Their messages, which had been attached to
the wreath, lay unrolled on the table in front of them. On each one were the
same words.
“What I wish for you is: loyal friends, true
love, happiness, good health and the fulfilment of your heart’s desires!”
The
End
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