The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin

Merlin emrys has returned to the land of the living.

I had a vision.

Two dragons came forth to the battle one another.

The dragons you have seen are your enemies.

White for the saecsen horde,

red for the true sons of britain

whose father you murdered for your crown.

Vortigern!

Thus ends the reign of vortigern, high king of britain.

Take heart, you people of the island of the mighty.

Dafyd?

Myrddin.

To see you after all these years.

But you have not altered a bit.

I had this sword crafted

for my father by the high king's own Smith.

Perhaps it's best to leave it here.

You are the flower of your race.

'Tis a great thing to be a king, hawk

but there is authority of a kind even kings must bend to.

I've known Merlin a very long time.

I would have you my counselor.

Very well, aurelius.

Perhaps you have the makings of a king after all.

Dafyd, you've come home.

Hello, mother.

Myrddin.

Never seen so many.

There will be no victory

without the kings of britain by our side.

I need every single one of them to defeat hengist.

Well done.

Fool.

Are you so heavy with drink that you fail

to recognize the spawn of vortigern?

Prince pascent, forgive aldwyn's impertinence.

He will be punished.

What word from your father?

My father is dead.

What do you want?

My father is dead and I am his heir,

high king of the britons.

And yet you ride here unannounced.

No honor guard,

no war band.

I did not know I needed a war band

at my back to meet with an ally.

You do if you're going to watch him shit.

The sons of constans have murdered my father

and now they claim his crown.

And you want me to help you take it back?

They will not be content

until they have all of britain in their grasp.

All of britain?

Even now, they turn their eyes east to the saecsen coast.

Let us march against these usurpers

before they march against you.

Why do I need you?

You swore to uphold my family's claim

when my father let you settle these lands.

Let?

Our pact was sealed in blood.

You will be held to it.

The son of vortigern is right.

A pact sealed in blood is to be honored

unto death.

Hail the Fisher king.

Merlin.

Merlin!

And that's when I saw him

sat on a rock by the riverbed alone,

shining as bright as the dawn.

And we are most grateful to you, pelleas.

Even as our hopes waned,

you did not give up these many years.

My lady.

And you, my holy friend.

How did you come to be

in my grandson's company after all this time?

Providence, great king.

The divine hand.

Myrddin found me prisoner of high king vortigern.

Prisoner?

A king who holds hostage

a servant of the most high gambles with his life.

A gamble vortigern lost.

King avallach, I have been remiss.

May I present to you uther,

second son of constans and his older brother, aurelius.

The sons of constans.

I see.

Forgive me, my brother and I

were loath to interrupt your happy reunion.

Aurelius has defeated the usurper, vortigern.

He is by right of lineage and victory

high king of ynys prydein.

If I do not fall to the axe of a saecsen first.

Or the ambitions of a petty king.

My brother surely meant no disrespect, king avallach.

And yet he speaks truly.

This land is in a welter of confusion.

There are more kings than sheep,

more princes than crows on a battlefield,

all seeking to snatch what they can

when they can without a care for who suffers.

Until this island is ruled by one

who wields both justice and mercy, there will be no peace.

Aurelius' life is in danger

until the kings of britain recognize his claim.

It is my hope he could find sanctuary here

while I ride to rally what friends we have left.

While we ride to rally your friends.

Uther.

To ensure Merlin is not remiss

pushing your claim in other courts.

Right, Merlin?

Very well, uther.

If you prefer nights in the saddle

to the comfort of avallach's palace.

You will not be staying, then?

I'm sorry, mother.

My people have seen enough of war and death.

The high king of britain will be safe within these walls.

To a future of peace.

Yes, it is me, darling.

Remember what they did to me by the fire?

You fuss over me like a child

while other men call me immortal.

The Fisher king's sword.

Your sword.

I thought it lost.

Yet it has been here, waiting for you.

The sword of a high king.

Aurelius has a sword, the sword of britain.

I do not offer it to aurelius.

Take me up.

What?

I'm sorry, mother, but I cannot accept it.

Whatever the future may hold,

I cannot take up that sword again.

Then I will pray you have the strength to keep your vow.

I wish you were not leaving so soon.

Besides, the fish are always

on their best behavior when you are here.

What was it like, Merlin?

To be insane?

To be alone with god.

Is that who you think I was alone with?

Who else?

I would dearly love to spend but a moment

in my lord's presence.

You are fortunate among men, Merlin.

Go, I have been greedy with your time.

We will discuss these things again when you return.

You fear for your sins, grandfather

but surely your sins are no greater than any other man's.

I had forgotten how much you see

with those golden eyes, hawk.

Yet in truth, my sins are too numerous to count

and they gave life to morgian.

I've seen her,

morgian,

in the fire and in the stars.

I do not know if god was with me

in celyddon all these many years, grandfather.

But I know morgian was.

Trust in jesu, hawk.

He is the only hope for men like us,

if hope we have.

So, tell me about this place,

maridunum.

Built by the romans in the heart of a plentiful valley,

not far from the sea.

Your steward has a nasty habit

of speaking on your behalf, Merlin.

If he were mine, I would have him flogged for impertinence.

Pelleas speaks as he serves, of his own free will.

So you would have him believe.

Are you suggesting the emrys has me spellbound?

Your words, boy, not mine.

You surprise me, uther.

I didn't take you for one who believed in magic.

When a man catches the gaze of a beautiful woman,

is that not a form of magic?

Or when a king through cunning and deceit

wrests fealty from his people?

Is that not a sorcery of a kind?

Myrddin, you know what you must do.

I see you.

I see you, now come here, come find me.

You need to find her, you only need the one.

Why do you hesitate?

You know what you must do.

Master,

what is it?

You wanna go to the pub? Yeah.

Delightful place.

What is your business here?

I've come to seek a home I once knew.

What home is that?