Entry: OC02En03

Title: The Wild Swans

Word count: 4158

Theme and/or Prompt/s: Fairytale one-shot, written for the ag-fics ‘Oneshot Challenge 2 – fairytale’

Rating: PG

Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin, Morgana, Morgause, Uther, Gauis

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to Shine and the BBC.

Summary: Based on Hans Christian Andersen fairytale ‘The Wild Swans’

Author’s notes: I’ve use the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale ‘The Wild Swans’ as my basis and twisted it to fit our wonderful Camelot cast. Hope you enjoy it.

Once upon a time there was an evil witch whose name was Morgana, who lived in the majestic kingdom of Camelot, where she kept her magic powers secret from all. She was the daughter of the King, Uther Pendragon, who adored her but knew nothing of her powers. Tall and dazzlingly beautiful with glossy black hair, alluring green eyes and lips as red as the deepest red rose, Morgana was the most sought after woman in the land. Everyday, in secret, her magical powers grew. The King was terrified of magic and ruled his kingdom like a tyrant, executing anyone who was discovered to be magic and many others who were guilty by association with sorcery. He had no idea that his own daughter was one of those whose life he made miserable. The King believed that his daughter loved him with all her heart, but deep inside she hated her father for his persecution of magic and plotted with her half sister, Morgause, an immensely powerful witch, to overthrow Uther and claim the throne of Camelot for herself. She had turned from a lighthearted and loving child into a bitter ice maiden.

Her desire to gain the throne was so great that she had long since ceased to care for her any of her friends in Camelot. Her half brother, Arthur, Prince of Camelot and the rightful heir to the throne had always loved his sister and had many happy memories of their childhood together in Camelot. Once, Morgana had loved him too, but now that ice had entered her heart , she feigned sisterly affection towards Arthur, but secretly was always looking for opportunities to rid herself of the only person that blocked her route to the throne.

Fate had played into Morgana’s hands. She had a handmaiden whose name was Guinevere, known to all in the castle as Gwen. Gwen was a pretty young woman, with a certain dignity in her bearing. She was wise beyond her years and cared deeply for her friends. Gwen’s father had lost his life at Uther’s hands, one of the many innocent men falsely convicted on sorcery who paid with their head. For reasons that Morgana could not understand, Prince Arthur had fallen deeply in love with this beautiful maid, but their romance was another secret kept in Camelot. Arthur knew that his father would never agree to a marriage with a servant and so the young lovers planned to wait for each other until Arthur became king. The only people in the kingdom who knew of Arthur and Guinevere’s love were Morgana, Arthur’s servant Merlin and the court physician Gaius, Merlin’s uncle.

Amongst Morgana’s powers, the most potent was her ability to see visions of the future. These normally came to her in her dreams and many nights she was tormented with visions in which she played no part in the future of Camelot. Indeed, in many of those dreams, it was lowly Guinevere who became Queen.

One day, after a particularly disturbed night, Morgana sought counsel with her sister, the witch Morgause, in a clearing in the forest just before dawn. In the half light the raven black curls of Morgana mixed with the shimmering golden hair of her sister as they bent their heads together in consultation.

“The time has come, sister. I cannot stand by and see you tormented by these dreams. With your magical powers you can change the course of destiny and claim the crown that is rightfully yours,” declared Morgause, urging her sister to take action. “Let us be rid of Arthur and his supporters and then the only thing blocking your path will be the king himself. We will easily dispose of him!”

Morgana told her of a spell she had come across in an old book of Magic. “It will turn the Prince into a swan, and also anyone who is with him. It is irreversible – once the prince is a swan he will be forced to fly far away, and live his life trapped. That is better than death – he will truly suffer for years.” Hatred had truly entered her soul.

The two witches drew up a plan and then parted company. Morgause melted into the woods, Morgana put on her mask of love and loyalty and swept back to Camelot.

Once every week, Prince Arthur took council with his most loyal knights in a chamber to the south of the Great Hall. Amongst the knights present were Sir Lancelot, Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan, Sir Percival and Sir Leon, all knights of the highest calibre who had proven their sworn loyalty to the future king on many occasions. It was during the next session of this council that Morgana acted. The potion was ready – just a few drops in the water jugs and the quiet muttering of a spell were all it took. She disappeared from the ante-chamber just as Arthur approached with his men. They entered and took their seats, Sir Bors closing the doors behind them with a thud.

What Morgana had forgotten was Arthur’s servant, Merlin. In this great kingdom of secrets, he carried one of his own, which was known to no one but Gaius, the court physician and Sir Lancelot. Even his master Arthur had no idea that Merlin was a warlock, many times more powerful than either of the two witches.

Merlin was hurrying to the ante-chamber with some papers that Arthur had left in his rooms. He reached the chamber doors and knocked quickly, breathing heavily after running through the castle corridors. There was no answer. Merlin thought this was odd as he knew there should be twelve people in the room. He knocked again, somewhat louder and waited again. Nothing. He pressed his ear to the door and could hear no sound except for a strange beating noise. He was so puzzled by the strange absence of noise that he risked incurring the wrath of his master for interrupting and burst in through the double doors. There before him were three swans and one other poised on the open window ledge ready to take flight. Merlin stood in shock at the sight before him. He could feel the magic in the air and realised quickly that the knights and prince had fallen foul of an evil spell. As the last swan jumped onto the window sill it turned and looked Merlin full in the face. It had the clear blue eyes of the Prince and as he took flight, Merlin heard it utter the words “Guinevere!” He ran to the window and saw in the sky a group of twel majestic swans flying together towards the sun. He watched, straining his eyes, until they disappeared over the horizon.

It fell to Gaius, the most trusted member of Uther’s court, to break the news to the king about the terrible enchantment that had been placed upon his only son and heir. He ordered that groups of soldiers should be sent to the north, south, east and west to search for the missing men. The shock combined with his fear of magic proved to be too much for the king and in a sorry state he retired to his chambers in despair. Morgana secretly delighted in his distress and could find no hint of remorse at the fate she had bestowed upon a brother she had once loved. She acted swiftly now, determined to secure the throne for herself. Announcing that the shock had left the King incapable, she kept him captive in his own chambers, preparing a potion for him every day that left him incapacitated. It was then only a matter of hours before she summoned her sister Morgause to the castle and claimed the throne for herself.

Meanwhile, Merlin had visited Guinevere in her small house in the lower town. True to Arthur’s departing wish, he broke the news of Arthur’s transformation to her and watched in dismay as Guinevere collapsed in tears. They clung to each other in shock and fear. After Gwen had calmed herself, she turned to Merlin and asked, “Is there nothing we can do. Surely we must go and search for the swans. I have lost my love and my brother.” For Sir Elyan was Guinevere’s brother. “Come Merlin, does Gaius know of no remedy for this enchantment?”

Together they went to Gaius’ chambers in the castle and pored over books of Magic long into the night in search of an answer. They had almost given up hope when Gaius turned the pages of a particularly musty book and said thoughtfully, “I wonder....?”

Gwen and Merlin looked at him hopefully and then gathered around the old man to look at the pages at which he was staring.

“The only remedy for such a spell is for good hearted and noble woman to weave, by hand, mail shirts for the swans from nettles. She must gather the nettles with her bare hands, tread them into flax with her bare feet and weave them into shirts, one for each swan. She must not cry, sing, laugh or speak from the moment she commences the task until the last shirt is finished. When the swans wear the nettle shirts they will be returned to their human form.”

The three sat in silence for a while as the enormity of the task before them sank in.

“Gwen, this will be dangerous and difficult!” worried Merlin.

But Guinevere, full of bravery, stood up, looking like the Queen she was destined to become and said “It is a task I have to complete, for Camelot and for Arthur. If this is the only way to restore them both then I will have to try with all my might to carry it out.”

Both of the men gazed at the dignified young woman with respect.

“Gwen, know that I will do my very best to protect you while you undertake this task,” cried Merlin.

They could waste no time. Their lives were already in peril whilst the new Queen was taking control. It could only be a matter of moments until she came for Guinevere. Merlin and Gwen took flight from Camelot, stealing two horses from the castle and riding towards the sun in the direction that Merlin had watched the swans disappear. They rode for three days, stopping briefly to eat and sleep but spurred on by their desperation to find the twelve swans. After the third day of rising they were overcome by tiredness and both fell asleep in the forest at the foot of a huge oak tree. As they slept Guinevere dreamt a very vivid dream – she was standing on the edge of a lake with swan’s feathers in her hands. The forest was behind her, deep, dark and silent. When she awoke from the dream, she shook Merlin hurriedly and told him what she had seen.

“They are close now, I’m sure of it! We must look for the lake and they will be there.” She exclaimed.

With a new found sense of hope the two friends jumped on their horses and set off towards the south again. After another hour had passed in the dark forest, ahead of them they caught a glimpse of sparkling blue and knew they had found the right place. They rushed to the water’s edge, glorying in the warmth of the sun on their backs after so long in the gloom. Gwen searched the pebbles at the edge of the lake.

“Merlin, come quickly, it’s just like my dream!” and turning around Gwen showed Merlin a handful of white swan’s feathers that she had gathered from the lake’s edge. As she held them up she heard a beating of wings above her and a rush of wind around her and turning on the spot she saw with a full heart that twelve magnificent swans had flown down and landed on the pebbles. With tears of sadness and joy running down her cheeks, she embraced each swan in turn, as Merlin looked on with mingled fear and delight. Would Gaius’ idea actually work now that they had found the knights? Guinevere found that she too was able to recognise the individual knights from their eyes and on reaching Arthur she kissed him gently on the head.

Merlin and Gwen decided to set up camp on the edge of the forest for the night and busied themselves building a fire and fetching food to eat. Merlin prepared a rabbit and Guinevere found some root and leaves to cook. As darkness began to fall, another surprise was in store for them. A small cough alerted them that another person was nearby, and they sat very still, not daring to show themselves for fear that Morgana’s soldiers had followed them. The person stepped into the small clearing, but it was not until the moonlight glistened on his golden hair that Gwen and Merlin recognised who it was. It was Arthur. Gwen flew into his arms and was held tightly in his embrace.

“How is it that you are here?” she exclaimed, running her hands over his face as though checking he was real.

“Every night, as the sun fades and the moon rises, we transform back into young men. Indeed, the others are just waiting by the lake for my signal.” He hooted like an owl to the others and turned back to Gwen and Merlin. “You have no idea how good it is to see you. How on earth did you find us?”

“I watched you fly away from the castle, so we rode in that direction for three days. We were just about to give up hope when Guinevere was led to this place in a dream. I still can’t believe that we found you – it seemed hopeless,” replied Merlin.

The other knights now joined them in the clearing and wonderful was the reunion of these great friends. When all the greetings had subsided the group settled around the fire and talked long into the night. Merlin told of Morgana and her plot to rule Camelot. Arthur could not hide his sadness at this horrible betrayal by someone he loved and vowed to claim back his throne, whatever the cost. At this point Merlin revealed the remedy that Gaius had found in the old spell book.

When he had explained the nettle shirts and the great cost to Guinevere of the plan, there was silence around the circle. None of the young men could agree in their hearts to Guinevere undertaking such a painful task and to be committed to a vow of silence. However, Guinevere had ideas of her own.

“I know that none of you will agree to this, but I have already decided. There is no choice open to me, if I wish to spend my life with Arthur and see him restored to his rightful place as King of Camelot. I believe that Arthur will be a great and good king and that Camelot will be a strong and mighty kingdom under his rule. He will need all of you standing alongside him to help this to be achieved. This is just a small sacrifice on my part and I do it willingly.”

The men could see that her mind was made up and in the last moments of the moonlight they bowed their heads to her in honour. As the first rays of the sun broke over the trees, there was another sudden rush of wind and twelve handsome swans rose into the sky around Merlin and Gwen.

“We will come again” was all they could hear whispering on the wind.

True to her word, Guinevere remained silent from that moment onwards. Merlin watched helplessly as she gathered the nettles from the forest and made a huge pile in their clearing. He busied himself with quietly using his magic to help hunt for food, placing protective enchantments around their small camp and using his small knowledge of potions to find the right ingredients to make a soothing balm for the stings that were reddening Gwen’s hands. Guinevere, obeying the instructions in the spell book, then removed her boots and socks and trod the nettles down into flax. She did not utter a cry during the whole process, despite the blisters and weals forming on her hands and feet.

When the young men rejoined them that night, they were horrified at the state of Guinevere’s hands and feet. She would not speak to them and only smiled and held up the first mail shirt already finished by her nimble fingers.

The next was the same and the next. Guinevere spent the days gathering, treading and weaving in silence while Merlin watched over her and during the evenings applied the balm to her hands and feet. Slowly and steadily the pile of shirts grew.

Back in Camelot, Queen Morgana was furious at the mysterious disappearance of the two servants. It was imperative that Guinevere, in particular, should be caught and dealt with. There was no room in her Camelot for anyone that had shown loyalty to Arthur. However the soldiers that she had sent out had drawn a blank. It was as though Merlin and Gwen had vanished into thin air.

It was then that Morgause drew out from her cloak a dark magical sphere that fitted into her hand perfectly.

“My sister, this is a seeing stone. Pass your hand over it and focus your mind on those you want to find. With it’s power you will be able to see where they are hiding.”

The false Queen took the smooth stone and gazed at it curiously, before passing her other hand over it and closing her eyes to focus on the pictures of Merlin and Gwen in her mind. She felt a jolt pass through her body and into the stone and upon opening her eyes saw a clear picture, as clear as a vision, in the surface of the stone. In rage, she screamed as she saw Merlin and Guinevere in the clearing, next to the lake, surrounded by the twelve swans.

“Ride out and seize them!” she cried to her soldiers, a furious gleam in her eyes.

Guinevere had almost finished her nettle shirts – there was just one more to complete. Her eyes shone with happiness as she looked upon her work. Her hands were swollen and she was finding it increasingly difficult to weave, but she knew that the end was coming soon and was determined to persevere to free her beloved, her brother and her friends. She had remained absolutely silent from the moment she had started.

Merlin had gone to collect more of the herbs for the balm and she sat alone in the peace and quiet intent on finishing the last shirt before sun down. She moved beyond the protective barriers that Merlin had enchanted to collect the last bale of nettles. All of a sudden, destroying the stillness of the forest she heard a crashing of horses hooves and breaking of branches. Before she had time to hide the shirts or herself a troop of soldiers burst into the small space.

“She’s here!” the first soldier cried and jumping down from his horse he grabbed her roughly by the arm and swung her round to face him. “Well, hello there, my pretty. We’ve been searching all the kingdom for you. Where’s your friend?”

Guinevere knew she could not speak and just looked at him in silence.

“Come on!” he said menacingly “It’ll be better for you if you tell us where he is. TELL US!”

Guinevere, true to her vow, remained silent , which enraged the soldier still further. He struck her across the face and she fell to the floor unconscious.

When she awoke she knew straight away that she was back in Camelot. She looked around her prison cell and saw, with thankfulness, that her captors, had flung the pile of nettle shirts and nettles in with her. She did not know it, but the soldiers had brought the nettle shirts back to Camelot to show to the Queen. However, the Queen, swept up in her own power, took no notice of the shirts and thought spitefully that it would well serve Guinevere to sleep on such an uncomfortable bed. And so, in the damp and cold dungeon, Guinevere continued to weave and sew with all the speed she could muster.

On his return to the clearing with the long searched for herbs, Merlin was horrified to find that Guinevere had disappeared with all the nettles. He knew instantly that this was suspicious and a quick survey of the clearing revealed the horses hoof prints and signs of a scuffle. He rushed to the lake’s edge and gathering the swans’ feathers, held them up in front of him. Almost instantly he felt the wind from the wings and heard the beating sound as the twelve swans landed on the pebbles beside him. He told them breathlessly that Guinevere had been seized, along with all of her shirts and he feared that she had been taken to Camelot. The swan that was Arthur nodded his graceful white head in agreement and as one the swans took off into the air and flew for the great kingdom. Merlin jumped on his horse and rode as hard as he could, keeping the great birds in sight as they led the way home.

The Queen, on the advice of her sister, decided that no good could come of keeping her former maidservant alive and ordered that Gwen be executed for high treason at dawn the following day. The news was passed to Guinevere as she sat frantically weaving in her cell. She allowed herself no cry or sigh for fear of breaking the spell, but carried on her work as though no one had spoken to her. The guards were mystified by her composure. Towards the end of the afternoon, Gwen heard a tapping on the grating over her tiny window and, looking up, saw a swan, her Arthur, looking down at her. She desperately wanted to cry out to him but couldn’t, and instead, took a step to one side to reveal to him the pile of shirts she had finished. She gave him a smile and reached out through the grating with her finger to touch his wing. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment before the swan lifted his wings and flew away.

The next morning a great crowd assembled in the square to watch the beheading of the traitor. There were gasps of horror as many in the crowd recognised Guinevere and found it hard to believe that this honourable young woman could be disloyal to the crown. Merlin was watching from behind a pillar in the corner of the great courtyard and as he saw everyone’s eyes move away from the prison doorway he slipped through the edge of the crowd and down to the cells. To his relief he found the pile of nettle shirts neatly folded on the floor of Guinevere’s cell. Picking them up carefully he stole back out of the cells and up the stairs to the courtyard. He had to act swiftly to save Guinevere’s life.

“What answer have you to the accusation of treason?” cried out the Queen to poor Guinevere. She could make no reply but stood with her head held high facing the crowd.

“Do you deny that you have been working against me and the kingdom of Camelot?”

Still no answer passed the young woman’s lips.

“Then so be it. Your silence confirms your guilt. Let this be a lesson to all in this kingdom. Treachery will NOT be tolerated. Chop off her head!”

The guard pushed Guinevere forwards until she was stood behind the block. The executioner stood menacingly next to her, drawing a black hood down over his face as the sharp edge of his axe glinted. She closed her eyes as though making a wish.

At that moment there was a great wild rush of wind all round the square. Twelve white swans swept down into the courtyard, beating their wings wildly and swooping down on the townsfolk gathered there. The crowd screamed and scattered, running for shelter. The swan that was Arthur swept down to the platform and landed next to Guinevere. In that instant Merlin knew his moment had come. Murmuring a spell under his breath, he threw a nettle shirt high and watched as is flew through the air to settle over the princes long neck and his wings. Arthur was instantly transformed and the people that were left in the square cried out in amazement to see their Prince, who had been missing and presumed dead, standing right before them. In turn each of the swans landed and received their own nettle shirt until all twelve were stood before the Queen.

Morgana screamed in utter rage. “Seize them!” she cried, but no one would listen. The hearts of the crowd were so full of joy that their Prince had been returned. In desperation she turned to her sister for support, only to find that she had disappeared from the platform. She scoured the crowd and saw a long black hooded cape sweeping out of the castle gates. At that moment she knew that her sister had abandoned her and before she had time to gather her wits, Merlin (from behind his pillar) had conjured ropes which bound themselves tightly around her arms and legs.

Now that the enchantment placed on the swans was broken, Guinevere stood before the crowd and said “I am innocent of these crimes”, to which the Prince swept her up into his arms and kissed her before the whole crowd.

Did the Queen escape? No she did not. She was beheaded that very day on the block that had been set up for Guinevere. Her sister Morgause melted back into the forest and may still live to this very day. Each of the enchanted knights kept and treasured a single swan’s feather to remind them of the sacrifice Guinevere had been prepared to make for them. Once King Uther was released from the influence of the potion he was restored to his former strength and when he understood the loyalty of Guinevere to Camelot he bestowed his blessing on the young couple. Only one secret was left uncovered – Merlin was glad that his magic had remained hidden while Uther was still king and went back to his work with a heart full of gladness that the destiny of Camelot was still secure.