North America / Kingdom of Yorkania (Northern Coast): December 26th, 1517.
It was a ugly day for the world.The ocean was grey, the wind was sharp, and the beach smelled like salt, rot, dead fish and old secrets that should have remained under the water.
(Merlin's POV)
"Your majesty. You should not be walking this close to the water." Said merlin calmly while looking at the waves.
"I have survived court, poison, men, marriage discussions and royal children. The ocean may wait its turn." Said morgan calmly as her black cloak dragged lightly across the wet sand.
"That's what they all say until it happens" Thought merlin with a unchanging calm look on his face.
The coast was full of soldiers.
Fishermen.
Road wardens.
A few pale faced sailors.
And one half dead fat man wrapped in blankets near a fire.
Lloyd soward burttback.
Captain.
Smuggler.
Survivor.
Unfortunate looking creature.
Morgan stared down at him for a moment and said calmly "good, the sea spat you out for lack of flavor."
Lloyd coughed hard and said hoarsely "Your majesty…that is the kindest thing a royal has said to me all month."
Morgan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Charles stood behind us with his arms behind his back, his gaze fixed on the broken wreckage scattered across the shore.
A black iron chain lay across the sand.
Thick.
Bent.
Snapped.
Near it was a plank of dark wood with the jersey commonwealth mark burned into it.
Farther down the beach, broken barrels, torn sail cloth, snapped oars and dead fish had washed up along the shore like the ocean had spat out everything it found insulting.
A young soldier covered his mouth with his sleeve.
Another crossed himself.
Morgan saw it.
"Do that again and I'll have your fingers educated by galahad." Said morgan calmly without looking at him.
The soldier froze.
Charles glanced at the soldier for half a second and looked back at the wreckage.
Morgan looked at the jersey mark and back at lloyd and said calmly "Speak."
Lloyd swallowed.
"The crate was chained. Marked by jersey. Heavy as sin. Some woman tried to open it. Then the sea went still." Said lloyd hoarsely and weakly.
The soldiers nearby grew silent.
"The crate shook before the beast came." Said lloyd weakly with a cough.
Charles's eyes narrowed.
Morgan glanced at him.
Only briefly.
"The woman." Said morgan calmly.
Lloyd blinked confusedly and asked hoarsely "What of her your majesty."
"Was she a sailor, spy, idiot or all three." Asked morgan calmly.
Lloyd rubbed his swollen face and said "She wore a cloak. Didn't speak like one of mines. Hands too soft for deck work. She had a little blade. Pretty face. Terrified eyes. The type that thinks danger is romantic until it starts breathing."
Morgan stared at him for a moment and asked calmly "And where is she now."
Lloyd looked toward the ocean.
The coast went silent.
"How helpful. The sea swallowed the witness." Said morgan calmly with a sigh.
Lloyd gulped.
Merlin crouched near the broken chain and brushed his fingers lightly over the black residue sticking to the metal.
"Hm..." Said merlin calmly.
Morgan looked down at him.
"If that hm becomes another mysterious old man sentence, I will drown you in front of the fishermen." Said morgan calmly as she stared at him.
Merlin ignored her and smelled the residue lightly.
A soldier gagged.
Merlin's eyes sharpened.
"Alchemical oil." Said merlin calmly with his eyes slightly widening.
The beach went silent.
Morgan's face did not move and said simply "Explain."
Merlin stood slowly and said calmly "This is not simple sealing oil. It carries animal musk, fermented blood extract and deep sea bait mixtures. Very old recipe. Very expensive. Very stupid if carried across waters where old predators may still pass."
Lloyd's one good eye widened.
"ARE YOU SAYING THE CRATE CALLED IT." Asked lloyd loudly.
Merlin looked at him and said calmly "No. I am saying whoever prepared the crate carried something attractive enough that an ancient sea beast decided your ship was an appetizer."
The coast became silent.
Morgan looked toward the ocean.
The waves moved normally now.
Too normally.
"What was in the crate." Asked morgan calmly.
Lloyd shook his head and said with a sigh "I don't know your majesty. Nobody told me. I was paid to move it."
"By who." Asked morgan calmly as she stared down at him.
"Jersey men. Not common sailors. High station. One had a ring shaped like a black stag." Said lloyd with gritted angry teeth.
Charles looked toward morgan.
"Joseph's inner council." Said charles nonchalantly.
Morgan looked at him and asked calmly while rubbing her smooth chin "You know his rings."
"I know symbols men use when they believe symbols make secrets safer." Said charles nonchalantly.
Morgan stared at him for a moment and then looked back at lloyd and said calmly "You are either useful or dead weight. Continue being useful."
Lloyd nodded quickly.
"Yes your majesty. I love usefulness. I was born useful. My mother said so after three cups of gin." Said lloyd quickly with a stupid grin that showed his rotten crooked yellow teeth.
Bagdemagus, standing near a rock with a thick fur cloak, burst out laughing.
"GYAHAHAHA. Keep him. He is filthy but entertaining." Said bagdemagus while laughing loudly.
Morgan ignored him. Not understanding why he came.
Merlin looked back down at the chain.
There were marks on it.
Not from cutting.
Not from rust.
Pressure.
Something had pulled the chain apart like thread and left deep circular dents along the black iron.
Merlin rubbed one of the dents with his thumb and said calmly "It did not simply break. It was crushed."
Morgan glanced down at it asked calmly "By the kraken."
"Likely." Said merlin with his eyes closed.
"Likely is becoming a word I dislike more every day. It is either a yes or no" Said morgan calmly.
Merlin smiled faintly and said calmly "It is a useful word your majesty. It all..."
"Yes or no." Said morgan calmly.
"Yes your majesty." Said merlin calmly with a sigh.
Charles stepped closer to the broken chain and said nonchalantly "This beast was not hunting randomly."
Morgan stared at and looked at him.
"No. It followed scent, vibration or both." Said merlin calmly while rubbing his smooth chin with squinting eyes.
Lloyd coughed violently and spat out blood.
*SPLAT*
A little blood landed on the blanket.
Morgan looked down at him and said calmly "Do not die yet. I have not finished using you."
Lloyd raised a shaky hand and said hoarsely "Your majesty, I would never be so rude."
A fisherman ran up with something wrapped in wet cloth and said loudly with a stutter "Y…YOUR MAJESTY. WE FOUND THIS TANGLED IN THE REEDS."
He opened the cloth.
Inside was a piece of dark metal.
Not iron.
Not silver.
Not gold.
It had strange grooves carved into it.
Merlin's face changed.
Just slightly.
Morgan saw it and asked calmly while looking at it closer "What is it."
Merlin took the object slowly and said with surprise "This is old."
"How old." Asked morgan calmly .
Merlin's chartreuse eyes stayed on the metal.
"Older than jersey. Older than yorkania's current crown. Possibly older than the castle." Said merlin calmly while inspecting the metal.
The beach went silent.
Charles stepped closer and looked at it.
"I have seen markings like that in burgundy." Said charles nonchalantly.
Merlin glanced at him.
Morgan looked between them and said while calmly rolling her eyes "Of course you have. Every time something disgusting appears, europe raises it's hand."
Charles did not react.
Merlin slowly turned the dark metal piece over.
The grooves were not random.
They curved inward like waves.
Or teeth.
Or letters made by something that did not like straight lines.
A old fisherman standing behind the soldiers suddenly stepped back.
Morgan's eyes moved to him and said calmly while pointing "You."
The old fisherman froze.
"Me your majesty." Asked the old fisherman with a trembling voice.
"No, the fish behind you. Yes you now step forward and present yourself to your ruler." Said morgan calmly.
The old fisherman came forward, his hands shaking.
"You recognize this." Asked morgan calmly while grabbing the metal from merlin's hand.
The old fisherman stared at the metal and said softly "My grandfather told stories. About old sea marks. Things placed on ships so the deep would follow. We thought it was drunk sailor nonsense."
Merlin's eyes narrowed.
Morgan looked at him and asked calmly "And did your grandfather die rich or sober."
The old fisherman swallowed.
"Neither your majesty." Said the old fisherman while averting his eyes.
"Then perhaps his nonsense earned reconsideration." Said morgan calmly while giving the metal back to merlin.
Bagdemagus leaned on his cane and said with a grin "Old men are rarely useless. We just smell like it sometimes."
Morgan slowly looked at him.
Bagdemagus looked away and whistled.
Charles looked at the metal again and said nonchalantly "If burgundy has seen these markings and jersey carried them, then someone has been moving old knowledge through modern hands."
Morgan's eyes stayed on the object.
"Old knowledge in modern hands is usually how kingdoms discover new ways to disappoint me." Said morgan calmly with a sigh.
Merlin wrapped the metal back in cloth.
"This is not proof of jersey's raid." Said merlin calmly.
"Indeed it is not. But it is proof that joseph lost something he cared about." Said morgan calmly while looking back at the black waves.
The wind moved her braid.
Morgan's eyes turned cold and thought "It will end very soon joseph."
A road warden came running down from the higher rocks.
"YOUR MAJESTY." Said the road warden loudly while bowing.
"Speak." Said morgan calmly.
"We found two more bodies beyond the rocks. Not yorkanian. Not sailor either. Hands soft, boots fine, pockets empty." Said the road warden.
Morgan's eyes narrowed.
"Spies." Said charles nonchalantly.
"Or men who drowned in expensive shoes." Said bagdemagus calmly in the background.
Morgan looked at galahad.
"Search them. Teeth, rings, scars, clothes, letters, tongues if necessary." Said morgan calmly while waving her hand and turning to leave for her carriage.
The road warden paled.
"T…tongues your majesty." Asked the road warden stutteringly in confusion.
Morgan paused and said calmly "Some men hide messages in their mouths. Some men lie with them. Either way, check."
The road warden bowed quickly and said before running off "Yes your majesty."
Lloyd stared at morgan with his one good eye.
Morgan looked down at him and stared silently.
Lloyd swallowed and said "I am beginning to understand why the ocean did not try to eat you your majesty."
The beach went silent.
Morgan stared at him.
Lloyd flinched.
"That was praise." Said lloyd quickly while closing his good eye.
Morgan looked at him for a long moment and said calmly "How unfortunate. You should improve."
Bagdemagus burst into laughter again.
"GYAHAHAHA. He praised you like a drowning rat and still got bitten." Said bagdemagus loudly.
Charles's eyes moved to the ocean.
The waves pulled back farther than usual.
The wet sand stretched long and dark.
Several fishermen noticed.
No one spoke.
Merlin's fingers tightened around the wrapped metal.
Morgan noticed that too.
The water far from shore had gone still.
Only for a moment.
One moment.
Then it moved again.
The soldiers froze.
Morgan stared.
Charles stared.
Merlin slowly placed the wrapped metal inside his coat.
A loud groan came from lloyd.
Everyone looked down.
Lloyd pointed shakily toward the ocean.
"I know that stillness." Said lloyd hoarsely.
Morgan looked at the horizon.
The sea was calm.
Grey.
Empty.
Too empty.
"Is it coming back." Asked a soldier whisperingly.
Morgan slowly turned her head toward him and said calmly "If it is, I would prefer it not hear your invitation."
The soldier went pale.
Charles's eyes stayed on the sea.
"It may still be near." Said charles nonchalantly.
Merlin nodded and said calmly "Or it may want the metal."
Morgan looked at merlin and asked calmly "Then why are you holding it."
Merlin paused.
The beach went silent.
"I was keeping it safe." Said merlin calmly.
Morgan stared at him and asked calmly "From whom."
Merlin was silent..
Morgan's eyes grew colder.
Charles glanced between them.
Morgan was silent for a moment and said calmly "My patience is running thin with you merlin, don't waste it."
Merlin smiled faintly.
Morgan looked back toward the ocean.
The waves moved again.
Normal.
Soft.
Like nothing enormous was hidden
Morgan turned away from the ocean and said calmly "We are leaving."
Bagdemagus blinked and asked "That is it."
"Galahad." Said morgan calm and Immediately.
"Yes your majesty." Said galahad with a bow.
"Seal this part of the coast. No fishermen. No merchant ships. No drunk idiots. No curious nobles with more money than instinct." Said morgan calmly.
"Yes your majesty." Said galahad calmly while still bowing.
Morgan looked at merlin and said calmly "Merlin."
"Yes your majesty." Said merlin while bowing.
"You will study that thing without dying, mutating, praying, glowing or becoming any more irritating than you already are." Said norgan calmly.
Merlin looked offended for a moment and said calmly "I have never glowed your majesty."
"Good. Continue the tradition." Said morgan.
"Charles." Said morgan calmly without turning around.
Charles looked at her.
"Yes." Said Charles nonchalantly.
"You will tell me everything you know about the Burgundian markings and after that you will leave my kingdom and return to where you came from until my decision has been made." Said morgan calmly.
"I expected as much." Said charles nonchalantly.
"You should also expect that I will know if you lie." Said morgan as she stared him straight into his eyes.
Charles's face did not change.
"Then I shall save us both the boredom." Said Charles nonchalantly.
Morgan continued walking.
Lloyd tried to sit up.
"Y…your majesty. What about me." Asked Lloyd hoarsely.
Morgan continued on her way to the carriage and while saying calmly "You will be brought to the castle, washed until you resemble a human rumor, fed, questioned and watched. If you lie, I will send you back to the ocean with a personal apology attached to it that says. Please kill me."
Lloyd nodded quickly.
"Beautiful. I love castles. I love baths. I love honesty." Said Lloyd quickly while nodding repeatedly.
Bagdemagus looked down at him and said "You smell like the corpse of a sailor that lost an argument with cheese."
Lloyd stared up at him and whispered "Thank you your grace."
Bagdemagus smiled and said as he followed behind morgan, merlin and charles "I like him more
Behind them, the ocean rolled calmly.
Too calmly.
As if it had heard every word.
As if it was waiting.
As if it had not yet decided what to do with the secret of joseph.
…
THE END…