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Post by EarlyBird on Apr 4, 2007 8:12:37 GMT 9.5
just carry on
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Post by himiko on Apr 4, 2007 8:17:18 GMT 9.5
Okies. ;D
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Post by Incapability on Apr 5, 2007 3:43:13 GMT 9.5
(sorry! It's just that I saw the "death-post" and was so in awe that I couldn't resist answering it. I wanted to live up to it, however, and took my time, thus I didn't re-load the page until later.)
Now, how best to go about it? It was painfully obvious that she could not march into his castle like she had done with Vortigern's: his men were die-hard Christians down to the last footman, and what with most of them being Britains, they would probably recognise her and refuse her entrance. Slimey little turncoats.
No, she needed another kind of entrance; the big, impressive kind. Or she could just sneak in. Which would be more pratical.
Now, what to do? Blind him with all the pomp the Old Ways could offer? Or rely on the distinct chance of him dying from a heart attack when he "accidentally" spotted her right next to him?
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Post by himiko on Apr 5, 2007 4:10:41 GMT 9.5
Musing over her options, Mab decided that it might be more prudent, for the time being at least, to slip into Uther's court unseen. She had been so busy for the last few months with trying to keep Vortigern occupied and dependent on her (the thought made her shudder with distaste, as she remembered the now-late king grabbing her and trying to kiss her), that she had barely paid any attention at all to his rival.
She had already planted the seeds of distrust in Merlin's mind. Now she needed to see Uther for herself. She needed to know far more about him, know his strengths and weaknesses. She knew he was a Christian, but many people called themselves Christian without neccessarily being devout and pious. Other than that, she knew next to nothing about him, or his followers. If she appeared with all the pomp and circumstance that the Old Ways could give her, then she was guaranteed a cold reception by his followers. No, she needed to observe Uther first, see how his mind worked and what kind of man he was. Then she could reveal herself to him. In a Christian court, she would never be welcomed openly, she couldn't hope to hold power and influence there. But she could poison it quietly from the shadows.
Softly, without anyone in the room noticing her appearance, Mab appeared in the throne room of Winchester castle, amongst Prince Uther and his knights.
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Post by Tosca on Apr 5, 2007 5:14:14 GMT 9.5
Mab moved amongst them without difficulty. It was not a trick of visibility per se... it was more of an intensely maintained personal space; when others stepped into that space, a fierce sense of dignity on Mab's part kept their heads turned away, lowered their perception. She was visible, after a fashion, but no one saw her all the same. She would have to make an effort to draw attention to herself to be noticed, and this suited her fine for now.
Quietly stepping close, Mab listened to the conversation between Uther and his men. It was, predictably, lingering on the subject of war. Winter was approaching, and an assault was being planned for the spring. Mab spotted Ardente divulging his knowledge on Vortigern's failure to stabilize the first castle. Evidently, he had not heard of the accident his daughter had met with.
Circling the group, Mab took stock of the men, of Uther, of his speech, his mannerisms, and counted few qualities among them. On the whole, though, she was pleased. There hadn't been enough time for them to get wind of their enemy's early demise, and on the whole, this potential king looked highly impressionable. Having learnt all she wanted to for the moment, she retreated back into the deepest shadows of the throne room, relaxing her spell very slightly, allowing herself a small smile.
Later that night, Uther had retired to his bedroom. He had paced the room two or three times, he had stood idly by the window watching a girl walk through the courtyard below, and had now turned to his bed, ready for rest. His lackadaisical mood was shattered when he turned into the sardonically smiling face of another woman. Stumbling back from the piercing gaze set in such an unnaturally white face, Uther grabbed at the window frame, mumbling, "What - who - how did..?"
"Don't trouble yourself with questions." Mab soothed, padding up to Uther again. "I am nothing but a dream... and I have some advice for you, Your Majesty."
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Post by himiko on Apr 6, 2007 6:39:02 GMT 9.5
Truly, ye leave me with most evil cliffhangers! ---
Mab watched Uther as he scrambled upright, trying very hard not to stare at him with the predatorial gaze that served to make most people nervous. This man was clearly nervous enough as it was, any more anxiety and he'd probably faint- and Mab had no desire whatsoever to sit beside another unconscious mortal for any time whatsoever.
Straightening himself up to his full height, Uther managed to regain a little of his composure, "Advice?" Mab smiled, once again trying to look at least marginally less predatorial than she usually did. Judging by the discomfort on Uthers face, she didn't succeed all that well.
"King Vortigern is dead," she told him, "Now is your chance to seize the throne for yourself." Uther's mouth open and closed in silent astonishment for a while. Mab tried to look serene and dreamlike, and not irritated and impatient. "Next time," she decided to herself, "I won't bother pretending to be a dream." Eventually, Uther found his voice.
"Dead?" he asked, "Vortigern? But how? That man has the luck of the devil."
"No," Mab mentally retorted, "He simply had the brain of a bird. Stupid people often seem to be the least indestructible."
"An unfortunate accident with fire," she replied carelessly, whilst watching Uther carefully. As the news of his rival's death began to sink in, greed began to glint in his eyes. He saw the oppurtunity there for the taking. He glanced towards her, and greed was briefly replaced by suspicion.
"If you really are a dream," he began, "Then how do I know that what you tell me is true?"
"Some dreams are more than simply fanciful visions that appear in sleep," Mab replied simply, leaving it at that. She had no wish to explain the complex nature of dream and reality to someone who disliked the whole idea of magic.
"Some of my knights would see this as an evil visitation," Uther informed her. Mab narrowed her eyes.
"And you?"
"I-" he began, stuttering. Mab decided to take his obvious nervousness as a sign to start putting pressure on the young prince.
"Before he died," she said, allowing a hint of menace to creep into her voice, "Vortigern was driven mad by dreams. I would hate to see the same happen to you." Insincerity dripped from every syllable of the last sentence. Uther swallowed nervously.
"Say I did believe in you," he said carefully, "What advice were you going to give me?" Mab smiled.
"If you wish to be king, you must start strengthening yourself as soon as possible. Keep a close watch on those around you. And," she added, tacking this last sentence on as though it were an afterthought, "In Barnstable Forest, there lives a man who calls himself a wizard. His name is Merlin." Uther nodded.
"I have heard of him," he replied.
"He doesn't trust you," Mab said bluntly, "He may try and oppose you in taking the crown."
"What would you advise me to do?" Uther asked, uncertain once more. Mab smiled nastily to herself, as Uther played along exactly as she had planned.
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Post by Tosca on Apr 6, 2007 8:17:36 GMT 9.5
[Ah, but you always get your own back. *points to cliffy above*]
"Follow your own council." Mab contented herself with this, for now, knowing that such a piece of advice would get the king absolutely nowhere. "And that of those you can trust... you will come to discover your true allies in the fullness of time. Merlin will not, I'm sure, be the only one to pose a threat to your rule, though your meeting with him may be the closest to hand." Skilfully, Mab detracted away from Merlin's importance - she did not want to make it seem as though her only purpose here was to mention him; that could arouse suspicion.
Uther surveyed the otherworldly vision with a glimmer to his eye, a jewel bright concoction of greed and suspicion. This ethereal creature was no human, he could see that. She could very easily be a dream, with her pallid skin and gleaming wolf's eyes, and a voice that seemed to veritably crackle with the hint of magic. And yet, her proximity and apparent solidity made him half-doubtful; he would have reached out and touched her to make sure - had he dared.
The knowledge she had imparted to him, if it proved to be true, would be extremely valuable, and the advice... well, the advice had been fairly neutral. Nothing controversial, nothing displeasing, nothing consequential... and no price. She had not asked for anything. But why not? As he stared out of his window, he saw her vulpine features as clearly as if he'd turned his head to look at her - might have perceived the slyness beneath the veil of dulcet beauty... but probably not. Uther, unlike the late-king Vortigern, was not paranoid enough to catch and foil plots and tricks at their conception. His vision was skin deep, certainly in terms of women.
When he finally did look around to ask Mab a last question, he found himself staring at blank stone slabs that formed the wall of his sleeping chamber; nothing more, nothing less than cold, dead rock. His head spun from side to side, but no, the fey creature was truly gone, evanesced into the darkness that surrounded him.
And Uther's eyelids grew suddenly heavy. In his mind, he was sure he could hear a faint whispering... Sleep, young Prince... and dream... dream of our victory Consciously, he was too weary now to even notice the term 'our', but a subconscious urge forced him into obedience, and he lay his head down on the pillow, causing a feline smile to appear on Mab's face, deep in the Land of Magic.
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Post by himiko on Apr 8, 2007 6:55:45 GMT 9.5
Mab surveyed the sleeping prince with a satisfied smile on her face. She had decided not to send any dreams to Prince Uther, not after what had happened to Vortigern. Besides, she'd seen the look of greed in the man's eyes. He didn't need her help to dream of himself being crowned king. Doubtless that had been his dream for a long time now. No, his dependency on her wasn't crucial to her plans for now. She had no intention of letting Uther keep the throne for very long, even if he managed to gain it. His own greed and weakness would destroy him in the end.
Stepping away from the crystal, Mab waved a hand to clear the vision of Uther lying asleep. She had begun to weave her web with him, he could be left to himself for a while.
Now it was time to see what her dear son was planning for the future King.
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Post by Tosca on Apr 10, 2007 8:06:58 GMT 9.5
Merlin sighed. Mab might like to think she was as stealthy as a hunting fox, but he had been aware of her gloating presence for some while now. Or perhaps she was just reminding him subtly of her nearness as she hovered a short distance behind him - not that subtlety had ever been a particular strong point of hers. He humoured her with a grimace for a few moments longer, imagining her become steadily more irritated as he feigned ignorance, then finally deigned to recognize her presence. "Don't you have better things to do?"
"Merlin!" Mab smiled, her voice rich with mock sacrilege. "You make it sound as though visiting my son is some sort of chore!"
Merlin turned grimly to face her, mouth still a tight line. "Since when were your visits ever leisurely?"
"It's pleasure orientated, my dear Merlin, not mere idleness." Mab quipped in return, offering a falsely sweet smile. "Although I can't say the same for you, sat here in the forest all day - one would think you had nothing better to do."
"Should I have?" Merlin enquired warily. Part of him wondered what sneaky new plot was in place behind Mab's cool stare; another part really didn't want to know, at least from her lips.
"No, no..." Mab replied somewhat soothingly. "You shouldn't have to bother yourself with the troubles of your country; it's only boring politics. You've probably earned a back seat by now."
Merlin knew her words were guaranteed to arouse suspicion in him, and that she was probably banking on it. He tried hard to remain impassive. Mab wasn't helping the matter, as she regarded his forest home in evident disdain, a hand lazily toying with a strand of hair, a foot whimsically kicking at the burned-out vestiges of his fire, which promptly crumpled. Merlin sighed again amidst the floating ashes.
"The country is crownless." Mab murmured, her voice almost wheedling. She gazed at Merlin with a brief look of disappointment, as if she knew she needn't bother continuing. "You could always rise to your destiny; to the purpose you were born to."
Merlin gave a bitter chuckle. To her credit, Mab never gave up. She practically defined persistence. "Purpose? What an apt choice of word, Mab. People exist to have purposes in your eyes."
Mab pursed her lips. She did wish Merlin would stop labouring the point, or merely be a little more inventive in his criticisms. "One day you will come round, Merlin. I guarantee it. Every child strives to please his mother - you will in the end."
"No, Mab." Merlin shook his head. "Of the three women who might claim that title, you are by far the least deserving."
Mab narrowed her eyes. The man always found a way of getting under her skin. If she had allowed such things to affect her, she might have been hurt. But, she reminded herself as she straightened up and cast a look of disgust at Merlin, such things didn't affect her anymore. If he wanted to bandy words and spite, well so be it. She could equal him in that.
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Post by himiko on Apr 10, 2007 8:59:23 GMT 9.5
"Ah, but then, I'm also the only one left," Mab reminded him cruelly. Merlin's eyes were positively blazing.
"Only because you killed Ambrosia and my mother," he snapped. "And that makes you no more deserving. If you really wanted me to think of you as my mother, if you even wanted to think of yourself as my mother, you couldn't have done the things you did."
Mab's eyes narrowed, "I didn't kill them. I let them die. There's a difference. Old age and illness killed Ambrosia. And childbirth killed your mother. In fact," she said, in a voice of mock sweetness, "If you want to be completely accurate, it would be closer to the truth to say that you killed your mother."
You would have thought, Mab thought to herself, that after the first time, Merlin would have learned that attempting to punch her in the face was a futile exercise. You might also have thought that even the simplest-minded person could have understood that even if he managed to land said punch, her magical shields would have slowed it down to such an extent that it would be completely ineffectual. But no. Mab blocked the blow easily enough, and sent Merlin a look that could probably be most closely described as "piteous exasperation", before sending him flying backwards with a tad more force than was perhaps strictly neccessary.
"Dear me, Merlin, it's not quite so nice when someone else accuses you of killing someone, is it?" Pulling himself up from the wreckage of what had previously been a pile of plates, Merlin glared daggers at Mab. "Didn't Ambrosia ever teach you that it wasn't nice to hit people?"
"You are poison," Merlin spat, "You can't be near anything good without trying to destroy it, can you?"
"Then what does that make you?" Mab snarled back, "I created you. Part of me is in you. You wouldn't exist without me. You say you hate me, while you stand there, living a life I created, holding the name I gave you, and you claim that I'm not your mother?"
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Post by Incapability on Apr 10, 2007 22:14:30 GMT 9.5
(Yay! Drama! ) Merlin's face turned into an unhappy grimace. "I did not ask for this life, and neither have I asked for this name!" Mab felt a stab of disappointment as she heard him so furiously curse her gifts to him. But she did not let the feeling linger for long. "Why, son, if that is how you feel, then I am sure you don't mind if I take back what I gave to you." Merlin flinched upon hearing her words, spoken with a voice so cold that he could practically hear them freeze in mid-air, and he swallowed in apprehension as he watched her come closer, slowly, like the godforsaken predator she truly was. He closed his eyes in expectation of the fatal stroke, and waited. And waited. After several minutes, when he could no longer deny feeling a little ridiculous, and was about to open his eyes again, she suddenly spoke up, her voice right next to his ear, and her every syllable dripping with sarcasm. "What, Merlin, so scared to lose what you never wanted?" He opened his eyes and found her crouching next to him, still ready to whisper her poisonous words to him, a malicious smile on her features. "It seems you value my gifts to you higher than you thought. Think about it, my son." She vanished with a flicker, and Merlin was once again left alone. Which was rather good in this case, because no one was there to see him punch the remains of the plates he had crashed into, and no one was there to hear him howl in pain and see him suck at the little cuts on his fist afterwards. Somewhere far off, Mab chuckled to herself.
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Post by himiko on Apr 11, 2007 0:09:35 GMT 9.5
Merlin stared at the spot where Mab had been a moment before, still rubbing at his hand and grimacing in pain.
Recalling the look on her face after he'd thrown her "gifts" back in her face, Merlin wondered just how close he'd come to losing his life that day, not to mention why exactly he hadn't lost it. For all that he loathed Mab, Merlin was damned if he could understand her.
One thing that he did understand, though, was that Mab hadn't come here simply for a friendly visit, whatever she might have said. Persistant she might be, but she wasn't stupid. She'd been trying to manipulate him into doing something that would benefit her, before they had both lost their tempers.
"But what?" Merlin thought. What did Mab hope to manipulate him into doing. Did she want Uther on the throne, as she had said? Had she been lying- or at least, twisting the truth? What exactly did she want with Constant's Christian son? And, most importantly, what part did she intend for Merlin to play?
Merlin sighed. He could sit here, in the woods, waiting for Mab to make her move, keeping out of her way, and not affecting any of her plans in either a positive or a negative way. But he had done that for years after Ambrosia's death, and Mab was still here to scheme and plot and destroy, much as she had always been. She knew, and so did Merlin, that he wouldn't be able to just sit here and do nothing.
He would go to meet this Prince Uther, Merlin resolved, and try and find out what it was about him that Mab might want. He wouldn't act either for or against the prince until he could know for sure that he wouldn't be helping Mab or destroying Britain with his actions.
---
Deep in her palace, Mab smiled to herself as she watched Merlin prepare for his journey to Winchester Castle.
Vanishing, she appeared once again in Uther's court, silent and invisible to all there. The prince himself sat on his throne, apparently daydreaming as one of his lords recounted a tale of battle strategies he had encountered in the past. Positioning herself behind Uther, Mab leaned down towards him.
"Merlin is coming," she whispered to him, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell where this sudden voice was coming from, "Be on your guard." Smiling to herself as the prince suddenly sat up in surprise, she vanished back to her land once again, ready to watch this act unfold.
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Post by Tosca on Apr 15, 2007 0:39:08 GMT 9.5
Sir Rupert covered the distance from Barnstable Forest to Winchester castle with ease and little complaint, though he did mention at one point that Merlin's dark temper was an extra burden for him to bear - a statement that Merlin did not answer to. It was wearisome enough having a plauge of negative and uncertain thoughts crashing around in an unruly fashion inside his head; being reminded of it was not what he'd call helpful.
An uneasy prickle crept up his neck as his steed slowed and snorted outside Uther's castle. He was sure that, somehow, he was playing into Mab's hands, and it annoyed him that he couldn't see a clear path forwards, couldn't know how best to meet and thwart her inevitable scheming, and also couldn't bear to sit aside and do nothing. He definitely had doubts about what he was doing, but until he knew more, he would not be able to act with more forethought; he would be no closer to defeating Mab. And, in the mood he was in, defeating Mab was more significant and urgent than ever.
Dismounting from Sir Rupert, who shook his mane and delivered Merlin a stern look, the wizard pulled his cloak about him and strode up to the gates of the castle.
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Post by himiko on Apr 15, 2007 7:04:31 GMT 9.5
As with Vortigern's castle, Winchester's gates were manned by a number of soldiers wearing fairly ridiculous looking helmets. Upon seeing Merlin, one of them peered down suspciously at him.
"What business do you have here?" the soldier called down suspiciously.
"I'm here to see the ki-...I mean, Prince Uther," Merlin hastily corrected himself. Uther wasn't king yet, and there was no way of knowing whether this soldier knew of the King Vortigern's unfortunate demise yet. The guard's look of suspicion grew more pronounced. Merlin understood why- in his plain, simple clothes, he hardly looked the kind of person to casually call on the heir to a throne.
"Are you now?" the man said, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "And what name should I give him?"
"Tell him that Merlin the wizard is here to speak to him," Merlin replied. Instantly, the man's expression changed from suspicious amusement to hostility, and he glared at Merlin.
"We're honest Christian folk here, wizard. We don't deal with pagans and their sorcery."
Merlin didn't bother trying to keep the chill from his voice this time. "I follow no religion, Pagan or otherwise. Nor do I recall asking to deal with you. I wish to speak to Prince Uther. Of course," he added, "If you send me away, then you will have to explain to him how you felt it neccessary to speak on his behalf." That seemed to work. The man left his post, presumably to alert Uther to Merlin's presence, although he did keep darting glances back towards Merlin, as though he expected him to do something nasty and heretical when the guard's back was turned.
The man returned in surprisingly little time, looking somewhat abashed.
"I didn't realise that His Highness was expecting you," he muttered, swinging the gates open. Merlin tried to keep his own surprise at this information off his face.
"Of course. Mab told him," he thought bitterly. He had been right about that then. Mab had anticipated his actions and gotten here first, damn her.
Now however, he realised that he may be facing a more immediate problem than whether or not Mab had him embroiled in some new scheme of hers. The guard that had challenged him may have had to let him into the castle eventually, but his dislike and distrust of anything connected with Paganism and magic was an attitude not uncommon amongst Christians, and that perhaps walking into a room filled with the most powerful Christians in the country was ill advised at best. He had no desire to be thrown into a dungeon again, he'd had quite enough of that at Vortigern's hands.
Upon reaching the castle's throne room, the soldier who had led him there announced his presence to those in the room. A silence descended in the room, and to Merlin, standing just outside the door, it didn't sound a friendly one. A voice commanded the soldier to let him in, and Merlin was ushered into the room.
Staring about the room, whilst trying not to make it too obvious that he was doing so, Merlin took in his surroundings. The vast majority of the knights and lords gathered in the room were staring at him with the same open hostility that the guard had shown him earlier. Several of them clutched crucifixes or rosary beads, as though doing so would keep the evil wizard an acceptable distance away from him. Most of the rest regarded him with expressions ranging from fear to curiosity. Merlin moved his gaze to the man seated upon the throne in the middle of the room, the man he had come here to meet.
From first impressions, Uther was as far removed from Vortigern as could be possible. His slouched position in the chair spoke of casual boredom, rather than Vortigern's constant alert paranoia. His robes were bright red, and clearly new, as was most of what he wore. No armour decorated this man, it was all fine fabrics and pretty colours. His eyes seemed alert enough, but there was an expression in them that spoke of greed and impatience that made Merlin vaguely uncomfortable. It had to be said, he didn't look like much of a ruler. Still, that remained to be seen. He inclined his head slightly, enough to indicate respect for a high ranking figure, not enough to show complete allegiance to the man. Several angry murmurs went round the room at this, and Uther's eyes flashed with annoyance. Nontheless, he stood up, and looked haughtily down at Merlin.
"So, Merlin the wizard," Uther said grandly, "I have been expecting you." Clearly, the man hoped that his apparent foresight would impress or surprise Merlin, and it might have, had Merlin not known that Mab was plotting something in this.
"Yes, I thought that you might have been, Your Highness," he replied evenly, smiling politely. Uther looked annoyed again.
"Well," he said somewhat more shortly, "Might I enquire why you've come here?"
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Post by EarlyBird on Apr 15, 2007 7:49:02 GMT 9.5
(I am back, i am not good lol cause as I said I can't write mab well).
Mab stood right in the corner watching, no one knew she was there, her presence was unknown. But Merlin looked up and sighed "I should have known...it was only a matter of time before you come after him to" he mocked. Mab raised her dark eyebrows and tilted her head "no...I am not after him" she said with menace in her voice. "I don't believe you" he said sternly, she shrugged "I do not care if you believe me or not Merlin, you are no longer my concern" she said coldly. The prince stared at her and looked as bored as usual "guards" he orderd but Mab shut the door with one fly of her hand. "We need to talk" she muttered in her husky voice standing beside him, gently only known to him she was caressing his arm.
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