Prologue Milan left the island to look for witch hazel a powerful herb used for stomach ailments. She usually didnt leave the isle for such things but this was an emergency. As she was preparing to go back across the lake she heard a low whimpering noise. She turned and started looking in the direction of where the sound was coming from. In the middle of the path at the edge of the forest she saw a basket. She walked towards the basket. As she drew near the basket she saw it was lined with blankets and as she bent down and pulled the blankets back found a tiny baby girl not more than a few days old. She looked around for her mother thinking she set the baby down to hunt for berries but she didnt see or hear anyone near them. It was getting late and the baby was growing restless so Milan picked up the basket, got into the boat and traveled back to the Isle of Avalon. She took the baby to the maiden’s cottage where one of the maids in waiting had just lost a baby. She handed the infant over to Gwyneth and asked her to take care of her. As Gwyneth took the infant from Milan she asked the babys name. Milan told her she didnt know what the babys name was, she just found her in the woods. Gwyneth suggested they give her a name and Milan agreed and said lets call her Heather as I found in the middle of a clump of Heather off the path.Gwyneth took care of Heather until she was six months old or thereabouts and during this time it became obvious she possessed very unique abilities. By the time she reached her first birthday she was able to perform willful magic. She could make objects move, open and close doors and windows. Milan knew she was going to need special training as she grew older. At the same time she was very curious as to who the parents were to this small child and what their origin was. There were so many questions but no answers. Twelve years passed since Heather was brought to the Isle and Milan felt it was time for her to be tutored in the proper usage of magic. She contacted her dear friend Merlyn and asked him if he would take her and teach her the correct way to use her magic in return she would clean his house, wash his clothes and cook for him. Merlyn agreed to take the child and train her. It did not take long for Merlyn to see how talented she was and it would take all of his skills to help her harness her ability. In many ways her power was greater than his and he knew he had his work cut out for him. After the first year he felt he was making great progress with her as she was a quick learner and eager to please him. One afternoon as Heather was out tending the garden a messenger from Arthurs court came riding up. He and Merlyn exchanged words and afterwards he left. Merlyn came to her and told her he had to go to the castle saying Arthur needed him. He didnt expect to be gone long and asked if she would be okay in his absence. She said she would be fine and would see him when he returned. Merlin left her in the garden to make ready for his trip. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Out of boredom Heather made her way down to Merlyn’s secret cave. It was the one place she was forbidden to go. As she was looking around the cave she came across Merlyns book of spells and charms. She spent the rest of her time reading and practicing each charm and spell until she knew each one by heart and could cast them achieving the desired result. There was one spell she would have to wait for Merlyn to return to try as it was the Charm of Making and would require her changing herself into another person. The person she had in mind was Morgana, King Arthurs half-sister who she knew Merlyn was very fond of. One evening as she was sitting by the fire reading a book Merlyn returned home. He was so tired from his journey he went straight to bed. Knowing how tired he was Heather felt this was the best time to try the charm. She went to her room where she had everything laid out to cast the charm on herself so when Merlyn saw her he would be seeing Morgana. Once the charm had taken effect she went to Merlyn’s bed and softly whispered in his ear. When he opened his eyes he saw Morgana standing by the side of his bed. She asked if she could share his bed and he raised the covers to let her in. Afterwards, she left his bed and returned to her room. The next morning as she was making breakfast Merlyn came in and not a word was said about the night before. To Merlyn the events of the night were a wonderful dream and nothing more. Merlyn and Heather settled back into their teacher-student relationship. But after a couple of months when her monthly courses didnt come she started to worry something was wrong. She told Merlyn she needed to return to the Isle. When she was safely back at Avalon she told Milan she thought something was wrong with her as her courses hadnt come in nearly three months. Milan placed her hand very gently on her stomach feeling the hardness knew exactly what was wrong. Her next question to Heather was if she had been with a young man. Heather told Milan she met a young man during the Beltane fires a few months ago as she could not tell her mother she seduced Merlyn. Milan told her because of her night with the young man she was going to have a baby in around six months. She also told her she would not be going back to Merlyn as she would need to stay on the Isle where she could take care of her until the baby was born. For Heather the next six months went by slowly and as each month passed her stomach grew larger and larger. She was getting so big Milan was getting concerned she would have trouble giving birth to the baby. The baby was either going to be large or possibly twins. A month before the baby was due Heather was out gathering berries when she felt a gush between her legs. Her water had broken. This was followed by the first hard pains of labor so intense it doubled her over. Milan and Gwyneth heard her screams and stated running up the side of the hill only to find her covered in blood. The contractions were coming so fast there was no time to get her back to Milan’s cottage. Milan told Gwyneth they would have to deliver the baby where she lay as she called out to the other maids to bring water, a knife and some blankets. It seemed like hours to Heather. She had never felt this kind of pain before. Finally the baby’s head crowned. Milan was able to catch the shoulders of the baby and gently pulled it out. As soon as she had baby she handed it over to one of the maids after she cut and bound the cord. It was a boy. In a matter of minutes another head appeared. It was a girl. Heather lost so much blood and was so weak Milan had the litter brought up so she could be carried back to her room. The babies were taken to the maid’s cottage where they were cleaned. The little boy was struggling to breath and Milan feared he would not live through the night. After Heather was placed in her bed she lapsed into a deep sleep. Milan sat up with her all night. But the morning brought nothing but heartbreak and sadness as both Heather and her little boy died. The little girl survived. Gwyneth and Milan were both devastated by the loss of the beautiful little girl they raised and her baby boy. They named him Gawain. It was decided a proper funeral would be held for Heather and her baby boy so Milan asked the head monk of the isle if he would perform the ceremony. A funeral pyre was prepared and Heather with her baby in her arms were cremated. After careful thought it was decided to name the little girl Hope. As Hope grew she looked a lot like her mother but there were other features Milan could see but could not put her finger on, as to who the features belonged to but they were features she recognized. It also became apparent she had inherited her mother’s magical abilities. The frail old man stumbled as he walked across the rocky beach. A boat arrived as if by magic as he reached the water’s edgecarrying him into the mist. Soon, he was following the winding path up to the cottage at the top of the Thor. As he approached the modest dwelling Milan appeared in the doorway. He took her extended hand and kissed it. “How are you feeling today,” Milan asked, in a low soft voice. “Tired, very tired,” replied the old wizard. “Come inside where it’s warm,” she invited. The cottage was warm and inviting as the interior of the stone cottage was protected from the harsh elements outside by a heavy thatched roof, and a thick wooden door. A small dining table sits in the middle of the open area and two oversized arm chairs sit in front of a large blazing fireplace. Off the main roomhidden by, a dense red and gold velvet curtain is short hallway leading to the two bedrooms. The wooden floors are covered with thick, brightly colored rugs with gold leaves. The rugs and curtain were made on the island by the ladies. “I will have Aneka bring us some warm mead,” she suggested. “That sounds very nice,” replied the old man, as he collapsed into one of the oversized chairs. He sat down so hard he almost dropped the package he had in his hands. Milan quickly grabbed the bundle before it fell to the floor. She sat down facing him handing the package back to him. They sit in silence watching the flames roaring in thefireplace. The silence was broken as Aneka walked up carrying a tray of mead and oat cakes. “Thank you Aneka, just sit the tray down and you can return to your cottage,” instructed Milan. Aneka bowed and turned. They watched as she disappeared through the door. When they were finally alone Milan was the first to break the silence. “Merlyn, are you going to be able to return to your home,” she asked? “You seem unusually tired”. “I will be fine now I know this as he pointed to the packagewill be in safe hands,” he replied. “You are the only person I trust to protect it.” “You have put a binding spell on it to hide its contents,”questioned Milan? “Yes, yes of course only the one with a pure heart will be able to cast off the spell. It is the same spell I used on Excalibur when I stuck it in the stone,” replied Merlin. “The stone released the sword to the one who was destined to possess it. “Did Heather ever mention the name of the father of her babies,” asked Merlyn? “No, only how she met a young man during the Beltane fires,”answered Milan. “Thinking back wasn’t she taking care of my house around then,” questioned Merlyn? “I don’t remember her going out to take partin the celebrations.” This poses some interesting questions, which I am sure we will never know the answers to. I’m afraid this is one secret she has taken with her,” answered Merlyn. “I must be going, it’s getting late,” he said after a few sipsof the warm mead. He, got up, handed Milan the bundle, kissed her on the forehead, and said, “The next time you see me, my dear, will be in your dreams.” He thanked her for her hospitality and walked out the door. The boat was waiting to return him to the other side. As theboat carried him out of the mist he turned with great sadness and heavy heart and looked back in the direction of the Thor shrouded by the mist. The old wizard took the hidden path back up through the hills to his secret cave beneath Tintagel castle. The entrance to the cave was hidden by a large boulder. With a wave of his wand the large boulder guarding the cave moved to the side. Once inside, the old wizard waved his wand for the final time and the boulder moved back into place, sealing the entrance. He walked slowly back into the depths of the cave, taking one last look around the cave, he laid down on the stone shelf he prepared many years before. He folded his arms, still clutching his wand, and took his last breath.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 20:08:34 +0000
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