20 year old Ariella Morgenstern lost her mother to an evil sorcerer when she was just seven years old, and has had some pain in her heart since, though her father, King Oberon, hates magic, but not nearly as much as King Uther, because of it. Ever s...
After Merlin and I had buried Daegel, the two of us and Gaius made plans to get Arthur to see that Gwen is under an enchantment, controlled by Morgana. Merlin volunteers to take Arthur to the meeting place at dawn the next morning to show him, and asked me to stay back with the kids.
Then we'd gone to the castle, with me donning my uniform.
I was to help Merlin and Arthur in getting Gwen out of the enchantment. After Arthur had breakfast, he'd called me, Leon and Mordred into a room, away from all ears, and shuts the door behind us, locking it.
"Gentlemen, and lady, this is the new route," Arthur says as he unrolls the map on the table before us. "This is the new route to the Lake of Nemeth. Commit it to memory. You are to tell no one of the change of plans until you're beyond the plains, understood?" Leon and I say our agreement. Mordred hesitates. "Mordred?"
Mordred questions, "Of course. May I ask why we're changing the route, My Lord? This is about a day's ride."
"I can't tell you that. Just ask you to trust me," Was all Arthur says. Mordred nods. "Good. You leave in three days."
Arthur then rolls up the parchment before touching it to the candle. Mordred and I watch as it burns.
Back in the house, Merlin had gone through all of my spell books, hidden in an upstairs room. Sitting in the stairs leading from the shelf balcony, Merlin mutters, "I promised to help save Gwen. But I've no idea what to do. Is there really no remedy?"
I lean against the wall by the window as I say, my arms crossed below my chest, "When I was in the tower, Morgana threw me in a cell and I found countless Mandrake Roots hanging from the ceiling." This causes Merlin to jerk his gaze to me. "If I had to take a guess, I'd say Morgana put Gwen through the same thing. An ancient ritual known as the Teine Diaga."
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""Teine Diaga"?" Merlin echoes, stepping down the stairs to perch himself on the lower ones.
I explain, "The Sacred Fire. A ritual used on a Mandrake Root to bring unimaginable terror to the victim. Their screams could be heard twenty leagues away. And when it was finally over, their will was no longer their own. They were slaves of the High Priestesses for all eternity." I shudder at the memory of my time in The Dark Tower.
"Who performed this ritual? Where?" Merlin asks, gaze softening as he notices my shudder.
"I've told you all I know. Such mysteries were revealed to only a handful of female initiatives," I say.
Getting up and coming over to me, Merlin asks me, "How did you get out of the Mandrake's hold, Ari?"
"It's simple: love. I thought of you, and Mira and Jason, and I remember the people I love. My love for you was strong enough to break the enchantment," I murmur.
