"Seriously, Merlin? We've only been riding for ten minutes. I told you to go before we left." Sir Elyan peeked over his shoulder to Merlin riding Dynard.
The young sorcerer was shuffling very uncomfortably in his saddle. "Well, you haven't been chugging cups of water in the past few days. It's summertime! It's hot!"
Sir Elyan rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll take a ten-minute break, but only ten minutes."
"Thank you." Merlin brought Dynard to a halt. He hopped off him and hurried into the woods.
Sir Elyan, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon, and Gwen waited for him, but Agravaine snuck away. He had to run a little errand.
He met Morgana deeper in the woods, under a cluster of shady trees. She was holding a new vial of the potion Arthur took in her hands.
"Well?" she asked.
"Everything's going according to plan," Agravaine whispered. "I'm leading the knights and servants to the Perilous Lands. When they get lost, they're not going to know what hit them."
"I'm assuming Merlin's with them?" Morgana questioned.
"He is," Agravaine said with a nod. "After all, he's not going to leave his best friend all alone, right? What do you want me to do next?"
In an evil voice, Morgana said, "We can't let Merlin ruin our plan. Here." She took the empty vial out of Agravaine's hand and handed him the new one. "If the Death Lion possesses him, too, then there is no hope Arthur will survive. They'll both be lured to its den. I'm sure two meals are better than one. When Merlin's not looking, pour the potion into his water pouch. Do you understand?"
"Yes, My Lady." Agravaine gave Morgana a quick bow. "I will not fail you."
"I know you won't," Morgana said with a smirk. "Now get back out there. The knights need you."
Agravaine bowed again. He slipped the vial into his cape and left Morgana, rejoining the search party.
***
"Merlin, what's taking you so long?" Elyan called into the woods where Merlin vanished.
"You haven't been chugging cups of water in the past few days!" Merlin shouted from behind some ferns. "I am King Arthur's servant! I could use some time to myself!"
Elyan took that the wrong way. As did Sir Leon, Sir Percival, and Sir Gwaine. They exchanged funny looks with one another.
Guinevere merely smirked.
While they were distracted, Agravaine tiptoed to Dynard. He pulled Merlin's water pouch off the horse and unscrewed its top. Quickly and carefully, he poured the potion into it. Finally, finally, he and Morgana were going to win. Merlin was going to be utterly useless after today. There was absolutely no hope for Arthur.
Once he was finished, Agravaine tucked the rest of the potion away. He screwed the cap back on the water pouch and put it back where he had found it. Then, he stepped away from the horse. Good thing, too, because Merlin came sauntering out from the woods.
At the sight of him, Gwaine cheered. "Merlin! You're not dead!"
Merlin knew he was joking, but he still said, "Of course I'm not." He and Gwaine shared a quick hug.
Elyan rolled his eyes. "All right. All right. You two lovebirds have had your fun. Now let's get moving."
Next to him, Guinevere chuckled. Her brother always had an interesting sense of humor. He was also always the boss.
Agravaine carefully watched Merlin, who came within reach of Dynard. Before everybody could mount, he asked, "How about we all have some water before we leave? We need to stay hydrated if we're going to find Arthur."
"There's no time," Elyan said. "We're not going to have a water break until we absolutely have to. Besides, Merlin has a fragile little bladder. One sip of water, and we'll have to stop every five minutes."
Agravaine forced a smile, even though he was screaming on the inside. "Of course, sir," he said through clenched teeth. Frustrated, he climbed aboard his horse.
Merlin noticed his unease. "Is everything all right, Agravaine?"
"I've never been better," he argued. He gave his horse a quick kick, and he jumped into a trot.
Suspicious, Merlin trotted after him.
***
"The Lake of Peace?" King Arthur asked the mermaid.
She nodded. "Yes. I'm Esmerelda. What's your name?"
Arthur bowed to her. "Arthur. King Arthur."
"Ooh, 'King' huh?" Esmerelda slipped off her rock so she could get closer to him. She swam to the lake's edge, staring into Arthur's blue eyes. "And where do you hail from, my love?"
"Camelot."
"Camelot, huh? What's it like there?"
Arthur scoffed, still under the Death Lion's spell. "Very loud. I've never seen a place so disgusting. Nobody washes, and everybody walks around with flies in their hair. I swear, I never want to see that place again."
"Why don't you stay here with me?" Esmerelda asked. She reached her hand out to Arthur.
He took it and fell to his knees in front of her. "I'd love to, but there's somewhere I need to be." His eyes glowed red, indicating that it wasn't Arthur saying this, but the Death Lion.
Esmerelda rubbed her thumb across the top of his hand. "Your hand is cold. Are you scared of me?"
"How can I be scared of such a beautiful creature?" asked Arthur.
"I can give you a wonderful home. You can be king of the Lake of Peace," said Esmerelda. "That will help you take your mind off Camelot."
"Trust me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Arthur admitted.
"Then why don't you?" Esmerelda lifted her other hand. She gripped Arthur's cheeks and pulled his head close to hers. Without warning, she kissed him. Her nails glowed a light shade of blue. She was casting a spell of some sort.
The siren and king kissed for a long time. When they let go, something strange happened. Arthur's eyes rolled to the back of his head. Within seconds, he collapsed onto his front next to Esmerelda.
She picked up his hands, whispering under her breath. Like whenever Merlin cast a spell, her eyes glowed golden-yellow. She started to drag the unconscious Arthur into the lake. He didn't stir. What did the mermaid do to him? It couldn't be good, whatever it was, right? After all, she was a siren. Well, only time would tell.
***
The knights, Guinevere, Merlin, and Agravaine rode until sunset. Tummies rumbling, they stopped to set up camp for the night and have some dinner. Well, Merlin and Gwen cooked. The others just sat around a roaring fire and waited.
Gwaine pulled off his stinky boots and socks, causing Elyan to gag.
"Do you ever wash your feet?" he asked his friend.
"Only when I feel like it," said Gwaine.
"You're disgusting," Elyan admitted.
Gwaine took that as a compliment. "Aw, thank you."
Elyan had had enough Gwaine for one day. Therefore, he rose to his feet and headed over to Merlin and Gwen. "Do you guys need help with dinner?"
"No, I think we've got it. Thanks, Elyan," said Gwen. "Why don't you get some water? You look thirsty."
Elyan smacked his lips together. Wow, he didn't realize how dry they were. He stretched his arms over his head and approached a log. It was behind the fire and had everybody's water pouches propped up in a line. Elyan couldn't remember which one was his. All the pouches looked the same. He did a quick game of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe," and eventually set his mind on the water pouch that was at the very end of the log. Yum, water. Elyan picked up the water pouch and unscrewed its top.
Right as he was bringing it to his lips, Agravaine got up from the fire. He was also a little bit thirsty. However, at the sight of Elyan, his entire face turned white. "Elyan!" he shouted.
Too late. Elyan gulped down the water.
"Who's there?" Sir Leon quickly asked.
He, Gwaine, and Percival leaped up from where they were sitting.
"What's happened to Elyan?" Leon asked.
Nothing. Elyan finished off the water pouch and dropped it to his side. He burped loudly.
For a second, Agravaine didn't know what to say. A thought came to mind, and he yelled, "Elyan just finished off that whole water pouch! Before he knows it, his bladder is going to be just as fragile as Merlin's!"
The knights sighed. Relaxing, they plopped back down on the ground.
"You know what this means?" asked Gwaine.
"What?" said Percival.
Gwaine laughed. "Instead of stopping five times a day, we're going to have to stop ten times!"
"Hee, right," Agravaine sarcastically spoke. He was obviously upset about something. "Speaking of which, I think I need to use the bathroom myself."
A look of suspicion flashed across Merlin's face. Why was Agravaine so against Elyan drinking that water pouch? Something was out of place here. He tapped Gwen on the shoulder, saying, "I'll be right back, Gwen."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Merlin said not a word. He just puffed out his cheeks and gave her a desperate look.
"Oh."
Gwen laughed. "You never change, do you, Merlin?"
"That's why I'm Arthur's servant," Merlin joked. He patted Gwen's shoulder before slipping into the forest after Lord Agravaine.
Elyan tossed the water pouch onto the ground. He was a little unsteady on his feet. Despite this, he cracked a stupid grin and said, "Wow. That's the best water I've ever had in my life. I feel terrific!" With these words, he stumbled back in the direction of the roaring fire. The water pouch remained on the ground. Only a few drops of water spilled out from it. There was nothing else.
***
Esmerelda dragged Arthur to the bottom of the Lake of Peace. Green weeds and grass swayed with the gentle current down here. The setting sun's rays caused a whole sandy section of the lake to sparkle. That was where Esmerelda took Arthur. She pushed him into the sun's rays and let him float with her.
The young king was on his back with his arms held out to his sides.
Esmerelda stayed out of the sunlight. The rays hit Arthur, causing his skin to sparkle just like the sand. Using a little bit of magic, Esmerelda took off his chain mail so he could float a bit easier. It was quite hard to stay in that position if someone was wearing twenty pounds of armor.
During the phenomenon, a few more mermaids joined Esmerelda. Their hair colors ranged from blonde, black, brown, and auburn, but each mermaid had the same color tail as Esmerelda—orangish-gray.
She nodded at her people.
Together, the mermaids hooked hands. They flapped their tails and circled Arthur. Their eyes glowed up as they spoke an enchantment.
"Fomeeah-dala-comeelah!"
"Long live the king!" Esmerelda shouted.
"Long live the king!" the rest of the mermaids repeated after her.
The sparkles on Arthur's body glowed brighter and brighter, larger and larger, until finally—!
***
Merlin followed Lord Agravaine to a rushing stream in an open area of the woods. He kept a safe distance from him. He ducked behind trees, logs, and bushes. He ended up behind a large rock that was right at the line of the woods and the open area. Merlin held his breath.
Morgana was waiting for Lord Agravaine. He was out of breath by the time he reached her. "I trust you bring good news, Agravaine?" she asked.
Agravaine quickly lost his words. By the time he spoke, his voice was trembling. "Well, he-here's the thing, My-My Lady. We have a bit of a dilemma."
"Agravaine?" Morgana did not like where this was going. She placed her hands on her hips, looking Agravaine straight in the eye.
Agravaine let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, well." He rubbed his hands together. They were sweating just as much as he was. "So-Somebody else drank the potion," he explained. "And that someone is, well… Sir Elyan."