The Stonekeeper

The Stonekeeper

Suzanne Marsh

“Arthur, come along now, son; your mum is waiting for us.” Arthur was a curious ten-year-old boy who loved to explore caves. He was reluctant to leave the last:

“Dad, can’t we stay just a little longer?” His dad never could say no to his son:

“Arthur, you have twenty minutes, then we really must go home.” His dad looked at his watch as Arthur ran back to the cave. As he turned to see the light at the entrance, he saw a strange blue amulet. He entered the cave, carrying the amulet, and was drawn to the sound of his own name. He continued further into the cave. Abruptly, the wind began to howl, carrying the sound of his name deeper and deeper into the cave. The wind seemed to be pushing him further and further into the cave. The wind then subsided, and Arthur found himself staring at a white haired man with a long beard; the man was staring back at Arthur:

“Ah, Arthur, welcome. You have succeeded in finding my cave and now me. What is it you

desire, boy?” The boy continued to stare:

“Please, sir, where am I? Who are you?” Merlin smiled a crooked smile:

“My name is Merlin, you are in my cave, actually, this has been home for the past three

hundred years.” Arthur continued to stare at Merlin:

“My teacher says Merlin never existed; he was simply a figment of the imagination.”

“Boy, do I look as if I am in someone’s imagination? I am a wizard and my name is Merlin,

you are Arthur?”

“Yes, that is my name.”

Merlin wanted the amulet returned to the place where Arthur found it:

“Arthur, listen to me, you must return the amulet to where you discovered it; that is very

important to my survival.”

Jamie, Arthur’s dad, glanced once again at his watch; he was beginning to worry about where his son was. He did what any dad would do: he pulled out his cell phone and placed an emergency call.

“Hello, officer, I was caving with my son; he went back into the cave; he has not returned.”

“How long ago was that, sir?”

“Two hours ago.”

“What is your location?”

“He went into one of the caves here on the beach.”

“We will send someone out as soon as possible.”

Jamie disconnected the call and placed the next one to his wife, Rose:

“Rose, Arthur is lost in a cave. We had finished caving when he decided he wanted to go back

into a cave he explored earlier today. I called the constable. Someone should be here soon.”

Rose knew boys would be boys; exploring was half the fun of being a boy.

Merlin sat quietly in front of the fire, waiting for Arthur to speak:

“Merlin, what do you want me to do? My mum and dad are not going to be happy with my

disappearance. I must leave here soon.”

Merlin gasped: “You can’t leave, I have just found you again. You must come with me, you have

to remove Excalibur from the stone that is holding it captive.”

Arthur watched with wary eyes as Merlin prepared some concoction to take them back to Camelot. The wizard began stirring the mixture, he then began to mutter:

“Arthur and I must go to Camelot. I cast this spell upon us both.”

The wind inside the cave began to roar, a bolt of lightning; the next moment, Arthur and Merlin arrived in Camelot just as the Battle of Camlann. Merlin realizes he needs to disguise Arthur; he can not afford questions. Morgana has spies everywhere. Merlin takes the boy to Gaius, whom he trusts implicitly. Gaius smiles at the boy, then goes into another room. He returns with clothes for the boy to wear. Gaius was worried about King Arthur:

“Let loose the hounds of war,

Let the dreadfire of the last Priestess

rain down from angry skies,

For brother will slaughter brother,

For friend will murder friend,

As the great horn sounds a cold dawn at Camlann

The prophets do not lie,

There, Arthur will meet his end,

Upon the mighty plane.”

Merlin looked at Gaius:

“Are you sure, Gaius? Arthur can’t meet his end, not yet. Gaius turned to face his pupil:

“Yes, Merlin, I am sure, Arthur will die during the battle. You will lose a trusted friend; why

did you bring this young lad named, of all things, Arthur?”

Merlin twisted his beard as he thought, then replied:

“I was hoping he might release Excalibur; he resembles the king, does he not?”

Arthur returned, wondering what Gaius and Merlin had been discussing. Now he understood why he was here; it was not just to release Excalibur, but because he bore a strange resemblance to King Arthur.

Moments later, a tall, blond, bearded man entered Gaius’ chamber:

“Ah, Gaius, Merlin, who is this lad?” Merlin gave Gaius a side glance. Gaius stumbled over his words:

“Sire, this is Arthur, a friend of Merlin’s.”

The king smiled at the boy:

“Good to meet you, boy; maybe one day you will be a knight.”

Arthur smiled at the king:

“Oh, I do hope so, sir.”

King Arthur turned on his heel, leaving the three of them standing there in his wake.

Merlin next took Arthur to visit the Great Dragon. Merlin went down the stone steps, leaving Arthur to explore the castle of Camelot. The Great Dragon knew that Merlin had heard the prophecy of King Arthur’s imminent death. The Great Dragon waited until Merlin entered his cave:

“Merlin, has the boy Arthur attempted to retrieve Excalibur yet? He must get Excalibur before

the king leaves to do battle. When that is done, you will return here to me; then you will

return the boy to his century and his dad.”

Merlin turned to leave:

“One other thing, Merlin, be sure to erase the boy’s memory of these hours.”

Merlin found Arthur standing at the top of the stones stairs; he wanted to see Excalibur, then he wanted to return home to his family.

Merlin took the boy to Excalibur, which was in a huge stone by the river. Merlin knew he would have to explain about Excalibur, the Great Dragon, and Gaius:

“Arthur, please try to concentrate, you must remove Excalibur from the stone. Excalibur will

keep the king safe. I am sorry you could not meet the Great Dragon; he is our friend. Gaius

is also a good friend.”

Arthur strode over to Excalibur, climbed on the rock, yanked on the hilt once, and released the sword. Together, Arthur dragging Excalibur, and Merlin is showing the way to King Arthur. All ready mounted, King Arthur took the mighty Excalibur into his right hand.

Once King Arthur had ridden off to battle, Merlin saw no harm in taking him to visit the Great Dragon. Together they went down the stone steps to the cave. The Great Dragon roared, and fire was emitted from his nostrils:

“Merlin, why have you brought the boy here? It won’t change anything. Merlin, King Arthur is going to die on the battlefield, you are destined to guard Arthur’s grave as an immortal.

Wait for him to rise again, in the form of this young boy, Arthur.”

Merlin was unsure of how to inform the Great Dragon that he must return the boy to his time. After their interview with the Great Dragon, Merlin wrapped the boy in a spell and returned him to the cave. Once inside the cave, Arthur could hear his Dad’s voice calling him. It was time to go home.