Prologue- 1 -Where We Begin, One Once Ended
So at last, that miracle had come to pass in that far off time upon new years day, and the glorious reign of King Arthur had begun!
He sat upon the throne, his legs dangling off, too far from the ground to touch, the great hall empty save for himself and a small owl roosted upon the thrones arm.
He was King Arthur, bearer of the Sword in the Stone, and he rested the sword between his legs, leaning against the seat, its length nearly that of the boy himself.
One would not think this boy was king simply by looking at him, from his sandy, towhead of hair to his thin and scrawny legs, he was by all appearances small, and quite ordinary. Even with the regal cape befitting a king, he appeared small and insignificant.
Such appearances not helped any by said cape, its length enveloping the boy, almost causing him to disappear within it. No better was the crown upon his brow, but inset with jewels and quite regal, still was too big, and as such kept slipping down over his head, forcing him to readjust it constantly….
He sighed, the crown once more falling over his eyes, “I can’t be a king, Archimedes,” he claimed, referring to the Owl next to him as he set the crown once more back upon his head, “I don’t know anything about ruling a country!” he ended this statement wearily, the thought of Kingship and kingdom leaning over his head, a dreadful anvil which at any moment might fall and crush him.
”I told you to leave the thing in the stone, boy!” Archimedes, a short, fat owl of high intelligence (and as he would have you believe, impeccable taste and stature) had been present when Arthur had pulled the sword from said stone. He had little patience for other people’s problems, but the youngster had grown on him over the past months, and until Merlin returned from whence he had went, Archimedes felt it his responsibility to look after the boy, regardless of the troubles he got himself into.
Arthur started, an idea half formed in his mind. “I…I’ll run away, that’s what I’ll do!” he set the sword to the side, and hoisted himself down off the throne, the cape billowing about him, and the crown once more falling over his eyes. Raising it from his head, he carefully set it upon the throne, “They’ll just have to get somebody else!” With this he turned, looking wistfully about himself, not really having a plan of how to get out of the castle, save, “out”.
”Better take the side door, Wart,” Archimedes said, referring to Arthur by his more commonly known moniker, cruelly bestowed upon him by his older brother( He was truthfully adopted, and therefore not Kay’s brother, but Arthur had grown up with him always looming above him, so his feelings of said relationship stuck)
“Out the side door!” pointing to a door inlaid across the hall to the right of the throne, Arthur quickly made his way to it, pulling it open, only to be greeted by loud cries of “HAIL, KING ARTHUR, LONG LIVE THE KING!”
“Over there, over there, come on, come on!” Archimedes gestured wildly to the other side of the hall, where stood another door, opening out into the other side of the courtyard. Yet again, their efforts were foiled, for upon opening the door, the cries of “LONG LIVE KING ARTHUR, LONG LIVE-“ the words cut out suddenly, as Arthur flung the door closed once more.
”Oh, ohh, looks like we’re surrounded boy!” Archimedes stated, having had no more luck than the boy in finding a way out.
“Nooo,” moaned Arthur, despair slowly working its way inside of his gut,” Archimedes, I wish Merlin was here…”
Merlin always knew what to do, he was kooky and out of touch with reality, but he had always found whatever situation he was in to be no more than a couple words to be in his favor. Say what you will about the crazy old man, but he knew that if anyone could get him out of this, it would be him.
He strode slowly back towards the throne, silently resolving to once more sit upon it and wait for something to happen, when he stopped in the very middle of the hall, head turning from side to side, trying to capture the source of a mysterious sound.
It was like twinkling glass, or mayhaps a babbling brook, first one sound and then another.
CRSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
With a great crunching of broken glass, a window high up in the hall burst inward with a bright ball of a yellow tinged comet. It swept and juked its way around the pillars that lined the hall, and then dived down towards Arthur.
Before he could even give out a frightened gasp, it collided with the floor, and skidded to a stop before him.
Standing before Arthur stood the greatest Wizard in the world(self proclaimed, and seeing as he was one of the ONLY wizards Arthur knew of, he couldn't really confirm or deny this claim, but he was likely to believe it after having seen his wizards duel between himself and a foul Sorceress calling herself Madam Mim).
His usual spectacles were replaced with blackened glass(how could he see? Arthur wondered) yet his trademark flowing white hair remained unchanged, with his mustache and beard flowing nearly to the ground.
Alighted upon his head was not the traditional blue wizards cowl Arthur had never seen him gone without, but an odd cowl of red material, the brim stretched out far more than purposeful intent.
Surprisingly enough he appeared to be wearing a most curious garb, a tunic of many garish hues, and shortened pantaloons of brightly dyed yellow, each leg with the green imprint of some sort of plant. Upon his feet were the most mysterious of his attire, red and white boots, of some weird looking material(upon closer inspection, the bottoms of the shoes were the most strange of all, no animal hide made this strange footwear.)
“Oh Merlin, you’re back from Ber…ber…ber…”How embarrassing, he couldn’t remember where the old coot had said he was going!
“Bermuda?!!?” Merlin nearly shouted, almost having collided with the boy and the throne shortly thereafter. “Yeeees!” He drawled, a smile on his face and happiness clearly in his words. “Back from Bermuda and the 20th century!” at this, he gave a short jig, ending with his cane, a short wooden stick, rapping upon the stone floor.
”And believe me,” he said, drawing the blackened glass spectacles low upon his nose, “You can have it!” he stated forcefully, waving his cane and his other arm thematically around his head, “One big modern MESS!....ALAKAZAM!” With this word uttered, he thwacked himself over the head with his cane ( a gesture Arthur had long since learned wasn’t NEEDED, but was proffered by the enigmatic wizard)and seemingly collapsed inward upon himself, expanding outward once more to his regular proportions with a blinding flash of light, and magical sparkles(again, Arthur was pretty sure the sparkles weren’t NEEDED, just a preference the wizard produced)was the great Wizard Merlin, resplendent in his traditional blue robe, and his toweringly tall wizards cowl.
“I’m in an awful pickle,” Arthur started, waving his hands about frantically, “I’m KING!”
“He pulled the sword from the stone,” Archimedes added, gesturing with his wings as if they too were arms and hands.
“Ha haaaaaaaaaAA!”Merlin yelled, a smile deep on his face as he stepped forward, clapping Arthur on the shoulder, drawing him back towards the throne Arthur so recently vacated.
”Of course! King Arthur, and his knights of the r-r-r-r-round table!” he trilled his r’s on the word round, sounding the word with glorious acclaim. Arthur had no idea what this table was, or why it would be so important it be round, but Merlin DID “know everything”, or so he claimed.
”Round table?” Arthur asked, knowing that although Merlin had knowledge of the future, he seldom spoke with clarity.
”Oh, uhm….”Merlin stuttered, looking deep into the boys eyes, “would you rather have a square one?”
”Oh, no,” Arthur said, shaking his head forcefully, “Round will be fine”
Merlin laughed, the innocence of the boy always refreshing.
”Boy, boy, boy……..you’ll become a GREAT legend, they’ll be writing books about you for centuries to come!” during this, Merlin grabbed hold of the crown sitting on the throne, and placed it once more carefully upon Arthur’s head.
“Why, they might even make a motion picture about you!” with this, Merlin straightened the crown, which Arthur had just moments before placed back far on his head, causing the crown to once more slip over the hapless kings brow, plunging him once more into darkness.
Arthur pulled it back over his eyes, once more placing it back, and asked “Motion picture?”
The closest he could assume this meant was that pictures moved, although how such a wizards frivolity could become commonplace he hadn’t the foggiest.
”Oh,” deadpanned Merlin, his knowledge of future technology getting the better of him once more, “that’s something like…television...” He stopped, realizing the boy would not understand this reference any more than the last, and silently scolded himself, adding cheekily “without commercials!” Well, if the boy was to remain in confusion, he might as well cap off his own thought with a bit of personal humor.
Arthur looked deep in thought for a time, and Merlin began to wonder if something were the matter. In fact he was slightly startled when Arthur yelled his next sentence, so long the silence that he had gotten rather used to it.
"I can't do this. I can't be king!" The last word yelled, with this he pulled the crown from his head, and forcefully threw it down upon the floor, the sword falling from its position and clattering upon the stones.
Merlin stared at the youth, seeing the fear and lack of confidence stamped clearly on the young kings face.
This wouldn't do. But what could he do to give the lad a good dose of confidence? He had to have some trick up his sleeve, if only he had a minute to think-
"By Jove I've got it!" he yelled, startling Arthur and Archimedes, as he started up another jig across the floor.
Arthur looked hopefully at Merlin, this wise mentor sure to have some way out of this mess.
"I do believe its time for a trip, my good lad, yes, I do believe so!" With this, he pulled a large suitcase from nowhere, and upon opening it up dipped his arms down to the elbows in various shrunken items that Arthur vaguely recalled seeing in Merlin's house deep within the forest.
Fishing around, several times going over the same spot with reaching hands, he finally drew from the depths of the suitcase a-
"A doorknob?"Arthur asked, seeing the rather unremarkable brass handle.
"Er, yes......Its a remnant from one of my, er, ahem, previous adventures, yes, I dare say so..." The Wizard looked rather sheepish, his gaze clouded from memories past.
"as I recall.........ah, yes, listen close Wart, this part is important"
He leaned close, and as Archimedes flew over and landed on Merlin's cowl, he got a closer look at the offending items in question and intoned, quite forcefully, "Oh, no. Not that pastel colored horseland again?" with this, he alighted from Merlin's cowl, and landed somewhere out of view among the rafters. "I think I'll sit this one out, keep my wings in the clouds, don'tcha know?"
"Er, ahem." Merlin coughed once, drawing Arthur's attention back. "As I was saying, this type of transportation has...er, yes, it has a rather brilliant Transmogrification spell built right in, where we're going, the normal citizens aren't humans, you see!"
Arthur gazed up at Merlin in rapt attention. Not only was he going to see an apparently magic place, but he was going to get transformed again! The first three times had all been brief, but the feeling of swimming freely in the moat as a fish, darting through the mountainously tall branches of the forest as a squirrel, and the rushing wind through his feathers as a bird had been some of the most free and -dare he even say magical?- times of his life! Even with all the bad things that had come from them.
"Now.....er...eh....hmm.........how does this blasted thing work again?" Merlin turned the doorknob over in his hands, his vast memory having failed him momentarily. Archimedes peered over one of the rafters, taking slight pleasure at the fall of his masters veil of superiority. "Hey!" Merlin called, feeling the owls large eyes upon him. "Do you remember? I got it from that witch in Dorset, right?" Archimedes fluffed his chest feathers, pleased to displace Merlins claim of "knowing everything"
"You put it on a bed, you daft old coot!" with this, he retreated once more among the wooden beams, not wanting anything to do with the topic further.
"Ah, yes, yes yes YES! Bedknob, how could I forget?" with this he stalked down the hall, making for the royal bedchambers.
"Come along Wart, we haven't a moment to waste!"
Arthur needed no more encouragement, stripping the heavy cloak from his shoulders, and hurrying after the old wizard.
"Ah ah ah!" Merlin tutted at him, as he slid to a stop in front of him. "Go get your sword, the blade is your responsibility now, I dare say so, indeed. Go on, quickly!" With this he waved him back towards the throne, and Arthur quickly dashed back, and picked up the sword.
"urgh.......its almost as big as me, Merlin! Do I have to bring it?" He cried, looking wistfully at the venerable old wizard.
And indeed, as stated the sword was nearly his peer in height, just coming to under his nose when they were both stood up straight.
"er....well, I guess we'll have to do something about this, now wont we?" with this the wizard rolled up the sleeves on his robe, his beard swishing dangerously around his feet as he incanted...
"Bellificus, bandurfucious, Frogicus, HOLD!" He swung his arms towards Arthur, and the boy suffered a small amount of fear as he wondered 'what spell could this possibly be?'
As the traces of lights and sparkles faded, Arthur couldn't place any difference. Except the sword was gone. Looking around, he became aware of a weight slung over his back, and looked over his shoulder to see that the sword was now harnessed in a diagonally lying band across his back. No longer dragging along the ground, it wouldn't prove as much a hurdle to carry. And it didn't seem to weigh as much the longer it was there! Like it belonged with him, or something....
"Well then, now that we've got all that settled, let us be off, shall we?" with this, Merlin once more strode down the hall, and flinging open a door saw a large bed, its corners easily reaching the width of his previous house.
"No accounting for taste, I suppose," the old wizard spat, overlooking the wasted opulence of such a thing.
"Okay, come, what are you doing over there still? Come on, we're wasting time." with this he jumped up on the bed, making for one of the four corners. Arthur climbed up on the massive bed, and made his way to where the wizard sat, trying to pry one of the corner knobs off.
"What are you doing that for, Merlin?" he asked, having a vague idea what needed to be done to commence travel, but knowing the wizards zeal for explanation, he hardly saw it fair to cheat him out of one.
"The ........knob has to be....NEARGH, there, got it, here, just throw this to the side, will you?" Merlin handed the golden knob to Arthur, who, barely able to lift it, simply rolled it off the side.
"Now, as I was saying, I have to place the the knob on the post as so........." He placed it down, and stared at it for a few seconds.
"AH!" he yelled, remembering a crucial step.
Standing up, he waved his hands and cane above his head, the prime presentation of a proper wizard.
"ALAKAZAM!"
And with a blinding flash of light, they were gone.
Stats
Page generated in 0.038 seconds
Total duration
971 users online
95,829 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
This is brilliant so far. Neat ref to Bedknobs and Broomsticks too.^^
I'll be looking forward to this.
4005524
Gotta have respect for the classics.
This is Awesome!! And I love the 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' reference there [someone should do a fanfic on that too...hmmm
].
Dang now I want to make the B&B crossover, I've had it in the back of my head for some time before reading this. I can just see it now...
German Soilder: [*subtitles*] "That's a flying purple Unicorn!"
German Colonel: [*subtitles*] "Don't be stupid, unicorns don't exist."
One of my favorite movies... THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!
Paragraphs are running together. Might want to go back and fix 'em, if I were you.
So... I think that the idea of this is pretty cool but um... Could you try to use periods instead of run-ons? Also, I suggest to you that you read "The Once and Future King: The Sword in the Stone", the original story of King Arthur, before you go a make a story based on a movie. I beg of you, please read it before you carry on. If you can't find it anywhere, I can give it to you. The book was great (if you don't mind reading)! Dare I say better than the movie! Please read it if you have free time.
You hit Merlin's personality from that movie perfectly!
Wait, given Merlin's penchant for time/dimension hopping, is he Starswirl the Bearded?
HAHAHA!
They are still chanting his name, don't they give up? Nice story by the way. This is going to be epic for sure!
4026138 My god, your logic is infallible!
Hey! YOU FORGET the squirrel!
My inner child would like to make comment.
SQUEE.
My inner child never was good at articulating itself. But every time I try and get an outer child he runs away. Rude.
Oh I remember the movie from years ago. Nearly wore the cassette out with the number of times i watched it.
4026138 And i wouldn't say Merlin is Starswirl the Bearded. His human counterpart seems more appropriate. Though that's not counting in his charm for travelling/dimension hopping... hmmm, good point.
The Sword in the Stone, as well as Bedknobs and Broomsticks? You sir, are very good at your job. Keep it up.