Sunday, 22 December 2013

Fans Fiction Spirit of Love by Sandy Deck



     It was another of those days you’d rather strike from the calendar. Although, it promised to be the most beautiful day for a long time and began with a promising morning. For once the rolls they had ordered all arrived and the coffee didn’t contain any of that disgusting powder, which somehow occasionally manages to crawl out of the filter bag to end up in the coffee itself. Marie shuddered at the thought.
     After the delicious breakfast, Marie made her way to see Gray. They were going to buy Christmas tree decorations and a wreath together. Marie was looking forward to it. She had never imagined that Gray would be looking for Christmas decorations with her. Somehow the two didn’t seem to fit together. Kitsch Christmas junk and Gray. To her, it seemed similar to someone trying to teach Gray how to knit. But it was his idea. Marie laughed as she remembered Jack’s facial expression. What had he been thinking? Marie thought, giggling.
   “What’s so funny?” A voice tore her away from her thoughts. Marie looked up and straight into his eyes, which were always so full of life and pulled the ground out from under her feet.
   “Hello, Gray”, she smiled at him. “Oh no. Haven’t you shaved?” Marie cocked her head slightly to one side and examined him. Granted, his three-day stubble suited him. Gray grinned boldly, pulled Marie towards him and tried to rub his cheek against hers. “Stop it!” She didn’t find it funny and pushed him gently away from her.
     Gray laughed. “I was only kidding! Sorry.” He ran his right hand over his stubble. “I want to grow a beard!” He explained, looking at Marie.
   “A beard! Do you want to play Father Christmas, or something?” Marie shook her head.
   “Why not? Don’t you like it?” He winked cheekily at her.
   “Just don’t do it!” Marie grimaced at Gray again to show him clearly that she would not like it.
     Gray laughed, pulled her close again, looked deep into her eyes and said softly: “If you don’t want Father Christmas, I certainly hope you’d like a kiss from Gray!” He kissed her without waiting for a response. Marie grew dizzy and hot at the same time. Her knees trembled and she wished this moment would never end. The kiss was more intense than she had ever felt with anyone else. He gently stroked her cheek and Marie felt herself blush. Embarrassed and in love at the same time, she blinked at him. “Is everything ok?” He asked a little bemused. Marie just nodded silently and smiled.
     Marie was now sitting on her sofa, staring straight ahead. Her gaze fell to the wreath she and Gray had decorated together. It was decorated with little hearts and rolled up messages for each other. The ones for her were in purple and the ones for Gray were in blue. The small presents stuck in the foliage had the same colours. The purple and blue candles bore the numbers one to four. Marie gently took the first candle, which had already been lit, in her hands. Tears rolled down her face, dripping onto it. The memories of the first Advent made her heart ache. She and Gray had lit this candle two days ago. Gray had lit the match and handed it to Marie. It was their first Advent together and it should have been the best. Marie could still feel his kisses on her lips, hear his heartbeat and smell his aftershave. “I love you, Marie. From the very first moment I saw you.” he had whispered in her ear.
     Marie’s whole body shook. She couldn’t contain her anger any more. At that moment, her sadness and disappointment merged together. Full of rage, Marie threw the candle against the wall and shouted: “You bastard!” Marie’s feeling of disappointment intensified until she pulled every single candle from the wreath and threw them against the wall.
   “Marie, I love you. I love you so much, I can’t bear it. It’s too intense, too much. This love is so strong; I’m frightened to admit it. This may sound absurd to you, Marie, but this love is so strong I’m afraid of losing it!” Marie lifted the wreath from the table. “Please give me time, Marie. Give me time to make sense of everything that’s between us!”
     She had almost burst with rage. “You need time to see other women? You can have it!” She threw the wreath against the wall.  Her eyes filled with tears, she now stared at the wreath and candles, which remained undamaged despite their heavy impact with the wall. She dashed the tears from her face again and again as she put the wreath back together and set it on the table. Slowly, she calmed herself down, breathed deeply and lit the second candle. The flame flickered and it was almost as if she could see Gray’s face in the glow from the blue candle.
     Then someone called her name. “Marie! Marie, my dear child!” She looked around the room, but couldn’t see anybody. “Marie. Dry your tears and open your eyes!”, said the familiar voice. A white figure appeared before Marie and stood directly in front of her. She held a small package in her hands, which she held out to her. “Don’t be afraid!” Marie now realised that it was her dead mother, who was appearing to her as a ghost. Marie took the package hesitantly and placed it on the kitchen counter.
   “Mum!” She wanted to hug her mum tightly, but realised this was impossible and banged her head on the cupboard at the same time. Her mother laughed.
   “Oh Marie. You haven’t changed!”
     Marie rubbed her head. “It’s good to see you”, she smiled at her mother. “What are you doing?” Her mother swept through the room, stopped by the coffee table and looked at the wreath.
   “Why are you destroying something you love?” Marie was about to answer when her mother started wagging her finger at her. “Oh no, my little angel. That’s no excuse. You want to be loved like a grown woman. You expect the man who loves you to promise you eternal love immediately. True love takes time to grow, you know, and it’s a love that’s hard to understand. You’ve had enough time to understand what you feel about Gray. But he’s a man. He needs time to understand it too. If you love him, you must learn to accept this and, above all, to respect this! Your love still has time and your time will come! But now you have a very different task at hand!”
     Marie couldn’t believe what she was hearing and was a little angry with her mother. “You don’t understand! Gray has been seeing another woman. I saw him!” She threw back her head defiantly.    “I’ve already said, you’re not mature enough to understand how things really are.”
   “Mum, how can you...!” Her mother reprimanded her harshly. “I’ve had enough of your behaviour now, Marie! You’re about to make the same mistake I once made! I regretted it to the grave that I was once as defiant and immature as you are now! But let’s not talk about this anymore. Open the package!” Slowly, Marie’s mother approached her. “Trust what you feel in your heart, Marie. I know
you’re upset and in pain, but you really do have a very important task to fulfil. You can’t allow yourself these emotional outbursts. You have to keep it together and stay strong!”
     Marie’s anger evaporated somewhat and she nodded. “Mum, I’ve been looking for the purpose of my life the whole time and when I met Gray, I thought he was my purpose. But now?” Marie felt tears spring to her eyes once more. With some effort, she managed to hold them back. She would have loved to lean against her mother now and feel her kisses in her hair. The way it used to be when everything was normal. When her mother was still alive. But it wasn’t possible.
   “Open the package!”  Marie’s mother repeated softly. “There you will find your answer!”
      Marie opened the package and held an old amulet in her hands. It was beautiful and was adorned with a small dragon. The dragon’s tail encircled the piece. It was made of gold, with small pearls decorating the dragon’s back. “Mum, what is this?” asked Marie.
   “Do you like it?”
   “It’s stunning!” Marie placed it around her neck and the dragon’s eyes began to glow. Startled, Marie took it off again.
   “No, my child. Don’t be afraid. This is your destiny. Your past. A little bit of what you’ve been searching for. Your life’s purpose!”
     Marie looked at her mother sceptically.
     She lowered her gaze to the floor and approached Marie. Her see-through hands patted Marie’s cheeks.
   “Marie. I didn’t tell you to protect you. You are the heiress of Camelot. A descendent of King Arthur!” Jack appeared at that moment. Marie hated how he just turned up out of nowhere. Gray had the same habit. That’s to be expected when dealing with time travellers. You never knew where they’d turn up next. Marie was happy that Gray never appeared in the bathroom when she was shaving her legs, or using a mud pack. It was awkward enough that he’d once surprised her while she was wearing a cucumber mask on her face and toe-spreaders on her feet because she had been painting her nails.
   “So, are you ready for your next adventure?” Jack tore her from her thoughts, grinning boldly. Marie was still holding the amulet in her hands. She felt a little queasy. Her, an heir of Camelot. It was absurd. She didn’t want to believe it.
     Marie’s mother swept over to Jack. “You will show her the way, Jack. Promise me you’ll look after her!”
     Marie saw Jack’s eyes fill with tears and felt as though the two of them had some kind of special bond. It was clear from the way Jack looked at her mother. “You two were in love once! Weren’t you?” She got no answer. Marie saw Jack’s hand rest on her mother’s cheek. Julianna closed her eyes and kissed Jack on the lips. “I wish I had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with you again. There’s still so much I want to say to you!” Then she turned to Marie. “Marie, whatever happens, keep the amulet with you. No one but you can discover and use the amulet’s secrets. Only you can prevent the worst. You must travel back in time and save the kingdom. If Camelot is not saved by the night of the third Advent, everything will be lost. I know it’s a heavy burden to carry, but it was predestined. And no matter what you discover, never forget that I have always loved you!” Then Julianna’s ghost disappeared.
     Marie stood there, looking at the amulet in her hand and glanced up at Jack questioningly. He smiled comfortingly, approached her, took the amulet from her hand and placed it around her neck.    “It’s important that you wear this. Otherwise it can’t protect you. Come, it is time!” he reached out his hand to Marie.
   “But I don’t understand. I don’t want this! What’s the meaning of this?! Don’t I get a say in this?” protested Marie.
     Jack grabbed for her hand and pulled her towards him. Then he turned a knob on his wrist strap, a bright light appeared and Marie disappeared with Jack to another place.

     They now stood in the middle of some ruins and Marie looked around curiously.
   “Jack, where are we?”
   “What do you feel?” he asked, instead of giving her an answer.
   “I don’t know. Should I be feeling something?” asked Marie.
     Jack nodded. “I had hoped you would!”
     Marie closed her eyes. “I somehow have the feeling that I’ve been here before. It feels so familiar. Jack, where are we?”, she repeated her question.
   “They say these ruins are what remain of Camelot!” They both looked around curiously. “Marie, do you still have the ability to rebuild images of places?”
     Marie shook her head. “I can’t always empathise with a place, and when I do it usually just looks how I wanted it to. Do you know what I mean?”
     Jack wasn’t going to give up that easily and he took Marie’s hand. “You shouldn’t be afraid of your abilities!”
     Marie swallowed. Sometimes she actually was afraid to admit certain skills. Gray also tried constantly to encourage her to use her gifts. “Jack, I’m really worried that one time I’ll rebuild a place with my mind and not be able to find my way back home!” She swallowed.
   “I’m with you! Don’t be afraid. Just close your eyes and do it.” Marie held onto his hand as tightly as she could. She knew all too well that it was time to test and use her abilities. Right now she could be a descendant of King Arthur, but she still had her own strong doubts about that. Marie nodded. “Jack, don’t let go of my hand, ok?” Her voice trembled slightly in fear. Jack promised her and took both of her hands in his. “Jack, please answer a question for me; did you love my mother very much?” She looked at him earnestly.
     Jack nodded. “Yes. She was a great love of mine”, he answered honestly and from the tone of his voice, Marie could tell he was being truthful.
   “A great love?” she asked.
     Jack laughed. “Well, do you know how old I am?”  he winked at her.
     Marie smirked. “Of course! Jack, am I your daughter?” She glanced quickly at the ground, then expectantly up into Jack’s eyes.
     He shook his head. “No, Marie. But I wish you were. I promised your mother I’d look after you as if you were my own flesh and blood. That’s exactly what I’ve done up until now and it’s what I’m going to continue to do!”
     Marie had hoped for a different answer. She hated her father. Her memories of him made her angry and she wished she’d had a chance to tell him that to his face. Jack seemed to sense her anger.
   “No, Marie. Hate is a false companion. Forget him. Concentrate on your task.”
   “It would have been amazing if you were my father.”
   “I’m flattered. But in a way I am! I was always close by, even if you couldn’t see me!”
   “That’s why you were there when Robert was abducted by aliens!” Jack nodded. Marie smiled and closed her eyes. She imagined the ancient ruins of days gone by rising and rebuilding themselves how they had once stood. And it seemed to be working.
     At any rate, she heard Jack cry “Wow! Open your eyes! You have to see this!” Marie opened one eye very slowly, then the other. Indeed, before her stood not only Jack, who now let go of her hands and looked around excitedly, but also an old castle which shone in all its splendour. They were now standing in the middle of a courtyard, which was very impressive to behold. Climbing plants grew up some corners of the castle and flowers bloomed in all imaginable colours. Turrets stretched towards the sky and the sun’s rays fell on a walkway. They must have stood there. King Arthur and his beloved Guinevere. At least, that’s how Marie imagined it. The imposing staircase invited them to enter. This was how she had imagined the castle when her grandmother used to tell her about the legend of King Arthur. Jack and Marie looked at each other, laughing.
   “Wow. See what you’ve done?” Jack was visibly impressed by what he saw.
    “Yes. I can hardly believe it. It’s just a shame we can’t go inside the castle. Because it’s just a hallucination!”
   “Yes, but what a hallucination! Very impressive! And it looks so real”, a stranger approached the two of them. He was dressed in a very old-fashioned style, but he looked very nice. He and Jack seemed to know each other, because they greeted each other like comrades with a hug. The unknown man glanced over at her.
   “This is her?” Jack nodded. “May I introduce you? This is Marie!” Marie extended her hand to the stranger. He examined her closely, smiling kindly. This irritated Marie.
   “Please excuse the way I’m looking at you, but the last time I saw you, you were a little bundle and only a couple of hours old!” Marie looked at Jack questioningly. He just stood there and smiled. “Oh, excuse me, I still haven’t introduced myself. I’m Merlin!”
     Marie looked at Jack questioningly again, who just nodded at her, then back at the man who called himself Merlin. Suddenly, Marie had to laugh loudly. She bent over with laughter. “You two are good. I’ll give you that! I’m supposed to be the heiress of Camelot and, by coincidence, Merlin is standing here in front of me! Of course! Sorry, but this has gone a bit too far now!”
      Merlin and Jack shrugged. “Come. I’ll show you around this fascinating hallucination a little. Really impressive!” Merlin said to Jack. Turning to Marie, he said: “Marie, let me know once you’ve recovered your sobriety. Then I can finally show you the way. Please consider, time is moving forwards, not backwards!” He looked around and went over to a flower.  “Really impressive!” Marie heard him say.
     Jack reached for a flower, but it slid through his fingers. Marie approached the two men slowly. “So, this isn’t a joke?” she asked.
   “Does this look like a joke?” Merlin asked Marie earnestly, gesturing to their surroundings.
   “Trust is the beginning of everything!” Jack said to Marie and put his arm around her.
   “Marie, I’m asking you to trust all of this!”
   “Bring her back to me! Do you hear me, Merlin? Bring her back to me in this world!” he now turned to Merlin. He promised to do so.
   “As long as that’s what Marie wants! Don’t worry, Jack. I’ll look after her!”
   “Marie, trust him, ok? You can do this! And when you’re back home again, we’ll celebrate Christmas together, I promise you!” Jack kissed Marie’s forehead.
   “Come, it is time!” Merlin gestured to a stone in the middle of the courtyard.
   “We have to go over there!” Marie’s amulet glowed slightly. “You’re not coming?”  Marie asked Jack. He shook his head.
   “I’ll stay here and make sure you can get back. Otherwise, I could meet the other me from the past. And you know what sort of consequences that could have. Everything will be fine! Go now!” Marie went to Merlin, who was already waiting for her.
   “Oh Jack, if you see Gray, please tell him that I, that he, that we, forget it, don’t tell him anything!” Jack grinned and nodded.
   “Will do!” Merlin held his hand over the stone, murmured something Marie couldn’t understand and the stone rose out of the earth. A kind of small column now stood before them. The amulet around Marie’s neck glowed brighter and instinctively, as if she knew exactly what she had to do, Marie removed one of the pearls from the dragon’s back and placed it in the middle of the column. A pale pink light shone.
     Marie and Merlin now suddenly stood in a dense wood. A couple of birds chirped and the sunlight streamed down through the treetops. The ripple of a brook could be heard in the distance.
   “Wow, it’s beautiful here!” Marie’s eyes wanted to capture as much of this stunning landscape as possible and the feeling that looking at it gave her. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. She wanted to fall to the ground and listen to the birds and the ripple of the water, but
Merlin didn’t give her the chance.
   “Come, Marie. We don’t have much time. It may be beautiful here, but unfortunately it’s very dangerous too. We have to get to Camelot!” Merlin pulled her behind him by the arm and suddenly stopped on a rocky hillside. He rummaged behind a bush, pulled out an unusual looking bag and pushed it into Marie’s arms. “Here, please put this on. And hurry!” He moved a few paces away from her so that Marie couldn’t see him anymore. She looked warily at the clothes meant for her.
   “Erm, Merlin. What on earth is this?” she called after him. No answer came. “Great. In this I’ll look like a potato from the grocery shop around the corner from me!” She quickly stashed her clothes in the bag and put it back where Merlin had hidden it. She glanced down at herself. She felt very uncomfortable in this dress. It itched everywhere and she felt like a sack of potatoes. She went in the direction of the sound of the rippling brook and of Merlin, who was talking with someone. “Merlin, do I really have to wear this dress? I’m sure I look like a sack of potatoes!” She was pulling at her clothes when she suddenly jumped. She could hardly believe her eyes, because on a rock in front of her crouched a dragon and it was actually talking to Merlin.
   “But a pretty sack of potatoes, I must say!” the dragon said to Marie. Marie smiled.
   “Thank you!”  she said, doing a little bow for the dragon. She couldn’t take her eyes off the dragon and eyed it from head to toe.
   “You understand him?” asked Merlin, astonished. Marie nodded.
   “Of course! He’s wonderful!” She approached him slowly.
   “Aren’t you afraid of me?” asked the dragon. 
   “No, not at all!”
   “I am very relieved. Because he’s going to fly us there. It’s the only way we can get to Camelot!” Marie shook her head.
   “Oh no, you can forget it! I’m not flying on a dragon!”
   “You don’t have another choice!” Merlin grinned from ear to ear and looked down at her dress. “I’m sorry about the dress!” He took Marie’s hand. “There’s nothing to be afraid of!”
   “Can I touch you?”  Marie asked the dragon. He nodded and lowered his head. “It would be an honour to be stroked by Arthur’s daughter!” She withdrew her hand immediately.
   “Excuse me? Arthur’s daughter? I’m sorry, I may be a descendant of him, but I’m certainly not his daughter!” Marie shook her head fiercely. The dragon glanced up.
   “Yes, my child! It is so! You are the first born child of King Arthur. And according to the prophecy, you’re the only one who can defeat the dark sorcerer. So that Camelot remains standing!” The dragon glanced at Merlin.
   “What else are you keeping from me? Who is the dark sorcerer? And I’ve never heard of King Arthur having a daughter before. He had a son or two! I can’t remember exactly anymore. But I know one thing for sure: he didn’t have a daughter!” She looked at Merlin expectantly.
   “I had hoped that Jack had already explained everything to you. It is indeed true. You are the first born and he also had a son – your twin brother. The prophecy says that King Arthur’s first born will defeat the sorcerer. Arthur didn’t believe any of it, but thank God his wife Guinevere did. After Arthur’s last battle, we proclaimed to the people that he was dead. But he isn’t. He lives. Only his wife, his knights and I know this. Well, you know now too. It was Arthur’s idea. He thought it would keep the dark sorcerer away from Camelot. But it was an error, which was clear to me immediately. Guinevere was pregnant and bore twins. You and your twin brother. Guinevere begged me to take you to safety. We had to lie to Arthur because he still didn’t believe the legend, so we told him you had died shortly after the birth. He would never have allowed you to leave Camelot. I cast a protection spell upon you, so you would be safe and I also gave you several abilities because I thought you would find them useful. And the amulet you’re wearing has magic in it too, which protects you as long as you are wearing it. But you must use it wisely. You’re not allowed to use it for black magic, or to trigger a curse!” Merlin took a deep breath and looked at Marie. “Marie, please. You have to help Camelot, or we will all be lost. Your brother and your parents too!”
     Tears streamed down Marie’s face. She swallowed. Her dear mother, who she loved very much, wasn’t really her mother! She could hardly believe the words! “So has my entire life been a lie?”    “Marie, please understand. You weren’t allowed to discover any of this before. If you had known, you would have been in danger!” Merlin tried to comfort her.
   “The dark sorcerer would have found you in your world!” explained the dragon.
     Marie nodded and dried her tears. “So I’m King Arthur’s daughter?”
   Merlin nodded. “It’s cruel what you did to Arthur! Telling him his child was dead when it wasn’t true!” Merlin sank his gaze, ashamed and murmured softly: “I know. But we had no other choice!” Merlin looked up at Marie again. His sadness was reflected in his eyes.
   “Ok, then I reckon I have to do what is required of me, right?” Merlin nodded.
   “Then my actions will not have been in vain. It was not easy for me to lie to my best friend!”
   “As if my life as a normal daughter wasn’t already complicated enough!” Marie rolled her eyes and smiled. In truth, she loved exciting adventures and her time with Torchwood had taught her that every person is born for a reason! “Tell me, Merlin, did Arthur find out in the meantime that you had lied to him?”
   “Yes. He knows. Although I fear that he still doesn’t believe it!”
   “That’s understandable! Let’s find this stupid sorcerer and send him back where he came from!” Merlin smiled now and was visibly delighted that Marie was taking on her task and was ready to fulfil her destiny.
   “Thanks!”
   “Don’t thank me so soon, Merlin! Because when I get out of this potato sack, I know exactly whose head I’d like to shove inside it!” Merlin understood immediately and laughed. Even the dragon found the idea of seeing Merlin in the dress very amusing and he laughed with them about it.

     They landed in the middle of Camelot’s courtyard. Merlin and Marie climbed quickly off the dragon and he flew back into the air to return to his realm. Marie recognised the place immediately. Although in reality the courtyard was much more beautiful than in her hallucination. She looked around and was fascinated by what she saw. It almost seemed to her as though she was dreaming the entire thing. Someone would wake her up any moment. Any moment her mobile would ring, or her alarm clock would sing ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’. But this wasn’t so. In reality she found herself in a time she knew only from books and descriptions.
     A very pretty woman with long brown hair approached and greeted Merlin and Marie warmly. The woman took Marie’s hand in hers and gazed lovingly at her.
   “So this is Marie?” she asked Merlin, without taking her eyes off her. Marie sensed that the woman in front of her wasn’t just any old woman. It was Guinevere!
   “You’re Guinevere, aren’t you?” Marie asked shyly.
      She nodded and tears ran down her cheeks.   “May I hug you?” she asked. Marie nodded and was immediately surrounded by Guinevere’s arms.
     Merlin cleared his throat. “I don’t want to interrupt, but there’s no time for this!” Guinevere understood and let Marie go at once. She now led both of them into a large hall and introduced Arthur to Marie.
     He stood rooted to the spot and observed Marie warily from a distance. “Take no notice of him, Marie. He’s a sceptic!”  explained Guinevere.
   “I can understand that. I am too!”
     Marie and Arthur now approached each other slowly. “So, you’re my daughter. The daughter who is meant to defeat the dark sorcerer? A girl from the future is supposed to be able to do what my knights have so far failed to do and the sorcerers at my side?” He circled Marie with slow steps and surveyed her from all sides. Marie felt oppressed. She wanted to run, but she knew it wouldn’t help. She had to face her fears. “First I was told my daughter had died shortly after birth and now, one month later, she’s standing in front of me! Tell me how, Merlin? And how can this girl defeat the sorcerer?”
     Merlin appeared at Marie’s side. “Firstly, she’s not just any girl; she’s your daughter, Sir. Secondly, the prophecy says she will defeat him!”
     Marie swallowed once more and looked imploringly towards Guinevere. She stood, went over to her husband and laid a hand on his shoulder.
   “She is your daughter, Arthur. She can do it! Trust in her!”
     Arthur just shook his head. “I’ve come so far I can accept that my servant is a sorcerer, but I cannot believe that this girl here is my daughter! I have a son! Merlin, take care of them. I don’t have any more time to listen to this nonsense. Girl from the future. Daughter. Ridiculous!”
   “Merlin, take Marie to the kitchen and make sure she gets something decent to eat. And a more suitable dress, please!” She surveyed Marie with a wink. Marie would have like to have thanked her, but she felt paralysed. Arthur’s words affected her greatly, even though she could completely understand his scepticism. Marie looked over at Arthur, who was still regarding her highly critically. His gaze was like a stabbing pain through her heart.
     Dark clouds filled the sky. There was swishing and rumbling from everywhere. Merlin explained to Marie that it was no thunder storm. It was the dark sorcerer, who was trying to force his way into the inner courtyard.
   “The protection spell I cast won’t last much longer. And I’m afraid Arthur cannot be dissuaded from fighting the sorcerer alone!”
   “What’s so wrong with that? I still don’t know how to compete against the sorcerer!”
   “Your amulet, Marie! You still have some pearls left and you can use them!” Marie changed into the dress Merlin had given her behind a curtain. The material felt lovely and it didn’t itch, either. True, she was used to going around in jeans and trainers, but she liked the dress too. She no longer looked like a sack of potatoes. Merlin wanted to explain more to her, but he was summoned by the King to help him put on his armour. Marie’s amulet glowed red. What was that supposed to mean?
     She took the amulet off and held it in her hands to view it more closely. Something in Latin was engraved along the tail. She read Omnia vincit amor’ and put the amulet back on. “Love conquers all! How is that supposed to help me?” she asked herself.
   “What are you doing in here?” a voice seemed to ask out of nowhere. Marie turned towards the voice and couldn’t believe her eyes.
   “Jack? You? But what are you doing here?” Marie approached him to greet him warmly, but Jack looked at her, frowning.
   “Who are you? And where do we know each other from?”  he wanted to know.
   “Oh, erm, I’m Marie and we know each other from, well, from...” Marie hesitated with her answer a little. What if he doesn’t know he’s a time traveller yet? He’d think she was completely nuts, or worse, he could even kill her.
   “From another time?” Jack finished the sentence. Marie nodded, relieved. “Strictly speaking, from the future!”
     Jack laughed. “Well, that’s a relief! Let me guess, you’re Marie. Right?” She nodded. Marie was happy that the Jack from the past was just as nice as the Jack she knew in the future. “I’m supposed to defeat the dark sorcerer, but I don’t know how. Could you possibly help me? Merlin speaks to me in riddles!”
     Jack sat on the table and Marie followed suit. “Well, I know you have to do it before it’s the third Advent in your time. The pearls in your amulet will only hold their magic for that long. With the magic in the pearls, you can really achieve something that nobody else here can. What exactly that is, you’ll have to ask Merlin. And I know it has something to do with love!”
     Marie knew all of this already. “Here it says love conquers all! Does that tell you anything?” she asked Jack. Jack smiled.
   “Yes, of course! And soon it will tell you something too, I hope! It would be a shame if not!” Jack sipped his tea, smiling. Loud cries could suddenly be heard from outside. Marie and Jack ran to the window and looked out onto the courtyard. Some people ran away in panic and hid in the stables. She saw Arthur battling a man dressed in black in the middle of the courtyard. The dark sorcerer.
   “I’m guessing this is your time, Marie!”
     Marie clasped her amulet in one hand and nodded at Jack. “I’m afraid it is!” She hurried out of the kitchen and heard Jack call
   “Good luck and say ‘hi’ to my future self! If you survive, that is!”

     In the hallway outside the kitchen, she ran into Guinevere. She was holding a baby in her arms. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Marie, please, run. There’s no point. Get yourself to safety. They’re all dead. And Arthur won’t make it alone against the sorcerer. And I can’t find Merlin!”
     Marie looked at the baby; it was crying. No, she wasn’t going to run. She would fulfil her destiny.  
   “Guinevere, get yourself and the baby to safety. I’m going to fight!”
   “Have you lost your senses? Please come with me!” Guinevere begged. But she shook her head. She gave the baby a kiss on the forehead and hugged her sweet mother.
   “Please don’t worry! I know now what I have to do!” At least, she thought she knew what she had to do, but she wasn’t going to say that.
   “Are you sure?” asked Guinevere. Marie nodded. She took the amulet in both hands, removed two pearls from the dragon’s tail and pushed them into Guinevere’s hand.
   “I hope I can protect you!” Marie bent down and kissed the baby’s forehead again. The baby stopped crying at once and stared at Marie with bright blue eyes, smiling. “I think he knows who I am!” Guinevere nodded.
   “I think so too!” Marie took the amulet and used it to catch the child’s tears. The dragon’s eyes lit up briefly. Guinevere looked at Marie, confused. Marie just shrugged.
   “I have no idea why I did that. It was instinct!” Guinevere looked deep into her daughter’s eyes one last time and said:
   “You’re just like your father!”
   “Thanks!” Marie said and ran outside into the courtyard.

     Marie almost collided with her father.
   “Marie, no! Go back inside. It’s too dangerous!” Blood ran from wounds on Arthur’s arm and leg, and he seemed to hardly be able to stay on his feet. “We can’t defeat him! I’ve already stabbed him several times in the heart with a sword!”
     Marie glanced over at the black-masked man. Merlin was trying to fight him with his magic, but the dark sorcerer’s magic seemed to be stronger. Arthur spoke to Marie in a low voice: “Take my sword, Marie. Kill him, if it’s your purpose!”
     She nodded, tears running down her face. “Please, you can’t die! Not now and not like this!” Arthur’s hand gently stroked her cheek.
   “You have your mother’s eyes! I am not afraid of death!”  he whispered and collapsed.
   “No!” cried Marie. “No! You can’t die!” She shook the body lying in her arms in desperation. Eyes filled with tears, she could vaguely see Merlin kneeling next to her. He put an arm around her comfortingly.
   “Don’t give up hope! You still have the pearls...”, he was interrupted by a sinister voice.
   “So we meet again! Marie, you piece of crap, come here and fight! It’s your purpose, your destiny, to kill me! Come here and stop wailing like a little child! You slut!”
     Marie jumped when she heard the voice. She dashed the tears from her face and stood up. “Please get my father out of here, Merlin!”
     Merlin nodded. “Marie, with the power of love you can defeat him!”
   “I know!” said Marie, placing a pearl in Merlin’s hand. “Put it in his mouth!” She took a step away from her father and looked at the dark sorcerer. He wore a black mask, so she could not recognise him, but the voice was familiar. She knew that voice all too well! “What did you call me? The only one here who’s a piece of crap is you! Too cowardly to show your face! What kind of man are you? A man who hides behind a mask? A man who kills innocent women and children!” Her voice shook with rage. Marie was more than determined to deliver the man who stood before her to the afterlife. She held her father’s sword, Excalibur, tightly in her hand. “Take off that crummy mask!”  she ordered him in a very harsh tone.
     He laughed maliciously and ripped the mask from his face. “Better?” he asked in the same harsh tone. He also held a sword tightly in his hand.
   “I actually never wanted to see your nasty face ever again, even though I would have liked to tell you how much I hate you!” Marie looked at him, scowling.
   “If you want to tell me, then do so!”  he laughed mockingly.
   “No, hate is a false companion, you know. I forgive you for what you’ve done. I forgive you for giving innocent children to aliens, and I forgive you for trying to kill my father!”
     The man looked at her, annoyed, but didn’t let Marie out of his sight. “But I can never love you, or forget what you’ve done! And I’m going to make you pay for it!” She raised the sword. “Fight!” she commanded him.
   “I’m your father! You won’t kill me! You don’t have it in you, you little slut!”    “You are not my father. You are the man who eked out his miserable existence at the side of a wonderful and warm woman. Your life was so miserable you had to resort to black magic to become anyone or anything! You disgust me so much!” She swung the sword as though she had done it all her life and fought the man she loathed. She managed to fend off most of her opponent’s attacks.
   “You’re good! I have to admit! You’re still a piece of crap, but a good fighter!”
   “Something nice, coming from you!” She didn’t want to get into a discussion and waited for the right moment to strike with the sword. They delivered a bitter fight, neither wanted to give in. Until she wasn’t on her guard for the blink of an eye.
     The dark sorcerer knocked her sword from her hand and Marie was now unarmed. The man who called himself Marie’s father came charging at her at a fast pace. He was determined to kill Marie.
   “Do you have any last words, you brat!” He held the sword against Marie’s chest and stared at her, his face distorted with rage.
   “I have something to say to you, you bastard!”  a voice sounded. Marie discovered, to her delight, that Gray must have followed her into the past. He stood there now, holding his sword tightly in his hands. “Come here and fight against a man! You pansy!”
     The sorcerer released Marie and tore towards Gray. The two of them fought like wild bulls. Neither gave in. It was blow for blow and sparks flew from their swords. Marie ran over to Excalibur and then to Merlin and her father, who was now standing back on his feet.
   “I have an idea!” Marie said to Arthur and produced a small pocket knife from under her skirt. Surprised, Arthur took a step back. Marie scored the knife against her hand; blood flowed out. She handed the knife to Merlin, took the
amulet from around her neck and held it under her hand. The blood dripped onto it and the dragon’s eyes glowed again slightly.
   “Have you gone mad?”, Arthur asked his daughter. Merlin smiled.
   “Well she is your daughter!”
   “Now you, Dad!”  she said. Arthur hesitated a little, then reached for the knife and copied Marie. The King’s blood ran over the amulet. The amulet glowed brightly. Then she placed it back around her neck, grabbed Excalibur and hurried over to help her boyfriend. But she was too late! Just as she reached Gray and the sorcerer, the man dressed in black thrust his sword into Gray’s chest. He withdrew it with a malicious, resounding laugh and Gray fell to the floor.
   “No one can defeat me!”  he said to Marie, who was now kneeling next to her boyfriend.
   “Go and kill him. I love....!” That was all Gray could manage. Tears ran down his cheeks and he closed his eyes.
   “No!” cried Marie. She sobbed bitterly. The sorcerer stood over her and was about to attack with his sword when Marie jumped up, swung Excalibur and severed his head from his body in one stroke. Merlin and Arthur came running over to Marie. Merlin attempted to revive Gray with magic. Arthur and Marie stared at the body and the severed head, which disappeared into thin air in front of them.
   “This isn’t over!” a voice hissed through the air. Marie let Excalibur fall to the ground and knelt over Gray, sobbing. Merlin shook his head.
   “I’m sorry, Marie!”
     She shook Gray in desperation, shouting over and over: “Wake up! Wake up! Don’t leave me alone!” Marie put a pearl in his mouth. She waited and hoped that Gray would return to her, but his eyes remained closed. Marie laid her head on his chest and her tears mixed with his blood.
     Arthur handed Marie an old ring. It was adorned with a small pink pearl was an inscription: “Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori” (Love conquers all, let us yield to love). Marie burst into tears as she read the sentence. Arthur held his daughter tightly and tried to comfort her.
   “I’m so sorry, Marie. I shouldn’t have given you the ring. Forgive me!” Marie swallowed.
   “No, it’s ok!” She looked at him. “Thank you for everything. Please take care of yourself and your family.”
   “You really want to go back to your own time?”, Arthur enquired. Marie nodded and dried her tears.
   “I have to take Gray home. Jack’s waiting.” Arthur nodded and took her hands in his.
   “You can open a portal to our time using the ring. You can visit whenever you like! You will always be welcome here. Never forget that!”
   “I won’t! Nor will I forget you!” It was obviously difficult for Arthur to let his daughter go. “Merlin’s waiting. I have to go, Dad!” Marie had already said goodbye to her mother and her little brother. She approached Merlin, who was waiting for her in the middle of the courtyard. The stone in the ground rose once more and stood as a small column in front of them. Gray’s lifeless body was wrapped in canvas and lay at Marie’s feet. Marie glanced sadly down at him.
   “Wait! I’m coming with you!” Arthur shouted and hurried after them. “I’m coming with you!” he repeated. “I’m not leaving you alone at a time like this!” Marie smiled at him.
   “Thank you, but what about....?” Arthur interrupted her.
   “Of course I have discussed it with her.” He nodded and held Marie’s hand. “Then I will stay here and take care of them both. Only three people can pass through the portal.” Arthur nodded thankfully at his friend and confidant.
   “Thank you, Merlin!”  said Marie. “Say hello to your friend, the dragon, for me!” She smiled and placed a pearl on the column. Marie could vaguely make out Merlin waving to her.

     Jack knelt over his brother’s body, sobbing. “Why?”  he asked Marie. She could only shake her head feebly.
   “I can’t answer that. We tried everything!” Gray’s body lay on the floor in her living room.
   “We have to get him to the Hub!”  Jack said as he stood. He swiped the tears from his face.
     Arthur looked at the Advent wreath on the small table next to the sofa. “It’s a beautiful wreath. Is today the third Advent?” he asked.
     Marie sensed that he was trying to distract them a bit. She nodded. “Gray and I made that. We wanted to light the candles together on each Advent.” Marie’s tears rolled down her cheeks.
   “Since he’s still here, you should light the third candle!”  said Arthur. Marie looked sadly at Jack.
   “Will you light the third candle with me, as his brother?”, she asked. Jack nodded and handed Marie the flaming match. She lit the candle’s wick in tears. “For you, Gray!” Jack put his arms around Marie and let his own tears begin to fall.
   “What’s that?”  asked Arthur suddenly.
   “Marie, it’s not over! You still have a pearl!” Jack released Marie and all three of them stared at the white figure, which now floated before them. It was Marie’s grandmother, who greeted Arthur warmly and curtsied. “It is an honour for me to be able to meet you in person. Of course, you can take the words ‘in person’ in the remotest sense!”
     Arthur laughed. “The privilege is mine!” Marie’s grandmother glanced at Gray and wept. Marie had often asked herself whether ghosts could cry – now she knew the answer. “It’s not over yet, Marie!” The ghost turned her attention to her grandchild.
     Marie shook her head fiercely. “Oh no, I’ve done what was asked of me. And lost my love because of it! Why should I continue to fight? Tell me!” her voice trembled.
   “The sorcerer, as he calls himself, is still not dead. He could return at any time!”
   “I cut off his head!”
   “Yes, out of hatred! Because of that, you did not defeat him. No, unfortunately you made him stronger!”
   “Because I killed him in anger? How has he managed that?” Marie wanted to know. She got her answer from Jack instead of her grandmother.
   “I told you that hatred is a false companion. Only love can defeat him. Love he has never felt and never received! And only you can kill him because you are the first born. He wants to take Arthur’s place and kill his wife and your brother. But if he kills your brother, you’ll die too. A part of your brother is in you and vice versa. He can do magic because he once made a pact with aliens!”
     Marie shook her head again. She didn’t want to know any more. She just wanted peace and quiet and she wanted to be alone so she could grieve for Gray.
   “Leave me be! I will not fight any further! I’ll just die, so what!” She knelt beside Gray and gently swept his hair off his forehead. “There’s just no point anymore!”
     Arthur grabbed her arm, hauled her up and shook her by the shoulders. “What kind of attitude is that, Marie?” he was clearly angry with her. “I would never have become King with an attitude like that! You can’t just leave others to die because things aren’t going well for you! Damn it, Marie!” Surprised, Marie looked at her father and lowered her gaze in shame.
   “But I can’t do this anymore! Doesn’t anyone understand that?”
   “I understand it very well! My brother lies at your feet! But he should not have died in vain!” Jack approached Marie and gently stroked her hair. “I understand you very well. I travelled across galaxies, fought aliens and never gave up just for the hope of seeing him again one day!”
   “You had a purpose, but I don’t have one anymore! I’m sorry, Dad! I just can’t!”
   “Being a ghost, I have the power to grant you a wish. But of course, I’ll need something in return!” chimed the voice of Marie’s grandmother. Marie looked at her grandmother earnestly.
   “What kind of wishes can you grant?”
   “Only what your heart desires!”
   “Would it be possible to bring Gray back to life?”
     The ghost shook her head. “No. But think carefully!” Marie looked at Gray and at the two men, who frowned at her.
   “I’d like to go back in time to just before Gray fought the man in black. No, wait, please take me to the time when Arthur handed me the sword. I think I should have done something differently at that point! Is that ok?”
   “Yes, certainly, but there is a price.”
   “What is it?”, asked Marie.
   “Give me something which comes from that time. Something very important to you, at least as important as he is”, the ghost gestured to Gray. Marie looked at her father and Jack questioningly.
   “The ring”, said Arthur.
   “But then I can never see you again!” said Marie sadly. Arthur hugged his daughter briefly and looked at her.
   “It’s alright. You’ll always be in our hearts. And it will be easier for us to let you go if we know you are happy! Your happiness is our happiness!”
   “Thank you”, Marie smiled.
   “That’s what fathers are for, right?” Arthur winked at her.
   “Granny, I still have one pearl left. Can I pass it on to someone?”
   “Of course, my child, if that’s what you want!”
   “It is!” Marie smiled from ear to ear. “Jack, I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you were there for me and watched over me in secret like a father. I wish I could have spent more time with you, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again someday!” Marie hugged Jack warmly and handed him the last pearl. He accepted it, touched.
   “You have to speak your wish, so he can fulfil it!”, Granny advised her grandchild.
   “I wish for Jack to be happy and to be able to spend more time with Julianna. That’s if he wants to!” Jack smiled and nodded silently. His eyes filled with tears.
   “Take good care of my little brother for me, you hear?”
   “Yes, I promise!” Then Jack disappeared in a pink beam of light.
   “So, my dear child. Now over to you! Are you ready?” Marie quickly grabbed the Advent wreath from the table and handed the ring to her granny. “Ready!”
     Marie almost collided with her father.
   “Marie, no! Go back inside. It’s too dangerous!” Blood ran from wounds on Arthur’s arm and leg, and he seemed to hardly be able to stay on his feet. “We can’t defeat him! I’ve already stabbed him several times in the heart with a sword!”
     Marie glanced over at the black-masked man. Merlin was trying to fight him with his magic, but the dark sorcerer’s magic seemed to be stronger. Arthur spoke to Marie in a low voice: “Take my sword, Marie. Kill him, if it’s your purpose!”
   “If it’s my destiny!” Arthur looked at her and frowned.
   “That seemed very familiar to me!” he said and Marie nodded, smiling.
   “So, it worked?”
    ”I hope so! We can only be certain if it ends differently!” She quickly placed a pearl in Arthur’s mouth, who continued to look at her with a frown, but kept the pearl in his mouth. Then she produced a small pocket knife from under her skirt and cut her hand with it. She handed it to Arthur, who stood before her on very unsteady legs. “Please hold on!”  she said. He nodded and cut his hand with the knife. Marie took the amulet and held it beneath their hands. The blood dripped onto it and it lit up brightly like before. Marie wrapped the amulet around the tip of Excalibur’s blade and it merged with the sword. “So, let’s see who has the last laugh here!” Merlin came to Arthur and supported him, because he could no longer keep himself on his feet.
     Marie approached the black-masked man with quick, steady steps. Her voice strong, she commanded: “Take off that mask and look at me as I send you back to hell!” The man laughed maliciously.
   “Are you trying to tell me what to do, you piece of crap?”
   “Are you going to prattle on like an old chatterbox, or fight like a man?” Marie was determined to end this nightmare. The man ripped his masked angrily from his face and lashed out at Marie. The blow was so heavy, she dropped Excalibur. Marie was unarmed. The man held his sword against Marie’s chest.
   “Do you have any last words, you slut?”  he hissed angrily at Marie.
   “Hey, you pansy! Get away from my girlfriend and fight against a man!” In dismay, Marie realised that Gray was now in exactly the same situation as before. The man in black released Marie and tore towards Gray. The two fought each other like wild bulls. Their swords produced sparks. Then came Merlin, holding Excalibur in his hand. Marie and Merlin observed how Gray managed to disarm his opponent. At that moment, Merlin murmured something Marie couldn’t understand and Excalibur flew over to Gray. Gray grabbed it, brandished it at his attacker’s head, who was now storming towards him once more, and beheaded the dark sorcerer with one blow. The lifeless body and the severed head turned to dust and were blown away in the wind. Then Gray collapsed.
   “No!”  cried Marie and ran to him. She knelt over him and sobbed. Gray looked at Marie and wiped her tears away gently with the last of his strength.    “It’s ok, Marie! Don’t be upset!”  then he closed his eyes.
     Marie pounded Gray’s chest and shouted over and over: “No! Please don’t go! You can’t go!” Merlin knelt over Gray too and felt for his pulse. Then he murmured something Marie couldn’t understand again. Merlin looked at Marie.
   “He’s alive. His pulse is weak, but he’s alive!” Marie laughed with joy and kissed Gray’s forehead. Tears dripped down onto him. Then he opened his eyes.
   “You seem to be making a habit of saving me! I should do it too for a change!” he breathed softly and smiled at Marie.
   “You crackpot! You already have! But please don’t do it again, ok?” she asked him.
   “Why not?” Marie kissed him and said:
   “Because I don’t have any more pearls!”

     That Christmas was the best Marie had ever had. Everyone danced, laughed and was merry. Her little brother slept peacefully in Guinevere’s arms and Arthur stroked his wife’s cheek lovingly. Even Merlin flirted shamelessly with a young woman.
     Gray lit a match and handed it to Marie. Their Advent wreath stood before them; the fourth candle still unlit. Marie took his hand and they lit the final candle on the Advent wreath together. They both looked at each other happily. “And you’re sure you don’t want to go back?” Gray asked her. Marie shook her head.
   “I’m still sure!” Gray kissed her head fondly. Marie looked at Gray and kissed him so deeply, she felt herself blush again.  Gray took her face in his hands, looked deep into her eyes and smirked. “What?” Marie asked with a shy glance.
   “You still blush when I kiss you!” Marie punched him gently in the ribs and laughed.
     Their messages, which had been attached to the wreath, lay unrolled on the table in front of them. On each one were the same words.  
   “What I wish for you is: loyal friends, true love, happiness, good health and the fulfilment of your heart’s desires!”

The End


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