The Calling
Chapter 52

Francis emerged from the tunnel and blinked in the sunlight. He glanced around at the undergrowth and moved into the open away from the tunnel. The cuts on his hands and the bruises meant nothing to him, the pain in his heart grew heavy. “My Lord” whispered the voice from the bushes. Francis looked up from the floor and peered into the bramble where he was greeted by a pair of inquisitive eyes. A figure slowly pulled himself free from the thorny bush, his green armour shining in the sunlight, “where is thy maiden?” he asked as he stared behind Francis.

“I failed Gawain” Francis whispered, tears forming in the corner of his eyes, his hands clenched into tight fists, his fingers curled and his nails digging into the palms of his hands. But still the pain in his heart pounded greater than any physical torment, “She is still in there...” he couldn’t bring himself to look at Gawain knowing what he had just agreed to, and he couldn’t bring himself to look back at the castle.

“What do we do now?” Gawain asked.

“We go back to the cave” Francis said simply. “I need...I need...time” he said eventually. Gawain nodded and moved off into the bushes, with Francis following. He stopped and gave the tunnel a quick glance, his heart full of remorse and pain burning through his body.

“Do we trust the boy?” Mordred asked as the image in the crystal ball faded.

“He shall not abandon her” Morgan said as she moved her hands slowly across the smooth sphere. She looked at Gwen and smiled at her, “I am sorry my dear if my nephew hath hurt thee” she apologized and crossed the floor of the courtyard toward her. Gwen flinched as Morgan raised her hand to her face, “do not fear me” laughed Morgan. She pressed her hand against the wound and moved her fingers across the line of blood, “it was a necessity. Nothing more”

“Was that supposed to be an apology?” said Gwen, “because it didn’t sound much like one”

“We do what we must to serve our purpose” Morgan stated simply, “thy hath assisted me well my dear, and I have promised you the world once I have Excalibur” she smiled and withdrew her hand from Gwen’s neck and examined her blood covered fingers, moving each one in turn, her eyes sparkling and reveling with the flow of crimson down each of her fingers. “I hath given word to protect thine person” she laughed as she licked the blood from her fingers and turned to face Mordred, “come...” she ordered, “we have much to prepare for”

Gwen looked at the crystal ball and could see the image of Francis forcing his way through the bramble and thorns of the bushes and she felt a tear fall from her eye, “so has he...” she whispered softly.

The cavern was dark and the sky overhead was beginning to turn as night was chasing the sun from the sky and day was replaced by the sweet embrace of night. Francis stood on the edge of the tunnel and sighed heavily, his emotion overwhelming his body. He was filled with emotions ranging from love to hate and guilt through to remorse. Each different conflict coursed through his body as he stood on the precipice of decision. Gwen had betrayed his love; could he now betray a group that would follow him blindly to their own death.

“You must do what is right” the voice behind him made him jump and he spun around sharply to come face to face with the huge form of the Fisher King.

“But what if doing the right thing is the wrong thing” Francis commented staring back down the dark tunnel. “For the first time in my life, I’ve got people looking at me...relying on me to do the right thing and now I don’t know what to do for the best”

“What does your heart tell you?”

“Fuck my heart!” snapped Francis, “look where that’s got me” he could feel the tears swell in his eyes again and he wiped away the first drops from his face before they fell.

“Do not be afraid to show thy emotion” stated the Fisher King, “you are the King elect, they will follow”

“But they shouldn’t” said Francis, “I mean nothing to them”

“You give them purpose...” said the Fisher King placing a decaying hand on his shoulder, “as she gives you purpose”

“What do you know of love!” snapped Francis

“Do thee think I was always like this” said the Fisher King, “a helpless cripple? I have known love...I have known heartache. What the heart wants, the heart wants and there is naught we can do about that. It is what you decide to do that will commit the future”

“I don’t understand”

“Your decisions here will cause ripples that will spiral across your life. The bigger the decision the greater the ripple, such is the way of the world” he moved his hand and gestured toward the tunnel, “Thoust can hide here...of thee can face thine destiny”

“Maybe hiding is the best thing”

“Sometimes, doing nothing can be worse than doing something” he paused in the entrance of the tunnel and moved his giant frame to stare at Francis, “she will not thank thee, but will she depend on thee. This much I do know. What thoust feel?”

Francis shuffled uncomfortably, he had never really liked to talk about his emotions and always had difficulty opening up and now here he was expectant on the very things which scared him, “I love her...” he whispered softly

“As I thought” said the Fisher King nodding.

“Do you think she’s too good for me?” Francis spoke directly to the Fisher King.

“That is not for me to decide”

“But...she’s so out of my league” whined Francis

“It is your actions and your heart which will win the love of thy maiden...not thine aspect” he pushed Francis down into the tunnel, “be good” he whispered as they moved slowly through the damp conditions, “be kind” Francis could see the light cast from the torches ahead, “be thyself”, he could see the shadows move and bounce across the walls of the cavern as they continued their slow trek, “be true”. He could see Merlin talking to Gawain by the altar, their hands a blur of motion as they spoke, “stay true to thy word”

“I said I would look after her” Francis whispered back through the darkness, “I promised her” his voice was tinged with sadness.

“Thy know what must be done”

Francis paused before the mouth of the cavern and looked at the Fisher King, “They won’t be happy...”

“They will understand...do not underestimate their loyalty”

Francis took a deep breath and walked into the cavern and immediately felt a wave of intimidation as five sets of eyes were trained on him. Merlin bowed his head and spoke softly, “Lord Gawain hath told us of thy failure”

Francis nodded and looked about the cavern at the small band of Knights, “That is correct” he said, “but it is not over”

“What is thy intent?”

Francis held his hand out toward Merlin, “Excalibur...” he whispered.

Merlin stared at the flat palm of Francis’s hand and frowned, “my Lord?”

“It is over” Francis said simply, “we have been sulking around in the dark for too long” he grasped at Excalibur and pulled it from the scabbard raising the sword above his head and climbing upon a small boulder addressed the Knights around him. “We have hidden in the shadows!” he called staring around the room and the throng of expectant faces, “Now is the time of restitution!” he shouted, “the time of the Calling! Now is the time we few stand for justice!” He could see the level of excitement grow in the cavern as the faces of the Knights changed from frowns to grinning champions, “We march to Tintagel!” shouted Francis over the murmur from the Knights, “we take the castle” Lord Kay pulled his sword from his scabbard and raised it in the air, a look of glory crossing his face, “we sweep Morgan and her forces from the land!“, Bedivere pulled his sword from his scabbard and waved it high above his head looking about him in wild delight, “we save the girl!“, Gawain helped Percival to his feet and the pair smiled insanely at each other, “and we put Mordred to the sword!” the cavern was rising to a fever pitch as Francis continued, “For Briton!” he called over the chorus of cheering, “For Excalibur!” the sound of cheering was rising to a fever pitch, “For Arthur!” the cheer was deafening as swords were raised in the air above their heads and the joyful expectancy rose in a symphony throughout the darkness. Only Merlin frowned...