In the beginning part two

Part 2

Merlin was now three winters old and into every thing. He was  already a gifted story teller; a rogue and a thief. Although after being caught, and with his innocent looks he was usually able to get away with it. And curious…. he was into every thing, until one spring morning in desperation his mother sent him to find his father and help him fish.

It didn’t take Merlin long to find his father, but it was boring just sitting watching his father casting his net and more often than not without a catch so Merlin decided to explore. Before long he had seen several birds walking up to their feathers in the water, some very large white ones that had hissed at him and two long legged birds with long sharp pointed beaks.

Closer to the waters edge he found some shiny stones that became dull when they dried and some with lots of colours running across them. By the time his father called him back he had decided. Being with his father was better than being in the village with the other boys who were older than him.

So as winter turned into spring Merlin and his father could usually be found either fishing or hunting. Before long his father found an avid helper when it came to the finding, not just in the catching, but even the dressing of their kills

It was as spring finally became summer that Merlin pulling in his own small net said to his father.

“That’s good father.” His father casting his net replied with little interest.

“What’s Good?”

“My sister says she is coming.”

“You don’t have a sister.”

“No father, but I will have soon.” His father laughed as he replied.

“And why do you think that?

“Because Father,” Merlin replied in a child’s mater of fact tone of voice. “Morgana has just told me.” His father couldn’t help laughing as he asked.

“And just who is this Morgana who has told you this?”

“Father, she is my sister.” With a shake of his head his father replied.

“Merlin I think we should go home. Your mother will want these fish; after all fresh caught fish always tastes better.”

It was after Merlin was asleep and Gana was just on the verge of sleep that Erlin, who had been thinking about Marlin’s tale, turned and resting on his elbow to face his wife, he said.

“Merlin came up with a good story this after noon.” There was something mumbled from Gana, so Erlin said.

“Merlin says he is going to have a sister.” There was a moments silence before his wife sat up saying.

“He said what?

“That he was going to have a sister.” There was silence as by the fire light he saw his wife’s shocked expression, before she asked.

“How could he know?”

“He says his sister has told him.” He laughed. “He even says she has a name Morgana.”

“Erlin, I’ve mist a bleed; and this morning after you left, I was sick, just a little, but sick.”

Two pair of eyes turned to look across the fire pit, to look at the sleeping child.

“Coincidence,” His farther said. “Isn’t it? It has to be, you aren’t are you?”

“I don’t know, we might know for certain in the next few days.”

As her pregnancy progressed and with Merlin’s insistence that the child would be a girl and would be called Morgana, the name began to sound better to them both and soon even they were referring to the baby as Morgana, and as her husband jokingly remarked.

“If it is a boy we probably will still end up calling him Morgana.”

As the months passed Merlin found the easy communication with his sister became harder until finally it became just an awareness of the child in his mothers womb.

It was two days after the turn of the year that as the sun dipped below the horizon the old one delivered a healthy and noisy baby girl.

Erlin and Merlin had been banished to the river with strict instructions that the old one would want nice plump fish for her supper, and not to return until called. The fish had been scarce only three caught, but two ducks still reasonably fat had made up for this. Now just as his father was about to cast his net again, Merlin said.

“Father, we can go back now, Morgana is here and wants to see me.” The net was quickly spread out on the bushes to dry and the spoils of the hunt gathered up before a fast run brought them to the door where the old one was waiting.

“From what I hear I have no need to tell you that it’s a girl and what her name will be, so in you go. Not you Merlin I want a word with you.” Walking just outside the village, the old one looked down at the boy at her side, knowing what needed to be said but not knowing how to say it.

“Merlin,” she began. “You must be careful; your mother has told me about you and the baby, can you tell me how you knew.”

“Morgana called me, inside my head. I don’t know how, but she told me it was time for the two of us to be together.”

“Did she tell you her name?”

“No.”

“Then why did you call her Morgana?”

“Because that always was her name.”

“Always?”

“Yes, even before she was inside mothers belly.”

“Do you remember anything else?” Merlin frowned trying to remember.

“It was a place with lots of flowers, and we were there, and someone was telling us we had an important task, a very important task, and that we would have to go somewhere.” He looked up at the old one seeing the worry in her eyes as she asked.

“And did you go there?” Merlin frowned struggling to put into words what he felt.

“Yes, I think, I think that where we had to go is here, but what the task was.” He shook his head. “I don’t remember.” The old one sank down to Merlin’s height, and taking his hands she said.

“Merlin you must hide all this in your heart, no one must ever know what you have just told me. Do you understand that if some people knew you and your sister would be in great danger?”

Merlin may have been just entering his fourth winter, but something about the old ones words sent shivers through his young body and impressed itself deeply in his mind.

It was a very sober boy of just four winters who returned to his mother’s side to take the tiny hand of his sister.

“Well Merlin,” his mother said. “Is your new sister what you expected?” Holding the tiny hand in his he said.

“She’s so small.” His mother laughed and holding out her hand to cover his she replied.

“You were just as small and just as wrinkled. She will grow and grow to be pretty, and you must look after her.”

“I will mother, I will look after you Morgana and teach you everything.” As he said this, two eyes dark blue and with flecks of green, just for a moment seemed to focus on his face before closing, as with a tiny yawn, Morgana resumed her sleep.

Morgana was a disappointment to Merlin, telling his father one morning as they set out hunting.

“All she does is eat and sleep, when will she be able to come fishing or hunting with us?” His father laughed, as ruffling Merlin’s unruly hair he said.

“I don’t think she will be interested in hunting and fishing. Girls tend to have other interests. I have to show you how to hunt so when you are a grown man, you can keep your own family fed.”  Merlin walked in silence for some distance before saying.

“Morgana will be different.”

“Different in what way?” Merlin looking up just replied.

“Morgana is different father, she will do other things.”

 

Fishing could be very boring, so Merlin went looking for unusual stones along the waters edge until coming back, he sat on the bank watching his father casting the net, and sometimes pulling in a fish entangled in it. Merlin was curious.

Why when there were plenty of fish under the opposite bank, did his father cast the net where there were no fish to catch. Now after several casts without a single fish being caught Merlin decided to ask.

“Father why do you cast your net where there are no fish?” His father looking over his shoulder found his son obviously curious replied.

“The fish are under the water hiding, if I knew where they were hiding I would cast the net there.” Feeling around with his mind, Merlin soon found several large fish sheltering along the opposite bank.

“Father, if you cast your net under that overhang, there are plenty of big fish under it.” His father laughing at his son’s words turned to see where he was pointing, and just to keep him happy cast his net. To his surprise he pulled in six fish with just the one cast. Erlin turned to his son asking.

“Just how did you know there were fish there, I never saw them rising to feed?” Merlin suddenly became worried, if he told his father he could feel the fish under the water what would he say, but it was his father so he felt he had to tell him just how.

Listening to Merlin’s vague and unbelievable explanation, it was only after two more demonstrations of Merlin’s ability that his father sitting next to him took both of his hands and said.

“Merlin, Merlin my son, I don’t understand how you do this but what I do know is that you must keep it a secret, no one must ever see or suspect you can do this, if they knew they could turn nasty even kill you. Things like what you have just done frighten people and frightened people do nasty things.”

Merlin grew cold inside he not only heard what his father said, but could see in his mind all the horrible things frightened people did. And then there was Morgana. He would have to tell her, when she could talk.

 

Morgana was a pleasant baby; she walked well before her second summer and was talking before her third. To Merlin’s disappointment he found that babies were women’s work and he had no place there. His place was providing food.

As Morgana approached her fifth summer the old one asked to see her so a frightened Morgana now found herself standing looking at the tattered skin covering the old ones door. There was a sound of shuffling from inside before a voice croaky with age called.

“Don’t just stand there child, get yourself inside.” It was dark inside, with the fire just a few glowing embers, and a pair of glowing eyes looking at her from the dark recess of the lodge.

“So Morgana you’ve come. Do you know why I sent for you?” In the dark Morgana shook her head.

“No…. Well child, your birth was a strange birth, did you know that?” Again in the dark Morgana shook her head.

“I’ve watched you child, you have interested me. Did you know that your brother named you?” Morgana had heard how Merlin had insisted she be called Morgana so again she nodded.

“There was more than that to your birth, but that’s not why I have called you. I’m old, older than I should be. I have lived this long waiting for someone, someone to pass my life to, to learn what I have to tell. You must learn all I know can you do that?

Morgana wanted to say no, she wanted to run but something held her, something so strong that her mouth formed the word, “Yes.”

“Good you will come to me; you will see what I see. You will do what I have done.” There was a silence and then the croaky voce said. “You will do what I could never do.” Then it was a completely different voice that said. “Come to me child, help this old one, up a birth awaits our presence.”   

To Merlin’s surprise Morgana was allowed to move to the old ones lodge, but very glad to know that his sister would be a healer and have a standing of her own when she grew.

The days were long, the old one hardly slept and expected the same of Morgana, Herbs, roots leaves, bark and fungi, all had to be gathered and their uses memorised. Ones to be dried, ones to be cooked, others to be mixed, some kept dry, some ground up to a powder, while some had cold water and others hot water added to them. Morgan watched as strange things happened, as the old one explained.

Merlin was now in his eleventh winter and things were happening. He was still frightened at what had happened his morning. What if someone had seen? He had heard enough tales about witches and magic and this morning he had used what he could only think of as magic. He needed his father; his father knew, and was someone he could talk too.

And then there was Morgana. Since the spring she had been spending more and more time with the old one. Morgana was changing. He could feel something building up inside her, like it had within himself, and just like this morning it would burst out. Luckily he had been alone, his father was away hunting, his mother and Morgana had gone for water and.

He looked at his hand, still red from lighting the fire. It had been his task to tend the fire and it had gone out. If he had gone to someone to ask for fire it would be shameful, so he had gathered up some tinder. It was hard work re lighting a fire, and in a temper, the strangeness inside him that had been building up struck.

He looked down at his hand; the red skin like the pain was fading. And the fire, the fire was cheerfully burning as if it had never been out.

 

In her eleventh summer things began to happen to Morgana, she became a woman, which was inconvenient. It was after her third bleed that Morgana decided enough was enough and she had to do something about it.

Lying in bed she did something that the old one had never mentioned, she reached into her own body. She studied it, watching and learning more than the old one could ever teach her, and it wasn’t long before she found that stopping her bleed wasn’t too hard.

 

It was Morgana’s thirteenth summer when the old one was put to rest and Morgana became an old one. It also meant that as the old one, it was her duty to oversee the burial ceremony. It was Aran the head of the village who was to instruct her on the correct rites and words to be said for the old one, and to do this correctly, the old ones name had to be spoken.

Morgana knew the old ones name, but she also felt that it was wrong. There was only herself in the village that knew her name, and to every other it was and always had been. ‘The old one.’

The time had come, the earth had been replaced and now it was Morgana who had to repeat the old ones name three times over the grave. Morgana stood looking down, studying the small mound before looking up to see the gathered men women and children. She spoke.

“We are here to say good by to the old one, I say the old one because that was her name. None of you have ever known her birth name she has always been to you, The Old One. I know the name given to her at birth but that name has no meaning, she was known only as the old one and now I have said her name three times; so now she may rest.”

“Old one.” A voce called. Morgana turned to look at the men women and children looking at her.

“I am not the old one, I am Morgana. You have always called me by that name, and that will be my name. I shall be Morgana, Morgana the healer, you will bring your sickness and hurts to me just as you did to the woman who has gone before.” And with that she turned and walked back to the place that she would now call hers.

She desperately needed to run and hide before the sobs and tears came. Hide in the dark of the old ones poor home, the home that was now hers and hers alone.

It was Merlin who came to sit beside her, to hold her close and wipe away the tears and say.

“You know she was ready don’t you?” Morgana nodded. ”You know she wouldn’t want you to cry like you are.” Morgana wiped her face on her sleeve whispering.

“I know, I know; she.” Morgana wiped away more tears with the back of her hand. “That last night she told me, she told me; she told me she wouldn’t wake up in the morning, and that she was ready, she also told me her name. Merlin, she told me her name died when she became the old one. Merlin she told me I must never say a name that is dead and that is why I.”

“You couldn’t say her name could you? And that is why you say you will always be Morgana.” Morgana wiped away the last of her tears and with a big sniff said.

“I must always be Morgana, just as you must always be Merlin.”

The old one had been a good healer but Morgana had an advantage, she found she could look into a body, see what was wrong and usually cure it, though some things she found, to her annoyance were beyond her ability, but there were other things happening. A number of times things had happen, things that Merlin had told her about when they had started happening to him. This morning she had burnt her hand as the kindling for the fire burst into flames. She had called things, wood for the fire water from the jug. The furs on the bed they all moved to her wish. Now for advice she turned to her older brother.

She didn’t need to seek out her brother he found her, she had just returned from the river with the day’s water to find Merlin waiting for her.

“You’ve burnt your hand,” he said not even looking at the red skin.

“I did something silly.” Morgana replied.”

“Like lighting the fire.” Merlin suggested. Startled Morgana tucked the hand inside her wrap. Merlin seeing this gently eased her hand out and looking at it said.

“I think we need to talk, let’s take a walk along the river where no one will hear us.”

 

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