Alator of the Catha

Agravaine has brought Morgana back to her hut, letting her rest while he takes care of her. She finally stirs and tells him of her confrontation with Emrys. Agravaine is certain that Gaius has been informing Emrys of their traitorous plans, and with Morgana’s help, he sets a plan in motion to set Gaius up publicly as Camelot’s turncoat.

While Agravaine works on Arthur, Morgana heads off to recruit a powerful ally. This magician is known as Alator, and as a member of a group called the Catha, he knows how to extract information from the unwilling. His training as a warrior priest is what Morgana desires because she is certain Gaius will not easily give up what he knows of Emrys. Offering him the healing bracelet given to her from Gaius as payment, she hires Alator to kidnap Gaius.

Gaius is kidnapped by Alator

Merlin goes over Arthur’s upcoming day with him – giving a speech, listening to one, judging a contest. The two have one of their usual exchanges, when they are interrupted by Agravaine. He has a delicate matter he wishes to discuss, so once Merlin has left, Agravaine pushes his “suspicions” about the court physician. Arthur summons Gaius and allows Agravaine to question him about his past deals in sorcery and the laws regarding it. He also brings up the sorcerer who killed Uther, asking how he knows him and where he could be found. Arthur is present during the interrogation, pacing uncomfortably. Arthur agrees that Gaius is keeping something from him, but is not convinced he is the traitor.

That evening, Merlin is called to Agravaine’s room. There is a dagger his uncle wishes to give him as a present but needs sharpened. He also wants it left somewhere that Arthur will find it in the morning. With Merlin occupied and away from their quarters, Alator and his companion enter Camelot, rendevouzing with Agravaine. They sneak into Gaius’ rooms, knocking him out and taking him away from the city on horseback. Agravaine leaves incriminating evidence all over the place and then has the alarms sounded.

Merlin and Arthur meet up with Agravaine in Gaius’ apartment, where they are led to believe that Gaius stole a royal stallion and fled in the middle of the night on his own. Agravaine demands a thorough search of the place and later brings the “evidence” to Arthur to review. Merlin is present and witnesses Agravaine’s continued pushing of Gaius’ guilt on Arthur. Arthur refuses to send a search party out after Gaius, and once Agravaine leaves, Merlin tries to defend his mentor.

Not too far away from the castle, Alator brings Gaius to the cave where Morgana waits, impatient to get all the information she can about her nemesis. She leaves him in the hands of the warrior priest, allowing him to use whatever means necessary to find out where Emrys is. Gaius struggles with Alator, at first using whatever magics he can to counter the priest’s spells. Eventually he weakens and cannot fight back.

Alator tortures Gaius for information about Emrys

Gwen visits Merlin, both knowing that Agravaine is behind this. Since he is Arthur’s uncle, there isn’t much either of them can say to the King to get him to see the truth. Merlin sneaks into Agravaine’s chambers hoping to find some sort of clue as to where he’s taken Gaius. He discovers a wooden box under the bed containing all sorts of forbidden books. Next to it is a boot covered in red dirt. Just as Merlin touches the mud, Agravaine walks in. He quickly hides behind the changing board, but is seen sneaking out by Agravaine. He checks under the bed and confirms the box is still there, then notices his own muddy boot.

Merlin returns to his room to find Gwaine waiting for him. Gwaine wanted to check up on him, and offers his help in finding Gaius. Gwaine recognizes the dirt that Merlin has on his finger as iron ore, and admits he knows of one place nearby where that dirt can be found. They head off immediately to investigate. Also leaving the castle is Agravaine, as he needs to inform Morgana of Merlin’s snooping. They need to reach the cave before Merlin and Gwaine get there.

Unable to keep his secrets any longer, Gaius breaks and tells Alator of Emrys, including his real identity. Upon hearing what Gaius has to say about Merlin’s future, Alator seems to have a change in heart regarding his deal with Morgana.

Gwaine and Merlin are attacked by Alator’s companion as they get closer to the chamber where he is being held. With a bit of Merlin’s magic, Gwaine takes him down and the two continue on. When they come to a fork, they split up to search. Morgana and Agravaine are not too far ahead, so Morgana goes after the boys and sends Agravaine to check on Gaius and Alator. Just as Agravaine reaches Gaius and prepares to stab him, Gwaine walks in. Agravaine claims he was just using the blade to check Gaius’ breathing but Gwaine is still leery. Gwaine wants to search for Merlin but Agravaine stops him, claiming they need to bring Gaius back straight away.

Morgana gets the jump on Merlin, knocking him back and cornering him with a dagger. Alator happens upon them and after Morgana introduces him to Merlin, he admits Gaius told him everything. However, he refuses to tell Morgana, turning his magic on her and saving Merlin. With Morgana unconscious, Alator pledges his allegiance to Merlin. He wants to see the world that Merlin will help create come to fruition, and kneels before Merlin as one would a king. When Morgana comes to, she finds the bracelet she gave Alator as payment laying on the ground beside her. Besides that, there is no trace of him.

Alator pledges allegiance to Merlin

Gwaine rushes Gaius to the castle, confirming his kidnapping to Arthur. Gwen tends to him as Agravaine admits to Arthur that he was wrong, and that they owe him and Merlin their apologies.  Gaius wakes up with Merlin sitting beside him. He is so upset that he nearly gave Morgana everything she needed to know, but Merlin assures him she doesn’t know and never will. Alator’s true loyalty is to Merlin and his future. As they discuss Agravaine’s true nature, Arthur enters to apologize to them. Merlin lets him do so in private as he attends to Arthur’s chores. Arthur wants to know who abducted him, but Gaius won’t give up Agravaine. He does say that he believes whoever it was is in league with Morgana and that she got no information about Camelot from him. Arthur also wants to know why Gaius lied about knowing the sorcerer who killed Uther, to which Gaius replied he did not want Arthur to execute the old man as it would have been a grave mistake. He wants Arthur to know that there are many different types of people in his kingdom that want to see his vision for the future come about, and that one day he will understand just how much these people have done for him.

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

Arthur, Merlin and the Knights are ambushed by mercenaries when they attempt to take a shortcut through the Valley of the Kings. Merlin takes a blow to the chest and Arthur helps move him to a safer location where they both can hide. Under the cover of the night, Merlin and Arthur try to make the situation a bit more lighthearted, talking of heroism and cowardice. When they wake in the morning, Arthur hoists Merlin over his shoulders, hoping they can outrun the men chasing them. Unfortunately, they are pinned in a narrow passageway, forcing Arthur to put Merlin down and fight. Merlin does what he can to ensure Arthur’s safety by causing a rockslide, but he is now alone and injured.

The mercenaries, led by Agravaine, bring Merlin to Morgana. At first, Morgana’s none too happy about seeing Merlin and not Arthur at her feet. She manages to turn that around by finding a way to use Merlin to her advantage. With him chained up in her hut, Morgana informs him that she does not plan on killing him. Merlin questions her motives for patching him up and keeping him around as she wonders why he is so loyal to Arthur. When Merlin replies accusing her of a lack of duty and loyalty, Morgana picks up an ancient engraving, calling forth a Formorroh, a seven-headed snake demon. She removes one of the heads and inserts it into the base of Merlin’s neck. She explains that the Fomorroh will take over Merlin’s mind, making him her puppet, her tool to kill Arthur.

The Fomorroh

Arthur meets up with the Knights, but no one has seen Merlin. When they return to the castle, Arthur asks Sir Leon to send out patrols to scour the forest, and the King promises Gaius that they will find him. Leon and Agravaine report back that there is no sign of Merlin. Agravaine keeps trying to throw suspicions on a neighbouring kingdom, but Arthur does not take the bait. They come to the conclusion that there must be a traitor amongst his inner circle.

The following morning, Arthur finds he has a new servant named George standing at the foot of his bed. He’s as far from Merlin as one could get, polite, a real go-getter, and very serious about his position as King’s man servant. But Arthur refuses to believe Merlin is gone, and against Gwen’s wishes, he heads out to search with Gwaine. They happen upon Merlin, covered head to toe in mud, in the ditch where Morgana left him with no memory of what she did to him.

Gaius immediately senses something wrong with Merlin, but can’t quite put his finger on it. Merlin avoids telling him just how he escaped, and then starts asking about poisons. Merlin’s first attempt to kill Arthur under Morgana’s control is to poison his meal. However, Merlin enters the King’s chambers with his deadly plate of food only to find that Gwen has already brought lunch. Puppet Merlin is pretty upset about it, saying some nasty things to Gwen and generally behaving like a jerk. He tossed the uneaten meal into a pigpen on his way back home.

Planning his next move, Merlin paces to and fro in the main quarters, once again bewildering Gaius. After turning down aid from his mentor, Merlin heads to the armory where he runs into Leon. Puppet Merlin asks Leon what sort of crossbow the knight would use if he wanted to hurt something. Leon takes down a gorgeous bow from the wall, and asks what Merlin wants it for. Merlin replies it’s to kill Arthur, and Leon laughs it off as a joke. Merlin takes it to Arthur’s room and sets it up to trigger when the wardrobe is opened. His test run is successful, but interrupted as Arthur enters the room to prepare for a knighting ceremony. Arthur thinks the ceremony is a waste of time knowing there is a traitor that wants him dead, joking that it may even be Merlin.

In the market, Gwen passes the pigpen where Merlin discarded the poisoned meal. A crowd has gathered because the animals have died. Gwen recognizes the plate and remnants, getting Gaius involved as she is concerned. They share their observations of his peculiar behaviour, and Gaius suspects something has happened. They head to the castle to find Merlin, coming across Leon, who tells them about Merlin and the crossbow. Merlin is in Arthur’s room helping him get dressed for the ceremony. Arthur is distracted with who the traitor could be, going through the list of his Knights looking for reasons. A frustrated Merlin opens the wardrobe when Arthur goes behind his folding screen and nearly takes an arrow to the chest. With the crossbow out of the question, he decides to uses Arthur’s ceremonial sword. Right as he has an opening with the King’s back turned, Gwen and Gaius enter the room and watch as Merlin’s running attack misses when he runs into a pillar in the room. Arthur picks up his sword and leaves, at which point Gwen picks up a silver pitcher and whacks Merlin in the head so they can get him back to Gaius’ place without incident.

Arthur pays a visit to his uncle, explaining that he does not take the issue of a traitor in the castle as lightly as Agravaine is. His investigation have caused him to hold doubts against his uncle. Agravaine hopes to cover his intentions by casting doubt once more on Gaius. When he has the chance, Agravaine returns to Morgana telling her he’s setting Gaius up to be the traitor. She’s still not completely impressed, but lets him leave with his head.

Awkwardly Naked Arthur

Gaius deduces that Merlin has been placed under the spell of a Fomorroh. He uses his skills to paralyze and remove the head from Merlin’s neck. He tosses it in the fire, believing that Merlin is now free from the spell. When Merlin wakes up, Gaius thinks Merlin simply just doesn’t remember what happened. But as Merlin gets ready to head out, we see that the Fomorroh head is back at the base of his neck. Merlin heads to Arthur’s room and prepares the King’s bath. He pours in a container of white powder that turns the bathwater to acid and eats away the sword Merlin uses to test it. Gwen and Gaius walk in in the nick of time, and once again Gwen belts him with the pitcher. She lies to Arthur, telling him the water is cold and that Merlin’s gone to fix it, but he won’t be able to have a bath today. An awkward situation as he stands in front of her and Gaius covering himself with a pillow.

Gaius and Gwen minister to Merlin, now aware that you simply can’t just kill a Fomorroh head. Gaius numbs the new head, then wakes Merlin up to talk to him. Merlin remembers Morgana conjuring the snake, but nothing afterward. The only way Gaius knows to get rid of the snake permanently is to destroy the entire beast. Merlin heads off to Morgana’s hut disguised as Old Merlin. Shortly after drinking the potion that makes him appear old, he tries to get back on his horse and Leon, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan stumble on the hilarity. The men remember how he escaped his burning on the pyre and plan on taking him back to Arthur. Merlin uses his magic and knocks them out, making a step ladder for him to use to mount the horse.

"Old" Merlin needs assistance

Merlin watches from a distance as Agravaine and Morgana leave her hiding spot, waiting until he’s clear to enter himself. He rummages around, not noticing Morgana slipping back in and observing him. Their eyes meet, Morgana’s face filled with fear and denying his existence, believing that he is Emrys. He finds what he’s looking for, the Formorroh hidden in a jar, tells Morgana she’s right, he isn’t real, then throws her with magic into the shelves behind her. She chases him outside and the two have a small fight using magic. When Morgana thinks she won, she collects the jar and walks away, but Merlin isn’t done yet. He summons a whirlwind which picks her up and throws her to the ground. With her out cold, Merlin starts a fire and destroys the entire Fomorroh in it.

Gaius removes the now dead snake head from Merlin’s neck, and Gwen comes to collect him for Arthur. Arthur believes that Merlin spent the last two days in the tavern, Gaius’ go-to explanation for the King whenever Merlin is off doing something. Merlin argues that Arthur wouldn’t get rid of him because who else would clean his armor or get his food. That’s when Merlin is introduced to George and handed over for training.

The episode ends with Agravaine finding Morgana’s home trashed and coming across her unconscious body outside.

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

King Caerleon

His Father’s Son opens with Merlin dressed as a knight of Camelot being chased by a small army of bandits. He deliberately luring them into a trap set up by King Arthur, where he waits with a small army of his own. After defeating the bandits, Agravaine hauls their leader to Arthur, revealing the man’s true identity. The man they captured is Caerleon, the ruler of a neighbouring kingdom who has been caught trespassing several times. Agravaine plays on Arthur’s insecurities as a new king, suggesting that their prisoner either agree to a treaty of what Agravaine thinks is fair or to kill him in the morning. Arthur does not sleep, the weight of this decision heavy on him.

Merlin tries to talk some sense into Arthur; the actions Agravaine wants him to take are clearly opposite of what Arthur would do. But since his uncle is his most trusted adviser and Merlin nothing more than a servant. Agravaine presents Caerleon with the treaty, and Arthur steps forward to take responsibility for the terms. When their captive declines to sign such a treaty, he tells Arthur to make it quick. Arthur tells Caerleon he should sign the treaty so there can be peace between their kingdoms, but Caerleon declines saying he is not his father, neither is Arthur his. Caerleon reasserts that it is his choice to die, not Arthur’s.

When they return to the castle, Agravaine praises Arthur for his actions, but when Merlin is alone with the king, he tries to make Arthur see he had other options. And when Merlin tells his king not to push away his friends, Arthur claims he has no choice. Right now he needs to show strength and doesn’t need friends. Later in the evening, Agravaine approaches Arthur and voices his concerns that Gwen would not make a proper queen in the eyes of his people and other kingdoms. Now that he is king, he must do what is expected of him and what makes his look strong. For the good of the people, Agravaine says Arthur must put aside his feelings for Gwen.

Caerleon’s men bring his body back to his wife, Queen Annis, where she declares Arthur will pay for killing her husband in such a cowardly fashion. After sending some of her army towards Camelot, Carlion’s wife receives a mid-night visit from Morgana. The witch comes bearing aid in the battle against Arthur.

Queen Annis

Training is intense the next day as Arthur is still working through the events of the past few days. His regimen with the punching bag is interrupted when Sir Leon brings news of an army advancing on Camelot, lead by Annis. Arthur summons the counsel and the men begin to make their defensive plans. Merlin is worried that his friend has become too influenced by his uncle. As Merlin prepares Arthur’s quarters for the evening, Arthur leaves giving Merlin no idea clue as to his destination. He heads to Gwen’s, where he tells her that as king he can no longer be with her. Gwen believes he has been led to make this decision by others, but Arthur tells her he has come to this conclusion on his own. Before he leaves her home, Gwen reminds him that the only way he can be the king he wants to be is by being true to himself.

The next morning, Arthur leads his men as they ride out to meet with Annis’ forces. The men set up camp for the night on the ridge overlooking Annis’ legions, Arthur instructing his uncle to ensure the men have everything they need and get a good night’s rest; they will commence battle at first light. It’s obvious to his friends on the eve of battle that this fight is weighing heavily on Arthur. With Elyan leading them into his tent, he reminds Arthur that the men of his army are willing to give up their lives for him and for the freedom of Camelot. Arthur begins to doubt if he is worth such affection and loyalty, and his choices leading him to this point.

When his men have all fallen asleep, Arthur sneaks out of the camp, Merlin following close behind. Merlin watches from the rocks as Arthur approaches two guards at Annis’ camp and asks to see her. Merlin peeks into the tent and witnesses Arthur confess his cowardly actions to the grieving widow, and his invocation of the right of single combat. Arthur would be his own representative and Queen Annis can choose her champion. The winner of the duel will be the victor of the battle, thus sparing the men from fighting. If Arthur wins, Annis’ men will withdraw; if Arthur loses, he will give her half of his kingdom. Not a moment later, Merlin is discovered and brought into the tent. Luckily, Merlin’s appearance does not ruin Arthur’s attempts and Annis agrees to the duel to take place at noon.

Before the duel, Arthur informs his trusted circle of the terms he arranged with Annis the previous evening. It is clear on Agravaine’s face that he is none too happy about this turn of events. All of his knights offer to fight as the king’s champion but Arthur is determined to fight himself. When Annis finds out, she believes it to be some sort of trick. Morgana confirms that Arthur is the type of man who would indeed spare the lives of his men, and reminds the queen that she has the power to make sure Arthur fails. Agravaine steals Arthur’s blade, bringing it to Morgana so she can cast an enchantment on it. Before he heads to the duel, Arthur has asked Merlin that should he fall in battle to give his ring to Gwen and give her his apologies for how he acted.

Morgana enchants Arthur's sword

With his men watching from the cliff and Annis’ men on the field, Arthur and the queen’s Champion walk to the center of the empty grassland and duel begins. A few minutes into the battle, Morgana activates the enchantment which causes Arthur’s arm to become heavy as it increases the weight of his blade. With Arthur on the ground and about to be skewered, Merlin casts his own spell, forcing the Champion to drop his sword. This gives Arthur the opportunity to take him from behind and knock the large warrior to the ground. He could easily kill the queen’s man, but he chooses to spare him, doing the honourable thing.

Annis approaches Arthur, telling him she will adhere to the terms of their agreement and asking why he spared the life of her champion. Arthur tells her that it is not victory that he seeks, but peace. Annis believes that there is hope for the people of the Five Kingdoms in Arthur, and leaves to bring her people home. Morgana enters her tent, claiming things will be different next time. Annis informs the witch there will be no next time for her, as she is not consumed by hatred as Morgana is. Morgana sees Annis’ actions as weakness, blind to the fact that her lust of vengeance is corrupting her. As she leaves the tent, Annis tells Morgana she is much more like Uther than the girl realizes.

The episode ends with Gwen entering Arthur’s chambers in the morning. He gives her some wildflowers that he picked and apologizes for his behaviour. Gwen accepts his apology and they make up with a kiss.

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

The first (and most basic) of the patterns I bought from VelvetElvii’s store is a quote from one of my favourite episodes of The IT Crowd, “The Final Countdown”. In this episode, Moss has been accepted as a contestant on Countdown, a popular UK spelling show. As an eight time winner, he is invited to the elusive 8+ club, where his new nemesis, Negative One, challenges him to a game of Street Countdown (played exactly like regular Countdown but on the street). He accepts the challenge with the following quote:

Once I had finished that one, I felt inspired to pay tribute to one of my favourite Xbox Live Indie titles. Luckily, the cover image for I Maed a Gam3 W1th Zombies lends itself well to cross stitching as each x is pixel perfect. I hand counted out each line and stitch, taking a couple of days to finish the majority of it. Now all that remains is finding the best grey to add “Indie Games” to the header.

My third bit of stitching came to me while perusing the DS and 3DS games on Amazon. I was looking for good deals and new games to add to my wishlist when I spotted the Bit.Trip box and thought that would make a great next project. If it turned out, I’d show it to a friend who happens to work at Aksys. If it didn’t, no one would ever see it. It did turn out, and now has the honour of being the first bit of Aksys fan art posted on their website. This was another free hand project.

Next up is a Nyan Cat pattern from VelvetElvii for my husband. While I work on that, I’ll be on the hunt for a new video game cover to stitch up.

A thief sneaks into a cave where a group of druids are hiding out to steal a fragment of a triskelion said to open the way to a great treasure. Once he has it in hand, he turns around to find the druids awake and flees with his winnings. His next stop is Camelot, to visit an old friend and find the final piece of the key.

In the middle of the night, there is a knocking on Gaius’ door. Merlin wakes to see what is going on through a crack in his bedroom door. The thief, a man called Borden, has come to show Gaius the triskelion and ask for his assistance is collecting the final piece, which has been locked up in the castle vault. Once complete, the triskelion will lead the bearer to the Tomb of Ashkanar, which legend says contains a dragon egg. Gaius tells Borden he will not help him, that he believes that Arthur will be a better king than Uther was. He sends Borden out, and Merlin talks to Gaius of Borden and his claims. Gaius explains that Borden has always been a shady character, always out for himself.

Merlin tries to go back to bed, but can’t. He calls for the Great Dragon and asks him what he should do. The Dragon makes Merlin promise that as the last Dragon Lord that he retrieves the egg. And so the next day, Merlin goes to the inn and tells Borden he can help him acquire the last piece. Borden is just about to throw Merlin from his room when he is informed that Merlin is Arthur’s personal servant.

With Borden now accepting his help, Merlin sets out to get the vault key from Arthur without him knowing. His first attempt in the king’s room fails miserably when he wakes Arthur and tries to cover his tracks claiming to be on the look out for woodworm. He comes close when gathering up the king’s laundry, but Arthur makes sure Merlin leaves his belt behind. Third time is the charm when Merlin casts a spell while Arthur is talking of defense against Odin with his uncle and advisers, causing Arthur’s pants to fall down. Merlin rushes over to help him pull up his pants, which turns into a bit of a wrestling match on the floor in front of everyone. Merlin finally has the key to the vault, and excuses himself from the room.

Arthur Got Pantsed!

That evening, Merlin takes Borden to the vault. After taking care of the guards, Borden finds the last part of the triskelion and completes the key. When Merlin thinks they are free and clear, Borden knocks him out, leaving him in the doorway with the key. Luckily, Merlin wakes at dawn before anyone spots him, and able to get the key back to Arthur before he wakes up. Moments later, the alert bell tolls and the men head to the vault.

Agravaine fills Arthur in on the details, and Gaius tells Arthur what was taken from the vault. Arthur remembers his father tell him of the tomb containing the dragon egg, and he decides he must follow the thief and destroy the egg. When they get back to their rooms, Gaius is livid with Merlin. He is upset that his pupil thinks Borden will do the right thing, but Merlin defends his choice.

Arthur, Merlin and the Knights head off on Borden’s trail. As night begins to fall, Arthur decides they need to make camp as it’s too difficult to see Borden’s trail. At camp, Arthur keeps Merlin busy tending to the horses and cleaning up after the rest of them, making him miss out on dinner – until Leon pulls another bowl out for Merlin with the last of dinner. Merlin wakes during the night as he hears someone calling out to him as Emris. He follows the voice into the woods and comes across the druids Borden stole from. The druids give Merlin a warning, that the triskelion is more than a key, it is also a trap. They also give him direction which he uses to help guide the others on the right path toward the east.

The men continue eastward, following Borden’s tracks through a cave that opens out to a waterfall on the other side. Beyond here, they come to a valley with a tower rising high above. As they make their approach, Percival takes an arrow to the leg. Borden is above them, trying to slow their pace. Merlin spots him and sends his crossbow flying into a tree before Borden can put an arrow through Arthur. The king has them make camp so they can make a sneak attack at dawn. But Borden has other plans, and uses a slingshot to get a pouch of poison in Merlin’s stew. The men eat it all before Merlin can have a bite, and when he gets back from gathering fire wood, he finds the pouch in the pot. He notices everyone is having problems breathing, so he casts healing magic on them and chases after Borden himself.

The Tomb of Ashkanar

Merlin catches up to Borden just as he is opening the door to the tomb. When the thief walks in, he is doused in knock out gas and laying in the doorway. Merlin dispels the gas and rushes past him, heading up the stairs into the main chamber. Merlin is about to take the egg when a groggy Borden comes up behind him, trying to bargain with Merlin, offering him half of whatever money they can get for it. When Borden tries to take the egg from him and calls him nothing but a serving boy, Merlin confesses that he is a Dragon Lord and uses magic to knock Borden away from the egg. As Merlin lifts the egg from the pedestal, the tower begins to crumble and he rushes to safety, hiding the egg in his pack just before Arthur and the others arrive.

After dinner, Merlin shows Gaius the egg he told Arthur he wasn’t able to save. Gaius is glad the egg is safe, but tells Merlin he really needs to think things through. He asks Merlin what he intends to do with the egg, and Merlin takes the egg that evening to the Great Dragon. The Dragon tells him that to hatch the egg, a Dragon Lord must call it forth by naming it. Merlin calls to the baby dragon, and it emerges from it’s shell, a white dragon, very rare. It’s name is Aithusa, meaning Light of the Sun in the dragon tongue.

The White Dragon, Aithusa

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

A huge day of feasting and celebration is planned for Arthur’s birthday, including performances from a traveling carnival, Teatro del Sol. Uther is much more aware of himself today, interrupting Arthur as he tries to talk of courtly matters, insisting he is well enough to attend the party.

During the meal, the ring leader challenges Arthur to take a spin on his wheel and take part in his knife tossing demonstration. Arthur accepts and finds himself with an apple shoved in his mouth as he spins round and round. Merlin stands at the ready to save the prince should any of the knives go astray, but all is fine as the third knife lands squarely in the apple. A very relieved Arthur gets off of the wheel and munches away on the apple…. which has been laced with a sedative.

Merlin escorts Arthur back to his rooms. The prince is a tad on the inebriated side, but wishes to see his father before he retires for the evening. He sits beside Uther, who has passed out in his chair, and begins to doze off himself when the knife thrower sneaks up behind him. The man took out the guards posted in the hall and took a sword from them to use against Arthur. Arthur sees his reflection in the carafe, grabbing a sword to defend himself, but the sedative has slowed him down. Arthur calls out for the guards when his sword is knocked away. Just as the intruder is about to strike a fatal blow, Uther stops him, wielding a sword to protect his son. The two battle it out, with Uther killing the man right as he is stabbed with a small dagger.

Arthur holds his dying father

Arthur holds his father in his lap as Uther says his goodbyes. Arthur pleads with him to stay by his side, that he is not ready to be king. Uther admits he’s known for quite some time that Arthur is ready to handle the responsibility and tells his son he will make a great king.

Gaius and Gwen come to take care of the King, but Gaius has to admit to Arthur that the wound is fatal and there is no medicine that can heal him. Agravaine and Leon bring Arthur news of the assassin, that he was hired to kill Arthur to avenge the death of someone Arthur had killed. When they leave, Merlin enters with no news for Arthur; Uther is still on his deathbed. While Arthur worries about his father, Agravaine visits Morgana to bring her the latest news.

News of Uther’s condition has spread to the people, and they stand bearing candles outside the castle. Arthur talks to Merlin as they look down on the people below, and Arthur confesses he is thinking about using magic to heal his father. Merlin talks to Gaius about helping Arthur, which his mentor thinks is an awful idea. Just because he was able to fool Arthur once does not mean he can pull it off again. But Merlin insists he can heal the king and be there for his friend. Not only that, he hopes that by using magic to heal the king, Arthur’s attitude towards magic will be changed.

Merlin reports back to Arthur that Gaius knows of an old sorcerer who may be able to help. Arthur jumps at the opportunity and makes plans to head out right away. Merlin leads Arthur to a shack and uses a bathroom emergency as a diversion to have the prince meet the old sorcerer alone. Disguised in his old man attire, “Old” Merlin makes a bargain with the prince. He will agree to help Uther if Arthur promises to let those who practice magic live in peace and openly use their craft. Arthur promises that when he is king, things will be different. “Old” Merlin agrees to meet the prince at the city gate at nightfall. Gaius helps Merlin locate healing spells that could work so he doesn’t fail in front of his friend.

Agravaine is not exactly a fan of this plan, but he knows he can’t stop Arthur. Just as soon as he can, he rushes off to tell Morgana. The witch enchants a necklace to take any healing magic and reverse and magnify it, causing Uther’s death. He distracts Gwen so he can slip the chain around Uther’s neck unnoticed, whispering hatred into his brother in law’s ear.

Arthur gives "Old" Merlin a piggyback

“Old” Merlin meets Arthur by the town and the two sneak into the palace the long way, through the tunnels. Arthur dismisses the guards posted outside the door, and Merlin prepares himself to cast the spell over the king. Arthur has some doubts at the last moment, but Merlin tells his friend that not all magic is bad and that he wants to prove some magic is for good. Unfortunately, Merlin is unaware of the necklace around the king’s throat and his spell takes a turn for the worse, sealing Uther’s fate. Before Merlin can even try to do something, Uther’s spirit leaves his body. Both prince and sorcerer are in shock. Arthur believes “Old” Merlin killed his father, so Merlin flees the room, quickly drinking his potion to return to normal.

Gwen and Merlin are in the room when Gaius confirms Uther’s death with Arthur. Gaius shows Merlin the necklace he found and the two know Morgana was behind it. Now all Merlin can do for his friend is to remain by his side. Merlin waits all night outside the room where Arthur grieves over his father. Right now, Arthur has steeled his heart against magic and Merlin will have to wait for another chance to make his friend see it is not all bad.

In the morning, Arthur leaves the room, grabbing Merlin to get some breakfast before the most important moment of his life is to start: the crowning of Arthur as King of Camelot.

Arthur, King of Camelot

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

In Part Two of The Darkest Hour, we pick up with the Knights deciding how to proceed now that Merlin is on the verge of death. So that Arthur does not abandon the quest, Lancelot offers to take Merlin back to Gaius. Merlin begs Arthur to let him come along, but the prince refuses and sends the two back toward the castle. Lancelot leads them through the Valley of the Fallen Kings, stopping at a river to collect water and check on his friend. Here, the Vilia (water spirits) call out to him, offering shelter from the Dorocha and to heal Merlin.

Arthur and his men come across tunnels in the mountains, obviously inhabited by wildren. Cutting through here will shave lots of time off of their journey, so they slather on the gaia berries and head in. The group does their best to remain quiet and still, but one gets too close for comfort for Gawain and he stabs it in the belly. The men have to run for their lives as the rest of the wildren pack chases after them.

Back at the castle, Gaius tends to the fallen as best as he can and Gwen brings him disturbing news. Agravaine has ordered the guards to close the city gates, leaving hundreds of people to fend for themselves. He tries to defend his choice by pointing out their limited resources when Gwen challenges him. She speaks what those on the counsel know: Arthur would never leave his people behind and the farmers coming to the city bring with them food and other items to barter for safety. With others on her side, Agravaine tells the guards to re-open the gates.

Lancelot awakens in the morning to find Merlin back to normal and hunting fish in the stream for breakfast. Even though Merlin appears to be completely fine, Lancelot insists they return to Camelot. They hurry to catch up with the Knights, stopping for evening shelter in a small cabin whose lone inhabitant fell to the Dorocha. Before they get some rest, Merlin and Lancelot talk of many things, including Lancelot’s feelings for Gwen. Their fire flashes out in the middle of the evening, and as they flee, Merlin uses his talents to call the Dragon to their aid. The Dragon addresses Lancelot as “the bravest and most loyal of them all”, which the Knight does not agree with. The Dragon informs Merlin that it is not the spirit world that demands a sacrifice, but the Callieach and that this is the only way to fix the veil. He also tells the young warlock that it must not be him who mends the veil.

Clear of the wildren, the Knights wash the gaia berry paste from their tired faces and continue toward the Isle of the Blessed. When the men stop again to make camp, Elyan asks the prince if he know what they will face once they reach the Isle. Arthur tells him it is something he need not worry about, that it is his burden alone. Elyan disagrees, pointing out the loyalty of the Knights.

Agravaine slips away from the castle to update Morgana and air his grievances about Gwen. Ever since her vision of Gwen as Queen of Camelot, Morgana feels nothing but hatred toward her former maid. The two hatch a plan to ensure Gwen bothers them no longer. Gwen tends to Uther and tells the king his son is off on a hunting trip so as not to cause him more worry, and as she is about to leave the room, Agravaine asks for her counsel. Gwen is taken aback but flattered, and agrees to visit his chambers in the evening to lend her ear. Morgana slips into the castle and attacks Gwen as she is returning home, leaving her and her guards to the hands of the Dorocha.

Gaius heads to Uther’s room and sees the king laying askew in his bed. Worried for Gwen, he heads outside to search for her, finding her unconscious but not dead like her guards. Gwen tells him all she remembers when she comes to. Gaius tells her he believes someone wanted to kill her and let it look like it was all the fault of the Dorocha.

The Knights have made it to the lake near the Isle, and are preparing to rest for the evening when they hear the door open. In walks Lancelot, and behind him, Merlin. While the other sleep around the fire, Merlin tells Arthur he would take his place so that the people still have their prince. But he won’t hear of it, and asks Merlin to make sure he looks after Gwen. In the morning, the ferryman takes them to the Isle, where they are greeted by wyvern. Merlin commands them to leave in a whisper as the Knights fend them off. The wyvern remain in the way, so Sirs Elyan, Percival and Leon stay behind to take care of them while the others head inside.

As they enter the room where the tear in the veil is visible, the Callieach comes forward to greet them. Arthur demands she mends the tear, and she informs him that she was not the one who tore it in the first place. When she refuses to do so, Gawain rushes at her, only to be knocked out. Arthur then tells her he is willing to pay the price, no matter the cost. As he begins to make his way toward her, Merlin casts a spell and throws the prince to the ground, moving forward to take his place.

The Callieach knows it is not Merlin’s time to leave this world, and as the two of them exchange words, Lancelot walks into the tear, sacrificing himself in order to return balance to the world.

When the Knights return to Camelot, they burn a funeral pyre for him with his cloak and sword taking the place of his missing body. Standing before the pyre, holding hands, Gwen admits to Arthur that she begged Lancelot to make sure Arthur returned home safely. She weeps openly for him and is the last one in the courtyard as the pyre burns away.

Arthur lights the funeral pyre for Lancelot

Morgana is less than happy with the news that Agravaine brings her of Arthur’s return. She blames Emris for everything going wrong for her, and even though she does not know who he is, she is sure until he is destroyed, nothing will go her way. Agravaine goes to the first person he can think of who may be familiar with the name “Emris”. Gaius lies to him, and Merlin hears the conversation from his room. They know the only way Agravaine could know that name is through Morgana.

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

October 14th Update:

Many thanks to all of my friends and family members who helped me reach my goal this week. I couldn’t have done this without you. You will be putting smiles on faces and for that, you are heroes.

Now onto my gaming schedule for the big event! I will be starting at 0:00am Oct 15th and playing for 24hrs straight (with potty/food breaks and a shower thrown in). Here’s my gaming breakdown.

0:00am – 4:00am: A mix of Fallout New Vegas DLC (Honest Hearts & Dead Money)

4:00am – 9:00am: Silent Hill Homecoming

9:00am – 2:00pm: Persona 4

2:00pm – ??? : Gears 3 campaign on Insane with @tehflakes and @ThrallMind

Depending on when we end campaign mode, I may switch to You Don’t Know Jack or play something on my PSP (I like to give my 360 cool down time as she’s getting older). You can follow me on Twitter for updates.

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On October 15th, 2011, I will be participating in the Extra Life fundraiser, playing video games for 24 hours to raise money for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. For as little as $1 an hour (that’s only $24!) or any sized flat donation, you can help me raise funds that will help children and their families while they undergo treatment. All donations are tax deductible and every penny of it will go towards Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

My Goal: To Raise $1000

Click here for my Fundraising Page

I took part in the very first Extra Life event which helped raise money for the Texas Children’s Hospital. Now, through the power of the Children’s Miracle Network, Extra Life is able to make sure the funds raised can go to whichever hospital in the network you wish to support. The reason I chose Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is my husband. When Matt was younger, he had leukemia and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (as Scottish Rite at the time) was the centre that took care of all of his treatments, including his chemotherapy.

I haven’t finalized my play by play for this year’s event. Odds are I will be doing some sort of streaming, whether from home or at Battle & Brew in Marietta with the InDisTeam. I will try to accommodate any requests that I can, including which games to play, etc. Sponsorship from companies is also welcome, just shoot me a private email if you want to pursue that avenue. Keep your eyes here for updated information on my plans and list of games I will be playing!

Many thanks for your time, support and participation. =)

Meanwhile, the castle is preparing for a feast at which Arthur is to give a speech. Uther stays in his quarters, a broken man, loyally waited upon by Gwen and tended to by Gaius. She hasn’t forgiven him for banning Arthur’s courtship of her, taking care of him for the prince’s sake. Before the feast is to start, Leon and Elyan have informed Arthur of their encounter and talks with his uncle, Agravaine, who he has been leaning on for support since his father became incapacitated.

In the instant that Morgause is killed, time slows down for Merlin. And in the middle of the feasthall he sees the Callieach moments before he faints who calls out to him using his real name. The Callieach is also at Morgana’s side and tells the sorceress that Emris is her destiny and her doom, words that rattle Morgana. Gaius and Lancelot take care of Merlin, whose body temperature has dropped substantially. When Merlin finally recovers some strength, he tells Gaius of the Callieach and his vision, to have Gaius explain who the woman was and what seeing her could mean.

Merlin sees the Callieach in the Feasthall

The following morning, a young woman from one of the outlying villages rushes to the castle bringing news that her people were attacked by an invisible force. Merlin seems to sense something as the young girl tells her tale. Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights head out to investigate the girl’s home, where they find people frozen, shocked expressions on their faces. Night has begun to fall and in the dimming light, the Dorocha begin to attack the Knights. Merlin tries to keep a basic light spell going but it quickly goes out. This is when a spirit heads right for him and he discovers his magic will not work against them. Luckily, Lancelot is nearby and saves Merlin by waving a torch at the Dorocha. Light and fire will cause it to flee, but the men have no clue as to how to defeat them.

Back at the castle, people are taking shelter in their homes and other buildings, lighting as many fires and torches as they can. Merlin finds Gaius in his make-shift morgue and informs his mentor that his magic will not work on the Dorocha. In the morning, Arthur calls Gaius and Agravaine to his room to discuss their new enemy and plans to keep the kingdom safe. Gaius is sure Morgana is behind the sundering of the veil, and tells Arthur he is not sure how they can defeat this threat.

During a night patrol, Percival comes across three children huddling by a brazier. With no regard for himself, he discards his torch and carries all three to safety, rescued by Elyan when a Dorocha heads straight for them. The city is now overflowing with refugees, and Arthur begs Gaius for an answer. Gaius tells him that the only way to defeat the Dorocha is to mend what has been done with a blood sacrifice. Arthur plans to take his Knights to the Isle of the Blessed and sacrifice himself to save his people. Arthur tells his men to prepare for the journey.

Meanwhile, Agravaine sneaks off to report to Morgana. (Because you didn’t see that coming!) He is worried when he notices she doesn’t seem as happy about the news as he thought she’d be. She tells him what the Callieach said to her about Emris, but he brushes it off, urging her to think of how the throne shall be hers within a week. Morgana’s nightmare visions have not gone away, and we see her dream of a future war, where bodies fighting under her mantle and those of the Pendragons litter a field, the Sword in the ground amongst them. In it, she reaches out to Emris, begging for help, and he asks her if this is what she really wanted.

Before heading off on his quest, Arthur stops to see his father and for the first time in ages, Uther shows he isn’t completely disconnected from the world. Gwen promises to take after his father for him but begs her love not to go. Arthur hands Agravaine the Pendragon family seal to act in his stead while he is away and tells him that if he does not return and Uther dies, Agravaine is to assume the throne. Gwen catches Lancelot and makes him promise to protect Arthur, and Merlin says goodbye to Gaius, because he believes this is part of his destiny.

On the first night out, Lancelot admonishes Merlin for coming along knowing that his powers are useless. Merlin defends his choice based on his destiny being entwined with Arthur’s. The Knights continue on, passing bodies of villagers taken by the Dorocha. The second evening, they make camp outside a crumbling castle, the Dorocha surrounding them. With a large fire, they run out of wood quickly, so when Arthur offers to go out in search of more, Merlin goes along. The two are cornered inside a building when the Dorocha attack, and after a while the others head out in search of them. Moments before they arrive, a spirit morphs through the door into the room where Arthur and Merlin are hiding. As it bursts in, Merlin pushes Arthur backs and jumps right into it, letting it freeze him instead of the prince.

Merlin takes one for the team

Box sets for Season One , Season Two and Season Three of Merlin are now available to purchase in the US via Amazon

But video games of this magnitude cannot rely on game play alone. There needs to be a strong and compelling story to bring a player back time and time again. Sure you can slap multiplayer into any game nowadays, but for someone like myself – someone who appreciates solid storytelling – that is not what is going to keep your game in my console for long. This, unfortunately, is where the first two installments in Gears of War fell short for me. More so Gears 2 than the original.

Gears of War has taken a lot of heat from gamers for the weak and under-developed plot that strung together the first two titles. Rightfully so. The first title in any trilogy lays the groundwork for what is to come, and they did an okay job. We were thrown into a fight for survival against an enemy that wanted control of our planet’s surface. We worked with what little information we had and, like any regular gamer, expected to have the blanks filled in for us as we progressed.

Gears of War 2 disappointed everyone. Fans only gained a couple of snippets of important information: what happened to Dom’s wife and the reason why the Locust headed for the surface.

At this point, I had pretty much given up hope for a decent ending to the story.

Then I picked up Aspho Fields, the first of the Gears of War tie-in novels. I’ve never been a huge fan of tie-ins in the past as most of them rehash actual game story or bring it up over and over again, adding little new information or background to the characters. They are nice side stories for sure. Aspho Fields started out a bit too dry for me, but as the author found her footing I found myself devouring the story. Here was what I was missing from Gears 1 and 2. Here was the story the game was so desperately lacking.

With each book, author Karen Traviss gave us more and more back story on the Gears universe. We found out the events Emergence Day, learned about the Pendulum Wars and the toll that decades long battle had on the people of Sera. Every bit of important detail that was missing from the video games could be found in these books as they bridged the gap between the ending of Gears of War 2 and lead us to the beginning of the end.

However, this is not where the bulk of your story should be. All of this development should be contained within the original form of media. Not shoved off into tie-in novels that only the most die hard of your fans will read. It is one thing to put out a couple of books or a one-shot comic for your franchise; it’s another to abuse your fans by forcing them to buy all kinds of additional content to get the full story of your universe. When you build a world for a particular audience, you need to cater to them. Don’t make them feel as though all you want is more money, which is kind of how I feel at this point with Gears of War.

I love the books. I have all four of the books written by Ms. Traviss. There is a ninety-nine percent chance I will even pick up the next (and hopefully, final) Gears of War novel, purely because I love well-written books and want to see this whole story surrounding Marcus Fenix wrapped up. And I am excited for the final Gears video game because they smartened up and brought her in as the lead writer for this last game. Reading her books and knowing Gears the way that I do, from it’s mediocre beginnings on the 360 to what it has become for me thanks to the novels, I am going into the final battle knowing that finally we are going to have a Gears game with a real story to bring it all together.

At the end of the day, I know that I will have enjoyed my experience with the Gears series because I’ve made the choice to invest in the story. The same cannot be said for so many others – others like friends who’ve given up on the games because they were let down, or others who will play the third game without knowing everything I know because they just want to see the ending and hope all those hours will count for something. And you can’t fault those people for not wanting to have to buy books or comics that form the backbone of the story.

In a perfect world, Epic would have hired the author of the novels from the beginning and relied on the games to tell the story of Sera’s demise. If there ever was a video game franchise that could use a retelling in the same vein as all the comic book hero re-imaginings we get every other year, it would be Gears of War. Three solid games using everything that’s been published would undoubtedly have improved this series and with some game play tweaks, made it one of the best and well-rounded series of this generation. I really hope that Gears has been a learning experience for the team at Epic, and that they will consider the importance of story development in future titles.

God knows they need some major help in that department.