Luminescence ✺ Arthur Pendragon

Excalibur [3]

Merlin and Arwen were the only two people moving through the Hall of Records late into the night, trying to remain as quiet as possible since they weren't supposed to be in here at this time. Each sibling searched through the shelves, their eyes scanning over the multitude of titles adorning each corner of the large space, hoping to find something, anything that would provide them with answers on how to defeat the Wraith. How to save Arthur's life.

The sudden slam behind her made Arwen jump in surprise. She spun on her heels, searching for the source until her eyes fell upon the fallen book that Merlin had dropped. She couldn't stop herself from sending a glare towards him, not only for scaring her, but also for his mistreatment of the books. However, before she could use her words to scold him, another voice startled both of them.

"How did you get in here?" The keeper of the library looked at the two with suspicious eyes while Merlin and Arwen shared a look amongst themselves. They knew how they got inside, but they couldn't really tell him the truth.

"The door was open." Merlin lied and Arwen did her best not to roll her eyes. Out of the two of them he was certainly the worse liar, but of course, when put on the spot he didn't let her handle it. Instead he lied, badly, as she expected.

"No, I locked it." The elderly man sounded quite confident. He may be old, but he wasn't yet that senile to believe he hadn't locked the door to one of the most important rooms within Camelot.

"Well, someone else must've opened it, then." Merlin stated, almost sounding dumb while this time Arwen really did roll her eyes. Yes, someone opened it. He did, with his magic.

"And you thought you'd come in and help yourself?" Geoffrey asked, a certain accusatory tone laced through his words. Arwen really hoped Merlin would find a way to get out of the trouble which seemed to be headed their way. But perhaps, if Geoffrey knew why they were in here and what they needed, maybe then he'd be willing not to punish them for their trespassing.

"I was looking for a book. For Gaius. He thinks the Black Knight is a wraith." Merlin explained in a pleading tone. They may have broken the rules, but they needed to, it was the only way to try their best to save the Prince.

"Then Arthur is in grave peril." Geoffrey's tone now changed as she looked at the two with wary eyes.

"Which is why the two of us are here. We need to find a weapon that will kill something that's already dead." Merlin stated, making it sound as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Their long search through the shelves and books seemed to prove otherwise. However, Geoffrey knew this place better than either she or Merlin could ever.

"Do you know where we might find something? We haven't had much luck yet." She asked the man, hoping that now that he knew why they were there, perhaps he'd help them in their search. If anyone could know which of these books may contain the answers, it would be him.

"Well, I've read of such things in the ancient chronicles." Geoffrey said in a thoughtful tone, Merlin and Arwen sharing a look of hope between themselves. So there was something after all!

"Really? What did they say?" Merlin asked, his tone showing the urgency they felt to get their hands on these chronicles and the answers they may hold. Even if it were the smallest of clues.

"Well, several fables speak of ancient swords." Geoffrey relayed from memory, but at the moment, without the book in front of him, he couldn't remember the whole story exactly.

"That can kill the dead?" Merlin's series of questions continued on. They needed to be certain, if they made one mistake, then Arthur would die. And the future of Camelot would die along with him.