『A King's Tale』

Mavis, after that, lowering her little head, she said in a faint tone of voice, "Merlin, I'd better go" to then raise her head again, but this time with a smile.

Merlin realized that this little girl's life is not easy, mainly from that joyless look that she showed when he, the Great Merlin, spoke about certain things.

She misses the look of joy that a child of her age should have. But that kind of bond he feels has a strange effect on him, which tells him, like a whisper, to take this little girl into custody and treat her as any child should be treated, with happiness and love.

Merlin also felt that the little girl possesses strong, very strong magical powers, so strong that he has never felt anything like that before.

Precisely for this reason, he would like to take her under his wing, teach her the tricks of magic, make her become a real wizard. Able to defend herself and smile with the purest smile.

But this is not possible for now. Even if Merlin knows that the child in front of him doesn't have a good life, this does not mean that he can suddenly intrude into her life. The process of gaining trust is long and arduous, but despite this, Merlin is ready to embark on this 'journey.'

But, at the same time, he is conflicted inside, should he really approach this child, should he behave so closely? He has never forgotten his original intention on how to behave with humans. He is really getting weirder and weirder, Merlin thought to himself.

So, he looked at the child in front of him, "Hey Mavis, before you go, how about you come and hear stories from me sometime? You can always find me in this place," said the magician towards the little girl who was still staring at him.

Mavis opened her eyes again, two green gems with the color of the emerald were shining like the sky full of stars at that proposal, "Can I… can I really come here and listen to them?"

"Of course!" exclaimed the magician.

Mavis immediately nodded. She can't refuse; she can't leave such an opportunity after all ...

"I love stories and books ..."

"Really? I'm relieved, you know? Because my head is full of these two things!"

Mavis immediately put on a slightly tangled look, "Merlin, do you want to come with me where I am living?"

Mavis, cannot miss this opportunity now, not only to get to know this mysterious individual but also to know his stories ... perhaps a little more towards the second.

The magician shook his head at the little girl's proposal.

"Thank you for your proposal, but I prefer to live in this nature, this calm is really relaxing for an 'old man' like me."

After hearing these words from Merlin, Mavis's head dropped, and so did her expression. Instead of that smile, she had a long face and two tangled eyes, not to mention that pout.

Merlin saw that little girl skit and gave a short laugh, "You don't have to do that, Mavis. I'm certainly not running away. You can easily find me in this spot, okay?" Merlin said in a calm and mild tone of voice and then looked over his shoulder, where there is the little creature with white fur and purple eyes.

"Kyuu ~."

"You see? He also confirms."

Mavis has only now improved her attitude after hearing the wizard's promise.

"I will definitely come tomorrow!" said the little girl as she ran from where she came from while laughing, a laugh that echoed in that serene atmosphere, making it almost more magical.

Immediately after Mavis walked out of the wizard's view, Merlin heard a small bell sound, it was a small, almost an abstract sound, but the wizard clearly heard it. So, looking in that direction, he noticed how a little light was following the child as she ran with a smile.

Little Mavis, however, seems to have not noticed anything; she continued to run with a smile on her face.

Merlin shook his head at that vision.

In this way, day after day, the little Mavis continually came to that place to hear his stories. The stories are straightforward; they are the stories of his previous 'adventures' but, for the little girl, they are something unexpected, something mysterious. It's like magic for her.

She has never heard of any of this. All the things Merlin told seem to come out of mystical stories.

That look the little girl has, as she hears his stories, leaves the magician with a smile, even though he has told them over and over to Cath Palug, is a different feeling this time for him.

"Merlin!" a small and tender voice reached Merlin's ears, who, in the meantime, was simply admiring the forest and listening to that 'silence.'

Merlin recognized this voice right away, so, looking in the direction it came from, the magician gave a little laugh, "Mavis, even today I see."

By now, the magician has got used to seeing this little girl every afternoon with him.

Cath Palug immediately jumped in the direction of Mavis. The little girl, looking at the little creature 'flying' in her direction, immediately took him in her arms, squinting once he was taken.

"Fou!"

Merlin rolled his eyes at this, then, in a confused tone, he said, "Fou?"

The little girl nodded with two big eyes in the direction of the wizard, "Yes, Fou, I thought of this name. After all, calling him Cath Palug is long, and it's not cute!"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders; he doesn't know what to say. If 'Fou' doesn't mind, then he doesn't have any kind of problem.

But deep inside, he gave a little laugh. If only people knew that Primate Murder got such a name. He doesn't think anyone would believe their ears.

The creature that Merlin called by the name of Cath Palug, in truth, is the alternative iteration of an entity he would never want to see. Precisely for this reason, he sealed it with him at the beginning in Avalon, but over time, their bond has become closer and closer.

Merlin has to admit, the creature's company has been of great help to him, and if 'Fou' were to hear the wizard's thought, he too would admit that, without the wizard, his life would have been monotonous. Probably, without him, he would have transformed into the monstrosity known as the Primate Murder.

It can be said that Merlin sealing him with himself, 'killed two birds with one stone.'

"Merlin, what are you telling me today?" Mavis asked with an expectant look.

"Today…" the magician revealed a thoughtful expression, and after a few seconds, he said with a small exclamation, "Today I'll tell you the story of Artoria."

"Artoria?"

Merlin, hearing that name pronounced in that slightly childish voice, made him think of a figure, she too small, she too with golden hair, just like the little girl in front of him. But the look of the person Merlin has just thought of is a 'serious' one, one ready for any adversity. While that of the child in front of him is more 'cheerful.' A look full of 'hope.'

Their appearance looks very similar, but their character is different, the sorcerer thought.

"Yes, Artoria, a little girl just like you, who had an important destiny in her hands from an early age."

Mavis seems to have been struck by this 'story' of the magician, so, with small steps, she arrived next to the magician and then, she sat next to him with her back supported on the trunk of a tree, just like Merlin.

Merlin seems not to have bothered with this closeness, so, continuing to look at those majestic trees, he began with his story.

"The story begins long before her birth; at that time, an empire was in complete control of what would later become the central point of our story in the future. And, the fall of this empire, made everything start, a not so good start for me, after all, it was characterized by wars and chaos."

Mavis, as soon as she heard about wars and chaos, immediately revealed a really unhappy expression, the pout reappearing on her little face again.

"Wars are not beautiful ..."

Merlin didn't change his gaze or expression. He simply told her, "Wars are caused by us people. Our desires, thoughts, feelings, and anything that can make us want or think of another can cause a war."

Immediately afterward, turning his gaze so that he could look at the child, Merlin said, "Mavis, you will probably see the war too, and I'm sure you won't like it at all, and for that very reason, never get caught up in earthly desires."

Mavis did not fully understand what the magician said. She just gave a little nod, even though her face was a confused one.

Merlin continued, "Artoria's story… begins with Uther Pendragon, her father. Pendragon is struck by a sudden love towards Igraine, the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. The first vision of that woman left this King stunned. The King could not sleep day and night. So, after asking the court magician for help, disguising himself as Igraine's husband, he sneaked into her bed. Igraine, completely unaware of this trick, conceives Artoria but, the sex was wrong. She was born female and not male."

Mavis was left speechless, her face already confused at first, but now, it has become the symbol of confusion. Many terms, if not almost all of this story till now, confused her, even more than before. This story of illicit intercourse is too much for her little head.

Merlin laughed at the vision of that little girl with that confused gaze; he certainly cannot expect a child of that age to understand it. Of course, his story is not at all easy to understand, and perhaps, he shouldn't even tell it with such 'extreme' contents.

"This court wizard raises Artoria away from his parents. He is the magician who had designed for Artoria's father, Uther, a large round table at which 150 people of noble morality and great courage could sit."

"But the sudden death of Uther left these people in an uproar. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know who had to take the King's place. The wizard then said to them, 'whoever can pull this sword out of the stone will be crowned next King.' These words of the magician made every person go into ecstasy; every type of person started trying to draw this mysterious sword out, but without success."

"Nobody knew that that sword had been enchanted by the same magician who had designed it ..."

The little girl immediately revealed an unhappy expression, "That's not fair!"

Merin seems to have been intrigued by what the little girl said, so, looking down, he looked straight into Mavis's eyes, "What's not fair?"

"It's not fair that this sword has been enchanted, it's not fair to others!"

The magician's smile has become a bit forced. He can't believe that Mavis is so 'enraged' by this. Still, then, he can't help but sigh after thinking of her person and character, so he said, "Unfortunately, it was necessary to do so. After all, it was the agreement between Artoria's father and the court magician."

Only now, the little girl's gaze has calmed down, so Merlin took advantage of it immediately, continuing with his story after a cough, "As I was saying ... only a special person could extract it."

Mavis looked at Merlin, and then, in a curious tone, asked him, "Artoria?"

Merlin stroked the head of this little girl who, even if her appearance seems very 'playful' and sadly, sometimes even 'sad,' she is actually brilliant and innocent.

The magician thought a lot during these days of contact with her, and finally, he made a decision, but first ...

"Yes, you're right, it's Artoria. In fact, this little girl was sent to look for a sword to replace the broken one of her adoptive brother. It is precisely here that she came across the magical sword Caliburn, the famous sword in the stone! Artoria, not knowing the prophecy, extracts it, thus becoming the new King of this kingdom."

Mavis immediately revealed a confused expression again, "King? But isn't Artoria a female?"

Merlin, with a little 'shady laugh,' said, "Another time we will continue the story."

Mavis, without saying anything else, after pouting, ran away, but not before having made the tongue to the magician who, at the vision of that skit, did nothing but laugh, making the child run even faster.