Chapter 13: 25 AD Learning From Family

Sal was nervous.

He had entered the island where he heard Morgana lived the day before and stood now in front of her home.

Avalon.

Sal had come to Avalon.

He had heard rumours about Morgana LeFay and her ability to heal. Of course he had also heard that she adored the Dark Arts - nothing Sal wanted to learn.

But he had to. He had to know and he wanted to learn healing - and Family Magick. He had decided this since his father had told him about his heritage. Since his father had told him, his eyes told the world that he was born a LeFay. And since he had learned how he could be the descendant of Arthur and Morgana. It had been three and a half years ago when Morgana had come and cornered Arthur. Sal had not been there at that time and had later heard about the argument - the argument about Morgana's son whom she had born after a night she had shared with Arthur.

Arthur had not been pleased that the child had been born and had not wanted the child as his heir. Simple said he had denied the birth right to his child and Myrddin had guided Morgana out of the castle. Sal did not know how it happened but the result of this meeting was a shared enmity between Sal's fathers and Morgana.

So Sal might be a descendant of Morgana, but he also was Myrddin's son - and Morgana hated Myrddin…

And because of that Sal was standing in front of the door, unsure how to proceed…

"Do you want to stand there forever, lad?" a sarcastic voice asked and suddenly the door opened and Salvazsahar was looking at a middle-aged woman who carried a maybe four year old child on her hip.

"Uh…" Sal said, stuttering "I… I was looking for Morgana LeFay. I was told she lives here." He finally said, looking at the woman.

She had pitch-black hair and deadly glowing green eyes. Sal knew these eyes. They were the same he had inherit from his own mother.

The boy on Morgana's hip did not have these eyes. He had brown ones - eyes that reminded Sal of Arthur…

"So this child is Mordred" Sal thought, then he corrected himself. "Medrawd. His name was changed over time. It's Medrawd."

"And who is looking for me?" Morgana asked him, staring at him coolly but intensively.

"My name is Salvazsahar Emrys" Sal had thought about calling himself 'LeFay' but he did not want to trick her with that. He might be a LeFay by blood, but he never carried the name before.

"Emrys?" she asked, still staring. "As in Myrddin Emrys?"

"Uh… I guess" Sal answered nervously.

"What do you want, breed of Myrddin?"

"I… I…" Sal gulped and found his courage. "I am here to ask for an apprenticeship." He said, squaring his shoulders.

Morgana raised her eyebrows.

"The breed of Myrddin asks me, great Morgana LeFay for an apprenticeship?" she said, suddenly sounding dangerous.

Sal's gaze grew cold when he met her eyes head on. He stared back, daring her to say anything more than she had before - and Morgana blinked.

"You're no Emrys" she finally said. "You're of my blood. You are my heir." Her gaze turned to her own child. "But how come you are? I am the one who continues the main line - so how come you exist when I have a child?!"

Sal gulped again. He knew he had to explain it to her - and best without lying too much.

"I… I am not from this time" he finally confessed and Morgana's eyes returned to him. Again her eyebrows rose. "I… well… I am your many times grand-child, you could say" Sal finally settled with. "I came here to learn from you."

The truth - but not true enough to conclude the right things.

"When you are my many times grand-child - how come you carry Myrddin's name?" she asked now definitely interested. "Shouldn't you carry my name - or Arthur's?"

"I… My mother was the heir" Sal answered nervously. "I carry my father's name as I have no right to carry my mother's."

"You have our magic" Morgana say, narrowing her eyes. "You know our Family Magick and as such you have the right to carry our name. You needn't befoul yourself with Myrddin's name."

Sal wisely said nothing. He had foreboded that Morgana would not be pleased with his last name.

"Well, that is my problem" Sal said. "I do not know Family Magick."

Morgana stared at him when he told her.

"Your mother didn't teach you?" she asked appalled and disgusted.

"She could not teach me" Sal corrected. "She died when I was a mere babe."

"Then surely your grand-mother…"

"There was a war" Sal said with a bitter note in his voice. "I am the last with magic of my line. I was since I counted one winter. I still have an aunt - but she did not inherit any magic. She cannot tell me what I need to know."

"No, she wouldn't" Morgana said. "So that's why you're here."

"Yes" Sal answered. "I needed a competent teacher to learn from, so I came here."

There was a moment of silence while Morgana was piercing through him with her eyes. It felt like a test and Sal grew nervous the longer she stared.

"And learn you will, Salvazsahar." Morgana said finally and smiled. "Come in. I will teach you. I don't want to end my family name with the Emrys line - even if I do not object your mother's choice in marriage. The Emrys line is a strong one - inserting its blood in our line is definitely a good choice."

Sal wisely forgot to mention that his Emrys-father never had married his mother. He did not want to tell Morgana that he truly was Myrddin's son. He was sure she would not like that very much…

So he just entered, fully aware, that he would have to learn all she wanted him to in the next few years - and there was no telling when she would end her training.

The hut was small and neatly kept. Morgana pointed at a simple wooden chair in front of the fire.

"Sit" she said while she herself sat down in a more comfortable one.

"Do you know how to read?" she asked.

"I do" Sal answered.

"So your aunt did teach you some things." Morgana said. "What about the family books - did you read them?"

"No" Sal answered. "My parents' home was destroyed. I have nothing left but an old cloak of my father's."

Morgana sighted. Sal could feel her using Legilimency on him. He let her through - not to his memories but to his feelings so that she could analyse if he was telling the truth.

"But you know basic Occlumency" she said. "Even if it is a barbaric form of it."

"My father taught me" Sal answered truthfully.

"Well, I will teach you better" Morgana said. "Forget what you father told you - I will teach you real Occlumency."

"Yes, My Lady" Sal said.

"Call me mother" Morgana said. "You may be my many times grand-son, but you are young enough to call me mother. Say, how many winters do you count?"

"Fifteen" Sal answered, using his body's winters and not his mind's. He was not sure if he liked Morgana's suggestion to call her 'mother' but he knew, he would do it anyway. She was his ancestor and because of that his elder. When she wanted to be called 'mother' then he would do it without questioning.

"So your magic has matured one time until now?" Morgana asked and Sal shrugged.

"I don't know" he said truthfully.

When he said that Morgana took out her staff and pointed it at him. Sal stiffed, but did not flinch or take out his own staff.

Morgana smiled at that. She definitely had seen his slightly concealed reaching for his staff, before he could stop himself to do so.

"You have good reflexes" she said. "Your father taught you the way of the warrior, I believe?"

"He taught me the way of the druids, mother" Sal answered. "I am no warrior, but I have to know how to fight as a druid."

"Yes you do" Morgana said and then whispered a spell.

Soft yellow light hit Sal's body. Then he started to glow green.

"Oh, that's good" Morgana said. "You did just mature one time. I will be able to teach you from the scratch - and we have time. Your second time will be not before the third winter."

"You can tell that?" Sal asked surprised. Even his father had not been able to tell that when Sal had started to mature for the first time.

"Yes" Morgana said. "And you will also be able when I have taught you all I know. There are just two conditions."

"I hear."

"You will let me adopt you" Morgana said. "As my child I will have the full rights to teach you all I want without you protesting it." Sal had thought about this possibility. Morgana knew that Medrawd would not be able to use Family Magick and she wanted to make sure that someone would be able to use it fully - even if this someone was an heir from a distant future. When he truly was her son - even an adopted one - and not just a descendant she had a better grasp at his magic. A parent simply understood their child's magic better than anyone.

"I will" he answered. He had hoped to prevent it but it was not unexpected. "Well, it will change nothing in my blood" he thought. He simply would have more access to the Family Magick… and that definitely wasn't bad at all.

"The other condition is that you will teach Medrawd how to fight when he is old enough" Morgana said.

Sal nodded, knowing that he there also had no choice - even if this might later be the cause of Arthur's demise. But even if it was - refusing would not change history. Arthur would die and when history would like Medrawd to be the cause of his demise, so it would be like that. Sal would not be able to change that when he refused.

"I will - but I am not more than mediocre in using a sword."

"As long as you teach him." Morgana said. "The rest he will learn by himself."

The time at Morgana's flew by quickly.

Sal soon got used to call Morgana 'mother' and under her tutelage he started to learn how to use his Family Magick. He also started to learn how to heal and also the Dark Arts.

At the beginning Sal was a little bit hesitant to learn the Dark Arts but soon he discovered, that many rituals and spells in the Dark Arts could be used differently and would help him while healing others.

Sal also discovered that he loved to heal. Before the apprenticeship Sal had just thought that knowing how to heal would be useful but the longer he learned the more he discovered that healing was something he would like to do for a living.

Morgana also noticed that he loved to heal and so she more and more included him in her own work as a healer.

It was ten years later, the day Medrawd first bested Sal in their mock-battle after just a few minutes, when Morgana finally called for Sal.

"Yes, mother?" he asked, entering the house.

"Salvazsahar LeFay" she stated. "Today is the day when your apprenticeship ends. You now know all I know and there is nothing left to teach for me."

Sal inclined his head.

"Now there is just one thing left" Morgana continued. "The Oath."

Sal knew what she meant. Every healer had to vow on their magic to help everyone in need. The healer's oath would also constrict him in his magic. No healer was allowed to kill or maim others or even simply neglect to help them when they needed help.

The vow was binding and would take his life when he neglected it.

"I am not sure I want to take it" Sal answered sincerely.

Morgana raised an eyebrow.

"I taught you healing for ten years - and now you don't want to finalize the last step in your profession?" she asked surprised.

"A healer cannot fight" Sal answered sincerely.

"And you want to fight?"

"No" Sal shook his head. "I want to protect."

He expected that Morgana would be angry with him for refusing to vow his life to the profession of the healer. What he did not expect was the gleam that entered her eyes when hearing his answer.

"So you want to protect" she stated. "Will you try to protect everyone - with no exception be it race, blood or something else?"

Sal frowned.

"Of course" he answered. "Why shouldn't I protect someone when I'm able to and he does need help?"

Now Morgana looked like a Cheshire cat.

"So you will protect those who cannot protect themselves from those who try to maim them?"

"I will" Sal answered, still frowning and now utterly confused.

"And you will use all your skills to aid whoever needs help?"

"Of course I will…"

"Even if you will have to aid your enemy?"

"Yes…"

"Even if you will have to kill someone or let someone die to ensure the safety of others?"

Sal blinked at that. Let someone die?!

"Yes…" he said unsure.

"Even if it will bring you harm?"

"Yes." This time he was sure.

"Then I bless you child. You are a Healer, you are a Warrior, you are a guardian. You have finished your apprenticeship and you have chosen your path. May you heal others, may you judge their hearts. May you guide others, may you protect them from harm. Today, I name you a Guardian Healer - born to protect, born to judge, born to heal. So be it."

A golden mist suddenly surrounded Salvazsahar and a rune-circle was seen above his head. Sal had never seen this circle before. It was the typical healer rune-circle in the middle, but it was surrounded by a different, foreign one.

Before Sal could decipher it, it glowed as bright as the sun, broke apart into sparks and entered his body.

Warmth filled his entire being and then it stopped and all was back to normal.

"What…?" he started to ask, but Morgana beat him to it.

"A healer's oath" she answered. "But not the normal one. This one will let you protect and kill - there will be no consequences. You even can let someone die if this person has harmed others with his action or will harm others when he continues his actions."

"So… there is nothing different then before?" Sal asked confused.

"Oh, there is" Morgana answered. "Others have to come first now. You cannot do anything when you encounter a conflict. You have to aid those who need protection. You cannot aid the others, and you cannot aid evil. When you do, you will lose your magic and maybe even your life."

"So you tricked me in an oath" Sal said.

"I know you, Salvazsahar." Morgana said shrugging. "You would have done it anyway. You are born to protect - that you have my eyes while having also Arthur Pendragon's blood shows it. You will not feel bound at all, because of the oath."

Sal sighted, but he could not object. Even without the oath he would have helped those who needed help and were too weak to aid themselves.

"But why did you trick me into it?"

"It is an oath you have to give while not being aware of it" Morgana said. "And even if you give it, there are few in this world whose oath would have been accepted by magic. A Guardian Healer is special. There are maybe two or three in this world. I guessed that you would be one five years ago, and I am proud that I was right. Having someone like you in our family definitely shows our superior power."

Sal could just roll his eyes at that.

Trust Morgana to be excited to have a rare… creature?!… like Sal in the family. There would be no other person in the world who would be concerned about family prestige some thousand years in the future…

"I am proud of you, Salvazsahar" Morgana said. "I trust, you will return home now?"

Sal stared at her for a moment, then he nodded.

"I will" he answered.

And he truly would have, if he wouldn't have stumbled over a battle while he was on the way back to Camelot. As it was, Sal would return home eight years later than planned…