The Send Off

"Merlin! I know that story!" I was filled with excitement, Merlin was a great and powerful wizard. "But, Edgar... isn't Merlin really old?" I looked back at the picture in the book, he was a young man, not an old man.

"Yes... I'm sure you do know that story. Somehow, your brother has become the stuff of legends so to speak. Yet, this is a time before the old Merlin most of us know about. Aurelius is king, and his younger brother, Uther, is destined to take the throne before too much longer, which then of course his son--"

"Arthur! I know this stuff Edgar," I was full of excitement to be surrounded by such a magical place, I could hardly contain myself, "but if this is medieval times why am I in these clothes?" I gestured to the dirty jeans  and T-shirt I had woken up in.

Edgar hopped up and took the book back to its place. "Well, when we came to earth there was no knowing what time we would emerge. Traveling through space, even by magic, can be tricky. That's the same reason you have knowledge of stories and events that have not even happened yet. Because of this you have to be very careful out there, watch what you say. I'm sure you've been awake long enough for people to treat you like anyone else. Now, do sit tight, I must go fetch you some clothes from this era." He grabbed his umbrella and was out the door without a second to lose.

I stood up and wandered to the bookshelf, driven by my curiosity of what things Edgar could possibly be interested in. A lot of the books seemed old and fragile, the wording was almost completely rubbed off of all of their spines. A couple books seemed to have some kind of medicinal purposes, while others seemed to be different versions of the Arthurian Legend. I had to wonder, as I traced the books with a finger, if all of this is real, why is it planted in my brain as simply myth....

Edgar came back shortly after that, a dress draped over one small furry arm. He shook his umbrella and then closed it, leavening it leaning against the wall next to the door frame.

"Here we are!" He came over to me and handed the dress to me, "What do you think?" He asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

I held the dress out in front of me, it was a light blue dress with beige accents to it. "It's lovely," I said, smiling at Edgar, "But where did you get this?"

His nose twitched a little and he quickly replied, "Oh, no where, go ahead and put it on, i'm very anxious for you to speak with your brother."

Edgar helped me with the dress, and while doing so explained to me how some of the things in this town worked. Magic was not banned, but heavily watched over due to its possibility for evil. Merlin lived at the castle to help Aurelius fight the evil magic that appears in the land, and is a great ally and friend to both Aurelius and Uther. I was to go to the castle and try to find my way to Merlin, Edgar was not entirely sure how to go about it, but seemed positive I was smart enough to figure it out when the time came.

When the rain let up Edgar gave me a basket and a little money in case I wanted to try their food and blend in more. "Be very careful, and remember what I said about not giving out too much information. Merlin can be the only one either of us can trust, the others are too risky." He straightened the bow at the back of my dress. "I wonder if this is how parents feel sending their children to school..." he muttered to himself softly.

"I'll be back before you know it." I said, giving a soft pat on his little head. "Just don't go stealing any more things for clothing while i'm away." He smiled at me with teary eyes and gave a little nod. And, with that I stepped outside and began my trek to the magical land of Camelot, and it took all of my will power to keep myself from running all the way there. I could hardly imagine the wonders that awaited me.