[Nano novel] Chapter fifteen: Taliesin meets the King.

Taliesin's mouth dropped open, and for a moment he could not think of anything to say.  He had just been trying to get used to the idea that he was not about to die at the hands of unintelligible barbarians, and here was a person who obviously was like him.  Where had he come from?

"Can you speak?" the man demanded, when Taliesin said nothing.

"Y - yes," he stammered.

"Then come with me, before T'krull changes his mind about you.  Quickly!"  He held the tent flap aside for Taliesin, then grabbed his arm and hurried him past many more tents, to the very back of the large camp.

Taliesin was wincing but did not say anything.  His new captor, or possibly his new friend, was digging his fingers into the bruises freshly left by the two barbarian men who had found him at the forest's edge.  He was hauled into a much smaller tent, and the man let go of his arm then. 

"Sit, please," he said, and sat down himself, on a hairy rug in the middle of the tent. 

Taliesin sat as requested, looking around him, and rubbing his arm gingerly.  The interior of this tent was also very dim, although there was a lantern hanging from the ceiling of it, which lit the center of the tent much more than the edges.  There was a low table near him, and on it was a beaten metal jug and one wooden cup.  He could also see a rolled-up bundle that appeared to be either a thick blanket, or another rug. 

"What is your name?"  asked the man.

"Taliesin," he replied, and then wondered if he should have been so quick to give that information out.  After all, he still did not know where he was, or who this man was either.  For all he knew, this could be an enemy.  Although he was not quite sure what type of person would be an enemy of his, he was still somewhat worried.

"I am Arthur," said the man, in a sorrowful voice.  "I was a King, once, but no more.  Here I am little better than a captive, even though I have my freedom."

Taliesin, in surprise and a little shock, said, "You were a King?"

"Yes," said Arthur.  "But as I said, I am King no more.  Through betrayal and dark magics, I was stranded here many years ago.  I have saved your life, although you may not realize it yet."

"But - " Taliesin was still trying to process Arthur's words.  "Where were you a King?"

"Do you disbelieve me?" Arthur was suddenly brimming with indignant pride, and he drew himself up where he sat.  Taliesin could see that he had once been accustomed to holding himself in a kingly way, and certainly did not doubt his words.  After a minute or so, however, he visibly wilted.  "No more," he murmured.  "No more."

Taliesin felt terrible, as if he had physically hurt Arthur.  His wounding was tangible.  "I am sorry," he apologized sincerely.  "Is there anything I can do?"

"No," said Arthur.  Sadness was in his voice again.  "What has been done is irrevocable.  I must live out my life here, on this godsforsaken place, in this world of snow."

"What place did you come from?  Did you come through the rainbow?"

At that, Arthur frowned, and sat up straight again.  "What do you know of the rainbow?" he demanded.  "Tell me!  Are you an apprentice of the vile Merlin?" 

"No!" shouted Taliesin, which had hadn't meant to do, except that the former king was exuding so much anger and emotion.  "I've never even met him.  I think that... I think that we've come from the same place, though."

Arthur looked nonplussed.

"How did you get here?" Taliesin asked, worried that Arthur was going to become angry again.  He could not remember how long ago Tristan had said that Merlin and the king had disappeared from the city, but he thought it had been a very long time ago.  Tristan was an old man, and he had been much younger then.  This man sitting across the rug from Taliesin was only a few decades older than he, if that. 

"I would first hear how you journeyed to this world, young man," said Arthur in a firm voice.

Taliesin figured that he should at least go along with what Arthur wanted for the time being, since he seemed rather volatile so far, and he had only known him for the space of about five minutes.  "Well, like I said, I came through the rainbow.  I don't know why it happened - I had the spell paper to pick up the waystone, but that didn't work, I guess - but that's how I got to this world.  As soon as I got to the edge of the woods, those two big guys grabbed me and brought me here to this camp.  And that's where you found me," he finished. 

Arthur looked at him skeptically.  "That is not the way I have heard the rainbow traveled," he said.  "However, I have no reason to disbelieve you, so I will accept your story as fact.  I came here rather differently; my chief magician, Merlin, took me to the world between the dimensions, in an evil and despicable plot to murder me, although for what diabolical reason I have yet to ascertain.  I fled him for many months, and only a year ago I appeared here, in this world.  I do not think he followed me; he does not know which door I used to come here.  Now that I am here, however, I cannot get back.  I cannot go home, and I cannot go to the world between the dimensions so that I can once again search for the correct door."  His voice broke a little.  "I am lost."

Taliesin sat for a while in silence.  He wanted to ask more questions, but the former king was obviously upset.  He had not imagined him, the former king that Tristan had told him about, to be so emotionally unstable.  Although I'm sure that's because he has been gone for so long, he thought.  I might go a little crazy myself if I was never able to get back to anyone I knew.  A horrible thought occurred to him then: What if this is it?  What if today is the day I got lost, and I will never get home?  That thought was so horrible that, after dwelling on it for a moment, he pushed it away. 

"We won't be lost anymore," he said decisively.  "We will get back home."

Arthur chuckled hollowly.  "Yes, I said that very same thing at first.  You will eventually come to the conclusions that I have: we are lost for all eternity, because we do not hold the power of the dimensions within our hands."

"And Merlin does?" asked Taliesin.

"Of course he does, boy - that is how he controls his comings and goings.  He can traverse the dimensions at will, and does so without a backward glance.  He has probably forgotten me by now... I am sure that I do not interest him any more."  Again, his face and voice were very sad.

"Wasn't he a close friend of yours?"  asked Taliesin, worried that he was saying too much, but he felt that he needed to know.

"He was my best advisor - my best friend," said Arthur.  "And he betrayed me to this doom," he said bitterly.

"Tristan told me that you two were friends," Taliesin said sypathetically.

"Tristan?  I'm not sure that I know who that is," replied Arthur.  "Oh, wait - is that the young apprentice of Merlin's?  The one who came from another world?"  At that moment, it looked as if someone had turned a light on over Arthur's head.  "From another world!" he repeated.  "He may know how to get us home!"

"With all due respect, uh, Arthur," Taliesin was unsure as to how to address the former king, "he isn't here.  He sent me to get a waystone, and instead of taking it back to him, the stupid thing brought me here instead."

"But he knows you're gone - at least, I am sure he will find out soon enough, when you do not return, isn't that right?"  Arthur demanded excitedly.  "He may find us here!  If he sent you, then he must value you, and I am sure he will try to locate you!"

"Well... I don't know about that," said Taliesin slowly.  "About the valuing me part, I mean.  I've only known him for a few days, because I accidentally left my own world the same way, and showed up back in his - and your - world, and it's all been very confusing since then."

"Oh," said Arthur.  He looked disappointed.  "But still..." he said.  "There may still be hope?"

"I suppose so," said Taliesin.  "And I'm going to do my best to figure out how to get back too, because I don't really want to spend the rest of my life on a world full of snow.  When does it get warm here?"

"Never.  It's always snowy here, or at least it is here.  I haven't been to many other parts of this world, so I have no way of knowing if it gets warmer somewhere else.  They," he gestured in the general direction of the other tents, "don't exactly give me a lot of information.  I only kept myself from dying by helping them in their wars when they demand it."

"They're at war?"

"Nearly all the time," said Arthur grimly.  "They are right now, and this is a war camp.  I had to swear to them that you were not a spy, or you would have been killed instantly."

"Thank you," said Taliesin sincerely.  "How did you learn their language?  It's all grunting and shouting to me."

"Out of necessity," sighed Arthur.  "And when I was King, back on Adrostu, on my throne of crystal, I knew all of the languages of my world.  Speaking a foreign tongue is not difficult for me."

He stood up then, and held out his hand to Taliesin.  "Now that we have gotten to know each other a little, I will show you around the camp - and you are to be my helper.  That was the other condition of your survival."

"Oh," said Taliesin, unsure as to what that would entail, but perfectly willing to do whatever he needed to in order to avoid sudden death.  He took Arthur's proffered hand, and they left the tent, walking back out in the blindingly white snow.