Sparrow Hills (attn. Merlin)

[Merlin]

"Oh, I'm not senile yet," Merlin replied with a low voice. "But let me help you move some furniture!" He hastily approached the armchair, placed a hand on it, and both the wizard and the chair vanished in a puff of smoke.

[mozzy]

Mozenrath tsked and lowered his hand, the sand return to its gloopy puddle on the floor.

"Your just delaying thing old man. Hand me the chair and your little hide away stays in one piece."

The wizard knew that Merlin could have vanished from the area completely. His temper boiled and gave a frustrated growl, sending the sand to start gulping up everything.

"Come back Merlin- I won't give up, even if I have to chase you to the four corners of the kingdom!"

[Merlin]

Oh, pah, said Merlin's voice, responding to the threat of having his house destroyed. I've had many homes. It's a risk I'm willing to take, if only to prevent a boy like you from toying with power.

Whatever Merlin was doing, invisible, he was doing a good job from also keeping the chair hidden.

[Archimedes]

Archimedes, having been perched on Merlin's shoulder, lost his footing and rapidly flapped his wings to keep himself in the air once the wizard vanished. Quickly fluttering up to the safety of his perch, Archimedes resumed observing the happenings below, with curiosity and concern.

Merlin's move seconds ago indicated that he really wasn't being played for a fool; he wasn't going to give up the chair... which, in turn, indicated that there was something special about it.

Interrupting Archimedes' thoughts was the sudden growth of Mozenrath's black sand, which began to consume the entire cottage inch by inch. The owl flew up even higher, to perch on the ceiling rafters, as a futile attempt to avoid this inevitable danger.

[mozzy]

Mozenrath raised an eyebrow at the old man's words before rolling his eyes and sending shots of blue energy at the walls, trying to see if he could hit the Merlin.

"Then, you won't mind me redecorating a bit."

A few of the shots went up to the rafters, but Mozzy wasn't aiming for the owl.

"Toying?! I don't play around Merlin!" With that he send a particularly powerful blast in a haphazard direction.

[Merlin]

Merlin managed to dodge the attack, but a good chunk of his cottage was demolished. After the dust cleared, a view of Sherwood Forest outside could be seen through the large hole in the cottage, as well as sunshine.

Still, both the wizard and the chair remained hidden. Archimedes! Merlin's voice called to the owl. Fly away! I will meet with you later! Archimedes didn't have to, of course, but the wizard was concerned for his friend's safety.

[Archimedes]

A couple of Mozenrath's magical blasts got dangerously close to Archimedes, inches away from disintegrating his tail feathers. The little owl fluttered about to dodge them, getting a bit panicky. Now he really hoped Merlin knew what he was doing... things were getting serious!

A loud explosion startled the bird, who looked down to see a fourth of the cottage's walls reduced to rubble. He wasn't too worried about it... Merlin was able to handle house problems very easily. He was worried about whether or not Merlin survived that blast... He was unable to be sure, as Merlin was still invisible.

Much to Archimedes' relief, Merlin's voice confirmed that he was alright. He was telling him to flee for safety, now... reluctantly, Archimedes had to oblige. He hated to admit it, but there was nothing he could do to help Merlin out, against this dangerous mage... Hastily, the owl swiftly escaped the cottage and flew out into the forest. He didn't feel comfortable being too far away from things, though... he perched himself on a tall oak tree, far away enough from Mozenrath and the destroyed cottage, yet still close enough to see what was going on.

[mozzy]

Mozenrath gave a deep laugh, rising off the floor to get a better view of the cottage. He tapped his chin and watched the bird fly out, "How cute; worried over your pet old man?"

Another volley of shots rang out before the young mage paused, his hand on his hip.

The sand began to bubble, showing how far Mozzy's temperament had snapped. It rolled and pitched against itself before beginning to spread across the floor again.

"Come out, come out where ever you are."

[Merlin]

Olly-olly-oxen free! Merlin's voice cooed, obviously mocking his opponent. As always, his disembodied voice came from no one spot in particular, so he couldn't have been traced easily. You won't have this chair, and that is that!

[mozzy]

Mozenrath clenched his fists, glaring around the room. Xerxes noticed the man's look and quickly fled from the room- hiding in the trees outside.

The gauntlet began to glow a deeper blue, Mozenrath narrowing his eyes, "No one, mocks me." he said in a dangerous voice, all flippancy and amused annoyance gone.

The sand rose up around the walls- surrounding the two in a cocoon of shifting black sand. Aiming his hand forward the mage shot the energy blast through the sand- only to have it appear out of another part. It was traveling through the Black Sand, vanishing at random point an appearing again somewhere else and traveling across the room.

The sand wizard laughed coldly, adding two more flares to the room.

[Merlin]

It wasn't long before a bookcase, which up until this point managed to evade attacks, was struck and broke into many violent pieces. Unfortunately, Merlin was struck by many pieces of debris and books, and after a cry of pain Merlin's spell was instantly broken, revealing both himself and the chair. He had managed to evade Mozenrath this long, but now he was finally caught.

Merlin was piled by many heavy books and debris, but his head and arms were visible. However, he was pinned to the floor, his glasses and hat were knocked off from the strike, and, most disturbingly of all, his eyes were closed and he was motionless. Mozenrath had won this standoff; the chair was easily obtainable now.

[mozzy]

Mozenrath gave a victorious laugh, chuckling and floating over to where the old wizard now lay. With a simple wave of his hand, the sand began to swirl in the center, draining into itself before vanishing with a pop.

The sand mage lands on the solid ground with a soft click of his heels, gripping the armchair with his normal hand.

"Finally!!! It's mine!!! The Throne of Solomon- one piece collected. Two more to go, ah...it's always so busy trying to rule the world." He chuckled darkly again before casting his spell against the chair. With a rumbling sound the cover of the chair is blasted up, folding itself neatly ontop of what was left of the table.

What was revealed was a beautiful ivory throne. Animals carved along the sweeping back and arches legs. The armrests ended in two well work lion heads, and the seat was covered in a warm red silk.

Mozzy slashed through the air, opening a short cut to his lair in the Land of the Black Sands. "Come Xerxes, I feel like gloating and there isn't much of an audience left here." With that the villainous wizard and his slithery companion vanished with a blink of blue light.

[Archimedes]

"M-Merlin!! Merlin!!"

Archimedes was not far away enough to not notice the powerful blast aimed in Merlin's general direction... nor to not hear his shout of pain. Mozenrath's shouting and laughing only affirmed the owl's fears... the dark mage had won this battle.

Yet, at this moment, Archimedes could care less about that chair. Just as Mozenrath and Xerxes made their escape, the flustered bird fluttered on frantic wings down to the remains of Merlin's cottage, clinging on to the hope, which he thought was useless, that his friend was alright... immediately, his hopes sank, seeing the weakened old man laying silently beneath a mound of rubble.

"Oh no, no no no no no..." the bird unconsciously muttered to himself, and, in a rare sight, his eyebrows curling downward in anxiety and genuine concern. He hopped all around his unconscious (or worse, as Archimedes feared) companion, looking for some small sign that he wasn't down and out yet.

[Alice]

Even though she and Arthur were not required to visit Merlin on that fateful day, Alice nevertheless decided to visit her magical mentor. She brought Dinah along with her, whom she carried in her arms, and Alice initially took her time to walk to Merlin's cottage. She walked at a happily brisk pace, the smile on her lips complimenting the sunny sky.

Alas, that happy mood was shattered when Alice and Dinah heard the sound a loud noise. A violent noise, as if a house was being demolished. At first Alice and Dinah were merely startled, but the English girl's face fell into deep fear when she realized that the general direction the violent noise came from was towards--

She gasped and looked down to Dinah, who looked fearful. "Merlin!" the girl exclaimed.

Still carrying Dinah, Alice broke into an agile flight, running the remainder of the way to Merlin's cottage, or what was left of it. As soon as she passed a few thick trees that largely blocked Merlin's cottage from view, she nearly dropped Dinah after stopping to a complete halt. Alice nearly fell over but she didn't noticed; her wide, terrified eyes stared at the practically destroyed home of the wizard.

"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaimed, far louder than how she usually exclaims. She set Dinah down onto the grass without explaining why she did, and then she ran as fast as she could to the destroyed home. She screamed as soon as she stepped inside and saw Merlin's lifeless body on the floor. It was a scream of sheer fright. "Merlin!" she shouted in horror. After her shouting she pressed her palms against his mouth and wildly shook her head, as if she could not comprehend the traumatizing image of her fallen mentor. He looked dead, but he couldn't be!

"Archimedes!" she cried as she hurried and crept beside the owl and the limp wizard. She snapped her attention to the owl, and her eyes were already noticeably teary. "What happened?!"

[Archimedes]

A sudden cry of fright and despair pierced Archimedes' ears and heart, in a voice painfully familiar to him. Indeed, he slowly turned his head to see next to him a tearful Alice, almost afraid to look at her in such a state. Her broken voice and wet eyes only worsened Archimedes' current distress, and might have subconsciously sank his hopes of Merlin's well-being.

Just why was Alice here, anyhow? She just had to have come on this day, this day completely unfit for either of the children to be around... Archimedes was not truly angry at the fact that she came; he only sadly regretted that she had to see this. At least she was safe from Mozenrath's earlier assault... but, Merlin...

Archimedes fully turned to Alice, after one last glance at Merlin, and attempted to compose himself, trying to restrain his distraught facial expression; still, grief was more than obvious in the emotional owl's face. He sighed as he tried to think of what to tell the poor child... he was at least as worried as she was. "M-Merlin... he..." he awkwardly began, before silently sighing, preparing to explain things more clearly. "... Another wizard came here... a-a dark wizard."

Solemnly, the owl went on to tell the story to Alice, making sure he included everything important but never stressed details so much as to only worsen Alice's fears. His wings, usually quite animated as he spoke, only made drooped movements as if weighed down by Archimedes' grief; lumps continuously rose up into his throat, as he struggled to swallow them back down. All the while, he continued to constantly mentally reassure himself that Merlin would come through...

"... And, Merlin... thankfully, he avoided the full force of the blast... but not quite enough..." his voice sadly carried on, Archimedes finally glancing over to his fallen friend, again. The owl purposefully glanced over the subject of Mozenrath obtaining the Throne of Solomon... that blasted chair didn't matter to him in the least, right now, and he was sure it didn't mean much to Alice, either.

[Alice]

As Archimedes explained the prior events that led up to this catastrophe, Dinah hurried to join Alice and the owl. The cat figured that she was deliberately left behind for her own safety, but she wouldn't have it. Alas, she too was terrified to see Merlin pressed against the ground without any movement. She joined Alice and managed to hear most of what Archimedes said. Her ears folded, and her reflective eyes looked down in sorrow.

Alice was more saddened, because she really looked up to Merlin as something of a grandfather figure. Every time she blinked some more droplets of tears trailed down her cheeks. "Oh, Archimedes," her voice said with grave sadness. "Who could be so... so dreadfully savage? How could someone possibly do this to Merlin?" she rhetorically asked aloud. She didn't know of this Mozenrath, but she was certain that she hated him. She looked from the owl to focus on the wizard. She felt sick to her stomach.

[Merlin]

It would bring Archimedes, Alice and Dinah much relief when it dawned on them that Merlin was indeed alive. Unfortunately, he was considerably injured. He moaned after regaining consciousness, and he clenched his fists until his fists into tight balls, exposing strained knuckles. He muttered something very softly under his breath, and the rubble that pinned him to the floor magically floated away and freed the wizard from being confined.

But even without the rubble, Merlin was too weak to walk, let alone stand. He tried to muster enough strength to stand on his own feet, but this resulted in him collapsing to the floor again, all while exhaling. "Ar... Archim--edes," Merlin stammered, panting for breath. Back on the floor, he looked up to the owl, or at least he tried to; his glasses, hat and staff were all knocked from him because of the blast, and therefore his vision was critically impaired. Nevertheless, he recognized a brownish hue from his perspective, and he knew it was his closest friend. "Archimedes," he repeated, but this time he managed to say the word without pause. "Does... does he have the chair?"

Deep down, Merlin knew he had no reason to ask. It was obvious to the old wizard that after his defeat Mozenrath obtained the chair and fled. Merlin certainly looked defeated; his face was smeared with dirt and even light traces of blood, courtesy of the bruise just below his hairline.

[Alice]

Alice gasped when she saw Merlin move, and though her eyes continued to generate tears, she couldn't help but smile widely when she saw that the old wizard had survived. She locked her fingers and brought them close to her face, expressing great relief.

"Merlin!" she exclaimed with a half broken voice. "You are alive! Oh, Merlin! We were so frightened!"

Alas, the girl continued to sob lightly. Merlin was alive, and she was ecstatic about that, but he still looked critically hurt. Watching him fail to stand up was heart-wrenching, and she covered her eyes so she couldn't see him like this.

Dinah was happy to see the old man alive, too, and she meowed in sympathy for the struggling wizard. "Miaow..."

[Archimedes]

A sudden moan caused the drooping little owl to alertly perk right up, head lifting up and twisting in the direction of Merlin. His sharp eyes caught notice of faint movement... and Merlin's hands had formed into fists... it was indeed Merlin who made that groan. He was alive!

Archimedes felt his heart skip a beat, placing a wing lightly over it to contain his shock and sudden relief, as all worry, regret and fear silently escaped him. "O-oh... oh, th-thank heavens..." he stammered, grief no longer evident in his voice. A tiny smile grew on the crease of the owl's beak, and, for possibly the first time in his life... tears formed in Archimedes' eyes. They were not visible, as Archimedes momentarily shut his eyes to restrain them... but they were there.

Right then, the owl realized he had no time to act like this; Merlin needed help, now. Twisting his head all around the disheveled cottage, Archimedes finally found Merlin's glasses and wand; he fluttered over to each of them, and carried both of them back over to Merlin in separate talons, placing the glasses over his curving nose and his wooden wand by his wrinkled hand, with gentility that was rare and surprising to see in the owl.

Archimedes made a few hops away from Merlin to give him space, looking up to him with concern. Merlin asked Archimedes of the fate of the chair... Archimedes should have expected that this would be the first thing to come to Merlin's mind, after recovering from unconsciousness. Although playful and carefree at times, Merlin never neglected his duties in serious times... a personality aspect that Archimedes always admired.

Solemnly, Archimedes shook his head left and right. "The chair was taken, Merlin..."

[Merlin]

Merlin knew Archimedes would remove all doubt, but nevertheless hearing the answer made the old magician grumble under his breath. "Confound it," he lowly cursed. "There's no telling what he'll do now," he added.

Still, Merlin has happy to be alive, and he was even happier that Archimedes had fled to safety. However, Merlin was not happy to hear Alice's voice. He saw her plain and clearly when Archimedes placed the glasses on his nose, restoring his vision. "Alice!" he addressed her. "What are you doing here? You had today off, you know. And you should be glad you were not here earlier, because you could have been hurt!"

But Merlin's face relaxed. He was ultimately glad that Alice showed up. Mozenrath was gone, so the little girl was not in harm's way. The defeated Merlin could have used some assistance, both physically and for comfort.

He smiled to the owl while straightening his glasses and clutching his staff. "Thank you, Archimedes." His smile to the owl was something more than politeness; the wizard's smile seemed to indicate that he was eternally grateful for the owl. Of course, after this the two would resume their usual battle of wits and hollow insults, but this was the one day when they acknowledged each other.

He looked to Alice again and continued to smile. His smile belied his ragged, wounded face. "But now that you are here, would you kindly help me up?" Without waiting for an answer, the old man heaved and, with the assistance of his staff, stood to his feet. Miraculously, Merlin's bed remained completely intact. This was highly fortunate, because that's where he needed to be. Merlin was far too weak right now; he had to rest until he regained his strength. "Please help me to my bed, Alice." He eyed the bed; it was obvious that he was completely amazed that it wasn't destroyed.

[Alice]

Alice uncovered her eyes when Merlin specifically addressed her. Her blue hues looked into Merlin's face. Though he still looked hurt, he seemed to slowly regain his personality, which greatly comforted the girl.

"Of course!" she responded as she rushed to assist Merlin. Although the old man was definitely taller, he wasn't particularly heavy, so Alice didn't have trouble helping him stand and walk. She allowed Merlin to wrap an arm around her. Merlin's staff served as one extra leg and Alice was on the other side, so with this help Merlin was able stagger to his bed.

"I came here to see you, Merlin," Alice explained as she helped her mentor to his bed. "I'm sorry if I worried you, but it was only after the man attacked you when I arrived." After helping Merlin walked, she also helped him into bed. She had already decided to stay and help him for the remainder of the day, if it would take that long.

Dinah crept closer to Archimedes. She wanted to be next to someone or something, and since her master was preoccupied, she decided to be closer to Archimedes.

[Merlin]

Merlin was very grateful for the help he received from Archimedes and Alice. As Alice explained her reason for being here, he crept onto his bed and gently pressed the back of his head on his pillow.

"So Archimedes told you about what happened?" Merlin asked the girl, but it was more of a request for confirmation than a legitimate question. From his bed, Merlin looked towards Archimedes. "Archimedes, that chair was actually the throne of Solomon." He raised his eyebrows to emphasize the fact that the chair was very important.

[Archimedes]

Archimedes made a small sigh in response to Merlin's statement, not so much out of annoyance as out of worry. "Yes, I had figured..." he said, before moving on to speaking of more important matters. His voice had slowly returned to its usual tone, less soft-spoken and somber than before. "But-but... what is this throne? And why did that ruffian want it so badly...? It must be something powerful..."

Archimedes didn't mean to be so pressing on Merlin when he had just recovered from near death, but he knew this was a grave situation, and he knew that Merlin realized that, as well. After speaking and awaiting Merlin's response, the owl just then noticed Dinah beside him. Typically not one to tolerate cats in his presence, Archimedes quietly allowed the kitten to sit next to him, understanding that it was a companion of Alice's.

[Alice]

Alice, her hands locked together and placed on her abdomen, exchanged looks to Merlin and Archimedes as they talked, and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in curiosity when the subject of Solomon was brought up.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Alice apologized aloud, "but what do you mean?" She looked to both the owl and the wizard, expecting any of whom to answer her question.

[Merlin]

Merlin was about to answer the owl's question, but he looked to Alice when she interrupted. He wasn't annoyed; she was obviously more confused about this whole situation than Archimedes. The old man addressed both his pupil and longtime companion.

"That dark lug," he absolutely refused to refer to Mozenrath as a respectable wizard, "wanted my armchair. But it was actually the throne of Solomon." Although Merlin was on his bed, he clearly wanted to get up, but he was too weak to walk normally. He sighed in frustration and worry as he, with he insistence of Alice, remained still in the bed. "I don't know why he would want that throne," he admitted. "But for whatever reason, this is bad news. That much is obvious, hm?" His fingers clenched the hem of his blanket. He was clearly peeved about all of this.

[Alice]

Alice had prevented Merlin from attempting to stand. She politely yet firmly disallowed him to work himself up in any way, and she would continue to do this for time to come.

As Merlin explained the significance of his chair, Alice was visibly amazed that he owned such an important piece of furniture that once belonged to an even more important figure. "Solomon," she said after quick thinking, "was--"

[Merlin]

"Solomon was the third king of Israel," Merlin finished for Alice. He again exchanged his focus between Alice and Archimedes (who was close to Dinah) as he explained. "Solomon was known for his great wisdom and wealth. In fact, his throne manifested this to those who've seen it."

Merlin wasn't certain that Archimedes had seen the throne of Solomon, because just before the climax of the conflict he had ordered the owl to fly out of harm's way. Therefore, Merlin didn't know if Archimedes had actually seen it, but if the owl did he would have immediately recognized the beautiful designs of the throne.

"It was by coincidence," Merlin admitted as he carefully scooted closer to his pillow, "that I came by that throne. I disguised it as a humble armchair."

[Alice]

Alice's suspicions were confirmed when her mentor explained Solomon. Because her father was the dean of a famous church, Alice was quite familiar with biblical figures... though she tended to not pay attention whenever her sister lectured about history. But Alice's questionable attention span was immaterial to the current matter.

"But where did you find the throne?" Alice asked. Her blue eyes were lit up with an emotion that was simultaneously fascinated and fearful. If an evil wizard snatched the throne of a powerful, wise Israelite of lore then, as Merlin said, this was bad news.

[Merlin]

Merlin's attitude changed after Alice asked this question. Lightly embarrassed, he pressed a hand to his temple and rubbed it. "I... don't remember," he sheepishly admitted. "And I had forgotten about the throne, until today."

He looked to Archimedes with a 'sorry, but it's true' look. This incident was perhaps the biggest evidence yet, evidence that supported the argument that Merlin, although wise, magically powerful and logical, was tremendously absent-minded.

[wart]

*Arthur had been heading to Merlin's house for his lessons...late again, though, it wasn't generally the boy's fault-- Ector had given him the chore of cleaning the stables. He milled about the words of an apology to his teacher when he stopped in his tracks to see the wizard's cottage, in just about absolute ruin.*

Oh no!

*He ran up the walkway, mindful of the debris that cluttered the stone path. He pushes the door open, in shock at the damage done, his heart giving a lurch inside his chest, searching for a sign of his elderly friend. He gazed around the wreckage and saw Alice, Archimedes, and in his bed, Merlin. He gave the door a bit more of a push to open it enough just so he could squeeze in, and quickly makes his way over to them. Glancing at Merlin, he stammers, feeling a bit guilty.*

Merlin, H-how did this...I mean...what did...why...oh, I'm so sorry.