Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2009) Movie Script
Five. Five.
Metamorphis metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis metamorphis.
Ow.
This be the Age
of the Arcadian.
Whoa. Whoa.
It is Merlin
here in this enchanted land.
I must admit the tale
of the wild man of the wood
living in this region
isn't much to go on, Father.
And even harder to believe.
Merlin is dead,
just as the legend would have it.
Have faith, Tristan.
I should think the man
long dead as well.
And not in such a place as this.
Merlin is not a mortal man, son.
Normal rules of life and death
do not apply,
at least not to him.
Trickery, Galahad.
I sometimes forget, good warrior,
you were born in a different age.
In my day sorcery and swordplay
went hand in hand.
Whoa whoa.
It was a different time
before the walls went up
and this certain darkness came.
You really don't believe
in magic, Tristan?
I believe what my eyes can see.
And what I see
is a fool's folly.
And we're riding
right along with him.
Who would dwell
in a place like this?
Someone not eager
to get found.
Stay alert, knights.
When we encounter Merlin
I guarantee
you will believe in magic.
On the ready.
The forest is changing.
This is unnatural.
This is magic, boy.
Galahad.
I am Sir Galahad,
the last Knight of the Order
of the Round Table.
Reveal yourself.
You've been warned.
Swords.
What does the sign say?
"Tread no further
under promise of death. "
It's empty.
Like the threat of the sign.
We move on then.
Stop. It's a trap!
Who dares enter
this secret domain?
Watch these eyes.
Watch these eyes
as they watch you.
In my grasp,
like the snake in my hand, see?
Don't be shy.
Let's get better acquainted,
shall we?
Gotcha!
You evaded my spell
and bested my hollow knight.
I'm must be
getting rusty myself.
I am sorry to inform you,
the only reward
for such misplaced valor
will be sudden death
at my hands, see?
It's what I promised the forest.
Now...
They sent a girl.
Master Merlin.
Get you gone before I forget
how indulgent I've become.
I've come with Sir Galahad
and our knights
to these enchanted woods
seeking your counsel.
What, you and those
rogues back there?
Impossible.
We're hoping you might use
your magic to guide us
as you once did for King Arthur.
Arthur is gone.
Britain has fallen.
And they send a choirgirl
to fetch me.
Tell me,
can you sing a song, choirgirl?
Can you?
La la la la la la.
Go on, do a little dance.
Entertain an ancient man
in the forest.
I was expecting you to be older.
I didn't expect you at all.
That's how old I am.
The less I want, the less I need.
I'm getting younger
by the day, I swear.
It's power. It's magic.
I'm aging backwards.
Granting you the virtues
of both youth and experience, sir.
Is youth a virtue?
One day I'm gonna become as young
and stupid as you are, I should wonder.
I'd like to say I don't have the time,
but I do.
So why are you here,
"better"?
We have chosen to restore
the Knights of the Round Table.
Restore? With what?
With you?
With knaves and scraps?
Galahad's a relic, same as me,
as wanted and useful
as magic is to man.
What do you think I'm doing
living in the forest?
The threat of magic brings us here.
And magic we seek
in order to find it.
The land... it finds itself
under the rule by a dark wizard
who calls himself the Arcadian.
He has resurrected
a twisted Camelot...
a dark and perverse version
of the once glorious kingdom
from which he has unleashed
a reign of terror across the land.
What does he seek?
We know not.
But he razes every town
and hamlet
into ash and smoke
in search of it.
Merlin: If what you say is true,
there's little I can do for you now
except rid you from my forest,
which I promise to do
to all intruders.
This powder I'm preparing should
make it as painless as possible.
Master Merlin,
I beg not for my life.
I care only
for the towns and citizens
the Arcadian has laid to waste
with his army of enchanted beasts.
Beasts, you say?
What sort of beasts?
Creatures of legend and lore,
long since forgotten
but now brought back to life.
Somehow he controls them
like a weapon.
Someone must make things right
and restore freedom and order
to the land.
And that's gonna be you, is it?
You? You and whose army?
I am Avlynn Pendragon,
daughter of King Arthur
and Queen Guinevere.
You're a liar!
You carry the mark.
Do with me what you will,
but save the world
from the Arcadian's beasts.
This I cannot do.
Am I wrong to believe
in the great wizard Merlin
who once used his powers
to create a kingdom of harmony?
You are wrong to believe
that human nature
allows such powers
to endure,
just as I was
many moons ago.
And I offer you a second chance.
Help me to avoid
the mistakes of my father.
I need your guidance.
It is time.
It's too late for second chances.
Be gone, child,
and do not ever return here.
I will inform the knights
I found you dead
to spare them the disappointment
of knowing your cowardice.
It's her sword and shield.
- She wouldn't just leave us.
- Tristan: It was a fierce battle.
- We must find her. Avlynn!
- Avlynn.
- Princess Avlynn.
- Avlynn.
Look before you leap
next time, Lysanor.
Your haste almost cost us all.
Good to see you survive
this magical attack.
It was an old trap
long since forgotten.
Galahad,
the Merlin you once knew
is dead.
His is not the magic
that will help us.
In our time,
when our need is the most?
I knew this was a fool's folly.
Never chase a magician
and their shadow, Lysanor.
They'll always disappoint you.
I thought this was
the next road for us
and you.
But with Merlin gone,
what now?
Avlynn: We are the Knights
of the Round Table.
We carry on the fight
regardless.
We ride to Camelot
to reclaim the Round Table
as ours.
Sentries, draw out what I seek.
Avlynn: The dark wizard
must have a weakness.
Tristan: The Arcadian has a flaw,
but he just hasn't shown it yet.
Galahad: It takes magic
to fight magic, Tristan.
Even you should believe that.
Dismount and surround.
What do you want of us?
Do you serve the Arcadian?
Let us pass, sentry,
or else we'll assume
you mean us ill will.
We are only more than happy
to return the sentiment.
Where are you taking me?
Accursed.
He who is foolish enough
to challenge me,
prepare yourself for hell!
Die, you dog, die!
- Merlin.
- Merlin.
I am the one you seek.
I knew you wouldn't miss
the battle, old friend.
Lysanor: It is you.
You see, Tristan?
You must believe now.
Why the change of heart?
There might be some things in this world
still worth fighting for.
Then I welcome you
to our brotherhood.
I can see the news of your demise
was greatly exaggerated.
Time will tell.
I'd like you to meet
my son Lysanor.
A champion in waiting.
My father often regales me
with details of your adventures,
leading the knights of old.
Merlin: Leading?
Your father's memory is not
what it used to be.
I could tell you stories...
This is Tristan,
the son of Tristan and Isolde,
the bravest of our clan.
Your father
was a brave and skillful knight.
You look like your mother.
I hope only to honor them.
It's over.
And of course
Avlynn Pendragon.
I know. I almost killed her.
The road is long and dark.
You bring me the children of knights,
Galahad.
That's all that's left, Merlin.
While you slept,
the world was on fire.
I've kept Avlynn safe,
as a member of our family
since Arthur left her to me,
raising her as my own
with Lysanor.
And I rescued Tristan
as he was...
All right, talk amongst yourselves.
- as he was a knight
without a kingdom.
We've lived as a family
with Avlynn as our hope.
Only now does the day
grow dire enough
that I dare bring her out
to reclaim what is hers.
She's not ready.
That's what you're for.
Hmm.
Avlynn.
Thank you, Avlynn,
for bringing me back
into the world.
I hope the blood of the Pendragon
flows deep within your veins
for all our sakes.
Avlynn.
I'd like you to wear this
for luck.
It belonged to my father,
given to him by your father.
I don't believe in luck.
I believe in destiny.
What you seek from me, Lysanor,
is destined never to be.
What is it I seek?
After all these years,
can you even say the words?
What are you so afraid of, Avlynn?
Caring for anyone
or caring for me?
Afraid?
You think to know me,
you arrogant fool.
Lay a hand on me again
and you shall lose it.
Understood.
The princess appears
to be warming to you.
Unfortunately, I'm a man
who enjoys a challenge.
In this case
the challenge is equivalent
to you beating your head
against a stone wall
in hopes
that it will go through.
I have a very thick skull.
On that point we can agree.
Come on. Come on.
It's the dragon soldier...
part man, part beast.
Long since we've stood
on the field of battle, warlock,
but this certain coming
of darkness
is something I've not seen
in an age.
How does the Arcadian
command such a foe?
Questions questions.
He must have unleashed
the secrets of the book.
The book?
The devil's work.
We must ride.
Where is she?
If I know Avlynn...
Shall we get going then?
This forest is becoming stuffy.
Where did you find this?
Beyond Astolat Road,
far enough, but closing in.
But who could have felled
my enchanted beast?
Only a divine spirit or...
Merlin.
Double the patrols.
Send more troops to the outlying lands.
Close the noose before they reach
what they must already seek.
We need to travel farther than that.
And I don't just mean distance.
You know some faster way
to conjure us to Camelot, magician?
Tristan.
Do not curse the wild man,
not unless you intend to kill him.
Avlynn: So what is this book
you speak of, Master Merlin?
It's an ancient text.
It's called the Book of Beasts.
It's a bestiary
carved out of the skin
of the world's last dragon,
entrusted me by my master Blaze.
He was one of the original wizards.
Centuries ago
an entire army of young warriors
much like yourselves
set out to do battle,
capture the most ferocious creatures
plaguing the land.
The book was a way
of containing the monsters.
You speak as if you've experience
with this wicked work.
How is it the Arcadian has come
to possess this Book of Beasts?
It was stolen from me
many moons ago
by the hands of Morgan le Fay,
that witch.
At the battle of Camlann,
helping Arthur recover
to Avalon...
Avalon?
to recover from his wounds
and never to return here...
that was the last
I saw of the book.
Galahad: Then we must reclaim it.
Merlin: Old Galahad
always rushing in.
Mere mortals
cannot touch the book,
lest it imprison your spirit.
The Arcadian has found a way
of releasing the beasts
from their bindings.
We must destroy this weapon.
But how do we do that, Merlin?
While it was in my possession,
I tried everything in my power
to destroy it.
So we are to barrel headlong
towards a weapon of dark magic
so powerful
we've no idea what to do with it,
should we ever be able
to get our hands on it.
What doesn't kill you
makes a good story.
What does kill you
makes you legend.
What was that?
Avlynn: What?
Good night.
How can he sleep at a time like this?
We're at war, Lysanor.
We sleep when we can.
I'll take the first watch.
What did you see, Merlin?
The future.
Thrice slain.
Thrice slain.
Is he all right?
Knowing the future
could be useful to us right now.
The future is fragile.
The slightest event in time
could alter time for all time.
If I tell you what we face
is insurmountable,
it only makes you fear.
If I tell you what we face
could be easily overcome,
conceit may cause you to fail.
I only wish there were still hope.
Sometimes
when you don't know
what you're capable of,
you find you're able
to do the most remarkable things.
You speak of faith?
Yes.
When a person believes,
it's the most powerful weapon.
Sometimes you only think
you have to keep yourself together
to keep the world
from tearing itself apart.
I've come to relieve your watch,
Your Highness.
I'm not a queen yet, Lysanor.
Best you not be saying such things
out in the open.
Of course.
Sleep soundly,
knowing that I'll be vigilant...
Lysanor?
Lysanor.
Lysanor.
Don't touch.
What did you do to him?
I don't know
what happened to him.
- Galahad: Lysanor.
- What is this?
- What did you do to him?
- I didn't do anything.
Tristan: He's possessed.
No, he's infected.
With devil's nightshade,
I shouldn't wonder.
Galahad: Do something
to save my boy.
Stay back.
You're killing him.
My special herbs
should take away the poison.
They should?
Thank you, Merlin.
Can you hear me, son?
Father, that was
a unique experience.
Looked like good fun
up until the time you tried
to kill us with your fangs.
The Arcadian's magic
is spreading.
The book is unleashing
its force on the world,
transforming it into something
more to its liking.
Avlynn: The night itself
is turning against us.
Best we not rest.
The sooner we arrive in Camelot
and retrieve the Book of Beasts,
the better.
Avlynn,
thank you.
But think before you leap,
Princess.
You're much too important
to get yourself killed
coming to my rescue.
Lysanor, you are absolutely right.
Let's ride.
Galahad: There might be hope
for us yet.
Merlin: I have my doubts.
So does she.
Galahad: Camelot.
Merlin: That's not Camelot.
That's an abomination.
And we will take it back.
The walls are high.
The doors are drawn.
And the Arcadian has enlisted
the help of mercenary troops
to garrison the keep.
Not to mention
the dark power of the book.
How are we going
to storm the castle
when we're only five
against hundreds?
We won't.
Galahad: I remember when you were
at Camelot, Merlin,
you had a fascination with...
Tunnels,
long and deep tunnels.
Come on.
I'm through.
Galahad: Still here.
Most things under the ground
have a way of surviving.
Looks cozy.
All right, after you, Galahad.
No, after you, Merlin.
They were constructed
in case of a siege,
to get the women and children out
if need be.
They connect the castle
to the water.
Water? There's no water
around here for leagues.
Wrong way.
Sorry.
Sometimes you don't need to see water
to have water, Lysanor.
Nothing is as it seems.
Tristan: A common trickster's
practice.
I'll retrieve the book.
Lysanor: And what are we to do?
Guard the tunnel.
Wait for my return.
We are knights, Merlin,
not tunnel rats.
- Speak for yourself.
- We fight side by side.
No, Avlynn.
It's too dangerous.
The book is too powerful.
Promise me you won't do that.
What shall we do
if you don't return?
Run for your lives.
And watch the beasts
at your back.
Tristan, set up a watch
from that direction.
Lysanor, Avlynn,
cover the passageway.
It will take more than a beast
to cancel our escape.
We'll hold the tunnels for Merlin.
Be careful, Princess.
We need a queen once Camelot is ours.
It's all lost.
Arcadian: Is it as you
remember it?
Not altogether, no.
Do I know you, necromancer?
I know you, Merlin.
Everybody knows me.
Puts me at a disadvantage.
Camelot was a sanctuary,
a haven,
and here it lies desecrated.
My father said
you were sentimental.
In your despair, you blinded yourself
to the Ambrosius's Circle.
The Circle of Ambrosius?
Which negates the power
of the first spirit that crosses it.
Yes, I know, I know.
Only for a short time.
And in that short time
I have your precious book, Arcadian.
Do you?
You mean this?
That's a funny little trick,
Arcadian.
Who taught you that?
Actually, it was something
you taught my father long ago.
Nothing is as it seems.
So you knew who your father was,
did you?
That's impressive
in this day and age.
You knew him well, Merlin.
His name was Arthur Pendragon.
- Mordred?
- That's right,
Mordred, son of Morgan le Fay
and your beloved king.
You were slain. I watched you
perish at the battle of Camlann
while Arthur was dying
in my arms.
I survived!
The blood of Pendragon
courses through my veins.
My father never acknowledged it.
He tossed me away
at your suggestion.
I killed him.
Camelot is mine.
You will suffer.
You will not succeed.
Then why are you my captive
and your friends about to die?
Oh, yes, you brought
your friends.
Well, I brought mine too.
A wicked place.
No sign of him.
Then we wait.
- Do you trust Merlin?
- Of course I do.
There's something about the nature
of that book that troubles me.
If its powers are so dark
and corrupting,
how can we be certain it will not
turn Merlin against us?
We all face our own true selves
at some point.
He will guide us through this.
Of that I am certain.
A man who abandoned the world,
hid from it?
What if he's not strong enough?
You must believe, Lysanor.
When Merlin learned that a Pendragon
lived to ascend the throne,
his faith was reborn.
Sometimes faith is all
we have to go on.
And sometimes things must be believed
before they can be realized.
Something stirs.
- Which way?
- Both: This way.
Ghosts.
Tristan: What was that?
Tristan, Lysanor,
has someone passed?
The way is clear,
but something stirs.
Are we surrounded?
Avlynn!
Things could have been
different, Merlin,
if only you embraced
the powers of this book.
Now you are a very part of it,
allowing me to draw
your will and spirit
and imprison it on this page.
The book
doesn't belong to you.
Put it down
before you do more harm.
As I understand it,
the book chooses its master.
No, Mordred,
you are not the book's master.
You are its slave.
You will now twist your spirit
to the darkness.
The only end to this path
is destruction and ruin.
That is what I intend to do.
You will not entomb my spirit.
Actually, that's exactly
what I'm doing.
That is the prize you seek.
You shall never have it.
How does it make you feel
to know that King Arthur
didn't trust you
with the secret of his daughter?
I...
I know not what you talk of.
Avlynn Pendragon, my blood kin.
Only you couldn't help yourself
in watching over her.
Why would you do that?
Why was it to be her
and not me?
Oh, I think you've asked yourself
that question, Mordred,
and the answer
has driven you mad.
You are not fit to be king,
if you look at it, really.
But you will contradict
the forces of nature to make it thus.
You are sick, child.
We should have put you out of your
misery when we had the chance.
Enough!
Avlynn will bear me a child and
usher in a new breed of Pendragon.
You will never have Avlynn,
never.
I have her already.
What was it, Galahad?
A serpent, a shadow,
the devil herself.
A woman?
The Gorgons.
The Gorgons...
Moira, Minerva,
and their queen Medusa.
- Avlynn.
- I thought these beasts boasted
serpents for hair and a wild look
which turned one to stone.
Only when they're angry.
And besides, I thought
you didn't believe in magic.
I believe
we're in for a fight.
Let her go.
Cover your eyes!
Abomination.
Lysanor, are you all right?
Follow her!
What are you laughing at?
The beasts who collect Avlynn...
the one thing you are to protect...
were creatures you helped
capture in this book.
The Gorgons?
Your legacy will be
your downfall, Merlin.
Where is the sword...
the sword in the lake?
You'll never find it.
I hid it, see?
You hid the sword?
No, I hid the lake.
- Merlin: Avlynn!
- Merlin!
Only two return.
You are a true blood.
Let me go.
This is not the way
I want to meet.
Demons, no.
The soul must be intact
for the book to take control of it.
- You never will, Arcadian.
- Galahad!
Medusa, Minerva,
get back in the book
from whence you came.
Asudem, Avrenim.
Asudem, Avrenim.
Destiny manifests already,
especially you.
Arcadian, over here.
Your plan will never
come to pass, Mordred, never!
If I can't have you, Merlin,
neither shall the world.
Get the book.
Run for your bloody life, fools!
- Merlin.
- Knights.
No!
Merlin.
Princess, the garrison
is almost upon us.
This can't be.
He cannot die.
If what Merlin said is true,
then Mordred,
the evil spawn of Morgan le Fay
has the power to fell such a foe.
We must go now!
I can't stand to lose another.
Merlin is dead, Avlynn,
but we have the book
and we must go.
I am not leaving him.
You don't have to.
We leave no one behind.
Thank you.
To the tunnels.
Tristan and I will take these rogues.
Hurry.
Lysanor, get out.
Move. Move.
Avlynn, it will be all right.
What will be all right, Lysanor?
Merlin is dead, removing
the hand in it we all have.
Without him there is no way
to destroy the book.
And we're in a tunnel leading back
to a world we cannot save.
Merlin knew of the danger
before setting off with us. We all did.
We mustn't stay
in these tunnels, Princess.
They're drawing closer.
Lysanor will never make it
with a dead weight around his back.
Don't worry about me.
I'll carry him to Avalon if I have to.
Avalon sounds right
just about now.
Knights, the enemy is closing in.
Wait. My father was taken
to Avalon
after he fell at Camlann,
to be healed of his wounds.
- Galahad: Yes.
- It is said
Avalon's healing waters have a spring
in our land itself.
- The Fountain of Brittany.
- Yes.
No no, that's a fable.
What's the matter, boy?
Don't you believe in a little magic?
Merlin said these tunnels lead
to an escape but also to water.
Water.
Let it be so.
Come on.
You're not divine, old man.
In one thing you are correct...
my reach on the book
exceeds its grasp.
We made it. The water rushes.
This way.
Lysanor: Why is this river
not on any map?
Galahad: Enchanted it is,
hidden from the paths of man.
Tristan: It is beautiful.
Lysanor: Starting to believe
in magic, Tristan?
I believe what my eyes see.
And I fear we'll see a lot more
before this day is done.
Well, I hope you can conjure up
the fountain soon.
Merlin certainly isn't
getting any lighter,
magic river or no.
The Fountain of Brittany.
Youthful expectations.
Lysanor, let me help.
The silent sentinel.
The fountain god.
Legend says the gods themselves
put these behemoths
beside wonders of the world
to guard until the end of time.
There is something familiar
about this place.
The fountain.
It's dry.
Tristan: What are we going to do
without the healing waters?
Galahad: It cannot be helped.
We should perhaps press on.
We still have the book.
Go on without me.
I shall stay as well.
No, Avlynn, Merlin's death
shall not split us apart.
- We can't just leave him.
- He's already gone.
No, he's not.
This place... I've been here before,
as if it were in my blood.
I can hear the fountain.
I've heard it
since we've been here.
There must be a way.
Your family's mark.
Tristan, your knife.
May the blood of a Pendragon
serve us now.
The blood oath.
If you can hear me
from where you are,
we need you, Merlin.
The land needs you.
I need you.
I'm not ready
to do this without you.
Please fight.
Asudem, Avrenim!
Asudem,
Avrenim!
Asudem, Avrenim!
By Isolde's light...
he lives.
Welcome back, old friend.
Nice to see you again.
Nice to be seen.
We thought you were dead.
Well, I was, see?
But now I'm back again.
This is the second time
you've done this to us,
the first being
the Day of Destiny.
You know how that turned out.
I've had visions of myself
being thrice slain...
thrice slain.
I don't want to die a third time.
Twice is enough.
Just don't die on us again then.
Where am I?
The Fountain of Brittany.
Whose idea was that?
Lysanor: Avlynn's.
That was a good idea.
We've retrieved
the Book of Beasts
and your magic is needed
to dispel it.
My magic, is it?
How quickly the worm turns.
Our quest is now complete.
Where is the book?
Scratch that.
I hate magic.
They're probably not very happy
over their sister's demise.
Knights, we fight blind.
We move as one.
Avlynn: Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
My arm.
My arm.
Don't you ever listen?
Close your eyes
when you're fighting a Gorgon.
What exactly is our strategy?
Hold your sword high, boy.
Anytime now.
Nice score, lads.
It would be easier to be dead.
She seemed afraid of me.
Medusa is afraid of no one.
You led well.
I was taught well.
Merlin, you called the Arcadian
Mordred back in the castle.
'Cause it's true, see?
You've heard that name
before, Avlynn?
Avlynn: No.
Galahad.
All right, well, you'd best
sit down then, Avlynn.
Sit down.
Truth is, the Arcadian's
your brother, Avlynn,
or half-brother at any rate.
I have a brother?
Sired by your father
in a moment of weakness,
such as all mortal men
are prone to moments of weakness.
Well, he was tricked
by the witch Morgan le Fay.
Must be the source
of the Arcadian's power.
I have a brother.
A half-brother on the witch's side.
Merlin: And he wants you to live.
He sent out all these enchanted beasts
to find you.
To what end?
He wants you to bear him
a child, Avlynn,
a pureblooded Pendragon child.
- What?
- Lysanor: Never.
That shall never come to pass.
We will raise a new army of knights,
overtake the castle
and destroy this unholy tomb
once and for all.
How can we?
Haven't you been listening?
There's no way to destroy the book.
I've seen that grave look
before, Merlin...
right before our king fell.
Perhaps there is a way.
Lysanor: How?
To battle a powerful weapon
you need to be equally armed.
Tristan: Is it possible?
We've all see what the book can do.
Surely there's nothing
in this world to match it.
There is a weapon.
What is it? We must have it.
- Merlin: Are you ready?
- For anything.
Are you steadfast?
Yes.
Might mean certain death,
Princess...
one of ours
or yours.
The choice is yours.
We can retire now
with the book,
try and hide it
through the ages.
Galahad: Although fiendish artifacts
such as this
have a way of being found
because they are sought.
Or we can try to rise
against it...
a higher power
to destroy it.
Avlynn: The legend is true.
Better, girl...
it's a family heirloom.
Galahad: Excalibur is real.
Merlin was the last to use it.
It was hidden
in the Lake of Destiny,
awaiting its rightful owner.
Tristan: Excalibur brandished
by a knight princess...
there is no army, human or beast,
that stands a chance.
But the getting of it...
the getting of it may prove
to be a sorrow in itself.
It's your choice.
Hardship, ordeal, death...
our land is at war
and our people are dying.
The choice you give
is no choice at all.
We journey to the Lake of Destiny
where, good or otherwise,
we shall embrace our future.
There's no water.
You have to ask yourself,
has it been dry all the time?
We are close.
The river ends
and the sand and rocks begin.
Where are we going, Merlin?
Why have we traveled far
from any water this land sees?
Tristan: And yet
we can hear it nearby.
What better place to have
the Lake of Destiny?
Lysanor: One cannot draw water
from a stone.
Merlin: Although you cannot
draw water from a stone,
a conjurer can hide what's wet
within sand.
The Lake of Destiny
right where I left it.
What am I to do?
Retrieve Excalibur.
Persevere.
How?
You said you were ready.
You should know.
Follow in the footsteps
of your father, Avlynn.
- I will go with her.
- No, Lysanor.
Whatever's in that lake
is for Avlynn to find out.
I will be all right.
Will she, Merlin?
Questions questions questions.
From what I've seen,
she's more than ready.
Who wants beans?
Excalibur.
Are we to fight?
Clever girl.
Then again, so am I.
You fight well.
I am your every weakness,
Your Highness.
Quite.
I don't mean to pry,
but are we to fight to the death?
Oh, yes, Princess, to our death.
I am fighting myself.
Come here.
I said come here.
I will not fight you.
Fly fly fly!
Fly fly!
Your dreams stir you to awake, Merlin.
What troubles your mind?
Always watching me sleep, Galahad...
that's a nasty trait.
During sleep
the dragon reveals our fate
And tells me
in the waking eye
That one twice dead
again will die
And one that should sit
on a wooden throne
Will gaze at the world
with eyes of stone.
Well, none of us can live forever,
except maybe you.
I'm impressed we've made it
thus far in life,
the world being what it is.
You've done well, Galahad.
Lysanor has grown to be
a strong, courageous knight.
And Avlynn...
can't have been easy
raising a girl,
keeping the mark secret.
When the kingdom fell
I took them north
into the woods.
A small farm,
a few neighbors,
and time...
time was all I needed.
When Tristan joined us,
we raised Avlynn as a knight,
teaching her sword skills
and temperance.
We tried to blend in,
just be a normal family.
But you had to kill
a few people, right?
A few.
To keep the royal family a secret,
isn't it?
Once there was no king,
nobility had very little use
when people starved
and castles burned.
I fear the knights have been
away from the battlefield too long.
The world has gotten dark
in your absence, Galahad.
But while I was raising Avlynn,
I had only the requests
of Arthur to heed...
"Protect my child... "
Requests? What was the second?
"Trust no one else. "
Arthur was clever.
But he had a weakness.
And that weakness is now
our terrible foe.
My name is Avlynn Pendragon,
daughter of King Arthur
and Queen Guinevere.
I seek my father's mighty sword
Excalibur
as I intend to use it
to end the Arcadian's reign
and restore the will of the people.
May the spirits of my ancestors
guide me now.
Where are you,
young knight in training?
I was just thinking
about your parents, actually.
My parents?
They have written great songs
and poems of Tristan and Isolde.
I imagine they'll write a few more
before our days are done, Lysanor,
perhaps even about you
and our princess.
- Don't jest with me.
- I'm not.
- She doesn't pay me any heed.
- Because she likes you.
- It drives me mad.
- That's because you like her.
Do you think they'll write songs
about us
when all this is through?
We only need one of us to survive
for our story to live on.
I like our odds.
- Princess.
- Avlynn.
Excalibur.
Together: May the glory of Camelot
live eternal.
May the glory of Camelot
live eternal in all of us.
Give yourself a bit of a knock,
did you?
The skin will heal.
The spirit is strong.
With the Book of Beasts
and Excalibur in our hands,
the Arcadian stand no chance.
Lysanor.
Where are the others?
What others?
Were you having a dream again?
Avlynn: A dream?
Lysanor: Everything is all right.
You are safe within the walls
of Camelot.
I...
Shh shh.
Your battle with the dark wizard
still affects your memory.
All is well.
All is safe.
I've not...
Never mind.
Devil.
Demon.
Brother.
I only want
to make this easy for you.
- Where are we?
- Back in Camelot.
Where is Avlynn?
The Arcadian has her.
Can you get us out of here?
No no no.
Galahad: The Circle of Ambrosius...
very powerful.
You know I hate magic,
but I hate it even more
when we don't have it.
Lysanor: This isn't
looking good for us.
Tristan: Was that?
Merlin: Don't look now, knights.
Here comes Medusa.
Galahad: Do you have one last
trick up your sleeve, Master Wizard?
I wish we could drink her blood.
- No, thank you.
- We'll pass on that.
No, it's certain if you drink
of Gorgon's blood,
you are immune to her charms
and magic.
Really?
That's what they say.
I haven't tried it myself.
You're right.
This isn't looking good for us.
This castle is where you were born.
I was born in a swamp.
Camelot is mine,
and it's where you'll remain
for the rest of your days.
Why not just kill me, brother?
No.
A spell of enslavement, then yes.
I understand it won't hurt much.
How may I now serve you,
Master Arcadian?
Now that's more like it,
Avlynn my queen.
Oh, hello.
What's she doing?
Oh, I think she likes you.
Don't jest with me.
I don't think she's
the jesting kind, Tristan.
Oh, make her stop.
Can't stop love, my boy.
You know, apart from the fact
that she's a hideous mythical beast,
she is stunningly attractive.
Tristan, whatever is to happen,
let it happen.
Take a bite.
Drink in life.
All right, Tristan, don't overdo it.
I said don't overdo it.
Get Avlynn!
Gorgon blood.
Soon I will release all the creatures
of their imprisonment,
send them to every kingdom.
A new dark dawn, my lord.
Merlin: Not when there are still knights
left in this world, Arcadian.
You're late
for your own demise, Merlin.
I'm sure you've seen the future,
your thrice-slain life.
And yet you're still here.
Visions and dreams
are one thing.
Actions are another.
Your powers are subdued, wizard.
You and your henchmen
are no threat for me and my queen.
- Henchmen?
- Queen?
I am Sir Galahad,
the last Knight of the Round Table.
What, this round table here?
The Round Table is not stone.
It is an ideal
that cannot be destroyed.
And your time on the throne of Camelot
is over.
Is that so?
You will have to go
through me first.
Your dark magic
doesn't fool us, Arcadian.
We know this one
is a fake devilry.
No, that's her.
Galahad: Conjurer, we will be
fooled no more.
No, Father, that's really Avlynn.
It is as I have foreseen it.
My vision is near complete.
Lysanor: She's possessed.
This doesn't get
any easier then.
Avlynn, please,
you must remember.
You know, I still have one page
left for you, Merlin.
Your confidence belies
the truth of the situation.
Excalibur, your challenges.
Sir Galahad raised you
to be queen.
Thanks for the news, messenger.
Here's mine to you...
you shall be dead
by the end of this day, knight.
The truth?
The truth is I have the book,
the princess, the sword
and you under the spell
of Ambrosius.
You're entirely powerless
against me.
That's true... the Circle of Ambrosius
is a mighty powerful spell.
It nullifies the magic
of the first one who crosses it.
And I was careful that was you.
Avlynn, you must remember.
Lysanor.
Welcome back.
But my staff
never crossed the line, see?
Oh, no.
- Galahad, no!
- Father!
Don't look at her, you fools.
This way.
Will you leave me so unsatisfied?
Gorgon blood flows through me,
but I haven't spilt enough today.
Arcadian: I will not let you take
and hide the book from me again.
Oh, I don't plan to.
Hold here.
You're too scared to use
such power, little sorcerer.
Mighty Medusa,
Queen of the Gorgons,
my name is Avlynn Pendragon
and this is my sword.
I am the destroyer.
I am the darkness.
I unleash the powers of hell
and the power of the book!
Merlin, is it over?
Have we won?
Not yet!
Do not let the book
take you, Merlin.
I know you're stronger
than that.
Thrice slain.
Thrice slain.
Merlin is no more!
I will not do it.
You'll have to kill me,
Avlynn.
It's the only way.
It's the only way!
Merlin.
Merlin, please.
Merlin.
Come back.
Come back.
Don't cry.
You're gonna be a queen.
Queens don't cry.
You must have nine lives.
Only three.
But this last death
is only the death of my magic.
I'm so sorry.
No, Avlynn,
you've given me
the most precious gift of all...
life,
a mortal life.
Lysanor: My father has fallen.
Can you revive him,
Master Merlin?
No, Lysanor, I cannot.
My magic is gone.
It cannot be reversed.
Galahad knew the price
we all had to pay.
He was a once and future warrior,
who would be king.
Sure his presence here
will guard these sacred halls.
I will make you proud.
You already have.
You have done well,
Avlynn Pendragon.
Is the book destroyed?
Not destroyed,
but Avlynn has made it safe.
Only one who is capable
the sword and the book together
in line with the forces of nature
will be able to release it
from its resting place here in Camelot.
Do you know who that is?
I believe that he's yet to be born.
It's like a dream
to be back here once again.
Feels like I've finished
something I started a long time ago.
Will you stay,
counsel me during my reign?
These are your people, not mine.
Britain is yours.
Britain is yours.
If you lead with the kind of faith
you have shown,
she will follow you.
Tristan can guide your army.
And you have a man
of equal faith by your side.
You fear your feelings
for Lysanor,
yet you know them to be true.
- Do I?
- Oh, yes.
Yes.
Love is the only thing in the world
that has no illusion to it.
It can't be fooled.
He risked his life for you
and you risked yours for his.
And he'll do it again and again
till the end of time
if need be.
If that's not love,
I don't know what is.
And when you find love,
when you fight for love
out of love,
well, then, Avlynn,
you will find a strength
that you have not known before.
For opening your heart
is not a weakness.
It takes great courage.
I might be ready.
You are ready.
You, Tristan, Lysanor,
are the sons and daughters
of kings and knights.
And your time has come.
What will you do now?
What will I do?
What will I do?
I will live my life
as any mortal man might,
go my ways
in peace.
Metamorphis metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis
metamorphis metamorphis.
Ow.
This be the Age
of the Arcadian.
Whoa. Whoa.
It is Merlin
here in this enchanted land.
I must admit the tale
of the wild man of the wood
living in this region
isn't much to go on, Father.
And even harder to believe.
Merlin is dead,
just as the legend would have it.
Have faith, Tristan.
I should think the man
long dead as well.
And not in such a place as this.
Merlin is not a mortal man, son.
Normal rules of life and death
do not apply,
at least not to him.
Trickery, Galahad.
I sometimes forget, good warrior,
you were born in a different age.
In my day sorcery and swordplay
went hand in hand.
Whoa whoa.
It was a different time
before the walls went up
and this certain darkness came.
You really don't believe
in magic, Tristan?
I believe what my eyes can see.
And what I see
is a fool's folly.
And we're riding
right along with him.
Who would dwell
in a place like this?
Someone not eager
to get found.
Stay alert, knights.
When we encounter Merlin
I guarantee
you will believe in magic.
On the ready.
The forest is changing.
This is unnatural.
This is magic, boy.
Galahad.
I am Sir Galahad,
the last Knight of the Order
of the Round Table.
Reveal yourself.
You've been warned.
Swords.
What does the sign say?
"Tread no further
under promise of death. "
It's empty.
Like the threat of the sign.
We move on then.
Stop. It's a trap!
Who dares enter
this secret domain?
Watch these eyes.
Watch these eyes
as they watch you.
In my grasp,
like the snake in my hand, see?
Don't be shy.
Let's get better acquainted,
shall we?
Gotcha!
You evaded my spell
and bested my hollow knight.
I'm must be
getting rusty myself.
I am sorry to inform you,
the only reward
for such misplaced valor
will be sudden death
at my hands, see?
It's what I promised the forest.
Now...
They sent a girl.
Master Merlin.
Get you gone before I forget
how indulgent I've become.
I've come with Sir Galahad
and our knights
to these enchanted woods
seeking your counsel.
What, you and those
rogues back there?
Impossible.
We're hoping you might use
your magic to guide us
as you once did for King Arthur.
Arthur is gone.
Britain has fallen.
And they send a choirgirl
to fetch me.
Tell me,
can you sing a song, choirgirl?
Can you?
La la la la la la.
Go on, do a little dance.
Entertain an ancient man
in the forest.
I was expecting you to be older.
I didn't expect you at all.
That's how old I am.
The less I want, the less I need.
I'm getting younger
by the day, I swear.
It's power. It's magic.
I'm aging backwards.
Granting you the virtues
of both youth and experience, sir.
Is youth a virtue?
One day I'm gonna become as young
and stupid as you are, I should wonder.
I'd like to say I don't have the time,
but I do.
So why are you here,
"better"?
We have chosen to restore
the Knights of the Round Table.
Restore? With what?
With you?
With knaves and scraps?
Galahad's a relic, same as me,
as wanted and useful
as magic is to man.
What do you think I'm doing
living in the forest?
The threat of magic brings us here.
And magic we seek
in order to find it.
The land... it finds itself
under the rule by a dark wizard
who calls himself the Arcadian.
He has resurrected
a twisted Camelot...
a dark and perverse version
of the once glorious kingdom
from which he has unleashed
a reign of terror across the land.
What does he seek?
We know not.
But he razes every town
and hamlet
into ash and smoke
in search of it.
Merlin: If what you say is true,
there's little I can do for you now
except rid you from my forest,
which I promise to do
to all intruders.
This powder I'm preparing should
make it as painless as possible.
Master Merlin,
I beg not for my life.
I care only
for the towns and citizens
the Arcadian has laid to waste
with his army of enchanted beasts.
Beasts, you say?
What sort of beasts?
Creatures of legend and lore,
long since forgotten
but now brought back to life.
Somehow he controls them
like a weapon.
Someone must make things right
and restore freedom and order
to the land.
And that's gonna be you, is it?
You? You and whose army?
I am Avlynn Pendragon,
daughter of King Arthur
and Queen Guinevere.
You're a liar!
You carry the mark.
Do with me what you will,
but save the world
from the Arcadian's beasts.
This I cannot do.
Am I wrong to believe
in the great wizard Merlin
who once used his powers
to create a kingdom of harmony?
You are wrong to believe
that human nature
allows such powers
to endure,
just as I was
many moons ago.
And I offer you a second chance.
Help me to avoid
the mistakes of my father.
I need your guidance.
It is time.
It's too late for second chances.
Be gone, child,
and do not ever return here.
I will inform the knights
I found you dead
to spare them the disappointment
of knowing your cowardice.
It's her sword and shield.
- She wouldn't just leave us.
- Tristan: It was a fierce battle.
- We must find her. Avlynn!
- Avlynn.
- Princess Avlynn.
- Avlynn.
Look before you leap
next time, Lysanor.
Your haste almost cost us all.
Good to see you survive
this magical attack.
It was an old trap
long since forgotten.
Galahad,
the Merlin you once knew
is dead.
His is not the magic
that will help us.
In our time,
when our need is the most?
I knew this was a fool's folly.
Never chase a magician
and their shadow, Lysanor.
They'll always disappoint you.
I thought this was
the next road for us
and you.
But with Merlin gone,
what now?
Avlynn: We are the Knights
of the Round Table.
We carry on the fight
regardless.
We ride to Camelot
to reclaim the Round Table
as ours.
Sentries, draw out what I seek.
Avlynn: The dark wizard
must have a weakness.
Tristan: The Arcadian has a flaw,
but he just hasn't shown it yet.
Galahad: It takes magic
to fight magic, Tristan.
Even you should believe that.
Dismount and surround.
What do you want of us?
Do you serve the Arcadian?
Let us pass, sentry,
or else we'll assume
you mean us ill will.
We are only more than happy
to return the sentiment.
Where are you taking me?
Accursed.
He who is foolish enough
to challenge me,
prepare yourself for hell!
Die, you dog, die!
- Merlin.
- Merlin.
I am the one you seek.
I knew you wouldn't miss
the battle, old friend.
Lysanor: It is you.
You see, Tristan?
You must believe now.
Why the change of heart?
There might be some things in this world
still worth fighting for.
Then I welcome you
to our brotherhood.
I can see the news of your demise
was greatly exaggerated.
Time will tell.
I'd like you to meet
my son Lysanor.
A champion in waiting.
My father often regales me
with details of your adventures,
leading the knights of old.
Merlin: Leading?
Your father's memory is not
what it used to be.
I could tell you stories...
This is Tristan,
the son of Tristan and Isolde,
the bravest of our clan.
Your father
was a brave and skillful knight.
You look like your mother.
I hope only to honor them.
It's over.
And of course
Avlynn Pendragon.
I know. I almost killed her.
The road is long and dark.
You bring me the children of knights,
Galahad.
That's all that's left, Merlin.
While you slept,
the world was on fire.
I've kept Avlynn safe,
as a member of our family
since Arthur left her to me,
raising her as my own
with Lysanor.
And I rescued Tristan
as he was...
All right, talk amongst yourselves.
- as he was a knight
without a kingdom.
We've lived as a family
with Avlynn as our hope.
Only now does the day
grow dire enough
that I dare bring her out
to reclaim what is hers.
She's not ready.
That's what you're for.
Hmm.
Avlynn.
Thank you, Avlynn,
for bringing me back
into the world.
I hope the blood of the Pendragon
flows deep within your veins
for all our sakes.
Avlynn.
I'd like you to wear this
for luck.
It belonged to my father,
given to him by your father.
I don't believe in luck.
I believe in destiny.
What you seek from me, Lysanor,
is destined never to be.
What is it I seek?
After all these years,
can you even say the words?
What are you so afraid of, Avlynn?
Caring for anyone
or caring for me?
Afraid?
You think to know me,
you arrogant fool.
Lay a hand on me again
and you shall lose it.
Understood.
The princess appears
to be warming to you.
Unfortunately, I'm a man
who enjoys a challenge.
In this case
the challenge is equivalent
to you beating your head
against a stone wall
in hopes
that it will go through.
I have a very thick skull.
On that point we can agree.
Come on. Come on.
It's the dragon soldier...
part man, part beast.
Long since we've stood
on the field of battle, warlock,
but this certain coming
of darkness
is something I've not seen
in an age.
How does the Arcadian
command such a foe?
Questions questions.
He must have unleashed
the secrets of the book.
The book?
The devil's work.
We must ride.
Where is she?
If I know Avlynn...
Shall we get going then?
This forest is becoming stuffy.
Where did you find this?
Beyond Astolat Road,
far enough, but closing in.
But who could have felled
my enchanted beast?
Only a divine spirit or...
Merlin.
Double the patrols.
Send more troops to the outlying lands.
Close the noose before they reach
what they must already seek.
We need to travel farther than that.
And I don't just mean distance.
You know some faster way
to conjure us to Camelot, magician?
Tristan.
Do not curse the wild man,
not unless you intend to kill him.
Avlynn: So what is this book
you speak of, Master Merlin?
It's an ancient text.
It's called the Book of Beasts.
It's a bestiary
carved out of the skin
of the world's last dragon,
entrusted me by my master Blaze.
He was one of the original wizards.
Centuries ago
an entire army of young warriors
much like yourselves
set out to do battle,
capture the most ferocious creatures
plaguing the land.
The book was a way
of containing the monsters.
You speak as if you've experience
with this wicked work.
How is it the Arcadian has come
to possess this Book of Beasts?
It was stolen from me
many moons ago
by the hands of Morgan le Fay,
that witch.
At the battle of Camlann,
helping Arthur recover
to Avalon...
Avalon?
to recover from his wounds
and never to return here...
that was the last
I saw of the book.
Galahad: Then we must reclaim it.
Merlin: Old Galahad
always rushing in.
Mere mortals
cannot touch the book,
lest it imprison your spirit.
The Arcadian has found a way
of releasing the beasts
from their bindings.
We must destroy this weapon.
But how do we do that, Merlin?
While it was in my possession,
I tried everything in my power
to destroy it.
So we are to barrel headlong
towards a weapon of dark magic
so powerful
we've no idea what to do with it,
should we ever be able
to get our hands on it.
What doesn't kill you
makes a good story.
What does kill you
makes you legend.
What was that?
Avlynn: What?
Good night.
How can he sleep at a time like this?
We're at war, Lysanor.
We sleep when we can.
I'll take the first watch.
What did you see, Merlin?
The future.
Thrice slain.
Thrice slain.
Is he all right?
Knowing the future
could be useful to us right now.
The future is fragile.
The slightest event in time
could alter time for all time.
If I tell you what we face
is insurmountable,
it only makes you fear.
If I tell you what we face
could be easily overcome,
conceit may cause you to fail.
I only wish there were still hope.
Sometimes
when you don't know
what you're capable of,
you find you're able
to do the most remarkable things.
You speak of faith?
Yes.
When a person believes,
it's the most powerful weapon.
Sometimes you only think
you have to keep yourself together
to keep the world
from tearing itself apart.
I've come to relieve your watch,
Your Highness.
I'm not a queen yet, Lysanor.
Best you not be saying such things
out in the open.
Of course.
Sleep soundly,
knowing that I'll be vigilant...
Lysanor?
Lysanor.
Lysanor.
Don't touch.
What did you do to him?
I don't know
what happened to him.
- Galahad: Lysanor.
- What is this?
- What did you do to him?
- I didn't do anything.
Tristan: He's possessed.
No, he's infected.
With devil's nightshade,
I shouldn't wonder.
Galahad: Do something
to save my boy.
Stay back.
You're killing him.
My special herbs
should take away the poison.
They should?
Thank you, Merlin.
Can you hear me, son?
Father, that was
a unique experience.
Looked like good fun
up until the time you tried
to kill us with your fangs.
The Arcadian's magic
is spreading.
The book is unleashing
its force on the world,
transforming it into something
more to its liking.
Avlynn: The night itself
is turning against us.
Best we not rest.
The sooner we arrive in Camelot
and retrieve the Book of Beasts,
the better.
Avlynn,
thank you.
But think before you leap,
Princess.
You're much too important
to get yourself killed
coming to my rescue.
Lysanor, you are absolutely right.
Let's ride.
Galahad: There might be hope
for us yet.
Merlin: I have my doubts.
So does she.
Galahad: Camelot.
Merlin: That's not Camelot.
That's an abomination.
And we will take it back.
The walls are high.
The doors are drawn.
And the Arcadian has enlisted
the help of mercenary troops
to garrison the keep.
Not to mention
the dark power of the book.
How are we going
to storm the castle
when we're only five
against hundreds?
We won't.
Galahad: I remember when you were
at Camelot, Merlin,
you had a fascination with...
Tunnels,
long and deep tunnels.
Come on.
I'm through.
Galahad: Still here.
Most things under the ground
have a way of surviving.
Looks cozy.
All right, after you, Galahad.
No, after you, Merlin.
They were constructed
in case of a siege,
to get the women and children out
if need be.
They connect the castle
to the water.
Water? There's no water
around here for leagues.
Wrong way.
Sorry.
Sometimes you don't need to see water
to have water, Lysanor.
Nothing is as it seems.
Tristan: A common trickster's
practice.
I'll retrieve the book.
Lysanor: And what are we to do?
Guard the tunnel.
Wait for my return.
We are knights, Merlin,
not tunnel rats.
- Speak for yourself.
- We fight side by side.
No, Avlynn.
It's too dangerous.
The book is too powerful.
Promise me you won't do that.
What shall we do
if you don't return?
Run for your lives.
And watch the beasts
at your back.
Tristan, set up a watch
from that direction.
Lysanor, Avlynn,
cover the passageway.
It will take more than a beast
to cancel our escape.
We'll hold the tunnels for Merlin.
Be careful, Princess.
We need a queen once Camelot is ours.
It's all lost.
Arcadian: Is it as you
remember it?
Not altogether, no.
Do I know you, necromancer?
I know you, Merlin.
Everybody knows me.
Puts me at a disadvantage.
Camelot was a sanctuary,
a haven,
and here it lies desecrated.
My father said
you were sentimental.
In your despair, you blinded yourself
to the Ambrosius's Circle.
The Circle of Ambrosius?
Which negates the power
of the first spirit that crosses it.
Yes, I know, I know.
Only for a short time.
And in that short time
I have your precious book, Arcadian.
Do you?
You mean this?
That's a funny little trick,
Arcadian.
Who taught you that?
Actually, it was something
you taught my father long ago.
Nothing is as it seems.
So you knew who your father was,
did you?
That's impressive
in this day and age.
You knew him well, Merlin.
His name was Arthur Pendragon.
- Mordred?
- That's right,
Mordred, son of Morgan le Fay
and your beloved king.
You were slain. I watched you
perish at the battle of Camlann
while Arthur was dying
in my arms.
I survived!
The blood of Pendragon
courses through my veins.
My father never acknowledged it.
He tossed me away
at your suggestion.
I killed him.
Camelot is mine.
You will suffer.
You will not succeed.
Then why are you my captive
and your friends about to die?
Oh, yes, you brought
your friends.
Well, I brought mine too.
A wicked place.
No sign of him.
Then we wait.
- Do you trust Merlin?
- Of course I do.
There's something about the nature
of that book that troubles me.
If its powers are so dark
and corrupting,
how can we be certain it will not
turn Merlin against us?
We all face our own true selves
at some point.
He will guide us through this.
Of that I am certain.
A man who abandoned the world,
hid from it?
What if he's not strong enough?
You must believe, Lysanor.
When Merlin learned that a Pendragon
lived to ascend the throne,
his faith was reborn.
Sometimes faith is all
we have to go on.
And sometimes things must be believed
before they can be realized.
Something stirs.
- Which way?
- Both: This way.
Ghosts.
Tristan: What was that?
Tristan, Lysanor,
has someone passed?
The way is clear,
but something stirs.
Are we surrounded?
Avlynn!
Things could have been
different, Merlin,
if only you embraced
the powers of this book.
Now you are a very part of it,
allowing me to draw
your will and spirit
and imprison it on this page.
The book
doesn't belong to you.
Put it down
before you do more harm.
As I understand it,
the book chooses its master.
No, Mordred,
you are not the book's master.
You are its slave.
You will now twist your spirit
to the darkness.
The only end to this path
is destruction and ruin.
That is what I intend to do.
You will not entomb my spirit.
Actually, that's exactly
what I'm doing.
That is the prize you seek.
You shall never have it.
How does it make you feel
to know that King Arthur
didn't trust you
with the secret of his daughter?
I...
I know not what you talk of.
Avlynn Pendragon, my blood kin.
Only you couldn't help yourself
in watching over her.
Why would you do that?
Why was it to be her
and not me?
Oh, I think you've asked yourself
that question, Mordred,
and the answer
has driven you mad.
You are not fit to be king,
if you look at it, really.
But you will contradict
the forces of nature to make it thus.
You are sick, child.
We should have put you out of your
misery when we had the chance.
Enough!
Avlynn will bear me a child and
usher in a new breed of Pendragon.
You will never have Avlynn,
never.
I have her already.
What was it, Galahad?
A serpent, a shadow,
the devil herself.
A woman?
The Gorgons.
The Gorgons...
Moira, Minerva,
and their queen Medusa.
- Avlynn.
- I thought these beasts boasted
serpents for hair and a wild look
which turned one to stone.
Only when they're angry.
And besides, I thought
you didn't believe in magic.
I believe
we're in for a fight.
Let her go.
Cover your eyes!
Abomination.
Lysanor, are you all right?
Follow her!
What are you laughing at?
The beasts who collect Avlynn...
the one thing you are to protect...
were creatures you helped
capture in this book.
The Gorgons?
Your legacy will be
your downfall, Merlin.
Where is the sword...
the sword in the lake?
You'll never find it.
I hid it, see?
You hid the sword?
No, I hid the lake.
- Merlin: Avlynn!
- Merlin!
Only two return.
You are a true blood.
Let me go.
This is not the way
I want to meet.
Demons, no.
The soul must be intact
for the book to take control of it.
- You never will, Arcadian.
- Galahad!
Medusa, Minerva,
get back in the book
from whence you came.
Asudem, Avrenim.
Asudem, Avrenim.
Destiny manifests already,
especially you.
Arcadian, over here.
Your plan will never
come to pass, Mordred, never!
If I can't have you, Merlin,
neither shall the world.
Get the book.
Run for your bloody life, fools!
- Merlin.
- Knights.
No!
Merlin.
Princess, the garrison
is almost upon us.
This can't be.
He cannot die.
If what Merlin said is true,
then Mordred,
the evil spawn of Morgan le Fay
has the power to fell such a foe.
We must go now!
I can't stand to lose another.
Merlin is dead, Avlynn,
but we have the book
and we must go.
I am not leaving him.
You don't have to.
We leave no one behind.
Thank you.
To the tunnels.
Tristan and I will take these rogues.
Hurry.
Lysanor, get out.
Move. Move.
Avlynn, it will be all right.
What will be all right, Lysanor?
Merlin is dead, removing
the hand in it we all have.
Without him there is no way
to destroy the book.
And we're in a tunnel leading back
to a world we cannot save.
Merlin knew of the danger
before setting off with us. We all did.
We mustn't stay
in these tunnels, Princess.
They're drawing closer.
Lysanor will never make it
with a dead weight around his back.
Don't worry about me.
I'll carry him to Avalon if I have to.
Avalon sounds right
just about now.
Knights, the enemy is closing in.
Wait. My father was taken
to Avalon
after he fell at Camlann,
to be healed of his wounds.
- Galahad: Yes.
- It is said
Avalon's healing waters have a spring
in our land itself.
- The Fountain of Brittany.
- Yes.
No no, that's a fable.
What's the matter, boy?
Don't you believe in a little magic?
Merlin said these tunnels lead
to an escape but also to water.
Water.
Let it be so.
Come on.
You're not divine, old man.
In one thing you are correct...
my reach on the book
exceeds its grasp.
We made it. The water rushes.
This way.
Lysanor: Why is this river
not on any map?
Galahad: Enchanted it is,
hidden from the paths of man.
Tristan: It is beautiful.
Lysanor: Starting to believe
in magic, Tristan?
I believe what my eyes see.
And I fear we'll see a lot more
before this day is done.
Well, I hope you can conjure up
the fountain soon.
Merlin certainly isn't
getting any lighter,
magic river or no.
The Fountain of Brittany.
Youthful expectations.
Lysanor, let me help.
The silent sentinel.
The fountain god.
Legend says the gods themselves
put these behemoths
beside wonders of the world
to guard until the end of time.
There is something familiar
about this place.
The fountain.
It's dry.
Tristan: What are we going to do
without the healing waters?
Galahad: It cannot be helped.
We should perhaps press on.
We still have the book.
Go on without me.
I shall stay as well.
No, Avlynn, Merlin's death
shall not split us apart.
- We can't just leave him.
- He's already gone.
No, he's not.
This place... I've been here before,
as if it were in my blood.
I can hear the fountain.
I've heard it
since we've been here.
There must be a way.
Your family's mark.
Tristan, your knife.
May the blood of a Pendragon
serve us now.
The blood oath.
If you can hear me
from where you are,
we need you, Merlin.
The land needs you.
I need you.
I'm not ready
to do this without you.
Please fight.
Asudem, Avrenim!
Asudem,
Avrenim!
Asudem, Avrenim!
By Isolde's light...
he lives.
Welcome back, old friend.
Nice to see you again.
Nice to be seen.
We thought you were dead.
Well, I was, see?
But now I'm back again.
This is the second time
you've done this to us,
the first being
the Day of Destiny.
You know how that turned out.
I've had visions of myself
being thrice slain...
thrice slain.
I don't want to die a third time.
Twice is enough.
Just don't die on us again then.
Where am I?
The Fountain of Brittany.
Whose idea was that?
Lysanor: Avlynn's.
That was a good idea.
We've retrieved
the Book of Beasts
and your magic is needed
to dispel it.
My magic, is it?
How quickly the worm turns.
Our quest is now complete.
Where is the book?
Scratch that.
I hate magic.
They're probably not very happy
over their sister's demise.
Knights, we fight blind.
We move as one.
Avlynn: Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.
My arm.
My arm.
Don't you ever listen?
Close your eyes
when you're fighting a Gorgon.
What exactly is our strategy?
Hold your sword high, boy.
Anytime now.
Nice score, lads.
It would be easier to be dead.
She seemed afraid of me.
Medusa is afraid of no one.
You led well.
I was taught well.
Merlin, you called the Arcadian
Mordred back in the castle.
'Cause it's true, see?
You've heard that name
before, Avlynn?
Avlynn: No.
Galahad.
All right, well, you'd best
sit down then, Avlynn.
Sit down.
Truth is, the Arcadian's
your brother, Avlynn,
or half-brother at any rate.
I have a brother?
Sired by your father
in a moment of weakness,
such as all mortal men
are prone to moments of weakness.
Well, he was tricked
by the witch Morgan le Fay.
Must be the source
of the Arcadian's power.
I have a brother.
A half-brother on the witch's side.
Merlin: And he wants you to live.
He sent out all these enchanted beasts
to find you.
To what end?
He wants you to bear him
a child, Avlynn,
a pureblooded Pendragon child.
- What?
- Lysanor: Never.
That shall never come to pass.
We will raise a new army of knights,
overtake the castle
and destroy this unholy tomb
once and for all.
How can we?
Haven't you been listening?
There's no way to destroy the book.
I've seen that grave look
before, Merlin...
right before our king fell.
Perhaps there is a way.
Lysanor: How?
To battle a powerful weapon
you need to be equally armed.
Tristan: Is it possible?
We've all see what the book can do.
Surely there's nothing
in this world to match it.
There is a weapon.
What is it? We must have it.
- Merlin: Are you ready?
- For anything.
Are you steadfast?
Yes.
Might mean certain death,
Princess...
one of ours
or yours.
The choice is yours.
We can retire now
with the book,
try and hide it
through the ages.
Galahad: Although fiendish artifacts
such as this
have a way of being found
because they are sought.
Or we can try to rise
against it...
a higher power
to destroy it.
Avlynn: The legend is true.
Better, girl...
it's a family heirloom.
Galahad: Excalibur is real.
Merlin was the last to use it.
It was hidden
in the Lake of Destiny,
awaiting its rightful owner.
Tristan: Excalibur brandished
by a knight princess...
there is no army, human or beast,
that stands a chance.
But the getting of it...
the getting of it may prove
to be a sorrow in itself.
It's your choice.
Hardship, ordeal, death...
our land is at war
and our people are dying.
The choice you give
is no choice at all.
We journey to the Lake of Destiny
where, good or otherwise,
we shall embrace our future.
There's no water.
You have to ask yourself,
has it been dry all the time?
We are close.
The river ends
and the sand and rocks begin.
Where are we going, Merlin?
Why have we traveled far
from any water this land sees?
Tristan: And yet
we can hear it nearby.
What better place to have
the Lake of Destiny?
Lysanor: One cannot draw water
from a stone.
Merlin: Although you cannot
draw water from a stone,
a conjurer can hide what's wet
within sand.
The Lake of Destiny
right where I left it.
What am I to do?
Retrieve Excalibur.
Persevere.
How?
You said you were ready.
You should know.
Follow in the footsteps
of your father, Avlynn.
- I will go with her.
- No, Lysanor.
Whatever's in that lake
is for Avlynn to find out.
I will be all right.
Will she, Merlin?
Questions questions questions.
From what I've seen,
she's more than ready.
Who wants beans?
Excalibur.
Are we to fight?
Clever girl.
Then again, so am I.
You fight well.
I am your every weakness,
Your Highness.
Quite.
I don't mean to pry,
but are we to fight to the death?
Oh, yes, Princess, to our death.
I am fighting myself.
Come here.
I said come here.
I will not fight you.
Fly fly fly!
Fly fly!
Your dreams stir you to awake, Merlin.
What troubles your mind?
Always watching me sleep, Galahad...
that's a nasty trait.
During sleep
the dragon reveals our fate
And tells me
in the waking eye
That one twice dead
again will die
And one that should sit
on a wooden throne
Will gaze at the world
with eyes of stone.
Well, none of us can live forever,
except maybe you.
I'm impressed we've made it
thus far in life,
the world being what it is.
You've done well, Galahad.
Lysanor has grown to be
a strong, courageous knight.
And Avlynn...
can't have been easy
raising a girl,
keeping the mark secret.
When the kingdom fell
I took them north
into the woods.
A small farm,
a few neighbors,
and time...
time was all I needed.
When Tristan joined us,
we raised Avlynn as a knight,
teaching her sword skills
and temperance.
We tried to blend in,
just be a normal family.
But you had to kill
a few people, right?
A few.
To keep the royal family a secret,
isn't it?
Once there was no king,
nobility had very little use
when people starved
and castles burned.
I fear the knights have been
away from the battlefield too long.
The world has gotten dark
in your absence, Galahad.
But while I was raising Avlynn,
I had only the requests
of Arthur to heed...
"Protect my child... "
Requests? What was the second?
"Trust no one else. "
Arthur was clever.
But he had a weakness.
And that weakness is now
our terrible foe.
My name is Avlynn Pendragon,
daughter of King Arthur
and Queen Guinevere.
I seek my father's mighty sword
Excalibur
as I intend to use it
to end the Arcadian's reign
and restore the will of the people.
May the spirits of my ancestors
guide me now.
Where are you,
young knight in training?
I was just thinking
about your parents, actually.
My parents?
They have written great songs
and poems of Tristan and Isolde.
I imagine they'll write a few more
before our days are done, Lysanor,
perhaps even about you
and our princess.
- Don't jest with me.
- I'm not.
- She doesn't pay me any heed.
- Because she likes you.
- It drives me mad.
- That's because you like her.
Do you think they'll write songs
about us
when all this is through?
We only need one of us to survive
for our story to live on.
I like our odds.
- Princess.
- Avlynn.
Excalibur.
Together: May the glory of Camelot
live eternal.
May the glory of Camelot
live eternal in all of us.
Give yourself a bit of a knock,
did you?
The skin will heal.
The spirit is strong.
With the Book of Beasts
and Excalibur in our hands,
the Arcadian stand no chance.
Lysanor.
Where are the others?
What others?
Were you having a dream again?
Avlynn: A dream?
Lysanor: Everything is all right.
You are safe within the walls
of Camelot.
I...
Shh shh.
Your battle with the dark wizard
still affects your memory.
All is well.
All is safe.
I've not...
Never mind.
Devil.
Demon.
Brother.
I only want
to make this easy for you.
- Where are we?
- Back in Camelot.
Where is Avlynn?
The Arcadian has her.
Can you get us out of here?
No no no.
Galahad: The Circle of Ambrosius...
very powerful.
You know I hate magic,
but I hate it even more
when we don't have it.
Lysanor: This isn't
looking good for us.
Tristan: Was that?
Merlin: Don't look now, knights.
Here comes Medusa.
Galahad: Do you have one last
trick up your sleeve, Master Wizard?
I wish we could drink her blood.
- No, thank you.
- We'll pass on that.
No, it's certain if you drink
of Gorgon's blood,
you are immune to her charms
and magic.
Really?
That's what they say.
I haven't tried it myself.
You're right.
This isn't looking good for us.
This castle is where you were born.
I was born in a swamp.
Camelot is mine,
and it's where you'll remain
for the rest of your days.
Why not just kill me, brother?
No.
A spell of enslavement, then yes.
I understand it won't hurt much.
How may I now serve you,
Master Arcadian?
Now that's more like it,
Avlynn my queen.
Oh, hello.
What's she doing?
Oh, I think she likes you.
Don't jest with me.
I don't think she's
the jesting kind, Tristan.
Oh, make her stop.
Can't stop love, my boy.
You know, apart from the fact
that she's a hideous mythical beast,
she is stunningly attractive.
Tristan, whatever is to happen,
let it happen.
Take a bite.
Drink in life.
All right, Tristan, don't overdo it.
I said don't overdo it.
Get Avlynn!
Gorgon blood.
Soon I will release all the creatures
of their imprisonment,
send them to every kingdom.
A new dark dawn, my lord.
Merlin: Not when there are still knights
left in this world, Arcadian.
You're late
for your own demise, Merlin.
I'm sure you've seen the future,
your thrice-slain life.
And yet you're still here.
Visions and dreams
are one thing.
Actions are another.
Your powers are subdued, wizard.
You and your henchmen
are no threat for me and my queen.
- Henchmen?
- Queen?
I am Sir Galahad,
the last Knight of the Round Table.
What, this round table here?
The Round Table is not stone.
It is an ideal
that cannot be destroyed.
And your time on the throne of Camelot
is over.
Is that so?
You will have to go
through me first.
Your dark magic
doesn't fool us, Arcadian.
We know this one
is a fake devilry.
No, that's her.
Galahad: Conjurer, we will be
fooled no more.
No, Father, that's really Avlynn.
It is as I have foreseen it.
My vision is near complete.
Lysanor: She's possessed.
This doesn't get
any easier then.
Avlynn, please,
you must remember.
You know, I still have one page
left for you, Merlin.
Your confidence belies
the truth of the situation.
Excalibur, your challenges.
Sir Galahad raised you
to be queen.
Thanks for the news, messenger.
Here's mine to you...
you shall be dead
by the end of this day, knight.
The truth?
The truth is I have the book,
the princess, the sword
and you under the spell
of Ambrosius.
You're entirely powerless
against me.
That's true... the Circle of Ambrosius
is a mighty powerful spell.
It nullifies the magic
of the first one who crosses it.
And I was careful that was you.
Avlynn, you must remember.
Lysanor.
Welcome back.
But my staff
never crossed the line, see?
Oh, no.
- Galahad, no!
- Father!
Don't look at her, you fools.
This way.
Will you leave me so unsatisfied?
Gorgon blood flows through me,
but I haven't spilt enough today.
Arcadian: I will not let you take
and hide the book from me again.
Oh, I don't plan to.
Hold here.
You're too scared to use
such power, little sorcerer.
Mighty Medusa,
Queen of the Gorgons,
my name is Avlynn Pendragon
and this is my sword.
I am the destroyer.
I am the darkness.
I unleash the powers of hell
and the power of the book!
Merlin, is it over?
Have we won?
Not yet!
Do not let the book
take you, Merlin.
I know you're stronger
than that.
Thrice slain.
Thrice slain.
Merlin is no more!
I will not do it.
You'll have to kill me,
Avlynn.
It's the only way.
It's the only way!
Merlin.
Merlin, please.
Merlin.
Come back.
Come back.
Don't cry.
You're gonna be a queen.
Queens don't cry.
You must have nine lives.
Only three.
But this last death
is only the death of my magic.
I'm so sorry.
No, Avlynn,
you've given me
the most precious gift of all...
life,
a mortal life.
Lysanor: My father has fallen.
Can you revive him,
Master Merlin?
No, Lysanor, I cannot.
My magic is gone.
It cannot be reversed.
Galahad knew the price
we all had to pay.
He was a once and future warrior,
who would be king.
Sure his presence here
will guard these sacred halls.
I will make you proud.
You already have.
You have done well,
Avlynn Pendragon.
Is the book destroyed?
Not destroyed,
but Avlynn has made it safe.
Only one who is capable
the sword and the book together
in line with the forces of nature
will be able to release it
from its resting place here in Camelot.
Do you know who that is?
I believe that he's yet to be born.
It's like a dream
to be back here once again.
Feels like I've finished
something I started a long time ago.
Will you stay,
counsel me during my reign?
These are your people, not mine.
Britain is yours.
Britain is yours.
If you lead with the kind of faith
you have shown,
she will follow you.
Tristan can guide your army.
And you have a man
of equal faith by your side.
You fear your feelings
for Lysanor,
yet you know them to be true.
- Do I?
- Oh, yes.
Yes.
Love is the only thing in the world
that has no illusion to it.
It can't be fooled.
He risked his life for you
and you risked yours for his.
And he'll do it again and again
till the end of time
if need be.
If that's not love,
I don't know what is.
And when you find love,
when you fight for love
out of love,
well, then, Avlynn,
you will find a strength
that you have not known before.
For opening your heart
is not a weakness.
It takes great courage.
I might be ready.
You are ready.
You, Tristan, Lysanor,
are the sons and daughters
of kings and knights.
And your time has come.
What will you do now?
What will I do?
What will I do?
I will live my life
as any mortal man might,
go my ways
in peace.