Work Text:
And he rose
Merlin fell, to slighted rage
And struck a priestess, struck her dead
Power burst forth from a mortal cage
And lightning scorched down upon her head.
Defeating the first of his powerful foes,
Merlin fell, and Merlin rose.
Merlin fell, to fear and mistrust
And saved a kingdom but lost a friend
A possible alliance was ground to dust
A heart was broken that no one could mend.
Guilty, heartbroken and lachrymose,
Merlin fell, and Merlin rose.
Merlin fell, to ambition and greed ;
To a woman's scorn and a daughter's hurt,
To a thousand warriors made to bleed
To a sorceress waiting, poised and alert.
Bruised and stiff from his head to his toes,
Merlin fell, and Merlin rose.
Merlin fell, at a traitor's hand
And himself, in Eternity's grip did find
Creating a legend, he reclaimed his land
And left his carefree days behind.
Queenless days now at a close,
Merlin fell, and Merlin rose.
Merlin fell, to a creature vile
And once again, as the King breathed his last ;
Leaving his dead at the Apple Isle,
He turned away from the bloodstained past.
To loss, and sorrow, and countless blows
Merlin fell, and Emrys rose.