Chapter Text
Where we left off:
Bonnie had followed Enzo around trying to find out what the hell was going on and she gasped when she saw his body laying there, his heart still in his own hand, and she heard every word they said. When she felt the dimension giving it’s last gasps, she made a decision. If Grams had an escape hatch for her, she was taking them with her. She just hoped she didn’t regret this. She went over and took both their hands, the three of them making a circle. “It’s almost gone,” she told them. “Might as well go together, whatever’s next.”
“Might as well,” Damon agreed, getting a nod from Enzo too as the wind picked up around them. They figured that she was just scared to go alone, which they could understand. They would have been too if they didn’t have each other.
And now, on with the story:
Magic felt the attempt of the witch to shunt the final souls to a pocket dimension, and was quick to override that action. She had her own plans for these three. Had it been others left, she may have made a different decision, but these three were the perfect choices to set things right. The girl’s mindset would need adjustment, but she was young still and she would learn, especially when they were going. She had the power though, sent through her family line for millennia for just this sort of purpose. The two with her would be instrumental to her lessons. They understood necessity. And perhaps she would listen to the enchanter on the other end.
Things had gone so wrong so long ago, but she had not wanted to erase a timeline for a new one if it could be avoided. That sort of option was a last resort. To undo what was and unravel the threads of time was not something to take lightly. In fact, she wouldn’t even undo this timeline yet. She would hedge her bets. It was still possible, though unlikely, that those remaining could stabilize things. Without their best two minds they would be at a disadvantage, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. She would hedge her bets. She would be strong enough in the new timeline to continue to support this one for a while. At a slower rate at least. Until it got closer to catching up. Ensure that things went well in the new timeline before letting go of this one.
That did leave her with something of a dilemma though. A powerful seer had seen the intended timeline and if her champions knew of that timeline, then it would never be able to come to pass. Thus, she had little choice but to remove their memories of the books and movies that were so popular regarding that timeline. At least only one knew all that had been written. The others knew barely more than mentions that were also erased. Magic did consider for a moment erasing the legends of when and where they would be arriving before deciding against it. There were so many different interpretations of most aspects of those legends that they wouldn’t give any sort of guidance, save for the one thing that she needed to happen.
As she prepared them for their journey, she also gave them extra magical gifts. Ones that would assist them in their journey. Ones that were tailored to their personalities and talents. The only way she could make them stick. If the gifts went against their natures, they would fade or at least not be strong enough to make a difference. As time was nothing to such a deity as Magic, all her fiddling took bare seconds before she inserted them at the appropriate point in the timeline to turn the tide of the first turning point, minor though it may be. That timeline /could/ survive without the three they were to save, but it would be easier with them, and if she was inserting them regardless, she may as well go all the way.
Damon, Enzo, and Bonnie suddenly found themselves standing outside a small primitive looking village where a battle was going on. One second they were standing in the collapsing other side, then a flash of black, and then they were here. Damon and Enzo’s practiced eyes were quick to take in the scene and figure out what was happening. One side was in full armor with swords and shields while the other side looked much more disheveled as people ran in fear, women and children included. Clearly this village was being attacked and the fact that the invaders weren’t hesitating to kill the women and children who got too close quickly decided them both on a course of action. They were already blurring into the fray before Bonnie called them to wait.
Enzo was first in to snap the neck of an invader who was about to strike down a woman carrying two babies of different ages with a toddler clinging to her skirt. The man trying to protect her had just fallen. The woman still ended up stabbed, but both Damon and Enzo were fighting by then and couldn’t spare the blood to heal her. If they would have taken the risk in the first place. Given that she was apparently a mother of three babies they probably would have done it rather than risk orphaning the babies, but they didn’t get a chance. They just had to hope she survived. They had both gotten a better look and feel of the armor that the invaders were wearing by that point, so were able to divest them of enough fast enough to rip a few throats out and get a good meal. More were falling from other methods than that though. There was only so much blood they needed.
They weren’t in the fight long before the first wave of help arrived. Men dressed in a different type of armor that engaged the invaders in battle and the tide began to turn. Damon and Enzo continued through, snapping necks and Enzo managed to throw a few fallen swords to pierce the weak points in the armor where it connected. Damon didn’t really have a talent for throwing weapons, so he stuck with the close combat. It was still a difficult battle though as outnumbered as they were, and the two vampires found themselves needing to top up their blood a few times from healing.
They weren’t sure how long the battle had been raging, time tended to all run together in such things, when the end came on suddenly. With the appearance of a man in the center of the battlefield carrying a tall staff that he slammed against the ground. As he did, jets of lightning fell from the sky and connected with the invaders and only the invaders, causing them all to fall in unison. Damon and Enzo turned to the newcomer with curious eyes just as Bonnie ran up to them. She knew that she didn’t have her magic and no way to fight anyone, even if she would have regardless, so she had to wait until the battle was over.
“What were you two thinking?!” she hissed. “I know you love any excuse to kill people, but we don’t even know when or where we are! For all we know, you just completely changed history!”
“Relax, gorgeous,” Enzo rolled his eyes. “Clearly we’re here for a reason. It couldn’t just be random that we were dropped in this exact place at this exact time.”
“Besides, if you think we could just stand by and watch as babies and children were slaughtered, you don’t know us at all,” Damon scoffed. “Oh wait…you don’t.”
They were distracted from their argument by a flash of light that all three knew was some form of magic washing over them and they all spun to see who was casting magic at them to see the man with the staff who ended the battle approaching. And when he spoke, it was in a foreign language, and yet they could understand him perfectly. “Fear not, friends. I simply gave you the ability to understand and speak our tongue. And cast an illusion so that your strange dress would not cause undue scrutiny.”
“Where and when are we and who might you be, my good man?” Enzo wondered curiously, surprised to hear a language he hadn’t known before come out of his mouth in his voice.
“Welcome to Camelot. It is the year four hundred and sixty three. And I am Emrys Myrddin, at your service,” he gave a respectful bow.
“You’re Merlin!” Damon recognized the name first, being more well read about all manner of myths and legends.
“Camelot?!” Bonnie gasped at the same time while scrutinizing Merlin curiously. He was far younger than he was portrayed in legend. Maybe late twenties at the most. He had wavy black hair and striking hazel eyes. He was downright gorgeous.
“We have much to discuss, but for the moment, we have much to do here. We offer our sincere thanks for your help to hold off the invaders,” Myrddin directed the last to Damon and Enzo, not at all bothered by the blood dripping down their chins. “I will send you to my home so that we may speak when I am finished here. You will find two guest rooms on the third level, one with a single bed for the lady, and one with two beds for you gentlemen. There will also be appropriate clothing for this time period for you to change into.” With that, the three of them disappeared and suddenly found themselves outside what could only be considered a tower made of stone.