Original subtitles

The treasure is my son, taliesin,

and in his voice will be born a kingdom of summer.

I do not love the bard.

It's only his power I desire.

The supreme spirit, the lord of all worlds,

my lord reigns over them all.

You are young.

To your eyes, perhaps.

My people carry our years more lightly than others.

Ave, Maria!

I would be your wife, taliesin.

Together we could build the world

more powerful than Atlantis itself.

Atlantis rests at the bottom of the sea, morgain.

Taliesin, he has declared his love for me.

What have you found?

A hawk!

A Merlin.

I've seen a land shining with goodness.

It's the kingdom of summer and I will be its king.

The baby's dead.

Jesu!

God in heaven.

My son has the eyes of a hawk!

Of a Merlin.

No!

They say that Merlin is mad.

They say he was a king in dyfed,

that his rule was just and his hand was strong.

They say he was a bard,

the son of a Princess of lost Atlantis,

and a cymry prophet of great renown.

They say the future and the past are known to him.

That the fire and the wind tell him their secrets.

That the magic of the hill folk and druids

and daughters of bel come forth at his easy command.

They say he slew hundreds.

Hundreds, do you hear?

That the world burned and the ground trembled at his wrath.

Lord death thanked him for his terrible harvest.

Death!

You have taken all of the others.

Why have you not taken me?

Go back the way you came!

Do not raise your hand against me again, daned,

if you would keep it.

How do you know my name?

I know a great many things.

Silence! It's a trick!

A trick, iddec?

Is that what you believe?

Duach!

What is it?

He knows us!

He knows nothing you haven't already told him.

And you! Do not test me!

I'm a powerful druid.

I would speak lightly of power, friend,

for I know whence your power comes.

Whoever they were, they've moved on.

You know well who they were, son of vortigern,

the very saecsen raiders...

You and your father gave a foothold in our land.

You told him who we are!

No, my prince! I swear it!

I do not care for their manner, my lord.

Perhaps we should not go with them.

We have nothing to fear from these men, pelleas.

And I am eager to meet the man

who has made himself king over all others.

It's the quickest way I know to announce to the world

that Merlin emrys has returned to the land of the living.

My father will like you.

Perfect! There you go.

Provisions are being gathered,

but we need time to build a wall.

We haven't got time.

Up against the wall, right now!

You said it would be done.

And it will be, great king.

Riders approach!

Help you, my lord.

Open the gate!

We need to put a plug. Right there.

Right there!

My father and my king,

I bring you a great gift and the answer to your troubles.

No! There must be some mistake.

The man I seek was already old when I was a child.

This cannot be the Merlin.

They say Merlin is of the faer folk, my king.

They call him emrys.

Immortal!

Is that so?

I'm known by many names, vortigern.

You will call him, "high king!"

Pascent!

And do you know why I have sought you?

Work on your stronghold is going badly.

Your druids blame an evil spirit for the failure

of your masons to build a decent wall.

Go on.

They tell you the blood of a virgin-born man is required

to secure your foundations.

Is that not the way of it, joram?

Ready!

Is there any doubt this is the man we require?

He is full of tricks, sire.

Do not let him confuse you!

My enemies ride against me.

I would fortify this position,

but each night my walls...

Crumble and fall.

Are you indeed a fatherless child, Merlin emrys?

Or perhaps just another bastard without a father?

My father was taliesin ap elphin ap gwyddno,

names that were once lauded in this land.

Names of great renown in cymry long, long ago.

But, sire, taliesin was no mortal.

He was an otherworldly being.

That will be news to my mother.

There are no evil spirits at work here, vortigern,

and no man virgin-born, save one only.

Your problem is taking council from liars and fools.

What proof do you offer that the wall is not cursed?

Underground?

Oof!

Underground.

You sure?

I grow impatient, Merlin.

He'll spill your blood to build his wall.

Aye. Vortigern is a pitiless man.

And desperate.

But nothing will happen to me

that is not appointed to happen, pelleas.

You did not bring me back to the world of men

to watch me die in this pit.

Enough! These men mock you!

And they waste what little time we have left.

Pascent!

No evil spirits.

No underground dragon.

The spring washes the earth away

beneath the weight of your stone wall.

Traitor.

Traitor!

These men, whom I entrusted with my life,

have shown themselves false before me.

These men were so eager for your blood.

Surely they will not mind my asking for theirs.

No! No! No! No!

I am an old man, Merlin, and a fool.

You have my apology and you will have my reward.

I'll accept nothing from your hand, vortigern.

Am I so distasteful to your eyes?

Whatever you would give to me,

you have taken from another.

You have done much evil.

And much evil will be done to you.

He's gone home!

Have I not held the land in peace these last years?

Given the saecsen safe harbor to plunder our land

is not holding the peace.

I saw no other way.

You traded strength for peace,

but there'll be no peace without strength.

Father, you would free these men

after they humiliated you in your own court?

I humiliated myself, as did you.

You just killed your own counselors on the brink of war.

False counselors!

And an unwinnable war.

I had a vision.

A waking dream.

I saw the pit that Merlin dug.

I heard his pick...

As it struck the stone, only instead of water...

A great cavern lay beneath.

In the cavern, were two great stones like eggs.

Inside the eggs,

two dragons came forth to battle one another.

The first was white as milk.

And the other...

Red...

As blood!

And they fought each other, the dragons,

and their battle was terrible to behold.

Sorely they wounded one another,

and when they could fight no more,

they dragged themselves back into their eggs and slept,

but only to fight again once they were rested.

What of this dream?

Merlin?

Merlin?

Master?

The dream, Merlin.

What of this dream?

Do you really want to know?

Flee, vortigern.

If you would live, you must flee.

The dragons you have seen are your enemies,

white for the saecsen horde,

red for the true sons of britain

whose father you murdered for your crown.

But they war with each other, not with us.

The saecsen may still join us after all we've given them.

Is there no hope for me?

Here is your hope and the hope of our people.

From the events of which you have set in motion,

a king will arise to hold all britain in his hand.

A high king who will be the wonder of the world,

a chief dragon

to utterly devour the white dragon of the pit.

You?

I do not know.

He speaks of destruction!

I will ride this very night to the saecsen shore

to rally our friends to our cause.

Ride!

Ride then, boy.

Ride and do not tarry! Our doom is upon us.

Ride!

If this is to be vortigern's last stand,

let my son be well away from this place.

Put those arrows on high.

They'll be of no use to you down here!

It would be very helpful if you stayed.

My road lies another way.

Boy!

What's the matter?

What is this?

Bring it up! I'll bring it up.

If there is to be a battle, I'll fight for my king.

Nay.

Nay! Not for another summer yet.

I'll do my part, my lord, like every other man here.

Aid the archers at the top of the tower, the very top,

you guard their backs.

Yes?

Guard their backs.

Yes, now.

Here, let me help you with this.

Stop your trembling!

Take heart, you people of the island of the mighty,

for the soul of britain is stirring again.

Dafyd?

Merlin!

Dafyd!

My lord, you're alive!

To see you after all these years.

But you have not altered a whit.

Dafyd, what is this?

Why is this holy man in chains?

For treason.

We hoped to appeal to the high king in jesu's name

to show charity for the women

and children displaced by the raiding saecsen.

I will not be lectured to

by worshipers of some sand-starved lunatic.

He was not persuaded.

Of all of your many sins, vortigern,

keeping this man from his work is chief among them.

That's very doubtful.

Free these men if you would save your soul.

Save my soul?

Keep it tight then!

I will not!

Then I will claim the reward that you have offered me.

Free these men and our debt is paid.

You are a taxing man...

Merlin emrys.

And yet there are few enough who will speak plainly to me.

Thatching! Thatching!

Out past that gate.

Farewell, vortigern.

We will not meet again.

Goodbye, Merlin.

Daned!

Who's there?

Show yourself!

I wouldn't expect a warrior to turn his back on an enemy.

And now?

And now we know you're no warrior.

Do I look too old to mount a horse?

I know.

I know!

But look at you, myrddin bach.

You are the flower of your race.

Praise god for your long life.

That is enough combat for today, hawk.

Why must you torment me with Latin?

Because the word of the true god is sharper,

even than the two-edged sword.

Tell that to the picti!

Tell that to the Irish raider!

I will learn Latin when I'm old like hafgan.

How old do you think me, myrddin bach: ?

You're as old as the oak on shrine hill.

Not quite as old as that.

But what is age to you?

You will grow to be as old as any oak

in the island of the mighty.

Does that mean I'll be king forever?

'Tis a great thing to be a king, hawk.

A very great thing indeed.

But there is authority of a kind even kings must bend to.

Discover this, and whether you wear a torc of gold

or a beggar's rags, you will earn the name ambrosius.

What does that mean?

Study your Latin.

Stay!

Merlin!

We must ride.

Vortigern's end is upon him!

Where would you have us go, my lord?

Does pendaran still reign in maridunum?

King pendaran joined his fathers many years ago, hawk.

Your grandparents too, my lord.

King elphin...

Lady rhonwyn, cuall...

And hafgan.

Fool.

Lurking up there in your hovel,

haunting the rock wastes like a wraith.

Did you not know that men Mark their years differently?

Does custennin still rule celyddon?

His atlantian blood is strong!

But we would-we would not be welcome there.

No, my lord.

Go back the way you came.

I'm not sure what that means.

Neither am I.

Cover!

Now!

Deserters already?

Let them fly.

The battle is before us.

And if one of them is the usurper himself?

It must be me who takes the tower.

For justice.

For britain.

Archers!

They have come for blood!

Give them blood!

Where is the king?

Vortigern!

Yah! Yah!

Yah!

Vortigern! Vortigern!

Vortigern!

Hold the door!

I need help! Help me!

The cart! Bring the cart! Bring it!

Let the fox burn!

Thus ends the reign of vortigern,

high king of britain.

Hail uther, son of constans!

With me, thanks.

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Aurelius!

Hail, aurelius.

An ugly gash.

For britain.

I've never seen my brother bested in battle before.

He fought well.

And my men?

Alive, sire, though somewhat worse for wear.

Sire?

Fashionable honorific for a high king, is it not?

You think me high king?

Do not all the kings of britain sing your praise this day?

I can think of a few singing their own praises.

Some men who marched up with me only hours ago.

Well, what does it matter

what a few self-important grumblers think?

Because I need every single one of them to defeat hengist.

The saecsen king.

Those grumblers are all that stand between

my rump on the throne and his.

Yours is the preferred rump, my king.

My lord brother, you've only just met this man.

Only just met?

I think not, uther.

I've known Merlin a very long time.

Merlin?

That's impossible.

Merlin was a myth before our father was even born.

And yet...

Well done, aurelius.

Perhaps you have the makings of a king after all.

Three of the southern kings

never returned to camp this morning.

Yet they're happy enough to see you challenge vortigern.

Aye!

Doesn't mean they're happy to see me high king.

It's worse than I thought.

700 men is not a man too many to face hengist.

Traitor!

How quickly you trade one master for another.

Meddler!

You know this man?

Aurelius, your prisoner is prince pascent ap vortigern,

son of your fallen foe.

We thought him a mere scout.

You killed my father, bastard.

Your father killed our father.

The debt is now paid.

And mine?

Who will pay the blood price to pascent?

The devil pay you!

Uther, brother.

We came here for justice.

Really? Because I thought we came here for britain.

And every day this scum draws breath,

he's a threat to your reign.

Your brother is right, sire.

Vortigern's son is not a forgiving man.

And yet I will not start my reign a murderer,

as vortigern did.

I give to you your life, pascent.

Do not give me a cause to take it back.

You've made a grave mistake, brother.

And if so, it is mine to make.

He's coming!

How came you by this blade?

Grandfather!

Grandfather, he's coming!

Is he a king?

He's more than a king.

Boy has the eyes of a preying bird.

Stand up straight, lad.

You're being addressed by the dux britanniarum,

commander of all the Roman forces in britain.

I knew your father.

Tell me, boy,

what does the son of taliesin see with those golden eyes?

I see a sword.

The hilt is silver

and bears a purple gem carved like an eagle.

It's is an emperor's sword.

An emperor's sword?

That's enough, lad!

What else do you see?

I see a ring of kings standing like stones in a circle.

A woman kneels in their midst.

She holds the sword in her hands.

She is speaking but no one hears her, no one listens.

I see the blade...

Rusting and forgotten.

Shall we have a song, hafgan?

Indeed we shall.

Be safe!

I never saw Maximus or his sword again.

A remarkable story.

Aye! If it were true!

The sword belonged to my father.

How he came by it, I cannot say.

I do know this.

The paths that brought us together

began long before this day.

I will trust you, Merlin ambrosius.

I would have you my counselor.

By the gods!

I need an advisor, uther!

We're not exactly neck-deep in volunteers.

Very well, aurelius.

Let it be as you say and heed the word of your counselors.

The southern kings will continue to desert you.

Dismiss them.

The hell we will!

Uther.

Go on.

Let them return to their own land and see for themselves

what the saecsen raiders have wrought.

Their own people will demand to unite under your banner.

I have friends in the west and north.

I believe we can count them among your supporters.

Master Merlin, I...

I will ride to them and rally them to your cause.

And what are we supposed to do

while you play king-making, Merlin?

I know a place you'll be safe while we build our forces.

This is where it begins.

First, there is a sword.

The sword of britain and the sword is britain.

It is the answer to many prayers, Merlin,

seeing you again.

It's usually you who sets camp

while I stare into the fire.

I fear this plan, my lord.

The cymry king will be threatened by your return,

and the north will not help you.

Aurelius has the sword of Magnus Maximus, pelleas.

The emperor's sword.

If you return north, custennin will not help you.

This is how the summer kingdom begins.

My lord, custennin will kill you!

I've seen how you struggle.

I've never known your awen to burden you so much.

I'm not the man I once was, pelleas.

Hafgan's harp!

Your own one was...

I know.

I don't remember how.

Almost 50 years I've carried it.

Still haven't learned a note.

Pelleas, I...

I am not worthy of your sacrifice.

God alone is worthy of such devotion.

As one cares for another, does he not also care for god?

Listen to me carefully now.

You found me and brought me back to the world of men,

and I thank you for that.

But... Let others make their choice!

I have made mine.

Goodnight, my lord.

Goodnight!

My true friend.

Merlin.

Remember what they did to you, my brother.

Ssh!

Come!

Behold your true enemy, o king.

The saecsen hengist.

I've never seen so many.

And this but a raiding party fresh from his plunder.

You will not be able to repeal the barbarian on your own.

Wouldn't you agree, uther?

I'd say we've proven ourselves

more than capable on our own.

Uther!

You slew the usurper vortigern. Not him.

I burned him alive in a tower, uther.

I never even met his blade with my own.

Right!

Well, battle isn't about honor, it's about victory.

There will be no victory

without the kings of britain by our side!

Without Merlin by our side.

Myrddin?

Myrddin!

May the good god be praised.

What god could build such a place?

Not a god, a king.

Behold yns avallach, hall of the faery king.

Praise the lord from the high places,

praise him in halls of light.

Praise him, all his angels.

Praise him, all you hosts of heaven.

Praise him, sun and moon.

Praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you in the sky realms.

Praise him, you waters above the skies.

Let them all praise the name of the lord.

Ave, Maria.

Dafyd! You've come home!

Hello, mother.

Myrddin!

Aurelius's life is in danger.

Until the kings of britain recognize his claim.

Aurelius has defeated the usurper, vortigern.

He could find sanctuary here

while I ride to rally what friends we have left.

While we ride to rally your friends.

Uther!

To ensure Merlin is not remiss

pushing your claim in other courts.

Fisher king sword.

The sword of a high king!

I do not offer it to aurelius.

Merlin, he will take the torc from my father

and declare himself high king before he is through.

Unless we stop him here and now.