Chapter V:
Merlin

In all the kingdom, only one creature was capable of catching Merlin's eye: Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. She was young and immensely beautiful, and like him, she was a creature of magic. The more he gazed upon her, the greater his desire grew, until he was obsessed. He spent every minute of his day courting her or seeking her attention. Merlin, the greatest wizard in the kingdom, was in love.

But Nimue was annoyed by his constant advances, and longed to rid herself of him. But she feared what would happen if she rejected him. Instead, she pretended to share his love, using him to teach her his magic and all of his secrets, so that one day, she might be free of him.

One day, Nimue asked Merlin if they might journey through the forest together so he could teach her more of his magic. Merlin already knew this would be his end, but he was so in love with her, he could not resist. Nimue wasted no time on their journey, and made sure to learn as many of Merlin's spells as he could teach her. Later that day, they came to a cave which Merlin told her was a place of great power. He would gladly show it to her, if she liked. Nimue bid him to enter first. As soon as he did, she cast a spell sealing the mouth of the cave shut.

There the wizard was trapped. Merlin tried many spells to open the cave mouth again, but the spell Nimue had used was one of his own. Even his great magic could not break it. There she left him, alone and helpless, and some say he remains there to this very day.