The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin (2026) s01e04 Episode Script

1
Merlin emrys has returned
to the land of the living.
I had a vision.
Two dragons came forth
to the battle one another.
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.
Vortigern!
Thus ends the reign of
vortigern, high king of britain.
Take heart, you people
of the island of the mighty.
Dafyd?
Myrddin.
To see you after all these years.
But you have not altered a bit.
I had this sword crafted
for my father by the
high king's own Smith.
Perhaps it's best to leave it here.
You are the flower of your race.
'Tis a great thing to be a king, hawk
but there is authority of a
kind even kings must bend to.
I've known Merlin a very long time.
I would have you my counselor.
Very well, aurelius.
Perhaps you have the
makings of a king after all.
Dafyd, you've come home.
Hello, mother.
Myrddin.
Never seen so many.
There will be no victory
without the kings of britain by our side.
I need every single one
of them to defeat hengist.
Well done.
Fool.
Are you so heavy with drink that you fail
to recognize the spawn of vortigern?
Prince pascent, forgive
aldwyn's impertinence.
He will be punished.
What word from your father?
My father is dead.
What do you want?
My father is dead and I am his heir,
high king of the britons.
And yet you ride here unannounced.
No honor guard,
no war band.
I did not know I needed a war band
at my back to meet with an ally.
You do if you're going to watch him shit.
The sons of constans
have murdered my father
and now they claim his crown.
And you want me to
help you take it back?
They will not be content
until they have all of britain in their grasp.
All of britain?
Even now, they turn their
eyes east to the saecsen coast.
Let us march against these usurpers
before they march against you.
Why do I need you?
You swore to uphold my family's claim
when my father let
you settle these lands.
Let?
Our pact was sealed in blood.
You will be held to it.
The son of vortigern is right.
A pact sealed in blood is to be honored
unto death.
Hail the Fisher king.
Merlin.
Merlin!
And that's when I saw him
sat on a rock by the riverbed alone,
shining as bright as the dawn.
And we are most grateful to you, pelleas.
Even as our hopes waned,
you did not give up these many years.
My lady.
And you, my holy friend.
How did you come to be
in my grandson's
company after all this time?
Providence, great king.
The divine hand.
Myrddin found me prisoner
of high king vortigern.
Prisoner?
A king who holds hostage
a servant of the most
high gambles with his life.
A gamble vortigern lost.
King avallach, I have been remiss.
May I present to you uther,
second son of constans
and his older brother, aurelius.
The sons of constans.
I see.
Forgive me, my brother and I
were loath to interrupt
your happy reunion.
Aurelius has defeated
the usurper, vortigern.
He is by right of lineage and victory
high king of ynys prydein.
If I do not fall to the
axe of a saecsen first.
Or the ambitions of a petty king.
My brother surely meant
no disrespect, king avallach.
And yet he speaks truly.
This land is in a welter of confusion.
There are more kings than sheep,
more princes than crows on a battlefield,
all seeking to snatch what they can
when they can without
a care for who suffers.
Until this island is ruled by one
who wields both justice and
mercy, there will be no peace.
Aurelius' life is in danger
until the kings of britain
recognize his claim.
It is my hope 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.
Right, Merlin?
Very well, uther.
If you prefer nights in the saddle
to the comfort of avallach's palace.
You will not be staying, then?
I'm sorry, mother.
My people have seen
enough of war and death.
The high king of britain will
be safe within these walls.
To a future of peace.
Yes, it is me, darling.
Remember what they
did to me by the fire?
You fuss over me like a child
while other men call me immortal.
The Fisher king's sword.
Your sword.
I thought it lost.
Yet it has been here, waiting for you.
The sword of a high king.
Aurelius has a sword,
the sword of britain.
I do not offer it to aurelius.
Take me up.
What?
I'm sorry, mother, but I cannot accept it.
Whatever the future may hold,
I cannot take up that sword again.
Then I will pray you have
the strength to keep your vow.
I wish you were not leaving so soon.
Besides, the fish are always
on their best behavior
when you are here.
What was it like, Merlin?
To be insane?
To be alone with god.
Is that who you think I was alone with?
Who else?
I would dearly love
to spend but a moment
in my lord's presence.
You are fortunate among men, Merlin.
Go, I have been greedy with your time.
We will discuss these
things again when you return.
You fear for your sins, grandfather
but surely your sins are no
greater than any other man's.
I had forgotten how much you see
with those golden eyes, hawk.
Yet in truth, my sins are
too numerous to count
and they gave life to morgian.
I've seen her,
morgian,
in the fire and in the stars.
I do not know if god was with me
in celyddon all these
many years, grandfather.
But I know morgian was.
Trust in jesu, hawk.
He is the only hope for men like us,
if hope we have.
So, tell me about this place,
maridunum.
Built by the romans in the
heart of a plentiful valley,
not far from the sea.
Your steward has a nasty habit
of speaking on your behalf, Merlin.
If he were mine, I would have
him flogged for impertinence.
Pelleas speaks as he
serves, of his own free will.
So you would have him believe.
Are you suggesting the
emrys has me spellbound?
Your words, boy, not mine.
You surprise me, uther.
I didn't take you for one
who believed in magic.
When a man catches the
gaze of a beautiful woman,
is that not a form of magic?
Or when a king through
cunning and deceit
wrests fealty from his people?
Is that not a sorcery of a kind?
Myrddin, you know what you must do.
I see you.
I see you, now come
here, come find me.
You need to find her,
you only need the one.
Why do you hesitate?
You know what you must do.
Master,
what is it?
You wanna go to the pub? Yeah.
Delightful place.
What is your business here?
I've come to seek a home I once knew.
What home is that?
The last time I was here,
pendaran the red sword was king.
Myrddin?
Let them in at once.
See to their horses.
The same raid that took
maelwys took the town
and teithfallt, my father, tried to save
what he could but there wasn't much left
and that is but the
beginning of our troubles.
The same story is told
throughout these lands.
I fear a greater threat is coming.
Yes, it's a different world since,
well, since you've been away.
Will you sit at our table, my lord?
Most kind.
Why does she offer him the king's seat?
Because Merlin is the
rightful king of maridunum.
Allow me to fill your cup, my lord.
Bring me my cup.
This beast led me deep into the hills
but I could not give up the chase.
These days, it's rare when I
get occasion to nock an arrow.
A fine prize, meurig ap tewdrig.
Son, meet our guests.
Uther, pelleas and myrddin emrys.
I must say, the brewer's art has reached
new heights since I last
held a cup such as this.
This draught is worthy of any king.
You shall have a butt
of it to take with you.
Yes, when you've
concluded your business here.
What is your business?
Perhaps our business is best
discussed in the light of day.
We are here to garner
support for my brother,
aurelius, the high king of britain.
High king?
Vortigern has already claimed that title.
Vortigern no longer has need of it.
Well, I congratulate you on your victory.
Over an old man already
exhausted and sore beset.
The greater challenge lies ahead.
The saecsens.
And a host of lesser
kings who think themselves
eminently qualified to bear the crown.
And they will have no
choice but to fall in line.
Won't they?
Hear me, tewdrig.
The saecsen hengist has
assembled the greatest war host
ever seen in the island of the mighty
and before the summer is through,
he means to take the throne.
And he will have it if we are too busy
squabbling amongst ourselves
to take up arms against him.
We have arms, we have horses
and men who can use them.
Meurig.
Am I not the commander of our army?
Yes, an honor you insist
on squandering at every turn.
What choice do I have when
you've all but tied my hands?
Silence!
The day grows long and
I am not a young man.
If we may presume upon
your hospitality a while longer?
Yes, I shall prepare some
rooms for you and your men.
Perhaps the emrys would prefer
to stay in his old quarters?
The king's quarters?
Yes, should he wish to.
We insist. Thank you, my lady.
Merlin, win me a kingdom.
Uther.
Do you take me for a fool?
I do not.
Then perhaps you should
stop treating me as one.
I have promised to raise an
army for your brother, uther.
How I conduct my own
affairs is not your concern.
You may have swayed my brother
but your powers of persuasion
will not work with me.
Of that, I have no doubt.
Urien?
There you are, my darling.
You must hurry along to
your studies with kelias.
I don't wanna study.
You must if you are to
advance in your learning.
Remember urien, your mother
knows what's best for you.
Off with you.
No one seeks our counsel, or our aid.
All because we live on these
distant, god-forsaken shores.
The greater part of britain
could burn and we'd be none the wiser.
Let it burn, what
difference does it make?
We are alone and undefended, father.
Should we not seek alliances
for the welfare of our kingdom?
If we we to appeal to
vortigern-vortigern is dead.
His tower fell to the sons of
constans not two weeks ago.
How do you know this?
No doubt aurelius will
claim the throne for himself.
The soil of these lands
is soaked in the blood of would-be kings.
Perhaps we should consider
pledging our support to aurelius.
My dear lot,
have you forgotten the deal
we made with the saecsen chief?
How could I forget, mother,
when I so strongly opposed
our alliance with those savages?
Is hengist a savage?
He fights for the interests
of his kind just as aurelius does.
But we are britons, we
should support our people.
Are they our people?
Only a moment ago, you
were bemoaning the fact
that we were all but forgotten by them.
But what do I know of these things?
I'm merely a wife and a mother.
Still, I cannot help but
wonder if there is not a greater
strategic advantage for you
in the current arrangement?
You could be a most
valuable ally to hengist.
The saecsen?
The future is saecsen.
I trust you slept well, uther?
A soldier always sleeps
with one eye open.
That sounds inconvenient.
Not as inconvenient
as a knife in the back.
Come, we're all friends here.
I've known many an enemy
that came in the guise of a friend, Merlin.
My lord myrddin.
I wonder if I might have a word with you?
In private.
Of course.
Do keep uther out of trouble.
Shall we seek out a morsel to eat?
Yeah, now give me a knife, I'll teach ya.
Watch it. Cheers.
A cup of your famous mead, friend.
We have no mead here, only wine.
Then a cup of your famous wine.
They water it down the Roman way
but in good measure,
it serves its purpose.
Does the war band of maridunum
spend all its days drinking
rather than training?
But you see, we are training,
right here in the darkness of this hovel
with nothing to slake our thirst
but this sorry excuse for wine?
To your safe return,
after such a long absence.
Forgive me if I know
not how to receive you.
This is your realm and rightly so
but I have been king
here these many years.
And your father and
his father before you.
Yes.
And your son is next in line to the throne.
Meurig is more interested in hunting
and drinking than in the
affairs of our kingdom.
And yet, he is your battle chief.
'Tis a wonder how
he has time for leisure,
given the frequency of the raids.
Yours is a fruitful land, tewdrig.
Yet your fields are stripped,
your walls are broken,
provisions are strained
even at the king's table.
At whose hand do
you suffer this injustice?
Not the saecsen, surely,
for you would not have
lived to tell the tale.
Morcant of the belgae?
He's been bleeding the neighboring lands
of grain and cattle for
the better part of a year,
like a ravenous bear intent on
slumbering through the long winter.
Why?
He knows war with
the saecsen is coming
and he intends to wait it out
with ample provisions to spare.
And you allow him to take from you?
His men outnumber us two to one.
So you let your people starve?
I am not willing to lead
my people to destruction.
It is because you're not willing
to lead them that their
destruction is at hand.
We cannot fight him.
But fight him we would!
We'd rather suffer the
sword opposing that snake
than let him take what's rightfully ours!
You've told your father as much?
My father is too proud
to heed our counsel.
I'm ashamed, myrddin.
I admit it.
I saw no other way.
I often question whether
I'm worthy to wear the torc.
If I am a king,
I'm not a very good one.
Your father must have good reason
to let this insult go unanswered.
No king would suffer
such humiliation lightly.
Well, whatever his reason,
it will not matter for long.
My family has ruled this kingdom
for the last three generations.
Now Merlin returns to claim his throne
and we can hardly stand in his way.
He is but one man.
What?
Do you not know?
Painted by a faery
woman many years ago,
or so the story is told.
They say Merlin slew 70 men
with his own hands
within these very gates.
At goddeu,
at goddeu, he slew 500.
No man is capable of such a thing.
No mortal man.
They say when the awen falls upon him,
he is given strength from heaven.
The world stops.
None can stand before him.
I can assure you, friend,
the only thing that matters
in battle is brute strength.
Magic is for druids and bored women.
Perhaps.
But he is legend in these lands
and he is more than a king.
He is nearly an otherworldly being.
He will take the torc from my father
and declare himself high
king before he is through
and neither you nor the saecsens
nor all the armies of britain
and armorica can hinder him,
unless we stop him here
and now.
You must listen to me, uther.
Out of my way, steward.
I bested you once before.
Don't make me do it again.
You had the element of surprise before.
Not this time.
You thought that was my only surprise?
You would attack an unarmed man?
Stop this, uther.
You risk ruining the emrys' work.
That is exactly what I intend to do.
Uther!
Stand up, king tewdrig.
You are right that you
have failed your people.
You have let fear rule your
heart and govern your actions
and I do indeed have
every right to reclaim
my kingship and take
back what is lawfully mine.
But I deem it best to let my claim lapse.
Too many years have passed
for me to take back my throne.
Myrddin will not be
king again in maridunum,
provided you pledge
your support to aurelius.
You have my word.
Are you quite well, uther?
Just short of breath is all.
My war band will not fight for aurelius
while morcant can threatens our homes.
Well, then it's a good thing we have
the battle chief of britain
to bring the belgae to heel.
I'm afraid I must decline.
Uther?
I will join your fight against morcant.
However, only as a simple soldier.
A cunning strategy, uther, if we survive it.
There's nothing like a
brisk ride to revive a man.
Yes, that's good.
Jesu, receive your own with mercy.
Who are they?
Britons
from the villages along
our eastern border.
The saecsen move south
and west, killing and plundering.
They rarely leave
survivors but when they do,
we do what we can to lend aid.
You care for the dying
when you could prevent their death.
You did what you could.
No.
No, no, you could have fought.
What strength you think
we have is an illusion.
Each year, our numbers decline.
Not a child has been born to us since
Our people are not long for this world.
You have weapons like none have seen,
armor to stop the fiercest saecsen blade.
As king,
my duty is to my people.
I cannot fight your war for you, aurelius,
no matter how just the cause.
We are too few.
Where are the saecsen now?
Lot is in line for the throne, after all.
And a fine king you'll make, my son.
But
who are we if not people of our word?
They say hengist makes his men
fight to the death for his amusement.
You must not believe
everything you hear.
Aurelius, on the other
hand, is of noble blood.
A diplomat.
Lot has a point.
Is aurelius not more fit to lead?
Who knows who'll rule these lands
when all is said and done.
But if it is your desire to
break faith with the saecsens,
then who am I to oppose you?
But I admit, I do worry
how he will receive you
if word comes to him of
your dealings with hengist.
Yes.
Yes, we must not have
him taking you for a traitor.
A traitor?
I had not thought of that.
Surely anyone suspected of conspiring
with the saecsens
would be shown no mercy.
I'm sure you'll make the right decision.
Pray to your god, Merlin.
It isn't much of a plan.
My god hears the prayers
of all who call on his name.
Did something happen to your eye?
You would ride to the village's aid alone?
I would try.
You are a good man, son
of constans, but foolish.
What would you have me do?
What kind of king would I be
if I let my people be slaughtered?
A king who knows his limitations.
There will be other battles, aurelius.
You are one man.
You don't even know the country.
I'm not above asking you
to point me in the right direction.
I have only one thing to offer my people,
everything.
Our soldiers cannot
ride with you to rianfa
but perhaps they will
escort their Princess
on a ride through our
easternmost holdings.
My lady-but we cannot
leave our territory, aurelius.
If you choose to engage
the saecsen, you do it alone.
Stop there.
What is your business here?
You belgae grow fat from the grain
plundered from the fields of maridunum!
And?
And we're taking it back.
No one need die today.
Tell your king myrddin
emrys demands an audience.
My king is not so easily summoned.
I do not intend to make it easy.
Mariduns, dismount!
If I do not return,
tell my brother I died a noble death.
Fire!
For maridunum!
Morcant!
What was that?
Thank you, my lady.
Don't thank me yet.
By the time this night is through,
we may both be banished
from the summer lands.
Whoever you are,
you've chosen a rather
inopportune time to visit.
I'm enjoying my supper.
You know very well who I am, morcant.
I know who you claim to be
but why should I take your word for it?
I come with an offer of
peace from uther, battle chief
of britain and brother of
high king aurelius himself.
There'll be no peace in
these lands 'til we are all dust.
Or until the kings of
britain are united as one.
If you are the son of taliesin,
your wisdom is exaggerated.
You ride with a force half the size
of my own against a fortified position,
my men will cut down
your army in short order,
if they have not already.
You make war against your brother kings
while the saecsen threatens
the doom of our people.
Who is my brother?
Who are my people?
I'm king of the belgae.
No one else is my concern.
And how will you defend the belgae
when the saecsen horde
marches across your fields?
When was the last time
you stood with a naked blade
in your hand under the
blast of the saecsen war horn
while a whole host saecsen berserkers
flew toward you over the battleground?
I will be well-supplied after I
march across every kingdom
deserted by kings
anxious to fight alongside
your battle chief uther
and his fool brother
in their fool war.
That is where you are wrong.
There is to be no war.
Uther himself has determined
not to engage the saecsen
until you return what you have plundered
and pledged fealty to aurelius.
If aurelius does not engage the saecsen,
he will be high king of nothing.
Already this day, uther rides against you.
If he's the leader of this attack,
then he's no battle chief to be feared.
Indeed.
Uther does not command
tewdrig's war band.
He rides today a simple soldier,
indistinguishable from any other.
You bluff.
I do hope your men
haven't killed him already.
Aurelius slew the high king himself
to avenge the death of his father.
One can only imagine
what he might do to you.
Stay our archers.
Call our warriors back behind the walls.
Now!
Your plundering is at an end, morcant.
You've abused your power
and now it is time for
you to make amends.
If you do not, aurelius will
continue to raise his army
but it will not be the
saecsen he rides against.
My daughter has long
had a mind of her own
and I have all but given
up attempting to restrain it.
But you who mean to make yourself
high king should know better.
If I do not allow my
conscience to guide me,
I'm unworthy of the crown.
You put my people at risk.
Your people are at risk
already, king avallach
and will be as long as the saecsen
have a foothold in this land.
Father, the britons that survived
the raid have been brought to the palace.
I'm needed.
You cannot deliver your
people from this threat
if you throw your own life away, aurelius.
A king must sometimes
make terrible choices.
It was foolish.
I know.
In truth, I'm not ready for what is ahead.
The battle against vortigern was-
short?
Decisive.
I have little enough experience with war.
That is abundantly clear.
In truth,
it was your daughter who saved my life.
Yes.
She has a way of doing that.
You showed great courage today
and a great love for the
people you would rule
and my god tells me
there is no greater love
than the willingness to die for others.
Keep that up and you might
just become high king after all.
Beer?
A man of his word is king tewdrig.
Two more western kings
have pledged their fealty to aurelius.
Their war bands ride
eastward as we speak.
Aurelius' legend grows.
Aye. As does your army.
Now you must return to your brother.
Pelleas and I ride north to goddeu.
You must ride alone.
Have I not proven myself
to be a pleasant enough
traveling companion?
Uther, you have proven
yourself a cunning strategist
and fiercely loyal to your brother.
But you must take caution,
for your loyalty could be your undoing.
More riddles.
Perhaps when we next see each other,
we can pick up from where we left off.
I do admit I did
underestimate you, steward.
But I still think you should
be flogged for impertinence.
It is not safe for you in custennin's hall.
There must be another way.
There is no other way.
I will set off at once
for the saecsens' camp.
If that is what you wish.
It is, mother.
Wait here.
A gift
for hengist.
Safe travels, my son.
Our enemy grows stronger by the hour.
Every day, more ships cross the sea.
We are outmatched five to one.
There is to be a new high king.
They are the ones who would
oppose the saecsens now.
How many men are
left for them to call upon?
Those boys are on their own.
I will not send the sons of my lords to die
behind two undisciplined
and untrained boys.
I have come to ask the
northern lords to join with them.
Are you not the mighty Merlin,
terrible to meet on the field of battle?
I've seen what you can do.