Ring of Merlin

***Disclaimer - This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All characters in this story are 18 years or older***

***Writers Note -- This is the continuation of the story in this series. Kindly read the other part(s) before continuing ***

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"The rules, as you call it, are really simple". He looks at David with a wide smile across his face.

"Rule number one, once you are inside, you do whatever I tell you to do." David nodded almost immediately to the old man's words.

"Rule two is that if you break the first rule, you will be my servant for life"

He stared at the old man. 'What does that mean? Anyways, this is better than staying out in the damn cold'.

"I will do whatever you ask me to do. Please let me in". David tells the old man. The Old Man moved away from the door for him to get in through the door.

David slowly got in. The burning fireplace made him warm. He looked around the house. The room was not well lit except for the furnace. The roof, walls and the ceiling had cracks in it. He saw some animal heads hanging on the wall and a shotgun in between. There was a door beside the wall hangings.

There was a plate of half-eaten meat and water on the table facing the fireplace. David's stomach growled like a whale seeing it. The Old man looked at him and said "Eat something and Sleep on the rug beside the fire. Tomorrow is a new day". There it was, another wicked smile flashed on the face of the Old Man. "Whatever happens, you are not allowed in to go in to this room" He says as he walks into the door beside the wall hangings.

As soon as he went inside the room, David devoured the meat and water. Once he was quenched from hunger and thirst, his eyes grew dreary. He rolled up on the rug beside the fire, as he fell deep into the sleep.

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He opened his eyes and found himself in front of a big cave. He looked around and found that everywhere except inside the cave was dark. He heard a soft sobbing. "Is someone there?" he asked. "David, Save me". He was afraid to walk into the cave, but something told him that this was just another dream. He stepped into the cave. There were fire-torches on both sides of the cave. The cave was filled with cobwebs and bats. He could hear the rats running around. Come what may, he decided to walk towards the voice. "David." The voice was now growing close. Soon he found himself in front of a gate. He had a feeling that someone was behind the door. "Is anyone inside?" He tried to call out. "Save, me" was all he could hear from the other side of the door.

He tried an in-vain attempt to open the door. It's locked. He tried to knock and shoulder it down, but he ended up hurting himself. "Silver star will light your way", the voice said to him before he was woken by a loud noise.

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"Get up boy, I don't have all day" The old man screamed on David's face.

"Yes, Sir" was all he could say. He knew it was just a dream, but it really felt real.

"Get some woods, and fill the barrel outside with water from the nearby river. You also will have to prepare the food". The orders flowed loudly from the Old man. "Wear this" He threw an old pair of pants to David.

David wanted to protest, but "Yes, Sir" was all he could say. 'He provided me shelter when I was on the run, I can repay him this way, I guess.' He wore the pants. David got freshen up and got out of the house.

"Yes, I will work for him and live here. No one will find me here. One day I can go back and get revenge for Dad. But I have to wait for and rebuild myself before that". He pouted, "But what can I do from here." He walked off with a bucket to collect the water from the river.

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David didn't know how many days went by. But every night he would have the same dream. The dream always ended when the voice tells him "Silver star will light your way"

Each day he had the same works. He went out, collected wood, water and food. The old man would come out of the room to have food and goes back in. David wanted to see what was inside, but he was never allowed to.

It was an afternoon. The old man came out of the room and said "I have to go somewhere, you should stay here and better not go into the room" he warned and went outside. David waited for sometimes. He was eager to go into the room. "Come what may, I want to know what he does there?" he told himself and then slowly walked towards the door. He kept his ear on the door to listen. He heard nothing. He slowly pressed the door handle. The door was unlocked. He opened the door a bit to peep inside. He tiptoed inside the room. He didn't want the old man to find out he had broken the warning. The door shut behind him.

There were some trunks and some antiques. There were paintings all over the wall. He opened a couple of the trunks and checked the antiques. But he didn't find anything worth guarding over. "Why wouldn't he let me in? There is nothing anyway" David sighed. He decided to go back but that's when his eyes were struck at a painting on the wall. "A silver star" he said to himself.

He walked towards the painting and examined it for a while. He thought he heard something, so he put his ear against the painting. "Is it Bats?"

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He raised his head from the painting to confirm origin of the voice. He was sure that it from the painting. Maybe something was behind the painting. He tried to take it out of the wall. The painting didn't move an inch. "Silver star will light your way" he said and touched the star in the painting.

*Click*

He heard a noise from the wall. He stepped back in sudden shock. The painting broke in half and the wall started to move apart. It opened and a downstairs came into his view. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. He was afraid to move at first. He didn't know what consequences he might face if the old man finds out. Also, he was curious to know what was downstairs.

Curiosity won the battle and he decided to go downstairs. He was cautious at each step as he could hear some rats. He took a few steps down but he heard a loud noise. He looked up and found that the wall was closing. He run upwards, but was not quick enough. The wall was completely shut. He tried to open it by clicking and pulling on the stones on the wall. The wall remained shut.

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He took a couple of minutes battling in his mind whether or not to go down. He knew he was trapped and the only way to go is downstairs. He decided to move down and look for another way out. He started going down. It took him forever to get the bottom of the stairs. There were fire-torches on both sides of the cave. He felt something familiar about the place. It took him a minute to realize, it's the same place he saw in the dream every night. "Am I still in a dream?" he was doubtful. He moved further inside the cave. It was just like what he saw in the dream. He was looking for the gate. That's where the dream ends every time.

He reached the gate. Now he was sure this is just another dream. But this time he did not hear any sobbing voice. He pushed the gate with full force like he always does. Alas! The gate opened wide with a loud noise. He was not expecting that and fell forward. He sat up and looked for any scratches on his body. He picked himself up slowly by holding on to the wall.

He saw a human shape in the middle of the room. The light behind the shape was so severe that he couldn't make out the face of the person. He shaded his eyes with the back of his hand and moved towards the shape. "Can you help me out?" he asked the shape.

As he reached the shape the light got dimmed. What he saw made his eyes grew wide. The light was not from behind the shape, but the shape itself was the light. A metal chain was tied around the leg of the human shaped light.

"You are finally here David"

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