Episode 2 begins in the aftermath of Taliesin being scorched by the divine light at the sacred hut in Episode 1. He wakes up in a state of holy delirium, babbling about biblical scriptures and ancient incidents that he shouldn’t even know. His father, Elphin, eventually snaps him out of it because they have to pack their bags immediately. King Avallach has offered them land, but there is a major catch: they must stay and protect the Fair Folk (charis people), since Elphin’s people are a warrior clan. Elphin finds the offer insulting because it basically turns his proud warriors into slaves, and he refuses to be anyone’s hired muscle.
Before the clan can retreat, Taliesin sneaks back to see Charis one last time, but things get weird fast. He finds her in the stable, and she immediately goes in for a kiss, which Taliesin finds incredibly suspicious given their history. It turns out his instincts are spot on because the sacrifice Morgain made in the first episode allowed her to transform into her sister. Taliesin manages to shatter the illusion, and a desperate Morgain proposes they get married and rule the world together. Taliesin isn’t buying it and introduces her to his new faith, explaining that while her gods demand you sacrifice what you love, his God is the one who sacrificed what He loved for humanity.
The real Charis is out in the woods when she is ambushed by Irish raiders. She holds her own for a while, but just as she is being overpowered, Taliesin arrives to save the day. Once the attackers are dealt with, Taliesin realizes he can’t live without her and asks her to marry him. Charis resists at first, but she eventually kisses him because, as they say, we only have one life.
Both of them tries to convince their fathers to reconsider, but unfortunately both of them are being stubborn. King Avallach is disgusted by the idea of his daughter marrying a barbarian and forbids her from leaving the palace, while Elphin is so offended by the King’s slave labor offer that some of his men even suggest attacking the Atlanteans since they can’t fight back, but Taliesin manages to talk them out of it.
Charis tries to sneak out of the palace, but Morgain immediately snitches on her to their father. This is incredibly cold when you consider the history between them. During the volcanic eruption in Atlantis, Charis was the one who saved her father and then risked everything to go back into the fire to rescue a young Morgain. If it weren’t for Charis, Morgain wouldn’t even be alive to cause this trouble, but she is so consumed by jealousy and being overlooked that she feels no gratitude at all. Because of Morgain’s tip-off, King Avallach locks Charis in her room, hoping to keep her there until Taliesin’s people are long gone.
Taliesin isn’t leaving without his girl, though, so he sneaks into the palace to rescue Charis. They agree to elope, and Charis offers him a special sword forged in Atlantis as a symbolic acceptance of his proposal. She originally made it for her father during a time when they were estranged, but now she is handing it to her husband as a symbol of their new life together. When Taliesin draws the blade, the engraved words actually speak to him, and he is able to read the ancient language despite not being one of the Fair Folk. They decide to leave the sword behind as a message to King Avallach that they will return if he ever chooses peace over pride.
They start making out, but Taliesin, now officially a Christian man, wants them to get married first. Charis is done trusting any more gods, but Taliesin asks that she trust him. They get baptized by the priests he met at the sacred hut and get married too.
They flee to the city of King Pendaran, a kin to Dafyd, the priest that wed them, even rescuing an injured Merlin bird along the way.
The king’s priest decides to challenge Taliesin, as he believes men of God are jokes, calling Taliesin a blasphemer. The king orders him flogged and thrown out, but Taliesin proves himself by making the priest unable to form a coherent sentence just by saying sh. The king’s men try to attack, but Taliesin starts singing and everyone’s resolve fails. Even the king calls Taliesin master and offers to protect him as long as he remains in the city.
The Birth of Merlin and Taliesin’s Ambush
A few months later, a pregnant Charis and Taliesin are on a mountain, where Taliesin proclaims his dream of being a king to a world that is united, peaceful, and where the True God is worshiped.
Charis falls into labor right there and is carried home, but the baby refuses to come. Taliesin starts praying to God and his mentor, Hargan, and Dafyd arrives with news that King Avallach has made peace with Elphin.
He also wants to make peace with his daughter by offering Taliesin his kingdom and sends the Atlantan sword as a show of his sincerity. Taliesin is to be the king of the Summer Land, which is basically the combination of both kingdoms, but for now they have to attend to Charis.
Unfortunately, she gives birth to a stillbirth, which shatters everyone’s heart.
Taliesin carries the child into the rain, crying out to Jesu and singing with everything he has. In a stunning miracle, the boy comes to life with glowing eyes, just like the Merlin bird.
Before they can even celebrate the miracle, an arrow pierces Taliesin, and we see that the culprit is none other than the scorned Morgain. It’s unclear if he is dead, but we jump 75 years into the future, to an older Merlin cowering under a rock in the woods.
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