Shrine Boy

The Shrine Boy was a spirit of a young Druid boy who was killed years ago by men who were given the order by Arthur to execute the Druids.

Biography
The Shrine Boy was killed when Arthur was a young man. Arthur, in his inexperience and desire for respect from his men and his father, led the patrol that killed the boy, thus causing his spirit to be unable to find peace in the world of the dead. As a result, the boy's spirit resided in a shrine erected by the Druids which lay undisturbed until Arthur, Merlin and the knights stumbled across it. Elyan drank from the well at the site of the shrine and was therefore possessed  by the Shrine Boy's spirit. Elyan suffered increasingly with the spirit's presence and eventually the boy spoke to him, telling him that he would kill Arthur in order to balance the injustice of his death so he could find peace.

The Shrine Boy went on to fully possess Elyan, controlling his body and speaking through him in his child's voice when making attempts on Arthur's life. When he was overpowered by Arthur in a sword fight, the Shrine Boy fled back to the shrine, to where Arthur travelled in the middle of the night. Arthur summoned the spirit and explained himself, and the Shrine Boy forgave Arthur when he saw that he was truly sorry for his failure to prevent the boy's death as well as the persecution of the Druids. As Arthur showed true remorse and pledged to treat the Druids with respect in future, the boy's spirit found peace and was free to move on to the Spirit world, releasing Elyan (A Herald of the New Age).