Camelot was falling.
The prophecy was wrong- Merlin had failed.
"Arthur!" Merlin screamed, trying to fight his way through the fray to reach his king who was locked in battle with the young Druid.
Time slowed down as he witnessed Mordred's blade slide through Arthur's chest. Mordred looked shocked for a moment before ripping the blade from him and running off towards Morgana, who was beaming with pride and satisfaction.
Merlin's heart pounded.
'No no no no no no no no!' he was screaming internally as he fled towards his friend, his king, his everything.
He skidded to a halt next to the fallen king, his hands immediately going to the wound and pressing as hard as he could. Tears were streaming down his face as his eyes met Arthur's.
"Merlin... it's no use. I..."
"NO! Arthur, I will NOT let you die." Merlin yelled, eyes bursting with light. His hands warmed, the magic pulsing from them the strongest he could produce. He would fix Arthur if it killed him.
But nothing happened.
In his mind, he could swear he could hear Kilgarrah saying something about fate and failure. His body slumped as he stopped the flow of magic, and met Arthur's eyes for what would be the last time.
The were shocked, but not angry. For a second he thought he could see understanding flashing through them, before squeezing shut in agony.
The king coughed, sputtering blood, causing Merlin's heart to ache so badly he thought he might curl up next to Arthur and die along with him.
Arthur reached his hand to cover Merlin's as he spoke.
"Merlin... I... you are magic. That explains... so... much. So many times... you... I see it now... Th...ank... you..." he said softly, his eyes closing.
His chest stilled, and he was no more.
Merlin's breath hitched as he felt something within him rip away.
He stood as the glow grew in his eyes and spread to his entire being. To anyone looking it appeared as though he was becoming the physical manifestation of magic itself.
The ground began to shake in his fury and pain.
The men, as well as Morgana, all stopped and stared at the slender man they'd all dismissed as a nuisance.
In that moment, Morgana knew it would be a short lived victory.
"You will all pay for what you've done!"