MERLIN 'COMES OUT'
Merlin slowly started to come around, before opening his eyes he could hear the noise of what sounded like a large group of people and he could hear Arthur talking loudly giving orders and directions. He felt a cold rag touch his forehead and he opened his eyes slowly to see a very worried looking Gaius kneeling over him.
Merlin turned his head and all he saw was the backs of a lot of people and Arthur's throne. Gaius was about to say something but Merlin quickly motioned for him not to say anything. With his help Merlin sat up and looked around, they were in the throne room, there were villagers working with guards, Arthur and his knights. Merlin could hear the sounds of people screaming and fighting both outside and out in the hallway just outside the room, he turned to Gaius and spoke quietly.
"I think it's time Gaius" he said and Gaius looked at him and knew exactly what he meant. He was about to say something but again Merlin stopped him.
"Don't worry; I won't let on that you knew anything so just let me talk and say nothing, now help me up."
Gaius did as Merlin asked and helped him stand up; he was still a little groggy and had to lean against the wall to stop from falling down.
"Merlin perhaps you should rest, you got hit in the head pretty hard, I just managed to get the bleeding to stop" Gaius said quietly, but with all the commotion taking place nobody would have heard them if they spoke normally and nobody was really looking at them either.
Merlin finally was able to stand up on his own and slowly made his way along the wall at the back of the room and then through crowd as he continued to make his way along the wall. He could hear the battle taking place outside more clearly as he passed by the windows. Eventually he emerged to the front of the room, everybody was standing with weapons facing the doors and the front half of the room was open, as he emerged Arthur saw him.
"Merlin, what are you doing, get back behind us" Arthur said as the enemy continued their advance in the hall making their way to the doors to the throne room. Merlin ignored Arthur he just put his hand up to silence him then he turned at looked ay Sir Percival "Percival can you help me?" Merlin asked.
Percival went over to Merlin and grabbed him as he started to fall over.
"Thank you, can you do me a favor, can you lift me up so I can see out the window?"
Percival looked at him like he was crazy and then he looked to Arthur like he was looking for his permission.
"Merlin what is this about? Look you need to get out of the way" Arthur said.
"Arthur, with all do respect just please shut up for a minute. Please Percival I just need to get a quick look outside."
Percival sheathed his sword and easily picked Merlin up so he could look out the window and when he got the ok he gently put him back down.
"Thank you" Merlin said as he patted Percival on his broad chest and then he looked at Arthur.
When they locked eyes, for Merlin everything else faded away, to him it was just the two of them in the room, nobody else, no sounds just them.
Arthur always meant to ask what it was about the way Merlin looked at him the way he was looking at him right now, he couldn't stop staring in his blue eyes and all sound vanished, it was like they were the only ones there and when this was over, he was going to ask Merlin about it.
Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he started to speak in a deep voice saying words nobody could understand and when he finished he looked up and around like he was expecting something to happen.
"Ok clearly you need to rest some more Merlin" Gwaine said as he went to get Merlin out of the way but Merlin just put his hand and said "wait, just stop look, and listen" and Gwaine stopped and he everybody else started looking around and listening. It wasn't long after that that the sounds from outside changed, they could hear people running an screaming louder and soon the room lit up orange as the dragons came breathing fire on the soldiers in the court yard. The room lit up like that two more times and soon all went quiet, even the fighting in the hall outside seemed to stop. Merlin just smiled and quietly said 'thank you' as everybody all turned to look at him. Gwaine was puzzled and just slowly backed away to rejoin the others and Merlin looked directly at Arthur again. He didn't care about anybody else in the room at that moment, only Arthur.
"No Arthur, you don't ask questions, you don't get to say anything. Right now I just need you to listen to everything I'm going to say" Merlin said as he stopped Arthur who was about to ask or say something.
"The first day I arrived here, there was crowd gathered outside in the court and I saw your father behead a man because he practiced magic. I almost turned around and left because I have magic Arthur, I'm a wizard, and I was afraid my life would end the same way before I even got the chance to start to fulfill my own destiny. You once asked how I knew so much about destiny's, I told you I read a book once but the truth is I know so much about them because I have my own destiny to fulfill. You may think you're the only one because you're royalty but we all have a destiny. Some of us are destined for greatness others are destined to accomplish great things on a smaller scale, but they are no less important. And thing about my destiny is that it is mixed with another, it's intertwined with your destiny Arthur."
"I have said before that you are destined to be a great king well my destiny is help you accomplish it. As for what just happened here, do you remember when we set out to find the last dragon lord?"
"Yes" Arthur said in a quiet voice.
"Well it turns out that the last dragon lord was my father and with his passing his gifts passed to his only son so now I am the last dragon lord. I'm sorry I kept this all from you Author but knowing how your father felt about magic and you feeling the same at times, I couldn't let you know, or anybody. The only person who knew was Lancelot and he kept my secret because he saw me use magic to help him and you. When this is over, I will banish myself if that is what you want, but always know that I will never be far away to help when needed because like I said my destiny is to help you fulfill your own."
Merlin ended there and there was a deafening silence in the room as he just stared at Arthur but all Author could do was stare back in disbelief, not knowing what to do or say.
"Arthur, your father was a great king but his one flaw was his hatred of all magic and the belief that it was evil. Magic isn't evil Arthur; it's the person who has magic and what they do with it that is evil."
What happened next was so fast nobody had time to react. Merlin, being closest to the door could hear a commotion in the hallway again. Merlin held his hand up and Arthur's sword flew out of his hand right to Merlin, with another wave of his hands all the weapons that everybody else was holding flew out of their hands as well and landed on the floor around Merlin. With a final wave of his hands Merlin created an invisible barrier that kept Arthur and the knights from advancing, but also protected them all as well. When they realized what happened they went to move towards Merlin but were stopped.
"Merlin what are you doing? As your king I demand you remove whatever this is and give us our weapons back!" Arthur yelled.
"Sorry Arthur but what is about to come through that door only I can deal with and you don't need to shout I can hear you perfectly fine" Merlin said with a slight smile as he winked at Arthur and then he turned to face the door.
Soon the others started hearing what Merlin heard, and it sounded like a small army was outside the door and they started slamming something heavy into it trying to break through.
"Merlin look, I don't care that you can do magic, I'm not like my father please let us help you from the sounds of it there are far too many for you to handle on your own" Arthur said pleading. Arthur and his knights started doing all they could to find a way around the invisible barrier that Merlin had created. They spread out to the walls on either side of the room to see if there was a gap. Percival lifted Gwaine up on his shoulders to see if there was a way over it, while Arthur and others got down on the floor to see about going under but there was no way around it. It was at this time that the doors started to give way, which each slam against the door they started to move more and more.
"Merlin this is your last chance those doors are about to give way" Arthur said but all Merlin did was turn and smile at him then he did something that confused everybody.
He held up Arthur's sword and began to sway like he was weak and about to collapse and then the doors flew open. Standing on the other side were several large men with large battle axes and war hammers and in the middle was a woman that looked very tiny yet familiar, it was Morgana. She stopped the men from charging the room and looked at Merlin and started to laugh.
"Really Arthur, using Merlin here to protect you all" she said laughing. Nobody said anything at first.
"I can handle this one" Morgan said as she drew her own sword and advanced on Merlin. She was so convinced that this would be easy, she didn't rush in but rather took her time looking at Merlin as he appeared to be struggling to hold up the sword as well stay standing.
When she got to a certain point several things happened at once and so fast nobody had time to react. The weapons that were lying on the floor suddenly rose into the air and flew at the men that had broken down the door, killing them all, and with a slight movement with his one hand Morgana was suddenly bound as if by invisible ropes. Her arms were locked at her sides and her legs were locked together. She looked around in amazement then realized it was Merlin and she started to laugh.
"So you have magic as well, well congratulations for keeping it a secret this long. Come Merlin lets be friends again and you and I can rule Camelot together, make it a truly magical kingdom."
Merlin said nothing he just looked at her and as he raised his hand Morgana began to rise up off the floor.
"What are you doing?" she asked sounding panicked but Merlin still said nothing as she started to float closer to Merlin.
When she was right next to him he whispered into her ear so only she could hear him.
"Everybody else calls me Merlin but you can call me Emerus."
Morgana's eyes went wide as Merlin moved her away.
"No…no it can't be, Emerus is old with long white hair" Morgana said but all Merlin did was give her a wicked smile and slowly shook his head no. Then he said some words the others couldn't understand and Morgana went out the window, trapped within the mini tornado that Merlin created her screams fading as she continued to be carried farther and farther away.
After she was gone, Merlin turned to look at Arthur who was just standing there in amazement like the others, he walked over to him and as he did, the swords of the guards and other weapons that everybody had dislodged themselves from their victims slowly floating through the air back to their rightful owners. Merlin and Arthur's eyes were locked on each other as Merlin walked towards him, without looking away he gently took Arthur's hand and brought it up and placed the handle of his sword in his hand and then Merlin closed both his hands around Arthurs.
"You know what I am capable of so you know trying to arrest me would be futile. I'm going to banish myself from the castle, but not from this area. Our destiny's are on the same path, I'll always be around and when you need me I'll know it and I'll be there for you, I always have and I always will."
Merlin lifted up Arthur's hand and kissed it, "this isn't goodbye my friend" he said and then turned and started to walk away, but after taking several steps he suddenly felt dizzy and everything around him started to go black. The last thing Merlin heard was Arthur calling out his name.
The next thing Merlin knew he was walking up and as he opened his eyes he saw windows, familiar windows and he realized he was in a bed that was familiar to him as well. The next thing he noticed was there was arm across him and somebody was lying in the bed with him, pressed up against his back. He started to roll onto his back and the person with him started to wake up as well, with Arthur, he was in the king's bed with King Arthur.
"What am I doing here?" he asked looking around.
"Recovering, you took two steps and collapsed and you've been out ever since."
"How long have I been here and why am I in your room?"
"You've been unconscious for about three days and you are in my room because that is where I asked Percival to put you" Arthur said as he brushed some of Merlin's hair out of his eyes.
"But why, I thought I would find myself in the dungeons."
"No why would I do that Merlin? How would it look if the king tossed the man who single handily saved the kingdom in prison? Besides you are right where I want you Merlin, right where I've always wanted you and that is here with me."
Merlin just looked at Arthur, completely surprised and not sure what to say.
"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked.
"Ok I guess why?"
Arthur didn't say anything he just smiled and climbed on top of Merlin "excuse me sire but what are you doing?"
"Merlin can you do me favor?" Arthur asked once he was lying on top of Merlin
"Yes sire anything you wish" said Merlin.
"Shut up" Arthur said and then he kissed Merlin.
THE END