Okay, honestly, I have no idea what possessed me to write this. My muse wouldn't let me be!
This is not a happy story. Just a warning. It's based off Arthurian Legend, at least what I know of it.
Enjoy! Or not enjoy. It is kinda sad.
If he had known, he could have stopped it.
If he had seen the signs before it was too late, it could have all been prevented.
But he hadn't.
No, the enemy had been too smart for that. They'd taken their time, calculated every obstacle, watching and waiting for just the right moment to strike. And strike they had. Hard. And no one saw it coming. The enemy had won by playing the very last card anyone would have expected.
And now Arthur was dying. And Albion was dying with him.
Something told him to stop. A small warning in his mind seemed to beg him, telling him to remain where he was.
But she then she looked at him, a small smile on her face.
"The mighty Emrys isn't afraid of the dark, is he?"
She was so beautiful. He followed.
She was lovely. Everyone agreed. And honestly, Arthur couldn't have been happier for him. His old friend had been through so much, been so lonely, he deserved to be loved like this.
When she'd arrived in Camelot, so beautiful and so smart and so talented with magic, Arthur had instantly seen the connection. Merlin could barely keep his eyes off her. And she couldn't seem to stay away from him either. They became nearly inseparable.
Arthur remembers teasing his friend, poking fun at his little crush. And Merlin would flush red and call him a dollop-head, before hastily changing the subject. Arthur couldn't help but feel a little gratified, remembering all the little jabs Merlin used to make when Arthur's feelings for Guinevere were just beginning to surface.
"Where's Merlin?"
"Three guesses, princess."
"Niniane?"
"So you're not as thick as you look! Congratulations, Arthur."
"I've barely seen him all week! Does he ever spend any time away from that girl?"
"He's lovestruck, mate. Don't bother him, he deserves a girl like Niniane."
The sky was red the morning of the attack. Red like blood. Arthur's knights stood around him, watching the army approach, their eyes hard and resolved. They knew what was coming. There would be no miraculous escape this time. No last-minute magic to turn the tides.
Arthur had never felt so alone.
He let her lead him into the forest, her dark eyes sparkling as she smiled at him.
"This way, Merlin," she said softly. "This way, my love."
And he followed.
He clawed at the rocks, his fingers bleeding and cracked.
"No…" he muttered as the visions began to consume his mind again.
His hair became sticky with his blood as he gripped his head, squeezing his eyes shut.
But nothing could keep them out. They were relentless.
"He's trapped. He'll never see the light of day again."
"I swear, you're going to tell me where he is or I'll kill you where you stand."
She didn't respond. Her eyes were hard as stone.
"Merlin," Arthur said cautiously. Merlin looked up.
"Yes, Arthur?"
"I'm not sure how to say this…"
"What is it? Something wrong?"
Arthur clenched his jaw. "No. Not exactly. It's just that, you've been spending a lot of time with Niniane lately."
Merlin's look hardened. "Is that a problem?"
"No… Well, you haven't been making it to any council meetings lately, and there have been reports of an army being amassed in the north."
"What kind of army?" Merlin frowned at Arthur.
"We're not sure, but-"
"What does this army have to do with me spending time with Niniane?" he snapped.
"We need you alert, Merlin! You're the Court Warlock, your job is to help protect the kingdom."
"I can protect Camelot just as well when I'm with Niniane, Arthur. She has magic too, remember?"
Arthur struggled for a response. He sighed heavily. "I know, Merlin. And I'm happy for you, really. But I'm afraid we need you to be more attentive to your duties right now. This could be a serious threat."
Merlin didn't say anything. He shook his head and glared at the ground.
"I don't have anything against you being with Niniane, Merlin. I just need you to help us."
Still no response.
"Please, Merlin. Just until this threat passes. Then you can go back to doing magic tricks with her or whatever it is you two do together. Please."
Merlin nodded slowly.
"You're right Arthur. I have been neglecting my duties. I'm sorry. I'll be at the next meeting, I promise. I'm sure Niniane will understand."
Too late did Arthur remember something Merlin had said, back before any of this became clear.
"She has magic too, remember?"
Merlin didn't come to the next meeting.
Arthur stormed out when it was over, furious. He went immediately to Gaius. Merlin didn't live in the physician's chambers anymore, but he still spent a lot of time there. Surely Gaius would know where that blasted warlock was hiding out.
"Gaius, where's my useless excuse for a Court Warlock?" the king demanded, shoving open the door. Gaius looked up in surprise.
"He said he was going out with Niniane, sire. Is something wrong?"
Arthur muttered curses under his breath.
"No, not yet. But we'll see how long that lasts once I get my hands on him."
"Promise me you'll never take it off."
"Niniane-"
"Promise me. Then even when you're away from me, off helping the king and defending Camelot, I can be with you."
"I…I promise."
"Merlin, you complete idiot, where were you this morning?"
Merlin looked confused. "I was out with Niniane. Why?"
"You know why! You were supposed to come to the council meeting! You promised me you'd be there!"
"Something more important got in the way!" Merlin cried, his eyes flashing. On his finger Arthur noticed a slim, silver ring.
"Merlin, Camelot is on the brink of war! What could be more important than having you at the council meeting?"
Merlin glared at him. "Niniane," he answered simply. "Niniane is more important."
Arthur gaped at him. "Spending time with a woman is more important than the safety of the kingdom?"
"I'm not the king, Arthur! You are! It's your duty to protect Camelot, not mine!" Merlin snapped, twisting the silver ring on his finger. He turned and stormed out of the room, his magic almost seeming to crackle about him, matching his anger.
Arthur watched him go, a mix of shock and unease settling in his stomach.
"That's a nice ring, Merlin."
"Thanks. Niniane gave it to me."
Arthur should have guessed the enemy army would have sorcerers. Without them Camelot might have actually had a fighting chance.
Striding forwards at the head of the group was a younger sorcerer, clad ironically in the uniform of a knight of Camelot. His blue eyes were staring directly at Arthur, and the king felt an involuntary shudder run through him.
That traitor.
"Arthur, do you think…"
"What Guinevere?"
"Do you think he was enchanted?"
"Enchanted? He's Emrys. I'm sure he could overcome any enchantment thrown at him."
"I know, I know. But perhaps…"
"What?"
"Perhaps the enchantment is only supplementing something. His feelings."
"What do you mean?"
"We both know he has strong feelings for Niniane. But the Merlin we know wouldn't risk the safety of the kingdom for one woman. He wouldn't leave us like this. Maybe the enchantment is just… reinforcing what he already feels. I don't know."
They fought.
They yelled and screamed and cried at each other like never before.
And it felt wrong. Even as Arthur screamed at him, it felt wrong. He and Merlin didn't fight. They argued, bantered, occasionally irritated each other, but they never fought.
Not this time.
Arthur had finally confronted Merlin about Niniane. It had become too much. Merlin never left her side. He hadn't spoken to Gaius, the knights, Gwen, or even Arthur for weeks. He didn't seem to care about the army nearly at Camelot's gates. Arthur needed Merlin, needed his magic, his protection, his counsel, his friendship.
But all Merlin needed was Niniane.
The warlock screamed at the king, telling him he didn't understand and that it wasn't fair that Arthur was making such a big deal over this. If Arthur could be with Gwen, why couldn't Merlin be with Niniane?
Arthur tried to explain without making the situation worse, but it didn't work. A flash of gold sent him shooting across the room. Arthur hit the wall and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Merlin glared down at him, twisting the silver ring around his finger.
Then he left the room without another word.
"You enchanted Merlin. Do you deny it?"
She didn't respond.
"You enchanted him and drew him away from Camelot. And you trapped him somewhere. He's a prisoner. Where is he?!"
Finally she spoke, her eyebrow quirked at a mocking angle. "You should probably work on organizing your army, King Arthur. My friends are nearly upon you."
Merlin was gone the next day. So was Niniane.
Part of Arthur wanted to go find him, rush after him, get him to come back.
But the other part was still angry at his friend, and felt the need to stay back a while. Besides, he had an army to prepare. War was nearly upon them.
How Arthur wished he'd listened to the first part. He might not have been too late had he acted right away.
Might.
He didn't even see it coming. She suddenly turned on him, blasting him away from her with magic. Magic he'd taught her.
He was thrown back hard into the cave, the crystals pulsing with an ethereal light. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep the visions from taking over his mind.
"Niniane… what…" he stammered. She looked down on him coldly, all beauty and warmth gone from her face.
"Goodbye, Emrys," she said simply. She stepped out of the cave and sealed it with a flick of her hand, enclosing him in the darkness. He cried out and scrambled towards the entrance, but it was too late.
He resisted the crystals for as long as he could, but even Emrys couldn't last forever.
In his last coherent thought before the scenes overtook him, Merlin yanked the silver ring off his finger and threw it as far from him as he could.
He couldn't hold back the tears.
Arthur battled like he never had before.
Perhaps it was because he knew there was no hope this time, and he was desperate for one last chance to prove himself to the world.
Or perhaps it was because for the first time, the enemy had gotten something right.
They hadn't targeted him. They'd targeted Merlin. And now Arthur had no choice but to fight in a hopeless battle, his heart bursting with despair as he thought of what might be happening to his best friend right now.
Wherever he was.
They found her on a patrol.
Arthur was out with the knights, checking on the landscape and spying on the enemy, when he saw her, her long dark hair hanging loose about her shoulders as she walked lightly through the forest, towards the enemy.
"Niniane," Arthur greeted her, trying not to sound bitter at the woman who'd cost him a friend. "Where's Merlin?"
She froze and turned towards the king, her dark eyes narrowing. Her face, usually beautiful and full of light, was dark and stone cold. A suggestion of a smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
Arthur's heart clenched.
Never before had the king known such pain.
It ripped through his body, climbing into every corner and bursting through every pore. He clenched his teeth, trying to keep in the howl that was begging to be released. Tears streamed from his eyes uncontrollably, but somehow he kept a grip on Excalibur. It was the only thing solid left in the world.
The only thing solid. Because things changed. Kingdoms, rulers, friends, all moved and warped and fell away like water.
Never to be found again.
Blood stained grass. Blood stained swords. Blood stained sky. Over and over and over. Never stopping. Friends dead and dying. No way to stop it. No way to escape. Never to see light again. Always the darkness. The blood stained darkness. And the evil light of the crystals.
His blood was staining the grass. The wound was too deep. Nothing was going to save him now.
He thrust his sword forward and into his opponent. The sorcerer gasped, Excalibur buried deep in his chest. He cried out in pain and collapsed beside Arthur, dying. But it was too late.
The damage had already been done. And Arthur knew it.
Mordred's destiny was complete.
She wouldn't tell them anything. She mocked them, smiled at them, taunted them with half-answers before flicking her long hair over her shoulder and using magic to escape.
Arthur was desperate and torn. He needed to find Merlin. He needed to find him now. But he also needed to return to Camelot. The fight would arrive at their door on the morrow.
But to fight without Merlin at his side… it was unthinkable. And Arthur could only imagine where his friend was. What that witch had done to him. Arthur had been betrayed enough times in his short life, he knew the excruciating pain Merlin must be in.
Because Arthur knew, despite the enchantment, Merlin had loved her.
He really had loved her.
And that, Arthur realized, was Albion's downfall. How ironic. How terribly, horribly, sickeningly ironic that it was not the enemy's hatred that would bring an end to the peace.
It was the friend's love.
They weren't going to find him. Merlin knew that. This was his end, his doom, to remain trapped here for all eternity.
What did it matter if he got out now, anyway? Arthur was dead. The crystals had shown him as much. Albion was destroyed. His destiny was over.
But Merlin never stopped clawing at the rocks. Perhaps, one day, someone would come and get him.
Arthur was the Once and Future King, after all. And he was Emrys. Immortal. They would return. Someday, somewhere, the world would see them again.
This would not be the end for them.
It would not be the end.
So a little bit hopeful and happy-ish at the end there. Kinda.
Review please! Especially for this one, I want to see what you think about this style of writing. I kinda like it, myself. :)