The Tunnels Where We Left You

"Merlin!"

Oh if you only knew what it was. Just a secret identity. Just a secret that plagues the strings that bind fate so loosely. Just a mask. A mask that when removed, would be the death of so many people, no matter what the darkness in their hearts told them. It's just like a chain reaction. So why not start it?

"Where's Arthur?"

Oh the smugness that held. A simple question, dripping off the minds that were already clouded by lies and hatred. Lust and greed. Gluttony and pride. The sins that would be the death of you. And everyone around you.

"Be careful."

Two words. A simple warning.

"What are you talking about?"

Have you ever smelt fear? The fear that leaked off the one who knew that he was going to live. The fear of who you are.

"-That magic is outlawed! By decreed punishment of death."

"Uther would kill you!"

"Sometimes I feel like I'm being tossed around in so many different directions I don't know which way to turn!"

He's talking about everything. Who he is and what runs through his veins. It was a warning. A warning they always ignore. A warning they never see.

"Tell me! Or I'll have to kill you."

Ah, the bittersweet difference between threats and warnings. Your fate was sealed as soon as you laid eyes on the boy. For the hatred you stirred became a shadow, jarring the ever light of the heart.

"I don't think so."

Was there pain in those words? They spoke the truth. And revealed nothing. Just a mere puzzle, solved when it's too late, because by then the damage had been done. And you still had no clue the breaths you were so desperate to take would be your last. No matter how much strength they gave you, to re-stand on your feet.

"You have magic!"

Is it really magic? The power to kill and heal held in a flash of one's eyes. Is it a miracle?

"Merlin…Such a small boy you are, for such a great destiny."

"Destiny? What are you talking about?"

"So there is a reason."

"Where did you learn it!? Did you incant a spell in your mind?"

"I don't know spells!"

"Then where did you learn it!?"

"I was born with it."

The destruction, creation, healing, poisoning, attacks, defence. All held in a boy. Controlled by a flash of his golden eyes.

"So it's you…Your Emrys"

Mordred. The druids. The cup of life. The lies. The pain. The betrayal.

"That is what the druids call me…"

"Emrys…"

"And you've been in court all this time."

"If you come back again I will kill you!"

"Merlin!"

"I'd thought we'd lost you…"

"It's not what you think!"

"Standing at Arthur's side…"

"Magic has killed my father."

"I'll hold them off."

"How you've managed to deceive him…Haha, I am impressed Merlin."

Your attempt failed. Your last emotions shrivelled away to a boy who's fate was written in stone. That golden flash, the last thing you saw, heard, felt.

"I am the last dragon born."

And the shadows have already been delved into.

"Is this what you wanted Morgana? Is it?!"

"The darkest hour is just before the dawn."