Title: Road To Redemption
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, sadly.
A/N: This story came to me in the form of a dream some nights ago. As soon as I woke up I knew I had to turn it into a fic and here it is! My dream was kind of revealing, since I also happen to think that this is how the last season of Merlin will go about. Let's hope not though! You'll see why haha.
Oki, enough of my rambling, I'll let you nice people read my prophetic dream :)
X
The weight of the wagon she was pulling was too much for her sore muscles but that wasn't going to stop her, nor would it make her use her magic again. Not again.
Her magic had caused too much pain already, more than what she could have ever imagined. Inside her mind all she ever wanted was to set things right for Camelot, to bring peace for her kin, but instead all she had brought upon her land was wave after wave of chaos and destruction. The body laying lifeless in her wagon was the ultimate proof of that.
She had spent the last two years of her life trying to take back, what she thought, was rightfully hers and truth be told she had but at an extreme cost: millions of innocent people slaughtered at the hands of her army, hers and Mordred's army. They had wiped out entire towns and killed whatever living creature that had crossed paths with them.
But that wasn't the only thing they had done.
Morgana laid the wagon on the ground and circled the old wooden object to reveal the body underneath the white sheet: her brother. Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot and fairest of them all, murdered by her hand.
Morgana lifted her brother's body in her aching arms but the weight was too heavy for her to carry. Maybe it was the guilt and the shame she felt that made his body impossible for her to carry.
She took him by the shoulders instead and began to drag him to the altar.
They had battled in the throne room. She had burst into the place alongside Mordred and another couple of loyal followers.
Arthur was waiting for her with Merlin standing by his side. Unlike hers, Arthur's men weren't there; they had all died during her first blow at the Citadel. Percival, Leon, Elyan, Gwaine… dead, in her first blow. That was how much her powers had grown during her stay with Mordred. She knew the young King didn't stand a chance against her power combined with Mordred's, not even with Emry's aid.
And they hadn't.
Morgana lifted Arthur's body onto the altar with the little strength she had left, and she didn't have much, not after having pulled on that wagon for the last week on her own, without the aid of her magic, from Camelot to the Isle of the Blessed.
It didn't matter though, the pain. She couldn't have used her magic even if she had wanted to, Mordred would have tracked her in a heartbeat and, if he had, then everything would have been lost. She was tired of using magic for the wrong reasons, she was tired of making mistakes but, above all, she was tired of walking in the shadows. It was time she did something right, something selfless.
Morgana placed the palms of her hands on Arthur's bloodied chest and closed her eyes. As she casted her last enchantment, the wing began to blow furiously around her until it suddenly stopped, announcing the end of her spell.
Morgana opened her eyes.
A woman was standing before a black void, staring intently to her.
"Are you sure?" Callieach asked her. Her voice was neutral, devoid of all emotion.
Morgana remembered the first time that this woman had appeared before her. She had been frightened at the sight of her but now she wasn't anymore. Maybe it was because there was no reason to be afraid anymore, maybe because, for once in her life, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
"Yes" Morgana replied and watched as the old woman nodded her head apprehensively.
Did she pity her? Morgana smiled bitterly, once so powerful and now so shattered.
But not for long.
The Callieach extended her arms to the blue sky and, suddenly, black clouds began to form and covered it completely. Thunder roared furiously and a small drop of water collided against Morgana's forehead.
She looked up to the sky just as a furious storm was unleashed. Soon, the rain had drenched her robes from head to foot, making her look all the more fragile. She welcomed the sensation, though, because it was one of the last things she would ever feel.
Morgana took a tentative step forward and sighed in surprise. Her next step was taken with a little bit more conviction and, before she noticed, she had made her way to the altar and to her brother's side.
"Arthur" She whispered "I'm sorry" Her hand found the young King's cheek and cupped it tenderly. It was so cold. Morgana closed her eyes and a tear fell onto Arthur's chest "If I could turn back time I would do things differently" she said, her eyes still closed "But I c-can't" Her voice cracked at the last word and she wished it was all over. She could no longer bear the pain that lived inside her soul; she could no longer stand there, watching her brother's lifeless eyes staring back at her.
No more.
Morgana felt a pair of cold and bony hands posing over her shoulders, holding her in place.
The moment had come.
"To restore a life… a life must be taken"
X
It was a warm, sunny day. The wind was blowing lightly, accentuating the smell of the flowers all around them. It was such a beautiful place, possibly the closest thing to heaven on Earth. However, none of the present were enjoying it nor obtaining any happiness from it. On the contrary, their hearts were breaking.
Merlin closed the distance between them and handed his young King the lit torch he was carrying in his hand.
Arthur nodded his appreciation to him and then tore his eyes away from him to instead focus on the canoe that was anchored on the shore.
They had come to this place to say goodbye.
Both men pushed the canoe into the still waters of the lake of Avalon and then Merlin let go of it, allowing his King a last moment alone with his sister: the Lady Morgana.
Arthur pushed the canoe until he was waist deep into the lake. That was as far as he could accompany her, she'd have to make the rest of her journey without him.
Their paths had been drawn together by destiny when they were both small children. They had lived for each other, protected one another from the wrath of Uther Pendragon, they had grown up side by side, and they had loved each other beyond comprehension, yet the same destiny that had brought them together had torn them apart.
She had said his goodbye to him in a fit of anger and confusion but she had mended her error by bringing him back to life. At what cost? Her own life. So now it was he who was saying his final goodbye to her, to everything she was and to everything she could have been.
Arthur placed the torch inside the canoe and watched the first flowers of the cortege being lit on fire.
"Goodbye, sister" He whispered, tears clouding the sight of her peaceful face "Goodbye, my Morgana" Arthur closed his eyes and forced himself to give one last push to the canoe. Then, he stepped back and contemplated, solemnly, as the flames slowly consumed the remnants of a girl who could have been magnificent.
The sky turned grey under their silent watch and, as the canoe disappeared in the distance, drops of water began to fall from the sky. The angels were crying her loss too, the loss of the Lady Morgana, heart and soul of Camelot.
FIN
I believe Morgana will redeem herself some time along the series, let's just hope that her path to good doesn't lead her to death because she doesn't really deserve it. She's just a confused and utterly misguided girl, we all could see that in the last ep's scene with Arthur. They both had tears in their eyes! It was palpable just how much she wanted to throw away all those years of anger and hatred and to be received once more into the arms of the people she loved. I would love to hear what you guys think about Morgana's future for the next season and also it would be nice to hear whether you liked my version of the finale or not =)