Summary: Morgana's former friends struggle to comprehend her betrayal of Camelot. Morgause wants to satisfy the undisclosed desires in Morgana's heart, but at what cost? Spoilers for 2x12. Two shot song fic inspired by Muse.
Characters: Morgana, Morgause, Mordred, Alvarr, Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, King Uther, Gaius.
Author's note: This is my first ever Merlin fan fic. I'm so excited. Please note that Season 3 had not been aired at the publication date of this fic, so events in that season may not be consistent with this fic. The story begins in Morgana's final scene in 2x12.
Warnings/spoilers: Spoilers for 2x12. Some angst and some violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. Lyrics are taken from "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse, which I also do not own.
Awaken
aka Boisterous Hal's first Merlin fan fic, a-Muse-ingly inspired by the epicness of Muse
She stared at the boy in shock. She could not even begin to compute that her friend, whom she had trusted with her life, had poisoned her drinking water. She wanted to scream, to retaliate, to do anything – but found that she could do nothing as her strength quickly faded away.
Merlin cradled a dying Morgana in his arms, tears sliding freely down his cheeks. He cried because he was committing murder, when he had thought all his life that he could never do such a thing. He cried because he had to kill a friend for the greater good, a friend who had done no harm to him personally, and whom he once briefly had feelings for.
It was true, he had felt his heart skip a beat when he first saw her, for she was very fair and beautiful to look upon. But he quickly perished the thought, because as a servant, he might as well have thrown himself in the dungeons, before getting intimate with a noblewoman, let alone the King's ward.
Merlin cried for the soul of his fallen comrade, which might be heading for hell instead of heaven. Morgana lay still and did not move again.
Morgause felt something was very wrong. She could sense Morgana's presence weakening. She ripped the door to the room that Morgana and Merlin were in off its hinges. The boy would not agree to reveal the name of the poison to her unless she called off the seven knights who were to bring down Camelot. Eventually, she had to cave in to his demands, and teleported herself and her half-sister away to safety. She would return to fight another day.
That night, Merlin had a strange dream.
It was daylight and Merlin was standing at the edge of the courtyard of Castle Camelot. A group of people dressed in robes with a sash tied at their waists, were crouched silently in the middle of the courtyard. Half were men and the other half were women. They suddenly came to life, their arms raised to the sky. Merlin recognised some of them. He saw Nimueh and Freya, yet he did not recognise most of the people. He supposed that they were all magic users, or somehow connect to magic or supernatural elements.
They sang, "Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh.
Come ride with me / Through the veins of history / I'll show you how God / Falls asleep on the job."
They then proceeded to dance together energetically. It was like no dance that Merlin had ever seen – it was much more lively than the drab dances held during times of celebration in the castle. The men lined up in one row, and the women faced them in another row. They all motioned up to King Uther, who sneered at them from one of the castle's balconies.
"And how can we win / When fools can be kings / Don't waste your time / Or time will waste you.
Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh / Ahh, ahh, ahh."
They all dropped to the floor in a wave. Freya got up and sang, "No one's gonna take me alive".
A man – whom Merlin now recognised as Valiant, the warrior who had tried to kill Arthur but killed by Arthur instead – jumped up and growled, "Time has come to make things right".
The group sang, "You and I must fight for our rights / You and I must fight to survive".
Morgana, who was wearing her favourite green dress that matched her eyes, walked out of the main doors of the castle. It was the same dress that she wore when she was poisoned. She addressed the group without emotion. "Don't worry, my darlings. I will set you all free." With a wave of her right hand, the group and King Uther disintegrated into piles of ash.
Merlin awoke with a start. It took him a while to calm himself down, and remind himself that he was in his own bed, awaking from a dream. It was the weirdest dream he had ever had, even weirder than the one where Arthur thought he was a rabbit and was caught nibbling the vegetables in the castle's pantry. Merlin did not sleep well that night.
Gaius, on the other hand, had slept well because he could sleep through anything. When Merlin told him about the dream, Gaius said, "It was just a dream, Merlin. It doesn't mean anything". Merlin wasn't so sure.
Arthur had slept well, because he was exhausted after his fight with the knights of doom. He laughed when Merlin recounted the dream. "You are funny, Merlin. An idiot, but very funny. Merlin glared at his master, making the Prince laugh some more. When Arthur finally became serious, he said, "I can't believe that Morgana has betrayed Camelot. Many great knights have died because of this. Their blood is on her hands. If I get my hands on her, then God help her". His eyes flashed in anger, and Merlin was surprised by how quickly things had changed. Arthur and Morgana used to be close, like brother and sister. As if he had read Merlin's mind, Arthur said, "At the same time, I fear for her safety. Part of me still wants no harm to come to her. What would you do if you were me, Merlin? Should I forgive her for what she's done, or do I condemn her as my enemy?"
"You should do what you've always done, sire. Be the brave, strong Prince that you are, and fight those would would seek to harm Camelot. If Morgana does not repent, then she will have to face the consequences."
They both spoke as though she was alive, because they knew the powerful magic of Morgause could save her. Arthur chuckled, and stared out the window, keeping his thoughts private. He didn't say any more to Merlin, as if he had forgotten that his servant was there.
After Merlin had finished polishing Arthur's armour, he visited Gwen at her room. When she answered the door, Merlin could clearly see she had been crying.
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I don't know. I worry about my Lady. I can't believe that any of this has happened."
"None of us can."
"I just want to be alone for a while. I feel slightly unwell."
"If you want, I can send for Gaius..."
"No!" Her voice softened. "Please, Merlin. I will be fine, really. I just need to lie down for a bit."
She extended her hand towards Merlin. He took it and squeezed it. She smiled sadly and closed the door.
A heavy atmosphere had certainly descended on the castle. Merlin wished he could do more for Gwen, but if she wanted privacy, he would respect that.
Alvarr and Mordred were huddled by a camp fire, in a forest many miles outside of Camelot. It was another cold night. Suddenly, a dimension door opened neared them, and Alvarr drew his sword. He relaxed when he saw that it was Morgause and Morgana who emerged.
"She's been poisoned, by hemlock," Morgause said without preamble. "Don't just stand there! Make the antidote!"
Alvarr quickly got to work, crushing up 11 secret herbs and spices, and mixing them it with water and salt. Morgana had saved his life once. Now he could return the favour.
Meanwhile, Morgause and Mordred made Morgana comfortable next to the fire. Morgause took the completed antidote, cast a spell on it, and put it to Morgana's lips.
For a moment, nothing happened. But suddenly, Morgana coughed and opened her eyes. The colour returned to her cheeks. "What happened?" she asked, looking at Morgause, Mordred and
Alvarr crouching before her.
"In time you shall know, sister," Morgause answered. "But right now, you must sleep."
Morgana closed her eyes, and slept peacefully.
For those of you wondering, the dance performed was a jive. Of course, jives did not exist during the story's setting, but it was plausible as it happened in a dream. If, for some improbable reason, I happened to write Merlin: The Rock Opera, that song (including choreography) would be included.
Review, please. Reviews make me smile.