Disclaimer: if I owned merlin… you wouldn't know about merlin because I would have locked him(and Arthur) in my closet and never let him go…just saying…
The Price of Absolution
ab·so·lu·tion
noun
1.act of absolving; a freeing from blame or guilt; release from consequences, obligations, or penalties.
2. a remission of sin or of the punishment for sin, made by a priest in the sacrament of penance on the ground of authority.
Merlin POV
I knew as I walked onto the battlefield, that Arthur had denied me access to, that I was not going to come out of this unscathed and would most likely be dead by the end of it. I shook head to clear it of those thoughts and reminded myself that that had never stopped me before, and I realized suddenly that I wasn't afraid of death or pain but of the looks on the faces of all who I loved when I revealed my most closely held secret.
As I pushed my way through the mass of knights towards Arthur, who was on the front line, I heard murmurs of confusion at my presence from all surrounding me, but I didn't stop and kept moving. I saw Morganna and Mordred leading the enemy army toward us I realized we were both moving in the same step and rhythm. I reached Arthur as Morganna and Mordred stopped just yards away.
Arthur looked over at me and I could feel his anger at my disobedience to stay with Gauis.
"I'm sorry," I told him knowing that only later would he understand my double meaning.
He jerked his gaze away from me as Morganna spoke, "Arthur you are either very brave or very stupid to actually think you can put up a fight against us. Personally I'm gonna go with stupid."
"Morganna you know me I don't go down without a fight," he paused his expression turning from steely and arrogant to slight regret, "Please, Morganna you are my sister, let us settle this peacefully and without bloodshed."
"You may share half of my blood, but I am not your sister Pendragon," Morganna spat across the field.
Arthur nodded realizing there was no use in trying to talk her down and I recognized the familiar shield that came upon his face hiding his emotions, but I saw the last of his hope drain away with her words.
She raised her hand and yelled a spell I had heard before and saw a familiar flame rushing toward Arthur's chest. I instinctively raised my hand redirecting it back to Morganna who sidestepped it and it hit Mordred killing him instantly. I felt the shock in the air, but right now my focus had to solely be on Morganna's next move. I quickly lifted my hand and closed my eyes focusing on knocking down– her army one by one and seconds later when I opened my eyes, she was the only one standing and all the others were looking up from the ground shocked.
She screamed in fury at the death of Mordred and shock at my obvious abilities. "You're nothing, but a servant! How could you Merlin have magic?" she yelled at me shocked.
"Well Morganna, I am a servant, but that's beside the point and I believe you know me by a different name," I replied waiting to see if she would realize the implication of my words.
It must have been a credit to my extremely good luck and ability to lie, because it took her a few minutes to process before she looked up with disbelieving eyes.
"You can't be Emrys! I've met him he's… old and powerful beyond measure and you…" she started but let her words slowly drift off as she studied my eyes and an old memory came back to me.
You know me better than anyone Gauis. Do you recognize me?
There's something of you in the eyes.
Slow realization and a look of fear came upon her. "You are Emrys, but why… when you are so powerful, supposedly the most powerful wizard to walk the earth, would you choose to live as a meager, clumsy, and pathetic servant boy?" she asked honestly curious.
"It was the only place that I could protect him," I said motioning to Arthur.
"So the prophecies of a great and peaceful Albion where magic is allowed to flourish… they are true, and Arthur is the one who will bring it with you by his side?" she asked shocked.
I nodded and she fell to the ground to her knees in front of me and kissed my cloak, "Emrys, I am so sorry to have marched against you and your cause I beg you to spare my life, so that I one day will see this Albion you will build. I swear I will leave and not come back, I am no longer a threat to you or Camelot because to destroy either would be to destroy any chance of happiness for myself or any other magic user."
I watched as the rest of the army fell to their knees slowly after realizing what they had almost done, and bowed their heads in submission.
"Get up all of you, I won't stop you from leaving, or come after you, but you must promise to stay away until magic is allowed in the kingdom. No matter what," I said loudly to the large amount of people in front of me.
Morganna answered for them, "Of course Emrys, you are our leader, we are grateful for your lenience." She bowed and slowly along with the rest of them walked away with two men carrying Mordred's body.
After they had left my line of view I felt a wave of exhaustion hit me from the amount of magic I had used, and I realized I would have to turn around and face everyone. Filled with trepidation I slowly turned around searching the crowd's faces and saw Gwen off to the side obviously shocked, but proud nonetheless, Gwaine was laughing and seemed to think it hysterical, but lastly I turned to Arthur and waited as his face showed different emotions: relief, fear, shock, sadness, and finally anger.
"You lied to me!" Arthur said in a low voice.
"Yes sire," I replied honestly trying not to lose my balance as I became more lightheaded.
"Leave! Everyone!" he shouted and the field was quickly emptied. People quickly fled the battlefield at Arthur's obvious anger, and as the last person left the field Arthur turned back to me.
"You betrayed me, and you've been waiting this entire time to kill me!" he yelled at me.
"Never," I answered fiercely and let myself slowly fall to my knees in front of him.
"You will die for this," he told me and I saw rage in his eyes.
"I know," I told him nodding. "I will not fight you,"
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Why would I try to hurt the one person I've spent the past seven years protecting?" I replied.
"What have you protected me from servant," he said with obvious disdain.
I felt my hope drain out of me at the look of disgust in his eyes.
"Does it matter? It won't change anything," I reasoned.
"Yes, tell me when I needed protection from a servant," he spat.
"Every time you passed out and didn't actually remember killing a beast, nearly every time magic was involved, anytime the situation seemed like we would die and there was no hope, every time a mysterious going on happened or I was 'in the tavern', and just now," I replied resigned as I watched him think back with shock on his face and awe.
"Are you lying to me?" he asked.
"No," I said resigned.
He sheathed his sword and said, "Run, run away from here sorcerer. I now owe you nothing. You saved my life and now I've spared yours."
I stayed on my knees and looked at his hardened face and refused to let myself waver before saying, "No, I will not leave your side unless death takes me away from it."
He looked at me shocked, but before he could reply I raised my hand enchanting a spell to kill, and as I released it I felt a sword pierce my body, and I felt my body go limp before seeing black.
Arthur's POV
I saw Merlin, no the sorcerer, raise his hand and encant a spell and something in me could feel the danger of it, and without clear thought I pushed my sword through the man in front of me.
I heard something directly behind me and turned realizing it was a lone sorcerer from before that was now dead on the ground not a foot away from where I was standing and sudden realization hit me and with it wave after wave of regret. I fell to the ground and wept over the destroyed body of the warlock who, it seemed, had protected me his entire time in Camelot.
A/n I'm not sure if this is it or if I will add more in the form of an epilogue or different scenarios…. Tell me what you want to see happen. I don't think this was my best, but ahhh well…