Title: Alliance.
Summary: Years after Merlin's attempt at killing Morgana, war rages on. He didn't think he could see anything worse than the aftermath of a battle. That is, until a new enemy shows itself.
Disclaimer: Merlin belongs to it's respective owners, of which I am not one, and no money is being made out of this.
Rating: 18/M. This is not for kids. Lots of death, probably lots a blood, and a dash of potentially explicit sex.
Pairing: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana (but not for a while).
Note: Written because I got curious as to what would happen if Merlin and Morgana were forced to work together after she had turned to evil. If this story goes as I have planned, then I will be screwing with one of the most well known legends ever for my own amusement. And yours.
This chapter is short, a sort of summery of what's happened over the years. Chapter two is longer, and nearly finished, so expect it in a few days.
Criticism welcome, either of the story or if you see spelling/grammar mistakes (although I'm pretty good there, but I'll correct if I've got something wrong). Flames, if you find it that bad, will be met with amusement on my part.
It had taken six years before the trouble really began. Six years after Morgana disappeared. Six years after a great dragon had been slain during its attempt to siege Camelot. Morgana hadn't been seen or even heard of since her disappearance. Neither had the druid boy, Mordred, or Morgause, Morgana's half sister. If Merlin had known the reason why, known that Mordred and Morgause were steadily poisoning Morgana's heart with hatred, he would have done anything to find her. Instead he stayed by Arthur's side, protecting him when needed.
Uther had passed away. An unknown sickness had slowly ate away at his health. Gaius did all he could, but eventually the only treatment he could give was to lessen Uther's pain during his final days. Merlin refused to use magic to save him, knowing that Uther's death would be natural. Merlin wasn't even sure if he'd wanted anyway.
It was shortly after Arthur's crowning that the rumours began. Whispers of an army raising, preparing to strike Camelot. None seemed to know where this army was supposed to be, who was leading it, or how large the army was. As a result, Arthur ignored the rumours, believing them to be false. He would later consider his lack of action to be his greatest mistake.
It wasn't long before the first survivor came to the castle. He was badly wounded, and survived only long enough to deliver his message. His village had been attacked by people using magic and steel in equal measure. Arthur immediately sent some of his knights to go to the village and check for more survivors.
When they returned, they looked ill. The attack had been brutal. There were no other survivors. Only one building remained standing, and only because it was the one chosen for a different purpose. The people of the village had been nailed to it. According to the knights, it didn't look as if their deaths had been quick.
No other survivors came, but reports certainly did. People would see smoke raising from a neighbouring village. They would think that perhaps a fire had gotten out of control, and would go to see if they needed help. They would find the village burned and it's inhabitants dead. Their own village would suffer a similar fate soon after.
Arthur, unable to stand by while his people suffered, amassed the armies of Camelot, with himself at their head. It was of a considerable size, and they marched throughout the kingdom, passing through the burned villages, looking for any trace of those that destroyed them. Merlin rode by Arthur's side, and Arthur would not realise exactly why he had brought Merlin with his army. Not until their first battle.
Such a battle came. They came across the enemy in the far north of a the kingdom. Arthur was shocked, and Merlin guilt ridden, to find Morgana standing alongside a teenage boy at the head of an army. Morgana had smiled at their looks, even across the field they could tell, and ordered their sorcerers to unleash their most destructive spells they knew.
None were more shocked than Arthur when his manservant conjured a magical shield around Camelot's entire army, completely impervious to the spells coming in. Mordred's army knew of Merlin's ability to do magic, but they hadn't realised how powerful he was. They soon did, as Merlin began to unleash his own spells. Bolts of energy that would kill anyone within a wide radius. Merlin made sure not to hit the woman stood by their leader, he didn't want to kill someone who he had once called a friend. But the effect on their soldiers was devastating.
Arthur, deciding that they had an advantage, charged. Between Merlin's magic and Arthur's warriors, the battle was over quickly. Soon Mordred and Morgana, with one final glare at Merlin and Arthur, led what was left of their forces into the forest. Arthur had tried to pursue them, but they hid themselves well.
Arthur had lifted the ban on magic shortly after. Seeing Merlin with such power, realising how many times Merlin could have killed him, but didn't, finally convinced the king that magic was not necessarily evil. Merlin had been appointed Court Sorcerer, and was the highest authority, answering only to Arthur, when it came to governing magic. He taught it to others, and was a good and well respected teacher. It had been a good arrangement, one which lasted for a year, until something disrupted it.
Merlin's mother, Hunith, entered the castle. Ealdor had been attacked and destroyed, with her as the only survivor. That wasn't for long though. Morgana and Mordred had done this to get revenge on Merlin, he and Arthur both knew this. Hunith had a slow working poison in her system, and she had died with Merlin at her bed side. It had not been quick, and even Gaius couldn't relieve her of the agonising pain wrought by the poison.
Merlin's rage had been terrible to behold. Arthur and Gaius watched Merlin leave the city walls on a horse with a lightning storm following him. His eyes were glowing, but not the gold colour that they normally did. His were glowing a deep red, and it made the usually gentle boy a truly terrifying site. Cloaked in black he left the city walls, and was never heard of again. For a while.
Soon whispers began amongst the druids. Fearful warnings of the warlock Emrys. A man who could call down fire from the sky, shake the very earth, and send entire armies fleeing, or dying, before him. Only one had managed to survive his onslaught, Morgana. Their friendship was long forgotten, and the only reason she survived is because her power almost matched his.
He returned to Camelot after several months, his rage subsided, or at least under control, and his eyes back to normal.. Begging Arthur's forgiveness and telling them how Mordred was still amassing forces despite all Merlin had done. Arthur had welcomed him with open arms, stating that there was nothing to forgive. Gaius hadn't let him off so lightly. Arthur had then introduced him to his new queen, Gwen. Merlin had been ecstatic for the couple, but it was soon dampened as more attacks began.
Over several months, Arthur and Merlin hardly spent any time at all in Camelot. Arthur had left the running of the kingdom to Gwen, and she had done so grudgingly, but with understanding. Mordred had amassed a considerable army, and skirmishes happened frequently. Arthur hated to admit it, but the outcome of larger battles rested almost entirely on whether Merlin would exhaust himself first, or Morgana. Their armies were evenly matched, Camelot's swords and bows were superior, but Mordred's army held the greater amount of sorcerers. Merlin was the most powerful sorcerer, but Morgana was a seer. Arthur was by far the best swordsman, but Mordred had enhanced his own body, sacrificing his magic to do so. Battles would be fought around Merlin and Morgana, with only a very select few daring to help either of them. They would rarely survive. Neither Merlin nor Morgana were able to finish the other off, it had become common practice for their allies to retreat as soon as their battle was over, with the loosing side getting their sorcerer out of there using magic.
When Merlin killed Morgause, bad blood was a pitiful understatement of the hatred between him and Morgana. The first thing they would do on the battlefield would be to find each other, and their battles became so brutal that none would dare to interfere, knowing full well that they would be killed instantly. Arthur and Mordred, too, sought each other on the battle field. Their fights were no less vicious, but less damaging to those around them.
But neither side new of a new enemy in the making. A group of druid sorcerers had isolated themselves from the fighting. They resented both Arthur for killing so many of their people, and Mordred for putting those people in a position to be killed. They experimented with magic, until one of them came across a book. Filled with spells more evil and powerful than they had ever seen, they were corrupted absolutely. A few would hear dark rumours of what their experiments became. Those few would soon become a part of those experiments.
Mordred and Arthur would both remain ignorant about this new evil brewing. Growing in their power while those they wished to destroy were too busy with each other to notice anything else. It wasn't until a would-be final battle that they found out.