You Can't Stop Magic

Chapter 1

The battle was fierce and the Camelot knights were being overrun by Morgana's forces. Arthur didn't care what it took to protect the castle. Morgana's forces flooded the lower town, overran the draw bridge and Arthur and his knights held them in the court yard where he swore nothing would let them break through and seize the castle. Morgana's army played dirty and would use any method to try to kill the king and his knights. Crossbow bolts were flying in a continuous stream towards the men and the flying daggers darkened the surround sky. Swords clashed together throughout the courtyard making a deafening noise.

Funnily enough, the king and his men were not affected at all by this. It was like an invisible barrier propelling the bolts, daggers and such away from the men and into inanimate objects. The hanging 'tree' was one such object. It had so many weapons sunk into it that there would be doubts as to it use any time soon

Suddenly there was a blazing fireball launched into the sky. It brightened up the entire courtyard and castle. Morgana. Was. There! She showed up in a spectacular show of thunder and lightning. Her hair was wild and uncombed floating around her face that seemed a few shades paler that the last time anyone had seen her. The menacing laugh was more proof of her madness. She crashed through the courtyard throwing anyone in her way at the walls. Even her own men were not spared. It wasn't like they were being very productive anyway.

"Well… well dear, Brother," She snorted scornfully. "I see you are still alive. I can take care of that for you." She raised her hand ready to cast a spell that would kill Arthur. Finally she was going to get what she deserved. Camelot's crown was hers. She was proven to be the stronger leader even before the king's death because she was the one that always went against Uther, not Arthur. No, Arthur would do anything to gain Uther's approval; even if he felt a slight twinge of regret of how wrong many of those actions were. He would sneak around if he wanted to go against his father's dictates but he wouldn't confront him head on. Yes, Arthur had to die; in Morgana's opinion because he was weak. Camelot needed her.

Arthur held up his sword in a defensive position ready to charge at her and strike. Morgana sneered at him, "I am a high priestess; your weapons can't harm me." She raised her hands to throw a spell at Arthur but stopped at the voice calling out.

"Morgana," came a voice so full of authority that she kept looking around the courtyard; overlooking the servant that it came from. "I won't let you do this"

"What?" she asked in surprise. "You won't let me? You don't have magic, Merlin. You don't know what it's like. To grow up, to be disgusted with yourself and who you are because you're the thing that people hate and fear the most."

Again Merlin answered in a voice so commanding and swept his arms to show all the chaos and destruction she caused, "Look around you, Morgana!" She flinched and subconsciously did as he commanded. "Is this what you really wanted?"

She was staring at Merlin and for an instant the image of an old man with long white hair and beard, superimposed itself over the manservant. "Emrys!" she screeched and looked every bit as mad as she did mere moments before. Her hair took on a wild, messy appearance as her face screwed up into the evil madness that had been its companion for years. Morgana raised her hand and released a fireball that appeared in them while she incanted a stream of ancient words from her mouth. She smirked at Merlin, knowing that he was toast.

The fire ball never reached its target. Merlin raised his hand lazily and put a shield over him and Arthur and any people behind them. Morgana's constant fireball blasts lasted for about five minutes before her power started waning because the constant spell casting started to drain her energy. Merlin used this to his advantage by casting a spell that threw her across the courtyard and slammed her into the side of the castle. Her neck creaked sideways and she fell to the ground dead. Morgana had met her 'destiny and her doom'.

There was a collective gasp from the people in the courtyard at the display of magic from the King's manservant. No one suspected that he would have magic. Powerful magic. Wait! He just defeated a very powerful sorceress and killed her with words barely whispered and hands lazily raised up.

"Guards!" Arthur yelled. The guards came running and surrounded Merlin with their swords drawn. There were more scraping noises filling the courtyard of other swords being pulled from their scabbards. The Knights of the Round Table were in a ready stance to protect…Merlin.

"Really, Arthur, do you think that this is necessary?" Merlin drawled.

"Quiet!" Arthur demanded. "Out of all the betrayals, Sorcerer, this shocks me the most. You'd think that being together every minute of the day; day in and day out, that I would have noticed you practicing magic. You'd think I would have noticed you turning evil."

"I can explain…" Merlin began. But Arthur would not let him speak.

Arthur raised his hand to halt the onslaught of words starting to pour from Merlin's mouth. The hurt and betrayal showed in his eyes as he said, "You practice sorcery!? Did you enchant me: Is that why I never noticed? You know how evil magic is…"

"FINE!" Merlin shouted and he roughly grabbed two of the closest guards by their forearms and started to drag them towards the dungeons. "Let's go!" he commanded and pulled them as he marched on.

Arthur and the knights were dumbfounded as they stared at them leaving the courtyard. Finally Gwaine started to follow just as the rest of the knights shook themselves from their shock and followed too. Arthur stood for a few seconds more before realizing that everyone left to follow Merlin and the two guards that he was dragging along.

"I swear that royal prat wouldn't have a backside to land on if it wasn't for me." Merlin was mumbling along the way. Even though he was pulling the guards along with him, he wasn't actually talking to them. "Doesn't he know how many times I've saved his royal backside?"

Needless to say, the guards were dumbfounded. Merlin was leading the way to the dungeons, not them. They looked desperately behind them to the other guards and knights as if asking "what do we do now?" Gwaine just raised his shoulders and gave them a visible shrug as if to say, "Let's just see where this leads."

They reached the gates that would lead them into the lower part of the castle to the dungeons and the doors were locked. Merlin was not in the mood to wait around. "Doesn't anyone else besides his Royal Pratness own any keys!?" Merlin asked impatiently. He didn't wait for the guards to try to open the gate. His eyes flashed gold and the gates crashed open against the door frame and proceeded to pull the guards along with him all the way to the dungeons.

"So where do they keep the magic users, then?" Merlin asked rhetorically as he dragged the guards further into the back of the dungeons. He all but jumped into the cell and magically slammed the door shut. The guards continued to look at him in confusion because the king never even said to arrest him. A few moments later the knights started to filter in and gather around the cell. Minutes later Arthur march right in after them; stomping all the way.

"MERLIN!" Arthur stormed, "What the HELL are you doing?" (a/n: autocorrect is telling me that are should be is. Huh?)

"I'm being locked away in a cell created for magic users" Merlin stated at what should have been obvious to Arthur. "Isn't that what Uther ignorantly assumed? That he could stop magic with 'special' metals? I swear if I had a piece of gold for every time someone says silver or any metal stops magic, I'd have my own kingdom to rule." Arthur gave him a questioning glare as a guard came up to him with pure silver manacles that had intricate runes carved along the sides.

Merlin looked at the shackles and said in very sarcastic and loud voice, "seriously, Arthur, do you really think those can stop me?!"

"What…?!" Arthur tried to interrupt but Merlin just kept on talking.

"Who comes up with this nonsense?" He huffed. "You can't stop magic. It won't be restrained like a dam holding back a river." Merlin took a huge breath and continued talking to Arthur like he was talking to a small child; a small child that was rather slow in comprehension. "Silver is pure; it is from the earth. My magic is as natural as the silver. Magical restraints are just myth and fairytales created by scared little people so they can sleep at night."

Arthur felt every bit the slow child. His knights were standing in the way of the cell acting like they were protecting Merlin. Didn't they feel betrayed? And who told anyone to arrest his idiot manservant anyway? When had he lost control? Oh, right. That happened right at the start of this little nightmare.

"Then you won't mind putting the manacles on?" asked Agravaine, who was deep in the castle avoiding the conflict outside, came in acting very superior. He had heard the king's manservant was arrested for sorcery and he just had to see for himself. This will surely break the king now, won't it? His most trusted servant practicing magic. "Sire, I'll see to it that the pyre is ready, immediately." He tried to look aggrieved for his nephew.

"Agravaine,.." Arthur tried.

"Why don't you put the manacles on me yourself?" Merlin sneered, speaking at the same time that Arthur did.

"With pleasure," Agravaine said nastily and he grabbed the manacles from the guard holding them, forced open the cell door and grabbed one of Merlin's wrists roughly. He clasped the bracelets on with a hard snap.

"Owwww…" Merlin howled at the top of his lungs. The noise was so unexpected and full of pain that everyone in the dungeon stopped to listen miserably. They were so shocked and heartbroken at such a horrible noise. The knights quickly responded and drew their swords. Arthur suddenly looked heartbroken and his face held misery and guilt.

Now the look on Agrivaine's face was smug and triumphant. It lasted about three seconds until his face turned to disbelief. Was the boy mad?

"Ha ha, ha." Merlin laughed knowingly, "that look on your face, Agrivaine; priceless." Merlin was having trouble talking between his fits of laughter and gasping for air. The looks on Agrivaine's face were quit priceless; smugness to disbelief to shock rage and….murderous? Yes Agrivaine's face took on a murderous look. Merlin saw the disgraced knight put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Uh-oh, time to do something quick.

Suddenly the cell door flew open and Merlin's voice took on a raw edge that nobody, save the dragon, had heard before, "GET OUT!" The sheer force of it caused Agravaine to back up quickly and get out the cell door. Everyone watched in awe and a little bit of trepidation at this new Merlin. This was not the king's bumbling manservant. This was a force to be reckoned with.

"Merlin, what the hell is wrong with you?" Arthur demanded. In a flash of gold eyes, Merlin unlocked all the cell doors and made many of them swing back and force over and over again. "Stop that!"

"See, Arthur, there is no way to stop magic. These pretty little bracelets might make nice jewelry accessories but they can't stop me. Those are fair…"

"Yes, yes- you've said that already." Agravaine interrupted arrogantly. "I'm sure that's not completely true. I think I know someone…"

"Really? Who?" Merlin asked lazily and was unimpressed by Agravaine's almost confession. Now was the time for payback. Merlin looked Agravaine squarely in the eye and pulled his lips into a thin smile and said with a self-satisfied voice, "I killed your girlfriend."

"WHAT!?" Everyone near the cell yelled at once. Agravaine came up to the cell bars and grabbed them tightly.

He snarled at Merlin, "You pathetic weakling; there is no way you could have killed Morgana. She is all powerful. She is the rightful queen of Camelot." He stopped when he remembered they were not alone. The gasps he heard from the knights and the king echoed throughout the dungeons.

Gwaine roughly grabbed Agravaine and pulled him from the bars. Leon help by taking his other arm and the two knights threw him into a nearby cell without any mercy. "Traitor!" Gwaine spat. "You deliberately went against the kingdom and her king; your nephew! You took up with Morgana?" Gwaine was incredulous, "She's got to be young enough to be your daughter- granddaughter even. How disgusting is that? Merlin might have killed Morgana, broken the laws about magic and subsequently lied to Arthur and to us; his friends just to protect Camelot, but…"

"Not helping, Gwaine." Merlin called over to him.

"Right, sorry." Gwaine turned back to Agravaine to continue but Percy was there and to everyone's shock, punched Agravaine in the face and knocked him out.

Arthur is still standing there in shock. This whole day has been surreal and it just kept getting worse. He was staring unseeing at Merlin. Merlin recognizes the mental trauma and left the cell and clasped his upper arm with his left hand and placed his right hand on his right shoulder and guided him into the cell. "Come on, Arthur." Merlin looked over at the guard still standing and looking a little bemused at the situation. "Could you go get the king some water, please?" the guard left to do as Merlin asked without question.

As Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur he heard a scuffling coming down the hallway. Gaius came rushing into the cell. Merlin turned to look at him just as Gaius slapped him across the back of the head and shouted, "IDIOT! How many times must I tell you that your magic is a secret and must be guarded with your life?"