Set in S1 E10, the moment of truth.

Canon divergence: Morgana already is aware of Merlin's magic.

Barriers

Morgana could not sleep this night. It was not because of the hard ground on which she tried desperately to sleep on, nor was it the looming shadow of battle which hung over them, it wasn't even Arthur's snoring from the other room. It was what it always had been, Merlin.

Ever since Merlin revealed himself as a sorcerer during the events of rescuing Mordred from Uther's unwavering tyranny she had thought about the unassuming servant who lived in the shadows more and more. She had been made aware of her destiny when he took her to see the dragon, he was not happy about her knowledge of his magic and it rather annoyed her to know that she was being judged on something she had not yet done.

Even still his duties and constant saving of the kingdom kept them apart. Before the truth of his magic was known to her that mattered little but now she felt as if she needed to spend every moment with him. Unfortunately, he wasn't helping by actively avoiding her for whatever silly reason he had made up. The both of them might die come the morn and she still would not have learnt much of him.

He was so secretive, so mysterious; of course to everyone else he was so simple. They all thought he was just a friendly fool bumbling around the castle and occasionally taking on a persona of bravery that seemed so foreign to one such as him. But she already knew him so much better than everyone else just from his one act of admission to her and yet he was still shrouded in smoke. Sometimes she would watch him, he would have a big grin plastered all over his face smiling and laughing. It made her heart flutter to see him so but other times he would look to the sky or the distance ahead and his eyes would glaze over showing nothing but pain and exhaustion from the weight that was on his shoulders. All she wanted to do was bear his burden with him.

She thought herself alone when she realised her nightmares were a form of magic but of course she tried everything to ignore it and never face the acceptance of it but when Merlin helped her accept it and then a few months later tell her of his own she was simply ecstatic. Then he never saw her or avoided her or made sure their conversations were cut short by small excuses, she didn't want to die without knowing why.

Suddenly, she heard movement and saw a shadow move past the door way. She slowly got up making sure not to wake Gwen and followed the figure outside of the house. They turned and she hid but peeked just around the corner to see the light of the moon catch his face and reveal himself as Merlin. She watched him go in to the forest and followed him slowly using every ounce of stealth she had in not making any sound. He came to a clearing and released a breath of fresh air and sank to his knees muttering words of magic as flowers began to grow around him and the trees began to blossom despite it being Autumn. She even saw a few deer move in to the clearing.

She moved from her hiding place and stepped quietly behind him. He picked up a wild rose, the reddest she had ever seen and took a big smell of it and sighed happily allowing it to be taken by the wind from his gentle hold.

"You really are quite something Merlin Ambrosius." He didn't even flinch and she realised that he probably knew she was there the entire time.

"As are you my lady" He said plainly still not turning to face her, it made her frown, they were alone and there was no need for the use of her title.

"Merlin we are alone there is no need for my title" She sat next to him allowing her knees to bend to the side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You are a lady in a crowd full of people or alone with me. There is no difference my lady" He breathed deeply as she lifted her head from his shoulders to look at him and yet he would not meet her eyes. A tear broke from its emerald barrier and made its way down her pale cheek.

She stood quickly and hurriedly walked away before reaching halfway out of the clearing she turned now openly crying "I thought we meant more to each other than that but now you won't even look at me." She stifled a sob and lifted her head high "Now this is the last time I will ever look at you" Before she had chance to turn Merlin stood and locked eyes with her abruptly tears in his own eyes.

"How can you ask me to look you in the eye when every time I do I am lost in their pure emerald green?" He took slow cautious steps forward but their gazes never broke "How can I speak with you when I am reduced to a fool every time your lips, which are coloured red with seduction, even mutter a hello?" The tears started to run down his own cheeks this time as he came ever closer to her "How can I say your name when I already think of nothing else but you and to even say it would cause me to drop to my knees in lust?" His lip quivered as he came towards her and soon they were face to face, noses almost touching, hitched breaths caressing each other's faces. "How…how can I tell you how much I love you, how much I need you, how much I want you when there are barriers with the strength of destiny keeping us apart?"

Her own breaths became rapid and heavy as she looked in awe as the man before her stood looking so vulnerable after pouring out the contents of his heart to her. To her he looked like a god with all that power around him and a destiny which held the fate of her kind and the balance of magic itself, he always looked so determined so sure of himself his vulnerability was something she never thought she would see.

She cupped his face in her hands smiling as he closed his eyes and moved against her palm. "Because I am as lost as you when I look in to your eyes that resemble the crashing waves of the sea" she slowly caressed his cheek as she whispered to him "Because I am already lost to lust when it comes to you and any mutter of words we share only intensify my lust for you" Her own emotions start to take over as she moved impossibly closer to him and she felt her cheeks go crimson and her heart warm. "Because I love you, need you and want you and my love for you will break any barrier and defy destiny as long as you reciprocate it."

His eyes opened and a grin graced his bright pink lips and his eyes almost beamed light towards her. He brought his larger callous hands to her cheeks and crashed their lips together. Her hands wrapped around his neck and her fingers threaded through his hair whilst his hands went to her slim waist and the small of her back.

Unfortunately, the useless need for air called and they broke apart resting their foreheads together with grins that split their faces as they softly caressed each other.

"I am glad that I will fight for Ealdor knowing I have someone to go back to" He placed a chaste kiss on her lips and smiled sweetly.

"You should be glad anyway, Ealdor is your home." He turned his head slightly and peaked through the trees to see his little small town. He smiled and shook his head returning his gaze to Morgana.

"It was. I have a new home now." He leaned down for a lingering passionate kiss before stepping back and throwing a wink her way before making his way through the trees and out of sight.

Morgana stood silently as she brought her fingertips to her lips and she smiled to herself but quickly fixed her hair knowing that any slip up would be picked up by her best friend, Gwen. She ran her hand across her hair only to find something in it; she grinned and looked through the branches to see his smiling form by the house as she twiddled the bright red rose in her fingers.

She placed it back in to her hair and walked towards the village thinking on the amount of barriers she would break for him, destiny or no destiny.

I enjoyed writing this one a lot but I always enjoy writing Mergana.

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