Just a small thing with major spoilers for 5x12. I hope you like it and I hope to write more after tomorrow's final, final episode.
The young Warlock breathed out, his eyes shut as he lay on the floor, losing all of the remaining strength that he had. Morgana had really crippled him this time. She had tried and tried and finally she had managed it this time.
At last she had gotten what she wanted.
Merlin breathed in again and thought back to when Morgana had been their friend, back to when he had trusted her without questioning; when Arthur, Gwen, Gaius and even Uther had trusted her.
Morgana had held everyone's trust just like many that had come or lived in Camelot at some point. Merlin had put his trust in many people over the years, sometimes even putting his trust in the wrong person far too easily, almost – not succeeding – but never causing its downfall.
Not yet at least.
Mordred had been trusted by everyone, but him yet that had still led to this moment. Merlin knew that Kilgarrah was right: he should have killed Mordred when he had the chance, but he had always failed.
He failed to kill Morgana.
He failed to Kill Mordred.
And now they would succeed in killing Arthur.
Trust was a strange thing. You could trust many different people and find that trust abused or used wisely. Or you could choose not to trust someone and find it to be the wrong decision.
Merlin had done both.
Trust was a strange thing.
It always had been and always would be. Sometimes you know to trust someone or to not, but sometimes you trust people or don't trust them even when you heart and mind tells you to do the opposite.
Sometimes you follow what other people put their trust in. Although sometimes you know that they are trusting wrongly and do not. However you cannot always say that to them without risk or consequence.
There are moments when trust is all you have or something that you have nothing of. Trust was a weapon that Merlin knew to be a double edged sword and one of the most dangerous of its kind for trust could undermine anyone with such simplicity.
Merlin had never trusted Valiant; Edwin; Nimueh; Morgouse; Uther; Agravaine and many others. However his trust had always lied in those like Gaius; Freya; Finna; Kilgarrah; his Father (despite how long he knew him for,) and Arthur.
The Crystal Cave had never been a place that Merlin wished to visit, but there came a time when you had to do such things. Now he looked upon a trap, an endless wait until Morgana had destroyed everything that he had sought to build and protect.
He remembered falling unconscious at that thought. When he had awoken later his magic had returned and he had spoken to his Father. The light that he had walked into was bright and bold and the young servant found himself with time to think for a short moment.
His Father.
His Father stood in front of him telling him what he had to do now to save Arthur, helping him to regain his magic: who he was and what he always was.
'Trust in what he was.'
'Trust in what will be.'
Trust had to be earned by some, but other could gain without any form of action or response.
It was strange how you could have such little trust in one and such masses of it in another.
But he did trust his Father.
He did trust in everything that the man said.
Despite those who he had trusted in the past who had betrayed him, he always tried to give most a chance, Deagal was one example and Mordred another.
Yet after all of those who had put their trust in him: Freya; Alator; Finna; Gaius, some of them he had failed and some of them he had succeeded. Others were yet undecided in an undecided future that he could still guide to the right path.
He had trusted any and many had trusted him.
Trust was a very strange thing indeed.
I felt that I had to write something for 5x12, so here it is. I hope you liked it, please favourite, alert, review e.c.t and thanks for reading. If I don't manage to update Hunted in Every Direction tomorrow or write anything for 5x13 by Christmas Day, then Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.