"Seize him"
The words that Merlin had feared for years and there they were. The guards hesitantly headed towards Merlin, hardly believing that the young man they had all grown to know and care for was a sorcerer. They didn't see how Merlin could be evil but the Kings orders had to be obeyed. Merlin watched in horror as the guards advanced, weapons drawn, all with the intention of capturing him. He didn't have time to think about how much Arthur giving him up hurt or how all his other friends simply looked horrified at the idea that he was a sorcerer, he just knew he had to get away. With tears streaming down his cheeks, Merlin ran, too afraid to look back.
Far away in a large cavern, Kilgharrah felt the young warlock crying out. It wasn't a conscious decision made by the warlock to reach out but a cry of fear, helplessness and hurt. The bond that the Great Dragon and the dragonlord shared was a bond of kin. This cry left Kilgharrah thirsting to protect Merlin and an urge to wreak havoc on he who had inflicted this pain on him. Without a second thought, the Great Dragon took to the skies; off to find the young warlock.
Arthur still couldn't believe what he had seen. Merlin, his manservant who was loyal to a fault, who was the clumsiest person in all of Camelot, was a sorcerer and if his display of magic was any indicator, he was a damn powerful one at that. He watched as his guards went to restrain Merlin. He himself was unable to move, even when the sorcerer turned and ran. Arthur just stood where he was, thinking of any way to explain what he had just seen.
The unfamiliar man burst into the throne room, a blood red cloak flowing behind him. Arthur expected the man to come up to him and challenge him, but much to his surprise, the man went to Merlin.
"Emrys, you have failed. The Druids have supported you for years, but you have given us reason to doubt your power, so prove it"
Merlin just stood and stared at the man, mouth slightly open but an intense look in his eyes that stopped Arthur from immediately having the old bat taken from the hall.
Merlin broke the silence that had fallen across the hall.
"Your people have always supported me, so I will do as you ask if it means your continued support."
Arthur gasped. He had been expecting denial or confusion from Merlin, not acceptance. What happened next, Arthur didn't think he would ever be able to comprehend.
The man threw off his cloak and said quietly but with a force that projected his voice to ever set of ears in the throne room, "There is no time like the present."
Before any of the onlookers knew what was happening, there was an intense sorcerers duel between this man and Merlin. As intense and awe (or fear) inspiring as it was, it was short lived. The man had muttered a few unintelligible words, all causing impressive looking bursts of energy to be projected at Merlin. As impressive as they were, Merlin seemed to counter them with ease. Merlin gave Arthur a sad longing look, and without saying a word; Merlin's eyes flashed gold. The man was forced to his knees by an invisible force that he was unable to block or counter.
"Very good Emrys, your destiny may still be able to be redeemed."
"No, you have ruined it all," Merlin retorted, for once leaving the intruder confused. Without another word, the stranger disappeared.
Without knowing how else to react, especially to such public disregard to the laws of Camelot, Arthur said the one thing he knew he shouldn't:
"Seize Him"