Author's Note:
Yay! My first Merlin fanfiction! It's been ages since I last watched Merlin, when the show ended, but still, I loved that show and I wanted to make a AU of what could have been between the High Priestess and the Last Dragonlord! It will have Arwen, their to cute of a couple to be ignored. I feel like we need more Mergana here so I'm making a contribution!Updates will be whenever I have time and you should ever expect me to update quickly of all people!
The Prologue will be set 3 months after the incidents of Season 3 Episode 1 and will show Morgana having a dream about some stuff that happened in the AU version of the episode. She has these dreams every night, with or without the sleeping bracelet. I hope the summary vaguely gives you a idea about this fanfiction, but feel free to PM me if you don't understand what the hell is going on!
On with the chapter!
Prologue - Dread
Pray that the water will drown out the din
But as the water fills my mouth
It couldn't wash the echoes out
But as the water fills my mouth
It couldn't wash the echoes out
I swallow the sound and it swallows me whole
Till there's nothing left inside my soul
As empty as that beating drum
But the song has just begun
Florence + The Machine "Drumming Song"
Dread: To fear greatly; Be in extreme apprehension of something or someone.
She had fallen asleep, hadn't she?
She should never have fallen asleep, because this is what happened, what always happened, and she was a fool for thinking that today of all days was going to change in her favour.
It was coming.
The nightmare was coming.
She was at the lake again. Her back to the trees and beautiful mountains. Her eyes taking in the shimmering blue of the lake in front of her. Opposite her where the lake met the ground once again stood the proud tall tower of Avalon. It was truly magnificent, unlike the cold mountains behind her, the tower seemed to radiate of warmth and kindness.
She looked at the lake just in time to see the reflection of a white raven. It swooped down to the water, its claws cut into the water sending ripples of water to either sides of the shore. Its wings were stretched and the underside of the wing revealed some grey and black. Its eyes were mud brown and the raven gave a loud shriek, like a battle cry. Its claws lifted and it flew to a rose bush and plucked a white rose from its twigs.
The raven perched on Morgana's shoulder and Morgana turned to look at it, she already knew what she would see but her actions never seemed to be different. So as her head swivelled, she once again saw "Morgause" written elegantly on the ravens shoulder. She watched it pluck the petals of the rose, till it looked satisfactory and the bird flew off Morgana's shoulder and dropped the rose into the lake.
As the roses journey to the other side of the lake progressed, Morgana saw the white rose turn black. She looked up to the other side of the lake and saw a lion now standing in wait of the rose. A shadow loomed over them and Morgana gasped as she saw a dragon approaching the lion. The dragon bellowed a magnificent roar before landing by the lions side, its head bowed to the lion. It's king.
The rose had made its journey to the lions side of the lake, now pitch black and cold, its thorns were blood red and its stem a dark green. The lion picked it up and Morgana anxiously looked to the dragon who shared her look. The dragon was scared.
The lion pawed at the rose, prodding it before he abruptly stopped and looked behind him to the dragon. The dragon nervously bowed its head and Morgana could see a tattoo of a black rose on the lion's shoulder. The lion roared indignantly to the dragon. The dragon nodded timidly and the dragon let out another furious roar and launched itself at the dragon's head, its teeth bared.
Morgana had watched this so many times but still couldn't help but gasp at the violent display of such a small animal attacking a dragon of such power and might. The dragon didn't fight back. It seemed to be accepting, no willing to let the lion go about its business. But the dragon's eyes pierced through Morgana accusingly. And accuse her, he should, but he had also wronged her as well is what she told herself. It was of little comfort.
She hears the roars of agony escaping the dragons mouth and watches horrified, as the blood from the wound on the dragons head, trickles into the lake and onto the lions shoulder making the tattoo of the rose on the lions shoulder red. The lake turns a crimson colour and the white raven squawks in victory. The dragon seems to slump a bit and the lion once again lunges at the dragon, its teeth aiming for the heart. As the teeth make contact with the skin that protects the heart, more scarlet blood trickles out, she hears the roar of intense pain as the dragon cries out. It seems to be crying, its body racking with sobs and Morgana can only imagine the agony and the torture it must be going though.
As the dragon slumps to the floor it changes into the bloodied body of Merlin, his head is bashed and covered with blood, his eyes are the richest blue letting out a torrent of tears and his hands cover his chest and heart. The bloodied rag of clothing he wears not absorbing most of the blood. Beside her she sees Morgause smirking victoriously in the place of the raven. She sees Uther panting angrily over the body of Merlin, the rose, a image on his cloak.
She's screaming. The sadness of Merlin's death, the anger at Uther for killing him, and the confusion that her and Morgause had caused his death. Gwen cannot comfort her now, she is at her home sleeping soundly on her bed and the guards are used to her screaming, believing she is suffering from trauma. Her midnight hair is wet with sweat and looks as wild as her green eyes do. Her nightgown are cloaked in the sticky substance and the beads of sweat trickle down her face. She pants for breath, the cold air rushing down her throat, calming her down. As her scream subsides she feels her hand is a bit sticky.
She has blood on her hands, if it wasn't for the dream she wouldn't have given it much thought but she does have blood on her hands, Merlin's. It was from the scab on her hand from fencing with Arthur and she appears to have been itching it. But she can't help consider the double meaning to it.
There is a ringing in her head and she realises with a horror that its the scream of the dragon as he died. As Merlin died.
It won't stop.
She's throwing things left and right to drown out the noise of the roar, gowns, candles, chairs and plates, hearing them smash loudly on the ground but not drowning out the noise. Morgana fills the tub and sinks her head in it to drown it out but still, the roar finds its way to her. She groans in frustration.
She hates the night.
She hates that she fears the night.
She feels only one emotion for the darkness and sleep.
Dread.