After the Sting, a merlin fanfic

Summary: Merlin may have been cured of the Serket's poison but that doesn't take account for the whooping great puncture hole in his back. In all the fuss about Cenred and the army of the dead he just about forgot about it because of the adrenalin that kicked in. But with all that over what will happen now?

Merlin winced as he lifted the heavy saddle onto the horse. He knew there was something wrong with his back but he didn't want to make a fuss. He couldn't see his own back after all so it could all just be psychological, at least that's what he kept telling himself.

Lost in thought, he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing so it was no wonder the horse whinnied and reared when he pulled the strap of the saddle too tight on the creature's underbelly.

Merlin was thrown backwards onto the ground and let out a hiss of pain as his back flared up.

"Merlin!" Arthur jogged down the steps of the castle to calm the horse, "You really are useless aren't you?"

"Wha? Oh, sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"No change there then."

"Hey!"

Arthur shook his head and finished tightening the strap, "Do I really have to do everything around here?"

Merlin looked up with an exasperated sigh.

"Well? What are you still doing on the floor? Get up."

As he pushed himself to his feet Merlin winced again, something that didn't go unnoticed by Arthur.

"Stop being such a girl and get on your horse Merlin."

Merlin rolled his eyes and walked over to his horse.

'Right.' He thought to himself as he looked up at the animal, 'This could be interesting.'

After a little difficulty and significantly more teasing from Arthur than was strictly necessary Merlin had mounted and they could be on their way.

They had been riding through the woods for about half an hour before the token bandits that just had to attack them every single time made their appearance.

You would have thought that Arthur would have noticed something up with that by now but the prince remained happily ignorant to the emerging pattern.

There weren't many of them and under normal circumstances they wouldn't have had any problem but once Merlin was elbowed in the back by one of them (this was the act that final convinced him that no, it wasn't psychological) and fell unconscious from the pain Arthur was fighting unaided for the first time in years.

These bandits became the only ones to ever overcome Arthur Pendragon. They had a serket to thank for that for if Merlin hadn't been injured there was no way that the many branches on the surrounding trees would have remained attached to the trunks.

"Eugh." Merlin groaned as he woke up. He tried to stand but failed miserably with the discovery that he was tied to a stake stuck in the ground. Judging by the sky he had been out of it for a good few hours.

He twisted as much as his bonds would allow him to try and see something, anything, that might give him a clue as to where he was.

He had a sound from behind him and stopped.

"Merlin?"

"Arthur?"

"Where are we?"

"How should I know?"

"What happened?"

"Urm... I think we were attacked by bandits, I remember that I was knocked out and then nothing until I woke up here."

"No... I don't think they were bandits. Bandits would have killed us and taken anything of value."

"Who do you think they were then?"

"I don't know Merlin, perhaps I should just go and ask them. Oh wait! I can't, I'm all tied up."

"You're not that busy..."

"Merlin."

"Oh you meant literally."

Arthur sighed and muttered something under his breath about idiots.

They were left there for about three hours before they saw any sign of life from around them.

Arthur instantly tensed as a familiar figure walked out of the trees, Merlin tried to make himself as small as possible and failed due to the post he was tied to.

"Morgause." Arthur greeted stiffly.

"Arthur! It's been too long. And Merlin! It's not been long enough, although I am intrigued about how you escaped." She stood in front of them looking just as imposing but just as beautiful as ever.

"It seems I'm harder to get rid of than you two originally thought."

"Two?" Arthur asked.

"Yes two, I have a friend inside Camelot, has Merlin not told you? He figured it out ages ago didn't you Merlin?"

"And I've been stopping you ever since."

"Yes well you are annoying in that way... Never mind, the serket may have somehow failed before but you won't get lucky this time. My sister will be pleased to know that her poisoner is finally dead."

"Poisoner?" Arthur asked, "Merlin what is she talking about?"

"I poisoned her sister. But you've got to believe me Morgause! I didn't want to, I wouldn't have done if there had been any other way. But she was the vessel for the spell! Of course you know that you cast it... She was my friend, at least she used to be. Why would I want to poison her? And why do you think I still haven't sold her out after all this time? I don't think anyone should be executed for how they were born but for their actions. And I suppose that after she raised the army that just proves how much she's changed but still! Why do you think I gave you the name of the poison so you could cure her? Even when I knew that meant she could come back and name me!"

"I don't spend my time trying to figure out what goes on in that miserable little brain of yours, you may have stopped our army but what will happen next time we attack and Camelot's little protector is gone. Now I'd love to stay and chat but the Serkets are getting restless. I think I'll let them have their prey now don't you? So I'll just be taking Arthur here and we'll be on our way."

"No! What do you think you're doing?" Arthur struggled against her as she untied him from the stake.

"Hush now Arthur or I'll take you by force."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Well, if you insist. Swaef nu!" Arthur fell limp in her arms, asleep. "See you later Merlin... Or not." With that she walked of into the forest.

As soon as she was out of sight Merlin wasted no time in untying himself. With a flash of his eyes he was free and not a moment to soon as he heard a hiss from his right.

"Forbearne." The Serkets were kept at bay by his wall of fire as he escaped in the same direction as Morgause and Arthur.

"What? Where am I?" Arthur woke up after about half an hour.

"Hello sleeping head, finally back to the world of the living are we?" Morgause noticed he was awake.

"Where's Merlin? What have you done with him?"

"Well... I imagine that he's probably dead by now. And without you even realising all that he's done for you and Camelot."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something but choked on his words "Wh-what do you mean 'what he's done for Camelot'?

"Weren't you listening? It's down to Merlin that no one's ever taken Camelot. Without him you and your father would be dead."

Arthur shook his head in disbelief.

"He lied to you to stop you killing your father when we first met He poisoned my sister, the vessel for the spell. Blackmailing me into lifting it. He stopped the army of the dead just last week and then stood by and let someone else take the credit."

"So it wasn't really Morgana?"

"Of course not! Why would she destroy something of her own creation?"

"What?"

"That's right." A dark haired woman emerged from the trees a turned to Morgause, "Sister." She greeted her, "I wondered why you had called me but now I see. What about Merlin? Did you get rid of him?"

"Morgana!" Suffice to say Arthur was surprised to see her there.

"Don't worry sister, he won't be troubling us anymore."

"Sister?" Arthur choked out.

"Yes Arthur. It was me, it's always been me. But of course only Merlin saw that, he was the only one that knew about my magic. I thought I could trust him until he poisoned me, he's just as prejudiced as you or Uther though."

"That's where you're wrong." Came a frustratingly familiar voice from the cover of the trees as a figure emerged from the darkness.

Merlin ran through the forest in the direction that Morgause had been heading with Arthur. She couldn't have got very far on foot and he was bound to catch up with them.

He noticed that he was heading in the direction of Morgana's and Morgause's normal meeting place, it wasn't surprising. He imagined that since Morgause had got to 'kill' him then Morgana would get the pleasure of disposing of Arthur.

'Well' He thought 'I suppose this gets rid of the problem I would have when Arthur would have asked the questions about the traitor.'

He heard voices up ahead and quickly ducked behind a bush.

"Sister." Morgana said walking over to Morgause. "I wondered why you had called me but now I see. What about Merlin? Did you get rid of him?"

"Morgana!" Merlin hadn't noticed Arthur sitting on the floor until now.

"Don't worry sister, he won't be troubling us anymore." Morgause said coldly.

"Sister?" Arthur choked out.

Right. Enough was enough.

"That's where you're wrong." Merlin stepped out from his cover.

Morgana let out a frustrated sigh "Why won't you just die already?"

"Sorry to disappointed my lady but I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"And what are you going to do to stop us?" Morgause asked, "You couldn't even beat one of us in a sword fight let alone both of us when we have magic and you don't."

"Merlin just run!" Arthur shouted at him.

"Be fair Arthur, when have I ever done what you say? And I've managed to outsmart you both before what makes this time any different?"

"Because you've never actually faced either of us in a full out fight." Morgause ignored Arthur's comment and continued to treat Merlin like a child.

"Yes... Well... That's beside the point. Anyway, what about last week in the vault with Morgana?"

"I was winning until the ceiling collapsed and I didn't even have to use magic. I don't think you can count that."

Merlin started to edge subtly over to Arthur as he continued to distract the sisters.

"Well you've never managed to kill me either and you two are supposed to be priestesses of the old religion, don't you have the power over life and death or something? Then again I suppose Nimueh had that and look where it got her..."

"What are you talking about?" Morgause hadn't seen Nimueh since she left the Isle to live elsewhere but she still had great respect for the woman that had taught her most of what she knew.

"Didn't you know? She's dead."

From the ground near his feet he heard a gasp as he realised Arthur had seen him moving his way and shifted to meet him as much as possible.

"Don't be ridiculous. Do you expect to me to believe that you killed her? She's a high priestess you are merely a serving boy."

"I suppose... But it's still the truth."

'Emrys' A voice spoke in Merlin's head, he looked up. Several Druids were standing unnoticed behind the two witches.

"I still don't believe you." She said indignantly.

"Ok, don't believe me. But you could just ask them." He pointed to the druids and a split second later, whilst their backs were turned, he had Arthur untied and the two of them had fled.

"Merlin," Arthur said once they finally reached Camelot, "What the HELL was all that about?"

So I'll probably get a sequel up for this when I can... Or I might just put it as another chapter but I don ththat it would still go with the name if that were the case :S