So…..hi! This is my rewrite of Merlin: Season 5- Destiny or Fate. This will not include Ashlin as she got moved to another story (I may post it) and got a whole new hairdo. It will include eventual Mergana and Arwen. This starts three years after Season 4 of Merlin. If there's anything that's wrong, for example, I accidentally brought back a dead character (I've done it before. I forgot someone's Dad was dead and then he appeared). I've actually been planning out this story which I something I usually never do. It took hours of researching to create the rough plan. Each episode will be split into 2-4 parts. I have high hopes for this and hope you like it.

Enjoy!

EPISODE ONE:

The Bargain on Her Soul

Part 1

Every story must start and every story must end.

"Merlin!" Arthur bellowed as Merlin bounded down the stairs. "Where is she?"

"I looked!" Merlin protested indignantly.

"Look again! She can't just disappear!" Arthur said, exasperated.

"What do you want me to do? It's not my fault! Do you know how big this castle is?"

"Funnily enough, I do." Arthur looked away in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

"Then perhaps, you should have a look," Merlin recommended while mocking Arthur's annoyed tone.

"Are you capable of doing anything Merlin?" Arthur demanded, putting his hands up to bridge of his nose.

Merlin frowned and paused. "Putting up with you," he said indignantly.

"Ahem." Gwen came down the stairs with a maid trailing behind her, looking slightly amused at their bickering. She was sporting a velvet crimson dress that rested low on her shoulders and was cut in a 160° with flowers sewn on the edge.

Arthur folded one hand over the other, then let his arms relax loosely and nodded at his queen. "Guinevere." They entered the throne room together, with Merlin following behind, his own hands clasped behind him and his head tucked down.

The throne room looked as lavish as ever. The regal statues that stood above the chairs were polished and looked like new. The Round Table sat in the middle of room. Made of oak and polished until you could almost see your reflection, it took up a good amount of the large and long throne room. Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan and Gaius all had their respective places at the Round Table.

Merlin stood about 20 paces away from the table as he was a servant whereas Gwen took a seat gracefully and Arthur stood in his chain mail armor with his red cape flowing behind him and his crown resting upon his brow.

"We have had three long years of tranquility with hardly any attacks. We have made alliances with Annis, Olaf, Godwyn and the kingdom of Nemeth. You have been gathered here today because we will be having a visitor in three days. This visitor will be the Sarrum of Amata."

There was muttering around the table. Most of the knights had heard of this Sarrum but knew nothing about him.

"Sire, are you sure this is wise? Sarrum is known to be treacherous and ruthless against friend or foe," Gaius told Arthur.

"I am well aware of that. However, I have a job to do and that is to make Camelot peaceful and prosperous. That can't happen if we don't have truces and alliances with all the kingdoms. I would rather have the Sarrum as a friend than an enemy," Arthur rationalized. "As Gaius said, the Sarrum has the reputation of being cold-hearted so I want you to all be careful around him and, should you hear anything that is questionable, you should tell me or Queen Guinevere. That is all, you are dismissed."

The knights, Gwen and Gaius slowly filtered out and, as they left, Merlin turned to Arthur.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" Merlin asked.

"Are you doubting my judgment?" Arthur questioned.

"No, but the Sarrum is not a nice person, wouldn't like it if I baked him a pie." Merlin frowned but still uneasy about the situation.

"Look, Merlin, the reason I want a treaty or alliance is because of Camelot and…" Arthur lowered his voice, "I have heard rumors that he has captured Morgana."

"Morgana's been unheard of for three whole years." Merlin's tone was dismissive.

"And that's a long time."

"Morgana's a powerful witch. She couldn't get captured by a man like Sarrum."

"I need to know for sure. I want to know where she is. I don't like not knowing. It feels like...I'm just waiting to be attacked by her. What if she's out there planning something even more horrifying than before. I'd feel silly for not investigating."

"If I have to save your life from the Sarrum too…" Merlin muttered, accepting Arthur's reasoning. He didn't like that Morgana was part of the reason Arthur was doing this.

"When have you ever saved my life?" Arthur looked at Merlin as if he had grown a horn and walked away.

"If you knew…" Merlin stalked after him, grumpy that his advice had gone uncredited as always.

"We are thankful for the Sarrum and his party for gracing us with his presence. We welcome him and his warriors with friendship and good food," Arthur said as the Sarrum arrived.

"When I last saw you, you were just a boy with a wooden shield and sword," Sarrum replied.

Arthur touched the hilt of Excalibur. "I fight with a real sword and shield now."

"So I've heard." The Sarrum dismounted his horse. He was shorter than Arthur by one head. His head was bald and he wore a brown cloak around his shoulder. His eyes were cold and narrowed as if he was deciding whether he should hit a person with an upper cut or a jab first. He walked regally with a proud look on his face.

"We have a feast prepared for you and your men. Tomorrow we will negotiate the treaty and perhaps head down to the training field."

Arthur and his knights walk the Sarrum into the citadel. Arthur gave the Sarrum a tour of the castle and the Sarrum seemed to either comment: "Interesting"; "How peculiar"; or "Perhaps you should have…"

"Your belongings have already been brought up to your room." Arthur gestured to Merlin. "Merlin will show you to your chambers."

Merlin nodded. He did not like the Sarrum at all. He had a reputation of betraying other kingdoms, for example Essetir and having cruel methods. He also seemed to have something negative to say about absolutely everything and then compare it to something about himself or his kingdom that was better, in his opinion. Merlin led the Sarrum to his room.

The room was slightly larger and more decorated than any other guest chambers. There was another room to a private bathroom with a large bath basin. There were several candles lit and extras on a table which also held a bowl of fruit. A dressing screen stood in the corner of the room.

"These are your chambers."

"A bit too cold…" the Sarrum muttered, purposely allowing Merlin to hear him.

"I can light some candles if you'd like," Merlin offered resisting the urge rolling his eyes.

"I will be fine," the Sarrum responded, flicking a fluffed pillow on the maroon duvet. "You are dismissed."

Merlin bowed and briskly walked out of the room to collide with another servant, effectively spilling a bowl of fruit.

"I'm sorry!" Merlin exclaimed.

"No, it's my fault. I should have looked where I was going," the servant, who Merlin now realized was a girl, replied.

"It's fine," he said as he bent down to pick up the dropped fruits. The girl had long brown hair that was braided with a few strands of hair sculpting her face.

"Are you new? I haven't seen you around here," Merlin asked.

"Yes, I've just been hired as the Queen's maidservant." She stood and extended her hand. "I"m Sefa."

"Merlin." He took her hand and shook it, smiling.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice echoed down the halls.

"Is that the king?" Sefa inquired.

"Yeah I'm his manservant."

"Have I gotten you in trouble?" Sefa asked worried.

"I'm always in trouble in his mind," Merlin said with a grin. "You should see him when he's really angry-"

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice was growing louder.

"Which is now." Merlin gave a slight smile. "If you need anything, just ask!" he told her as he ran away in search of his annoyed master.

The feast was as sumptuous as any other. Chicken, a stuffed pig surrounded by vegetables, and wine sat on a long table. The musicians were playing fiddles and flutes in an enchanting way. A queue of people were standing in line to serve themselves. The hall was filled with the bustle of talking people. Merlin stood attentively behind Arthur as he and the Sarrum talked. Gwen sat at Arthur's side, nibbling on food.

"Is it true that you captured Morgana Pendragon?"Arthur asked, nervous about the upcoming answer.

The Sarrum laughed harshly. The knights listened subtly but Merlin, Gwen and Arthur were at rapt attention. "Aye, and she is still in my prison." He smiled deviously.

"She's a sorceress and a very powerful one at that. How did you capture her?" Arthur asked.

"She's nothing to be feared; I keep her like an animal. I found her weakness. Everyone has one. Hers is a young dragon." He took a drink of blood red wine. Behind him, Merlin froze. "Her love for that beast has caused her suffering beyond imagine." He put the drink down as Arthur shifted in his seat, clearly disturbed. "I knew she wouldn't use magic as long as her poor creature was at risk."

Merlin expected the news of Morgana's imprisonment to be a celebration. She was locked away, unable to hurt Camelot. However, as the Sarrum described her imprisonment, his hands tightened around the water pitcher. Despite Morgana being his mortal enemy, he felt a great amount of sympathy towards her. He had once known Morgana to be a quick-witted, spirited woman. He wished to have that Morgana back in his life. But he had to put aside any feelings he had for her in order to fulfill his destiny. Still, no human deserved such torture.

Gwen and Arthur's thoughts were the same as Merlin's. Arthur still thought of Morgana as a sister, and Gwen still remembered the compassionate mistress she once was.

"You are a harsh judge, Lord Sarrum." Arthur said, biting his lip.

"We must be merciless against sorcery. Sorcery is a creation of the devil as a way to torture us humans with its superiority." The Sarrum gave a sly smile. "Morgana will begging for death when I finally give it to her." There was an evil glint in his eyes as he spoke. "I've kept her imprisoned for three long years. As the beast grew, the pit became too small for it. It became twisted and crippled. At night, you could hear its cries which were even more heart-breaking than Morgana's."

Gwen nearly choked on food at his comment. Arthur's leather-gloved hand tightened around his sword. Merlin nearly dropped the water pitcher in his hands.

"She rarely sees the light and she knows that when light comes, there will be pain, oh... so much pain. Sometimes my men rain rocks down upon their heads, sometimes we haul Morgana out to whip her. She gets water thrice a week and food once. She is stuck down there with all her waste and misery." He sighed. "Such a shame all that power...beauty, abandoned in a living grave."

"Did you hear him Guinevere?" Arthur demanded as Merlin remove his pauldron. "That's my sister!"

"It's horrific," Gwen replied. "Utterly horrific."

"Morgana has done some awful things but no one deserves such pain." Arthur sighed. "Perhaps if I had done something differently…"

"You cannot blame yourself Arthur," Merlin told him. "There were people better placed to help Morgana."

"You were her friend too Merlin. Actually, you were much more than that, you had an infatuation with her."

"We were friends," Merlin defended blushing slightly, to which Arthur replied with a snort. "Still, you must feel relieved she is out of your way."

"How can I feel relieved?" Arthur asked. "She's my sister."

"She was our friend," Gwen declared.

"I know," Merlin sighed. "And...we all miss the old Morgana."

"I should feel happy, Gaius," Merlin said when he got back to his chambers. "She's gone, out of the way."

"If you felt happy, Merlin, you'd be no better than the Sarrum," Gaius informed him.

"I've tried to view her as a lost cause. I've tried to hate her. I only hate what she's done. Every time I try to think of hating her...I think of how she never betrayed my involvement with Mordred, how she never had me beheaded for poisoning her, and how she helped save my village." Merlin buried his head in his hands, grasping at his dark locks. "How are we suppose to be mortal enemies if I can't kill her?"

"Maybe killing her isn't the solution," Gaius suggested wisely.

"Kilgharrah said that she was Arthur's doom."

"What if you changed her? What if you saved her?"

"Morgana can not be saved," Merlin said defiantly.

"You said you tried to view her as a lost cause. Would it hurt anyone to try and save her?"

"She could turn on us again!" Merlin exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

"Morgana was once your friend Merlin, I know you liked her very much. You thought she was the most beautiful person in the world, on the inside and out. You loved her."

"Past tense Gaius," Merlin said blandly, while getting up.

"What happened to the wide eyed boy that stumbled into my chambers only a few years ago?" Gaius called as Merlin headed to his room.

Merlin turned around, the light shining off his high cheekbones "He grew up."

"You stubborn boy! If it was Gwen or Arthur in the same position as Morgana, wouldn't you want to save them?" Gaius asked, knowing he had struck a chord. Merlin went to his room without a word.

Arthur collapsed on his bed, running his hands through his hair. "I don't know if I can do this." Guinevere stood before him, looking tall and regal.

"Of course you can."

"He wants me to tax the citizens. How can he demand such things? He also wants me to be more harsh against druids and servants. He complained about Merlin three times!"

"You complain about him all the time," Guinevere countered.

"Yes, but I'm allowed to. He also demands that I train my knights better and he wants 15 acres of my land!" Arthur covered his face with a pillow. "His soldier, Albin, also beat me in a duel."

"If you can't have a treaty, at least make a truce of peace," Guinevere suggested.

"I can't do that," Arthur muttered.

"Why is that?"

"I want to rescue Morgana." Arthur sighed. "Don't say, 'are you sure?' 'it's dangerous' or 'you're crazy.'"

"I want to too," Guinevere whispered as Arthur sat up and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Maybe we can get her back. I can't believe what the Sarrum has done to her. She has done horrible things, but she doesn't deserve that."

"I will take Gwaine, Percival, Ector and Merlin."

"So little?"

"We will leave afterthe Sarrum leaves so that he isn't there when we rescue her" Arthur groaned. "I'm being an idiot. I'm risking a treaty for a woman that would see me dead."

Guinevere gave him a kiss on the forehead. "But, you may gain a powerful witch if you save her. It is the right thing to do, my king."

"Merlin, I need you to gather supplies for a week and five horses. After the negotiation meet me at the Southern gate with the supplies." Arthur pulled Merlin over just as they headed into the throne room for negotiations.

"Why?" Merlin asked, suspicious about Arthur's motives.

"Do you always ask questions?" Arthur demanded. "We're rescuing Morgana."

"Excuse me- what?" Merlin laughed. "I thought you just said-"

"We're rescuing Morgana," Arthur said between his teeth. "And keep your voice down."

"Arthur you can't!"

"It's 'my lord' and how dare you talk to me like that."

"She's a murderer. She wants you dead!"

"Aren't I also a murderer? She's my sister!" Arthur exclaimed. "No matter what she's done, she's still my little sister."

"Arthur, this is madness!"

"Merlin, I don't expect you to understand. You don't have siblings."

"Gwen's like a sibling to me," Merlin said indignantly.

"Well if Gwen had gone evil, wouldn't you want save her?"

"Yes, but this is different. This is Morgana. This woman has burned Camelot. She's murdered many innocents. She has done unforgivable things! You can't rescue her!"

"I've burnt druid camps. I've murdered soldiers on the battlefield because they are loyal to their leader. I killed Odin's son and Annis' husband."

Merlin stared at him, then continued in a concerned and slightly sarcastic tone. "Have you been enchanted? Have you eaten something recently that has made your ego drop? Are you delusional?" Arthur hit him upside the head. "Ow!"

"She is still my sister. Now, I want Gwaine, Percival, Ector and Leon to come along. Gather horses and supplies. And rope! Lots of rope." Arthur entered the throne room with an air of purpose.

"Bloody idiot," Merlin muttered.

Merlin was walking back to the throne room when Arthur, Gwaine, Percival and Ector appeared. "I heard you were sick!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Rumor," Arthur explained, walking at a brisk pace. "I didn't want to see the Sarrum off so we could go before him."

"Quite a sight really," Gwaine said. "He even went as far as having Percy and me carry him to Gaius'." Percival huffed in agreement as they continued walking.

"Have you got the supplies?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes sire," Merlin replied, still concerned about this particular mission. They arrived at the horses and mounted them.

"We must be fast," Arthur ordered. "We ride for two days straight."

"Are you sure-"

"Merlin."

"Yes sire?"

"Shut up."

All she saw was darkness, every day, every night. The only noises she heard was that of blood splattering, the keening of Aithusa and the cackling of guards. How she had fallen. Her love for Aithusa had been her downfall. Would she ever escape? She was a mess. She wished she was still Uther's ward. Arthur and Merlin would be on their way right now. When she was saved, Merlin would bring her flowers. She would wake up to the smell of wine along with colourful fruit that Gwen had fetched for her breakfast. Arthur would let her tease him, maybe throw a pillow or two, and Uther would do everything to make her happy by buying her combs and dresses.

How could she be so lost in darkness? Wasn't this her home? She belonged to darkness, she served darkness. How was it that her master was suffocating her?

I'm not sure if I got Sarrum right. I wanted to portray arrogance, sadism, and ruthlessness. What do you think of Sefa? Is she a spy? characters that will appear will be: The Green Knight, Daegal and Gilli will appear. If there are any characters you would like me to include leave a comment and I may include it.

~Fiery