The Pirates of Fate

by CoLdBlAdE

*Sequel to "The Reasons For Treason". Definitely read the first story before this one. Four years have passed of peace, but our heroes have had enough of waiting for the fates plans to come to fruition. Merlin takes it upon himself to contend with destiny, but soon discovers why Fate is foretold, not made. And why is everyone so afraid of a man named Thor?

2. He Who Was Born Great

Hello Thar! No, don't worry, I haven't become a pirate…despite the title of this story…and the parrot on my shoulder…and all the raping and pillaging. It's a hobby of mine. So after the last chapter I was able to kick it up gear with this one, after laying all the emotional groundwork before, and finally write about the void. Plus there are two new characters in it that will both play a major role in the over-all plot.

Also two things to address. I got PM's and one thing was repeatedly brought up through most of them. People seemed to want to know when I would be doing one of the weird chapters again like I did in the reasons for treason (Wish upon a Warlock, Danger in the Darkness etc) and the answer is very soon. The next two chapters will really be dealing with the void, the dungeons of Turf and the consequences of Merlin and Morgana's decision but as soon as I can (maybe chapter 5?) so don't worry if you like them. Another was how much people seemed to miss my odd little disclaimer thing that I did in the last story. I didn't know people even noticed it so I didn't think to bring it in, but if you like them then I'll do it.

Anyway, as promised, onto your wonderful reviews:

Paladinobr: Thank you :P Yeah Morgana does have deep feelings for James, but in what way remains the question. Am I messing with you or not is the better the question lol but personally I love worrying and deciphering things whenever I read, so I guess I'm hoping other people do too. Merlin will DEFINITELY pay the price for what he's done, but due to quite a few people being angry at him I decided to explain his actions in more depth in this chapter. Anyways thanks for taking the time to come over to this story and review it, it really does mean a lot, so thank you.

Chase: Hello! Yeah I know it took me a while. I had two exams and wouldn't allow myself to write for this in the meantime so I could revise properly, and even after that it's over 13,000 words long so it takes me a while. I am pleased that you're interested enough to ask me to update sooner tho :P Am I sick? Yes, yes I am – and I'm not even sorry for it :P Oh I've just seen your other review :P Wow two thank you. I'm glad you liked the reasons for treason and also glad to hear you liked Gwaine's "Two Dragons" quip :P Anyways as I said, I'm pleased you like it so far and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Thank you.

Seddie Lover: Hey, great to hear from you again, although I'm glad I finally made someone shriek it's a small ambition of mine I admit. And I missed writing for these characters and reading your reviews as well, but yeah the disclaimer. As I said above I had a few PM's about that which I wasn't really prepared for lol I didn't think people actually noticed it so I thought I'd save myself a few seconds per chapter, but I will start it again in this chapter, I swear. As for the whole bafflement at the beginning of the first chapter then don't worry, I want you to be. You're not supposed to understand it yet, or for a good long time for that matter. Although it will become apparent probably towards the end. A lot of people are angry at Merlin and Morgana at the moment, so I've explained their reasoning a bit more in this chapter – but aside from that we all know they make very bad choices anyway – so it's a bit of both. Though yes, in my opinion, they are stupid :P No I've also had a lot of people demanding James come back lol which was again a bit of a surprise. I wasn't going to bring him in for another few chapters but we'll see. Lol yeah James and Morgana, but did I mean an affair or is that how people and the characters are perceiving it? One thing you learn in psychology is the importance of individual perception, and that's all I'm giving you. As for the Bella/Imi catfight for James there will be none…in this story Bella is four years old after all lol but James attracts hero worship so maybe that will be the limit. Does my fiancé know about the offers of first born daughters? Absolutely not, and we're going to keep it that aren't we? Ay? AY!? No I don't want to make you cry by updating late lol I'm doing my best I swear. Rosie's fine, thanks. Had a bit of a scare with her choking in her sleep but according to the doctors it was a one-time thing…although that didn't stop me hanging around outside her door for a month lol but so far so good. And thanks for the assurance about reviews. I was a bit worried considering how many the last got, and if people weren't interested in this one it would be my fault :P So was a bit worried, but thank you for all your kind words and I sincerely hope this chapter doesn't let the "Faithful" down :P Thanks so much.

MaryandMerlin: Hey! It really was excellent to hear from you again I must admit. Ah, I had exams myself after I posted these so I understand. Two in two weeks so a lot of revising in between. Lol Yes family CoLdBlAdE are fine, thanks. You know a lot of girls have been saying how much they want a baby whenever they've seen Rose but so far no one wants to buy her! Insane right? It's not like I'm charging massive amounts either! Yes the bedtime history lesson was always how I was going to start it, and yeah I did used to tell my sisters stories when she was a bit younger. Her favourite was the three stupid lions :P then she got old and annoying. Yeah Morgana's vision, I enjoyed writing that, and it was still of the future which I'll explain further in this chapter. Was the mysterious Him Imi was thinking about James or that child saviour? I guess I'll leave it up to you to decide :P Evil, yes, but you should know that already. And come on, would I ever kill off Imi? That's absurd… :) Lol four way between James, Morgana, Imi and Bella? So that's pretty vile, but then again I've got no one to blame but myself I guess. And yeah there won't be any James/Bella stuff. She is four after all. It's gonna be more like how Imi described her relationship with James in reasons for treason of when she was growing up. A sort of hero worship (because that's what James attracts most) and her parents crazy friend, certainly no romance yuk! Yeah Mordred and Morgause were brought it because after series 5 I felt it was impossible not to include Mordred, plus I was already thinking about it, and Morgause is also Anna's half-sister and I want a whole Morgana/Anna/Morgause sister thing going on in this story. Let's be honest, Anna deserves more than just James to help her, and plus she'll be growing up and she needs those female role models – as well as moving away from James quite a bit. It's what happens when you grow up :P The dungeons of turf will be explored better in the next chapter, for this one it's more about the efforts to free Anna and setting up how the three sisters will be together. Yeah "Thor" will be appearing soon, and there is a reason he left Anna that will be explored later. Pretty much everyone apart from Morgana suspects he lied now about remembering them, but after he told her his biggest secret it's hard for her to accept that he would lie to her like everyone else, and no one is really sure if he did or didn't. Yeah Merlin in the show tends to do stupid things even if he thinks their wrong, and even though he's convinced himself Imi needs to be saved he also suspects he may be wrong – and Arthur is just being dragged along lol You'd like to see some James/Imi fluff? I do enjoy writing them together I must admit, because like Imi said in the reasons for treason, she hates him for the same reasons she loves him so their fun. Lol we'll see about the Morgana/James thing. I have a plan for that which I can't deviate from, but I hope you won't be disappointed. Oh I got even more plot twists in store for this story :P in fact I've already set a few of them up, so really looking forward to that. Ok, let's check out these four theories of yours. 1) You think Morgan is of no relation to Morgana and I just wanted to throw you off? Wow, so you know me well lol but at the same time WRONG! Maybe… 2) The mysterious him Imi was thinking of is her son? You know what? I'm gonna cut you some slack and tell you…that this answer is in this chapter :P though I don't refer to it per say. 3) Imi is in no danger at all and Merlin/Morgana are just being stupid parents? Well, again, I give you a hint in this chapter and answer it in the next chapter. 4) James already knows everything that happened because he's awesome? Well, yes, he is awesome and you know what? Yes. He does know everything that's going on…mostly…but he's a bit preoccupied with running around cleaning up after people as you'll see. I agree mostly with what you said about the fifth series, especially with Arthur finding out about Merlin's magic sooner than he did, or at least make one more series where Mordred would have a better reason to want to kill Arthur and as you said, Arthur would have been able to really unite albion including sorcerers. But we get what we get, and it was still pretty good. No one likes endings. They're always supposed to bring everything together and make sense of everything that's happened which is almost impossible. A Merlin movie? It does sound like a rumour, but please let me know if anything comes of it. Anyways there we are! Thank you so so much for such a wonderful review and I hope I don't let you down. Thanks again.

StormQueen6711: Hey! Yeah I do have a plan to sort through all of these problems :P and I hope they're good…I hope lol Anyways thanks for taking the time to review. Each one means a lot to me so thank you.

Reka Leaf: Lol thanks. Ok, so you're quickly becoming my favourite :P although I should warn you my head is already too big for most hats so careful with those very welcome words of praise. Oh hey, you don't need to write a long review. The fact that you took the time to leave anything means the world, and since your review was so wonderful then let me say thank you very very much, and I hope that this chapter doesn't let you down.

Whitepurity: Oh yes! I'm back! I would say with a vengeance but frankly the shame would kill me. I do have a few things planned yeah :P and in fact there is a glaringly obvious one I was so worried people would see straight through, but no one did! As in no one, so I'm very happy now. Please don't go back and re-read it :P Yeah I thought it felt a bit rushed, in fact until the finale I was kind of expecting another series…but yeah then Arthur died. Kinda kills it a bit. Anyways thanks so much for coming over from the last story and reviewing this one. I was a bit worried people were going dislike like this one and it be blaringly obvious through reviews, but so far so good. Let's hope I don't ruin it now :P Thanks again, and hope you enjoy this chapter.

SImranbegum12345: Hope I got the name correct? To be honest I do most of these from memory so please don't hate me. Also thanks :P There is a reason I started it like that which won't become clear until the final chapters. A lot of people are anxious about the whole Morgana/James thing. In fact most people have mentioned it, and I should be ashamed to say it's on purpose…but I'm not :P Either way they are becoming alarmingly close, and I will use that at a vital point later, but as for how I can't tell you without ruining it. Anyways thank you so much for your review and I really do hope this chapter keeps it up. Thanks again.

MerganaLover: Yes I'm back! As are you which I'm pleased about :D Thanks for sticking with me. Indeed I have set things up which hopefully remained hidden, and I will in this chapter too, though not as many. This one will be more action and revelation, and introducing two new characters. Yeah a lot of people seemed to like Bella which I'm pleased about, and we'll find out a little bit more about her character in this. I always like the maternal side to Morgana, which was always seen when Mordred was around and they brought back a little in series 5, but I wanted more :P Merlin is indeed breaking the rules because that's what Merlin does, and I'll explain why he's done it a little more in this chapter. Yeah I too was angry with what they did to Morgana, although I liked what they did with the rest of it despite the rushing and everything. In the legends Morgana has a change of heart and she is the one who takes Arthur into Avalon to try and save him, so I was really looking forward to that. Oh well though right? I can still use this to get what I want :P Yep, the plot unravels a little more in this chapter and as I said, two new characters who will be important are introduced. Anyways as always, thanks so so much for reviewing. It really means a lot to me.

The-supernatural-way: Hey! Love the name. Are you a fan of supernatural? Because it's one of my favourite shows. It's what inspired me to do the weird chapters people have been asking me to repeat, because of the trickster ones they did mainly. In fact I've even got my own trickster coming up soon because I couldn't resist lol Anyways thanks for your frankly brilliant review and hope this chapter does it for you too. Thanks again.

Mergana: Hey! Nice to see you again. Don't worry, James and Imi will meet again soon, and there will be a lot of Mergana in this story. They just have their own missions at the moment as I don't want them to just become a couple and lose their own identities. Thanks again.

No name: Hello thar! Thanks so much for taking the time to review and hope it lives up to that promising :P Thanks again.

KingleyCrab: Ok I have to ask, where does that name come from? Lol sorry but I'm one of those people whose curiosity borders on insanity. And thank you for your review. I hope I don't let you down.

AfricanVintage: Love your name too. What is it with you people and great names? And thanks, it good to be back. I hope the rest suits you and thanks so much for taking the time to review.

MotherEarth02: Hey! How goes things? Haven't heard from you in a bit, but glad to see the last chapter went down so well :P And by the way, that "OH MY HOLY NORSE GODESS" thing made me laugh right in front of my most banterific friend, sometimes known as the arsehole :P So thanks. Yeah a lot of people seem to miss James but he will be back, probably sooner than I had anticipated considering the surprising demand for him. Yeah Bella jumping on Arthur's bed to wake him up was something my little sister used to do to me, and because you love them they get away with it. Or emotional blackmail as I like to call it lol All it takes is the puppy dog eyes. Yeah Imi's destiny was something I wanted to fit in in the last story but was afraid I'd already packed in too much, so I slid it in this one, and you'll see a bit of it in this chapter…as well as another tid bit :P Anyways as always I simply adore hearing from you, and I really hope I don't let you down with this chapter. Thanks so much again.

Narutoske: Thanks :P and good to see you again. Yeah new plot, and new characters in this chapter. I hope you like them both :P but we'll see, haven't really gone into too much detail with the characters yet. Yep it's all gonna be in it. Adventures, weird and kinda spooky enemies and a lot of faith and sacrifices :P I like that kinda thing. Ah Mordred, yeah well you'll have to wait and see. Arthur still hasn't told Merlin that he was there yet and where Morgana is, since they're kind of busy, but it will all come out. The modern world will play a vital role towards the end, but again I can't tell you why yet as it would give away quite a lot. Yeah Morgause and Morgana will sort of be on the same side, and with Anna I have a whole three sister dynamic going on in my head, because since Anna is growing up she'll wanting to spend time with more female role models rather than her insane guardian :P which will be very fun to write. Anyways thanks for you review and it really means a lot for you to come over from the last story to read this one. Thanks again.

Ok! There we are. Those if you who asked if I could do the weird disclaimer again then this is for you. I hope you enjoy! Although I wasn't kidding about if anyone wanted to use any of my characters like James, Imi and Anna. Just let me know and you can use them. Like I said, fan created characters of Merlin :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of its characters, and they say that Gandalf is Merlin's retarded gay niece…from Holland.

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Chapter 2 – He Who Was Born Great

The bells were ringing.

Gwen's head snapped up to look at the ceiling of her chambers, her usually soft brown eyes wide with alarm. Camelot's warning bells echoed in her ear. Somehow they always managed to ignite a storm of panic from somewhere deep within her, ever since they had resonated for her father when he had tried to escape his execution. Little Bella looked up as well, having been playing innocently enough on the floor with her Aunt Gwen's many shoes.

"Why are they winging, Aunt Gwen?" The girl asked, her tone scared, and the fact that she still couldn't pronounce her 'R's correctly made Gwen all the more protective of her.

"I don't know, honey," Gwen attempted to sound calm and collected, grabbing the girls' hand as the two stood. "But I do know that we're going to be just fine, alright?"

Bella seemed to judge her Aunt's gaze with her fearful, glistening one. Eventually however the little girl nodded. "Alright," she replied in a terrified little voice. This was the first time she had heard the bells ringing, but she knew what they meant. It meant Camelot was in trouble. Only this was the first time it had happened in her lifetime, and her Mummy and Daddy weren't here to reassure her. Not even her Uncle Arthur was here. Her grip tightened on her Aunt Gwen's hand, determined not to lose her as well.

As if on cue the doors to the royal chambers were thrown open, and in stepped Sir Leon. "My lady, we have a problem."

Gwen gave a sharp nod. "Yes, what is it?"

"Well, it's sort of difficult to describe," Leon struggled, his face scrunching up in his battle to find the correct words. "But it appears as if Camelot is under attack by some manner of…creature fleet."

The young Queen had to shake her head a little. "A fleet of creatures? What does that mean?"

"As it sounds, my Lady," Leon persevered. "A stampede of creatures I've never seen before are at our gates, and we're going to have to act fast if we are to preserve the citadel."

Gwen was not only confused, but scared as well – two emotions that never mixed well together. Where had these supposed creatures come from? Why were they attacking Camelot? What would Arthur do? She blinked back her fear and steadied the knight with her most composed stare. "Then act we must. Try and save as many people as you can from the outlining villages, but Camelot must be our main priority. Ready all the archers available and arm the first patrol with spears. If these creatures are indeed as peculiar as you say then they may be our best chance."

Leon nodded sharply. "I agree."

"I'll leave you to decide what the army should be armed with," Gwen added. "Send guards to bring Uther and Gaius to the throne room. Their experience will be invaluable."

Leon was already backing away by the time she had finished. "Right away, my lady," he obeyed, and with that ran from the room. Gwen took a deep breath to steady her fluctuating nerves. She didn't want to call Uther, but the once king was a supreme strategist in warfare. She had to look beyond her own discomfort when Camelot needed her too. With one more calming breath she moved over to the window, dragging little Bella with her, and allowed her eyes to flutter closed.

"Aunt Gwen?" Bella began gently. "Why are you closing your eyes?"

Gwen smiled down at the girl, hoping it showed all of her affection for her. "That man who came earlier, Mordred, said an old friend of ours had spent the last four years watching over us and keeping us safe," she answered, turning back to stare out the window. "I'm praying that he still is."

Bella scowled. She was only four but she wasn't stupid. How could a single man save them from so many monsters, unless… "Is he a magic man?"

The laugh that escaped the Queen was completely involuntary. "If you mean is he a sorcerer, then yes. But he likes to think he's magic in other ways too, and sometimes, he really can be."

"Is he the thunder man too?" She enquired, earning a frown from the Queen.

"The thunder man?" She asked back, a slight smile tugging at her lips. What on earth was a thunder man? "Not that I know of, but he is your Uncle Arthur's cousin. He even brought him back from the dead once right in front of me. If anyone can help us now, it's him."

Bella's frown was still firmly in place despite her Aunt's words, but eventually turned her bemused little eyes to gaze out the window. The army was assembling. Archers, guards, warriors and knights were all gathering and running off in different directions to their positions. She had never seen so many people before. It frightened her even further, causing her to clutch the Queen's hand even tighter and close her own eyes.

"Please save us, magic man."

---

Arthur plunged his sword into the gut of one of the many beasts that had shown up after he and Merlin had entered the void. The pure insanity and variety of their surroundings was overwhelming. The moment they had stepped into this world they had had to collect themselves. The sky was smothered in menacing dark clouds, all clashing together in the blood red sky, and almost concealing the three moons hanging like weightless pale eyes in the vast ruby heavens. The grass was green, but appeared only in ugly unkempt patches on the numerous hills. Not one piece of earth was completely flat, and the segments without grass were scorched bone dry, similar to that of a dessert. Clearly this had been the home to many crusades over time.

Jagged but mighty looking mountains were the only sign that the battle scorched land ever ended, and even they were so far away that you had to focus in order to make them out. Even the air was different here. Upon their rather abrupt arrival they had immediately realised the air was actually heavier, like several men trying to pull them down to the ground at once. It was thick with a heat they couldn't place, making even breathing a chore as they fought for their lives. To their right lay a forest so dark the leaves themselves were jet black, and to their left the remnants of what had clearly once been some form of castle, one that had long ago been forgotten and had eroded away into near nothingness.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, compared with the monsters that had appeared from every conceivable angle to attack them. From every shape, every colour, from every possible nightmare from which they had come – most even seemingly a combination of some species they knew back in their world. Most of them reptilian and insect in origin. All of them mammoth in their size. After they had fought their way through the giants pretending to be human warriors, they had been almost stampeded by these creatures, their attention focused more on the open gateway than on them. It was the only reason they were still alive. Kilgharrah had performed some form of spell that had kept them firmly in the void, but a fleet had escaped before the mighty dragon could even flinch and most had headed in the direction of Camelot.

Arthur had NOT been pleased.

"I hate you, Merlin!" He cried, carving out another monsters innards as it attempted to leap over them.

Merlin threw up his outstretched palm, and with a burning gold flash in his eyes sent three scorpion like creatures thundering back. "You mentioned that already!" He had to call back. Strange howls and calls were emitting from everywhere around them. The only way the young warlock could describe it was pure, unfiltered chaos. Creatures were soaring through the air, charging past and over them, some trying to claim them as a meal on their way.

Chaos.

"I hate your face!" Arthur continued, furiously cutting down a vine that had grown up from the soil under his feet and had tried to wrap itself around his leg. Even the vegetation here was hostile. "I hate your ears! I hate your stupid little scarf that you never take off! I hate the girlish way in which you run! But most of all, Merlin, I hate the way you breathe! Because it is with this breathing that you have learnt to talk and in doing so decided to ruin my life!"

The young warlock grabbed a hold of his kings' arm and attempted to pull him forwards, trying his best to guide them through the oncoming stampede nightmares were made of. "That's a little punitive!" He still had to yell despite being right next to him now.

Arthur ground his teeth together. "Oh great! Big words! It's that time of year again is it?"

"It means harsh-!"

"I know what it means!" Arthur heatedly interrupted. "How about shutting up and starting to thinking of where Imi might be! That way we can get her back, survive and then return to what's left of my kingdom before the big scary monsters you released eat it all!"

In spite of his, as always, irritating way of getting points across, Arthur had actually raised a valid argument. All they were doing was surviving here, and that was because he had no idea where to turn to next. How was he to know where Imi was? This place was an utterly different world to the one he knew. He had no idea how to even begin navigating it.

"I don't know where to go!" He finally admitted, fully expecting the look of utter rage to spread across his kings' face. "I'm sorry!"

"Well I'll be sure to remember that as I cut off your head!" Arthur ground out, bringing his finger violently across his own throat. "Let's see how well your scarf of ridiculousness does then!"

Merlin finally snapped. "Some of us need it to keep warm! We don't all have huge fat necks to support our giant heads!"

"You wear it in summer!" Arthur fought back.

"Gwen likes it!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur demanded, narrowing his eyes.

Merlin shrugged. "Just saying!"

A terrible cavalcade of thunderous roars managed to overpower the already chaotic rumble surrounding them, causing the two to whip around and stare at the sky. There, circling like a wake of vultures, were over twenty fully grown Dragons soaring just beneath the dark mesh of clouds. Needless to say the duo simultaneously gulped, and they weren't sure if it was simply paranoia, but they could have sworn they were being stalked.

Merlin shook his head, lips parted. "I don't think I can command that many at the same time," he murmured just loud enough for his comrade to hear, and earned himself the instant attention from him.

"Are you serious?" Arthur hissed, threw a fleeting but fearful glance at the lowering dragons, and turned back to Merlin with a heavy sigh. "They're getting closer."

The young warlock took two bold steps forward, greedily sucking in as much oxygen as he could. "Oh Dragons! Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai!" He roared out, as always forcing Arthur to shudder. However it seemed to have more of an effect on the fair haired royal than the Dragons, as only a few seemed to acknowledge his command. Merlin released a sharp breath of annoyance. He didn't know about the complexities of being a Dragonlord. He had only ever had to command one at a time before, never a whole clan or tatsu or…he didn't even know the term for a group of Dragons!

"I don't think it worked," Arthur deadpanned.

The young warlock puffed out his cheeks. "I noticed," he replied, turning to the king when the ancient beasts suddenly swooped down on their position. "So, run then?"

"That's quite possibly the smartest thing you've ever said. Go!" On his command, the two charged off in the direction of the dark forest in search of cover, fully aware that they weren't fast enough to make it there before the dragons reached them.

"Non didlkai! Kari miss! Epsipass imalla krat!"

Merlin recognised it immediately. The roar that had echoed across the chaotic scene was unmistakable. It had been in the dragon tongue, it had sent chills through his entire body, but it hadn't been him who had uttered the ancient words of power. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see the mighty winged beasts fighting against the words, the front few of them having to upswing back up into the skies whilst shaking their heads.

"Merlin!" Arthur bellowed, using the tone the warlock knew to be one of warning.

He spun around and had to come skidding to a halt, because from out of the forest stepped two men with menacing frowns on their faces. The younger looking male had short jet black hair, tanned skin and ice-blue eyes. He was clearly still in his teenage years, but he still managed to vibrate authority with each step he took. The other man was older but no less intimidating. He had long brown hair and a thick beard, and together with his pale skin and an almost red tinge in his eyes proved a frightening sight.

But it was when the teenage stranger opened his mouth that Merlin felt his heart stop. "Katostar abore ceriss! Katicur! Me ta sentende divoless!"

Half of the remaining dragons let out a low, pained growl and shot back up to safety in the heavens. Merlin and Arthur turned back to the two new arrivals with equal measures of bewilderment, but again were still not prepared for what happened next. They doubted anyone would be. Because the older male with the beard ground his teeth together, slid off his long black coat…and morphed. Arthur actually let out a loud cry of panic as the once man's skin grew reptilian scales, massive yellow fangs expanded in his mouth, and his eyes shone a terrifying blood red. But the main reason for Arthurs cry was mainly due to the fact that it had grown into a massive serpent in the blink of an eye, snake like in its appearance, easily about thirty feet high and twice as long.

Arthur raised his sword out of instinct, his eyes wider and more afraid then they had ever been. But the younger male with ice-blue eyes merely raised his hand and threw him off to the side with a flick of his wrist.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled, raising his outstretched palm in the direction of the younger, assumingly human, male.

So here he was, in a world consumed by madness, aiming his hand at the only other Dragonlord in existence and a monster from the very nightmares he had had as a child. Two dragons were at his back, he was surrounded by creatures he couldn't even categorise…and that's when it happened. The dragons moved in on his position. The terrifying serpent lunged at him with lightning speed. Merlin barely had time to boggle his eyes before the monster had reached him, but to his utter surprise watched it soar over his head and attack one of the dragons.

The two beasts locked into battle, hissing and growling at each other in fierce displays of their own power. In fact he was so distracted by this spectacle that he didn't even notice the strange teenager stride up to stand next to him.

"Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai! WEAS!!" The boy roared, his chest heaving as he fought to release the mighty dragon tongue. The voice had belonged to a powerful, elderly sorcerer, not a skinny boy moving into his late teens. Merlin could only gape at him as the remaining two dragons released a thundering roar and sprung back up into the sky, retreating as the others had.

Merlin shook his head, flabbergasted and overwhelmed by what was happening around him. Had they saved him and Arthur? He wasn't even sure. His mind was struggling to wrap itself around everything. He had known coming to the void would be dangerous, but so far they had come across things they could have never fathomed, and they hadn't even been here an hour yet!

But then, just like that, the giant serpent shrunk back into the bearded man he had been before, having to slide his discarded long coat on to cover his now naked body. Together, the teenager and older man stormed up to him, eyes alive with danger.

"Who are you?" The bearded man questioned, his gruff tone intimidating enough without the knowledge that he could morph into a monster. "And answer quickly."

Merlin was breathing hard, this he was aware of. He chanced a glance at the teenager, more inclined to talk to him, but he just crossed his arms and stared him down with a glare. "Mer…my name is Merlin," he finally breathed out.

The older man nodded. "I am Jorma, the boy is known as Mars," Merlin looked to the boy again, who offered him a stern nod as his only welcome. "He rarely speaks, but trust me, he notices everything. Are you the ones who opened the gateway?"

Merlin gave a sharp nod. "Yes-"

"Why?" The man, apparently known as Jorma, demanded.

Merlin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Clearly he was rather incensed. "I…we are looking for someone who was trapped in here four years ago," he began with his shaky explanation. "I'm going to bring her back to my world."

"Then you're a fool," Jorma hissed, reminding the young warlock of his serpent form. "You're idea of time means nothing here. This girl is probably dead by now."

Merlin found his inner strength at this, his mouth closing. "That girl is my daughter, and trust me, she isn't dead. Not yet."

Jorma took a threatening step toward him, but the ever silent Mars put out an arm to stop him. "No," was all he said, earning himself his comrade's appalled glare.

"Michael, these two are trouble," he sneered at the boy, eyes flashing red. "We would all do well to rid ourselves of them now."

Mars, or Michael, levelled the serpent with a steady look. "I said…no," he whispered back, and even Merlin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "He's not a threat."

"And how would you know?" Jorma demanded, now right in the younger man's face.

Mars merely fixed him with a stare that made Merlin want to flee, to run away and forget both Imi and Arthur. There was something powerful in those ice-blue eyes. Something hidden. Something that terrified him way more than it should have done. It tickled at his skin, as if a silent warning that a predator was masking itself in the long grass, waiting to pounce. Jorma seemed to sense the danger too, the bearded man taking a small step back and trying to hide his own gulp.

"After everything you have seen me do," Mars breathed, eyes dangerous and cold. "After all the times my mother forced me to save your worthless reptilian rear, after knowing how much I detest you…you now challenge me?" The teenage boy sucked in a lungful of air through his nose. "Have you lost your mind?"

The serpent attempted to swallow his fear. "Very well, but we should take him to see Veritas at the very least."

"So be it," He replied, voice monotone, before he turned back to an anxious Merlin and offered him his hand to shake. "Mars is the nickname given to me by the others in the void," Merlin shook his hand, his nerves relaxing when the boy offered him a surprisingly warm smile. "You can call me Michael, if you wish."

Merlin nodded along. "Thank you…for saving us I mean."

"It was my pleasure, though I'm sorry I had to hurt your friend," Mars replied, turning to glance at an unconscious Arthur. "I couldn't have him trying to kill us for trying to save you."

Now Merlin was not a cruel man, but after all the insults his king had thrown at him this morning, part of him wasn't too displeased to see him get his just rewards. "He was annoying me anyway," he joked, extraordinarily relieved when the boy smiled back.

"I see-" Mars head suddenly snapped back, his eyes springing wider and wider open. The movement was not only abrupt but concerning to say the least. "You need to see the Veritas immediately. Jorma, bring King Arthur," and with that, the mysterious Mars turned on his heel and began walking back into the dark forest from which he had come.

Merlin merely scowled at his retreating back, a little put off by the boy's actions. "I need to find my daughter before I go see anyone…" he trailed off. "And how'd you know Arthur was a King?"

A slight snort from the bearded Jorma grabbed his attention. "Don't exhaust yourself trying to figure out how that boy knows anything. He just always does, and I do mean always. It must have something to do with being so close to Veritas."

"Veritas?" Merlin asked, arching a brow. "You've mentioned that three times now. What is it?"

Jorma shook his head. "Not it, but she. She's been the law of the void for the past six years now. Rumour has it that she has the ability to see the truth in everything, and it doesn't hurt that her boy Mars over there is feared throughout this hell hole. "

Merlin took a deep breath, watching closely as the serpent picked up Arthur and threw him over his shoulder. "So this Veritas, will she be able to help me find who I'm looking for?"

"She is who you're looking for," Mar's voice suddenly called out. "We all have titles here. I'm Mars, Jorma here is the Midgard Serpent and Veritas's real name is Imogen Pendragon."

Merlin felt something flare up deep within him, something so powerful that just for a second he thought he was going to pass out. "Imi! Imi's alive!" He yelled out, running up to the boy and wrapping his arms round him. Needless to say he seemed a tad uncomfortable but allowed it nonetheless. Merlin guessed it was because true joy was such a rare treat around here that it seemed wrong to stop it, and so he continued to laugh like an insane elderly drunkard. He didn't care how odd it looked or how stupid it must have seemed. His daughter was alive! And by the sound of it, she was trying to bring order and justice to the eternal prison.

"Yes, Imi is alive," Mars added, carefully shoving the jubilant young warlock off of him. "Alive and well, now let me take you to her. Just…just don't hug me again."

Merlin gave him a dramatic thumbs up and a goofy smile. "Right now I'd eat the grass if you told me to."

"I'm touched," the boy added in a deadpan tone, the phrase laced with sarcasm. "We should get moving. As she always says, you don't keep a Pendragon waiting."

Merlin scoffed, shaking his head. It had been a long time since he had been this happy. An awful long time. "No you do not. Last time I kept her Uncle waiting, he threw a boot at my head and called me a different girls name every day for a month. Oh! Her Uncle's Arthur by the way, as in the King Arthur you knocked out."

"I know," Mars sighed, bored by the advisors euphoric rant.

"Right, you always know," Merlin apologised. "Is that how you know so much about Imi?"

Mars shrugged. "Partly," he sighed, turning to face the suddenly talkative warlock. "Or it could be because she's my mother."

Merlin's feet rooted to the ground beneath him, his jubilant smile falling like a boulder in the ocean. It felt like someone's hand had been forced down his throat and ripped out whatever organs it could grasp at a time. He was Imi's son? Which made him his grandson, James's son, and so much more. But it didn't make any sense. He was at least fifteen and Imi had only been gone for four years. However just as his doubts began rearing, a wild grin exploded onto the boys' face.

And he saw it.

It was like looking at a younger version of James. Identical in fact. The grin was wild and his eyes danced with a slightly unnerving glisten of insanity, but that wasn't the only thing. His jaw, his nose, the light tan of his face and the chiselled features was all James. So much so that he had to wonder how he had missed it. The only difference was that his hair and eyes were the same as Morgana's. Jet black and ice-blue. It was the colouring Imi had inherited too.

"Hello Grandpa Emrys," Mars grinned at him, seemingly enjoying himself at his Grandfather's expense. "You know, I heard some grandparents soil themselves."

---

Morgana crouched behind the frayed array of bushes, her eyes alive with scrutiny as she surveyed the scene before her. What looked like a large battalion of Saxons had gathered around an old, decayed seeming temple, roughly two dozen or so. A large sigh escaped her closed lips. Part of her had been hoping that Mordred had been lying, that Anna Regus really hadn't been taken against her will as bait for James. However it appeared it had been nothing but hope.

"Where's Morgause?" She asked the young druid on her left. "I thought you said she was trying to help Anna escape?"

Mordred nodded, not taking his eyes off of the Saxons. "She is. There is another entrance hidden round the back, that's where Morgause is."

"Then we sneak around and join her," Morgana whispered, not wishing to be overheard. "Gwaine, lead the way."

Gwaine couldn't help but scowl at her. "We could take them, no problem. Hell, you could almost do it by your lonesome."

The black haired beauty gave a slight shake of her head. "No, we're trying to avoid any bloodshed. Otherwise why not just get James to deal with it?"

"But-"

"Gwaine, it's what Merlin would do," She interrupted the knight before he could further voice his protest.

Gwaine's scowl faded at her words, whereas Mordred felt a smile tug at his lips. "You're just how I remember you, Morgana," he whispered, eyes displaying his fondness and earning her reluctant smile.

Her hand came up to briefly cup his cheek. "As are you," she mimicked his tone, before turning her gaze onto Gwaine. "Lead the way, and stay low."

The good sir knight grinned. "You know, if you wanted to stare at my posterior all you had to do was ask."

"Alright first of all, no one calls it a posterior, except maybe Gaius," She reprimanded. "And second, if you don't start moving I'm going to hurt you. A lot."

"I choose move."

She bounced her eyebrows. "Good choice."

The three rose as one, all bowing their heads in an effort to remain hidden in the limited shadows available. They skipped through the edge of the forest, expertly avoiding anything that would cause a noise, until they could safely escape round the corner of the decayed temple. As Mordred had claimed, Morgause stood hunched over an old pedestal with her eyes fixed on the surface, worry etched into every line on her features.

"Lady Morgause," Mordred alerted the blonde of their arrival, the sorceress snapping her gaze up to meet them.

"Sister," she breathed out, a smile grabbing at her lips at the sight of Morgana. "I wasn't expecting you yourself to come. Perhaps Emrys and King Arthur but-"

"My husband and brother are busy," Morgana interrupted with little to no emotion. "Mordred made it clear that this dungeon Anna has been trapped in was once controlled by the priestesses. I thought I might prove useful."

Morgause fervently nodded. "Indeed you will," she proclaimed, clearly excited at the sight of her sister. "It has been far too long. The last time we laid eyes on each other you had just been poisoned."

"That's in the past," Morgana was quick to respond. "Since then Merlin and I have had a child together. Her name is Isabella."

Morgause nodded. "I heard, and it's a beautiful name. Perhaps…one day…I might be allowed to meet the young girl?" The blonde tried to edge in, fearful in her approach to build a bridge with her sister.

Morgana stared down the other priestess, her gaze fierce. They always were when considering her baby Bella. "…We'll see," she finally answered. Before today she wouldn't have even considered it, but after Mordred's explanation of how her sister now followed James and not Borin Regus she was undecided.

"Have you made any progress?" Mordred cut into the uncomfortable atmosphere, reminding them all of why they were here.

Morgause released a sigh. "I'm afraid not. I understand what is needed but I don't have enough power to pull Anna from Turf, and every second I waste I know the girl is dealing with the dark magic embedded within," she explained, turning back to the stone pedestal. "Back in the times of old, multiple priestesses would be required to pull a person from it."

"How did this happen anyway?" Gwaine spoke up for the first time.

"We were given very specific instructions by James Regus," Morgause answered with a note of dejection. "We were to take her away from the Venemagus kingdom since our prince didn't want her around his father without him there, which meant we had to find other accommodation. We settled on the Isle of the blessed, thinking we could best protect her there…but we didn't anticipate the princess's stubborn attitude."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, because usually those Regus's are so peaceful."

"We made a mistake," Morgause threw back at him. "She ran away from us in search of her brother. She had been desperate to find him for the past month, but we kept her away from the world because we knew this very thing would happen, that she would be used as bait."

"How old is she now?" Morgana realised she didn't actually know how old her little half-sister was. After all it had been four years.

"She's eleven," Morgause answered, a slight feel of sadness in her tone.

"Eleven?" Morgana shrilled. "She's all alone in there and she's only eleven?"

Morgause frowned at her sister. "You must have known how old she was?"

"It didn't occur to me," the black haired beauty answered, distracted by her concern. "For some reason I thought she'd be older. It's felt like an eternity rather than four years."

Mordred scowled at the choice of words. "Are you saying you've met her before?"

"Yes of course I've…" Morgana abruptly halted herself, trailing off when she remembered the consequences of using the platform of time. Only a select few remembered what had happened before they had jumped into it, and Mordred and Morgause were not one of them. Gwaine however was. She turned to look at him to see a disapproving look on his bearded face. "We met very briefly, outside the temple of vice four years ago. I doubt she'd remember me."

Morgause nodded, though her frown remained present. "Very well, then perhaps we should be trying to retrieve her rather than leaving her to the dangers within the dungeon."

"I agree," Morgana was quick to approve. "You said you understood what was required but didn't possess enough power to perform the right spell. Perhaps if we both attempt it then we can do it."

The blonde's frown only deepened. "Last time we met you possessed little to no magical power. Have you progressed?"

Gwaine scoffed. "Just a bit. Merlin has been teaching her himself."

"Taught by Emrys?" Morgause repeated, her eyebrows rising, impressed. "Many would lay down their lives to claim as such. Perhaps you can help."

Morgana couldn't stop the smirk that grew on her face. "Tell me what I need to do, sister."

---

Camelot was a battle ground.

Knights, guards and warriors fought with everything they had against creatures crashing through their gates. Men, women and children were scattered across the courtyard, all fleeing in search of safety. Sir Leon was guiding a family up the castle's stairwell, Sir Lancelot and Sir Elyan were fighting against three winged scorpians each and Sir Percival was battling with a man in a long black hooded robe.

Gwen, Uther, Gaius and little Bella watched from their position in the castle – gazing out the window at the horrors all around them. "This attack is unprovoked and unjustified. Our enemies will pay for such an assault," Uther stated in a low, deep voice.

Gwen turned from the battle to face him. "What enemies? We have no idea where these creatures came from or why they are here."

"I would have thought it was obvious," The former king condescended. "This is the work of sorcery."

Gwen rolled her eyes, whereas Gaius took the political approach. "Sire, these beasts are unlike anything I have ever seen. I doubt they have any reason to attack Camelot anyway other than opportunity."

"Don't speak such nonsense, Gaius," Uther arrogantly reprimanded. "Magic needs no reason to strike. It doesn't use logic like you or I, only a cold and jaded sense of justification."

"You're wrong, Grandpa Uther," Little Isabella remarked, staring up at her grandfather. "I told you before not to tell me how much you hate magic, I don't like it. My daddy is magic and he's a hero," she demanded, her tiny eyes suddenly wide and glistening.

And that's when something unthinkable happened.

"I'm sorry," Uther apologised to the little girl, earning the instant and spellbound attention from the other two adults. Had Uther just apologised for speaking his mind on magic? They hadn't thought it was possible until this very moment, but it seemed that the only thing capable of such a feat was a tiny creature with huge wet eyes, also known as Isabella.

"Perhaps she should not be here," Uther sounded concerned. "Bella is too young for such violence."

The little girl stamped her foot. "No! I wanna stay with Aunt Gwen!"

To Gaius and Gwen's amazement a small smile tugged at Uther's lips. "You are as stubborn as your mother. I'm glad to see it."

"Unbelievable," Gwen whispered to herself, before turning back to view the battle raging outside. "Gaius, you should be attending to the injured. They need you more than we do right now."

The elderly physician bowed his head. "Of course, my lady," he agreed and took his leave.

"These creatures are never-ending," Uther reminded, joining both girls at the window.

Gwen nodded in agreement. "Indeed. They're too varied to contain for much longer. They either fly, dig, run or disappear. There's no chance of coping with all of them."

"Then we need to begin thinking about evacuation," Uther reluctantly admitted to himself. "We may have no choice."

Gwen crossed her arms and released a heavy sigh. She didn't like that idea at all, but at the same time had to agree. At a certain point they had to start thinking about saving lives and mounting a counter-attack. The only problem was they would lose a lot of lives in the attempt, and they had little Bella to think of as well.

"We should begin now whilst we still have an army to save," Gwen grudgingly conceded. "Unless by some miracle-"

A sudden crash of thunder and lightning rocketing down from the heavens interrupted the Queen's plea, a blinding flash consuming everything in sight within a blue beam when the lightning hurtled violently into the earth. Gwen and Uther were forced to jar away from the window, the very castle itself shaking.

But it wasn't over.

Another bolt snapped down and thundered into the ground just outside, the once blue sky now swirling with jet black clouds. Another bolt quaked the earth, this time causing all the windows to shatter upon impact, a tremendous gale rushing through the window and knocking Isabella on her rear. Bella leapt up from the shuddering floor and wrapped her arms around her aunt's waist. The ceiling shook worse than the floor, tiny fragments raining down on them as they trembled loose.

"What's happening!?" Gwen screamed, having to squint as one bolt shot ruthlessly down after another, striking the terrain with bloodcurdling vigour.

"I don't know!" Uther called back, having to stabilise himself on a quaking wall.

Bella glared out at the mighty flashes with her young eyes, her curiosity tingling at her every nerve. "I wanna see!" She called out, abruptly releasing her aunts' waist and running toward the demolished window.

"Bella!" Gwen cried, attempting to give chase. However when yet another bolt thundered downwards she fell on her side, the intense light blinding her and the force of the blow throwing her off her feet. Little Bella had the same problem, but her determination refused to be sated. With a glare her mother would be proud of the little girl forced herself to her feet and carried on, eventually reaching the window.

"Grandpa Uther!" She yelled, turning around with an alarmingly wild smile on her innocent face. "Aunt Gwen! The monsters are almost-!" Three more flashes and crashes ruptured the ground outside, interrupting the little girl in a tidal wave of light and noise.

…And then, as suddenly as it had begun, the ferocious storm dissolved into the air. The storm clouds towering over the kingdom blew away like sand in the breeze, the wind fading as if someone had shut a door and the once chaotic scene stilled unnaturally. Bella looked up with extreme caution, her recently combed hair once again wild, and gazed out the window.

Thin clouds of smoke rose into the air, the ground had caved in wherever the lightning had crashed into it, and the monsters had somehow vanished. But that wasn't what interested the girl. No. What caused her little blue eyes to boggle was the cross-armed man somehow standing on top of the tower to her left. She gawked out over at him. He was frowning down at the courtyard, his vibrant emerald eyes surveying the scene as if he was checking there were no monsters left.

But it was when he suddenly snapped his gaze over at her that the child found it hard not to recoil in fear, the strange man clearly looking right at her. He was handsome, very handsome, but there was something she could see in his eyes even from her position. It frightened her. There was a danger in them that made her want to both run away and keep looking at the same time. Except that was when he grinned at her and offered her a wink.

A great big smile exploded onto her face at it. It must have been him who had gotten rid of all the monsters and saved them, it must have been him who had made the storm. And just like that the strange man bent his knees and shot across the sky, her ice-blue eyes remaining fixed on him until he disappeared completely from view.

A chuckle escaped her, her small eyes glistening in wonderment. "Wow!" She cried, before laughing as if she would never stop.

Seconds later her aunt and grandfather arrived next to her, both looking down and surveying the miracle before them. "I don't understand," Uther began with gentle caution. "What just happened here? Where did all the creatures go?"

Gwen shook her head, until finally noticing the giggling child next to her. "Bella? What's so funny?"

"He saved us, Aunt Gwen," she gleefully answered, grinning up at her Aunt. "He made the storm and then flew away! "

Both adults shared a look, Gwen's one of shock whereas Uther's was one of fear. "He flew away?" Gwen finally asked, earning the excited nod from her niece. "Bella…who was it?"

Bella's already huge grin somehow stretched out even wider, the girl turning to look out the shattered window once more. "The magic man."

---

Arthur's eyes reluctantly fluttered open, his brain pounding in his skull. A small groan escaped him as the pain decided to triple when his eyes opened fully, unable to stop the reflex of his hand coming up to rest on his throbbing head. Merlin was pacing up and down directly in front of him. They seemed to be in some form of cave, the only light being that which streamed in from gaps in the roof and torches on the walls.

"Merlin?" He croaked out, earning the young warlocks' attention. "Merlin, what happened? Where are we?"

Merlin squatted down to be eye level with his king. "You were knocked out in another dimension by my grandson so you wouldn't hurt his partner who can change into thirty foot snake monster."

Arthur sucked in his cheeks, blinking profusely at his former manservant. "Merlin…have you ever wondered why people think you're strange?"

Merlin frowned, before tilting his head to the side. "I always thought everybody else was strange."

"Well, that's what happens when you're crazy."

"I am not crazy, Arthur," Merlin rushed to explain. "Do you remember what Imi said right before she jumped into the platform?"

Arthur's teasing, if drowsy smile slowly fell from his face. "She said she was pregnant with James's child-"

"Exactly," Merlin said with a firm nod. "And do you remember what James said about how time would be distorted in the void? That five years to us could be five seconds or a thousand years here."

The fair haired king developed a certain gleam in his eye as he did indeed recall. "Imi, I don't think you understand what the void will be like. Everything will be trying to kill you in a world where time means nothing. Five years to us could be five seconds or a thousand years to you – there is literally no way to predict it."

Morgana lowered her tense brow. "Wait…a thousand years? But by then Imi would have been dead and we'll never get her back."

"No we will, because things don't age in the void – at least not physically – unless they're born there," James explained.

Arthur closed his eyes, coming to the realisation that despite all insane outward appearances Merlin was once again correct. "Why can't you ever be joking?"

Merlin shrugged. "I'm not that funny."

"This is true," Arthur had to concede. "So, that boy who threw me away as you would a soggy boot is your grandson?"

"Yes."

"And James's son?"

"Yes."

"I see," Arthur nodded. "So when I first met you, you threatened to beat me up. When I met Imi for the first time she claimed she was your daughter and the world was going to end. James threw me up against a tree and now your grandson has knocked me unconscious," he thought out loud, causing the young warlock to scrunch up his face in recognition.

"I think I see where you're going with this…" Merlin trailed off, feeling a tad sheepish.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Did I ever tell you Morgana bit me when she first came to Camelot?"

"Can we get back to the problem at hand, Arthur?" Merlin asked, becoming frustrated with his King's selfish concerns. "I've just discovered I not only have a grandson but that he's…different."

Arthur scoffed. "Well of course he's different. He has a viscous family history on his side – what did you think was going to happen?"

"I'm serious," Merlin whispered with some urgency. "Kilgharrah told me before we came here that the son of Imi and James would be special, even by our standards. He said that he would be a child saviour who would bring peace to our world, and from what I've seen so far, I think that's possible."

The king shook his head, feeling almost nauseous as he began to absorb his words. "That teenage boy is going to save the world?" He uttered under his breath, finally it would seem understanding the situation he was in.

"Sounds like some bad information," Sounded a deep, commanding voice from behind them. They whipped around, startled by the intrusion, to see Jorma striding in whilst clutching a lifeless mammal by the neck. Needless to say both men attempted to swallow their abrupt fear at the sight.

Merlin rose to his feet, helping Arthur to his. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that boy is too fragile to be anyone's saviour," The serpent growled out, coldly discarding of the animal corpse and moving to light the fire in the center of the cave.

Arthur shared a brief glance with his advisor before speaking. "He seemed to get past me easily enough."

"Oh he's powerful enough for sure," Jorma was quick to add. "In that respect he isn't even human. Everyone in this prison fears him. You know I once saw him take down half the creatures in here in a single outing, and I mean that literally. That powerful and only fifteen, it's frightening."

Merlin thought over his words, deciding to think on them at a later date. "So then what's the problem?"

"The problem comes when you separate him from his mother," Jorma answered, bouncing his eyebrows as he did. "Take her away and he goes to pieces. He may seem indestructible on the outside, always blunt and yet hardly ever talking, but on the inside he's as soft as they come," he laughed at his observation. "Never trust a Regus. They're all liars."

At this both Arthur and Merlin snapped around to look at him. "You know the Regus's?"

"Do I know them?" He chuckled. "Our families go back generation after generation, to when the old God Regus first stole my ancestors' beloved in order to create the Venemagus kingdom. The loathing is very real between us, only growing over the centuries of war and bloodshed."

"All because of something that happened thousands of years ago?" Arthur had to ask, levelling this midgard serpent with a stare of disbelief. "Forgive me, but that strikes me as pointless."

Jorma grew a tired smile. "I only told you that so you'd know how it started," He explained, picking up a knife to begin skinning his dinner. "Since then it has grown, every child taking it further and further, until it came to myself and Borin Regus," he spat the name, Merlin and Arthur both tasting the venom in his tone.

"What happened?" Merlin asked, his reluctance obvious. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Jorma's brow twitched. "In my youth I was my family's greatest warrior, often if not always the one leading the charge on the Venemagus kingdom, but I had one failing. My compassion. My elders instructed me to kill the new born prince, James Regus, because the priestesses of the old religion predicted he would become too powerful for us to contain. So I snuck undetected into their kingdom and stood above the child's crib, my dagger in my hand…but I couldn't do it. I was there and I simply couldn't do it. To hurt something so innocent repulsed me."

Merlin, as strange as it sounded, appreciated his position. After all he had experienced something similar with Mordred. "So then what happened?"

"I abandoned my mission and went home to my wife, Eve, and my two daughters," he answered, eyes smiling. "I realised whilst I held them that children should never be killed, that their innocence was something to be treasured not exploited," his smiling eyes began to die after his statement, before he turned them back down to his kill. "It was the next morning that Borin and his armies attacked, having discovered my mission. In his fury he wiped us all out. All of us. Our elders, our places of worship, our women and children until only me and my family were left standing. He brought us before his army and proclaimed us examples of what would happen should anyone attack his heir…and then he slaughtered them before my eyes."

Merlin recoiled in his disgust, whereas Arthur could only close his eyes. "Sweet lord…" The fair haired king wheezed out.

"One by one he executed them," Jorma spoke in a barely audible voice, eyes still downcast. "First my wife, then my eldest before finally my two-year-old girl. They were both so afraid, so scared. They begged me to save them, but Borin had placed an enchantment on me to stop me from morphing into the serpent and limited my powers. So I could do nothing but watch, trying my best to soothe my girls with empty words before their throats were cut. But it still wasn't enough. The sorcerer king banished me to spend an eternity in the void, knowing that I would have to bear my pain for an eternity and unable to exact the revenge I was owed," He sniffed in an attempt to conceal his heartbreak. "That is how I ended up in this hell, all those years ago. But I swore to him, to the mighty Borin over the corpses of my children, that I would one day return to exact my vengeance. That my face would be the last thing he would ever see," his knife abruptly cut through a bone as he skinned his meal.

Merlin and Arthur allowed the silence to hang in the air, feeling sick to their stomachs. They knew what Borin was capable of from personal experience, but it didn't stop them from being sickened every time they heard of it. Merlin released a heavy sigh, moving to stand closer to the man he had perhaps judged too quickly. "I'm sorry," the warlock breathed, the words seemingly insignificant when the situation was examined. "That connection between father and daughter…I'm so sorry."

"As am I," Jorma growled. "When your daughter arrived she helped me overcome my blind fury. She made me remember that there are truly good people in the world. It's why I continue to help her in spite of her son's father, despite the hatred that boils in my blood every time I look at him, regardless of every instinct and lesson I have learnt since birth to crush every Regus I lay my eyes on," He seethed. "It's your daughter that has been the only light in my life since that day, and I thank you for that."

Merlin nodded, a tragic smile fighting its way onto his face. "She's my light too," he agreed gently, feeling his eyes swell with moisture. "And for what it's worth now, you made the right choice when you decided not to kill James. He helped us save the world, and even Imi's life a few times too."

"I'm glad to hear it," The serpent smiled back. "Maybe something good came from my pain, but as I said before the hatred is in both of our blood. Our instincts would recognise the other instantly. If we ever get a chance to meet then those instincts would flare up and we would be trying to rip out each other's throats within seconds. In fact the only reason I can control those instincts around Mars is because I was there when he was born, but even that takes up all my strength, and he has made no secret that his own Regus blood rages whenever I am near. He just doesn't know why…I think."

"That's a shame," Arthur intervened. "I think you're the only one who hates Borin as much as James does. Where is this boy anyway? I'd like to meet him."

Jorma sighed and straightened his shoulders. "Gone to retrieve his mother. They should be here shortly."

"I'm always faster than you think I am, Serpent," Mars stated, parting the two pieces of fabric covering the entrance of the cave and stepping in. Merlin instantly straightened, eyes boggling as hope seared in his very blood. Imi must be just behind him. This was it at last. "I'm sorry but my mother was deep in enemy territory, it would have been foolish to go and get her."

Merlin felt his heart plummet down to his toes, his once swelling hope puncturing in his chest. He honestly thought this would be the moment that he would be reunited with his girl. That all that pain waiting had caused would float away the moment he held her in his arms again…but apparently fate had other plans.

Usually when people thought that, it wasn't meant to be taken so literally.

"Oh," The young warlock muttered with a bow of his head, trying to hide the bitter disappointment engulfing him.

Arthur's heavy hand came up to rest on his shoulder. "We'll find her soon," he comforted, a small side smile stretching onto his face.

"Hold on," Mars interrupted the moment, drawing all attention back to him. "I said it was foolish, I didn't say I didn't do it," he said with a very Regus grin, before grabbing a piece of fabric and holding it up…and then it happened.

Imi bowed her head as she stepped into the cave, before fervently whipping it back up and causing her long black hair to fly in every direction. Her ice-blue eyes looked like they were being stretched from every which way, the very core of them dousing as tears gathered at the base, fixed firmly on the two new arrivals with resolute determination. Merlin mirrored her look, his lips parted as he regarded her. His whole body had tensed to the point of aching. After all this time, after every second of every day of every year, he was now only a few feet from the very thing he had dreamt of. He now had the chance to say everything he had wanted to, everything he had dreamt of over the past four years.

And yet he remained silent.

They both did.

Years of waiting, craving this very opportunity, and suddenly he had no idea what to say to her. He had broken fates rules just to see her, to save her from Morgana's prophecy, but he still remained rooted to the ground beneath his feet. His mouth refused to move. His brain had frozen along with the rest of him. The only thing that had changed since she had entered was his expression and breathing rate, which had sped up to levels bordering on hyperventilating.

She took an abrupt step forward before seizing up once again, his heart thundering as she did. Her parted lips began to quiver, but she closed them again and swallowed. "…D…Daddy?" She finally breathed out, her voice weak and wheezing.

For as long as he would think over this moment in the years to come, he would never what he did next. He cried. Silent tears tore down his cheek, one after the other, as his face scrunched up in an effort to conceal any noise. The moment she had called him by his title it had been impossible to stop. She had broken him with one word when even some of things he had witnessed in his time hadn't phased him at all. In fact all he could do was nod in order to answer her, his shuddering lips attempting to stretch out into a thin smile.

A single tear streaked down her own cheek, accept she didn't even attempt to smile. "Is it time?" She croaked out, eyes still wide with disbelief. "Can we come home?"

Without warning his goofy grin exploded onto his face, a heavy breath escaping him as his lips finally parted. "It's time," he panted, unable to wipe the grin from his face. She looked exactly the same. He had almost expected her to be scarred and covered in filth, but she wasn't. Aside from the slightly dishevelled hair she was exactly as he remembered. Her dress was pure white and flowed gracefully down to her toes, but underneath tight black trousers adorned her legs and were met by thick black boots that stretched up half her shin. A practicality it would seem.

Her watery gaze reluctantly travelled over to Arthur, who had on his best astonished smile. The one were his teeth were visible but one corner was pulled up a little higher than the other. Needless to say she was unable to stop the watery chuckle that escaped upon seeing it. "Uncle Arthur," she greeted, her voice sounding as if she had run several miles and lost all her breath.

The fair haired kings' crooked smile grew into a proper one at his own title. "Imi," he nodded back at her, before turning his head to the side and trying to subtly wipe at his eyes. "It's…uh, it's good to see you."

"And you," she replied with equal affection, a small laugh escaping her again. "It's very very good to see you," she added, beginning to tear up yet again.

She still hadn't moved. No one had. Jorma and Michael watched on from the side, studying the scene with thin smiles on their faces. After all Imi had told them they could appreciate this reunion for what it was. Long overdue.

Merlin fidgeted, adrenaline rushed around his blood, until he could take it no longer. She sprung forth from his rooted position and enveloped his girl the fiercest embrace of his life. With identical need Imi returned the cuddle and seized his brown jacket in her hands, burying her now sodden face in the crook of her fathers' neck and finally allowing the sobs to break free. She shook in his arms. Every cry, every tear that fell wracking her whole body like a convulsion.

"I've missed you," she wept, making sure to clasp onto him with even greater strength.

Merlin laughed, wrapping his left arm around the back of her neck and using his right forearm to nestle the back of her head, his right hand gently filtering through her hair. He didn't feel the need to tell her how much he had missed her too. She already knew. He just wanted this joy to last forever, to never let her go again despite knowing he eventually would.

And of course he did. She finally pulled back, shooting her father and Uncle a wet grin, before stealing a deadly grasp of Michael's sleeve and yanking him forward. "Dad, Uncle Arthur, this is my son, Michael."

She shoved him forwards, clearly not caring that her boy wasn't ready for the push, only grinning in her joy. Merlin smiled. "We've already met," he laughed out…but stopped as Imi's gigantic grin fell from her face with lightning speed.

"You what?" She snapped, before charging forward and levelling her son with a fearsome stare. "What did you do?" She demanded, having to look up slightly but still managing to make him fidget.

"I saved them," he murmured sheepishly back. Merlin and Arthur studied the exchange with looks of bewilderment. After seeing and hearing what the boy could do, it was beyond odd to see him shrivel in fear with one look from his mother.

Imi's eyes narrowed dangerously at him, only furthering the boy's nervous body language. "Oh I'm sure you did," she whispered with vehemence in her tone. "And then decided to suddenly spring on them that you were my son, no doubt knowing they were unprepared for it."

He shook his head. "I didn't know!"

"You always know," she seethed, before shaking her head at him in disappointment. "With that brilliant brain of yours you would have worked it out immediately, and if you couldn't then no doubt you would have read their minds when you shook their hands – just like you always do."

Merlin allowed his eyebrows to knit together at her words, and recalled the moment when the boy had shaken his hand earlier.

"Mars is the nickname given to me by the others in the void," Merlin shook his hand, his nerves relaxing when the boy offered him a surprisingly warm smile. "You can call me Michael, if you wish."

Merlin nodded along. "Thank you…for saving us I mean."

"I see-" Mars head suddenly snapped back, his eyes springing wider and wider open. The movement was not only abrupt but concerning to say the least. "You need to see the Veritas immediately. Jorma, bring King Arthur," and with that, the mysterious Mars turned on his heel and began walking back into the dark forest from which he had come.

So that's why he had acted so strangely after shaking his hand. He had read his mind, no doubt seeing that he was his grandfather and reacting as anyone would.

"I'm sorry," Imi's voice brought him back to the real world and away from his thoughts. "He likes to surprise people. I think he enjoys it in some sick way," she explained, throwing a scathing glare at her boy over her shoulder. "So much like his father."

"She always says that whenever I've done something wrong," Michael added. "But if it was time to free the woman I loved and my son then I would at least show up to get them myself," he bit out, looking directly at Merlin as he did. "So where is he?" He asked, trying to smile when all it did was reveal how hurt he truly was by the notable absence.

Imi's reprimanding glare immediately softened at the rare hurt in her boys' eyes, laying a gentle hand on his forearm. "Honey, I told you he didn't know I was pregnant when we came here. I was worried he never would have let it happen if he did-"

"Great, so he just left you here instead," he interrupted. "You said he was brilliant and amazing and beyond belief, yet whenever I do something wrong I'm like him. And now he's not here to save us," Michael shook his head, shocking Merlin when his chin protruded just like Morgana's did when she was really upset. "I thought you said he was a hero?" He asked in small voice, ice-blue eyes shining with badly hidden tears.

"He's a Regus, Mars," Jorma finally chipped in, now sitting down behind them. "He's no hero."

Imi pointed a stern finger in the serpents' direction. "My son is a Regus, and he's a hero."

"So why isn't he here?" Michael breathed.

Imi sighed, allowing her eyes to close and briefly cupped his cheek. "I'm sure he has a good reason," she tried, but felt an unending rage explode when she saw how wounded her boy still was. In a fury she rounded on her father. "Where is he?" She demanded, eyes suddenly rapturous.

Merlin turned to look at Arthur over his shoulder, who gave him a pointed look. He swallowed and turned back to view an Imogen radiating hate. "Actually…he does have a kind of good reason, or two."

"Well they better be brilliant," she seethed, before pointing over her shoulder at Michael. "You see that? He's seen some horrible things in this void and yet I've never seen him this hurt before. All his life he's wanted to meet his father. I used to tell him stories before he went to sleep so he could learn all about him, and every night I did he went to sleep with a smile on his face in spite of all the evil just waiting to kill him outside. So they better be unavoidable for his sake, or I'll skin him alive."

Merlin was a little surprised to say the least. He hadn't seen her this angry before, and felt a wash of guilt flood through him. "They are, because it's my fault."

"What?" She snapped.

He took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself. "Imi, your mother had a dream. A prophetic dream. She saw you running for your life from a group of invisible wild dogs-"

"Hell hounds?" Jorma interrupted, standing to his feet and joining with Mars and Imi in looking terrified. "No one ever escapes them, ever," he explained when Arthur sent him a questioning look.

"He's right, they don't," Imi agreed, seemingly a little spooked. "Not ever."

A spark of hope ignited from somewhere within him that he had made the right choice. "Well that's what Morgana saw, and that lead us to realise something," he added. "We started to wonder if the fates wanted you to die here in the void, since they made no secret of their disdain for your choice to come back in time to save us, and since we have Bella now then in their minds she could have taken your place in the grand scheme of things."

"Wait," Imi shook her head. "Who's Bella?"

Merlin smiled at this in spite of the topic at hand. "She's our other daughter, the one your mother was pregnant with before we jumped into the platform. She's your exact twin, Imi. It's incredible."

"So," Imi began. "Mum didn't lose the baby?" She asked with a smile, rewarded by a nod from her father. "Thank God, but what does this have to do with James not being here?"

Merlin hung his head slightly at this. It was time for the confession. "Well, after we talked about this we decided not to let it happen…and so we're a little earlier than planned."

Imi narrowed her eyes, turning her head to the side. "Are you saying it hasn't been five years for you?"

"It's been four," Arthur answered for him, causing the look of horror to cross Imi's features.

"Four!?" She screeched. "Have you lost your mind!? What if you're wrong!? What if Mum's dream was just a dream!? What if you have put the whole world at risk because you were too scared by a dream!?"

Merlin shook his head. "I don't think so," he responded quickly. "Not even Kilgharrah thought so. Your mother wasn't wrong about the three moons. She wasn't wrong about these hell hounds despite never hearing about them before, explain that."

"So…so what is your theory exactly?" Imi demanded. "That the fates didn't need me anymore because they had Bella? That she would fulfil any destiny I had instead of me? That they lied about God himself telling us we had to wait five years, because they knew that's how long it would take me to die here?" She ranted. "If that was the case then why didn't they just kill me? It's not like they couldn't if they wanted too."

Arthur, who had so far been silently agreeing with Imi this whole time, suddenly frowned as a thought occurred to him. "…Because they needed you to jump into the platform of time."

Imi looked over at her Uncle, her own scowl deepening. "Care to explain?"

"Think about it," He prodded, stepping up next to Merlin. "When we jumped into the platform, we were all sent back to before you had arrived, to before we had started diverging from the fates plans. But in order to do that we needed you, the platform needed you in particular, so it could figure out when we should be sent back to-"

"So they couldn't have killed me themselves," She finished for him. "They still needed me for one more thing first, and maybe they can't reach into the void, only see it. That's why they told you to wait five years in your time, because they foresaw that's how long it would take me to be killed by something else."

"Exactly," Merlin prodded, turning all eyes onto him.

Michael stepped forward. "But why isn't my father here?" He reminded them of how this explanation had begun.

"Because we're early, he didn't know we were coming," Merlin hurriedly explained.

"So why didn't you tell him?" Imi asked, shooting them a suspicious glare.

"Well, that's the thing," Merlin responded, sending Arthur an awkward glance. "More happened after you were sent to the void, and we need to talk about James's memories…"

---

Morgana glared at the rustic temple in front of her, the one she knew contained both Anna Regus and the world's most torturous dungeon. She would get her out no matter what. After all, she was family, and she wouldn't leave her to rot in such a horrid place any longer. Gaius' explanation of turf was hardly leaving her any time soon either. The very fact that little Anna was in there at all, where dark magic physically manipulated and twisted you, shook her more than she had admitted. Morgause stood next to her, reminding her that Anna was not her only sister present, leaving Gwaine and Mordred to watch on from behind.

"You think they can do it?" Gwaine asked the dark haired druid, eyes fixed on the two sisters in front.

Mordred shrugged. "They better. If not, then when James gets here there's going to be a blood bath."

Gwaine nodded, raising his eyebrows as he began picturing the fire and the rage unleashed on an unsuspecting army. "Earlier, when there was that weird thunder, why'd you call him Thor?" He asked. "Because that wouldn't be the first time I've heard him called that, but I don't understand it."

"It's what the Saxons called him a few years ago," he answered, also not looking at the other man. "They were under the command of King Borin and were charged with the mission of wiping out all his other children, who used to be called the masters. Long story short James stopped them by himself, the whole army. He used lightning to destroy them, so they called him Thor which means the thunderer," Mordred let a small scoff escape him. "They actually think he's a God."

Gwaine smirked. "You don't say?"

"That I do," He joked. "Thor, God of thunder. He's even got his own followers called the Vikings," he laughed, Gwaine soon joining him. "Like that will last."

A few steps beyond them Morgause offered her hand to the waiting Morgana, giving her sister a stern look. "Are you ready, sister?"

The black haired beauty let her eyes travel down to the blonde's hand, her gaze displaying her reluctance to trust her. However, after much debating in her head, realised she had little choice and firmly grasped the other woman's hand. "I am."

"Good," Morgause said with a nod, the smallest of smiles twitching on her lips. "Then we do it as practiced."

"Agreed," Morgana approved, before turning around to once again view the dungeon.

The sisters took a deep, steadying breath to calm themselves. "Arise mid min miclan mihte þín módrian to helpe. Hider eft funde on þisse ne middangeard þín módrian weus," they chanted as one, before snapping their eyes wide open to reveal their burning gold iris's.

A burst of fire abruptly flared into life at their feat, before it rushed up to the temple. It hissed and spat as it left a trail of searing flames in its path, until finally it reached the old stone of the dungeon. Morgana, Morgause, Mordred and Gwaine could only watch as the blazes roared into the air, the flames forming a sphere on the wall, but it was what was within the circle that interested them the most. All around the fire's edges stood the stone wall, but inside it shone a glowing blue light that forced the group of four to narrow their eyes in order to see.

"Now what?" Morgana queried, captivated by the glow, before finally turning to her sister.

"Now we pull her out using a hair taken from James Regus," Morgause replied, pulling out a slither of hair from within her folds. "The only way to release someone from any magical prison is to use something that either belonged to their biology or a member of their close family. I found this hair on a scarf Anna took before we fled the Venemagus kingdom. It belonged to our prince, and since we just commanded the portal hoping to pull out the sibling of whoevers hair we use we must use her only sibling."

Morgana's scowl deepened at this. "Wait, so, because we commanded the door to open to release the sister of who's hair we use, we have to use James's hair because he's Anna's only sibling?" She made sure she had it right before she started to panic, feeling her heart sink when Morgause nodded. "So what would happen if you used the hair of her father instead of her brother?"

"Then Anna would be trapped in the dungeons forever," Morgause answered, distracted by the hair in her hand and completely missing the colour drain from Morgana's features. "We opened the portal by promising we had the hair of her sibling, not her father. It wouldn't recognise her and close immediately. You only get one chance to release someone from turf."

Morgana tried to contain her panic as it shot round her whole body. Morgause didn't know. She didn't know that James and Anna weren't really brother and sister, they were father and daughter. Using that hair would forever confine the girl to a fate worse than death. The magic would force her to stay alive for an eternity, forever tricking and torturing her. Morgana thinned her lips. No. She wouldn't let that happen, but she couldn't reveal the secret either…so what was she going to do?

"Are you ready, sister?" Morgause queried, at last turning to look at her.

"Most definitely," Morgana was quick to respond, putting on her best mask of determination. "But before we do perhaps we should have Gwaine and Mordred make sure no Saxons stumble upon us."

The blonde smiled at her sister, a little proud of her for recognising a problem in their plan. "Very good, I didn't even think of that."

"It just seemed obvious with the light from the portal," Morgana shrugged. "You've been here longer so you instruct them, I'll hold the hair."

Morgause nodded. "Very well," she agreed, handing the hair to her and walking over to Gwaine and Mordred.

Morgana knew she had to be quick. With rapid speed she discarded of James's hair and pulled one of her own shorter ones out, only just finishing in time for Morgause's return. "Here," she chirped in her attempt to cover her gasp the sharp pain plucking had caused, handing her strand to the blonde.

Morgause sent her an estranged glance but took it nonetheless. "Then let's begin," the sorceress began, walking right up to the open sphere with her sister adjacent, before holding Morgana's slither of hair up. "We, the last priestesses of the old religion, hereby lay claim to Anna Regus and demand her immediate release!" She proclaimed, casting the strand into the blue glow.

Immediately the glow seemed to recognise the new addition and pulsed, the light almost blinding them. Morgana held her breath. It seemed now she was going to find out if she and Anna were truly sisters. She had accepted James at his word, but in reality she had no real proof that she and Anna were related at all. There was no reason he would lie, at least not that she could think of, but if he had lied then they were about to lose Anna forever. It would be a cruel punishment for the sorcerer prince to say the least.

Of course that was when Anna's top half of her body came screaming out from the sphere.

Morgana leapt back with a shrill. She hadn't been quite prepared for such a violent and sudden reunion. The girl's emerald eyes locked onto hers. They were swimming with fright, alarmed and traumatized. Her mouth moved but no noise escaped her young lips. The sight broke Morgana's heart. Whatever had happened to her in there it had stolen her voice, something the black haired beauty thought of as part of her identity. Without her voice she was nothing. The tool she had used to defy Uther and his hatred, the part of her used to tell Merlin she loved him and tell Bella bedtime stories. She couldn't imagine not having it with her, and yet as she looked at Anna Regus fighting to scream and failing, it broke her heart on the spot. But it was when the girl remained stuck in her position that her empathy became suspicion.

"Something's wrong," Morgause's statement only turned that suspicion into fear.

"What?" Morgana demanded, snapping her gaze back and forth between her two sisters. "What is it? What's wrong? Why can't she talk?"

"Because she's too scared to," The blonde quipped, scowling at the scene before her and ignoring the horror that swept across Morgana's features. "I don't understand. We opened the gate promising a sibling bond. James is her brother, but the summons is working as if they were only half-siblings."

It was before Morgana could explain what she had done that the sphere pulsed once more, radiating light onto the three sisters, and began violently sucking Anna back in. Morgana's eyes snapped open. "No!" She screamed, impulsively lunging forwards and grabbing Anna's hand.

The young princess once more locked eyes with the black haired beauty, clearly stunned at the act of bravery, and Morgana could understand why. Unlike her Anna didn't remember anything from before they had jumped into the platform. She didn't even have a chance to remember as no version of her, adult or child, had entered it. Malum had killed the child version and the adult future one had been possessed by the same monster. So to her, a stranger had just risked her life, her sanity and soul for her.

Once again, she could see why she was surprised.

But to Morgana she was family, and if she let her be absorbed back into the dungeons of turf then she would be gone forever. As Morgause had explained, you only ever got one chance to retrieve someone from turf, and this was it. She would not let her go.

"Morgana!" Morgause cried, surprising her with the amount of concern in her tone. "Morgana, you have to let go!"

The lady of Camelot grit her teeth, shaking her head fervently. "If I let her go then she's gone forever!

"If you don't then you'll be taken into turf!" The blonde retorted. "And you have no full-blooded sibling! There will be no way to save you!"

"Or her if I let her go!" Morgana fought back, beginning to lose her grip on the young princess. Anna's eyes shot even wider open. Just because she couldn't speak didn't mean her terror was any less obvious, but that was when Morgana shook her head and clenched her jaw. "Don't worry, I won't let go," she stated. "I won't lose you again, I swear."

Morgause looked wildly around, as if looking for answers. "Morgana! Someone HAS to go into the dungeon! The summons hasn't worked and the gate requires a body! If you don't let her go then you'll both be taken!" The blonde desperately tried to explain. "What about Bella!? If you go then you will never see her again!"

At this Morgana felt hesitation stab at her heart. She would never see Bella again? That thought chilled her more than she liked, a lot more. If she could never see Bella then she wouldn't see Imi either, or Merlin, or Arthur and Gwen and James. She wouldn't be there when Merlin brought Imi back. She wouldn't know how her girls' pregnancy went, be there for her or hold either Imi or Bella ever again. Her girls, gone forever.

"Let me go," Anna's croaky voice shocked her so much she almost let her slip from her grasp, the sisters' eyes locking again.

Morgana blinked. "What?" she breathed out.

"James…he told me you have children," Anna continued to wheeze out. "And family is all I've ever loved. Don't give them up for me. Please."

Morgana released a heavy breath, her eyes filling with tears. She couldn't even fathom how scared the girl must be, having already sampled the horrors of turf and knowing she was facing an eternity of it, and yet here she was. An eleven-year-old girl sacrificing herself so she could go home and hug her girls. Before she had loved her, but at that moment she fell in love with her.

She offered her a warm, watery smile. "You're right, family everything."

Anna gave a trembling nod. "Thank you," she thanked, only making a tear fall from Morgana's eyes. She was thanking her now? "For trying I mean. Not many people have tried to help me before, in fact only one has ever tried."

Morgana's bottom lip shuddered at this. "James?" She whimpered, receiving a sad nod from the girl. "I thought so, and I won't be the reason he loses his little girl," she stated…and suddenly yanked the girl free whilst throwing herself into the dungeon.

"No!" Morgause screamed, darting past a stunned Anna and diving for her sister…but it was too late. The sphere closed, trapping Morgana behind a solid wall and leaving her to the horrors of turf for an eternity.

Morgause went skidding across the floor before snapping her disturbed gaze up, looking in vain for the open sphere gate that had disappeared. "No…" She breathed, knowing there was now nothing she could do.

Gwaine and Mordred came running up and surveyed the scene, noticing both Anna and Morgause on the floor and gazing at a solid wall in astonishment. "What happened?" Gwaine asked, looking around for a certain black haired beauty. "Where's Morgana?"

Morgause lightly shook her head, clearly still dazed. "She's in the dungeon," she whispered out.

"What?" Gwaine seethed, before charging forwards, seizing Morgause and shoving her up against the stone wall of the dungeon. "What did you do!?" He demanded. "Bring her back! Now!"

For the first time Morgause brought her gaze up to meet his. "I can't. She's gone."

---

So what did you think? As always I love hearing from you. In the next chapter: Merlin, Arthur, Imi, Michael and Jorma try to escape from the void; Morgana finds a friend in the dungeons; and the consequences begin.

Booya.

Yes I said booya.