Chapter 2

'Oh, oh, oh, oh, Sweet child o' mine...'

Merlin's mixed tape was still playing when Jess woke up. It was a song by Guns N' Roses. Jess smiled. She remembered listening to Merlin's music tapes as a little girl during her weapons training. Guns N' Roses were her favourite. Then one day, Merlin had given her a real sword - not a wooden one for practice but real steel. She had named it 'Axl Rose'.

"That's a ridiculous name for a sword," Merlin had snapped.

"So is Excalibur," Jess had thrown back at him. "Sounds like a bad 1980s rock band."

The curtain was drawn across the alcove where Merlin kept his bed. He was snoring softly.

Jess got up and stretched. The room shook slightly. 'An earth tremor,' she thought. The room shook again and a book fell on the floor from the shelf above. She picked it up. It was a journal. Jess hadn't gone to school, but Merlin had taught her how to read and write. She never understood why, after all, she didn't need to read books to slay dragons. Jess opened the journal. It had belonged to Gaius the physician, Merlin's mentor, and spanned a period of five years at Camelot. The first entry read:

'The boy Merlin is the most distracted creature I have ever known! This morning he muddled the Lady Morgana's sleeping potion with King Uther's haemorrhoid draught. Such bottomless stupidity! What shall I tell the king when he wakes up?'

Jess laughed out loud. Merlin snorted in his sleep and then continued to snore. "Sounds like Gaius found Merlin as challenging as Merlin finds me," she murmured.

The room shook again and a sudden draft flicked the pages forward. Jess continued to read.

'Today is the anniversary of Arthur's birth and thus, it is the anniversary of his mother's death. Dear Ygraine, she was a good friend. How I still miss her after all these years. She was like an angel fallen from the stars bringing peace to all the peoples of Camelot. A gift to the kingdom. For she could see the spark of magic that exists in everyone and unites us all.'

Jess paused. Merlin had never spoken much about Arthur's mother. She knew that Queen Ygraine had died in childbirth. The sorceress Nimue had cast a spell to allow Ygraine to conceive a child, but the price for Arthur's birth had been Ygraine's life. After the queen's death, King Uther had gone mad with grief. He had mercilessly persecuted all those who practiced magic and had tried to rid the kingdom of magical creatures during the first Great Purge.

Another quake and the pages flipped forward again. Jess frowned. 'That's odd...' This entry was a year later:

'The seasons turn quickly at Camelot and here we are celebrating Arthur's anniversary once again. Arthur has always been the sweet child that Ygraine wished for. He is a good, fair and just king, and there is much happiness under his rule.

I can still picture the day that he was born so clearly in my mind. Ygraine was happy and excited when her birth pains started. She had waited a long time to meet her child. Uther had planned a great feast to which all in the kingdom were invited at Ygraine's request. The queen wanted everyone to feel welcome. Men, women, children, fairies, sorcerers, dragon lords, druids, unicorns, and dwarves. Everyone had come bearing gifts.

I remember how we all held our breaths as we waited to hear the first cries of the new prince or princess. Oh, we had no idea how terrible that day, and the days to follow, would become.

Perhaps we should have known. The night before Arthur's birth, Ygraine had visited my chamber after she had a strange dream…'

Jess sat back in her chair. 'A strange dream?' she wondered. The room shook again. This time it was stronger than before. Jess had an uneasy feeling. The earth tremors were never this persistent.

The tape had started to play another song. Kayleigh by Marillion.

'Do you remember chalk hearts melting on a playground wall? Do you remember dawn escapes from moon washed college halls?'

Jess heard Merlin stir. He pulled back the curtain and said. "She's coming."

"Who?" asked Jess. But she already knew.

"Morgana."

The tremors were getting stronger and stronger. They were not the effect of an underground earthquake, but the roars of Morgana Pendragon.

"Can your magic keep her out?" Jess shouted at Merlin.

He shook his head, "No, not for long".

Merlin picked up Gaius's journal as he sang along to the tape absentmindedly: 'By the way, didn't I break your heart? Please excuse me I never meant to break your heart...'

"Merlin!" shouted Jess again. "The stone is cracking." She could see splinters appearing across the entrance boulder. She drew her sword ready to fight.

"Did you know that Morgana once allowed herself to be captured and chained in a pit for two years for the sake of her beloved Aithusa?" Merlin smiled. "She loved that dragon fiercely. Like a mother loves her child."

"Really interesting piece of trivia," said Jess. "Did you think maybe you could've told me that before I slayed her favourite pet?"

Merlin continued: "I found Gaius's journal in the ruins of Camelot after Morgana and her dragons had burnt the castle to the ground." He paused. "Did you enjoy reading it?

"Merlin..." Jess was starting to sound exasperated.

The chorus played on as Merlin packed a small rucksack with his mixed tapes and Aithusa's black heart. 'Kayleigh, is it too late to say I'm sorry? And, Kayleigh, could we get it together again...' He walked over to Jess and put the rucksack on her back. "I always knew it would be Morgana and I in the end," said the Dragon Lord. "Destiny sucks."

"Merlin, what on earth are you babbling about?" asked Jess impatiently.

Merlin chuckled, "You sound like Arthur."

They stood side by side as Morgana's awful screeching cracked the boulder.

'And, Kayleigh, I thought that we'd always be friends, We said our love would last forever, So how did it come to this bitter end?'

The boulder blew apart. Merlin held up his hand to suspend the pieces of rock in the air, so that the blast would not harm Jess, then he let the fragments fall to the ground.

Morgana stood in the entrance, her black eyes filled with hate and rage. The dark magic coursing through her veins pulsated under her white skin. Her hair writhed like black serpents around her head.

"Hello Morgana," said Merlin calmly.

"AITHUSA!" screamed the witch.

Merlin looked around. "He isn't here."

Morgana roared and green fire spewed out of her mouth. Merlin stepped forward and caught the flames in his hand, extinguishing the blast as easily as snuffing out a candle.

Jess raised her sword and charged at the witch with a battle cry. "No!" shouted Merlin before he could stop her.

Morgana looked at Jess with a sly smile. She roared again. Jess saw the flames rushing at her, and then she was on the other side of the room. She was standing next to a large mirror. Merlin had whisked her away to safety.

"You like this one," hissed Morgana as she walked forward slowly.

Merlin shrugged. "She reminds me of Arthur."

The witch laughed spitefully. "And she will die just as easily."

"We'll see," said Merlin.

"You cannot stop me, Emrys, you cannot kill me" Morgana paused. "You are not willing to pay the price."

"Which is?"

"The world."

Merlin looked very tired all of a sudden. "We both know that this world is dying, Morgana. But it isn't the only one. There are millions of others in the universe." He stared hard at the witch. "I will not let you destroy any more worlds."

"I will consume as many souls in dragon fire as I please," Morgana looked at Jess again. "Starting with hers."

Merlin's eyes glowed and the reflection in the mirror behind Jess changed. It no longer reflected his chamber but a cave of running waterfalls and crystal pools. A woman was standing there. She had long brown hair, kind eyes and a gentle smile. Her dress was shimmering light. "Freya," whispered Merlin. "It's time."

Freya beckoned to Jess as Merlin urged her: "Walk through the mirror, Jess. You'll be safe on the other side."

Jess gripped her sword tighter as Morgana advanced. "Thanks but no thanks. I hate to leave the party early."

"I thought you'd say that," said Merlin. He flexed his fingers and rotated his hands, palms facing each other, as a ball of light appeared. He hurled it at Morgana who screamed in anguish as she was enveloped in glowing tendrils that gripped her tightly. "That should keep her busy while I do this."

"Do what?" said Jess

"THIS," Merlin's eyes glowed. "Goodbye Jess, I'm sorry but it really is time for you to GO." He stretched a hand out towards her and Jess felt herself being shoved into the mirror.

"No!" she cried. But it was too late. She was on the other side with Freya, watching the fight between Merlin and Morgana. The witch was standing again, and she was growling. It was an awful sound.

"I have to help him!" cried Jess.

"You cannot," said Freya. "This is how this particular timeline ends."

Jess stared helplessly as Morgana's dragons burst into Merlin's chamber and surrounded the wizard. Morgana was walking towards him with a cruel smile on her face. But Merlin wasn't looking at the witch. He was looking at Freya. The floor of the chamber shook as Morgana looked down in alarm. "What are you doi-" Her shriek was cut off abruptly as the earth beneath them erupted.

"What happened?" whispered Jess. "What did I just see?"

"The end of the world," said Freya.

Jess sunk to her knees. There was nothing on the other side of the mirror now except the cold blackness of space and stars.

Merlin had blown up the planet.