Chapter Four

Into Darkness

Nimueh stood looking out over the calm lake, taking in her last few moments on this side of the veil. She could not feel the grass beneath her bare feet, nor the occasional breeze that fluttered past her as she watched the dark waters. She was surprised by how long she had remained in this body and that her soul had not already slipped back into the next world. It had been three days since Morgana and Morgause and dragged her back, they certainly were powerful practitioners, but it was probably Nimueh's will to stay for just a little bit longer, now there was work to do, that kept her standing. It wouldn't be long now though, she was fading, she could feel herself being pulled back into the world she rightly belonged to and soon she would go willingly. But for the moment she was still here and even more powerful than before now that she was a creature which did not rightly belong in the world of the living. She could perform her one final task.

Nimueh had never expected death to give her so much perspective. Of course there were many on the other side who refused to let their eyes be opened, and still dwelled in their hatred and spite, and so did she at first when she realised that she had been unjustly murdered by that troublesome manservant. But soon she realised how far her eyes could now seen and how much more she could understand about the world. She now understood the brutality of her war. She saw the faces of the children she had made orphans, she saw crying widows and she realised that they were no different from the orphans and mourning widows who had been created by Uther. She still hated that King, if blood was still running through her veins it would have started to boil just at the thought of him sitting on the throne. But she understood that in her killing she was becoming like him and she didn't want to do that. She no longer wished to be part of a war, and if she did, she would not take a side.

Nimueh knew that Morgana and Morgause would not keep their word, after the spell she had made them promise once again not to hurt any innocents and they agreed, but she knew that they would not keep their word, they are as brutal as she was, perhaps even more so, so they would not care if they struck aside a innocent who happened to be in their way. But perhaps they would hesitate, if they knew what Nimeuh had in mind. She had agreed to help them as one last ditch attempt to remove Uther, but already she regretted it, and already her plan of equalling out the side of war was beginning.

Slowly, Nimueh raised her hand over the silent lake. Quickly the centre of it began to bubble as the water had been placed over a great heat. It was just a small surface area, but soon it began to boil and great, angry bubbles burst at the surface.

It was rather like a game of dice, Nimueh thought to herself as she watched the boiling, bubbling water begin to spread further across the lake. Morgause and Morgana had played their turn, casting their spell and rolling the dice, all their plans in preparation for winning the game. But on the other side of the table stood Nimueh who took up the dice. She had helped the two witches play their turn, but now she was rolling for the other team.

"My turn," Nimueh whispered to herself, smiling as she watched something rise out of the bubbling water.

Merlin's figure could just about be seen through the gloom as he paced up and down impatiently. The stables still smelt faintly of horses and hay, but had not been occupied by them for quite some time, some of the doors were crooked and the wood was suffering from many rainfalls. It would not be long until they were either taken down or fell down. Little could be heard of the outside world, and there was no sign that anyone was coming to inspect the stables. Morgana was right, no one would look here.

The trouble was that time was pressing, Morgana said she would meet them here, but the day was ending and she still had not arrived.

"She'll be here Merlin," Gwen tried to assure him.

"Yes, so stop pacing!" Arthur snapped, who was still feeling very uneasy about the whole thing, and Merlin's erratic movements were not helping.

"But why isn't she here yet? She said she'd talk to Uther and then meet us here, what's taking so long?" Merlin demanded, wishing he could tell the others how suspicious he thought of Morgana, but they would never believe him. He somehow wished that he didn't believe himself either. Morgana was their best friend, they trusted her, it would be nice if he could keep his trust in her too.

Despite Merlin's worries they hadn't been waiting in the stables that long. Fearful of stepping outside while the guards were still searching for Arthur, the three of them had stayed in Merlin's chamber, waiting and wondering what the King would say. Soon after Morgana had left, Gaius appeared, looking extremely troubled but glad to see his nephew and the Prince.

Merlin was about to explain to Gaius their plan, when there was a pounding on the door and the voice of a guard demanded that he was let in. Quickly hiding Arthur back in Merlin's chamber, Gaius managed to convince the guard that the Prince was not in there.

"Sir Leon himself came in here a few moments ago and searched these chambers thoroughly. The Prince is not in here and no one else has entered since." Gaius told the guard sternly. "You are welcome to search again, but I fear you will be wasting your time."

The guard hesitated, not sure whether to trust Gaius, but he feared the King's temper if he wasted time, so left.

"Thank you Gaius," Merlin sighed with relief when the physician came to tell them that the coast was clear.

"Please Gaius, can you tell me what's wrong? Am I ill?" Arthur said, his eyes begging, praying that he had been struck by an illness, something that could be explained and maybe cured, rather than a curse or an ability buried deep that could never be cured.

The physician examined Arthur thoroughly, but concluded that the Prince was in perfect health. "You have a bit of a fever, but it's nothing serious, you have been through a lot today," Gaius admitted, pressing his hand against Arthur's forehead. "Other than that, there is nothing wrong with you and I cannot think of any disease that would give you magic."

"But there is something very wrong with me," Arthur muttered to himself.

"What do you think it is, Gaius," Merlin asked quietly, taking his uncle aside to have a private conversation. "Has Arthur had this all his life or is it a curse? In which case, what curse?"

Gaius shrugged, "I'm afraid I know as much as you Merlin, neither of us have faced this before. I think if Arthur has had this all his life we would have seen another sign before now, but with his father's hatred of magic, maybe it has been buried deep until now. However I think it is more likely that he has been cursed and with a very powerful one unknown to me. In which case you must keep a close eye on him Merlin, curses are dangerous things, especially powerful ones, it could have worse effects on Arthur as time goes by."

"We're thinking of leaving Camelot to find Druids who might have some knowledge and be able to help, it would also protect Arthur from whatever Uther if he needs to be, what do you think?" Merlin said.

"I'm still not sure," Arthur admitted, overhearing Merlin's question.

Gaius thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think it is a good idea Merlin, perhaps leaving Camelot is the safest thing for Arthur to do for now, and there might be people out there who have more knowledge about this," he hesitated, "situation, and how to deal with it."

"I hope you're right," Arthur muttered, but someone else agreeing that he should leave convinced him a little more to go to the stables rather than turn himself in.

For the next few hours Merlin and Gwen busied themselves getting supplies for a journey they did not know where it would take them or how long it would last. Arthur continued to hide in Merlin's chamber while Gaius watched at the door for anyone who might come searching for him. Gwen went back to her house to get some food and Merlin sneaked back into the castle to fetch more supplies, including Arthur's sword.

The Prince's chamber was in a poor state when Merlin finally reached it. The whole room had been turned upside down in a desperate attempt to find the Prince and discover some sort of evidence to explain how Arthur had used magic. Drawers were hanging open, their contents spilling out onto the floor, Arthur's desk was surrounding by smashed ink pots and scattered parchments and the wardrobe hung open with clothing scattered about. Even the bed had been stripped and pillows flung to the floor. It was like a battlefield. The chamber was warm and light poured through the windows, but somehow it felt cold, abandoned. It echoed the panic felt by those searching for him and perhaps the King himself, the desperation to find the Prince and the fear of what had happened that day. It took Merlin a while to forget about the state of that chamber.

The one fortunate thing about the state of Arthur's room was that everything became a lot easier to find. Merlin picked up a few clothes for him from the floor, a cloak and a dagger that had been cast out of one of the drawers by his bed. There was no sign of his sword. Merlin had a strong feeling that it had been found already and taken away, after all, who would want someone with magic to have extra weapons at their hand?

It forced Merlin to go down to the armoury for find a sword and he had to move slowly, ducking behind corners and into empty chambers when he heard approaching guards, sometimes using magic to force them to walk a different direction. He knew the King would want to question the servant of the missing Prince, even if Morgana kept her promise and had gone to talk to the King he would still want a word with Arthur's manservant and Merlin decided he would rather skip that encounter. It could throw all their plans into jeopardy and he did not want Arthur to leave Camelot without him.

After what felt like hours Merlin finally entered the armoury. Much to his concern it was half empty, it seemed many of Uther's men had gone to arm themselves against any possible threat the Prince might pose. The thought of all the shields, swords and spears currently hunting Arthur gave Merlin a sick feeling of dread. The sooner they left the better, he just wished something would happen that meant Morgana would be left behind. As much as he tried he could not convince himself to trust her. Ever since she had returned to Camelot every smile and kind word felt like a lie.

After some searching in the armoury with worry spinning around his head like a whirlwind, Merlin found a decent-looking sword for Arthur, a slightly worn-looking sword for himself and a long dagger for Gwen. He didn't know what they were facing out there and preferred the thought of them having some protection. He didn't pick a weapon for Morgana.

The day was growing cooler and evening was approaching by the time Merlin made it back to Gaius' chambers, weapons and clothes in hand. Much to his relief Arthur and Gwen were still there waiting for him, though he was concerned that Morgana was not with them. He hadn't seen her or the King while he was in the castle, he had no idea what they were up to and was tempted to go back and find out with the help of magic, but decided against losing any more time. Gaius and Gwen had found them plenty of food and drink for the journey.

"Where have you been?" Arthur demanded, sounding relieved, worried and angry all at the same time.

"It's not easy trying to sneak around that castle unseen," Merlin retorted, not meaning to sound so harsh. He quickly softened his voice as he told them about the supplies he had collected, including the weapons. To his relief neither of them questioned why Morgana didn't have a weapon.

They decided to wait after dark until leaving Gaius' chambers. They had no idea how Morgana's talk with Uther had gone so they didn't know if people were still searching for Arthur. Every now and then they heard heavy footsteps passing the chamber and remained hidden in Merlin's room, waiting and listening silently.

When they all agreed it was time to leave they went out one by one, each taking a few supplies and quickly pulling on a cloak, putting the hood up so no one would recognise their faces. Gwen left first with a final, nervous smile at Gaius, who smiled back and wished her good luck in a voice that said she didn't really need it. Arthur went next, his voice was empty of emotion as he thanked Gaius for his help. The old physician who had watched this Prince grow up and found it hard to distance himself from what was happening, but he bowed low and said that he would wait for him always as a loyal servant. Merlin was last to leave. He waited a few minutes after Arthur had gone, then said his farewell to Gaius.

"I don't know what's going to happen out there, or when we'll be back," he admitted. He hated walking into the unknown, although he had done it many times before, somehow this felt very different. It wasn't often that he and the Prince had to flee from the King.

To Merlin's surprise Gaius pulled his nephew into a tight hug. "Be careful, won't you? Take care of Arthur and Gwen, but don't forget to take care of yourself." He said.

"I will," Merlin promised as he hugged Gaius back, both of them knowing it was a promise he could not keep.

Hiding his supplies under his cloak Merlin hurried out of the chamber and headed for the stables. He did not look back.

Now all three of them stood in the abandoned stables, waiting for Morgana as evening crept into night. Gwen held tightly onto Arthur's hand in the darkness and Merlin continued to pace, wondering if he could manage to convince them they couldn't wait any longer and would have to leave Morgana behind.

Suddenly the stable door opened with a loud creek, making all three of them jump. Merlin whipped around, preparing to defend them against Uther's men, but stopped when he saw Morgana standing by the doorway, clutching blankets in her arms.

"Don't worry, it's me," she whispered, closing the door behind her.

"Where have you been?" Merlin demanded as Morgana entered the stables.

"Talking to the King like I said," she replied, sounding as if she was surprised that Merlin had asked such an obvious question. Gwen was much happier now her mistress had arrived and gave her a quick hug, neither her or Arthur questioned where Morgana had been.

"Why did it take you so long?" Merlin snapped.

"Merlin, there's no need to speak to her like that," Arthur said sternly.

But Morgana shook her head, "It's fine Arthur, he's nervous, we all are," she replied calmly. "It took me a while to find the King in the first place, and then even longer trying to convince him that this was a good idea, it took much longer than I thought it would take. He threatened to arrest me just for suggesting it. I finally managed to make him see sense and that he had not been betrayed by his son. He agreed that you leaving and finding help was a wise decision but not to come back until we find a cure." Arthur hung his head at these words, but Morgana added, "He also gave me these blankets as a gesture of good will for our travels. These nights can be cold and he wants us to stay safe. He wasn't very happy about me leaving either, but he knows I will take care of his son."

"Well, at least we won't be hunted as well as cursed through our journey," Arthur muttered to himself. Morgana's warning that he could not return until they found a cure laid heavily on his heart.

"Did he say anything else?" Merlin asked.

Morgana shrugged, "Nothing else of importance."

There was a pause, Merlin decided to try one last time to leave Morgana behind. "You know, you don't have to go with us if you don't want to. Maybe it would be better if you stayed with the King, he might need you," he suggested carefully.

"No," Morgana said firmly and there was something close to anger in her eyes, "Arthur is like a brother to me, I will stay by his side through this dark time. We're all going to need each other."

Arthur gave a small smile, "I'm glad you're here Morgana," he said.

"Me too," Morgana smiled back. Merlin said nothing.

Arthur glanced around the dark stables and sighed, "Well, I suppose we can't delay this any longer, it's time to leave," he murmured. The others nodded in agreement and quickly collected up their supplies.

The outside world was deserted as they left the stables and the night air had grown chillier. Stars dotted the black sky. They walked silently in single file, Merlin leading the way, followed by Morgana, then Arthur and Gwen. There was something eerily silent and empty about Camelot all of a sudden, Merlin wondered if a curfew had been put in place. They all moved quickly through the darkness, which was only penetrated by the stars and a few lit torches at the entrance of wealthy houses. Leaving the castle behind and entering the town square, none of them glanced behind to see what they were leaving, but at the same time none of them wanted to look ahead into the darkness they were entering.

So the four of them are now leaving Camelot and while they prepared to go Nimueh completed her final task in the land of the living, any ideas on what she was doing at the lake?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading! :)