Another inspiring response by you people so thank you and I would also like to thank you for support shown for my back. So ready? aaaaaaaaaaaand thank you:CB39; White As Snow; Mergana; Tiannangel; Mint and Lemon; LostLyra; FireChildSlytherin5; magnet-starfish; Whatever Makes You Break; Behind Sapphire Eyes; narutoske; Sarahelizebeth1993; Shadow243ali; TheMinxySix; MaryandMerlin; 009Sevgi; 9Tiptoes; alleywayqueen; MegElemental; ruby890; Sayf123; HisDarkMaterialsrox; Sylar Queen; kingleycrab; Firstm8ofJumpinJo. If there are any others who's name hasn't appeared on my review list I will thankyou in the next chapter.
Obviously again can not thank Mnemosyne77 enough for the incredible help given. I only wish could help half as much. Now this chapter is mainly going to be introducing the Sorcerer Prince, but don't worry if you don't understand him just yet. You weren't supposed to. =)
Disclaimer: So...don't own Merlin, have a dog named Henry, I find seaguls to be oddly creepy and milk shakes rock my world. Enjoy!
All four, Merlin, Morgana, Arthur and Gwen were thrown to their knees on the hard marble flooring. Morgana couldn't help the small whimper that escaped her traitorous throat as her knees hit the cold floor, she hearing a few groans from her friends next to her. She slowly looked up to the feet that lay in front of them. Following her gaze Merlin looked up to see what the feet were attached too to discover a young but mature looking man, glaring down at them from his throne. Needless to say a gulp escaped him.
"What is this you bring before me, James?" The man asked someone behind him. Soon the sorcerer prince walked past them, a guard carrying an unconscious Imogen following loyally behind.
"Father," he responded, sending a shockwave through the kneeling four. Merlin looked over at Arthur to see he had the same disbelieving look on his face. How could this man be the sorcerer prince's father? He barely looked older than the man himself. "I come bearing gifts." The four watched as a crooked smile split across the prince's handsome face.
His father however seemed bored. "Is this one of your stupid jokes?"
The prince shook his head and gazed greedily into Merlin's eyes. "Certainly not My King, I bring you the future of Camelot." The Sorcerer King turned his head to look at his son in puzzlement.
"Explain yourself, quickly." The King ordered.
"Of course. Might I introduce Prince Arthur of Camelot and his love, Miss Guinevere." He introduced. At this the youthful looking King leant forward in his overly decorated throne with a keen smile on his face.
"Uther's son in love with a serving girl?" The King it seemed had trouble containing his excitement at this prospect, and Arthur could guess as to why. He was sure this sorcerer King knew of how his father would react to such news. Fury would not be an appropriate term; instead something more descriptive of a national disaster would be more suitable. Gwen hung her head, seemingly compensating for the Kings lack of shame. The hand maiden looked up to her left to see a bewildered looking Morgana staring right at her, mouth open as the black haired beauty gazed from Arthur to herself in realization. Gwen turned back to the sorcerer King. Well that was one less secret.
"Who told you that?" Arthur demanded heatedly. "I demand to know."
The sorcerer Prince, James sent his shinning green eyes boring through Arthur's angry blues. "No one has to tell me anything. Has no one told you Prince Arthur? I'm brilliant," James said with a confident smile. Merlin looked behind the prince to see the King roll his eyes. "And part of my brilliance is knowing what you are thinking, even right at this very second. I'm a can read minds Prince Arthur, and I'm reading not only yours but your friends at this moment," a laugh escaped him as he looked at all the worried faces staring up at him. "Good lord and I thought I had problems."
Arthur smirked. "You couldn't possibly-"
"Couldn't what? Know who Imogen's parents are?"Arthurs' mouth fell open as James took a few steps down to Gwen. He threw of his robe over a nearby guard to reveal black boots, black trousers and a red short sleeved vest whilst keeping on his black leather gloves. A single silver chain hung from his tanned neck with a pendant carved in the shape of an eye. He stared down at Gwen with his arms folded over his chest. "What Uther would do should he find out about you and his son?" He continued down to Morgana and his smile fell. He seemed to grow uncomfortable as he stared down at her, his eyes mysteriously clouding over. "Will he leave you like your father did?" He chanced a glance at Merlin before looking back at Morgana. "You lost a parent?"
Morgana's anger flared to new heights. "What do you care?"
The Prince stared down at her, stripped of his arrogance. Gwen and Merlin focused, those couldn't be tears gathering in the bottom of his eyes. "I don't care. It's called showing off, and you do it whenever you dress up for a party so don't judge me."
Morgana visibly snarled as his self-assured smile returned and he moved over to Merlin.
"Wow! Well, you're easier to read than a freshly written scroll. But no, Arthur has no idea how many times you've saved him," he looked up the line of people all looking at him curiously. "None of them do, although she has an idea." He pointed at Morgana who turned away quickly. Merlin stared at her curiously through scared eyes. What did that mean?
"Enough of your games," Came the Kings voice as he stood. "I have duties to attend to."
"But Father can't you see what this means?"
"I can see brat" The King's spit flew everywhere as he marched up to his son, invading his personal space. "The creatures that lay in the outskirts are more than a match for them. So what are they doing here?"
The sorcerer prince looked away from his father's piercing eyes. "We need information from them; it was for the good of the kingdom."
"Do not think you can lie to me boy." The King responded. "You saved them because you're weak. You always were, going out and saving people who you believed to be innocent despite my constant warnings. Even the slaves you deemed worthy of your attention. You have so much potential son to be a ruthless and great King."
"I do not deem ruthless as great Father," replied James just as strongly. "I deem great as a King who would go out of his way to help his people. Something you could never understand."
"How dare you preach to me about what a King should be. You're a fool James, and you prove it every day. Hopefully your younger sister will prove to have a less selfless heart."
"You will not corrupt her as you did me." Prince James Regus stepped even closer to his father his jaw clenched. The kneeling four watched on in amazement. Perhaps there was a chance that the sorcerer Prince did have a heart after all? "I will not allow you too."
"You do not have a say," assumed the King with an appalled expression fixed onto his face. "Your mother would be ashamed of you if she could see you now," Merlin saw as the prince tensed. "She would be so disappointed."
"Mother was the one out there every day feeding the slaves you felt necessary to starve. She would be proud of my actions towards them."
"She would be as appalled as I am at your weakness."
"I am not weak." James stated back through gritted teeth.
"You are weak. It is that weakness that killed your mother."
James eyes turned wild as his father's words hit him. Very slowly he took a step forward towards the King. "Are you blaming me...for my mother's death?" His tone was low and menacing, and for the first time the four watching from the floor could see why Uther feared his alliance. Right now even the King seemed weary.
"You could have saved her and you know it," whispered the King venomously. "But you didn't because you were afraid to make the difficult decisions."
"I will not be blamed!" A smashing noise interrupted the row as all the windows shattered around the great hall. The King turned back to his son only to take a few steps back as he took in the sight before him. His son's eyes were only glowing gold. The deep sound of thunder roared through the empty window frames, causing the still kneeling four to look anxiously around.
"What's happening?" Gwen asked, having to close her eyes as a fierce wind began blowing from within the hall. Morgana turned to Merlin in a desperate plea for answers to see him staring up the sorcerer prince through his eye lids.
"It's him," answered an inappropriately calm Merlin. "It's the sorcerer Prince."
Morgana looked up at the prince with wide eyes, watching as his hand rose to the man loosely holding a still bleeding Imogen. "Forba erninge." He whispered. Instantly Imogen began shaking violently in the guards arms.
"What are you doing?" Morgana screamed at the prince, who simply stared at her with those gold eyes and a simple smirk.
"Making a difficult decision," He answered back. The prince then turned his eyes onto a fearful looking guard. "Take them to the cells," he ordered as his eyes turned back to their normal shimmering green.
"They are to be executed in the morning," The King ordered. James snapped his head in his Father's direction alarmed. "Your lack of control merely demonstrates why I am the King, and don't you forget it."
James sighed as his father walked away, far more nervous than he would dare show. He turned round to stare at the four being dragged away to the cells as he had instructed. It looked like he had lost that one, but he would get his father back someday. It was just a shame they had to die over a meaningless squabble.
The prince shrugged and picked up a now still Imogen. "Oh well." He sighed before walking off.
"Why do you think they put us two together?" Morgana asked, staring emotionlessly at the cell wall.
She and Merlin were locked in a dungeon cell after being sent here by the man who was supposed to save them. It certainly had been a disappointment meeting the supposedly brilliant sorcerer prince. She had built up an image in her head about how he would be, but he was nothing like she pictured. She expected someone fantastic. Someone who would charge in and save them all, give them hope that they could stop whatever threat was out there.
Instead he had separated herself and Merlin from Arthur, Gwen and a practically dead Imogen. She had no idea whether the girl was still alive or not, or in fact the fate of Arthur and Gwen themselves. Instead she was left in a cell with the man who she really didn't want to be alone with right now. A man she hadn't been alone with since they had almost kissed.
She closed her eyes in dismay as she waited for his answer.
"I don't know." He answered honestly. "I could understand if they put you Arthur together because your nobles, or if they put me with Arthur because we're male. I don't know why-" And just like that he thought what connected them.
They were both magic.
"What?" Asked the lady Morgana, but she already knew what was going through Merlin's head. He had just worked out that the sorcerer prince must have known that they both had magic. She sighed a little. Men were idiots.
"Nothing." He lied, again. She rolled her eyes before getting up and resting her head on the rough metallic bars that bound them within the damp cell.
"We need to talk about what happened, Merlin." She stated softly, earning her a worried glance from him.
"What do you mean?"
"Stop doing that" She demanded whilst turning to face him. "Stop pretending you're an idiot when you're clearly not."
He looked at her through his eyelids, obviously considering her words. "Ok. So where did you want to start?"
She sighed once more and began walking round the cell. "Where do we start? The part where we almost killed each other or the part where we almost kissed, despite the first point?"
"Morgana," He said as he got up from the floor. "I can't give you any answers. If I knew why any of that had to happen then I would be a lot happier. I think we should just put it down to a mistake and forget it happened."
Morgana swallowed back the surge of emotions that threatened to break through her well practiced mask. She didn't know why she felt this way. Too be honest she was going to say the exact same thing, but for reasons she silently hoped she would never discover the answers to, when he said it - it only served to create a stabbing feeling in her gut. How the hell was she supposed to make sense of not being able to stand being around someone, but also not being able to stand being away from them?
"I agree." She did? "But there's something you should know. Gwen saw us."
Merlin's eyes widened. "Gwen?!"
"Yes Gwen. I told her everything."
"Define everything."
"Everything," Morgana answered. "From the night a week ago to what was really going on between us."
Merlin walked cautiously toward her. "Why would you do that?"
"Because she saw us...and I was upset." She looked like she was addressing an enemy, Merlin noted. Her back was arched, her shoulders straight and her chin sticking out. Unfortunately he was feeling a little too angry to care at the present time.
"You were upset?" He asked disbelievingly. "So was I, but it doesn't mean I go running to Arthur to tell him all my secrets."
Morgana almost smiled. "No. You like to keep your secrets hidden, even when revealing them could help someone you're supposed to care for."
Merlin looked at her now baffled. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing," She said quietly, turning her head away from his eyes.
"No, no you've been asking a lot about my secrets recently. Why?" She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her head, and in her anger she felt like turning around and telling him just what she knew. That she knew he was a Warlock, and a powerful one at that. It might certainly help their current trapped situation. She was sure if he tried Merlin would be able to simply mutter something and send the bars flying off their hinges, but she also knew he would never trust her if he knew she had followed him down to the Dragon. It would be too much on top of everything else that had happened.
"I'm sorry," She forced out through a slightly clenched jaw. "I guess I just don't know what to expect from you anymore." Merlin's accusatory eyes softened at this. She could almost see his guilt washing over him, the same guilt she felt whenever she looked at him. "Besides it's not like we're friends anymore."
A long deep sigh escaped him. "Why aren't you friends anymore?" Sounded a small voice from behind them. Both Merlin and Morgana spun around to see a small girl looking through the bars at them with a curious expression on her little face.
A few moments passed as the little girl simply waited patiently for her answer. "Are you as creeped out as I am?" Merlin asked Morgana, who simply rolled her eyes at him and moved towards the small girl.
"Hello, who are you?" Morgana asked softly whilst crouching down to her level.
The little girl smiled at her. "I'm Princess Anna."
"Princess?" Merlin asked walking forwards. "Princess of this Kingdom?"
"Yes" Anna answered cheerfully. "I am Princess Anna Regus of the Venemagus Kingdom."
"Wow," Humoured Morgana with animated eyes. "Oh and so pretty too. How old are you?"
The little girl let loose a gargantuan sized smile. "I'm six years old."
"I'm Morgana, I'm King Uther's Ward."
"Daddy doesn't like him. He says he's a nasty old man." Anna said with wide eyes, her bottom lip sticking out.
Morgana smiled warmly at her. "You know what? I agree with your Daddy." Anna smiled another smile before looking up at Merlin. The smile fell of her face and was instead replaced by a look of curiosity. The little girl and the young warlock stared into each other's eyes for a few tense moments.
"Morgana the creepy child is looking at me, what do I do?" Merlin finally asked frozen.
"He looks funny." Anna commented strangely. Morgana turned back round to face Merlin with a smug smile gracing her face.
"You're right. I think it's the ears." Merlin frowned at the black haired beauty, only causing the Uther's Ward to widen her smile.
"What's wrong with my ears?" He asked hurt. Morgana pursed her lips as she turned back to the girl.
"You're pretty. Why are you locked in the dungeons?" Anna asked with large curious eyes. Morgana couldn't help but smile at the little girl, inwardly smiling too due to the fact that she had called her pretty. Merlin however frowned. Why would Morgana's looks matter?
"Well because we were trespassing on your land without asking. Our friend teleported us here without telling us where we were going, we didn't have a choice."
"Hmm," the small child considered. "Are you two married?"
Both Merlin and Morgana leapt away from her in mortification. Merlin had to look away from his locked up companion in order to hide his embarrassment. Why didn't she just ask if Morgana was pregnant too? It would certainly complete her invasive collection.
"We're not married." Merlin answered with a clear flush on his cheeks.
"I think you are." Little Anna looked sternly up at him.
"But we're not."
"Yes you are."
"We're not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Are."
"Not."
"Are and I lock it and throw away the key."
"Rats." Merlin conceded with a shake of his head. Morgana looked at him in complete bewilderment. How on earth was he a powerful Warlock? As if sensing this he looked round at her. "What?" He asked at her expression. "She beat me ok? So I suppose we're married. Sorry..."
Morgana shook her head at him. "You are a grown man Merlin."
"I don't know, have you ever heard Arthur on one of his rants? He calls me every girls name under the sun."
"What?" Morgana asked through squinted eyes, but Merlin simply soldiered on.
"Because take it from me, he can be pretty convincing."
"Merlin-"
"For a few months most of the other servants thought I was a girl." Merlin said sadly whilst pursing his lips. Morgana could only look at him confused as the Prince's man servant seemed to begin remembering those times with a sort of fond sorrow
"What's wrong with him?" Anna asked confused.
Morgana could only nod. "So many things."
All of a sudden the dungeon door blasted off its hinges and flew across the room. Anna jumped back out of shock, unknowingly stepping in the way of the oncoming door. Morgana gasped and covered her eyes with both her hands, knowing she couldn't watch...until Merlin stepped forward next to her.
"Geláces." He whispered. Morgana watched in amazement as Merlin's eyes flashed gold right before her eyes. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Morgana watched. Some invisible force seemed to send Anna soaring back just time to narrowly miss the flying door. Everything raced back to normal speed and Morgana couldn't help the sigh of relief, before turning to Merlin with wide eyes.
The man gulped as he stared back at her, equally shocked. What had he done? He had acted on instinct, obviously not wanting to see the small girl crushed...but now he had done the one thing he never wanted to do. He had performed magic in front of the Lady Morgana.
Everything else seemed blurry to him as Arthur appeared with Gwen by his side. "We have to get out of here." The Prince stated, but unfortunately neither was listening. "Hey!" Arthur yelled, finally gaining their attention. "We're getting out of here, now."
Morgana shook her head to try and regain her thoughts. "But how-" She was interrupted by Imogen bursting into the room, looking slightly less than fine. "Imogen, you're...you're..."
"I know, I'm awake – and yes I'll be fine," she said with a large gulp, clearly swallowing her pain. "And I told you to call me Imi."
"How?" Merlin asked baffled. The last time he had seen her she had been beyond the point of no return.
"The sorcerer Prince...must have healed me. I need to rest, but after we get out of here."
"There's a girl over here." Called Gwen from behind everyone. They all turned to see Gwen helping a groggy Anna to her feet.
"Why is there a child on the floor?" Arthur asked bizarrely.
"She's the princess." Sighed Morgana.
"Anna?" Imogen's tone was incredulous, as if she couldn't believe it. She watched as Gwen helped her along with her soft hands.
Merlin stepped forward. "You know her?"
"Know her?" Imogen couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her despite her pain. "She's my best friend."
A small moment of silence broke out across the room as different thought passed through their minds. Merlin was still reeling from the fact that he had some explaining to do to Morgana as soon as they were alone, and he would have to trust the one person who it seemed impossible to trust right now. If he was going to be honest there was a slight relief pouring over him, but it was only slight. The rest of him shook with fear. He took a moment to look next to him to see her. She was looking at the floor, clearly he thought, thinking about what had just happened. He slammed his eyes shut and hung his head. He needed to find a way to make her think she was seeing things...but how would you make someone forget that?
Morgana looked over at the man standing next to her, seeing him with his eyes firmly shut. He was panicking. She knew. But by quite the opposite she couldn't be more pleased. He had sacrificed a secret that could get him killed on pure instinct. In a second he had revealed something he had kept secret for the best part of his life. In a second he had forgotten everything, and trusted her again. She tried to hide her smile but it appeared anyway. He had trusted her again.
"How did she end up over there on the floor?" Arthur's voice brought the pair out of their inner thoughts and back into the panic of the room.
"What?" asked Merlin in spite of hearing him perfectly.
Arthur's annoyance was highly visible. "I said...how did she end up over there on the floor?"
"I-I don't know," stuttered Merlin. "Maybe she...fell?"
"Across a room?"
"It's happened before."
Arthur's smile showed his disbelief. "When? When has that ever happened?"
"You must have been out," Merlin answered with a firm purse of his lips.
Morgana took a subtle step in front of him. "There's an enchantment on these bars. When she touched it she was sent flying back the poor child. Is she alright?"
Merlin looked over at her in unquestionable shock. She was protecting him? Why? After everything they had been through why would she lie to Arthur on his behalf? He suppressed an unexpected surge to embrace her, an emotion that he hadn't felt since he had first sent her to the druids. He shook his head to clear those thoughts. He was dangling of a very dangerous cliff with thoughts like that.
"Alright, Imogen blast the door open. We need to leave here immediately." Arthur ordered. Imogen finally turned away from little Anna and nodded.
"Stand back," Imogen suggested. Morgana and Merlin did as they were told as Imogen raised a shaky pale hand. "Blaesus." The door was thrown of its strong metal bars in a cloud of smoke and dropped with a heavy metallic thud.
"We need to move, now!" Arthur bellowed, ushering Morgana then Merlin out from the strict confines of the prison. They all began running toward the door, until the reason they had wanted to come here in the first place stepped round the corner.
The group skidded to a halt and stared at the sorcerer Prince head on. A small smirk tugged its way onto his face as he shook his finger disapprovingly at them. "Tsk tsk tsk," he mockingly reprimanded as he stepped into the dungeon. "A little rude don't you think? To leave our humble home without even an attempt at a goodbye." He shook his head at them. "I'm actually a little hurt."
"Get out of the way." Arthur threatened in a low menacing voice as he drew his sword. He wasn't, however, prepared for the other royal to snort at him.
"What's that for? To trim my toe nails?" He looked around at the group. "Probably for the best now I think about it. To be honest they are beginning to get on the monstrous side of things."
Imogen abruptly took a large step forward. "ádes trindan!" A large fire ball burst from her hands and shot out towards the prince. However he simply raised his right arm and swatted the blast away, it bouncing of his hand and flying into the wall to the side. All except Imogen stood astounded at how he could simply swat a huge ball of fire with an effortless wave of his hand.
"See now I'm beginning to not want to invite you back." He said with a smile. However his smile faded as he stepped up to Imogen with large, slow strides. "Do not think you can compare to me," he threatened, all humour gone. "I have no equal."
"I did not expect anything less," Imogen replied calmly. It became obvious that this seemed to shake him; her lack of fear at his remark was clearly something he was not used to. "I did not however expect you to be such an idiot."
"Excuse me?" he couldn't believe his ears. Who did this girl think she was? "I saved your life, and I can quite easily take it away-"
"You would never take another's life," stated a suddenly bold Imogen. "You couldn't."
"Why don't we test that theory on one of your friends?" He asked with his smirk making a grand re-appearance.
Imogen smiled. "You cannot fool me. I believe in you, I know you won't turn us over to your Father. You are your mother's son, not your father's lapdog. You are everything that is good about this kingdom," she said as she began very slowly walking towards him. "You're the heart, the soul and the true leader of the people. But you're also the fire and the rage, and the pain and the broken boy that was forced into a life that he does not belong. Forced into making choices that made you hate yourself from the moment you made them till this very second. Moulded into a man who at the very thought of himself causes him to suffer in silence, only because you are not allowed to show weakness. Hiding behind a mask of humour and danger so you can earn a man's respect, a man you despise with every part of your being," She finally stopped walking and placed a soft hand on his dazed face. "A man who, deep deep deep down inside, is good and selfless, and will one day be the greatest King this kingdom has ever seen."
Silence filled the once thunderously loud dungeon as all could only stare in astonishment. James looked down slightly into the eyes of the woman who still had her warm hand on his cheek with no words to describe the emotions coursing through his entire being. He attempted to use his agape mouth to speak, yet merely found he had lost the ability to talk. Never, ever had anyone described his hatred for himself and his life. Never before had anyone realised how the choices and the teachings he had had during his frenzied childhood had caused him to change everything that he was.
The silence was however broken when Merlin leaned over to Arthur. "Why can't you say something with that much depth about me? You know to show your appreciation."
Arthur looked at him in amazement. "Because, Merlin, you have as much depth as a puddle."
James though could not tear his eyes away from Imogen. "Who are you?" He whispered.
"I'm the person asking you to save us," she spoke quietly. "Begging you actually, to for once not listen to your father and do the right thing."
He tore his eyes away from hers and pulled away. He brought his hands up to his hips as he turned his back on the waiting group, craning his neck to stare conflictingly up at the ceiling. He released a deep breath of air before he brought his head back down to face the empty door frame.
"If I helped you, if I help you stop whatever this threat is, then I would be committing treason. I cannot betray my Father." His voice was deep and almost disappointed.
"I understand," Imogen said softly. "But what would your mother do?"
James twisted his neck to stare unblinking at the sorceress. His eyes then travelling across the groups tired looking faces until finally landing on his little sisters innocent face. He eventually blinked and stared down at the floor in severe contemplation, his eyebrows knitted into a firm v shape.
"Princess," he raised his eyes to Anna, who instantly recognised the nickname. "What do you want to do?"
The group were stunned. Why on Earth would he ask a six year old girl a question which had the answer that determined the future of not only Camelot but it seemed the entire country? All eyes were now on the wide vacant eyes of the little girl who had her tongue in her cheek. Her eyes rather swiftly moved to Morgana, who in turn provided her with a brief smile. Anna smiled back at her before grabbing her hand.
"I want to help them." She stated happily. Everyone turned back to the sorcerer Prince to see a slightly insane looking smile break open over his face.
"Well what are you waiting for?" He asked mockingly. "Let's go be heroes."
I really hoped you liked it. Please review if you have any advice or just to tell me you liked it =D. In the next chapter we see the gang return to Camelot for one last attempt find some thing not quite right with the Kingdom...but how will they all react when they realise they can't stop telling the truth?
Please Review.