Drama passed far too quickly for Merlin's taste and the next class was just boring. However he was more focused on the impending confrontation with Arthur. He was still a knight at heart, and Merlin doubted he would have lost any of that talent. Still, this time he would not have a sword in his hand or a knife at his belt. And Merlin of course had magic at his disposal. The first time they had fought, Merlin had been defeated. But in this time, and with his wisdom, Merlin could beat Arthur without magic. He had helped teach martial arts of all varieties to some of the now legendary fighters. Jackie Chan had been a very funny student, and one he was most proud of. The final bell of the day rang and Merlin slowly packed up his bag, before being the last to leave the class. He slowly moved towards the pitch, planning for what might meet him there. He obviously didn't want to hurt them, but he needed to scare them off, it wouldn't help if they continually beat him up. So if he could make them believe that he was unbeatable, well it would solve the problem permanently. It was a slow walk to the pitch, and the closer he got, the slower he went.

"Are you seriously going to face them?" he heard someone say as he walked past a corridor. Merlin turned to see Morgana standing there. Merlin stopped and looked at her.

"Why wouldn't I?" he replied.

"Those meatheads may mostly be idiots, but what they lack in brains, they make up for in strength. You honestly think you can take them?" she asked.

"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence," he quickly replied, his voice filled with sarcasm. "Don't worry I can hold my own in a fight," added Merlin. Maybe this time round, if he acted nicer, more accepting, maybe, just maybe…... He tossed the thought from his mind before he could finish it. This Morgana was nothing like the one he had first met upon arriving in Camelot. This one was already well on her way to becoming evil. The odd sign of compassion from him might delay her slightly, but that was all he could really do.

None of us can choose our destiny Merlin, and none of us can escape it

He recalled the memory of the Great Dragon saying that. It was true.

"Fine, but just be careful. If by some miracle you can take down one or two of them, be prepared for a quick escape," she turned to move back down the corridor.

"Why?" he asked as she walked off. After a brief laugh she turned around to face him.

"Because there is no doubt that our lovely Principal Pargon will have your head on a stick before you can blink." She continued walking until Merlin could no longer see her. He continued on his way to the field. She had a point, a point Merlin had not thought about before. Uther was cruel and harsh, and no doubt his current version would be similar. If Merlin did beat up his son, well that wouldn't bode well. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he did beat up Arthur, it might earn him some respect and stop them from trying again. But is he did, Uther would not be happy to say the least. With a sigh Merlin continued walking. He was here for Arthur, and Uther wouldn't expel him just for this. Merlin reached the field and saw the group of guys standing on the far edge. Percival tapped Arthur on the shoulder and they all turned to face Merlin. From their respective sides of the field they walked across to meet near the middle.

"So you did turn up," said Arthur, raising his hands, acting like he was extremely shocked. Too be honest though he probably was slightly amazed that Merlin had the guts to turn up. "That is surprising. I thought a wimp like you would run away as fast as you could," his friends collectively laughed.

"Well, I'm here. What do you want?" Merlin asked, trying to bait Arthur on purpose. They were going to end up fighting no matter what, he could tell from Arthur's tone. The quicker this happened the better.

"Wow, someone's in a hurry. Your mummy waiting for you with milk and cookies?" Arthur jested. Merlin couldn't help but scowl. He may be Arthur but Merlin wasn't going to deal with this. In three quick steps he closed the space between them and reached up towards Arthur's face, throwing a punch which he knew would leave Arthur stinging for the next week. He stumbled back, before looking at Merlin, a scowl crossing his face. "You'll pay for that," he spat before rushing towards Merlin. Merlin stepped to the side and pulled Arthur's arm around his back, holding him tight like Arthur had done when they had first met.

"Let me get this straight. You and your cronies leave me alone," whispered Merlin, just loud enough for Arthur to hear. He released Arthur from the hold and began to walk away. However whilst still within hearing distance he turned back to face Arthur, both of them still seething with anger. "Oh and I'm an orphan arsehole," yelled Merlin. Arthur almost looked sympathetic for a moment, perhaps his mother was also dead this time around. Merlin turned to walk away and almost banged right into someone. The dreary suit and tie should have given him away from the moment Merlin saw him.

"My office," began Uther, rage seeping through his voice. "Now!" he screamed. He motioned for Merlin to walk, who did just that. The walk was quick and brief, Merlin walked fast with Uther hot on his heels. Merlin let his mind wonder, better than focus on what was happening. Rage was coursing through his body, Arthur was even worse. He was full of hate, full of rudeness. This world had made him grow up with more vanity, more ignorance. And this Uther was very clearly the person who fathered those traits. Merlin's head began to pound, this happened when he recalled memories. His mind never let him forget anything now and it often sent a stream of memories forward at once.

"It's lonely to be more powerful than anyone you know and live like a shadow. To be special and pretend like you're a fool"

He heard himself say. If only at the time he had realized the true weight of the words. Merlin was still a shadow, and in the age of technology that had become even more important. Someone with magic would be an internet sensation in the blink of an eye. Caution was always present. Always.

"You've been pretending for so long now, that you've actually forgotten who you are"

Merlin didn't deny it. There were dark ages, where he had recessed into worlds of torture and self-inflicted pain. He had rejected any magic that dared to show itself, days where the only light came from the natural light.

"All great struggles demand sacrifices"

What would be more demonstrative than this moment? For crying out loud, Merlin still hated Uther. It took control, that had centuries of mastery in it, not to burn him to ashes. But it was for the same reason Uther did not suffer intentionally by his hands last time: Arthur. Rude, ignorant and idiotic Arthur. His best friend, his brother in life, the other side of his coin.

"Have a seat," said Uther, barely able to keep the formal tone to his voice. Merlin did as told. "Please try to explain to me in as few words as possible why you attacked my son without any provocation," he continued as he straightened his suit jacket before sitting on the other side of the desk.

"I would hardly say it was without provocation," began Merlin, but Uther raised his hand.

"I do not want to hear your side of the story, I do not care about your side of the story. One day. That is how long you have been at this school, and in one day you have already attacked one of the most respected and loved students this school has. So let me give you a rundown of what happens from here. You are first of all going to cease all ideas that could lead you to ever laying a finger on Arthur again. Second, you will be on your best behavior over the term, don't think for one second I won't expel you faster than you can imagine. Third, since you seem to be getting on so well with the football team, I think that you serving as their, shall we say 'water boy' for the foreseeable future will help curb any further action. You should leave now," Uther turned away from Merlin, to look at what he wasn't sure. Merlin stood and left the office. He walked outside and sighed.

"I've got to say," started a voice and he quickly looked around trying to find out who it was. "That was impressive. Good job against the meatheads," now he knew it was Morgana. His eyes drifted upwards. She sat on top of the building, leaning against the roof. When they made eye contact she smiled, and slid off the edge, landing right beside Merlin with a grin. How she managed to do this in those plat formed shoes was a true mystery.

"How did you get up there?" asked Merlin, and he received a smug grin from Morgana.

"Wouldn't you like to know pretty boy," she said and began to walk off.

"You never seem to stay in one place for that long," mentioned Merlin, and he could almost see a flash of sadness cross through her eyes.

"There is a reason for that, one day I might even tell you what it is. Nice talking to you Merlin."

"Nice talking to you too," he whispered back. It seems there is more to Morgana than meets the eye. Her childhood had been traumatic, that much was clear. Merlin would have to investigate further, and since the only people left on school grounds stood on the field, one with a black eye, it would probably be best to go home. He headed for the gate, hoping they wouldn't be waiting for her. Luckily they were nowhere to be seen, maybe the message had gotten through. He moved home, and after a quick visit to Aithusa he moved into a different room. When the computer was first released, Merlin had seen potential. Developing skills in using them had proved worthwhile. He typed in the school's name and hacked into the student database. Scanning through the list he finally found the name he was looking for. Morgana McGrath, interesting last name. Though, she could hardly be Morgana Pendragon, or Morgana Pargon. He opened a new window, one he had set up to automatically hack into the British Intelligence. They really should have set up better defenses. He typed in the name, and a file popped up. Morgana McGrath. Her mother was a druggie and her father was a no show. She moved from foster home to foster home, and for the past five years had been staying with an extremely rich family who were, surprise surprise, good friends with the Pargons. Morgana was exactly what you would expect of a child growing up in foster homes. Rebellious, self-dependent and had even been arrested on one occasion. That had only resulted in a caution but it was enough for them to pay a small amount of attention to her. Merlin sighed and leaned back in the chair with a sigh. He remembered the moment where he put the hemlock into her drink, the moment which you could argue had turned her completely evil, had destroyed the little good left in her. But he had no choice, he had to believe that.

"Some choices are easy, some stay with you forever"

And some, stay with you longer than forever.