I do not own any of the Merlin Characters from the show; they are the property of the BBC and not I.

Chapter Six

Merlin barely looked up as his sister crashed through the door into his workroom. After a rather unfortunate incident involving Morgana's temper, and a number of rather volatile substances, Arthur had ordered that all of items related to magic be removed from the couple's chambers. Instead, the old Court Sorcerer's tower had been reopened and restored.

Merlin's initial irritation about the move had worn off once he uncovered a rather impressive library hidden behind a secret door on one of the lower floors. The trouble was now more to do with keeping the castle librarian, Geoffrey out of the rooms and protecting the books from the old librarian's grasping hands.

"What did Gwaine do this time?" Merlin asked, turning the page in the book he was reading and jotting down a few notes on a piece of scrap parchment. "You really need to learn some patience when it comes to his short falls; you seem to bring out most of them."

Catherine didn't bother to reply; instead she paced restlessly from one side of the room to the other with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"I should have left years ago." She snapped in Merlin's direction, earning a slightly raised eyebrow as her brother heard the same threats that she made every time she and Gwaine fell out. She would continue on for about twenty minutes, explaining why she should have never stayed in Camelot, until she finally got down to death threats. Normally the latter were isolated to Gwaine's health, but Arthur was thrown into the mix every now and again.

Patiently he setteled his quill on the table and waited to sit out the storm.

"Did he take Eveline to the tavern again?" he prompted, hoping to shorten the time it would take to get to Catherine's ranting. "She was never in any real danger if I'm honest. There isn't a hand in Camelot that would dare harm her."

"What! No." Catherine said, running one hand through her hair as her eyes flashed towards each of the exits.

Merlin felt the muscles in his shoulders knot up.

"Catherine you can't actually consider running away from Camelot. Think about what you would be leaving behind."

"I do!" she cried, spinning around to face her brother. "I think about it every night as I lie awake in bed staring at that wretched ceiling. I think about Eveline growing up without a mother, and George having only the faintest memory of a woman who once carried him around. It is all my mind thinks about Merlin and it's killing me."

"Why?" Merlin demanded, "Why would you even entertain ideas about leaving if the concept hurts you so much?"

"Because I have to!" Catherine sobbed, throwing her head back and trying to blink the tears away. "I can't protect anyone while I'm here."

The silence fell.

"Have you spoken to Gwaine about this?" asked Merlin, staring at his hands in his lap instead of Catherine.

"In a way." She said evasively.

"I suppose he was less than happy?"

Catherine snorted loudly. "He's more concerned with other aspects of my past. I think if it wasn't for Eveline and George then he would have gone to Arthur and had me banished the moment we parted ways."

"He loves you too much to ever ask Arthur to do that." Merlin said softly, moving to stand behind his sister. Taking hold of his shoulders he moved his thumbs in small circles, trying to offer comfort despite the sickening pit that had opened in his gut.

"I don't know that he hasn't gone to Arthur." Catherine admitted. "I'm simply hoping that he wouldn't be spiteful enough to do so."

"Catherine! I don't understand how-"

"Merlin stop!" Tearing away from his grip Catherine put the table in between them. She needed barriers, the same ones that she had when she first came to Camelot. They were just a lot harder to build up a second time.

"I can't stay in Camelot." She said, trying to keep her voice from wavering as she spoke. "I've done some terrible things, and I'm not proud of my past. This city is like a noose around my neck and if I don't break free soon then it will choke the last of the life out of me!"

"So you're running away." Merlin said bluntly. "That's your solution, leave everyone else to deal with the mess while you run away to some new place and throw yourself into whatever adventure throws itself your way."

"I'm not running away." She hissed, her back arching in a similar manner to the stray alley cats that scrapped for spilled milk in the market place.

"Then what is this!" Merlin roared. "I watched you do this so many times. Some form of balance establishes itself in your life and all of a sudden you can't stand to be in the same place for more than five minutes."

"I'm not running away!" Catherine persisted, slamming her hands down onto the table. "I'm going back!"

"Back where?" Merlin asked, "What has that much power that you need to abandon your family to get back to it?"

"I can't tell you!" she said. "It's complicated and there isn't time for me to stay and map out all the details."

Throwing his hands in the air Merlin stormed off across the room, grabbing hold of one of the window sills to lean against.

"Will you be coming back?"

Catherine shuddered slightly. "I don't know." She answered honestly, perhaps for the first time in a long time. "You can't judge these sorts of things."

"Of course." Merlin bit out.

"I didn't choose this life Merlin." She snapped, suddenly furious that he dared to look down on her.

"Which life would that be then?" reeling around Merlin straightened up to face her. "The one where you were always gone, dropping in without warning and always turning everything upside-down? Or do you mean the life where you're expected to care and love for someone else besides yourself?"

"That isn't fair." Catherine whispered.

"And neither is this!" Merlin said.

Merlin might not seem all that Merliny in this chapter, but I doubt anyone would take their sister running out on her family too well. I know Merlin is so wonderfully loving in the BBC drama, but I tend to think you have to draw the line somewhere. Anyway, if you don't agree then you can leave a review, or you can leave a review if you do agree or have no opinion whatsoever.