Merlin spent the entire day at the library. He did not find the creature that attacked him. Gaius had to leave; a woman was giving birth. Merlin was glad that something good happened today. The Kingdom needed some good news.
Merlin decided to sleep, his mind was too tired. He walked out of the library.
There were two guards posted at the doors, as Merlin walked so did they.
"What's going on?" Merlin asked. The guards never followed him.
The two guards looked at him and said. "Kings orders. We are not to leave your side."
Merlin frowned; and then realized he did need protecting. If there was an attack, he would be defenseless. It was a strange feeling. It was not pleasant; he felt completely vulnerable.
Merlin decided to see Arthur instead. He headed towards the Kings room.
Arthur was seated at his desk. "Merlin, how are you?"
"Better," Merlin said "but why are there guards following me?"
"You know why?" Arthur asked in a confused tone. "Morgana wants to kill you. War is on the horizon, everyone should be on high alert. I need to keep you safe."
Merlin smiled slightly. "I know. I just wanted to hear you admit you were worried."
Arthur sighed; Merlin was never going to change. Gwen came into the chamber room.
"Hello, the preparations have been made." Gwen told Arthur.
Merlin waited to be filled in.
"Instead of letting Morgana attack us at Camelot, we will be meeting her forces." Arthur clarified.
Merlin nodded; then he thought back to the prophecy. "Where?" Merlin asked nervously. If it was Camelan he would stop it. No matter what. He would lock Arthur in the dungeons if he had too.
"Mount Badon." Arthur replied. Merlin sighed in relief.
"So have you made any progress on your problem?" Arthur asked. If Merlin had a plan he needed to know. He would not let Merlin try to save the world on his own anymore.
Merlin sighed; he still had no clue where to start.
"Why don't you talk to us? Sometimes it helps to solve a problem." Gwen said softly.
"Well, Morgana used something of the old religion, to reverse it; I would need powers stronger and older." Merlin said.
"What about the Disir?" Arthur said. "You said the cave was sacred, old and powerful."
For Merlin the word cave and it triggered a memory. Old...powerful...sacred...magic...the crystal cave. "The birthplace of magic." Merlin whispered. Yes! Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? If there was anywhere he could restore his magic, it was there.
Arthur and Gwen could tell that Merlin was in deep thought.
"Did you just saw the birth place of magic?" Gwen asked. Seeing as Merlin hadn't filled them in.
Arthur saw the flash of hope in Merlin's eyes. Perhaps there was hope after all.
"I never thought I would say this, but Arthur you are a bloody genius" Merlin exclaimed.
"You are going to see the Disir, then" Arthur asked.
"O' gods no. They would never help me. I am going to the most powerful place on earth." Merlin said.
Both Gwen and Arthur looked confused. Not only by the statement, but by the casual nature of which Merlin said it. He seemed to think the most powerful place on earth was no big deal. It was as if he went there all the time.
"The crystal cave." Merlin stated. He thought that cleared up the confusion.
Arthur just shrugged. "Sure, alright, I will gather the Knights and first thing tomorrow we will head out." He didn't care where or what the cave was, as long
as it helped Merlin.
Merlin shook his head. "You can't it is too dangerous."
"Merlin Morgana has an army ready, her men could find you. You can't go alone." Arthur stated; he would not let Merlin head off into the woods unprotected.
"Arthur if Morgana finds out, or gets any trace of where I am going, she will stop me. I can't face her. I must go alone. Let me go alone" Merlin implored. He needed the element of surprise.
Arthur couldn't, it was too dangerous.
"Sorry Merlin, all of us or none of us." Arthur said.
Merlin sighed; he knew that Arthur could be very stubborn. He would let Arthur think that he agreed with him. He was not going to let the Knights go with him, he was the target. He could not protect them, if Morgana or her men found them; he was going to be the only casualty, if that was the case.
"Ok, I see your point." Merlin said. "I need to see if my idea would work."
Arthur nodded; he thought that Merlin didn't to go on a dangerous quest without being sure.
"You should talk to Gaius, but when you are ready tell me."
Merlin nodded; Arthur couldn't come. He knew that Camelot needed to be ready for war. He wasn't sure if he could get his magic back, he needed some hope for Camelot.
Gwen watched the exchange between her husband and best friend. She felt like something was off, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
Merlin decided to leave. He saw the guards were indeed following him. He would need to disappear for a while. That wouldn't be a problem, magic or not he was good at losing people. At least he was still good at something.
Tomorrow he would head out and get his magic back. Then he would show the world his strength.
***
Mordred was riding next to Morgana. Behind them was a vast army of Saxons.
"Our time is nearing Mordred," Morgana said smugly. Merlin was powerless, and Arthur would walk into her trap.
Mordred on the other hand was thinking about Merlin. He had seen how persistent the man could be. If Merlin had truly lost his magic, he would do anything to get it back. Mordred knew that Morgana was certain his magic was gone forever, but he wasn't.
He thought about his past. Through his many journeys, he had seen many Druids and heard many tales. For every impossible situation, there was a solution. He knew that a sorcerer must have taken someone else's magic away. Morgana could not have been the first; perhaps there were others out that had salvaged their magic. Mordred knew that if anyone could get their magic back it was Merlin.
"My lady" Mordred began "we should still be wary of Merlin."
Morgana laughed; her voice was void of any real emotion. "He is nothing now."
"Really you thought he was a threat even without his magic, he is still dangerous." Mordred said.
Morgana didn't want to accept that. She had always known Merlin was special. She had denied it for so long. She had wanted to, needed to believe he was a worthless servant.
"He is nothing." Morgana hissed.
"Then there is no harm in killing him." Mordred said; this was war. Kindness had no place.
"NO!" Morgana shouted. "He has to watch as his precious Camelot burns! He has to feel that pain." She knew that her hate was driving her, but she didn't care. Merlin was the reason for all her suffering. He could have helped her, he could have chosen her! But he trusted a man who killed every one of his kind. She had to blame Merlin.
Mordred sighed; he knew that there was no arguing with Morgana. She couldn't see reason. If they were to win this battle, he would need to act on his own.
"Make camp for the night." Morgana declared. The matter was closed.
Mordred watched as the army began to work. Morgana was so pleased; this was one of the best armies she had ever gathered; she would finally taste victory.
Mordred rode back towards the group; Morgana thought he was going to see Kara. But in reality he rode towards a band of mercenaries; many had joined their cause.
"I want you to track down a man, and kill him." Mordred said. He had been thinking about where Merlin would go. The only option he had considered was the crystal cave. He had heard too many stories about that place; he knew that Merlin would eventually turn to that cave for answers. The cave held the key to the future; it was the best place to search.
The men nodded; he gave them directions to the cave, as well as a description of Merlin.
Morgana entered her tent, Mordred signaled the mercenaries, and they rode off into the night. If all went well the war would be won easily. Mordred took a deep breath. He had made the right decision he thought to himself, he was a warlock. He had to side with his own kind. He had to protect his people. He had to protect Kara. Merlin was in his way, he had to be taken care of.
I decided it was time to show Mordred as the full on bad guy. I think Merlin would always be stubborn, he never really had help, so accepting it must be hard for him, I wanted to show that Merlin is still trying to fight on his own. He is sticking to the past, he is unsure of how to act with Arthur.
Other than that I want to thank everyone for there reviews and favs/ follows they make me smile so much. The support is awesome.
Happy Reading :)
