Chapter 7
It felt like he had been passed out for days. But when Merlin opened his eyes and saw the sun streaming through the spaces of the trees, he knew it had only been one night. He blinked and felt a bed of dry leaves under him, uncomfortably pricking at his neck. His eyes adjusted to his whereabouts and last night's events came tumbling back into his head like some vividly horrid memory. He followed Morgana… she was speaking to Morgause… they caught him… Morgause's cloaked men captured him…
Suddenly, the very same figures that chased him in the dark were upon him once more, grabbing him and lifting him up to his knees. It only took a second for Merlin to realize they had wrapped him tightly in chains. He breathed out heavily, looking up to see the armored blond woman standing before him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Morgause studied him carefully, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she spoke first.
"You intrigue me, Merlin," she said, "Why does a lowly servant continue to risk everything for Arthur and for Camelot?"
Merlin stared up at her, not answering her question. He wasn't quite sure how to, even though it was a question that everyone must have wondered, particularly Arthur's enemies. Merlin avoided looking at Morgause though he could feel his eyes on her. "You know the answer but you're not telling me. Why?"
He looked back up at her. Morgause began to circle him. "Come on," she urged, "Time and time again you put your life on the line." She bent her knees and squatted down next to him, dropping her voice as well. "There must be a reason."
Merlin didn't look at her; he couldn't. He was afraid that somehow, she would be able to read into his thoughts if she looked into his eyes. "Or is it not Arthur?" Morgause continued quietly, "Is it what I think it is?"
The warlock closed his eyes and reopened them, but he did not reply. There was truth in what Morgause was saying but it was only a small piece of the bigger picture. And he certainly wasn't about to discuss it with this woman. "Answer me already," Morgause snapped, "Why is Arthur's life so important to you? I can only come up with one conclusion and it is because if Arthur is safe, then so is Aria. And your daughter."
Anger shot through Merlin when Morgause touched on that subject. He had to be as vague as possible, just to stray her. "I believe in a fair and just land," he declared.
Morgause looked thoughtful. "And you think Arthur will give you that?"
"I know it," Merlin pressed, believing every word he said. She could go on thinking whatever she wanted, but all that he was saying was true.
Morgause was smirking. "And then what?" She stood up and walked back in front of him again. "You think you'll be recognized, Merlin, is that it? All this so you can one day be a servant boy to the king?"
Merlin couldn't think of anything else to say to her. The witch took advantage of his silence. "No," she murmured, "There's something more… something you're not telling me, is it there?" She tilted her head to one side. "It's the girl, isn't it? She's the reason. You think in the end, she's going to pick you over the king? You're just a servant, and her the future queen."
The servant fought back the rush of magic begging to burst from his fingertips. "I've told you."
"Well," Morgause whispered back, "You can take your secret to your grave."
With a brilliant gold flash of her brown eyes and a quick spell, the chains around Merlin tightened up even more, sure to leave their marks. Merlin gasped and stiffened, feeling the chains painfully through his clothes. Morgause looked down at him, contempt in her gaze. "You chose to poison one of my own. You may regret that."
With that, Morgause and her men left Merlin tied up in his spot. The anger that had originally surged through him was replaced with fear. He didn't know how long he had been staying there, but any spell that came to mind only tightened the chains even more, hurting him. Note to self: listen to Gaius when he tells you to study your material before you practice it. Thinking about Gaius led to thinking about him walking into Merlin's room and not finding him there. Come on, think. There had to have been some spell in his books that could help you…
The sound of twigs made Merlin jerk his head up, instantly afraid. He looked around frantically but there was nothing and no one there. He struggled in his chains, but he heard more noises and looked up again. No one and nothing. Visible, anyway. All of a sudden, Merlin saw them. First, the large, overgrown stingers and then the claws. Serkets.
Merlin tried another spell but it failed. He cried out in frustration and looked back up to see the creatures crawling towards him. They were coming at him from every angle, and his heart was racing so fast, it might have killed him first. This was it. He was going to die here. No one would know of it, not until his body would be found. Destiny would never be fulfilled. Morgana would win. It was over, it was the end…
No. There is a way. Turning to the Serkets, Merlin shouted spells at them, causing them to back up in fear. At that moment, he felt an intense shoot up his back and he cried out, eyes widening. A Serket had stung him. Gathering up as much energy as he could, he yelled loudly, eyes turning gold. The creatures were flung back.
The Serket's poisoning hurt so badly, Merlin felt ready to pass out again. He leaned forward, choking out more gasps. There is a way. There is a way. Throwing his head up, Merlin channeled a voice deep within him and called for the Great Dragon. It used up what little strength he had and he fell on his side. This was not the end. The Dragon had to have heard him.
It was nightfall by the time Merlin heard the loud flapping of wings. The Serkets were surrounding him again but he felt some of his fear melt away when he saw Kilgarrah flying towards him. The Dragon spat fire from his mouth onto the creatures. The Serkets panicked, doused by the flames. The rest backed away into the darkness. Kilgarrah changed direction, swiftly picked him up with his claw, and flew away. Merlin closed his eyes. He was safe now.
She found Arthur in his father's room, gazing down at the king with tears glistening in his eyes. Arthur wasn't very good at hiding his true emotions these days and Aria was finding it easier to be soothing when he didn't hold back. The princess walked up to him and slipped an arm around him comfortingly, looking down at Uther's sleeping figure. It was hard to imagine a king like him falling ill like this.
"I need him to get better," Arthur said quietly, sniffing. A tear ran down his cheek.
Aria shifted her eyes to him. "I know," she whispered softly. "And he will. You'll see."
Arthur didn't reply. He just nodded his head and took a deep breath, wrapping an arm around his wife. "I'm glad you're here," he said. She smiled at him, hoping it would lift his spirits a little. "I really am. I don't like to show it but I do need you, especially now."
Aria felt her heart swell. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. You need to be strong too, Arthur. For your father."
"I know," the prince sighed, looking back down at Uther with a sad expression. "He is a strong man. And very stubborn. He would fight this until he rises as the winner."
"He will," Aria murmured, feeling the same knot of guilt twist up in her stomach. It would never go away, would it? This feeling that she just could not make up for her past actions. Look back and you will live in regret. Move forward. "And when he does, he'll return to being the same strong, stubborn king he forever has been."
"I hope so," Arthur replied, giving her a squeeze around her waist.
"Am I interrupting something?" The two turned their heads to see Morgana standing in Uther's doorway, smiling at them. Arthur removed his arm from around Aria and stood up. "No, nothing," he replied, wiping his eyes quickly. "We were just… checking up on him, that's all."
Morgana's smile faded and in its place, an expression of remorse. "You mustn't worry so much of your father, Arthur. He is in good hands. I'll make sure he's looked after. You just carry on with the rest of the day."
"Right," Arthur nodded, getting up from his seat. "Come on, Aria, let's leave him to rest."
"Alright," Aria agreed, leaning over to cover up Uther properly with his bedspread. Arthur had left hastily for Morgana to not see the tears in his eyes.
"You should go after him, Aria," Morgana suggested, "Arthur needs support right now, especially from you."
"I know," the princess replied, "I just worry for Uther. He is my father-in-law after all, I can't help but wonder what in the world has gotten to him."
"Exhaustion," the other woman answered abruptly, "Can do strange things to the mind."
"Indeed," Aria said quietly, looking at the king's ward with suspicion in her eyes. "You make sure he's fine. For Arthur."
"Leave it to me," Morgana promised. Aria was about to walk away from Uther's bedside when she heard a faint dripping noise. She looked around confusedly. "Did you hear that?"
Morgana stiffened a little. "No, what are you talking about?"
"That dripping noise. It sounds like it's coming from underneath-"
"Aria, I think you should leave," Morgana insisted, stepping aside to let the princess walk out. "You have other things to attend to, let me do my own."
Aria looked at her weirdly. "Are you alright, Morgana?"
"I'm fine, just leave," Morgana practically snapped. Technically, she had no right to speak in such a way to the princess but Aria wasn't about to question it. Shooting one last glance at the king's ward, she walked away. I don't know what's up with her, but Morgana is hiding something. Something dangerous and possibly the reason why Uther is feeling this way.
Besides Morgana, Merlin had been missing all day. Arthur had complained to no end, turning their chambers upside down to find his clothes and supplies, ranting to Gaius about where Merlin could be, and all of that. Truthfully, Aria was curious too. It wasn't like him to run off and be about his own business when he knew very well what Arthur would do. She tried not to let it bother her too much- Merlin was stronger than he looked, he could watch after himself if it was anything dangerous.
The day had been normal, despite Morgana's behavior and Merlin's absence. The only thing that worried Aria the most was when Naya woke up at night, she wouldn't stop crying, not even when Aria held her. She would not feed either, nor calm down. The baby kept crying, like she was still sleeping and experiencing a bad dream.
"What's wrong with her?" Arthur groaned from their bed. "Is she sick?"
"I don't know," Aria responded, going back to pacing the chambers and humming to her baby. Naya sounded stressed, like something was bothering her. But it was only Aria and Arthur in the room, why did she sound so afraid?
Merlin had been sleeping for a long time. The dragon had flown him to safety and put an enchantment on him to help recover from the Serket's poisoning. Sleep took him again and he woke up in the middle of the night and asked the dragon to fly him back to Camelot. Kilgarrah did not let him go easy- he reminded Merlin of the future of Albion and Arthur's as well, the same thing over and over again. But he was serious… The great battle for Camelot has begun… Morgana is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love…
Morgana. She had not won. The so-called beloved ward to Uther thought she could be rid of Merlin like he was nothing. But Merlin had powers a witch like her would shudder to think about, though he could not show them to her. The weight on his shoulders felt heavier now more than ever. It wasn't just his life and Arthur's- it was Aria's and Naya's as well. Aria did not know about Morgana's true intentions and Merlin was positive she would believe him once he told her. Anything to keep them safe.
Merlin snuck back into the castle as quietly as possible. Fortunately, he didn't run into any guards on the way back to Gaius's chambers. The warlock found Gaius muttering in his sleep and shook the old physician awake. "You need to wake up," he whispered.
Gaius opened his eyes and stared at his ward in surprise. "Merlin!" he whisper-exclaimed, letting Merlin drag him out of bed. "Where have you been?"
"There's no time to explain," Merlin hurried, handing Gaius his cloak.
"Are you alright?" the old man asked.
Merlin ignored his question. "Morgana is linked with Morgause, she's plotting against Camelot." The words tumbled out of his mouth and Gaius whipped around and stared at him again. "She's responsible for his visions. Come on, hurry up! There's something I need to show you."
The warlock led Gaius back to Uther's chambers, determined to show the evidence to the physician. Both were silent, though it was clear on Gaius's face that he was anxious. He opened the door to the king's room and nearly gasped. Uther was not in bed. The entire room was cluttered, chairs and clothing on the floor. Merlin and Gaius exchanged glances before the old man ventured deeper. It wasn't long before they found him, cowering in a corner of his chambers next to a fire, shivering and whimpering to himself.
"Uther," Gaius gasped, dropping to his knees. The king grabbed him by his shoulders, his whimpering growing louder, his eyes fixed on an empty area. Merlin noticed it was the same expression he wore the first time he went delusional. Promptly, he ran to Uther's bed, bent down and pulled off the tar-covered straw from underneath, and threw it into the fire with all his strength. A piercing scream filled his ears and Merlin held himself from crying out, pressing a hand to his forehead. Uther stopped whimpering and closed his eyes, calming down.
"It was an enchantment, sire," Gaius explained quietly, "You need to rest."
The physician and the servant placed Uther back into his bed. He was given medicine before he drifted off to sleep once more. Merlin and Gaius left him and went back to their chambers, not one speaking a word. Only when the door closed behind them did Merlin talk. "We must tell Uther what Morgana has done."
Gaius looked at him as if he announced he was going to be the court jester. "Are you mad? He'd have both our heads if we made such accusations, he'll call it as treason."
Merlin shook his head angrily. "We can't let her get away with it."
"He dotes on her every word, Merlin," Gaius pointed out, "You've seen how blind he is to her faults. Besides… it's gone now. It can do no harm."
"You don't understand," Merlin stressed, "I heard Morgana and Morgause. There's more to the plan. I'm sure of it."
Gaius left it at that. Merlin went to his chambers and suffered through another sleepless night before waking up to get dressed and eat breakfast and go see if Arthur was ready to chop his head off yet. When he walked into the chambers, he silently moaned in regret for leaving. Of course, he thought to himself, minding the mess, how in the world could he manage without me? Arthur let him have it when he woke up, ranting about the future of the kingdom resting on his shoulders and demanding Merlin apologize for his absence. Their reunion ended with him yelling, "I'll have you for breakfast!" And him throwing objects at Merlin until the boy left the chambers. The whole time, Aria and Naya had not been in the room. Not that Merlin cared to know. It's not like it was any of his concern…
The morning carried on normally, Arthur going back to giving Merlin his orders. News had reached him that Uther would make a full recovery, thanks to Merlin getting rid of the enchantment (of course he didn't know that part) and he was in a better mood than usual.
Merlin walked down a corridor of the castle, letting his thoughts take over. He had let his curiosity get the better of him and casually slipped into conversation about how Naya was doing. Arthur did not look at him strangely, to his relief, and answered him by saying the baby was troubled last night so Aria had taken her to Gaius to see what was the matter. It explained why he hadn't gotten much sleep. Merlin acted less concerned than he really was. He could shrug it off, think that it was in a child's nature to cry all night… but it had been well established to the warlock that Naya was not just any child.
His thoughts were interrupted by a hand reaching out and grabbing him, pulling him into an alcove of the castle. He gasped but stopped short when he looked into the cold green eyes of the Lady Morgana, glaring up at him icily. Merlin held his breath.
"I don't know how you managed to escape," she seethed, the sound of her voice like a knife cutting into the air between them. She grasped tightly onto Merlin's shirt. "But I do know one thing, if you breathe a word of what you saw, I will make your life a very short and painful one." She released him, a smirk turning up the corners of her ruby red lips. Her gaze sent goose bumps up and down Merlin's arms and she changed her tone to one of mock nervousness. "Just think how Arthur would react when he finds out his daughter is not his after all… but his lowly servant boy's."
Merlin's eyes flashed angrily. "You can't prove that," he snapped in a low voice.
"Oh, but I can," Morgana replied, sounding almost gleeful, "Are you forgetting I was there when you tried to poison Aria and then yourself so you two could die together? Arthur may be fond of you but I'll be damned if he forgave you for having an affair with his wife. He would kill you. And her. And your daughter."
Merlin's heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of Arthur finding out. Morgana did not wipe her smirk from her face. "The girl's the spitting image of you, Merlin. I won't be surprised if Arthur hasn't figured it out yet." She glanced at him coldly, before stepping out of the alcove and walking away from him, triumphant. Merlin was at a loss for words. Morgana was no friend to him or to Aria now. She was not to be trusted with anything. And she held the darkest secret Merlin and Aria had hidden away in the depths of their minds. What am I going to do now…
The evening was soothing, even on a day like this.
Before Aria was a mother, she was the castle's library's biggest fan. She didn't want to rely on Arthur to make her life interesting, he was usually so busy or away. So she read, an activity she enjoyed doing ever since she was little. She hadn't done much in a very long time so that evening, Aria ventured out to the library, leaving Naya with Arthur. About time he spent a few moments with her on his own.
Geoffrey, the court genealogist, welcomed her, knowing she enjoyed books. Aria smiled as she walked down the aisles, letting her fingertips slide over the leather edges of books she had yet to read. It felt like forever since she settled into her cozy spot at the far end of the library, totally absorbed in a book's contents. But those days were simpler. In the present time, life was more complicated than ever. She stopped, letting the events of the day replay in her mind.
Earlier today, Sir Leon had reported that he and his men spotted Cenred's army making its way to Camelot. They would reach the citadel within two days and outnumbered Camelot's men two to one. Arthur was in charge now that his father was still recovering from his illness, and ordered preparations for a siege and opening the citadel to the villagers of the lower towns for refuge. It was a hard decision to make and the prince had been disturbed all day. Aria was thinking twice about leaving Naya with him being so distracted, but he assured her he was fine. Aria was not so convinced. But she needed to be alone. It gave her room to think on her own.
"I thought I'd find you here." Aria snapped out of her trance and turned around to find Merlin leaning against the shelves, smiling at her the way he used to- knowingly, fondly, lovingly even. "You always come here to escape from reality every now and then."
Aria couldn't help but smile in return and shrugged her shoulders. "Even princesses need a getaway from their so-called glamorous lives. I'm impressed you remembered to find me here."
"I could never forget," Merlin replied, "You enjoy reading more than Gaius does."
The princess laughed softly, in spite of herself. It suddenly occurred to her that this was the first time her and Merlin were having a proper conversation since they last spoke. She prayed they would not argue again. "So I take it you didn't follow me here, then?"
"I kicked the habit a year ago," Merlin answered, straightening up. "But I did want to see you."
"What for?" Aria asked nervously. When he didn't reply, she continued. "If this is about last time… I'm sorry I spoke to you that way, Merlin. I was just frustrated and… I hope you're not too upset with me." She kept her voice barely above a whisper in case Geoffrey overheard them.
"Don't be sorry, it was my fault for being difficult," Merlin shook off, "I shouldn't have pushed it at you at the time. Things have been hard, I know as well as anyone."
"Don't remind me," Aria muttered, looking down at the floor than back up at him. "Why did you want to see me?"
Merlin didn't answer for a second, taking a few steps closer to her. Aria took one step back but that was it. She kept her eyes focused on his every move. "I need to know something," he murmured, bringing his face inches away from hers. Before she could respond, his lips pressed gently against hers. The feeling of it nearly made melt to the floor, she hadn't kissed him in forever. Merlin took her face in his hands and she let him, kissing him back, even though her conscience screaming at her to stop right now.
After a few more seconds, Aria realized what she was doing and pulled away from him. Merlin did not move away, pressing his forehead to hers. "Do you still love me?" he asked.
Aria exhaled slowly. "Should you really be asking that question at a time like this?"
"I suppose not. But I want to know."
The princess did not answer. Instead, she took one more step back, fearing she might say too much. "Where were you today? You completely disappeared."
Merlin's expression changed. Aria recognized it- he had a story to tell her. "Aria," he started, "You have to believe me when I say this; Morgana is plotting against Camelot."
She should have been surprised. But given the way Morgana had been behaving lately- she really was in no shock at all. "How do you know this?" she asked.
Merlin told her everything, from overhearing Morgana and Morgause to getting stung by the Serket to Morgana threatening to tell Arthur their secret. It was a damn good thing she couldn't see them now or she would have more to blackmail them with. When he was done, Aria had widened her eyes. "She left you to die?"
Merlin nodded bitterly. "She's not the Morgana we used to know. She's gone over to the dark side, against Camelot and against us. You can't trust her anymore, Aria. You especially can't let her around Naya."
"Gods," Aria shook her head, "I can't believe this… I thought she was my friend…"
"I thought so too," Merlin said softly, "But there's nothing we can do to change her mind. The best we can do is to keep her as far away from Naya as possible. Which means you may need to get a new maidservant."
Aria looked confused. "But Gwen's been so dutiful. I can't just get a new one, Naya loves her."
"As do I," the warlock murmured, locking eyes with the princess, "And any close link to Morgana will put her life in danger. I can't risk it."
Aria looked up at him, into those blue eyes she loved so much. "I can't deny it any longer, can I?" she sighed, "Even Morgana knows the truth."
"Not with me. But with her, you do. Naya is Arthur's, as far as anyone's concerned." Merlin looked a little bothered. "Which means we resume pretending our past never happened."
"Yes, we're doing a great job of it now," Aria quipped sarcastically.
"I couldn't help it… I wanted to. I still love you, Aria."
Aria looked the other way. She dreamt of hearing those words from him, and her mind taunted her with the memories of Merlin telling her he loved her. It saddened her that she would not hear it any longer when they ended things. It was even more upsetting because she had been married to Arthur for two years and not once and he told her "I love you." It really did make someone feel a certain way to hear those three words.
"I wish you wouldn't say that," she responded silently, looking back at him. "Don't leave like that again. You'll get yourself killed."
A slight smile tugged at Merlin's mouth. "Only because you told me to. Or if I do, I'll give you a heads up."
"Merlin…" Aria stopped herself. She wasn't about to spill all her thoughts, tell him it scared the hell out of her when he way away for a long time.
"Yes?" he waited.
"Never mind." The princess shook her head again. "I have to go."
"Stay safe, Aria," he whispered, watching her way away.
A/N: I guess Morgana's evilness was inevitable… a shame, I know. I have a thing with going back and forth between Merlin's and Aria's points of view, I hope it's not too unorganized.
As you can tell, it follows the plot of S3, but not strictly. I'm changing things around because we have our dearest Aria in the story. Speaking of, she's going to be a total badass in the next chapter. I hope you're all as excited about that as I am!
Please review! They encourage me to keep going. Cheers!
