La Belle au bois dormant

Summary: Morgana returns and 'Emrys' is forced to make an appearance. But as Gwen falls prey to magic, friendships are tested and secrets revealed. Are Merlin and Arthur strong enough to endure it?

Timeline: Set after season 4

Spoilers: Up to and including season 4

A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading this and for the reviews. I really hope you keep enjoying!


Chapter 9

Morgana moved swiftly. She had no time to waste. There was no telling how far Arthur was ahead of her, but if he was heading to the Castle of Havlor, then she had the advantage. She knew what dangers laid ahead and she knew a way around them. After all, Morgause had told her more than just about the poison. She had told her of a quicker route, one that bypassed the Forest of Brégnes and all that lay inside it. A network of caves that led straight to the castle.

And it had to be Havlor that Arthur was heading to, no doubt with Merlin in tow, because where better place to find a cure than at the same place you would find the poison?

Hooves pounded at the ground, leaving imprints in the mud behind. Morgana ushered the horse on, pushed harder. She had to reach the castle before Arthur... She couldn't fail. Not again.


For the longest time, Merlin looked to Arthur and Arthur looked to Merlin, each waiting for the other to speak. Merlin opened his mouth but the words refused to form. What was he supposed to say? Where was he supposed to start?

"I wanted to tell you," he found himself saying, his gaze falling to the forest floor briefly. "But I was afraid..."

"I'm sorry, Merlin," Arthur answered, solemn. "No one should have to life in fear for their life like that."

"It wasn't dying I was afraid of." Merlin shook his head, jaw set from determination as he met and held Arthur's eyes once more. "I would follow you to the ends of the earth. I would sacrifice my life for yours ten times over and I would die happy knowing you are King of Camelot, knowing you will bring peace to Albion. I just wanted you to trust me..."

Arthur swallowed, his eyes glistening in the dim light, wide in the way they always were when he seemed surprised by something Merlin had said. "Merlin..."

"I know you have been wronged by magic, but I swear, I would never use my magic to harm." He took a breath. "When your father... when he..." The words trailed away, unsaid, but the meaning still lingered. "I just wanted to show you how magic can be used as a force for good. I never meant for him to die."

"And Gwen?" Arthur questioned, but it was not an accusation, the words too soft.

"I had to stop the poison from spreading until we could find a cure."

"Why?" Arthur breathed, brow burrowed as he considered Merlin.

"She's my friend."

Arthur shook his head. "I don't mean..." He swallowed and tried again. "I mean, all this time you've been in Camelot, if you had been discovered... my father would have had you executed. Heaven knows he nearly did enough times..."

"It's my destiny – to stay by your side, to protect you."

Arthur looked at him, unwavering, studying him and Merlin shifted under the scrutiny. "And you would willingly put yourself in danger, give up your life, for destiny?"

"I would do it for Albion. For you."

A small shake of the head, eyes narrowed from trying to understand something. "Just when I thought I had you figured out."

Merlin just smiled a half smile and shrugged. "I'm still me... I'm still Merlin."

Arthur scoffed, eyes rolling and eyebrow rising as he offered up an appraising look. "Yes, you still look like the same idiot who comes to work late and spends far too much time in the tavern."

Merlin's smile grew, twitching at the corners of his lips. "And you're still the same arrogant prat as always."

The tension faded a little, the empty silence more comfortable than before. Merlin's shoulders still felt heavy from the weight placed upon them, but it eased slightly, just enough to make it bearable, enough to allow him to breathe again.

After a further moment of neither of them saying anything, Arthur cleared his throat and turned away, setting off once more into the forest. Merlin followed, reaching up to scratch at the bite on his neck every so often as they walked. It was when Arthur looked back to him and saw the motion that the topic was raised.

"How is it?" the young king questioned, eyes going back up to the trail ahead.

Merlin pulled his hand away from the bite and shrugged. "It's just itchy now."

"No more fever?"

"No more fever," Merlin confirmed.

Arthur nodded, breathed out, and then spoke again. "I've never heard of an insect bite having that effect before."

"I have," Merlin answered, eyes falling to the ground. When Arthur said nothing, Merlin took that as a sign to elaborate. "Back in Ealdor, when I was young. A group of men from the village had been travelling and they claimed they were attacked."

"Attacked?" Arthur glanced over his shoulder, gaze questioning as it met Merlin's

Merlin nodded. "Insects as big as your fist, so they said."

Arthur scoffed. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"Two of the men were dead by the time they brought them back."

Silence met the revelation, Arthur's head hanging forward a little in contemplation.

"They died within a day of being bitten. First a fever... then death."

"Well then," Arthur started, clearing his throat a little as he continued on awkwardly, "let's just hope we don't see any that big."

But Merlin only half heard Arthur, his eyes, and attention, trained on what was ahead of them. It was difficult to make out through the fog but he was almost certain of what he saw. Red eyes dancing in the brush, their shapes all but hidden by the fog, and two figures leading them.

"Arthur," he breathed out in warning, coming to a stop with his horse.

Arthur paused also, nodding, his shoulders squaring up. "I see them."

Pulling his sword from its sheath, Arthur kept his eyes focused ahead and handed the lead for his horse backwards. Reluctantly, Merlin stepped forward to take it.

"You can't be serious, Arthur," he argued, voice lowered to a hush. "It's too dangerous."

"And what do you propose we do, Merlin? I highly doubt they'll just allow us to pass."

And Merlin couldn't argue with that. The creatures didn't look like the kind that would allow them to flee. So he gripped Arthur's arm with his free hand. "I won't let you do this alone."

Arthur turned to him, looking him up and down before finally nodding. Then he returned his attention to the creatures with burning red eyes. "Merlin...?"

"Yes, Arthur?"

"Whatever happens, you have to make sure Gwen gets that cure."

Merlin laughed, nervous. "How bad could it be?"

"Merlin," Arthur repeated the name in low warning, and Merlin understood, knew that Arthur needed the reassurance.

"We'll get through this," Merlin answered, determined as he bobbed his head. "We'll get to Havlor and we'll get that cure and take it back to Gwen."

But it seemed the creatures would not make that task easy. The creatures were done waiting and Merlin found his gaze travelling over the area as the fiery eyes spread out to surround them. Arthur's attention was up ahead on the two figures that stood there and Merlin felt his heart sink a little as he realised why. Arthur couldn't see the fiery eyes; he could only see what the creatures wanted him to see, which was why Merlin wasn't surprised when the two figures disappeared, becoming nothing but another two pairs of eyes in the fog.

"What in the..." Arthur started, searching left and right. "Where did they go?"

"They're still there," Merlin answered, watching each set of eyes carefully, waiting. "You just can't see them."

Bushes rustled off to the left and Merlin turned in time to see the flash of red and teeth. He threw the spell out effortlessly but the creature was fast and dodged just as effortlessly. The spell hit the brush instead, fire taking hold. Flames rose, flickering in the fog and gloom, and Merlin noted how the creatures gave the area a wide berth. It made him think of how they had reacted before, with the burning branch and how easily the fake 'Arthur' one had been consumed by the flames.

"They don't like the fire," he called to Arthur, spinning to face the young King.

One of the creatures swooped in, transforming as it did so. Merlin felt his chest tighten at the sight of himself standing right in front of Arthur, intent to kill written on his features. Arthur was fairing little better, he raised his sword to strike but halted, unable to strike. The creature took advantage of the hesitation and lunged forward.

Merlin barely made it in time, the spell twisting at his tongue and catching the creature dead on. It screeched as it burned up and fell to the floor just short of Arthur.

"Don't let their looks fool you!" Merlin warned.

He never had the chance to hear Arthur's reply, never saw what happened next with the young king. One of the creatures crashed into him, sending him flying sideways and into the ground. He managed to right himself enough so that he was facing the creature head on when it landed atop of him, pinning him to the forest floor. It wasn't just eyes now, but more of a corpse, it's wiry red hair standing on end as if it had had a nasty fright, and it's mouth opening wider and wider to reveal the fangs hidden within.

Then its head was suddenly gone, landing off somewhere to the side, and Merlin found himself looking up at Arthur instead, blade tight in his grip.

"Taking a break, are we, Merlin?" he mocked, holding out his hand.

Merlin gripped it, pulling himself up from beneath the creature's headless body. He said nothing in reply to Arthur's jab, too busy focusing on the red eyes that still danced in the fog. Five pairs if he was right, but as they kept shifting and moving, it was hard to be sure.

"They can change their shape," he started, trying to keep track of each set of eyes, waiting for the next strike, "and they can disappear almost completely."

"I had noticed that, yes, thank you, Merlin," Arthur shot back, irritable.

"But I think they need to be in that particular form," Merlin motioned toward the dead creature, "to... feed."

"Wonderful," Arthur drawled out, a low growl etched into the word.

But they knew fire could kill them. They knew beheading also worked. And if they had to be in a certain form to feed, then that meant Arthur would be able to see them at the last moment and being Arthur, he would be quick enough to react. Or so Merlin hoped. So how hard could it be? They had already killed two and there were only another five to go.

Except there wasn't. Not anymore.

Merlin let go of a long breath, watching as several more sets of eyes joined the five, and then several more. "Arthur..."

"I know – be ready."

Merlin shook his head. "We can't fight them."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur looked to him, then his eyes took on a look of understanding. "How many?" he breathed out.

"Too many to count."

Arthur nodded, head lowering in thought. When he raised it, he met Merlin's gaze. "We need to hold them back long enough to escape."

"Right..." Merlin frowned, burrowing his brow. "And how do we do that?"

"If we could create a ring of fire to hold them back long enough to mount the horses..."

"Then we could try and outrun them?"

Arthur nodded. "It's the only way."

Merlin took a deep breath, nodding. He understood what Arthur meant. He understood the implication. Magic. Use magic to create a circle of fire.

"Néadhæs bryne trendel behlænan," he commanded, concentrating all of his mind and his energy, all of his magic, on creating a circle of fire around them and the horses. He raised his hand, felt his magic flare, and watched as the flames rose, jumping up to ward away the creatures.

Within moments, they had mounted the horses and when both were ready, Merlin created a small pass in the flames, enough for them to get through. Arthur set off first and Merlin followed straight after. Hooves pounded against dirt and they raced forward, onward and onward, through the fog and the trees, dodging branches and bushes, neither looking behind – not daring to.


Thanks for reading! More soon!