Chapter Nine:

Neither of the men slept well. They were constantly bombarded with dreams of Camelot's fall, and their loved ones dying. Honestly, when the bright rays of the sun cut through the darkness of night, they were more than happy to get up. Quickly, they ate breakfast and were on their way.

"Do you think that Camelot is already under her reign?" asked Merlin.

Nobody needed to ask who Merlin was referring to. "I truly have no idea. We'll just have to prepare for the worst."

Their walk was relatively silent, neither really wanting to talk about what Camelot might be like at the moment, but both still thinking of it. The two moved as quietly as they could. If Morgana or her men were anywhere near them, it would be... unpleasant.

As the sun started to begin its descent from the highest point in the sky, they reached the walls of Camelot. Merlin climbed a nearby tree in order to see what was happening inside. It wouldn't be very sensible for them to just enter when Morgana might be watching from the castle.

Noting that the banners were still red and gold, and that there was no blood spilling in the streets- well there was a bit of blood here and there. Hopefully from a minor injury like a nosebleed. There was no sign of an army, small or large, invading the castle. Even in their relief that Morgana most likely has not taken over yet, they still noticed how absolutely no-one was moving about, doing their daily business. It was like the whole city was asleep- oh wait! It was!

Plucking up their courage, Leon and Merlin made their way into the city. Merlin bent down to the first person they saw, a collapsed guard, and checked his pulse. Then he repeated the action on several more men and women, before straightening up.

"Are they..." Leon trailed off. He didn't want to say it.

Shaking his head, Merlin responded, "No, they're all in a deep sleep. It'll take a few more hours before they come to. Some babies and elders may not have been so lucky though."

There was silence as they thought of the lives that might have been lost because of the spell. Finally, Leon asked a question that was bubbling in his mind.

"Why are they asleep right now? I thought they weren't supposed to collapse until the sixth day; it's still the third."

"When the sorcerers- and sorceress- fought me, they used up a lot of their energy. The spell feeds on it, so the spell worked faster than normal."

The duo looked around, at the sleeping villagers. Merlin spoke.

"Look, Morgana, as far as I know, doesn't like to just kill people. The villagers are probably going to be fine, for the time being. But right now, we have to find Gwen and Arthur, along with the knights and Gaius."

"We should stick together though."

With a nod of assent, the two entered the castle. Their top priority was the royalty, so they went towards Arthur's chambers, hoping their monarchs were there. Whenever they saw a guard, they tried to wake them up. Some did and some didn't. As they peeked inside the royal room, both of them let out a sigh of relief, and then entered.

After checking their pulses, Merlin wondered how he should wake them. He didn't have to worry about that though, as Leon grabbed a jug full of cold water and dumped it over their heads. The couple immediately roused from their sleep.

"Good work," complimented Merlin.

"Thanks," Leon replied.

During this few second exchange, Gwen and Arthur seemed to have woken up completely, leaving a rather livid Arthur.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

Hurriedly, Merlin explained, "Evil sorcerers, dead, broke their spell, everyone's asleep, Morgana's probably going to invade soon."

When the two made no move to get out of bed, Merlin and Leon each grabbed a hand, and yelled, "Hurry up!"

Confused, the royals followed their friends, Gwen quickly changing into attire that she could actually travel in. They went to each of the Roundtable knight's chambers, waking them up in different ways. For Gwaine, one of his rather pungent smelling socks was thrown into his face. They got a much needed laugh out of that.

They got Gaius up, and decided to plan in the physician's chambers. Who knows? Something useful might be in there.

Everyone, other than Leon and Merlin, were utterly oblivious to what was even happening. Kindly, Leon clarified.

"This group of magic-users used a spell that made everyone irritable and aggressive. Merlin and I went and defeated them, and now the spell is broken, but it will take time for people to wake and recover. They were in league with Morgana, so she's probably going to try and take over Camelot, again. Right now, we need to think of a way of keeping Morgana out-"

A sudden blast at the entrance gates of Camelot cut Leon off. Luckily, only about twenty people stormed through, lead by Morgana. They were heading straight to the castle, none of them attacking the helpless citizens.

"I think it's too late to keep them out," commented Gwaine.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur said, "You're a genius, aren't you? Anyways, we need to figure out what to do. The guards and gates can only hold them off for a few minutes. Suggestions are most welcome."

While everyone started thinking, Merlin took some bottles from a shelf, and handed one to each person, even Leon. At the raised eyebrows, he explained, "These will perk you up. The spell probably took a lot out of you. Leon, you and I should also drink these. Neither of us got a good night's rest, and we were walking for most of this day."

With a grimace, they all drank it. It perked them up instantaneously. Leon was first to think of a strategy, even though it was a little vague.

"We should split into pairs. Wake as many guards as we can. We need to spread out, and get ready to ambush. Remember, we have the element of surprise, use it."

"All right," Arthur assented, "it's a good idea. Gaius, you can't fight, but we can use some of your stuff to do something. Maybe knock people out or make them slip?"

Looking around for some inspiration, Gwen suggested, "Maybe we can wake up the guards first, and then throw water down the stairs? It'll make them slip. If we can reach the armory in time, we should get some projectiles. Arrows, daggers, even stones could be useful. Oh! What if we make something to burn? If we can get the right plants, we might be able to disorientate or knock out some of our enemies!"

Since Gwen's suggestions are always good, they agreed to do so. They split up. Percival and Gwaine took water from the kitchens, and poured in down the stairs. Elyan and Arthur went to get weapons and armour from the armoury, and after putting on their own, brought some to Gaius' chambers. Gaius and Gwen created the 'smokers' as they called it. Merlin and Leon ran about, searching for guards to wake.

Everyone reconvened in Gaius' chambers, and got a wet bandanna each, in order to prevent the smoke from getting to them. The knights all had their armour on, along with their weapons. Leon, of course, was given the crossbow. Merlin had his own weapons, which was an assortment of daggers. At the insistence of the others, Merlin also took a sword.

Gwen, Gaius, Leon, and Merlin ventured to the council room 'for safety.' (The king decided that Leon and Merlin would protect Gwen and Gaius.) Arthur and Elyan went to one stair case, while Percival and Gwaine went to the other. Hearing the footsteps approaching from below, both groups ignited their smokers and threw them down the stairs, while simultaneously raising their bandannas over their mouths.

The loss of vision and water on staircases, accompanied by the disorientating affect of the smoke, made their jobs much simpler. They shot arrows and threw knives, causing many squelching sounds as the weapons imbedded themselves in their enemies. Many of them slipped and fell, sometimes cracking their skulls on the harsh stone steps.

As the last of the smoke cleared, only eight men remained. Having the upper ground, the knights were able to easily use projectiles, but in the end, it ended up being a sword fight. Other than a few cuts and bruises, the knights were fine, though the guards seemed to not have the same fortune.

Morgana entered the throne room using the servant's entrance. She had many more allies coming soon. That was just the first wave. Success was guaranteed. As Morgana sat down on the throne that's rightfully hers, she laughed. She laughed a maniacal laugh. It was so easy!

What Morgana didn't notice while acting like a mad woman, was Merlin hiding behind a pillar. He knew better than to try and kill Morgana with normal weapons. She was a high priestess! It would just be a waste of time.

Merlin stepped out from behind the pillar.

"Hello, Morgana. Seems you're at it again."