Disclaimer: Haven't gained rights between chapters. DARN.
A/N Sorry, Sorry, Sorry.
Albion Awaits
Merlin smiled as the battle began anew. Although Morgana was putting up a brave façade Merlin could sense her unease, it was the same unease and terror that had sent her running from her own hut so long ago. He waited for her to make the first move, she had initiated this battle.
She would have to attack him first. He didn't want to fight; he didn't want to kill someone who had been one of his friends.
But what choice did he have?
She'd picked her cards and both of them would have to live with how they fell.
"Before I kill you, just for old time's sake why did you never tell me? Why lie to me?"
"I didn't want to Morgana." Merlin almost whispered, his head dipping in shame "I had to keep my secret. You of all people understand that."
Morgana snickered at him, cocking her head to one side as she surveyed her old friend "Not from me. You had a choice and you chose not to. Just like I chose this." She glanced around them, the scurrying and yells of the frantic battle.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"Not exactly. But I take what I'm given."
"Morgana please, we were friends. Just stop this, leave." Merlin begged.
Morgana threw her head back and laughed "I think it's beyond that now."
"So be it." Merlin uttered, raising his hands and summoning a ball of fire "Then let's hope we both can live with the consequences." She raised her own hands and sent her own ball of fire at him. The two balls collided pushing them both backwards as they exploded showering the entire battlefield with sparks.
"Culter ic þe hate " Merlin gestured to a fallen mace and directed it towards Morgana, sending it soaring through the air directly at her head, she easily avoided it by turning sideways, missing Merlin's next non verbal attack as he sent a wave of telekinetic energy hurtling towards her. She was sent flying back, landing hard on her back and rolling backwards. She did not stay still for long nor give Merlin time to gloat.
"Lyft sy þe inbǽlwylmac forhienanse wiðere!" The air around her palm began to swirl, gradually picking up speed until a fully formed tornado was heading Merlin's way.
"Scildan!" Merlin cried, his eyes flashing. Morgana's spell hit Merlin's shield and bounced away, sending several of her men flying into the air, leaving her furious. "Do you give in yet?"
"Me? Never, I will destroy you Merlin and everyone here who matters to you."
"I wouldn't threaten my friends if I were you."
Morgana's eyes flashed and a piece of fallen masonry from the crumbling castle rose from the ground, speeding through the air like an arrow towards the waiting Merlin, he waved a hand and turned the approaching stone to sand. Gathering the sand with his magic it was sent floating in the air, creating a sand storm around Morgana. She raised a hand to protect her eyes and face, too shocked to be able to cast a spell with eyes pressed closed against the cutting shards of sand. Merlin twisted his hand, pointing at the stone floor. With a loud rumble it cracked between her feet. The gap becoming wider as he concentrated, the ground was shaking raising yells from the surrounding men. He frowned, sweat dripped of his brow, her foot slipped through the gap and she sank, her arms flailing as her leg sank into the earth. She tried to pull herself free but she was trapped. The sand dropped, Morgana's howl of agony and frustration ripped across the battlefield.
"The elements are on my side, Morgana."
"Not for long!" A strange gurgling came from beneath the ground, getting louder until Merlin could almost feel the rushing flow of…water. Merlin peered into the cracks he had created in the ground, the water had rose from under the ground and was swirling around Morgana's leg eroding the rock and freeing her. She stepped back with a smug smile. The water rose like a huge tidal wave, erupting from the cracks in the ground and then collapsed on top of Merlin, encasing him in the bubble of water.
He couldn't breathe, he could barely think. He had to get out; he had to dispel the water.
Merlin's water cage rose above the battlefield, his desperately struggling form suspended for the entire battlefield to see. His panicked brain could barely function as he thrashed, forcing himself to still Merlin tried to think of a way out. Light dimmed, his vision becoming narrower as he gulped unwillingly at the water. It flooded into his struggling lungs. In desperation he forced his magic out of himself, allowing in to explode outwards uncontrolled and untamed. The golden licks of magic struck his water cage and instantly destroyed it, the water falling on the unsuspecting men below. Merlin took in a deep lungful of air, his brain still fuzzy as he hacked up the water he had inhaled.
His magic held him suspended for only a moment more until it dissipated. He fell backwards, flipping through the air until he landed hard on his back in front of an enraged Morgana.
"You just won't die!" Merlin could almost imagine her stomping her feet, she wasn't but it seemed she would soon.
"Well it does go against my plans slightly…" Merlin staggered to his feet, his aching back protesting against each movement he made not to mention the renewed throbbing in his head. "Morgana we are too evenly matched, there isn't going to be a winner."
"Your death will be a win enough." Her eyes were dark and calculating, she knew that she had the upper hand in this battle, with Merlin in his current state how could she not?
"My death will mean the death of you. If I'm going down so will you."
"What life do I have?" Her eyes were sad and Merlin could see the flicker of the old Morgana, it was gone quickly. She would never be that person again, they both knew that. Morgana made the first move, with a cry she sent a wave of water once again at Merlin, this time he was expecting and dove to the side with an agonising thud. He spat the dust from his mouth and sent rocks hurtling at his nemesis with a flash of gold.
She laughed and used her affinity over fire to destroy the rocks; Merlin stood quickly frantically thinking of a solution to this battle. He couldn't think!
Whilst he was distracted Morgana sent the blazing ball of fire straight at him, knowing how much it would hurt if it hit him he flung himself into the air, using the air to send him floating above the battle. His eyes blazed with power.
It was then the pain hit. He looked down and saw blood on his shirt and a dagger falling to the earth.
He managed to stutter a confused "Oh" before he once again fell through the air. In panic Merlin managed to splay his hands to slow his fall, landing heavily on his feet.
Morgana was smirking at him.
She had used the fire as a distraction; she had known how he would escape from it. She'd sent a dagger straight at him.
He couldn't help but silently praise her genius as he slipped to the floor, his mind cloudy with pain.
"I win." Her face was glowing and her long forgotten beauty shone out between the hardened surface. She drew her sword and raised it above her head.
She plunged it down but it was quickly blocked by a bloody and sweaty Arthur.
"You can't kill my manservant." Arthur said angrily as he forced her blade away "That's my bloody job."
Morgana smiled superiorly as she eyed his sword. "You think your blade can stop me?"
"Actually, I do." With that he thrust his sword forward forcing her to stumble back away from Merlin, who was once again lying prone in the middle of a battle.
"Well brother, only one of us will be leaving here."
"God you are such a girl. Did I teach you nothing when we were children? You don't talk in sword battles, you fight!" Morganas jaw dropped but Arthur had already parried her weak strike and weaved around her, he kept glancing to her eyes looking for the gleam of gold that would end his life.
He pressed forward, channelling his anger at her betrayal into his sword and it responded. Excalibur had always been more than just a sword. It was one with him, a part of his body.
It swished through the air with ease, sliding into the flesh of Morganas leg with ease. Arthur almost dropped Excalibur in shock. He had managed to land a blow on a sorceress, the most powerful in the land none the less. He couldn't help but hoot with laughter as Morgana screamed in pain as she clutched her bleeding leg. Morgana staggered forward, raising her sword to fight again.
"Don't be stupid Morgana. Leave."
"I shall not be beaten by the likes of you"
"Morgana, go" Arthur swing round to stare at Merlin who had managed to sit up and was staring at Morgana in pity.
She hesitated "GO!" Merlin screamed, sending her hurtling backwards from the wave of power he released.
"I will return."
"Look forward to it." Merlin gasped. With a rustle of leaves Morgana was gone and the battle was over.
They had once more survived.
"Merlin? You okay?" Arthur asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine, just need to remember the spell."
"Spell what spell?" Arthur dropped to his friends' side and ripped the bottom of his cape to press against the weeping wound.
"To heal myself you prat, I'm not dying after all this." He gestured round them before furrowing his brow in concentration. "Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle".
Before their eyes the wound stopped bleeding and then the skin began to knit itself together, in mere minutes a potentially fatal injury was reduced to a pink angry line. It took Arthur a few moments before he regained the use of his voice.
"I think you have some explanations for me."
"Do I have to?" Merlin threw his head back and pouted, his tense shoulders relaxing now he knew the battle was over, for now.
Arthur eyed him wearily, "Not all at once, not all today. But soon I want to know everything and this time Merlin I want to actually remember them." Merlin had the decency to look ashamed.
The battle had been won, they had survived and their shared destiny had truly begun.
Albion awaited.
A/N I wanted to use the elements in this chapter, and I debated long and hard on how to assign the elements to Merlin and Morgana. Merlin has shown an affinity in the show for 'air', such as how he can call thunderstorms. I have always thought 'earth' to be the most powerful, so naturally Merlin should have it. Morgana has always shown an affinity for fire, so that's how I argued that. Why did I do this? Because I believe Morgana and Merlin are quite evenly match and are both elemental as neither needed to learn to use magic.
I hate writing fight scenes, I can't do them and they take me forever (hence the wait), hope this doesn't show!
THERE WILL BE AN EPILOGUE. Sorry about the awfully cheesy ending to this story, I couldn't help it. I virtually pass you a sick bucket. Thanks to everyone who has faithfully read and reviewed this story. You are all awesome.
Reviews make me happy, good n' the bad!
