With that, they all took a limb of Eernseth, managing, between them, to lift him. They scampered from the house, using all their might. Outside was horrendous. The purple fog had thickened, leaving a weird feeling about. It tasted funny, Merlin thought as he stepped outside, hang on- he recognised that scent, and that sting… It was hemlock! Somehow the purple fog was stacked full of the stuff.
"It's poison!" He cried "Cover your mouth!" So, with slight alarm, they all did so, not minding that Eernseth now dragged along the ground from the lack of hands available to hold him up. The three managed to make it through the last part of the lower town and reached the gate. The gate that would undo all of this, save Camelot and hopefully destroy the poisonous air. As they shuffled through the gateway, fresh air soon reached their systems. Removing the sleeve from his face, Merlin sucked in deep breaths, glad that his head was now thinking clearer instead of swimming with purple. They dropped Eernseth to the floor, and watched Camelot anxiously.
Nothing happened at first, nor did it happen a few minutes after. Then the cloud rumbled. Its large roar swept through the land, and soon heavy rainfall drenched Camelot. The rain was washing away the fog. Once the fog had been cleared, the cloud shrunk and shrunk in size until it became a white wisp of air. Then it evaporated into nothing.
"It is done. It's over!" Arthur announced; relief and tiredness shone through his face. They shared meaningful looks over towards Camelot, as the place they called home was safe from danger once more.
Epilogue
Camelot had suffered harshly through Eernseth's game. The numbers of death were much higher than Arthur would've liked, and various ceremonies took place to remember and thank all those who lost their lives. The tale of how Eernseth was stopped had spread through Camelot like wildfire, and many people had now encouraged faith in their king, as well as more respect for Gwaine and Merlin. After the fog had lifted, all of the wooden dolls simply powdered into dust, never to hurt their lookalikes again.
Merlin's injuries hadn't been too bad. He had to get a sling for his arm and shoulder, but it would all heal in time. This kept him from a couple of days' work, but other than that, he was pretty pleased at the outcome. Gwaine and Arthur had only sustained minor wounds too, it was mainly exhaustion that was keeping them all in their beds. Arthur's mind was abuzz from how everything had happened over the short course of just a week. Half of it didn't seem possible, and yet it had all happened here in Camelot. Arthur was only grateful for the friends he had. Thinking back to Gwaine and Merlin's help, they had done so much- if not, more than Arthur- to providing the safety of Camelot, and he was forever in awe of them. Merlin seemed more like a puzzle by the day. Arthur wondered whether he would truly understand the man, but he wouldn't have him any other way. He did also know, however, that meeting Eernseth again hadn't been easy for his manservant. It hadn't been easy on any of them, but bringing back the sand had been a cruel move. So when Merlin came back the next day and was (if possible) sloppier than usual, or didn't talk as much, Arthur didn't say anything. When he found Merlin on the turret again, one night he wasn't going to say anything, but Merlin had then opened up to him more than Arthur had ever seen before. Of course, Arthur did most of the talking, but when it came to Merlin's replies Arthur sensed the pure emotions from him, and was only glad that he hadn't been harmed further. Merlin may be an idiot, but he was one idiot Arthur couldn't live without.
Camelot only grew from there onwards. The bonds between people were stronger than ever before.
As for Eernseth- the twisted man had been held outside Camelot's walls. The hemlock gas had affected his brain, making him completely senseless. Everyone was still unsure of whether to risk him coming back into Camelot in case the curse was opened again. Eventually, he was charged with death, and a sword was brought outside of Camelot to finish the man. He was shackled to a post as the knight came forward to slay Eernseth. The gleaming sword was drawn to the sky before a sharp, swift movement sent it racing toward the grinning sorcerer… As the sword hit, the man vanished, his cloak left fluttering in the air and a voodoo doll left rolling, unseen, in the grass.
Well to everyone who read this thank you very much and i hope you all enjoyed it! I appreaciate every single review i got, it is great to know just how many Merlin fans there still are out there :) Thank you again :D