Chapter Disclaimer: Scenes from S01E08, S04E01, S04E07, S04E13, S01E11, S01E06
Emrys
Arthur looks deep into Guinevere's eyes and he knows that she had already accepted the truth, even if he was struggling with it. He looks out the window, the sun is high in the sky, it is after midday but not evening yet. There was time enough before Merlin showed up. Picking up the stone, Arthur asks as clearly as possible, "Who is Emrys?"
Merlin enters Morgana's chambers with a cloth wrapped bundle. "What took you so long?" She asks. "Sorry," Merlin answers "once Gaius gets going about anatomy there's no stopping him." A young boy is shown to be sleeping but the watchers quickly realize that he is not just sleeping but is fevered. There is a druid symbol on his chest and both king and queen recognize the boy. Merlin kneels down beside him and spoons some sort of paste onto a wound on the boys' arm. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Morgana asks skeptically.
"I'm doing my best." Merlin answers. "I'll get you some more water." Morgana says, realizing that even if Merlin doesn't have the qualifications of a healer, he really is doing the best he can. "Thank you, Emrys." a soft boyish voice sounds. Merlin looks at the boy surprised. "Emrys? Why do you call me that?" "Among my people, that is your name." "You know who I am? How?" The boy doesn't answer and his eyes move restlessly behind his closed eyelids. "Speak to me." Merlin says. "I don't know if he can't speak or he's just too scared to." Morgana answers unexpectedly and Merlin looks at her before looking down at the boy again, he seems to be unconscious.
Merlin makes his way down some stairs with a torch in his hand. He enters an enormous cavern and calls out a questioning "Hello?" He looks around a bit, searching for something and Arthur jumps along with the Merlin in the image as a dragon suddenly roars behind him. "Do you have to do that?" Merlin asks indignantly. "You scared the life out of me."
"The young warlock." The dragon greets. "No doubt you are here about the druid boy." "How did you know?" "Like you, I hear him speak." "Why does he call me, Emrys?" "Because that is your name." "I'm pretty sure my name's Merlin, always has been." "You have many names." "Do I? How does the boy know who I am? I've never even met any druids." "There is much written about you, that you have yet to read. You should not protect this boy." "Why? He has magic, he's just like me." "You and the boy are as different as day and night." "What do you mean?" "Heed my words, Merlin." "Why should I not protect him?" The dragon flies off without an answer.
"Arthur," Guinevere says in a soft voice "you're squeezing my hand."
"Oh, sorry." He gives her a hesitant smile before dragging his eyes back to the stone, waiting. Sure enough, another image is forming.
Morgana is lying on a cold slab floor, unconscious. A hand touches her cheek and she awakes. She seems to be in pain and a bit confused as she sits up. She then sees the tear in the world that she had created with her sister's death and a woman standing in front of the veil. "Who are you?"
"I am the Cailleach, the gatekeeper to the spirit world. You have torn the veil between the worlds." Morgana looks at the black emptiness behind the Cailleach and finally seems to realize what it was. Eerie voices scream from within. "The Dorocha. They are the voices of the dead, my child. Like the dead, they are numberless." Morgana seems frightened of what she had unleashed on the world. "You're right to be afraid, Morgana. Your enemies will rue this day and all the destruction it brings, but you must beware... Tearing the veil between the worlds has created a new world, and you will not walk through it alone. The one they call Emrys will walk in your shadow. He is your destiny... and he is your doom." Morgana's fear is clear for all to see.
"Her doom? Merlin is her doom?" Arthur's voice is incredulous and Gwen cannot blame him. Their friend hardly came across as someone who could hurt a fly, never mind a sorceress as powerful as Morgana.
Gaius is lying on a rock altar of some sort, a man standing beside him. It is clear that Gaius had endured much and is about to give up the fight. "Tell me about Emrys." The man commands. "Tell me, Gaius, where can we find Emrys?" Gaius tries to fight against the pain he has endured but eventually answers. "In Camelot." The man waits a moment but then asks when Gaius provides nothing further. "Where in Camelot?"
"Emrys is... Emrys is a name by which he is known to the druids, but to me, I know him by a different name."
"Tell me, Gaius." Gaius fights against the pain in his mind and the voice asking all these questions. "No!" He gasps out. The man is patient enough not to stap at Gaius but he places a hand on Gaius's shoulder and one on his head. "Who is he?" He asks again. Gaius fights against the name that wants to leave his lips. "He... He is the most powerful sorcerer who has ever lived."
"What is his name?" Gaius tries to fight but he can't anymore. "His name... is... Merlin." The pain on his face is not only that of the physical torture he had to endure but emotional as he had just betrayed his ward's trust.
There is a brief scene where Merlin and Gwaine are shown to be in some tunnels, clearly searching for something or someone. Arthur can only think that they were already in the same place Gaius had been held captive, seeing as they were the ones to rescue him all those years ago.
"For the druid legends are true. Merlin is Emrys. A man destined for greatness." Gaius tells, now that the secret is out, there is no need to hold back anymore. The man standing at his feet listens enraptured. "A man who will one day unite the powers of the old world and the new. I pray the time that the poets speak of, a time of Albion." Gaius closes his eyes, having said everything that needed to be said.
Arthur closes his eyes, the pain on Gaius's face strikes at his heart. Guinevere wraps her arms around him, both of them shaken by what they had witnessed.
Merlin is standing in a cave (Arthur is beginning to think that they spend way too much time in dark, dank, caves), he listens carefully to the sound of feet around the corner before gathering his courage and stepping out from his hiding place. "Oh, hello." He calls loudly and Agravaine immediately follows him. Merlin runs as fast as he can, leading them as far away from Arthur and the others as possible. He miscalculated though and ends up at a dead-end. He knows that he is caught and there is only one way out of this. "Merlin!" Agravaine calls. "Merlin."
What he would have to do to get out of this situation weighs heavily on Merlin's mind. He turns to face Agravaine and his small army. "Where's Arthur?" Agravaine asks. "Be careful." Merlin answers but he knows that no one perceives him as a threat. "What are you talking about?" Agravaine asks, looking around for some kind of enemy or danger that might lurk. "Where's Arthur?" Merlin looks down, not wanting to answer but also not wanting to fight. "Tell me." Agravaine demands, "now! Or I'll have to kill you." Merlin shakes his head sadly, "I don't think so." Agravaine laughs at him, seeing Merlin as a servant and nothing more. He strikes forward with his sword but Merlin's eyes glow and they all fly back through the air. Merlin moves forward, hoping that he could get away now but as he nears Agravaine, the man gasps for breath and stands up, looking at Merlin in shock. "You have magic." He says as he points at Merlin, still unable to believe it.
"I was born with it." Merlin answers.
Guinevere gasps and Arthur turns to look at her, he had not known that such a thing was possible, apparently, neither had his wife.
Agravaine stumbles a bit and steps forward, realizing what this means. "So it's you. You're Emrys." "That is what the druids call me."
"And you've been at court, all this time. At Arthur's side." Agravaine laughs softly. "How you've managed to deceive him. I am impressed, Merlin. Perhaps we're more alike than you think." Agravaine holds out his hand as if welcoming a friend. Merlin stops him with a quick hand held up, not at all impressed with the man's words. Agravaine backs off a bit but then quick as lightning he pulls his sword and aims it at Merlin. Merlin brings up both hands and his eyes glow, stopping the blade inches from his chest and sending Agravaine flying. This time, there is little doubt that the man would not get up again. Merlin's sorrow is clear on his face but he still has friends to catch up to so he pushes on.
Arthur lies awake that night, unable to sleep. Merlin had come with their dinner plates and although Arthur had desperately wanted to speak to him, or yell at him, he had kept quiet. Merlin obviously realized that something was wrong for he quickly excused himself and left the king and queen to their own devices.
To accept that Merlin was a dragonlord was hard enough, to accept that he has magic was a whole lot more difficult. To accept that he was considered to be the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, that was inconceivable. The power he displayed in dispatching of Agravaine was frightening, he had not uttered a single word and yet had killed all those men with barely any effort. Having Merlin muck out his stables, clean his room and deliver his meals, as usual, was a difficult concept to contemplate but he did not know what else to do. It was clear that Merlin had no intention of telling him about his magic, no intention of seeking recognition for all he has done. Could he really, truly, continue on with their daily lives as if nothing had happened? As if he had no idea that the man serving him breakfast had the power to kill him with a single thought...
As he tossed and turned, Arthur realized that even with all the thoughts of Merlin's lies and secrets, he never once felt afraid of him. Merlin, he had seen in all the images the stone had shown him, would rather die than bring any harm to Arthur. There were still many things he wanted to know, many instances he remembered that made much more sense now that he knew about the magic but still wanted to know the full truth of.
"Arthur?" Guinevere's voice is sleep roughened. "Sorry, love, my thoughts will not leave me to rest. I will leave you to your sleep." He places a gentle kiss on her forehead and slips out of bed. It is a testament to their many late nights working on the various treaties and trade routes that Guinevere does not join him but rather falls back to sleep.
As Arthur sits and contemplates all they have learned, he thinks about his father and his hypocrisy regarding magic, all the times he had condemned it and the times he had turned to magic to use it for his own gain. He also remembers the scene where Gaius mentioned that Merlin would be better off with Uther dead and can't help but wonder if Merlin had ever considered killing Uther, or for that matter if he had ever actually saved the magic-hating king... The stone glowed in answer to his unasked question.
Merlin stands in the cave under the castle, facing the dragon. "Well, young warlock, what is it you've come to ask of me?" "I need your help." "Of course, you do. But this time, will you heed my words?"
Merlin looks uncomfortable for a moment at the reprimand before boldly forging ahead. "The sorcerer, Tauren, he's plotting to kill the king. He's made an ally of Morgana. I don't know what to do." The dragon regards him for a moment, "Do... nothing." "What do you mean?" Merlin asks, "if I do nothing, Uther will die."
"Don't you want Uther dead? It is Uther that persecutes you and your kind, Merlin. It is Uther that murders the innocent." The dragon replies. "But surely that doesn't make it right to kill him." Merlin says fiercely. "Only if Uther dies can magic return to the land. Only if Uther dies, will you be free, Merlin. Uther's reign is at an end. Let Arthur's reign begin. Fulfill your destiny!" The dragon commands as he lifts into the air, the chain keeping him in the cavern under the castle rattling in his flight. "Wait. Where does it say in my destiny... includes murder?"
"Free this land from tyranny, Merlin! Free us all!"
Another scene starts before Arthur has time to think about the one he had just seen.
Merlin is standing at a window, looking down on the courtyard below. Gwen passes by and sees him, turning back and entering the room. "Merlin?" she asks, wondering what he is doing. "Gwen." Merlin acknowledges. "How are you doing?" "I was about to ask you the same question" she replies. "I'm fine," he says in surprise, "fine." They both look down at the courtyard where Morgana is seen riding out on horseback behind Uther, with a few guards escorting them. "Morgana has been amazing these past few days." Gwen confides. "I think you've been amazing" Merlin replies, "you know, after... all that's happened. Getting your life back together."
"It's better than sitting in an empty house, waiting for my father to walk through the door. The thing I find hardest to bear is that people will always think he is guilty because he tried to escape." Merlin steps back from the wall, "I know he was innocent." "I think he tried to escape because he knew, that whatever he said or did, he'd be killed. Uther had already made up his mind." Merlin acknowledges this silently, his thoughts shifting."That's the kind of man he is."
"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him dead." Merlin says after a moment of silence. Gwen turns to face him, "If Uther died, I would feel nothing. He means nothing to me." Merlin looks surprised at her words. "But if you had, you know, a choice, what would you do?" Merlin asks. Gwen seems puzzled by the question so Merlin elaborates. "If you had the power of life and death over Uther, would you kill him? For what he did?" Gwen regards Merlin for a silent moment before saying a heartfelt, "No." Merlin is once again surprised and asks, "No?" "What would that solve?" Gwen asks, "That would make me a murderer. That would make me as bad as him." Merlin shakes his head as if he realizes something then, "You're right," he turns back to face the window for a moment and continues, "Of course, you're right." before rushing off. "Is anything wrong?" Gwen asks. "I don't know. I'll see you later."
Merlin is rushing through the woods with a staff in his hand (The same walking stick Arthur remembers from the scene with Elena). He comes upon four horses, two guards lying on the ground, presumably dead. He sees the enemy in the distance and sets off after them. He crosses a stream and walks up the hill, pointing his staff at the back of one of the men Acwele! The man flies through the air and the other turns to face Merlin, he points his staff again and the second man goes down as well.
Merlin makes his way along the stream, searching, the sorcerer Tauren sees him and heads down to face him. He sees the staff in Merlin's hand and recognizes it as a weapon of magic. Taking out the stone, he holds it up as Merlin shouts Acwele! The stone reflects the spell back at Merlin and hits him in the chest. Tauren turns around to finish the job they had started, to kill the king.
Arthur stares at the wall after the image fades. He knows that his father still lived, after that incident and he remembers Morgana saying something about seeing the killer coming up from behind Uther and calling out in warning, Uther had struggled with the man and Morgana had run the man through with a sword. They had made it home safely, thanks to Morgana. Arthur wondered what had made her change her mind, as he now knew that she had been in alliance with Tauren. So many questions answered and so many more appearing in their wake.
"How do we get the beetle out before it kills him?" Merlin asks as he and Gaius stand at Uther's bed. "It can only be magic." Gaius says soberly. "We can't use magic on Uther, he'd kill us." "We don't have a choice," Gaius replies. "Gaius!" "There are times when it is necessary, it is your right." Merlin looks at Uther for a moment. "I don't know how."
"If you don't, he's going to die." Merlin considers this for a moment and then approaches Uther's side of the bed. He sits with one leg bent beneath him on the side of the bed and reaches for Uther's head, hands on either side, at the king's ears. His eyes glow for a moment before he closes them and says Berbay odothay arisan yeldo. Ablinan. His eyes are closed in concentration and Gaius asks, "What's happening?" Merlin doesn't answer, just keeps his hands where they are and his eyes closed in concentration. At last, he opens his eyes and slowly pulls his hands away, the one hand falling back to his side, the other holding a black beetle that he had pulled from the king's brain. Both Gaius and Merlin look surprised as well as relieved. "Has anyone ever told you," Gaius begins, "you're a genius." Merlin gives a shaky smile, "You certainly haven't." They both laugh and watches as Uther turns his head, slowly waking up from the 'illness' the beetle had caused.
Arthur shakes his head, not quite believing that his servant had risked so much for a king that would have him executed for saving his life - had Uther known that magic had saved him. This at least answered one question that had been running through his mind, his servant really was an idiot, it was not all an act. A noble idiot, but an idiot nevertheless. The stone didn't produce any more images so Arthur turned back to his bed. Merlin would be there soon enough with breakfast and he still had no idea what he should do or how he should act.
Guinevere would never speak a word of what they had seen, he knew, not without first discussing it with him but Arthur was unsure what to do about the whole situation. It was unfair of him to expect her to keep such a thing from Merlin, they were friends first, queen and servant came second. It was unfair of him to request that she does not confront her friend about all the years he had lied to her, hid such a big part of himself from her. It was only as he shifted his head on his pillow that he realized he had tears running down his cheek and that the last few thoughts, although directed at the friendship between Guinevere and Merlin, applied even more so to himself and Merlin. The betrayal stung.
Should he confront Merlin about his secret? Should he tell him that he knew about the magic? There was no clear path to follow and Arthur sighed as he settled back into bed, hoping he would be able to get a few hours' sleep before Merlin woke him up to face the new day.
End chapter 10
AN: Just a note, there will be no Disir in this fic. Arthur had already accepted that Merlin was a dragonlord and not persecuted him for it and he is now slowly, starting to accept that not all magic is evil. The triple goddess does not have good reason to pass their judgment this time and so the Disir had not been asked to pass the runemark to him. (Plus, I just don't like the Disir...)