Just a heads up

Probably high on the OOC and OTT scale (Out of character and over the top, took me aggges to get that XD) but I hope you enjoy anyway.

This battle has gone on way too long and I apologize. This has honestly been soooooooooo hard to write which is why it took so long SORRY :P

…. Hope you like….

Get up

The words were un said but they were there.

Merlin was sprawled on the floor feet from where he'd started with his shoulder screaming in agony. The most powerful warlock in the world right. His shield had folded under Morgana's attack as if it were made of parchment.

It hurt. Hurt like burning. Hurt like your best friend wanted you dead. hurt like the world was against you and no one would be there to pick you up when you really fell.

Get up

He got up.

His shoulder screamed in agony. Something seemed to be compressing on his chest making it hard to breath. There were three powerful magic users standing across from him all fully prepared to do more damage and he was to busy trying to breath properly again to get a spell out.

"Emrys please…" hoody was talking again, probably the typical speech 'join us, we will rule the world, endless power, Arthur will kneel at your feet blabla."

It was ridiculous when they would get it. He didn't want power; he didn't want to rule over people. He wanted Arthur to be king. He wanted Gwen to marry him and live happily ever after in Camelot making everyone happy. He wanted Gwain and Lancelot and all the others to be great knights, wanted them to be happy.

And he just wanted to be there to see it and know that he at least had some part in helping them get there. Last of all, that one wish that over the last few years seemed to become only more unlikely, he wanted them to know, every one of them who he was and what he had done, he wanted to be accepted anyway.

"you should never be forced to serve Emrys you are better than this."

It seemed a ridiculous time to laugh but he did it anyway . Merlin laughed almost uncontrollably and with it felt some of the bitter strength return to him as his dark blue eyes met with the glittering grey ones beneath the man's shadowed cowl.

"I lie to everyone I meet, my mistakes have cost the lives of innocence, no one knows me even if they care, don't pretend that you can tell me what I'm better then. I don't know what's coming to me but I'll deserve everything I get."

The power slowly building with every word exploded outwards in a ring of glowing ring of energy. It smashed in to the three sorcerers like a tidal wave and this time their shields were the ones to crack. Morgana and Alvarr went flying, only hoody could keep his footing and when his next spell did come it was hasty and weak. Merlin lifted his staff in a center ark cutting the blow in half and sending it spilling off to either side of him. A second and third blow came after that all from the mystery man but he brushed them aside as if the man had been throwing sponges.

Forcing all his concentration behind the force Merlin lifted his left hand disregarding the staff. He held his palm facing upwards and with a shouted incarnation brought his hand up in to a fist. He'd only glanced over the earth spell but it worded almost instantly.

The ground exploded upwards below the sorcerer aftershocks ripping the ground in every direction as the man was thrown from his feet. Some time ago the dragon had told him to use the elements at his command and damned if he wasn't going to use them now. Dropping the staff so it was balanced between his feet his other hand reached up in to the air feeling wind courser through his fingers and settle there waiting.

With equal brutality Merlin bought this hand down and the sky fell, crushing power smashed the sorcerer back against the floor where the earth shook and ground beneath him. It began to swallow him, his own choked curses and spells having no affect against the raw anger behind Merlin's words.

Unfortunately once again he had been too focused on his target. The air rushed in a different direction as Morgana called it to her hands and before he could do anything about hit she had hurled herself across the space and crashed solidly in to his chest. Long claw like hands gripped hold of his shoulders as his back crashed against the ground, the pair rolling one on top of the other.

Without thinking Merlin cried out his hands pushed forward between them and without even a spell muttered his instinctual magic kicked in throwing up a barrio between the two. Both parties were blown backwards and he had barely twisted once in the air renewing a light shield around his body when another crash of energy signaled Alvarr's own return to battle.

His shield took the edge off but the power knocked him off course and he landed heavily on his heels

"Iest-"

He was cut off by a furious shriek from Morgana. He barely had time to dart off to his side as pure force ripped through the space he had been standing taking bits of earth with it. Swearing he threw a quick conjured ball of light in her direction hoping a little light and heat would distract her for a moment while he conjured a lance of flame at Alvarr and turned just in time to see the third sorcerer getting back to his feet.

Hoody looked furious now and Merlin knew he would get no more sympathy bargains. This was only confirmed as lightning shot once more across the space between them. Taking once more from the energy welling up inside him Merlin conjured a half dome before him. The lightening crack struck hard and rebounded, Merlin smirked as he returned his own shot of lightning at the figure.

The hair stuck up on the back of his neck and he only just turned in time to reflect the ribbon of fire Morgana sent his way, he shivered and span again just in time to shield himself from a hail of stones Alvarr sent his way.

Their attack was relentless and coming from all sides. He gritted his teeth as he twisted on the spot holding a shield on his back and taking each blow thrown at him. He had no time to retaliate and even if he could by now he was starting to struggle. His breaths were coming in strangled gasps half muttered spells consontriteing his defense but slowly draining his power.

It took a lot to wear him down but now half way through reflecting a lightning strike (hoody's favored weapon apparently) he grasped for his power to find it lacked the depth he usually had. The lightning shot off in a different direction but with it a sharp pain registered in his chest. It was as if he'd just scraped the bottom of the barrel and the hollow unfamiliar feeling sent him reeling.

Gasping he barely avoided the strike from Morgana. He noticed her own strikes had become less potent and she was heaving for breath while Alvarr stood panting a few feet away.

They all stopped three sorcerers standing swaying slightly as they surrounded the tired, weak looking warlock. His eyes darted to each of theirs, his heart aching like it never had before. He'd never felt so used up before and still he held up his hands ignoring how they dipped and swayed before him.

The bright lights of power that marked his vision allowing him to see were dimming at the edges.

"It looks like we've reached the end of our little game." Panted Alvarr failing to keep the exhaustion from his voice.

Morgana's eyes glinted maliciously while Hoody stood in silence. Merlin's eyes roamed for a moment over the three of them, the scorched ripped earth between them at which he stood at the center. His staff had cluttered to the floor at some point and he missed the support it provided as his legs threatened to go out beneath him.

The end. Finally.

He knew they were going to rush him, all at once so he couldn't deflect and didn't have the energy to stand all of them. He knew he couldn't stop them or hold them back and he wasn't going to run or try to avoid them the strike was unavoidable.

No what he was going to do was more vicious. He took hold of the shreds of energy he had left dredging every last piece of his magic that settle so quietly inside him. Whatever mistakes he made in life he wasn't going to fail this time. They would never reach Camelot, if he had to die to make sure of it then he would.

In unison the group raised their arms lips already forming the words of whatever spell they were casting. But before he could continue Merlin froze. Morgana frowned, the distraction enough to make her spell falter. Hoody stood behind Merlin also froze until it was only Alvarr casting.

A moment later a knife whistled through the air thudding against the floor by his feet and swearing Alvarr drew back his arms in defense.

-M-

Be prepared. It had been the first and one of the most important lessons Arthur had been taught as a child . In battle you should be prepared for anything and everything. He thought he had been ready for everything but it seemed nothing could quite prepare him for the sight that finally greeted them.

Morgana and two other sorcerers stood surrounding Merlin with their arms raised already begging to chant with the air of a battle already won and Merlin…

The look on his face then would ingrain itself in his memory for a long time to come. It wasn't the look of a man defeated, Merlin could never be truly beaten it seemed, no the look on Merlin's face was of someone resolved.

His arms were raised ready to strike back and despite the exhausted look his whole body seemed to scream he stared back defiantly into the eyes of his opponents. They were going to kill him, but Merlin seemed certain of one thing and that was that he was going to take them down with him.

The strength and loyalty in that gesture shook the prince to his very foundations. In that moment dark blue eyes flickered up to meet his and the strength seemed to fade, replaced by surprise and… fear. The flash of panic there was unmistakable as Merlin seemed to freeze in place. Slowly the others took notice of the knights. Before it seemed they had been too distracted by their battle to notice the thundering of hooves.

One of the sorcerers were still chanting, Merlin paying him no notice. But before the prince could react a knife shot out from a hand beside him and he glanced over briefly to see Gwaine on his horse with his hand out stretched. The knife thudded down a step away from the sorcerer's feet knocking him from his incantations.

The knights dismounted swiftly as one all drawing their swords as the sorcerers stared on. Merlin looked stunned while Morgana and the hooded sorcerer looked outraged. For a moment everything seemed frozen and then before his eyes Morgana span with a look of hate in her eyes.

"Why Arthur what a pleasure." She growled and with that her hand raised she snapped something in a harsh tone and a ball of light shot from her out stretched hand right for his chest. He was about to leap aside but before he had the chance another voice rang out in the cold night. Before the fire could reach them a large glowing blue ball burst in to light between them and the fire hitting it simply dissolved around it.

Arthur stared recognizing the life saving ball instantly from the cave of spiders all those years ago. His eyes darted up and locked with Merlin's silent understanding between them.

And then the sorcerer behind Merlin was shouting and he span barely in time to intercept a lance of nasty looking lightning heading right for his face.

Confronted with such situations Arthur did the only thing he could think to do. He charged. A shout from Morgana and a group of undead soldiers broke off from the group in the direction she gestured, towards the knights. Merlin watched as the soldiers surrounding them seemed to twitch but as if Morgana didn't have the control for all of them at that moment they remained still.

Alvarr hurled fire and earth at the warlock trying to get him out the way quick enough to deal with the new enemy but it was as if the new arrivals had bought power with them. Biting back his fear of execution Merlin bought his arm up in a wide ark casting a shield between himself and the sorcerer. Morgana was beating down hard on the knights hurling invisible force at them as they were forced to bear it behind their shield all the while immortal solders bearing down on them.

Merlin flicked a wrist consontriteing in the ground bellow Morgana and holding a shield against Alvarr as he did. Multi tasking didn't seem so bad when it was a choice between that and being responsible for the death of the once and future king.

Power welled up inside Merlin almost as it had before but with greater power and determination. It was more distracted, the power kept flitting to Arthur and back as if dealing with tiny minute details that Merlin's conscious mind couldn't quite understand. He recognized the feeling but was forced to ignore it as power built up in the earth and then with one fierce bark he sent the earth bursting up beneath Morgana.

She shrieked, darting away unable to keep up the constant battering of the knights of Camelot. They charged the immortal army swords swinging, which wasn't such a great idea really but at least it was only a small portion of the lot.

Holding his shields in place he counted 13 of the soldiers advancing and feeling his newly replenished energy used earth magic once again, dragging the ground beneath them towards him like a loose carpet and watching as six of them fell before the earth was dropped back on top of them like shallow graves.

"Merlin!" The outraged shriek Morgana shot his way was almost enough to make him smile before he was forced to duck Alvarr's sucker punch of force. Morgana used fire and once again he was battering them both off while Hoody…

Wait where was Hoody?

That was when the lightning struck.

-M-

Arthur hadn't been paying as much attention when it happened. He saw as at least half of the undead creatures fell under a wave of earth that ripped around them. He heard Morgana shrieking, confirming just who had been the culprit but he didn't have the time to think about that as more magic was shooting through the air.

He had been consontriteing more on beheading the closest opponent to notice what happened next but his knights had just clashed against the seven remaining soldiers when a flash of light blinded them and a roar of power ripped through the air before a loud boom reported its impact.

There was something about it that didn't feel right and the uneasy silence that followed was enough to warn him. Arthurs head whipped round to the point Merlin had been standing something instantly fearful curling in his gut. Merlin wasn't there anymore. He had been standing there only moments ago but now…

His eyes darted to the place Morgana and her companions were standing. The hooded one was on his knees trembling while the other two look equally exhausted, warn down. They were staring at the same spot and it was this that caught the prince's attention, turning his blood to ice in his veins.

Merlin was sprawled motionless on the floor. His blue shirt; ridiculously thin for this kind of weather had a large burn mark just off from his heart changing the colored shirt black. The skin around the wound was also red marred with cuts and there was blood coming from his ears and nose. The strangers hand was raised fingers pointed like claws in the direction of his vulnerable manservant.

Arthur darted forward without thinking his sword tearing through the air as it dispatched another minion, it fell to the floor dead or other wise and the prince used the opportunity to dart away. He ran eyes quickly picking Merlin out from the dark.

His knees hit the ground with a crunch as he dropped his sword arms locking around Merlin's limp form.

"Merlin!" there was no reply he didn't even acknowledge hearing the prince. His head rolled listlessly against Arthur's chest. Arthur ducked his head to his servants face listening for breathing.

"How disgustingly touching." Morgana growled smirking at the two boys she had once called her friends. She sneered as Arthur stared at the limp warlocks face with dawning horror. "Come on now Arthur, is the useless boy finally dead or is he still clinging on?"

Arthur gritted his teeth his chest panging with loss and fury as his eyes fixed on his opponents. The light shift of movement and clang of armor noted the arrival of two knights by his sides. He recognized them without looking up Gwaine on his left and Leon on his right.

Merlin was still silent and limp, pale skin scratched and bruised. He looked oddly restful now, tired and fragile. It was hard to believe someone who looked so… delicate, could go through so much. It got to Arthur now more than ever because these sorcerers weren't the only ones to do this. Merlin Warlock or not still needed his protection, always would, and he had been so busy protecting Arthur the skinny idiot forgot entirely to look after himself.

While all the while he had been angry at enough at him to consider executing him, consider that his loyal friend could have turned his back on him.

Bitter tears filled Arthur's eyes and no amount of emotional suppression and training could hold them back. He was biting down so hard he could taste blood in his mouth and still his skinny idiot, his friend lay still below him.

Raw emotion threatening to overtake him as he failed to push it away Arthur looked up and did the next best thing. He turned his loss in to pure indefinable rage.

"You will pay for this Morgana!"

-M-

Great, I'm dead again…

Not a sentence most people would think upon waking… if he was in fact awake that is. But honestly it was a bit hard to tell life from death lately. When he stood his head pounded and his chest hurt. When he lay down to sleep his head pounded and his chest hurt. When he was dead… well honestly he didn't remember too much about that right now but he doubted he'd been entirely comfortable at the time either.

Now though his brain seemed to be having a little trouble degusting. His head hurt but it was more a numb ache, blood was rushing in his ears as loud as the fire had and for a moment he could almost smell the fumes and feel the heat on his skin.

But that wasn't happening, had happened already and hopefully if he was very, very lucky would never happen again. No he was cool now, cold even, there was dampness and though for a moment he thought he could still smell burning that scent was quickly overridden by the taste of blood in the air and-

Merlin gasped, cold night air forcing its way back in to his lungs and burning on impact. For a moment he choked and spluttered eyes roaming as his headache burnt back with vengeance, hot needles piercing through the center of his forehead and for a moment he thought he was dying.

He was alive. Pain was for the living. He dragged air in to his lungs struggling as if it were trying to escape, needing to breath, to move.

Merlin looked up struggling to get his body to comply so he could look up. It was dark, so dark but it seemed one of Morgana's spells had caught fire to some brush and a small bonfire was going throwing stark shadows across the surrounding area. Next to it a limp form with dead eyes stared back at him, the hood that had previously hidden his face thrown back to reveal age old features, now slack and lifeless.

Alvarr was off somewhere on the edge of Merlin's vision fighting with a knight but his vision was too fuzzy to make out exactly what.

He knew there was something else, something he was forgetting. That was when his eyes snapped to a furious looking blond dressed in armor bringing his sword crashing down on Morgana, whose parry to anyone who knew fighting would be seen as a thing of beauty.

They were swirling in the center of the mess black, gold and red to a background of impenetrable darkness and raging fire. The siblings were furious, each aiming to kill and it was all Merlin could do to stop himself passing out again, he had to stay awake. Raising his hand shaking before him Merlin stuttered as he tried to breath, eyes struggling to remain focused.

He concentrated on Arthur and his twirling sister, trying to think desperately for some kind of sell that would help. The answer came in a flash whether he had read it in a book or if the wisdom he had been written to contain finally kicked in. Either way he gasped in one last breath whispering words he barely knew the meaning too all in a rush as power built up behind his voice. It made his hart rench and his head spin but he focused on controlling the power until it reached its desired point.

His head hurt. He could barely breath. But that was ok, breathing was for the living and defending his friend was what he did. Till his last breath.

I'm happy to be your manservant till the day I die.

Ahck! Look I know it's another cliff hanger and the length of this fight is stupid buuuuuut the next chapter will be the end all… may do a prolog too…

Buuut yeeeeees plllease review and tell me what u think, I haven't written a fight scene in aggges and the last one was terrible!

My friend Melody is gonna kill me for leaving this tomorrow…

Also all mistakes woops, I have been writing this on and off over the week trying to get through… yeah hope it's ok :P

Thnx for reading folks