Yay, new chapter! I can't wait to write this, so let's not waste time with a lengthy introduction.
"We're going now," Morgana told Merlin, already straddling the dragon. "She's giving us a ride."
Merlin nodded and took a seat behind her.
"You look good," he told Aithusa. "What happened to all your injuries?"
He'd lived a long time, but there was never enough to waste on avoiding the big questions. So he chose bluntness.
"I've had time to heal. A thousand years give or take." If dragons can smile, Merlin was pretty sure that Aithusa just had.
"All that time and you never sought me out?" Merlin asked as Aithusa took off.
"It wasn't in destiny's plan." She said simply.
"I've kind of been doubting destiny recently," Merlin told her.
"You humans are so interested in the idea of free will," Aithusa snorted. "But dragons have lived a long time and have seen many things. And we tend to believe that everything follows predestined plans and patterns. The universe is not random. It has decided what it wants a long time ago"
"You've become the new Kilgarrah," Merlin joked.
Again, Aithusa snorted.
"I wouldn't go as far as to say that. I am helping you, aren't I?"
"Yeah, why are you doing that?" Merlin asked suspiciously.
"You two disobeyed the universe's plan by falling in love. There is no order anymore: no more plans or patterns. And bringing Arthur back may just fix that."
"Why?" Morgana asked, finally speaking.
Aithusa hesitated before answering. "Because it's destiny."
The wind flew by, every cloud fleeting and impermanent in the constantly moving sky. This was what Morgana loved. This was where she felt safe. But she couldn't help thinking about what Aithusa had said. And about her dream. Was it destiny? She'd rewritten the stars before, maybe she could again. She had to.
Seeking comfort, she leaned back into Merlin's warmth and was quickly wrapped in his arms. It felt so right to be surrounded by him. Her thoughts drifted to last night; to how perfect they were together. She couldn't believe that destiny had been written to keep them apart because she was beginning to forget every world where they weren't together.
"I love you so much," she whispered to him, thinking her voice had been carried away by the breeze. But he heard.
"I love you too," he said, wrapping his arms tighter around her.
He never wanted to let go. He'd waited so long for her, for this. And now he had it. But it seemed fleeting, like the trees that flew by underneath them. Good things never lasted, and this would be no different. Something was bound to come and destroy it all.
They landed smoothly and gently. Merlin had forgotten how nice it felt to ride a dragon. And now with Morgana by his side.
"Where are we?" Merlin asked, looking around in confusion. This wasn't Lake Avalon.
"Do you not recognize it?" Aithusa asked.
He looked around more closely. The rubble, the few still standing walls, a few pieces of fabric still in tact were scattered around.
"We're in Camelot," Morgana stated, matter-of-factly.
This place that Merlin had once called home now torn apart broke his heart. "It's all gone," he murmured. "Everything we did, all the memories, everything we loved. Nothing remains." A tear leaked from the corner of his eye then another.
Morgana came to stand next to him. "It's still here." She waved her hand and an illusion appeared. Camelot as it once was, rushing with life. The world they once knew.
Salespeople and tradesmen hurried from place to place, getting their jobs done as servants run around just behind, careful to stay out of the way. It was perfect and beautiful, Camelot on the surface. A place for happiness and freedom. Only Merlin knew of the secrets it held. The bitterness and betrayal and hatred that lay just underneath. At once, his years stopped.
"It's best that it's gone." He kicked a bit of rock. "So why are we here?"
Aithusa, touched by none of these sentiments, looked Merlin straight in the eye.
"You have to find something that was left here. A jewel. It is necessary for the retrieval of your friends."
"The Neexiamus Stone," Morgana stated.
"You know it?" Merlin asked, and Aithusa shot Morgana a knowing look.
"I created it," she said, bitterly. "And I used it to return."
Merlin smiled brightly. "Good. Let's get it then."
"It's dangerous," she shook her head. "I created it with dark magic. A way to escape death. But Merlin, dark magic always asks for something in return."
He started walking into the city anyway. "I'm willing to pay that price."
She grabbed his arm and forced him to face her.
"I can't let you do that." She said forcefully.
"We're getting Arthur back," Merlin said firmly. And that was it.
"Fine." She said. "I know where it is."
After giving him instructions, she opted to stay behind. When Merlin was gone, she began talking.
"I knew that was a test!" She snarled. No matter how small it was, betrayal brought out the worst in her.
"And you made your choice," Aithusa said calmly.
"I chose nothing," she hissed.
"But you did. You know the price of the stone and you know who's paying it."
"We beat destiny once before."
"But can you do it twice?"
"We can try."
"And if not?"
Morgana's anger dissolved. "I don't know."
Merlin returned with the stone.
"Where to next?" He asked, completely oblivious to the conversation he'd just missed.
I expect this story to have three to four more chapters, so it's coming to its end. The adventure will continue in the next chapter, and be sure to review and follow if you're enjoying this.