The italicized parts later are a flashback, fyi. Enjoy!
TEN: SACRIFICE (315 days)
Kerenza pulled her horse to a stop, causing the rest of the group to halt as well. She fingered the neckerchief she still wore.
Arthur, worried, trotted his horse toward her. "Have you lost the trail?"
She shook her head. "No, but it's getting dark. We are getting close, though."
"Well, then we should keep going. We have about another hour before it gets too dark to ride."
Kerenza folded her arms. "In which case, it would also be too dark to make camp. King Arthur, we also need to rest. This is Morgana. We can't go in exhausted."
Arthur sighed, running his hand through his hair. He knew she was right, of course. If they waited much longer to make camp, they wouldn't be able to see what they were doing. They couldn't travel through the night, or they'd risk being too tired to do Merlin any good.
He sighed. He hated stopping, but she was right. He was just anxious to get to his best friend. "Make camp," he instructed.
Kerenza smirked. "So you're not as much of an idiot as you look."
After all of his years hearing insults like that from Merlin, Arthur knew that pointing out to her that she couldn't insult the king like that would be impossible.
Instead, he helped his knights prepare the camp. The routine seemed strange, empty, without Merlin. The servant would normally be chattering up a storm, poking fun at each of them in turn.
Arthur missed his incessant babbling.
Elyan quickly got a fire started, and the knights settled on the ground around it. Treasa and Kerenza sat a few feet away, a ball of fire floating between them. They politely declined when Arthur invited them to join himself and his friends closer to the fire.
Mordred began cooking a pot of stew, using some of the provisions the head cook had sent with them. He had offered when they all seemed confused about who should cook - that was normally what Merlin did on their various expeditions.
Gwaine tossed a small handful of leaves into the fire. "Are we going to talk about the fact that our friend is a sorcerer?"
They had mostly been avoiding the topic since Arthur revealed the truth.
Percival shrugged. "What is there to talk about? He's Merlin, and he's a sorcerer."
"We're all idiots," Gwaine said. "None of us knew. We were so…blind. How could we have been so blind? Merlin is a terrible liar."
Mordred ducked his head, staring at the pot. Arthur was even more sure that the young knight had already known about Merlin's magic.
"Apparently not all the time," Elyan muttered.
Leon sighed. "It was right in front of us the entire time. How many times have we all been knocked unconscious in the middle of a fight, only to wake and find Merlin already awake and unscathed, claiming that we had defeated the enemy? How many times have our enemies tripped over their own feet? I think…I think we all suspected. We just chose to ignore the signs because we didn't want to know the truth."
Gwaine studied the king. "Arthur's probably known for years."
Arthur shook his head, grimacing. He really was an idiot. "If I had, magic would have been made legal again a long time ago. I learned the truth after I visited the Disir."
"Merlin told you," the knight assumed.
Arthur scratched the back of his head. "Well…no. He still doesn't know that I know." At the curious looks of his friends, Arthur explained how he had come to realize just who Emrys was.
Elyan shook his head. "The cranky old man was Merlin?"
Percival chuckled. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."
They fell quiet for several minutes. Arthur could hear the women speaking in soft tones. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he caught the main point of their conversation. Treasa seemed to be lecturing her daughter on her latest love interest.
"You want Merlin to be Court Sorcerer," Leon stated suddenly. He wasn't asking a question, simply stating a fact.
Arthur responded anyway. He nodded once. "There's no one I'd trust more. He's being stubborn, though. He refuses." Arthur shrugged. He'd come to a decision earlier that afternoon. "Well, I've decided that I'm not giving him a choice in the matter. As soon as the council approves a Court Sorcerer, I'm appointing Merlin."
Gwaine leaned back on his elbows, smirking widely. "Oh, I want to be there for that argument."
Arthur just rolled his eyes. "Merlin can try to weasel out of it all he wants, it won't make a bit of difference. The man is going to be my Court Sorcerer, whether he wants to be or not."
"But, sire," Gwaine began, his smirk even wider, "then who would you order around all day?"
The king picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it at Gwaine. It bounced harmlessly off the knight's armor. "I suppose I'll just have to make do with you, won't I, Sir Gwaine?"
Leon sighed. "How are we going to get Merlin away from Morgana? She's a powerful sorceress."
Elyan looked thoughtful. "And Merlin's a powerful sorcerer. Couldn't he use his own magic to escape?"
The king shrugged. "I got the sense that it's extremely important for Morgana to never discover his identity. He probably won't use it in front of her."
"Why would she take him, if she doesn't know that he's Emrys?" Mordred asked.
"It's probably a trap for me," Arthur admitted. "Everyone in the kingdom knows that we're friends. Of course she would take him to lure me into a trap. She wants me dead so she can be queen of Camelot."
"Do we have a plan?" Leon wanted to know. "How are we going to get close enough to Morgana's lair to rescue Merlin?"
"I don't know. Perhaps Treasa will have an idea. She is the one who had the vision." Arthur stood, moving toward the two women.
Morgana paced her bedchamber, feeling restless. Those fools could arrive any time now. She was outnumbered, but she was counting on them being too frightened of her magic to attack her directly. All she needed was Emrys. Once he showed himself and fell into her trap, she could finish him and release Scathach's spell.
She didn't like being separated from her own magic, but it was necessary. She needed Emrys dead, and this was the only way to ensure his death.
Scathach's spell would prevent any and all magic from being performed within the walls of Morgana's crumbling abode. Morgana was currently unable to light so much as a candle with her own magic. She could sense it, but she couldn't manipulate it to her will.
Her lack of power was more strange than worrisome. She was a skilled swordswoman. She would have no trouble killing one defenseless old man.
It would all be worth it.
Every sacrifice she made would be worth it.
Morgana knelt on the cool floor, her head bowed before the Dark Goddess. "Why do you seek me out?"
The witch did not lift her head. "I require assistance that only a goddess can provide."
"Why have you not sought the aid of the Triple Goddess, High Priestess?"
Morgana's heart skipped a beat. She did not want to lie to this goddess. So she gave only one of her reasons. "You are the goddess of magic. The problem I face involves magic. Who would I turn to but the goddess of magic?"
"The Triple Goddess no longer hears your cries, does she, Morgana Pendragon?"
Morgana's head dropped lower. "No," she admitted. Despite being the last High Priestess of the Old Religion, it seemed that the Triple Goddess was ignoring Morgana.
"And so you come to me. Not even I can undermine the will of the Triple Goddess."
"The will of the Triple Goddess is for the return of magic to Camelot. If I were queen, I would make this happen."
Morgana looked at the goddess before her. Scathach's expression was unreadable, giving nothing away. "Perhaps you are not meant to do so."
The witch frowned. "Who else is there to do it? I am the last true follower of the Old Religion. I will bring magic back, but I must be queen in order to do so. And upon its return, Shadowy One, you will once again be worshiped and revered as you should be."
"Such a silver tongue you have in your pretty mouth. I am but one of the lesser goddesses of magic and prophecies. What would you have me do to get you crowned as queen?"
"I cannot become queen until Emrys is dead."
"Ah, Emrys, your destiny and your doom." Morgana's jaw clenched. She didn't need the reminder. "Why should I help you kill such a powerful sorcerer?"
"Surely you wish to see magic free in this kingdom once more. In return for your help, I will give you anything you ask of me."
"Anything?" For the first time, Morgana heard a trace of emotion in the goddess's voice, a trace of smugness. She still couldn't read her expression. The witch nodded. She would make any sacrifices necessary to rid herself of Emrys once and for all.
The goddess remained silent for several minutes, clearly thinking. Then, quietly, she said, "Aithusa."
Morgana blanched. Her precious dragon? "Why -"
"I am a goddess of magic. Dragons are powerful creatures of magic. It's been many years since I've had the company of a dragon. Kilgharrah is insufferable, and nearly dead. But Aithusa is young."
Morgana had never heard of Kilgharrah.
But she couldn't bargain Aithusa. She had been through far too much with the white dragon. Aithusa was her only comfort in this world. "I…I can't."
Scathach shrugged as a black mist began enveloping her form.
"Wait!" Morgana cried. The mist disappeared. The witch took a deep breath. Her next words were a whisper, and nearly shattered her already broken heart. "You may take Aithusa with you."
The goddess nodded, looking pleased. "In exchange, I will cast a spell that will render even magic itself useless. The rest will be up to you, Morgana Pendragon."
Morgana missed Aithusa's presence. When she caught Emrys, she was going to enjoy making him suffer.
Celtic mythology is a bit confusing. So, apparently, there are several gods and goddesses for one thing. I think there were at least three other deities of magic. Scathach is a Celtic (I believe Irish) goddess of healing, magic, fighting arts, and prophecy (according to my very brief internet perusal, which I fully admit is not the most accurate way to research something). I took a few liberties with her, like the show has done with most of its mythology and legends. For this fic, she's really just a goddess of magic and prophecy. I hope nobody is offended by any of it. Since magic is literally part of her domain, I figure she can control magic itself (aka Merlin).
Oh, and I'm not quite sure how the Old Religion actually functions, but I imagine that Morgana would worship the Triple Goddess, as she seems to be the big deity in this faith. And I kind of feel like Morgana might have gotten out of favor with her. I don't know. If Arthur is destined to be this great king, and Merlin is destined to bring magic back with Arthur, then I can't see the Triple Goddess being all that thrilled with Morgana constantly trying to mess up those destinies. That's just my take on it.
