The Golden Age Universe
All for Love - Chapter 9
~Fran Gipani

Disclaimer - I don't own Merlin, or the characters...I'm just borrowing them and adding a couple of awesome OC's

AN - Hello! There are only a couple more chapters and I have a rather long journey back home in a couple of days so I shoud be able to get this story finished and edited then! So yay, this is all getting very exciting - my first trilogy! With possible later trilogies later down the track with second gen characters. Anywho I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please leave a review if you have the time! :)
Fran x


When Brooke woke for the second time that night, she couldn't shake off the feeling that Merlin was going to do something ras, and that what ever had taken most of the night for he and Arthur to talk out was something to do with that decision. With that she had kissed Merln lightly on the forehead, slipped out of bed and put on her most simple white dress. She then pulled her midnight-blue traveling cloak over her shoulders, and tying it at her neck she walked quietly over to Maire's crib. Brooke knew her cheeks were damp with tears, "I love you Maire, and I always will, but I know I have to do this. Be good my darling, be good." With one last look at both her husband and child, Brooke turned and left them room at a run. Without doing so, no mater how brave she felt, she didn't think she could have left. Fast as she she could Brooke ran down through the castle towards the stables. Hushing her dappled grey on white horse, Shelby, the animal sensed Brooke's distress and began to stamp at the ground with its hoof. After calming the animal Brooke jumped up and clicked her als to send Shelby galloping towards the gates. Brooke was glad that the guards let her through without question, but she wasn't to sure why they had done so.

As Brooke reached the Great Stones of Nematon she could see the first first few moments of dawn on the horizon, with just enough light to see Morgana standing with her back to Brooke. Though the witch was standing tall, Brooke could tell that Morgana was shaking slightly.

"Very interesting," Morgana muttered o herself before slowly turning towards Brooke, "is Merlin very busy then? Busy enough with his new job as court Sorcerer to pay me a visit?"

Brooke dismounted, taking a step towards the witch but never entering the circle of boulders. From the new angle she could see how pale the witch was, "something like that," Brooke lied, "Merlin's power is wearing you down? Isn't it?"

Morgana didn't answer.

"It is isn't it? You didn't expect-"

"-it doesn't matter!" Morgana snapped, "it still works for me though and you will still die." She smirked, "you see Merlin has thwarted every plan I have made to take Camelot down. I was once hoping to kill Arthur take over you see, but that with Merlin there that was never going to happen. So, I thought, kill Merlin but that didn't work either, because you turned up." Morgana paused, "that was when I realised, Emrys was nearly indestructible, but Merlin however, his heart is fragile. I thought it would be tough to get you here, but no, here you are. Just as self sacrificing as Merlin is. You're perfect for each other."

Brooke's heart was thumping out of her chest, she was listening to Morgana but the words didn't seem to stick. All she could think about was the fact that Merlin would probably have stirred in his sleep by now, realised she wasn't there and gone straight to Arthur. "You can't do that to him..." she spoke, her voice sounding stronger than she felt.

"Oh but I can!" Morgana laughed, "you walked straight into my trap as soon as you had the most vivid dream you'd had in a long time. I thought you would, and you'd come straight here to stop Merlin doing so."

"No, no, no." Brooke muttered, panic rising in her throat. Not for her own life though, but for Merlin's, he would follow her, falling into the same self sacrificing trap. Possibly bringing Arthur and the knights along too.

"You'll break his heart you know? Once I've broken Merlin, it will be easy enough to kill Emrys." The witch smirked.

"You can't do this!" Brooke yelled, "do you have no consience? Do you have no heart?"

"I did once. Not any more though, Merlin and Arthur saw to that."

To Brooke the witch sounded bitter, and she took a chance, "Arthur has relinquished the ban on magic in Camelot if you beg forgiveness from him and call this all off he may even give you what you need. Forgiveness, a family, a home! Just stop this whole thing now!" She looked helplessly at Morgana, "please?"

There was a moments silence, then...

"I am not begging for anything from anyone!" Morgana screeched, "you have no idea what I went through to get here! I have no home anymore. None! Arthur took that away, and as for Merlin! I thought he was my friend, but he betrayed me! There is nothing left in that lump of rock that I care about! NOTHING!" With that last scream Brooke was thrown off her feet, landing meters from the nearest boulder with a thump. Brooke tried to get up but Morgana's magic shoved her down, again and again and again. Until the girl started feeling dizzy, her head whacking the hard dirt ground each time.

Then Morgana, using her magic, clasped an invisible hand to Brooke's throat lifting the woman from the ground and pressed her roughly against a boulder. Brooke spluttered, gasping for breath. Her hands clawing the air trying to get at Morgana, Brooke even tried her magic but there was little left in her that could counter the power she was facing. Morgana then whispered menacingly in Brooke's ear, "don't you dare bring up things from my past that you don't understand." She then dropped Brooke casually to the ground and strode to the centre of the stone circle.

Brooke crumpled, coughing and spluttering, to the cold dewy grass. Dark spots clouded her vision mixed with the bright morning sun. Gasping for breath she managed to move to all fours, that was when she noticed the line of dark figures on the top of the hill.

Merlin had seen the whole thing.