AN:
The story is nearing 'M'-rated but I'm going to gamble and keep it 'T' since fictionratings is on the fritz.
Now might be a good time to add a follow in case changed to M and gets lost behind the default story filter.
"He wasn't in Ealdor." Elyan reported to his King.
"Are you sure?" Arthur asked.
"I've spent three days there, his mother offered me his bed for the night. She doesn't know what's happened." Elyan replied and Gwen stepped forward.
"Arthur, he asked you to leave him alone. You can't expect him to welcome a knight with open arms."
"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have condemned him like that but I would never have let him burn on the pyre." Arthur moped.
"Sire," Agravaine asked for his attention "You can't exclude the possibilty that the knights forced him into Morgana's hands."
"I'm sorry, uncle, but I refuse to believe that. I know Merlin, he'd never do that." The King argued.
"You didn't know he had magic nor why he saved Morgana." Agravaine countered. Arthur couldn't answer that question and, to make matters worse, it actually reminded him of the time he caught Merlin outside her chambers and accused him of being in love with her. He hadn't much ground to accuse him on but what if he was right after all? What if Merlin saved Morgana because he was still in love with her?
"Gaius, where else might Merlin go?" Arthur asked and the physician was confronted with how he might have neglected his ward as he couldn't provide a decent answer. For once he couldn't say the boy was at the taverns and other than that he didn't really know where Merlin might go to, other than Ealdor.
"I'm afraid not, Sire." Gaius reluctantly admitted. The court physician heard the voice of someone almost forgotten call his name, in his mind. After the meeting was finished, he got a horse from the stables and rode into the forest, to the only clearing where the owner of the voice may obscure himself from sight.
"It is time for us to talk, old friend." Kilgharrah greeted him.
"Yes, you too must have felt the change in the winds." Gaius replied.
"Indeed. Merlin has moved off the path set before him and I can no longer find him."
"You sensed his presence in Camelot, you can't sense him anymore?" Gaius asked.
"He's found out how to block it and I fear it is the witch's doing."
"Arthur wanted to have him executed for magic and he escaped. I too fear he has sided with Morgana."
"How is the King?" Kilgharrah asked.
"Conflicted. He is sorry for what he has done but he won't lift the ban until Merlin proves he is not corrupted by his magic. I fear Merlin will only return when the ban has been lifted."
"Beware, Gaius, there may be dark days ahead of us."
On his way back to Camelot Gaius saw a familiar face on horseback.
"Lancelot?" Gaius exclaimed.
"Gaius!" The knight greeted him with a smile. "It's good to see you again."
"Y... Yes, and you." Gaius returned. According to Merlin's story Lancelot was dead but he seemd very much alive to the physician, he should know. The rode back to Camelot together as Lancelot told the explanation put into his head by the sorcerers.
Back at Morgana's hovel, there wasn't much left to do but wait. Something Merlin really didn't like doing anymore and things were becoming awkward. Their meeting at the lake hadn't actually explained that much. They loved each other, yes, but all they had done and talked about was exacting vengeance.
"Are you sure about this?" Morgana asked all of a sudden. Merlin understood why she had to ask, he had been Arthur's most loyal servant and now his greatest enemy. The warlock got up and sat down next to the witch. Gently he put his hand on her cheek, silently wondering how he could've thought her different. He always thought the Lady Morgana was dead but she didn't change that much, she had merely chosen new enemies, greater enemies. Her allegiance had shifted but being on her side, hearing her voice tremble as if she were scared of something, she was still Morgana.
"I love you and I know how much you want the throne. I won't have you choose between the two when you don't have to, when I can help you. I will never turn my back on you ever again, you're far too precious to me for that." He told her and she was picked up where he had left off, when he had left, with her lips on his. This time there was nothing to hold back either one of them now that they were the same, betrayed by Camelot with no one to care for but each other. Morgana got up and pulled him along without breaking the kiss. Merlin worked her up against the wall, fighting for dominance and the edges of Morgana's lips curved upwards. She liked this Merlin, he was darker and fierce but still very much the man she had fallen in love with, only better. Morgana began to tug at his jacket and as the jacket neared his hips, his hands were behind his back and Morgana made them switch places to work him up against the wall instead. Merlin growled as his hand moved to the back of her dress and felt the laces that kept it in place. Lust guided his magic and the pieces of string were undone. The dress was starting to lose its grip and the moment she noticed she broke the kiss and took a step back, holding her dress up. Merlin looked very guilty and sorry for what he had done up until the moment she took a look at the bed and smiled mischievously at him.
AN:
Next chapter is dedicated to Lancelot.
I've got the urge to write a chapter with a massive word count only the statistics tell me that's not what the readers like.
The amount of views halved after I posted chapter 8 which had over 2.5K words (it's usually less than 1000).