Hey all! I'm only slightly late this time. Getting better! XD Anyhoo, here it is! I hope you like it!

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Chapter 13

"Simple- he dies."

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We all turned to the voice who had spoken.

There, strolling casually into the bedroom with an evil grin on his face, was Lord Randolf.

"Y-you…," I mumbled.

"Yes, me," he said. "I'm sorry for intruding on your little party over here, but I wanted to see Emrys in time to say goodbye." He sat on a stool next to my bedside and looked at my face, pretending to look regretful.

"Emrys…," Arthur said, turning to me. "You're-"

"Yes yes, he is the fabled Emrys. And right now, it looks like I've defeated him! The prophesied savior of Albion, brought to his knees by me. It truly is an honor." He chuckled humorlessly.

Arthur stood, hand at his sword, but I stopped him.

"Wait. I w-want to know why."

Randolf smiled. "Very well, I will tell you my story. After all, it's the least I can do, well, considering our current… situation." He smiled sardonically.

He looked off into the distance dramatically. "I was raised a Druid, believe it or not. A very unfortunate upbringing, honestly, but luckily I was saved from certain ruin by a knight. A Camelot Knight, actually. He took pity on my eight year old self and took me in; explaining to me the evils and horrors of magic and the toll it took on its users. He helped me purge myself as much as I could of the stuff and assisted me in making a decent life for myself.

"I devoted myself to cleansing the world of sorcery, just as one newly converted would work to tell of their religion. And I did well. Many a witch or a sorcerer was eliminated by my hands, and I'll proudly say that I don't regret any of it."

"You're a m-monster…," I growled.

He huffed. "I'm hardly the monster in this room. Now if you'd let me finish…

"Having spent years in a Druid camp, I obviously knew who Emrys was. But when I heard that he was finally here? Alive and well, thriving somewhere, hidden and waiting for the perfect moment to strike out into the peace that Uther and others like him at worked to create? …well, I wasn't about to let that opportunity pass. I followed the little Druid magic I had retained and found you, Merlin. A little, scrawny, pathetic looking servant boy- messing with my prized violin, no less. As funny as the situation was, you being Emrys I mean, I gathered my wits and devised a plan. With the last of the power I had left I placed the curse on the instrument, just as I placed it into its case for you.

"And now we are here. I admit, Warlock, that I was worried you'd find a way to escape my enchantment. But alas, I suppose Emrys isn't as strong as we all thought…"

I was breathing hard at this point, from anger as well as from the curse.

"Goodbye, Emrys, or Merlin, or whatever your wretched name is. It should only be a few more hours until the universe is finally rid of you, by the looks of it." He looked at me sympathetically. "No offence, dear friend, but you don't exactly look like your usual cheery self. Oh, and Merlin? If you'd like to say goodbye to anyone, now would be the time. Any regrets, last wishes, messages you'd like me to send? You don't have long, so speak now or forever hold your peace. Not like you'll have much of a choice, being dead and all. Unless you would like me to end you myself, right now. I must say, it'd be quite a bit less painful that way…,"

All of the sudden a voice rang out.

"STOP!"

It was Vincent. He was huffing and puffing, and tears were coming to his eyes.

"Merlin is everything. He's everything the Druids prophesied. He's everything Albion needs. He's everything you'd ever want in a friend. And he's everything you will never be. He's good, he's pure, he's strong. He knows what's right, and he fights for it. He never once searched for attention, or glory, or praise, or any of it! All he wants is to keep people safe, and you're killing him?!" he wheezed. "You, Sir, are seriously messed up."

Randolf guffawed. "And what are you going to do about it, boy? You know nothing of the real world. You've never been hurt before. You've never had your whole life turned upside down in a second. You've never hated yourself. Not like I have."

Vincent's back went rigid for a moment, and then he spoke. "Wanna bet?"

And then the floor started to shake.

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*dun dun DUN* So, what do you all think will happen?

Erm... to be quite honest, I'm still deciding how I'm going to end this. But never fear! I'm not completely clueless. I'm just entertaining multiple endings. So if you have an idea as to how you think it should end, don't be afraid to leave it in a review- you just might affect the story. :)

Thanks for reading! Hugs to all you guys.