Title: Before the Sun Breaks Another Day
Authors: accordingtomel & adelagia
Summary: Three months after her disappearance, Morgana returns to Camelot with a hidden agenda, but she's not the only one keeping secrets, and a series of unintended revelations forces her, Merlin and Arthur on an intertwined journey of revenge, redemption and love.
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur; Leon/Morgana (elements of Uther/Morgana, Arthur/Gwen)
Rating: M
Spoilers/Warnings: Everything up to and including 2x13
Word Count: 5,293
Disclaimer: Not ours. No money is being made. Please don't sue.
Authors' Note: A big thank you to ravenflight21 for the beta/Brit-pick, and thanks to everyone reading! We'll be taking a posting break for the next couple of weeks. Happy holidays, everybody!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Arthur lay on his back, sighing to himself in the darkness, every inch of his body demanding to get off the floor. Beneath him, the bearskin rug on which he'd found Merlin sleeping before he'd moved the idiot over to the bed, normally looking like an invitation to luxury, felt as cheap and scant and useless as a scrap of sandpaper. It had been out of a misguided sense of chivalry that Arthur had left Merlin the bed and retired to the rug for the night, but with the cold eating through his skin and the pure discomfort of lying on a stone floor, Arthur wasn't sure he could stand it much longer, especially when there was a perfectly good bed, with lovely blankets and down pillows, within an arm's reach, never mind that Merlin had starfished himself all over it as if claiming it for his very own.
Given the hard lump in Merlin's room that, under low lighting, usually just barely managed to pass itself off as a bed, Arthur wasn't exactly surprised Merlin had taken to the royal four-poster with such alacrity.
Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Arthur peered over at Merlin, whose fevered mutterings earlier that day had, to Arthur's relief, petered out into quiet breathing and the occasional coo of comfort as he rolled himself around from pillow to pillow.
Arthur got to his feet, stretched the stiffness out of his back, and padded over to the bed, deep in consideration. It was big enough for two, certainly, but the last time he and Merlin had shared a sleeping space - no matter that that had been under a wide open sky and amidst miles of forest - they'd ended up in each other's arms and that hadn't ended so well. Arthur felt a bit of heat rise to his cheeks, remembering the dreams and his physical response and the fear and shame that had plagued him even as he'd brought himself off to thoughts of Merlin.
Oddly, he felt entirely distanced from it now, despite the fact that it had happened only a few weeks ago. Forced by Morgana's impertinence to seriously contemplate what Merlin meant to him rather than keeping it at bay as he'd always done, the fortifications he'd built so carefully around his innermost thoughts had crumbled, and had at last been cleared away by Gwen's gentle practicality. And as it turned out, facing the truth was far less terrifying than he'd expected.
Perhaps he'd just needed somebody else to say it to him, to lend his thoughts the voice that he couldn't provide, to give him permission to let himself realise it, and some day he might even have to thank Morgana for being a presumptuous little harpy and catching on to his feelings before he did. There were no guarantees for a happy ending, and Merlin might not ever reciprocate his feelings, but for the time being, the sheer relief from relinquishing the grip on his own heart and keeping it shut so tightly was enough to let Arthur pull back the covers and climb into bed next to Merlin.
"Shove over, you hog," Arthur said softly, and though he didn't fully awaken, Merlin complied anyway with a small sound that was probably a grumble, inching over to make room. Arthur slid in, the warmth left in Merlin's wake making him smile involuntarily.
Cocooned in that sweet warmth, Arthur fell asleep almost immediately, and slept in continuous contentment until a series of sharp raps at the door roused him. Jerking awake, Arthur rapidly blinked the bleariness out of his eyes until the servant at the door swam into sharp focus, and he recognised Merlin's replacement from the day before.
"Er..." said Harold, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, looking at Arthur like he'd completely forgotten why he'd been sent to the prince's chambers.
Arthur scrubbed his face. "Well?"
"Ah..." said the boy, staring past Arthur. "Oh."
Following the direction of his gaze, Arthur realised Merlin was nestled into his side, still sound asleep. Despite the fact that neither of them had done anything remotely close to compromising, Arthur knew it probably didn't look altogether innocent. Gathering what princely comportment he could whilst caught with his figurative knickers down, he stepped out of bed, crossing his arms. "I assume your bursting in here was due to some kind of urgency, in which case, relaying whatever information you were sent with some time today would probably be in everyone's best interests."
"Yeah. Uh," Harold fumbled, "sire. The king wants to see you. There's reports from villages just south of the lower town of some kind of monster attack and, er, and it appears to be moving this way."
Something clenched at Arthur's stomach. He waved the boy away. "I'll be right behind you," he said, and pulled on whatever clothing was available in the immediate vicinity.
Glancing at Merlin, his movements stilled momentarily. Under normal circumstances he'd have shaken Merlin awake by now and made him come along, but even though some of the colour had returned to his face, Merlin still looked very much under the weather, and the fact that he hadn't even stirred during this whole conversation made Arthur hesitate.
He liked having Merlin alongside him; even long before his growing feelings had planted themselves in the way, he'd always liked having Merlin there, as a silent support while Uther talked –- and then as a very chatty one when they came away from the throne room and Merlin put everything Arthur was feeling into uncomplimentary words Arthur could never say but agreed with anyway. He liked the silly faces Merlin made at him during particularly poorly thought-out lies he told to Uther when he needed to get out of the castle to do things the king wouldn't have approved of; he liked the looks Merlin shot him that were more reassuring than anything anyone else said even if the entire court was giving him a dressing down; he liked knowing someone was on his side, always.
But, he supposed, it was his turn to look out for Merlin, and that meant letting him recover in peace, without having to worry about taking care of anyone but himself. Quickly scribbling out dosage instructions and tucking it underneath Merlin's medicine, Arthur let his fingers briefly graze Merlin's cheek, a promise for later, and swept out the door.
They stood at the fringe of a lush forest - Arthur in full armour, sword drawn and stance battle-ready, Morgana hidden in the shadows of the trees that sheltered her from his vision. Morgause was here somewhere as well; Morgana could feel her, but could not pinpoint her exact location. She had no conscious awareness of how they'd ended up here or the circumstances which had led to this moment, but she could feel in her heart that this would soon be revealed.
She tried to move towards Arthur, but something held her in place, as though she were paralysed. A second attempt was no more successful, and she knew without doubt that Morgause had done something to prevent any interference in her plans for Arthur. Fear assaulted Morgana's mind, attacking from all corners, as she waited with a sick horror twisting in her gut for whatever was about to happen.
A beat passed. Nothing. Arthur watched and waited, Morgana held her breath, and somewhere, off in the distance, Morgause smiled.
And then, as if out of thin air, a colossal creature descended upon Arthur, snarling viciously.
Then there was another, and another, and soon so many beasts surrounded Arthur that he appeared no more significant than a speck of dust against the backdrop of fur and claws and razor sharp teeth.
He fought valiantly and with great courage, as he had time and time before, but this was a battle no human alone could win, and there was no chance for survival.
A scream of rage erupted past her lips, shaking the ground beneath their feet, but the creatures paid her no heed, continuing their onslaught against Arthur instead, and Morgana watched on, hopeless, helpless to stop any of this.
He tore down one, and then a second. But for every beast he managed to injure, two more seemed to appear in its place, stronger and more determined than the last one. By now his armour was nothing but useless shreds, but still he fought on, even as one of the creatures slashed a claw through his chest.
Blood poured from his gaping wounds, and Arthur's eyes fell shut then, finally accepting defeat as he crumpled to the ground, his face resting in a pool of his own spilled blood. He shuddered violently twice before his body went completely limp, and she knew then, without doubt, that he was dead.
And all the while, Morgause watched from a distance, eyes alight with satisfaction and success, and Morgana felt the sting of betrayal like a knife to her heart.
Morgana awoke, a noiseless scream pouring from her throat, tears slipping down her cheeks as fear gripped her so tightly she could barely breathe. Again. Another dream. Another nightmare. Or was it something more, some sign of things that had not yet come to pass? She sat up in the bed, sucking in breath after breath as if she might never have enough air again, willing down the fear thrumming through her veins, rather unsuccessfully. Even without further contemplation, Morgana already knew the answer to her question. She could not deny the feeling of urgency coursing through her veins, could not dismiss this as just another bad dream. For all the trust and faith she'd placed in Morgause, she felt with every fibre of her being that the betrayal from her dream was on the cusp of manifesting itself, but how... and where?
The sudden sound of frantic, though hushed, voices outside the door wrenched Morgana from her thoughts, and without stopping to consider her actions, she tossed the covers aside and bolted from the bed. Her feet found their way to the door and she strained to make out what was being said on the other side, body humming with a nervous energy, remnants of her vision still cresting along the frayed edges of her mind. It was hard to tell for certain, but Morgana was quite sure she heard the words 'village', 'attacked', 'beast' and 'Camelot'. Her heart dropped to her feet with a sickening swiftness. It was enough to alert her to the fact that something serious was going on, but all the same, she still needed more information.
Tugging on the door handle, she managed to pull it open a crack, seemingly without alerting anyone to her presence. She pressed her ear to the door, leaning in as much as she could without pushing it shut entirely.
"When did this happen?"
Leon. He must have just recently arrived to relieve the night guard from his duty.
"Late last night. The initial reports indicate that at least five people were killed, and two are still unaccounted for. But I've only just been informed now. We need to hurry, before anyone else is killed."
That voice unmistakably belonged to Arthur.
The feeling of dread, still lingering from the terror induced by her vision-dream, rose like bile in her throat once more.
"What about Morgana?"
"I've put in a request for a replacement guard to take over your watch. He should be here soon."
It was the last thing she heard before the sound of boots scuffing down the corridors as they departed.
It was enough, though, to confirm her darkest fears. This was already the second nightmare she'd had about a monster attack, and it felt far too coincidental that Camelot was now under attack. No, it was not merely by chance that this was happening, which could only mean that something awful was imminent, if she wasn't able to prevent it from occurring. If Morgause truly was the mastermind behind this whole thing, as Morgana believed her to be, then the reality was that Arthur and Leon were in far more danger than they even realised. What had Arthur said? That they would send another guard around to replace Leon's post? Which meant that she only had a few minutes to work with, before the opportunity to follow them vanished like smoke.
With urgent speed, Morgana dressed and pulled on a pair of boots, and, after a moment's hesitation, unearthed her sword from the back of her wardrobe. She tied the sword belt around her waist, and stuck a dagger in as well for good measure. Just in case.
She wrapped a cloak around her shoulders, tucking the weapons out of sight, and slunk cautiously from her room. Thankfully, Leon's replacement guard had yet to arrive on the scene, and since it was still early in the morning, it afforded her with necessary extra time before he would even think to check in on her. Besides, all she truly required was a few minutes' head start anyway.
Pulling the hood of the cloak over her head to hide her identity from any passers-by, Morgana did the only logical thing she could think of - she headed directly for Arthur's chambers. It was possible that he'd yet to leave, which meant that she still might be able to talk him out of fighting these 'creatures', whatever they were. Or, at the very least, find out further information about what had happened. However, even if he wasn't in his chambers at all, it was plausible that he may have left behind papers or some sort of clue as to where this threat was, and it seemed like the most reasonable starting place.
Unsurprisingly, Arthur was not in his chambers when Morgana arrived, though she was thrown by the human-sized lump that seemed to occupy his bed. A mop of dark hair peeked out from under the covers, the only other indication that this was someone besides Arthur. But who on earth could be sleeping so casually in Arthur's bed? Was it possible that a servant had decided to use the royal bed as his own personal resting place when he thought no one would notice? What a dangerously foolish risk to take, Morgana mused.
Padding over to the bed, the identity of the unknown interloper quickly became obvious as his features blinked into focus.
"Merlin?"
He made a soft noise, then burrowed himself further under the covers, still oblivious to Morgana's presence. Had this been another time, another situation that wasn't so dire, she might have been more than a little curious as to what, exactly, Merlin was doing all curled up in Arthur's bed. And it was obvious, by the rumpled sheets on the opposite side of the bed, that Merlin hadn't been sleeping alone last night. Still, right now she could not afford to waste time wondering whether or not they had finally understood their feelings for one another. The fact that Arthur had left without Merlin was telling, but maybe she could use this to her advantage.
"Merlin, wake up," she said, tugging the blankets away from his face and shaking his shoulder.
"Mmm, still tired," he mumbled, eyes remaining shut.
"Merlin, it's Morgana," she tried again, more firmly this time.
That seemed to wake him up. Two tired blue eyes blinked up at her in confusion. "Morgana? What are you doing in my room?"
"Well, you're in Arthur's room, for starters. But you have to wake up so you can tell me what's going on. Do you know where he is?"
"Do I know where Arthur is? Why would I know that?" he asked sleepily, and then, "Wait. I'm in Arthur's room?"
Morgana bit back a growl of frustration. Yes, he was still half-asleep, and come to think of it, he didn't look all that great either, but the more time they wasted sorting out details, the less likelihood they had of finding and helping Arthur, Leon and the other knights he'd presumably taken along as well. "I need you to focus here, Merlin. I just overheard Arthur speaking to Leon. Apparently a village was attacked by some beasts and I dreamt last night that something terrible was about to happen to Arthur. I need to find him and stop my vision from becoming a reality, so unless you have anything useful for me, I have to leave. Now."
Apparently all it took to fully wake Merlin was the mention of potential danger for Arthur, and he was as wide-eyed as an owl. He was climbing out of the bed before the words even left his mouth: "Arthur's in danger? How do you know this?"
"I don't, exactly. I had a dream. But before you accuse me of making something up or over-reacting, you should know that I would never intentionally harm Arthur."
Merlin bounced around the room on one foot as he attempted to pull on his boots. "I know. You told me before, and I believe you," he grunted without hesitation, and then tumbled gracelessly to the floor.
In truth, she hadn't expected him to agree so readily, what with the steady stream of lies and threats that had spilled past her lips over the last couple of weeks. Still, perhaps it was a true testament to his dedication and loyalty to Arthur that he was willing to potentially run into a trap at the hands of someone who had every reason to try to eliminate him, as long as Arthur was safe in the end. The last time they'd spoken, Merlin had adamantly defended and stood behind Arthur with his words; now his actions proved his words true. It was an admirable quality, and for the first time in months Morgana felt a modicum of respect for him well up within her, and quite involuntarily, she wondered if some day Leon might be willing to risk the same for her.
"So who's trying to kill Arthur now? And why?" Merlin asked from his spot on the ground, jamming his foot into his other boot with urgency.
And just for a moment, Morgana faltered. But then she remembered the terror of her dream, the crimson pool of Arthur's blood and the anguish that wracked her body, and all hesitation vanished. Merlin couldn't be of help to her without knowing what they were up against, and she knew that with his magic, he was her best ally. "Morgause."
"What? Really? So then I did see her the other night. I thought maybe I'd just imagined the whole thing, what with the fever and everything."
Now it was Morgana's turn to be surprised. "You saw Morgause?"
"Yeah. Or thought I did. But you've just confirmed it." He stood, hair still tousled from sleep and heavy bags lining the underside of his eyes, but what Merlin seemed to lack in physical prowess, he more than made up for in determination. "Morgana, what's going on?"
It was a fair enough question, but one they certainly didn't have time for at the moment. Reaching out to grab his arm, she shook her head fiercely. "Not now, Merlin. Please, we need to find Arthur and Leon."
He hesitated for less than a second before nodding. "All right. Let's go."
With fear sitting like a lead weight in her gut and the lingering taste of betrayal at the back of her tongue, Morgana followed closely behind Merlin, resolve growing with each step she took.
The messenger had been half-dead by the time he'd got to Camelot with news of the attack - no bodily wounds, but the pure terror on his face told Arthur all he needed to know even before the man had uttered a single word. And when he finally had done, spitting and sputtering out his account, Arthur had felt his heart sink a little and his courage wane. But, as always, he'd picked up his sword anyway.
There was a small part of him now that wished he hadn't, that wished he'd simply packed up and run like hell.
What stood before him and his knights defied description. Under a coy sun now shining, now shadowed as clouds scudded by, its sleek, iridescent hide shimmered like nacre, stretched across a tense, sinewy frame that stood as big as a house. If sheer size had been its only claim to fame, Arthur could have easily found a way to put it to the creature's disadvantage, but it had much more to boast.
Had the gods ever intended to create a war machine out of an animal, this would have been it; from head to toe, it had a breathtaking capacity for destruction. Elegant spikes descended the length of its spine, meeting a broad, swaying tail that could whip through reinforced walls with ease. Adorning its feet were jet black claws, and, to match, its crowning glory, a set of horns thicker than a man's arm and sharp as a new sword.
It opened its slavering jaws, a warning growl erupting, and showed Arthur shining rows of teeth.
"What is this thing?" Leon muttered.
Whatever it was that they were up against clearly could not belong to this world. It was too savage, too extraordinary to have remained unheard of and unseen for this long; more than likely, magic was the reason for its sudden presence, and that meant that the odds of them all making it out of this alive were less than slim.
Still, Arthur swallowed his fear and pushed a confident smile onto his face, turning briefly to Leon and the other knights behind him. "Combat practice."
Leon grinned in return, and led the first charge.
Beyond that, the rest of it was a blur of light and sound. It was to their good fortune that they outnumbered the beast and could take it in turns to attack when a man tired or was wounded, or create distractions if another knight was in trouble, but that was where their luck ended. The beast, ferocious and undiscerning, assailed anything and everything that moved, and did it with lightning speed, making it nigh impossible for any of them to get a solid stroke in.
None of them had sustained any serious injury thus far, thankfully, but even the small ones would eventually add up; already blood had been spilt and it seemed to spur the monster on, and Arthur knew that if the fight went on like this, sooner or later his men would weaken and all would be lost. Something drastic needed to happen, and it was up to him to do it.
Arthur called out for a replacement, and stepped away from the melee. It was a risk, but if they could just afford him a moment's time to study the beast's movements he could find its weakness. At present, it was nothing but a tornado of spikes and claws, but everything had a weak spot somewhere, and he had to figure out what it was, quickly.
And when he saw it, his stomach lurched.
More precisely, when he saw her. The sorceress who had shown him the vision of his mother appeared among the trees in the distance, the crimson gleam of her gown and the spun gold of her hair like a fiery beacon. She weaved a graceful path, the trees seeming to bend out of her way of their own accord, and stared at him impassively, then walked away.
Arthur started after her. She had to be the key. That this monstrous creature should suddenly turn up at their doorstep intent on destroying everything in its path could not be mere coincidence with her accursed presence as well. If he could kill her, then the magic that had conceived this beast would likely die as well.
She did not turn back to look at him as she moved further and further away from the battle scene, not once, even though he shouted at her to stop.
At length, he came to a halt, the trail suddenly lost as if she had disappeared into thin air. Arthur glanced around anxiously; he was in a small glade, brightly lit and quiet. So quiet, in fact, that he could not hear the swords of his knights any longer. How far had he come?
Heavy footsteps fell behind him, and a soft snort rumbled through the air. Arthur turned. It was then that he realised how utterly stupid he had been. The beast he'd left was not the only one of its kind, and Arthur was all alone.
It wasn't that difficult to follow the trail that had been left behind, especially given Merlin's experience in and penchant for tracking Arthur down, particularly when he wasn't supposed to. Merlin led them out of the borders of the city and wended his way through the thick forest, careful to make as little noise as possible, Morgana hot on his heels. After they'd been on the move for what felt like hours but was likely no more than a few minutes, the trees began to thin, leading them to a small clearing.
An audible gasp escaped from Morgana's lips at the exact moment that Merlin saw what the knights were up against. An enormous creature comprised almost entirely of muscle, horns, claws and teeth stood on its hind legs in the middle of the clearing as they circled it. Even though it was surrounded, the beast still appeared to have the upper hand, moving with surprising swiftness in spite of its size. Merlin quickly scanned the knights for any sign of Arthur while he mentally catalogued the beast. There was something oddly familiar about it.
"I think I've seen one of these before," Merlin breathed as the memory of reading about it in one of Gaius' books distilled in his mind, and he wracked his brain for whatever other information he had managed to store up on this creature at that time. "I believe it's called a behemoth."
Morgana muttered a few words that were unbecoming of a lady before casting him a sidelong glance. "You've encountered one of these- monsters before?"
"Well, not personally. But I'm quite sure I've read about it."
"They're creatures of magic, aren't they?"
Merlin shot her a curious look. "How did you know that?"
"I can just feel it, like I'd imagine you can?"
He nodded solemnly. If it really was the case that they were being attacked by a behemoth, then Arthur and the knights were in a world of trouble.
"I don't see Arthur," Morgana whispered frantically into Merlin's ear then, fingers digging into his shoulder.
"I don't either," Merlin said, scanning the horizon a second time as a wedge of fear wormed its way under his skin. If Arthur wasn't among the knights battling the behemoth then it could only mean one of two things. Either Arthur was injured (which Merlin refused to believe), or he simply wasn't here. The first option was unlikely, given the fact that the rest of his knights seemed fine thus far, so it looked as if the second scenario was far more plausible. But then if that was the case, where had Arthur gone, and more importantly, why?
Craning his neck to toss a quick glance at Morgana, Merlin said, "Come on," and gestured for her to follow him.
But the hand still resting on his shoulder dug in, holding Merlin firmly in place. "What about the knights? Are we just going to leave them to fend for themselves?"
"What do you want us to do? Neither one of us can help them without revealing ourselves as magic. Besides, they were trained by the best warrior in all of Camelot. They'll be fine. But if your dream is correct, then Arthur is the one in danger, and we need to find him. Now."
Merlin refused to succumb to the panic that was dancing around the edge of his mind, because he knew that Arthur was strong and that he was perfectly fine. So many times in the past Merlin had been severely delayed by one thing or another, and Arthur had more than adequately managed to hold off significant threats. Besides, they were no more than ten minutes behind him. Though admittedly, this was also the first time Merlin's sense of urgency had been heightened by a second person with inside knowledge, and it certainly helped push that fear to the forefront of his consciousness.
Neither had any idea which direction to follow, but running on instinct had never failed Merlin before, and he hoped it would continue to bring him success. No more than a minute passed as they weaved their way through the trees lining the forest's edge before Merlin and Morgana found Arthur. Thankfully he was alive, though the situation looked precarious, even with a mere glance to assess what was going on. Somehow he must have been led away from the others by one of the behemoths, as one of the same beasts was currently attacking Arthur. The most significant difference in this encounter, however, was the fact that Arthur was completely alone, and no matter how skilled he was, it seemed unlikely that any human could defeat a behemoth on his own. The odds were stacked heavily against him, which meant that Merlin only had one option. Still, he knew full well that he and Morgana couldn't exactly rush down there and just start 'helping' Arthur.
"We need a plan. Arthur needs help, obviously, but it's not as if we can just run down there and offer our assistance," Merlin said, thinking, planning.
Silence hung in the air for several seconds and for a moment Merlin thought that perhaps Morgana hadn't actually heard him at all. But when he turned to her to repeat his words, he noticed that her gaze rested off in the distance, nowhere near where Arthur stood.
"She's here," Morgana announced, at length.
Merlin eyed her, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Morgause. She's here," Morgana repeated.
"How do you know that?"
"Because it was in my dreams. She was always here... watching Arthur as he fought. Everything else has proven true; she must be somewhere close." Morgana craned her neck, looking around. "I need to go after her."
But Merlin shook his head. "You can't do that. It's too dangerous."
"No, it's not. I'll be fine. You go and take care of Arthur. But I might be the only one who can stop Morgause, if she is the one who created these creatures in the first place. I have to at least try."
Merlin wanted to argue. He wanted to tell her that she was being foolish and that this was a terrible idea, but he had to admit that in some ways, what she was saying made sense. It had been obvious when he'd poisoned Morgana, at the time, that Morgause cared deeply for her, even all those months ago. Surely if anyone had a hope of talking her out of this, it would be Morgana. More than that, though, he knew she would rush off on her own anyway, as soon as he went down to assist Arthur, so any hope of instructing her to stay put vanished into a cloud of smoke.
"All right, fine. But please, please be careful, and don't take any unnecessary risks," Merlin said with some reluctance.
Morgana nodded, determination written plainly across her face. She grabbed his hand with urgency, squeezing firmly. "I won't. But you have to promise to be safe too. Make sure that both you and Arthur return, all right?"
"I will," he promised, swallowing heavily.
She hurried away from him then, and Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur.